CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (CNN) -- Attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq with bombs believed linked to Iran -- known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) -- have risen sharply in January after several months of decline, according to the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Explosively formed penetrators are more sophisticated and deadlier than typical improvised explosive devices. Iraqi and U.S. officials indicated just a month ago that Iran was using its influence to improve security in Iraq by restraining cross-border weapons flow and militia activity. The U.S. military had said in recent months that the number of EFP attacks had gone down. Gen. David Petraeus disclosed the reversal to reporters after a meeting with President Bush who was visiting troops in Kuwait. "In this year, EFPs have gone up, actually, over the last 10 days by a factor of two or three, and frankly we're trying to determine why that might be," Petraeus said. Petraeus did not say how many American troops have been killed or wounded by EFPs in recent days. The U.S. military announced nine troop deaths from bombings in the first 11 days of January, but the death announcements did not specify if EFPs were involved. EFPs are more sophisticated and deadlier than the typical improvised explosive devices (IED) used by insurgents as roadside bombs to attack convoys and foot patrols until last year. EFPs use components manufactured in Iran and militants are trained in Iran to use them, the U.S. military has said. President Bush, in remarks to reporters in Kuwait, said: "Iran must stop supporting the militia special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces, and kidnap and kill Iraqi officials." The Bush administration and the military have long maintained that Iranian agents, particularly the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- have been arming and training Iraqi insurgents. E-mail to a friend CNN's Emily Schultz contributed to this report

Question: what are efps actually

Question: Where are the bomb increases linked to?

Question: how much did they increase by?

Question: Who says Iran is training Iraqi insurgents?

Question: Who is training Iraqi insurgents?

Question: what does the bush administration say

Question: what did the military say

Question: What are the devices known as?

Answer: explosively formed penetrators

Answer: Iran

Answer: a factor of two or three,

Answer: the U.S. military

Answer: Iranian agents, particularly the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Answer: that Iranian agents, particularly the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Answer: in recent months that the number of EFP attacks had gone down.

Answer: as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs)

Summary:
U.S. military says January increase in bombs believed linked to Iran .
Devices are known as EFPs (explosively formed penetrators)
Gen. Petraeus: EFPs increased by a factor of two or three over last 10 days .
Bush administration, military say Iran arming, training Iraqi insurgents .


CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (CNN) -- U.S. Marines at Camp Lemonier -- the only American military base on the African continent -- spend much of their time vaccinating livestock, repairing schools and giving medical training.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Rear Adm. James Hart, in Camp Lemonier, December 2007.

The camp, just 10 miles north of the Somali border, began as a French Foreign Legion outpost, but the Djibouti government agreed in 2002 to let the U.S. military establish a base for counterterrorism and humanitarian missions in the Horn of Africa.

The 1,800 U.S. troops in Djibouti spend just a fraction of their time on military tasks, such as locating and removing land mines. They conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries -- seen as an antidote to extremism.

"If you get at the basic needs of any individual, if you address the basic needs of people, then you have the opportunity to change their mindset, then you have the opportunity to show them that there is something better than doing extreme acts," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Roosevelt Barfield, deputy commander of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.

Many of the Marines in Djibouti, a predominantly Muslim country, previously served in Iraq.

"In Iraq, you can just go out and pretty much roll around and you do what you got to do and your mind set is a lot different," said Marine Cpl. Chad Armstrong. "Here, this country is a sovereign nation. Their government is established and everything, so there is a lot more working with the governments here."

The military role, though, sometimes upstages the humanitarian mission.

Periodic airstrikes of suspected al Qaeda terrorist targets in Somalia, often from U.S. warships, has created animosity among ethnic Somalis in the region.

The U.S. military presence in Djibouti underscores the growing importance of Africa to the U.S. military. The United States has created a centralized military command for Africa, U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, which will become fully operational in October.

The reluctance of African leaders to host a U.S. military facility, however, has hampered selection of a headquarters location for AFRICOM. Liberia, so far, is the only African country to offer. For now, AFRICOM is based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Question: What is the only American military base on the African continent?

Question: Number of US troops that conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries?

Question: What is an antidote to extremism?

Question: What is described as an antidote to extreminism?

Question: What is the name of the American military base in Africa?

Question: Which seven countries are the operations being conducted in?

Question: Who sent troops?

Question: What country is Camp Lemonier in?

Question: How many US troops conducted civil affairs in East Africa?

Answer: Camp Lemonier

Answer: 1,800

Answer: civil affairs operations in seven East African countries

Answer: conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries

Answer: Camp Lemonier

Answer: East African

Answer: U.S.

Answer: Djibouti

Answer: 1,800

Summary:
Camp Lemonier is the only American military base on the African continent .
The 1,800 U.S. troops conduct civil affairs operations in seven East African countries .
Their humanitarian mission is seen as an antidote to extremism .


CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- Stephen Colbert left no doubt about his solidarity with American troops when he taped the first of four Comedy Central shows he'll produce in Iraq this week. Stephen Colbert high-fives a serviceman after submitting to a military-style haircut in Iraq on Sunday. Colbert, wearing a business suit made of the same camouflaged material used for soldiers' desert uniforms, submitted to a regulation military haircut as hundreds of U.S. troops cheered wildly Sunday. The comedian, who satirizes conservative TV pundits on his "Colbert Report," began his "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" USO tour Sunday in the Baghdad headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq. "It must be nice in Iraq, because some of you keep coming back again and again," Colbert said, joking about the multiple tours many troops have had in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. Some troops had accumulated enough frequent flyer miles to earn them a free ticket to Afghanistan, he joked. Colbert told his guest, Gen. Ray Odierno, he felt "a little intimidated" by him, not because he was he top U.S. commander in Iraq, but because it felt like he was "interviewing Shrek." Odierno is an imposing bald figure at 6-feet, 5-inches tall. Odierno said the military is "not yet ready to declare victory" in Iraq and that there was a little more work to be done for long-term stability. "I, Stephen Colbert, by the power invested in me by basic cable, officially declare we won the Iraq war," Colbert said, as his audience broke out into applause. The interview was interrupted when President Obama appeared on large television screens. The commander-in-chief told his general it was time to "cut that man's hair." With white electric hair clippers in his hand, Odierno stood up and began shaving Colbert's trademark thick dark hair. The troops stood and cheered as a female member of Colbert's staff finished the job. After the haircut, Colbert ran through the audience, high-fiving the troops as he showed off his new military look. One Army major said that "shaving of the hair is an amazing show of support" that was "very touching." Former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain also made a pre-taped appearance on the show, jokingly reminding the troops to "take time to clean your muskets." Lt. Col. Debra Shoemaker, a native of Colbert's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, said the show was a "nice break" from the monotony of service in Iraq. USO Senior Vice President John Hanson said the shows are an important diversion for the troops. Colbert's USO tour is unusual because it's the first time a show taped in a combat zone has been edited and aired so quickly. The Sunday show will be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night.

Question: Who is Stephen Colbert's guest?

Question: Who ordered Colbert's hair to be cut?

Question: What happened to Colbert's hair?

Question: Where is Stephen Colbert performing this week?

Question: Where are Stephen Colbert's shows?

Question: What did the Comedian tell the guest?

Answer: Gen. Ray Odierno,

Answer: President Obama

Answer: a military-style haircut in Iraq on Sunday.

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Comedy Central

Answer: "It must be nice in Iraq, because some of you keep coming back again and again,"

Summary:
Stephen Colbert tapes first of four shows he'll produce in Iraq this week .
Comedian tells guest, the imposing Gen. Ray Odierno, it's like "interviewing Shrek"
At President Obama's taped orders, Odierno cuts Colbert's hair to wild cheering .
Sunday show to be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night .


CANNES, France (CNN) -- After eleven days, hundreds of screenings and thousands of snaps from the paparazzi, there could only be one Palme d'Or winner. Austrian director Michael Haneke hugs the president of the Cannes jury, French actress Isabelle Huppert. "The White Ribbon," by Austrian director Michael Haneke, was awarded the prize for its depiction of the cruel punishments meted out at a rural German school before the First World War. "The Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win," said Haneke at a press conference following his award. "I am not proud, but I am very happy. In my opinion, it's silly to be proud." It was a case of fifth time lucky for Haneke, who has previously been nominated for the award for "Funny Games" (1997), "Code Unknown" (2000), "The Piano Teacher" (2001) and "Hidden" (2005). "There are always rumors at the festival, and one must not take them seriously," the director said. "When I presented "Hidden" [in 2005], everyone was telling me I was going to win the Palme. And I didn't get it." Jury president Isabelle Huppert, the French actress who won the best actress prize at the 2001 festival for "The Piano Teacher," said she was delighted to have the chance to honor her former director. "I think I always loved him as a director, and that's why I've worked with him before," she said at the post-awards press conference. "To me, the movie is very philosophical. And his style, and his direction are totally ethical in my mind. That's what I wanted to reward." The American actress Robin Wright Penn, who also sat on the festival jury, laughed off rumors that the decision was hotly disputed. "There have been rumors circulating that we were fighting in the room," she told the press conference. "The beauty about loving each other ... [is that] we could disagree, and we still love each other. I felt like we built a consensus among us," she said. "It was like being on "Big Brother," except you could go to the movies," added British screenwriter and fellow juror Hanif Kureishi. "Some of the films are very long," he joked. Elsewhere, Charlotte Gainsbourg won the best actress prize for her shocking turn in Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," featuring scenes of genital mutilation that left audiences stunned. Christolph Waltz won best actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," while Brillante Mendoza secured the best director gong for "Kinatay." The jury prize was shared by Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook's vampire film "Thirst," and Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank," while the grand prix went to "The Prophet," by director Jacques Audiard.

Question: What was the name of the film which won in cannes?

