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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reflected Thursday on the economic and political crises sweeping the globe, acknowledging in her Christmas Day message their impact on holiday festivities. Queen Elizabeth II attends a Christmas Day service at Sandringham in Norfolk, England. "Christmas is a time for celebration, but this year it is a more somber occasion for many. Some of those things which could once have been taken for granted suddenly seem less certain, and naturally give rise to feelings of insecurity," she told Britons in a televised appearance from Buckingham Palace. "People are touched by events which have their roots far across the world -- whether it is the global economy or violence in a distant land, the effects can be keenly felt at home." In her nine-minute message, she encouraged Britons to look for happiness and courage through helping others, and singled out World War I veterans and current troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as examples of courage and sacrifice. Military veterans of the First World War recently commemorated the "service and enormous sacrifice of their own generation," the queen said. The families of soldiers now serving overseas carry an extra burden of worry while they are away, she added. "In such times as these, we can all learn some lessons from the past. We might begin to see things in a new perspective, and certainly we begin to ask ourselves where it is that we can find lasting happiness." Watch excerpts of the queen's address » It appears, she noted, that people who seem most contented and fulfilled are "the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives -- the kind of people who are generous with their talents or their time ... those who use their prosperity or good fortune for the benefit of others." "When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat. Instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future," the queen said. "I think we have a huge amount to learn from individuals such as these." She expressed pride in her son, Prince Charles, who turned 60 last month and is one of the longest-serving heirs to the throne. He was baptized in the music room where the queen spoke, she said. Several clips -- including a few with the queen playing with Charles, as a toddler -- were shown throughout her comments. Charles has helped and supported young people through various charities, and his sons, princes William and Harry, are following his lead, the queen said. She closed her message with references to Jesus Christ, who she said lived an unselfish and sacrificial life, despite circumstances of great adversity. "He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving, more in serving than in being served. "We can surely be grateful that 2,000 years after the birth of Jesus, so many of us are able to draw inspiration from his life and message." | [
"What is her purpose?",
"Who was giving a Christmas Day speech?"
] | [
[
"she encouraged Britons to look for happiness and courage through helping others,"
],
[
"Queen Elizabeth"
]
] | Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was giving her Christmas Day speech .
Queen: Economic, political crises sweeping globe impacted on celebrations .
She encouraged Britons to look for happiness and courage through helping others .
Message was recorded from her Buckingham Palace residence . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Airways is asking thousands of its staff to work for free for up to four weeks, spokeswoman Kirsten Millard said Tuesday. British Airways plans to reduce capacity by 4 percent next winter by parking up to 16 aircraft. In an e-mail to all its staff, the airline offered workers between one and four weeks of unpaid leave -- but with the option to work during this period. British Airways employs just more than 40,000 people in the United Kingdom. Last month, the company posted a record annual loss of £400 million ($656 million). Its chief executive declared at the time there were "absolutely no signs of recovery" in the industry. "In 30 years in this business and I've never seen anything like this. This is by far the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced," said Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive. Watch more about BA's request » A spokesman for one of Britain's biggest unions said its workers could not afford to work for free for a month. "It's all well and good for Willie Walsh to say he's prepared to work for free when he earns four times in a month what they do in a year," said Ciaran Naidoo, a spokesman for Unite. He pointed out that the airline was not ordering staff to work without pay. "It's a request -- you can take unpaid leave or you can work for free, and the chances of people working for free are very unlikely, but there might be some people who want to take unpaid leave." Demand for the airline's passenger seats and cargo holds fell during the last financial year, while its fuel bill rocketed to almost £3 billion ($4.7 billion). Walsh said British Airways' woes were inextricably linked to the downturn in the global economy and that there had been no sign of any "green shoots" of recovery. Like its premium-class competitors, British Airways is losing customers to cheaper rivals. The airline's premium passenger numbers fell 13 percent in the second half of last year, in line with the industry average. Total traffic fell 3.4 percent and while the airline carried 33.1 million passengers last year, it was a drop of 4.3 percent from the previous year. The dip in demand for British Airways' flights has forced a switch in strategy at the airline. From the end of last year, it has been trying to tempt passengers with lower fares, sacrificing profit per seat for "bums on seats." It plans to reduce capacity by 4 percent next winter by parking up to 16 aircraft. CNN's Alysen Miller contributed to this report. | [
"Who employs just more than 40,000 people in the United Kingdom?",
"What did a union spokesman say?",
"Who posted a record annual loss $656 million?"
] | [
[
"British Airways"
],
[
"its workers could not afford to work for"
],
[
"British Airways"
]
] | Union spokesman: Workers could not afford to work for free for a month .
British Airways employs just more than 40,000 people in the United Kingdom .
Airline's CEO: There are "absolutely no signs of recovery" in the industry .
Last month, the company posted a record annual loss $656 million . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British newspapers were filled with speculation Wednesday that Prince William may soon propose to his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, after an influential blog reported on a possible date.
In an entry on her Web site, The Daily Beast, former magazine editor Tina Brown wrote that a "high-placed source in royal circles" told her that June 3 and 4 have been "mysteriously blocked out on the palace diaries."
This suggests a likely date for the engagement of William, 27, and Middleton, 28, wrote Brown, author of a biography of the late Princess Diana. Brown was previously editor-in-chief of high-society magazine Tatler as well as editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
There was no response Wednesday from Clarence House, William's official residence.
"We don't comment on speculation," a spokeswoman there told CNN.
William and Middleton have been dating off and on since 2003, when both were students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. They split in April 2007 despite widespread speculation they were close to marriage, but they remained friends and began dating again by the end of that year.
The pair is often seen on the town in London, going to exclusive nightclubs.
William is now training to be a search-and-rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force, where he holds the rank of flight lieutenant. | [
"Did the Clrance House make a response?",
"How long has the couple been dating?",
"Who is training?",
"Where is Prince William's official residence?",
"What is he training for?",
"When did the couple start dating?",
"What is Prince training to be?",
"What is the name of Prince William's official residence?"
] | [
[
"no"
],
[
"since 2003,"
],
[
"William"
],
[
"Clarence House,"
],
[
"search-and-rescue pilot"
],
[
"2003,"
],
[
"search-and-rescue pilot"
],
[
"Clarence House,"
]
] | No response from Clarence House, Prince William's official residence .
Couple have been dating since 2003, when both were students in Scotland .
Prince is currently training to be a search-and-rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British soldier Phil Packer was told a year ago that he would never walk again, but on Saturday he finished the London Marathon. Londoners applaud Maj. Phil Packer, who was told he'd never walk again. He completed the race 13 days after it started, walking on crutches for two miles a day -- the most his doctor would allow -- in order to raise money for charity. Flanked by cheering soldiers and supporters, an obviously emotional Packer had defied medical opinion after his lower spine was badly injured in the aftermath of a rocket attack on his base in Basra, Iraq, in February 2008. The attack sent a vehicle rolling down a sand bank, striking Packer "head on" and dragging him under it. The 36-year-old was left with no feeling or motor control in his legs, and no bladder or bowel control. Watch more on soldier's battle » Packer was in hospital for more than four months and it was then he decided to complete three challenges to help raise £1 million ($1.5 million) for Help for Heroes, a British charity supporting wounded veterans. In February he rowed the English Channel, and next month he plans to climb El Capitan -- one of America's iconic mountaineering sites -- a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in California. Packer, who was met at the marathon finish line by British Olympian Steve Redgrave, said that he was £370,000 ($558,000) short of his goal but he was hoping for more donations. Dressed in a white charity T-shirt and desert fatigues, he was emotional. "It's looking after our injured servicemen," he said. "There's a lot of people that can't do this, so this is for them." Earlier this week he told CNN that he "wanted to be able to move on in life." "I wanted to do something for other personnel who had been wounded. "I don't want to be helped. I want to help other people. Not that I'm not grateful, but... you know... I really want to be able to help people." He attributed being back on his feet to "fantastic medical support" from Britain's Ministry of Defense and National Health Service. "So many improvements are being made" in medicine, he said. "It's an evolving process." Watch more on Phil Packer » However, he did not know whether he would be able to walk without crutches. "I gotta see how it goes. Take every improvement as it comes." Packer is far from alone; the six-year war in Iraq has disabled thousands of people. Britain's Ministry of Defense did not respond to a CNN question about how many service members had been permanently disabled in the war. In the United States, the Congressional Research Service reported in March that 31,131 troops had been wounded in Iraq. That figure is for battlefield injuries; many more veterans were later diagnosed with some sort of traumatic brain injury, but it is difficult to determine an exact number because of how the data is kept. It's not clear how many of the injuries are permanent because the Department of Veterans' Affairs does not classify some disabilities that way until 10 years after the injury, said Ryan Gallucci of AmVets, a veterans' service organization. Statistics for Iraqis are even harder to come by. Estimates of the number of wounded range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Iraq's Ministry of Heath says one in four wounded Iraqis have lost at least one limb. Britain's Prince Charles is among those who have expressed support for Packer. "You are, if I may say so, a credit to the Royal Military Police and to the British Army as a whole," the heir to the British throne wrote in a letter posted on Packer's Web site, http://www.philpacker.com/. Packer is still on active duty and intends to remain so. "I've still got a career in the armed forces. | [
"How far did he walked to finish the London Marathon?",
"Who was wounded in the rocket attack?",
"Who is Phil Parker?",
"How long did it take him to finish the marathon?",
"How many miles did he walk a day?",
"When did Phil Packer finish the marathon?"
] | [
[
"two miles a day"
],
[
"British soldier Phil Packer"
],
[
"British soldier"
],
[
"13 days"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"Saturday"
]
] | Phil Packer, 36, was wounded in the aftermath of a rocket attack in Iraq .
He walked on crutches for two miles a day to finish the London Marathon .
He finished the marathon Saturday, 13 days after everyone else . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Charging chesty women more for their bras doesn't win a lot of support, British retailer Marks & Spencer acknowledged Friday as it announced an end to the surcharge on its larger lingerie. Marks & Spencer have apologised for charging chesty women more for bras. "We boobed," screamed a full-page Marks & Spencer ad, which appeared in British newspapers Friday. Marks & Spencer gave in to campaigners who argued that the higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair. The retailer charged as much as £2 ($3) more for all sizes DD and up. "It's true that our fantastic quality larger bras cost more money to make, and we felt it was right to reflect this in the prices we charged," the ad said. "Well, we were wrong." It follows a nearly year-long campaign by members of the Facebook group Busts 4 Justice. The women behind the site argued other chain retailers didn't charge extra for bigger sizes, so Marks & Spencer shouldn't, either. And it pointed out that the store doesn't charge extra for larger sizes of clothing, so it shouldn't charge more for larger undergarments. What's your view? "We would like to thank everyone who has supported us on this issue; especially the thousands of brilliant, busty women that have joined forces with us. We couldn't have done this without you," the two administrators of the group, Becky Mount and Beckie Williams, posted Friday on Facebook. "Busts 4 Justice remain committed to making things better for busty women on the high street, but for now we're happy just to be able to encourage all ladies to reward themselves and their boobs with some properly fitted, fairly priced lingerie." Marks & Spencer is a stalwart British chain, known for classic wardrobe staples and low prices. Its underwear department is the first stop for many British shoppers and is especially famous for reliable basics. And to give customers an added lift, Marks & Spencer also announced it is cutting the prices of all of its bras by 25 percent for the rest of May. "I think even though we all obviously held a bit of a grudge against buying our bras from M&S we should really be grateful they got rid of the surcharge and have given us the super generous 25 percent off," Mount wrote on the group's site Friday. "They may get cleared out by the time the weekend is over!" | [
"What did campaigners argue against?",
"Which shop is ending its surcharge on larger lingerie?",
"Marks & Spencer is ending its surcharge on what?",
"What did campaigners complain about?",
"Which retailer admitted the adverts?",
"What do the retailers adverts admit to?",
"How much did they cost",
"What did campaigners say?",
"What is being ended?",
"What is marks and spencer ending?",
"What had a surtax on it?",
"What does their advert say?"
] | [
[
"the higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair."
],
[
"Marks & Spencer"
],
[
"larger lingerie."
],
[
"higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair."
],
[
"Marks & Spencer"
],
[
"apologised for charging chesty women more for bras."
],
[
"£2 ($3)"
],
[
"higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair."
],
[
"surcharge on its larger lingerie."
],
[
"surcharge on its larger lingerie."
],
[
"larger lingerie."
],
[
"\"We boobed,\""
]
] | Marks & Spencer is ending its surcharge on larger lingerie .
Retailer takes out adverts admitting "we boobed"
Campaigners argued that the higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Dan Neumann was a 14-year-old struggling against cancer when he came across an unexpected ally in his battle. Cancer survivor Dan Neumann plays Re-Mission and is helping create the game's next edition. He was receiving treatment for leukemia at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University in 2004 when he saw a flyer inviting teenage cancer patients to test a new video game. A self-described gamer, Neumann says he was immediately drawn to the posting. He signed up to try it and was won over by the game, which simulated what goes on inside the bodies of cancer patients. "When you go through cancer treatment, chemotherapy becomes something you dread," Neumann, now 19, recalled. "But with the game you're actively playing something and shooting cells." That game eventually became Re-Mission, a video game that's helping teenagers around the world in their fight against cancer. Since its release in 2006, more than 145,000 free copies have been distributed, and now a new version of the game is in the works. See what it's like to play the game » Pamela Omidyar, wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, came up with the idea for the game. A former lab technician and avid video game player, she thought kids could learn a lot by experiencing the treatment process in a vivid way. That led her to launch HopeLab, a non-profit that took Re-Mission from the drawing board to an actual product. The organization, which focuses on using technology to create positive health outcomes in kids, was recently recognized by U.S. President Barack Obama for its innovative approach to tackling health challenges. Players control a tiny robot who travels through the human body to destroy harmful cancer cells. Along the way, she breaks down complex medical terminology and explains what's going on when the body undergoes treatment like chemotherapy. By making cancer a visible foe, Re-Mission gives kids a different mental view of who their enemy is, said Dr. Steve Cole, vice president of research at HopeLab. That's something that teenagers around the world can benefit from. Video games like Re-Mission transcend national boundaries and cultures, he told CNN. "Everybody wants to beat death." Re-Mission has been distributed to 81 countries, and patients anywhere in the world can download it for free online. According to Cole, providing an opportunity to experience the positive emotions that come from treatment can change the behavior of young patients and can make a real difference in their health. A study he conducted that was published in 2008 showed that patients who played Re-Mission took their medication more consistently and learned more about their disease than those who didn't. "What this game is really built to do is help teenagers be better participants in their own medical care enterprise," said Cole. "It gives them a real opportunity to affect their own health outcomes." Neumann says when he was in the hospital, doctors walked him through pamphlets describing the chemotherapy process. But it was the game that ultimately made him feel better about his treatment. "There's a lot of complex medical terminology, which is hard to digest at that age," he said. "Re-Mission encourages you to learn that your chemotherapy is doing something." Now in remission, Neumann is helping HopeLab develop the next edition of the game. In the early stages of development, the new product is expected to be released in 2012 at the earliest. He's been providing feedback on his experience as a cancer survivor and gamer to help developers understand what patients personally get out of playing Re-Mission. He wants other teenagers to experience the game, and says they shouldn't shy away even if they've never played video games before. "Re-Mission is an excellent game for any cancer patient, regardless of whether they're a gamer," he said. "It really makes you feel like you're engaging in your treatment." | [
"re-mission video games help which people?",
"who can benefit from the game?",
"What does the video game help patients visualize?",
"The new version is planned for which year?",
"what is hopelab planning?",
"What is the name of the non-profit organization?"
] | [
[
"teenage cancer patients"
],
[
"teenagers around the world"
],
[
"goes on inside the bodies of cancer"
],
[
"2012 at the earliest."
],
[
"using technology to create positive health outcomes in kids,"
],
[
"HopeLab,"
]
] | Re-Mission video game helps patients visualize battle against cancer .
Non-profit organization HopeLab is planning new version for 2012 .
Cancer survivor says game helped change his attitude towards treatment .
Teenagers around the world can benefit from game, HopeLab says . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Four British Coastguard helicopters of the same model as the one that crashed off Canada last week have been grounded in Scotland to replace a gearbox mounting part, and all those models worldwide are expected to be grounded as well. Sikorsky's Web site says the S-92 "is the most advanced aircraft" in its civil product line. This move comes after the Transportation Safety Board of Canada indicated on Friday that the components must be replaced on Sikorsky-92 A helicopters across the globe. The Canadian agency said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will issue an emergency airworthiness directive, effectively grounding all Sikorsky S-92 A helicopters worldwide until the parts are replaced. On March 12, 17 people died when a Sikorsky S-92 A operated by Cougar Helicopters crashed or ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland. One person survived. Canada's transportation board on Friday said investigators found a broken main gearbox component that had been addressed in a January alert from Sikorsky. Sikorsky's alert, on January 28, said the "main gearbox filter bowl assembly mounting titanium studs should be replaced with steel mounting studs." This "one-time modification" was to be done within 1,250 flight hours or within a year of the alert's issue date. According to Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Sikorsky on Friday notified helicopter contractor CHC that aircraft operating out of Stornoway and Shetland in Scotland need the "urgent modification." The British agency said that when it is clear how long the helicopters will be grounded or need to undergo engineering work, the agency "will take a decision on implementing a contingency plan for longer term air coverage. The aircraft on the south coast are unaffected." | [
"What did Canadian authorities warn against the Sikorsky-92 A helicopters?",
"Where did the Sikorsky-92 A crash?",
"What organization will issue an emergency directive for repair?",
"Who issued emergency directive ordering repair?",
"Sikorsky-92 A helicopters need what part replaced?",
"Who issued the emergency directive ordering repair?",
"How many people died in helicopter crash?",
"A crash off Newfoundland left how many people dead?",
"what part of helicopter needs to be replaced?"
] | [
[
"emergency airworthiness directive,"
],
[
"in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland."
],
[
"U.S. Federal Aviation Administration"
],
[
"the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration"
],
[
"gearbox mounting"
],
[
"U.S. Federal Aviation Administration"
],
[
"17"
],
[
"17"
],
[
"gearbox mounting"
]
] | Canadian authorities warn Sikorsky-92 A helicopters need gearbox part replaced .
FAA to issue emergency directive ordering repair, Canadian safety board says .
Four British Coastguard helicopters grounded in Scotland to replace a part .
Sikorsky-92 A crashed last week off Newfoundland; 17 people died . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Guantanamo Bay's legacy of torture will hurt the United States even if President Obama makes good on a pledge to close the prison camp, a former inmate says.
Moazzam Begg says that during intense interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, he would have confessed to anything.
Justice will be impossible to mete out to the alleged terrorists and war criminals held there because any confessions must be tainted by the methods used to obtain them, ex-prisoner Moazzam Begg told CNN.
Begg says he would have confessed to anything during interrogations while he was held at Guantanamo for nearly three years.
"What procedure can you use on people who have been systematically tortured including waterboarding, including being stripped naked and beaten? What sort of evidence can be admitted into a court of law that has been extracted under that process?" asked Begg. Watch what Begg thinks of Guantanamo »
The new administration has said that waterboarding, which causes the feeling of drowning, is torture.
Begg, who is British, was captured during the war in Afghanistan and accused of aiding the Taliban regime. His family has always maintained he was a victim of mistaken identity. He was sent back to his home in Britain by the Bush administration in 2005 and never prosecuted.
President Obama on Wednesday moved closer to making good on his campaign promise. The administration is drafting executive orders calling for the detention facility's closure, officials said. Earlier in the day, a judge granted Obama's request for a 120-day suspension of prosecutions so a review of all cases of suspected terrorists could take place.
During his inaugural speech, he stressed that ideals of justice did not need to be thrown out to ensure the nation's safety.
"Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake," Obama said. Watch what could be next for Guantanamo »
Legal issues are already complicating the cases of some of the most important terror suspects, like Mohamed al-Qahtani, the so-called 20th hijacker, who has been accused of helping to plan and possibly participate in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Earlier this month, the retired judge in charge of determining which Guantanamo detainees should be tried by a U.S. military commission told The Washington Post that al-Qahtani was tortured and therefore could not be put forward for prosecution.
"Guantanamo Bay is the most notorious prison on earth," Begg said. He said he believes Guantanamo is a radicalizing force for militants around the world.
Looking beyond high-profile suspects, human rights campaigners say there is little evidence to prosecute dozens of Guantanamo inmates still being held. They argue that keeping those detainees locked up will not help keep al Qaeda at bay.
"I think it's actually one of the most harmful myths about it, that we can't let people go because we've got the tiger by the tail," said Cori Crider of the human rights organization Reprieve.
Chris Arendt, a former guard at Guantanamo Bay, says the Obama administration must rethink and reform the way it detains and prosecutes future terror suspects -- and do more than just close Guantanamo.
"We're focused on this one camp that has become the star of the whole show. But there are camps everywhere," he said.
"There are camps in Iraq, in Afghanistan -- every country that American or the coalition forces have set their feet. None of those detainees are seeing any justice." | [
"What does Obama suspend?",
"What are the orders calling for?",
"Who is the former guard?"
] | [
[
"prosecutions"
],
[
"the detention facility's closure,"
],
[
"Chris Arendt,"
]
] | NEW: Obama administration drafting executive orders calling for camp's closure .
President Obama suspends prosecutions at Guantanamo Bay prison camp .
Ex-inmate says torture at the camp has made justice unattainable .
Former guard says detainees at Guantanamo, other camps get no justice . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- He's the butt-kicking, karate-chopping, kung fu superstar who rose from nowhere to conquer Hollywood in a spectacularly visual style. Action star Jackie Chan celebrates winning Best Actor at the 25th China Golden Rooster in 2005 With his compact but wiry 5-foot, 9-inch frame, Jackie Chan seems to pale into insignificance when compared with muscle-bound Hollywood tough guys such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme. But combining extraordinary athleticism and an acrobatic style, Chan could probably take them both on in a fight and emerge victorious. Best known to western audiences as star of the Rush Hour trilogy, Chan is a prolific actor who has made more than 100 films spanning three decades. But success did not come easy for Chan, who made a string of flops in the early 1970s in Asia. He struggled for years to break out of the shadow of Bruce Lee, the undisputed kung fu king of the time -- even appearing as a stuntman in two of Lee's films. But in 1978, Chan landed his first hit in Asia with "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow." This was quickly followed by "Drunken Master," which catapulted him to fame, and he suddenly became one of the highest-paid actors in the industry. Chan is credited with creating a new film art form, with his comedic take on martial arts, reminiscent of Buster Keaton's slapstick style. "He totally reinvented Hong Kong cinema," said Renee Witterstaetter, author of "Dying For Action: The Life and Films of Jackie Chan." "He created a new film art form, mixing humor with martial arts," Witterstaetter said. "It was so different and unique." Watch TalkAsia's exclusive interview inside Jackie Chan's den » Although a household name in his native Hong Kong and most of Asia, Hollywood seemed largely oblivious to his talents. It was not until 1994 when he made "Rumble in the Bronx," which grossed $10 million in its opening weekend and made it to number one at the U.S. box office, that Chan finally cracked Hollywood. Soon big-budget hits such as the "Rush Hour" series and "Shanghai Noon," followed. "Rush Hour" was Chan's first movie to break $100 million at the U.S. box office, earning $141 million, according to the box office tracking Web site, Box Office Mojo. "Rush Hour 2" made $226 million and "Rush Hour 3" has earned $137 million so far. His current cinematic venture sees him paired with longtime friend Jet Li in "The Forbidden Kingdom" in their first movie collaboration. Set in a mythic, ancient China, it is described as "The Wizard of Oz with lots of martial arts." The martial arts dream team have already seen "Kingdom" debut at No. 1 with $20.9 million in ticket sales last weekend, but Chan says the reason it took him so long to work with Jet Li is because he didn't like the Hollywood scripts they were initially offered. Chan, 54, is also quite candid about the fact that he doesn't like most of the Hollywood films he has made. He revealed to CNN: "I didn't really like 'Rush Hour.' In America, everyone likes 'Rush Hour,' but in Asia nobody likes it. "They like talking too much in America but in Asia they like to fight more in the films." After the film wrapped in 1998, he wrote on his Web site: "When we finished filming, I was very disappointed because it was a movie I didn't appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. "I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn't understand the American humor." Chan has certainly come a long way from his impoverished childhood in Hong Kong, where the story has it that his parents were so poor, they nearly sold him to a British doctor for less than $100. However | [
"Jet Li and Jackie Chan paired up in what film?",
"What is Jackie Chan famed for?",
"What is Jackie Chan famous for ?",
"What is his new film called?"
] | [
[
"\"The Forbidden Kingdom\""
],
[
"butt-kicking, karate-chopping, kung fu superstar"
],
[
"He's the butt-kicking, karate-chopping, kung fu superstar"
],
[
"\"The Forbidden Kingdom\""
]
] | Action star Jackie Chan is famed for combining humor with martial arts .
His new film "The Forbidden Kingdom" is first pairing with kung fu star Jet Li .
Chan holds the Guinness World Record for "Most Stunts By A Living Actor"
He has suffered a litany of horror injuries over his 30-year movie career . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and the oldest surviving British veteran from World War I, has died at the age of 113, his care home said Saturday. Henry Allingham was a founding member of the modern Royal Air Force. Allingham died in his sleep at St. Dunstan's care home in Ovingdean, England, the home said in a statement. Born on June 6, 1896, Allingham was active until his final days, having celebrated his 113th birthday last month on the HMS President with his family, the care home said. The Guinness Book of World Records Certified Allingham as the world's oldest man last month, St. Dunstan's said. Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Gordon Brown both paid their respects to Allingham on Saturday. "The queen was saddened to hear of the death of Henry Allingham. He was one of the unique generation who sacrificed so much for us all. Our thoughts are with his family at this time," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "I had the privilege of meeting Henry many times," said Brown. "He was a tremendous character, one of the last representatives of a generation of tremendous characters. My thoughts are with his family as they mourn his passing but celebrate his life." Born in the East End of London during the reign of Queen Victoria, Allingham was brought up by his mother and grandparents. His father died when he was a baby. He joined the Royal Naval Air Service as an aircraft mechanic in 1915 after his mother died. Allingham was the last known survivor of the Battle of Jutland, considered the greatest battle of World War I. He was serving aboard the armed trawler HMT Kingfisher, which was sent to meet up with the British fleet as it fought the Germans off what is now mainland Denmark. The battle still holds the record for the most gun-armed battleships and battlecruisers engaged in a fight, according to Britain's Ministry of Defence. In 1917 Allingham was sent to France to support the Royal Flying Corps. His job as a mechanic was to service the aircraft and recover parts from downed planes, but pilots would often ask their mechanics to fly with them, so Allingham would sit behind the pilot and drop bombs or operate the machine gun. Allingham served in Flanders until that November, when he moved to the aircraft depot at Dunkirk, France. He stayed there until the end of the war. Allingham was a founding member of today's Royal Air Force, which was formed in 1918 when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps. He married his wife, Dorothy, in late 1918 and left the RAF a few months later, in April 1919. But Allingham remained a reservist, and during World War II he was called on to find a solution to the German magnetic mines that were bottling up the English harbor of Harwich, on the Essex coast. Allingham and his team devised an effective system to neutralize the mines, after which every ship was fitted with a neutralizing device using the system. His dedication to the military and the memory of fallen troops never wavered. In his later years especially, Allingham was often seen at memorial events, even though he could no longer walk and had to be transported in a wheelchair. "Henry was always determined to ensure that today's generation does not forget the sacrifice of those who died on the Western Front," St. Dunstan's said in a statement after his death. "Until recently, he regularly visited schools and attended war-based events as an ambassador for his generation." Asked once at a memorial ceremony how he would like to be remembered, Allingham brushed off any thought of it, saying people should instead remember those who died in the wars. "Remember them, not me," he said. He was made a chevalier in France's Legion of Honor in 2003 and was promoted to officer earlier this year. In awarding him the honor this year, the French ambassador to Britain thanked Allingham on behalf of French | [
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] | Henry Allingham died in his sleep at a care home in Ovingdean, England .
Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Gordon Brown pay respects to Allingham .
Born in 1896, Allingham was active until his final days .
Guinness Book of World Records says Allingham was world's oldest man . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- If you want to peer inside your DNA, there's no shortage of companies offering avenues for doing so these days. A cheek swab or saliva sample is all firms need to scan your genes. But how much health-relevant information can they provide? The opportunity to have your complete genome mapped was recently auctioned on eBay -- with the winning bidder shelling out a cool $68,000 in the auction, which ended Monday. However, more cost-conscious consumers are more likely to send in a saliva sample to a company like Google-backed 23andMe, which will scan and analyze genetic information for about $400. The costs and services these firms offer vary widely, but they're basically chasing the same market: the customer who is curious about what their genes can tell them about themselves. Welcome to the world of personal genomics. A spate of firms -- from 23andMe and fellow Silicon Valley start-up Navigenics to Cambridge, Mass.-based Knome and Iceland's DeCode Genetics -- are vying to tap the growing interest in DNA analysis among individuals. They're upbeat about the promise of this business, saying that consumers' ability to gauge how their genes influence risk for diseases like diabetes and cancer could revolutionize health care. "The ability to treat disease is driven by the ability to assess risk. As knowledge builds up, it will increasingly become an unacceptable position not to have your genetic profile," says Kari Stefansson, chief executive of DeCode, one of the first firms to offer scans that allow individuals to examine their genomes. But analysts and researchers are a bit more cautious. While there's plenty of potential for retail genomics, they say the budding market is still in its early stages. Have you bought a retail DNA test? Share your story on iReport Companies that offer personal DNA analysis have attracted the interest of individuals who are highly concerned with their health, as well as so-called early adopters who are enamored with new technologies. But the outlook for business opportunities is still hazy, mostly because there isn't a full understanding of the benefit of these tests in terms of identifying how and why diseases occur in people, according to Jonathan Witonsky, a health care analyst at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.. Just how much health-relevant information consumers can glean remains hotly debated in the research community. Studies suggest that common maladies like heart disease and diabetes may result from the variations of several genes, rather than the single variants that many retail gene tests scan for. David Goldstein, head of the Center for Human Genome Variation at Duke University, believes that given the current knowledge of how genes influence disease, there is only a "recreational" use for retail tests. Like many other researchers, he believes the odds identified by these tests can be so marginal that they have a weak effect on health when compared to lifestyle or environmental factors. If someone wants to lower their risk for diabetes, for instance, they're better off exercising more and changing their diet than getting a retail gene test, Goldstein told CNN. Consumer genomics firms agree there is still much to be discovered, but they say providing consumers with the knowledge that is available to them is better than none at all. "It is an evolving science. To ignore the genetic markers that we currently understand would be complacency," says Vance Vanier, chief medical officer at Navigenics, which is backed by venture capital heavyweights Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital. Linda Avey, co-founder of 23andMe, says arming people with information may help them turn their attention to prevention. "We think making this data available to people will help people focus their behavior and lifestyle." Companies are adjusting their services as new research becomes available, says Daniel MacArthur, a UK-based genetics researcher who follows the consumer genomics market on his blog, Genetic Future. "Right now, the genome scans offered by companies like 23andMe focus on common genetic variants, and don't pick up most rare variants like Huntington's disease mutations," he said. However, several | [
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"how much health-relevant information consumers can glean"
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] | Handful of firms from 23andMe to DeCode offer DNA tests to individuals .
But how much health-relevant information can be gleaned is hotly debated .
Consumer genomics market in early stages, but has potential, analysts say . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax figure of Michael Jackson on Thursday, showing the late entertainer in a pose from the concerts he had planned to hold this month. The new waxwork of Michael Jackson -- only Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed more times by Madame Tussauds. Sculptors at the wax museum started working on the figure four months ago. They had intended to display it this month, to coincide with the start of Jackson's "This is It" comeback tour in London. The new figure is modeled on a Jackson pose from the concert poster, the museum said. It shows him "arms outstretched, pelvis thrusting and tip-toed, with his trademark trilby angled forward," the museum said. It is the 13th Jackson waxwork by Madame Tussauds, the museum said. Only Britain's Queen Elizabeth II -- who has been on the throne for almost 60 years -- has been portrayed more often. "It is extremely unusual for a personality to have been portrayed so many times," said Madame Tussauds spokeswoman Liz Edwards. "But Michael Jackson was totally unique and his iconic status made him one of the most popular stars here." The London museum has two other Jackson waxworks -- one in a pose from "Thriller" and another from his "Dangerous" album. The other 10 Jackson waxworks are in other Madame Tussauds museums around the world. The museum said it decided to proceed with the figure after Jackson's death last month "as a tribute to one of the greatest musicians of all time and to celebrate his amazing 40-year career." | [
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] | Waxwork is the 13th of Jackson unveiled by the London tourist attraction .
Model had been commissioned before singer's death to coincide with London concerts .
Only Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed more often by the museum . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Michael Jackson has officially become the most popular person on Facebook, with more than 7 million fans on the social networking site. The Michael Jackson Facebook page is now the most popular on the social networking site. Previously, the most popular person on Facebook, with just over 6 million fans, was U.S. President Obama. Over the past week, Jackson's page has grown from 80,000 fans to just over 7 million, generating the largest response on a Facebook page, the social networking site says. He has continued to gain about 20 fans per second and even more during peak traffic hours, said social media commentator Nick O'Neill, founder of the Social Times Web site. By comparison, actor Ashton Kutcher recently entered a race to beat CNN's Larry King to 1 million followers on Twitter. Kutcher won and remains the most popular person on Twitter -- but still has only 2.6 million followers. During his memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, all 10 trending topics on Twitter.com were Jackson-related. Jackson's popularity and the viral nature of Facebook fan pages are the primary reasons for the huge fan base, O'Neill explained. He said, "It's simply his popularity. Also, as users become fans, the page gets recommended to others, driving the viral growth of the page. "Michael Jackson is simply the largest celebrity in the world. While he was a controversial figure, he clearly attracts the attention of the global media," he continued. The Facebook page has become an online memorial to Jackson, with thousands of comments from around the world; dozens appear every minute. Free virtual versions of Jackson's famous glove are the most popular gift on the site, with more than 800,000 sent to members. The huge following leaves the singer's heirs (and his record label) with a massive network to communicate with fans and continue the massive resurgence of interest in Jackson's music, O'Neill said. "While Sony has not heavily engaged the fan base on Michael Jackson's page, they at least have a presence. If your fans are there, you should be there. "This also provided an ongoing promotional channel for any future products that are released. It's simply not an option and will become a component of all marketing strategies." There have been 2.6 million downloads of Jackson's music since his death. He has the top two albums on iTunes, as well as three of the top 10 singles. In the United Kingdom, Jackson held 11 of the top 200 album positions and 43 of the top 200 singles, based on sales monitored by the Official Charts Co. for the week ended June 27. His "Number Ones" album topped the OCC album chart after selling 46,400 physical copies and 10,000 downloads. The surge for demand in Jackson's music looks likely to continue for several months: The fan page has a music player with some of Jackson's hits and an option to buy them through Amazon. | [
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] | Michael Jackson is most popular person on Facebook with nearly 7 million fans .
Previously, U.S. President Obama had the most fans .
