(CNN) -- The cat that vanished in baggage claim at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and whose plight became an online sensation has been found after being missing for two months.

"American Airlines is happy to announce that Jack the Cat has been found safe and well at JFK airport," the carrier wrote in a post on the "Jack the Cat is Lost in AA Baggage at JFK" Facebook page Tuesday evening.

"Jack was found in the customs room and was immediately taken by team members to a local veterinarian. The vet has advised that Jack is doing well at present."

The airline plans to fly the cat to California to be reunited with his owner, Karen Pascoe.

The saga started on August 25, when Pascoe was flying from New York to San Francisco with Jack and a second cat as part of a job relocation. But Jack escaped his kennel and was last seen at JFK's inbound baggage claim.

(A Department of Transportation Pet Incident Report released earlier this month explains how it happened: A clerk placed one kennel on top of another on a baggage cart and the kennel on top fell. The impact "caused the kennel to separate," allowing the cat to escape.)

When a search failed to turn up Jack after a few days, Pascoe became frustrated with American Airlines and started the Facebook page "to help us put pressure on AA to step up their efforts." She also urged fliers to "do whatever they can do to keep their animals out of cargo."

The page now has more than 16,000 followers.

In its post, the airline said the search efforts included "many employees at the airport who have remained vigilant in their search and committed to finding Jack."

While the cat was missing, workers placed food and water around the airport and set up humane traps. American even hired a pet detective and issued a pet Amber alert in hopes of locating the feline.

We "share everyone's relief that he has been found," the carrier said.

Question:
Which airport was the cat found at?
who became a sensation?
What did the feline become
who was found?
What did american airlines find
What airline found Jack the Cat?
where was the cat found

Answer: New York's John F. Kennedy International

Answer: cat that vanished in baggage claim at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport

Answer: an online sensation

Answer: Jack the Cat

Answer: Jack the Cat

Answer: "American

Answer: JFK airport,"

Summary:
American Airlines says it has found Jack the Cat after two months of searching .
The feline became a Facebook sensation after his owner vented online .
The cat was found at John F. Kennedy International Airport's customs room .


(CNN) -- The cause of a South Carolina wildfire that has charred about 19,600 acres appears to be a yard debris fire, the head of the state's Forestry Commission said Friday. Derek Boos sifts through the wreckage of his in-laws' house Friday after a fire in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The blaze seems to have been caused by a yard debris fire in the Woodlawn subdivision, an unincorporated part of Horry County, halfway between Conway and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Forestry Commission Forest Protection Chief Darryl Jones said. The fire began Saturday and rekindled itself Wednesday evening, according to the Forestry Commission. Officials said about 70 homes had been destroyed in the county, which contains a stretch of popular tourist spots, including Myrtle Beach. About 100 other homes were damaged, Horry County officials said. The blaze left only charred rubble and the smoldering, skeletal remains of some houses, even as adjacent homes went untouched. The fire swallowed up pines and dry brush, sending a smoky gray smudge into the sky that could be seen for hours from miles away Thursday. "It's better now, but the smoke was pretty much everywhere," said Chavdar Pavlov, a CNN iReport contributor who lives 20 miles from where the fires raged. "At nighttime, it was like snow in the air, but it wasn't snow; it was ashes." The Horry County Council's Brent Schultz said, "The only way to describe this is tragic." At a Friday morning news conference, frustrated residents who had evacuated demanded to know when they could return home, yelling at Bob Grabowski of the Horry County Council. "I just want to go home," one man cried out, prompting Grabowski to pause. "Come on," others said. "That will be addressed," he said. "We'll get with you on that." About 2,500 people were evacuated Thursday, authorities said, and more than 400 people were in shelters. No fatalities or injuries have been reported from the blaze. Horry County said the fire was about 40 percent contained by early Friday.  Watch as residents face uncertainty about their houses » "It's on everybody's mind and in everyone's conversation," said the Rev. Marion Brazell, whose Conway church was serving as a shelter. "It's pretty flat area, so you can see the smoke from a distance." Brazell had not yet arrived at the church Friday, but he said he believed only Red Cross and other emergency workers were staying there. The evacuations occurred north of Conway, he said. He added good-naturedly, "Shelters are often the last place people will go. They'll go to hotels and motels" that may offer rooms for free. "I'd rather go to a motel than sleep in my church. ... It's much more comfortable than sleeping in a cot," he said. The fire has mostly kept its distance from tourist areas, and as the South Carolina officials provided updates and warnings to residents, they urged visitors to stay. "For tourists coming here for vacation, we should have no problems taking care of our guests and visitors that are going to come to Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach," Grabowski said. And North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley, answering a question about tourism, said Thursday: "People who have reservations can certainly come onto the Grand Strand area and enjoy themselves. It is not affecting the majority of golf courses; there should be no reason that anyone is canceling their vacation." Hatley said she could not say if any golf courses had been damaged. "The golf course property itself was not our first priority," she said. CNN's Mike Phelan, Lisa France and Taylor Gandossy contributed to this report.

Question: What consumed about 20,000 acres?

Question: Where was the blaze?

Question: Is the fire contained?

Question: What is the number of homes destroyed by the fire?

Question: What was contained?

Question: What has been destroyed?

Question: What percentage of the fire was contained early Friday?

Question: What may have caused the fire?

Question: What is the number of evacuees?

Answer: South Carolina wildfire

Answer: South Carolina

Answer: 40 percent

Answer: 70

Answer: the fire

Answer: 70 homes

Answer: 40 percent

Answer: yard debris

Answer: 2,500

Summary:
NEW: Yard debris fire may be cause of blaze in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, area .
Fire about 40 percent contained early Friday in Horry County .
"I just want to go home," one resident yells; nearly 2,500 evacuated .
Fire has consumed about 20,000 acres, destroyed about 70 homes .


(CNN) -- The cell phone video stutters as it records the movement of soldiers and Syrian militia on the streets from an upstairs window. A whispered commentary describes the scene. Another video shows vehicles riddled with bullet holes, shattered apartments, glass shards and concrete lumps mixed with patches of blood. In yet another, protesters flee as heavy-caliber weapons fire ricochets off buildings.

All are scenes purportedly filmed in recent days in Homs, Syria's third-largest city. Security forces have sealed off entire neighborhoods; others are blocked by barricades thrown up by protesters. At night, street rallies take place in areas "liberated" from government control. The many videos uploaded on social media sites, as well as residents' accounts, suggest some neighborhoods in Homs -- at the heart of opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad -- are beginning to resemble Sarajevo at the height of the Bosnian civil war.

That resistance is now becoming more organized and armed. Army deserters calling themselves the Free Syrian Army are helping with the defense of districts opposed to the regime. Some opposition activists say it's time for the international community to declare a no-fly zone over Syria, as it did in Libya, to blunt the regime's overwhelming military advantage. (There is no sign that Western powers are willing to do this.)

Confrontations are also taking on sectarian overtones that could lead to a wider explosion of communal violence. There have been sectarian shootings and assassinations of prominent local people outside their homes. Residents say the government has begun deploying largely Alawite militia in Sunni neighborhoods such as Khaldiye, Bab Sbaa, Bab DreÃ¯b and Bab Amro. Though Syria is majority Sunni, its leadership tends to belong to the Alawite sect.

Homs has long been a divided city, with Alawites living in the south and a rapidly growing Sunni population predominant in other neighborhoods. Opposition activists claim that the regime is trying to incite sectarian strife in an effort to divide opponents and show what civil war in Syria might look like.

Residents of Homs who recently fled to neighboring Lebanon, and don't want to be identified due to security concerns, say that sectarianism is neither endemic nor widespread, but admit that tensions between communities are increasing. They say that they want a united Syria but accuse the al-Assad regime of stoking sectarian flames.

The unrest is not confined to Homs. There are daily reports of protests, deaths and clampdowns by the security forces in the suburbs of Damascus, in Daraa to the south (where the unrest began in March), and elsewhere.

Army defectors who have reached the relative safety of Lebanon speak of exhaustion after months on the streets, in some cases being ordered to fire on unarmed demonstrators. CNN spoke to one soldier in a hospital in northern Lebanon. "Too much killing, we were always in the streets," he said. State media report ambushes of security personnel by armed gangs on a regular basis, though other accounts suggest these ambushes may often be clashes between defecting conscripts and elite units loyal to the regime. Even so, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, told Reuters last month that the military was still "very powerful and very cohesive."

Against this background of growing violence, the Syrian economy is suffering -- its oil revenues declining just as government spending spirals.

The government has announced spending will increase 60% in 2012 -- much of it going for subsidies as it tries to tamp down the unrest. Analysts say the state has little chance of improving tax revenues to cover this spending.

International sanctions, including those against oil exports and Syrian banks, are adding to the pain. Last week, the European Union followed the U.S. in freezing transactions with the Commercial Bank of Syria, which handles all letters of credit for the regime. The Syrian economy is growing more and more isolated from international trade -- and sources of hard currency.

Last month, the Syrian government banned a wide range of imports in an effort to save dwindling foreign exchange reserves, before the economy minister reversed the ban two weeks later "due to the legitimate demands of citizens, as it

Question: What is is also taking on sectarian overtones?

Question: Which economy is worsening?

Question: What is happening to the Syrian economy?

Question: Opposition to the al-Assad regime is becoming what?

Question: What is taking sectarian overtones?

Question: What is is becoming more organized ?

Question: What is making the Syrian economy worse?

Question: Violence is taking on what overtones?

Answer: Confrontations

Answer: Syrian

Answer: is suffering

Answer: more

Answer: Confrontations

Answer: resistance

Answer: oil revenues declining

Answer: sectarian

Summary:
Opposition to the al-Assad regime is becoming more organized and armed .
Violence is also taking on sectarian overtones .
Along with the increased violence, the Syrian economy is worsening .


