Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- A second typhoon in a week pounded the Philippines over the weekend, weakening Sunday only after prompting evacuations, causing severe flooding and contributing to one death.

Typhoon Nalgae, known locally as Quiel, had lost some strength by Sunday morning. But it still had maximum sustained winds of 130 kph (80 mph), with gusts recorded 30 kph stronger, according to a 4 a.m. Sunday advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration. At that point, its center was 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Baguio City.

The storm follows Typhoon Nesat, which left at least 52 people dead and caused damage in 34 provinces since it hit Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

The two typhoons will or have already affected about 3 million Filipinos, the nonprofit World Vision group estimated in a news release Saturday.

The second typhoon -- Nalgae -- made landfall in Dinapigue, in Isabela province, on Saturday morning, the disaster council said. It is expected to have moved past the east Asian island nation by Sunday, forecasters said, after having brought rain of 15-25 millimeters per hour (0.6-1 inch) in many locales.

Over the course of the weekend, the storm had made several roads impassable in the cities of Calasiao and Dagupan on Luzon island, according to the state-run Philippines News Agency. Affected residents are being evacuated from those communities and others, including Santa Barbara.

The disaster council, in a Sunday morning update, said that a 35-year-old man was killed and a 22-year-old woman injured in landslides triggered by the storm the previous day. At least 850 families, or roughly 3,500 people, in the provinces of La Union and Pangasinan have been directly affected by flooding, according to the council.

Also Saturday, the San Roque Power Corporation opened two gates at one of its dams along the Agno River in north Luzon, due to high waters there related to the storm, the news agency said.

Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte earlier Saturday urged residents of low-lying and mountainous areas that could be hit hard by the storm to evacuate, the state news agency said, citing an interview conducted on a government radio station.

World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization, said Saturday that it had to postpone some of its relief efforts due to Nalgae, with two of three emergency teams set to deploy once the storm passes. Another team is in Bulcan province, most of which is "still submerged" because of Nesat.

The group is focusing its post-Nesat efforts on two communities in Manila and three in the northern Isabela and Zambales provinces. Vouchers are being distributed so people can buy needed items, some emergency supplies are being given out directly to citizens and 3,000 Manila children will receive school supplies.

Sherbien Dacalanio, a CNN iReporter in the Philippines, described one area of Manila as being devastated by Nesat.

"The damage is shocking. It's like a damage brought by earthquake and tsunami," Dacalanio said.

CNN's Ivan Cabrera and journalist Arlene Samson-Espiritu contributed to this report.

Question: At what speed are the winds of Nalgae blowing?

Question: How many people died?

Question: What was the name of the typhoon which killed at least 52?

Question: What was the windspeed once the typhoon weakened?

Question: Whats  the typhoons name?

Question: How many people were killed by Typhoon Nesat?

Question: What is the number of people killed by the landslide?

Question: Whar speed did the rain fall?

Question: How many people were affected?

Answer: 130 kph (80 mph),

Answer: at least 52

Answer: Nesat,

Answer: 130 kph (80 mph),

Answer: Nalgae,

Answer: at least 52

Answer: one

Answer: 15-25 millimeters per hour

Answer: about 3 million

Summary:
Heavy rains in latest typhoon cause a landslide that sweeps a van off a road, killing 1 .
Gates are opened at four dams that have reached maximum containment, officials say .
At least 52 people were killed by Typhoon Nesat, which hit earlier this week .


Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- The Philippines government has increased security in the southern region of Maguindanao after gunmen kidnapped and killed at least 22 people, according to military officials and the country's national news agency.

Some of the bodies were beheaded, according to Filipino media. The details suggest the daytime abductions were politically motivated, and the military said the gunmen were loyal to the province's incumbent governor.

Those killed include a gubernatorial candidate's wife and one of his sisters, according to two of his family members who spoke on local television. The death toll also included at least 12 journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom organization.

Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu wanted to run for governor of Maguindanao province in May but had received threats he would be kidnapped if he filed the candidate nomination papers himself. He sent his wife and sisters to file the papers, thinking "that women would have some protection," journalist Maria Ressa told CNN.

"It was supposed to be a media event," Ressa said, "[to] let the public know that this politician would run for governor."

Army officials said 100 gunmen surrounded the group of about 40 people -- many local journalists and women among them -- and ordered them out of their vehicles. They took the hostages to a mountainous region, officials said.

Some of the women were raped and tortured, according to media reports.

The military confirmed finding 22 bodies, some of them reportedly beheaded.

"Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day," Reporters Without Borders said of the 12 journalists reported dead.

The military has said the gunmen are loyal to Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan, who has held control of the area for the past decade and is a longtime ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Neither Ampatuan nor his advisers have commented on the allegation.

Maguindanao is a province in Mindanao, a Muslim autonomous region out of the control of the central government. The Philippines government said it increased security in the region after the attacks.

Jesus Dureza, an adviser to Macapagal-Arroyo, called the slayings "a gruesome massacre of civilians unequaled in recent history."

Dureza, Macapagal-Arroyo's adviser on Mindanao affairs, has asked the government to place Maguindanao province under a state of emergency.

Elections in the Philippines have long been marred by violence, but Monday's abductions and killings shocked the nation. Macapagal-Arroyo condemned the killings and ordered more Filipino troops to the region to bolster security, according to the Philippines News Agency.

She also ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines "to conduct immediate and relentless pursuit of the perpetrators [and] to secure the affected areas," the agency reported.

Military checkpoints are being set up as part of the security effort, state media reported.

Aid agencies operating in the region have long complained about a climate of fear in the region, where the government has little control and private armies operate freely.

Reporters Without Borders said it has been outspoken in criticizing "the culture of impunity and violence in the Philippines, especially Mindanao."

"This time, the frenzied violence of thugs working for corrupt politicians has resulted in an incomprehensible bloodbath," the organization said. "We call for a strong reaction from the local and national authorities."

Journalist Maria Ressa contributed to this report.

Question:
What occurred in Philipines?
How many journalists are dead?
how many died?
Whose wife was killed?
Where did the kidnappings occur?

Answer: gunmen kidnapped and killed at least 22 people,

Answer: at least 12

Answer: at least 22 people,

Answer: gubernatorial candidate's

Answer: of Maguindanao

Summary:
NEW: Death toll rises; dead include at least 12 journalists .
Governor candidate's wife, sister among those killed, family members say .
Watchdog organization blames "frenzied violence of thugs" for deaths .
Kidnappings occurred in Philippines' Maguindanao province .


Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- The son of a Philippines provincial governor is voluntarily turning himself in for questioning in the massacre of at least 57 unarmed civilians, a CNN affiliate reported Thursday. Andal Ampatuan Jr. -- who is the mayor of Datu Unsay and the son of Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan -- has agreed to face questioning, reported Patricia Evangelista of ABS-CBN. Ampatuan was not identified by authorities as a suspect in the killings in the southern Philippines, though victims' survivors and local media reports had done so. Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "is enraged by these barbaric acts," spokesman Cerge Remonde said. "She has literally thrown the full force of the law and has mobilized the security and police forces of the state to go after the perpetrators." Philippines authorities had disbanded a paramilitary force in the southern Philippines suspected of playing a role in the massacre, the country's state-run media reported Wednesday. Remonde said the deaths were the result of a political clan war, not Muslim secessionism in that troubled region of the country. "So far as this case is concerned, this is a limited clan political rivalry, which has been going on for some time now," Remonde said. The death toll grew Wednesday after 11 more bodies were recovered from a rural area of Mindanao and buried. Arroyo has declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. Arroyo's government is under intense pressure to find those responsible for planning and carrying out the abduction and killing of the group of about 60 politicians, lawyers and journalists -- and reportedly some bystanders. Suspicion has fallen on the Ampatuan family, key allies of the Arroyo administration in the Maguindanao region of the southern Mindanao province. Ampatuan family members have not commented on the slaying allegations. Remonde appeared to blame the Ampatuan clan, adding: "There is, however, a move now by the administration party to expel the suspected clan." Those killed include the wife and two sisters of a local politician who plans to run for the spot vacated next year by Maguindanao's governor, Andal Ampatuan. While the investigation is ongoing, a spokesman for the country's national police has said that Andal Ampatuan Jr. has been linked to the crime, according to local media reports. "According to the initial reports, those who were abducted and murdered at Saniag were initially stopped by a group led by the mayor of Datu Unsay," National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said, according to ABS-CBN News. The massacre is the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippines history. On Monday morning, in daylight, a group of about 100 gunmen stopped a convoy carrying supporters and family members of local politician Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu, witnesses and officials say. Mangudadatu had sent his wife and sisters to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao in May after he had been threatened and told not to file the papers himself. He said the threats came from allies of Governor Ampatuan. The number of people kidnapped and killed was still unclear, as recovery continued at the mass grave site in Maguindanao. A car traveling behind the convoy was mistaken for being a part of the politician's contingent, a local official told the Philippines GMA News Network. The car was instead heading to a hospital, according to Tom Robles, head of the Tacurong City Employees Union, who spoke to GMA News. The driver and four passengers -- including a government employee who had suffered a mild stroke and his wife -- were rounded up and killed along with the members of the convoy ahead of them, Robles said. A police official confirmed that the car and the bodies of three of the passengers were among those recovered at the grave site, GMA reported. The state-run Philippines News Agency said the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD (Christian, Muslim, Democrats) was to meet Wednesday to discuss whether to remove the Ampatuan clan members in Mindanao from the party as a result of the killings. "In our opinion, they were not able to fulfill their obligations to the party," said

Question: Was Ampatuan identified as a suspect?

Question: Where did authorities disband force?

Question: What did the mayor's group do?

Question: Who did authorities not identify as a suspect?

Answer: by authorities as a

Answer: southern Philippines

Answer: has agreed to face questioning,

Answer: Andal Ampatuan Jr.

