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Bangkok (CNN) -- Much of Southeast Asia continued its recovery from heavy rains and extensive flooding Friday, including scores of deaths and extensive damage in Thailand.
The wet weather is not entirely abnormal in the region, which is still in the midst of its wet season. Still, the extent of destruction has been particularly devastating in some locales in recent weeks.
Thai authorities early Friday said that the flooding had left at least 244 people dead, and some 28 provinces have been affected.
More than 820,000 households have been affected in four of the hardest-hit provinces -- Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Chai Nat and Nakhon -- the state-run MCOT news agency reported, quoting the national disaster prevention and mitigation ministry.
An official Thai industrial agency urged factories in Ayutthaya province to shut down through October 11 in order to give it more time to tackle pervasive flooding.
The same MCOT report described the situation at the Rojana Industrial Park, in particular, as "critical." A government industrial ministry said water will continue to rise over a flood prevention dike, causing issues in the park which has 198 factories that employ 90,000 people.
Nationwide, Thai's Labor ministry reported Friday that 1,215 factories in 33 provinces were underwater -- a disaster that affected about 41,000 workers. Almost half of those workers were in Ayutthaya. Moreover, a corrections department official told MCOT that 3,700 inmates in that province had to be evacuated after their prison was submerged under 1.7 meters (6 feet) of water.
Filipinos, meanwhile, are trying to regain their footing after being pummeled by successive typhoons in the span of a week.
Typhoon Nesat -- known locally as Pedring -- claimed 55 lives, and the death toll from Nalgae -- known locally as Quiel -- rose to four earlier this week.
Health and government officials were working fervently to prevent more deaths Friday as they provided medical treatment for people from flood-stricken areas.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that 54 medical teams from hospitals in and around Manila have gone to evacuation centers in Bulacan and Pampanga to treat the ill, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported.
About 3,600 patients in evacuation centers had respiratory diseases, such as the flu and pneumonia, while there were about 600 diarrhea cases, said Ona. In addition, five in Bulacan had leptospirosis, a bacterial disease.
Nearby countries were also dealing with the aftermath of severe flooding.
That includes Laos, where the top official in Savannakhet province requested "large amounts of government funding" in 12 of 15 districts, money that could be used to repair irrigation systems and develop anti-flood systems, according to the state-run KPL news agency.
And in Cambodia, Agriculture minister H.E. Chan Saran said that flooding there had affected more than 330,000 hectares (815,000 acres) of rice fields and killed 1,000 working animals in 103 of the nation's 145 districts, the official AKP agency reported Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered her nation's "deepest condolences" for the families of those who died in Southeast Asia due to the heavy rains and flooding.
"Our embassies in the region are working with local authorities and international organizations to assess how the United States can be of help to countries where the impact of the flooding has been especially devastating," Clinton said in a statement.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | [
"How many are left dead?",
"How many provinces does it affect?",
"Who are treating thousands forced to evacuate due to floods?",
"Which nations have also been impacted?",
"What leaves 244 dead and 1215 factories submerged?",
"What number of provinces is affected by the floods?"
] | [
[
"244"
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"54 medical teams from hospitals in and around Manila"
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"Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Chai Nat and Nakhon"
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] | Flooding in Thailand leaves at least 244 dead and 1,215 factories submerged .
It affects 28 provinces, including 820,000 households in four provinces .
Doctors in the Philippines are treating thousands forced to evacuate due to floods .
Laos, Cambodia and other nations also have been impacted . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai authorities seized a cargo aircraft carrying tons of weapons from North Korea during a refueling stop in Bangkok, a government official said.
The pilot told Thai authorities the aircraft was headed to Sri Lanka, but its final destination was unknown, according to Panitan Wattanayagorn, a spokesman for the Thai prime minister.
It contained about 35 tons of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-launched rockets and tubes that may be missile components, the spokesman said.
The plane, which was detained Saturday, had five people onboard -- four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus. They will appear in court Monday on charges related to illegal weapons smuggling, the spokesman said.
Thai government officials acted after working with several intelligence agencies for several weeks, the spokesman said. The cargo was taken to a military base while the plane, which is registered in Georgia, remains at Don Muang.
Sri Lanka officials said there were no shipments scheduled in the country either by air or sea from North Korea.
"We have asked the Sri Lanka embassy in Bangkok to obtain details from the Thai authorities," the ministry said. "We will have more information on the progress of their investigation later on Sunday."
Such an aircraft could not have landed in any of Sri Lanka's airports without prior authorization, officials in Colombo said.
Last year, two arm dealers were arrested in Thailand. The men's arrest came after a series of events that involved law enforcement agencies from at least five countries, including two undercover agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Viktor Bout and his associate, Andrew Smulian, made millions of dollars delivering weapons and ammunition to warlords and militants, officials said.
Bout is accused of supplying weapons to war zones around the world -- from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan. He has repeatedly said he has not broken any laws and the allegations against him are lies
A Thai court rejected a U.S. extradition request for Bout in August.
CNN's Dan Rivers and journalist Iqbal Athas contributed to this report. | [
"When was the plane detained?",
"What number of people where on board the plan?",
"How many people were on board?",
"How much weapons was on the plane?",
"What did the plane contain?",
"What did government officials do?",
"Where were they from?"
] | [
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] | Plane contained about 35 tons of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and shoulder-launched rockets .
The plane, which was detained Saturday, had five people onboard -- four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus .
Thai government officials acted after working with several intelligence agencies for several weeks . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Anti-government protesters poured a small amount of blood at the headquarters of the government in Bangkok on Tuesday, but the demonstration did not live up to their threat to douse the ministers' offices in blood.
The protesters had launched a blood drive earlier to collect enough samples for the demonstration.
Thousands of "red shirts" -- so named for their clothing -- held out their forearms to allow their compatriots to draw blood.
The protesters intended to collect 1,000 liters (1 million cubic centimeters) and then throw the blood on the grounds of the Government House, which houses ministerial offices, at 6 p.m. (7 a.m. ET).
"Red shirts" rally in Bangkok: Share your photos
If Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva still refuses to dissolve parliament, the demonstrators said they will collect another 1,000 liters of blood Wednesday and splash it on the headquarters of the ruling party.
The next day, they will collect 1,000 more liters and target the prime minister's residence, the demonstrators said.
What are the protests about?
Abhisit has repeatedly said he will listen to the protesters but will not accede to their demands.
The anti-government demonstrations began Friday. By Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters had poured into the center of Bangkok.
The rallies have been largely peaceful. Abhisit has said his government will not use force to quell the demonstrations.
The nation's tourism minister estimated the demonstrations might have resulted in a 20 percent drop in tourists. The impact on Chinese visitors appears to have been greater, with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce reporting a 50 percent cancellation rate.
The protesters are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006.
Thaksin was the only Thai prime minister to serve a full term and remains hugely popular.
He fled the country in 2008 while facing trial on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated.
The protesters say Abhisit was not democratically elected and have demanded that he call new elections.
Since Thaksin's ouster, Thailand has endured widespread political unrest that has pitted Thaksin loyalists against Abhisit supporters.
Two people were killed and at least 135 wounded in riots in April 2009 when protesters clashed with demonstrators supporting the government.
CNN's Kocha Olarn and Dan Rivers contributed to this report | [
"What did thousands hold out their forearms for",
"What did demonstrators threaten to splash blood on",
"What have demonstrators threatened to do?",
"The demonstrators where supporting what former prime minister",
"Who holds out their forearms to give blood?",
"What happened to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra?",
"What are demonstrators threatening to do?"
] | [
[
"compatriots to draw blood."
],
[
"the grounds of the Government House,"
],
[
"douse the ministers' offices in blood."
],
[
"Thaksin Shinawatra,"
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[
"Anti-government protesters"
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[
"ousted in a bloodless military coup"
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[
"douse the ministers' offices in blood."
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] | Thousands of "red shirts" hold out forearms to give blood for message .
Demonstrators threaten to to splash blood on ruling party headquarters, PM's residence .
Protesters are supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- As the death toll climbed Monday from flooding in Southeast Asia, officials beefed up flood prevention measures to protect Thailand's capital from rising water.
Millions have been affected by the flooding in Thailand and Cambodia, which has been hit by an above-average monsoonal rainy season. As of Monday, 269 people were dead in Thailand and four were missing, according to the country's Flood Relief Operations Command. Another 207 people were dead in Cambodia, according to the country's state-run news agency AKP.
Patients in two hospitals in Thailand's Ayutthaya and Nakhon Sawan provinces had to be evacuated after water reached the first floor, the flood operations command said.
Multiple tropical systems have moved over the area in recent weeks, enhancing monsoon rains and leading to the flooding. Another low pressure system is forecast to move into Southeast Asia on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Brandon Miller, senior meteorologist for CNN International.
On Monday, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered canal dredging and reinforcement of flood-prevention embankments to protect Bangkok, state-run news agency MCOT reported. In addition, three new flood-prevention walls were being built at two locations in Rangsit, in northern Bangkok, and in Taling Chan, in the western part of the city.
The government needs another 1.5 million sandbags, MCOT reported. The prime minister called on the private sector to supply them, but said the government will buy all the needed sandbags by Wednesday, the news agency said.
The Rojana Industrial Park has halted operations for the time being, director Amara Charoengitwattanagun told MCOT, and the facility may be further damaged if the flooding worsens. One plant in the park, Single Point Parts, evacuated all workers from the premises and built flood prevention embankments around its building, according to MCOT.
Meanwhile, Honda Thailand said on its website Monday that its plants in the Rojana park are flooded and will be closed until at least until the end of the week. | [
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] | [
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] | Nearly 500 people are dead in Thailand and Cambodia .
Officials order measures to protect Bangkok .
The region has seen weeks of heavy rain . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- High tide on Friday sent some water pouring into the Bangkok's Chinatown area, but it receded within a few hours, while the commercial district remained largely dry.
Those who have stayed in the city despite the government's pleas to leave are waiting to see if the highest tide, forecast to come Saturday afternoon, will overwhelm defenses along the city's river and many canals and bring more damaging floods.
Floodwaters that drenched much of central and lower parts of northern Thailand crept Thursday into Bangkok, stressing embankments and flooding roads, parking lots, factories and markets and sending many residents fleeing for dry ground.
Up to 1 meter (3.2 feet) of water was expected in some areas, said Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, as the Chao Phraya River spilled into the city of 12 million people.
Several districts were under a mandatory evacuation order.
"There is water from underground coming up," said Pracha Promnok, chief of the Flood Relief Operations Center. "We are unable to do anything (to stop it)."
Yingluck fielded criticism that the flood relief center had not done enough and -- with tears in her eyes -- called on the public to sympathize with emergency staff, as some of them had also become victims of the flooding.
"Many are exhausted and some problems cannot be controlled and were not caused by (the center)," Yingluck said, according to MCOT.
Thailand's government declared public holidays through the rest of the month in 21 flood-affected provinces, and appealed to Bangkok residents to head to the countryside.
People flocked to bus terminals and crowded the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the main airport, in hopes of reaching higher ground. The smaller domestic airport, its runways inundated, was closed until November 1, but Suvarnabhumi was operating normally, protected by 3.5 meters (almost 12 feet) of dikes, said Toopetch Booyarith of the Airport Authority of Thailand.
"We are confident that we will not be affected," Toopetch said.
CNNGo: Updated info for tourists
The streets of the normally bustling metropolis that is notorious for massive traffic jams stood empty Thursday, save for a few public buses and taxis that were able to navigate through. There was even water standing before the Grand Palace, perhaps the most adored of Bangkok's landmarks.
In some neighborhoods vacated by people, domestic animals were left to fend for themselves. "You'll see dogs stranded on rooftops, dogs trying to swim," said Marcelo Cacciola, of the Soi Dog Foundation. "So we went to these little towns around the Bangkok area with boats and rescued the dogs."
Some hotels slashed prices to accommodate the flood-affected and some tourist areas reported full occupancies. In the resort town of Pattaya, fleeing Bangkok residents found it hard to get a room in hotels overflowing with European tourists, the Bangkok Post reported.
Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was planning to leave Bangkok to stay with relatives outside the city. "Some families in southern Bangkok had their house flooded," said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company, which was shut after it, too, was flooded. "The water level is two meters (six feet) high and smells very bad," she said.
She said the military had set up a flood relief center, "but now even that has water coming in it."
UNICEF said it was providing $300,000 in aid that includes 20,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas. It noted that most tourist destinations, such as Phuket and Chiang Mai, were unaffected.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next.
The United States has already provided civilian relief resources, including water pumps, water purifiers and life vests, she said, and two U.S. helicopters are helping the Thai military determine the extent of the flooding.
The floods, caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers, have killed 373 people nationwide | [
"How many people has flooding killed?",
"What does the prime minister say",
"Where did high tide send water into?",
"What was declared",
"what happened to Bangkok",
"How many people have died because of flooding?",
"Where did residents move to during the high tide?",
"where does high tide send water pouring into?"
] | [
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] | NEW: High tide sends water pouring into Bangkok's Chinatown area .
The prime minister says Bangkok is entering a critical stage .
A holiday was declared so that residents could flee to safer ground .
Flooding has killed 373 people and affected more than 9.5 million . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Relations between Cambodia and Thailand took a further turn for the worse Tuesday, after ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Phnom Penh to begin his new job there. Thaksin arrived in Cambodia Tuesday to begin his first day as an economic adviser, a move that has infuriated Thailand. In response to the relationship with Thaksin, Thailand has suspended its cooperation with Cambodia, a Thai government official said Tuesday. Thailand has also suspended a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia, an agreement that governs an overlapping waterway between the two countries, said Panitan Wattanayakorn, a Thai government spokesman. Thai officials also plan to send out an extradition request to Cambodia for Thaksin, the spokesman said. The actions are the latest moves in worsening relations between the southeast Asian countries that were sparked by Cambodia's hiring of Thaksin. Last week, Thailand withdrew its ambassador to Cambodia and, in response, Cambodia pulled its top diplomat to Thailand. Cambodian officials said Thaksin arrived Tuesday and had a welcome luncheon with Prime Minister Hun Sen and the two were expected to have a friendly dinner later. Cambodia had not received extradition papers from Thailand, government spokesman Phay Siphan said. Thaksin, a billionaire businessman who served two terms as prime minister, was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006. Thaksin fled Bangkok last year while facing trial on corruption charges that he said were politically motivated. Though he has fled the country, he remains a controversial figure in Thailand, and there have been violent clashes in the country between pro and anti-Thaksin groups. CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | [
"What is Ousted Thai PM Thaksin?",
"What did Thailand do?",
"Who is the Thai PM?",
"Did he flee Thailand?",
"When did Thaksin fee Thailand?"
] | [
[
"billionaire businessman"
],
[
"suspended its cooperation with Cambodia,"
],
[
"Thaksin Shinawatra"
],
[
"has fled"
],
[
"last year"
]
] | Ousted Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra arrives in Cambodia to work as economic adviser .
Thai officials say they will issue extradition request for Thaksin .
Thailand suspends cooperation with Cambodia, withdraws ambassador .
Thaksin fled Thailand last year while awaiting trial on corruption charges . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Severe flooding in Thailand on Saturday threatened central areas of Bangkok, a bustling capital barely above sea level and facing inundation at the next high tide predicted at 13 feet.
Residents who decided to stay in their homes despite government pleas to get out waited anxiously to see whether high tide, forecast for Saturday afternoon, would overwhelm defenses along the Chao Phraya River and its many canals.
Bangkok's outer suburbs were already submerged, but the central city had been largely spared the misery Thailand has been suffering for months in the nation's worst flooding since 1942. In the east and the north of the city, water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods, but in central Bangkok, it had been mostly dry.
The city was facing two converging threats, however.
Runoff the equivalent of 480,000 Olympic-size pools was flowing south to the sea through Bangkok, as high tide pushed the water in the opposite direction.
"The challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the Gulf of Thailand," a Red Cross bulletin said.
Saturday's high tide, the Red Cross said, was expected to put "extreme pressure" on Bangkok's elaborate system of dikes and other flood defenses.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered work crews Friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage, according to the state-run MCOT news agency. But the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps, the Bangkok Post reported.
Health concerns were rising with the water.
Bangkok residents waded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within, the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials. The government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater.
"We were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters and every day we see children playing in the water, bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground," said Annie Bodmer-Roy, spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency Save the Children.
As floodwater entered homes, some Bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave.
Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was going to stay with relatives outside the city.
"Some families in southern Bangkok had their house flooded," said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company, which was shut after it also was flooded. "The water level is 2 meters (six feet) high and smells very bad," she said.
The military had set up a flood relief center, "but now even that has water coming in it," she said.
Asked what help the government had provided, she said, "We don't see that the government is doing anything much to help people, so better to help ourselves by getting out of Bangkok." But the Bangkok Post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs, and would pick up residents of the capital on Saturday and take them out of Bangkok. As of Saturday, an estimated 1 million of the city's 12 million residents had left.
Another Bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house, which has been flooded for five days, and would not leave. Still, so many people had left that the streets were relatively quiet.
Panic buying had led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital, residents said.
City officials bracing for more flooding have opened nine evacuation centers.
Officials urged tourists to steer clear of Bangkok, while noting that many of the other tourist spots, such as Phuket, remained dry and open for business.
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health had transferred 280 of the capital's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry, the MCOT news agency reported.
The remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by Sunday, it said, citing Permanent-Secretary for Health Paichit Varachit.
Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that, after months of flooding, 107,101 Thais | [
"what is Many other tourist spots?",
"What are tourists urged to do?",
"What is the news about the flooding there?",
"where is Tourists urged to steer clear?"
] | [
[
"Phuket,"
],
[
"steer clear of Bangkok,"
],
[
"reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters and every day we see children playing in the water, bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground,\""
],
[
"Bangkok,"
]
] | NEW: Tourists urged to steer clear of Bangkok .
Many other tourist spots, such as Phuket, remain dry and open for business .
The outer suburbs are already flooded, but the central city has largely been spared .
The Thai floods have killed 373 people and affected more than 9.5 million . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai officials on Wednesday pulled out of planned cease-fire talks with Cambodia, hours after fighting flared up again in a bloody border dispute that has sent tens of thousands fleeing over the past week.
About 27,000 people are living in shelters in Thailand, the nation's health ministry said.
A Thai army spokesman said the two nations had planned meetings between their defense ministers to discuss a cease-fire.
"But before our departure yesterday, some Cambodian media misreported that our trip to Cambodia was to surrender because we were defeated," said Col. Sansern Kawekumnerd, the spokesman.
"So the minister thought that if we continued our trip to Cambodia today, it will bring wrong messages to Cambodia and the international community."
But the negotiation door is not closed, the spokesman said.
He accused Cambodia of firing again on Tuesday night, and urged the nation to halt attacks "to show their honesty of going back to negotiation table."
The spokesman said Cambodians unsuccessfully attempted to seize Ta Muen and Ta Kwai temples on Tuesday night, leaving one civilian dead.
Thailand calls the temples Ta Kwai and Ta Muen, while Cambodia calls them Ta Krabey and Ta Moan. Much of the border between the two countries remains in dispute.
Both sides claim the disputed temples are in their country.
Clashes between the two started Friday as they accused each other of trying to seize the ancient temples. Thai officials say at least six of its citizens have died and more than 40 injured in the clashes over the past week.
Cambodia has said three of its troops have been killed in the fighting.
In February, at least 10 people were killed when fighting flared up in another disputed border area between the two nations, prompting the United Nations Security Council to issue a statement calling on both sides to implement a cease-fire.
Those clashes stemmed from a longstanding conflict related to the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the temple, which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | [
"how many people living in shelters",
"Where did the violence erupt?",
"Where did the voilence erupt?",
"What number of people are in shelters?",
"How many people are living in shelters?"
] | [
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"27,000"
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"Ta Muen and Ta Kwai temples"
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"27,000"
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"27,000"
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] | Fresh clashes break out as talks collapse, a Thai official says .
Thailand says 27,000 people are living in shelters .
Each side blames the other for the violence, which erupted near two disputed temples . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai police said Tuesday that they would seek court permission to extend the detention of a Lebanese man they have charged with illegal possession of explosive materials.
The move comes amid tension after the United States and Israel warned their citizens in Bangkok on Friday of the possibility of an imminent terrorist attack.
The police charged the man, Atris Hussein, on Monday after finding "initial chemical materials that could produce bombs" in an area just outside Bangkok. The police said Hussein, who also holds a Swedish passport, led them to the location.
The authorities are accusing Hussein of trying to attack spots in Bangkok that are popular with Western tourists and say he is believed to belong to Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim group active in Lebanon that the United States views as a terrorist organization.
Hussein will be brought to the criminal court Tuesday, so that the police can request authorization to continue to hold him as they pursue their investigation, said Piya Uthayo, a police spokesman. The charges of illegally possessing explosives carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Thai authorities said Sunday they were still looking for another suspect of Middle Eastern origin in the case, providing a sketch of his face.
The materials found Monday in Samutsakorn, southwest of Bangkok, included 400 boxes of fertilizers weighing a total of more than 4,000 kilograms and 1,500 liters of liquid ammonia nitrate, together with 400 electric fans, according to CNN affiliate MCOT.
They were found in a shop house, a type of store common in Southeast Asia that gives onto the sidewalk and also serves as the owner's residence.
Based on comments from Hussein, the authorities believe that "Thailand is only a transit point to send these initial explosive materials to other regional countries," said Police General Priewpan Damapong.
A U.S. Embassy statement on Friday spoke of "foreign terrorists" who may be planning attacks "in the near future." It urged U.S. citizens to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok. Israel issued a similar alert later Friday.
Thailand is a highly popular tourist destination, and Bangkok serves as a major transport hub for the Southeast Asian region.
The country has undergone periods of unrest in recent years. It experienced a spate of political violence during anti-government demonstrations in 2010.
And Muslim separatists in southern Thailand have long battled government forces in a country that is overwhelmingly Buddhist, with a number of bombings taking place last year. | [
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"Who has been charged?",
"Who has been charged with possession of explosives?",
"What is the mans name?",
"What nationality was the alleged terrorist?",
"Where was a terrorist attack threatened?",
"What will the court be asked to do?",
"How much explosives did he have?"
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] | Thai police have charged a Lebanese man with illegally possessing explosives .
They will ask a court to extend the period of his detention for further investigation .
The move comes after the U.S. and Israel warned of a terrorist threat in Bangkok .
Thai authorities are accusing the suspect of plotting attacks . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand braced for anti-government demonstrations that began Friday and were expected to peak over the weekend with as many as 150,000 protesters on the streets.
In anticipation, the government has mobilized 50,000 security forces, said acting spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn.
The mass rallies are expected to be peaceful but Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said that crowd-control measures will be used if necessary.
"We will exercise the most effort to explain to demonstrators not to resort to violence, but if worse comes to worst, we may have to apply tear gas," he said.
The "red shirt" opposition protesters include supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. Thaksin was the only Thai prime minister to serve a full-term in office and remains hugely popular.
Are you there? Send pics, video to iReport
The protesters say that current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was not democratically elected and have demanded that he call new elections.
Since Thaksin's ouster, Thailand has endured widespread political unrest that has pitted Thaksin loyalists against Abhisit's supporters. In September, tens of thousands of red shirt demonstrators converged on the Thai capital, Bangkok, to mark the third anniversary of the coup that ousted Thaksin.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this story | [
"What began Friday?",
"What did protesters say?",
"how many troops were mobilized?",
"who was not democratically elected?"
] | [
[
"anti-government demonstrations"
],
[
"was not democratically elected and have demanded that he call new elections."
],
[
"50,000 security forces,"
],
[
"Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva"
]
] | Anti-government demonstrations begin Friday, expected to peak over weekend .
Mass rallies expected to be peaceful; government mobilizes 50,000 troops .
Protesters say Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva not democratically elected . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra warned Saturday that more water would pour into the capital, Bangkok, as the country endures its worst flood in half a century, state media reported.
Giving her weekly television address to the nation, Shinawatra said efforts were being made to manage the flow of floodwaters to minimize the impact on residents.
Extra protection would be given to historical sites, palaces, hospitals, business districts, utilities and transportation infrastructure, state-run news agency MCOT quoted her as saying.
The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters for victims of flooding in affected provinces, Shinawatra said, according to the agency. There are currently more than 113,000 people staying at the shelters, which can cater for about 800,000, she said.
The government had hoped that strengthening flood barriers and widening canals would keep populated areas safe.
But now the government is trying a different tack: opening floodgates to relieve pressure on dams and levees and send the water toward the sea.
The decision to divert water through canals in Bangkok means parts of the city, and its surrounding suburbs such as Rangsit, are flooded.
The flooding, which follows months of monsoon rains, has already killed 356 people, with nearly 9 million others affected, authorities said.
Overall damage from the floods could top $2 billion, with the worst yet to come as the waters destroy shops and paralyze factories nationwide, the Thai Finance Ministry said.
Many residents waded through dirty water in the capital Friday as they made a desperate attempt to save their belongings.
Among them was a teary-eyed woman named Surirat Prapankarn, from a suburb outside Bangkok, who could be seen lugging her sodden possessions through waist-high water.
Pulling her things out of her front room, Prapankarn said she was overcome with sadness when she looked at her destroyed home and at what had been lost.
She wondered how she would find food for her 16 dogs.
Waters rose overnight in the northern Bangkok suburb of Rangsit, giving residents little chance to save what they could.
The lucky few moved out of flooded homes by boat, or anything that could float. The rest waded through water with plastic bags balanced on their heads.
Pets could be seen tucked into coats or pushed inside boats. Children, meanwhile, seemed to struggle to stay on their feet against the fast-moving water.
Another resident, named Saisamorn Pongsairak, said she had lived in the inundated Rangsit neighborhood all her life.
"I woke up this morning around 2 a.m. and the water was only at my ankle high. But now it is up to my waist," she said.
Pongsairak runs a food store, which she said she refuses to close, frying chicken in waist-high water on an elevated stove.
Thailand's prime minister has urged all Bangkok residents to move their belongings to higher ground as government workers endeavor to contain the flooding.
Government spokeswoman Thitima Chaisaeng said the move was a precautionary measure.
To protect their cars, residents double parked along elevated highways, making it nearly impossible to navigate a city where traffic is congested on a normal day.
On Thursday, authorities expressed confidence that the main international airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, was prepared to withstand the water's impact. Airport officials said a 3.5-meter-high flood prevention wall protects the airport.
Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism.
CNN's Kocha Olarn and Karen Smith contributed to this report. | [
"Where have floodwaters poured through?",
"What warning did Thailand's PM give?",
"What is Thailands prime minister warning of?",
"Where are the floodwaters pouring?",
"Where are floodwaters pouring through?",
"How many people have take refuge in emergency shelters?",
"Who have taken refuge in emergency shelters?",
"How many people are in emergency shelters?",
"Who warned of more flooding?"
] | [
[
"Bangkok,"
],
[
"more water"
],
[
"would pour into the capital, Bangkok,"
],
[
"Bangkok,"
],
[
"into the capital, Bangkok,"
],
[
"more than 113,000"
],
[
"victims of flooding in affected provinces,"
],
[
"more than 113,000"
],
[
"Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra"
]
] | NEW: Thailand's prime minister warns of more flooding to come in the capital .
NEW: More than 113,000 people have taken refuge in emergency shelters .
Floodwaters pour through the northern Bangkok suburb of Rangsit .
The flooding is the worst in Thailand in half a century . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's floodwaters inched toward downtown Bangkok Saturday, threatening some subway stations as leaders urged residents not to open defenses set up to divert the waters from the capital.
At least six subway stations are on the floodway, authorities said.
Residents have threatened to open the defenses to drain water from their flooded neighborhoods, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said.
"The main problem of solving flood is no longer technical but people," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said during the weekly radio address.
The flooding has killed 442 people, the Interior Ministry said. Of Thailand's 64 provinces, 25 have been affected.
Bangkok's central business district is still dry but other parts of the bustling metropolis of 12 million people are inundated.
The flooding has had an enormous business impact as many factories and offices have been under water for more than a month. Affected businesses include Hi Tech Industrial Park, where Canon and Sony own assembly plants.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | [
"how many people were killed in flooding?",
"what is the name of the area where flood happened?",
"What was the number of people killed?",
"What is the disaster?",
"What killed the people?",
"four forty two people were killed in what?"
] | [
[
"442"
],
[
"Bangkok"
],
[
"442"
],
[
"flooding"
],
[
"flooding"
],
[
"flooding"
]
] | Interior Ministry: Flooding has killed 442 people .
It is Thailand's worst flooding in decades . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's prime minister acknowledged on Sunday he did not expect protesters would use weapons and apply violence toward authority.
Speaking on national television, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made the admission a day after he rejected a call from anti-government protesters to dissolve the country's parliament in 30 days. Abhisit said other groups' political opinions must be taken into consideration before any such action is taken.
More than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died since protesters began occupying key tourism and shopping areas in Thailand's capital.
The demand from the anti-government protesters, known as the "Red Shirts," was the latest in a long list issued since the group stormed parliament in early April and Abhisit declared a state of emergency.
Red Shirt leaders offered Friday to return to the negotiating table -- but only if the government meets certain demands, including lifting a state of emergency and accepting responsibility for the deaths of protesters earlier this month, said Weng Tojirakarn, a co-leader of the group.
iReport: Are you there? Share your story, images
On the government's side, spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told CNN Saturday that there was no counter-proposal to get the negotiations back on track.
"We need to make sure negotiations take place under a conducive environment," Panitan said, explaining that previous attempts to talk to opposition leaders had been derailed due to threats against government officials.
Other conditions that must be met before any negotiations could take place include having protest leaders make sure there will be no further expansion of demonstrations into other districts and no threats to government officers, the government spokesman said.
"These conditions are very critical for peaceful negotiations," Panitan explained. "Negotiation is the only way out in the end, but... we need to stabilize the situation first."
He cited the fact that several demonstrations were taking place "by different 'shirts' and colors," and said that all demonstrators must observe the rule of law and "peace and civility will be restored first."
His remarks came as tension remained high on the streets of Bangkok, where a political standoff has gripped the country for several weeks. The Red Shirts have been clashing with the Thai military in a Bangkok area that serves as a financial hub. Another co-leader of the Red Shirts, Veera Muskapong, met with foreign diplomats Friday and told them he might meet with the government if it meets certain conditions.
Abhisit, meanwhile, huddled with the chiefs of the country's armed forces early Friday after a string of grenade attacks killed at least one person and wounded dozens of others.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said in a televised address that the grenades were launched from the area where the Red Shirts have been encamped for weeks, but the protesters denied any responsibility for the attacks.
Watch red shirt protests
Suthep told Thai television earlier that three people died in the attacks, but Bangkok's Erawan Emergency and Rescue Center later revised the number to one. At least 87 people were wounded, the center said.
Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman for the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), said at his daily news conference Saturday that the protests remain manageable at this time and therefore, authorities would not try to disperse the demonstrations.
He did charge, however, that "terrorists" were interspersed among "innocent demonstrators." The official said authorities would suppress the terrorists at the appropriate time, but did not want to complicate the situation by trying to take action against them now.
Sansern also dismissed rumors of discord between the government, police and military forces, saying that representatives of all those entities were meeting daily to discuss the situation.
Explainer: What are the protests in Thailand about?
The Thai Department of Special Investigation warned Friday that those responsible for the grenade attacks could face the death penalty, the MCOT news agency reported. The attacks prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel alert advising American citizens of the escalating violence in Bangkok.
Suthep said riot police and helicopters were deployed to join Thai troops | [
"What does the PM reject?",
"What didn't the PM expect?",
"what was rejected by the PM",
"who did not expect the protesters?",
"where did tension grip the country?",
"What did the Thai PM not expect?",
"What is the government being urged to do?",
"What are the protesters calling for?"
] | [
[
"a call from anti-government protesters to dissolve the country's parliament in 30 days."
],
[
"protesters"
],
[
"a call from anti-government protesters"
],
[
"Thailand's prime minister"
],
[
"Thailand's"
],
[
"protesters"
],
[
"dissolve the country's parliament"
],
[
"to dissolve the country's parliament in 30 days."
]
] | Thai PM: Did not expect protesters would use weapons .
PM rejects call from anti-government protesters to dissolve parliament .
Government urged to lift state of emergency, acknowledge deaths of protesters .
Country gripped by tension after weeks-long political standoff . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's prime minister huddled with the chiefs of the country's armed forces early Friday after a string of grenade attacks killed at least one person and wounded dozens of others in the already-tense capital.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called an emergency meeting of top officials after the Thursday night attacks, which followed weeks of protests aimed at toppling his administration.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told CNN the grenades were launched from the area where the anti-government protesters, known as the Red Shirts, have been encamped for weeks, but the protesters denied any responsibility for the attacks.
Suthep told Thai television earlier that three people died in the attacks, but Bangkok's Erawan Emergency and Rescue Center later revised the number to one. At least 87 people were wounded, the center said.
Suthep said riot police and helicopters were deployed to join Thai troops in the area, which was still littered with glass amid the standoff.
Across the barricades, the Red Shirts were playing music and trying to encourage a festive atmosphere.
iReport: Are you there? Share your story, images
Demonstrators told CNN late Thursday they wanted to drive home the point that their demonstrations are supposed to be peaceful.
Thursday's explosions took place near an elevated train station where the Red Shirts are gathered, said Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd, spokesman for the Center for Resolutions under Emergency Situation.
Three of the grenades landed on the roof of the station, but at least one landed outside a nearby hotel, Sansern said.
The emergency center, which records patients admitted to Bangkok hospitals, said the victims suffered wounds ranging from light to some more serious injuries.
Watch red shirt protests
The Red Shirts support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. They want Abhisit to dissolve the government, hold new elections and leave the country.
Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators in multicolored shirts have also mobilized to support Abhisit during the crisis.
Thailand's military on Monday stationed about 1,500 troops in the area, a Bangkok financial center that houses offices for some of the nation's largest companies. The Red Shirts are occupying a large area nearby. Clashes between the two sides left about two dozen people dead and hundreds wounded on April 10.
Abhisit declared a state of emergency April 7, hours after anti-government demonstrators stormed the country's parliament. He said then that the "purpose is to restore peace and order and to stop the spreading of false information to the Thai public."
Amid the long-simmering dispute, Thailand's independent election commission recommended the dissolution of Abhisit's Democrat Party after finding it accepted an $8 million campaign donation from a private company and mishandled funds allocated to it by the commission.
The ruling still must be reviewed by the country's attorney general's office and its Constitution Court, but if it stands, the 64-year-old party will be broken up, and Abhisit and its other senior leaders will be banned from politics for five years.
CNN's Kocha Olarn and Arwa Damon contributed to this report. | [
"where did the grenades come from",
"Who demands PM to dissolve government?",
"What was the number of injured?What the official said?",
"The emergency center says at least how many wounded?",
"How many grenades landedon the roof of elevated train station?",
"what are they protesting"
] | [
[
"the anti-government protesters,"
],
[
"The Red Shirts"
],
[
"At least 87"
],
[
"dozens"
],
[
"Three"
],
[
"aimed at toppling his administration."