Experts say Jackson's fan base gaining more than 20 fans per second . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Michael Jackson may soon return to the stage, at least for a "special announcement." Pop star Michael Jackson has been the subject of recent rumors about his health and about a comeback. The pop star has scheduled a news conference Thursday at London's O2 arena, the same venue where Prince sold out 21 nights in 2007, according to London's Outside Organisation. Although the short statement announcing Jackson's news conference did not reveal any details, Britain's Sky News reported Wednesday that the 50-year-old King of Pop has agreed to a series of summer concerts at the O2. Rumors have circulated for years about a possible Jackson concert comeback, just as speculation has abounded about his physical and financial health. Jackson's reclusive lifestyle -- and a photo last year of him being pushed in a wheelchair -- created fertile ground for health rumors. When a London tabloid reported in December that Jackson was battling a potentially fatal disease that required a life-saving lung transplant, his publicist responded that he was "in fine health" and that the story was "a total fabrication." Jackson's financial troubles in the past year have included the near-foreclosure of his Neverland Ranch in California, which he later sold. Jackson has not lived at Neverland since June 2005, after a Santa Barbara County jury found him not guilty of child molestation charges. | [
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] | Musician schedules news conference for Thursday at O2 arena .
One news outlet says he will hold series of summer concerts .
Jackson's physical and financial health have been subject of rumors . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Nearly 1,300 computers in more than 100 countries have been attacked and have become part of a computer espionage network apparently based in China, security experts alleged in two reports Sunday.
The network was discovered after computers at the Dalai Lama's office were hacked, researchers say.
Computers -- including machines at NATO, governments and embassies -- are infected with software that lets attackers gain complete control of them, according to the reports. One was issued by the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies in conjunction with the Ottawa, Canada-based think tank The SecDev Group; the second came from the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.
Researchers have dubbed the network GhostNet. The network can not only search a computer but see and hear the people using it, according to the Canadian report.
"GhostNet is capable of taking full control of infected computers, including searching and downloading specific files, and covertly operating attached devices, including microphones and web cameras," the report says.
The discovery of GhostNet grew out of suspicions that the office of the Dalai Lama had been hacked.
His staff sent a foreign diplomat an e-mail invitation to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader, but before the Dalai Lama's people could follow up with a phone call, "the diplomat's office was contacted by the Chinese government and warned not to go ahead with the meeting," according to the Cambridge report. Watch CNN's John Vause report on the network »
An investigation resulted in both reports. Both found links to computers in China, but the researchers did not conclude who they thought was behind the "malware," or malicious software.
"Chinese cyber espionage is a major global concern ... [b]ut attributing all Chinese malware to deliberate or targeted intelligence gathering operations by the Chinese state is wrong and misleading," according to the Canadian report titled, "Tracking GhostNet: Investigating a Cyber Espionage Network."
"The sheer number of young digital natives online can more than account for the increase in Chinese malware," it adds.
But the report also points out that China is among a handful of countries, including the United States, Israel and United Kingdom, that are "assumed" to have considerable computer espionage capabilities.
Attempts by CNN to contact the Chinese government in Beijing and its American embassy and consulate offices were unsuccessful on Sunday, as the offices were closed.
However, a spokesman for the Chinese consulate in New York dismissed the idea China was involved when speaking to The New York Times.
"These are old stories and they are nonsense," Wenqi Gao told the Times. "The Chinese government is opposed to and strictly forbids any cyber crime."
Hackers gained access to computers in the Dalai Lama's office by tricking computer users into downloading e-mail attachments that had been carefully engineered to appear safe, according to the authors of the Cambridge report, titled, "The Snooping Dragon: Social-malware Surveillance of the Tibetan Movement."
"The attackers took the trouble to write e-mails that appeared to come from fellow Tibetans and indeed from co-workers," according to the report, authored by Shishir Nagaraja and Ross Anderson. Once the attackers gained an initial foothold, "they also stole mail in transit and replaced the attachments with toxic ones," the report adds.
The Dalai Lama investigation led to the discovery of hundreds more infected machines in locations from The Associated Press in Britain and Deloitte and Touche in New York, to the ministries of foreign affairs in Indonesia, Iran and the Philippines. The office of the prime minister of Laos was also snared, as was a single non-secure computer at NATO, according to the Canadian report. Infected computers "checked in" with control servers as early as May 2007 and as recently as March 12 of this year, the report adds.
Attempts by CNN to verify the reports' allegations with NATO, the Laotian government and the Dalai Lama's organization in India were not immediately successful on Sunday.
The attack has broader implications, Nagaraja and Anderson warn, | [
"What does ghost net do to a computer?",
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"How many infected machines are there?",
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"What can \"GhostNet\" do?",
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"capable of taking full control of infected"
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[
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] | Researchers: Dalai Lama's office, NATO, governments among targets .
Network, dubbed "GhostNet," can take control of computers, search files .
Researchers link network to China, but don't conclude who is responsible .
Investigation finds hundreds of infected machines in more than 100 countries . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Nearly 150,000 homes were without drinking water Monday after the worst floodwaters in 60 years swamped large areas of western England.
Flooding has caused widespread disruption across the country with further regions braced for more floods.
British military and rescue workers battled to save a major electricity substation on the outskirts of Gloucester, England, that serves about 500,000 homes.
About 1,000 Royal Navy personnel were building an emergency barrier to keep the Walham substation from flooding.
Their efforts have been successful so far, the Gloucestershire Constabulary Emergency Services said Monday evening.
Some 50,000 homes were already without electricity before the substation was threatened.
Two major rivers -- the Thames and the Severn -- are well above their normal levels and may burst their banks, according to authorities. Watch as Britons brace for more flooding »
Britain's Environment Agency warned water levels could rise further to a "critical level" and issued nine severe flood warnings across the country.
The worst affected areas are the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, which had more than 5 inches (12.5 cm) of rain in barely 24 hours.
More rain is forecast, and the risk of flooding is increasing as floodwaters work their way into the river system.
In the historic city of Gloucester, the River Severn is expected to burst its banks later Monday. The river is already nearly 15 feet (5 meters) above its normal level for this time of year and close to breaching its banks. See residents walk through flooded streets and homes »
Electricity and water supplies in and around the city are already cut to many residents, after a water treatment plant and electricity sub-station were flooded. The city of Tewkesbury is also flooded -- video from the area showed dozens of cars and homes under several feet of water.
Officials said it would be at least 48 hours before they could gain access to the Mythe Water Pumping Station in Tewkesbury to return water supply to 70,000 customers in Tewkesbury, Gloucester and Cheltenham.
"There is no doubt this unprecedented situation has been testing for each and every one of the emergency services and our partner agencies," said Gloucestershire Chief Constable Timothy Brain.
"I must pay tribute to the marathon effort being made to prevent the situation from worsening and to support those affected by the flooding, loss of power, loss of water and other consequences of this extreme situation," he said.
Hundreds of people in the worst affected areas have been plucked to safety by helicopters of the Royal Air Force and boats. Further north in Evesham, the River Severn is more than twice its normal width.
So far this month England has had nearly two-and-a-half-times its normal rainfall.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Gloucester -- and promised to mobilize resources from across the country. He also announced increased funding for flood and coastal defenses across the country.
"Like every advanced industrialized country, we are coming to terms with the issues surrounding climate change," he said.
The prime minister described the flooding as unprecedented, and brushed aside criticism of his government for the quality of flood defenses and a slow response to the crisis.
"I think the emergency services have done a great job," he said. "I am satisfied people are doing everything they can."
The wet weather for much of June and July across England and Wales has also affected crops. Farmers are predicting low yields and higher prices -- with several crops due to be harvested in the next month. Insurance companies are expecting claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars because of flood damage.
More than 2,000 people spent Sunday night in emergency accommodation and the Royal Air Force and coastguard helicopters airlifted hundreds to safety in one of Britain's largest peacetime rescue operations.
"I'm afraid to say that I don't think we have seen the peak yet," John Harman, of the Environment Agency, told BBC radio.
"All this water that we have seen ... is now into the river system. Even though the rain has eased off a bit ... it | [
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[
"Gordon Brown"
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[
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] | Flood waters in parts of England at 60-year highs .
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledges more funds to tackle floods .
Tens of thousands of people without water and electricity .
Environment Agency issues nine severe flood warnings . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's eldest son and a top official in his media empire, says his father was "always there for me." Pier Silvio Berlusconi, vice president of the Mediaset group, in Cologno Monzese, Italy in March, 2009. Berlusconi, 40, is vice chairman of Mediaset SpA, the Italian commercial television network founded by his father and now owned by the Berlusconi family through the holding company, Fininvest. He's held several positions at the company since joining in 1992, at the age of 23, following a serious motorcycle accident. He started in the marketing department of Publitalia, the company's advertising group. Four years later, he was appointed director of scheduling and program coordination for Mediaset's three channels. In an interview with CNN's Hada Messia, the younger Berlusconi says his father, Italy's longest-serving prime minister, was "always a very present father" even though there were periods he saw him more and times he saw him less. Watch more on the private life of Silvio Berlusconi » "He was always a busy man," Pier Silvio Berlusconi says of his 73-year-old father, who besides being the Italian head of government, is also a billionaire media entrepreneur, real estate and insurance tycoon, bank proprietor, sports team owner and song-writer. "I never felt like something, or even more the father figure, was missing," he said. The younger Berlusconi, the prime minister's second child, says he grew up in a "totally normal family ... at least until my father began to go into work in politics. It was a normal family, a healthy family." Asked what makes a normal Italian family, the younger Berlusconi replied: "A normal Italian family is where certain values are always very present. Some of these values are connected to being a family. Being closer to each other and respecting certain traditions, being there for one another." Pier Silvio and Marina Berlusconi, the prime minister's oldest child and also a top official in his media empire, the billionaire entrepreneur's children with first wife, Carla Elvira Dall'Oglio. The couple divorced in 1985 and Berlusconi went on to marry actress Veronica Lario, with whom he had three more children. In May of this year, Lario announced she was filing for divorce after the Italian press reported the prime minister attended the birthday party of an 18-year-old Neapolitan model. Asked what he learned from his father, Pier Silvio Berlusconi said that as a young boy, his father taught him normal father-son things like "how to swim" and play tennis. The most important thing he taught him in life though, he told CNN, was "respect for other people. I am impressed by how much respect he always has for the other person." The younger Berlusconi said he got into his father's business by accident in 1992 after suffering a terrible motorbike accident. "I had a very bad motorbike accident when I was 20 years old," Pier Silvio Berlusconi told CNN. "I couldn't walk for one year. After that, I decided I wanted to do something more than just being in college." He then joined Mediaset, which was not listed on the stock market at the time. Berlusconi says when his father decided to go into politics in 1994 -- something the elder Berlusconi says he did to stop the advance of the Left in Italy -- "he totally disappeared." "In Mediaset, in our company, he was very very present and operative before and he stopped being here. He stopped existing basically," Berlusconi said. "From there on, my job was a continuous revolution and I started looking into things I never thought I would have. In three or four years, I found myself completely into the veins of the company and having important responsibility." He said his father "never even knew exactly what I was doing or what my work was. I know this can sound strange | [
"What was the most important thing his father taught him?",
"When did his father go into politics?",
"What did he describe his dad as?",
"What did he teach his son?",
"What did Berlusconi's eldest son say?",
"What was the most important thing Berlusconi's father taught him?"
] | [
[
"\"respect for other people."
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[
"1994"
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[
"\"always there for me.\""
],
[
"taught him normal father-son things like \"how to swim\" and"
],
[
"his father was \"always there for me.\""
],
[
"\"respect for other people."
]
] | Berlusconi's eldest son says he grew up in a "totally normal family"
Says the most important thing father taught him was respect for others .
Describes his dad as like "a battery," always moving forward, always positive .
Says father disappeared from media empire after going into politics in 1994 . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Record oil prices, the sub-prime mortgage mess and slumping stock markets are hardly music to the ears of investors. In tough economic times like these, investors seek out safe, stable investments such as guaranteed government bonds or CDs. Yet a growing number are being wooed by the sweet sounds, and profits, of something new -- investment funds specializing in high-end musical instruments. The Stradivarius violin -- only about 700 are believed to exist -- is the premier investment instrument. Talented musicians want them, but can't afford them -- one fetched $3.5 million at auction. Enter Nigel Brown, winner of The Queen's Award for Enterprise and Chairman of the NW Brown Group, a financial services company. He brings musician and investor together. "What happens is, a musician comes along to see me, having fallen in love with an instrument," Brown says. "Then, what I do is to pull a syndicate of people together to buy this instrument so that the musician can then have the use of it ..." Down the road, the musician can buy the instrument from the investors. They split the profits if its value appreciates. That's how violinist Matthew Trusler got his $2 million Stradivarius. Brown loved Trusler's playing and funded the instrument himself. "They are just the most fantastic violins that were ever made," Trusler says, clutching his. "This one was made in 1711 ... and it's been around for 300 years and it's a really wonderful violin." Not everyone is convinced a Stradivarius is such a great deal -- particularly modern instrument makers. "I think if you can get hold of one of the very best Strads, not just any Strad ... I think they probably give you, as a player, something special," says violin-maker Andreas Hudelmayer. "But if you can't have one of the very few best, you are just as well off with a new instrument." His reasoning? The cost of insuring a Stradivarius for just a couple of years would pay for a new, top-quality violin, Hudelmayer says. Even so, the reality is that old violins are attracting those looking for alternative investments. A new hedge fund called the Fine Violins Fund is dedicated to top-range instruments. The latest studies show exclusive violins are earning a steady 3.5 percent a year since 1850. That beats U.S. Treasury bonds over the same timeframe, with their 2.19 percent average yield. Of course, you have to be in the investment game for the long haul. "They've proved to be fantastic investments," says Simon Morris, director of Beare's -- a broker and appraiser of high-end violins, violas and cellos. "For many of the musicians that bought say in the 1960s, they've been the best pension plan they could've had. "Like anything, you have to purchase well and sell well. You can't just go and buy any old thing." But for these investors, the financial return is only part of the investment. "The fact they make a financial gain is of course gratifying at the end of the day, but it is mostly the support of the musician," says Brown. "They like being able to go along to a concert and hear their instrument performed by their artist." E-mail to a friend | [
"Investers are being wooed by what?",
"What is the new hedge fund called?",
"What is the most expensive instrument in the world?",
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] | Investors are being wooed by funds specializing in high-end musical instruments .
The Stradivarius violin is the premier investment instrument .
A new hedge fund called the Fine Violins Fund is dedicated to top-range instruments . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British Museum plans to display a statue of supermodel Kate Moss that it bills as the largest gold statue built since ancient Egypt. The statue of Kate Moss will be displayed in the British Museum in a gallery holding anicent Greek sculpture. Called "Siren," the statue will be part of a group of major sculptures by leading British artists to go on display at the museum in October, the museum announced. The museum says the artist, Marc Quinn, claims it's the largest gold statue since ancient Egypt. His previous work included the marble sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant, which appeared on a plinth in London's Trafalgar Square. The Kate Moss statue, weighing 50kg, will be displayed in a gallery of the museum that houses ancient Greek sculpture. The museum calls it a "fitting setting" for the statue of Moss, "interacting with the great Greek beauties that surround it." Moss, whose slight frame was at the forefront of the waif look in the mid-1990s, is now nearly as well known for her celebrity lifestyle as her modeling career. The one-time girlfriend of British rocker Pete Doherty is a tabloid newspaper and celebrity magazine favorite, and now dates Kills guitarist Jamie Hince. She has recently mixed her modeling work with designing collections for the British clothing giant, Topshop. Other artists exhibiting include Damien Hirst, who most recently created a $100 million diamond-covered skull, and Angel of the North creator Anthony Gormley. The exhibit is expected to run from October 4 through January 25, 2009. | [
"What other statues will be in the display?",
"Who sculpted the homage to Moss?",
"Who was portrayed in the statue?",
"At what museum will the statue be on display?",
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] | Statue of Kate Moss billed as largest gold statue built since ancient Egypt .
Called "Siren," the statue will be on display at the British Museum .
Moss statue will be displayed in gallery housing ancient Greek sculpture . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The founder of the Free Burma Coalition accused Myanmar neighbors China and India on Thursday of failing to do their share of "heavy lifting" in aiding victims of the Myanmar cyclone. A young survivor waits for relief supplies by a makeshift house in Bogaley. Maung Zarni, a visiting research fellow at Oxford University, said both nations could do more in trying to persuade the Myanmar junta to allow international aid workers and equipment into the country. Zarni also slammed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for the same reason. "The latest episode involving the junta's handling of the cyclone victims in Burma really calls into question the meaning and the usefulness, the value of ASEAN," he added. The organization of 10 nations promotes economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region. "China isn't doing its share of heavy lifting, and the same can be said about India as well," Zarni said. "China is a country on the rise, and it can really repair its tarnished reputation around Tibet if it puts pressure on the regime and says, 'This is unacceptable, even to Chinese standards.'" Zarni was referring to critics of last fall's Chinese crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, led by Tibetan monks. He directed most of his criticism toward Myanmar's military rulers, who he said are solely concerned with their own security and political ambitions, while neglecting the cyclone victims. The government has been bitterly criticized for being too slow in responding to the May 2 disaster, then blocking large-scale, international emergency aid. The government has relented somewhat in the past few days. The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis rose Thursday, with Myanmar state television reporting more than 40,000 fatalities. Many believe the toll will be much higher. Watch scenes of widespread destruction » Referring to Myanmar's 75-year-old top leader, Than Shwe, Zarni complained, "His major number one concern is his own personal and family security, and also other officers who are caught in a system where fear and rewards are manipulated to whip them in line." The government's response to the cyclone is complex, and has "psychological, institutional and personal dimensions," which have produced an "institutionalized madness," Zarni said. The Irrawaddy newspaper, which covers Myanmar and Southeast Asia, said a team of ASEAN experts would arrive in Yangon on Thursday to assess the scale of the disaster and requirements for aid. ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Wednesday that the Myanmar government had agreed to grant visas to an "emergency rapid assessment team." The Myanmar government also agreed to accept 160 relief workers from India, China, Bangladesh and Thailand, the newspaper said. | [
"Who founded the group?",
"What does Maung Zarni question?",
"Who was the activist?",
"What group guestioned the disaster?",
"What did founder of dissident group say?",
"What is Myanmar being criticized for?"
] | [
[
"Maung Zarni,"
],
[
"the meaning and the usefulness, the value of ASEAN,\""
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"Maung Zarni,"
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[
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[
"\"The latest episode involving the junta's handling of the cyclone victims in Burma really calls into question the meaning and the usefulness, the value of ASEAN,\""
],
[
"too slow in responding to the May 2 disaster,"
]
] | Founder of dissident group: China, India need to be more persuasive with junta .
Maung Zarni questions usefulness of ASEAN regional group over disaster .
Activist criticizes Myanmar junta for not doing more to help victims . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The mysterious disappearance of Flight AF 447 over the Atlantic Ocean has fueled speculation among aviation experts about what caused the state-of-the-art airliner to come down. An airliner is struck by lightning strike at Washington's Dulles airport last year. According to Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, the Airbus A330-200 encountered heavy turbulence about 02:15 a.m. local time Monday (10:15 p.m. ET Sunday), three hours after the jet carrying 228 people left Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for Paris, France. At that point, the plane's automatic system initiated a four-minute exchange of messages to the company's maintenance computers, indicating "several pieces of aircraft equipment were at fault or had broken down." The jet, which was flying at 35,000 feet and at 521 mph, also sent a warning that it had lost pressure, the Brazilian air force said. Its last known contact occurred at 02:33 a.m., the Brazilian air force spokesman added. The assumption is that these electrical problems led to a catastrophic failure of the aircraft's controls. What brought Flight AF 447 down? » Some experts have said that a lightning strike was a possibility, particularly since the plane disappeared in a storm-prone area along the equator known as the Intertropical Convergence zone (ITCZ). This is where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres converge. The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity and making it buoyant. Aided by the convergence of the trade winds, the buoyant air rises, releasing the accumulated moisture in an almost constant series of thunderstorms. The airliner's route » According to CNN's Mari Ramos, these storms can reach altitudes of 52,000 ft -- way beyond the capacity of commercial airliners to fly over. Watch more about the weather systems » Retired airline pilot John Cox told CNN that modern aircraft receive a constant stream of real time weather data which allows them to plot a course around storms. "Because safety is the paramount concern, airliners don't fly into storms. They fly around them," he said. "The ITCZ is no different. Planes fly through it every day. "At 8 miles per minute, modern jets can easily fly around storms. Even if they encounter turbulence, they're designed to absorb it." When lightning strikes a plane, the bolt typically hits a sharp part of it, such as a wing tip. Huge amounts of energy surge through the aircraft before exiting out of another sharp point, such as the tail. But sometimes high voltages can cause electrical damage if components are not well-grounded. Unlike other aircraft where the pilot's controls are manually attached to the flaps and rudders, Airbus 330 airliners are equipped with a "fly by wire" system that sends electronic signals from an onboard computer to move key control surfaces. Experts say that it is possible for this system and its back-up computers to be disabled by lightning. "If you have a massive electrical problem it's possible that you could cut off all the commands out to the control surfaces," said aeronautics expert John Hansman. However, Kieran Daly, from the online aviation news service Air Transport Intelligence, told CNN that this scenario, while not impossible, is inconceivable. "It's more likely that lightning would cause a fire or punch a hole through the aircraft structure," he said. "It could be significant that the jet reported a loss of pressure." He added that the aircraft would be able to continue without the fly-by-wire system. The "trim tab," which enables the pilot to manually manipulate controls such as the rudder, would allow the crew to fly the aircraft safely. "Pilots are routinely trained for these kinds of events in a simulator," he said. Former Airbus pilot John Wiley said on average every airliner is hit by a strike once a year. "They don't go down," he said. According to Air France, the | [
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] | Air France Airbus A330-200 encountered heavy turbulence .
CEO: "Several pieces of aircraft equipment were at fault or had broken down"
Some experts have said that a lightning strike was a possible cause .
Flight 447, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, was carrying 228 people . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- They left home with hope in their hearts, thousands of fans true to the Liverpool anthem, dreaming of reaching another Wembley FA Cup Final.
The disaster at Hillsborough football stadium in 1989 resulted in the deaths of 96 football supporters.
But what began as a day out in the spring sunshine 20 years ago ended as the darkest hour in the history of British football.
I had settled into Row B Seat 2 of the press box in the south stand at Hillsborough, home to Sheffield Wednesday and neutral venue for the game. From there I would have had an uninterrupted view of the semifinal showdown between Liverpool and Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest.
Clough, one of the legends of the British game, had been denied an FA Cup Final with Forest a year earlier, when his side lost to Liverpool at the same stage of the competition and at the same venue.
The atmosphere in the ground for the 1989 semifinal exploded as the teams emerged onto the pitch. But none of us was prepared for what was to follow.
The match action lasted less than six minutes. I can't remember a single kick. What I do recall quite vividly are the scenes of distress, desperation and death at the Liverpool end that destroyed so many families and shocked the world.
Looking to my left and behind Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar's goal, I was drawn to a huge mushroom-like effect among the crowd in the central standing enclosures around kick-off time. See Liverpool players and fans paying tribute to victims of Hillsborough disaster »
The match had not long started when the first signs of a major problem surfaced. Fans began frantically attempting to climb over the perimeter fence to escape the crush at the Leppings Lane end of the ground.
I didn't know it at the time, but the swell was the exit point of a tunnel that ran under the stand. Through it hundreds of Liverpool fans had attempted to make their way without realizing the two caged pens it led to were already overcrowded.
Many had the life squeezed out of them in that tunnel. Others were trampled or crushed to death on the terraces. The lucky ones clambered to safety, many collapsing on the pitch.
Some fans were hoisted up into the stand above by fellow supporters, but the main escape route was over the high perimeter fence and later through a small gate that was forced open as police -- who initially thought they were dealing with a pitch invasion -- recognized the true scale of the problem.
Advertising boards were used as makeshift stretchers and some of those being carried away had their heads covered by coats. The Sheffield Wednesday gymnasium became a mortuary.
The Liverpool end of the pitch resembled a casualty station with frantic efforts being made to treat the injured and save lives while others wandered aimlessly around the pitch in a daze.
I will always remember the bid to revive one young fan in front of the main stand. Those efforts seemed to go on forever before finally hundreds of spectators let out a huge cheer as the lad at last showed some sign of life. I still wonder to this day whether or not he made it.
Meanwhile I had an open phoneline to a copytaker at The Press Association and described those shocking events unfolding in front of me, including news of the first fatalities.
For the second time in four years I had gone to cover a football match and ended up filing a disaster report.
In 1985 I had been in Brussels with Liverpool to cover their European Cup final against Juventus, when 39 fans, mainly Italian, were killed at the Heysel stadium as a wall collapsed after trouble on the terraces. That match eventually went ahead after a delay of 85 minutes.
Within hhours of returning from Belgium, I was among a small group of football writers summoned to No. 10 Downing Street for a meeting with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Mrs Thatcher planned draconian measures to combat what became known as the English disease, but it was the appalling events at Sheffield that finally became the catalyst for change.
The Hillsborough tragedy was played out in | [
"How many people were killed in the disaster?",
"In which match did the Hillsborough disaster occur?",
"How many fans died in the Hllsborough disaster?"
] | [
[
"96"
],
[
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],
[
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] | 96 Liverpool fans died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster on April 15, 1989 .
Fans were crushed against stadium fencing during an FA Cup semifinal .
Liverpool fans say there are still unanswered questions regarding the disaster .
Current Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard lost a family member in the tragedy . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- They left home with hope in their hearts, thousands of fans true to the Liverpool anthem, dreaming of reaching another Wembley FA Cup Final.
The disaster at Hillsborough football stadium in 1989 resulted in the deaths of 96 football supporters.
But what began as a day out in the spring sunshine 20 years ago ended as the darkest hour in the history of British football.
I had settled into Row B Seat 2 of the press box in the south stand at Hillsborough, home to Sheffield Wednesday and neutral venue for the game. From there I would have had an uninterrupted view of the semifinal showdown between Liverpool and Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest.
Clough, one of the legends of the British game, had been denied an FA Cup Final with Forest a year earlier, when his side lost to Liverpool at the same stage of the competition and at the same venue.
The atmosphere in the ground for the 1989 semifinal exploded as the teams emerged onto the pitch. But none of us was prepared for what was to follow.
The match action lasted less than six minutes. I can't remember a single kick. What I do recall quite vividly are the scenes of distress, desperation and death at the Liverpool end that destroyed so many families and shocked the world.
Looking to my left and behind Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar's goal, I was drawn to a huge mushroom-like effect among the crowd in the central standing enclosures around kick-off time. See Liverpool players and fans paying tribute to victims of Hillsborough disaster »
The match had not long started when the first signs of a major problem surfaced. Fans began frantically attempting to climb over the perimeter fence to escape the crush at the Leppings Lane end of the ground.
I didn't know it at the time, but the swell was the exit point of a tunnel that ran under the stand. Through it hundreds of Liverpool fans had attempted to make their way without realizing the two caged pens it led to were already overcrowded.
Many had the life squeezed out of them in that tunnel. Others were trampled or crushed to death on the terraces. The lucky ones clambered to safety, many collapsing on the pitch.
Some fans were hoisted up into the stand above by fellow supporters, but the main escape route was over the high perimeter fence and later through a small gate that was forced open as police -- who initially thought they were dealing with a pitch invasion -- recognized the true scale of the problem.
Advertising boards were used as makeshift stretchers and some of those being carried away had their heads covered by coats. The Sheffield Wednesday gymnasium became a mortuary.
The Liverpool end of the pitch resembled a casualty station with frantic efforts being made to treat the injured and save lives while others wandered aimlessly around the pitch in a daze.
I will always remember the bid to revive one young fan in front of the main stand. Those efforts seemed to go on forever before finally hundreds of spectators let out a huge cheer as the lad at last showed some sign of life. I still wonder to this day whether or not he made it.
Meanwhile I had an open phoneline to a copytaker at The Press Association and described those shocking events unfolding in front of me, including news of the first fatalities.
For the second time in four years I had gone to cover a football match and ended up filing a disaster report.
In 1985 I had been in Brussels with Liverpool to cover their European Cup final against Juventus, when 39 fans, mainly Italian, were killed at the Heysel stadium as a wall collapsed after trouble on the terraces. That match eventually went ahead after a delay of 85 minutes.
Within hours of returning from Belgium, I was among a small group of football writers summoned to No. 10 Downing Street for a meeting with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Mrs Thatcher planned draconian measures to combat what became known as the English disease, but it was the appalling events at Sheffield that finally became the catalyst for change.
The Hillsborough tragedy was played out in | [
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"Fans were crushed against stadium fencing during what sort of match?",
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] | 96 Liverpool fans died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster on April 15, 1989 .
Fans were crushed against stadium fencing during an FA Cup semifinal .
Liverpool fans say there are still unanswered questions regarding the disaster .
Current Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard lost a family member in the tragedy . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Treating flu-stricken children with anti-viral medication including Tamiflu and Relenza could do more harm than good, a new report has warned. Researchers say not enough study has been done into the long-term effects of anti-virals on children. Researchers from the University of Oxford found that while the anti-virals reduced the duration of illness by up to one day and a half, they had "little or no effect" on the likelihood of the children developing complications. The researchers conceded that they didn't know the extent to which their report applied to the current swine flu pandemic, but said, "based on current evidence, the effects of anti-virals on reducing the course of illness or preventing complications might be limited." In compiling their report, published in the British Medical Journal, the Oxford University researchers searched the world for trials of Tamiflu and Relenza on children under 12. They found seven in total; four relating to flu treatment, and three to prevention. They say none offered a big enough study to determine whether anti-virals have any effect on the chances of children developing serious flu-related complications. "We've got very little data to go on. These drugs have been used on tens of thousands, in fact millions of children worldwide, and we've found only four trials of treatments involving less than two thousand children," said the report's author, Dr Matthew Thompson, a senior clinical scientist at the Department of Primary Health Care, the University of Oxford. "We didn't find any trials of children under one. And none of the trials was big enough to show if there's any effect on serious complications like pneumonia or being hospitalized," he said. The report found that while anti-virals reduced the duration of flu in children, they had little or no impact on the likelihood of the child developing ear infections or any other condition that may require antibiotics. A review of one study into the effect of anti-virals on asthmatic children, who are considered to have a higher risk of developing complications from the flu virus, found that they did not reduce the risk of the asthma attacks. The report said that one in 20 children who take Tamiflu suffer nausea and vomiting, as indicated in warnings from the drug's manufacturer. "That obviously can be a particular problem in young children and infants where getting dehydrated is a complication of influenza," Thompson said. The three studies that focused on the use of anti-virals to prevent influenza taking hold, showed that their potential to stop the spread of flu was "fairly small." "We'd need to treat 13 children with the preventive course of one of these drugs to prevent one of them from getting flu," Thompson said. The report's authors suggested governments were too quick to recommend anti-virals as the first defense against the spread of swine flu. In the United Kingdom, people who suspect they have the virus are urged to phone a government helpline. If enough symptoms match the operator's list, they're given an online voucher so a "flu friend" can collect a course of Tamiflu. "We're not criticizing the current Department of Health policy, but we hope they'll inform perhaps a slight shift in policy in terms of use of these drugs," Thompson told CNN. The British Department of Health said the report was right to suggest bed rest and over the counter remedies for people with mild cases of flu, but added that it was potentially dangerous to deter people with severe cases of flu from taking Tamiflu, including children. In a statement, a spokesman said: "Whilst there is doubt about how swine flu affects children, we believe a safety-first approach of offering anti-virals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward. However, we will keep this policy under review as we learn more about the virus and its effects." The British Medical Association (BMA) also adopted a cautious stance. The chairman of the BMA's general practitioner | [
"What was studied?",
"What did researchers examine?",
"Who studied the effects of anti-virals on children?",
"What were anti-virals found to do?",
"What are anti-virals good for?",
"What are anti-virals found to do?",
"What effect do anti-virals have on children?"
] | [
[
"long-term effects of anti-virals on children."
],
[
"from the University of Oxford found that while the anti-virals reduced the duration of illness by up to one day and a half, they had \"little or no effect\" on the likelihood of the children developing complications."
],
[
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],
[
"reduced the duration of illness by up"
],
[
"reduced the duration of illness"
],
[
"more harm than good,"
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[
"\"little or no effect\""
]
] | Researchers examined studies into effects of anti-virals on children .
Found "little or no effect" when used on children suffering influenza .
Anti-virals were found to shorten duration of flu-like symptoms .
British Department of Health said it had "a safety-first approach" |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Editor's note: Watch Tarantino talking about the making of "Pulp Fiction" on The Screening Room podcast. To receive regular movie podcasts subscribe here.
Quentin Tarantino's first trip to Sundance wasn't exactly a success.
Tarantino's hyper-violent, super cool debut feature "Reservoir Dogs" scorched audiences and critics alike when it came out in 1992.
"If you do this in real life, they're going to fire your ass," scolded cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, veteran of films like "Lethal Weapon" and "Charlie Wilson's War."
The novice filmmaker was participating in a directors' workshop at the Sundance Institute -- the film trust founded by Robert Redford which also runs the Sundance Film Festival.
Unfortunately, Tarantino's mentors were just not feeling his experimental approach.
The following week, a new group of mentors arrived, including ex-Monty Python member and filmmaker Terry Gilliam.
Tarantino and his editor steeled themselves for the inevitable disapproval: "Then Terry Gilliam comes in and goes 'Oh, your scene. Just great!'" recalls the director.
He is talking at the Cannes Film Festival Cinema Masterclass, following in the illustrious footsteps of directors like Wong Kar Wai, Sydney Pollack and Martin Scorsese.
"It was just like, you know what, that's gonna be my career. People are gonna either really like me or they're really not and just get f***ing used to it 'cause this is the deal," Tarantino says.
A second visit to Sundance in 1992 proved more fruitful. His debut feature, "Reservoir Dogs," a sassy, hyper-violent gangster movie, was the hit of the year.
French film critic and regular on the European film festival circuit, Michel Ciment still remembers the effect it had on him when it showed at Cannes later that year: "It was a big shock. I remember it was the most striking new American film since 'Mean Streets' 30 years before."
Despite the impact of his droll, assured debut, Tarantino recalls being convinced he was going to get fired in the first two weeks of production.
"I just thought it was too good to be true. I couldn't help but think something like 'they don't let people like me make movies,'" he says, laughing.
Follow-up movie "Pulp Fiction" was awarded the coveted Palm D'Or at Cannes two years later, cementing his reputation as a movie-maker to be reckoned with.
It was filled with the dark humor and bloody violence that would become known as Tarantino trademarks.
The B-movie-obsessed director admits to getting a kick out of creating humor in inappropriate situations.
"I'm trying to get you to laugh at things you've never laughed at before," he explains.
He cites his "bigtime" influences as movie brats like Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma, as well as Sergio Leone and Howard Hawks.
In person, he is a great raconteur and his expletive-littered speech is not a million miles away from the dialogue that's so central to his movies.
"I tend to think of myself as more of a novelist who makes movies than a director per se," he declares.
But he dismisses his apparent love of language as a product of writing for acting classes: "I started writing as an actor and it was all about dialogue and writing scenes to do."
Before moving into directing, Tarantino studied acting for six years and says learning to act for the camera gave him an insight into how directors put a movie together -- frame by frame. That was what really taught him how to write for the movies.
"All of a sudden I started seeing [film] in a whole different way. When you start doing that, then it's only a few short steps until you start composing shots of your own," he explains.
Tarantino has shown himself to be one of the most music-savvy directors of this generation with his use | [
"What Tarantino said about his observation on his movies?",
"Who directed the films?",
"About which films Tarantino has been talks about?",
"who won the Golden Palm?",
"What did Pulp Fiction win?",
"who talks about his films?"
