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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's attorney general will indict former President Moshe Katsav on charges of rape and sexual assault of a number of his employees, the country's justice ministry said Sunday. Israel's ex-President Moshe Katsav will face rape and sexual assault charges, Israel's Justice Ministry said. Katsav will also be charged with obstruction of justice, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said in a statement. Katsav had agreed in 2007 to plead guilty to lesser charges and pay a fine in order to avoid jail time, but pulled out of the deal when it came time to enter his plea. The plea bargain caused a public storm in Israel, mainly because it did not include charges of rape, contrary to what had been suggested by Mazuz in a draft indictment. Watch more on the expected indictment » Katsav, of the center-right Likud Party, was president of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was minister of tourism before that. The charges stem from allegations made against him in both jobs. He resigned the presidency in June 2007 over the sexual assault allegations. CNN's Shira Medding contributed to this report. | [
"What was Moshe Katsave indicted on?",
"Who will be indicted?",
"Who was president from 2000 to 2007?",
"Who will face charges?",
"Who is facing obstruction of justice charges?",
"When was Katsav president?",
"Who is the Attorney General for the case?",
"Who is indicted?",
"Who was indicted on rape and sexual assault charges?"
] | [
[
"rape and sexual assault"
],
[
"former President Moshe Katsav"
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[
"Moshe Katsav"
],
[
"President Moshe Katsav"
],
[
"Katsav"
],
[
"from 2000 to 2007."
],
[
"Menachem Mazuz"
],
[
"former President Moshe Katsav"
],
[
"Israel's ex-President Moshe Katsav"
]
] | Justice Ministry: Moshe Katsav will be indicted on rape, sexual assault charges .
Katsav to face obstruction of justice charge, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz says .
Katsav, of the center-right Likud Party, was president from 2000 to 2007 . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declared victory Thursday in an election to lead the ruling Kadima Party, putting her on a path that could make her Israel's first female prime minister in 34 years. Kadima candidate Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is the chief Israeli negotiator with the Palestinian Authority. Livni won with 43.1 percent of the vote, claiming a 431-vote margin of victory over Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, the Kadima Party said. Mofaz announced Thursday he will take a "time out" from politics and will resign his seat in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. But he indicated he does not intend his departure from front-line politics to be permanent. Livni's election marks a stunning rise for the 50-year-old, who entered the Knesset less than 10 years ago. "It's a leap of faith for the people," analyst Avi Shavit said. "They decided to trust a candidate they don't know much about." She may owe her victory over Mofaz, a former general, to her reputation for clean hands in a party losing its leader to allegations of graft. "Kadima members are more concerned about the corruption threat inside Israel than the security threat from Hamas and Iran," Israeli columnist Gil Hoffman said. As new leader of the ruling party, Livni will try to form a coalition government and become prime minister after the departure of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has been dogged by allegations of corruption. Olmert plans to inform the Cabinet on Sunday that he will resign, said Mark Regev, his spokesman. He has congratulated Livni and pledged to help make a smooth transition, according to Regev. Livni told reporters Thursday that she intends "to bring together Kadima factions and to go on this new path together." Watch Livni at the ballot box » Her slim margin of victory stood in contrast to exit polls that had shown her with a commanding lead over Mofaz and other rivals. Mofaz telephoned Livni to congratulate her on the victory, according to Israel Radio. Livni said she hoped to ensure stability in Israel's government. "We need to face complicated threats. We need to face security threats. We need to move forward, and there is economic instability," she said. Livni has about 42 days to form a coalition government. If she fails, there could be early elections that could see another party leader elected as Olmert's successor to the prime minister post. There are many possible scenarios that could take place in the following months. Ehud Barak -- leader of the Labor Party, which holds the most parliamentary seats among Kadima's coalition partners -- could pull out of the coalition. That could force early elections, or force the government to take on new coalition partners who could restrict Livni's ability to negotiate with the Palestinians. If elections are called, Barak, a former prime minister, could vie for the top spot -- but polls show he may not have enough support. Some observers think that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the opposition Likud Party, could steal the show in the end. Whoever succeeds Olmert as prime minister will be handed a set of daunting challenges, including determining the fate of Israel's talks with the Palestinians, its fledgling indirect talks with Syria and its tough talk on Iran's nuclear aspirations. Livni, who is more widely known outside Israel than her main challenger, is the chief Israeli negotiator with the Palestinian Authority as the two sides work toward a peace deal. She refuses to be tied to the Bush administration's vision of a peace deal by the end of this year. "We want to reach an agreement which at the end of the agreement we can find the words 'end of conflict,'" she said. "And in doing so, it takes time." To her supporters, she is squeaky-clean and a welcome change to Olmert, whose resignation comes amid mounting corruption charges. "She's very honest, very sincere and I hope she's going to do whatever she says," one of her | [
"Who claimed victory?",
"Who claims victory in the vote",
"Who beat Mofaz?",
"Who claims victory in vote?",
"Who is resigning?",
"Who may be the first female prime minister in 34 years?",
"Who beat Mofaz by a narrow margin?",
"Who is resigning from Knesset?"
] | [
[
"Livni"
],
[
"Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni"
],
[
"Livni"
],
[
"Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni"
],
[
"Mofaz"
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[
"Tzipi Livni"
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[
"Livni"
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[
"Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz,"
]
] | NEW: Runner-up, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, resigning from Knesset .
Livni claims victory in vote for leadership of ruling Kadima party .
Win could make her Israel's first female prime minister in 34 years .
Livni beat Mofaz by a narrow margin . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday stressed the need for a two-state solution in the quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace, a position out of step with the current Israeli government. U.S. envoy George Mitchell says Israel and the United States will remain close allies. It was one of several key issues both sides must emphasize if they are to take advantage of the current "historic period" and achieve peace, Peres told visiting U.S. envoy George Mitchell. "Nobody knows whether it will recur and nobody will forgive himself if we miss the opportunity to make peace," Peres said, according to a release from his office. In their meeting, Mitchell said U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking a prompt resumption of the stalled Mideast peace talks and played down tensions that have arisen between the U.S. and Israel in recent days -- particularly over Israel's recent settlement expansion. "Israelis and Palestinians have a responsibility to meet their obligations under the road map," Mitchell said. "And we all share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and early conclusion of negotiations." The 2003 road map is a peace plan that calls for an independent Palestinian state with a secure border with Israel, and the implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who took office in March, has stated his opposition to an independent Palestinian state, and his opposition has cast doubt on the future of the stalled Israel-Palestinian peace process. Peres was elected president during the term of Netanyahu's predecessor, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who supported a two-state solution to achieve peace. Peres won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts as foreign minister to secure peace, along with Israeli President Yitzak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. But in his discussions with Mitchell, the 85-year-old president stood firm on Israel's current settlement policy, despite the road map's provision for Israel to halt building settlements in occupied territories. "There is agreement in Israel regarding the evacuation of illegal outposts and not to build new settlements," Peres told Mitchell. "However, the issue of natural growth in the settlement blocs must continue to be discussed intensively in order to reach agreement." In recent days, the Obama administration has repeatedly called on Israel to stop construction of settlements. In a speech to the Muslim world Thursday in Egypt, Obama said his country "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." So far, Netanyahu has refused U.S. calls to stop them, and said he will deliver a major speech Sunday in which he will lay out his plan for the country's peace and security. "Let me be clear. These are not disagreements among adversaries," said Mitchell, who was dispatched to the region to try and kick-start the negotiating process. "The United States and Israel are and will remain close allies and friends." Peres, too, tried to calm the diplomatic waters. "I think (Obama's) address was extremely sensitive, touching, concerning all sides without trying to play one against the other, paying compliments when it was justified, criticizing when it was necessary in the most honest way," he said after last week's speech. Watch a review of Obama's visit to the Mideast, Europe » He told Mitchell that the Obama administration's focus on "a single issue ill-serves the wider diplomatic process which is supposed to set the agenda for Israel and its neighbors." Mitchell also met Tuesday with Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and is expected to meet with Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Meanwhile, the State Department announced that Mitchell will spend two days in Syria this weekend as part of the Obama administration's vision for comprehensive peace in the region. Before heading to Damascus, Mitchell plans to visit Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, and Lebanon, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters in Washington. "This is a very high priority," Kelly | [
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] | [
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] | Israeli President Shimon Peres says this is an "opportunity to make peace"
Peres meets with U.S. envoy George Mitchell, who urges resumption of peace talks .
Israeli prime minister to give major speech Sunday on his plan for peace, security .
NEW: Mitchell will travel to Syria this weekend, State Department announces . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli forces shelled a house where they had ordered about 100 Palestinian civilians to take shelter, killing about 30 people and wounding many more, witnesses told the U.N.
Ambulance drivers wait for Israel and the Red Cross to give them the green light Thursday to leave Gaza City.
Israel Defense Forces said it is looking into the allegations.
"Credible eyewitness accounts" described the incident, which occurred in the volatile Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun, said Allegra Pacheco, deputy head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Palestinian territories. Pacheco spoke to CNN on Friday.
Witnesses reported that "about 100 civilians were evacuated" to a house Sunday, and the structure was shelled Monday, she said. The witnesses told the U.N. that two of the survivors said their children died.
"There was no order given to move civilians from one building into another," Israeli security sources said.
However, Pacheco said, "The eyewitness accounts that we have received state that the IDF ordered them to go into this house." See images from the conflict (Warning: graphic images) »
Officials are simply passing along witness reports and not making "accusations of deliberate actions or any legal conclusions on the part of the IDF," Pacheco said.
"There needs to be further fact-finding on what occurred in this house," she said, adding that U.N. officials have yet to speak to the IDF and the Israeli government.
Her remarks came a day after the International Committee of the Red Cross issued a blunt press release saying ambulances obtained access to several houses in Zeitoun "affected by Israel shelling," days after they asked to go into the neighborhood.
The release slammed Israel -- an uncharacteristic move for the agency, which is known for its neutrality and quiet, behind-the-scenes activities.
According to the release, the ICRC had wanted "safe passage for ambulances" to the neighborhood since Saturday, but didn't receive IDF permission until Wednesday.
The ICRC and the Palestine Red Crescent Society "found four small children next to their dead mothers in one of the houses. They were too weak to stand up on their own. One man was also found alive, too weak to stand up. In all, there were 12 corpses lying on mattresses," the ICRC said. Watch how the conflict is taking a toll on children »
Rescue teams found 15 wounded people and three corpses in other houses, said the ICRC, which casts the shelling as a single incident.
"The ICRC believes that in this instance the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded. It considers the delay in allowing rescue services access unacceptable," the ICRC said.
Pacheco said she could not say if the incident witnesses described to the U.N. was the same incident in the ICRC report. But they took place in the same area, she said.
"In the Zeitoun area, it's been a closed area, and there has been fighting and there have been injured. There are other homes and buildings where there were injured who were not evacuated," she said.
Witnesses told the U.N. they had been calling for ambulances to collect dead and wounded people in the Zeitoun buildings, she said.
"This was very much similar to what the ICRC reported yesterday as to what the medical personnel found when they went into the neighborhood," Pacheco said.
The Israeli army built earthen walls that made ambulance access to the neighborhood impossible, the ICRC said.
"The children and the wounded had to be taken to the ambulances on a donkey cart," the ICRC said.
Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, called the shelling incident "shocking." See how the Gaza conflict unfolded »
"The Israeli military must have been aware of the situation but did not assist the wounded. Neither did they make it possible for us or the Palestine Red Crescent to assist the wounded," he said in the ICRC | [
"what did Israeli sources deny",
"what does the red cross say?",
"did the U.N. say anything"
] | [
[
"\"There was no order given to move civilians from one building into another,\""
],
[
"issued a blunt press release saying ambulances obtained access to several houses in Zeitoun \"affected by Israel shelling,\" days after they asked to go into the neighborhood."
],
[
"officials have yet to speak to the IDF and the Israeli government."
]
] | Israeli sources denied it ordered civilians moved "from one building into another"
Red Cross uncharacteristically says Israel failed to abide by humanitarian law .
Children, wounded taken to ambulances on a donkey cart, Red Cross says .
U.N. says it's not casting blame; it's unsure if U.N., Red Cross reports are the same . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli police divers found a suitcase Thursday containing human remains that are believed to be the body of a missing 4-year-old girl, an Israeli police spokesman said. French-Israeli girl Rose poses for a photograph with her mother, Marie Pizem. The suitcase was pulled out of the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, where police have been searching for Rose Pizem, Mickey Rosenfeld said. Two weeks ago, the girl's grandfather Roni Ron, 45, told police he stuffed her body in a suitcase and dumped it in the Yarkon River. The remains will be tested to confirm the identification of the body, and the tests could be completed within 24 hours, Rosenfeld said. "The body was found in a very bad, severe condition, as you can imagine after being in the water for weeks," Rosenfeld said, explaining why the tests could not be completed sooner. Ron initially told police he accidentally killed Rose when he slapped her in a fit of rage but then changed his account. Police transcripts quote Ron as saying, "I parked the car on the sidewalk. I opened the trunk, pulled out the suitcase and when I reached the banks of the river, I threw it. She's finished. I finished her. I saw the water seeping in and the suitcase slowly sinking." The family drama centers on Rose's mother, Marie-Charlotte Renault-Pizam, 23, and Ron -- her estranged husband's father -- with whom authorities say she has had two more daughters. Rose's father lives in France. Both the mother and grandfather are in custody. Renault-Pizam has denied any role in her daughter's disappearance. She told police she thought Ron sent Rose to an institution in France, although police, without elaborating, have said they have a telephone conversation that shows she knew the child's fate. Rose's great-grandmother, Vivienne Yaakov, reported the girl missing in late July, saying she had not seen her great-grandchild for about two months. Rose and her mother had been staying with Yaakov, who told police that Ron had taken the child and she never returned. Police searched Ron's apartment in mid-August and arrested him. The investigation has uncovered a twisted family love triangle that may have contributed to the girl's murder. The British media call the case Israel's Madeleine McCann, a reference to the 3-year-old child who disappeared May 3, 2007, while on vacation with her British family at the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. She has never been found. Rose was born in France in 2003. Her mother moved to Israel after a custody battle with Rose's father, Benjamin Pizem. Renault-Pizam had fallen in love with Ron on a previous trip to Israel with her father-in-law. Israel's minister of interior security, Avi Dichter, said everything would be done to find Rose and give her a proper burial. "There is no doubt that as a society, Israel was not there for the child when she was in need of help," Dichter said. Benjamin Pizem told Israel's Haaretz newspaper that he still hopes Rose is alive. He described his father, from whom he is estranged, as manipulative and said more details may be uncovered. "When I see him in videos, I see in his face, even if it's quite a neutral one, he has an expression that says, 'You don't know everything, and I'm manipulating all of you.' That's the reason why we think there's hope Rose is still alive." | [
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] | Israeli police divers on find suitcase with human remains inside .
Body believed to be that of missing 4-year-old girl .
Disappearance of Rose Pizam likened to that of Madeleine McCann . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli troops Thursday killed a Palestinian militant trying to cross into Israel from Gaza and wounded another, according to Palestinian security sources. Israeli soldiers stand in front of the Kerem Shalom crossing Thursday on the Israel-Gaza border. Three armed militants tried to infiltrate into Israel near the Kerem Shalom crossing along the southern Gaza border, according to the Israeli military. Israel Defense Forces said it fired at the militants, hitting two of them. It was unclear what happened to the third. In a separate operation, Israeli forces killed another Palestinian militant Thursday near Jabalya in northern Gaza, Palestinian security sources said. The militant was part of a group trying to launch a mortar shell, sources said. On April 9, Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel through the Nahal Oz border crossing in northern Gaza and fired on the fuel terminal there, killing two Israeli civilian workers. In response, Israel halted already reduced fuel shipments to Gaza. It restarted some shipments on Wednesday but shut down the terminal again Thursday because of Palestinian sniper fire, according to the Israeli military. During the brief time the terminal was open, Israel sent 437,000 liters of diesel fuel and 93 tons of gas to Gaza via Nahal Oz, the only transit route for delivering fuel supplies to Gaza. Israeli forces also clashed early Thursday with Palestinian militants in the West Bank village of Qabatiya, killing the local Islamic Jihad leader and his deputy, the Israeli military said. Bilal Hamuda Machmud Zaalah and his deputy, Adin Machmud Hasani Avidot, were hiding in a vehicle when Israeli soldiers and security forces spotted them and surrounded the vehicle, the military said. "After confirming that the two men were armed, forces fired at the wanted men, killing both," according to an IDF statement. Israel blames Zaalah for attacks against Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Jenin as well as other planned strikes inside Israel. But Palestinian medical sources and witnesses said Israeli forces surrounded a house around 3 a.m., ordering the two members of Islamic Jihad to surrender. The militants wouldn't come out, the sources said, and they died in an exchange of fire with the soldiers. The violence came a day after Israeli airstrikes and ground battles with Palestinian militants in Gaza left 21 dead -- 18 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers -- according to Palestinian security sources. A Reuters cameraman and two bystanders were killed in an apparent airstrike near El Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Hamas security sources and Palestinian medical sources. Other civilians and Palestinian militants also were killed in an Israeli strike on El Bureij. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement through his spokesman, said he's "gravely concerned at the escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel" on Wednesday. "He condemns the reported civilian casualties among Palestinians, including children, during Israeli military operations, and calls on Israel to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law," the statement said. "The secretary-general also reiterates his condemnation of rocket fire against Israeli civilian targets. He urges all parties to exercise restraint." E-mail to a friend | [
"What country closes a fuel terminal on the Gaza border?",
"What did Israel have to close that was on the Gaza border?",
"Two Islamic jihad militants were killed where?",
"What did Israel do after sniper fire?",
"Israeli troops fired on who?",
"Who did troops fire upon?",
"What country is fighting against the Palestinians?",
"Was anybody killed during the gunfight?"
] | [
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"Israel"
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[
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"Three armed militants"
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[
"Three armed militants"
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[
"Israel"
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[
"18 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers"
]
] | NEW: Israel closes fuel terminal on Gaza border after sniper fire, military says .
Israel says its troops fired on militants from Gaza trying to infiltrate border .
One killed, one wounded, Palestinian security sources say .
In separate incident, Israel says two Islamic Jihad militants killed in West Bank . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, but turned into the shock of a lifetime. A woman scours a garbage heap in Tel Aviv for her mother's missing mattress. A woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, gave her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise gift, throwing out the old tattered bed her mother had slept on for decades. The gesture ended up bankrupting Annat's mother, who had stuffed her savings of nearly $1 million inside her old bed for decades, Annat told Israel Army Radio. A massive search is under way at the city dump, where security has been beefed up to keep out treasure-seekers who have heard Annat's story in Israeli media. Annat, who did not want to reveal the rest of her name, told Israel Army Radio that she woke up early Sunday to get a good deal on a new mattress as a surprise for her mother. Sound off: Which bizarre places have you hidden money? She fell asleep that night, exhausted after lugging up the new mattress and hauling down the old one to be taken out with the trash. When her mother realized the next day what her daughter had done, she told her that she had been using the mattress to stash away her life savings and had nearly $1 million padding the inside of the worn-out mattress. Watch more on the mattress search » Annat ran downstairs, but it was too late. The garbage truck had already taken away the money-stuffed mattress. Annat alerted the two major dump sites in the Israeli city in an effort to locate the bed, but so far she has had no luck. Yitchak Burba, one of the dump site managers, told Army Radio that he and his men are working relentlessly to try to help Annat find the million-dollar mattress among the tons of garbage at the landfill. The publicity has triggered a wave of people also trying to find the mattress and its contents for themselves. Burba has increased security around the dump to keep them out. Annat told Army Radio that when her mother realized her queen-sized bank had been tossed, she told her to "'leave it.'" "'The heart is crying but you know we could have been in a car accident or had a terminal disease,'" Annat said her mother told her. Annat is also taking the situation in stride. "It's a very, very sad story but I've been through worse," she told Army Radio. "It's a matter of proportions in life ... people need to know how to accept the good and the bad in life." | [
"how much did the woman lose",
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"What has publicity triggered?"
] | [
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"nearly $1 million"
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"gave her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise gift,"
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"a wave of people also trying to find the mattress and its contents for themselves."
]
] | Israeli woman loses $1M as daughter dumps mattress containing life savings .
Security increased at city dump in Tel Aviv as search under way for mattress .
Publicity has triggered wave of people trying to find mattress and its contents . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian militant groups including the armed wing of Hamas are committing war crimes when they fire rockets into Israel, according to a report by campaign group Human Rights Watch. Palestinian militants from the al-Ahrar Brigades march during a rally in Gaza City in July. Three Israelis have been killed and dozens more seriously injured in Palestinian attacks since November 2008 with rockets striking populated areas up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) inside Israeli territory and putting 800,000 Israelis in danger, the report said. Two Palestinian girls died in Gaza when a rocket fell short of its intended target while the attacks have also put Palestinian citizens at risk from Israeli counterstrikes, it added. Human Rights Watch urged Hamas, which controls Gaza, to hold those responsible for the attacks accountable. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union. Hamas militants have cut down on rocket strikes in the past few months, but the group has not denounced those targeting Israeli civilians, nor has it tried those behind the attacks, the New York-based watchdog said. "Hamas rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians are unlawful and unjustifiable, and amount to war crimes," said Iain Levine, program director at Human Rights Watch. "As the governing authority in Gaza, Hamas should publicly renounce rocket attacks on Israeli civilian centers and punish those responsible, including members of its own armed wing." A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, criticized the report, claiming Palestinians had the right to defend themselves against Israeli military operations. "The report is not fair," he said. "It should condemn the (Israeli military) crimes instead of condemning people who defend themselves. "The international law gives them the right to defend themselves because they are occupied. We have the right to defend our land." During Israel's offensive into Gaza during December and January, Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants claimed to have fired 820 rockets at Israel, the report said. Human Rights Watch said the use of homemade Qassam and Soviet-designed Grad rockets to strike at densely populated areas amounted to indiscriminate attacks on civilians because the weapons cannot be aimed with any reliability. The watchdog found no evidence that Palestinian armed groups had deliberately used civilians as shields in rocket attacks. But it said militants took insufficient precautions to avoid putting civilian lives in danger. "Hamas forces violated the laws of war both by firing rockets deliberately or indiscriminately at Israeli cities and by launching them from populated areas and endangering Gazan civilians," Levine said. Human Rights Watch has also documented war violations by Israeli forces during its three-week offensive into Gaza. While Israeli military operations had been more harmful, killing hundreds of civilians with airstrikes, tank shelling and other assaults, "violations by one party to a conflict never justify violations by the other," it said. "Attacks targeting civilians are never permitted under the laws of war, which require armed forces to target only military objectives, and to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians from harm, regardless of the reasons for resorting to armed conflict." The United Nations is investigating violations by both sides and is due to report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in September. | [
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"How many Israelis were killed?",
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] | [
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"2008"
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"Palestinians had the right to defend themselves against Israeli military operations."
],
[
"hold those responsible for the attacks accountable."
],
[
"fire rockets"
]
] | Human Rights Watch: Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel are war crimes .
HRW urges Hamas, which controls Gaza, to bring those reponsible to account .
Hamas spokesman: Palestinians have right to defend themselves .
Two Israelis killed, dozens injured in rocket attacks since last November . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian militants fired more rockets into Israel on Friday as a tenuous six-month truce between Hamas and Israel expired. Palestinian children look at a blast crater following an Israeli airstrike over southern Gaza on December 18. Two Qassam rockets were fired Friday morning from Gaza into separate Israeli communities, the Israel Defense Forces said. Earlier, Palestinians in Gaza shot at Israeli farmers working in their fields in Kibbutz Nirim, the IDF said. No one was hurt in the attacks and one car was damaged, it added. Islamic Jihad sources claimed responsibility for firing the rockets. Under the Egytian-brokered truce, which began June 19, the Hamas government in Gaza agreed to end militant attacks from Gaza on Israel. The pledge applied to all militant groups in the coastal territory, including Islamic Jihad. In return, Israel agreed to halt raids inside Gaza and ease its blockade. The truce held well for the first four months but began to fall apart in October, when there was a marked increase in the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel -- estimated at 200. Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza as a result. Watch what may follow the end of the truce » Israel has said a major military operation in Gaza may be unavoidable if daily rocket fire from the territory continues. However, both sides have expressed a desire not to see the situation worsen. Islamic Jihad said it planned a rally in Gaza City in the afternoon, after Friday prayers, announcing the end of the truce but also calling for a lifting of the Israeli siege. Israel has tightened its restrictions on border crossings and the flow of goods into the impoverished territory, making life extremely difficult for residents. Gaza depends on Israel for 90 percent of its imports, according to the U.N. Development Program. -- CNN's Ben Wedeman and Michal Zippori contributed to this report. | [
"Who claimed responsibility for firing the rockets?",
"Who claimed responsibility for firing rockets?",
"What was the ceasefire applied to?",
"Which groups did the ceasefire apply to?",
"With what groups did the ceasefire apply?",
"When did the truce start?",
"Who claimed responsibility?",
"When did the Egyptian-brokered truce begin?"
] | [
[
"Islamic Jihad"
],
[
"Islamic Jihad sources"
],
[
"all militant groups in the coastal territory,"
],
[
"Hamas and Israel"
],
[
"all militant"
],
[
"June 19,"
],
[
"Islamic Jihad sources"
],
[
"June 19,"
]
] | Egyptian-brokered truce, which began June 19, has expired .
Ceasefire had applied to all militant groups -- including Hamas, Islamic Jihad .
Qassam rockets fired Friday from Gaza into separate Israeli communities .
Islamic Jihad sources claimed responsibility for firing the rockets . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI visited Jerusalem's holiest sites Tuesday, touring areas sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians and stressing the common threads of the three faiths. Pope Benedict XVI prays at the Old City's Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. After visiting the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, the pontiff prayed at the Old City's Western Wall. Also known as the Wailing Wall, it was once part of Judaism's Second Temple, which was destroyed. Later, the pope was scheduled to celebrate Mass at Gethsemane, the site where the Bible says Jesus prayed to God for guidance the night before his crucifixion. "The Dome of the Rock draws our hearts and minds to reflect upon the mystery of creation and the faith of Abraham. Here the paths of the world's three great monotheistic religions meet, reminding us what they share in common," the pope said at the Islamic shrine after a meeting with the grand mufti of Jerusalem, the city's top Muslim religious leader. "Each believes in one God, creator and ruler of all. Each recognizes Abraham as a forefather, a man of faith upon whom God bestowed a special blessing," the pontiff said. Muslims believe that the Dome of the Rock is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, while Jews believe that it is where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac. A short distance away in the Old City is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, believed to be located on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. The visit took place under extremely tight security. Security personnel with machine guns could be seen across the Temple Mount. | [
"Who visited there?",
"where did the visit take place",
"What is the Dome of the Rock?",
"was there tight security for the visit",
"which top leader did he meet",
"Who is Muhammad?",
"what is dome of the rock",
"what did the pope say"
] | [
[
"Pope Benedict XVI"
],
[
"Jerusalem's holiest sites"
],
[
"an Islamic shrine,"
],
[
"extremely"
],
[
"grand mufti of Jerusalem,"
],
[
"the Prophet"
],
[
"Islamic shrine,"
],
[
"\"The Dome of the Rock draws our hearts and minds to reflect upon the mystery of creation and the faith of Abraham. Here the paths of the world's three great monotheistic religions meet, reminding us"
]
] | Visits Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, before meeting city's top Muslim leader .
In Islam Dome of the Rock is where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven .
Pope: "Here the paths of the world's three great monotheistic religions meet"
Visit takes place under extremely tight security . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Some 43 years after a Beatles concert was -- according to popular belief -- banned by Israel, Paul McCartney has announced he'll perform there in September. Paul McCartney says he's looking forward to playing a concert in Israel next month. The show, which will be held September 25 in Tel Aviv, had been rumored for months. Promoters are saying it will be one of the biggest concerts ever held in Israel, and they hope it will encourage other top stars to come to Israel. A web site offering tickets for the concert put prices at 1,500 shekels and 490 shekels or between $426.86 and $139.44 U.S. dollars. Israelis "will finally get the chance to experience a night of music and history they have been waiting decades for," a news release on McCartney's Web site announced Wednesday. Two plane loads of equipment will be arriving with around 100 McCartney production people. The concert will cost around $10 million to produce and the organizers said they are hoping to make a profit. In the mid-1960s, when the Fab Four from Liverpool, England, ruled the music charts, a concert in Israel was proposed. It never happened. The long-told story maintained that Beatlemania was deemed too potentially injurious to Israel's youth. A more recent theory, however, blamed the ban on a tiff between competing concert promoters. Whatever the reason, Israelis never got to experience The Beatles live. Earlier this year, Israel's ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, visited Liverpool and apologized to The Beatles for the "misunderstanding." In a letter Prosor wrote: "There is no doubt that it was a great missed opportunity to prevent people like you, who shaped the minds of the generation, to come to Israel and perform." McCartney and Ringo Starr are the only surviving Beatles. John Lennon was slain by a deranged gunman in 1980; George Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney is billing the Tel Aviv show his "Friendship First" concert. "I've heard so many great things about Tel Aviv and Israel, but hearing is one thing and experiencing it for yourself is another," McCartney said in the news release. "We are planning to have a great time and a great evening. We can't wait to get out there and rock." | [
"What was banned by Israel?",
"Who is to play in Tel Aviv?",
"When will McCartney play Tel Aviv?",
"For what reasons were The Beatles banned?",
"Who is to play in Tel Aviv, Israel, in September?",
"Who were banned by Israel?",
"What Beatle is playing in Tel Aviv?",
"What was banned by Israel in mid-1960s?",
"When was a Beatles concert banned in Israel?"
] | [
[
"Beatles concert"
],
[
"Paul McCartney"
],
[
"September 25"
],
[
"tiff between competing concert promoters."
],
[
"Paul McCartney"
],
[
"Beatles"
],
[
"Paul McCartney"
],
[
"a Beatles concert"
],
[
"mid-1960s,"
]
] | Former Beatle Paul McCartney to play in Tel Aviv, Israel, in September .
Beatles concert was banned by Israel in mid-1960s .
Stories differ as to why Fab Four were banned by Israel . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Some Israeli archaeologists are having a particularly happy Hanukkah, thanks in part to a British volunteer who took time off from her job to work on a dig. Archaeologists found a hoard of gold coins from the 7th century in Jerusalem on Sunday. The Israel Antiquities Authority reported a thrilling find Sunday -- the discovery of 264 ancient gold coins in Jerusalem National Park. The coins were minted during the early 7th century. "This is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem -- certainly the largest and most important of its period," said Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, who are directing the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Researchers discovered the coins at the beginning of the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which started at sunset on Sunday. One of the customs of the holiday is to give "gelt," or coins, to children, and the archaeologists are referring to the find as "Hanukkah money." Nadine Ross, a British archaeological volunteer, happened onto the coins during the dig just below the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. "To be honest, I just thought, 'Thank God I didn't throw it in the rubbish bucket,' " said Ross, who had taken four weeks off from her engineering job in England to work at the site. "I was just glad I sort of spotted it before I disturbed it too much." The 1,400-year-old coins were found in the Giv'ati car park in the City of David in the walls around Jerusalem National Park, a site that has yielded other finds, including a well-preserved gold earring with pearls and precious stones. They were in a collapsed building that dates back to the 7th century, the end of the Byzantine period. The coins bear a likeness of Heraclius, who was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. The authority said that while different coins had been minted during this emperor's reign, the coins found at the site represent "one well-known type." In that style, the emperor is clad with military garb and is holding a cross in his right hand. On the other side is the sign of the cross. Authorities said the excavation of the building where the hoard was discovered is in its early stages. They are attempting to learn about the building and its owner and the circumstances of its destruction. "Since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard, we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building. It seems that with its collapse, the coins piled up there among the building debris," Ben-Ami and Tchekhanovets said. The find is a a golden moment for Ross, who said "it is a pity that I can't take it home with me. But there you go." CNN's Shira Medding and Ben Wedeman contributed to this report. | [
"where did the researchers find the coins",
"When were the coins minted?",
"Where were the coins found?",
"What do the coins depict?",
"What was found by a British volunteer?",
"Who found the ancient choins?",
"whereabouts were the coins actually found",
"in what century were the coins minted"
] | [
[
"in Jerusalem National Park."
],
[
"during the early 7th century."
],
[
"Jerusalem"
],
[
"\"one well-known type.\""
],
[
"a hoard of gold coins"
],
[
"Archaeologists"
],
[
"in Jerusalem National Park."
],
[
"7th"
]
] | NEW: Coins were found by British volunteer; "Pity that I can't take it home," she says .
Researchers find ancient coins in car park in Jerusalem's City of David .
Coins were minted in 7th century and depict Byzantine emperor of the era .
They were found in collapsed building being excavated by archaeologists . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli military says it has found a "sketch" detailing "the deployment of explosives and Hamas forces" in the Al-Attara neighborhood in northern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces says this map from Hamas shows positions of booby traps and snipers in Al-Attara.
The Israel Defense Forces issued a news release Friday saying paratroopers found a map that "describes the location of explosive devices and firing positions in the middle of the civilian population in the dense neighborhood, which endanger the life of the civilians."
"That's what Hamas has been doing throughout the entirety of the operation -- perversely using civilians as human shields," said Brig. Gen. Yuval Halmish, officer-in-chief of Israel's Intelligence Corps.
The IDF said the map depicts sniper positions at a mosque entrance and in nearby mosques.
It shows "the directions the snipers are aiming," the IDF said.
The map "indicates that explosives are planted in the entrances of civilian homes."
There are bombs planted throughout the area, including one next to a gas station.
"The important point is the disregard for human life in using entrances to civilian homes," Halmish said.
"They booby-trapped the entrances of civilian houses with explosives put close to them," he said.
"The objective is of course to hit our forces, but a local explosion also damages the houses of the civilians and causes great damage, and likely killing civilians," he said. | [
"What did the Israeli intelligence officer say Hamas was using civilians for?",
"How does Hamas use civilians?",
"What is the IDF?",
"Where was the sniper positioned?",
"Who are the Hamas using as human shields?",
"Map pinpoints locations in the middle of what?",
"Who says Hamas map shows location of explosives?",
"What map shows the location of explosives?",
"Wht did the map also show near the mosque entrance?",
"Who was used as human shields?",
"What did the Israeli military say the Hamas map shows?"
] | [
[
"human shields,\""
],
[
"as human shields,\""
],
[
"Israel Defense Forces"
],
[
"mosque entrance and in nearby mosques."
],
[
"civilians"
],
[
"of the civilian population in the dense neighborhood,"
],
[
"The Israel Defense Forces"
],
[
"found a \"sketch\" detailing"
],
[
"The IDF said the map depicts sniper positions at a mosque entrance and in nearby mosques."
],
[
"civilians"
],
[
"positions of booby traps and snipers in Al-Attara."
]
] | Israeli military says Hamas map shows location of explosives .
Map pinpoints locations in the middle of civilian neighborhoods, IDF says .
Hamas using civilians as "human shields," Israeli intelligence officer says .
Map also shows sniper positions at mosque entrance, in nearby mosques, IDF says . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli military's firing of white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas during the Gaza offensive "was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Wednesday. Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorus shells over populated areas in Gaza. "In Gaza, the Israeli military didn't just use white phosphorus in open areas as a screen for its troops," said Fred Abrahams, a HRW senior emergencies researcher. "It fired white phosphorus repeatedly over densely populated areas, even when its troops weren't in the area and safer smoke shells were available. As a result, civilians needlessly suffered and died." Entitled "Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza," the 71-page report provides "witness accounts" and "presents ballistics evidence, photographs, and satellite imagery, as well as documents from the Israeli military and government." HRW is an independent international organization dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. The group urged Israel and the United States to investigate the attacks. Israel should prosecute those who carried them out and the U.S. government, which supplied Israel, should look into the issue. HRW said white phosphorous was a chemical substance dispersed in artillery shells, bombs and rockets, used primarily to obscure military operations. "(While) it is not considered a chemical weapon and is not banned per se, it ignites and burns on contact with oxygen and creates a smokescreen at night or during the day to mask the visual movement of troops. "It also interferes with infra-red optics and weapon-tracking systems, thus protecting military forces from guided weapons such as anti-tank missiles. When WP comes into contact with people or objects, though, it creates an intense and persistent burn. It can also be used as a weapon against military targets," the group said. In response, the Israeli military said "smoke shells are not an incendiary weapon" and defended its actions. The Israel Defense Forces said it was close to completing its probe into "the use of ammunition containing elements of phosphorous." "(The invesitgation) is dealing with the use of ammunition containing elements of phosphorous, including, among others, the 155mm smoke shells which were referred to in the HRW report. This type of ammunition disperses in the atmosphere and creates an effective smoke screen. It is used by many Western armies. "It is already possible to conclude that the IDF's use of smoke shells was in accordance with international law. These shells were used for specific operational needs only and in accord with international humanitarian law. The claim that smoke shells were used indiscriminately, or to threaten the civilian population, is baseless," the IDF said. It said "that weapons intended for screening are not classed as incendiary weapons." But Abrahams said past IDF investigations into allegations of wrongdoing suggest their inquiry would be neither thorough nor impartial. "That's why an international investigation is required into serious laws of war violations by all parties. "For the needless civilian deaths caused by white phosphorus, senior commanders should be held to account," Abrahams said. The report said white phosphorus munitions weren't illegal when deployed properly in open areas, but it determined that the IDF repeatedly used them "unlawfully over populated neighborhoods, killing and wounding civilians and damaging civilian structures, including a school, a market, a humanitarian aid warehouse and a hospital. " "First, the repeated use of air-burst white phosphorus in populated areas until the last days of the operation reveals a pattern or policy of conduct rather than incidental or accidental usage. Second, the IDF was well aware of the effects of white phosphorus and the dangers it poses to civilians. Third, the IDF failed to use safer available alternatives for smokescreens," the report said. A medical report prepared during the recent hostilities by the Israeli Health Ministry said that white phosphorus "can cause serious injury and death when it comes into contact with the skin, is inhaled or is | [
"What does the Group say phosphorus shells cause?",
"Shelling is evidence of what?",
"What group says shelling is \"evidence of war crimes\"?",
"Who says shelling is evidence?",
"Where did the Israel use phosphorus shells?",
"What group called the shelling a war crime?"