]
] | NEW: Death toll revised downward; emergency center says at least 87 wounded .
Three grenades land on roof of elevated train station, official says .
Pro-government demonstrators mobilize to support Abhisit then disperse .
Protesters demand PM to dissolve government, hold new elections and leave country . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The bitter standoff between government troops and Red Shirt protesters in downtown Bangkok worsened Friday, the day after the wounding of a key protest leader aggravated the already deep tensions permeating the Thai capital.
Hospital officials reported 16 people died in confrontations Friday in Bangkok, an urban fortress under siege and beset by gunfire, tear gas and stone-throwing. That followed the death of one person Thursday.
The unrest boiled over after Thai authorities set a new deadline to seal off the Bangkok intersection where protesters have gathered by the thousands for the past month. In addition to the deaths, more than 140 people were wounded in the violence, including four non-Thais -- a Pole, a Canadian, a Liberian and a Myanmarese.
A government official said Thai forces were slowly getting control of the downtown area, with video footage showing soldiers shooting rounds toward the area with protesters. Among those wounded on Friday was a journalist from a French television station who was shot in the leg.
What are protests about?
The government said it was forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to vacate the intersection by Wednesday.
Panitan Wattanayagorn, the acting government spokesman, said on Friday security forces who have been the objects of attacks have no choice but to respond.
He told reporters that forces have been dutifully following the rules of engagement, which allows them to use live ammunition to protect themselves and their comrades. He assured Bangkok residents and foreigners there that the forces have no intention of harming anyone.
The government, he said, is "very confident" it will be able to "stabilize the situation" and get it "under control very soon." Also, he said the prime minister is looking forward to working with others in hammering out reforms.
The United Front for Democracy, the formal name of the Red Shirt opposition, has been demanding that Abhisit dissolve the lower house of Parliament and call new elections. The Red Shirts support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup.
Tensions ramped up when Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol -- a renegade general better known as Seh Daeng, which means Red Commander -- was shot and wounded by a sniper's bullet on Thursday, an action that left him in critical condition.
Seh Daeng was shot in the head while being interviewed by journalists in makeshift barricades set up by protesters. Thomas Fuller of The New York Times told CNN that the opposition leader was looking at him and answering questions when "the bullet hit him in the forehead, from what I could tell."
Reporter: Bullet 'felt like it grazed my head'
"It looks like the bullet came over my head and struck him. I don't have any way of confirming this beyond what I remember from the scene, but it felt like it grazed my head," he said.
Fuller, who said bamboo pikes and rubber tire barricades have been formed as a makeshift encampment by the protesters, said the opposition figure was facing out of the barricades and into Bangkok's business district of tall office buildings.
"He was standing in the same location for a while when I was talking to him but he was moving around, he was gesticulating," Fuller said. "He wasn't standing still, he was bobbing his head."
iReport: Are you there? Send your images, video
Seh Daeng did not appear to be armed or have bodyguards, but was dressed in camouflage jacket and a floppy hat, Fuller said.
Seh Daeng is a controversial public figure, even within the protest movement, Fuller said. Some Thai opposition leaders see him as an impediment to a peaceful resolution to the political stalemate that has gripped Thai politics, the reporter said.
"He's a renegade in sort of all senses," Fuller said. "He's a renegade from the army, a hardliner within the protest movement. He told me today he thought they (other opposition leaders) were being cowardly and he wanted to carry on." | [
"how many have died",
"what did the government say",
"how many were killed",
"where were they killed",
"What does government say?",
"who killed them",
"How many were killed in Bangkok violence?"
] | [
[
"16 people"
],
[
"Thai forces were slowly getting control of the downtown area,"
],
[
"one person"
],
[
"Bangkok,"
],
[
"it was forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to vacate the intersection by Wednesday."
],
[
"government troops"
],
[
"16"
]
] | NEW: Hospitals say 16 people have been killed in Bangkok violence .
Red Shirt leader "Seh Daeng" is hospitalized after being shot earlier .
Government says troops are regaining control of downtown area . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The central business district of Bangkok dodged severe flooding Saturday afternoon, but surrounding areas of the bustling capital faced further inundation at the next high tide.
A dreaded tide on Saturday spurred residents' fears that it would overwhelm defenses along the Chao Phraya River and its many canals.
Bangkok's outer suburbs were already submerged, but the central city has been largely spared the misery Thailand has been suffering for months in the nation's worst flooding since 1942.
In the east and the north of the city, water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods.
But the city -- which sits barely above sea level -- still faces two converging threats.
Massive runoff was flowing south to the sea through Bangkok, as high tides pushed the water in the opposite direction.
"The challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the Gulf of Thailand," a Red Cross bulletin said.
Bangkok's Chinatown area -- normally hopping with activity on a Saturday afternoon -- was largely desolate, with few passers-by wading in knee-deep water.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered work crews Friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage, according to the MCOT news agency. But the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps, the Bangkok Post reported.
Health concerns were rising with the water.
Bangkok residents plodded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within, the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials. The government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater.
"We were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters, and every day we see children playing in the water, bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground," said Annie Bodmer-Roy, spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency Save the Children.
As floodwater entered homes, some Bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave.
Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was going to stay with relatives outside the city.
"Some families in southern Bangkok had their house flooded," said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company, which was shut after it also was flooded. "The water level is 2 meters (six feet) high and smells very bad," she said.
The Bangkok Post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs, and would pick up residents of the capital on Saturday and take them out of Bangkok. As of Saturday, an estimated 1 million of the city's 12 million residents had left.
Another Bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house, which has been flooded for five days, and would not leave.
Panic buying has led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital, residents said.
And the worst might not yet be over.
Another high tide -- expected to reach about 4 meters (13 feet) high -- is forecast for Sunday morning.
Officials urged tourists to steer clear of Bangkok, while noting that many of the other tourist spots, such as Phuket, remained dry and open for business.
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health had transferred 280 of the capital's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry, the MCOT news agency reported.
The remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by Sunday, it said, citing Permanent-Secretary for Health Paichit Varachit.
Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that, after months of flooding, 107,101 Thais have been diagnosed with stress, 6,214 with depression and 878 at risk of suicide. In all, 1,356 people were under observation by health officials, the minister said, according to MCOT.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday, recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas. It noted that most tourist destinations, such as Phuket and Chiang Mai, were unaffected.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to | [
"What will happen Sunday morning?",
"what does Thailand is dealing with ?",
"Where is the flood?",
"What country is suffering floods?",
"what is the forecast for Sunday morning?",
"What is the high tide forecast?"
] | [
[
"Another high tide"
],
[
"severe flooding"
],
[
"Bangkok"
],
[
"Thailand"
],
[
"Another high tide"
],
[
"expected to reach about 4 meters (13 feet)"
]
] | Some areas outside of central Bangkok are covered in waist-deep water .
The flooding in Thailand is the worst since 1942 and has killed 373 people .
Thailand is dealing with massive runoff from monsoon rains compounded by high tides .
Another high tide of about 4 meters (13 feet) is forecast for Sunday morning . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thousands of anti-government protesters defied an order Sunday to disperse from the capital's commercial center, but the government said it would use negotiation -- not force -- to get them to comply.
Police estimated that as many as 50,000 members of the group United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship were at the Rajprasong intersection in the heart of Bangkok.
They forced the closure of luxury shopping malls, blocked entrances to five-star hotels and made access to a holy shrine difficult.
A spokesman for the government's peacekeeping operations, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said that the protesters had "incited and created a situation which has caused great inconvenience to the conduct of business and the pursuit of normal activity."
He said that the gathering was not considered to be a "peaceful demonstration sanctioned by the constitution."
The government's Center for Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) announced a clause to the country's Internal Security Act on Saturday night that makes unlawful gatherings punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva took to the airwaves Sunday, urging people in the affected area to be patient.
He said his administration is negotiating with the protesters to peacefully disperse and that the government did not intend to use force.
The opposition group, also known as the "red shirts," is demanding that the prime minister dissolve the parliament within 15 days. Abhisit has said that doing so would not solve the country's political crisis.
Cheerful, dancing red shirt protests
The two sides met for meetings on March 28 and 29, but they ended in a stalemate.
The demonstrators are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. Thaksin was the only Thai prime minister to serve a full term and remains hugely popular.
He fled the country in 2008 while facing trial on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated. The protesters say Abhisit was not democratically elected and have demanded that he call elections.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | [
"What is the name of the PM?",
"What does the opposition red shirt demand?",
"How many protesters occupy commercial heart?",
"Who say they will continue until their demands have been met?",
"What is Shinawatra's first name?",
"Who demmand that PM Abhisit dissolver?"
] | [
[
"Abhisit Vejjajiva"
],
[
"that the prime minister dissolve the parliament within 15 days."
],
[
"50,000"
],
[
"anti-government protesters"
],
[
"Thaksin"
],
[
"The opposition group, also known as the \"red shirts,\""
]
] | Up to 50,000 protesters occupy commercial heart of the Thai capital .
Opposition "red shirts" demand that PM Abhisit dissolve parliament soon .
Supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra say they will continue until demands are met . |
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Three bomb blasts rocked the southern Thai border city of Sungai Kolok, leaving at least four people dead and 118 wounded, officials said.
The explosions happened Friday night in Thailand's Narathiwart Province, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health.
Authorities believe the bombs were planted in a car and motorcycle, and detonated with some form of coordination, according to military spokesman Col. Prinya Chaidilok.
He said the incident was carried out by "drug gangs" retaliating after a narcotics crackdown by authorities last week.
Sungai Kolok, which borders Malaysia in southern Thailand, is a popular tourist destination for Thais and Malaysians. | [
"What happened in Sungai Kolok?",
"where was the bomb?",
"What was it related to?",
"What is Sungai Kolok known as?",
"Where did the bomb hit?",
"What do authorities say is related to the blasts?",
"Where is the tourist spot?",
"who is suspected?"
] | [
[
"Three bomb blasts"
],
[
"the southern Thai border city of Sungai Kolok,"
],
[
"a narcotics crackdown by authorities last week."
],
[
"popular tourist destination"
],
[
"Sungai Kolok,"
],
[
"\"drug gangs\""
],
[
"Sungai Kolok,"
],
[
"\"drug gangs\""
]
] | Bomb blasts hit Sungai KolokAuthorities say the blasts were drug related .
Sungai Kolok is a tourist destination . |
Barcelona's recent defensive problems have increased further with the news that French international Eric Abidal faces up to two months out of action because of an injury to his left leg. Abidal collected an abductor muscle problem in training, meaning he joins fellow-defenders Rafael Marquez, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and midfielder Yaya Toure on the sidelines for the Primera Liga trip to Atletico Madrid this weekend. Barcelona confirmed the news on their official Web site, with a statement adding: "After medical tests, which were carried out in Barcelona, the medical team confirmed that Abidal was suffering a disinsertion of the adductor in his left leg." As well as Saturday's match, Abidal will be absent from both legs of the Champions League last 16 showdown against Stuttgart, while he will also miss a host of key Spanish league fixtures. Marquez and Pique are banned this weekend after their recent dismissals against Getafe, while Alves is suffering from a calf injury. Toure is sometimes deployed by Barca coach Pep Guardiola as an emergency defender, but the Ivory Coast international has a leg injury which will rule him out of action for two weeks. | [
"Eric Abidal is what position in the French team?",
"who is on the side",
"who is injured",
"who is this a setback for",
"What is the name of Barcelona's coach?",
"Eric Abidal faces two months out because of what injury?",
"who is eric abidal"
] | [
[
"defensive"
],
[
"Rafael Marquez, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and midfielder Yaya Toure"
],
[
"Eric Abidal"
],
[
"Barcelona"
],
[
"Pep Guardiola"
],
[
"to his left leg."
],
[
"French international"
]
] | French defender Eric Abidal faces two months out because of a left leg injury .
The setback is a further blow to Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola .
Rafael Marquez, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and Yaya Toure are also on sidelines . |
Barry Eichengreen is George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of "Golden Fetters: The Gold Standard and the Great Depression, 1919-39" and "Financial Crises and What to Do About Them." Barry Eichengreen says Barack Obama will have to fix the credit crisis, the auto industry and trade policy. BERKELEY, California (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama has been holding his economic cards close to his vest. He did not participate in person at last weekend's meeting of G20 leaders. He has been reluctant to encourage the lame-duck Congress to adopt a major fiscal stimulus package. He may be right in saying that the U.S. has only one president at a time. But this makes it all the more important that he hit the ground running on January 20. This will mean, first of all, addressing the credit crisis. Despite all the actions of the Fed and the Treasury, the banks are still not lending. In some cases this is because their own finances are weak. But in others it is because they have other more convenient uses for their funds, ranging from acquisitions to dividend payments. This reflects a flawed bank recapitalization scheme that gives the government no voting shares in the banks into which it is injecting public funds and hence no say in their decisions. Fortunately (as it were) there will be an opportunity to correct this, since as the recession deepens there will be more loan losses and the need for more capital injections. The next round of public money should come with voting rights so that taxpayers' interests are protected. Then there is the need for increased public spending on infrastructure and federal grants to state and local governments to offset the collapse of private spending. Candidate Obama spoke of $150 billion of fiscal stimulus. But if this recession turns out to be the deepest since World War II, as now seems certain, the appropriate figure will be at least four times that large. Anything less would fail to cushion the downturn. A trillion-dollar deficit will excite fears of government out of control if not accompanied by a plan to balance the budget once the recession ends. The new president therefore will need to offer not just a stimulus package but also a multiyear budget. Then there is the problem of the auto industry. The best course normally would be Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This would allow the Big Three to shed bad management and contracts, both of which would be thrown out in the bankruptcy process. If GM, Ford or Chrysler is then able to come up with a viable business plan, they should be able to obtain the new money, known as debtor-in-possession financing, needed to implement it. Admittedly, the credit crisis makes new money difficult to obtain. But if this is a problem, then the government can provide the debtor-in-possession financing. In other words, it can make its aid conditional on the Big Three first going through bankruptcy workouts. A further complication arises from the fact that cars last for years and when they break down are expensive to repair. Warranties matter, in other words. If a producer was undergoing bankruptcy reorganization, from which it might or might not emerge, consumers would question whether its warranties were worth the paper they were written on. But if this is the problem, then the government can guarantee the warranties. It could reimburse the cost of major repairs subject to terms and conditions. It is not as if our government has been reluctant to guarantee other products, ranging from bank deposits to money market mutual funds. And this guarantee should be provided only to auto companies that undergo bankruptcy reorganization. Finally, it will be important for the new president to reassure our foreign partners about his economic intentions. There may be jubilation in Kenya and Indonesia over the election of a candidate they may view as a native son, but there is trepidation in Asia and Latin America about his protectionist rhetoric. President Obama will need to reassure Mexico that while he believes in labor | [
"How large must the stimulus package be?",
"Who should show he is committed to free trade?",
"Who must show they are committed to free trade?",
"What should Obama take steps to do?",
"What is Barry Eichengreen's title?",
"How large does Eichengreen think the stimulus package needs to be?"
] | [
[
"four times that"
],
[
"President Obama"
],
[
"President Obama"
],
[
"fix the credit crisis, the auto industry and trade policy."
],
[
"George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science"
],
[
"$150 billion of fiscal"
]
] | Barry Eichengreen: Obama will have daunting agenda on economy .
He says government must take a voting stake in banks getting public money .
Eichengreen: Economic stimulus package must be large, at least $600 billion .
Obama should take steps to show he is committed to free trade, he says . |
Beijing (CNN) -- A train collision in a tunnel in Shanghai's subway Line 10 last month was caused by human error, said state media, with 12 people disciplined over the incident.
Xinhua News Agency, quoting a report released by the investigation team, reported that Tang Zhihua, chief dispatcher of the Line 10 operation control center, was removed from his post. Eleven other managers and workers of the operation control and power supply sections also received penalties, including job reassignment and demotions.
The two subway trains collided on September 27 in downtown Shanghai, injuring 295 passengers, 70 of whom are still receiving treatment in hospital, according to the report.
"The signal system failed to operate because of power failure. The dispatchers issued a number of erroneous orders which finally led to the crash," Xinhua added.
The accident happened as concerns and criticism mount over China's railway safety and its fast development of rail systems.
On July 23, two high-speed trains crashed in China's coastal Zhejiang province, leaving 39 dead and 192 injured, making it one of China's deadliest rail accidents in recent years. | [
"How many passengers were injured?",
"how many passengers were injured?",
"How many people were injured in the accident?",
"What does China have concerns over?",
"how many passengers are still in hospital?",
"What caused the Shanghai's subway accident?",
"what number subway line was the accident on?",
"Fast development rasied concerns over what?"
] | [
[
"295"
],
[
"295"
],
[
"295"
],
[
"railway safety and its fast development of rail systems."
],
[
"70"
],
[
"human error,"
],
[
"10"
],
[
"China's railway safety"
]
] | State media: Shanghai's subway Line 10 accident was caused by human error .
The accident injured 295 passengers, 70 of whom are still receiving treatment in hospital .
China's fast development of its rail systems have raised concerns over safety . |
Beijing (CNN) -- China's former President Jiang Zemin appeared in Beijing on Sunday, the first time he's been seen publicly since rumors surfaced months ago that he had died.
Jiang, 85, was among many current and former dignitaries attending a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of China's 1911 revolution, which led to the toppling of the Qing Dynasty. China became a Communist state in 1949, under the leadership of Mao Zedong.
At the start of the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, live footage on China's state-run television showed Jiang for a few seconds as he walked on the stage, closely followed by an assistant.
In another segment, Jiang appears to sing along with others during the playing of the Chinese national anthem.
Death rumors spur reflections on Jiang legacy
Former Chinese premier Li Peng was also in the crowd, among other retired party and government leaders. So were active government ministers, private entrepreneurs and Beijing-based ambassadors from other countries.
In the event's keynote speech, current President Hu Jintao extolled the "thoroughly modern, national and democratic revolution" of 1911. And among other stances, he urged mainland China and Taiwan to work together for a "peaceful reunification of China," according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Reaching an accord with Taiwan had been one of Jiang's focuses in his tenure as president, during which he made conciliatory overtures to the island nation including a "One Country, Two Systems" proposal.
It was one of many efforts he pursued in his time, between 1989 and 2002, as the general-secretary of China's Communist Party and, from 1993 to 2003, as the nation's president.
As China's ruler, he generally pushed market reforms while working to keep the country politically and socially conservative.
China's economy boomed under his leadership, growing at an annual average rate of over 9%. China also regained control of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999, while national pride soared in 2000 when Beijing was picked to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.
With rare exceptions, Jiang largely has been out of the public eye in recent years. This summer, Chinese authorities dismissed as "pure rumors" reports that he was on his death bed. | [
"when Jiang Zemin appears at a ceremony marking China's 1911 revolution?",
"What were the rumors about his health?",
"Where does the ceremony take place?",
"whats It is his first public appearance since rumors months ago about his health?",
"who was was China's president from 1993 to 2003?",
"whose first public appearance it was ?",
"Which public post did Jiang hold from 1993 to 2003?",
"who appears at a ceremony marking China's 1911 revolution?"
] | [
[
"Sunday,"
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[
"he had died."
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[
"the Great Hall of the People,"
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[
"the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People,"
],
[
"Jiang Zemin"
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"China's former President Jiang Zemin"
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"the nation's president."
],
[
"President Jiang Zemin"
]
] | Jiang Zemin appears at a ceremony marking China's 1911 revolution .
It is his first public appearance since rumors months ago about his health .
Jiang was China's president from 1993 to 2003 . |
Beijing (CNN) -- Chinese officials said they killed seven members of the Uighur ethnic group in the restive western region of Xinjiang in order to free two hostages -- an account the Uighurs disputed.
The hostages -- local villagers looking for their lost sheep in the rural county of Pishan outside of Hotan city-- were kidnapped by a group of Uighurs on Wednesday night, said Hou Hanmin, a spokeswoman for the chief of the regional information office in Xinjiang.
The operation to rescue them left one police officer dead and wounded another, he said.
However, Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the Stockholm-based World Uighur Congress, said the shooting did not stem from a rescue operation.
Police opened fire when locals clashed with officers during a demonstration outside the police bureau, he said. The Uighurs were protesting a recent security crackdown in Hotan city.
"This is incident was not an accident," he said. "It is a direct result from the Chinese crackdown on Uighurs. It has become unbearable for Uighurs there to accept the oppression and current rule from the Chinese government."
The Chinese authorities have often blamed militants of Uighur descent for outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang in recent years. Uighurs are ethnic Turks who are linguistically, culturally and religiously distinct from China's majority Han population.
Beijing has said Uighur militants are often based overseas and has linked some of them to the East Turkistan Islamic Movement that allegedly trains in Pakistan.
The clash comes after a two-month security crackdown, which ended in October, against violence, terrorism and radical Islam across the resource-rich region, which borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and numerous unstable Central Asian states.
The tightened security measures included 24-hour security patrols of troubled areas, identity checks and random street searches of people and vehicles.
Uighur activists say the crackdowns have only heightened anger among Uighurs who already accuse the government of religious and political repression. Uighurs also say they feel economically disadvantaged as a thriving Han population continues to move into the region. | [
"how many hostages were taken",
"what did the police say",
"what did the spokesman say",
"How many villagers were taken hostage?",
"How many police officers were killed?",
"Who opened fire on protesters?"
] | [
[
"two"
],
[
"\"This is incident was not an accident,\""
],
[
"shooting"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"one"
],
[
"Police"
]
] | NEW: The World Uighur Congress says police opened fire on protesters .
NEW: "This incident was not an accident," says a Congress spokesman .
A Chinese official says the operation killed one police officer dead .
The official says the Uighurs took two local villagers hostage . |
Beijing (CNN) -- In China -- home of manufacturing companies central to global production of Apple iPhones and iPads -- the death of Steve Jobs' death brought immediate reaction from Chinese netizens and captains of industry.
"When I head the news, I could not hold back my tears," wrote Yu Minghong, founder and CEO of New Oriental Education, one of the largest private education service provider in China. "Because of him, the world has become different. Because of him, the boring world has become alive, the glum world has become creative, because of him a drab world has become colorful."
Inside four hours of the announcement, nearly 35 million messages on Sina Weibo on Jobs' death and 23 million messages of Tencent QQ Weibo, China's first and second largest microblogging sites.
Jobs revolutionized tech industry
"Jobs is the spiritual leader of our time," wrote @Xiongpeiyun on Sina Weibo. "I like Steve Jobs more than I like Apple. It's a huge loss for the whole world. But his life was complete because he had been looking for and found what he loved. I haven't committed whole heartedly to my life like Jobs had been doing. So, next to him, I feel more ashamed than being sad."
Wrote @ QUENTIN_SHIH: "Only those who are so crazy as to think they can change the world can truly change the world."
"Certainly Apple has achieved cult-like status amongst young, urban Chinese consumers," said Duncan Clark, chairman and founder of BDA, a Beijing consultancy company focused on telecom, media and technology sectors. "Beyond the general public there is a vast, aspiring entrepreneurial class particular focused on understanding what makes successful business people like Steve Jobs tick."
To be sure, Apple's relationship with China is complicated. The revelation in recent months that as many as 22 fake Apple stores had cropped around China set new standards for piracy -- even in a nation known for counterfeit technology.
"The fact that Apple stores, not just its products themselves, have been copied, shows that it is not just about hardware. The whole Apple experience is something that consumers aspire to," Clark said.
"The world has lost a true hero and I have lost a friend whose dedication to his company, his customers, and our industry is reflected in the fact that he continued to work while dealing with such a devastating illness," said Terry Gou, chairman of Foxconn Technology Group, a leading manufacturing partner of Apple with 800,000 employees in China.
"Steve's spirit will live on forever with those who, like me, had the honor to know and work with him," Gou said. "However, everyone has been touched by his genius and, because of this, he has left the world a better place. He will be missed, but never forgotten."
Yang Yuanqing, the CEO of China's computer powerhouse Lenovo, said, "As a competitor, he helped ensure all of us pushed even harder. I am confident his legacy will continue to energize the industry for many years to come."
"Jobs said, 'Remember that you will be dead soon'," said Lee Kaifu, venture capitalist and founding president of Google China, referring to Jobs' famous 2005 Stanford University commencement speech.
"It helped me through making the most important choices in my life. Because all the glory and pride, embarrassment and fear will all vanish when confronting death. What I see that's left with me is the truly crucial one. When you are worried that you will lose something, 'Remember that you will be dead soon' is the best remedy. If you can empty yourself, you have every reason to follow your heart."
In Hong Kong, admirers plan an "i-Vigil" for Jobs -- using iPhones with a flickering candle app -- outside the city's Apple store, which opened less than two weeks ago. "People have different ways of dealing with it," says organizer Casey Lau on the loss of Jobs. "As | [
"Millions of messages were posted on what sort of sites following his death?",
"what amount of messages were posted on microblogging sites following his death",
"where are most of the ipads made",
"Many of the world's Apple iPads and iPhones are assembled where",
"Where are many of the world's Apple iPads and iPhones are assembled?",
"what was posted on microblogging sites",
"who's relationship with China is complicated"
] | [
[
"microblogging"
],
[
"35 million"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"Jobs' death and 23 million messages of Tencent QQ Weibo,"
],
[
"Apple's"
]
] | Many of the world's Apple iPads and iPhones are assembled in China .
Millions of messages were posted on microblogging sites following his death .
Apple's relationship with China is complicated, including revelations of fake Apple stores . |
Beijing (CNN) -- Money rewards are coming in for a woman who rescued a bleeding toddler left for dead last week by multiple passersby in southern China.
Two hit-and-run drivers rammed into Wang Yue, 2, one after another, as she walked on a narrrow street in Foshan.
More than a dozen people walked, cycled or drove past as she lay bleeding in a busy market, sparking a global outcry on the state of morality in a fast-changing society.
Wang is in critical condition, her brain showing little activity despite earlier subtle movements in the lower body, said her mother, Qu Feifei.
But despite the many villains in the story, it has also turned the spotlight on an unlikely hero: A 58-year-old scavenger.
In the video that has sparked outrage globally, Chen Xianmei moves the baby to safety, becoming an instant symbol of understated decency in a nation analysts say is obsessed with climbing the economic ladder.
"I didn't think of anything at the time," Chen said Sunday. "I just wanted to save the girl."
Two government offices in Guangdong province, where the hit-and-run occurred, offered the Good Samaritan a total of 20,000 yuan (US $3,135), according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
Wang's mother has said she does not understand the behavior of the passersby, but wants to focus on the positive.
"Granny Chen represents the best of human nature," she said of her daughter's rescuer. "It's the nicest and most natural side of us."
On Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, the story continued to be the No. 1 topic after generating more than 4.5 million posts along with a "stop apathy" online campaign.
As the outrage over morality continues, a steady procession of well-wishers pours in, offering gifts, money and support to the toddler's family. | [
"What did the drivers do?",
"What does she say she wanted to do?",
"Who rammed into the 2-year old?",
"What did she say?",
"What does the video show?",
"Who moved the baby to safety?"
] | [
[
"rammed into Wang Yue,"
],
[
"to save the girl.\""
],
[
"Two hit-and-run drivers"
],
[
"\"I just wanted to save the girl.\""
],
[
"Chen Xianmei moves the baby to safety,"
],
[
"Chen Xianmei"
]
] | Two hit-and-run drivers rammed into the 2-year-old last week .
In the video, Chen Xianmei moves the baby to safety .
"I just wanted to save the girl," she says . |
Beijing (CNN) -- Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing Tuesday, kicking off a two-day visit to China, his first state visit since announcing his intention to contest the Russian presidency next March.
Aside from meeting his counterpart Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in the 16th Regular Meeting between the two Prime Ministers, Putin will also meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders.
Talks are expected to include negotiations on a natural gas deal worth $1 trillion that has been stalled by disagreements over price. The deal would see Russia supply China with up to 68 billion cubic meters of gas every year.
"If the deal can be reached, the trade volume will increase significantly, and this will change the fact that the economic cooperation between the two countries lags behind the political cooperation," said Zhao Huasheng, director of the Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies at Fudan University.
"Together with cooperation in other economic fields, China and Russia will become real strategic partners in economic terms."
Putin's arrival in Beijing comes less than three weeks after he announced his bid to reclaim the Russian presidency next year.
"The fact that Putin may become next Russian president indeed adds some political color to this visit, and its impact on bilateral relation will definitely go beyond the impact of a regular state visit," Zhao said.
"The meeting to some extent will set the keynote for the China-Russia relation in future. It can be described as the start of China-Russia relation in 'new Putin era'," he added.
Experts say economic cooperation between the two countries will dominate the meeting agenda.
"Since this is mainly a meeting between the two premiers, this visit will be mainly about expanding the economic cooperation and improving trade structure," said Jiang Yi, vice director of Research Center for Russian Diplomacy at China Academy of Social Science, the country's top think tank.
Recent years have seen a steady increase in trade volume between the two countries. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade volume in the year to July increased by 37.4% to a record $42.2 billion compared to the previous year. The ministry forecasts that the bilateral trade volume will reach a new record in 2011, in excess of $70 billion.
Among all the economic agendas, energy cooperation stands out as the main focus between Russia, a major energy exporter, and China, the world's biggest energy consumer, according to a 2010 report from the International Energy Agency.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, during Putin's visit, Chinese vice Premier Wang Qishan will hold an energy negotiation meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin. "Chinese-Russian energy cooperation is an important part of the two countries' strategic partnership," said Liu Weimin, spokesperson of Foreign Ministry, on Monday during a regular press conference.
Putin brings with him to China a group of 160 business leaders, including the CEOs of Russian energy giants Gazprom, Rosneft and aluminum producer UC RUSAL. | [
"how long is the visit",
"who arrived in Beijing on two-day visit?",
"what does Experts say about economic cooperation?",
"that Prime Minister came to Beijing",
"who arrives to beijing",
"what do the experts say"
] | [
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"two-day"
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"Vladimir Putin"
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"Russia's"
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"Vladimir Putin"
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"economic cooperation between the two countries will dominate the meeting agenda."
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] | Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrives in Beijing on two-day visit .
Talks expected to include negotiations on natural gas deal worth $1 trillion .
Experts say economic cooperation will dominate the meeting agenda .
Marks Putin's first state visit since announcing his intention to contest Russian presidency . |
Beijing (CNN) -- Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has confirmed Russia is close to sealing an energy supply agreement with China worth $1 trillion.
"It's fair to say that we're very close to reach an agreement on the natural gas deal," Putin told the journalists at a joint press conference after meeting with Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.
Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day visit. He also met with President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders on Wednesday.
The negotiations over the natural gas supply had stalled for more than a year due to disagreements over price.
If an agreement can be reached, the deal would see Russia supply China with up to 68 billion cubic meters of gas every year.
"The trade volume will increase significantly, and this will change the fact that the economic cooperation between the two countries lags behind the political cooperation," said Zhao Huasheng, director of the Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies at Fudan University.
"Together with cooperation in other economic fields, China and Russia will become real strategic partners in economic terms," he added.
Recent years have seen a steady increase in trade between the two countries.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade volume in the year to July increased by 37.4% to a record $42.2 billion. The ministry forecasts that this will reach a new record in 2011-- possibly in excess of $70 billion.
"The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has reached to an unprecedented level," Putin said in an interview with the state-run Xinhua agency.
But energy cooperation stands out as the main focus between Russia, a major energy exporter, and China, the world's biggest energy consumer, according to a 2010 report from the International Energy Agency.
Putin has also brought along a group of 160 Russian business leaders for the visit, including the CEOs of Russian energy giants Gazprom, Rosneft and aluminum producer UC RUSAL.
During Putin's visit, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan also met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to discuss energy needs.
"We're discussing opening new energy transportation routes," explained Putin at the joint press conference.
On January 2011, China and Russia opened an oil pipeline from Daqing, northeast China, to Skovorodino in eastern Russia.
The line is 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and aims to provide 15 million metric tons of oil annually to China. | [
"How much is the deal worth?",
"With whom is Putin speaking with?",
"Which countries are involved in the deal?",
"What countries are involved?",
"How many cubic meters of gas will be supplied?",
"what is china close to",
"what would russia supply china with",
"What amount is the agreement worth?"
] | [
[
"$1 trillion."
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[
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"Russia"
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"China"
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"68 billion"
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[
"sealing an"
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[
"$1 trillion."
]
] | Russian PM: Russia, China close to agreement on a $1 trillion natural gas deal .
Deal would see Russia supply China with up to 68 billion cubic meters of gas per year .
Recent years have seen a steady increase in trade volume between the two countries .
Putin has held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao and PM Wen Jiabao . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- China and the United States, the largest producers of greenhouse gases, will team up to fight climate change and create clean energy, their leaders said Tuesday. Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Obama said their nations will cooperate to advance technologies and work toward a global agreement on reducing carbon emissions. "As the two largest consumers and producers of energy, there can be no solution to this challenge without the efforts of both China and the United States," Obama said. "That is why we've agreed to a series of important new initiatives in this area." What would you ask Obama? Share your question for CNN's interview After Tuesday's meeting, Hu told reporters, "We agreed to expand our cooperation on climate change, energy and environment," which includes developing a China-U.S. clean energy research center. The declaration by Hu and Obama comes ahead of next month's U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, and follows recent acknowledgment by the world's top economic powers, including the U.S., that there's no hope of a major breakthrough on climate change by year's end. The U.S. president said the two leaders want to accelerate the world toward a pact to cut greenhouse gases. The leaders did not offer a time frame, however. "Our aim ... is not a partial accord or a political declaration," Obama said, "but rather an accord that covers all of the issues in the negotiations and one that has immediate operational affect. "This kind of comprehensive agreement would be an important step forward in the effort to rally the world around a solution to our climate challenge." Instead of reaching a final deal in Copenhagen, a strategy dubbed "one agreement, two steps" was unveiled at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit over the weekend in Singapore. The aim is to produce a pact over a longer period. The first step would be to have all 191 countries involved in the Copenhagen summit signing on to a framework that includes key ingredients, such as how to finance the coordinated effort to battle climate change. The second step, a binding deal on cutting carbon emissions, would be hashed out in further negotiations. "Opportunity is knocking. It is up to you to open the door," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement Monday. "We must seize this opportunity to create a safer and more prosperous future for all, to reduce the emissions that are causing climate change and to help the most vulnerable adapt to impacts that are already under way." Like the United States and China, APEC and Group of 20 leaders -- the world's leading economies -- have pledged to drive toward a climate-change agreement in Copenhagen. The conference, set to begin December 7, aims to strike a deal on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 pact that has legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The United States never ratified it, though more than 200 other nations did. | [
"When does the Climate Change Conference occur?",
"Does China need to reduce emissions?",
"Where will the U.N. Climate Change Conference take place?",
"What has been pledged to be reduced?",
"who are the largest producers",
"Who is the President of China?",
"when did the move come"
] | [
[
"December 7,"
],
[
"expand our cooperation on climate change, energy and environment,\""
],
[
"Copenhagen, Denmark,"
],
[
"greenhouse gases,"
],
[
"China and the United States,"
],
[
"Hu Jintao"
],
[
"ahead of next month's U.N. Climate Change Conference"
]
] | President Obama, Chinese leader pledge to work to reduce carbon emissions .