(CNN) -- The chairman of one of India's fastest-growing banks, the sister of a Bollywood actor, a Times of India journalist and the chief of India's Anti-Terrorism Squad were among Indians killed in the four-day terrorist siege in Mumbai. National Security Guard troops salute slain commando Gajendra Singh on Saturday in New Delhi, India. Eighteen foreigners, including five Americans, were killed in attacks on nine sites Wednesday through Saturday in India's commercial capital; at least 165 Indians died. Several news outlets reported that Ashok Kapur, chairman of Yes Bank, was killed Wednesday at the Oberoi hotel. He had gone there to have dinner with his wife and some friends, who escaped the carnage, the Indian newspaper Business Standard reported. His body was found not in the restaurant but on the hotel's 19th floor, a bank spokesperson told the paper. Kapur was one of the founders of the bank and held a 12 percent stake in it, Business Standard said. His long banking career included ventures in Singapore and the Netherlands, and he was an adviser to India's wealthy Tata family, the paper reported. Bollywood actor Ashish Chowdhury's sister, Monica Chhabaria, and her husband also were killed Wednesday at the Oberoi, CNN-IBN reported. The actor waited outside the hotel for word of his sister, who he said had stopped answering phone calls after the siege began. Chowdhury has appeared in numerous Indian films. He had a small role in the U.S. film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt. The body of Sabina Sehgal Saikia, a Times of India consulting editor and food critic, was recovered Saturday from the Taj hotel, CNN-IBN reported. As the terrorists were seizing control of the hotel, Saikia had sent a text message to hotel employees saying, ''They are in my bathroom,'' CNN-IBN said. She was not heard from again. Hotel staff were also among the many dead. Boris Rego, a management trainee at the Taj Mahal hotel, was killed Thursday, his brother told CNN-IBN. Kevin Rego said his 25-year-old brother was working in the hotel's restaurant when gunmen barged in and opened fire. Boris made several phone calls to his family in Goa, the last one coming in about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Kevin Rego told CNN-IBN. "There was commotion in the background. All he said was 'Daddy ... Kevin ... Kevin.' Then his voice trailed off, and there was silence," his brother said. The chairman of the company that owns the Taj told said the hotel's general manager lost his family in a fire the broke out in the hotel Wednesday night. "I went up to him today, and he said, 'Sir, we are going to beat this. We are going to build this Taj back into what it was,' " Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata told CNN's Fareed Zakaria. The bodies of Karambir Kang's wife and two children of were burned beyond recognition in the fire, The Times of India reported, citing hotel sources, but it was unclear whether they were killed in the blaze. Thousands turned out Saturday in Mumbai for the funeral of Hemant Karkare, chief of Maharashtra state's Anti-Terrorism Squad, who was shot to death Wednesday as the siege unfolded. He was one of at least 17 police officers who died in the attacks. Karkare's cremation was delayed while his two daughters made their way home from the United States and England, The Times of India reported. A military funeral was held Saturday in Bangalore for Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a National Security Guard commando who was killed at the Taj hotel, The Times of India reported. iReport.com: Share tributes to those lost The body of another Security Guard officer, Gajendra Singh, was taken to New Delhi before being transported for last rights in his native Dehradun, The Times reported. He was killed at Mumbai's Chabad House, a Jewish community center where American-born rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his Israeli

Question: At what location was the chairman of Yes bank reported to have been killed?

Question: What position did Sabina Sehgal Saikia hold before her death?

Question: How many police were killed?

Question: Where was the chairman of Yes Bank killed?

Question: Who was reported dead?

Question: Who is the deceased consulting editor?

Question: Who was the chairman of Yes Bank?

Question: Whose body was found?

Question: What was Saikia's job?

Question: Who was the chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad?

Answer: Mumbai.

Answer: Times of India consulting editor and food critic,

Answer: at least 17

Answer: Oberoi hotel.

Answer: Ashok Kapur,

Answer: Sabina Sehgal Saikia, a Times of India

Answer: Ashok Kapur,

Answer: Ashok Kapur,

Answer: Times of India consulting editor and food critic,

Answer: Hemant Karkare,

Summary:
NEW: Hotel employee, Taj GM's wife and two sons reported dead .
Ashok Kapur, chairman of Yes Bank, reported killed at Oberoi Hotel .
Body of Sabina Sehgal Saikia, Times of India consulting editor, found .
Hemant Karkare, chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad, among 17 police killed .


(CNN) -- The chaotic scene unfolded with flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets and clouds of smoke. Canisters whizzed through the air amid deafening booms.

Marine Lance Cpl. Scott Olsen went down.

"Medic! Medic!" someone yelled.

Olsen, 24, had seen his share of war in two tours of Iraq as a Marine. He was lucky, returning home physically unscathed.

But Tuesday evening, near the corner of 14th Avenue and Broadway in Oakland, California, Olsen went down.

The video images went viral: streams of crimson flowing down Olsen's head, his black T-shirt adorned with a white dove of peace, the war veteran carried to a hospital.

And with that, the Occupy movement had a face.

"We are all Scott Olsen," declared its website.

"It's ironic," said his uncle George Nygaard, that Olsen should be the poster child for this movement.

Ironic, said Olsen's Marine buddy and current roommate Keith Shannon, that a young man who fought for American freedoms should be injured exercising those same freedoms at home.

He was 14 at the time of the September 11 attacks and graduated in 2005 from Onalaska High School with the same sense of patriotism that drove so many young men and women to join the military.

He was working at Lindy's Subs and Salads when he decided to enlist. Soon, he was in Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert for training and the next year on his way to war.

Olsen deployed twice with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment to Iraq's Anbar province, site of some the war's fiercest battles.

Shannon said they often encountered makeshift bombs in their 2006 tour during which 15 of their fellow Marines died.

Nygaard said Olsen told him about a couple of close calls, one in which he rolled over a roadside bomb that somehow failed to detonate.

Olsen had always been a quiet, shy kid, Nygaard said. A computer whiz, not a jock. And not the type of young man his friends had expected to become an activist.

But war touched Olsen as it does almost everyone who comes that close.

After his last tour of Iraq, he returned home with serious misgivings and gravitated to Nygaard, a former Marine himself who had returned from Vietnam feeling similarly.

In small-town Wisconsin, uncle and nephew talked to each other about the larger issues of war.

"He came back thinking there were better ways to deal with things than war," Nygaard said.

Olsen's parents, Nygaard said, didn't always understand the change in their son. But Nygaard felt an affinity for the young man.

"I am so much more proud of him now than when he was in (the Marine Corps), because he followed through on his convictions," Nygaard said.

Those convictions led Olsen to Madison this year to join protests of a bill by Gov. Scott Walker to weaken organized labor in Wisconsin.

"Scott thought the workers were getting screwed," said Nygaard, who was on the streets with his nephew.

This summer, Olsen's friend Shannon helped him get a job at OPSWAT, a technology firm in San Francisco.

By then, Olsen had become deeply involved with Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War. At one event, he stood with a poster that read: "32 veterans will try to commit suicide every day and 18 will succeed."

"He worried deeply about his fellow brothers and sisters who are veterans," Nygaard said.

That's what prompted him to join the Occupy movement, first in San Francisco and then across the bay in Oakland, Nygaard said. Olsen knew there were many veterans among America's down and out.

For the past three weeks, he was working during the day and out all night at the Occupy protests, Shannon said. He came home only three or four times to the Daly City apartment the two shared -- mainly to do laundry.

Still, the laid-back Olsen was never a screamer

Question: Who returned from Iraq without injury?

Question: Scott Olsen returned from where?

Question: Where did Scott Olsen return from?

Question: What did his uncle say?

Question: Who became the face of the movement?

Question: Did olsen become the face of the movement?

Answer: Marine Lance Cpl. Scott Olsen

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Iraq

Answer: "It's ironic,"

Answer: Scott Olsen,"

Answer: deeply involved with Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Summary:
Scott Olsen returned from two tours of Iraq without injury .
But he suffered a fractured skull in the Oakland protests .
The videos went viral, and Olsen became the face of the movement .
His uncle says Iraq changed his nephew's views on war .


