story
stringlengths 117
4.55k
| questions
sequence | answers
sequence | summary
stringlengths 65
465
|
|---|---|---|---|
Editor's note: We asked readers to weigh in on CNN.com Live producer Jarrett Bellini's vacation destination, and you chose South Africa. Check back for updates on his trip. Giraffes are a common sight in Kruger National Park. KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, South Africa (CNN) -- I spent two nights sleeping under a full-moon sky, nestled in my trusty hammock at Kruger National Park. Our guides provided us with tents, but I figured I wouldn't have too many opportunities in my life to slumber in the open bush on the African continent. Thus, I rested more or less exposed throughout the night, hoping that a lion wouldn't figure that he wouldn't have too many opportunities in his life to maul a sleeping American tourist in the open bush on the African continent. Needless to say, I survived, and it was magnificent. Visually speaking, I wasn't sure what, exactly, to expect from a South African safari, for my complete mental database of safari images spanned a wide variety of distinct landscapes, and most were cartoonishly obstructed by rich, middle-aged tourists covered head to toe in unnecessary beige safari gear. However, Kruger National Park seemed to fit, quite perfectly, my idea of the African savannah. Arid and brown from the winter dry season, it was a forever-long expanse of low trees and dusty earth, the kind that somehow allows the early sun to reflect that perfect glow of stunning reds and oranges. Our guide was a self-proclaimed African bushman named Elson, who seemed to have an amazing one-ness with both the land and the animals. We'd be driving down one of the many nondescript dirt roads at a fairly fast pace, only to have him hit the brakes of our jeep, slam into reverse and point out a leopard 200 yards away. It would take the rest of us a fair bit of time to finally see what he noticed at a mere passing glance. He knew the land, and he knew the animals -- a talent that proved helpful for finding the less common residents in the savannah. The other creatures carelessly came into view as though the roads and cars were just a natural part of their habitat, a mild annoyance at worst. iReport.com: Share your South Africa experiences and suggestions Kruger National Park is roughly the same size as Israel, and here, many animals roamed right along the roadside, gnawing on whatever vegetation remained until the rainy season would flourish the plants anew. Seemingly endless miles of terrain, and there they were just feet away from us. If you didn't know you were in a national park, you might think you were in a zoo. That's how close the animals came to our jeep. Only, here, they weren't in separate enclosures, wandering aimlessly within an artificial terrain. This was truly their home, and we were only passing guests. Giraffes tore away at high branches. Elephants walked fearlessly, one-by-one across the road. Rhinos ... well, the rhinos pretty much just sat there looking stupid. But the zebras frolicked. The hippos splashed in the water. And the baboons stopped at nothing to make me laugh. Of course, the rare lions and leopards pretty much just shaded themselves under distant trees, and the crocs swam silently through the bog. But they were there. And we were there. And it was beautiful. And just as soon as it began, our time in the South African bush was over. A couple of giraffes and elephants met us by the roadside to bid our group farewell as we drove out of the park. The preserve faded silently behind us, and the road ahead paved my way to Swaziland for a short stopover before continuing to the second part of this South African journey. | [
"Who does Bellini workfor?",
"Where can his progress be checked?",
"Who is travelling to South Africa?",
"Where will he privude updates from?",
"What will be provided",
"Where is Bellini going?",
"What can the readers do?"
] | [
[
"CNN.com"
],
[
"CNN.com"
],
[
"Jarrett Bellini's"
],
[
"South Africa."
],
[
"tents,"
],
[
"South Africa."
],
[
"weigh in on CNN.com Live producer Jarrett Bellini's vacation destination,"
]
] | 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 . |
Editor's note: Wendell Potter has served since May 2009 as senior fellow on health care at the Center for Media and Democracy, a nonprofit organization that says it seeks to expose "corporate spin and government propaganda." After a 20-year career as a corporate public relations executive, Potter left his job last year as head of communications for one of the nation's largest health insurers, CIGNA Corporation. Ex-insurance company spokesman Wendell Potter says the industry seeks to drive the health care debate. (CNN) -- Having grown up in one of the most conservative and Republican places in the country -- East Tennessee -- I understand why many of the people who are showing up at town hall meetings this month are reacting, sometimes violently, when members of Congress try to explain the need for an expanded government role in our health care system. I also have a lot of conservative friends, including one former co-worker who was laid off by CIGNA several years ago but who nonetheless worries about a "government takeover" of health care. The most vocal folks at the town hall meetings seem to share the same ideology as my kinfolks in East Tennessee and my former CIGNA buddy: the less government involvement in our lives, the better. That point couldn't have been made clearer than by the man standing in line to get free care at Remote Area Medical's recent health care "expedition" at the Wise County, Virginia, fairgrounds, who told a reporter he was dead set against President Obama's reform proposal. Even though he didn't have health insurance, and could see the desperation in the faces of thousands of others all around him who were in similar straits, he was more worried about the possibility of having to pay more taxes than he was eager to make sure he and his neighbors wouldn't have to wait in line to get care provided by volunteer doctors in animal stalls. Watch Potter interview with Sanjay Gupta » Friday morning my former CIGNA buddy sent me an e-mail challenging something he said his wife heard me say in a radio report about my press conference in the Capitol on Wednesday with Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee. "She heard you say that these protestors are funded by the insurance companies. Frankly, nothing would surprise me, but certainly not each and every person," he wrote. "If there was a meeting near me, I certainly would tell my local representative how I feel about this entire subject (and it wouldn't be pretty), and I certainly am not funded by anyone. So I am ultimately wondering what proof there is that seemingly ordinary Americans are finally protesting what is going in Washington and there are all of these suggestions of a greater conspiracy." If the radio report had carried more of my remarks, he might have a better understanding of how the health insurance and its army of PR people are influencing his opinions and actions without his even knowing it. Until I quit my job last year, I was one of the leaders of that army. I had a very successful career and was my company's voice to the media and the public for several years. It was my job to "promote and defend" the company's reputation and to try to persuade reporters to write positive stories about the industry's ideas on reform. During the last couple of years of my career, however, I became increasingly worried that the high-deductible plans insurers were beginning to push Americans into would force more and more of us into bankruptcy. The higher I rose in the company, the more I learned about the tactics insurers use to dump policyholders when they get sick, in order to increase profits and to reward their Wall Street investors. I could not in good conscience continue serving as an industry mouthpiece. And I did not want to be part of yet another industry effort to kill meaningful reform. I explained during the press conference with Rep. Slaughter how the industry funnels millions of its policyholders' premiums to big public relations firms that provide talking points to conservative talk show hosts, business groups and | [
"Whose health reform plan does Potter say the industry worked to kill?",
"what did he do in a his former Job",
"Porter said he didn't want to be part of another effort to kill what?"
] | [
[
"President Obama's"
],
[
"head of communications for one of the nation's largest health insurers, CIGNA Corporation."
],
[
"did not"
]
] | Wendell Potter: In my former job, I helped shape public opinion on health care .
He says insurance companies quietly seek to counter reform measures .
Potter: Industry worked to kill the Clinton health reform plan .
He says he didn't want to be part of another effort to kill a health care plan . |
Editor's note: William Jelani Cobb is Associate Professor of History at Spelman College, and author of the forthcoming "Change Has Come: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Progress." He blogs at http://americanexception.com/ William Jelani Cobb says Somalia's piracy problem was fueled by environmental and political events. (CNN) -- The drama of an American ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates led last Sunday's talk shows. Just hours before Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips was rescued, the piracy incident was discussed as one of the "tests" of President Obama that Joe Biden warned about during the campaign. Others wondered whether wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched our military resources too thin to respond effectively to these kinds of provocations. Many expressed outrage at the brand of naval gangsterism that by some estimates generated as much as $80 million in 2008. Clearly this escalating pattern of pirate attacks may soon constitute an international crisis. But what this situation actually reveals is how little we've learned in the nearly eight years since George W. Bush declared war on terror. Somalia is like Afghanistan in that we had a great deal of interest in the place during the Cold War and more or less forgot about it afterward. The United States supported the government of Said Barre during the 1980s primarily for the same reason we began funneling aid to the Afghan rebels: anticommunism. Barre was a regional counterpoint to the Marxist regime next door in Ethiopia and strategically important enough for his human rights abuses to be tolerated. And like Afghanistan, Somalia quickly fell into disarray after the Cold War ended and the United States cut off support. During the early post-Cold War era, the United States developed a more narrowly defined set of interests and it was common to hear American foreign policy circles express disdain for "nation-building" projects. But two decades later we continue to deal with the consequences of our abrupt exit from both countries. Our fleeting humanitarian concern with Somalia ended with the downing of two Blackhawk helicopters in 1993. But that incident actually served as a kind of foreshadowing and highlighted yet another link to Afghanistan: The forces that attacked American troops in Mogadishu were reportedly linked to al Qaeda. The 9/11 attacks and Afghanistan's role in sheltering al Qaeda should have given us reason to re-examine other regions where similar blowback might take place. In short, we might well have looked at what was going on in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and seen trouble on the horizon elsewhere. The Somali situation was further complicated by a series of economic and ecological problems that have struck the region in the past decade. In the wake of the government collapse, the Somali coast became a target of illegal commercial fishing. This is a problem across East and Southern Africa but rampant in Somalia. According to one report, some 700 vessels were illegally operating in the region and fishing the local stock to near depletion. As recently as 2006 Somali fishermen complained to the U.N. that illegal fishing was driving them to the brink of economic collapse. To add to the burden, the coast also became a favorite locale for nuclear waste dumping. In 2005, U.N. officials confirmed that barrels containing illegally dumped nuclear waste had cracked open during the tsunami that year and begun washing ashore. The situation was widely reported by international news outlets with virtually no consequences. No matter what we think of their current methods, it's impossible to solve the piracy problem without addressing the illegal fishing issue. Somalia lacks a functioning navy -- or government. Similarly, we were not talking about the over-fishing and nuclear waste issues -- to the extent we do talk about them now -- before the Somalis began to respond in kind. These environmental violations will undoubtedly cost lives and the West has more or less ignored Somali pleas. Our intense and highly selective outrage began when the Somalis started targeting commercial vehicles. Faced with this response it's hard to avoid the conclusion that the Western consumer products, carried by these ships are more valuable than Somali lives. Given the recent history of unstable states like Afghanistan and Iraq, piracy is actually one of the milder | [
"What is a test of obamas policy?",
"Who cared about Somalia?",
"What did Cobb say?",
"What is said to have caused piracy?"
] | [
[
"the piracy incident"
],
[
"William Jelani Cobb"
],
[
"Somalia's piracy problem was fueled by environmental and political events."
],
[
"environmental and political events."
]
] | William Jelani Cobb: Somalia piracy being seen as test of Obama's foreign policy .
He says piracy developed in wake of political and environmental problems .
Cobb: U.S. cared about Somalia, like Afghanistan, during the Cold War .
He says U.S. lack of interest in the country helped to let piracy develop . |
Editor's note: With fears of a swine flu pandemic rising daily, CNN Pentagon producer Larry Shaughnessy remembered a batch of letters from his grandfather, a World War I soldier who battled the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919.
Martin "Al" Culhane, left, is pictured with his older brother, Frank, around 1918 or 1919.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- "I'm coming, I'm coming For my head is bending low I hear those gentle voices calling Old Black Joe"
As World War I rages in Europe, fresh U.S. Army soldiers pass the time on a train ride to to Camp Forrest, Georgia. "The boys are just starting to sing," Martin Aloysius Culhane wrote on September 6, 1918, to his friend back home. "They've gotten back to 'Old Black Joe' so far."
Stephen Foster's classic song from the Civil War is about the death of slaves who had become his friends. But Culhane, known as "Al," and the soldiers who sang along could not know how much death would hunt the recruits on that train, most of whom never made it to Europe to fight in the Great War.
They would find themselves in the deadliest influenza pandemic in history.
Culhane's letters to his older brother Frank and his long-time "chum" Clif Pinter are a young soldier's firsthand account of life as a draftee private and how he coped with a disease that would haunt Army camps around the United States and eventually infect people around the world. Some estimates say as many as 50 million people were killed by what's called the Spanish influenza in 1918 and 1919, far more than the number killed in combat during the war.
Three weeks after the train trip to Georgia, Culhane, a 21-year-old clothing salesman from Chicago, Illinois, writes again. Already the flu occupies his thoughts. Learn more about the current swine flu »
"Received a nice letter from Phil Byrne he reports he is getting along fine, is feeling better than he has ever before." Byrne, a friend from Chicago, was one of the early survivors of the Spanish flu. Other members of the Byrne family took ill a few months later, according to the letters.
In the same letter he mentions how the Army was trying to protect the troops at Camp Forrest:
"Since noon today our camp has been under quarantine to prevent an epidemic of Spanish influenza. We have had no cases thus far but it is the intention of the medical officers to prevent any case of the disease from making an appearance. All the men who have even slight colds have been put into separate barrack which, of course, were immediately christened 'the TB ward' by the rest of the company."
That same day, September 28, 1918, he wrote his brother Frank, a Navy sailor at home awaiting orders, "Well the Spanish Influenza has made an appearance here and we are under strict orders no visits to Chattanooga, we are certainly the hard luck guys when it comes to this quarantine proposition."
At first the threat of Spanish flu is just an inconvenience for Culhane: "I am just about fed up with staying in a district about a block square for three weeks. There is no canteen in the quarantine district and we have a hell of a time getting small supplies."
Just six days after complaining about the inconvenience, a brief but frightening note: "Receive the enclosed letter for your information then see that Frank gets it unknown to the rest of the family."
What Culhane didn't want his mother, sister and younger brother to know was that he was in the infirmary with the Spanish flu. He asks his friend Clif to write often and encourage letters from "my friends, without of course, telling them that I am a little under the weather." His euphemism hid the fact that in some places more than 30 percent of people who contracted Spanish flu died. In the United States the mortality rate was lower, but still a devastating 3 percent.
It was a | [
"what is the pandemic",
"when did it ravage military camps",
"When was the outbreak?",
"Who survived flu"
] | [
[
"Spanish flu"
],
[
"1918-1919."
],
[
"1918-1919."
],
[
"Martin \"Al\" Culhane,"
]
] | U.S. soldier survived Spanish flu pandemic not once, but twice .
1918 Spanish flu ravaged military camps where soldiers trained for WWI .
Letter says camp put "under quarantine to prevent an epidemic of Spanish influenza"
Martin "Al" Culhane in letter told his brother to keep infection secret from rest of family . |
Editor's note: Zeyno Baran, a native of Turkey, is senior fellow for the Center for Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank that says it is dedicated to "global security, prosperity and freedom." From January 2003 until 2006, Baran directed the International Security and Energy Programs at The Nixon Center. Zeyno Baran says the United States can learn much from Turkey's expertise on Afghanistan and Pakistan. (CNN) -- Turks greeted President Obama with huge excitement Monday. This was the first time a U.S. president visited Turkey at the start of his term, sending a clear signal that this administration recognizes the importance of Turkey and wants to engage with it from the start. His address in the Turkish parliament was one of the greatest speeches made by an American leader in such a setting: He not only showed his deep understanding of Turkey's many complex issues and identities, but also handled tough issues with great skill. He framed his talk just right by underlining Turkey's European identity as a secular democracy. That said, it is important to remember how good U.S.-Turkey relations were at the start of the Bush administration. President George W. Bush also considered Turkey an extremely valuable partner, but then came the Iraq war. The United States genuinely believed Turkey would be one of the most important allies going forward. Despite official channels and experts making clear the difficulties in allowing U.S. military to cross into Iraq via its lands, the administration chose to listen to those who sang music to its ears. As a result, they based a whole military strategy on the Turkish parliament voting yes and were shocked when they received a no. Bilateral relations then entered a downward spiral. With Obama's election, there is renewed excitement in Turkey. Like most of the people of Turkey, he opposed the Iraq war and considered Afghanistan the "good war." Going forward, as President Obama underscored in his speech, Turkey can play an important role in Afghanistan as a reliable NATO ally. The question is: How can Turkey best help? Turkey is one of the few -- possibly the only -- NATO member that has deep religious, cultural and historic knowledge of both Afghanistan and Pakistan. In fact, the Turkish government has brought together the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan much before the United States began approaching them together. Reading the tea leaves, one may conclude that the Obama administration wants to cooperate with Turkey in engaging with the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This would be the wrong kind of cooperation. Although Turkey has channels to the Taliban and has means to facilitate the talks, there cannot be a morally acceptable deal reached with the Taliban, whose ultimate goal is to curb all individual freedoms and universal human rights, especially when it comes to women. No matter what the reasonable sounding arguments may be in favor of this strategy, pulling Turkey into any kind of engagement with the Taliban -- either as part of NATO or bilaterally -- would have much worse long-term consequences. Instead, the Obama administration needs to think of "victory" not only in the short term and from a purely anti-terrorism perspective, but also in consideration of the people who have lived and will continue to live in those lands. In other words, providing true safety, security, justice and development for Afghanistan and Pakistan -- not the kind of society the Taliban has been providing. Indeed, it is in providing the basic securities that Turkey can be a great partner. Turkey not only can and will continue to help provide safety and physical security, but also could further assist with the reconstruction projects, such as building hospitals, schools, sanitation facilities and investment projects that would have direct impact on the socioeconomic development of the Afghan and Pakistani societies. There are many Turkish companies that have undertaken successful construction projects in these fields since early 2002. There are also military and civilian trainers, nongovernment organizations and even volunteer teachers who work in some of the most dangerous regions. Still, Turkey can possibly make the greatest contribution by helping the United States frame the challenges | [
"What does he say about Turkey?",
"Who says Turkey can help rebuild Afghanistan?",
"What did Zeyno Baran say about Obama's speech?",
"Whose speech shows deep understanding of Turkey?",
"What did Baran say would be a mistake?"
] | [
[
"can play an important role in Afghanistan as a reliable NATO ally. The question is: How can"
],
[
"Zeyno Baran"
],
[
"the United States can learn much from Turkey's expertise on Afghanistan and Pakistan."
],
[
"President Obama"
],
[
"pulling Turkey into any kind of engagement with the Taliban -- either as part of NATO or bilaterally"
]
] | Zeyno Baran: Obama's speech shows deep understanding of Turkey .
She says administration needs to make good use of Turkey's role in region .
Baran: Using Turkey to make peace with Taliban would be a mistake .
She says Turkey can help rebuild Afghanistan and provide security . |
Editors' Note: Below is an excerpt from Larry King's new autobiography "My Remarkable Journey" published by Weinstein Books. Larry King anchors "Larry King Live at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. In 1959, Bobby Darin, left, was Larry's first major guest on his WKAT radio program. Larry Zeiger left Brooklyn, New York, for Miami Beach, Florida, at the age of 23 to try to find a job in radio. This is how he got his new name: I went to stay with my Uncle Jack in Miami Beach. I was so excited that I started knocking on doors the next day. I stopped at a small station on First Street, WAHR. The guy in charge liked my voice. "We get a lot of people coming and going," he told me. "If you hang around, you'll get the first opening." I sat and watched in fascination for a few weeks. It was a tiny operation, but the sight of the UPI and AP machines furiously clicking out news made me feel like I was on the brink of something big. Miami Beach was like a dream. The palm trees. The ocean. I remember walking past Joe's Stone Crab. Joe's is more than a restaurant, it's a landmark. It was full when I arrived in 1957, and I guarantee you, people will be waiting in line tomorrow night. I stopped outside the front window with only a few dollars in my pocket, unable to afford a meal, looking at the happy faces, wondering what it would take to get into a place like that. Then came my big break. There was a morning deejay named Tom Baer. He was making sixty dollars a week and his alimony was sixty-five. He claimed to be living off the coconuts falling from trees. He quit on a Friday, and the general manager told me I could start on Monday. I must have rehearsed the entire weekend. I don't even think I slept. On Monday morning I showed up at WAHR with the record that would play my theme song, "Swingin' Down the Lane." The general manager called me into his office to wish me good luck. "By the way," he said, "what name are you going to use?" "What do you mean?" "You can't use Larry Zeiger," he said. "It's too ethnic. People won't be able to spell it or remember it. You need a better name." There was no time to think about whether this was good or bad or what my mother would say. I was going on the air in five minutes. The Miami Herald was spread out on his desk. Face-up was a full-page ad for King's Wholesale Liquors. The general manager looked down and said, "King! How about Larry King?" "OK," I said. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. I wasn't going to blow it. "Fine. You'll host The Larry King Show." Nine o'clock was approaching. That's when the news came on. A few minutes later, The Larry King Show would make its debut. I went through the control-room door, sat down, and set up my record. The news ended. I started my theme song, then faded down the music so I could introduce myself. I opened my mouth. It was as dry as cotton. For the first time in my life, I couldn't speak. So I brought "Swingin' Down the Lane" up again and faded it once more. Again, not a single word came out of my mouth. I could only wonder if listeners were hearing the pounding of my heart. I'd waited for this moment my whole life. How could I be blowing it? Once more, I cranked up "Swingin' Down the Lane" -- but not a word came out of me. The next thing I knew, the | [
"when Zeiger became Larry King?",
"Who is Larry Zeiger?",
"What name did Zeiger use?",
"Who became the King?",
"Where did Larry Zeiger move?",
"What happened the first time Larry was on the air?",
"who moved from Brooklyn to Miami?"
] | [
[
"1957,"
],
[
"\"Larry King"
],
[
"Larry King"
],
[
"Larry King?\""
],
[
"Miami Beach, Florida,"
],
[
"couldn't speak."
],
[
"Larry Zeiger"
]
] | Larry Zeiger moved from Brooklyn to Miami in 1957 in pursuit of a radio hosting gig .
Zeiger became Larry King when his first boss called his name "too ethnic"
Larry recalls being unable to speak his first time on-air .
He quickly overcame his first-day jitters and has felt at home on the air ever since . |
El Paso, Texas (CNN) -- A brigade of U.S. troops originally scheduled to be among the very last to leave Iraq is being pulled out of the country months ahead of its planned departure, military officials said Saturday.
The announcement follows news this month that a deal to keep American troops in Iraq past a December 31, 2011, deadline to withdraw was on shaky ground after Iraqi leadership said any remaining U.S. forces would not be granted immunity from Iraqi prosecution. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other top brass have repeatedly said any deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the withdrawal deadline must require a guarantee of legal protection for American soldiers.
The Fourth Brigade Combat Team, First Armored Division, based at Fort Bliss, deployed to Iraq in August to replace two withdrawing brigades. The troops were sent with the understanding they would be among the last to leave the country and were told to expect up to a 12-month deployment, though it wasn't clear how long they would stay in Iraq. But brigade officials informed hundreds of military families gathered Saturday at its headquarters that their troops would begin returning home within weeks.
When family members inquired why soldiers were returning early, they were told by a military official: "Basically, what's happened ... is that the United States and Iraq have not come to an agreement," according to a CNN reporter who attended the meeting.
Additionally, the brigade official told families: "We were over there for a couple of missions. Those missions are finished."
A U.S. military official in Iraq, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CNN Saturday the early withdrawal of this brigade, citing a number of possible reasons, including the lack of a deal on the legal immunity issue and the fact that the State Department is "standing up" its operations faster than expected.
When the United States and Iraq agreed in 2008 to a withdrawal deadline, the two countries also signed off on a Strategic Framework Agreement that calls for a long-term bilateral relationship. As part of that agreement, the State Department is deploying thousands of workers to Iraq to take over where military officials leave off in their dealings with the Iraqi government.
U.S. officials in Washington on Saturday declined to comment on reports that troops were being withdrawn ahead of schedule or because of a breakdown in negotiations, except to say the United States is committed to withdrawing all troops by the December 31 deadline.
"At the same time we're building a comprehensive partnership with Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement including a robust security relationship, and discussions with the Iraqis about the nature of that relationship are ongoing," said Tommy Vietor of the National Security Council.
Pentagon spokesman George Little also dismissed reports of a breakdown in talks with Iraqis, saying "Suggestions that a final decision has been reached about our training relationship with the Iraqi government are wrong. Those discussions are ongoing."
Officials at Fort Bliss said the brigade's return is in line with the U.S. planned departure.
"In the process, we are bringing troops back home to meet the December 31st agreed-upon deadline," said Lt. Col. Dennis Swanson, a public affairs officer for the First Armored Division.
When asked about the legal immunity issue, Major Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard, commander at Fort Bliss, said, "We're going to do what's right by our soldiers."
"We shouldn't see American soldiers in Iraqi courts on trumped-up charges," he said.
His comments echo recent statements by Panetta and U.S. Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno.
Panetta said last week that negotiations over the legal immunity issue are ongoing between Iraq's political leadership, U.S. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey and Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. The meetings include discussions about the rights of American troops and what will be required in order for those troops to assist Iraqi forces in the future, according to Panetta.
"If you're going to play a large role in dealing with another country where it requires, as I said, a large group of troops to be on the ground | [
"originally scheduled to be the last to leave?",
"who says talks are ongoing",
"when was it scheduled to leave",
"who has not agreed"
] | [
[
"A brigade of U.S. troops"
],
[
"Panetta"
],
[
"December 31, 2011,"
],
[
"Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other top brass"
]
] | The brigade was originally scheduled to be among the last to leave Iraq at the end of 2011 .
The move comes amid talks on legal immunity for U.S. troops after withdrawal deadline .
"The United States and Iraq have not come to an agreement," says one brigade official .
A Pentagon spokesman says talks are still ongoing . |
Emma Coleman Jordan is a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center. She was a White House fellow in 1980-81, serving as special assistant to the attorney general and working on the nomination process of Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female Supreme Court justice. She was also counsel to Professor Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings in 1992.
Emma Coleman Jordan says Sonia Sotomayor's 350 judicial opinions are largely uncontroversial.
(ESSENCE) -- As Judge Sonia Sotomayor prepares to become the next U.S. Supreme Court justice, her lifetime of diligence and speed reading will now be crucial to help her navigate the next phase of her nomination.
From here on out, she will be silent. We will not hear her voice again until she sits before the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In the spring of 1981, I was this African-American progressive Democrat, a female law professor chosen to work as a White House fellow assigned to Republican Attorney General William French Smith.
I was one of three special assistants working directly on the search for the replacement to Justice Potter Stewart, which led to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's nomination. I was responsible for preparing briefing books for Attorney General Smith's chief of staff, Kenneth Starr, before the O'Connor nomination was announced, so I know precisely what Judge Sotomayor will experience in the next 60 days. ESSENCE: Obama's Sotomayor decision
The judge will be working feverishly with a team of lawyers from the Office of the White House Counsel, Gregory Craig, the Office of the Vice President, and the Justice Department.
After her press conference with the president last week, more than likely she went straight to a briefing session in which she was given several thick briefing books, filled with memos that identify the most difficult questions of constitutional law that the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are likely to ask during her confirmation hearing. ESSENCE: Obama's mentor weighs in on nomination
The list of issues she will address will certainly include, but will not be limited to, questions about presidential power. The intense recent debate on the limits of presidential authorization for "enhanced interrogation techniques," closing Guantanamo Bay, military commissions, and domestic wiretapping will surely produce a slew of questions.
The lines of attack by outside interest groups are already beginning to take shape, but Sotomayor's 350 judicial opinions are largely uncontroversial.
So those who oppose her nomination will likely be forced to create a fusion between her personal story of educational mobility through affirmative action and her judicial views.
They will try to take the president's selection criterion of "empathy" and turn it against Sotomayor as a sword to accuse her of being a race- and identity-sensitive ideologue.
It helps considerably that her nomination comes at the beginning of the first term of a popular, media-savvy president. In this way, she is in the same position as Sandra Day O'Connor was when her nomination was announced in July 1981, at the beginning of President Reagan's first term.
When I first saw O'Connor's résumé, before the nomination became public, I thought, there are too many gaps here. What did she do right after law school? Why had she never practiced law with a major law firm? Why had she chosen to be an elected politician?
The missing elements I was looking for were things that cannot be captured in a résumé, like the fact that this brilliant woman was once prohibited from entering the practice of law, even though she graduated third in her class at Stanford Law School. Watch more What Matters content
Her résumé did not include information on her own experience of exclusion and discrimination -- life experiences she would later call upon when it was time for her to cast the deciding vote against ending affirmative action in higher education in 2003.
Selecting a Supreme Court justice is an art, not a science. This isn't just about checking a box. It's a judgment call the president has made based on many things, including those personal experiences and a sense of chemistry between the president and the nominee. ESSENCE: Blacks in the White House
The | [
"Where is Emma Coleman Jordan professor ?",
"where is Coleman Jordan worked?",
"who is emma coleman jordan?",
"What is Emma Coleman Jordan's opinion?",
"What does Emma Coleman Jordan do for a living?",
"what did coleman jordan work on?"
] | [
[
"Georgetown University Law Center."
],
[
"Georgetown University Law Center."
],
[
"professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center."
],
[
"are largely uncontroversial."
],
[
"professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center."
],
[
"the nomination process of Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female Supreme Court justice."
]
] | Emma Coleman Jordan is professor of law at Georgetown University .
Coleman Jordan worked on nomination process of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor .
Sonia Sotomayor faces tough Senate hearings, Coleman Jordan writes .
"We can only count on her diligent preparation to face partisan interest," she says . |
Ercis, Turkey (CNN) -- The death toll from the massive earthquake that shook eastern Turkey over the weekend rose to 535 Thursday, up from 471 the day before, but crews have been able to rescue 185 people alive from the rubble, Turkish officials said.
In addition, about 2,300 people were injured by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Sunday, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Relief Agency.
Meanwhile, crews rescued 18-year-old Imdat Padak alive from the rubble of an apartment building in Ercis almost 100 hours after the earthquake, the semi-official Anatolian new agency reported.
After teams from Azerbaijan retrieved him, Padak was taken to a hospital for initial treatment, and then was airlifted by helicopter to Van.
Padak appeared not to have any significant trauma, but was suffering dehydration. He is reported to be a student from the village of Kiziloren and was taking courses while preparing for university entrance exams.
Earlier in the week, crews pulled a 2-week-old baby, Azra Karaduman, alive from the debris.
The developments came as there were reports of a moderate earthquake in the country's south.
A 5.2 earthquake hit about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of the center of Sunday's quake, near the border with Iraq, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the latest quake.
Padak was the latest of several people found alive in the rubble days after Sunday's quake. On Wednesday rescuers pulled two people from collapsed buildings.
Britain has pledged emergency tents for more than 5,500 people whose homes were destroyed, Home Secretary Theresa May said during a visit to Turkey Thursday.
CNN's Diana Magnay, Yesim Comert and Michael Martinez contributed to this story | [
"What is the death toll?",
"Where will emergency tents be?",
"How many people where rescued from the rubble?",
"How many people were rescued?",
"What is the age of the rescued man?",
"How many people died?",
"Have people been rescued alive?",
"Death toll has rise t to what number?"
] | [
[
"535"
],
[
"Turkey"
],
[
"185"
],
[
"185"
],
[
"18-year-old"
],
[
"535"
],
[
"able to rescue 185"
],
[
"535"
]
] | NEW: The death toll rises to 535 .
NEW: Crews have rescued 185 people alive from the rubble .
One person saved is an 18-year-old man .
Britain pledges emergency tents for more than 5,500 people . |
Ercis, Turkey (CNN) -- The death toll from the massive earthquake that shook eastern Turkey over the weekend rose to 570 on Friday, up from 535 the day before, but crews have pulled 187 people alive from the rubble, Turkish officials said.
In addition, about 2,555 people were injured by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Sunday, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Relief Agency.
Rescue workers extracted 13-year-old Serhat Tokay from the rubble of an apartment building early Friday, 108 hours after the earthquake struck Ercis, the semi-official Anatolian news agency reported. The child was being treated in a field hospital.
Eight hours earlier, crews had rescued 18-year-old Imdat Padak from the wreckage of another building in Ercis, the agency reported.
After teams from Azerbaijan retrieved him, Padak was taken to a hospital for initial treatment, and then was airlifted by helicopter to the city of Van.
Padak appeared not to have any significant trauma, but was suffering dehydration. He is reported to be a student from the village of Kiziloren and was taking courses while preparing for university entrance exams.
Earlier in the week, crews pulled a 2-week-old baby, Azra Karaduman, alive from the debris.
There were reports Thursday of a moderate earthquake in the country's south.
A 5.2 earthquake hit about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of the center of Sunday's quake, near the border with Iraq, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Tokay was the latest of several people found alive in the rubble days after Sunday's quake. On Wednesday, rescuers pulled two people from collapsed buildings.
Britain has pledged emergency tents for more than 5,500 people whose homes were destroyed, Home Secretary Theresa May said during a visit to Turkey Thursday.
CNN's Diana Magnay, Yesim Comert, Sarah Jones and Michael Martinez contributed to this story | [
"The latest person to be pulled out alive",
"How many people were injured?",
"What was the death toll?",
"Who was the latest person to be rescued?"
] | [
[
"Serhat Tokay"
],
[
"2,555"
],
[
"570"
],
[
"13-year-old Serhat Tokay"
]
] | NEW: The death toll rises to 570, officials say, with about 2,555 people injured .
The latest person to be pulled out alive was 13-year-old Serhat Tokay .
Britain pledges emergency tents for more than 5,500 people . |
FAIRBURN, Georgia (CNN) -- In a south Atlanta neighborhood lined with palatial homes and manicured lots, the Hicks family was living out its American dream. Breylan and Terese Hicks play with their sons Bryce, 3, and Jordan, 2. But like many Americans, that dream was interrupted when they almost lost their home to foreclosure. Terese, a firefighter, and her husband Breylan, a police sergeant, had always dreamed about owning a spacious house in the suburbs. When they began their search, the young family was living in a south Atlanta neighborhood. They grew concerned and decided to move when crime in the area started to pick up. Although they didn't think they could afford their 'dream home,' they started searching in an affluent area just south of the airport and across the street from the 190-room estate owned by famed heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield. "I've always been looking in this subdivision, but never thought we could afford a home here," Terese Hicks said. After discussing their financials with a mortgage broker, the family was presented with a deal and payments they could afford. The interest-only, adjustable rate loan sounded good at the time. And since they were not first-time homebuyers, they thought they knew what they were getting into. Terese Hicks figured they could always refinance before the interest rates were adjusted. Soon, the family settled in their seven-bedroom, five-bathroom plantation-style home with a pool. It all seemed like a dream come true, until the couple learned the interest rate on their loan would readjust in just six months, making the loan a short three-year ARM. The mother of two, who handles the family's finances, had wrongly assumed that their loan was a five-year ARM. The news couldn't have come at a worse time. Breylan was unable to work because of a serious back injury, and the family's income took a hit. They were also paying mortgages on vacant rental properties when they couldn't find tenants because of the housing crisis. To make matters worse, Terese Hicks, a city employee, had to take a 10-percent pay cut in her salary, and the family was burdened with a mountain of medical bills for numerous surgeries their 6-month-old son Jordan underwent to treat a birth-related medical condition. Struggling to pay the new adjusted mortgage, Terese Hicks appealed to their mortgage company, Homecomings which is owned by GMAC, for help. "They said there was nothing they could do about the rate readjusting, so I said let's weather the storm and see what we can do," she said. She continued to make regular payments for all of their mortgages in order to maintain their good credit. But within a year, they were in the eye of the storm and their savings dropped to around $75. Desperate, the Hickses asked their mortgage company again for help. But they were told there was nothing they could do because they were current on all their payments. The Hickses decided they had no other choice but to "play the game" and stop paying their mortgage, even if it meant damaging their hard-earned credit. Homecomings acknowledges that the guidelines for modification at that time made little sense, but they were caught in the middle of a "symptomatic" relationship between working with third-party investors and homeowners. "In order for us to have been able to modify the loan we needed to get permission on the investor on whose behalf we are servicing the loan," said Jeanine Bruin of GMAC. "It's a balancing act, what's in the best interest of the customer and the investor." At the time of the Hickses request for a loan modification, investors backing the loans required some proof of financial difficulty. Things have changed since then, including new government concessions geared towards helping homeowners, explained Bruin. "The proof was in the pudding," said Bruin, "You had to be late in your payment to prove hardship." The Hicks family | [
"Where did the Hicks family purchase a dream home?",
"In what city was the home purchased?",
"What did the Hicks suffer?",
"What was the name of the family?",
"What did the couple struggle with?"
] | [
[
"south Atlanta"
],
[
"Atlanta"
],
[
"almost lost their home to foreclosure."
],
[
"Hicks"
],
[
"to pay the new adjusted mortgage,"
]
] | The Hicks family purchased a "dream home" just south of Atlanta, Georgia .
The couple struggled to pay the interest-only mortgage after it adjusted .
They suffered a series of financial blows from health issues to loss of income .
HomeFree-USA consulted with their lender to avoid foreclosure . |
FALLS CHURCH, Virginia (CNN) -- Michelle Mack has turned medical thinking upside down. The right side of Michelle Mack's brain rewired itself to take over functions controlled by the left. Born with only half a brain, Mack can speak normally, graduated from high school and has an uncanny knack for dates. At 27, doctors determined that the right side of her brain had essentially rewired itself to make up for function that was likely lost during a pre-birth stroke. But her childhood and young adult years were fraught with frustration. "It was very hard for me," Mack said. "It was very hard for me growing up. No one knew the truth about my brain." Mack's parents, Carol and Wally, realized shortly after her birth that something was wrong. "There wasn't a group to turn to," said Carol Mack. "Michelle didn't have cerebral palsy, I knew that. She didn't have Down's syndrome, I knew that. I had no place to turn." Ten years ago, Dr. Jordan Grafman, chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section at the National Institutes of Health, finally diagnosed the problem. Watch how Mack's brain healed itself » An MRI scan revealed she was missing nearly all the left side of her brain. While it was clear Mack has some problems, Grafman said he and the family were shocked by the extent of the damage. "We were surprised to see the extent of the lesion in her brain, which basically took away the left side of her brain," said Grafman. "There's some very deep structures remaining, but the surface of her brain, the cortex is 95 percent gone and some of the deeper structures, structures that control movement, are missing. These are all structures that are important for movement, behavior, cognition." The only answer, Grafman said, was that Mack's brain has rewired itself. The remaining half took over some of the essential functions that are normally done by the left, such as speaking and reading. That rewiring, however, came at a cost. "Michelle has fairly normal language abilities, certainly basic language abilities, she can construct a sentence, she can understand instructions, she can find words when she's talking, but actually she has some trouble in some aspects of visual-spatial processing," said Grafman. "It's quite possible that in her learning, in her development, when the right hemisphere either took over or developed some of the language abilities that it cost her in some of the skills that are normally mediated by the right side of the brain," added Grafman. In the 10 years since Grafman first diagnosed Mack, she has seen some intellectual functions improve, the doctor said. Recovery has not been perfect, however. Mack still struggles with abstract concepts and becomes easily lost in unfamiliar surroundings. The diagnosis explained why Mack had experienced a lifetime of difficulty controlling her emotions. "He's helped us understand the reason why I tend to throw fits, temper tantrums," she said. "It was because I was missing half my brain." Mack will always have some problems, but dad Wally Mack said that Grafman's diagnosis and treatment answered a lot of questions and gave him hope. "Dr. Grafman explained that the right hemisphere is taking over, and it might take her a little while longer to get there with all the rewiring that has to take place," he said. "But that told us all these bad days are behind us and there are nothing but good days ahead." Michelle Mack is now 37 and lives with her mother and father. She works from home doing data entry for her church. She is fairly independent, pays rent and can do most household chores. She realizes she'll need help for the rest of her life but wanted to tell her story to make it clear that she is not helpless. "I wanted to do this so people like producers, photographers and security guards and police officers learn about | [
"What is Mack's message to the world?",
"What did Michelle lose because of the rewiring?",
"Whose brain was injured?",
"What did the other side of her brain do"
] | [
[
"\"I wanted"
],
[
"she has some trouble in some aspects of visual-spatial processing,\""
],
[
"Michelle Mack"
],
[
"rewired itself to take over functions controlled by the left."
]
] | Doctor: Lesion "basically took away the left side" of Michelle Mack's brain .
Right side of her brain essentially rewired itself to take over left-side functions .
She lost some language ability, emotional control because of the rewiring .
Mack's message to the world: "I'm normal but have special needs" |
FALLUJA, Iraq (CNN) -- Like many young boys, Khidir loves playing with toy cars and wants to be a policeman like his father when he grows up. But it was his father's very job that caused the tiny child to suffer the unimaginable. Khidir, now 8, was kidnapped and held hostage for two years by operatives with al Qaeda in Iraq. Khidir was just 6 years old when he was savagely ripped away from his family, kidnapped by al Qaeda operatives in Iraq. "They beat me with a shovel, they pulled my teeth out with pliers, they would go like this and pull it," said Khidir, now 8, demonstrating with his hands. "And they would make me work on the farm gathering carrots." What followed was even more horrific, an ordeal that would last for two years in captivity. Khidir and his father spoke to CNN recently, more than half a year after his rescue by Iraqi police. Watch boy describe torture » "This is where they hammered a nail into my leg and then they pulled it out," he says, lifting up his pant leg to show a tiny wound. He says his captors also pulled out each of his tiny fingernails, broke both his arms, and beat him repeatedly on the side of the head with a shovel. He still suffers chronic headaches. He remembers them laughing as they inflicted the pain. "I would think about my mommy and daddy," he replies, when asked how he managed to get through the agony. His father, Abdul Qader, struggles for words. "When he tells me about how they would torture him, I can't tolerate it. I start crying," he says. "What hurts me the most is when they hammered a nail into his leg." The father, a police officer, was sleeping at the police station in Falluja when his son was kidnapped. It was too dangerous to go home regularly. Although Falluja was no longer controlled by insurgents, assassinations against police were common. "I woke up to the sound of a huge explosion ... and then I heard my name on the radio. I ran outside and they came to me saying your house was blown up," he says. "When the police patrol came back, they all started kissing and comforting me," he continues. "I was asking, 'What's going on? Where is my family?' They told me that they took my son. This was a disaster. I went mad that day, I wasn't normal, I was hysterical." Khidir's grandmother was at home with the family at the time. "The kidnappers climbed the fence and kicked in the door," she says."They were screaming for Abdul Qader. I told them he's not here. They called me a liar and said we want his son. His son was hiding behind me, clutching my clothes. I said this is not his son. They hit me on the back with a rifle and ripped him out of my arms." The last thing she remembers were his screams of "Granny, Granny!" The attackers rigged the house with explosives and demolished it before taking off with the 6-year-old. The boy's grandmother and seven other family members rushed out of the home before it exploded. "The kidnappers called me on the phone and demanded that some prisoners that we had be released or they would slit his throat," Khidir's father says. "But I said no to the release. I would not put killers back out on the street that would hurt other Muslims. So I thought to myself, 'Let my son be a martyr.' " He even held a secret funeral for his little boy. He didn't want to tell the rest of the family that he had refused the kidnappers' ultimatum, allowing them to hope that he was still alive. Last December, nearly two years later, police in Taji, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) away, received a | [
"What did the boy tell CNN?",
"How long was the hostage?",
"Who was the father of the boy in hostage?",
"How long was the hostage ordeal?",
"How long did the Iraqi boy survive?",
"What did the terrorists do to the boy's teeth?",
"What occupation did the boy's father have?"