Move comes before U.N. Climate Change Conference in Denmark .
China and U.S. are largest producers of greenhouse gases .
Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao don't offer a timetable . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- In some of the photos, the young children are wearing bibs and slight smiles can be seen on their chubby faces. But these are not your normal baby pictures. The Chinese government is trying to find the parents of these 60 homeless children, some of them so young that they had not yet developed the strength to hold their own heads up. This week the Chinese Ministry of Public Security posted pictures of these rescued children on its Web site. Many of them had similar stories. They were kidnapped, stolen or sold and somehow had been rescued by authorities. Police tried to find their parents but could not find them through the national DNA database, state-run China Daily reported. And for the first time, the Ministry of Public Security posted their pictures. "Even if I can't find my boy's photo on the Web site today, it's a blessing for desperate parents like us who have nearly lost hope," Tang Weihua, a mother who lost her 5-year-old son in 1999, told China Daily this week. About 30,000 to 60,000 children are reported missing every year, but it is hard to estimate how many are involved in child trafficking cases, the Ministry of Public Security told China Daily. Police have rescued 2,000 children this year since China launch a nationwide anti-trafficking campaign, China Daily reported. But after rescuing the children finding the parents can prove difficult. One issue is that in some cases the parents sold the children. Earlier this week China's state media reported that police arrested dozens in an alleged child trafficking ring that sold at least 52 babies. The traffickers bought 19 boys and 33 girls from impoverished rural families in Shanxi and Hebei provinces in the past two years, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. The ring started crumbling after three men were arrested with a baby boy in their van, Xinhua said. The three suspects said they had bought the baby from a woman and her daughter in Hebei, according to Xinhua. The women had sold 12 other babies to the men, and were arrested, Xinhua said. | [
"How many children have been rescued?",
"how many children rescued?",
"What has China posted photos of?",
"Who could the police not find?",
"Who did police arrest?",
"How many children were rescued so far this year?"
] | [
[
"60"
],
[
"2,000"
],
[
"young children"
],
[
"the parents"
],
[
"dozens in an alleged child trafficking ring"
],
[
"2,000"
]
] | China posts photos of kidnapped, stolen or sold 60 children who were rescued by authorities .
Police could not find their parents through the national DNA database .
2,000 children have been rescued so far this year since China launch a nationwide anti-trafficking campaign .
Earlier this week, police arrested dozens in an alleged child trafficking ring . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- President Obama intends to meet the Dalai Lama even though China has warned that such a meeting would harm bilateral ties, a White House spokesman said Tuesday. "The president told China's leaders during his trip last year that he would meet with the Dalai Lama, and he intends to do so," Bill Burton told reporters covering Obama's planned town hall meeting in New Hampshire later Tuesday. No date for Obama's meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader has been announced. The Dalai Lama has speaking engagements scheduled in the United States in late February and in May. Earlier Tuesday, China warned that ties between two of the world's superpowers would be strained if Obama met with the Dalai Lama. "It will seriously undermine the foundation of Sino-U.S. political relations," said Zhu Weiqun, a Communist Party official who is in charge of talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama. "We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes." Zhu issued his warning during a news conference to discuss the lack of progress made during five days of talks between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives. Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of advocating for Tibetan independence from China. "The two sides had sharply divided views," Zhu said. "We have been accustomed to such clash of viewpoints. It's been the norm rather than the exception." In explaining Obama's intention to hold the meeting, Burton said the Dalai Lama "is an internationally respected religious and cultural leader, and the president will meet with him in that capacity. "As the president has expressed, we expect that our relationship with China is mature enough where we can work out issues of mutual concerns -- such as climate, the global economy and nonproliferation -- and discuss frankly and candidly those issues where we disagree," Burton said. "The president is committed to building a positive, comprehensive and cooperative relationship with China." Tibet is technically autonomous from the central Chinese government, but the Dalai Lama and others have said they favor genuine autonomy and resent the slow erosion of their culture amid an influx of Han Chinese, the most numerous ethnic group in China. Zhu said there would be no compromise on China's control of Tibet. Representatives from the two sides have met eight other times, but have reached no consensus on the issue of autonomy. The Dalai Lama fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He lives in exile in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala. Burton said the United States "considers Tibet to be a part of China, and we have human rights concerns about the treatment of Tibetans." "We urge the government of China to protect the unique cultural and religious traditions of Tibet," he said. CNN's Jaime Florcruz and Helena Hong contributed to this report. | [
"What has Beijing accused the Dalai Lama of?",
"Who is Obama scheduled to meet?",
"What has China warned?",
"Who is to meet the Dalai Lama?",
"What does Beijing accuse the Dalai Lama of advocating?",
"Whos is Obama to meet?"
] | [
[
"advocating for Tibetan independence from China."
],
[
"Dalai Lama"
],
[
"such a meeting would harm bilateral ties,"
],
[
"President Obama"
],
[
"for Tibetan independence from China."
],
[
"the Dalai Lama"
]
] | NEW: Obama to meet Dalai Lama in his capacity as a "respected religious and cultural leader"
China warns a meeting between the two would "seriously undermine Sino-U.S. ties"
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of advocating for Tibetan independence .
The Tibetan spiritual leader fled China in 1959, now lives in India . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- A court in eastern China sentenced a man to death Saturday for attacking 29 kindergarten students and three teachers with a knife, state-run media said.
The Taixing Intermediate People's Court found Xu Yuyuan, 47, guilty of intentional homicide after a half-day trial, Xinhua news agency said.
Xu told the court that his rage against society motivated him in the April 29 attacks, according to Xinhua. But he appealed the death sentence, arguing that the punishment was too severe since no one died in the attacks, Xinhua said.
Chinese penal code says a person can be convicted of intentional homicide for acting on an intent to kill, the news agency reported.
A police probe found Xu had been unemployed since 2001, when he was fired by a local insurance company. He told police he carried out the attack because he was angry about a series of business and personal humiliations, Xinhua said.
About 300 people attended Saturday's open trial, according to Xinhua.
Xu's sentence was the second death penalty conviction after a recent spate of school attacks that have prompted public outrage across China.
Zheng Minsheng, 42, was sentenced to death and executed on April 28 for attacking students in front of an elementary school in Fujian province, killing eight and wounding several others. Zheng also used a knife in the attacks, Xinhua reported.
Authorities said Zheng carried out the attack because he was frustrated at "failures in his romantic life," the news agency said.
At least four other such attacks on school children in China have been reported since March.
Guns are strictly regulated in China, but until recently large knives were not. Chinese authorities have recently issued a regulation requiring people to register with their national ID cards when they buy knives longer that 15 centimeters.
Other measures have been put in place.
In April, the Ministry of Education ordered kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools to restrict strangers from entering the campuses. The ministry instructed schools across the country to hire security guards, install security facilities and ensure that pupils were escorted home. Schools were also urged to teach pupils to how to protect themselves.
In some schools, security guards have been armed with "forks," long poles with semi-circular prongs that can be used to fight assailants. | [
"What offence did the person commit?",
"Whats the name of the person found guilty?",
"What has prompted outrage?",
"What act dud he carry out?",
"How many students were attacked?",
"What age is xu yuyuan?"
] | [
[
"attacking 29"
],
[
"Xu Yuyuan,"
],
[
"recent spate of school attacks"
],
[
"attacking 29"
],
[
"29"
],
[
"47,"
]
] | Xu Yuyuan, 47, found guilty of intentional homicide over April attack .
Xu attacked 29 kindergarten students and three teachers with a knife .
Attack one in a spate of school attacks which have prompted outrage . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- China has threatened to slap sanctions on American companies that sell arms to its rival Taiwan as part of a range of punitive actions Beijing is taking to protest the deal. China also summoned U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman to express its anger over Washington's announcement, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua said, citing the Foreign Ministry. Beijing also suspended plans for visits between the Chinese and U.S. militaries and postponed a high-level arms control meeting, it announced Saturday, following Washington's $6.4-billion arms deal with Taiwan. China's Defense Ministry said the decision was made "in consideration of the serious harm and impacts on Sino-U.S. military relations" brought about by the arms deal, according to Xinhua. "China will make further judgments as appropriate," Xinhua reported. China had already complained to the United States about the deal, announced Friday by the Obama administration. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei called it a "rude interference in China's internal affairs, severely endangering China's national security" and said China expressed its "strong indignation." The arms sale includes 60 Black Hawk helicopters, totaling $3.1 billion; 114 advanced Patriot air defense missiles; a pair of Osprey mine-hunting ships; and dozens of advanced communications systems. The deal with Taiwan -- which neither China nor the United States recognizes as an independent country -- does not include F-16 fighter jets, which China has vehemently opposed. The State Department described the latest round of arms sales to Taiwan as a way to guarantee security and stability, despite China's objections. "This is a clear demonstration of the commitment this administration has to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons it needs and as provided for in the Taiwan Relations Act," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Friday. He said the action is consistent with Washington's "one-China" policy and will help maintain security and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The arms sales come as the United States is hoping to persuade China to sign on to harsher sanctions against Iran and just after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized China for its policies relating to the Internet. Crowley would not speak directly about the timing of the announcement of the sales, and about the fact that the arms package does not include F-16s. A senior U.S. official said later that the United States expected Chinese criticism of the arms deal, but does not expect permanent damage. The official said he believed Clinton had discussed the sale in London with her Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of Thursday's international conference on Afghanistan. "This relationship between the United States and China is broad, it's deep. There are a large number of issues. We don't see eye to eye with them and we have to have and do have the ability to speak honestly," the official said. The arms deal is the latest chapter in a decades-long uneasy standoff. China claims Taiwan is its own territory and has threatened to invade if Taiwan ever declares independence. The United States has said it will defend Taiwan if China ever attacks. The government in Taiwan began as the remnant of the government that ruled over mainland China until a Communist insurrection proved victorious in 1949. With the Communist takeover of mainland China, the losing faction fled to the island of Taiwan. Taiwan is formally known as the Republic of China, while Communist China's official name is People's Republic of China. Many Western nations and the United Nations recognized Taiwan as the legitimate Chinese government until the 1970s. CNN's Eve Bower and Charley Keyes contributed to this report. | [
"what is China considering?",
"Who is China considering sanctions against?",
"What is China suspending?",
"What was sold?",
"what has China suspended?",
"Who is considering sanctions?",
"What does the sale include?"
] | [
[
"sanctions on American companies that sell arms"
],
[
"American companies"
],
[
"plans for visits between the Chinese and U.S. militaries"
],
[
"arms"
],
[
"plans for visits between the Chinese and U.S. militaries"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"60 Black Hawk helicopters, totaling $3.1 billion; 114 advanced Patriot air defense missiles; a pair of Osprey mine-hunting ships; and dozens of advanced communications systems."
]
] | China considers sanctions against U.S. companies over arms deal with Taiwan .
China has suspended U.S. military visits, postponed arms control meeting .
Sale includes Black Hawk helicopters, air defense missiles, mine-hunting ships . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- China summoned the U.S. ambassador on Friday to express its "strong dissatisfaction" over the Dalai Lama's meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama a day earlier.
China didn't disclose what was discussed during the session with Ambassador Jon Huntsman at the Foreign Ministry. But Beijing had warned that a meeting between the president and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader would damage its ties with Washington.
"The Chinese side expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this meeting," a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement after Thursday's meeting at the White House.
"China demands the U.S. seriously consider China's stance, immediately adopt measures to wipe out the adverse impact, [and] stop conniving and supporting anti-China separatist forces."
The U.S. Embassy didn't characterize Friday's meeting, but it provided the message Huntsman delivered to Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai.
"Now is the time to move forward and cooperate in ways that benefit our two counties, the region and the world," Huntsman said, according to the U.S. Embassy.
The meeting has the potential to further complicate Sino-U.S. tensions, which have been rising in recent months.
The Dalai Lama has said he favors genuine autonomy for Tibetans, not independence for Tibet. Beijing regards the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as a separatist who wishes to sever Tibet from China.
Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama "runs against the repeated commitments by the U.S. government that the U.S. recognizes Tibet as part of China and gives no support to 'Tibet independence'," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.
During the meeting, Obama stressed his "strong support for the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity, and the protection of human rights for Tibetans," according to a White House statement.
The president praised the Dalai Lama's "commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government," the statement added. He also stressed the importance of having both sides "engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences, and was pleased to hear about the recent resumption of talks," it noted.
The Dalai Lama, while acknowledging that he raised concerns about Tibet during the meeting, did not provide further specifics about his home region's political situation while addressing reporters.
He said he admired America as a "champion of democracy and ... freedom," and cited the need to promote "religious harmony" and "human value."
He also met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The meeting between the Dalai Lama and Obama could "seriously undermine the Sino-U.S. political relations," Zhu Weiqun, a senior Communist Party leader in charge of ethnic and religious affairs, warned recently.
"We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes."
On Thursday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the meeting "grossly violated the norms governing ... international relations."
Obama did not meet with the Dalai Lama when the spiritual leader visited Washington last fall, making it the first time since 1991 that such a meeting did not occur. Ahead of a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Obama persuaded Tibetan representatives back then to postpone the meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Thursday's encounter took place against the backdrop of several contentious issues already threatening to sour the relationship between America and China, including trade disputes, a recent U.S. arm sales deal for Taiwan -- which China considers an illegitimate breakaway province -- and a censorship row over Internet search engine Google Inc.
The meeting is "another event in the recent, one has to say, downward spiral in U.S.-China relations," said China scholar David Shambaugh.
It's also troublesome for the Chinese for one other important reason, Shambaugh said.
"He could have met him as a spiritual leader in a neutral place like a church," he said. But receiving him in the White House "is a political act. And that is going to irritate China very much."
The meeting did not take place in the formal, official setting of the Oval Office. It was | [
"What does China express its \"strong dissatisfaction\" over?",
"What did China appeal for the US to do ?",
"What did China express regarding the Dalai Lama meeting?",
"What did China appealed for U.S. to stop doing?",
"Where did the Dalai Lama meet Obama?",
"Who did the U.S. ambassador meet ?"
] | [
[
"the Dalai Lama's meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama"
],
[
"consider"
],
[
"\"strong dissatisfaction\""
],
[
"stance, immediately adopt measures to wipe out the adverse impact, [and]"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai."
]
] | China expresses its "strong dissatisfaction" over Dalai Lama meeting to U.S. ambassador .
Dalai Lama met with U.S. President Barack Obama a day earlier at the White House .
China appealed for U.S. to "stop conniving and supporting anti-China separatist forces"
Beijing regards the Dalai Lama as a separatist who wishes to sever Tibet from China . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao greeted U.S. President Barack Obama in China's capital on Tuesday, with trade and the thorny issue of North Korea expected to be on their agenda. The U.S. delegation was met by an honor guard at the Great Hall of the People, and Obama shook hands with Hu and other top Chinese officials before the two leaders went behind closed doors. It is their fifth meeting in the past year, and they made no public statements beforehand but are to issue a joint statement after their talks. The United States imports billions of dollars in Chinese products each year, while China is a major purchaser of the U.S. Treasury bonds that finance America's budget deficit. Facing a global economic recession, Washington and Beijing are in "a mutual hostage situation," former Bush administration China analyst Victor Cha said. "China needs to purchase these Treasuries in order to maintain a strong dollar. Otherwise, the value of their foreign currency holdings goes down dramatically," Cha told CNN. "We need China in order to finance a lot of the deficit spending we're doing now. It's very much intertwined in a way that two countries in the history of international relations have not been intertwined." China is also an important player in the diplomatic showdowns over nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea and holds one of five permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council. China is North Korea's closest ally and has played a key role in the six-party talks aimed at convincing Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday found 71 percent of Americans consider China an economic threat to the United States, with two-thirds considering it a source of unfair competition for U.S. companies. The survey also found 51 percent of the U.S. public consider China a military threat, with 47 percent disagreeing. That 4-point margin is within the poll's 4.5 percent sampling error. But Obama told students at a town hall-style meeting in Shanghai that the two nations don't have to be at odds with each other. "Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulty, but the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined," Obama said. But he said there are certain core principles that all people must share -- including equal rights for everyone, a government that reflects the will of the people, open commerce, free access to information, and the rule of law. "We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don't believe that the principles that we stand for are unique to our nation," he told the gathering. The issue of human rights has often been a sticking point between Beijing and Washington. China regularly cracks down on its religious and ethnic minorities, keeps tight reins on the media and censors the Internet. Obama told the students that he is against censorship and is a believer in the free flow of information, calling it a "source of strength" in a democracy, despite the sting that sometimes comes with it. He told the students he welcomes a strong China, saying there are very few global challenges -- specifically referring to climate change -- that can't be solved if the United States and China work together. The town hall meeting was shown locally on Shanghai's Phoenix TV, but it was not broadcast nationally on any of China's state-run networks. The Xinhua news agency posted a translated running transcript of the event on its Web site. The United States also streamed the forum live on WhiteHouse.gov. Chinese censors did not block the event to those with Internet access. The final stop of Obama's trek is Seoul, where he will meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, and deliver a speech to U.S. troops at Osan Air Base. Obama is on an eight-day journey that is taking him to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. He'll return to the United States on Friday. The president left for China from Singapore, where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and | [
"Who does Obama hold formal talks with?",
"Who is Obama holding formal talks with?",
"How much does the US import in Chinese products every year?",
"What does the new poll show?",
"How much does the US import?",
"how many dollars does US import in Chinese products each year?"
] | [
[
"Chinese President Hu Jintao"
],
[
"Chinese President Hu Jintao"
],
[
"billions of dollars"
],
[
"71 percent of Americans consider China an economic threat to the United States,"
],
[
"billions of dollars in Chinese products each year,"
],
[
"billions of"
]
] | NEW: Obama to hold formal talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing .
NEW: New U.S. poll shows split on whether Chinese pose military threat .
Obama tells students free flow of info a source of strength, despite sting .
United States imports billions of dollars in Chinese products each year . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- Chinese officials blamed poor management and inadequate precautions for an explosion at a mine that killed 104 people, state-run media said Monday. In addition to those killed, 60 miners remained hospitalized from Saturday's morning blast at the Xinxing coal mine in northeastern Heilongjiang province. Most were being treated for injuries such as carbon monoxide poisoning and burns, CCTV reported. Six were in critical condition with severe burns. Four other workers were still trapped underground in the mine shaft, the Xinhua news agency said. The accident started with a gas leak in one of the shafts, officials said. But because of poor ventilation, gas poured into the main tunnel and triggered an explosion that shook 28 of the 30 mining platforms in operation. About 530 miners were working in the mine at the time. Luo Lin, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, told Xinhua that the mine's management was to blame for not evacuating workers when they detected a high gas density in the pit. State regulations stipulate that miners have to evacuate if gas density exceeds 2 percent. The density in the pit was more than 10 percent, authorities said. "The mine has too many mining platforms in operation and has sent to many workers down the pit to increase output," said Zhao Tiechui, deputy head of the work safety agency. The mine is owned and operated by the Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Group. Unlike most small- and mid-size collieries, Xinxing produces 12 million tons of coal a year. The blast took place during a five-day inspection of work safety conditions in Hegang, local media said. Immediately after the blast, the mine's director, deputy director and chief engineer were fired. Mine accidents are common in China. Last year, 3,200 people were killed in such accidents, state media said. The latest blast is the deadliest since December 2007, when 105 miners were killed in Shanxi province. The deadliest mine blast took place in August 2007 when two collieries flooded in Shandong province, killing 181 miners, Xinhua said. Chinese officials said they will pay at least 250,000 yuan ($36,600) to each of the families of the miners who died. | [
"How many were killed?",
"How many people were killed in mine accidents?",
"What was blamed for the explosion?",
"How many miners are trapped underground?",
"What number of miners are still trapped?",
"Who said 3,200 people were killed in mine accidents last year?",
"Where do Chinese officials place responsibility for the explosion?",
"How many people were killed in mine accidents last year?",
"What did Chinese officials blame?"
] | [
[
"104 people,"
],
[
"in China. Last year, 3,200"
],
[
"poor management and inadequate precautions"
],
[
"Four"
],
[
"Four other workers were"
],
[
"state media"
],
[
"poor management and inadequate precautions"
],
[
"3,200"
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[
"poor management and inadequate precautions"
]
] | Chinese officials blamed poor management and inadequate precautions for an explosion .
Explosion killed 104 and hospitalized 60 others .
Last year, 3,200 people were killed in mine accidents, state media said .
Four miners still trapped underground, state media reported . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- Five more defendants were sentenced to death for their roles in summer riots that killed around 200 people in western China, officials said Thursday. The five sentenced to death were among 22 defendants that went on trial this week by the Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi, according to a local government statement. Along with the five people to be executed, another five were sentenced to death but the execution will be postponed for two years, the statement said. The others received sentences ranging from 10 years in prison to life in prison. This group is part of dozens of people who have put on trial for the alleged role in the violent ethnic clashes in China's Xinjiang autonomous region that broke out this summer. More than 20 people have received death sentences after being convicted of crimes related to the unrest. The riots in July were prompted by long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese. The Uyghurs are mostly Muslims in Xinjiang. Some Islamists refer to the region as East Turkistan. Around 200 people were believed to have been killed in the riots. The unrest continued in August when Uyghurs were accused of attacking Han Chinese with syringes filled with different substances. In September, China sent 7,000 security personnel to Urumqi to ease tensions after Han Chinese protested the syringe attacks. China's constitution guarantees ethnic minorities equal rights. However, minority groups such as the Uyghurs say the Han discriminate and ethnic tensions run deep. | [
"who was urghurs accused of attacking?",
"What sentence did more than twenty people received after being convicted?",
"What two groups are involved in the riots?",
"Which group is the majority and the minority?",
"when were the riots",
"how many people received death sentences?"
] | [
[
"Han Chinese"
],
[
"death"
],
[
"minority Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese."
],
[
"Han Chinese."
],
[
"July"
],
[
"More than 20"
]
] | More than 20 people have received death sentences after being convicted following riots .
July riots prompted by long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han .
Unrest continued in August when Uyghurs were accused of attacking Han with syringes . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- Prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was arrested in 1989 for his role in the Tiananmen Square protest, faces trial Wednesday for allegedly "inciting subversion" in a more recent case.
Liu, a former university lecturer and literary critic, faces a possible 15-year jail sentence, amid growing international outrage over his yearlong detention, according to media reports. The trial begins Wednesday at 9 a.m. local time (Tuesday 8 p.m. ET).
On Monday, the Times of London quoted Liu's wife, Liu Xia, as saying, "I have no hope whatsoever, I can't even attend the trial."
She said she planned to wait outside the courthouse.
"I think he will be sentenced to more than ten years," she said.
Liu, 53, was detained on December 8, 2008, and held under "residential surveillance" as police investigated the case, according to the PEN American Center, a U.S. literary and human rights organization. On June 23 of this year, he was arrested and charged with inciting subversion of state power, the organization said. Liu is on the PEN board of directors.
The case was turned over to the prosecutor's office December 8 -- one year from the time Liu was detained.
Liu co-authored Charter 08, "a declaration calling for political reform, greater human rights, and an end to one-party rule in China that has been signed by hundreds of individuals from all walks of life throughout the country," PEN says on its Web site. The group said Liu was arrested before the formal release of Charter 08.
"Liu has been engaged in agitation activities, such as spreading of rumors and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system in recent years," according to a police statement reported by China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
The statement claimed Liu confessed to the charge during a preliminary police investigation.
Liu served as an adviser to student leaders during the demonstrations at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Along with three other intellectuals, he took part in hunger strikes there on June 2 of that year prior to the crackdown to show support for the flagging student protests.
He was arrested two days after the Tiananmen crackdown and was released in 1991. In May 1995 he was detained again for collecting signatures for a petition calling for human rights guarantees.
The U.S. government has pressed for Liu's release.
"The U.S. government is deeply disturbed by reports that Liu Xiaobo has been formally arrested and charged with serious crimes," said Richard Buangan, deputy spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, following Liu's latest arrest.
"We call on the government of China to release Mr. Liu and respect the rights of all Chinese citizens who peacefully express their desire for internationally recognized freedoms." | [
"What is the US government pressing for?",
"Who faces trial?",
"When will dissident Liu face trial?",
"What is he being charged with?",
"When was he also arrested?",
"Who is Liu Xiaobo?",
"What is the US government's response?",
"What is he charged with?",
"What is Liu charged with?"
] | [
[
"Liu's release."
],
[
"Liu Xiaobo,"
],
[
"Wednesday"
],
[
"\"inciting subversion\""
],
[
"1989"
],
[
"Prominent Chinese dissident"
],
[
"is deeply disturbed by reports that Liu Xiaobo has been formally arrested and charged with serious crimes,\""
],
[
"\"inciting subversion\""
],
[
"inciting subversion of state power,"
]
] | Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo faces trial Wednesday .
Liu is being charged with "inciting subversion"
Liu was also arrested in 1989 for his role in the Tiananmen Square protest .
The U.S. government has pressed for Liu's release. |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- The Shanghai court trying an Australian Rio Tinto executive on charges of bribery and theft of commercial secrets will deliver its verdict on Monday.
Australian consular officials will be in court when it renders its decision on the fate of Stern Hu, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether the court will also announce on the same day the verdict against three other Rio Tinto employees who were tried on the same charges.
The three-day trial of the four employees of the mining giant ended Wednesday.
Charged in the case were Stern Hu, an Australian citizen of Chinese origin who was the general manager of Rio Tinto's Shanghai office.
Hu has been in detention for nine months, along with Rio Tinto's three Chinese employees -- Liu Caikui, Ge Minqiang and Wang Yong.
Rio Tinto, a British-Australian company, is one of the largest mining companies in the world. The case has raised fears of a government crackdown on foreign companies doing business in China.
When is a gift considered bribery?
The trial was closed to foreign news organizations, hindering independent confirmation of developments.
Australian consular officials were allowed in the Shanghai courtroom for the bribery phase of the case, but were barred from witnessing the theft portion.
Hu is accused of receiving two bribes: one for 1 million yuan ($146,490) and another for 5.3 million yuan ($790,000). The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said he "made some admissions concerning these amounts," but did not elaborate.
The Chinese government initially accused the four of stealing state secrets when they were first detained, but the charges were reduced to theft of commercial secrets several months ago.
Hu and the others were detained in July. China says the four bribed executives from 16 of the nation's major steel mills to obtain industry information.
In China, obtaining commercial secrets carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Rio Tinto has called the allegations surprising and said it was not aware of any evidence.
The detentions took place about a month after Rio Tinto broke off an investment deal with China state-owned Chinalco, a resources company, that was worth more than $19 billion.
The deal with Chinalco was signed in February 2009 and was awaiting a review by Australia's foreign investment board.
The deal soured as opposition party members in Australia ratcheted up their disapproval, saying it would put Australian resources at strategic risk.
Others saw the deal as an alliance that would further link resource-rich Australia with the commodities-hungry Chinese market. | [
"What kind of firm was it?",
"What was the executive charged with?",
"What did the case raise fears of?",
"how many employess were tried on the same charges?",
"How many Rio Tinto employees were tried?",
"What has this case raised fears of?",
"How many others were charged?"
] | [
[
"one of the largest mining companies in the world."
],
[
"bribery"
],
[
"a government crackdown on foreign companies doing business in China."
],
[
"four"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"government crackdown on foreign companies doing business in China."
],
[
"three"
]
] | Mining firm executive on charges of bribery and theft of commercial secrets .
Three other Rio Tinto employees tried on the same charges .
Case has raised fears of Chinese government crackdown on foreign companies . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- The death toll from an explosion at a northeastern China coal mine rose to 104 Monday morning, according to state-run media. Another four workers were still trapped underground in the mine shaft as of 7:20 a.m. (6:20 p.m. ET Sunday), the Xinhua news agency said. A buildup of toxic gases was hampering rescue efforts, according to CCTV. Sixty miners remained hospitalized Monday for injuries ranging from carbon monoxide poisoning to burns, CCTV reported. Of those, six had sustained severe burns that left them in critical condition. About 530 miners were working in the mine when the blast occurred at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET Friday). The Heilongjiang Longmei's Xinxing mine is operated by the Hegang company. A preliminary investigation indicates the blast was a gas explosion, Xinhua reported. | [
"What was was hampering rescue efforts?",
"What was hampering rescue efforts?",
"What were the miners in the hospital for?",
"What kind of workers were trapped?",
"How many workers are still trapped?",
"What is the Death toll doing?",
"What is the number of miners hospitalized?",
"How many miners were hospitalized?",
"Who is still trapped?"
] | [
[
"A buildup of toxic gases"
],
[
"A buildup of toxic gases"
],
[
"injuries ranging from carbon monoxide poisoning to burns,"
],
[
"miners"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"rose to 104"
],
[
"Sixty"
],
[
"Sixty"
],
[
"four workers"
]
] | NEW: Death toll rises .
NEW: Sixty miners hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, CCTV reports .
NEW: Four workers still trapped .
NEW: A buildup of toxic gases was hampering rescue efforts, CCTV reports . |
Beijing, China (CNN) -- The world economy is placing a bet on its future with China, but some Chinese are placing bets on their future with plastic. In rebalancing the world economy, analysts have said U.S. citizens should take cues from the Chinese, where 40 cents of every dollar of disposable income is saved, compared to 3 cents of every dollar in the U.S. But there are worrying signs in China that some young consumers are starting to emulate the worst habits of U.S. consumers -- like 27-year-old Yuan Shuai in Beijing, whose credit card bets on his future have turned into overwhelming debts. In the last two years, he got seven cards from seven banks and wracked up $29,000 in debts. "I spent money on eating and having fun," he said. "That's all." Unemployed and studying to be a taxi driver, Yuan now has debt collectors from banks turning to his father, Yuan Yizhong, for bill payment. "The banks told me they could lend to him because he's an adult," his father says. "Now they hold me responsible and threatened me." With no laws for bankruptcy protection in China, those threats can be real. "If you cannot pay it back you either have to go to parents or friends to pay back for you, or you got to jail," said Yeongwen Chiang, a consumer expert. Credit card issuance is up 32 percent in China in the past year, according to China Market Research and the National Bureau of Statistics. Credit card debt is up more than 130 percent to $838 million. That still pales compared to U.S. credit card debt, but the quick rise have some observers alarmed. With the decrease in exports during financial crisis, China has been working to build domestic consumption, offering subsidies on cars, home appliances and other big ticket items. That has helped China to continue to grow through the recession. During the October holiday week celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, Chinese poured $83 billion into the economy - a 20 percent increase in spending from the same holiday period last year. By comparison, retail spending in the United States fell 6 percent in September compared to the same time last year. But some of the increased spending in China is with money the consumers didn't have. In the first six months of this year, the number of Chinese consumer with credit card debts more than two months overdue rose 133 percent. For the Yuan family, credit card debt will take years to pay back. "I have only one son, and he failed to live up to my expectations," Yuan's father said. CNN's Emily Chang, Fareed Zakaria and Kevin Voigt contributed to this report | [
"What country's credit card debt is beginning to mount?",
"What rose 133 percent this year?",
"What percent did new credit cards jump?",
"How many percent did Chinese card debts more than two months overdue rise?",
"By what percent did new credit cards jump?",
"Which country's card debts rise 133 percent?",
"Chinese credit card debt rose 133% in how many months?",
"How much did new credit cards jump?"
] | [
[
"China"
],
[
"Credit card debt"
],
[
"32"
],
[
"133"
],
[
"32"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"up 32 percent"
]
] | Although Chinese credit card debt is far behind the U.S., it's beginning to mount .
New credit cards jumped 32 percent the past year .
Chinese card debts more than two months overdue rose 133 percent this year . |
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- A Lebanese man who had been condemned by a court in Saudi Arabia to die last week for "sorcery" has not been executed, his lawyer said Monday.
May El Khansa told CNN that she got confirmation from Ibrahim Najjar, Lebanon's justice minister, that her client, Ali Hussain Sibat, was still alive.
She added that she had heard Saturday from sources in Saudi Arabia with knowledge of the case that the beheading had not been carried out Friday, as originally planned.
Also Saturday, she said, she sent an official letter to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah asking him to pardon her client.
She said she would send more letters of appeal Tuesday to Lebanese government officials asking them to intervene.
Saudi government officials would not comment to CNN about the case.
Justice Minister Najjar said last week that he had urged the Saudi government not to carry out the execution, and Sibat's wife made an emotional plea for mercy from the kingdom's rulers during a CNN interview Thursday.
"All I ask is for the Saudi king and the Saudi government to show him mercy -- let him come back to his country and his family," Samira Rahmoon said.
Sibat used to offer predictions and advice to callers on a Lebanese television network. He was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008 while on an Islamic pilgrimage, El Khansa said. Saudi authorities have not disclosed details of the charge for which Sibat has been condemned.
"We can't understand how they could arrest him and charge him and sentence him to death," Rahmoon said. "It doesn't make any sense."
El Khansa said Wednesday that she had been told about the upcoming execution by a Saudi source with knowledge of the case and the proceedings.
Lebanon's government said it had no confirmation that his execution had been set, but Najjar called the sentence "disproportionate."
"I have asked them not to implement any execution in this case," he said. "As far as I know, such an act doesn't deserve such a punishment, unless there is something else -- something that I have not had the possibility to study or to examine myself."
Rahmoon said the family has been unable to contact Sibat "for a long time" and has received no official notification that her husband's execution date has been set.
"We don't understand how he could be executed without us getting any notification first," Rahmoon said. "How could they decide to execute him and not inform us?"
A law against witchcraft remains on the books in Lebanon, but is the equivalent of a misdemeanor, Najjar said.
"I respect the law of Saudi Arabia, which is based on Sharia law," he said. "But at the same time, I'm very concerned about such a sentence."
Sibat was convicted by a court in Medina and sentenced to death in November, El Khansa said. He appealed, and his case was sent back to the trial court for reconsideration. But the judges in Medina upheld their original verdict in March, she said.
The human rights group Amnesty International has called for Sibat's release.
His case drew a small knot of protesters from a Lebanese youth group to the Saudi Embassy in Beirut on Thursday, and Najjar said he told his Saudi counterpart that beheading Sibat "would not be productive" to Lebanese-Saudi relations.
"I have done what I thought was responsible for the justice minister in Lebanon to do, and I said to my colleague in Saudi Arabia that such an act in Lebanon would not be sanctioned by more than two months of imprisonment," Najjar said.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report | [
"Who is Lebanon's justice minister?",
"who sent sent an official letter to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah asking for pardon?",
"Who is Ali Hussain Sibat?",
"who said Lebanon's justice minister confirmed Ali Hussain Sibat was still alive?",
"Who was arrested?",
"Who did the lawyer send a letter to?",
"who offer predictions and advice to callers on a Lebanese television network?",
"What did the lawyer say?"
