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[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- A visit to the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers. Visiting the Eiffel Tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists. But some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit, according to a survey of British tourists. And those questioned didn't think too highly of their own country's best-known landmarks either, with Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain also turning people cold. Travel expert Felice Hardy explained why many tourists, often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places, are left with a feeling of anti-climax. \"It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world,\" she said. \"But many of them are overcrowded and disappointing. \"Pick carefully and don't always go for the obvious. Natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made, and can be wonderfully free of tourists.\" The Eiffel Tower -- described by Hardy as \"frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced\" -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight. Britain's biggest letdown was Stonehenge, a sacred Druid sight in the rural south of England, which was dismissed as \"an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field\" by Hardy. The Diana fountain resembled \"a colorless wet skateboard park\" while as far as Big Ben was concerned: \"Once you've seen it, you'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else.\" Three of America's most famous sights -- New York's Times Square and Statue of Liberty plus The White House in Washington also made the list of shame. But the 1,267 adults questioned by Virgin Travel Insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world, with the Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan topping the list. Other unmissables included the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya and Australia's Sydney Harbor Bridge. Alnwick Castle in Northumberland was voted Britain's top tourist sight. TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING GLOBAL SIGHTS . 1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris; 2. The Louvre, Paris; 3. Times Square, New York; 4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona; 5. Statue of Liberty, New York; 6. Spanish Steps, Rome; 7. The White House, Washington DC; 8. The Pyramids, Egypt; 9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin; 10.The Leaning Tower of Pisa. TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING UK SIGHTS . 1. Stonehenge; 2. Angel of the North. Gateshead; 3. Blackpool Tower; 4. Land's End, Cornwall; 5. Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, London; 6. The London Eye; 7. Brighton Pier; 8. Buckingham Palace; 9. White Cliffs of Dover; 10. Big Ben. TOP TEN BEST GLOBAL SIGHTS . 1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan; 2. The Grand Canal, Venice; 3. The Masai Mara, Kenya; 4. Sydney Harbour Bridge; 5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan; 6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia; 7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey; 8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia; 9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia; 10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland. TOP TEN BEST UK SIGHTS . 1. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland; 2. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim; 3. The Royal Crescent, Bath; 4. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark, south London; 5. The Backs, Cambridge; 6. Holkham Bay, Norfolk; 7. Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset; 8. Tate St Ives gallery, Cornwall; 9. Isle of Skye, Scotland; 10. The Eden Project, Cornwall E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some of most iconic global tourist attractions are most disappointing to visit .\nThe Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids on the list .\nThe Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan voted the best place to visit ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A man who faked his drowning death nearly 20 years ago off a Florida beach was found out by North Carolina police who stopped him for a traffic violation, authorities said Thursday. Bennie Wint told police he faked his drowning death in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1989. Bennie Wint left behind a grieving fiancee and a daughter from a previous marriage. Over the past two decades, he acquired a common-law wife and another child in Marshall, North Carolina. Wint told police he faked his death in Daytona Beach, Florida, because he was \"paranoid\" about his narcotics-related activity at the time, Weaverville, North Carolina, police Sgt. Stacy Wyatt told CNN. When pulled over in Weaverville on Saturday because of malfunctioning lights on his license plate, the man said his name was James Sweet, Wyatt said. But when Wyatt ran the name through official databases, he was unable to find any information. \"I found it suspicious and believed it to be a false name,\" Wyatt said. He arrested the man on suspicion of driving without a license and giving false information, both misdemeanor offenses, and booked him under the name \"John Doe.\" But \"John Doe\" finally opened up to Wyatt, admitting he was really Bennie Wint and had been on the run since 1989. Watch how reports of his death were premature » . Wint returned a call Thursday from CNN and asked what an interview with him would be \"worth to you.\" Told that CNN does not pay for interviews, he responded, \"Unless you want to pay for it, don't come up here. You are wasting your time. There are 'no trespassing' signs on my property.\" He then hung up. According to police reports, Wint was on a trip to Daytona Beach with his then-fiancee, Patricia Hollingsworth. She told police they were engaged and had discussed getting married while on the trip. But it was not to be. On September 25, 1989, Hollingsworth told beach patrol officials that Wint disappeared while swimming. \"We spent a bunch of time looking for him,\" said Volusia County Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn, who was on the beach patrol at the time, although he did not respond to the call. \"We used helicopters, boats and boatloads of lifeguards.\" Hollingsworth, then 37, told officials Wint entered the ocean about 4 p.m. and swam past the breakers before she lost sight of him, according to the incident report. The report notes Hollingsworth was \"very upset\" and that after contacting officials, she \"began to run north and south in the area,\" looking for Wint. Members of the beach patrol, however, thought the supposed drowning was suspicious. \"It is very rare to drown offshore and not wash back in onto the shore,\" Petersohn said. In addition, he said, the lifeguard on the beach told officials he did not see anyone swimming in the area. Wyatt submitted Wint's fingerprints to the FBI for identification and, while waiting for the results, searched the Internet for information on a Bennie Wint. \"I found a daughter that was looking for him,\" Wyatt said. The woman posted information about her father in 2007, saying he went missing under suspicious circumstances. Wyatt contacted the now-23-year-old woman, who said she was 4 when her father disappeared. Wint has been released from jail and has not been charged in relation to the 1989 incident. It was not known whether he contacted his daughter. Wyatt said Wint now has a common-law wife, a child and a business selling NASCAR items. The night he was arrested, Wyatt said, his wife was \"distraught\" upon learning his true identity. Wyatt said Wint told him he was involved in narcotics in the 1970s and '80s, and \"he ran out of paranoia, thinking people were out to get him.