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HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has introduced a $1,000 note -- $10 trillion in the old value -- as the country battles to end cash shortages in the hyper-inflationary environment. Zimbabwe's currency is trading around Z$350 -- $35 trillion in the old value -- against U.S. dollar. However, analysts said the new note -- which can only buy a loaf of bread -- will not ease pressure on cash shortages because of the ever-increasing prices. "It will not make even a small impact. What we need in Zimbabwe is a clear change of policies, start production and then inflation will start easing up," said John Robertson, an economic consultant. "The zeros seem to be coming back no matter how often they slash them." In August, Zimbabwe slashed ten zeroes on the currency; two years earlier the country slashed three zeros. The zeroes keep bouncing back in the country that has an inflation rate of 11.2 million -- the highest in the world. Zimbabwe's agro-based economy has been on a free-fall for more than a decade now. The situation was exacerbated by the destruction of commercial agriculture in 2000 when President Robert Mugabe's government embarked on a violent land grab from white farmers and gave it to inexperienced black farmers. Mugabe denies that he is to blame for the country's economic collapse, citing economic sanctions that have been placed on Zimbabwe. Since 2000, Zimbabwe's currency has been depreciating against major currency. It is trading around $350 Zimbabwean dollars -- $35 trillion in the old value -- against the U.S. dollar. | [
"Who's agro-based economy has been in free-fall?",
"Who blames the collapse on sanctions?",
"How long has the economy been in free fall?",
"What did Mugabe blame for the economic downfall?",
"What is the basis of Zimbabwe's economy?",
"What does Mugabe blame for his country's economic collapse?",
"What note can only purchase a lof of bread?",
"What can a Z$1,000 note purchase?",
"What country's economy has been in free-fall?",
"The note is only enough to buy what item?",
"Who is Robert Mugabe?"
] | [
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"Zimbabwe's"
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"more than a decade"
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"a loaf of bread"
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[
"Zimbabwe"
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"loaf of bread"
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"President"
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] | Z$1,000 note can only purchase a loaf of bread .
Zimbabwe's agro-based economy in free-fall for more than a decade .
Robert Mugabe blames country's economic collapse on sanctions . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was in stable condition and recovering from head injuries Friday night after a car wreck that killed his wife, Susan, medical sources told CNN. Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, were en route to the prime minister's hometown of Buhera. The crash, on a busy two-lane highway between Tsvangirai's hometown of Buhera and the capital city of Harare, comes just weeks after the start of a power-sharing agreement between Tsvangirai and his political rival, President Robert Mugabe. Analysts say the crash is bound to raise suspicion of foul play, with one former U.S. diplomat calling for an outside investigation, saying it is not the first time that a political foe of Mugabe has been killed or injured in a car crash. Members of Tsvangirai's political party, the Movement for Democratic Change, said Friday that it was too early to tell whether the crash is anything other than an accident. Tsvangirai's aide and driver also were injured in the head-on collision with a large truck, according to his spokesman, James Maridadi. Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa said he spoke to Tsvangirai at the hospital, and the party leader was in "relatively stable" condition. An MDC spokesman describes 'critical' accident » Sources at The Avenues Clinic in Harare said that Tsvangirai was in stable condition with minor head injuries and that the prime minister was alert and talking. One source said the attending doctor had told him of his wife's death. Another said that doctors were planning to keep Tsvangirai overnight for observation and that specialists were checking his condition. Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, took office last month under a power-sharing deal with Mugabe after a contentious election. Tsvangirai's MDC reached the power-sharing agreement with Mugabe in September after months of angry dispute that included violence. More than 200 deaths, mainly those of opposition supporters, were reported leading up to and in the aftermath of the election. "I'm skeptical about any motor vehicle accident in Zimbabwe involving an opposition figure," said Tom McDonald, the U.S. 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." Watch more on the fatal crash » McDonald cited the 2001 death of Defense Minister Moven Mahachi, Employment Minister Border Gezi's death in 1999 and the death last year of Elliot Manyika, a government minister and former regional governor. All three died in car crashes. "This is several," McDonald said. "So, when I hear that Tsvangirai was in an accident, it gives me pause." McDonald, now an attorney with the Washington law firm Baker Hostetler, urged a full investigation by outside authorities. One analyst who studies the region said the collision could "exacerbate" the fragile unity government. "There will undoubtedly be suspicions about the cause of the crash and whether there was foul play involved," said Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "At a time when there needs to be confidence-building measures, this incident potentially raises suspicions and undermines the potential for greater cohesion of the government. [There is] huge potential for the agreement to be manipulated by Mugabe." McDonald, however, was quick to say that traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe. The highway on which Tsvangirai was traveling is a two-lane road where tractor-trailers are common, vehicles in the country are often in bad shape and drivers often are inexperienced, he said. "It's certainly plausible that this was just one of those tragic things," he said. The collision occurred on the Harare-Masvingo Road as Tsvangirai and his wife headed to his hometown of Buhera, south of the capital, Harare, his spokesman said. The couple, who were married in 1978, have six children, according to the British Broadcasting | [
"What kind of collision occurred?",
"Who is the president?",
"Who is the Prime Minister?",
"What could exacerbate the fragile unity?",
"What could the crash exacerbate?",
"In what condition is the Prime Minister in?",
"Whose foes have died in car crashes?",
"What condition is the minister in?",
"What did the Ex-US diplomat say?"
] | [
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] | NEW: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in stable condition, sources say .
Analyst: Crash could exacerbate fragile unity government with President Mugabe .
Head-on collision bound to raise suspicion of foul play, analysts say .
Ex-U.S. diplomat says other Mugabe foes have died in car crashes . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe police arrested on Friday a magistrate who ordered the release of a senior opposition politician granted bail by the country's High Court, a lawyer said. A Zimbabwean policeman patrols outside the entrance of Mutare Magistrates court. The order to release the politician had been suspended when state lawyers appealed the HIgh Court decision. Trust Maanda, a lawyer in Mutare city about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Harare, told CNN by phone that magistrate Livingstone Chipadze had been arrested. "He is in police custody. The police are saying he ordered the release of Roy Bennett in compliance with the High Court ruling," said Maanda. Bennett is the choice of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for deputy agriculture minister under the power-sharing government formed last month. On Wednesday, Chipadze ordered Bennett be released from a prison in Mutare as had been ruled by the High Court last week. However, that order, which required Bennett to post $2,000 as bail, was suspended after the state filed an appeal with Zimbabwe's Supreme Court. "I can confirm the arrest, but I will be in position to tell you the charge he will face later," said a police official in Mutare over the phone. "He is likely to go to court on Saturday or Monday. But most magistrates here [in Mutare] have gone on strike over his arrest." Chipadze joins Bennett in prison in Mutare. Bennett was arrested on February 13 and is facing charges of possessing arms for the purposes of banditry, terrorism and sabotage. The continued detention of Bennett, an ally of MDC leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, is seen by many as a crack in the foundation of the coalition Tsvangirai formed with President Robert Mugabe. Meanwhile, a Zimbabwe High Court judge Friday ordered the immediate release of three human rights activists in state "safe custody" to testify against human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, who is facing charges of plotting to topple Mugabe. Opposition MDC activists Fannie Tembo, Lloyd Tarumbwa and Terry Musona have been missing since October last year after they were abducted from their homes under the cover of darkness. Lawyers Chris Mhike and Innocent Chagonda took the state to the High Court in an attempt to win the release the trio. But the state represented by Nelson Mutsonziwa had opposed the application, saying the three would be state witnesses when the trial of Mukoko starts. The MDC lawyers then successfully argued that the three were bread winners for their families and the state had not provided their families with assistance while they are in custody. Delivering the judgment, Justice Ben Hlatswayo said, "I order the immediate release of Fannie Tembo, Lloyd Tarumbwa and Terry Musona from police custody or the custody of any other state agent. This order stands enforceable notwithstanding the noting or filing of an appeal." Relatives of the three who were milling around the High Court could not hide their joy after Mhike told them of Hlatswayo's ruling. | [
"Who was imprisoned?",
"Who was arrested?",
"Who else was ordered by the High Court to be released?",
"What happened to the magistrate who released a senior opposition politician?",
"Who ordered the politician released?",
"For what was he charged with."
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"possessing arms"
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] | Magistrate who released a senior opposition politician arrested .
High Court had ordered politican released, but decision was suspended .
Roy Bennett's imprisonment a crack in coalition of opposition and Robert Mugabe .
In separate decision, High Court ordered release of three human rights activists . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe slashed 12 zeros from its currency as hyperinflation continued to erode its value, the country's central bank announced Monday. Patrick Chinamasa, Zimbabwe's acting finance minister, arrives last week at Parliament to present the '09 budget. "Even in the face of current economic and political challenges confronting the economy, the Zimbabwe dollar ought to and must remain the nation's currency, so as to safeguard our national identity and sovereignty. ... Our national currency is a fundamental economic pillar of our sovereignty," said Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. "Accordingly, therefore, this monetary policy statement unveils yet another necessary program of revaluing our local currency, through the removal of 12 zeros with immediate effect." The move means that 1 trillion in Zimbabwe dollars now will be equivalent to one Zimbabwe dollar. The old notes -- with the highest being 100 trillion dollars -- not enough to buy a loaf of bread -- will remain valid until June 30, after which they will cease to be legal tender. One U.S. dollar is trading above 300 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. This third attempt to lop off zeros comes barely six months after the Zimbabwe government last adjusted its currency as it continues to lose value. World-record inflation estimated to be in the billions of percent -- but officially at 231 million percent as of July last year -- has quickly eroded the currency's value again and again. The highest note on the new set is 500 Zimbabwe dollars. Many Zimbabwean traders have stopped accepting the local currency, preferring foreign currency due to the hyperinflationary environment. Last week, the country's acting finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa, allowed the use of foreign currency by everyone else. Despite the use of foreign currency, the Zimbabwe dollars are in acute shortage, resulting in many people sleeping outside their banks hoping to get money the following day. Regarding the cash shortages, Gono blamed Germany for dropping a contract that helped the country print money. "The country has suffered bouts of cash shortages, which have disadvantaged both the corporate and household sectors," he said. "As a country, we have come to terms with this stubborn reality that we were put under economic sanctions by Germany, which unilaterally cut a 50-year-old contract to supply us with currency printing paper, machinery, spare parts and inks without notice in July last year." | [
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"when was Zimbabwe's inflation rate officially at 231 million percent",
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"Who has stopped taking local currency?",
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[
"231 million percent"
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] | One trillion in Zimbabwe dollars now will be equivalent to one Zimbabwe dollar .
Zimbabwe's inflation rate officially at 231 million percent as of last July .
Many Zimbabwean traders have stopped accepting local currency .
Acting finance minister recently allowed all Zimbabweans to use foreign currency . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe urgently needs to form a new government in order to address a food crisis in the nation and prevent starvation, newly designated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters Saturday. At least 80 percent of the population of Zimbabwe are living below the poverty line. Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said there was a "deepening food insecurity" in the country. "We need to respond to this crisis with utmost urgency," he said. "It is therefore imperative that a government be formed in the next few days and begins to implement plans to insure that our people have food and do not die of starvation." Zimbabwe industries are operating at about 10 percent of capacity, and the food and manufacturing industry will not be able to deliver sufficient food supplies to markets. Tsvangirai signed a power sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe on September 15 but the two have not yet agreed on the distribution of Cabinet posts. Earlier this week, Mugabe told the press that only four posts were still to be agreed on. But Tsvangirai said in response, "I think to minimize the remaining issues to only four issues, it is to underplay the whole process. The issue is that the negotiation must be concluded I think the matter will be solved once all the principals are back in the country." Mugabe has been in the United States for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. He is expected back in the country after Saturday. Zimbabwe has been facing a collapsing economy for nearly a decade, and is plagued with high unemployment, food shortages and at least 80 percent of the population living below the poverty line. This has been accompanied by dizzying levels of inflation -- now officially at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world. Once an exporter of food, Zimbabwe has been a net importer of food since 2000, when Mugabe's government embarked on a controversial and violent land reform program that displaced some experienced commercial farmers, most of them of European origin. Tsvangirai said he has consulted with food security experts and was told the country needs to import 800,000 tons of maize (corn) to avoid starvation until the next harvest in April. | [
"What crisis is Zimbabwe in?",
"What country is this in?",
"Who needs to address food crisis?",
"Who has a huge food crisis?",
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"Who is the new PM?",
"What does Zimbabwe urgently need?"
] | [
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"to form a new government"
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] | New PM: Zimbabwe urgently needs government to address food crisis .
Robert Mugabe blames country's economic collapse on sanctions . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A European Union delegation met Saturday with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who said the parties had established a "good rapport." President Mugabe and his wife, Grace, arrive for a ZANU PF party youth conference on Friday. "There was no animosity, it was quite friendly," Mugabe said. Gunilla Carlsson, the Swedish minister for International Development Cooperation, said the parties "definitely made some progress." "Of course we didn't agree with everything Mr. Mugabe said, but it was a correct meeting and we exchanged views," Carlsson, who is heading the mission, told CNN's Rosemary Church. The delegation met with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai later on Saturday. Carlsson spokesman Peter Larsson had said earlier that "there was no sense of any hostility from Mugabe." Larsson was referring to remarks the Zimbabwean president made Friday, when he condemned "bloody whites" for meddling in his country's affairs. Carlsson is heading the mission to Zimbabwe. "Sanctions or no sanctions, Zimbabwe remains ours," .Mugabe told his ZANU-PF party's youth conference in Harare on Friday. "Who said the British and the Americans should rule over others? That's why we say, down with you. We have not invited these bloody whites. They want to poke their nose into our own affairs. Refuse that," he said. The European Union imposed travel bans on Mugabe and his representatives in 2002. The bans were imposed after accusations of human rights violations and election fraud. In addition to travel restrictions, the European Union has frozen the assets of more than 200 Zimbabweans for allegedly violating human rights, according to Sweden, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU this year. On Saturday, Mugabe again addressed "sanctions," saying he was dismayed that they were not lifted after meeting with the EU delegation. "I have always been disappointed with sanctions on Zimbabwe," he said, adding that the EU delegation "thought things were not working, yet we did all the things we were asked to do" under a power-sharing agreement signed in September last year. Larsson said there was no discussion about the restrictions at the meeting. Under the agreement, which was to end months of turmoil and violence that followed the country's March 2008 presidential elections, Mugabe retained his office, and opposition leader Tsvangirai became prime minister. The agreement -- the Global Political Agreement-- spelled out a number of fundamental democratic reforms, but so far there has been no progress toward them, Carlsson said in a statement ahead of the meetings with Mugabe and Tsvangirai. "There have not yet been clear positive developments in all areas. I am still concerned at the lack of democratic development," she said then. After meeting with Tsvangirai, Carlsson told CNN that "Tsvangirai's government is working hard towards the implementation of the political agreement." She added, "After such a long time of oppression, it is of course hard to move forward and change will take some time. But the EU is committed to follow up on this progress and encourage change." CNN's Per Nyberg in London, England, contributed to this report | [
"Who imposed the travel bans?",
"What country is Robert Mugabe the President of?",
"Where was travel bans imposed?",
"what are the bans for",
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"Who is president of Zimbabwe",
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"encourage change.\""
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"Friday."
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] | Of EU meeting, Mugabe said "there was no animosity, it was quite friendly"
EU officials in Zimbabwe to ease relations, push progress on political reforms .
European Union imposed travel bans on Mugabe, his representatives in 2002 .
President Robert Mugabe says West tries to impose its rules on Zimbabwe . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A Zimbabwe High Court judge is trying to take the country's first lady to court, accusing her of using political muscle to wrest from him a farm he was given during the land seizures.
Judge says Grace Mugabe, pictured with her husband, effectively took his farm by force.
The matter has not been given a date, however, amid reports that other judges have been refusing to hear it.
High Court Judge Ben Hlatshwayo is suing a company owned by Grace Mugabe, wife of President Robert Mugabe, for grabbing Gwina Farm in Banket, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Harare. The farm is near Mugabe's rural home.
The judge said he acquired the farm in December 2002 as part of President Mugabe's controversial land grabs, in which Mugabe took land from white commercial farmers and distributed it to black Zimbabweans.
In an affidavit, filed at the High Court in Harare, the judge said the "unlawful conduct" by Grace Mugabe's company, Gushungo Holdings, amounted to spoilation -- or taking of the farm by force.
He said emissaries of the first lady have been visiting the farm frequently and issuing instructions to workers, according to court documents.
"There is clearly no lawful basis for such interference, which conduct, by its very nature, amounts to spoliation," Hlatshwayo wrote in the papers.
Lands and Resettlement Minister Didymus Mutasa said the judge had been given alternative land as compensation for the farm that Grace Mugabe wants to have. Mutasa opposes the judge's affidavit.
Hlatshwayo said he had been operating his farm in "quiet, undisturbed, peaceful possession, occupation and production" since it was allocated to him.
Since the land grabs, Zimbabwe has been facing acute shortages of food that critics say is a result of Mugabe giving the land to inexperienced peasant farmers. But Mugabe blames the West for the shortages, saying Western countries are sabotaging him after he took the land for his people.
Mugabe says the land reform was meant to reverse colonial imbalances remaining after British rule.
The legal wrangle comes after Grace Mugabe was accused of assaulting a journalist in Hong Kong who wanted to take photos of her while she was on a shopping spree.
Lawmakers were supposed to debate a bill next week for a constitutional amendment that would create the new posts called for under the deal, including the post of prime minister for opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
The delay could prolong the country's political and economic crisis.
The delay comes a day after the MDC accused Mugabe's ZANU-PF of backtracking on the implementation of a power-sharing deal the party signed with Tsvangirai in September.
Tsvangirai agreed last week to join the unity government if "outstanding issues" were addressed.
While government officials could not be reached for comment, Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa was quoted by the state media as saying the delay in debate on the constitutional-amendment bill would push back next week's deadline.
A coalition government is seen by many as a panacea to halt the meltdown of Zimbabwe's economy. The country is also facing its worst humanitarian crisis, with acute shortages of all essentials such as fuel, food, electricity and public-health delivery system.
A ravaging cholera outbreak has affected 65,000 people and claimed close to 3,500 lives since its outbreak in August. | [
"What is the judge accusing Mugabe of?",
"what were teh accusations",
"who was sued in Zimbabwe",
"What formation is being delayed?"
] | [
[
"using political muscle to wrest from him a farm he was given during the land seizures."
],
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"using political muscle to wrest from him a farm he was given during the land seizures."
],
[
"Grace Mugabe,"
],
[
"a constitutional amendment that would create the new posts called for under the deal,"
]
] | Zimbabwe High Court judge sues country's first lady over seized farm .
Judge accuses Grace Mugabe of using political muscle to wrest from him farm .
Judge said he acquired farm in 2002 as part of controversial land grabs .
Formation of Zimbabwe unity government delayed as debate postponed . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A desperate Zimbabwean farmer fighting to hold onto his land -- a year after the country's political rivals pledged to govern jointly -- fears he will eventually lose to politics and violence. Ben Freeth's farm was gutted by fire, as was his father-in-law's. The power-sharing agreement included an undertaking by both parties to ensure property rights are upheld but farm attacks and invasions continue unabated in Zimbabwe. Charles Lock is one of an estimated 400 farmers who have remained in the country despite President Robert Mugabe's policy of redistributing white-owned farms to landless blacks. "Why do they want to remove me when I've complied with everything they want? What more do they want other than for me to pack my bags and leave and if that's the case, then admit that that is the policy. Pass a law: no whites are allowed to farm. Then it makes it clear," Lock said. Since 2000, Mugabe's controversial land reform program has driven more than 4,000 commercial farmers off their land, destroying Zimbabwe's once prosperous agricultural sector. "When the land reform program began, we decided we were not going to have a confrontational attitude; that we would actually go along with this program because it was the only way that this whole thing would be sorted out. So I voluntarily gave away my own farm and moved onto my father-in-law's farm," Lock said. That was in 2002. A year later the government came knocking on his door again, he said, demanding more land. Lock told CNN he eventually gave up 70 percent of his father-in-law's farm, which he then owned. Now an army general is demanding Lock's remaining 30 percent. When Zimbabwe's new unity government was formed -- with Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change -- in February this year, the general allegedly posted soldiers on Lock's farm. The farmer said he stopped farming and trade at gun point. When CNN visited Lock's farm this month, workers were standing idle. Maize and tobacco, which Lock said is worth more than U.S. $1 million, lay in storage. "They've switched off our irrigation system, taken out keys and stop our trucks if we want to deliver maize," he told CNN. So Lock had to sneak into his own property like a thief by cutting open the gate leading to his store room. He took a few valuables from his workshop suspecting that his whole place will soon be looted. With the formation of a unity government farmers were hoping for some protection but Lock said: "Nothing is happening here. There is no land audit happening, no one comes out here to check, to see. We are just left vulnerable." On another farm, Ben Freeth's fight for his land has just escalated to another level. Freeth has been repeatedly beaten, arrested and harassed. Now his farmhouse and that of his father-in-law have been gutted by a mysterious fire. See the destruction the fire caused Freeth could not say for sure that this is arson but told CNN that the group of ZANU-PF youths who have occupied his farm have repeatedly threatened to burn his house. "One time they came round with burning sacks at night and they started making a huge noise and ringing a great big bell and shouting and screaming. They were going underneath the thatch saying we are going to burn your house down if you don't get out," he said. Freeth and his father-in-law Mike Campbell are among a group of Zimbabwean farmers who won the right to remain on their land at a southern African tribunal. But Mugabe has declared the ruling null and void and pulled out of the tribunal. Farmers cannot contest land issues in Zimbabwe and approaching international courts has thus far not worked either. When CNN interviewed Mugabe's minister of state, Didymas Mutasa, about the disregard for human and property rights on the farms, he blamed | [
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"White farmers from where battle land redistribution?",
"how many farmers have been affected since 2000?",
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"Since 2000, how many commercial farmers have been driven off their land?",
"What policies enable controversy?",
"Who is battling continuing policy of land redistribution?",
"What does one farmer show CNN?"
] | [
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] | Zimbabwe white farmers battle continuing policy of land redistribution .
One farmer shows CNN his fire-destroyed farmhouse .
Controversial policy gives white-owned farms to landless blacks .
Since 2000, more than 4,000 commercial farmers driven off their land . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A power-sharing deal has been reached between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, South African President Thabo Mbeki said. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, left, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mbeki, who mediated the talks in Harare for the Southern African Development Community, said the deal would be signed Monday but did not give details of the agreement. Zimbabwe has had no Cabinet since the March presidential election that started the impasse. Opposition lawmakers booed and heckled Mugabe when he spoke at the opening of the country's parliament August 26. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the most votes in that election, but not enough to avoid a runoff, according to the government's official count. He withdrew from the June 27 runoff days before the vote, saying Mugabe's supporters had waged a campaign of violence and intimidation against opposition supporters. The main sticking point in the talks had been how much power Mugabe would retain. Tsvangirai had said he would sign a deal only if Mugabe gave up some power and his presidency became a ceremonial position. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the agreement, according to a statement released by his spokesperson, and "hopes that this agreement will pave the way for a durable peace and recovery in the country and contribute to rapid improvement in the welfare and human rights of the people of Zimbabwe." The country is also reeling from hyper-inflation. In August, the country's Central Statistical Office said inflation was at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world. Analysts have said the Zimbabwean government's official inflation rate figures are conservative. One of Zimbabwe's leading banks, Kingdom Bank, said the country's inflation rate was more than 20 million percent. The economic crisis has destroyed Zimbabwe's currency and made it difficult for Zimbabweans to buy basic commodities, electricity, fuel and medicines. | [
"Who is the South African president?",
"When will the deal be signed?",
"What did Zimbabwe leaders agree upon?",
"What are they planning to share?"
] | [
[
"Thabo Mbeki"
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[
"Monday"
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"A power-sharing deal"
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[
"power-sharing"
]
] | Zimbabwe leaders agree terms for sharing power, South African president says .
Thabo Mbeki, who led mediation talks, said deal will be signed Monday .
Zimbabwe has been in political deadlock since controversial election in June . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- About 220 Zimbabweans congregated outside the U.S. Embassy in Harare on Thursday, seeking refuge from election-related violence, embassy spokesman Mark Weinberg said. People seeking refuge sit on a curb and sidewalk outside the U.S. Embassy in Harare on Thursday. By evening, embassy officials were moving "most of the women and children into safe houses," and were trying to get water and blankets for the growing crowd, Weinberg said. Some of the refuge-seekers, identifying themselves as supporters of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change, said militia members supporting President Robert Mugabe's party destroyed their homes or were hunting them because of their affiliation, according to a journalist at the scene. CNN is not identifying the reporter for security reasons. The journalist said the refuge-seekers, some holding their possessions, sat outside the building Thursday afternoon, waiting to be addressed by a U.S. Embassy official. A few of the people had bandaged wounds, according to the reporter. "The people I can see right now look very miserable, dejected, confused," the reporter said. Watch the refuge-seekers wait outside the embassy » The MDC has said its members were targeted by supporters of Mugabe during the weeks surrounding March's presidential election and last week's runoff. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27 runoff, citing violence, intimidation and allegations of vote-rigging. That left Mugabe as the only runoff candidate, allowing him to claim re-election. Tsvangirai himself fled to South Africa for a short time in March during the campaign season, saying he feared for his safety. He also sought refuge in the Dutch Embassy in Harare on June 22, shortly after announcing he was withdrawing from the runoff. He returned to his Harare home this week, a Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Several Western nations denounced the violence and declared Mugabe's runoff victory illegitimate. Reports of violence have continued after the runoff. On Monday, the MDC claimed that a politician from the party was abducted at gunpoint outside a courthouse in the city of Mutare. The assailants, who the MDC said wore military outfits, took Naison Nemadziva, a lawmaker who recently won a seat in parliament against a member of Mugabe's party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. The MDC claimed in a press release that the kidnapping was by supporters of ZANU-PF and that police had not been able to find the lawmaker. This week, a resolution from the African Union in Egypt called for negotiations between Tsvangirai and Mugabe, and some European Union officials have called for a coalition government in Zimbabwe with Tsvangirai as its leader. But Tsvangirai this week said the "conditions prevailing in Zimbabwe ... are not conducive" to negotiations with Mugabe. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday said Mugabe "has blood on his hands" after the violence leading to the runoff and should step down. Mugabe has been Zimbabwe's only leader since its independence from Britain in 1980, when it was called Rhodesia. | [
"Who is seeking refuge from violence?",
"Who were the crowds driven from their homes by?",
"Who were driven from their homes?",
"Who is exploring housing options for refuge-seekers?"
] | [
[
"220 Zimbabweans"
],
[
"militia members supporting President Robert Mugabe's party"
],
[
"supporters of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change,"
],
[
"embassy officials"
]
] | Embassy spokesman: Officials exploring housing options for refuge-seekers .
U.S. Embassy in Harare: 220 Zimbabweans seeking refuge from violence .
People in crowd say they've been driven from homes by supporters of ruling party .
Country in political crisis since disputed vote in March, presidential runoff last month . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Congestion in Zimbabwe's prisons is set to ease a bit after President Robert Mugabe acceded to pleas by prison authorities to pardon more than 1,500 prisoners. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has agreed to pardon 1,500 prisoners because of congestion. Mugabe granted the amnesty last month, but the Zimbabwe Prison Service is still identifying 1,544 prisoners to release. Zimbabwe's prisons are congested because the crime rate has escalated due to the country's economic collapse, prison officials have said. A senior justice ministry official told journalists Wednesday that Mugabe's clemency would benefit all convicted female prisoners and juveniles, but excludes criminals facing serious charges including rape or any sexual offenses, carjacking, conspiracy, armed robbery, murder and stock theft. "As a short-term relief option to try and contain some of these challenges seriously and negatively impacting on the effective and efficient administration of prisons, a proposal to have a general amnesty was granted to inmates," said David Mangota, the Justice Ministry permanent secretary, of Mugabe's decision. The country's 42 prisons have a capacity for 13,000 inmates but are currently holding 17,000. As a result, the Prison Service has not been able to supply adequate rations to inmates. In April, a documentary showed half-naked, skeletal prisoners wasting away from hunger and diseases in some facilities. Prison officials said they are also strapped for cash, causing "challenges" in fulfilling basic needs for inmates, which include food, clothing and bedding, toiletries and transport, among others. One of the country's largest detention facilities, Khami Prison, has had its water cut off because the Prison Service hasn't paid its water bills, lawyers complained Wednesday. Sources said those bills now total more that U.S. $230,000. "Offenders incarcerated should be treated humanely and with dignity in matters of health care, personal hygiene, sanitary, ablution requirements and general living conditions," said Josphat Tshuma, president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe. Khami Prison is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare and holds more than 2,000 inmates. The water disconnection raises the possibility that diseases such as cholera could break out, the Law Society said. Last year, a number of prisoners died due to various diseases related to lack of water, hunger and inhuman and unhygienic conditions, the group charged. | [
"How many Zimbabwean prisons are mentioned?",
"How many prisoners are expected to be pardoned?",
"How many prisons does Zimbabwe have",
"Which nations president agreed to pardon?",
"For what reason do prisoners become emaciated?",
"How many people has the President agreed to pardon",
"What are not available to all prisoners?",
"What is the capacity of Zimbabwe's 42 prisons?"
] | [
[
"1,500"
],
[
"more than 1,500"
],
[
"42"
],
[
"Zimbabwe's"
],
[
"the Prison Service has not been able to supply adequate rations to inmates."
],
[
"1,500"
],
[
"adequate rations"
],
[
"13,000 inmates"
]
] | Zimbabwe President agrees to pardon over 1,500 prisoners to ease congestion .
Zimbabwe's 42 prisons have capacity for 13,000 inmates but currently hold 17,000 .
Adequate rations not available to all prisoners and some have become emaciated . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Robert Mugabe's political rivals Saturday accused the Zimbabwean president of "ambush" in allocating key ministries to his own party in defiance of a power-sharing agreement aimed at ending political turmoil in the country. The opposition MDC accuses Mugabe of "ambush." Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper reported that ministries inlcuding defense, justice, and media, were being placed in the hands of Mugabe's ZANU-PF. Party spokesman Bright Matonga said the move had cross-party support but the Movement for Democratic Change's Nelson Chamisa decried the move is an "ambush" that puts the power-sharing deal in jeopardy. Under the deal reached last month, Mugabe stays in office but shares power with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who became vice president. Arthur Mutambara, who leads a splinter MDC faction, became deputy vice president. "The MDC dismisses ZANU-PF's unilaterally gazetted wish list of ministries, which is a betrayal of the wishes, expectations and aspirations of the majority of Zimbabweans," the MDC said in a statement. "It is a giant act of madness which puts the whole deal into jeopardy." The plan outlined in The Herald would give 14 government ministries to ZANU-PF and 13 to the MDC. Three ministries would go to Mutambara's faction. Among the ministries reportedly allocated to ZANU-PF are defense, home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and legal affairs, and media and information. Ministries given to Tsvangirai's MDC would include constitutional and parliamentary affairs, economic planning, health, labor, and sport, arts and culture, the paper said. Mutambara would oversee education, industry and commerce, and regional integration and international cooperation. The ministry of finance, the paper said, remains in dispute. The MDC accused the ZANU-PF of trying to undermine the work of former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who helped broker a deal to end months of violence following a disputed election. The paper said Mbeki was due to to go Zimbabwe to resolve the question of the finance ministry. Mbeki mediated the power-sharing talks that aimed to resolve the disputed March election. Tsvangirai won the most votes in March but not enough to avoid a runoff, according to the government's official count. Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27 runoff days before the vote, saying Mugabe's supporters had waged a campaign of violence and intimidation against opposition supporters. | [
"Who decries Mugabe move to allocate key ministries?",
"What has been given to the party?",
"Who leads the ZANU-PF party?"
] | [
[
"Nelson Chamisa"
],
[
"key ministries"
],
[
"Robert Mugabe's"
]
] | MDC decries Mugabe move to allocate key ministries to his ZANU-PF party .
Defense, justice, and media given to party, report says .
MDC says move violates power-sharing agreement . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Roy Bennett, the former Zimbabwean opposition activist who was arrested Friday shortly before he was due to become a Cabinet minister, has been charged with conspiracy to commit banditry, sabotage and terrorism, his lawyer told CNN.
Roy Bennett, left, pictured with MDC leader Morgan Tzvangirai, is also the party's treasurer.
The Movement for Democratic Change nominated Bennett to be deputy minister of agriculture in a national unity government with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, which has ruled the country since independence in 1980.
Bennett was arrested on Friday while on his way to South Africa, where he has been living for three years. Bennett, who is also the party's treasurer, was pulled from an aircraft at the airport in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, the MDC said.
Police accuse him of funding the acquisition of weapons to commit the crimes he is charged with. Bennett will appear in the Mutare magistrate's court on Monday, his lawyer Trust Maanda told CNN.
Bennett, a white coffee grower, is an old foe of Mugabe's government. His farms were seized during the country's controversial land reform program. He has previously being jailed for assaulting Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa in parliament.
Hundreds of party members and supporters Friday surrounded the Mutare police station where Bennett was being held, the party said.
The incident happened the same day that other MDC ministers in the new unity government took their oaths of office. The swearing-in eventually took place but was delayed, the MDC said, because Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party wanted to appoint more ministers than they were allowed in the new government.
Under the power-sharing deal signed in September, the ruling ZANU-PF party gets 17 cabinet posts and the MDC gets 13.
Mugabe brought a "bloated" list of 22 Cabinet ministers to the swearing-in ceremony, but the MDC leadership insisted Mugabe stick to the 17 agreed Cabinet posts.
The stalemate lasted for more than an hour, until Mugabe's party agreed that only 17 of their proposed ministers take office.
CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report. | [
"Who is Roy Bennett?",
"Whose supporters rallied at police station?",
"Where was Roy Bennett pulled from?",
"What did MDC support?",
"Who does what?",
"Who was pulled from what?",
"What accusations does the new Zimbabwean minister face?"
] | [
[
"former Zimbabwean opposition activist"
],
[
"Roy Bennett,"
],
[
"an aircraft at the airport in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare,"
],
[
"Movement"
],
[
"Roy Bennett,"
],
[
"Bennett,"
],
[
"conspiracy to commit banditry, sabotage and terrorism,"
]
] | New Zimbabwean minister gaces accusations of banditry, sabotage and terrorism .
Roy Bennett pulled from aircraft as he was about to fly to South Africa .
MDC supporters rallied at police station where Bennett was held . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Some of Zimbabwe's children are "wasting away" as political turmoil and economic crisis have caused a severe food shortage, according to a report from Save the Children. Children sleep in rough conditions on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa. The number of acute child malnutrition cases has risen by almost two-thirds in the past year, the report from the UK-based agency said in its appeal to world donors for help. "There is no excuse for failing to provide this food," program director Lynn Walker said. "The innocent people of Zimbabwe should not be made to suffer for a political situation that is out of their control." Five million Zimbabweans -- out of a population of about 12 million -- are in need of food aid now, the report said. The group is appealing for 18,000 tons of food for next month. "We have already been forced to reduce the rations of emergency food we are delivering because there isn't enough to go around," the report said. "If, as we fear, the food aid pipeline into Zimbabwe begins to fail in the new year the millions of people who rely on emergency food aid will suffer." Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain 28 years ago. There is an acute shortage of all essentials such as cash, fuel, medical drugs, electricity and food. President Robert Mugabe blames the crisis on the sanctions imposed on him and his cronies by the West for allegedly disregarding human rights. But Mugabe's critics attribute the crisis to his economic policies. As the economy has faltered for almost a decade now, a cholera epidemic is raging, fueled by the collapse of health, sanitation and water services in Zimbabwe. The epidemic has claimed more than 1,100 lives and infected more than 20,000 people since its outbreak in August. Health experts have warned that the water-borne disease could infect more than 60,000 unless its spread is halted. The political crisis rose to a boil in this year when the opposition party claimed that it won the presidential election, but Mugabe's government refused to recognize the result. Instead, the race was thrown to a runoff, which was boycotted by the opposition. Mugabe signed an agreement with the opposition in September to form a unity government, but a bitter dispute over the division of cabinet seats has prevented its formation. Inflation is so severe that the government was forced to print $10 billion currency notes last week, with each expected to buy just 20 loaves of bread. | [
"What is happening to the children in Zimbabwe?",
"How much has malnutrition cases raised?",
"What is the cause of the malnutrition?",
"How many people need food aid right now in Zimbabwea?",
"Who are wasting away?",
"What causes two- thirds of people in Zimbabwa to waste away?",
"Who was wasting away because of food shortage?",
"Which country is facing its worst economic crisis since 1980?",
"What humanitarian group warned about malnutrition?",
"What shortage is causing children to waste away?",
"What fraction of the Zimbabwe population requires food aid?",
"Who warns malnutrition is on the rise?",
"What did an aid group say some Zimbabwean children were doing?",
"When did the country get it's independence?",
"What happened in Zimbabwe in 1980?"
] | [
[
"malnutrition"
],
[
"risen by almost two-thirds in the past year,"
],
[
"political turmoil and economic"
],
[
"Five million Zimbabweans"
],
[
"Zimbabwe's children"
],
[
"severe food shortage,"
],
[
"Zimbabwe's children"
],
[
"Zimbabwe"
],
[
"Save the Children."
],
[
"food"
],
[
"Five million"
],
[
"Save the Children."
],
[
"\"wasting away\""
],
[
"28 years ago."
],
[
"independence from Great Britain"
]
] | Some Zimbabwean children "wasting away" amid food shortage, aid group says .
Severe malnutrition cases rise two-thirds in year, Save the Children warns .
Almost half of 12 million Zimbabweans need food aid now, report says .
Country facing worst economic, humanitarian crisis since independence in 1980 . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- With polls closed for a Zimbabwe runoff that opposition politicians and international observers call a sham, alleged torture victims who support former candidate Morgan Tsvangirai said Friday that they back his decision to pull out of the race. Many of the injured being treated at a private hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, asked not to be identified. "It's a good move by my president, Morgan Tsvangirai," said a 26-year-old Movement for Democratic Change activist who said he was forced to stand on hot coals and had boiling water poured on him about a week ago. "There's no use going for an election." The man, who displayed a large, pale, blistered patch on his back, asked not to be identified -- as did others being treated at a private hospital in Harare -- for fear of further attacks by gangs supportive of President Robert Mugabe. All of the victims said they were taken to "torture bases" by the gangs, made up of young men and soldiers. In the March 29 election, MDC officials said their polling showed Tsvangirai clearly defeating Mugabe, who at 84 is the only president Zimbabwe has had since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. But after delaying the release of results for more than a week, the country's electoral commission -- which is made up of Mugabe appointees -- said that although Tsvangirai got more votes, he didn't top the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. MDC supporters had already reported violence against them by police, military members and other supporters of Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. But in the weeks leading up to the runoff, the reports increased in frequency and intensity. More than 70 people were killed in attacks since the election, according to the MDC. Mugabe's supporters have claimed that those attacks were against his party members, a claim international observers, including the United Nations, have disputed. Watch victims say they were taken to torture camps » Tsvangirai and other party leaders were repeatedly arrested by police or detained on their way to political rallies. And reports of beatings and other intimidation tactics were common in areas where the MDC had made strong showings in the election. "Mostly for the rural people -- the police would come in for the Zanu-PF, so the area was very tense," said a municipal worker at the hospital, who said he was kicked and had burning plastic poured on his skin about three or four days ago. "Everyone was beaten. Whether Zanu-PF or MDC. There was chaos in the country." George Charamba, a spokesman for Mugabe, insisted that the vote was "free and fair." Charamba denied that any pressure was being used. Asked about images from Zimbabwe showing what is reported to be violence against members of the opposition, he responded, "I thought we are long past the age where we could consider pictures as not lying. It's very, very easy for anyone to stage-manage a demonstration, and a violent one at that." Last weekend, Tsvangirai withdrew from the runoff, saying there was no way the result would be legitimate. He has spent much of the time since living in the Dutch Embassy in Harare in fear for his safety. Early Friday, the municipal worker said he was considering whether to heed Tsvangirai's call for his supporters to not vote in the election, but the question may be moot. The gangs took his identification card and threw it into a fire, he said. Another man and a woman treated for broken hands at the hospital said they were tortured and had boiling water poured on their genitals for being MDC supporters. The man said he was forced to drink sewage. Meanwhile, Mugabe laughed and mugged for reporters from Zimbabwe's state-run media as he cast his ballot at a high school. "Very optimistic, upbeat ... and hungry," he said when asked how he was feeling. | [
"Who's supporters back his withdrawal?",
"Where did the reporters find him?",
"Where were some taken?",
"What does Mugabe do?",
"What are they being treated for?",
"What are a man and woman being treated for?",
"Where were people taken?",
"Morgan Tsvangirai's supporters back his withdrawal from runoff",
"What does Morgan Tsvanirai do?",
"Where are the man and woman being treated?"