Question: What nationality is the director?

Question: Which prize was won?

Question: Who directed "The White Ribbon"?

Question: What did Haneke say regarding the Palme d'Or?

Question: What is the name of the jury member?

Question: What is the name of the film?

Question: What does Haneke say about the Palme d'Or?

Question: What did jury member Robin Wright Penn say?

Answer: "The White Ribbon,"

Answer: Austrian

Answer: Palme d'Or

Answer: Michael Haneke,

Answer: "The Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win,"

Answer: Isabelle Huppert.

Answer: "The White Ribbon,"

Answer: is the best prize a filmmaker can win,"

Answer: "There have been rumors circulating that we were fighting in the room,"

Summary:
"The White Ribbon," by Austrian director Michael Haneke, wins Cannes .
Haneke: Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win .
Jury member, Robin Wright Penn, dismisses claims they were split over winner .


CANNES, France (CNN) -- As award-winning Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi walked down the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of his new feature Thursday, the real star of the show was conspicuously absent. Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, director of "No One Knows About Persian Cats," which was co-written by Roxana Saberi. American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, credited as co-writer and executive producer of the faux-documentary "No One Knows about Persian Cats," was still in Iran, having been released from jail only days earlier. The woman Ghobadi describes as his fiancée was freed from prison last Monday after being jailed on espionage charges following a one-day trial that was closed to the public. She had served three and a half months, not all time served, of her eight year sentence and at one point was on hunger strike. "For four months, she was in prison. For me, four months is like four years," Ghobadi told CNN. "In there, what did they do with her? How did she live in there?" "I couldn't understand why the government sent her to prison," he continued. "She is like an angel. She is really so clean. I believe her. For example, if you ask me about my mum and her, I believe her first." After much to-ing and fro-ing by the Iranian authorities, Ghobadi says he couldn't believe it when he found out Saberi had finally been freed, before the end of her sentence. "When [I found out] she was free ... I couldn't understand," the 40 year-old director told CNN. He said it felt as if the the authorities were playing games with himself and other supporters of Saberi as they gave different timescales for her release -- "two weeks, four years, eight years." But just after the pair were reunited Ghobadi -- who won Cannes' first-time film-maker award the Camera d'Or in 2000 with "A Time For Drunken Horses" -- had to leave for the French film festival. "Persian Cats," which chronicles the hardships facing young rock musicians as they seek to evade censorship from the authorities, had been selected to play in the Un Certain Regard slot. Although Saberi was unable to be with Ghobadi on the red carpet, Ghobadi says she have kept in close telephone contact since her release, checking on how the film has been received. Ghobadi himself has already suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities. His 2008 film "Half Moon" was banned and says he was left feeling depressed and suicidal after spending three years unsuccessfully trying to get permission from the Iranian authorities for another previous film. He thought about leaving Iran because he felt unable to work and cites Saberi as the inspiration behind "Persian Cats," which was filmed in Tehran. Shot illegally in just 17 days using a small, cheap digital camera -- the state owns all 35mm equipment in Iran, according to film industry trade magazine, Screen International -- the faux-documentary chronicles the hardships facing two young musicians who are trying to put together a band. The story which combines comedy and tragedy to great dramatic effect showcases music and performances from real musicians who are part of the Tehran underground music scene. It is estimated that there are 2,000 illegal bands in Tehran, all practising and performing in a hidden world of hand-built recording studios in basements and rooftops around the city. Ghobadi says that he feels some responsibility for Saberi's time in prison because she stayed in Iran to help him with "Persian Cats:" "She wanted to go back to the U.S. [She] just stay for me and for my film and help for this film and give me the idea for the music." Ghobadi wrote an open letter in April this year calling for Saberi's release when she was jailed after initially being arrested buying a bottle of wine, describing her as being caught in a "game of politics." "

Question: how many months was Saberi in jail?

Question: What are the chronicles undregounrd musicians?

Question: What is the name of the Iranian filmmaker?

Question: Who feels responsible for Saberi's time in jail?

Question: What was chronicled about music in Tehran?

Question: Who talks about his film's?

Question: How long was Saberi in jail?

Answer: three and a half

Answer: "Persian Cats,"

Answer: Bahman Ghobadi

Answer: Ghobadi

Answer: hardships facing young rock musicians

Answer: award-winning Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi

Answer: three and a half months,

Summary:
Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi talks about his film's co-writer Roxana Saberi .
American journalist Saberi was recently released from jail in Iran after three months .
Ghobadi says he feels responsible for her time in jail and that they will marry soon .
"No One Knows about Persian Cats" chronicles underground musicians in Tehran .


CANNES, France (CNN) -- Editor's note: Watch The Screening Room Cannes special on CNN at the following dates and times: Wednesday 27 May: 0730, 1730, Saturday 30 May: 0730, 1800, Sunday 31 May: 0430, 1730, Monday 31 May: 0300 (All times GMT) In the most high-profile amalgamation of Indian and western talent yet, Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley stars with Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in a drama about a pair of maths geniuses. Ben Kingsely who stars in "Teen Patti" is the first Academy Award-winner ever to take a role in a Bollywood movie. Bollywood-produced "Teen Patti" ("Card Game") also marks Kingsley's first return to Indian filmmaking since playing the title role in "Gandhi," the critically-acclaimed biopic of the Indian leader that propelled him to fame in 1982. He is the first Oscar-winning Hollywood actor ever to star in a Bollywood movie, and Kingsley believes that the future of filmmaking could lie in combining the twin talents of the world's biggest film industries. "I think the two talents put together could be extraordinary," Kingsley told CNN in Cannes where he was promoting "Teen Patti." The 65 year-old English actor maintains that western cinema is suffering from a lack of originality and "heart," with many films just ending up as a "copy of a copy of a copy." He thinks that the Indian approach to filmmaking can give western productions the infusion of originality they need -- and that filmmakers in India can benefit from "the technology, and the casting opportunities, the directorial opportunities of the west." "Teen Patti" is set in India and the UK, where Kingsley shot all of his scenes, and uses English and Hindi dialogue. The drama, which cost a mere $7 million to make, will have its world premiere in Mumbai in August.  Watch CNN The Screening Room producer Neil Curry search for Ben Kingsely in Cannes » It tells the story of a university professor, played by Bachchan, who schools five of his most able students in the finer points of high-stakes gambling. The film's plot is reported to be similar to "21," the 2008 Kevin Spacey drama, based on the story of the MIT Blackjack Team. Indian production company Serendipity Films, which was launched in 2003 by Ambika Hinduja, a member of one of India's richest families, is behind the picture. One of the company's central projects is cultural-fusion projects, like this one. The company is aiming to enter the big league by investing $50 million over the next three years in projects which bring together Indian and western talent. Do you think that Bollywood can make movies for a western audience? Tell us below in the SoundOff box Kingsley says he has wanted to be associated with mainstream Indian film ever since he made "Gandhi" -- an Indo-British production and so not "entirely an Indian film"-- with director Richard Attenborough in India. The actor who is acclaimed for performances in "Sexy Beast" (2000) and "Schindler's List" (1993) says he wanted to know what it would be like to work with an Indian director -- Leena Yadav, "who was amazing" -- and a huge Indian star like Bachchan. "I was very curious about him and he was very curious about me," says Kingsley of working with 66 year-old Bachchan, or "Big B" as India's most prominent Bollywood star is affectionately known to audiences. Bachchan's deep voice and brooding persona changed the face of Hindi cinema in the 1970s. Up until then Bollywood screens had been populated by wisecracking loverboys -- the trademark Indian hero in the 1960s. Today, he is best-known for hosting the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" ("Kaun Banega Crorepati"). Kingsley says that while on set, he and Bachchan "circled each other like hunters." Despite his respect for the Godfather of Bollywood,

Question: who is amitabh bachman?

Question: How many times has an oscar winner starred in a bollywood film?

Question: Is this high profile?

Question: Who does Ben Kingsley star with?

Question: What is Kingsley's first return to Indian filmaking after Gandhi?

Answer: Bollywood superstar

Answer: the first

Answer: In the most high-profile

Answer: Amitabh Bachchan

Answer: "Teen Patti" ("Card Game")

Summary:
Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley stars with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan .
"Teen Patti" is Kingsley's first return to Indian filmmaking after "Gandhi in 1982 .
It is the first time an Oscar-winner has starred in Bollywood film .
Most high-profile amalgamation of western and Indian movie-making talent yet .