\" He said he went from Daytona Beach to Ozark, Alabama. CNN's attempts to contact Hollingsworth were unsuccessful, and it was unclear whether she knows Wint is alive. Petersohn said he is attempting to find the lifeguard on duty at Daytona Beach the day Wint disappeared to tell him the truth about the supposed drowning. \"For 20 years, that man that works for us thinks he might have missed something in the ocean,\" Petersohn said. \"I'm glad the guy's alive. I really am. ... It's unfortunate the way it went down at the time, people looking for a body that wasn't out there.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "North Carolina officer didn't believe man's story during traffic stop .\nHe couldn't find name man that gave in police database .\nEventually, \"James Sweet\" confessed he was Bennie Wint .\nWint was reported missing off Daytona Beach, Florida, in September 1989 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Security contractors in Iraq use some over-the-top tactics and overreact at times, a top U.S. general in Iraq said Friday. Members of a private security company prepare the way for a U.S. convoy in Baghdad, Iraq. Many in Iraq have witnessed security contractors operating in a questionable fashion, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief of staff for the Multi-National Corps in Iraq. \"I can certainly say I've seen them do some tactics that I thought were over the top. But that's something we've got to keep working out,\" Anderson said in a briefing to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Iraq. His comments soon after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he wants closer oversight of Pentagon contractors in Iraq. Gates has dispatched a team there to review accountability and oversight. Anderson did not offer specific examples of incidents he had seen. He agreed security contractors in Iraq have taken a lot of criticism, but he said they are in a tough position. \"They obviously have a tough job to do in a tough environment. I don't know if they're overly aggressive. I think the question becomes what rules do they follow with respect to what the rules of engagement are,\" he said. The actions of private security contractors have come under scrutiny since a Baghdad shooting incident earlier this month. Iraqi authorities say Blackwater guards fired indiscriminately, killing as many as 20 civilians; Blackwater says its employees responded properly to an insurgent attack on a convoy. Under an order laid down by the U.S.-led occupation government in 2004, security contractors are not subject to Iraqi law for actions taken within their contracts, a condition that irritates Iraqi officials. About 137,000 civilians are working for the U.S. military in Iraq, Gates said Wednesday. That number includes at least 7,300 of the estimated 25,000 private security contractors working in Iraq, he said. After the Blackwater shootings, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England issued a memo to commanders in Iraq outlining their responsibility for holding contractors accountable, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. Anderson said the assessment team sent by Gates is getting a feel for how the military employs contractors, to what scale, what functions they're providing and what differentiates between Department of Defense and Department of State contractors in the security role. The State Department also is investigating the role of private security contractors. Ambassador Patrick Kennedy, a management and policy expert, will lead the effort, along with a high-level panel of outside experts, including retired Gen. George Joulwan, former commander of NATO forces in Europe; Stapleton Roy, former U.S. ambassador to China; and Eric Boswell, a former assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wants an interim report by next Friday. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. general says he's seen private security contractors overreact .\nDefense secretary says he wants closer oversight of Pentagon contractors in Iraq .\nIraqi officials upset after civilians killed by Blackwater USA guards .\nBlackwater says its contractors were attacked ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(AOL Autos) -- Magazines are full of beauty and health secrets with tips on how to improve your inner health and polish and paint your external persona. All of this designed to keep you feeling young. With its low price, boxy-yet-stylish shape and must-have technology, the Scion xB is very youthful. We think that the beauty magazines are missing out on the best way to feel young: drive the right vehicle! New cars for a fresh start . No offense to the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Chevy Malibu, but it's almost impossible to feel young behind the wheel of an ordinary sedan, especially when every other car on the road is just like yours. We've picked vehicles that are unique, different and even a little quirky. You are what you drive, and when you drive a spunky, youthful vehicle, that's exactly what you are! So, here are our choices for the top 10 vehicles to keep you feeling young: . 2008 smart fortwo pure coupe . Not since the original Volkswagen Beetle has a more perfectly youthful car been built than the smart fortwo pure coupe. This smart car has everything: it's cheap, it's fuel efficient, it's safe (check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ratings), and best of all -- it is the cutest thing on four wheels. 'Nuff said. Starting at $11,590 . 2009 Nissan Versa . An excellent choice for a safe, efficient car, the Nissan Versa is no stripped-down econobox and it has a European style that makes others take a second look. It's a genuinely comfortable, fun-to-drive cute car that will stand up to the rough treatment a young-at-heart driver can sometimes dish out. Starting at $12,990 . 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid . Driving a Toyota Prius is a statement to your friends and neighbors that you're green; driving a Honda Civic Hybrid is living green, pure and simple. There's almost nothing less attractive than conspicuity. Give your inner beauty the opportunity to be green undercover in a subtle, stealthy Civic Hybrid. Starting at $23,550 . 2008 Subaru WRX STi . Nothing gets the heart beating like 305 hp. Add all-wheel drive and hatchback functionality and you have the Subaru WRX STi. Skip those troublesome, time-consuming trips to the gym and just give yourself a workout flogging the STi around the back roads, or throw some golf clubs in the back hatch and make your tee time in youthful style. Starting at $34,995 . 2010 Chevrolet Camaro . This one will take you back to your youth, the last heyday of the American Muscle Car. The 2010 Camaro is one of the most anticipated new cars due in the production pipeline, and anyone who drives one will be the center of attention. And that will make you feel young and beautiful. Prices to be announced . 2008 Mazda5 . When a minivan just isn't mini enough, maybe the mini-minivan is the answer to your needs. With seating for 6, Mazda5 brings the capacity for carpooling without the style penalties of its larger minivan competitors, and fuel economy up to 28 mpg doesn't hurt either. Feel young without looking like a soccer mom. Starting at $18,665 . 