] | [
[
"Morgan Tsvangirai"
],
[
"Dutch Embassy in Harare"
],
[
"\"torture bases\""
],
[
"President"
],
[
"large, pale, blistered patch on his back,"
],
[
"torture"
],
[
"\"torture bases\""
],
[
"decision to pull out of the race."
],
[
"pull out of the race."
],
[
"a private hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe,"
]
] | Morgan Tsvangirai's supporters back his withdrawal from runoff .
Some say they were taken to "torture bases" by supporters of Mugabe .
A man and a woman being treated for broken hands said they were tortured .
Mugabe laughed and mugged for reporters as he cast his ballot at a high school . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe described the U.S. government and Western nations as "quite stupid and foolish" Tuesday for trying to be involved in the African country's affairs.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has ignored international calls for him to step down.
Mugabe made the comments at the funeral for a former senior soldier, just days after a top U.S. diplomat said the United States no longer supports a power-sharing deal between Mugabe and his political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, that might pave the way for economic, health and other reforms.
Jendayi Frazer, U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said Sunday that the U.S. felt a viable unity government was not possible with Mugabe in power.
At the funeral, Mugabe reacted: "The inclusive government ... does not include Mr. Bush and his administration. It does not even know him. It has no relationship with him. Watch U.S. say Mugabe needs to go »
"So let him keep his comments to himself. They are undeserved, irrelevant and quite stupid and foolish. Who are they to decide who should be included or should not in an inclusive government?"
Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who leads the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, signed the unity deal September 15, but Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and the MDC have failed to implement it because they cannot agree on who should control key ministries.
Under the power-sharing proposal brokered by former South African leader Thabo Mbeki, Mugabe would remain president while Tsvangirai would become prime minister. Watch what options the international community has in Zimbabwe »
U.S. President George W. Bush and other leaders have urged Mugabe to step down amid a cholera epidemic that the United Nations says has killed more than 1,000 people since August.
Mugabe blames Western sanctions for Zimbabwe's worst economic and humanitarian crisis since independence from Great Britain 28 years ago. The nation is facing acute shortages of fuel, electricity and medical drugs. The inflation rate -- the highest in the world -- is 231 million percent.
Mugabe, referring to Bush's call for him to leave office, said: "We realize that these are [the] last kicks of a dying horse. We obviously [are] not going to pay attention to a sunset administration. Zimbabwe's fate lies in the fate of Zimbabweans. They are the ones who make and unmake the leaders of the country. Their decision alone is what we go by."
Bush leaves office January 20.
Tsvangirai announced Friday that his party will withdraw from efforts to form a unity government unless 42 kidnapped party members are released or brought to court to face formal charges by New Year's Day. | [
"who has resisted international calls?",
"What happened to the power share deal?",
"What did Robert Mugabe say?",
"what does mugabe describe the US as?",
"What does Zimbabwe face?"
] | [
[
"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe"
],
[
"failed"
],
[
"\"quite stupid and foolish\""
],
[
"\"quite stupid and foolish\""
],
[
"worst economic and humanitarian crisis since independence from Great Britain 28 years ago."
]
] | President Robert Mugabe describes U.S. and West as "stupid and foolish"
Power-share deal is stalled because of dispute over control of ministries .
Zimbabwe faces cholera epidemic, economic crisis .
Mugabe has resisted international calls for him to step down . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe described the U.S. government and Western nations as "quite stupid and foolish" Tuesday for trying to be involved in the African country's affairs. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has ignored international calls for him to step down. Mugabe made the comments at the funeral for a former senior soldier, just days after a top U.S. diplomat said the United States no longer supports a power-sharing deal between Mugabe and his political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, that might pave the way for economic, health and other reforms. Jendayi Frazer, U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said Sunday that the U.S. felt a viable unity government was not possible with Mugabe in power. At the funeral, Mugabe reacted: "The inclusive government ... does not include Mr. Bush and his administration. It does not even know him. It has no relationship with him. Watch U.S. say Mugabe needs to go » "So let him keep his comments to himself. They are undeserved, irrelevant and quite stupid and foolish. Who are they to decide who should be included or should not in an inclusive government?" Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who leads the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, signed the unity deal September 15, but Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and the MDC have failed to implement it because they cannot agree on who should control key ministries. Under the power-sharing proposal brokered by former South African leader Thabo Mbeki, Mugabe would remain president while Tsvangirai would become prime minister. Watch what options the international community has in Zimbabwe » U.S. President George W. Bush and other leaders have urged Mugabe to step down amid a cholera epidemic that the United Nations says has killed more than 1,000 people since August. Mugabe blames Western sanctions for Zimbabwe's worst economic and humanitarian crisis since independence from Great Britain 28 years ago. The nation is facing acute shortages of fuel, electricity and medical drugs. The inflation rate -- the highest in the world -- is 231 million percent. Mugabe, referring to Bush's call for him to leave office, said: "We realize that these are [the] last kicks of a dying horse. We obviously [are] not going to pay attention to a sunset administration. Zimbabwe's fate lies in the fate of Zimbabweans. They are the ones who make and unmake the leaders of the country. Their decision alone is what we go by." Bush leaves office January 20. Tsvangirai announced Friday that his party will withdraw from efforts to form a unity government unless 42 kidnapped party members are released or brought to court to face formal charges by New Year's Day. | [
"In what way did Mugabe talk about the US?",
"Who described U.S. and West as stupid and foolish?",
"What does Zimbabwe face?",
"What sorts of issues are they dealing with?",
"Who has resisted international calls for him to step down?",
"What has Mugabe done?",
"What is stalled?"
] | [
[
"\"quite stupid and foolish\""
],
[
"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe"
],
[
"The nation is facing acute shortages of fuel, electricity and medical drugs."
],
[
"The nation is facing acute shortages of fuel, electricity and medical drugs. The inflation rate"
],
[
"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe"
],
[
"ignored international calls for him to step down."
],
[
"government"
]
] | President Robert Mugabe describes U.S. and West as "stupid and foolish"
Power-share deal is stalled because of dispute over control of ministries .
Zimbabwe faces cholera epidemic, economic crisis .
Mugabe has resisted international calls for him to step down . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe published a draft constitutional amendment in the government gazette Saturday, paving the way for the power-sharing agreement reached after violence disrupted this year's presidential election. President Robert Mugabe, left, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed the deal in July. Constitutional Amendment 19 details the posts and institutions that were created by the power-sharing deal, including the position of prime minister intended for Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change. The publication of the draft is the first step in creating a law in Zimbabwe. For the law to pass, it must be appear before parliament in 30 days, according to the country's constitution. If it is approved, it will be sent to Mugabe for his signature. The deal arose after Tsvangirai withdrew from a June 27 runoff days before the vote, saying Mugabe's supporters had waged a campaign of violence and intimidation against opposition supporters. The two leaders signed the initial agreement, brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, in July but have failed to agree on how to form a cabinet. The MDC, the main opposition party, noted that Mugabe's latest move does not legalize the amendment. "Gazetting the bill -- which was done by [Mugabe's party] Zanu-PF -- does not automatically translate into passing it into law," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. "That can only take place if outstanding issues have been addressed. Otherwise we will not support the bill." The two parties agreed last month to the draft amendment during talks in South Africa, but Chamisa warned then that problems remained. "We have differed with Zanu-PF for a long time while the citizens suffer, but fortunately we have agreed on something. I need to hasten to mention that we still have some outstanding issues, such as the cabinet, appointment of diplomats," he said in late November. Zanu-PF lost its majority in the parliament in the March elections. As no party has the two-thirds majority to pass the law, its passage relies on MDC support. If parliament does not approve the amendment, Mugabe may call for new elections, Zimbabwe Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told state-run daily newspaper The Herald. "I envisage that it will require two weeks for it to be debated and passed through both Houses. If no support is forthcoming, it means that Amendment Number 19 Bill will be dead matter," Chinamasa is quoted as saying The Herald. "In the event that the collaboration that we envisage is not forthcoming, then that will necessitate fresh harmonized elections at some point in time," he said, according to The Herald. Tsvangirai won the most votes in the March election, but not enough to avoid a runoff, according to the government's official count. South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, chairman of the Southern African Development Community, welcomed the draft. "The gazetting of Amendment 19 of the Zimbabwean Constitution is indeed a major step towards the formation of an inclusive government in Zimbabwe," he said in a written statement. "We urge the Zimbabwean political parties to establish an inclusive government." Meanwhile, the country is battling a cholera outbreak that has killed nearly 800 people since August, according to the World Health Organization. More than 16,000 people have been infected, WHO said. This week, Mugabe declared that "there is no cholera in the country." His spokesman later said Mugabe was sarcastically ridiculing what he believes are Western designs to invade the country. Another Zimbabwean official, Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, said Friday that the disease was a "calculated, racist attack on Zimbabwe by the unrepentant former colonial power, which has enlisted support from its American and Western allies so that they can invade the country." Britain ruled the country as a colony until 1965. Ndlovu's claims triggered quick and pointed reaction from Britain and the United States. In Washington, State Department spokesman Rob McInturff called Ndlovu's accusations "patently ridiculous." | [
"What does the amendment pave the way for?",
"what must parliament approve",
"Who has to approve the amendment before Mugabe can sign it?",
"who signed a deal",
"Who must approve the amendment?",
"what paved the way",
"Who signed the deal?",
"Who is the president?"
] | [
[
"the power-sharing agreement reached after violence disrupted this year's presidential election."
],
[
"Constitutional Amendment"
],
[
"parliament"
],
[
"President Robert Mugabe,"
],
[
"parliament"
],
[
"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe published a draft constitutional amendment"
],
[
"President Robert Mugabe, left, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai"
],
[
"Robert Mugabe"
]
] | Amendment paves way for power-sharing deal after violence disturbed election .
President Robert Mugabe, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed deal in July .
Amendment describes prime minister post intended for opposition leader Tsvangirai .
Parliament must approve amendment before Mugabe can sign it into effect . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has warned that veterans he commanded in his country's liberation war will take up arms again to prevent the opposition party from taking power. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe says war veterans do not want the opposition in power. Mugabe -- Zimbabwe's only leader since that struggle ended in 1980 -- faces a June 27 runoff with Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Mugabe told supporters that Tsvangirai would turn the country back over to white control if he won the runoff. The veterans he led in a successful effort against a government dominated by the white minority were not prepared to recognize a Tsvangirai victory, Mugabe said. "They said they got this country through the barrel of gun, so they cannot let it go by a ballot," Mugabe said Thursday at a campaign rally in Murehwa. Tsvangirai was arrested twice Thursday. He was released Friday, but police impounded his two campaign buses. In the general election on March 29, the opposition won a plurality in parliament. Weeks after the election, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced that Tsvangirai won a plurality against Mugabe but that he failed to get the needed majority, making a runoff necessary. Human Rights Watch issued a report this week declaring the presidential election to be dead on arrival because of violence and intimidation by Mugabe's followers -- including war veterans - against opposition supporters. Mugabe, at a rally in Chikomba District -- about 120 miles (200 km) south of Harare -- seemed to support that conclusion. Learn more about Zimbabwe » "These areas, where the party lost on March 29, need to be cleansed and I am confident this would be done on June 27 when we go to the polls." Mugabe said the MDC was a party "for whites and not blacks." He also said the party was created and funded by the British. "You saw the whites after the March elections running around thinking that they would repossess the farms," Mugabe said. "They thought they had won." He said the opposition would not be allowed to "give it back to whites." "Guard your country jealously," Mugabe told supporters. Meanwhile, Zimbabwean authorities put more pressure on opposition figures Thursday, seizing a top leader and accusing him of treason. Police and the MDC confirmed Tendai Biti's arrest and the charges he will face. Biti, secretary general of the MDC, was arrested when he arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe, from South Africa. Zimbabwe's national police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena told CNN that Biti would be charged with treason and the communication of false information. The treason charge relates to a document published by the MDC before the March 29 vote which, the state alleges, contains subversive statements authored by Biti. | [
"what did the president say",
"Who is the MDC leader?",
"What change will war veterans fight to prevent?",
"Morgan Tsvangirai was detained how many times?",
"what happened to the party",
"What's the name of the opposition party?",
"What does MDC mean?"
] | [
[
"war veterans do not want the opposition in power."
],
[
"Morgan Tsvangirai"
],
[
"opposition party from taking power."
],
[
"arrested twice"
],
[
"lost on March"
],
[
"Movement for Democratic Change"
],
[
"Movement for Democratic Change"
]
] | President Robert Mugabe says war veterans will fight to prevent change .
Opposition party's No. 2 facing treason charge after return to country .
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained twice Thursday . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's central bank introduced a $10 billion note worth less than 20 U.S. dollars, as the once-prosperous southern African nation battles against spiraling hyperinflation.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at Zanu-PF National Political Commissar Elliot Manyika's burial last week
The new note, expected to buy just 20 loaves of bread, comes just a week after Zimbabwe issued a $500 million note to ease a cash shortage.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said the $10 billion note was being introduced for the "convenience of the public ahead of the festive season."
On Thursday, the U.S. dollar traded for about 600 million Zimbabwe dollars, and the hyperinflation was expected to continue.
People slept overnight at the bank doors, hoping to get money for the next day.
President Robert Mugabe apologized to his ZANU-PF party supporters Thursday for the problems Zimbabweans were facing but insisted his nation has turned a corner in its fight against its worst humanitarian crisis, the state-owned Herald newspaper reported.
Shortages of most essentials such as electricity, fuel, medicine and food have become a common feature in Zimbabwe, forcing people to flee the country.
Zimbabwe has slashed zeros from the amount of its worthless currency during the past two years -- the latest being 10 zeros in August.
Once one of Africa's most promising economies, Zimbabwe is reeling under its worst humanitarian and economic crisis. A cholera outbreak has killed more than 1,000 Zimbabweans since August, forcing hundreds to cross the border into South Africa and Botswana to seek treatment.
Five million people are in need of food aid in a nation that once exported food to its neighbors, the United Nations says.
But Mugabe -- blamed for the crisis by his critics -- said the worst was over.
He said he was optimistic about resuscitating the power-sharing deal he signed with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in September, the Herald reported.
"We will be inviting the two leaders -- Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur Mutambara -- to come and discuss the way forward," Mugabe said.
The deal has yet to take effect, as Tsvangirai blamed Mugabe for grabbing all key ministries such as home affairs, local government, finance, home affairs, information and defense.
Mugabe said Western nations and neighboring Botswana were against the formation of an inclusive government in Zimbabwe.
"I was reading recent utterances by Condoleezza Rice that African leaders are not prepared to topple President Mugabe and bring about regime change," he said. "She condemned this inability on the part of African leaders. How could African leaders ever topple Robert Mugabe, organize an army to come? It is not easy. I do not know of any African country that is brave enough to do that.
"Botswana is making some stupid noises. They are just hollow noises to assure the MDC that the Botswana government supports it and also in response to Britain and America that Botswana is a good mouthpiece of the white men." The MDC is Tsvangirai's opposition party -- Movement for Democratic Change.
On cholera, Mugabe said the country was failing to import adequate water treating chemicals because of the sanctions imposed by the west. | [
"What new note was issued?",
"How many people need aid?",
"What was it issued ahead of?",
"What is there a new note for?",
"where are the The new $10 billion?",
"what needs Five million people?"
] | [
[
"$10 billion"
],
[
"Five million"
],
[
"the festive season.\""
],
[
"$10 billion"
],
[
"Zimbabwe's central bank"
],
[
"of food aid in a nation that once exported food to its neighbors, the United Nations says."
]
] | The new $10 billion notes comes a week after a $500 million note was issued .
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor: New note issued ahead of "festive season"
The country slashed 10 zeros from the amount of its worthless currency in August .
Five million people are in need of food aid, the United Nations says . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared in the past three months and is now at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world, according to the country's Central Statistical Office. Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared to a world high. Official figures dated Monday show inflation has surged from the rate of 2.2 million percent recorded in May, despite the government's price controls. The country's finance minister confirmed the new figure in an interview but said the rising inflation rate was not confined to Zimbabwe alone. "While our case has been aggravated by the illegal sanctions imposed by the Western powers, rising food prices are a world phenomenon because of the use of bio-fuel," said Samuel Mumbengegwi. "But we will continue to fight inflation by making sure that prices charged are realistic." In February, the price of a loaf of bread in the country was less than 200,000 Zimbabwe dollars. On Monday, that same loaf of bread cost 1.6 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. Analysts have said the Zimbabwean government's official inflation rate figures are conservative. Last week, one of Zimbabwe's leading banks, Kingdom Bank, said the country's inflation rate was now more than 20 million percent. The locally-owned bank predicted tougher times ahead for Zimbabwe in the absence of donor support and foreign investment in an economy that has been in freefall for almost a decade. Once considered the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe has been in the throes of an economic meltdown ever since the country embarked on a chaotic land reform program that has decimated commercial agriculture. Analysts say the crisis has worsened following President Robert Mugabe's disputed reelection in the June 27 presidential run-off. His challenger Morgan Tsvangirai boycotted the race over widespread allegations of violence and voter intimidation. The economic crisis has destroyed Zimbabwe's currency and made it difficult for Zimbabweans to buy basic commodities, electricity, fuel, and medicines. Many Zimbabweans have left the country amid rising unemployment and deepening poverty. Last week a summit in South Africa of regional African leaders failed to persuade Zimbabwe's political parties to agree to form a government of national unity, which observers view as the best way to end Zimbabwe's record recession. | [
"what is the cost of loaf of bread?",
"What is the price of a loaf of bread?",
"What do the Zimbabwe officials blame?",
"What is the cost of a loaf of bread in Zimbabwe?",
"What is happening to Zimbabwe's inflation rate?",
"What is Zimbabwe's inflation rate?",
"What do officials blame for this?",
"To what rate did Zimbabwe inflation grow?",
"What is the price of a load of bread?",
"To what percent does the inflation rate soar?"
] | [
[
"Zimbabwe dollars."
],
[
"Zimbabwe dollars."
],
[
"chaotic land reform program"
],
[
"1.6 trillion"
],
[
"soared in the past three months"
],
[
"11.2 million percent,"
],
[
"rising food prices are a world phenomenon because of the use of bio-fuel,\""
],
[
"11.2 million percent,"
],
[
"200,000 Zimbabwe dollars."
],
[
"11.2 million"
]
] | Zimbabwe's inflation rate soars to 11.2 million percent .
A loaf of bread costs 1.6 trillion Zimbabwe dollars .
Official rate is world's highest but some analysts fear it may be more .
Zimbabwe officials blame international sanctions and rising global food prices . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's opposition leader called the cholera outbreak in his country a "man-made crisis," as new figures released Thursday showed the death toll had soared to more than 2,700.
Morgan Tsvangirai tours a cholera ward at Budiriro Polyclinic in Harare Thursday.
Some 2,755 have died and 48,623 people are suspected to have been infected with cholera since last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Opposition party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, speaking to reporters, pointed a finger at the Mugabe government. "Cholera in Zimbabwe is a man-made crisis. The problem we have here is coupled with (the) fact of negligence on the part of government to provide the necessary facilities. It shows the collapse of the health delivery system," said Tsvangirai.
The Movement for Democratic Change leader's comments came after he toured some of the worst affected areas in the country's capital, Harare.
Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic, which started in August, has been aggravated by erratic water supplies, shortages of water purification chemicals, broken water and sewer pipes and uncollected garbage.
Cholera is an intestinal disease cause by bacteria in contaminated water.
The epidemic was followed a month later by a strike by doctors and nurses demanding a review of their salaries. They are demanding that archaic hospital equipment be replaced and that medicines be available in hospitals. The health emergency comes at a time when Zimbabwe is mired in the worst economic crisis it has faced since it gained independence from Great Britain in 1980.
Last week, the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) gave $5 million to Zimbabwe's ailing health sector to help end the industrial action by health personnel.
As Tsvangirai was visiting the cholera affected areas, some residents could be seen getting water from the wells and rivers. Most suburbs in Harare have had no water for close to two weeks, forcing residents to depend on shallow pits and rivers for drinking water.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority was quoted by the state-owned media Saturday attributing the dryness to a water pump which had broken-down. The areas particularly affected include the townships of Glen Norah, Glen View and Budiriro.
"I am here with my kids for the last two days," said Ennie Musararei, a mother of three at Budiriro clinic. "It (cholera) just started after we drank water from a well. We thought it was safe to drink since it was covered by a metal sheet."
President Robert Mugabe's government have now declared cholera a national emergency, so that international organizations such as UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross can gain access. But death toll has continued to increase daily.
"This week alone has witnessed a sudden increase of patients," said a nurse at Budiriro clinic. "I think it is mainly because of the rains and dryness of the suburbs over the past week or so."
Earlier this month, Zimbabwe's health minister, David Parirenyatwa, said the death toll was likely to increase as the country is in its rainy season.
The meteorological office in Zimbabwe has predicted floods in some parts of the country. | [
"What did Mugabe's government declare?",
"What have the government declared?",
"where World Health Organization: 2,755 cholera deaths?",
"Where were the cholera deaths?",
"How many deaths from cholera were reported in Zimbabwe last year?",
"what Mugabe's government have now declared cholera?"
] | [
[
"cholera a national emergency,"
],
[
"cholera a national emergency,"
],
[
"Zimbabwe"
],
[
"Zimbabwe"
],
[
"more than 2,700."
],
[
"a national emergency,"
]
] | World Health Organization: 2,755 cholera deaths in Zimbabwe since last year .
Tsvangirai: Govt. negligence resulted in failure to provide necessary facilities .
Epidemic aggravated by erratic water supplies, broken water and sewer pipes .
Mugabe's government have now declared cholera a national emergency . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's opposition party said four of its activists and the wife of Harare's mayor -- an opposition member -- have been killed by supporters of President Robert Mugabe, just days ahead of next week's presidential runoff. President Robert Mugabe says war veterans will take up arms again if Tsvangirai wins. Thursday's report came as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Mugabe of sponsoring efforts to starve, beat and kill supporters of his opponent Morgan Tzvangirai so he can win the election. Rice was speaking on the same day that Tendai Biti, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change's secretary-general, was charged with treason after being held in jail without charges for a week. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. His arrest and treason charges have been criticized by African and international leaders who characterize it as a ploy by Mugabe supporters to intimidate the opposition party before his June 27 runoff against Tsvangirai. A spokesman for the MDC blamed Mugabe's Zanu-PF party for the five most recent deaths, saying they brought to 70 the number of MDC party members killed since a bitterly contested election three months ago. The body of the mayor's wife, 27-year-old Abigail Chiroto, was found in a mortuary close to the couple's house north of Harare. She had been beaten so severely with rocks and iron bars that her face was almost unrecognizable, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. Watch CNN's Nkepile Mabuse report on the violience » Chiroto was kidnapped, along with her 4-year-old son, on Tuesday. Some of her kidnappers wore military uniforms, Chamisa said. Chiroto's son was released unharmed. Her husband, Emmanuel Chiroto, is an MDC member who was recently elected mayor of Harare. He was not home at the time of the kidnapping. Also Thursday, the MDC said that four other activists were found dead in Chitungwiza. The victims' bodies showed evidence that "they were heavily tortured until they died," an MDC statement said. "It's unbelievable the way people are being killed or murdered," Chiroto said. "It's almost mass butchering." Police confirmed the deaths of the activists but did not link the victims to any political party. Mugabe's party denied any part in the deaths, saying MDC officials made such accusations frequently. "They are claiming anyone who dies. They phone CNN," said Bright Matonga, a Zanu-PF spokesman. "Whenever someone dies in the hospital, they rush to claim them." Matonga said Harare was run by a commission. "There is no MDC mayor in Zimbabwe," he said. "There is no newly elected mayor in Harare." Learn more about Zimbabwe » In New York, Rice convened a meeting about the situation in Zimbabwe at the United Nations on Thursday. "Mugabe is increasing violence against [the] opposition. ... President Mugabe has squandered the promise of the very nation that was hailed as the jewel of Africa," Rice said at a roundtable discussion attended by representatives from many international governments. "Clearly we have reached a point where broader, stronger, international effort is needed," she added. On Friday, a magistrate judge will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed with a trial against Biti. The judge also will determine whether Biti will be granted bail or will continue to be jailed until the trial. Biti was charged Thursday with treason, communicating false information prejudicial to the state, bringing the office of the president into disrepute and causing disaffection among armed forces, according to a journalist who was in the Harare courtroom. He denies all the charges. Watch Biti arrive for his court hearing » Biti, wearing a red jacket and looking exhausted, held his head in his hands as the proceedings took place in the packed courtroom. "I think that one must express very serious objection to the manner in which this whole case is being handled," said Tsvangirai, who was in court. "The accusations are frivolous." Three of the charges stem from a | [
"what government strongly denies?",
"What does the government strongly deny?"
] | [
[
"all the charges."
],
[
"any part in the deaths,"
]
] | Harare mayor's wife found bludgeoned to death, opposition says .
Mayoress one of five people found murdered Thursday, according to MDC .
Government strongly denies any involvement in latest deaths .
U.S. says President Mugabe sponsors efforts to kill opposition supporters . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's troubled central bank introduced $100 billion banknotes Saturday in a desperate bid to ease the recurrent cash shortages plaguing the inflation-ravaged economy. A shopper displays a $500 million Zimbabwean bank note. The bills officially come into circulation Monday, although they were on the foreign currency dealers market Saturday. As high as they are, though, the bills still aren't enough to buy a loaf of bread. They can buy only four oranges. The new note is equal to just one U.S. dollar. Once-prosperous Zimbabwe has seen an unprecedented economic meltdown since it gained independence in 1980, with the official inflation rate now at 2.2 million percent. Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said the new notes are for "the convenience of the banking public and corporate sector" in light of price hikes. "The RBZ has noted with concern the unjustifiable and incessant general increases in prices of goods and services. It is therefore appealing to the business community to follow ethical business practices as well as take an interest in the plight of the general public," Gono said in a statement dated Friday. Zimbabwe started issuing large bank notes in December, starting with denominations of $250,000. In January, the government issued bills in denominations of $1 million, $5 million, and $10 million -- and in May, it issued bills from $25 million and $50 million up to $25 billion and $50 billion. The new bills are actually bearer checks and have an expiration date of December 31. Zimbabwe has not had formal currency since the introduction of bearer checks as a temporary measure in 2003. "The RBZ is fighting a losing battle," economist John Robertson said in Harare. "As long as the inflation remains high, cash shortages will persist. There is need to address the inflation by increasing production so that too goods do not [cost] a lot of money." | [
"When do new bills officially come into circulation?",
"what comes into circulation on monday",
"what can bills only buy?",
"What is not enough to by a loaf of bread?",
"what gideon gono says?",
"what can the bills buy",
"what is the new note equal to",
"Can bills buy a loaf of bread?",
"What is equal to one U.S. dollar?",
"when new bills officially come into circulation?",
"When is the new bills officially come into circulation?",
"Is a one U.S. dollar the value for each new note?"
] | [
[
"Monday,"
],
[
"$100 billion banknotes"
],
[
"four oranges."
],
[
"the bills"
],
[
"the new notes are for \"the convenience of the banking public and corporate sector\" in light of price hikes."
],
[
"four oranges."
],
[
"one U.S. dollar."
],
[
"the bills still aren't enough to buy a loaf of bread."
],
[
"The new note"
],
[
"Monday,"
],
[
"Monday,"
],
[
"The new note is equal to just one U.S. dollar."
]
] | New bills officially come into circulation Monday .
Bills aren't enough to buy a loaf of bread. They can only buy four oranges .
Gideon Gono: Notes for "convenience of the banking public and corporate sector"
The new note is equal to just one U.S. dollar . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwean lawmakers on Monday narrowly voted for Lovemore Moyo as speaker of the parliament -- making him the first opposition lawmaker to hold the position in the country's history. Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC faction has a slim majority following parliamentary elections. "This is historic as it ceases to be a rubber-stamping house," Moyo said after winning the position. "It will ensure that progressive laws are passed. I promise to be professional." Moyo -- the national chairman of the main Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party -- received 110 votes while his only opponent, Paul Themba-Nyathi, received 98 votes. The speaker of the parliament is the fourth most powerful post in Zimbabwe. Themba-Nyathi represented the splinter MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara, but he had support of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. The vote took place hours after Mugabe swore in lawmakers, five months after they were elected. Two members of the main MDC -- led by presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai -- were arrested as they arrived at the opening session, but they were released after a short time, according to a government spokesman. An MDC official said the arrests were part of the "sinister agenda of this regime" to "tilt the balance of numbers in their favour during the voting for the speaker of parliament." One of those detained -- Shuwa Mudiwa -- appeared back in parliament, but the other member -- Elia Jembere -- was not seen, according to sources. Government spokesman Bright Matonga said Jembere had been accused of rape, but that he has been released from custody. A third member -- Elton Mangoma -- escaped an arrest attempt when other party members came to his rescue, MDC officials said. Attendance at the session of parliament is important since the membership is closely divided between the MDC and the Mugabe's ZANU-PF. The ruling ZANU-PF party lost its majority in the 210-seat parliament in elections in March, but vote recounts and political violence have delayed the body from convening until now. Final results gave 100 seats to an MDC faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai, the party's presidential candidate. President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF got 99 seats. An offshoot of the main MDC party, led by Arthur Mutambara, won 10 seats. An independent candidate won one seat. Tsvangirai, who was locked in a bitter presidential contest with Mugabe, had objected to Mugabe's decision to convene parliament, saying it could "decapitate" power-sharing talks that have been on hold for the past two weeks. Still, Tsvangirai said he would attend the swearing-in ceremony. MDC party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said all MDC members elected to parliament were expected to attend "except those few MPs who are still in hiding." CNN's Nkepile Mabuse in Johannesburg, South Africa contributed to this report. | [
"Who were arrested?",
"Who lost the party majority?",
"Who was Moyo's opponent?",
"Who won the election>",
"Who represented the splinter?",
"What party lost the majority?",
"Who received 110 votes?"
] | [
[
"Two members of the main"
],
[
"ruling ZANU-PF"
],
[
"Paul Themba-Nyathi,"
],
[
"Lovemore Moyo"
],
[
"Themba-Nyathi"
],
[
"ZANU-PF"
],
[
"Moyo"
]
] | Moyo received 110 votes, opponent Paul Themba-Nyathi received 98 votes .
Themba-Nyathi represented the splinter MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara .
MDC's Shuwa Mudiwa and Elia Jembere arrested outside parliament building .
Ruling ZANU-PF party lost majority in 210-seat parliament in March elections . |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai returned to Zimbabwe Saturday for the first time since leaving the country shortly after the controversial March 29 election. Morgan Tsvangirai has been away from Zimbabwe trying to seek support from international leaders. Tsvangirai -- who contends he won the presidential race against longtime Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe -- returned despite what his party said was a plot by the country's military to assassinate him and other party leaders. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, after a long delay, ruled that neither candidate won a necessary majority of the vote and set a date of June 27 for Tsvangirai to again face Mugabe in a runoff vote. Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have called for international observers to be allowed to monitor the runoff election, but Mugabe's government has refused the demand. Tsvangirai is expected to tour hospitals in Harare to visit victims of post-election violence. An MDC spokesman said two party members were found dead Wednesday night after being abducted from their homes in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare. Tsvangirai's spokesman George Sibotshiwe said Saturday that the opposition leader and the entire MDC leadership are "at risk from this brutal regime." When contacted by CNN, a Cabinet member denied that the government had any possible role in the alleged plot, and said the report was an effort by the MDC to gain international sympathy. Chen Chimutengwende, Zimbabwe's minister of public and interactive affairs, accused Tsvangirai of "trying to paint a false picture of what Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe authorities are like." "There is no plot against him and there has never been any plot against him and he knows that," Chimutengwende said. He called the reports from Tsvangirai's party "an effort to get sympathy from the international community." There have been numerous reports from the MDC and church groups since the March balloting about kidnappings, torture, and other violence, including the deaths of opposition party members. They say the violence targets opponents of Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party. Mugabe has ruled the southern African country since it became independent 28 years ago. | [
"When will the \"runoff election against President Robert Mugabe\" occur?",
"Who returned to ZImbabwe?",
"who is the current president of Zimbabwe?"
] | [
[
"June 27"
],
[
"Morgan Tsvangirai"
],
[
"Robert Mugabe"
]
] | Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai returns to Zimbabwe .
Tsvangirai says he feels safe despite fears of a possible assassination bid .
Tsvangirai faces a runoff election against President Robert Mugabe June 27 . |
HARYANA, India (CNN) -- In a nation of more than a billion people and millions of unresolved court cases, how do you take care of the backlog? Long distances over questionable roads stop many Indians from making it into courtrooms. Solution: You take the courts to the people. A bell rings. A bailiff yells out the name of the accused. It's another day in the mobile courtroom of Judge Sandeep Singh. His courtroom is a desk plopped down in the middle of a dusty schoolyard in the northern Indian village of Haryana. "It works like any other regular court," Singh said. "The only difference is that instead of people going to the court, the court comes to the village." The mobile court is bused into rural areas to hear both criminal and civil complaints as part of an effort to dig the nation's court system out from under an enormous backlog of cases. With an estimated 300 million unresolved cases languishing in Indian courts, one consultant believes, it could take more than 300 years to clear the docket at the current pace. There's one main reason for the backlog: inconvenience. People often have to travel long distances over questionable roads, using slow modes of transportation. "The witnesses -- definitely, they don't show up -- and even the parties -- they don't show up -- and they send their advocate," Singh said. "But here, people are closer by, so definitely it makes a difference." With distance no longer a problem, more villagers and their attorneys are coming to hearings. Compared to the traditional legal system, the mobile court claims to be both fast and efficient. Singh said he has been able to clear 1,100 cases in just six months time compared to 500 under the traditional court system. E-mail to a friend | [
"Which country has 300m unresolved cases?",
"What do Indian judges bus to rural villages?",
"Whereto do the judges bus mobile courts?",
"Where did Indian judges bus mobile courts?",
"Where are mobile courts going?",
"What number of unresolved court cases does India have approximately?",
"What makes mobile courts make more convenient?",
"Which judges bus mobile courts to rural villages?",
"What does India have 300 million of?",
"What do judges say makes justice more convenient?",
"What is the estimated number of unresolved court cases in India?",
"What is more convenient?"
] | [
[
"India"
],
[
"mobile courtroom of"
],
[
"rural areas"
],
[
"rural areas"
],
[
"rural areas"
],
[
"estimated 300 million"
],
[
"comes to the village.\""
],
[
"Sandeep Singh."
],
[
"unresolved cases"
],
[
"mobile courtroom"
],
[
"300 million"
],
[
"mobile court"
]
] | Indian judges bus mobile courts to rural villages to ease backlog .
Judges say the mobile courts make justice more convenient .
India has an estimated 300 million unresolved court cases . |
HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, New York (CNN) -- In 2002, Pam Koner was flipping through the The New York Times when a photograph stopped her in her tracks: an 8-year-old girl laying across her torn, barren mattress in Pembroke, Illinois, forking pasta and a boiled chicken bone into her mouth. The girl's image signified the deep-rooted poverty in her rural community. Pam Koner is combating hunger by connecting sponsor and recipient families. The picture moved Koner to tears and inspired her to take action. "When I read about a community so profoundly poor that women and children were not eating the last week of the month, I walked into my living room where my daughters were and said, 'We're going to do something as a family,' " recalls Koner, a 57-year-old single mother of two living in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. In the seven years since, Koner's determination to help families in Pembroke led to the creation of Family-to-Family, a nonprofit that connects more than 600 sponsor and recipient families in 13 communities nationwide. Do you know someone who should be a CNN Hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes. The project began with Koner contacting an outreach worker in Pembroke, who told her the town needed food more than anything else. Koner enlisted help from her neighbors and parents of children in her childcare business; the group began sending monthly boxes of food and basic household items to the neediest families in the Illinois town. "People were excited to be a part of something," says Koner of her donor community. "Something so little as shopping, packing and sending a box." Through monthly food donations, Koner's organization has provided nearly 800,000 meals to struggling families across the country. For privacy purposes, she says, the group makes sure donor and recipient communities are at a distance, such as an Atlanta, Georgia, chapter helping a community in Kentucky or a Florida family helping a Navajo family in New Mexico. In addition to providing basic essentials, families exchange letters, swap photographs and share stories about cultural traditions and family events. "There's a shared learning experience," says Koner. "When a sponsoring family reads about a Navajo family lifestyle -- barren landscape, a trailer home with no electricity and no running water -- children get a profound, firsthand look at differences. Knowing that each other exists changes the way we look at the world." Watch Koner describe how the communities connect with each other » The economic downturn has prompted Koner's group to broaden its outreach and sponsorship methods. Bedford-Stuyvesant, a community in Brooklyn, New York, of predominantly working-class African-Americans, is the group's only urban sponsored community. It is also one of the organization's cyber-adoption sites, where sponsor families participate through Paypal, an online money exchange tool. A food pantry buys and boxes up the food to give directly to the families. Koner also learned of families in her own Hastings-on-Hudson community in need of help. "I was quite surprised," Koner says. "Hastings is probably middle-class to upper-middle-class. It's not a showy community, but this was a community of families who were not in need of help before." Her community has eagerly embraced its neighbors in need, she says, but unlike traditional sponsored families at a distance, Hastings-sponsored families presented privacy concerns. "That there could be a child who was going to school with my child who I was helping ... we felt that was too personal and private. To respect the individual family in need [was] important for us since we live so close together," says Koner. To help maintain their anonymity, donations for the 11 sponsored families in Hastings are labeled by letters of the alphabet, so sponsor families have no identifiable information about who they're helping. Watch how kids in Koner's town are helping to feed far-away families » Despite economic challenges | [
"What does Koner's nonprofit do?",
"Where are nominations open?",
"How many meals does this nonprofit provide?",
"Where do they apply"
] | [
[
"combating hunger by connecting sponsor and recipient families."
],
[
"CNN.com/Heroes."
],
[
"800,000"
],
[
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] | Pam Koner's nonprofit connects sponsor and recipient families .
Family-to-Family has provided nearly 800,000 meals to those in need .
Families also connect on a social level, exchanging letters, photos, stories .