] | [
[
"Ibrahim Najjar,"
],
[
"May El Khansa"
],
[
"A Lebanese man"
],
[
"May El Khansa"
],
[
"Ali Hussain Sibat,"
],
[
"Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah"
],
[
"Sibat"
],
[
"that her client, Ali Hussain Sibat, was still alive."
]
] | Lawyer said Lebanon's justice minister confirmed Ali Hussain Sibat was still alive .
Sibat's lawyer has also sent an official letter to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah asking for pardon .
Sibat used to offer predictions and advice to callers on a Lebanese television network .
Sibat arrested, tried and sentenced during pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia . |
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- A U.N. maritime task force was scouring the stormy waters off the coast of northern Lebanon Friday, searching for survivors from a livestock carrier that sank the night before.
"The operation that commenced last evening continued through the night in difficult weather conditions," said a statement from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
As of 3:15 p.m. local time Friday, rescuers had found 42 survivors and four bodies, according to a release from UNIFIL. Four of the survivors were sailors who were picked up by other ships.
The Lebanese navy said there were 83 people aboard the cargo ship that was packed with sheep and other livestock.
The Panamanian-flagged carrier, the "Danny F II," sank about 12 miles off the coast of Tripoli.
The Lebanese navy sent a distress signal to UNIFIL indicating the ship had capsized Thursday night, the U.N. task force said.
"UNIFIL Maritime Task Force immediately responded to the location with three ships, the frigate 'Zeffiro' (Italy), mine hunter 'Laboe' (Germany) and supply ship 'Mosel' (Germany), that have since been engaged in the search and rescue operations in collaboration with the Lebanese Navy," Friday's statement said.
Searchers said the survivors, who are of different nationalities, received medical treatment on board UNIFIL ships before being taken ashore.
CNN's Nada Husseini contributed to this report | [
"What ship sinks about 12 miles off the coast of Tripoli?",
"Where did the ship sink?",
"How many survivors were found?",
"How many people did the Navy say were on board?",
"What sank about 12 miles off the coast of Tripoli?",
"How many people were on board?",
"What does Lebanese navy say?",
"What did the Lebanese navy say it found?"
] | [
[
"\"Danny F II,\""
],
[
"about 12 miles off the coast of Tripoli."
],
[
"42"
],
[
"83"
],
[
"\"Danny F II,\""
],
[
"83"
],
[
"there were 83 people aboard the cargo ship that was packed with sheep and other livestock."
],
[
"42 survivors and four bodies,"
]
] | Panamanian-flagged ship sinks about 12 miles off the coast of Tripoli .
Lebanese navy says it found 42 survivors and four bodies .
The navy says there were 83 people aboard the ship .
Authorities say people on board were wearing life jackets . |
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- Air traffic controllers in Lebanon were telling the pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to change course shortly before it crashed into the sea, the country's transportation minister told CNN Tuesday.
An international search team was combing Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline for signs of life Tuesday amid fears that all 90 people aboard the Addis Ababa-bound airliner perished in the accident, authorities said.
Lebanese Transportation Minister Ghazi al-Aridi said Tuesday it was too early to determine whether pilot error had caused the crash.
He said the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders would need to be recovered to determine why Flight 409 disappeared from radar screens shortly after taking off from Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport at about 2:30 a.m. local time.
The control tower lost contact with the plane before it made a course correction Monday, al-Aridi said.
In a statement, Ethiopian Airlines said the pilot of the flight had more than 20 years of experience flying various aircraft with the airline's network. The plane had been declared safe and fit to fly following a regular maintenance service on December 25, 2009, the airline said.
The Lebanese military reported Tuesday that 14 bodies had been found -- nine fewer than an earlier count. Confusion early in the search led to double-counting, they said. No survivors have been found.
The search included aircraft from the United States, Britain, France and Cyprus.
The U.S. military sent the USS Ramage -- a guided missile destroyer -- and Navy P-3 aircraft in response to Lebanese requests for assistance, according to U.S. defense officials.
"We don't believe that there is any indication for sabotage or foul play," Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Monday.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also sending an investigator because the plane was made by a U.S. manufacturer.
The Boeing 737-800 had eight crew members and 82 passengers -- 51 Lebanese nationals, 23 Ethiopians, two Britons and citizens from Canada, Iraq, Russia, Syria, Turkey and France -- when it went down, the airline said.
The plane crashed about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) west of the town of Na'ameh which is 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Beirut.
Government-owned Ethiopian Airlines is one of the largest carriers in Africa, serving Europe and three other continents. The airline has experienced two fatal crashes since 1980.
In November 1996, a flight bound for Ivory Coast was hijacked by three men who demanded that the pilot fly to Australia. The pilot crashed while attempting an emergency landing near the Comoros Islands off Africa. About 130 of the 172 people aboard died, according to published reports.
And in September 1988, a flight struck a flock of birds during takeoff. During the crash landing that followed, 31 of the 105 people aboard died.
CNN's Nada Husseini and Cal Perry contributed to this report. | [
"Who was told to change course prior to crash?",
"How many bodies have been found so far?",
"What do you tell the pilot before crashing?",
"How many bodies were found so far?",
"The pilot was told to do what, prior to the crash?",
"What combs Lebanese coast following Ethiopian Airlines plane crash?",
"Which airline owns the plain which crashed?",
"How many people have been rescued?"
] | [
[
"flight"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"to change course"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"change course"
],
[
"international search team"
],
[
"Ethiopian"
],
[
"No survivors"
]
] | Search teams comb Lebanese coast following Ethiopian Airlines plane crash .
Pilot was told to change course prior to crash, transport minister says .
Just 14 bodies found so far; plane was carrying 90 crew and passengers .
Plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Beirut on Monday . |
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- Searchers have found the flight data recorder from an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed Monday with 90 people aboard, the Lebanese army said Thursday.
The data recorder, commonly called a black box, was found at a depth of about 1,300 meters in the Mediterranean Sea.
The recorder had not yet been retrieved, the army said.
The Boeing 737-800, carrying eight crew members and 82 passengers, crashed into the sea after takeoff from Lebanon early Monday.
At least 14 bodies had been recovered from the crash of the airliner, which was bound for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, officials said.
The plane crashed about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) west of the town of Na'ameh, which is 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Beirut.
Government-owned Ethiopian Airlines is one of the largest carriers in Africa, serving Europe and three other continents.
CNN's Nada Husseini contributed to this report. | [
"When did the crash happen?",
"what is the number of passengers?",
"what amount of bodies have been found so far?",
"Where was black box located?",
"What was found?",
"How many bodies were recovered?",
"Where was the flight going?",
"where was the back box found?"
] | [
[
"Monday"
],
[
"82"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"at a depth of about 1,300 meters in the Mediterranean Sea."
],
[
"flight data recorder from an Ethiopian Airlines plane"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"Addis Ababa,"
],
[
"at a depth of about 1,300 meters in the Mediterranean Sea."
]
] | Flight data recorder of downed Ethiopian Airlines plane found, Lebanon's army says .
So-called "black box" found at depth of 1,300 meters in Mediterranean Sea .
At least 14 bodies found so far; plane was carrying 90 crew and passengers . |
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- The leaders of Lebanon and Syria vowed to improve cooperation between their two countries Sunday, tying up a meeting aimed at thawing frozen relations. "We want to open new horizons between the two states," Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said at a news conference at the end of the two-day meeting, which happened in Damascus, Syria. "We had good and excellent discussions based on mutual clarity and honesty," he added. "We are betting on a better future for both countries and peoples, in economy, trade as well as all other levels." Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not at the news conference. Official Syrian news agency SANA reported that both al-Assad and Hariri "saw the visit as a starting point to restore cooperation between the governments of Syria and Lebanon." "Both sides agreed that the institutions and ministries in both countries directly coordinate and communicate to remove all obstacles to the cooperation on all levels," SANA reported. Hariri has previously blamed Syria for the 2005 assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri, a former Lebanese leader who was a prominent figure opposing Syria's continuing presence inside Lebanon. A United Nations investigation found indications of Syrian involvement, but Syria denies responsibility. A U.N.-backed tribunal has been created to investigate the killing. The two leaders did not discuss that issue or the assassinations of other anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon, Hariri said Sunday. They also did not discuss requests by a Syrian court to question Lebanese officials. Asked whether any guarantees were exchanged regarding the Lebanese-Syrian relationship, Hariri responded, "I don't want to go into details." He added that the meeting proves "a relationship is being built in both countries' interest and in the benefit of future openness." A popular uprising after the elder Hariri's killing in 2005 helped lead to the withdrawal of Syrian forces after almost 30 years of military and political domination of Lebanon. Under international pressure, Syria opened an embassy in Beirut almost a year ago, and a Lebanese ambassador arrived in Damascus a short while later. It was the first time the two foes established diplomatic ties since their independence more than six decades ago. The United States, which also accused Syria of involvement in Rafik Hariri's assassination, withdrew its ambassador four years ago. President Obama decided to make an effort toward reconciliation and announced earlier this year that he was returning a U.S. diplomat to Damascus. | [
"When did the relations between Arab nations collapse?",
"what is the relationship with Syria",
"Who did Hariri meet with?",
"What did Lebanese leader say?",
"What are relations like?",
"WHat is the name of the Lebanese prime minister?",
"With whom did the lebanese prime minister meet?"
] | [
[
"2005"
],
[
"frozen"
],
[
"Lebanese Prime Minister Saad"
],
[
"\"We want to open new horizons between the two states,\""
],
[
"frozen"
],
[
"Saad Hariri"
],
[
"Syrian President Bashar al-Assad"
]
] | NEW: Lebanese leader: "We are betting on a better future for both countries and peoples"
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria .
Relations between neighboring Arab nations collapsed after 2005 assassination of Hariri's father . |
Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Northern Ireland's Martin McGuinness will be the Sinn Fein candidate for president of the Republic of Ireland when elections are held next month, the party's executive committee voted unanimously Sunday.
McGuinness, a former leader of the IRA, is now deputy first minister of Northern Ireland.
Accepting his party's nomination Sunday, he said republicans have an obligation to "heal the wounds of their actions."
McGuinness has admitted that he was a leader of the Provisional IRA during the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland between pro-British and pro-Irish forces.
In recent years, he has received death threats from hardline dissident IRA splinter groups because of his support for the peace process.
He referred to a recent upsurge in violence in the province in his speech Sunday.
"I know there will be a very strong temptation for people to drag us back to the past. God knows there are enough of them trying to do so, in a violent sense, at the moment," he said.
He described himself as a man of peace who can work across sectarian lines.
"People see me very much as a peacemaker, but, more importantly, they see me as a peacemaker who can be trusted," he said. "I have every confidence that the peace process will be strengthened by my participation in the presidential election."
"I am proud to have served in government alongside unionists," he said, referring to those who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom rather than uniting with the republic to the south. "I can work with anyone. Times have changed in the North."
Sinn Fein won 14 seats in the Irish parliament, the Dail Eireann, in elections this year.
The party's leader, Gerry Adams, moved from his west Belfast constituency in Northern Ireland to win a parliamentary seat in the republic, topping the poll in the Louth constituency.
McGuinness will step down temporarily as deputy first minister in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government during the election campaign, to be replaced by Education Minister John O'Dowd, Sinn Fein said.
If elected, he would resign from his position in Northern Ireland.
Ireland's president is a largely ceremonial role, with national elections held every seven years.
The president is the guardian of the constitution and has the power to refer contentious laws to Ireland's Supreme Court.
Mary McAleese has been the president since 1997 and is nearing the end of her second term of office.
McAleese hosted a historic visit to Ireland by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in May, days before U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in the country.
Elections are due to be held October 27.
On Friday, Irish Senator David Norris said he intends to re-enter the race.
Norris -- previously tipped to be the first openly gay president of Ireland -- withdrew from the contest August 2.
He abandoned his bid after it emerged he had made a plea for clemency for a former lover convicted of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in Israel in the 1990s.
However, Norris told Irish television Friday night he had changed his mind and is seeking support to relaunch his campaign following a "consistent outpouring" of public support.
He now has to secure political nominations to get his name on the presidential ballot paper.
An opinion poll published Sunday showed Labour's Michael D. Higgins leading Norris, who might be backed by the Fianna Fail party.
But the Sunday Independent/Millward Brown Lansdowne poll was completed before Norris said he was rejoining the race and before Sinn Fein put McGuinness' name forward. | [
"What does the former IRA leader say?",
"when Elections for the largely ceremonial post are scheduled?",
"Who is deputy first minister of Northern Ireland?",
"who is the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland?",
"Who is the first minister?",
"When will elections take place?",
"who have a responsibility to heal wounds?"
] | [
[
"republicans have an obligation to \"heal the wounds of their actions.\""
],
[
"October 27."
],
[
"Martin McGuinness"
],
[
"Martin McGuinness"
],
[
"McGuinness,"
],
[
"next month,"
],
[
"republicans"
]
] | The former IRA leader says republicans have a responsibility to heal wounds .
He says he can "work with anyone"
McGuinness is deputy first minister of Northern Ireland .
Elections for the largely ceremonial post are scheduled for October 27 . |
Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Pop superstar Rihanna has been ordered to cover up by a Christian farmer who took exception to her "inappropriate behavior" while filming a music video on his land.
The controversy has erupted in Northern Ireland and was even discussed Tuesday by lawmakers in the province's elected Assembly in Belfast.
Rihanna, who was born in Barbados but has Irish ancestry, is in Northern Ireland this week for sold-out shows at Belfast's Odyssey Arena.
The 23-year-old had been given permission to film a video for the song "We Found Love" in a muddy barley field owned by farmer Alan Graham outside Bangor, about 10 miles from Belfast.
Graham explained Tuesday, "I didn't know who was coming. If the name 'Rihanna' had been mentioned, well, no disrespect, but it wouldn't have meant anything."
However, he says that when he went to get his tractor Monday and saw the singer stripping down to a bikini top, he stepped in to end the shoot.
The local political representative said he "asked the film crew to stop, and they did."
Graham insisted that "there were no hard feelings."
He added: "I had a conversation with Rihanna; we shook hands; we parted company on good terms. I found her very gracious, and I hope she understands where I'm coming from. I wish her well."
Word had quickly spread of Rihanna's surprise appearance in the Northern Irish countryside, and traffic came to a standstill as fans attempted to catch a glimpse of the star.
Graham's wife shed more light on the incident Tuesday, revealing that Rihanna had gone topless.
Said Mrs. Graham, who declined to give her first name, "What she was doing became more inappropriate. When she started to go topless, that's what Alan was particularly objecting to -- things were getting out of hand. There was a man as well, and the behavior was getting more inappropriate. ... It wasn't the sort of thing Alan wanted young people (those watching) to see on his land. We are Christians."
However, Mrs. Graham added: "The girl was very nice; she shook hands with Alan several times" after he asked for the filming to stop.
Not to be deterred, Rihanna was back filming again in Belfast on Tuesday.
But the controversy of the sexy shoot in the barley field rumbled on -- and even made it onto the agenda at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Graham is a local representative with the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (formerly led by Protestant preacher the Rev. Ian Paisley), and the Rihanna row led to a light-hearted exchange between lawmakers in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday.
Mike Nesbitt, of rival pro-British party the Ulster Unionists, addressed Democratic Unionist leader Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland's first minister.
Nesbitt said, "I wonder if the first minister has had an opportunity to assess the potential damage from the news that the pop icon Rihanna was foiled in her filming ambitions yesterday, which I believe were no more sinister than appearing in a field in red, white and blue." (The latter are the colors of the British flag as well as the American one).
Robinson replied, "I'm pretty sure there was no problem with the colors involved!"
Robinson had just been telling the Assembly of his recent trade mission to the United States to encourage Hollywood studios to make more movies in Northern Ireland. | [
"Who asked for filming to be stop?",
"Who says the Barbados-born singer went topless",
"What did his wife say?",
"What song was the music video for?",
"What did the farmer ask them to do?",
"Who stripped to bikin top",
"What was the pop singer filming?",
"Where was the Pop singer filming"
] | [
[
"Alan Graham"
],
[
"Graham's wife"
],
[
"Alan was particularly objecting to"
],
[
"\"We Found Love\""
],
[
"to cover up"
],
[
"Rihanna"
],
[
"a music video"
],
[
"Belfast."
]
] | Pop singer was filming "We Found Love" video on farm outside Belfast .
Farmer asked film crew to stop after he spotted Rihanna strip to bikini top .
His wife says the Barbados-born singer actually went topless .
Province's lawmakers even discussed the controversy . |
Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Sectarian rioting broke out in eastern Belfast late Monday, with leaders from both Catholic and Protestant communities reporting attacks on homes overnight.
Police reported Molotov cocktails were being thrown as a large crowd gathered on the streets that separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in the area, a longstanding Northern Ireland flash point. Ambulance services reported two people injured early Tuesday, and reporters attempting to cover the disturbances were threatened.
The Irish republican party Sinn Fein said up to 100 masked men raided Catholic-owned homes in the Short Strand neighborhood after allegations by unionist politicians that Protestant homes were attacked Sunday. Police had no information on any of Sunday's reported attacks.
Sinn Fein blamed the attacks on Catholics on members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group that officially disarmed in 2009. Police had no immediate comment on the assertion.
After a long period of quiet in its ongoing "Troubles" between Catholics and Protestants, Northern Ireland has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months. Tensions also are typically elevated in early summer, when Protestant groups hold commemorative marches to celebrate the 17th-century victory of England's King William III over his Catholic predecessor, James II. | [
"that has occurred in recent months in Northern Ireland",
"Northern Ireland has seen",
"whats Ambulance services report two injured?"
] | [
[
"a resurgence of violence"
],
[
"resurgence of violence"
],
[
"Northern Ireland"
]
] | Molotov cocktails mark east Belfast clashes .
Ambulance services report two injured .
Northern Ireland has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months . |
Below is an essay written by Steven Stanton's son Travis after he learned that his father was going to become a woman. The story of his father's transformation can be seen on "Her Name Was Steven" at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday on CNN.
Throughout my whole life, I thought my dad was a really tough guy.
He went out with the cops and busted bad guys. He shot guns, fought fires, he was an aggressive driver, and he liked football and lots of sports.
Then, one day my thoughts changed about him when we had a family meeting and he told me how he felt about himself.
He said he felt like a woman on the inside and was going to change into one. He said he tried his best to be a manly guy, but he couldn't stop his feelings to become a girl.
I was very surprised to hear this.
At first, I thought I was in a dream.
It was very hard to believe such a thing. I thought he was a 100% manly man, like more manly than most guys. After a few days, I thought about it.
I knew he was making the right choice to become a girl.
Although I can't relate to his feelings, it must be really hard to hide something like that. It would be like having one million dollars and not being able to spend it. After just so long, your feelings would take over and spend it.
Now, though, I am very proud of my dad. Read Travis' response to some viewer questions about his father
After I saw him, and saw that inside he was the same dad as he always was: he still likes football, he still likes to be an aggressive driver. He is still the same person, but just different on the outside.
I am very happy for him now that he is who he wants to be.
I think that everyone should be who they are and not try to be the same as other people.
If you ask me, this has got to be the manliest thing he has done in his whole life.
It takes a real man to come out of your shell and say, "hey, I am who I am" and take the responsibility of doing that.
In conclusion, I thought my dad was a man, like, gender wise, but now he is who he is meant to be.
He is himself. | [
"What can you see on CNN?",
"Who is son of Susan Stanton?",
"who says he is happy for his father",
"Is Travis Stanton Susan's son?",
"who is the son of Susan Stanton, who underwent sex change operation",
"what kind of operation was subjected Susan Stanton",
"What does Travis say?",
"When we can watch \"Her Name Was Steven\"?"
] | [
[
"The story of his father's transformation"
],
[
"Travis"
],
[
"Travis"
],
[
"Steven"
],
[
"Travis"
],
[
"become a woman."
],
[
"Now, though, I am very proud of my dad."
],
[
"at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday on CNN."
]
] | Travis Stanton is son of Susan Stanton, who underwent sex-change operation .
Travis says he's happy for his father .
Watch "Her Name Was Steven" at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday on CNN . |
Below is an excerpt from HLN "Morning Express" anchor Robin Meade's new book, Morning Sunshine!: How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too published by Hachette Book Group. The following takes place when Robin was working as a weekend anchor in Chicago, Illinois. Robin Meade's book "Morning Sunshine!: How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too" hits shelves September 10. I looked down at the copy of the news story. My stomach clenched. My heart started palpitating. I think I held my breath without realizing it. The floor director gave me the cue, pointing at me as the camera came up on my face. I felt sweaty. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, the set seemed to fade into a gauzy haze. My breathing was jagged. The words came, but my voice was quivering so much it sounded like a kid singing into a big box fan on a humid summer day: "Bray-ay-ay-ay-king new-ew-ew-ews tonigh-igh-ight." My hands shook uncontrollably, and I was huffing and puffing as if I were running mile twenty five of the Chicago Marathon. These were not the controlled, measured tones of someone who had been doing this for a living for years. My heart pounded in my ears, and my face flushed. I was losing it, right there with who knows how many thousands of people watching. What the hell is happening? As I delivered the facts of the story, I didn't hear a thing that came out of my mouth. All I heard were my own thoughts. Oh, no, you're screwing up! Oh, no, your bosses are probably watching! You're going to get fired! How will you pay your mortgage? What will people think of you? And then, of course, Holy crapola, where is that sound bite? Can you see how the cause-and-effect relationship of my thoughts just engulfed me in doom and gloom? I couldn't keep my mind on the story. I totally slipped into imagining the future and the horrible repercussions of my screwup. CNN's Virginia Cha talks to Robin about her on-air anxiety and her upcoming book » Because I'm writing this today, you can tell that somehow I lived to see the sound bite that evening. The whole looking-like-I-was-hopped-up-on-six-energy-drinks episode lasted only seconds. But it seemed like an eternity. Now Josh, the I'm-going-to-be-a-reporter-someday crew member, and Michael, the I-really-want-to-be-a-rock-star prompter operator, were around me, wearing the same expression you'd have after witnessing a car wreck. "Robin, are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?" Josh's eyes were wide open, as if he really wanted to shout, "Dude!" He didn't know what to make of this. "Yeah, please," I croaked. My mouth was cotton. I wished I had a trough to douse my head in instead of a tiny Dixie cup of water. "Everything okay out there?" the producer chimed in on my IFB, the earpiece through which the producer and director talk to anchors during the show without the folks at home hearing it. What to say, what to say? "Oh, sorry about that. Wow, that was weird! I lost my breath or something." I faked a half-laugh at the end of that statement for their benefit. When Josh handed me the glass of water, I was surprised to see my hands were still trembling. I noticed how incredibly weak I felt, and I noisily gulped down the water the way my dog does at his water bowl after he's been chasing squirrels for an hour. Get it together, Robin! Miraculously, by the time | [
"What threatened to stop Robin Meade's career in its tracks?",
"When will Meade's new book hit shelves?",
"Robin Meade's new book is released when?",
"Meade's new book hits shelv?",
"Who's new book hits shelves September 10?"
] | [
[
"on-air anxiety"
],
[
"September 10."
],
[
"September 10."
],
[
"September 10."
],
[
"Robin Meade's"
]
] | Anxiety attacks threatened to stop Robin Meade's career in its tracks .
Her compulsion to overachieve put Meade temporarily out of touch with herself .
Meade shares how she got her confidence, and her spontaneity, back .
Robin Meade's new book hits shelves September 10 . |
Berlin (CNN) -- An opossum that gained worldwide fame for its comedic cross-eyed looks has been put to sleep after its health deteriorated, Leipzig Zoo said Wednesday.
The female opossum, called Heidi, became a German media sensation after her picture was published in late 2010 and had more than 330,000 fans on Facebook.
According to the zoo's website, she and a sister were probably born in May 2008. The pair were found as orphans and raised in a wild animal sanctuary in North Carolina before moving to a zoo in Denmark and eventually arriving in Leipzig in May last year.
Leipzig Zoo released a statement saying: "Heidi, our cross-eyed opossum, has closed her eyes forever today. She passed away having shown typical symptoms of her old age and having severely suffered from arthrosis.
"This illness has made it painful for her to move over the last couple of weeks and Heidi was treated with vitamins and other medicine. Following a short-lived improvement of her condition, her general state of health deteriorated over the last days despite continuous efforts by the veterinarians."
Heidi had to be put to sleep avoid her suffering pain, in accordance with animal welfare guidelines, the zoo said. Arthrosis is a degenerative joint disease.
The cause of Heidi's profoundly crossed eyes remains a mystery, although the zoo's website suggests the way she was fed when she was hand-reared in the United States may have played a role -- as well as the fact she was overweight, which led to "fatty deposits behind the eyes which are pressing the eyeballs slightly out of the eye sockets."
Her sister, named Naira, is also cross-eyed but the zoo's third opossum, a male called Teddy, lacks their distinctive looks.
Opossums, a type of marsupial found in North and South America, have a maximum life expectancy of four to five years, the zoo's website says.
CNN's Brian Walker and Stefan Simons contributed to this report. | [
"where did heidi move to last year?",
"what did the zoo do?",
"where was heidi raised?",
"Who became a German media sensation?"
] | [
[
"Leipzig"
],
[
"Heidi had to be put to sleep"
],
[
"wild animal sanctuary in North Carolina"
],
[
"female opossum, called Heidi,"
]
] | Heidi became a German media sensation after moving to Leipzig Zoo last year .
She was raised in a North Carolina animal sanctuary after being found orphaned .
Her health worsened in recent weeks, the zoo says; she was put to sleep to avoid suffering . |
Berlin (CNN) -- At least seven homemade explosives have been found along Berlin's railways within the last three days, police said Wednesday, severely disrupting traffic on several lines.
Two of the devices have exploded -- one Monday and one on Wednesday, authorities said, but nobody was killed or injured in the blasts.
Monday's explosion occurred next to a railway link between Hamburg and Berlin. The damage has not yet been repaired, authorities said.
Since Monday, at least 2,000 trains have been delayed due to the attacks, a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn told CNN Wednesday.
Another arson attempt -- this one on Berlin´s central train station -- failed Monday because officials discovered the device before it exploded.
"The German national rail company Deutsche Bahn has become the victim of extremists. Nevertheless, our controls have been successful," said Gerd Neubeck, senior manager of the company´s security department, in a written statement Tuesday.
Deutsche Bahn is offering a 100,000 euro (U.S. $138,120) reward for information leading to the arrests of those behind the blasts, according to a statement from the company.
A group called the "Hekla Welcome Committee-Initiative for More Social Eruptions" has claimed responsibility for the explosions.
"This morning we slowed down the German capital and its function as a global player in the export of armaments," said a statement from the group released Monday on a leftist website.
However, the group said it is not acting "with the intention to endanger somebody's life."
The group blames Germany´s involvement in the Afghan war for the attacks.
"German soldiers kill in different parts of the world. For 10 years, the German armed forces are at war in Afghanistan -- without the agreement of the German people," Hekla said.
At the beginning of October, a poll by the opinion research institute YouGov showed that two-thirds of all Germans do not believe in a successful military operation in Afghanistan anymore.
The alleged attackers also demanded the release of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning from jail and criticized U.S. military actions all over the world. Manning is accused of leaking thousands of classified U.S. military and State Department documents to the WikiLeaks website.
The incendiary devices found in the past few days were filled with fluid and usually placed on cables, officials said. An investigation by the regional German police agency Landeskriminalamt is under way.
"I have ordered an immediate increase in police patrols around Berlin," German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement Wednesday.
Sources from Germany's Office for the Protection of the Constitution told CNN Wednesday that the Hekla Welcome Committee was previously unknown to authorities. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. One source said German railways are a common target of leftist extremists. In May, a homemade explosive device hidden next to an important railway hub in the city's east caused massive delays.
In the 1970s, the leftist Red Army Faction terrorized Germany through bank robberies, kidnappings and assassinations. Its members were accused in more than 30 deaths. | [
"Who claims responsibility?",
"`What is a reward being offered for",
"who has claimed responsibility",
"A reward for information is being offered by whom?",
"What is the railway operator offering?"
] | [
[
"\"Hekla Welcome Committee-Initiative for More Social Eruptions\""
],
[
"information leading to the arrests of those behind the blasts,"
],
[
"\"Hekla Welcome Committee-Initiative for More Social Eruptions\""
],
[
"Deutsche"
],
[
"a 100,000 euro (U.S. $138,120) reward for information leading to the arrests of those behind the blasts,"
]
] | NEW: Germany's railway operator is offering a reward for information in the case .
No one has been hurt in the explosions, police say .
A previously unknown group claims responsibility .
The group is opposed to Germany's presence in Afghanistan . |
Berlin (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI met Friday with a group of people who had been sexually abused by clergy in his native Germany, where disenchantment with the Roman Catholic Church has grown in the wake of the scandal.
The meeting, which occurred at a seminary in Erfurt, came on the second day of the pontiff's four-day visit to his homeland. Besides talking with victims of sexual abuse committed by priests and church personnel, he also met with people "who care for those injured by these crimes," according to a statement from the Vatican press office.
"Moved and deeply shaken by the sufferings of the victims, the Holy Father expressed his deep compassion and regret over all that was done to them and their families," the statement added. "He assured the people present that those in positions of responsibility in the church are seriously concerned to deal with all crimes of abuse and are committed to effective measures for the protection of children."
The pope has had similar meetings elsewhere, in the face of outcries from many nations in Europe, North America and beyond criticizing the church for its handling of sexual abuse cases.
Friday's visit was unique in that it took place in the homeland of Benedict, where he'd also served as a cardinal. He himself got caught up in the scandal in at least one case, when he -- as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- approved the transfer of a man within Germany in the wake of accusations that the man had abused children.
But the archdiocese has said the then-cardinal was never personally aware of the details of the man's case. In March 2010, the priest -- then identified only as H -- was suspended, the archdiocese of Munich and Freising announced.
Five years earlier, enthusiasm was high in Germany's Catholic community when Benedict was named pope. But the sex abuse scandal, and a perception that a conservative church is unlikely to change its ways, has affected the church in the European nation.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, more than 181,000 Catholics have left the church since the scandal broke. And candidates for the priesthood have plummeted 62% since 1990, according to the German Bishops Conference.
While he has visited Germany three times since 2005, this marks Benedict's first state visit as pope.
On Thursday, he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Christian Wulf. He also gave a speech before the Reichstag, Germany's parliament, in which he spoke of the "inviolable dignity of every single human person."
Benedict began his day Friday with a mass in Berlin and he met with 15 representatives of Germany's Muslim community. In a subsequent speech, he said, "the convictions (Catholics and Muslims) are becoming visible" while adding that "constant effort is needed in order to foster better mutual acquaintance and understanding."
"There can be a fruitful collaboration between Christians and Muslims," Benedict said in the speech, a transcript of which was provided by the Vatican. "We can offer an important witness in many key areas of life in society (such as) the protection of the family based on marriage, respect for life in every phase of its natural course or the promotion of greater social justice."
CNN's Rick Noack contributed to this report. | [
"what is the pope name",
"who is meeting the victims",
"what does he expresed"
] | [
[
"Benedict XVI"
],
[
"Pope Benedict XVI"
],
[
"deep compassion and regret"
]
] | Pope Benedict XVI meets with victims of clergy abuse in his native Germany .
He "expressed his deep compassion and regret," the Vatican reports .
It is his first state visit to Germany, which included meetings with top officials .
The pope also pushed for "a fruitful collaboration" with Muslims . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- A bomb scare that affected about 100 flights at Munich Airport in Germany on Wednesday may have been a false alarm, German police told CNN.
Police launched a huge manhunt Wednesday after a passenger appeared to flee from security officers when his laptop computer bag tested positive for explosives, they said.
Police originally said authorities wanted to take the man in for further testing after his bag set off suspicions, but he ran. They said a bomb squad was testing the bag to see if it really contained explosives.
But authorities later said the man may simply have been in a hurry, grabbed his things and left the airport.
They do not have the laptop case, they said.
They are still trying to find the man, they said, but are no longer describing the search as a huge manhunt.
Police earlier said they were reviewing airport security videos to try to figure out where the man went. It was not clear if that was what caused them to change their evaluation of the situation.
Police did not know which flight the man was booked on.
Part of the airport was shut down after the suspect fled, but was later reopened.
All planes in the area of Terminal 2, where the incident took place, were evacuated and all luggage was removed, police said. The passengers had to leave the secure area and be rescreened, an airport representative told CNN, adding that the airport was otherwise operating normally.
About 100 flights were affected by the security measures. Some were canceled and others were delayed, the airport said, adding that activity has slowly begun to return to normal.
The airport Web site was still showing some delays to flights leaving Terminal 2 several hours after the incident.
The incident took place as a United States Senate committee debated the foiled Christmas Day attack aboard a plane bound from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan.
The committee chairman, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Connecticut, said it is "infuriating" that the December 25 suspect, Nigerian Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, was able to board the plane in the Netherlands with a U.S. visa.
Janet Napolitano, secretary of homeland security, said AbdulMutallab "was not on the no-fly list, which would've flagged him to be prevented from boarding, nor was he on the selectee list, which would've flagged him for secondary screening."
"Furthermore, the physical screening performed by foreign authorities at airports in Nigeria and the Netherlands did not detect explosives on his body," Napolitano said. "As this incident underscores, aviation security is increasingly an international responsibility."
She said top Homeland Security Department officials are embarking on a multicontinent tour to meet with international counterparts about airline and airport security. She said she would leave Wednesday evening for Spain and a meeting with European Union officials.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report. | [
"How many flights were affects?",
"What did police say about why the man fled?",
"is the search being called a manhunt?",
"What terminal did passengers have to take?",
"Who is seeking the man?",
"what tested positive for explosives?",
"Have the police found the man yet?",
"what terminal did the Passengers have to leave ?"
] | [
[
"100"
],
[
"his laptop computer bag tested positive for explosives,"
],
[
"huge"
],
[
"2,"
],
[
"Police"
],
[
"laptop computer bag"
],
[
"They are still trying to find the"
],
[
"2,"
]
] | NEW: Man who appeared to flee may just have been in a hurry, police say .
NEW: Police still seeking man, but search not being called big manhunt .
NEW: Passengers had to leave Terminal 2 for rescreening; about 100 flights affected .
Man left checkpoint after laptop bag tested positive for explosives . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- A 90-year-old man from northern Germany has been charged with 58 counts of murder for the killings of Jewish forced laborers in the final days of World War Two.
The man, who was not named, was a member of the feared SS serving in what is now Austria when he allegedly carried out the crimes, the state court in Duisburg, western Germany, said Tuesday.
A state office responsible for the prosecution of Nazi war crimes filed the charges.
On March 29, 1945, the man brought at least 57 Jewish forced laborers in several groups to a wooded area where they were forced to give up their valuables and kneel in a ditch, the court said.
"The accused and other SS members then shot the Jewish forced laborers cruelly from the back," the court said.