Summary:
NEW: Authorities did not identify Ampatuan as a suspect .
Datu Unsay mayor led group that initially stopped civilians, police cite reports as saying .
Ampatuans hold leadership positions in Mindanao .
Authorities disband paramilitary force in the southern Philippines .


Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Washi moved away from the southern Philippines early Monday, but not before leaving behind a wake of destruction and at least 652 people dead, according to the Philippine Red Cross.

There were no public storm warnings for the East Asian island nation Monday morning, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Yet authorities and residents still had the considerable task of cleaning up from the devastation and mourning those killed by what the state-run Philippines News Agency noted was the 19th tropical system to hit the nation this season.

A report released Monday morning by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council noted that the storm had affected more than 135,000 people, nearly 47,000 of whom were in evacuation centers.

President Beningo Aquino plans to visit the region Tuesday.

The Red Cross noted that hundreds are missing after entire villages were swept away, suggesting the death toll could rise further. The stench of death permeated the air as aid workers scrambled to help survivors.

The disaster has left heartbreaking scenes of families with children looking for ways to get by during the festive Christmas season.

"Do we still have Christmas, mother?" one crying little girl asked her mother, according to the Red Cross. "Will I get my toys and my new pair of shoes you promised?"

"Of course you will," the mother replied. "Christmas will always be around."

Military and disaster officials said the vast majority of the dead were found in the port cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, many of them swept away as they were sleeping. Water-logged bodies from washed-away villages floated at the shoreline, on the northwestern coast of Mindanao island.

Five people were killed in a landslide, but virtually all the others died in flash flooding after Tropical Storm Washi, which is called Sendong locally.

Survivors in the hardest-hit areas are contending with no electricity or clean drinking water. One woman in Cagayan de Oro collected murky brown floodwater in a bucket, just meters away from where a destroyed vehicle was submerged.

Flash flooding overnight Friday -- following 10 hours of rain -- fueled the devastation. As much as 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours in some areas.

December generally brings about 60 millimeters of rain (a little over 2 inches) to the region, CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri reported.

Overflowing rivers and tributaries compounded the disaster for low-lying areas, and officials said floodwater reached roof-level in the middle of the night.

The destruction left cars, furniture and parts of houses in mangled heaps, partly immersed in squalid floodwater.

The storm moved into Cagayan de Oro -- a densely populated, urbanized city -- during the overnight hours when people were asleep. A half dozen vehicles there looked like littered toy trucks, with some on their sides or roofs.

Many people trudged through knee-high water and packed into evacuation centers.

An estimated 100,000 people are displaced, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The national disaster council noted that about 377 passengers -- on four ships -- were stranded as of Sunday night, due to the storm. In addition, nine sections of roads and bridges were seriously damaged.

While the tropical storm had passed off-shore, some unrelated thunderstorms threatened to dump even more water on the region, Javaheri said. The weather was warm, with temperatures of up to about 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit),

Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon will travel to the stricken region Monday to assess the damage, the organization said.

"Certainly this is a very severe humanitarian crisis going on," Gordon said Sunday.

Authorities have started distributing food rations for some 10,000 families affected by the storm, while also handing out thousands of blankets and mosquito nets, the Red Cross said.

The aid agency is appealing for drinking water, food and dry clothes, and officials have asked for volunteers to pack food to send to those who have been displaced.

Some Philippine residents called the disaster unprecedented.

Question: How many people are affected?

Question: When will Aquino visit the region?

Question: which tropical storm passed the Philippines?

Question: Where has the tropical storm passed?

Question: what did  a crying young girl ask?

Question: which person plans to visit the region on Tuesday?

Answer: more than 135,000

Answer: Tuesday.

Answer: Washi

Answer: off-shore,

Answer: "Do we still have Christmas, mother?"

Answer: President Beningo Aquino

Summary:
NEW: The tropical storm passes the Philippines .
NEW: The system has affected more than 135,000 people, a national agency says .
President Aquino plans to visit the region Tuesday .
"Do we still have Christmas, mother?" a crying young girl asks .


Marietta, Georgia (CNN) -- In this tough economy, a steady paycheck is a big blessing. With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Americans are finding new ways to help each other out. For many, it's through their faith.

"We did say our prayers," Patricia Mulroney said. "I pray to St. Joseph even now. He is our patron of workers. I still pray to him every day."

Yet believers like Mulroney are doing more than praying. They're getting help in their job searches from houses of worship. And religious institutions are answering the call: Houses of worship nationwide have offered job-finding help.

Mulroney has looked for help in finding a job through a network created at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marietta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

The church has reviewed résumés and arranged meetings between job-seekers and company representatives. It also has hosted speakers who have discussed financial planning and interview techniques.

Similar programs have received attention in places such as Arizona, California and Michigan.

St. Joseph's started helping unemployed members last year after a priest contacted Art Eyzaguierre, a parishioner with a background in career management.

Eyzaguierre says the priest told him, "we've been getting a lot of phone calls from people that are unemployed and really hurting ... and we'd like you to come to a council meeting to talk about what we should do."

By May of last year, St. Joseph's Career Community Network was born. "When you're helping people ... they're getting what they need," Eyzaguierre said. "They're getting jobs, the hope they need. ... I feel replenished."

Patrick Brennan, another founding member, found himself out of work in the early part of 2009. His involvement with the Career Community Network paid off, literally, with a job.

"It's through these different networking opportunities ... through your churches ... you get to meet people ... and potentially get positions," Brennan said. "That happened to me, where I was networking and actually found a position ... as a result of meeting people through the career network."

Brennan says church-based career networks like his reach out in both a spiritual and practical sense for the unemployed, the under-employed and those seeking to re-enter the work force.

"We offer review of résumés ... the opportunity to meet with department leaders or heads of companies ... discuss with them where individual career goals can go," he said. "We also have featured speakers who help with financial planning, retirement funds, health benefits and also interviewing techniques ... looking at different market shares."

Caroline Rittenhouse helps organize biweekly sessions. When she signed on, Rittenhouse was a stay-at-home mom looking to re-enter the work force. She's now employed and using her job skills in training and instructional design to help others find work.

"My motivation was seeing how tough the job market was and how many people across every industry, every income level, were feeling the job loss and the unemployment situation," Rittenhouse said.

She says networking opportunities, like those offered through St. Joseph's Career Community Network, are key, and houses of worship may offer a more comfortable environment. "There is something about going to a church," Rittenhouse said. "Personally, I feel like it's more welcoming."

Americans overwhelmingly support government funding for religious groups to provide social services like job training.

Nearly nine years after former President George W. Bush unveiled his faith-based initiative, 69 percent of Americans say they favor the idea, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Sixty-eight percent believe that people providing the services through houses of worship would be more caring and compassionate.

Mulroney not only supports the idea, she got involved a few months ago at St. Joseph's as both a volunteer and a job seeker.

"My last position, I was in for seven years and not really comfortable with networking, so I

Question: Where are unemployed getting help from in finding jobs?

Question: Where in the Career Community Network?

Question: More unemployed arr getting what?

Question: Who has Career Community Network?

Answer: houses of worship.

Answer: St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Answer: help in their job searches from houses of worship.

Answer: St. Joseph's

Summary:
More unemployed are getting help in job searches from houses of worship .
St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Georgia has Career Community Network .
Network reviews résumés, connects job-seekers and companies, holds seminars .
Successful job seeker: Church is more welcoming .


Marjah, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Twelve Afghan civilians were killed Sunday when two rockets fired by coalition forces in southern Afghanistan missed their intended target, as the Taliban showed stiff resistance to the NATO assault against the militant group.

"We deeply regret this tragic loss of life," U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, said in a statement. "The current operation in Central Helmand is aimed at restoring security and stability to this vital area of Afghanistan. It's regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost."

Coalition forces fired two rockets with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at insurgents firing upon Afghan and ISAF forces, but they struck about 300 meters off their intended target, ISAF said.

The incident happened in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province, where NATO forces have launched Operation Moshtarak, a huge offensive by an international coalition of 15,000 troops including Afghans, Americans, Britons, Canadians, Danes and Estonians.

McChrystal conveyed his apologies to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the statement said.

Coalition forces have also suspended use of the HIMARS pending a review of Sunday's incident. The intended target was an insurgent compound from where coalition forces were taking direct fire, ISAF said.

NATO, which launched the effort Saturday, announced the offensive before it started so that citizens could get out of harm's way. Karzai on Saturday had urged Afghan and international troops to exercise "absolute caution" and ensure civilian safety.

Helmand is a bastion of pro-Taliban sentiment and awash with the opium used to fund the insurgency. Marjah, a region known as the heroin capital of Afghanistan, is where the Taliban has set up a shadow government.

The Moshtarak operation also includes securing Kandahar and providing support to the government and police there, British Maj. Gen. Gordon Messenger said in a news release Sunday. The Taliban has had increasing influence in Kandahar.

Officials said Sunday they did not know how many Taliban fighters remained in the Marjah region of Helmand province, but think they may be in the hundreds -- some of whom are holed up in civilian compounds.

Taliban forces tried to overrun, successfully in some cases, several positions that coalition forces had secured inside the city, U.S. Marines told CNN.

In one instance, three suspected suicide bombers breached a secure military area near Koru Chareh Bazaar, throwing three or four grenades inside the compound, Marine officials said. The insurgents were killed before they could detonate their bomb vests.

The sporadic firefight continued throughout the day, with an average of two to three Taliban fighters being killed in each battle, the Marines said.

"It is not unusual for the Taliban to melt away to regroup. The threat is still present in the area that they might come back, and our troops are well aware of that," Messenger told CNN.

"The troops are fighting in very open terrain, especially now during the winter," he said. "This is a very complex operation but it has worked extremely well."

Messenger emphasized the cooperation with the Afghan nationals as a key element in both preparing and executing this operation.

"The atmosphere among the locals remains positive, largely because elders on the ground knew about the operation ahead of time," he said. "The sense is genuinely that the population is prepared to give this a go."

