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NewsQA | (CNN) -- Arctic reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia are getting a view from space to help them look after their herds as the region copes with climate change.
Snow worries: Satellite maps of snow coverage and melt can help reindeer herders.
Using satellite-based snow melt maps supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA) backed program Polar View, herders are able to view the depth of snow and judge where the best foraging spots are to take their reindeer.
"Snow is of paramount importance for reindeer herding, because its quality determines whether reindeer are able to access the pastures that lie beneath it for much of the year," Anders Oskal, the Director of the International Center for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) told the ESA.
"Detailed circumpolar snow information is, thus, becoming increasingly important following the recent changes in the Arctic climate."
Oskal is working with Sámi reindeer herders in Finnmark, Norway, to help them maintain and develop sustainable reindeer husbandry.
According to Oskal, Finnmark is the area of Norway that is predicted to experience the largest temperature increases, raising concerns about whether ice layers will form over pastures preventing reindeer from foraging.
Under the Polar View initiative, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) have been providing snow melt maps for Norway and Sweden, as well as snow cover maps for Eurasia, for the last 18 months.
The ICR partnered with Polar View in a trial of the maps to examine how satellite observations could help by gathering information on snow change in a timely manner for such vast circumpolar regions.
"The experience so far has definitely been positive, and the reindeer herders are extremely interested in the future utilization of Polar View products that can relate important information about local snow conditions," said Oskal.
"These products could have important consequences for herders' decisions regarding winter pasture quality and potential migration routes."
In addition to climate change, reindeer herders also have to face a loss of pastures because of infrastructure development, such as roads, hydroelectric power dams and cabin resorts.
The same technology would help the ICR to monitor the different forms of land-use change over time. | 04d0a67d11e740dab5da73837c786e45 | What is climate change doing? | [
"raising concerns about whether ice layers will form over pastures preventing reindeer from foraging."
] |
NewsQA | NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A 3-month-old girl born to an Indian surrogate mother has flown to Japan to join her biological father after spending the first months of her life in legal limbo.
Baby Manjhi and her grandmother flew to Osaka, Japan, from the Indian capital, New Delhi, Saturday night, said family friend, Kamal Vijay Vargiya.
While some countries have banned surrogacy as a money-making venture, it has been legal in India since 2002.
Under the practice, infertile couples are matched with local women to carry babies for $12,000 to $30,000.
Baby Manjhi was conceived when a Japanese couple paid a clinic in India to have the husband's sperm and an anonymous donor's egg implanted in the womb of an Indian surrogate.
The plan worked. But a few months before Manjhi was born, the couple divorced. The intended Japanese mother decided she did not want the baby.
Manjhi was born on July 25. Her father, Ikufumi Yamada, and grandmother traveled from Japan to pick her up and take her to her new home. But Indian law stipulates that a mother must be present in order for a baby to receive a passport.
In this case, neither the birth mother nor the mother who had originally sought the child wanted to be involved.
Manjhi's father looked into a legal adoption, but Indian law does not allow single men to adopt.
The case garnered international headlines. Eventually, Manjhi was issued a birth certificate with just her father's name on it. And on Saturday, she left for Osaka to be reunited with him.
"This is for the first time in 28 years in Jaipur that somebody (in such a situation) has been issued travel documents by Indian authorities. And this became possible mainly because of media," said Sanjay Arya, the doctor who treated Manjhi at a Jaipur hospital.
-- CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this report | be060513fbb641be84c690ddd80048d1 | What was made legal in India in 2002? | [
"surrogacy"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- More than 2,000 students in Southern California laid 65 miles of pennies on a speedway track Thursday in an attempt to set a world record and help schools in the area.
Mason Gonzalez is ready with pennies. Dodgers tickets were prizes for collecting the most pennies.
THINK (Teaching, Helping, Inspiring & Nurturing Kids) Together didn't meet its original goal of laying out 100 miles of pennies at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, but group spokeswoman Nadia Flores said the group is happy with the results.
"We raised twice what we were able to lay down," she said. "I think the energy and the vibe from having so many kids and volunteers present made it really fun."
Flores said the group ran out of time in its attempt to get all 100 miles laid out, but she added that they're confident they have the record anyway.
Guinness World Records, which would certify the record, said Thursday it had not yet received documentation from the group. The current record for pennies laid out is 40 miles.
The money -- about $84,500 -- will go to the nonprofit program that provides free after-school care for students at more than 200 elementary and middle schools in at-risk communities in four California counties -- Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino.
Flores said the idea for "Miles of Change" came after group members saw students at a school in Kansas make a 40-mile chain of pennies in July 2008 to set the world record.
Flores said her group, based in Santa Ana, California, wanted a program that would unite the counties involved -- and set a record.
The pennies were collected by 35,000 students in the after-school program and were laid in loops around the two-mile track in Fontana, California.
Flores said every penny must be touching the next penny in order to qualify for the Guinness world record. Documentation will include aerial photos, she said.
Each student took home tubes to collect the pennies. Students who collected the most got tickets to future Los Angeles Dodgers games, Flores said.
The effort also is meant to honor Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Lincoln penny. | e6062b0ed49a4199bc5128b961476a93 | Who will verify if the record was set? | [
"Guinness World"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The Tennessee man accused of selling the gun used to kill former NFL quarterback Steve McNair is in custody facing a federal charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said Friday.
Police say Adrian Gilliam admitted he sold Sahel Kazemi the gun she used to kill NFL quarterback Steve McNair.
"This is another example of what can happen with a gun when a felon is selling it on the street with little to no interest other than just selling it for 100 bucks," said Nashville, Tennessee, Police Chief Ronal Serpas.
Authorities said federal agents traced the gun used in the Fourth of July murder-suicide to Household Pawn in Nashville, which sold it in January 2002.
"Further investigation revealed the 9 mm pistol was later sold for approximately $100 to Adrian Gilliam approximately one to one and a half years ago," Nashville police said in a news release.
Gilliam, 33, of LaVergne, Tennessee, told detectives that on July 2 he sold the gun for about the same price to Sahel Kazemi outside a shopping mall.
Police said Kazemi, McNair's 20-year-old girlfriend, used the gun two days later to fatally shoot McNair -- a former Tennessee Titans quarterback and married father of four -- and herself in McNair's condominium in downtown Nashville.
Gilliam had been convicted of second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in Florida in 1993, according to the new release, and those felony convictions meant that he could not legally be in possession of a firearm.
Along with Serpas, the announcement of the arrest was made by Edward M. Yarbrough, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee; James M. Cavanaugh, the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives' Nashville Division; and Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman contributed to this report | 4eb0e693ab8f46eb8b0f7417f0c355fa | Who sold McNair's girlfriend the gun? | [
"Adrian Gilliam"
] |
NewsQA | Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Search-and-rescue efforts at a supermarket in Haiti's capital have ended after teams determined no one else was alive beneath the rubble, an official told CNN Wednesday.
A French excavation team was working at the Caribbean Supermarket on Tuesday. Several Haitians had been in the building at the time, looking for survivors or useful items. At least one of these foragers became trapped in the rubble. While the French team was trying to rescue that person, their excavation machine, which resembles a bulldozer, tipped into a hole and caused a further collapse, said Lt. Col. Christophe Renou of French Civil Protection.
The French team called in U.S. and Mexican teams to help with the rescue. The U.S. team brought more radar and lifting devices to try to extract the known survivor and reach any others, said Norman Skjelbreia, an incident commander from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
But at 11 p.m. Tuesday, the teams determined there was no one else alive under the rubble, and they called off the rescue mission, Renou told CNN Wednesday.
He said information gathered from radar and listening equipment detected no signs of life.
The rescue was an extremely dangerous one, he said, with pieces of concrete shifting. At one point, he said, a female Mexican rescue worker was trapped under the rubble and teams had to work to save her life.
It was decided that the safety of the search-and-rescue teams was more important than the search to retrieve bodies from the precarious collapsed building, Renou said.
More than 212,000 people died in the January 12 earthquake, Haitian officials said.
Caribbean Supermarket was the scene of a number of rescues after the earthquake, including the rescue of five people in one weekend.
Rescuers pulled an apparent survivor of the original quake, Evan Muncie, 28, from the rubble of another market on Monday. Doctors found him suffering from extreme dehydration and malnutrition, but without significant crushing injuries.
CNN's Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report. | 476d7302bf3b4f7883216b4798e66506 | By what time did teams decide no one would be alive? | [
"11 p.m. Tuesday,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Security forces patrolled deserted streets in Gabon's capital as citizens of the west African nation awaited official presidential results amid growing fears of violence, witnesses told CNN on Thursday.
Police block supporters of opposition candidate Pierre Mamboundou in Libreville, Gabon.
Voters in the oil-rich nation went to the polls Sunday to elect a successor to President Omar Bongo, who died in June after more than four decades in office.
Bongo, 73, was Africa's longest-serving ruler. His son, Ali Bongo, a candidate for the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party, was one of the main contenders.
Local media reports indicated that the younger Bongo had won, but CNN was unable to confirm those results.
"The Gabonese have come out of 42 years of dictatorship; they don't care who will be the next president, as long as it is not Bongo," Andriankoto Ratozamanana told CNN by phone from the capital, Libreville. "They want change. They don't want Bongo, because he is his dad's son."
Libreville was deserted because residents had fled to villages for fear of post-election violence, Ratozamanana said.
"The citizens won't accept if Ali Bongo wins, because that will mean the government stole the vote," Ratozamanana said.
The younger Bongo, a former defense minister, was one of 23 politicians originally in the ballot. Several candidates pulled out a few days before the vote to support the opposition, said Archippe Yepmou, a media activist.
Bongo, main opposition leader Pierre Mamboundou and former interior minister Andre Mba Obame have all claimed victory.
The elder Bongo took power in 1967, seven years after the country's independence from France.
He imposed one-party rule a year after succeeding the country's first president, who died in office. He allowed multiparty elections after a new constitution in 1991, but his party retained its grip on the government despite that.
The nation of about 1.5 million has a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Despite its wealth, which also comes from timber exports, a large percentage of its population lives in poverty because of poor financial management and a huge gap between the rich and the poor.
CNN's Umaro Djau contributed to this report. | 90f87ea02f864d3d82407c09035479e0 | What was the reason for holding an election? | [
"President Omar Bongo, who died in June"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Salvador Cabanas remains in a critical condition in hospital as doctors admit they are having difficulty treating the Paraguay international due to increased swelling on his brain.
The Club America striker was shot in the head in Mexico City during the early hours of Monday morning after an incident in a city bar.
Cabanas was transported to an intensive care unit at a local hospital and was rushed into theatre where doctors made an attempt to remove the bullet lodged in his skull before deciding it would be too dangerous.
Doctors revealed he showed favorable signs when they attempted to bring him out of an induced coma but have now been forced to increase the sedation as the swelling on his brain worsens.
"Salvador remains clinically stable, nevertheless we have had certain problems because the excess accumulation of water on his brain has grown," Ernesto Martinez Duhart, who operated on Cabanas, told reporters.
"We will have to keep him sedated a bit more to protect and improve cerebral function. It could get worse, he continues to be in the same serious condition. The risk of death has not yet passed."
Cabanas is one of Paraguay's top players and was part of their World Cup squad in Germany four years ago.
The 29-year-old is a prolific goalscorer and was expected to lead Paraguay's attack in South Africa this summer. He has scored over 100 times in the Mexican top flight and has netted 18 goals in 24 matches this season.
Around 10,000 Paraguayan fans gathered at the the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, the country's national stadium in Asuncion, to hold a vigil for Cabanas on Tuesday evening. | b546e02a33f74d3f8086ffbd48f7ae9d | Where was the Club America striker shot? | [
"in the head in Mexico City"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday he is cutting all ties with Colombia as long as Alvaro Uribe remains its president.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe withdrew his support for the Venezuelan leader's mediation efforts with the FARC.
"I say before the world, while President Uribe is president of Colombia, I will not have any type of relation with him or with the government of Colombia," Chavez said in an address broadcast on national television. "I can't, I can't, I can't."
Chavez noted that Uribe had asked him to help secure the release of hundreds of hostages being held by the leftist rebel group Armed Revolutionary Front of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
"I went with my heart in my hand, and I was ready," Chavez told a group of supporters in the southwestern state of Tachira. "I was prepared to go to the most dangerous forest in the country to help."
But last Thursday, Uribe ended Chavez's participation, citing his direct communication with Uribe's top general, a move that Uribe said broke protocol.
"When we were at the point of succeeding, Uribe comes and, without telling me anything, he didn't even call me on the phone or send me an emissary, just sent me a letter saying he was ending my mission," Chavez said. "That was a kick."
Without being specific, Chavez accused Uribe of having lied. "That's real ugly," he said. Chavez also accused Uribe of having bowed to pressure from Washington "to get rid of Chavez."
But the firebrand Venezuelan president, who has called U.S. President George W. Bush "the devil," said his arms are open to the Colombian people. E-mail to a friend | 59e5fb9ccf0e47aaa207e0b19616d00b | What did Uribe ask Chavez to do? | [
"help secure the release of hundreds of hostages"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. Marine videotaped throwing a puppy over a cliff while on patrol in Iraq has been kicked out of the Corps, and a second Marine involved has been disciplined, according to a statement released by the Marines.
YouTube.com removed the video for violating the Web site's terms of use.
Lance Cpl. David Motari, based in Hawaii with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, is being "processed for separation" and received non-judicial punishment, officials said in the statement Wednesday night. The Marine Corps would not specify what that punishment was because of privacy regulations.
The statement said Motari received the punishment for his role in the "episode which generated international attention."
The incident appeared on the Internet web site YouTube in March, sparking outrage from animal rights groups around the world.
In the video, Motari is seen throwing the dog off a cliff as it yelps.
A second Marine, San Diego-based Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion, received non-judicial punishment as well.
Janice Hagar, a spokeswoman for the Marines in San Diego, said Encarnacion shot the video.
Marine officials at the Pentagon would not disclose the severity of the disciplinary action against Encarnacion, also because of privacy regulations.
CNN did not receive a response from the Marine Corps in San Diego to questions about the case.
The statement said the Marines conducted an investigation as soon as the YouTube video came to the attention of commanders.
"The actions seen in the Internet video are contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine and will not be tolerated," according to the statement.
On the video, Motari smiles as he is holding the puppy and then hurls the dog over a cliff. An unknown person operating the video cameras is heard laughing and another voice saying "that's mean, Motari."
In a statement, the Humane Society of the United States applauded the Marine Corps' decision to punish those involved.
"The bad actors in this case have been dealt with by the Marine Corps, which rightly recognizes that harming animals is unacceptable conduct," said Dale Bartlett, the group's deputy manager for animal cruelty issues. "Now, the Department of Defense and the Congress must step up protection from cruelty for all animals under the law governing military conduct." | 0a5a33ff2c3849a4a363cdfc5c854bce | Who is also being disciplined? | [
"second Marine"
] |
NewsQA | MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexican officials said they have identified two suspects in this week's slayings of two Americans in northern Mexico.
Mourners carry the coffin of Benjamin LeBaron, 32, on Thursday in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
A security camera at a toll booth near the municipality of Galeana captured images of the suspects, Chihuahua state Attorney General Patricia Gonzalez Rodriguez said Thursday, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.
Gonzalez declined to name the suspects, other than to say they belong to a crime organization known as "La Linea" (The Line).
The toll booth cameras show four trucks or sport utility vehicles in which 12 suspects were riding, she said.
No arrests had been reported by Friday.
Benjamin LeBaron, 32, and his brother-in-law, Luis Widmar, who was in his mid-30s, were beaten and shot to death after armed men stormed into their home Tuesday morning in Galeana.
Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua attorney general's office, said earlier this week that a note was found on LeBaron's body but he could not confirm the contents.
Local media reported the note indicated the slayings were in retribution for the capture of 25 drug suspects in a nearby town.
LeBaron's younger brother, Eric, was kidnapped in May and returned unharmed a week later. The kidnapping prompted LeBaron to become a nationally recognized anti-crime activist who moved the local community to take a stand.
"There are no leaders here, or we are all leaders," LeBaron's brother Julian LeBaron told CNN affiliate KINT-TV in El Paso, Texas, this week. "If they kill my brother, another three will take his place. And if they kill us, another hundred will take their place. We are not giving up. No way."
The LeBaron brothers belonged to the "Community of LeBaron" in the municipality of Galeana, a township founded by ex-communicated Mormons.
CNN's Mayra Cuevas-Nazario contributed to this report. | 1394819c7aeb4168a9f191227d75d194 | What was the motive? | [
"retribution for the capture of 25 drug suspects"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- This month on MainSail
Shamrock V, a 1930's Americas Cup challenger at the J-class race in the Solent, Isle of Wight, in 2001.
What makes a "classic" yacht? Is it age, or era? Are classics born or made? Is it size and value, or cultural significance?
Classics can be modern and old -- from three-mast 1930s teak works of art like the original America's Cup racers, to cutting edge, contemporary monsters, like the "Maltese Falcon" and the exclusive fleets of luxury boat builders like Perini Navi and Wally.
This month CNN's Mainsail investigates what makes a classic yacht at one of the world's great yachting regattas.
Les Voiles de St Tropez
St Tropez, playground of the rich and famous, a bastion of class, richesse and style, plays host for the 26th year to Les Voiles de St Tropez, a classic event in every possible sense of the word.
The regatta gathers together the most extraordinary modern sailing boats alongside the most beautiful traditional yachts, as sailors from all over the world gather to do battle in the Mediterranean's most glamorous bay.
During the week's racing, presenter Shirley Robertson hitches a ride on board some of the world's most iconic yachts both ancient and modern, and attempts to find out what makes them "classics."
Ernesto Bertarelli
Reporting from Genoa in a world exclusive, Shirley chats to Alinghi team boss, Ernesto Bertarelli and drives the new "Alinghi 5" -- the defender of the America's Cup. Robertson is likely to be the only person in the world outside of the Alinghi team to get her hands on the wheel of the spectacular 90-foot catamaran.
Will this boat, just a few months old, become an instant classic? And in a report from the Perini Navi Cup in Sardinia, boat builders and skippers of the most glamorous luxury yachts on the planet explain what makes their machines the classics of the future. | 1291c4fad70345d7bbbdbe5fc17908f7 | What does Robertson drive? | [
"the new \"Alinghi 5\""
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- French speed sailing trimaran,l'Hydroptere has broken yet another world record as its crew draw closer to two major milestones.
The flying yacht: French trimaran l'Hydroptere is closing in on two major speed sailing records.
L'Hydroptere is now the fastest yacht in history over 500 meters and one nautical mile, after its average speeds of 46.88 knots and 43.09 knots respectively were ratified by the British World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).
The records were set by Alain Thebault and his crew off Port Saint-Louis du Rhone near Marseille in the south of France.
The boat is now poised to pass the 100km per hour mark (54 knots) after reaching a peak of 53.69 knots in training last month.
The major record the l'Hydroptere is trying to claim is the world "absolute speed sailing record," which is currently held by American kite surfer Robert Douglas, who achieved 49.84 knots over 500m earlier this year.
Thebault and his crew now have until 22 December to establish new records this year. These attempts will be presided over and measured by a representative from the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
Thébault told CNN he had a long-held dream of skippering a boat that could "fly."
He said several subtle design changes had been made to the boat in 2008 and he's confident the crew can produce the record speed in the near future.
"I think the boat is ready now. I have always dreamed about a flying yacht. It was a big emotion for all of the crew and myself when we passed 50 knots," he said. | a6cd54c837be48c2b24a33c83400b13a | Where is the boat based out of? | [
"France."