] | [
[
"that's gonna be my career. People are gonna either really like me or they're really not and just get f***ing used to it 'cause this is the deal,\""
],
[
"Quentin Tarantino's"
],
[
"\"Pulp Fiction\""
],
[
"\"Pulp Fiction\""
],
[
"Palm D'Or"
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"Tarantino"
]
] | "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill" director Quentin Tarantino talks about his films .
Tarantino realised early in his career audiences would either love or hate his films .
The movie geek's second film "Pulp Fiction" won the Palm D'Or at Cannes .
On his style: "I'm trying to get you to laugh at things you've never laughed at before" |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Editor's note: Watch Tarantino talking about the making of "Pulp Fiction" on The Screening Room podcast. To receive regular movie podcasts subscribe here. Quentin Tarantino's first trip to Sundance wasn't exactly a success. Tarantino's hyper-violent, super cool debut feature "Reservoir Dogs" scorched audiences and critics alike when it came out in 1992. "If you do this in real life, they're going to fire your ass," scolded cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, veteran of films like "Lethal Weapon" and "Charlie Wilson's War." The novice filmmaker was participating in a directors' workshop at the Sundance Institute -- the film trust founded by Robert Redford which also runs the Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately, Tarantino's mentors were just not feeling his experimental approach. The following week, a new group of mentors arrived, including ex-Monty Python member and filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Tarantino and his editor steeled themselves for the inevitable disapproval: "Then Terry Gilliam comes in and goes 'Oh, your scene. Just great!'" recalls the director. He is talking at the Cannes Film Festival Cinema Masterclass, following in the illustrious footsteps of directors like Wong Kar Wai, Sydney Pollack and Martin Scorsese. "It was just like, you know what, that's gonna be my career. People are gonna either really like me or they're really not and just get f***ing used to it 'cause this is the deal," Tarantino says. A second visit to Sundance in 1992 proved more fruitful. His debut feature, "Reservoir Dogs," a sassy, hyper-violent gangster movie, was the hit of the year. French film critic and regular on the European film festival circuit, Michel Ciment still remembers the effect it had on him when it showed at Cannes later that year: "It was a big shock. I remember it was the most striking new American film since 'Mean Streets' 30 years before." Despite the impact of his droll, assured debut, Tarantino recalls being convinced he was going to get fired in the first two weeks of production. "I just thought it was too good to be true. I couldn't help but think something like 'they don't let people like me make movies,'" he says, laughing. Follow-up movie "Pulp Fiction" was awarded the coveted Palm D'Or at Cannes two years later, cementing his reputation as a movie-maker to be reckoned with. It was filled with the dark humor and bloody violence that would become known as Tarantino trademarks. The B-movie-obsessed director admits to getting a kick out of creating humor in inappropriate situations. "I'm trying to get you to laugh at things you've never laughed at before," he explains. He cites his "bigtime" influences as movie brats like Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma, as well as Sergio Leone and Howard Hawks. In person, he is a great raconteur and his expletive-littered speech is not a million miles away from the dialogue that's so central to his movies. "I tend to think of myself as more of a novelist who makes movies than a director per se," he declares. But he dismisses his apparent love of language as a product of writing for acting classes: "I started writing as an actor and it was all about dialogue and writing scenes to do." Before moving into directing, Tarantino studied acting for six years and says learning to act for the camera gave him an insight into how directors put a movie together -- frame by frame. That was what really taught him how to write for the movies. "All of a sudden I started seeing [film] in a whole different way. When you start doing that, then it's only a few short steps until you start composing shots of your own," he explains. Tarantino has shown himself to be one of the most music-savvy directors of this generation with his use | [
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"Who talks about his films?",
"What did \"Pulp Fiction\" win?",
"Who talks about their films?",
"What films did Quentin Tarantino direct?",
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] | [
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]
] | "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill" director Quentin Tarantino talks about his films .
Tarantino realised early in his career audiences would either love or hate his films .
The movie geek's second film "Pulp Fiction" won the Palm D'Or at Cannes .
On his style: "I'm trying to get you to laugh at things you've never laughed at before" |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- "Doing it nature's way has the potential to change the way we grow food, make materials, harness energy, heal ourselves, store information, and conduct business." Janine Benyus When self-confessed "nature nerd" Janine Benyus coined the term "biomimicry" in a book she published a decade ago, little did she know it would make her into an household name, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars. Janine is a champion of the biomimicry movement and helps companies to improve designs by turning to Nature. The natural sciences writer now gives talks on the subject to riveted crowds and is a consultant to some of world's biggest companies. In her capacity as "biologist at the design table," Janine helps companies like Nike and Hewlett Packard to innovate and improve their designs by using what already exists in nature. She also appeared as a consultant in the apocalyptic environmental documentary "11th Hour," produced by Leonardo DiCaprio last year. Janine coined the term "biomimicry" from the Greek "bios," meaning "life," and "mimesis," meaning "imitate." "It was a surprise to me when the phone started ringing after my book came out in 1997," she told CNN. "It was companies and individual inventors, companies that were inventing everyday and they had problems to solve. They said, 'gee the book is fabulous, it's about all this science that's happening in early stage research. But we're doing innovation in real time. Can you come and be a biologist at the design table?" So far, using nature's design genius has led to the creation of bat-inspired ultrasonic canes for the blind, synthetic sheets that collect water from mist and fog as desert beetles do, and paint that self-cleans like a lotus leaf. Scientists are also working on making solar cells like leaves and supertough ceramics that resemble the inner shells of abalone, which is twice as durable as the ceramics used in jet engines. Before Janine wrote her book, there wasn't even a word to describe the work of a few scattered scientists looking for inspiration through nature in different corners of the world. History is, of course, littered with examples of humans copying nature's design. One of the most notable was invented by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral. Whilst out walking his dog one day de Mestral became annoyed by the burrs catching and sticking to his clothes and in his dog's fur. He decided to study them under a microscope. The magnification revealed a network of tiny hooks. The product of his labors was Velcro, which was patented in 1951. At the core of Janine's beliefs is that nature has already spent 3.8 billion years on research and development. Its failures are now fossils. She believes its successes contain strategies the human race can copy in its quest for a sustainable future. Janine has cultivated a deep knowledge of the natural world, beginning with direct observation in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, continuing in habitats from Maine to West Virginia where she worked as a backcountry guide, and now, in her home wilds of Montana. She graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University, New Jersey, with two degrees in Natural Resource Management and English Literature/Writing. Named by Time magazine as an environmental hero of 2007, she's now writing the sequel book, "Nature's 100 Best Technologies," and also consults through her firm The Biomimicry Guild, which came about following the massive demand for her knowledge. "From interiors, manufacturing everything from apparel to transportation to bath and kitchen and carpets and furniture and sneakers, and even cities," she told CNN. "I'd be talking to groups of mayors and talking to the European parliament, policy makers and they all wanted to know how can we learn from nature how to design a more sustainable world." "They want to know if there are blue prints, and of course there are. And they said 'great, bring over your biologists | [
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] | Janine Benyus coined the term "biomimicry" in her influential 1997 book .
Biomimicry is the concept of looking for inspiration for design through nature .
She was named by Time magazine as an environmental hero of 2007 . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- "Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger" is the latest comic creation to emerge from the Australian film market. Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp star in the camp classic "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." An unabashed celebration of girlishness, the coming-of-age movie tells the story of Esther, a bespectacled and awkward teen. Looked down on as nerd at her posh private school, Esther (played by newcomer Danielle Catanzariti) reinvents herself after befriending Sunni, an older girl who goes to the local public school. Bearing a passing resemblance to the runaway U.S. indie hit "Juno", "Esther Blueburger" could well go on to imitate some of the worldwide success of its hipper American cousin. If the film is to do well, its kitschness can surely only work to its advantage. After all, many of the Australian comedies that have found success with an international audience have relied on more than just a smattering of camp. Oddly, from a country that brought the world "Mad Max" and Russell Crowe, many of the biggest comic hits fly in the face of the conventional stereotypes of Australian culture as straight-talking and macho. For every "Crocodile Dundee", in other words, there is a "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", riding triumphantly over the horizon ready to unsettle the manhood and steal the laughs into the bargain. It was Paul Hogan's comic creation Mick "Crocodile" Dundee, the laidback survivalist from the outback that first put Australian comic films on the map over 20 years ago. The first "Crocodile Dundee" film was released in 1986 to huge commercial success worldwide -- it was the highest grossing film internationally that year -- spawned two sequels and was credited with boosting the Australian tourist industry. A lot of the laughs in the film come from the depiction of Mick Dundee (played by Hogan) as an unreconstructed, Aussie bloke struggling to come to terms with modern metropolitan life when he leaves small town Australia to visit New York. In one scene, for example, Dundee's reaction to meeting a cross-dresser on the streets of the Big Apple is to grab the man's crotch to verify his gender. Crocodile Dundee's comic book version of Australian identity may have worked well in the movie theaters, but it was viewed by many critics as hackneyed and out of touch with the reality of modern Australia. The arrival of the writer and director Baz Luhrmann in the early '90s seemed to breath fresh life into Australian film. The stunning critical and financial success of his debut feature, "Strictly Ballroom" in 1992 heralded a string of breakout hits that weren't afraid to show their feminine side. The story of a young ballroom dancer who flouts convention and risks the ire of the judges by dancing his own moves, "Strictly Ballroom" provoked a bidding war at the Cannes Film Festival after it won the Prix de Jeunesse award. Alongside a realistic portrayal of Australian small town life, there is a warm-hearted send up of the peculiar world of ballroom dancing. From the sequined costumes to the Cyndi Lauper soundtrack, the movie is also saturated in campness and kitsch. The benchmark set by Luhrmann, whose 2001 stellar musical feature "Moulin Rouge!" was also defiantly camp, was matched by "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" in 1994 and by "Muriel's Wedding" to a lesser extent the same year. "Priscilla" in particular created a huge stir when it was first released. Starring the venerable British actor Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, it is the story of three drag queens driving across the outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a large bus they have named Priscilla. It has gone on to be regarded as a camp classic -- though perhaps not in South Korea, where it was reportedly banned for fear it might encourage homosexuality. Less overtly camp than "Priscilla", "Muriel's Wedding" celebrates the lighter side of femininity. The story of a | [
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] | "Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger" is the latest comedy film to come out of Australia .
Like many successful Australian comedies it relies on a high dose of kitsch .
Films like "Strictly Ballroom" have subverted the macho Aussie stereotype .
"The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" caused a storm on its release . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- "No matter what I do in life I think I will always be remembered as the wrap dress" -- (Diane von Furstenberg, CNN 2008) Calling the shots: Diane von Furstenberg oversees a meeting to discuss handbags in New York. Belgian-born, New York-living, ex-member of the German royal family, daughter of a holocaust survivor, socialite and business-woman, Diane von Furstenberg is famous for one thing: a single item of clothing. Her wrap dress -- a patterned piece of jersey tied around the body like a kimono -- sold in the millions. In the 70s, when Von Furstenberg launched her dress business, the wrap's simplicity became synonymous with feminism and the sexual revolution. "I was selling clothes that would make other women feel confident," (Von Furstenberg, CNN, 2008). And the designer herself came to become the face of the brand. Photographed modeling her own clothes, launched a face that became so iconic that Andy Warhol painted her. But with success came boom then bust -- the 80s saw a dramatic nose-dive in the quality and distribution of the DVF brand. "I became successful very quickly, a lot of people wanted my name and I licensed a lot of things .. the spirit of the brand disappeared", (Von Furstenberg, CNN, 2008). In the late 90s, wrap dresses came back in to fashion, and DVF returned to the fashion pages, and subsequently fashion shows, of the age. The comeback is recorded as one of the most successful business stories of the decade. Her 30 stores and countless concessions in department stores make the DVF brand a multi-million dollar fashion empire. She dresses celebrities from Madonna to Sharon Stone, but keeps her products affordable and maintains an ethos of "easy to wear" "When a woman goes in to a DVF shop and tries something on, it's like a light turns on", (Von Furstenberg, CNN, 2008). Celebrities are often snapped wearing Von Furstenberg's designs. DVF often clings to Eva Longoria Parker's silhouette who declares to Revealed "She is one of my favorite people -- not just a designer!" Honored by the Council of Fashion of Designers of America (CFDA) by inviting Von Furstenberg to act as President -- she is now seen as the Grand Dame of New York fashion. CNN gains access to her as she prepares for the 2008 CFDA Awards -- deciding at the last moment to ditch one of her own designs and wear an Yves St Laurent tuxedo in a tribute to her friend, the designer who died a few days before the ceremony. Clearly moved, Revealed includes footage of her rehearsing the changes to her speech to include a touching farewell to YSL: "He brought art into fashion, and fashion into art. He used to joke that he always wanted to be Matisse. But I think if we could have asked Matisse, he would have wanted to be Yves St Laurent" she tells CNN. Revealed follows Diane von Furstenberg at an exciting moment in her catwalk history. For the first time she is showing outside of the United States, and the setting for her European debut is a romantic private Florentine garden, under the full moon. The Tuscan capital is a special place for her, as it was half an hour down the road that her first wrap dress was produced in a local textile factory. We document the magnificent event from a behind-the-scenes perspective. Interviewing Von Furstenberg herself, along with supermodel Natalia Vodianova, and DVF Creative Director Nathan Jenden; we get a sense of the unfolding of a magical star-lit event. From fittings and dress rehearsals, to visits from the 9-year-old granddaughter Von Furstenberg lovingly calls 'her assistant,' we experience the excitement of the designer returning home to Europe and putting on a magnificent show to herald her arrival. The theme of the collection is "Le Petit Valise" -- a group of outfits that can be easily packed and will not crumple; a notion in keeping with the | [
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] | In November, CNN's Revealed explores the life of Diane von Furstenberg .
The Belgian designer wowed the fashion world with her simple wrap dress .
DVF became familiar initials used to sell anything from homeware to lipstick .
CNN's Revealed follows the designer backstage at a fashion show in Florence . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- "Oh, the humanity." When these three words were uttered by aghast radio journalist Herbert Morrison -- as the LZ129 Hindenburg airship crashed and burst into flames in New Jersey in 1937 -- it was seen as the end of airships. The other remaining Zeppelin-class dirigible, the Graf Zeppelin II, was destroyed by the Nazi administration who felt the materials could be put to better use with more conventional aircraft. The Aeroscraft ML866 is a prototype for future cargo vehicles that could have a payload of up to 60 tonnes But, 70 years on, could the Hindenburg-style airship be experiencing a renaissance? There are two types of craft that are commonly called "airships." The first is basically a balloon filled with a lighter-than-air gas, with an attached pod for the pilot and passengers, and tilting propellers to aid with descent and maneuvering. These are known as 'blimps' and are commonly used for promotional activities, for filming sporting events and by law enforcement agencies for surveillance. But their limited payload make them unsuitable for other purposes. The other type of airship is the dirigible. Like a blimp, a dirigible airship is filled with lighter-than-air gas but it has an internal skeleton. This greater rigidity allows dirigible airships to carry larger payloads than blimps. See pictures of airships through the ages. » While the Hindenburg crash dented public confidence in the dirigible airship concept, the principal cause of the disaster wasn't bad design but propaganda. The Germans were desperate to show off their technical achievement. But the United States, the world's primary supplier of the inert gas helium (which was used to inflate and lift the airships), had imposed a military embargo on the gas. So the Hindenburg was filled with the massively explosive gas, hydrogen. And it exploded. Massively. In recent years the concept of the dirigible airship has been reevaluated because of the environmental need to find lower-carbon methods of freight transportation; and the military and humanitarian need to deliver supplies to remote locations not served by airports. One failed attempt to resuscitate the airship content came from the German company Cargolifter AG in the mid 1990s. It planned a large airship, the CL160, to be used as a transporter for large and heavy loads. A giant hangar, one of the world's largest structures, was built in Brand, near Berlin in Germany, for storage and manufacture of these giant craft. But Cargolifter became insolvent in 2002. The hangar was sold for a fraction of its construction cost and now houses an indoor water park. In 2005 the Aeros corporation of Montebello, CA. resurrected the airship concept. Responding to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s "Walrus" program the company was given a $3.2 million grant to develop: "a very large airlift vehicle concept designed to control lift in all stages of air or ground operations including the ability to off-load payload without taking on-board ballast other than surrounding air." What distinguishes a "Walrus" craft from a Hindenberg-style airship is that it would not be lighter than air. Rather it would generate lift from a combination of aerodynamics, propellors and gas buoyancy. This would allow for a quicker descent without the expulsion of lift gas, for instance. DARPA terminated the Walrus program but Aeros is continuing to develop the technology with a view to creating an enormous civil airship utilizing a glass-fiber and carbon-fibre semi-monocoque envelope structure. The planned Aeroscraft ML866 could be the next generation of corporate transportation. With more than 465 square meters (5000 square feet) of interior floor space, the ML866's interior could house a floating boardroom or an opulent flying home. Because it would be flying at a lower altitude than a passenger jet (6,000 to 12,000 feet, as opposed to 25,000 to 35,000 feet) the cabin would not be pressurized. The technological legacy of the Walrus program is the COSH (control of structural heaviness) system. By compressing and decompressing stored helium, the aircraft can become lighter for take-off | [
"Helium will be replacing what other element?",
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] | [
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"'blimps'"
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"1937"
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] | Airship concept all-but abandoned after 1937's Hindenburg disaster .
New-style airships will be heavier-than-air and use helium, not hydrogen .
Aeros hopes to have a prototype of its "floating boardroom" flying in 2010 . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A 100 meter boat with a full tropical garden is not something you're likely to see very often. In fact, before now, you've probably never seen it.
Wally Island: The vessel that has all the comforts of home
However, the giant mega-yacht 'Wally Island' offers exactly that.
Designed by super-yacht designers Wally is still in the design stage as the company has not yet managed to sell the concept to a buyer.
The vessel boasts over 1000 square meters in forward deck space, allowing for such features as a full garden and pool, a tennis court, or several heli-pads.
View photos of Wally Island »
The designers intended to offer the owner the opportunity to live completely independently on the vessel.
The boat, the designers said, could make life just like at home on a personal estate for its owner.
Although the interior spaces are pushed towards the aft of the vessel, there is still room for an owners suite and six further double-king sized suites. In addition to this there are numerous rooms for entertaining guests.
What do you think of Wally Island? Have you seen a better super-yacht? Share your thoughts in the Sound Off box below. | [
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] | The 99-meter vessel Wally was designed by super-yacht designers Wally .
Wally Island is still in the design stage awaiting a buyer .
The deck contains a tropical garden, or can be converted to a tennis court . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A 16 year-old Australian schoolgirl is hoping to achieve a sailing feat that is so tough it has brought many experienced men and women to the brink of death. Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson of Australia plans to sail solo around the world Jessica Watson, of Mooloolaba, Queensland, plans to set out on a solo round-the-world sailing mission in November -- and hopes to become the youngest person to ever sail non-stop around the world alone. But with the impending weeks of solitary confinement, freeze-dried foods, changing conditions and threat of injury, illness or death -- why would she want to do it? Watson told CNN her inspiration had come from fellow Australian Kay Cottee, who became the first woman to sail the globe alone, without stopping; and German-born Australian Jesse Martin, who still holds the record as the youngest person to do it. Martin achieved his feat in 1999 aged 18 (at the finish), and subsequently wrote a book titled "Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit." "I read Jesse's book and that was inspiring. If you had to put it down to one thing that encouraged me to do this that would be a good one," Watson said. Since deciding she wanted to take on what she describes as the "Everest of the ocean" about four years ago, Watson has been doing all she can to gain the best preparation for the adventure. She has already sailed "mock solo" across the Tasman Sea, which flows between Australia and New Zealand, at 15 and has been sailing since she was 8 years-old. "I've been talking to people [who have done it] about it all, and I'll get in some good solo miles before I go," she said. Despite the experience she has gained, Watson admits there are some aspects of the journey that remain unknown. "There are definitely things I'm nervous about -- like the big waves and gear failure. But, it's amazing the detail of preparation we can get and what you can do with technology. "Though, there's no telling how you'll handle yourself when you're out there for eight months until you're actually out there." Watson's journey around the globe is part of what seems to be an increasingly popular trend among young sailors. Seventeen year-old Briton, Mike Perham is currently part-way through his attempt to sail the world solo for charity. Perham is at present stuck in Tasmania, Australia, with gear problems and faces the daunting task of sailing around Cape Horn during the winter season. Still, he has come a long way when many people had raised concerns about the voyage before he departed. On his daily blog, Perham writes about the challenges of being at sea alone, "The first few days at sea are always the worst -- the lack of sleep leaves me feeling drained all the time but I know I just need to keep pushing on, knowing that I'll soon acclimatize and that things are going to get better and better." Another teenager -- 16 year-old Zac Sunderland, who is from California -- is also on a mission to become the youngest sailor to achieve the feat. Sunderland has also progressed from his departure point in California, through the Panama Canal, and into the Atlantic Ocean. For Perham, Sunderland and Watson it was the high level of communications technology at the teenagers disposal as they sail that has convinced their parents to allow them to attempt their journeys. Would you allow your teenage daughter or son to sail solo around the world? Tell us below in the SoundOff box On Sunderland's Web site his father, Laurence, said, "Although Zac is alone as he sails, he really has so much help. There will always be people who will disagree with our decision to let Zac go on this trip. It was his idea and it is his desire to continue." Watson said her parents had also | [
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] | Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson plans to sail solo around the world .
Watson is inspired by Jesse Martin who is the youngest person to have done it .
Briton Mike Perham, and Zac Sunderland of the U.S. are currently at sea . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A 23-year-old British student has designed a "super-green superyacht" built using only sustainable materials and which produces virtually no carbon emissions. 600 square meters of solar panels and three giant "wings" mean "Soliloquy" can run on wind energy or solar power. "Soliloquy's" unique eco-luxury design allows the boat to run on two different sources of sustainable energy by incorporating 600 square meters of solar panels on the exterior of the boat and giant rigid "wings" that function like sails. Although the 58-meter boat has yet to be built, it would be able to run either on wind energy via the wings (known as "rigid-wing solarsails"), solar power supplied by the panels or a combination of the two. An equivalent-sized superyacht burns anywhere between 250 and 600 liters of marine diesel per hour, depending on speed and fuel efficiency, and emits three times that in CO2 emissions, according to British yachting carbon offset company, Yacht Carbon Offset. Some of the biggest SUVs on the road burn around 20 liters of fuel per hour. Both the panels and solarsails -- developed by Australian company Solar Sailor -- on the vessel can fold up or completely stretch out depending on which energy source is in use, changing the yacht's shape. "I wanted to prove that eco-luxury no longer has to be an oxymoron and doesn't have to make a yacht more expensive," designer Alastair Callender, a life-long sailing fanatic, told CNN. See more images of super-yacht Soliloquy » "My generation is passionate about the planet and we've got to do all we can so that the earth can sustain us," he added. "At the same time, however, I am also passionate about superyachts." Soliloquy is projected to cost approximately $60 to $65 million to build -- similar in cost to conventional superyachts of its size. Callender is currently in talks with potential owners to have the vessel built. The wider superyacht community is enthused about the potential of his design and he has also been invited to speak about his ever-evolving, eco-vessel in Abu Dhabi and Monaco. Callender was originally inspired by famed architect David Fishers' design for a "constantly moving" tower in Dubai. "That's how the idea of an ever-evolving superyacht started -- with the three wings that can independently rotate through 360 degrees," Callender explained. Do you like the look of Soliloquy? Tell us in the Sound Off box below Callender designed "Soliloquy" during his final year studying at Coventry University in England. He approached Solar Sailor, an Australian technology company for technical validation of his design. He also asked a local engineering company, Visioneering, to help construct an intricately detailed scale model. At first, some at Visioneering were taken aback by Callender's young age. "But the idea was innovative and sometimes younger people can bring on board really fresh, new ideas," said Adrian Coppin of Visioneering. "He also has a lot of experience in the yachting industry." Callender says his passion comes from a childhood spent in Portsmouth, England: "I grew up near a harbor, 200 meters away from my sailing club." After school, Callender went to Greece for six months to teach sailing. He then worked with some of the big yacht design companies, including that of his mentor, Andrew Winch. He now feels confident that with a good business plan, his project will become reality. "There are hundreds of extremely rich families who invest in green technology and until now have not wanted to buy yachts because they produce too many carbon emissions," he said. "But with a yacht like Soliloquy, I think they may consider it." | [
"where is the student from?",
"wich are the benefits of the superyacht?",
"What is the name of the yacht?",
"What age is the student?",
"What does the super-green yacht use for energy?",
"What kind of materials is the yacht made of?",
"What does the super-green superyacht run on?"
] | [
[
"British"
],
[
"able to run either on wind energy via the wings (known as \"rigid-wing solarsails\"), solar power supplied by the panels or a combination of the two."
],
[
"\"Soliloquy\""
],
[
"23-year-old"
],
[
"can run on wind"
],
[
"sustainable"
],
[
"wind energy or solar power."
]
] | A 23-year-old British student has designed a super-green superyacht .
It runs on either solar power from panels or wind energy from giant "wings"
Yahct produces virtually no emissions and is made from sustainable materials .
Designer is now in talks with potential owners to have "Soliloquy" built . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A 47-year-old charity worker who says she has never been kissed is now a YouTube sensation after a singing performance that wowed the notoriously harsh talent judge Simon Cowell.
The YouTube video of Susan Boyle's performance has had more than 5 million hits.
Susan Boyle, from West Lothian in Scotland, appeared on the television show "Britain's Got Talent" last weekend with an inauspicious start.
Slightly plump and with short brown curly hair, Boyle stood somewhat uncomfortably in the middle of the stage wearing a gold lace sheath. She told the judges and the audience of the show that she was single, she lived with her cat, Pebbles, and she had never been kissed.
"I'm trying to be a professional singer," Boyle asserted, as the audience laughed. "I'm going to make that audience rock."
When she added that she wanted to be as famous as Elaine Paige, who's been called the "first lady of British musical theater," some members of the audience snickered and rolled their eyes.
But after Boyle sang the first few notes of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables," the audience erupted in wild cheers and applause, and two of the three judges' jaws dropped.
The applause lasted the length of her performance, which ended with the crowd on its feet.
Cowell, who also serves as a judge on "American Idol" and who's known for his stinging criticism of those he deems to have no talent, said Boyle's performance was fantastic.
"I knew the minute you walked out on that stage that we were going to hear something extraordinary," he proclaimed.
His fellow judge, Piers Morgan, said it was "the biggest surprise I have had in three years on this show."
"When you stood there, with that cheeky grin, and said, 'I want to be like Elaine Paige' everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was stunning. An incredible performance," Morgan said, adding he was reeling from shock.
Amanda Holden, the third judge, had tears in her eyes and described Boyle's singing as "a privilege to hear."
A clip of her performance on YouTube.com has had more than 5 million hits, and many fans say they were moved to tears by the story.
Boyle said after the show that she felt "bloody fantastic."
Each of the three judges voted "yes" to Boyle's return to the actual competition round of the show. The performance this weekend came during the auditions. | [
"who is 47-year-old British charity worker?",
"Who is Susan Boyle?",
"what Boyle, from West Lothian, Scotland, said?",
"Where was Boyle from?",
"Who is on you tube?",
"From where is Susan Boyle?",
"Who is Simon Cowell?"
] | [
[
"Susan Boyle,"
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[
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[
"West Lothian in Scotland,"
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[
"Susan Boyle,"
],
[
"West Lothian in Scotland,"
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[
"notoriously harsh talent judge"
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] | 47-year-old British charity worker wows Simon Cowell with singing .
Clip of Susan Boyle singing has become a YouTube sensation .
Boyle, from West Lothian, Scotland, said she wanted to be a professional singer . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British adventurer has overcome sea sickness to complete his around the world trip relying only on the goodwill of people using social networking site Twitter.
Paul Smith poses in New York in a picture posted on his Flickr page.
Paul Smith aimed to travel to Campbell Island in New Zealand, the opposite side of the planet to his home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 30 days.
In the end he fell just short -- reaching Stewart Island at the foot of New Zealand's South Island.
There was not another boat to the more southerly Campbell Island -- a UNESCO World Heritage site -- until November.
During his trip Smith visited the Netherlands, France, Germany and the U.S. -- where he was given a free flight to New Zealand -- and had his photo taken with Hollywood actress Liv Tyler.
He also raised more than $7,000 for a water charity. More on his journey
His self-imposed golden rule was that he could only accept offers of travel and accommodation from people who use Twitter, a micro-blogging service that allows people to "tweet" what they're up to (or what they're thinking about) in 140 characters or less.
Smith was also banned from making any travel plans more than three days in advance and has to leave each location within 48 hours of arriving.
In his latest updates, he reveals a battle with sea sickness on the crossing to Stewart Island.
"Oh god, I'm rocking back and forth. Still got motion sickness. Curse you, Stewart Island!
"Yesterday's ferry crossing was calm according to local, but it managed to turn me inside out."
Smith, who was flying out of New Zealand Tuesday, has more than 11,00 people following his progress on his Twitter page on which he has posted 1,300 updates this month. Comment on Paul Smith's journey | [
"Where did Paul Smith travel to from Newcastle-upon-Tyne?",
"where He managed to get his photo taken with actress?",
"Who did have a picture taken with?",
"where paul Smith traveled to New Zealand from?",
"Who traveled around the world using only contacts made on Twitter?",
"What did Paul Smith manage to do on the way?",
"What is his name?"
] | [
[
"Campbell Island in New Zealand,"
],
[
"New Zealand"
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[
"Liv Tyler."
],
[
"Newcastle-upon-Tyne,"
],
[
"Paul Smith"
],
[
"overcome sea sickness"
],
[
"Paul Smith"
]
] | British man travels around the world using only contacts made on Twitter .
Paul Smith traveled to New Zealand from Newcastle-upon-Tyne .
He managed to get his photo taken with actress Liv Tyler on the way . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British businessman jailed in Dubai after being convicted with a female companion for having sex on a beach said he had acted naively as he spoke publicly Monday for the first time since returning to the UK.
Vince Acors said he had been "extremely naive" about Muslim law.
Vince Acors, 34, and Michelle Palmer, 36, were arrested on a Dubai beach in July and convicted to three-month jail terms in October on charges of public indecency and for having sex outside marriage. Their jail sentences were suspended on appeal and both returned to the UK last week.
Acors, a telecommunications executive, admitted being drunk at the time of the incident after an afternoon of drinking but denied that sex between the couple had occurred and said that worldwide media interest in the case had given authorities no choice but to convict them.
"Sex in this country (the UK) is not the same as sex in Dubai," Acors told a news conference, adding that there was "physical contact but intercourse did not take place." Watch as Acors gives his side of the story »
But Acors admitted he had been "extremely naive" about Muslim law in the Middle Eastern country.
He described how drinking was commonplace in the Emirate's Western hotels, and how his "champagne glass was never empty" during a Friday afternoon "all-you-can-drink" reception where he met Palmer.
Acors said the Dubai authorities had confiscated his passport during deportation proceedings that took three months. He returned to Britain on Christmas Eve and is now looking to sell his story.
He said he and Palmer had since spoken only to discuss the case and don't have a relationship. She was not at the news conference. | [
"When and where did this take place?",
"where did the man have sex?",
"what was the british man convicted of?",
"What was the length of the jail term?"
] | [
[
"on a Dubai beach in July"
],
[
"on a beach"
],
[
"having sex on a beach"
],
[
"three-month"
]
] | British man convicted of having sex on a beach in Dubai denies sex took place .
34-year-old admits he was "extremely naive" about Muslim law .
Couple were both convicted of public indecency, sex outside marriage .
Three-month jail terms suspended on appeal; they returned to UK last week . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British surgeon amputated the arm of a wounded teenager in Congo, Africa, with help from instructions sent to him by text message. British surgeon David Nott, center, with two colleagues in a Congo field hospital where he carried out the operation. David Nott texted his surgical colleague Meirion Thomas, who is one of only a handful of UK surgeons familiar with the difficult procedure of removing the collar bone and shoulder blade. David Nott realized that teenager J, whose arms had been ripped off and who was now gangrenous, had only a few days to live. "I knew that the only way to save this boy's life was to do a forequarter amputation, and I knew that Professor Meirion Thomas was really the expert," Nott said. Nott, a vascular surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, who volunteers one month a year with humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, had never performed such an operation. Watch an interview with Nott » Thomas replied almost immediately with 10 steps Nott should follow to carry out the procedure and then signed off with "Easy! Good luck." David Nott followed his colleague's instructions step by step: "I felt I had like my guardian angel on my left shoulder showing me what to do. I just got on with it, and everything he told me, I just did". Nott and his team embarked on the three-hour operation with just one pint of donated blood. Teenager J is said to have made a full recovery while Nott stayed to keep an eye on his wounds. Thomas said, "All I did was tell David the 10 steps, and I knew that he would follow them." | [
"How long was the opperation?",
"What taught the doctor?",
"Where did the surgeon amputate an arm?",
"What is his area of expertise?",
"Who had texted who?",
"Who texted the surgeon?"
] | [
[
"three-hour operation"
],
[
"instructions sent to him by text message."
],
[
"Congo field hospital"
],
[
"vascular surgeon"
],
[
"his surgical colleague Meirion Thomas,"
],
[
"David Nott"
]
] | Text message taught British surgeon how to amputate the arm of teenager in Congo .
David Nott texted colleague Meirion Thomas, an expert in forequarter amputation .
Nott embarked on the three-hour operation with just one pint of donated blood . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British-led military operation meant to clear the Taliban from parts of Afghanistan has succeeded, UK officials said Monday. A file image shows a British Royal Marine sniper team on an operation in Afghanistan. NATO and its Afghan allies launched Operation Panther's Claw to flush the Taliban from parts of southern Helmand Province before Afghan presidential elections next month. Major fighting is mostly over, and the military will now focus on "holding" the areas that have been cleared of Taliban so they do not return, Lt. Gen. Simon Mayall said in a briefing. The operation's success will enable up to 80,000 people in Helmand to vote. "Panther's Claw has been extremely successful," said Brigadier Tim Radford, the top British military commander for the operation. "There will be many Taliban who will not be fighting any more." He said the Taliban suffered "significant casualties," but refused to say how many. Nine British troops were killed in action in the operation, he said, and there were three Afghan civilian casualties. Radford estimated that there were 450 to 500 Taliban fighters in the area at the time of the operation, which he called "one of the biggest that has taken place." The British gave several weeks' warning that they were planning to attack, he said, both to exert psychological pressure on the Taliban and to give civilians a chance to flee. As a result, "quite a few Taliban managed to get away," Radford said. "They will always get away and they will always come back in." Mayall, the deputy chief of the British Defence Staff for Operations, said the challenge now was to convince local people that the Afghan government and its allies could protect them from the Taliban. The Taliban "are going to assume that we are going to lose interest and move on," he said. But they are wrong, he said. NATO forces were going to "stay in Afghanistan for a very long time," he said, adding that active NATO-led fighting should "tail off" as Afghan security forces develop the ability to fight the Taliban themselves. The counter-insurgency strategy of clearing and holding an area to allow for development of infrastructure and the rule of law echoes the coalition forces' plan in Iraq. Panther's Claw focused on the area around the town of Babaji in Helmand Province. The operation mirrored a similar operation by U.S. Marines in the area. At least 20 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month, sparking intense debate in Britain about the country's military role there. The British-led operation involved about 3,000 troops -- mostly from the British military but also with Afghan, Danish and Estonian forces, the British Ministry of Defence said in a written statement. The operation started in mid-June with an air assault along a canal about 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of the city of Lashkar Gah, the ministry said. British-led forces attacked from three different directions over the next three weeks, essentially creating a "gated community" where Taliban insurgents could not get in or out, Radford said. Major fighting ended July 20, he said. | [
"What event ended the majority of the fighting in southern Afghanistan?",
"How many total British troops have been killed during Operation Panther's Claw?",
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"how many troops have been killed in the past month?",
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] | [
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] | Major fighting in Operation Panther's Claw over, British military says .