Provincial spokesman Dawoud Ahmadi said 27 Taliban fighters have been killed. Afghan and international force also discovered a total of 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) of explosives during the operation.

The Taliban spokesman for the Marjah area claimed six Taliban casualties, saying militants had killed 192 Afghan and coalition troops.

In the past, the Taliban has often inflated casualty figures.

"NATO forces have not captured any areas in Marjah from the Mujahadeen," said Qari Yousif Ahmadi, the Taliban spokesman.

Soldiers on Sunday found a weapons cache in the Nad Ali district that included two 155 mm artillery rounds, four pressure plates, blasting caps and batteries, according to ISAF.

In another incident, coalition forces shot a man who refused

Question: ISAF commander apologizes after what?

Question: how many civilans killed?

Question: What type of soldier was killed?

Question: What does ISAF commader apologize about?

Answer: innocent lives were lost."

Answer: Twelve

Answer: Taliban fighters

Answer: Twelve Afghan civilians were killed Sunday when two rockets fired by coalition

Summary:
ISAF commander apologizes after 12 civilians killed .
U.S., Marine, British soldier killed, U.S. military official says .
Marjah region long a bastion of pro-Taliban sentiment, awash with opium .
Coalition's ground offensive follows air assaults .


Marjah, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Marines fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan achieved a main objective Tuesday -- taking over the police headquarters in the center of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah.

CNN correspondent Atia Abawi, embedded with the Marines, said troops didn't receive any resistance when they took the station, but gun battles broke out in the area a few hours later.

There was an engagement for 15 to 20 minutes, with constant gunfire coming from different directions, and there have been "sporadic battles," Abawi said.

Unlike previous days, there was fighting in the evening, with Taliban militants trying to attack Marine locations with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. One of the grenades hit close to one of the U.S. positions and a fire broke out.

About 15,000 Afghan and NATO forces are taking part in Operation Moshtarak, which focuses on the town of Marjah and surrounding areas in Helmand province. Set in a region known as the country's heroin capital, Marjah is where the Taliban established a shadow government.

The military says the goal of Operation Moshtarak is to provide security, governance and development, and authorities hope fighters choose to reject the insurgency and join the government's reintegration process.

Clearing out poppy fields is a key part of the push, the biggest since the Afghanistan War started in 2001. The Taliban finances its activities in part through the illegal opium trade.

One of the biggest challenges facing the NATO mission in Afghanistan is attacking the Taliban while limiting civilian casualties. On Sunday, 12 civilians died in a rocket attack by coalition troops. Three other Afghan civilians were killed by NATO in separate incidents on Sunday and Monday.

On Tuesday, Abawi spoke to one civilian whose property had been destroyed in the initial push by Marines. Despite that, he said he was happy to see Americans arrive and noted that Marines promised to pay for the damages to his home.

He said Afghans have suffered under the Taliban, who he said had beheaded some people and forced their way into people's homes for food.

Question: What do the militants try to use to attack Marine locations?

Question: What illegal trade does the Taliban use?

Question: What is the name of the operation?

Question: Who tried to attack Marine locations?

Question: what does the taliban have

Question: What broke out hours later?

Question: Who has a shadow government?

Answer: small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

Answer: opium

Answer: Moshtarak,

Answer: Taliban militants

Answer: small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

Answer: gun battles

Answer: the Taliban

Summary:
Operation Moshtarak focuses on area where heroin produced, Taliban has shadow government .
Taliban finances uses illegal opium trade to finance activities .
Gun battles broke out hours later after headquarters seized, CNN correspondent says .
Taliban militants try to attack Marine locations with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades .


Mecca, Saudi Arabia (CNN)  -- The Hajj, an obligatory pilgrimage for Muslims, began this year on Wednesday with two twists: thinner crowds and heavy rain. A rare rainstorm inundated pilgrims in the city of Mina, flooding tents and making conditions miserable for the 2.5 million pilgrims performing the ancient rituals, according to Isha Sesay, CNN's correspondent there. The tents, where pilgrims plan to spend the night in prayer and contemplation, were leaking and flooding, giving rise to fears of disease, Sesay reported. She said, however, that the several hours of rain was not likely to stop any of the pilgrims from performing the rituals. "They've saved for years to get here," Sesay reported. "This is a blessing. They're not going to let rain get in the way." iReporter witnesses heavy rain near his home She said no incidents had been reported among the dimished number of pilgrims. Officials said the swine flu could be keeping pilgrims from the fifth pillar of Islam, which requires devotees to journey to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Saudi's Hajj Ministry said Wednesday that 40 percent fewer Saudi pilgrims are participating in the ancient rituals this year, largely due to fears of disease, though a greater number of international visitors had come. "Concerns about the spread of H1N1 may have affected the turnout but we are confident of all measures in place to increase monitoring of cases and awareness about how one can protect himself or herself," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabbeeah, the Saudi health minister. A teenager and three elderly people have died of the H1N1 flu virus at the Hajj. The victims were a 17-year-old Nigerian female and a Sudanese man, an Indian man and a Moroccan woman who each were 75 years old. Many of the 2 million pilgrims have been arriving days and weeks ahead of the Hajj, which coincides with flu season. The rituals of the five-day event began Wednesday. But with fewer visitors, businesses are feeling the pinch this year. Shopkeeper Fahmi al-Rashidi said he has slashed prices of the gold he sells in Mecca's Al-Ghaza market. "Business is lower than last year," he said. "I think swine flu fears combined with high gold prices are turning people away from spending." Another merchant, Fahd al-Qraishi, said a normal 20 percent profit has dropped to 5 percent. Hajj observed in Second Life The Hajj Ministry reported, however, a 17 percent increase in the number of international pilgrims, some of whom are enjoying discounted rates at hotels including the Hilton Makkah. Then there was the real damper. Mecca resident Khaled Nemary said he had not seen so much rain in a quarter-century. And the forecast? Showers through Friday. CNN's Amir Ahmed and Daniela Deane contributed to this report.

Question: Huge downpours flood where?

Question: There are how many fewer percent pilgrims this year?

Question: What happened to them

Question: Who reported less buisness?

Question: Where were the downpours?

Question: Did Pilgrims report any incidents?

Question: What incidents were reported ?

Question: What did the fewer Saudi pilgrims do?

Question: What percentage fewer Saudi pilgrams are there this year?

Question: What did the downpours flood?

Answer: pilgrims in the city of Mina,

Answer: 40

Answer: A rare rainstorm inundated pilgrims

Answer: Shopkeeper Fahmi al-Rashidi

Answer: city of Mina,

Answer: no

Answer: leaking and flooding, giving rise to fears of disease,

Answer: are participating in the ancient rituals this year,

Answer: 40 percent

Answer: tents

Summary:
Huge downpours flood tents in Mina .
Ministry says there are 40 percent fewer Saudi pilgrims this year .
With fewer visitors, merchants report less business .
No incidents reported among pilgrims .


Mecca, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- Chanting "Allahu Akbar" -- God is Greater than any -- more than 2 million pilgrims crossed new pedestrian bridges Saturday to perform one of the last rituals of the Hajj season.

Jamarat is a re-enactment of an event when Prophet Abraham stoned the devil and rejected his temptations, according to Muslim traditions.

The ritual stoning of three pillars, which occurs in the tent city of Mina -- about two miles from Mecca, was the scene of stampedes and many deaths in the 1980s and 1990s as pilgrims passed a crowded bottleneck area leading to the small pillars on the ground.

But this year the Saudi government completed a new project that avoids past congestion at the site. The government has erected three massive pillars and completed a $1.2 billion, five-story bridge nearby where pilgrims can toss stones. Authorities and pilgrims say it's a roomier atmosphere and more efficient way to accommodate the faithful.

"Everything went fine so far," Col. Khakled Qarar Mohammadi, head of the emergency forces at Jamarat, told CNN.

"It is an immense responsibility that we had to deal with. About 3 million pilgrims move in a small geographic area at the same time wanting to do the same ritual. So we have been preparing for this for years now."

Irtiza Hasan, a pilgrim from the United States, said all went well at the ceremony.

"The only incident I saw was that there were some handicapped women who were turned away in fears that they get hurt."

But Mohammadi said, "There are 10 vans on the second floor especially designated to serve the elderly and handicapped. Each van can take up to 14 pilgrims."

As a measure to alleviate harm, according to Muslim traditions, the elderly and the handicapped can appoint someone else to stone for them.

The five-story Jamarat bridge is air-conditioned at 19 degrees Centigrade, or 66 Fahrenheit, throughout the day and backed by water sprinklers that can reduce the temperature to about 29 degrees C, or 84 F. The bridge is designed to allow the addition of seven more levels to hold as many as 5 million pilgrims in the future if the need arises.

According to authorities, the bridge is 950 meters (1,039 yards) long and 80 meters (87 yards) wide. Each floor is 12 meters (13 yards) high with three tunnels and 12 entrances and 12 exits in six directions. It has a helicopter pad for emergencies.

According to Mohammadi, the project has 509 advanced closed-circuit television cameras monitoring pilgrims' movements. Those cameras feed into the main operations room, which oversees the Jamarat Bridge and the surrounding areas -- all screened by dozens of security officers on 72 monitors at the operation room.

The stoning ritual is done over at least two days, where pilgrims stone three pillars at Mina -- believed to be where the Prophet Abraham stoned the devil when he tried to dissuade him from obeying God's orders to slaughter his son. According to tradition, the event was a test from God, who gave Abraham a ram to slaughter instead.

The last ritual that marks the end of Hajj is when pilgrims go from Mina to Mecca to make a last visit to al-Masjid al-Haram, Islam's holiest site, before going back home.

The ritual is called Tawaf al-Wada'a -- or farewell circumambulation in the holy mosque. It's where pilgrims go around the black cube seven times counter-clockwise asking that their Lord accept their pilgrimage and grant them another visit to the holy city.