CANNES, France (CNN) -- The line-up at this year's Cannes Film Festival is a cineaste's dream. There are high expectations for Jane Campion's "Bright Star," a drama about 19th-century poet John Keats. Packed with big name auteurs (Pedro Almodovar, Ken Loach, Lars Von Trier, Quentin Tarantino, and Park Chan-wook among others) and intriguing propositions, the competition for the coveted Palme d'Or is sure to be fierce. While there may be a dearth of surprises in the line-up, the world's shiniest cinema event has certainly proved that in these tough economic times it can still cherry pick the best of what's out there. But what among the dizzying array of celluloid magic has caught the eye of industry insiders and professionals? The Screening Room asked a blogger, a critic and a film buyer attending the festival what films they will be watching out for at this year's event. THE CRITIC Name: Jonathan Romney Credentials: Film critic for British newspaper The Independent on Sunday Cannes experience: 17 years It's heavily loaded with big names and the strange thing is that this year there are very few surprises in there. Last year there was Italian Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah" (which won the Grand Prize) and Israeli Ari Folman's animation "Waltz with Bashir," films that nobody knew anything about in competition. The one that people are either really looking forward to or dreading is "Enter the Void," Gaspar Noe's new film. Noe gave everybody a rough time in 2002 with "Irreversible," a violent, confrontational rape-revenge drama. The thing about him is once he's got you in the cinema you're not going to get out. This one has been made in Japan and is the story of someone looking at the events leading up to their own death. In particular, I'll be looking at Jane Campion's film, "Bright Star," starring Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. It's based on the three-year romance between 19th-century poet Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by his death at the age of 25. She hasn't delivered for quite a while. Her last few films were at best patchy and at worst disappointing. She's shown skill at her version of costume dramas in the past with films like "The Piano," which won the Palme d'Or in 1994. Five-times Palme d'Or nominated German[-born] Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" is another film people are talking about. It is set in 1914 and is apparently about the emergence of Nazism. I imagine it will be fairly austere and confrontational. I also imagine it will be very good. He has never made a film that doesn't really engage or impress on some level. There's also Danish Cannes stalwart Lars von Trier's film "Antichrist," starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg about a grieving couple who retreat to a small cabin in the forest to mourn following the death of their child. There has been some controversy over why he is making what looks like a conventional Hollywood horror. It almost certainly won't be that. I suspect it will be philosophical. A lot of these filmmakers are not entertainers. They like to give their audiences a hard time. One of the keynotes of this year is going to be confrontation. THE BLOGGER Name: Karina Longworth Credentials: Co-founder of Cinematical film blog and editor of Spout blog Cannes experience: two years In the Directors' Fortnight section I'm really excited about "Go Get Some Rosemary," which is directed by these two young American brothers, Joshua and Benny Safdie. Their style is reminiscent of the French New Wave -- but with this sense of humor and willingness to experiment in real locations, and use the people that are walking by as accidental characters. They're sometimes lumped together with the young American "Mumblecore" scene but their films are really different. They've got a really interesting sense of style.

Question: who is at cannes this year

Question: Which blogger cannot wait for the "Antichrist"?

Question: What place is packed with big names?

Question: What city is packed with big names?

Question: What is Jonathan Romney looking forward to?

Question: what is the critic looking forward to

Answer: Karina Longworth

Answer: Karina Longworth

Answer: Cannes Film Festival

Answer: CANNES, France

Answer: "Enter the Void,"

Answer: "Enter the Void,"

Summary:
From Quentin Tarantino to Ken Loach, Cannes is packed with big names .
Critic Jonathan Romney's looking forward to Jane Campion's "Bright Star"
Blogger Karina Longworth can't wait for Lars von Trier's "Antichrist"
Buyer Robert Walak says people will be looking for "more feel-good films"


CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- Space shuttle Discovery was scheduled to launch early Tuesday morning for a mission to deliver equipment to the international space station. Discovery rests on launch pad 39A at Cape Canaveral on Monday evening. The seven-member crew was boarding the orbiter Monday night on Cape Canaveral's launch pad 39A. Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford will guide Discovery to the space station after launch, scheduled for 1:36 a.m. ET Tuesday, NASA said. Forecasters gave the Cape an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions at launch time. One of Discovery's seven astronauts, Nicole Stott, will remain on the space station as a flight engineer, replacing astronaut Timothy Kopra, who will return home aboard Discovery as a mission specialist, according to the NASA Web page for the mission. Also on board: The Leonardo logistics module, science experiments and the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), named for Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Earlier this year, NASA conducted an online poll to name the space station's newest compartment, asking voters to choose one of four given options or offer their own suggestion. Colbert urged his viewers to suggest "Colbert," which won. But Colbert and the space agency compromised to give the moniker to the treadmill instead. The new module was given the name Tranquility. "I'm so proud my treadmill will be going into space to help trim down those famously fat astronauts. Lay off the Tang, Chubby!" Colbert said in a statement last week. The mission will be Discovery's 37th to space, and the 30th shuttle mission dedicated to international space station assembly and maintenance, NASA says.

Question: what will Nicole Stott be doing at the space station

Question: WHen is Discover scheduled to launch

Question: What time is Discovery scheduled to launch?

Question: Who will remain on the space station as a flight engineer?

Question: will the weather be acceptable

Question: Is the chance of acceptable weather for launch greater than 50%?

Answer: flight engineer,

Answer: early Tuesday morning

Answer: 1:36 a.m. ET

Answer: Nicole Stott,

Answer: 80 percent chance of

Answer: Forecasters gave the Cape an 80 percent

Summary:
Discovery scheduled to launch at 1:36 a.m. ET Tuesday .
Cape Canaveral has 80 percent chance of acceptable weather for launch .
Shuttle to deliver equipment to international space station .
Astronaut Nicole Stott will remain on the space station as a flight engineer .


CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNN) -- The girl sleeping in the bunk above me either had Swine Flu, SARS, Tuberculosis or some sort of perfect storm of all three, because she managed to hack and snort throughout the entire night in an almost exact pattern of: Hack.  Hack.  Hack.  Snort.  Snort. The sharks arrived and disappeared quickly. I only mention this because I had to be up at four 4 a.m. to get picked up for my day of shark cage-diving, and, clearly, I wasn't getting too much sleep. Not a good start.  Nevertheless, I managed to get out of bed on time, and actually felt pretty decent as we drove two hours from Cape Town to some quiet fishing village where about 30 cold, tired backpackers squeezed onto an old boat and into the sea in search of great white sharks. Somebody had to say it: "We're gonna need a bigger boat." But tight as it was on board, we survived, and soon found ourselves bobbing over the waves as small fish began to circle the chum. Eventually, the sharks came -- and they were amazing! More importantly, it was probably the closest I'll ever get to a great white without A) dying or B) soiling myself.  See Jarrett's shark-diving adventure » But just as quickly as the sharks arrived, they were gone. Cold and tired, an uncomfortable boredom overtook the tourists, interrupted only by the occasional roar of projectile vomit. As a scientific study, this symphony of motion sickness was about as fascinating as the sharks.  As it turns out, the English seemed to be the ones most affected by the sea.  Now, maybe this has something to do with their biology, or maybe this has something to do with England beating Croatia 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier the night before. Either way, I found it interesting that our friends across the pond were collectively becoming violently ill. One would have thought this would have attracted more sharks -- that fine, rich mixture of lager and pies -- but the seas remained great white-free. In all, it was sort of a bittersweet experience. Being that close to such spectacular sharks was a rare, lifetime opportunity, but of all my South African experiences, this was the most expensive and, in many ways, the least rewarding. Of course, I chalk this up mostly to the early start and cold weather, but, even at its best, I've definitely had better times in my life. That said, I'm glad I did it -- you know, before I die from a rare new strain of Swine-Flu-SARS-tuberculosis. Hack.  Hack.  Hack.  Snort.  Snort.

Question: Where was Bellini traveling?

Answer: some quiet fishing village

Summary:
CNN.com's Jarrett Bellini is traveling in South Africa .
Readers chose his destination and can share their travel suggestions .
Bellini will provide updates from South Africa on CNN.com and CNN.com Live .


CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN)  -- The price of sin rose Monday in Venezuela where President Hugo Chavez is on a campaign to make Venezuelans cut back on drinking and smoking.

"Everyone's shocked," said Leonora Marino, owner of Bodegon Marino in Valencia, Venezuela, west of Caracas.

On Monday evening, she was still changing the prices in her store as her customers looked on and complained, she told a reporter.

Alcohol is now 10 percent more expensive; cigarettes are 20 percent pricier.

"Really, it's difficult to buy at these prices," she said, then joked, "They say they're going to stop eating so that they can continue drinking."

The Venezuelan government is placing a higher tax on alcohol and cigarettes in an effort to cut consumption and prevent what it views as the social, economic and moral consequences of drinking and smoking, said Jose Vielma Mora, superintendent of Seniat, the government body that oversees the collection of taxes.

Taxes on whiskey, brandy, cognac and other drinks that don't come from cane sugar have been raised $1.79 (3,838 bolivares) per liter, the government-run Bolivarian News Agency said.

"It's unfair because, in the end, the consumer is the one who pays," said Fernando Fernandez, a liquor exporter.

Chavez has described whiskey as a drink for rich people, not for revolutionaries.

"We cannot be spending the international reserves of this country on whiskey," he said.

The moves represent the first steps toward transforming each Venezuelan into what Chavez calls "the new man." Chavez has cited the life of revolutionary socialist icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara as an example of how to lead a more pure life.

In April, Chavez told a graduating class of medical students in Caracas, Venezuela, that the level of consumption of alcohol in the country represents a threat to public health and ought to make residents feel ashamed, according to an ABN report.

"The vice causes much harm, not only to individuals, but to the collective health of the nation," said Chavez, who said the dangers result in an increase in car wrecks and domestic violence.

For his part, he has said he drinks too much coffee.

Also effective Monday, stores near schools, churches and cultural centers will not be granted licenses to sell alcohol.

Taxes on cigarette imports have also increased, from 50 percent to 70 percent of the total price.

On the street, some people said they don't understand the motivations for the increase, but predicted their consumption would not change.

"The Venezuelan is not going to stop drinking or smoking," said one person.

Chavez also plans to increase taxes on luxury items such as Hummers, which are imported privately and at great expense. There is no Hummer dealership in the country.

Higher oil prices in recent years have translated into higher consumption in petroleum-rich Venezuela. Last year, car sales increased by about 70 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook.

But Chavez, who was in Cuba on Monday visiting communist leader Fidel Castro, said he wants to focus less on material goals for Venezuela's 27 million people, 38 percent of whom live in poverty. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Flor Santamaria contributed to this story.

Question: Who plans to increase taxes on luxury goods?

Question: What are Chavez other plans?

Question: What is the price increase?

Question: Which stores cannot sell alcohol?

Question: what is the percent of price increase for alcohol and cigarettes?

Question: Venezuala hiked taxes on what items?

Question: What are Chavez plans?

Question: Which government hikes taxes on alcohol and cigarettes?