(CNN) -- The chief executive of American Airlines, which has grounded almost 2,500 flights over the past three days, accepted "full responsibility" Thursday for failing to meet government inspection standards. "I am profoundly sorry that we've gotten ourselves into this situation, and I thank our customers for their patience under very difficult circumstances," American CEO Gerard Arpey said Thursday afternoon. The airline canceled 933 flights on MD-80 jets Thursday and announced  570 would be scrapped Friday. Potential wiring hazards in wheel wells that could cause fires or problems with landing gear prompted the action. American canceled several hundred flights for the same reason about two weeks ago. Earlier Thursday, American said it expected all of its MD-80 jets to be flight-worthy by Saturday night. The airline has offered to make amends to travelers with refunds, vouchers and compensation for overnight stays. The cancellations have delayed and stranded more than 140,000 passengers. Roger Frizzell, an airline spokesman, said the inspections involve technical compliance as opposed to flight safety.  Watch how air travelers deal with disruptions » Although American was most affected by the inspections, the Federal Aviation Administration's orders for safety checks have also affected Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and Midwest Airlines, which was the latest airline to ground planes: 13 on Thursday. The FAA launched its inspection campaign in March, after CNN obtained documents given to congressional investigators that showed more than 100 Southwest aircraft had not had mandatory safety inspections.   At a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration's safety division, Nicholas Sabatini, was told that his agency's performance was woeful. "I think [it's] approaching losing the confidence of the American people and the Congress," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia. Lawmakers said the agency has become too close to the airline industry. Sabatini defended the FAA's record but said any lapse was cause for concern. "We found we had achieved 99 percent safety compliance," he told lawmakers. But, he added, "It's the other 1 percent that keeps me up at night." Passengers scheduled to fly on an American Airlines MD-80 between Tuesday and Friday can receive a full refund or apply the value of their ticket to a future flight, the airline said. People who stayed overnight as a result of a canceled flight can go to the company's Web site to inquire about receiving compensation. Arpey said that the MD-80 has been a great plane for American Airlines and that the inspection problems should have "no impact on our long-term fleet plan." "The FAA is stepping up their surveillance and doing their job," Arpey said. "In this case, we failed to get it right, and we're trying very hard to get it right." He said American plans to hire an independent consultant to examine the company's inspection system. Meanwhile, airports are doing their best to keep frustrated travelers happy. "Getting stuck at the airport is not like a day at the beach, but we sure are trying to make passengers as comfortable as possible," said Ken Capps, vice president of public affairs for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. Eateries were staying open all night, some provided free pastries and coffee, and some even handed out diapers. The situation at American's hub at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, "was what you might see on a normal Thursday morning," CNN's Susan Roesgen reported. American employees handing out free coffee and granola bars found few takers.  Watch a report from O'Hare » At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, American passengers reported frustration but complimented the carrier's efforts to get them to their destinations. "We were rerouted," said Chad Duncan of San Angelo, Texas, who was in Georgia to watch practice rounds of the Masters golf tournament. "They were very helpful and everything, but it's frustrating. Instead of having one stopover, we now have three

Question: What caused the cancellation?

Question: What type of jet did experts expect to be flight-worthy?

Question: Which day of the week did Alaska and Midwest airlines cancel their flights?

Question: How many flights will be cancelled according to American Airlines?

Question: What is wrong with the planes?

Answer: failing to meet government inspection standards.

Answer: MD-80

Answer: Thursday.

Answer: 2,500

Answer: Potential wiring hazards in wheel wells that could cause fires or problems

Summary:
NEW: American Airlines says 570 flights will be canceled Friday .
"I am profoundly sorry," chief executive of American Airlines says .
American expects all of its MD-80 jets to be flight-worthy by Saturday night .
Alaska Airlines, Midwest Airlines cancel flights Thursday for safety checks .


(CNN) -- The chief operating officer of the National Children's Museum was arrested Tuesday and is charged with distributing child pornography over the Internet, authorities said.

Robert A. Singer is accused of sending images depicting child pornography to people he believed to be a 12-year-old girl and her 33-year-old mother, according to a statement issued by U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia of the Southern District of New York.

In reality he was communicating with an undercover detective for the New York Police Department.

Some of the pornographic images were sent from Singer's computer at the museum, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges by a special agent who investigates child pornography and child exploitation for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

The Washington museum posted a message on its Web site saying officials there are "horrified" by news of Singer's arrest. They reported that he has been suspended from his post, effective immediately, and is barred from the property.

Singer, 49, was arrested at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, by federal agents, according to the prosecutors' statement. Authorities allege he engaged in several instant messaging "chats" and e-mail communications with the undercover detective, posing as the woman and her daughter, from August  to September.

He is charged with five counts of distributing child pornography in interstate commerce. If convicted on each count, he would face a sentence of up to 140 years in prison -- up to 20 years for the first count and up to 40 years for each additional count, prosecutors said.

Singer allegedly initiated contact with the undercover detective, posing as the mother, in an America On Line chat room called "Cuties." The chat room attracts people who "are known to trade in pornographic images, including child pornography," according to an affidavit filed in the case by a special agent who investigates child pornography and child exploitation for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"On five separate occasions in August 2007, Singer sent several images of child pornography over the Internet to the mother and the daughter, including images depicting sexual acts between minors and adults and images depicting known victims of child exploitation," prosecutors said.

In his communications with the supposed daughter, Singer pretended to be a 15-year-old boy, authorities said. In August 2007, he sent her two images featuring child pornography, according to the affidavit, with the instruction, "just delete it when you are done."

A search of Singer's AOL account activity showed that from July to September, he sent about 80 images featuring child pornography to people including the detective, authorities said in the statement. Also, the search revealed that he had received about 10 images and one video depicting child pornography.

Singer was expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge later Tuesday.

He is identified in the complaint as a spokesman for the National Children's Museum, but a spokeswoman who asked not to be identified said he was promoted to chief operating officer within the past few months. He has been employed by the museum for four years, she said.

In a written statement, the museum said it was notified by the Department of Homeland Security and ICE of Singer's arrest. "We are horrified by the charges," the statement said. "This news is deeply upsetting to the National Children's Museum family."

"As its essence, the National Children's Museum is about enriching the lives of children," the statement said. "We are educators, child advocates and parents. Anyone who does anything that might endanger the welfare of a child has no place here. Harming children is against everything we stand for as an organization and as individuals."

The museum, formerly known as the Capital Children's Museum, has been closed to the public since 2004, and operates from administrative offices, the statement said. A new facility is being built and is scheduled to open in 2012.  E-mail to a friend

Question: What was the 12 year old girl?

Question: Who was the accused?

Question: What are museum officials saying about the charges?

Question: Who was Singer a spokesperson for

Question: WHat was the age of the girl?

Question: WHAT WAS A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL ACTUALLY UNDERCOVER AS?

Question: which is the age of the girl who was a detective?

Question: What age was the girl

Question: What reaction has there been from Washington museum officials?

Question: Which police department did the undercover agent work for?

Question: WHAT IS ROBERT A. SINGER ACCUSED OF?

Question: Who is accused of mailing child porn

Question: What museum did this happen at?

Question: what city was the undercover detective from

Question: What is Robert A Singer accused of?

Question: Where did Robert A. Singer work?

Question: What crime is Robert A. Singer accused of?

Question: What was the singer spokesman for?

Question: What was the police involvement in this case?

Question: To whom did Robert A. Singer mail child porn?

Question: What did Washington museum officials say about the charges?

Question: what is he accused of

Answer: an undercover detective

Answer: Robert A. Singer

Answer: are "horrified" by news of Singer's arrest.

Answer: National Children's Museum,

Answer: 12-year-old

Answer: detective for the New York Police Department.

Answer: 12-year-old

Answer: 12-year-old

Answer: "horrified"

Answer: New York

Answer: sending images depicting child pornography to people he believed to be a 12-year-old girl and her 33-year-old mother,

Answer: Robert A. Singer

Answer: National Children's

Answer: New York

Answer: sending images depicting child pornography to people he believed to be a 12-year-old girl and her 33-year-old mother,

Answer: National Children's Museum

Answer: sending images depicting child pornography

Answer: National Children's Museum,

Answer: undercover detective

Answer: undercover detective for the New York Police Department.

Answer: "We are horrified by the charges,"

Answer: distributing child pornography over the Internet,

Summary:
Robert A. Singer is accused of e-mailing child porn to 12-year-old girl .
12-year-old girl was actually undercover New York City detective .
Singer was identified in court document as National Children's Museum spokesman .
Washington museum officials say they are "horrified" by the charges .


(CNN) -- The city councils in two of Arizona's largest cities have voted to file suit over the state's controversial new immigration law, which allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency.

The Tucson City Council voted 5-1 to file suit, and the city council in Flagstaff approved a similar measure 7-0. Both votes occurred Tuesday.

Members of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, meanwhile, plan to wear jerseys that say "Los Suns" in a playoff game Wednesday as "a way for our team and our organization to honor our Latino community," managing partner Robert Sarver said in a statement.

Opposition to the law continued Wednesday, with some civil rights and labor organizations saying they will announce a boycott Thursday.

Joining in Thursday's announcement will be the National Council of La Raza, which bills itself as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States; the Asian American Justice Center; the Center for Community Change; the Service Employees International Union; and the United Food and Commercial Workers, the groups said in a release.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the immigration measure April 23. It is scheduled to go into effect this summer.

Critics say the law will lead to racial profiling. Brewer and others who support the law say it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts.

The city councils said they passed the measures because of concerns over enforcement costs and negative effects on Arizona's tourism industry. Opponents of the immigration law have called for a boycott of Arizona tourism and urge that no one engage in any commerce with businesses located in the state.

In Tucson, council member Regina Romero introduced a motion for "the city attorney to bring a legal challenge" because the immigration bill is "a bad law, which could cost the city millions of dollars in lawsuits and is unconstitutional."

"This bill opens the door to racial profiling, and it puts Latinos in Arizona in automatic suspect mode," Romero said.

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said up to 38 percent of retail sales in the city come from legal Mexican visitors.

The state immigration law threatens those businesses, Walkup said, just when "the city is just beginning to recover from the economic downturn."

The Mexican government issued an advisory to its citizens last week to avoid travel in Arizona.

The Organization of American States expressed its concern about the law last week, and presidents of South American countries meeting in Argentina for a gathering of the Union of South American Nations condemned the law Tuesday.

Well-known Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes recommended this week that dark-skinned people, men with mustaches, women who use shawls, or anyone who does not speak English well should not go to Arizona because the state has "officially declared itself racist," the government-run Notimex news service reported Wednesday.

The Phoenix Suns basketball team also criticized the new law.

"The frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law," managing partner Sarver said. "However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them."

Question: Tucson and Flagstaff vote to file suit against what?

Question: What do critics say?

Question: Who says they'll announce a boycott on Thursday?

Question: Who will file suit?

Question: What does law allow the police?

Question: What boycott will be announced on Thursday?

