(CNN) -- Iran should release seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage because it does not have any evidence against them, their lawyer Shirin Ebadi told CNN on Saturday.

Attorneys Abdolfattah Soltani, left, and Shirin Ebadi, shown in Tehran in 2004.

"In the files, in the case basically, there is nothing, no reason that basically convicts them," said Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The trial will begin Tuesday despite the fact that one of their lawyers is behind bars and Ebadi is outside the country.

Other attorneys can be appointed, Hassan Haddad of the Prosecutor's Office in Tehran told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

But the court must recognize the replacements, who are colleagues of Ebadi at her Tehran-based Defenders of Human Rights Center, not appoint other lawyers, Ebadi said.

The imprisoned lawyer, Abdolfattah Soltani, is a well-known advocate with the human rights center. He was arrested in the aftermath of Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election and is being held at Evin prison, the same place where his clients are detained, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights.

He is being held on charges of taking "measures against national security," Ebadi said. "Mr. Soltani is completely innocent."

Soltani had an opportunity to leave prison, but under conditions he chose not to accept, Ebadi said.

Along with not giving any interviews after his release, Soltani would also have to end his work with the human rights center and no longer support Ebadi, she said.

In another attack on the law firm, a lawyer was arrested after agents entered the center with guns, searched each room and then declared that they found opium on the premises, Ebadi said.

That lawyer, whose family had been harassed by police, accused the agents of planting the opium, she said.

Ebadi was on a speaking tour when Soltani was arrested and has not returned to Iran.

The firm founded by Ebadi took up the case of the seven Baha'is last year. They are accused of spying for Israel, spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic and committing religious offenses. The Baha'i International Community, which has a delegation to the United Nations, denies the allegations.

The evidence against the defendants includes communication from Israel, but that is because the Baha'i World Center has its headquarters in Israel, said Kit Bigelow, director of external affairs at the American Baha'i Community. Prosecutors are calling that communication espionage, she said.

Human rights groups have demanded the release of the prisoners and accused the government of targeting them because of their religious beliefs.

The Baha'i faith originated in 19th-century Persia, and while modern-day Iran does not recognize it, the government denies any mistreatment of the members of the largest non-Muslim religious minority.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has reported a rise in persecution of Baha'is in recent years, including cemetery desecration, arbitrary detention, home raids, property confiscation, work expulsion and denial of basic civil rights.

The case of the seven Baha'is has drawn global attention. Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist freed from Evin prison earlier this year, spoke on their behalf, as have Human Rights Watch and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent bipartisan federal commission.

The defendants face the death penalty if convicted.

Six of the defendants were arrested in May 2008 at their Tehran homes, and one was arrested in the eastern city of Mashad in March 2008, said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations. The defendants were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration, she said.

The investigation into the charges against the prisoners concluded months ago and the trial was initially scheduled to start in July. Iran has continued to hold them in Evin prison without access to their lawyers and with minimal contact with their families, Ala'i said.

CNN's Moni Basu contributed to this report.

Question: Who is to go to trial on Tuesday in Iran?

Question: What are the Baha'is accused of?

Question: What day will the prisoners go to trial?

Question: Where are the defendants' attorneys?

Question: Where are the defendants?

Question: What has drawn global attention?

Question: Who is accused of spying for Isreal?

Question: What case called the world's attention?

Question: How many are  accused of espionage?

Question: Case of the seven Baha'is has drawn what?

Question: What are seven Baha'i prisoners been accused of

Question: Seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage to go on trial when?

Answer: seven Baha'i prisoners

Answer: espionage

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: at

Answer: were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration,

Answer: The case of the seven Baha'is

Answer: seven Baha'i prisoners

Answer: of the seven Baha'is

Answer: seven

Answer: global attention.

Answer: espionage

Answer: Tuesday

Summary:
Seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage to go on trial Tuesday in Iran .
Baha'is are accused of spying for Israel, spreading propaganda against Iran .
One of defendants' attorneys is in jail; another is outside the country .
Case of the seven Baha'is has drawn global attention .


(CNN) -- Iran tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles Sunday, the state-run Press TV said. A short-range missile is test-launched during war games in Qom, Iran, south of Tehran, on Sunday. Earlier, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had said it would stage missile exercises beginning Sunday to promote the armed forces' defense capabilities. The tests, which are expected to last until Monday, are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4," Press TV said. The missiles, fired at targets around the country Sunday, included the Fateh-110, a short-range ground-to-ground missile, and Tondar-69, a short-range naval missile, the station said. Several models of medium-range Shahab missiles were tested at night, Press TV reported.  Watch Iranian missile tests » The final stage of the tests will be held Monday morning, when Iran plans to test the long-range Shahab missile, the station said. In May, Iran said it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe. At the time, a White House official said actions in Iran were noteworthy. "Of course, this is just a test, and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed. But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran's capacity to deliver weapons," said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation. The latest test follows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disclosure Friday that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility.  Watch analyst's view on missile tests, nuclear tensions » The United States and Israel believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program. Iran has denied the allegation.

Question: Where can the missile reach?

Question: What are the code names of the tests?

Question: What has Iran admitted?

Question: What did Iran do?

Question: Who is testing several types of missiles?

Question: What has Iran fired?

Question: When did the tests take place?

Question: What did Iran admit?

Question: What is the code name for the missile tests?

Question: who tested the missiles?

Question: What type of missiles is Iran test firing?

Question: In which month did Iran test surface-to-surface missiles able to reach Europe?

Question: Which country are the surface-to-surface missiles capable of reaching?

Question: what is the code name of the tests?

Question: What type of range missiles has Iran included in their tests?

Answer: capable of reaching parts of Europe.

Answer: "Payghambar-e Azam 4"

Answer: tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.

Answer: tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles

Answer: Iran

Answer: short- and medium-range missiles

Answer: Sunday,

Answer: it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.

Answer: "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4,"

Answer: Iran

Answer: medium-range

Answer: May,

Answer: parts of Europe.

Answer: are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4,"

Answer: short- and medium-range

Summary:
NEW: Iran test-fires several types of short- and medium-range missiles .
NEW: Tests are code-named "The Great Prophet 4," state-run Press TV says .
Missile tests come days after Iran admits existence of second nuclear facility .
In May, Iran tested surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching parts of Europe .


(CNN) -- Iran will not send its partially enriched uranium abroad to be turned into material for medical research, its foreign minister said Wednesday, rejecting a key plank of a deal designed to ease international fears that Tehran aims to build nuclear weapons. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran might allow its nuclear material to be reprocessed inside Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported. The deal hammered out last month with the help of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran denies that it wants to do so, saying its nuclear program is to produce civilian nuclear energy and do medical work. The watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that it could not confirm or deny that Iran had rejected any part of the proposal. U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "This is the IAEA's proposal, and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA, and that's what we're waiting for. That's what the IAEA is waiting for." But, he said, "until the IAEA gets the response and formally says this is ... Iran's response, I don't consider a statement to the press necessarily a response." On October 1, the IAEA proposal "was accepted in principle by all the parties including Iran," Kelly said. "And there was also an agreement that each of the parties would provide a written response to the proposal. "Russia, France and the United States have provided a written response," he said. "We expect Iran to provide a written response. And we expect the IAEA to pronounce on that response. So we will wait for the IAEA to make a formal response to this." In a report published Monday, the IAEA expressed concerns about Iran's nuclear program. The Islamic republic's disclosure of a previously secret nuclear facility near Qom raised questions about the existence of other such facilities, and its delay in acknowledging the facility "does not contribute to the building of confidence" in Tehran, the IAEA said in the report. Tehran has not convinced the agency its nuclear program isn't military, said the report, published on the Institute for Science and International Security Web site. A source with direct knowledge of the report confirmed its authenticity to CNN. Tehran shocked the international community in September by revealing the existence of the nuclear enrichment facility. On Monday, Kelly said in a statement that the report "underscores that Iran still refuses to comply fully with its international nuclear obligations." IAEA inspectors visited the newly revealed facility last month, according to the report. During a meeting in Tehran, Iranian officials told the inspectors that construction of the site had begun during late 2007, the report said, and it would not be operational until 2011. However, the IAEA inspectors told Iran that "it had acquired commercially available satellite imagery of the site indicating that there had been construction at the site between 2002 and 2004, and that construction activities were resumed in 2006 and had continued to date," the report said. IAEA member states also allege that design work on the facility, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, began in 2006, the report said. Iranian officials told inspectors that the nation has no other undisclosed nuclear facilities either under construction or in operation, the report said, and promised that any future facilities would be disclosed. A letter sent this month asks Tehran to confirm that it has not decided to construct or authorized construction of any undisclosed facility, the report said. Iran remains bound by the terms of a 2003 agreement under which it must provide information to the IAEA regarding nuclear facilities as soon as the decision to build is made or construction is authorized. "Even if, as stated by Iran, the decision to construct the new facility at the Fordow site was taken in the second half of 2007, Iran's failure to notify the agency of the new facility until September 2009 was inconsistent with its obligations," the IAEA said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has

Question: who says proposal "was accepted in principle by all parties including Iran"?

Question: what Proposal was key part of deal brokered by U.N.?

Question: Who is the EU concerned will develop nuclear weapons?

Question: What does the US say about the proposal?

Question: Which countries are concerned about Irans intentions?