] |
NewsQA | NEW YORK (CNN) -- The wife of accused swindler Bernard Madoff pulled $15.5 million out of a Madoff-related brokerage firm in Massachusetts in the weeks before his arrest, authorities there disclosed Wednesday.
Bernard Madoff is under 24-hour house arrest in his Upper East Side luxury apartment.
The withdrawals by Ruth Madoff took place in November and December, according to a complaint filed by state regulators against Cohmad Securities, a firm they said was "intertwined" with Madoff's New York-based company.
The regulators say Cohmad has refused to provide information about its ties to Madoff, who is accused of running a Ponzi scheme that may have cost investors up to $50 billion.
Daily wire transaction reports show Cohmad was aware of transfers to and from Madoff-related accounts, the filing states.
"For example, the few reports produced by Cohmad show that Ruth Madoff withdrew $5.5 million on November 25, 2008 and withdrew $10 million on December 10, 2008," investigators said.
Bernard Madoff, 70, was arrested December 11 and is currently under house arrest in his Manhattan luxury apartment. He faces one charge of securities fraud in connection with an international scheme that has cost some investors their life savings and could face up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine if convicted.
In January, prosecutors tried to revoke his $10 million bail after he mailed more than $1 million worth of diamond-studded jewelry to friends and family, a move they said showed he was trying to move assets out of government hands. But a judge ruled Madoff was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.
Prosecutors and Madoff's lawyers have agreed for a second time to push back the deadline for an indictment or probable cause hearing for the former investor, sources close to the case said Wednesday. The previous deadline of Wednesday -- which was itself a delay -- has now been moved back another 30 days.
Madoff and the Securities and Exchange Commission already have agreed to a partial civil judgment against the disgraced investment manager, one that could eventually force him to pay fines and return investors' money.
Under the terms of the deal, Madoff will keep a previously reached agreement to freeze his assets and not to violate any other securities laws, but it does not require him to admit or deny any allegations.
CNN's Allan Chernoff and Amy Sahba contributed to this report. | a32538dec085460c989b1da1f2f8b611 | What does Madoff face? | [
"up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine if convicted."
] |
NewsQA | (PEOPLE.com) -- Cameron Douglas, who is serving a five- year federal prison sentence for drug dealing, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing drugs in his jail cell.
For the latest charges, the son of actor Michael Douglas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, plus a $250,000 fine.
Douglas, 32, is charged with possessing items that tested positive for cocaine and heroin, which were found in his cell by an investigator. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Anderson told the court one of the substances tested positive for methadone, which he described as "something that people take when they're coming off a heroin addiction in order to facilitate the withdrawal," according to a court transcript.
The charges state that Douglas obtained the narcotics both at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, as well as after he was transferred to a minimum-security jail in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania In court Thursday, he admitted struggling with addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol.
"God knows I am sorry," records show he told the judge.
Michael Douglas said in a statement: "Cameron accepts full responsibility for his conduct, which involved a small user-quantity of drugs. While he has made much progress, he is still not cured. Most people and their families are able to address this illness privately and outside of the spotlight. Unfortunately this has not been possible here, for reasons completely outside of his control. He thanks those that have rooted for his recovery and looks forward to the day when he will not disappoint."
Douglas is scheduled to be sentenced December 21.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | 400bff4ff2cc4e2aa30706d4cfc51ab8 | What is his sentence to be? | [
"20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador to the country Tuesday and accused Israel of attempting to carry out "genocide" against the Palestinian people.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the Israeli army "cowards."
"In this tragic and indignant hour, the people of Venezuela manifest their unconditional solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people, share in the sadness that overcomes thousands of families through the loss of their loved ones, and extends to them a hand by affirming that the government of Venezuela will not rest until it sees those responsible for these criminal atrocities severely punished," the Venezuelan foreign minister said in a statement read by an anchor on state television.
The statement added that the government "condemns strongly the flagrant violations of international law" by Israel and "denounces their planned utilization of state terrorism."
"For the above-mentioned reasons, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and some of the personnel of the Israeli Embassy in Venezuela," it added.
In a news conference broadcast by state-run Venezuelan television, President Hugo Chavez blasted the Israeli military.
"They are cowards," he said. "It's as though a boxing professional were to come here and challenge you to box. Well, how courageous! How courageous is the Israeli army!"
It said that Chavez "makes a fraternal call to the Jewish people throughout the world to oppose these criminal policies of the state of Israel that recall the worst pages of the history of the 20th century.
"With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the state of Israel will never be able to offer its people the perspective of a peace that is both necessary and long-lasting."
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was unswayed.
"I haven't heard the details yet, but you know the regime in Venezuela has been one of the few countries in the world that gives automatic support to the Iranian extremists, and it doesn't surprise me that they have affinity with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah," he told CNN.
He predicted that other countries would not follow suit, even in the Middle East.
"I think, even in the Muslim and Arab countries, there is a fair amount of understanding for what Israel has had to do here," he said. | 374d90aece4247b4ab9db18d792b0fcd | What is in protest? | [
"flagrant violations of international law\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Space shuttle Discovery docked with the international space station early Wednesday despite a broken antenna that knocked out radar tracking aboard the shuttle.
The shuttle docked with the space station at 3:44 a.m. ET. At the time of docking, both spacecraft were traveling 225 miles over the Caribbean sea near Caracas, Venezuela, NASA said.
Commander Alan Poindexter and his crew completed the rendezvous without the use of the shuttle's Ku-band radar, relying instead on other navigation tools to precisely track the space station, NASA said.
The Discovery's seven-person crew now joins the six-person space station crew for more than a week of work together.
It will mark the first time four women have been in space at one time.
Three women -- mission specialists Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Naoko Yamazaki -- comprise part of the Discovery's crew. NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson is already at the space station.
Discovery launched Monday morning from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The shuttle's 13-day mission includes three planned spacewalks, replacing an ammonia tank assembly and retrieving a Japanese experiment from the station's exterior.
It is scheduled to return to Earth on April 18 at 8:35 a.m. ET.
There are only three shuttle missions remaining before the space shuttle fleet is retired. | 775b0f32ae264ec5a43812e4ed5c2001 | What did the Shuttle Discovery do? | [
"docked with the international space station"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department called the expulsion of the second U.S. diplomat from Ecuador in just over a week "unjustified," rejecting charges the diplomats meddled in Ecuador's internal affairs.
First Secretary Mark Sullivan has been given 48 hours to leave the U.S. embassy in Quito, Ecuador.
On Wednesday, the Ecuadorian government expelled First Secretary Mark Sullivan, whom it accused of meddling in the government's internal police policies, giving him 48 hours to leave the country.
On February 7, the government expelled Armando Astorga, an attaché with the Department of Homeland Security working in the U.S. Embassy.
Acting Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid said the expulsions stem from the fact that certain Ecuadorian police were banned from taking part in U.S. counternarcotics training programs, but rejected "any suggestion of wrongdoing by embassy staff."
"Despite the government of Ecuador's unjustified actions, we remain committed to working collaboratively with Ecuador to confront narcotics trafficking," Duguid said.
Asked whether the State Department would reciprocate the expulsions by kicking out Ecuadorian diplomats from the United States, Duguid would say only, "We will respond as appropriate."
A senior State Department official suggested the police in Ecuador police did not meet the criteria to take part in the training, noting, "The United States does have procedures that require it to vet candidates for U.S.-funded training."
The official added, "In some countries this is seen as onerous. However, it is part of the legal accountability measures we must follow." | ce1e49d6085d4bd883aef88a58f1c891 | Who was the first U.S. diplomat expelled by Ecuador? | [
"Armando Astorga,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A 19-year-old girl whose hospitalization exposed a shocking Austrian incest case has woken from her coma, a development that could shed new light on what occurred in the basement were she was held captive for decades.
Fritzl initially confessed to raping his daughter and having seven children with her.
Doctors placed Kerstin Fritzl in an artificial coma in April after she emerged for the first time from the cellar where she was held captive from birth by her father Josef.
Kerstin, along with six other children, was born from Josef Fritzl's incestuous relationship with his daughter Elisabeth, now 43, whom he raped repeatedly during the 24 years she was imprisoned beneath his home.
Police say Fritzl, 73, has confessed to holding his Elisabeth captive and fathering seven children, six of whom survived.
Kerstin was admitted to hospital in Amstetten, west of Vienna, in an unconscious state after Elisabeth persuaded Fritzl that she needed medical attention. Suspicious medics alerted police, who opened an investigation.
Detectives began investigating the case after hospital officials started inquiring about the girl's family history.
Kerstin and two of her brothers, aged 18 and 5, had spent their entire lives trapped in the cellar with their mother, never seeing daylight, a television their only contact with the outside world.
Another three children Fritzl fathered with Elisabeth were taken to live above ground with Fritzl and his wife, who says she had no idea that her daughter was being held captive. A seventh child died shortly after birth.
Elisabeth and her children have been treated at a secure medical unit since their release.
Officials at hospital in Amstetten, Austria, did not release any more information about Kerstin Fritzl's condition. A news conference on the case is scheduled for Wednesday. | 3f78688fc75b4ed2bb32b21ed133d285 | What was Fritzl's age when she was found? | [
"19-year-old"
] |
NewsQA | Sirte, Libya (CNN) -- On the outskirts of Sirte, a mansion with a columned facade lies in ruins, though its opulence is still evident under shattered glass and chunks of concrete. This was Moammar Gadhafi's home in the city of his birth.
The house had its own salon with barber chairs and massage tables. Ornate four-poster beds furnished the bedrooms and there were lavish decorations all around.
In the basement is a large conference room. Is this where Gadhafi planned his last stand or arranged for his escape?
The deposed leader has not been seen in public for months. His whereabouts are unknown but some believe he may still be hiding in Sirte.
People wandering through the house are stunned. They thought Gadhafi lived in a tent.
Most residents have abandoned Sirte after a month of fierce battles. Revolutionary forces have fought Gadhafi loyalists street by street, cornering the last vestiges of the old regime to one district. With their backs to the Mediterranean, the loyalists used machine gun nests and snipers atop buildings to fight back Friday.
The sound of rockets and artillery pierced the air; smoke billowed over the skyline.
Time and time again, the revolutionaries have come to the brink of victory. But they have not been able to claim it yet.
Until they do, the National Transitional Council will not declare liberation in Libya. Taking control of Gadhafi's hometown is key to moving forward in building a new nation.
Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF or in English, Doctors Without Borders) said some of Sirte's residents remain trapped in the fighting. The medical charity said it has been able to work at the Ibn Sina hospital. from where the International Committee of the Red Cross is evacuating patients to Tripoli.
The 50 remaining patients are mostly people who have suffered violent trauma, severe burns and fractures, according to MSF. Almost all patients need daily dressing and immediate medical care. There are also some pregnant women in the hospital.
There is no water supply in the hospital and one of four operating theaters has been shelled, MSF said. The medical staff has been working around the clock and are showing signs of exhaustion and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Outside, a rag-tag army marches into battle again, many of the men strangely nonchalant as they stroll to the fight. Friday, the transitional council fighters were forced to retreat. They will regroup and push again, hoping for a highly anticipated victory.
CNN's Dan Rivers and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | f15ceaf5f2ea472b8b06432eb69b639a | What is deserted | [
"Sirte"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- An Ohio distributor is recalling about 6 million Chinese-made tire valve stems after concluding that some of them were improperly made and could increase the risk of accidents.
An Ohio distributor is recalling 6 million Chinese-made car tire valve stems.
Tech International, the part's Johnstown, Ohio-based distributor, estimates that just 8,600 of roughly 6 million of those valves are defective.
The valve is a replacement snap-in tire valve -- Model No. TR413 -- manufactured between July and November 2006.
It was imported by Tech International from manufacturer Shanghai Baolong Industries Co. in Shanghai, China, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to the recall, the rubber part of the valve may crack after being in use for about six months, causing a gradual loss of tire pressure.
Continuing to drive on underinflated tires can cause them to burst, possibly leading to crashes.
Tech International told the NHTSA that the company doesn't have records of the final purchasers of the valve stems.
According to the company, the defect was identified after "a small number" of the valves were reported by customers and one distributor to have failed.
The samples were shipped to China, and, in March, Baolong concluded that some valves could be defective.
"The cause of the defect is likely improper mixing of the rubber compound in the manufacturer's facility," Tech International wrote in a letter to the transportation safety authority. | 364c90877bf745e2b5980d6cfc673b53 | Tech International estimates that just 8,600 of 6 million are defective | [
"valves"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama called Pakistan's president Sunday to express condolences over the airstrike that killed 24 soldiers near the Afghanistan border more than a week ago, the White House said in a statement.
"The president made clear that this regrettable incident was not a deliberate attack on Pakistan and reiterated the United States' strong commitment to a full investigation," the statement said. "The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Pakistan bilateral relationship, which is critical to the security of both nations, and they agreed to stay in close touch."
The conversation between Obama and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was the latest bid to address strained relations between the two nations after a NATO airstrike killed the Pakistani troops on November 26.
After the attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told CNN that Pakistan was re-evaluating its relationship with the United States.
NATO later called the subsequent mass casualties caused by the strike "tragic (and) unintended." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta have called the incident a "tragedy" and offered condolences, though Washington has not issued a formal apology.
The issue of U.S. and fellow NATO forces coming into Pakistan has been an especially sensitive topic in that country since May, when U.S. commandos killed then al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad without Pakistani leaders' consent
During an exclusive interview last week with CNN, Gilani said the country wants to maintain its relationship with the United States as long as there is mutual respect and respect for Pakistani sovereignty.
Asked directly if Pakistan is getting that respect, the prime minister said: "At the moment (it is) not."
"If I can't protect the sovereignty of my country, how can we say that this is mutual respect and mutual interest?" he asked rhetorically.
Pakistan has taken several steps aimed at NATO since the attack.
That includes an announcement Friday, by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, that NATO and International Security Assistance Force supplies could no longer be routed through Pakistan. The country has served a vital supply route for allied forces who have been fighting for more than a decade in neighboring Afghanistan. | c9e41c7566cc4506bc8651c40118e9b9 | what did obama say | [
"this regrettable incident was not a deliberate attack on Pakistan and reiterated the United States' strong commitment to a full investigation,\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A South Carolina sheriff's office is investigating whether Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps smoked marijuana on the University of South Carolina campus.
Michael Phelps is facing a criminal investigation into whether he smoked marijuana on a college campus.
Authorities will file criminal charges if the investigation determines that they are warranted, a spokesman said Tuesday.
"If someone breaks the law in Richland County, we have an obligation as law enforcement to investigate and to bring charges," Sheriff Leon Lott said in a statement.
"The Richland County Sheriff's Department is making an effort to determine if Mr. Phelps broke the law. If he did, he will be charged in the same manner as anyone else. The sheriff has a responsibility to be fair, to enforce the law and to not turn a blind eye because someone is a celebrity."
Phelps admitted "regrettable behavior" on Sunday after a British newspaper published a photograph of him smoking through a bong. The tabloid News of the World showed Phelps using the bong during what it said was a November party at the University of South Carolina, in Richland County.
Both university police and Columbia, South Carolina, police have said they would not pursue charges, according to The State newspaper in Columbia. It was unclear where the party took place, the paper said, or whether it was on the USC campus.
"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," said Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in a statement Sunday. See the photo on the cover of Star magazine »
"I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me," he said. "For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public -- it will not happen again."
The U.S. Olympic Committee also issued a statement that said in part, "Michael has acknowledged that he made a mistake and apologized for his actions. We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the kind of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion."
In 2004, Phelps was arrested on charges of driving under the influence in Salisbury, Maryland. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation. He also issued an apology after that incident.
Phelps is one of 12 Olympic athletes who have signed on to "My Victory," an initiative launched last year by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency aimed at keeping competitive sports clean. | 0d24c42cbfcf4e0b8dcfeaa93804341b | Where was the published photo taken? | [
"University of South Carolina, in Richland County."
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- An outspoken Saudi human rights advocate who was imprisoned without charge for nearly eight months was freed this weekend, according to a fellow human rights activist.
Matrook al-Faleh, shown in 2004, was seized after he criticized prison conditions, says Human Rights Watch.
Matrook al-Faleh "is doing very well" after leaving Al-Hayer maximum security prison near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, late Saturday, said colleague Mohammed al-Qahtani, who visited al-Faleh on Sunday.
"He is very healthy and his morale is quite high -- surprisingly after eight months," said al-Qahtani.
Both men are Saudi college professors.
It's unclear why al-Faleh was arrested. A Human Rights Watch report condemning the arrest and urging al-Faleh's release said his detention came two days after he publicly criticized conditions in a prison where two other Saudi human rights activists are imprisoned.
It was also unclear why he was held for so long. According to al-Qahtani, Saudi law mandates that no one can be held for more than six months without charge.
"The criminal code says you charge him or release him, but sometimes they do not respect the law they issued," al-Qahtani said.
An official at the Saudi Interior Ministry said he had no details about al-Faleh's case.
Jamila al-Uqla, al-Faleh's wife, spoke to CNN in May, shortly after her husband was detained.
She described how her husband had been arrested without charge and interrogated repeatedly. Al-Faleh had decided to go on a hunger strike to demand that he be told why he was being held, she said.
His wife stressed that she and al-Faleh are patriotic Saudis. "My husband is transparent and doesn't hide anything," said al-Uqla. "He says whatever he sees. He has loyalty to his country and the interests of his country."
It was not Al-Faleh's first brush with the Saudi legal system. Al-Faleh, Abdullah al-Hamid and Ali al-Dumaini, who runs a Saudi discussion Web site, were arrested in 2004 for circulating a petition meant for then-Crown Prince Abdullah which called for a constitution guaranteeing basic human rights.
A court sentenced al-Faleh, Abdullah al-Hamid and Ali al-Dumaini, to six, seven and nine years respectively. But King Abdullah pardoned them in August 2005, Human Rights Watch said. | 36ed93a6b8c640799c2f5f328b1bcd24 | What Rights group said about Al-Faleh`s detention? | [
"condemning the arrest"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- All-time major record holder Jack Nicklaus believes that Tiger Woods will return to the golf course in time to appear in next month's Masters.
Woods, 34, has been out of the game since revelations about his private life were made public late last year but Nicklaus is of the opinion that his fellow- American will want to play at Augusta as he aims to add to his tally of 14 major victories.
Speaking to the media before this week's Honda Classic PGA tournament, Nicklaus, who is four ahead of Woods with 18 major wins, said: "It would surprise me if he didn't play at Augusta. My guess, as a golfer, is that he will want to.
"His personal life is his personal life. He is a professional golfer and he is a sensational golfer. He is a great athlete, and he'll figure out his own problems."
Meanwhile, Woods' caddie Steve Williams has told New Zealand's 60 Minutes program that he would have spoken out about the world number one's alleged affairs if he had known about them.
"In some people's perception, I'm involved in it and I've committed a crime or I've done wrong," Williams said. "The truth is I knew nothing of what was happening."
"It's been the most difficult time of my life because every single person believed that I should know, or did know, or had something to do with it. "If I had known something was going on, the whistle would have been blown.
"Of course I'm mad at him. I'm close with his wife -- he's got two lovely children and he's let them down. But when a guy's having a tough time, it's not up to me to beat him with a stick. | 538a5c733cb04054ae10b1a6270835f5 | who believes Tiger Woods will return to golf in time to appear in The Masters? | [
"Jack Nicklaus"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Mourners packed into a church in Illinois Monday to remember a woman whose death made headlines worldwide.
At the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago, a funeral was held for Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer who died last week after a killer whale dragged her underwater at Shamu Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
A memorial service for the 40-year-old will take place in Orlando, Florida, at a future date, according to the Blake Lamb Funeral Home.