That day or the next, the court said, the man made other Jewish forced laborers who were "exhausted and no longer able to walk" to march near the town of Jabing, which was then in Germany and is now part of modern-day Austria.
He then "insidiously" shot them from the back, it added.
"The accusation is that the accused let himself be led by the National Socialist (Nazi) ideology, corresponding to an extremely hostile and inhumane attitude toward the victims, who he viewed as inferior," the court said.
The court said it must now decide whether to open proceedings against the man, who has two weeks in which to raise any objections. | [
"What group was he a part of?",
"How many were killed by man from northern Germany?",
"When did the killings take place?",
"What is the number of killings he is charged with?",
"What is the man accused of?"
] | [
[
"SS"
],
[
"58"
],
[
"in the final days of World War Two."
],
[
"58"
],
[
"murder"
]
] | Man from northern Germany charged with 58 counts of killing Jewish laborers .
Killings took place just weeks from the end of World War II .
Man is accused of being part of an SS group that carried out executions . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- Four men were convicted in Germany on Thursday in connection with a foiled terrorist plot against Western targets, court officials said. The men had begun mixing a huge amount of explosive material that could have resulted in a strong blast, bigger than attacks in 2005 on London's public transport network and the 2004 Madrid railway bombings, authorities said. Three of the men -- two Germans and a Turk -- were arrested in September 2007. The other was arrested later. The Germans -- Fritz Gelowicz and Daniel Schneider -- were sentenced to 12 years in prison. Turkish citizen Adem Yilmaz received 11 years. Attila Selek, a German citizen of Turkish descent, received five years. Gelowicz, Schneider and Yilmaz were convicted of, among other things, being members of a terrorist organization, court officials said. The men had joined the Islamic Jihad Union in 2006. Selek received a shorter sentence because he was convicted only of supporting the organization. Three of the men had trained at camps in northern Pakistan with the group that had ties to al Qaeda, German authorities said. The group said it wanted to target the Ramstein Air Base and other U.S. and Uzbek military and diplomatic installations in Germany, German authorities said. The group also wanted to force Germany to stop using an air base in Uzbekistan as a stopover point for moving equipment and personnel in and out of northern Afghanistan. -- CNN's Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report. | [
"How many men were convicted?",
"how many convicted are?",
"what says Authorities?",
"who are convicted as terrorist",
"What was the group linked to?",
"Where did they train"
] | [
[
"Four"
],
[
"Four men"
],
[
"The men had begun mixing a huge amount of explosive material that could have resulted in a strong blast, bigger than attacks in 2005 on London's public transport network and the 2004 Madrid railway bombings,"
],
[
"Four men were"
],
[
"al Qaeda,"
],
[
"camps in northern Pakistan"
]
] | Authorities say planned blast would have eclipsed London and Madrid bombings .
Three men convicted of being members of terrorist organization .
Three had trained in Pakistan camps with group linked to al Qaeda, authorities say . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- German President Horst Koehler resigned suddenly Monday over what he said was heavy criticism about comments he made on Germany's military role in the world, which he said had been misinterpreted.
It was the first time in German history that a president has resigned, the government-funded Deutsche Welle news agency reported.
Koehler said May 22 upon his return from a trip to Afghanistan that "in emergencies, military intervention is necessary to uphold our interests, like for example free trade routes, for example to prevent regional instabilities which could have a negative impact on our chances in terms of trade, jobs and income."
He later said he meant the protection of shipping routes along the Gulf of Aden against piracy, for example, and not any reference to Germany's role in Afghanistan. But his comments came in for widespread criticism.
Crticis said he was framing Germany's involvement in the Afghan war in economic terms having to do with self-interest, rather than as a duty in fulfilling a NATO mission in the fight against terrorism. Others said his comments indicated he would use the military unconstitutionally and for economic reasons.
Germany has 4,500 troops in a NATO-led force fighting a Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan.
Polls show that most Germans oppose the war in Afghanistan, but the government has not set a date for the withdrawal of troops.
Koehler, 67, made the surprise resignation announcement at a televised news conference with his wife standing next to him. He appeared visibly emotional, the Deutsche Welle news outlet reported.
"I am resigning my post as federal president with immediate effect," Koehler said.
"It was an honor for me to serve Germany as president," he said. "I thank the many people in Germany who have put their trust in me and supported my work. I ask for you to understand my decision."
The president's office is largely ceremonial. Chancellor Angela Merkel heads the government and holds the real power.
Merkel found out about the resignation a short while before Koehler's announcement, Deutsche Welle said.
She canceled a trip to northern Italy to visit the training camp of the German national soccer team as the squad prepares for next month's World Cup, the government news agency said.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Merkel said she was stunned by Koehler's decision.
'I deeply regret this resignation," Merkel said. "I must add that I of course told him also I respect his decision to resign."
Merkel also said she had "unsuccessfully tried to get him to change his mind," Deutsche Welle said.
The resignation comes at an inopportune time for Merkel, whose center-right coalition recently lost an important state election and suffered another resignation of a key ally last week, Deutsche Welle said.
The German constitution mandates that the head of the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament that represents Germany's federal states, will temporarily take over the president's duties. Jens Boehrnsen, the Social Democratic mayor of Bremen, holds the rotating position of Bundesrat leader this year and will assume the president's duties.
Boehrnsen will fill in for Koehler until an electoral college, the Federal Convention, elects a successor. The convention must convene within 30 days -- by June 30 in this case.
The president in Germany is not elected by the people, but by the Federal Convention.
The secret ballot vote is held without prior debate and requires an absolute majority to elect a president. If none of the candidates wins an absolute majority after two rounds of voting, the person with a simple majority in the third round is selected president.
The Federal Convention is Germany's largest parliamentary body. All of the members of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, can vote. A corresponding number of representatives from the federal states also are entitled to vote.
The convention, which had 1,224 members at the time, last met in May 2009 to re-elect Koehler.
Koehler, a former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was first elected president | [
"who did resigned",
"what did koehler say",
"who is koehler",
"What did Koehler say the military's role is?",
"When did Koehler resign?",
"What happened for the first time in the country?",
"What country was Koehler president of?"
] | [
[
"German President Horst Koehler"
],
[
"\"in emergencies, military intervention is necessary to uphold our interests, like for example free trade routes, for example to prevent regional instabilities which could have a negative impact on our chances in terms of trade, jobs and income.\""
],
[
"German President"
],
[
"intervention is necessary to uphold our interests,"
],
[
"Monday"
],
[
"a president has resigned,"
],
[
"Germany"
]
] | NEW: President's resignation is first in country's history .
NEW: Koehler had been criticized for comments on military's role .
He said comments were misinterpreted .
Resignation was sudden and unexpected . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- The head of the German army has resigned after a news report that he knew civilians could be killed in a September airstrike in Afghanistan, Germany's defense minister told Parliament Thursday.
Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the army's chief of staff, asked to be relieved of his duties following the report in Germany's Bild newspaper, said German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
The Sept. 4 NATO airstrike in the northern province of Kunduz killed at least 90 people. The German commander in the area called in the strike after Afghans tried to siphon fuel from two tankers hijacked by the Taliban a day earlier.
The fuel had been earmarked for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Local Afghan officials said at least half of those killed were civilians, and NATO acknowledged soon afterward that civilians had been killed.
NATO and Afghan officials launched an investigation, the results of which are still classified, ISAF told CNN Thursday.
Bild, which said it had access to confidential documents and posted a video of the airstrike on its Web site, reported that German Colonel Georg Klein was not able to rule out the possibility of civilian victims before he ordered the strike.
Bild said a report dated September 6 -- two days after the strike -- made clear that it was impossible for Klein to verify information his informant had provided before he called in the airstrike.
CNN's Diana Magnay contributed to this report. | [
"How many are killed?",
"what is the number of killed in airstrike?",
"when was the airstrike?",
"What does Bild claim?",
"Who claims German army chief knew civilians could be killed in airstrike?",
"who asked to be relieved of his duties?",
"Who asks to be relieved of his duties?",
"How many were killed?"
] | [
[
"90 people."
],
[
"90"
],
[
"Sept. 4"
],
[
"German Colonel Georg Klein was not able to rule out the possibility of civilian victims before he ordered the strike."
],
[
"Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan,"
],
[
"Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan,"
],
[
"Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan,"
],
[
"90"
]
] | General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn asks to be relieved of his duties .
Bild claims German army chief knew civilians could be killed in airstrike .
At least 90 killed -- many believed to be civilians -- in September airstrike .
NATO, Afghan officials investigating airstrike but results still classified . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- Thousands of people joined world leaders in the German capital Monday to remember the night 20 years ago when a euphoric wave of people power swept away the Berlin Wall and consigned the Cold War to history.
In scenes calmly mirroring the events of November 9, 1989, crowds thronged through the center of the once-divided city, joining German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a symbolic re-enactment of the first crossing of the breached Wall.
"It was worth fighting for," Merkel said, after crossing the Bösebrücker bridge on Bornholmer Strasse, the checkpoint where people first poured across the frontier.
Merkel, the first former East German to lead the reunified country, was accompanied by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Polish ex-president Lech Walesa as she kicked off events to celebrate the demise of the iconic structure and remember the darker sides of the communist regimes behind it.
"It is not only a day of celebration for Germans. It is a day of celebration for the whole of Europe," Merkel said.
Merkel was joined by Britain's Gordon Brown, France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a series of events, including solemn tributes and boisterous music concerts.
At the climax, a line of 1,000 giant dominoes was knocked over along a 2-kilometer strip where the Wall once stood --representing the domino effect the structure's collapse had in ending communism across Eastern Europe.
Memorials were to be held for the 136 lives lost of those who tried to eascape through the barrier that cut Berlin in two -- many in the so-called "death strip" at the heart of the Wall's fortifications.
Read more in our Autumn of Change special report
Thousands of people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of reunified Germany which once stood at the center of the no man's land between East and West Berlin.
Rock acts including Bon Jovi joined the festivities, echoing the popular music of the late 80s which soundtracked the cold night when rigid communist control gave way to an exhilarating tide of people clamoring for freedom.
Testament to the powerful legacy of the Wall's collapse have been the vivid memories recounted by many of the dramatic and emotional events before and after the fall.
"It was a circus-like atmosphere, people were enthused and exuberant and thrilled to see the Wall coming down," said David Paul Noel of Maryland, who was working for the U.S. State Department in Germany at the time.
Former CNN correspondent Richard Blystone, who watched the Wall collapse was struck by the difference in appearance of each side of the Wall
"On the west side, there was all this graffiti and dirty words, and names of rock groups and 'down with that' -- all the chaos of a pluralistic society," he said. "On the eastern side, it was clean and white, just so sterile."
Though dominated by nostalgia, Monday was also an opportunity to assess progress in a reunified Germany and democratized Eastern Europe, with many airing concerns that the world still has lessons to learn from the events of 1989.
With many in Germany feeling the economic, social and psychological divisions once demarcated by the Wall, Merkel said Monday that the country had yet to fulfil promises made when East and West reunited in 1990.
"Germany unity is not yet complete," Merkel told public broadcaster ARD earlier.
At an event in Berlin on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for renewed global action to liberate those still living under repressive regimes.
"Our history did not end the night the Wall came down," Clinton said. "It began anew. And this matters not only to tens of millions of Europeans, and to the United States, but to people everywhere."
She added: "To expand freedom to more people, we cannot accept that freedom does not belong to all people. We cannot allow oppression, defined and justified by religion or tribe to replace that of ideology.
"We have a responsibility to address conditions everywhere that undermine the potential of boys and girls and men and women | [
"what is being celebrated",
"how many people converged",
"Thousands of people converged where?",
"who leads the ceremonies",
"what does merkel say",
"Angela Merkel leads ceremonies to mark how many years since collapse of Berlin Wall?"
] | [
[
"the night 20 years ago when a euphoric wave of people power swept away the Berlin Wall and consigned the Cold War to history."
],
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"Thousands of"
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"20"
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] | Angela Merkel leads ceremonies to mark 20 years since collapse of Berlin Wall .
Thousands of people converged on symbolic Brandenburg Gate in center of Berlin .
Merkel says Germany still has far to go in its unification process . |
Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- Thousands of people joined world leaders in the German capital Monday to remember the night 20 years ago when a euphoric wave of people power swept away the Berlin Wall and consigned the Cold War to history. In scenes calmly mirroring the events of November 9, 1989, crowds thronged through the center of the once-divided city, joining German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a symbolic re-enactment of the first crossing of the breached Wall. "It was worth fighting for," Merkel said, after crossing the Bösebrücker bridge on Bornholmer Strasse, the checkpoint where people first poured across the frontier. Merkel, the first former East German to lead the reunified country, was accompanied by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Polish ex-president Lech Walesa as she kicked off events to celebrate the demise of the iconic structure and remember the darker sides of the communist regimes behind it. "It is not only a day of celebration for Germans. It is a day of celebration for the whole of Europe," Merkel said. Merkel was joined by Britain's Gordon Brown, France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a series of events, including solemn tributes and boisterous music concerts. At the climax, a line of 1,000 giant dominoes was knocked over along a 2-kilometer strip where the Wall once stood --representing the domino effect the structure's collapse had in ending communism across Eastern Europe. Memorials were to be held for the 136 lives lost of those who tried to eascape through the barrier that cut Berlin in two -- many in the so-called "death strip" at the heart of the Wall's fortifications. Read more in our Autumn of Change special report Thousands of people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of reunified Germany which once stood at the center of the no man's land between East and West Berlin. Rock acts including Bon Jovi joined the festivities, echoing the popular music of the late 80s which soundtracked the cold night when rigid communist control gave way to an exhilarating tide of people clamoring for freedom. Testament to the powerful legacy of the Wall's collapse have been the vivid memories recounted by many of the dramatic and emotional events before and after the fall. "It was a circus-like atmosphere, people were enthused and exuberant and thrilled to see the Wall coming down," said David Paul Noel of Maryland, who was working for the U.S. State Department in Germany at the time. Former CNN correspondent Richard Blystone, who watched the Wall collapse was struck by the difference in appearance of each side of the Wall "On the west side, there was all this graffiti and dirty words, and names of rock groups and 'down with that' -- all the chaos of a pluralistic society," he said. "On the eastern side, it was clean and white, just so sterile." Though dominated by nostalgia, Monday was also an opportunity to assess progress in a reunified Germany and democratized Eastern Europe, with many airing concerns that the world still has lessons to learn from the events of 1989. With many in Germany feeling the economic, social and psychological divisions once demarcated by the Wall, Merkel said Monday that the country had yet to fulfil promises made when East and West reunited in 1990. "Germany unity is not yet complete," Merkel told public broadcaster ARD earlier. At an event in Berlin on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for renewed global action to liberate those still living under repressive regimes. "Our history did not end the night the Wall came down," Clinton said. "It began anew. And this matters not only to tens of millions of Europeans, and to the United States, but to people everywhere." She added: "To expand freedom to more people, we cannot accept that freedom does not belong to all people. We cannot allow oppression, defined and justified by religion or tribe to replace that of ideology. "We have a responsibility to address conditions everywhere that undermine the potential of boys and girls and men and women | [
"Who leads ceremonies to mark 20 years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall?",
"Who said Germany has far to go in its unification process?",
"Where did thousands of people converge in Berlin?",
"What collapse was being celebrated?",
"Who led ceremonies to mark 20 years since collapse of Berlin Wall?",
"Which country does Merkel say still has far to go in its unification process?",
"What Gate in Berlin was the historic site?"
] | [
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"Angela Merkel"
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] | Angela Merkel leads ceremonies to mark 20 years since collapse of Berlin Wall .
Thousands of people converged on symbolic Brandenburg Gate in center of Berlin .
Merkel says Germany still has far to go in its unification process . |
Bogota, Colombia (CNN) -- Members of a Colombian leftist rebel group released two more longtime prisoners Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total released since February 9 to six, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by the Spanish acronym FARC, freed Police Maj. Guillermo Solorzano and Army Cpl. Salin Antonio Sanmiguel Valderrama on Wednesday afternoon in a rural area located in the departments of Cauca and Valley of the Cauca in southwest Colombia, the Red Cross said in a news release.
Solorzano had spent three years and eight months in captivity; Sanmiguel had been held for two years and eight months, it said.
Both men were handed over to former Sen. Piedad Cordoba, ICRC representatives and a member of the group Colombian Men and Women for Peace, the Red Cross said. The freed men were being taken to the city of Cali in a helicopter donated by the government of Brazil. From there, they were to travel to Bogota to reunite with their families.
"It pleases us that the relatives can be with their loved ones whom they have been waiting for for a long time," said Christophe Beney, the International Red Cross's chief in Colombia. "We are very satisfied that, in the end, the agreements assumed by the sides, as much by the Colombian government as by the FARC, have been carried out."
With the handover, the number of people freed by the FARC since February 9 rises to six, the Red Cross said.
The releases came three days after an initial attempt to retrieve the hostages failed when coordinates for their location proved to be inaccurate.
Solorzano, Sanmiguel, and police patrolman Carlos Alberto Ocampo were to have be released Sunday, but only Ocampo was freed. Colombian authorities were upset at what they said were wrong coordinates given by the Marxist guerrilla group.
In December, the FARC pledged to release five hostages as a humanitarian gesture. Wednesday's releases surpassed that number by one.
Some have suggested the hostage releases could fuel renewed negotiations between Colombia's government and the rebels. One of the freed hostages called for dialogue between the government and insurgents.
"Humanitarian exchange is the first step toward a friendly understanding, which permits the return of our brothers deprived of their liberty," politician Armando Acuna said last week after his release.
But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has sharply criticized the FARC, accusing the group of having a "double standard" and creating an "absurd media show" in order to draw sympathy to its cause.
He said last week that he was tempted to call off the rescue mission after learning that two workers from the Carton de Colombia company had been kidnapped the night before in southwestern Colombia. | [
"What were they taken by to be reunited with their families",
"How many hostages have been freed since February 9?",
"What does FARC stand for?",
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"How many men were released?",
"Who were released in southwestern Columbia",
"How many hostages have been released since february"
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"helicopter donated"
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"six,"
]
] | The two men were released in southwestern Colombia .
They are being taken by helicopter to be reunited with their families .
FARC's releases bring to six the number of hostages freed since February 9 . |
Boise, Idaho (CNN) -- Five American soldiers have been charged with killing Afghan civilians for sport and staging the slayings to look like legitimate war casualties. The youngest of those five -- a now 20-year-old private from Idaho -- came home a changed man, his mother says.
And, said Dana Holmes, the Army not only should have known something had gone dreadfully wrong, but commanding officers should be held responsible.
"The man that came home was not my son," said Holmes. "He was very thin. He'd lost about 50 pounds. He said the Army told him he had a parasite. I made him his favorite sandwich, and it took him two days to eat the whole sandwich. Just couldn't eat; he didn't sleep."
Pfc. Andrew Holmes was a healthy, 185-pound 18-year-old when he joined the Army, his mother said. He came home on leave in April -- weeks before the Army launched an investigation into the suspected illegal drug use by his platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, Fifth Brigade.
Holmes' family had him hospitalized in Idaho to restore his strength. He told his mother that he gave himself daily IVs of fluids in Afghanistan to keep hydrated, a claim that horrifies his mother, who cannot believe the Army would not treat a soldier who was clearly ill. During his time on leave, she said, he was paranoid, always asking the family their whereabouts, concerned that someone was going to harm them.
Shortly afterward, he returned to Afghanistan to rejoin his unit.
"I threatened to break his leg and keep him home, but he just hugged me and said, 'Mom, I've got a job to finish.' It was hard to put him on the plane. It was the first time I've seen him fall apart, when we put him on the plane. ... He was still hyper-vigilant about making sure we weren't alone," she said.
And not long after Holmes returned to action, the Army launched its investigation, which quickly grew in scope -- with a new main focus on the murder of Afghan civilians. Now, Holmes and four others face numerous charges, including drug use, premeditated murder, possessing body parts and possessing photos of corpses. Seven others in the platoon are charged with various other crimes, from assaulting a fellow soldier who blew the whistle on the group's hashish smoking to collecting body parts as war trophies and posing them in grisly photos.
Tapes describe killings for sport
Holmes and some of the others are being held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, where the platoon was based, to await courts-martial.
Dana Holmes thinks the Army should be held accountable for what happened at that forward operating post in Afghanistan.
"If they were smoking that much hashish, you can smell it," she said. "Where was the command? Did they just dump these boys off and say go forth and conquer?"
"How did they know what was going on? My son was a healthy 18-year-old kid when he went over there, and now he is a mess. And I don't understand why the Army is not going after the officers."
The highest-ranking soldier accused is a staff sergeant, Calvin Gibbs. His attorney has declined comment on the numerous charges Gibbs faces, including premeditated murder. He has not entered a plea.
Reports show Army sgt. tracked kills with tattoos
Gibbs has been depicted in documents and discussed in interrogation videos by some soldiers as the ringleader they feared. But no one above his rank has been charged with any offenses -- or, according to lawyers, disciplined for allegedly allowing the platoon to make up its own rules of war.
Holmes is charged with the first reported civilian killing in January. He is accused of conspiring with Cpl. Jeremy Morlock to shoot at the civilian and then toss a grenade to look like the soldiers were under attack.
Morlock's attorney disputes those accusations.
"As I stated before | [
"What is Holme's mothers name?",
"Who should be \"going after\" officers in charge?",
"Who says \"The man that came home was not my son\"?",
"Who says he is innocent?",
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"How many are charged with murder?"
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] | Dana Holmes: "The man that came home was not my son"
Holmes' mother says Army should be "going after" officers in charge .
His attorney says Andrew Holmes is innocent .
Holmes and four others are charged with murder . |
Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Republican Scott Brown won a major upset victory in Tuesday's special election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy.
Brown defeated Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, the Democratic candidate.
Brown's victory made real the once unthinkable prospect of a Republican filling the seat held by Kennedy, known as the liberal lion, for almost 47 years until his death from brain cancer in August.
Voters across Massachusetts braved winter cold and snow for an election with high stakes -- the domestic agenda of President Obama, including his priority of health care reform.
Brown's victory strips Democrats of the 60-seat Senate supermajority needed to overcome GOP filibusters against future Senate action on a broad range of White House priorities. Senate Democrats needed all 60 votes in their caucus to pass the health care bill, and the loss of one seat imperils generating that support again for a compromise measure worked out with the House.
In a subdued concession speech, Coakley said she expected a tough assessment of her loss and lots of "Wednesday-morning quarterbacking" after losing a seat held by Democrats for more than 50 years.
"I am heartbroken at the result," Coakley said, later adding: "Although I am very disappointed, I always respect the voters' choice."
Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin said last week that certifying Tuesday's election results could take more than two weeks -- potentially enough time to allow congressional Democrats to pass a final health care bill before Brown is seated.
But multiple Democratic sources said this is unlikely. Even if House and Senate Democrats could reach a deal to meld their bills and pass them in the next couple of weeks, there would be a huge outcry from not only Republicans, but also an increasingly distrustful public if they appeared to be rushing it through.
Galvin had predicted as many as 2.2 million of the state's 4.5 million registered voters would vote -- at least double the turnout from December's primary. In one sign of high interest, more than 100,000 absentee ballots were requested ahead of the election, according to Galvin's spokesman, Brian McNiff.
Coakley was initially expected to easily win the race to replace Kennedy, who made health care reform the centerpiece of his Senate career.
Until recently, Brown was underfunded and unknown statewide. In addition, no Republican has won a U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts since 1972, and Democrats control the governorship, both houses of the state legislature, and the state's entire congressional delegation.
However, Brown surged in the weeks preceding Tuesday's vote and led in all the final polls.
Democratic sources told CNN that Coakley called Brown on Tuesday night to concede.
In a sign of the high stakes involved, the Coakley campaign held an afternoon news conference Tuesday to complain that voters in three places received ballots already marked for Brown.
iReport: Send us your thoughts on the special election
McNiff confirmed that the secretary of state's offices received two reports of voters saying they got pre-marked ballots. The suspect ballots were invalidated and the voters received new ballots, McNiff said.
Kevin Conroy, the Coakley campaign manager, said the "disturbing incidents" raised questions about the integrity of the election. In response, the Brown campaign issued a statement criticizing Coakley's team.
"Reports that the Coakley campaign is making reckless accusations regarding the integrity of today's election is a reminder that they are a desperate campaign," Daniel B. Winslow, the counsel for the Brown campaign, said in the statement.
Obama has been both "surprised and frustrated" by the race, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.
Obama and former President Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail over the past three days in an attempt to save Coakley's campaign, which observers say was hampered by complacency and missteps.
Obama crushed Sen. John McCain in Massachusetts in 2008, beating the GOP presidential nominee by 26 points.
"If you were fired up in the last election, I need you more fired up in this election," Obama urged a crowd at a Coakley campaign rally on Sunday | [
"Who conceded to Brown?",
"what will democrats lose",
"Who lost by obstructionism?",
"Who felt frustrated by the Massachusetts Senate race?",
"Who's seat are voters filling?",
"for what is obama frustrated"
] | [
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[
"liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy."
],
[
"the race,"
]
] | Democrat Martha Coakley concedes to Republican Scott Brown .
President Obama "frustrated" by Massachusetts Senate race, aide says .
Good turnout expected as Massachusetts votes to fill Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat .
Democrats would lose filibuster-proof majority in Senate with Brown win . |
Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) -- In a stunning upset that reshaped the U.S. political landscape, Republican Scott Brown won Tuesday's special election in Massachusetts for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy.
Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley, the state attorney general.
Brown's victory made real the once unthinkable prospect of a Republican filling the seat held by Kennedy, known as the liberal lion, for almost 47 years until his death due to brain cancer last August. Before Kennedy won the seat for the first time in 1962, his older brother John held it for nearly eight years until his election as U.S. president in 1960.
"This really does change everything, you know that?" said Mitt Romney, the former GOP governor of Massachusetts who introduced Brown at his victory rally.
Share your thoughts on the election results
Voters across Massachusetts braved winter cold and snow for an election with high stakes -- the domestic agenda of President Obama, including his top domestic priority, health care reform.
Brown's victory strips Democrats of their 60-seat Senate super-majority, needed to overcome GOP filibusters against future Senate action on a broad range of White House priorities. Senate Democrats needed all 60 votes in their caucus to pass the health care bill, and the loss of one seat now imperils generating that support again for a compromise measure worked out with the House.
"Forty one, forty one," chanted the crowd at Brown's rally, referring to his new status as the Senate's 41st Republican. Brown, a state senator until now, heralded his victory as the start of more election surprises in 2010.
No Republican had won a U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts since 1972, and Democrats control the governorship, both houses of the state legislature, and the state's entire congressional delegation.
"When there's trouble in Massachusetts, rest assured there's trouble everywhere, and they know it," Brown said of the Democratic Party.
Republican leaders sounded a similar theme, saying Americans were fed up with what they called Democratic arrogance in Washington.
"Americans are investing their hopes in good Republican candidates to reverse a year-long Democrat trend of ignoring the American people on the issues of health care, spending and the growth of government," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a statement.
The seat vacated by Kennedy's death is currently held by his former aide and longtime friend Paul Kirk, who was appointed on an interim basis.
Obama called Brown and Coakley on Tuesday night, and a White House statement said the president "told Sen. Brown that he looks forward to working with him on the urgent economic challenges facing Massachusetts families and struggling families across our nation."
Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin said last week that certifying Tuesday's election results could take more than two weeks -- potentially enough time to allow congressional Democrats to pass a final health care bill before Brown is seated.
But multiple Democratic sources said that is unlikely. Even if House and Senate Democrats could reach a deal to meld their bills and pass them in the next couple of weeks, there would be a huge outcry from not only Republicans, but also an increasingly distrustful public if they appeared to be rushing it through.
Galvin had predicted as many 2.2 million of the state's 4.5 million registered voters would vote -- at least double the turnout from December's primary. In one sign of high interest, more than 100,000 absentee ballots were requested ahead of the election, according to Brian McNiff, Galvin's spokesman.
Coakley was initially expected to easily win the race to replace Kennedy, who made health care reform the centerpiece of his Senate career.
Until recently, Brown was underfunded and unknown statewide. Waging a nationally backed campaign that included driving his pickup around the state, Brown surged in the weeks preceding Tuesday's vote and led in all the final polls.
In a sign of the high stakes involved, the Coakley campaign held an afternoon news conference Tuesday to complain that voters in three places received ballots already marked for Brown.
McNiff confirmed that the secretary of state's | [
"What did Scott Brown upset",
"What did Republican Scott Brown do?",
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"what seat are they fighting for",
"what political party is scott brown from"
] | [
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"Tuesday's special election in Massachusetts for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy."
],
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"working with him on the urgent economic challenges"
],
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"U.S. Senate"
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[
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]
] | Republican Scott Brown upsets Martha Coakley to fill Ted Kennedy's seat .
Win leaves Democrats without crucial 60th Senate vote needed for health care overhaul .
Brown's platform includes backing tax cuts, being tough on terrorists . |
Bountiful, Utah (CNN) -- It was two weeks after D-Day, a few miles from the bloody shores of Omaha Beach. An airstrip had been carved out of the Normandy countryside, costing the lives of 28 Army engineers at the hands of German snipers. A lone sniper still remained in the nighttime distance. Despite the risk, Capt. Jack Tueller felt compelled to play his trumpet. That afternoon, his P-47 fighter group had caught up with a retreating German Panzer division. As the U.S. Thunderbolts descended on their targets, they saw French women and children on top of the tanks. After an initial fly-by, the order was given to attack anyway. "We were told those human shields were expendable," Tueller said. Back at the airstrip, Tueller took out his trumpet. He'd used it on many a starlit night to entertain the men of the 508th Squadron 404th Fighter Group. "I was told, 'Captain, don't play tonight; your trumpet makes the most glorious sound,' but I was stressed," he said. He was so troubled that he was willing to take a chance the sniper wouldn't fire. "I thought to myself, that German sniper is as lonely and scared as I am. How can I stop him from firing? So I played that German's love song, 'Lilly Marlene,' made famous in the late '30s by Marlene Dietrich, the famous German actress. And I wailed that trumpet over those apple orchards of Normandy, and he didn't fire." The next morning, the military police came up to Tueller and told him they had a German prisoner on the beach who kept asking, "Who played that trumpet last night?" "I grabbed my trumpet and went down to the beach. There was a 19-year-old German, scared and lonesome. He was dressed like a French peasant to cloak his role as a sniper. And, crying, he said, 'I couldn't fire because I thought of my fiancé. I thought of my mother and father,' and he says, 'My role is finished.' "He stuck out his hand, and I shook the hand of the enemy," Tueller said. "[But] he was no enemy, because music had soothed the savage beast." "Boy, you have strong lips" Tueller had learned to play the trumpet as a child growing up in Wyoming. His mother, a nurse, died at 29, and his father, a bartender and alcoholic, left the next day -- leaving Jack and his brother, Bob, orphans. They left their home in Superior to live with an aunt in nearby Evanston. She gave Jack his first trumpet, and he quickly discovered he had a musical ear. "In 1939, I was playing in Yellowstone Park in a dance band of 22 musicians at Lake Hotel. The famous trumpet player Louis Armstrong came up to the band during intermission and said, 'You sound pretty good for white cats,' " Tueller recalled. He asked Armstrong what advice he would give a young trumpet player. "He said, 'Always play the melody, man. Look at them, see their age group, play their love songs, and you'll carry all the money to the bank.' " Tueller enrolled at Brigham Young University, where he met his future wife and fellow trumpeter, Marjorie. "This beautiful brown-haired gal with luscious lips said, 'Did you play the trumpet solo at the freshman assembly?' And I said, 'Yes, ma'am, I did.' She said, 'Boy, you have strong lips.' Being a sophomore, I said, 'Would you like to try me?' She nodded, and I went over and kissed her." In 1941, as war clouds gathered, Jack enlisted in the Army and was sent to fighter school because he was an "individualist," he said. "I wanted to fly it, fire it, navigate | [
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"What did Louis Armstrong say to Jack Tueller?",
"What did Tueller do during World War II?",
"What did Jack Tueller learn to play growing up?",
"What musicians have military experience?",
"Where did Jack Tueller grow up?"
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] | Jack Tueller learned to play the trumpet as a child growing up in Wyoming .
Louis Armstrong once told him, "Always play the melody, man"
Tueller became a World War II pilot and carried his trumpet in his cockpit .
He says his playing once prevented a German sniper from killing him . |
Braddock, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- In 2001, I came to Braddock, the poorest town in Western Pennsylvania, to serve the community's severely disenfranchised young people by starting an employment and GED program. Their lives were the embodiment of what happened to Braddock and this region: chaos through abandonment.
However, tough times and severe hardship are nothing new. It's been this way for decades.
Once one of the most important steel manufacturing centers in the world, Braddock -- what's left of it -- solemnly affirms one of the great economic maxims of our society: socialism for the rich, and capitalism for the poor.
Since the massive banking bailout of 2008, I have often wondered what Braddock would be today, if 35 years ago, the U.S. government also channeled hundreds of billions of dollars (and trillions in guarantees) to save the steel industry, the hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs it produced and the families it sustained.
Instead, places like Braddock were allowed to descend into decades of disorder, poverty and desertion. Braddock went from a prosperous community of 20,000 residents, to a shattered town of fewer than 3,000 today. Braddock looks every bit the deserted battlefield it truly is: 90 percent of our town's people, buildings, businesses, and homes are gone and what remains, bears witness to the torment.
In 2005, those same young people I was privileged to work for helped elect me mayor. Senseless homicides long lost their ability to shock, so I began to tattoo the dates of the killings on my arm as a living document of our collective loss.
Upon taking office, we set out to help reinvent Braddock through diverse solutions ranging from effective policing and the arts, to urban agriculture and youth employment. Today, buildings have been saved and repurposed. We farm for organic produce from formerly overgrown land, and can offer full summer employment for our youth. Perhaps most importantly, no dates have been added to my forearm in over 20 months.
However, at the start of my second term as mayor, we have decades of work ahead and we'll never come close to replacing what's been taken. As the saying goes, we're not looking for a handout, but a hand up and the chance to ameliorate three decades of socioeconomic unraveling.
Towards those ends, the stimulus, known as American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has been a true fiscal balm, especially since our community's hospital, and largest employer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced it would be shutting Braddock Hospital later this month, taking jobs along with our residents' access to health care.
CNN iReport: Share your thoughts on the State of the Union
Braddock received $250,000 in stimulus funding for the EPA compliance upgrade of our sewer system and $30,000 that enabled us to hire an additional 30 young people this past summer who would have otherwise been unemployed.
Without question, these stimulus funds were a needed infusion of resources. However, I believe the greatest promise of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 remains untapped and now represents an unprecedented opportunity for growth and renewal.
In Braddock and in the surrounding areas, we have an abundance of quality, shovel-ready projects that range in complexity and scope from small-scale urban farming, and retrofitting a now-vacant 300,000 square foot hospital, to a $300 million-dollar repurposing of a former steel mill site into a green enterprise zone of economic redevelopment.