] | [
[
"\"They beat me with a shovel, they pulled my teeth out with pliers, they would go like this and pull it,\""
],
[
"two years"
],
[
"Abdul Qader,"
],
[
"two years"
],
[
"two years"
],
[
"out with pliers,"
],
[
"policeman"
]
] | Iraqi boy survives two-year hostage ordeal by al Qaeda in Iraq operatives .
Terrorists took the boy to blackmail his father, who was a police officer in Iraq .
"They pulled my teeth out with pliers," the boy tells CNN .
Dad says he won't leave police force despite intimidation, threats . |
FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- Forecasters issued flash flood warnings for Bismarck and surrounding areas Wednesday, as volunteers rushed to fill sandbags ahead of expected record floods in the flat state of North Dakota. Explosives are set off in the Missouri River on Wednesday to break up ice jams. Areas of three counties -- Morton, Emmons and Burleigh, which includes the North Dakota capital of Bismarck -- were under a flash flood warning until 12:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. ET), the National Weather Service said. In an effort to alleviate the flooding, demolition crews blew up an ice jam Wednesday evening south of Bismarck, according to CNN affiliate KXMB. Mayor John Warford said that water appeared to be moving more freely in the Missouri River after the explosives were set off, KXMB reported. The plan is make sure water continues flow through the river channel and not spread out over land. Ice jams in rivers have been a major factor in the flooding there. Most of the state, which endured a particularly harsh winter, remained under a flood warning Wednesday, with forecasters predicting possibly record flood levels on several rivers. Snow, which continued to fall Wednesday, complicated preparations, city officials said. "I woke up this morning and looked outside, I guess I thought of the same thing everybody else did. ... [What] came to mind is what a revolting development this is," said Mark Voxland, the mayor of Moorhead, Minnesota, a city just outside of Fargo. Watch flooded fields of snow » More than 1,000 people were evacuated from an area near Bismarck on Tuesday night as the Missouri River flooded, Rick Robinson of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services said Wednesday. See a map of the affected area » Emergency officials said they were particularly concerned about the Red River, which snakes through eastern portions of North and South Dakota and western Minnesota. The river is expected to crest between 39 and 41 feet in Fargo on Friday, according to Cecily Fong of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. The record for the Red River at Fargo was set in 1897 at 40.1 feet, according to Pat Slattery of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The threat of flooding prompted authorities to ask for volunteers to fill sandbags either to build temporary dikes or to bolster existing ones. In some areas, even at 3:30 a.m., hundreds of volunteers packed into individual sandbagging centers, an organizer said. See images of flooding, preparation » "There have been so many volunteers that we had to turn people away," said Ryan McEwan, a supervisor at one volunteer coordinating center. "It is very busy. They are filling sandbags as fast as they can." As of late Tuesday, Fargo residents and out-of-town volunteers had filled more than 1 million sandbags out of the needed 2 million. Fargo Deputy Mayor Tim Mahoney said he hoped that goal would be met by Thursday. Fargo's mayor, Dennis Walaker, said Wednesday that his city was about 95 percent prepared for the flooding, which is expected later in the week. "I went and looked at the dikes this morning, and they're significant, absolutely significant," he said in a briefing Wednesday morning. However, he said, "We have some areas we need to shore up." Just south of Fargo, authorities said they had rescued several people in Oxbow, a town of about 238 people, after a residential dike gave way. In some places, water had reached halfway up residents' basement stairs, and in others, it had reached the main level of homes, Sgt. Gail Wichmann said. CNN's Chris Welch contributed to this report. | [
"What happened to the ice jam?",
"When are they hoping the sandbag goal in Fargo will be met?",
"Where were residents rescued after residential dike gives way?",
"What goal is Fargo halfway to?",
"What complicates preparations?",
"Where was the ice jam?",
"What gave way south of Fargo?",
"What is the sandbag goal?"
] | [
[
"Explosives are set off in the Missouri River"
],
[
"Thursday."
],
[
"Oxbow,"
],
[
"volunteers had filled more than 1 million sandbags out of the needed 2 million."
],
[
"Snow,"
],
[
"south of"
],
[
"a residential dike"
],
[
"2 million."
]
] | NEW: Ice jam in Missouri River blown up, CNN affiliate KXMB reports .
Bismarck, surrounding areas threatened; snow complicates preparations .
Fargo halfway to 2 million-sandbag goal, which may be met Thursday .
South of Fargo, town residents rescued after residential dike gives way . |
FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- More than 1,000 volunteers rushed to fill sandbags early Wednesday as many in North Dakota tried to protect themselves from a historic floods that are expected to swamp the area.
A Fargo resident surveys the sandbags outside his home, located about 15 feet from the Red River, on Tuesday.
Even at 3:30 a.m., hundreds of volunteers packed into individual sandbagging centers, an organizer said.
"There have been so many volunteers that we had to turn people away," said Ryan McEwan, a supervisor at one volunteer coordinating center. "It is very busy. They are filling sandbags as fast as they can."
Fargo city officials estimated that as many as 10,000 volunteers have come forward since Sunday to aid in a sandbagging effort that's taken over North Dakota State University's central arena, the Fargodome, and to help build levees along the now closely watched Red River. See map of affected area »
That river posed the greatest risk of about eight rivers in the state that were at flood levels, emergency officials said.
The fear is that the Red River could overtake all previous records. As of Wednesday morning, the Red River ran at about 33 feet -- 15 feet above flood stage. A record level of 41.1 feet was set in 1897.
The record level of the river set in the April 1897 flood could be surpassed Friday, Cecily Fong of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services said Tuesday.
More than 1,000 people were evacuated from an area near the city of Bismarck on Tuesday night as the Missouri River flooded, Rick Robinson of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services said Wednesday.
Recent rain and blizzard conditions have swollen the rivers.
Gov. John Hoeven received word late Tuesday that North Dakota had received a presidential disaster declaration.
"We've had a severe winter and are experiencing significant flooding across the state, so we are grateful to receive this federal assistance as we continue the flood fight and recovery effort," Hoeven said. Under the declaration, the federal government will cover 75 percent of the costs.
"We're concerned about the rise of the river and how fast it's coming up, so our concern is that we're going to hit 41 feet," Fargo Deputy Mayor Tim Mahoney said Tuesday, adding that the way the levees are currently set up, they would protect against overflow only up to 38 feet.
Officials are guessing the Red River, which runs through the eastern parts of North and South Dakota, and western Minnesota, could crest in Fargo -- North Dakota's largest city, with about 99,200 residents -- anytime Friday or Saturday and that the water may linger at its crest height.
The city has canceled all trials scheduled in Fargo Municipal Court through April 2 because of the expected flooding, to allow all police officers to be available for possible emergencies, according to the city's Web site.
As of late Tuesday, Fargo residents and out-of-town volunteers had filled more than 1 million sandbags out of the needed 2 million. Mahoney said he hoped that, with the 24-hour sandbagging effort at the Fargodome, that goal will be met by Thursday. iReport.com: Are you there? Share photos, video
Another factor threatening efforts is the possibility of freezing temperatures, because sandbags freeze together and then aren't individually stackable.
Despite the stress, volunteers have been working around the clock.
"You got old people, young people -- all helping out," Mahoney said. "It's heartwarming to see how many people are here."
CNN's Robyn Sidersky contributed to this story. | [
"What river is running 14 feet above flood stage?",
"How many volunteers have come forward?",
"How many volunteers?",
"When was there a major flood?",
"Where is the city of Fargo?",
"Wjat is the population of Fargo?",
"Which river was flooded?"
] | [
[
"Red"
],
[
"1,000"
],
[
"1,000"
],
[
"April 1897"
],
[
"Dakota"
],
[
"99,200"
],
[
"Red"
]
] | City of Fargo prepares for what could be the worst flooding it's ever had .
Up to 10,000 volunteers have come forward since Sunday to aid in sandbagging .
Swollen Red River running 14 feet above flood stage Tuesday night .
Residents have had much less time to prepare than major 1997 flood . |
FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- Fifteen helicopters from the U.S. Northern Command along with active-duty military personnel are being sent to Fargo, North Dakota, to assist the state as it prepares for record flooding, a U.S. military official told CNN. Valley Water Rescue volunteers patrol the Fargo area in search of people who need help evacuating Friday. The military personnel being sent to Fargo are from a "contingency response force" made up of active-duty troops, the official said. Above-freezing temperatures, followed by heavy rains this week, caused the Red River to swell and surpass its 1897 record of 40.1 feet early Friday morning. The swollen river threatened to rise further as the city's mayor vowed to "go down swinging. "Right now, we think the river is beginning to crest," said Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker. "As long as we stay under 42 feet, I think we got a chance; if we go over 42, there's going to be some more evacuations." As of 8:15 p.m., the river churned at 40.78 feet, nearly 22 feet above flood stage and almost a foot above the previous record of 40.1 feet, set in 1897. Watch Fargo's mayor explain why disaster could be averted » Sandbagging operations, which have churned furiously throughout the week, continued Friday, drawing praise from local and state officials, including North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven. "North Dakotans have come together in a big, big way. Our volunteers are doing a magnificent job building this flood protection and we want to say thank you to them," he said. "There's a sense of perseverance and resolve and determination." Buses and evacuation staging areas have been staged west of Fargo, Hoeven said, and hundreds of people already have evacuated Fargo neighborhoods, hospitals and a nursing home. Watch how volunteers are battling the rising water » Fargo Deputy Mayor Tim Mahoney said authorities were evacuating the city's "vulnerable populations" and were asking for voluntary evacuations in sites near retaining dikes. The National Weather Service predicted the river would reach 42 feet Saturday, and forecasts indicated it would remain there into next week. But the weather service warned the river might reach 43 feet -- the height to which most of the city's dikes have been raised -- if warmer temperatures expected in the middle of next week melt the record snowfall. Watch Fargo residents fight back » "What's going on here really is an inspiration for the country," said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-North Dakota. "The eyes of America are on Fargo, North Dakota, and they're getting a very good impression of what the people of North Dakota are like." Authorities would not try to raise the city's dikes above 43 feet, Walaker said. Sandbags are used to bolster dikes in residential areas around the city, while the city dikes are reinforced with clay. "We have most of the south side of Fargo, and along the river, good to 43, so we're not going to proceed with trying to get it to 44," he said at a news conference Friday morning. "Now is that a gamble? We don't think so." See map of affected area » National Weather Service spokesman Patrick Slattery in Kansas City, Missouri, said the river's level means uncertainty for officials and volunteers who are scrambling to mitigate the flooding in the area. Emergency responders can extrapolate the effects of the rising river, he said, but they cannot know for sure how accurate the predictions are because they have never seen the river so high. "At some point, especially when you're dealing with record levels, you reach a point when there's nothing else you can do," Slattery said. "Start alerting people to be ready to get out of there." Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who led the military response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2007, warned that sandbags can only buy time. "You cannot depend on a sandbag dike to save your life; you | [
"When will the river reach 42 feet?",
"What service commented on the river?",
"Who praises volunteers for perseverance, resolve, and determination?",
"Who was sent to help prepare?",
"What neighborhood was evacuated?",
"Who said the river will reach 42 feet on Saturday?",
"Who did Govenor Hoeven praise?"
] | [
[
"Saturday,"
],
[
"The National Weather"
],
[
"North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven."
],
[
"Fifteen helicopters from the U.S. Northern Command along with active-duty"
],
[
"Fargo"
],
[
"The National Weather Service"
],
[
"Our volunteers"
]
] | NEW: Gov. John Hoeven praises volunteers for perseverance, resolve, determination .
Helicopters, active-duty military sent to help prepare for possible flooding .
National Weather Service data says river will reach 42 feet on Saturday .
Fargo neighborhood evacuated after cracks found in levee . |
FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil (CNN) -- Forty-one bodies have been recovered from the crash of Air France Flight 447, the Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command said Tuesday. Brazilian military personnel on Tuesday carry the remains of one of the passengers of the Air France crash. Sixteen bodies pulled from the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday were taken to Fernando de Noronha for transportation Wednesday afternoon by helicopter to the air base in Recife, Brazil. The 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a Brazilian frigate. Searches for the remaining bodies will continue overnight, the navy and aeronautical command said in a written statement. The Airbus A330 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean June 1 en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, carrying 228 passengers and crew. The first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of the Brazilian archipelago of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; Tuesday's recoveries were 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. It was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air. Watch bodies being returned to land » Meanwhile, the French, who are leading the investigation, were increasing their naval efforts. The nuclear submarine Emeraude was expected to reach the search area Wednesday to search for wreckage, including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. And the French sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment, a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations. The United States is also sending equipment to help with the search. Watch challenges faced by search crews » Brazilian authorities said the plane debris will be taken to France for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in Recife. The cause of the crash is not known, but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as Pitot tubes, among other factors. Air France has agreed to replace the sensors on its Airbus A330 and A340 jets, a pilots' union said Tuesday. The airline said Saturday that it began replacing its fleet's sensors last month. Another Air France pilots' union, ALTER, has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their Pitot tubes are replaced. ALTER, the smallest of three Air France pilots' unions, would not say what percentage of the carrier's pilots it represents. Watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash » The biggest union, SNPL, said Tuesday it has accepted Air France's assurances that no Airbus A330 or A340 will take off unless at least two of its three Pitot tubes have been replaced. Union spokesman Eric Derivry added that there is no indication that the Pitot tubes caused the accident. Air France said over the weekend that it began to notice in May of last year that Pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on A330s and A340s. That caused "a loss of airspeed data," according to the airline -- that is, the pilots didn't know the plane's speed. Air France decided to replace all its probes starting April 27, following laboratory tests earlier in the year, the airline said. That is the program the pilots say the airline has promised to complete within days. The location of the crash has not been determined, because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris. Map of Flight 447's flight path » The ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies, but averages about 3,000 meters (nearly 9,900 feet) deep, according to the University of New Hampshire/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Joint Hydrographic Center. The search area covers 200,000 square km (77,220 square miles), nearly the size of Romania, Brazilian officials said. Brazilian officials emphasized Monday that finding bodies was their main priority. The French are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders. Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- were participating, along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate. The U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data | [
"Where did it crash?",
"The location of the crash?",
"What happened to French plane?",
"When did Air France say it began replacing parts?",
"What was recovered from the crash of Air France 447?",
"What has not yet been determined?"
] | [
[
"Atlantic Ocean"
],
[
"the Atlantic Ocean"
],
[
"crashed in the Atlantic Ocean"
],
[
"Saturday"
],
[
"Forty-one bodies"
],
[
"location of the crash"
]
] | First bodies recovered from the crash of Air France 447 returned to land .
Air France agrees to replace within days speed sensors, pilots' union says .
Air France said it began replacing parts in April .
The location of the crash has not been determined . |
FLINT, Michigan (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama Monday proposed spending billions to revitalize the nation's economy, a plan the campaign of his likely Republican opponent said would slow economic growth with higher taxes. Sen. Barack Obama wants to spend $60 billion on America's infrastructure. During an economic speech in Flint, Michigan, Obama promised to spend billions to improve America's education, infrastructure, energy and health care systems. To improve America's competitiveness, the senator from Illinois said he wants to spend $10 billion on childhood education, $150 billion over 10 years on developing alternative energy and $60 billion over 10 years to build "21st century infrastructure." Obama said he would pay for these programs by ending the war in Iraq, reducing government waste, charging polluters for greenhouse gas emissions and ending the Bush tax cuts for wealthy individuals. During his speech in Michigan, a state hard hit by the decline of the American automobile industry, Obama also rejected protectionist trade polices that many unions say would help protect American jobs, saying "it is impossible to turn back the tide of globalization." Watch Obama call for America to compete in the global economy » Obama said he disagreed with those who want to "build a fortress around America; to stop trading with other countries, shut down immigration, and rely on old industries." "Not only is it impossible to turn back the tide of globalization, but efforts to do so can make us worse off," Obama said. "Rather than fear the future, we must embrace it. I have no doubt that America can compete -- and succeed -- in the 21st century." A McCain spokesman attacked Obama's plan, saying the Democrat's "agenda to raise taxes and isolate America from foreign markets will not get our economy back on track or create new jobs." "To help create jobs in America, we need to lower taxes and open up foreign markets to American goods," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "Americans cannot afford Barack Obama's 'change' that takes us back to the failed policies of the past." But Obama said now was the time to commit to long-term investments in America's future and blasted McCain for wanting to continue President Bush's economic policies, saying "there is a clear choice in this election. Instead of reaching for new horizons, George Bush has put us in a hole, and John McCain's policies will keep us there. I want to take us in a new and better direction. "I reject the belief that we should either shrink from the challenge of globalization or fall back on the same tired and failed approaches of the last eight years," he said. "It's time for new policies that create the jobs and opportunities of the future -- a competitiveness agenda built upon education and energy, innovation and infrastructure, fair trade and reform." The two campaigns have been sparring over who would be a better steward of America's ailing economy, and both candidates have been reaching out to blue-collar voters, many of whom backed Republican President Ronald Reagan over the Democrats, in part, because of cultural issues. "I believe that there are stark differences between myself and Sen. Obama. ... And I believe that the same appeals that President Reagan made to the so-called Reagan Democrats will succeed there," McCain said during a campaign stop in Arlington, Virginia. Watch McCain vow to win Reagan Democrats » A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Thursday suggested voters favor Obama over McCain to handle the economy 50 percent to 44 percent. The poll, conducted June 4-5, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. | [
"what Obama offers?",
"What is being spent on renewable energy?",
"Who offers plan to spend $10B on schools?",
"what McCain's campaign says?",
"Who rejects protectionist trade polices?",
"What does Obama's plan to spend?",
"Who said it could hurt economy?",
"where presidential candidate would spend?",
"Who would spend $150B on renewable energy?"
] | [
[
"education, infrastructure, energy"
],
[
"$150 billion"
],
[
"Sen. Barack Obama"
],
[
"\"To help create jobs in America, we need to lower taxes and open up foreign markets to American goods,\""
],
[
"Obama"
],
[
"$60 billion"
],
[
"A McCain spokesman attacked Obama's plan, saying the Democrat's \"agenda to raise taxes and isolate America from foreign markets will not get our"
],
[
"America's infrastructure."
],
[
"Sen. Barack Obama"
]
] | Sen. Obama offers plan to spend $10B on schools, $60B on infrastructure .
Democratic presidential candidate would spend $150B on renewable energy .
Obama rejects protectionist trade polices, says U.S. workers can compete .
Sen. McCain's campaign says higher taxes to pay for programs would hurt economy . |
FOLKSTON, Georgia (CNN) -- Rain or shine, 80-year-old Cookie Williams plops himself on the wooden viewing platform perched over double train tracks. Cookie Williams, 80, watches a CSX freight train chug by on a typical Tuesday afternoon. On this warm May afternoon, a patient Williams sits slouched, legs crossed and arms relaxed, donning his vintage CSX railroad company cap littered with miniature train pendants. He is waiting for a train. A scanner, listening for oncoming train signals, crackles in the background as it picks up some conductor chatter. He waits some more. "A lot of people in this town thought I was on the kooky side," said Williams, who is retired from the paper and pulp industry. "But I love it. I've loved these trains ever since I was a kid." Folkston, Georgia, where Williams lives, is one of many train hot spots nationwide. Here, the blasting train noises are jokingly called "Folkston music." With up to 60 trains crawling loudly through the quaint town each day, it's become an attraction for fans eager to collect train images and sounds. In 2001, Williams, who grew up by a train track, pushed town officials to construct a viewing platform with picnic tables, wireless Internet and a scanner to detect oncoming trains. The Southeast Georgia town reports that at least 12,500 visitors from all over the world visit the platform to watch trains each year. Watch Williams and his friend talk about the joy of train watching » As the prominence of the iconic American railroad has faded over the past half-century, there remains a devout group of train enthusiasts like Williams and his friends, dubbed railfans, who obsessively chase and watch powerful trains glide along railroad tracks. Trains Magazine, an industry publication, estimates that there are 175,000 U.S. railfans, mostly male baby boomers. "The word 'enthusiast' doesn't begin to cover their devotion," said Rhonda Del Boccio, head of the Okefenokee Chamber of Commerce, which oversees railfan tourism in Folkston. "Picture [the popular game] 'World of Warcraft' for train people." On any given day in America, loyal railfans camp out for hours or even days on a platform, a grassy field, a road or a backyard to snap a few photographs or shoot video of the moving trains. Some travel to different cities and countries to capture the right shot. Last weekend, nearly 20 railfans convened at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana, a railroad worker dormitory built in 1939 that was converted into a hotel. The group took pictures of trains set against the backdrop of Glacier National Park during the day and had history lessons about trains at night. A train festival this summer in Oswego, Michigan, is expected to draw in 30,000 attendees, many of them railfans. Just like bird watcher keeps an eye out for specific birds, railfans watch for cargo and passenger trains and "critters"-- railfan lingo for small freight trains. On a lucky day, they may spot a historic steam locomotive. Hardcore railfans spend so much time visually dissecting the trains, they can recite the number of axles in a passing train or recount which years railroad giant Union Pacific Railway Co. changed its logos. "It's a marvel to see something that weighs hundreds of tons, hauling thousands of tons, moving through rural country," said Bill Taylor, a 62-year-old railfan and former teacher. His Missoula, Montana, home is adorned with antique rail items, such as train silverware and conductor lanterns. "It's an orchestra of motion." In an age of social media, railfanning has taken a new turn, going viral. On YouTube, there are more than 24,000 railfan videos, ranging from trains chugging through Gary, Indiana, to the subway in New York. Flickr.com touts thousands of pictures uploaded my railfans delighted to share their most prized train spotting moments. The obsession over railfanning often stems from historical and technological intrigue. Trains not only represent a romanticized era, they have been central to American economic | [
"how many visitors in Folkston",
"What do the visitors do?",
"What is happening with the trains",
"What are trains doing?",
"How many rail fans are there",
"where are there 12,500 visitors to watch trains each year",
"What number of rail fans are there?",
"what did Bill Taylor sAY"
] | [
[
"12,500"
],
[
"visit the platform to watch trains each year."
],
[
"crawling loudly through the quaint"
],
[
"crawling loudly"
],
[
"175,000 U.S. railfans,"
],
[
"Folkston, Georgia,"
],
[
"175,000"
],
[
"\"It's a marvel to see something that weighs hundreds of tons, hauling thousands of tons, moving through rural country,\""
]
] | Trains Magazine estimates there are 175,000 railfans in the U.S.
Folkston, Georgia, has about 12,500 visitors to watch trains each year .
"It's an orchestra of motion," says 63-year-old railfan Bill Taylor of Montana .
Trains are making a steady comeback despite the sluggish economy . |
FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (CNN) -- Marylisa Miller has spent much of her two decades as an Army wife bracing for the worst. But now the pressure is higher, as both her husband and their 20-year-old son are serving together in Afghanistan. Pfc. Martin Miller, left, and his dad, Sgt. 1st Class Martin Miller, serve in the same Army squadron in Afghanistan. It's rare, but not unheard of: Sgt. 1st Class Martin Miller and his son Pfc. Martin Miller have deployed as part of the same squadron of about 500 soldiers. Their brigade -- based at North Carolina's Fort Bragg -- is among the first specifically assigned to train Afghan security and military forces. "If the phone rings in the middle of the night, I answer it no matter what," said Marylisa Miller. "You never know. It could be the last call." Watch the Millers talk about serving together » The Miller men -- both paratroopers -- didn't really plan to march shoulder-to-shoulder into harm's way. It just sort of happened that way. "I pretty much have always wanted to be in the Army," said Pfc. Miller, who remembers watching his dad leap out of military aircraft with other soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division. "I guess watching him do it -- it looked cool," he said. Shortly before they deployed in August, the Millers revisited family memories at Fort Bragg's Wilson Park -- the same spot where the couple picnicked with their toddler son and daughter years ago. Telling family stories, the Millers laughed about old snapshots showing the future private first class as a boy -- standing at parade rest while his father spoke to him. "When I scolded him and his sister, I taught them to stand at parade rest," Sgt. Miller explained. "Then their punishment would be laps, flutter kicks, push-ups and sit-ups. It taught discipline and put them in good shape." After high school, dad convinced his son to try a year of college first. Soldiers with college degrees go further in the service, Sgt. Miller said. But a year later it was clear the young man's interests were in the Army. After all, growing up with a warrior father tends to influence a boy. Sgt. Miller did what he could to have his son stationed at Fort Bragg. He ended up in the same squadron. The father and son describe themselves as close. "Yeah, we're always doing something together," Pfc. Miller said. "We go out and party together and we fish and ride motorcycles." Walking together wearing red Airborne berets marked with their distinctive squadron flashes, the Millers talked about what it means to be a military family and how this life of service often extends to civilian spouses and children. "Back when I was a kid, there were a lot of people who saw the Army as something good," said Sgt. Miller, 46, who enlisted a year out of high school. "Everybody should do a little bit for their country." Although the Millers serve in the same squadron, they are in different troops -- and therefore don't share the same chain of command. "He can't work directly for me," Sgt Miller said. "Family members are not supposed to work directly for other family members. But my platoon possibly would work with his." Unlike his previous tours of duty, Sgt. Miller now bears two heavy burdens: command and fatherhood. The possibility that his son could lose his life while serving in the same squadron has crossed his mind. "If something happens to him, I can still function, but it won't be pretty," the sergeant said. "But knowing others depend on me, I can't get all broken up about it. If something were going to happen to him, I'd probably break when I got back." 'Navy brat' Marylisa Miller has known | [
"where did the millers serve",
"What was the surname name of the father-and-son soldiers?"
] | [
[
"Afghanistan."
],
[
"Miller,"
]
] | The Millers, father-and-son soldiers, serve in the same squadron in Afghanistan .
Fort Bragg-based brigade is among first to train Afghan forces against Taliban .
"I've had mortars come within 20 meters ... I should have been dead," dad says .
"Navy brat" mom co-leads Army support group to distract her from fears . |
FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) -- The 101st Airborne's senior commander in effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since January 1, two of them in the past week. An Army honor guard stands ready to fire a salute at Fort Campbell. "If you don't remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this -- suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad," Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. "It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it's got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now." Fort Campbell's suicide rate, the highest in the Army, "is not a good statistic," he said in remarks to one of four divisions he addressed during the day. After nearly one soldier per week committed suicide at the post between January and mid-March, the Army instituted a suicide prevention program that "seemed to be having good effects" until last week, when two more suicides occurred, he said. "Suicide is a permanent solution to what is only a temporary problem," Townsend said. "Screaming Eagles don't quit. No matter how bad your problem seems today, trust me, it's not the end of the world. It will be better tomorrow. Don't take away your tomorrow." He urged anyone feeling hopeless or suicidal to "tell somebody." "You wouldn't hesitate to seek medical attention for a physical injury or wound; don't hesitate to seek medical attention for a psychological injury." Townsend exhorted any soldier who suspects that a fellow soldier may be feeling suicidal to act -- first by asking how the soldier feels, then by escorting him or her to help. "Do not wait," he said. Soldiers can turn to their leaders, chaplains, medics, social workers, teammates, family and friends, he said. "Don't let yourself, your buddies or your families down," he said, ending his comments by repeating, "This has got to stop, soldiers. It's got to stop now. Have a great week." But Townsend's message -- called a Second Suicide Stand-Down event -- is likely to be ineffective, said Dr. Mark Kaplan, a professor of community health at Portland State University in Oregon, who has researched veterans' suicide and served last year on a Veterans Administration blue-ribbon panel on suicide risk. "It sounds like an order," he told CNN in a telephone interview. "I'm not sure that a command like this is going to alter the course of somebody who is on a trajectory of self-harm." He suggested the Army might want to adopt the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs model. "They're dealing with a comparable problem with a similar population," Kaplan said. "They have infused more sensitivity to their approach to suicide prevention as opposed to this. This is like any other order." The military culture attaches a stigma to mental illness that needs to be reduced, he said. Soldiers who acknowledge they are considering suicide can suffer severe repercussions, such as losing opportunities for promotion and access to firearms, he said. If the Army is serious about addressing the problem, it needs to address the stressors common to soldiers, including financial problems, marital problems, frequency of deployments, length of deployments, deployments to hostile environments, exposure to extreme stress and service-related injuries, he said. The role of alcohol too must be addressed if the rate of suicide is to be lowered, he said. "More often than not, these are individuals who'll get liquored up, so to speak, and have access to a gun and die from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Kaplan said. Bill Lichtenstein, who serves on the board of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, the advisory | [
"How long did Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend speak to troops about the suicide problem?",
"What is Fort Campbell's suicide rate?",
"Suicide affects what groups?",
"Who spoke to troops about suicide problem?",
"What did the general say?",
"What was the problem in this article?"
] | [
[
"five or 10 minutes,"
],
[
"the highest in the Army,"
],
[
"soldiers,"
],
[
"Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend"
],
[
"\"It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families,"
],
[
"financial"
]
] | Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend spoke to troops about suicide problem .
Don't hesitate to seek medical attention for a psychological injury, he says .
Suicide bad for soldiers, families, units, army, country, says general .
Fort Campbell's suicide rate, highest in Army, "is not a good statistic," says general . |
FORT HOOD, Texas (CNN) -- Families of tens of thousands of soldiers based at Fort Hood have one military wife to thank for a more normal routine at the base. A blunt conversation with an Army wife started Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch on the path toward his family-first policies. When Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch first took over as commander of the largest Army base in the United States, a soldier's wife approached him and gave him a talking to about how soldiers don't "really" get to spend time at home when they come home from war. "She said 'General, don't talk to us about dwell time. Because my husband might as well be in Iraq,'" Lynch told CNN last week. "'He comes home after the kids go to bed, we never see him on weekends and you take him away to train all the time.'" Lynch said that woman's comments "really hit me in the gut." In response, Lynch made "focus on the family" a key part of Fort Hood's environment. He insists that every soldier on a day schedule leave work in to be home for dinner by 6 p.m. On Thursday, many are told to leave by 3 p.m. so they can have the afternoon with the family. And no one at Fort Hood works weekends unless Lynch signs off on it. He likes to point out that when a soldier deploys overseas, the only thing he can't get is time with his family, so it's important to get it between deployments -- what the military calls "dwell time." Lynch's "home by dinner" order creates a daily traffic jam on the base in Killeen, Texas, as tens of thousands of soldiers leave at once. Master Sgt. Guadalupe Stratman enjoys Fort Hood's family-first attitude. She has a husband and three sons. When she's not cooking dinner after leaving the base, she's helping with homework or "just watching them grow." It's not just about keeping military spouses and children happy, it's about creating a more resilient soldier; one less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, injure or kill himself in a traffic accident or fall to suicide, Lynch says. It's working. No soldier has been killed on the roads around Fort Hood in more than 200 days. And although the base has seen two suicides since the start of the year, that is much less than some other major Army bases. Lynch is taking other steps to battle stress and suicides at Fort Hood. He's opened a soldier "Resiliency Campus" -- a city-block-sized collection of buildings with programs and activities aimed at improving a soldier's mind, body and spirit. And there is a weekly meeting of the base's "suicide prevention board," which Lynch usually chairs. This isn't to say that all the soldiers at Fort Hood are completely well-adjusted and ready for their next deployment. CNN spoke to one squad of soldiers who'd returned from a deployment to Fort Hood just a week before our visit. One soldier said he has "anger issues. I get angry over a lot of little things." Others are bothered by crowds or just driving around town. But even those young veterans, for whom the stress of being in a war zone continues after their return to their home base, have found ways to cope. The spend their off-hours together playing video games or just remembering what they went through together. "Some of the roughest times we've had, we sit back and laugh," Pfc. Keven Abbott said. "We are very well together -- you cannot bring us down." Watch CNN's Barbara Starr report on sorrows and joys of returning home » The successful fight against stress at Fort Hood is getting noticed at the Pentagon. Among others, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has praised Lynch's programs. But just after CNN's visit to Fort Hood, the Defense Department | [
"where do they meet",
"When does the \"suicide prevention board\" meet?",
"What are there fewer of at the largest Army base in U.S.?",
"Who meets weekly?",
"Who had a blunt conversation?",
"Who did Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch have a blunt conversation with?"
] | [
[
"\"Resiliency Campus\""
],
[
"weekly"
],
[
"suicides"
],
[
"meeting of the base's \"suicide prevention board,\""
],
[
"Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch"
],
[
"Army wife"
]
] | Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch at Fort Hood had blunt conversation with Army wife over priorities .
He instituted a family-first program, including orders to be home for dinner by 6 .
Fewer accidents, stress and suicides at largest Army base in U.S. now reported .
"Suicide prevention board" meets weekly; Lynch usually chairs . |
FORT HOOD, Texas (CNN) -- The first people who came across Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the psychiatrist suspected of Thursday's murderous rampage, told tales Friday of quick, calm efforts in the face of danger. By the time it was over -- in less than five minutes, base commander Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said -- 13 people were dead and 38, including Hasan, were wounded. Mark Todd was one of two civilian police sergeants credited with helping take down Hasan. He and partner Kimberly Munley pulled up outside the building where the shooting was occurring at the same time, and Todd saw the shooter standing outside -- about 15 yards away. He appeared calm. "As soon as we got there, it was game on, and then that's when it escalated, and we did what we had to do," he told CNN's "Anderson Cooper." "I yelled at him, 'Stop! Drop the weapon!' And that's when he raised his weapon and fired a couple of shots at me." Todd said he and Munley both took cover and as Hasan walked around one side of the building, he went around the other. "That's when I saw him again. I told him to drop his weapon and he fired a couple more rounds. He fell, I went up and secured his weapon." As soon as his weapon had been taken away, medics appeared, Todd said. "It was like instantaneous," he said. "We started life-saving measures to keep him alive as well." Specialist Francisco de la Serna, a medic, was among those who treated the wounded, including Munley, shot in both thighs and a wrist, and the suspect. "When the first gunshots started, you know, it was complete chaos," he told CNN's "Larry King Live." "Just everyone outside the building started scattering. They just all ran behind anything that would stop a bullet -- cars, trash cans, trees, anything." De la Serna said he came upon Munley, who was already being helped by others. "I made a tourniquet, put it around her thigh and put it down until the bleeding stopped, but she'd already lost a lot of blood," he said. "She was fading in and out of consciousness." He then turned his attention to Hasan, asking him where he had been shot. "I couldn't get him to answer," de la Serna said. "He looked really calm, really pale." Army reservist Sgt. Jeannette Juroff also stepped in to help the wounded, but first she and some co-workers took refuge in a bathroom. Juroff told CNN's "Campbell Brown" that she was taking her lunch break when she overheard fellow soldiers saying they heard shooting. At first, that didn't alarm her. "This is Fort Hood, shooting goes on," she said. But when a major told her to call 911, she tried to do so, but couldn't get through, she said. Soon, it became apparent that the threat was real. "I was walking down the hall and wondering what I would tell 911 and then a lot of my coworkers come in and they said, 'Just get in the bathroom.'" They took refuge there for about a minute, "but it felt like it took forever," she said. "It was so quiet, but then we heard just loud screams and stomps, a lot of chaos going on." Unwilling to stay cooped up in the tiny room as an unknown danger lurked outside, they opened the door and ran out, she said. Ahead of them she saw the building exit and the conference center where the shooting was taking place. Then, her cell phone rang -- it was one of her captains calling to talk about administrative matters. "I just said, 'Shut up, I need to talk to you. Call 911.' He | [
"how many died?",
"How many people died in the shooting?",
"How many people were wounded?",
"Where did the officers shoot Hasan?",
"where was he shot?",
"how many where wounded",
"how many died in the shooting"
] | [
[
"13 people were dead"
],
[
"13"
],
[
"38,"
],
[
"Texas"
],
[
"Fort Hood,"
],
[
"38,"
],
[
"13 people"
]
] | First responders credited with stopping Maj. Nidal Hasan, saving his life .
Officer praised for disabling Hasan shot in legs, wrist .
Witness: "Every soldier was helping everybody out, every civilian that worked there"
Thirteen people died, 38 others wounded in shooting . |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- An elementary school teacher was arrested for punching an 8-year-old student in the face this month, Fort Lauderdale police said Tuesday. David Adam Grant is accused of striking an 8-year-old student at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, school. David Adam Grant, 36, an art teacher at Sunland Elementary School, turned himself in to police Tuesday in connection with the November 5 incident, authorities said in a written statement. Police responded to a report of battery at the school, and "preliminary investigations revealed that an 8-year-old student ... had been battered." Authorities allege that Grant "hit the 8-year-old student around his left eye with a loosely closed fist, causing a bruise over his right eye," according to the police statement. Grant surrendered to police after detectives contacted him, the statement said. He faces child abuse charges. The incident remains under investigation, authorities said. CNN's Rich Phillips contributed to this report. | [
"Who struck an 8-year old?",
"What charges does he face",
"What city is the teacher from?",
"What day did the man turn himself in to police?",
"What age was the child struck by the teacher",
"Who is said to strike 8 year old in face?",
"What charges does the teacher face?",
"From where is the teacher?"
] | [
[
"David Adam Grant"
],
[
"child abuse"
],
[
"Fort Lauderdale,"
],
[
"Tuesday"
],
[
"8-year-old"
],
[
"An elementary school teacher"
],
[
"child abuse"
],
[
"Fort Lauderdale,"
]
] | Fort Lauderdale art teacher said to strike 8-year-old in the face .
Man turned himself in to police Tuesday .
Sunland Elementary teacher faces child abuse charges, police say . |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- Richard Barboza sits behind the steering wheel, patiently working a crossword puzzle. There's no rush. Time is one thing Barboza has plenty of.
Richard Barboza, left, and John Nilsen are among those struggling in the current economic recession.
It's just after sun-up. The streaks of light shimmer off the car windows. In the back of the Ford Explorer John Nilsen stirs. This is home. Clothes are kept in a suitcase. Food is wherever they can find it.
"It's definitely not something that you ever see yourself being, homeless," Nilsen says.
But homeless they have been for the past six weeks, ever since the money ran out and they were evicted from the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, apartment they shared. Nilsen had lost his job, and Barboza is waiting for disability checks to start arriving.
The line of homeless men and women has already started to form at the food bank when the two men walk up. The faces are always the same, with a few more added every day.
Michael is a regular. He makes grasshoppers out of palm fronds, then sells them when he can for whatever he can get.
James says he once played professional football for the Miami Dolphins. No one believes him.
Nilsen and Barboza wait quietly for their turn to get in the front door. "There's a lot of emotional and mental turmoil when you're in a situation like this," Nilsen says.
Breakfast at the Cooperative Feeding Program is rushed. There are so many to feed. Seats at the tables are a premium. Nilsen and Barboza eat quickly their meal of sausage patties, an orange wedge, some cake and coffee. They want to get moving.
It's back in the car and off to the County Library. They can charge their cell phone there and use the public computers for an hour. Nilsen checks Facebook to see how his friends are doing That's how he stays in touch. The two men then begin searching for places to rent on Florida's West Coast.
"Big old double-wide trailer," Nilsen snickers. A two-bedroom catches their eyes. "I like the location," whispers Nilsen, "It's just north of Tarpon Springs."
If they can get enough money together, Barboza says they'd like to get out of Fort Lauderdale. "After having spent 20 years here I'm due for a change anyway."
Nilsen agrees. "We've agreed that we're going to go together, that we're going to stick together. We've been through enough as it is. It's easier to have someone you trust with you when you're in a situation like this."
In the afternoons, the two men try making a few bucks. Nilsen got $25 for participating in a food tasting. Barboza has an opportunity to be in a focus group that will pay him $75.
Nilsen had been donating plasma twice a week, but now that he's homeless they can't use him anymore. Barboza made about $20 by panhandling on an Interstate 95 exit ramp for about an hour. He stopped after some other homeless men threatened to kill him for working their turf, he says.
It's not easy finding work when your address is a license plate number. For Nilsen and Barboza, it's doubly difficult. Both men have disabilities. Barboza was injured in a car wreck. Nilsen had a blood clot in his right leg when he was 16. He walks with a limp and uses a cane.
"When we pull ourselves out of this," Nilsen says, "it's gonna be something you can look back on and draw from and say, 'You know what, if I was able to get through that ...' "
The long days together living in a car don't allow for much space and not much alone time. "We're at the point now when I know when not to say anything and he knows not to say anything. And | [
"What is their home now?"
] | [
[
"Ford Explorer"
]
] | Two men evicted from their apartment when their money ran out .
Home for the disabled pair is now an old Ford Explorer .
Men wait in line with other homeless people for free meals .
They say police often chase them off when they park their vehicle . |
FORT WORTH, Texas (CNN) -- Bishop Kenneth Spears always thought gifts from God came from above. He never imagined that the gifts would be hiding under his church in Fort Worth, Texas.