Brancheau had wanted to be an animal trainer from the time she visited SeaWorld as a 9-year-old, her sister Diane Gross said last week.
"It was her dream job," Gross said. "She loved the animals like they were her own children. ... She loved what she did."
Brancheau was pulled underwater Wednesday at SeaWorld Orlando, when a 6-ton killer whale named Tilikum grabbed her ponytail. A source at SeaWorld said the whale dove deep underwater after seizing Brancheau. Trainers had to wrangle the animal into a smaller pool before they could retrieve her body about 40 minutes later.
The same whale was linked previously to two other human deaths.
Tilikum and two other whales were involved in the 1991 drowning of a trainer at a marine park in Victoria, British Columbia. The trainer fell into the whale tank at Sealand of the Pacific and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched.
In 1999, Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld, the apparent victim of the whale's "horseplay," authorities said then.
Labor Department spokesman Mike Wald said the safety and health agency is looking into whether Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace standards were violated in Brancheau's death. The agency will complete a report within six months, he said.
If workplace infractions are found, OSHA will propose financial penalties, Wald said. If that happens, the company could accept the penalties and make needed workplace changes or appeal the penalties before an OSHA review commission.
Inspectors also are looking into the incident from an animal-welfare perspective, said David Sacks, an Agriculture Department spokesman.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wants to know whether federal standards were violated in the exhibiting of warm-blooded mammals.
SeaWorld shows with killer whales resumed on Saturday. | 76b99b85a3cf46b7906f25902793be48 | where was brancheau's funeral held? | [
"St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Police and FBI agents are investigating the discovery of an empty rocket launcher tube on the front lawn of a Jersey City, New Jersey, home, FBI spokesman Sean Quinn said.
Niranjan Desai discovered the 20-year-old AT4 anti-tank rocket launcher tube, a one-time-use device, lying on her lawn Friday morning, police said.
The launcher has been turned over to U.S. Army officials at the 754th Ordnance Company, an explosive ordnance disposal unit, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Army officials said.
The launcher "is no longer operable and not considered to be a hazard to public safety," police said, adding there was no indication the launcher had been fired recently.
Army officials said they could not determine if the launcher had been fired, but indicated they should know once they find out where it came from.
The nearest military base, Fort Dix, is more than 70 miles from Jersey City.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force division of the FBI and Jersey City police are investigating the origin of the rocket launcher and the circumstance that led to its appearance on residential property.
"Al Qaeda doesn't leave a rocket launcher on the lawn of middle-aged ladies," said Paul Cruickshank of New York University Law School's Center on Law and Security.
A neighbor, Joe Quinn, said the object lying on Desai's lawn looked military, was brown, had a handle and strap, and "both ends were open, like you could shoot something with it."
Quinn also said the device had a picture of a soldier on it and was 3 to 4 feet long.
An Army official said the device is basically a shoulder-fired, direct-fire weapon used against ground targets -- a modern-day bazooka -- and it is not wire-guided.
According to the Web site Globalsecurity.org, a loaded M136 AT4 anti-tank weapon has a 40-inch-long fiberglass-wrapped tube and weighs just 4 pounds. Its 84 millimeter shaped-charge missile can penetrate 14 inches of armor from a maximum of 985 feet. It is used once and discarded. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Carol Cratty, Dugald McConnell, and Mike Mount contributed to this report. | 197ceb1e06f04f62b1da8cf9159c0f72 | To which group was the device handed over to? | [
"U.S. Army officials"
] |
NewsQA | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A man accused of taping ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews in the nude through hotel peepholes and posting the videos online will plead guilty to a federal stalking charge, according to a court document filed Thursday.
Michael David Barrett, 48, will enter a plea on December 15, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in the Central District of California.
A criminal complaint filed in October accused Barrett of taping Andrews then making seven videos that he posted on the Internet.
Barrett's lawyer, David Willingham, issued a statement saying his client apologized to Andrews.
"Mr. Barrett accepts full responsibility for his conduct. He apologizes to Ms. Andrews, and expresses his deep regret for his conduct that caused her so much pain. It is his sincere hope that these events can now become an opportunity to make positive changes in his life," the statement said.
Barrett was arrested in Illinois but will appear in Los Angeles federal court, Mrozek said. Barrett is charged with interstate stalking, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
An Illinois judge released Barrett on bail in October.
Andrews, 31, is a sideline reporter for ESPN, traveling around the country covering college football games. According to the October criminal complaint, Andrews said that she became aware of the videos in July and that their posting has caused her distress, anxiety and trouble sleeping.
Her lawyer, Marshall Grossman, told CNN that Andrews is still shaken.
"She is a very strong young woman. Time is a good healer," Grossman said. "However, she continues to feel and experience the ramifications of what occurred every time she steps foot into a hotel room, and in her business, she lives in hotel rooms."
Andrews is now accompanied by additional security, Grossman said.
Grossman said he and Andrews are in the process of reviewing the evidence against Barrett and the plea agreement, and Andrews will speak before the court at the hearing next week.
He said Andrews wants "severe punishment" for Barrett.
The plea agreement filed Thursday alleges that Barrett recorded videos of Andrews while she stayed at hotels in Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Nashville, Tennessee.
The filing alleges Barrett made reservations at the hotels and altered the peepholes to shoot video of Andrews.
Barrett allegedly attempted to sell the videos to celebrity gossip site TMZ in January 2009. TMZ did not purchase the images, but employees of the Web site assisted in the investigation by providing information to Andrews' attorneys, authorities said.
Barrett posted the videos to other Web sites, Thursday's filing said.
CNN's Khadijah Rentas and Sonya Hamasaki contributed to this report. | e28aaaefc93544de9e4fab6ac16bd354 | who apologizes to Erin Andrews? | [
"\"Mr. Barrett"
] |
NewsQA | Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- A body was found in the landing gear bay of an airplane that arrived at Tokyo's Narita Airport Sunday, the airport announced.
The dead man was not carrying a passport or personal belongings, airport police said.
The man was of dark complexion and dressed in blue jeans and a red and dark blue long-sleeved shirt, police told CNN.
Police said he possibly froze to death and suffered a shortage of oxygen at high altitude, but did not provide a definite cause of death pending an autopsy.
A mechanic found the body in the landing gear bay, which was impossible to enter from the cabin, the airport said.
The Boeing 777, Delta Flight 59, which departed New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 12:53 p.m. ET Saturday arrived at Narita at 4:46 p.m. local time Sunday, the airport said.
"Delta is fully co-operating with the Japanese authorities, and there is (an) on-going investigation which is being led by the Japanese authorities. The airline has not issued an official statement at this time," a Delta representative told CNN.
CNN's Junko Ogura and Ayesha Durgahee contributed to this report. | fe8007fe9b1e47519e81671463a07d0a | Where did the flight set off from? | [
"New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- FBI agents Monday raided a rural Georgia peanut butter plant suspected as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak, a CNN affiliate reported.
The Food and Drug Administration launched a probe of Peanut Corporation of America on January 30.
The Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia, was sealed off by federal authorities Monday morning, WALB reported.
The company is accused of knowingly shipping tainted products now linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 states. The recent outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history, encompassing more than 1,000 products.
The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations launched a probe of the company on January 30.
Previously, the Peanut Corporation of America had said said it shipped products only after subsequent tests came back negative for salmonella.
Representatives from the company have not returned repeated calls from CNN. | 463b7140ca694e73a907ec76a244810d | what company is involved? | [
"Peanut Corporation of America"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- For almost a century, the old dog has traversed landscapes across the United States, with weary, budget-conscious travelers peeking out of its windows.
Greyhound bus services will run from London to cities such as Portsmouth and Southampton.
Now, the iconic Greyhound is taking to the road in Britain. The company will run hourly bus services from London to select cities, starting Monday.
In contrast to its U.S. services, however, the buses are glitzier and more luxurious.
"The UK service will have wireless Internet, spacious leather seats, more leg room and free newspapers," said Alex Warner, managing director of Greyhound UK. "Obviously, we wanted our services to reflect the nature of UK passengers."
For inaugural Greyhound service in Britain, the company aimed to start with the best the United States has to offer, Warner added.
In North America, the same services are available from New York and Washington to select cities such as Boston and Toronto, Canada.
"There are plans to expand that. Americans should watch closely. We will introduce more of these services based on how well they are received in the UK," Warner said.
Despite the added benefits, fares will still target the budget-conscious traveler in Britain, according to Warner.
The service starts with a few cities -- from London to Portsmouth and Southampton, he said. The approximately 120-kilometer (80-mile) trip will cost £1 ($1.60) if a ticket is bought in advance, Warner said. Prices will go up to £4 or £5, depending on time of purchase.
"We are planning to keep the prices within that range," Warner said.
Greyhound Lines is owned by British transport company FirstGroup, which bought it from its U.S. parent in 2007. It was founded in 1914, and has services in Mexico and Canada, according to its Web site.
In a nod to its cameos in American movies and songs, such as the 1969 film "Midnight Cowboy" and Simon and Garfunkel's 1972 hit "America," Greyhound plans to keep at least one tie to its U.S. origins. Buses in Britain will be named after classic American songs.
The names include "Sweet Caroline" and "Good Golly Miss Molly," Warner said.
CNN's Faith Karimi contributed to this report. | 9d9ff68732b54683b79a15025cf12f6f | what services will run | [
"Greyhound bus"
] |
NewsQA | HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- William Potts picks up his daughters from school every day. People consider him a generous neighbor and a good father.
William Potts smuggled a firearm aboard a flight, hijacked the plane and forced the crew to fly to Cuba.
But few know how this eccentric American ended up in Cuba.
"I came to Cuba 25 years ago. I hijacked an airplane," said Potts, who was convicted of air piracy.
Potts says he was enthused by Fidel Castro and his revolution. He imagined a racial and social utopia that could be replicated in his own country.
In 1984, he smuggled a firearm aboard a commercial flight and forced the crew to fly to Havana, Cuba. No one was injured.
"In my revolutionary naivete, I came looking for military training," he says.
Instead, he ended up in jail. He spent 13 years behind bars in Cuba.
In 1971, the United States and Cuba signed an agreement in which each government agreed to prosecute hijackers or return them to the other country.
Potts, who married after being released from prison, is now divorced and lives on the outskirts of Havana with his two daughters, ages 4 and 7. He makes some money letting his neighbors use his prized Internet connection.
But the New Yorker is homesick and says his elderly parents need help.
"I committed a crime and paid for it," he says. "Now what I want is to return home because I have to attend to my family." Watch Potts explain why he thinks he deserves a pardon »
He says the time is right.
Potts wrote a letter to President Obama asking for a pardon that would let him return to the United States without fear of being jailed.
There are thought to be 700 American fugitives hiding in Cuba. Members of the Black Panthers, Puerto Rican independence movement members and common criminals have sought sanctuary on the island. For the most part, they try to go unnoticed.
Perhaps the most famous is black activist Assata Shakur, who was convicted for killing a police officer in New Jersey in 1973 but escaped from prison in 1979 and ended up in Cuba.
Potts says he wants to leave behind his radical days and expects that Obama will finally allow him to do that. | 4fa57a3607084d5ea1fbee3e23ccadfe | when Potts served 12 years in a Cuban? | [
"In 1984,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Wayne Rooney's injury time header gave Manchester United a 3-1 victory over city rivals Manchester City to put them through to the English League Cup final 4-3 on aggregate.
City won last week's first leg 2-1, courtesy of a double by former United striker Carlos Tevez, but the English champions brought the aggregate scores level early in the second half.
Rooney sent Ryan Giggs racing clear with a superb cross-field pass. City's defence appeared to have halted the attack, but the ball eventually fell to Michael Carrick, whose pass found veteran midfielder Paul Scholes to fire past goalkeeper Shay Given.
Then, with 20 minutes remaining, the tie looked settled when Darren Fletcher laid a Nani pass into the path of Carrick who scored with a precision side-footed effort into the corner of the City goal.
Tevez was jeered by the home fans, but the Argentine again showed what the Old Trafford club are missing when pulling a goal back five minutes later, flicking Craig Bellamy's cross powerfully home, ahead of defender Rio Ferdinand, to leave the tie poised for extra time.
However, in the 91st minute, England forward Rooney -- who scored all four goals in United's victory over Hull on Saturday -- struck with a close range header from a Giggs to deny City a place in their first major final for 29 years.
United will now face Aston Villa in a repeat of the 1994 League Cup final, looking to gain revenge for that particular 3-1 Wembley defeat. | 45e13633ecc3475f99eb531323f3dfb7 | What is it a repeat of? | [
"the 1994 League Cup final,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Conjoined Egyptian twin boys Hassan and Mahmoud, who were successfully separated in Saudi Arabia Saturday, are recovering and are expected to lead normal lives, officials said.
Conjoined twins Hassan, left, and Mahmud rest the day before separation surgery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"The twins' vital signs are good; they're doing excellent," said Sami Al-Shalan, spokesman for the King Abdulaziz Medical City facility in Riyadh where the surgery took place. "The twins still have about 24 hours before a progress report can be issued. The anesthesia consultants are happy with the progress of the children."
The boys are less than a year old and were brought to the kingdom on February 10. The delicate surgery took a little more than 15 hours.
"The twins' parents have visited them in the [pediatric intensive care unit], but they can't stay there long. They come and go," Al-Shalan said.
Separating the boys' urinary system was a major challenge, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the Saudi minister of health, told CNN. So was separating the siblings' local veins and arteries, he said.
"We had to identify the arteries and the blood veins between each baby," Al-Rabeeah said. Watch Al-Rabeeah explain the operation »
The procedure was the 21st of its kind to be performed in the kingdom.
The surgeries are performed free as part of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's philanthropic initiative.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report. | a45b7a35b64d4742b3388e3d70165b63 | Who are less than a year old? | [
"Conjoined"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Southwest Airlines will pay $7.5 million to settle complaints that it flew unsafe aircraft, and the fine will double unless the airline completes additional safety measures within a year, federal regulators announced Monday.
The FAA found Southwest operated jets on nearly 60,000 flights without performing certain mandatory inspections.
The Federal Aviation Administration originally recommended more than $10 million in civil penalties in 2008 after finding Southwest operated 46 of its Boeing 737 jets on nearly 60,000 flights without performing mandatory inspections for fatigue cracks in their fuselages.
FAA documents obtained by CNN found that in some cases, Southwest aircraft flew for 30 months after government inspection deadlines had passed.
A congressional panel concluded the planes were "not airworthy," and two FAA whistle-blowers said agency managers let the airline conduct the safety checks on a slower schedule to avoid disrupting flights.
The Dallas, Texas-based airline said it was happy to have settled "all outstanding issues with the FAA."
"This settlement with the FAA will allow us to focus on safety going forward, rather than on issues that are now behind us and that have already been addressed," Southwest Airlines said in a written statement.
CNN's Mike M. Ahlers contributed to this report. | b73218f27d394ec880b0db53c43c7131 | What flew for 30 months after inspection deadlines passed? | [
"Southwest Airlines"
] |
NewsQA | ROME, Italy -- Mauro Camoranesi scored with 13 minutes left to earn Juventus a 1-1 home draw with Serie A leaders Inter Milan on Sunday.
Julio Cruz is mobbed by team-mates after giving Inter the lead in their 1-1 draw at Juventus.
Camoranesi picked up a headed knock-down from substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta before seeing his shot deflect off defender Walter Samuel to leave goalkeeper Julio Cesar helpless.
Inter took a first-half lead when Argentine striker Julio Cruz broke Juve's offside trap and latched onto Brazilian midfielder Cesar's through ball before firing past Gianluigi Buffon.
The result means Inter retain their unbeaten record this season, despite injury problems that saw the likes of Patrick Vieira, Francesco Toldo, Marco Materazzi and Dejan Stankovic ruled out.
The defending champions are now two points clear of Fiorentina at the top of the table, with Roma a point further behind and Juventus in fourth place.
Earlier in the day, Roma missed out on the chance to close the gap on Inter when a late collapse saw them throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Empoli.
First half goals from French winger Ludovic Giuly and Matteo Brighi had put the visiting Romans in charge and for more than an hour they looked set to cruise to victory.
But with 23 minutes remaining Ighli Vannucchi reduced the deficit and Sebastian Giovinco snatched an injury time equaliser to deny Luciano Spaletti's injury-depleted team.
Siena snatched a share of the spoils from Parma in a 2-2 draw as Daniele Galloppa scored in the last minute while Napoli needed an injury time goal from striker Ezequiel Lavezzi to deny rock-bottom Reggina their first win of the season, forcing them to settle for a 1-1 draw in the south. E-mail to a friend | d722b1d92e754bbaa1a33a86c8c045c6 | What happened to Julio Cruz? | [
"mobbed by team-mates"
] |
NewsQA | NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Bronx woman has been charged with murder and robbery in the death of an 89-year-old Nazi concentration camp survivor, and police said a man is still being sought in connection with the death.
Felix Brinkmann dances at a 2008 birthday party. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies," his son says.
Angela Murray, 30, was arrested Saturday, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office, and is accused of strangling Guido Felix Brinkmann on Thursday in his Upper East Side apartment.
Murray was arraigned Sunday and charged with one count of murder in the second degree and three counts of robbery.
Brinkmann, a native of Latvia, was a Holocaust survivor who escaped death for a year while he was in the Mauthausen, Ebensee and Auschwitz camps. He had been slated for the gas chambers five times, but each time, he used his fluency in German to talk his way out, said his son, Rick Brinkman, who spells his last name differently.
After the war, he was stunned to discover his wife, who had also been shipped to Auschwitz, alive and well in Poland.
The Brinkmanns immigrated to America, where Brinkmann spent years in the bar and nightclub business, co-founding the Adam's Apple disco in Manhattan in 1971.
In recent years, he had been the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx, working "seven days a week, without fail," Rick Brinkman said.
On Thursday, the building's superintendent grew concerned when Brinkmann did not show up for work. He notified Brinkmann's son and received permission to enter the father's apartment, where he had lived alone since his wife died last year.
Brinkmann was found face-down in his bedroom, his hands bound behind his back and his body showing blunt-force trauma wounds, police said. Brinkmann's blue 2009 Honda Civic had been stolen, along with one of two safes in his apartment, police said. The vehicle was later recovered in the Bronx.
Rick Brinkman speculated that the killing was random. "Anybody who knew him really liked him," the son said. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies."
CNN's Jason Kessler contributed to this report. | 3487db2070e44e27a88b83f91fc6be33 | Who was strangled to death? | [
"Felix Brinkmann"
] |
NewsQA | SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A man at a Fort Lewis army post on Wednesday fatally shot a woman before turning the gun on himself, military authorities said.
The shootings on Wednesday occurred outside the main post exchange at Fort Lewis in Washington state.
The man, who was hospitalized earlier in the day, was pronounced dead late Wednesday, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Kubistek said.
The man shot the woman and then shot himself in the head, said Maj. Mike Garcia. He said the shootings occurred outside the main post exchange, as retail stores at military installations are called.
Garcia said the 59-year-old shooter was a retired soldier. The woman he shot, Garcia said, was a civilian who worked as a vendor in the store. Neither was identified.
Kathy Johnson had taken her elderly mother to shop at the store when shots rang out. "I heard five to six shots and hit the floor," Johnson said, "I was hiding under a clothing rack and people were yelling that we were being taken hostage."
Eventually, Johnson said, customers were told over the store intercom that it was safe to leave the store. Outside military police had surrounded the store and were posted on nearby rooftops, she said,
It was not immediately clear what the relationship between the man and woman was, Garcia said. He said since the shooting took place on a federal installation, the FBI would lead the investigation into the shootings.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report. | 9462e94d84a6496f89849c4f402bd146 | How many shots was heard? | [
"five to six"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Australia's cricketers will pay tribute to Jane McGrath at their one-day international against West Indies in St Vincent on Tuesday.