Question: What places are not allowed to sell alcohol?

Question: wnat places are not allowed to sell alcohol?

Question: What is an example of a luxury good?

Question: What was the price increase in alcohol?

Question: What makes a Hummer into a luxury good?

Question: Which government increased taxes on alcohol and cigarette?

Question: What country's government hiked taxes on alcohol and cigarettes

Question: Who has increased taxes on alcohol and cigarettes?

Question: what kind of a tax is being put in place

Question: Where does the stores cannot sell alcohol?

Question: What was the tax increase amount?

Question: For what items did the government hiked the taxes?

Question: What was the increase on alcohol?

Question: Who governs Venezuela?

Answer: President Hugo Chavez

Answer: to increase taxes on luxury items such as Hummers,

Answer: 20 percent

Answer: near schools, churches and cultural centers will not be granted licenses to

Answer: now 10

Answer: alcohol and cigarettes

Answer: make Venezuelans cut back on drinking and smoking.

Answer: Venezuelan

Answer: stores near schools, churches and cultural centers

Answer: stores near schools, churches and cultural centers will

Answer: Hummers,

Answer: 10 percent

Answer: imported privately

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: The Venezuelan government

Answer: alcohol and cigarettes

Answer: near schools, churches and cultural centers will not be granted licenses to

Answer: Alcohol is now 10 percent more expensive; cigarettes are 20 percent pricier.

Answer: Alcohol

Answer: 10 percent

Answer: President Hugo Chavez

Summary:
Venezuelan government hikes taxes on alcohol and cigarettes Monday .
Ten percent price increase on alcohol and 20 percent increase on cigarettes .
Stores near schools, churches and cultural centers cannot sell alcohol .
Chavez plans to increase taxes on luxury goods, including Hummers .


CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN)  -- Venezuela temporarily seized a pasta-making plant Friday belonging to U.S.-based food giant Cargill, citing a production quota dispute. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government takes over a Cargill plant for the second time in recent months. Rafael Coronado, Venezuela's deputy minister for food, announced the takeover live on the state-run Venezolana de Television channel. He said the plant did not meet production levels for pasta sold at lower, government-mandated prices. An inspection of the plant Thursday found that 41 percent of its pasta met the government-established level, Coronado said at a news conference in front of the food plant. Fifty-nine percent was "out of regulation," he said. The Venezuelan government will take over the plant for 90 days, he said, and then will determine what steps to take next. It was the second time in recent months that the government of left-wing President Hugo Chavez has taken over a Cargill plant. Chavez announced in March that he had ordered the takeover of a Cargill rice plant. Cargill spokesman Mark Klein said Friday afternoon the Minnesota-based company did not have an immediate comment. But Klein said in March, when the rice plant was taken over, that Cargill "is committed to the production of food in Venezuela that complies with all laws and regulations." Cargill has been doing business in Venezuela since 1986, according to the company's Web site. Its operations include oilseed processing, grain and oilseed trading, animal feed, salt, and financial and risk management. The company has 2,000 employees in 22 locations in Venezuela, the Web site says.

Question: what kind of plant

Question: The Cargill plant was seized by who?

Question: Who was no comment on seizure of plant?

Question: who will take over

Question: What is being seized?

Question: Which country cites quota dispute in takeover of pasta making plant?

Question: When will the plant be seized?

Question: who was the plant seized by

Answer: pasta-making

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Cargill,

Answer: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government

Answer: a pasta-making plant

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Friday

Answer: Venezuela

Summary:
Venezuela cites production quota dispute in takeover of pasta-making plant .
Government will take over plant belonging to Cargill for 90 days .
Minnesota-based food giant has no immediate comment on seizure .
Cargill rice plant seized by President Hugo Chavez's government in March .


CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Friday for Europe to remove from its list of terrorist organizations two Colombian groups -- including FARC, the group that freed two hostages Thursday in a mission Chavez organized.

During his televised State of the Union speech, Chavez -- an outspoken enemy of the Bush administration -- insisted Europe includes the two groups on its terror list only because of "pressure" from the United States, which also names them on its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

"I request from the governments of the continent that they will remove the FARC and the ELN," Chavez said.

FARC, the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, has been blamed for numerous attacks and holds about 750 hostages, according to Colombian government estimates.

ELN, the National Liberation Army, the second-largest rebel group in Colombia, also is blamed for killings, kidnappings, and other attacks. This week the Colombian government announced the capture of Carlos Marin Guarin, known by the alias "Pablito," alleged to have commanded roughly half the ELN force.

Both FARC and ELN are on the European Union's list of groups and individuals believed linked to terrorism.

"I will ask Europe to remove the ELN and the FARC from the list of terrorist groups in the world, because that only has one source: the pressure of the United States," Chavez said.

He argued, "I say this even though somebody might be bothered by it: the FARC and the ELN are not terrorist groups. They are armies, real armies ... that occupy a space in Colombia."

He added that the two groups' "insurgent forces" have a goal, "a project," that is "Bolivarian" and that "we respect."

Chavez said his nation is committed to bringing about peace in Colombia, a task that means "we must continue to work at the various levels" with FARC and ELN.

"No one should be bothered by it. It is absolutely essential to do so. Who can think of the possibility of a peace accord when there is no contact with the parties involved," he asked. E-mail to a friend

Question: Who urges the EU to remove FARC and ELN from terror groups list?

Question: Who has been blamed for numerous attacks?

Question: How many hostages may farc hold?

Question: what did chavez urge eu to do?

Question: how many hostages

Question: who was released

Question: How many hostages are there?

Question: what has farc been blamed for?

Answer: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Answer: FARC,

Answer: 750

Answer: its list of terrorist organizations two Colombian groups

Answer: two

Answer: two hostages

Answer: 750

Answer: numerous attacks

Summary:
NEW: Chavez urges EU to remove FARC and ELN from list of terror groups .
FARC has been blamed for numerous attacks and may hold about 750 hostages .
Venezuela's president arranged release of mother, another hostage Thursday .


CARDIFF, Wales -- Former Wales and British Lions center Ray Gravell has died of a suspected heart attack aged 56, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has announced.

Gravell won 23 caps for Wales and played on the Lions tour of South Africa in 1980.

Gravell had been on holiday with his family in the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca at the time.

A WRU statement praised Gravell as being "a man who epitomized the passion, flair and dignity of his beloved Welsh nation."

Gravell made his debut for Wales against France in 1975, three years after helping his club side Llanelli to their famous win over the touring All Blacks.

In all he made 23 appearances for what was then a dominant Wales side, winning Grand Slams in 1976 and 1978, and played all four Tests on the Lions' tour of South Africa in 1980.

After retiring as a player in 1985, Gravell became president of Llanelli RFC and the Llanelli Scarlets. He also pursued a career as an actor and a respected rugby broadcaster.

Earlier this year, Gravell had his right leg amputated below the knee following complications linked with his diabetes but he had been recovering well.

WRU chief executive Roger Lewis said: "We are all in total shock because Ray was so full of life even through the difficult health problems he suffered recently.

"He was a wonderful ambassador for rugby and for Wales and a great example of how the game can bring out the best in a man.

"As a player, he always gave a huge amount of respect to his opponents but never gave an inch of ground to anyone he faced on the field of play.

"It is a measure of the man that he forged rugby friendships which lasted long after his playing days up until the present day." E-mail to a friend

Question: What age was Ray Gravell at his death?

Question: who is ray gravell?

Question: At what age has Ray Gravell died?

Question: Who died aged 56?

Question: what position did ray gravell play?

Question: Where was he on holiday?

Question: What type of work did he do after retirement.

Question: Where was he and his family holidaying

Question: What did he do after retiring?

Question: where was he on holiday with his family?

Question: Where was he on holidays

Question: What was Ray Gravell's age at the time of his death.

Question: What age was Ray Gravell when he died?

Question: What age was Ray gravell

Question: What was his age?

Question: What did he do after retirement

Question: What did he work as after retiring?

Question: what did gravell do after retiring?

Question: what did he work at after retiring?

Question: Where was Ray Gravell when he died?

Question: Where was he in holiday?

Question: Which international teams did Ray Gravell play for?

Answer: 56,

Answer: Former Wales and British Lions center

Answer: 56,

Answer: Ray Gravell

Answer: Former Wales and British Lions center

Answer: Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca

Answer: Gravell became president of Llanelli RFC and the Llanelli Scarlets.

Answer: Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca

Answer: also pursued a career as an actor and a respected rugby broadcaster.

Answer: in the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca

Answer: Mallorca

Answer: 56,

Answer: 56,

Answer: 56,

Answer: 56,

Answer: Gravell became president of Llanelli RFC and the Llanelli Scarlets.

Answer: became president of Llanelli RFC and the Llanelli Scarlets.

Answer: became president of Llanelli RFC

Answer: president of Llanelli RFC

Answer: in the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca

Answer: Mallorca

Answer: Wales and British Lions

Summary:
Former Wales and British Lions center Ray Gravell has died aged 56 .
He was on holiday with his family in Mallorca .
After retiring he worked as an actor and broadcaster .