Question: What is used for medical research?

Question: Which country won't send partially enriched uranium abroad?

Question: who says it won't send partially enriched uranium abroad for medical research?

Answer: U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly

Answer: aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb.

Answer: Iran

Answer: and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA,

Answer: "Russia, France and the United States

Answer: partially enriched uranium

Answer: Iran

Answer: Iran

Summary:
Iran says it won't send partially enriched uranium abroad for medical research .
Proposal was key part of deal brokered by U.N. nuclear watchdog .
U.S. says proposal "was accepted in principle by all parties including Iran"
U.S., EU nations concerned Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons .


(CNN) -- Iran's parliament on Thursday approved the Cabinet nominations of a suspected terrorist and the first woman minister in the Islamic republic's 30-year history. Iran's first woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi. She will head the health ministry. Lawmakers approved the nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post. He is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and one of six former and current Iranian officials sought by Interpol for the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago. Of those Cabinet choices approved by parliament, Vahidi won the highest number of votes. Argentina's Foreign Ministry has deplored the nomination of Vahidi, who is accused of working with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants in carrying out the 1994 attack. Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi was approved as the nation's health minister. She is the first female minister since the Islamic republic was founded. Iranian lawmakers gave their votes of confidence to 18 of the 21 nominees proposed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- who entered a second term of office after a disputed presidential election. Two of those who failed to get the required majority votes enabling them to start work officially were female nominees: Sousan Keshavarz for the education ministry and Fatemeh Ajorlou for welfare and social security. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets for more than two weeks to protest the June 12 election results, calling them fraudulent after Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner. More than 1,000 people were arrested in a government crackdown, and Iran said at least 30 people were killed in post-election violence.

Question: What is the name of the Islamic Republic's first woman minister?

Question: Who is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard?

Question: Which post was Ahmad Vahidi nominated for?

Question: What is Vahidi suspected of?

Question: Who also approved nomination of Ahmad Vahidi?

Question: Who appointed it's first ever woman minister?

Answer: Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi.

Answer: Ahmad Vahidi

Answer: defense minister

Answer: bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago.

Answer: Lawmakers

Answer: Iran's

Summary:
Islamic Republic appoints its first ever woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi .
Lawmakers also approve nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post .
Vahidi, a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a suspected terrorist .


(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader on Sunday blasted U.S. plans to overhaul the setup for a missile defense shield in Europe, calling the Obama administration's intentions "anti-Iranian," state-run media reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the U.S. president is following "anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian" policies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also called Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions -- which Tehran says are only for energy purposes -- "purely a fabrication by the United States," according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. "This is something that is in the doctrine of anti-Iranianism, since the policy and the 30-year-old history of the Islamic Republic has proven that Iran wants to live in peace and under the spirit of equality and fraternity, with its Muslim neighbors and the rest of the world," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. On Thursday, President Obama said the United States is significantly overhauling Bush-era plans for a missile defense shield in Europe, based partly on the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities. The "new missile defense architecture in Europe" will be ready faster, work with existing technology and provide better missile defense than the program proposed by former President George W. Bush, Obama said. Obama said the change of gears was based on an "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles. The Islamic republic's "short- and medium-range" missiles pose the most current threat, he said, and "this new ballistic missile defense will best address" that threat. Khamenei, speaking on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, a festive end to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, countered by comparing Obama to his predecessor. "America, under its former president, spared no efforts against the Muslim world as well as against Iran," Khamenei said. "Even the current administration -- with the apparently friendly words and messages -- follows that same anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian policy of the past." The Bush-era proposal called for the United States to set up a radar site in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland to counter the threat of Iran launching long-range missiles at America's allies in Europe. The new system will have "hundreds" of missile interceptors instead, a Pentagon official said last week. It also will have mobile radars, including some in space, "that can move to wherever the threat actually emanates and wherever we feel we need to defend ourselves," said Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Question: What did Obama say change is based on?

Question: What was change based on?

Question: What did Khamenei say is a fabrication by U.S.?

Question: What did Khamenei say about Western concerns?

Question: What is the full name of the organization with the initials "IRNA"?

Answer: the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities.

Answer: "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles.

Answer: Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions

Answer: "purely a fabrication by the United States,"

Answer: Islamic Republic News Agency.

Summary:
New U.S. plan is "anti-Iranian," Khamenei says, according to state-run media .
Obama: Change was based on updated assessment of Iran's missile capabilities .
IRNA: Khamenei says Western concerns over nuclear program "fabrication" by U.S.


(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader took verbal jabs at the United States Saturday in his first public reaction since the United States accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled the allegations "meaningless and absurd."

"They (the U.S.) want to isolate Iran," Khamenei said over chants of "down with America" in a speech before thousands in the western Iranian city of Gilangharb.

Also, an Iranian official said claims by the United States that a high-level U.S. diplomat had met Wednesday with an Iranian counterpart over the plot were untrue.

"There were no kinds of negotiations between the two countries, and there was not such a contact," said Alireza Miryousefi, press secretary for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.

The United States had reported having had "direct contact with Iran" about the alleged plot.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland disclosed the contact to reporters. A senior administration official told CNN it occurred Wednesday and was initiated by the United States.

Two State Department officials said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice met with Mohammad Khazai, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Ahead of Saturday's rebuttal of the claims of diplomatic contact, Iranian officials had previously declined to confirm the meeting.

U.S. authorities have accused Iran of being involved in a plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, in spring 2012.

The alleged scheme involved a connection to the Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, which formally answers to Khamenei.

Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of conspiring to hire hit men from a Mexican drug cartel to bomb a restaurant, where the ambassador would have been.

Authorities developed the case against the suspects with the help of an undercover informant posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, according to officials and an FBI agent's affidavit.

Reza Aslan, a religious scholar and author, told CNN on Saturday that the described plot "just does not fit the Quds Force's M.O. (modus operandi)."

Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas, he said.

"It's sloppy. It's uncharacteristic," said Aslan. "It really does not serve Iran's interest in any legitimate way."

Iran could more easily target Saudi diplomats in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, Aslan said. "Doing so on U.S. soil is unmistakably an attack on the United States, not on Saudi Arabia."

CNN's Mitra Mobasherat and Hala Gorani contributed to this report

Question: What does the U.S. allege?

Question: Scholar says plot does not fit what?

Question: Does Iranian diplomat say claims are true?

Question: Ayatollah Khamenei calls the U.S. allegations what?

Question: What does Khamenei think about the allegations?

Question: The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in what?

Question: What does scholar say?

Answer: accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Answer: the Quds Force's M.O.

Answer: untrue.

Answer: "meaningless and absurd."

Answer: "meaningless and absurd."

Answer: plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Answer: Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas,

Summary:
NEW: Scholar says plot does not fit Quds Force "M.O."
Ayatollah Khamenei calls the U.S. allegations "absurd"
Iranian diplomat: U.S. claims of a meeting with Iran are not true .
The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in a plot to kill a Saudi official in the United States .


(CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that a new Middle East -- one "without Zionists and without colonialists" -- was quickly emerging as regional bonds grow stronger by the day.

The hard-line leader made the comments after a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Thursday.

"The whole world should know that Iran will stand behind the Syrian nation to the end," Ahmadinejad said in remarks aired on Iran's state-run Press TV. "Regional bonds are very strong."

His comments came during a two-day visit to Damascus that follows efforts by the United States to weaken ties between Iran and Syria.

President Obama recently nominated veteran diplomat Robert Ford to be the new ambassador in Damascus, ending a five-year diplomatic hiatus there and sparking talk of a renewed relationship. But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran.

"No one has enlightened her to comment on regional issues," Ahmadinejad said, slamming Clinton's statements as interfering. "The whole U.S. government has no impact whatsoever on regional relations."

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen over Iran's nuclear program, which Iran insists is intended for civilian use but the United States believes is intended for developing weapons.

Assad voiced strong support for Iran and brushed off U.S. sentiment.

"I find it strange how they talk about Middle East stability and at the same time talk about dividing two countries," he said.

The meeting between Assad and Ahmadinejad sparked a harsh reaction from Israeli President Shimon Peres.

"The time has come to speak the truth," he said in a written statement. "The problem in the Middle East is not the Palestinians. The Palestinian problem will be resolved through the peace process in Israel. The central problem in the Middle East is Iran's attempt to reach hegemony over the Arab lands."

"The source of the problem is Ahmadinejad's megalomania. Assad must choose what he wants -- to join the Iranian camp of evil and terror or to make peace with Israel," he said.

He called on Assad to sit down with Israel to reach a peace agreement.

Question: Who is interferring?

Question: What did Clinton do?

Question: Who has pledged support?

Question: Where did U.S. recently send ambassadors?

Question: What does Assad say about U.S. policy?

Question: Where did the US send its ambassador?

Answer: Hillary Clinton

Answer: tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran.

Answer: Assad

Answer: Damascus,

Answer: Middle East stability and at the same time talk

Answer: Damascus,

Summary:
Iran's Ahmadinejad, Syria's Assad pledge mutual support .
U.S. recently sent ambassador to Syria for first time in five years .
Clinton interferes in the two nations' relations, Ahmadinejad says .
U.S. policy is contradictory, Assad says .