Bishop Kenneth Spears says natural gas has saved his church. "What a God we serve," he says.
"The Bible says, 'Every place the sole of your foot should tread upon, I'll give it to you,' " said Spears, of the First St. John Missionary Baptist Church. "I walked and believed that if I prayed over that ground, if I walked over that ground, something good would come of it."
In 2006, he learned that all 15 acres of the church's property are on one of the largest natural gas fields in the country, known as the Barnett Shale.
"What a God we serve," Spears said, followed by great laughter. Watch an oil drilling bonanza »
Spears' church and thousands of residents around the Fort Worth area are cashing in on a unique urban drilling bonanza.
With the development of horizontal drilling technology and with gas prices sky-high, energy companies are racing to tap into the Barnett Shale natural gas field.
The Barnett Shale is the most-productive natural gas field in such a highly populated area spanning 5,000 square miles. The drilling here is being watched closely in Louisiana and Pennsylvania, which also have natural gas fields under urban areas. See where the Barnett Shale is located »
Energy companies in the Fort Worth area are going door-to-door, negotiating with people for access to mineral rights under their homes. That means residents are offered a bonus check and future monthly royalty checks.
Spears' church received a $32,000 bonus and receives between $3,000 and $10,000 a month in royalty checks. The money is helping pay for a multimillion-dollar expansion and a new sanctuary.
"We're making a lot of millionaires up here in the Barnett Shale area," said Julie Wilson, vice president of Chesapeake Energy, one of the energy companies drilling wells in the Fort Worth area.
The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce says the urban drilling craze has created more than 50,000 jobs and will pump nearly $1 billion in tax revenue into the city's economy.
But opponents of this urban drilling say that it shouldn't be done in populated areas and that the promises of many people getting rich aren't true. They say that for most people, the payouts are modest.
How much money residents get depends on how much property they own and how much gas -- if any -- is found. The dollar figure also depends on each resident's negotiating skills with energy companies, experts say. The money can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.
"It's a divide and conquer strategy by going around and giving everybody enough money to keep them quiet. Hush money is what I call it," said Don Young, a community activist who operates a blog called FWCanDo.org. "Gas drilling is very dirty; it's very dangerous."
To 72-year-old Jerry Horton, the drilling is a threat to her cherished front yard. To move the natural gas through the city, Chesapeake Energy needs to bury a pipeline in her yard. She's been offered almost $13,000, up from the $3,000 she was initially offered.
"I wouldn't sell my front yard for a million dollars," said Horton, a retired artist who has lived in the same house for 53 years.
Chesapeake Energy recently sued Horton for access to her front yard, claiming eminent domain. The company says pipelines are crucial to keep the natural gas flowing and allow people to cash in the profits under the ground.
"I understand we need to pump our own oil, our own gas," Horton said. "But we don't need to destroy our homes, all of our trees and blow ourselves up. Who's going to be here to enjoy the gas then?"
Energy companies say that drilling for natural gas is safe and | [
"What has helped his church according to preacher?"
] | [
[
"natural gas"
]
] | Natural gas drilling has become widespread across the Fort Worth, Texas, area .
Region sits on the Barnett Shale, where gas is abundant .
Preacher says gas has helped his church: "What a God we serve"
Opponent says "gas drilling ... has no business in an urban area" |
FREDERICK, Maryland (CNN) -- Andrew Stein, 10, and his brother, Nathan, 7, are having a typical end-of-summer vacation: hanging out at the pool, visiting their grandparents and waiting for the beginning of school. Nathan Stein, 7, said getting some shots was worth it to help other kids. But this week they're doing something most of their classmates will never do. The Stein brothers will be testing the new vaccine to prevent swine flu. Because the younger population, from 6 months to 24 years, is at high risk of developing complications from the H1N1 virus, the National Institutes of Health is conducting a clinical trial specifically to make sure the vaccine is safe for children. Vaccine developers hope to get the doses out by mid-October, before the flu season really shifts into high gear. Although both boys dislike needles, they are willing to make the sacrifice. "One boy that I knew at our school died from a type of the flu," said Andrew, frowning. "So I wanted to prevent that as much as I could." The boys, who live in the suburbs between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, got their first inoculations at the vaccine satellite office in Frederick, Maryland. The trial is being conducted by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, one of 11 institutions across the country holding pediatric trials. Researchers will test the boys' blood, have them keep journals and make sure they have no severe reactions after each vaccine. The pediatric studies are divided into two groups within the United States. Half the sites will be comparing reactions between the H1N1 shot and the seasonal influenza vaccines on kids; the others will be looking at the effectiveness of a two-dose vaccine. The Steins are enrolled in the dosage trial. The data are crucial for developing a safe vaccine, said Dr. Karen Kotloff, who heads both the pediatric and adult trials at Maryland. "The purpose of the studies we are doing is to try to collect information that will help to inform policymakers about the best way to give the pandemic H1N1 flu vaccine," she said. "Whether we need one or two doses and what strength we need." Before they received their shots, both boys, along with their parents, Christy and Eric Stein, got an explanation of the procedure and were warned about possible complications. Nancy Wymer, who coordinates the study, says the boys will receive two inoculations over six weeks and will continue to check in periodically over the following six months. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the H1N1 clinical trial » Neither brother gave more than a grimace as he rolled up his sleeve and took a shot for science. Andrew Stein said it was no big deal. "It was in and out, in a couple of seconds." Why would parents have their children be part of such a trial? Most say to help other children. Christy Stein was involved in a pediatric trial for the swine flu vaccine in 1976 and understands what her sons are going through. But she also believes it's good for the country's public health. "I trust the people who are running the study," she said. "And I'm not concerned about it at all." The studies are based on other influenza trials in the past. Many parents have already volunteered their children but openings still exist. Children 6 months to 35 months are needed, Kotloff said. "Like with any shot, children may have a sore arm. Your arm can be red...There might be some fever or achiness, but the symptoms go away in a couple of days. "There can be allergic reactions, mostly rashes, but in some rare circumstances there can be severe allergic reactions," she added. "Each volunteer is informed about these possibilities, so it's up to the parents to make that choice." The 11 main sites across the U.S, in nine states, are currently recruiting children for the vaccine trials. The two-dose vaccine tests are being conducted at the University of Maryland Baltimore; | [
"What disease is the vaccine for?",
"What age group is at risk of h1n1 complications?",
"Who is most at risk for the flu and H1N1?",
"What will the data collected provide?",
"Who is at risk for H1N1 complications?"
] | [
[
"swine flu."
],
[
"6 months to 24 years,"
],
[
"the younger population, from 6 months to 24 years,"
],
[
"the best way to give the pandemic H1N1 flu vaccine,\""
],
[
"the younger population, from 6 months to 24 years,"
]
] | National Institutes of Health has specific H1N1 vaccine trials for children .
People 6 months to 24 years at high risk of developing H1N1 complications .
Studies compare H1N1 and seasonal shots, look at dosage .
Doctor: Data gathered will be crucial for proving vaccine safe for kids . |
FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- Shin Fujiyama's life has been highlighted by second chances. Shin Fujiyama's organization, Students Helping Honduras, has raised more than $750,000. Born in a fishing village in Japan, Fujiyama, 25, recalls a childhood dominated by health concerns. Doctors told his parents that he had a hole in his heart and "they didn't think I had lot longer to live." But during a later visit to the doctor, Fujiyama says, his family learned the hole had closed. "Somehow I was cured and I became a normal kid," Fujiyama says. "And I had a second chance." During his sophomore year at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, he volunteered in Honduras with a campus group and was struck by the extreme poverty he saw -- barefoot children collecting cans and sleeping in the streets. Fujiyama says he realized he could help give other children their own second chance. Today, his organization, Students Helping Honduras, brings education and community projects to children and families in need through student service trips and fundraisers. Do you know someone who should be a CNN Hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes "Seeing the country and being able to make a difference really opened my eyes to a lot of things," he says. "I saw such a great need. I wanted to keep helping." He started by telling his friends about his experience and collecting spare change at his two campus jobs, but Fujiyama found that organizing other students didn't happen so easily. "When I had my very first meeting, I got all dressed up. And only two people showed up," he says. "I knew I had to keep fighting." He enlisted his younger sister, Cosmo, then a student at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, to the cause. "She's dynamite," he says. "When she talks in front of a crowd, she can move mountains. Knowing that she was behind it, I knew I could do anything." Since 2006, the siblings' grass-roots campaign to help Honduras has grown to 25 campuses and raised more than $750,000 to fund projects, including the construction of two schools and the establishment of scholarships to help young women attend college. Fujiyama says students are deeply committed to the organization because they are involved on every level: They raise money and then travel to Honduras to help build houses. "We make friends with all the kids, all the families -- no matter where we're from. We've had people from all over the world come to Honduras with us. And it's a great network we've made," he says. Watch Fujiyama and his group in action » While Fujiyama spends his summers in Honduras working alongside volunteers, he spends a large portion of the year on the road visiting colleges to organize chapters and raise funds. Cosmo Fujiyama, 23, lives in Honduras full time to coordinate the group's building efforts on the ground. Students Helping Honduras is working with community members of Siete de Abril to build a new village. Many of the families lost their belongings to Hurricane Mitch in 1998. "A lot of them are single mothers. They don't own the land. They all live in cardboard houses. They don't have access to clean water [or] health care, and they didn't have a school," Shin Fujiyama says. Fujiyama's group helped villagers purchase a new plot of land to rebuild. Its members have helped build 44 homes in the village that has been newly named Villa Soleada ("Sunshine Village"). The organization also is raising funds to build a water tower, an eco-friendly sanitation system and a library and to help provide electricity. Watch Fujiyama describe how the village came to be » For Fujiyama, who deferred medical school to dedicate himself to his mission in Honduras, the lifestyle is a far cry from private practice, but he says he loves what he is doing. Watch Fujiyama | [
"How much have they raised?",
"Who helps families in need?",
"When was the hurricane?",
"when did the hurrican happen",
"To how many campuses has the campaign grown?",
"Where can you nominate people?"
] | [
[
"more than $750,000."
],
[
"Students Helping Honduras,"
],
[
"1998."
],
[
"1998."
],
[
"25"
],
[
"Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes"
]
] | Shin Fujiyama's Students Helping Honduras aids children and families in need .
The campaign has grown to 25 campuses and raised more than $750,000 .
Group members are helping to rebuild a village devastated by a 1998 hurricane .
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes . |
Falls Church, Virginia (CNN) -- It's a Tuesday night at Nell and Matt Dillard's suburban Washington home, and the family of four is watching "Glee," a scripted Fox television program.
Ninety seconds into the comedy, one of the teenage female characters makes mention of Asian men and their sexual prowess. Nell Dillard immediately looks over at her 13- and 11-year-old boys watching next to her, but she sees no immediate reaction they have gotten the veiled sexually suggestive "joke."
"What's up with that," says father Matt Dillard, shaking his head at what he's just heard. "Why throw that in this show?"
Such are challenges many families face when trying to control the video material their children receive from a range of content providers: TV, radio, Internet, mobile devices, and interactive video games.
Now the Supreme Court is poised to take a fresh look at a key aspect of multimedia regulation -- "indecent" material aired on the broadcast networks during the supposedly "family friendly" prime-time hours of 8 to 10 p.m. Oral arguments in this key free-speech dispute will be held Tuesday.
At issue is whether the Federal Communications Commission may constitutionally enforce its policies on "fleeting expletives" and scenes of nudity on prime-time television programs, both live and scripted. The agency had imposed hefty fines on broadcasters for separate incidents. An expected ruling by summer could establish important First Amendment guidelines over expressive content on the airwaves.
A range of competing interests are at stake: Free speech versus censorship; regulation versus responsibility; art versus indecency.
For the Dillards, the specific questions raised by this appeal are just the tip of digital iceberg.
"It's not (like) when we were kids, when there was three networks and PBS," Matt Dillard told CNN one recent evening. "We've had to do the controlling over anything coming over a screen -- a TV screen, computer screen, telephone screen -- anything where there is video content or streaming. We lump all that together. ...
"It feels like the Wild West out there, where there is no rating system. We're not asking for a clampdown on free speech. They (media) have every right to that. We're just looking for the tools to help us make the best decisions for our kids."
The Case
ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox are all parties in the case challenging the FCC regulations. A federal appeals court in 2010 for a second time struck down the government's policies, concluding they were vague and inconsistently applied. Pending fines against the broadcasters were dismissed. The government then appealed to the high court.
Controversial words and images have been aired in scripted and unscripted instances on all the major over-the-air networks during the past decade, when the FCC began considering a stronger, no-tolerance policy.
The changes became known as the Golden Globes rule, for singer Bono's 2003 acceptance speech at the live awards show on NBC, where he uttered the phrase "Really, really, f---ing brilliant."
The commission specifically cited celebrities Cher and Nicole Richie for potty-mouth language in the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards, which aired live on Fox. Richie, in an apparent scripted moment said, "Have you ever tried to get cow s--t out of a Prada purse? It's not so f---ing simple."
The complaint against ABC involved "NYPD Blue," a scripted police drama, and the CBS complaint involved "The Early Show," a news and interview program.
The high court two years ago ruled in favor of the FCC on the issue of "fleeting expletives," concluding federal regulators have the authority to clamp down on broadcast TV networks airing isolated cases of profanity.
The court, however, refused at the time to decide whether the commission's policy violated the First Amendment guarantee of free speech, ruling only on its enforcement power. The justices ordered the free-speech aspect to be reviewed again by a New | [
"What are the issues?",
"What will be major look from the Supreme Court about children TV material?",
"Who has been `fighting` on this issue?",
"What is the supreme court poised to look at?",
"What will the Supreme Court look at?",
"What are among the issues?"
] | [
[
"whether the Federal Communications Commission may constitutionally enforce its policies on \"fleeting expletives\" and scenes of nudity on prime-time television programs, both live and scripted."
],
[
"\"family friendly\" prime-time hours of 8 to 10 p.m."
],
[
"ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox"
],
[
"a key aspect of multimedia regulation"
],
[
"a key aspect of multimedia regulation"
],
[
"whether the Federal Communications Commission may constitutionally enforce its policies on \"fleeting expletives\" and scenes of nudity on prime-time television programs, both live and scripted."
]
] | Parents face more challenges when trying to control what children see on TV .
The Supreme Court is poised to look at "indecent" material aired from 8 to 10 p.m.
Among the issues: Free speech versus censorship; art versus indecency . |
Fareed Zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who hosts "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN at 1 and 5 p.m. ET Sundays. Zakaria says India's elections could mark its debut as a great power. (CNN) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took the oath of office Friday for a second consecutive term after winning a mandate for his Congress party. President Pratibha Devisingh Patil administered the oath to Singh, seen as the architect of India's economic reforms in the 1990s. Nineteen other lawmakers also were sworn in as members of the new federal Cabinet. The Indian National Congress, headed by Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, won 206 of 543 boroughs in the April and May general elections. That is the party's best performance in almost two decades that saw mostly coalition governments running the country. CNN spoke to author and foreign affairs analyst Fareed Zakaria about the results. CNN: What do you think of the outcome of the Indian elections? Fareed Zakaria: These elections I think may be looked upon as India's debut as a great power -- the way the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics heralded China's debut. They are also the perfect symbol, in this case, of India's unique strengths -- which are defined not by government power but people power with all the messiness and chaos that implies. With 420 million people voting, India's recent polling was the biggest exercise of democracy ever. CNN: But the exercise of democracy in India isn't new. What makes this one special? Zakaria: You are right. It was the result of these elections. Over the last two decades, India has been consumed with its internal divisions -- of caste, ethnicity and religion. This has made if difficult for a government in New Delhi to mobilize national power to any purposeful and responsible end internationally. A decentralized, divided, and diffuse polity has punched well below its weight internationally or adopted policies abroad for purely domestic reasons. That's bad for India and bad for the world. This could all change, starting with this election result. For the first time in three decades, a single party -- the Indian National Congress -- was given a clear and large mandate. CNN: Why were there so many problems in the past? Zakaria: It was mainly two issues. First, populism trumps economic reform. Promising the voters goodies works better than imposing budgetary discipline. Two, in the age of terrorism, fear was an easy way to mobilize political support. (These problems have affected democracies in rich countries like America just as much as poor ones.) The Indian results contradict both notions. The Congress Party has been reasonably reform-mined economically and highly responsible on issues of terrorism. It chose not to react violently to the recent Mumbai terror attacks and was vilified as weak by the opposition. The voters didn't buy it. CNN: Can you think of why things have changed for the voters? Zakaria: I can't be certain but I will put some of the credit for providing a new option to voters on the shoulder of Rahul Gandhi. He is the 39-year-old son of the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, and the current head of the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi. He spent the last few years reviving the grassroots base of the Congress party. He also made a series of big strategic bets during the campaign such as to field young candidates, not to ally with caste-based parties which proved to be right. He, along with his mother and the current Prime Minister Singh, are reviving the Congress party, and have done all this while maintaining a commitment to secularism, economic reform and clean government CNN: So the voters in India got it right? Zakaria: I think so. But I also do want to take a minute to impress on readers the scope of elections in India. It really is amazing to see the largest democracy at work. First of all, look at the scope. 420 million people voted. That's more than all the people (men, women and children) | [
"What is Zakaria famous for?",
"What does the election in India show?",
"How many voters have India?",
"What country is holding an election?",
"In that country the elections were held?",
"How many voters are there?"
] | [
[
"GPS\""
],
[
"its debut as a great power."
],
[
"420 million"
],
[
"India's"
],
[
"India's"
],
[
"420 million"
]
] | Zakaria: Election shows India's unique strength, people power .
420 million voters make this biggest democracy exercise ever, he says .
Zakaria: For the first time in three decades, one party has a clear mandate . |
Fareed Zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who hosts "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN at 1 and 5 p.m. ET Sundays. Zakaria says granting autonomy to groups generally produces peace and stability. (CNN) -- The Dalai Lama says the key to stopping violence around the world is to stop "destructive emotion." In an interview to air Sunday on CNN's "GPS," he tells Fareed Zakaria that he doesn't think even Osama bin Laden wished for violence when he was a child but that it grew of out hatred and frustration. The Dalai Lama also addressed relations between Tibet and China in the interview, which Zakaria discussed with CNN. CNN: Why is Tibet such a hot-button issue for China? Fareed Zakaria: China sees the issue as a separatist movement, as President Lincoln did when the South wanted to secede from the Union. They feel their territorial integrity is being threatened. And Tibetans see their culture, language and religion as being slowly but surely extinguished by the Chinese. CNN: So who's right? Zakaria: Well, that depends on who you ask. You need to look at the history to get a complete picture. It all goes back to Genghis Khan, who captured Tibet in 1207. He united Tibet » with China under the Mongol empire. The Chinese have claimed an unbroken line of sovereignty over Tibet ever since. The Tibetans, however, reject that claim, saying they have been an independent kingdom for many periods during that time, some centuries long. That was the situation until 1912, when Tibet declared itself an independent republic. China never recognized it, nor did the U.N. or any major Western power. CNN: Well, that seems to indicate that China has a point. Does it? Zakaria: It's not so simple, because although China never recognized an independent Tibet, neither did it exercise any control of Tibet. That is, until 1950, when Chairman Mao sent the Red Army in to liberate -- as the Chinese saw it -- the Tibetan people from the feudal serfdom they were living under. However, the Tibetans saw the act as an invasion, and in 1959, the political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama, fled to India, where he set up a government in exile. CNN: So we've been with the current situation since 1959. Why hasn't there been any resolution? Zakaria: Well, the Chinese are hoping to wait it out. By letting the issue drag on, they are hoping more and more ethnic Han Chinese move into the region and slowly let the Tibetan freedom movement die out. CNN: Will it work? Zakaria:That could happen -- and has worked with other regions. But, it could also work the other way. The Chinese sometimes use force, as they did last year against the Tibetan monks, which causes a huge backlash in Tibet and outside. This has resulted in some Tibetans becoming more strident in their calls for independence and aggressive in their demands. However, the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that he does not seek independence, only cultural autonomy, and urged his followers to engage in no violent protests whatsoever. If there were ever a leader of a separatist group whom one could negotiate with, he's it. And once the 72-year-old Dalai Lama passes from the scene, Beijing might have to deal with a far more unpredictable and radical Tibetan movement. CNN: Do you think granting what the Dalai Lama is asking for makes sense? Zakaria: If you look at other cases, such as in Turkey and India, granting autonomy to groups that press for it has in the end produced a more stable and peaceful national climate. But that is a lesson the Chinese government will have to learn for itself; it is unlikely to take instruction from outsiders. CNN: What ultimately causes this age-old mistrust between the Chinese and the Dalai Lama? What's the stumbling block that keeps them from finding resolution? Zakaria: The Chinese government has always believed that when the Dalai | [
"Who are tibetans?",
"What does the Dalai Lama seek?",
"In what year did Tibet declare independance?",
"Does he seek independence?",
"What is the history?"
] | [
[
"monks,"
],
[
"cultural autonomy,"
],
[
"1912,"
],
[
"not"
],
[
"Genghis Khan, who captured Tibet in 1207."
]
] | Zakaria: Tibetans see culture, language, religion as being extinguished by China .
"You need to look at the history to get a complete picture," he says .
In 1912, Tibet declared itself independent, but China never recognized it as such .
Dalai Lama does not seek Tibetan independence, just cultural autonomy . |
Florence's best buys tend to be leather goods, designer wear and food. Roberto Cavalli's Florence store, just one of the city's many high-end boutiques If money is no object, head to Via Tornabuoni, Florence's answer to 5th Avenue, and snap up Prada, Gucci, and local-born designers Cavalli, Ferragamo and Pucci. If your budget doesn't stretch that far, head south to the city outskirts by car or taxi to the designer outlets where you can pick up luxury goods from Dolce and Gabbana and more at bargain prices (www.outlet-firenze.com.) For hand-made cashmere or silk-lined leather gloves, try Madora ( Via Guicciardini 1/R; +39 055 239 6526). Some people travel all the way to Florence just to shop here. If you have ever admired Sting's suits, you can buy one of your own from Piero and Franco Cisternino (Via del Purgatorio 22/R; +39 055 280 118) who make men's suits to measure. One of the most beautiful shops in Florence is an ancient herbal pharmacy or apothecary, Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (Via della Scala 16; +39 055 216 276), set in a 13th-century frescoed chapel. Its world renowned products include pomegranate perfume, orange blossom water and carnation milk soap. Italians have typically been late adopters of vintage fashion but Elio Ferraro (Via del Parione 47/R; +39 055 290 425; www.elioferraro.com) was ahead of the game. A visit to his gallery/shop will unearth vintage Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Chanel from the 1930s onwards. ...................... Florence City Guide: Where to stay | What to see | Where to be seen | Where to eat | Where to shop ...................... Do you agree with our Florence picks? Send us your comments and suggestions in the "Sound Off" box below and we'll print the best. | [
"What products are in Florence?",
"where can Italian designers be found?",
"what is Florence is famous for?"
] | [
[
"leather goods, designer wear and food."
],
[
"Via Tornabuoni,"
],
[
"leather goods, designer wear and food."
]
] | Florence's shopping isn't cheap: think high-end luxury goods .
Italian designers can be found on Via Tornabuoni -- and also at the outlet mall .
Florence is famous for its quality leather goods, like silk-lined gloves .
Made-to-measure suits and vintage fashions can also be found . |
For a city of its size, Copenhagen has a remarkable range of shops that ooze class and individuality. The Georg Jensen store has some exquisite silver jewelry. The city's main shopping hub is Strøget, a collection of pedestrianized streets that lead from Rådhuspladsen to Kongens Nytorv; you can easily spend hours, and a small fortune, browsing its boutiques and chain stores. Don't miss Illums Bolighus (Amagertorv 10), with its four floors of contemporary Scandinavian design. Once you've got a taste for stylish home accessories, make your way to Normann Copenhagen (Strandboulevarden 98) or Hay Cph (Pilestraede 29-31) for a masterclass in simplicity and elegance. When you've finished kitting out the house you might want to work on your wardrobe. Kronprinsensgade is full of hip boutiques, among them Bruuns Bazaar (Kronprinsensgade 8-9), with its collection from the ever-so-trendy, and suitably pricey, Bruuns label. Nearby, Designers Remix (Pilestraede 8) offers sophisticated styles for women, while Könrøg (Hyskenstræde 11) has cutting-edge fashions from a collective of Danish designers. For something more traditional, but no less beautiful, head to the Georg Jensen store in Amagertorv, for silverware that ranges from intricate jewelry to timeless tableware. If that's not exclusive enough for you, Peter Hertz in Købmagergade is jeweler to Danish royalty. Pick up something for the kids at Aniel (Frederiksberg Allé 70), which has too-cute baby grows, children's clothes and wooden toys made from organic and natural materials. Frydendahl (Store Regnegade 1) has some unusual hand-knitted toys among the selection of homeware strewn along the pavement outside. If your eyes are bigger than your wallet, then you might be interested in the flea market held on Saturdays in Israels Plads, where high-street stores are said to unload the goodies they can't sell in their shops. If it's raining you might prefer Det Blå Pakhus (113 Holmbladsgade), the city's biggest indoor flea market and a treasure trove of bargains begging to be hunted. ...................... Copenhagen city guide: Where to stay | What to see | Where to be seen | Where to eat | Where to shop ...................... Do you agree with our Copenhagen picks? Send us your comments and suggestions in the "Sound Off" box below and we'll print the best. | [
"what city is stroget in?",
"what does bolighus sell?",
"waht label does buuns bazaar sell?",
"What label does the bazaar sell?",
"How many floors does the Illums Bolighus have?",
"What is the city's shopping hub?",
"What type of design is featured here?",
"Where are the shops located?",
"What part is the indoor flea market?"
] | [
[
"Copenhagen"
],
[
"contemporary Scandinavian design."
],
[
"Bruuns"
],
[
"Bruuns"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"is Strøget, a collection of pedestrianized streets that lead from Rådhuspladsen to Kongens Nytorv;"
],
[
"contemporary Scandinavian"
],
[
"Copenhagen"
],
[
"Strøget,"
]
] | Strøget, a collection of pedestrianized streets, is the city's shopping hub .
Illums Bolighus has four floors of modern Scandinavian design .
Bruuns Bazaar sells clothing from the popular and stylish Bruuns label .
Det Blå Pakhus is an indoor flea market and has some great bargains . |
Forget about 20/20. "Perfect" vision could be redefined by gadgets that give you the eyes of a cyborg. The surface of the eye can be used to measure much of the same data you would get from blood tests. The tech industry calls the digital enrichment of the physical world "augmented reality." Such technology is already appearing in smartphones and toys, and enthusiasts dream of a pair of glasses we could don to enhance our everyday perception. But why stop there? Scientists, eye surgeons, professors and students at the University of Washington have been developing a contact lens containing one built-in LED, powered wirelessly with radio frequency waves. Eventually, more advanced versions of the lens could be used to provide a wealth of information, such as virtual captions scrolling beneath every person or object you see. Significantly, it could also be used to monitor your own vital signs, such as body temperature and blood glucose level. Why a contact lens? The surface of the eye contains enough data about the body to perform personal health monitoring, according to Babak Parvis, a University of Washington professor of bionanotechnology, who is working on the project. "The eye is our little door into the body," Parvis told Wired.com. With gadgets becoming increasingly mobile and powerful, the technology industry is seeing a steady stream of applications devoted to health. A few examples include a cellphone microscope used to diagnose malaria, surgeons honing their skills with the Nintendo Wiimote, and an iPhone app made for diabetes patients to track their glucose levels. A contact lens with augmented-reality powers would take personal health monitoring several steps further, Parvis said, because the surface of the eye can be used to measure much of the data you would read from your blood tests, including cholesterol, sodium, potassium and glucose levels. And that's just the beginning. Because this sort of real-time health monitoring has been impossible in the past, there's likely more about the human eye we haven't yet discovered, Parvis said. And beyond personal health monitoring, this finger-tip sized gadget could one day create a new interface for gaming, social networking and, well, interacting with reality in general. Parvis and his colleagues have been working on their multipurpose lens since 2004. They integrated miniature antennas, control circuits, an LED and radio chips into the lens using optoelectronic components they built from scratch. They hope these components will eventually include hundreds of LEDs to display images in front of the eye. Think words, charts and even photographs. Sounds neat, doesn't it? But the group faces a number of challenges before achieving true augmented eye vision. First and foremost, safety is a prime concern with a device that comes in contact with the eye. To ensure the lens is safe to wear, the group has been testing prototypes on live rabbits, who have successfully worn the lenses for 20 minutes at a time with no adverse effects. However, the lens must undergo much more testing before gaining approval from the Food and Drug Administration. A fundamental challenge this contact lens will face is the task of tracking the human eye, said Blair MacIntyre, an associate professor and director of the augmented environments lab at Georgia Tech College of Computing. MacIntyre is not involved in the contact lens product, but he helped develop an augmented-reality zombie shooter game. "These developments are obviously very far from being usable, but very exciting," MacIntyre said. "Using them for AR will be very hard. You need to know exactly where the user is looking if you want to render graphics that line up with the world, especially when their eyes saccade (jump around), which our eyes do at a very high rate." Given that obstacle, we're more likely to see wearable augmented-reality eyeware in the form of glasses before a contact lens, MacIntyre said. With glasses, we'll only need to track where the glasses are and where the eyes are relative to them as opposed to where the eyes are actually looking. And with a contact lens, | [
"What is the special point in the newly developed contact lenses?"
] | [
[
"built-in LED,"
]
] | Scientists developing contact lens with built-in LED, powered by radio waves .
More advanced lens could provide scrolling captions beneath what you see .
Surface of the eye contains enough data to perform personal health monitoring .
Lens must undergo more testing before gaining approval from FDA . |
Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel declared himself impressed after road testing the new Pirelli tires that are to be used for the 2011 season.
The Red Bull driver was back at the Abu Dhabi circuit where he clinched his first ever drivers' championship crown last weekend, after edging out teammate Mark Webber and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
The Yas Marina track played host to all 12 Formula One teams as they began a two-day tire test on the Pirelli rubbers, set to replace Bridgestone from next year. A total of eight sets of tires are available to teams during testing.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who finished a disappointing sixth in the drivers' standings, was quickest in the unofficial timings on Friday, with Vettel in second.
"I think the tires behaved well, better than expected given the short amount of time Pirelli have had and they've done a good job," Vettel told the official Formula One website.
"Pirelli are obviously in the middle of their development and what we used today is not what we will race with, but it was a good start."
Massa was three-tenths of a second faster than Vettel, and completed 94 laps of the circuit using two different types of tires.
"It was a positive start to begin to understand the behavior of the Pirelli tires. I felt at ease right from the start and there were no unpleasant surprises," Massa added.
"We acquired a lot of data which will be useful for the Italian company to develop the tires still further for the start of the 2011 season.
"On the harder tires, there were some difficulties over a long run while the softs worked well both on the very first lap and also after they had done a larger number of laps."
McLaren test driver Gary Paffett claimed third place while Kamui Kobayashi of BMW Sauber was fourth.
"We have to hand it to Pirelli, the tyres are already on a good level and we feel it was a very positive day," said BMW Sauber technical director James Key.
"We feel we learned a lot about the way the tyres are behaving and responding to different set-up changes." | [
"what tires did Vettel test?",
"who was fastest?",
"how many laps did Vettel complete?",
"Who impressed after road testing new Pirelli tires?",
"Who was the fastest in the unofficial timings?",
"What tired were road tested",
"What is the number of laps completes",
"What number of laps did the world champion complete?",
"What was the fastest in the unofficial timings"
] | [
[
"Pirelli"
],
[
"Felipe Massa,"
],
[
"94"
],
[
"Sebastian Vettel"
],
[
"Felipe Massa,"
],
[
"Pirelli"
],
[
"94"
],
[
"94"
],
[
"Felipe Massa,"
]
] | Sebastian Vettel impressed after road testing new Pirelli tires to be used in 2011 season .
Formula One world champion completed 78 laps of the Abu Dhabi circuit .
Ferrari's Felipe Massa was fastest in the unofficial timings . |
Fort Collins, Colorado (CNN) -- The lawyer of a Colorado father accused of carrying out a bizarre hoax involving his son and a huge balloon said Monday that official charges in the case could be filed next week. Authorities announced that Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi Heene, face several felony charges, but David Lane said the sheriff was overreaching with the charges. "It's piling on and it's using charges that really aren't designed to fit this sort of allegation," Lane said on "Larry King Live." "The attempt to influence a public official fraudulently, that's bribing a public official. That's not what happened here." The Heenes face charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempting to influence a public servant, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said Sunday. The family also probably will be charged with filing a false police report, which is a misdemeanor, Alderden said. Lane has said that the couple is "not running from the law" and deserves the presumption of innocence. "The sheriff having a press conference saying that they're guilty does not make them so," Lane told CNN's "American Morning." Authorities say the event -- in which the tearful couple said their 6-year-old might have been trapped in the drifting balloon -- was staged. Richard and Mayumi Heene had met in a Hollywood acting school and pursued fame for their family in the world of reality TV, Alderden said. Lane, asked Monday by CNN about his client's state of mind, said it was "what you would expect someone's state of mind to be after law enforcement searched your house, seized your property, held a press conference announcing you're about to be charged with felony criminal charges. Your state of mind would be rather upset and you would feel somewhat under siege, which is exactly how the family feels at this point." During the incident Thursday, as millions worldwide watched live TV coverage of the contraption floating above northern Colorado, authorities did not pick up on any deceptive behavior, Alderden said. But that night, during an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," the boy, Falcon, gave authorities an "Aha! moment," Alderden said. "You guys said we did this for the show," Falcon said in the interview, when his father asked him why he had not come out from hiding when his parents were looking for him. Richard and Mayumi Heene said their son was simply confused. Lane said on "Larry King Live" on Monday that he thinks Falcon was referring to his demonstration to reporters of how he hid from view. But authorities enacted a game plan to get the truth, Alderden said. The plan included misleading the media on Friday when Alderden said authorities still believed the incident was not a hoax. They wanted to keep the couple's trust, the sheriff said. Investigators pursued separate interviews and polygraph tests with the Heene parents Saturday, then searched the couple's home early Sunday for computer records, phone records, video recordings and other potential evidence, Alderden said. "The sheriff put both of them on a box, and they have not shared with us whether or not they passed or failed," Lane told "American Morning" on Monday. Polygraphs are not admissible in court, Lane added. Alderden said that, under Colorado law, authorities cannot announce whether polygraph tests were taken -- only that authorities pursued them. He added that authorities plan to seek restitution for the expenses incurred in the wild goose chase for Falcon. Because authorities aren't required to share evidence until charges are filed, Lane said he could not lay out the Heenes' defense. "Until that point ... I'm shooting in the dark," he said, adding, "If they have probable cause to make an arrest, then make an arrest and give me the evidence." iReport.com: "Outraged" over balloon hoax Alderden, speaking at a news conference Sunday, said authorities are concerned about the safety of all three | [
"What is the families name?",
"What was family looking for?",
"What could be filed next week?",
"Family wanted publicity for what?",
"When could the official charges be filed?"
] | [
[
"Richard and Mayumi Heene"
],
[
"fame"
],
[
"official charges in the case"
],
[
"bizarre hoax"
],
[
"next week."
]
] | Authorities say story of boy in runaway balloon a hoax .
Family wanted publicity for reality TV jobs, sheriff says .
Official charges in the case could be filed next week .
Lawyer says Heene family deserves presumption of innocence . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- There is no evidence of "friendly fire" during this week's deadly shooting at Fort Hood, an Army spokesman said Saturday. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey said authorities did not believe that any of those killed or wounded were shot by anyone other than the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Furthermore, Grey reiterated that all evidence indicates that the suspect "acted alone." Grey said there was "no evidence to contradict that finding." He added that the investigation is continuing. Thursday's mass shooting left 12 soldiers and one civilian dead and 42 people wounded, according to the post's public information office. It was unclear how many of those injured suffered bullet wounds. By Saturday night, 17 people and the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, remained hospitalized, Col. John Rossi told reporters. All had suffered gunshot wounds, he said. Rossi said Hasan is no longer on a ventilator, but is still in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center. Earlier Saturday, W. Roy Smythe, chief of surgery at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, said "a lot of progress has been made" in treating patients wounded in the rampage and that "some of them are out of the woods." But Smythe, flanked by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and two state representatives, told reporters there is a possibility some patients will be "physically impaired" for life. And, he said, there's "no doubt many" will be "psychologically impaired the rest of their lives." The incident has sparked national outrage. In his Saturday address, President Obama said it was "an act of violence that would have been heartbreaking had it occurred anyplace in America." But the president said, "it's all the more heartbreaking and all the more despicable because of the place where it occurred and the patriots who were its victims." The White House said President Obama and the first lady will be attending a memorial service on Tuesday and the president ordered flags flying over the White House and other federal buildings to be lowered to half-staff until Veterans Day on Wednesday. In Texas on Saturday, Smythe told reporters that of the 10 patients admitted to that hospital after the Thursday massacre, four have gone home and one may go home later Saturday. He said of the six originally in the surgical intensive care unit, only two remained there Saturday morning, with the others moved to a regular in-patient floor. The people in the intensive care unit "are no longer on the ventilator and quite stable." Despite improvements, he said the injuries to some "are so severe that only time will tell how they'll do in the long run." He said "some of these patients are young and sometimes young patients will surprise you in regards to their rehabilitation." And at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Jeri Chappelle, a representative of that facility, said eight patients are currently being treated there -- five in the hospital's intensive care unit and three others in a regular unit who are in fair condition. Perry -- speaking outside the Scott & White hospital -- lauded the hospital's quality and professionalism and praised the patriotism of the soldiers. "What I heard time after time in those hospital rooms that it's their honor to be able to serve our country, and that is a very humbling thing to watch a young man or woman whose life has been irreparably harmed in a violent act, yet their concern and their interest is in continuing to be able to serve this country," Perry said. Also, he praised the first responders, and mentioned Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, the civilian officer who confronted and disabled Hasan in a shootout. Munley has drawn praise from the military and from citizens across the nations for her quick and bold actions. Perry called her a "true professional" and a "selfless public servant." "She's very understated," said Perry, who spoke with Munley on Friday. "A person | [
"What does the evidence indicate about the alleged shooter?",
"Who is the chief of surgery?",
"What did the Chief of surgery say?",
"Who did the alleged shooter act with?"
] | [
[
"\"acted alone.\""
],
[
"W. Roy Smythe,"
],
[
"\"a lot of progress has been made\" in treating patients wounded in the rampage"
],
[
"suspect \"acted alone.\""
]
] | NEW: Official: Evidence so far indicates alleged shooter acted alone .
NEW: Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan off ventilator, spokesman says .
Chief of surgery: Some patients will be "physically impaired" for life .
President Obama says he met with FBI director and will monitor investigation . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- A judge on Tuesday granted a defense request to delay the Article 32 hearing of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people in a November shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, until October.
Hasan made his first courtroom appearance in connection with the case Tuesday. The hearing was the first part of an Article 32 hearing, the military procedure similar to a civilian grand jury, for the case being built against him by the Army.
Hasan uses a wheelchair after gunshot wounds he sustained in the November 5 incident. He wheeled himself into the courtroom, wearing his Army fatigues. He wrapped himself in a blanket during the hearing.
Hasan offered short answers to questions posed by the judge, Investigating Officer Col. James Pohl. Asked whom he wanted to represent him, he named his three attorneys.
Hasan appeared calm throughout the proceeding, at one point cracking a smile while speaking with his attorney.
Security for the hearing was tight, with nearby streets blocked off and bomb-sniffing dogs present. Reporters went through two layers of security. The only people present at the hearing besides the media were legal assistants.
Most of the hearing revolved around evidence Hasan's attorneys have asked for in the discovery process, the routine practice that is part of every criminal case, be it civilian or military.
Hasan's lead civilian attorney, John Galligan, a retired colonel with three decades of experience as an Army lawyer, has asked for everything from DNA test results to crime scene video to copies of investigations of the shooting ordered by President Barack Obama.
Last week, the Army delivered 2,000 pages of documents to Galligan, but many of the items he requested are still not available to the defense team, Galligan said.
For example, dozens of shots were fired that day on the sprawling Army base in central Texas. Galligan asked for "records of the measured angle of each trajectory, showing the trajectory from each bullet hole to the shooter's position."
The Army said in a court document filed in response, "There are no documents of files of items responsive to the defense request at this time."
Galligan also has asked for all e-mails between Hasan and Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Prosecutors agreed Tuesday to release them to the defense.
Defense attorneys also are requesting some classified documents. Prosecutors said Tuesday they are in the process of attempting to de-classify them.
Pohl granted defense attorneys' request for the delay, although prosecutors said they would be ready to present evidence at the Article 32 hearing in July.
Galligan's request makes clear that his defense case will delve into what happened before November 5. Hasan's lawyer has asked for reports of inappropriate or substandard work by Hasan while he was training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
Unlike a civilian grand jury hearing, Article 32 hearings involve both the prosecution and the defense, and witnesses are questioned by both sides.
Galligan earlier told CNN that since the entire defense legal team, which includes Galligan and two military lawyers, has only met with Hasan once, the team needs more time to help build a case for him.
CNN's Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report. | [
"What number of people is Hasan accused of killing?",
"Who delayed a hearing for Maj. Nidal Hasan last October?",
"When does Hasan make his first court appearance?",
"On what Hasan has been charged for?",
"When did Hasan makes his first appearance at courtroom?",
"When was the hearing postponed until?",
"What is Hasan accused of?"
] | [
[
"13"
],
[
"A judge"
],
[
"Tuesday."
],
[
"killing 13 people"
],
[
"Tuesday."
],
[
"October."
],
[
"killing 13 people"
]
] | Judge delays Article 32 hearing for Maj. Nidal Hasan until October .