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- New Orleans, Louisiana, Mayor Ray Nagin arrived in Cuba late Friday on a mission to learn about how to deal with storms, a spokeswoman said. Mayor Ray Nagin watches President Obama speak in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday. "We understand we may have a lot to learn from the Cubans in terms of disaster preparedness and how they have dealt with hurricanes," spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett said. Cuba is internationally applauded for exceptional disaster management, according to a news release from Nagin's office. In the Cuban capital, Havana, Nagin plans to meet with several officials, including some from the Latin American Medical Centers for Disaster. He will also learn about preparations the Cuba Defense Committee makes in advance of disasters. Nagin's trip comes a day after President Obama held a town hall meeting in New Orleans, still reeling from the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "It has now been just over four years since that terrible storm struck your shores," the president said. "And [in] the days after it did, this nation and all the world bore witness to the fact that the damage from Katrina was not caused just by a disaster of nature but also by a breakdown of government, that government wasn't adequately prepared, and we didn't appropriately respond." Since Katrina, New Orleans has adjusted its disaster response with new evacuation plans. As Hurricane Gustav threatened the city last year, officials evacuated more than 18,000 residents, the release said. Three powerful hurricanes hit Cuba last year, damaging half a million homes and causing $10 billion in losses, according to the Cuban government. But only seven people died, thanks to a smooth evacuation plan. Some aspects of the communist nation's response, including mandatory evacuations, may not be possible in a democracy. Still, some Americans believe that they can learn from their Caribbean neighbor. The mayor of Galveston, Texas, another city hit hard by Gulf of Mexico hurricanes, visited Cuba this year. Nagin is the first New Orleans mayor to make an official visit to Cuba in 50 years. The State Department sanctioned Nagin's trip, Quiett said. He plans to return to New Orleans on Thursday. CNN's David Ariosto contributed to this report. | [
"Who is Ray Nagin meeting with.",
"What has the city done recently?",
"How many hurricanes hit Cuba last year?",
"who sanctioned visit?",
"What number hit Cuba last year?",
"Who meet Ray Nagin?",
"How many people died due to hurricanes?"
] | [
[
"several officials,"
],
[
"adjusted its disaster response with new evacuation plans."
],
[
"Three powerful"
],
[
"The State Department"
],
[
"Three powerful hurricanes"
],
[
"several officials,"
],
[
"seven"
]
] | Ray Nagin to meet with Cuban officials, learn about disaster plans .
State Department sanctioned visit, mayor's representative says .
New Orleans adjusted disaster plans after Hurricane Katrina .
Three hurricanes hit Cuba last year, but only seven people died . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- President Obama misinterpreted Cuban President Raúl Castro's offer to start talks with the United States, Castro's brother Fidel said Wednesday, appearing to dismiss the U.S. leader's call for Cuba to release political prisoners. Fidel Castro appears with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, left, and brother Raúl Castro in a photo released in June. In an essay published in state-run newspapers Wednesday, the ailing revolutionary leader said the people Washington calls political prisoners are "in the service of a foreign power that threatens and blockades our homeland." Fidel Castro's comments come after signs of a thaw in the decades-old impasse between the United States and the communist-ruled island to its south. Obama lifted all restrictions on visits and money transfers between American citizens and relatives in Cuba this month, while Raúl Castro said Cuba is prepared to talk with the United States about "everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners." Speaking at a conference of inter-American and Caribbean leaders Sunday, Obama said the Cuban leader's declaration was "a sign of progress." He added that the Cuban government could send a much clearer, more positive signal by releasing political prisoners or reducing fees charged on remittances Americans send to relatives in the country. But Fidel Castro wrote Wednesday, "There is no doubt that the president misinterpreted Raúl's statements." "When the president of Cuba said he was ready to discuss any topic with the U.S. president, he meant he was not afraid of addressing any issue," Castro wrote. "That shows his courage and confidence on the principles of the revolution." He said Cuba would be willing to release prisoners held since a 2003 crackdown on dissidents if the United States would release five Cubans convicted of spying in 2001. And he criticized Obama for not doing more to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba, imposed in 1962. "Should we wait for so many years before his blockade is lifted?" Castro asked. "He did not invent it, but he embraced it just as much as the previous 10 U.S. presidents did." Castro ceded power to his brother in 2006 before undergoing surgery for a still-undisclosed intestinal condition. But he remains head of the Communist Party, and his essay raises the question of who would be calling the shots in any talks with Washington. "Who's in charge?" one Havana man asked Wednesday. "Raul -- ah, Fidel -- ah, Raúl." But a woman who spoke to CNN said, "The president is Raúl. He's the one you have to listen to now." | [
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"who is raul castro?",
"who is fidel castro?",
"who responded to raul castro?",
"when did castro write the essay?",
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] | [
[
"release political prisoners."
],
[
"Fidel Castro"
],
[
"Cuban President"
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"President Obama"
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[
"Wednesday,"
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[
"Cuban President Raúl Castro's"
],
[
"prisoners"
],
[
"Cuban President Raúl Castro's"
]
] | Fidel Castro essay seems to dismiss U.S. leader's call for Cuba to free dissidents .
Raúl Castro has said Cuba is prepared to talk with U.S. about "everything"
President Obama responds by saying Cuba should send signal and free prisoners .
Fidel Castro also criticizes Obama for not doing more to lift U.S. embargo on Cuba . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- "Che" the movie met Che the myth in Cuba this weekend, and the lengthy biopic of the Argentinean revolutionary won acclaim from among those who know his story best.
Actor Benicio Del Toro stars in "Che," which details Che Guevara's role in the 1950s Cuban revolution.
The movie was screened Saturday in the Yara movie theater in central Havana as part of the 30th International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema.
"Che" also played Sunday at Havana's Karl Marx Theater.
"Che" stars Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in the title role, for which he won a best actor award at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
But it's one thing to make a movie about Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the Cuban revolution and show it in France, quite another to screen it in Cuba.
Speaking to CNN outside the Karl Marx Theater, the bilingual Puerto Rican actor admitted some anxiety.
"This is Cuban history, so there's an audience in there that probably, that could be the biggest critics and the most knowledgeable critics of the historical accuracy of the film," Del Toro said. Watch Del Toro talk about the movie in Cuba »
It appears he needn't have worried.
Audiences gave the movie hearty ovations. And Granma, the official mouthpiece of the Cuban government, gave Del Toro a glowing review.
"Del Toro personifies Che in a spectacular manner, not only his physical appearance but also his masterly interpretation," the state newspaper said.
After the showing, Del Toro characterized the public reaction as "sensational, a shot of adrenaline," Granma said. "The dream was to make this movie and to bring it here, where it all began."
The movie has two parts: "El argentino," which portrays Guevara's role in the 1950s Cuban revolution, and "Guerrilla," which shows Guevara's efforts in Africa and Bolivia, where he was killed in 1967. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh, who also directed Del Toro in the 2000 film "Traffic," for which Del Toro won an Oscar.
At 4 hours and 17 minutes, "Che" can test viewers' stamina. But that wasn't a problem in Havana.
It's a story Cubans know by heart. But this time, it's told by outsiders.
Catalina, a history professor who would give only her first name, was a tough critic.
"The movie is well-done. It has good intentions," she said. "But in my opinion, in the first part, the scenes in the jungle seemed a bit like a caricature."
Though some debated the details of this story they know so well, most -- like a young Guevara lookalike who identified himself only as Daniel -- were pleased.
"It has captured history to perfection," he said. "It has been well thought out and well-created."
Others, like student Susel Paraza, were torn about seeing their history told by others.
"What hurt me a little," she said, "is that it wasn't us, the Cubans, who thought to make a movie like this but instead a foreign director with foreign actors who have recreated this story very well."
Other foreign actors have played Guevara, most notably Egyptian-born Omar Sharif in a 1969 U.S. production titled "Che!"
Soderbergh's "Che" has been shown at six film festivals worldwide and will have a limited opening in the United States on December 12. It is scheduled for widespread U.S. distribution starting January 24.
Although many may not know Guevara's history, his image is recognized worldwide from a photograph taken by Alberto Korda at a Havana memorial service in March 1960.
Titled "Guerrillero Heroico" (Heroic Guerrilla), the image of a somber, long-haired and bearded Guevara wearing a beret with a lone star became what the Maryland Institute College of Art called "the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century | [
"Who gave him a glowing review?",
"who stars in Che",
"What role did Toro play?",
"who gave it a glowing review",
"What did the government give Toro?",
"What day does it open?",
"Who is in the title role?"
] | [
[
"Granma,"
],
[
"Benicio Del Toro"
],
[
"Che Guevara's"
],
[
"Granma, the official mouthpiece of the Cuban government,"
],
[
"a glowing review."
],
[
"December 12."
],
[
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]
] | "Che" stars Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in the title role .
The official mouthpiece of the Cuban government gives Del Toro a glowing review .
The movie played Sunday at Havana's Karl Marx Theater .
"Che" will have a limited opening in the United States on Friday . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- "Che" the movie met Che the myth in Cuba this weekend, and the lengthy biopic of the Argentinean revolutionary won acclaim from among those who know his story best. Actor Benicio Del Toro stars in "Che," which details Che Guevara's role in the 1950s Cuban revolution. The movie was screened Saturday in the Yara movie theater in central Havana as part of the 30th International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema. "Che" also played Sunday at Havana's Karl Marx Theater. "Che" stars Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in the title role, for which he won a best actor award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. But it's one thing to make a movie about Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the Cuban revolution and show it in France, quite another to screen it in Cuba. Speaking to CNN outside the Karl Marx Theater, the bilingual Puerto Rican actor admitted some anxiety. "This is Cuban history, so there's an audience in there that probably, that could be the biggest critics and the most knowledgeable critics of the historical accuracy of the film," Del Toro said. Watch Del Toro talk about the movie in Cuba » It appears he needn't have worried. Audiences gave the movie hearty ovations. And Granma, the official mouthpiece of the Cuban government, gave Del Toro a glowing review. "Del Toro personifies Che in a spectacular manner, not only his physical appearance but also his masterly interpretation," the state newspaper said. After the showing, Del Toro characterized the public reaction as "sensational, a shot of adrenaline," Granma said. "The dream was to make this movie and to bring it here, where it all began." The movie has two parts: "El argentino," which portrays Guevara's role in the 1950s Cuban revolution, and "Guerrilla," which shows Guevara's efforts in Africa and Bolivia, where he was killed in 1967. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh, who also directed Del Toro in the 2000 film "Traffic," for which Del Toro won an Oscar. At 4 hours and 17 minutes, "Che" can test viewers' stamina. But that wasn't a problem in Havana. It's a story Cubans know by heart. But this time, it's told by outsiders. Catalina, a history professor who would give only her first name, was a tough critic. "The movie is well-done. It has good intentions," she said. "But in my opinion, in the first part, the scenes in the jungle seemed a bit like a caricature." Though some debated the details of this story they know so well, most -- like a young Guevara lookalike who identified himself only as Daniel -- were pleased. "It has captured history to perfection," he said. "It has been well thought out and well-created." Others, like student Susel Paraza, were torn about seeing their history told by others. "What hurt me a little," she said, "is that it wasn't us, the Cubans, who thought to make a movie like this but instead a foreign director with foreign actors who have recreated this story very well." Other foreign actors have played Guevara, most notably Egyptian-born Omar Sharif in a 1969 U.S. production titled "Che!" Soderbergh's "Che" has been shown at six film festivals worldwide and will have a limited opening in the United States on December 12. It is scheduled for widespread U.S. distribution starting January 24. Although many may not know Guevara's history, his image is recognized worldwide from a photograph taken by Alberto Korda at a Havana memorial service in March 1960. Titled "Guerrillero Heroico" (Heroic Guerrilla), the image of a somber, long-haired and bearded Guevara wearing a beret with a lone star became what the Maryland Institute College of Art called "the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century | [
"What film does Benicio Del Toro star in?",
"Where did the movie play Sunday?",
"What kind of an opening will \"che\" have in the US?",
"What foreign government praised this movie?",
"What other people are in this move?",
"Who gave Del Toro a glowing review?",
"Who starred in \"Che\"?",
"Who stars in \"Che\"?",
"Who gives Del Toro a glowing review?",
"What film will have limited release in the United States on Friday?",
"Who stars in the title role of \"Che\"?"
] | [
[
"\"Che,\""
],
[
"Havana's Karl Marx Theater."
],
[
"limited"
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[
"Cuban"
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[
"Actor Benicio Del Toro"
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[
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[
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[
"Benicio Del Toro"
],
[
"Granma,"
],
[
"\"Che\""
],
[
"Benicio Del Toro"
]
] | "Che" stars Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in the title role .
The official mouthpiece of the Cuban government gives Del Toro a glowing review .
The movie played Sunday at Havana's Karl Marx Theater .
"Che" will have a limited opening in the United States on Friday . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- A new video and a photo of ailing Communist leader Fidel Castro surfaced on Sunday, revealing a healthier-looking man than in previous photos. A man in Havana, Cuba, reads a newspaper on Sunday featuring a picture of a healthy-looking Fidel Castro. State-run Cubavision aired video of Castro during its Sunday news broadcast, saying the footage was taken Saturday when the former president met with Venezuelan law students. It was the first video of Castro broadcast in at least a year. The photo -- the second in 10 days -- published in Cuba's state-run youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, shows Castro, 83, meeting with Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on Friday. The photo shows a well-groomed Castro wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and standing face-to-face with Correa. The meeting involved discussions of economic matters and medical checkups, according to the state-run newspaper. Another photo of the former Cuban president was released on August 13 by Pastors For Peace, a U.S.-based advocacy group that recently traveled to the island nation and is pushing for an end to the near half-century-old U.S. trade embargo. Castro, who came to power in 1959, underwent abdominal surgery in 2006. The Cuban leader ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul, last year, but has retained leadership of the Communist Party, the only legal political party in Cuba. CNN's David Ariosto contributed to this report. | [
"The video is the first broadcast in how long?",
"Who is the video of?",
"What do they meet about?",
"What reason did they meet for?",
"What president was Castro meeting with?",
"Castro and Correa met over economic matters and what else?",
"Who is Castro meeting in the photograph?",
"Who did Castro meet?",
"The video of who?"
] | [
[
"at least a year."
],
[
"Fidel Castro"
],
[
"economic matters and medical checkups,"
],
[
"discussions of economic matters and medical checkups,"
],
[
"Rafael Correa"
],
[
"medical checkups, according to the state-run newspaper."
],
[
"President Rafael Correa"
],
[
"Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa"
],
[
"of ailing Communist leader Fidel Castro"
]
] | NEW: The video of Castro is the first broadcast in at least a year .
New photo shows fit-looking Castro meeting with Ecuadorian president .
Report: Castro and Correa met over economic matters and medical checkups .
He ceded Cuba's presidency to his brother in 2008 but is still Communist Party chief . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuban President Raul Castro is taking over leadership of a country whose government believes its citizens are not working hard enough. Raul Castro was chosen Sunday to take over Cuba's presidency from his brother, Fidel Castro. The state-run newspaper recently ran an article headlined "Work: Option or necessity?" The writer pointed out that, judging by the number of people in the streets during the day, many Cubans don't seem to be on the job. They have few motivations to buckle down: Salaries average about $15 per month on the island, and Cubans get monthly food rations even if they don't work. Watch a report on the realities in Cuba » "There is a strong desire to protect and to gradually increase the incomes and savings of the population, particularly of those least favored," said Raul Castro, 76. The black market is so widespread that Cubans have coined a special term for breaking the law to make ends meet: "resolver" -- literally, "to resolve." See Cuba through I-Reporters' eyes » The new president, who took the reins of power Sunday from his ailing brother, Fidel, 81, has said the country must become more productive. "The country's priority will be to meet the basic needs of the population, both material and spiritual, based on the sustained strengthening of the national economy and its productive basis without which, I'll say it again, development would be impossible," Raul Castro said in a speech Sunday. Cubans, too, are calling for reforms, though not all of them related to productivity. In a recent video that has made the rounds on the Internet, a student poses tough questions to the president of Cuba's National Assembly, asking why Cubans cannot travel freely to resorts -- a practice derided by critics as "tourist apartheid." Though such a public display of discontent is rare, the video echoed sentiments often voiced in private for years, particularly since the fall of the Soviet empire in 1991 and, with it, the loss of billions of dollars in subsidies. Cuban officials counter that Cubans are not granted access to the nation's most luxurious spots because they do not have the foreign exchange brought by the tourists and needed to run the country's social programs, such as free health care and education. With a new president steering the island nation for the first time in 49 years, some Cubans have allowed their expectations to rise. "I think those expectations are really very large indeed and it'll be the Achilles heel, potentially, of this new government if it doesn't attack them with some vigor," said Hal Klepak, a professor of history and warfare studies at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. Indeed, Castro has promised to move within a few weeks to improve efficiency by cutting some of the red tape that can frustrate the most fervent of revolutionaries. But Wayne S. Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington and chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana from 1979 to 1982, predicted Sunday in an editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Raul Castro will not break strongly from his brother's policies. "Rather, we will see a peaceful transition and the existing system remain largely intact," Smith predicted. Still, changes are inevitable, he said. "Raul Castro has called for a nationwide debate on the country's economic future and for Cubans to propose reforms in group discussions. "He has also called for new proposals to raise productivity, including discussion of more private ownership of land. The Cuban people want change, want reforms that will bring about a better way of life." Smith credited the younger Castro's leadership over the past 1½ years, while serving as acting president, with having already resulted in "a greater openness, and open criticism of certain government programs." But the degree of change remains uncertain, as does the possibility that "even from the shadow Fidel will try to discourage | [
"What has Castro promised?",
"What red tape will Castro cut?",
"What did Raul Castro say?",
"What did the Cuban president say?",
"Who is the president of Cuba?",
"Who was the previous president?",
"When was the last time there was a new president of Cuba?"
] | [
[
"to move within a few weeks to improve efficiency by cutting some of the red tape that can frustrate the most fervent of revolutionaries."
],
[
"that can frustrate the most fervent of revolutionaries."
],
[
"\"There is a strong desire to protect and to gradually increase the incomes and savings of the population, particularly of those least favored,\""
],
[
"\"The country's priority will be to meet the basic needs of the population,"
],
[
"Raul Castro"
],
[
"Fidel Castro."
],
[
"49 years,"
]
] | Cuban President Raul Castro says the country must become more productive .
Castro has promised to improve efficiency by cutting some red tape .
Expectations rise as a new president leads Cuba for the first time in 49 years .
Rare public displays of discontent show frustrations faced by Cubans . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- In a major shake-up the likes of which Cubans have not seen for decades, President Raul Castro on Monday reorganized his Cabinet, replacing longtime aides to his brother Fidel, who resigned from office a year ago, citing poor health. Cuban President Raul Castro is moving his own people into power, analysts say. Some analysts said the changes appear to be an attempt by Raul Castro to put his own supporters into positions of power. Among the changes: Felipe Perez Roque, the 43-year-old foreign minister, was replaced by his deputy, Bruno Rodriguez Aprilla. Carlos Lage Davila, an economist, lost his job as Cabinet secretary, but no mention was made of removing him from his other post as vice president of the Council of State. Lage, who helped guide the nation through its "special period" of dire economic times in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the loss of billions in subsidies, was replaced by Brig. Gen. Jose Amado Ricardo Guerra; Raul Castro is also commander in chief of the armed forces. "It looks like Raul putting some of his own people in," said Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy in Washington, who led the U.S. Interests Section in Havana during the Carter administration. Smith noted that Cuba's government underwent "quite a few shake-ups after the revolution first came in" in 1959, but said Monday's move "is the biggest shake-up that I've seen in a very long time ... for the last 30 or 40 years." "This is obviously a major move," concurred Vicki Huddleston, who led the Interests Section during the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and is a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "[There is] nothing like this that I can recall since the late 1960s." She noted that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with both Castro brothers during a visit late in February to Havana, on what Granma described as a "work visit," and speculated that Raul Castro may have asked him then to buy in on the changes. "They really need Chavez to be on board, because without the subsidized oil from Venezuela, they're dead," Huddleston said. With the Cuban economy hamstrung by the world economy, Raul Castro may have decided it is time for him to make reforms of his own without worrying about second-guessing by his brother or his brother's allies, she said. Huddleston speculated that the changes could portend the government once again allowing private enterprise to flourish in Cuba. Communist leader Fidel Castro experimented with that during the 1990s, but pulled back. "It represents a significant step by Raul Castro to gain autonomy and, essentially, distance himself from Fidel's old gang," said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. "In other words, he feels confident enough that he has an independent base of power." He said Raul Castro's moves to date have proven popular not only with his party members, but also with the general population. Still, Raul Castro should not take that support for granted, Birns said. "It may be that, if he makes too many moves, the party will feel that their privileges are being taken away, and that will make them unhappy." Otto Reich, who served as assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs during the George W. Bush administration, said he was withholding judgment. "It's a little early to tell what this really means," he said. "Some people are saying the Fidelistas are being replaced by the Raulistas. But the other side is: Are we talking about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?" The state-run newspaper Granma published an official notice from the State Council that said the changes were intended to form a structure that is "more compact and functional, with fewer organisms of the central administration of the state and a better distribution of the functions that they | [
"How long has it been since a big shake-up like this?",
"Whose aides were replaced?",
"When was the last time we had a big shake-up?",
"Did anyone other than the foreign minister move aside?",
"This is the biggest shakeup in how many years?",
"Who moved aside?",
"Who's longtime aides were replaced?",
"What do analysts think about the situation?",
"Who had to move aside?",
"What the analyst said?",
"Who move aside?",
"How long did the replaced aides work for Castro?",
"Whos long term aides were replaced?"
] | [
[
"30 or 40 years.\""
],
[
"Fidel,"
],
[
"30 or 40 years.\""
],
[
"Carlos Lage Davila,"
],
[
"last 30 or 40 years.\""
],
[
"Fidel,"
],
[
"Raul Castro"
],
[
"said the changes appear to be an attempt by Raul Castro to put his own supporters into positions of power."
],
[
"Fidel,"
],
[
"Cuban President Raul Castro is moving his own people into power,"
],
[
"Fidel,"
],
[
"30 or 40 years.\""
],
[
"Fidel Castro"
]
] | Several longtime aides to Fidel Castro are replaced .
Foreign minister and Cabinet secretary move aside .
Analyst says it's the biggest shake-up in 30 or 40 years . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Juan Almeida, a Cuban revolutionary who fought alongside former Communist leader Fidel Castro, died of a heart attack Friday evening, according to state media. Almeida, left, sits with President Raul Castro on January 1, the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Almeida, 82, was among only a handful of surviving Cuban leaders who still bore the title "Commander of the Revolution." A vice president and member of the Communist government Central Committee, Almeida was among only a few black leaders in top government posts. He died of cardiac arrest late Friday evening, according Juventud Rebelde, Cuba's state-run youth newspaper. Widely admired among Cuban nationals, Almeida fought with Fidel and Raul Castro at the start of their campesino-led revolution, participating in the failed attacks on the Moncada army barracks in 1953 and later aboard the famed yacht, "Granma," that carried the small group of Cuban rebels who would later topple U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Almeida's death highlights the mortality of an aging cast of Cuba's revolutionary leaders. Widespread speculation surrounding the health of Fidel Castro grew in 2006 after the former Communist leader underwent abdominal surgery and later ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul. The elder Castro has recently appeared in a series of photos and video looking healthier, though he has not appeared in public since 2006. Cuban state media reported that Sunday will be a day of national mourning and that flags will be flown at half-staff. | [
"Who did Almeida fight with at the start of the campesino-led revolution?",
"with who fought almeida?",
"Besides Almeida, are there any other black leaders who are members of the Central Committee?",
"Who died of a heart attack?",
"what is the nationality of almeida?",
"when juan almeida died?",
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] | [
[
"Fidel Castro,"
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[
"Fidel Castro,"
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[
"only a few"
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[
"Juan Almeida,"
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[
"Cuban"
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[
"Friday evening,"
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[
"Communist government Central Committee,"
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] | Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida died of a heart attack Friday evening .
Almeida, 82, was a vice president and member of the Central Committee .
He was among only a few black leaders in top government posts .
Almeida fought with the Castros at the start of their campesino-led revolution . |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Thousands gathered in the Cuban capital on Sunday to pay their respects to one of Cuba's few remaining original revolutionaries, Juan Almeida, who according to state media died of a heart attack Friday evening. Cubans wait Sunday at Havana's Revolution Plaza to pay respects to deceased Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida. A single column of people stretched around Havana's Revolution Square in a well-coordinated show of solidarity and remembrance during what state media reported as a national day of mourning. President Raul Castro and other top government officials were reportedly on hand, though elder brother and former Communist leader Fidel Castro -- not seen in public since abdominal surgery in 2006 -- did not make an appearance. Almeida, 82, fought alongside Fidel Castro and was among only a handful of surviving Cuban leaders who still bore the title "Commander of the Revolution." Watch as Cubans remember Juan Almeida » Widely admired among Cuban nationals, Almeida participated in the failed attacks on the Moncada army barracks in 1953. He was aboard the famed yacht "Granma," that carried the small group of Cuban rebels who would later topple U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. A vice president and member of the Communist government Central Committee, Almeida was among only a few black leaders in top government posts. "This shows how we're all participants in our revolution and there is nothing that sets you apart," said Havana resident Fernando, who declined to give his last name. "Not color, nor religion," he added. Almeida's death underscores the mortality of an aging cast of Cuba's revolutionary leaders. Widespread speculation surrounding the health of Fidel Castro grew in 2006 after he underwent abdominal surgery and later ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul. The elder Castro recently surfaced in a series of photos and video looking healthier, though he has not appeared in public in over three years. | [
"how many gathered",
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"what did juan almeida die from",
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] | [
[
"Thousands"
],
[
"Juan Almeida,"
],
[
"heart attack"
],
[
"Juan Almeida,"
],
[
"Thousands"
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] | Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida died of a heart attack Friday evening .
Thousands gathered in the Cuban capital on Sunday to pay their respects .
He was among only a few black leaders in top government posts .
Almeida fought with the Castros at the start of their revolution . |
HELSINKI, Finland (CNN) -- An 18-year-old authorities say shot eight people inside his high school in southern Finland, before turning the gun on himself, has died, police said.
An image from a video posted on YouTube by "Sturmgeist89."
The shooting appeared to have been planned out in graphic videos posted on Internet file-sharing site YouTube.
At a news conference this afternoon, police confirmed the dead numbered two girls, five boys and the school's headmistress at Jokela High in Tuusula, a quiet town around 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Helsinki.
Ten other people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The shooter, whom police identified as Pekka Eric Auvinen, died at Toolo Hospital, authorities said. Police said he took his own life.
It was the first school shooting in Finland since 1989, when a 14-year-old student shot and killed two others in the coastal town of Rauma, the Finnish news agency STT reported.
Police said Auvinen is from Tuusula and who acted alone. He had no previous criminal record and had never threatened anyone from the school before, they added.
Auvinen published a manifesto online demanding war on the "weak-minded masses" and pledged to die for his cause. Watch Auvinen fire weapons in video from his Web page »
YouTube appeared to have removed 89 videos linked to his account, many of them featuring Nazi imagery, shortly after the incident.
Finnish media reported someone posted a message two weeks ago on the Web site, warning of a bloodbath at the school.
A video posted earlier Wednesday, by "Sturmgeist89," was titled "Jokela High School Massacre - 11/7/2007." "Sturmgeist89" identified himself as Auvinen, and said he chose the name "Sturmgeist" because it means "storm spirit" in German.
The video showed a picture of the school, which then disintegrated to reveal two images of Auvinen against a red background, pointing a gun at the screen.
The clip is accompanied by the song "Stray Bullet" from rock band KMFDM. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the students behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, also cited that group's lyrics.
Another short video clip, called "Just Testing My Gun," showed Auvinen loading and cocking a handgun. He fired and hit several pieces of fruit in a wooded area; the camera then showed a close-up of the destroyed fruit, and then a full-screen shot of him again. He waved at the camera and then walked out of view.
The site indicated that the youth appeared to be fascinated with killing. As well as video footage of the Columbine school shootings, it also included clips of the 1993 Waco siege in the United States, the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo, and bombs falling on Baghdad during the 2003 invasion.
Many showed victims being wheeled away or people running for their lives. Throughout all of this, the single word "DIE" constantly flashed across the screen. Other video clips included Nazi-war-criminal footage.
In the rambling text posted on the site, Auvinen said that he is "a cynical existentialist, anti-human humanist, anti-social social-Darwinist, realistic idealist and god-like atheist.
"I am prepared to fight and die for my cause," he wrote. "I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection."
The police said at this afternoon's press conference that they had been fired at when they arrived at the school at 11.45 p.m. local time (9.45 a.m. GMT).
They described the scene as chaotic, with some of the 460 students, ranging in age from 12 to 18, breaking windows in an attempt to escape.
When the police's special SWAT unit entered the high school they found the gunman unconscious and in critical condition in the lower lobby of the building with a gunshot wound to his head. Police assume he tried to take his own life as no officers fired at him. | [
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"what country did shooting happen in?",
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"Was there warning prior to events?",
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"Who said teen is dead?",
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"where did shooting begin?",
"Where were the police from?",
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] | [
[
"appeared to have been"
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[
"eight people"
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[
"eight people"
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
"north of Helsinki."
],
[
"eight"
],
[
"The shooting"
],
[
"eight people"
],
[
"graphic videos"
]
] | NEW: Teen gunman is dead, Finnish police say .
Eight people, including headmistress, shot at Finnish school, say police .
Firearm bought legally last month, shooting began in school's lower lobby .
Shooting appeared to have been planned in series of YouTube videos . |
HERMOSILLO, Mexico (CNN) -- Parents in northern Mexico on Sunday began to bury the children who died in a horrific day care fire as Mexican authorities raised the death toll from the blaze to 41. Maria Jesus Coronado Padilla mourns her 2-year-old daughter, Paulette Daniela Coronado Padilla on Sunday. A large crowd of mourners attended a funeral for six of the victims Sunday afternoon in Hermosillo, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the U.S. border. The cause of Friday's fire at ABC Day Care wasn't known, but investigators concluded that the fire didn't start inside the building, said Eduardo Bours, the governor of Sonora state. Neighbors described parents arriving at the day care center completely desperate on Friday, seeing it engulfed in flames and knowing there was no way to get the children out. The building had two doors, one of which was padlocked shut, and windows were too high for the children to reach, officials said. Some parents rammed their vehicles into the building to try to free the trapped children, witnesses told CNN. Watch parents gather at site of fire » "When we went out and ran towards the nursery, teachers already had many children outside, those who could walk properly," said one man at the scene, who did not give his name. "A pickup truck broke down the walls. The dad of one of the kids broke down one of the walls with his car driving in reverse, and that helped us a bit." Others said they waited for hours for news of their children. Watch a town in deep shock » "They didn't tell us anything, nothing, until like 6 p.m.," said Ofelia Vasquez, whose 4-year-old son Herman was in the building. She said she eventually was told he was at Chavez Hospital. "We went there and we saw that he was badly burned, 75 percent of his body was burned," she said. Herman Vasquez died after surgery, his mother said. As of Sunday afternoon, 26 children remained hospitalized, 12 of them in critical condition, Sonoran authorities said. Another 10 children had been transported to other hospitals: eight to Guadalajara, one to Ciudad, Obregon, and two to Sacramento, California. A team of 29 medical experts in Hermosillo was deciding if any more victims would be moved to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento, or elsewhere. In addition, six adults were injured, Sonora spokesman Daniel Duran said. "Without a doubt this is the worst disaster we've had," Bours told CNN. President Felipe Calderon traveled to Hermosillo on Saturday. He arrived with Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont and Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova to get firsthand updates from doctors and investigators, the state news agency Notimex reported. Calderon ordered the nation's attorney general to investigate the blaze. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation and not burns, Bours said. But the fire was serious enough for the roof to collapse, he added. At the time of the blaze, 142 children were inside the ABC Day Care. The day care is for children ages 2 to 4, but Bours confirmed that children even younger were among the victims. All the children at the center had been accounted for by Saturday evening, Bours said. A severely burned 3-year-old girl arrived Saturday at the Sacramento hospital -- where pediatric burn treatment is a specialty -- and was in critical condition, according to Dr. Tina Palmieri, assistant chief of the burn unit. The child was burned over 80 percent of her body, the doctor told reporters. She said the hospital normally can save just over half of the children with burns that severe. In Hermosillo, a large crowd gathered outside of the emergency entrance of the city's general hospital and many people consoled each other, video from the scene showed. "They told me that this happened in a matter of five minutes," Hermosillo Mayor Ernesto Gandara told reporters after surveying the scene. | [
"What number of children died in a Mexican day care fire?",
"Where were 41 children killed?",
"What was the reason children could not escape?",
"What was the problem with one of the doors?",
"Where was the day care centre located",
"Who described the panic parents felt as they tried to rescue their children?",
"What did the officials say caused some of the deaths?",
"Where are the victims in hospital"
] | [
[
"41."
],
[
"Hermosillo,"
],
[
"to reach,"
],
[
"of which"
],
[
"Hermosillo,"
],
[
"Neighbors"
],
[
"died from smoke inhalation and not burns,"
],
[
"Chavez"
]
] | NEW: Funerals for children killed in Mexican day care center fire begin .
Neighbors describe panic, horror as parents try to rescue kids from burning building .
One door was padlocked shut and children couldn't get to high windows, officials say .
At least 41 children die in fire; dozens more in hospitals in Mexico and U.S. |
HERMOSILLO, Mexico (CNN) -- President Felipe Calderon traveled to Hermosillo on Saturday to meet with health officials as the death toll of a day care center fire there grew to 38 children. A crib and baby seats lie outside a day care center Friday in Hermosillo, Mexico, as police cordon off the area. The cause of Friday's blaze remained unknown, but investigators concluded that the fire did not start inside the ABC Day Care, Eduardo Bours, the governor of Sonora state said. As of Saturday night, 23 children remained hospitalized, 15 of them in critical condition, Sonora spokesman Daniel Duran told CNN. Another 10 children had been transported to other hospitals: eight to Guadalajara, one to Ciudad Obregon, and one to Sacramento, California. A team of 29 medical experts in Hermosillo were deciding if any more victims would be moved to the Shriners Hospital in Sacramento, or elsewhere. In addition, six adults were injured, Duran said. "Without a doubt this is the worst disaster we've had," Bours told CNN. The president arrived with Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont and Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova to get firsthand updates from doctors and investigators, the state news agency Notimex reported. Calderon ordered the nation's attorney general to investigate the blaze. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation and not burns, Bours said. But the fire was enough for the roof to collapse, he added. At the time of the blaze, 142 children were inside the ABC Day Care. The day care is for children ages 2 to 4, but Bours confirmed that children even younger were among the victims. All the children at the day care had been accounted for by Saturday evening, Bours said. A severely burned 3-year-old girl arrived Saturday at the Sacramento hospital -- where pediatric burn treatment is a specialty -- and was in critical condition, according to Dr. Tina Palmieri, assistant chief of the burn unit. The child was burned over 80 percent of her body, the doctor told reporters. She said the hospital normally can save just over half of the children with burns that severe. In Hermosillo, a large crowd gathered outside of the emergency entrance of the city's general hospital and many people consoled each other, video from the scene showed. "They told me that this happened in a matter of five minutes," Hermosillo Mayor Ernesto Gandara told reporters after surveying the scene. | [
"Where did Felipe Calderon meet with health officials?",
"How many children remain hospitalized?",
"Who is Calderon to meet with?",
"What hospital in Sacramento was one child admitted to?",
"Who will be investigating the fire?",
"Where did Felipe Calderon travel to?",
"What are officials reporting about the blaze ?",
"How many children are still hospitalized ?"
] | [
[
"HERMOSILLO, Mexico"
],
[
"23"
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[
"health officials"
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[
"Shriners"
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[
"the nation's attorney general"
],
[
"Hermosillo"
],
[
"the death toll of a day care center fire there grew to 38 children."
],
[
"23"
]
] | NEW: President Felipe Calderon travels to Hermosillo to meet with health officials .
NEW: Officials believe blaze did not start in center; attorney general to investigate .
NEW: 23 children remained hospitalized, 15 of them in critical condition .
One child admitted to Shriners Hospitals in Sacramento, California . |
HERMOSILLO, Mexico (CNN) -- Thirty-one children were killed and more than 100 others were injured Friday when their day-care center caught fire in the northwestern state of Sonora, a spokesman for the state's governor said. A crib and baby seats lie outside a day-care center where the deadly fire broke out Friday. The victims were from 1 to 5 years old, said Jose Larrinaga, the spokesman. The fire appeared to have started at 3 p.m. in a warehouse next door to the one-story concrete building that housed the state-run ABC Daycare and spread to the state-run institution, news reports said. By then, many children had already been picked up by their parents from the one-story building. But others came after the blaze had been put out, with parents screaming their children's names as others fainted. In a message of condolence, President Felipe Calderon wished a quick recovery for the injured, who were taken to several area hospitals. He also called on the nation's attorney general to investigate the fire. Authorities dispatched 15 specialists in reconstruction and three air ambulances to the area along with respirators and specialized medicines, and a U.S. hospital will help treat some of the victims. Watch chaos in aftermath of tragedy » Admissions will begin Saturday, said Catherine Curran, a spokeswoman for Shriners Hospitals for Children in Sacramento, California. Shriners Hospitals is a health care system that gives children free treatment for burns, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic conditions, and cleft lip and palate, according to its Web site. It admits children under 18. The first hospital opened in 1922. The system has burn units in Boston, Massachusetts; Cincinnati Ohio; and Sacramento, California. Journalist Guadelupe Gutierrez contributed to this story. | [
"What age were the victims?",
"Where did the fire start?",
"How many years were the victims?",
"Where was the hospital?",
"Where does the fire appear to have started?",
"What does President Felipe Calderon order?",
"Where is the hospital?",
"What was the name of the president?"
] | [
[
"from 1 to 5 years old,"
],
[
"day-care center"
],
[
"1 to 5"
],
[
"Sacramento, California."
],
[
"warehouse"
],
[
"to investigate the fire."
],
[
"Sacramento, California."
],
[
"Felipe Calderon"
]
] | NEW: Hospital in California to treat some of the victims .
The victims were from 1 to 5 years old, official says .
The fire appears to have started in a warehouse next door to the state-run day care .
President Felipe Calderon orders investigation, sends condolences . |
HIGH BRIDGE, New Jersey (CNN) -- "The thought that I can reach out and permanently improve someone's life for the better is addictive," says Dave Schweidenback. Dave Schweidenback saw transformative effects of bikes while in the Peace Corps in Ecuador from 1977-80. Several times a year, the 55-year-old can be found prepping large shipments of used bicycles bound for a developing country. For Schweidenback, gathering and breaking down these bikes is a labor of love -- one that is helping to keep the bikes out of landfills and give them new life. "Used bicycles can transform the economic and social condition of families," says Schweidenback. "[They] give people access to jobs, health care and education that is too distant for walking." Since 1991, Schweidenback's nonprofit Pedals for Progress has collected and shipped more than 115,000 used bicycles to 32 developing countries worldwide, where they are sold at a low cost to local residents like Don Roberto Garcia. "A used woman's mountain bicycle changed my life," says Garcia, 54, a house cleaning supplies salesman in Nicaragua who works six days a week to support his six children and buy medicine for his wife, who suffers from cancer. For 20 years, Garcia walked six to seven hours a day, hauling his merchandise in a wheelbarrow along a 6 mile route. This earned him $2-$3 a day. "More than anything, I would always return home so tired from the walk," Garcia recalls. Little by little, Garcia saved his money and was able to buy a used bicycle six years ago from a Pedals for Progress partner agency in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. "Because of a bicycle, I now earn about $4 a day," says Garcia. "I sell more and I do my rounds quicker. I tell everyone to go buy a bicycle." Watch Garcia explain how a used bicycle has helped him in Nicaragua » The seeds for Schweidenback's Pedals for Progress were planted years ago while he was volunteering for the Peace Corps from 1977-80 in Ecuador, near the Amazon Basin. "Besides the bus that comes through town and one guy that owned a pickup truck, everybody walked everywhere all the time," he recalls. "My landlord was the exception because he owned the only bike in a 500-mile radius. He was the most successful man in the region because he could access a job and get wherever he needed to go." Years later, Schweidenback noticed used bicycles at garage sales and in garbage cans throughout his New Jersey community. "I remembered how [the need] in developing countries was so great, that I couldn't stop thinking about it," he says. Knowing the bikes could be put to better use, Schweidenback asked members of his community to donate 12 used bicycles; he planned to send them to Ecuador. The community brought him 140. Within a year, Schweidenback had created Pedals for Progress and shipped roughly 500 bicycles to developing countries. Today, Schweidenback organizes 140 used bike drives each year and, on average, collects 90 bicycles in three hours. Donors are asked to pay a $10 fee per bike to help cover shipping costs and reduce the cost of the bicycle when it's sold overseas. Each bike is sold for about $15. Watch how Pedals for Progress bikes get from donors to people in developing countries » "There's a bike that's unloved in every garage in this country. Rather than put these old bikes in landfills for no reason, we can use them as economic stimulus to aid our neighbors," Schweidenback says. "This is the transfer of wealth between nations because these have great value overseas. And they give people the ability to hold a job or a child the ability to go to school." Watch Schweidenback talk about his inspiration for Pedals for Progress » Pedals for Progress bicycles have been sent to countries in Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. For Schweidenback, knowing he's making an impact keeps him going. " | [
"when did Dave Schweidenback see transformative effects of bikes",
"what did CNN Hero's nonprofit Pedals for Progress do",
"How many used bikes have been sent to at least thirty two different counries?",
"What can bikes do?",
"how many used bikes have been sent",
"What gives new life to bicycles?",
"What number of bikes have been sent?",
"What do the Pedals for Progress organization give to used bicycles?",
"What have the low-cost bikes provided the residents access to?"