Jane McGrath died on Sunday at the age of 42.
The English-born wife of former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath, died on Sunday, aged 42, after a long battle with cancer.
The McGraths had two children, James, who is eight, and Holly six.
The Australian players will wear pink ribbons and batsmen will use pink grips on their bats.
The color pink represents the McGrath Foundation, an organization set up by the McGraths to raise money for the fight against breast cancer.
The McGraths were recognized for their charity work this year when they were appointed as Members of the Order of Australia.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said: "Jane was a wonderful person who fought and maintained grace and dignity during her long-term illness."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "Jane was an inspiration, whose legacy will continue to benefit so many others."
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, best man at the McGrath's 1999 wedding, said: "Courage is often associated with feats on a sport field but the true meaning of it lies elsewhere and someone like Jane best exemplifies that." | c6200494c219485088280b73db7f4567 | what did she die from | [
"cancer."
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- An earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 5.6 struck eastern Venezuela on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake's epicenter was about 25 miles from Carupano, near the Caribbean coast in northeastern Venezuela, the agency said. It was 7 miles deep.
The geological survey revised its estimates after initially reporting the quake as having a 5.7 magnitude and an epicenter slightly closer to Carupano. The revised location is about 235 miles east of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Are you in Venezuela? Share your images, video | ef27df633d22419d827c51d2a78eb45d | What strength was the quake in Venezuela? | [
"5.6"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- While all eyes seem to be on "Slumdog Millionaire" for the Oscars, one very courageous little girl will be focused on another India-based film at the ceremony.
Pinki, like millions in developing countries, had to live with her deformity and suffer the social consequences.
It's called "Smile Pinki," and it's up for an Oscar, too -- nominated for best short documentary, which it won on Sunday.
The little girl watching it from inside the Oscar ceremony has traveled all the way to Los Angeles, California, from her small Indian village with her dad -- and it has been an incredible journey for Pinki Sonkar.
"Smile Pinki" tells the story of her transformation from a sad outcast to a vibrant 8-year-old with plenty of spunk.
Pinki was born with a cleft lip, and her impoverished family did not have the money for corrective surgery.
Like millions of other children born with the lip deformity in developing countries, Pinki simply had to live with it and suffer the social consequences.
Her father Rajendra Sonkar says: "She used to go to school and the kids would not befriend her. She would say, 'I don't want to go to school.'" Watch how Pinki was transformed by the operation »
"Pinki was a depressed, sad, lonely, shy, young little girl, growing up on the periphery of the society in a little village," said Satish Kalra, director of Smile Train's South Asian region, after meeting with Pinki.
The little girl's own family was ashamed of her, Kalra says.
But all of that has changed. Pinki is now a real pistol, full of energy and confidence, and she has a fantastic smile too -- thanks to the Smile Train charity.
Smile Train teaches doctors in their own countries to operate on cleft lips, a deformity afflicting up to four million children across the world. iReport: Share your Oscar predictions
Pinki just happened to be one of the chosen candidates for surgery and was also chosen to be the subject of the documentary.
The film chronicles her transformation, following her from her village to the hospital and home again.
"She has absolutely and totally changed," said Pinki's surgeon, Dr. Subodh Kumar.
The film's director is Megan Mylan. She has won several awards but not an Oscar -- until now.
For Pinki and her dad, being able to see the film's director win an Oscar would be a thrill.
But they know they already have the greatest prize: Pinki's new smile.
"I am so happy that my daughter's lips have been repaired," her dad Rajendra said with a smile, expressing hope that the movie will inspire people to help children whose families can't afford the surgery. | b373f0a5f9b14b2b96ff27186d9a0987 | Which charity provided Pinki's operation? | [
"Smile Train"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith is confirming the latest buzz: She's been laid off from the New York Post.
Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith, 86, has been a fixture of New York tabloids for more than three decades.
Confronted with "economic gales," New York Post Editor Col Allan said in a letter sent to Smith that the newspaper would not renew her contract, which expires at the end of the month.
"The Post is grateful to have been able to publish Liz Smith's legendary column for so many years. We wish her the very best for the future," Allan said in a statement Tuesday.
In an interview with CNN affiliate WABC-TV in New York, Smith noted that Friday "will be the first time in 33 years that there hasn't been a Liz Smith column in a New York paper."
"That hurts my heart. I would hate to see another newspaper fail. ... When I came to New York, there were nine newspapers. I've worked for seven of them. They just disappear out from under you," she added.
Often referred to as the "Diva of Dish," the 86-year-old Smith has been a presence in New York tabloids for more than three decades. She's written for the New York Post, New York Daily News and Newsday.
Smith was also a fixture on local television, appearing on WNBC-TV for more than 10 years. In 2000, she published a memoir, "Natural Blonde," and wrote a nonfiction work in 2005 combining food and gossip, "Dishing."
Though her titillating and often penetrating look at the New York social scene may be gone from tabloid pages, Smith will continue to publish, writing five times a week for wowOwow.com, an online community created and run by women for women.
In an online statement, WowOwow.com co-founder Joni Evans said that Smith will begin posting next week. | 954938bb00934e70ad9b186172f1cc97 | A Liz Smith column won't run in a New York paper for the first time in how many years? | [
"33"
] |
NewsQA | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Fifteen first ladies from African nations will attend a two-day summit in Los Angeles on health, women's issues and HIV/AIDS, organizers said Friday.
Actors Billy Zane and Sharon Stone, with Ted Alemayhu and Jean Stephane Biatcha, help announce the summit.
The conference, which begins Monday, is organized by U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) and African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering, a nonprofit organization formed by 22 first ladies from Africa. Sponsors include the RAND Corporation, General Electric, the World Health Organization and others.
"Empowering Africa's first ladies is an innovative approach to bettering the lives of millions of Africans," USDFA Chairman Ted Alemayhu said in a written statement. "The summit will pair these leaders with U.S. experts, key political figures and important organizations to create ongoing partnerships."
The event will include a summit, a gala and a private party.
Expected attendees include the first ladies of Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Swaziland and Zambia.
Maria Shriver, the wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will give opening remarks, according to a USDFA statement.
Other celebrities expected to attend include Maria Bello, Diane Lane, Jessica Alba, Sharon Stone, Blair Underwood, Joely Fisher, Kristin Davis and Camryn Manheim, USDFA told CNN.
Grammy award-winning singer Natalie Cole will perform at the gala, the organization said. | e1ca5c1511744679bdb8ff9e862b3716 | When does the meeting begin? | [
"Monday,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Drug violence in the Mexican state of Chihuahua left 24 people dead in the span of 24 hours this weekend, the state attorney general's office said Sunday.
The killings were scattered over four locations throughout the state, with eight dead in Juarez, 10 killed in the capital of Chihuahua, five killed in Cuauhtemuc and one killed in Parral.
All the slayings occurred in public places, with the killings in Cuauhtemuc occurring in a bar, said Carlos Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general.
The killings took place between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, Gonzalez said.
The victims -- all male -- ranged in age between 18 and 25 years old.
No other details about the killings or the victims were immediately available.
"This is an indicator of the incrementally increasing war between the two cartels battling for Juarez Plaza, the state's drug trafficking corridor," Gonzalez said, referring to an ongoing battle between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels for dominance in the area. Juarez Plaza is a major thoroughfare through the area.
"I can't give you a reason why the violence is picking up the last week of April going into this month," Gonzalez added.
Some Mexican news organizations have reported that the Sinaloa Cartel had defeated the rival Juarez organization but Gonzalez said, "There is no winner to this war."
The spate of weekend killings followed another bloody week in the Ciudad Juarez area.
On Wednesday, at least 15 people were killed in drug-related violence in Juarez, authorities said.
The slayings included four people whose bodies were found at one location, another three -- one of them a woman -- who were found slain at a second location, and another eight victims who were killed at a bar, police spokesman Jacinto Seguro said.
On Tuesday, 10 people were killed, Seguro said, including three who were shot outside a supermarket. Another victim was killed outside a shopping mall.
In all, 25 people were killed between Tuesday and Wednesday, Seguro said.
Ciudad Juarez is the most violent city in Mexico, with more than 2,600 drug-related deaths in 2009. No official numbers are available for this year, but more than 500 killings have been reported by local media. Some reports have the figures as high as 810 in Juarez this year.
According to a report released in April by the Mexican government, Chihuahua state is Mexico's hardest-hit state by drug violence, with 6,757 people killed since the start of the drug war at the end of 2006. | a6de7b2918da4d00ba39d57d9dc16470 | What is the violence a result of? | [
"drug-related"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Some of the $85 million in hurricane relief supplies given away as federal surplus will be sent back to Louisiana and given to nonprofit agencies for distribution, the state's hurricane recovery office said Tuesday.
Hand towels sit unused in Fort Worth, Texas. Goods ranged from cots to camp stoves to coffee makers.
"Today we can report that we have been notified that some of the surplus property has been located in Texas and will be coming to the state of Louisiana for distribution by Unity New Orleans," said Paul Rainwater, the executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority.
A CNN investigation revealed last week that FEMA gave away the supplies as government surplus, even though agencies like Unity -- which works to resettle hurricane victims -- were still seeking the kind of supplies given away.
After the disclosure, Rainwater's organization asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to return some of the extensive stockpiles of household goods that had been purchased as "starter kits" for people living in trailers after Hurricane Katrina.
After CNN reported on the giveaway, other Louisiana officials also asked that the supplies be redirected to the state, which originally passed on them. John Medica, director of Louisiana's Federal Property Assistance Agency, told CNN he was unaware Katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office.
Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, an outspoken critic of FEMA's response to the hurricane, told CNN the supply giveaway was "just a shame."
"It's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy," Landrieu said last week. She wrote Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to request an explanation.
FEMA Administrator David Paulison on Sunday defended the agency's decision, telling CNN that Louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles, but that state officials had declined the goods.
Rainwater said state officials "will move to quickly get these supplies in the hands of those who need them."
"Moving forward, we have made it clear that I am to be the point of contact for FEMA when supplies for Katrina and Rita victims are set aside for our state," he said. "We will also be informing nonprofits about how to access such supplies, so that we can all better serve our citizens who are struggling to rebuild their lives."
CNN's Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost contributed to this report. | 703fb67521ff4c75823aba128b34e540 | Supplies were given away as government surplus by who? | [
"FEMA"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Pitcher Derek Holland restricted St. Louis Cardinals to just two hits in eight and a third innings to help Texas Rangers record a 4-0 win Sunday night to level the World Series at 2-2.
The Cardinals had hit 16 runs in a comprehensive victory in game three on Saturday, with Dominican Albert Pujols smashing three home runs, but Holland was instrumental as the Rangers scored a shut-out success.
"Our pitcher was in complete control of the game," Rangers designated hitter Michael Young told Major League Baseball's (MLB) official website. "That was the story of the game.
"Every game in the postseason is huge -- every game is massive, and rightfully so -- but Derek pitched a great game tonight."
Young's view was echoed by the Cardinals' designated hitter, Lance Berkman, who conceded Holland had been the difference between the two teams.
"He was on," said Berkman, 35. "The story of the game, for me, is Derek Holland was better than the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. He just was. He was great."
The Rangers' manager Ron Washington was full of praise for the left-hander, saying the 25-year-old showed his game-winning quality.
"We needed him to go out there and pitch well and he did," Washington said. "He showed the world what he's capable of doing."
The Rangers' first run came at the bottom of the first, with Elvis Andrus running in from first base to score off the batting of Josh Hamilton.
The game's deciding moment came at the bottom of the sixth, when Mike Napoli went deep off pitcher Mitchell Boggs to score three for Texas and cement their winning lead.
The Rangers are searching for the first World Series triumph with Game Five in the best-of-seven series Monday night in Texas.
Game Six is at the Cardinals' Busch Stadium Wednesday. | 9c4ad0d5eaf344b19f96769df8bed5c4 | Who restricted the cardinals? | [
"Derek Holland"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The death toll from severe storms in northern Arkansas has been lowered to one person, emergency officials said early Saturday.
Officials had initially said three people were killed when the storm and possible tornadoes walloped Van Buren County on Friday.
The number of injuries in the county was also less than previously reported, said Rene Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
There were 10 people injured in the county instead of the 25 previously reported, Preslar said.
"We are still looking at a number of damages, but fortunately the human impact is lower than previously thought."
A total of 23 people were injured statewide, Preslar said.
CNN's Patty Lane contributed to this report. | 4ecef06679e24a83878809a87ff4f80d | How many were injured statewide? | [
"23 people"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Dozens of people died as heavy rain caused flooding and mudslides in Brazil this week, officials said Tuesday.
A mudslide early Monday in Sapucaia, Rio de Janeiro, killed at least 13 people, city officials said in a written release.
One person died in Laje do Muriae, Rio de Janeiro, city officials said.
In the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, at least people 15 died amid the rain as 116 cities have declared a state of emergency, the state-run Agencia Brasil reported.
Officials at the site of the mudslide in Sapucaia estimated Tuesday that at least nine people were still buried.
Seven cities in the metropolitan Rio de Janeiro area were under a state of emergency.
January is traditionally a month with heavy rain. A year ago, more than 800 people died because of floods in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
CNN's Shasta Darlington contributed to this report. | 7b25cf1e91c54ec584d26dd206ac736a | How many people were killed in the mudslide? | [
"13"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- British TV channels could advertise abortion services for the first time under new advertising rules proposed Thursday by an ad industry group.
The new proposals will also allow condoms to be advertised more widely on television.
The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, the industry body responsible for writing and enforcing advertising rules in Britain, said the commercials would be for pregnancy advisory services that give information about a range of options to pregnant women, including abortion.
If an organization does not offer information about abortion, it would have to make that clear in the ad, BCAP spokeswoman Lynsay Taffe said.
Abortion clinics, which require referrals from doctors or hospitals, would not be allowed to advertise under the proposed rules, Taffe said.
There would be no restrictions on when such ads could air on British television, she said, but programmers would have to keep the sensitive topic in mind and not schedule the ads around religious programs, for example.
"It's a sensitive product, so it would have to be scheduled sensitively," Taffe told CNN.
The proposal is among a number of updates to current advertising standards that the Committee for Advertising Practice and BCAP, its broadcasting arm, published Thursday after an 18-month review.
"Each year the British public (sees) millions of advertisements, many of which are memorable," the committee said. "The advertising codes aim to make sure that they are memorable for the right reasons."
The public now has until June 19 to comment on the proposals before they come into force, likely in 2010, the committee said.
The new proposals also contain a change on advertising condoms on television. Under current rules, condoms generally cannot be advertised on TV before 9 p.m. in order to protect younger viewers, the committee said.
New rules would relax the restrictions on advertising condoms, with the only requirement that they not be shown around programs intended for children younger than 10.
The change came after Joyce Gould, a member of the House of Lords, requested the change and noted that Britain had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe along with spiraling rates of sexually transmitted diseases, the committee said.
Gould reported a survey that showed young people believed TV was one of the most effective ways of encouraging them to use condoms.
"The presence of condom advertisements on television continues to be a subject of complaint to the (Advertising Standards Authority), but numbers are very low," the committee said. "Nevertheless, BCAP has to balance public sensitivities against a public health problem that is clearly urgent." | 5489ae2a5d304fb7ac13554eb56cf9a7 | What kind of information do they give? | [
"about a range of options to pregnant women, including abortion."
] |
NewsQA | Unheralded American Doug Barron has become the first player to be banned by the PGA Tour for taking performance-enhancing drugs.
The 40-year-old has been given a one-year suspension.
He is the first professional to fail a drugs test since the PGA and European Tours began their anti-doping programs in July 2008.
"I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the Tour and its players resulting from my suspension," Barron said in a statement on the PGA Tour official Web site www.pgatour.com.
"I want my fellow Tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on Tour."
In common with their policy, the PGA Tour did not release details of the drug taken by Barron to fail the test.
Barron, who turned professional in 1992, was a PGA Tour regular for eight seasons, with his best finish a tie for third at the Byron Nelson Classic in 2006.
He has won over $3 million but campaigned in recent seasons on the second-tier Nationwide Tour, playing just one event on the main tour this year. He is also reported to have had health problems.
The last time Barron captured the headlines was in very different circumstances at the 2006 Transistions Championship in Florida, where he removed his shirt to play a shot out of the water on the 16th hole at Innisbrook.
The incident was captured on television and was greeted with amusement by his fellow players.
Neither the PGA Tour or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have yet to comment further on the suspension.
Golf bowed to pressure from WADA to introduce drug testing in the sport last year.
PGA Tour testing is administered by The National Center for Drug Free Sport every week of the season, with all samples analyzed by WADA-accredited laboratories. | 8604490c101449beabf6beee3e643c51 | Who is Doug Barron? | [
"first player to be banned by the PGA Tour"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Longtime talk show host Larry King says he's joined an effort to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"It would be a thrill of a lifetime to be a part owner, a partial owner, of a team I grew up rooting for as a child in Brooklyn," the former host of CNN's "Larry King Live" said Wednesday."
"To go to a ballpark and have an owner's box, to even have a say in a possible trade -- are you out of your mind?" he asked rhetorically.
King says he's part of group of investors interested in acquiring the franchise, despite its apparent financial troubles and unresolved contract issues with Fox Sports.
Major League Baseball, which took charge of the team in April, has been embroiled in legal battles over future media rights after baseball Commissioner Bud Selig rejected a $3 billion television deal with Fox.
The beleaguered club then filed for bankruptcy in June and has since drawn a number of high-profile buyers into the bidding process after team owner Frank McCourt agreed to sell.
A court hearing over the Dodgers' future media rights is scheduled for December 7.
King's investor group, meanwhile, is led by insurance agent Dennis Gilbert, who also works as a special assistant to Chicago White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
"What bigger thrill?" asked King, a native of Brooklyn, New York, which the Dodgers once called home.
The team, formerly known as the Trolley Dodgers because of the maze of trolley cars that Brooklynites once dodged in the streets, eventually shortened its name, then and moved to California, kicking off its first L.A. season in 1958, to the dismay of many New Yorkers.
"The emotional part would be that they'd have to carry me out," King said of his possible part-ownership stake in the team. | 23bda0a784f54bd8abb2919fc30dcd65 | What does King say he's doing? | [
"joined an effort to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers."
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Typhoon Morakot bore down on Taiwan Friday, packing 89 mph (143 kph) winds and threatening to soak the entire island when it makes landfall Saturday morning, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said.
A man fights against strong winds in Hsintien, Taipei county, Taiwan, on Friday.
As of 10 a.m. Friday (2 a.m. GMT), wind gusts were reaching 112 mph, and Morakot, a medium-strength typhoon, was moving west-northwest at 14 mph en route to landfall, the agency said.
Already, mudslides and landslides were occurring on the land, as airlines canceled flights, and government offices, schools and the Taiwan Stock Exchange closed for the day, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.
The storm was centered about 124 miles (200 km) southeast of Taipei and could wind up directly over the capital, said CNN meteorologist Kevin Corriveau.
He predicted its impact would be massive. "This storm has already dumped about 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain in the central and southern part of the island, and they're still expecting another 500 (20 inches) to 800 millimeters (32 inches) of rain over the next 24 to 48 hours," he said. Watch how the storm is affecting life on the island »
Drought in recent months has severely affected the area, leaving the ground so hard that it cannot absorb the rainfall, Corriveau said.
However, the island tends to prepare well for typhoons, Corriveau added. "They take it very seriously," Corriveau said. "Just like Cuba is very good at handling hurricanes, Taiwan is very good at handling typhoons."