Hasan makes first courtroom appearance Tuesday .
He is accused of killing 13 people in shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, in November .
Article 32 hearing is military equivalent to civilian grand jury . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- Army investigators on Sunday asked troops and civilians for help in the probe of a deadly mass shooting at Fort Hood last week, saying some who fled the gunfire might have evidence. "The Fort Hood office of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is seeking any military or civilian personnel who may have left the scene ... with gunshot damage such as damaged privately owned vehicles, personnel clothing, etc.," investigators said in a written statement. "CID is also seeking any military or civilian personnel who may have inadvertently left the scene of this incident with material that could be used as firearms residue related evidence such as shell casings inside the boot, etc." The statement said such objects would help Army investigators and the FBI "in their bullet trajectory analysis of the scene, to insure the comprehensiveness of the ongoing investigation." Thirteen people -- a dozen soldiers and a civilian -- died Thursday in the shooting at the Fort Hood Army Post. Some 42 people were wounded, according to the post's public information office. It was unclear how many of those suffered gunshot wounds. Among the wounded was Pvt. Joseph Foster, 21, who was preparing for his January deployment to Afghanistan when he was hit in the hip during the attack. With his wife and 6-week-old daughter beside him, he told reporters gathered outside his home Sunday that it was difficult to accept such an attack on his own post. "Not here at home -- but as we've seen, anything is possible," Foster said. "We are at war." As of Sunday, 16 gunshot victims remained hospitalized plus the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, spokesman Col. John Rossi told reporters. He did not say where all those hospitalized were being treated. Of the 16, seven were in intensive care, he said. When Staff Sgt. Alvin Howard's wife heard he was hurt at the post, her feelings were "indescribable," she said Sunday. Kaneesha Howard told reporters her husband was set to deploy to Afghanistan in January. In 2003, he was deployed to Iraq, she said. Daughters, Alanna, 9, and Kristen, 7, were shaken by the event. Alanna said of her younger sister: "She started crying when we went to the hospital because she [had] never seen her dad bandaged up like that." Howard was shot in the shoulder and was recovering in the hospital, his family said. They were unsure when he would be released. Rossi said Hasan, a 39-year-old licensed Army psychiatrist who worked at a hospital on the post, is no longer on a ventilator, but remained in critical but stable condition and in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center. Authorities have not identified a motive in the attack at Fort Hood's military processing center, where soldiers report before they head to war. Efforts to assist those affected by the incident, including family members of soldiers at the post, were ongoing, Rossi said. Fort Hood was awaiting the arrival of two specialists in child psychology and disaster management, he said. "This is not just for those directly affected by this tragedy," Rossi said, noting that effects from trauma sometimes are not immediately apparent. However, he said, soldiers are trained to respond to violence by controlling and securing the scene. "Their training kicks in, and that's what we saw," Rossi said. "The troubling part of it is it happened here in our own house." Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey said Saturday that all evidence indicates that the suspect acted alone and there was no indication of "friendly fire." The processing center has been moved to another location so its work can continue while investigators work at the crime scene, Rossi said Sunday. He told reporters he did not know Hasan's schedule on the day of the shooting, but "my understanding is that there was no purpose for him" to be in the processing center. The remains of those killed are currently at Dover | [
"Where is the suspect now?",
"Who is still hospitalized",
"How many peopel died?",
"The soldier was wounded where?",
"How many died in the attack?",
"How many were killed?"
] | [
[
"hospitalized"
],
[
"16 gunshot victims"
],
[
"Thirteen people"
],
[
"Fort Hood"
],
[
"a dozen soldiers and a civilian"
],
[
"Thirteen people -- a dozen soldiers and a civilian -- died"
]
] | NEW: Soldier wounded in Fort Hood attack: It's difficult to believe this could happen .
Obama: Massacre and response showed worst and best of human nature .
Thirteen dead, 42 wounded, according to the Fort Hood's public information office .
Suspect and 17 others still hospitalized, spokesman says . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- Investigators believe the suspected gunman in last week's massacre at Fort Hood acted alone, but his communications had been flagged by U.S. intelligence agencies in late 2008, the FBI said Monday. The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, remained in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In a statement issued Monday night, the FBI said its investigation so far "indicates that the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot." Thursday's shooting left 13 dead, 12 of them U.S. soldiers, and 42 wounded. Read more about the victims Hasan, a U.S.-born citizen of Palestinian descent, was a licensed psychiatrist who joined the Army in 1997. He was promoted to major in May and was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan sometime soon, but had been telling his family since 2001 that he wanted to get out of the military. A Muslim, he had told his family he had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In August, he reported to police that his car was keyed and a bumper sticker that read "Allah is Love" was torn off. A neighbor was charged with criminal mischief after that complaint. But the FBI disclosed that Hasan came to its attention as part of an unrelated terrorism probe in December 2008, when agents reviewed "certain communications between Maj. Hasan and the subject of that investigation." The intercepts "raised no red flags," with no mention of threats or violence that would have triggered a U.S. terrorism investigation, senior investigative officials said Monday. Hasan, 39, was wounded several times during the attack. Though still in intensive care, his ventilator was removed over the weekend, and he began talking afterwards, hospital spokesman Dewey Mitchell said. Federal agents attempted to interview Hasan on Sunday, but he refused to cooperate and asked for an attorney, the investigative officials said. U.S. military officials said intelligence agencies intercepted communications between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a former imam at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, a Washington suburb. Al-Awlaki, who left the United States in 2002 and is believed to be living in Yemen, was the subject of several federal investigations dating back to the late 1990s, but was never charged. Military officials told CNN on Monday that intelligence agencies intercepted communications from Hasan to al-Awlaki and shared them with other U.S. government agencies. But federal authorities dropped the inquiry into Hasan's communications after deciding that the messages warranted no further action, one of the officials said. According to the FBI, investigators from one of its Joint Terrorism Task Forces determined "that the content of those communications was consistent with research being conducted by Maj. Hasan in his position as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Medical Center [in Washington]." Hasan was first an intern, then a resident and finally a fellow at Walter Reed before moving to Fort Hood. "Because the content of the communications was explainable by his research and nothing else derogatory was found, the JTTF concluded that Maj. Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning," it said. FBI Director Robert Mueller has ordered a review of the matter, the FBI said. The independent commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks found al-Awlaki was a "spiritual adviser" to two of the hijackers in that plot, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar, while al-Awlaki was at the Virginia mosque and earlier, in San Diego. The commission report said it was not clear whether the imam knew al-Hazmi and al-Midhar were involved in the hijacking plot, but security experts have described him as a radical Islamic fundamentalist who was "very supportive of terrorists in the past," former White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend told CNN. An online post attributed to al-Awlaki praised Hasan as a hero for the Fort Hood attack, saying he "could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. | [
"What is the condition of the attacker",
"What did the new FBI probe on Fort Hood reveal",
"Who is awake at the hospital?",
"What has the probe shown so far?"
] | [
[
"wounded several times during the attack. Though still in intensive care, his ventilator was removed over the weekend, and he began talking afterwards,"
],
[
"the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot.\""
],
[
"Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan,"
],
[
"FBI disclosed that Hasan came to its attention as part of an unrelated terrorism"
]
] | NEW: FBI: Probe so far shows Fort Hood attack wasn't part of a broader terrorist plot .
Investigators check link between suspect, ex-cleric at Virginia mosque .
Online post attributed to cleric praised Hasan as a hero for the Fort Hood attack .
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan awake, says spokesman at hospital where he's being treated . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- People who knew and studied Maj. Nidal Hasan say he was a loner who had no luck finding a wife, and a criminal profiler said the Fort Hood shooting suspect fits the profile of a mass murderer better than that of a terrorist. Investigators are searching for any missed "red flags" that might have prevented last week's fatal shooting, which left 12 soldiers and one civilian dead and 40 other people wounded. However, the FBI has said its investigations indicate the "alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot." "A lot of people are jumping to the conclusion because this man spouted violent Islamic ideology that this is a terrorist attack," criminologist Pat Brown said. Brown, who profiles killers, said Hasan's profile is that of a loner. "He was simply a lone guy who had issues, problems, psychopathic behaviors that escalated to the point where he wanted to get back at society, and he took it out on his workmates like most of them do," he said. A cleric at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, where Hasan attended when he lived in the area, said Hasan seemed to become "somewhat withdrawn" after the death of his mother in 2001. "Some individuals said that their experience with him, that he changed after his mother passed away," Imam Johari Abdul-Malik said. Another cleric there, Shaikh Shaker Elsayed, said efforts to find a wife for Hasan were unsuccessful. "Well, we were not successful in matching him with somebody," he said. Hasan, a 39-year-old psychiatrist, came under investigation last year when his communications with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki were intercepted by terrorism investigators who were monitoring al-Awlaki, a federal law enforcement official told CNN. But an employee of the Defense Department's Criminal Investigative Services, assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, decided to drop the investigation after reviewing the intercepted communications and Hasan's personnel files. A senior Defense Department official said the task force's ground rules prevented that information from being transmitted outside the task force, although others disputed that. "I find it hard to believe that they would just say, 'OK, we're not going to share any of this information with the military,' " HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks said. "I mean, that's why you have a person from the military, from different military branches, on the task force to be the liaison." A former counterterrorism official said the information about Hasan's communications with the imam should have been shared with the military unless the FBI specifically forbade it. Still, one source familiar with the investigation said Hasan's communications with al-Awlaki appeared innocent in nature. Another federal source familiar with the investigation said Hasan's actions give no indication he was following the guidance in al Qaeda's terrorist handbook in the weeks before Thursday's attack. That handbook directs jihadists to conceal their religion, mask their beliefs and blend in. Instead, Hasan frequently appeared in public in traditional Muslim clothing and prayed daily at the local mosque, making no attempt to hide his religion or conservative beliefs, the source said. Hasan remained hospitalized Wednesday in stable condition and has not been formally charged with any of the 13 deaths in last week's shooting. His civilian attorney, retired Army Col. John Galligan, said he has spoken with his client, but that he was heavily sedated. "I think the closest thing that indicates that there's a court-martial in the works is last night about 8 I did receive an e-mail from the prosecutor at Fort Hood indicating to me that the pass privileges and leave privileges of Maj. Hasan had been revoked," Galligan said. CNN's Drew Griffin, Elaine Quijano, Carol Cratty and Brian Todd contributed to this report. | [
"How many people is Maj. Nidal Hasan accused of fatally shooting at Fort Hood?",
"What is the cleric quoted as saying?",
"How many were fatally shot by Hasan?",
"What was Nidal Hasan accused of?",
"What was the number of wounded?",
"In what year did Hasan's mother die?",
"How many were wounded in Fort Hood shooting?"
] | [
[
"13"
],
[
"\"somewhat withdrawn\""
],
[
"13"
],
[
"Fort Hood shooting"
],
[
"40"
],
[
"2001."
],
[
"40"
]
] | Profiler: Hasan fits profile of mass murderer better than that of terrorist .
Maj. Nidal Hasan accused of fatally shooting 13, wounding 40 at Fort Hood .
Cleric at mosque Hasan once attended: He was withdrawn after mother's 2001 death . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- Pvt. Joseph Foster was filling out routine paperwork for his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan on Thursday when he heard a shout quickly followed by a burst of gunfire from just a few feet away. "I was sitting in about the second row back when the assailant stood up and yelled 'Allahu akbar' in Arabic and he opened fire," Foster said Monday on CNN's "American Morning." Foster, 21, did not forget his basic training, which may have saved his life and the lives of others. "[I] got down on the floor, moved to cover. One soldier had peeked his head around the cubicle I was hiding in ... and I pulled him in," Foster said. Foster realized he had been shot in the hip but was too consumed by adrenaline to think about his injury. "Another soldier had come in as soon as the assailant had moved away from us," he said. "Those two got up and got out, and I got out shortly behind him." Once outside, Foster said, he hid behind a military shipping container "and started doing what I was trained to do." "[I] started helping get people into the next building and get them under cover," he said. Despite his injury, Foster, who has a wife and two young children, said he still plans to deploy to Afghanistan in January. "I'm still a soldier day in and day out," he said. "I'll do my job." Authorities are trying to figure out what prompted the gunman to begin shooting at Fort Hood Army Post, killing 13 people and wounding 42. Fifteen soldiers are still hospitalized, including eight patients in intensive care, Fort Hood commander Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said Monday. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old licensed Army psychiatrist who worked at a hospital on the post, is the suspected shooter. He was shot several times, ending the attack, and is now conscious and talking, a spokesman at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio said Monday. It is unclear if Army investigators have spoken to Hasan. The intense investigation into the mass shooting remains largely shrouded in silence. Army officials have voiced concern about jumping to any conclusions about the motive, warning about a possible backlash against Muslim soldiers. Several bystanders, like Foster, reported Hasan shouted "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great," which terrorists have used as a battle cry. The Army leadership at Fort Hood will "take a very hard look at ourselves and look at anything that might have been done to have prevented this," Cone said Monday. "Hasan was a soldier, and we have other soldiers ... that might have some of the same stress and indicators that he has," Cone said. "We have to look across our entire formation, not just in a medical community, but really look hard to our right and left. That's the responsibility for everybody, from the top to the bottom, to make sure we're taking care of our own." Cone said Monday that he has instructed commanders at Fort Hood to "immediately take a hard look and make sure if there's anybody out there struggling [that] we're going to address their issues." Sen. Joe Lieberman said he plans a Senate committee hearing into whether the shootings were a terrorist act and whether the Army should responded to reported signs of Islamic extremism by the suspected gunman. If Hasan was showing signs of being an Islamic extremist, the Army should have acted on that earlier, and "he should have been gone," said Lieberman, a Connecticut independent and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He spoke on "Fox News Sunday." The shooting, on the nation's largest military base, sparked outrage. In his Saturday radio address, President Obama said it was "an act of violence that would have been heartbreaking had it occurred any place in America." But, | [
"What makes him plan to depoly again?",
"What was Pvt. Joseph Foster doing?",
"Who heard the gunfire?",
"where did the event take place?",
"What did the shooter yell?"
] | [
[
"\"I'm still a soldier day in and day out,\""
],
[
"to Afghanistan"
],
[
"Pvt. Joseph Foster"
],
[
"Fort Hood Army Post,"
],
[
"\"Allahu akbar,\""
]
] | Pvt. Joseph Foster was doing paperwork when he heard a shout, then gunfire .
Shooter "stood up and yelled 'Allahu akbar' in Arabic and he opened fire," he says .
He says he was too consumed by adrenaline to think about being shot in the hip .
Foster, who has a wife and two young children, said he still plans to deploy to Afghanistan . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- The call came over the radio. "Shots fired." And then, even worse: "Officer down." Billy Rhoads, chief of the Fort Hood Fire Department, grabbed a radio and donned his flak jacket. He jumped into his SUV and tore down the road. A dozen or so blocks away, at the Soldier Readiness Center, a gunman had opened fire on soldiers. Rhoads stepped from his truck. His department's motto is "Protecting those who protect us." He hoped he was not too late for that. The scene was chaotic. Wounded and dead soldiers were everywhere. "I was listening to people hollering for help, and I was trying to get in there to see what we had," Rhoads recalled three days after the November 5 attack. "I assumed that we would have maybe several victims. I had no idea, I just could not fathom what we were going to encounter." Amid all the army uniforms, one dark blue uniform stuck out. It was Fort Hood police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who, officials say, shot the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, to end the rampage. She suffered three gunshot wounds. "I broke and ran over to her," Rhoads said. "I got over to her and began trying to talk to her." Rhoads and Munley had worked closely in the past. He considers her a friend. Army medics had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet on her leg. He bent down to comfort her. She was extremely weak and unable to speak loudly. "I just kept reminding her of her daughter and that she needed to stay with us for the baby's sake," he said. "She's a very tough cookie." Munley, 34, had served in the Army herself before becoming a police officer at Fort Hood. Her husband is a staff sergeant in the Army, and their daughter is 3 years old. Munley's neighbors have said she is so tough, she stopped burglars from entering her house last year. Said Rhoads of Munley: "The old saying that dynamite comes in small packages is very true." Emergency personnel were flooding the scene, and helicopters were en route to evacuate the injured. Rhoads, who began as a volunteer firefighter 26 years ago when he was just a teen, took over the scene as incident commander. But first, he paused for a quick prayer. "I just asked the Lord to be with me, to give me the strength and the courage I need to do my job wisely and keep my people safe." Even as the first responders worked on the dozens of wounded soldiers, they weren't certain whether there were other shooters on the post. "The thought's always there on your mind that there could be another suspect in the area," Rhoads said. As for Hasan, the fire chief says that discussing the shooting suspect is too emotional. "I saw the suspect from a distance, but I never got a look at him." Rhoads' prayers remain with the soldiers he tries to keep safe. "It's very emotional for everybody when we lose our soldiers. But when we lose them here at home like this, it takes it to a different level." He says the department has arranged for counselors to be available for the firefighters as they process all they have endured. They've received phone and text messages from fire and police departments all across the country, offering support and prayer. But the main thing his firefighters have relied on, he says, is each other. "Afterward, everyone started to console each other and talk to each other. It's a brotherhood." | [
"Who did the fire chief say she needed to stay for?",
"When did Rhoades begin firefighting?",
"People were hollering what?",
"Who began fighting when he was a teen?",
"When did Billy Rhoads begin firefighting?",
"Who said she \"needed to stay\" for her daughter?",
"What did the chief say people were doing all over the scene?",
"What did the fire chief some accross?"
] | [
[
"the baby's sake,\""
],
[
"26 years ago"
],
[
"for help,"
],
[
"Rhoads,"
],
[
"26 years ago"
],
[
"Kimberly Munley,"
],
[
"everyone started to console each other"
],
[
"Wounded and dead soldiers were everywhere."
]
] | Fire chief came across officer, told her she "needed to stay" for her daughter .
Chief says people were hollering all over the scene: "I had no idea"
Billy Rhoads began firefighting when he was a teen . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- The sound of taps echoed across the Texas plains Tuesday after President Obama pledged that the work of those killed in last week's Fort Hood massacre will go on despite their "incomprehensible" slayings. Speaking to an estimated 15,000 people at a memorial service at the post, Obama vowed that justice will be done in the attack that left 13 dead and 42 wounded. Though he told the families that "no words can fill the void that has been left," he added, "your loved ones endure through the life of our nation." "Their life's work is our security and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- that is their legacy," the president said. After his remarks, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama laid a presidential coin before each of the 13 battlefield crosses -- the helmet, boots and rifle representing each of those killed -- before family members and comrades filed past. Fort Hood Army Post has seen 545 soldiers killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the post's commander, "but never did we expect to pay such a high price at home." Gen. George Casey, the Army's chief of staff, added, "Grieve with us. Don't grieve for us." "Those who have fallen did so in the service of their country," he said. "They freely answered the call to serve, and they gave their lives for something that they loved and believed in." Obama called the wartime killings of American troops on their home soil "incomprehensible." But he said the values the dead volunteered to defend will live on and will be extended even to the man accused of carrying to the slayings. The suspected gunman in the attack is a 39-year-old Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who remained in intensive care at an Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Hasan, an American-born Muslim of Palestinian descent, was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan but had told his family that he wanted to get out of the military. "No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts," Obama said at the memorial service. But he said soldiers who responded to the attack "remind us of who we are as Americans." "We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes," he said. No charges have been filed, and authorities have not identified a motive in Thursday's attack. But in a statement issued Monday night, the FBI said its investigation "indicates that the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot." Thursday's victims included 12 soldiers and a retired soldier working as a civilian physician's assistant. Shortly before the ceremony and 1,200 miles away, the remains of one of the soldiers was carried off a chartered jet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An honor guard met the casket of Sgt. Amy Krueger on the apron at General Mitchell International Airport. Krueger, 29, was a high school athlete who joined the military after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. She was assigned to a medical unit that was doing checkups on soldiers bound for Afghanistan and Iraq when the shooting erupted. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and more than a dozen members of Congress were among who attended the service on the warm Texas afternoon. CNN correspondent Jill Dougherty contributed to this report. | [
"What did the President have to say about the event?",
"What were the Army's comments about soldiers who died on base?",
"Who also attended the memorial?",
"What did Obama say about the fact that soldiers died on base?",
"Where did the troops die?",
"What did the army cheif say/",
"Where did the remains of the victims go?",
"What did the Army chief say?"
] | [
[
"Obama vowed that justice will be done in the attack that left 13 dead and 42 wounded."
],
[
"\"Grieve with us. Don't grieve for us.\""
],
[
"Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and more than a dozen members of Congress were among"
],
[
"justice will be done"
],
[
"Fort Hood"
],
[
"\"Grieve with us. Don't grieve for us.\""
],
[
"was carried off a chartered jet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin."
],
[
"\"Grieve with us. Don't grieve for us.\""
]
] | "Grieve with us. Don't grieve for us," Army chief of staff says .
Fact that soldiers died on base "makes the tragedy even more painful," Obama says .
Troops, military brass, Congress members, Texas governor also attend memorial .
Remains of one victim greeted by honor guard on return to Wisconsin . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- The suspect in last week's deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood urged in 2007 that Muslims in the U.S. Army be allowed to claim conscientious objector status when it comes to fighting other Muslims in war, a defense official said Tuesday. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan also discussed religious aspects of Islam during a presentation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as part of a final project for his residency tenure, said the official, who has knowledge of the investigation into Hasan. "It's getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims," Hasan said, according to a slide show that The Washington Post said Hasan used in the June 2007 presentation. "Muslims [sic] soldiers should not serve in any capacity that renders them at risk to hurting/killing believers unjustly," a Hasan slide said, though he added that individual feelings "will vary!" Hasan is the only suspect in the shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas on Thursday that left 13 people dead and 42 wounded. Twelve of the dead were soldiers. Hasan remains in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, after having been shot by a police officer. Dr. Val Finnell, a former medical school classmate of Hasan's, described him as "a very outspoken opponent of the war" in the classroom and in public settings. "He equated the war against terror with a war against Islam," Finnell said. He added that he was shocked by Thursday's shooting. "However, that said, given the things that Maj. Hasan has said to me in the past and to other people, I am not surprised." Hasan's comments came in what was supposed to be a medical seminar, The Washington Post reported, but instead he spoke to senior Army doctors about Islam. Hasan, a psychiatrist, aimed to describe "religious conflicts that Muslims may have with the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to the newspaper's report. The report is based on a slideshow that The Washington Post said Hasan used in the June 2007 presentation. See the presentation and the Post's report In a statement issued Monday night, the FBI said its investigation "indicates that the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot." Hasan came under investigation for a time last year when his communications with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki were intercepted by terrorism investigators monitoring the cleric's communications, a federal law enforcement official said. An employee of the Defense Department's Criminal Investigative Services, assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, ultimately made the decision to drop the investigation after reviewing the intercepted communications and Hasan's personnel files. However, a senior defense department official said late Tuesday that the agency was not aware of any such communication. "Contrary to reports we have seen in some news outlets, based on what we know now, neither the United States Army nor any other organization within the Department of Defense knew of Major Hasan's contacts with any Muslim extremists," the official said. "Not until after the tragic shooting at Fort Hood last week were Major Hasan's e-mail communications first brought to our attention by federal investigators." President Obama traveled to Fort Hood for a memorial service on Tuesday for the victims of the shooting. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and other dignitaries also attended the service. Read profiles of the shooting victims Hasan, 39, was wounded several times during the attack. His ventilator was removed over the weekend, and he began talking afterward, hospital spokesman Dewey Mitchell said. Federal agents attempted to interview Hasan on Sunday, but he refused to cooperate and asked for an attorney, according to senior investigative officials, who insisted they not be identified by name because of the sensitive nature of the ongoing federal investigation. Hasan has retained a lawyer, ex-military judge and retired Army Col. John Galligan, the attorney told CNN affiliate KXXV- | [
"Who opposed the war on terror?",
"Where does Hasan remain?",
"What is Hasan's medical condition?",
"Who has reportedly retained a lawyer?",
"What did Hasan's former classmate say about him?"
] | [
[
"Hasan"
],
[
"in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas,"
],
[
"remains in intensive care"
],
[
"Hasan"
],
[
"\"a very outspoken opponent of the war\" in the classroom and in public settings."
]
] | Official: Let Muslims be conscientious objectors, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan said .
Former classmate says Hasan opposed war on terror .
Hasan remains in intensive care, has reportedly retained lawyer . |
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- Thirteen flag-draped coffins left Fort Hood on Friday as authorities searched for a motive in the massacre that left more than 50 casualties at the largest U.S. military base. Thursday's mass shooting killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounded 38 people at the Fort Hood Army Post in Texas. The suspect in the shooting, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a licensed Army psychiatrist, was among the two dozen who remained hospitalized Friday night. Hasan was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and was in critical condition but stable, a spokesman said. Investigators were waiting to speak to the comatose Hasan, who is under heavy guard, said Col. John Rossi, the post's deputy commander. The bodies of the 13 personnel who died were transported through a "ramp ceremony" to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for a dignified transfer, he said. It was a "truly moving ceremony." FBI agents helping investigate the shootings searched Hasan's apartment on Friday while investigators sifted through the crime scene, Fort Hood's military processing center, where soldiers report before they go to war. Are you there? Share your stories, photos and videos Hasan, who worked at a hospital on the base, is accused of using two handguns in the shooting. Two law enforcement sources told CNN that one of the weapons used is an FN 5.7-millimeter pistol, a semiautomatic purchased legally at Guns Galore, a Killeen gun shop. Details on the other gun, identified only as a type of revolver, were not immediately available. Rossi told reporters late Friday that both guns were privately owned and never registered at the post. Earlier, officials said investigators were looking into whether some soldiers may have been shot accidentally by others trying to shoot the gunman. However, Rossi said, "All indications are that this is not a friendly fire incident. And, of course, that will be validated when the investigation is complete." Rossi attributed the high casualty rate to the "more than 100 rounds" fired by the gunman and the relatively small size of the room, among other factors. Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who has been credited with shooting Hasan and ending the massacre, was among the wounded. She was in stable condition Friday night, according to her family and military officials. Munley's partner, Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, was also lauded for "engaging" the shooter, Rossi said. Todd, in an interview Friday night with CNN's Anderson Cooper, described the intense scene as both officers fired shots at the accused gunman. "He looked like he was calm. He was just pointing a finger at me," Todd said. "The weapon ... I just know I saw the weapon and that's when we returned fire." Todd, a retired member of the military police, offered his condolences to the families of the victims. "I wish we could've gotten there sooner and helped out a lot sooner -- but we got there as soon as we possibly could." Texas Gov. Rick Perry was scheduled to visit hospitalized victims of the shooting Saturday. As the Fort Hood community grieved its numerous losses, holding a candlelight vigil and setting up support lines, some details about the alleged gunman emerged. Relatives say Hasan, a U.S.-born citizen of Palestinian descent, was a "calm" individual who had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Others described him as a vocal opponent to the war on terror whose rhetoric concerned colleagues. Fort Hood's commanding general said witnesses have reported that the gunman yelled "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great," during the rampage. However, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said investigators had not confirmed that. Hasan's neighbors at his Killeen, Texas, apartment complex said he cleaned out his place just hours before the rampage and gave copies of the Quran to several residents. President Obama, in remarks Friday morning, cautioned against "jumping to conclusions" about what had triggered "one of the worst mass | [
"When will be the special investigation on the shootings shown on CNN?",
"Which residents say suspect gave them Qurans?",
"What did the suspect do?",
"Where was the vigil held?",
"Who holds candlelight vigil for victims of shooting?",
"What channel is the programme on?"
] | [
[
"Friday"
],
[
"Hasan's neighbors at his Killeen, Texas, apartment complex"
],
[
"killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounded 38 people"
],
[
"Fort Hood"
],
[
"Fort Hood community"
],
[
"CNN"
]
] | NEW: Fort Hood holds candlelight vigil for victims of shooting .
Residents of Killeen, Texas, complex say suspect gave them Qurans .
Watch a CNN special investigation on the shootings, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN TV . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- Three teens accused of setting a 15-year-old friend on fire pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of attempted murder, a public defender for one of the boys said. Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16, are charged as adults with one count of attempted murder in the second degree in the October 12 attack in Deerfield Beach, Florida. They were arraigned in Broward County Circuit Court before Judge Dale Cohen and are being held without bond. Two other boys ages 13 and 15 have been charged as juveniles. Prosecutors say Jarvis, Bent and Mendez were in a gang that poured alcohol over Michael Brewer, 15, then set him ablaze in a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. Brewer jumped into the swimming pool at his apartment complex to put out the flames, witnesses say. Brewer suffered burns over 65 percent of his body. He's reported in guarded condition at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center, where he's been in a private room since the incident. Gordon Weekes, the attorney for Bent, denounced the fact that the teens were charged as adults. "It's been decided by society that a 15-year-old can't vote, can't join the armed forces and cannot buy alcohol, because society has recognized that children do not have the ability to appreciate the long-term consequences of their actions," he said. "But they can treat them as adults in court, when we have very capable remedies for them in the juvenile justice system, which is geared toward rehabilitation," he said. Weekes said he and the other two public defenders plan to make separate motions to the court asking that their clients be allowed to post bond. Detectives say witnesses told them that Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Jarvis poured alcohol over him. They said Matthew Bent encouraged the attack. Authorities say Mendez admitted setting Brewer on fire, and that he made a "bad decision," according to an arrest transcript. Detectives with the Broward County Sheriff's Office have been unable to interview Brewer. Until last week, he had been on a ventilator to keep him alive. "We hope that we can maybe get a statement this week," said sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal. "Detectives have been waiting for him to recover to the point where he's strong enough to give us a complete statement," he said. Doctors say Brewer is improving but his condition is tenuous because of the severity of his burns and the possibility of infections. Most of his burns are on his back and buttocks; his face and hands were largely spared, doctors say. Brewer's doctor told CNN the teen faces several more months in the hospital and will need multiple skin grafts and surgeries. "They still have to perform several operations on him for skin grafting, but his parents are with him all the time," said Lorraine Nelson, a hospital spokeswoman. "I don't tell him what happened," Brewer's mother, Valerie, told CNN affiliate WFOR-TV. "I just tell him he's in the hospital and he's safe and he's getting better. "And he'll say, 'Am I going to be OK?' And I say 'Yes, Michael. You're going to be fine. You're going to be just fine,' " she said. Investigators believe Brewer owed Bent $40 for a video game. When Brewer did not pay, Bent stole Brewer's father's bicycle, police say. When Brewer reported him to the police, Bent was arrested. The next day, the group surrounded Brewer. The five boys called Brewer "a snitch" and set him on fire, witnesses said. The Brewer family told WFOR that none of the families of the accused boys have tried to contact them, but it doesn't matter. "We can't focus on it. They'll get theirs is all we can | [
"what has the attorney denounced",
"what does the attorney denounce?",
"what percentage burns did Brewer suffer?",
"How much of his body burned?",
"how many teens were charged?",
"what have the boys been charged with",
"How many people where charged?",
"what does he have on his body"
] | [
[
"the fact that the teens were charged as adults."
],
[
"the fact that the teens were charged as adults."
],
[
"over 65 percent of his body."
],
[
"over 65 percent of"
],
[
"Three"
],
[
"attempted murder,"
],
[
"Three"
],
[
"burns"
]
] | NEW: Attorney denounces charging teens as adults, will seek bond .
Michael Brewer has burns on 65 percent of his body after being doused with alcohol, set ablaze .
Three teens charged as adults with one count of attempted murder in the second degree .
Two other boys ages 13 and 15 have been charged as juveniles . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- A 13-year-old who witnessed another teen being set on fire last month apologized Tuesday, saying he is praying for the boy's recovery and he is sorry for what happened.
Reading to reporters from a statement, Jeremy Jarvis -- whose older brother has been charged in the incident -- said that victim Michael Brewer is in his prayers.
"I want to read something I wrote last night," Jarvis said. "I want to express my deepest sympathy to Mikey and his family. I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and for Mikey's speedy recovery."
Brewer, 15, remains in guarded condition at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center. He suffered third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body in the Deerfield Beach, Florida, incident October 12, authorities have said.
Police have been able to interview Brewer for the first time since the incident, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said. Hospital officials have said Brewer can communicate only in one- or two-word answers.
"The more information we have, the better position we are in to make the right decision" as far as charges and how to proceed, said Maria Schneider, a prosecutor with the state attorney's office in Broward County.
"I would say he [Brewer] needs a little more time to be fully prepared to provide a detailed account of the incident."
"It was difficult. It was difficult for him to talk about. Difficult for us to listen to," she said of the interview. "Just difficult all around, heart-wrenching. He's doing so much better, but it's such a terrible situation."
Jeremy Jarvis was arrested as a juvenile after Brewer was burned and spent about 30 days in juvenile detention. However, prosecutors have not filed charges against him. He still could be charged, as prosecutors have 90 days from his arrest to decide whether to move forward with the case.
He has not been interviewed by police or prosecutors, Schneider said. "He has invoked his rights to counsel and has invoked his rights to silence."
His brother, Denver, 15, is among three teenagers charged as adults with one count of attempted second-degree murder in the attack. He has pleaded not guilty.
"I want to tell my brother D.C. I love and miss him," Jeremy Jarvis told reporters Tuesday. "I just hope and pray we all get through this."
The boy's attorney, Stephen Melnick, would not allow reporters to ask him questions.
The extent of Jeremy Jarvis' involvement remains under investigation, Melnick said, adding that police took a statement from Brewer on Monday. "As far as we know, he [Jeremy Jarvis] just followed and watched what happened," he said.
Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, also 15, are accused along with a third teen, Jesus Mendez, 16, of being in a group that poured alcohol over Brewer and set him ablaze in a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. All three pleaded not guilty in an appearance last week in Broward County Circuit Court. If convicted, they would face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Detectives say eyewitnesses told them that Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Denver Jarvis allegedly poured alcohol over him. Bent allegedly encouraged the attack, police said. Brewer jumped into a pool at his apartment complex to put out the flames.
Authorities have said Mendez admitted setting Brewer on fire. According to an arrest transcript, the boy said he made a "bad decision."
Dr. Michael Brannon, a court-appointed forensic psychologist, interviewed both the Jarvis brothers.
"I can describe both of them as being afraid, being fearful," he told CNN earlier this month. "I can describe both of them as being tearful at various times during the interview, especially when talking about the specific incident which led to the injuries of the victim."
The Jarvis family met at | [
"What were police able to do for the first time?",
"whats the age of michael brewer?",
"Who saw a teen set on fire?",
"Where is the victim guarded at?",
"whats the age of jeremy jarvis?",
"what does the authorities say?",
"What did the police do?"
] | [
[
"interview Brewer"
],
[
"15,"
],
[
"Jeremy Jarvis"
],
[
"University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center."
],
[
"13-year-old"
],
[
"He suffered third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body in the Deerfield Beach, Florida, incident October 12,"
],
[
"interview Brewer"
]
] | Jeremy Jarvis, 13, who saw teen set on fire, apologizes, says he's praying for recovery .
Authorities say police have been able to interview victim for first time since incident .
Victim, Michael Brewer, 15, is in guarded condition at University of Miami hospital burn center .
Jeremy Jarvis not charged; extent of his involvement under investigation, attorney says . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- A 13-year-old who witnessed another teen being set on fire last month apologized Tuesday, saying he is praying for the boy's recovery and he is sorry for what happened. Reading to reporters from a statement, Jeremy Jarvis -- whose older brother has been charged in the incident -- said that victim Michael Brewer is in his prayers. "I want to read something I wrote last night," Jarvis said. "I want to express my deepest sympathy to Mikey and his family. I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and for Mikey's speedy recovery." Brewer, 15, remains in guarded condition at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center. He suffered third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body in the Deerfield Beach, Florida, incident October 12, authorities have said. Police have been able to interview Brewer for the first time since the incident, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said. Hospital officials have said Brewer can communicate only in one- or two-word answers. "The more information we have, the better position we are in to make the right decision" as far as charges and how to proceed, said Maria Schneider, a prosecutor with the state attorney's office in Broward County. "I would say he [Brewer] needs a little more time to be fully prepared to provide a detailed account of the incident." "It was difficult. It was difficult for him to talk about. Difficult for us to listen to," she said of the interview. "Just difficult all around, heart-wrenching. He's doing so much better, but it's such a terrible situation." Jeremy Jarvis was arrested as a juvenile after Brewer was burned and spent about 30 days in juvenile detention. However, prosecutors have not filed charges against him. He still could be charged, as prosecutors have 90 days from his arrest to decide whether to move forward with the case. He has not been interviewed by police or prosecutors, Schneider said. "He has invoked his rights to counsel and has invoked his rights to silence." His brother, Denver, 15, is among three teenagers charged as adults with one count of attempted second-degree murder in the attack. He has pleaded not guilty. "I want to tell my brother D.C. I love and miss him," Jeremy Jarvis told reporters Tuesday. "I just hope and pray we all get through this." The boy's attorney, Stephen Melnick, would not allow reporters to ask him questions. The extent of Jeremy Jarvis' involvement remains under investigation, Melnick said, adding that police took a statement from Brewer on Monday. "As far as we know, he [Jeremy Jarvis] just followed and watched what happened," he said. Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, also 15, are accused along with a third teen, Jesus Mendez, 16, of being in a group that poured alcohol over Brewer and set him ablaze in a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. All three pleaded not guilty in an appearance last week in Broward County Circuit Court. If convicted, they would face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Detectives say eyewitnesses told them that Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Denver Jarvis allegedly poured alcohol over him. Bent allegedly encouraged the attack, police said. Brewer jumped into a pool at his apartment complex to put out the flames. Authorities have said Mendez admitted setting Brewer on fire. According to an arrest transcript, the boy said he made a "bad decision." Dr. Michael Brannon, a court-appointed forensic psychologist, interviewed both the Jarvis brothers. "I can describe both of them as being afraid, being fearful," he told CNN earlier this month. "I can describe both of them as being tearful at various times during the interview, especially when talking about the specific incident which led to the injuries of the victim." The Jarvis family met at | [
"What hospital is Brewer in?",
"Who saw the teen set on fire?",
"Who were the police able to interview?",
"What age is the victim?",
"What is he praying for?",
"What is the victim's name?",
"Who was not charged?"
] | [
[
"University of Miami's Jackson Memorial"
],
[
"Jeremy Jarvis"
],
[
"Brewer"
],
[
"15,"
],
[
"the boy's recovery"
],
[
"Michael Brewer"
],
[
"Jeremy Jarvis"
]
] | Jeremy Jarvis, 13, who saw teen set on fire, apologizes, says he's praying for recovery .
Authorities say police have been able to interview victim for first time since incident .
Victim, Michael Brewer, 15, is in guarded condition at University of Miami hospital burn center .
Jeremy Jarvis not charged; extent of his involvement under investigation, attorney says . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- A Florida teenager attacked and set on fire last month, allegedly by five teenage friends, was undergoing skin graft surgery Friday, the first procedure in his recovery, a hospital spokeswoman said. Michael Brewer, who suffered burns over 65 percent of his body, will have his own skin transplanted onto the burned areas of his back and buttocks, said Lorraine Nelson, a spokeswoman at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center. Brewer will return to the intensive care unit after the surgery. He has been heavily sedated since the October 12 incident and on a ventilator until last week to keep him alive. He is listed in guarded condition. On Thursday, three teens accused of setting Brewer on fire pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, a public defender for one of the boys said. Each of the three -- Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16 -- is charged as an adult with one count of attempted murder in the second degree in the attack in Deerfield Beach, Florida. They were arraigned in Broward County Circuit Court before Judge Dale Cohen, and are being held without bond. Prosecutors say the three boys were in a gang that poured alcohol over Brewer, then set him ablaze in a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. Gordon Weekes, Bent's attorney, denounced the fact that the teens were charged as adults. "It's been decided by society that a 15-year-old can't vote, can't join the armed forces and cannot buy alcohol, because society has recognized that children do not have the ability to appreciate the long-term consequences of their actions," he said. "But they can treat them as adults in court, when we have very capable remedies for them in the juvenile justice system, which is geared towards rehabilitation," Weekes added. The attorney said he and the other two public defenders plan to make separate motions to the court asking that their clients be allowed to post bond. Detectives say eyewitnesses told them that Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Jarvis allegedly poured alcohol over him. They said Bent allegedly encouraged the attack. Authorities say that Mendez admitted setting Brewer on fire, and that he made a "bad decision," according to an arrest transcript. Two other boys who were allegedly involved -- a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old -- have been charged as juveniles. Witnesses say Brewer jumped into the swimming pool at his apartment complex to put out the flames. Detectives with the Broward County Sheriff's Office have been unable to interview Brewer. "We hope that we can maybe get a statement this week," sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal said. "Detectives have been waiting for him to recover to the point where he's strong enough to give us a complete statement." Doctors say Brewer is improving but his condition is tenuous because of the severity of his burns and the possibility of infections. Most of his burns are on his back and buttocks; his face and hands were largely spared, doctors say. Brewer's doctor told CNN the teen faces several more months in the hospital, and will need multiple skin grafts and surgeries. "They still have to perform several operations on him for skin grafting, but his parents are with him all the time," Nelson said. "I don't tell him what happened," Brewer's mother, Valerie, told CNN affiliate WFOR-TV. "I just tell him he's in the hospital and he's safe and he's getting better. "And he'll say, 'Am I going to be OK?' And I say 'Yes, Michael. You're going to be fine. You're going to be just fine,' " she said. Investigators believe Brewer owed Bent $40 for a video game. When Brewer did not pay, police say, Bent stole Brewer's father's bicycle. Brewer reported him to police and Bent was arrested, police | [
"What treatment is Michael Brewer having?",
"What were the teens charged with?",
"What age is Michael Brewer?",
"When was the attack on Michael Brewer?",
"When did the attack take place which left burns over 65% of his body?",
"What did the hospital spokeswoman say about Michael Brewer's treatment plan?",
"On what date was Michael Brewer attacked?",
"What happened to Michael Brewer?"