] | [
[
"from 1977-80."
],
[
"collected and shipped more than 115,000 used bicycles to 32 developing countries worldwide, where they are sold at a low cost to local residents"
],
[
"115,000"
],
[
"transform the economic and social condition of families,\""
],
[
"115,000"
],
[
"Pedals for Progress"
],
[
"115,000"
],
[
"new life."
],
[
"jobs, health care and education"
]
] | CNN Hero's nonprofit Pedals for Progress gives new life to used bicycles .
Dave Schweidenback saw transformative effects of bikes while in the Peace Corps .
More than 115,000 used bikes have been sent to 32 developing countries since '91 .
Low-cost bikes help local residents gain access to jobs, health care and schools . |
HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Florida (CNN) -- At the heart of Florida researchers' high-tech efforts to protect black bears is a rather low-tech tool: day-old doughnuts. A young bear sits next to a pine tree after being snared by one of the traps set by researchers. Researchers use the doughnuts and other stale pastries to bait traps for the bears. Once snared, the bears are tranquilized and then fitted with a GPS collar. Using cell phone technology, every 15 minutes the collar sends a text message that tells researchers where the bear is located. Tracking the bears' movements -- or lack thereof -- is important. Dr. John Cox, head of the South-Central Florida Bear Project, said the bear population, in order to stay healthy, must be able to travel to different locations throughout the state. They need to travel between different bear populations. But that mobility has been decreasing. There was a time, Cox said, when the bears were free to roam the entire state. As development increased, however, the black bear lost much of its habitat. And the habitat that remained has become more fragmented due to development, primarily roads. The result: The bears become more isolated, with inbreeding within that isolated population. "This population of bears is actually losing genetic diversity," Cox said. "You see that loss of healthy genes in the population over time. "That is a sign of isolation." Having the bears wear the GPS collars is "wonderful because the bears are telling us what habitat we need to protect," said Tricia Martin of The Nature Conservancy. As of now, 55 black bears in the area have been fitted with collars. Watch the researchers at work » Researchers want to know whether the bears' travels have them crossing a road, an orange grove, or somewhere else in order to get from place to place. Collecting data on the corridors the bears need to travel will help in pinpointing what land should be sought for conservation purposes. But first the bears must be snared -- and that's where the doughnuts come in. "The doughnuts are a good bait, they can smell and it'll bring them in," said Wade Ulrey, one of the researchers with the South-Central Florida Bear Project. Recently a young female bear was found in a snare trap -- lured there by the doughnuts, or perhaps the brownie with whipped cream and a cherry that also had been placed there. Ulrey and fellow University of Kentucky research scientist Joe Guthrie slowly approached the trapped bear. The animal, with a cable around its paw, tried to climb a pine tree to escape. See photos of a snared bear » The researchers waited for the bear to calm down, then they injected her with a tranquilizer that was at the end of an 8-foot-long pole. As they waited for the drug to take effect, Ulrey and Guthrie returned to their truck to gather the tools they needed to examine the bear. "We have a couple of bags of ice here to help keep her cool," Ulrey said as he placed the bags under the legs and arms of the unconscious bear. The team scanned the 2½-year-old and realized she already had a microchip implanted under her skin. "It's similar to an ID system used for pets," said Ulrey. The chip tells the researchers that this bear was caught in 2007, when she was a cub still roaming Florida with her mother. The researchers weighed and measured the bear. Then Ulrey used tweezers to pull out a bit of hair. "We can get a DNA sample from this to see if she is related to any other bears we've captured in the area," Ulrey said. This young black bear, however, won't be telling researchers where she will be traveling. She is too young to be outfitted with a GPS collar. Ninety minutes later, the tranquilizer wears off. The bear is awake and appears unharmed. "Usually the things you'll see is a little bit | [
"What are Researchers in South Florida doing to the bears?",
"What does healthy bear population rely upon?",
"Where is the bear's natural habitat?",
"What will the collars do for the researchers?",
"What do the collars help researchers track?",
"What does healthy bear population rely on?",
"What did the South Florida researchers do to the bears?"
] | [
[
"tranquilized and then fitted with a GPS collar."
],
[
"must be able to travel to different locations throughout the state. They need to travel between different"
],
[
"Florida"
],
[
"sends a text message"
],
[
"where the bear is located."
],
[
"able to travel to different locations throughout the state."
],
[
"are tranquilized and then fitted with a GPS collar."
]
] | Researchers in South Florida capture bears, outfit them with GPS collars .
Collars help researchers track bears' movements .
Healthy bear population relies on animals' free movement, breeding .
Bears' natural habitat has been reduced, fragmented by development . |
HILLSBOROUGH, North Carolina (CNN) -- A man who was obsessed with the Columbine High School massacre was found guilty of murder Friday and sentenced to life without parole for gunning down his father before opening fire at a North Carolina high school three years ago.
Alvaro Castillo was fixated with the Columbine High School shootings, mass murders and natural disasters.
Alvaro Castillo, 21, has been medicated during the trial and showed little reaction as the first verdict was read -- guilty of the first-degree murder of his father.
He also was convicted of multiple assault and weapons offenses in the school shooting. No one was killed at the school, but two students were wounded.
The jury deliberated seven hours before rejecting Castillo's insanity defense.
At his sentencing, Castillo thanked "the Lord our God for all his blessings" and thanked his family for being in court.
"I thank my father in heaven for watching down on me" he said.
Later, Castillo apologized to the victims, adding, "I know by my actions I shocked and hurt a lot of people. It wasn't my intention. I simply wanted to help. Now I know I was wrong."
Before pronouncing a sentence of life without parole, Judge Allen Baddour said: "It's frustrating to hear how help -- I think it was available, but everything didn't fit together to get you the help that you needed."
Castillo, who has a history of mental illness, admitted shooting his father and firing at the students, but defense attorneys James Williams and Phoebe Dee argued he was not criminally responsible for his actions because he was legally insane.
Experts for the defense testified that Castillo believed God wanted him to sacrifice his father and the students.
"The only thing that could make this tragedy worse would be if he were convicted of first-degree murder, despite substantial evidence that he was indeed insane at the time that these acts were committed," Williams said during his closing argument.
Prosecutor James Woodall said while Castillo might be disturbed, he does not meet the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. He said Castillo planned a murderous rampage.
"He wants to be famous and he wants to be somebody. And the only way he can figure out to do that is to kill some folks," Woodall said. Watch more of the closing arguments »
The 13 days of testimony told the story of an alienated young man who grew up in a dysfunctional family and finally lashed out violently on August 30, 2006.
Castillo, then 18, shot his father, Rafael, 65, seven times in the head and neck as he sat on the couch reading, according to testimony. Castillo covered his father's body with a sheet, held his hand, kissed him, asked for forgiveness and then left a note and pipe bomb next to the body.
Castillo later dressed in a Colorado T-shirt, a black trench coat he bought during a sightseeing trip to Columbine, cargo pants, military-style boots and ammunition belts, according to testimony. He armed himself with a sawed-off shotgun he named Arlene, the same name Columbine shooter Eric Harris gave his gun, he wrote in his journal. Watch how Castillo named his guns »
He also carried a 9 mm semi-automatic rifle he named Anna after an unrequited high school crush. He gathered pipe bombs, smoke grenades and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition.
Before leaving for Orange High School, Castillo sent an e-mail to the principal of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, to alert him that Hillsborough would soon make history, according to testimony. He also mailed a letter and videos to a classmate and a local newspaper.
Castillo drove the family's minivan to a patio lunch area, set off a cherry bomb and fired at the students. He later told a psychiatrist that he aimed for their heads, according to testimony. His gun jammed, and he was jumped by a deputy sheriff assigned to the school and a retired highway patrol officer who taught driver | [
"What is the total number of people injured by Castillo?",
"What was the name of the former high school that Castillo attended?",
"On what date was Alvaro Castillo sentenced to life without parole?",
"What sentence did Castillo receive?",
"Who did Castillo shoot?",
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] | [
[
"two"
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
"sawed-off shotgun"
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] | Alvaro Castillo, 21, sentenced to life without parole .
Castillo shot father, opened fire at former high school on August 20, 2006 .
Trial featured disturbing videos, journal entries .
Castillo was obsessed with the Columbine shootings . |
HIMACHAL PRADESH, India (CNN) -- Amar and Kundan Singh Pundir are brothers. Younger brother Amar breaks rocks in a mine for a living. Kundan farms their small piece of inherited land. They live in a beautiful but remote hillside village in the clouds of Himachal Pradesh, India. Kundar Singh Pundir, left, and his brother Amar, right, share Indira Devi, centre, as their wife. Both aged in their forties, the two brothers have lived together nearly their whole lives. They are poor and share just about everything: Their home, their work and a wife. "See we have a tradition from the beginning to have a family of five to 10 people. Two brothers and one wife." Kundan says. They practice what is known as fraternal polyandry -- where the brothers of one family marry the same woman. Why? Tradition and economics. Life is hard here. The village is precariously perched on the side of a very steep hill about 6,000ft up. Most of the villagers survive off tiny plots of cropland. In this difficult terrain there isn't enough land to go around. So, instead of finding separate wives and splitting up their inherited property, the brothers marry the same woman and keep their land together. Wife Indira Devi says life with two husbands isn't easy. "We fight a lot." But like any married couple they fight mostly over mundane stuff, except there are three spouses instead of two. "Usually it's about chores, why didn't you do this? Why didn't you do that?" she says. Watch Sara Sidner's interview with the brothers » One thing they agreed on was the need to have children; They have three. So how does a married trio deal with sex? "We make shifts, change shifts and sleep on alternate days. We have to make shifts otherwise it won't work," Kundan says. "To run our families we have to do this, overcome the hurdles as well and then we have to control our hearts from feeling too much," Amar adds. To outsiders their arrangement may seem odd, but in the village of about 200 it is the norm. Typically the marriages are arranged and women have two husbands. But some wives have three or four depending on how many brothers there are in a family. Polyandry is illegal in India but socially acceptable here. No one from the government seems to bother the villagers about the law. "It's been going on for ages. My sister in law has two husbands, my mother in law also has two husbands," Indira says. And as to the question of which husband is the biological father of the children -- the Pundir's don't know and don't care. "For me everyone is the same, my mother and my fathers are the same. My mother and my fathers are like God to me," 17-year old daughter Sunita Singh Pundir says. Even as modern society arrives in this ancient village through satellite dishes and mobile phones, the Pundirs say they want their age-old tradition to continue with their children. "Absolutely," eldest son Sohna says. He and his younger brother have already discussed it and will marry the same woman. Daughter Sunita isn't so sure. "I would like one husband," she says. But when asked if she will marry for love or tradition, Sunita's answer makes it clear the tradition of marrying more than one man will continue with the next generation. "I will never leave our tradition even if I have to forgo love. I will never spoil my parents' reputation and my brothers.'" | [
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[
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[
"India."
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[
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[
"Indira Devi,"
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[
"Tradition and economics."
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] | Amar and Kundan Singh Pundir are brothers who share a wife .
The brothers have married the same woman to ensure their land isn't divided .
Practice is illegal in India but common in their mountain village . |
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (CNN) -- To feel the vibrancy of Ho Chi Minh City, all you have to do is step out onto a bustling city street. Step to it: Walking through the city's streets is the best way to see it. Negotiating the roads, chock full of motorbikes and an increasing number of cars, can be daunting. But copy the fearless locals -- they don't break stride and never retreat -- and put your fate in the hands, or throttle, of the city's drivers who seems masterful at avoiding each other. A good place to kick off a visit is on one of the main drags, Le Loi, a street that runs through the heart of the city. Near one end is the picturesque Opera House, as well as the majestic City Hall or "People's Committee Building" (this is still a communist country of course). You shouldn't have to do too much motorbike dodging down Lei Loi and after just a 15 minute stroll from City Hall is the famed Cho Ben Thanh Market. However give yourself more time to stop into galleries or buy a classic piece of communist propaganda along the way. The hundreds of stalls at Cho Ben Thanh offer a mix of traditional culture and tourist kitsch. You can sit with the locals and sip a solid jolt of Vietnamese coffee then move on to shopping for touristy T-shirts and "authentic chopsticks". Many of the stalls feature signs saying the prices are fixed. But if you're prepared to drive a hard bargain, or buy in bulk, that idea can be amended. It's also worth a return trip later on in the evening when the market closes and street side restaurants spring up, offering great meals at cheap prices. If you're looking to get away from the strip of Western hotels in the city center, hail a cab and head over to Cholon, or Ho Chi Minh City's Chinatown. In the late 18th century, this enclave was actually a separate city from old Saigon but the two were united in the early 1930's. Today Cholon is home to the Binh Tay Market, which the locals call "Cho Lon." Just don't confuse it with Ben Thanh, or you'll be right back where you started. The area is filled with plenty of local color and is a photographer's dream. Despite mass consumption of bottled water and the finest sunscreen, you'll need to find a way to beat the heat in Ho Chi Minh City. One of the best ways is to make regular stops at any restaurant or café for a refreshing lime soda. A bowl of the traditional Pho (pronounced "fuh") is also a must. It's said that this simple dish -- consisting of noodles, beef and broth -- was created at food stalls in Hanoi nearly a century ago. But even in Ho Chi Minh you need to walk only a few feet before coming across a food joint claiming to serve the city's best Pho. In a place with stifling heat and the motorbike madness, an afternoon rest is a wise move, especially if you want to partake in the nightlife. Another dose of Vietnamese coffee will surely have you revived in no time. Or, if you're in need of some pampering, try a foot massage at any of the countless establishments -- to play it safe and avoid "additional services" get a suggestion from any hotel concierge. Is Ho Chi Minh City the most exciting city in Asia for a short break? Have you say in the "Sound Off" box below. If you're keen to try to play foreign correspondent -- or at least see where they gathered during the days of the Vietnam War - look no further than the Rex Hotel on Nguyen Hue Boulevard. The drinks are wildly overpriced and the crowd seems to be on the "5 Asian Cities in 7 Days" tour, but its large rooftop does offer a great bird's eye view of the lively streets below. The nearby Temple Club on Ton That Thiep Street offers a quieter setting for a cocktail. Diners also | [
"Where can the sights, smells and color of the city be found?",
"Where can you take a break from the heat and traffic?",
"What is the city buzzing with?",
"What is good for a break?",
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] | [
[
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],
[
"café"
],
[
"Ho Chi Minh"
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[
"Ho Chi Minh City"
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[
"Ho Chi Minh City,"
]
] | The city is buzzing with motorbikes, so be quick to get up to speed .
All the sights, smells and color of the city can be found around Cho Ben Thanh .
Take a break from the heat and traffic with regular pit stops for delicious local food . |
HOHENWALD, Tennessee (CNN) -- A pair of African elephants tramps through lush vegetation, stopping to scoop dust with their trunks and toss it onto their backs for protection from the summer sun. Tarra, who was a year old when Buckley met her, was the inspiration for The Elephant Sanctuary. Meanwhile, two others submerge their massive forms to splash and dip in the waters of a muddy pond. It's a scene that could have been pulled from a nature documentary. But it takes place in an unlikely spot: a 2,700-acre sanctuary in rural Tennessee. It's not where nature intended the animals to be, roaming free in the vast expanses of subtropical Africa and Asia. But for most of them, it's a life far apart from the ones they once lived. Tarra lived in the back of a truck at a tire store. Shirley performed at a circus until she broke her leg on a chain. Then, she was moved to the freak show. And Sissy was treated like a killer. She crushed a handler in her enclosure at a Texas zoo where video shows she'd been beaten into submission with ax handles. "We consider all of these elephants to be rescue elephants, because they are taken out of that environment that is not healthy for them," said Carol Buckley, co-founder of the Elephant Sanctuary. Founded in 1995 on 112 acres about 30 miles southwest of Nashville, the sanctuary is now the largest natural refuge of its kind in the United States. Twenty-four elephants, most of them sick, old or abused, have lived at the sanctuary; it is currently home to 15 African and Asian elephants. It's a place where elephants can roam freely, largely feed and shelter themselves and interact with others, often after years living alone in captivity. But Buckley and Scott Blais, the nonprofit sanctuary's co-founder, are very clear about what it's not. The sanctuary is not a zoo. Visitors aren't allowed onto the property to view the elephants, and only a handful of media members are able to visit each year, in an effort to make the animals' lives as natural as possible. "In order to accommodate the public, you would have to take away from the elephants," Buckley said. "People have their own emotions, that energy," Buckley said. "If you feel fear and they get close, they're going to get hit with your energy. For Buckley, the journey to running the sanctuary -- which operates on private donations and corporate sponsorships -- started with Tarra. Studying to be a circus trainer, she bought the elephant, then just a year old, and trained her to perform. But as the years passed and the relationship between animal and trainer strengthened, Buckley came to believe that captivity, particularly in a traveling circus, was no life for an elephant. "I didn't realize that elephants in captivity were suffering and that to train and dominate an elephant was really breaking their spirit," she said. "When you come to love elephants, when you really come to understand them and love them, you want more for them. "And when you learn how elephants live in the wild, it just makes sense that you would want to create a space that resembles that so elephants can just be elephants." From years in the circus and in zoos, Buckley and Tarra made their way to a breeding program at a Canadian wildlife safari, where they met Blais. It was then that the idea for the Elephant Sanctuary was born. "We started talking about elephants in captivity and what we could do and what we should be doing for them, what they truly deserved," Blais said. At the preserve, the elephants feed themselves primarily by grazing -- the Asian elephants eat as much as 100 pounds of grass a day -- supplemented with grains and vitamins from the staff. They share space with deer, wild turkey, raccoons, skunks and other native Tennessee animals. Life in a circus, and in most zoos | [
"Where is the sanctuary located?",
"Where is the Elephant Sanctuary?",
"is the site open to the public?",
"What takes in old, injured, and abused animals?",
"What size is the facility?",
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] | [
[
"rural Tennessee."
],
[
"rural Tennessee."
],
[
"Visitors aren't allowed"
],
[
"The Elephant Sanctuary."
],
[
"2,700-acre"
],
[
"1995"
]
] | The Elephant Sanctuary takes in old, injured, abused animals .
2,700-acre facility is largest of its kind in the United States .
Site closed to the public to make elephants' lives closer to in the wild .
Donations have always exceeded needs, but economy not keeping up this year . |
HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Director Antoine Fuqua, the force behind films such as "Training Day" and "Shooter," turned his focus to creating CNN's exclusive short film "From MLK to Today," which airs at 7 p.m. ET Monday.
Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, 43, says he didn't believe he would see an African-American president in his lifetime.
Before flying off to the Sundance Film Festival to premiere his latest action-thriller, "Brooklyn's Finest," starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Don Cheadle, Fuqua, 43, stopped by the CNN newsroom in Hollywood to discuss the making of this film.
He outlined his vision for the piece, which chronicles America's civil rights journey from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Barack Obama.
CNN: As a filmmaker, you work with people like Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington. Why are you sitting here in our edit bay doing this project?
Antoine Fuqua: Because it's Martin Luther King, and because it's Barack Obama's story. And because it's CNN. It's important to be a part of history, and a part of inspiring people today. I think this is one of the biggest times in my life -- besides my children. So why wouldn't I be here? What else would I be doing except flying to Sundance to promote my movie! [Laughs] Watch a clip from "From MLK to Today" »
CNN: You were born in the '60s, so you were very young during the civil rights movement. You were barely out of diapers when Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Fuqua: I am familiar with the history because I love history. African-Americans -- I feel we cannot ever forget our past. Not in an angry or negative way -- just to know where we come from, so we get a better sense of where we're going, and how to get there, and what not to do. I don't think you can ever forget Martin Luther King and many other people who sacrificed, whose names we don't even know.
CNN: What do you remember from your childhood?
Fuqua: I remember being afraid at times. I remember the Black Panthers. When I was a little boy, the men that were around me were part of a movement. There was a lot of tension. There were a lot of weapons around. There was talk of FBI. I was a little kid, you know -- 6, 5 years old. I didn't really know what it meant. But there was a lot of fear -- a lot of fear of police, or of leaving your neighborhood.
CNN: Did you experience much racism growing up in Pittsburgh?
Fuqua: I remember a lot of racism. I mean, we used to get beat up by the police. We used to go to certain areas, and cops would slap you around, and grab you by your collar and treat you a certain way. I remember getting on a bus and drivers would treat us disrespectfully, assuming we were going to misbehave. And we were just going to school. I got into fights at school. ... No real reason, except for color of the skin. I don't think they even understood really.
CNN: Did you understand?
Fuqua: Not really. I didn't really understand it. I was used to it. I had an understanding of it at that age, which was I was black and they were white, and I was poor and they had money.
CNN: Did you think there were certain things you couldn't accomplish because you were black? What about being a director?
Fuqua: When I was a little kid, I used to sleep in my grandmother's basement, and I would read magazines, and books and things -- and I would dream of places I would go. I remember thinking, "Well, if it's just a matter of money to leave my neighborhood, then I have to make money."
Then I | [
"Where the film was screened?",
"Obama is compared with whom?",
"Antoine Fuqua who is?",
"Who is the filmmaker behind CNN From MLK to Today?",
"What does Fuqua discuss?",
"Who compares Obama with Denzel Washington?",
"What movie did Fuqua direct?",
"Where was latest project screened?",
"What festival was his latest project screened at?",
"What is the name of the filmmaker?",
"Who is director?",
"What does Fuqua discuss?"
] | [
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"Sundance"
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[
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[
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[
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[
"the making of this film."
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[
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[
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],
[
"Sundance Film"
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[
"Antoine Fuqua,"
],
[
"Antoine Fuqua,"
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[
"the making of this film."
]
] | Director Antoine Fuqua is filmmaker behind CNN's "From MLK to Today"
Fuqua discusses life, experiences with racism and the hope Barack Obama brings .
Fuqua, director of "Training Day," compares Obama with Denzel Washington .
Fuqua's latest feature-length project, "Brooklyn's Finest," screened at Sundance fest . |
HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Reality television featuring law enforcement officers on the beat is nothing new. A show featuring a lawman who makes jailed inmates wear pink underwear and uses actors to trick suspects, however, is a new twist. Maricopa Co. Sheriff Joe Arpaio now has his own TV show, "Smile: You're Under Arrest." Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- whose showy brand of justice has raised charges of discrimination and civil-rights abuses while making him a hero among fans of his tough-on-crime attitudes -- will star in "Smile: You're Under Arrest." The show, which premiers this weekend on Fox Reality Channel, features Arpaio and other officers using elaborate ploys crafted by comedy writers and carried out by professional actors to arrest suspects with outstanding warrants. In one, a suspect is invited to a fake fashion shoot and told he's going to become a supermodel, according to Fox Reality's Web site. In another, a suspect is tricked into what he thinks is a job as a movie extra and, after a staged argument between the film's "director" and another actor, gets promoted to the starring role. "It's kind of fun to show how stupid they are and, as I say, the looks on their face," Arpaio, 76, said of the suspects wanted for DUIs, drug charges, missed court dates and other offenses. Watch Arpaio explain his methods » But Arpaio's critics aren't amused. They say they fear the show will give the controversial sheriff positive publicity, ignoring what they call a darker side to his 16-year tenure as top lawman in the county that includes Phoenix. "It's going to celebrate a sheriff that's frankly scaring this community, a sheriff that has seen violent crime increase significantly in his county, a sheriff that is racially profiling the Latino community, and I doubt that the show is going to reflect that," said Paco Fabian, spokesman for the immigrant-rights group America's Voice. In a statement on the group's Web site, Fabian calls Arpaio a "modern day Bull Connor," comparing him to the public safety commissioner in 1960s Birmingham, Alabama, whose use of attack dogs and firehoses on civil rights demonstrators made him a symbol of racial intolerance. Dubbed "America's Toughest Sheriff," Arpaio makes many of his county's 10,000 or so inmates live in tents. He reinstituted chain gangs -- including crews for women and juveniles -- banned smoking, coffee and movies in his jails and, most recently, moved to require all inmates with money in their jail accounts to pay for their own meals. And then, of course, there's the pink underwear. "They were stealing the white underwear, smuggling the underwear out of the jail," Arpaio told CNN. "So you know what? Give them pink. The other reason is they hate pink. Why would you give the 10,000 inmates the color they like?" Earlier this year, the mayor of Phoenix wrote a letter to the U.S. attorney general's office, asking the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division to investigate Arpaio's aggressive illegal immigration crackdowns. Mayor Phil Brown wrote that Arpaio's sweeps show "a pattern and practice of conduct that includes discriminatory harassment, improper stops, searches and arrests." The letter came after Arpaio, who had already been the target of hundreds of lawsuits, launched a series of what he calls crime-suppression patrols in largely Latino neighborhoods. Critics say the patrols use racial profiling to unfairly target Hispanic drivers and pedestrians, while Arpaio says they have resulted in the deportation of hundreds of illegal immigrants, including some with criminal records. "We are the only ones cracking down on the state's human smuggling law," Arpaio said. Fabian said America's Voice is considering putting pressure on companies that advertise during Arpaio's show. Either way, the series offers another moment in the spotlight for a lawman who has never shied away from it. "I'm not going to brag," Arpaio | [
"What is the name of Sheriff Arpaio's show?",
"Who now has his own TV show?",
"What is the show called.",
"What has Arpaio been criticized for?",
"Who has his own tv show now?",
"Who has a TV show?",
"Who has their own TV show?",
"What was the show?",
"Who has been critized?",
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"What is the show's name?"
] | [
[
"\"Smile: You're Under Arrest.\""
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[
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[
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"Maricopa Co. Sheriff Joe Arpaio"
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"Maricopa Co. Sheriff Joe Arpaio"
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[
"\"Smile: You're Under Arrest.\""
],
[
"Sheriff Joe Arpaio"
],
[
"makes jailed inmates wear pink underwear and uses actors to trick suspects,"
],
[
"\"Smile: You're Under Arrest.\""
]
] | Maricopa Co., Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio now has own TV show .
Arpaio proud of sometimes unorthodox methods, has been criticized for them .
Show, "Smile: You're Under Arrest," gets people with outstanding warrants . |
HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Singer Christina Aguilera joins fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing Thanksgiving night on CNN. Christina Aguilera performed her hit single "Beautiful" at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,000 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, pays tribute to the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008. Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, has been named the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year. McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, received the honor at Saturday night's taping of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." The telecast airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Thanksgiving on the global networks of CNN. McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast. "To the country and the world, I ask you to please join us," McCartney said. "Together we can continue to rebuild families' homes and lives. ... If you join us, we'll be unstoppable." Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper, "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" features moving musical performances by Aguilera, Keys and Legend. Watch a preview of the show, including Aguilera's performance » Aguilera performed her hit single "Beautiful." Legend, backed by the world-renowned Agape Choir, brought the audience of more than 2,000 to their feet with his powerful call to personal action, "If You're Out There," from his just-released album, "Evolver." Keys sang "Superwoman," her tribute to women around the world, from her hit album "As I Am." All three performances echoed the spirit of the CNN Heroes campaign, which salutes everyday people accomplishing extraordinary things in their communities and beyond. "In this time of economic turmoil, it is such a relief to know that there are people like these heroes, people who care more for others than they do for themselves," Cooper said. The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 3,700 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000. Watch a close-up look at the CNN Hero Award » Actors Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski, Forest Whitaker, Meg Ryan, Terrence Howard, Lucy Liu, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Selena Gomez were among the stars joining in CNN's tribute to the top 10. See photos of the presenters » In addition, actor Hugh Jackman presented People magazine's 2008 Heroes Among Us award to six recipients honored by the magazine. Award-winning producer-director Joel Gallen returned to executive produce this year's program. Among his credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, winning an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes." The Kodak Theatre is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. In addition to its airing on CNN, the second annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" will air simultaneously on CNN International and CNN en Español at 9 p.m. ET Thursday (0200 GMT Friday). In alphabetical order, the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 as chosen by the blue-ribbon panel are: Watch the members of the blue ribbon panel » Tad Agoglia, Houston, Texas: Agoglia's First Response Team provides immediate help to areas hit by natural disasters. In a little over a year, he and his crew have helped thousands of victims at more than 15 sites across the United States, free of charge. Yohannes Gebregeorgis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Moved by the lack of children's books and | [
"When does the show air?",
"Who was the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year?",
"When will it air globally?",
"What did Alicia Keys win?",
"Where is Liz from?"
] | [
[
"at 9 p.m. ET Thursday (0200 GMT Friday)."
],
[
"Liz McCartney,"
],
[
"9 p.m. ET/PT on Thanksgiving"
],
[
"Grammy Award"
],
[
"St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana,"
]
] | 2008 CNN Hero of the Year is Liz McCartney of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana .
Grammy winners Christine Aguilera, Alicia Keys and John Legend perform .
The show honors the top 10 CNN Heroes as selected by a distinguished panel .
It airs globally at 9 p.m. ET November 27 (0200 GMT November 28) |
HOLLYWOOD, Florida (CNN) -- A man serving a life sentence for robbing a drugstore has confessed to overpowering and fatally shooting a deputy who was taking him to court Wednesday, authorities said. Michael Mazza, 40, was arrested outside a pawn shop in Hollywood, Florida, hours after the death of Broward County Deputy Paul Rein sparked a massive manhunt. It was the third shooting of a Broward County sheriff's deputy in four months, and the second fatality. The incident happened as Mazza was being taken to the second day of his trial in connection with the armed robbery of a Coral Springs bank, Sheriff Al Lamberti said. Mazza was being transported in a medical van because of a medical condition, Lamberti said. The driver's compartment of the van was separated from the back by a cage or grill. Mazza and Rein left about 8:05 a.m., Lamberti said. Minutes later, a truck driver who saw all or part of the altercation near Pompano Beach called 911. "All of this transpired within six minutes. That's all it took," Lamberti said. The struggle began when Rein apparently pulled the medical transport van over at an intersection. The deputy's body showed other injuries from the fight -- a broken finger, bruises and cuts, Lamberti said. Mazza allegedly took Rein's service weapon away from him and shot him, authorities said. Although two shots were fired, Rein was shot only once, the bullet entering his upper chest and exiting his lower back, Lamberti told reporters. After the shooting, Mazza is believed to have thrown Rein from the van and driven away. A city public works employee later spotted the blood-spattered van in Fort Lauderdale, Lamberti said. Mazza, meanwhile, is believed to have hitchhiked his way down to Hollywood, about 20 miles away. He approached a man at a pawn shop and asked for a ride. The man, who was headed to a second pawn shop, agreed. When the man arrived at the second pawn shop, he left Mazza in the car and went inside, Lamberti said. As he was talking to the clerk, a television in the shop began broadcasting news about the deputy's shooting, and showed a picture of Mazza, he said. The man "tells the clerk, 'Hey, I have that guy in my car,' " Lamberti said. He went back to the car, took his keys, came back and told the clerk to call police. Mazza was arrested shortly afterward. Rein's gun was found with Mazza in the man's car, the sheriff said. Mazza faces charges including first-degree murder and escape, Lamberti said. He was being interviewed by police Wednesday afternoon and was to appear before a judge at some point, he said, and afterward would be transported to Dade County Jail. Because the shooting was "an emotionally charged event for all of us ... we feel it's probably better that he be housed at another facility outside of Broward County," Lamberti said, and Dade County agreed to house him. Mazza initially was reluctant to talk to authorities, but later agreed, and confessed to shooting Rein, the sheriff said. He offered no details. Lamberti said Mazza was serving a life sentence for robbing a drugstore in Coconut Creek, correcting his earlier statement that Mazza was serving two life sentences. He was on trial for robbery of the Coral Springs bank. Broward County also has a pending case against Mazza -- a February drugstore robbery in Pompano Beach, he said. Mazza was dressed in civilian clothes -- a suit -- rather than jail scrubs Wednesday because he had a court date, authorities have said. When caught, however, Mazza was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers, Lamberti told reporters. Police are investigating whether he had planned the escape in advance and whether anyone helped him. Rein's co-workers told reporters he was "in outstanding condition physically." The sheriff's office has fitness-for-duty standards that deputies must meet. Broward County deputies | [
"Who faces charges?",
"Who said it transpired within six mintues?",
"Who was the deputy transporting to court?",
"Who was being transported to court?",
"Mazza was apprehended after a massive manhunt",
"What charges does the suspect face?",
"Who was apprehended?"
] | [
[
"Michael Mazza,"
],
[
"Lamberti"
],
[
"Michael Mazza,"
],
[
"Michael Mazza,"
],
[
"arrested"
],
[
"including first-degree murder and escape,"
],
[
"Michael Mazza,"
]
] | NEW: Deadly struggle "transpired within six minutes. That's all it took," sheriff says .
NEW: Suspect faces charges including first-degree murder and escape .
Incident happened as the deputy was transporting Michael Mazza to court .
Mazza was apprehended after a massive manhunt . |
HOLLYWOOD, Florida (CNN) -- The slot machines are ringing, music is blasting at the crowded poolside bar, and people are dancing to celebrity DJs at hip nightclubs. But this is not a scene on the Las Vegas strip. This action is taking place on an Indian reservation. Richard Bowers Jr. says the Native American Group is intended to help tribes with basic needs. Business at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, is booming and contributing to the Seminole Indian Tribe's great wealth. Now the Seminoles are taking that wealth -- and the power that comes with it -- and using it to do something that has not been done before: organizing Native American tribes with the intent of spreading economic opportunities across Indian Country. "Some of these reservations I have been to -- it's like the Third World right here in the United States," says Richard Bowers Jr. As president of the Seminole Tribe of Florida Inc., Bowers has oversight over all the Hard Rock cafés, hotels and casinos in the world except the café in London and the casino in Las Vegas. The Seminole Tribe purchased the Hard Rock properties in 2007 for a reported $965 million. Bowers, a former alligator wrester and cattle rancher, is thankful for his tribe's success and has used his influence to create a consortium of Native American Tribes called the Native American Group. The goal of this group is to bring tribes throughout the United States and Canada together in an effort to promote Native American-owned businesses and services. Keeping the dollar within Indian Country, Bowers hopes, will help the less fortunate tribes with basic needs such as housing, food and education. "I view this as historic in nature," says Donald Laverdure, the chief legal counsel from Montana's Crow Tribe. "We haven't had first-nation to first-nation actually occur, and now with the success of the Seminoles and others, they have an opportunity to help tribes such as ourselves." The help that the Crow Nation seeks is financial. For the Crow Tribe, gaming is not an option, according to Laverdure. "There's less population, so the success in gaming cannot be paralleled as elsewhere," he says. "So we've always viewed our future in energy." That energy would come from coal. The Crow Tribe wants to mine some of the 9 billion tons of coal that it estimates is on its land. Crow Nation Chairman Cedric Black Eagle hopes the success of his tribe will lie in turning coal into liquid diesel. "It will open the door for Indian Country in energy fields and help this country start veering away from its dependence on foreign oil," he says. As the group meets to discuss coal, Bowers recalls that it was the need for beef that prompted his idea for the Native American Group. "Here we have all these cafes, casinos -- everybody eats a hamburger," says Bowers. "And than (I) realized that we don't have enough beef to supply our own needs, and that's when I reached out to other Native Americans that did have cattle." Bowers discovered there are more than 2 million heads of cattle on Indian land. If there is not enough cattle on Indian land, then members of the group are encouraged to keep the business in the country and buy American. The Native American Group has come a long way since Bowers was looking for cattle. The group now has more than 100 tribal members and more than 100 Native-owned businesses. One successful business that joined the group is the largest Native American-owned contractor, Flintco. Robin Flint Ballenger, who is Cherokee, is its chairman of the board. "It wasn't a far stretch for me at all to take a risk on this new organization because we are successful, we're doing very well," says Ballenger, who adds that a third of the company's work is done for Native America. One of the projects Flintco is working on is a casino being built on Choctaw tribal land in Durant | [
"What will help less fortunate tribes?",
"Which tribe owns the property?",
"How many Native-owned businesses are a part of The Native American Group?",
"How many businesses are owned by the Native American Group?",
"Who owns Hard Rock properties?",
"What Native American tribe owns Hard Rock properties?"
] | [
[
"Keeping the dollar within Indian Country, Bowers hopes,"
],
[
"Seminole"
],
[
"more than 100"
],
[
"more than 100"
],
[
"The Seminole Tribe"
],
[
"Seminole Indian"
]
] | Seminole Tribe owns Hard Rock properties, looks to help unify Native Americans .
The Native American Group is a consortium of various tribes .
Keeping the dollar within Indian Country seen as way to help less fortunate tribes .
Group now includes more than 100 Native-owned businesses . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Bamboo, woven into the shape of human stomachs. Red, sky blue and orange pencil shavings glued onto a large canvas form a woman's traditional hair clip. A collage of magazine clippings, drawings and found materials depict Cambodia's tumultuous modern history.
Leang Seckon's "Prison Guard" depicts Duch, who is facing a genocide tribunal starting Tuesday.
These are a few of the offerings on hand in Hong Kong at one of the first large international exhibitions of artists from Cambodia. The work by 14 artists varies in practice-- video, photography, collage, wood shavings, paper, bamboo and painting-- as well as in themes, from reflecting on the Southeast Asian nation's genocidal Khmer Rouge regime to the emerging modern Cambodia, with traffic lights and all.
"Every artist in this show is referencing ancient tradition and recent history," said Phnom Penh-based curator Erin Gleeson, noting the wall-size depiction in folded paper of the serpent Naga (which in Cambodian culture represents the people's mythical birth) to a collage of 20th-century Cambodia and its six different regime changes.
"The show is looking at the present -- 'Forever Until Now' is the title -- and it is this lineage of the past, you see that in the show, and then you see artists that arrive at the present," she added.
The show opens Friday and runs through March 22 at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery. Gallery owner and director Katie de Tilly said she believed it was important the artists get international exposure.
" ... it's really at the beginning of their art emergence. Obviously, they've had a very hard history," she said. "This is really the beginning of contemporary Cambodians who are expressing very original ideas in their artworks and I think that that's what makes it very unique and to show to the rest of the world."
Cambodia, which lost an estimated one-quarter of its population or at least 1.7 million people -- including an estimated 90 percent of its artists -- under the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, has a small but growing artistic community: there are some 50 practicing artists out of its 14 million people, Gleeson said.