Question:
who is stoning the devil
what caused the stampede
How many pillars were instructed?
Which religon were they ?
What were they stoning ?
How long is the bridge?
What does Jamarat re-enact?
What had been constructed ?

Answer: Prophet Abraham

Answer: The ritual stoning of three pillars,

Answer: three

Answer: Muslim

Answer: three pillars,

Answer: 950 meters (1,039 yards)

Answer: an event when Prophet Abraham stoned the devil and rejected his temptations,

Answer: three massive pillars and completed a $1.2 billion, five-story bridge

Summary:
Goverment constructed three new massive pillars, five-story bridge for Hajj ritual .
Jamarat re-enacts Abraham's stoning the devil, according to Muslim tradition .
Ritual was scene of deadly stampedes as pilgrims crammed through bottleneck .
The air-conditioned bridge is 950 meters long, 80 meters wide; each floor is 12 meters high .


Mecca, Saudi Arabian (CNN) -- A teenager and three elderly people in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage have died of the H1N1 flu virus, the Saudi Health Ministry said. The victims of the virus were a 17-year-old Nigerian female and a Sudanese man, an Indian man and a Moroccan woman who each were 75 years old. "These cases were discovered too late," said Dr. Khaled Al-Marghalani, the ministry spokesman. "Some were old, and the others had pre-existing chronic conditions." Al-Marghalani said the Sudanese man initially went to a doctor who treated him, but not for H1N1. "So when his doctor sent him to the hospital, and he was treated for H1N1, it was too late," he said. The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is required of Muslims at least once in their lives, and millions of people around the globe make the trek to attend. This year, the hajj begins Wednesday, and many pilgrims have been arriving days and weeks ahead of the event, which coincides with flu season. When Arab health ministers met in Cairo, Egypt, a few months back, it looked like several groups might even be banned from this year's event because of the flu. They were children under 12, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses. The Saudis didn't ban anybody from coming and left the responsibility to the pilgrims' countries of origin. In effect, officials issued guidelines only for people at risk. Two days ago, Saudi Arabia's health minister, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, gathered representatives to discuss efforts to detect the ailment. "It would be nice to have more time to prepare [for the possibility of H1N1 spreading in Saudi Arabia] ahead of the hajj, but I am very satisfied with all the measures taken and have great confidence," he said before the meeting. Al-Marghalani said the "safe weapon" for the kinds of H1N1 cases that resulted in the deaths is Tamiflu, the drug used to fight influenza. "If we lose Tamiflu, we will lose the war. But Tamiflu is only effective in the first 48 hours of when the symptoms appear," he said.

Question: Who did the virus kille?

Question: Who have Saudis left responsibility to?

Question: Who did the Saudi's leave responsibility to?

Question: What do the Arab ministers want to bar?

Question: Who is considering barring groups from the event?

Question: Who is left the responsibility?

Question: What killed a teenager?

Question: What killed the teenager and three elderly people?

Question: What are the Arab ministers considering for this year's event?

Answer: A teenager and three elderly people

Answer: the pilgrims'

Answer: the pilgrims' countries of origin.

Answer: children under 12, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses.

Answer: Arab health ministers

Answer: the pilgrims'

Answer: H1N1 flu virus,

Answer: H1N1 flu virus,

Answer: several groups might even be banned from

Summary:
Virus kills teenager, three elderly people on hajj pilgrimage .
Arab ministers considered barring some groups from this year's event .
Saudis left responsibility to pilgrims' countries of origin .


Melissa Harris-Lacewell is associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book "Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought" and writes a daily blog titled The Kitchen Table. Melissa Harris-Lacewell says African-Americans remain skeptical about racial progress in the U.S. PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) -- America was proud of itself for electing Barack Obama. The pride was not just partisan and ideological; it was also specifically and clearly racial. The morning after Obama's win, The New York Times declared "Racial Barrier Falls in Decisive Victory." The Los Angeles Times asserted that "for the first time in human history, a largely white nation has elected a black man to be its paramount leader." Some black commentators openly wept on election night, thrilled with witnessing the election of our first black president. Even Sen. John McCain, conceding defeat, pointed to the greatness of the American promise fulfilled in the election of his opponent. Obama's victory offered the possibility that the scars of America's racial legacy were healed or, at least, that they were less raw. For many African-American citizens, the election of the first black U.S. president was cause for celebration and open-mouthed wonder about an outcome that seemed so unlikely just two years earlier, when Obama announced his bid. Despite this joy, many black citizens were dubious that his victory represented the destruction of any particular racial barrier. African-Americans were both proud of and excited about Obama, but in the 45 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, black Americans had seen doors to power, influence and wealth open just enough to admit just a few without fundamentally altering opportunities for the majority. Indeed, responses to a recent CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. survey indicate that black enthusiasm about Obama exists side-by-by side with deep skepticism about America's racial progress. This atmosphere of both enthusiasm and doubt has sparked discussion about whether we have entered a post-racial era in American politics. It is a difficult debate, because the term "post-racial" is not clearly defined. Race itself is a slippery idea. Typically, we treat race like a fixed, unchanging, biological category. But race is none of these things. Race is a social construct. Though it is based in physical traits, race is a category developed through social practice, law and history. As a nation, we made blackness through our politics, developing a category of people who could be enslaved and later segregated. So when we talk of a post-racial America, we are not pointing to the massive demographic shifts that are unalterably changing the racial, ethnic and linguistic landscape of America. Instead, "post-racial" is an expression of social and political longing. For most, this means an America free of racism and discrimination, but others seem to hint at a society entirely free of racial identity or recognition. The idea of a post-racial America has been upheld as an achievable ideal where people would receive equal treatment and fair outcomes regardless of their race. It has been critiqued as an impossible dream unlikely to exist in a nation with a history of slavery and legal discrimination. It has been denounced as an unworthy goal that would require black Americans to reject their cultural specificity and unique social and political concerns. Undoubtedly, the 2008 election broke formerly entrenched racial trends. Obama was elected just as the depth and breadth of the American economic crisis was becoming clear. Some suggested that his victory could be explained by the nation's fiscal difficulties because he was the candidate of the out-party, which often wins when times are hard. But this analysis forgets the cross-cutting history of race. When the economic pie shrinks, Americans rarely form multiracial political coalitions led by minority candidates. Obama's victory countered the trend toward racial balkanization more typical in tough economic times. The changing dynamics of racial politics were further evidenced when Obama won both Virginia and

Question: does she feel issues of race are still significant

Question: What is the name of the person being quoted?

Question: What did the election represent?

Question: what did harris-lacewell say about obama's election

Question: What is the name of the person who won the election?

Answer: says African-Americans remain skeptical about racial progress in the U.S.

Answer: Melissa Harris-Lacewell

Answer: the possibility that the scars of America's racial legacy were healed or, at least, that they were less raw.

Answer: racial progress in the U.S.

Answer: Barack Obama.

Summary:
Melissa Harris-Lacewell: Barack Obama's election celebrated as racial triumph .
She says it represented real progress in the arena of politics .
Harris-Lacewell: In many other areas, issues of race remain significant .


Memphis, Tennessee (CNN) -- The leader of a Memphis-based YMCA group said he felt "gut-punched" by a televised report in which two men alleged a former coach with that organization had sexually abused them as boys.

Keith Johnson, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South, said he first heard of the allegations against Robert "Bobby" Dodd while watching ESPN's "Outside the Lines" program on Sunday.

He said the sports network didn't contact him in advance of the piece. As of Monday, several days after Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong announced his department would investigate the claims against Dodd, Johnson said that law enforcement had not touched base with his YMCA organization.

In the ESPN report, Dodd's accusers said he sexually abused them in hotel rooms during tournaments when they were 12 to 16 years old.

CNN has not been able to reach Dodd, 63, for comment on the allegations. ESPN said it also had been unable to reach him.

On Monday afternoon, Memphis police Deputy Chief Dave Martello said the investigators' options are limited given that no one has filed a formal complaint against Dodd.

"A person is going to have to actually come to the police and report this," Martello told reporters. "The fact they go on TV and make these accusations is not notifying the authorities."

Martello said police are still trying to determine "where (the alleged crimes) happened, when they happened and who was involved." But if a person doesn't offer details directly to police, there are only "going to be a lot of baby steps," he said.

Dodd, who is not a direct relative of the late former Georgia Tech football coach of the same name, was a basketball coach affiliated with the Memphis YMCA in the 1980s, Johnson confirmed. Two now grown men alleged in the ESPN report that Dodd abused them during that time.

The allegations were made amid child sex scandals at Penn State and Syracuse universities and The Citadel. Both men accusing Dodd told ESPN the publicity from the scandals prompted them to act.

The YMCA said Dodd left in 1992 "to pursue AAU sports full-time," including founding an organization called the YOMCA, which stands for Youth of Memphis Competitive Association and is unrelated to the YMCA. He eventually became president and CEO of the Amateur Athletic Union, a position he held until his dismissal on November 14.

Johnson came to Memphis as head of the Fogelman Downtown YMCA a year after Dodd left. In his time with the organization, including over the last decade as an executive for the regional YMCA, Johnson said he had never heard complaints regarding the former coach.

Martello said that Memphis police began looking into the case after the AAU gave them information last Friday. AAU spokesman Ron Sachs had also said that his organization kick-started the child sex abuse criminal probe -- although the group has varied as to whether it claims to have contacted authorities last Thursday or Friday -- telling CNN that the organization provided the identities of three of Dodd's accusers, including not brought up in the ESPN report.

This disclosure followed a nearly monthlong investigation ordered by the AAU, Sachs said Sunday.

The AAU got "cryptic, brief" e-mails, signed only as "shrimp breath," on November 7, 8 and 9 that "alleged, in a very general way, that Bobby Dodd engaged in child sexual abuse," Sachs said. On November 9, the organization got two brief voice-mails along the same lines. There was no name or contact information left in either case.