] | [
[
"have his own skin transplanted onto the burned areas of his back and buttocks,"
],
[
"murder in the second degree"
],
[
"15-year-old"
],
[
"October 12"
],
[
"October 12"
],
[
"will have his own skin transplanted onto the burned areas of his back and buttocks,"
],
[
"October 12"
],
[
"attacked and set on fire last month,"
]
] | Hospital spokeswoman says Michael Brewer having own skin put onto burned areas .
Brewer, 15, in guarded condition, will go back to intensive care after procedure .
More surgeries to come; October 12 attack left burns over 65 percent of his body .
3 of the 5 teens accused of setting Brewer on fire plead not guilty to attempted murder . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- Just taking a sip of water or walking to the bathroom is excruciatingly painful for 15-year-old Michael Brewer, who was burned over 65 percent of his body after being set on fire, allegedly by a group of teenagers. "It hurts my heart to see him in pain, but it enlightens at the same time to know my son is strong enough to make it through on a daily basis," his mother, Valerie Brewer, told CNN on Wednesday. Brewer and her husband, Michael Brewer, Sr., spoke to CNN's Tony Harris, a day after a 13-year-old boy who witnessed last month's attack publicly read a written statement: "I want to express my deepest sympathy to Mikey and his family," Jeremy Jarvis said. "I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and for Mikey's speedy recovery." Jarvis' older brother has been charged in the October 12 attack in Deerfield Beach, Florida. When asked about the teen's statement, Valerie Brewer -- who knows the Jarvis family -- said she "can't focus on that." "I would really like to stay away from that because that brings negative energy to me and I don't need that right now," she said. Her son remains in guarded condition at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center. He suffered second- and third-degree burns over about two-thirds of his body, according to the hospital's associate director, Dr. Carl Schulman. The teen faces a lifelong recovery from his injuries, Schulman told CNN's Harris. "Michael's still got a lot of major surgery ahead of him, a lot of rehabilitation and therapy," Schulman said. "He's doing about as well as could be expected at this point in his recovery, but he's got a period of probably several weeks to a couple of months still left in the hospital if everything goes well, but the recovery is lifelong. This is truly a life-changing event." Valerie Brewer said her son's treatment is excruciating at times. Physical therapy, she said, is "incredibly painful. He almost cries because it's so painful. He's burned badly on the backs of his knees and every time he moves his knee, it pulls, and if it's healing, it pulls the scab and it cracks, and it starts to bleed." The boy must undergo hour-and-a-half showers, she said, where "they take a piece of gauze, and they wipe off all the dead skin. They give him painkillers for that, but it's incredibly painful and it breaks my heart every time they have to do it. ... That's what we call the torture hour." Heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne sent Brewer a CD, and he plays it on a boom box during the showers, she said. "He focuses on Ozzy, and he gets through his torture hour." Police were able to interview Brewer on Monday for the first time since the incident. Hospital officials have said Brewer can communicate only in one- or two-word answers. Valerie Brewer would not go into details about what her son told investigators, but said that "he answered the questions they asked." The interview was emotional for both the teen and the investigators, according to Maria Schneider, a prosecutor with the state attorney's office in Broward County. "It was difficult for him to talk about. Difficult for us to listen to," she said of the interview. "Just difficult all around, heart-wrenching. He's doing so much better, but it's such a terrible situation." Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, are accused along with a third teen, Jesus Mendez, 16, of being in a group that poured alcohol over Brewer and set him ablaze in a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. All three pleaded not guilty in an appearance last week in Broward County Circuit Court. If | [
"who set Michael Brewer on fire?",
"whar singer does Michael Brewer listen to?",
"who has been charged",
"which cd did they use",
"how many youths are charged with thye attack?",
"who was set on fire",
"what is used to help teen?",
"Have the teens charged pled guilty?",
"What happens to 15-year old Michael Brewer?",
"What is he healing from?",
"What teen uses to get through painful therapy?",
"Whose CD does the teen use during therapy?",
"How many attacked Michael Brewer?",
"What is observation of mother of burned teen?"
] | [
[
"a group of teenagers."
],
[
"Ozzy Osbourne"
],
[
"Denver Jarvis"
],
[
"Ozzy Osbourne"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"Michael Brewer,"
],
[
"Ozzy Osbourne"
],
[
"All three pleaded not"
],
[
"burned over 65 percent of his body after being set on fire,"
],
[
"burned over 65 percent of his body"
],
[
"\"He focuses on Ozzy,"
],
[
"Ozzy Osbourne"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"\"It hurts my heart to see him in pain, but it enlightens at the same time to know my son is strong enough to make it through on a daily basis,\""
]
] | NEW: Teen uses Ozzy Osbourne CD to get through painful therapy, mom says .
Mother of burned teen says she's inspired by his strength as he struggles to heal .
15-year-old Michael Brewer was set on fire last month, allegedly by other teens .
Three youths are charged with the attack and have pleaded not guilty . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- She walked to the cameras and could barely look up. With her lip quivering, Sherry Jarvis apologized to the family of 15-year-old Michael Brewer, who is clinging to life in a hospital burn unit.
Jarvis is the mother of two boys who, along with three other youths, are accused in the burning of Brewer. Detectives say witnesses saw Brewer, consumed in flames, run about a hundred yards, tear off his shirt and jump into a swimming pool.
Brewer's screams can be heard on a 911 call from the October 12 incident. Doctors say he was burned on about 65 percent of his body.
"I'd just like to express how horribly sorry we are," Jarvis said in a public statement she and her family made Wednesday. Accompanied by her husband and two daughters, Jarvis spoke slowly as she addressed a gathering of reporters.
"This is a horrible incident that should have never had occurred." said Jarvis, her voice full of sorrow and shock. Her sons, ages 13 and 15, face charges that could send them to prison for a long time.
Authorities in Broward County, Florida, believe that Brewer was attacked in a chain of events that began when he did not pay one of the five boys $40 for a video game. That boy stole Brewer's father's bicycle, and when Brewer told police, the youth was arrested, then released, authorities said.
The next day, the group of five teens allegedly surrounded Brewer and, according to eyewitnesses, yelled, "He's a snitch. He's a snitch" before one of them poured alcohol over him, another sparked a lighter, and Brewer was ablaze.
All of the boys had been friends since elementary school, authorities said. They did sleepovers at one another's homes, and their families knew each other.
"We pray for Michael's recovery every day, that he gets stronger, which we know in our hearts that he will," Sherry Jarvis said.
But doctors are unsure about his recovery.
Brewer remains on a ventilator. A machine is breathing for him. Each day, a team of doctors spends about four hours changing his bandages.
He remains heavily sedated and is going through a very difficult period right now, according to doctors.
"The swelling has come way down, and you can recognize facial expressions now," said Dr. Nicholas Namias, medical director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami.
"We're still dealing with the respiratory failure. We're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive," Namias told CNN.
"People are writing horror stories ... but people just can't imagine the kind of sickness we're talking about. He is by no means well ... but the expectation is survival," he said.
Because he is sedated and on the ventilator, Brewer has been unable to communicate with detectives.
Earlier this week, prosecutors were granted extra time to build their cases against the five teens, four 15-year-olds and the 13-year-old. Prosecutors have until November 12 to charge the five as adults, or they will be charged as juveniles and released pending trial later.
The 13-year-old cannot face adult charges under Florida law, but that would change if Brewer died.
Prosecutors want to interview Brewer about the incident, but doctors say that is unlikely to happen before next week.
Brewer's family was not represented at the Jarvis family's public apology. The victim's parents could not be reached for comment.
After making her apology, Jarvis said the family would not take questions from the gathered reporters.
"I don't have the words to express any more. I can't answer any more questions because of the criminal case that's still pending," she said.
The Jarvis family has received death threats, according to family members and their attorney. They haven't stayed at their home since the incident, they | [
"what has happened to the victim",
"how many teenagers were accussed",
"what percentage of his body are burned?",
"Who said the victim was burned about 65% of his body?",
"How many teenagers are accused in the burning of a Florida boy?",
"how many teenagers are accused?",
"what does the mother say",
"Who apologized, saying the crime \"should have never occurred\"?"
] | [
[
"he was burned on about 65 percent of his body."
],
[
"two boys who, along with three other youths,"
],
[
"65"
],
[
"Doctors"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"two boys who, along with three other youths,"
],
[
"\"I'd just like to express how horribly sorry we are,\""
],
[
"Sherry Jarvis"
]
] | Five teenagers are accused in the burning of a Florida boy .
Mother of 2 suspects apologizes, says crime "should have never had occurred"
Doctors say victim, burned on about 65 percent of his body, is on ventilator, expected to live .
Because he is sedated and on ventilator, victim hasn't communicated with detectives . |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- When I'm not on the road working, I want to feel as if I'm on vacation. That's why I live in Fort Lauderdale. I travel a lot for work and for pleasure, but every time I walk through my door, I say to my husband, "I love our home."
Fort Lauderdale, just north of Miami, is a beautiful oceanfront town known for seven miles of sandy beach. When I'm in town, I take advantage of a path that gives bicyclists an ocean view while they exercise.
This inviting stretch of sand became popular when it was shown on the big screen in the 1960 film "Where the Boys Are," starring Connie Frances and George Hamilton. Things have changed a lot in Fort Lauderdale since that movie.
The strip, the section along the beach where most of the shops, hotels and restaurants are congregated, is still there, and the businesses have gone upscale over the past few years. But you still don't have to dress fancy even for the finest restaurants.
Fort Lauderdale has embraced the laid-back beach culture where a nice pair of jeans with a presentable shirt is fine in almost any establishment.
An everyman's guide to L.A.
Where can you get the best view of the city?
No one cares about the city views when you can look at the beach and the blue Atlantic Ocean. So, I'll tell you the best place to sit, have a drink and look at the beach. The recently opened deck at McSorley's Beach Pub has a great unobstructed view of the ocean and is walking distance from the strip.
On a night when the moon is not reflecting off the water and the ocean is obscure, you need to travel only a block or two from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway. There, you can sit at any of the restaurants or bars on the waterway and watch the boats go by. If you're traveling with children, the best place to go is to Benihana; when you aren't being entertained by the chef, you can look out the window and watch boats of all sizes go by.
International correspondent shares Moscow tips
Which restaurant would you take your loved one to for an anniversary or other special occasion?
We would go to one of several restaurants, depending on our mood and how much we want to spend. I know I'm going to get in trouble with some locals for making this public, but Sage French Café and Café Vico are two very good restaurants off the tourist trail. They are a few minutes from the beach in strip malls.
Sage French Café never disappoints. The price is right, and the meal is always good. You can bring your own bottle of wine for a $15 corkage fee. The bar serves only beer and wine.
If you want a full bar and great Italian food, go to Café Vico. It is also hard to resist a maître de, who is really the owner, greeting you as if you grew up in the old country together. We always order a plate of gnocchi as an appetizer to share with the table. It's wonderful, but it's too rich to eat as a meal.
If it's seafood you crave, then you must go see chef Dean Max at 3030 Ocean in the Marriott Harbor Beach hotel. While you're there, make sure you congratulate the chef for wining last year's Great American Seafood Cook-Off. He was handpicked by the governor to represent Florida and compete against chefs from 13 states. I am proud to tell you that chef Max brought home the bacon -- bragging rights for the Sunshine State.
Speaking of bacon, if it's meat you're hungry for and you have plenty of money to spend, order the Kobe beef at Steak 954 in the W hotel. An 8-ounce Kobe fillet is $65, but the entire menu is not that expensive. You can get a regular 8-ounce fillet for $35. Aside from the food, a highlight here is the jellyfish tank; it's worth | [
"What should you not forget to bring?"
] | [
[
"own bottle of wine"
]
] | Fort Lauderdale's best views are of the water with cocktails in hand .
Don't forget sunscreen -- the pink people stand out as tourists .
Get a look at the glitzy side of the city from the Jungle Queen riverboat . |
Founded in 1805 in Geneva, Pictet & Cie is today one of Switzerland's largest private banks, and one of the premier independent asset management specialists in Europe. Moreover, it is considered one of the leading independent asset management banks in Europe. Pictet & Cie is a partnership owned and managed by eight general partners with unlimited liability for the bank's commitments. "Banque de Candolle Mallet & Cie" was founded on 23 July 1805. It was run by two partner-managers, Jacob-Michel François de Candolle and Jacques-Henry Mallet, and three limited partners, Jean-Louis Mallet, Paul Martin and Jean-Louis Falquet. Following a period of relative stagnation, marked by two world wars and the economic depression of the 1930s, Pictet & Cie began to develop extensively from the 1950s on. Despite the negative outlook in the aftermath of war, the western world experienced a period of prosperity and economic growth. Geneva became one of the world's leading diplomatic and financial centres. Since the turn of the millennium, the Pictet Group has experienced some significant changes and events, such as its continued strong growth, the Bank's Bicentennial in 2005 and, the following year, the inauguration of its new headquarters in Acacias, Geneva. The company boasts more than CHF 430 billion ($390 billion) in assets under management and custody as at end-September 2007. The Group employs over 2,800 people in the following locations: Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, Barcelona, Florence, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Paris, London, Luxembourg, Rome, Turin, Montreal, Nassau, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. E-mail to a friend | [
"What is the number of general partners with unlimited liability for its commitments?",
"How much in assets does Pictet have under management?",
"How many general partners are there?",
"When was Picket & Cie founded?",
"What was pictet assets in 2007?",
"When was Pictect & Cie founded?",
"What were Picket & Ci's assets in 2007?",
"How many general partners manage the bank?",
"What is the name of one of Switzerland's largest private banks?",
"What is the name of Switzerland's private banks?",
"Who boasts more than $390 billion in assets under management, custody?",
"Who is one of Switzerland's largest private banks?"
] | [
[
"eight"
],
[
"more than CHF 430 billion ($390 billion)"
],
[
"eight"
],
[
"1805"
],
[
"more than CHF 430 billion ($390 billion)"
],
[
"1805"
],
[
"CHF 430 billion ($390 billion) in"
],
[
"eight"
],
[
"Pictet & Cie"
],
[
"Pictet & Cie"
],
[
"Pictet Group"
],
[
"Pictet & Cie"
]
] | Pictet & Cie is one of Switzerland's largest private banks, founded in 1805 .
Managed by eight general partners with unlimited liability for its commitments .
In 2007, Pictet boasts more than $390 billion in assets under management, custody . |
Four alleged Venezuelan agents have been arrested in the U.S. and charged with trying to persuade a U.S. citizen to keep quiet about a growing international election scandal. Miami businessman Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson The U.S. Justice Department said the four wanted to prevent Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, a businessman from Miami, Florida, from talking to authorities. On August 4, Antonini Wilson flew in a privately chartered aircraft from Caracas, Venezuela, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where customs officers discovered $800,000 in cash in his possession. The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday the four men charged wanted to stop Antonini Wilson from revealing the origin of the $800,000. "The complaint filed today outlines an alleged plot by agents of the Venezuelan government to manipulate an American citizen in Miami in an effort to keep the lid on a burgeoning international scandal," Kenneth Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a written statement. The agents, who worked for the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, wanted to ensure Wilson did not disclose "the source and destination and the role of the government of Venezuela in the attempted delivery of the approximately $800,000," the statement said. The Justice Department statement does not say Chavez personally knew of the transaction, but says the office of the vice president and members of the Venezuelan Intelligence Directorate were aware of the matter. U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta in Miami said: "Today's complaint alleges an effort by the agents of Venezuela to travel to the U.S. for the purpose of coercing our citizens to help conceal the true nature of a growing international scandal." Although documents did not identify which candidate was to receive the donation, federal law enforcement officials confirmed the funds were intended for the campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who went on to win the election. The four men -- three Venezuelans and one Uruguayan -- made an initial court appearance in U.S. District Court in Miami on Wednesday afternoon. Those named in the complaint are identified as Moises Maionica, 36; Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37; Rodolfo Edgardo Wanseele Paciello, 40; Franklin Duran, 40; and Carlos Kauffmann, 35. Officials said Gomez remains at large. After Argentine customs found the $800,000 on Antonini Wilson, they seized the cash and sent him to Miami. Later, however, an Argentine judge issued an order for him to appear in court and, at the request of the Argentine government, Interpol issued an international wanted notice for him, U.S. State Department officials said. The officials said that on August 31, the Argentine judge requested Antonini Wilson's extradition. The request was delivered to the State Department on September 4, and Justice and State are currently reviewing the extradition request. The U.S. officials said they do not expect to take any further action while the Justice Department is pursuing its investigation and prosecution of the Venezuelan and Uruguayan nationals arrested in Miami. Antonini Wilson is not in custody, they added. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who attempted to enter Argentina with a large sum of money?",
"Who is the cash for?",
"How much money did Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson try to enter Argentina with ?",
"Where was Wilson coming from?",
"How much money did Wilson have?",
"What was the supposed purpose for the cash?",
"What is the amount of money Guido was entering Argentina with?",
"What was the cash believed to be for?",
"What city is Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson based at?",
"What accusation was lodged against alleged agents?"
] | [
[
"Antonini Wilson"
],
[
"campaign of Cristina Fernandez"
],
[
"$800,000"
],
[
"Caracas, Venezuela,"
],
[
"$800,000"
],
[
"campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner,"
],
[
"$800,000"
],
[
"the campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner,"
],
[
"Miami"
],
[
"U.S. citizen to keep quiet about a growing international election scandal."
]
] | Alleged agents accused of trying to stop a U.S. citizen from talking to authorities .
Miami-based Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson tried to enter Argentina with $800,000 .
Cash is believed to have been for Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner election campaign . |
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva avoided an embarrassing early exit when comeback queen Jelena Dokic's French Open hopes were ended by a back injury on Thursday. Jelena Dokic was left in tears after being forced to retire hurt against Elena Dementieva at the French Open. Dokic, taking part in her first French Open since 2004 following well-documented family problems, won the first set 6-2 and -- after her first break for treatment -- broke the 2004 finalist to lead 3-2 in their second round clash. But the Russian won the next two games as the tearful former world No.4 was reduced to walking pace before calling it quits. "I went for a return and I just went down and couldn't get back up," she said. "It's very painful and very disappointing because I felt as if I had the match in my hands." Dokic, now ranked 80th after reviving her career with a run to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, had won her opening match on Tuesday when she came back from a set down to beat Slovenia's Karolina Sprem 3-6 6-1 6-2. The 26-year-old's career had nosedived following her highly-publicized split from controversial mentor and father Damir. Dementieva will next play Australian 30th seed Samantha Stosur, who won her second-round match in straight sets against Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer. Earlier on Thursday, the Williams sisters also progressed through to the third round with contrasting victories. Second seed Serena crushed Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2 6-0 to set up a clash with another unseeded Spaniard, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Third seed Venus survived a scare against unseeded Czech Lucie Safarova before completing a match that was halted on Wednesday night due to bad light. The American saved a match point at 5-4 down in the third set before managing to hold, break her opponent and then serve out to love for a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-5 success. Venus, who lost the 2002 final to Serena, will next play Hungarian 29th seed Agnes Szavay. Fifth seed Jelena Jankovic had no such troubles in beating Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1 6-2, setting up a third-round clash with unseeded Austrian Jarmila Groth. Seventh-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova also advanced along with Danish 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki, but 13th seed Marion Bartoli of France made a surprise exit. The 2007 Wimbledon finalist lost 6-3 7-5 to Tathiana Garbin of Italy, who will next take on unseeded Virginie Razzano of France. | [
"What ranking was Dokic?",
"What ended Dokic's comeback?",
"How far did she lead by?",
"What world ranking did she have?",
"When did Dokic get injured?",
"When did she call it quits?",
"When did she quit?",
"Did Jelena Dokic's comeback end?"
] | [
[
"ranked 80th"
],
[
"a back injury"
],
[
"3-2 in their second round clash."
],
[
"No.4"
],
[
"Thursday."
],
[
"Thursday."
],
[
"Thursday."
],
[
"ended by a back injury on Thursday."
]
] | Jelena Dokic's emotional French Open comeback ended by a back injury .
Former world No.4 was in tears before walking off the court at Roland Garros .
She had led Elena Dementieva 6-2 3-2 in her first Paris outing since 2004 .
But she called it quits after Russian fourth seed won the next two games . |
Frankfurt, Germany (CNN) -- Lufthansa airline will fly a bit over half of its normal flight schedule Tuesday, a day after pilots suspended their strike.
"It will obviously take a few days until we are back to normal," spokeswoman Claudia Lange said. The airline is planning to fly about 1,000 of its normal complement of 1,800 flights, "plus, where we can, single, additional flights," she said.
The airline is hoping to return to its full flight schedule by Friday.
The announcement came shortly after both sides in a pilots strike against German-based Lufthansa, one of of the world's largest airlines, agreed to suspend the standoff beginning at midnight (6 p.m. ET) Monday.
The suspension will expire March 8, barring an agreement before then, both sides said in a Frankfurt labor court.
"The judge was very clear," Lufthansa spokesman Klaus Walther said. "He recommended the union to stop the strike action and to return to the negotiation table."
Walther predicted the two sides would reach a final agreement "pretty fast."
The pilots' union previously had said resuming a normal schedule would take time, because the union had to inform striking pilots of the agreement before they could return to work. In addition, passengers whose flights have been canceled will have to be rebooked. Hundreds of flights were canceled Monday.
The walkout by more than 4,000 members of Vereinigung Cockpit, the pilots' union, began at midnight Sunday after a last-ditch effort at negotiations over pay and job security failed, the company said.
The strike threatened to disrupt travel on more than two dozen partner airlines, including United, US Airways and Continental.
In 2008, Lufthansa was the No. 2 international carrier, with 42.2 million passengers, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The industrial action was the largest in German aviation history, Lufthansa said, and it signaled growing labor unrest across Europe.
Hours after it started, the union representing most of British Airways cabin staff voted to strike, but did not set a date. On Wednesday in Greece, a mass public and private sector strike is planned to protest the government's austerity plan.
British Airways cabin crews vote to strike
In addition, French civil aircraft staff, including air traffic controllers, said Monday they plan to strike Tuesday through Saturday. Four unions called for the strike, denouncing a government project to merge air traffic control operations with those of five other European countries -- Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland, according to Eric Heraud, spokesman for France's civil aviation authority, DGAC, or Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile.
The unions are afraid of dismantling DGAC, Heraud said.
Under the new proposal, "nothing will change geographically," he said. "The control towers will stay where they are." Only the "map of the sky" will change, or the sphere of the controllers' concern, Heraud said.
Half of Tuesday's flights at Paris, France's, Orly airport were to be canceled because of the action, he said. Twenty-five percent of the flights at Charles de Gaulle Airport were to be canceled.
The labor unrest comes as the airline industry is digging out of the worst one-year drop-off in business, according to International Air Transport Association.
"It is the kind of death throes, I guess, of the very strong legacy airline unions," said Simon Calder, a travel expert. "Now, all the old airlines like BA, like Lufthansa, are struggling" to cut costs, he said.
In 2009, air carrier revenues dropped nearly 15 percent worldwide after a record $535 billion the previous year. Passenger travel fell a record 3.5 percent and freight fell more than 10 percent, according to International Air Transport Association figures.
Many of Lufthansa's pilots have been working without a contract since March and more than 90 percent of the union's members had voted to strike, a union representative said.
The union, which is seeking a 6.4 percent pay increase | [
"what sides will agree to suspend standoff",
"How many flights should fly on Tuesday?",
"How many flights will actually fly on Tuesday?",
"What company are the pilots striking against?",
"what will the strike focus on",
"How much Lufthansa flights are planned to fly on Tuesday ?"
] | [
[
"pilots"
],
[
"about 1,000"
],
[
"about 1,000"
],
[
"Lufthansa airline"
],
[
"against German-based Lufthansa,"
],
[
"1,000"
]
] | About 1,000 of Lufthansa's usual 1,800 flights to fly Tuesday .
Union, airline: Getting back to normal will take time .
Both sides in pilots strike against Lufthansa agree to suspend standoff .
Union: Strike focuses on pay, conditions. Company: Union interfering in management . |
GAALKACYO, Somalia (CNN) -- The U.S. government is delaying "tens of millions" of dollars in crucial humanitarian aid over concerns that the money is being diverted to a notorious militant group, a senior U.N. official said. Al-Shabaab militants ride through Mogadishu, Somalia, after a religious gathering in September. The U.S. government, concerned about the challenges in delivering assistance in a country wracked by civil war, says allegations that Al-Shabaab is stopping aid from reaching the people are under review. Although one U.S. government source said aid continues to flow to Somalia and hasn't been suspended, another said aid might not reach "some parts of the country" because of Al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked terror group that is trying to overthrow the government. Located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia has long been a lawless, war-ravaged nation. The United Nations says that nearly half the population is dependent on humanitarian assistance, and one in five children are acutely malnourished. Somalia has suffered through five consecutive seasons of drought, and the ongoing conflict has caused more than a million people to be displaced. Kiki Gbeho, head of office for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia, said the United States is reviewing whether its aid helps fund Al-Shabaab. The U.N. office, in a report issued in September, said the U.S. delay in reaching a decision on humanitarian funding "is already impacting on many agencies and their programmes." The United Nations estimates that 60 percent of the people it needs to reach with emergency assistance live in areas controlled by Al-Shabaab. "According to humanitarian principles, we have to serve people and need to deal with those in charge," Gbeho said. Peter Smerdon, chief spokesman for the World Food Program, the agency responsible for delivering aid to Somalia, would not comment on the U.S. funding controversy but said investigations into whether Al-Shabaab is assisted by U.N. aid assistance are "ongoing." Food supplies could run out for millions of Somalis in the next few weeks, according to the United Nations. The U.S. government is traditionally the biggest donor for food assistance. The issue of breakdowns in humanitarian aid in Somalia has long concerned the United States. A senior administration official and an administration official spoke about the issue on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The senior U.S. administration official said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Transitional Federal Government President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed discussed in August how the "delivery of services" to the Somali people be broadened. Clinton said publicly in Nairobi that the United States continues to provide "humanitarian assistance to the Somali people where delivery is feasible and effective." The administration official said that the aid has never stopped, adding that food bound for the World Food Program in Somalia is on a vessel and should arrive in a few weeks. The senior administration official said, "We are working with groups there to ensure that we can deliver assistance without having to pay off Al-Shabaab in the process. It does mean that aid may get to certain parts of the country but not others." | [
"What estimated percentage live in militant areas?",
"where is the money being diverted?",
"where do those who need aid live?",
"What number of people could run out of food?",
"What percent of people who need aid live in militant-controlled areas?",
"when will they run out of food?",
"How many could run out of food in the next few weeks?",
"What is the UN?",
"who is diverting the money",
"Who is reviewing claims?",
"Who says millions may run out of food?",
"Where do most people who need aid live?"
] | [
[
"60 percent"
],
[
"to a notorious militant group,"
],
[
"Somalia"
],
[
"millions"
],
[
"60"
],
[
"next few weeks,"
],
[
"millions of Somalis"
],
[
"United Nations"
],
[
"Al-Shabaab"
],
[
"United States"
],
[
"the United Nations."
],
[
"Mogadishu, Somalia,"
]
] | Washington reviewing claims that money is being diverted to militant group .
U.N. estimates 60 percent of people who need aid live in militant-controlled areas .
Millions could run out of food in the next few weeks, U.N. says . |
GAFFNEY, South Carolina (CNN) -- Investigators believe the serial killer blamed for five deaths in South Carolina died in a shootout with police in neighboring North Carolina on Monday, a South Carolina state police official said. Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, was believed to be the suspect in five slayings in South Carolina, authorities say. Tests on the gun found on 41-year-old Patrick Tracy Burris match the weapon used in the killings that have haunted Gaffney, South Carolina, since June 27, said Reggie Lloyd, director of South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division. The dead suspect and his vehicle appear to match descriptions circulated by investigators in Gaffney, he said. "We believe a killer is off the streets," Lloyd said. Burris was killed early Monday morning in Dallas, North Carolina, after police received a call about a possible burglary in progress, officers there said. At a news conference Monday evening, investigators described him as a "habitual felon" with a record in several states who was on probation at the time he was killed. When police arrived at the home, they found inside two people who lived there and a third who was an acquaintance, said Bill Blanton, the sheriff of Cherokee County, South Carolina. Police checked Burris' background and found there was an outstanding warrant on him from a probation violation from Lincoln County, North Carolina. Watch Lloyd say why police think they've got their man » When police attempted to serve the warrant, Burris shot at the officers, who returned fired, Blanton said. One officer was shot in the leg and was treated and released from a hospital, police said. At a news conference Monday night, Lloyd held up what he said was Burris' 25-page rap sheet, including a lengthy history of armed robberies, forgeries, break-ins and several other charges from several states. "At some point the criminal justice system is going to have to explain why this individual was out on the streets -- we owe that to the victims," he said. About 100 investigators from North and South Carolina were working the case, Blanton said. Leaves for all members of the Gaffney Police Department and the Sheriff's Department were canceled, their respective chiefs have said. The first shooting occurred June 27, when peach farmer Kline W. Cash, 63, was killed. His wife found him dead in their home, the sheriff's office said, and Blanton said the home may have been robbed. Four days later, the bound and shot bodies of Hazel Linder, 83, and her 50-year-old daughter, Gena Linder Parker, were found in Linder's home, where she lived alone. Blanton said authorities are still trying to determine if anything was taken from that home. The killer's last victim was 15-year-old Abby Tyler, who was shot last week and died Saturday. Her father Stephen Tyler, 48, had been pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, in their family-run furniture and appliance store. See a map of where the bodies were found » Lloyd said investigators had evidence that put Burris at the scene of the killings, but did not know a motive. "There's no hard evidence as to what connections he had with this community or why he targeted these victims," Lloyd said. He added that the investigation is ongoing, and that officials are trying to determine what the suspect was up to between the killings and after the last the shooting. "We don't believe at this point anyone else was involved in the murders, but anything could turn up," he said. CNN's David Mattingly, Carolina Sanchez, Richard Lui, Mike Brooks and Stan Moberg contributed to this report. | [
"What was Patrick Burris's age?",
"North Carolina shot which person?",
"What did killer do in Gaffney, South Carolina?",
"how many people were slain",
"What did officials say?",
"what did the official say"
] | [
[
"41,"
],
[
"Patrick Tracy Burris,"
],
[
"suspect in five slayings"
],
[
"five"
],
[
"Carolina died in a shootout with police in neighboring North Carolina on Monday,"
],
[
"\"We believe a killer is off the streets,\""
]
] | "We believe a killer is off the streets," official says .
North Carolina authorities shoot Patrick Burris, 41, after he confronts police .
Weapon found on man matches gun used in South Carolina killings .
Killer has slain five people in Gaffney, South Carolina, area, police say . |
GAINESVILLE, Georgia (CNN) -- When 19-year-old Reid Overton wants to smoke a cigarette on his college campus, he has to walk to a distant parking lot and get into his car, but he doesn't seem to mind. "Even as a smoker, I don't like to walk past a cloud of smoke," he says. Reid Overton, a freshman at Gainesville State College in Georgia, heads to his car when he wants a smoke. Overton is one of 5,300 students at Gainesville State College, an hour north of Atlanta, Georgia. A 4-year-old ban prohibits anyone from using tobacco products on campus, including students, faculty and visitors. A smoke-free campus was the brainchild of longtime college president Martha Nesbitt, herself a former smoker. "It's just a healthier place to be," says Nesbitt, "because as you go in a building, you're not going to have to go through smoke. When you walk out, you don't see cigarette butts littered around. It's just a cleaner, healthier campus." Nesbitt reports there haven't been any problems enforcing the ban. Signs are posted around campus, and the policy is prominently displayed on everything from the school Web site to admissions applications. The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation reports nearly 60 college campuses around the United States have smoke-free policies that affect the entire campus. Other schools have limited restrictions, banning smoking indoors in residential housing and student facilities. Nesbitt believes her college is one of the first to fully prohibit the use of tobacco products. Watch more on efforts to curb smoking on campus » The American Cancer Society says the movement is catching on. "The trend toward a smoke-free country is going on everywhere," says Daniel Smith, president of the American Cancer Society Action Network. "I think college campuses are simply reflecting the same trend we're seeing in society." With the 30th anniversary this week of the nationwide Great American Smokeout, the cancer society is pushing a smoke-free college campus initiative. It encourages campus coordinators to hold competitions and distribute survival kits that include gum and support information. The group is trying to convince students that if they can quit for a day, they can quit for good. According to the cancer society, the prevalence of smoking in the United States is highest among college-age students, ages 18 to 24. While other age groups are decreasing their tobacco use, the cancer society says college students are smoking at a greater rate. Those statistics worry Smith. "We know that 30 percent of all cancers are caused by smoking," he says. He blames the addiction rates among young adults on heavy marketing efforts on college campuses by tobacco companies. "Many people might initially think it's cool. But when they're educated about the health effects, by that time, they are addicted, and it's very hard to quit." Overton isn't all that worried about cutting back on his pack-a-day smoking habit, but he says that long walk to his car has provided some added benefits. "It doesn't encourage me to quit, but it does encourage me to cut back some." That's welcome news for some of his nonsmoking classmates. "I'm not forced to be around all of the smokers," says freshman Matthew Bradford, 19. "I'm not breathing it in all of the time, and it's nice to get some fresh air when you get out of class." E-mail to a friend Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News. | [
"what did the American Cancer Society announce",
"What number of colleges do it?",
"Which age group is smoking prevalence highest among?",
"What trend is growing?",
"how many US colleges are smoke free",
"What groups smokes the most?"
] | [
[
"says the movement is catching on. \"The trend toward a smoke-free country is going on everywhere,\" says Daniel Smith, president of the"
],
[
"60"
],
[
"18 to 24."
],
[
"a smoke-free country"
],
[
"nearly 60"
],
[
"college students"
]
] | American Cancer Society: Trend of smoke-free colleges is growing .
Nearly 60 U.S. colleges have smoke-free policies that affect entire campus .
Cancer society: U.S. smoking prevalence highest among people ages 18-24 . |
GALVESTON, Texas (CNN) -- Rescuers in Galveston, Texas, were going door-to-door Saturday to check on the estimated 20,000 people who failed to flee Hurricane Ike, which has slowed to tropical storm status. Park benches are strewn about in downtown Houston Saturday during Hurricane Ike. As of Saturday afternoon, the Galveston Fire Department had taken 27 people to a shelter in a high school on the coastal island, which was without electricity or water pressure. No casualties had been discovered so far in the search and rescue efforts, which have been hampered by heavy flooding and scattered debris. Galveston had ordered evacuation of the island, but Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc said about 40 percent of the city's 57,523 residents chose to stay. LeBlanc said the island would be closed while authorities assess damages, including to the causeway, which was in "bad shape" because of debris and road damage. "The road buckled in a number of places," LeBlanc said. "Even if we opened it up you couldn't get through." LeBlanc said 17 buildings on the island had been destroyed by fires, potent winds and a strong storm surge. "We are in a recovery mode," Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said in a press conference Saturday afternoon. "This eye came right over us, stayed a while and went on, but it brought a lot of damage to our city." Ike was downgraded Saturday to a tropical storm 11 hours after it crashed ashore as a Texas-sized hurricane that walloped southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. In its wake, Ike -- which smashed into the coast as a Category 2 hurricane -- left four people dead, millions without power and destroyed homes and businesses along the Gulf Coast with powerful winds, rain and floodwaters. President Bush declared 29 Texas counties and parts of Louisianans major disaster areas, making federal funds available for recovery from the storm. View images of places hit by Ike » Many people, like D.J. Knight of Pearlman, Texas, decided to ride out the storm at home, despite voluntary and mandatory orders issued across the region. "The windows looked like they would explode," said Knight, a mother of two. "It just wouldn't stop." Now, without electricity and surrounded by flooded roads and wreckage, Knight wonders whether it was worth enduring a sleepless night as the storm shook her home, located about halfway between Galveston and Houston. "I didn't think it would be as bad as it was," she said. "It was horrible." Knight is one of thousands waiting for assistance as the state rolls out the largest search and rescue operation in Texas history. See pictures of the storm's destruction » Gov. Rick Perry dispatched a 1,000-strong search and rescue team, including state troopers, pilots and members of the National Guard. Lines of National Guard trucks and ambulances were deployed from San Antonio even as officials are trying to grasp the extent of damage and the number of Texans stranded by the storm. However, flooding and debris have impeded rescue efforts in some areas, adding to the uncertainty about how many Texans actually survived the storm. "We're obviously concerned that there may be people we find who didn't get out and who are going to be in the rubble of what we uncover," said Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. "We hope for the best, but I do want to prepare people for the fact they we may have some fatalities." Chertoff said 40,000 Texans were in 250 shelters, and that food and water would be distributed in about 20 coastal locations as rescue efforts continue. In Galveston, which bore the brunt of the storm, floods filled the historic district with 7 feet of water at the storm's peak, said Galveston County official Margaret Bunch. Watch how a spunky little girl braved the storm » A foot of water flooded the city's main courthouse, where many people rode out the storm, she said. Wanda Collins' garage filled with 5 feet of water, ruining | [
"What impeded rescue efforts?",
"What was impeding rescue efforts?",
"What's the name of the tropical storm?",
"Who rode out the storm at home?",
"How many were affected by the power outages?",
"How many deaths were attributed to Ike?",
"Where was the wereckage?",
"What storm caused four deaths in Texas?"
] | [
[
"flooding and debris"
],
[
"heavy flooding and scattered debris."
],
[
"Hurricane Ike,"
],
[
"D.J. Knight of Pearlman, Texas, decided to ride"
],
[
"20,000 people"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"Galveston, Texas,"
],
[
"Ike"
]
] | NEW: Wreckage impedes rescue efforts, adding to uncertainty about survivors .
Texas woman wonders whether it was worth it to ride out storm in home .
Four deaths in Texas attributed to Ike, now a tropical storm with 45 mph winds .
2.6 million affected by power outages, U.S. Energy Department says . |
GARUT, Indonesia (CNN) -- The people of Indonesia's Java Island still follow wedding traditions passed down centuries ago by their ancestors. Cucu and his bride, Yati Supriyatna, plant two saplings during their wedding ceremony. Family members gather for an all-day ceremony that begins with the groom bringing a gift to the bride's house. On a hot and sticky morning in a village near Garut, 26-year-old Cucu carries a sapling to give to his bride. The young tree is not exactly a unique gift; it's part of a government initiative to bring back the Garut province's devastated forests. Newly married couples must plant 10 trees under the program. If they divorce, they must plant 50 others. Cucu and his bride, Yati Supriyatna -- both dressed in all white -- headed to a mosque in the foothills of West Java's mountains, where they carefully planted two saplings, a symbolic gesture. The young couple met in school three years ago and began dating last year. Watch as Indonesia tackles deforestation » "We're just meant to be," said 18-year-old Yati, giggling in her white flower-adorned veil. They will plant the other saplings -- eucalyptus, avocado and mahogany -- at the sleepy village about an hour outside Garut where they plan to settle, for now. Indonesia's landscape has been devastated by massive deforestation. Though not a heavily industrialized nation, Indonesia is behind China and the United States as the world's third largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. That is largely the result of the removal of its trees, which cut down the absorption of carbon dioxide. While Garut province is not the country's worst offender, a Garut forestry official said he can no longer ignore the damage. "Most people here work in agriculture which is of course highly dependent on the fertility of the soil," said Eddy Muharam of Garut's forestry department. "The fertility is decreasing now because of deforestation and intensive use of soil." Forestry officials have identified "critical land" in Garut, which has been overfarmed and needs to be reforested. The overfarming leads to erosion, which can cause major flooding. Environmental officials estimate that 50 million trees are needed in Garut alone to reverse the harm done by overfarming. Indonesia's government does not have the funds to pay for such an initiative. So they hope the trend of planting saplings will catch on among other newlyweds in Indonesia. "It's sacred and a once in a lifetime moment, so we thought that it would be a good time to encourage people's participation," Muharam said. CNN's Andy Saputra contributed to this report. | [
"What happens if they divorce?",
"What is the reason they plant trees?",
"How many trees were planted?",
"What types of people plant trees?",
"What did newlyweds do?",
"How many trees do couples plant when they divorce?",
"How many trees do couples plant when they marry?"
] | [
[
"must plant 50 others."
],
[
"a government initiative to bring back the Garut province's devastated forests."
],
[
"two saplings"
],
[
"Newly married couples must"
],
[
"plant two saplings"
],
[
"50"
],
[
"two"
]
] | Newlyweds in Indonesia plant trees under program to replenish forests .
Couples plant 10 trees; if they divorce, they must plant 50 others .
Indonesia's landscape has been devastated by massive deforestation . |
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- A large explosion late Tuesday at a wedding party for relatives of a Fatah leader injured at least 50 people in Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said. A bomb Tuesday injured relatives of Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian Authority's national security adviser. Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, the uncle of the groom, did not attend the wedding, according to witnesses. The cause of the explosion, which occurred at 11:10 p.m. in Khan Younis, was not known. Dahlan is the Palestinian Authority's national security adviser. Details of Tuesday's explosion were not immediately clear. Dahlan's associates in recent years have been targeted by Hamas as tensions between the militant group and rival Fatah -- the Palestine Liberation Organization's largest faction -- escalated. In January 2007, Hamas gunmen tried to kill Dahlan's bodyguard. Dahlan was not present at the time of the attack. In that month alone, Fatah and Hamas militants abducted more than 50 members of their rival groups -- most of them in the West Bank town of Nablus -- according to Palestinian security sources. Dahlan's nephew was kidnapped the next month amid a fragile cease-fire between supporters of Hamas and Fatah. In late December 2006, Hamas accused Dahlan of orchestrating an assassination attempt on its leader Ismail Haniya. Haniya's son was injured in the attack. Dahlan has described himself to CNN in the past as being involved in directing Fatah's military response to Hamas' military "provocation." Dahlan is particularly disliked by Hamas because during his leadership of the Preventive Security Forces in the 1990s, Hamas members were apprehended and tortured. After a series of suicide bombings in Israel in 1996, Dahlan took a major part in the Palestinian Authority's effort to crack down on Hamas. CNN's Talal Abu-Rahma in Gaza City contributed to this report. | [
"what is cause of the explosion",
"Who is Mohammed Dahlan?",
"What did Hamas say?",
"Who has Dahlan sought to assassinate?",
"What did he not attend?",
"Who did not attend the wedding?"