CAVITE CITY, Philippines (CNN)  -- At 16, Rhandolf Fajardo reflects on his former life as a gang member. Efren Peñaflorida's Dynamic Teen Company offers Filipino youth an alternative to gangs through education. "My gang mates were the most influential thing in my life," says Fajardo, who joined a gang when he was in sixth grade. "We were pressured to join." He's not alone. In the Philippines, teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years, according to the Preda Foundation, a local human rights charity. "I thought I'd get stuck in that situation and that my life would never improve," recalls Fajardo. "I would probably be in jail right now, most likely a drug addict -- if I hadn't met Efren." Efren Peñaflorida, 28, also was bullied by gangs in high school. Today, he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year "Gang members are groomed in the slums as early as 9 years old," says Peñaflorida. "They are all victims of poverty." For the past 12 years, Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom. Stocked with books, pens, tables and chairs, his Dynamic Teen Company recreates a school setting in unconventional locations such as the cemetery and municipal trash dump. Peñaflorida knows firsthand the adversity faced by these children. Born into a poor family, he lived in a shanty near the city dump site. But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future. "Instead of being discouraged, I promised myself that I would pursue education," he recalls. "I will strive hard; I will do my best." In high school, Peñaflorida faced a new set of challenges. Gang activity was rampant; they terrorized the student body, vandalized the school and inducted members by forcing them to rape young girls, he says. "I felt the social discrimination. I was afraid to walk down the street." Peñaflorida remembers standing up to a gang leader, refusing to join his gang. That confrontation proved fateful. At 16, he and his friends "got the idea to divert teenagers like us to be productive," he says. He created the Dynamic Teen Company to offer his classmates an outlet to lift up themselves and their community. For Peñaflorida, that meant returning to the slums of his childhood to give kids the education he felt they deserved. "They need education to be successful in life. It's just giving them what others gave to me," he says. Today, children ranging from ages 2 to 14 flock to the pushcart every Saturday to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and English from Peñaflorida and his trained teen volunteers.  Watch Peñaflorida and his group in action with their push cart classroom » "Our volunteers serve as an inspiration to other children," he says. The group also runs a hygiene clinic, where children can get a bath and learn how to brush their teeth. Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums. The organization supports its efforts by making and selling crafts and collecting items to recycle.  Take a look at the slums where Peñaflorida and his group spend their Saturdays » Through his group, Peñaflorida has successfully mentored former gang members, addicts and dropouts, seeing potential where others see problems. "Before, I really didn't care for my life," says Michael Advincula, who started doing drugs when he was 7. "But then Efren patiently dug me from where I was buried. It was Efren who pushed me to get my life together."  Watch Advincula describe how he met Peñaflorida in the slums » Today, Advincula is a senior in high school and one of the group's volunteers. Peñaflorida hopes to expand the pushcart to other areas

Question: What is Efren Peñaflorida's company which offers alternatives to gangs through education called?

Question: Since 1997, 10,000 members have taught how many children in slums?

Question: In what country did Efren Peñaflorida attend school?

Question: who was bullied by gangs in high school?

Question: Who was bullied by gangs in the Philippines?

Question: What does the Dynamic Teen Company offer?

Question: what did 10,000 members taught?

Question: what to vote for CNN?

Answer: Dynamic Teen

Answer: 1,500

Answer: Philippines,

Answer: Efren Peñaflorida,

Answer: Efren Peñaflorida,

Answer: Filipino youth an alternative to gangs through education.

Answer: basic reading and writing to children living on the streets.

Answer: Hero of the Year

Summary:
Efren Peñaflorida was bullied by gangs in high school in the Philippines .
Now his Dynamic Teen Company offers an alternative to gangs through education .
Since 1997, some 10,000 members have taught more than 1,500 children in slums .
Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year at CNN.com/Heroes .


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNN) -- Doug Ward drives through a subdivision made up of rows of trailers. You can hear the sadness in his voice as he says, "This just doesn't feel like home." He longs for the life he lived before devastating floods destroyed his Cedar Rapids neighborhood. The A&W Drive-In in Cedar Rapids was Doug Ward's life for 30 years. "I want to come back. I miss (my friends) very much," Ward said as he escorted CNN on a tour of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, nearly a year after the floods. Ward, 64, is an institution in the historic Time Check neighborhood just across the Cedar River from downtown. He owns the A&W Drive-In on Ellis Boulevard, a fixture on this street since 1948. Historian Mark Stoffer Hunter calls the drive-in Cedar Rapids' "Eiffel Tower." "It's been there for us over the decades," Hunter said. "It's one of those landmarks that tells you you're in Cedar Rapids." When floodwaters ravaged Cedar Rapids last June, Ward's drive-in drowned in almost 10 feet of water. Now, the drive-in sits in ruins. A&W root beer mugs covered in dried mud sit on the restaurant floor. The stench of floodwater lingers in the air. Putting together the pieces of Ward's life hit a snag in the fall of 2008 when an economic storm swept across the country. In a matter of months, the financial support Ward needed to rebuild dried up. "Life's got to go on. If you sit and worry about it too much, you'd probably be at my funeral today," Ward said.  Watch as Ward talks about the devastation in Cedar Rapids » Ward estimates that it will cost close to $1 million to rebuild the A&W Drive-In at its current location. He's been able to line up $350,000 in loans, but that's far short of what he needs. "The idea that he might not be able to rebuild the business here, it hurts," said Stoffer, the Cedar Rapids historian. "It's happening not just in this neighborhood, but in all the neighborhoods that were affected by the floods." So now Ward spends a lot of time driving around Cedar Rapids scouting new locations. He wants to stay on Ellis Boulevard, but the surrounding neighborhood sits mostly empty. If people don't move back, then there are no customers to feed. "If the neighborhood were normal again, we'd be up and running. But it's not," Ward said. Ward not only lost his business, but the house he and his wife lived in for 28 years was destroyed, too. The house today sits gutted. The flood weakened the foundation. Three estimates show it will cost $85,000 to make the needed repairs. FEMA gave the Wards $28,000 toward the costs of rebuilding their home or buying a new one. But without home insurance, it's another cost in Ward's mounting pile of financial troubles. Ward said if he can't get his business up and running soon, he'll have to find another job. He's tapped into retirement savings extensively, and he's received some financial support (he won't specify how much) from other sources. Ward is soft spoken, yet tough. He's faced difficult struggles all his life. His father died when he was 5. He dropped out of school after eighth grade to earn money for his family. At 13, he worked in a dry milk factory and spent 10 years working as a Coca-Cola delivery man. Owning the A&W Drive-In was a dream that produced a comfortable living. Now he misses the days serving his friends icy-cold root beers. But you won't hear him complain about the battle he's facing. "I've been knocked around, but we'll get up and get going," he said.

Question:
Where is the drive-in landmark?
What was Doug Ward's life for 30 years?
What has been a landmark since 1948?
How much will it cost?

Answer: Cedar Rapids, Iowa,

Answer: The A&W Drive-In in Cedar Rapids

Answer: A&W Drive-In

Answer: $1 million

Summary:
The A&W in Cedar Rapids was Doug Ward's life for 30 years until last year's flood .
Almost a year later, the drive-in sits in ruins, the root beer mugs still muddied .
The drive-in has been a landmark in the Time Check neighborhood since 1948 .
It will cost upward of $1 million to rebuild or change locations .


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNN) -- Floodwaters inundated Iowa City and the University of Iowa arts campus on Sunday despite what one official called a "Herculean effort" to hold back the water with sandbags. Residents surround Lt. Tobey Harrison at a Cedar Rapids checkpoint as they wait to see their homes Sunday. "We've had the [National Guard] working next to prisoner inmates, sandbagging," said David Jackson, the university's facilities manager. "Students, faculty and staff, leaders of the university, the president of the university -- out sandbagging." Some 500 to 600 homes were ordered to evacuate and others faced a voluntary evacuation order through the morning, said Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey. The Iowa River in Iowa City crested at 31.5 feet and was expected to remain at that level until Monday, city and state officials said Sunday. Classes at the university have been suspended until next Sunday, according to its Web site. "All of our theaters, our music building, Clapp Recital Hall, our fine arts building [the] new Art Building West designed by Stephen Holl, has taken on significant water as well," said Sally Mason, president of the university. "Fortunately we were able to save all the art," she said. The art was placed in crates shipped out of state last week. "We anticipated the worst a week ago." At least 8 feet of water rushed through the campus, officials said. Among the school's 30,000 students, Ann Barber told CNN she has been sandbagging for nearly seven days. "It's very hard to watch the devastation of our university," she said. This month's severe weather has trampled towns from North Dakota to Indiana. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says more than 11 million Midwesterners will be affected by flooding and tornadoes. Meanwhile, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, some of nearly 20,000 displaced residents began to return home Sunday as water there receded. People lined up for about a block in one part of the city waiting for a special wristband to allow them access to their homes. The flooding there caught many people by surprise. "We didn't think it would get this high," said Tina Fleischacker, whose Cedar Rapids home was soaked. "We moved everything upstairs and it's gone. It's gone. We left with the clothes on our backs." About 36,000 Iowans, most in Cedar Rapids, evacuated their homes due to the state-wide flooding. At least 472 people spent Saturday night in 18 shelters set up across the state, according to Dave Miller, the administrator of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. In Iowa City, the water is expected to drop no more than 3 feet by Saturday, said John Benson, spokesman for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "There's that moment of 'phew,' but then there's that realization that the water will be going down very slowly," Bailey told reporters. She urged residents to be careful when returning to their homes and businesses, and asked them to abide by a 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. "Water flows are still dangerous," she said. "We need people to be patient. We will get them into those homes and businesses as soon as possible." Iowa has been inundated with heavy rains in recent weeks that have caused several major rivers that feed into the Mississippi -- including the Cedar, Des Moines and Iowa Rivers -- to flood their banks. The flooding in the Midwest is "some of the worst" to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina inundated the Gulf Coast nearly three years ago, FEMA administrator David Paulison said Sunday on CNN. The scenarios are much different, but "the aftermath is similar," he said. "The fact [is] that we have a lot of people whose homes have been destroyed." The agency has received more than 12,000 disaster assistance applications from the hardest-hit states -- Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. Starting Tuesday, the American Red Cross will set up

Question: Where was the evacuation?

Question: What reason did the resident leave?

Question: What happened in Iowa City?

Question: Who have been evacuated?