] | [
[
"serious injury and death"
],
[
"war crimes,\""
],
[
"Human Rights Watch (HRW)"
],
[
"Human Rights Watch"
],
[
"over populated areas in Gaza."
],
[
"Human Rights Watch (HRW)"
]
] | Israel's use of phosphorus shells over during Gaza offensive "indiscriminate"
Human Rights Watch says shelling "evidence of war crimes"
Group says phosphorus shells cause an "intense and persistent burn" |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council failed to reach a consensus when it met to consider condemning an attack that killed eight people at a prominent Jewish seminary as an act of terrorism. Ambulance workers put one of the casualties from the seminary attack into an ambulance. The council said Libya -- a new, nonpermanent member -- blocked the statement on Thursday night. Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said the attack on the school was no different than Israeli military offensives against militants in Gaza. But Dan Gillerman, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, said he saw no connection between Thursday's shooting and Israel's operations in Gaza. "This is not a story of retaliation," he said. "These people have been terrorizing Israel for years, have been carrying out suicide bombings and indiscriminate attacks for years." A gunman broke into the Jewish seminary about 8:30 p.m., spraying automatic-weapons fire, authorities said. Most of the victims were students in their teens and 20s, medical officials said. At least nine others were wounded before an off-duty Israel Defense Forces officer fatally shot the gunman, Jerusalem District Police commander Aharon Franko said. The gunman was carrying an AK-47 and a pistol -- and had time to swap weapons during the massacre. Police are trying to identify the gunman and figure out how he managed, while drawing little notice, to enter the large three-story school in a bustling residential neighborhood. "There was no alert or warning about this attack," Franko said. Watch the immediate aftermath of the attack » A first responder said the bodies were on the floor of the study hall surrounded by holy books. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Video from Thursday's scene showed a frantic crowd of rescue workers carrying bloodied victims into ambulances. Dozens of police officers were scouring the campus and streets around the yeshiva in case there were other gunmen. Outside the school, scores of Israeli men gathered from surrounding neighborhoods, demanding justice for the attack. Authorities are calling the incident at west Jerusalem's Merkaz Harav yeshiva an act of terrorism. The school is one of the largest seminaries in Israel, with about 500 students in the yeshiva and 200 in an advanced graduate program. "Israel is at the forefront of the struggle against terrorism and will continue to defend its citizens, who are exposed to this threat on a daily basis," Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a written statement. "Israel expects the nations of the world to support it in its war against those who murder students, women and children, by any means and with respect for neither place nor target." President Bush backed Israeli leaders in a statement issued Thursday, saying, "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack in Jerusalem that targeted innocent students at the Merkaz Harav yeshiva. This barbaric and vicious attack on innocent civilians deserves the condemnation of every nation." But Libya's Dabbashi compared the attack with "bloodshed in the Palestinian territory." "For us, the human lives are the same. We judge the incident itself," Dabbashi told reporters after the Security Council meeting. "When we have to condemn the killing of the Israeli civilians, we also have to look at what's happening in Gaza." Jerusalem security increased Security was bolstered, with thousands of additional officers across Jerusalem and the rest of Israel, authorities said. Meanwhile, celebratory shooting took place in Gaza City after the news of the attack, with hundreds chanting and clapping in the streets. But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the killings. "The Palestinian Authority condemns any attack on innocent civilians," Abbas' office said in a written statement. The shootings came just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who met with both Israelis and Palestinians, announced that peace talks will resume between the two sides. Abbas suspended peace negotiations last week after fierce fighting broke out between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, but he agreed to resume negotiations after meeting with Rice. | [
"Where did the gunman go?",
"what comes after annoucement?",
"Did the gunman go into the Jewish seminary in Jerusalem?",
"When was the violence happened?",
"Who shot the attacker?",
"Was an Israeli off-duty defense force officer killed in the attack?",
"where the gunman went?"
] | [
[
"Jewish seminary"
],
[
"negotiations"
],
[
"broke"
],
[
"about 8:30 p.m.,"
],
[
"off-duty Israel Defense Forces officer"
],
[
"No"
],
[
"Jewish seminary"
]
] | Off-duty Israel Defense Forces officer fatally shot attacker .
Gunman went into Jewish seminary in Jerusalem with little apparent notice .
Police spokesman: "There was no alert or warning about this attack"
The violence comes a day after announcement of renewed peace talks . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The United Nations has condemned Friday's rocket attack on Israel from southern Lebanon, and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint." Italian soldiers with UNIFIL and Lebanese security forces inspect a rocket site in Qlayleh, Lebanon, on Friday. Israel's military fired between 12 and 18 artillery shells into southern Lebanon Friday shortly after the rocket attack on northern Israel, according to the Israeli military and a Lebanese army official. There were no casualties in either incident. Rockets fired from Lebanon struck open spaces in the western Galilee region of northern Israel, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said. There were no reports of damage. Israel retaliated by firing toward the source of the rocket fire, the IDF spokesman said. The shells landed near the southern Lebanese village of Qlayleh around 3 p.m. (8 a.m. ET), a Lebanese army official said. The IDF spokesman said the Israeli military considers the rocket-fire incident to be serious and holds Lebanon's government and military responsible. Israel Radio reported one rocket struck near the northern town of Nahariya and another landed near Gesher Haziv, a kibbutz, or collective community. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said residents near Nahariya heard several explosions, and the remnants of at least one rocket were found. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a statement through his spokeswoman, condemning the attack. He said the United Nations mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, "is investigating the circumstances of the incident in close cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces." There are an estimated 30,000 rockets in southern Lebanon, all under the control of Hezbollah militants. Israel fought a war against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon three years ago that is widely regarded as having empowered the Shiite militia. CNN's Michal Zippori in Jerusalem and Nada Husseini in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report. | [
"Were there any injuries as a result of the rocket attack?",
"Who says it fired 12 to 18 artillery shells into southern Lebanon in retaliation?",
"What amount of artillery shells were fired?",
"What does it urge Lebanese, Israelis to do?",
"Who says rockets fired from Lebanon struck open spaces in northern Israel?",
"Where did Israel fire artillery shells in retaliation?",
"Where have been no injuries?",
"Where does Israel claim the Lenanese rockets struck?",
"What did the rocket fired from Lebanon do?"
] | [
[
"no casualties"
],
[
"Israel's military"
],
[
"between 12 and 18"
],
[
"exercise maximum restraint.\""
],
[
"Israeli military and a Lebanese army official."
],
[
"southern Lebanon"
],
[
"western Galilee region of northern Israel,"
],
[
"open spaces in the western Galilee region of northern"
],
[
"struck open spaces in the western Galilee region of northern Israel,"
]
] | NEW: It urges Lebanese, Israelis "to exercise maximum restraint"
Israel says rockets fired from Lebanon struck open spaces in northern Israel .
Israel says it fired 12 to 18 artillery shells into southern Lebanon in retaliation .
There have been no injuries, and no one has claimed responsibility for rocket attack . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The world knows her as the daring nanny who, clutching a 2-year-old boy, pushed past the havoc in a terrorized Mumbai and risked her life to keep the toddler safe.
Sandra Samuel bravely saved the life of Moshe Holtzberg, 2, but says she sees no heroism in her actions.
But Sandra Samuel sees no heroism in her actions amid last week's terror attacks on India's financial capital that killed nearly 180 people -- including baby Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka. She only wishes she could have done more.
"Even today, I am thinking I should have sent the baby and done something for the rabbi and his wife," Samuel told CNN in an exclusive television interview in Israel, where she now lives.
Samuel and Moshe were among the few to make it out of the Chabad House alive after gunmen stormed the Jewish center, killing the Holtzbergs and four others.
Israel's Chabad movement has set up a fund to provide for Moshe's care. He is being looked after by members of the community, although who will serve as his guardian has not yet been established.
The nanny says she came face to face with a gunman late Wednesday, the first night of the siege. "I saw one man was shooting at me -- he shot at me." Watch CNN's Paula Hancocks talk with Samuel »
She slammed a door and hid in a first-floor storage room and attempted to reach the rabbi and the others on the second floor.
Overnight, Samuel frantically tried to call for help as gunfire and grenade blasts shook the Chabad House.
Samuel says she emerged early the next afternoon, when she heard Moshe calling for her. She found the child crying as he stood between his parents, who she says appeared unconscious but still alive.
Based on the marks on Moshe's back, she believes he was struck so hard by a gunman that he fell unconscious at some point as well.
"First thing is that a baby is very important for me and this baby is something very precious to me and that's what made me just not think anything -- just pick up the baby and run," Samuel said.
"When I hear gunshot, it's not one or 20. It's like a hundred gunshots," she added. "Even I'm a mother of two children so I just pick up the baby and run. Does anyone think of dying at the moment when there's a small, precious baby?" Watch Samuel describe the escape »
Outside, chaos flooded the streets as people tried to make sense of the massacre that killed at least 179 people and wounded 300 others. Ultimately, she and Moshe reached safety at the home of an Israeli consul before arriving in Israel, where she is considered a hero.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Moshe asked for his mother continuously, Samuel says, and he is learning to play again -- though he likes the nanny close by. And while she still has nightmares of the horrific siege that took hold of Mumbai, Samuel, a non-Jew and native of India, said she will stay in Israel for as long as Moshe needs her. Watch as Samuel describes boy asking for his mother »
"Yes, yes, they said it is important I am here," she said. "Me, I just take care of the baby." | [
"How old was the rescued child?",
"Who saved a toddler's life?",
"What did Sandra Samuel do that was heroic?",
"What is the name of the person who saved the child?",
"What did the hero face while saving the child?",
"How many gunshots did Sandra Samuel say that one gunshot is like?",
"Who faced gunfire ?",
"Country that Samuel will stay in to help care for the child?",
"Where is Samuel from?",
"Where was the toddler saved?",
"How did this children's parents die?",
"Where will she stay?",
"Who saved the toddler's life?",
"What is the name of the toddler who was rescued?",
"How old was the child in question?",
"Where will Samuel stay at to help take care of the toddler?",
"Who saved a toddler's life?",
"Where will Samuel stay for the time being?",
"What did Sandra Samuel do?"
] | [
[
"2-year-old"
],
[
"Sandra Samuel"
],
[
"saved the life of Moshe Holtzberg,"
],
[
"Sandra Samuel"
],
[
"a gunman"
],
[
"a hundred gunshots,\""
],
[
"Sandra Samuel"
],
[
"Israel"
],
[
"Israel,"
],
[
"Mumbai"
],
[
"terror attacks on India's financial capital"
],
[
"Israel"
],
[
"Sandra Samuel"
],
[
"Moshe Holtzberg,"
],
[
"2-year-old boy,"
],
[
"Israel"
],
[
"Sandra Samuel"
],
[
"in Israel"
],
[
"risked her life to keep the toddler safe."
]
] | Sandra Samuel, who saved toddler's life, sees no heroism in her actions .
Why she faced gunfire: "This baby is something very precious to me"
Samuel: "When I hear gunshot, it's not one or 20. It's like a hundred gunshots"
For now, she will stay in Israel helping take care of orphan toddler that she saved . |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- U.S. envoy George Mitchell was in Israel on Thursday for his first visit since right-wing politician Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister.
U.S. envoy George Mitchell, right, meets Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday in Jerusalem.
It is Mitchell's third visit to the region since President Obama appointed him as special envoy for Middle East peace.
Mitchell plans to meet with Netanyahu and other Israeli politicians Thursday, as well as Palestinian leaders -- including President Mahmoud Abbas -- in the West Bank and Jerusalem on Friday.
The former senator and seasoned diplomat has not been shy in articulating the U.S. desire to see a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has led to speculation that the new Israeli government and the Obama administration may find themselves on a collision course.
Netanyahu has indicated he wants serious negotiations with the Palestinians to continue, but he has not explicitly stated his support for Palestinian statehood.
Questions about the new Israeli government's commitment to a negotiated peace process came up when the new foreign minister, nationalist politician Avigdor Lieberman, declared the Annapolis process "null and void." The Annapolis process, launched by the Bush administration in 2007, paved the way for the resumption of Israeli and Palestinian talks after they stopped earlier in the decade.
After meeting Lieberman on Thursday morning, Mitchell said he had reiterated the U.S. stance.
"U.S. policy favors, with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a two-state solution which would have a Palestinian state living in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel," Mitchell said. "We look forward also to efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace throughout the region."
Lieberman said the two men had a "great opportunity to exchange some ideas" and spoke about close cooperation.
"We spoke to coordinate our position regarding the Palestinian issue, regarding the area problems," he said. "We are looking forward to the next meeting for some really deep dialogue about security, about economy, about all problems in the entire region."
The Israeli foreign minister said Israel will do everything necessary to improve the Palestinians' economic situation. But in a statement after his meeting with Mitchell, he emphasized that Israel expects an "unequivocal commitment" from the international community to Israel's security and to the Jewish state.
Mitchell met Wednesday night with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who told the U.S. envoy that the countries' bilateral relationship is "deep and close."
"It is possible to reach cooperation and understanding on all issues that are on the table," said Barak.
The issue of Iran and its nuclear program was also a topic Thursday. After Mitchell met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, the president said he emphasized dialogue on the issue.
"It is our common interest that dialogue with Iran will expose if there is an opportunity with Iran or is it all a hoax," Peres said. "We all want a world that is clean of nuclear bombs, but the problem is that those holding the bombs are religious fanatics, extremists, that do not cringe from all methods of killing.
"We need to create a wide international cooperation regarding the matter of Iran," he said. "All this talk about a possible attack by Israel in Iran are not true. The solution to Iran is not a military solution."
Lieberman said the subject of Iran is a "major problem" for Israel and the whole region.
"If you are looking for a stable solution to the Palestinian problem, before everything else you have [to] stop the intensification and the spreading of the Iranian threat," Lieberman said in his statement.
CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Kevin Flower contributed to this report. | [
"Who is George Mitchell meeting?",
"who did they meet with?",
"Who is Israeli President Shimon Peres meeting with?",
"who is to meet with the prime minister?"
] | [
[
"meets Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman"
],
[
"George Mitchell"
],
[
"George Mitchell"
],
[
"U.S. envoy George Mitchell"
]
] | George Mitchell to meet with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
Netanyahu has not explicitly said he supports Palestinian statehood .
Israel's foreign minister has said Annapolis peace process is "null and void"
Israeli President Shimon Peres meets with Mitchell, supports dialogue with Iran . |
JESSUP, Maryland (CNN) -- The beer is flowing, the polka band is playing, and dancers are twirling across the dance floor. Couples dance at Blob's Park, a dance hall that owes its revival, in part, to the economic downturn. Blob's Park lives again. The popular Bavarian beer hall and weekend nightspot had closed its doors in 2007, the victim of an unlikely foe: progress. Developers, eager to build on the 400 acres of prime real estate in the bustling Baltimore/Washington, D.C., corridor, had purchased the 400 acres upon which the dance hall sat. It was the end of an era for the farmland first owned by Max Blob, a German immigrant, who, among other things, helped found America's first "Oktoberfest" 70 years ago. Blob was the great-uncle of Max Eggrel, who grew up on the land in Jessup, Maryland. Standing on that farmland recently, Eggrel recalled the old days. "We would farm during the week and have a biergarten during the weekend," Eggrel says. Those weekend events were held in a small, wood-framed building situated between rows of golden crops. The building would come to be known as Blob's Park, a restaurant, dance hall and German-style biergarten. It opened in 1933. Thousands of patrons came to know the dance hall, which saw most of its business on Friday and Saturday nights. But time marched on, and developers came calling. "My brother ran the park until New Year's Eve (of 2007), and the rest of my family members decided, with the pressure from developers, to sell the land," Eggrel says. "Our land butts right up to Fort Meade and the NSA (National Security Agency) facility," Eggrel explains. Fort Meade is currently going through major renovation and upgrades on its facility. The fort is part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program implemented by the Department of Defense in 2005 that will see thousands of new jobs on base. With all these jobs comes a need for housing, Eggrel says. "There are people that are going to be working there, and they are going to have to live somewhere, and so this is one of the spots." Private developers are expected to build townhomes, condominiums and retail storefronts on the rolling hills of farmland where Blob's Park stands. But that's somewhere in the future. For now, the economic crisis gripping the country has played a role in the revival of Blob's Park. With the economic slowdown, developers couldn't see spending all the money on building upon the land since there currently isn't a demand. "The infrastructure is going to take time to develop. There is no water or sewer on the property right now," adds Eggrel, who still lives on the property. Once the land was sold and Blob's Park shut down, Eggrel found himself gazing out his front yard at the facade of a dance hall and all the open space surrounding it. "The building was sitting there, just inviting someone to jump in and bring it back," Eggrel says. That's exactly what he set out to do. But it wouldn't be an easy task. "To open it back up took a sizable financial risk," Eggrel says. "I just had the vision that it could succeed again and be bigger then it was before, and I was just willing to take that risk." Eggrel took his idea to the developers and a few attorneys. The developers agreed to rent 40 acres of the land back to Eggrel, a small portion compared to the land he grew up on, but it gave Eggrel the right to reopen the doors to Blob's Park. Eggrel spent five months renovating the hall, and in January 2009 he and his employees reopened the doors to the public. Watch the action on the dance floor » The hall currently has a three-year lease, but Eggrel speculates the dancing | [
"What were the plans for the land when the developers purchased it?",
"Who leased back the land from developers?",
"When did the club close its doors?",
"What type of dance hall opened in 1933?",
"When did the dance hall open?",
"When did the dance hall reopen?",
"Who leased enough land to open it again?"
] | [
[
"build on the 400 acres of prime real estate in the bustling"
],
[
"Max Eggrel,"
],
[
"2007,"
],
[
"German-style biergarten."
],
[
"1933."
],
[
"January 2009"
],
[
"Max Eggrel,"
]
] | Popular Bavarian dance hall opened in Maryland in 1933 .
Developers bought land, club closed its doors on New Year's 2007 .
With slow economy, developers aren't building on the land .
Family member leases back enough land to reopen dance hall . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- South Africa has refused the Dalai Lama a visa to attend an international peace conference in Johannesburg this week, a presidential spokesman said.
The Dalai Lama fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
The Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Laureate did not receive a visa because it was not in South Africa's interest for him to attend, said Thabo Masebe.
South Africa thinks that, if the Dalai Lama attended the conference, the focus would shift away from the 2010 World Cup -- the global soccer championship it will host next year.
"We cannot allow focus to shift to China and Tibet," Masebe said, adding that South Africa has gained much from its trading relationship with China.
The Dalai Lama's fellow laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said he would boycott the event. Watch the controversy surrounding South Africa's decision »
Former president F.W. De Klerk, another laureate, backed Tutu, saying in a statement that he would also not participate in the conference if the Dalai Lama remained excluded.
De Klerk said that the decision to refuse the visa made a "mockery" of the peace conference.
"The decision to exclude the Dalai Lama is irreconcilable with key principles on which our society is based including the principles of accountability, openness and responsiveness and the rights to freedom of expression and free political activity," he said.
"South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democracy and should not allow other countries to dictate to it regarding who it should, and should not admit to its territory - regardless of the power and influence of the country."
A representative of the Dalai Lama said he was not surprised by the decision. The Tibetan government in exile thinks that China has pressured many countries to refuse a visit by the Dalai Lama, according to Chhime Chhoekyapa, an aide in Dharamsala, India.
The Dalai Lama fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
The peace conference was billed as an opportunity to showcase South Africa's role as a human-rights champion ahead of its hosting of soccer's World Cup next year.
It was to bring together Noble Laureates and top soccer officials. In addition to Tutu and De Klerk, laureates Nelson Mandela and Martti Ahtisaari, Sepp Blatter, president of soccer's international governing body, and actress Charlize Theron were invited to attend. The event had the blessing of the Nobel Committee. | [
"Who hosted the 2010 World CUP?",
"Who will boycott the conference?",
"Who would boycott the conference?",
"Who does South Africa hav e trading relationship with?",
"Who is Desmond Tutu?",
"Who doesn't want the Dalai Lama?",
"Which country does South Africa trade with well?",
"Where was the 2010 World Cup held?"
] | [
[
"South Africa"
],
[
"The Dalai Lama's fellow laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu,"
],
[
"Archbishop Desmond Tutu,"
],
[
"China."
],
[
"Archbishop"
],
[
"South Africa"
],
[
"China."
],
[
"JOHANNESBURG, South Africa"
]
] | Spokesman: "Not in South Africa's interest for him (Dalai Lama) to attend"
South Africa says it is worried focus will switch away from 2010 World Cup .
It added South Africa has gained much from its trading relationship with China .
Fellow laureate Desmond Tutu said he would boycott the conference . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- South Africans waited on election results Thursday in a ballot that the ruling African National Congress party appeared on course to win in a landslide. ANC leader Jacob Zuma is expected to be South Africa's next president. South African media reported Thursday that the ANC had won around 65 percent of the vote with one third of ballots counted. Reports suggested the opposition Democratic Alliance could be on course to claim control of Western Cape province -- but the ANC was ahead in the country's eight other provinces. "This party is an elephant. You cannot actually topple an elephant," presidential candidate Jacob Zuma told thousands of supporters at ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg, according to Reuters.com. Zuma, who danced and sang his trademark "Bring me my machine gun" anti-apartheid anthem, stressed the ANC was "not yet celebrating victory." Final results are not expected until Saturday. All counting is done by hand in the country, which has 23 million registered voters. Members of parliament will elect the country's president next month. The Independent Electoral Commission said the number of people voting on Wednesday created long lines and a shortage of ballot boxes and papers in some districts and voting stations. Watch as South Africa waits for a winner » "We thank voters for their enthusiasm and patience as they waited to exercise their democratic right to vote," commission Chairwoman Brigalia Bam said Wednesday. Although the ANC is widely expected to win, it remains to be seen how much ground the two main opposition parties -- the Democratic Alliance and the Congress of the People -- will gain, and whether the ANC will be able to hold onto its two-thirds parliamentary majority. The ANC has gained votes in every election since 1994, when the country held its first democratic election. But the Congress of the People -- a breakaway faction of the ANC -- threatens the ruling party's grip on power. Voter shares feelings about ANC and new rival » The ANC has been dogged by allegations of corruption and has been accused of failing to deliver services to the poor. And Zuma until recently faced fraud and corruption charges. The country's prosecuting authority dropped the charges two weeks before the elections, citing alleged political interference in the case. That decision sparked widespread outrage, with opposition parties accusing prosecutors of buckling under political pressure. Twenty-six parties vied in Wednesday's election. They included Islamic and Christian parties, and right-wing Afrikaaner and socialist groups. Learn more about some of South Africa's political parties More than 5,000 domestic and international observers are monitoring the election, according to the electoral commission. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report. | [
"Who is Jacob Zuma?",
"What kind of landslide are they on course for?"
] | [
[
"ANC leader"
],
[
"election"
]
] | African National Congress on course for landslide, South African media reports .
Reports says ANC has 65 percent of vote; official results expected Saturday .
Opposition Democratic Alliance could claim control of Western Cape province .
Controversial ANC leader Jacob Zuma expected to become president . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- A mother whose daughter and granddaughter attend Oprah Winfrey's school in South Africa considers the talk-show host heaven-sent, despite allegations of abuse being investigated there. Oprah Winfrey cuts the ribbon at the opening in January of her Leadership Academy in South Africa. "Oprah is an angel, she is God-sent," Masechaba Hine said Wednesday from her small home in gritty Soweto township. "She came to my rescue when my husband was not working." Hine's daughter Palesa and her granddaughter Alebohang, both 14, were among the 152 students chosen to be the first class to attend the high-tech, high-profile Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls when it opened in January. Her faith remains unshaken by the news that South African police have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that a dorm parent mistreated students at the school. Hine said her children "have no problems about the school, they are happy about everything." Investigators declined to provide details of the alleged abuse, but the academy's CEO, John Samuel, said in a statement issued earlier this month that an internal inquiry was launched based on a claim of misconduct involving a dormitory parent. Watch why school is being investigated » According to an article in The Cape Argus, a Cape Town newspaper, the dorm parent allegedly grabbed a pupil by the throat and threw her against a wall, the girl claimed. Girls at the school also claimed that the matron swore and screamed at the girls and assaulted them, the newspaper reported Saturday. The newspaper said one of the pupils ran away from the school, blaming the alleged abuse. Winfrey personally selected the school's students, all of them straight-A students from underprivileged backgrounds. The students get free tuition, free uniforms, free accommodation and free meals at the school in Henley-on-Klip, near Johannesburg. In Hine's case, her children's status as the "poorest of the poor" that the school aims to serve was clear-cut: Hine supports the five people who live in her small two-bedroom Soweto home on the $50 a week she makes from a fruit and vegetable stand. Hine also is caring for two other orphans -- a niece and a younger granddaughter -- as well as Palesa and Alebohang, whom Hine took responsibility for when her own mother died of AIDS. Along with the money she scrapes together, the family survives on food baskets they receive once a month from a charity. Hine attended an emergency meeting with Winfrey when the talk-show host came to the school two weeks ago. "She was emotional, she was crying when she was talking about her daughters. It is not our daughters anymore, it is Oprah's daughters," Hine said. Winfrey did not give the parents details of the allegations other than to say that the dormitory parent "didn't treat the girls the way she likes," Hine said. She said parents were told at the start of the meeting that Winfrey "does not want the thing to be in the media. It was a private meeting." The controversy that now surrounds the school now offers a sharp contrast to the glitter and air of limitless hope when Winfrey brought a gaggle of Hollywood stars with her to officially open the well-appointed school. The criminal probe was opened after a team of three American experts hired by Winfrey gave police the results of their initial investigation, police said. "We came to the conclusion that there were criminal elements and then we opened the case for investigation," said Police Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini. Dlamini told CNN that the team of U.S. experts hired by Winfrey to conduct the internal investigation included Robert Farley, a retired Cook County, Illinois, detective. He said two American social workers were also on the team. Previously, Winfrey -- who has spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered as a child -- issued a statement on October 17 saying, "Nothing is more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the | [
"what are Americans, South Africans investigating?",
"Dorm parent accused abuse where at?",
"where has dorm parent been accused of abuse?",
"Who are investigation the allegations?",
"What did one parent call Winfrey?",
"what does one mother say about Winfrey?",
"What did one parent claim was going on at the school?"
] | [
[
"allegations that a dorm parent mistreated students at the school."
],
[
"school"
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[
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[
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[
"\"Oprah is an angel, she is God-sent,\""
],
[
"\"Oprah is an angel, she is God-sent,\""
],
[
"abuse"
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] | Dorm parent accused of abuse at Oprah Winfrey's South African school .
One mother of student supports Winfrey: "Oprah is an angel"
Allegations under investigation by Americans, South Africans . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- An undersea cable plugging east Africa into high speed Internet access went live Thursday, providing an alternative to expensive satellite connections. The cable links southern Africa to Europe and Asia. SEACOM, the cable provider company, opened its 17,000 kilometer submarine cable, capable of 1.28 terabytes per second, allowing the region true connectivity. Most Africans rely on expensive and slow satellite connections, which make the use of applications such as YouTube and Facebook extremely trying. "This is going to reduce the cost of doing business in Africa, within Africa and with international parties" said Suveer Ramdhani, SEACOM spokesman in South Africa. "The cable is as thin as a hair strand, and in one second it can download the same amount of data that 160 people use in a month." SEACOM, privately funded and 75 percent African owned, will provide retail carriers with open source access to inexpensive bandwidth. It has taken less than three years to complete the mammoth project, providing landing stations at South Africa, Kenya, Madagascar and other points along the east coast of Africa. But telecoms analyst James Hodge said that some of the more ambitious hopes for the system -- such as impacting the continent's socioeconomic problems -- will be long-term, and that initially it will be those already connected who will see the benefits. The launch was delayed by a month because of increased activity by pirates along parts of the African coast. Security teams were beefed up to protect the slow moving cable layers. Neotel, a South African communications network operator, is the largest SEACOM customer in South Africa and is the country's landing partner, providing both the coastal landing station and Johannesburg data center for the submarine cable. Neotel managing director Ajay Pandey is excited about the opportunities for growth presented by the SEACOM cable. "With this cable coming in, the pipe size opens up, so more and more people are able to get faster and better connectivity, hopefully at a lower price. It can't be more expensive than what it is today." SEACOM Chief Executive Officer Brian Herlihy added: "Turning the switch 'on' creates a huge anticipation, but ultimately, SEACOM will be judged on the changes that take place on the continent over the coming years." South Africa has been hobbled by high costs and extremely slow bandwidth, effectively keeping the country on an information back road rather then the superhighway. There is much anticipation and hope that the cable will ensure Africa keeps up with the developed world in Internet connectivity, providing greater speed, flexibility and, potentially, a complete socioeconomic transformation. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said in his opening address: "It's the ultimate embodiment of modernity." His speech was beamed via SEACOM from a launch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to the simultaneous launch in Johannesburg, South Africa. | [
"How long is the cable?",
"How long is the SEACOM cable?",
"Who provides the cable?",
"What was the name of the undersea cable?",
"What does SEACOM provide a cheaper alternative to?",
"What does the SEACOM cable link?",
"What did the SEACOM spokesman say?",
"What does the cable link?"
] | [
[
"17,000 kilometer"
],
[
"17,000 kilometer"
],
[
"SEACOM,"
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[
"SEACOM"
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[
"expensive satellite connections."
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[
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],
[
"\"This is going to reduce the cost of doing business in Africa, within Africa and with international parties\" said Suveer Ramdhani,"
],
[
"southern Africa to Europe and Asia."
]
] | Undersea SEACOM cable links southern and east Africa to Europe, Asia .
System provides cheaper alternative to satellite connections .
17,000 km cable capable of 1.28 terabytes per second .
SEACOM spokesman: This is going to reduce the cost of doing business . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Hugh Masekela is the legendary South African musician whose songs were an inspiration in the fight to end apartheid. He tells CNN about growing up under apartheid, why he left South Africa and what is was like to move back to Johannesburg after 30 years away. Hugh Masekela: "The people of South Africa deserve entertainment, recreation and freedom." CNN: How did the suffering of the apartheid influence your art? Hugh Masekela: I don't think what I do is influenced by suffering. I come from a talented people who are prolific in music and dance. We have wonderful singers and we have a diversity of music here that is just amazing. But in spite of being oppressed these people were very resilient and they were mostly resilient through song. I think we are the only society where music played such a major part in our resistance. We grew up in rallies and in the street. We didn't have televisions so we played in the streets and made up songs about what was happening. Watch Hugh Masekela take CNN on a tour of Johannesburg ». CNN: What's your earliest memory of Johannesburg? HM: I came to Jo' burg from Springs [a town near Johannesburg]. My family moved to Alexandra township and the first time I went to town alone I must have been 10 or 11. Jo' burg used to be scrubbed every night with fire hoses and those hard brooms and the granite on the sidewalks would always sparkle. I remember that because I came from Alexander township where there were no lights, no sewage and no cafes. The most vivid memory I have -- we used to stop and look through restaurant windows at the white people eating fancy food, and we'd say "what do you think that is?" and "there are so many types of food!" CNN: How did it feel to leave South Africa? HM: When I left South Africa in 1960 I was 20 years old. I wanted to try to get an education and music education was not available for me in South Africa. I wanted to learn from the same kind of teachers that taught Miles Davis and Clifford Brown and Chad Baker and they were not in South Africa. I hoped that one day I could go and learn some of those things and then come back and teach. It was a rough time, when the apartheid government first started showing that if you don't behave, they'll shoot you -- women and children too. You saw police with guns, with machine guns, and for the first time you saw tanks. We had a group called the Jazz Epistles and we were about to take off on a national tour. We were the first African group to play on an LP, but gatherings of more than 10 people were banned so we couldn't do our tour. But four years later, when I was ready to come back to South Africa, I couldn't. The place was impenetrable. By then Mandela had been sentenced to life imprisonment. So I stayed 26 years longer than I planned to. See Hugh Masekela's Johannesburg » CNN: Tell us about coming home. HM: It was great, but it was also a tense time coming back to South Africa and we were not naive about it. It was a time of real turmoil. There were no-go places in the townships, there was sniping, there were major clashes and it was a time when civil war was threatening. When I left South Africa there were 10 million people -- when I came back there were more than 40 million. I had to learn how to get to the highways because when I left where there were no highways. And I had to adjust my language because people would say "we don't' talk like that anymore!" I was like a sponge trying to learn to do the right things. Not many people came back from exile compared with those who left. About a million left -- 50,000 came back, and of those about 25,000 did a U-turn | [
"Who is Hugh Masekela?",
"Who's songs were the inspiration?",
"Where is Johannesburg?"
] | [
[
"South African musician"
],
[
"Hugh Masekela"
],
[
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]
] | Hugh Masekela songs were an inspiration in the fight to end apartheid .
He left South Africa to get a musical education and couldn't return for 30 years .
Under apartheid black South Africans were resilient through song, he says .
He says Johannesburg is cosmopolitan and multicultural, like South Africa . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Police armed with rubber bullets were patrolling neighborhoods in Johannesburg on Tuesday in an effort to quell a recent spree of violence aimed at foreigners that police say has killed 22 people and displaced an estimated 13,000. A crowd armed with clubs, machetes and axes rioted on the outskirts of Johannesburg on Tuesday. Many of the victims are Zimbabweans who have fled repression and dire economic circumstances in their homeland. Evidence of the violence was seen in smoke rising from burned homes in one Johannesburg neighborhood. Locals angry about the rising number of foreigners arriving in South Africa had set homes ablaze. Firefighters said they had fought more than 100 such blazes since Thursday. Standing outside a row of charred homes, Diamond Minnaar said there is a solution for foreigners. "Most of them just have to go back to their country and leave us in peace," Minnaar said. "That is the only solution. Or they are just going to get killed. Look at how many shacks have burnt down." The attacks and looting have drawn condemnation from South African officials and other African leaders. iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, video The violence began a week ago in Johannesburg's Alexandra Township, police say, and has been concentrated in the city's poorest areas. "People are angry because they are unemployed, poverty-affected people struggling for basic needs every day," said Dean Christopher Barends, a local Lutheran minister. "This will explode into something." One person victimized was Pascoal Sendela Gulane, a Mozambican man, who said gangs broke into his home and stole his belongings. He fled to a church with his family and is now living with his children in his car on the church's property. For him and many others, churches and police stations have become safe havens. Watch footage of the attacks » On Monday, South African President Thabo Mbeki called for an end to the violence. "We dehumanize ourselves the moment we start thinking of another person as less human than we are simply because they come from another country" he said in a statement. "As South Africans, we must recognize and fully appreciate that we are bound together with other Africans by history, culture, economics and, above all, by destiny. I call upon those behind these shameful and criminal acts to stop! Nothing can justify it." He has called for an investigation into the violence. Also Monday, the Nelson Mandela Foundation issued a statement condemning the "senseless violence." South African police have arrested more than 200 people in connection with the violence for offenses including rape, murder, robbery and theft. Police director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said that at least one foreigner was burned alive over the weekend, while others saw their houses torched, their shops looted and their possessions stolen. Tuesday there was a large police presence in the neighborhoods were the violence had occurred, according to a CNN producer on the scene. Despite the police presence, sporadic looting still took place in several townships east of Johannesburg. Mbuso Mthembu, provincial manager at the Red Cross office in Johannesburg, said that the number of people fleeing is continuing to grow and that violent attacks seem to be spreading into other areas. His organization has made an emergency appeal for people to donate 1 million rand (about $135,000) to help support the estimated 13,000 who have fled their homes. Many had to flee quickly, leaving all their belongings behind, Mthembu said. "We have delivered blankets, kids clothing, baby formula," he said. "But we need more." | [
"Which area of Johannesburg was attacked?",
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"what caused people to flee?",
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] | [
[
"Alexandra Township,"
],
[
"Zimbabweans"
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[
"attacks"
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[
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],
[
"more than 200 people"
],
[
"13,000."