2008 Scion xB . With its low, low price, boxy-yet-stylish shape and must-have technology, the Scion xB makes a youthful statement just by showing up. Personalize your xB with accessories from Scion's catalog, or from the extensive aftermarket that has grown up around the car. The bonus is that the xB is a very capable vehicle, and a lot of fun to drive. Starting at $16,420 . 2008 Toyota 4Runner . If you want to project an image of youthful vigor, muscularity, agility and strength -- without going over the top -- few vehicles do it as well as the Toyota 4Runner. That image isn't just on the surface; the Toyota 4Runner is as comfortable on the trail as it is on the pavement. You get timeless good looks and reliability in one package. Starting at $28,415 . 2008 Jeep Wrangler . Is there a car more youthful and exuberant than the Jeep Wrangler? The iconic off-roader has been a symbol of freedom, agility and capability for decades. Drop the soft-top, hang on to the integrated roll bar and head out for points west. Just don't forget the sun block -- you want to look young as well as feel young. Starting at $20,205 . 2008 Vespa S . It was cool in the late 1960's, and it's cool again today. The Vespa S is a modern interpretation of the 1969 Vespa Special and the 1967 Vespa Primavera. An eco-friendly 150cc engine powers the S efficiently and smoothly, with enough oomph to keep up with city traffic. Easy to ride, easy to park, easy to love, the Vespa S might be the coolest ride on the block. Starting at $4,199 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some people say you are what you drive -- so drive something spunky!\nDriving a Honda Civic Hybrid is living green, pure and simple .\nToyota 4Runner projects youthful vigor, muscularity, agility and strength .\nJeep Wrangler has been symbol of freedom, agility and capability for decades ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The video is deeply disturbing. Experts attribute long emergency rorom waits mostly to situations no one can control. In it, former CNN Headline News anchor Glenn Beck describes going to the emergency room in intense pain -- so overwhelming, he wept. He says that for two hours, no one gave him pain medication. In fact, he says, no one lifted a finger to help him at all for 40 minutes. Beck says his wife literally held him up in the emergency room, while nurses looked on and chatted about their holidays. He does not identify the hospital. \"I'm in massive, massive pain,\" Beck writes on his Web site. \"This guy, this triage nurse, is 250, 300 pounds, big guy. Not only does he not go to help my wife help me up, he actually had the audacity to stand there and drum his fingers against the door and look at us like, come on, come on, come on.\" Watch the video of Glenn Beck on his sickbed » . The video, which has had more than 800,000 hits on YouTube, brings to mind the case of Edith Rodriguez. Last year, she was on the floor of a Los Angeles hospital emergency room vomiting blood, and witnesses say no one did anything to help her. Her boyfriend actually called 911, which refused to help since she was already in a hospital. Rodriguez died in the emergency room. These cases, while unusual, certainly happen, say emergency room doctors. \"There are truly situations where it's so busy there are sick patients who are waiting. I will admit that,\" says Dr. Assaad Sayah, who runs three emergency rooms for Cambridge Health Alliance in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. \"Ridiculously long wait times are a huge issue,\" says Dr. David Beiser, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medical Center. \"Recently we've had over 40 patients in our waiting room. When I was in training [five years ago], it was rare to see more than 20 patients in our waiting room.\" Donna Mason, an emergency room nurse for 33 years, says sometimes, she'd have 75 patients waiting for 54 beds -- and she knew very sick patients were in the waiting room needing care. \"The greatest fear of every doctor or nurse is that [a situation like Beck's] is going to happen in our emergency department,\" says Mason, the immediate past president of the Emergency Nurses Association. Released this week, a Harvard University analysis of more than 90,000 U.S. emergency room visits found that one in four heart-attack patients waited 50 minutes or more to be seen by a physician in an emergency room. These experts attributed long waits mostly to situations no one could control -- too many patients and too few beds. But they also acknowledged that ERs could be better organized. Sayah said reorganizing his ERs has led to dramatic decreases in waiting time. \"Beck would've been in a bed in less than two minutes in my hospitals,\" he says. Waiting times are longer for patients who aren't very sick, but even for them, it's better than it used to be. \"The average time from door to physician used to be about an hour. Now it's 21 minutes,\" Sayah said. His staff -- especially those who greet patients -- receive customer service training. \"It's just like the training they give in restaurants or entertainment places -- it's how to be pleasant to people,\" he says. But what if you find yourself in an emergency room that has long waits and nasty employees? Mason and the emergency room doctors have this advice about what not to do while navigating the ER: . 1. Don't forget to call your doctor on the way to the ER . When ER doctors hear from a fellow physician, they listen, says Beiser at the University of Chicago. \"They'll talk to me professionally and put a bug in my ear,\" he says. \"This guy will now be on my radar screen.\" 2. Don't use an ambulance unless you really need it . \"There's a myth out there that if you arrive in an ambulance, you'll go straight back to the doctor,\" Mason says. \"But it's not true. If we can see that you can walk, you may get asked to get off that gurney and go to the waiting room.\" 3. Don't be quiet . If the triage nurse -- that's who makes the decisions about who needs care first -- isn't helping you, don't stop there, says Sayah. \"Speak up. Say, 'I need to see the person in charge,'\" he says. 4. Don't get angry, and don't lie . While it's important to make yourself heard, it's also important to use basic etiquette. \"We're all human, and usually when people are nice to us, we're nicer back to them,\" Sayah says. Lying about your symptoms -- making them seem worse than they really are in hopes of getting attention faster -- can backfire, says Dr. William Bozeman, an emergency room doctor at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. \"We have people saying they have crushing sub-sternal chest pain, that they're having a heart attack, when in reality they're trying to get Vicodin for chronic back pain,\" he says. When the staff figures it out, \"They may not be very pleased at all and may not treat you nicely.\" 5. Don't forget the phone . If things get really bad, and no one is helping you, look for a house phone, dial zero, and ask for the hospital administrator on call, Sayah says. \"Even the smallest hospitals have a hospital administrator or a patient advocate on call 24/7,\" he says. \"Hospital administrators don't want to hear patients are unhappy. Their job is to break the hurdles and move forward.