Question: What does law allow?

Question: Critics say what about new law?

Answer: controversial new immigration law,

Answer: the law will lead to racial profiling.

Answer: some civil rights and labor organizations

Answer: city councils

Answer: ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency.

Answer: civil rights and labor organizations

Answer: police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency.

Answer: lead to racial profiling.

Summary:
NEW: Civil rights and labor organizations say they'll announce boycott on Thursday .
Tucson and Flagstaff vote to file suit against Arizona's new immigration law .
Law allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. immigration status .
Critics say it will lead to racial profiling; supporters disagree .


(CNN) -- The city of New Haven, Connecticut, will promote 14 firefighters who were involved in a workplace discrimination case that worked its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The firefighters were among the New Haven 20 -- one Hispanic and 19 white firefighters -- who fought the city after it threw out the results of a 2003 firefighter promotion exam that left too few minorities qualified for promotions. A U.S. District Court issued a judgment finding the city violated the civil rights of a group of the white firefighters when it threw out the exams in 2004, according to Jessica Mayorga, city spokeswoman. The Tuesday decision follows a court action by seven black New Haven firefighters seeking to delay the promotions. "Yesterday, the court entered an order that provides the City of New Haven with the legal sanction necessary to move forward and promote the fourteen plaintiffs in the Ricci case entitled to promotions," the city said in a statement. "As a result, we intend to do so as soon as practicable." The firefighters will be promoted to either lieutenant or captain. Mayorga said the other six involved in the lawsuit were not eligible for promotions that were available at the time the exams were given. She said the court's order only addresses 14 of the 20 plaintiffs. If the exams had been certified in 2004, the other six plaintiffs would not have been promoted. The case was the center of attention during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of now-Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that backed the city in the case. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned the appeals court ruling 5-4 earlier this year when the justices ruled that the city improperly threw out the results of the promotion exams. Key plaintiff Frank Ricci and others took promotion exams in 2003 for lieutenant and captain positions that had become available in Connecticut's second-largest city. New Haven's personnel department had contracted with a private firm to design the exams. When the results came back, however, city lawyers expressed concern about the results because none of the black firefighters and only one Latino who took the exam scored high enough to be promoted. The city said that under a federal civil rights law known as Title VII, employers must ban actions such as promotion tests that would have a "disparate impact" on a protected class, such as a specified race or gender. The group of firefighters, claiming they were wronged by the city's action, then sued, calling themselves the "New Haven 20."

Question: What did the test leave too few of?

Question: how many firefighters will be promoted?

Question: What did New Haven lawyers say?

Question: How many firefighters get promoted?

Question: who fought the city?

Question: How many firefighters will get promoted?

Answer: minorities qualified for promotions.

Answer: 14

Answer: expressed concern about the results because none of the black firefighters and only one Latino who took the exam scored high enough to be promoted.

Answer: 14

Answer: New Haven 20

Answer: 14

Summary:
Firefighters fought city after it threw out the results of a promotion exam .
Test left too few minorities qualified for promotions, New Haven lawyers said .
14 of 20 firefighters will get promoted .


(CNN) -- The civil warfare and social instability in Somalia have prompted the flight of more than 50,000 refugees to neighboring Kenya this year alone, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday. The Dadaab refugee complex is the largest of its kind in the world. Somalis are arriving at an average rate of 6,400 a month, and their presence has placed pressure on northern Kenya's Dadaab refugee complex -- bursting at the seams with three times the population it was built to hold. There are more than 281,000 Somali refugees there, and the UNHCR fears that heavy rains in Kenya will lead to flooding at the complex and pose "considerable health risks to the refugees." The International Organization of Migration has been working with the UNHCR, Kenyan authorities and non-governmental organizations to relocate refugees from Dadaab to the Kakuma camp in the northwestern part of the country. Somalia has been in turmoil for years. Clashes have raged between pro-government forces and rebel groups such as Al-Shabaab, the Islamist militia with ties to al Qaeda. And this fighting has prompted widespread displacement in the war-wracked nation. Al-Shabaab has been targeting the most prominent Western-linked entity in the capital, Mogadishu -- the African Union peacekeeping mission, the de facto military force of the weak, transitional Somali government. Fighting has forced about 250,000 Somalis out of their homes in Mogadishu since May and many of the displaced have sought refuge west of the capital in the Afgooye corridor, the U.N. agency said. Also, many Somalis have chosen to flee the country by traveling across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to Yemen or the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Many have drowned or have gone missing in their journey.

Question: Where are the refugees entering?

Question: how many refugees are arriving every month on Kenya's Dabaab camp

Question: how many a month?

Question: how many refugees?

Question: What forced them out?

Question: how many somalis were forced out of their homes in Mogadishu?

Answer: Kenya

Answer: 6,400

Answer: 6,400

Answer: more than 50,000

Answer: Fighting

Answer: 250,000

Summary:
More than 50,000 Somali refugees have entered Kenya since the beginning of 2009 .
Refugees are arriving at 6,400 every month placing strain on Kenya's Dadaab camp .
Fighting forced about 250,000 Somalis out of their homes in Mogadishu since May .


(CNN) -- The co-pilot of a plane that crashed in Buffalo, New York, in February was feeling ill and had considered backing out of the flight, according to a cockpit voice recorder transcript released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board. First Officer Rebecca Shaw said before takeoff: "You know, we'll see how it feels flying." "You know, we'll see how it feels flying," First Officer Rebecca Shaw said as the plane prepared for takeoff. "If the pressure's just too much, I, you know, I could always call in tomorrow." She added, "I'm pretty tough." At a safety board hearing in May, NTSB investigators said Shaw had pulled an all-nighter before she got on the plane. After three days off, she had commuted through the night from Seattle, Washington, catching rides on FedEx flights to get to Newark, New Jersey, investigators said. Colgan Flight 3407 crashed February 12 during an instrument approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. The four crew members and all 45 passengers died; there was also one fatality on the ground. The transcript indicates intermittent sneezes and sniffles during the flight. The report released Monday adds to the factual material connected to the investigation and does not provide analysis into the probable cause of the accident, the safety board said. The other pilot on the flight, Capt. Marvin Renslow had nearly a full day off beforehand, but safety board investigators found that he slept in the Newark Airport crew lounge, against Colgan Air regulations. CNN's Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report.

Question: When did it crash

Question: When dis Colgan Flight 3407 crash?

Question: The crash happened during approach to what city?

Question: What would Shaw do the next day?

Question: Who was feeling ill?

Question: What was the flight number

Question: When did the flight crash?

Answer: February 12

Answer: February 12

Answer: Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.

Answer: said as the plane prepared for takeoff. "If the pressure's just too much, I, you know, I could always call in tomorrow."

Answer: co-pilot of a plane

Answer: 3407

Answer: February 12

Summary:
Transcripts show that Rebecca Shaw was feeling ill .
Shaw said that if pressure was too much, she could call out the next day .
Colgan Flight 3407 crashed February 12 during approach to Buffalo .


(CNN) -- The coming summer and fall could be an "active to extremely active" hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted.

There is a 70 percent chance that three to seven major hurricanes will swirl in the Atlantic in the six months following the start of the hurricane season on June 1, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

"If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record," said Jane Lubchenco, the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA's administrator.

The forecast predicts between 14 and 23 storms with top winds of 39 mph or higher, the threshold for tropical storm status.

It predicts eight to 14 of those will become named hurricanes, with winds topping 74 mph or higher, and three to seven of those will become major ones, meaning Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Category 3 storms have sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

Forecasters have said that El Nino conditions will dissipate by summer and that unusually warm tropical Atlantic surface temperatures will persist, leading to favorable conditions for hurricanes to develop and intensify.

A report released in April by Colorado State University's forecasters William Gray and Phil Klotzbach also said that this year's hurricane season could be difficult, but they predicted only 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

Gray and Klotzbach will issue a revised forecast next Wednesday.

A typical season has 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes, according to NOAA. The hurricane season ends November 30, although later storms have been known to happen.

Last year's hurricane season was below average, with only nine named tropical storms, three of which were hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center said it was the lowest number of tropical storms for the Atlantic basin since 1997.

Question: What effect is the unusually warm tropical Atlantic surface temperatures expected to have?

Question: What is expected to boost storms?

Question: When does the Hurrican season start?

Question: What is unusual?

Question: What did NOAA predicted?

Question: How many major hurriances did NOAA predict?

Question: What does NOAA predict?

Question: When does Hurricane season start?

Answer: favorable conditions for hurricanes

Answer: unusually warm tropical Atlantic surface temperatures

Answer: June 1,

Answer: unusually warm tropical Atlantic surface temperatures

Answer: coming summer and fall could be an "active to extremely active" hurricane season in the

Answer: 14 and 23 storms

Answer: coming summer and fall could be an "active to extremely active" hurricane season in the

Answer: June 1,

Summary:
NOAA predicts three to seven "major" hurricanes in the Atlantic .
Hurricane season starts Tuesday .
Unusually warm tropical Atlantic surface temperatures are expected to boost storms .