Investments like these will not only help reinvent communities like Braddock, but will also foster a boom in job creation and long-term growth. These and similar projects across the country represent but a tiny fraction of the resources spent to save feckless bankers and Wall Street from their own unchecked greed and hubris.
Perhaps equally important, I believe this kind of investment will help restore a sense of social justice that is completely absent in today's public debates. Consider the absurd juxtaposition of rescued banking executives defending multi-million-dollar bonuses, to our community at over 30 percent unemployment, widespread abandonment, and pervasive poverty while losing the area's only hospital and access | [
"What did the population shrink from?",
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"What Pennsylvania town has been in decline for decades?",
"for how long has Braddock, Pennsylvania, been in decline"
] | [
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"20,000"
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"fewer than 3,000"
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"Braddock,"
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"decades."
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] | For decades, Braddock, Pennsylvania, has been in decline as it lost jobs and people .
Mayor John Fetterman says the population shrank from 20,000 to fewer than 3,000 .
He says stimulus plan has helped reverse the tide in the old steel town .
Fetterman: Government bails out Wall Street while allowing Main Street to suffer . |
Brazilian coach Zico is leaving Turkish club Fenerbahce, after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract. Zico guided Fenerbahce to a league and Super Cup double intheir centenary year Fenerbahce recently suspended negotiations over a fresh deal with Zico because of reportedly high demands by the Brazilian. The Anatolia press agency published a club statement which said: "The contract of Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) has now come to an end. " We would like to thank him for the successful work he has done with the club, and wish him all the best for the future." Last season Zico led Fenerbahce to the quarterfinals of the Champions League where they were defeated by Chelsea. Reports claimed that after that achievement Zico sought a new annual salary of $4.9 million. He has been earning $2.9million.. Zico, 55, joined the club in July 2006 on a two-year deal and he guided them to a league and Turkish Super Cup double in 2007, their centenary year. Spanish media reports have said that Fenerbahce have lined up current Spain coach Luis Aragones as a replacement. Aragones has led Spain to the semifinals of the Euro 2008 finals | [
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],
[
"Fenerbahce have lined up current Spain coach Luis Aragones as a replacement."
],
[
"Brazilian coach"
],
[
"Luis Aragones"
]
] | Coach Zico is leaving Turkish club Fenerbahce .
He has been unable to reach agreement over a new contract .
Media reports suggest that Spain coach Luis Aragones will replace him . |
Brussels, Belgium (CNN) -- A man who killed five people and himself in a gun and grenade attack in Belgium feared going back to prison and losing the life he had built, his lawyer said Thursday.
The attack on a crowded market square in Liege Tuesday by Nourdine Amrani, which also left at least 130 people wounded, shocked the nation.
His defense lawyer in Liege, Jean-Francois Dister, told CNN Amrani had called him late Monday and early Tuesday after the police called him in for interview Tuesday afternoon over a sexual assault case.
"It wasn't so much life in prison that bothered him -- he'd served time already -- but it was he'd rebuilt his life on the outside, and he was worried about losing all this," Dister said.
The lawyer said he was stunned when he heard later that day that Amrani, whom he had known for two-and-a-half years, was responsible for the grenade attack.
"It's very shocking. I don't understand the reason why he did this, and I think I will probably never understand," he said.
Nonetheless, Dister's comments give the first real insight into what might have motivated Amrani to go on a rampage that targeted people waiting at a bus stop by a busy Christmas market.
After the attack, police also found a dead woman in a residence next to a workshop where Amrani once grew marijuana, a local police spokesman said Wednesday.
Amrani had previously served time in prison for rape and drug trafficking offenses, his lawyer said. He was released last year.
Dister said Amrani was also convicted on weapons charges in 2008 but later acquitted. Liege authorities have not said he was cleared on those counts.
Liege prosecutor Danielle Reynders told CNN Wednesday that the police interview involved a sexual assault case, rather than a rumored rape allegation.
"Because Amrani was convicted of rape in 2003, police obviously regarded him as a person of interest," Dister said.
Dister said his client, who had a Belgian partner whom Dister had met several times, feared losing everything.
"He was someone that was integrated into society. He felt Belgian. I'm not sure if he was a practicing Muslim but he knew about his culture and his roots," Dister said.
"When things were going well for him he was very pleasant and good-natured. I never had problems with him. But, that said, sometimes when legal proceedings were dragging on, or he was accused of things he claimed (he) was not responsible for he could become annoyed and agitated -- but it was in words only."
Dister said Amrani did not to his knowledge take drugs and had not been charged with drugs use.
Authorities will conduct an autopsy in part to see whether Amrani was under the influence of drugs during the attack, said a senior Belgian security source who has been briefed on the investigation but did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
It is not yet clear how Amrani, who Reynders said was a Brussels-born Belgian citizen of Moroccan descent, obtained the pistol, semi-automatic rifle and three grenades he used in the attack.
Katrin Delcourt, a spokeswoman for the provincial governor's office, described Amrani Wednesday as having significant gunsmith and firearms skills.
For a period up to 2008, he held a French hunting license under which he bought at least one weapon, she said, but that license was revoked as a result of the police investigation that led to his conviction on arms and drugs trafficking offenses in 2008.
The weapons he owned then were destroyed and police are continuing to investigate whether the arms used in Tuesday's attack were bought on the black market, Delcourt said.
One of the weapons he had, a light automatic rifle, is a standard weapon in the Belgian army, she said.
Amrani left no explanation for his actions, investigators have said. | [
"What had Amrani been called for an interview for?",
"How many people were wounded?",
"How many were wounded after the attack in Liege?",
"What did Amrani's lawyer say?",
"How many people were killed?",
"What is the clients fear?",
"Who spoke to the gunman before the rampage?",
"Did anyone die in the attack?"
] | [
[
"over a sexual assault case."
],
[
"130"
],
[
"at least 130 people"
],
[
"feared going back to prison and losing the life he had built,"
],
[
"five"
],
[
"going back to prison and losing the life he had built,"
],
[
"Jean-Francois Dister,"
],
[
"five people and himself"
]
] | Amrani's lawyer says his client feared losing the life he had rebuilt after a past prison term .
Lawyer Jean-Francois Dister spoke to the gunman shortly before he went on a rampage .
The attack in Liege left five people and the gunman dead, as well as at least 130 wounded .
Nourdine Amrani had been called to an interview with police over a sex assault case . |
Brussels, Belgium (CNN) -- European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the first "president of Europe" Thursday, edging out former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for a still-vaguely defined job. "I did not seek this high position, and I didn't take any steps to achieve it," Van Rompuy said in accepting the job. "But tonight, I take on this task with conviction and with enthusiasm." Van Rompuy, a 62-year-old, soft-spoken fan of Japanese poetry, will become the face of European Union and represent its 27 member nations at summits overseas. His conservative government took office in December 2008. The Belgian is "well known as a consensus builder," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who added the selection was unanimous. And Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission -- the executive arm of the EU -- called Van Rompuy's selection "a tribute to Belgium," the EU's host country. " I think the European Union also expressed its gratitude for the work of Belgium and the constant support that this country at the heart of Europe has given to our common project," he said. In his speech, Van Rompuy pledged to lead the EU through a process of "dialogue, unity and action." "A negotiation that ends with a defeated party is never a good negotiation," he said. "As president of the council, I will listen carefully to everyone, and I will make sure that all deliberations turn into results for everyone." The presidency was created by the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, which came into force this month after years of torturous negotiations. Van Rompuy will serve a two-and-a-half-year term, replacing the six-month presidency of the bloc that rotated among the heads of its member states. But while the EU prides itself on being a club of democracies, the process of choosing its new leader was far from transparent or open. The people of Europe are getting no say, not even through their parliamentarians. Van Rompuy's new job was announced after a closed-door dinner for the EU's heads of state and government. The Belgian defended the process, telling reporters the selection was made by leaders "who were all democratically chosen." "I was chosen on the basis of a treaty," he said. "The treaty stipulates the procedure. The treaty was democratically approved by 27 member states." The EU leaders also named Catherine Ashton, a British trade commissioner and member of the House of Lords, as the union's High Commissioner -- its equivalent of a foreign minister. Unlike Van Rompuy, who was chosen by leaders of the EU's member states, Ashton must be confirmed by the European Parliament. Blair, who led Britain from 1997 to 2007, is currently the EU's Mideast envoy. He had been the early favorite for the presidency in recent weeks -- but Brown, his successor, realized that he lacked support among key decision-makers for new post, a Brown representative told CNN earlier. According his backers, who at first included French President Nicolas Sarkozy, he was just the sort of world-renowned figure to win attention for the EU and enable it to exercise its weight in world affairs. One Indian official told CNN before the announcement, "If the EU chooses as its worldwide representative the prime minister of Belgium or Luxembourg, I am not sure our leaders will have the time to meet him." But others were soon arguing that Blair's support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and his close alliance with former U.S. President George W. Bush made him a divisive figure in Europe. And as the one man who might have been able to take Britain into the European single currency, he had not even attempted to do so while he was Britain's prime minister. Public backing from Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, a joke figure to much of Europe and another Bush ally, did not help. Brown had realized earlier that Blair did not have enough support | [
"What reason did UK PM give for Tony Blair being ruled out as successor?",
"Who is the \"first president of Europe?\"",
"Who was appointed first \"president of Europe?\"",
"Who conducts selections?",
"Who will be will be first permanent chief of the European Council of Ministers?",
"Who will be the first chief of European Council?",
"What was Van Rompuy's appointment?",
"Who is the British prime minister?",
"What was Rompuy appointed to?",
"Who is the Belgian prime minister?",
"Who had insufficient support?",
"Who was appointed first \"president of Europe\"?"
] | [
[
"he lacked support among key decision-makers"
],
[
"Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy"
],
[
"Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy"
],
[
"European Union leaders"
],
[
"Herman Van Rompuy"
],
[
"Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy"
],
[
"\"president of Europe\""
],
[
"Gordon Brown,"
],
[
"the first \"president of Europe\""
],
[
"Herman Van Rompuy"
],
[
"Tony Blair"
],
[
"Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy"
]
] | Belgian PM Herman Van Rompuy appointed first "president of Europe," British PM Gordon Brown says .
Tony Blair ruled out after his successor as UK PM realized Blair had insufficient support .
President of EC will be first permanent chief of the European Council of Ministers .
Selection conducted by heads of state and government, not by Europe's parliamentarians . |
Brussels, Belgium (CNN) -- NATO and Russia remained at odds over the alliance's plans for a missile defense system in Europe after a foreign ministers meeting in Brussels Thursday.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said "differences remain" over the plans, but he rejected Russia's complaints that NATO was ignoring Moscow's concerns the missile defense system could be used against it.
"We listen and we have listened today," Rasmussen said after a meeting of NATO's 28 foreign ministers with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "We take Russian concerns seriously."
Rasmussen's tone was softer than his comments Wednesday, when he said Russia's threats to withdraw from the START treaty and deploy ballistic missiles on its southern border to counter the missile shield were reminiscent of a confrontation of a bygone era and reflect a "fundamental misunderstanding of the West's intentions."
"We do not consider Russia an enemy," he said Thursday after the meeting. "We consider Russia a partner."
Lavrov said after the talks that NATO was unwilling to compromise
"Unfortunately our partners are not yet ready for cooperation on missile defense," he said, adding the Moscow needed "clear guarantees" the missile defense system would not target its own nuclear deterrent.
"We stand ready for dialogue provided that legitimate concerns of all parties are taken into consideration," Lavrov said. "We can find a mutually beneficial solution, we still have some time but time is running out every day."
The Obama administration and its European allies have tried to ease Russia's fears over the project by insisting that the system is directed toward countering the missile threat from the Middle East from which Russia also needs protection.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attempted to make that argument again following the meeting.
"We will continue to press forward on missile defense; we'll be transparent. We have explained that our system cannot and will not threaten Russia, does not affect our strategic balance with Russia," she told reporters. "No other country will be given a veto over what threats we perceive are most salient. Ballistic missiles against the territory we are pledged to protect are not coming from Russia in our assessment but from other locations. It's not directed at Russia, not about Russia; it's Iran and others who are threatening to develop missile technology."
Since NATO approved the U.S.-designed system at last year's summit in Lisbon, Poland, Romania, Spain and Turkey have agreed to deploy parts of it.
NATO asked Russia to participate in the system but negotiations have been deadlocked over Russia's demand for a legally binding treaty guaranteeing the shield would not be used as a deterrent to Moscow's own systems.
Rasmussen said he hoped a political agreement with Moscow could be reached before a summit between NATO and Russia in Chicago next May. That is when NATO is expected to declare an interim operational capability of the system.
Last month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to withdraw from the START treaty on nuclear weapons reductions and deploy ballistic missiles in its exclave of Kaliningrad on its border with Europe if NATO moved ahead with the plans for missile defense.
Tensions increased last week when Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to NATO, suggested Moscow would close transit routes that send vital supplies to troops in Afghanistan.
More than half the supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan now arrive from Afghanistan's northern border with Russia and Central Asia. The so-called Northern Distribution Network has become even more important to the war effort in Afghanistan now that Pakistan has shut down its border crossings into Afghanistan following a U.S. air attack killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers late last month.
U.S. officials have said that Rogozin has indicated that his remarks were taken "out of context," but he has yet to clarify his remarks.
Rasmussen said such threats to close the supply routes were an "empty threat" because stabilizing Russia was "clearly in Russia's self interests."
Moscow "knows from bitter experience that instability in Afghanistan has negative repercussions in Russia as well," he said, referring to the Soviet occupation of the country in | [
"Who did NATO ask to participate>",
"What has Nato said?",
"What did Clinton say?",
"Who does Clinton say is threatening to develop the technology?"
] | [
[
"Russia"
],
[
"\"differences remain\""
],
[
"\"We will continue to press forward on missile defense; we'll be transparent. We have explained that our system cannot and will not threaten Russia, does not affect our strategic balance with Russia,\""
],
[
"Iran"
]
] | NEW: Clinton says "it's Iran and others who are threatening to develop missile technology"
" We believe our defenses would be more effective if we cooperate," NATO chief says .
Missile defense topped the agenda at a meeting of the NATO-Russia council .
NATO has asked Russia to participate in the system, but negotiations have been at an impasse . |
Buenos Aires (CNN) -- Dressed in black, evoking her trademark style, Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner addressed cheering crowds after preliminary vote counts on Sunday showed her heading toward re-election.
"I have come to places in my life I have never thought I'd arrive. The honor of not just being the first woman elected president but re-elected president ... my partner served as president... what else could I want?" said Fernandez, amid fireworks, car horns and celebratory music.
Continuously weaving her role as the nation's leader with being the widow of former president Nestor Carlos Kirchner, who died in 2010, Kirchner said she carries her husband's ideals as she returns to office.
Fernandez, 58, has said her second presidential term will be dedicated to her late husband's memory.
"Today is a rare day for me, because there are too many feelings," said Kirchner in her trademark dramatic tone. "If I tell you I am happy, I lie, if I tell you I am sad, I lie...I am not speaking as his widow but as his partner in militancy for the rest of my life," she said.
Thousands crammed into Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo waving flags and shouting "Viva Cristina, Viva Peronismo!' to welcome back their charismatic leader, the second woman to serve as president of Argentina. Entire families and groups of activists cheered as results trickled in showing the incumbent president with a considerable advantage over her opponents.
Activist groups, unions, farmers, laborers and groups of indigenous Argentines waved their flags in a passionate display of support for their candidate.
While official results will be announced on Monday, preliminary results showed the incumbent with 52.7% of the vote.
Some analysts in Argentina said this is a historic victory for Argentina, propelling Fernandez as one of the nation's most popular leaders in recent history. The same analysts also show concern for what has become known as the new "Cristinismo", a populist pro-Fernandez fever which, according to La Nacion writer Luis Majul, leaves very little room for checks and balances.
"Tomorrow, or when the struggle for succession begins, and we become informed of the true cost-of-living indices, poverty and unemployment, some 'soldiers of Cristina' will recognize that their idolatry was exaggerated by the model," Majul wrote
Fernandez, a center-left member of the Peronist party, handily won the primary. Fernandez garnered more than half the country's votes, making her the undisputed front-runner going into Sunday's election.
Among her closest competitors in the presidential election were Hermes Binner, Ricardo Alfonsin and Eduardo Duhalde.Alfonsin is a member of the opposition Radical Party and the son of the late Raul Alfonsin, who became Argentina's president in 1983 following seven years of military dictatorship.
Duhalde is a long-time Peronist party leader who ruled Argentina from 2002 to 2003 in the wake of the country's $95 billion debt default, which ushered in historically high levels of crime, unemployment and poverty.
He was succeeded in May 2003 by Nestor Kirchner, a relatively unknown governor from Patagonia who championed human rights causes and implemented unorthodox financial policies that many credit with helping to bring the Argentine economy back from the brink.
In 2007, Kirchner stepped aside so his wife, Fernandez, could run. She was elected with 45% of the vote, becoming Argentina's first elected female president.
Under Fernandez's leadership, Argentina's economy has enjoyed sustained growth of about 8% annually. The president points to this expansion and a low debt load as examples of how Argentina is well-positioned to weather the uncertainty in the current global markets.
In an August speech, the president said strong economic growth and human rights advances are key to her past and future mandates.
"Strength Argentina! Forward Argentina! We will continue growing, with social inclusion, with justice, memory and truth," she said.
However, her critics contend the economy is only booming because of high commodity prices and have repeatedly accused her government | [
"Preliminary results give the incumbent what kind of lead?",
"Fernandez supporters crowd where?",
"what is Preliminary results give the incumbent ?",
"Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner went into Sunday's vote as what?",
"who is Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner?"
] | [
[
"52.7% of the vote."
],
[
"Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo"
],
[
"52.7% of the vote."
],
[
"the undisputed front-runner"
],
[
"Argentinian President"
]
] | NEW: Preliminary results give the incumbent a comfortable lead .
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner went into Sunday's vote as the undisputed front-runner .
Fernandez supporters crowd the Plaza de Mayo .
Fernandez, 58, has said her second term will be dedicated to her late husband's memory. |
Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Argentina's capital city was beset by strikes Thursday, with teachers, doctors and transit employees refusing to work over money matters. Teachers and doctors in Buenos Aires went on strike Wednesday and are scheduled to go back to work Friday, the government-run Telam news agency and other outlets reported. Subway workers will go on strike Thursday night for a few hours, they said. This is the fourth work stoppage in the past six months for doctors. Only emergency cases are being treated. The doctors are not only seeking better salaries, but also improvements to the public health system. They are protesting "the lack of money in the public system, the possibility that the health budget will be reduced by 500 million pesos (about $130 million), the lack of professionals, the lack of labor to solve the problems in Argentina's public health," said Alicia Kobylarz of the Federal Syndicate of Health Workers. The nation's public hospitals treat the poor and needy. Health professionals want the government to employ more doctors to meet rising patient loads and an increase in diseases and epidemics such as H1N1 flu and dengue fever. The hospitals depend on funding from the provinces, leading to major differences in each area's needs and what local health care facilities can offer. "Provinces that have petroleum income, for example, are provinces that have better budgets, that have better hospitals" said Aldo Neri, a former national health minister. "There is much inequality in the treatment that the poor receive in Argentinean public hospitals depending on which province they live in. That's why I say the inequalities have increased." The current health minister, Juan Manzur, said next year's health budget will have an increase of more than 15 percent, greater than the national budget, which will have a 12.4 percent increase. Teachers also want greater pay and announced Thursday they would go back on strike Tuesday because of failed talks with Buenos Aires Education Director Mario Oporto. The teachers say they want their raises by year's end. Oporto said there's no money for raises now, the official Telam news agency reported. "The province's posture is very clear: There won't be raises in 2009 because there already have been," Oporto told a radio station, according to Telam. "We're sorry about the work stoppage, and we are ready to keep working. This time we are very firm: There will be no raises in 2009." Daniel Scioli, governor of Buenos Aires Province, said public education "is our top priority" but also emphasized there would be no raises this year, the news agency reported. Teachers' union leaders complained Thursday that government officials went to schools Wednesday to find out which teachers were there and which had joined the work stoppage, Telam said. Subway workers in Buenos Aires announced they will walk off the job at 7 p.m. Thursday. They, too, want pay raises. Educators also are on strike in neighboring Chile, where professors say they are owed a "historic debt." The indefinite strike entered its fourth day Thursday and negotiations are scheduled to resume Friday. Jaime Gajardo, president of Chile's College of Professors, told a local TV station there has been improvement in negotiations with the government and the talks could advance noticeably in the next few days. Pablo Zalaquett, the mayor of Santiago, the capital of Chile, said the two sides are closer on a pay bonus the professors want. CNN's Javier Doberti contributed to this report. | [
"When were subway workers set to go on strike?",
"who is argentina's neighbor",
"What is Chili also seeing?",
"who is scheduled to go back to work",
"What do doctors seek?",
"What do the doctors seek?",
"When are they scheduled to go back to work?",
"What is Chile seeing?",
"who is seeking better salaries"
] | [
[
"Thursday night"
],
[
"Chile,"
],
[
"\"historic debt.\""
],
[
"Teachers and doctors"
],
[
"better salaries, but also improvements to the public health system."
],
[
"better salaries,"
],
[
"Friday,"
],
[
"\"historic debt.\""
],
[
"The doctors"
]
] | Teachers, doctors in Buenos Aires scheduled to go back to work Friday .
Subway workers were set to go on strike Thursday night for a few hours .
Doctors seek better salaries, improvements to public health system .
Argentina's neighbor Chile also seeing strikes by educators . |
Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- A former Miss Argentina died Sunday after complications arising from plastic surgery, the official Telam news agency said. Solange Magnano, 37, died in a hospital after being transferred from a clinic where she underwent an elective surgery on her buttocks on Wednesday, the agency reported. Magnano ran her own modeling agency in Argentina, and had been a model and Miss Argentina in 1994. She also was the mother of 7-year-old twins. The cause of her death was under investigation, authorities said. News of her death shocked her fans. By Monday, a tribute page on the social networking site Facebook had more than 830 members. "This is a horrible day. We will miss you, Sol," one Facebook poster wrote. "You couldn't be any more beautiful than you already were," another person added. "You had to pay with your life." Magnano's most recent project was a runway show to be held in December in her hometown of San Francisco, Argentina, according to Telam. In recent years, Argentina has become an international destination for plastic surgery. The costs of such procedures there are much lower than in other countries. Estimates say that 1 in 30 Argentines has gone under the knife, making surgeons here some of the most experienced on the globe. Medical tourism has seen a huge jump over the past decade, and is projected to be a $100 billion global industry by 2010, according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. | [
"what have 1 in 30 argentines gone under?",
"what were her twins age?",
"Who died on Sunday?",
"What was the cause of her death?",
"what age was magnano when she died?",
"Did she have children?"
] | [
[
"the knife,"
],
[
"7-year-old"
],
[
"Solange Magnano,"
],
[
"complications arising from"
],
[
"37,"
],
[
"twins."
]
] | Solange Magnano, 37, died Sunday following elective surgery on buttocks .
Magnano ran her own modeling agency, had 7-year-old twins .
Argentina has become popular destination for plastic surgery .
Around 1 in 30 Argentines estimated to have gone under the knife . |
Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Latin America's first same-sex marriage, set to be held in Argentina on Tuesday, appeared derailed after a judge filed an injunction to stop the union until the issue can be reviewed further. Judge Marta Gomez Alsina's ruling blocks an earlier holding by another judge that found city laws banning same-sex marriage unconstitutional, the court said in a statement. Alex Freyre and Jose Maria di Bello had planned to make their marriage official at a civil ceremony and chose December 1 because it is World AIDS Day. The registrar responsible for the civil marriages in Buenos Aires has been notified of the ruling, the court said. The couple would attempt to get their wedding license anyway, the official Telam news agency reported. "We're continuing with the preparations because we, as planners, nor the couple itself, have not been notified" of the injunction, said Maria Rachid, president of the Argentine Federation for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, according to the news agency. Gomez Alsina's injunction could not overturn the earlier ruling because she is a trial-level judge and not an appellate judge, Rachid said. The original ruling was made on November 10 by another trial-level judge, Gabriela Seijas, who responded to a petition made by Freyre and di Bello. Seijas ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was illegal and ordered the proper authorities to grant the couple a marriage license if they applied for one. The court's decision applied only to Buenos Aires. Same-sex unions in most of Argentina remain illegal. "The law should treat each person with equal respect in relation to each person's singularities without the need to understand or regulate them," Seijas said in her ruling. Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri said after the ruling that his government would not appeal the decision. Monday's ruling was a temporary measure to postpone the marriage until Seijas' original ruling could be reviewed in depth, presumably by an appeals court or the supreme court, the court statement said Countries in Latin America, a region strongly identified with the Catholic Church, have recently given more attention to gay rights. In September Uruguay became the first Latin American country to allow same-sex adoption. Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador are also addressing the issue of same-sex civil unions. | [
"what would the couple attempt?",
"Who marriage was to coincide with World AIDS day on tuesday?",
"What did the courts do about same sex marriage?",
"Who's marriage coincided with World AIDS Day?",
"When was world AIDS day?",
"what is the original ruling?"
] | [
[
"to get their wedding license"
],
[
"Alex Freyre and Jose Maria di Bello"
],
[
"filed an injunction to stop the union until the issue can be reviewed further."
],
[
"Alex Freyre and Jose Maria di Bello"
],
[
"December 1"
],
[
"city laws banning same-sex marriage unconstitutional,"
]
] | Freyre and Di Bello's marriage was to coincide with World AIDS Day on Tuesday .
They would attempt to get their wedding license anyway, Telam reported .
Original ruling was that a ban on same-sex marriage was illegal .
Court: Injunction is temporary measure to postpone marriage pending review of original ruling . |
Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Marianela Galli waited 34 years for the men who killed her family to be punished. On Wednesday night, inside a packed courtroom in downtown Buenos Aires, she learned their fates.
"We have justice and these people are going to jail and I can finally walk in the streets without them," she said.
Sixteen former Argentine military officers received sentences ranging from 18 years to life in prison for their roles in human rights abuses committed during Argentina's 1976 to 1983 dictatorship. The bloody era, when the military used kidnapping, torture and murder to silence dissidents, became known as the "Dirty War." The seven-year junta claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.
Galli's parents and grandmother were among the victims.
On June 12, 1977, 16-month-old Marianela, her mother, Patricia, her father, Mario, and her grandmother, Violeta, were kidnapped from their home in Buenos Aires. They were taken to the Argentine Naval Mechanics School, known as ESMA, the largest and most notorious of dozens of detention centers operated by the Argentine military at that time.
After three days in captivity, the military released Galli and gave her to her father's family. Her parents and grandmother remained inside the ESMA, where they endured two months of torture before being drugged and then thrown alive from an airplane into the chilly waters of the South Atlantic.
Thousands perished in the weekly Wednesday "death flights," and most of their bodies were never recovered.
"I don't have my parents with me. I don't have my grandmother with me. They changed my life against my will and there is nothing I can do about it," she said.
Marianela Galli´s story is remarkable, but it is not unique. Five-thousand people passed through the white-washed walls of the ESMA. Most were never seen again.
The conclusion of the two-year ESMA trial on Wednesday night provided a sense of closure for victims' family members and friends, thousands of whom braved chilly spring temperatures outside the courthouse to watch a judge read the sentences on a big-screen television.
"This trial took many years to happen, but thankfully our former president, Nestor Kirchner, embraced the human rights cause. That is why we are here today," said Tati Almeida, a member of the human rights groups Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, whose son, Alejandro, was "disappeared" by the military.
The silent marches staged by victims' mothers and grandmothers first brought the world's attention to the atrocities taking place in Argentina in the late 1970s. They have continued their efforts to seek justice for the victims ever since.
"This is a very emotional moment for me. It will take me several days to process it. Because from the first accounts I gave years ago up until now, repeatedly testifying and testifying, we now finally have the first sentences," said Munu Actis, a survivor of the ESMA detention center.
As Judge Daniel Obligado read out the sentences, the loudest jeers were reserved for Alfredo Astiz, a former Navy captain whose boyish looks and deceitful ways earned him the nickname the "Blonde Angel of Death."
Astiz worked as a Navy spy, gaining the trust of human rights activists and then choosing which ones to target for disappearance. Astiz has been unrepentant for his actions, saying he was simply following orders.
"This is not justice, this is a lynching," he said shortly before his sentencing.
Astiz received a life sentence for his role in the deaths of renowned Argentine writer and journalist Rodolfo Walsh, French nuns Alice Domon and Leonie Duquet, and Azucena Villaflor, one of the founders of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
Mario Galli, Marianela Galli's father, had come up in the naval ranks together with Astiz before deciding to leave the military because of their increasingly violent tactics. It was a decision that ultimately cost him his life.
A French court sentenced Astiz to life in prison in 1990 for the kidnapping and killing of two French nuns. | [
"How many military officers were sentenced?",
"Who was known as the blonde angel of death?",
"Where did the victims wait to hear the judge read the sentences?",
"What number of military officers was sentenced for abuses?",
"Who is known as the Blonde Angel of Death?",
"Who waited outside the courthouse?"
] | [
[
"Sixteen"
],
[
"Alfredo Astiz,"
],
[
"courtroom in downtown Buenos Aires,"
],
[
"Sixteen"
],
[
"Alfredo Astiz,"
],
[
"victims' family members and friends,"
]
] | 16 former military officers are sentenced for human rights abuses .
Woman whose family members were killed: "We have justice"
Victims wait outside the courthouse to watch a judge read the sentences .
Alfredo Astiz, known as the "Blonde Angel of Death," is sentenced to life in prison . |
Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Tomas Escobar created a website in his bedroom in rural northwestern Argentina hoping to help people locate free movies online in a more efficient manner.
From that small start in September 2009, Escobar´s site, Cuevana.tv, has grown to one of the most popular entertainment sites in Latin America, attracting 15 million unique monthly users, according to Escobar.
"It was a hobby, a small thing. And it exploded in my hands," Escobar tells CNN.
But it has also attracted the attention of international media companies armed with lawsuits.
The success has transformed the unassuming and unkempt 22-year-old college dropout into something of a cult hero in the Spanish-speaking world. It took weeks of negotiations to get Escobar to agree to an interview with CNN, his first-ever with an international TV news organization.
"Cuevana has a lot of complications now that weren't thought of in the beginning, like servers and traffic. We are now trying to solve them in steps," Escobar says.
Visitors to Cuevana can access thousands of titles -- the majority of them big-budget Hollywood productions with Spanish subtitles -- entirely for free. According to Escobar, Cuevana doesn't host the titles itself -- it simply serves as a content clearinghouse.
"It's the same concept as Google. You have a lot of links and indexes, and the user searches for these, and you give them the links," he says. "So really, the legal compromise is on the other sites, not on Cuevana," Escobar says.
But many companies and artists disagree. In November, HBO Latin America and Turner International Argentina - both, like CNN, part of Time Warner - took legal action against Cuevana in Argentina.
HBO declined to provide CNN with details of its lawsuit against Cuevana, which alleged infringement of HBO's intellectual property rights.
Turner Argentina asked a judge to block Cuevana from providing access to three of its original series, including the Steven Spielberg-produced "Falling Skies." The three shows are no longer on the site.
"It is one of the first judicial decisions in Argentina and Latin America, so we are proud to defend the intellectual property laws, we are proud to defend our own productions, and we are proud to defend the assets of our company," says Victor Roldan, director of legal affairs for Turner International Argentina.
But it is not only deep-pocketed international studios taking Cuevana to task for providing free content without compensation. Local Latin American producers say they are feeling the pinch too.
"The problem is that all regulations were skipped, and all the control was given directly to the Cuevana users. This is damaging to producers, directors, and the entire film industry here," says Cristina Agüero, president of the Argentina Association of Film Producers.
Yet, Cuevana is still going strong and gaining more users every day. Escobar says many filmmakers are anxious to have their work available on the site, as it exposes them to a much-wider audience.
"They end up making more, not less, money," Escobar says.
For millions of Cuevana users, the choice between watching a movie for free in the safety of their own home and leaving the house to spend money on a DVD rental is an easy one.
"I am not in favor of piracy, but I think sites like Cuevana should exist where you can access free movies. But the sites should pay the producers with money they get from advertisements," says
Federico Troilo, 38, a Cuevana user in Buenos Aires.
Cuevana does make "thousands" of dollars in monthly advertising revenue, according to Escobar, but all the money goes to maintaining the site. Cuevana has no employees, only volunteers, but Escobar concedes that the website could one day make him very rich.
"Right now we are just working hard to improve and continue to be the number 1 option in Latin America," he says.
The key concept that Escobar and many of Cuevana's users are trying to promote | [
"What does Cuevana offer?",
"What did the website create?",
"Who take legal action?",
"Who founded it?",
"How many people using the site?",
"Who is going to take legal actions?",
"What is attracting lawsuits?"
] | [
[
"free movies online"
],
[
"locate free movies online"
],
[
"HBO Latin America and Turner International Argentina"
],
[
"Tomas Escobar"
],
[
"15 million unique monthly users,"
],
[
"HBO Latin America and Turner International Argentina"
],
[
"Cuevana.tv,"
]
] | A website created in a bedroom is attracting lawsuits from international companies .
Cuevana.tv offers its Latin American customers links to watch free movies .
Founder Tomas Escobar says 15 million people are using the site each month .
HBO Latin America and Turner International Argentina - both, like CNN, part of Time Warner - among firms taking legal action . |
CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- Typhoon Parma crossed the northern tip of the already storm-battered Philippines Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, killing three people, according to local media. A NASA satellite image shows Typhoon Parma as it headed toward the Philippines on Friday. Parma made landfall Saturday afternoon in a rural region of fishermen and farmers in Luzon, the largest of the Philippine islands. Tens of thousands of people to fled their homes for safer shelter. Winds whipped the coastline and felled power lines in northernmost Cagayan Province. Debris littered the roads, making evacuations even more difficult. At 5 a.m. Sunday (5 p.m. Saturday ET), Parma, known locally as Typhoon Pepeng, had maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph) with gusts as high as 148 kilometers (92 mph) as the eye began to leave land, heading to the northeast, according to the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Parma avoided a direct hit on heavily populated Manila, but the real menace in the Philippines capital was not wind. It was water, and there was no escape from it. Parma was expected to dump as much as 8 to 20 inches of rain in areas still water-logged from last week's Typhoon Ketsana. That storm resulted in the heaviest rainfall in 40 years and at one point, 80 percent of Manila was submerged. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro appealed to Filipinos to remain in shelters even if they were in cities and towns not directly in Parma's path. He said he was worried about massive flooding and possible mudslides in mountainous regions. The government deployed 10,000 troops to help with rescue and relief operations as frightened Filipinos prepared for the worst. World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization, was planning to launch relief operations Saturday evening in Isabela Province, one of the areas slammed by Parma. The group also plans assistance for nearby Cagayan province, whose capital, Tuguegarao, is being hit hard by Parma's strong winds. Arturo Fidelino, a telecommunications executive in Manila, described panicked people rushing to stock up on essential goods -- drinking water, canned food and electrical supplies. "We had a traumatic experience when we had Ketsana," he said. "We don't want that to happen again." President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo placed the country "under the state of calamity." Macapagal-Arroyo said disaster-relief crews in vulnerable areas must be equipped with life-saving kits, boats, portable generators and trucks. Ketsana, which swallowed whole houses and buses over the weekend, killed 246 in the Philippines. It later strengthened into a typhoon. An additional 38 are missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. The storm affected nearly 2 million people and forced the evacuation of 567,000. CNN's Eunice Yoon and Pamela Boykoff in Cabantuan City, and Josh Levs in Atlanta contributed to this report. | [
"How many were killed in the typhoon?",
"How many are dead in Phillippines from Typhoon Parma?",
"How many Filippinos sought shelter in evacuation centers?",
"Where is the storm heading after crossing northern Phillippines.",
"What was the biggest threat?",
"where does the storm heads to?",
"What was the biggest threat?",
"what need to do the Filipinos to survive?",
"how many filipinos sought shelter?",
"how many dead from typhoon parma?"