Those messages were sent to the AAU's compliance and general counsel office, and AAU officers were notified on November 11. The board members, several of whom flew into Orlando, convened the next Monday, November 14, "to confront then-President Bobby Dodd," said Sachs.

In that meeting, Dodd said he had gotten similar phone messages and said he was innocent, according to Sachs, who said he had spoken with several AAU officers who

Question: who is making accusations

Question: who is accusing him

Question: Is going on TV and making accusations a good way to notify police?

Question: What was the accused'd job?

Question: Who is the accused?

Question: What was Robert "Bobby" Dodd accused of?

Question: Whad did the Memphis police say about their probe being challenging?

Answer: two men

Answer: Both men

Answer: not notifying the authorities."

Answer: basketball coach

Answer: Robert "Bobby" Dodd

Answer: sexually abused

Answer: options are limited given that no one has filed a formal complaint

Summary:
Memphis police says no accusers have contacted them, making their probe challenging .
Going "on TV and (making) accusations is not notifying" police, a deputy chief says .
Robert "Bobby" Dodd, recently AAU's CEO, is accused of sexually abusing boys in the '80s .
He was a Memphis-based YMCA coach at the time, a YMCA executive says .


Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), but not syphilis, according to a study of adult African men published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but they've been on the decline. The finding adds to the evidence that there are health benefits to circumcision. It was already known that circumcision can reduce the risk of penile cancer, a relatively rare disease. In a previous study, the same research team found that adult circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV infection. Efforts to increase the practice of male circumcision in areas with high rates of sexually transmitted infections, including Africa, could have a tremendous benefit, say the study's authors. Genital herpes has been associated with an increased risk of HIV, and HPV can cause genital warts as well as a higher risk of anal, cervical (in women), and penile cancers. Health.com: Is your partner cheating? How to protect yourself In the United States, infant circumcision is declining. About 64 percent of American male infants were circumcised in 1995, down from more than 90 percent in the 1970s. Rates tend to be higher in whites (81percent) than in blacks (65 percent) or Hispanics (54 percent). Some opponents say the removal of the foreskin is an unnecessary surgical procedure that may reduce sexual sensitivity in adulthood. In Jewish and Muslim cultures, young or infant boys are routinely circumcised for religious reasons. Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but the American Academy of Pediatrics currently says that the medical benefits are insufficient to recommend circumcision for all baby boys. In the new study, a research team at the Rakai Health Sciences Program in Uganda -- in collaboration with researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, and Makerere University in Uganda -- conducted two clinical trials involving 3,393 uncircumcised men ages 15 to 49. All the men were negative for HIV and genital herpes (also known as herpes simplex virus type 2); a subgroup of men also tested negative for HPV. Roughly half of the men underwent medically supervised circumcision at the start of the trial, while the other half were circumcised two years later. Overall, circumcision reduced the men's risk of genital herpes by 28 percent (10.3 percent of uncircumcised men developed genital herpes compared with 7.8 percent of circumcised men) and HPV infection by 35 percent (27.8 percent of uncircumcised men were infected with HPV compared with 18 percent of circumcised men). Circumcision did not, however, protect against syphilis. (About 2 percent of men in both groups contracted syphilis.) Health.com: A sexual risk taker comes to terms with drinking, depression, and STDs Study coauthor Thomas C. Quinn, M.D., professor of global health at Johns Hopkins University, says that choosing circumcision, whether it's the parents of an infant or an adult male for himself, is and should remain an individual decision. "But the critics need to really look at the benefits versus the risks," he adds. "By now a large body of evidence has shown that the health benefits clearly outweigh the minor risk associated with the surgery. In our study, we didn't see any adverse effects or mutilation. We're recommending supervised, safe, sterile environments -- not circumcision out in an open field with rusty instruments." Increasing circumcision rates in Africa may not only help men, but would likely protect women too, possibly lowering the rates of female cervical cancer, the authors say. Ronald H. Gray, M.D., professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University and study coauthor, says that the researchers plan to look at whether male circumcision reduces the transmission of HPV to female sexual partners. Health.com: 10 questions to ask a new partner before having sex Even in the United States, this study has relevance, says Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (which funded one of the trials). "In this country, circumcision for

Question: What is HIV and HPV?

Question: 64 percent of American baby boys circumcised in?

Question: Circumcision reduces risk of?

Question: Circumcision known to reduce risk of?

Question: What does circumcision reduce the risk of?

Question: How many percent of American boys are circumcised?

Question: Percent of men circumscised?

Question: What does reduce the risk of HPV infection?

Question: Circumcision does not reduce the risk of what?

Question: What reduces risk of cancer?

Question: 64 percent of American baby boys were circumcised in what year?

Question: What type of cancer does circumcision reduce?

Question: What risks does circumcision reduce?

Question: When were 64 percent of boys circumcised in America?

Question: What doesn't circumcision reduce the risk of?

Question: What is reduced with circumcision?

Answer: sexually transmitted infections,

Answer: 1995,

Answer: sexually transmitted infections

Answer: penile cancer,

Answer: sexually transmitted infections

Answer: 64

Answer: About 64

Answer: adult circumcision could

Answer: syphilis,

Answer: circumcision

Answer: 1995,

Answer: penile

Answer: penile cancer,

Answer: 1995,

Answer: did not,

Answer: sexually transmitted infections

Summary:
Study: Circumcision reduces risk of HPV infection and herpes, but not syphilis .
Circumcision known to reduce risk of HIV infection and penile cancer .
64 percent of American baby boys circumcised in '95, down from 90 percent in 70s .


Metropolis, Illinois (CNN) -- Superman will not be saving Lois Lane this time, but the residents of Metropolis are hopeful his fans will. Metropolis, Illinois wants a companion statue for Superman, but the economy may block its efforts. The villain is the economy. Despite being about $70,000 shy of the funding needed to cast a figure in the image of the fictional "Daily Planet" reporter, this town of 6,000 residents says it's going forward with a ground breaking. Metropolis wants its Lois Lane statue. There are no skyscrapers here. If you search the local telephone book you won't find any familiar names. There's no Lex Luthor or Perry White. The closest Jimmy Olsen lives in Aledo, Illinois. If you call the nearby nuclear plant and ask about kryptonite they won't take you seriously. Most days of the year you can walk about town without seeing anyone in a cape or leotard. Very little about Metropolis, Illinois, resembles the metroplex made famous in "Action Comics," except for the constant presence of Superman. His statue stands 15-feet tall outside the Massac County Courthouse and 50 yards away is the county justice center. In 1972, DC Comics, the current owner of the character, declared the town the official home for Superman. Since then, it's residents have fashioned a monument, a museum, and an annual festival around the superhero. "We've had groups from as far away as Japan and Australia," said Karla Ogle, one of the festival organizers. "There's a family that comes every year from Canada." And each year Noel Neill is honored. She's the original Lois Lane. Neill starred opposite George Reeves in the 1950s "Adventures of Superman" television series and it's her image the local chamber of commerce wants to immortalize in a statue. The town first came up with the idea of a companion statue for Superman in 2005. A lot has changed since then, primarily the economy. "We've been affected pretty heavily because most of our revenue comes from the casino," said Mayor Billy McDaniel. The Harrah's Casino is the closest thing this little burgh has to a tall building. "Their revenue has been down as much as 30 percent," noted McDaniel. And the Metropolis budget is not bulletproof either. The town has not been replacing some workers as they retire, because of the lower tax receipts. What about the prospects for Lois Lane? "If there's any money out there we're going to find it," said the mayor. Metropolis has agreed to foot half the statue's bill, if the Illinois Board of Tourism provides a matching grant. Private donations have raised only $9,000 in four years, not even enough to pay for the monument's base. "They were good initially, but slowed down to a trickle," said Clyde Wills with the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce. "We're committed to the project," despite the economy. The city plans to break ground for the statue on June 11, during the opening night of their annual Superman festival, even though the state is months away from a decision on their grant request. Lois Lane's fate, like in most issues of the comic, is "to be continued ..."

Question: who plans to go through with groundbreaking?

Question: Where was the Lois Lane statue to be?

Question: when Illinois town came up with idea for Lois Lane statue?

Question: Who came up with the idea for the Lois Lane statue?

Answer: Metropolis

Answer: Metropolis, Illinois

Answer: Metropolis

Answer: Metropolis, Illinois

Summary:
Illinois town came up with idea for Lois Lane statue in 2005 .
Since then, the economy has taken a downturn and the funding is short .
Town plans to go through with groundbreaking, despite the budget shortfall .


Mexico City (CNN) -- A 14-year-old accused of ruthless killings on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel boss is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Monday.

Gini Staab would not provide any further information.

"We have confirmed the boy's U.S. citizenship but can't say  anything more about the boy's situation in the absence of a (provisional arrest warrant) signed by at  least one of the parents," Staab said.

Earlier, Staab said that the boy, once his citizenship was confirmed, would be given "all appropriate consular assistance, just like we would for any U.S. citizen arrested and incarcerated overseas." Assistance would include prison visits, information on local attorneys and checks on his welfare, she said.

The teen -- reportedly carrying a birth certificate issued in San Diego  -- and two of his sisters were detained Thursday at an airport in central Mexico after an anonymous tip alerted authorities he was heading to Tijuana, Mexico, local media reported.

A spokeswoman for the Mexican attorney general's office said authorities detained the 14-year-old Thursday evening on suspicion of working as a drug-cartel hit man, but declined to provide details.

But the boy faced a battery of questions from reporters after he was detained, answering questions point-blank as camera flashes lit his face.

"I slit their throats," he said, describing what he said was the killing of four people.

The teen told reporters after his capture Thursday night that he was an orphan who joined the Pacifico Sur drug cartel when he was 12. He said Julio "El Negro" Padilla, one of the group's alleged leaders, threatened him.