Question: What caused the damage?

Question: Where were they evacuated to?

Question: What was the damage to homes?

Question: What happened to the lowans in Cedar Rapids?

Answer: Iowa City

Answer: Floodwaters

Answer: Floodwaters inundated

Answer: 500 to 600 homes

Answer: Floodwaters

Answer: 18 shelters set up across the state,

Answer: flooding

Answer: evacuated their homes

Summary:
About 500-600 homes evacuated in Iowa City on Sunday .
Some 36,000 Iowans, most in Cedar Rapids, have been evacuated .
Agricultural damage estimated at $1 billion or more .


CERN, Switzerland (CNN) -- Scientists Wednesday applauded as one of the most ambitious experiments ever conceived got successfully underway, with protons being fired around a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel deep beneath the border of France and Switzerland in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the universe. Scientists applaud during the switch on operation of the Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider -- a $9 billion particle accelerator designed to simulate conditions of the Big Bang that created the physical Universe -- was switched on at 0732 GMT to cheers and applause from experts gathered to witness the event. While observers were left nonplussed by the anticlimactic flashing dots on a TV screen that signalled the machine's successful test run, among teams of scientists involved around the world there were jubilant celebrations and popping champagne corks. In the coming months, the collider is expected to begin smashing particles into each other by sending two beams of protons around the tunnel in opposite directions. Skeptics, who claim that the experiment could lead to the creation of a black hole capable of swallowing the planet, failed in a legal bid to halt the project at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Others have branded it a colossal waste of cash, draining resources from its multinational collaborators that could have been spent on scientific research with more tangible benefits to mankind. Sound off: What do you think of the experiment? French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the project as a major achievement for Europe. "The repercussions of this scientific investment without precedent in the history of humanity will be essential not only for the intimate knowledge of our universe, but also for the direct applications in fields as varied as intensive calculation or even medicine," he said.  Watch as Big Bang experiment gets underway » The collider will operate at higher energies and intensities in the next year, potentially generating enough data to make a discovery by 2009, experts say. They say the experiment has the potential to confirm theories that physicists have been working on for decades including the possible existence of extra dimensions. They also hope to find a theoretical particle called the Higgs boson -- sometimes referred to as the "God particle," which has never been detected, but would help explain why matter has mass. The collider will recreate the conditions of less than a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, when there was a hot "soup" of tiny particles called quarks and gluons, to look at how the universe evolved, said John Harris, U.S. coordinator for ALICE, a huge detector specialized to analyze that question. Since this is exploratory science, the collider may uncover surprises that contradict prevailing theories, but which are just as interesting, said Joseph Lykken, theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. "When Columbus sails west, he thought he was going to find something. He didn't find what he thought he was going to find, but he did find something interesting," said Lykken, who works on the Compact Muon Solenoid, one of six experiments inside the collider complex. Why should the layperson care about this particular exploration? Years ago, when electrons were first identified, no one knew what they were good for, but they have since transformed our entire economy, said Howard Gordon, deputy research program manager for the collider's ATLAS experiment. "The transformative effect of this research will be to understand the world we live in much better," said Gordon, at Brookhaven National Laboratory. "It's important for just who we are, what we are." Fears have emerged that the collider could produce black holes that could suck up anything around them -- including the whole Earth. Such fears prompted legal actions in the U.S. and Europe to halt the operation of the Large Hadron Collider, alleging safety concerns regarding black holes and other phenomena that could theoretically emerge. Although physicists acknowledge that the collider could, in theory, create small black holes, they say they do not pose any risk. A study released Friday by CERN scientists explains that any black hole created would be tiny, and would not have enough energy to stick around very long

Question: What is the cost of the particle accelerator in the world?

Question: What could generate black holes?

Answer: $9 billion

Answer: collider

Summary:
Startup has been eagerly awaited by 9,000 physicists around the world .
It's the largest particle accelerator in the world and costs about $9 billion .
Lawsuits allege it could generate black holes that could eat the Earth .


CHAMBLEE, Georgia (CNN) -- Janet McBride had to send someone to fetch lunch for her Saturday. The cheerful auto dealer receptionist didn't dare leave her switchboard during the waning hours of the federal government's "Cash for Clunkers" program. Car shoppers browse a Honda showroom Saturday morning in Marietta, Georgia. "Our phones have been ringing off the hook," said a giddy Pete Richards, general manager of Ed Voyles Honda in Marietta, Georgia. "... It's been great. Phenomenal." McBride was compiling a list of customers for swamped salespeople to call back. "I try to keep it under control," McBride said. "I think we need one of those number things -- 'Now serving Number 5.'" As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the Honda dealership just north of Atlanta said it had made 108 clunker deals since the Car Allowance Rebate System program began on July 1, and Richards expected to do plenty more before closing down Sunday night.  Watch what car buyers need to know » "If I don't do 30 of these today, I'll be amazed," he said. A normal Saturday would produce about 12 sales, he said. The program has generated so much traffic and new-car buzz that even non-qualifying and used car sales have jumped, Richards said. "We're having a ball. I haven't worked a Saturday in probably two years. But I woke up at 3 o'clock this morning. Couldn't wait to get here," he said. "It's like Christmas!" McBride added before her phone rang again. It's more like the letdown of late Christmas afternoon across town at Jim Ellis Chevrolet in Chamblee, Georgia, where General Manager Mark Frost just wants to be done with the headaches the clunkers program has caused. "If President Obama came and sat behind a computer and saw how his program is being administered, he's crack some heads," Frost said. "My impression is that he's about excellence and execution, and there's some dumbass [at the Department of Transportation] sitting there looking at this computer and rejecting deals that are perfectly good." The 12 Atlanta-area dealerships under the Jim Ellis name had made 350 clunker deals worth almost $1.5 million in reimbursements and received payment for none, Frost said. Among those making deals was Mark Gallo, an Atlanta antiques dealer who traded in his eight-cylinder 1998 Chevy van for six-cylinder 2009 model. He received a $4,500 allowance for his clunker, which he guessed was $1,500 more than he would have gotten otherwise. The gas mileage still isn't great, "but it's better than it was," Gallo said. "And I needed a van." He'd been thinking about trading up for a while, but the end of the program prompted him to pull the trigger. "I thought it was going to last a lot longer than it actually did, ... but I saw that it was ending on Monday and I said, 'Oh, damn! Scramble!'" Also scrambling to make a deal Saturday was Rick Wright of Woodstock, Georgia. The ironworker has been working in Orlando, Florida. But when his wife, bus driver Cindy Wright, traded in their 1998 Chevy Tahoe for an '09 Traverse, he needed to be there in person to show his driver's license and sign over the title. "I'm working out of town at the present time, so she calls me up and says, 'Hey, they're going to cut this off at 1 o'clock. Do you want the car?' And I said, 'Let's go for it,'" said Rick Wright, who made the seven-hour drive in time to sign the deal around 10 a.m. Saturday. "That was the only way we could get it done." While the government says the program continues through the end of business Sunday, Frost decreed that the last deal at the Jim Ellis dealerships had to be made by

Question: What gives the manager headaches?

Question: Whose phone is 'ringing off the hook'?

Question: What is the program customers are rushing in for?

Question: What car dealer in Georgia has their phones ringing off the hook?

Answer: clunkers program

Answer: Ed Voyles Honda in Marietta, Georgia.

Answer: "Cash

Answer: Ed Voyles Honda in Marietta,

Summary:
Customers rush in for final weekend of "Cash for Clunkers" program .
Phone at Honda dealer in Georgia "ringing off the hook"
"It's like Christmas!" dealership's busy receptionist says .
Government red tape giving auto group's general manager headaches .


CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN)  -- Tropical storm Cristobal was forecast to move "parallel and very close" to the North Carolina coast Sunday morning, but the storm is not expected to make landfall along the eastern U.S. shores. Satellite image taken at 1:15 p.m. Saturday shows Tropical Storm Cristobal off the coast of the Carolinas. At 11 p.m. ET Saturday, the center of the storm was about 45 miles southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, and about 170 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph, with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph and some higher gusts. "The center of the tropical storm is expected to move parallel and very close to the coast of North Carolina for the next day or so," the NHC said. It is expected to dump between three and five inches of rain along the Carolina coast this weekend, it said. The storm had not strengthened beyond the 45 mph top winds measured earlier on Saturday, according to the NHC. A discussion posted online by NHC forecasters called Cristobal "convectively challenged" and predicted the storm would "become absorbed ahead of an approaching cold front" by late Monday. Although the center of the storm was forecast to remain off the coast through the weekend, tropical storm warnings were in effect from the South Santee River in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line, including Pamlico Sound. Flood advisories were posted for coastal counties, and Wilmington, North Carolina, received 2½ inches of rain Saturday, said Stephen Keebler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service there. Cristobal's winds were not expected to be a problem, Keebler said. "It's some rain and a little bit of relief for the coastal areas and a lot of excitement, but that's about it," he said. The rain bands were weakening as they spun farther inland, providing little relief for parched areas near Interstate 95 in North Carolina, he said. Forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast, with heavier amounts in some areas. Eastern North Carolina is under a moderate drought, and areas along South Carolina's northern coast are considered abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Officials have blamed the persistent drought for a massive wildfire that has burned more than 40,000 acres in eastern North Carolina since it began June 1 with a lightning strike. As Cristobal lurked offshore, the storm was keeping many boaters off the waters -- and surfers in the waves. On North Carolina's Outer Banks, surfers reveled in the waves as the storm churned offshore well to the south. Bradley Rose, a surf instructor at SandBarz in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, said the waves were a bit choppy. "It looks pretty fun out there," Rose said. At the By the Sea Motel in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, out-of-state vacationers took to the beach, trying to photograph the outer rain bands of Cristobal, hotel manager Charlie Peterson said. Intermittent rain showers during the afternoon were not enough to chase them away, and there were even brief moments of sunshine. "They've got their cameras set, and they think there is going to be lightning over the water and all," he said. "They have never seen this." Elsewhere Saturday, Hurricane Fausto strengthened far off Mexico's Pacific coast, while Hurricane Bertha, located east of Cape Race, Newfoundland, was downgraded to tropical storm status. Neither of those storms currently threatens land. Bertha had blustered across Bermuda this week, knocking out electricity to thousands there.