(CNN) -- Iranian authorities confiscated the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize given to human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, Norway said Thursday. "The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi's bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement. Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation, and there was no immediate reaction from Iran. Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that it "has reacted strongly" and summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires on Wednesday afternoon to protest the move. During the meeting with the Iranian charge d'affaires, State Secretary Gry Larsen also expressed "grave concern" about how Ebadi's husband has allegedly been treated. "Earlier this autumn, he [Ebadi's husband] was arrested in Tehran and severely beaten. His pension has been stopped and his bank account has been frozen," the statement from Norway said. Store said in the statement that it marked the "first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities." The peace prize is one of five awarded annually since 1901 by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The other four prizes are for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Starting in 1969, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel also has been awarded. While the other prizes are awarded by committees based in Sweden, the peace prize is determined by a five-member panel appointed by the Norwegian parliament. Ebadi received the prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children. A statement from the Nobel committee at the time said, "As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond its borders."

Question: What was removed from Dr. Ebadi's box?

Question: Who received a prize for their focus on human rights?

Question: Who did not explain how they learned of the alleged confiscation?

Question: Did  Norway provide an explanation?

Question: What has been removed from the bank box

Question: Who received a prize for her focus on human rights

Question: What did ebadi get the prize for?

Answer: "The medal and the diploma

Answer: Ebadi,

Answer: Norway

Answer: not explain

Answer: "The medal and the diploma

Answer: Ebadi

Answer: her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.

Summary:
Shirin Ebadi received prize for focus on human rights, especially women and children .
Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation .
The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi's bank box, say officials .


(CNN) -- Iranian media outlets have "systematically stirred up" widespread contempt toward the country's 300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority, the group says.

The Baha'i International Community issued a report Friday entitled "Inciting Hatred: Iran's media campaign to demonize Baha'is."

The report "documents and analyzes more than 400 media items over a 16-month period." The result, the Baha'is say, is an "insidious state-sponsored effort" to discredit the Baha'is with "false accusations, inflammatory terminology, and repugnant imagery."

Iranians officials at the United Nations and in Tehran could not be reached for comment.

Among "recurring themes" in media coverage about Baha'is, the report said, is that they are "anti-Islamic," a "deviant" and "cult-like" sect, agents of Zionism, spies for Israel and the West, morally corrupt and an influence in the shah's government, toppled in 1979.

New themes have emerged in recent months, the report says.

The report says the Baha'is have instigated opposition to the regime, influenced "anti-regime" Iranian human rights activists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, controls or influences foreign broadcasters, such as the BBC and Voice of America, and helped plan and participated in the 2009 Ashura protests against the presidential elections earlier that year.

The group also said the media "uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith," and "security attractive young women to lure converts."

"This anti-Baha'i propaganda is shocking in its volume and vehemence, its scope and sophistication," said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"It's all cynically calculated to stir up antagonism against a peaceful religious community whose members are striving to contribute to the well-being of their society," she said. "The parallels between the campaign of anti-Baha'i propaganda in Iran today and other state-sponsored, anti-religious campaigns of the past are undeniable. History shows us that such campaigns are among the foremost predictors of actual violence against religious minorities -or, in the worst case, precursors of genocide."

The Baha'i faith, founded during the 19th century in Iran and now with 5 million to 6 million adherents worldwide, is a monotheistic religion that focuses on the spiritual unity of humanity.

But Iran's Shiite Muslim ruling ayatollahs regard the faith as blasphemous because its founder, Bahaullah, declared himself to be a prophet of God. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed was the last prophet of God.

The group said the anti-Baha'i messages are "originates with and are sanctioned by the country's highest levels of leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."

Iran, however, claims that international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy.

Those claims are "both ludicrous and funny, if it wasn't so sad," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists' Middle East and North Africa program.

"Any international media outlet that carries news that is not identical to the Iranian government's line is accused of being an agent of fill in the blank: The Baha'is, the Americans, the Mossad."

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom -- an independent, bipartisan federal agency -- regularly documents the Iranian regime's actions toward the Baha'is.

A USCIRF official said the Iranian government's media campaign to denigrate and vilify the Baha'i community is part of its long-standing policy to not only incite violence against Baha'is but also to seek a slow death of the community's very existence in the country.

"The longer you wear down a community by demonizing them, intimidating them, depriving them, and arresting and imprisoning them - the hope is that you achieve your goal of total eradication," said Dwight Bashir, deputy director for policy and research at USCIRF.

The Baha'i report cities more than 200 "specious and misleading articles" by the semi-official Kayhan newspaper. USCIRF also singles out Kayhan.

"Among those responsible for this media initiative has been Hossein Shariatmadari, managing

Question: Whose faith is blasphemous?

Question: what is the media impact?

Question: Who said the Iranian media are demonizing them?

Question: who is being demonized?

Question: What do they believe?

Question: What do Iran's rulers believe

Answer: The Baha'i

Answer: "systematically stirred up" widespread contempt toward the country's

Answer: 300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority,

Answer: Baha'is."

Answer: the media "uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith," and "security attractive young women to lure converts."

Answer: international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy.

Summary:
The Baha'is say Iranian media are demonizing them .
Rights groups underscore the report's contentions .
Iran's rulers believe the Baha'i faith is blasphemous .


(CNN) -- Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at reining in the power of the Islamic Republic's leadership, a leading reformist newspaper reported Sunday. Mir Hossein Moussavi is reportedly seeking to form a new political party in Iran. Moussavi told supporters the party will be focused on upholding "the remaining principles of the constitution," according to Etemad-e Melli, a newspaper aligned with fellow opposition candidate Mehdi Karrubi. He is expected to file papers with Iran's Interior Ministry to establish the party before hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is sworn in for a new term, the newspaper reported. The announcement comes after weeks of protests over Iran's disputed presidential election and an attempted clampdown by Iran's clerical leadership. The clerical leadership has declared Ahmadinejad the winner of that vote. Moussavi, a former prime minister, was the leading challenger to Ahmadinejad in the June 12 balloting. The official results showed Ahmadinejad winning with more than 62 percent of the vote. Moussavi and Karrubi have consistently rejected those results as fraudulent and demanded a new vote. Their supporters turned out in crowds estimated in the hundreds of thousands to demand the results be overturned. Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees the elections, has declared the official count will stand.

Question:
who won the election
who lost in the election
What does reformist newspapers report?
Who did Moussavi lose to?
What did Moussavi's loss lead to?
Who is to be sworn in?
What sparked a mass protest?

Answer: Ahmadinejad

Answer: Moussavi

Answer: leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at

Answer: Ahmadinejad

Answer: form a new political party

Answer: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Answer: Iran's disputed presidential election

Summary:
Mir Hossein Moussavi seeks to curb power of clerics, reformist newspaper reports .
He's expected to file papers to form party before Ahmadinejad is sworn in .
Moussavi's loss to President Ahmadinejad in election sparked mass protests in Iran .


(CNN) -- Iranian student Puyan Mahmudian scored the sixth highest marks in his year group in his entrance exam, but was rejected for a Masters degree in chemical engineering at Amirkabir University in Tehran.

The problem was not his academic record, but his political background, according to human rights groups, which note that Mahmudian had previously been jailed for being editor of a student magazine that was critical of the government.

Mahmudian, now 25, believes he is one of hundreds of so-called "starred students," whom campaigners claim are denied access to university or expelled because of their religious or political beliefs.

A report called "Punishing Stars" by the non-governmental organization International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran names 217 students who it says have been deprived of education because of their religion or political activism in the last five years. It says the real number is much higher as many did not want to be named.

Many of those listed are members of the Baha'i Faith, the largest religious minority in Iran, with around 300,000 members, according to the official website of the faith in the United States. It says Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran since the faith started there in the mid-19th century. The conservative clergy considers followers of the Baha'i faith to be part of a wayward sect and apostates.

Other "starred students" are human rights activists, supporters of women's rights, members of the political opposition and student journalists, campaigners claim.

Now, a grassroots campaign, which began in Germany and has spread to other countries around the world, is drawing attention to alleged denial of education in Iran.

The campaign, called "Can You Solve This?" publicizes a QR code which, when scanned by smart phones, directs people to a website with an animated video.

The QR code has been printed on flyers, banners, pavements and t-shirts in coffee shops, streets and university campuses. In Germany, the QR code was used without any other information to build up mystery around the campaign.

Ruha Reyani, a second generation Iranian living in Germany and one of the architects of the campaign, said: "We are at the start of the university year and there's a big push from the Iranian government to use denial of education as a tool of persecution.

"We want people to come to take action by sending letters to their political leaders." Events to support the campaign have already been held in Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India and the Netherlands, and are planned for Canada, the United States, France, Italy and other countries.

Esra'a Al Shafei, founder of Mideast Youth, one of the organizations supporting the campaign, said: "It's a creative and dynamic campaign that appeals to young people everywhere. The video has had more than 70,000 views and more than 5,000 letters have been sent through the website."

Mahmudian, now living in Germany, was arrested and jailed in 2007 while editor of a student magazine at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.

In a case highlighted at the time by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, Mahmudian and seven other students were arrested, accused of defaming Islam in their publications.

Mahmudian said the members of the information ministry had circulated forged editions of their publications containing offensive articles.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a press release at the time: "The Iranian authorities are using the flimsiest of pretexts to arrests student journalists and activists.