],
[
"South Africa"
],
[
"13,000."
]
] | An estimated 13,000 people fled homes after violence targeting foreigners .
Attacks have been concentrated in Johannesburg's poorest areas .
Police arrest more than 200 people after at least 22 are killed .
Zimbabweans who have fled their own country are driven from squatter camps . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Prosecutors dropped corruption charges Monday against South Africa's ruling party president Jacob Zuma, who is expected to win the presidential race later this month. Jacob Zuma is expected to win the country's upcoming presidential election. The leader of the African National Congress had been charged with more than 700 counts of corruption and fraud. The charges, which were linked to a multibillion dollar arms deal in the country, were dropped after eight years of investigations. Zuma, who was named one of Time's Most Influential People in 2008, is favored to win the country's next presidential elections scheduled for April 22. He served as deputy president of South Africa from 1999 until he was fired in 2005 by President Thabo Mbeki over his alleged involvement in a bribery scandal. Opposition parties are accusing prosecutors of buckling under pressure from the ruling party. Mokotedi Mpshe, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, disagreed. "An intolerable abuse has occurred," Mpshe said after reading transcripts of telephone conversations between two prosecution chiefs who appear to be planning to charge Zuma before ANC party elections. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report | [
"What is the prosecutor accused of?",
"Name the president of the ANC?",
"What is the name of the most powerful party in South Africa?",
"Who is ANC president?",
"Zuma is president of what party?",
"Who denied claims of accepting bribes, money laundering, among others?",
"What is the name of the president of the ANC?",
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] | [
[
"buckling under pressure from the ruling party."
],
[
"Jacob Zuma,"
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[
"African National Congress"
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[
"Jacob Zuma,"
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[
"African National Congress"
],
[
"Jacob Zuma,"
],
[
"Jacob Zuma,"
],
[
"April 22."
]
] | Jacob Zuma is president of the ANC, the most powerful party in South Africa .
He is widely predicted to win the presidential vote, expected to take place in April .
Zuma has denied claims of accepting bribes, money laundering, among others .
Opposition parties accuse prosecutors of buckling under pressure . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Reggae legend Lucky Dube, one of South Africa's most famous musicians, was killed in an attempted car-jacking as he dropped his children off at a relative's house, his record label said Friday.
Reggae star Lucky Dube was much loved by his fellow South Africans.
Dube, 43, was killed in Johannesburg around 8 p.m. local time Thursday after someone tried to steal his car, Gallo Record Company said in a statement. Police said he was shot. The statement said Dube attempted to escape but died almost instantly from his wounds.
Dube was much loved by his fellow South Africans, and his death cast a shadow over festivities ahead of South Africa's highly-anticipated appearance in the rugby World Cup final with England this weekend.
News of his death was the headline in many Friday newspapers, knocking the World Cup off the front pages for the first time in days.
Callers to talk radio stations suggested the Springboks wear black armbands in remembrance of Dube when they take to the field Saturday in Paris.
Gallo Records called the death "senseless and random," and it was not clear whether Dube's attackers knew who he was.
South Africa is one of the most dangerous societies in the world. Figures from the South African Police Service show that from April 2006 to March 2007, more than 19,000 South Africans were murdered, more than 52,600 people were raped, and nearly 13,600 people were carjacked.
"It's very sad," said Mark Sutherland, London bureau chief for Billboard Magazine. "He's a big loss to the South African music business. (He was) one of their most successful artists and certainly one of their leading reggae artists."
Sutherland said Dube was an extremely respected musician who toured extensively around the world. Dube had just returned from a tour of the United States that stretched from California to New York.
His record company said Dube leaves "a great void" in the music industry after a 25-year career. Dube recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans.
Born outside Johannesburg in 1964, Dube was named "Lucky" by his mother because he was the first child to be born after several failed pregnancies.
Dube started singing in 1982, joining a band playing Mbaqanga, or traditional Zulu music. It was only later that he began recording reggae tracks as a solo singer, but the genre was to dominate and define the remainder of his career.
Ivor Haarburger, the chief exectutive of Gallo Music Group, said he was deeply saddened by the loss.
"Lucky was not just an extraordinary artist, he was a personal friend," Haarburger said. "It's so sad to lose such a great friend and so tragically."
Dube is survived by his wife, Zanele, and his seven children: Bongi, Nonkululeko, Thokozani, Laura, Siyanda, Philani and three-month old Melokuhle. E-mail to a friend
CNN correspondent Robin Curnow contributed to this report. | [
"Who was killed in the hijacking?",
"Who has killed in the attempted hijacking?",
"Does this affect the upcoming World Cup?",
"Where did the hijacking take place?",
"What did the hijacker try to steal?",
"In what city was Dube killed?",
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"What country was reggae legend Lucky Dube from?",
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"Did he during an attempted carjacking"
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] | South African reggae legend Lucky Dube killed in attempted hijacking .
Dube, 43, killed Thursday in Johannesburg after hijacker tried to steal his car .
Death casts shadow over South Africa's preparations for rugby World Cup final . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- South Africa's police chief said Monday that violence directed at foreign nationals had killed 22 people over the past week. Police carry an unidentified Malawi national on an improvised stretcher after he was badly beaten in Reiger Park township. The attacks have been concentrated in Johannesburg's poorest areas, and many of the victims were Zimbabweans who have fled repression and dire economic circumstances. The Nelson Mandela Foundation issued a statement condemning the "senseless violence" that police say was sparked a week ago in Johannesburg's Alexandra Township. "We join the rest of South Africa in deploring this violence," said Achmat Dangor, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, according to a statement released on Monday. "Whatever the underlying causes they have to be addressed, but this senseless violence is not a solution." Police said those behind the attacks accused the foreigners of stealing jobs, carrying out criminal activities and benefiting from social services -- such as free housing -- meant to benefit South Africans. iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, video Police arrested more than 200 people during the violence for offenses including rape, murder, robbery and theft. Police said at least one foreigner was burned alive over the weekend, while others had their houses torched, their shops looted and their possessions stolen. Many have sought refuge at police stations. Some women have told police they were raped as part of an effort to drive the immigrants out. South Africa's police director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said 22 people had been killed in the past week. The Red Cross estimates some 3,000 more were displaced. The attacks were concentrated in some of the poorest parts of South Africa where locals are jobless, hungry and in need of basic services such as clean water, sanitation and housing. South African President Thabo Mbeki called for an investigation into the violence. He has been reluctant to describe it as xenophobic because many South Africans have criticized his government for not doing enough to deal with the crisis in neighboring Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is in the midst of an economic collapse, with nearly 80 percent unemployment and inflation estimated to be at 160,000 percent. In addition, it is also in a state of political limbo. A presidential runoff between long-time leader President Robert Mugabe and his opposition challenger Morgan Tsvangirai is scheduled for June 27 -- three months after the initial vote. Opposition leaders have accused the government of carrying out a campaign of political intimidation ahead of the runoff. The economic and political situation has seen an influx of Zimbabweans to South Africa, seeking a better life. Archbishop Desmond Tutu also condemned the violence and urged South Africans to remember the help that he and other anti-apartheid leaders received from neighboring countries. "Although they were poor, they welcomed us South Africans as refugees, and allowed our liberation movements to have bases in their territory even if it meant those countries were going to be attacked by the SADF (South African Defense Forces)," Tutu said. "Please stop the violence now. This is not how we behave. These are our sisters and brothers. Please, please stop." A South African military veterans' group plans to mobilize soldiers who fought against the country's former system of legalized racial separation "to help educate the people ... about the role played by other African countries in securing South Africa's freedom." "Many brave comrades paid the ultimate price on African soil, but never at the hands of the people of those countries," according to a statement from the Military Veterans' Association in the Western Cape province. "In the light of these facts, the xenophobic attacks witnessed in Gauteng (Province) over the past week -- and previously, against refugee traders in Cape Town -- are totally repugnant." | [
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] | At least 22 people killed by mobs targeting foreigners in Johannesburg .
Police arrest more than 200 people for offenses including rape and murder .
Zimbabweans who have fled their own country are driven from squatter camps .
South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu condemns the attacks . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Ten South African ministers and the deputy president have resigned as President Thabo Mbeki prepares to leave office.
South African President Thabo Mbeki announced his resignation in a televised address Sunday.
His replacement, African National Congress Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, will be sworn in as South Africa's president Thursday.
Mbeki announced he was resigning on Sunday, prompting threats from several Cabinet members to follow suit -- but the outgoing president urged them to stay in office, government sources said.
The resignations, which include Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, will take effect Thursday when Mbeki steps down, a government statement said.
"All the ministers have expressed their availability to assist the incoming administration in the hand-over process and any other assistance that might be sought from them," the statement said.
The finance minister's assistant told CNN that Manuel is willing to serve in the new government, if needed.
Three deputy ministers have also tendered their resignations, a government statement said.
A spokesman for South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, confirmed that it has named Motlanthe as its choice to succeed Mbeki. Motlanthe will stay in office until elections in the spring of next year, which ANC President Jacob Zuma is widely expected to win.
Earlier this month, the ANC asked Mbeki to step down after a judge threw out the corruption, fraud and racketeering case against Zuma -- Mbeki's political arch rival. The judge called the case invalid and accused Mbeki's government of political interference.
Mbeki -- who has been South Africa's president for nearly 10 years -- spoke of some of his achievements when he formally announced his resignation on Sunday during a televised address. Watch the significance of Mbeki "falling on the sword" »
"I depart this office knowing that many men and woman in South Africa have worked to achieve better lives for all," Mbeki said.
Under his leadership the country has had the longest period of sustained economic growth in the South Africa's history and has reached out to indigent people in an unprecedented way, Mbeki said.
Mbeki said the country still has economic, corruption and crime challenges to face in the future. And he gave his vote of confidence to the country's next leader without naming who that leader would be.
Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general of the African National Congress, announced Saturday that the party -- which Mbeki has been involved with since his teens -- had asked him to leave before his term was up.
Mbeki agreed to do so, he said.
Mantashe said the ANC made the decision "for the citizens of South Africa, so there could be stability within the country" and so the ANC movement could remain "stable and unified."
The case against Zuma -- who replaced Mbeki as ANC president last year -- was thrown out in September 2006, but the National Prosecuting Authority recharged him. Judge Chris Nicholson made no ruling on Zuma's guilt or innocence, and he could be recharged.
Political observers doubted that would happen because of Zuma's popularity, particularly with the Communist Party and trade unions.
Zuma has denied the charges. He said the case was politically motivated, and harmed his chances to become the ANC's presidential nominee.
He could have faced at least 15 years in jail if convicted of accepting bribes from a company that got a contract in a multibillion-dollar arms deal.
He also faced charges of having a corrupt relationship with his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, who is serving a 15-year sentence for soliciting bribes for Zuma and using Zuma's political influence to benefit his businesses.
Mbeki, 66, succeeded Nelson Mandela as South Africa's president in June 1999. Critics alleged he pushed for the corruption charges against Zuma.
Mbeki recently brokered a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwe's political rivals, who signed the agreement on Monday in an effort to put aside the violent past and end the crisis that has paralyzed Zimbabwe since disputed national elections in March.
Under it, longtime Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe remains president, while his | [
"What position does Kgalema Motlanthe have?",
"Who resigned in South Africa?",
"What country is being discussed?",
"Who was sworn in on Thursday?",
"What longtime rival did Mbeki's court case involve?",
"Who resigned with President Thabo Mbeki?",
"Who was sworn in Thursday?",
"Who quit after court case?",
"Who is the rival of Mbeki?",
"Name of the replacement that was sworn in Thursday?"
] | [
[
"African National Congress Deputy President"
],
[
"Ten"
],
[
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],
[
"African National Congress Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe,"
],
[
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[
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],
[
"African National Congress Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe,"
],
[
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],
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[
"Kgalema Motlanthe,"
]
] | 10 S. African ministers, deputy president resign with President Thabo Mbeki .
Replacement, ANC Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, sworn in Thursday .
Mbeki quit after court case collapsed against longtime rival Jacob Zuma . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Ten South African ministers and the deputy president have resigned as President Thabo Mbeki prepares to leave office. South African President Thabo Mbeki announced his resignation in a televised address Sunday. His replacement, African National Congress Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, will be sworn in as South Africa's president Thursday. Mbeki announced he was resigning on Sunday, prompting threats from several Cabinet members to follow suit -- but the outgoing president urged them to stay in office, government sources said. The resignations, which include Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, will take effect Thursday when Mbeki steps down, a government statement said. "All the ministers have expressed their availability to assist the incoming administration in the hand-over process and any other assistance that might be sought from them," the statement said. The finance minister's assistant told CNN that Manuel is willing to serve in the new government, if needed. Three deputy ministers have also tendered their resignations, a government statement said. A spokesman for South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, confirmed that it has named Motlanthe as its choice to succeed Mbeki. Motlanthe will stay in office until elections in the spring of next year, which ANC President Jacob Zuma is widely expected to win. Earlier this month, the ANC asked Mbeki to step down after a judge threw out the corruption, fraud and racketeering case against Zuma -- Mbeki's political arch rival. The judge called the case invalid and accused Mbeki's government of political interference. Mbeki -- who has been South Africa's president for nearly 10 years -- spoke of some of his achievements when he formally announced his resignation on Sunday during a televised address. Watch the significance of Mbeki "falling on the sword" » "I depart this office knowing that many men and woman in South Africa have worked to achieve better lives for all," Mbeki said. Under his leadership the country has had the longest period of sustained economic growth in the South Africa's history and has reached out to indigent people in an unprecedented way, Mbeki said. Mbeki said the country still has economic, corruption and crime challenges to face in the future. And he gave his vote of confidence to the country's next leader without naming who that leader would be. Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general of the African National Congress, announced Saturday that the party -- which Mbeki has been involved with since his teens -- had asked him to leave before his term was up. Mbeki agreed to do so, he said. Mantashe said the ANC made the decision "for the citizens of South Africa, so there could be stability within the country" and so the ANC movement could remain "stable and unified." The case against Zuma -- who replaced Mbeki as ANC president last year -- was thrown out in September 2006, but the National Prosecuting Authority recharged him. Judge Chris Nicholson made no ruling on Zuma's guilt or innocence, and he could be recharged. Political observers doubted that would happen because of Zuma's popularity, particularly with the Communist Party and trade unions. Zuma has denied the charges. He said the case was politically motivated, and harmed his chances to become the ANC's presidential nominee. He could have faced at least 15 years in jail if convicted of accepting bribes from a company that got a contract in a multibillion-dollar arms deal. He also faced charges of having a corrupt relationship with his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, who is serving a 15-year sentence for soliciting bribes for Zuma and using Zuma's political influence to benefit his businesses. Mbeki, 66, succeeded Nelson Mandela as South Africa's president in June 1999. Critics alleged he pushed for the corruption charges against Zuma. Mbeki recently brokered a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwe's political rivals, who signed the agreement on Monday in an effort to put aside the violent past and end the crisis that has paralyzed Zimbabwe since disputed national elections in March. Under it, longtime Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe remains president, while his perennial | [
"Who resigned with Mbeki?",
"Who is the replacement?",
"Who was sworn in Thursday?",
"Who was the replacement?",
"Who was Mbeki's court case against?",
"When did Mbeki quit?",
"What country did Mbeki preside over?",
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"Who was Mbeki's rival?",
"Who resigned with the President?"
] | [
[
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],
[
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[
"Kgalema Motlanthe,"
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
"after a judge threw out the corruption, fraud and racketeering case against Zuma"
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[
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]
] | 10 S. African ministers, deputy president resign with President Thabo Mbeki .
Replacement, ANC Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, sworn in Thursday .
Mbeki quit after court case collapsed against longtime rival Jacob Zuma . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- The atmosphere was tense in Cape Town on Friday after xenophobic violence that has left more than 40 dead in Johannesburg spread to South Africa's largest city. Immigrants from Mozambique line up in Primrose, South Africa, to board buses back home. Clashes overnight resulted in one death and 15 arrests and the evacuations of 420 foreign nationals, a police official in Cape Town said. "Crowds of people went on a rampage, looting and carrying out acts of violence," said Cape Town Police Superintendent Billy Jones. They were charged with public violence and are to appear in court Monday. One foreign national, a Somali, died when he was run over by a vehicle as he tried to escape the angry crowds, Jones said. Twelve people suffered minor injuries. He said Friday was tense but calm, with state and local police stationed throughout the area. Jack Bloom of the opposition party Democratic Alliance told CNN on Friday that government troops were helping police ward off violence in Johannesburg. Aid workers and volunteers were providing tents, food and supplies at the police stations. Bloom estimated that about 2,000 foreigners had sought haven at those locations. It was the first violence in the coastal city since a wave of xenophobia began about two weeks ago in Johannesburg, resulting in at least 42 deaths. The foreign nationals were transported from the city after angry crowds formed at a public meeting seeking to calm tensions, Jones told CNN. They were being housed at community centers and churches. The attacks in South Africa have forced thousands of immigrants to flee, prompting neighboring Mozambique to declare a state of emergency on Friday. Desperate stories of those fleeing violence The country's Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi said the decision was taken after about 10,000 Mozambicans fled from South Africa. CNN's Robyn Curnow reported long lines of people -- including many from Zimbabwe and Mozambique -- waiting for buses in Johannesburg to take them home. Bloom, from Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, said the attacks on foreigners who fled to South Africa for a better life has become a "humanitarian crisis." South African President Thabo Mbeki has approved the deployment of the army to help stop the attacks, which have drawn condemnation from South African officials and other African leaders. About 28,000 people have been displaced by the violence, Hangwani Malaudzi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Safety and Security said. And more than 400 have been arrested for crimes ranging from murder, to causing a public disturbance, he said. The country has also seen a disturbing throwback to the 1980s apartheid-era lynching tactic of "necklacing," which was widely used in the townships at the time. Used on suspected informants, the "necklace" is a car tire, filled with petrol, put around the person's neck and set alight. The victims are mainly immigrants and refugees from other parts of Africa, including Zimbabwe, where a devastated economy has sent at least two million people across the border in search of a better life. Some say the attacks stem from a long-standing feeling among locals that the number of immigrants in South Africa results in shortages of jobs and essential needs. Inadequate housing, a lack of running water and electricity, the rising prices of food, and escalating crime -- nearly 20,000 people were slain in South Africa last year -- add to the resentment. Watch analysis of reasons behind xenophobic attacks » According to South Africa's latest census, the country has about 45 million people. The South African Department of Human Affairs estimates that more than 4 million people reside in South Africa illegally, but that figure is based on a 10-year-old study and some feel the number of immigrants in South Africa is much higher. Some say that millions have recently fled to South Africa from Zimbabwe because of violence there since the county's stalled election. A presidential run-off between long-time leader President Robert Mugabe and his opposition challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, is scheduled for June 27 in Zimbabwe -- three months after the initial vote. Zimbabwe also is in the midst of | [
"what did the police do",
"when did this take place?"
] | [
[
"ward off violence in Johannesburg."
],
[
"Friday"
]
] | Violence in Johannesburg spreads to Cape Town, resulting in one death .
Mozambique declares state of emergency to assist people fleeing S. Africa .
Attacks on foreigners in South Africa have left more than 40 people dead .
Police, military in first joint operation raid three hostels . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- The political crisis that has gripped Zimbabwe for nearly a year may be drawing to an end, but a deadly cholera outbreak there is only getting worse.
Zimbabweans walk through mounds of garbage. Lack of sanitation and clean water make cholera spread.
The newly formed cabinet of Zimbabwe's unity government met for the first time Tuesday, the same day that Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) released a report warning that the epidemic shows no signs of slowing.
The outbreak -- one of the world's largest, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) -- is only getting worse, and could be a stepping-stone to other epidemics and health crises, international agencies say.
Since August, at least 3,623 people have died and 76,127 people have been infected by cholera, a preventable water-borne bacterial illness that causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration and can lead to death in a matter of days if not treated.
According to a report released Tuesday by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), new cholera patients were being registered at a rate of one every minute at the beginning of February in Zimbabwe.
Unless urgent action is taken, the aid group said, the country could see a worsening of the "massive medical emergency that is spiraling out of control," MSF President Dr. Christophe Fournier told CNN Tuesday after his latest visit to Zimbabwe.
MSF says the response from the international community to the crisis has been slow and inadequate, and it called on donors to put aside politics and send help immediately.
The cholera epidemic has been left to fester as the Zimbabwean government grappled with questionable elections, opposition charges of fraud, power-sharing talks and the creation of a unity government in the last year.
During that time, the country's economy and infrastructure imploded, with sanitation systems and garbage collection becoming virtually non-existent.
"The reasons for the (cholera) outbreak are clear: lack of access to clean water, burst and blocked sewage systems, and uncollected refuse overflowing in the streets, all clear symptoms of the breakdown in infrastructure resulting from Zimbabwe's political and economic meltdown," the MSF report said.
The disease is contracted "by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacterium," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its Web site.
"In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person," the CDC said. "The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water."
Making matters worse, flooding from the rainy season -- which began in November -- is spreading the bacteria through swollen streams and rivers. Cholera cases have now been reported in all of the country's provinces, the MSF report said.
Exacerbating the epidemic is the current economic crisis, which has caused the health care system to nearly grind to a halt.
"I've seen many health services being down like this in my life as an MSF doctor, but only in this country have I seen this kind of collapse of the public health care system in the absence of any conflict," Fournier said.
He said most of the country's public hospitals or clinics are either closed or empty, and the ones that are open face critical shortages of drugs and medical equipment.
"A huge part of the medical staff is not showing up because they are unpaid and on top of that, the patients, when finally accessing one opened facility, are asked for totally indecent amounts of money only to be seen and then an extra amount of money for their treatment," Fournier added.
Many patients can't afford to pay and don't even bother to seek treatment, he said.
MSF believes cholera may be just the beginning of a nightmare health crisis in the southern African country.
"The current food shortages make us fear of further malnutrition among the most vulnerable, starting with the under (age) five children, where any kind of infectious epidemic can start at any moment after this current cholera epidemic, | [
"What disease is mentioned?",
"What is the name of the organization?",
"What NGO is trying to help Zimbabwe?",
"What helped spread the disease?",
"What factors contribute to the disease's spread?",
"Where is the spread of disease occuring?",
"What group says cholera is not slowing?",
"What has political tension in Zimbabwe caused?",
"What is Doctors without Borders report about cholera crisis?",
"What things helpt to spread disease?",
"What has left the epidemic to fester?",
"What are there piles of that's spreading diseases?"
] | [
[
"cholera"
],
[
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[
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[
"Lack of sanitation and clean water"
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
"Zimbabwean government"
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[
"garbage."
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] | Doctors without Borders report says cholera crisis shows no signs of slowing .
Aid agencies say it could be lead to other epidemics and health crises .
No sanitation or clean water, piles of garbage help spread disease .
Epidemic has been left to fester due to Zimbabwe political wrangling . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- What do you say when you meet one of the most iconic statesmen in the world? Mandela holds baby Freya as Robyn Curnow and her husband Kim look on. For someone who makes a living out of communications, I have consistently been tongue-tied around Nelson Mandela. The funny thing is I am not particularly star-struck -- as a CNN correspondent I get to interview and profile all sorts of "famous" people. It's just a not a big deal for me. However, with Madiba (as Mandela is often called), I feel like every moment spent with him is a gift, a blessing that I will tell my grandchildren about one day. As a South African he has a place in our hearts that is hard to define. However, my stories about my encounters with Nelson Mandela are the stuff of comedy clubs. I've never quite managed to hold my own with him. I always land up somehow embarrassing myself when I am around him; I've slipped on shiny presidential floors, got tangled up in camera equipment and made pathetically inane comments. I first met Nelson Mandela in the early 1990s. I can't remember exactly when, but it was at the Wanderers cricket stadium in Johannesburg. He visited the VIP room, during a test match, where I was working during school vacations and everybody lined up to meet him. I stood proudly and waited my turn, he came over to me. He was tall. He said to me, "You are so gracious, I am so humbled to meet you." I remember thinking, if Nelson Mandela thinks I am gracious -- fantastic. I promptly turned around and ungraciously tripped on my best shoes, tumbling into the crowd behind me. I was the one humbled. Years later, I was a young reporter working for the South African Broadcasting Corporation during Mandela's presidency. I wasn't senior enough to cover the big political stories of the day so news editors only assigned me the light hearted Mandela news stories. The one I remember most was around a birthday or Christmas during which there was a photo opportunity at one of his grandson's kindergartens. Word had got out among the press that "Twinkle twinkle little star" was Madiba's favorite nursery rhyme, so, of course, all the children sang it for him. I sang along too, twinkle-finger actions included, it's a great song. Whether it was or not Madiba's favorite, is not something I have ever asked him. Years after that, I was taking a sabbatical from journalism and spent a year studying for my Masters degree at Cambridge University. Mandela just happened to be an honorary fellow at Magdalene College, where I was studying. He came to visit that year, giving a speech in the college's beautiful cloisters. I waved at him, as he passed by all of us students assembled in the quadrangle. Of course, he didn't wave back, but I felt gracious and humbled in his presence, protected by Magdalene's great walls. And then I turned to my awe-struck friends and said, "Did you know his favorite song is 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?'" -- which kind of killed the moment. Fast forward a few more years, I reported on Mandela occasionally during my time as a correspondent at CNN London's bureau. From a distance, I saw him get older and shakier on his feet. His hair got whiter and his public engagements lessened considerably. Once in while, I would regale my friends with Madiba's stories -- yes, there are more -- like the time I sneaked into the bathroom in his presidential mansion, desperate for relief, before a long-delayed press conference and phoned a friend from within to ask whether it was morally right to steal some of Nelson Mandela's soap. ( I didn't. It isn't very gracious). Or the time, I asked Zelda la Grange, his devoted personal assistant, to take a photo of | [
"When did Curnow first meet Mandela?",
"In what year did Curnow first meet Mandela?",
"Who met Mandela?"
] | [
[
"early 1990s."
],
[
"early 1990s."
],
[
"Robyn Curnow"
]
] | Curnow first met Mandela in 1990 and has encountered him several times .
Meetings usually ended less than graciously for Curnow .
Last encounter saw Mandela trying placate Curnow's upset daughter . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- White students at a South African university tricked black residence hall workers into eating stew containing urine, prompting a march Wednesday in which five people were arrested, university officials said. Students protest against a racist video on the campus of Free State University in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The white students made a video of the incident, which they staged in reaction to the university's efforts to integrate its residences, according to a statement from the University of the Free State. The protesters on Wednesday included black and white students who later marched to the residence where the video was made and demanded that it be shut down, witnesses said. The video surfaced on Tuesday but was made in September, the university said. In the video, white male students at Reitz Residence are seen encouraging at least three black female housekeepers to participate in what the students call the "Reitz Fear Factor," an apparent reference to the television show in which contestants eat live worms or compete in other feats. Watch excerpts of video that sparked outrage » In one scene from the video, a student mixes what looks like a beef stew in a plastic bowl and adds garlic and other items. Then he tells the camera he will add the "special ingredient." The student then urinates into the mixture, which he later stirs up and puts in a microwave. Other students can be heard laughing on the tape. The next scene shows a different student urging at least three housekeepers to drink cups full of the stew, saying, "This is our dorm's 'Fear Factor.' We want to see who has the best 'Fear Factor.'" On the video, the student does not tell the women that there is urine in the mixture. The women, on their knees, spit the stew into buckets after tasting it. Some appeared to vomit, but the women also laughed during the incident as the student urged them on. Next, the women struggle to run in what appears to be a race. The video is put in slow-motion as the theme from "Chariots of Fire" plays. Finally, one of the students awards a large bottle of whiskey to one of the women, telling her she has won the "Fear Factor." At the end of the video, a message appears on the screen in Afrikaans saying, "That, at the end of the day, is what we think of integration." University officials and human rights groups in South Africa denounced the video. "The executive management of the [university] condemns this video in the strongest possible terms as a gross violation of the human dignity of the workers involved," said UFS Rector Frederick Fourie in a statement posted on the university's Web site. "We have immediately started with a most urgent investigation into this matter," he added. Later Wednesday, Fourie met with the employees seen in the video and apologized to them, a statement from the university said. Counseling is being provided for the workers, it added. The students involved in the video have been identified and will be suspended, Fourie said, and charges against the men will be filed with the South African Police Service. Two of the students in the video are still enrolled at the university but had been barred from the campus in Bloemfontein, according to the university. Two others completed their studies last year. The students seen in the video have not made any public comment since the video surfaced. "I am deeply saddened that students apparently see nothing wrong in producing such an offensive and degrading video. I have publicly said several times that the UFS is not a place for racism," the rector's statement said. "The fact that it is openly linked to the integration process in UFS residences is also most disturbing," Fourie said. A spokeswoman in Free State province for the Democratic Alliance -- an opposition party which says it puts equal rights for all South Africans at the center of its policies -- called the video "shocking and inhumane | [
"What video brings campus protest?",
"what brings campus protest?",
"What game were they pretending to play?",
"What was made of incident surfaces?",
"Who urinated in stew that was fed to blacks?",
"What did video makers tell workers they were playing?"
] | [
[
"racist"
],
[
"a racist video on the"
],
[
"\"Reitz Fear Factor,\""
],
[
"video"
],
[
"White students at a South African university"
],
[
"\"Reitz Fear Factor,\""
]
] | Video made of incident surfaces, brings campus protest .
Video made to protest residence hall integration, university says .
White males urinated into stew, served it to black workers .
Video makers told workers they were playing "Fear Factor" |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- His name is "Average" and the story of his desperate flight from the wreckage of President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is an increasingly common one. Math teacher Mawise Gumba fled Zimbabwe and found his qualifications mean little as a refugee. The tall 34-year-old, slouching exhausted in a Johannesburg church that has become a de facto transit camp, is one man in a tide of migrants washing up in South Africa. "There is nothing for me there in our country any more. I had no job and I could not afford anything. Even when I was working life was tough," he said. "It's hard for everyone ... I thought it was better for me here," said the former store clerk, whose dusty jeans and boots tell of a long and difficult journey. The tale told by Average -- whose name is not unusual in Zimbabwe -- is depressingly familiar to a people who have watched their once prosperous land spiral into economic disaster. When Mugabe's government, facing inflation of close to 5,000 percent, ordered companies to halve prices of basic goods and services a month ago -- effectively demanding that they operate at a loss -- Average lost his job as the supermarket chain he worked for cut staff. Facing the prospect of homelessness and hunger in his own country, he joined the estimated 4,000 Zimbabweans who head south to South Africa, most of them illegally, every day. Mugabe, 83 and in power since the country's independence from Britain in 1980, has been accused of running Zimbabwe's economy into the ground while implementing a draconian crackdown aimed at keeping power. His decision to launch violent seizures of white-owned farms seven years ago is partly blamed for soaring unemployment and the highest inflation rate in the world. Average scraped together his last salary, some money he made from trading sugar bought at a discount from the supermarket where he worked, and funds borrowed from friends to secure a visitor's visa and bus ticket to Johannesburg. A friend who promised to meet him on arrival failed to show up, leaving him stranded without a place to sleep. On Wednesday evening he walked into the Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg and joined a long queue of people waiting for shelter and food. The church's homeless shelter has become a virtual refugee camp for 800-900 Zimbabweans and a smaller number of migrants from other countries. "Over the past three years, and more so over the past couple of months, I have noted an exponential increase in the number of people we have from Zimbabwe," Bishop Paul Verryn said. Outside his office the line of people waiting for help grew. Many of the new arrivals were asleep in their seats. "We offer them a place off the streets, where they are protected and have warmth from the inclement streets of Johannesburg," Verryn said. At sunset the refugees crowd into the building and lay out reeking blankets. "People just sleep anywhere they can find a space to sleep. Some people sleep on the steps here, in the corridors and others in the foyer and in the meeting rooms," said 27-year-old Walter Rusike from Harare. The commerce graduate and his wife and two children share a meeting room with other families and have been at the shelter for four months. Average said he hoped to get accommodation for a few days until he finds his friend, work or both. "I have a diploma in stores management and store control, a certificate in security and a driver's licence. I think maybe I will be able to find some work with my qualifications. Anything will be better than the situation I was in," he says. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who fled the wreckage?",
"What is the percentage of inflation?",
"Where do they flee to?",
"Where is Zimbabwe?",
"When did Mugabe become President?",
"what did he do",
"What happened to once prosperous nation?"
] | [
[
"Mawise Gumba"
],
[
"close to 5,000 percent,"
],
[
"JOHANNESBURG, South Africa"
],
[
"South Africa"
],
[
"1980,"
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[
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],
[
"spiral into economic disaster."
]
] | His name is "Average," he fled wreckage of President Mugabe's Zimbabwe .
One of the 4,000 who flee hunger, homelessness into South Africa a day .
Once-prosperous nation now an economic disaster with 5,000 percent inflation . |
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South African fast bowler Dale Steyn took a career-best five for 34 as the Proteas took a tight grip on the first test against New Zealand in Johannesburg.
Steyn's career-best 5-34 was his fourth five-wicket haul in 14 tests.
New Zealand were bowled out for 118 in reply to South Africa's 226 and the home side piled on the agony by reaching 179 for two in their second innings.
Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis shared an unbeaten stand of 159 as South Africa stretched their lead to 287.
South Africa's bowlers excelled to bring their side back into the game after their disappointing first innings.
They snapped up five wickets in the morning session when the Kiwis could only muster 56 runs.
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming made 40 but the next best score was new cap Ross Taylor's 15.
Fleming was struck on the right forearm by Steyn and did not field during the afternoon. Coach John Bracewell said he had gone for precautionary X-rays but there was only bruising.
New Zealand, 41 for two overnight, lost nightwatchman Shane Bond, bowled by a Steyn yorker, before Makhaya Ntini claimed the crucial wicket of Fleming, who was well caught by AB de Villiers diving to his left at third slip.
Scott Styris and Taylor scraped 19 runs in 10 overs before more wickets tumbled.
Steyn's figures bettered his previous best of five for 47 against the same opponents at Centurion two seasons ago. It was his fourth five-wicket haul in 14 tests.
Ntini took three for 47 and Kallis two for 11.
South Africa made an uncertain start to their second innings with openers Herschelle Gibbs and captain Graeme Smith out cheaply, but Amla and Kallis blunted the attack and then took charge.
They batted together for 205 minutes, Amla facing 230 balls and hitting 13 boundaries in his 85 while Kallis hit 12 fours off 122 deliveries in reaching 76.
The Kiwis were left to regret Brendon McCullum's failure to hold a chance from Amla off Shane Bond, when the batsman had only scored two.
"The ball was hard and new and we were trying to get momentum. It cost us a lot," said coach John Bracewell. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who is in the lead?",
"What was The Proteas' score?",
"Who's the runner-up against South Africa?",
"Who is Dale Steyn?",
"Who is winning?",
"who lead New Zealand",
"Who won the game?",
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[
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] | South Africa lead New Zealand by 287 with 8 wickets standing in the 1st test .
The Proteas reach 179-2 in their second innings after the Kiwis are 118 all out .
South African paceman Dale Steyn takes a career-best 5-34. |
JOHNSTON, Iowa (CNN) -- Politics meets technology Thursday as a group of undecided Iowa Democrats has allowed themselves to be wired for the debate of Democratic presidential hopefuls. A dial-test graph is displayed over candidate Rudy Giuliani during a recent GOP debate. By the end of the debate, CNN hopes to be able to gauge which debater was the group's favorite and whose popularity fell -- and perhaps -- who may win the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses on January 3. Across town, six Democratic candidates will be facing off for their final scheduled debate in the Hawkeye State before caucus night. The debate is hosted by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television. Each member of the randomly selected group will watch the debate on a large-screen TV while operating special hand-held dial-testing devices which are approximately the size of typical remote-control devices. Viewers will react to the debate as it happens -- second-by-second -- as they move their dials to the right or the left. Dialing right indicates a positive response and dialing left represents a negative response. Southern Methodist University professors Rita Kirk and Dan Schill will track the average response of the group corresponding with each moment of the debate. Responses will be represented by a moving line on a video monitor. The group of Iowans, randomly selected by phone from a list of registered voters, will be recording their impressions of every moment of the debate. The Democratic participants will answer a series of questions both before and after the debate, to determine how the event may change their minds about the candidates. Among the questions to be posed before the face-off: Who do the group members think will perform best in the debate? Afterwards, they'll be asked who they think did the best. They also will be asked who they would vote for if the election were held today and who they think will win the nomination. All participants are planning to attend caucuses, but have yet to pick a candidate. Some are wavering between two candidates while some are considering several. They're hoping to get a better sense of the race from watching this debate, and CNN is hoping to get a better sense of their impressions of the debate by watching them. E-mail to a friend | [
"who will watch the debate",
"who was asked questions?",
"Will group members be asked questions about candidates before and after the debate?",
"when will they be asked the questions?",
"who is participating in the debate"
] | [
[
"Each member of the randomly selected group"
],
[
"The Democratic participants"
],
[
"The Democratic participants"
],
[
"Thursday"
],
[
"Democratic presidential hopefuls."