\" Elizabeth Cohen is a correspondent for CNN Medical News. Senior producer Jennifer Pifer contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Experts: Call your doctor on the way to the emergency room .\nDon't call an ambulance unless you absolutely need it .\nTry to be polite to the ER personnel, and don't lie or misrepresent anything .\nAs a last resort, call the hospital administrator on call ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- There's a bit of a trend brewing this summer concert season -- put together a couple of big-name acts for a nationwide tour, then record a song together to promote the event. Members of Styx, REO Speedwagon and Journey in 2003. Styx and REO have teamed up for a song and tour. It started with classic rockers REO Speedwagon and Styx, with their \"Can't Stop Rockin' \" tour and single of the same name. Now Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire are getting on the bandwagon. The two horn-heavy bands have recorded three songs especially for their joint 30-city summer tour. It's part of a charity campaign to benefit food banks across the country -- \"Three Songs for Three Cans or Three Dollars.\" Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire team up on the new song \"You.\" The bands also take a stab at each other's material, with Chicago recording Earth, Wind & Fire's \"I Can't Let You Go\" and Earth, Wind & Fire covering Chicago's \"Wishing You Were Here.\" \"The fact that the artists and bands, in this case, are touring together builds excitement with the possibility of the live performance that is exclusive to the tour,\" said Bruce Burch of the University of Georgia's Music Business School. It's \"sort of a 'once in a lifetime' type of attraction that helps to sell concert tickets, merchandise and, hopefully, CDs and downloads.\" Concertgoers who contribute three cans of food or donate at least $3 will get a download card to access the tunes. People who don't make the shows will be able to donate online and download the songs at www.ewfandchicago.com. The Web site is expected to launch in early June. \"This is a dream come true,\" said Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey, who came up with the three-songs promotion. \"We want to invite everyone to help us do our small part to help feed America,\" added Chicago's trumpeter Lee Loughnane. Artists jamming together on stage is nothing new, and occasionally the songs are released as singles -- U2 and B.B. King's \"When Love Comes to Town,\" from the 1988 album and film \"Rattle and Hum,\" for example. Of course, duets promoting two hot artists or bands are hardly new either. Remember Josh Groban and Charlotte Church on \"The Prayer\" or \"Almost Paradise\" by Ann Wilson of Heart and Mike Reno of Loverboy from the \"Footloose\" soundtrack? \"Hip-hop artists have been using duets for some time to reach audiences of both artists,\" Burch said. In some cases, more than two artists collaborate. \"Even before that, country artists used this means to reach a larger audience for both artists,\" he said, noting the collaborations between George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. The new songs for the 2009 tours flip conventional wisdom. For decades, groups have recorded albums, then gone on tour to promote them. Specifically recording songs to promote a tour featuring a pairing of acts is a new idea -- and possibly one whose time has come, given the re-emergence of singles in the digital download age. Of course, it all depends on the success of the song. In the case of REO Speedwagon and Styx, they've scored a hit with their new tune. It's been riding near the top of the classic rock charts -- the biggest original hit by either band in years. \"The jam ... is just plain, old-school, rock 'n' roll fun,\" REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin said on the band's Web site. Should other bands follow suit and score hits, it might prompt other classic pop artists to join forces not only on tour, but in the studio as well." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "REO Speedwagon and Styx have combined for hit and tour .\nChicago and Earth, Wind & Fire recorded three songs for joint tour .\nCombining forces not new, but way it's being used may be ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Police hunting for a New Zealand couple who fled the country after a bank mistakenly paid them $NZ10 million (US$6 million) believe they traveled to Hong Kong. Westpac bank paid the couple 1,000 times the amount they asked for. New Zealand authorities have sought help from Interpol in locating the couple who disappeared May 7, two days after an employee error at Westpac bank paid them 100 times the amount they asked for. TVNZ, a CNN television affiliate, named the couple as Leo Gao and his girlfriend Cara Young. Gao owned a petrol station in Rotorua, a lakeside tourist town famous for its hot water springs and bubbling mud pools. Police said Friday that the couple were believed to have traveled to Hong Kong. \"Enquiries to locate those individuals are continuing through Interpol in Hong Kong and official channels in Beijing,\" said Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey. Watch as 'millionaires' go on the run » . Police were not confirming the identities of those involved but they were working with the family of one of the individuals named in the media, Harvey said. The family were shocked at their name being associated with the case, he added. TVNZ said the couple applied for an overdraft from Westpac worth up to NZ$100,000 (US$61,000). However, on or about May 5, the bank erroneously put NZ$10 million (US$6.1 million) into their bank account. What would you do in this situation? The next day, the service station closed its doors. And the day after, the couple went missing. TVNZ said Westpac had confirmed that a customer had attempted to unlawfully transfer amounts totaling around $6.7 million (US$4.1 million). Nearly NZ$3 million (US£$1.85 million) had been recovered and the bank was continuing to vigorously pursue the outstanding amount, Westpac Media relations manager Craig Dowling told the station." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Manhunt for couple who fled after bank mistakenly paid them NZ$10 million .\nNew Zealand authorities seeking Interpol's help to locate the couple .\nPolice believe the couple flew to Hong Kong ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Americans were asked to stop whatever they were doing at 3 p.m. local time Monday to share a minute on Memorial Day and honor those who have died in the cause of freedom. Americans were asked to take one minute at 3 p.m. Monday to pause and reflect on those who died in battle. \"The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday,\" according to the White House Commission on Remembrance. Congress established the National Moment of Remembrance. \"The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom,\" the Commission on Remembrance said on its Web site. \"It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.\" Observances included an interruption of Major League Baseball games, the pausing of the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington and the National Grocers Association and Food Marketing Institute asking shoppers to pause in stores nationwide to remember the fallen. \"We want our citizens to contemplate the ties that bind us and take a moment to put 'Memorial' back into Memorial Day,\" said Carmella LaSpada, executive director of the Commission on Remembrance. Children touring Washington inspired the idea when LaSpada asked them what Memorial Day meant and they said that's when the swimming pool opens, according to the commission's Web site." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Commission on Remembrance asks Americans to pause, reflect at 3 p.m. Monday .\nGroup hopes act will reclaim Memorial Day as \"sacred and noble holiday\"\nObservances include interruption of Major League Baseball games .\nShoppers in grocery stores asked to take a minute to remember our fallen ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Throughout her career, singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper has promoted gay and lesbian rights. She has a personal connection to this cause -- her sister is a lesbian -- but she also believes it's a matter of fairness. Cyndi Lauper worked with Cathy Nelson of the Human Rights Campaign to raise awareness of LGBT issues. \"It's always wrong to discriminate,\" the Grammy Award winner said. \"I grew up in the civil rights movement. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now.\" With her 2007 and 2008 \"True Colors\" tours, Lauper has helped raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights around the country. She said fellow LGBT activist Cathy Nelson especially motivates her. Nelson worked at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a national LGBT civil rights organization, and her dedication to those issues runs deep. Fighting for fairness and equality, she said, drives her. \"I'm a lesbian, and I see the issues very personally,\" Nelson said. \"When it deep-down resonates that you don't have the same rights and responsibilities, or people don't view you the same, it can be demoralizing and empowering at the same time.\" Nelson's passion for the cause has enabled her to inspire thousands of people across the country to get involved. When she was growing up in rural Illinois, Nelson said, she hadn't imagined following this path. She trained to be a teacher, but on a whim, became a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines to fulfill her \"intense desire to travel.\" In the 1980s, she became involved with labor issues through her flight attendant union. That led to working on women's issues with the National Organization of Women in Washington. In 1989, she started working for the HRC. Since then, she has helped bring LGBT rights out of the closet and onto the national stage. Hired to increase the group's membership, Nelson built a strong volunteer network in communities across the nation. HRC had just 12,000 members when Nelson started. Today it has more than 725,000, making it the largest gay and lesbian rights organization in the country. \"Part of my job is getting people to be vocal,\" Nelson said. \"It's important that everyone has an understanding that discrimination is happening every single day against a certain segment of society. And that's just wrong.\" In 2007, when Lauper worked with HRC for the \"True Colors\" tour, she and Nelson teamed up to bring gay and straight audiences together on fairness and equality issues. Nelson realized it was also an opportunity to shine the spotlight on an issue she'd worked on for almost a decade -- the passage of a hate crimes bill that would make attacks based on sexual orientation, disability, or gender a federal crime. For Nelson, crimes against LGBT people -- such as the murder of Matthew Shepard -- represent the darkest side of ignorance on these issues. In 2006, more than one in six hate crimes were committed against LGBT individuals, an 18 percent rise over the previous year, according to the FBI. \"I learned from Cathy that hate crimes send fear through a community,\" Lauper said. \"You could die just because of who you are.\" Watch Lauper and Nelson talk about the \"True Colors\" tour to raise awareness » . At every concert, Lauper spoke passionately about the need to pass the bill, and her song, \"True Colors,\" was used in a public service announcement about the legislation. HRC volunteers distributed information at each venue and had postcards on hand for people to send to their legislators. In the end, more than 15,000 people signed postcards, and both houses of Congress passed the bill by wide margins. Although President Bush never signed the bill, Nelson and Lauper have high hopes for it to soon become law. For Nelson, getting so many people engaged was a key achievement. \"The biggest reward for me is when I've played some part in empowering someone to get involved,\" she said. Lauper knows first-hand how convincing Nelson can be. \"The fact that you can actually succeed and help people -- you really get that from her,\" she said. \"People like Cathy get all of us motivated.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lauper and Cathy Nelson campaigned together for gay and lesbian rights .\nNelson helped the Human Rights Campaign go from 12,000 members to 725,000 .\nLauper and Nelson lobbied to expand federal hate crimes laws ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick arrived at his home in Hampton, Virginia, on Thursday morning. Michael Vick, left, arrives at federal court with attorney Billy Martin in Richmond, Viriginia, in 2007. \"He is happy to be reunited with his family,\" said Chris Garrett, a spokesman for Vick. Vick was released from a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, on Wednesday. He will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in Virginia, his publicist Judy Smith said. Vick is a native of Newport News, Virginia. Watch a panel discuss his release » . Vick, 28, pleaded guilty in August 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in Virginia. He could return to professional football as soon as September if reinstated by the NFL, according to the sports agent who negotiated Vick's 10-year, $140 million contract with the Falcons. Meanwhile, Vick's attorneys have said he will work at a Newport News construction firm after his release and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $600,000. Last month, a federal bankruptcy judge denied a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by Vick and urged him to offer another plan. The original plan called for Vick to come up with $750,000 to $1 million in cash to be paid to creditors, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro said, but he said he saw no evidence Vick could come up with that much. Santoro suggested Vick's next plan not call for him to keep two houses and three cars, as did the rejected proposal. In testimony, Vick acknowledged committing a \"heinous\" act and said he should have acted more maturely. He said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison. His Falcons salary, he said, was between $10 million and $12 million. He acknowledged failing to handle his money well. After his release, Vick will work with the Humane Society of the United States on anti-dogfighting campaigns, Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle told CNN Tuesday. Vick will work on programs aimed at preventing youths from getting involved in dogfighting, and on programs to assist young people who have already been involved in the blood sport. Watch more about Vick's dogs » . Pacelle said the Humane Society was approached by Vick's representatives. He said he has traveled to Kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback, and during the second visit, the two discussed how Vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting, as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it. Details have not yet been hammered out, Pacelle said, but will be in the next couple of days. iReport.com: Does Vick deserve a second chance? More attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of Vick's case, Pacelle said. The Humane Society, which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting, has recently paid out $40,000 in five cases, he said. CNN's Marylynn Ryan contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick released from prison on Wednesday .