"I either work or he'll kill me," the 14-year-old said.

With his hands shoved into the pockets of his cargo pants, the 14-year-old told reporters that he was paid weekly in dollars and pesos. But in answering questions about whether he knew what he was doing when he allegedly participated in the killings, the teen said he was under the influence of drugs and unaware of his actions.

"No, I didn't know," he said.

Troops standing beside the teen while the youth was interviewed wore masks to hide their faces -- a common sight in Mexico, where clashes between authorities and cartels have intensified since President Felipe Calderon announced a crackdown shortly after he took office in 2006.

But the teen's face was clearly visible.

Martin Perez, director of Mexico's Children's Rights Network, said late Friday that authorities should not have given television cameras and newspaper photographers access to the 14-year-old.

"It was completely inappropriate, the form of presenting him in front of the media," he said.

"Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent," he said. "Also, it could put his life at serious risk. We have to remember that this is a fight between criminal organizations."

CNN's Claudia Dominguez, Rey Rodriguez, Nick Valencia and Krupskaia Alis contributed to this report.

Question:
What did the hit man say?
What did he say about drug cartel boss?
was the boy a citizen?
What was confirmed by the state dept?
What did he do?
Who was accused?
What did the accused hit man say?

Answer: "I slit their throats,"

Answer: "I either work or he'll kill me,"

Answer: U.S. citizenship

Answer: the boy's U.S. citizenship

Answer: slit their throats,"

Answer: 14-year-old

Answer: "I slit their throats,"

Summary:
State Department confirms the boy's citizenship, but offers no further information .
"I slit their throats," accused teen hit man says .
"I either work or he'll kill me," he says, describing a drug cartel boss .


Mexico City (CNN) -- A Mexican mayor campaigning for the president's sister in a gubernatorial race was fatally shot in the southeastern state of Michoacan, the state attorney general's office said.

The killing of La Piedad Mayor Ricardo Guzman Romero on Wednesday is the latest in a number of mayoral killings dating to last year. According to CNNMexico, 18 mayors have been killed in 2010 and 2011.

But Guzman's death garnered extra attention because he was killed in President Felipe Calderon's home state, and because he was campaigning for the president's sister, gubernatorial candidate Luisa Maria Calderon. She is running as a candidate for the National Action Party, or PAN, the same party to which the president belongs.

The attack came just 11 days before the state elections, where in addition to a governor, 40 lawmakers and 113 mayors will be chosen.

Guzman was elected mayor in 2008, and his term was to end in January.

"At the moment, the federal authorities and military are in charge (of the case)," Michoacan attorney general's office spokesman Armando Soto La Marina said.

According to authorities, Guzman was participating in a campaign event, walking down one of his town's boulevards, when a black vehicle approached and a gunman shot from inside.

The shooter escaped, and the mayor was taken to a hospital, where he died, authorities said.

Luisa Maria Calderon said she was saddened by the killing, but that "we're not going to stop our fight for Michoacan."

Michoacan has long been a center of drug cartel violence. It was where President Calderon initiated his campaign against the cartels in 2006.

Last year, the PAN and an allied party declined to run candidates in at least 20 mayoral races in Michoacan because of insecurity.

Question: How many mayor's have been killed since 2010

Question: Who was he campaigning for

Question: What day of the week was Ricardo Guzman Romero killed

Question: Since 2010 how many mayors have been killed

Question: When was Romero killed

Question: Who was killed on wednesday

Question: When have 18 mayors been killed since

Answer: 18

Answer: the president's sister

Answer: Wednesday

Answer: 18

Answer: Wednesday

Answer: La Piedad Mayor Ricardo Guzman Romero

Answer: 2010 and 2011.

Summary:
Ricardo Guzman Romero was killed on Wednesday .
He was campaigning for the president's sister in a race for governor .
Eighteen mayors have been killed since 2010 .


Mexico City (CNN) -- On the eve of a meeting of Mexico´s top prosecutors and judicial officials in Veracruz state, authorities Wednesday were still trying to determine who left 35 bodies in a busy thoroughfare there -- and why.

Investigators said a video may hold clues to how unidentified men managed to drive two open-back trucks filled with corpses through rush-hour traffic and then abandon them, blocking traffic as stunned onlookers watched.

Police in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz found the abandoned trucks and the bodies near a shopping mall in the municipality of Boca del Rio on Tuesday. Mexico´s state prosecutors and court presidents are scheduled to meet there Thursday.

Photos of the scene showed the two trucks with their back gates open, the bodies falling out onto the street. People on a nearby overpass looked down on shirtless bodies piled on top of each other.

¨This is a way of making yourself known, and saying, ´We have the power, we can do this with impunity,´¨ said Jose Reveles, a security analyst. "'We do it at five in the evening, in a heavily traveled avenue. We drive two trucks loaded with cadavers, and nobody stops us.'"

Drug-related violence has been on the rise in Veracruz as cartel members battle over territory.

But the large toll gripped headlines across Mexico and drew attention from peace activists gathering in a conference in the nation´s capital Wednesday.

"They were left like trash in the street," said Edgardo Buscaglia, president of the Institute of Citizen Action for Justice and Democracy.

Buscaglia, an expert on organized crime, told audience members that the bodies found in Veracruz are a reminder that Mexicans must not become desensitized to violence, even if authorities say the victims had criminal histories.

"The value of a human life does not decrease because it has a criminal background or not," he said.

The dead included 12 women and 23 men.

The video may show that the two trucks were guarded by other cars that could have doubled as getaway vehicles, Veracruz Attorney General Reynaldo Escobar Perez said Wednesday in a radio interview. He did not say where the video came from.

Investigators also are looking into whether police colluded with the people who discarded the bodies, he told W Radio.

As of Wednesday, morning, 95% of the bodies had been identified through databases, Escobar Perez said.

Most of them had criminal records, he said. One of them was identified as a local policeman who disappeared about 15 days ago, he said.

In another interview, the attorney general said that the victims died of suffocation. Only one had a bullet wound, he said. The state of the bodies led investigators to deduce they died shortly before being abandoned, Escobar Perez said.

The attorney general on Tuesday described the grisly discovery as "unprecedented."

"It hasn't happened before in the state of Veracruz," he said.

The two trucks were abandoned in the middle of the highway, witnesses said. Their gates were open and bodies had fallen out.

Hours later, bloodstains remained on the road as troops stood guard.

Boca del Rio is in Veracruz state's most populated area. It has become a frequent site of clashes between armed groups as drug-related violence grows.

Earlier Tuesday, 32 inmates escaped from three prisons in Veracruz, authorities said. At least 14 of them have been apprehended.

Escobar Perez said none of the bodies that had been identified by Tuesday night appeared connected with the prison breaks.

Government figures indicate that more than 34,600 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon began a crackdown on cartels in December 2006. Other reports estimate that more than 40,000 have died. The latest government figures were released in January.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, Calderon decried the violence caused by drug trafficking and called on fellow leaders to put a stop to the burgeoning weapons trade and rampant drug consumption fueling it.

¨Today we must be aware that organized crime today is killing more people and more youth than all

Question: Who said there is a video of the scene?

Question: Which state were the bodies found?

Question: Where were the bodies found?

Question: Which country has criminals that are showing their power?

Question: Who are expected to meet nearby?

Answer: Investigators

Answer: Veracruz

Answer: near a shopping mall in the municipality of Boca del Rio

Answer: Mexico

Answer: Mexico´s state prosecutors and court presidents

Summary:
NEW: Analyst: Criminals are sending a message of power, impunity .
NEW: Mexico´s state prosecutors are scheduled to meet nearby .
The attorney general says investigators have a video of the scene .
The bodies were found near a shopping mall in Veracruz state .


Mexico City (CNN) -- The helicopter crash in Mexico that killed Interior Minister Jose Francisco Blake Mora and all seven other people aboard shows no evidence of an explosion, a Mexican official said Saturday.

"In visual and preliminary investigations of the crash site, the remains of the aircraft do not show evidence of any kind of damage from an explosion or fire," said Dionisio Perez-Jacome, minister of communication and transportation.

"It is worth mentioning that according to the available information up until this moment, present at the place and time of the incident were layers of clouds and reduced visibility," Perez-Jacome said.

His announcement on government television came as Mexico began a day of grieving for the eight killed Friday in the helicopter crash in a rural area just south of Mexico City.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife were among the government officials at a public funeral in Mexico City on Saturday afternoon.

The eight caskets were each draped with the Mexican flag on the vast green grounds of Campo Militar Marte where Calderon led a tearful ceremony of handing portraits of the eight helicopter victims to their respective families and children. A military band played sorrowful dirges, as did a drum and bugle corps at other points in the funeral.

"Here, in the earth, their example and memory will endure forever," Calderon told the black-attired mourners in the galleries and grandstand, all on their feet during the ceremony.

"These are difficult times for the government and for the nation, but it is also a time to show the strength to overcome these adversities," Calderon said.

The Friday incident -- which occurred 2.5 miles south of the town of Santa Catarina Atoyzingo in the municipality of Chalco -- evoked comparisons to a 2008 plane crash that also killed the country's then-interior minister.

That crash, in a luxurious Mexico City neighborhood, was later determined to be an accident caused by turbulence. The Learjet carrying the minister and others was following a commercial airliner too closely, authorities said.

Calderon on Friday called Blake Mora "a great Mexican who deeply loved his country and served until the last moment of his life."

Analysts said that the crash puts renewed attention on the president's controversial efforts to fight the nation's notorious cartels because the interior minister oversees domestic security.

"The national mood is such that even before this, people are alarmed" about cartel violence, said Stephen Zamora, professor at the University of Houston Law Center who's an expert on Mexican law and U.S.-Mexico relations.

"Calderon is in the last year of his presidency, so Mexico is entering a presidential election year just as the United States is. President Calderon has been criticized because the number of persons killed has escalated during his presidency and so people see him as failed. I think that's a harsh judgment," Zamora said.