Operation aimed at clearing Taliban from southern Afghanistan's Helmand .
At least 20 British troops have been killed in past month . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A London court cleared singer Amy Winehouse of assault Friday after a two-day trial, her spokesman told CNN. Singer Amy Winehouse was accused of hitting a woman at a charity ball last year. Winehouse was accused of assaulting a woman at a London charity ball last year. She had pleaded not guilty to the charge of common assault. "Amy would like to thank her family, friends, and her legal team for their support during this difficult time," said a statement issued by her spokesman. "She has always maintained her innocence and is very happy to move on with her life and put this episode behind her." The verdict will be good news for the troubled singer, who returned to Britain this month after spending six months on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Winehouse has publicly battled drug addiction, and this month a judge granted Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, a divorce. It is scheduled to be made final next month. The Grammy-winning artist arrived at court Friday wearing a white shirt, gray blazer, black skirt and pink ballet slippers. Her hair is back to her trademark black beehive with a blond streak, in contrast to the natural curls she sported while in the Caribbean. Winehouse is famous for her retro, soulful R&B sound and has had a string of hits including "Rehab," "Back to Black," and "Tears Dry on Their Own." | [
"Who is Winehouse getting a divorce from?",
"When did the charity ball take place?",
"What event did the troubled singer hit a woman in September?",
"What should be final next month?",
"Who pleaded not guilty?",
"What charge did Winehouse plead not guilty to?",
"Who plead not guilty in March?"
] | [
[
"Blake Fielder-Civil,"
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[
"last year."
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[
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[
"divorce."
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[
"Amy Winehouse"
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] | Troubled singer found not guilty of hitting woman at charity ball in September .
Amy Winehouse pleaded not guilty to the charge of common assault in March .
Winehouse's divorce from Blake Fielder-Civil should be made final next month . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A Scottish fish and chip shop visited by Prince William, Robert De Niro and Tom Hanks has been crowned the best place in Britain to eat the national dish.
Robert and Alison Smith, the owners of the Anstrhuther Fishbar in Fife, celebrate their success.
The UK is in recession, but the nation's traditional takeaway dish is showing no sign of a downturn.
Sales rose at 9,500 chippies in Britain by 1.7 percent last year, according to Seafish, a seafood industry group.
The Anstrhuther Fishbar in Fife, Scotland was crowned the best chippy of 2008 following a rigorous selection procedure that included a customer vote, taste tests and two intense rounds of shop inspections.
"Fish and chip shops are well-placed to prosper in the current economic climate as they offer value for money and a quality product with a feel-good factor," competition judge Andy Gray said.
"Despite the credit crunch, people still want to enjoy small luxuries. Fish and chips are a national institution which have survived the test of time and will be around for many years to come."
Fishbar owner Robert Smith said that the start of 2009 had been the busiest January since the harbor front shop opened in 2003. Smith, who also owns a fish processing business, said dedication was the key to the shop's success.
"We are passionate about our business and we just do it right," he said.
Fish and chips is the most popular hot takeaway in Britain, with 276 million meals eaten every year, according to Seafish figures. | [
"How many meals were eaten every year in UK?",
"According to what figures were 276 million meals eaten?",
"What is the shop's name?",
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"Where did Prince William visit?"
] | [
[
"276 million"
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[
"Anstrhuther Fishbar"
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[
"Anstrhuther Fishbar"
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[
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] | Scottish fish and chip shop visited by Prince William named best in UK .
Sales of UK's national dish up despite country slipping into recession .
276 million meals eaten every year in UK, according to industry figures . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A U.S. company is offering a rare chance to holiday on a mega-yacht once used by a Hollywood star and her husband -- and thanks to the recession it's actually affordable. The 100 foot Katania was chartered by Hollywood star Hilary Swank and her husband Chad Lowe. Seattle-based mega-yacht rental business CEO Expeditions usually charges around $100,000 a week to charter their 100+ foot yachts, however, they have introduced a deal waiving the charter fees -- so guests will only need to pay for the running of the vessel. The move to make such vessels more affordable comes as the recession continues to put pressure on the luxury holiday and mega-yacht industries. Although the costs of crew and luxury food aren't extremely cheap, it is expected this move will open up the recession-hit market to many more potential holiday-makers. One of the company's mega-yachts, Katania -- a 100 foot vessel which Hollywood actress Hilary Swank once chartered, now costs less than $3000 per day. Normally it would attract an additional $49,500 charter fee for a week's use. At the $2950 per day special rate four people can stay on the Katania -- but with the maximum six on board ($450 extra per person), the cost per person is a slightly more achievable $642. The price includes full crew, premium wines, gourmet food prepared by a private chef, amenities such as kayaks, hot tub, fishing/crabbing/shrimping equipment, and even a 30' Whaler for guest use. According to the company, Swank said of her charter holiday: "We had an absolutely enchanted time aboard the Katania. A more beautiful yacht does not exist." There is one small catch with the deal -- the boat is based in the San Juan islands, and any cruises to other destinations will attract an additional charge to cover fuel costs. The company's owner, Bruce Milne, said in a statement that the deal was largely due to the impact of the recession. "Travel is down, agents and brokers need deals, so rather than just a few full price charters, we decided to stay busy, put more people to work, and help island tourism by doing charters at cost. "Since we started chartering 10 years ago, we have been looking for a chance to provide our 'Expeditions to the Extraordinary' in the San Juan Islands at a price any luxury traveler can afford - this recession provides that opportunity," he said. Tim Wiltshire, director and sales broker at international yacht company Burgess Yachts, said the charter market wasn't a complete disaster, so he was surprised to see such a discount. "I wouldn't have expected to see that. We are seeing discounts on average of about 25 percent. Although, some people are trying interesting gimmicks to inspire new business," he said Wiltshire said that CEO Expedition's fleet isn't among the biggest or most luxurious on the market, and that this deal appeared to be clever marketing stunt. He felt that other larger vessels still warranted their greater price tags. | [
"What caused the discounted deal to be given?",
"How much does it cost to rent the yacht?",
"how much can the yacht be rented for?",
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"Which celebrity owns a yacht?",
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"what is the reason given",
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] | [
[
"the impact of the recession."
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[
"$100,000 a week"
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[
"$100,000 a week"
]
] | U.S. mega-yacht charter company waives massive $50,000 charter fees .
The impact of the recession is reason given for the discounted deal .
A yacht chartered by Hilary Swank can now be rented for under $3000 a day . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A U.S. company is offering a rare chance to holiday on a mega-yacht once used by a Hollywood star and her husband -- and thanks to the recession it's actually affordable. The 100-foot Katania normally would attract an additional $49,500 charter fee for a week's use. The 100-foot Katania was chartered by Hollywood star Hilary Swank and her husband, Chad Lowe. Seattle, Washington-based mega-yacht rental business CEO Expeditions usually charges around $100,000 a week to charter their 100-plus-foot yachts, but they have introduced a deal waiving the charter fees -- meaning guests will only need to pay for the running of the vessel. The move to make such vessels more affordable comes as the recession continues to put pressure on the luxury holiday and mega-yacht industries. Although the costs of crew and luxury food aren't extremely cheap, it is expected this move will open up the recession-strained market to many more potential holiday-makers. The Katania now costs less than $3,000 per day. Normally it would attract an additional $49,500 charter fee for a week's use. At the $2,950-per-day special rate, four people can stay on the Katania -- but with the maximum six on board ($450 extra per person) the cost per person is a slightly better $642. The price includes full crew, premium wines, gourmet food prepared by a private chef, amenities such as kayaks, hot tub, fishing/crabbing/shrimping equipment, and even a 30-foot whaler for guest use. According to the company, Swank said of her charter holiday: "We had an absolutely enchanted time aboard the Katania. A more beautiful yacht does not exist." There is one small catch with the deal -- the boat is based in the San Juan islands off the coast of Washington and British Columbia, and any cruises to other destinations will attract an additional charge to cover fuel costs. The company's owner, Bruce Milne, released a statement saying the deal was largely a result of the impact of the recession. "Travel is down, agents and brokers need deals, so rather than just a few full-price charters, we decided to stay busy, put more people to work, and help island tourism by doing charters at cost. "Since we started chartering 10 years ago, we have been looking for a chance to provide our 'Expeditions to the Extraordinary' in the San Juan Islands at a price any luxury traveler can afford -- this recession provides that opportunity," he said. Tim Wiltshire, director and sales broker at international yacht company Burgess Yachts, said the charter market isn't a complete disaster, so he was surprised to see such a discount. "I wouldn't have expected to see that," he said. "We are seeing discounts on average of about 25 percent. Although some people are trying interesting gimmicks to inspire new business." Wiltshire said CEO Expedition's fleet isn't among the biggest or most luxurious on the market, and this deal appears to be clever marketing stunt. His opinion is that other larger vessels still warrant their greater price tags. | [
"What is the reason given for the discounted deal?",
"What does the mega-yacht company waive?",
"What fees have been waived?",
"What reason was given for the deal?",
"What is the recession reason for?",
"Which company waives massive$50,000 charter fees?",
"How much were the charter fees waived by a U.S. mega=yacht company?",
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] | [
[
"the recession"
],
[
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],
[
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[
"the impact of the recession."
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[
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],
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[
"chance to provide our 'Expeditions to the Extraordinary' in the San Juan Islands at a price any luxury traveler can afford -- this recession provides that opportunity,\""
],
[
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] | U.S. mega-yacht charter company waives massive $50,000 charter fees .
The impact of the recession is reason given for the discounted deal .
A yacht chartered by Hilary Swank can now be rented for less than $3,000 a day . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A blossoming of cinematic creativity has swept Argentina in recent years, bringing about a second golden age of film. Pablo Trapero's latest movie "Lion's Den" stars Martina Gusman (left) and was in competition at Cannes. In Argentina, the renaissance marks a return to form for a cinematic tradition that was prolific and highly successful until creativity was stifled by a succession of military regimes that began with the ascendancy of Juan Peron in the 1940s. A revival occurred after the country returned to democracy in 1983 as filmmakers focused on life under the military dictatorship -- Luiz Puenzo's "The Official Story" (1985) won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. But an economic malaise ensued, turning off the taps to film financing. An economic boom in the 1990s quickly turned unstable, resulting in a crippling financial crisis earlier this decade that plunged Argentina into its worst recession ever. Out of the chaos, a new group of Argentina filmmakers emerged. The leaders of the so-called "New Argentine Cinema" have become critical contributors to the wider Latin American film movement that has captivated international critics and audiences alike. What's fueling New Argentine Cinema? Argentina's economy has recovered remarkably since its collapse in 2001, and the national film institute, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA), has been keen to foster the industry's development. The combination of cheap production costs and a flourishing artistic community has made Buenos Aires a hub of creativity. Already one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America, the city is attracting everyone from local bohemians to big Hollywood names. Francis Ford Coppola, the most recent notable to tap into the vibrant scene, opened an Argentine unit of his Zoetrope production company last year to film his Buenos Aires-set family drama "Tetro," which is anticipated to be released next year. What movies are creating buzz? Pablo Trapero's "Lion's Den" about a woman who gives birth and raises her child in prison was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. Trapero is best known for his depiction of ordinary people. He gained acclaim with "Crane World" (1999) -- a gritty look at Argentina's working class -- and is widely considered one of Argentina's leading directors. Also in competition at Cannes this year was "The Headless Woman" from the ever subtle Lucrecia Martel. The film focuses on a woman's guilt after a hit-and-run accident and like Martel's other works, offers up a dose of social criticism. Martel burst on the scene with her first movie "The Swamp" (2001), winner of the Alfred Bauer Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Lucia Puenzo stirred debate with "XXY" (2007), an exploration of adolescent sexuality centered around the life of a teenage hermaphrodite. The daughter of award-winning Luiz Puenzo, Lucia took home the Critic Weeks Grand Prize at Cannes last year. Are you excited about Argentine cinema? What is your favorite movie or director? Enough with the dramas -- who makes Argentines laugh? Daniel Burman has cited Woody Allen as one of the auteurs he most admires, and the influence is quite clear in his work, in which his identity as a Jew in Argentina figures prominently. "Waiting for the Messiah" (2000), "Lost Embrace" (2004) and "Family Law" (2006) make up the trilogy of films about fatherhood for which he has gained praise. The young director's latest film "Empty Nest" (2008) takes a touching and comedic look at married life. What's this I hear about a Hollywood in Argentina? You're referring to Palermo Hollywood. No, it's not a Las Vegas casino but rather a neighborhood in Buenos Aires where many film and TV studios are based. A bohemian spirit distinguishes the neighborhood from its more polished cousin to the south, Palermo Soho. Once occupied by desolate factories and warehouses, the area is now humming with activity. An abundance of hip lounges, cafes and trendy restaurants keep | [
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Vibrant Buenos Aires has attracted big names like Francis Ford Coppola .
Everything you need to know about the directors and movies creating buzz . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A brain surgeon performed what he called a "life-saving" surgery on a teenager by removing a large brain tumor using a method he read about on CNN.com just three days earlier. Dr. Thomas Ellis is a senior neurosurgeon at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Dr. Thomas Ellis, a senior neurosurgeon at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, the United States, said he had become "very demoralized" after an unsuccessful six-hour operation to remove a tumor from a 19-year-old named Brandon. "I had had to give the boy's mother the bad news and that is not something I am used to. She was crying and it was very hard. Your story truly came at the perfect time," Ellis said. "I am inclined to believe that it is the work of God that I came across your article that very night," the surgeon told CNN. The article was about the "Omni directional dielectric mirror," a pen-shaped fiber-optic tool that allows surgeons to carry out minimally invasive surgery on areas too difficult or delicate to access. That night, Ellis contacted the neurosurgeon quoted in the story who put him in touch with Omni Guide, the Boston, Massachusetts-based company that manufactures the handheld device. It was originally devised for the U.S. military, and rolled out for surgeries three months before Ellis read about it. The tool allows surgeons to easily manipulate a CO2 laser and bend it to reach almost any tissue in the body, particularly in cases where scalpels may pose a danger. "Seventy-two hours later I held the device in my hands," Ellis explained. "Omni Guide sent someone to do a demo. I was extremely impressed and excited and very quickly I pretty much got the hang of it." Ellis added: "I think it's an amazing story because it's yet another demonstration of how interconnected we've become in this world. "You have a CNN reporter in London, who writes a story about a neurosurgeon in Chicago, who's using a device that was invented in Massachusetts. That story is read by a different neurosurgeon in North Carolina, and all within 72 hours, we have the device in North Carolina. "We have the patient lined up for a surgery, and in the span of just a few days we perform really a life-saving operation on this patient." Ellis first met Brandon on December 17, 2008, when his mother took him to the emergency department at Wake Forest Hospital suffering from what Ellis calls, "an extremely rapid decline in basic functions." "While he had been suffering from minor symptoms for about a year, he suddenly acquired terrible headaches and became very confused." Ellis ordered an immediate MRI scan of Brandon's skull and found an extremely large tumor, known as a teratoma, in the middle of his brain. Read an explainer about teratomas He operated two days later, but despite spending six hours in the operating room and going through half a dozen scalpels, he only managed to remove 20 percent of the tumor. "In 15 years of doing neurosurgery, it really was the most difficult tumor that I ever encountered. It was very rubbery and hard to debulk," he said. "I wish I could demonstrate the firmness of the tumor that we were dealing with but it really was the case that after trying to dissect the tumor just five minutes with each scalpel, the scalpel would be dull and I would have to move on to use another scalpel. "I went through at least a half-dozen of them, and even after many, many hours of operating on this tumor with multiple scalpels with multiple microsurgical-dissecting tools, I couldn't remove very much of this tumor." Ellis advised the boy's mother, Tania, who asked we only give her first name, that her son would have to go through radiation treatment. Unlike chemotherapy, which involves the use of anticancer drugs, radiation treatment employs high-energy | [
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Later that day, he reads CNN.com story on a groundbreaking new surgery tool .
He contacts makers of the tool that could help in removing his patient's tumor .
Three days later, the patient is operated on again and all the tumor is removed . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A disabled punk band has launched a campaign to fight for the rights of disabled people to be able to party late. Heavy Load are a UK-based punk band with three out of five members who are disabled. "Heavy Load," describe themselves as an "anarcho-garage-punk" band and are made up of five musicians, one of whom has Downs Syndrome and two who have unspecified learning disabilities. Their campaign, "Stay Up Late," encourages carers to support disabled people who want to stay out past 10pm. Heavy Load's manager and bass guitarist, Paul Richards, 39, told CNN: "The Stay Up Late" campaign is to raise awareness, and tackle the issue where disabled gig-goers end up going home at 9pm, therefore missing most of the evening, because their support workers finish their shifts at 10pm. "We started the campaign because we'd be playing a gig and something strange happens at 9pm when people would start to go home. We were also frustrated with asking to go on earlier in the evening so that our fans would still be there. It's not very punk to go on at 8.30pm," he added. "Stay up Late" has received widespread support from disabled people and the UK government, Richards said. Even carers who may be required to work later if the campaign is successful have offered their support. "So far, we've only had one or two support workers say that they don't think they should be required to work unsociable hours," Richards said. The group has also partnered with the UK's leading learning disabilities charity Mencap, who they say have really helped to relay their message to a wider audience. Mencap and Heavy Load teamed up last week where the band headlined a concert in London for people with learning disabilities, giving them an opportunity to be involved in running a club night. See images from the concert » They concert was held in conjunction with London venue Proud Camden, and around 400 people attended the event which finished at 1am. Everyone at the event, from the door girl, to bar staff and cloakroom attendants, were people with learning disabilities, venue owner Alex Proud told CNN. "It's the first event of its kind for people with a learning disability and there was a real buzz about how people with learning disability are an untapped source in the entertainment industry." He said: "At these nights there is a lack of inhibitions. They tend to let their hair down and really know how to party; it's a hell of a lot of fun for all involved. Proud is eager to put on events that include people with a learning disability and to make the public more aware of this often overlooked group. "Young people with learning disabilities want to go out, but they are not catered for in the entertainment industry," he added. Heavy Load have been together for 13 years since meeting at the Southdown housing in England, a non-profit assisted-living community for people with learning disabilities. Vocalist Jimmy Nicholls, 62, posted an advert and a week later the band including Michael White, 47 (drums) Simon barker, 37 (lead vocals) and Mick Williams, 47 (guitar and vocals) was formed. Since then the band has gained many disabled and non-disabled fans and a successful documentary, "Heavy Load," has been made about their lives. Now they are looking forward to setting up the "Stay Up Late" campaign around the world. Richards said: "When we visited New York last year we were surprised to find that it's an issue for people with learning disabilities to get out much at all -- so there is definitely a need there. "We've also been asked to go to Russia, Serbia, other parts of the U.S., Scotland and Czech Republic to play and promote the campaign -- which we'd love to do, but money's tight, " he added. | [
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The band want disabled concert-goers to be able to enjoy gigs until the end .
Disabled people often have to leave gigs early when their carers' shifts end .
Heavy Load played last week at a London club night run by disabled people . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A football team from southern Italy is hoping for entry into the Guinness World Records because all their players have the same surname, according to a media report. The entire squad of Team De Feo, an amateur side from the town of Serino, have "De Feo" as their surname -- as does the coach, doctor and club secretary and sponsors, British newspaper The Independent reported. The club's ground even sits on Via Raffaele De Feo. A tourism Web site for Serino shows that the mayor's name is Gaetano De Feo. According to The Independent, the team was established by former Serie A player, Maurizio De Feo, who says he founded the team in a bid for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. The name De Feo is very common in the region. A Guinness World Records spokesman told CNN there did not appear to be any active categories that the team's identical surnames would fit in to -- but that new ideas were always welcomed. If the team was to submit a claim to Guinness World Records, the idea would be considered and a new category could potentially be created, the spokesman said. | [
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] | Amateur football team in southern Italy all have same surname .
"Team De Feo" founded by former Serie A player Maurizio De Feo .
Team has ambitions to get into Guinness Book of World Records . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A former motor-racing engineer has unveiled a prototype of a new hydrogen-powered city car which claims to emit less than one third of the carbon emissions produced by its nearest rival. The Riversimple Urban Car has been nine years in the making and needs further funding for city trials. The creators of the 'Urban Car,' UK-based company Riversimple, say the vehicle emits less than 30 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide, less than one third of the carbon produced by the Polo Bluemotion. Riversimple founder Hugo Spowers has spent nine years researching and developing the prototype car. "I think that the auto industry is focusing a lot of money on research and development at a basic science level on hydrogen storage and fuel cell technology. We don't think it's necessary to do that," Spowers told CNN. "We can use existing technology and integrate it into a whole system design approach -- that is where the breakthrough has come." Spowers is searching for extra funding to put the 'Urban Car' on the streets, but he says at this stage they won't be for sale. Riversimple plans to lease the car to customers for a monthly fee of £200 ($330). Hydrogen fuel for the cars will cost just 15 pence (25 cents) per mile. It's a long way from the fuel-guzzling world Spowers used to inhabit as a designer and developer of high-powered racing cars. It was the industry's appalling environmental record that encouraged him to leave to try to find a way to make driving greener. "Certainly the first five or six years were hard work because I did have an awful lot of people telling me I was mad," Spowers told CNN, at the launch of the Riversimple Urban Car in London. "Gradually it all sort of gathered steam," he said, adding "I'm absolutely convinced that we're offering a better solution for a segment of the transport problem and we'd be crazy not to pursue it." The Urban Car's power comes from hydrogen fuel cells which are linked to four electric motors situated over each of the car's wheels. Almost all of the braking is done by the electric motors, which then capture the energy of the car in motion and store it in a bank of ultracapacitors. In conventional cars, the energy generated through braking is lost as heat. The energy stored in the Urban Car's electric motors is enough to power 80 percent of the car's acceleration. That reduces the energy demands on the hydrogen fuel cell, meaning it can be one fifth of the size of one used in a normal car. The lighter fuel cell also makes it more energy efficient. A large part of the funding for the car's development came from the family of Ernst Piëch, the eldest grandson of Ferdinand Porsche who founded the motor company of the same name in 1931. Ferdinand Porsche's great-grandson Sebastien Piëch is a partner in Riversimple. He says the company's nimble size has given it an advantage over larger car manufacturers whose future he says concerns him. "It concerns me massively, because I don't see that the model they have now is very relevant to where consumers are going. Consumers are looking for a different solution. I'm not sure if what they're producing is working," he said. Riversimple plans to share the designs for its car through open-source licence agreements, a system more commonly used in the software industry. Designers and manufacturers will be invited to make improvements so the car evolves into the most efficient vehicle it can be. "We don't believe that making money on IP (intellectual property) is really what's actually happening even now. We believe that service and providing the solution for customers will be where we make money," Piëch told CNN. The next step now is to find further financing, another £20 million ($33 million), to build and test ten cars. Fifty prototypes will then be built for a pilot project in a small | [
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] | Riversimple launches car prototype with lowest level of carbon emissions .
Car is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and four electric motors over the wheels .
Company's looking for $33 million dollars to build ten cars for trials .
Designer Spowers used expertise he gained in motor racing to build prototype . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A habitually violent young man was convicted Wednesday of the murder of teenage actor Rob Knox, who had starred in the latest "Harry Potter" film. The father, brother and mother of Rob Knox pose together after the death of the young actor. Karl Bishop, 22, attacked Knox and four friends with two kitchen knives outside a bar in Sidcup, south east London, last May. He stabbed them 10 times in less than two minutes, the Old Bailey court in central London heard. Knox, 18, had rushed out of the bar after he heard that Bishop had threatened his younger brother Jamie but he ended up being stabbed five times, once in a main artery. He died in hospital later that night. Bystanders said Bishop's face was "screwed up in rage" as he lashed out with the two knives, the Press Association reported. Days before the attack, the actor had finished filming on "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince," due for international release in July, in which he played the role of Marcus Belby. He was set to reprise the part in future "Harry Potter" films. Knox's father Colin told mourners at his funeral, including co-star Rupert Grint, that his son had been "living the dream," PA said. Prosecutor Brian Altman told the court that the young actor's promising life was ended by a "habitual knife carrier" who believed stabbing people was an "occupational hazard" and had previous convictions for knife crime. Bishop is due to be sentenced on Thursday. Knife crime in Britain is a political hot topic due to a spate of recent killings of mainly young people in major cities. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged tougher sentences for those caught carrying knives. He told the Daily Telegraph last month: "By carrying a knife you are not only endangering the lives of others, but you are more likely to be killed, or end up in jail. "We need to change the way young people think about knives, we need families and communities working together ... to get this message across and help stamp out knife crime and get weapons off our streets." | [
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] | Man convicted of murder of teenage actor who starred in new "Harry Potter" film .
Karl Bishop, 22, attacked Rob Knox with 2 knives in southeast London last May .
Knife crime in Britain is political hot topic due to spate of recent killings . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A high-pitched device used to combat anti-social behavior among young people has been called "unfair" by children's campaigners in England. "The Mosquito" has been used to combat anti-social behavior among young people across England The Children's Commissioner for England, who oversees children's rights, has called for a ban on the ultra-sonic gadget, known as "The Mosquito," which disperses young people by emitting sharp, piercing sounds. The device causes discomfort to younger ears by exploiting their ability to hear very high frequencies -- a power which declines once they reach their 20s. But human rights groups say the machine infringes civil rights and creates a divide between young and old. Launching the "Buzz Off" campaign, England's Children's Commissioner Al Aynsley-Green said: "I have spoken to many children and young people from all over England who have been deeply affected by ultra-sonic teenage deterrents." Aynsley-Green said about 3,500 of the devices are in use across England to split up gatherings of youth in areas such as parks and shops. "These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving," he added. Youth leaders backed the campaign, adding that The Mosquito fails to address the root problems of anti-social behavior among youths -- and may even push teenagers to congregate in unsafe areas. "Police, local authorities, and business instead should work collectively with young people and their communities to address the underlying causes of anti-social behavior in areas that cause concern," said Fiona Blacke, chief executive of the National Youth Agency, a government-funded group that works with young people on social development. The Mosquito was invented by Howard Stapleton, from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, and is manufactured by Compound Security Systems. The company describes The Mosquito as an "ultrasonic teenage deterrent" and "the most effective tool in our fight against anti social behavior." It says the device has a range of 15 to 20 meters and teenagers are "acutely aware of The Mosquito and usually move away from an area within an average of 8 to 10 minutes." The company says The Mosquito has proved popular with shop keepers who buy it to move along gatherings of teenagers and anti-social youths. It could not be contacted for a response to criticism of the deterrent. Railway companies have also placed the device to discourage youths from spraying graffiti on trains and station walls, Compound Security said. The controversial gadget was first used by shopkeeper Robert Gough, from South Wales. He told The Times newspaper: "Either someone has come along and wiped them off the face of the earth, or it's working." However, Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: "What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children? Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids. "The Mosquito has no place in a country that values its children and seeks to instill them with dignity and respect." E-mail to a friend | [
"What is the mosquito?",
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"Human rights groups say what?",
"Who can hear the mosquito?"
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[
"high-pitched device used to combat anti-social behavior"
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[
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] | Campaigners want to ban ultra-sonic device used against young people .
"The Mosquito" emits sharp sounds that can only be heard by under 20s .
About 3,500 of the devices are used in England to disperse young people .
Human rights groups say they create divide between young and old . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A jury Tuesday acquitted three men of charges that they helped the bombers who carried out the July 7, 2005, attacks on the London transportation system.
Sadeer Saleem was accused of helping to plan the July 7, 2005 bombings in London
The four bombers died in the blasts, but Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil were accused of helping them by conducting reconnaissance and conspiring with them.
Two of the men -- Ali and Shakil -- were convicted of a second charge of conspiracy to attend a place used for terrorist training. They will be sentenced Wednesday, London's Metropolitan Police said.
Tuesday's verdicts came at the end of the men's retrial at Kingston Crown Court in southwest London. A separate jury failed to reach a verdict in their first trial, which ended in August after three months.
The bombings in 2005 killed 52 people in blasts on three subway trains and a bus. At least 900 people were wounded.
Police arrested the three in March 2007 after piecing together what they called a "complicated jigsaw with thousands of pieces." They were charged in April 2007.
Police said they analyzed more than 4,700 phone numbers and 90,000 calls. They discovered the three men had made a trip to London in December 2004 -- seven months before the fatal bombings -- which prosecutors claimed was a reconnaissance trip to scout potential targets.
Prosecutors said that on December 16, 2004, the men traveled from the northern English city of Leeds to London, along with Hasib Hussain, one of the July 7 bombers. When they got to the capital, they met with Lindsay.
Over the next two days, prosecutors claimed, the men visited tourist sites including the London Eye ferris wheel, the London Aquarium and the Natural History Museum, as well as underground train locations. Some of the spots, prosecutors said, were near where the July 7 bombs were eventually detonated.
Police called it "the first feasibility study" for the London bombings -- and whether they were looking at tourist or transportation sites, the men were seeking out potential bomb targets, police said.
The three men, who always denied the charges, acknowledged making the trip but said it was just an innocent outing to visit Ali's sister in London. Saleem told the court that he had had "no idea whatsoever" about the plot.
Traces of DNA linked all three alleged accomplices in some way to the bombers, police had claimed. Investigators found Ali's fingerprints on evidence found at the bomb-making sites.
Khan, Lindsay, Hussain and a fourth bomber, Shehzad Tanweer, set off a series of bombs the morning of July 7, 2005. They exploded on underground trains near Liverpool Street, Russell Square and Edgware Road and on a double-decker bus at Tavistock Square.
Police have previously said they believe others with knowledge of the attacks remain at large.
The jury found that in July 2001, Ali went with Khan to Pakistan. In July 2003, Shakil went with Khan to a camp in Pakistan, where the two undertook firearms training with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and AK-47 assault rifles, London police said.
The jury found Ali and Shakil guilty of conspiring to attend a place used for terrorist training, knowing or believing that instruction or training would be provided for purposes connected with the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism, London police said.
"Mohammed Siddique Khan and Mohammed Shakil told other attendees that their aim was to fight in Afghanistan," said John McDowall, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. "They were proficient in the use of and handling of terrorist weapons, and were certainly not enjoying a day out in a beautiful and mountainous area of Pakistan, as was suggested in court.
"Shakil himself accepted that the camp at Malakand was a serious business, whose purpose was to train willing volunteers to fight and kill in Afghanistan on behalf of the Taliban, a cause to which both he and Ali were, and remain, sympathetic," McDowall said. | [
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Verdicts came at the end of the men's retrial .
Three men had always denied the charges . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A juvenile court in Ghana has sentenced two teenage girls from Great Britain to nine months in jail for trying to smuggle cocaine out of the country, Ghana's national news agency said Wednesday.
The girls were stopped by customs officials at Accra trying to smuggle drugs back to Britain.
The 16-year-olds will not have to serve the full sentence because they have already spent more than six months in jail, a British Foreign Office spokesman said.
Fair Trials International, a UK-based group that provided legal assistance to the pair, said in a statement Wednesday that it will decide in the coming days whether to appeal. The girls faced a maximum sentence of three years but are expected to be released on April 18, the group said.
For now, the girls are housed in a correctional home for girls in the country's capital, Accra.
Ghanaian police arrested the teenagers as they were readying to board a British Airways flight back to London last July.
When officials searched their laptop bags as part of departure formalities, they found about 6 kg (13 lbs) of cocaine, the Ghana News Agency and British media reports said.
Authorities in Ghana said a man paid the girls 6,000 pounds (about $11,700) to fly to Ghana to retrieve the laptop bags containing the drugs from two of his associates, the news agency added.
Those men have not been caught.
Fair Trials called the girls "pawns in a larger operation.
"It is deeply unfortunate that they, and not the men who lured them to Ghana, are bearing the consequences," said the group's chief executive, Catherine Wolthuizen.
Ghana and other West African countries have become a transit point for drugs headed to Europe. The girls were arrested in a joint Britain-Ghana drug detection operation, the United Kingdom's customs agency said Wednesday. E-mail to a friend | [
"Where was the duo arrested?",
"Who is unlikely to serve?",
"Where were the girls from, specifically?",
"Who arrested the girls?",
"Who were sentenced?",
"Where were the girls arrested?",
"How long have the girls already been in jail for?",
"How long was she in jail?",
"What did the teen smuggle?",
"How old were the teens?"
] | [
[
"Accra"
],
[
"The 16-year-olds"
],
[
"Great Britain"
],
[
"customs officials at Accra"
],
[
"two teenage girls from Great Britain"
],
[
"Accra"
],
[
"more than six months"
],
[
"more than six months"
],
[
"cocaine"
],
[
"16-year-olds"
]
] | British teens sentenced to nine months in prison for trying to smuggle cocaine .
The duo, both 16, were arrested in Ghana on July 2, 2007 at Accra's airport .
Girls unlikely to serve whole sentence as have been in jail more than 6 months . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A man walks around the side of a building, footsteps falling in time to the heartbeat of a driving pop soundtrack, pulls out a pistol and guns down another man. Tony Servillo as arch-manipulator and seven time Italian Prime Minister, Guilio Andreotti, in Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo." A montage of grisly murders follows, all with the same infectious pop song pounding in the background. It's edge-of-the-seat stuff and it's only the opening sequence of gifted Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's biopic of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti, "Il Divo." Sorrentino's film chronicles the career of probably the most important and controversial politico in Italy's recent history. But, more than that, it pins Andreotti to the specimen board and dissects his character without mercy. The film caught the eye of the judges at Cannes Film Festival last year where it picked up the Jury Prize. Predictably, Andreotti didn't react well to the film. "He was very angry," recalls Sorrentino. Now 91 years-old, Andreotti has been Prime Minister of Italy seven times. His Christian Democrat Party was the leading force in Italian politics as a one-party system for four decades. The rules of the game were shattered in the early 1990s by "Tangentopoli" or Bribesville -- a corruption scandal that laid bare some of the government's unsavory practices, ruining careers and resulting in the suicides of some leading politicians. Andreotti himself was implicated in illegal activities, including connections to the Mafia, but was finally acquitted of all charges. Today, he is a senator for life. Something of the man's influence in all spheres of Italian public life becomes clear when Sorrentino -- who says he is not a political director, "only in this case" -- explains how hard he found it to fund the film. "In Italy nobody wanted to finance the film because everybody was scared," Sorrentino told CNN. "He has been a very powerful man for many years." Sorrentino managed eventually to secure funding from a private source. "It is not easy for Italian companies to put money in this project, so we did it with the private money of very courageous individuals," he said. Sorrentino picks up the Andreotti story at the beginning of the 1990s, just prior to his implication in the scandal, as he is about to assume power for the seventh time. A good deal of "Il Divo's" success lies in a stunning portrayal of Andreotti by Naples-born actor Toni Servillo, who is a veteran of three of Sorrentino's other films including 2006's "The Consequences of Love." Servillo's Andreotti is a stiff, impassive tortoise of a man. With a hunched back, skinny sloping shoulders and strange drooping ears, Andreotti appears physically frail. He is beset by headaches -- indeed, the opening scene of the film shows him with a head full of acupuncture needles trying to get rid of one -- a taste of the mix of drama and humor that informs the rest of the film. But where the body is weak the will is strong and in Andreotti's wit and cunning intelligence -- "I know I'm an average man, but looking around I don't see any giants" -- there is a sense of a man who can and will do anything to stay in power. "I have always wanted to make a film about Andreotti," says Sorrentino. "He is so psychologically complex that everyone has been intrigued by him over the years. "It's a political film but at the same time a film about a complex character from a psychological point of view." For a long time, though, Sorrentino was convinced that the vast amounts of literature written about the man could never be distilled into a structure that would work on film -- "It made my head spin," he remembers. While Sorrentino almost had too much material to mine while researching Andreotti's public life, it was impossible to get access to details | [
"What is the name of Paolo Sorrentino's film about Guilio Andreotti?",
"What country is Guilio Andreotti from?",
"Who were people scare of?",
"Who is the film about?",
"What is the number of times that the prime minister elected?",
"Who had problems funding the film?",
"Who is the focus of \"Il Divo\"?",
"When was the political corruption scandal?"