The genocide and ensuing war, which only ended in the last decade or so, stifled the development of the arts in one of the world's poorest countries.
"The legacy of that is now in every facet of a developing society," said Gleeson, who noted the country had no art books when she arrived in 2002 on a fellowship to teach art history. "There's an absence of infrastructure for them, there's an absence of materials, there is no art store. ... they are quite inventive about mixing materials to make them of a higher quality or last longer, but in many cases they don't know archival techniques."
The harsh weather conditions -- a dusty, hot season and a rainy monsoon -- add to the trying work conditions.
"Everything's against them," she added. "Their parents in many cases are coming from a really disadvantaged background, as the majority of the country is economically."
Some of the art included in the show looks at the Cambodia of today, such as Leang Seckon's "Three Greens" -- an acrylic painting showing children in school uniform crossing a road with a yellow light, red light and three green lights, along with cows and roosters. The piece shows the changes in a country that recently got stop lights, with animals, people and traffic mingling on the main roads of the capital.
Sopheap Pich, a Cambodian-American whose family migrated to the U.S. in 1984, works with bamboo and rattan -- materials often used in Cambodian traditional farming and crafts -- to make sculptures.
His work, "Cycle 2," is the joining of the stomachs of an infant and an elderly person that for him brought up ideas of Cambodian traditional village life.
"You belong to each other, you help each other out," he said. "But also, if you look at the | [
"How many artists are now practicing their craft in the country?",
"What was stunted the arts in Cambodia?",
"What country is associated with the Khmer Rouge?",
"How many artists had their work displayed?",
"How many artists displayed their work?",
"What number of artists practice their craft in Southeast Asia?",
"What former Khmer Rouge leader is depicted?",
"Number of artists featured in the event?",
"Number of artist practicing their craft in the Southeast Asian country?"
] | [
[
"14"
],
[
"the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime,"
],
[
"Cambodia,"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"Duch,"
],
[
"14"
],
[
"14"
]
] | Fourteen artists, ranging in age and practice, displaying their works .
One work depicts Duch, a former Khmer Rouge leader facing genocide tribunal .
Cambodia's arts were stunted by the 1970s genocide and civil war .
Some 50 artists now practicing their craft in the Southeast Asian country . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- A 16-year-old Hong Kong boy makes two phone calls for delivery: One for pizza, the other for the drug ketamine. Two teenage girls are found semi-conscious in a car park after overdosing on ketamine. A 13-year-old boy joins a gang and is given free ketamine.
Glass capsules containing ketamine, which has become the drug of choice for Hong Kong's youth.
These are anecdotes told to CNN by police, a family doctor and a former gang member. Ketamine has become the drug of choice among young people, as the number of people under 21 taking drugs has surged 57 percent in the last four years in Hong Kong, said Commissioner for Narcotics, Sally Wong.
"We started off with a very small number of young people taking drugs. We are now more worried about the trend," Wong said. "We don't want a runaway trend; that's why we are stepping up action."
Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, can put users in a dazed stupor for about two hours, doctors said. Long-term use of ketamine can impair cognitive function and damage internal organs.
An oversupply of the drug in Hong Kong and the fact that it is cheaper than other narcotics makes ketamine popular with young people, said Superintendent Wilson Fok of the Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau.
One gram of ketamine sells on the street here for $13 and is enough to be shared with two other people, while cocaine, for example, sells for $103 a gram, Fok said.
The drug is legal for medical use, but it is trafficked into Hong Kong from other parts of Asia, such as India and mainland China, and sold on the streets illegally, Fok said.
Police have recently stepped up their efforts to crack down on drug use at clubs and bars in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, a city in mainland China just across the border. Nearly 120 alleged drug users from Hong Kong, mostly under the age of 30, were arrested at entertainment venues in Shenzhen in July and held for 15 days in sweeps that made headlines for days here.
However, narcotics police said entertainment venues are not the only places they find drug abuse. "Forty percent of young people abuse drugs in public toilets and playgrounds. That's what our recent data from last year shows," Fok said. "They want to find some other places to take drugs."
The problem has gotten so bad that authorities have decided to do something never done here before: random school drug tests.
Beginning in September, some two dozen schools will conduct tests, as part of a trial program. Officials say the drug screening will most likely be in the form of urine tests, though they are still working out the details. Ketamine can be detected in urine for at least three days, doctors said.
Dr. Cheng Chi Man, a family practice doctor, runs a seminar that trains doctors to detect the signs of drug abuse in young patients: drowsiness, skin problems, frequent urination (ketamine can affect bladder function) and frequent sick leave.
"When we were 10 years old, we were still in primary school watching TV and eating candy. But they are now taking drugs."
Alman Chan, principal of Hong Kong's only drug rehab school for youth, the privately-run Christian Zheng Sheng School, said he has watched as drug use has grown. See photos of the rehab school in remote Hong Kong »
"Just look at our school development. I was here 14 years ago. At that time, I was the only teacher. I had 18 kids. I only had one student who was 15," he said. "But now, I have one third -- about 40 of them -- who are 15 years old or younger. That shows you the number of students getting into drugs is bigger and also getting younger and younger."
There were a few reasons why children were getting involved with drugs, such as troubled homes and difficulties at school, he said. "People are | [
"In what country is it most popular?",
"What is the name of the drug rehab center for youth?",
"What are the effects of the drug Ketamine?",
"what is the top drug for young people in hong kong?",
"how much has drug use increased in the last four years?",
"how many arrests have been made?",
"What is the top drug choice?"
] | [
[
"Hong Kong"
],
[
"Christian Zheng Sheng School,"
],
[
"put users in a dazed stupor for about two hours,"
],
[
"ketamine,"
],
[
"57 percent"
],
[
"120"
],
[
"ketamine,"
]
] | Police: Ketamine is the top drug of choice among young people in Hong Kong .
Drug use among those under 21 has jumped 57 percent in the last four years .
Police stepping up crackdowns, say parks and public toilets hot spots for drug use .
Hong Kong has one drug rehab center for youth, located on a remote former pig farm . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- A 16-year-old Hong Kong boy makes two phone calls for delivery: One for pizza, the other for the drug ketamine. Two teenage girls are found semi-conscious in a car park after overdosing on ketamine. A 13-year-old boy joins a gang and is given free ketamine. Glass capsules containing ketamine, which has become the drug of choice for Hong Kong's youth. These are anecdotes told to CNN by police, a family doctor and a former gang member. Ketamine has become the drug of choice among young people, as the number of people under 21 taking drugs has surged 57 percent in the last four years in Hong Kong, said Commissioner for Narcotics, Sally Wong. "We started off with a very small number of young people taking drugs. We are now more worried about the trend," Wong said. "We don't want a runaway trend; that's why we are stepping up action." Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, can put users in a dazed stupor for about two hours, doctors said. Long-term use of ketamine can impair cognitive function and damage internal organs. Watch Pauline Chiou's report on ketamine sweeping Hong Kong » An oversupply of the drug in Hong Kong and the fact that it is cheaper than other narcotics makes ketamine popular with young people, said Superintendent Wilson Fok of the Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau. One gram of ketamine sells on the street here for $13 and is enough to be shared with two other people, while cocaine, for example, sells for $103 a gram, Fok said. The drug is legal for medical use, but it is trafficked into Hong Kong from other parts of Asia, such as India and mainland China, and sold on the streets illegally, Fok said. Police have recently stepped up their efforts to crack down on drug use at clubs and bars in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, a city in mainland China just across the border. Nearly 120 alleged drug users from Hong Kong, mostly under the age of 30, were arrested at entertainment venues in Shenzhen in July and held for 15 days in sweeps that made headlines for days here. However, narcotics police said entertainment venues are not the only places they find drug abuse. "Forty percent of young people abuse drugs in public toilets and playgrounds. That's what our recent data from last year shows," Fok said. "They want to find some other places to take drugs." The problem has gotten so bad that authorities have decided to do something never done here before: random school drug tests. Beginning in September, some two dozen schools will conduct tests, as part of a trial program. Officials say the drug screening will most likely be in the form of urine tests, though they are still working out the details. Ketamine can be detected in urine for at least three days, doctors said. Watch a doctor explain how the test works » Dr. Cheng Chi Man, a family practice doctor, runs a seminar that trains doctors to detect the signs of drug abuse in young patients: drowsiness, skin problems, frequent urination (ketamine can affect bladder function) and frequent sick leave. "When we were 10 years old, we were still in primary school watching TV and eating candy. But they are now taking drugs." Alman Chan, principal of Hong Kong's only drug rehab school for youth, the privately-run Christian Zheng Sheng School, said he has watched as drug use has grown. See photos of the rehab school in remote Hong Kong » "Just look at our school development. I was here 14 years ago. At that time, I was the only teacher. I had 18 kids. I only had one student who was 15," he said. "But now, I have one third -- about 40 of them -- who are 15 years old or younger. That shows you the number of students getting into drugs is bigger and also getting younger and younger." There were a few reasons why | [
"Where are the hot spots for drug use?",
"Where are the drugs mostly used?",
"How much has drug use in under 21s jumped?",
"Where are hot spots for drug use?",
"What is the top drug choice in Hong Kong among youth?",
"What is the top drug of choice in Hong Kong?",
"How much has drug use jumped in the under 21 crowd?",
"What are hot spots for drug use?",
"Where else are drug hotspots?",
"what types of drugs consumed",
"What is ketamine?",
"What is the top drug choice in Hong Kong?"
] | [
[
"Hong Kong's"
],
[
"Hong Kong"
],
[
"57 percent"
],
[
"public toilets and playgrounds."
],
[
"ketamine,"
],
[
"ketamine,"
],
[
"57 percent"
],
[
"clubs and bars in Hong Kong and Shenzhen,"
],
[
"public toilets and playgrounds."
],
[
"ketamine."
],
[
"an animal tranquilizer,"
],
[
"ketamine,"
]
] | Police: Ketamine is the top drug of choice among young people in Hong Kong .
Drug use among those under 21 has jumped 57 percent in the last four years .
Police stepping up crackdowns, say parks and public toilets hot spots for drug use .
Hong Kong has one drug rehab center for youth, located on a remote former pig farm . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- An imperial "dragon" throne owned by a Chinese emperor set the world auction record for Chinese furniture Thursday, selling for about US $11 million. Nicolas Chow of Sotheby's, pictured, said mainland Chinese buyers were "ready to pay the premium." There was frenzied bidding among mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan collectors at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong. Thirty-six bids came in 10 minutes, with tension building as a new telephone bidder jumped into the competition. "These mainland (China) buyers, mainland collectors are ready to pay the premium it takes to secure an object of this quality," said Nicolas Chow, international head of Chinese ceramics and art at Sotheby's. The winning bid of US $11,068,193 (HK $85,780,000) was by a private Shanghai businessman. It was nearly triple the estimate of US $3.9 million (HK $30 million), Sotheby's said. Watch why the throne is so prized » "This is the place from which the emperor conducted his stately affairs and received foreign envoys and basically, this is a seat of power," Chow said. "No one else should have sat down in this place." The throne belonged to Emperor Qianlong, who ruled from 1736-1795. The 4.6 foot-long (140 centimeters) piece is considered rare and prized because of the zitan wood from which it was carved. It also features carved panels, curved legs and an elaborate "Five Dragon" carving on the front and back. The number five represents the "five blessings" of old age, wealth, health, virtue and peaceful death, according to Sotheby's. Other pieces that sold Thursday included a celadon ground butterfly vase. The Qianlong period piece sold for US $2.74 million (HK $21.3 million). CNN's Pauline Chiou contributed to this report. | [
"What was the winning bid?",
"Where did the frenzied bidding occur?",
"who won the bid",
"where did the bidding take place",
"What does the throne have?",
"what was he bidding on",
"who was Qianlong ?",
"How much was the winning bid?",
"What does the throne have?",
"Who put forth the winning bid?",
"Who did the throne belong to?",
"Who were the bidders?",
"What was the winning bid?",
"What was the item on auction?"
] | [
[
"US $11,068,193"
],
[
"Hong Kong and Taiwan"
],
[
"a private Shanghai businessman."
],
[
"Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong."
],
[
"carved panels, curved legs and an elaborate \"Five Dragon\" carving on the front and back."
],
[
"imperial \"dragon\" throne"
],
[
"Emperor"
],
[
"US $11,068,193"
],
[
"carved panels, curved legs and an elaborate \"Five Dragon\" carving on the front and back."
],
[
"private Shanghai businessman."
],
[
"Emperor Qianlong,"
],
[
"Hong Kong and Taiwan collectors"
],
[
"$11 million."
],
[
"imperial \"dragon\" throne"
]
] | Private Shanghai businessman puts forth winning bid of US $11,068,193 (HK$85 M)
Frenzied bidding occurs among mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan collectors .
Throne has carved panels, curved legs and a "Five Dragon" carving on front and back .
It belonged to Emperor Qianlong, who ruled from 1736-1795 . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- As General Motors heads toward insolvency, the company that was once the biggest on the planet is still riding high in the world's most populous country. China is one bright spot in GM's dismal fortunes, but U.S. consumer activists have raised concerns. As the storied American company prepares to financially dismantle its operations between good and poor performing assets, GM China is becoming the crown jewel in the company's operations. "If there's a good GM and a bad GM, China is definitely going to be in the good GM side," said Michael Dunne, an auto analyst and managing director of J.D. Power and Associates China. But the company's build-up in China is raising concern for U.S. consumer advocates and members of the U.S. Congress. Of particular concern are plans to build cars for the U.S. market in China after thousands of GM workers were laid off at U.S. plants. "Do we really want the United States of America to export its auto industry paid for by the taxpayer, and un-employ workers to a dictatorship to a country like China?" said consumer advocate Ralph Nader. "Where's our self-respect as a nation?" Adds U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio: "That cannot be a part of their restructuring of this company. Their business plan cannot include more outsourcing of jobs while taking taxpayer money." Industry analysts say the decision is a simple matter of dollars and cents: GM is now the third-biggest car manufacturer in China, which has recently overtaken the U.S. as the world's largest car market. "Our business is run as separate joint-ventures here in China in partnership with SAIC ... so we're profitable, we fund our own investment and we would be largely independent of any action that took place in the US," said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China. "It seems as though they have enough going on out here that they will remain insulated from the bankruptcy back home," adds Dunne. "I see GM weathering the storm in Asia and holding on to what they've accomplished here and being able to ride it out here." CNN's Andrew Stevens and Jim Acosta contributed to this report | [
"Who is the third largest manufacturer in China?",
"Which country recently became the world's largest car market?",
"Who has become the world's largest car market?",
"the third largest manufacturer in China",
"Who is the third largest manufactirer in China?",
"Who said that the US should not export cars to China?",
"What does Nader say not to export?"
] | [
[
"General Motors"
],
[
"China,"
],
[
"China,"
],
[
"General Motors"
],
[
"GM"
],
[
"Ralph Nader."
],
[
"its auto industry"
]
] | GM China is the third largest manufacturer in China .
China became the world's largest car market in recent months .
Consumer activists and U.S. politicians deride plans to import GM cars .
Nader: Don't export U.S. auto industry to a "dictatorship" |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- From the runway to the store rack, Vivienne Tam is one designer who uses creativity and business acumen in equal measure. Leading fashion designer Vivienne Tam spoke to CNN's Andrew Stevens in The Boardroom. Since her start in the fashion business in the early '80s and establishing her own brand in the '90s, she has risen to fame with her east-meets-west styles. Today it's her skills in business which have expanded the label to some 30 stores worldwide, from New York to Beijing. CNN's Andrew Stevens caught up with the designer in Hong Kong to talk about what it's like to lead both the business and creative direction of a global fashion line. Tam: The business side is like designing, it's like I like the touch of the fabric, I like to know the details about it. And you feel about it, you know about the deal, because who's the person who knows what the best deal for you is? Yourself. It's like designing clothes, I love to know how to solve every single thing, you know. Like what kind of budget Stevens: It's just natural curiosity? Tam: Natural curiosity, I love it. I love every aspect of it. Stevens: Who have you learned your business skills from or have you made it up as you went along? Tam: I self-taught myself in business; I know nothing about the business, I learned everything -- about the pricing, the shipping, the contracts, everything -- by doing it. When you're doing it yourself, you know everything. If you don't do it, you just listen to somebody telling you how to do it, you're not experiencing it. Once you're experiencing it, you can grow so much from it. Once you experience it, you can go further, much further. It's a feeling of it. Stevens: When you won the Hong Kong businesswoman of the year award, you said that your mother was one of your greatest inspirations. How did she inspire you? Tam: She inspired me so much you know, like you say, the determination, persistence. When she really wanted to make something, she would really go to the end, she'd really want to make it happen and I see her, she's really the force behind me. We were quite poor, we had no money, my parents were working really hard. When I grew up, I saw them working so hard, and then deep inside myself that I wanted to change the situation, I wanted to make something, this one thing. Stevens: What do you think are the most important qualities for a businessperson? Tam: For me, it's most important, a vision, determination, and to never say no to yourself. And be open to criticisms, open to learning, and open to criticisms and knowing nothing about the business; nothing, so you can learn everything by knowing nothing, you know, and be successful in the things that you didn't know. Stevens: You work in a very creative industry, how do you keep your staff motivated in this industry, how do you keep them going, how do you keep them working for you? Tam: I always tell them my story, how I was in school when my teacher asked for one outfit -- I give them 8 outfits. I told them, do things that I didn't ask you, give me, do your work with passion, it's more important than "Oh, 6 o'clock, I have to leave." Do something that is out of the box. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who was Tam's inspiration?",
"What designer spoke with CNN?",
"Who was her inspiration?",
"When did she start in the fashion industry?",
"Who did Tam speak to at CNN?",
"When did Tam launch her own brand?",
"Who speaks to CNN's?",
"Who launched own brand in the '90s?"
] | [
[
"mother"
],
[
"Vivienne Tam"
],
[
"mother"
],
[
"early '80s"
],
[
"Andrew Stevens"
],
[
"in the '90s,"
],
[
"Vivienne Tam"
],
[
"Vivienne Tam"
]
] | Designer Vivienne Tam speaks to CNN's Andrew Stevens in The Boardroom .
She started in the fashion industry in the '80s, launched own brand in the '90s .
Said her mother was inspiration when made Hong Kong businesswoman of the year . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Hong Kong authorities Sunday announced that two recalled candy products made by British confectioner Cadbury had high levels of melamine. The industrial chemical has recently been found in Chinese-made milk products that have sickened nearly 53,000 children in China, killing four. Countries around the world have since banned the import of Chinese products containing milk, or have withdrawn products that contain milk from China -- such as candy -- amid worries they contain melamine. Last week, Cadbury recalled all of its Chinese-made candy products after preliminary tests showed they contained trace amounts of melamine. Cadbury took the action because "no level of melamine is appropriate," spokesman Tony Bilsborough told CNN on Sunday. He could not comment on the latest test results. The company stresses that its products manufactured at its Beijing plant are only exported to Taiwan and Hong Kong, with one product -- Cadbury Eclair -- sent to Australia, Nauru and Christmas Island. Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety tested 104 samples of products made by a variety of manufacturers, including Cadbury, Nestle, and some U.S. and Chinese companies. Only two of the samples showed unsatisfactory levels of melamine -- Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate (bulk pack 5kg) and Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate (bulk pack 5kg). The sample of the Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate contained melamine levels of 65 ppm (parts per million) which is more than 25 times the acceptable level of 2.5 ppm, according to Hong Kong's government. According to the center, a child weighing 22 pounds (10kg) would have to eat more than 10 small pieces of the hazelnut chocolate to surpass the tolerable daily intake. An average adult weighing 132 pounds (60kg) would have to eat more than 112 small pieces to surpass the level. The melamine levels in the samples of Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate were 6.9 ppm -- more than twice as high as the legal limit of melamine. Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety said it will continue to test dairy products and other products with dairy ingredients. Test results on other products -- including milk powder, soya drinks, yogurt, butter, baby food and frozen confections -- would be released on Monday, it said. Chinese authorities have implicated 22 Chinese dairy companies in the tainted milk scandal. Investigators suspect people watered down milk in an attempt to sell more of it, and added melamine in order to fool quality checks, Chinese authorities have said. The toxic chemical is used to bolster apparent protein levels in diluted or poor-quality milk. On Saturday China announced that a test of 607 batches of liquid milk from 27 cities found the samples to be melamine-free, state-run media said. The tests were the sixth Chinese officials have carried out since melamine was discovered in powdered infant formula last month. Chinese authorities have promised to subsidize farmers hit by the shrinking demand for milk, the news agency Xinhua said. Among them is the northern Hebei province, which has earmarked 316 million yuan ($46.1 million) for subsidies. That translates to giving a farmer 200 yuan ($29) per cow, Xinhua said. Melamine is used to bolster apparent protein levels in diluted or poor-quality milk. Chinese authorities have arrested 40 people in connection with the scandal, including two brothers who could face the death penalty if convicted. Authorities have implicated 22 Chinese dairy companies in the scandal. | [
"How many children died from Chinese milk products",
"What did cadbury do?",
"What has been recalled?",
"How many children have died?",
"What do the products have high levels of?",
"Who said Cadbury products had high levels of melamine?",
"What country is Hong Kong located in?",
"What is melamine?",
"What is in the milk that made children in China ill?"
] | [
[
"four."
],
[
"recalled all of its Chinese-made candy products"
],
[
"Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate (bulk pack 5kg) and Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate (bulk pack 5kg)."
],
[
"four."
],
[
"melamine."
],
[
"Hong Kong authorities"
],
[
"China"
],
[
"is used to bolster apparent protein levels in diluted or poor-quality milk."
],
[
"high levels of melamine."
]
] | Hong Kong authorities say two Cadbury products have high levels of melamine .
Cadbury recalled all of its Chinese-made candy products last week .
Chinese milk products have sickened nearly 53,000 children in China, killing four . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- In Hong Kong, where the alert level has been raised to "emergency" after reporting its first case of swine flu, authorities are trying to keep the H1N1 virus from spreading through the metropolis of 7 million people through quarantine, stepped-up border measures and surveillance. Quarantined guests and hotel employees wave through the glass of the main entrance of Hong Kong's Metro Park Hotel. The quarantine has extended beyond the single confirmed case, a 25-year-old Mexican man, to include more than 340 people. They include: two taxi drivers, two fellow taxi passengers, a local friend, 36 passengers within a three-row vicinity of the patient aboard a China Eastern flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and 300 guests and staff at the Metropark Hotel he checked into. All have been put on the antiviral drug, Tamiflu. Among the two cab drivers, one was suspected of taking the patient from the airport to the hotel, and another was believed to have taken him from the hotel to the hospital. Authorities are seeing another 40 to 50 guests whose names are on the hotel's guest list. Some of them left their luggage behind. "They are gambling with their health, jeopardizing public health safety," said Dr. York Chow, secretary for Food and Health, appealing to the guests to come forward. In addition to the Metropark Hotel in Wanchai district, the Lady Maclehose Holiday Village is being used as an isolation center during the one-week quarantines. The government has assured that people under quarantine will have their visas automatically extended, their hotel lodging fees waived and their onward journeys prepared. The Wanchai hotel is providing guests $200 worth of free overseas telephone calls daily. The isolation order, which went into effect Friday night, is to expire Friday at 8:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. ET) -- the length of an incubation period for swine flu. The isolation order did not extend to the air crew or remaining passengers aboard the China Eastern flight. An airplane's air exchange rate is high compared to that in an office or hotel, explained Yuen Kwok-yung, chair of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong. "Risk is very low on a plane," he said. So far, there have been no further confirmed cases of swine flu, and no Hong Kong pigs have tested positive for the virus, Yuen said. | [
"which is the name of the virus?",
"Who is included among confined persons?",
"How long will they remain in quarantine?",
"Who was quarantined in Hong Kong?",
"How many people were quarantined in Hong Kong?",
"How many rows were people confined from?"
] | [
[
"H1N1"
],
[
"They include: two taxi drivers, two fellow taxi passengers, a local friend, 36 passengers within a three-row vicinity of the patient aboard a China Eastern flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and 300 guests and staff at the Metropark Hotel he checked into."
],
[
"one-week"
],
[
"guests and hotel employees"
],
[
"340"
],
[
"three-row vicinity"
]
] | More than 340 people quarantined in Hong Kong following single case of H1N1 .
Those isolated due to remain in quarantine until Friday .
Confined persons include 36 travelers in three-row vicinity of sick man aboard flight . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- In ancient China, a hat tells of social rank. For the six Ngan siblings, hats tell the story of their rise to fortune. A shop assistant displays a Beijing 2008 Olympic Games baseball cap. The Ngan siblings grew up in a poor rural village in China's Fujian province in the 1960s and 1970s in the newly established communist China. People in Fujian and elsewhere in mainland China would speak of the fortunes that could be made in the booming Hong Kong economy. Occasionally, the talk would lead some to move to the international capitalist enclave. Today, the siblings operate their own headwear making and cosmetic trading businesses. One sister's company is the only licensed headwear manufacturer for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. "Everybody has opportunities in Hong Kong, it's up to you if you'll take the chance, and make use of your talents," says the third and the eldest sister, Ngan Po Ling, Pauline. If the hat fits, wear it None of the Ngan siblings wear hats regularly. They say hats don't really fit their oriental faces. The eldest brother Ngan Shun Kwing, without any other job offers, found work at a hat factory when he first arrived in Hong Kong in 1972. Four years later, Ngan Shun Kwing started his own hat company with his second brother. "Doing your own business is better than being employed," Ngan Shun Kwing, now 55, says. "I have no qualifications, nobody hires me. And, when can you earn millions as a factory worker?" The family united in 1980 when the parents and four younger siblings obtained approval to move to Hong Kong. Some of them, including their father, helped with the hat business. The company grew and later branched out to Global Headwear Ltd., which owns factories in China, Cambodia and Bangladesh with more than 10,000 workers, offices in six U.S. cities and major clients include Polo Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch. The three Ngan brothers and some of their children manage the corporation, which has also diversified in mining and recycling. The three sisters are also entrepreneurs, but only the fourth sibling, Ngan Po Wan, Wendy, 45, is out of the headwear trade. She started Kingstar International Trading Ltd. in 1992 with her husband and the company is now the Hong Kong, Macau and China distributor of world-famous skin care products, including Guinot and La Colline. Pauline, 48, also started a company with her husband, Ngan Hei Keung. In 1986 the couple began trading headwear and promotional goods and later the company formed the group, Mainland Headwear Holdings Ltd., which was listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2000. "My elder brothers' success is the spur and encouragement," Pauline says, "For us the younger ones, we follow their path." Mainland Headwear is a world leader in licensed headwear manufacturing. The company holds sole license to manufacture headwear for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and worldwide exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute FIFA World Cup headwear in Greater China and Japan from 2007 to 2014. Watch a spokeswoman lead a tour of the plant » Ngan Shun Kwing, Pauline and Wendy attributed their success to their parents' upbringing and tough rural life in Mainland China, which nurtured their exceptional diligence and determination in facing all challenges in life. From harsh rural life to Hong Kong Back in the quiet life in Chishui town in Dehua, Fujian, life was very different from Hong Kong's. The siblings ate sweet potatoes in congee (rice porridge), while receiving new clothes and enjoyed meat only once a year during the Chinese New Year. At night, they hardly had electric lights on. They spoke Fujian's Chinese dialect Hokkien and the national language Putonghua. The family did small businesses. Ngan Shun Kwing and Pauline were sent to the nearby mountain Daiyun Shan to learn from farmers during the Cultural Revolution's "Down to the Countryside Movement." "The hardest life in the world is being a farmer." Ngan Shun Kwing says. | [
"Who has opportunities?",
"Who began their fortune?",
"What did Pauline say?",
"what caused thier success?",
"what is the name of the company?",
"What paved their success?"
] | [
[
"\"Everybody"
],
[
"six Ngan siblings,"
],
[
"\"Everybody has opportunities in Hong Kong, it's up to you if you'll take the chance, and make use of your talents,\""
],
[
"to their parents' upbringing and tough rural life in Mainland China,"
],
[
"One sister's"
],
[
"\"My elder brothers'"
]
] | "Everybody has opportunities in Hong Kong," Ngan Po Ling, Pauline says .
Mainland Chinese siblings began their fortune in headwear making .
Pauline's company is the Beijing Olympics' licensed headwear manufacturer .
Parents' upbringing and tough life experiences in China paved their success . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Jackie Chan: A-list Asian megastar, iconic kung fu hero to millions and basically a really famous guy. We had been pursuing an in-depth interview with him for months through "The JC Group," Jackie's all-conquering management company.
Gaining access to Jackie Chan's personal "museum" uncovered many gems during filming.
Schedules conflicted, dates came and went - then finally a breakthrough. He was setting aside an afternoon in between a dizzying array of international commitments. Better still, we would be filming in Jackie's Hong Kong den -- his office which is home to a private "museum" of memorabilia and awards collected over the years.
Jackie Inc. is a sprawling, multi-tentacled empire with offices all over the world - but his hideaway is in a particularly charmless area of Hong Kong. Once inside the dreary office block, you pass a team of people working on JC merchandise and into Jackie's inner sanctum.
The first thing that confronts you is the ordered chaos in his suite of rooms. Clearly incapable of throwing anything away, his office is littered with props, costumes, trophies (including several for his bowling skills), CDs, and -- some might say -- junk.
He is also a compulsive collector. As he later tells us, if a friend gives him a gift such as a tea cup, he begins amassing tea cups until he has to build glass display cases to house his out-of-control collection.
Another obsession is antique locks, including one vast, heavy model he hand-carried back from Turkey.
Our first sighting of Jackie is odd. We were told he is a very late riser and the main challenge of the shoot for his staff was getting him out of bed. Instead, he arrives early, unannounced and on his own - a rarity with film stars.
We are still setting up and he stares at us blankly through thick glasses, then disappears into his gym without a word. We begin to wonder if he actually knows about the interview.
Introductions are finally made and the effusive, likeable Jackie Chan is alive and well. He throws himself into the idea of us filming him working out - putting on a bright yellow sweat suit, then pouring out the sweat from his sleeve after 40 minutes on the cross trainer.
During the interview, he is animated and a great story teller, discussing brushes with the triads and the last time he saw Bruce Lee alive.
As China's Olympic poster boy, he was clearly uncomfortable discussing Tibet and drew the distinction between sport and politics currently favored by the IOC.
Our eventual guided tour took in his room of autographed film star photographs (Robert De Niro his most treasured) and his personal walk-in wine chiller, which was naturally behind a false wall.
His business drive is evident. His merchandising arm produces clothes, glasses and Jackie Chan action figures, while he also dabbles in gizmos that interest him - he owns the distribution rights to the Segway in Hong Kong and cheerfully taught Anjali how to ride one.
Exhausted, we took our leave after a five hour shoot while Jackie still appeared to be warming up. The following day he left for Japan - ahead of Olympic duties on the Great Wall of China and a quick skip over to India.
Unarguably "the hardest working man in showbusiness" -- when awake. E-mail to a friend | [
"How long was the shoot?",
"What did the personal office look like?",
"Who got to film in Jackie's hong Kong den?",
"What does Jackie Chan collect?"
] | [
[
"five hour"
],
[
"which is home to a private \"museum\" of memorabilia and awards collected over the years."
],
[
"(CNN)"
],
[
"props, costumes, trophies (including several for his bowling skills), CDs,"
]
] | Rare treat to film in Jackie's Hong Kong den .
Personal office looked like organized chaos and revealed his many collections .
Action superstar was still raring to go after exhausting five-hour shoot . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Like that other famous environmentalist, Thomas Friedman began his talk at the Asia Society in Hong Kong on December 16 with a simple PowerPoint slide. But that's where the similarities between Al Gore and The New York Times columnist end. Thomas L. Friedman has taken on a green hue with his latest book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded". Unlike Gore, Friedman is a distinctly different shade of green, a deeply pragmatic green that believes economic forces can usher in a revolution in environmental policy. He argues that systemic change simply requires showing the world that it needs green technology and letting pure economics do the rest. As a journalist, Friedman makes no claims to having scientific expertise in climate change. He is approaching it from a philosophical standpoint. Green capital Friedman's new book "Hot, Flat and Crowded" is not a major departure from his previous books. Whether he's discussing globalization or green industry, he is writing from his deep-seated belief in the markets. He is an unabashed capitalist. For Friedman, the system works but it's not immune to bad decision-making. Green industry like globalization will come of age if given the right market environment. His faith in capitalism is equal to that in green technology -- for him, these are two things that are clearly reconcilable. So how do we do this? America as the bastion for innovation, Friedman argues, should play a big role. In fact, he confesses it really isn't a book about the environment and energy, its a book about America. For Friedman, America is slipping down the ranks of hegemonic power and climate change is its big chance to reposition itself as a global leader. The environment is merely an allegory for how the U.S. will achieve this revival. As an extension of that argument, all countries need to do the same. Right now, no country has really taken the lead in environmental technology, so what we have at the moment is an all out race to the top. Indeed Friedman's book was written before the financial meltdown but recent events have furthered his argument that environmental technology is the solution of all solutions. It's a sentiment I also came across at the recent Clinton Global Initiative meeting. Green Dream Team Friedman seemed cautiously optimistic about Obama's ability to lead the green revolution. Given the disarray of many of America's financial institutions, it's unclear whether this new green message will get through. A glimmer of hope however is Obama's newly appointed energy secretary Steven Chu. There's been extensive chatter about him on environmental blogs in recent days with the media calling Chu the head of Obama's "Green Dream Team." Friedman made a ringing endorsement of Chu as did many in the audience that day. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate and the head of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, is seen as a promising choice for many environmentalists, one perhaps that proves Obama's intention to fulfill a key campaign promise on energy policy. Chu himself underwent an interesting move from physics to environmental technology. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 but left the world of Quantum Physics to study the science of global warming. As head of Berkeley National Lab, he led projects to the tune of $650 million channeling much of it towards green technology to develop advanced biofuels and solar power. Watch a video of Steven Chu from Berkeley University Changing light bulbs and leaders The audience listening to Friedman that day was clearly appreciative of his no-nonsense approach to the green issue. As Friedman puts it, "it's not about changing light bulbs, it's about changing leaders." He confessed to having attended too many Earth Day concerts in the past and that no matter how many celebrities you get to show up or how you offset the event, it won't be enough to set off this green revolution. So as I sat there wondering whether the fish the guests had been eating for lunch was sustainable, for Friedman, it didn't really matter. For his revolution, he had bigger fish to fry. | [
"What is the solution of all solutions?",
"What type of approach does he have to environmentalism?",
"Who also means to transform U.S economy?",
"Where did the author speak?",
"What is Friedman the author of?",
"What is the solution to all solutions according to Friedman?"
] | [
[
"environmental technology"
],
[
"a philosophical standpoint."
],
[
"Thomas L. Friedman"
],
[
"in Hong Kong"
],
[
"\"Hot, Flat and Crowded\"."
],
[
"environmental technology"
]
] | Journalist and author of "Hot, Flat and Crowded" spoke at Hong Kong event .
Pragmatic approach to environmentalism also a means to transform U.S. economy .
For Friedman, innovation in energy technology is solution of all solutions . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- On the eve of what was to become the biggest sale ever of a Chinese contemporary painting, Trevor Simon wanted to get the word out about "Execution," a painting he had hidden from everybody. The painting had been stored in a London warehouse for more than a decade after arriving from Hong Kong. "Not a single person in the world had seen it other than me for more than a decade," said the 36-year-old investment banking strategist by phone from London on Thursday. That includes his mother and the woman he loves. Beijing artist Yue Minjun's painting, inspired by the bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square in 1989, sold for 2.9 million pounds ($5.9 million) Friday night in London. The sale exceeded the 2.15 million pounds ($4.37 million) paid in June for the previous record, Yue's "The Pope." Simon remembers seeing the oil painting at Manfred Schoeni's gallery in Hong Kong during the late 1990s and how it fascinated him at first sight. "As soon as I saw it, my whole self changed," he said. "I realized that this stood for everything that was going on at the time, so I was stunned into silence literally. I saw what was happening in China. I was rising in banking, and I saw an execution of people who were smiling. "I saw that was what was going on in banking." Schoeni and Simon were already on friendly terms, and Schoeni had wanted to show him "Execution," which had been covered up. But when Simon insisted he wanted the painting, he recalled Schoeni telling him it wasn't going anywhere and was not for sale. But Simon said he would not leave and remembered saying: " 'Fine, have a drink with me.' And maybe I loosened his head a bit. After a couple hours, I struck a deal." A junior investment banker in his 20s at the time, Simon would spend $250,000 Hong Kong dollars ($32,200), or two-thirds of his annual salary, on "Execution." The painting reflected what he felt was going on in the world in which he worked: a soulless place. "While you can apply a good mind, the job eats your life. You spend 14 hours in the markets. A week in Paris, a week in London running around. No life. My girlfriend didn't want to be with me: 'I can't have you.'" She'd leave him and has since become engaged to someone else, he said. "It was not only an image of an execution of characters in front of the walls of Tiananmen, but an execution of me," he said, describing himself as "committed to this painting." Under the terms of the deal he struck with Schoeni, the painting was to be "out of sight for five years" and shipped to London, Simon explained. He described the painting -- at 3 meters (10 feet) wide and 1.5 meters (5 feet) high -- as "monumental," "physical," and "like a wall." He put "Execution" in a box, shipped it out of Hong Kong to London. "And it hasn't moved since that day. It's in a crusty warehouse behind a main road." He finds a key distinction between "Execution" and Francisco de Goya's "The Third of May, 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid" and Edouard Manet's "The Execution of the Emperor Maximilien of Mexico." In those, he said, "that's murder, true assassination of a political figure. But here [with "Execution"], it's far more potent. Because they're killed by culture." The laughing was a "response to unimaginable persecution," he said. "You don't know what the hell else to do. You're nervous. You're not laughing, 'Ha ha hee hee. | [
"What was two thirds of his salary?",
"Who is Yue Minjun?",
"What did his painting sell for?",
"What proportion of this annual salary did Simon spend on the painting?",
"Who is this article about?"
] | [
[
"$250,000 Hong Kong dollars ($32,200),"
],
[
"Beijing artist"
],
[
"2.9 million pounds"
],
[
"two-thirds"
],
[
"Trevor Simon"
]
] | Beijing artist Yue Minjun's "Execution" sold for record 2.9 million pounds ($5.9M)
In the painting, Simon saw metaphor for himself and his life in the bank world .
Simon spent two-thirds of his annual salary on the painting in the 1990s .