\nVick will serve last two months of sentence in home confinement .\nAttorneys have said Vick will work at construction firm; Vick has OK'd documentary .\nVick, 28, pleaded guilty in 2007 to bankrolling a dogfighting operation in Virginia ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Going into the eighth season finale of \"American Idol,\" Adam Lambert looks like the favorite against competitor Kris Allen. But should Lambert even be on the show, since he has performed professionally in the national Broadway tour of \"Wicked\"? Former 'American Idol' runner-up Diana DeGarmo says it's getting harder for the average person to get on the show. Diana DeGarmo, runner-up in the third season of \"American Idol,\" spoke with HLN's Mike Galanos on Prime News about whether or not an amateur stands a chance on the show. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity: . Mike Galanos: What were the stipulations as to your past history before you joined \"American Idol\"? How much could you do before they'd say, \"You aren't an amateur anymore. You're more of a professional\"? Diana DeGarmo: Each contract for each show has gotten a little stronger and a little stronger. Prior to me doing \"American Idol,\" I had done things like theater, but at that point nowhere near on a professional level. The cool thing is they keep it fair by having little things in the contract about how you can't release a record nationally with a record label -- things like that. But people who have been signed prior can, of course, be on the show. Galanos: Do you think the \"rags-to-riches\" story is lost and we are going to get more and more people who have more and more experience? DeGarmo: I think people now realize that \"American Idol\" is such a launching spot for anyone's career. People that maybe would have not done it a few years ago, saying, \"Oh, I'm too professional,\" maybe take a little bit of a second glance at the show because they realize it's such a launching pad. But I do think it's a little harder for the everyday Joe to get in it. Galanos: Do you think Adam has an unfair advantage since he was an understudy for the Broadway tour of \"Wicked\"? DeGarmo: Not really, because it's all about performing. So it's just about what you are doing at that exact moment up there on the \"American Idol\" stage. I think Kris and Adam are just two totally different performers, but I think they are pretty even when it comes down to the end of the day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "DeGarmo: It's harder for the \"everyday Joe\" to get on \"American Idol\"\nIt's more about what you're doing on the 'Idol' stage, she says .\nKris Allen and Adam Lambert compete in the season finale ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- Barack Obama marked his first Memorial Day as president on Monday, calling on Americans to remember U.S. troops who died in the service of their country and navigating a Civil War memorial controversy. President Obama pays tribute to veterans at a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. The president participated at the 141st annual Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns. The men and women buried at Arlington \"waged war so that we may know peace,\" Obama said. \"They were willing to give up everything for the defense of our freedom [and] were willing to sacrifice all for their country. ... They are the best of America.\" Also Monday, Obama decided to continue a controversial presidential tradition of honoring Southern Civil War soldiers by sending a wreath to Arlington's Confederate Memorial, according to the White House. But the president decided to start what may become a new tradition by sending a wreath to the African-American Civil War Memorial at Vermont Avenue and U Street Northwest in Washington. See how fallen service members are being remembered » . Critics had called for an end to the longtime presidential practice of laying a wreath at the Confederate site. Last week, roughly five dozen professors sent a letter to Obama calling the tradition offensive to African-Americans. Some observers recently suggested adding the recognition of the African-American memorial as a possible compromise. Wreaths also were sent to be placed on the mast of the USS Maine and the Spanish-American War Memorial, both in Arlington National Cemetery. Obama also hosted a White House breakfast for several military Gold Star families, the relatives of service men and women killed in action. A separate Memorial Day observance was held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 1 p.m. ET, and the National Memorial Day Parade started an hour later. All Americans were asked to pause for a moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. local time Monday \"because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday,\" according to the White House Commission on Remembrance. \"The moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom,\" the commission said on its Web site. \"It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.\" The 3 p.m. observances included, among other things, an interruption of Major League Baseball games and the pausing of the Washington Memorial Day Parade. The National Grocers Association and Food Marketing Institute has asked shoppers to pause in stores across the nation. Memorial Day was first marked May 30, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War. Congress declared it a national holiday in 1971. CNN's Emily Schultze contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Obama continues controversial sending of wreath to Confederate Memorial .\nPresident also sends wreath to African-American Civil War Memorial .\nObama takes part in Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery .\nMen and women buried there \"waged war so that we may know peace,\" he said ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting Monday after world leaders reacted with outrage to North Korea's latest nuclear test. This screen grab from North Korean television on April 9 shows leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang. North Korea earlier said it had tested the weapon in an underground explosion, provoking an angry response from the world's governments. It had threatened to conduct the test if the U.N. Security Council did not apologize for imposing sanctions on North Korea after it tested a rocket April 5. The secretive communist state also apparently test-fired a short-range missile Monday, the White House said. The Security Council called on its members to discuss the reported test Monday at 4 p.m. ET. Watch how the test may have taken world by surprise » . The United States and many other countries denounced the test. Even China, North Korea's strongest ally, said it opposed the test. The White House -- which less than three weeks ago announced a new diplomatic effort to restart stalled talks with North Korea about its nuclear program -- said the test was in \"blatant defiance\" of the Security Council. \"North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community,\" the White House said. \"The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action by the international community.