"Even the Judiciary has admitted that these students had nothing to do with the forged publications."

Mahmudian said: "I spent more than 50 days in solitary confinement. They used physical and mental torture. I went on hunger strike for 11 days to be allowed to make one phone call to my mother to tell her I was okay.

"After 80 days of extreme pressure they got a videotaped confession from us inside prison. We apologized to the president and were released and allowed to go back to university."

It was after his undergraduate studies finished

Question:
What is the name of the campaign?
What is the student's name?

Answer: "Can You Solve This?"

Answer: Puyan Mahmudian

Summary:
Report: Hundreds of Iranian students rejected from university for political or religious beliefs .
"Can You Solve This?" campaign using QR code and video raises awareness .
Puyan Mahmudian one of so-called "starred students" for editing student magazine .


(CNN) -- Iraq has banned all Turkish flights from landing in the country in response to a dispute over millions of dollars owed by an Iraqi government oil company to Turkey.

Iraqi transportation ministry spokesman Karim al-Nuri said the decision to block Turkish planes from Iraq, including the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, was in response to a similar ban in Turkey against Iraqi flights. However, a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.

The official did say that Turkey warned that if Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) does not pay the $3 million owed to his country, then the country would ban Iraqi aircraft.

"They owe the money and they wish to freeze Turkish flights ... Talks are ongoing. But the way out is for SOMO to pay its debts," the Turkish official said.

Al-Nuri said Baghdad did not make "a political decision."

"Iraq will reverse its decision if Turkey reverses its decision, too," al-Nuri said.

After years of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines was one of the first international companies to begin direct flights to Baghdad. Increasingly, Turkey has grown as a major international gateway for commerce and travel to and from its Iraqi neighbor.

Question: What is the dispute over?

Question: Does Turkey admit to banning flights?

Question: Where all flights to all Turkish cities banned?

Question: Which flights did Iraq say that Turkey banned from landing?

Question: What kind of company's debts have caused the dispute?

Question: What company owes the money?

Question: Which country has banned Iraqi flights from landing?

Question: How much money does the company owe?

Answer: millions of dollars

Answer: a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Iraqi

Answer: Iraqi government oil

Answer: Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO)

Answer: Turkey

Answer: $3 million

Summary:
Iraq claims Turkey has banned Iraqi flights from landing .
Turkey denies making such a decision .
The dispute is over money owed by an Iraqi oil company to Turkey .


(CNN) -- Iraq scored in injury time Friday to beat 10-man China 1-0 and all but end their opponent's hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup finals.

The Asia Group A match in Doha was a mirror image of the side's earlier clash in China a month ago, with Younis Mahmoud, who scored the only goal in Shenzhen, coming up trumps again in injury time.

China were handicapped by a red card for Zhang Linpeng and paid for missed chances.

Iraq, coached by former Brazil legend Zico, have moved into a strong position in the qualifying section, which is led by Jordan, who confirmed their place in the second stage by beating Singapore 2-0.

Jose Camacho's China would have to win their final two games and see Iraq lose by a heavy margin to Jordan and Singapore to claim an unlikely second in the group.

"China played bravely, but we won the match and the result has almost guaranteed our place in the last ten," Zico told the official FIFA website.

"The game went as we predicted. We knew China would attack, so we focused on defending in the first half before sealing victory late on."

Japan and Uzbekistan joined Jordan in clinching qualification Friday, continuing their domination of Group C.

Japan routed Tajikistan 4-0 and Uzbekistan beat North Korea 1-0 with Timur Kapadze scoring the only goal of the match for the hosts.

The big surprise of the day was the 1-0 defeat for Group D leaders Australia in Oman with Amad Ali scoring the winner in the 18th minute.

Australia will still be expected to progress after four earlier wins, with Frank Rijkaard's Saudi Arabia moving into second in the group after a 3-0 win over Thailand.

In Group B, South Korea stayed top by beating the UAE 2-0 and Mahmoud El Ali grabbed the only goal of the game as Lebanon shocked hosts Kuwait 1-0 to move into second.

Iran held on to top spot in Group E but needed an injury-time equalizer from Mojtaba Jabari to scramble a 1-1 draw in Bahrain.

Iran lead Qatar, who recorded a 4-0 home win over Indonesia, on goal difference.

In the first round of African qualifying, the outstanding result Friday was 3-1 win for the Congo DR in Swaziland with Togo held 1-1 in Guinea Bissau. Totttenham's Emmanuel Adebayor is set to return for Togo in the second leg next Tuesday.

A star-studded Argentina side were held to a disappointing 1-1 home draw by Bolivia in their third match of qualifying from South America.

Argentina, boasting the likes of Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, found the visitors hard to break down and even fell behind as Martins Moreno scored in the second half.

It needed an equalizer from Ezequiel Lavezzi to salvage a point, with Argentina booed from the field.

Question: What country was booed off the field in South America?

Question: Who got booed off field?

Question: Who was last gasp winner to beat china?

Question: what was iraq's score

Question: Who clinched places in second round?

Question: who took the second place

Question: What country did Iraq beat?

Question: who scored 3-1

Question: What countries had places in the second round of Asia qualifying?

Answer: Argentina

Answer: Argentina

Answer: Iraq

Answer: 1-0

Answer: Japan and Uzbekistan

Answer: Saudi Arabia

Answer: China

Answer: Congo DR

Answer: Jordan,

Summary:
Iraq score last-gasp winner to beat China 1-0 in World Cup qualifying .
Japan, Uzbekistan and Jordan clinch places in second round of Asia qualifying .
Congo DR score fine 3-1 win over Swaziland in African first round qualifier .
Argentina booed off field after being held 1-1 by Bolivia in South America group .


(CNN) -- Iraq's presidency council Thursday approved the U.S.-Iraq security agreement -- the final step for the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government, a council spokesman said. The pact allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.

U.S. soldiers gather at the "Crossed Swords" in Baghdad's secure Green Zone on Tuesday.

The three-member presidency council -- Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi -- approved the agreement unanimously a week after the Iraqi parliament passed the measure.

Under the Iraqi constitution, unanimous approval by the presidency council is required for ratification of a law or agreement.

The security pact will replace a U.N. mandate for the U.S. presence in Iraq that expires at the end of this year.

The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns. The date for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.

The agreement -- which stresses respect for Iraqi sovereignty -- "requests the temporary assistance" of U.S. forces, but severely restricts their role.

The pact says that all military operations are to be carried out with the agreement of Iraq and must be "fully coordinated" with Iraqis.

A Joint Military Operations Coordination Committee will oversee military operations.

Iraq has the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. forces "for grave premeditated felonies," the agreement says. Suspects can be held by U.S. forces but must be available to Iraqi authorities for investigation or trial.

Iraq also will have the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. contractors and their employees under the agreement.

Also, the pact says that "Iraqi land, sea and air shouldn't be used as a launching or transit point for attacks against other countries."

The presidency council also approved a U.S.-Iraqi bilateral pact called the strategic framework agreement, which covers a wide range of bilateral cooperation efforts and which was approved by the Iraqi parliament last week.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, issued a statement welcoming the council's ratification of the measures.

"We look forward, under these agreements, to the continued reduction in U.S. forces and the normalization of bilateral relations as two sovereign and co-equal nations," the two said in their statement.

"We will undertake initiatives to strengthen our cooperation in the fields of economics, energy, health, the environment, education, culture, and law enforcement. The United States will support Iraq's request to the U.N. Security Council to continue protection of Iraqi assets," the statement said.

Question: What does the agreement do?

Question: What pulls out troops?

Question: U.S. officials welcomed what country for approval of pact?

Question: What was the council's approval the final step for?

Question: When are all US Forces scheduled to entirely exit Iraq by?

Question: U.S. troops will pull out of Iraqi cities by what date?

Question: What did officials welcome?

Question: U.S. forces will exit Iraq fully by what date?

Answer: allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.

Answer: the U.S.-Iraq security agreement

Answer: Iraq

Answer: the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government,

Answer: December 31, 2011.

Answer: December 31, 2011.

Answer: the council's ratification of the measures.

Answer: December 31, 2011.

Summary:
NEW: U.S. officials welcome Iraqi council's approval of security pact .
Presidency council's approval was final legal step for enactment .
Agreement pulls U.S. troops out of all Iraqi cities by June 30 .
U.S. forces would exit Iraq entirely by December 31, 2011 .


(CNN) -- Ireland --- once Europe's 'Celtic Tiger' -- was last year felled by its black hole of a banking sector, and forced to tap Europe's bailout fund.

The country continues to live off bailout funds -- yet in September internet giant Twitter announced its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin. It will join Facebook and Google, which both have their headquarters in the Irish capital.

The move suggests Dublin could again become a major player in the technology industry, despite the country's financial woes.

According to Noel Ruane, head of Dogpatch Labs Europe -- which likens itself to a 'frat house for geeks' -- the city has enough of an internet community to rival Silicon Valley.

Dogpatch Labs was created by the U.S.-based venture capital company Polaris Venture Partners, and provides a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people.

The center has also chosen to call Dublin its European home, with Ruane as its entrepreneur in residence.

Ruane believes Dublin is a good base for emerging companies, despite their consumers being located elsewhere. Many companies are web based, and don't need to be near their customers, he says.

He acknowledges language barriers can prove more difficult for companies in Europe than in other parts of the world, such as the U.S.