] | [
[
"\"Il Divo.\""
],
[
"Italy"
],
[
"Giulio Andreotti,"
],
[
"Italian politician Giulio Andreotti,"
],
[
"seven"
],
[
"Paolo Sorrentino's"
],
[
"Italian politician Giulio Andreotti,"
],
[
"early 1990s"
]
] | Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo" chronicles the career of Italian politician Guilio Andreotti .
Seven time Prime Minister was implicated in 1990s political corruption scandal .
Film is a psychological study of man who has fascinated Italy for years .
Sorrentino found it hard to fund the film because people were scared of Andreotti . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A massive fire engulfed the four-story offices of a major film company in central London on Friday, sending clouds of white smoke over the city skyline, the London fire department said. Streets in London were cordoned off while firefighters tackled the blaze. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries as a result of the blaze in the Future Films building on Dean Street in the city's Soho district, London ambulance services said. The London Fire Brigade dispatched 12 engines and 55 firefighters to battle the fire, which began before 2 p.m. (9 a.m. ET). As a result, an adjacent street -- the W1 -- has been closed to traffic and pedestrians. When reached by CNN, Future Films founder and managing director Stephen Margolis had no comment about the fire. Future Films has been involved in the production of more than 120 films since Margolis created the company in 2000, including "Bend it like Beckham" (2002), "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002), and "Transsiberian" (2008). CNN's Per Nyberg and Laura Perez Maestro contributed to this report. | [
"What were sealed off?",
"What was seen above London?",
"In which city is there a fire?",
"What was sealed off?",
"What was seem in London?",
"What was seen billowing?",
"What was done around London streets?",
"Where was smoke seen?",
"What district has a popular nightlife?",
"What was sealed off around the blaze?"
] | [
[
"Streets in London"
],
[
"clouds of white smoke"
],
[
"London"
],
[
"Streets in London"
],
[
"A massive fire"
],
[
"clouds of white smoke"
],
[
"were cordoned off"
],
[
"over the city skyline,"
],
[
"Soho"
],
[
"Streets in London"
]
] | Streets sealed off around London blaze .
Smoke seen billowing over British capital .
Soho a popular nightlife district . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A medical ailment that has worried male members of string sections across the music world for over 30 years has been exposed as a hoax.
Male cellists of the world can breathe easy again.
A senior British lawmaker confessed to making up the condition known as "cello scrotum" -- which relates to chafing from the instrument -- after reading about another musically-related ailment called "guitarist's nipple" in the British Medical Journal in 1974.
Elaine Murphy, who is a member of The House of Lords and a trained doctor, came clean about the prank she devised with husband John in a letter to the BMJ published on Wednesday.
She said: "Perhaps after 34 years it's time for us to confess that we invented cello scrotum.
"Reading (Dr) Curtis's 1974 letter to the BMJ on guitar nipple, we thought it highly likely to be a spoof and decided to go one further by submitting a letter pretending to have noted a similar phenomenon in cellists, signed by the non-doctor one of us.
"Anyone who has ever watched a cello being played would realize the physical impossibility of our claim."
Murphy's confession may have been hastened by the fact that cello scrotum was referenced by a medical researcher in the BMJ late last year.
The article, entitled "A symphony of maladies," focused on health problems among musicians and contained references to such ailments as fiddler's neck, flautist's chin and cellist's chest.
Fiona Godlee, editor of the BMJ, told Britain's Independent newspaper: "It seems the BMJ has been deliciously hoaxed. It is wonderful it has been going all these years and no one realized.
"We frown on misconduct and medical fraud is taken very seriously. But in this case I hope I am right in saying that no harm has been done."
Murphy was made a life peer in 2004 and is active on mental health and ageing issues in the House of Lords. | [
"Who is a trained doctor?",
"What journal was it published in?",
"Who is Elaine Murphy?",
"Where was it mentioned?",
"What ailment did she make up?",
"What did she make up?",
"Where was Cello scrotum referenced?",
"\"A symphony of maladies\" focused on what?",
"Where is Elaine Murphy a member?"
] | [
[
"Elaine Murphy,"
],
[
"the British Medical"
],
[
"member of The House of Lords and a trained doctor,"
],
[
"referenced by a medical researcher in the BMJ"
],
[
"\"cello scrotum\""
],
[
"the condition known as \"cello scrotum\""
],
[
"by a medical researcher in the BMJ late last year."
],
[
"health problems among musicians"
],
[
"The House of Lords"
]
] | Elaine Murphy is a member of The House of Lords and a trained doctor .
She made up cello scrotum ailment after reading about guitarist's nipple in 1974 .
Cello scrotum was referenced in a British Medical Journal article last year .
"A symphony of maladies" focused on health problems among musicians . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A meningitis outbreak is threatening the lives of tens of thousands of people in Darfur, according to an aid agency expelled from the country last week. A Doctors without Borders medic helps a sick child in a Darfur refugee camp. Humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), says it was preparing to vaccinate around 100,000 people in southern and western Darfur against meningitis, when it was told to leave the country. "We were in the process of organizing a vaccination campaign. At the moment there's no one there that can take over those activities, which is really worrying," Gemma Davies of MSF told CNN. The country's Ministry of Health officially declared a meningitis outbreak on March 2 at the Kalma Camp, which shelters more than 90,000 refugees in southern Darfur. "Living in such close proximity, the potential for this outbreak to spread quickly is quite high, Davies, MSF project coordinator for South Darfur, told CNN. "With no health care providers to give vaccinations, and with no one to manage the meningitis cases when they come, it's really concerning," she added. The vaccination campaign was due to begin on March 7, but it is now unclear if or when it will resume, as reports of government harassment of aid workers continue. Davies told CNN she experienced no harassment, and said government officials had been in contact with only the head of MSF's regional operations. "We haven't actually been given any reason on why we were expelled," she said. "We have absolutely no idea when we'll be able to return." Doctors Without Borders was among 13 aid agencies, including Mercy Corps and the International Rescue Committee, that were ordered by the government to shut down their operations in Sudan last week. So far the agency has confirmed 32 meningitis cases and four deaths, and has seen dozens of other suspected cases. Thousands of unvaccinated refugees and villagers are now exposed to the airborne disease in densely populated camps and villages throughout Sudan. "One of our priorities is to get another organization to take over our programs there," Davies added. The medical relief agency says it doubts though that other any other organizations have the capacity to deal with a meningitis epidemic. Davies also said she is worried about the cut-off of MSF's feeding and maternal delivery services: "We had over 100 patients on our feeding program that now won't be receiving any follow up." The decision by the Sudanese government to throw out the aid groups came a day after the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. However, not all international aid organizations are affected. Others including World Vision international continues its work, which reaches approximately 500,000 internally displaced people in South Sudan. The U.N. has received reports that international staff members of five non-governmental organizations had been detained for up to four hours. Speaking on the phone from Nairobi, an aid worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of further harassment, told CNN that his colleagues who remained in Khartoum were being intimidated and threatened by government agents. In some cases Sudanese government representatives "had started gathering banking details and confiscating computers, communications equipment and vehicles from the NGOs", a U.N spokesman said at a news conference last week. Last week, the U.N. warned that the loss of NGOs in Sudan would cause 1.1 million people to go without food aid and health care, and more than 1 million to have no access to water. Oxfam, whose work focuses on providing safe drinking water, was one of the aid groups who were told their registration to operate in Sudan was no longer valid. Ninety percent of their staff are Sudanese nationals, who mostly remain in country, unable to continue their relief work under threat of arrest. "These agencies are vital implementation partners for the United Nations and account for at least half of the humanitarian capacity in | [
"Who is the head of the Sudanese government?",
"What disease threatened many residents of Darfur?",
"Amount that is at risk of starvation after the aid agencies were expelled?",
"Aid workers were detained by what government?",
"Who has been detained by the Sudanese government?",
"What caused a risk of starvation for over a million people?",
"What number of people are at risk of starvation?",
"What illness threatens hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur?",
"What number of people are threatened by meningitis?"
] | [
[
"President Omar Hassan al-Bashir"
],
[
"meningitis"
],
[
"1.1 million"
],
[
"Sudanese"
],
[
"international staff members of five non-governmental organizations"
],
[
"A meningitis outbreak"
],
[
"1.1 million"
],
[
"meningitis"
],
[
"tens of thousands"
]
] | Meningitis threatens hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur .
More than a million at risk of starvation after aid agencies expelled, U.N. warns .
Sources: Aid workers harassed and detained by the Sudanese government . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A motorcycle gang carried out a bold smash-and-grab raid on a jewelry store in the center of London -- right in front of a CNN camera.
One of the raiders can be seen clutching stolen watches as the gang makes its getaway.
CNN reporter Sasha Herriman and cameraman Peter Kavanagh were filming in Oxford Street, London's busiest retail area, when the raiders took a sledgehammer to the store's windows in broad daylight.
Kavanagh kept the camera rolling as the thieves helped themselves to handfuls of luxury watches before roaring off on their motorcycles, leaving a crowd of stunned shoppers in their wake.
"They always tell you to expect the unexpected when working in news, and this certainly was unexpected," said Kavanagh, an Australian cameraman with 19 years' experience. Images from the daring heist »
"As we were filming we heard a couple of motorbikes revving their engines loudly and saw a crowd forming. We couldn't tell what was happening at first.
"We saw the men yelling at the crowd and gesturing for them to stay back. Then they ran out of the store, climbed on their bikes and sped off."
Kavanagh says the daring heist nearly came unstuck at the last minute when the riders were forced to swerve to avoid a truck pulling into the road -- a moment he caught on film, along with a tantalizing glimpse of their booty. Watch raiders zoom away on motorcycles »
"As they went past, I zoomed in to get a clear shot. I noticed one of the passengers on the bikes was carrying a fistful of watches."
London's Metropolitan Police would not reveal the value of the items taken from the store, but said they were trying to establish if it was linked to other smash and grabs.
No one has been arrested in connection with the raid, they said, and witnesses were being sought.
Says Kavanagh, after the four raiders had fled, punching the air with victory signs, so did many of the passers-by who saw it happen.
"Afterwards we went over to the store and saw the glass from smashed cabinets and the sledgehammer lying on the ground. Most witnesses cleared off, but a few who had taken photos came forward." | [
"Who was arrested?",
"Who helped themselves to watches before making a getaway?",
"Who took a sledgehammer to the windows?",
"What did the gang help themselves to?",
"Who is reporting the incident?",
"What is going on?",
"Who takes a sledgehammer to the store's windows?"
] | [
[
"No one"
],
[
"motorcycle gang"
],
[
"A motorcycle gang"
],
[
"handfuls of luxury watches"
],
[
"Sasha Herriman"
],
[
"a jewelry store"
],
[
"raiders"
]
] | Raiders take sledgehammer to store's windows as CNN camera rolls .
Motorcycle gang helped themselves to watches before making getaway .
Police say no arrests have been made yet . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A neighborhood in east London was getting back to normal Saturday after British Army engineers detonated a large World War II bomb unearthed this week on a building site, officials said. Army engineers covered the bomb with sand to minimise the risk of an explosion. An Army bomb disposal team carried out a controlled explosion on the 2,200-pound German warhead at 5:55 p.m. (12:55 p.m. ET) Friday, London's Metropolitan Police said. Video of the blast showed brown dirt, debris and black smoke shooting into the air when the bomb went off. There were no reports of any injuries or damage to surrounding property after the blast, the police and Ministry of Defense said. The public was allowed back into the industrial neighborhood by Friday night, authorities said. Two subway lines and a rail line in the area, which were shut down after construction crews discovered the bomb Monday, were running normal service Saturday, transportation officials said. London's transit authority, Transport for London (TfL), said the police and army gave permission for its engineers to check the tracks less than an hour after the controlled explosion. The tracks were clear of debris and damage and services resumed at 7:13 p.m. (2:13 p.m. ET), TfL said. Contractors preparing a waterway near the site of the future Olympic Park discovered the bomb Monday. The Ministry of Defense said the bomb, which measured four feet by two feet, was the largest one found in the capital since 1975. The bomb was "enormous," said Simon Saunders, a spokesman for the British Army's London district. At one point during the week the bomb started ticking, which suggested a timing device, Saunders said. Disposal experts put strong magnets next to the bomb to shut down the clockwork and the ticking stopped, he said. It's not uncommon for World War II-era bombs to be unearthed in Europe. In London, which suffered the aerial bombardment of the Blitz, bombs are uncovered two or three times a year, Saunders said. The London Blitz lasted from September 1940 until May 1941. German bombers attacked the city every day or night for the first two months, but the worst night was the last -- May 10, 1941, when 3,000 people were killed in London, according to the Museum of London. Much of the Blitz focused on east London. In all, more than 20,000 people were killed in the Blitz, short for "Blitzkrieg," the German word for "lightning war." | [
"The bomb was the largest found in the capital since when?",
"What was utilized to stop the bomb's timer?",
"What was detonated in London?",
"Who said the bomb was the largest found in the capital since 1975?",
"Where was the bomb found?",
"What stopped the timer?",
"What did the experts use to stop the timer?",
"Where was the bomb detonated?",
"Who detonated a bomb?",
"What did disposal experts use to stop the timer after the bomb started ticking?",
"Where did the British Army detonate a large WW II bomb?"
] | [
[
"1975."
],
[
"strong magnets"
],
[
"World War II bomb"
],
[
"The Ministry of Defense"
],
[
"A neighborhood in east London"
],
[
"Disposal experts"
],
[
"strong magnets"
],
[
"A neighborhood in east London"
],
[
"British"
],
[
"strong magnets"
],
[
"neighborhood in east London"
]
] | British Army engineers detonate a large World War II bomb in London .
Ministry of Defense: Bomb was the largest found in the capital since 1975 .
Disposal experts used strong magnets to stop timer after bomb started ticking . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new sleeper virus that could allow hackers to steal financial and personal information has now spread to more than eight million computers in what industry analysts say is one of the most serious infections they have ever seen.
Experts say a single infected laptop could expose an entire network to the worm.
The Downadup or Conficker worm exploits a bug in Microsoft Windows to infect mainly corporate networks, where -- although it has yet to cause any harm -- it potentially exposes infected PCs to hijack.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at anti-virus firm F-Secure, says while the purpose of the worm is unclear, its unique "phone home" design, linking back to its point of origin, means it can receive further orders to wreak havoc.
He said his company had reverse-engineered its program, which they suspected of originating in Ukraine, and is using the call-back mechanism to monitor an exponential infection rate, despite Microsoft's issuing of a patch to fix the bug.
"On Tuesday there were 2.5 million, on Wednesday 3.5 million and today [Friday], eight million," he told CNN. "It's getting worse, not better."
Hypponen explained to CNN the dangers that Downadup poses, who is most at risk and what can be done to stop its spread.
How serious is it?
It is the most serious large scale worm outbreak we have seen in recent years because of how widespread it is, but it is not very serious in terms of what it does. So far it doesn't try to steal personal information or credit card details.
Who is affected?
We have large infections in Europe, the United States and in Asia. It is a Windows worm and almost all the cases are corporate networks. There are very few reports of independent home computers affected.
What does it do?
It is a complicated worm most likely engineered by a group of people who have spent time making it very complicated to analyze and remove. The real reason why they have created it is hard to say right now, but we do know how it replicates.
How does it spread?
The worm does not spread over email or the Web. However if an infected laptop is connected to your corporate network, it will immediately scan the network looking for machines to infect. These will be machines that have not installed a patch from Microsoft known as MS08-067. The worm will also scan company networks trying to guess your password, trying hundreds and hundreds of common words. If it gets in, even if you are not at your machine, it will infect and begin spreading to other servers. A third method of spreading is via USB data sticks.
How can I prevent it infecting my machine?
The best way is to get the patch and install it company-wide. The second way is password security. Use long, difficult passwords -- particularly for administrators who cannot afford to be locked out of the machines they will have to fix.
What can I do if it has already infected?
Machines can be disinfected. The problem is for companies with thousands of infected machines, which can become re-infected from just one computer even as they are being cleared. | [
"What does it allow creators to do?",
"What would it allow people to do?",
"What does the worm do?",
"What does the worm exploit?",
"What has spread to 8 million computers?",
"What has spread to eight million computers?"
] | [
[
"information"
],
[
"information"
],
[
"exploits a bug in Microsoft Windows to infect mainly corporate networks,"
],
[
"a bug in Microsoft Windows"
],
[
"A new sleeper virus"
],
[
"new sleeper virus"
]
] | A new sleeper virus has now spread to more than eight million computers .
Industry analysts say is one of the most serious infections they have ever seen .
The worm exploits a bug in Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows software .
Virus could allow its creators to hijack entire networks . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new sleeper virus that could allow hackers to steal financial and personal information has now spread to more than eight million computers in what industry analysts say is one of the most serious infections they have ever seen.
Experts say a single infected laptop could expose an entire network to the worm.
The Downadup or Conficker worm exploits a bug in Microsoft Windows to infect mainly corporate networks, where -- although it has yet to cause any harm -- it potentially exposes infected PCs to hijack.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at anti-virus firm F-Secure, says while the purpose of the worm is unclear, its unique "phone home" design, linking back to its point of origin, means it can receive further orders to wreak havoc.
He said his company had reverse-engineered its program, which they suspected of originating in Ukraine, and is using the call-back mechanism to monitor an exponential infection rate, despite Microsoft's issuing of a patch to fix the bug.
"On Tuesday there were 2.5 million, on Wednesday 3.5 million and today [Friday], eight million," he told CNN. "It's getting worse, not better."
Hypponen explained to CNN the dangers that Downadup poses, who is most at risk and what can be done to stop its spread.
How serious is it?
It is the most serious large scale worm outbreak we have seen in recent years because of how widespread it is, but it is not very serious in terms of what it does. So far it doesn't try to steal personal information or credit card details.
Who is affected?
We have large infections in Europe, the United States and in Asia. It is a Windows worm and almost all the cases are corporate networks. There are very few reports of independent home computers affected.
What does it do?
It is a complicated worm most likely engineered by a group of people who have spent time making it very complicated to analyze and remove. The real reason why they have created it is hard to say right now, but we do know how it replicates.
How does it spread?
The worm does not spread over email or the Web. However if an infected laptop is connected to your corporate network, it will immediately scan the network looking for machines to infect. These will be machines that have not installed a patch from Microsoft known as MS08-067. The worm will also scan company networks trying to guess your password, trying hundreds and hundreds of common words. If it gets in, even if you are not at your machine, it will infect and begin spreading to other servers. A third method of spreading is via USB data sticks.
How can I prevent it infecting my machine?
The best way is to get the patch and install it company-wide. The second way is password security. Use long, difficult passwords -- particularly for administrators who cannot afford to be locked out of the machines they will have to fix.
What can I do if it has already infected?
Machines can be disinfected. The problem is for companies with thousands of infected machines, which can become re-infected from just one computer even as they are being cleared. | [
"What does the worm exploit?",
"What could the virus allow?",
"How many computers are infected?"
] | [
[
"a bug in Microsoft Windows"
],
[
"information"
],
[
"more than eight million"
]
] | A new sleeper virus has now spread to more than eight million computers .
Industry analysts say is one of the most serious infections they have ever seen .
The worm exploits a bug in Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows software .
Virus could allow its creators to hijack entire networks . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new witness in the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann has told investigators he talked with a "Victoria Beckham look-a-like" who may have revealed clues about the girl's fate, a family spokesman said Thursday. Sketch shows woman who may hold new clues to disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Investigators would not release what was said in the conversation but the clues have led police to try to find the woman. Madeleine vanished from the family's holiday villa at the Portuguese beach resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 as her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, dined in a nearby restaurant. She was 3 years old at the time. The suspicious woman was seen outside a bar in Barcelona, Spain, by partygoers on May 7, 2007, and the new witness had a conversation with this woman, said McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell. Watch McCann spokesman describe new lead » Authorities released a sketch of the person, described as a woman who spoke with an Australian accent and who could also speak fluent Spanish. Former detective inspector Dave Edgar, who was hired by the McCann family, called the new witness a significant movement in the case. Edgar would not say why the witness waited so long to come forward, stating only it was personal reasons. Mitchell described the woman they are looking for as similar in appearance to the former Spice Girl singer and wife of soccer star David Beckham. She was described as in her 30s and about 5 feet 2 inches tall. Madeleine's parents have garnered international support in an effort to find their daughter, enlisting the aid of celebrities and even Pope Benedict XVI. At one point, authorities in Portugal had named the girl's parents as suspects, along with a British man living in Portugal, Robert Murat. But a spokesman for the Portuguese public prosecutor's office said in July 2008 that authorities found no evidence of involvement by any of the three and were no longer considering them suspects. Portuguese investigators closed the case in July 2008. | [
"Where did Madeleine McCann vanish from?",
"Who helped parents of Madeleine?",
"When were the new clues discovered?",
"At what age was Madeleine at the time of her disapperance?",
"What have Madeline's parents garnered?",
"What is the name of the missing child?"
] | [
[
"the family's holiday villa at the Portuguese beach resort of Praia da Luz"
],
[
"Dave Edgar,"
],
[
"Thursday."
],
[
"3 years old"
],
[
"Madeleine's"
],
[
"Madeleine McCann"
]
] | Investigators would not release specific details of new clues .
Madeleine McCann vanished from holiday villa in Portugal in May 2007 .
Madeleine's parents have garnered international support in hunt for their child . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A portrait painted 400 years ago and kept anonymously in an Irish home for much of the time since is now believed to be the only painting of William Shakespeare created during his lifetime.
The portrait of William Shakespeare is thought to be the "only" portrait painted during his lifetime.
The image reveals a wealthy Shakespeare of high social status, contradicting the popular view of a struggling playwright of humble status, according to Stanley Wells, a professor who chairs London's Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Wells, a distinguished Shakespeare scholar, arranged for three years of research and scientific testing which confirmed it was painted around 1610, when Shakespeare would have been 46 years old.
"A rather young looking 46, it has to be said," Wells said. Shakespeare died in 1616.
The Cobbe portrait -- named after the Irish family that owns the painting -- shows Shakespeare with rosy cheeks, a full head of hair, and a reddish brown beard.
The most common portrait of Shakespeare is a gray image showing a bald Bard with a small mustache and beard, and bags under his eyes.
The identity of the man in the portrait was lost over the centuries -- until Alec Cobbe saw a portrait from Washington's Folger Shakespeare Library. That painting, which fell into disfavor as a Shakespeare portrait about 70 years ago, turned out to be one of four copies of Cobbe's portrait.
The portrait "shows a man wearing expensive costuming, including a very beautifully painted ruff of Italian lacework which would have been very expensive," Wells said.
"It establishes, for me, that Shakespeare in his later years was a rather wealthy, a rather well affluent member of aristocratic circles in the society of his time," Wells said.
"There's been too much of a tendency to believe that Shakespeare, being the son of a glover, coming for a small town in the middle of England, that he necessarily retained a rather humble status throughout his life."
Wells reads even more into what he sees in Shakespeare's newly-found face.
"I think it's plausible as a portrait as a good listener, of somebody who would have been capable of writing the plays, clearly the face of a man of high intelligence," he said.
"It's the face of a man, I think, who betrays a good deal of wisdom in his features. But, of course, as somebody (King Duncan) says in Shakespeare's story Macbeth, 'there's no art to find the mind's construction in the face.'"
It should be noted that Shakespeare's King Duncan paid a price for judging Macbeth to have the face of an honorable man. Macbeth later murdered the king.
The public can read Shakespeare's face from the original painting at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon where it goes on display for several months starting April 23.
The portrait then returns to the Cobbe family, which inherited it when an ancestor married England's Earl of Southampton -- a friend of Shakespeare who likely commissioned its painting. | [
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] | [
[
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[
"several months starting April 23."
],
[
"London's Shakespeare Birthplace Trust."
],
[
"1616."
],
[
"400 years ago"
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] | Shakespeare group unveil "only" portrait of playwright painted during his lifetime .
Painting on display after three years of research and testing .
It was painted in about 1610 -- or six years before Shakespeare's death .
Identity of man in painting was lost until owner saw a copy of it in a museum . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A portrait painted 400 years ago and kept anonymously in an Irish home for much of the time since is now believed to be the only painting of William Shakespeare created during his lifetime. The portrait of William Shakespeare is thought to be the "only" portrait painted during his lifetime. The image reveals a wealthy Shakespeare of high social status, contradicting the popular view of a struggling playwright of humble status, according to Stanley Wells, a professor who chairs London's Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Wells, a distinguished Shakespeare scholar, arranged for three years of research and scientific testing which confirmed it was painted around 1610, when Shakespeare would have been 46 years old. "A rather young looking 46, it has to be said," Wells said. Shakespeare died in 1616. The Cobbe portrait -- named after the Irish family that owns the painting -- shows Shakespeare with rosy cheeks, a full head of hair, and a reddish brown beard. The most common portrait of Shakespeare is a gray image showing a bald Bard with a small mustache and beard, and bags under his eyes. The identity of the man in the portrait was lost over the centuries -- until Alec Cobbe saw a portrait from Washington's Folger Shakespeare Library. That painting, which fell into disfavor as a Shakespeare portrait about 70 years ago, turned out to be one of four copies of Cobbe's portrait. The portrait "shows a man wearing expensive costuming, including a very beautifully painted ruff of Italian lacework which would have been very expensive," Wells said. "It establishes, for me, that Shakespeare in his later years was a rather wealthy, a rather well affluent member of aristocratic circles in the society of his time," Wells said. "There's been too much of a tendency to believe that Shakespeare, being the son of a glover, coming for a small town in the middle of England, that he necessarily retained a rather humble status throughout his life." Wells reads even more into what he sees in Shakespeare's newly-found face. "I think it's plausible as a portrait as a good listener, of somebody who would have been capable of writing the plays, clearly the face of a man of high intelligence," he said. "It's the face of a man, I think, who betrays a good deal of wisdom in his features. But, of course, as somebody (King Duncan) says in Shakespeare's story Macbeth, 'there's no art to find the mind's construction in the face.'" It should be noted that Shakespeare's King Duncan paid a price for judging Macbeth to have the face of an honorable man. Macbeth later murdered the king. The public can read Shakespeare's face from the original painting at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon where it goes on display for several months starting April 23. The portrait then returns to the Cobbe family, which inherited it when an ancestor married England's Earl of Southampton -- a friend of Shakespeare who likely commissioned its painting. | [
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] | Shakespeare group unveil "only" portrait of playwright painted during his lifetime .
Painting on display after three years of research and testing .
It was painted in about 1610 -- or six years before Shakespeare's death .
Identity of man in painting was lost until owner saw a copy of it in a museum . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A schoolteacher from southern England with no previous filmmaking experience has given amateurism a good name by directing her pupils in a feature film fit for Hollywood. Alice Ralph, 18, stars in "Far From the Madding Crowd" as Bathsheba Everdene. It has taken a year of hard work using only one camera, but teachers and pupils at The Gryphon School in Sherborne, Dorset, recently premiered their 110-minute long adaptation of English novelist Thomas Hardy's seminal 1874 work "Far From the Madding Crowd." "When I watched it for the first time, it was actually quite an emotional experience," director/producer and Head of Drama Rosita Clarke told CNN. "It's a kind of relief to see the efforts of what you've worked on and achieved an absolute reality." Clarke is the driving force behind the project and says many people didn't believe she would be able to pull off a feature film when she first came up with the idea. "Miss Clarke pitched the idea, and said she was going to make a feature film and we all thought she was joking," said 18-year-old Ben Jones, a Gryphon student, who plays Sergeant Troy in the film. "But we all kind of went along with it and it's turned into this." Clarke was inspired to make the feature after she directed a play with some film footage in it the previous year. "I thought to myself, 'I'm going to make a film,'" she said. After getting permission from the school, Clarke sat down with Hardy's book during the school summer holidays and over two weeks wrote a screenplay. In August 2008, Gryphon's Hardy feature went into production. "Far From the Madding Crowd" unfolds against the backdrop of rural 19th Century England and tells the story of beautiful Bathsheba Everdene who inherits a farm from her uncle and finds herself loved by three men. The feature was filmed over weekends, holidays and snatched evenings after school. It is full of exquisite costumes, gorgeous Dorset vistas and faultless acting from students aged between 16 and 18-years old. Despite the demands of the shooting schedule, the students say they were able to fit in their schoolwork around it. "As far as the study goes, it's been ok," said Jones. Watch CNN The Screening Room's Myleene Klass report on the Gryphon School's London premiere The pupils involved say it didn't undermine their studies, and in some cases helped it by giving them an invaluable experience in an industry they would like to work in in the future. "Some of us want to get into the profession and this experience has been really valuable," said Jack Buckley, 18, who plays shepherd Gabriel Oak. "We haven't done any film acting before and it's very different to stage acting so we've learn a lot about that." But the experience has not been without challenges: Using just one camera Clarke and her team had to film a fire in a 19th Century hayrick [haystack], work with livestock including sheep and shoot large crowd scenes. In total 130 pupils worked on the film in roles from hair and make-up to walk-on parts. Alice Ralph, 18, who stars as Bathsheba, says acting for the camera was one aspect that took some getting used to. "At first I found it really hard to get used to the camera. I found it really awkward," she said. "I remember the first shoot. I couldn't even say my lines." Emotional scenes shot up-close requiring convincing tears and restrained acting also proved a challenge for the students who are used to acting on stage. "The emotional scenes were actually really difficult," said Ralph. "I found them quite hard to get, with the crying and things but with Mrs Clarke's help she put me in a situation and I'd use emotional memory and I'd get there in the end." Clarke had no experience of filmmaking when she started | [
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] | The school in southern England made a feature-length film starring pupils .
130 pupils spent a year filming Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd"
Film cost $11,000 and includes a fire scene, animal-wrangling and crowd scenes .
Some pupils involved hope to go on to work in film industry . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A sculpture of a giant white horse taller than the Statue of Liberty is set to tower over the countryside as part of an unusual scheme to help revive the fortunes of a depressed region of England.
The 50-meter high horse will dominate the landscape around Ebbsfleet.
The 50-meter equine artwork was Tuesday announced as the winner of a competition to design a landmark to dominate the skyline of the Ebbsfleet Valley, set to be a new stop on the Eurostar London-to-Paris rail link.
Designed by artist Mark Wallinger -- whose previous work has included dressing in a bear suit and wandering around a gallery in Berlin -- the £2 million ($3 million) horse will be one of the largest artworks in the UK.
Wallinger's horse -- which echoes ancient white horse symbols carved into hillsides around Britain -- beat a shortlist of designs that included a tower of stacked cubes and giant steel nest.
Victoria Pomery, head of the panel that selected the design, described the 33-times normal size horse as "outstanding."
"Mark is a superb artist of world renown and his sculpture will become a real landmark for Ebbsfleet Valley and the whole region," she said.
It drew a less favorable response from readers of local Web site Kentnews.com, who described it as a "waste of money," an "abomination" and "depressing."
One correspondent, Andy Smith, added: "This horse looks extremely silly." | [
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"Whose brainchild is it?",
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"What competition was it?",
"What do critics say it is?"
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] | Giant horse announced as winner of competition to design new landmark .
Equine artwork is brainchild of conceptual artist Mark Wallinger .
Design's selectors describe sculpture as "outstanding," critics say it's "silly" |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A series of major international sporting events, a weak currency and its perennially sunny perch on the tip of South Africa are making Cape Town one of the hottest sailing destinations of 2009.
Lucky strike: The port city of Cape Town is set to benefit from several major sporting events
The Indian Premier League cricket tournament was recently relocated to South Africa because of security concerns, and now Cape Town is slated to host the opening match on April 18.
Both the Lions Tour rugby and the FIFA Confederations Cup football will follow the cricket tournament, heading down to South Africa later this year.
Combined with the arrival of the World Cup in 2010, South Africa has suddenly become the ultimate holiday spot for sports fans.
Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited -- the region's tourism board -- told CNN the boost to the region had arrived at a crucial time.
"When the financial crisis started people went into gloom and doom but these events are helping a lot to restore confidence in the industry.
"The fact that we have a positive exchange rate also helps us a lot as a destination," he said.
But South Africa's government is so focused on ensuring the success of the upcoming games that it recently denied a visa to The Dalai Lama.
Critics contend that South Africa bowed to pressure from the Chinese government in refusing Tibet's spiritual leader entry to attend a peace conference that was partially intended to help promote the World Cup.
As the focus strengthens on these international events, the Cape Town region looks set to benefit more than many from the expected surge in tourism.
Gilfellan says this is largely due to the city's location.
"We are lucky to be in such a wonderful spot. A lot of these events revolve around the marine industry and revolve around the harbor."
This weekend harbor will play host to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival -- one of many upcoming festivals in the area.
Cape Town's picturesque Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, has become South Africa's most visited tourist attraction.
Commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) John Martin, told CNN the Cape Town port was used widely for business, leisure and sports.
As well as being the country's second biggest functioning port for trade, the port played host to racing yachts in events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Clipper Round-the-world Challenge.
"We have several major yachting events that stop here and we are very proud of that."
Martin said the popularity of the port means water space is "at a premium," but there are hopes a new harbor and breakwater will be constructed in the next few years.
Still, Cape Town has the capacity to cater for foreign visitors on super-yachts and international cruise-liners.
"Cape Town is a real focal point for refueling and repairs and it's also quite cheap here so people tend to stay for a while," he said.
Gilfellan said she felt the surge of massive sporting events would undoubtedly have spin-off benefits for the marine industry.
The Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket, which starts this month, had been tipped to go to England, but ultimately South Africa was chosen for its sunny weather. The tournament, which will feature 59 matches across six venues, will run from 18 April to 24 May
The 2009 British and Irish Lions tour officially kicks off on May 30 in Rustenberg. Matches will be held in Cape Town on June 13 and June 23.
The eight-team Confederations Cup runs from June 14-28, and will take place across four cities. The event marks the first time an African nation will host an international FIFA tournament.
The landmark event foreshadows the much-anticipated World Cup football tournament in June 2010, for which qualifying matches are currently being held.
Although that's still a year away -- there are signs that the excitement in South Africa is already palpable.
A new television commercial that began airing last month | [
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] | MainSail's 'Port of the Month' is Cape Town, South Africa .
The area is one of South Africa's most popular tourist destinations .