]
] | Randomly chosen, undecided Democrats will watch debate while turning dials .
Dials will rate their positive and negative responses to each debater .
Group members will be asked questions about candidates before, after debate . |
JUAREZ, Mexico (CNN) -- A deadly trade is occurring along the U.S. border with Mexico, federal officials say -- a flood of guns, heading south, used by drug thugs to kill Mexican cops.
Authorities recently seized these .50-caliber bullets, already belted to be fed into a machine gun.
In Mexico, guns are difficult to purchase legally. So, officials say, weapons easily purchased in the United States are turning up there.
"The same routes that are being used to traffic drugs north -- and the same organizations that have control over those routes -- are the same organizations that bring the money and the cash proceeds south as well as the guns and the ammunition," says Bill Newell, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Police in Mexican border towns fear for their lives, and with good reason. Five high-ranking Mexican police officials have been killed this year in what Mexican officials say is an escalating war between police and drug cartels.
In Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, a police commander was gunned down in front of his home. The weapon used to kill Cmdr. Francisco Ledesma Salazar is believed to have been a .50-caliber rifle. The guns are illegal to purchase in Mexico but can be obtained just north of the border at gun shows and gun shops in the United States.
ATF special agent Tom Mangan says the .50-caliber rifle has become one of the "guns of choice" for the drug cartels. The weapon fires palm-sized .50-caliber rounds that can cut through just about anything.
Mangan showed CNN the power of the rifle on a gun range near Phoenix, Arizona. The weapon, a Barrett, was seized in an ATF raid. A round fired from 100 yards away tore through a car door and both sides of a bulletproof vest like those used by Mexican police.
"There's nothing that's going to stop this round," Mangan says.
The rifle was intercepted as it was being smuggled into Mexico. Mangan says investigators believe four others already had passed through the border. Watch how the weapons fuel a little-known war »
The ATF has been trying to help Mexican police by cracking down on illegal purchases of guns and ammunition. Operation Gunrunner has led to several arrests and seizures of guns and ammo. But the operation has mainly shown just how big a problem exists, authorities say.
One recent seizure in a Yuma, Arizona, storage locker yielded 42 weapons and hundreds of rounds of .50-caliber bullets already belted to be fed into a machine gun-style weapon.
The guns confiscated included AK-47 rifles and dozens of Fabrique National pistols. The semiautomatic pistols fire a 5.7-by-28 millimeter round, which is technically a rifle round, according to the ATF. Newell says the round has a special nickname in Mexico. "It's called 'mata policias,' or 'cop killer,' " he says.
Mexican authorities along the border recently met with their counterparts in the United States, hoping more cooperation will lead to more arrests of criminals and fewer killings of Mexican police officers.
Guillermo Fonseca, Mexico's regional legal attaché for the West Coast, told CNN the violence in his country is "problem number 1" -- and police in his country are outgunned. Officers in Mexico lack heavy firepower, he says. With the presence of large-caliber weapons from the United States, drug cartels and criminals have the advantage in what he says is basically a war. Part of the solution, he says, is for the United States to give Mexico more information about who is selling these guns illegally in the United States. Then Mexico could go after the buyers.
"We have access to systems to trace guns that have been smuggled into Mexico, and that has worked very well," Fonseca told CNN. "We need more information about the people who are actually purchasing the guns. We need to prosecute those people, to convict those people. In our opinion, that's the next step we have to take."
Last year | [
"What are easier to obtain in the United States?",
"Who are blamed for the killings of police officers?",
"Because of the drug trade, what goes to Mexico?",
"What did authorities say?",
"What goes south to Mexico?",
"Who is blamed for the killing of police officers?",
"What did authorities say regarding guns and drugs?",
"What goes north to the US?",
"Who is to be blamed for the killings of police officers?",
"What is difficult to purchase in Mexico?"
] | [
[
"guns"
],
[
"drug cartels."
],
[
"a flood of guns,"
],
[
"But the operation has mainly shown just how big a problem exists,"
],
[
"a flood of guns,"
],
[
"drug cartels."
],
[
"operation has mainly shown just how big a problem exists,"
],
[
"drugs"
],
[
"and drug cartels."
],
[
"guns"
]
] | Firearms difficult to purchase in Mexico are more easily obtained in United States .
Drugs and money go north to U.S. while guns go south to Mexico, authorities say .
Mexican drug cartels blamed for killings of police officers . |
Jackson, Georgia (CNN) -- Troy Davis, whose case drew international attention, was put to death by lethal injection for the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer in Savannah, Georgia, prison officials announced Wednesday night.
Until the very end, Davis maintained his innocence.
After he was strapped to the death gurney, he lifted his head to address the family of the slain officer.
He told the family of Mark MacPhail that he was not responsible for the officer's death and did not have a gun at the time, according to execution witnesses.
Davis said the case merited further investigation, talking fast as officials prepared to give him the lethal cocktail.
The execution followed the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of a stay, allowing the state to proceed. Davis was declared dead at 11:08 p.m. ET.
Throughout the day, Davis' lawyers and high-profile supporters had asked the state and various courts to intervene, arguing he did not murder MacPhail in 1989.
Davis initially had been scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7 p.m. ET. But the proceeding was delayed more than three hours as the justices pondered a plea filed by his attorney.
Several hundred people, most of them opposing the proceeding, gathered outside the state prison in Jackson where Davis, 42, awaited his fate. Others held a vigil in a nearby church.
The inmate's sister, Martina Davis-Correia, was among those who held a vigil outside the prison. Before the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, she said officials needed to take more time to examine the case.
"When you are looking at someone's life, you can't press rewind," she said.
More than 100 officers, many in riot gear, stood guard over the largely-quiet gathering, which featured candles, occasional prayers and songs.
"Tonight the state of Georgia legally lynched an innocent man," Davis' lawyer Thomas Ruffin Jr. said. "Tonight I witnessed something tragic."
Amnesty International condemned the execution in a statement.
"The U.S. justice system was shaken to its core as Georgia executed a person who may well be innocent. Killing a man under this enormous cloud of doubt is horrific and amounts to a catastrophic failure of the justice system," Amnesty said.
Anneliese MacPhail, the slain officer's mother, said she was relieved and that justice was served.
Davis' supporters, who also rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court building, argued that his conviction was based on the testimony of numerous witnesses who had recanted, including a jailhouse informer who claimed Davis had confessed.
"There's a genuine feeling among people here and across the nation that we're about to do the unthinkable," said Isaac Newton Farris Jr., president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
But prosecutors have stood by the conviction and every appeal -- including the last-minute petitions filed Wednesday -- has failed.
Davis' supporters cheered and hugged each other when news of the earlier delay reached them.
Davis' attorneys started the day by asking a judge in Jackson, where Georgia's death row is located, to halt the proceeding, citing a new analysis they say shows ballistics testimony at his trial was "inaccurate and misleading."
They also note that a federal judge found in 2010 that a jailhouse informer's testimony that Davis confessed to killing MacPhail was "patently false" and that prosecutors knew a key eyewitness account was wrong.
"Clearly, the fact that Mr. Davis' death sentence rests in part on 'patently false' and egregiously inaccurate and misleading testimony, evidence and argument renders the death sentence fundamentally unfair, unreliable and therefore violative of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments," his attorneys argued in a motion filed Wednesday morning.
That appeal was denied Wednesday afternoon. The state Supreme Court followed suit a short time later, leading his attorneys to turn to the U.S. Supreme Court in the final hour before the execution.
Davis has been scheduled to die three times before, most recently in October 2008. That time, the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution two hours before | [
"Who denied the stay of execution?",
"who was put to death last wednesday?",
"Who is to be put to death on Wednesday?",
"who denied stay of execution?",
"What did the inmate tell the victims family?",
"who tells victim's family?",
"when troy put to death",
"where is supreme court"
] | [
[
"U.S. Supreme Court's"
],
[
"Troy Davis,"
],
[
"Troy Davis,"
],
[
"U.S. Supreme Court's"
],
[
"he was not responsible for the officer's death"
],
[
"Troy Davis,"
],
[
"Davis was declared dead at 11:08 p.m. ET."
],
[
"U.S."
]
] | Inmate tells victim's family he is not guilty .
Troy Davis put to death late Wednesday .
U.S. Supreme Court denied stay of execution .
The original prosecutor says the facts support Troy Davis' sentence . |
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has died, his family told CNN. He was 69. Wahid, affectionately known as Gus Dur, died Wednesday evening as a result of heart problems, his family said. A news conference was planned later. Wahid, who was also a popular religious leader, had been ill for several weeks and had been hospitalized a few days ago. He had been in frail health for many years and was partially blind and unable to walk. Before becoming Indonesia's fourth president, Wahid was the revered leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, with more than 30 million members. No one took Wahid seriously when he contested the presidential race in October 1999, mainly because of his poor health. He was seen, however, as a candidate of compromise, and the Central Axis, a coalition of Muslim forces, lobbied in his favor. However, Indonesians -- including his onetime supporters -- were frustrated by his erratic and chaotic leadership. He was at odds with the nation's parliament, which eventually forced him to step down. Wahid was known for injecting humor into his religious sermons and political speeches. CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this report. | [
"This person is know as injecting what into religious and political speeches",
"when did he contest the presidential race",
"what did he do in 1999",
"In what year did this person contest the presidential race",
"who was mister wahid"
] | [
[
"humor"
],
[
"October 1999,"
],
[
"contested the presidential race"
],
[
"1999,"
],
[
"Former Indonesian President"
]
] | Wahid was a popular religious leader .
He contested the 1999 presidential race .
He was known for injecting humor into his religious sermons and political speeches . |
Japan has long been the world leader in robotics research, but in recent years it's also been leading the way when it comes to cutting-edge medical technology.
A prototype "Finger Rehabilitation Glove," designed to aid recovery from paralysis.
From robot nurses that can lift hospital patients in and out of their beds, to intelligent toilets that can dispense medical advice, Japanese researchers are developing radical new approaches to health care.
While many of these technologies are still at the prototype stage, it may not be long before they turn up in a hospital near you. | [
"what is leading the way with advances in cutting-edge?",
"The \"Intelligent Toilet\" can test what?",
"Japan is leading the way with advances in what?",
"whats is The \"Intelligent Toilet\"?",
"Researchers have developed what kind of robots?",
"who is have developed nurse robots that can assist?"
] | [
[
"Japan"
],
[
"dispense medical advice,"
],
[
"cutting-edge medical technology."
],
[
"toilets that can dispense medical advice,"
],
[
"nurses"
],
[
"Japanese researchers"
]
] | Japan is leading the way with advances in cutting-edge medical technology .
Researchers have developed nurse robots that can assist in hospitals .
The "Intelligent Toilet" can test blood pressure and give health advice . |
Japan has long been the world leader in robotics research, but in recent years it's also been leading the way when it comes to cutting-edge medical technology. A prototype "Finger Rehabilitation Glove," designed to aid recovery from paralysis. From robot nurses that can lift hospital patients in and out of their beds, to intelligent toilets that can dispense medical advice, Japanese researchers are developing radical new approaches to health care. While many of these technologies are still at the prototype stage, it may not be long before they turn up in a hospital near you. | [
"What robots have been developed?",
"Which country leads the way in medical technology?",
"Which country is leading the way with advances in cutting-edge medical technology?",
"What device can test blood pressure and give advice?",
"What can the nurse robots do?",
"What type of robots can assist in hospitals?",
"What can the Intelligent Toilet do?",
"Which country is leading the way?"
] | [
[
"nurses that can lift hospital patients in and out of their beds,"
],
[
"Japan"
],
[
"Japan"
],
[
"\"Finger Rehabilitation Glove,\""
],
[
"lift hospital patients in and out of their beds,"
],
[
"nurses"
],
[
"dispense medical advice,"
],
[
"Japan"
]
] | Japan is leading the way with advances in cutting-edge medical technology .
Researchers have developed nurse robots that can assist in hospitals .
The "Intelligent Toilet" can test blood pressure and give health advice . |
Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi walks Anjali Rao through the streets of Tokyo. She stunned global cinema audiences with her controversial and Oscar-nominated performance as a lonely deaf girl in the film "Babel." Rinko Kikuchi is one of Japan's hottest young actresses and models, recently working with Karl Lagerfeld as the new face of Channel. Despite her success, she remains an unconventional figure in Japan, at odds with the traditional demure image of the Japanese woman and forging a career on her own terms. Talk Asia follows her on a modelling assignment, discusses how her life has changed since "Babel" and revisits the unique location of one of the film's most important scenes. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who was nominated for the Oscars?",
"Whom did she recently work with?",
"She has recently worked with Karl Lagerfeld as the new face of Channel",
"what was the film Kilkuchi oscar nominated",
"Which film did she perform in?",
"What is she challenging?",
"Who was nominated for the Oscar?",
"Which company did she work with?",
"Karl Lagerfeld is the new face of what company"
] | [
[
"Rinko Kikuchi"
],
[
"Karl Lagerfeld"
],
[
"Rinko Kikuchi"
],
[
"\"Babel.\""
],
[
"\"Babel.\""
],
[
"the traditional demure image of the Japanese woman"
],
[
"Rinko Kikuchi"
],
[
"Channel."
],
[
"Channel."
]
] | Rinko Kikuchi was Oscar-nominated for her performance in the film "Babel"
She has recently worked with Karl Lagerfeld as the new face of Channel .
She challenges the traditional demure image of the Japanese woman . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- In a bid to end what it calls illegal riots, the Israeli military will prohibit outsider access to areas in two occupied West Bank villages one day a week, according to a statement explaining the move.
"Every week, violent, illegal riots take place in the area of Nil'in and Bil'in, during the course of which members of the security forces are wounded and heavy damage is caused to the security fence and to public property," the Israeli military statement read.
"In an effort to prevent the inciters of these riots from reaching the area in which the riots take place, three weeks ago, OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi signed an order designating the area between the fence and the villages of Nil'in and Bil'in as a closed military zone."
Word of the Israeli military order became public Monday.
For the past five years the two Palestinian towns have been home to weekly Friday protests opposing Israel's separation barrier, the over-700-kilometer stretch of concrete wall and fence that separates Israel from the West Bank.
The demonstrations have become a weekly ritual and the center of a nascent non-violent Palestinian resistance movement, which attract an assortment of Palestinians, Israelis and international activists. However, the demonstrations often degenerate into clashes between Israeli military personnel and stone-throwing youths.
The protest sites will be closed between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every Friday for the next six months, but the closure does not apply to residents of the villages.
The Palestinian Authority Cabinet issued a statement saying it "condemned the repressive actions by the occupation forces against peaceful demonstrations, as well as the declaration of Bil'in and Nil'in as closed military areas every Friday for six months." The cabinet "stressed the right of the Palestinian people, according to international laws, to defy occupation measures, settlement activities, and the building of the wall."
The move comes after months of increased Israeli military activity in the form of night raids and arrests in the villages.
Residents and protest organizers also have decried the latest Israeli military action, saying in a news release that it is part of a "persecution campaign against Palestinian activists in an attempt to suppress the rising tide of West Bank popular resistance to the occupation."
Speaking to CNN last month, Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, acknowledged Israeli army activity in the towns and said Israel has the responsibility to deal those who were leading the protests. "If those people who are organizing it from even behind the scenes, they cannot be above the law, and that's what we're dealing with."
Gaby Lasky, a lawyer representing village residents, said the military order is illegal and argued that "closed military zone orders are not meant to deal with demonstrations, which are clearly in the civic rather than the military realm."
According to the Palestinian activist group Popular Struggle, six protesters have been killed in the demonstrations since 2008. The Israeli military says more than a hundred of its soldiers have been wounded. | [
"What towns are having protests?",
"How long is the barrier?",
"What are the protests about?",
"Where have the protests happened?",
"Which lawyer represents village residents?",
"How long is the stretch of wall?",
"When will,the protest sites be closed?",
"What does Gaby Lasky say?"
] | [
[
"Nil'in and Bil'in,"
],
[
"over-700-kilometer"
],
[
"opposing Israel's separation barrier,"
],
[
"Nil'in and Bil'in,"
],
[
"Gaby Lasky,"
],
[
"over-700-kilometer"
],
[
"between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every Friday for the next six months,"
],
[
"the military order is illegal"
]
] | Two Palestinian towns have been home to weekly protests opposing separation barrier .
700-kilometer stretch of concrete wall and fence separates Israel from West Bank .
Protest sites will be closed between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every Friday .
Gaby Lasky, a lawyer representing village residents, said the military order is illegal . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli authorities discovered and disarmed an explosive barrel Wednesday, the third to wash up on an Israeli beach this week, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The barrel was found Wednesday afternoon at Palmachim beach south of Tel Aviv.
On Monday, Islamic Jihad, the Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Nasser Salah A din Brigades issued a leaflet in Gaza claiming responsibility for sending three explosive devices to the coastal cities Ashkelon and Ashdod.
The other two barrels packed with explosives -- one found at Ashkelon and one at Ashdod -- were discovered Monday and disposed of.
In response, the IDF said, the Israeli Air Force attacked "two Hamas terrorist targets" in southern Gaza.
"One of the targets was a terror tunnel, used for the infiltration of terrorists into Israel, while the other was used for smuggling of weapons. Direct hits were identified," the IDF said.
Hamas, the movement controlling Gaza, has been vowing retaliation against Israel since one of the founding members of its military wing, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, died last week in Dubai.
Al-Mabhouh's brother, Fayek al-Mabhouh, said that preliminary results of Hamas' investigation of the death showed his brother was killed by electrocution and strangulation with a piece of cloth.
Hamas officials accused Israel of assassinating Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Israeli officials have not responded to that allegation. | [
"who sent the devices",
"What answer gave the Israeli army?",
"who died last week in dubai?",
"where was issue a leaflet by islamic groups?",
"what israeli air force attacked?",
"who was attacked"
] | [
[
"Islamic Jihad, the Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Nasser Salah A din Brigades"
],
[
"\"One of the targets was a terror tunnel, used for the infiltration of terrorists into Israel, while the other was used for smuggling of weapons. Direct hits were identified,\""
],
[
"Mahmoud al-Mabhouh,"
],
[
"Gaza"
],
[
"\"two Hamas terrorist targets\""
],
[
"\"two Hamas terrorist targets\""
]
] | Various Islamic groups issue a leaflet in Gaza claiming responsibility for sending devices .
In response, the IDF said, the Israeli Air Force attacked "two Hamas terrorist targets" in southern Gaza .
Hamas vowing retaliation against Israel since one of founding members of its military wing died last week in Dubai . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- A second 18-year-old was set Monday to make his first court appearance in connection with the torching of a mosque in the northern Israeli village of Tuba Zangaria, authorities said.
The suspect, who was not identified, is the second to be arrested in connection with last week's attack, Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, told CNN.
The mosque was set on fire and scrawled with graffiti that indicated it was a revenge attack over the killing of Asher Palmer and his 1-year-old son, who were killed when rocks were thrown at their car in Hebron more than two weeks ago.
Words written on the mosque's walls said "price tag," "revenge" and "Palmer."
"Price tag" attack is a term frequently used by radical Israeli settlers to denote reprisal attacks against Palestinians in response to moves by the Israeli government to evacuate illegal West Bank outposts.
Lately "price tag" attacks have also targeted Israeli military forces and police stationed in the West Bank. It is rare for them to carry out attacks inside Israel.
After the overnight attack, around 200 residents from the village gathered on the outskirts and started marching towards the neighboring Israeli town of Rosh Pina, an Israeli police spokesman said.
Residents blocked the road, hurled rocks at police and burned tires, police said. The police responded by firing tear gas.
The second suspect in the mosque burning is also an 18-year-old who appeared before the Kfar Saba Magistrate Court on Thursday, Rosenfeld said. He said the suspect was arrested "on suspicion of being involved in arson on the mosque in Tuba." | [
"What did they torch?",
"Is anybody has been arrested following of torching a mosque in northern Israel?",
"Was there graffiti?",
"What was their age?",
"Who has been scheduled to appear in court, according to the police?",
"Who was arrested?"
] | [
[
"mosque"
],
[
"second to be"
],
[
"scrawled with"
],
[
"18-year-old"
],
[
"A second 18-year-old"
],
[
"The suspect,"
]
] | Two suspects have been arrested on suspicion of torching a mosque in northern Israel, the police say .
The second suspect, an 18-year-old, is scheduled to appear in court, the police say .
The mosque was set on fire and scrawled with graffiti in an apparent "price tag" attack .
Residents angered over the mosque attack, blocked the road and hurled rocks at police, authorities say . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- As a deadline neared, Israel handed the United Nations Friday a report justifying its actions during last year's Gaza campaign and rebutting the so-called "Goldstone Report" as biased.
At a tree-planting ceremony southern Israel Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, "This report stresses that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is like no other army, both from a moral standpoint as well as from a professional standpoint.
"The Goldstone Report is a distorted, false, and irresponsible report," Barak said. "All of the soldiers and officers whom we sent to battle need to know that the state of Israel stands behind them even on the day after."
"The Gaza Operation Investigations: An Update" -- a follow-up of a July paper on the Gaza mission -- is in response to the United Nations' call for both the Jewish state and the Palestinian Hamas movement to conduct independent inquiries to examine charges that both sides committed war crimes during the course of the Gaza war fought just over a year ago.
Israel's 46-page response outlines the steps the nation has taken to investigate charges of wrongdoing by its military during the course of its three-week offensive -- dubbed Operation Cast Lead -- in Gaza aimed at stopping militant rocket fire into Israel.
Israel says it faced "asymmetric conflicts" and blamed "militants operating from within and behind civilian areas" for placing civilians at risk.
The Israeli military has "launched investigations into 150 separate incidents, including 36 criminal investigations opened thus far," according to the report.
"Israel is committed to ensuring that every such incident is fully and fairly investigated, to ensure that lessons can be learned and that, if justified, criminal or disciplinary proceedings initiated," the report stated. "To this end the IDF policy requires that every allegation of wrongdoing be investigated, irrespective of its source."
The report does not mention whether Israel will conduct an independent, non-military investigation of the charges of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity leveled in the Goldstone Report.
Released in September, the 575-page report written by a commission chaired by South African Judge Richard Goldstone alleged that both Hamas and Israel committed war crimes and may have also committed crimes against humanity during the course of fighting that killed some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
The majority of criticism in the report was reserved for Israel which has waged an aggressive international public relations campaign to discredit the probe's findings.
With the publication of the report, the United Nations asked both Israel and Hamas to initiate independent investigations into the the various allegations and report back before February 5 when the General Assembly will be taking up the report and its recommendations.
Among those recommendations were the call for the report's findings to be passed on to the International Criminal Court if both sides did not start legitimate investigations into war crimes.
In Israel, the military has conducted investigations into possible wrong-doing itself which has raised criticism from human rights groups and some Israeli lawmakers that a more credible investigation is needed.
Israel's outgoing attorney-general Menachem Mazuz told the Haaretz newspaper Friday "Israel has a clear interest in conducting a serious, expert examination that will deal with the (Goldstone) report and produce an opposing report."
In Gaza, the ruling Hamas movement this week released a 20-page summary of the steps it has taken to investigate wrong-doing, contending it had prevented militants from rocketing Israeli civilians and that any examples to the contrary were a result of mistaken fire.
It was a claim quickly dismissed by the by human rights organizations and the Israeli government.
"Hamas can spin the story and deny the evidence, but hundreds of rockets rained down on civilian areas in Israel where no military installations were located," Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement. "Hamas leaders at the time indicated they were intending to harm civilians." | [
"Who did the U.N. accuse of actions amounting to war crimes?",
"Which body has written a report?",
"What justified military actions in the 2009 Gaza offensive?",
"When was the Gaza offenswive?",
"What did UN call for both sides?"
] | [
[
"Jewish state and the Palestinian Hamas movement"
],
[
"commission chaired by South African Judge Richard Goldstone"
],
[
"stopping militant rocket fire into Israel."
],
[
"just over a year ago."
],
[
"to conduct independent inquiries to examine charges that"
]
] | Israeli report justifies military actions in 2009 Gaza offensive .
U.N. report accused Israel and Hamas of "actions amounting to war crimes"
U.N. called for both sides to set up independent panels to look into charges . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers broke out Monday, a day after Israel announced it would include two West Bank religious shrines as part of a larger list of 150 Zionist heritage sites.
About 100 protesters were throwing stones and burning tires in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Israeli military said. Palestinian eyewitnesses reported that several protesters had been injured by tear gas and rubber bullets.
The clashes come in the wake of a special Sunday Cabinet meeting held at one of the "national heritage" sites where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined a plan to invest more than $100 million on national heritage infrastructure.
"People must be familiar with their homeland and its cultural and historical vistas," he said. "This is what we will instill in this and coming generations, to the glory -- if I may say -- of the Jewish people."
Included in the list of sites are Rachel's Tomb in Palestinian city of Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the city of Hebron.
A top United Nations official said the inclusion of sites in the West Bank raised concerns because they were "in occupied Palestinian territory."
The Tomb of the Patriarchs -- known to Palestinians as Ibrahimi mosque -- is in Hebron, a West Bank city that houses about 500 Jews heavily guarded by Israeli soldiers, who live among about 170,000 Palestinians.
The tomb is revered by Jews and Muslims as holy and has been a point of frequent conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians for years. In 1994, an Israeli settler entered the tomb and opened fire on the Muslim worshippers, killing 29 before he was beaten to death.
Rachel's Tomb is known to Palestinians as the mosque of Bilal.
The Palestinian reaction after the announcement was fast and furious. A statement by the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, the political faction in charge of the Palestinian Authority, called the Israeli plan a move to "consolidate the occupation" and an effort at "judaizing" Palestinian land.
Dr. Hamdan Taha, an official at the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Tourism, said the the two sites were "an integral part of Palestinian culture" and that if the Israeli government persisted in its efforts, "Palestinians will feel free to nominate sites inside the green line in their heritage list."
Green line refers to the border before Israel occupied the West Bank.
Nationalist and right wing parties in Israel praised the government move and called for the inclusion of more West Bank locations to the list of heritage sites.
Robert H. Serry, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, also expressed concern.
"These sites are in occupied Palestinian territory and are of historical and religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam, and to Christianity as well," he said in a statement.
"I urge Israel not to take any steps on the ground which undermine trust or could prejudice negotiations, the resumption of which should be the highest shared priority of all who seek peace."
Nationalist and right-wing parties in Israel praised the government move and called for the inclusion of more West Bank locations to the list of heritage sites.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said no one could deny that the two West Bank locations were of historical and religious significance to the Jews. He said the danger of their inclusion on a list of sites to the peace process was overstated. | [
"Rachel's Tomb is known as?",
"Tomb of the Patriarchs is known to Palestinians as what?",
"What name they give to the Tomb of the Patriarchs?",
"What is the mosque of Bilal",
"Tomb revered by Jews and Muslims as what?",
"What is the Tomb of the Patriarchs is known as to the Palestinians"
] | [
[
"the mosque of Bilal."
],
[
"Ibrahimi mosque"
],
[
"Ibrahimi mosque"
],
[
"Rachel's Tomb"
],
[
"holy"
],
[
"as Ibrahimi mosque"
]
] | Sites include Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron .
Tomb of the Patriarchs is known to Palestinians as Ibrahimi mosque .
Tomb revered by Jews and Muslims as holy and has been a point of frequent conflict .
Rachel's Tomb is known to Palestinians as the mosque of Bilal . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Following an investigation, Israel apologized to Egypt this week over an August incident in which five Egyptian border guards were killed, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said.
The apology, issued Tuesday, was overshadowed by news that a deal had been reached for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by the Palestinian group Hamas more than five years ago. However, it was largely seen as an olive branch to the transitional Egyptian government, as relations between Israel and Egypt have become strained in recent months.
On August 18, militants crossed into Israel from Egyptian territory to attack Israeli civilian targets. Eight Israeli citizens were killed in the attacks, which Israel has said were the work of a jihadist group based in Gaza. Responding to the attacks, Israeli troops killed five Egyptian border guards while in pursuit of the militants.
The investigation into the incident was conducted by senior Israel Defense Forces officials and Egyptian army officials, the Ministry of Defense said. For security reasons, the ministry said, the results of the probe remain sealed.
Israel issued a rare statement of regret three days after the incident, after Egypt suggested it was recalling its ambassador in protest.
The overture, however, was deemed insufficient by many in Egypt and days later, angry protesters ransacked the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. The entire staff was hastily withdrawn after U.S. President Barack Obama personally intervened with the Egyptians to secure their safe passage, but the sequence of events dealt a blow to Israeli-Egyptian relations.
In the wake of the embassy incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would stick to its 1979 peace agreement with Egypt.
In the Tuesday statement, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the August militant attack was "despicable" and "meant to murder as many Israeli citizens as possible and destroy the peaceful relations that are strategically important between Israel and Egypt," the Tuesday statement said.
But "based on the findings of the investigation, the defense minister decided to express his apology to Egypt over the death of every Egyptian policeman who was killed while on duty as a result of Israeli fire."
Netanyahu, meanwhile, spoke Thursday with the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi and thanked him for the "central role" Egypt played in the agreement for Shalit's return, the prime minister's office said.
"Your assistance warms the cockles of the heart of all Israeli citizens," Netanyahu told Tantawi. | [
"Who did Israeli troop[s kill?",
"To who Netanyahu has been spoke to about Salit`s return?",
"where did 5 Egyptian border guards were killed?",
"What did Netanyahu do?",
"What are the relations between the nations?",
"when did Relations between the two nations have been strained ?",
"What happens in incident in August on Egyptian border?"
] | [
[
"five Egyptian border guards"
],
[
"head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi"
],
[
"Jerusalem"
],
[
"said Israel would stick to its 1979 peace agreement with Egypt."
],
[
"strained"
],
[
"in recent months."
],
[
"five"
]
] | NEW: Netanyahu thanks Egyptian field marshal for assistance with deal for Shalit's return .
In August incident, 5 Egyptian border guards were killed by Israeli troops .
Relations between the two nations have been strained in recent months . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- In a move likely to further strain relations between the United States and Israel, the municipality of Jerusalem has given final approval for a controversial Israeli housing project in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
Approval of the project paves the way for construction of 20 apartments being developed by American millionaire Irving Moskowitz on land that he purchased in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Moskowitz, an avid supporter of Jewish building in East Jerusalem, purchased the land in 1985.
To make way for the new housing units the historic Shepherd Hotel which was built in the 1930s by a prominent Palestinian family would be torn down.
The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem has become an area highly coveted by Jewish nationalists wishing to cement Jewish claims to the land, and it has become a fault line in the public debate about Israeli building in Arab areas of East Jerusalem. Every week hundreds of Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists stage protests in the neighborhood to protest Israeli government building policies.
East Jerusalem was captured from Jordan in the 1967 war between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Israel claims sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, though this it is a claim not recognized by the international community. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capitol of their future state.
In a terse statement Wednesday, the Jerusalem Municipality argued the East Jerusalem construction was actually approved in July 2009 and that the owners of the land merely paid a necessary fee last week which generated an automatic approval for the project to proceed.
"This is distorted media information in order to create a provocation during the Prime Minister's visit to the United States" read the statement.
The building plan, which was given municipal approval last summer, was met with great disapproval from the United States which demanded that it be stopped. It was a demand, then as now, that fell on deaf ears.
At the time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet, "Our sovereignty over [Jerusalem] cannot be challenged. This means that residents of Jerusalem may purchase apartments in all parts of the city. We cannot accept the idea that Jews will not have the right to live and purchase in all parts of Jerusalem."
Netanyahu echoed the same arguments in defense of the Israeli announcement two weeks ago to build 1,600 units of housing in a different East Jerusalem neighborhood.
That announcement, made while U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden was visiting Israel, set off a diplomatic rift between the United States and Israel that both sides are still attempting to iron out. U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu met Wednesday evening in Washington to discuss Israel's plans for new housing units in East Jerusalem. The leaders did not appear before cameras, and there was no sign of an end to the dispute.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, called the approval "an intentional insult to the U.S. administration" and works against "any serious indirect or direct negotiations" between Israel and the Palestinians.
Rudeineh said the Obama administration "should put enough pressure on Israel to implement what has been written and issued by the Quartet in Moscow several days ago." On Friday, the Middle East Quartet, the United States, European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, called on both sides "to refrain from proactive actions" and for Israel to freeze all settlement activity in an effort to promote peace talks. | [
"What controversial project was approved?",
"where is the controversial Israeli housing project approved for?",
"Which leaders met on wednesday?",
"who will meet Wednesday in Washington ?"
] | [
[
"Israeli housing"
],
[
"East Jerusalem."
],
[
"U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu"
],
[
"President Barack Obama and Netanyahu"
]
] | Controversial Israeli housing project approved in Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem .
Move likely to further strain relations between United States and Israel .
Obama and Netanyahu met Wednesday in Washington to discuss Israel's housing plans .
U.S.-Israeli relations hit rough patch after row over future building in East Jerusalem . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- In a move that will further complicate international efforts to get Middle East peace negotiations restarted, the Israeli government Tuesday approved the construction of 1,100 homes in a southern Jerusalem neighborhood that was seized by Israel in 1967.
The Israeli Interior ministry announced that a district planning committee had approved the construction of the housing and that the decision would be open for public objections for the next 60 days.
The move brought quick condemnation from Palestinians who claim the land Israel occupied in East Jerusalem and the West Bank after the 1967 war as part of a future Palestinian state.
Palestinian officials said the action proved that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not serious about making peace.
"He said at the United Nations he was giving his hand in peace, but actually, he is digging in the land to build more settlements," said Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh.
The Israeli move also drew international criticism, with British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemning it while U.S. officials expressed disappointment.
"Settlement expansion is illegal under international law, corrodes trust and undermines the basic principle of land for peace," Hague said in a statement. "We call on the government of Israel to revoke this decision."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the United States was disappointed by Israel's announcement, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties."
Last week, the Middle East Quartet -- made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks within a month and set the end of 2012 as the deadline for their completion.
The Quartet also called on both sides to "to refrain from provocative actions," a veiled reference to Israeli settlement building in land Israel occupied after 1967.
Shtayyeh called Israel's move " a slap in the face of the Quartet and the whole international community, which is saying 'stop settlements.' "
In an interview with the daily Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu defended Israel's right to build in Jerusalem. "We plan in Jerusalem, we build in Jerusalem. Period. The same way Israeli governments have been doing for years."
As for possible U.S. government criticism of the move, Netanyahu declared that the Americans "know this -- they have followed this a long time. There is really nothing new."
In the interview, Netanyahu also said Israel would not initiate another settlement freeze to get talks started again.
"We already gave at the office," he said, referring to a 10-month freeze enacted by his government last year.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to convene a PLO leadership meeting Thursday to discuss the Quartet proposal for the resumption of talks, but Netanyahu's comments and the announcement of Israeli construction on land that Palestinians maintain should form part of their future state is bound to further widen the large gap between the two sides.
Abbas has said repeatedly that the Palestinians will not return to negotiations until Israel halted all settlement construction and accepted 1967 border lines as a basis for the return to talks.
Israel, for its part, has maintained that negotiations should begin with no pre-conditions. | [
"What won't israel implement any more of?",
"Who condemmed the Israeli move?",
"What did the USA call the move?",
"What do Palestinians say?",
"What does Israel say it will not implement?",
"What country described the Israeli move as disappointing?"
] | [
[
"another settlement freeze"
],
[
"Palestinians"
],
[
"expressed disappointment."
],
[
"the action proved that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not serious about making peace."
],
[
"another settlement freeze to get talks started again."
],
[
"United States"
]
] | NEW: The United States calls the Israeli move disappointing .
NEW: Britain's foreign secretary condemns the Israeli move .
Palestinians say the move proves Israel doesn't want peace .
Israel says it won't implement any more freezes on construction . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel early Sunday released the names of the first group of Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, setting in motion a process that will allow the public to file objections to specific releases.
The list features 477 names, including those of Ahlam Tamimi, serving life terms for being an accomplice in a suicide bombing at a Jerusalem restaurant, and Amneh Muna, who plotted the killing of a 16-year-old Israeli boy in 2001 and received a life sentence.