"There is a localization requirement; we don't have one homogenous market like the U.S. where there are 300 million plus people that companies can target." But he says the nature of the web means businesses can be successful from wherever they're located, including Dublin.

But while Dublin's reputation as an internet hub is growing, many developers are still honing their skills in the U.S first before establishing themselves in Europe.

"I meet companies all the time where the founders have returned home after perhaps graduating from Stamford University and spending some years with the large internet companies in Silicon Valley," explains Ruane. "They have all that experience so that they can set up business back in Europe."

CNN's Emily Smith contributed to this story.

Question: Who can Dublin rival?

Question: Where are headquartered Google and Facebook?

Question: What companies have their headquaters in Ireland?

Question: What provides Dogpatch Labs Europe?

Question: Who already has headquarters in Ireland?

Question: Who provides space for entrepreneurs?

Question: What did Twitter announce?

Answer: Silicon Valley.

Answer: Dublin.

Answer: Facebook and Google,

Answer: a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people.

Answer: Facebook and Google,

Answer: Dogpatch Labs

Answer: its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin.

Summary:
Twitter announced in September it would set up shop in Dublin .
Google and Facebook have their international headquarters in Ireland .
Dogpatch Labs Europe provides space for entrepreneurs .
Its head Noel Ruane believes Dublin can rival Silicon Valley .


(CNN) -- Ireland opened the defense of their Six Nations rugby title with a 29-11 victory at home to Italy, while England repelled the challenge of Wales to win 30-17 in Saturday's other match.

Ireland, who won all five matches last year to complete a Grand Slam, led 23-8 at halftime in Dublin but could not run away with victory against a determined visiting team.

Recalled flyhalf Ronan O'Gara became the first player to score 500 points in the tournament as he was successful with all six kicks at goal, while Jamie Heaslip and Tomas O'Leary crossed for first-half tries.

Italy's only try came just before halftime, despite the sin-binning of center Gonzalo Garcia meaning coach Nick Mallett's team were reduced to 14 men, after a charge-down of Rob Kearney's kick by Kaine Robertson.

"It's not easy to click immediately having only been together for two weeks and not having played together since November," Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll told reporters.

"There is plenty to improve on. It's the first one and job done. We'll take the positives out of it and move on. We showed an ability in the first half to turn defense into attack and the amount of lineout ball we won was a big plus.

"We made some good line breaks but didn't finish them off. Maybe we need to improve our support play."

England flanker James Haskell scored two tries to lift the pressure on head coach Martin Johnson, as Wales paid the price for Alun-Wyn Jones' sin-binning with 17 points conceded while the lock was off the field at Twickenham.

The match was level at 3-3 when Jones was yellow-carded for leg-tripping England hooker Dylan Hartley, and the hosts subsequently scored a penalty and two converted tries, Haskell's first in Tests and another five minutes after halftime by scrumhalf Danny Care.

Wales battled back to 20-17 down with eight minutes left as Jones made some amends by setting up prop Adam Jones for a try and then James Hook crossed for another.

But four minutes later Haskell went over again thanks to Delon Armitage's interception, and then Jonny Wilkinson kicked his third penalty, this one from the halfway line to give the flyhalf 15 points for the match.

Wales coach Warren Gatland was furious after Jones' indiscipline cost his side dear.

"We are frustrated and disappointed. We felt that was a game that has slipped from our grasp," the New Zealander told reporters.

"The yellow card has cost us 17 points -- it was one of those things, stupid. It was massive. Sometimes those things are very, very costly, and it was for us today.

"We had stressed discipline over the past two weeks and talked about giving nothing soft away, and it is frustrating we have done that. He has made an impulsive decision, and hopefully it is a learning experience for him and he doesn't do it again."

France travel to Scotland for the opening round's other match on Sunday.

Question: Who is Dylan Hartley?

Question: Who defeated Italy?

Question: Who defeated Wales 30-17 at Twickenham?

Question: What was the score between England and Wales?

Question: Who was the first player to score 500?

Question: Who was the first player to score 500 points in the tournament?

Question: What team won the Six Nations rugby title?

Question: Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara becomes first player to do what?

Question: Did England defeat Wales?

Answer: England hooker

Answer: Ireland

Answer: England

Answer: 30-17

Answer: Ronan O'Gara

Answer: Ronan O'Gara

Answer: Ireland

Answer: score 500 points in the tournament

Answer: win

Summary:
Ireland open defense of Six Nations rugby title with 29-11 victory at home to Italy .
Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara becomes first player to score 500 points in the tournament .
England defeat Wales 30-17 at Twickenham as visitors pay for Alun Wyn-Jones' sin-binning .
Hosts score 17 points while lock is off field for leg-tripping England's Dylan Hartley .


(CNN) -- Ireland's government-backed "bad bank" is taking on 16 billion euros ($21.5 billion) in debt from five troubled Irish banks -- a first step toward buying 81 billion euros ($109 billion) in bad loans, the government announced.

The National Asset Management Agency, as the "bad bank" is officially known, will pay 8.5 billion euros ($11.4 billion) for the first 16 billion euros in debt, it said Tuesday.

The move takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank. The first two banks' debts were taken over on Monday and the other three institutions' bad loans should be transferred by early April, NAMA said.

Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan gave a sobering assessment of the banks' health Tuesday.

"I understand why many want us to close" Anglo Irish Bank, which lost huge sums in property lending, he told lawmakers. "I understand the impulse to obliterate it from the system."

But, he said, "the sums required to rescue the bank are enormous but the costs of winding it down are even greater."

The government has already replaced the management of the bank.

Lenihan hinted broadly that the government will take over Allied Irish Bank, which he said must raise "additional equity capital of at least 7.4 billion euros ($9.9B) by the end of the year."

"If sufficient private capital is not available, it is probable that the state will have a majority shareholding in Allied Irish Bank as a listed entity, but this is much more preferable than an under-capitalized or only adequately-capitalized entity," he said.

The government is seeking to sell Irish Nationwide or merge it with another entity as soon as possible, after having taken it over earlier, he said.

The Bank of Ireland "expects to be able to raise private capital and is well advanced in its actions to address its capital needs," and EBS is in talks with "a private party" about raising market capital, he added.

The move is part of an Irish government response to the global financial crisis, which hit Ireland particularly hard.

The government expects to complete the purchase of the 81 billion euros in debt by February of next year, a deadline set by the European Union, NAMA said.

Borrowers whose loans have been acquired by NAMA will be required to submit a comprehensive business plan in accordance with NAMA's template within one month outlining how they propose to honor their loan commitments, NAMA chief executive Brendan McDonagh said in a statement.

If the plans are not submitted or not approved, "NAMA will take whatever actions it considers necessary to protect the interests of the taxpayer," he said.

CNN's Jim Boulden and Eve Parish contributed to this report.

Question:
Who will purchase debt in february?
what does move do?
What does the move do?
How much debt will be purchased?
When will debt be purchased?
How many loans will be taken off?

Answer: The National Asset Management Agency,

Answer: takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank.

Answer: takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank.

Answer: 81 billion euros ($109 billion)

Answer: by February of next year,

Answer: 1,200

Summary:
Move takes 1,200 loans off books .
NAMA: Government expects to complete purchase of 81 billion euros in debt by February .


(CNN) -- Ireland's top Catholic cardinal is using the "Nuremberg defense" in the face of public outrage at his role 35 years ago in investigating one of the country's most notorious child-abusing priests, an activist said Tuesday.

Cardinal Sean Brady has been under fire over the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth.

The latest scandal comes on the heels of a huge government-backed report that found the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Catholic Church authorities in Ireland covered up child abuse by priests from 1975 to 2004. Child sexual abuse was "widespread" then, the report found.

Brady's office said Tuesday that the cardinal, then a priest and teacher with a doctorate in canon law, had been asked to investigate two complaints against Smyth in 1975, but had no decision-making power. He reported his findings to Bishop Francis McKiernan, his office said, and McKiernan recommended Smyth get psychiatric help.

But John Kelly, the founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said Brady should not have remained silent about what he learned in the course of investigating Smyth, who was later convicted of dozens of counts of child abuse in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. He died in prison.

"He's basically using the Nuremberg defense, he was carrying out orders," Kelly said, in reference to the justification many Nazis used in their war crimes trials after World War II.

There has been particular outrage over the revelation that two boys who filed complaints against Smyth were asked to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation.

The oaths of secrecy were "to avoid potential collusion" between the two boys as church officials investigated the case, Ireland's Catholic Communications Office said Tuesday.

Despite his criticism of Brady, Kelly said it would not necessarily do any good for the cardinal to resign.

"He's lost all moral authority to lead, but by replacing him, it won't resolve the problem," he said, arguing that the Vatican would "just replace guys with other guys."

The best solution, he said, would be for the Roman Catholic Church to let secular authorities deal with accusations of abuse, rather than trying to handle them itself.

"They have to accept secular authority, and they can get on with the business of religion," Kelly said. "It would be in the church's own interest. Resignations in themselves aren't the answer."

Four Irish bishops tendered their resignations in the wake of the government-backed report, and Pope Benedict XVI is expected to make a formal statement, or pastoral letter, on the Irish abuse issue by Easter.

The pope himself has been under fire since it was revealed that a priest suspected of abusing children was allowed to move into his diocese when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1980.