"He inherited a country, especially in the northern states, that is being destabilized by the drug cartels. He's started employing the army, which hasn't been used much domestically, to fight the drug cartels," Zamora said.

While Blake Mora was well regarded by U.S. officials, his loss won't devastate the Calderon administration, said Pamela K. Starr, associate professor of international relations at the University of Southern California.

"I think there's an inevitability that there will be speculation that organized crime was involved in this, but it seems highly unlikely to me that indeed will be the case," Starr said, noting how the helicopter crashed under foggy conditions in a remote area.

"He was very highly thought of both within Mexico and with his counterparts in the United States," Starr said of Blake Mora. "With that said, he has not been one of the central figures in the battle against drug cartels in Mexico. The lead has been taken more by the federal police and the president himself, along with the military and the prosecutor's office."

The helicopter went down in the Xochimilco area south of Mexico City, government spokeswoman Alejandra Sota said.

Two other government officials were killed in the crash:

Question:
Which area did the crash happen?
What type of aircraft was involved?
How many other people died?
Who is the president?
What did the president say?
What was the Mexican minister called?
What type of aircraft was it?

Answer: just south of Mexico City.

Answer: helicopter

Answer: seven

Answer: Felipe Calderon

Answer: "Here, in the earth, their example and memory will endure forever,"

Answer: Jose Francisco Blake

Answer: helicopter

Summary:
NEW: Rural crash area had clouds and reduced visibility .
NEW: "These are difficult times," president says at public funeral .
Investigators don't find evidence of an explosion or a fire aboard the aircraft .
Mexican Interior Minister Jose Francisco Blake Mora dies with seven others .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN)  -- The reputed leader of the Zetas drug cartel in the Mexican state of Veracruz was killed in a gunbattle with federal authorities, the Mexican attorney general's office has said.

Braulio Arellano Dominguez, also known as "El Gonzo," "Zeta 20" or "El Verdugo," was mortally wounded when federal police and sailors went to search a house in the city of Soledad de Doblado, the attorney general said in a release Tuesday.

Arellano Dominguez opened fire with a .38-caliber revolver and was wounded in the firefight, officials said. He died while being transported to a hospital.

Three other suspects were arrested.

Officials said they confiscated five cars, four motorcycles, a submachine gun, a hand grenade, four pistols, more than 150 rounds of ammunition, communication equipment, three bags containing unspecified powder and pills, 74,900 pesos ($5,655) and $107 in U.S. currency.

Veracruz is in southeastern Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Los Zetas, formed by former Mexican elite commando-type soldiers, consists mostly of ex-federal and local police. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the group among the most advanced and violent of Mexico's drug cartels.

Originally formed as the Gulf drug cartel's enforcement wing, the Zetas increasingly have branched out on their own.

More than 12,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels after taking office in December 2006. He has deployed thousands of military personnel and federal police in his battle against the drug traffickers.

Question: what is the name of the cartel?

Question: what country is the group based in?

Question: What was the leader of Los Zetas doing?

Question: Who died in firefight with authorities?

Question: Who was reported to be in a gun battle?

Question: in what way the leader die?

Question: Who is considered a violent drug cartel?

Question: Who died in a firefight?

Question: What is one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels?

Answer: Zetas

Answer: Mexico

Answer: killed in a gunbattle with federal authorities,

Answer: Braulio Arellano Dominguez,

Answer: Braulio Arellano Dominguez,

Answer: gunbattle

Answer: Braulio Arellano Dominguez,

Answer: Arellano Dominguez

Answer: Los Zetas,

Summary:
Reputed leader of Los Zetas cartel in Mexico's Veracruz state reportedly in gunbattle .
Braulio Arellano Dominguez dies in firefight with authorities, attorney general says .
Los Zetas considered one of Mexico's most advanced and violent drug cartels .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- A law allowing same-sex weddings took effect Thursday in Mexico City, one day after the second same-sex marriage was performed in Argentina. The Mexican measure also allows same-sex couples to adopt children. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has said officials will be prepared to implement the new city law. The Mexican Institute for Sexology, a private educational institution founded in 1979, held a workshop last month for the 60 Civil Registry judges who will perform the weddings, said Juan Luis Alvarez-Gayou, the institute's founder and director. Workshops are being held this week for 120 civil court judges who may have to rule on domestic issues after the weddings, Alvarez-Gayou said. The Catholic Church has been opposed to the law, but officials have accepted the measure, the institute director said. "We haven't had any problems with the judges," Alvarez-Gayou said. The Mexico City law comes amid the beginning of wider acceptance for same-sex unions in Latin America. In Argentina, Damian Bernath and Jorge Salazar were married Wednesday in a civil ceremony in the nation's capital, Buenos Aires, the official Telam news agency reported. Judicial measures had prevented gay marriage in Buenos Aires, but a judge issued a ruling last week allowing the two men to marry. It was the second same-sex marriage in Argentina. The previous wedding took place in Tierra del Fuego after two men were denied a permit in Buenos Aires. In that case, a Buenos Aires court had ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was illegal and ordered the proper authorities to grant the couple a marriage license if they applied for one. On the eve of their December 1 wedding, however, another court filed an injunction, halting the nuptials. In many Latin American jurisdictions, the issue of same-sex marriage is decided on the local and state level.

Question: Workshops were held for who?

Question: How many judges had to go to workshops?

Question: Mexico City law comes as what?

Question: What will the measure allow?

Question: Where did the civil ceremony take place?

Question: how many judges made the ruling

Question: what can same sex couples now do

Answer: 60 Civil Registry judges

Answer: 120

Answer: amid the beginning of wider acceptance for same-sex

Answer: same-sex couples to adopt children.

Answer: Mexico City,

Answer: 120

Answer: adopt children.

Summary:
Measure also allows same-sex couples to adopt children in Mexico's capital city .
Workshops held for 120 judges who may have to rule on domestic issues .
Mexico City law comes as same-sex unions in Latin America slowly gain acceptance .
On Wednesday, two men were married in civil ceremony in Buenos Aires, Argentina .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- An American jailer was the target in the shooting deaths of three people with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexican officials said.

The jailer, Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez, were killed in a drive-by shooting in Juarez earlier this month. Enriquez was an employee of the U.S. Consulate in that city.

Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, 37, the husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate, was also killed at around the same time as Redelfs and Enriquez.

A suspect arrested in the case gave new details on the high-profile killings, Mexican federal authorities said in a statement late Tuesday. Ricardo Valles de la Rosa, a member of the Aztecas gang, was arrested Friday based on military intelligence, the statement said.

According to federal officials, de la Rosa told interrogators that he was a lookout for the operation that killed the two Americans.

He said he got to know many leaders of the Aztecas, a street gang affiliated with the Juarez cartel, while imprisoned in El Paso County, Texas. Although he was born in Juarez, de la Rosa lived in El Paso for 30 years.

One of the Azteca leaders called and ordered him to find where consulate employees were having a children's party and to follow the white sport utility vehicle belonging to Redelfs, a jail guard in El Paso, authorities said.

The call came days in advance of the killings, the statement said.

De la Rosa followed Redelfs' vehicle down a Juarez avenue, until being told to fall back because the shooters had the vehicle in their sights, the statement said. A few moments later, de la Rosa heard shooting.

According to federal authorities, de la Rosa drove by the scene and saw that in addition to Redelfs, his wife, who was four months pregnant, was also dead. An infant in the back seat was uninjured.

De la Rosa also admitted to involvement in four other homicides involving members or rival gangs, authorities said.

No additional arrests have been made in the case. De la Rosa remains imprisoned pending the outcome of the investigation.

Ceniceros' wife was not traveling with him, but two of their children in the car were wounded. His white SUV looked very similar to the one Redelfs drove.

Question: How many people were killed?

Question: Who was killed in drive by shooting?

Question: Where were they killed?

Question: Who was the suspect?

Question: What did the suspect arrested in case give?

Question: Who were killed?

Question: What was the suspect?

Question: Who was killed in the drive by?

Answer: three

Answer: The jailer, Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez,

Answer: Juarez

Answer: Ricardo Valles de la Rosa,

Answer: new details on the high-profile killings,

Answer: Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez,

Answer: Ricardo Valles de la Rosa,

Answer: Lesley Ann Enriquez,

Summary:
Arthur Redelfs and wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez, killed in a drive-by shooting in Juarez .
Suspect arrested in case gives new details on high-profile killings of three people total .
Officials: Suspect said he was lookout for the operation that killed the two Americans .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- At least two car bombs exploded Friday near the television studios of Televisa in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas state in northeastern Mexico, authorities said.

One blast occurred outside the TV station while the second happened next to the municipal transit service offices, said the state attorney general's office.

No fatalities or injuries were reported. The nearly simultaneous blasts occurred shortly after midnight.

The explosion in front of Televisa, a CNN affiliate, damaged the building and knocked out power on the block, the station said. The station also was knocked off the air locally, Televisa said.

Images of one of the blasts show the carcass of a car, the explosion leaving only the vehicle's mangled frame but not causing much damage to nearby buildings or trees. The wreckage lies next to a wooden street pole that is slightly tilted and holds a stop sign.

The car that exploded in front of the television studio was a red Chevrolet Corsica with Texas license plates, the attorney general's office said in a news release. The car in front of the transit office was a white Mazda, also with Texas license plates, officials said.

Tamaulipas is the state where authorities discovered 72 bodies this week on a ranch believed to be used by narcotraffickers. Authorities are investigating whether the 58 men and 14 women, who were migrants from Central and South America, were killed by the Zetas cartel.

Televisa previously came under attack August 15 when a grenade damaged apartments near the TV station's office in the city of Monterrey in neighboring Nuevo Leon state. There were no reports of injuries in that attack.