(CNN) -- The commissioner of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department said Thursday he "deeply regrets" the arrest of prominent black Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., but stands by the procedures followed by his department. Sgt. Jim Crowley said he has nothing to apologize for in regards to the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. "I believe that Sgt. [James] Crowley acted in a way that is consistent with his training at the department, and consistent with national standards of law enforcement protocol," Commissioner Robert Haas said, referring to the officer who made the July 16 arrest at the professor's home. "I do not believe his actions in any way were racially motivated," Haas said at a news conference. Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct after an exchange with the officer, who was investigating a report of a possible break-in at the house. The police department will create a panel of "independent, notable professionals" to provide an analysis of the incident, he said. The controversial arrest of Gates was criticized Wednesday by President Obama, who said the Cambridge police department "acted stupidly." "My response is that this department is deeply pained and takes its professional pride very seriously," Haas said. Cambridge authorities dropped the charges against Gates on Tuesday. In a statement, the International Association of Chiefs of Police expressed disappointment in Obama's remarks. "Police chiefs understand that it is critically important to have all the facts on any police matter before drawing conclusions or making any public statement," said Russell B. Laine, association president and chief of the Algonquin, Illinois, police department, in the statement. "For these reasons, the IACP was disappointed in the president's characterization of the Cambridge Police Department." Haas' comments followed a statement earlier Thursday from Crowley, who said he would not apologize for his actions. "That apology will never come from me as Jim Crowley. It won't come from me as sergeant in the Cambridge Police Department," Crowley told Boston radio station WEEI. "Whatever anybody else chooses to do in the name of the city of Cambridge or the Cambridge Police Department, which are beyond my control, I don't worry about that. I know what I did was right. I have nothing to apologize for." The mayor of Cambridge said she will meet with the city's police chief to make sure the scenario that led to Gates' arrest does not happen again. "This suggests that something happened that should not have happened," E. Denise Simmons, Cambridge's mayor said on CNN's "American Morning." "The situation is certainly unfortunate. This can't happen again in Cambridge." Obama defended Gates Wednesday night, while acknowledging that he may be "a little biased," because Gates is a friend. "But I think it's fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry; No. 2, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, No. 3 ... that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately." The incident, Obama said, shows "how race remains a factor in this society." Crowley also said he is exercising caution and his previous actions clearly show he is not a racist. In fact, Crowley taught a racial profiling course at the Lowell Police Academy, said Deborah Friedl, deputy superintendent of the police department. Last year was his fifth year as a co-instructor of the course, Friedl said. "He seems to be a highly regarded £instructor at the academy. He consistently received high praise from students," she said. Gates told CNN Wednesday that although charges had been dropped, he will keep the issue alive. "This is not about me; this is about the vulnerability of black men in America," Gates told CNN's Soledad O'Brien. Gates said the Cambridge

Question: what says Sgt. James?

Question: Charges were dropped against which professor?

Question: What happened to the professor?

Answer: he has nothing to apologize for in regards to the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Answer: Henry Louis Gates Jr.,

Answer: Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct after an exchange with the officer, who was investigating a report of a possible break-in at the house.

Summary:
Officer: "I know what I did was right. I have nothing to apologize for"
Sgt. James Crowley said he was exercising caution during professor's arrest .
Crowley tells newspaper he's not a racist, did CPR on black basketball star .
Charges were dropped against professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.


(CNN) -- The company owns The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Sands Macau in The People's Republic of China's Special Administrative Region of Macau, as well as Venetian Macau Limited, a developer of additional multiple casino hotel resort properties in Macau.

The first phase of the Venetian Casino Resort opened in May 1999, which originally consisted of 3,036 suites though the number of suites was reduced over time to 3,014 based on renovations and remodeling.

Since it's opening, the property has received recognition as revolutionizing the Las Vegas hotel industry, and has been honored with architectural and other awards naming it as one the finest hotels in the world.

In 2003, The Venetian added the 1,013-suite Venezia tower -- giving The Venetian 4,027 suites, 18 world-class restaurants, and a retail mall with canals, gondolas and singing gondoliers.

In May 2004, Las Vegas Sands opened the Sands Macau, located on China's southeastern coast. The Sands Macau includes approximately 163,000 square feet of gaming facilities, luxury suites, specialty restaurants and an International VIP club.

In December 2004, in one of the year's most anticipated initial public offerings, Dr. and Mr. Adelson rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange and with it shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. began trading. The price of the Sands stock rose 61 percent on its opening day, becoming the largest opening day of any American-based initial public offering in the last two years.

The Venetian Casino Resort is one of the most productive properties on the Strip, having an occupancy rate of 98.3% and an average daily room rate of $219 during the nine months ended September 30, 2004. E-mail to a friend

Question: What does the company own?

Question: Which other complexes has it opened?

Question: What is the name of the third casino complex?

Question: When did Venetian Casino resort open?

Question: when open sands vegas?

Question: The Venetian Casino Resort, which opened in 1999, now has how many suites??

Question: Where is the Venetian Casino Resort located?

Question: When did Las Vegas Sands open?

Question: What is the number of suites that the Venetian Casino Resort has now?

Question: When did the Sands Macau open?

Question: What company owns three major casino complexes, in Las Vegas and Macau?

Question: when open venetian casino resort?

Question: Who owns three major casinos?

Question: What was the number of suites in the Venetian originally?

Question: When did Sands Macau open?

Question: where The company located

Answer: The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

Answer: The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

Answer: Sands Macau

Answer: May 1999,

Answer: May 2004,

Answer: 4,027

Answer: Las Vegas, Nevada

Answer: opened in May 1999,

Answer: 4,027

Answer: May 2004,

Answer: Venetian

Answer: opened in May 1999,

Answer: Las Vegas Sands

Answer: 3,036

Answer: May 2004,

Answer: Las Vegas, Nevada

Summary:
The company owns three major casino complexes, in Las Vegas and Macau .
Venetian Casino Resort opened in 1999, originally consisted of 3,036 suites .
In May 2004, Las Vegas Sands opened the Sands Macau .


(CNN) -- The company was founded in 1985 by seven communications industry veterans -- Franklin Antonio, Adelia Coffman, Andrew Cohen, Klein Gilhousen, Irwin Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi and Harvey White.

One of Qualcomm's first products was OmniTRACS, introduced in 1988, which is currently the largest satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry.

Today, Qualcomm's patent portfolio includes approximately 6,100 United States patents and patent applications for CDMA and related technologies. More than 130 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide have licensed QUALCOMM's essential CDMA patents.

Qualcomm is among the members of the S&P 500 Index, Fortune 500, and a winner of the U.S. Department of Labor's" Secretary of Labor's Opportunity Award."

The company has been listed among Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for nine years in a row and the magazine's list of" Most Admired Companies."

Qualcomm's Annual revenue for 2006 was $7.53 billion, with a net income of $2.47 billion. E-mail to a friend

Question: What field is Qualcomm a huge name in?

Question: What does Fortune list the company as?

Question: What number of patents does Qualcomm have?

Question: What is the company a huge name in?

Question: What do Qualcomm have 6,100 of?

Question: Who lists Qualcomm as one of the best 100 places to work?

Question: what company has approximately 6,100 patents

Question: What has the company had happen?

Question: the company has become huge in what

Question: what country is mentioned

Question: What is the porfolio size?

Answer: satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry.

Answer: "100 Best Companies to Work For in America"

Answer: 6,100 United States

Answer: largest satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry.

Answer: United States patents and patent applications for CDMA and related technologies.

Answer: Fortune's

Answer: Qualcomm's

Answer: been listed among Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for nine years in a row and the magazine's list of" Most Admired Companies."

Answer: satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry.

Answer: United States

Answer: portfolio includes approximately 6,100 United States patents and patent applications

Summary:
The company has become a huge name in communications in just 20 years .
Qualcomm has a portfolio of approximately 6,100 U.S. patents .
Fortune lists the company as one of the 100 best places to work in the U.S.


(CNN) -- The congressional showdown over Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' nomination to President Obama's Cabinet may focus less on her qualifications than on the issue of abortion, analysts said.

Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama listens to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius during a January 2008 rally.

Obama  on Monday nominated Sebelius to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Cabinet nominations require Senate confirmation, and anti-abortion groups already are making their views known.

Analysts suspected that Obama would face a battle over abortion if and when he makes a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, but religious conservatives could use Sebelius as a warm-up for the seemingly inevitable fight.

Calling Sebelius an "enemy of the unborn," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said the Kansas governor's nomination is particularly disturbing because the health and human services secretary is one of the few members of the administration who can directly affect abortion policy.

"Sebelius' support for abortion is so far off the charts that she has been publicly criticized by the last three archbishops of Kansas City," Donohue said in a statement.  Watch why filling the Cabinet post is urgent task »

The liberal group Catholics United has come to Sebelius' defense, saying the Kansas governor has taken several steps to lower the abortion rate in her state. The group also has posted excerpts of a 2006 speech in which Sebelius said she opposed abortion.

"My Catholic faith teaches me that all life is sacred, and personally I believe abortion is wrong," she said then. "However, I disagree with the suggestion that criminalizing women and their doctors is an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the number of abortions in our nation."

In May, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, said that Sebelius' stance on abortion had "grave spiritual and moral consequences." He asked that Sebelius no longer receive Communion until she repudiated her stance and made a "worthy sacramental confession."

Naumann was reacting to Sebelius' veto of state Senate Bill 389 and the subsequent House version, titled the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act, either of which would have tightened abortion regulations in Kansas.

In shooting down SB 389 in April, Sebelius wrote that the bill was problematic because it included no exceptions for pregnancies that endanger a woman's life and it allowed for individuals to seek court orders preventing a woman from obtaining an abortion, even if the procedure was necessary to save her life.

"I am concerned that the bill is likely unconstitutional, or even worse, endangers the lives of women," Sebelius said in a statement.

She further said that Kansas had striven to lower its abortion rates through adoption incentives, extended health services for pregnant women, sex education and support services for families.

Another lightning rod for Sebelius is attendance by Dr. George Tiller and his staff at a 2007 reception she held at the governor's mansion in Topeka. The doctor, who specializes in late-term abortions and once received the National Abortion Federation's highest honor, won the reception at a charity auction held for the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Tiller is presently facing charges relating to his practice.