] | [
[
"246"
],
[
"killed 246"
],
[
"Tens of thousands"
],
[
"northeast,"
],
[
"water,"
],
[
"Philippines"
],
[
"massive flooding and possible mudslides"
],
[
"remain in shelters"
],
[
"Tens of thousands"
],
[
"three"
]
] | NEW: 3 dead in Philippines from Typhoon Parma, local media report .
Storm heads to sea after crossing northern Philippines .
Tens of thousands of Filipinos sought shelter in evacuation centers .
The biggest threat was rain in areas water-logged by Typhoon Ketsana . |
CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- Typhoon Parma crossed the northern tip of the already storm-battered Philippines over the weekend, triggering landslides that killed at least 12 people, local media reported Sunday. Residents paddle boats through the streets of Santa Cruz, south of Manila. At least three other deaths related to the storms were confirmed earlier. Among the latest victims were children ages 8 and 10, a local reporter who was at the scene of both landslides told CNN. The storm is expected to stall for at least three days north of Luzon -- the largest of the Philippine islands -- dumping more rain on the island nation still reeling from a typhoon last week, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. Heavy rains will remain, but wind will not be much of a factor, Cabrera said. At 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, Parma had maximum sustained winds of 120 kph ( 74 mph), Cabrera said. Aid agencies were in the area assisting survivors. "There are many uprooted trees, as well as down power lines, making roads impassable in some areas," said Wilma Lacaden, a member of the World Vision organization, in a statement. "Homes constructed of light materials were blown away. In many areas, there is no electricity, and rivers have overflowed, making some towns and villages inaccessible." World Vision staffers handed out food and candles to 200 families on Saturday night, and plan to assist another 350 families in nearby Zambales on Sunday, distributing relief packs of food and water, the statement said. Parma, known locally as Typhoon Pepeng, made landfall Saturday afternoon in a rural region of fishermen and farmers in Luzon. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes for safer shelter. Winds whipped the coastline and felled power lines in northernmost Cagayan Province. Debris littered the roads, making evacuations more difficult. Read about the fate of a farming community in Cagayan Parma avoided a direct hit on heavily populated Manila. In the capital city on Sunday, it was sunny, Manila resident Arturo Fidelino said in an e-mail to CNN, adding the last few days have been "grueling" for Filipinos. "After those two horrendous typhoons ... we've got to start picking up the pieces and move on," he said. "Easy for me to say and for those who were not worst hit by the devastation, but too difficult for those whose houses were wiped out, furniture destroyed and relatives and loved ones nowhere to be found." However, he said people have banded together to help one another, and it "has made me realize that the 'bayanihan spirit' (part of Filipino culture where neighbors help each other) among Filipinos is still alive and kicking. All along I thought that it has just been part of our history and not part of this present times. I was mistaken." Fidelino wrote his 73-year-old mother had to be evacuated when her home flooded. The typhoon is expected to dump as much as 8 to 20 inches of rain in areas still water-logged from last week's Typhoon Ketsana. That storm resulted in the heaviest rainfall in 40 years and at one point, 80 percent of Manila was submerged. Ketsana, which swallowed whole houses and buses, killed 246 in the Philippines. An additional 38 are missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. The storm affected nearly 2 million people. CNN's Eunice Yoon and Pamela Boykoff in Cabantuan City, and Josh Levs in Atlanta contributed to this report. | [
"How many Filipinos shought shelter?",
"where is the storm?",
"How many died from Typhoon Parma?",
"How many are dead in the Philippines?",
"how many died?",
"Where was the storm headed after crossing Northern Philippines"
] | [
[
"Tens of thousands"
],
[
"Philippines"
],
[
"Philippines over the weekend, triggering landslides that killed at least 12 people,"
],
[
"killed at least 12 people,"
],
[
"killed 246 in the Philippines. An additional 38 are missing,"
],
[
"north of Luzon"
]
] | 15 dead in Philippines from Typhoon Parma, local media report .
Storm heads to sea after crossing northern Philippines .
Tens of thousands of Filipinos sought shelter in evacuation centers .
The biggest threat was rain in areas water-logged by Typhoon Ketsana . |
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (CNN) -- A "dangerous" Hurricane Jimena bore down Tuesday on the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas lying in its path. Meanwhile, a new tropical storm was forming in the Atlantic Ocean. A NOAA satellite image shows Hurricane Jimena off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, on Tuesday morning. Jimena's maximum wind speed dropped from 145 mph to 135 mph, but it still remained a Category 4 storm, according to the U.S. National Weather Service's 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) update. "Some fluctuations in strength are likely today and gradual weakening is forecast on Wednesday," the weather service said. "However, Jimena is expected to remain a major hurricane until landfall." Also on Tuesday, Tropical Storm Erika formed in the Atlantic, 390 miles east of the Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said. Jimena's storm center is forecast to come ashore on Thursday morning, but the weather service warned that "because it will be moving parallel to the coastline, any slight change in direction could have a huge impact in the location and timing of landfall." Mexico's government extended a hurricane warning for most of the southern half of Baja California -- from Punta Abreojos on the peninsula's west coast to Mulege on its east coast, according to the National Weather Service. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area in the next 24 hours and people should quickly prepare "to protect life and property." "A dangerous storm surge along with battering waves will produce significant coastal flooding along the Baja California Peninsula," NWS said in its 11 a.m. PT report On its current track, Jimena's center will approach the peninsula's southern portion later on Tuesday and central Baja California peninsula by Thursday, the weather service said at 11 a.m. PT. In addition to damaging winds, the storm could bring as much as 15 inches of rain, forecasters said. Jimena -- the 10th named storm of the Pacific season -- was centered about 110 miles (175 km) south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, according to the weather service. It was traveling north-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). People in his town of Los Cabos, at the very tip of the peninsula, were preparing for the storm and were getting a precursor as winds and rains began to pick up, said resident Cuauhtemoc Morgan on Monday. Morgan, who sent videos to to CNN's iReport, said residents had protected every home in his neighborhood, fortifying windows with masking tape. Lines at supermarkets were long with worried residents preparing for the storms, Morgan said. Authorities were setting up shelters in schools and trying to devise a plan to protect the homeless, he added. | [
"Where did tropical Storm Erika form according to the National Hurricane Center?",
"What category was Jimena?",
"What area does the hurrican warning cover?",
"What forms in eastern Atlantic?",
"When is the storm's center forecast to come ashore?",
"What did the maximum winds fall to?",
"What part of the Baja Peninsula did the hurricane warning cover?",
"What formed in the eastern Atlantic?"
] | [
[
"formed in the Atlantic,"
],
[
"4 storm,"
],
[
"most of the southern half of Baja California"
],
[
"a new tropical storm was forming in the"
],
[
"Thursday morning,"
],
[
"135 mph,"
],
[
"Cabo San Lucas"
],
[
"a new tropical storm"
]
] | NEW: Tropical Storm Erika forms in eastern Atlantic, National Hurricane Center says .
Jimena's maximum winds fell to 135 mph, but storm is still a Category 4 .
The storm's center is forecast to come ashore on Thursday morning .
Hurricane warning covers most of the southern half of the Baja Peninsula . |
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (CNN) -- After making landfall on Mexico's Baja California peninsula, Category 1 Hurricane Jimena was weakening Wednesday night, forecasters said. After making landfall on Baja California, Hurricane Jimena started weakening Wednesday night. The storm made landfall Wednesday afternoon between Puerto San Andresito and San Juanico, Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said. As of 8 p.m. ET, the center of Jimena was located near San Buenaventura, Mexico, and about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Santa Rosalia, Mexico. It was moving north at near 12 mph (19 kph), and was expected to turn northwest and slow Wednesday night before turning west on Thursday. "On the forecast track, the center of Jimena will move over the central Baja California peninsula tonight and Thursday, then move into the Pacific west of Baja California late Thursday or Thursday night," the Hurricane Center said. See the storm's projected path » The storm's maximum sustained winds had decreased slightly, to 80 mph (129 kph) with higher gusts, the hurricane center said. Jimena is expected to weaken into a tropical storm Wednesday night, forecasters said. At its peak Tuesday, Jimena was a Category 4 storm, with winds of 145 mph (233 kph). A hurricane warning remained in effect for parts of the Baja peninsula, from Bahia Magdalena north to Punta Abreojos on the west coast, and from San Evaristo north to Mulege on the east coast, the Hurricane Center said. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph), are expected within 24 hours. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were in effect for the Baja California peninsula north of Punta Abreojos to Punta Eugenia on the west coast, and north of Mulege to Bahia San Juan Bautista on the east coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the peninsula north of Punta Eugenia to San Jose de las Palomas on the west coast, and north of Bahia San Juan Bautista to Bahia de los Angeles on the east coast. A tropical storm warning also was issued for northwestern mainland Mexico, from Huatabampito to Bahia Kino, the Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning means conditions including winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph) are expected within 24 hours. Jimena is expected to produce between 5 and 10 inches of rain over the southern half of the peninsula, with 15 inches possible on some areas. "These rains could produce life-threatening floods and mudslides," the Hurricane Center said. In addition, "a dangerous storm surge along with large and dangerous battering waves will produce significant coastal flooding along the Baja California peninsula," forecasters said. CNN's Betty Nguyen, Matt Cherry and Ninette Sosa contributed to this report. | [
"How many inches of rain could Jimena bring?",
"When is Jimena expected to weaken?",
"The storm hit between Puerto San Andresito and which other place?",
"Where did the storm hit?",
"When did the storm happen?",
"How long is the hurricane warning in effect?"
] | [
[
"5 and 10"
],
[
"Wednesday night,"
],
[
"Juanico, Mexico,"
],
[
"Mexico's Baja California peninsula,"
],
[
"Wednesday"
],
[
"24 hours."
]
] | Storm hits between Puerto San Andresito and San Juanico, Mexico .
Jimena expected to weaken into a tropical storm Wednesday night .
Hurricane warning remains in effect for parts of the Baja peninsula Wednesday night .
Jimena could bring up to 10 inches of rain to Baja California, western Mexico . |
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (CNN) -- Hurricane Jimena weakened to a Category 3 storm Tuesday afternoon, but remained dangerous as it bore down on the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas in its path. Jimena bears down Tuesday evening on Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas in its path. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Erika formed in the Atlantic on Tuesday, east of the northern Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said. Jimena's maximum wind speed dropped from 125 mph to 120 mph (195 kph), according to the U.S. National Weather Service's 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) update. "A gradual weakening is forecast during the next 24 to 48 hours," the weather service said. "However, Jimena could be near major hurricane strength when it makes landfall." The storm's center is forecast to come ashore on Thursday morning, but the weather service warned that "because it will be moving parallel to the coastline, any slight change in direction could have a huge impact in the location and timing of landfall." Mexico's government extended a hurricane warning for most of the southern half of the Baja peninsula -- from Punta Abreojos on the peninsula's west coast to Mulege on its east coast, according to the National Weather Service. See the storm's projected path » A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area in the next 24 hours and people should quickly prepare "to protect life and property." "A dangerous storm surge along with battering waves will produce significant coastal flooding along the Baja California Peninsula," NWS said. On its current track, Jimena's center will approach the peninsula's southern portion later on Tuesday and central Baja California peninsula by Thursday, the weather service said. In addition to damaging winds, the storm could bring as much as 15 inches of rain, forecasters said. Jimena -- the 10th named storm of the Pacific season -- was centered about 85 miles (135 km) west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, according to the weather service. It was traveling north-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). On Tuesday, the skies in Cabo San Lucas were overcast and gusts of wind began to pick up. There were good waves for surfing, but popular beaches were devoid of tourists. Red flags warned people to stay out of the water, in case they needed any reminding. The day before, airlines offered extra flights to leave the area. Lionel Alvarez, who runs a resort hotel called "Las Ventanas al Pariaso" in the town of San Jose del Cabo, found a silver lining to the coming storm. "The wind is refreshing a little bit because of the high temperatures we've gone through in the past few days," he said. But Alvarez, like other locals, had work to do in preparation of Jimena. "We protect the property by dismantling all that could be dangerous, fly or can be broken," he said. Authorities had asked about 10,000 people to evacuate the area, but many had decided to wait out the storm. Cuauhtemoc Morgan, a local resident of Los Cabos who sent videos to to CNN's iReport, said residents had protected every home in his neighborhood, fortifying windows with masking tape. Lines at supermarkets were long with worried residents preparing for the storms, Morgan said. See iReport videos Authorities were setting up shelters in schools and trying to devise a plan to protect the homeless, he added. The Pacific isn't the only place seeing action. As of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, tropical storm watches were issued for the Caribbean islands of St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy by the governments of France, the Netherlands Antilles, and Antigua and Barbuda, according to the hurricane center. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are possible within 36 hours. See Erika's projected path » Interests in the | [
"what were the maximum winds",
"where was the warning?",
"what is the hurricane called",
"What category was Hurricane Jimena downgraded to?",
"what category was hurricane jimena?",
"where does the hurricane warning cover?",
"The hurricane warning covers what area?",
"Where is the tropical storm Erika forming?",
"what was the tropical storm called?",
"on what state are the Hurricane warnings taking place of?",
"what is the name of the Hurricane downgraded to category 3?",
"where did the tropical storm Erika formed?",
"Where did Tropical storm Erika form?",
"What category is Hurricane Jimena?",
"Where did Storm Erika form?",
"What was Hurricane Jimena downgraded to?",
"What was the maximum wind strength"
] | [
[
"125 mph to 120 mph"
],
[
"from Punta Abreojos on the peninsula's west coast to Mulege on its east coast,"
],
[
"Jimena"
],
[
"3"
],
[
"3"
],
[
"most of the southern half of the Baja peninsula"
],
[
"most of the southern half of the Baja peninsula"
],
[
"east of the northern Leeward Islands,"
],
[
"Erika"
],
[
"Baja California,"
],
[
"Jimena"
],
[
"in the Atlantic on Tuesday, east of the northern Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said."
],
[
"Atlantic"
],
[
"3"
],
[
"Atlantic"
],
[
"Category 3 storm"
],
[
"125 mph"
]
] | Hurricane Jimena downgraded to Category 3, hurricane center says .
Jimena's maximum winds fall to 120 mph, but storm could strengthen .
Hurricane warning covers most of the southern half of the Baja Peninsula .
Tropical Storm Erika forms in eastern Atlantic, National Hurricane Center says . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Thursday in Cairo amid escalating cross-border violence between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni meets Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
The session follows the end of a tenuous 6-month-long cease-fire between the Israeli military and Hamas militants in Gaza.
Egypt mediated the first truce and is trying to negotiate an extension despite what Israel says are dozens of rockets fired by Hamas into the Jewish state this week.
Livni criticized Hamas after her meeting with Mubarak.
"Hamas needs to understand that Israel's basic desire to live in a tranquil region doesn't mean that Israel is willing to accept ongoing shooting at its population," she said, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
"Enough is enough. We cannot accept this situation, and the situation will change."
Egypt expressed concern about a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement said.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said this week that it would help countries and organizations deliver aid through Egyptian territory to Palestinians in Gaza.
Livni also met with the head of Egyptian intelligence Thursday and is scheduled to talk with the Egyptian foreign minister.
Israeli military officials said Hamas militants fired more than 65 rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Israeli air force said it killed a Hamas militant who was part of a group launching the rockets into Israel.
An Israeli police spokesman said no one had been injured in the latest barrage of rocket attacks.
But emergency workers with Magen David Adom, Israel's Red Cross agency, treated 57 people suffering from shock, half of them children, an agency official said, adding that 200 ambulances were standing by in the area.
"I think the circumstances are extremely tragic, that Muslim zealots of Hamas have decided to shatter and ruin the Christmas celebrations of the Christian brothers in the Holy Land, both in the West Bank and of course in Gaza itself," Israeli Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said.
"If things deteriorate further, then of course we'll have to take necessary action, which will be very painful," Herzog said, adding that civilians had gathered in shelters in southern Israel to try to stay safe amid the rocket attacks.
Asked about the possibility of Israel coming up with a new strategy, Herzog responded, "The new strategy could be, of course, an all-out conflict against Hamas, which is a possibility that voices in Israel are calling for. We are trying to show restraint."
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization whose military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians as well as attacks against the Israeli military. Israel and the U.S. State Department consider Hamas a terrorist organization, though it also operates an extensive social services network in the territories.
Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said, "Our position is clear: We will answer quiet with quiet, and we will answer attacks with measures designed to protect our people."
Olmert has threatened to respond to the ongoing attacks.
The truce between the Hamas government in Gaza and Israel expired Friday. Under the Egyptian-brokered deal, Hamas agreed to end militant attacks on Israel from Gaza, and Israel agreed to halt raids inside the territory and ease its blockade on humanitarian goods.
In reality, the truce had started breaking down two months ago. Rocket attacks by militants became more frequent, and Israel resumed airstrikes inside Gaza.
"We really appreciate the Egyptian efforts. ...," Herzog said. "The Egyptians have tried endlessly and tirelessly in the past few weeks to bring Hamas back to cease-fire mode."
Olmert said Sunday that Israel will "take the necessary measures" to respond to the rocket attacks and "will know when to respond correctly and with the necessary responsibility."
"A responsible government is neither eager for battle, nor does it shy away from it," he said. | [
"Who is Tzipi Livini?",
"Who has threatened to respond to ongoing attacks?",
"Who fired rockets in Southern Israel on Wednesday?",
"What did the meeting follow?",
"Who is Hosni Mubarak?"
] | [
[
"Israeli Foreign Minister"
],
[
"Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,"
],
[
"Hamas"
],
[
"the end of a tenuous 6-month-long cease-fire between the Israeli military and Hamas militants in Gaza."
],
[
"Egyptian President"
]
] | Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hold talks .
Meeting follows end of cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza .
Israel: Hamas militants fired 65-plus rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday .
Israeli prime minister has threatened to respond to ongoing attacks . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- There's more to wearing the "niqab" -- the austere, all-covering veil favored by ultra-religious Muslim women -- than meets the eye. Cairo University students wearing niqab stand outside a university dormitory on Oct. 7 unable to enter due to the new rules preventing admission to niqab wearers. A recent declaration by a leading Egyptian cleric that women will not be allowed to wear the niqab in university areas frequented only by women has sparked demonstrations by female students in Cairo determined to wear the all-encompassing veil wherever they go. Egypt's Al-Azhar university, the highest seat of Sunni Islam, recently convened an all-male committee to rule on what women can wear at Egypt's public universities. The Shaikh of Al-Azhar, Shaikh Tantawi, announced after the meeting that a ban on the niqab, also known as the burqa, would apply to such university areas as female dormitories and all-women classes. Do you think Muslim women should wear the niqab? Tell us below in the SoundOff box Even though that was a step down from a statement he made earlier that the niqab would be banned in all public universities, his ruling sparked controversy with the growing number of women in the country who choose to stay covered. The initiative from Al-Azhar is seen by many in Egypt as an attempt to counter the growing appeal of the strictest interpretations of Islam. An increasing number of young women in Egypt are turning to the niqab. The niqab is worn by many Muslim women throughout the Arab world and beyond and is most common in the countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. It is also commonly worn in Pakistan. "The niqab should be worn under two circumstances," a cleaning lady who works at Al-Azhar, told CNN recently. "A very beautiful woman should wear it to prevent men from fighting over her, and an ugly woman should wear it to hide her face." There is no consensus among Muslim scholars regarding the wearing of the niqab, the piece of cloth that covers a Muslim woman's face. Women who wear it usually also cover their hands. It is widely believed to be a tradition that comes from the Arabian peninsula, introduced to more liberal countries like Egypt by people who have lived and worked in ultra-conservative countries like Saudi Arabia. There's not much about it in the Koran, Muslim's holy book. The Koranic verse that applies to female head covering translates loosely as: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks all over their bodies." And so consequently, there are plenty of interpretations. And all sorts of opinions in the Egyptian parliament. The opposition-led Muslim Brotherhood opposes the niqab ban. "It's unacceptable that the niqab is treated as something bad that needs to be suppressed," Brotherhood member of parliament Muhamed Baltagi told CNN. "It's unacceptable to violate private matters in this way." In Baltagi's opinion, it's a matter of personal choice and should not be dictated by the shaikh of Al-Azhar. Appointed by the president of Egypt, the shaikh of Al-Azhar is viewed as little more than an appendage of the authoritarian Egyptian government, and thus scorned as a state puppet by both religious and secular critics of the regime. Since the 1960s the shaikh of Al-Azhar has been appointed by the Egyptian president. In Europe, wearing the niqab has become a controversial issue too. Recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy banned it from French classrooms. And British Justice Minister Jack Straw also recently asked women to remove them in his consituency office. In Cairo's main shopping district, the message on the niqab is decidedly mixed. The few niqabs on display are vastly outnumbered by far more risque outfits, including no shortage of mannequins sporting evening dressings with plunging necklines and naked arms. There are a few niqabs on display, but lots of less conservative clothing is on the | [
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] | Recent ban on wearing the all-encompassing veil sparked demonstrations .
Ban of the veil, known as the "niqab," seen by many as attempt to counter extremism .
Increasing number of young Muslim women want to cover themselves .
No consensus among Muslim scholars on covering up . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- An Egyptian business tycoon and a former police officer have been found guilty of last July's slaying of a rising Lebanese pop singer. Suzanne Tamim was found dead in her Dubai apartment in July. The case, with its high-profile victim and defendant, has captivated Egypt and the region. A judge convicted and sentenced to death real estate mogul Hisham Talaat Moustafa and the former officer Muhsen el Sukkari on Thursday. Egypt's Grand Mufti -- the country's highest religious official -- will review the sentence and rule on June 25 if the men will be executed, the judge said. Because the two men were sentenced under Islamic law, it is widely expected that they would be hanged. Moustafa's lawyer told reporters outside the courtroom that he will appeal the conviction, saying there was "a one million percent guarantee" the sentence would be overturned. The singer, Suzanne Tamim, was found slain in her apartment in the United Arab Emirates. She had been stabbed and her throat slit. Prosecutors alleged that Moustafa, a parliament member for the ruling National Democratic Party, paid el Sukkari $2 million to kill Tamim. During the trial, Moustafa's lawyer told CNN his client loved the singer, but could not take Tamim as a second wife because his family objected. Polygamy is legal in Egypt, and it's not unusual for men -- such as Moustafa, a married father of three -- to take on additional wives. Prosecutors have said Tamim's death was a "means of taking revenge," but have not elaborated. Moustafa and el Sukkari claim the prosecution's evidence could have been fabricated or tampered with by UAE authorities and should not be used against them. Although Tamim was killed in the United Arab Emirates, the Egyptian judiciary tried the case in Cairo because the accused were arrested in Egypt. After his arrest in September, Egyptian authorities indicted Moustafa, stripped him of his parliamentary immunity and jailed him pending trial. He also resigned as chairman of Talaat Moustafa Group -- a conglomerate with construction and real estate arms that was founded by his father, Talaat Moustafa. Moustafa's brother, Tarek Talaat Moustafa, now chairs the company. CNN's Raja Razek and Housam Ahmed contributed to this story. | [
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] | Egyptian mogul and ex-police officer guilty of Lebanese singer's murder .
Her body was found in apartment in United Arab Emirates .
Prosecutors alleged ex-officer was paid $2M to kill singer Suzanne Tamim .
Egypt's Grand Mufti -- highest religious official -- will review death sentence . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- An Egyptian real estate mogul and a former police officer pleaded not guilty Saturday to the murder of a rising Lebanese pop singer who was found slain in her United Arab Emirates apartment.
Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim was found slain in her apartment in Dubai in July.
Prosecutors allege that Hisham Talaat Moustafa, a Parliament member for the ruling National Democratic Party, paid Muhsen el Sukkari $2 million to kill Suzanne Tamim.
Both have denied the charges.
Tamim, 30, was found in her Dubai apartment in July with her throat slit.
Moustafa's lawyer told CNN his client loved the singer, but could not take Tamim as a second wife because his family objected.
Polygamy is legal in Egypt, and it not unusual for men -- such as Moustafa, a married father of three -- to take on additional wives.
The prosecutors say the murder was a "means of taking revenge" but have not elaborated. Watch report on murder trial »
"It did not happen and I have presented all the evidence that I am not guilty," Moustafa said in the courtroom Saturday, according to Reuters.
"It did not happen," Sukkari said, according to Reuters. "By Almighty God, my blood is innocent of her."
Although Tamim was killed in the United Arab Emirates, the Egyptian judiciary is trying the case in Cairo because Egyptian law does not allow its citizens to be extradited for trials in other countries.
The defendants appeared Saturday in cages -- as is typical in Egypt -- before three judges in a crowded downtown courtroom.
Heavy security surrounded the building, amid a crush of reporters and onlookers.
The case, with its high-profile victim and defendant, has captivated Egypt and the region.
After his arrest in September, Egyptian authorities indicted Moustafa, stripped him of his parliamentary immunity and jailed him pending trial.
He also resigned as chairman of Talaat Moustafa Group -- a conglomerate with construction and real estate arms that was founded by his father, Talaat Moustafa.
Moustafa's brother, Tarek Talaat Moustafa, now chairs the company.
The case will resume on November 15. The defendants will remain jailed until then. | [
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] | Lebanese pop singer Suzanne Tamim found with throat slit in Dubai apartment .
Hisham Moustafa, Egyptian tycoon and lawmaker, tells court he did not order murder .
Egyptian chief prosecutor alleges former police officer paid to carry out killing .
Case creates strong interest in the Middle East . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Egypt is suspending ties with France's famous Louvre museum until the latter returns artifacts that it knew were stolen when it purchased them, the head of the country's antiquities council said Wednesday. Egypt accuses the Louvre museum of failing to make good on promises to return antiquities. Zahi Hawass, director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said he wrote a letter seven years ago to major museums around the world asking them to consult with Egyptian authorities before buying any ancient Egyptian artifacts from outside sellers. Hawass said the Louvre had bought five murals chipped off the walls from a tomb in Thebes and been stolen by antiquities robbers in the 1980s. He sent a letter to the Louvre a year ago asking that the stolen paintings be returned, he said. The museum promised to return the items but has not followed through, he said. Until it does so, Egypt will suspend its cooperation with the Louvre, Hawass said. A Louvre spokesman declined to comment on Egypt's claims. Egypt maintains antiquities exchange programs with museums around the world. The Louvre is one of the biggest repositories of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world, much of it treasure taken during the time of the French and British occupation of the country. Egypt's position is that artifacts taken by European powers during that period are a fait accompli, but anything taken illegally since Egypt's independence must be returned. This has been one of the major emphases of Hawass since he became head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in 2002. Egypt took similar steps against museums in England and Belgium in the past. Those ties were restored after the artifacts in question were returned, Hawass said. | [
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] | Egypt suspends ties with France's famous Louvre museum .
Country accuses museum of failing to return stolen antiquities .
Louvre is one of world's biggest repositories of ancient Egyptian antiquities . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Languishing in a Cairo prison last year, a prisoner noticed that every day, the prison staff would clean the adjacent cell, even though there was no one in it.
Why, the prisoner asked his guards, did they do it? It's for Barack Obama, they responded. Because when he loses the election, he'll surely be thrown in jail, so this way, a cell will be ready for him. Every day, the prisoner said, he prayed in his cell that Obama would win.
The prisoner was Ayman Nour, a liberal politician who in 2005 ran against and lost to Egypt's aging ruler, Hosni Mubarak, in the country's first multiparty presidential elections. Soon afterward, he was convicted of electoral fraud and sent to jail. He was released earlier this year.
Nour said he had received an invitation from the American Embassy to attend President Obama's address to the Muslim world at Cairo University on Thursday. He said he doesn't plan to attend, but will watch it on television.
"That way," he said, "if I hear something I don't like, I can always change the channel with my remote control."
The way that Nour prayed for an Obama victory, but will not go to hear him in person, is typical of the ambiguities in how many in Egypt and throughout the Muslim world view Obama's much touted address to the world's nearly 1.5 billion Muslims. Watch shopkeepers say what they want from Obama »
On the one hand, at least in Egypt, Obama is the most popular American president in years. Almost everyone you meet is almost starry-eyed over the new American leader.
On the other hand, the region has a long history of disappointment with the United States.
Egyptian reformists look back bitterly on their experience during the Bush administration, which, after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, launched an initiative to push for political liberalization in the Middle East.
In 2005, then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a speech that sent a shockwave through Egypt. Journalist Ethar El-Katatney recalled, "She said that in the last 60 years, the U.S. pursued stability at the expense of democracy. We all said, 'wow!' "
The mounting American pressure on the dictators, the demonstrations, the rediscovery of long-lost voices raised against authoritarian regimes like Egypt's sparked talk of an "Arab spring," a long-overdue blossoming of freedom and democracy in the political desert of the Middle East.
But the Bush administration's passion for Arab democracy cooled dramatically when Egypt's powerful Islamist network, the Muslim Brotherhood, made stunning gains in parliamentary elections in late 2005. And the passion went stone cold in January 2006, when the militant Palestinian Islamic group Hamas was swept to power in democratic elections in Gaza and the West Bank.
Sensing Washington's worry, Arab dictators and their ruthless security services saw their chance, and slowly started to squeeze the brave few who had been calling for change.
Award-winning Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas experienced the thrill of the "Arab spring," but since then has had plenty of run-ins with Egypt's secret police. He has no illusions about what matters to the United States, Obama's charisma notwithstanding. Watch how Egyptians are looking for concrete results »
"It's OK for these countries to be oppressive," he said, "as long as they are allies [of the United States], as long as they are not communists, as long as they allow investment, as long as they allow McDonald's and Hardee's and whatever businesses to be open here. But if they are dictators, [the United States] doesn't care about human rights, as long as they are allies, as long as they keep peace with Israel, it's OK."
"We have a fundamental problem with America," Nour said in an interview at his flat Monday. "America always takes positive steps, | [
"Who is the most popular U.S. President for Egyptians?",
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"when was this event",
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] | [
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] | President Obama is heading to Egypt to make address to Muslim world .
Obama is the most popular U.S. president in years for Egyptians .
But the region has a long history of disappointment in the United States . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Omar bin Laden has a message for his father, Osama: "Find another way." Omar bin Laden says he last saw his father in 2000 when the son decided to leave al Qaeda. The son of the most-wanted man in the world spoke Sunday to CNN in a quiet, middle-class suburb about an hour outside Cairo, Egypt. Omar bin Laden, who works as a contractor, said he is talking publicly because he wants an end to the violence his father has inspired -- violence that has killed innocent civilians in a spate of attacks around the world, including those of September 11, 2001. "I try and say to my father: 'Try to find another way to help or find your goal. This bomb, this weapons, it's not good to use it for anybody,' " he said in English learned in recent months from his British wife. He said that's not just his own message, but one that a friend of his father's and other Muslims have expressed to him. "They too say ... my father should change [his] way," he said. Watch whether Omar bin Laden thinks his father will ever be caught » He said he hasn't spoken to his father since 2000, when he walked away from an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan with his father's blessings. He said he has no idea where his father is, but is confident he will never be caught because locals support him. Asked if his father might be living along the Afghan-Pakistan border, he said, "Maybe, maybe not." "Either way, the people there are different," he said. "They don't care about the government." Now, he and his wife are preparing to launch a movement far different from the one his father, Osama bin Laden, launched. They are pursuing a movement for peace. At first glance, Omar bin Laden appears to have little in common with the man who has eluded international efforts to find him. The 26-year-old's hair is bound in neat braids, he drives a Jeep and is married to a British national twice his age. But the physical resemblance quickly sinks in, even without the long beard his father favors. It is a resemblance he doesn't avoid. "Being Osama's son, I don't hide it. I don't hide my name," he said. "I am proud by my name, but if you have a name like mine you will find people run away from you, are afraid of you." He said he doesn't consider his father to be a terrorist. When his father was fighting the Soviets, Washington considered him a hero, he said. "Before they call it war; now they call it terrorism," he said. He said his father believes his duty is to protect Muslims from attack. "He believes this is his job -- to help the people," he said. "I don't think my father is a terrorist because history tells you he's not." However, Omar bin Laden -- who was 14 when he began training in al Qaeda camps -- said he differs greatly with his father over the killing of civilians. Was 9/11 a just attack? "I don't think 9/11 was right personally, but it happened," he said. "I don't think ... [the war] in Vietnam was right. I don't think what's going on in Palestine is right. I don't think what's going on in Iraq is right. "If we make what is right and not right, we will make a very big list," he said. He said he left al Qaeda because he did not want to be associated with killing civilians. He said his father did not try to dissuade him from leaving al Qaeda. "I told him I was going, and wanted to try life and see what it was like outside because, from | [
"what is Bin's first name?",
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] | Bin Laden's son, Omar, says his father should change his ways .
Omar bin Laden split with his father in 2000; says he hasn't heard from him since .
Omar bin Laden says he doesn't believe his dad is a terrorist .