Cape Town is set to benefit from major international sporting events .
The port is the country's second biggest and hosts major yacht races . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A series of major international sporting events, a weak currency and its perennially sunny perch on the tip of South Africa are making Cape Town one of the hottest sailing destinations of 2009. Lucky strike: The port city of Cape Town is set to benefit from several major sporting events The Indian Premier League cricket tournament was recently relocated to South Africa because of security concerns, and now Cape Town is slated to host the opening match on April 18. Both the Lions Tour rugby and the FIFA Confederations Cup football will follow the cricket tournament, heading down to South Africa later this year. Combined with the arrival of the World Cup in 2010, South Africa has suddenly become the ultimate holiday spot for sports fans. Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited -- the region's tourism board -- told CNN the boost to the region had arrived at a crucial time. "When the financial crisis started people went into gloom and doom but these events are helping a lot to restore confidence in the industry. "The fact that we have a positive exchange rate also helps us a lot as a destination," he said. But South Africa's government is so focused on ensuring the success of the upcoming games that it recently denied a visa to The Dalai Lama. Critics contend that South Africa bowed to pressure from the Chinese government in refusing Tibet's spiritual leader entry to attend a peace conference that was partially intended to help promote the World Cup. As the focus strengthens on these international events, the Cape Town region looks set to benefit more than many from the expected surge in tourism. Gilfellan says this is largely due to the city's location. "We are lucky to be in such a wonderful spot. A lot of these events revolve around the marine industry and revolve around the harbor." This weekend harbor will play host to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival -- one of many upcoming festivals in the area. Cape Town's picturesque Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, has become South Africa's most visited tourist attraction. Commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) John Martin, told CNN the Cape Town port was used widely for business, leisure and sports. As well as being the country's second biggest functioning port for trade, the port played host to racing yachts in events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Clipper Round-the-world Challenge. "We have several major yachting events that stop here and we are very proud of that." Martin said the popularity of the port means water space is "at a premium," but there are hopes a new harbor and breakwater will be constructed in the next few years. Still, Cape Town has the capacity to cater for foreign visitors on super-yachts and international cruise-liners. "Cape Town is a real focal point for refueling and repairs and it's also quite cheap here so people tend to stay for a while," he said. Gilfellan said she felt the surge of massive sporting events would undoubtedly have spin-off benefits for the marine industry. The Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket, which starts this month, had been tipped to go to England, but ultimately South Africa was chosen for its sunny weather. The tournament, which will feature 59 matches across six venues, will run from 18 April to 24 May The 2009 British and Irish Lions tour officially kicks off on May 30 in Rustenberg. Matches will be held in Cape Town on June 13 and June 23. The eight-team Confederations Cup runs from June 14-28, and will take place across four cities. The event marks the first time an African nation will host an international FIFA tournament. The landmark event foreshadows the much-anticipated World Cup football tournament in June 2010, for which qualifying matches are currently being held. Although that's still a year away -- there are signs that the excitement in South Africa is already palpable. A new television commercial that began airing last month | [
"Which port hosts major yacht races?",
"Which area is most popular?",
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"What sporting events take place?",
"What does this port host?"
] | [
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],
[
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[
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] | MainSail's 'Port of the Month' is Cape Town, South Africa .
The area is one of South Africa's most popular tourist destinations .
Cape Town is set to benefit from major international sporting events .
The port is the country's second biggest and hosts major yacht races . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A series of photographic exhibitions have been organized in Europe and North America this autumn to highlight a campaign by Britain's Prince Charles to combat tropical deforestation.
An aerial of Jambi Province, Indonesia showing the destruction of the tropical rainforest.
The photographs were taken by world-renowned environment photographer Daniel Beltra who was this year's winner of the Prince's Rainforest Project Award at the Sony World Photography Awards earlier this year.
The images graphically depict the effects of climate change on the rainforests in the South America, Africa and Indonesia.
Beltra compiled a library of around 40,000 images during month long trips to the Amazon Basin, the Congolese Forest and Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia.
When he returned home Beltra produced a shortlist of around 1000 images from which the final exhibition photos were selected.
"I shoot a lot when I'm in the air," Beltra told CNN. "Trying to concentrate on a small detail on the ground when your flying at a speed of 150 knots is difficult."
And that's not the only problem Beltra encountered. The very acts of destruction he was documenting often got in the way of his work. Click here to see a selection of images from the exhibition »
"When you are photographing deforestation, you are taking a lot of pictures of logging and fires and the smoke can make it very difficult to shoot."
Beltra was born in Spain but is now based in the United States. His work, which includes freelancing for the international environmental group Greenpeace, has taken him to over 50 countries and he is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.
HRH Prince Charles has long been a passionate defender of the environment and he founded the Prince's Rainforest Project (PRP) in 2007.
The PRP works alongside governments, international businesses, non-profit organizations and rainforest nations to find a solution to the deforestation and degradation of the rainforests.
Speaking at the Sony Awards in Cannes, France earlier this year the Prince said: "Photographic images can tell a compelling story about the truth of the situation, and the truth is that if we lose the fight against tropical deforestation, then we lose the fight against climate change."
Beltra hopes that his pictures will raise further awareness of the perils that humans face in the wake of continued rainforest destruction.
"I think we are all getting more aware but we really need to get our act together because at the moment we are destroying more than we are protecting," he said.
The multimedia exhibitions organized by Sony are taking place at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in London, the Hotel de Ville, Paris, the Alexa Center, Berlin and the Mercy Corps Action Center, New York. | [
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] | New photography exhibition showcases the destruction of the rainforests .
Images taken by world-renowned environmental photographer Daniel Beltra .
Photos form part of wider rainforest campaign by Britain's Prince Charles . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A ship laden with toxic substances is due to arrive in northeast England for recycling Sunday, ending an odyssey that has seen it turned away from at least three other countries. The scrapping of the aircraft carrier has been hugely controversial and a major headache for France. The French Navy spent years looking for a site that would decommission the former aircraft carrier Clemenceau, now known simply as the Q790. The ship contains asbestos, which can cause cancer. Greenpeace activists boarded the ship off the coast of Egypt in 2006 to prevent it being sent to India to be scrapped. The environmental campaign group said at the time it contained "high levels of asbestos and other hazardous materials." Two activists climbed the ship's masts and hung banners reading "Absestos carrier: stay out of India." The group declared "victory" a month later when then-President Jacques Chirac of France recalled the ship after the country's Council of State ruled its export could violate European law, Greenpeace said. The ship had earlier been rejected by Turkey and Greece, after the original plan to turn it into an artificial reef was scrapped for environmental reasons, the group said. The British ship recycling company that will scrap it had to apply for special permission from the country's Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive. But the company, Able Ship Recycling, hailed its arrival in the English city of Hartlepool as a milestone. "The dismantling of the vessel will be the largest ship recycling project ever undertaken in Europe," the company said in a statement. The work will take place at the company's Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre, where it will produce about 200 jobs in the economically depressed region. Able chairman and chief executive Peter Stephenson said the contract was "crucially important... at a time when there are so many economic problems facing the world -- and especially a region such as the north-east of England." "Recycling the Q790 will be the largest project so far handled by any European yard but, with the biggest dry dock in the world, we have the capacity to undertake the recycling of the vessel," he added. Launched in 1957, the Clemenceau was the mainstay of the French naval fleet and sailed over a million nautical miles before being withdrawn from active service after almost four decades at sea, the company said. It will join the other three UK and four U.S. vessels also being recycled at the center, Able said. Greenpeace is not opposing the transfer of the ship to England, but press reports suggest local activists are displeased. | [
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"What is on the French ship?",
"Where is the ship supposed to arrive for recycling?",
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] | French ship laden with toxic substances is to arrive in UK for recycling .
Aircraft carrier had been turned away from at least three other countries .
Despite earlier protests, Greenpeace not opposing transfer of ship to England . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A six-month trial was launched this week that promises to transform the way luggage is tracked and monitored at London's Heathrow airport. As many as 28 in every 1,000 passengers do not arrive at their destination at the same time as their luggage. The trial -- run by BAA and airline Emirates -- is using RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology to tag baggage. This will allow staff to more accurately track bags passing through the airport. The crucial difference between RFID and the existing barcode system is its scanning accuracy. Barcode tags can be easily damaged in transit and are also at risk of being covered when scanned. If not scanned, details must be entered manually into the system, adding time and error to the process. BAA estimates that Heathrow can read only 60 per cent of labels that pass through. RFID is reported to offer over 99 percent accuracy. The £150,000 trial -- the first of its kind in the UK -- will continue for six months tracking bags for passengers traveling with Emirates to and from Dubai, and transferring through Heathrow. A duplicate of the Heathrow system has been installed at Dubai Airport. During the check-in process at Heathrow Terminal 3, staff apply tags containing RFID chips to bags with information including the passenger's name and route. The chips are then read on entry into the baggage system; they are tracked as they move throughout; and finally on leaving the system. As a result, says Shaun Cowlam, Logistics Director at Heathrow Airport, staff can know where a bag is at "every moment of every day". BAA is also considering introducing a SMS text messaging service to keep passengers informed of where their bags are. When passengers arrive at Heathrow, says Cowlam, the idea will be to send passengers a text informing them what belt and what time their bags will arrive at. Ultimately, the use of RFID could extend services to frequent flyers, and provide the means to added value services such as faster check-in, and even be integrated with secure collection and delivery. The main benefits, however, will be for travelers passing through major hubs such as Heathrow and Dubai, as this system offers better processing of baggage on transfer flights. Emirates and BAA are sharing the costs of the trial. But as Vic Sheppard, Emirates Vice President for UK and Ireland says, "cost is not an issue", especially considering the savings the airline is expected to achieve by reducing loss and repatriation of bags. And as Cowlam adds: "if we can introduce this across the whole network the costs will reduce significantly." Hong Kong International Airport was one of the first to deploy RFID technology in 2005. But as outlined in a recent survey by SITA, RFID is being used in just 6 percent of the airports surveyed. "For this system to really take off we need other airports and other airlines to embrace the technology," says Cowlam. That widespread adoption may not be far off. The SITA survey indicated that RFID tags will be used in 45 percent of airports by the end of 2009. It's still early days, but BAA and Emirates are optimistic for RFID's future in airports. "There have been giant strides in the technology in aviation in recent years. But in the last few decades there hasn't been any advancement in the methods adopted for baggage handling," says Sheppard. "This is a major step forward." E-mail to a friend | [
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] | New trial at Heathrow airport will use RFID to accurately track and monitor luggage .
Compared to exsiting bar codes, RFID tags offer 15 percent more reading accuracy .
A proposed service will send SMS to passengers informing when bags arrive . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A visit to the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers. Visiting the Eiffel Tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists. But some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit, according to a survey of British tourists. And those questioned didn't think too highly of their own country's best-known landmarks either, with Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain also turning people cold. Travel expert Felice Hardy explained why many tourists, often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places, are left with a feeling of anti-climax. "It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world," she said. "But many of them are overcrowded and disappointing. "Pick carefully and don't always go for the obvious. Natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made, and can be wonderfully free of tourists." The Eiffel Tower -- described by Hardy as "frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced" -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight. Britain's biggest letdown was Stonehenge, a sacred Druid sight in the rural south of England, which was dismissed as "an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field" by Hardy. The Diana fountain resembled "a colorless wet skateboard park" while as far as Big Ben was concerned: "Once you've seen it, you'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else." Three of America's most famous sights -- New York's Times Square and Statue of Liberty plus The White House in Washington also made the list of shame. But the 1,267 adults questioned by Virgin Travel Insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world, with the Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan topping the list. Other unmissables included the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya and Australia's Sydney Harbor Bridge. Alnwick Castle in Northumberland was voted Britain's top tourist sight. TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING GLOBAL SIGHTS 1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris; 2. The Louvre, Paris; 3. Times Square, New York; 4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona; 5. Statue of Liberty, New York; 6. Spanish Steps, Rome; 7. The White House, Washington DC; 8. The Pyramids, Egypt; 9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin; 10.The Leaning Tower of Pisa. TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING UK SIGHTS 1. Stonehenge; 2. Angel of the North. Gateshead; 3. Blackpool Tower; 4. Land's End, Cornwall; 5. Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, London; 6. The London Eye; 7. Brighton Pier; 8. Buckingham Palace; 9. White Cliffs of Dover; 10. Big Ben. TOP TEN BEST GLOBAL SIGHTS 1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan; 2. The Grand Canal, Venice; 3. The Masai Mara, Kenya; 4. Sydney Harbour Bridge; 5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan; 6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia; 7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey; 8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia; 9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia; 10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland. TOP TEN BEST UK SIGHTS 1. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland; 2. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim; 3. The Royal Crescent, Bath; 4. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark, south London; 5. The Backs, Cambridge; 6. Holkham Bay, Norfolk; 7. Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset; 8. Tate St Ives gallery, Cornwall; 9. Isle of Skye, Scotland; 10. The Eden Project, Cornwall E-mail to a friend | [
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"Where is the best place to visit",
"What is most disappointing to visit?",
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"What are the most disappointing to visit"
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"A visit to the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids is"
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] | Some of most iconic global tourist attractions are most disappointing to visit .
The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids on the list .
The Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan voted the best place to visit . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A warning of more attacks on UK bankers was made on Wednesday after the home of former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin was vandalized.
A recovery vehicle removes a Mercedes from the Edinburgh home of Fred Goodwin.
Windows were smashed in Goodwin's house in the Scottish capital Edinburgh and those of a Mercedes-Benz limousine parked outside.
It is not known if anyone was at home at the time. Goodwin -- dubbed "Fred the Shred" by the media for his ruthless cost-cutting -- and his family have not been living in the house since it was revealed that the 50-year-old Goodwin was receiving an annual pension of $1 million (£700,000) for life.
A statement issued to media organizations including the Press Association after the attack said: "We are angry that rich people, like him, are paying themselves a huge amount of money and living in luxury, while ordinary people are made unemployed, destitute and homeless.
"Bank bosses should be jailed. This is just the beginning."
No group was named in the message and it did not explicitly claim responsibility for the attack.
Goodwin took early retirement after RBS nearly collapsed amid the economic crisis and was later part-nationalized. Watch more on the attack »
On the same day as the size of his pension was revealed RBS announced a UK record loss of $34.6 billion (£24.1 billion) for 2008.
Politicians and commentators have expressed fury about the deal and excessive bonuses being given by bailed-out banks.
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, head of the Treasury, urged Goodwin to give up his pension. He refused, saying he had already given up a number of contractual rights which had cost him a lot of money. Watch consternation at Goodwin's £16 million pension fund »
The statement warning of more attacks on bankers came days after AIG sent a memo to employees giving them security advice as fury grows in the U.S. over millions paid out in bonuses by the bailed-out U.S. insurance giant.
Employees were warned not to wear the company logo, to travel in pairs and park in well-lit places, and to phone security if they notice anyone "spending an inordinate amount of time near an AIG facility."
AIG employees have received death threats since the company handed out $165 million (£115 million) in bonuses and security at AIG offices has been increased.
And last month British police warned that officers were preparing for a "summer of rage" as protests mount across Europe against the economic crisis.
David Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan Police's public order branch, said growing unemployment, failing companies and the recession could spark a "mass protest."
Hartshorn said the G-20 economic summit starting next week could lead to unrest as leaders of the world's richest nations head to London. | [
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] | Scottish home of former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin vandalized .
Statement issued to media oorganizations warns of more attacks on bankers .
Embattled U.S. insurance giant AIG last week gave employees security advice .
Last month British police said officers were preparing for "summer of rage" |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A yellow smiley-face badge, smeared with blood, has become the trademark for "Watchmen," the most critically revered of all comic books -- but it could also represent its troubled journey from page to big screen. "Watchmen" opens with the unexplained murder of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Note smiley badge. The subject of fervent debate in the geekosphere for more than two decades, "Watchmen" finally rolls out in the U.S. and other territories from the first week of March onward. But it's not as well known to wider audiences, who may puzzle at all this heat about a superhero movie with no A-list star attached. Instead, they may simply ask: "Watch-what?" "Watchmen," created by the UK comic-book team of writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, surfaced in 1986 as a monthly 12-issue series published by DC Comics (part of Time Warner, which owns CNN parent company Turner Broadcasting). Are you looking forward to "Watchmen?" Or think it's just hype? It was a defining year for the medium: aside from "Watchmen," '86 also saw Pulitzer-prize winning holocaust drama "Maus," from The New Yorker contributor Art Spielgeman; and Frank Miller's hyperviolent Batman reworking "The Dark Knight Returns." "Watchmen," which takes place in 1985, is set in a parallel world where America never lost Vietnam, Russia is about to invade Afghanistan and Richard Nixon still holds power (Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were murdered). Meanwhile a superhero team -- only one of whom has special powers -- reforms after a fellow operative is mysteriously slain. But what lifts "Watchmen" above its superhero peers is a complex, multi-layered narrative and depth of characterization that ensured it was the only comic book to make Time's 100 best novels since 1923. A dark, downbeat work with a heady 11th-hour twist, it puts as much store on subsidiary characters like a newspaper seller as its does blue-skinned man-god Dr. Manhattan. Its influence can be traced to current small-screen favorites like "Heroes" and "Lost." Watch "Watchmen" trailer. » Perfect fodder, one might think, for the multiplex -- but "Watchmen" has been lodged in Development Hell for the best part of two decades. At various times Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vin Diesel were mooted to play Manhattan; Mickey Rourke and Ed Norton were suggested for right-wing vigilante Rorschach. Directors set to shoot have included Terry Gilliam, Darren Aronofsky, Paul Greengrass and David Hayter (whose script has been retained for much of the final film). Several planned shoots failed to materialize due to studio fears about the budget (locations include Antarctica and Mars as well as New York) and how the ending might be perceived in a post-9/11 world. But film-makers such as Gilliam and Guillermo del Toro also believed that the complex material would be better treated as a TV mini-series. As the latter, the "Pan's Labyrinth" filmmaker, told IGN: "I just couldn't get my head around 'Watchmen' being two or three hours long." Whoever made "Watchmen" would also do so without Moore's blessing. Still resident in his hometown of Northampton, central England, Moore cuts an imposing figure. At least six-and-a-half feet tall, with chest-length beard and hair, talon-like rings on his fingers and the skull of a centuries-old Buddhist monk in his study, he resembles Doctor Who as reimagined by Edgar Allan Poe. (In person he's gracious and affable, as this writer will attest from a few years back.) Moore has had a mixed relationship with both the mainstream comic-book industry (which he accuses of over-commercialization and exploiting creators' rights) and Hollywood. The comic-book series "From Hell," in which Moore uses the Jack the Ripper killings as a precursor to 20th-century violence | [
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Directors Terry Gilliam, Darren Aronofsky, Paul Greengrass, previously attached .
Source material regarded by many as the best comic-book ever written .
Co-creator Alan Moore has objected to the idea of story being made into movie . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- After a lifetime of playing characters past-their-prime, Clint Eastwood appears to still be enjoying his own. Clint Eastwood stars as inspector Harry Callahan in "Dirty Harry" (1971). Just last week the 78-year-old actor, best-known for his portrayal of "tough guys" like "Dirty Harry," was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival. The American film-maker accepted the Palme d'Or (only the second they've ever given for lifetime achievement), while he was in town promoting his new film "Gran Torino." What is your favorite Clint Eastwood movie? Tell us below in the SoundOff box. Eastwood both directs and co-stars in "Gran Torino," as a prejudiced Korean war veteran who comes to the rescue of troubled Asian teens who live next door. For Eastwood the honor caps a 40 year career acting, directing, producing and composing. During this time, he has won five Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and received many more nominations. The Hollywood veteran earned perhaps most acclaim for two films: "Unforgiven" (1992) and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004). For each of these films he was awarded both Best Director and Best Picture Oscars, as well as being nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Eastwood got his break in 1959, landing the role of Rowdy Yates in the television series "Rawhide." A successful seven-year run helped turn Eastwood into a household name and landed him several other roles in so-called Spaghetti Western films, including the hit "A Fist Full of Dollars" (1964), directed by Sergio Leone. Leone then re-hired Eastwood for two more successful films: "For a Few More Dollars" (1965) and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966). The trilogy earned Eastwood greater fame and a reputation for playing tough-guy, gun-slinging cowboys. Eastwood found another friend in director Don Siegel who gave him perhaps his most iconic role, starring in "Dirty Harry" (1971) as no-nonsense, "loose-cannon" cop Harry Callahan. The film was such a hit that it four spin off sequels were made: "Magnum Force" (1973), "The Enforcer" (1976), "Sudden Impact" (1983) (the highest grossing film of the series), and "The Dead Pool" (1988). In the 1990s Eastwood returned to westerns -- this time as director as well as star -- earning critical acclaim and a monumental nine Oscar nominations for "Unforgiven" (1992). Throughout the decade he also had considerable success helming blockbuster projects, like "In the Line of Fire" (1993), "Bridges of Madison County" (1995) and "True Crime" (1999). In 2000 Eastwood co-starred in the box-office hit "Space Cowboys." In 2004, he put employed his entire array of movie skills directing, producing, scoring and co-starring alongside Hillary Swank in boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby." Until his most recent return to the screen in "Gran Torino," Eastwood had been concentrating on directing, releasing two films about World War II in 2006, "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" and directing Angelina Jolie to BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar nominations this year in "Changeling." Swedish director Ingmar Bergman is the only other film-maker to have received the Palme d'Or for lifetime achievement from the Cannes Film Festival. | [
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Ingmar Berman is the only other filmmaker to have received this honor .
Eastwood directs and stars in his new film "Gran Torino"
"Dirty Harry" star still enjoys playing gun-slinging "tough guys" |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- After a six-year hiatus in which many bands have emerged, such as the Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs, copying their blend of melodic, intelligent songs and cheeky blokeishness, Blur return to show them who is best. Blur frontman Damon Albarn still exudes the matey bonhomie that made him one of the best-known British pop stars of the 90s. Much has changed since the mid-1990s when the Essex boys fought Oasis in the hyped Battle of Britpop. Singer Damon Albarn has pursued successful side projects such as Gorillaz and the Chinese opera Monkey, guitarist Graham Coxon went solo after being axed acrimoniously during the troubled recording of the "Think Tank" album, bassist Alex James makes cheese on his farm while drummer Dave Rowntree plans to stand for the UK parliament at the next election. Happily for fans, the band's two dominant personalities in Albarn and Coxon are now reconciled and, in the year's most anticipated reunion along with The Specials' comeback gigs, Blur on Thursday played the first of two outdoor concerts in London's Hyde Park. Before a massive crowd and a setting sun, Blur kick off with their first single, a feedback-drenched "She's So High" before going straight into "Girls and Boys," the disco-inspired anthem to hedonism that propelled them into the big time in 1994. Albarn exudes matey bonhomie, asking, "Was that adequate?" The crowd roars its reply in the affirmative. The good-natured banter continues throughout the concert; he pays tribute to Hyde Park's "lakes, Speaker's Corner ... other stuff" and more thoughtfully, reminds the crowd that a million people marched there in 2003 in an unsuccessfully effort to prevent the Iraq war. Coxon seems happy just to be back in the band, doing the job he does best. There is a poignant moment when he takes the lead vocals in "Coffee and TV" while Albarn watches his songwriting partner admiringly. And as with all the greatest concerts, the hits the crowd has paid to hear keep coming: "There's No Other Way," a raucous and bouncy "Country House" and "Parklife" on which actor Phil Daniels takes the jokey vocals. The audience responds to all the songs perfectly, even forcing the band into an extended singalong version of "Tender." The only disappointment on that song is that the gospel backing singers are drowned out in the mix. As the light fades, a superb light show suits the mood of the songs perfectly. And despite this being a huge concert, there is room for more subtle songs like "Out of Time," a nostalgic "End of the Century" and "This is a Low." Blur finish with "For Tomorrow" and "The Universal," ending what, for this reporter, will be remembered as one of the most amazing concerts. What Blur fans hope for now is some new material to match the classics they are evidently so proud of. | [
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Guitarist Graham Coxon returns to band after he was axed .
Gig is most anticipated comeback of year along with The Specials' reunion . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- After a week when he could not be traced, Egyptian striker Amir Zaki is back at his Premier League club side Wigan Athletic in northern England.
Wigan and Egypt striker Amir Zaki has mended relations with his club manager.
According to Wigan manager Steve Bruce the two have patched up their differences after he launched a verbal tirade against the 26-year-old striker.
Zaki told Al-Hayat TV that the pair "ended up laughing" about his absence -- when he failed to return from international duty and had a hamstring strain which no one knew the seriousness of.
But, it wasn't all laughs a week ago.
On Wigan's club Web site, Bruce had said of Zaki: "I just feel it's time that we went public on just what a nightmare he has been to deal with. I can honestly say that in all my time in football I have never worked with someone as unprofessional.
"I have already fined him the maximum allowed but this just seems to have no effect," Bruce said.
After giving Zaki a fine for his misdemeanor the Wigan manager also revealed it was the fourth time he had gone AWOL after international duty.
Are players selling their fans and clubs short when they go AWOL? How do you think should they be punished by clubs?
Zaki's case certainly isn't the first high profile instance of a player going missing.
Inter Milan striker Adriano sparked kidnap fears after failing to return earlier this month, following a World Cup qualifier in South America. It was not the first time the Brazilian had failed to report back to his club following international duty.
After a two-week absence, Adriano later announced he was taking a break from professional football at a news conference in Brazil.
He told reporters: "I've lost the happiness of playing. I wouldn't like to go back to Italy, I want to live in peace here in Brazil.
"I don't know if I'm going to stay for one, two or three months without playing. I'm going to rethink my career."
Other notable cases include Nigerian forward Ayegbeni Yakubu, who failed to return to club duty at Premier League side Everton after the African Cup of Nations last year.
When he returned to Everton,Yakubu was hit with a maximum £80,000 fine. Manager David Moyes said at a news conference at the time: 'Yakubu's back in it now. That episode has ended. He let us down by not coming back. But it's over and we've moved on."
German club Schalke fined defender Rafinha a record $1million for making an unauthorized trip to the Beijing Olympic Games and spending a total of 35 days away.
One of the most bizarre examples was that of Moroccan defender Youssef Rossi, who surprised everyone when he returned to training at Dunfermline Athletic a year after having his wages stopped by the Scottish club.
Rossi had previously gone AWOL from the club and returned to training with Raja Casablanca back in his homeland. | [
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Wigan manager Steve Bruce described Zaki as "unprofessional"
Adriano went AWOL for two weeks and later said he was taking a break from football .
How do you think AWOL players should be punished by their clubs? |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Ailing "Great Train Robber" Ronnie Biggs -- one of the most notorious British criminals of the 20th century -- was formally released from prison to his death bed Friday after being granted his freedom on compassionate grounds.
Ronnie Biggs, pictured at a book launch in Rio de Janeiro in 1994.
Biggs, who is gravely ill with severe pneumonia, is being cared for at a hospital in Norwich, eastern England, where he was moved on Tuesday.
Three prison staff who had been assigned to Biggs' bedside have been withdrawn following UK Justice Minister Jack Straw's decision to authorize his release, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson told CNN.
"The medical evidence clearly shows that Mr Biggs is very ill and that his condition has deteriorated recently, culminating in his re-admission to hospital," Straw said in a statement Thursday. "His condition is not expected to improve."
Biggs' son, Michael Biggs, said his father was "over the moon" that he had been released on the eve of his 80th birthday. Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, he confirmed his father had been handed his release papers.
"As a family, we are absolutely thrilled," Michael Biggs said, according to the UK's Press Association.
Biggs is unable to walk, barely able to communicate and no longer able to eat or drink, Michael Biggs said, adding that the family was "very hopeful that my father will be able to survive the next few days."
Biggs' legal advisor Giovanni Di Stefano told journalists that Biggs was unlikely to ever leave his hospital bed. "This man is ill, he's going to die... he is going to stay in hospital," he said.
Saturday also marks the 46th anniversary of the infamous 1963 heist dubbed the "crime of the century" that transformed Biggs from a petty London thief into one of the most wanted men in Britain.
Biggs and 14 other professional criminals made off with more than £2.5 million ($4.2 million) in used bank notes -- the equivalent of around £40 million ($67 million) today -- after holding up a mail train from Glasgow to London in the early hours of the morning. In the course of the robbery the train driver was badly beaten with an iron bar.
Most of the gang, including Biggs, were soon picked up in a massive manhunt after police discovered fingerprints at a farmhouse hideout where the robbers had holed up to split their spoils.
Biggs was sentenced to 30 years in prison but escaped over the wall of a London prison after serving just 15 months -- and spent most of the rest of his life as a celebrity fugitive.
After undergoing extensive plastic surgery in Paris, Biggs made his way to Australia, living there with his wife and two children. Tracked down by police, Biggs fled again in 1969, this time to Brazil.
Five years later, Biggs was traced once more by a newspaper reporter. Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Jack Slipper, who had led police efforts to bring the train robbers to justice, flew out to Rio de Janeiro to arrest Biggs, allegedly greeting him at a beachside hotel: "Long time no see, Ronnie."
But efforts to bring Biggs home were frustrated because by then he had fathered a Brazilian-born son -- Michael Biggs -- and authorities rejected British requests for his extradition.
Biggs continued to live openly in Rio, trading on his notoriety by entertaining tourists, selling t-shirts and even recording with the Sex Pistols.
In 1981 he was kidnapped by a gang of British ex-soldiers and smuggled to Barbados. But legal efforts to have Biggs brought back to the UK once again stalled and he was allowed to return to Brazil.
By the late 1990s Biggs was in poor health following a series of strokes and running out of cash. In 2001 he flew back to the UK on a private jet laid on by the Sun newspaper. He was promptly locked up in a high security prison but then moved to a facility for elderly prisoners.
Since his return Biggs and | [
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Biggs took part in 1963 Great Train Robbery, dubbed "crime of the century" in UK .
Biggs, 80 on Saturday, has been hospitalized suffering from severe pneumonia .
Biggs escaped from jail, spent decades as a fugitive before returning to UK in 2001 . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Air crash investigators are trying to work out why a Boeing 777 landed short of the runway at London Heathrow airport, skidding on grass and ripping apart sections of the aircraft. I-Reporter Alex Quinonez took this image of a casualty being taken by medics from Heathrow Airport. An investigator who has been briefed on the incident told CNN the plane's captain "is claiming there wasn't power when he needed it." Passenger Paul Venter told the UK Press Association: "The wheels came out and went for touchdown, and the next moment we just dropped. I couldn't tell you how far." London ambulance services said 17 people suffered minor injuries, and the number could increase as several others are still being assessed. Images showed the Boeing 777 -- BA flight 38 from Beijing, China -- grounded on tarmac after touching down several hundred meters short of the airport's south runway, close to a perimeter road, with its emergency chutes deployed and white fire-fighting foam covering the engines. The undercarriage, left wing and left engine of the aircraft were severely damaged, as if it had skidded across the ground. At least one of the plane's wheels had been torn off. The most visible damage was to the left wing, which was covered in mangled metal where it meets the fuselage. Tire tracks hundreds of meters long could be seen in the grass behind the plane, which was surrounded by fire engines and other emergency vehicles. Eyewitness Neil Jones said the plane had made a "very, very unusual approach" to the airport and sounded louder than usual, PA reported. "You could see the pilot was desperate, trying to get the plane down. The aircraft hit the grass and there was a lot of dirt. The pilot was struggling to keep the plane straight. I think he did a great job." Read passenger and eyewitness accounts of the crash landing The BBC said an unidentified Heathrow worker told the broadcaster that he had spoken to the pilot. The pilot said, according to the worker, that the plane's electronics had failed and that he was forced to glide it to the ground. The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch will lead the inquiry into the crash landing. A team from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also heading to London, accompanied by representatives from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Adminsitration. Jerome Ensinck, a passenger aboard the flight, said there had been no indication that the plane was making an emergency landing. "There was no indication that we were going to have a bad landing," he said. "When we hit the ground it was extremely rough, but I've had rough landings before and I thought 'This is the roughest I've had.' "Then the emergency exits were opened and we were all told we should go through as quickly as possible, and the moment I was away from the plane I started to realize that the undercarriage was away, and we had missed the runway. "I feel lucky at the moment, but I think now I realize I've had a close call. If we had hit the runway, it would have been worse." In a statement, British Airways said all 136 passengers and 16 crew members had been evacuated from the plane with six minor injuries taken to hospital. BA chief executive Willie Walsh praised the actions of the crew. "We are very proud of the way our crew safely evacuated all 136 passengers on board," Walsh said in a statement. "The captain of the aircraft is one of our most experienced and has been flying with us for nearly 20 years," he added. Walsh also said that an investigation was being conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and that it would be inappropriate to speculate about likely causes. Airport authorities said Heathrow's southern runway had been closed, but the northern runway remained open. But the incident immediately led to major delays for passengers. Some incoming flights were being diverted to other airports on a flight-by-flight basis, according | [
"Were injuries reported?",
"What happened to the jet at Heathrow Airport?",
"where did this happen",
"what happened to the let",
"What did the pilot talk of?"
] | [
[
"17 people suffered minor"
],
[
"landed short"
],
[
"London Heathrow airport,"
],
[
"of the runway"
],
[
"the plane's electronics had failed and that he was forced to glide it to the ground."
]
] | Beijing to London jet lands short of runway at Heathrow Airport .
NEW: Investigator says pilot talked of not having power .
Passenger: We just dropped. I couldn't tell you how far .
136 passengers evacuated from plane; 17 minor injuries reported . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Airline pilots and cabin crew across Europe are holding demonstrations Monday to protest over rules governing their flying hours which they say are putting the lives of passengers at risk. European pilots and cabin crew are calling for shorter flying times to protect passenger safety. Organized by the European Cockpit Association (ECA), and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), protesters are demanding that European Union rules on flying times are brought into line with scientific evidence. The Moebus Report -- mandated by the EU in September 2008 -- recommends that an airline crew should not operate for more than 13 hours during the day and 10 hours at night. Current EU rules stipulate pilots work up to a maximum of 14 hours during the day and nearly 12 hours at night. Are you concerned at the hours worked by airline pilots? Tell us. Speaking from one of the protests outside the European Parliament in Brussels, Captain Martin Chalk, President of the ECA told CNN: "At the moment, the EU level is not adequate. That's not our view that is the view of experts employed to review the EU's own level of protection." Chalk said that despite being in possession of the report, the EU completely ignored the recommendations when they produced new fatigue proposals in January 2009. The ECA and the ETF have printed over 100,000 dummy airline tickets which they will hand out to airline passengers. The tickets contain cigarette-style warnings giving details on crew fatigue and an explanation as to why the EU current legislation needs to be changed. "All we are trying to do at this stage is raise public's awareness. We're not trying to get in anyone's way," Chalk said. Hundreds of protesters are attending events taking place at 22 airports across Europe. 400 ECA members are expected to attend the protests at Madrid airport. "What we are saying today is that they need to listen to the safety review," Chalk said. "It was conducted by the best scientists in this field in Europe. It was commissioned by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and therefore it should not be ignored when writing the rules." Francois Ballestero, Political Secretary of the ETF echoed Chalk's concerns. "Flight safety is the core mission of every cabin crew member. But EU law is insufficient to ensure that air crew can perform their safety role in an alert and effective way," he said. But the EASA were critical of the protests and their timing. "This is jumping the gun. It is not a constructive contribution to a debate which is yet to happen," Daniel Hoeltgen, EASA communications director told CNN. Hoeltgen believes that the pilots are simply setting up stall for an industrial debate between the unions and the airlines. "It's got nothing to do with safety regulations. We have made it clear that we will invite the unions and the airlines to take part in a review of the current rules and the timeframe for that has been made clear." The current law in Europe on air crew fatigue is set at two different levels. There is a minimum level set by EU and then there is a level set by individual countries that can be better than that minimum level. In 2012 the EU level is due to come into force. "There needs to be a change in the law to protect passengers and our members from the insidious effects of airport fatigue," Chalk said. The ECA represents over 38,000 pilots and flight engineers in 36 European countries. | [
"What are they protesting about?",
"Who is protesting about flying hours and safety?",
"What is the evidence?",
"Demonstrators will hand out dummy airlines what?",
"What will they hand out?"