Israel approved the deal Tuesday night, agreeing to release in two stages 1,027 Palestinians prisoners, including hundreds serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis. The first swap is expected to take place early this week.
Twenty-seven of the prisoners are women. The second stage, which includes 550 prisoners, will occur later this year.
A spokesperson for Israeli President Shimon Peres said Saturday that the pardoning process formally commenced after a Justice Ministry official submitted the requisite paperwork.
Peres will allocate 48 hours to complete the procedure in order to allow public objections and petitions against the pardons.
Read the list (PDF)
The president is expected to voice his discomfort with the release of convicted murderers, but is unlikely to reject any of the pardon requests, spokeswoman Ayelet Frish told CNN. Any changes to the list negotiated with Hamas could potentially endanger the entire deal, she said.
The most notable name not in the list is jailed Palestinian lawmaker Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences. He was convicted in an Israeli court on murder and other charges related to his role in planning attacks on Israelis during the second Intifada.
Shalit has been a recurring topic in the country's national dialogue. Militants captured him in June 2006 after tunneling into the Jewish state and attacking an Israeli army outpost. Israel immediately launched a military incursion into Gaza to rescue Shalit, then 19, but failed to free him. Since then, he has been held incommunicado by Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Shalit's family has continuously petitioned Israeli government officials to broker a deal that would secure his release.
"Everyone wants to see Gilad Shalit safe and well and back home but I think there is a real failure to understand the price that is being paid, and the price is phenomenal," said Arnold Roth, who lost his daughter Malki in the Jerusalem suicide bombing in 2001. "We are releasing people who have dedicated their lives to killing Jews and Israelis."
Roth opposes the announced release of Tamimi, who was sentenced to multiple life sentences for her involvement in the August 2001 bombing of a Sbarro pizza restaurant in 2001, in which 16 people were killed.
Israeli radio reported Saturday that 182 files for pardons were submitted to the president for prisoners convicted in Israeli criminal courts. Remaining pardon requests will be handled by the Israeli Defense Forces officials.
On Friday, the terror victims association Almagor petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend the release until the deal is thoroughly examined.
More petitions against the deal are expected to be submitted Sunday by families of victims directly affected by the prisoners on the list.
The Ministry of Justice announced it will operate an information center "where information regarding prisoners on the list can be obtained."
Of the male prisoners on the list, 275 will return to their homes in Gaza. Most of the rest will be sent to the West Bank or East Jerusalem. Five prisoners who are Israeli citizens can return to their homes, and 39 are to be sent abroad. | [
"who releases list of first group of prisoners proposed for exchange?",
"when the swap is expected to take place?",
"When is the swap expected to take place?",
"What did the father of the bombing victim say?",
"When is the swap going to take place?",
"What did Israeli release?",
"What does the deal include?"
] | [
[
"Israel"
],
[
"early this week."
],
[
"early this week."
],
[
"\"Everyone wants to see Gilad Shalit safe and well and back home but I think there is a real failure to understand the price that is being paid, and the price is phenomenal,\""
],
[
"early this week."
],
[
"the names of the first group of Palestinian prisoners"
],
[
"release in two stages 1,027 Palestinians prisoners,"
]
] | NEW: Israeli releases list of first group of prisoners proposed for exchange .
NEW: Those on list "have dedicated their lives to killing Jews," father of bombing victim says .
The swap is expected to take place early this week .
The deal includes an Israeli soldier held since 2006 and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel's government rejected a Qatari offer to re-establish trade relations that would have allowed the Gulf state to provide aid to Gaza, two senior Israeli government officials said Thursday.
One official, who did not want to be named citing the sensitivity of the matter, said there had been "tentative discussions" within the Israeli government on the informal Qatari proposal, which would have linked the re-establishment of economic ties with Israel with Israel's granting permission for the Gulf state to send reconstruction supplies and other goods into Gaza.
The official said that the idea was rejected because it was seen "as a way of bolstering Hamas" and said American and Egyptian officials had expressed similar concerns. The same official said the proposal did not come as a "formal request or offer" from the Qatari government but could offer no details on who initially presented the idea.
News of Israel's rejection of the Qatari offer was first reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Tuesday.
An official from the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem could not immediately comment. Qatari officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Another senior Israeli government official said "we were favorable" to the idea of renewed relations, but that the Qatari "precondition" of allowing "large amounts" of goods into the Gaza was a deal breaker.
The official said it was not clear who would have overseen the process. The proposal did not address Israel's concerns "about the unrestricted flow of material that can be used for defensive fortifications" by Hamas and "we had to say no," the official said.
The Palestinian territory of Gaza has been subjected to an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007, when the Islamist group Hamas staged a violent coup ousting the Palestinian Authority government lead by Fatah, a rival political faction.
Qatar and Israel maintained trade relations from 1996 until last year. Relations fell apart after the start of Israel's military operation against Hamas in Gaza at the end of 2008. The three-week campaign, dubbed Operation Cast Lead, ended with approximately 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed. In protest, the Qatari government in Doha ordered the Israeli trade office closed. Qatar was the only Gulf country to maintain official relations with the Jewish state.
In a statement released earlier this month after a meeting of Arab leaders, the Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al-Thani criticized Israel's Gaza policy, saying it contravened international legitimacy.
"We have to concentrate on confronting the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza which is oppressive and it is our duty to save the Palestinians who are part of us and we are part of them," he said.
Qatar has long sought to bolster its role in regional diplomacy. Bringing about a deal to send in construction supplies to Gaza would be regarded by many in the Arab world as a diplomatic coup, though it is unlikely that Egypt would be receptive to such an arrangement.
The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported Thursday that Egypt had expressed its opposition to Israel over the Qatari proposal, and that it was ultimately rejected so as not to upset the government of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki told CNN that "the Israeli newspaper report is a fairy tale and quite illogical."
"Since when do the Israelis need to consult with Egypt when they want to establish relations with any other party?" Zaki asked.
"It is clear that the Israelis do not want to offend the Qataris and therefore they (the Israelis) resorted to their usual game in striking a nerve in order to start trouble between Egypt and Qatar, just to make Israel look innocent," the spokesman added. | [
"Who wanted to provide economic aid to Gaza?",
"Where did Qatar want to provide economic aid to ?",
"Who said Qatar offered to re-establish trade relations?",
"Who does Israel fear any aid would help?",
"Who did Qatar want to provide economic aid to?",
"What did Qatar offer?"
] | [
[
"Qatar"
],
[
"Gaza,"
],
[
"two senior Israeli government officials"
],
[
"defensive fortifications\""
],
[
"Gaza,"
],
[
"to re-establish trade relations"
]
] | Israeli officials say Qatar offered to re-establish trade relations .
Qatar wanted to provide economic aid to Gaza .
Israel fears any aid would bolster Hamas, officials say . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his government's decision Wednesday to speed up construction in East Jerusalem.
"We will continue to build in Jerusalem. This is our right and obligation," Netanyahu said at a Knesset memorial ceremony for former tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi, who was assassinated by Palestinian militants a decade ago.
"This is not a punishment -- it is our national right to build our capital. I guarantee that we will never return to the situation we had on the evening of the Six Day War," Netanyahu said.
His remarks came a day after his government announced it was expediting construction of 2,000 housing units in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank and suspending the transfer of Palestinian tax revenue in wake of the Palestinian Authority's successful membership bid at UNESCO, the U.N. cultural, science, and education agency.
British Foreign Minister William Hague released a statement Wednesday condemning the Israeli measures and calling them "a serious blow to the (Middle East) Quartet's efforts to restart peace negotiations."
"This settlement building program is illegal under international law and is the latest in a series of provocative and unhelpful settlement announcements," he said in the statement.
In Washington, White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Barack Obama's administration was "deeply disappointed" with Israel's announcement.
"Unilateral actions work against efforts for direct negotiations" necessary to achieve a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Carney told reporters Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a senior Israeli official said the planned construction involves 1,650 units in East Jerusalem and the rest in the West Bank settlements of Efrat and Maaleh Adumin.
The construction will take place in areas that are expected to be part of Israeli territory in any future peace agreement, the official said, and there is no contradiction between it and the various peace plans that have been on the table.
Palestinians claim the land Israel occupied in East Jerusalem and the West Bank after the 1967 war as part of a future Palestinian state.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said repeatedly that the Palestinians will not return to negotiations until Israel halts all settlement construction and accepts the borders in place before the 1967 Six Day War.
Israel, for its part, has maintained that negotiations should begin with no preconditions.
"You cannot expect Israel to continue to be restrained when the Palestinian Authority leadership repeatedly slams the door in our face," said the Israeli official, who was not authorized to speak to the media.
As an example of a door slamming, the official cited the UNESCO bid and the effort to win membership in the United Nations among other instances of Palestinian actions that damaged prospects for a peace deal.
The Israeli government has also put a temporary hold on the transfer of Palestinian tax revenue collected by the Israeli government, the official said. Palestinians rely on the revenue to fund government operations, including the payment of public sector salaries.
Hague, in his statement, expressed concern about that as well, saying it would have "direct implications for the Palestinian Authority's ability to maintain effective security in the West Bank."
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Abbas' spokesman, criticized the Israeli construction announcement Tuesday, calling the decision one "to accelerate the destruction of the peace process," according to WAFA, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency.
Senior Palestinian negotiator Mohamad Ishtayeh also condemned the move.
"Two days ago, they (the Israeli government) announced the building of 1 million settlement housing units over the span of 10 years. What Israel decided today was another episode in settlement construction. Using the UNESCO Palestinian membership is only looking for excuses and another way of building settlement housing units. This fits within the overall plan which was announced two days ago before the UNESCO vote," he told CNN.
Separately on Tuesday, the permanent observer of the Palestinian Authority to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said he sent a letter to the U.N. secretary-general and the president of the Security Council about Israel.
"We write today to express our grave concern about the military escalation undertaken | [
"To what did the Palestinians want full membership?",
"What did Netanyahu say",
"What did the Abbas spokesman say?",
"Who expresses disappointment?",
"Where did they build their capital?",
"What did Abbas say"
] | [
[
"UNESCO, the U.N. cultural, science, and education agency."
],
[
"\"We will continue to build in Jerusalem. This is our right and obligation,\""
],
[
"\"You cannot expect Israel to continue to be restrained when the Palestinian Authority leadership repeatedly slams the door in our face,\""
],
[
"President Barack Obama's administration"
],
[
"Jerusalem."
],
[
"Palestinians will not return to negotiations until Israel halts all settlement construction and accepts the borders in place before the 1967 Six Day War."
]
] | NEW: The White House expresses disappointment at Israel's move .
Netanyahu: "It is our national right to build our capital"
Abbas' spokesman said the decision is "to accelerate the destruction of the peace process"
The announcement follows UNESCO's approval of the Palestinians' bid for full membership . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli government ministers Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a temporary freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank in an effort to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. The Security Cabinet voted 11-2 in favor of the measure which calls for a 10-month freeze on new building permits and the construction of new residential buildings in the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a very big step toward peace" and said he hoped the Palestinians would "take full advantage" of the opportunity to restart talks during the 10-month window. "I hope the Palestinians and the Arab world will work with us to forge a new beginning... for our children and for theirs," he said. In Washington, the top U.S. envoy for the region, George Mitchell, said he hoped to use the time to begin negotiations on permanent status issues, which include security for Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. "My personal and fervent wish is that we will, during this process at some point, have a resolution of borders so there will no longer be any question about settlement construction," Mitchell told reporters. "It falls short of a full settlement freeze, but it is more than any Israeli government has done before, and can help move toward agreement between the parties," Mitchell told a briefing at the State Department. He said he plans to return soon to the region. Mitchell shrugged off a suggestion he might be discouraged after more than 10 months of failing to relaunch peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. "You can't take as final the first 'no,' the second 'no' or even the hundredth 'no,' " said Mitchell, who helped negotiate a peace agreement in Northern Ireland and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "You can't get discouraged by setbacks and you can't be deterred by criticism. You have to be patient, persevering and determined." Mitchell also released a statement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which said the announcement helps move the issue forward. "We believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements," the Clinton statement said. "Let me say to all the people of the region and world: our commitment to achieving a solution with two states living side by side in peace and security is unwavering," the Clinton statement added. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a representative of the Middle East Diplomatic Quartet made up of the European Union, the United States, the Russian Federation and the United Nations, called the announcement "an important step towards creating the possibility for serious and credible negotiations for a two-state solution. "The key, as I have said consistently, is to combine a credible political negotiation with real change on the ground, in institution-building, security performance and economic development," Blair said. But Danny Danon, a member of the Knesset from Netanyahu's Likud Party and chairman of the Settlers Council, opposed the announcement. "If the prime minister will implement the ideology of the left, he will not get the support of his own party," he said. "All the things he wrote in his books, said in his speeches, he so eloquently preached for, he does exactly the opposite," said Danon, calling the move a "disappointment." Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the proposed temporary freeze would be inadequate: "The exclusion of Jerusalem is a very serious problem for us," he told reporters on Wednesday. Palestinian officials, including Fayyad, have called on Israel to freeze construction in Jerusalem as well. The Palestinians want Jerusalem to be the capital of a Palestinian state. In recent weeks, Netanyahu and other members of his cabinet have made clear that a construction freeze would not be implemented | [
"Who proposed to have a 10-month freeze?",
"What was the voting score measure for security cabinet?",
"What was the final total from the Security Cabinet vote?",
"What has the Security Cabinet voted in favor for?"
] | [
[
"Israeli government ministers"
],
[
"11-2 in favor"
],
[
"11-2"
],
[
"a 10-month freeze on new building permits and the construction of new residential buildings in the West Bank."
]
] | Security Cabinet voted 11-2 in favor of the measure which calls for a 10-month freeze .
Israel under pressure -- particularly from United States -- to halt settlement construction .
Continued construction a key stumbling block in restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks .
Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad said proposed freeze would be inadequate . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli officials were working on repairs at a cemetery in an Arab section of the coastal city of Jaffa Sunday after vandals covered graves with graffiti.
"I am shocked. We should not permit it. It was done by a tiny minority, but the crime is terrible," Israeli President Shimon Peres told CNN Sunday. "To try and violate the holiness of a cemetery is against everything that we stand for, so both in public terms and religious terms, we shall take all the measures to get hold of these criminals and put an end to it."
More than 100 graves were vandalized in the Muslim cemetery of al-Kazakhana and at a nearby Christian cemetery in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, according to residents and a CNN producer who visited the locations.
Words spray-painted in Hebrew on the gravestones included "death to all Arabs," "death to all Russians" and "price tag." Graffiti also included words associated with a local football fan club.
"Price tag" is a term frequently used by radical Israeli settlers to denote reprisal attacks against Palestinians in response to moves by the Israeli government to evacuate illegal West Bank outposts, or as retribution for attacks by Palestinians.
Mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa Ron Huldai decried the vandalism and met with leaders of the Arab community to discuss it Sunday.
"I expect the hands of those who do such crimes to be cut off," he said. "The public in Jaffa has always been the most mature above all the extremists. We will find the way to return to normal (relations) despite the provocations."
After authorities found the graffiti, Arab and Jewish residents of Jaffa held a small protest against racism and for coexistence Saturday night. During their demonstration, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue elsewhere in the city.
No one was injured and the building was not damaged in that incident, but police were investigating.
The vandalism in Jaffa took place less than a week after the arson of a mosque in northern Israel and the painting of swastikas on the walls of a Jewish holy site in the northern West Bank.
Residents say the vandalism took place Friday evening as the Yom Kippur holiday was beginning in Israel, but police suggested it might have taken place a day or two prior.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the incident Sunday and pledged to prosecute those responsible.
"We are not prepared to tolerate any act of vandalism, especially that directed against religious sensitivities," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Police were still following leads and investigating the case Sunday, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. No arrests had been made.
Contrary to previous reports, police said graves were spray painted but were not smashed.
Police officials said they had stepped up patrols in the area and were reaching out to community leaders.
But one lawmaker said Sunday that officials had not done enough to stop such attacks.
"The Israeli government is responsible, Many times something like this has happened and they did nothing, and so these people who do that are not deterred. They think they will not catch them and they will not be punished," said Dr. Jamal Zahalka, a member of the Israeli Knesset. "We call here now for everybody, Jewish and Arab to unite in a front against racism. The situation is deteriorating rapidly. After the mosque, the cemetery and tomorrow, actions against people. It will not stop "
According to Israeli police, reprisal attacks have increased in the past year, prompting them to create a special investigative unit.
In the past year, four West Bank mosques have been set ablaze. The United Nations has reported a measurable spike in violence against Palestinian property in 2011.
On Wednesday, a shrine holy to Jews was desecrated in the West Bank.
Jewish worshippers arrived at Joseph's Tomb in the city of Nablus to find swastikas and graffiti sprayed on the walls. It is unclear when the graffiti was left there. The site is under Palestinian Authority rule, and Jews visit every couple of months | [
"What did the Israeli president say?",
"What did the mayor say?",
"Where was the Molotov cocktail thrown?",
"What was thrown at a synagogue?",
"What was the crime?",
"What was vandalised in the cemeteries?"
] | [
[
"\"I am shocked. We should not permit it. It was done by a tiny minority, but the crime is terrible,\""
],
[
"\"I expect the hands of those who do such crimes to be cut off,\""
],
[
"at a synagogue"
],
[
"a Molotov cocktail"
],
[
"graffiti."
],
[
"graves"
]
] | Israeli president: "The crime is terrible (and) against everything that we stand for"
Mayor: "We will find a way to return to normal"
More than 100 graves are vandalized in two cemeteries -- one Christian, one Muslim .
A Molotov cocktail is thrown at a synagogue . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Newly discovered artifacts beneath the huge stones of Jerusalem's Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites, indicate it took longer to build than previously believed.
Until now, the wall constructed as part of King Herod's enlargement of the Temple Mount area was thought to have been completed before he died in 4 B.C.
However, the discovery of three oil lamps from the first century and 17 bronze coins, four of which were dated A.D. 16, in a ritual bath beneath the Western Wall appears to confirm the writings of a first-century Jewish historian, who said the project was completed decades after Herod's death.
"This is important because now we would not speak any more of the Temple Mount being built by Herod" alone, said University of Haifa professor Ronny Reich, an archaeologist working on the site on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. "This is an archaeological finding that indeed the works of the Temple Mount took a long time, far after Herod's death."
A statement by the antiquities authority said the ancient historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote that Herod began constructing and enlarging the Temple Mount area in 22 B.C., which was the 18th year of his reign. Josephus wrote that it was "the largest project the world has ever heard of," according to the authority's statement.
Josephus also wrote that the completion of the building project, which included the Western Wall and Robinson's Arch as part of the Temple Mount complex, did not end until A.D. 50, the statement said.
"This bit of archaeological information illustrates the fact that the construction of the Temple Mount walls and Robinson's Arch was an enormous project that lasted decades and was not completed during Herod's lifetime," the authority's statement said. "This dramatic find confirms Josephus' descriptions which state that it was only during the reign of King Agrippa II (Herod's great-grandson) that the work was finished, and upon its completion there were 8,000-10,000 unemployed in Jerusalem."
CNN's Tom Cohen contributed to this report. | [
"When was the wall started?",
"what was previously believed?",
"What metal were the coins made of?",
"who died before the wall was finished?",
"What is the evidence that Herod died before it was completed?",
"What wall did King Herod start?",
"Where is the wall located?"
] | [
[
"22 B.C.,"
],
[
"thought to have been completed before he died in 4 B.C."
],
[
"bronze"
],
[
"King Herod's"
],
[
"three oil lamps from the first century and 17 bronze coins,"
],
[
"Jerusalem's Western"
],
[
"Jerusalem's"
]
] | Coins found by archaeologists shed light on construction of one of Judaism's holiest sites .
King Herod started the wall, but the new evidence indicates he died before it was finished .
Until now, the wall was believed to have been completed during Herod's reign . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has fired his chief of staff despite an inquiry into a sex scandal that cleared the second-in-command of wrongdoing.
Rafiq Husseini was accused of using the power of his office to extract sex from a female job seeker.
The scandal erupted in February after a video was made public allegedly showing Husseini undressing in a bedroom and calling for a woman to join him in bed.
The president fired Husseini on Tuesday at the recommendation of a committee that Abbas created to look into the allegations.
The report clears Husseini of corruption and sexual misconduct charges. But because its content was not made public, it was not immediately clear why the committee recommended that the aide be let go.
"I was exonerated from the main accusations of abusing my power in office for personal gain and sexual favors," Husseini said Wednesday. "But at the same time, the committee found that I committed personal error outside the realm of my work."
The controversy began after Israel's Channel 10 aired the grainy surveillance footage of Husseini.
The footage shot in 2008 was provided to Channel 10 by Fahmi Shabaneh, a former agent in the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Department.
Shabaneh said he released the tape to the media to expose ethical and financial corruption within the Palestinian Authority.
Shabaneh said he had brought evidence of both sexual and financial wrongdoing to Abbas before going public, but that he was ignored.
He said received permission from his superior officer to make the clandestine recording of Husseini after a Palestinian woman approached him complaining that Husseini was trying to "sexually blackmail her."
The tape was made in cooperation with the woman who had brought the allegations, he said.
In a news conference in February, Husseini denied the allegations.
He told reporters that he had been framed by a gang "working for the interest of Israeli intelligence" and said the tape was "dubbed."
On Wednesday, Husseini said he accepted the committee's recommendation.
"I am satisfied, and know that I paid a price after all," he said. "I refuse to be blackmailed and I stood up to the black mailers even when that meant that I would lose my job over it."
CNN's Kareem Khadder contributed to this report. | [
"Of what is Husseini accused?",
"What channel aired the grainy footage?",
"Who is acussed of using power of his office?",
"Of what does the report clear Husseini?",
"What is Rafiq accused of ?",
"When did the controvery begin?",
"What did they accuse him of?",
"What channel started the controversy ?"
] | [
[
"using the power of his office to extract sex from a female job seeker."
],
[
"10"
],
[
"Rafiq Husseini"
],
[
"sex scandal"
],
[
"using the power of his office to extract sex from a female job seeker."
],
[
"February"
],
[
"using the power of his office to extract sex from a female job seeker."
],
[
"10"
]
] | Rafiq Husseini accused of using power of his office to extract sex from female job seeker .
Report clears Husseini of corruption and sexual misconduct charges .
But Hussein fired at recommendation of committee created to look into allegations .
Controversy began after Israel's Channel 10 aired grainy surveillance footage of Husseini . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Palestinian negotiators put forward proposals on security and borders during talks with Israeli representatives in Jordan, Palestinian media reported Tuesday.
Israel's special envoy, attorney Yitzhak Molcho, and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat met in Amman with representatives of the Middle East Quartet -- made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- in an effort to relaunch negotiations after more than a year of deadlock.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told reporters that "serious and constructive talks" had taken place, the official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA said.
He said the talks focused on the two-state solution, according to the Jordanian state news agency Petra.
The Israelis said they would consider the Palestinian proposals, and the two sides agreed to meet again in Jordan, the agency cited Judeh as saying.
However, no significant breakthrough was made, Judeh acknowledged. "The gap is wide between the two sides on all issues," he is quoted as saying by WAFA. "The issues are complicated and we do not expect to resolve them in a day or two."
Petra quoted Judeh as saying, "We don't want to raise the expectations about this meeting and we don't want to underestimate its importance in the same time."
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians fell apart more than a year ago over disagreements on the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
In September, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made a bid for the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state, a move Israel called premature without direct talks to address its long-standing security concerns.
Filling the vacuum created by the removal of Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah has taken a more active role in trying to bridge the gulf between Israelis and Palestinians.
In November, King Abdullah made a rare visit to the Palestinian political capital of Ramallah in the West Bank, followed by a meeting in Amman a week later with Israeli President Shimon Peres.
The United States has voiced its support for the new initiative.
"We are hopeful that this direct exchange can help move us forward on the pathway proposed by the Quartet," Hillary Clinton, the U.S. secretary of state, said Sunday night in a statement. "The status quo is not sustainable and the parties must act boldly to advance the cause of peace."
But while both sides thanked the Jordanian government for its role in bringing about the meeting, few expected any serious breakthroughs.
Speaking to Voice of Palestine radio beforehand, Erakat said the meeting would not constitute the resumption of negotiations, but rather would be one that could lead to the restarting of talks.
Former Quartet participant and American diplomat Robert Danin wrote Sunday for the Council on Foreign Relations that, while the resumption of contacts between the two sides would be a positive development, it "inadvertently makes the situation on the ground riskier."
"Abbas is returning to talks without attaining his long-standing demand that negotiations resume with an Israeli settlement freeze," Danin wrote. "Unless he can demonstrate quickly that talks produce tangible benefits for the Palestinians, he will feel compelled to break them off."
This, Danin said, could add impetus to Abbas concluding ongoing talks with Hamas about forming a Palestinian unity government -- an idea vehemently opposed by representatives of Israel and the United States, who consider the Islamist group a terrorist organization.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said Monday he was surprised by the meetings. He said Hamas considered them a repetition of a failed initiative and called on the Palestinian Authority to cancel the meeting Tuesday with Israeli representatives.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told CNN that the meeting of the Palestinians with the Israeli occupying forces "is a mockery."
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told CNN last week that "if Mahmoud Abbas walks toward Hamas, he is walking away from peace."
CNN's Kevin Flower contributed to this report. | [
"Who will meet with representatives from the middle east?",
"What did the spokesperson call the meeting?",
"what is jordan hosting",
"What caused the talks to fall apart?",
"Who is hosting the meeting?",
"What did the Hamas spokesman call the meeting?",
"what did hamas spokesman call the meeting",
"what happened to the talks",
"Where is the meeting being hosted?"
] | [
[
"Saeb Erakat"
],
[
"a mockery.\""
],
[
"Peace talks"
],
[
"disagreements on the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank."
],
[
"Israelis"
],
[
"\"is a mockery.\""
],
[
"a mockery.\""
],
[
"fell apart"
],
[
"Jordan,"
]
] | NEW: Hamas spokesman calls the meeting "a mockery"
Negotiators from both sides meet with representatives from the Middle East Quartet .
The talks fell apart more than a year ago over Israeli settlements in the West Bank .
Jordan is hosting the meeting in an effort to relaunch stalled peace talks . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Palestinians hurled rocks and burned tires in several neighborhoods in East Jerusalem Tuesday to protest the reopening of a landmark synagogue after more than 60 years.
Officers dispersed the crowd by firing stun grenades in one area, and village elders helped end the riots in another, said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.
At least seven people in the Mount of Olives neighborhood were wounded when police fired rubber bullets.
In all, 91 people were wounded in the clashes, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
About 3,000 officers were deployed in the city after the militant group Hamas declared Tuesday a "Day of Rage."
The group was protesting the reopening of the Hurva synagogue on Monday. However, rumors swirled that right-wing groups were planning to ascend the Temple Mount, where al-Aqsa Mosque is located.
Senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, in a speech Monday in Syria, called on Palestinians to take to the street to protect Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian shrines. The Palestinian Authority suggested Israel was "preventing citizens from reaching the Old City ... to pray in al-Aqsa Mosque, as part of increasing provocative policies violating international law and human rights."
"Pay no attention to malicious slander," said Rabbi Yona Metzger, chief rabbi of Israel, told the Jewish news agency JTA on Monday. "All we are doing is resurrecting the Hurva that was destroyed 60 years ago. All the rumors that suggest we will later march on Temple Mount are just that -- rumors."
However, the incident is only the latest to ratchet up tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. The synagogue is located in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The Old City also includes East Jerusalem, seen as Palestinians as the capital of their future state.
Israel claims sovereignty over all of Jerusalem since it took over East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967 in the Six-Day war. The rededication has underlined Palestinian concerns that Israel is attempting to bring more Jews into East Jerusalem and drive Palestinians out, particularly as it comes on the heels of an Israeli announcement last week that 1,600 more housing units would be built in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of East Jerusalem. The synagogue rededication, however, had been planned for months in advance, according to organizers.
In a statement Tuesday, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said it "strongly condemns recent measures taken by Israel in East Jerusalem, the latest of which has been the inauguration of a synagogue in the old city. PCHR holds Israel responsible for the escalation of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory."
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, meeting in Madrid, Spain, with the Spanish minister of defense, said, "Israel will not allow extremists to dictate and force political arrangements.
"I have said this times before and I repeat: Israel is strong ... and must reach political arrangements out of this position," Barak said. "Lack of political negotiations will strengthen and encourage the extremists of both sides and the riots in Jerusalem today proves so. A political arrangement will only be achieved by direct negotiations."
Construction on the synagogue began in 1700, but halted, according to the Web site of Sacred Destinations, which describes itself as an educational and travel resource. It was restarted in 1836 and the synagogue was completed in 1856. The synagogue was destroyed by the Jordanian Arab Legion in 1948. Conservation and investigation of the ruins began in 1977.
Meshaal also warned the international community that Israel is "playing with fire" that could lead to a regional blowup.
Speaking to reporters Monday, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said there were American concerns "about the tensions regarding the rededication of a synagogue in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. And we are urging all parties to act responsibly and do whatever is necessary to remain calm."
At a memorial service Tuesday for late Israeli prime ministers and presidents, President Shimon Peres said: "We cannot afford to unravel the delicate fabric of friendship with the United States.
"Today, we are also at a decisive moment and we must decide without the determination of | [
"How many people were wounded?",
"who protests in jerusalem",
"Palestinians protest what?",
"How many years had it been ?",
"What was used on the crowds ?",
"Where was the protest ?",
"Officers disperse crowd by doing what?",
"what do officers fire",
"how many were wounded"
] | [
[
"seven"
],
[
"Palestinians"
],
[
"the reopening of a landmark synagogue"
],
[
"60"
],
[
"stun grenades"
],
[
"East Jerusalem"
],
[
"firing stun grenades"
],
[
"stun grenades"
],
[
"91"
]
] | Palestinians protest reopening of landmark synagogue in Jerusalem after 60 years .
Officers disperse crowd by firing stun grenades; village elders help end riots elsewhere .
91 people wounded in clashes, Palestinian Red Crescent Society says .
Palestinians angered by Israeli settlement plans in largely Arab East Jerusalem . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- The Israeli government said Thursday it will stop a convoy of cargo and passenger ships filled with supplies and headed to Gaza to break a blockade imposed by Israel in 2007.
Government officials said Wednesday they have given the Israeli Defense Forces instructions to reroute the flotilla to Ashdod port in Israel, where the supplies will be unloaded and transferred to Gaza.
Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman, called the flotilla "a cheap political stunt."
"If they were really interested in the well being of the people of Gaza, they would have accepted the offers of Egypt or Israel to transfer humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, along with the other 15 thousand tons sent every week," he said.
The convoy, which left various European ports, is organized by two major groups: the Free Gaza movement, a pro-Palestinian human rights organization, and the IHH movement, a Turkish humanitarian relief foundation affiliated with the Islamic Brotherhood.
Organizers said the convoy is carrying 10,000 tons of construction material, medical equipment and school supplies, and about 750 activists of different nationalities.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Yossi Gal, its director-general, has summoned the ambassadors of Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and Ireland -- the countries from which the flotilla set sail -- and "clarified the state of Israel's official position, which declares the flotilla an absolute provocation: There is no shortage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as food products, fuel and supplies are constantly transferred into the Gaza Strip by the international organizations."
The flotilla is "invited to dock at Ashdod port, to unload their cargo and transfer it to Gaza, after a security check, either via the Israeli authorities or via the humanitarian organizations," the ministry said.
Hanin Zoabi, a member of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and a passenger on the flotilla, called it a "humanitarian campaign for the 1.5 million Palestinian people who Israel put in jail for about the last four years without allowing building material, without educational material, without food into the Gaza strip.
"Israel destroyed 165 schools and more than 100 (factories) and destroyed tens of thousands of houses without enabling the Palestinians to rebuild their homes and their lives," Zoabi said. "This is a very strong political message towards Israel and towards the Arab world that stood silent regarding what is happening in Gaza."
Israel imposed the naval blockade on Gaza after the Hamas forcefully took control of Gaza in 2007, ousting the Fatah movement headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Regev argued that the activists maintain a double standard when it comes to Hamas' actions.
"They call themselves human rights activists, but they remain silent when it comes to Hamas' deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians and the brutalities of the Hamas regime in Gaza, which has crushed political opposition, suppressed independent media and has locked up hundreds of political opponents."
Sarah Weiss Maudi, an Israeli Foreign Ministry legal expert, said, "The naval blockade has been imposed by Israel because Israel is currently in a state of armed conflict with the Hamas regime that controls Gaza."
Under international maritime law, when a maritime blockade is in effect, no vessels can enter the blockaded area.
Maritime blockades are a legitimate measure under international law, and may be implemented as part of an armed conflict at sea, Israeli officials have said.
"The objective of the boats is to break Israel's siege on Gaza, to break Israel's blockade on Gaza. The material that we have on board are all of the materials that Israel denied to the people of Gaza like cement, building supplies, educational supplies etc," said Greta Berlin, co-founder of Free Gaza movement.
"We do not accept the siege on Gaza," said Zoabi. "... Israel does not want a siege. It wants a silent siege. Israel does not want occupation, it wants a silent occupation. It wants its policies to go without criticisms of the world. That's why it wants to stop the flotilla and also | [
"What does the convoy aim to do?",
"What does the government say they will stop?",
"What is the the flotilla taking to Gaza?"
] | [
[
"ships filled with supplies and headed to Gaza to break a blockade imposed by Israel in 2007."
],
[
"ships filled with supplies"
],
[
"supplies"
]
] | NEW: Israeli official calls convoy of ships 'cheap political stunt'
Government says it will stop flotilla taking aid to Gaza .
Knesset member among flotilla participants .
Convoy aims to break 2007 Israeli blockade . |
Jerusalem (CNN) -- The Palestinian Liberation Organization's leadership reiterated its push for recognition as an independent state by the United Nations and condemning Israel's latest proposal for new settlements on disputed territory, state-run media reported.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas led the meeting in Ramallah on Thursday to discuss the official position, according to the official WAFA news agency.
The U.N. Security Council's admissions committee is set Friday to review the Palestinian application for statehood.
Last week, the Middle East Quartet -- made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks within a month and set the end of 2012 as the deadline for their completion. But no such direct talks have taken place.
Abbas has said repeatedly that the Palestinians would not return to negotiations until Israel halted all settlement construction and accepted 1967 border lines as a basis for the return to talks.
Israel has maintained that negotiations should begin with no preconditions.
Besides calling for negotiation, the Quartet also called on both sides to "to refrain from provocative actions" -- in part a veiled reference to Israeli settlement-building in land Israel occupied as a result of the 1967 Mideast War.
This week, the Israeli Interior Ministry announced this week that a district planning committee had approved the construction of 1,100 homes in a southern Jerusalem neighborhood that was seized by Israel in 1967. That decision will be open for public comment for the next 60 days, the ministry added.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's executive committee, read a statement after the meeting Thursday criticizing the Israeli move. Palestinians, who want the land Israel now occupies in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to be part of a future Palestinian state.
A day earlier, Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh said the action suggests that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are not serious about making peace.
"He said at the United Nations he was giving his hand in peace, but actually, he is digging in the land to build more settlements," Shtayyeh said.
He further called Israel's move "a slap in the face of the Quartet and the whole international community, which is saying 'stop settlements.'"
In an interview with the daily Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu defended Israel's right to build in Jerusalem. "We plan in Jerusalem, we build in Jerusalem. Period. The same way Israeli governments have been doing for years."
The Israeli move drew international criticism, with British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemning it while U.S. officials expressed disappointment.
"Settlement expansion is illegal under international law, corrodes trust and undermines the basic principle of land for peace," Hague said in a statement. "We call on the government of Israel to revoke this decision."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the United States was disappointed by Israel's announcement, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties."
As for possible U.S. government criticism of the move, Netanyahu declared that the Americans "know this -- they have followed this a long time. There is really nothing new."
In the interview, Netanyahu also said Israel would not initiate another settlement freeze to get talks started again.
"We already gave at the office," he said, referring to a 10-month freeze enacted by his government last year. | [
"Who lead the meeting in Ramallah?",
"who is mahmoud abbas",
"What did Palestinian leaders say?",
"what did the prime minister lead",
"What did they condemn?",
"what israel plans",
"who is palestinian leader"
] | [
[
"Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas"
],
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"Palestinian Authority Prime Minister"
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[
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],
[
"the meeting in Ramallah"
],
[
"Israel's latest proposal for new settlements on disputed territory,"
],
[
"new settlements on disputed territory,"
],
[
"Mahmoud Abbas"
]
] | Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas leads the meeting in Ramallah .
In it, Palestinian leaders say they'll push for statehood at U.N.
They also condemn Israeli plans for settlements in a disputed area . |
Johannesburg (CNN) -- Miffed by a visa delay that led the Dalai Lama to cancel a trip to South Africa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu lashed out at his government Tuesday, saying it had acted worse than apartheid regimes and had forgotten all that the nation stood for.