On Thursday, Taiwanese Premier Liu Chao-shiuan examined the island's emergency operation center and asked all personnel to stay on high alert over the next day, with the typhoon forecast to "affect all regions of Taiwan," according to CNA.
Taiwan and eastern China are particularly vulnerable to flash flooding and mudslides because of the proximity of the mountains to the sea.
Once it hits land, Morakot is expected to weaken to tropical storm strength, the Central Weather Bureau reported. | 5e044630412e4571bfc05815150b4312 | Where is the storm located? | [
"Taiwan"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Two men accused of failed car bomb attacks in London and a car bombing at Glasgow International Airport last year went on trial Thursday.
Mohammed Asha, a doctor, is accused of conspiracy to murder and cause explosions.
Bilal Abdulla and Mohammed Asha, both doctors, are charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions. Their trial at London's Woolwich Crown Court is expected to last up to 12 weeks.
The case stems from the discovery in June 2007 of two explosives-filled Mercedes sedans in central London. One of the cars was parked across the street from a packed nightclub near Piccadilly Circus and the other was towed from an underground car park at Hyde Park.
An ambulance crew notified police about the first car after they saw smoke coming from it. The second car was towed for a parking offense but drew suspicion because it smelled of gasoline.
Officials said both cars cars were filled with fuel, gas canisters, and nails. Police managed to defuse them.
The following day, with attention still focused on the averted attacks in the capital, a Jeep sped through the barriers outside Glasgow International Airport and slammed head on into the terminal. The Jeep, filled with propane gas, burst into flames and created a fireball.
The driver and passenger jumped out of the car. One set himself on fire and later died in the hospital; the other was identified as Abdulla, an Iraqi doctor who had been practicing medicine in Scotland.
Later that day, police arrested Asha as he was driving with his wife on a highway in Cheshire, England. Police said Asha, a doctor of Palestinian descent who grew up in Jordan, conspired with Abdulla to carry out the explosions.
The incidents happened just days after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office.
A third man charged in the case, Sabeel Ahmed, pleaded guilty in April to failing to disclose information about an act of terrorism. He was ordered to be deported to India. | 63930e837bd0459bac8a55b3a2efe3d1 | What was their occupation? | [
"both doctors,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Marie Osmond's 18-year-old son Michael Blosil has died, a family spokesman said Saturday.
"My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time," the entertainer said in a statement through spokesman Alan Nierob.
Brian Elias of the Los Angeles Coroner's Office said the death is under investigation.
Her Web site, written last September, describes her as "the proud mother of eight beautiful children who are always her greatest treasures."
Marie Osmond and her brother Donny hosted the national television variety show "The Donny & Marie Show" from 1976 to 1981.
Afterward, she had acting and singing careers. She recently competed in a season of "Dancing With the Stars."
In 2001, she wrote "Behind the Smile," about her experience with postpartum depression. | dfcad9103fc841b193f8b0ede8d8cd13 | what was the shock | [
"Michael Blosil has died,"
] |
NewsQA | MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Miami police issued a plea for information Saturday after at least one person with an assault rifle opened fire on a crowd of people on a streetcorner Friday night, killing two teens and wounding seven other people.
Evidence markers dot the Miami street where nine people were gunned down with an AK-47 Friday night.
"We need the community to come together, someone come forward and give us a tip," Miami Police Officer Kenia Alfonso told CNN.
"There are a lot of people in that area. Someone must have seen something, someone must know who could've done this horrific crime."
Alfonso said two teens, ages 16 and 18, died in the attack, which broke up a game of craps in front of a grocery store about 9:50 p.m. Friday in the city's Liberty City neighborhood.
Five of the shooting victims were still in the hospital Saturday night, according to CNN affiliate WSVN.
Others told WSVN that a masked man with an AK-47 burst onto the scene and ordered everyone to the ground.
"Boy came round the corner; he was like, 'Get down,' and he just started shooting," 16-year-old victim Andrew Jackson told WSVN. Watch as resident describes scene as "war zone" »
Six of the nine shot were current or former Northwestern Senior High School students, Alfonso said.
"It was like a war zone," resident Joan Rutherford told WSVN. "I witnessed this guy laying there with his face, looked like it was completely tore off. His eyes was all I could see, and he had a grip on some money and gasping and trying to lift his head up to say something."
Police Chief John Timoney said that at least one man with an AK-47 "discharged numerous rounds, then ran around the corner. There were some more rounds discharged there from an AK-47 and another weapon."
One of those wounded was in critical condition Saturday and undergoing surgery, Timoney said.
"We are convinced that because of the amount of people out here last night that there is somebody that knows the individuals or individual involved, and we need them to come forward," Timoney said, according to WSVN.
"These are weapons of war, and they don't belong on the streets of Miami or any other street in America," Mayor Manuel Diaz said. Watch Miami residents call for stricter laws »
Alfonso said police did not know the motive for the shooting and had no suspects.
CNN's Patty Lane contributed to this report. | 9becbacd0d4c4c41b98e5609d7e95e03 | How many are students? | [
"Six"
] |
NewsQA | Baghdad (CNN) -- The last U.S. troops to occupy Camp Victory, once one of the largest and most high-profile American military bases in Iraq, left Friday afternoon as the Iraqi government assumed control of the sprawling complex near Baghdad's main airport.
The United States signed over control of the base on Thursday and it became effective on Friday, Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. Army spokesman said. No high-profile ceremony marked the transition, he said.
The last group of service members stationed at Camp Victory began moving off-base around 12 p.m., he said. Within two hours, no U.S. troops remained, he said.
The base -- formally known as Victory Base Complex -- once housed as many as 40,000 service members. It includes lavish palaces built by Saddam Hussein, some of which were used as barracks or dining facilities.
Hussein, the country's leader until the U.S. invasion in 2003 deposed him, was among prisoners held in a maximum security prison on the base.
The transition leaves the United States with five military bases in Iraq as it continues to draw down its forces there in preparation for a complete withdrawal by the end of the year.
President Barack Obama ordered U.S. forces out of Iraq in October after the two countries were unable to reach an agreement on a continued presence of troops. | 89f2721cf63c4e58898169430d589b99 | What is the goal of the US Troops? | [
"complete withdrawal"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The commander for NATO forces in Afghanistan said Wednesday that more military presence is "needed as quickly as possible."
U.S. troops are seeing an increased threat in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan says.
Gen. David McKiernan said the additional military capability is needed because of "an increased number of fighters" coming into Afghanistan from Pakistan's lawless tribal regions.
"It's a significant increase from what we saw this time last year," he said at the Pentagon.
"We're facing a tougher threat right now, especially in the east where we have the U.S. division," he said. "And so the additional military capability [is] needed as quickly as possible."
He said what's necessary includes "boots on the ground" as well as support such as "helicopters, increased intelligence assets, logistics, transportation and so on."
Just over a week ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that a Marine battalion will head to Afghanistan in November and an Army brigade in January, but no more forces will be available for deployment to Afghanistan until spring or summer of 2009.
The week before Gates' announcement, McKiernan had asked for four more brigades -- three more than the one approved to go in January. Three brigades add up to as many as 12,000 troops.
The defense secretary, speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee last month, expressed caution about adding too many troops in Afghanistan.
"I think we need to think about how heavy a military footprint the U.S. ought to have in Afghanistan," he told the committee. Instead, Gates said, there should be a focus on increasing the size of the Afghan army.
McKiernan, who took command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force earlier this year, said his request of an additional 3,500 people to train the Afghan army and police is still under review.
McKiernan noted that he is "cautiously optimistic" regarding Pakistan's military operations against Taliban and al Qaeda fighters inside its borders.
"What we're seeing is Pakistani leadership taking on a deteriorated militant sanctuary in the tribal areas that has deteriorated over last several years," he said.
McKiernan said it is "probably too early" to see if Pakistan's military clampdown in its tribal areas has had any effect on stemming militant activity in Afghanistan.
"We're watching those very closely to see if there's a cause and effect with the strength of the insurgency on the Afghan side of the border," he said. "But we think that's a positive step that they are taking on those militant sanctuaries." | dea8888bf55e4d808cfa9eebc1a48f9b | Where are the forces entering? | [
"Afghanistan"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- British bank Lloyds TSB has agreed to forfeit $350 million dollars to U.S. and New York authorities for criminally hiding information about prohibited dealings with Iranian and Sudanese customers.
Prosecutors said that the bank's misconduct took place between 1995 and 2007.
Under a settlement reached in a federal court in Washington late Friday, Lloyds acknowledged criminal conduct and forfeited $175 million to U.S. authorities and an equal amount to New York authorities.
Court documents say for more than a decade Lloyds had been falsifying data which moved through U.S. institutions by "stripping out" of wire transfers any references to business deals involving customers in the two countries.
Lloyds officials acknowledged they feared if the U.S. had been aware of the deals they would likely have been blocked because of restrictions on commercial deals with Iran and Sudan.
"For more than 12 years Lloyd's facilitated the anonymous movement of hundreds of millions of dollars from U.S.-sanctioned nations through our financial system," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich.
"Lloyds stripped identifying information from international wire transfers that would have raised a red flag at U.S. financial institutions and caused such payments to be scrutinized," he said.
Although the money must be forfeited, under terms of the deal Lloyds will not presently be prosecuted because it accepted responsibility and has vowed to abide by the U.S. laws. After two years the U.S. will forego prosecution and formally drop the criminal charge.
In a statement, the bank said: "We committed substantial resources to a thorough internal investigation, the results of which were shared with U.S. investigators and regulators.
"We are committed to running our business with the highest levels of integrity and regulatory compliance across all of our operations and have undertaken a range of significant steps to further enhance our compliance programs."
In October, the British government agreed a deal with Lloyds TSB, HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland to make a multi-billion investment in the three to help them through what Prime Minister Gordon Brown described as the "first financial crisis of the global age." | a56dc4011a6a4c518a0445de58f61a5a | For what reason did the bank help the customers? | [
"because of restrictions"
] |
NewsQA | BUCHAREST, Romania (CNN) -- France has agreed to send a battalion of troops to eastern Afghanistan, a NATO spokesman has said.
Canadian NATO-led soldiers walk patrol near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
James Appathurai told reporters at a briefing that the move will help NATO meet Canada's requirement that it send more troops to the volatile southern province of Kandahar, where Canadian troops are based.
Canada agreed this month to extend its commitment of about 2,500 troops until 2011 so long as NATO contributes more troops to Kandahar.
There is a "clear unity in the alliance" that the mission in Afghanistan must succeed, Appathurai said.
Though 25 NATO allies and 13 other countries have contributed forces, the bulk of the recent fighting has been done by U.S., Canadian, British and Dutch troops.
Appathurai also said Thursday that he did not expect NATO applicants Georgia and Ukraine to be put on a membership action plan this summit but, he said, the general sense in terms of membership for the two countries is not "whether, but when."
Further discussions regarding those two countries is to resume Thursday, he said.
U.S. President George W. Bush has pushed for the admission of Ukraine and Georgia to the military alliance.
However, Russia -- which is not a NATO member -- has expressed concerns about the former Soviet republics joining NATO, which has already made members of other former Soviet countries Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Appathurai also said a general consensus could not be reached on Macedonia's bid, because of Greece's objections.
Greece has threatened to veto Macedonia's bid if its northern neighbor does not agree to change its name. Athens has long argued that the name Macedonia implies territorial claims on its northern province of the same name -- the birthplace, also, of Greece's most revered ancient warrior, Alexander the Great.
The name issue must be resolved by the two countries, Appathurai said. E-mail to a friend | 2d91e7ba3a7b423aa8f30fe0f3f139f8 | what will french move help? | [
"NATO meet Canada's requirement"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The pilot who made a treacherous crash-landing on New York's Hudson River look like a routine maneuver got a hero's welcome Saturday in his California hometown.
Chesley B. Sullenberger was honored Saturday with a celebration in his hometown of Danville, California.
Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger put his US Airways jetliner down on the Hudson minutes after both engines failed, then walked the length of the drifting Airbus A320 twice to make certain that all 155 people on board got off safely.
He was greeted by several thousand cheering people gathered around the town square in Danville, California, for a celebration in his honor.
Mayor Newell Arnerich presented Sullenberger with a ceremonial key to the city, an upscale suburb near San Francisco. Sullenberger, who has avoided public comment since the January 15 incident, made very brief remarks.
He thanked the crowd for an "incredible outpouring of support."
"Circumstance determined that it was this experienced crew that was scheduled to fly on that particular flight on that particular day," Sullenberger said. "But I know I can speak for the entire crew when I tell you we were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do. Thank you." Watch Sullenberger address the crowd »
Sullenberger's wife, Lorrie, fought back tears as she spoke of her husband.
"I have always known him to be an exemplary pilot. I knew what the outcome would be that day, because I knew my husband," she said.
"Mostly for me, he's the man that makes my cup of tea every morning."
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board continue to piece together details from the double engine failure that hit the plane after it took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport for Charlotte, North Carolina.
The jet's left engine, which apparently tore away from the plane on landing impact, was raised from the bottom of the Hudson on Friday.
Sullenberger reported to air controllers that his plane had hit birds shortly before both engines shut down.
On Saturday, the NTSB said a preliminary examination of the left engine found evidence of "soft body impact damage," the same kind of damage reported on the right engine.
An NTSB spokesman said that there was no evidence of organic material such as a dead bird in the left engine but that was not surprising because the engine had been under water for a week.
Although the NTSB has not officially confirmed reports of a bird strike, the agency's findings and statements have not done anything to discount the bird-strike reports.
Both engines will be shipped to the manufacturer in Ohio, where NTSB investigators will tear them down completely for examination. | 528936c6d71d484c91dc0978dc72faef | what did evidence show? | [
"\"soft body impact damage,\""
] |
NewsQA | MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexico has announced plans to raise tariffs on almost 90 U.S. exports, Mexican and U.S. officials confirmed Monday.
Mexico's state-run news agency says tariffs are in retaliation for cancellation of a U.S. trucking project.
The new trade measures are in retaliation for the cancellation earlier this year of a U.S. commercial trucking project and will target U.S. industrial and agricultural products delivered to Mexico, Mexico's state-run news agency said.
Mexico's Economic Secretary Gerardo Ruiz Mateos called the cancellation of the program a breach of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the agency said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the trucking project was killed in the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill, but President Barack Obama has asked his administration to create a new program.
"Congress has opposed the project in the past because of concerns about the process that led to the program's establishment and its operation," Gibbs said.
The project allowed a small number of Mexican trucks to enter the United States beyond the normal commercial zones, and allowed some U.S. trucks the same privilege in Mexico.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, warned that the Mexican action would harm American businesses.
"Unfortunately, this is a predictable reaction by the Mexican government to a policy that now puts the United States in clear violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and was inappropriately inserted into the omnibus appropriations bill," McCain said after learning of the Mexican government's plans.
McCain said Washington "must take steps to prevent escalation of further protectionist measures -- actions that only serve to harm American business during these tough economic times when these businesses need a worldwide marketplace to prosper."
"This is another reason why the president should have vetoed the omnibus spending bill," McCain added.
Mexico's intentions to raise tariffs on U.S. goods "is an absurd overreaction to the shutdown of the unsafe cross-border trucking pilot program," Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said.
"The right response from Mexico would be to make sure its drivers and trucks are safe enough to use our highways without endangering our drivers," Hoffa said in a statement issued by the union. "The border must stay closed until Mexico holds up its end of the bargain." | e52f94f8f27047d594e3f9ac261ef867 | What will tariffs target? | [
"U.S. industrial and agricultural products"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The Marine accused of killing Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who was more than eight months pregnant, was not the father of her unborn child, a law enforcement source close to the murder investigation said Saturday.
Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, who is being held on a murder charge, is scheduled for arraignment in June.
The source, who has seen a report completed earlier this month by the Defense Department's Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, said Cpl. Cesar Laurean's DNA does not match that of the unborn child, who also died.
Laurean and Lauterbach were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
An autopsy showed that Lauterbach, 20, died of blunt force trauma to the head. Police unearthed her charred body from beneath a barbecue pit in Laurean's backyard in January 2008. She disappeared the month before.
Laurean was 22 when he was arrested in Mexico in April 2008. At the time, a Mexican reporter asked Laurean whether he had killed Lauterbach. The Marine replied, "I loved her." Laurean has been indicted on charges that include first-degree murder, financial card transaction fraud and obtaining property by false pretenses.
North Carolina prosecutors allege he killed Lauterbach on December 14 and used her ATM card 10 days later before fleeing to Mexico. He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico.
The law enforcement source familiar with the case said a DNA swab was taken by court order from Laurean after he was extradited from Mexico in March to face charges in North Carolina. Mexican authorities agreed to the extradition, in part because prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. Mexico does not have a death penalty.
Before her death, Lauterbach told the Marines that Laurean raped her. The month before she disappeared, Lauterbach's mother says Maria told a military investigator that she no longer believed Laurean was the father of her unborn child. However, Lauterbach's mother, Mary, says her daughter remained adamant that Laurean raped her.
Laurean denied it. A few weeks before a scheduled rape hearing at Camp Lejeune, Lauterbach disappeared.
Dewey Hudson, district attorney for Onslow County, said Laurean is scheduled for arraignment in early June, and is expected to enter a plea.
"I cannot comment on any of the tests," Hudson said. He would not say how the DNA results might affect his case against Laurean.
Through her attorney, Mary Lauterbach said the DNA test results don't answer bigger questions she has about whether the Marines did enough to protect her daughter or moved quickly enough to investigate her claims.
"We do not believe that the result will have any effect on the continuing investigation or the trial," said Lauterbach's attorney Merle Wilberding. | ae1f6bd7c83d4f0aaaa3d70078dad405 | where was the body found | [
"beneath a barbecue pit in Laurean's backyard"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A weekend incident with racial overtones at a high school for deaf students could result in criminal charges with "enhanced penalties for a hate crime," Metro Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Wednesday.
A black student was held against his will and then released with "KKK" and swastikas drawn on him in marker at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf on Sunday, she said.
No charges have been filed, and no names have been released, Lanier said.
The incident began when a group of black students and a group of white students were in a dorm. "My understanding is the two groups engaged in friendly horseplay," she said.
But, she said, the groups got "angry with each other."
The two groups separated, she said, but later, six white students and one black student -- all between the ages of 15 and 19 -- took one of the black students into a dorm room and "held him there against his will."
"They used markers to write 'KKK' and draw swastikas on the student," Lanier said.
The student was released after about 45 minutes. He notified dorm and school authorities, who called police.
Lanier said police have identified and interviewed the students involved and the "investigation is ongoing."
"The support we've received from the campus and from the school employees has been tremendous," Lanier said. "And I think they're supporting us in making a very strong statement that this investigation may lead to charges that could have enhanced penalties for a hate crime."
The school is a residential high school on the campus of Gallaudet University, a higher education facility for deaf and hard of hearing people. The high school is administered as a division of the university's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center.
Dean of Clerc Center Katherine A. Jankowski said the seven students who participated in the incident were sent home.
Gallaudet provost Stephen Weiner said the school does "not tolerate any action, behavior of this type."
"We are taking action," he said. "We are looking at programs to help students understand we are a school with a diverse population."
"This incident is intolerable," he said. "That's why the Metro police are involved. That's how serious we are about this incident."
Jankowski said the school has also hired a consultant to work with the school and its students on diversity issues.
On Monday, teachers and staff hosted a school-wide assembly with students related to the incident, said Jankowski. Individual and group counseling services were also available to students, teachers and staff.