The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising said in a statement Monday it must have been clear at the time that the priest, whom multiple sources identified to CNN as Peter Hullermann, was coming to get therapy for allegedly molesting children. He was convicted of abuse in 1986, after Ratzinger moved to Rome. Hullermann was suspended on Monday.

Hundreds of allegations of sexual or physical abuse of children by Catholic clergy have come to light in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands this year.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin, Germany, contributed to this report.

Question: How many boys filed complaints?

Question: What did Brady investigate?

Question: Who was the cardinal that was fired?

Question: what has sean brady been under fire for

Question: What is the number of those who complained?

Question: Who were complaints filed against?

Question: What is the name of the cardinal?

Question: what were two boys asked to do

Answer: two

Answer: Rev. Brendan Smyth.

Answer: Sean Brady

Answer: the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth.

Answer: two

Answer: Rev. Brendan Smyth.

Answer: Sean Brady

Answer: to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation.

Summary:
Cardinal Sean Brady has been under fire over the investigation .
Brady investigated two complaints against Rev. Brendan Smyth .
Two boys who filed the complaints were asked to sign confidentiality statements .


(CNN) -- Islamist fighters battling for control of Somalia have threatened to close Mogadishu's only airport, warning all airlines to stop flights into the Somali capital by early Tuesday. African Union peacekeepers keep guard recently at the international airport in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. "Any plane which uses or lands at the airport, we will consider it a military plane and we will not be held responsible for what happens to it," the Al-Shaabab militia said in a Web posting. The statement said the airport would be closed at 1 a.m. Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Wednesday). The statement was posted on www.kataaib.net, a Web site frequently used by Al-Shaabab. A graphic posted along with the statement shows a plane about to land at Mogadishu's international airport. As the plane approaches, a man with a shoulder-fired missile appears and a red-circle target is placed over the plane. The Somali word for "Warning!" flashes at the same time. Nairobi, Kenya-based Daallo Airlines, which operates flights four times a week into Mogadishu, is "monitoring the situation," the company's chief executive officer told CNN. "We haven't received any warning directly," Howard Leedham said. He said he was made aware of Al-Shaabab's warning through the local media, and would not say if any of the four weekly flights would be canceled or rescheduled as a result. "All I can say is we're monitoring the situation very closely," Leedham said. "We have employees down there, and so we're monitoring the situation." Maj. Barigye Ba-Hoku, a spokesman for African Union forces in Somalia -- many of whom are based at Mogadishu's airport -- said he has not received an official warning from Al-Shaabab about the airport's closure, but "we take the warning seriously." "We have taken precautionary measures, but that's all we can do," Ba-Hoku told CNN. Al-Shaabab is an Islamic militia that has launched a bloody battle to seize control of Somalia and oust Ethiopian forces, which are helping Somali government forces try to rout the Islamic fighters. It is a splinter group of the Islamic Courts Union, which pushed out Somalia's transitional government in 2006. The ICU was deposed in December of that year following Ethiopia's military intervention. In its statement, Al-Shaabab said it has been forced to shut down the airport because it is being used by a variety of "infidel forces," including Ethiopia, Burundi, and Uganda. Burundi and Ugandan forces make up the bulk of the AU mission in Somalia. Al-Shaabab also said U.S. and Israeli security officials "regularly" land at the airport. "So based on all these issues, we -- Al-Shaabab fighters -- are notifying all business people in Mogadishu, particularly to those of the airlines, that the airport is officially closed from the date on 16th September," it said. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

Question: What is the Al-Shaabab group seeking to do?

Question: What has Africal Union forces spokesman say he's not received?

Question: Who threatened flights?

Question: What does the airline CEO say?

Question: What forces does the Al-Shaabab group want to oust?

Question: Who said that the situation is being monitored?

Question: The CEO of what airline says the situation is monitored?

Question: Where does the Al-Shaabab group seeking to oust Ethiopian forces from?

Question: What is the name of the CEO who refrained from commenting?

Answer: seize control of Somalia and oust Ethiopian forces,

Answer: an official warning from Al-Shaabab about the airport's closure,

Answer: Islamist

Answer: is we're monitoring the situation very closely," Leedham said. "We have employees down there, and so we're monitoring the situation."

Answer: Ethiopian

Answer: company's chief executive officer

Answer: Daallo

Answer: Somalia

Answer: Howard Leedham

Summary:
NEW: Airline CEO says situation being monitored, doesn't comment on flights .
Al-Shaabab militants threaten flights with statement, graphic on Web .
African Union forces spokesman says he's not received official warning .
Al-Shaabab group is seeking to oust Ethiopian forces from Somalia .


(CNN) -- Islamist fighters in Somalia have made significant gains in the country, according to the latest statement purportedly from al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Ayman al-Zawahiri, pictured here in 2006, also spoke about Yemen, Gaza, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The 25-minute audio recording, titled "From Kabul to Mogadishu," focuses primarily on the "important developments" in Somalia, which al-Zawahiri called "a step on the path of victory of Islam." CNN cannot authenticate the message, which was released on Sunday and was interspersed with television news reports and statements from various al Qaeda-linked commanders. CNN analysts who listened to the recording say the voice is consistent with his intonation and accent. This is the third message from al-Zawahiri espousing the views of the al Qaeda terror network in 2009; the other two focused on Israel's recent military operation against Hamas leaders in Gaza. In addition to Somalia, al-Zawahiri also addresses the situations in Yemen, Gaza, and Afghanistan and Pakistan. Al-Zawahiri praised Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia who recently seized control of Baidoa, where the U.N.-backed transitional government had been based. He warned the newly installed government, under President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, not to squander those gains by submitting "to American demands" and not abiding by sharia, or Islamic law. "I call on my Muslim brothers in beloved Somalia ... to not be deceived by those who agree to the secularist constitutions which vie with the sharia in its right to rule," he said. Al-Zawahiri also addressed the "awakening" in Yemen, where many suspected al Qaeda militants wanted in neighboring Saudi Arabia are believed to have fled. That group includes several former detainees of the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The al Qaeda leader accused Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih and his government of being "servants and slaves" to the United States by allowing Yemen to be used as "a supply center ... against Muslim countries." "How can you agree to let the ruling authority in Yemen be the CIA?" al-Zawahiri asked the people of Yemen. Al-Zawahiri spent the last eight minutes addressing the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gaza. His focus on Somalia and Yemen -- which accounted for more than 17 minutes of the 25-minute address -- is a departure from the topics of his previous messages. CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen suggested that is a reflection of al Qaeda's recent losses as a result of U.S. missile strikes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. "There were three in 2007 and 34 in 2008 by my count," Bergen said. "These strikes are causing al Qaeda leaders to consider their options." Al Qaeda has considered relocating its base to Somalia or Yemen, according to a former U.S. official who is familiar with the intelligence. Other analysts have suggested that it would be difficult for al Qaeda to gain a stronghold in Somalia because its radical agenda is unpopular in the moderate Islamic country. John Prendergast, who studies the Horn of Africa for the Center for American Progress think tank, said he expects Al-Shabaab's overseas ties to dry up after the recent withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, which was its only basis of support in Somalia. J. Anthony Holmes, director of the Africa program for the Council on Foreign Relations, said it is unlikely Somalia will emerge as "a breeding ground for terrorism" because of its clan-based society. But Bergen noted that both Somalia and Yemen lack a strong central government and "therefore (are) attractive locations for al Qaeda." "Al Qaeda also has had an on-and-off presence in Somalia since 1992 and even earlier in Yemen," he said. "As we have seen also, Yemen's weak government and permissive attitude to jihadists have made it an increasingly attractive venue for Saudi members of al Qaeda." Bergen said that is most likely why al-Zawahiri chose to focus more than half of his latest message on Yemen and Somalia.

Question: How long is the recording?

Question: Where are they considering relocating to?

Question: How long was the audio?

Question: Where were they considering movine base to?

Question: Who does Ayman al-Zawahiri praise?

Question: Who are the voices?

Question: Where did Al Qaeda consider relocating the base to?

Question: Which person is the voice supposed to be of?

Question: Which contry's fighters are being praised in the recording?

Answer: 25-minute

Answer: Somalia or Yemen,

Answer: 25-minute

Answer: Somalia or Yemen,

Answer: Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia

Answer: al-Zawahiri

Answer: Somalia or Yemen,

Answer: Ayman al-Zawahiri,

Answer: in Somalia

Summary:
The 25-minute audio recording is titled "From Kabul to Mogadishu"
Voice claiming to be Ayman al-Zawahiri praises Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia .
Third message from al-Zawahiri espousing views of al Qaeda network in 2009 .
Al Qaeda considered relocating base to Somalia or Yemen, ex-U.S. official says .


(CNN) -- Israel has issued a rare statement of "regret" for the recent deaths of several Egyptian security personnel, hours after Egypt said it was recalling its ambassador.

Egypt's government posted a statement Saturday saying its ambassador would be withdrawn until Israel conducted an investigation into what it called "indiscriminate shelling" that led to the deaths of at least three security forces in its Sinai region on Thursday.  Later in the day, the statement was taken down without explanation.

Top-level Israel security officials met Saturday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who quickly issued a statement vowing that Israel would conduct a military investigation, followed by a joint examination with the Egyptian military, of the incident.