Under deal, Simon kept painting out of sight, shipped it out of HK to London . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- The United Nation's International Maritime Organization (IMO) has gathered this week in the shipping hub of Hong Kong to draw up new rules on ship recycling. Ship-breaking yards in Bangladesh are responsible for pollution and health problems. As the delegates meet in the city's Convention and Exhibition center overlooking the harbor, many of the vast container ships that glide past them will end up 1,500 miles away on the beaches of south east Bangladesh. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh take 80 percent of end-of-life ships, according to the NGO Platform on Shipbreaking, but critics of the U.N. convention being discussed fear the problems of pollution and poor working conditions these countries experience through badly regulated shipbreaking will not be properly addressed. Lee Adamson, the IMO's spokesperson, is confident the convention will be "a tremendous step forward in terms of health and safety for workers in the industry and for protection of the environment from end-of-life ships. It will set standards where none previously existed." But those standards don't go far enough for lawyer and head of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, Rizwana Hasan. She has been trying to clean up the dirty and dangerous industry through the law courts since 2003. Her passion and persistence led to a Bangladesh High Court ruling in March this year finally forcing the government to tighten its regulations of the trade. It has also brought her the Goldman Environmental Prize in April and increasing international attention. "Now I have an international connection, my opponents are taking me more seriously as a threat," she told CNN. The main objection of Hasan and the nongovernmental organization Platform on Shipbreaking against the IMO convention is that it fails to deal with the issue of pre-cleaning -- the removal of toxic materials from ships before they are beached and dismantled, which is often done by hand by laborers without any safety equipment. "Technical details about recycling are being discussed, but nothing about pre-cleaning of ships. It's the core issue. Pre-cleaning is when the majority of in-built toxic material of a ship is removed before being beached in a foreign country. Plus, nothing is being said against beaching -- Bangladesh's beaches have become a natural disadvantage," Hasan told CNN. Secretary-General of the IMO Efthimios E. Mitropoulos stated in his opening address of conference its aim "is to adopt a new convention on the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, while balancing the commercial and economic considerations of the industry." With perhaps too much emphasis on the economic considerations of the industry, Hasan believes the IMO is in effect legalizing shipbreaking in the name of ship recycling. "They're talking about the responsibility of the ship owners in building new ships, but not about the existing ships and what to do them," said Hasan. More ships to scrap The ship breaking industry is booming. Single-hull oil tankers have to be taken off the high seas by 2010, but the financial downturn has also become a major factor. With less trade in goods, container ships are being taken out of service and scrapped, as shipping lines can no longer afford to keep them afloat. In turn shipbreaking industries fuels local businesses in iron milling and create local markets for parts from ships, including anything salvaged, from doors and tables to nuts and bolts. Shipping companies often sell their decommission ships to intermediary companies that then sell the ships to breakers yards. Less scrupulous companies will not ensure the ships are as free of toxic materials as they should be before they are dismantled and even change their flag of convenience so they are not bound by the UN Basel convention on the exporting of toxic material. In 2006 legal actions instigated by Hasan were successful in turning away two toxic-laden ships from being beached in Bangladesh. The dangerous job of breaking up ships has migrated from dry docks in industrial countries to other ports across the world, where labor and environmental laws are not strictly upheld. While still happening on a smaller scale in India, it was because of tighter | [
"What is Hasan's profession?",
"Where is the meeting?",
"Where did the U.N. meeting take place?",
"What are sites of polluting and dangerous shipbreaking?"
] | [
[
"lawyer and head of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association,"
],
[
"Hong Kong"
],
[
"Convention and Exhibition center"
],
[
"Bangladesh"
]
] | U.N. meeting in Hong Kong to draw up new convention on ship recycling .
Eco lawyer Rizwana Hasan claims it won't stop dangerous shipbreaking practices .
Bangladesh beaches sites of polluting and dangerous shipbreaking .
Hasan succeeded in making Bangladeshi government clean up shipbreaking yards . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Unilever is recalling four batches of Lipton Milk Tea sold in Hong Kong and Macau after finding traces of the chemical melamine in the product, the company said Tuesday. Unilever Hong Kong Limited described it as a precautionary measure and said no other Lipton Milk Tea Powder products were affected. The announcement came a day after British confectioner Cadbury said it has recalled all of its Chinese-made candy products after preliminary tests showed they contained trace amounts of melamine. Some of the products were exported to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Nauru and Christmas Island, according to the company. They are the latest companies to get caught up in China's tainted milk scandal, which began earlier this month when authorities discovered melamine in powdered infant formula. Watch how scare affects companies outside China » Contaminated milk has sickened nearly 53,000 children in China, killing four. Countries around the world have since banned the import of Chinese products containing milk, or have withdrawn products that contain milk from China -- such as chocolates -- amid worries they contain melamine. Authorities have arrested 40 people in connection with the milk scandal, including two brothers who could face the death penalty if convicted. Investigators suspect people watered down milk in an attempt to sell more of it, and added melamine in order to fool quality checks, Chinese authorities have said. The toxic chemical is used to bolster apparent protein levels in diluted or poor-quality milk. Others arrested include 19 managers of pastures, breeding farms and milk-purchasing stations. Chinese authorities have said those arrested were involved in a network that made and sold melamine. Authorities have implicated 22 Chinese dairy companies in the scandal. Melamine is the same industrial contaminant from China that poisoned and killed thousands of U.S. dogs and cats last year. Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract ulcers, and eye and skin irritation. It also robs infants of much-needed nutrition. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said a company in Taiwan, the King Car Food Industrial Company, had recalled seven instant coffee and milk tea products that were sold in the United States under the Mr. Brown brand name. They contain a non-dairy creamer found to be contaminated with melamine. The FDA also recommends that U.S. consumers not eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy, which in China has been found to contain unacceptable levels of melamine. The candy's maker, Guanshengyuan, has recalled its exports of White Rabbit Cream Candy. | [
"What did Unilever recall?",
"What has been contaminated with melamine?",
"Which product was recalled?",
"What company recalled a tea beverage?",
"Where was the recalled tea sold?",
"What were Chinese milk products contaminated with?",
"What have been contaminated with melamine?",
"Where was the product sold?",
"How many batches were recalled?",
"Who recalled batches of Lipton MilkTea?"
] | [
[
"four batches of Lipton Milk Tea sold in Hong Kong"
],
[
"Lipton Milk Tea"
],
[
"Lipton Milk Tea"
],
[
"Lipton"
],
[
"Macau"
],
[
"melamine."
],
[
"Lipton Milk Tea"
],
[
"Hong Kong and"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"Unilever"
]
] | Unilever recalls four batches of Lipton Milk Tea sold in Hong Kong .
Unilever Hong Kong describes it as a precautionary measure .
Chinese milk products have been contaminated with melamine . |
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Yue Minjun acknowledges that "Execution," inspired by the bloody Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, is the most politically sensitive of his work. A section of Yue Minjun's "Execution," which the artist shows how human conflict is worth laughing at But while Tiananmen served as the catalyst, the oil painting should not be seen as depicting what happened at Tiananmen, the Beijing-based artist said this week through a translator in a phone interview. Billed by Sotheby's as "among the most historically important paintings of the Chinese avant-garde ever to appear at auction," "Execution" had been tucked away from sight until now. Its owner bought it from a gallery in Hong Kong a decade ago under condition that the painting not be shown in public because of its subject matter, according to Sotheby's. On Friday, it went on auction in London, a highlight in a contemporary arts sale that also included Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Untitled (Head)," Mark Rothko's "Untitled (Blue Divided by Blue)", Andy Warhol's "Jackie," Francis Bacon's "Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne," and Damien Hirst's "Adenosine." "Execution" would become the most expensive work of Chinese contemporary art at auction, selling for 2.9 million British pounds ($5.9 million). It eclipsed Yue's previous record, set in June when his "The Pope" sold for nearly 2.15 million British pounds ($4.37 million). The sale of "Execution" also comes on the same week another Yue piece, "The Massacre at Chios," sold for nearly $4.1 million at a Sotheby's auction of contemporary Chinese art in Hong Kong. Stretching across "Execution" is a long red building, suggesting Tiananmen's gate outside the Forbidden City. Is the painting of Tiananmen? "I want the audience not to think of one thing or one place or one event," he said from his Beijing home. "The whole world's the background." The red building, he explains, is simply something that's familiar to him as a Chinese artist. "As I said, the viewer should not link this painting to Tiananmen. But Tiananmen is the catalyst for conceiving of this painting." The background may make people think of Tiananmen because he is a Chinese artist. "But it should not be," he said. Yue painted "Execution" in a month -- in 1995. However, "it took me quite a long time for me to put the idea together." The big picture, he said, "it's on the whole world's human conflict that is worth laughing about." Drawing references to Francisco de Goya's "The Third of May, 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid" and Edouard Manet's "The Execution of the Emperor Maximilien of Mexico," the painting depicts a mock execution. Manet, it must be pointed out, modeled his painting after Goya's; and Yue's "Execution" mirrors both of those -- but with his trademark grinning clones, all likenesses of Yue himself. And the men in the position of being shot are shown in their underwear. "People feel freedom, most themselves, at home in their underpants," Yue said. And whereas in Goya's painting, the man's hands are up in resistance, the men's hands in "Execution" are down. "They are not fearing death," Yue said. "The laughs illustrate my deep feelings," he said. The viewer will feel happiness but also fear toward the future and the unknown, a universal sentiment, he said. "One might be very happy now but always unsure of what's going to happen next. "I think Chinese and the world have similar feelings in this respect," he said. As for the main figures that dominate the right-half of the painting, they assume the position of holding the guns, but without the guns themselves. "In my painting, they're | [
"How much did the painting sell for?",
"What is the name of the artist?",
"What is a record for contemporary Chinese art?",
"What painting sold for $5.9 million?",
"What price did \"Execution\" sell for?",
"What is the name of the painting?"
] | [
[
"2.9 million British pounds ($5.9 million)."
],
[
"Yue Minjun"
],
[
"2.9 million British pounds ($5.9 million)."
],
[
"\"Execution\""
],
[
"2.9 million British pounds ($5.9 million)."
],
[
"\"Execution,\""
]
] | NEW: "Execution" sold for $5.9 million, a record for contemporary Chinese art .
Yue: Tiananmen was catalyst for "Execution," but painting does not depict it .
The big picture is, the world's human conflict is worth laughing at, Yue says .
Owner tucked painting away from public view for a decade . |
HONG KONG, China (Reuters) -- Paul Lee got his liver from an executed Chinese prisoner; Karam in Egypt bought a kidney for his sister for $5,300; in Istanbul Hakan is holding out for $30,700 for one of his kidneys.
Doctors in Pakistan have been arrested for abducting people, drugging them and stealing their kidneys.
They are not so unusual: a dire shortage of donated organs in rich countries is sending foreigners with end-stage illnesses to poorer places like China, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Colombia and the Philippines to buy a new lease of life.
Lee, a 53-year-old chief subway technician in Hong Kong, was diagnosed with liver cancer in January 2005 but doctors denied him a transplant because they feared the tumor would spread.
A friend told him about a transplant hospital in China's north eastern Tianjin city and he signed up for a place. That April, he paid 260,000 yuan ($34,380) for a transplant -- surgery that saved his life.
"The hospital has connections with a lot of prisons," Lee told Reuters. "Mine came from an executed prisoner from Heilongjiang. I thank the donor deeply."
The World Health Organization estimates that 21,000 liver transplants are carried out annually, but medical experts put annual worldwide demand at at least 90,000.
Demand for kidneys also exceeds supply, and that has given rise to organ trafficking and a black market for rich people and "transplant tourists" who travel to poor countries to buy body parts from people with few other routes to a better living.
A donor in South Africa receives $700 for a kidney compared with $30,000 in the United States. A lack of transparency and little protection for donors has spurred calls by international bodies to crack down on, or at least regulate, the trade.
But even where the trade is banned, laws are often muddled or laced with loopholes, which are sometimes defended by vested interests.
And the unregulated route is much less complicated for the recipient. Any transplant procedure involving a living donor carries risks for the donor -- especially for liver transplants which involve removing part of the donor's liver.
The complications can include bleeding, infection, even death.
In the transplant trade, the recipient need not worry about, for example, exposing a living relative to that risk.
"It is cheaper and your next of kin is not taking the risk and you don't have to care for someone you don't know. Once you pay, it is discarded in a way, it is dispensable," said Luc Noel, a Geneva-based coordinator for Clinical Procedures at the World Health Organization.
China recently banned the sale of human organs and restricted transplants for foreigners, saying it must first meet demand at home for 2 million organs a year.
Only 20,000 transplants are carried out in China each year. Of these, 3,000 are liver transplants and 95 percent of them use livers from dead donors.
China defended its use of organs from executed prisoners, saying consent was obtained from convicts or their families. A transplant operation using the liver of a dead donor costs around $33,000 in China.
"What is important is the transparency, it has to be open to scrutiny ... if China makes its current system open to scrutiny and very transparent, that would do good," said the WHO's Noel.
In Asia, a cultural obsession with keeping the body of the deceased intact has stymied public organ donation programs.
Excluding China, Asia has fewer than 200 livers donated by people ahead of their death each year, said Lo Chung-man, professor of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at the University of Hong Kong.
Pakistan, where trade in human organs is not illegal, is turning into a "kidney bazaar", said the chief executive of Pakistan's Kidney Foundation, Jaffar Naqvi.
There are no confirmed figures for the number of foreigners coming to the country for new kidneys but Naqvi said there were 13 centers in Lahore alone which reported more than 2,000 transplants last year from bought kidneys.
Patients, mostly from Europe, Saudi | [
"Who wants to buy organs?",
"what is problem in rich states?",
"What are organ shortages?",
"Which country is turning into a \"kidney bazaar\"?",
"What is the cost for a new kidney?",
"What are transplant tourists",
"In what country is it legal to trade human organs for money?",
"WHAT HAS CREATED A TRADE FROM POORER COUNTRIES?",
"What countries are organs being purchased from",
"What has created the trade",
"What are \"transplant tourist\"?",
"what is going on in pakistan?",
"What are \"Transplant Tourists\"?",
"Where to \"transplant tourists\" travel?",
"What problem has organ shortages caused?",
"what is the price of the kidney",
"What or who is a transplant tourist?",
"WHAT DO \"TRANSPLANT TOURISTS\" BUY WHEN THEY TRAVEL?",
"Where is the trade in human organs legal",
"What country is this legal in?",
"What do they call people who buy organs from poor countries",
"What is the cost of a new organ?",
"Who travels to the poorer countries"
] | [
[
"foreigners with end-stage illnesses"
],
[
"dire shortage of donated organs"
],
[
"in rich countries"
],
[
"Pakistan,"
],
[
"$30,000 in the United States."
],
[
"who travel to poor countries to buy body parts from people with few other routes to a better living."
],
[
"Pakistan,"
],
[
"a dire shortage of donated organs"
],
[
"China, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Colombia"
],
[
"a dire shortage of donated organs in rich countries"
],
[
"who travel to poor countries to buy body parts from people"
],
[
"abducting people, drugging them and stealing their kidneys."
],
[
"who travel to poor countries to buy body parts from people with few other routes to a better living."
],
[
"poor countries"
],
[
"sending foreigners with end-stage illnesses to poorer places like China, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Colombia and the Philippines to buy a new lease of life."
],
[
"$5,300;"
],
[
"travel to poor countries to buy body parts from people with few other routes to a better living."
],
[
"body parts from people"
],
[
"Pakistan,"
],
[
"China's"
],
[
"\"transplant tourists\""
],
[
"$30,700"
],
[
"\"transplant tourists\""
]
] | Organ shortage in rich states has created a trade from poorer countries .
"Transplant tourists" travel to poor countries to buy organs from the desperate .
Pakistan, where trade in human organs is legal, is turning into a "kidney bazaar"
Patients pay $8,500 for a new kidney, while donors are paid just $300 to $1,000 . |
HONG KONG, China -- Most people by now will be familiar with the term 'carbon footprint' and may even have calculated it themselves, but how many are familiar with their 'water footprint'?
Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra, the creator of the 'water footprint' concept.
It's about time we all learned what it is, says Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Professor in Multidisciplinary Water Management at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, as soon it will be influencing how we live our lives.
Hoekstra created the water footprint concept in 2002 when he was undertaking research on what is known as virtual water trade flows for the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education.
CNN finds out what it is and why it's important.
CNN: So, what is a water footprint?
Hoekstra: It relates to how much water is being used to make a product, but it also refers to where that water is being used and when that water is being used. This is about the water use in different parts of the world to make products for businesses and individuals, so this enables an impact assessment and a formulation of policy to improve the water sustainability of these products.
CNN: What can businesses or individuals do to save on water?
Hoekstra: Businesses or individuals can become "water neutral" by reducing the effects of their water footprints. They can have incentives for that, because once they are water neutral they can market that and consumers may like that so there are other mechanisms there.
CNN: How would one go about becoming water neutral?
Hoekstra: The water footprint of a business has two components -- the water used during operations and the water used in the supply chain. In order for a product to be sustainable you have to make both operations of the business sustainable as well as the supply chain.
A product from a business is water neutral if the business has made sure that the operations are sound, that the water use has been reduced reasonably as much as possible, and the pollution has been brought to zero, but they also have to do that in their supply chain and they can't do that themselves because it is not their own business.
So, they can only do that by influencing their suppliers or by changing to another supplier. And this is quite something because it means that the whole business sector and all these supply chains have to become much more transparent.
CNN: What business sectors use the most water?
Hoekstra: Agriculture -- 85 percent of the world's water usage is in agriculture, 10 percent is industry and 5 percent is in households. But these sectors are not independent because what we call the industry sector is taking so much stuff from the agricultural sector, so they are connected.
It means that if the industrial sector has to reduce their water footprint it also means they have to look at their supply chain and part of their supply chain is in the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector should become more transparent.
CNN: What can individuals do?
Hoekstra: There are two types of approaches. One is to substitute types of consumption articles for other ones, which take less water -- like going from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian one, which will save a lot of water.
Drinking tea instead of coffee saves a lot of water. Not wearing cotton but wearing artificial fiber saves a lot of water.
But this is probably limited, because people don't shift from meat to vegetarian as they just don't like not to have beef; or they like cotton.
So the different kind of approach is to keep the same kind of consumption pattern but when choosing cotton, or when choosing beef, choose the sound one. If you make things more transparent, by citing the precise impact of a certain article on the water system, through the water footprint, you provide that kind of information and you label it somehow, then consumers within the same category have some choice to go in the better direction.
CNN: What do you think will encourage the take-up of the water footprint | [
"What uses up to 85 percent of the world's freshwater supplies?",
"What uses 85% of the world's fresh water?",
"The agricultural sector uses how much of the world's freshwater supplies?",
"What can individuals do to make a difference?",
"Individuals can make a difference by gauging their own what?",
"In what way can individuals make a difference?"
] | [
[
"Agriculture"
],
[
"agriculture,"
],
[
"85 percent"
],
[
"become \"water neutral\" by reducing the effects of their water footprints."
],
[
"'water footprint'?"
],
[
"reducing the effects of their water footprints."
]
] | Individuals can make a difference by gauging their own 'water footprint'
Agricultural sector uses up 85 percent of world's freshwater supplies .
Global water treaty should include basic food-water rights for all .
The U.S. water footprint per capita is twice the world average . |
HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) -- Bobby Maxwell kept a close eye on the oil industry for more than 20 years as a government auditor. But he said the federal agency he worked for is now a "cult of corruption" -- a claim backed up by a recent government report. Bobby Maxwell, a long-time auditor of the oil industry, says his former agency is corrupt "top to bottom." "I believe the management we were under was showing favoritism to the oil industry," Maxwell told CNN. Maxwell is referring to a tiny agency within the Department of the Interior called the Minerals Management Service, which manages the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on federal lands. A report, conducted by the Interior Department's inspector general and released earlier this month, found that employees at the agency received improper gifts from energy industry officials and engaged with them in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations. It looked at activities at the agency from 2003 through 2006. Maxwell said the report doesn't surprise him. The agency, he said, is corrupt "top to bottom." Watch a failure to "protect America's interests" » "It sounds like they forgot they work for the government," he said. "It's disgusting. ... There's no excuse for that. Those people should not be working in those positions at all. "They crossed a lot of lines that should never have been crossed," he said. "They lost all objectivity." Maxwell was in charge of keeping track of the millions in royalty payments owed taxpayers by oil and gas companies who explored and found oil on U.S. government lands. He estimates he and his team were responsible for saving the government close to $500 million in royalties, either underpaid or somehow skipped by oil and gas companies, over the years. He received the Interior Department's highest award in 2003 for his work. But not long afterward, his job was killed. He believes it was retribution for his cracking down on Big Oil and blowing the whistle on what he believes was a "cult of corruption" within the agency. The Interior Department denies that, saying his job was reorganized as part of routine restructuring. Just before he lost his job, he said, one of his superiors in Washington ordered him not to investigate why Shell Oil had raised its oil transportation costs. Maxwell said it jumped from 90 cents to $3 a barrel without adequate explanation. The government paid Shell to transport oil from offshore platforms. When asked why a government worker would tell an auditor not to investigate, he said: "I believe it started from the top down," he said. Shell Oil told CNN it "pays the same rate any shipper does" and that it has "never engaged in fraudulent transactions or entered into sham contracts as Mr. Maxwell alleges." Maxwell, a registered independent, said the shift in attitude at the agency began about seven or eight years ago, about the time the Bush administration came into power. He said he was discouraged from aggressively auditing oil companies. "Laws and regulations were not applied, also not enforced," he said. The inspector general's 27-page summary says that nearly a third of the roughly 60 people in Maxwell's former office received gifts and gratuities from oil industry executives. Two received improper, if not illegal, gifts at least 135 times, the report says. It goes on to describe a wild atmosphere in which some staff members admitted using cocaine and marijuana. In addition, two female workers at the Minerals Management Service were known as the "MMS chicks" and both told investigators they had sex with oil industry officials they were supposed to be auditing. One e-mail from a pipeline company representative invited government workers to a tailgating party: "Have you and the girls meet at my place at 6 a.m. for bubble baths and final prep ... Just kidding." Inspector General Earl Devaney said in a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne accompanying the report that it details " | [
"What was Maxwell for 20-plus years?",
"What did the report say?",
"Who said oil regulators in bed with oil industry?",
"Who was an audito for 20 years?",
"What did the whistleblower say?",
"Who lost his job due to scrutiny of oil giants?",
"What did the Department of the Interior say?"
] | [
[
"government auditor."
],
[
"the federal agency he worked for is now a \"cult of corruption\""
],
[
"Bobby Maxwell"
],
[
"Bobby Maxwell"
],
[
"agency is corrupt \"top to bottom.\""
],
[
"Bobby Maxwell,"
],
[
"employees at the agency received improper gifts from energy industry officials and engaged with them in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations."
]
] | Whistleblower said oil regulators in bed with oil industry: "It's disgusting"
Department of Interior said it can't comment on Bobby Maxwell's specific claims .
Maxwell was auditor for 20-plus years, said he lost job due to scrutiny of oil giants .
Recent report found the agency Maxwell worked for took improper gifts from oil reps . |
HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) -- Battered by the current economic recession, Hawaii's economy could get a strong boost from two key sporting events. The Pro Bowl this year was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. It will return there in 2011. The National Football League's Pro Bowl Game will return to Honolulu in 2011 -- an event that is expected to bring millions of dollars in revenue. Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is also hoping to lure the 31st Summer Olympic Games -- but not to his city. He's actively supporting Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Games. "How does that play out for Hawaii? Well, obviously if we get the Olympics -- that is (the) USA -- we benefit from a Discover America campaign that we'd like to see with visitors coming prior to Chicago to Hawaii or after, and visiting other parts of our country," the mayor said. "What I really want to do is promote Hawaii as a great place for some of these teams to come and do a little R&R (rest and relaxation) or training before they go on to the Olympics in Chicago." Hannemann will head to Chicago, Illinois, this weekend to court International Olympics Committee members, who are in the Windy City to evaluate its plan to host the Games. On October 2, the IOC will choose among Chicago; Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; or Tokyo, Japan, as the 2016 host city. Hannemann co-chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Olympic Task Force, along with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, which he said aims "to bring the Olympics to America in 2016." Hawaii's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, and the economic recession means fewer people are visiting the island state. With three-quarters of the state's population living in Honolulu, Hannemann said, workers are especially hit hard in the capital city. "The slowdown in tourism has resulted in shorter hours, in some cases even a decrease in their wages, and hopefully a last resort is some of them are being laid off as a result of some of these businesses going out of business," he said. "So our job is just to continue to do what we can to work with private industry to shore up the tourism industry. It is our No. 1 industry, nothing comes close." Tourism accounts for between $10 billion and $12 billion each year compared to Hawaii's second-largest industry, which is military spending, according to Hannemann. That accounts for between $3 billion and $4 billion annually, the mayor said. Last month, the Hawaii Tourism Authority voted to allow the NFL's Pro Bowl game to return to Hawaii in 2011 and 2012. The game has been held the week after the Super Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu since 1980, and has sold out every time. Next year, it will take place in Miami, Florida, before the Super Bowl -- raising concerns that it will not be as much of a draw because no Super Bowl players will participate in the game. Hawaii authorities agreed to allow the game to return to the state under the condition that the NFL would consider returning the Pro Bowl to the Sunday after the Super Bowl "depending on the success, or failure, of the 2010 game in Miami," according to the NFL. Hannemann said the tens of thousands of people who attend the game annually have then spent "at least $30 million" across the state of Hawaii. Losing the game would not only be an economic loss for the state, but a "major downer" for residents, he said. "People (have) said, 'Oh, my goodness, now we lost the Pro Bowl. We've had it here for over 20 years, it's been a sell-out. What's going on here? ... Everything's going to go out of Hawaii,' " Hannemann said. "So I got involved, I went and talked to some of the commissioners there, I changed their votes, and we're | [
"What will return to Hawaii in 2011?",
"When is it in Hawaii?",
"What is Hawaii's economy dependent on?",
"Where is the NFL Pro Bowl?",
"What does Hawaii's economy depend on heavily?",
"What are Mayreor's hopes for Chicago?",
"When will NFL's Pro Bowl return to Hawaii?"
] | [
[
"The Pro Bowl"
],
[
"2011."
],
[
"tourism,"
],
[
"Aloha Stadium in Honolulu."
],
[
"tourism,"
],
[
"host the 2016 Games."
],
[
"2011."
]
] | NFL's Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii in 2011 .
Mayor hopes Chicago gets the Olympics -- and that attendees stop off in Hawaii .
Hawaii's economy is heavily dependent on tourism .
One writer questions the cost of hosting the Pro Bowl . |
HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) -- It's been more than a year since a racial slur threatened to end the television career of Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman. But the incident still weighs heavily on his mind.
Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman watches his son's baseball game this month in Honolulu, Hawaii.
A&E briefly suspended his top-rated reality show in late 2007, and his reputation was on the line.
Now, with his show back on the air and at the top of the network's ratings list, Chapman insists that he does not want the controversy to be forgotten.
"They said, 'It'll pass,' and I said to the guy, 'You know what? I won't let it.' "
Chapman, 56, spoke candidly about accusations of racism on a recent windy Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of 8-year-old son Garry's baseball game.
It was his other son, Tucker, who recorded a profanity-laced conversation with his father and reportedly sold the recording -- which included Chapman repeatedly using the "n-word" -- to the National Enquirer in 2007.
Some African-American leaders called for the cancellation of his show.
Chapman said he was advised to lay low for several weeks, but he refused.
"All the spin doctors ... all those guys told me, 'Dog, say that you were this, say you were that, [but] if you go out there, you're done.' I said, 'I'm going out in a hail of glory. You may call me a convict ... but you ain't gonna call me something I'm not. I'm going out swinging.'"
Chapman said his meetings with leaders of the black community were more than an attempt to redeem himself in the public eye and get his show back on the air. In a February 8, 2008, foreword to his book, "You Can Run But You Can't Hide," he writes that "giving up cussing is just the first step toward my evolution as a human."
He said he was referring to his use of the racial slur, which he admits -- even on the recording -- knowing that it would spark public outrage. But as a former prison inmate of mixed ethnicity -- he is part Native American -- Chapman said he felt he could use the word without it defining him as a racist.
"I was with 38,000 black men at the age of 22 in the '70s, the [prison] guards -- whether they're black or white -- called them that [the slur] every day," he said. "Once I said it and met with leaders of the black community and realized what that word meant, that's when I said, 'I will never again utter that word. Ever.' "
He said, "I don't give a damn that [it] was a private call they burglarized; I knew not to do that. I didn't know not to say the word because what it would do, but I do now. Now if you catch me [saying it], you won't have to stop my show, I'll resign."
Controversy is something that Chapman draws on; it defines his character both publicly and privately. He ran with motorcycle gangs before he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to a five-year prison term in 1977. He maintains his innocence and served a fraction of the sentence.
His determination to prove he was the world's best bounty hunter led him to Mexico in 2003, where he and his team captured the heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, Andrew Luster, who was convicted in absentia on charges of rape.
The Mexican government charged Chapman and his team with kidnapping and demanded their extradition, but the charges later were dropped.
His life story of an ex-con-turned-vigilante is the hallmark of his celebrity and leads many people to tune in to his show, which began in 2004. | [
"What does Chapman say?",
"What threatened to end TV career of Duane \"Dog the Bounty Hunter\" Chapman?",
"Did the show return to A&E?",
"Who doesn't want the controversy?",
"Who almost ended the career?",
"What Chapman said about the controversy?"
] | [
[
"the incident still weighs heavily on his mind."
],
[
"a racial slur"
],
[
"back on the air"
],
[
"Chapman"
],
[
"Duane \"Dog the Bounty Hunter\""
],
[
"\"They"
]
] | Use of slur threatened to end TV career of Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman .
Chapman says he does not want the controversy to be forgotten .
Chapman was heard repeatedly using racial slur in recording sold to tabloid .
Reality show has returned successfully to A&E network . |
HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Even with Hurricane Ike more than 100 miles away, authorities began rescue efforts Friday, picking up more than 120 people stranded by rising seas along the southeast Texas coast. The U.S. Coast Guard rescues a person trapped in a car on Friday as Hurricane Ike hits Texas. Most of the rescues occurred in Galveston County, where rising water and other effects of the storm began hours before expected landfall early Saturday. Stranded residents have been airlifted from Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula and other communities in the Galveston area. Many of those rescued were motorists stranded on flooded roads. In Surfside Beach, police waded through chest-high rushing water to rescue five people trapped in their homes. One man refused to leave, said Surfside Beach police Chief Randy Smith. Watch rescuers save a motorist from floods » "Some of them took convincing, some of them didn't," he said. Police also rescued another five people who waded out to meet the officers. About half of those rescues were done by helicopters out of several bases along the coast, said Coast Guard Petty Officer David Schulein. Three HH-65C helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Houston rescued more than 20 people and were continuing to fly round-the-clock rescue missions until weather grounds them, said Petty Officer Renee Aiello, a station spokeswoman. The Coast Guard helicopters from Air Station Houston could make their last flights Friday afternoon as rain starts to move in, Aiello said. Watch Ike begin to spill water into Texas » "We'll be out as long as the weather permits us," she said. "We're still working." Some 37,000 people may need to be rescued after Hurricane Ike strikes, a U.S. military official said Friday. Texas already has asked for help, and the active-duty military has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby, the official said. iReport.com: Commander briefs Coast Guard crews Meanwhile, the Coast Guard and Air Force were unable to rescue 22 people aboard a freighter adrift in the Gulf of Mexico because of weather, the two military branches said Friday. "Weather on scene deteriorated to a point that made the rescue impossible," the Coast Guard said in a statement issued Friday. First Lt. Lauren Johnson, an Air Force spokeswoman, confirmed the report. Aircraft were used in the effort, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard said. Coast Guard officials had said earlier they thought the best way to help the 584-foot freighter might be to let the storm push it to shallow water where it can drop anchor. Watch the captain of the freighter talk with CNN » The freighter had been headed south from Port Arthur, Texas, and is loaded with petroleum coke -- a petroleum byproduct. The Coast Guard said in a news release it received a distress call around 4 a.m. from the Antalina, a Cypriot-flagged freighter. It said the vessel had "lost main propulsion 90 miles southeast of Galveston" and was unable to steer. Coast Guard Capt. Bill Diehl said the freighter had been "in the direct line of the path of the storm and lost its engines." He said the Coast Guard is keeping radio communications with the freighter, and its news release said the Coast Guard is in hourly contact with the crew. There had been warnings for residents to evacuate beforehand, and Chief Petty Officer Michael O'Berry, interviewed by CNN, was asked why they didn't get out in time. Watch last-minute evacuees explain their change of heart » He said he thinks the residents "didn't understand, I guess, the strength of the storm. As it came about, they realized it's a lot stronger than they may have anticipated." CNN's Mike Ahlers, Jeanne Meserve and Barbara Starr contributed to this report. | [
"What area has been flooded?",
"Who were stranded?",
"Is the military involved?",
"What was stranded?",
"Who has search and rescue on stand by?"
] | [
[
"Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula"
],
[
"120 people"
],
[
"has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby,"
],
[
"more than 120 people"
],
[
"active-duty military"
]
] | NEW: Coast Guard helicopters airlift stranded residents from Galveston area .
NEW: Many of those rescued were motorists stranded on flooded roads .
Coast Guard, Air Force unable to rescue 22 people stranded on freighter .
Active-duty military has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby . |
HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- On the tape, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan appears to burn with rage. Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, pictured here, allegedly tortured a business associate on videotape. Believing he was cheated in a business deal, the member of the United Arab Emirates ruling family was trying to extract a confession from an Afghan grain dealer. With a private security officer assisting, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan is seen stuffing sand in the Afghan's mouth. As the grain dealer pleads and whimpers, he is beaten with a nailed board, burned in the genitals with a cigarette lighter, shocked with a cattle prod, and led to believe he would be shot. Salt is poured on his wounds. In the end, the victim can muster up only weak moans as an SUV is repeatedly driven over him. The 45 minutes of torture appears on a nearly three-hour-long videotape shot in late 2004 in the desert outside Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf region. It was made at the direction of the sheikh himself. The tape has been viewed by CNN. Now the tape has surfaced as a piece of evidence in a federal civil suit filed in Houston, Texas, against the sheikh by his former business partner, Bassam Nabulsi. As media, U.S. governmental and human rights questions and concerns emerged, Abu Dhabi's government on Tuesday issued a statement saying it deplored the contents of the video and plans an immediate and comprehensive review of it. Nabulsi, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen living in Houston, says he met Sheikh Issa when the royal came to Houston for medical care in 1994. Watch portions of the tape and Nabulsi tell his story » According to Nabulsi, the men became friends and business partners, and Sheikh Issa eventually recruited Nabulsi to move to Abu Dhabi to work for him. "We were buddies," said Nabulsi, who met with CNN journalists in Houston. "He gave me his personal vow. He swore to look after my family in case something happened to me." The sheikh, who holds no official government position, is the half-brother of the country's ruler. In the lawsuit, Nabulsi says was disturbed by the sheikh's "increasingly bizarre behavior" after the November 2004 death of his father, UAE ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. Nabulsi's lawsuit says that Sheikh Issa's father "kept tight control over Sheikh Issa" but after the father's death, he "apparently no longer felt constrained." Nabulsi claims he confronted his business partner about the Afghan's treatment, telling him that to do such a thing he "must not be a God-fearing person." Nabulsi says his boldness prompted the sheikh to turn on him. Later, Nabulsi was arrested on drug charges. Security officers working for the sheikh ransacked his home and demanded the torture video, Nabulsi claimed. By this point, the tape -- shot by Nabulsi's brother at the order of the sheikh -- had been smuggled out of the country. According to an affidavit, Nabulsi's brother worked for Sheikh Issa as a personal assistant. In 2005, Nabulsi was arrested, jailed and ultimately convicted on drug charges. And, he said, he was tortured and humiliated by UAE police, who demanded he return the tape. "It was a lot of humiliation," Nabulsi told CNN. "And I really don't like to talk about it." Nabulsi was fined and deported. Darryl Bristow, the sheikh's Houston attorney, argued in court papers that American courts have no jurisdiction over his client. In a statement to CNN, Bristow said Nabulsi is using the videotape of a third party, Nabulsi's brother, to influence the court over a business dispute. "The public should know that the man behind the camera was Bassam Nabulsi's brother and that Bassam Nabulsi kept the video from the media while his lawyer was asking for money. What do you call that where you come from?" Bristow asked. Nabulsi | [
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"who is Sheikh Issa of Abu Dhabi?",
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] | [
[
"Bassam Nabulsi."
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[
"allegedly tortured a business associate on videotape."
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[
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[
"Bassam Nabulsi."
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[
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[
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],
[
"Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan"
],
[
"Afghan grain dealer."
],
[
"Bassam Nabulsi"
]
] | Former business partner of Sheikh Issa of Abu Dhabi suing royal .
Bassam Nabulsi's tape shows sheikh severely torturing grain merchant .
Nabulsi, of Houston, says he himself was tortured in jail, sheikh owes him $80M .
U.S. senior officials say case is holding up a U.S. nuclear deal with the UAE . |
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The president of The Valley Swim Club on Friday strongly denied charges of racism after his club canceled the swimming privileges of a nearby day care center whose children are predominantly African-American. John Duesler said he underestimated the number of swimmers who would come to swim at the club. "It was never our intention to offend anyone," said John Duesler. "This thing has been blown out of proportion." Duesler said his club -- which he called "very diverse" -- invited camps in the Philadelphia area to use his facility because of the number of pools in the region closed due to budget cuts this summer. He said he underestimated the amount of children who would participate, and the club's capacity to take on the groups was not up to the task. "It was a safety issue," he said. The Creative Steps Day Care children -- who are in kindergarten through seventh grade -- went to The Valley Swim Club in Huntingdon Valley on June 29 after the center's director, Alethea Wright, had contracted to use the club once a week. During their first visit, some children said they heard club members asking why African-American children were there. One youngster told a Philadelphia television station a woman there said she feared the children "might do something" to her child. Watch Wright react to comments allegedly aimed at the children » Days later, the day care center's $1,950 check was returned without explanation, Wright said. She was dismissive of Duesler's comments Friday. "He knows what happened at the pool that day," Wright told CNN in a telephone interview. "I was embarrassed and humiliated." She called it an "unfortunate situation," adding, "I know what happened; the members know what happened and a higher power knows what happened." Watch the club president say racism is not at play » After news reports of the incident, the office of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pennsylvania) said Specter sent a letter to the club president asking him to reinstate the contract with Creative Steps, saying, "I think that you would agree that there is no place for racism in America today." Duesler said he appreciates the senator's concern, but the club's board has yet to make a decision of how it will proceed. "If we're going to revise our policies here, we need to make it so for all the camps," he said. "I just don't think we're prepared for that." Duesler earlier in the week told two Philadelphia television stations the children had changed "the complexion" and "atmosphere" of the club, a comment that protesters outside the facility Thursday said showed that racism was involved. Bernice Duesler, John Duesler's wife, called the negative response her husband has faced since the incident "unbearable." "He's not one of the good guys -- he's one of the great guys," she said, holding back tears. "He doesn't deserve this." She added, "If there really was a racial issue that happened, my husband and I would be the first one[s] picketing." Jim Flynn, who said he was one of the club members who made a complaint against the children, told CNN this week it was not racially motivated. "There were a lot of children in the pool and not enough lifeguards," he said. "As general members we were not told that they were coming. If we knew, we could decide to not come when the pool was crowded or come anyway. We could have had an option." He also said invitations to two other day care centers, neither of which contained minority children, had previously been withdrawn. Girard College, a private Philadelphia boarding school, told CNN on Thursday it would offer Creative Steps Day Care use of its facilities this summer. | [
"What did the day care director say",
"What did happen at the pool that day?",
"Who will decide whether to reinstate the contract?",
"What club is very diverse?",
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"What is the club about?",
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[
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] | Swim club president John Duesler: "It was never our intention to offend anyone"
"He knows what happened at the pool that day," day care director counters .
Duesler: Club is "very diverse," and had reached out because area pools had closed .