] | [
[
"A bomb"
],
[
"the Palestinian Authority's national security adviser."
],
[
"accused Dahlan of orchestrating an assassination attempt on its leader Ismail Haniya."
],
[
"Ismail Haniya."
],
[
"the wedding,"
],
[
"Mohammed Dahlan,"
]
] | Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is uncle of the groom .
Dahlan did not attend the wedding in Gaza .
The cause of the explosion is not known .
Hamas says Dahlan has sought to assassinate its leader Ismail Haniya . |
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- A radical Muslim sheikh called Friday for the creation of an Islamic emirate in Gaza, sparking clashes with Hamas forces that left 13 people dead, Hamas sources tell CNN. Armed members of the radical Islamist group Jund Ansar Allah surround a group representative in Rafah on Friday. The clashes ended after several hours, after Hamas forces blew up the home of Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi, leader of the Salafist jihadist group Jund Ansar Allah, or Soldiers of the Partisans of God, the sources said. Al-Maqdessi escaped, they said, and Hamas security forces were searching for him. The clashes were the latest between Gaza's Hamas rulers, who have said they are moderate Muslims pledged to the Palestinian cause, and more radical Islamic groups. In a televised statement, Hamas ministry spokesman Taher Nunu called al-Maqdessi's group "outlaws" and said they have been "terrorizing the country and attacking civilians." "We hold the group and its leader fully responsible for what is happening in Gaza, and we offer our condolences to everyone who was killed during the clashes," Nunu said. "No one is above the law, and we urge everyone who is a member of this group to surrender himself to the authorities, or they will be accountable for all of their actions." The gunfighting erupted near a mosque in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the cleric delivered his sermon, the sources said. Hamas militants raided the mosque and seized control of it. Later, the fighting spread to al-Maqdessi's home, the sources said. The fighting has left at least 13 dead and more than 100 wounded, the sources said. Al-Maqdessi also called for a public meeting at the mosque, posting on Jund Ansar Allah's Web site an invitation dubbed "the golden advice to the government of [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniya." The group posted a statement on the site announcing the establishment of the Islamic emirate in Gaza and proclaiming al-Maqdessi "the commander of the faithful." The statement declared that armed forces in Gaza should unite under him. The statement urged Muslims everywhere to support the "young emirate" and provide the group with money, weapons and men because "this is the hope of the Muslim nation in raising the banner of monotheism in Palestine and to liberate all the lands and purify Al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the damned Jews." Al-Aqsa mosque is in Jerusalem. The group accused Hamas of not being Islamic enough, saying Hamas cares more about pleasing "tyrants" than "obeying God." But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri dismissed statements about the establishment of an Islamic emirate as "theoretical." "It is not permitted to any party or individual to enforce their own laws, because this is the responsibility of the security forces," he said. Salafi is the term used to describe the radical islamist movement that follows the doctrines of the "Salaf," or the predecessors, referring to the early generations of Muslims. The movement rejects all modern influences such as politics and government. CNN's Talal Abu-Rahman in Gaza City contributed to this report. | [
"What mosque was raided?",
"What group blew up home?",
"Who claims sheikh's followers are \"outlaws?\"",
"Where did Hamas raid the mosque?",
"What sparked clashes with Hamas?",
"What did Hamas spokesman call sheikh's followers?"
] | [
[
"in the southern Gaza city of Rafah,"
],
[
"Hamas"
],
[
"Taher Nunu"
],
[
"in the southern Gaza city of Rafah,"
],
[
"Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi,"
],
[
"\"outlaws\""
]
] | NEW: Radical sheikh escapes; Hamas forces blow up his home .
Sheikh's call for creation of Gaza Islamic emirate sparked clashes with Hamas .
Hamas raided mosque where sermon delivered in Rafah, seized control .
Hamas spokesman calls sheikh's followers "outlaws," says they attacked civilians . |
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Israel bombed a Hamas government compound early Tuesday, leveling at least three structures, including the foreign ministry building, eyewitnesses and Hamas security sources told CNN. Relatives mourn three boys from the same family who were killed in an Israeli airstrike Monday in Gaza. A Gaza-based journalist, whose name was withheld for security reasons, told CNN he heard 18 blasts in the area and that two fires were burning at the compound early Tuesday. More bombs continued to drop over Gaza through the morning. With Tuesday's bombs, Israel appeared to extend its airstrike campaign in Gaza to a fourth day. The strikes -- which Israel says are aimed at stopping the firing of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel -- have killed more than 375 Palestinians, most of them Hamas militants, Palestinian medical sources said Tuesday. At least 60 civilians have been killed in Gaza, U.N. officials said. About 650 people have been wounded there, according to the Palestinian medical sources. Monday, Israel's defense minister said the nation was in an "all-out war" with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza. "We have stretched our hand in peace many times to the Palestinian people. We have nothing against the people of Gaza," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's parliament. "But this is an all-out war against Hamas and its branches." Israel continues to strike Hamas targets in Gaza, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN. Mortar fire along the Gaza border late Monday killed one Israeli soldier and wounded four others, he said. Earlier Monday, columns of smoke rose over Gaza City as warplanes carried out strikes. Though there was no indication of an Israeli military ground operation in Gaza, Israeli tanks cruised along the territory's edges. Watch rocket fire force a reporter to take cover » Iyad Nasr, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said the streets of Gaza were largely empty during airstrikes Monday morning. Despite the airstrikes, militants fired more than 40 rockets and mortar shells into Israel on Monday, according to Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. More than 150 rockets have been launched into Israeli territory since the campaign began, Israel Defense Forces said. Watch damage in Sderot » Six Israelis have died over the past three days, five of them civilians. One of the rocket strikes killed an Israeli at a construction site in Ashkelon, 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of Gaza, and wounded eight others, a hospital spokeswoman said. Rocket strikes killed an Israeli and wounded two others at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, according to Israeli police and hospital spokespersons. Rocket attacks also wounded two people, one seriously, in Ashdod. One woman who was critically injured during the attack died later during an operation, according to Israeli medical sources. The White House on Monday called on Hamas to halt rocket fire against Israel, so calm can be restored in Gaza. Watch the White House blame Hamas » Israel has struck more than 300 Hamas targets since Saturday, its military said. The Israeli air force carried out at least 20 airstrikes on Gaza on Monday, Israeli military sources said. Hamas security sources said the targets included the homes of two commanders of Hamas' military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in the Jabalya refugee camp just north of Gaza City. Neither commander was among the seven people killed in those strikes, the sources said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on a report by Dr. Mu'awiya Hassanein that a strike near a mosque in Jabalya killed five children in a nearby home. The situation triggered protests in Iran, Greece, Britain and Lebanon, and the Iranian government declared a day of mourning for Palestinians in Gaza. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei urged the world's Muslim populations to unite against Israel's attacks on Hamas in Gaza. Watch a demonstration in London » "All true believers in the world of Islam and Palestinian fighters are duty-bound to defend the defenseless women and children in Gaza Strip and those giving their lives in carrying | [
"Who declared a day of warning?",
"Who declared a day of mourning?",
"What did Barak think of the War?",
"What did Tehran declare?",
"What did Israeli bombs destroy?",
"What was levelled by bombs?"
] | [
[
"the Iranian government"
],
[
"Iranian government"
],
[
"\"We have stretched our hand in peace many times to the Palestinian people. We have nothing against the people of Gaza,\""
],
[
"\"all-out war\""
],
[
"Hamas government compound"
],
[
"foreign ministry building,"
]
] | Israeli bombs level Hamas foreign ministry, two other buildings, source says .
Barak: Israel in 'all-out war' with Hamas .
Tehran declares day of mourning as protests erupt in Europe, Mideast .
Israel, Hamas blame each other for violating Egyptian-brokered cease-fire . |
GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) -- A radical Muslim sheikh's call for the creation of an Islamic emirate in Gaza sparked clashes with Hamas forces that left 21 people dead and injured at least 121 others. Members of Jund Ansar Allah surround Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi in Rafah on Friday. Hamas forces blew up the home of Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi, leader of the radical group Jund Ansar Allah, or Soldiers of the Partisans of God, Hamas sources said. Al-Maqdessi, also known as Abdel Latif Musa, was among the 21 dead, a hospital spokesman told CNN. Friday's clashes were the latest between Gaza's Hamas rulers, who have said they are moderate Muslims pledged to the Palestinian cause, and more extremist Islamic groups. Jund Ansar Allah is part of the radical Islamist movement that follows the doctrines of the "Salaf," or the predecessors -- referring to the early generations of Muslims. They reject all modern influences such as politics and government. In a televised statement, Hamas ministry spokesman Taher Nunu called al-Maqdessi's group "outlaws" and said they have been "terrorizing the country and attacking civilians." "We hold the group and its leader fully responsible for what is happening in Gaza and we offer our condolences to everyone who was killed during the clashes," Nunu said. "No one is above the law and we urge everyone who is a member of this group to surrender himself to the authorities or they will be accountable for all of their actions." The gunfight erupted near a mosque in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the cleric delivered his sermon, the sources said. Hamas militants raided the mosque and seized control of it. Later, the fighting spread to al-Maqdessi's home, the sources said. Al-Maqdessi also called for a public meeting at the mosque, posting on the Jund Ansar Allah's Web site an invitation dubbed "the golden advice to the government of (Hamas leader) Ismail Haniya." The group posted a statement on the Web site announcing the establishment of the Islamic emirate in Gaza and proclaiming al-Maqdessi "the commander of the faithful." The statement declared that armed forces in Gaza should unite under him. It urged Muslims everywhere to support the "young emirate" by providing money, weapons and men because "this is the hope of the Muslim nation in raising the banner of monotheism in Palestine and to liberate all the lands and purify Al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the damned Jews." Al-Aqsa mosque is in Jerusalem. The group accused Hamas of not being Islamic enough, saying they care more about pleasing "tyrants" than "obeying God." But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri dismissed statements about the establishment of an Islamic emirate as "theoretical." "It is not permitted to any party or individual to enforce their own laws because this is the responsibility of the security forces," he said. CNN's Talal Abu-Rahman in Gaza City, Gaza, contributed to this report. | [
"what was Al-Maqdessi the leader of?",
"The leader was seeking to create what in Gaza",
"who is the leader of this movement",
"Officals say who was killed in the battle with Hamas forces",
"who was killed in battle with Hamas forces?",
"The islamist movement that this person leads rejects what"
] | [
[
"Jund Ansar Allah"
],
[
"Islamic emirate in"
],
[
"Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi,"
],
[
"Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi,"
],
[
"21 people"
],
[
"all modern influences such as politics and government."
]
] | Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi killed in battle with Hamas forces, officials say .
Al-Maqdessi was leader of Islamist movement that rejects politics, government .
Al-Maqdessi had sought creation of Islamic emirate in Gaza . |
GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) -- A truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas leaders will take effect Thursday and last for six months, Hamas officials said Tuesday. Palestinian Hamas security men stand to attention at a training academy in Gaza City last week. Israeli officials, however, stopped short of confirming that a cease-fire agreement has been reached. "It's still early to announce an agreement of calm," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement. "When it starts, if it starts, it's hard to say how long it will last. The test will be how it's implemented." Hamas senior official Mahmoud Zahar and Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya announced the Egyptian-brokered agreement at a news conference in Gaza. They said it will begin at 6 a.m. Thursday (11 p.m. Wednesday ET). On Sunday, Israel gradually will start to open its border crossing terminals, the Hamas officials said. Asked about initial reports of a cease-fire, one Israeli official would not confirm whether an agreement had been finalized but said any truce would involve a sequential process. Watch what truce may mean in Gaza » The official said Israel would reopen some of its terminals along the Gaza border after calm had been established. He said Israel is still calling for the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit as part of a broader cease-fire. Gaza militants kidnapped Shalit in June 2006. Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel for months. Militants in Hamas-controlled Gaza have pummeled Israel with thousands of rocket and mortar attacks, prompting Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory. Referring to the Egyptian mediation efforts, Barak said, "It's important to exhaust the possibility. "The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is prepared for any developments, but it is important to attempt to achieve a period of calm to bring back the peace and quiet for the [Israeli] people who live around Gaza in Sderot and Ashkelon and to try and renew negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit." Militants in Gaza have launched more than 2,300 mortars and rockets since the start of 2008, more than the 2,000 launched in all of last year, according to Israeli military figures. While most of the attacks do not result in casualties, three Israelis have been killed in rocket and mortar strikes in recent weeks. The Israeli military responds to the attacks by carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza that target militants, but many times lead to civilian casualties -- further inflaming the Palestinian leadership. Israel also has restricted supplies of gasoline, diesel and electricity to Gaza, limited the amount of food and other goods entering the strip and made it virtually impossible for manufacturers and farmers in Gaza to export anything to the outside world. Hamas seized control of Gaza last year after routing Palestinian security agencies under the control of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah movement. The ouster forced Abbas to dissolve the Fatah-Hamas unity government, but Fatah still controls the West Bank. Representatives from the rival factions met recently in Senegal for talks aimed at restoring the political and territorial split. Earlier this month, Abbas called for "national unity" talks with Hamas with the goal of producing new elections for the Palestinians, who elected a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government in a U.S.-backed vote in 2006. Meanwhile, Abbas' Western-backed government is working toward a peace agreement with Israel. The Bush administration has said it wants the two sides to reach an agreement by the end of the year. CNN's Shira Medding contributed to this report. | [
"where srael will begin to open?",
"Who is the Israeli defence minister?",
"What has Israel not confirmed?",
"Who took control of Gaza a year ago?",
"When did Hamas take control of Gaza?",
"Who took control of Gaza?",
"what is Hard to say?",
"what Israel has not confirmed?"
] | [
[
"its border crossing terminals,"
],
[
"Ehud Barak"
],
[
"cease-fire agreement"
],
[
"Hamas"
],
[
"last year"
],
[
"Hamas"
],
[
"how long it will last."
],
[
"cease-fire agreement"
]
] | NEW: Hard to say how long any cease-fire will last, Israeli defense minister says .
Israel has not confirmed cease-fire pact .
Israel will begin to open Gaza border crossings Sunday, Hamas says .
Hamas took control of Gaza a year ago . |
GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) -- Palestinian militants declared Sunday that they would stop attacks on Israel for a week, a statement that came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced a unilateral cease-fire in the country's assault on Hamas in Gaza. An Israeli soldier holds up an Israeli flag after leaving Gaza on Sunday. The Palestinians demanded that Israel remove all troops from Gaza within the week, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said from Egypt. The agreement appears to cover all Palestinian armed factions, not only Hamas. "We in the Palestinian resistance movements announce a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip," Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official in Syria, said on Syrian TV. "And we demand that Israeli forces withdraw in one week and that they open all the border crossings to permit the entry of humanitarian aid and basic goods for our people in Gaza." There is no mutual agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians -- each side has made its own unilateral declaration of a cease-fire. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, called for the cease-fire to hold so aid could get into Gaza. Watch how a family in Gaza is coping with the violence » "We hope that it continues and that the situation calms down and that humanitarian aid delivery begins immediately to our people," he said at a summit in Egypt. Watch how a reporter finds Gaza in chaos » During 22 days of fighting, more than 1,200 people have died, all but 13 of them Palestinians. Watch clean-up efforts in Gaza City » The Palestinians and Israel continued to skirmish for several hours Sunday after Israel said it was stopping its offensive against Hamas. Palestinians fired at least 19 rockets into Israel on Sunday -- including at least two after the Palestinian cease-fire declaration, according to Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. At least three people were lightly wounded. Israeli military aircraft retaliated, firing missiles and destroying a rocket launcher, a military spokesman said. Shortly before the rocket attacks, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces in northern Gaza, the military said. Troops returned fire. Separately, Palestinian medical sources said 23 bodies were pulled from rubble in Gaza. Watch doctors tend to wounded civilians » Olmert said Sunday the Israeli offensive had achieved its goals but that the Israel Defense Forces reserved the right to respond to any Palestinian violence against Israelis. "IDF forces are in the Gaza Strip and many other units, which are surrounding Gaza from all sides, are closely observing every corner and listening to every whisper, ready for any response that they might receive from their commanders if and when the violations continue, as they have this morning," he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, before the announcement of the Palestinian cease-fire. Israel pulled some troops out of the Palestinian territory as it called a halt to its operation against Hamas, but others remained. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told CNN they would be there for a matter of days, not weeks. International leaders are in the region for talks on the crisis. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosted a summit Sunday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, bringing together leaders from Europe and the Middle East. Olmert told the gathering that, if the cease-fire holds, "the government of Israel has no intention to stay in the Gaza Strip. We are interested in leaving Gaza as soon as we can." He said Israel would "continue to do whatever is possible to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," and expressed sorrow for the deaths of innocent civilians. "It wasn't our intention to fight them or to harm them, to hurt them or to shoot at them," he said. German Premier Angela Merkel underscored the international community's preferred outcome in a news conference in Egypt: "The two-state solution is the only solution we have." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the | [
"Did Israeli prime minister intend to hurt civilians?",
"What was the number of rockets fired?",
"What area needs aid?",
"Who launched two rockets after cease-fire?",
"According to CNN, who is covered by the cease-fire?",
"What the the Israeli prime minister say about civilians?",
"How many rickets where fired after the cease-fire was in place?"
] | [
[
"\"It wasn't our intention"
],
[
"19"
],
[
"Gaza."
],
[
"Palestinians"
],
[
"Hamas in Gaza."
],
[
"\"It wasn't our intention to fight them or to harm them, to hurt them or to shoot at them,\" he said."
],
[
"at least 19"
]
] | NEW: Israeli prime minister says no intention to hurt civilians .
Palestinians fire two rockets after cease-fire declaration .
Palestinian Authority president calls for aid into Gaza .
Cease-fire covers all armed Palestinian factions, CNN reports . |
GDANSK, Poland (CNN) -- At least 20 world leaders gathered Tuesday in Poland to commemorate the start of World War II 70 years ago -- a conflict in which 6 million Poles died. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (right) chats with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Poland on Tuesday. Germany's pre-dawn invasion began when the battleship Schleswig-Holstein fired on the Westerplatte military base in Gdansk harbor on September 1, 1939. The attack set off a chain of events that eventually embroiled all of the world's major powers in the war. Polish World War II veteran Romuald Bardzynski, said: "I was a soldier on the front, a corporal in the cavalry. On September 16 I was injured. We were fighting against the Germans but I was shot by the Soviets. I was wounded three times. "But the worst thing for me is the land in eastern Poland which was occupied by the Soviets ... and to this day we cannot come to terms with it. "The Russians took half of Poland, and after the Polish fighting on all the world war fronts it turns out that after the war Poland was 77 sq km smaller! This was a great loss for us." Eugeniusz Cydzik, another Polish veteran, added: "We have to talk about what happened ... to make sure it doesn't happen again. "The young generations, like the boy scouts for example, are continuing the memory of those who perished. We take them to the sites of the battles. We even found munitions from the 1914 [war]." WWII lasted until September 2, 1945 when Germany's ally Japan signed an unconditional surrender. Leaders from many of the warring nations were in Gdansk on Tuesday for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cemetery of Defenders at Westerplatte, with commemoration speeches to take place in front of the Westerplatte memorial. Among those attending were German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin -- leaders of the two nations that once held power over Poland. Merkel said on Tuesday that her country unleashed "endless suffering" by starting the war, but also recalled the fate of ethnic Germans expelled at the end of the conflict. Watch as Poland marks start of WWII » "Germany attacked Poland, Germany started World War II. We caused unending suffering in the world. Sixty million dead ... was the result," Merkel said on German television, according to Agence-France Presse. Send us your World War II stories "But the expulsion of well over 12 million people from areas of the former Germany and present-day Poland is of course an injustice. This must also be recognized," she said. Poland first came under German influence at the start of the war, but was later dominated for about 40 years by the Russian-led Soviet Union as the Cold War between East and West settled in after World War II. A dwindling group of veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, was also due to attend. Later on Tuesday, many of the world's leading classical musicians, playing together as the World Orchestra for Peace, performed a concert in Krakow to mark the 70th anniversary. Watch highlights of the performance » | [
"Who is at the event?",
"What war is being marked?",
"Who is the russian PM?",
"How many world leaders gathered?",
"Where did the leaders meet?",
"Who is the German Chancellor?",
"what caused the worlds major powers to get together",
"What is the name of the Russian PM?",
"Where did the world leaders meet?",
"how many world leaders gathered",
"How many world leaders gathered in Poland?",
"What is the name of the German Chancellor?",
"where did they gather"
] | [
[
"least 20 world leaders"
],
[
"II"
],
[
"Vladimir Putin"
],
[
"At least 20"
],
[
"Poland"
],
[
"Angela Merkel"
],
[
"commemorate the start"
],
[
"Vladimir Putin"
],
[
"Poland"
],
[
"At least 20"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"Angela Merkel"
],
[
"Poland"
]
] | About 20 world leaders gathered in Poland to mark the start of World War II .
Attack set off chain of events that embroiled all of the world's major powers .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian PM Vladimir Putin at event .
Merkel says her country unleashed "endless suffering" by starting war . |
GENEVA, Alabama (CNN) -- The gunman who authorities said launched a shooting rampage over three south Alabama towns, slaying 10 people in his path before killing himself, was once a police officer in Samson, the small town hit hardest by the deadliest crime in the state's history.
Authorities identified the shooter, seen in a yearbook photo, as Michael McLendon, 28, of Kinston, Alabama.
Authorities identified the shooter as Michael McLendon, 28, of Kinston, Alabama, in Coffee County. Speaking at several news conferences on Wednesday, authorities also released a detailed timeline of the rampage -- which lasted less than an hour -- and identified the victims.
Investigators late Wednesday said they were closer to finding a motive behind why McLendon would fatally shoot his mother in his hometown of Kinston before moving on to open fire in Samson and then Geneva.
"Evidence collected does indicate his reasons -- what the reason are I can't get into right now," said Lt. Barry Tucker of the Alabama Bureau of Investigations. "He was somewhat depressed about job issues, but the information we have does not specify [the motive] was job-related."
Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley told the newspaper in nearby Dothan that McLendon likely planned the rampage for a while. He said investigators have found dozens of ammunition boxes, military and survival gear and medical supplies at McLendon's Kinston home.
The Alabama Bureau of Investigation said authorities recovered a phone list and a notebook from the home, "but there is no evidence that indicates a hit list of any kind."
Tucker said the notebook contained, "a couple of pages of notes, people he worked with, places he worked -- it was over a year old." Asked whether the notes expressed grievances against others, Tucker said no.
The assault Tuesday ended at the Reliable Metal Products plant in Geneva, 24 miles from Kinston. Police said McLendon engaged in a shootout before killing himself inside the building.
McLendon shot and killed at least 10 people, including two children, and wounded at least four others, officials said.
McLendon, who had no known criminal record before carrying out the rampage, worked briefly as a police officer in Samson, but failed to complete the "required training" at the police academy in Montgomery in 2003, according to Alabama State Trooper Capt. Marc McHenry.
He "didn't last a week and a half" at the academy and received no firearms training there, Murphy said.
"We believe he fired in excess of 200 rounds during the assaults," Alabama State Police Cpl. Steve Jarrett said. See photos of the shooting scenes »
The rampage began Tuesday afternoon when McLendon shot and killed his mother before setting fire to the home he shared with her in Kinston, near the Alabama-Florida state line. He then headed to Samson, where he opened fire on his uncle's front porch as his uncle and other relatives stood outside with the neighbors from across the street. Mayor: "Shock and disbelief" »
Those neighbors happened to be the family of Geneva County Sheriff's Deputy Josh Myers, who was later involved in a shoot-out with the gunman, unaware that McLendon had shot and killed his wife and young daughter and critically injured his nearly 4-month-old baby, Ella Kay.
A family friend found the couple's 4-year-old son hiding in the Myers' home after the shooting.
Five people, including Myers' wife, Andrea, and their 1½-year-old daughter, Corinne Gracy, were killed on the porch. McLendon then opened fire on his grandmother, who was standing in the doorway of her home next door. Watch deputy ask for prayers for wounded daughter »
Alina Knowles was in her home in Samson when she heard the gunman fire on the porch so many times that it sounded like a horror film.
After the shooting stopped, Knowles saw the gunman flee the area and drive around the block. Watch the aftermath of the shooting spree »
Knowles, a certified nurse assistant, looked around for survivors. She saw members | [
"what was suspect was depressed about?",
"Where did McLendon train?",
"gunman fired in excess of how many rounds?",
"Who did McLendon kill?",
"What is the name of the gunman?",
"who killed his mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle?",
"How many rounds did the subject fire?",
"What was the suspect depressed about?"
] | [
[
"job issues,"
],
[
"the police academy in Montgomery"
],
[
"of 200"
],
[
"his mother"
],
[
"Michael McLendon,"
],
[
"Michael McLendon,"
],
[
"200"
],
[
"job issues,"
]
] | NEW: Officials say suspect was depressed about job issues .
Police say gunman "fired in excess of 200 rounds" during the assaults .
Shooter trained briefly at state police academy but "didn't last," officials say .
Police say Michael McLendon killed his mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle . |
GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) -- The Obama administration has been talking about "pressing the reset button" with Russia after relations "crashed" when Russia invaded Georgia last August. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laugh about their "reset' button. When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday before sitting down to their working dinner, she presented him a small green box with a ribbon. Inside was a red button with the Russian word "peregruzka" printed on it. "I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship and so we will do it together.'" Clinton, laughing, added, "We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?" she asked Lavrov. "You got it wrong," Lavrov said." Both diplomats laughed. "It should be "perezagruzka" (the Russian word for reset,) Lavrov said. "This says 'peregruzka,' which means 'overcharged.'" The question came up at the news conference afterward. "In a way, the word that's on the button turns out to be also true," Clinton said. "We are resetting, and because we are resetting, the minister and I have an overload of work." Asked by a Russian reporter whether he had pressed the button, Lavrov said that he and Clinton did, indeed. "It is big and red and I hope that Russia and the United States, and other countries will never press on another button which used to be associated with a destructive war," he said. The "overload," Clinton said, is a broad agenda of issues. "We are going to systematically go through each and every one of them," she added. Clinton said the two sides will get to work on re-negotiating a follow-up to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and nonproliferation. On other issues like Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iran, Clinton said, "We will work through them." On issues where there is disagreement, Clinton said, "We are keeping those on the list because, we think through closer cooperation and building trust in each other, we can even tackle some of those differences." Lavrov agreed the burden of the agenda for the two countries is "enormous," but added: "I don't think either Hillary or I have any desire to be freed from any burden." Clinton called the encounter "a very productive meeting of the minds." She said both Lavrov and she are "very practical-minded" and will create a "specific set of objectives and responsibilities" to present to presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev before the leaders' first face-to-face meeting in April at the G-20 meeting in London. On the START treaty, she said Russia and the United States intend to have an agreement by the end of this year when the treaty expires and are "going to get to work immediately" on it. Lavrov was asked about Russian intentions to install S-300 missiles in Iran. He said the decision "will be made exclusively on the basis of law in accordance with Russian law, and will be under expert control, which is one of the strictest in the world and of course in accordance with international agreements." Lavrov said the weapons Russia provides to its partners are "nondestabilizing, defensive weapons." In an apparent reference to U.S. military supplies to Georgia, Lavrov said, "We want our partners to act the same way and show restraint in military supplies to those countries where, including very recently, those weapons have been used very close to our borders." Senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters afterward, however, said they had not read Georgia into the minister's comments. They said the discussion ranged broadly over a number of areas and "we now have | [
"What did the \"reset\" button actually say?",
"What country wants to reset relations with Russia?",
"What countries want to reset relations?",
"Who is the US trying to \"Reset\" relations with?",
"What does the text on the button actually translate to?",
"What did the text on the button translate to?",
"Which Secretary of State gave their Russian Counterpart a Reset Button?",
"What treaty did both countries want to renegotiate?",
"Who gave a reset button to her Russian counterpart?"
] | [
[
"\"peregruzka\""
],
[
"the United States,"
],
[
"Russia"
],
[
"Russia"
],
[
"'overcharged.'\""
],
[
"'overcharged.'\""
],
[
"Hillary Clinton"
],
[
"Strategic Arms Reduction"
],
[
"Hillary Clinton"
]
] | United States, Russia want to "reset" relations after years of tension .
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives "reset" button to Russian counterpart .
Text on button actually translates to "overcharged"
Both countries want to renegotiate Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty . |
GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) -- The number of confirmed swine flu cases across the globe kept rising Friday, but some signs of hope emerged in the battle against the worldwide outbreak. Tourists sunbathe wearing surgical masks in the popular Mexican resort of Acapulco. The World Health Organization said Friday that the number of confirmed cases stood at 367 worldwide, including 141 in the United States and 156 in Mexico. Thirteen countries have confirmed cases, the organization said. Meanwhile, researchers worked to develop a vaccine for swine flu, which is also known as 2009 H1N1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes to have a vaccine to manufacturers within a month, said Michael Shaw, lab team leader for the H1N1 response at the CDC. "We're doing the best we can as fast as we can," he said. Yet it would take four to six months from the time the appropriate strain is identified before the first doses become available, said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research. "Of course we would like to have a vaccine tomorrow. We would have wanted to have it yesterday," she said. "It's a long journey." She said there is "no doubt" that a vaccine can be made "in a relatively short period of time." The steps involved in producing a vaccine involve isolating a strain of the virus, which has already been done, and tweaking it so manufacturers can make a vaccine, Kieny said. The tweaked virus will be shipped to manufacturers, who will fine-tune it. Then come more tests before national regulatory agencies decide whether to approve a vaccine. As researchers work, at least one politician at the epicenter of the outbreak expressed optimism Friday. Authorities in Mexico are "beginning to see evidence that the [virus] might be letting up, and the number of people who have been hospitalized has leveled out in regards to people who are contagious, at least as of yesterday," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard told reporters. Watch how Mexican authorities are dealing with the outbreak » "We do have a problem, but I say this so that we know where we are as a city after we have done all we have done, and in what direction we are heading and how much we have progressed. And what I can say is that we are heading in the right direction." The WHO said Mexico has 156 confirmed cases and nine deaths. Mexican authorities say they have confirmed 16 deaths and at least 358 cases, and they suspect more than 150 deaths may have been caused by the flu. Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta demystify pandemics » The CDC gave the following state-by-state breakdown of the 141 confirmed H1N1 cases in the United States: Arizona, 4; California, 13; Colorado, 2; Delaware, 4; Illinois, 3; Indiana, 3; Kansas, 2; Kentucky, 1; Massachusetts, 2; Michigan, 2; Minnesota, 1; Nebraska, 1; Nevada, 1; New Jersey, 5; New York, 50; Ohio, 1; South Carolina, 16; Texas, 28; and Virginia, 2. See where cases have been confirmed » One death in the United States has been attributed to swine flu -- a toddler from Mexico whose family brought him to Texas for medical treatment. In a Cabinet meeting, President Obama on Friday praised the "extraordinary" government response to the virus but emphasized that "we also need to prepare for the long term." "Since we know that these kinds of threats can emerge at any moment, even if it turns out that the H1N1 is relatively mild on the front end, it could come back in a more virulent form during the actual flu season, and that's why we are investing in our public health infrastructure." Go behind the scenes at the CDC » He said there are indications from Mexico that "relatively young, healthy people" have died rather than people whose immune systems are compromised, and "that's why | [
"Who says 16 people have died from virus?",
"How many people died from the virus?",
"How many people have died from the virus?",
"How many countries did the virus spread to?"
] | [
[
"World Health Organization"
],
[
"16 deaths"
],
[
"150 deaths"
],
[
"Thirteen"
]
] | NEW: Mexican government says 16 people have died from virus .
Virus has spread to 13 countries, with hardest-hit areas in the West .
U.S. Education Department says outbreak has closed 433 schools in 17 states .
Vaccine could be made "in a relatively short period of time," official says . |
GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama called on Iran to provide the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency with "unfettered" access to the newly disclosed Qom uranium enrichment site, and Tehran's nuclear negotiator said the country would cooperate with inspectors. President Obama said Iran must provide inspectors with "unfettered" access to the new site within two weeks. Iran says it plans to cooperate "fully" and "immediately" with the U.N. nuclear agency and will invite representatives of the body to visit its newly revealed uranium enrichment facility "soon," said Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief. The IAEA has confirmed a trip to Iran by Director General Mohamed ElBaradei would take place soon, but no specific date has been announced. A senior U.S. official speaking on background told reporters that ElBaradei's trip to Tehran could come as early as this weekend. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said "transparency is not something new" for the Islamic republic's nuclear program. "Iran has committed itself to follow all the obligations and the like," Jalili said, speaking through a translator provided by the Iranian delegation in Geneva. "What I want to emphasize is that our cooperation with the agency and the way we look specifically regarding to nuclear energy is that we believe that nuclear warheads are illegitimate and no country should have these kind of weapons." He said nuclear energy for peaceful purposes "is the right of every sovereign state and country." Watch more from the Jalili interview » There were a number of developments at a meeting Thursday in Geneva between Iran and world powers over Iran's nuclear program; Solana said the meeting "represented the start of what we hope will be an intensive process." "I and all the representatives of the six countries were united in underlining the importance of fully transparency and of rebuilding confidence through practical steps. In the course of the day, we had both plenary meetings and bilateral discussions allowing for detailed exchanges on all issues," Solana said. The meeting occurred on the heels of the recent revelation that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom, a dramatic development that jacked up tension between Iran and international powers. International powers have threatened more sanctions if the Islamic republic doesn't change its ways. At a news conference Thursday after the talks, Solana said International Atomic Energy Agency experts are expected to visit the facility near Qom "within the next couple of weeks." IAEA spokesman Gill Tudor said Director General Mohamed ElBaradei "has been invited to Tehran by Iranian authorities. He will travel there soon to discuss a number of matters." Solana confirmed that world powers and Iran will hold another round of talks before the end of the month, but it is not known where or exactly when. "An agenda for that meeting will be worked out through diplomatic channels. It will focus on nuclear issues, including proposals previously put forward by both sides. It will also deal with global issues that any of the parties wish to address," Solana said. Solana also said the world powers and Iran agreed in principle "that low-enriched uranium produced in Iran would be transported to third countries for further enrichment and fabrication into fuel assemblies for the Tehran research reactor, which produces isotopes for medical applications." Details will be worked out at the next meeting, Solana said. The senior U.S. official told reporters that the enrichment would happen in Russia. "The potential advantage of this, if it's implemented, is that it would significantly reduce Iran's [low-enriched uranium] stockpile which itself is a source of anxiety in the Middle East and elsewhere," the senior U.S. official told reporters in a briefing Thursday. Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, noted at a news conference Thursday that the parties hope to reach a framework for future talks. The Geneva talks also featured a proposal for Iran to send its enriched uranium to a third country for final processing to ensure that it would be used | [
"What is a focus for world powers?",
"What were the talks about?",
"What did the Foreign policy chief confirm?",
"Who is the U.S. holding talks with?",
"What is the focus for world powers?"
] | [
[
"nuclear issues,"
],
[
"Qom uranium enrichment site,"
],
[
"that world powers and Iran will hold another round of talks before the end of the month,"
],
[
"Iran"
],
[
"nuclear issues,"
]
] | U.S., Iran hold talks on margins of multilateral meeting on Iran's nuclear plans .
Obama says talks are "constructive" start but demands more .
Foreign policy chief confirms another round of talks coming .
Newly revealed Iranian uranium facility is focus for world powers . |
GEROLSTEIN, Germany -- Mineral water company Gerolsteiner have decided to drop their sponsorship of the German ProTour cycling team, which expires at the end of the 2008 season. German rider Stefan Schumacher is a member of the Gerolsteiner team. Gerolsteiner, who have been team sponsors since 1998, said there was a change in marketing strategy. Gerolsteiner has invested around $12 million annually in the team, which includes riders Stefan Schumacher, Fabian Wegmann, Markus Fothen and Robert Foerster. Gerolsteiner said on Tuesday they were no longer reaching their targeted audience through cycling because it was changing from being solely a producer of mineral water to a supplier of nonalcoholic drinks. Gerolsteiner team chief Hans-Michael Holczer was deeply upset by the news. "There were tears in my eyes," said Holczer. The German Cycling Federation (BDR) said they would help the team to find a new sponsor. "It is not an entirely unexpected decision. After such a long collaboration, you notice changes in your partner," said Holczer, who will begin the hunt for a new sponsor. "We have one of the best teams on the market with a national and international reputation." The T-Mobile cycling team has fired rider Lorenzo Bernucci after his positive doping test at the Tour of Germany last month. Bernucci violated the team's code of conduct and was removed from T-Mobile's roster at the Spanish Vuelta, the team said on Tuesday. He tested positive for a non-amphetamine appetite suppressant. Bernucci is licensed by the Monaco cycling federation, which will be responsible for further investigation and possible additional sanctions, T-Mobile said. He tested positive on August 15 for the substance sibutramine, an appetite suppressant sold under various brand names, such as Reductil and Ectiva. The world governing body of cycling, UCI, informed T-Mobile of Bernucci's positive test. Bernucci told team management that he had been using Ectiva for four years and had purchased it over the counter at a pharmacy in Italy, not knowing it been added to the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency, T-Mobile said. According to UCI rules, a first violation for sibutramine -- if it is determined that it was not intended as a performance enhancer -- can result in anything between a warning and a one-year suspension. "We do not know if this was an attempt at performance enhancement or just poor judgment," T-Mobile team chief Bob Stapleton said. "But we know it is unacceptable that riders take any medication without the approval of the team doctor. It's a clear violation of our code of conduct and we act now on that basis." E-mail to a friend | [
"T-Mobile fired who after a positive drug test?",
"What caused them to end their sponsorship?",
"They were sponsors since when?",
"They have been team sponsors since when?",
"Who was fired after a dope test?",
"What company is ending its sponsorship of the Pro Tour team?",
"What is the team involved in?",
"Who is ending sponsorship for Pro Tour?"
] | [
[
"Lorenzo Bernucci"
],
[
"change in marketing strategy."
],
[
"1998,"
],
[
"1998,"
],
[
"Lorenzo Bernucci"
],
[
"Gerolsteiner"
],
[
"German ProTour cycling"
],
[
"Gerolsteiner"
]
] | The Gerolsteiner company is ending its sponsorship of the Pro Tour team .
They have been team sponsors since 1998 and their contract ends next year .
Stefan Schumacher and Davide Rebellin are leading team members .
T-Mobile have fired Lorenzo Bernucci after a positive dope test . |
GLADSTONE, Illinois (CNN) -- Residents of this small town in Illinois, like many others who live along the banks of the surging Mississippi River, raced against the clock Tuesday to erect a makeshift levee as rising floodwaters threatened. Residents of Gladstone, Illinois, work with the National Guard to create a makeshift levee. "I'm not moving, not moving my business," said Byron Sebastian, a longtime resident of Gladstone, Illinois, who also serves on the city council. "We've got a lot of good people here helping to try to save this part of town." Gladstone is one of many towns under threat Tuesday after rising waters breached a 300-foot area of a levee near Gulf Port, Illinois, before 5 a.m. Levees all along the mid-Mississippi were being topped with sandbags Tuesday as the river, fed by its flooded tributaries, continued to rise. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich called up 1,100 National Guard members to assist in sandbagging efforts, said Patti Thompson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. She also said inmates are helping on the levees and others are bagging sand in correctional institutions. "We were very, very disappointed that this levee broke today," said Thompson. "It's a very powerful river, and it can be hard to harness." With the help of the National Guard, Sebastian and his fellow residents hustled Tuesday to build a barrier between Gladstone and the encroaching floodwaters. Even though Gladstone is about four miles from the banks of the Mississippi, the rising floodwaters have submerged homes and created rivers where crop fields once stood. The muddy townspeople worked with anxious resolve, cracking the occasional joke, as they filled bags with sand and dirt and loaded them onto ATVs. On the receiving end were members of the Illinois National Guard, who piled up the sandbags as the tops of cornstalks rose above the waters behind them. "Threats can happen in all shapes and forms, so we are trying to help out," said National Guardsman Capt. Lanny Finn, whose unit previously served in Iraq. "We'll be here for as long as we're needed." Sebastian, who lived through floods in 1993, said he never thought he'd have to experience them again. "We thought that was bad, but this is a lot worse than it was in '93," said Sebastian. "Now we got some lakefront property." Elsewhere in Illinois, authorities closed the Great River Bridge on U.S. 34, which connects Illinois to Iowa over the swollen Mississippi, as authorities evacuated about 400 people in Henderson County. The sheriff of Henderson County, where the Mississippi River borders the entire western edge of the county, said authorities are still concerned about the communities of Gulf Port, Carman, Lomax and Dallas City. Watch aerial views of the rising Mississippi » "It's been an uphill battle from the start, and the levee just broke loose," he said. Sheriff John Jefferson of Hancock County, Illinois, said water was "very, very close" to the top of some areas of the county's two levees. "We've had to evacuate some areas already, but the areas that have not been evacuated yet, we're just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that the levee will hold," he said. In two of the county's communities, Rio Vista and Pontoosuc, power has been shut off in all but 20 residences, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office said. Missouri also began to feel the force of the surging Mississippi Tuesday, as water began to top multiple levees east of Highway 79, forcing authorities to suspend sandbagging efforts at a levee near Foley, officials said Tuesday. In Northwest Missouri, towns and cities along the Mississippi River were bracing for flooding later this week as swollen waters head downriver. Communities at high risk of record flooding include Quincy, Illinois, and Hannibal, Missouri, according to National Weather Service modeling. Moderate flooding is possible later in the week in Alton, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri. The floods began | [
"What do towns rush to build?",
"What does high water cause officials to close?",
"What towns are building barriers?"