"When we used to apply for passports under the apartheid government, we never knew until the last moment what their decision was," Tutu said at a news conference. "Our government is worse than the apartheid government because at least you were expecting it from the apartheid government.
"I have to say that I can't believe this. I really can't believe this," Tutu said. "You have to wake me up and tell me this is actually happening here."
The Dalai Lama scrapped his planned trip to South Africa this week after the nation failed to issue him a visa in time, his spokesman said.
Visa applications for him and his entourage were submitted to the South African High Commission in New Delhi, India, at the end of August, and original passports were submitted on September 20, more than two weeks ago, a statement on his website said.
However, South Africa's foreign affairs office said it did not refuse a visa.
"South Africa will not comment on the decision, because it is not our decision, it is his decision," according to spokesman Clayson Monyela, who said the visa application was still under consideration.
The Dalai Lama had been invited to the country to receive the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation and to speak at a number of events, including a lecture in honor of Tutu's 80th birthday. Tutu and the Dalai Lama are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tutu said he would pray for the defeat of South Africa's government, led by the African National Congress (ANC), which is rooted in the fight against the system of apartheid, or legal racial separation, that was present in South Africa until 1994.
"You are disgraceful," Tutu said about the government. "You are behaving in a way that is totally at variance with the things for which we stood."
The ANC plans to call on government officials to explain to South Africans why the visa process was delayed, spokesman Jackson Mtembu said. He said everyone was in the dark about this matter.
But he also suggested that Tutu calm down. A comparison to apartheid regimes, he said, was unfair.
This is not the first time the Dalai Lama has not been able to visit South Africa. In 2009, South Africa refused the Tibetan spiritual leader a visa to attend an international peace conference, saying it was not in the country's interest for him to attend.
In refusing the 2009 application, South Africa said that if the Dalai Lama attended the conference, the focus would shift away from the 2010 World Cup, the global soccer championship it was hosting.
"We cannot allow focus to shift to China and Tibet," presidential spokesman Thabo Masebe said, adding that South Africa had gained much from its trading relationship with China.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, and China pressures governments around the world to deny him any legitimacy.
Speculation surfaced Tuesday that this year's visit was also affected by South Africa's relationship with China.
South African Vice President Kgalema Motlanthe visited Beijing last week and met with Chinese President Hu Jintao to discuss bolstering bilateral ties.
Motlanthe said South Africa was ready to boost the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new stage, according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
But Monyela said the application had nothing to do with China.
"We are a sovereign nation which takes decisions in our domestic interest," Monyela said.
The Dalai Lama posted a message on Twitter last week that said: "Even if the Chinese leave nothing but ashes, Tibet will rise from these ashes as a free country even if it takes a long time to do so."
Kim Norgaard, CNN's Johannesburg bureau chief, contributed to this | [
"who did say South Africa did not issue a visa on time?",
"who is responsible for all this",
"Who does the African National Congress say should calm down?",
"Who says the government is acting worse than apartheid regime?",
"Who was denied visa to South Africa in 2009?"
] | [
[
"Archbishop Desmond Tutu"
],
[
"government."
],
[
"Tutu"
],
[
"Archbishop Desmond Tutu"
],
[
"Dalai Lama"
]
] | NEW: The African National Congress says Desmond Tutu should calm down .
Tutu says the government is acting worse than apartheid regime .
The Dalai Lama says South Africa did not issue a visa on time .
He was denied a visa to South Africa in 2009 . |
Johannesburg (CNN) -- The trial of two men accused of killing white supremacist leader Eugene Terreblanche is expected to start in the South African town of Ventersdorp on Monday.
Terreblanche, the leader of the neo-Nazi Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement, or AWB), was killed in April following an apparent dispute over wages with workers on his farm.
Police have charged Chris Mahlangu, 29, and a 16-year-old in the death.
The trial was initially scheduled for December but was postponed several times as lawyers for the defendants changed.
Terreblanche, 69, was bludgeoned with clubs and stabbed with a machete during the attack at his farm near Ventersdorp in South Africa's North West province, police said.
The AWB is best known for trying to block South Africa's effort to end apartheid. The group used terrorist tactics in a bid to stall the country's first all-race vote in 1994, killing more than 20 people in a wave of bombings on the eve of the elections.
Terreblanche was convicted of a 1996 attempted murder of a black man who worked as a security guard on his farm. He served about two-thirds of a five-year sentence. | [
"who was was convicted of murder attempt in 1996",
"who was bludgeoned and stabbed at his farm",
"what did he die over",
"What happened to Terreblanche at his farm?",
"was he convicted of anything",
"who was believed to have died over wage dispute",
"What did Terreblanche die because of?",
"What was he convicted of in 1996?"
] | [
[
"Eugene Terreblanche"
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[
"Eugene Terreblanche"
],
[
"wages with workers on his farm."
],
[
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],
[
"attempted murder"
],
[
"Terreblanche,"
],
[
"apparent dispute over wages"
],
[
"attempted murder"
]
] | White supremacist Eugene Terreblanche was bludgeoned and stabbed at his farm .
He is believed to have died over a wage dispute .
He was convicted of a 1996 attempted murder . |
Join Roland Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday. If you're passionate about the topic, he wants to hear from you. Roland Martin says the three presidential candidates will never be "regular folks." (CNN) -- Can we all just stop the silly nonsense over who is an elitist and whether an "average American" will occupy the White House? Listening to the punditry today, you would think folks who revel in the comedy of Larry the Cable Guy or Katt Williams really would have a shot at the White House. It's totally absurd. So, Sen. Barack Obama is all of a sudden an elitist because he went to Columbia and Harvard? And Sen. Hillary Clinton is an elitist because she went to Yale? Do you actually think Sen. John McCain isn't an elitist? He went to an exclusive college -- the Naval Academy, and that is one of the hardest places to get into. (You can't even apply unless a member of Congress recommends you.) Karl Rove, who tries to portray himself as the common man but is just another rich Republican, has called both Democratic candidates elitists. Well, his former boss, President George W. Bush, went to Yale. So did Bush's dad, former president George H.W. Bush, and his granddaddy, former Sen. Prescott Bush. All three Bushes also were members of the super elite organization Skull and Bones. The younger Bush later went to Harvard. He walked into the governor's mansion and the presidency on the strength of his name and his dad's money and connections. Sounds like an elitist to me! But no, we're supposed to be fooled by the cowboy boots, folksy charm and him removing brush at his Crawford, Texas, ranch (don't forget the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, where all the "regular" folks hang out). Surely you recall when Bush nominated Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court? Those same conservative voices decrying the elitist Democrats were blasting her because she went to little old Southern Methodist University, that unremarkable -- their view -- university in Dallas, Texas. (By the way, that will be the home of the George W. Bush Library.) You can bet a pitcher of beer that had she graduated from Harvard, Yale or Princeton, she wouldn't have been derisively referred to as too plain and not educated enough by the elitists in the Republican Party. And let's stay with the Supreme Court for a moment. Where did its members go to school? Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. -- Undergrad and law school, Harvard. Justice John Paul Stevens -- Undergrad: University of Chicago. Law school: Northwestern. Justice Antonin Scalia -- Undergrad: Georgetown University and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Law school: Harvard. Justice Anthony Kennedy -- Undergrad: Stanford University and the London School of Economics. Law school: Harvard. Justice David Souter -- Undergrad: Harvard; Magdalen College, Oxford; Oxford University. Law school: Harvard. Justice Clarence Thomas -- Undergrad: Holy Cross. Law school: Yale. Justice Ruth Ginsburg -- Undergrad: Cornell. Law school: Harvard (attended); finished at Columbia. Justice Stephen Breyer -- Undergrad, Stanford; Magdalen College, Oxford. Law school: Harvard. Justice Samuel Alito -- Undegrad: Princeton. Law school: Yale. That's pretty much an elite list of schools. We have deluded ourselves into thinking the person elected to the White House is really and truly like the rest of us. All three candidates don't know what it's like to face the daunting health care challenges millions of Americans are confronted with daily. Each are members of the U.S. Senate, and they have the best health care money can buy for life -- we pay for it! While your pension plan is shot to hell, their plan will NEVER be underfunded. The members will see to that, courtesy of taxpayer dollars. Forget how many times Obama bowls gutter balls, Clinton tosses back shots of whiskey and McCain | [
"what does martin say"
] | [
[
"three presidential candidates will never be \"regular folks.\""
]
] | Martin: All three candidates are well-educated, wealthy -- not "average"
Their efforts to show that they are "just like us" are pathetic, he says .
But that's OK, Martin says, if they advance good policies . |
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (CNN) -- Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs has been sentenced to life in military prison with eligibility for parole in 10 years.
A military court-martial Thursday found Gibbs guilty of murdering three Afghan civilians, illegally cutting off pieces of their corpses to keep as "souvenirs" and planting weapons to make the men appear as if they were Taliban fighters killed in legitimate firefights.
He was reduced in rank to private and ordered to forfeit all pay and benefits. Whatever sentence Gibbs serves will be reduced by the 547 days he has already spent in prison.
"He said they were all dirty savages," prosecutor Maj. Andre Leblanc said at Gibbs' sentencing hearing.
"He is the savage, not the innocent Afghans he murdered. It is monstrous. What kind of savagery does it take to do this? To cut a finger off a victim and show it to people? This is a savage being"
Gibbs' attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, had asked the court for a sentence of life with parole so Gibbs would have the opportunity to be with his now-3-year-old son again.
"He has a long time to reflect on his life, what he has done and what he wants to do in the future," Stackhouse said.
Gibbs is the highest ranking of five soldiers charged with being part of a rogue "kill squad" that targeted civilians. Another seven soldiers also were charged with lesser crimes including abusing drugs, keeping "off the books" weapons and intimidating a fellow soldier not to speak out against the platoon's alleged killings.
Gibbs had pleaded not guilty.
A prosecutor described Gibbs as a "recruiting poster" soldier. But the tall, clean-cut Gibbs and the "kill squad" he was convicted of leading turned into a public-relations nightmare for the military.
"Sgt. Gibbs had a charisma, he had a 'follow me' personality," Maj. Robert Stelle, a prosecutor in the case, told the court in closing arguments Wednesday. "But it was all a bunch of crap, he had his own mission: murder and depravity."
The murders Gibbs is accused of committing took place over a period of five months last year, while Gibbs led the 3rd Platoon of the Army¹s 5th Stryker Brigade in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Gibbs' platoon was tasked with patrolling small villages in the area to build relationships with an Afghan population wary of the U.S. presence in their country. Instead, prosecutors said Gibbs and a small group of rogue soldiers allegedly plotted to murder civilians and then planted weapons on them so they appeared to be Taliban attackers.
"Selling a fake engagement as a real engagement, that's what they were doing," Stelle told the court.
In court testimony, Gibbs said he did not execute anyone. Prosecutors said Gibbs participated in the killings of three unarmed civilians: two farmers and a village cleric.
Gibbs said he killed one of the men, but he claimed it was in self-defense. However, the staff sergeant admitted to ripping and cutting off fingers of all three men he was charged with killing. He kept the body parts, he said, to give to soldiers he favored or to intimidate soldiers he disliked.
"I was numb to the situation," Gibbs told the court about why he had taken the body parts. "I wasn't thinking; it's sickening. I am embarrassed."
Gibbs also admitted to posing for photos with bodies against military regulations.
"People wanted to prove they were there," Gibbs replied when asked by his attorney why the soldiers took the photos. The Army later apologized after the photos were leaked to the press.
Gibbs appeared shocked after the verdict was read, and his wife, Army Spec. Chelsy Gibbs, began to cry. According to court records, she filed for divorce from Staff Sgt. Gibbs in August and asked for custody of their toddler son.
The panel of three officers and two enlisted soldiers started deliberating in a military courtroom near Tacoma shortly before 10 a.m. | [
"What was the sentence for GIbbs?",
"Who is sentenced to life in prison, with parole possible?",
"What did Gibbs' platoon staged?",
"What does the prosecution acccuse gibbs of doing?",
"What excuse does the defence give for his actions?",
"What had they taken",
"who was sentenced",
"What does prosecutor say"
] | [
[
"life with parole"
],
[
"Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs"
],
[
"planting weapons to make the men appear as if they were Taliban fighters"
],
[
"murdering three Afghan civilians,"
],
[
"self-defense."
],
[
"body parts."
],
[
"Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs"
],
[
"\"He is the savage, not the innocent Afghans he murdered. It is monstrous."
]
] | Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs is sentenced to life in prison, with parole possible .
NEW: He remains under investigation for the 2004 shooting death of a family in Iraq .
Prosecutors: Gibbs' platoon staged killings of civilians as firefights with Taliban .
Defense says Gibbs' accusers were high on hashish at the time . |
Jos, Nigeria (CNN) -- An Islamic militant group in northern Nigeria has claimed responsibility for attacks that killed at least 25 people in a rash of violence against the country's minority Christians, officials said, after it issued an earlier ultimatum that gave Christians three days to leave the area.
Gunmen opened fire on residents Friday, killing at least 15 people who were mourning the deaths of two slain businessmen, said Rev. Paul Alhamdu, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
At least eight people were also killed on Thursday in a church shooting in northeastern Nigeria, a pastor at the church said, as sectarian violence spirals and the country is shaken by angry protests over fuel subsidies.
Gunmen attacked the Deeper Life church in Gombe, the capital of Gombe state, Thursday evening as worshipers held a prayer meeting, according to the Venerable Joseph Ninyo, a pastor with the Anglican Diocese of Gombe.
He said at least 20 people were being treated at a hospital, one of whom is in intensive care.
"Many tried to run but were gunned down," eyewitness Konson Danladi said. "I was just outside the church when the men came and started shooting, and I ran."
Police said the militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for both attacks, but CNN could not immediately confirm the claims.
The church targeted in Gombe is attended predominantly by Ibo Christians from southern Nigeria.
Boko Haram has been blamed for months of widespread bloodshed in Nigeria, with churches and police stations among the targets.
The group also claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on churches on Christmas Day.
The rising tide of violence led Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a partial state of emergency in four northern states, in a bid to contain Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is a sin."
The latest sectarian attack comes as Nigeria also faces a nationwide wave of popular protests over the removal of a gas subsidy that had kept prices artificially low.
What is behind Nigeria fuel protests?
Union leaders have called for a national strike beginning Monday if the government does not reverse the decision, which resulted in the cost of a liter of gasoline more than doubling virtually overnight.
Furious Nigerians have already taken to the streets this week, staging "Occupy Nigeria" protests and mass demonstrations across the country, and there have been calls from some quarters for the president to be impeached.
Are you there? Send your images or video
Nigeria, an oil-rich nation of about 167 million people, is regularly voted among the most corrupt countries in the world, and citizens complain that the money saved by ending the fuel subsidy is highly likely to be siphoned off by a few and salted away into offshore accounts.
The government has said the money will be used to fund infrastructure projects, such as building refineries so Nigeria can produce its own gasoline rather than having to import it.
Tires burn, protesters flood Lagos
Elizabeth Donnelly, with the Africa Programme at London-based think tank Chatham House, told CNN the two issues together -- the sectarian violence and the fuel subsidy protests -- present the biggest challenge yet for Jonathan, who was elected president last year after taking the reins in 2010 when the former president died.
Although the government struck a blow against Boko Haram in 2009 with the capture of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, it has since become more of a "franchise," or umbrella organization, for the actions of individual groups, making it harder to manage the problem, Donnelly said.
Protesters make demands known
"We can trace these sorts of attacks to issues of underdevelopment, poverty, lack of resources and so on. The fact that it's framed in religious language is worrying," she said, particularly given the sectarian violence that has broken out in Nigeria in recent years.
The country's leadership needs to rise above politics and use the kind of language that will bridge the growing gap between different parts of Nigerian society, she said, rather than just treating the problem as a security issue.
But the challenge of restoring calm will be compounded by | [
"Who has been blamed?",
"who was responsible for the attack?",
"Gunmen attacked what church as worshipers met for service?",
"Who attacked the church?",
"Who has been blamed for other attacks on churches?",
"Where is the Deeper Life church?",
"What did an eyewitness describe that they saw?",
"what did the eyewitness describe?",
"What was the group called?"
] | [
[
"Boko Haram"
],
[
"An Islamic militant group in northern Nigeria"
],
[
"Deeper Life"
],
[
"Gunmen"
],
[
"Boko Haram"
],
[
"Gombe,"
],
[
"\"Many tried to run but were gunned down,\""
],
[
"\"Many tried to run but were gunned down,\""
],
[
"Boko Haram"
]
] | Sectarian violence and fuel policy protests are tests for the president, an analyst says .
Gunmen attacked the Deeper Life church in Gombe as worshipers met for a service .
An eyewitness describes how people were gunned down as they tried to flee .
An Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, has been blamed for other attacks on churches . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's reputation as the world's leading narcotics supplier is well-known, but in a squalid ruin in Kabul, the country hides a darker secret -- a huge home grown drug addiction problem now on the brink of fueling an HIV/AIDS epidemic. Junkies smoking heroin can get high for $4. Here junkies lie in their own filth, wasted limbs poking out of blood-spattered clothing as they blank out the abject misery of their surroundings. In one room, a veritable narcotics bazaar offers pills and drug paraphernalia -- with hits retailing at less than $4. One user claims he has been an addict for 22 years, although it is difficult to talk to any of the dazed and ragged occupants of the drug rooms. The atmosphere is edgy and -- as thick clouds of burning opium fill the air -- dizzyingly toxic. The Kabul den is just the tip of the iceberg in a country awash with narcotics. The government estimates the number of addicts in Afghanistan could be as many as five percent of its 25 million people. Watch Nic Robertson's report from the 'house of hopelessness' » And though nascent efforts are being made to tackle the problem, chronic funding shortfalls have prompted the United Nations to warn that drug use will escalate, potentially driving an HIV/AIDS crisis as junkies move from smoking to high risk needle-sharing. Afghanistan has always been a major narcotics supplier -- responsible for 95 percent of the world's heroin -- although this was scaled back under the rule of the Taliban, which outlawed poppy cultivation and imposed strict penalties for drug users. Since 2001, when the extremist regime was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion that installed President Hamid Karzai, production has doubled. And for many in the country still mired in poverty and conflict, these cheap drugs offer a tempting escape. The last United Nations survey of Afghanistan's drug problem four years ago estimated the country's addicts to number about 200,000. According to Afghan Counter Narcotics Minister Khodaidad, the figure is now far greater. "More than 1.2 million people in Afghanistan are addicts. It's a very huge number and every year it increases," he told CNN. Khodaidad says the Afghan government is largely powerless to control the production of opium while Taliban extremists, who now control and draw funding from drug crops, control cultivation areas despite major international military efforts to push them back. "We did very little due to weakness of governors, due to insurgents, due to pressure of terrorism in the area," he added. "We don't have sufficient law enforcement agencies -- the police, the border security force, and other special forces to control this area -- so it will take time." But, says Jean-Luc Lemahieu, head of the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Kabul, time is something Afghanistan does not have. As intravenous drug use takes hold, raising the prospect of needle sharing, he says HIV/AIDS will follow quickly. "The little data we have at the moment are very alarming," he told CNN. "They tell us that we should not wait longer and if not, this country will be saddled with another burden it just can not afford. "I think it is already happening today. We have seen, now, a few HIV/AIDS cases. Hopefully we can contain the problem, although it is unlikely given the problems with the health structures." The U.N. has begun a program to detox users willing to get off drugs in Afghanistan. A renovated warehouse in Kabul offers hope to 100 addicts in the biggest facility of its kind in the country. Watch Robertson go inside the detox clinic » In the center's clean, bare rooms, shaven-headed junkies tremble under blankets as they go through the agonizing cold turkey of weaning their ravaged bodies off drug dependency. Therapy sessions also help motivate them to kick their deadly habit. "Here we deal with the problem from a humanitarian perspective, not from an addiction perspective, to save lives," says | [
"how many are addicted to drugs",
"What is needed to combat the problem",
"what could the drug use lead to",
"what crisis could be growing",
"How many Afghans are addicted to drugs according to government officials?",
"What are the efforts to combat drug use suffering from?",
"Growing drug use could lead to what?"
] | [
[
"1.2 million"
],
[
"funding"
],
[
"HIV/AIDS epidemic."
],
[
"HIV/AIDS epidemic."
],
[
"1.2 million"
],
[
"chronic funding shortfalls"
],
[
"an HIV/AIDS crisis"
]
] | Government officials say 1.2 million Afghans are now addicted to drugs .
United Nations says growing drug use could lead to HIV/AIDS crisis .
Efforts to combat drug use suffering from chronic lack of funds . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Babies lie side by side in warming beds or sprawled on blankets atop crude wooden tables. Many families at Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, seem resigned to the situation. Children with wounds and broken bones are carried in by their parents to wait on stiff plastic chairs. Outside, coughing youngsters squat on the pavement with their anxious families, waiting for care. And everywhere, parents clutch plastic bags containing bring-your-own medicines and supplies. For though they are all awaiting treatment at Afghanistan's only specialist pediatric hospital, the hospital cannot even afford bandages for its patients. The Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in central Kabul has to run on an operating budget of less than $1,200 a month, said Dr. Noorulhaq Yousufzai, the hospital director. The few supplies that he can buy have to be hoarded for emergencies, and he has to count on parents to buy what's needed to care for their children. "In some cases, there is shortage of the surgical materials, and sometimes we don't have antiseptic to use," Yousufzai said. The United Nations says that more than $15 billion in aid has been sent to Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition overthrew the Taliban in late 2001. But still, the hospital cannot afford to help the hundreds of children who stream in every day, desperate for care and cures. The government does pay for salaries and sometimes for fuel, but there is often a shortage of even basic supplies like syringes. Doctors say they have to double up premature babies in incubators. And some of those incubators are compromised. On a recent day, a plastic surgical mask taped onto one machine was the only shield from infection. Watch scenes from inside the hospital » The parents waiting anxiously beside their sick children seem resigned to the situation in the hospital. One mother, who declined to give her name, said she spent the family's entire weekly income of $8 on an injection that did not help her baby. "This is something that the hospital should be giving us, because we can't afford it," she said. The U.S. Agency for International Development says infant mortality has dropped by 22 percent since the overthrow of the Taliban but acknowledges that the health status for Afghans is among the worst in the world. One in every five Afghan children will die before their 5th birthday, often of a preventable disease, according to the Save the Children aid agency. The toll on the children and parents is clear to any visitor, and the strain hits the hospital staff, too. "When you see a patient is very, very, sick and you cannot help, and they have to provide something for their children and they are not able to provide, it's also a stress for us," Yousufzai said. At the end of 2001, there were hopes that the hospital would be upgraded, but it is still waiting. It needs some acute care of its own, or it will continue to struggle to help the children who arrive at its door pleading for care. | [
"What is the operating budget for Kabul hospital?",
"Does the government pay salaries AND basic supplies?",
"What is Kabu hospital's operating budget per month?",
"Who pays for the salaries?",
"Where is the hospital?",
"One in five Afgan children will die before what birthday?",
"Who pays the salaries?",
"What is the operating budget of the hospital?"
] | [
[
"less than $1,200 a month,"
],
[
"sometimes for fuel,"
],
[
"less than $1,200 a"
],
[
"The government"
],
[
"Kabul, Afghanistan,"
],
[
"5th"
],
[
"The government"
],
[
"less than $1,200 a month,"
]
] | Kabul hospital's operating budget is less than $1,200 a month .
Government pays salaries, but even basic supplies are often gone .
One in five Afghan children will die before their 5th birthday, group says . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The number of people killed in a car bombing in Afghanistan's capital rose to 26, including six Italian soldiers, Afghan authorities said Saturday. The coffins of six Italian soldiers killed in a suicide attack in Kabul return to Rome. Sixteen people died in the blast Thursday, and at least 55 Afghan civilians were wounded. Ten have died from their injuries since the bombing. The explosion Thursday targeted a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul, a witness said. The bodies of the Italian soldiers killed in the blast returned to Italy Sunday, their coffins draped in the red, green and white Italian flag. Dignitaries, relatives and row upon row of uniformed troops stood on the airport tarmac as the coffins were carried off the plane, television pictures from the scene showed. Watch more about Italy in mourning » Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano gently touched the caskets perched on the shoulders of grim-faced soldiers at Rome's Ciampino military airport. Nearby, a woman shook uncontrollably as a baby sported a maroon beret -- the kind worn by the paratroopers killed in the Kabul attack. The six deaths marked largest number of Italians killed in a single day in Afghanistan. Watch more about Italy's Afghan mission » Before the remains left for Rome, the Italian military, international troops and dignitaries held a service in the Afghan capital. "It's a tragedy for us," Lt. Col. Renato Vaira of the Italian military said at the Kabul service. "But this is a point to continue our mission." "We'll miss them. They're not the first. I hope it will be the last," said Maj. Gen. Tommaso Ferro of the Italian military. The arrival of the soldiers' remains was televised nationally in Italy. The bodies were taken for an autopsy. A day of mourning is scheduled in Italy on Monday, the same day as the burial service. After the attack, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said it would be "best" for the country's troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Berlusconi gave no timeline for a withdrawal, but said any pullout would have to be coordinated with allies. The 500 troops Italy sent to Afghanistan this summer will be home by Christmas, Ignazio La Russa, Italy's defense minister said. The troops were sent ahead of the Afghan presidential election August 20. The rest of Italy's 2,800 troops in Afghanistan will withdraw only when NATO calls for it, La Russa said. | [
"How many soldiers died?",
"How many solider died?",
"What did the explosion target?",
"What did italy's prime minister say?",
"What did the Italian Prime minister said?",
"How many italian soldiers died?",
"Where did the explosion target?",
"What did the prime Minister say?",
"What the explosion targeted?",
"What area did the explosion target?",
"Who said it would be best for the country's troops to leave Afghanistan?",
"how many soldiers died?",
"where was the explosion?",
"The bodies of how many Italian soldiers were returned to Italy?",
"what did the italian prime minister say?",
"Where was the explosion targeted?",
"HOw many bodies of italian soldiers were there?"
] | [
[
"six"
],
[
"six"
],
[
"a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul,"
],
[
"it would be \"best\" for the country's troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible."
],
[
"it would be \"best\" for the country's troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible."
],
[
"six"
],
[
"Thursday targeted a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul, a witness said."
],
[
"it would be \"best\" for the country's troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible."
],
[
"mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul,"
],
[
"a mostly residential"
],
[
"Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi"
],
[
"six Italian"
],
[
"a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul,"
],
[
"six"
],
[
"Silvio Berlusconi said it would be \"best\" for the country's troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible."
],
[
"Kabul"
],
[
"six"
]
] | Explosion targeted a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul .
Bodies of six Italian soldiers who died returned to Italy Sunday .
Italian Prime Minister says it would be "best" for country's troops to leave Afghanistan .
Deaths were the highest single-day death toll for Italy in the Afghan mission . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two coalition U.S. soldiers were killed along with three Afghans, including a police official, while trying to disable a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan Sunday, the U.S. military said. Afghan police destroy poppy fields in Helmand province. The explosion was under investigation, the military said. The soldiers were part of a convoy of coalition troops accompanying Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand province, to a village where he intended to talk to residents about alternatives to opium farming. The convoy came upon two bombs stacked on top of each other, said local journalist Abdul Tawab Qureshi. When the soldiers tried to disable the bombs, the second one went off, added Qureshi, saying the blast killed the police chief of the province's Nad Ali district, Mohammed Nader; a police officer; and a translator. Over the years, opium and heroin -- both derivatives of the poppy -- have served as a major source of revenue for the insurgency, most notably the Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan. Though southern Afghanistan still provides about two-thirds of the world's opium and heroin, poppy cultivation has dropped by 20 percent -- to the lowest level since 2006. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report. | [
"What killed the five people?",
"Who were they accompanying?",
"What did the soldiers try to do?",
"Who were the soldiers accompanying in the convoy?",
"What did soldiers do?",
"Where were the two soldiers from who were killing by the roadside bomb?",
"Who were the soldiers accompanying?"
] | [
[
"roadside bomb"
],
[
"Gulab Mangal,"
],
[
"disable the bombs,"
],
[
"Gulab Mangal,"
],
[
"tried to disable the bombs,"
],
[
"southern Afghanistan"
],
[
"Gulab Mangal,"
]
] | NEW: Five people, including 2 U.S. soldiers, killed by roadside bomb .
Soldiers tried to disable bombs when one exploded, journalist says .
Soldiers were part of a convoy accompanying governor of Helmand province . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Marines on Friday kept up a major push against entrenched militants in southern Afghanistan in an attempt to rout the Taliban from their stronghold in Helmand province, Marine Capt. William Pelletier said. A U.S. Marine patrols Garmser district in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Friday. A Marine source described Thursday evening's fighting in the Helmand River Valley as "our most significant encounter." Sporadic fighting that began earlier Thursday stretched over several hours in the southeastern sector of Garmser district, said Pelletier, spokesman for the Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan. Helmand province, a poppy-growing region, is the focus of the U.S.-led Operation Khanjar. Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world's opium, which is used in the production of heroin. The forces are attempting to gain and hold ground in the perilous region ahead of Afghan national elections in August. Almost 4,000 Marines and sailors from the expeditionary brigade, along with more than 600 Afghan national security forces, are operating in key population centers along the valley, Pelletier said. Their targets are Garmser and Nawa districts in central Helmand, and stretch to Rig district in the south, Pelletier said. Marines and Afghan forces have taken over the key town of Khan Neshin, the capital of Rig district, which had been under Taliban control, the Marine source said. The goal is to protect residents from the threat of Taliban and other insurgent intimidation and violence, Pelletier said. "Our focus is now and will remain the Afghan people. We have worked closely with local Helmand government officials and many tribal and local leaders in the detailed planning of this major offensive," said Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, commander of Task Force Leatherneck. Once security is established, civil affairs personnel and other nongovernmental groups and agencies can come in and establish programs. However, Taliban control of the countryside is so extensive in provinces such as Helmand and Kandahar to the east that security forces face a tough job, according to a report this week in The New York Times. The government has no involvement in five of Helmand's 13 districts, the report said. In the fighting that began Thursday, Marines fired 20 mm cannons from their Cobra helicopter gunships -- but dropped no bombs -- to avoid the higher risk of civilian casualties, the Marine source said. The source called resistance "heavy" and "persistent" but intermittent. Militants responded using small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. "Last night, Marines bedded down in compounds within cities ... with permission from the people" rather than sleep in a restricted area away from the local population, Pelletier said. He said military leaders also were holding talks with village leaders. In other developments CNN's Atia Abawi, Barbara Starr and Jill Dougherty contributed to this report. | [
"the Marine source describes fighting as?",
"what town are marines and afghan forces in control of?",
"Who are in control of the key town of Khan Neshin?",
"who were marines trying to rout?",
"on what place are the Marines trying to rout Taliban from stronghold?",
"What are the Marines trying to do?",
"what did marine source say?",
"Marines and afhan forces are in control of what?"
] | [
[
"\"our most significant encounter.\""
],
[
"Khan Neshin,"
],
[
"Marines and Afghan forces"
],
[
"the Taliban"
],
[
"Helmand province,"
],
[
"rout the Taliban from their stronghold in Helmand province,"
],
[
"\"our most significant encounter.\""
],
[
"Khan Neshin,"
]
] | Marine source describes fighting as "our most significant encounter"
Marines trying to rout Taliban from stronghold in Afghanistan's Helmand province .
Marines and Afghan forces in control of key town of Khan Neshin, source says .
Marine killed in the U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Welcome to democracy, Afghan-style. An Afghan woman in a burqa veil holds up a photograph of President Hamid Karzai. An incumbent president and 38 challengers, including two women, are vying for the votes of 17 million registered Afghans against a backdrop of war, graft, poverty and illiteracy. More than 3,000 donkeys, 3,000 cars and three helicopters will traverse harsh terrain to carry voting materials to remote polling stations. And 30 observer groups, domestic and international, will be on hand to help guard against fraud. This Thursday, Afghanistan holds its second-ever popular election, the results of which will put into office a new president and 420 provincial council winners. Preliminary results are scheduled September 3, with final results expected two weeks later. At the heart of every vote will be the two biggest impediments to progress for one of the poorest nations in the world: stifling corruption and an increasingly bloody Taliban resurgence. The number of Afghan civilians killed increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to the United Nations. NATO and U.S. forces have suffered record losses this summer, with 75 troops killed in the month of July alone. Amid the violence, the candidates continued their last-minute campaigning, with the hope that the elections can showcase Afghanistan's fledgling democracy. "We hope that this election will go ahead in accordance with the constitution of this country and the rightful freedoms of our people, in the best manner possible, so that the Afghan nation can determine its future," said historian Omar Khan Massoudi, director of the National Museum in Kabul. Watch young Afghans talk about their hopes » International donors are helping pay for the $223 million undertaking, and hundreds of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers have moved into southern Afghanistan to protect voters against possible Taliban attacks. The top U.S. envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, expressed optimism that Thursday's vote would be Afghanistan's moment to shine. It's tough to organize elections during a war, he said, but the reality is that violence during elections is common place in many parts of the world. "Afghanistan has never had a contested election," Holbrooke said. "So this is a remarkable experiment in democracy and something that Afghanistan needs to give legitimacy to the new government." That legitimacy has become a key issue in the campaign. Frontrunner President Hamid Karzai's chief challengers -- former finance minister Ashraf Ghani and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah -- have both lashed out at the incumbent for failing to rein in corruption. In its annual global corruption perception index in 2008, Transparency International ranked Afghanistan 176 out of 180 countries and said graft was "a major factor impeding the country's stability and future growth." Ghani told CNN the most significant challenge Afghanistan's next president faces is earning back the trust of the people. "This government has lost it," he said in a recent interview. "There is no sense of trust, not only in the current leadership, but in the political class as such. And in the capacity of the state or the international community to improve the lot of our people." Ghani characterized Karzai as a "very poor manager" who failed to deal with pressing issues and create any sense of momentum for the nation moving forward. As a guest on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS earlier this month, Ghani said Afghanistan's corruption had become a cancer that was "eating through the society." Babrak Babarkhale, a former journalist and Mujahadeen fighter in the war to end Soviet occupation in the 1980s, said he planned to vote for Abdullah because he was fed up with corruption. "We want to support Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to be our future president, to take all Afghans out of this corruption, away from this weak government," he said. Abdullah argued that people's dissatisfaction with the Karzai government has helped strengthen the insurgency. "There is no doubt there is a hardcore element in it," he told CNN. "But there are thousands | [
"how many Afghans are registered to vote?",
"what is scheduled amid increasing violence?",
"What is a key issue for voters?",
"what is the key issue?",
"How many Afghans can vote?"
] | [
[
"17 million"
],
[
"Afghanistan holds its second-ever popular election,"
],
[
"stifling corruption"
],
[
"legitimacy"
],
[
"17 million"
]
] | More than 17 million Afghans are registered to vote .
Elections are scheduled amid increasing violence .
A key issue for voters is government corruption .
Some observers concerned elections will be neither fair nor free . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- "In Afghanistan, the sacrifice in the political game is women and children," female Afghan parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi said. Critics say they fear that Afghanistan's new Shiite law will set the nation backward. Koofi says that is exactly what happened when the Afghan parliament recently passed a bill intended to give the minority Shia community their own identity. But critics say the latest draft strips Shia women of rights as simple as leaving the house without permission from a male relative and as extreme as allowing a man to have sexual intercourse with his wife even when she says, "No." These critics wonder how what amounts to rape in marriage could be passed by parliament and signed into law by President Hamid Karzai. Amid blistering criticism from the West, Karzai addressed the law over the weekend, saying that key elements of the bill were misinterpreted by Western news organizations. Watch Karzai react to controversial law » "We understand the concerns of our allies and the international community. Those concerns may be due to an inappropriate, not-so-good translation of the law, or misinterpretation," Karzai told reporters in Kabul. He added that the Minister of Justice will study the "Shia state law," line by line, to make sure it follows the nation's constitution, which requires equal rights to both sexes. "If there is anything that is of concern to us, then we will definitely take action in consultation with our [religious clerics] and send it back to the parliament. You be assured of that. This is something that we're also serious about and should not allow," he said. However, Karzai did not address the most controversial part of the bill, dealing with rape of a wife. Watch a report on the law » The Shia state law was debated by 249 members of the lower house, including 68 women, some of whom voted for the bill. It was then sent to the upper house. Even some lawmakers are baffled at the manner in which it passed. "Most members of the parliament did not know what they were going to vote for," Koofi said. "Even some of my friends, MPs sitting with me, voted in favor without knowing what happened." U.S. President Obama called the law "abhorrent" and said his administration has made it clear to the Karzai government that it objects to the law. Human rights groups and the international community have condemned the law and say it could undermine efforts to support basic human rights in the war-torn nation. "We very much hope that the draft piece of legislation is to be withdrawn," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a NATO summit on Afghanistan over the weekend. "It is unacceptable if such a law were to be passed in Afghanistan and become a part of Afghan legislation." According to lawmakers who opposed the bill, conservative legislators are pushing back any progress made for women's rights in Afghanistan after the brutal oppression under the Taliban regime. From 1996 to 2001, under the Sunni fundamentalist government of the Taliban, women were not allowed to leave their homes without being escorted by a male relative, and girls were not allowed to go to school. When women did leave their homes, they were required to wear a blue burqa, which covered their bodies from head to toe. The only opening was a small net that provided an eyehole for the women to see through. Women remember those days with despair. One female teacher, who asked not to be named, said that during the Taliban regime, she was stopped at the market by the Taliban and beaten with a whip. Her crime: She wore a shawl covering her body instead of a burqa. She says she was too poor to purchase a real burqa. After that beating, she was stuck in her home for months until someone was able to give her a used burqa. But even then, she didn't know how to function wearing the suffocating fabric. "I remember stepping out of a taxi with my son, and | [
"Who needs to stand up for human rights?",
"What does Afghan law allow a man to do even if his wife says no?",
"Who are victims of political games?"