A similar attack occurred the previous day, when a grenade was launched against the Televisa offices in the city of Matamoros, in Tamaulipas. The building was damaged but there were no reports of injuries.

It was not clear Friday why Televisa is being targeted.

Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon have become a bloody battleground between the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, which ended an alliance earlier this year. The Zetas used to be the armed branch of the Gulf Cartel but have split off into a separate drug-trafficking organization.

Journalists have come under increasing attack in Mexico, as drug cartels try to limit the information being distributed about their activities.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization, criticized this month's grenade attacks against Televisa.

"No journalist is safe in Mexico when criminal groups feel free to wage grenade attacks on a national broadcaster," said Carlos Lauria, the organization's senior program coordinator for the Americas. "Drug traffickers are increasingly terrorizing the press and defining what is news and what isn't. We urge the Mexican authorities must fully investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice."

Eight journalists were killed in Mexico in 2009 and another eight have been killed so far this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists said this month.

In total, 54 journalists and media workers have been slain in Mexico since 1992, the group said.

Car bombings by Mexican cartels are a new phenomena. Among the first was a July 15 explosion in Ciudad Juarez that killed four people.

Question: Where did the attacks occur?

Question: What else was discovered in the same state?

Question: Where were no fatalities or injuries reported?

Question: What was a target of a car bomb?

Question: How many bodies were discovered?

Question: What targeted Televisa, a CNN affiliate?

Question: Where was Televisa was previously attacked?

Question: What was previously attacked two weeks ago in Monterrey?

Question: How many bombs targeted Televisa?

Answer: in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas state in northeastern Mexico,

Answer: 72 bodies

Answer: in Ciudad Victoria,

Answer: Televisa

Answer: 72

Answer: two car bombs

Answer: near the TV station's office in the city of Monterrey

Answer: Televisa

Answer: two

Summary:
One car bomb targeted Televisa, a CNN affiliate .
The attacks occurred in the same state where 72 bodies were discovered this week .
No fatalities or injuries were reported in the bombings .
Televisa was previously attacked nearly two weeks ago in Monterrey .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Authorities believe assassins targeted a pregnant woman and two other people connected with a U.S. consulate who were killed in drive-by shootings over the weekend, Ciudad Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said Monday.

The killings were carried out by a local gang, known as Los Aztecas, that is allied with the Juarez Cartel, Reyes told CNN. No arrests had been made by Monday afternoon.

"We know that the U.S. citizens were targeted," Reyes told CNN, saying a police officer saw gunfire from a car directed at the Americans' car. "We know they were chasing them. We know they wanted to kill them."

Two of the victims were a four-months-pregnant employee of the consulate in Juarez and her U.S. citizen husband who was a jailer in nearby El Paso, Texas, U.S. and Mexican officials said. The couple's 10-month-old child, who was in the vehicle, was not injured, Reyes and other officials said.

The child has been turned over to U.S. consular officials, Reyes said. The couple lived in El Paso, the State Department said.

The third victim, found dead in a separate vehicle, was identified as the husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate. His wife was not traveling with him, but two of their children in the car were wounded, officials said.

All the victims had left a birthday party at the consulate Saturday before they were attacked, Reyes and State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Monday. The slain couple, Arthur Redelfs, 34, and Lesley Ann Enriquez, 35, were on their way home to El Paso, Crowley said.

Redelfs was a 10-year veteran of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, according to Jesse Tovar, a spokesman for the department.

Reyes said the attackers may have been confused because both groups of victims were traveling in similar-looking vehicles.

Redelfs and his wife were in a white late-model Toyota RAV4 SUV. The third victim, Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, was driving a late-model white Honda Pilot, the mayor said.

Salcido, 37, was a state police officer who was married to a Mexican employee at the U.S. consulate, Reyes said.

His two children, ages 4 and 7, were wounded and transported to a hospital, the attorney general's office said. Salcido's wife was traveling in another vehicle, which was not attacked, Reyes said.

In Washington, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed their anger.

"The president is deeply saddened and outraged by the news of the brutal murders of three people associated with the United States Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement Sunday. "He extends his condolences to the families and condemns these attacks on consular and diplomatic personnel serving at our foreign missions. In concert with Mexican authorities, we will work tirelessly to bring their killers to justice."

Clinton said the "safety and security of our personnel and their families in Mexico and at posts around the world is always our highest priority."

"I have spoken with our ambassador in Mexico, and we are working with the government of Mexico to do everything necessary to protect our people and to ensure that the perpetrators of these horrendous acts are brought to justice," she said.

In response to the shootings, the U.S. State Department authorized the temporary relocation of employees' families working in border-area consulates.

"These appalling assaults on members of our own State Department family are, sadly, part of a growing tragedy besetting many communities in Mexico," Clinton said in a statement Sunday night. "They underscore the imperative of our continued commitment to work closely with the Government of [Mexican] President [Felipe] Calderon to cripple the influence of trafficking organizations at work in Mexico."

The families of employees at U.S. consulates in Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros are allowed to leave for 30 days "in response to an increase in violence along the Mexican side of its border with

Question: Who was targeted?

Question: How many people were killed?

Question: What happened in Juarez over the weekend?

Question: What is the killings linked to?

Answer: a pregnant woman and two other people

Answer: a pregnant woman and two other

Answer: assassins targeted a pregnant woman and two other people

Answer: Los Aztecas,

Summary:
Gang connected to drug cartel carried out 3 weekend killings, Ciudad Juarez mayor says .
Drive-by shootings killed U.S. employee at consulate and 2 others .
"We know that the U.S. citizens were targeted," Reyes told CNN .
State Department warns Americans of danger of traveling to parts of three Mexican states .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Four suspected drug cartel members have been arrested in connection with the slaying of a family in what authorities call an act of revenge for the death of a drug baron, a state attorney general said Wednesday.

The shootings early Tuesday that led to the deaths of four family members of 3rd Petty Officer Melquisedet Angulo Cordova was an act of revenge carried out by Los Zetas, a drug cartel allied with the Beltran Leyva cartel, said Rafael Gonzalez Lastra, attorney general for the southern Mexican state of Tabasco.

The suspects were arrested Tuesday night, he said.

Cordova was killed in the December 16 shootout that resulted in the death of Arturo Beltran Leyva, nicknamed the "boss of bosses," during a raid by a Mexican navy contingent at an upscale resort condo in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Angulo Cordova was hailed as a hero by President Felipe Calderon and laid to rest in his home state of Tabasco.

Early Tuesday, gunmen entered the family's home and opened fire, killing Angulo Cordova's mother, sister and aunt. Angulo Cordova's brother was injured in the shooting and later died in a hospital.

The Zetas, the protection arm of the Gulf cartel that also operates as its own trafficking organization, carried out revenge killings because of an alliance between them and the Beltran Leyva group, Gonzalez Lastra said.

Two of the arrested cartel members were responsible for the payments for the killings, and two acted as lookouts during the incident, he said.

The suspects were identified as Julio Acosta Saucedo, Yesenia Hernandez Valencia, Azael Jesus Garcia Reyes and Julio Acosta Vargas.

Gonzalez Lastra said authorities know the identities of the shooters as well as the vehicles used in the attack.

Some local police officers were also involved, he said.

Question: How many of the arrested were responsible for payout?

Question: How many detainees were?

Question: Whose family members were killed?

Question: Who carried out acts of revenge?

Answer: Two

Answer: Four

Answer: 3rd Petty Officer Melquisedet Angulo Cordova

Answer: Four suspected drug cartel members

Summary:
NEW: Two of the arrested were responsible for payout; two acted as lookouts, official says .
Four family members of 3rd Petty Officer Melquisedet Angulo Cordova were killed .
Tabasco attorney general says slayings were an act of revenge carried out by Los Zetas .
Cordova was killed in the shootout that resulted in the death of Arturo Beltran Leyva .


Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Heavy flooding in central Mexico in the past week has killed at least 33 people and left thousands homeless, the government said Monday.

Schools remained closed in five cities in Mexico's Michoacan state, where the flooding has killed at least 22 people and left more than 3,500 residents homeless, the state government said on its Web site.

Another 83 people still were missing Monday in Michoacan, a state in western coastal Mexico that has been beset by drug violence in the past few years.

A mudslide Saturday killed at least 11 people near the small town of Temascaltepec, in neighboring Mexico state.

Uncharacteristic heavy rain throughout Mexico also has led to flooding in the nation's capital, Mexico City.

Up to 35,000 people nationwide could have been affected, published reports said.

On Sunday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon toured Valle de Chalco, a city in Mexico state.

In Valle de Chalco, on the eastern outskirts of the Mexico City area, officials announced that contaminated water from a sewage network that overflowed Friday will continue to flood the town for at least another 48 hours. The number of affected houses in the city grew from 2,000 on Friday to about 3,000 on Monday, the government said.

Mexico state is bordered on the west by Michoacan and adjoins Mexico City on three sides -- north, east and west.

In Mexico City, officials announced the reopening Monday of 165 of the 174 schools that were closed Friday because of the heavy rain and flooding.

Calderon and other Mexican officials have vowed to help displaced families, including offering them food, medicine, shelter and cash allowances to buy new furniture.

Question: How many schools were closed in total?

Question: What number were killed?

Question: How many people were affected by flooding?

Question: What number of schools closed?

Question: How many schools were closed?

Question: What has the flood done?

Question: How many people are dead?

Question: How many schools will reopen monday.

Question: How many people were killed?

Answer: 174

Answer: 33

Answer: 35,000

Answer: 174

Answer: 174

Answer: killed at least 22 people and left more than 3,500 residents homeless,

Answer: 33

Answer: 165

Answer: 33

Summary:
Flooding in the last week could have affected up to 35,000 people, reports say .
Government: At least 22 people dead and more than 3,500 homeless in Michoacan state .
165 of 174 Mexico City schools that were closed Friday reopened Monday .
Government vows to offer food, medicine, cash and shelter to displaced people .