] | [
[
"barrier between Gladstone and the encroaching floodwaters."
],
[
"Great River Bridge"
],
[
"Gladstone, Illinois,"
]
] | NEW: Towns rush to build makeshift barriers to hold back rising floodwaters .
NEW: Record flooding anticipated for towns in Illinois, Missouri .
High water forces officials to close U.S. 34 span between Iowa, Illinois .
FEMA sets up 6 centers in Iowa; 24 counties declared disasters . |
GLASGOW, Scotland -- Jean-Claude Darcheville and Nacho Novo both scored twice to fire leaders Rangers to a 4-0 win at Hearts, their 10th consecutive Scottish Premier League victory. Jean-Claude Darcheville scored two first-half goals as Rangers cruised to a 4-0 victory at Hearts. Hearts found themselves ripped apart by a rampant Rangers side, who sent out a clear message to rivals Celtic by maintaining their four-point advantage at the summit. Darcheville claimed the opener after 25 minutes, cutting inside from the left and squeezing his shot inside the far post from a tight angle. The same player added a second two minutes before the break, scoring from close range after a Barry Ferguson corner was not cleared. Darcheville was withdrawn for Novo at the interval, but if Hearts thought the departure of the Frenchman meant some much-needed respite, they were sadly mistaken. Novo was on the pitch for seven minutes when he helped himself to a goal of his own. Charlie Adam set up the shot with a low ball across goal and all that was required from the striker was to bundle home from close range. The same two players combined again to supply Rangers with their fourth goal with 69 minutes gone. Adam was again the provider and this time Novo produced a cheeky back-heel finish from five meters. Meanwhile, goals by Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras gave Celtic a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Australian international McDonald's 25th goal of the season right on the interval gave the champions the lead and his Greek team-mate bulleted an Aiden McGeady cross past goalkeeper Michael Fraser on the hour mark. But the final minutes were needlessly fraught for Celtic after Caley striker Marius Niculae took advantage of Scott Brown's misplaced pass to pull a goal back in the 70th minute. E-mail to a friend | [
"who remains second",
"who is second in the table",
"who net twice for the league",
"What did Jean-Claude Darcheville and Nacho Novo do?",
"what was rangers vs hearts final tally",
"what was celtics score",
"Who won the match at Hearts?",
"what is the score of rangers"
] | [
[
"Darcheville"
],
[
"Inverness Caledonian Thistle."
],
[
"Jean-Claude Darcheville and Nacho Novo"
],
[
"scored twice to fire leaders Rangers"
],
[
"4-0"
],
[
"2-1"
],
[
"Rangers"
],
[
"4-0"
]
] | Rangers remain four points clear in Scotland after a superb 4-0 win at Hearts .
Jean-Claude Darcheville and Nacho Novo both net twice for the league leaders .
Celtic remain second in the table following 2-1 victory against Inverness Caley . |
GLASGOW, Scotland -- Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic suffered another setback in their bid for a third successive title after being held 1-1 by managerless Hibernian on Saturday.
David Murphy's goals have earned Hibernian four points against the Auld Firm this season.
Gordon Strachan's team head the table by three points from Glasgow rivals Rangers, who have three games in hand ahead of Sunday's trip to Aberdeen.
Visiting Hibernian, whose manager John Collins surprisingly resigned on Thursday citing a lack of financial backing from the Edinburgh side's board, took the lead in the 20th minute through left-back David Murphy.
The Englishman played a one-two with Abdessalam Benjelloun before crashing a shot from the edge of the box past goalkeeper Mark Brown and in off the crossbar.
Murphy's only other goal this season came in Hibs' 1-0 win at Rangers on October 6.
Brown did well to keep out Merouane Zemmama's audacious shot from just inside the Celtic half soon after, and also tipped over Brian Kerr's looping header three minutes after half-time.
Substitute Jiri Jarosik rescued Celtic from a first home SPL defeat this season in the 78th minute after being teed up by Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who then headed against the post with two minutes to play.
Hibernian held on despite having to play the final few minutes with 10 men, after Benjelloun was stretchered off with their three substitutes already used.
The victory lifted the visitors up into fifth place, while Celtic have taken just six points from the last five games.
Strachan, who confirmed he is hoping to sign Brazilian defender Coelho next month, said: "We need to cut out the silly mistakes because if you look at some of the goals we have let in away from home this season, they are silly mistakes.
"We could have definitely done something with every one of them. I'm happy with the number of chance we've made in the last few weeks, but unhappy with individual mistakes.
"It's not been great to look at, and we need to cut it out. We have honest lads walking in to the dressing room and saying, 'That was my fault.'
"I said to them, 'It's very commendable lads but we can't keep doing this.' There has been a lot going right for us, but one or two things going wrong. We have to deal with that, and then I will look forward to the rest of the season."
Third-placed Motherwell missed the chance to move above Rangers after being beaten 3-0 at home by Falkirk, who climbed to ninth with two goals in the second half to Michael Higdon and then another from Patrick Clegg on 65 minutes.
Fourth-placed Dundee United failed to take advantage, losing 2-1 at home to bottom club Gretna -- whose only two wins this season have come against the Tangerines.
Kenny Deuchar put the visitors ahead in the 12th minute before striker Noel Hunt leveled on 29, and Nicky Deverdics scored the eventual winner for the Borders outfit three minutes before half-time.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle followed up last weekend's shock 3-2 victory against Celtic by also winning at Hearts by the same scoreline.
The visitors led through Russell Duncan after 22 minutes and John Rankin made it 2-0 with a 53rd-minute penalty before Christophe Berra pulled one back on 62 and Lithuanian striker Andrius Velicka leveled from the spot (90).
However, Graham Bayne scored a dramatic injury-time winner to lift Caley into the top six.
In Saturday's other game, second-bottom St Mirren drew 0-0 at home to fellow strugglers Kilmarnock to be left seven points ahead of Gretna. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who is in second place?",
"What was the position of the Rangers?",
"What was the score for the Celtics?",
"Was the match a draw?",
"Who leads by 3 points",
"What league leaders?",
"Are Rangers ahead?",
"Who are leading by 3 points?",
"Who now lead by three points?",
"Who is second-placed?"
] | [
[
"Rangers"
],
[
"who have three games in hand ahead of Sunday's trip to Aberdeen."
],
[
"1-1"
],
[
"In Saturday's other game, second-bottom St Mirren drew 0-0 at home to fellow strugglers Kilmarnock to be left seven points ahead of Gretna."
],
[
"Gordon Strachan's team"
],
[
"Celtic"
],
[
"who have three games in hand"
],
[
"Gordon Strachan's team"
],
[
"Gordon Strachan's team"
],
[
"Rangers,"
]
] | Scottish league leaders Celtic held 1-1 at home by managerless Hibernian .
Celtic now lead by three points, having taken just six from last five games .
Second-placed Rangers have three games in hand ahead of trip to Aberdeen . |
GLASGOW, Scotland -- World champions Italy clinched qualification for Euro 2008 after goals in the first and last minutes gave them a pulsating 2-1 victory at Hampden Park -- killing off Scotland's hopes of reaching the finals.
Luca Toni celebrates his early goal as Italy won 2-1 in Scotland to clinch qualification from Group B.
Luca Toni shot Italy in front but Scotland recovered to dominate and Barry Ferguson bundled home a 65th-minute leveller.
However, Christian Panucci headed an injury-time winner after a controversial decision to award Italy a free-kick.
The result also means France have sealed qualification, along with Italy, from Group B without playing a game.
In a match played in torrential rain, Italy enjoyed the best possible start by taking the lead after just 70 seconds. Gianluca Zambrotta spotted Antonio Di Natale unmarked in the box, and picked him out with a throw-in as Scotland were caught napping. Di Natale swept the ball into the path of Toni who delicately flicked into the top left corner from six meters out.
The home side almost conceded a second goal 60 seconds later. This time, Toni turned provider and his cut-back was met by Mauro Camoranesi who fired over from close-range.
Toni then shrugged off two challenges before drawing a decent save from Craig Gordon with a well-struck effort that the goalkeeper did well to block at the near post.
At the other end, Scotland were denied the opportunity to haul themselves back into the match when a thunderous drive from Lee McCulloch appeared to be handled by Zambrotta inside the area but penalty claims were ignored.
Spurred on by a sense of injustice, the hosts cranked up the pressure on their visitors. Ferguson fired over from a James McFadden corner, before Alan Hutton nodded agonisingly wide of the upright following another perfect delivery from the Everton man.
Scotland then produced some wonderful passing football, which culminated in a tight-angled drive from Ferguson, but Gianluigi Buffon dived low to smother.
Then came another scare for the home side. Gordon was forced to pull a save out of the top drawer to deny a point-blank effort from Massimo Ambrosini, before Di Natale rifled the rebound into the back of the net.
The assistant referee raised his flag for offside but television replays suggested the official may have called it wrong.
Only last-gasp defending from the Italians prevented the Scots from grabbing a morale-boosting leveller on the stroke of half-time.
David Weir rose above everyone else in a packed box to meet Ferguson's corner and his header appeared to be heading for the top corner before Andrea Pirlo somehow managed to nod off the line.
A free-kick in a dangerous area provided Italy with the chance to start the second half as emphatically as they had started the first when Paul Hartley hauled down Camoranesi just outside the box.
Pirlo seized on the chance and looped the ball over the wall but, despite a reputation as a dead-ball specialist, his effort was easily dealt with by Gordon.
Instead, it was Scotland who found the back of the net as Hampden erupted with 65 minutes gone. McFadden's free-kick deflected into the path of McCulloch in front of goal.
He was denied by Buffon, but the rebound fell kindly to Ferguson and the captain gratefully rifled home from close-range.
With just over 15 minutes to go, Scott Brown was withdrawn for Kenny Miller as Scotland went for broke. The Derby striker quickly began to cause the Italians problems and delivered a wonderful diagonal cross to the feet of McFadden but he fired wide when it looked easier score.
Scotland's impossible dream ended in the cruellest possible way when Italy snatched a last minute goal to secure their own qualification for Euro 2008.
Hutton appeared to be barged over in front of the corner flag but the referee inexplicably awarded the free-kick the other way and Panucci rose to meet Pirlo's cross and nod home the winner.
Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said: "We knew it was going to be a physical match given the atmosphere.
"But through | [
"Which country won in Scotland to secure a finals spot?",
"What was the result of the italy scotland game",
"Which team now cannot qualify?",
"What will happen to France?",
"Which team qualified for Euro 2008 finals?",
"Which team will be reaching the Euro 2008 finals after the result in Glasgow?",
"What tournament did Italy secure their qualification for against Scotland?",
"Who else will reach the final",
"Which team reached Euro 2008 finals after the result in Glasgow?",
"What was the score between Italy and Scotland?"
] | [
[
"Italy"
],
[
"2-1"
],
[
"Scotland"
],
[
"have sealed qualification,"
],
[
"Italy"
],
[
"Italy"
],
[
"Euro 2008"
],
[
"Italy"
],
[
"Italy"
],
[
"2-1"
]
] | Italy win 2-1 in Scotland to secure their qualification for the Euro 2008 finals .
The result means Scotland cannot qualify and will now finish third in Group B .
France will also be reaching the Euro 2008 finals after the result in Glasgow . |
GLEN BURNIE, Maryland (CNN) -- At his GM dealership in suburban Washington, Maury Wilkins exudes calm as he gears up for an enormous challenge: protecting his decades-old family business. Zero-percent financing is one way Maury Wilkins and other GM dealers are trying to lure new buyers. With General Motors teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, Wilkins says luring customers back into his showroom boils down to two factors. "Everything is confidence and perception," Wilkins told CNN in a recent interview. Confidence in the beleaguered General Motors Corp. is exactly what President Obama hopes to restore. Even as he forced out GM's CEO Rick Wagoner in late March, the president also made an extraordinary pledge. "If you buy a car from Chrysler or General Motors, you will be able to get your car serviced and repaired, just like always," Obama announced from the White House a week ago. "Starting today, the United States government will stand behind your warranty," the president said. Some critics have blasted that promise as untenable. "That's pie-in-the-sky," says William Holstein, author of "Why GM Matters: Inside the Race to Transform an American Icon." "If General Motors goes away, how is the government ever going to maintain the network of suppliers?" asks Holstein. Noting there are "four or five thousand moving parts in a vehicle," Holstein wonders, "How is the government going to maintain this incredible infrastructure of suppliers to make sure that every part, every body panel is available for years after General Motors goes away?... It's impossible." GM dealer Wilkins sees the government's guarantee as a consumer confidence-builder. Still, he's concerned about slumping sales figures. Nationwide, auto sales dropped 37 percent in March compared with a year ago. Wilkins' business was not immune. Though he says he's not in crisis mode, he does have contingency plans. Watch report from CNN's Elaine Quijano on Wilkins » "Our business model is 'what if, what if, what if,'" Wilkins said, adding, "if all these things are outside of our control, how do we make sure that we maintain our profitability?" That means extra attention to facets of his business besides new-car sales, including used-car sales, service and parts, and collision repair. Already, Wilkins believes car sales have turned a corner. He says February was one of his dealership's best months. It was the result, he believes, of business adjustments he made, including altering inventory stocks. Wilkins also says credit for car buyers is finally beginning to loosen. Potential customer Jim Lally says that's what drew him into the showroom the day CNN visited. "I heard about the zero-percent financing and the exceptional deals that are being offered right now," Lally said. While Lally hadn't decided on whether to buy a GM, his visit was another reason for Wilkins' cautious optimism, as his business tries to weather the economic storm. | [
"What is he trying to do?",
"Who is the GM dealer?",
"Who is Maury Wilkins?",
"What does Wilkins focus on?"
] | [
[
"lure new buyers."
],
[
"Maury Wilkins"
],
[
"GM dealer"
],
[
"he gears up for an enormous challenge: protecting his decades-old family business."
]
] | Suburban Washington GM dealer Maury Wilkins trying to lure back customers .
He supports Obama's guarantee: "Everything is confidence and perception"
Wilkins focuses on used-car sales, collision repair, service and parts .
Wilkins says adjustments started paying off in February, one of his best months . |
GOLDEN, Colorado (CNN) -- Sometimes the best way to roll with the punches is to roll the dice. Jerry Goldsmith was one of hundreds of people who turned out this week to apply for a casino job. That's Jerry Goldsmith's attitude. The Colorado man lost his engineering job of 29 years -- and the six-figure salary that went with it -- and is now applying for a casino job dealing craps, blackjack, roulette and poker. "I was angry. I think everyone gets angry," says Goldsmith, 60, recalling his New Year's Day firing. "It's 'Why me?' But after a while I just learned: One door closed, but many more just opened. "I just need to find the right one to go into." Goldsmith was one of 750 people who showed up Wednesday to apply for casino dealer jobs near Denver. Another 550 applied on Thursday. The applicants were going after 90 spots in dealer school. Earlier on Wednesday, Goldsmith had interviewed for a job as a cable TV installer. They were his first job interviews since losing his job. He says that, at first, he spent a lot of time on the Internet looking for work. He also contacted executive headhunters but was unable to find any leads in the engineering field. So he decided to expand his search into other areas. Goldsmith says he nailed the casino job interview and thinks he would make a great dealer. "When you've been working hard all your life, quitting is just not an option, so I'll take on any opportunity I can," he says, adding with a laugh: "Hopefully there will be some exchange of gratuity in the business so I make something." In a November referendum, Colorado voters approved a measure to expand betting limits at casinos in Colorado from $5 to $100 and to add the games of roulette and craps. The new rules will also allow the casinos to stay open 24 hours a day. They currently close at 2 a.m. and open at 8 a.m. The state hopes to benefit from the increased tax dollars, a portion of which will help fund community colleges, but before the first new tax dollar goes into state coffers, the casinos need to staff up. "Twenty-four-hour gaming adds a whole extra shift every day, seven days a week. You're adding an extra shift in every department of the casino," says Jef Bauer, who runs three casinos in Black Hawk, Colorado, for Golden Gaming: the Golden Mardi Gras, Golden Gates and Golden Gulch. "We're looking to hire initially about 90 people into our dealer school, which we're offering free to learn how to deal craps, roulette and blackjack." Golden Gaming currently employs about 400 people in Black Hawk and anticipates adding another 100 by July 2, when the new rules go into effect. Black Hawk is a former mining town tucked into the Rocky Mountains about 35 miles from Denver. Black Hawk and its next-door neighbor, Central City, became casino towns in the 1990s. For years the towns flourished, but Bauer says times are tough now. "We have just been through 12 months of declines in gaming revenues and head counts," he says, adding that he hopes the increased bet limits, new games and extended hours will bring the gamblers back to the tables. Before the hiring event even started, more than 100 people were lined up, waiting for an interview outside of a bar in Golden, Colorado. The would-be croupiers filed in, filled out applications and were assigned a number. They were photographed and then sat down for a 3-minute job interview. No experience was necessary for the casino jobs. Applicants who make the grade will attend a casino-run, part-time dealer school for three months, where they will learn the complicated games and qualify for a Colorado gaming license. The jobs pay between $40,000 and $80,000 a year, depending on tips. So who would make | [
"What amount will dealers make?",
"What state will allow higher bets?",
"What amount of money will dealers make a year?",
"What will the hours of operation be for casinos?",
"What is the number of workers do they need to hire to make up the difference.",
"What are the limits on bets at the Casino."
] | [
[
"between $40,000 and $80,000 a year,"
],
[
"Colorado"
],
[
"between $40,000 and $80,000"
],
[
"24"
],
[
"90"
],
[
"$100"
]
] | Colorado will allow higher bets, expanded hours at state's casinos .
Casinos to operate 24 hours a day, must hire more workers to fill positions .
Unemployed would-be dealer says that "quitting is just not an option"
Dealers will make $40,000 to $80,000 a year, depending on tips . |
GONAIVES, Haiti (CNN) -- Four major storms have raked the desperately poor country of Haiti in the past month, leaving at least 341 people dead. A man carries drinking water through the flooded streets of Gonaives, Haiti, on Monday. Nine of the deaths were attributed to Fay, 79 to Gustav, 183 to Hanna and 70 to Ike, said Abel Nazaire, deputy head of Haiti's Civil Protection Service. The country's fragile infrastructure was overloaded after the storms and officials were concerned that the floodwaters could spread disease, Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, said Tuesday. Gonaives, on the west coast, is one of the hardest-hit cities. This week, Gonaives was knee-deep in filthy water and reachable only by water or air, with many of Haiti's bridges destroyed and roads flooded. "My home is destroyed. I have no place to live with my kids. Everything I had just washed away," Roselene Josef told CNN. Watch desperate survivors in Gonaives » Another survivor said, "The flood washed away everything. I couldn't save anything. They should just move this city. Floods always destroy it." Aid workers warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis as attempts to deliver aid were frustrated by logistical problems. The U.S. Navy's USS Kearsarge arrived in the waters off Haiti on Monday to support the U.S. Agency for International Development's efforts to assist after the devastation. The vessel will help move cargo and equipment between affected cities and will deliver relief supplies, said the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. But Monday, the Kearsarge wasn't able to deliver anything to Gonaives, because the ship's scout helicopters couldn't find a suitable place for supplies to be unloaded, according to The Associated Press. A U.S. Coast Guard ship carrying 35 tons of relief supplies arrived Saturday in Gonaives. The U.S. cutter was preceded by a ship carrying U.N. relief supplies, including 19 tons of high-energy biscuits, 50,000 bottles of water and water purification tablets, which arrived Friday in Gonaives, said Myrta Kaulard of the United Nations' World Food Program. CNN's Karl Penhaul watched as U.N. troops handed out scant supplies of food and water to a long line of Haitians. The line became chaotic, with people fighting over supplies. Watch the devastation Penhaul found in Haiti » Hundreds of people had taken shelter in a school. They told Penhaul they had not received relief aid in a week. An official in Gonaives told the AP on Monday that nine people had died in shelters, including two children. It was not clear if they had died of starvation or some other cause, Daniel Dupiton of the region's civil protection department told the AP. When floodwaters were at their highest, some residents camped out on their roofs, their clothing and blankets hung over the sides of buildings. Some people "have lost really everything. ... These are not rich people, these are people who were really struggling [already] against high food prices," Kaulard said. U.S. Navy Capt. Frank Ponds said he had flown over part of southern and northern Haiti. "I saw towns that were completely flooded," Ponds said. "I saw infrastructure, such as bridge[s] and roads, totally wiped out." The eye of Hurricane Ike never touched Haiti earlier this week, but the storm system did bring heavy rains and winds to Gonaives and other towns. Jean Pierre Guiteau, executive director for the Red Cross in Haiti, said 52 people were killed when a river burst its banks in the mountain town of Cabaret near the capital, Port-au-Prince. Another 21 bodies were pulled from sea at Fort-Liberté, Haiti, close to the border with the Dominican Republic. "It's a very grim picture," Guiteau said Sunday. "Things certainly are getting no better." CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report. | [
"What is the period of time that some flood survivors went without aid?",
"What was cut off from the rest of the country?",
"What will deepen the humanitarian crisis?",
"Number of people that have died from the storms?",
"How many people have died in Haiti from storms?",
"What city in Haiti is being cut off by flooded roads and washed-out bridges?",
"When did they last receive aid?",
"How many people have died?",
"What is the city in Haiti that was cut off from the rest of the country?"
] | [
[
"a week."
],
[
"Gonaives,"
],
[
"attempts to deliver aid were frustrated by logistical problems."
],
[
"341"
],
[
"341"
],
[
"Gonaives,"
],
[
"in a week."
],
[
"341"
],
[
"Gonaives"
]
] | Gonaives, Haiti, cut off from rest of country by flooded roads, washed-out bridges .
Some flood survivors say they haven't received aid in a week .
Logistical problems prompt aid workers to warn of deepening humanitarian crisis .
At least 341 people have died in four storms in Haiti . |
GREENCREEK, Idaho (CNN) -- It was just 2½ years ago when Elaine Sonnen found out that her 16-year-old son, Richard, had been planning a Columbine-style attack at his high school. Richard Sonnen spent 16 months in mental health institutions after plotting to kill his high school classmates. It would be a fitting payback to his high school classmates who Richard said relentlessly bullied him. "I always wanted to get back at them," Richard Sonnen said of his classmates. "I always wanted to strangle them. ... I was always mad. I was always angry and I would come home and cry to mom and dad." Both Richard and Elaine Sonnen spoke to CNN at the 45-acre family farm. Unlike Columbine and recent school shootings at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech, Elaine Sonnen did see the warning signs in her son and was able to stop him. Elaine and her husband, Tom, adopted Richard from a Bulgarian orphanage when he was just 4½ years old. "I mean, we just loved him, and he was just a big sparkle of life," she said. But only a few months after they brought him home, they began to see another side of their son. He was angry and unpredictable. Elaine Sonnen says that at age 6, Richard told her he wanted to kill her. She said he would shake with anger to the point that he'd scream at her, telling her he wanted to destroy her. "People thought he was just the greatest kid in the world. Very polite, well-mannered, caring," Elaine Sonnen remembered. "At home, he could be anywhere from just a really helpful kid to a monster. A terrifying monster." Mother says son had 'two' personalities » In junior high, he said, "evil" classmates started picking on him. Boys and girls, he said, bullied him until he couldn't take it anymore. "I always wanted to get revenge," he said. By the eighth grade, Richard was put on anti-psychotic medications. He had been diagnosed as bipolar and was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and other disorders. In 1999, when the Columbine shootings happened, the Sonnens feared that Richard might do the same thing one day. "We stopped and looked at each other and said, 'This could be Richard; some day this could be him,' " Elaine Sonnen said. Years later, during his junior year in high school, they were right. Fed up with the bullies, Richard says, he felt like an outcast and started looking for a way to get even. Secretly, he began reading books about Columbine in his school library. The shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, became his heroes. "They planned it out so perfectly and so meticulously ... that I just, wow, you know," he said. "They're my gods." Watch a preview of "Campus Rage" » He even created a hit list of the classmates he planned to kill at Prairie High School in Cottonwood, Idaho. "My plan was to set around bombs around the school. ... I analyzed a lot of where everybody sat and where everybody did their thing," he said. "I had pinpoints of where I wanted to go, where I wanted to do it." Harvard Medical School psychologist William Pollack, who consulted on a 2002 federal government study of school shootings, said it found that most school shooters often had feelings of anger, sadness and isolation as well as homicidal and suicidal thoughts. "We see a young man who obviously is telling us how depressed he was, how angry he was and how much he looked up to people who we know are very disturbed and very dangerous, and how close he came to killing people," said Pollack, who watched CNN's interview with Richard. Elaine Sonnen found out about her son's plan during a conversation with him. She ordered him to write down the names of | [
"What is the amount of months that Richard spent in mental institutions?",
"At what age did Elaine Sonnen's son want to kill her?",
"What length of time was Richard incarcerated in a mental institution?",
"Where did Richard spend 16 months?",
"At what age did his mother say he wanted to kill here",
"Who sought mental help for her son?",
"Who did Richard plot to kill?",
"Who wanted to kill Elaine?",
"Who plotted to kill eight classmates?",
"Who wanted to kill her?"
] | [
[
"16"
],
[
"6,"
],
[
"16 months"
],
[
"mental health institutions"
],
[
"6,"
],
[
"Elaine Sonnen"
],
[
"his high school classmates."
],
[
"Richard"
],
[
"Richard Sonnen"
],
[
"Richard Sonnen"
]
] | At age 6, Elaine Sonnen says, her son, Richard, wanted to kill her .
Fed up with bullying, Richard says he plotted to kill eight classmates .
Elaine immediately sought mental help for her son after learning of his plan .
Richard spent 16 months in mental institutions and now lives on his own . |
GREENSBURG, Kansas (CNN) -- There are still piles of bricks and rubble on countless streets in Greensburg, Kansas, a year after a tornado demolished more than 90 percent of the town. On May 4, 2007, a ferocious twister blasted Greensburg, Kansas, killing 11 people in the town of 1,400. Yet what is happening in the city's rebuilding process may not only re-invent Greensburg but provide a model for "green" building everywhere. Just a week after the deadly tornado hit May 4, 2007, a similar idea sparked in the mayor, a representative from the governor's office and a nonprofit expert from a nearby town. The concept: If the whole town had to be rebuilt anyway, why not be bold and build it as a global example of conservation, energy efficiency and creativity? Daniel Wallach, the nonprofit specialist, soon got the green light to help residents and businesses start over in a project known as Greensburg GreenTown. "Kansas is known for being very conservative," Wallach said. Watch how the town went green » "My first order of business was to listen. What I heard were a lot of concerns about politicization and being associated with 'tree huggers.' I helped frame it with the people here in such a way they saw, this is their movement," he said. Fifth-generation Greensburg resident Anita Hohl joined the staff of Greensburg GreenTown as a Web specialist. "I was pretty green to begin with. I used to get teased about being a tree hugger. Now it's 'the thing!' This has really brought us so much closer together. What you can accomplish when just a few people are working toward the same goal is amazing," she said. Her farming grandparents instilled the virtue of being energy-efficient. "My grandma always put her clothes on the line, did her own gardening and re-used everything," Hohl said. Hohl and her husband, a daughter, a son, four cats, a dog and two birds are among the Greensburg residents in "FEMAville," a cluster of mobile homes set up as temporary housing. The family hopes to break ground soon for their new house and move in by Thanksgiving. Although they have made the best of the cramped quarters, she says, there are some challenges. "It sort of feels like living in a cheap motel! But it's a lot better than it could be. It's nice to have a place to be," she said. From the start, the GreenTown staff knew that getting the business community on board with the green plan was vital. And in rural America, there is no business that's more of a bedrock than the John Deere dealership. In Greensburg, that dealership has been in the Estes family for four generations. Their facility was wiped out by the twister. "The building was a total loss. And we saved only 13 pieces of machinery out of 220 on the lot," Kelly Estes said. "The FEMA guy said he had never seen anything like it. Steel twisted into brick, and then the miles per hour needed to pick up combines that weigh 25,000 pounds and move them half a mile in the air," he said. Kelly and his brother Mike decided to rebuild in town to the highest green-building standard. The U.S. Green Building Council establishes a rating system for efficient buildings called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The Greensburg facility is aiming for LEED platinum, the most demanding standard. There is one wind turbine on their new property, a 100-foot structure designed to generate 5 kilowatts of electricity. It is providing power for the construction site. Although "green" may be viewed as trendy and new by some, Mike Estes knows that it is not for show. "We're looking at saving money here; truthfully, we are. We're running a business. If we can't make this make sense, why would we do it?" he asked. | [
"What town rebuilds \"green\" after a tornado demolished 90 percent of the town?",
"What percent of the town was demolished?",
"When did Greensburg decide to go green?"
] | [
[
"Greensburg"
],
[
"more than 90"
],
[
"Just a week after the deadly tornado hit May 4, 2007,"
]
] | Greensburg rebuilds "green" after tornado demolished 90 percent of the town .
Long-term goal is to have 100 percent renewable energy .
The city hopes to open a biodiesel facility as one of its first green newcomers .
Nonprofit expert says terrible tragedy "also provided an incredible opportunity" |
GREENVILLE, Ohio (CNN) -- The parishioners heard the sirens during Sunday morning services in Greenville, Ohio. A few blocks from St. Paul's Lutheran Church, a home was burning and five people were dead. Police tape wards off the curious from the duplex where a woman and four children died in a fire September 16. Shock followed sadness with news that a 10-year-old boy was being charged with arson and murder, more heartbreak for a town in tough times -- but heartbreak that shook people into action. The St. Paul's parishioners reacted quickly that morning, said Shirley DiRocco, a volunteer at the church. Just passing the collection plate once around the church, she said, "We came up with $300." The money went to buy clothes for the fire's survivors and food for the emergency crew who responded, she said. Helping out is nothing new for the church -- but a boy being accused of killing his mother, half-sister and three other children in a fire has been unheard of till now. There's a lot of introspection going on in Greenville, a small town of 13,000 where the good-paying jobs are getting scarce and the problems of big-city poverty are creeping in. Residents are divided on whether the boy is responsible, but they say his plight compels them to look at themselves and face their deepening problems. "He's a young kid. There's something got to be wrong for him to come up with that," said Angie Hughes, manager of a downtown Greenville hair salon. "It has brought to the surface the fact that in this area ... we do have a lot of folks who are the have-nots in the world ... the vast numbers of people in our community who are really deep in poverty," said Peter B. Menke, pastor of St. Paul's. Watch Menke talk about how the tragedy has galvanized Greenville » St. Paul's sees firsthand the poverty that led to the boy having to sleep on the sofa, because he had no bed in the half of the duplex he shared with nine other people. Christy Winans managed to escape the fire with her boyfriend, but her three children -- Kayla Winans, 6; Je'Shawn Davis, 5; and Jasmine Davis, 3 -- died along with their playmate Kaysha Palmer, 8, who was the boy's half-sister. The boy's mother, Chanan Palmer, was also killed. On Monday, as the 10-year-old appeared in court on murder charges, St. Paul's expanded its lunchtime soup kitchen service to run two days a week. Twenty-two people turned up for the meal that first day. The church had fed 70 people, including parents and children, one day this summer. Menke said the tragedy of September 16 "has galvanized ... particularly the religious community to action. We not just saying 'Yes, we have a problem,' but we are looking at ways to genuinely address those issues and do something about it." Federal statistics show unemployment is hurting Greenville and surrounding Darke County. Employment in private businesses fell by 7 percent from 2000 to 2005. Manufacturing companies left town and big employers downsized, like Fram oil filter maker, or closed down completely, like Corning's fiber-optics plant. Alicia Sommer, who's lived in Greenville for 37 years and taught in the local schools, says job losses have changed the town. "On the surface it looks like the ideal hometown," she said. "Everyone wants to raise their kids here, but they can't afford it. They have to go where the jobs are," she says, leaning on the counter of the downtown coffee shop where she works part time. Walking through the five blocks of downtown Greenville, you see why it looks ideal. Mom-and-pop coffee shops stand in for Starbucks, locals chat on a bench outside a music store, a small cinema offers "Mr. Bean's Holiday" and an Asian monster flick about battling dragons. But St. Paul's offers the | [
"how many people were killed in the fire?",
"who faces murder and arson charges?",
"Where did this crime occur?",
"How many were killed?",
"Are the residents united or divided?",
"What charges is a 10-year-old boy facing?",
"Jobs are leaving what city in Ohio?",
"Who faces murder charges?"
] | [
[
"five"
],
[
"10-year-old boy"
],
[
"GREENVILLE, Ohio"
],
[
"five people"
],
[
"are"
],
[
"arson and murder,"
],
[
"Greenville,"
],
[
"a 10-year-old boy"
]
] | Fire killed five people, a 10-year-old boy faces murder and arson charges .
Greenville, Ohio, facing realities of poverty as jobs leave .
Residents divided whether boy did it; but united in desire to help town . |
GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate. A pregnant Ashley Hendrix sought treatment at Serenity Place for her painkiller addiction. As different as they are, they share a connection to two powerful forces : their addictions and their babies. They are swallowed by the same shameful past. They don't know if they can be good mothers. They don't know if they can be clean mothers. They're here at a state-run drug-treatment program to learn how to do both. On this summer day, Ashley Hendrix, 24, is eight months pregnant with her first child and one of 16 women at the Phoenix Center's Serenity Place. This is her last shot to get clean -- or face jail. South Carolina's state supreme court is alone in upholding the prosecution of pregnant women for the damage drugs might do to their unborn children. Across the country, local and state agencies have found ways to prosecute pregnant women for drug use, but the cases are often rejected by the courts. And judges in more than two dozen states have overturned decisions that criminalize pregnant addicts. In recent years, Missouri and North Dakota have ruled against charging pregnant women with neglect and endangerment. Illegal substances -- marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs -- consumed Hendrix for more than a decade. "To this day, I still cry about it, " she said, "that if anything does come out wrong with my baby, I know that my drug use is the reason why. Since 1989, at least 126 women in South Carolina have been arrested during their pregnancies, according to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Most were charged with drug and alcohol use that posed harm to the fetus the woman was carrying. During the same period, only about 80 pregnant women were arrested on similar charges in all other states combined. "Word on the street" in South Carolina, says Stephen Donaldson, program manager of a drug-treatment facility in Charleston County, "is if you use during pregnancy, you're being prosecuted or you're losing your baby." Over the last 15 years, that message has driven many women to Serenity Place, a residential treatment center designed for pregnant women and new mothers. Here, the ultimate goal is to help the women recover from their addiction but Serenity also strives to give the women the confidence to become better mothers. They want the women to know there are second chances, and there is hope. "I'm grateful everyday for being here and I'm grateful to have my baby with me," says a freckled Kim Clark, 28, who gave birth to her son Jaelyn at the center. "I've been using drugs since I was 11 years old. I didn't know any other life. And I've learned a lot about myself. I've been taught things here." She graduated in August, has her own apartment now and works to support herself and her son. Some women arrive here voluntarily. Others were sent by the state's Department of Social Services. Others made a plea bargain with the courts, allowing them one last chance at treatment to avoid prison. "My biggest fear was the [health of the] baby, but right behind that was that 'I'm going to go to jail'," says Sandria Doremus, one of Hendrix' classmates at Serenity. Afraid of being turned in for her opiate addiction, she delayed getting prenatal care. "I should have gone in a lot sooner," she admits. Doremus, 37, arrived at Serenity after a hospital reported her drug use to law enforcement officials, as required by law. She has sandy blond hair and warm blue eyes that open up her leathered face. She cuddled her 8-month-old son, Matthew, when CNN visited the center in July. Born with heroin in his system, Matthew was placed on methadone | [
"Whats the name of the woman who sought treatment?",
"Which state deos the treatment take place in?",
"What doe sthe concelor say on the matter?",
"What is South Carolina known to do to pregnant women?",
"Where is Serenity place?",
"Who is named as having used the services of Serenity Place?",
"Where is Serenity Place located?"
] | [
[
"Ashley Hendrix"
],
[
"Phoenix"
],
[
"if you use during pregnancy, you're being prosecuted or you're losing your baby.\""
],
[
"prosecute"
],
[
"GREENVILLE, South Carolina"
],
[
"Ashley Hendrix"
],
[
"South Carolina"
]
] | Serenity Place in South Carolina caters treatment programs to pregnant addicts .
South Carolina has been known to prosecute women in their third trimester .
A pregnant Ashley Hendrix sought treatment earlier this year for her addiction .
"If these women don't get this treatment, they are going to die," a counselor says . |
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (CNN) -- President Obama said Monday the United States remains Mexico's partner in the fight against drug cartels, despite some calls in the United States to delay counter-narcotics aid because of alleged human rights violations by Mexican soldiers. President Obama speaks at a news conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Monday. Mexican President Felipe Calderon reaffirmed his commitment to transparency and human rights in his offensive against the cartels, Obama said. Some $100 million in anti-drug aid, known as the Merida Initiative, could be delayed because of concerns about human rights violations, it was reported last week. "We have been very supportive of the Merida Initiative, and we remain supportive," Obama said. Obama also said the United States would work to reduce demand for drugs and stop the illegal flow of weapons south to Mexico. The remarks came at a summit of North American leaders in Guadalajara, Mexico. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also expressed support for Mexico's strategy, saying that the drug cartels were a problem shared by all three countries. Turning to immigration, Obama said he is committed to "fix the broken immigration system." The three North American countries depend on their borders being safe and secure, Obama said, adding that he supports "orderly and legal" migration, while respecting the American tradition of welcoming immigrants. He also responded to critics who say that the United States has not been forceful enough in demanding the return of ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya to power, calling them hypocritical. "The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras, are the same people who say that we're always intervening and that Yankees need to get out of Latin America. You can't have it both ways," Obama said. "We have been very clear in our belief that President Zelaya was removed from office illegally, that it was a coup, and that he should return," Obama said. The United Nations and Organization of American States, including the United States, have called for Zelaya's return, but more than one month later, the interim government of Roberto Micheletti remains firm and talks between the two sides have so far been unsuccessful. Harper agreed with Obama's stance. The United States has very clearly stated its position while letting a multilateral process take the lead, he said. "That's precisely what we want to see from the United States," Harper said. Turning to trade, Obama said a "Buy American" provision in his economic stimulus plan had little effect so far on the multibillion-dollar trade partnership with Canada. Obama told journalists that Harper has raised the issue every time they have met. Harper has complained the "Buy American" provision is protectionist and could harm trade relations between the closely linked North American economies. "This in no way this has endangered the billions of dollars of trade taking place between our two countries," Obama said, standing beside Harper and Calderon at a final news conference. Harper responded to the same question by saying the leaders had a good discussion on the issue, and their respective trade ministers also were talking about it. Canada is the top trade partner of the United States, with cross-border commerce worth more than $1 billion a day. The $787-billion stimulus package enacted in February included a provision that only American goods be used in stimulus projects. It also stipulated that the measure would not override existing U.S. trade treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. Obama also talked about comparisons between the U.S. and Canadian health care systems, saying Canada's government-run health care model won't work in the United States. "We've got to develop a uniquely American approach to this problem," he said. Opponents of health care legislation in the U.S. House and Senate say it will lead to a single-payer system like the government-run program in Canada, with some warning the Canadian system means restrictions on treatments and long delays. Obama noted the U.S. system | [
"What did the US president say?",
"Has the \"Buy American\" push hurt Canada?",
"Who did Obama say reaffirmed human rights commitments?",
"Mexico has reaffirmed what?"
] | [
[
"\"We have been very supportive of the Merida Initiative, and we remain supportive,\" Obama said."
],
[
"had little effect so far on the multibillion-dollar trade partnership with"
],
[
"President Felipe Calderon"
],
[
"commitment to transparency and human rights in his offensive against the cartels,"
]
] | Obama: Mexico has reaffirmed commitment to human rights in drug fight .
U.S. president says he supports "orderly and legal" immigration .
Obama rejects criticism of U.S. response to Honduran president's ouster .
"Buy American" push hasn't hurt Canada, Obama says at three-country summit . |
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (CNN) -- Families of September 11 victims visiting Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday urged the Obama administration to drop plans to close the facility and to restart terror trials there. A guard talks with a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, earlier this year. "I am opposed to the closing of this facility because of political reasons," said Gordon Haberman whose daughter, Andrea, was killed when terrorist planes struck the World Trade Center. "I believe that the current administration spoke too quickly on this." Haberman said he thinks President Obama should not insist on carrying out his campaign pledge to shutter the detention facility. Haberman was one of nine people visiting Guantanamo this week who lost loved ones in the September 11 attacks. He and the others had the opportunity to observe pre-trial hearings for some suspects on Wednesday and Thursday. Several were critical of Obama's decision to suspend military commissions at Guantanamo Bay while the administration reviews what to do with each detainee. "Our government's current executive order to halt the military commissions makes us foolish and weak, and invites more attacks," said Melissa Long, whose boyfriend was a first responder killed in New York. "What is fair and just is to continue the military commissions and punish those who have committed acts of terrorism against Americans, period." Long later married a man who lost his parents when their plane slammed into the Pentagon on that fateful day. Brian Long acknowledged that some of the detainees may have gone through some inhumane treatment through the years, but he thinks they are being well taken care of now. "The only injustice is being orchestrated by our leader by making decisions about something he knew nothing about," Long said. Other September 11 families have visited Guantanamo Bay for previous hearings and voiced support for using the facility for terror trials. The government uses a random process to select names of family members invited to observe. The family members said they think Guantanamo detainees have been provided with good attorneys, who, in many cases, are paired with clients who don't want their help. Some of that was on display at a hearing Thursday for five detainees charged with orchestrating the September 11 attacks, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Mohammed and fellow prisoner Ramzi Binalshibh refused to come to the proceeding, after being told no detainees would be allowed to make statements. Three others did show up. But one, Mustafa al-Hawsawi, left quickly because he was not allowed to talk to the judge about problems he said he was having with one of his military lawyers. All five September 11 suspects want to act as their own attorneys. Thursday's hearing focused on discussions about the competence of al-Hawsawi and Binalshibh to stand trial and represent themselves. Mohammed and two others have been granted permission to defend themselves. | [
"What have the obama goverment decided to do?",
"What do they want him to restart?",
"Who wants to keep Guantanamo Bay open",
"What do families of 9/11 victims want from Obama?",
"What us Obama administration trying to do?",
"Who have urged obama to keep gitmo open?",
"Does the Obama administration know what to do with detainees"
] | [
[
"suspend military commissions at Guantanamo Bay"
],
[
"terror trials"
],
[
"Families of September 11 victims"
],
[
"to drop plans to close the facility and to restart terror trials there."