"We regret the deaths of members of the Egyptian security forces during the terror attack on the Israeli-Egyptian border," Barak said. "The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty has great importance and much strategic value for the stability of the Middle East."

The tense situation between Israel and Egypt comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Israeli strikes in Gaza after a series of attacks in southern Israel on Thursday that targeted buses, cars and soldiers.  An Egyptian military official said Israeli forces may have been targeting militants near Egypt's border with Gaza when they struck and killed the Egyptian security personnel.

On Saturday, the Mideast Quartet -- the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and the European Union -- condemned Thursday's "premeditated terrorism" attacks on Israel, and warned that it remains concerned about the situation in Gaza.  It also expressed concern about the security situation in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

"Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important, and the Quartet encourages the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution to the issue of Sinai security," it said.

No one in Israel's armed forces intentionally acted to harm Egyptian security personnel, Amos Gilad, a defense official involved in maintaining Israel's relationship with the Egyptian military, told Israeli Radio on Saturday.  He also stressed the strategic importance of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.

Outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, hundreds of demonstrators gathered Saturday to protest the killings and demand Egypt sever its ties with Israel.

Egyptian state-run TV showed protesters burning Israeli flags and chanting "Egyptian blood is not cheap."

Israel believes that the attacks had their roots in Gaza, but were coming out of the neighboring Egyptian region of Sinai.

"The Egyptian control over Sinai is weakening and this is probably the reason that this attack that originated in Gaza has made it all the way down here," Barak said Thursday.

The Egyptian claims of Israeli forces killing three of its security members and injuring four surfaced Thursday, the same day Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza.

Senior Egyptian military and security forces told CNN that two members of the Central Security Force and one military officer were killed in clashes east of Ras Al-Naqab, 13 kilometers north of Taba.

At the time, an Israeli helicopter was in the area chasing militants in the aftermath of the attacks on Israelis, said Gen. Saleh Al Masry, head of security in North Sinai Province.

"The Israeli ground troops engaged with armed militants 200 meters from the Egyptian border which may have also led to casualties on the Egyptian side," said Lt. Col. Amr Imam, the Egyptian army spokesman. "We have reinforced our border guards and raised the level of alert."

The rising tensions also come as questions are being raised in Israel about the Egyptian military presence in the demilitarized zone in Sinai, which was created under the terms of the Camp David Agreement signed in 1978 between Egypt and Israel.

Since the overthrow of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, the security situation in Sinai has deteriorated.

Senior Egyptian officials said several weeks ago that more than 23,000 prisoners escaped from prisons in Egypt in late January and February because of the breakdown in regime authority.

Additionally, travel between Egypt and Gaza has become much easier since the Military Council reopened the border crossing at Rafah in late May.

Question: What does the quartet say?

Question: when is Egypt posted a statement saying it would recall its ambassador?

Question: What did Egypt post?

Question: who is Israeli defense minister?

Question: What did Israel issue?

Answer: "Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important, and the

Answer: Saturday

Answer: its ambassador would be withdrawn until Israel conducted an investigation into

Answer: Ehud Barak,

Answer: a rare statement of "regret"

Summary:
NEW: Quartet warns Egypt to 'address the security situation' in Sinai .
Israel issues rare statement of 'regret' over Egyptian security forces' deaths .
Israeli defense minister:  Military investigation, and joint probe with Egypt, will take place .
Egypt posted a statement saying it would recall its ambassador; statement later removed .


(CNN) -- Israel may have to retire its title as the only democracy in the Middle East. With Sunday's free and fair national election, Iraq joins the honor roll as one of the very few Islamic democracies. Other Middle Eastern countries hold elections too, of course. But those elections fall into two broad categories. The first category is the blatantly rigged: Iran, most spectacularly, but also Algeria, Egypt, and Yemen, among others. In the second category, elections are more or less honest -- but fail to exert much control over the actions of the government: Lebanon, Morocco, and Jordan. In Iraq, despite violence, votes are honestly counted. Once counted, votes decide who rules. For all the country's well-known problems, that record is a remarkable achievement. The brave Iraqi democrat Nibras Kazimi posted this firsthand account on his important blog, Talisman Gate: "I voted. It felt great, but the greatest thing about it was how normal it felt; elections have become a ho-hum, commonplace occurrence. That's quite a feat for a country with Iraq's past and current challenges. The voting procedure itself was very well organized and speedy. The election site had seven polling stations, with about 400 registered voters allowed to vote there. Everyone's name was posted outside, along with information about what polling station they were supposed to use. Once inside, IDs were checked against name lists, and one had to sign next [to] one's name to indicate that this name has voted. All in all, there are reasonable mechanisms in place to contain incidents of fraud. ... "The Western media is hyperventilating about mortars and katyushas. ... This was a logistical failure for the jihadists; hardly any successful suicide bombers or sniper attacks near the polling stations. Lobbing mortars indiscriminately around Baghdad is BS intimidation. It certainly didn't deter voters. "The fact that the security authorities allowed vehicular traffic around 11 AM was both surprising and bold. It showed confidence in their security precautions, and the fact that there were no car bombs shows that they were right." Iraq's elected government has consolidated power over the whole country, including the formerly Iranian-run southern city of Basra. It has presided over a remarkable decline in violence. The Brookings Institute's Iraq index estimates that there were 34,500 Iraqi civilian casualties in 2006. In 2009, 2,800 Iraqi civilians died violently. Attacks on coalition forces have dwindled from almost 2,000 per week at the end of 2006 to a little over 100 per week. Iraq is not yet a stable place -- but a future of stability seems at last at hand. Maybe the surest sign of success is that those who once opposed the surge are now scrambling to grab credit for it. Iraq "could be one of the great achievements of this administration," boasted Vice President Joe Biden to CNN's Larry King last month. Next we'll hear how we owe the Marshall Plan and the Panama Canal to the Obama administration. Well, that's not how those who were there remember it. A stable Western-oriented Iraq at peace with itself and its neighbors would be a great prize. If that future does take hold, we'll learn the answer to another great question. Speaking on the eve of war in 2003, President George W. Bush told the guests at the American Enterprise Institute's annual dinner that he discerned "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. Arab intellectuals have called on Arab governments to address the 'freedom gap' so their peoples can fully share in the progress of our times. "Leaders in the region speak of a new Arab charter that champions internal reform, greater politics participation, economic openness, and free trade. And from Morocco to Bahrain and beyond, nations are taking genuine steps toward politics reform. A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region." Will he be vindicated? In the January issue of the Journal of Democracy, Larry Diamond offers grounds for hope

Question: What did Bush say about the area?

Question: Which country had a free election?

Question: What did President Bush say about the election?

Question: What could Iraq become for the Arab world?

Question: Where did election happen

Answer: discerned "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East.

Answer: Iraq

Answer: "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. Arab intellectuals have called on Arab governments to address the 'freedom gap' so their peoples can fully share in the progress of our times.

Answer: dramatic and inspiring example of freedom

Answer: Iraq

Summary:
Iraq held a free and fair election for parliament on Sunday, says David Frum .
He says Iraq can be a model democracy for the Arab world .
President George W. Bush spoke of "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom" in the region .
Frum: Biggest obstacle to democracy in Middle East is the influence of oil wealth .


(CNN) -- Israel said Wednesday it may expel Venezuela's top diplomat from the country in a tit-for-tat gesture after the South American nation ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the Israeli army "cowards." The decision on whether to expel Venezuela's charge d'affaires will be taken later Wednesday, said Yigal Palmor, the spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry. On Tuesday, Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador to Caracas and accused Israel of attempting to carry out "genocide" against the Palestinian people. "In this tragic and indignant hour, the people of Venezuela manifest their unconditional solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people, share in the sadness that overcomes thousands of families through the loss of their loved ones, and extends to them a hand by affirming that the government of Venezuela will not rest until it sees those responsible for these criminal atrocities severely punished," the Venezuelan foreign minister said in a statement read by an anchor on state television. The statement added that the government "condemns strongly the flagrant violations of international law" by Israel and "denounces their planned utilization of state terrorism." "For the above-mentioned reasons, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and some of the personnel of the Israeli Embassy in Venezuela," it added. In a news conference broadcast by state-run Venezuelan television, President Hugo Chavez blasted the Israeli military. "They are cowards," he said. "It's as though a boxing professional were to come here and challenge you to box. Well, how courageous! How courageous is the Israeli army!" It said that Chavez "makes a fraternal call to the Jewish people throughout the world to oppose these criminal policies of the state of Israel that recall the worst pages of the history of the 20th century. "With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the state of Israel will never be able to offer its people the perspective of a peace that is both necessary and long-lasting." Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was unswayed. "I haven't heard the details yet, but you know the regime in Venezuela has been one of the few countries in the world that gives automatic support to the Iranian extremists, and it doesn't surprise me that they have affinity with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah," he told CNN. He predicted that other countries would not follow suit, even in the Middle East. "I think, even in the Muslim and Arab countries, there is a fair amount of understanding for what Israel has had to do here," he said.

Question: What did Chavez call the Israeli army?

Question: Who called Israeli army 'cowards"?

Question: Why was the ambassor for Israel ordered to leave?

Question: Who may be expelled?

Question: What did Hugo Chavez call the Israeli army?

Question: Why did Venezuela expel the Israeli ambassador?

Question: Who is the president of Venezuela?