"I don't think 9/11 was right personally," the son said . |
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Suzanne Hagelof and Iris Botros dreamed of adopting babies. Separately, they visited orphanages in Egypt. Hagelof adopted a child, and Botros was in the process of adopting twins, when they ran foul of authorities. Now they are in jail, accused of being part of a conspiracy to traffic children. Iris Botros and her husband, Luis Andros, are accused of trying to smuggle twins out of Egypt. Last week, the two women were led into a Cairo courtroom in handcuffs, along with six other people. They stood in a big black cage in the courtroom, looking apprehensive amid the hubbub. To their defenders, all they were trying to do was provide orphans with a better chance in life. To the prosecution, they were involved in forging documents to try to adopt children illegally and smuggle them out of the country. Along with the two American women, the accused include their husbands, two doctors, a nun who ran an orphanage, and an Egyptian banker. Watch the women get bundled into court » A year ago, Hagelof, a U.S. citizen who lives in Egypt with her husband, adopted a child from an orphanage run by the Coptic Christian Church, a religious minority in Egypt. She says no money changed hands. Several months later, Luis Andros, a U.S. citizen who is originally from Greece, and his wife, Iris Botros, left their restaurant business in North Carolina for Egypt. Botros, who is originally from Egypt, visited another orphanage run by the church. She paid the orphanage about $4,600 for the twins -- partly for clothes and partly as a donation. Both women wanted to take the children to the United States -- in Hagelof's case for a visit, but in Botros' case to begin a new life in Wake Forest, North Carolina. And that's where the trouble began. To get a visa for the children, both women went to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. According to their attorneys, the documents they presented included birth certificates and certificates signed by doctors stating they were the natural mothers. According to defense attorneys, the two women knew they were using forged documents. Embassy officials became suspicious of the documents -- partly because the women seemed too old to be the mothers. Both Hagelof and Botros are in their mid- to late forties. The embassy contacted Egyptian authorities, and both Hagelof and Botros -- along with their husbands -- were arrested soon afterward, as was a nun from a Coptic orphanage and a banker who allegedly helped Botros make contact with the nun. Also arrested were two doctors who had written the certificates for the three infants, all of whom are now at an orphanage not affiliated with the church. Neither the U.S. Embassy nor the U.S. State Department will comment on the case, citing the ongoing trial. Botros' husband, Andros, blames the embassy for their plight. Asked through the bars of the courtroom cage what had happened, he replied, "Well, our American Embassy, instead of helping the people, they put them in jail." His wife interjected, insisting they would not get a fair trial. A few feet away, Suzanne Hagelof called out, "We want to tell our story," while her husband, Medhat, looked on, quiet and dejected. As reporters tried to talk to the defendants, a guard intervened, shouting "Sit down, sit down." Adoption has long been illegal under Egyptian law as well as being forbidden under sharia, Muslim religious law. Fostering is legal but uncommon. It has become a high-profile issue since Suzanne Mubarak, wife of the president, embarked on a campaign to stamp out human trafficking. She recently told CNN that human trafficking "exists in all societies." "I came to realize what an insidious crime this was and how it was just really built on profit. On not only low morals, on no morals at all," she said. And that's how the prosecution seems to be framing this case, using a law passed last year that provides for tough | [
"Where did the women adopt children from?",
"Where was the U.S. Embassy located?",
"What was raised when they sought visas for children at U.S. Embassy in Cairo?",
"Who was the orphanage run by?"
] | [
[
"Egypt."
],
[
"Cairo."
],
[
"certificates and certificates signed by doctors stating"
],
[
"the Coptic Christian Church,"
]
] | Women adopted children from orphanage run by Coptic Christian Church .
Alert was raised when they sought visas for children at U.S. Embassy in Cairo .
The women now face human-smuggling trial in Egypt, where adoption is illegal . |
CALAIS, France (CNN) -- French authorities on Tuesday dismantled a makeshift camp dubbed "the Jungle," which housed illegal migrants fleeing dangerous homelands to seek a more prosperous life in Europe. After being forced from their makeshift home, occupants of "the Jungle" were driven away in buses for processing. French police broke up protests by refugee rights advocates and began clearing the squalid camp. The French government said it was targeting human smuggling and did not say where the migrants would be relocated. Police arrested 276 migrants, 125 of whom were minors, said Calais prefecture official Catherine Mande. See photos of police clearing the camp » A statement from the French immigration minister's office said the "illegal encampments" would be destroyed and then three bulldozers, a dozen trucks and a logging company would return the land to its natural state. Watch a report on the camp's closure » The statement said the goal was to destroy the Jungle and other migrant shanties, "which have become the main launch pad for clandestine immigration into the United Kingdom." Was the French government right to demolish the illegal migrant camp? Aided by smugglers, many of the migrants in coastal northern France attempt to make it into Britain, hiding in trucks that cross the English Channel. France and Britain signed an agreement in July to crack down on illegal immigration, including dispersing the migrants at the Jungle. British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he was "delighted" to hear that France was honoring the agreement. "The measures that we have put in place are not only there to prevent illegal immigration but also to stop people trafficking," he said. "We are working with the French not only to strengthen our shared border but that of Europe as a whole." Johnson said both nations were committed "to helping individuals who are genuine refugees." Others who don't need protection were expected to return home, he said. The Jungle -- shanties cobbled from cardboard, plastic tarpaulins and scraps of wood -- housed as many as 1,000 men from nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Somalia. Camp resident Mohammed Bashir escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan and made a new home in a tent here, among the heaps of garbage, sand and bramble on the outskirts of the French port city of Calais. Sometimes, eight men shared the tent. "I never lived in such a condition like this back home, but right now we don't have any other choice," said Bashir, 24, who left behind his family. "It's very difficult, very hard for a person who has children and parents." Desperation filled the air in the Jungle. Many residents survived arduous and illegal treks from their homelands. Some held ambitions to keep going another 20 miles, across the water to Britain. Others hoped to realize refugee status in France. See a map of the region » But Tuesday, they were forced to put their plans on hold as they were evicted from the Jungle. Refugee advocates circled the migrants and scuffled with police to keep them at bay. But eventually, the protests were broken up, the migrants were taken away and the shanties started coming down. The French government's decision drew criticism from humanitarian workers who don't think that demolishing the camp will help resolve illegal immigration issues. They say moving the migrants is simply displacing the problem. "We don't know where they're going to go," said Matthieu Tardis, an advocate for asylum seekers. "We don't know what the government plans to do. We are not respecting human rights here, for sure." The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees sent staff to Calais earlier in the summer to counsel people about asylum procedures in France and Britain. According to the U.N. agency, most of the illegal migrants enter Europe through Greece and often fall victim to smugglers who turn a profit by helping migrants reach their destinations. The camp residents who fled Afghanistan told CNN they had paid smugglers large sums. They were promised much more than the filthy camp | [
"Who circled the migrants?",
"How many were minors?",
"What camp is being referred to?",
"Is it temporary or permanent housing?",
"Who had been living in makeshift tents?",
"How many people did the French police arrest?",
"Who tried to keep the police away from the refugees?"
] | [
[
"Refugee advocates"
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[
"125"
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"\"the Jungle,\""
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]
] | French police arrest 276 migrants at "Jungle" camp, 125 were minors .
Migrants had been living in makeshift tents made from cardboard, plastic sheeting .
Refugee advocates circled the migrants, trying to keep police at bay .
The French government has not said where the migrants would be relocated . |
CAMEMBERT, France (CNN) -- We're up in the north central part of France -- Normandy -- to see what's happening with French cheese. Cheese lovers will be happy to know, just about nothing, at least as far as the traditional cheeses are concerned. Cheese from the Camembert region now carries the same cachet as a chateau label for wine. But for the milk industry in general, it's another story. It has now a larger annual turnover than the steel industry in France (which admittedly is in decline.) Somehow the French have figured a way to export dairy products to people who already have cows and their own dairy industries-- to the tune of nearly €4 billion ($6 billion) per year. CNN spoke to a few of the people who do just that everyday and who are part of the changing face of France. Philippe Meslon, the mayor of Saint-Loup de Fribois and the administrator of the Saint-Loup cheese works says: "A camembert not made out of raw milk is like making love without sex. "A Frenchman is someone who cultivates with modern evolution his past. It's someone who protects moral values, cultural values and artistic values, and when I say cultural values I would include camembert." Meslon and small cheese makers like Francois Durand, who has 40 cows, have struggled and won the right to an Appelation d'Origine Controllee -- the mark AOC for their "Camembert de Normandie" which carries the same cachet as a chateau label for wine. For Durand making cheese is about not cutting corners. "You have to have the passion," he says. "Yes it's difficult because it means a lot of work. We make it all by hand. I do believe it is important because the cheese is an emblem of France. It is a gastronomic emblem." Still some small cheesemakers have been driven out of business and the taste and smell of their particular cheeses are lost to the world forever. For Michel Delorme it was a combination of new, more stringent rules and his age that led him to quit producing his handmade Camemberts. Michel Delorme: "It's more and more complicated for those who stay in the business. They must hold out! Yes I miss the cheese a little. That's true. But I've kept my souvenirs, you see I've kept my old milk cans so I can stay in the spirit of Camembert!" Despite those who've quit, the actual number of the variety of cheeses in France is growing. At the last cheese census more than 1,000 different kinds of cheeses were made here. The milk industry is no small cheese in France, thanks to the efforts of people like Philippe Jachnik who travels the world endlessly promoting milk products, which these days include protein supplements and milk derivatives that can go into all sorts of processed food. Jachnik, who works for the milk marketing consortium, says: "I really would say I am selling the French approach to milk. We EAT a lot of milk. We DRINK a lot of water, wine, beer and coffee. But drinking milk is not a big business here. "France has developed technological and marketing knowledge about adding value to a raw material-- milk. I have been traveling for 40 years all around the world and I feel so welcome. When you are French and you demonstrate that being French you can listen to others, people are interested in knowing about this country, about its people, about the way of life here." Jachnik must be doing a good job as it's not just abroad that the French are selling more milk products-- cheese consumption in France has doubled from 12 to 24 kilos per person per year. It seems there's no curding their enthusiasm ... E-mail to a friend | [
"France has how many types of cheeses?",
"What industry is booming?",
"what is booming in france",
"what is the number of cheeses in france",
"Which industry is booming in France?",
"what is the dairy industry worth",
"How much is the dairy industry worth?"
] | [
[
"more than 1,000 different kinds of"
],
[
"the milk industry"
],
[
"variety of cheeses"
],
[
"more than 1,000"
],
[
"milk"
],
[
"€4 billion"
],
[
"nearly €4 billion ($6 billion) per year."
]
] | Milk industry is booming in France, now has larger turnover than steel industry .
Dairy industry worth $6 billion, French eat 24 kilos of dairy per person a year .
Cheesemaker: Cheese is gastronomic emblem of France .
Last cheese census found around 1,000 different kinds of cheeses in France . |
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (CNN) -- Attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq with bombs believed linked to Iran -- known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) -- have risen sharply in January after several months of decline, according to the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Explosively formed penetrators are more sophisticated and deadlier than typical improvised explosive devices. Iraqi and U.S. officials indicated just a month ago that Iran was using its influence to improve security in Iraq by restraining cross-border weapons flow and militia activity. The U.S. military had said in recent months that the number of EFP attacks had gone down. Gen. David Petraeus disclosed the reversal to reporters after a meeting with President Bush who was visiting troops in Kuwait. "In this year, EFPs have gone up, actually, over the last 10 days by a factor of two or three, and frankly we're trying to determine why that might be," Petraeus said. Petraeus did not say how many American troops have been killed or wounded by EFPs in recent days. The U.S. military announced nine troop deaths from bombings in the first 11 days of January, but the death announcements did not specify if EFPs were involved. EFPs are more sophisticated and deadlier than the typical improvised explosive devices (IED) used by insurgents as roadside bombs to attack convoys and foot patrols until last year. EFPs use components manufactured in Iran and militants are trained in Iran to use them, the U.S. military has said. President Bush, in remarks to reporters in Kuwait, said: "Iran must stop supporting the militia special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces, and kidnap and kill Iraqi officials." The Bush administration and the military have long maintained that Iranian agents, particularly the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- have been arming and training Iraqi insurgents. E-mail to a friend CNN's Emily Schultz contributed to this report | [
"what are efps actually",
"Where are the bomb increases linked to?",
"how much did they increase by?",
"Who says Iran is training Iraqi insurgents?",
"Who is training Iraqi insurgents?",
"what does the bush administration say",
"what did the military say",
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] | [
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"explosively formed penetrators"
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"in recent months that the number of EFP attacks had gone down."
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[
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] | U.S. military says January increase in bombs believed linked to Iran .
Devices are known as EFPs (explosively formed penetrators)
Gen. Petraeus: EFPs increased by a factor of two or three over last 10 days .
Bush administration, military say Iran arming, training Iraqi insurgents . |
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (CNN) -- U.S. Marines at Camp Lemonier -- the only American military base on the African continent -- spend much of their time vaccinating livestock, repairing schools and giving medical training.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Rear Adm. James Hart, in Camp Lemonier, December 2007.
The camp, just 10 miles north of the Somali border, began as a French Foreign Legion outpost, but the Djibouti government agreed in 2002 to let the U.S. military establish a base for counterterrorism and humanitarian missions in the Horn of Africa.
The 1,800 U.S. troops in Djibouti spend just a fraction of their time on military tasks, such as locating and removing land mines. They conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries -- seen as an antidote to extremism.
"If you get at the basic needs of any individual, if you address the basic needs of people, then you have the opportunity to change their mindset, then you have the opportunity to show them that there is something better than doing extreme acts," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Roosevelt Barfield, deputy commander of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.
Many of the Marines in Djibouti, a predominantly Muslim country, previously served in Iraq.
"In Iraq, you can just go out and pretty much roll around and you do what you got to do and your mind set is a lot different," said Marine Cpl. Chad Armstrong. "Here, this country is a sovereign nation. Their government is established and everything, so there is a lot more working with the governments here."
The military role, though, sometimes upstages the humanitarian mission.
Periodic airstrikes of suspected al Qaeda terrorist targets in Somalia, often from U.S. warships, has created animosity among ethnic Somalis in the region.
The U.S. military presence in Djibouti underscores the growing importance of Africa to the U.S. military. The United States has created a centralized military command for Africa, U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, which will become fully operational in October.
The reluctance of African leaders to host a U.S. military facility, however, has hampered selection of a headquarters location for AFRICOM. Liberia, so far, is the only African country to offer. For now, AFRICOM is based in Stuttgart, Germany. | [
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"Number of US troops that conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries?",
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"What is described as an antidote to extreminism?",
"What is the name of the American military base in Africa?",
"Which seven countries are the operations being conducted in?",
"Who sent troops?",
"What country is Camp Lemonier in?",
"How many US troops conducted civil affairs in East Africa?"
] | [
[
"Camp Lemonier"
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"conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries"
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[
"East African"
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[
"U.S."
],
[
"Djibouti"
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[
"1,800"
]
] | Camp Lemonier is the only American military base on the African continent .
The 1,800 U.S. troops conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries .
Their humanitarian mission is seen as an antidote to extremism . |
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- Stephen Colbert left no doubt about his solidarity with American troops when he taped the first of four Comedy Central shows he'll produce in Iraq this week. Stephen Colbert high-fives a serviceman after submitting to a military-style haircut in Iraq on Sunday. Colbert, wearing a business suit made of the same camouflaged material used for soldiers' desert uniforms, submitted to a regulation military haircut as hundreds of U.S. troops cheered wildly Sunday. The comedian, who satirizes conservative TV pundits on his "Colbert Report," began his "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" USO tour Sunday in the Baghdad headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq. "It must be nice in Iraq, because some of you keep coming back again and again," Colbert said, joking about the multiple tours many troops have had in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. Some troops had accumulated enough frequent flyer miles to earn them a free ticket to Afghanistan, he joked. Colbert told his guest, Gen. Ray Odierno, he felt "a little intimidated" by him, not because he was he top U.S. commander in Iraq, but because it felt like he was "interviewing Shrek." Odierno is an imposing bald figure at 6-feet, 5-inches tall. Odierno said the military is "not yet ready to declare victory" in Iraq and that there was a little more work to be done for long-term stability. "I, Stephen Colbert, by the power invested in me by basic cable, officially declare we won the Iraq war," Colbert said, as his audience broke out into applause. The interview was interrupted when President Obama appeared on large television screens. The commander-in-chief told his general it was time to "cut that man's hair." With white electric hair clippers in his hand, Odierno stood up and began shaving Colbert's trademark thick dark hair. The troops stood and cheered as a female member of Colbert's staff finished the job. After the haircut, Colbert ran through the audience, high-fiving the troops as he showed off his new military look. One Army major said that "shaving of the hair is an amazing show of support" that was "very touching." Former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain also made a pre-taped appearance on the show, jokingly reminding the troops to "take time to clean your muskets." Lt. Col. Debra Shoemaker, a native of Colbert's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, said the show was a "nice break" from the monotony of service in Iraq. USO Senior Vice President John Hanson said the shows are an important diversion for the troops. Colbert's USO tour is unusual because it's the first time a show taped in a combat zone has been edited and aired so quickly. The Sunday show will be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night. | [
"Who is Stephen Colbert's guest?",
"Who ordered Colbert's hair to be cut?",
"What happened to Colbert's hair?",
"Where is Stephen Colbert performing this week?",
"Where are Stephen Colbert's shows?",
"What did the Comedian tell the guest?"
] | [
[
"Gen. Ray Odierno,"
],
[
"President Obama"
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[
"a military-style haircut in Iraq on Sunday."
],
[
"Iraq"
],
[
"Comedy Central"
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[
"\"It must be nice in Iraq, because some of you keep coming back again and again,\""
]
] | Stephen Colbert tapes first of four shows he'll produce in Iraq this week .
Comedian tells guest, the imposing Gen. Ray Odierno, it's like "interviewing Shrek"
At President Obama's taped orders, Odierno cuts Colbert's hair to wild cheering .
Sunday show to be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night . |
CANNES, France (CNN) -- After eleven days, hundreds of screenings and thousands of snaps from the paparazzi, there could only be one Palme d'Or winner. Austrian director Michael Haneke hugs the president of the Cannes jury, French actress Isabelle Huppert. "The White Ribbon," by Austrian director Michael Haneke, was awarded the prize for its depiction of the cruel punishments meted out at a rural German school before the First World War. "The Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win," said Haneke at a press conference following his award. "I am not proud, but I am very happy. In my opinion, it's silly to be proud." It was a case of fifth time lucky for Haneke, who has previously been nominated for the award for "Funny Games" (1997), "Code Unknown" (2000), "The Piano Teacher" (2001) and "Hidden" (2005). "There are always rumors at the festival, and one must not take them seriously," the director said. "When I presented "Hidden" [in 2005], everyone was telling me I was going to win the Palme. And I didn't get it." Jury president Isabelle Huppert, the French actress who won the best actress prize at the 2001 festival for "The Piano Teacher," said she was delighted to have the chance to honor her former director. "I think I always loved him as a director, and that's why I've worked with him before," she said at the post-awards press conference. "To me, the movie is very philosophical. And his style, and his direction are totally ethical in my mind. That's what I wanted to reward." The American actress Robin Wright Penn, who also sat on the festival jury, laughed off rumors that the decision was hotly disputed. "There have been rumors circulating that we were fighting in the room," she told the press conference. "The beauty about loving each other ... [is that] we could disagree, and we still love each other. I felt like we built a consensus among us," she said. "It was like being on "Big Brother," except you could go to the movies," added British screenwriter and fellow juror Hanif Kureishi. "Some of the films are very long," he joked. Elsewhere, Charlotte Gainsbourg won the best actress prize for her shocking turn in Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," featuring scenes of genital mutilation that left audiences stunned. Christolph Waltz won best actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," while Brillante Mendoza secured the best director gong for "Kinatay." The jury prize was shared by Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook's vampire film "Thirst," and Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank," while the grand prix went to "The Prophet," by director Jacques Audiard. | [
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"What nationality is the director?",
"Which prize was won?",
"Who directed \"The White Ribbon\"?",
"What did Haneke say regarding the Palme d'Or?",
"What is the name of the jury member?",
"What is the name of the film?",
"What does Haneke say about the Palme d'Or?",
"What did jury member Robin Wright Penn say?"
] | [
[
"\"The White Ribbon,\""
],
[
"Austrian"
],
[
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],
[
"Michael Haneke,"
],
[
"\"The Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win,\""
],
[
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],
[
"\"The White Ribbon,\""
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[
"is the best prize a filmmaker can win,\""
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[
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]
] | "The White Ribbon," by Austrian director Michael Haneke, wins Cannes .
Haneke: Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win .
Jury member, Robin Wright Penn, dismisses claims they were split over winner . |
CANNES, France (CNN) -- As award-winning Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi walked down the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of his new feature Thursday, the real star of the show was conspicuously absent. Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, director of "No One Knows About Persian Cats," which was co-written by Roxana Saberi. American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, credited as co-writer and executive producer of the faux-documentary "No One Knows about Persian Cats," was still in Iran, having been released from jail only days earlier. The woman Ghobadi describes as his fiancée was freed from prison last Monday after being jailed on espionage charges following a one-day trial that was closed to the public. She had served three and a half months, not all time served, of her eight year sentence and at one point was on hunger strike. "For four months, she was in prison. For me, four months is like four years," Ghobadi told CNN. "In there, what did they do with her? How did she live in there?" "I couldn't understand why the government sent her to prison," he continued. "She is like an angel. She is really so clean. I believe her. For example, if you ask me about my mum and her, I believe her first." After much to-ing and fro-ing by the Iranian authorities, Ghobadi says he couldn't believe it when he found out Saberi had finally been freed, before the end of her sentence. "When [I found out] she was free ... I couldn't understand," the 40 year-old director told CNN. He said it felt as if the the authorities were playing games with himself and other supporters of Saberi as they gave different timescales for her release -- "two weeks, four years, eight years." But just after the pair were reunited Ghobadi -- who won Cannes' first-time film-maker award the Camera d'Or in 2000 with "A Time For Drunken Horses" -- had to leave for the French film festival. "Persian Cats," which chronicles the hardships facing young rock musicians as they seek to evade censorship from the authorities, had been selected to play in the Un Certain Regard slot. Although Saberi was unable to be with Ghobadi on the red carpet, Ghobadi says she have kept in close telephone contact since her release, checking on how the film has been received. Ghobadi himself has already suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities. His 2008 film "Half Moon" was banned and says he was left feeling depressed and suicidal after spending three years unsuccessfully trying to get permission from the Iranian authorities for another previous film. He thought about leaving Iran because he felt unable to work and cites Saberi as the inspiration behind "Persian Cats," which was filmed in Tehran. Shot illegally in just 17 days using a small, cheap digital camera -- the state owns all 35mm equipment in Iran, according to film industry trade magazine, Screen International -- the faux-documentary chronicles the hardships facing two young musicians who are trying to put together a band. The story which combines comedy and tragedy to great dramatic effect showcases music and performances from real musicians who are part of the Tehran underground music scene. It is estimated that there are 2,000 illegal bands in Tehran, all practising and performing in a hidden world of hand-built recording studios in basements and rooftops around the city. Ghobadi says that he feels some responsibility for Saberi's time in prison because she stayed in Iran to help him with "Persian Cats:" "She wanted to go back to the U.S. [She] just stay for me and for my film and help for this film and give me the idea for the music." Ghobadi wrote an open letter in April this year calling for Saberi's release when she was jailed after initially being arrested buying a bottle of wine, describing her as being caught in a "game of politics." " | [
"how many months was Saberi in jail?",
"What are the chronicles undregounrd musicians?",
"What is the name of the Iranian filmmaker?",
"Who feels responsible for Saberi's time in jail?",
"What was chronicled about music in Tehran?",
"Who talks about his film's?",
"How long was Saberi in jail?"
] | [
[
"three and a half"
],
[
"\"Persian Cats,\""
],
[
"Bahman Ghobadi"
],
[
"Ghobadi"
],
[
"hardships facing young rock musicians"
],
[
"award-winning Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi"
],
[
"three and a half months,"
]
] | Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi talks about his film's co-writer Roxana Saberi .
American journalist Saberi was recently released from jail in Iran after three months .
Ghobadi says he feels responsible for her time in jail and that they will marry soon .
"No One Knows about Persian Cats" chronicles underground musicians in Tehran . |
CANNES, France (CNN) -- Editor's note: Watch The Screening Room Cannes special on CNN at the following dates and times: Wednesday 27 May: 0730, 1730, Saturday 30 May: 0730, 1800, Sunday 31 May: 0430, 1730, Monday 31 May: 0300 (All times GMT) In the most high-profile amalgamation of Indian and western talent yet, Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley stars with Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in a drama about a pair of maths geniuses. Ben Kingsely who stars in "Teen Patti" is the first Academy Award-winner ever to take a role in a Bollywood movie. Bollywood-produced "Teen Patti" ("Card Game") also marks Kingsley's first return to Indian filmmaking since playing the title role in "Gandhi," the critically-acclaimed biopic of the Indian leader that propelled him to fame in 1982. He is the first Oscar-winning Hollywood actor ever to star in a Bollywood movie, and Kingsley believes that the future of filmmaking could lie in combining the twin talents of the world's biggest film industries. "I think the two talents put together could be extraordinary," Kingsley told CNN in Cannes where he was promoting "Teen Patti." The 65 year-old English actor maintains that western cinema is suffering from a lack of originality and "heart," with many films just ending up as a "copy of a copy of a copy." He thinks that the Indian approach to filmmaking can give western productions the infusion of originality they need -- and that filmmakers in India can benefit from "the technology, and the casting opportunities, the directorial opportunities of the west." "Teen Patti" is set in India and the UK, where Kingsley shot all of his scenes, and uses English and Hindi dialogue. The drama, which cost a mere $7 million to make, will have its world premiere in Mumbai in August. Watch CNN The Screening Room producer Neil Curry search for Ben Kingsely in Cannes » It tells the story of a university professor, played by Bachchan, who schools five of his most able students in the finer points of high-stakes gambling. The film's plot is reported to be similar to "21," the 2008 Kevin Spacey drama, based on the story of the MIT Blackjack Team. Indian production company Serendipity Films, which was launched in 2003 by Ambika Hinduja, a member of one of India's richest families, is behind the picture. One of the company's central projects is cultural-fusion projects, like this one. The company is aiming to enter the big league by investing $50 million over the next three years in projects which bring together Indian and western talent. Do you think that Bollywood can make movies for a western audience? Tell us below in the SoundOff box Kingsley says he has wanted to be associated with mainstream Indian film ever since he made "Gandhi" -- an Indo-British production and so not "entirely an Indian film"-- with director Richard Attenborough in India. The actor who is acclaimed for performances in "Sexy Beast" (2000) and "Schindler's List" (1993) says he wanted to know what it would be like to work with an Indian director -- Leena Yadav, "who was amazing" -- and a huge Indian star like Bachchan. "I was very curious about him and he was very curious about me," says Kingsley of working with 66 year-old Bachchan, or "Big B" as India's most prominent Bollywood star is affectionately known to audiences. Bachchan's deep voice and brooding persona changed the face of Hindi cinema in the 1970s. Up until then Bollywood screens had been populated by wisecracking loverboys -- the trademark Indian hero in the 1960s. Today, he is best-known for hosting the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" ("Kaun Banega Crorepati"). Kingsley says that while on set, he and Bachchan "circled each other like hunters." Despite his respect for the Godfather of Bollywood, | [
"who is amitabh bachman?",
"How many times has an oscar winner starred in a bollywood film?",
"Is this high profile?",
"Who does Ben Kingsley star with?",
"What is Kingsley's first return to Indian filmaking after Gandhi?"
] | [
[
"Bollywood superstar"
],
[
"the first"
],
[
"In the most high-profile"
],
[
"Amitabh Bachchan"
],
[
"\"Teen Patti\" (\"Card Game\")"
]
] | Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley stars with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan .
"Teen Patti" is Kingsley's first return to Indian filmmaking after "Gandhi in 1982 .
It is the first time an Oscar-winner has starred in Bollywood film .
Most high-profile amalgamation of western and Indian movie-making talent yet . |
CANNES, France (CNN) -- The line-up at this year's Cannes Film Festival is a cineaste's dream. There are high expectations for Jane Campion's "Bright Star," a drama about 19th-century poet John Keats. Packed with big name auteurs (Pedro Almodovar, Ken Loach, Lars Von Trier, Quentin Tarantino, and Park Chan-wook among others) and intriguing propositions, the competition for the coveted Palme d'Or is sure to be fierce. While there may be a dearth of surprises in the line-up, the world's shiniest cinema event has certainly proved that in these tough economic times it can still cherry pick the best of what's out there. But what among the dizzying array of celluloid magic has caught the eye of industry insiders and professionals? The Screening Room asked a blogger, a critic and a film buyer attending the festival what films they will be watching out for at this year's event. THE CRITIC Name: Jonathan Romney Credentials: Film critic for British newspaper The Independent on Sunday Cannes experience: 17 years It's heavily loaded with big names and the strange thing is that this year there are very few surprises in there. Last year there was Italian Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah" (which won the Grand Prize) and Israeli Ari Folman's animation "Waltz with Bashir," films that nobody knew anything about in competition. The one that people are either really looking forward to or dreading is "Enter the Void," Gaspar Noe's new film. Noe gave everybody a rough time in 2002 with "Irreversible," a violent, confrontational rape-revenge drama. The thing about him is once he's got you in the cinema you're not going to get out. This one has been made in Japan and is the story of someone looking at the events leading up to their own death. In particular, I'll be looking at Jane Campion's film, "Bright Star," starring Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. It's based on the three-year romance between 19th-century poet Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by his death at the age of 25. She hasn't delivered for quite a while. Her last few films were at best patchy and at worst disappointing. She's shown skill at her version of costume dramas in the past with films like "The Piano," which won the Palme d'Or in 1994. Five-times Palme d'Or nominated German[-born] Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" is another film people are talking about. It is set in 1914 and is apparently about the emergence of Nazism. I imagine it will be fairly austere and confrontational. I also imagine it will be very good. He has never made a film that doesn't really engage or impress on some level. There's also Danish Cannes stalwart Lars von Trier's film "Antichrist," starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg about a grieving couple who retreat to a small cabin in the forest to mourn following the death of their child. There has been some controversy over why he is making what looks like a conventional Hollywood horror. It almost certainly won't be that. I suspect it will be philosophical. A lot of these filmmakers are not entertainers. They like to give their audiences a hard time. One of the keynotes of this year is going to be confrontation. THE BLOGGER Name: Karina Longworth Credentials: Co-founder of Cinematical film blog and editor of Spout blog Cannes experience: two years In the Directors' Fortnight section I'm really excited about "Go Get Some Rosemary," which is directed by these two young American brothers, Joshua and Benny Safdie. Their style is reminiscent of the French New Wave -- but with this sense of humor and willingness to experiment in real locations, and use the people that are walking by as accidental characters. They're sometimes lumped together with the young American "Mumblecore" scene but their films are really different. They've got a really interesting sense of style. | [
"who is at cannes this year",
"Which blogger cannot wait for the \"Antichrist\"?",
"What place is packed with big names?",
"What city is packed with big names?",
"What is Jonathan Romney looking forward to?",
"what is the critic looking forward to"
] | [
[
"Karina Longworth"
],
[
"Karina Longworth"
],
[
"Cannes Film Festival"
],
[
"CANNES, France"
],
[
"\"Enter the Void,\""
],
[
"\"Enter the Void,\""
]
] | From Quentin Tarantino to Ken Loach, Cannes is packed with big names .
Critic Jonathan Romney's looking forward to Jane Campion's "Bright Star"
Blogger Karina Longworth can't wait for Lars von Trier's "Antichrist"
Buyer Robert Walak says people will be looking for "more feel-good films" |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- Space shuttle Discovery was scheduled to launch early Tuesday morning for a mission to deliver equipment to the international space station. Discovery rests on launch pad 39A at Cape Canaveral on Monday evening. The seven-member crew was boarding the orbiter Monday night on Cape Canaveral's launch pad 39A. Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford will guide Discovery to the space station after launch, scheduled for 1:36 a.m. ET Tuesday, NASA said. Forecasters gave the Cape an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions at launch time. One of Discovery's seven astronauts, Nicole Stott, will remain on the space station as a flight engineer, replacing astronaut Timothy Kopra, who will return home aboard Discovery as a mission specialist, according to the NASA Web page for the mission. Also on board: The Leonardo logistics module, science experiments and the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), named for Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Earlier this year, NASA conducted an online poll to name the space station's newest compartment, asking voters to choose one of four given options or offer their own suggestion. Colbert urged his viewers to suggest "Colbert," which won. But Colbert and the space agency compromised to give the moniker to the treadmill instead. The new module was given the name Tranquility. "I'm so proud my treadmill will be going into space to help trim down those famously fat astronauts. Lay off the Tang, Chubby!" Colbert said in a statement last week. The mission will be Discovery's 37th to space, and the 30th shuttle mission dedicated to international space station assembly and maintenance, NASA says. | [
"what will Nicole Stott be doing at the space station",
"WHen is Discover scheduled to launch",
"What time is Discovery scheduled to launch?",
"Who will remain on the space station as a flight engineer?",
"will the weather be acceptable",
"Is the chance of acceptable weather for launch greater than 50%?"
] | [
[
"flight engineer,"
],
[
"early Tuesday morning"
],
[
"1:36 a.m. ET"
],
[
"Nicole Stott,"
],
[
"80 percent chance of"
],
[
"Forecasters gave the Cape an 80 percent"
]
] | Discovery scheduled to launch at 1:36 a.m. ET Tuesday .
Cape Canaveral has 80 percent chance of acceptable weather for launch .
Shuttle to deliver equipment to international space station .
Astronaut Nicole Stott will remain on the space station as a flight engineer . |
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNN) -- The girl sleeping in the bunk above me either had Swine Flu, SARS, Tuberculosis or some sort of perfect storm of all three, because she managed to hack and snort throughout the entire night in an almost exact pattern of: Hack. Hack. Hack. Snort. Snort. The sharks arrived and disappeared quickly. I only mention this because I had to be up at four 4 a.m. to get picked up for my day of shark cage-diving, and, clearly, I wasn't getting too much sleep. Not a good start. Nevertheless, I managed to get out of bed on time, and actually felt pretty decent as we drove two hours from Cape Town to some quiet fishing village where about 30 cold, tired backpackers squeezed onto an old boat and into the sea in search of great white sharks. Somebody had to say it: "We're gonna need a bigger boat." But tight as it was on board, we survived, and soon found ourselves bobbing over the waves as small fish began to circle the chum. Eventually, the sharks came -- and they were amazing! More importantly, it was probably the closest I'll ever get to a great white without A) dying or B) soiling myself. See Jarrett's shark-diving adventure » But just as quickly as the sharks arrived, they were gone. Cold and tired, an uncomfortable boredom overtook the tourists, interrupted only by the occasional roar of projectile vomit. As a scientific study, this symphony of motion sickness was about as fascinating as the sharks. As it turns out, the English seemed to be the ones most affected by the sea. Now, maybe this has something to do with their biology, or maybe this has something to do with England beating Croatia 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier the night before. Either way, I found it interesting that our friends across the pond were collectively becoming violently ill. One would have thought this would have attracted more sharks -- that fine, rich mixture of lager and pies -- but the seas remained great white-free. In all, it was sort of a bittersweet experience. Being that close to such spectacular sharks was a rare, lifetime opportunity, but of all my South African experiences, this was the most expensive and, in many ways, the least rewarding. Of course, I chalk this up mostly to the early start and cold weather, but, even at its best, I've definitely had better times in my life. That said, I'm glad I did it -- you know, before I die from a rare new strain of Swine-Flu-SARS-tuberculosis. Hack. Hack. Hack. Snort. Snort. | [
"Where was Bellini traveling?"
] | [
[
"some quiet fishing village"
]
] | CNN.com's Jarrett Bellini is traveling in South Africa .
Readers chose his destination and can share their travel suggestions .
Bellini will provide updates from South Africa on CNN.com and CNN.com Live . |
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