],
[
"close the facility"
],
[
"Families of September 11 victims"
],
[
"reviews"
]
] | Families of September 11 victims urge Obama to keep Guantanamo Bay open .
Families also want Obama to restart military commissions at facility .
Obama administration trying to determine what to do with detainees . |
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (CNN) -- Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said Friday that government prosecutors are trying to determine who put microphones and video cameras in the presidential palace.
Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom: "Organized crime" may be behind cameras found in the presidential palace.
"It's a serious allegation, it has never happened before in Guatemala," he told CNN en Español.
He said he did not know who was responsible for the breach of security, but added, "One of the possibilities is organized crime."
He said "a lot of people" had access to the palace and his office.
Colom noted that Mexican President Felipe Calderon's anti-narcotrafficking efforts may have pressured drug cartels to move their smuggling to other countries, including Guatemala.
Calderon said in June that his campaign against drug traffickers was working. Mexico has seized more cocaine and money from drug cartels than anywhere else in the world and this summer Mexican authorities seized at least 16,000 arms, including more than 1,000 grenades.
Colom said Friday that he has already taken measures to ensure his security and that of his family.
The president said that the discovery of the microphones and cameras explain, to him, some strange experiences he's had recently.
He said he was in his office when the Guatemalan military called him and asked permission to seize a plane suspected of carrying illegal drugs.
Within moments of approving the action, the plane disappeared. He is convinced the call was being monitored.
Colom took office in January and is Guatemala's first leftist president in 53 years.
CNN's Claudia Palacios contributed to this report. | [
"What was found in the palace?",
"What might be involved?",
"What did President Colom say?",
"where might have the anti-trafficking campaign pushed criminals",
"What may be involved?"
] | [
[
"microphones and video cameras"
],
[
"\"Organized crime\""
],
[
"are trying to determine who put microphones and video cameras in the presidential palace."
],
[
"other countries, including Guatemala."
],
[
"\"Organized crime\""
]
] | President Alvaro Colom says microphones, cameras found in palace .
He says "organized crime" may be involved .
Mexico's anti-trafficking campaign may have pushed criminals to Guatemala, he says . |
GUDDA, India (CNN) -- In Gudda, a village with very little, residents are literally beaming. Just two years ago, villagers had never seen light after dark, unless it came from the moon. Then, solar light arrived and changed everything. Children in Gudda stand on rooftops near a solar panel. Solar power first arrived two years ago. "When the lanterns first arrived, the villagers asked, 'What is this?' " says Hanuman Ram, the local solar engineer. "I explained to them how it worked. Then slowly, as people saw it, they said, 'Wow, what a thing this is!' " There are no real roads that lead to the tiny village in the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India, home to about 100 families. There are only thin strips of tar dotted with massive potholes that force vehicles into thick brush. Other times, cars have to maneuver over just dirt. There is no electricity -- power lines don't extend out here. Water is scarce, too. At the village well, women balance jugs of water on their heads, deftly evading the livestock that saunters along. Visit the sites of Gudda with CNN's Arwa Damon » It's a simple lifestyle of farming, tending to goats, caring for children and carrying out household chores -- a daily routine that hasn't changed much over the centuries. That's why light transformed Gudda. Villagers could play music at night. Children could study well past sundown. Watch villagers smile as they light their solar lamps » As Yamouna Groomis kneads dough for her family's evening meal, she blows through a pipe every once in a while to keep a flame burning in an outdoor clay pit. Her days used to end when the sun went down. She smiles as she proudly flicks on a solar lamp. "When I saw this light coming on for the first time, I was very happy," she says. The light is powered by a solar panel on her roof that charges a battery. Panels can be seen on almost every rooftop in Gudda. See where Gudda is located » Ram, the man credited with the transformation, doesn't have a high school degree. But he did attend an institution about an hour away called Barefoot College, established 35 years ago with an emphasis on helping India's rural population find solutions for their problems among themselves. The college, in part funded by the Indian government, trains villagers all over India who have little or no education, giving them a range of skills to change their lives. The entire campus, which has amenities such as a library, meeting halls, open-air theater and labs, uses solar power. On a recent visit to the main college campus, a group of village women were hard at work making solar cookers, which can boil a liter of water in eight minutes. They are part of the "Women Barefoot Solar Cooker Engineers Society" -- six women who came together and started their own business. Barefoot College serves an outlying community of 125,000 people. In a nearby village, women flock to a water desalinization and purification plant set up by the college and maintained by Barefoot graduates. The station, powered by solar panels, provides the area with a rare commodity: clean drinking water. At the local store in Gudda, owner Ram Swarup puts his solar panels to maximum use. He says the solar lights have allowed him to increase his business by a third. The panels also have powered up the only DVD player and television in the village. Partly paralyzed by polio, Swarup never dreamed that he would have so much in life. He says it took courage -- and light. The villagers say that they now feel empowered -- less reliant on a far-off government. Even the village's engineer is amazed. At Ram's house, the solar lamps flicker to life. He smiles as he says that before, he didn't even know what artificial light was, and now, he's a solar power expert. "I never saw | [
"What were the lights?",
"What was the villagers reaction to seeing solar lights in action for the first time",
"what did the villager see for the first time",
"Who is the college helping?",
"When did residents get light at night?",
"what did the residents get two years ago",
"Which college is this?",
"Was the villager happy when he saw light for the first time",
"what was their reactions"
] | [
[
"solar lamps"
],
[
"residents are literally beaming."
],
[
"solar light"
],
[
"India's rural population"
],
[
"two years ago."
],
[
"Solar power"
],
[
"Barefoot"
],
[
"very happy,\""
],
[
"villagers asked, 'What is this?'"
]
] | Residents had never had light after dark until two years ago .
When villagers saw solar lights in action, their reaction was "Wow"
Nearby college helps India's poorest of the poor solve problems .
Villager describes seeing light for first time: "I was very happy" |
Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- The captain of the cruise ship that wrecked off Italy's western coast will be questioned by authorities Tuesday at a hearing, his attorney said.
Francesco Schettino is under arrest and may face charges that include manslaughter, shipwreck, and abandoning a ship when passengers were still on board, according to Italian prosecutor Francesco Verusio.
Schettino could face up to 15 years in prison, he said.
At the closed hearing, a preliminary investigation judge will decide whether Schettino will remain detained. The captain has not yet been questioned, but more than 100 witnesses, including passengers and crew, have been interviewed, the prosecutor said.
The captain's attorney, Bruno Leporatti, said in a statement Monday that Schettino was "shattered, dismayed, saddened for the loss of lives and strongly disturbed."
But, he said, Schettino is "nonetheless comforted by the fact that he maintained during those moments the necessary lucidity to put in place a difficult emergency maneuver ... bringing the ship to shallow waters." That move, Leporatti said, saved the lives of many passengers and crew members.
Italian prosecutors have ruled out a technical error as the cause of the incident, saying the captain was on the bridge at the time and had made a "grave error."
Overheard on CNN.com: Worst-case scenario strikes
Late Monday, the head of Italy's coast guard said 29 people remained unaccounted for from the partially sunken cruise ship Costa Concordia -- a sharp spike from earlier estimates of the missing.
Coast guard chief Marco Brusco said the whereabouts of four crew members and 25 passengers were unknown, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.
Authorities earlier believed that 16 people were unaccounted for.
The Costa Concordia hit rocks Friday night just off Italy's western coast, leading to what passengers described as a chaotic and surreal scene to evacuate and the deaths of at least six people.
On Monday, rescue efforts were ongoing in and around the mammoth vessel, which was listing on its side off the island of Giglio.
The search had been suspended earlier in the day because the vessel began to move, said the island's mayor, Sergio Ortelli.
Coast Guard spokesman Filippo Marino said efforts had resumed, adding that rescuers will focus on retrieving the body of a man, presumably a passenger, discovered earlier in the day.
However, he said the weather forecast has rescuers worried, as it calls for rising winds.
The head of the company that owns the ship said Monday he has not given up hope of finding survivors.
"Hope is the last thing to die," said Costa Cruises chairman and chief executive Pier Luigi Foschi. He addressed journalists at an emotional press conference Monday, apologizing repeatedly for the accident.
Prosecutors are examining the ship's data recorder and expect to have results within days, Verusio said.
They are also considering whether others may share responsibility for the crash with the captain.
Foschi placed blame for the wreck squarely on the captain, however, saying Schettino had deviated from frequently traveled routes.
"The captain decided to change the route and he went into water that he did not know in advance," Foschi said.
He said the company was limited in its ability to investigate the incident because it did not have the data recorder.
Schettino, who has been with Costa since 2002, had never been involved in an accident before, Foschi said.
He downplayed the possibility that alcohol may have played a role in the crash, saying he did not believe Schettino drank, and that all crew were subject to random drug and alcohol tests by Costa Cruises.
The company had said earlier that Schettino may have made "significant" errors that led to the wreck.
"The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the captain's judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures," Costa Cruises said in a statement Sunday.
The ship had about 2,300 tons of fuel on board at the time of the wreck, Foschi said Monday, adding that so far | [
"Who will appear before a judge on Tuesday?",
"who will appear before tueasday",
"How many passengers remain unaccounted for?",
"How many people remain unaccounted for?",
"How many people died?",
"When will Captain Francesco Schettino appear before a judge?",
"who is francesco schettino",
"what coast guard says"
] | [
[
"Francesco Schettino"
],
[
"Francesco Schettino"
],
[
"29"
],
[
"29"
],
[
"at least six"
],
[
"Tuesday"
],
[
"The captain of the cruise ship that wrecked off Italy's western coast"
],
[
"29 people remained unaccounted for from the partially sunken cruise ship Costa Concordia"
]
] | Captain Francesco Schettino will appear before a judge Tuesday .
The ship captain's attorney says he is "shattered, dismayed, saddened"
25 passengers and 4 crew members remain unaccounted for, the coast guard says .
Rescue efforts are continuing on the Costa Concordia, where at least 6 have died . |
Grand Isle, Louisiana (CNN) -- President Obama returned from a tour of the oil-stricken Gulf Coast on Friday and vowed to do all he could to help area residents and businesses clean up the mess and recover financially.
"We want to stop the leak, we want to contain and clean up the oil, and we want to help the people in this region return to their lives and livelihoods as soon as possible," the president told reporters.
Flanked by more than a dozen Gulf-area politicians and officials, the president -- the sleeves of his shirt rolled up -- called the oil spill that began April 20 and continues today "an assault on our shores, on our people, on the regional economy and on communities like this one.
"This isn't just a mess that we have got to mop up. People are watching their livelihoods wash up on the beach."
Obama said he had heard "heartbreaking stories" from Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle of fishermen who are trying to figure out where their next paycheck will come from.
"This is something that has to be dealt with immediately," he said. "This is our highest priority, and it deserves a response that is equal to the task. That is why this has already been the largest cleanup effort in U.S. history."
More than 20,000 people are working in the region to clean up the spill, including 1,400 National Guard troops activated in four states, he said.
So far, more than 3 million feet of boom have been deployed, he said, adding that he will ensure that the lead federal official responding to the spill, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, gets "whatever he needs to deal with this crisis."
Obama said it would be "welcome news" if BP's "top kill" effort succeeds in stopping the runaway flow from the well a mile below the surface of the water, but he said that that other efforts are under way, too.
"A team of some of the world's top scientists, engineers and experts -- led by our energy secretary and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu -- has for some time been exploring any and all reasonable contingency plans," he said.
Obama said he has directed Allen and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to triple the manpower in places where oil has hit shore or appears within a day of doing so.
Information about resources available to area residents and businesses will be posted at whitehouse.gov, he said.
In addition, doctors and scientists will be stationed in the affected states to monitor the potential impact of the spill on the health of residents, an expense that BP will pay, he said.
"BP is the responsible party for this disaster," he said. "But as I said yesterday and as I repeated in the meeting we just left, I ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis. I'm the president, and the buck stops with me."
He added that federal authorities are prepared "to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this catastrophe, to defend our natural resources, to repair the damage and to keep this region on its feet."
In a response to some local officials, who have been calling for a berm to be created to keep the water from getting into fragile marshlands, Obama said Allen is prepared to authorize moving forward with "a portion of the idea."
And he called on Americans to help, too, by visiting the region.
Except for three beaches in Louisiana, all of the Gulf beaches are open, safe and clean, he said.
But it was to the long-term residents that he targeted his message: "I'm here to tell you that you are not alone," he said. "You will not be abandoned, and you will not be left behind."
Though about 25 percent of the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone has been shut, most federal waters in the Gulf are open to commercial and recreational fishing, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | [
"Who will untimately take responsibility?",
"What does Obama vow to do?",
"Who are to triple manpower?"
] | [
[
"the president,"
],
[
"help area residents and businesses clean up the mess and recover financially."
],
[
"Allen and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano"
]
] | Obama vows to put federal muscle behind cleanup, says there are alternatives to "top kill"
Obama: "I ultimately take responsibility"
Feds to triple manpower on beaches that have been hit by oil .
Obama: Americans can help by visiting region; most Gulf beaches are open, safe, clean . |
Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) -- I'm a single father of a 12-year-old boy who every five minutes seem to switch personalities on me. One moment he's a starving student athlete hungry enough to eat a cow, the next he's a picky vegan. I'm told by people much smarter than me that this is normal for a child going through puberty. And so, while I am not an overly religious man, I have found myself meditating on I Corinthians 13:4 to help me get through. Love is patient, love is kind. I believe there is something each of us can pull from that Bible verse. We may not agree on spirituality or the existence of God, but we can agree that love is one of the most beautiful and mysterious forces. When I'm frustrated with my son, or a friend or even myself, I try to think about the characteristics of love described in I Corinthians before reacting. Be patient. Be kind. I felt the need to lean on that verse last week after yet another ballot defeat for marriage equality -- when voters in Maine repealed a state law allowing same-sex couples to marry. A visceral wave of anger swept over me as once again I was reminded of my second-class citizenship. I wanted to smash something. I wanted to punch somebody out. I wanted revenge. The last thing on my mind was I Corinthians. But at the very core of the debate over marriage equality is that scripture's concept of love. It's easy to love someone when there is no turmoil, no conflict. And it's no accident that "patient" is the first word Corinthians uses to describe love -- it's first because it is most important. No matter how strongly we may feel about each other, we will not always agree, and it is in those moments that we must tap into the mystery of love even more to find a way to first be patient, and then be kind. That is true in marriage and in parenting. And it's true in this much-accepted notion that we should love our fellow man. I'm not suggesting the gay community should not be upset -- patient and kind does not mean complacent and apathetic. We must continue pressuring politicians to end civil injustice, but we're not served if we allow hate and fear to dictate our words. We cannot begin to change the nation's mind if we cannot first speak to the nation's heart. With the economy and the swine flu and the recent tragedy at Fort Hood, it seems that everywhere there is a reason to hate and to fear. But I agree with my buddy Dierks Bentley, who sings in his song "Beautiful World": "There's tears and there's fears and there's losses and crosses to bear; And sometimes the best we can do is just to whisper a prayer; Then press on because; There's so much to live for and so much to love." That might seem Pollyanna-ish, but the truth is that even if President Obama signed a law today to make all forms of discrimination based upon sexual orientation illegal, it would hardly mark the end of the gay rights movement. After all, true social change isn't revolutionary -- it's evolutionary. That means we will have to continue our forbearance with those who oppose us -- from the black pastor who preaches that gay people should not be allowed to marry, to the white, closeted politician so afraid of losing his position that he would vote to oppress his own community. Through all of that, we will still have to find a way to love. Many gay rights activists like to draw parallels between the gay community's struggles and those of blacks during the civil rights movement. It's not uncommon to hear them echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." " | [
"What should reject the defenders?",
"Where it was defeated the law of the same sex?"
] | [
[
"gay people"
],
[
"Maine"
]
] | LZ Granderson says gays should show patience after same-sex law defeated in Maine .
He says frustrated advocates must reject hate, focus on changing nation's heart.
As they face opponents, advocates should hate sin, love sinner, he says . |
Greenville, South Carolina (CNN) -- Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate. As different as they are, they share a connection to two powerful forces : their addictions and their babies. They are swallowed by the same shameful past. They don't know if they can be good mothers. They don't know if they can be clean mothers. They're here at a state-run drug-treatment program to learn how to do both. On this summer day, Ashley Hendrix, 24, is eight months pregnant with her first child and one of 16 women at the Phoenix Center's Serenity Place. This is her last shot to get clean -- or face jail. South Carolina's state supreme court is alone in upholding the prosecution of pregnant women for the damage drugs might do to their unborn children. Across the country, local and state agencies have found ways to prosecute pregnant women for drug use, but the cases are often rejected by the courts. And judges in more than two dozen states have overturned decisions that criminalize pregnant addicts. In recent years, Missouri and North Dakota have ruled against charging pregnant women with neglect and endangerment. Illegal substances -- marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs -- consumed Hendrix for more than a decade. "To this day, I still cry about it, " she said, "that if anything does come out wrong with my baby, I know that my drug use is the reason why. Since 1989, at least 126 women in South Carolina have been arrested during their pregnancies, according to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Most were charged with drug and alcohol use that posed harm to the fetus the woman was carrying. During the same period, only about 80 pregnant women were arrested on similar charges in all other states combined. "Word on the street" in South Carolina, says Stephen Donaldson, program manager of a drug-treatment facility in Charleston County, "is if you use during pregnancy, you're being prosecuted or you're losing your baby." Over the last 15 years, that message has driven many women to Serenity Place, a residential treatment center designed for pregnant women and new mothers. Here, the ultimate goal is to help the women recover from their addiction but Serenity also strives to give the women the confidence to become better mothers. They want the women to know there are second chances, and there is hope. "I'm grateful everyday for being here and I'm grateful to have my baby with me," says a freckled Kim Clark, 28, who gave birth to her son Jaelyn at the center. "I've been using drugs since I was 11 years old. I didn't know any other life. And I've learned a lot about myself. I've been taught things here." She graduated in August, has her own apartment now and works to support herself and her son. Some women arrive here voluntarily. Others were sent by the state's Department of Social Services. Others made a plea bargain with the courts, allowing them one last chance at treatment to avoid prison. "My biggest fear was the [health of the] baby, but right behind that was that 'I'm going to go to jail'," says Sandria Doremus, one of Hendrix' classmates at Serenity. Afraid of being turned in for her opiate addiction, she delayed getting prenatal care. "I should have gone in a lot sooner," she admits. Doremus, 37, arrived at Serenity after a hospital reported her drug use to law enforcement officials, as required by law. She has sandy blond hair and warm blue eyes that open up her leathered face. She cuddled her 8-month-old son, Matthew, when CNN visited the center in July. Born with heroin in his system, Matthew was placed on methadone. Today, he is healthy, but studies show drug- | [
"What state has been known to prosecute women in their third trimester?",
"what treatments do they get"
] | [
[
"South Carolina"
],
[
"drug-treatment"
]
] | Serenity Place in South Carolina caters treatment programs to pregnant addicts .
South Carolina has been known to prosecute women in their third trimester .
A pregnant Ashley Hendrix sought treatment earlier this year for her addiction .
"If these women don't get this treatment, they are going to die," a counselor says . |
Guangzhou, China (CNN) -- In a new book, the half brother of President Obama claims the father they shared was often drunk and physically abusive. "My father beat me," Mark Obama Ndesandjo told reporters in China, where he lives. "He beat my mother. You just do not do that. I shut these thoughts in the back of my mind for many years." Ndesandjo, who took the last name of the man his mother remarried, has dodged the media in the year since his half brother was elected U.S. president. However, he spoke out Wednesday regarding his semi-autobiographical book, "Nairobi to Shenzhen." An engineer by trade, Ndesandjo moved to Shenzhen, China, after losing his job in the United States seven years ago. He owns a small chain of restaurants in Shenzhen and teaches piano to orphans. Watch as the president's half brother instructs kids on the piano He said that he struggled with the name Obama for years, telling few about his family. But he said something happened to change that after he watched Obama's victory celebration in Chicago, Illinois' Grant Park following the 2008 election. His own despair turned into hope, he said. "I saw millions of people who loved or supported my brother Barack, and in the process, in some weird way, I came to terms with many things that I had shut out of my life, including the Obama name," he said. In his book, "Dreams of My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance," Obama writes that he grew up in Hawaii, raised by his mother and her parents, after his father, Barack Obama Sr., returned to Africa. He recalls a monthlong visit with his father when he was 10 and going to Kenya after the elder Obama's death. In the book, Obama acknowledges his father was an alcoholic. There was no immediate reaction from the White House to Ndesandjo's comments. Ndesandjo said he has met with Obama infrequently over the years but said he would like to introduce his half brother to his Chinese wife when Obama makes his first official visit to China this month. Presidential brothers, such as Billy Carter and Roger Clinton Jr., historically have not had an easy ride. However, Ndesandjo said he wants to live his life and tell his own story, not have others tell it for him. CNN's John Vause contributed to this report. | [
"Where did Ndesandjo talk with reporters?",
"Who beat Ndesandjo?",
"Where did President Obama describe his father as an alcoholic?",
"In an earlier book, what did the president say about his father?",
"What did Ndesandjos say in China?",
"Who is President Obama's half brother?",
"Who is Obama's half brother?"
] | [
[
"China,"
],
[
"father"
],
[
"In"
],
[
"was an alcoholic."
],
[
"\"My father beat me,\""
],
[
"Mark Obama Ndesandjo"
],
[
"Ndesandjo"
]
] | Mark Obama Ndesandjo is President Obama's half brother .
In a new book, Ndesandjo says their father was abusive .
"My father beat me," he tells reporters in China .
President has said in earlier book that his father was an alcoholic . |
Gulfport, Mississippi (CNN) -- Gulf Coast states have seen drops in tourism linked to the BP oil spill in the Gulf, though it has not caused any beaches to close, tourism officials told CNN Wednesday.
More worrisome than the people who call to cancel are those who don't call to book their trip in the first place, said Kathy Torian, a spokeswoman for Visit Florida, the state's tourism bureau.
Hoteliers have a shot at dissuading worried would-be vacationers who call to cancel, she said. But they are unable to have any effect on those who opt not to book travel to the state in the first place, she said.
The stakes are high. Tourism in Florida is a $65 billion industry that employs more than a million people, Rep. Corinne Brown, D-Florida, told the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday.
Complete coverage of Gulf Coast oil spill
"And so we are devastated," she said. "People are canceling. They're not coming to the hotels. They're canceling, not coming to Florida. So we're in lock-down devastation."
Florida has $2.5 million in its coffers for use in advertising and is making plans to use the $25 million promised this week by BP, Torian said.
Louisiana's coastal area, known more for sport fishing than for beachgoing, is also suffering.
Gov. Bobby Jindal toured part of Louisiana's vast coastal marsh Wednesday and found thick, oily sludge encroaching on the fragile ecosystem.
"We saw some heavy oil stranded in the wetlands. The oil is no longer just a projection or miles from our shore. The oil is here. It is on our shores and in our marsh," Jindal said at a news conference after the airboat tour in Plaquemines Parish.
According to NOAA, about 35 miles of Louisiana shoreline has been affected by oil.
The annual Seafood Festival in the town of Jean Lafitte the last weekend in July has been canceled so resources can be concentrated on the oil, CNN affiliate WWLTV reported. On Grand Isle, the annual Tarpon Rodeo is still on for July, but could be called off, local officials told WWLTV. Several other fishing rodeos have been canceled.
The good news is that the state on Wednesday reopened three oyster beds and parts of two others that have not been affected by the oil, the station reported.
The Louisiana Office of Tourism website assures visitors and potential visitors that there is no need to change travel plans, as the spill risk lies mostly east of the mouth of the Mississippi River and 75 percent of coastal fishing waters are west of there.
BP promised $15 million apiece to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to help the states attract visitors.
Alabama tourism spokeswoman Edith Parten said her state has seen a small number of cancellations, but it has launched a $1.5 million ad campaign that it plans to supplement with BP's money.
"I think we are getting word out with the tourism campaign," she said.
In Mississippi, about half of the people who had made vacation plans along the state's coast before the April 20 spill have canceled them, said Ken Montana, president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism Commission.
And it gets worse, he said. "What's happening is we are not getting the phone calls to book," he said. "It's almost come to an 80 percent reduction in calls for future bookings."
The tourism commission has spent $600,000 of its own money for an advertising campaign set to begin Monday "to let people know we are open," he said. He predicted the state would begin using money from BP -- which he credited for moving quickly -- starting next week.
But he bemoaned the image that the disaster has conjured among many.
"The perception is that everybody has oil on the beach and we are all closed up," he said. "No beaches are closed, period."
All the state waters are open and open to all activities, he stressed.
For some, | [
"What was canceled to concentrate on cleanup?",
"What states report cancellations?",
"What was canceled ?",
"what is canceled"
] | [
[
"The annual Seafood Festival"
],
[
"Gulf Coast"
],
[
"The annual Seafood Festival"
],
[
"The annual Seafood Festival in the town of Jean Lafitte the last weekend in July"
]
] | Some Louisiana seafood festivals canceled to concentrate on cleanup .
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi officials report cancellations, drop in bookings .
BP has offered money to the states to help them promote tourism .
Biloxi restaurateur who bounced back from Katrina vows he'll survive oil spill effects, too . |
H. W. Brands is the author of "TR: The Last Romantic" and the just-released "Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." He teaches history at the University of Texas at Austin. Historian H.W. Brands says power as well as race was behind controversy over Booker T. Washington. AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- In his concession speech on Tuesday night, John McCain illustrated the historic significance of Barack Obama's election by noting that a little over a century ago the inclusion of another black man, Booker T. Washington, at a White House dinner provoked outrage in large parts of the country. McCain wasn't giving a history lecture, and he quickly moved on, but the tale is worth exploring, as it is both more complex and more instructive than McCain's brief remarks suggested. Washington was the one who initiated the acquaintance that led to his 1901 dinner with Theodore Roosevelt. Washington had built the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama into a political base that made him the most powerful black leader in the country. Invited to address the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1895, Washington offered white America a racial bargain: Blacks would cease agitating for immediate political and civil rights if whites would fund black educational and economic advancement. This "Atlanta Compromise" outraged black intellectuals like W. E. B. Du Bois, but it appealed to white leaders in the South and white philanthropists in the North -- and it marked Washington, the broker of Northern largesse and Southern cooperation, as one of the shrewdest politicians in the South. Washington spotted Roosevelt on the rise, and after Roosevelt became vice president, Washington invited him to Tuskegee, where he knew Roosevelt, the apostle of the strenuous life, would be entranced by the rigorous physical regimen the students pursued. Roosevelt was preparing to visit Tuskegee when the assassination of William McKinley elevated him to the presidency and threw his plans into turmoil. Roosevelt instead invited Washington to call at the White House whenever he was in town. Washington didn't have to be asked twice. Within weeks, he was in the capital and was invited to join the president for dinner on October 16. Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency made him that much more interesting to Washington. Yet no more interesting than Washington was to Roosevelt. The peculiar politics of the Republican Party gave Washington an importance among Republicans that belied the abnegations of the Atlanta Compromise. Discriminatory Jim Crow laws kept most blacks from voting in the South, but they didn't prevent the Southern states from sending delegations to the Republican national conventions every four years. These delegations could tip the balance in a tight contest, and Roosevelt -- who though president was profoundly unpopular among the Republican bosses -- expected the 1904 convention to be a tight contest. Roosevelt's invitation to Washington to dine at the White House had little to do with Washington's race per se, but everything to do with Washington's role as a political boss of Southern Republicans who happened to be black. Likewise, the outrage expressed by Southern editors and spokesmen over Roosevelt's alleged affront to the South, while couched in the language of race, was really about political power. "White men of the South, how do you like it?" fulminated the New Orleans Times-Democrat. "White women of the South, how do you like it?" The Richmond Times frothed over the implications of the honor Roosevelt had bestowed on Washington: "It means that the president is willing that Negroes shall mingle freely with whites in the social circle -- that white women may receive attentions from negro men; it means that there is no racial reason in his opinion why whites and blacks may not marry and intermarry, why the Anglo-Saxon may not mix negro blood with his blood." The vehemence of the Southern response gave the game away. Booker Washington had explicitly forsworn any claim to social equality, let alone the right for blacks to marry whites. What the Southern foamers, political conservatives to a man, feared was that Washington might help the dangerously progressive Roosevelt get elected in his own right | [
"Who was a specific African American who visited the White House?",
"What did the opposition say?",
"Who is H.W. Brands?",
"What dinner was controversial?"
] | [
[
"Booker T. Washington,"
],
[
"\"White women of the South, how do you like it?\""
],
[
"author of \"TR: The Last Romantic\" and the just-released \"Traitor to His Class: The"
],
[
"White House"
]
] | H.W. Brands: Roosevelt-Washington White House dinner was controversial .
He says the the opposition was about power as well as about race .
African-Americans have often been guests at the White House .
Brands: When Obama moves in, it will represent a leap in terms of power . |
HAMILTON, Bermuda (CNN) -- Two of four Uyghurs relocated to Bermuda after seven years of detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, denied Friday that they had ever been terrorists and expressed gratitude toward U.S. President Barack Obama for working to free them. Salahidin Abdalahut and Kheleel Mamut were two of four Uyghurs released from Gitmo. Thirteen remain there. Asked what he would say to someone who accused him of being a terrorist, one of the men, Kheleel Mamut, told CNN's Don Lemon, "I am no terrorist; I have not been terrorist. I will never be terrorist. I am a peaceful person." Speaking through an interpreter who is herself a Uyghur who said she was sympathetic toward the men, the other man -- Salahidin Abdalahut -- described the past seven years as "difficult times for me ... I feel bad that it took so long for me to be free." The two Chinese Muslims were among four relocated from Guantanamo to Bermuda; another 13 remain in detention on the island. He said he had traveled to Afghanistan not to attend any terrorist training camps but because -- as a Uyghur -- he had been oppressed by the Chinese government. "We had to leave the country to look for a better life, a peaceful life, and Afghanistan is a neighboring country to our country, and it's easy to go," he said. "It is difficult to obtain a visa to go to any other places, so it was really easy for us to just travel to Afghanistan." Asked what he hoped to do next, he said, "I want to forget about the past and move on to a peaceful life in the future." In addition to the four relocated from Guantanamo to Bermuda, another 13 Uyghurs remain in detention on the island. The four were flown by private plane Wednesday night from Cuba to Bermuda, and were accompanied by U.S. and Bermudian representatives as well as their attorneys, according to Susan Baker Manning, part of the men's legal team. The men, who are staying in an apartment, are free to roam about the island. Mamut accused the Bush administration of having held them without cause, and lauded Obama for having "tried really hard to bring justice and he has been trying very hard to find other countries to resettle us and finally he freed us." He appealed to Obama to carry out his promise to shut Guantanamo Bay within a year. "I would like President Obama to honor that word and to free my 13 brothers who were left behind and all of the rest of the people who deserve to be free," Mamut said. Asked how he had been treated in Guantanamo Bay, Mamut said, "It is a jail, so there will be difficulties in the jail that we have faced and now, since I am a free man today, I would like to forget about all that. I really don't want to think about those days." He cited a proverb from his homeland that means, "What is done cannot be undone." Asked if he had anything to say to anyone watching, he said, "Thank you very much for those people who helped me to gain freedom." He said he had spoken earlier in the day with his family. "They told me, "My boy, my son, congratulations on your freedom.' " The move has had international repercussions, including causing a rift between the United States and Britain. A British official familiar with the agreement but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told CNN the United States had informed London of the agreement "shortly before the deal was concluded." A U.S. official, speaking on background, said the British feel blindsided. Bermuda is a British "overseas territory." The four were twice cleared for release -- once by the Bush administration and again this year, according to a Justice Department statement. The issue of where they go is controversial because of China's opposition to the Uyghurs' being sent to any country but China. Uyghurs are a | [
"who relocated from Guantanamo?",
"What did the two men deny?",
"where were the chinese muslims relocated to",
"How many men were sent to Bermuda?",
"how many remain at gitmo",
"how many Chinese Muslims were relocated to Bermuda?"
] | [
[
"Salahidin Abdalahut and Kheleel Mamut"
],
[
"they had ever been terrorists"
],
[
"Bermuda;"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"Thirteen"
],
[
"two"
]
] | Two Uyghurs relocated from Guantanamo spoke Friday with CNN's Don Lemon .
Both denied having been terrorists and expressed gratitude toward U.S. president .
Four of the Chinese Muslims were relocated to Bermuda; 13 remain at Gitmo .
Incident has had international repercussions centering on where to relocate men . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Cash-strapped Zimbabwe revealed plans Saturday to circulate $200 million notes, just days after introducing a $100 million bill, Finance Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi said.
Zimbabwe central bank governor Gideon Gono shows a new $50 million note Thursday.
After the $100 million note began circulating on Thursday, the price of a loaf of bread soared from 2 million to 35 million Zimbabwean dollars.
Amid allegations of illegal foreign currency trading, the government also fired top executives at four major banks Thursday, according to The Herald, a state-owned newspaper.
Many anxious residents of the nation's capital, Harare, have been sleeping outside banks, waiting for them to open so they can make withdrawals before the institutions run out of cash. Watch how Zimbabwe's children are suffering »
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had capped maximum daily withdrawals at 500,000 Zimbabwean dollars: about 25 U.S. cents, or about a quarter of Thursday's price of a loaf of bread.
Last week, restrictions on cash withdrawals -- due to severe money shortages -- triggered riots.
Sixteen soldiers now face possible court-martial due to alleged looting and assaults on civilians and police during the unrest, police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena told The Herald on Saturday.
"We are still investigating the case," he said. "But we expect the soldiers to appear before a court-martial once investigations are completed."
After spending several days waiting in bank lines, soldiers rampaged through downtown Harare, destroying shops and attacking riot police sent to disperse the protesters.
Cash shortages are not the only crisis plaguing Zimbabwe.
The United Nations has said that more than half of Zimbabwe's population is in dire need of food and clean water. Watch how a cholera epidemic is affecting Zimbabweans »
Acute shortages of essentials such as fuel, electricity, medicines and food are key indicators of a failed economy, according to economic observers.
"The [Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe] is failing to deliver the demands of market, prices are doubling daily, and that demands more cash," Zimbabwean economist John Robertson said. "The huge price increases are resulting from severe shortages of most goods."
The once-prosperous African nation is facing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since attaining independence from Great Britain in 1980.
Zimbabwe's official rate of inflation is 231 million percent, the world's highest.
Critics of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe link hyperinflation to his policies on land distribution and unbudgeted payments to war veterans.
Zimbabwe has had no Cabinet since the March presidential election.
Its political troubles have aggravated its humanitarian and economic crisis, including a cholera outbreak that has killed close to 600 people since August.
A CNN journalist in Harare contributed to this report. | [
"Whose policies are accused of causing collapse?",
"Name of the president?",
"How much does a loaf of bread cost in Zimbabwe?",
"What price jumped?",
"What did the price of bread jump to in Zimbabwen dollars?",
"What were bank execs accused of?",
"What does the government accuse?",
"What consumer item's price skyrocketed to 35 million?",
"Who is the President of Zimbabwe?",
"What did the government accuse bank executives?",
"What does Zimbabwe face?"
] | [
[
"Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe"
],
[
"Robert Mugabe"
],
[
"35 million Zimbabwean dollars."
],
[
"loaf of bread"
],
[
"35 million"
],
[
"illegal foreign currency trading,"
],
[
"Amid allegations of illegal foreign currency trading,"
],
[
"loaf of bread"
],
[
"Robert Mugabe"
],
[
"illegal foreign currency trading,"
],
[
"its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since attaining independence from Great Britain in 1980."
]
] | Price of a loaf of bread jumps to 35 million Zimbabwean dollars .
Government accuses bank executives of illegal currency trading .
Zimbabwe also faces widespread cholera outbreak; food, power shortages .
President Robert Mugabe's policies blamed for economic collapse . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Deaths in Zimbabwe related to the cholera epidemic are approaching 2,000, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, and close to 40,000 people have been affected by the preventable water-borne disease. Two men rest in a cholera rehydration tent on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border in December. Statistics released by the Geneva, Switzerland-based organization WHO on Tuesday show 1,937 people have died in the raging epidemic from the 38,334 who contracted the disease since its outbreak in August. Cholera has spread to neighboring countries South Africa and Botswana. The epidemic comes at a time when President Robert Mugabe's government is facing its worst economic crisis, manifested in shortages of all essentials from food, fuel, cash, foreign currency and electricity and a hyperinflationary economy. Health experts have said Harare's failure to import adequate stocks of water-treating chemicals is the main driver of the disease. Most residents have resorted to rivers and shallow wells for drinking water, because taps are usually dry. On top of that problem, the waste-disposing system has collapsed. Children can be seen playing on heaps of uncollected garbage in the suburbs of most urban areas in Zimbabwe. Last month, Mugabe's government declared the cholera epidemic a national emergency. Since then, international governments and organizations such as WHO, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, USAID and other U.N. groups have moved in to combat the disease that has engulfed all of Zimbabwe's provinces. But the situation has not immediately improved. Zimbabwean Health Minister David Parirenyatwa warned this month that the epidemic could get worse as the rainy season develops. Harare issued a warning Monday that some parts of the country are going to experience floods during rainy season, further compounding the fight against the disease. The season peaks in January or February and ends in late March. Mugabe and rival Morgan Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing deal in September to run the government after a hotly contested presidential election. It was widely hoped that the deal would be the panacea to the humanitarian and economic problems bewildering the once-prosperous Zimbabwe, but the pact is yet to take effect. The sides continue to debate the sharing of key Cabinet ministries such as information, local government, finance, defense and home affairs. | [
"How many people have died?",
"Where was the outbreak?",
"Where is the cholera epidemic?",
"how many people died since outbreak in August?",
"how many people died by Cholera in Zimbabwe?",
"When did the outbreak start?"
] | [
[
"1,937"
],
[
"Zimbabwe"
],
[
"Zimbabwe"
],
[
"1,937"
],
[
"2,000,"
],
[
"in August."
]
] | World Health Organization says 1,937 people have died since outbreak in August .
Cholera epidemic comes as Zimbabwe faces worst economic crisis .
Expert: Failure to import adequate stocks of water-treating chemicals behind disease .
Cholera has spread to neighboring countries South Africa and Botswana . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe said Monday that he does not believe foul play was involved in a car wreck that killed his wife.
The vehicle the couple were traveling in was left overturned off the highway.
"When something like that happens there is speculation, but I want to assure you if it was foul play, it is one in a thousand," he said Monday. "It was an accident that took her life."
Tsvangirai's comments came amid widespread speculation that the wreck was caused by his political opponents aligned with President Robert Mugabe.
Tsvangirai's political party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has said the crash was an assassination attempt. It has called for an independent inquiry.
Zimbabwe's new prime minister was hurt in the wreck and returned home Monday from neighboring Botswana.
"Life has to go on and I'm certain that if she was here she would liked life to go on," he said. "It will be difficult to fill the gap left by her."
Tsvangirai has long been a leading opposition figure in Zimbabwe, but he joined a coalition government with Mugabe last month. That seemed to resolve an impasse created by a disputed presidential election between Mugabe and Tsvangirai last year.
Tsvangirai received the most votes in the March 2008 election, but he fell short of the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff. He withdrew as a candidate in the runoff, citing political violence and intimidation targeting his supporters.
Negotiations between the two sides culminated in the power-sharing agreement that was implemented just weeks ago.
Questions about the wreck surfaced shortly after it happened Friday on a busy two-lane highway between Tsvangirai's hometown of Buhera and the capital city of Harare.
On Saturday, members of Tsvangirai's political party, the Movement for Democratic Change, told CNN that Tsvangirai believed that the driver of the truck that struck his car deliberately drove toward him in an effort to take his life.
The party's secretary-general, Tendai Biti, said police should have provided better security for Tsvangirai. The wreck might not have happened, he said, if a police escort been on hand.
A former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tom McDonald, said the wreck raised suspicion.
"I'm skeptical about any motor vehicle accident in Zimbabwe involving an opposition figure," said McDonald, who was ambassador to Zimbabwe from 1997 to 2001.
"President Mugabe has a history of strange car accidents when someone, lo and behold, dies -- it's sort of his M.O. of how they get rid of people they don't like."
McDonald, however, was quick to add that traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe. The highway on which Tsvangirai was traveling is a two-lane road on which tractor-trailers are common, he said. Vehicles in the country are often in bad shape and many drivers are inexperienced, he said.
"It's certainly plausible that this was just one of those tragic things," he said.
-- CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report. | [
"What was the speculation about?",
"In what manner did she die?",
"Where did the PM return from?",
"What the US ambassador say about this?",
"Where does the PM live?"
] | [
[
"foul play"
],
[
"car wreck"
],
[
"Botswana."
],
[
"said the wreck raised suspicion."
],
[
"Zimbabwe"
]
] | Tsvangirai: "It was an accident that took her life"
PM returned home from Botswana and addressed mourners at his residence .
Much speculation the wreck was caused by his political opponents .
Former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe said the wreck raised suspicion . |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.