Last month, a district judge denied a motion to dismiss the case, meaning Tiller will go to trial on 19 misdemeanor counts relating to how he procured second opinions for late-term abortions, according to The Wichita Eagle.

Though Sebelius is dogged by many on the religious right, GOP Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts of Kansas seem willing to give her a pass on her stance on abortion.

Brownback, who sought the GOP presidential nomination and is one of the leading anti-abortion voices in the Senate, recently released a statement with Roberts, congratulating Sebelius and expressing an eagerness to work with their fellow Kansan on health issues.

The senators said they expect to have several differences of opinion with the Obama administration -- especially on health care funding and nationalized health care -- but they make no mention of the abortion issue.

David Brody, who covers the White House for the Christian Broadcasting Network

Question: Who did the Archbishop chastise?

Question: Who chastised Sebelius?

Question: Which governor do they defend?

Question: What does the Catholic League president refers to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as?

Question: Who is defending the governor?

Question: Who is called the enemy of the unborn?

Question: What did the league president refer to Kathleen as?

Answer: Kathleen Sebelius'

Answer: Catholic League President Bill Donohue

Answer: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

Answer: "enemy of the unborn,"

Answer: The liberal group Catholics United

Answer: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius'

Answer: "enemy of the unborn,"

Summary:
Catholic League president refers to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as "enemy of the unborn"
Progressive groups defend Kansas governor, praise bipartisanship .
Archbishop chastised Sebelius over abortion bill that she called unconstitutional .
Sebelius nomination likely to get backing of Democrats, moderate Republicans .


(CNN) -- The credit crisis has transformed the global financial landscape, bankrupting established names and prompting unprecedented interventions by governments and central banks to save others from collapse as they buckle under the weight of "toxic debts."  This timeline charts the key moments in that process. 2007 Feb. 7: HSBC announces losses linked to U.S. subprime mortgages. May 17: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said growing number of mortgage defaults will not seriously harm the U.S. economy. A trader at the New York stock exchange reacts to the fall of global stock markets June: Two Bear Stearns-run hedge funds with large holdings of subprime mortgages run into large losses and are forced to dump assets. The trouble spreads to major Wall Street firms such as Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs which had loaned the firms money. Aug.: French bank BNP Paribas freezes withdrawals in three investment funds. Sept.: Crisis-hit UK bank Northern Rock admits financial difficulties as it asks Bank of England for assistance. Share prices fall as customers queue up to withdraw their money. Oct. 1: Swiss bank UBS announces losses liked to U.S. subprime mortgages. Oct. 5: Investment bank Merrill Lynch reports losses of $5.5 billion. Oct. 15: Cititgroup announces $6.5 billion third quarter losses. Oct. 24: Merrill Lynch announces losses to be over $8 billion. 2008 Jan: Swiss bank UBS announces fourth quarter losses at $14 billion. Jan. 11: Bank of America pays $4 billion for Countryside Financial. Jan. 15: Citigroup reports $18.1 billion loss in fourth quarter. Jan. 17: Merrill Lynch reports $11.5 billion loss in fourth quarter. Washington Mutual posts losses. Feb. 13: UK bank Northern Rock is nationalized. March: UK hedge fund Peloton Partners and U.S. fund Carlyle Capital fail. March 16: Bear Stearns, the U.S.'s fifth largest investment bank, collapses and is taken over by JP Morgan. April 1: German Deutsche Bank credit losses of $3.9 billion in first quarter. April 13: U.S. bank Wachovia Corp. reports big loss for quarter. May 12: HSBC writes off $3.2 billion in the first quarter linked to exposure to the U.S. subprime market. July 22: WaMu reports $3.3 billion loss for second quarter. Aug. 31: German Commerzbank AG takes over Dresdner Kleinwort investment bank. Sept 7: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac effectively nationalized by the U.S. Treasury which places them into "conservatorship." Sept. 9: Lehman Brothers shares plummet to lowest level on Wall Street in more than a decade. Sept 14: Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy. Stock markets plummet; Central banks inject billions of dollars into money markets. Bank of America agrees to buy Merrill Lynch. Sept. 16: AIG Corp, the world's biggest insurer, bailed out by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Morgan Stanley and Wachovia enter merger talks. Sept. 17: Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) to merge with UK bank Lloyds TSB in an emergency rescue plan. Sept. 18: Federal Bank and other central banks inject billions into global markets to help ease the crunch. Sept. 22: Japan's Nomura Holdings buys Lehman's Asian operations for up to $525 million. Sept. 25: WaMu sold to JP Morgan. Sept. 27: HSBC announces 1,100 job cuts worldwide. Sept. 29: - U.S. Congress rejects $700 billion plan to bail out the U.S. financial system. - UK's Bradford & Bingley nationalized. Santander to buy deposits for $38.2bn  - German bank Hypo Real Estate to be bailed out by banks and government. - Citigroup, the world's largest bank, says it will buy Wachovia. - Belgian giant Fortis is bailed out by Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. - Royal Bank of Scotland shares lose a fifth of their value. - Iceland part-nationalizes Glitnir, one of its biggest banks. Sept 30: - Belgian bank Dexia bailed out by France, Belgium and Luxembourg. - Swiss bank UBS announces small profit in third quarter. - Irish government guarantees safety of bonds, debts and

Question: What crisis changed the financial landscape?

Question: What has the banking crisis done?

Question: Who was bailed out?

Question: What did the crisis transform?

Question: What has transformed the landscape?

Question: What has happened to many established names?

Question: What banks announced bankruptcy?

Answer: credit

Answer: transformed the global financial landscape, bankrupting established names

Answer: AIG Corp,

Answer: the global financial landscape,

Answer: credit crisis

Answer: bankrupting

Answer: Lehman Brothers

Summary:
Banking crisis has transformed the world's financial landscape .
Many established names bankrupted or bailed out as a consequence of bad debts .
After inital upswing, world stock markets fall once more .
EU leaders at summit call for overhaul of international financial system .


(CNN) -- The crew members of a North Korean freighter regained control of their ship from pirates who hijacked the vessel off Somalia, but not without a deadly fight, the U.S. Navy reported Tuesday.

The USS James E. Williams ordered pirates to give up their weapons, the Navy says.

When the battle aboard the Dai Hong Dan was over, two pirates were dead and five were captured, the Navy said.

Three wounded crew members from the cargo ship were being treated aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams.

The captured pirates were being held aboard the North Korean vessel, the Navy said.

The bandits had seized the ship's bridge, while the crew kept control of the steering gear and engines, the Navy said.

The Koreans moved against the attackers after the Williams -- responding to reports of the hijacking -- ordered the pirates to give up their weapons, according to the Navy.

When the crew members stormed the bridge, the deadly battle began. After the crew regained control, Navy sailors boarded the Dai Hong Dan to help with the injured.

North Korea and the United States have no diplomatic relations.  Watch why the U.S. helped the North Koreans »

The incident took place about 70 miles northeast of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the Navy said.

It is the second incident of piracy reported in recent days. A second U.S. Navy destroyer was searching waters off Somalia for pirates who hijacked a Japanese-owned ship, military officials said.

Over the weekend, gunmen aboard two skiffs hijacked the Panamanian-flagged Golden Nori off the Socotra archipelago near the Horn of Africa, said Andrew Mwangura, a spokesman for the Kenyan-based Seafarers' Assistance Program.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke has been pursuing the pirates after entering Somali waters with the permission of the troubled transitional government in Mogadishu, U.S. officials said Monday. In recent years, warships have stayed outside the 12-mile limit when chasing pirates.

Two military officials familiar with the details confirmed the ongoing operation.

The Navy's pursuit of the pirates began Sunday night when the Golden Nori radioed for help. The Burke's sister ship, the USS Porter, opened fire and sank the pirate skiffs tied to the Golden Nori's stern before the Burke took over shadowing the hijacked vessel.

When the shots were fired, it was not known the ship was filled with highly flammable benzene. U.S. military officials indicate there is a great deal of concern about the cargo because it is so sensitive.

Benzene, which U.S. authorities have declared a known human carcinogen, is used as a solvent and to make plastics and synthetic fabrics.

Four other ships in the region remain in pirate hands, the Navy said.

U.S. and NATO warships have been patrolling off the Horn of Africa for years in an effort to crack down on piracy off Somalia, where a U.N.-backed transitional government is struggling to restore order after 15 years of near-anarchy.  See how piracy is worse than 2006 »

On Monday, the head of the transitional government resigned as his administration -- backed by Ethiopian troops -- battled insurgents from the Islamic movement that seized control of Mogadishu in 2006.

Hospital officials reported 30 dead in three days of clashes on the city's south side.

In June, the ship USS Carter Hall fired warning shots in an attempt to stop a hijacked Danish cargo ship off Somalia, but the American vessel turned away when the pirated ship entered Somali waters.

In May, a U.S. Navy advisory warned merchant ships to stay at least 200 miles off the Somali coast. But the U.S. Maritime Administration said pirates sometimes issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore.  See the warning area »

The pirates often are armed with automatic rifles and shoulder-fired rockets, according to a recent warning from the agency.

"To date, vessels that increase speed and take evasive maneuvers avoid boarding, while those that slow down are boarded, taken to the Somali coastline and released after successful ransom payment, often after protracted negotiations of as much as 11 weeks," the warning advised.

The

Question: parates aboard what ship

Question: Who said that two pirates killed, with five captured?

Question: What was the number of crew members injured?

Question: Who hijacked the Golden Nori carrying flammable benzene?

Question: What pirates aboard hijacked Golden Nori ?

Question: north korean crew recaptured what

Question: What was the Golden Nori carrying?