] | [
[
"rules governing their flying hours"
],
[
"Airline pilots"
],
[
"scientific"
],
[
"tickets"
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[
"100,000 dummy airline tickets"
]
] | Hundreds of pilots across Europe are protesting about flying hours and safety .
Pilots argue the EU is ignoring scientific evidence which says hours are too long .
Demonstrators to hand out dummy airline tickets with a list of their complaints . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Ali Herbert has spent the last seven months being "a walking blood bank" aboard one of the the world's largest hospital ships. Thousands of volunteers join the massive hospital ship "Africa Mercy" every year. The 50-year-old nurse and grandmother from the UK resigned from her position in a hospital to volunteer aboard a ship that provides free medical treatment to some of the world's poorest people. Like any of the 450 volunteer crew members currently aboard the Africa Mercy, Herbert can be called on at any time of the day to give blood, as the ship has no facilities for storing blood products. Instead the ship operates a system where there are usually 30 donors for each blood type. Herbert says she recently helped a young woman who needed an amputation. "This young woman required a below-the-knee amputation, but was very weak so I was called in to give her blood as our blood groups matched," she told CNN. "It was an amazing experience because two minutes after giving my blood, I saw it go straight into her arm. In the UK you have no idea what happens with your blood," she added. The "Africa Mercy," currently docked off the coast of Benin, West Africa, also operates as a floating hospital with medical facilities including six state-of-the-art operating theaters, an ophthalmic unit, two CT scanners and 78 hospital beds onboard. The Mercy Ships charity began in 1978 and since then has been credited with providing medical services valued at $748 million, performing more than 41,000 operations and impacting approximately two million people. Mercy Ships CEO Samuel Smith says the charity has been able to help so many people through what he calls a "unique business model." Thousands of volunteers join the ship every year, and they not only do it for free but also have to pay for accommodation aboard the vessels; some like Herbert, pay around $600 a month. See more images of volunteers onboard the ship » "This allows almost all our resources to go into state-of-the-art medical facilities," Smith told CNN. It costs about $1.25 million every month to maintain, has three wards and a small intensive care unit operated by top surgeons from around the world. Would you give up your holiday to volunteer on the hospital ship? Sound Off below One of them is Dr. Joe Nasser, a Canadian surgeon and one of the short-term volunteers. Nasser is currently on board for three weeks, time he took off instead of going on holiday with his family. "It's a wonderful thing to do, a great humanitarian gesture," Nasser told CNN. "There is tremendous need here, as these countries are very poor and have very few resources of any kind." He described a recent surgery he performed on a 14-year-old boy with a benign but "extremely aggressive tumor" that had "invaded" almost the whole of the young man's face, leaving him completely disfigured. Following successful surgery to remove the tumor, the boy was given a more "acceptable appearance," Nasser said. The charity behind "Africa Mercy" was founded by Texas-based Don Stephens and his wife Deyon. The couple took out a bank loan in 1978 and purchased a retired luxury ocean liner for $1 million. Their dream was to create a modern, mobile hospital that would provide free surgery and treatment to the world's poorest people. In 1982 she sailed to Africa with 350 crew and a new name, the "Anastasis." She was the first of five ships that have served in more than 150 ports in developing nations around the world. Last month, the Don and Deyon Stephens were presented with the Humanitarian Award from Variety, the international children's charity for their 30-year commitment to treating the world's poor. Don Stephens said the idea came after he stayed on a tropical island, and a storm occurred. "There was a hurricane, | [
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] | [
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"\"Africa Mercy\""
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] | Every year thousands of volunteers join the "Africa Mercy" hospital ship in Africa .
Volunteers are also asked to become "walking blood banks," donating on call .
Mercy Ships have served in 150 ports in developing nations around the world .
They are mobile hospitals that provide free surgery to world's poorest people . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- All 18 people aboard a helicopter that crashed off the coast of Scotland have been recovered alive, a Royal Air Force officer told CNN.
A Super Puma helicopter, similar to the one in this file photo, went down about 120 miles east of Aberdeen.
The Super Puma ditched about 120 miles east of Aberdeen while approaching an offshore platform.
"Everyone has been recovered from the water," said James Lyon, assistant controller of the RAF's aeronautical rescue coordination center at RAF Kinloss, Scotland. "We don't know their condition, but we believe there are no major injuries."
Five helicopters were scrambled when the Super Puma helicopter ditched.
"Some were recovered by helicopter and some by boat from the platform," Lyon told CNN.
The RAF was providing helicopter assistance to the Aberdeen Coast Guard in the rescue.
Lyon said earlier that rescuers had been picking up emergency signal beacons from the lifejackets of the 18 people.
He did not know if the pilot transmitted a mayday before the aircraft ditched. View a map of the crash site »
"We believe it was quite close to the platform it was supposed to be landing on," he added.
The area is home to a number of offshore oil rigs. Lyon said he did not know which one the helicopter was heading to or where it was coming from.
The RAF received its first report of the crash at 6:43 p.m. (1:43 p.m. Eastern time).
Lyon said the Super Puma is regularly used to transport people to and from oil platforms in the North Sea and as far as he was aware it has a good safety record.
Weather at the crash site is relatively good, though slight fog is hampering visibility, he said.
A spokesman for BP told the UK's Press Association: "The 16 passengers and two crew who were on board have been accounted for and have been rescued. Three people are on the ETAP Platform and a further 15 are on the Caledonian Victory rescue vessel.
"The priority of the company is the safety of all personnel involved in this incident and we have implemented our full emergency response procedures." | [
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"What was the injuries?",
"Did any of the people die?",
"What is on the scene?",
"What was ditched in the North Sea?"
] | [
[
"18 people"
],
[
"no major injuries.\""
],
[
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[
"RAF's aeronautical rescue"
],
[
"Super Puma helicopter"
]
] | Royal Air Force says civilian helicopter carrying 18 people ditches in North Sea .
RAF officer says all rescued alive, no immediate details of any injuries .
Rescue aircraft on the scene, more in the area off Scotland . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- All 18 people aboard a helicopter that crashed off the coast of Scotland have been recovered alive, a Royal Air Force officer told CNN.
A Super Puma helicopter, similar to the one in this file photo, went down about 120 miles east of Aberdeen.
The Super Puma ditched about 120 miles east of Aberdeen while approaching an offshore platform.
"Everyone has been recovered from the water," said James Lyon, assistant controller of the RAF's aeronautical rescue coordination center at RAF Kinloss, Scotland. "We don't know their condition, but we believe there are no major injuries."
Five helicopters were scrambled when the Super Puma helicopter ditched.
"Some were recovered by helicopter and some by boat from the platform," Lyon told CNN.
The RAF was providing helicopter assistance to the Aberdeen Coast Guard in the rescue.
Lyon said earlier that rescuers had been picking up emergency signal beacons from the lifejackets of the 18 people.
He did not know if the pilot transmitted a mayday before the aircraft ditched. View a map of the crash site »
"We believe it was quite close to the platform it was supposed to be landing on," he added.
The area is home to a number of offshore oil rigs. Lyon said he did not know which one the helicopter was heading to or where it was coming from.
The RAF received its first report of the crash at 6:43 p.m. (1:43 p.m. Eastern time).
Lyon said the Super Puma is regularly used to transport people to and from oil platforms in the North Sea and as far as he was aware it has a good safety record.
Weather at the crash site is relatively good, though slight fog is hampering visibility, he said.
A spokesman for BP told the UK's Press Association: "The 16 passengers and two crew who were on board have been accounted for and have been rescued. Three people are on the ETAP Platform and a further 15 are on the Caledonian Victory rescue vessel.
"The priority of the company is the safety of all personnel involved in this incident and we have implemented our full emergency response procedures." | [
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"What did the RAF officer say?",
"Who said all were rescued and alive?",
"What country is the area nearby?",
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] | [
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[
"18"
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],
[
"Royal Air Force"
],
[
"Scotland"
]
] | Royal Air Force says civilian helicopter carrying 18 people ditches in North Sea .
RAF officer says all rescued alive, no immediate details of any injuries .
Rescue aircraft on the scene, more in the area off Scotland . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Almost all British troops in Iraq are being pulled out because the agreement that allows them to be there expires on Friday, the British Ministry of Defence said Tuesday.
Nearly all of Britain's troops in Iraq will have left by the week's end.
The withdrawal marks the first time since the invasion of Iraq more than six years ago that there will be almost no British troops in the country. The only British troops there will be a group of about a dozen helping to train Iraqi police as part of a NATO mission, the ministry said.
The United Kingdom's remaining contingent of 100 to 150 troops is leaving Iraq for neighboring Kuwait, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told CNN. He declined to be named in line with policy.
"The small handful of British military personnel operating in Iraq will be withdrawn to Kuwait after Iraq's parliament adjourned without passing a deal that would let them stay," the spokesman said.
Iraq must give its permission for foreign troops to be on its soil.
It was a group of Iraqi lawmakers loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that prevented parliament from approving a new agreement on British troops.
They walked out of parliament as a group on July 11, depriving the legislature of the minimum number of lawmakers necessary for votes to take place. Parliament is now on summer recess until September 8.
Fawzi Akram, a lawmaker from the Sadr bloc, confirmed that the bloc reject the Iraqi-British security agreement. He said that Iraq does not need the British troops and that Iraqi security forces are ready to handle security on their own.
Britain hopes the Iraqi parliament will eventually approve the security agreement.
"While this delay is unfortunate, we are continuing to seek a solution with the Iraqi Government that will provide our forces with the sound legal basis they need," the ministry said in a written statement.
The British troops who are being pulled out include Royal Navy servicemen who have been helping the Iraqis to protect oil fields around the port town of Umm Qasr, according to the Ministry of Defence spokesman.
All British combat troops have already left the country, another ministry spokesman told CNN.
There were about 46,000 British troops in and around Iraq at the peak of major combat operations in March and April 2003, according to the Ministry of Defence.
CNN's Jonathan Wald in London and Youssif Basil in Baghdad, Iraq, contributed to this report. | [
"When does the agreement expire?",
"What number of troops will remain?",
"Who are being pulled out of Iraq?",
"Which troops are being pulled out",
"What day does the agreement for them to be there expire?",
"Which countries troops are being pulled out?"
] | [
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"Friday,"
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]
] | Almost all British troops in Iraq are being pulled out .
Agreement that allows them to be there expires on Friday .
Only about dozen British troops will remain to help train Iraqi police . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Alternative treatments are as varied as the regions of the world they come from. And while they attract skepticism from some Western medical practitioners, they are an undeniable part of global health. Shark cartilage is a popular dish in Japan where it is regarded as having health benefits. In parts of Asia and Africa, 80 percent of the population depend on these treatments as their primary form of healthcare. Shark fin has long been used in traditional Asian medicine. Shark fin soup is regarded as a tonic that promotes general well-being, and shark fin has even been claimed to have anti-cancer properties. Shark fins are mainly composed of cartilage, a type of connective tissue found in the skeletal systems of many animals. In Japan, they are sold by herbalists as a powder, in tablet form or as whole fins. While shark fin has been used for centuries in Asia, in recent years it has become more popular in the West. A book called "Sharks Don't Get Cancer," published in 1992, popularized the idea of shark fin as an alternative cancer treatment in the West, and powdered shark fin is now sold as dietary supplement. But scientific evidence doesn't support the idea. A 2000 report by researchers at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington D.C. said more than 40 tumors had been documented in sharks, skates and rays. Clinical studies on cancer patients, including a 1998 study by the Independent Cancer Treatment Research Foundation in Illinois, haven't shown cartilage powders to have any anti-cancer benefits. Cancer Research UK, an independent cancer-research organization, states "We don't recommend alternative therapies such as shark cartilage, as there is no scientific or medical evidence to back up the claims made for these 'treatments'." The use of shark fins has also been criticized by environmentalists who say the practice is threatening shark populations. In addition, environmental groups say that fins are often cut off live sharks at sea, with the bodies thrown back in the sea to drown, a controversial practiced know as "finning." The ancient art of herbal healing also remains highly popular in Africa. In South Africa, the name given to the practice is muti. In Johannesburg's Faraday market muti practitioners sell wares that are popular with locals and tourists alike. Illnesses are diagnosed by "sangomas," who employ techniques including communicating with the spirits of ancestors. "Sangomas" then refer their patients to "inyangas," who supply muti treatments. "Inyangas" make use of South Africa's diverse flora and fauna, selling treatments made from herbs and animal parts. Roots, bark and leaves are all used to prepare infusions that are said to cure ailments ranging from headaches to skin rashes. Other muti medicines deal with psychological conditions, curing nightmares, bringing good luck and warding off evil spells. Acupuncture is one of the most widespread of all traditional treatments. An ancient Chinese healing technique thought to date back at least 2,000 years, acupuncture is now widely practiced alongside modern medicine in the East and West alike. Traditional acupuncture works on the idea that energy, known as "qi," flows along pathways in the body, called meridians. According to acupuncture theory, if these meridians become blocked, "qi" cannot flow freely and illness can result. Diagnosis of ailments is carried out by, among other things, feeling a patient's pulse and inspecting their tongue. Marian Rose of the British Acupuncture Council told CNN that an important part of the diagnosis process involves asking patients a range of questions about their well-being, including their digestion, sleep patterns, and health history. Treatment involves inserting fine acupuncture needles at critical points in the body in order to stimulate the flow of "qi," described by Rose as "the body's motivating energy." Traditionally, acupuncture can be used to treat headaches, chronic pain, asthma, depression, addiction, and problems with the digestive system. Acupuncture has been the subject of extensive research and in the West the practice has been studied in terms of | [
"what is sold by herbalist",
"Where does acupuncture originate?",
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"In Japan, what is sharkfin believed to promote?",
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[
"shark fin"
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[
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] | Even in the era of modern medicine, traditional treatments are still widespread .
In Japan, shark fin is sold by herbalists, and is believed to promote well-being .
Muti practitioners sell their wares in Johannesburg's Faraday market .
Acupuncture has spread all over the world from its roots in ancient China . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- An $80 million research project aimed at giving people 50 active years after the age of 50 was launched by scientists at the University of Leeds in northern England Tuesday. The challenge is to ensure old people stay as fit as Brisbane centenarian Ruth Frith, seen competing at shot put during World Masters Games in Sydney this month. About half of the babies born in Western countries today will live until they are 100 years old, according to recent research published in the medical journal The Lancet, so the challenge is to ensure they remain active throughout their old age. While most of us will live longer than our parents and grandparents, the aging population means that in coming decades more people will suffer from age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, heart disease and chronic back pain. Obesity and increased physical activity also put more pressure on our joints, causing them to wear out faster. Scientists at Leeds University envisage that many of the body parts that flounder with age could be upgraded using own-grown tissues and more durable implants. This will mean artificial hips, knees and heart valves, for example, lasting far longer than the current 20-year typical lifespan. "Our work is driven by the concept of 50 more years after 50 -- that is, making our second 50 years of life as healthy, comfortable and active as our first, so we can enjoy a higher quality of life," explains Professor John Fisher, who is an expert in artificial joints and tissue regeneration. "We now have the technology available to do astonishing things, such as repairing the body by growing healthy new tissue through biological scaffolds and stem cell therapy. And a new generation of prosthetic hip and knee joints that last longer will avoid the need for further replacements." Fisher says the center also hopes to gain a better understanding of degenerative diseases to allow for early diagnosis, rather than having to treat someone when they are already in crippling pain. "For example, we're developing biosensor tools that can detect the presence of antibodies and proteins in the blood. All of these technologies will ultimately reduce suffering in patients through more timely interventions, shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times." So how do you feel about this. Are you looking forward to your old age? Do you believe you will remain active? Click here to send us your comments and we will try to use as many as possible in tonight's show. | [
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"How much is being spent on research?",
"What university is conducting the project?",
"Who is running the project?",
"Half the babies born today will live until what age?",
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] | [
[
"until they are 100 years old,"
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[
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[
"live until they are 100 years old,"
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"giving people 50 active years after"
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] | $80M research project launched aimed at giving people 50 active years after 50 .
Half of babies born in Western countries today will live until 100 years old .
Leeds University projects aims to ensure people remain active into old age .
Scientists believe many body parts that flounder with age could be upgraded . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- An American professor doing research in London stumbled across a series of previously unknown letters written by, to, and about Benjamin Franklin, a stunning find that sheds new light on early U.S. history.
The letters cover Benjamin Franklin's success in dealing with a British general.
The collection of 47 letters are hand-written copies made 250 years ago, when Franklin lived in London. That they were filed under the copyist's name, not Franklin's, may explain why they were overlooked by historians until now, said a curator at the British Library, where the letters are held.
The find is reported in the April issue of the William & Mary Quarterly, a journal of early American history and culture.
The letters are important in large part because they offer a "wealth of new details" that affect modern understanding of Franklin, writes Alan Houston, the political science professor who discovered the letters in the spring of 2007.
They also raise the question of how many other documents remain waiting to be found on Franklin and his life.
Houston, a professor at the University of California at San Diego, discovered the letters on the last day of his last research trip to London, just before the library's closing time.
"The first item was a letter from Benjamin Franklin to the secretary of the governor of Maryland, and I looked at it and I started to read, and I thought, 'This doesn't look familiar,'" Houston told CNN. "I've read everything Franklin ever wrote."
Houston said he quickly began to realize he had uncovered something previously unknown to historians.
"I swear, I just about shot through the ceiling I was so excited," he said. "It's like finding a treasure chest."
Houston had been working at the time on a book on Franklin, "Benjamin Franklin and the Politics of Improvement," published last year.
The letters cover Franklin's success in dealing with British Gen. Edward Braddock, who had been sent to Pennsylvania in 1755 to defeat the French at Fort Duquesne, in modern-day Pittsburgh.
The march to retake the fort was part of the French and British battle for control of the western lands in the colonies, part of a larger struggle for control of North America, Houston said.
The problem was that Braddock was given no horses or wagons when he arrived in America -- no means of transport for him and his 2,000 redcoats. Braddock started to blame his hosts, so Franklin -- the Pennsylvania assembly's leading politician -- stepped in to help.
Franklin went all over Pennsylvania trying to persuade farmers to lend their horses and wagons to Braddock and his men. It wasn't easy, because the farmers were tough negotiators who were also anxious and suspicious of the effort.
Eventually, Franklin managed to get the farmers to agree, and within weeks, Braddock and his men were on the march.
Braddock suffered a devastating defeat before he even reached the fort, however, when a much smaller contingent of French and Indian soldiers surprised the British. They killed Braddock and about 1,000 of his men.
Despite the defeat, Franklin's success -- in what became known as "the wagon affair" -- highlighted his skill as a colonial leader, Houston said.
When Franklin was sent to London in 1757 as a representative of the assembly, he brought with him a collection of letters detailing that success. It was proof of his political value to Great Britain and that the assembly's loyalties had been on the right side.
This collection of letters, which Franklin referred to in his autobiography as his "quire book," was never found, however -- until now.
Houston said he believes the documents he read at the British Library are copies of that collection. They were made by Thomas Birch, an industrious and obsessive transcriber of historical documents who copied anything he could get his hands on.
"There was a vogue. It was very common for letters to be copied," said Matthew Shaw, curator of the U.S. collections at the British | [
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] | [
[
"Pennsylvania assembly's leading politician"
],
[
"Pennsylvania assembly's leading politician"
],
[
"Benjamin Franklin's success in dealing with a British general."
],
[
"47 letters"
],
[
"47"
]
] | Collection of letters by, to, and about Benjamin Franklin found in London .
Letters were copied by hand and had been filed under copyist's name .
Letters concern war between British and French for control of North America .
Franklin was sent to London in 1757 to represent Pennsylvania's assembly . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- An English football club is being forced to close a stand at its 25,000-seat stadium to cut costs, in what could be the first of many similar moves at other clubs, a sports business expert predicts.
Darlington Arena, home of English club side Darlington F.C., where a stand will be closed to cut costs.
The affected club, Darlington F.C., is currently in seventh place in League Two, however, it slumped into administration last week following problems attracting crowds to the home matches.
The average home crowd at the stadium is currently below 3000 people. Ticket prices are £16 ($22) per adult.
The move to close the west stand at its ground, Darlington Arena, is an attempt to improve the atmosphere and cut costs at the club, the side's commercial director, Christine Balford, said on the club's Web site.
Balford said the move was forced by administrators.
"This is an attempt to improve the atmosphere at home games, whilst saving costs.
"All season ticket holders will be temporarily relocated and will be able to use the facilities of the south stand," Balford said.
Darlington F.C. has also increased the cover price of match day programs and has cut the number of complimentary tickets given away for home matches.
Professor Simon Chadwick, director of the Center for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) at Coventry University, UK, told CNN that many football clubs may soon find themselves in the position of having to make a similar move.
"This is the economic reality of having to strip costs.
"Generally, League One and League Two and even some Premier League clubs may be affected. What you will start to see is other clubs having to follow suit."
Chadwick said Darlington's case was a particularly bad one as they had a stadium which was far too big for the club's size.
However, the issue of crowds not filling stadiums was a wider concern for many clubs.
"This is their life-blood. A lot of their revenue comes from selling tickets ...if they're not filling stadiums then it is a big issue for them," he said.
Chadwick said closing stands could help cut match-day costs and was often a more palatable option for fans, rather than selling players. | [
"What has the club struggled with?",
"What is the name of the club?"
] | [
[
"problems attracting crowds to the home matches."
],
[
"Darlington F.C.,"
]
] | English club Darlington F.C. closes stand to cut costs and improve atmosphere .
The club has struggled to attract good-sized crowds to its home matches .
Sport business expert Professor Simon Chadwick says this could start trend . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- An eco-friendly French boat is hoping to successfully cross the perilous Arctic sea passage that links the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific. The old tug-boat, Le Manguier, has been converted into an eco-friendly vessel with three sails and solar panels. "Le Manguier" is attempting to navigate the icy, unpredictable Northern Sea Route, a 6,000 mile passage that skims the northern coast of Siberia. It is a trip that only a handful of leisure boats in history have successfully completed. Not only that, the modified tug boat is also attempting to do it ecologically. The boat's crew is relying partly on wind-power to complete the route, parts of which are only free of ice for two short months during the Arctic summer. Three sails have been added to the tug boat, which normally runs on gas-guzzling motors. "'Le Manguier' was the opposite of the ecological vessel," Philippe Hercher, captain and part-owner of the boat told CNN. "What we wanted to do was create a symbol and show that even this type of boat can diversify its energy sources -- even in the most extreme conditions." Conditions on the route are treacherous: Vessels that enter its waters at the wrong time can get trapped in thick ice for months in temperatures that go as low as -50C. Ironically for the eco-expedition, it is receding ice levels, thought to be caused by global warming, that has crossing the passage a possibility once again in the last few years. The voyage, which is projected to take about six months, started in the South of France in April and, if they make it through the route successfully, will end in Japan. The crew's other ecological concessions include relying on solar panels for electricity and warm water, using only long-lasting LED light bulbs and eating only organic products during their journey. On-board are seven adults and two children, including a painter, two writers, a scientist and a historian. Currently, the team's primary concern is not the fear of being trapped in ice and being forced to "hibernate" in Siberia's frigid temperatures, but getting the required paperwork in time before the approaching colder months, which cause ice to harden in the passage. "Le Manguier" is in Tromso, Norway waiting for the green light from the Russian government, which rarely allows non-Russian vessels to enter the passage. Russian reluctance may stem from the time of the Russian revolution in 1917, after which the Soviet Union was isolated from the West. The Northern Sea Route, which is the shortest passage between the West and the Far East, was also the only water the Russians could navigate without possible foreign interference. Luckily, the crew have help from veteran sailors in their race against the clock: Scientist Eric Brossier and sailor and France Pinczon Du Del who successfully sailed the Northern Sea Route during the first ever circumnavigation of the glacial Arctic Ocean in 2002. In the meantime, "Le Mangier" is gaining increasing popularity with every port-of-call. The group is publicizing the cause; inviting school children, academics and other tug boat sailors for workshops and tours of the boat. "The most difficult challenge seems to be convincing hardened tug boat captains to partially switch to wind power," said Judith Puzzuoli, who is in charge of communication and press for "Le Manguier." "But change doesn't happen in a day." Like Puzzuoli, each member of the team is responsible for delivering the message in a different way. Two books, written in the style of travel journals are in the works and a documentary is currently being filmed. Even the children have an important role -- reminding the adults why their mission is important. "I get the feeling that the two girls are really discovering life on this boat. They are learning to live simply, but beautifully." | [
"how long is the voyage",
"what are the boat modifications?",
"what is the boat trying to do",
"what is the temperature",
"where are they hoping to travel?",
"What was modified with three sails and solar panels?",
"What is an eco-friendly French boat trying to cross?"
] | [
[
"6,000 mile"
],
[
"has been converted into an eco-friendly vessel with three sails and solar panels."
],
[
"successfully cross the perilous Arctic"
],
[
"-50C."
],
[
"Japan."
],
[
"old tug-boat, Le Manguier,"
],
[
"sea passage"
]
] | An eco-friendly French boat is attempting to cross the Northern Sea Route .
Six-month voyage hoping to travel Arctic waters above Siberia to get to Japan .
Boats can be trapped in ice for months in temperatures that go as low as -50C .
The tug boat has been modified with three sails and solar panels . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- An ill-tempered CONCACAF Gold Cup match between Mexico and Panama recently saw three players and Mexico coach Javier Aguirre sent off amid violent scenes in Houston, Texas. Newcastle teammates Lee Bowyer (left) and Kieron Dyer turn against one-another. The 1-1 draw, which saw the referee add on 10 minutes at the end for all the various stoppages, got Fanzone thinking about some of the most controversial match melees that have occurred. Do you agree with our worst 11? Post your comments in the Sound Off box below. 1 The Battle of Santiago, Chile v Italy, World Cup 1962 Surely the most violent match in history. The tone was set when the first foul was committed after 12 seconds. Two Italian players were sent off as the teams spent the whole 90 minutes punching, spitting and scuffling with each other, with Chile managing to score two goals in-between the fighting. Police had to come onto the pitch three times to sort out the chaos while Italian Giorgio Ferrini had to be escorted off by armed officers when he refused to leave the pitch after his dismissal. Referee Ken Aston remarked: "I wasn't reffing a football match, I was acting as an umpire in military maneuvers." 2 Valencia v Inter Milan, Champions League 2007 Six yellow cards were handed out during the game, but it was events that followed which marred Valencia's passage through to the quarterfinals. On the final whistle, Inter midfielder Nicolas Burdisso came together with Valencia defender Carlos Marchena, sparking a brawl. Unused Valencia substitute David Navarro then ran onto the field, to join in - the result of which was a broken nose for Burdisso. Navarro, retreated to the sidelines chased and kicked by Inter players Julio Cruz, Ivan Cordoba. The melee continued in the tunnel, with the Spanish Civil Guard eventually needed to quell the problem. UEFA, European football's governing body, subsequently fined Navarro $200,000 and banned the player for eight games, Burdisso was slapped with an eight-match suspension, Maicon for six, Córdoba for three games and Julio Cruz for two. 3 Turkey v Switzerland, World Cup play-off 2006 Violence erupted after Turkey missed a place in the 2006 finals after going out on the away goals rule following a 4-2 win in Istanbul. Players and technical staff were seen throwing punches in the tunnel as the Swiss side ran for their lives against a torrent of Turkish anger. Turkey assistant-coach Mehmet Ozdilek was banned from all football for one year, while two Turkish players, and one Swiss, were handed six-match bans. Turkey were also ordered to play their next six competitive home matches behind closed doors at neutral venues. Have we missed a famous punch-up out? Leave your suggestions below 4 Manchester United v Arsenal, English Division One 1990 These two rivals have been involved in some juicy encounters over the years, but this is one of the most infamous. Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn went in late on Manchester United's Denis Irwin prompting chaos, as 21 players, with Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman proving the exception, joining in the fracas. Remarkably nobody was sent off but the English Football Association took a dim view and deducted Arsenal two league points and United one. Arsenal won the match 1-0 and still went on to lift the title. 5 France v Italy, World Cup final 2006 The great Zinedine Zidane had led an unfancied and ageing French side to the World Cup final. With the match level in extra time, the attentions of notorious Italian hard-man and chief agitator Marco Materazzi finally proved too much for the France No.10 - who responded to some choice words by the Inter Milan central defender by turning around and viciously head-butting his rival in the stomach. Zidane was sent off. France eventually lost on penalties and the Real Madrid playmaker bizarrely went on to be voted 'Player of the Tournament'. 6 Kevin Keegan v Billy Bremner, Liverpool v Leeds Charity Shield 1974 England striker Keegan blamed Bremner for "taking him out" in an off the | [
"How many pitch punch ups are there?"
] | [
[
"three times"
]
] | Football Fanzone presents a rundown of 11 infamous pitch punch-ups .
The tension of competition has even seen teammates turn against one-another .
Let us know what you think by commenting in the Sound Off box . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Animal rights campaigners were holding a meeting Tuesday with Britain's Ministry of Defence to argue against the use of bearskin in the iconic furry headgear worn by royal guards at Buckingham Palace. A PETA activist in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier this year protests against UK troops wearing bearskin hats. Robbie LeBlanc, European director for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), was meeting with Ann Taylor, the minister for defense equipment and support, the defense ministry said. "We are hoping that they will switch to a humane synthetic alternative," a PETA spokeswoman said. PETA has been campaigning for years against the use of bearskin in the headgear, a familiar symbol of London worn by the guards who keep watch over royal buildings like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The hats are part of the footguards' ceremonial dress, along with the bright red jackets. PETA says the bears used to produce the fur hats are killed cruelly and unnecessarily. "It's an absolute moral disgrace," said Mike Hancock, a British lawmaker who has joined PETA's campaign against the bearskins. "I don't think the British public or tourists will mind if it's synthetic fur, and I'm absolutely amazed in this day and age that we see beautiful animals skinned and killed" to produce the hats. A spokesman for the National Army Museum in London, Julian Farrance, said the fur comes only from Canadian bears that have died naturally, and that no bears are killed for the hats. Campaigners say they still want the defense ministry to use a different material. "It still promotes the usage of animal fur in areas where it's totally unnecessary, in my view, for fur to be used," said Glenda Jackson, another British lawmaker opposed to the use of the fur. The British Army's use of the bearskin hats dates back to the Battle of Waterloo on in 1815, when Wellington's army defeated the French Imperial Guard in a victory that marked Napoleon's downfall. The British soldiers captured the headgear from the defeated Imperial Guardsmen and have worn them ever since, although today the hats are only worn for ceremonial duties. Those British soldiers were renamed the Grenadier Guards to honor their defeat of the Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guards. The Grenadiers are now among five bearskin-wearing regiments that guard British royal buildings. But each bearskin hat is heavy and can prove very hot for the wearer. "There have been occasions where soldiers have suffered from heatstroke, because obviously wearing that much fur on your head ... can get quite warm," Farrance said. | [
"what do the campaigners oppose",
"when is the meeting scheduled",
"Where does the fur for the guard headgear come from?",
"how long has the iconic headgear been worn",
"Since when was the guard headgear worn?"
] | [
[
"UK troops wearing bearskin hats."
],
[
"Tuesday"
],
[
"bearskin"
],
[
"The British Army's use of the bearskin hats dates back to the Battle of Waterloo on in 1815,"
],
[
"use of the bearskin hats dates back to the Battle of Waterloo on in 1815,"
]
] | Animal rights campaigners oppose UK royal guards wearing furry headgear .
Scheduled to stage meeting with defense ministry in London Tuesday .
Iconic headgear has been worn since the battle of Waterloo in 1815 .
Army expert: Fur comes only from Canadian bears that have died naturally . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Archaeologists excavating a site in East London have made an "extremely rare and unprecedented" find -- a delicately detailed dish made of hundreds of pieces of tiny glass petals, the Museum of London Docklands announced Wednesday.
The dish unearthed after about 2,000 years.
The "millefiori" dish (the name means "thousand flowers") was found buried in the grave of a Roman Londoner, the museum said.
Based on the other grave goods found at the site, archaeologists believe the person buried there was wealthy, the museum said.
The dish was highly fragmented when archaeologists unearthed it, the museum said, but it had been held together over the centuries by the earth around it.
A conservator at the museum reassembled the dish, which is now on display at the Museum of London Docklands.
"Piecing together and conserving such a complete artifact offered a rare and thrilling challenge," said conservator Liz Goodman, who did the work.
"We occasionally get tiny fragments of millefiori, but the opportunity to work on a whole artifact of this nature is extraordinary. The dish is extremely fragile but the glasswork is intact and illuminates beautifully nearly two millennia after being crafted."
The glass petals are blue with white borders and are each indented. They were originally embedded in opaque red glass, the museum said, and while the red coloring has diminished across most of the dish, it can still be seen around the edge.
"The complexity of its manufacture indicates that the dish was a highly-prized and valuable item," the museum said in a statement.
Such beautifully crafted vessels were in vogue in the 1st and early 2nd centuries, the museum said. Dating is under way to determine the precise period of the find.
The excavations that uncovered the dish are part of an ongoing dig at the extensive eastern cemetery of Roman London, which was then called Londinium. The site now lies in the neighborhood of Aldgate.
The cemetery -- which, by law, lay outside the city walls -- spanned more than 400 years of Roman occupation from the late 1st to early 5th centuries, the museum said. | [
"What was fragmented but held together for about 2,000 years?",
"Where was the rare and valuable dish found?",
"Where is it displayed?",
"Where was the dish found?",
"Was it fragmented or broken?"
] | [
[
"dish"
],
[
"East London"
],
[
"Museum of London Docklands."
],
[
"East London"
],
[
"highly"
]
] | Archaeologists in London find rare, valuable dish at Roman cemetery .
Millefiori dish was fragmented but held together for about 2,000 years .
Complexity of the dish indicates it was highly-prized and valuable item .