"We are committed to ensuring MSSD is a safe and supportive learning environment," she said. E-mail to a friend | b0b99bc1c9344e8b8e74ac21fa86db03 | What charges could teens face? | [
"criminal"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Ten days later and despite an $11,000 reward, police have not found a missing 5-year old Arizona girl.
Jahessye Shockley wandered out of her Glendale, Arizona home on October 11, unnoticed by her older siblings who were supposed to be watching her. Her mother called police after returning home from an errand.
In the first three days after the girl went missing, Glendale police wrapped up a grid search of her neighborhood and moved into the second phase of their investigation where they are following up on tips they receive from the public.
Family members have begged for information on Jahessye's whereabouts.
"Please bring my baby back... Her safe return is all I want," Jahessye 's mother, Jerice Hunter, said last week. "She belongs to this family... She's somebody's child. Mine. Please bring my child home."
Shirley Johnson, the girl's grandmother, said she is wondering why the national media hasn't spread the word on the case.
"I want the national media to pick it up... I won't stop til they do. I don't know why it's not national now," Shirley Johnson, Jahessye's worried grandmother, told CNN affiliate KPHO Thursday. "They have the ability to make sure someone from across the nation knows what's going on."
Jahessye 's case has been mentioned in the Washington Post and the Huffington Post in recent days. But it has not received much national television coverage compared to cases like Baby Lisa, the 11-month-old missing Missouri girl. That case has received daily national news coverage and has been featured on the cover of People magazine.
Retired police officer and child advocate Paul Penzone told KPHO that he noticed the lack of national media coverage.
"I don't know what's missing or why, but in our community this is a big deal," said Penzone. "Continued coverage absolutely is critical. The eyes of the community are going to be biggest tool for law enforcement if this little girl is somewhere where she can be seen and recovered."
On the day she disappeared Jahessye was left home with her 13-, 9- and 6-year-old siblings, police said. The children have been interviewed separately by experts and have maintained that they do not know what happened to her, Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs has said.
Ann $11,000 reward has been offered in the case.
Jahessye is described as a black female about 3 feet 5-inches tall, 55 pounds with black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts and pink sandals.
Anyone with information about Jahessye's disappearance is asked to call the Glendale Police Department at 623-930-HELP (4357). | 0e55c6d1880f4d6391de95297186ce55 | Which individual was last seen on October 11? | [
"Jahessye Shockley"
] |
NewsQA | (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. | c25ee35ef9e14442a80cfe0a8129d9eb | Which airport was the cat found at? | [
"New York's John F. Kennedy International"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Peruvian soccer star Paolo Guerrero has been punished with a record fine by his German club Hamburg for throwing a water bottle into the face of a fan who he claimed had insulted him.
The striker made a public apology on Monday, but could face further disciplinary action from the German Football Association on Tuesday.
The incident happened at the end of Hamburg's 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Hannover on Sunday, a result which dented Guerrero's team's hopes of qualifying for European competition next season.
"I had a blackout," the 26-year-old told Hamburg's official Web site. "I was insulted and I over-reacted. "I am incredibly sorry. I hope that I get the opportunity to apologize personally to the spectator concerned.
"I have already done so to HSV. Of course I will accept any punishment from the club. I made a big mistake."
Chairman Bernd Hoffmann said Guerrero's behavior was "absolutely unacceptable."
"Something like that is not allowed to happen. Paulo will be heavily fined by us. He has assured us believably how sorry he is."
The amount of the fine has not been disclosed, but Hoffman told German football magazine Kicker that it would be "the like of which there has never been in the club."
Ralf Bednarik of the Hamburg Supporters' Board told the club's Web site that fans should accept Guerrero's apology.
"Players have to deal with criticism," he said. "But Paolo Guerrero has apologized for his behavior. Now it's up to us all to reappraise the things and to jointly look into the future."
Guerrero has played 24 times for his country, but missed many of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers after suffering injuries and being handed a six-game suspension for abusing a referee. Peru finished bottom of the South American group.
He moved to Hamburg in 2006 after beginning his Bundesliga career at Bayern Munich, and played as a second-half substitute against Hannover after recently returning to action following seven months on the sidelines with a knee injury. | 09edc014c6b7492bbec97494befd9555 | Who was hit with a record fine? | [
"Paolo Guerrero"
] |
NewsQA | BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) -- Google launched the latest salvo in the cellphone wars Tuesday with the unveiling of the newest handset to carry its Android platform.
Google's Android platform goes head to head with Apple's iPhone.
Unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Vodafone's HTC Magic smartphone will make its European bow in the UK, Spain, France and Germany in the coming months. In Italy it will be available under a non-exclusive contract.
The Google-run handsets are regarded as the chief rivals to Apple's iPhones in the battle for the next generation of mobile devices.
Google's latest foray into the cell phone market is seen by many as the beginnings of the Internet giant's attempts to dominate the industry.
Some have expressed concerns that cell phone manufacturers, network operators and users will have little control over what data Google will be able to utilise from its software.
Among critics is the LiMo Foundation, representing Linux-based operating system LiMo, which has launched its own cell phone platform, according to Congress organizer Groupe Speciale Mobile Association's daily newsletter.
"A lot of operators still harbor some questions over whether they will have the control over services and how much of the data that is going out and coming from a Google device goes to Google and how much to you [the operator]," LiMo's Andrew Shikiar told Mobile Business Briefing.
Users of both the Apple and Google models can download applications developed by third-parties from open-source software, potentially giving them the capability of small handheld computers.
The first Android-capable handset, the G1, was launched last year. It partnered with T-Mobile for its UK launch, its first foray into the European market.
The HTC Magic includes a 3.2-inch QVGA touch screen display, navigational buttons and a trackball.
It also comes with several Google applications including Google Mail, Google Maps and Google Search as well as YouTube, which is owned by Google.
Andy Rubin, Senior Director of Mobile Platforms at Google, said that the launch of the HTC Magic was an important step for Android.
"With it, Vodafone is opening up the mobile web for consumers across Europe and giving more third-party developers a platform on which they can build the next wave of killer applications," Rubin said.
CNN's Adrian Finighan, who is at the congress, said that as an iPhone user he had spent much of his time at this year's event looking for something to rival his device.
"The Magic is, well, magic! I think I've found it. It really is the first device that I could consider swapping my beloved Apple device for." | 0774822b9d0945138fd3eba4d02d807c | What will launch? | [
"HTC Magic smartphone"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A shadowy figure in the back seat of an SUV in surveillance photos is a second "person of interest" in the slaying of the University of North Carolina student body president, police said Monday.
Investigators say a second male appears in the back seat in this ATM photo, which has been colorized.
Police on Saturday released photos taken by an ATM camera that show a young man driving a sport utility vehicle possibly using one of student Eve Carson's ATM cards in the Chapel Hill area.
A large, shadowy form appears in the back seat of the vehicle, which police say may have been Carson's.
Carson, 22, was found shot to death early Wednesday in a suburban neighborhood near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. Her Toyota Highlander was found the next day in another neighborhood to the west, close to where she lived with roommates.
"We do believe there is a second unidentified male seated in the rear seat," the Chapel Hill Police Department said in a statement. "We have been exploring ways to enhance the quality of this photo in an effort to learn more about this person."
Police have not identified the pictured driver, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a vintage Houston Astros baseball cap.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran said Saturday that Carson's killing "feels like a random crime."
The medical examiner told police that there were no injuries to Carson's body besides gunshot wounds and no signs of sexual assault, Curran said.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 people crowded the First United Methodist Church in Carson's hometown of Athens, Georgia, for her funeral, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
The University of North Carolina will hold a memorial service for Carson after students return from this week's spring break, Chancellor James Moeser said in a statement on the school's Web site.
On Saturday, the school's top-ranked men's basketball team wore reminders of the popular student president on their jerseys as they took on Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Watch as students remember the slain campus leader »
The North Carolina players wore patches on the jerseys that simply read "Eve," and many of Duke's fans donned small light-blue ribbons as a show of support.
A moment of silence for Carson also was held before tipoff.
The UNC-Chapel Hill board of trustees has pledged $25,000 to the Crime Stoppers program in the area for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible in Carson's slaying. Carson was a student member of the board. E-mail to a friend | 6224d8b4a64241cd8f07caa4ba909be5 | Who was found shot to death? | [
"Eve Carson's"
] |
NewsQA | TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Members of Iran's national soccer team wore green arm and wrist bands Wednesday during their World Cup qualifying match against South Korea.
Members of Iran's National Soccer Team sport green bands in their game against South Korea on Wednesday.
The team does not normally wear green bands.
Many Iranians are viewing the team's bands as a sign of support for Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi, although that has not been confirmed.
Green is the campaign color of Moussavi and has been widely worn by his supporters who have staged massive rallies in Tehran before and after last week's presidential election.
Moussavi is disputing the results of the vote that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term and is calling for a new election.
The players took the wrist bands off when the team came out for the second half of the game that was taking place in Seoul, South Korea.
It is unclear whether the players were asked to remove the wrist bands.
The match ended 1-1. | e4d061d0fc884f8eab929c2ff80733d4 | What are bands a sign of? | [
"support for Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Shark attacks on humans were at the lowest levels in half a decade last year, and a Florida researcher says hard economic times may be to blame.
Fewer people in the water means less chance for sharks to attack, ichthyologist George Burgess says.
Sharks attacked 59 people in 2008, the lowest number of attacks since 57 in 2003, according to George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, part of the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.
There were 71 attacks in 2007.
"One can't help but think that the downturn in the economy played a part in it," Burgess said.
Fewer people, especially outside of the United States, have the resources to go to the beach, he said.
"To have a shark attack, you have to have humans and sharks in the water at the same time," Burgess said. "If you have a reduction in the number of people in the water, you're going to have a reduction in the opportunities for people and sharks to get together."
"We noticed similar declines during the recession that followed the events of 2001, despite the fact that human populations continued to rise," the ichthyologist said.
Sharks killed four people in 2008, Burgess said: one in California, one in Australia and two in Mexico.
Forty-one of the 59 attacks worldwide came in the United States, and 32 of those occurred in Florida.
Surfers accounted for 57 percent of shark attacks, swimmers and waders were the targets in 36 percent of the attacks, and divers the rest, he said.
Burgess said the U.S. tends to see more attacks because of a large number of surfers, who are a favorite target of sharks.
And neither the economy nor the attacks tend to keep American surfers from practicing their sport.
"All they have to do is drive to the beach with the board and get into the water, and the rest is free," he said.
And while an attack may make them a bit more wary, he said, "I've yet to find a surfer who says he or she won't go back into the water after a bite or a nip."
When the economy improves, shark attack numbers are likely to go up again, according to Burgess, predicting the number of attacks in the next decade will surpass those of the past 10 years.
"We're putting so many people in the water that humans are dictating the shark attack situation," he said. | f3185bb907df477a878602b9fb58ce73 | How many people were killed by sharks last year? | [
"59"
] |
NewsQA | Washington (CNN) -- African-Americans are extremely supportive of President Obama, but their enthusiasm appears to have dramatically dropped from earlier this year, according to a new national poll.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, released Tuesday, also indicates that Obama's presidency appears to have made blacks more optimistic about race relations, but less than one in five believe the new president has ushered in a new era of race relations in the country.
More than nine in 10 blacks questioned in the poll approve of the job Obama's doing in the White House, far higher than 42 percent of whites who approve of his performance as president.
But when asked how they personally feel about Obama's presidency, only 42 percent of black respondents say they're thrilled, with nearly half of those questioned saying they are happy but not thrilled.
The 42 percent who are thrilled is down from 61 percent in January, when Obama was inaugurated.
"African-Americans are still big fans of the first black president in U.S. history, but the thrill is gone," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
According to the poll, 51 percent of African-Americans say Obama's presidency has brought some improvement in race relations in the U.S., but only 18 percent feel it's the start of a new era. Another 23 percent say they've seen a real change in race relations over the past 11 months and 7 percent say things have gotten worse.
The survey indicates that three-quarters of blacks believe race relations will improve eventually, which is up from 49 percent of blacks who felt that way a year before Obama was elected.
"Whites take a dimmer view of Obama's effect on race relations, with a third believing that the new presidency has not changed race relations in the country and 15 percent of whites saying that Obama has made race relations worse," Holland added. "Not surprisingly, whites are less supportive of Obama, although for a notable number of whites, their negative view of the president is due to the perception that he's not been liberal enough."
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted December 16-20, with 1,160 adult Americans, including 259 African-Americans and 786 whites, questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points and plus or minus 6 percentage points for the African-Americans sample.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story | 32d65177667347859743d75ff6707395 | What was released on Tuesday? | [
"CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey,"
] |
NewsQA | BABAHOYO, Ecuador (CNN) -- At least 10 people have died and thousands have been left homeless after torrential rains inundated large parts of Ecuador, officials said Thursday.
Authorities said the rains, which began a week ago, were the worst in a quarter century. Civil defense officials said more than 10,000 families have been affected.
Los Ríos -- north of Guayaquil -- was the hardest hit of nine provinces affected, civil defense officials said.
In Los Ríos province, five people died when an ambulance drove into a hole at the side of a street at dawn Thursday. A newborn boy, his parents, a doctor and a driver were killed.
Streets also were flooded in the capital of Quito. Watch the scenes of devastation in Ecuador »
On Wednesday, President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency and ordered 2,000 members of the army and the police to help rescue workers. Correa increased by $25 million the $10 million he already had allocated for the emergency efforts. He also directed another $88 million to municipalities.
Once the crisis has eased, an emergency fund will give seed and fertilizer to help farmers whose fields were washed away, Ecuador's government said. There also have been reports of livestock drowning.
Cristina Medina, a spokeswoman for the Ecuadorean Red Cross, said provinces most heavily affected were along the Pacific coast, where drinking water was often in short supply.
In some towns, high waters forced entire neighborhoods to evacuate, Medina said. E-mail to a friend | 8bd8633b0c4145d786575aa5b77b2b13 | What is the number of families affected? | [
"10,000"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Bayer Leverkusen regained second place in the Bundesliga on Sunday, with a 4-2 win at home to struggling Stuttgart.
Stuttgart twice battled back from behind, but goals in the last ten minutes of play from Stefan Reinartz and Stefan Kiessling ensured victory for coach Jupp Heynckes' side.
The 2007 German champions Stuttgart now find themselves joint bottom-of-the-table with Monchengladbach, who inflicted a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Champions League side Schalke.
A goal from Peer Kluge gave mid-table Schalke a second-minute lead, but Gladbach leveled through Marco Reus before Mohamadou Idrissou scored to give his team their first home-win of the season.
Just five points now separate the bottom five teams in the Bundesliga, with Stuttgart and Monchengladbach level at the foot of the table with just 19 points.
Although up to second place Leverkusen still lie 10 points adrift of league leaders Borussia Dortmund -- who extended their lead with a home win over St. Pauli on Saturday -- but have a three point cushion over third-placed side Bayern Munich. | d8a9191705bb4893a177099b478796bd | Which team won the league in 2007? | [
"Stuttgart"
] |
NewsQA | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Suspected Taliban militants blew up a bridge early Tuesday in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, suspending NATO supply lines.
A Pakistani policeman sits near a police check post in the tribal area of Khyber Agency on February 12, 2008.
The blast occurred about 6 a.m. Tuesday in the Khata Kushta area of Jamrod in the Khyber Agency in Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The bridge connected Landi Kotal and Jamrod. Transport has been suspended, and authorities are assessing damages.
Engineers also are on location and work is under way to open a temporary route. Details were unclear on the size of the blast, but most of the iron bridge was destroyed, local officials said.
No deaths or injuries were immediately reported.
Authorities are looking for alternate supply routes for NATO supply trucks and traffic going from Pakistan to Afghanistan, because the route is the main one between the two countries. All vehicles must cross the bridge when going from Peshawar toward the crossing point into Afghanistan.
This is the first time militants have targeted a bridge or roadway in efforts to disrupt NATO supplies, a local official said.
Previously, militants have targeted truck depots where supply convoys wait to cross into Afghanistan or have attacked trucks on their way through Pakistan and into the Khyber Agency.
On Monday, at least 35 suspected militants were killed as part of ongoing operations in the Swat Valley, the Pakistan military confirmed to CNN.
Government security forces engaged 70 to 80 suspected militants with artillery and attack helicopters about 11 p.m., after observing their movements in the Khwaza Khela District of the Swat Valley, the military said.
Though only 35 militants were confirmed dead, many more were injured in the attack and the death toll was expected to rise, the military said.
Also on Monday, a Taliban FM radio sermon announced that militants had killed 16 Pakistan army soldiers in the Swat Valley. Officials at the Swat media center said that report was false. | ef0899fe18be4c76adc2962a3ce37565 | who was blown up | [
"a bridge"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- French fishermen suspended their blockade at three English Channel ports Thursday, allowing ferry traffic and freight to move through after two days of disruption, union leaders said.
French fishing boats blockade the port of Boulogne.
The French ports of Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne were open again after French unions met Thursday and agreed to stop the blockade.
Union leaders have yet to agree on how the rest of their protest will develop, and whether the suspension will become permanent.
The fishermen began their blockade of the three ports Tuesday to protest European Union fishing quotas, which they say threaten their livelihoods.
The flotillas forced a halt to all cross-Channel traffic, including passenger ferries and freighters, stranding tourists on both sides of the waterway and causing a backlog of freight trucks.
P&O, the largest ferry operator on the Channel, said it had resumed running normal services to Calais.
"It is our hope that we'll be able to continue doing that throughout the day," spokeswoman Michelle Ulyatt said.
LD Ferries, which operates services to Boulogne, said it had canceled four sailings Thursday as a result of the dispute.
"We do not yet have any information on whether any of our services will be affected beyond 16th April," the company said in a statement.
French fishermen held four hours of talks with Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier in Paris on Wednesday, the French news agency Agence France-Press reported. Barnier offered the local industry €4 million ($5.3 million) in aid, but refused to budge on the fishermen's key demand that the European Union increase fishing quotas, AFP reported.
Both France and the European Union have ruled out any renegotiation, pointing out that French cod quotas have already been raised 30 percent since 2008, AFP said. | 20009be468a6423880cee1d7918cd2ba | What did the blockades do? | [
"forced a halt to all cross-Channel traffic, including passenger ferries and freighters, stranding tourists on both sides of the waterway and causing a backlog of freight trucks."
] |
NewsQA | ROME, Italy -- Italian tennis players Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have been banned by the ATP for betting on matches.
Top Italian player Potito Starace has been suspended for six weeks for betting on matches.
The country's top player Starace -- 31st in the ATP rankings -- has been suspended for six weeks from January 1 and fined $30,000 (20,890 euros) for making five bets totalling around 90 euros two years ago.
Bracciali, world ranked 258, has been banned for three months and fined $20,000 (13,930 euros) for making around 50 five-euro bets between 2004 and 2005.
The Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) confirmed the news on its website, www.federtennis.it. However, they denounced the penalties as disproportionate, saying the players never bet on their own matches.
"Injustice is done," the statement said. "These penalties are absolutely, excessively severe compared to the magnitude of the violations carried out by the two players."
The federation said the two were not aware of the ATP's betting regulations, and that they stopped placing the bets as soon as they learned it was against the rules.
Another Italian player, Alessio Di Mauro, became the first player sanctioned under the ATP's new anti-corruption rules when he received a nine-month ban in November, also for betting on matches.
Starace and Bracciali said they were scapegoats for a larger match-fixing scandal."It's disgusting," said the 26-year-old Starace. "The ATP doesn't know where to turn. It's all a joke."
Bracciali said the two had been "sacrificed."
"That's why they came after us," the 29-year-old said. "We are not champions and we don't count in the upper echelons."