] | [
[
"women and children,\""
],
[
"have sexual intercourse"
],
[
"women and children,\""
]
] | Afghan law appears to let a man to have sex with his wife even when she says "no"
President Hamid Karzai says the law will be reviewed line-by-line .
Rights group: "President Karzai needs to start standing up for human rights"
Afghan lawmaker says women and children are "victims of political games" |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A 14-year-old who was trained to kill by radicals in the tribal regions of Pakistan now sits in a crowded classroom at a detention facility in Kabul. His only wish is to see his parents again. Shakirullah, 14, is convicted of planning to carry out a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. "I miss my parents, my mom and dad," Shakirullah says in soft tones. Like others in tribal regions, he goes by one name. Shakirullah is already a convicted terrorist for planning to carry out a suicide bombing. He says Muslim radicals lied and tricked him into becoming a would-be bomber. "I have been detained for trying to commit a suicide attack," he says. He says his recruiters told him it was his mission as a Muslim to kill British and American soldiers because they were killing Muslims. Watch teen say recruiters "cheated me" » They told him that once he blew himself up he wouldn't die because God would save him for being a true Muslim. Asked what he now thinks of Americans and Westerners, Shakirullah is calm, but quick in his response. "I don't know. God knows what type of people they are, whether they are good or bad. I don't know them," he says. Shakirullah now passes his hours in a cell block at a juvenile detention facility in Kabul. He is serving at least five years in detention. He is to be transferred to an adult prison in a couple of years, authorities say. He hasn't heard from his family in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. He tried to send them a letter through the International Committee of the Red Cross but is not sure it reached them. "I don't know what they are thinking. They have no news of me," he says. On this day, Shakirullah attends a rehabilitation class, easily lost in the crowd of boys with shaved heads. All of the children are convicted for various crimes, including theft, fighting and even murder. Three boys like Shakirullah are here, all guilty of planning to kill themselves and others after being recruited by terrorist groups. With the increased violence in Afghanistan, international observers say they have seen more and more children being recruited by armed groups and national forces. The Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan with its strict Islamic rule from 1996 to 2001, has regrouped and launched a fierce insurgency. "As you see in many places in the world, children are being used in armed conflict. They've been recruited as child soldiers; they've been recruited as armed groups. And the phenomena is now impacting, again, Afghanistan," says Catherine Mbengue, the UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. Watch one boy's struggle begging for food on streets » Inside the detention center, Shakirullah walks up to his cell, his sandals sliding across the tile floor. The cell block is empty and has metal bunk beds lined across the wall and a television set, ready for the times they have electricity. Shakirullah shares this space with 10 other boys. He sits in the center of the room with a blanket draped around him. He barely makes eye contact and looks away as soon as he does. He is shy, but forthright in his words. "I didn't want to do it but he forced me to go," he says of his recruiter. Rubbing his face with his hand, he says he now spends his time dreaming of his life back home in rural Pakistan. His eyes begin to water and his voice becomes softer when he talks about missing his mother. Asked what he misses most about her, he says simply, "A mother is a mother." His was a life of farming and tranquility in Pakistan, he says. It was also a life that took a drastic turn when his father decided to send Shakirullah for studies at a madrassa. He says his dad wanted him to learn more about Islam and the Quran, something he could not do himself. | [
"what does he miss most?",
"who duped him to become a would-be bomber",
"What does the teen miss most?",
"How long is the teen serving?"
] | [
[
"my parents, my mom and dad,\""
],
[
"Muslim radicals"
],
[
"parents,"
],
[
"at least five years in detention."
]
] | Teen is serving at least 5 years for plot to carry out suicide bombing .
He says Muslim radicals at school duped him into becoming a would-be bomber .
The thing he misses most about home is his mom and dad: "I miss my parents"
Detention facility is teaching jailed children a moderate interpretation of Islam . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday. A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died. The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said. "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time." Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said. | [
"Where was the soldier killed?",
"What Battalion was he in?",
"He was on patrol in what district?",
"Who did he serve with?",
"Who was on patrol in Garmsir district?",
"When was the British soldier killed?",
"Who was killed on New Year's Day?",
"What killed the British soldier?",
"What holiday coincided with the soldier's death?",
"Where was he on patrol?",
"What battalion did he serve with?",
"Who was killed on New Year's Day?",
"How were British soldiers killed?",
"When was this British soldier killed?",
"Who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province?",
"What was the soldier doing when he was killed?",
"What day were they killed on?",
"Where were the British soldiers killed at?",
"How did this soldier die?",
"Where is the Garmsir district?",
"Where did the fatal blast occur?"
] | [
[
"Afghanistan,"
],
[
"6th"
],
[
"Garmsir"
],
[
"6th Battalion The Rifles,"
],
[
"A British unit"
],
[
"on New Year's Day"
],
[
"A British soldier"
],
[
"an explosion"
],
[
"New Year's Day"
],
[
"Helmand province's Garmsir district,"
],
[
"the 6th"
],
[
"A British soldier"
],
[
"explosion"
],
[
"New Year's Day"
],
[
"A British soldier"
],
[
"had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province"
],
[
"New Year's"
],
[
"southern"
],
[
"an explosion"
],
[
"Helmand province"
],
[
"Afghanistan,"
]
] | British soldier killed on New Year's Day by blast in Afghanistan .
Soldier served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province .
He was on patrol in Garmsir district when he was killed . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A Marine was killed in action and several others wounded Thursday in a major U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, the Marines said. U.S. Marines prepare for Operation Khanjar at Forward Operating Base Dwyer, Afghanistan, on Thursday. The push, called Operation Khanjar, is targeting militants in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and poppy-growing region. The forces are attempting to gain and hold ground in the perilous region ahead of national elections in August. Almost 4,000 Marines and sailors, along with several hundred Afghan security forces and British troops, worked to clear Taliban militants from population centers in the Helmand River valley. They have been operating in the districts of Nawa and Garmsir in central Helmand province and "as far south as the vicinity of Khan Neshin, the capital of Rig district in the region of the Helmand River valley known as 'The Fishhook.' " The Marines stressed the mission "is to provide security for population centers" and "connect local citizens with their legitimate government while establishing stable and secure conditions for national elections." Helmand's governor, Gulab Mangal, said he believes the operation will work and has assured the populace that it will provide security for them. His spokesman also confirmed that resistance had been minimal. The Marines said about 80 percent of the American troops are in direct combat, with the rest working in support. Taliban resistance has been light and sporadic, consisting of intermittent small arms fire, the Marines said on Thursday. The troops have encountered only relatively small groups of militants. "Indications are the militants break away shortly after they make contact," Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Abe Sipe said, referring to what is regarded as the Taliban's habit of running and hiding after troops confront them. A Taliban spokesman said the group's fighters had killed 33 soldiers and destroyed several vehicles. CNN could not independently verify the Taliban claims because of safety and access issues. There has been an outcry in Afghanistan over civilian deaths in the Afghan war's crossfire, with much ire directed toward coalition air operations. But the Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan emphasized in a news release that the Marines have not "received any confirmed reports of civilian casualties or damage to property." They said they have not utilized "artillery or other indirect fire weapons, and no bombs have been dropped from aircraft." The brigade operates under NATO's International Security Assistance Force. The assault has prompted Pakistani authorities to redeploy troops along the Afghan border to stop Taliban from escaping the push in Helmand. More than 30 U.S., British and Danish troops have been killed there since January, with the latest being the Marine on Thursday and a pair of British soldiers slain in Helmand on Wednesday. The push is the largest since the Pentagon began moving additional troops into the conflict this year, and it comes after a British-led operation launched last week in the same region, the Marines said. When President Obama announced his strategy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said American soldiers and Marines "will take the fight to the Taliban in the south and the east, and give us a greater capacity to partner with Afghan security forces and to go after insurgents along the border." He also said the bolstered deployment "will also help provide security" ahead of August presidential elections in Afghanistan. The Obama administration has moved about 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, the original front in the war launched after the September 11 attacks. It is also the first big move since U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal took over as the allied commander in Afghanistan in mid-June. In Washington, a senior defense official said the size and scope of the new operation are "very significant." "It's not common for forces to operate at the brigade level," the official said. "In fact, they often only conduct missions at the platoon level. And they're going into the most troubled area of Afghanistan." The defense official said the operation is a "tangible indication" of the new approach that McChrystal -- a former chief of the Pentagon's special | [
"According to the Taliban, how many soldiers where killed?",
"where is the operation focused",
"Where did Operation Khanjar take place?",
"how many troops were involved",
"How many soldiers took part in the Operation Khanjar?",
"How many marine were killed?",
"Where is the hotbed?",
"How many marines were killed?",
"where is the hotbed of violence",
"How many soldiers were killed?",
"how many soldiers were killed by taliban",
"What number of American troops are involved?",
"how many american troops were involved in operation khanjar",
"How many troops were involved?"
] | [
[
"33"
],
[
"Helmand province,"
],
[
"Forward Operating Base Dwyer, Afghanistan,"
],
[
"Almost 4,000 Marines and sailors, along with several hundred Afghan security forces and British"
],
[
"4,000 Marines and sailors, along with several hundred Afghan security forces and British troops,"
],
[
"was"
],
[
"Helmand province,"
],
[
"33 soldiers"
],
[
"Afghanistan,"
],
[
"33"
],
[
"33"
],
[
"Almost 4,000 Marines and sailors,"
],
[
"Almost 4,000 Marines and sailors, along with several hundred Afghan security forces and British"
],
[
"4,000 Marines and sailors, along with several hundred Afghan security forces and British"
]
] | One Marine killed, others wounded; Taliban says 33 soldiers killed .
4,000 American troops, hundreds of Afghans involved in Operation Khanjar .
It focuses on Helmand River valley, hotbed of Taliban violence .
Operation's size and scope are "very significant," official says . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A New York Times reporter who was kidnapped last week was freed Wednesday in a pre-dawn military raid in Afghanistan that left a British commando, an Afghan journalist and several others dead. New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell was abducted Saturday while covering a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan. Stephen Farrell was rescued by NATO's International Security Assistance Force, known as the ISAF, the British Foreign Office said. A British commando died in the operation, the country's Ministry of Defense said without offering further details. Sultan Munad, an Afghan journalist accompanying Farrell, also was killed in the raid, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. Crossfire during the raid also killed a woman and a child, said Abdel Wahid Omar Khil, governor of Kunduz district, in Kunduz province, where the rescue took place. Armed gunmen kidnapped the journalists Saturday while they were covering a NATO airstrike on Taliban forces the day before that killed at least 90 people in the northern Kunduz province. Neither CNN nor the Times had reported Farrell's kidnapping for security reasons. "We feared that media attention would raise the temperature and increase the risk to the captives," the paper quoted Executive Editor Bill Keller as saying Wednesday. Farrell called the newspaper's foreign editor before dawn and said he was "extracted" in a commando raid after a fierce firefight, according to a report on the Times Web site. "There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices," Farrell, a 46-year-old dual Irish-British citizen, told the paper. Farrell and Munadi ran outside during the firefight. At the end of a wall, Munadi went forward, shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" but dropped in a hail of bullets, Farrell said. He didn't know whether the shots came from allied or militant fire. "I saw him go down in front of me. He did not move. He's dead," Farrell told the paper. "He was so close, he was just 2 feet in front of me when he dropped." Farrell's citizenship played a role in the British decision to stage the rescue, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. Watch a former British commander on the difficulty in rescuing hostages » "The obvious link for us is that Farrell is a British national. We want to safeguard the life of one of our citizens," the spokesman said, declining to discuss operational details of the rescue mission. "We don't comment about the actions of British Special Ops forces." Local Afghans provided information and helped the commandos locate where Farrell was being held, said another British official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. He said the judgment to proceed with such an operation "is always a difficult one, but we think it represented the best chance to save his life." Brown offered condolences to the families of Munadi and the British commando. Of the commando, Brown said, "His bravery will not be forgotten." The operation to rescue the hostages happened after extensive planning and consideration, Brown said. "Those involved knew the high risks they were running. That they undertook it in such circumstances showed breathtaking heroism," Brown said. "Hostage-taking is never justified, and the U.K. does not make substantive concessions, including paying ransoms. But whenever British nationals are kidnapped, we and our allies will do everything in our power to free them." Ten weeks earlier, another Times reporter escaped after months in Taliban captivity. David Rohde, a local reporter and a driver were kidnapped November 10 outside Kabul. The two reporters escaped on June 19 by climbing over a wall in the compound where they were held for seven months in Pakistan's North Waziristan region. The driver did not escape, the newspaper said. The death toll in the Kunduz airstrike, which Farrell was covering when he was kidnapped, has varied, depending on the source, but local Afghan officials have said at least half of those killed were | [
"Who has been freed?",
"What was the causation of the die of the child?",
"Who helped the British locate the abducted journalist?",
"Where was the commando from?",
"Who helped the British?",
"Who was killed in the raid?"
] | [
[
"Stephen Farrell"
],
[
"Crossfire during the raid also killed a woman and a"
],
[
"Local Afghans"
],
[
"British"
],
[
"the ISAF,"
],
[
"A British commando"
]
] | NEW: Local Afghans helped British locate abducted journalist, official says .
New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell freed in commando raid .
Afghan journalist killed in raid, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says .
British commando also killed during raid; woman, child die in crossfire . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A Taliban leader has instructed fighters in Afghanistan to target U.S. and other coalition troops in response to the United States sending more troops into the war. U.S. Army soldiers, right, watch two Afghan soldiers at ISAF's Camp Bostick in the eastern Kunar province. A two-page statement sent to CNN instructs fighters to start new attacks against coalition troops and Afghan parliament members, and urges suicide bombers to strike. The statement was written by Mula Birather, a Taliban chief of at least 12 military groups in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed to CNN that the statement came from Birather. The statement also warned Afghans to not get "near U.S. troops anywhere because we will target them any where they are and if anybody is killed in a attack on them we will not be responsible for their death." The statement comes as U.S. troops begin increased deployments in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama approved sending 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in March and pledged to send 17,000 more. Col. Greg Julian, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, responded to the statement. "The Taliban extremists are promising to bring more death and destruction to Afghanistan and limit the freedom of movement of all Afghans," Julian said. "They offer no hope for the future, and only seek to kill... We will continue working side-by-side with our Afghan partners to improve security and demonstrate to these ruthless murders and criminals that they will not stop progress in Afghanistan." Meanwhile across the border in Pakistan, the country's military intensified its drive against the Taliban in the country's restive tribal regions, reclaiming a key town in the northwest district of Buner. CNN's Nic Robertson and Atia Abawi contributed to this report. | [
"What are troops increasing?",
"What will the fighters target?",
"What was Mula chief of?",
"What did Taliban leader instruct fighters to target?",
"Who is Mula Birather?",
"Who is beginning increased deployments in Afghanistan?"
] | [
[
"deployments"
],
[
"U.S. and"
],
[
"at least 12 military groups in Afghanistan."
],
[
"U.S. and"
],
[
"Taliban chief"
],
[
"United States"
]
] | Taliban leader instructs fighters in Afghanistan to target U.S., coalition troops .
Statement written by Mula Birather, chief of at least 12 Afghan military groups .
U.S. troops are beginning increased deployments in Afghanistan . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A Taliban suicide bomb squad disguised as regular Afghan army troops stormed a strategic city close to the border with Pakistan Tuesday, prompting a fierce six-hour battle with U.S. troops, local officials and the U.S. military said. A U.S. soldier on patrol in Khost province in February 2009. The insurgents attacked a municipal building in the center of the city of Khost, a U.S. military spokesman said. At least 10 suicide bombers were killed in the attacks, which also left five troops and four civilians dead, Afghan police said. Local police chief Abdul Qayum Baqee Zoi told CNN the attacks, which ended at 4:30 p.m. involved 10 Taliban suicide bombers in Afghan National Army uniforms and explosive vests. Seven detonated and three were shot dead. A U.S. military spokesman said the city -- a hotbed of Taliban activity --remained volatile as reports of running battles, kidnappings and fatalities surfaced. The developments came shortly after the United States announced it was changing its military leadership in Afghanistan, replacing Gen. David McKiernan with Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former special operations chief. Tuesday's fighting began when U.S. forces responded to a suicide bomber at a government compound in the city and came under heavy attack, the U.S. military spokesman said. Officials in Khost told CNN that insurgents attacked the municipal building, and the police chief there said attackers killed two police officers, two security guards and two civilians in that incident. A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan earlier told CNN 30 Taliban fighters were involved in the attack, and confirmed they were suicide bombers wearing explosive vests. The U.S. military spokesman said U.S. troops killed several militants but had to fall back. A U.S. quick reaction force from a nearby base was called in, entering the city with U.S. ground forces, he said. The spokesman said additional Taliban suicide bombers then entered government buildings, killing additional Afghans. CNN's Barbara Starr and Tomas Etzler contributed to this report | [
"Where is Khost?",
"Where was the minicipal building located?",
"Who were the insurgents fighting with?",
"Who attacked a municipal building?",
"What building did the Taliban attack"
] | [
[
"Afghanistan"
],
[
"center of the city of Khost,"
],
[
"U.S. forces"
],
[
"The insurgents"
],
[
"municipal"
]
] | Taliban militants attacked a municipal building in the city of Khost .
Insurgents said to be fighting battles with U.S. forces and taking hostages .
Khost is notorious hotbed of Taliban activity near Pakistan border . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A fighter jet crashed in southern Afghanistan on Monday, in the fourth wreck in three days, authorities said. A French Air Force Mirage 2000 sits under a shelter on the tarmac at an airbase in Kandahar on January 1, 2009. Authorities were looking into why the plane went down during takeoff from Kandahar airfield Monday morning, but the role of insurgents had been ruled out, said Lt. Col. Paul Kolken, the spokesman at the airfield. The crew ejected safely, and was being treated, Kolken said. Five hours after the crash, the wreckage of the plane was still on fire. Military officials did not identify the type of jet that crashed, nor did they release the nationality of the crew. Weather conditions were fair at the time of the incident, Kolken said. On Saturday, a U.S. fighter jet crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing its crew of two. In addition, a civilian helicopter went down on takeoff from Kandahar airfield on Sunday, killing 16 people, NATO said. Watch details of the helicopter crash » And a military helicopter made a hard landing elsewhere on Sunday, apparently injuring at least some of those on board, NATO said. None of the aircraft were shot down, said the International Security Assistance Force -- NATO's mission in Afghanistan. It did not announce the cause of any of the crashes. There were at least two earlier crashes this month. Watch report on UK deaths in Afghanistan » At least five people were killed when a helicopter went down in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province Tuesday, a local government official said. And on July 6, two Canadian air crew members and a British soldier were killed when a helicopter crashed during takeoff in Zabul province, the Canadian and British defense ministries said. CNN's Ivan Watson contributed to this report. | [
"What are the Authorities looking into?",
"Who could not identify type of jet that crashed?",
"How many aircraft have been wrecked?",
"Crash is fourth aircraft wreck in how many days?",
"who did not identify type of jet that crashed?",
"What has been ruled out?",
"which option is ruled out?",
"Where did the crash occur?"
] | [
[
"why the plane went down during takeoff from Kandahar airfield Monday morning,"
],
[
"Military officials"
],
[
"fourth"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"Military officials"
],
[
"the role of insurgents"
],
[
"the role of insurgents"
],
[
"southern Afghanistan"
]
] | Authorities looking into why plane went down during takeoff from Kandahar airfield .
Crew ejected safely; Role of insurgents has been ruled out of cause of crash .
Military officials did not identify type of jet that crashed, nor the nationality of the crew .
Crash is the fourth aircraft wreck in three days . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A helicopter crashed during takeoff from Kandahar airfield in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 16 people, NATO said. U.S. Marines participate in operation Saturday to push Taliban out of Herati, Afghanistan. The aircraft was a "civilian contracted" helicopter, not a military one, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. The helicopter was not shot down, ISAF said, adding that the exact cause of the crash was not known. All the dead were civilians, ISAF said. There were an additional five casualties whose condition was not known, according to the military statement. Watch report on the crash » The chopper was a Mil Mi-8 helicopter, owned by the Russian air company Vertikal-T, the Russian news agency Interfax said, citing Russia's Federal Air Transportation Agency, Rosaviatsia. The aircraft "was on a mission to support the peacekeeping forces," an unnamed Rosaviatsia spokesman said, according to Interfax. Separately, a U.S. military helicopter made a hard landing in eastern Afghanistan, ISAF said. ISAF denied the helicopter was shot down in Kunar province, but suggested the people on board were injured. "Personnel on the aircraft were initially treated on site and evacuated to the nearest medical facility for further treatment," the ISAF statement said. The two helicopter incidents come a day after a plane crash that killed two airmen on a U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle in eastern Afghanistan early Saturday, the U.S. military said. The two-man fighter went down while it was conducting military operations, Lt. Col. Reid Christopherson, said earlier. He said he was "confident" it had not been shot down. July has been a difficult month for coalition troops in Afghanistan, with 51 international military fatalities, the highest so far, a CNN tally of official statistics shows. The United Kingdom lost eight troops in 24 hours, and has now had more killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq. Watch report on UK deaths in Afghanistan » The United States has lost 26 troops this month, putting it on pace to be the deadliest ever for U.S. forces in the country. CNN's Ivan Watson contributed to this report. | [
"Who owned the helicopter that crashed?",
"Who was the chopper owned by?",
"where did the helicopter crash",
"who owned the helicopter",
"What were all of the dead?",
"Where did the helicopter crash take place?",
"What also makes a hard landing?",
"what is the condition of the five casualties"
] | [
[
"Russian air company Vertikal-T,"
],
[
"the Russian air company Vertikal-T,"
],
[
"Kandahar airfield in southern Afghanistan"
],
[
"by the Russian air company Vertikal-T,"
],
[
"civilians,"
],
[
"Kandahar airfield in southern Afghanistan"
],
[
"U.S. military helicopter"
],
[
"was not known,"
]
] | Civilian contracted helicopter crashes during takeoff in Kandahar, NATO says .
All of the dead were civilians, NATO says; conditions of 5 other casualties unknown .
Chopper owned by Russian air company, according to Russian news agency Interfax .
U.S. military helicopter also makes hard landing; personnel get medical treatment . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A meeting between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan was canceled Friday when bad weather prevented Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari from traveling to the Afghan capital, Kabul. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (pictured) has met Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai before. An official in Pakistan's Foreign Office said the meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and top government officials will be rescheduled for the near future. The visit was to have taken place amid ongoing warfare and tension along the Afghan-Pakistan border and was to have focused on the nations cooperating in the fight against terror. Some of the Taliban militants conducting attacks in Afghanistan have been based in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and nearby tribal regions. The group's resurgence has prompted U.S. commanders and the incoming Barack Obama administration to put more of a focus on confronting militants along the volatile border. In the past, Afghan and Pakistani leaders have blamed the other for the security problems in the region. Zardari was to have been accompanied on the trip by the governor of North West Frontier Province, as well as his foreign minister and adviser on internal affairs. The two presidents also planned to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations and trade. Both men have met before, when Karzai visited Pakistan in September to attend Zardari's swearing-in ceremony. | [
"Both countries have blamed each other for what?",
"What have they blamed each other for?",
"Who is due to meet Karzai?",
"Who is due to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai?",
"Zardari is due to meet who?",
"Name of the Pakastani president?",
"The visit took place amid what?",
"Who is attacking from Pakistan's North West Province?",
"Who is attacking Afghanistan from Pakistan's North West Province?",
"Who has been blamed for the security problems?",
"What have both sides blamed each other for?"
] | [
[
"security problems in the region."
],
[
"security problems in the region."
],
[
"President Asif Ali Zardari"
],
[
"Asif Ali Zardari"
],
[
"Hamid Karzai"
],
[
"Asif Ali Zardari"
],
[
"ongoing warfare and tension along the Afghan-Pakistan border"
],
[
"Taliban militants"
],
[
"Taliban"
],
[
"Afghan and Pakistani leaders"
],
[
"security problems in the region."
]
] | Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari due to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai .
Visit to have taken place amid ongoing tension along Afghan-Pakistan border .
Taliban militants attacking Afghanistan from Pakistan's North West Province .
Both countries have previously blamed each other for the security problems . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide car bomb blast near a voter registration site killed 16 people, 14 of them children, and wounded 58 in southeastern Afghanistan on Sunday morning, according to a senior police official and the U.S. military. The U.S. military released this photo of the blast near a voter registration site. A Taliban spokesman said one of his group's fighters carried out the attack. When security guards stopped the car at the entrance to the Mandozai district headquarters, the driver detonated the explosives inside the car, Khost provincial security chief Mohammad Yaqoub said. A security guard and an Afghan National Army soldier were among the dead. There were no military casualties, said U.S. Col. Gregory Julian. Coalition and Afghan forces worked together to evacuate the wounded to military and civilian hospitals, he said. The military released photos of the incident, saying they "provide further proof the Afghan militants are not interested in the welfare nor benefit of the Afghan people." Dozens of tribal elders were meeting nearby in the district administrative office at the time of the bombing, the police official said. The Mandozai district is in the Khost province. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, said the suicide bombing was carried out by Qari Hameedullah, a Taliban fighter. Elsewhere, a rocket attack in Kabul killed three teenage sisters and injured four other people Saturday night, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said in a statement. The girls died when one of two rockets fired on Kabul crashed into a house in the southern part of the city. In the statement, Karzai called those who fired the rockets "enemies of Afghanistan" who "can't achieve anything by firing rockets but the killing of innocent civilians." The president called the suicide bombing an "un-Islamic act" and said those behind it "are not aware of the Islamic teachings which outlaw the killing of innocent people. Those who ordered and executed this attack cannot escape the revenge of Afghans and God's punishment." Journalist Farhad Peikar contributed to this report. | [
"What damage did rocket attack in Kabul?",
"What killed three teenage sisters?",
"Who is their spokesperson?",
"Were there any children among those killed by the car bomb?",
"All together, how many has been killed in southern Afghanistan?"
] | [
[
"killed three teenage sisters and injured four other people"
],
[
"a rocket attack in Kabul"
],
[
"Zabiullah Mujahid,"
],
[
"14 of them"
],
[
"16"
]
] | Suicide car bomb in southeastern Afghanistan kills 16, including 14 children .
Taliban says it carried out attack near voter registration site .
Rocket attack in Kabul also killed three teenage sisters . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A top Taliban commander has issued a new threat to foreign aid workers, saying that under the insurgent group's new "constitution" they will execute them as spies or hold them in exchange for the release of Taliban fighters. Taliban militants pose with their weapons as they drive their car in Wardak province. (File photo) In an exclusive telephone interview Friday night with CNN, Mohammed Ibrahim Hanafi said the Taliban intelligence wing was actively gathering information on foreign aid workers. "If we get someone, that is how we will deal with it under our new constitution," he said. He added that he was telling "Afghan brothers not to work with NGOs." In the 15-minute interview, arranged by an intermediary for CNN, Hanafi repeated the Taliban's pledge to keep girls out of public schools. "Our law is still the same old law which was in place during our rule in Afghanistan," he said. "Mullah Mohammad Omar was our leader and he is still our head and leader and so we will follow the same law as before." "In my opinion," he added, "Taliban aren't allowing girls to go to schools because Taliban want women to preserve their respect by staying in their homes, not to work as laborers for others." Dozens of crimes across the country, especially acid attacks, have marred the opening of the new school year in Afghanistan. Afghan girls have been burned and scared randomly with acid as punishment for going to school. More than 600 schools did not open this year because of security issues, according to the Afghanistan Education Ministry. Watch what females face in Afghanistan » The schools that did open, however, remain defiant. Young women admitted to CNN being fearful but also said they are determined to get an education and better their lives. It is a sentiment echoed by their principal, a 35-year veteran of Afghanistan's girls schools. "I am asking those who close schools and throw acid on girls to let the children of this country go to school because it's crime to close the schools, a crime against the children of this country," said Safia Hayat, principal of the Zarghona Girls School in Kabul. Hanafi, meanwhile, went on to discuss possible reconciliation talks with the Afghan government. "I don't think there can be any discussion of peace until the the foreigners leave Afghanistan," he said referring to the presence of coalition troops. While he seemed to confirm that some reconciliation talks were ongoing, Hanafi also said he wondered what kind of peace was possible as long as Afghans are still dying in NATO bombardments. Hanafi described himself as a commander in the southern province of Helmand, but announced a new Taliban offensive in the north was about to begin and that he would be playing a key role there. | [
"What pledge did Hanafi repeat?",
"What group were the Taliban trying to keep out of school?",
"Which people were being threatened?",
"Who did the commander give an interview to?",
"Who was gathering information?",
"What is the itelligence wing doing?",
"Who gave an exclusive interview to CNN?"
] | [
[
"to keep girls out of public schools."
],
[
"girls"
],
[
"foreign aid workers,"
],
[
"CNN,"
],
[
"Taliban intelligence wing"
],
[
"actively gathering information on foreign aid workers."
],
[
"Mohammed Ibrahim Hanafi"
]
] | Top Taliban commander issues threat to execute foreign aid workers .
Mohammed Ibrahim Hanafi said intelligence wing was gathering information .
Hanafi repeated Taliban's pledge to keep girls out of public schools .
Commander gave exclusive telephone interview Friday night to CNN . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai bowed to Western pressure Tuesday, agreeing to take part in a presidential runoff vote in two weeks. Hamid Karzai failed to score a first round win in August's election. Karzai, who will face his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah in the November 7 second round, said he was putting his country's interests over his own. "It was not important who the winner is, and we need to leave this to the people of Afghanistan to judge who the winner was," Karzai said at a news conference through an interpreter. "Whether I am the winner or not, it's probably in my interest, but I prefer the national interest of Afghanistan over my personal interests." Western powers, particularly the United States, had been pushing Karzai to accept the final election results in order to ensure Afghanistan has a legitimate government, particularly as Washington considers beefing up its military presence there. Karzai spoke shortly after Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission certified the election results, which gave him less than the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. The U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission had invalidated nearly a third of Karzai's votes from the August 20 presidential election because of "clear and convincing evidence of fraud." Last month, final uncertified results showed Karzai with 54 percent. "We welcome the decision made by the Independent Election Commission, we believe the session is legitimate, legal and according to the constitution of Afghanistan," Karzai said Tuesday. "It's going to be a historic period that we all are waiting to go through." The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said that it would "support the Afghan National Security Forces' preparations to ensure a safe runoff election." Spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said that ISAF had been preparing for a possible runoff election "for some time." "As in the election's first round, ISAF will only provide third-layer of security, reinforcing the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army in line with the security plan signed by the chairman of the Afghan Independent Election Commission along with representatives from the Afghan Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defense, and ISAF in 2008," Shanks said. Karzai's decision was immediately hailed by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, one of several Western representatives who appeared alongside the Afghan president at Tuesday's delayed news conference. Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Karzai's decision to participate in the runoff "will allow the national leadership to govern with legitimacy." "We believe with this decision by the president today that a time of enormous uncertainty has been transformed into a great opportunity," Kerry said. Watch President Karzai and Sen. John Kerry discuss runoff elections » Minutes after the news conference concluded, U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement praising Karzai for accepting the election results and agreeing to a second round of voting. "While this election could have remained unresolved to the detriment of the country, President Karzai's constructive actions established an important precedent for Afghanistan's new democracy," Obama said. Obama is considering sending more troops to Afghanistan, and Kerry has said the results of the country's election should be settled before the United States makes any decision on troop levels. Watch Nic Robertson discuss pressure President Karzai is under » Abdullah told CNN on Monday he was prepared to participate in a runoff, but said "the door is open" to other alternatives. "There are some practical questions ahead," Abdullah told CNN's Christiane Amanpour, citing winter, the security situation "and other realities on the ground." If the election were not held by early November, winter weather would make voting impossible in some areas and force a delay until spring of 2010, according to Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, Said Jawad. Such a delay, he warned, would be a "recipe for disaster" that would create confusion in Afghanistan and heighten tension between the United States and Karzai's government. | [
"On what date will the runoff election be held?",
"When is the Afghan runoff election?",
"In what way were the thousands of votes considered invalid?",
"What does the runoff follow?",
"When is the the runoff election scheduled?"
] | [
[
"November 7"
],
[
"November 7"
],
[
"\"clear and convincing evidence of fraud.\""
],
[
"Western pressure"
],
[
"in two weeks."
]
] | Afghan runoff election scheduled for November 7, officials say .
Runoff follows probe into election fraud that invalidated thousands of votes .
Runoff with pit Karzai against his former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that his country would join the strategic review of the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, right, meets with Richard Holbrooke in Kabul on February 15, 2009.
Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, Karzai said he is "very, very thankful" that President Barack Obama accepted his proposal to join the review.
Holbrooke is visiting Afghanistan after a trip to neighboring Pakistan. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tapped Holbrooke as special representative for the two countries, a signal of how the new administration considers Afghanistan and Pakistan intertwined in any solution to the war in Afghanistan and the terrorist threat along their shared border.
At the news conference in Kabul, Holbrooke said Sunday that he conveyed the administration's support of the upcoming elections on August 20, a date recently set by Afghanistan's electoral commission.
"President Obama and Secretary Clinton and the United States government were very gratified to hear President Karzai reaffirm his support of the August 20 decision," Holbrooke said.
Holbrooke's visit comes as Obama plans to send another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to fight what he's called the "central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism."
In an interview on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," which aired Sunday, Karzai said that, with a resurgent Taliban, a still-flourishing drug trade and a border with Pakistan believed to be home base for al Qaeda, his country can't afford for U.S. troops to leave any time soon.
"U.S. forces will not be able to leave soon in Afghanistan because the task is not over," Karzai said. "We have to defeat terrorism. We'll have to enable Afghanistan to stand on its own feet. We'll have to enable Afghanistan to be able to defend itself and protect for its security ...
"Then, the United States can leave and, at that time, the Afghan people will give them plenty of flowers and gratitude and send them safely back home."
At the same time, Karzai said the actions of troops currently in Afghanistan have turned some of the public against them.
"It's the question of civilian causalities. It's a question of risk of Afghans. It's the question of home searches," he said. "These activities are seriously undermining the confidence of the Afghan people in the joint struggle we have against terrorism and undermining their hopeful future.
"We'll continue to be a friend. We'll continue to be an ally. But Afghanistan deserves respect and a better treatment."
While he said he welcomes additional U.S. troops, Karzai suggested they need to work along the Afghan-Pakistan border and in the poppy fields that fuel a drug trade that threatens to turn the nation into a narco-state -- not in the villages where most Afghans live.
"We have traveled many years on. What should have happened early on didn't unfortunately happen," Karzai said. "Now, the country is not in the same mood as it was in 2002. And so any addition of troops must have a purposeful objective that the Afghan people would agree with."
The Obama administration is conducting several reviews of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, including a review by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander in the region. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the original mission in Afghanistan was "too broad" and needs to be more "realistic and focused" for the United States to succeed.
"If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of central Asian Valhalla over there, we will lose, because nobody in the world has that kind of time, patience and money," Gates said during a recent Senate hearing.
He called for concrete goals that can be reached in three to five years.
Speaking via satellite from Kabul, Karzai called former President George Bush "a great person," but said he can work with Obama -- despite the president's comments as a candidate that Karzai had "not gotten out of the bunker" to improve security and infrastructure in | [
"What fuels the drug trade?",
"Who said U.S forces shouldn't leave?",
"What did Karzai suggest?",
"What has soured public support?",
"What did Karzai say forces should focus on?",
"Who will help to review war on terrorism?",
"Name of the Afghan president?",
"Who is Hamid Karzai?"