Dish on display at the Museum of London Docklands . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Archaeologists have discovered what they say is the oldest surviving human brain in Britain, dating back at least 2,000 years to the Iron Age. A representation of the skull generated from the CT scans taken at York Hospital. The remains of the brain were found in a skull unearthed during excavations at York University in northern England, a statement from the university said Friday. The dig site was described by investigators from York Archaeological Trust as being in an extensive prehistoric farming landscape of fields, track ways and buildings dating back to at least 300 BC. They believe the skull, which was found on its own in a muddy pit, may have been a ritual offering. Rachel Cubitt, who was taking part in the dig, described how she felt something move inside the cranium as she cleaned the soil-covered skull's outer surface. Peering through the base of the skull, she spotted an unusual yellow substance. "It jogged my memory of a university lecture on the rare survival of ancient brain tissue. We gave the skull special conservation treatment as a result, and sought expert medical opinion," she said in a statement on York University's Web site. A sophisticated CT scanner at York Hospital was then used to produce startlingly clear images of the skull's contents. Philip Duffey, Consultant Neurologist at the Hospital said: "I'm amazed and excited that scanning has shown structures which appear to be unequivocally of brain origin. I think that it will be very important to establish how these structures have survived, whether there are traces of biological material within them and, if not, what is their composition." Dr Sonia O'Connor, Research Fellow in Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford added: "The survival of brain remains where no other soft tissues are preserved is extremely rare. This brain is particularly exciting because it is very well preserved, even though it is the oldest recorded find of this type in the UK, and one of the earliest worldwide." According to York University, the find is the second major discovery during archaeological investigations on the site of the University's $745 million campus expansion. Earlier this year, the skeleton of a man believed to be one of Britain's earliest victims of tuberculosis was discovered in a shallow grave. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the man died in the fourth century late-Roman period. | [
"What phenomenon is rare with this skull?",
"Does this type of thing happen a lot?",
"Which campus was the skull found on?",
"What was found on campus?",
"Where was the skull found?",
"What was inside the skull?",
"What was the substance found to be?"
] | [
[
"\"The survival of brain remains where no other soft tissues are preserved is extremely"
],
[
"\"The survival of brain remains where no other soft tissues are preserved is extremely rare."
],
[
"York University"
],
[
"remains of the brain"
],
[
"York University in northern England,"
],
[
"brain"
],
[
"remains of the brain"
]
] | Skull found at site of York University's $745 million campus expansion .
Investigator spotted an unusual yellow substance inside the skull .
Hospital scanner used to produce clear images of the brain tissue .
Expert: Survival of brain remains where no other soft tissues are preserved is rare . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Arriving at the London premiere of his self-titled mockumentary dressed in an enormous bearskin hat, cropped red army tunic and barely there hot pants, flamboyant Austrian fashionista, "Bruno," paid sartorial tribute to the British as only he knows how. Bear-ing all: British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comic creation Austrian fashionista, Bruno, hits the red carpet. Waxed to perfection and flanked by a group of muscular black men dressed like a camp Queen's Guards, the gay fashion reporter flounced down the carpet to greet his public. "Vassup CNN! Lookin' hot," Bruno said to CNN. "I don't want any attention; I'm not here to promote my movie." "Bruno," which hits cinemas in most territories next month, is the latest comic creation of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who last shocked, insulted and delighted audiences in 2006 with Borat, Kazakhstan's "Most Famous Broadcaster." Bruno continues the unique approach to comedy Baron Cohen honed with characters like uneducated, loutish jungle music fan Ali G and then homophobic, anti-Semitic Kazakh journalist Borat. Watch "Bruno" on the red carpet » His specialty is characters who say the unsayable: like Bruno's carpet quip that his new film is "the most important movie starring a gay Austrian since 'Terminator 2,'" in joking reference to the married (and firmly heterosexual) Austrian Terminator star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, now Governor of California. In pictures: Bruno offers fashion advice to CNN » Baron Cohen puts his creations in real-life situations and uses them to draw unsuspecting participants into letting well-hidden prejudices slip out, engage in embarrassing behavior or contradict themselves. Characters like Bruno and Borat "essentially work as a tool," Baron Cohen told UK paper The Observer in a rare out-of-character interview: "By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice." Baron Cohen's approach courts controversy. "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" opened to a wave of outrage from race-relations campaigners. This time it is gay-rights campaigners who are up in arms. "Sacha Baron Cohen's well-meaning attempt at satire is problematic in many places and outright offensive in others," Rashad Robinson, senior director of media programs for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation told the New York Times. While some critics may suggest that his films may reinforce prejudices, others disagree. "It is difficult to accuse Cohen of making films that are racist or homophobic," Aubrey Day, Editor-in-Chief of Total Film magazine told CNN. "He takes characters and exaggerates them for broad comic value, but I don't think there's any credence in the idea that he supports any of those ideals." But Baron Cohen certainly knows how to manipulate the media. The 37-year-old has been whipping up anticipation for "Bruno" with a series of attention-grabbing, hilarious stunts. In September last year, he brought chaos to the hallowed fashion shows of Milan when he stormed the catwalk of designer Agata Luiz de la Prada's show dressed in a Velcro suit with clothes from backstage stuck all over it. Most recently, he descended from the ceiling at the MTV Movie Awards wearing nothing but a pair of angel's wings and a skimpy thong before "falling" onto irate rapper Eminem's face. Eminem stormed out of the awards but later admitted he knew about the stunt beforehand. "Borat" debuted at number one in the U.S. box office and went on to gross $300 million in box office and DVD sales. Industry experts are predicting an even bigger return for "Bruno." The secret of the Baron Cohen comedy phenomenon may lie in his combination of laughs with something a bit deeper: namely his ability to highlight prejudices and hypocrisies. "What he does very well is hold a mirror up to a lot of society's current ideals and expose | [
"Who has he caused controversy with?",
"What kind of hat did Bruno wear?",
"Who did bruno pay tribute to?",
"Who created Bruno?",
"Who plays the role?",
"What did sacha baron cohen create?",
"Who did he pay tribute to?"
] | [
[
"gay-rights campaigners"
],
[
"an enormous bearskin"
],
[
"the British"
],
[
"Sacha Baron Cohen,"
],
[
"Sacha Baron Cohen's"
],
[
"\"Bruno,\""
],
[
"British"
]
] | "Bruno" paid tribute to British icons in a bearskin hat at London movie premiere .
The Austrian fashionista is UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's latest creation .
"Bruno" has already caused controversy with gay rights campaigners .
Baron Cohen's comedy holds a mirror up to many of society's ingrained prejudices . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- As Markus Winkelhock took to the sodden track of last week's European Grand Prix in Nuerburgring he went where one Winkelhock had been before, his father Manfred Winkelhock.
Nico Rosberg (left) gets a pep talk from his world championship-winning father at this year's Monaco Grand Prix
Winkelhock junior's first grand prix -- and possibly last for some time, now that Christijan Albers' vacated Spyker seat has gone to Sakon Yamamoto -- will be talked about for years to come. His decision to run on extreme wet tires on lap three saw him leading the race by 33 seconds before the race was suspended for the second time. And, although his race ended with hydraulic failure, and future drives in Formula 1 are by no means certain, he joins the rare club of drivers who have led a grand prix on their first race.
It was at Nuerburgring that his father Manfred Winkelhock raced his last Formula 1 grand prix. Never a contender -- he scored only two points from 47 starts -- he was nevertheless a popular driver with the home crowd. Sadly, eleven days after the 1985 German Grand Prix at Nuerburgring, Winkelhock was killed driving a Porsche 956 at a World Sportscar event in Mosport Park, Canada.
Manfred's brothers Joachim and Thomas Winkelhock were also racing drivers; Joachim entered seven grands prix in the 1989 season but did not pre-qualify, so didn't race.
"My father did his last F1 race at the Nuerburgring and now I'm doing my first," said Markus last Sunday, "that is something special."
Underneath his Spyker overalls, Markus wore a chain around his neck, as he always does when racing. On it was the wedding ring belonging to the father who died when Markus when only five years old -- a good luck talisman given to him by his mother.
Formula 1's history has many such tales of sons following fathers into racing careers -- and in some cases the second generation drivers lost their fathers at an early age. Fatalities have been so rare in F1 in the last two decades that it's easy to forget quite how dangerous an activity it once was.
Canadian Jacques Villeneuve had celebrated his eleventh birthday a month before his father Gilles, the legendary Ferrari driver, died in practice before the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. Such was his status in Canada, that his remains were returned to his homeland aboard a jet of the Canadian Air Force, on the request of the government.
Knowing the dangers inherent in the sport, Villeneuve junior entered F1 in 1996. He started his first race from pole position and just missed out on the top step of the podium to his Williams team-mate, Damon Hill. In his next season Villeneuve junior achieved what his father rightly should have done, he won the World Championship.
Hill too was the son of a racing legend. Graham Hill was champion in 1962 and 1968. With the dashing demeanor, and pencil moustache, of a World War 2 flying ace, he projected an image of the true sporting Brit. But, behind the scenes, he was a tempestuous man who could be both vain and reckless.
Graham Hill died in 1975, when Damon was 15. It is often assumed that the sons of famous drivers who follow their fathers into the sport are drifted into their seats on a wave of nepotism and inheritance. Not true of Damon, who had to work as a motorcycle courier in London to pay for his start in motor racing.
Graham Hill didn't die racing. He died trying to land a Piper Aztek airplane in fog. The plane was not properly registered or insured and Hill died along with his five passengers (including Tony Brise, who was racing for Hill's F1 team at the time). The families of the bereaved had no choice but to sue the estate of Graham Hill for compensation.
Another F1 champion to sire a racing son was American Mario Andretti. He won the 1978 world championship for Lotus and also having a successful career in the US oval circuits in both Champcar and NASCAR. His son Michael entered F1 | [
"who raced in formula 1",
"what was F1 famous for?",
"What has formula 1 a history of?",
"Who raced in Formula championships?",
"Who made debut?"
] | [
[
"Markus Winkelhock"
],
[
"sons following fathers into racing careers"
],
[
"many such tales of sons following fathers into racing careers"
],
[
"Markus Winkelhock"
],
[
"Markus Winkelhock"
]
] | Markus Winkelhock made debut at the location of his father's last F1 race .
F1 has a history of father and son racers .
Six sons of world champions have raced in Formula 1 championships . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- As many of the world's industries struggle in the face of global economic hardship, the inaugural Abu Dhabi Yacht Show went ahead earlier this month. On show: The recent Abu Dhabi Yacht Show attracted some of the world's biggest super-yachts. Showcasing some of the top super-yachts in existence, the show symbolizes a luxury industry which is still thriving in the area. At the show, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, said the United Arab Emirates is becoming one of the world's greatest super-yacht hubs. "This show demonstrates Abu Dhabi's commitment to be recognized as a global super-yacht player at the same level as leading centers in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean," he said. Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority chairman, Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, hailed the event as proof that the region was still growing and performing well economically. "It is a clear indication of continuing international confidence in this emirate's robust and resilient economy." Evidence of positive developments in the region's luxury yacht industry is written all over the emirate. In addition to the yachting infrastructure already complete in Abu Dhabi, a marina is planned on Saadiyat Island, in the historic marine district of Al Bateen. Another marina is planned on Yas Island, where there will be a dedicated mega-yacht marina. In total, 16 new marinas are planned in Abu Dhabi in the next decade. The inaugural Abu Dhabi show also attracted 20 of the world's top super-yachts with a combined value of more than $500 million. Most of the globe's top brokers were also in attendance. Senior yacht broker at Burgess Yachts, Rupert Nelson, told CNN that Abu Dhabi is committing to the industry -- a move which should help the emirate stay one step ahead of other destinations. "Across the globe this year there has been a huge slow down, but in the Gulf they don't seem to be too worried about it." Burgess Yachts recently sold a Dubai-built super-yacht called Al Hanem for just under $20 million, he added. Although the industry faces a number of challenges in the Gulf region, Nelson said the growth of marinas, yacht-builders, brokers and other related business should help to create jobs. "The size of boats there is growing, the number of yachts there is growing ... and it seems they want to continue," he told CNN. The question on many lips is whether this growing industry could help the United Arab Emirates, and the wider Gulf region, survive the worst of the wider economic downturn. Probably not, is the answer from regional business experts. But it may ease some of the pain Middle East business expert and author of "Dubai & Co: Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States," Aamir A. Rehman, told CNN there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism in the Gulf luxury sector. Earlier this year Rolls Royce reported Abu Dhabi and Dubai had become the biggest and second-biggest markets for their cars after a 48 percent jump in sales during 2008 compared with 2007. Rehman said Rolls Royce's results of were promising for the wider luxury industry -- and could also indicate potential growth for the super-yacht industry. "Transportation and the entire infrastructure around transport are important to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). There's significant investment being made in transportation, suggesting potential for growth in related industries." However, despite the high-profile nature of the luxury yacht industry, Rehman feels there are still limitations. "The Gulf is a relatively small market overall and the number of high-end buyers, while substantial, may be limited compared to regions with larger population bases." Liz Martins, head of Middle East and North Africa in the Country Risk department at Business Monitor International, told CNN the current economic climate would have a lasting impact on the luxury sector. "I think it's an area where people will cut back. There | [
"When will the show be held?",
"Where is the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show held?",
"Where is Abu Dhabi located?",
"What are growing in popularity in the Gulf region?",
"What is growing in popularity in the Gulf?",
"What does Abu Dhabi want to become?",
"What was held this month?"
] | [
[
"earlier this month."
],
[
"United Arab Emirates"
],
[
"United Arab Emirates"
],
[
"luxury yacht industry"
],
[
"super-yachts."
],
[
"one of the world's greatest super-yacht hubs."
],
[
"Abu Dhabi Yacht Show"
]
] | The inaugural Abu Dhabi Yacht Show was held this month .
Super-yachts are growing in popularity in the Gulf region .
Abu Dhabi wants to become world's top super yacht destination .
Experts say it is unlikely luxury yacht industry will have big impact on the economy . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- As the first splinters of sunlight spread their warmth on the south bank of the River Thames on Thursday, it became clear that after more than a century, the vision of Victorian engineer Alexander Stanhope St. George had finally been realized. The Telectroscope lets Londoners and New Yorkers see each other in real time. In all its optical brilliance and brass and wood, there stood the Telectroscope: an 11.2-meter-(37 feet) long by 3.3-meter-(11 feet) tall dream of a device allowing people on one side of the Atlantic to look into its person-size lens and, in real time, see those on the other side via a recently completed tunnel running under the ocean. (Think 19th-century Webcam. Or maybe Victorian-age video phone.) And all the credit goes to British artist Paul St. George. If he had not been rummaging through great-grandpa Alexander's personal effects a few years ago, the Telectroscope might still exist only on paper, hidden away deep inside some old box. But fortunately, St. George could not bear that thought and thus decided he should be the one to finish what his great-grandfather had started. It was quite simply the right thing to do. Plus, it would make a pretty cool public art exhibit. Send us your videos, images or stories During the twilight hours Tuesday, massive dirt-covered metal drill bits miraculously emerged -- one by the Thames near the Tower Bridge and the other on Fulton Ferry Landing by the Brooklyn Bridge in New York -- completing the final sections of great-grandfather Alexander's transatlantic tunnel. The drills were removed Wednesday night and replaced with identical Telectroscopes at both ends, allowing Londoners and New Yorkers to wake up Thursday, look over to the far and distant shore and stare at each other for a while (the telescope-like contraption permits visual but not vocal communication). Of course, only part of this story is true. St. George is an artist in Britain who does have a grandfather -- minus the great prefix -- named Alexander. And the trans-Atlantic tunnel is really a trans-Atlantic broadband network rounded off on each end with HD cameras, according to Tiscali, an Italian Internet provider handling the technical side of the project. As for the Telectroscope, well, it was a fanciful idea that, according to St. George, came about from a typo made by a 19th-century reporter who misspelled Electroscope, a device used to measure electrostatic charges - as Telectroscope. "The journalist also misunderstood what it was about and wrote in the article that it was a device for the suppression of absence," St. George said. "The accidental hope captured their imagination, and lots of people at the end of the 19th century thought it was a great idea." The Telectroscope captured St. George's imagination five years ago, when he began pondering how to do a project on the childhood fantasy of digging a hole to the opposite side of the Earth. And because the artist also happens to have an expertise in Victorian chronophotography -- a precursor to cinematography -- he had a slight idea of where to look for the proper equipment. "We all have that idea in our head if we could make a tunnel to the other side of the Earth," St. George said."But we are not all crazy enough to actually try and do it." St. George was crazy enough to actually try and do it, but he realized he could not do the digging alone. So about two years ago, he pitched the idea to Artichoke, the British arts group responsible for taking the Sultan's Elephant -- a 42-ton mechanical creature -- for a stroll through central London in 2006. The company was immediately taken by St. George's idea. "The whole thing is about seeing what is real and what isn't real and how the world is," said Nicki Webb, a co-founder of Artichoke. "Is it nighttime when we are in daytime, and does it look familiar to us or not?" When the sun illuminated the lens of the Telectroscope next to the | [
"What was the name of the man who created it?",
"What allows New Yorkers and Londoners to see each other?",
"What came about when the reporter made a typo?",
"What artist was inspired?",
"What caused it to be brought about?",
"Who can see each other in real time?"
] | [
[
"Alexander Stanhope St. George"
],
[
"The Telectroscope"
],
[
"the Telectroscope,"
],
[
"Paul St. George."
],
[
"rummaging through great-grandpa Alexander's personal effects a few years ago,"
],
[
"Londoners and New Yorkers"
]
] | Telectroscope allows Londoners, New Yorkers to see each other in real time .
Giant scope was Victorian age idea, came about when reporter made typo .
Artist St. George inspired by childhood notion of digging to other side of Earth . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- As the lights went down in the theater the low murmur built to a thunderous ovation as the odd-looking man in the crumpled suit and bowler hat took to the stage. Tom Waits in Paris on the European leg of his tour. The excitement that greeted the eccentric American singer songwriter Tom Waits' appearance in Edinburgh last month may come as a surprise to the many, who have never heard of him. The 58-year-old has stayed for most of his four-decade career on the edge of the music mainstream. This is despite a showering of critical acclaim and a host of high-profile fans including the movie star Scarlett Johansson, who recently recorded an album of Waits covers. Waits' position on the periphery of pop music (he admits that the 60s scene largely passed him by), may be because he belongs to a bigger historical tradition -- that of the singer-storyteller that has its origin in folk music. His music comes from a different place from most artists. A laconic, bar room philosopher with a wry sense of humor, Waits is an avowed fan of the Beat generation writer Jack Kerouac and the author and poet Charles Bukowski. Many of his songs are stories containing a cast of characters from America's underbelly: the drunks and disenfranchised, the lost souls hiding out from life in seedy night spots. It is the same world that Kerouac chronicled in his writings, including his most famous work "On the Road," which describes a journey across America in the late fifties. Waits, who is notoriously interview-shy, acknowledged his debt to the author in a promotional interview to accompany the release of his 1974 album "The Heart of Saturday Night." He said the record was a search for the "center of Saturday night," a quest he said that Kerouac himself had "relentlessly chased from one end of this country to the other, and I've attempted to scoop up a few diamonds of this magic that I see." Waits' place in the folk tradition is something he has acknowledged, consciously or otherwise, in his music. In 1990, he wrote the music and lyrics for "The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets," a theatrical collaboration with the American writer William Burroughs based on a German folktale. Like all great writers, Waits is a conscientious observer of people and their strange foibles. Born in Pomona, CA. he moved to Los Angeles in the late sixties to pursue his music career, finding work as a doorman at an LA nightspot. It was at this time that he honed his skills as a storyteller, eavesdropping on the lives of others. "I was picking up people's conversations in all-night coffee shops - ambulance drivers, cabdrivers, street sweepers," he said in an interview with The New Yorker. "I did research there as an evening curator, and I started writing gingerly. I thought at some point I'd like to forge it all into something meaningful, and give it dignity." The results of this labor are songs like "Frank's Wild Years," a hilarious and sinister tale of a man -- Frank -- trapped in suburbia with a wife and pet dog that has a skin disease. The song is spoken in a lounge room style over a soft jazz accompaniment, and like much of Waits' work it drips irony: "They had a thoroughly modern kitchen/ Self-cleaning oven (the whole bit)/ Frank drove a little sedan/ They were so happy." In a 1983 promotional interview published by his then record company Island, Waits credits a short story by Bukowski with giving him some of the inspiration for the song. "Bukowski had a story that essentially was saying that it's the little things that drive men mad," Waits said. "It's not World War II. It's the broken shoe lace when there is no time left that sends men completely out of their minds. "I think there is a little bit of Frank in everybody." In the | [
"Who has won critical acclaim for his music?",
"Who is Tom Waits?",
"who is a fan and recorded a tribute album",
"what has attracted a cult following",
"Which actress is Waits fan?",
"Who is a fan of Waits?"
] | [
[
"Tom Waits"
],
[
"eccentric American singer songwriter"
],
[
"Scarlett Johansson,"
],
[
"Tom Waits'"
],
[
"Scarlett Johansson,"
],
[
"Scarlett Johansson,"
]
] | Singer songwriter Tom Waits has won critical acclaim for his music .
His strange tales of the seedy side of America have attracted a cult following .
The actress Scarlett Johansson is a fan and recorded a recent tribute album .
Waits counts U.S. writers Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski as influences . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- As the saying goes, "Pain is temporary, film is forever" and noone in the movie business knows this better than stuntmen. Stunt double Terry Leonard performs a hazardous jump from horseback to a truck as Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Hollywood's athletes regularly defy death in pursuit of ever more extreme spectacles to keep us on the edge our cinema seats. "The Screening Room" takes a look at some of the best stunts ever pulled off -- and a few that didn't end so well. Don't agree with the list? Think we've missed one? Tell us in the SoundOff box below. 1. "Steamboat Bill, Jr." (Charles Reisner, 1928) Stunt: Building falls down Stuntman: Buster Keaton Charlie Chaplin may be better remembered, but no early stuntman was more willing to risk eternal oblivion for a great stunt than Keaton. In perhaps his most perfect stunt, the side of a building crashes down on top of him and Keaton is saved only by an open window that fits neatly around him. The window was built to have clearance of two inches around each shoulder and on the top of his head. As Keaton himself said, "You don't do these things twice." 2. "Stagecoach" (John Ford, 1939) Stunt: High speed stagecoach jump Stuntman: Yakima Canutt Ex-rodeo cowboy Yakima Canutt was probably the first celebrity stuntman, best known as a stunt double for John Wayne. In this stunt -- which has since become a Western classic -- he portrays a galloping warrior during an Indian attack on a stagecoach. He jumps from his own horse to the six-horse team pulling the stagecoach, is shot, falls, and is dragged underneath the fast-moving team and stagecoach. 3. "Ben Hur" (William Wyler, 1959) Stunt: Chariot race Stuntman: Joe Canutt Canutt (son of Yakima) doubles for Charlton Heston in the famous chariot race. Half way through, things veer off plan and he is forced down the inside part of the track straight towards a wrecked chariot. When his charito hits, Canutt is flung over the front of the chariot, where he clings before clambering back on. The sequence was completely unplanned but made it into the film because Canutt kept a cool head even though he was injured. 4. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (Stephen Spielberg, 1981) Stunt: Truck drag Stuntman: Terry Leonard This intense stunt sequence was so hazardous to perform that veteran stuntman Terry Leonard only agreed to do it if his friend and fellow stuntman Glenn H. Randall Jr. was driving the truck. A ditch was dug underneath the path of the truck to give Leonard enough room to manoeuver. Harrison Ford, an accomplished stuntman in his own right, performed an earlier portion of the sequence, where Indy hung onto the bonnet of the truck only by a bending hood ornament. 5. "GoldenEye" (Martin Campbell, 1995) Stunt: 750 foot bungee jump Stuntman: Wayne Michaels This breathtaking Bond stunt was performed at the Verzasca hydro-electric dam in Switzerland and done in one take. Michaels jumped from a specially-constructed platform built to jut out from the dam to prevent him making contact with the front of the dam, which was studded with steel pegs. This, combined with his high falling velocity, could have proved fatal. 6. "Who am I?" (Wo shi shei) (Jackie Chan, 1998) Stunt: 21-storey slide Stuntman: Jackie Chan It's almost impossible to choose just one of Chan's stunts, but his faintly slapstick 21-storey slide down the side of a skyscraper is pretty impressive -- even more so when you find out he did it without a harness. He never uses stunt doubles or special effects and as a result has broken just about every bone in his body over the years. Now that's commitment. 7. "Sharky's Machine" (Burt Reynolds, 1981) Stunt: Free-fall | [
"For what is Buster Keaton saved by in \"Steamboat Bill Jr\"?",
"What is Buster Keaton saved by in \"Steamboat Bill Jr.\"?",
"Where are they choosing the best stunts?",
"Which Keaton film was chosen?",
"What does the Screening Room choose?",
"Which James Bond film was chosen?",
"You could say bungee jumping is an art form thanks to whom?"
] | [
[
"an open window"
],
[
"open window"
],
[
"\"The Screening Room\""
],
[
"\"Steamboat Bill, Jr.\""
],
[
"the best stunts ever pulled off"
],
[
"\"GoldenEye\""
],
[
"Stuntman: Wayne Michaels"
]
] | The Screening Room chooses the some of the best stunts ever filmed .
Buster Keaton is saved by an open window in "Steamboat Bill Jr."
James Bond turns bungee jumping into an art form in "GoldenEye"
We want to hear from you: what is your favorite movie stunt? |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- At a time of economic uncertainty in the U.S., the writers strike cast a dark cloud over the eternal sunshine of the Californian mindset and its most glittering awards ceremony. Oscar winner Helen Mirren dazzled in Chopard diamonds last year and gained masses of publicity for the jeweler Up until a fortnight ago, the million dollar question was whether the Oscars would go ahead as stars refused to cross the picket line. Make that the 400 million dollar question. According to the pundits and bean-counters, that's how much the strike would have cost Los Angeles and the industry if Hollywood's most glamorous evening had been cancelled. Not only would the stars have been robbed of their moment to shimmer along the world's most famous red carpet, but a whole hinterland of ancillary trades would be affected. Limo drivers driven to despair, caterers with no-one to cater for, make-up artists struggling to make up lost earnings and security teams facing an insecure future -- and the paparazzi would have no-one to focus on. But it's not just the little guys who would have lost out on the Oscars millions. Big-name jewelry designers like Chopard traditionally dress the stars. Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron and Hilary Swank are among their successful models at the Academy Awards. Last year, Helen Mirren wore a 55 carat diamond flower bracelet along with a 62 carat diamond brooch worth $4m dollars to accept the Best Actress gong. It is estimated that having a celebrity pictured in an item of jewelry or an outfit can be worth $1m in publicity for a jeweler or fashion house. With hundreds of celebrities strutting the red carpet on Oscars night, the scope for generating revenue is seemingly endless. But even Chopard's famous sparkle was tested by the uncertainty surrounding this year's event. "Leading up to the Oscars business for the whole of Rodeo Drive was a little sketchy. Everyone was thinking, what's gonna happen?" Wes Carroll, Chopard spokesman, told CNN. "We felt for the writers, we felt for the studios and we wanted a great outcome for everyone. We would have been very disappointed had the Oscars not happened." Films which achieve success at the Academy Awards can expect a new injection of cash with a boost in DVD sales and renewed interest at the box office. Robert Buchsbaum, a Los Angeles theater boss, told CNN, "It's not just the studios who are affected by the Academy Awards show. It's theater owners. As a single-screen theater owner, my whole year is based on how well films perform from November through March through the Academy Awards. It's the busiest time of year for me." "We really try to figure out, not just what the big Academy Award film is gonna be -- the Best Picture -- but also the smaller films, the independent films which might get the edge like Juno and There Will Be Blood, films which will have a lot of legs to them once they get the nomination," he continued. "It usually means between 25% and 75% in box office revenues alone." The prime candidate for a new lease of life at the box office is the Coen Brothers' film, "No Country for Old Men." On the opposite side of the U.S., New York critics are expecting it to yield a decent crop of Oscars after taking their own awards night by storm. Stephen Whitty, Chair of the New York Film Critics' Circle, told CNN, "It won best picture because the direction from the Coen brothers was really assured. They were completely in control of the mood throughout that film. "I think the screenplay, also by the Coens, while being truthful to Cormack McCarthy's book, managed to turn it into cinema," he continued. "It made it consistently visual and imparted its message and its mood through images. The acting -- and again, Javier Bardem got the fourth of the four awards we gave it -- I thought the acting was spot on | [
"What would the Oscar cancellation have cost?",
"Who would be the worst hit?",
"What can film's, which achieve success at the OScar's, expect?",
"Jewelry designers like Chopard generate how much?",
"What would the cancellation would have cost?",
"What can films that receive awards expect?",
"What can films expect?",
"How much is it estimated the industry would have lost if the Oscar's had been canceled?",
"Amount that the Oscar cancellation would have cost the industry?"
] | [
[
"400 million dollar"
],
[
"Los Angeles and the industry"
],
[
"box office revenues"
],
[
"or an outfit can be worth $1m in publicity for a jeweler or fashion house."
],
[
"400 million dollar"
],
[
"a new injection of cash with a boost in DVD sales and renewed interest at the box office."
],
[
"a new injection of cash"
],
[
"400 million dollar"
],
[
"400 million dollar"
]
] | Oscar cancellation would have cost the industry an estimated $400m .
Limo drivers, caterers, make-up artists would be among worst hit .
Jewelry designers like Chopard generate $1m in publicity on Oscars night .
Films which achieve success on the night can expect box office cash injection . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Australian pop star Kylie Minogue and the professor who created Dolly the sheep are among the prominent figures who have received awards from Queen Elizabeth II in her annual New Year Honors list.
Kylie Minogue battled back to health after suffering from breast cancer.
Minogue, 39 , and Prof. Ian Wilmut were appointed to the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the list, which is chosen by the queen on the advise of the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Other award winners included Stuart Rose, the head of the British retailer Marks and Spencer, who was handed a knighthood and "Lord of the Rings" star Ian McKellen.
The award of a Companion of Honour for the 68-year-old British actor, who already has a knighthood and has been a longtime campaigner for gay rights, recognized his efforts to promote "equality."
The New Year's list recognizes a wide range of people who are thought to have made a positive contribution to British life.
The queen hands out a range of honors including knighthoods, life peerages and gallantry awards for those serving in the armed forces and civilians.
The list is published in the official newspaper of the British monarchy, the London Gazette.
The honor's list usually attracts attention for the high-profile figures honored; previous recipients of knighthoods include the pop stars Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger but anyone can be nominated for an award.
This year's list, for example, includes some of the people who took part in the rescue operations following the flooding that affected large parts of England this summer.
Capt. Tracy Palmer, from the Salvation Army in the northern English town of Workshop, was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) after she provided shelter for children caught up in the floods.
Wilmut, 63, created headlines around the world after he led the team of scientists that created the first mammal produced through genetic cloning in 1996.
Kylie Minogue has sold more than 60 million records worldwide in a music career lasting 20 years.
The Australian pop diva battled back to health after she was forced to cancel a world tour when she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. E-mail to a friend | [
"What do the awards recognize?",
"What did Ian Wilmut do to get honored?",
"Who is Ian Wilmut?",
"Who was named in Queen Elizabeth II's New Year Honors List?",
"Who was among those named in Queen Elizabeth's 2's New Year honors list?",
"What does the Queen's New Year Honors list recognize?",
"What health problems did Kylie Minogue have?",
"What crisis did the pop star overcome?",
"Name of professor who created Dolly the sheep?",
"What does the Honors list recognize?"
] | [
[
"wide range of people who are thought to have made a positive contribution to British life."
],
[
"led the team of scientists that created the first mammal produced through genetic cloning in 1996."
],
[
"Prof."
],
[
"Australian pop star Kylie Minogue and the professor"
],
[
"Australian pop star Kylie Minogue and the professor"
],
[
"people who are thought to have made a positive contribution to British life."
],
[
"breast cancer."
],
[
"breast cancer."
],
[
"Wilmut,"
],
[
"people who are thought to have made a positive contribution to British life."
]
] | Kylie Minogue among those named in Queen Elizabeth II's New Year Honors list .
The professor who created Dolly the sheep, Ian Wilmut, also honored .
Awards recognize those who make a positive contribution to British life .
Minogue battled back to health after she was diagnosed with breast cancer . |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Bad dubbing, angry men with extraordinary facial hair, balletic fighting and more blood than you can shake a nunchuck at: just some of the key ingredients to make a perfect kung fu flick. Tony Jaa may be the modern day Bruce Lee, and in "Ong-bak" he shows off his impressive skills. Whether it's a traditional tale of ancient Chinese fighting mystics, or a slickly made, modern bloodfest, kung fu has always been a rich part of cinema. We've compiled a list of 10 of the best. Don't agree? Think we've missed one? Share your views by using the Sound Off box below and we'll publish the best. 1. Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973) Bruce Lee's last movie before his untimely death, this is him at his very best. A man on a revenge mission, Lee travels to a mysterious island to fight in a deadly tournament hosted by an evil billionaire. Along with being technically amazing -- the nunchucks scene is jaw-dropping -- it's the most stylish and iconic martial arts film ever made. 2. Ong-bak (Prachya Pinkaew, 2003) Tony Jaa is a modern master. He has appeared in very few major releases, but has already made a huge impact. "Ong-bak" is the perfect showcase for his extraordinary skills: whether he's fighting a roomful of people or taking part in the most exciting chase we have ever seen -- jumping through rings of barbed wire and sliding under moving cars while doing the splits -- he makes this film every bit the martial arts spectacle. 3. Wong Fei Hung (Once Upon a Time in China) (Hark Tsui, 1991) Part Chinese history, part gripping kung fu movie, this eastern epic has Jet Li demonstrating his talents as the eponymous hero who stands up to invading foreign forces in 19th century China. Armed with a limitless arsenal of martial arts moves, Li takes on masses of gun-toting, badly acting opponents. A visual delight and Jet Li's best work. 4. Kill Bill 1 & 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003/2004) Quentin Tarantino is a movie geek -- specifically, a B-movie geek -- and kung fu has long held a place in his heart. "Kill Bill," his tribute to the genre, ticks every box: revenge; a powerful, all-knowing nemesis; stylish fights, costumes and music; and blood, lots and lots of blood. 5. Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) (Ang Lee, 2000) Every eye-catching detail of this touching and beautiful film works. A love story with outlaws, witches and Shaolin monks is augmented by breathtaking cinematography and some fantastic performances from Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and newcomer Ziyi Zhang. This visual feast tugs at the heart strings better than any karate chop could. 6. The Karate Kid (John G. Avildsen, 1984) A simple but well-executed plot sees Ralph Macchio's underdog work his way up an unconventional path to take on the mean and nasty establishment. It spawned a spate of copycat films, while thousands of children signed up to after-school karate; everyone now knows how to defend themselves by waxing on or off and that the best fighting move is obviously The Crane. Hiya! 7. Ging chaat goo si (Police Story) (Jackie Chan, 1985) Jackie Chan is probably China's biggest export to Hollywood, well-known for doing his own death-defying stunts. This is one of the films that got him noticed in the United States. When he fights, Chan is unstoppable: he uses every prop on the set and puts himself in enormous physical danger. Out and out fun. 8. Shogun Assassin (Robert Houston, 1980) Referenced several times in Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films, this forgotten classic must have set a record for the amount of blood spilt as our hero crosses the country on a revenge mission. Early on, Tomisaburo Wakayama says | [
"What happened in enter the Dragon?",
"What is described as 'stylish and bloody'?",
"Who hits the top spot with \"Enter the Dragon\"?",
"Which actor hit the top spot with \"Enter the Dragon\"?"
] | [
[
"A man on a revenge mission, Lee travels to a mysterious island to fight in a deadly tournament hosted by an evil billionaire. Along with being technically amazing -- the nunchucks scene is jaw-dropping"
],
[
"Kill Bill 1 & 2"
],
[
"Tony Jaa"
],
[
"Bruce Lee's"
]
] | Iconic kung fu star Bruce Lee hits the top spot with "Enter the Dragon"
Tarantino's genre tributes, "Kill Bill 1&2," are stylish and bloody .
"The Matrix" is a sci-fi kung fu movie with slickly made fight sequences .
But Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Street Fighter" lacks the killer punch . |
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