Question: What happened to the pirates?

Question: Who recaptured the hijacked vessel?

Question: Was anyone killed?

Question: Where was the crew captured?

Answer: Dai Hong Dan

Answer: the Navy

Answer: Three wounded

Answer: gunmen

Answer: Somalia

Answer: their ship

Answer: highly flammable benzene.

Answer: were dead and five were captured, the Navy said.

Answer: crew members of a North Korean freighter regained control of their ship from pirates

Answer: Hospital officials reported 30 dead in three days of clashes on the city's south side.

Answer: 70 miles northeast of the Somali capital, Mogadishu,

Summary:
North Korean crew recaptures hijacked vessel .
Navy says two pirates killed, five captured; three from crew injured .
USS Arleigh Burke enters Somali territorial waters to pursue other pirates .
Pirates aboard hijacked Golden Nori carrying highly flammable benzene .


(CNN) -- The crew of an Italian ship seized by pirates on Monday was freed Tuesday thanks to an operation by U.S. and British troops working with the Italian military, the Italian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Eleven pirates who hijacked the Montecristo surrendered to the troops operating under NATO's Operation Ocean Shield, the ministry said in a statement.

All crew members are safe, the ministry said.

They barricaded themselves in the engine room after throwing a message overboard in a bottle and putting up a cardboard sign to let rescuers know where they were.

They were able to retain control of the ship's steering, even though the pirates destroyed the ship's communications equipment, a NATO officer said.

The USS De Wert was the first ship to arrive on the scene, and monitored the hijacked vessel until the British ship HMS Fort Victoria arrived with a boarding team, Lt. Gwenn Laine of NATO told CNN.

The pirates threw their weapons into the sea as the boarding team closed in, and stood on deck to surrender once they boarded, Laine said.

He praised the crew for following "best maritime practices," saying that by barricading themselves in a safe place they probably avoided violence.

The pirates are in NATO custody, said Laine, who works with the alliance's Operation Ocean Shield.

The captain sent a message Monday indicating that the vessel had been attacked by a ship with five armed people on board, the D'Alesio Group said in a statement.

The captain immediately activated security procedures, the statement said.

The ship was about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of the Somali coast at the time.

The crew includes 23 people from Italy, Ukraine, and India, the D'Alesio Group said.

Their rescue came shortly after Italy said it would start putting military guards on ships traversing the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia

Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa is signing an agreement Tuesday with the confederation of Italian shipowners to put military guards on board vessels in the area of the Indian Ocean at risk from Somali pirates, his ministry told CNN.

Both NATO and the European Union have naval missions dedicated to protecting ships in the region, but hijackings remain common.

As of late September there were some 400 hostages held by Somali pirates, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

There have been 24 successful hijackings this year to date and 194 incidents. The number of incidents is up from last year, but the number of successful hijackings down, according to the IMB.

CNN's Richard Allen Greene, Chris Lawrence, Claudia Rebaza, Gisella Deputato, Laura Perez Maestro and David McKenzie contributed to this report.

Question: where did the message go

Question: how many hostages are held

Question: who threw the message overboard

Question: How many hostages do Somali pirates hold?

Question: By what means did the crew send a message?

Question: What did the message in the bottle say?

Question: Who did Italy's self defense minister sign a deal with?

Question: How many hostages are being held?

Question: Who will sign a deal with ship owners?

Answer: overboard

Answer: 400

Answer: crew members

Answer: 400

Answer: in a bottle

Answer: the vessel had been attacked by a ship with five armed people on board,

Answer: the confederation of Italian shipowners

Answer: 400

Answer: Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa

Summary:
NEW: The crew threw a message overboard in a bottle to say they were safely barricaded .
Italy's defense minister is signing a deal with Italian ship owners .
The area has become infested with pirates .
Somali pirates hold about 400 hostages, the International Maritime Bureau says .


(CNN) -- The crib in Ellen Darcy's Boston home has sat empty for more than a year. And in suburban Washington, Laura Teresinski has prepared a nursery for a baby that may never arrive. Guatemala has announced it will conduct a case-by-case review of every pending foreign adoption case. They and thousands of prospective parents, eager to adopt children from abroad, have found themselves in an emotional legal limbo since two of the most popular countries for international adoptions -- Guatemala and Vietnam -- recently halted their programs. Now would-be mothers and fathers around the United States wonder what will become of their quest to adopt a child -- a pursuit that can fray nerves, cost up to $30,000 and span several years. Guatemala announced this month that it would conduct a case-by-case review of every pending foreign adoption case. That put on hold the adoption plans of about 2,000 American families. The crackdown comes amid reports that some in Guatemala coerce mothers to relinquish their children for adoption -- or steal the children outright and present them as orphans. Similar accusations have arisen in Vietnam. After the United States accused adoption agencies there of corruption and baby-selling, Vietnam said in April that it would no longer allow adoptions to the United States. "My husband and I were absolutely devastated," Teresinski said. "Adoptive parents have put a lot of emotional energy and a lot of financial resources in the process." Vietnam's decision affects several hundred families. Families in the United States adopted 4,728 children from Guatemala and 828 from Vietnam last year. The halt in adoptions from those two nations unfolds against the backdrop of a dramatic rise in international adoptions in the United States. The number of foreign-born children adopted by U.S. families more than tripled from 1990 to 2004, when it reached a high of 22,884, though the figure has declined slightly each year since. In 2007, the U.S. granted visas to 19,613 children so they could join an adoptive family in the United States, according to U.S. State Department figures. About 70 percent of those children came from four countries: China, Guatemala, Russia and Ethiopia. A few other countries have also halted foreign adoptions at various times, including Kazakhstan and Togo. Yet the suspensions in Vietnam and Guatemala have had the biggest impact -- they're two of the 10 countries that send the most children to adoptive homes in the Unites States. Fear of fraud stirs heartache For Darcy, the review seems more detrimental than helpful. Her adopted daughter, Carolina, remains in a Guatemalan foster home with three dozen other babies. Darcy worries that keeping Carolina, now 15 months old, in a foster home will harm her early development. "She's not getting one-on-one care by a consistent caretaker," Darcy said, adding later, "Nobody is looking at this as a violation of the kids' human rights except for these (American) parents." Guatemala, which until now has had little to no oversight of its foreign adoptions, has the highest per capita rate of adoption in the world. Nearly one in 100 babies born in Guatemala wind up living with adoptive parents in the United States, according to the U.S. consulate in Guatemala. While adoptive parents in the United States undergo rigorous screening, adoptions in Guatemala had been processed by notaries responsible for determining whether the babies were relinquished voluntarily. They also arrange foster care and handle paperwork -- notaries in Latin America tend to have more legal training than notaries in the United States. Both Guatemalan and U.S. officials fear the system leads to practices such as paying birth mothers for children or, in some instances, coercion. Officials in both countries say gaps in regulations and the high sums of money at play -- adoptions can cost up to $30,000 -- may have created unintended incentives in a country where the State Department estimates that 80 percent of the population lives in poverty. The Guatemalan government has said its review could take a month or longer. As for the American families, they can only wait.

Question: Who adopts the babies born in Guatemala?

Question: Which babies are adopted in the US?

Question: Which countries have baby-stealing?

Question: What did the crackdown do?

Question: Who is at risk?

Question: Who is adopting Guatemala babies>

Answer: Families in the United States

Answer: foreign-born children

Answer: Vietnam

Answer: halted their programs.

Answer: children

Answer: Families in the United States

Summary:
Guatemala and Vietnam say corruption, baby-stealing at heart of crackdown .
Nearly one in 100 babies born in Guatemala are adopted by U.S. parents .
Crackdown puts children's well-being at risk, adoption advocates say .


(CNN) -- The current debate over controversial interrogation practices -- tactics that some say constitute torture -- is rooted in the early years of the fight against terrorism and the Iraq war. The photographs from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq sparked outrage across the globe. After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the Bush administration crafted the legal basis for aggressive interrogation techniques of prisoners and terrorism suspects. The techniques included keeping the prisoner in stress positions for extended periods of time, sleep deprivation, slapping, enclosing the prisoner in a box with insects, and waterboarding, which simulates drowning. Those techniques were detailed in four Bush-era legal memos -- one from 2002 and three from 2005 -- released by the Obama administration last month. The memos concluded that such techniques did not constitute torture and were not illegal.  See timeline of events » The Obama administration disagrees. President Obama formally banned the techniques by issuing an executive order requiring that the U.S. Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations. "I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture," he said during an address to a joint session of Congress in February. More than 400 people have been disciplined based on investigations involving detainee abuse, according to Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. He said the punishments have ranged from prison sentences to demotions and letters of reprimand. "The policy of the Department of Defense is to treat prisoners humanely, and those who have violated that policy have been investigated and disciplined," he said. The most notorious of the cases centered on Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In 2004, images leaked to the media showed U.S. troops abusing Iraqi prisoners. Some prisoners were stacked atop each other while naked, and others were being threatened by dogs.  See disturbing images from Abu Ghraib (discretion advised) » One widely disseminated photograph showed an Iraqi prisoner hooded and wired, as if an electrocution were about to take place. Eleven American soldiers were tried and convicted of Abu Ghraib offenses, and some officers were reprimanded. Some received prison sentences. Janis Karpinski, a brigadier general and commander of the prison during the time the photographs were taken, was demoted to colonel. She was eventually rotated out of Iraq. The prison was shut down in September 2006. Karpinksi, now retired, said the recent disclosures have validated her earlier claims that she and her troops were following orders and that the abuses at Abu Ghraib were not simply the work of a few "bad apples," as once described by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.  See gallery of key players » "That is what we have been saying from the very beginning, that, wait a minute, why are you inside pointing the finger at me? Why are you pointing the fingers at the soldiers here? There's a bigger story here," Karpinski said. "I was never inside an interrogation room where they were conducting interrogations, but I read the memorandums many times over," she added. "Waterboarding is torture." Other recent disclosures of harsh interrogation tactics have also raised questions. One Bush-era memo -- dated May 30, 2005, and recently released by the Obama administration -- said CIA interrogators used waterboarding at least 266 times on two top al Qaeda suspects. The technique was used at least 83 times in August 2002 on suspected al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah, according to the memo. Interrogators also waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- said to be the mastermind of the September 11 attacks -- 183 times in March 2003, the memo said. Obama said last week that he felt comfortable releasing the classified memos because the Bush administration acknowledged using some of the practices associated with the memos, and the interrogation techniques were widely reported and have since been banned. "Withholding these memos would only serve to deny facts that have been in the public domain for some time," Obama said in a statement. "This could contribute to an inaccurate accounting of the past and fuel erroneous and inflammatory assumptions about actions taken by the

Question: What was used to interrogate?