Question: Who may be expelled in tit-for-tat gesture?

Answer: "cowards."

Answer: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Answer: over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza.

Answer: Venezuela's top diplomat

Answer: "cowards."

Answer: the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza.

Answer: Hugo Chavez

Answer: Venezuela's top diplomat

Summary:
NEW: Top Venezuelan diplomat may be expelled in tit-for-tat gesture .
Venezuela ordered Israeli ambassador to leave over the ground war in Gaza .
Venezuelan government statement condemned "flagrant violations" by Israel .
President Hugo Chavez calls Israeli army "cowards"
Israeli spokesman says Venezuela has given "automatic support" to extremists .


(CNN) -- Israel was founded on democratic principles with the Jewish state's declaration of independence in 1948 including a commitment to the "complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex." It has remained a continuous democracy ever since.

The 120-seat Knesset is the Israeli seat of government.

The seat of Israeli government is the Knesset, the country's national parliament, located in Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its capital. The Knesset's 120 lawmakers are elected by universal suffrage with all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 entitled to vote.

Knesset seats are divided according to each party's proportion of the overall vote. But parties must poll at least two percent nationally to gain a seat.

Participation in elections, including among Arab Israelis who constitute around 20 percent of the population, has traditionally been high at around 80 percent turnout, according to Israeli government figures. Israel currently has around 5.3 million eligible voters.

Israel usually holds national elections every four years. But this year's poll on February 10 was called early -- less than three years since the last vote -- by Israeli President Shimon Peres following the resignation of prime minister Ehud Olmert amid allegations of corruption and his Kadima Party successor Tzipi Livni's failure to form a coalition. Olmert has continued to serve as caretaker prime minister in the interim.

Coalitions of two or more parties are common in Israel; in fact no party has ever won enough votes to form a government by itself. Those remaining outside the ruling coalition make up the opposition.

Thirty-four parties will participate in the 2009 elections, including major parties such as Kadima, Likud and Labor and also three Arab parties.

The task of forming and leading a government is charged by Israel's president to the Knesset member and party leader considered to have the best chance of forming a viable coalition.

The prime minister-designate then has 28 days, extendable by 14 days, to build a coalition commanding the support of at least 61 Knesset members.

Officials results are due to be published on February 18 with the new Knesset convening on March 2.

Question: How many eligible voters are there in Israel?

Question: Number of eligible voters in Israel?

Question: How many eligible voters does Israel have?

Question: How many parties are bidding?

Question: When does Israel go to the polls?

Question: How many eligible voters are there?

Question: When does Isrel go to the nation polls for the election?

Question: How many parties are there?

Question: How many seats are there in the Knesset?

Question: What is Israel going to the polls for in February?

Question: What position did Ehud Olmert formerly have?

Answer: 5.3 million

Answer: 5.3 million

Answer: 5.3 million

Answer: Thirty-four

Answer: February 10

Answer: 5.3 million

Answer: February 10

Answer: Thirty-four

Answer: 120-seat

Answer: national elections

Answer: prime minister

Summary:
Israel goes to the polls in national elections on February 10 .
34 parties bidding for 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament .
Turnout among Israel's 5.3 million eligible voters expected to be high .
Election follows collapse of Kadima-led coalition, resignation of ex-PM Ehud Olmert .


(CNN) -- Israel's Shahar Peer continued her superb run at the Dubai Open by beating Li Na of China to reach the semifinals of the WTA Tier One tournament on Thursday.

Peer progressed to a match-up with Venus Williams as Li, who reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, retired with a back injury when trailing 5-7 0-3.

Peer, who was refused entry to the United Arab Emirates for last year's tournament, is posing a security problem for organizers, who have scheduled her matches on an outside court with restricted access.

With tensions high after last month's assassination of a senior Hamas official in Dubai, placing Peer on the 5,000 capacity Center Court for her last four clash is a step they may be unwilling to take.

Peer, who has been in fine form in 2010, beat top seed Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarterfinals and said after the match that despite the controversies in the past she was receiving a good reception.

"I get really amazing treatment here and they are so nice to me, all the people around me that are taking care of me," she told the official WTA Tour Web site.

Against world number 10 Li, she was always on top as she headed for her fourth straight win in the tournament and her first over the highly-rated Chinese player.

Defending champion Venus Williams showed her liking for the venue with a straight sets 6-3 6-4 win over promising young Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in their quarterfinal later on Thursday.

In other quarterfinal action, seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland saw off Russian qualifier Regina Kulikova in three hard-fought sets, 3-6 6-4 6-3.

She will play fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belaus who brushed aside Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-1 6-3 to reach the last four.

Question: What is the tournament called?

Question: Who will now face Peer?

Question: Who played all her matches on a restricted access outside court?

Question: Who reached the semi finals?

Question: Which country is the championship in?

Question: Who reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship?

Question: Who reached the semi finals of the Dubai tennis championship?

Answer: WTA Tier One

Answer: Venus Williams

Answer: Peer,

Answer: Shahar Peer

Answer: United Arab Emirates

Answer: Shahar Peer

Answer: Shahar Peer

Summary:
Israel's Shahar Peer reaches the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship .
Peer defeats eighth seed Li Na of China who is forced to quit in the second set .
Peer has played all her matches on a restricted access outside court amid security fears .
NEW: Defending champion Venus Williams into semifinals where she will face Peer .


(CNN) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres said he had an amicable phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a day after Erdogan stormed offstage during an angry exchange with Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves the stage Thursday, as Israeli President Shimon Peres sits, left.

Peres said he and Erdogan did not take the spat personally.

"I called him up and said, yes, it's nothing against you, nothing against Turkey. We consider you as a friend," Peres said. He said Erdogan reciprocated.

Although there was no mention of an apology, Peres said there was a polite exchange between the two leaders.

"I didn't take it personally. I didn't go for a personal fight. I answered unfounded accusations. It was my duty. And they didn't change my mind," he said.  Watch Shimon Peres on the Gaza conflict Â»

Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation, has long been the Jewish state's closest military and economic partner in the region, and Turkey recently mediated indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria.

But many Turks have been incensed with Israel over its three-week military operation that ended there earlier this month.

And in Davos, Erdogan was angered after Peres said that Israel is committed to peace and blamed Hamas for the fighting in Gaza, where Israel staged a three-week military operation that ended earlier this month.

When Erdogan began responding, a moderator cut him off, saying the debate had run over its allotted time. Erdogan patted the moderator on the arm until he was granted one more minute to respond.  Watch commentary on Erdogan's angry exchange Â»

"I know the reason behind raising your voice is because of the guilty psychology," he said to Peres. "My voice will not be that loud. You must know that. When it comes to killing -- you know killing very well. I know how you hit, kill children on the beaches."

He then left the stage, complaining that Peres was receiving preferential treatment.

"From now on, Davos is finished for me," Erdogan said. "I will not come back. You won't let people talk. You gave him 25 minutes, but you gave me 12 minutes. This is not right."

Erdogan had described the military campaign against Hamas fighters in Gaza as "barbaric" and accused Israel of using excessive force.

He said: "The Palestinian Territories are like an open-air prison, isolated from the world. I have always been a leader who said anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity. But so is anti-Islamism."

Peres had said Hamas was responsible for the "tragedy," accusing the Islamist militants of creating a "dangerous dictatorship."

"Israel left Gaza completely -- no occupation," Peres said. "I want to understand why they throw rockets at us."

On Friday, after his outburst, Erdogan returned home to a hero's welcome. Thousands of people lined up at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, cheering and waving signs. A large banner read, "You Will Never Walk Alone," and smaller signs bore phrases including "Davos Conqueror." People also were seen waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and throwing flowers on the road leading to Erdogan's home.

Despite the glowing response at the airport, there has been some criticism in the Turkish media of Erdogan's exchange with the Israeli president.

CNN Turk's Deniz Bayramoglu said the issue was still "hot" with Erdogan's secularist political opponents speaking out against the prime minister.

"They also say that Israel's behavior in Gaza is unacceptable but they are very critical of Prime Minister Erdogan's behavior," Bayramoglu said.

"Some are saying they are really proud of Prime Minister Erdogan and some are saying it is a diplomatic scandal."

Erdogan explained whom he was directing his anger at during a news conference at the airport. "My words were only to the Israeli government, not the Israeli

Question: What country is Istanbul in?

Question: Who is the Israeli president?

Question: What did the Israeli president say about the spat?

Question: Who called Israel's Gaza campaign barbaric?

Question: Erdogan called what country's campaign barbaric?

Question: What did Recep Tayyip Erdogan call the Gaza campaign?

Question: Who was angered during the debate on Gaza?

Question: Who is Shimon Peres?

Question: Where did Erdogan go for a hero's welcome?

Question: Where was the World Economic Forum held?

Question: The prime minister of what country was angered?

Answer: Turkey.

Answer: Shimon Peres

Answer: personally.

Answer: Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Answer: Israel

Answer: "barbaric"

Answer: Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,

Answer: Israeli President

Answer: Istanbul,

Answer: Davos, Switzerland.

Answer: Turkey

Summary:
Turkish Prime Minister angered during debate on Gaza at World Economic Forum .
Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel's Gaza campaign "barbaric," stormed off stage .
Israeli president Shimon Peres said he and Erdogan did not take spat personally .
Erdogan returned home to a hero's welcome in Istanbul .