ATP officials could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
Concerns about match-fixing have risen since August, when an online betting company reported unusual betting patterns during a match between fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina. The company, Betfair, voided all bets and the ATP has been investigating.
Davydenko, who retired while trailing in the third set, denies wrongdoing.
Since then, several players have said that they had been approached with offers to fix matches in exchange for money. E-mail to a friend | 305486af6c1c4fab92467a392227f410 | Who was suspended for six weeks? | [
"Potito Starace has been"
] |
NewsQA | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Militants set fire to a hotel at Pakistan's only ski resort Thursday, as security in the Swat Valley continued to deteriorate despite a month-old peace deal.
Pakistani soldiers on patrol in the Swat Valley, which is home to the country's only ski resort.
Militants forced their way into the state-run hotel in the northwestern tourist valley early Thursday morning, ransacked it and set it on fire, said Sardar Rehim Shahzad, district coordinator for Swat police.
The hotel, the only one at the Malam Jabba ski resort, sustained significant damage, he told CNN.
The resort is located near the Afghanistan border and about 300km (186 miles) from the capital city of Islamabad. It was shut down last summer after militants overran the area, keeping tourists away, Shahzad said.
Swat Valley, located in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), was once Pakistan's biggest tourist destination. Aside from the ski resort, it was a draw for trout-fishing enthusiasts and visitors to the ancient Buddhist ruins in the area.
In recent months, however, militants bent on imposing fundamentalist Islamic law, or Sharia, have unleashed a wave of violence across the NWFP which has claimed hundreds of lives, many of them security personnel.
The militants want women to wear veils, beards for men and to ban music and television.
After months of bloody battles, the government in May reached a peace deal with fighters loyal to the banned hardline Islamic group, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM).
It is the latest attempt by Pakistan's new government -- headed by the party of the assassinated prime minister Benazir Bhutto -- to achieve peace through negotiations in the lawless tribal areas where Taliban and al Qaeda leaders are believed to have free rein.
Ahead of the peace pact, Pakistan's government released TNSM's former leader Sufi Mohammed, who had been jailed in 2002 after recruiting thousands of fighters to battle U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
He was freed after agreeing to cooperate with the government. Under the terms of his release, TNSM was also expected to lay down its arms and forgo violence.
But his son-in-law Fazlullah, who took over TNSM during his jail stint, vowed to continue his fight to impose fundamentalist Islamic law in the region. | 4940aec39dbe4dd6bd8bae7e32e2a48c | Where did they force their way? | [
"into the state-run hotel"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The wife of former New Life Church pastor Ted Haggard said Thursday that she never considered divorce after she discovered her husband had sexual encounters with men.
"I knew that he was more than this struggle," Gayle Haggard said on CNN's "Larry King Live" while promoting her new book "Why I Stayed."
"I knew that we spent almost 30 years together, and I knew there was so much to salvage in our relationship that was worth fighting for," she said.
Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and the head pastor at the 14,000-member New Life, was outed publicly in 2006 by a former prostitute, Mike Jones, who said Haggard had paid him for sex over three years and had used methamphetamine in his presence.
Haggard also later admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a 20-year-old male church volunteer.
Haggard said Thursday night that he no longer has same-sex urges, attributing the change to therapy. He blamed his homosexual experiences on a sexual encounter with an adult man when he was in second grade, which "formed the way my mind processes things."
"Certainly on many levels it was devastating to me," Gayle Haggard said of her husband's encounters. "But I started on a path to real education on the subject and I learned so much about the diversity of our human makeup and that all of us are the way we are for a reason. And I learned that things happen in our life that condition us in our sexuality."
Both Haggard and his wife say they have a normal physical relationship -- one that "never stopped" even in the wake of the public scandal.
"What is so wonderful is the intimacy we have on all levels in our marriage," Gayle Haggard said.
The couple said they currently don't belong to a church. Both agreed to leave New Life and the Colorado Springs, Colorado, area in a settlement following the scandal, but make a living by speaking about their story to church congregations around the country.
"I haven't doubted my faith in this process but I have redefined it," Gayle Haggard said. "Early on, I was so satisfied with my faith walk and I felt as though my life was just wonderful.
"But then I went through this very dark time where I felt like there was nothing good. ... But I held on by a thread because I trusted God was going to show me the way through that and he did." | 882bd81b897542b986ed4f6020da996d | What did Gayle not doubt? | [
"my faith in this process"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The space shuttle Discovery was waved off from its first chance to land Friday afternoon because of unstable weather near Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said.
The space shuttle's landing in Florida was delayed Thursday, shown. A first attempt Friday was called off, too.
The shuttle will make another orbit of Earth, while NASA mission managers watch to see if extreme moisture and lightning threaten a safe landing.
The next opportunity to land in Florida would come at 7:23 p.m. ET; however, Mission Control told the shuttle crew the forecast for that time "looks about the same."
Crews have been activated at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert in case NASA decides to land the shuttle there, where the weather is not considered an issue. There are two chances to land Friday evening in California.
The space agency, however, usually exhausts all landing windows in Florida before sending the spacecraft to California. A landing on the West Coast adds a week to the turnaround time before the shuttle can be ready for another mission and it costs several million dollars.
The landing could be delayed until Saturday when there are two more chances to land in Florida or California.
Discovery initially was scheduled to return to Earth on Thursday, but poor weather in central Florida also forced a delay.
The seven astronauts are wrapping up a 13-day mission to the international space station, where the crew made repairs and delivered supplies. The crew executed three spacewalks and dropped off a Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or Colbert treadmill. It was named after comedian Stephen Colbert.
Weather and technical problems delayed Discovery's launch three times before blastoff. | 509c4fff3d4f4681ada85536c1ba71db | What is the back up blan? | [
"Edwards Air Force Base in California's"
] |
NewsQA | MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Any attempt to pardon Mikhail Khodorkovsky -- once Russia's richest man, now its most famous inmate -- must follow standard procedure, including an admission of guilt, the nation's president said Sunday.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, is imprisoned in a work camp 4,000 miles from Moscow.
"Concerning the possibility of a pardon for someone, Khodorkovsky or anyone else, the procedure has to be carried out in accordance with our country's rules," President Dmitry Medvedev said in a transcript on his Web site. "In other words, a person must appeal to the president, plead guilty to having committed a crime and seek the appropriate resolution."
The president dismissed talks of a pardon, saying, "at this point, there is nothing to discuss."
Khodorkovsky once headed the Yukos oil company, once Russia's largest oil producer. He is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion.
Medvedev described corruption as a "very serious Russian disease" and emphasized the need to fight it.
"To this end, we have enacted a number of measures, including new legislation on corruption and special arrangements relating to government officials, their disclosures, declarations of income and so on," he said. "We are determined to continue this work, because we believe it is extremely important."
The former oil magnate is incarcerated in a work camp near the town of Krasnokamensk, 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) from his native Moscow. He has been imprisoned since his arrest in 2003.
Khodorkovsky had expressed a desire to run for office at the time and funded opposition political parties. He said the trial was part of a Kremlin campaign to destroy him and take the company he built from privatization deals of the 1990s. The Kremlin denied any role in his downfall.
Yukos, which has since been crushed by a $27.5 billion back-tax bill, has been the object of a lengthy campaign by prosecutors and tax authorities.
The court also ordered Khodorkovsky and his partner to pay about $600 million in back taxes. | c002819cef84448aaaf5b78381801c7e | Who is serving nine years for fraud? | [
"Mikhail Khodorkovsky,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A search is under way for a pregnant 20-year-old Marine who has been missing from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, since December 14.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was eight months pregnant when she went missing on December 14.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach could give birth at any time, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown told the Jacksonville, North Carolina, Daily News on Monday.
The sheriff's department said Lauterbach's mother said that her daughter, of Montgomery, Ohio, had witnessed an incident at Camp Lejeune and was to testify about it.
Sheriff's department officials said evidence causes them to be concerned about Lauterbach's disappearance, WITN reported.
The Marine's car was found Monday at Jacksonville's bus station, Brown told the Daily News, and her cell phone had been found at Camp Lejeune's front gate on December 20.
Her mother reported her missing on December 19, and told the sheriff's department "that she was very suspicious that something bad may have happened to her daughter," the department said in a news release. Watch Lauterbach's mom say what raised her concerns »
Investigators told the Marine Corps Times that a withdrawal from Lauterbach's bank account was made on December 14 and said there was "suspicious activity" on the account 10 days later. December 14 was also the last time Lauterbach's cell phone was used, authorities told the Marine Corps Times.
The Raleigh News and Observer, citing Brown, reported that the woman's mother said her daughter phoned home or her relatives up to 12 times a week and the mother became concerned when she did not hear from her daughter for five days.
A Facebook page established to help find Lauterbach says she was last seen December 14 in Jacksonville. "Call mom!!! You know the number," the page says. "All of us love you and we miss you. Please come home!"
The page contains pleas for contacts from fellow Marines and friends of Lauterbach in Ohio.
Lauterbach is a personnel clerk assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps said. She joined the service on June 6, 2006. E-mail to a friend | 22a216f1f0e84c7d92fe288a23354203 | when is corporal due to give birth? | [
"at any time,"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England -- Chelsea are waiting on the fitness of John Terry ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match with Valencia, but Frank Lampard has been ruled out.
John Terry tries out his protective mask during training for Chelsea on Tuesday.
Center-back Terry suffered a broken cheekbone during Saturday's 0-0 draw with Fulham, and Chelsea manager Avram Grant will see how he fares during training on Tuesday before making a decision on his availability.
Terry trained at Valencia's Mestalla stadium with a face mask on after surgery on Sunday.
"John Terry wants to play which is very good. Now we need to wait for training and then we will speak with the medical department and decide," said Grant.
Grant has confirmed that Lampard will definitely sit the game out though as the midfielder continues to recover from his thigh injury.
Midfielder Michael Essien, who scored a last-minute winner for Chelsea to knock Valencia out of last season's Champions League, has also been battling a leg injury but he took part in training on Tuesday and is expected to play. E-mail to a friend | 971cf604feb8471b920bbc3404c8e550 | Who trained in a face mask? | [
"John Terry"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Japan is grappling with its worst economic crisis since the end of World War II, the nation's economic and fiscal policy minister said Monday.
A businessman walks past a homeless man taking a nap at a Tokyo park.
The comments from Kaoru Yosano followed news of Japan's gross domestic product falling 12.7 percent in the fourth quarter in 2008.
"This is the worst economic crisis in the post-war era," Yosano said at a press conference, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.
The global economic crisis has pummeled Japan, which depends largely on its auto and electronics exports. The slump in exports has led to tens of thousands of layoffs across Japan.
"Behind [the contraction in GDP for] the October-December quarter is a terrific downturn in exports," he said, according to Kyodo.
"Like other major countries, our country cannot avoid the pains of structural change," Yosano said.
To stimulate the economy, the Japanese parliament needs to act quickly on key budget measures, he said, referring to bills related to a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 and early passage of the state budget for fiscal 2009.
Asked about Japan possibly producing a new economic stimulus plan in the short term, Yosano said wide-ranging discussions would be needed first.
"After seeing this level [of GDP], it is our duty to think of various policy options," he added. | 4c4a37fa99ab4be19f4687b5a1f2ad1c | What led to tens of layoffs in Japan? | [
"slump in exports"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A man went over Niagara Falls and survived Wednesday afternoon, one of the few people to ever survive the plunge unprotected, authorities said.
It is unclear whether the man chose not to aid in his rescue or was physically unable to do so, officials say.
The man was seen entering the icy water just above Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side, and apparently jumped in about 2:15 p.m, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Chief Lee Smith said.
Smith said the unidentified man was in the near-freezing water for "40-plus" minutes before he was rescued by Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Falls firefighter Todd Brunning.
Brunning, who was tethered to shore, swam about 60 meters (nearly 200 feet) into the river and was able to get hold of the man and bring him to shore.
Niagara Parks Police initially used a helicopter from a private company, Niagara Falls Helicopters, to attempt a rescue of the man. When that failed, they used the wind from the chopper's rotors to push the man closer to shore, Smith said. Watch chopper hover over man in icy water »
He said the man was "being rotated in a cyclic fashion" by the river's very strong currents.
The man did not aid in his rescue, officials said, though it was not immediately clear whether he was physically unable to or he did not want to do so.
Niagara Falls Fire Capt. Dave Belme said the man was not wearing any clothes when he was rescued, but he added that it's not unexpected for a person to lose things while being washed down the falls.
The man's "chances of survival without the quick response would be lessened," Smith said.
All of the agencies train for situations like this, he said, and they are put to the test about a dozen times a year. Still, he called Wednesday's rescue "amazing." | 852ed95bc4b2412086516db818f77c2d | What side did he jump in on? | [
"Canadian"
] |
NewsQA | New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo eased to victory in the 65th annual Sydney to Hobart ocean yacht race on Monday.
Skippered by Neville Crichton, Alfa Romeo crossed the finish of the 628-mile race ahead of favorite Australian maxi Wild Oats XI.
Alfa Romeo had led since they left Sydney Harbor on Saturday and was not threatened during its two days, nine hours and two minutes at sea.
Australian maxi Wild Oats XI finished 16 nautical miles behind in second place with British yacht ICAP Leopard a further 24 miles behind in third.
Crichton admitted he was taken aback by the large crowd which had gathered at the dockside to welcome his team home before he paid tribute to his crew.
"We didn't expect to see anything like this crowd. We're certainly honored," he told the event's official Web site wwwrolexsydneyhobart.com.
"I'd like to thank the 21 guys in my crew. We didn't have any problems and I don't think there was any time in the race when we were passed."
Crichton continued: "There were occasions when we had to take a gamble and hope it paid off. We were very busy the whole race. There were occasions when there was a lot of breeze, and occasions when we drifted, so it made the race much more interesting.
"I don't think there was any part of the race that counted any more or less. We all had periods we were parked up. I think it was the advantage of making the least amount of mistakes of anybody that won us the race."
Wild Oats, who set the race record in 2005, was bidding for a fifth win, but trailed Alfa Romeo out of Sydney Harbor in the traditional Boxing Day start and was never able to get on terms with the leader. | ed14f4d0fed74cd4bcb5d765ae886f8c | Who skippered the winning yacht ? | [
"Neville Crichton,"
] |
NewsQA | NEW YORK (CNN) -- The mother of a 17-year-old girl who disappeared while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has identified her daughter on grainy hotel surveillance video.
Brittanee Marie Drexel's mother on Friday confirmed it was her daughter seen in a hotel surveillance video.
"When I saw her profile it was confirmed," Dawn Drexel said Friday on "Nancy Grace."
Drexel's daughter, Brittanee, was last seen on Saturday, several days after she traveled to Myrtle Beach against her mother's wishes.
In the video, a girl wearing shorts and flip-flops walks in and later out of the doors of a hotel on Saturday evening. Brittanee Drexel supposedly was on her way to meet friends at another hotel nearby. Watch her mom talk about spotting her »
Meanwhile, Myrtle Beach Police reportedly have shifted some search efforts about 40 miles to Georgetown County, based on tips. But there is still no sign of the high school junior from Rochester, New York.
Dawn Drexel said she had forbidden her daughter to go to Myrtle Beach, a popular destination for high school and college spring break. But Brittanee and her friends apparently drove the 850 miles to the coastal city anyway. Drexel said her daughter had about $100 with her.
Although they stayed in touch by phone and spoke on Saturday, Drexel said she believed the girl was calling from Rochester when she was actually in Myrtle Beach.
Drexel has now gone to the city where her daughter was last seen, helping in the search for Brittanee.
"We're going to all of the businesses and restaurants on Ocean Boulevard," Drexel said, but she admitted that she is concerned something may have happened to her daughter.
"I just have a gut feeling that because the stories don't match, things aren't making sense to me," Drexel said, referring to reported contradictions in the information Brittanee's friends have given police.
Authorities have not named any suspects or persons of interest in the case. | 295c4a6f3a7a4485b40efd195bb5e61b | Who was last seen Saturday? | [
"Brittanee Marie Drexel's"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Singer Andy Williams has bladder cancer, is undergoing treatment and plans to return to performing in 2012, he said.
"You may have read or heard that I have bladder cancer. It's true and I'm currently undergoing treatment to deal with it," Williams said in a statement.
The singer also told fans at a concert in Branson, Missouri, Saturday night that he has cancer, a reporter who attended the concert told CNN on Sunday.
"But that is no longer a death sentence. People with cancer are getting through this thing," Williams said, according to Tyler Francke with the Branson Tri-Lakes News.
"They're kicking it, and they're winning more and more every year. And I'm going to be one of them," Francke quoted the singer as saying.
Williams, 83, shared the news during his Christmas Show at the Moon River Theater, which he founded in 1992, according to the theater's website. "Moon River" was one of Williams' most popular songs.
The description of Williams' Christmas Show on his website lists several guest stars, and notes that "due to health reasons, Andy may not make a live appearance in his Christmas Show."
In his statement, the singer said he plans to return to performing in 2012.
Attempts by CNN to contact the Moon River Theater for comment were not immediately successful.
Williams began his singing career as a child in a quartet with his three older brothers. He later got a regular gig on Steve Allen's "Tonight" show and then his own variety program, "The Andy Williams Show," in the 1960s.
CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report. | abb0185be0574530ab1306f5849914d4 | Williams started singing with his brothers, where? | [
"in a quartet"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar have confirmed Dick Advocaat as their new head coach until the end of the season.
AZ sought permission from the Belgian FA (KBVB) over the possibility of their national-team coach joining them for the rest of the campaign after sacking Ronald Koeman on Saturday.
A statement posted on the club's official Web site said: "AZ and Dick Advocaat reached agreement on Tuesday on a contract for him to be head coach until the end of the current season.
"The 62-year-old will combine the role with the job of Belgium coach and will be on the bench against PSV on Saturday."
The Alkmaar club won the Eredivisie under Louis van Gaal last season but have struggled this term and currently find themselves in seventh place, 19 points behind leaders FC Twente.
The former Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven and Rangers coach has already set out his goal for the season.
"We need to get European football at AZ," Advocaat told AZ TV. "If we do not get that, then I have done something wrong."
AZ face Standard Liege in Belgium in their final Champions League Group Group H game on Wednesday. | ad35e77a138f4558a5084cb31c54f931 | Who will Advocaat replace? | [
"Ronald Koeman"
] |
NewsQA | NEW YORK (CNN) -- The largest mass transit project in the country got under way Monday with the help of federal stimulus dollars, as public officials broke ground on a second passenger rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River.
Work on the country's largest mass transit project began Monday.
The new tunnel will link New Jersey with New York and eventually will double capacity on the nation's busiest rail corridor, running from Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, officials said.
Officials participated in the groundbreaking for the $8.7 billion project as commuter trains passed behind them in North Bergen, New Jersey, before entering the existing train tunnel, which went into operation in 1908.
"As we start digging this tunnel, I think that what really it means, we are digging our way out of an economic crisis," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey. "As we're getting under way, we're seeing the dividends of the Recovery Act being paid right now."
The Department of Transportation announced Monday that it will commit $3 billion to the project over its lifespan. Of that, $130 million is coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the department said..
It is the largest commitment to any transportation project anywhere in the United States in the history of the Department of Transportation, according to administrator Peter Rogoff of the Federal Transportation Administration.
"This is what President Obama means by recovery. It means putting people back to work now to improve the lives of so many others for years to come," Rogoff said.
The project -- known as ARC, for Access to the Region's Core -- is expected to create 6,000 design and construction jobs.
"This is going to promote mobility, reduce commuter congestion, staunch carbon emissions, enhance regional competitiveness and lay a foundation for an extraordinary expansion of mass transit in the most densely populate state in the nation, New Jersey," New Jersey Gov. John Corzine said.