Duesler says club's board has yet to decide whether to reinstate center's contract . |
Habib Battah is a blogger, freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker based in New York and Beirut. BEIRUT, Lebanon -- When I heard Snoop Dogg was coming to Beirut, I jumped at the opportunity to show the world a different side of the country I had grown up in. So I hit the phones, tracked down the promoter and before I knew it, I was driving to the airport to film Snoop's arrival. Beirut blogger Habib Battah with U.S. rap legend Snoop Dogg. When I first met the Dogg (as he's known by his very courteous suit-wearing bodyguards), he was seated in the VIP lounge of Beirut International Airport, surrounded by entourage while awaiting passport control. The U.S. rap legend had never been to the Middle East before, and I was wondering why he decided to perform in Beirut of all cities. Outfitted in a hooded sweater, despite the sweltering heat of the Beirut summer, Snoop leaned forward and told me in his low voice: "There are a lot of places I could have started but I chose to start here because I felt they've been supporting me you know -- they've been down with me for long time." By "starting" in Lebanon, Snoop meant that he intended to embark on a Middle East tour in the coming months. "Me and my man Roger had a nice conversation about putting together a Snoop Dogg Middle East tour ... so we gonna try to get that together over the next couple of months," Snoop, flanked by his forever-smiling local organizer, Lebanese entertainment mogul, Roger Kalaouz, told a room full of eager photographers and entertainment journalists. But the Lebanese paparazzi still wondered, why Beirut? "This is my first chance to party with the people of Lebanon," Snoop said. "They were always partying to my music but now they get a chance to actually party with Snoop Dogg. "This is the party capital of the world," he added and the room filled with applause. Hours later, Snoop drove the locals wild once again during his performance in front of thousands of adoring young fans by holding up a Lebanese flag on stage and then performing an impromptu sing-along with the chorus line "Beirut, Lebanon." When the show ended just before one a.m., Snoop did not leave Beirut without living up to his promise to party hard. Acting on a tip from a source close to Snoop's circle, I managed to follow Snoop's entourage to the afterparty, at a massive and highly exclusive rooftop club overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanese mountains. I entered the club through the back entrance with members of Snoop's band that I had met at the airport. When we got inside, the champagne was flowing and the club was rocking with hundreds of people. A mixture of house and trance music reverberated across all surfaces as fireworks lit up the evening sky. Snoop's band and crew were ecstatic, sporting looks of awe when they reached their VIP tables in the balcony section which boasts outdoor air conditioning. And even though the European electric beat was quite a stretch from the hip hop he produces, Snoop himself seemed to be getting down -- waving his hands in the air. But it wasn't long before the Dogg switched things up grabbed the microphone: "You are now rocking with the big Snoopie D.O. double jizzle for shizzle dizzle" he said, sending screams through the glamorous crowd. Then he turned toward the DJ podium: "Hey! Yo! DJ! Why don't you play some of that Snoop Dogg sh*t? Once again the crowd was electrified, as Snoop began rapping to his track "Drop it Like It's Hot," (Part of the that performance is available on Snoop's Web site.) Later he played other local favorites such as "Gin and Juice" and then rocked to a new track "That's the Homie" from his upcoming album "Malice in Wonderland" while being filmed by two cameraman and a flash light. The Beirut show producer, Roger Kalaouz later explained that Snoop was | [
"What did Snoop say about Beirut?",
"Who is to performs in Lebanon's capital, Beirut?",
"Where did Snoop Dogg perform?",
"Where is the party capital of the world?",
"What did Snoop Dogg say about Beirut?",
"Who has never visited the Middle East before?",
"Which journalist followed Snoop Dogg around?"
] | [
[
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] | Legendary U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg performs in Lebanon's capital, Beirut .
Beirut journalist Habib Battah followed Snoop to show a different side of Lebanon .
Snoop has never visited the Middle East before and plans more dates in region .
Snoop on Beirut: "This is the party capital of the world" |
Hamid Dabashi is the author of "Iran: A People Interrupted." He is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York. His Web site is http://www.hamiddabashi.com/ Hamid Dabashi says it's wrong to view the conflict in Iran as a battle of the middle class vs. the poor. (CNN) -- In a short essay that Abbas Amanat, a scholar of 19th-century Iran at Yale University, was asked to write for The New York Times on the current crisis in Iran, he asserted that what we are witnessing is "the rise of a new middle class whose demands stand in contrast to the radicalism of the incumbent President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad and the core conservative values of the clerical elite, which no doubt has the backing of a religiously conservative sector of the population." This learned position of a leading scholar very much sums up the common wisdom that Iranian expatriate academics are offering an excited public mesmerized by the massive demonstrations they witness on their television sets or computer screens and eager to have someone make sense of them. In part because of these hurried interpretations, the movement that is unfolding in front of our eyes is seen as basically a middle-class uprising against a retrograde theocracy that is banking on backward, conservative and uneducated masses who do not know any better. While the illiterate and "uncouth" masses provide the populist basis of Ahmadinejad's support, the middle class is demanding an open-market civil society. Highly educated, pro-Western and progressive Iranians are thus placed on Mir Hossein Moussavi's side, while backward villagers and urban poor are on Ahmadinejad's. The fact that in North America and Western Europe, usually unveiled and fluently English-speaking women are brought to speak on behalf of the women demonstrators further intensifies the impression that if women are veiled or do not speak English fluently then they must be Ahmadinejad supporters. This is a deeply false dichotomy that projects a flawed picture to the outside world. It is predicated on the spin that a very limited pool of expatriate academics are putting on a movement that is quite extraordinary in Iranian political culture, one whose full dimensions have yet to be unpacked. The fact is that given the structural limitations of a nascent democracy that is being crushed and buried in Iran under a particular interpretation of a Shiite juridical citadel, opposition to Ahmadinejad is fractured into the followers of three candidates with deeply divided economic programs and political positions. Moussavi is universally known as a hard-core socialist in his economic platform and a social reformist in his politics. Mehdi Karrubi is far to Moussavi's right in his economic neo-liberalism and social conservatism. Mohsen Rezaie, meanwhile, is even more to the right of Karrubi in his social conservatism but to his left in his economic platform. What above all challenges the reading of this event as a middle-class revolt against "uncouth radicalism" is a crucial statistic that professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, one of the most reliable Iranian economists in the U.S., provides in the same set of responses that The New York Times solicited from experts. "Young people ages 15-29," Salehi-Isfahani reports, "make up 35 percent of the population but account for 70 percent of the unemployed." The overwhelming majority of the people pouring into streets of Tehran and other major cities in support of Moussavi are precisely these 15- to 29-year-olds. How could this then be a middle-class uprising if the overwhelming majority of those who are supporting it and putting their lives on the line are in fact jobless 15- to 29-year-olds who still live with their parents -- who cannot even afford to rent an apartment, let alone marry and raise a family and join the middle class in a principally oil-based economy that is not labor-intensive to begin with? Another crucial statistic that Salehi-Isfahani does not cite is the fact that more than 63 percent of university entrants in Iran are women, but only 12 percent are part of the labor force. That means that the remaining 51 percent are out of a job, and yet the most visible aspect of | [
"What does Dabashi say about Ahmadinejad supporters being called poor, rural Iranians?"
] | [
[
"it's wrong to view the conflict in Iran as a battle of the middle class vs. the"
]
] | Hamid Dabashi: Rape and torture allegations being made in Iran .
He says a prominent cleric and activist has accused security forces of wrongdoing .
The charges threaten the Islamic Republic's standing within the faith, he says .
Dabashi: Iran needs to restore notion of Muslims and non-Muslims living in peace . |
Hamid Dabashi is the author of "Iran: A People Interrupted." He is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York. His Web site is http://www.hamiddabashi.com/. Hamid Dabashi says allegations of rape and torture are testing Iran's Islamic Republic as never before. (CNN) -- Troubling news of kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder is flooding out of Iran. Neda Aqa Soltan was murdered point-blank in the streets of Tehran for the whole world to see; while Sohrab Arabi was killed far from any global attention and his body given to his mother quietly to bury, as was the tortured body of Mohsen Ruholamini. These names have assumed symbolic significance for many more innocent young men and women murdered by the custodians of the Islamic Republic with a wanton disregard for the lives and liberties of its own citizens. Not just murder, but the rape of young men and women also is on the shameless roster of the Islamic Republic. After years of sporadic charges and troubling rumors, finally a courageous cleric has put a stamp of public recognition on atrocious practices in the theocratic state. Mehdi Karrubi -- one of the revolutionary founders of the Islamic Republic, a high-ranking cleric, a presidential candidate, a former speaker of the house and now a widely popular political activist -- has published a letter, addressing it to the former president and current head of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He accuses the security officers of the Islamic Republic of repeatedly and violently raping young women and men while they are in custody. Since the publication of this letter, a massive outpouring of testimony and reports has come out, corroborating Karrubi's charges that rapes of young women and men are a widespread, common practice in the Islamic Republic. These are not light charges for any state, for any republic, let alone for an Islamic Republic. These charges are no longer brought by expatriate, and at times discredited, opposition. It is the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic, with impeccable revolutionary credentials, who are bringing these charges, as others are coming out and corroborating them in excruciating detail. The Islamic Republic has never faced such a deep crisis of legitimacy in its turbulent 30-year history. As widely evident, it is not just the regime's claim to a "republic" that is in question and in jeopardy, but, perhaps far more seriously, it is its claim to Islam that has troubling consequences for more than 1.3 billion Muslims around the world. People in the streets of Tehran are chanting, paraphrasing a famous slogan of the 1979 revolution, "Independence, Freedom, Iranian Republic," pointedly replacing "Iranian" for "Islamic." Though this a perfectly legitimate demand, given the criminal record of the Islamic Republic, by no means is this sentiment a common denominator of the growing opposition to the regime. To the degree that, at least in part, he represents this uprising, Mir Hossein Moussavi, as a pious and practicing Muslim, continues to insist that he wishes to restore the ideals and aspirations of the Islamic revolution within the constitution of the state. Never have the two opposing ideas of an "Islamic Republic," and Muslims living in a democratic republic seemed so at odds with each other. The 30-year experience of the Islamic Republic shows fundamental flaws in defining a state apparatus in the exclusive terms of a militantly legalistic Islam, while at the same time Iranians, the overwhelming majority of them Shiite Muslims, have repeatedly demonstrated, under this regime, they are perfectly capable of democratic behavior. Not just as immigrants in the E.U. nations and the U.S., but as citizens in Iran, millions of Muslims have shown they are integral to the democratic institutions embedded in the notion of a nation-state. What is in question is the viability of an Islamic republic -- or for that matter, a Jewish state, a Christian empire, a Hindu fundamentalist government -- or any state or movement that is defined not by the democratic apparatus of citizenry, but by exclusionary membership in a world religion. As in the rest of the Muslim world | [
"what does Iran need to restore?",
"who made the Rape and torture allegations ?"
] | [
[
"the ideals and aspirations of the Islamic revolution within the constitution of the state."
],
[
"Hamid Dabashi"
]
] | Hamid Dabashi: Rape and torture allegations being made in Iran .
He says a prominent cleric and activist has accused security forces of wrongdoing .
The charges threaten the Islamic Republic's standing within the faith, he says .
Dabashi: Iran needs to restore notion of Muslims and non-Muslims living in peace . |
Hanford Nuclear Site, Washington (CNN) -- The federal government has set aside nearly $2 billion in stimulus funds to clean up Washington State's decommissioned Hanford nuclear site, once the center of the country's Cold War plutonium production.
That is more stimulus funding than some entire states have received, which has triggered a debate as to whether the money is being properly spent.
The facility sprawls across approximately 600 square miles of south-central Washington, an area roughly half the size of Rhode Island. It was built in the 1940s as part of the "Manhattan Project" to develop the first atomic weapon during World War II.
Millions of dollars and thousands of jobs poured into the remote area about 75 miles east of Yakima where nine nuclear reactors were eventually built.
During the Cold War, Hanford was a buzzing hive of activity, eventually becoming the main source of plutonium production for the nation's nuclear weapons program.
Decades of improper radioactive waste disposal earned Hanford the notorious distinction of being most contaminated nuclear site in the Western Hemisphere.
Today, the Hanford site is a virtual ghost town and those involved in the clean-up project say they will need every dollar of the federal stimulus funds.
There are still millions of gallons of untreated contaminated groundwater, hundreds of buildings used for plutonium enrichment that need to be torn down, and underground tanks that are full of radioactive sludge.
The stimulus money will reduce the clean-up time by years, according to Jon Peschong, who oversees the federal project at Hanford.
"It was perfect work, ready to go for the stimulus package," Peschong said. "Each day that passes the conditions worsen [and] the receipt of the federal stimulus money allows us to reduce the costs and also allows us to reduce the clean up footprint much sooner, years sooner."
The money is also created jobs for about 1,400 people at Hanford, including Joe Gill who manages a team that is tearing down equipment that is heavily contaminated by radiation. Despite the dangers of his job, Gill said it came just at the right time.
"I had managed a production warehouse facility for one of the largest companies in the world, [I] thought I'd be there for 20 years," Gill said. "We laid off 8,000 people in three months and they closed down our plant, [and] those jobs aren't jobs you just read the paper and get."
It is clear by watching Gill's team perform their time-consuming daily tasks that Hanford won't be decontanimated quickly. The workers have to suit up three to four times a day in protective gear. They break down contaminated equipment through a "glove box," allowing them to disassemble the equipment a room away through lead-lined gloves. Each time a worker removes their hands from the gloves, they must be wanded down by a colleague checking for any radiation exposure.
The large scale of the project and years of cost overruns have led critics to complain that stimulus money is being misdirected at Hanford. A report by Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, listed Hanford as one of 100 sites where stimulus money may have been wasted.
The Hanford clean-up "has been plagued by massive cost and schedule problems - and almost no progress," according to the report.
Gerry Pollet, who runs a Hanford watchdog organization, says he supports using stimulus money to rid the nuclear site of its radioactive waste. But he questions whether the funds are going where they are most needed.
"You are not seeing the value that we should be seeing for the clean-up and the environment," said Pollet, who heads Heart of America Northwest. "They are picking the low-hanging fruit, the easy projects that give very nice photo opportunities. But that doesn't cost $2 billion.
"Hanford is getting more money than many states in stimulus funds and you would expect to see real progress for clean-up [to] happen with those dollars."
While debate continues over whether | [
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[
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] | $2 billion being spent to clean up Hanford nuclear site in Washington State .
Hanford is the most contaminated nuclear site in W. hemisphere .
Stimulus funds creating jobs in and around the site . |
Hanford Nuclear Site, Washington (CNN) -- The federal government has set aside nearly $2 billion in stimulus funds to clean up Washington state's decommissioned Hanford nuclear site, once the center of the country's Cold War plutonium production.
That is more stimulus funding than some entire states have received, which has triggered a debate as to whether the money is being properly spent.
The facility sprawls across approximately 600 square miles of south-central Washington, an area roughly half the size of Rhode Island. It was built in the 1940s as part of the "Manhattan Project" to develop the first atomic weapon during World War II.
Millions of dollars and thousands of jobs poured into the remote area about 75 miles east of Yakima where nine nuclear reactors were eventually built.
During the Cold War, Hanford became a main source of plutonium production for the nation's nuclear weapons program.
Decades of improper radioactive waste disposal earned Hanford the notorious distinction of being one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the Western Hemisphere.
Today, the Hanford site is a virtual ghost town, and those involved in the cleanup say they will need every dollar of the federal stimulus funds.
There are still millions of gallons of untreated contaminated groundwater, hundreds of buildings used for plutonium enrichment that need to be torn down and underground tanks that are full of radioactive sludge.
The stimulus money will reduce the cleanup time by years, according to Jon Peschong, who oversees the federal project at Hanford.
"It was perfect work, ready to go for the stimulus package," Peschong said. "Each day that passes the conditions worsen [and] the receipt of the federal stimulus money allows us to reduce the costs and also allows us to reduce the cleanup footprint much sooner, years sooner."
The money has also created jobs for about 1,400 people at Hanford, including Joe Gill who manages a team that is tearing down equipment that is heavily contaminated by radiation. Despite the dangers of his job, Gill said it came just at the right time.
"I had managed a production warehouse facility for one of the largest companies in the world, [I] thought I'd be there for 20 years," Gill said. "We laid off 8,000 people in three months and they closed down our plant, [and] those jobs aren't jobs you just read the paper and get."
Hanford won't be decontaminated quickly. The workers have to suit up three to four times a day in protective gear. They break down contaminated equipment through a "glove box," allowing them to disassemble the equipment a room away through lead-lined gloves. Each time a worker removes the gloves, a colleague must check for radiation exposure.
The large scale of the project and years of cost overruns have led critics to complain that stimulus money is being misdirected at Hanford. A report by Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, listed Hanford as one of 100 sites where stimulus money may have been wasted.
The Hanford cleanup "has been plagued by massive cost and schedule problems - and almost no progress," according to the report.
Gerry Pollet, who runs a Hanford watchdog organization, says he supports using stimulus money to rid the nuclear site of its radioactive waste. But he questions whether the funds are going where they are most needed.
"You are not seeing the value that we should be seeing for the cleanup and the environment," said Pollet, who heads Heart of America Northwest. "They are picking the low-hanging fruit, the easy projects that give very nice photo opportunities. But that doesn't cost $2 billion.
"Hanford is getting more money than many states in stimulus funds, and you would expect to see real progress for cleanup [to] happen with those dollars."
While debate continues over whether and how stimulus dollars should be used, the Tri-Cities area that surrounds the Hanford site -- which includes Richland, Kennewick and Pasco -- is reaping the benefits of the cleanup boom.
Hanford began receiving stimulus | [
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"How much money set aside?",
"How much was the fund?",
"How much was set aside to clean?",
"How many jobs were created?",
"How many jobes were created?",
"What did the Critics say?",
"Who says funds are being misdirected?"
] | [
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"1,400"
],
[
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"$2 billion"
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[
"1,400"
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"Sens. John McCain,"
]
] | $2 billion in stimulus funds set aside to clean up Washington's Hanford nuclear site .
Money has created jobs for about 1,400 people .
Critics say funds are being misdirected, wasted at Hanford .
Cleanup "has been plagued by massive cost and schedule problems," their report says . |
Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Costly and frequent travels to Singapore by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe for medication were justified because the 87-year-old might be having "complications," his political rival and Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday.
"The responsibility of the state is to look after its leaders. If the president is sick, he should be attended to," said Tsvangirai responding to journalists who were eager to know why his and Mugabe's travel expenses had reached $29 million dollars in eight months, according to government figures published quarterly.
The figures represent an enormous sum for a country where the majority of the population struggles to have one meal a day.
Official figures show Zimbabwe spends about $5 million a month. Mugabe's and Tsvangirai's travels consume more than $3.6 million a month, the figures show.
When quizzed by journalists why the 87-year-old frequents Singapore which accounts for the bulk of the two's travels, Tsvangirai said: "Whether you like it or not he (Mugabe) may say I was sick and I had to go and seek medical attention. Who am I to question him? I do not want to divulge (his real ailment), what you are trying to draw me is to tell what ailment he is suffering from. Maybe the attention (Mugabe needs) is outside the country. Maybe we do not have the expertise (in Zimbabwe). What do you want him to do? He is not certainly suffering from malaria as you would understand, which we can obtain (treatment for) at the nearest hospital. There might be complications."
Mugabe, last week flew to Singapore for medical treatment for the eighth time this year, heightening concern over his health. In March, Mugabe's office declared that he had undergone an eye operation to remove cataracts earlier in the year, and that he had just had "a final review."
Last month Mugabe's Zanu-PF party set up a committee to probe revelations contained in the WikiLeaks documents that party officials told U.S. diplomats that Mugabe had prostate cancer and would be dead by 2013.
The U.S. diplomatic cables indicate that information was allegedly conveyed to the U.S. officials by one of Mugabe's allies, central bank head Gideon Gono.
Gono has rejected the claims that Mugabe had prostate cancer. | [
"Where else did the travels occur?",
"What were his travel expenses?",
"What does Tsvangirai say?",
"Where does he go?",
"justified ,why?"
] | [
[
"Singapore"
],
[
"$29 million dollars"
],
[
"\"The responsibility of the state is to look after its leaders. If the president is sick, he should be attended to,\""
],
[
"Singapore"
],
[
"because the 87-year-old might be having \"complications,\""
]
] | Tsvangirai says travel by Mugabe is justified .
Public documents show $29 million in travel expenses in eight months .
Most of the travels are to Singapore . |
Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Nestle, one of the world's largest food companies, has reopened its factory in Zimbabwe after receiving assurances from the government that its business will not be interfered with again, an official with the Swiss-based company said Tuesday. The company shut its Harare factory last month, complaining of harassment by authorities after it refused to take milk supplies from a farm that had been taken over by President Robert Mugabe's family as part of his controversial land reform program. "On the basis of the written assurances given by the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Zimbabwe to guarantee the security of Nestle management and staff and not to interfere in the company's operating processes, Nestle decided to restart the activities at its Harare factory," said Brinda Chiniah with Nestle Equatorial African Region's corporate communications department. "The company reiterates its commitment to source milk exclusively from its contracted farmers," Chiniah's statement added. Minister of industry and commerce of Zimbabwe, Welshman Ncube, confirmed that he held meetings with Nestle management. "I was assigned by my superiors to have meetings with them, and I assured them that their concerns will be addressed. We cannot afford to lose investors at this stage when we are rebuilding the economy," Ncube said. The Nestle shutdown was seen by many as a setback to the country's efforts to attract foreign investors to help shore up its battered economy. Operations were under way as normal at the Nestle plant in Harare on Tuesday. Nestle said last month its decision to shut the facility was prompted by an unannounced visit from government officials and police December 19, after which the firm was forced to accept a milk delivery from non-contracted suppliers. Two of its managers, including expatriate managing director Heath Tilley, were questioned by police and released without charge the same day. Chiniah said Nestle had been in Zimbabwe for 50 years and employs more than 200 people in the southern African nation, adding that the company was "working with the population of Zimbabwe and striving to maintain a long-term viable operation in often challenging conditions. "We operate in Zimbabwe, as we do in every country, through good times and bad. We work for the long-term, in a way which has positive impact on our consumers, employees and suppliers," Chiniah said. Nestle stopped buying milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate, owned by Mugabe's family, in October, following international criticism of a deal it had agreed to earlier in the year to use the farm as a supplier. The farm had been seized under Mugabe's controversial land reform program, which targets mainly the properties of white farmers. Critics say Mugabe's seizure of white-owned commercial farms to resettle landless black Zimbabweans -- who have no farming experience -- has ruined the country's once-prosperous economy. Mugabe, in power since independence from Great Britain in 1980, denies the charge, and says the economic crisis is due to sanctions imposed by Western nations in response to his land reform. | [
"Which government pledged not to interfere with business?",
"How many people are employed by the factory?",
"what type of busineess was it",
"how many people work there",
"What is the number of employees?",
"From which family farm did the factory refuse to take milk from?",
"What company makes the milk?"
] | [
[
"Zimbabwe"
],
[
"more than 200"
],
[
"food companies,"
],
[
"200"
],
[
"more than 200 people"
],
[
"President Robert Mugabe's"
],
[
"Nestle,"
]
] | Factory had refused to take milk from Mugabe family farm .
Nestle says Mugabe government has pledged not to interfere with business .
Factory employs more than 200 people . |
Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- The trial of controversial Zimbabwean politician Roy Bennett took a new twist Tuesday when prosecutors told the judge they wanted to impeach their star witness. The prosecution called arms dealer Michael Peter Hitschmann to the stand to implicate Bennett in the procurement of the arms. Bennett is a senior official of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Zimbabwe's deputy agriculture minister-designate. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism and inciting people to carry out terrorism. He could face the death penalty if convicted. The MDC -- led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai -- says the case against Bennett is politically motivated and was aimed at keeping him out of the unity government it formed with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party last February. Under questioning from Attorney General Johannes Tomana, Hitschmann testified he had seen Bennett on television and then had met him at a public gathering. But Hitschmann told the fully packed courtroom that he was not aware of some of the weapons the prosecution claims that he bought with the financial support of Bennett. In addition, Hitschmann -- who appeared relaxed throughout the proceedings -- cast doubt on the authenticity of e-mails that were produced in court which the prosecution said had been retrieved from his laptop and which allegedly reveal that he and Bennett were planning to commit terrorism. "None of the contents was retrieved from my laptop in my absence or in the presence of my legal counsel (in 2006 when he was arrested)," he said, adding, "I don't know here they came from." After that, Tomana started questioning Hitschmann as if he were a hostile witness and not the star witness for the prosecution. Bennett's lawyers objected, saying the prosecution was trying to "confuse" people. At that point, Tomana indicated that he was in the "preparatory stage" to "to lay evidence that Hitschmann was being inconsistent." "The witness -- who is an accomplice witness by the way -- is getting to be a witness in favor of the accused; we are entitled to start impeachment procedures when the state witness starts showing that he is being unfavorably indisposed in favor of the accused," he added. Bennett's lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, said the prosecution had never indicated that it had e-mails which were purportedly written by her client and Hitschmann. She said Hitschmann had submitted an affidavit saying he does not want to testify against Bennett, adding that the statements about conspiracy that were purportedly made by him were done under "traumatic and unfriendly circumstances" in 2006, when he was arrested and later charged with terrorism himself. Mtetwa said the prosecution was attempting to take a statement Hitschmann made to the army and turn it into a statement against her client. "That is an army-procured statement. What legal basis is there to change it to a witness statement? The statement was made when he was an accused facing conspiracy charges," said Mtetwa. "During that time the prosecution did not indicate that he had acted in common purpose with the accused (Bennett)." Hitschmann was acquitted of terrorism charges in 2006 but served a jail sentence for the lesser charge of possessing weapons without a license. The weapons allegedly included six sub-machine guns and two machine guns, which the prosecution produced in Bennett's trial as part of the state's exhibits. The judge in the case, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, who resumed the trial after adjourning it last November, is expected to rule Wednesday whether the state can proceed to impeach its own witness. Throughout the court proceedings, Bennett -- clad in a blue suit, matching blue tie and a light blue shirt -- sat motionless, gazing into the sky once in a while. He laughed out loud when Hitschmann said he first saw Bennett on television punching the justice minister in parliament. | [
"Who told the court that the prosecution wanted to impeach the star witness?",
"Who is on trial for terrorism, banditry, and insurgency?",
"What person denied the charges?",
"What is Roy Bennett on trial for?",
"Who wants to impeach star witness?",
"What does the AG want to do?",
"Who cast doubt on the prosecution's evidence during his testimony?",
"Who cast doubt on some of the prosecution's evidence?"
] | [
[
"prosecutors"
],
[
"Roy Bennett"
],
[
"Roy Bennett"
],
[
"charges of terrorism and inciting people to carry out terrorism."
],
[
"prosecutors"
],
[
"impeach its own witness."
],
[
"Michael Peter Hitschmann"
],
[
"Hitschmann"
]
] | Attorney General tells court that prosecution wants to impeach star witness .
Micheal Peter Hitschmann cast doubt on some of the prosecution's evidence during his testimony .
Zimbabwe politician Roy Bennett is on trial for terrorism, banditry and insurgency .
Bennett denies the charges, which his party alleges are politically motivated . |
Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the U. S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, is the author of the new book, "Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861" and author, co-author or editor of 32 other books.
Harold Holzer says Obama represents validation of Lincoln's hope of equal opportunity for all.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- They are big shoes to fill by any standard, political or historical.
Pointing to his oversize, specially made boots, Abraham Lincoln once confided that he may have been slow to put his foot down, but once he did, he never went back.
That's a lesson worth learning for any president-elect. And few incoming chief executives have been as conscious of the 16th president as the 44th: Barack Obama.
The new president-elect wrote about Lincoln in his acclaimed books. He not only chose to announce his candidacy for the presidency on Lincoln's birthday, in 2006, but did so outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln delivered his famous "House Divided" speech in 1858 and where he had his headquarters as president-elect.
The myriad comparisons between the two skinny, big-eared Illinoisans -- Obama's own fond description -- are already entering the realm of modern legend. Both were believed too inexperienced to be president. See iReporters don stovepipe hats to pay tribute to Lincoln
Both were long-shot underdogs for their party's nomination. Yet each went on not only to win, but to nominate the defeated party favorite (who happened to be a senator from New York) as secretary of state. William H. Seward was Lincoln's choice, Hillary Clinton is Obama's.
But of course there are substantial differences: Lincoln got his education "by littles," he once embarrassingly admitted, spending less than a year all told in primitive one-room schoolhouses.
Obama was superbly educated at Columbia University and Harvard Law. One man was a Republican, the other is a Democrat.
And while Barack Obama scored an impressive victory, the nation divided bitterly over Lincoln's 39 percent plurality in a four-person race, to the degree that the Electoral College validation remained in question -- much more like Bush vs. Gore -- as late as February 1861, while seven Southern states seceded rather than accept a Lincoln presidency.
Yet fascinating similarities predominate. Both men wrote best-selling books (yes, Lincoln, too: he brought out a hugely popular edition of his Lincoln-Douglas debates).
Both won fame through their transcendent oratory. Both got into political trouble over their church affiliations -- Lincoln for leaving his church too soon, Obama for not leaving soon enough.
Both refused to take pets along to the White House, but promised to shower their small children with pets once they arrived (the Lincolns left their mangy dog Fido behind and President-elect Obama has vowed to get a dog for his girls once settled in Washington).
He might have to do better. Willie and Tad Lincoln eventually obtained kittens, turkeys and ponies.
And here is another fascinating side story. Both men felt the need to make one final visit -- before their life-altering presidencies -- for reunions with the women, neither one a natural mother, who helped raise them.
Obama, of course, went back to Honolulu to see his gravely ill grandmother right before Election Day; Lincoln, right before Inauguration Day, visited rural Charleston, Illinois, to say goodbye to his aged stepmother -- who wound up outliving him.
But most extraordinary of all, surely, is the fact that Barack Obama's victory serves to help complete the "unfinished work" Abraham Lincoln spoke about in his Gettysburg Address: that America fulfill its dream of equal opportunity regardless of race.
Lincoln, of course, advanced black freedom and black voting rights; Obama represents the validation of those elusive aspirations.
It is not difficult to understand why so many Americans see Barack Obama as the second coming -- of Abraham Lincoln, if not more. Lincoln once declared, "We cannot escape | [
"what have in common Obama and Lincoln?",
"Who were underdogs?",
"who is harold holzer",
"What are there many differences in?",
"what says holzer?",
"Who has much in common with Lincoln?"
] | [
[
"Both were long-shot underdogs for their party's nomination."
],
[
"Both"
],
[
"co-chairman of the U. S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission,"
],
[
"education"
],
[
"Obama represents validation of Lincoln's hope of equal opportunity for all."
],
[
"Barack Obama."
]
] | Harold Holzer: Obama has much in common with Lincoln, the 16th president .
He says the two were underdog candidates, authors, famed orators .
Yet Holzer says there are many differences in their stories .
Holzer: Obama represents validation of Lincoln's hope of equal opportunity . |
Harrison, New York (CNN) -- Investigators from Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday inspected a wrecked Prius and extracted data from the car's event data recorder they hope will help determine what caused the car to speed out of control.
The driver of the car told police the 2005 Prius accelerated on its own as she was driving down her employer's driveway on March 9. She lost control of the car, crossed the road and crashed into a stone wall, police say. She was treated for minor injuries. No other cars were involved in the accident.
A team of six inspectors from Toyota and two from NHTSA spent several hours taking photos and measurements of the damaged vehicle and downloading the black box data from the car, which has been at the Harrison Police Department since the accident. Two independent inspectors from a forensic technology company, hired by the Police Department, also were aiding the investigation.
A Toyota spokesman, Wade Hoyt, said that in this model year Prius, the black box contains data only from the moment the airbags deploy, but not the three seconds before impact that newer models are programmed to record. Hoyt said investigators were pleased they were able to extract any data from the vehicle.
"We are getting information on engine speed, pedal position, that sort of thing," Hoyt said. "I'm happy we have it. It's possible it might not have been in there."
Police say the car's driver, whose name has not been released pending the investigation, has a clean driving record and there is no reason to believe she is to blame for the accident. But Acting Police Chief Anthony Marraccini said driver error is not being ruled out.
"I'm not sure we're going to have conclusive information as to what caused this accident. But we're not ruling out any possible causes." Marraccini said.
The 2005 Prius was part of Toyota's November recall to address the risk of accelerator pedal entrapment in the floor mat. Police say floor mats were not a factor in this particular accident, because they were secured to the seat with nylon ties. A recall to address a sticky accelerator problem did not include the Prius.
Hoyt said he would not speculate about the accident's cause. The Prius is equipped with a brake override feature. "When everything in the car is working correctly, the brakes will override the engine," Hoyt said. "You have to draw your own conclusions."
Hoyt said Toyota will release the data from the black box recorder to the Harrison Police Department, but will not make it public because of privacy and legal concerns. Marraccini said police will make a determination after their investigation how much of the data to make public. "If there's definitive information that shows the cause of this accident, absolutely we'll have to release it," Marraccini said. | [
"What was the recall on the car?",
"What did Toyota do?",
"Which vehicle was the data extracted from?",
"who obtained the data?"
] | [
[
"to address the risk of accelerator pedal entrapment in the floor mat."
],
[
"inspected a wrecked Prius"
],
[
"a wrecked Prius"
],
[
"Investigators from Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration"
]
] | Toyota and federal safety officials extracted data from a wrecked 2005 Prius .
Driver said the car accelerated on its own on March 9; she was treated for minor injuries .
Toyota spokesman: Black box in 2005 Prius contains data only from moment airbags deploy .
2005 Prius was part of recall to address the risk of accelerator entrapment in floor mat . |
Hartford, Connecticut (CNN) -- Few defending champions in sport have had as much to defend as the University of Connecticut women's basketball team. On Tuesday night, the Huskies successfully defended their title (beating Stanford 53-47), their winning streak (78 games) and themselves (against the charge that they're "bad" for women's basketball).
They are so much better than every other team, goes the argument of various scribes, yakkers and bloggers, that they've made a mockery of the game. Never mind that these very pundits have mocked the game for years. Perhaps that's UConn's real crime: It's made a mockery of others' mockery.
I know. I once mocked women's basketball -- and thank God I did. After I'd written a single line casually ridiculing women's basketball in the pages of Sports Illustrated, a woman confronted me in a bar in New York. She asked me how many games I'd attended before forming my low opinion of the sport. My armpits burst into flames, and I said that I'd never actually been to a women's basketball game.
She invited me to one, and 23 months later, I married that woman, Rebecca Lobo, who won a national championship with an unbeaten UConn team in 1995 and a gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and who helped to launch the WNBA in 1997 as a member of the New York Liberty.
I'm not saying critics are wrong: Perhaps UConn is bad for the sport, the way Secretariat was bad for horse racing when he won the Belmont by 31 lengths, or the way the Beatles diminished pop music by releasing 20 No. 1 hits, or the way da Vinci's diversity of talents -- artist, engineer, inventor, etc. -- rendered the Renaissance irredeemably dull.
Or perhaps exceptional talent and overriding excellence, over time, raises the level of everyone in its proximity, in which case this UConn team might be the best thing that ever happened to women's basketball.
True, when the Huskies play, the outcome of every game is known in advance, much as the outcome of every Perry Mason case was known in advance. The fun lay in seeing how the inevitable victory happened -- in watching the genius at work. People knew going in that Houdini always escaped. They still watched, because the next time he might not. And so it goes for the Huskies, who trailed 20-12 after a hideous first half Tuesday night before slipping the padlocks and swimming to the surface, triumphant.
People who play and appreciate extraordinary basketball recognize this dominance as an end unto itself. "UConn has too many weapons," Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant said on Twitter last week. "Best team ever in sports?"
Not many people can answer that question knowledgeably, because most people don't watch women's basketball. It can't help that the women's final is played between the men's national championship game and the Masters golf tournament. It's a subordinate clause between a giant pair of parentheses.
Pity, because the 2009-10 UConn women are surely one of sports history's most dominant teams, one for whom losing is unfathomable.
"What if the UConn women lose?" Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn asked on Twitter during the tournament. "I hope not, because that means the end of the world is near." He pleaded for the Huskies to save the planet -- or as Flynn put it: "Win for Humanity."
Of course, the Huskies are not saving mankind. Or womankind. Or womynkind. Women's teams, unlike men's, are somehow required to carry the flag for their entire gender. They're "empowering our daughters," they're sneaker-shod suffragettes. The UCLA men's team that won 88 consecutive games in the early 1970s weren't striking a blow for wearers of headbands or mutton-chop sideburns. The Chicago Bulls dynasty of the '90s was not empowering the rainbow-haired.
Men's teams play and are appreciated on their own merits. We | [
"What did UConn have to defend?",
"The UConn women are one of sports history's most what?",
"what are the womens teams required to do",
"Women's teams are required to carry what for their entire gender?",
"what does steve rushin say",
"Which team is one of sports history's most dominant teams?",
"Who is required to carry a flag for their gender?"
] | [
[
"and themselves"
],
[
"dominant teams,"
],
[
"to carry the flag for their entire gender."
],
[
"the flag"
],
[
"never actually been to a women's basketball game."
],
[
"the Huskies"
],
[
"Women's teams,"
]
] | Steve Rushin says UConn had to defend title, winning streak and dominance in sport .
UConn thwarts critics' complaints the team is just too good, Rushin says .
Women's teams, unlike men's, are required to carry flag for their entire gender, he says .
Rushin: The UConn women are one of sports history's most dominant teams . |
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuba is wrapping up its biggest military exercises in five years, saying it wants to be prepared in the event of a U.S. invasion. Under the watchful eye of Cuban President Raul Castro, the armed forces is ending four days of extensive maneuvers, war-room strategy sessions and military parades across the island. "This is a necessity of the first order," Gen. Leonardo Andollo Valdez said on state television. "The political, military situation, which characterizes the confrontation between our country and the empire, can go from a relatively normal situation to a much more urgent, confrontational, aggressive one in a month, a week, or even in a night," he added. Cuban television broadcast images of camouflaged troops firing from trenches and fighter aircraft dropping bombs. Many of the images are from exercises in previous years. The exercises come amid a slight thaw in relations between the Cold War enemies. President Obama has lifted restrictions on Cuban-American travel and remittances, and the two countries have resumed immigration talks. Obama recently said the United States has no intention of invading the communist island just 90 miles off its coast. But the fear of an attack has been a constant concern here, and not without reason. In 1961, Washington backed an invasion by Cuban exiles bent on overthrowing Fidel Castro, the brother of Raul Castro and former president of Cuba. They were defeated at the Bay of Pigs, but the United States has maintained an economic embargo, and Fidel Castro has survived numerous attempts on his life. The massive military exercises began in 1980 and have been repeated every few years. The latest maneuvers, called "Bastion 2009," are the first since Raul Castro succeeded his brother and Obama assumed the White House. Preparations for the exercises began in 2004, before either was in office. The exercises end Saturday, and on Sunday, Cuba will celebrate Day of Defense. | [
"What did the President say about Cuba?",
"how many days of maneuvers",
"What did Cuban TV show?",
"What was the nation wrapping up?",
"what did obama say",
"what is being wrapped up"
] | [
[
"the United States has no intention of invading the communist island"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"images of camouflaged troops firing from trenches and fighter aircraft dropping bombs."
],
[
"its biggest military exercises in five years,"
],
[
"the United States has no intention of invading the communist island"
],
[
"its biggest military exercises"
]
] | Nation wrapping up its biggest military exercises in five years .
Four days of maneuvers, war strategy sessions, military parades set across island .
Cuban TV shows troops firing, aircraft dropping bombs; many images are from previous years .