] | [
[
"poppy fields"
],
[
"Karzai"
],
[
"they need to work along the Afghan-Pakistan border and in the poppy fields"
],
[
"actions of troops currently in Afghanistan"
],
[
"terrorism."
],
[
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai"
],
[
"Hamid Karzai"
],
[
"Afghan President"
]
] | Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his country will help review of war on terrorism .
He says U.S. forces shouldn't leave Afghanistan soon since task is not over .
Karzai says civilian causalities, home searches have soured public support .
Karzai suggested forces should focus on poppy fields that fuel a drug trade . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan lawmakers have directly accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of involvement in a string of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, blasting their neighbor as "the largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism." The recent attack by a suicide bomber on the Indian embassy in Kabul killed more than 40 people. A Pakistani official Tuesday bristled at the accusation, saying that Afghan lawmakers were making allegations without proof. "We are not an irresponsible nation and we don't blame our failures on others," said a senior official with Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). "If they want to engage in this kind of game, let them be." The Afghan Cabinet made the scathing indictment in a resolution Monday, saying Afghanistan would boycott a series of meetings with Pakistan unless "bilateral trust" is restored. In recent weeks a wave of attacks carried out by Islamic militants have killed scores of people in Afghanistan, including an assault on a military outpost Sunday that killed nine U.S. soldiers, as well as a suicide attack on the Indian Embassy a week ago that killed 58 people. The two incidents, along with an assassination attempt against Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a military ceremony on April 27, are "indicative of the attempts by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to once again occupy Afghanistan and to perish the true right of the people of Afghanistan for national sovereignty," the resolution said. Afghanistan regularly accuses Pakistan's intelligence service -- which once had strong ties with the Taliban -- of orchestrating attacks inside its borders. Pakistan has repeatedly denied involvement, including in the incidents that the resolution cited. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also said there is no indication that "foreign agents" were responsible for the embassy attack. The senior ISI official said Tuesday that if Afghanistan has proof that Pakistani intelligence agents were involved in the attacks, that proof should be presented and the ISI will act on it. The official said that the Pakistani government could also blame incidents in Pakistan, like recent attacks in Karachi and Hangu, on others. But without proof, he said, it would be irresponsible. Pakistan and Afghanistan have a tumultuous history that dates back several years. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, religious schools in Pakistan helped train fighters who battled the Soviets. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1996 and imposed fundamentalist rule, Pakistan was one of the few countries that recognized the regime diplomatically. It dropped its support after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in Washington and New York. But Afghanistan claims that Pakistan continues to informally support the militants, who operate from havens in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions near the porous 1,500-mile border the two countries share. Adding fresh ammunition to the suspicions, the Rand Corp. -- a U.S. think tank -- released a report last month that said some members of Pakistan's intelligence service and its paramilitary corps were helping insurgents in Afghanistan. The study, funded by the U.S. Defense Department, alleged that members of the two agencies often tipped off militants to the location and movement of coalition forces trying to rout them. It also said personnel within the agencies trained fighters at camps in Pakistan, financed them and helped them cross the border into Afghanistan. The Pakistani military denied and denounced the report, calling it a "smear campaign" designed to "create doubts and suspicion in the minds of (the) target audience." Relations between the two countries are strained to such a point that Karzai has threatened to send troops across the border to take on the militants. "The people of Afghanistan and the international community have come to the reality that Pakistan intelligence institutions and its army have become the largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism and extremism to the world and particularly to Afghanistan," Monday's resolution said. | [
"Where is the largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism?",
"Who makes allegations without proof?",
"What country is \"largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism\"?",
"What kind of militants are attacking?",
"Is Pakistan the leading terrorist country?",
"What has killed scores of people in Afghanistan?",
"Who accused of orchestrating attacks?",
"Where is the killing the worse?"
] | [
[
"Pakistan's"
],
[
"Afghan lawmakers"
],
[
"Pakistan's"
],
[
"Islamic"
],
[
"\"the largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism.\""
],
[
"suicide bomber"
],
[
"Pakistan's intelligence service"
],
[
"Afghanistan,"
]
] | Afghanistan: Pakistan is "largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism"
Attacks carried out by Islamic militants have killed scores of people in Afghanistan .
Pakistan intelligence service often accused of orchestrating attacks .
Pakistan: Afghan lawmakers making allegations without proof . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan is postponing its presidential elections until August 20 due to security and logistical concerns, the country's election commission said Thursday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai's five-year term is coming to an end this year. The balloting was originally scheduled for late May, but the independent election commission laid out several reasons for the delay. Security is a factor, the commission said. It also cited a lack of trained staff, incomplete voter registration and the weather. It is difficult to campaign or distribute ballots during the rough winter months in the rugged landscape. The elections are a critical moment for Afghanistan as President Hamid Karzai's five-year term ends. He was elected in December 2004 in largely peaceful polling. But since then, the Taliban militant movement has regrouped, international troop deaths have increased and there has been an increase in terror attacks, mostly in eastern and southern Afghanistan. Afghanistan has already registered 3 million voters and is holding voter drives to register more. The United States will deploy additional troops in coming months to provide much-needed security in the run-up to the election. The country expects to hold parliamentary elections in 2010. Meanwhile on Wednesday coalition forces fighting in southern Afghanistan killed four militants, the U.S. military said. Coalition soldiers were targeting a Taliban leader in the Zabul province when militants fired on them, according to a military statement. Soldiers returned fire, killing the four militants. Soldiers then searched their compound and confiscated several assault rifles. This operation comes as the U.S. military is contemplating adding three brigades to the war effort in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the troop build up could happen by this summer. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report | [
"What is the number of registered voters in Afghanistan?",
"How many registered voters are there?",
"Whose term is coming to an end?",
"Who will deploy extra troops?",
"What country will assist with providing security for the elections?",
"How many registered voters are in Afghanistan?",
"What will U.S. troops deploy?",
"How long was Hamid Karzai president for?",
"Whose five year term is ending?",
"Who is ending a five year term?",
"Who has registered 3 million voters?"
] | [
[
"3 million"
],
[
"3 million"
],
[
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai's"
],
[
"The United States"
],
[
"The United States"
],
[
"3 million"
],
[
"provide much-needed security in the run-up to the election."
],
[
"five-year term"
],
[
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai's"
],
[
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai's"
],
[
"Afghanistan"
]
] | Afghan presidential elections come as President Hamid Karzai's five-year term ends .
Afghanistan has registered 3 million voters, holding voter drives to register more .
U.S. troops will deploy extra troops to provide security in run-up to the election . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan officials said 26 people across the country were killed in election day violence, although they hailed Thursday's vote as a success. A woman dips her finger in ink to show she voted in Bamiyan, one of Afghanistan's more peaceful provinces. Nearly 95 percent of the more than 6,000 polling stations across Afghanistan opened on Thursday, according to government and electoral officials. Counting is under way but initial results are not expected for another 36 to 48 hours, while final results will not be certified until mid-September. Officials extended voting until everyone waiting in line had a chance to cast their ballots. "At some [polling stations] there is a very large line," said Azizullah Ludin of Afghanistan's Independent Electoral Commission. "We have to complete all these people that are coming here." It is the nation's second presidential election since the 2001 fall of the Taliban. Ludin said the decision to add more time to vote was because of a large turnout at some stations and technical issues that delayed voting for others. There were no official details on voter turnout and it has been difficult to get an accurate count of how many Afghans voted in defiance of threats of violence from the Taliban. CNN's Atia Abawi said election officials at one polling station in Kabul had already begun counting ballots after a low turnout when the order to extend voting reached them. Afghan voter turnout low as presidential election nears end » When asked how many ballots had been counted, an election official said 1,000 -- which seemed high to the CNN crew that had been at the polling station all day. "We were there all day and we did not see 1,000 people," CNN's Kevin Flower said. Election workers in central Bamiyan province immediately began reopening the polls after the order to extend voting. "Election workers had put up security tape barriers and even tied down the flaps to their voting tents shortly after 4 p.m. local time," CNN's Ivan Watson reported from the province. "The security tape has been removed and voters are straggling in again." Election observers from 30 groups -- both domestic and international -- said voting in Kabul province was fairly smooth, though a few reports surfaced of irregularities at various polling stations. Afghans were electing a president from 40 hopefuls and 420 members of the provincial council in what was seen in the international community as a high-stakes test for the fledgling South Asian democracy. The Taliban had vowed to disrupt the voting and the risk factor in some areas may have been too high for some Afghans to venture out to vote. Watch an election monitor in Kabul discuss what's being examined » The government ordered a ban on media coverage of incidents of violence in an effort to "ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people" as 300,000 NATO and Afghan soldiers were out in force to safeguard voters. The independent Pajhwok Afghan News, which had announced it would not heed the media ban, posted online reports of deadly attacks across Afghanistan. CNN has not confirmed those incidents. Afghan security officials said voting day violence claimed the lives of 17 Afghan policemen and soldiers, and another nine civilians. An American service member was killed in a mortar strike in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. It did not say where the attack took place. Major fighting continued for a second day in the city of Baghlan, north of Kabul, security sources said. Rockets were fired at the town throughout the day, a day after heavy fighting that claimed the life of the city's police chief, the sources said. Afghans in Baghlan are afraid to leave their homes to cast their ballots, Afghan security officials said. In the eastern city of Gardez, four rockets pounded the outskirts of the city, while a roadside bomb struck in another area, the local security chief said. There were no casualties from either incident. But other parts of Afghanistan have been largely spared the daily drumbeat of car bombs, assassinations and whizzing rockets. Enthusiasm filled the air as voters lined up to have their say | [
"who vowed to disrupt the elections",
"What was the vote hailed as?",
"Who has vowed to disrupt the voting?",
"What did the Taliban vow?",
"How many people were killed in election day violence?",
"When were 26 people killed?",
"what is the number of people killed",
"what was hailed as a success"
] | [
[
"Taliban"
],
[
"success."
],
[
"Taliban."
],
[
"to disrupt the voting"
],
[
"26"
],
[
"Thursday's"
],
[
"26"
],
[
"Thursday's vote"
]
] | 26 people killed in election day violence, Afghan officials say .
Vote hailed a success by officials as the count begins .
The Taliban had vowed to disrupt the voting .
More than 3,000 candidates vie for 420 provincial seats; 40 standing for president . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's opium production dropped dramatically this year partly because of new aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country, a United Nations study found. Afghan police officers use tractors to destroy poppy crops in Helmand province earlier this year. According to the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, production dipped by 10 percent this year, while cultivation fell by 22 percent. "At a time of pessimism about the situation in Afghanistan, these results are a welcome piece of good news and demonstrate that progress is possible," said Antonio Maria Costa, the office's executive director. The United Nations notes that drugs originating in Afghanistan have "catastrophic consequences." "They fund the activities of criminals, insurgents and terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Collusion with corrupt government officials is undermining public trust, security and the rule of law. "Widespread money-laundering is harming the reputation of banks in the Gulf and farther afield," it said. Watch U.N. official discuss concerns about opium stockpiles » The report, released this week, attributed the decrease to better government leadership, aggressive counter-narcotics tactics, a push for farmers to grow legal crops and pressure from NATO-led soldiers. This was the second year that the production of the opium, used to produce heroin, had dropped in Afghanistan. The study found 20 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan were now free of opium farming. The most significant drop this year was in Helmand province, the volatile southern region where NATO-led forces are battling with militants. In that opium hotbed, cultivation dipped from 103,590 to 69,833 hectares (255,976 to 172,561 acres). But even with this seemingly good news, some fear that drug traffickers in Afghanistan are preparing to fight back. According to the report, researchers found evidence strong drug cartels, similar to ones seen in Colombia, were being formed by participants in Afghanistan's drug trade. "A marriage of convenience between insurgents and criminal groups is spawning narco-cartels linked to the Taliban," Costa said. Incentive programs giving local farmers seeds and training in growing legal crops represent a key tactic in the fight against drugs. Local farmers in Helmand are being trained at a facility ran by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Farmers like Abdul Qadir said programs like this one are key to bringing peace to war-torn Afghanistan. "These countries that are here, why are they with guns and bombs? If you can just help the people of Afghanistan in this way, the fighting will go away, these Taliban and other enemies of the country will also disappear," Qadir said. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report. | [
"Local farmers also encouraged to grow what?",
"how many provinces don't have opium farming?",
"what kind of consequences?",
"where do the drugs come from",
"What has \"catastrophic consequences\"?",
"How many provinces in Afghanistan are now free of opium farming?",
"what are local farmers being encouraged to do",
"how many provinces are free of opium farming"
] | [
[
"legal crops"
],
[
"20 of the 34"
],
[
"\"catastrophic"
],
[
"Afghanistan's"
],
[
"drugs originating in Afghanistan"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"grow legal crops and pressure from NATO-led soldiers."
],
[
"20"
]
] | U.N.: Drugs originating in Afghanistan have "catastrophic consequences"
Success attributed to aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country .
Report: 20 of 34 provinces in Afghanistan now free of opium farming .
Local farmers also encouraged to grow legal crops . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- As a journalist, as a human being, the stories of the people around you stick with you. Whether it is in passing memory or in daily wonderment, they are in your mind and many in your heart, engrained forever. CNN's Atia Abawi, center, with Banafsha (denim jacket) and her siblings and mother. The first story I worked on for CNN in Afghanistan back in November, just as we were opening our new bureau in Kabul, was on a girl who attended a school for street kids called Aschiana. Aschiana, which means "nest" in Dari, was a place for the nearly 60,000 street kids in the capital city to escape from their terrible reality and get an education. There, we met Banafsha, an 11-year-old girl who along with her two younger sisters would beg on the streets for bread, feeding their family of eight. Her mother would stay home and take care of her baby brothers and their father, she told us, was a heroin addict. Banafsha was young in age but her eyes told of experiences that have taken her far beyond childhood. In our conversations, she spoke with candor and honesty, not allowing emotions to creep in. Until when, she told me that she prayed everyday for a change in her life. Watch Abawi's first story on Banafsha » "I say, 'God take me out of this poverty and have my father go work so I can go to school,'" she said, wiping away one lonely tear. The story received a tremendous response from viewers and readers after it was posted on CNN.com. An organization from the U.S. began to sponsor Banafsha, promising to provide for her. This was great to hear, but it didn't stop me from worrying. Did I bring her more trouble or was she going to be okay? Every time we would drive around the neighborhood, I would look for her to see if she was among the other street beggars. Were they suffering in the winter cold? Did they have enough food? About a week ago, I went to the headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force with our cameraman Charlie Miller. As we were leaving, we met three little street kids, a sweet girl among them with a beautiful smile -- which made me think of Banafsha and her sisters. The sight of kids begging always breaks my heart because I know that their childhoods are forever stolen by poverty. I am also always scared to give them money because I remembered a story Banafsha told me about her little sister. She was given two dollars by an American, and when the American walked away, an older boy came and punched her 7-year-old little sister in the face, knocking her out. When she woke up, her money was gone. As we were driving away from those children and the smile on the girl's face, I shared the story with our driver and told him that I wished I knew how Banafsha was doing now. On our way home we decided to stop at a DVD shop, part of our limited entertainment living in Kabul. After making my selection, I walked out and I heard a beggar girl with a familiar smile on her face exclaim, "You came over to our house!" There was a girl next to her in a yellow dress also beaming with the same indistinguishable smile, lugging a bag of leftover pieces of bread over her tiny back. Watch Abawi reunite with Banafsha and her family » It was Banafsha's little sisters: 10-year-old Samira and 7-year-old Tamina. I was so excited to see them and even happier that they recognized me. But I was at the same time dejected that they were still on the streets. They told me that they go to school but they still beg on the streets. However, Banafsha is at home and no longer begging. We went home with them because I wanted to see Banafsha and her mother. On the way to their house in the | [
"Where did Abawi meet Banafsha?",
"Who met Banafsha?",
"Where does Banafsha recieve some help from?",
"who recieves help?",
"who are beg on the streets?"
] | [
[
"Kabul,"
],
[
"CNN's Atia Abawi,"
],
[
"organization"
],
[
"60,000 street kids"
],
[
"Banafsha, an 11-year-old girl"
]
] | Abawi meets Banafsha while doing a story about a school for street kids .
Banafsha and her sisters beg on the streets for food .
Abawi runs into Banafsha's sisters six months later .
Banafsha receives some help from a charity, but the family is still struggling . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Australia's new prime minister assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday that his country's troops intend to be in Afghanistan "for the long haul." French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Kevin Rudd and French President Nicolas Sarkozy flew into the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Saturday to meet with Karzai and visit their respective country's troops participating in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. In a morning meeting, Sarkozy "assured President Karzai of his government's long term political and military support with the people of Afghanistan," according to a statement from the Afghan president's office. Rudd, who was elected in a landslide victory Nov. 24, appeared with Karzai at a news conference, where he repeatedly said that the Australian commitment to Afghanistan is strong. "We will be, as I said before, in this country, Afghanistan, for the long haul. It's important for us to be here in partnership with NATO countries," Rudd said. "On the question of the broader security policy challenges faced within Afghanistan, of course they are significant, they are real. But we are confident that in partnership with our friends in the Afghan government and with our other allies, particularly in NATO, that we can continue to achieve real progress in the long-term security of this country," he added. Australia's new defense minister, however, warned U.S. and NATO allies recently that they risk losing the war in Afghanistan without a sharp shift in military and reconstruction efforts there. Joel Fitzgibbon, who took office with Rudd allies during a conference in Scotland earlier this month, said that more work needs to be done to win the "hearts and minds" of the people of Afghanistan in the 6-year-old war against the country's former Taliban rulers and their al Qaeda allies. Karzai wished those at the news conference a merry Christmas, then thanked Australia, France and other countries for their help and support. More than 1,900 French troops are in Afghanistan, serving both the ISAF and the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom. Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the war in Afghanistan, with nearly 1,000 troops stationed mostly in the southern province of Oruzgan. Sarkozy, elected to lead France last May, told the U.S. Congress during a visit last month that France would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the United States on the war in Afghanistan. "Let me tell you solemnly today: France will remain engaged in Afghanistan as long as it takes, because what's at stake in that country is the future of our values and that of the Atlantic Alliance," he said. Rudd made a surprise visit Friday to Iraq, where he promised continued Australian aid, despite a decision to withdraw all 550 Australian troops in Iraq by mid-2008 -- an effort his predecessor, John Howard, staunchly opposed. Rudd had said he would start a phased withdrawal of Australian forces from Iraq if his Labor Party won the vote. E-mail to a friend Journalist Farhad Peikar in Kabul contributed to this report. | [
"With whom are both leaders expected to meet?",
"What president did the leaders expect to meet?",
"Who will they visit with?",
"Where did the French and Australian leaders arrive at?",
"for what reason are they in afghanistan?",
"In which countr do French and Australian leaders arrive?"
] | [
[
"Karzai"
],
[
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai"
],
[
"their respective country's troops"
],
[
"Kabul."
],
[
"meet with Karzai and visit"
],
[
"Afghanistan"
]
] | French and Australian leaders arrive in Afghanistan .
Both leaders expected to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai .
Both will visit with their respective country's troops . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Civilian deaths in Afghanistan have risen sharply in the past year, largely due to more Taliban attacks and roadside bombings, U.N. officials said Sunday.
NATO soldiers sit in their vehicle in an Afghan province freed from Taliban forces.
Afghan civilian deaths jumped from 430 in the first six months of 2007 to 698 so far this year, an increase of 60 percent, said John Holmes, the United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
"It is clear that the international military forces are making every effort to minimize civilian casualties," Holmes said.
"Nevertheless, these problems are still there, and we need to deal with them and make sure that the safety of civilians comes first and international humanitarian law is respected," he said.
Taliban insurgents forces have shifted from direct attacks on international troops toward the use of "civilian-blind" measures such as roadside bombings and suicide attacks, said Aleem Siddique, a spokesman for the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
At the same time, he said, civilian deaths blamed on government forces and U.S. and NATO troops has declined in the first six months of 2008, largely due to pressure from Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
About 60 percent of civilian deaths in 2008 are blamed on anti-government forces, up from less than half in 2007.
Increased Taliban attacks on aid projects also have left 78 of Afghanistan's 398 districts off-limits to relief workers, Siddique said.
"Increasingly, we're seeing targets of schools, of radio stations, of health clinics -- all in an effort to halt progress and keep people in fear," he said.
A total of 565 aid convoys came under attack in 2007, with hundreds of tons of food hijacked. As recently as Sunday, a convoy of 100 tons of food aid came under attack outside Kandahar, with several trucks burned and looted, he said.
"Thankfully, we're not getting any report of death or injuries," he said.
Afghanistan is the original front in the "war on terrorism," which was launched after al Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
A U.S.-led invasion after the attacks pushed out the Taliban, which had allowed al Qaeda to operate from its territory, but the Islamic fundamentalist militia has regrouped along and across the mountainous border with Pakistan.
Coinciding with the rise in civilian deaths in 2008 is an increase in attacks on American and allied forces, which are up 40 percent since last year
The death toll of U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan in June also climbed to more than 40, making it the deadliest month since the war began.
An explosion in southern Afghanistan killed a British soldier serving with NATO on Saturday, the British Defense Ministry said Sunday.
The soldier died when he was struck by a mine in Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand province, the ministry said. He and his unit were investigating a report of a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a civilian aircraft at a nearby airfield, it said.
"When investigating this, they dismounted their vehicles and what is believed to have been a legacy anti-Personnel mine detonated, killing the soldier instantly," the ministry statement said.
Most of the soldiers serving in Helmand are British. Helmand province is Afghanistan's top poppy-producing region and a major front in the war against the Taliban. Provincial authorities there have blamed militants for a spate of recent deadly attacks.
NATO and Afghan force operations kept the insurgency down in 2007 by killing or capturing key leaders and clearing out Taliban safe havens, but a Pentagon report issued last week predicted the Taliban would be back in 2008. | [
"How much have Afghan civilian deaths increased since last year?",
"Number of Afghan civilian deaths?",
"What is the increase attributed to?",
"Which month is the deadliest?",
"What months was marked as deadliest since war began?",
"What has been the deadliest month since the war began?",
"What is attributed to Taliban attacks?",
"What is up by 60 percent?",
"What war is being referenced, specifically?",
"British NATO soldier died from what??",
"What happened to a British NATO soldier?"
] | [
[
"60 percent,"
],
[
"698"
],
[
"Taliban attacks and roadside bombings,"
],
[
"June"
],
[
"June"
],
[
"June"
],
[
"Civilian deaths in Afghanistan"
],
[
"Afghan civilian deaths"
],
[
"Afghanistan"
],
[
"struck by a mine"
],
[
"died when he was struck by a mine"
]
] | NEW: Afghan civilian deaths up 60 percent from last year, U.N. says .
NEW: Increase attributed to intensifying Taliban attacks, roadside bombs .
Troop deaths also up from 2007 as June marks deadliest month since war began .
British NATO soldier dies in mine explosion in Helmand province . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Fighting raged in Afghanistan over the weekend, with a suicide bombing slaying six people, a NATO-led soldier and an Afghan police officer dying in an "altercation," and troops killing several insurgents in battles, authorities said. Fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces continues to rage in Afghanistan. The suicide bombing on Sunday killed six people in a bazaar in Spin Boldak, located in Kandahar province, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday. Along with the deaths, at least 17 people were wounded, and ISAF condemned the assault. Four of those killed were Afghan border police officers, ISAF said. The location is in southern Afghanistan. The ISAF soldier and an Afghan police officer were killed after seven people were apprehended in connection with a roadside bombing in Paktia province on Sunday that targeted an Afghan National Police and ISAF patrol. The location is in eastern Afghanistan. "The detained civilians were then transferred to the ANP station at the Jaji District Center. While at the district center, there was an altercation during which an ANP officer and one ISAF soldier were killed," ISAF said in a Monday news release. The U.S.-led coalition on Monday reported fighting between U.S. and Afghan troops and insurgents over the last two days -- Sunday in Kandahar province and Saturday in Helmand province. "Several insurgents" were reported killed in both incidents. Two insurgents died in fighting on Friday in another southern region -- Zabul province, the coalition said on Monday. | [
"Who killed a coalition soldier in eastern Afghanistan?",
"Who was responsible for killing a coalition soldier in eastern Afghanistan?",
"Who killed the people?",
"Who is the soldier?",
"Where was the soldier killed?",
"Where did this happen?"
] | [
[
"suicide bombing"
],
[
"Taliban"
],
[
"suicide bombing"
],
[
"ISAF"
],
[
"Afghanistan"
],
[
"Afghanistan"
]
] | Militants kill eight people and injure at least 17 in latest attacks .
Insurgents killed a coalition soldier in eastern Afghanistan .
Soldier's name and nationality held until family members could be notified . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Five people connected to an Afghan presidential candidate have been released after being kidnapped the day before, an official with the candidate said. Five of Dr Abdullah Abdullah's campaign workers were kidnapped and later released. The group of five, who worked for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, were in a two-car caravan in northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday when they were abducted, said Sayed Ahmad Samey, the security chief of Badghis province. Elders negotiated for their release, Samey said. The workers have now been freed and are in a good condition, according to Sami Panah of Abdullah's campaign office. Abdullah is a former Foreign Minister who is seeking to unseat incumbent President Hamid Karzai in the August 20 election. This is not the first time that Abdullah's supporters have been targeted. One of the presidential hopeful's campaign workers was wounded by an unknown gunman in late July. A month earlier, gunmen in the province of Kapisa killed another of Abdullah's campaign managers in a midnight attack. Hundreds of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers have headed to southern Afghanistan to secure polling stations and protect citizens during the elections. It will be the nation's second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. | [
"How many people were kidnapped?",
"How many were in the group?",
"what happend to afghan election workers",
"Who is the current President?",
"who were the group of five working for",
"who is abdullah seeking to unseat"
] | [
[
"Five"
],
[
"five,"
],
[
"kidnapped and later released."
],
[
"Hamid Karzai"
],
[
"Dr. Abdullah Abdullah,"
],
[
"incumbent President Hamid Karzai"
]
] | Afghan election campaign workers released after 24 hour kidnap .
The group of five were working for presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah .
Abdullah seeking to unseat incumbent President Hamid Karzai on August 20 . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Four U.S. service members were killed in fighting Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. An Interior Ministry official said the victims of a suicide bomb blast at Kabul airport were all civilians. The deaths took place in Kunar province in what a spokeswoman called an "ongoing event." Troop deaths have mounted in Afghanistan this year as American and other international forces have stepped up their fight against the Taliban. August was the deadliest month for the U.S. military in the nearly eight-year-old war, with 52 fatalities. The four deaths on Tuesday bring the number of U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan to 13 in September. Elsewhere, a suicide bomber killed two people and wounded six others Tuesday morning in the Kabul airport's military section, Afghan officials said. U.S. and Belgian nationals were among the wounded, a Western diplomatic official told CNN. The victims were all civilians, the Interior Ministry official said. The blast occurred near a gate at Kabul International Airport, said Zamari Bashari, a representative of Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior. NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan and other government organizations use the military side of the airport. In Pakistan, eight tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces over the border in Afghanistan were attacked near Quetta, according to Quetta police. People on motorcycles fired shots at the tankers when they were parked at a rest area, but they did not catch fire, police said. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report. | [
"how many members died?",
"What happened at Kabul International Airport?",
"Where did the suicide bomber strike?",
"how many people died in kabul?",
"Where did the suicide bomber set off his bomb?",
"where was the suicide bomber?",
"Where were the U.S. service members killed?",
"Where were the U.S. service members fighting?"
] | [
[
"Four"
],
[
"suicide bomb blast"
],
[
"Kabul airport"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"Kabul airport"
],
[
"Kabul airport"
],
[
"eastern Afghanistan,"
],
[
"eastern Afghanistan,"
]
] | Four U.S. service members killed in fighting in eastern Afghanistan .
Two people killed in explosion at Kabul International Airport, six wounded .
Official: Suicide bomber struck near gate of military section of airport . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of excited music fans wait in line, on the lookout for their favorite singers on a hit television show. Elaha Sorur was the lone female finalist on this season's "Afghan Star." Just a few years ago, television and some music was banned in Afghanistan. Instead of spending the time outside a New York venue or Hollywood soundstage, though, these fans braved barbed wire and gun-toting guards in Kabul to attend Afghanistan's premier pop music event: the finals of "Afghan Star," the embattled country's answer to "American Idol." In line, bright mod outfits have replaced Kabul's normally conservative dress code. Onstage, men sport the latest styles. And on TV screens, a country's new battle between traditional and pop culture plays out. "For the young generation," says one fan in line, "it's very important to be cool, with a cool mind." Inside the concert hall, Jahid Mohseni, a 38-year-old Afghan-Australian media mogul, tries to manage the chaos he's created. Singers, child acrobats and TV technicians all compete to get his attention before the start of Afghanistan's biggest night of television. Mohseni, who started the country's top television network, Tolo TV, says he's just trying to revive Afghan culture after the fallow Taliban era, when music and television were banned. Watch performances on "Afghan Star" » "Yes, we are promoting social change, but we cannot push Afghan society where it doesn't want to go. This is a commercial enterprise, and it's reflecting what people want," Mohseni said. In Afghanistan, more than 60 percent of the population is younger than 25, and judging by the popularity of "Afghan Star," "they're like people everywhere. They're not from Mars," Mohseni said. At the fourth-season finals this year, the audience included those who sat quietly as well as those who loudly cheered for contestants including Naweed Forugh (who would be named the "Afghan Star" winner), Naweed Sabirpur, Mehran Gulzar and Elaha Sorur, the lone female finalist. "Art is in the blood of Afghans and has been for centuries, and it is still," Sorur said. "During the years of fighting, the people haven't been able to use their artistry, but with time, it will get better and better. Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan are ready for a change." But not everyone is happy with Mohseni's programming choices. Afghanistan's guardians of Islamic values, the Ulema Council, protested that "Afghan Star" and Tolo TV's popular Indian soap operas were not part of Afghan culture. Afghanistan's minister for information and culture even tried to stop the soap operas in court, claiming that it was a question of national security. Mohseni pointed out that Afghanistan is sandwiched between two powerful neighbors: India, with a population of 1.1 billion, and Iran, with almost 70 million people (compared with Afghanistan's estimated 34 million). "You just have to sit down with your critics and explain that if we don't have Afghan music and entertainment, Bollywood will take over," he said. "We're just trying to hold our own in the middle of what is effectively a cultural war." That culture war can be seen on Tolo TV. After meeting with the Ulema Council, Mohseni dreamed up another reality show called "Tartil," or "Koran Star." The three finalists were quizzed by religious authorities and judged on how well they've memorized passages from the Quran, Islam's holy book. There were no wild ovations when the winner was announced, but the finale still produced a bombshell: The winner was a shy 16-year-old schoolgirl named Uzra Mohamedi, who accepted the oversized $3,500 check without cracking a smile and while dressed in a traditional black veil. Other TV programming in Afghanistan includes state-run news and lifestyle shows, a popular local-produced drama | [
"What season was completed?",
"What is Afghanistan's version of American Idol called?",
"What is Afghanistan's version of \"American Idol\"?",
"What does \"Koran Star\" test?",
"What is What is Afghanistan's version of American Idol?",
"How many seasons have they had?"
] | [
[
"\"Afghan Star.\""
],
[
"\"Afghan Star.\""
],
[
"\"Afghan Star,\""
],
[
"how well they've memorized passages from the Quran,"
],
[
"\"Afghan Star,\""
],
[
"fourth-season"
]
] | "Afghan Star" is Afghanistan's version of "American Idol"
The show, one of Afghanistan's most popular, has completed its fourth season .
"Koran Star" judges contestants' knowledge of Islam's holy book .
Many see TV programming as a culture war inside the country . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- International troops in Afghanistan endured another deadly attack Tuesday, a day after 10 NATO-led troops were killed in that country. The body of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan arrives in the United States on Monday. A U.S. coalition service member "died as a result of injuries" on Tuesday afternoon in a roadside bombing attack on a convoy in western Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. This follows 10 NATO-led deaths on Monday, the highest single-day total in Afghanistan in nearly a year, according to NATO and U.S.-led coalition numbers. Seven Americans, two Canadians and one Briton died in four separate incidents Monday. On August 18, 2008, 10 French soldiers were killed when about 100 insurgents attacked a patrol in Kabul Province, and a British soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan when insurgents attacked a patrol with a roadside bomb. A month before that, 10 American troops were killed in two separate incidents on July 13, 2008. The latest deaths came as U.S. troops cranked up their fight against the Taliban, a push that includes a major Marine-led offensive against the militants in the southern province of Helmand. Roadside bombs Monday killed four Americans in the northern province of Kunduz and two in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said. A seventh American died in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, ISAF confirmed. Two Canadian air crew members and a British soldier were killed when a helicopter crashed during takeoff in Zabul province, the Canadian and British defense ministries said. | [
"What nationality was the soldier?",
"Who was killed?",
"Where was soldier killed?",
"How many soldiers died?",
"Where was the bombing?",
"What was the number of americans that died?",
"How many people died?",
"Who are U.S. forces fighting?",
"Where did the roadside bombing happen?",
"which is the number of canadians killed",
"who killed in roadside bombing on a convoy in western Afghanistan?",
"What nationality was the soldier killed in a roadside bombing?",
"where Latest deaths come as U.S. forces ratchet up fight?",
"Who are U.S. forces ratcheting up the fight against?",
"that nationality was the soldier who died on the edge roadside bombing on a convoy in western Afghanistan"
] | [
[
"U.S."
],
[
"10 NATO-led troops"
],
[
"Afghanistan"
],
[
"10"
],
[
"attack on a convoy in western Afghanistan,"
],
[
"Seven"
],
[
"10 NATO-led troops"
],
[
"Taliban,"
],
[
"western Afghanistan,"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"U.S. soldier"
],
[
"U.S."
],
[
"Afghanistan"
],
[
"the Taliban,"
],
[
"U.S."
]
] | U.S. soldier killed in roadside bombing on a convoy in western Afghanistan .
Follows deaths of 7 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Briton in separate incidents .
Latest deaths come as U.S. forces ratchet up fight against Taliban . |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- NATO-led troops killed 12 insurgents in a firefight Friday in Afghanistan, and a civilian caught in the crossfire was apparently killed by militants, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
U.S. Marines fire 120mm mortars on Taliban positions on April 3 in Now Zad in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The incident occurred south of Kabul in the eastern Afghan province of Logar, when Afghan security forces and ISAF troops were conducting an operation.
It comes as NATO members meet in Europe to discuss the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as human rights groups this week urged NATO and the U.S. military to avoid civilian casualties and develop a well-coordinated condolence payment system for civilians victimized in the war.
Troops saw a large group of insurgents placing a roadside bomb. The militants retreated to a compound and attacked ISAF troops with small arms.
Troops surrounded the compound and urged them to surrender peacefully after it was cordoned off. It also asked the people in the compound to release women and children but no civilians left.
Troops assaulted the compound and 12 male insurgents were killed in gunfire. Troops found one woman who was killed in the crossfire by insurgent small arms fire, ISAF said.
An investigation is being conducted by Afghan National Security Forces at the site. Initial indications show that the woman was killed by insurgent small arms fire.
Eight AK47 rifles, two rocket propelled grenade launchers, several rocket canisters, 82mm mortars, and two heavy machine guns were found in the compound.
"ANSF and ISAF are making significant progress against insurgent groups in Logar province who are involved in murdering civilians with IEDs," said Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, ISAF spokesman.
"Today's firefight illustrates the difference between ISAF troops who risk their lives to protect civilians, and insurgents who deliberately and tragically place civilians at risk."
Also, ISAF reported the death of a soldier from the NATO-led force Friday in eastern Afghanistan.
The soldier died of wounds and another was injured after what was described as a "hostile incident."
"On behalf of the men and women of the International Security Assistance Force, I offer our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of the brave soldier killed, and our support to the soldier wounded in this incident," Blanchette said.
"As we recognize their sacrifice in our battle against a vicious insurgency, we will continue supporting the Afghan National Security Forces so that the Afghan people reap the tangible benefits of peace in their day-to-day lives."
Overnight in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, troops killed four militants in an operation targeting a mid-level Taliban commander responsible for attacks against Afghan civilians and coalition forces.
The commander directed attacks in December in Musa Qala, including one that killed 12 Afghan civilians. | [
"What killed the woman?",
"Where did NATO say 12 militants died?",
"by whom was woman killed according to nato?",
"Who was investigating the woman's death?",
"Where was the battle?"
] | [
[
"crossfire by insurgent small arms fire,"
],
[
"Afghanistan,"
],
[
"militants,"
],
[
"Afghan National Security Forces"
],
[
"Now Zad in Helmand province, Afghanistan."
]
] | Afghan forces investigating death of woman caught in crossfire of gunbattle .
NATO says 12 militants also died in the battle in Logar province .
NATO said initial indications are the woman was killed by militants . |
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