Question: In which countries was interrogation done?

Question: what was recently released

Question: What does the Obama administration say?

Question: what were practices used for

Answer: keeping the prisoner in stress positions for extended periods of time, sleep deprivation, slapping, enclosing the prisoner in a box with insects, and waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

Answer: Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq

Answer: The photographs from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq

Answer: disagrees.

Answer: tactics that some say constitute

Summary:
Recently released Bush-era memos detail controversial interrogation practices .
The practices were used to interrogate in Iraq and Afghanistan .
The Obama administration has said some of those practices constitute torture .
The memos have added to the debate over investigating Bush-era officials .


(CNN) -- The days of being cut off from the Internet while you're on a plane are quickly disappearing. An American Airlines passenger uses Wi-Fi to access the Internet during a flight. A number of domestic airlines have recently begun offering Wi-Fi Internet access aboard planes, and other airlines say they are working toward making it happen. "This is the year" for Wi-Fi on planes, said Jack Blumenstein, president and CEO of Aircell, whose Gogo® Inflight Internet service provides access on Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Virgin America flights, and will begin testing on United flights later this year. Gogo is installed on more than 190 commercial planes, and Blumenstein said he expected 1,200 aircraft to have Gogo capability by the end of 2009. For now, Wi-Fi on domestic carriers' planes is limited to flights within North America. Gogo, which operates by transmitting signals from ground-level towers, functions across the United States and up to about 300 miles offshore. The company's access will cover the entire continent within a year or two, Blumenstein said. Row 44, which uses satellite technology to provide connectivity to Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, already covers much of North America and will roll out trans-Atlantic and European service in the third quarter of this year, said the company's CEO, John Guidon. Neither company would release the exact cost of turning airplanes into Wi-Fi hot spots. But Blumenstein said Aircell managed to equip a plane for "substantially" less than $100,000. Row 44, which bills itself as the "industrial-strength solution" to airplane connectivity, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per plane, Guidon said. Another company, LiveTV, is a subsidiary of JetBlue that provides free e-mail and messaging aboard flights but doesn't offer open Web surfing. LiveTV, which uses air-to-ground technology, provides the service on select JetBlue flights and also is working with Frontier Airlines on offering Internet access aboard its planes. The Wi-Fi venture has the potential to be "very profitable," said Harlan Platt, an airline industry expert and professor of finance at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. "Normally, air carriers rush to purchase capital equipment that raises their cost but doesn't raise their revenue. ... This is actually a revenue-producing tactic. And it's a good one because it's providing value to the passenger and it's creating incremental revenues for the airline," Platt said. Aircell, which shares its revenue from Gogo with the airlines, charges $9.95 for flights under three hours, $12.95 for flights longer than three hours and $7.95 to use a Wi-Fi capable handheld device for any flight length. Passengers can begin using the service once the plane reaches 10,000 feet. If the plane remains in flight for longer than three hours as part of a delay, passengers do not pay the higher fee, Blumenstein said. Platt believes that business model will evolve to entice more passengers to use it. The size of those fees could result in "a whole segment of the market that they're not going to capture," said Platt. The airlines will maximize their profits by convincing more passengers to use the system with a lower price, he said. Platt predicted Aircell and the airlines would create a second tier of service, which would be less expensive but with fewer capabilities. He compared the strategy to airlines' price-reducing tactics to avoid empty seats on planes. As Aircell and Row 44's services expand, LiveTV is monitoring passengers' usage to gauge how to move ahead with its own business model, said Mike Moeller, vice president of sales and marketing for the company. "Yes, broadband is coming. We're sitting there asking, 'Who pays? Is it the airlines or the customers? And what will they pay? What is the right technology? ... When does all of this happen?' We're in weird economic times," Moeller said. As for the possibility of passengers offending their seat-mates

Question: What provider Aircell expects to have 1,200 planes equipped by the end of this year?

Question: Is Wi-Fi available on domestic airlines?

Question: Who says they will have trans-Atlantic Wi-Fi in the third quarter?

Question: What is the reason that many domestic airlines have begun offering  Wi- Fi Internet access aboard planes?

Question: When does Row 44 expect to have wi-fi?

Question: How many planes will Aircell have equipped by the end of the year?

Question: How many planes are expected to be equipped by the end of the year?

Question: What are many domestic airlines now offering?

Answer: Gogo

Answer: carriers' planes is limited to flights within North America.

Answer: John Guidon.

Answer: The Wi-Fi venture has the potential to be "very profitable,"

Answer: service in the third quarter of this year,

Answer: more than 190 commercial

Answer: 1,200

Answer: Wi-Fi Internet access

Summary:
Many domestic airlines have begun offering Wi-Fi Internet access aboard planes .
Provider Aircell expects to have 1,200 planes equipped by the end of this year .
Another company, Row 44, says it will have trans-Atlantic Wi-Fi in the third quarter .


(CNN) -- The days of being cut off from the Internet while you're on a plane are quickly disappearing. An American Airlines passenger uses Wi-Fi to access the Internet during a flight. A number of domestic airlines have recently begun offering Wi-Fi Internet access aboard planes, and other airlines say they are working toward making it happen. "This is the year" for Wi-Fi on planes, said Jack Blumenstein, president and CEO of Aircell, whose Gogo® Inflight Internet service provides access on Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, AirTran and Virgin America flights, and will begin testing on United flights later this year. Gogo is installed on more than 200 commercial planes, and Blumenstein said he expected 1,200 aircraft to have Gogo capability by the end of 2009. For now, Wi-Fi on domestic carriers' planes is limited to flights within North America. Gogo, which operates by transmitting signals from ground-level towers, functions across the United States and up to about 300 miles offshore. The company's access will cover the entire continent within a year or two, Blumenstein said. Row 44, which uses satellite technology to provide connectivity to Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, already covers much of North America and will roll out trans-Atlantic and European service in the third quarter of this year, said the company's CEO, John Guidon. Neither company would release the exact cost of turning airplanes into Wi-Fi hot spots. But Blumenstein said Aircell managed to equip a plane for "substantially" less than $100,000. Row 44, which bills itself as the "industrial-strength solution" to airplane connectivity, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per plane, Guidon said. Another company, LiveTV, is a subsidiary of JetBlue that provides free e-mail and messaging aboard flights but doesn't offer open Web surfing. LiveTV, which uses air-to-ground technology, provides the service on select JetBlue flights and also is working with Frontier Airlines on offering Internet access aboard its planes. The Wi-Fi venture has the potential to be "very profitable," said Harlan Platt, an airline industry expert and professor of finance at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. "Normally, air carriers rush to purchase capital equipment that raises their cost but doesn't raise their revenue. ... This is actually a revenue-producing tactic. And it's a good one because it's providing value to the passenger and it's creating incremental revenues for the airline," Platt said. Aircell, which shares its revenue from Gogo with the airlines, charges $9.95 for flights under three hours, $12.95 for flights longer than three hours and $7.95 to use a Wi-Fi capable handheld device for any flight length. Passengers can begin using the service once the plane reaches 10,000 feet. If the plane remains in flight for longer than three hours as part of a delay, passengers do not pay the higher fee, Blumenstein said. Platt believes that business model will evolve to entice more passengers to use it. The size of those fees could result in "a whole segment of the market that they're not going to capture," said Platt. The airlines will maximize their profits by convincing more passengers to use the system with a lower price, he said. Platt predicted Aircell and the airlines would create a second tier of service, which would be less expensive but with fewer capabilities. He compared the strategy to airlines' price-reducing tactics to avoid empty seats on planes. As Aircell and Row 44's services expand, LiveTV is monitoring passengers' usage to gauge how to move ahead with its own business model, said Mike Moeller, vice president of sales and marketing for the company. "Yes, broadband is coming. We're sitting there asking, 'Who pays? Is it the airlines or the customers? And what will they pay? What is the right technology? ... When does all of this happen?' We're in weird economic times," Moeller said. As for the possibility of passengers offending their seat

Question: What do many domestic airlines now offer?

Question: How many planes will Aircell equip by year-end?

Question: Where will Row 44 have wifi in the third quarter?

Question: Which company will be offering trans-Atlantic Wi-Fi service in the third quarter?

Question: How many planes does Aircell hope to have equipped by the end of the year?

Question: What have airlines start to offer?

Question: Is Wi-Fi access available on domestic flights?

Answer: Wi-Fi Internet access

Answer: 1,200 aircraft

Answer: planes,

Answer: Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines,

Answer: 1,200 aircraft

Answer: Wi-Fi Internet access aboard planes,

Answer: aboard planes,