President Obama recently said the United States has no intention of invading Cuba . |
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Marina Ochoa keeps a handful of photos of her little brother in a faded yellow envelope. She has a black-and-white snapshot of him as a baby and some color portraits of him as a successful banker in Miami, Florida. And then there's one of him as a 7-year-old, about to be airlifted out of Cuba. That was the last time she ever saw him. "I went to the airport to see him off," the Cuban filmmaker said at her Havana home. Her brother Frank was one of 14,000 Cuban children quietly sent to the United States between 1960 and 1962, at the start of Fidel Castro's revolution. Their parents were terrified the new government would strip them of parental authority and ship their kids off to work camps in what was then the Soviet Union, or send them into the countryside on literacy campaigns. Those fears deepened when the state nationalized industries, confiscated private property and closed religious and private schools. "Our parents thought they would soon join my brother or that this government wouldn't last," Ochoa said. "My father thought, 'Americans won't put up with this radical revolution.' " Her parents wanted to send Ochoa, then 11, but she refused to go. The clandestine program came to be known as Operation Peter Pan. It was backed by Washington and coordinated by the Catholic Church, which helped Cuban children get U.S. visas and once in America, find a family or go to foster homes or orphanages. But things didn't play out as expected. To begin with, a CIA-backed invasion failed to topple Castro. With the subsequent Cuban missile crisis, relations between Havana and Washington broke off completely, making travel and even communication almost impossible. Many parents couldn't get U.S. visas, and others couldn't get permission to leave Cuba. Latin pop star Willy Chirino and former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida are perhaps the best-known of the "Peter Pan" kids. The operation inspires mixed feelings. Many Cuban exiles argue that the airlift saved children who might have died trying to escape on rafts or grown up under a repressive regime. Others say the clandestine program put many kids at unnecessary risk, with a few suffering abuse in foster homes and orphanages. Silvia Wilhelm was airlifted out when she was just 14. She didn't come back to Cuba for more than 30 years but now visits frequently and promotes cultural and religious exchanges. "I will always respect my parents' decision, because they made it at a juncture in time that was when their whole world was falling apart," she said. Her parents managed to get coveted U.S. visas a year later and moved to Florida. "I think at the end of the day we were pawns between political powers, two countries." But it took years for other families to be reunited, and 20 percent of the children never saw their parents again. Ochoa's brother Frank drifted from home to home, and his family eventually gave up trying to join him. "He felt so alone that he wrote to my mother, filling pages with the same sentence: Come Mommy. Come Mommy," she said. In 1993, Frank died. He was only in his 30s. "When the bureaucratic hurdles started to ease, it was too late. My brother was already sick. My mother had already died without ever seeing him again," she said. Ochoa started work on a documentary about the exodus a year later. Politics still divide the countries, but many families touched by Operation Peter Pan have started to reach out to people and places they thought they had lost. Last year, President Obama lifted restrictions on allowing Cuban-Americans to visit relatives in Cuba and made it easier for them to send money to relatives. | [
"What have some families started to do?",
"what is the reason for the children being sent",
"what is the operation",
"What was the number of children sent by Castro to the US",
"How many Cuban children were sent to US",
"What was the operation called?",
"Can you name what this operation was called"
] | [
[
"reach out"
],
[
"Fidel Castro's revolution."
],
[
"Peter Pan."
],
[
"14,000"
],
[
"14,000"
],
[
"Peter Pan."
],
[
"Peter Pan."
]
] | 14,000 Cuban children sent to U.S. at start of Castro's revolution .
Mixed feelings remain about Operation Peter Pan .
Some families were never reunited .
Others have started to reach out again as restrictions are lifted . |
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Richard Waltzer has a pitch for Cuba: Miller beer and Häagen-Dazs ice cream. If he has his way, those products soon will be available at supermarkets and beach resorts on the communist island. "This is one of the things people are going to pay premium for," Waltzer said, "especially the tourists that have the dollars. It's going to be a phenomenal product." This week, dozens of Americans are in Havana, peddling their wares at an international trade fair: apples, pears, grapes, raisins, nuts out of California. U.S.-Cuba relations appear to be thawing. In Havana, billboards depicting the U.S. president as Adolf Hitler have disappeared. In Washington, President Obama has lifted restrictions on Cuban-American travel and money transfers. The new political climate has prompted companies such as Chicago Foods to come to Havana's trade fair for the first time. They're hoping to break into the little-known market and go home with a contract. Despite a trade embargo imposed against Cuba in 1962, the United States is the No. 1 supplier of food to that country and has been for more than five years. A law passed in 2000 allows the United States to export agricultural products and medicine. But this year, the global economic crisis is taking its toll. "Cuba has not been an exception," said Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, minister of foreign trade and investment. "At the end of the third quarter in 2009, our trade fell by 36 percent." The country is slashing imports of U.S. food by one-third, which means some vendors will go home empty-handed. But vendors are betting U.S.-Cuba relations will only get better. They said they're also hoping the next step could be bills in the U.S. Congress that would eliminate restrictions on all Americans traveling to Cuba. "We're in this for the long haul as well," said Paul Johnson of Chicago Foods. "Like I said before, we're thinking about today as well as tomorrow." A tomorrow that would have U.S. tourists sipping American beer on Cuban beaches. | [
"What is Cuba reeling from?",
"How much is Cuba slashing imports of US food by?",
"What do the U.S. companies want to do?",
"Where are US firms going to for the first time?",
"What do US companies what to do?",
"What country is also reeling from the economic crisis?",
"How much is Cuba slashing imports by?",
"What prompted U.S. firms to come to Cuban trade fair?"
] | [
[
"the global economic crisis"
],
[
"one-third,"
],
[
"break into the little-known market and go home with a contract."
],
[
"Havana's trade fair"
],
[
"break into the little-known market and go home with a contract."
],
[
"\"Cuba"
],
[
"one-third,"
],
[
"The new political climate"
]
] | New political climate prompts U.S. firms to come to Cuban trade fair for first time .
U.S. companies want to break into market and go home with a contract .
Cuba also reeling from global economic crisis .
Cuba is slashing imports of U.S. food by one-third . |
Havana, Cuba -- Alejandro Robaina, considered a legend among Cuban tobacco growers, died Saturday, according to Cuban cigar company Habanos S.A., which produced cigars named for him.
Robaina was 91. He was diagnosed with cancer last year and died on his farm in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, said Habanos spokesman Jose Antonio Candia.
Robaina's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world. In Cuba, he was called "The Godfather." His deeply wrinkled face smiled out from billboards, T-shirts and boxes of Vegas Robaina cigars, among Cuba's finest. A box of premium Vegas Robaina cigars can fetch more than $500 on the international market.
But the man behind the smile was also a simple country farmer who got up at the crack of dawn every day to survey his fields until cancer slowed him down.
"I wouldn't say I've triumphed, but I've done something with my life," he told CNN in 2008. "The first thing is to love the land, take care of the land."
Robaina's family have farmed tobacco continuously since 1845 on the plantation. Under Robaina, business flourished, and the plantation had some of the best yields in the region, producing highly-prized wrapper leaves used for the outer layer of cigars.
Cigar aficionados around the globe called him the dean of Cuba's cigar industry and every year thousands of visitors made the two-hour trek from Havana, hoping to share a stogie and a glass of rum with "the Don."
Robaina kept his lands even when many ranches were nationalized after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
"I had a very strong conversation with Fidel 18 or 20 years ago," Robaina said in 2008. "He asked if I would join a big cooperative since I had so many workers, and I told him no.
"For me tobacco growing had to be in the family, done with love. Because in the big cooperatives, everyone's the boss, nobody worries as much as the grower."
Now, almost all of Cuba's tobacco farms are private, according to the Agriculture Ministry. And they generally take their lead from Robaina, planting and harvesting on the same days he did.
"I like to sow during a waxing moon, and harvest in a waning moon," he said.
Robaina said he'd been smoking cigars since he was 10 years old. "When I get really old, I'll stop smoking the strong stuff," he said.
In 1997, Cuba launched the Vegas Robaina brand, named in his honor. They're made from the golden wrapper leaves grown on Robaina's plantation but are rolled in a separate factory.
Like most of Cuba's cigars, they're largely exported. Because of the U.S. trade embargo, however, Cuban cigars are off-limits in America.
Robaina said in 2008 he hoped that policy would end during his lifetime.
"Of course I have hope they'll open up the market," he said. "Cuba's willing to send cigars and they're willing to smoke them. They're going crazy because they can't smoke cigars from here."
Robaina will be buried Sunday, said Candia. | [
"When did Robaina die?",
"What are Robaina's tobacco leaves considered?",
"Who died on his farm?",
"What can one charge for a box of his cigars?",
"How much does a box of premium Vegas Robaina cigars fetch for?",
"When did robaina get his lands?",
"Where did Robaina die from cancer last year?"
] | [
[
"Saturday,"
],
[
"some of the best in the world."
],
[
"Alejandro Robaina,"
],
[
"$500"
],
[
"more than $500"
],
[
"1845"
],
[
"on his farm in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio,"
]
] | Robaina, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, died on his farm in Pinar del Rio .
Robaina's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world .
A box of premium Vegas Robaina cigars can fetch more than $500 .
Robaina kept his lands after the 1959 revolution, when many others' were nationalized . |
High blood pressure is truly a silent killer. In fact, a heart attack or stroke may be the first sign that you even have a problem. That's why it's so important to get your blood pressure checked every time you go to the doctor -- especially if you're a woman. High blood pressure can lead to stroke, kidney problems, heart trouble and other conditions. About 35 million American women have high blood pressure, and a third of them don't know it. In part, experts say, the increase comes just because women are living longer and doctors are paying more attention to the problem. But less-benign factors -- such as the exploding use of anti-inflammatory medicines (which make your body retain salt) and ever-increasing waistlines -- may be at play in what the American Heart Association calls a rise in uncontrolled hypertension in women. Fortunately, there are many ways to control your blood pressure, even without medication. And just knowing your numbers is half the battle, says Dan Jones, M.D., president of the AHA. But that doesn't mean fighting high blood pressure is a cinch. Here are the stories of three women whose high blood pressure took them by surprise. Think about them the next time that cuff goes around your arm. Erin O'Connell Peiffer, 45 While Peiffer experienced hypertension during all three of her pregnancies, her blood pressure always returned to normal after each birth. Later, as she juggled working and caring for her young children, the thin, nonsmoking telecommunications executive who lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland, considered herself healthy (except for her high cholesterol). Then one day about seven years ago, she couldn't stop coughing during a water aerobics class. A month later, she was shocked to find out that she had congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema, or swelling of the lungs. High blood pressure was behind the problems. Following open-heart surgery to repair a 99 percent blockage in her left main coronary artery, Peiffer was terminated from her job because of her illness and went on disability. She hasn't worked in seven years because of chronic chest pain and other conditions. Learn some tricks to lower your blood pressure Looking back, she remembers that in her 20s, her blood pressure was elevated when she was first found to have high cholesterol. "They said it was white-coat hypertension [the idea that just being in a medical office can drive blood pressure up]," Peiffer says. "No one said, 'Hey, you need to exercise,' or anything." So she didn't. Now she's on two blood pressure medications -- an ACE inhibitor that lowers levels of blood vessel-tightening chemicals and a beta-blocker that slows heart rate -- and her pressure's normal. Daily two-mile walks help, too. "Get a baseline number, and keep an eye on it," she says. "Take care of yourself first so you can be there to take care of your children." Carolyn J. Daniels, 43 On the way to a regular medical checkup last year, Daniels, an Atlanta, Georgia-area marketing director, was in good spirits. Her weight was under control at 145 pounds, and she thought she was healthy. Her blood pressure had been slightly elevated at past checkups, but she had never been told to do anything about it. This time was different. Her reading was 160 over 100, and she remembers her doctor saying, "You're like a firecracker -- ready to pop." Daniels was petrified: "I thought I was going to die." Her doctor put her on blood pressure medication immediately. Read which 10 foods are best for your heart Now she takes a beta-blocker and a calcium channel blocker, which also relaxes blood vessels. To stay healthy, she and her husband walk every other evening after dinner. The hardest part? Giving up the fried foods she loves. "Every now and then, I'll cheat and have some fried chicken over at my sister's house," she confesses. But she's | [
"How many US women have high blood pressure?",
"What fraction of women don't realize that they have high blood presure?",
"What can help lower blood pressure?",
"how many American women have high blood pressure?",
"Do they all know they have it?"
] | [
[
"About 35 million"
],
[
"a third"
],
[
"an ACE inhibitor"
],
[
"35 million"
],
[
"a third of them don't"
]
] | About 35 million American women have high blood pressure; a third don't know it .
Forty-three percent of African-American women have hypertension .
Weight loss, excercise and cutting salt in diet can help lower blood pressure . |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- A Buddhist nun in southwest China has died after setting herself on fire, the 11th Tibetan -- and second nun -- to self-immolate since March.
The death of the nun, identified as Qiu Xiang, was reported by state-run Xinhua and confirmed by exile groups.
The 35-year old set herself on fire at a road crossing in Dawu County, in the Ganzi region of Sichuan Province, the South China Morning Post said, citing Xinhua.
It was unclear why she killed herself, though Tibetan campaign groups say it was in protest against Chinese rule.
But China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed the incident related to "pro-Tibetan independence forces" overseas.
"Everyone knows that nowadays, except for the very few evil cults and extremist forces, all religions advocate respect for human life and oppose violence," said spokesperson Hong Lei.
"It is a challenge to the moral bottom line of all human beings if, instead of condemning the extreme act of self-immolation, some people are hyping or instigating it."
According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), which advocates Tibetan independence, Palden Choetso -- Qiu's Tibetan name -- called for freedom and the return from exile of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, as she was burning.
London-based Free Tibet also confirmed the incident.
Her body was then taken by fellow nuns into the Ganden Choeling nunnery in Tawu, the ICT said.
Six of the 11Tibetans -- all monks or former monks -- who have set themselves ablaze died from their injuries.
Most of the suicide attempts occurred in Aba Prefecture and the Kirti monastery, also in Sichuan, which has become a focal point for ethnic Tibetans angry at the erosion of their culture.
Last month, a nun in Ngaba County, Sichuan Province, became the first Tibetan woman known to have killed herself. Free Tibet said Tenzin Wangmo, 20, died outside the Dechen Chokorling Nunnery. The State Administration for Religious Affairs in Beijing told CNN they were not aware of the incident.
Activists and exiled Tibetans say the disturbing acts reflect an increasingly repressive environment under Beijing's control.
"The incidents are a clear indication of the genuine grievances of the Tibetans and their sense of deep resentment and despair over the prevailing conditions in Tibet," said new Tibetan leader in exile, Lobsang Sangay, in quotes carried by Free Tibet.
"It is therefore of the utmost urgency that every possible effort be made to address the underlying root causes of Tibetan grievances and resentment."
A statement from the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala, India read: "The Kashag (Cabinet) would like to make it clear that it stands in solidarity with the Tibetan people in Tibet who endure continued suppression under the Chinese authorities, whose short-sighted policies have driven till now eleven Tibetans to set themselves on fire.
"Instead of addressing the real problems that drive Tibetans to commit self-immolation, Xinhua, the official news organ of the Chinese government, blames the Tibetans-in-exile for instigating such desperate and despairing acts.
"The Kashag strongly urges the Chinese government to stop hurling baseless allegations and to start solving the real problems. (The) People's Republic of China can do this by stopping its repressive policy on Tibet and allowing more freedom of religion and speech."
Prominent Tibetan writer and activist Tsering Woeser told CNN this kind of protest will continue as long as the Chinese government's Tibet policy remains the same.
"If there is no improvement Tibetans will feel it's better to die than be alive. They commit suicide to protest," she said.
"The international community should impose pressure and condemn the Chinese government," she added. "But so far, the pressure is not enough, the international community only appeals to Chinese government but there are no real actions such as economic boycott."
In an interview with CNN last month, Woeser said Tibetan Buddhists can't use violence against others to protest, so they harm themselves to people pay attention to their plight.
" | [
"How many people have died this way?",
"What is the name of the nun?",
"What was the name of the nun?",
"Where did she die?",
"What was the nun called?",
"Who reported the deat?"
] | [
[
"11th"
],
[
"Qiu Xiang,"
],
[
"Qiu Xiang,"
],
[
"at a road crossing in Dawu County, in the Ganzi region of Sichuan Province,"
],
[
"Qiu Xiang,"
],
[
"state-run Xinhua"
]
] | Death of the nun, identified as Qiu Xiang, was reported by state-run Xinhua and exile groups .
She is the second Tibetan woman, and sixth person overall, to die in this way since March .
Activists say the suicides reflect an increasingly repressive environment under Beijing's control .
China rejects accusations of oppression, saying its rule has greatly improved living standards . |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- A nearly 9-hour flight delay turned into a standoff at Hong Kong airport Wednesday, with passengers refusing to leave the plane for 5-hours until the airline agreed to higher compensation.
The incident underscores just how high tensions can rise in modern air travel with passengers and airlines jockeying it out in a low-frill, high-fee world. There is no global standard for passenger compensation in the case of airline delays and wide gulf can exist between passenger expectations and airline offers.
When Hong Kong Airlines flight 752 from Singapore arrived at 530 a.m. Wednesday morning, the airline says 80 passengers refused to get off. The travelers, mainly members of package tours from mainland China, demanded the airline increase the original compensation offer of $50 per passenger.
Twenty-one of the passengers stayed on board for another five hours, requesting reimbursement for the unused hotel rooms they had paid for the night before. The airport police were called in to negotiate and the passengers finally at 10:25 a.m., after the airline agreed to pay them $150.
Hong Kong's I-Cable News quoted one passenger who said it wasn't the money, but the attitude of the airline that irked them.
This isn't the first such incident in Hong Kong. The Standard newspaper reported in February that a group of Mainland tourists staged an all-night protest in the airport over flight delays.
Hong Kong Airlines spokesperson Eva Chan blamed the incident on cultural differences. "Our air staff never had any bad attitude towards the passenger," she said. "They tried to negotiate and explain that the compensation policy of HK airlines is different from mainland Chinese airlines."
The irate travelers would likely have been better off if they had been traveling within the European Union. The EU requires passengers be compensated between $330 and $800 if their flight is delayed by two hours or more, depending on the flight length. However, the airline can claim exclusion for "extraordinary circumstances," including weather and security incidences.
The United States has no federal regulation on delay compensation, but it has instituted regulations that penalize airlines if passengers are stuck in a plane on the tarmac for more than three hours. The Department Transportation just fined an American Airlines' subsidiary $900,000, in the first penalty since the regulations went into effect last year. | [
"How much time the flight delayed?",
"On which day the flight has delayed?",
"How much time the passengers refused to leave?"
] | [
[
"9-hour"
],
[
"Wednesday,"
],
[
"5-hours"
]
] | A nearly 9-hour flight delay turned into a standoff at Hong Kong airport Wednesday .
Passengers refusing to leave the plane for 5-hours until the airline agreed to pay . |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- A nun has died after setting herself on fire in southwestern China, the first Tibetan woman known to have killed herself in this way, the London-based Free Tibet campaign group said Tuesday.
According to the group, Tenzin Wangmo, 20, called for religious freedom in Tibet and for the return of the Dalai Lama as she set fire to herself outside Dechen Chokorling Nunnery in Ngaba County, Sichuan Province on Monday.
She died at the scene.
The State Administration for Religious Affairs in Beijing told CNN they were not aware of the incident.
Free Tibet, which advocates Tibetan independence, also reported that two Tibetans were shot and wounded on Sunday by security forces during a protest outside a police station in the prefecture of Ganzi.
Tenzin is the ninth Tibetan -- all monks or former monks -- to commit self-immolation in protest against Chinese rule since March, the advocacy group said. Five have died.
The last attempt took place on Saturday when a 19-year-old former monk from Kirti monastery in Aba, another ethnic Tibetan area in Sichuan province, set himself alight in the central market in Ngaba Town but survived.
His whereabouts are unknown, according to Free Tibet.
Activists say the disturbing acts reflect an increasingly repressive environment under Beijing's control.
"Most Tibetans live in fear because of suppressive and unfair government policies but they dare not speak up," prominent Tibetan writer and activist Tsering Woeser told CNN.
"Tibetan Buddhists can't use violence to protest, therefore they can only do violence to themselves, such as self-immolation, to make people pay attention to their situation.
"This is not suicide, this is sacrifice in order to draw the world's attention."
Another incident in Aba in March, in which a monk died, sparked weeks of often violent confrontation between local monks and authorities. Security forces locked down the Kirti Monastery and eventually detained more than 300 monks, rights groups said at the time.
When the United Nations working group on enforced disappearances expressed its concern to Beijing, Chinese officials called the organization's perspective "biased and unfair."
"The relevant local authorities are conducting legal education for the Kirti Monastery monks to maintain religious order there -- there was no question of forced disappearances," Hong Lei, a foreign ministry spokesman, said in June.
China also rejects accusations of oppression of Tibetans, saying its rule has greatly improved living standards for the Tibetan people.
The Dalai Lama's representative signed an agreement with Beijing in 1951 to affirm China's sovereignty over Tibet but also grant autonomy to the area. A failed uprising against Beijing's rule in 1959 forced the Dalai Lama into exile.
The Dalai Lama denies seeking independence for Tibet, saying he wants genuine autonomy, under which Tibetans can make their own policies on key issues, such as religious practices.
In a 2008 uprising, violent unrest in Tibet and the subsequent military crackdown left at least 18 dead, and activists say tensions have remained high in many areas since then.
CNN's Xiaoni Chen contributed to this report. | [
"What is the name of woman?",
"what did the activists announce",
"where Free Tibet also reported that two Tibetans were shot and wounded during a protest",
"What act reflects in terms of Beijing's control?",
"what did the group say",
"what rank is tenzin"
] | [
[
"Tenzin Wangmo,"
],
[
"disturbing acts reflect an increasingly repressive environment under Beijing's control."
],
[
"outside a police station in the prefecture of Ganzi."
],
[
"self-immolation"
],
[
"called for religious freedom in Tibet and for the return of the Dalai Lama"
],
[
"ninth"
]
] | Group: Tenzin Wangmo called for religious freedom in Tibet before setting herself alight .
Tenzin is the ninth Tibetan -- and first woman -- to commit self-immolation .
Free Tibet also reported that two Tibetans were shot and wounded during a protest .
Activists: Acts reflect an increasingly repressive environment under Beijing's control . |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- If you can tolerate the junkies on the stairwells or the rats that sometimes scale the 12 floors of her building on the external electrical wiring, Lui's penthouse shack ticks all the boxes for a multi-million dollar property in Hong Kong.
It's light, it's well ventilated and it has sweeping views of Kowloon's Lion Rock Hill. Constructed from recycled materials, the design is customized to her lifestyle down to the last detail.
"This is my washing machine," says Lui, pointing proudly to a small stainless steel basin on the terrace side of her rooftop house in Sham Shui Po. "I do my tai chi exercises here in the morning, and on moonlit nights I like to sit out here and look out on the mountain."
Anywhere else in Hong Kong, luxury apartments can often fetch HK$100 million (US$12.85 million), and a house with these features could easily cost the average transaction price of HK$13.25 million (US$1.7 million), according to data released by agency Midland Realty earlier this year.
The only difference is that as an unprepossessing corrugated iron shack that forms part of Hong Kong's extensive network of sky slums -- technically illegal rooftop structures barnacled onto the roofs of tenements built in the 1950s and 60s -- the market is sluggish.
Nevertheless, a gray market in these slum dwellings does exist.
"Of course the agent never explicitly says it's a rooftop dwelling. The listing will say something like small apartment with a unique view or interesting features," says Dr. Ernest Chiu of Hong Kong University who has studied informal housing.
"I've heard anecdotal evidence of them changing hands for HK$40,000 (US$5,000) but that was three years ago when I was doing my research."
In the volatile world of Hong Kong property prices, says realtor Janice Chan of Y&L Properties, they could now be worth a lot more.
"Even if a dwelling has an illegal structure status, I would say that it was absolutely impossible to get anything in Hong Kong for under $HK1 million (US$129,000)," Chan says.
World's most expensive luxury city is...
She contends prices could even exceed this, making Lui's hand-built shanty one of the most expensive slum dwellings in the world.
According to the latest Hong Kong census from 2006, there are 3,962 rooftop dwellers in 1,556 households in Hong Kong. Mostly found in old urban areas in Kowloon -- Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tung and Tai Kok Tsui -- the houses are crammed together so tightly that they form their own above-ground streetscapes, complete with gardens, playgrounds and places of worship.
The slums are a hangover from the housing crises of the 1950s and 1960s when successive waves of refugees from mainland China set up squatter cities in Hong Kong. Many of the residents have lived in the slums for more than 30 years, and new arrivals tend to be underprivileged migrants from either mainland China, Pakistan, Nepal or other parts of Asia.
Since 2001, when 16,359 people lived on Hong Kong's rooftops, the number of illegal dwellings has reduced dramatically. While government policy has played a part, more often the tenements -- under constant pressure due to the shortage of land in Hong Kong -- are torn down to make way for new shopping and residential developments.
For the government, which supplies these rooftop communities with a postal service, water and electricity; collects rates; and even levies stamp duty on their sale and purchase, the sky slums operate under an established practice of "tolerance versus demolition," says Chiu. Their existence, while not ideal, keeps almost 4,000 people off a crowded public housing queue, he adds.
Fire restrictions are strict (those with a single rather than double fire exits are earmarked for demolition as a top priority), and building codes rigidly enforced (adding an extra floor to a non-structural building is forbidden), but the Building Department's normal practice is simply to issue a notice that slates the illegal structure for eventual demolition.
Under this system, illegal rooftop dwellings often survive for decades | [
"Where are the sky slums?",
"What caused the housing crises?",
"What do the luxury apartments fetch?",
"what is barnacled",
"where are they mostly found",
"Where were the sky slums built?",
"Where is the network of sky slums?",
"What do the slums stem from?"
] | [
[
"Hong Kong"
],
[
"successive waves of refugees from mainland China set up squatter cities in Hong Kong."
],
[
"HK$100 million (US$12.85 million),"
],
[
"rooftop structures"
],
[
"old urban areas in Kowloon"
],
[
"Hong Kong's"
],
[
"Hong Kong's"
],
[
"the housing crises of the 1950s and 1960s"
]
] | Hong Kong's network of sky slums are barnacled onto roofs of tenements built in 1950s, '60s .
Mostly found in old urban areas in Kowloon -- Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tung and Tai Kok Tsui .
Contrasts with luxury apartments that can often fetch up to US$12.85 million .
Slums stem from housing crises of 1950s, 60s when waves of Chinese refugees arrived . |
Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- Hong Kong police said they had arrested two men in connection with an acid attack that injured six people last month. The pair -- ages 18 and 23 -- were taken into custody on Wednesday for questioning in the attack, which involved corrosive fluid being thrown from a building in the Causeway Bay shopping area. A man and five women were injured in the attack, according to police. By Thursday, the younger man was released on bail, while the other was still detained, said Michael Kwan, information officer for the Hong Kong police. Authorities did not say whether the two were being investigated in other similar attacks in Hong Kong, and it was not clear whether the attacks involved a group, individuals or copycats. Police are offering rewards totaling HKD $1.7 million ($219,000) for information leading to arrests in recent acid attacks in five areas of Hong Kong, including the shopping district of Mong Kok. Hong Kong Security Secretary Ambrose Lee on Wednesday said that if an object is dropped from a building and injures someone in public, the culprit could face six months in jail and a HK $10,000 ($1,300) fine. The throwing of corrosive fluid or manslaughter could result in life imprisonment, he added. | [
"where did the attack happen?",
"The attack took place where?",
"who was released on bail?",
"Who were injured in the attack?",
"what was the crime?",
"how many were arrested?",
"How many men were arrested in connection with the Hong Kong acid attack last month?"
] | [
[
"Causeway Bay shopping area."
],
[
"Causeway Bay shopping area."
],
[
"the younger man"
],
[
"A man and five women"
],
[
"attack"
],
[
"two men"
],
[
"two"
]
] | Two men arrested in connection with Hong Kong acid attack last month .
Man and five women were injured in the attack in bustling shopping area .
Younger of the two arrested was released on bail . |
Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- The most coveted property on Hong Kong island is called "The Peak," overlooking the city's stunning Victoria Harbor. But these days, the prices are what is taking people's breath away -- a modest apartment here now can go for $30 million. Recently what is claimed to be the world's most expensive apartment -- a 6,200-square-foot duplex -- sold for a record $57 million. While an implosion of property prices sparked the financial crisis in the United States, property prices in Hong Kong are booming in part because of mainland cash pouring into the city. China's superrich are purchasing homes and sweeping luxury brand items off the shelf here. "There would be no good turnover of luxury brands in Hong Kong if it wasn't for the Chinese shopper," said Francis Guten, a luxury brand consultant in Hong Kong. Although total retail sales have dropped 4 percent this year, luxury brands are doing brisk business thanks to mainland shoppers. "They come to Hong Kong because Hong Kong was always the first window on the world for luxury goods for the Chinese," Guten said, adding that the purchase of "genuine" luxury goods -- rather than the fakes that proliferate the mainland -- is actually cheaper in Hong Kong because of lack of sales taxes or tariffs. And how are they purchasing these goods? "With cash," Guten said. "Because they have the cash." The real estate boom by mainlanders is a way for China's rich to diversify their investments close to home. "If you look at the history of China, despite the fact that the economy is very strong on a global basis right now, there's been a very volatile period," said Francis Cheung of CLSA. "(If) you have 100-percent wealth in China, you just naturally want to diversify." They are not only buying property and Gucci bags, but stock -- the Hang Seng stock exchange is up 50 percent this year. Research firm CLSA expects the market to rise another 20 percent in 2010. CNN's Andrew Stevens and Eunice Yoon contributed to this report. | [
"What is being bought in Hong Kong?",
"How much is the Hang Seng stock exchange up this year>",
"How much did the apartment in Hong Kong sell for?",
"Hang Seng stock exchange expected to rise what percent next year?",
"What recently sold for a record $57 million?",
"An apartment in Hong Kong recently sold for a record how many million?",
"What percent is the stock market expected to rise next year?",
"Hang Seng stock exchange up what percent this year?"
] | [
[
"luxury brand items"
],
[
"50 percent"
],
[
"$57 million."
],
[
"20"
],
[
"world's most expensive apartment"
],
[
"$57"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"50"
]
] | An apartment in Hong Kong recently sold for a record $57 million .
Analyst: Mainland investors buying in HK to diversify investments .
Hang Seng stock exchange up 50 percent this year; expected to rise 20 percent next . |
Honolulu, Hawaii (CNN) -- In her own right, Ann Dunham, the mother of U.S. President Barack Obama, lived an accomplished, international life that began in white-bread Kansas, weaved through Asia-light Hawaii and wound up in Indonesia.
Now an exhibition celebrating her life in the world's most populous Muslim nation is opening in Hawaii featuring her personal art and artifact collection.
Across the east-west palette, Dunham's family and friends paint her as an ardent anthropologist, early maven of microfinance and a cultured, curious explorer.
Her daughter, Maya Soetoro-Ng, proudly wrote of her mother's anthropological work in Surviving Against the Odds: Village Industry in Indonesia, a book based on Dunham's original dissertation from the early 1990s.
"She had so much respect for the communities where she conducted her research. Always logical and rigorous, our mother's scholarship was made truly meaningful by the fact that she loved the people she wrote about and hoped others would hear their song."
Alice Dewey was one of Dunham's first mentors to help compose that tune. Now Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii Manoa, she served as Dunham's anthropology adviser in the 1970s. She remembers their connection as an instant match.
"I want her!" recalls Dewey after seeing Dunham's resume on her work in Indonesia.
As it turned out, the pair shared a distinct passion for local Indonesian markets and wares on the central island of Java. As a student herself, Dewey had studied local Javanese markets in the 1950s. Dunham would later extend those studies from the markets to the makers of woven bamboo baskets, tie-dyed batiks and open-fired iron blades.
In a testament to her topical thirst, Dunham pitched Dewey a very broad research plan.
"When she submitted her research proposal to me she wanted to focus on not just one -- but five -- areas of Indonesian trade: batik, bamboo, ceramics, shadow puppetry and blacksmithing."
Dewey forced her to choose one. Dunham settled on blacksmithing, the craft of firing and bending hot iron into such things as knives and cooking utensils.
"But she got us back with a 1,000-page dissertation. The norm was about 300 to 500."
Bron Solyom describes her friendship with Dunham as a bond forged through blacksmithing. Now curator of special collections at the University of Hawaii Library, she and Dunham met as fellow graduate student in the 1970s.
"We had this common, strong interest. Ann saw blacksmithing from an economic aspect -- in how people made a non-agrarian living. And she built up this body of knowledge that was really remarkable."
And Dunham's desire to learn seemed to be unflappable -- even in the face of danger.
Solyom recounted the story of when the two were working in Bali in the early 1990s. After checking in to one hotel, Dunham "was gone for ages" while Solyom waited in the lobby.
When Dunham finally emerged she apologized saying she had had to evict a green -- and likely poisonous -- snake from her room. But before she did that, she had done a photo shoot as the serpent swayed to itself in the mirror.
"She was just calm about things -- and forever curious," remembered Solyom.
That insatiable curiosity also led to copious note-taking -- some of which is just being found.
Dewey recently opened up an old trunk in her home and saw the name "Dunham" written inside. Daunted at the thought of poring over more work from her former student, she says she quickly shut the lid and has not opened it since.
According to her daughter, most of Dunham's notes and other personal effects -- those known and those rediscovered -- will find a final home in the archives of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. by next year.
Besides the obvious field notes Dunham left behind, Soetoro-Ng adds that something more intangible is something she thinks of often.
"I do think about her delight. In one photo, her eyes are shut and she's just really letting | [
"who was the antropologist and explorer",
"Where will most of Dunham's personal effects find home?",
"Where will her personal effects be stored?",
"where are dunham's personal effects",
"What is Dunham contribution?"
] | [
[
"Ann Dunham,"
],
[
"in Hawaii"
],
[
"in the archives of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C."
],
[
"in the archives of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C."
],
[
"her personal art and artifact collection."
]
] | Dunham's family and friends paint her as ardent anthropologist and explorer .
Insatiable curiosity led to copious note-taking -- some of which is just being found .
Most of Dunham's personal effects will find final home in Smithsonian .
In traditional Hawaiian fashion, her ashes were scattered into waters of islands . |
Honolulu, Hawaii (CNN) -- U.S. Navy hospital corpsman Francis Nicola received a unique Christmas gift Thursday: a phone call from his commander in chief. President Obama called Nicola, currently deployed in the Arabian Gulf, to extend a personal holiday greeting, according to a Navy spokesman. Nicola has served on the guided-missile frigate USS Rentz for one year. The Rentz is on an extended eight-month deployment, Public Affairs Officer Corey Barker noted in a statement. "It was a great honor," Nicola said. "The president passed his personal thanks to me and to the crew for our service over the holidays." Obama "started the conversation off asking about my wife and my son Anthony," he added. "He then went on to express his thoughts on being deployed away from them during the holiday period and hoped for my safe return to them in the coming months." The president's decision to call Nicola was the result of a submission by Nicola's commanding officer. "Petty Officer Nicola's performance has been nothing short of flawless," said Cmdr. Jeff Miller, the Rentz's commanding officer. "He quickly earned my trust [and] confidence." Nicola said he invited Obama "for a day of burgers and basketball on the pier in San Diego," the Rentz's home port. Obama said he "would try to take us up on that offer," Nicola noted. Nicola, who previously served on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, is the senior medical representative for over 220 crew members on the Rentz, Barker said. His duties include routine patient care and trauma response. Presidents have traditionally called members of the military during the holiday season. Obama told reporters Thursday that he was planning to call "a few" service members this year "and wish them merry Christmas and to thank them for their extraordinary service." | [
"Where is Nicola located?",
"Who calls Navy corpsman Francis Nicola at sea to wish him merry Christmas?",
"Who did Obama call at sea?",
"On which ship does Francis Nicola serve on?",
"What did Nicola invite Obama to?",
"Who is on board the USS Rentz in the Arabian Gulf?",
"Who says he invited Obama for burgers and basketball when the Rentz gets home?",
"What is Francis Nicola's rank?"
] | [
[
"Arabian Gulf,"
],
[
"President Obama"
],
[
"Francis Nicola"
],
[
"USS Rentz"
],
[
"\"for a day of burgers and basketball on the pier in San Diego,\""
],
[
"Francis Nicola"
],
[
"Francis Nicola"
],
[
"\"Petty Officer"
]
] | Obama calls Navy corpsman Francis Nicola at sea to wish him merry Christmas .
Nicola is on board the USS Rentz in the Arabian Gulf .
His commanding officer submitted his name as candidate for presidential call .
Nicola says he invited Obama for burgers and basketball when the Rentz gets home . |
Houston, Texas (CNN) -- John Phillip Hernandez and a friend walked into the Collector's Firearms gun store in Houston, Texas, to buy a cache of weapons. Hernandez was wearing sunglasses and a dark T-shirt with the words "I Am the Scene" scrawled across the front.
It was April 28, 2007. Collector's Firearms was one of two gun stores they visited that day as part of a scheme to arm Mexican cartels across the border, according to federal court documents.
Hernandez's friend passed his background checks and did all the buying, prosecutors say. On that spring day, he purchased six weapons, including a quick-firing 7.62-caliber firearm and a favorite cartel weapon, the Bushmaster .223.
Within days, ATF investigators say, those weapons were put on the road and funneled into the hands of cartel members.
"The cartels are looking to supply their private armies, and they are coming up with more elaborate, larger schemes," said Dewey Webb, the special agent in charge of Houston's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives field office.
The Houston case offers a glimpse into the underworld of illegal gun trafficking and how Mexican drug cartels find much of their firepower in the United States. Straw purchases are made by people who are legally qualified to buy firearms, but those weapons then make their way into the hands of criminals, authorities said.
The daily struggle plays out as drugs flow north and guns and money flow south. At least 55 murders were the result of the gun scheme that began in Houston gun shops, authorities said.
Hernandez is at the center of the case, what Houston ATF agents say is one of the largest straw-purchasing schemes they have ever seen.
"He doesn't stand out in a crowd," an ATF agent told CNN. "He's just a regular guy." The agent asked not to be identified because he's been intricately involved in the investigation of this case.
Federal investigators say Hernandez recruited and organized 23 people around Houston. Together the men funneled nearly 340 firearms valued at almost $370,000 to Mexican drug cartels. ATF agents say almost 100 of those weapons have turned up at cartel-related crime scenes in Mexico and Guatemala.
Hernandez pleaded guilty in 2009 to making false statements about firearms purchases. He's currently serving an eight-year prison sentence.
Of the 23 other people connected to the case, 11 have pleaded guilty for their roles in the gun trafficking scheme. Each was sentenced to less than eight years in prison. Several others struck plea deals and continue to cooperate with federal authorities.
What made this group so effective was its ability to appear like ordinary gun buyers. All the men had clean criminal backgrounds, authorities say. It wasn't until the firearms started showing up at violent crime scenes in Mexico that federal investigators started piecing together the magnitude of the case.
ATF investigators, cooperating with Mexican authorities, traced the weapons back to various Houston gun shops and started seeing the same names of repeat customers.
"It really surprised us at first that we had this many people linked together," said the ATF agent who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Federal investigators say Hernandez and his men were reimbursed by the cartels for the money spent on the weapons, and then paid an extra $100 to $200 for each firearm they supplied.
The weapons Hernandez purchased himself, according to federal court documents, were used in the kidnapping and murder of a prominent Mexican businessman. Another group of weapons turned up in a shooting known as the "Acapulco Massacre" in 2007. Seven people were slaughtered that day, including four police officers.
ATF agents say breaking up these networks of straw purchasers in the United States is a key battlefront in the fight against Mexican drug cartels.
"These folks that are out buying these guns, they're just as responsible as the people pulling the trigger and killing people in Mexico," said Webb, Houston's top ATF agent. | [
"What was smuggled to Mexico?",
"Who is doing the smuggling>?",
"How many killings were linked to the trafficking scheme?",
"How many people have pled guilty for their roles in the gun scheme?",
"What was smuggled into Mexico?"
] | [
[
"weapons."
],
[
"John Phillip Hernandez and a friend"
],
[
"55"
],
[
"11"
],
[
"a quick-firing 7.62-caliber firearm and"
]
] | Guns smuggled to Mexico after sale in Houston-area gun stores .
At least 55 killings linked to gun trafficking scheme .
Twelve people have pleaded guilty for their roles in the gun scheme .
This story is part of the American Morning series "The Gun Trail" |
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