New Jersey Transit says 170,000 passengers now travel through the existing train tunnel beneath the Hudson River to New York each day. When completed, the second tunnel will enable that figure to increase to 255,000 passenger trips. The additional passengers will disembark at a new concourse to be built at Penn Station in New York, 150 feet below street level. | 3e4ab72e960243c88540bb369fdbf692 | who is financing | [
"The Department of Transportation"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Gennaro Gattuso has ended speculation over his future by signing a new AC Milan contract, the Serie A club have announced.
Gattuso has been linked with moves to the English Premier League in recent weeks as he was said to be unhappy with his first-team opportunities after battling injury.
But the club have confirmed he will be remaining in Milan for the next three years.
"Milan announce that Rino Gattuso has extended his contract with the club until 30 June 2012," said a statement on the club's official Web site.
Gattuso, who turns 32 next month, has spent the last decade with Milan after spells with Perugia, Glasgow giants Rangers and Salernitana early in his career.
He also has 70 caps for Italy and was a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2006. | a5471f56b4d549e29d9be5452f6e8e2f | What has Gattuso been linked with in recent weeks? | [
"moves to the English Premier League"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Sudan's government and rebels from its troubled Darfur region signed a confidence-building agreement Tuesday in Qatar, a step toward ending a six-year conflict that has killed about 300,000 people, the emirate's state news agency reported.
A member of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) stands guard near the Sudan-Chad border in 2007.
Detailed talks between the government and the Justice and Equality Movement are scheduled to begin in two weeks after Tuesday's signing, Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabr al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister, told the SUNA news agency.
Roger Middleton, an Africa specialist at the British think-tank Chatham House, said Tuesday's agreement deals mostly with prisoner releases.
But he said the two parties' decision to hold further talks "is an important move forward, which there hasn't necessarily been in the past."
"It is certainly a step in the right direction," he said. "But a lot more needs to be done if we're going to see a full cessation of fighting in Darfur."
Other rebel groups are not included in the pact, and "many, many things" could cause the talks to fail, he said.
"It is a start, but it's very fragile, and we mustn't get overexcited just yet," Middleton said.
In November, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir agreed to an immediate, unconditional cease-fire in Darfur, but JEM was not included in the talks.
Sudan's Culture Minister Amin Hassan Omar and Jibril Ibrahim, a top rebel official, signed Tuesday's agreement.
Qatar has been mediating talks between the two sides in the Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003 after rebels began an uprising against the Khartoum government.
The government launched a brutal counter-insurgency campaign, aided by government-backed Arab militias that went from village to village in Darfur, killing, torturing and raping residents, according to the United Nations, Western governments and human rights organizations.
Al-Bashir is under pressure to end the fighting, particularly because he was charged with genocide by the International Criminal Court last year for the government's campaign of violence in Darfur.
In the past six years, an estimated 300,000 people have been killed through direct combat, disease or malnutrition, the United Nations says. An additional 2.7 million people fled their homes because of fighting among rebels, government forces and allied militias. | 24efcec7a7a14b80a313588934da9e10 | How many people estimated to have died in six-year conflict? | [
"300,000"
] |
NewsQA | WASHAKIE COUNTY, Wyoming (CNN) -- Federal agents have apprehended accused child molester Edward Eugene Harper, who was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, an FBI official said Thursday.
Edward Eugene Harper is believed to have lived a nomadic lifestyle since fleeing Mississippi.
Harper, 63, is accused of molesting two girls, ages 3 and 8, in his neighborhood in Hernando, Mississippi, more than a decade ago, the FBI said.
The FBI said it received a telephone tip in June at the Denver office regarding Harper, and brought a SWAT team and a hostage negotiation team to apprehend him in rural Wyoming on Thursday.
He surrendered without incident, the FBI said, and later admitted his identity to agents.
Harper was living in a 1979 truck with a camper top in the southern portion of Washakie County's Big Horn Mountains, the FBI said.
He is believed to have lived a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place and earning a living by doing odd jobs and herding sheep, the FBI said in a statement.
He was indicted in April 1994 with conspiracy to commit sexual battery, fondling a child and sexual battery.
He failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing and a state warrant was issued for his arrest in October 1994. He was later charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, a federal offense. The FBI added him to its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list last year.
Before living in Mississippi, Harper had been a ranch hand, working with cattle and sheep in Montana and Wyoming, the FBI said in its release on Harper last year. He has also worked as a truck driver, the agency said.
According to the FBI, Harper subscribed to "sovereign citizen" ideology and claimed to be a member of the Montana Freemen, a group that rejected the authority of the U.S. government. The group became famous for an 81-day standoff with federal agents in Montana in 1996.
But after the arrest and conviction of many of its members, the group essentially disintegrated, according to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"As far as I know," they don't exist, he said. "Most of them went to prison and there was nothing left." | 7c6342a4328f420385cb8b9cf7e7f727 | What is Harper accused of? | [
"molesting two girls, ages 3 and 8,"
] |
NewsQA | MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Members of a Russian doomsday cult barricaded themselves in a cave to wait out the end of the world as the cult's leader underwent psychiatric exams Thursday, Russian media reported.
The cult, which calls itself the "true Russian Orthodox Church," believes the world will end in May.
The cult leader is in police custody awaiting proceedings on charges that he set up an organization "whose activity is associated with violence on citizens and instigation to refuse to perform their civil duties," according to the state-funded Itar-Tass news agency.
Four children are among 29 cult members holed up in a ravine in Russia's Penza region, where they apparently dug a cave.
One of the children in the cave is 18 months old, reported Itar-Tass. Temperatures in the cave are below 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius), the Russian news agency reported.
The cult members have refused law enforcement requests to come out or release the children, and they have threatened to commit suicide if police resort to force, according to Russian state television.
The cult, which calls itself the "true Russian Orthodox Church," believes the end of the world will come in May 2008.
Prosecutors announced Thursday they are opening criminal proceedings against the cult's leader, Father Pyotr Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov, 43, is "under the supervision of investigators," Olig Troshin, a Penza prosecutor, told Itar-Tass.
A law enforcement source in Penza told the Russian news agency Interfax that Kuznetsov "is being examined by psychiatrists."
Several clergymen, police officers and agents of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations are outside the cave.
"It is obviously some kind of insanity," Mitropolitan Kirill, a high-ranking Russian Orthodox Church official, told Russian television. "It is perhaps even a medical case. A very dangerous phenomena is happening in Russia's religious life."
He added, "What we're seeing in Penza right now is a most vivid example of what could happen to a country, to a society, if this society is deprived of proper religious education." E-mail to a friend
CNN's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this report. | 40c7bea819b742a39671924e68abe54e | Who believes it will be the end of the world? | [
"Members of a Russian doomsday cult"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A former Alabama judge accused of checking male inmates out of jail and forcing them to engage in sexual activity was found not guilty Monday on charges of sexual abuse, attempted sodomy and assault, his lawyer said.
Attorney Robert Clark said former Judge Herman Thomas was found not guilty on several charges and the judge in the case granted a directed verdict of acquittal on all the other counts.
The Mobile County district attorney did not immediately return CNN calls for comment.
Thomas, 48, denied wrongdoing. Clark said on October 20 that the judge was trying to mentor the inmates and did not assault them.
The judge does not deny bringing the inmates into his office, Clark said last week. "He was mentoring them. He was trying to get them to do right, to be productive citizens."
Thomas cried after the verdicts were read, Clark said Monday.
"He hugged me and he hugged his wife. And he had a courtroom full of supporters. It all worked out in the end," the attorney said.
One of the alleged victims testified October 19 that he doesn't know why his semen was found on the carpet of a small room used as an office by Thomas, according to The Mobile Press-Register newspaper. But he did say Thomas spanked him with a belt on several occasions, the newspaper reported, and that the paddlings took place inside a jury room, in the small office and at a Mobile, Alabama, fraternity house.
Another man testified that after he was charged with kidnapping and robbery in 2002, Thomas visited him in jail and urged the man to let Thomas decide the case instead of a jury, according to the Press-Register. Thomas convicted him of lesser charges, he testified, and sentenced him to a 90-day boot camp. He said Thomas also beat him with a belt on his bare buttocks about a dozen times at the courthouse, the newspaper reported. Neither man was identified.
"All of them [the alleged victims] were given preferential treatment at some point," Nicki Patterson, chief assistant district attorney for Mobile County, said earlier this month. "And ultimately, when some of them refused to continue participating [in the activities], they were given what I would view as excessive sentences. But certainly while the inmates were involved with the activities we allege, the state would say, it was extremely lenient sentences."
Clark said his client's next hurdle is the Alabama State Bar.
"They suspended him back in March because he got indicted. And we're fighting to give him his law license back," he said.
CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report. | cd9495bb02d44226aaf6cd691eb3c238 | Who did the judge bring to his office? | [
"inmates"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Colombia's main leftist group suggested on Monday it is willing to reopen talks with the government.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, has been at war with the state since the 1960s. While severely weakened in recent years, the guerrilla group has continued to carry out kidnappings and attack security forces.
In a statement, the FARC said it would be interested in addressing certain issues at a "hypothetical negotiating table." It called on the government of President Juan Manuel Santos to speak to such subjects as privatization, deregulation and the degradation of the environment.
The statement was signed by the FARC's new leader, who goes by Timoleon Jimenez.
"This conflict will have no solution until our voices are heard. Without lies, Santos, without lies," it read.
In November, a military operation killed then-FARC leader Alfonso Cano. Following his death, the group said it would not not end its guerrilla struggle. Santos described the killing then as the nation's "most overwhelming blow" against the rebel organization. | 64fea4b937164c559c66f58d72916a9d | how long has it been at war with the government | [
"since the 1960s."
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Former first lady Barbara Bush was moved out of the intensive care unit of a Houston, Texas, hospital into a regular room Thursday after surgery to repair and seal a perforated ulcer, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Ex-first lady Barbara Bush has been moved out of ICU and into a regular room.
Bush, 83, was in good spirits and was joking with hospital staffers, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman said. She was being fed intravenously.
Her doctor said earlier she will be allowed no food by mouth for about a week, to avoid possibly stretching her abdominal area.
The former first lady showed up at Methodist's emergency room Tuesday night complaining of severe abdominal pain, Dr. Patrick Reardon, who performed the surgery, told reporters Wednesday.
Doctors determined Bush had a perforated ulcer in her duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine after the stomach, he said.
In the operating room, doctors thoroughly cleaned her abdominal cavity of any contaminants that had leaked through the hole, described by the hospital as being one centimeter in diameter.
Then, doctors repaired the ulcer and sewed a piece of the fat tissue in the abdomen, on top of it to seal it, Reardon said.
Bush's husband, former President George H.W. Bush, was with her Thursday morning, but was leaving to attend Thanksgiving dinner with his son Neil, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman told CNN.
The ulcer was biopsied and is benign, Reardon said Wednesday. He suggested it might have been caused by anti-inflammatory medications.
CNN's Sean Callebs contributed to this report. | ba567b87205141b1a327cd1cc608d8e8 | Why did Barbara Bush have surgery? | [
"to repair and seal a perforated ulcer,"
] |
NewsQA | MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian serial murderer dubbed the "Chessboard Killer" was given the maximum sentence of life in prison Monday and ordered to undergo psychiatric therapy for a string of at least 48 murders that terrorized Moscow for years.
A Moscow jury convicted Alexander Pichushkin last week of 48 murders and three attempted murders. Pichushkin claimed he had actually committed 60 murders, though prosecutors were unable to find evidence to prove that.
Pichushkin earned the nickname "Chessboard Killer" for saying he had intended to kill one person for each of the 64 squares on a chessboard.
In ordering Pichushkin to receive compulsory psychiatric therapy, the judge said the defendant has a mental disorder but is still sane and cannot avoid responsibility for his crimes.
Throughout his trial, Pichushkin gloated over his crimes and ridiculed the police case against him.
"I was dismayed my work had been attributed to others," Pichushkin said. "In one week, I killed two people. If they hadn't caught me, I would have never stopped. Having caught me, they saved many lives." Watch video report on serial killer Alexander Pichushkin
For years until his arrest in June 2006, Pichushkin kept Moscow on edge, stalking the heavily forested Bitsa Park on the city's southern outskirts and preying on the homeless and elderly. Pichushkin claimed to have committed all but one of his murders in the park.
He lured his victims with the promise of alcohol and, after getting them drunk on vodka, he beat them to death and dumped their bodies in the park. It led Russian media to give Pichushkin his other nickname, the "Bitsa Maniac."
Over the years, Russian police recovered dozens of corpses, some with sticks and vodka bottles rammed into their skulls.
But the crucial lead came in 2005, when a woman Pichushkin worked with at a vegetable store was found dead. She had left a note at her home saying she was going for a walk with him.
Pichushkin said he had been aware of the note but killed her anyway. E-mail to a friend
CNN Correspondent Matthew Chance contributed to this report. | 09c111ee78ad40928845e083933b2c02 | how long was the serial killer sentenced to? | [
"life in prison"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Charging chesty women more for their bras doesn't win a lot of support, British retailer Marks & Spencer acknowledged Friday as it announced an end to the surcharge on its larger lingerie.
Marks & Spencer have apologised for charging chesty women more for bras.
"We boobed," screamed a full-page Marks & Spencer ad, which appeared in British newspapers Friday.
Marks & Spencer gave in to campaigners who argued that the higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair. The retailer charged as much as £2 ($3) more for all sizes DD and up.
"It's true that our fantastic quality larger bras cost more money to make, and we felt it was right to reflect this in the prices we charged," the ad said. "Well, we were wrong."
It follows a nearly year-long campaign by members of the Facebook group Busts 4 Justice.
The women behind the site argued other chain retailers didn't charge extra for bigger sizes, so Marks & Spencer shouldn't, either. And it pointed out that the store doesn't charge extra for larger sizes of clothing, so it shouldn't charge more for larger undergarments. What's your view?
"We would like to thank everyone who has supported us on this issue; especially the thousands of brilliant, busty women that have joined forces with us. We couldn't have done this without you," the two administrators of the group, Becky Mount and Beckie Williams, posted Friday on Facebook.
"Busts 4 Justice remain committed to making things better for busty women on the high street, but for now we're happy just to be able to encourage all ladies to reward themselves and their boobs with some properly fitted, fairly priced lingerie."
Marks & Spencer is a stalwart British chain, known for classic wardrobe staples and low prices. Its underwear department is the first stop for many British shoppers and is especially famous for reliable basics.
And to give customers an added lift, Marks & Spencer also announced it is cutting the prices of all of its bras by 25 percent for the rest of May.
"I think even though we all obviously held a bit of a grudge against buying our bras from M&S we should really be grateful they got rid of the surcharge and have given us the super generous 25 percent off," Mount wrote on the group's site Friday. "They may get cleared out by the time the weekend is over!" | b6421799e9f440ac9f963b9a197adb66 | Which retailer admitted the adverts? | [
"Marks & Spencer"
] |
NewsQA | Washington (CNN) -- Flights transporting critically injured Haitians into the United States will resume within a few hours, the White House announced Sunday afternoon.
The flights were temporarily suspended because of logistical issues including space to care for the injured, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said Saturday.
"Having received assurances that additional capacity exists both here and among our international partners, we determined that we can resume these critical flights," he said in a statement Sunday.
Full coverage
The statement, released Sunday afternoon, said flights would resume "in the next 12 hours."
The evacuated patients are those whose medical needs could not be met by doctors working in Haiti. Nearly 23,000 people have been seen by U.S. personnel since the January 12 earthquake, Vietor said.
Some volunteer American doctors in Haiti expect the flights to resume at 11 a.m. Monday, according to Nery Ynclan, a spokeswoman for Dr. Barth Green, of the University of Miami, who is leading a team of volunteers in Port-au-Prince.
Airlifts stopped after there were "concerns about the strain on domestic health capacity," Vietor said. But officials have increased the ability to care for patients through a network of nonprofits and U.S. hospitals, he said.
But earlier reports also cited questions over who would pay for patients' care.
The missing, the found, the victims
The flights stopped Wednesday when some states refused to allow entry to Haitians needing care, according to Navy Capt. Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Command. He would not say which states objected.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius obtained by CNN, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist asked that the federal government activate the National Disaster Medical System to provide reimbursement to Florida and other states for taking in the patients, who have no insurance.
Florida's health facilities were already strained by winter tourism and seasonal residence migration, Crist said in the letter. But Florida officials said Saturday that the state was committed to assisting Haitian quake victims and had not asked the airlifts be halted.
Florida will play a role in caregiving once flights resume. The state has identified medical facilities that could take in victims, Vietor said in Sunday's statement.
CNN's Susan Candiotti and Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report. | 3cfa35be1f314277b40fe91dbb2e8518 | Who are Evacuated patients? | [
"those whose medical needs could not be met by doctors working in Haiti."
] |
NewsQA | NEW YORK (CNN) -- All the news that's fit to print -- the motto of The New York Times -- does not necessarily apply to photos.
The newspaper published an editor's note Thursday stating that pictures used in a photo essay in its most recent Sunday Magazine were digitally manipulated without the paper's knowledge.
The Times commissioned Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins to shoot a Sunday magazine color photo essay titled "Ruins of the Second Gilded Age" to capture physical evidence of the real estate bust that took place across the United States.
In the text that preceded the six photos that were published, the magazine stated that while the photographer "creates images with long exposures," he does so without digital manipulation.
"A reader ... discovered upon close examination that one of the pictures was digitally altered, apparently for aesthetic reasons," the Times editors wrote.
"Editors later confronted the photographer and determined that most of the images did not wholly reflect the reality they purported to show. Had the editors known that the photographs had been digitally manipulated, they would not have published the picture essay, which has been removed from the NYTimes.com," the note concluded.
Numerous attempts by CNN to reach Edgar Martins by phone and e-mail were unsuccessful.
The newspaper's decision to withdraw the photos left a publisher of Martins' book "Topologies" released in 2008, intrigued and surprised.
"I think he's a great artist and we're very proud to have published his prior works," said Lesley Martin, publisher of Aperture books.
She said that Martins' prior works frequently verge on abstract landscapes, including forests ravaged by fire and nighttime beaches. "His work has a certain visual effect. A distinct look and feel to it."
However, Martin said she understands the newspaper's decision.
Aperture books, which publishes a variety of photographic styles, including photojournalism, "would not have published this work in a strict journalistic context had we known there would be manipulation used," she said. | cff5f579e33d4730a7f24f9191963bc6 | Photos in Sunday Magazine were changed for what reasons? | [
"aesthetic reasons,\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Famed Uruguayan author Mario Benedetti died at his home in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Sunday, his personal secretary, Ariel Silva, told CNN.
Author Mario Benedetti, 88, was battling intestinal problems and had been hospitalized earlier this month.
Benedetti, 88, was battling intestinal problems and had been hospitalized earlier this month.
A descendent of Italian immigrants, Benedetti authored such best-selling novels as "The Truce" and "Juan Angel's Birthday," as well as a collection of short stories and poems.
The poet-turned-novelist became a part of a thriving era of Latin authors including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Fuentes, and Mario Vargas Llosa, who often intertwined politics with their work.
A supporter of Fidel Castro's government, Benedetti left Uruguay to live in exile, partly in Cuba, where his writings grew more political.
"I have never hidden my political position so I had to leave the country," he told CNN in a June 2005 interview.
"I've had many mishaps, many problems in my short life," he added.
Journalist Dario Klein in Montevideo contributed this report. | 9ae6894fadff4fa28896956c618bab90 | What was the reason for Benedetti left Uruguay? | [
"to live in exile,"
] |
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