Question: When is it going to arrive?

Question: What is expected to dump three to five inches of rain?

Question: What evolved Saturday from a tropical depression on Friday?

Question: What is the storms name?

Question: What is "very close" to North Carolina coast?

Question: Where is Tropical Storm Cristobal?

Question: Where is the storm close to?

Answer: Sunday morning,

Answer: Tropical storm Cristobal

Answer: Storm Cristobal

Answer: Cristobal

Answer: Tropical storm Cristobal

Answer: off the coast of the Carolinas.

Answer: North Carolina coast

Summary:
Tropical Storm Cristobal "very close" to North Carolina coast .
Storm expected to dump three to five inches of rain along coast .
Cristobal evolved Saturday from a tropical depression on Friday .


CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (CNN) -- When polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom last August, Kathy Jo Nicholson, a former member of Jeffs' sect, felt fearful even though she was only watching him on television.

Nicholson, roughly 13 years of age, is shown here with five of her sisters and two of her mothers.

"It devastated me. It elated me. It made me afraid. I looked at this man that was so powerful in my life ... and he was just so thin and pale," she said.

Today, as Warren Jeffs sits at Utah's Purgatory Correctional Facility awaiting trial, Nicholson has started talking publicly about her childhood in the church Jeffs led -- the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). She hopes that by sharing her story she will help others struggling with similar issues.

"My hope is that they, they'll see it, and it'll mean something," the 36-year-old said. Nicholson recently co-authored an article about leaving her polygamous community for Glamour magazine and is planning to write a book as well.

Jeffs, whose approximately 10,000 followers practice polygamy mainly in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, is charged in Utah with being an accomplice to rape by arranging the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. He faces additional charges in Arizona.  Go inside Warren Jeffs' world Â»

As a child, Nicholson had three mothers and 12 siblings. She considers it a typical FLDS home. At the age of 14, Nicholson started sewing her wedding dress in anticipation of getting married. She knew that at any moment she could be whisked away to meet her husband and that her future likely would include at least two "sister wives."

But Nicholson had doubts whether she could live the life before her.

"I've always liked a lot of attention. And when it hit me that I could possibly and most likely absolutely would be sharing my husband, I began doubting that I could live that way," she said.

That perspective got Nicholson in trouble at Alta Academy, the FLDS-run high school whose headmaster was Warren Jeffs.

"He beat the kids there. He humiliated the kids there. And as time went on and I wasn't so devoted to being perfect and sweet, he held me up as an example and humiliated me," she said. Jeffs would force children -- Nicholson included -- to stand on a chair in front of the class and flex their buttocks muscles, according to Nicholson. She doesn't know how he came upon this particular punishment.

"As I got more and more rebellious, he would come up behind me while I was in a group and seize me by the back of the neck and lean down and whisper in my ear, 'Are you keeping sweet or do you need to be punished?' " she said.

Jeffs wrote a letter to Nicholson's parents saying that he was concerned about her and a friend, because "when around boys, and even younger boys, they would outwardly show their cuteness, seemingly to have the younger boys relate their cute behavior to older boys."

After getting caught passing notes to a boy, Nicholson was expelled from Alta Academy. She began working in an FLDS-owned factory full of other youths who openly questioned their religion. It was a common destination for FLDS kids kicked out of high school.

At 18, she eloped with a young man from within the community. Their marriage was not accepted by the FLDS or their families because they had gone outside of the church, to a justice of the peace, for the ceremony. So they packed up a U-Haul and headed toward California.

"That's when I cried the very most," she said tearfully. "Because I was leaving my family, everything that I had ever known, my friends and God behind. And I was choosing it."

That marriage fell apart, but in 2003 Nicholson persuaded her family

Question: Jeffs was what at her school?

Question: Who grew up in a polygamous home and community?

Question: Who was the headmaster at her school?

Question: Who was the headmaster of her school?

Question: Who grew up in a polygamous community?

Question: Who is the leader of the polygamous sect?

Question: Who was sid to be a harsh disciplinarian?

Question: Nicholson grew up in what sort of home?

Question: Who did Nicholson say was a harsh disciplinarian?

Answer: headmaster

Answer: Kathy Jo Nicholson,

Answer: Warren Jeffs.

Answer: Warren Jeffs.

Answer: Kathy Jo Nicholson,

Answer: Warren Jeffs

Answer: Warren Jeffs.

Answer: typical FLDS

Answer: Warren Jeffs.

Summary:
Kathy Jo Nicholson grew up in a polygamous home and community .
Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs was the headmaster at her school .
Nicholson, who flew from the community, says Jeffs was a harsh disciplinarian .


CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (CNN) -- An annual family fishing trip to the Florida keys took a bloody and life-changing turn for Jordan Thomas. Noah Parton, 6, got prosthetics from foundation started by Jordan Thomas, right. "It was a beautiful day and we were going to go out spear fishing that night," said Thomas, who was 16 during the 2005 trip. But when he jumped into the water, the boat's wake dragged Thomas hard into its sharp, whirling propellers. He immediately knew what was about to happen. "I looked down -- my black fins were gone and all I saw was red just everywhere," said Thomas, an athletic teen who was captain of his high school's golf team. "But I had this unbelievable calmness over my body."  Watch video of Thomas telling his story » His father and mother, both doctors from Chattanooga, Tennessee, jumped into action. "All of a sudden, my 16-year old, happy-go-lucky captain of the golf team was potentially dying," said Dr. Liz Kennedy-Thomas. She worked to stanch the blood flow from her son's legs while his father rushed the boat to shore and fetched paramedics. Thomas was rushed to a hospital where he spent the next two weeks -- undergoing several surgeries on what was left of his legs and, along the way, discovering what would become his life's work. While there, Thomas visited other amputees. "I just remember seeing so many kids who didn't have parents, didn't have health care," he said. "I just knew that the future was grim for them." The top-of-the-line prosthetics Thomas was fitted with -- the ones that helped him return to the golf links -- cost about $22,000. He learned that many insurance plans only cover about $5,000. That's especially tough on child amputees, who will outgrow several limbs before adulthood. "I had no clue," he said. "It's one of those things, unless you're affected by it, you just don't know." Thomas knew he was lucky. With a financially stable family, he'll always be able to afford good legs. He asked his family to give a donation to help others, but ultimately they decided to launch a fundraising foundation together. "By the time we got home, we had bracelets -- all kinds of stuff," Kennedy-Thomas said. "The foundation was just sort of started by the time we got home." The Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised $350,000 through bracelets, charity golf tournaments and cookouts. Some of that is paying for prosthetics for three children until they reach age 18. One of them is Noah Parton. The precocious 6-year-old born with a congenital heart defect had a complication with a tube inserted in his right leg, leading to an amputation above his knee. His family's insurance would only pay for what's called a "stubby" -- a wooden artificial leg without a bendable knee. "His first bendable knee ... didn't have a certain number or something that would apply and they refused to pay for it," said Noah's mother, Nancy Parton, who lives with her son about an hour north of Chattanooga, in Evensville, Tennessee. Noah couldn't run and play with other children. And even day-to-day activities were tough. "It was hard to put him in the car because his leg stuck out straight and I'd have my seat up as far as it would go and it would still hit the back of the seat," she said. Thomas's foundation stepped in, buying Noah several knee devices -- a new one for each new leg he needs as he grows. Now, his mom said, Noah is unstoppable. "He loves to climb stairs now; he tries to ride bicycles," she said. "You name it, he does it. "Take him to the park

Question: How much money did they raise?

Question: What turned tragic for 16 year old?

Question: What kind of trip turned tragic for Jordan Thomas?

Question: What type of trip turned tragic?

Question: How much money has the Jordan Thomas Foundation raised?

Question: What did the Jordan Thomas Foundation raise?

Question: What did others struggle to pay for?

Answer: $350,000

Answer: An annual family fishing trip

Answer: annual family fishing

Answer: annual family fishing

Answer: $350,000

Answer: $350,000

Answer: top-of-the-line prosthetics

Summary:
Fishing trip turned tragic for 16-year-old Jordan Thomas .
Double amputee discovered others struggling to pay for prosthetic limbs .
Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised $350k to help those struggling to pay .
Legislation addresses payment gap, but more needed, say advocates .


CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (CNN) -- When meeting Jeff Donohoo, it's not immediately apparent he is a 36-year-old man living with autism. In fact, unless you get him talking about the Atlanta Braves -- one of his true passions in life -- he is a very quiet person. Jeff Donohoo, 36, at work in the kitchen at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Early on, his younger brothers and sister didn't know, either. "Since they grew up with him, they just knew Jeff was Jeff," said Nancy Donohoo, his mother. "They didn't think of him as weird or anything." But when friends started to notice Donohoo was different, Nancy Donohoo was quick to explain to a group of 10-year-olds why. "Jeff has a social problem, not a mental problem," she explained. "He's very smart. He reads encyclopedias ... he just doesn't know how to talk to people." From then on, friends who visited the house always made an effort to interact with Donohoo, through a high-five or a simple "hello." Today, it's unlikely Donohoo will be the first to say hello in a group setting, but interacting with people is easier for him than it once was.  See how Donohoo copes every day » Questioned about his childhood, his most elaborate response is "yeah" or "no." But when the topic is the Braves, it's hard to get him to stop talking about the latest statistics or his favorite player, Mark Teixeira. Asked how long he's been a Braves fan, there was little hesitation: "All my life." He's come a long way since he was a child. Then, just teaching Donohoo to talk was a challenge in itself, Nancy Donohoo said. "There was no eye contact, so I would hold his face in front of me, and say the word I wanted him to say." Donohoo entered the first grade as a special education student. It was the first year special education was offered in his family's hometown of Florence, Alabama. He carried on with special education until the sixth grade, when he was mainstreamed, or put in classes with children without disabilities.  Explainer: Understanding autism » For most of Donohoo's childhood, his mother had suspicions about his condition. "When he was little, I had watched a 'Marcus Welby' show, and they had an autistic child on there. But he was very passive; he sat in the corner and just hit things," Nancy Donohoo said. "Jeff was wild. He was the opposite, so I just assumed he couldn't be autistic. But he had a lot of those mannerisms." It was Donohoo's freshman year of high school when Nancy and Bill Donohoo learned what was wrong with their son. "There was a doctor in Huntsville that dealt a lot with hyperactive children," Nancy Donohoo said. "He said, 'I'm going to give you this sheet of paper; these are all the symptoms of autism.' " The list had 19 symptoms, and Nancy Donohoo was instructed to circle the ones her son had. She circled 17. The diagnosis didn't change how Nancy Donohoo dealt with her first-born son. In fact, the doctor said she already was doing all the right things, working to socialize Donohoo. Today, Donohoo, living with his parents, finds comfort in strict routine. He wakes each day at 5 a.m. to make himself breakfast and prepare for work. At 6, Nancy Donohoo drives her son to Memorial Hospital, where he's entering his 16th year of service with the cafeteria. Ollie Forté is Donohoo's supervisor, and has worked with Donohoo almost since the beginning. "He's very valuable to us at this department. He's dependable, on time, no attendance problems," said Forté. "We love Jeff." After work, at 2:30 p.m., Donohoo rides with his mother to the YMCA

Question: Where does Jeff live?

Question: When was he diagnosed?

Question: When was Donohoo diagnosed with autism?

Question: Where does Donohoo work?

Question: What age is Jeff Donohoo?

Question: Where does he work?

Question: His autism was diagnosed during his freshman year of high school

Question: Where does Donohoo live?

Answer: Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Answer: freshman year of high school

Answer: freshman year of high school

Answer: the kitchen at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Answer: 36-year-old

Answer: kitchen at Memorial Hospital

Answer: Donohoo's

Answer: Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Summary:
Jeff Donohoo, 36, is an adult living with autism .
Donohoo lives in Tennessee with his parents and works at a hospital .
His autism was diagnosed during his freshman year of high school .
Donohoo's mother: "It's rewarding today, because he's come so far."


CHEBARKUL, Russia (Reuters) -- President Vladimir Putin said on Friday security threats had forced Russia to revive the Soviet-era practice of sending bomber aircraft on regular patrols beyond its borders.

A Russian strategic bomber flies over an airfield outside Moscow during an air show.

Putin said 14 strategic bombers had taken off simultaneously from airfields across Russia in the early hours of Friday on long-range missions.

"We have decided to restore flights by Russian strategic aviation on a permanent basis," Putin told reporters after inspecting joint military exercises with China and four Central Asian states in Russia's Ural mountains.

"Today, August 17 at 00:00 hours, 14 strategic bombers took to the air from seven airfields across the country, along with support and refueling aircraft ... From today such patrols will be carried out on a regular basis.

"We hope our partners will treat this with understanding."

At U.S. President George W. Bush's Texas ranch, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said he did not believe the flights posed a threat to the United States.

"Militaries around the world engage in a variety of activities, so this is not entirely surprising," he said.

But the sorties are likely to add to Western concern about Russia's growing assertiveness. That trend has prompted some U.S. policymakers to draw parallels with the Cold War.

Putin caused a stir this year by saying Russian missiles would once again be aimed at targets in Europe if Washington persisted with plans to build a missile defense shield in eastern Europe.

Russian diplomats have clashed with the United States and European governments on issues such as Kosovo, energy, and Moscow's treatment of its ex-Soviet neighbors.

Western military leaders have said this year that Russian flights near their airspace were becoming more frequent after a long quiet period.

One Western defense official called the flights "a little bit of chest-pounding, trying to let people know Russia is back in the game".

Putin said that when Russia had cut its flights in 1992, other military powers had not reciprocated.

"Flights by other countries' strategic aircraft continue and this creates certain problems for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation," Putin said.

That appeared to be a swipe at the U.S. and NATO, whose strategic bombers have continued to fly long-range missions.

As Putin spoke to reporters and television cameras, four Russian military helicopters appeared and hovered in the background while Russian tanks trundled behind him, even though the exercises had ended long before.

During the Cold War, Russian long-range bombers, which can carry strategic nuclear weapons, played elaborate games of cat-and-mouse with Western air forces.

Earlier this month Russian air force generals said bomber crews had flown near the Pacific island of Guam, where the U.S. military has a base, and "exchanged smiles" with U.S. pilots scrambled to track them.

The Pentagon said the Russian aircraft had not come close enough to U.S. ships to prompt American aircraft to react.

In July, two Russian Tu-95 "Bear" bombers made unusually long sorties over the North Sea, leading Norway and Britain to scramble fighter jets to follow them. Russia's air force said later it was a routine flight.  E-mail to a friend

Question: What did Putin state about the move?

Question: Who is going to send a bomber aircraft on flights?

Question: what kind of aircraft are being flowed

Question: What was the move in response to?

Question: For what did president putin said the move was?

Question: WHo is the man in charge to the reponse

Question: Who said the flights do not pose a threat to the United States?

Question: what kind of threats are the air crafts to the us

Question: What country is sending bomber aircrafts?

Question: For how long will Russia send the bomber aircraft?

Question: Who uses bomber aircraft on long-range flights?

Question: The white house says what is not a threat?

Question: which is the aim of the bombers in Russia?

Question: what did russia send?

Question: WHat was The White House's response?

Question: what is Russia sending on long range flights?

Question: Who is going to send bomber aircraft on long range flights permently?

Question: What did the White House say about the flights?

Question: What is not a thread to U.S.?

Question: What does Putin claim was in response to security threats?

Answer: "We have decided to restore flights by Russian strategic aviation on a permanent basis,"

Answer: Russia

Answer: bomber

Answer: security threats

Answer: security threats

Answer: President Vladimir Putin

Answer: Gordon Johndroe

Answer: security

Answer: Russia

Answer: regular basis.

Answer: Russia

Answer: the flights

Answer: regular patrols beyond its borders.

Answer: bomber aircraft on regular patrols beyond its borders.

Answer: "Militaries around the world engage in a variety of activities, so this is not entirely surprising,"

Answer: 14 strategic bombers

Answer: President Vladimir Putin

Answer: not believe the

Answer: the flights

Answer: revive the Soviet-era practice of sending bomber aircraft on regular patrols beyond its borders.

Summary:
Russia to send bomber aircraft on long-range flights on a permanent basis .
President Vladimir Putin said the move was in response to security threats .
The White House says the flights do not pose a threat to the United States .


CHEGUTU, Zimbabwe (CNN)  -- Farmers are implicating a close ally of President Robert Mugabe's in the latest round of farm seizures in Zimbabwe in which Mugabe loyalists take over white-owned farms.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, left, and President Robert Mugabe have a power-sharing agreement.

The accusations against Senate President Edna Madzongwe came as Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara on Friday toured farms that Mugabe followers had taken over. On many of those farms, production has fallen under the new owners.

Mutambara is heading a government commission investigating the farm seizures.

"Black people who acquired farms must produce," he said.

Mutambara said the government is taking the matter seriously.

"There will be no holy cows; the ax will fall where it may," he added. "We will not tolerate any government official who is promoting lawlessness in our country."

Reports of violence on white-owned farms have increased since a power-sharing government in February between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

One death was reported Sunday on the Stockdale Farm in Chegutu, 75 miles (about 120 kilometers) southwest of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.

Peter Etheridge, who previously owned that farm, said Madzongwe had illegally claimed his property.

But the daughter of the Senate president denied the allegation.

"We got this farm legally. In fact, they [Etheridge] opened the gates for us, and we moved in," said Farai Madzongwe, adding that her mother is "a law-abiding citizen."

She said she wouldn't comment on the violence and the reported death, saying, "That is for police and courts."

Local media reported the Senate president has four farms.

Etheridge denied he had handed over Stockdale Farm, saying that Edna Madzongwe pushed him out.

"They forced us out, and production on farms has stopped since last month," he said. "This madness has to stop since the country needs food and foreign currency."

The Stockdale Farm was among those the government commission visited Friday. When journalists approached the farm before government officials arrived, a police officer on the property cocked his gun to scare them off. The journalists refused to leave, and the police officer called Farai Madzongwe to report them as intruders.

Etheridge criticized the police presence at his former farm.

"They are giving protection to her but not us who want to feed the nation," he said.

At other farms, militia armed with guns tried unsuccessfully to prevent the government delegation from entering.

Question: when did this happen

Question: Who is accused of farm seizure?

Question: What has fallen on many farms under new owners?

Question: What does the daughter of senate president say?

Answer: Friday

Answer: Senate President Edna Madzongwe

Answer: production

Answer: "We got this farm legally. In fact, they [Etheridge] opened the gates for us, and we moved in,"

Summary:
Zimbabwe Senate president -- a Robert Mugabe ally -- accused of farm seizure .
Production has fallen on many farms under new owners .
Government commission investigating farm seizures .
Daughter of Senate president says, "We got this farm legally"