\" While the test was not a surprise, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it showed Pyongyang was becoming \"increasingly belligerent.\" North Korea announced its underground nuclear test a little more than an hour after the U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.7 seismic disturbance at the site of North Korea's first nuclear test. There was no immediate information on the yield of the weapon used in Monday's test. The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosion was between 10 to 20 kilotons. The U.S. State Department said it was analyzing the data. Mullen said it would take a couple of days to verify the reported test, but he added, \"there's no indication that it wasn't as they say.\" The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency would say only that the latest test was safely conducted \"on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology of its control.\" Watch more analysis on test » . U.S. intelligence estimated the first North Korean test, in October 2006, produced an explosion equal to less than 1,000 tons of TNT. The low yield was a fraction of the size of the bombs the United States dropped on Japan at the end of World War II. Intelligence analysts had predicted North Korea would conduct a second rocket or nuclear test. The North threatened to do so after the Security Council voted unanimously to condemn its April launch as a violation of a 2006 resolution that bans North Korea's ballistic missile activity. Watch how Pyongyang has used nuclear tests to gain concessions » . North Korea insisted the rocket was a communications satellite. It retaliated by threatening to walk away from the six-party talks aimed at disarming the country of nuclear weapons. The talks -- involving China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United States -- are intended to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear program. The North also expelled international inspectors from its nuclear sites, announced plans to restart the reactor that produces plutonium for its nuclear weapons, and threatened to launch more rockets and another nuclear device. Monday's test was conducted \"as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense in every way,\" the North Korean news agency said. \"They think this will enhance and embolden their diplomatic capability to deal with the other countries,\" said Han Sung Joo, former South Korean ambassador to the United States. \"Of course, it may be working the other way. But from their point of view, this is their lifeline, which they want to maintain.\" China's government \"expresses firm opposition\" to the test, in which North Korea \"disregarded the opposition of the international community,\" according to a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. North Korea's latest move could clear the way for the United States and the other members of the six-party talks, minus North Korea, to impose new punitive measures against a country desperate for food and energy assistance. For now, however, the North's nuclear arms program is not a major security threat, analysts say. The country has yet to build an effective bomb or develop an effective delivery system to a target country. Watch South Korea's reaction to the nuclear test » . Last year, North Korea acknowledged producing roughly 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of enriched plutonium -- enough for about seven nuclear bombs. But analysts say North Korea is years from having a weapon it can put atop a long-range missile like those in the U.S., Chinese or Russian arsenals. \"I know a lot of people may think, 'Oh no, a nuclear test. Does that mean war, conflict in the Korean Peninsula?'\" said Jim Walsh, an international security analyst at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. \"The answer is 'no.'\" CNN's Sohn Jie-ae, Jaime Florcruz, Matthew Chance and Morgan Neill contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "North Korea conducts second nuclear test, angering world governments .\nEmergency meeting of U.N. Security Council called .\nNorth also tested a short-range missile, White House says .\nU.S. says nuclear test was in \"blatant defiance\" of the Security Council ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Melissa Huckaby, the former Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, will face additional charges that she tried to poison two people, including another 7-year-old girl. Melissa Huckaby is charged with killing Sandra Cantu and attempted poisoning of second child. A revised complaint against Huckaby, 28, of Tracy, California, was made public just hours before she was due back in court on Friday. The new charges caused another delay in the murder case, CNN afiliate KRON reported. The complaint charged that Huckaby \"did willfully and unlawfully mingle a harmful substance with food or drink\" with the intent to harm the child, identified only as \"Jane M. Doe.\" Another alleged poisoning victim was identified as Daniel Plowman, but no age or other information was immediately provided. The latest charges also include one count of child abuse endangerment relating to the unidentified child, who was allegedly in Huckaby's \"care and custody.\" Read the complaint (PDF) Huckaby did not enter a plea in the Cantu slaying in her first two court appearances last month. At an earlier hearing, Judge Linda L. Loftis agreed to keep the autopsy and toxicology reports under seal, citing a \"great danger of public outrage.\" If convicted on the murder, rape and kidnapping charges, Huckaby, could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole, authorities said. CNN's Alan Duke and Jim Roope contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Melissa Huckaby charged with attempting to poison \"Jane Doe,\" 7 .\nHuckaby due in court to face charges in slaying of another 8-year-old .\nShe faces special circumstances including kidnap, rape by instrument .\nDecision on whether to seek the death penalty will come later ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A 66-year-old woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer became the first person to use Washington's assisted suicide law, a nonprofit organization announced Friday. Compassion & Choices, an organization that says it advocates choice for the terminally ill, said Linda Fleming of Sequim, took her prescribed medication and died Thursday evening at home with her family, her dog and her physician. She had been diagnosed a month ago with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was told she was \"actively dying,\" Compassion & Choices said in a written statement. \"The pain became unbearable, and it was only going to get worse,\" Fleming said, according to the organization. It said Fleming had worked with the organization's volunteers to consider her choices. \"I am a very spiritual person, and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at the time of my death,\" she said, according to Compassion & Choices. \"The powerful pain medications were making it difficult to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death. And I knew I would have to increase them.\" Washington's law was approved by about 60 percent of voters in November. A similar law in Oregon passed in 1994. Oregon says 401 people have died under the terms of its law." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "66-year-old woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer chooses to die .\nWoman wanted to be \"clear-minded and alert at the time of my death\"\nWashington's law was approved by about 60 percent of voters in November ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Police trying to identify the badly decomposed body of a woman discovered in an industrial area in Chicago, Illinois, denied Saturday that a blue barrel was located near the remains. An ambulance and police cars stand by near the location where a woman's body was found in Chicago Friday. The original mention of a blue container in a statement from Lyons, Illinois, police sparked interest because of the possible tie to Stacy Peterson, 23, who disappeared October 28. Illinois State Police have named her husband, Drew Peterson, a suspect. They have investigated whether the former Bolingbrook, Illinois, police sergeant removed a blue plastic container from his home the night before his wife was reported missing. Drew Peterson, 53, has consistently said he believes she ran away with another man. Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said on Saturday that no blue barrel was found near the body. An environmental surveyor from Lyons, Illinois, who was conducting tests at an industrial site in southwest Chicago found the remains Friday afternoon. Police said he called his supervisors to report he'd seen what appeared to be a human foot and leg. The body was transported to the Chicago medical examiner's office for autopsy. A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said the body appears to be that of a female with reddish-blond hair. A posting on findstacypeterson.com describes the missing woman's hair as brown. The body was found about 20 miles from the Petersons' home, where Drew Peterson said he last saw her, CNN's Susan Roesgen reported. Speaking to Nancy Grace on CNN Headline News, Drew Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, said local authorities have already asked a state task force working on Stacy Peterson's disappearance not to get involved. \"I can tell you, it is not Stacy,\" Brodsky said. \"I can guarantee you that.\" Brodsky offered no proof of his assertion. Drew and Stacy Peterson have been married four years and have two children. Drew has other children from a previous marriage. Authorities are re-examining the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in a bathtub in 2004. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Police say there was no trash container near woman's corpse .\nNEW: Body has reddish-blond hair; Stacy Peterson described as having brown hair .\nSuspect Drew Peterson's attorney: \"I can tell you, it is not Stacy\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British mother of a child who died after being brutally abused has been jailed indefinitely. A police computer image of some of the facial injuries suffered by baby Peter. The child's -- originally known as Baby P --horrifying death caused a furor in Britain, with the media, public and politicians united in demanding to know how his terrible injuries were missed by social workers, police and medical staff. Judge Stephen Kramer also Friday jailed the 27-year-old mum's boyfriend for life with a minimum of 12 years and their lodger, Jason Owen, 37, indefinitely but with a minimum of three years, the British Press Association reported. The boyfriend, 32, was also convicted of raping a two-year-old girl. Baby P's mum has to serve a minimum of five years. She and her boyfriend cannot be named. Baby P -- he could not be known by his first name, Peter, until the recent lifting of a court order -- was only 17 months old when he was found dead in his blood-spattered cot in August 2007. He had more than 50 injuries, including a broken back and fractured ribs, despite being on London's Haringey council's at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, doctors and police over eight months. The resulting public outrage saw the government's child secretary, Ed Balls, step in to demand the removal of the council's head of children's services, Sharon Shoesmith, with two other leading officials also stepping down. Shoesmith had to be placed under police guard after death threats were made. Judge Kramer told Peter's mother that she was \"a manipulative and self-centered person, with a calculating side as well as a temper.\" Watch more on the case » . \"Your conduct over the months prevented Peter from being seen by social services. You actively deceived the authorities... you acted selfishly because your priority was your relationship,\" he told the court, PA reported. Judge Kramer's comments echoed the country's response to the case. \"Any decent person who heard the catalogue of medical conditions and non-accidental injuries suffered by Peter cannot fail to have been appalled.\" A second serious review of the case commissioned by Balls and released Friday, also reiterated that Peter's death \"could and should have been prevented.\" Graham Badman, the chairman of Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board, which conducted the review said: \"I believe the most important lesson arising from this case is that professionals charged with ensuring child safety must be deeply skeptical of any explanations, justifications or excuses they may hear in connection with the apparent maltreatment of children. \"If they have any doubt about the cause of physical injuries or what appears to be maltreatment, they should act swiftly and decisively. Badman said the review found that if \"doctors, lawyers, police officers and social workers had adopted a more urgent, thorough and challenging approach, the case would have been stopped in its tracks at the first serious incident.\" \"Baby Peter deserved better from the services that were supposed to protect him,\" Badman said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "British mother of child who died after brutal abuse has been jailed indefinitely .\nHer boyfriend and lodger are also sent to jail over Baby P's horrific injuries .\nCase caused an outrage in Britain after raft of people missed chance to stop abuse ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A moderately strong earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday afternoon, shaking the earth in the sprawling capital. People in Mexico City stream into the street as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.7, and placed the epicenter near the city of Puebla, about 85 miles southeast of Mexico City. It hit at 2:24 p.m. local time. The Mexican seismological service measured the quake at 5.9. People in the city reported the earth and buildings shaking. Thousands of panicked people streamed into the streets as stopped cars snarled traffic. Parts of the city were without electricity Friday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Earthquakes are a frightening experience for the 20 million residents of Mexico City, where thousands of people perished in a massive quake in 1985. The city, built on volcanic ash and clay, is particularly vulnerable to temblors. Aldo Pontecorvo of the humanitarian agency World Vision said the shaking lasted about 20 seconds. It came out of nowhere and \"without any warning,\" said Pontecorvo, who said he was in his office when the quake struck. Earlier this month, a moderate earthquake was measured off the coast of Mexico's western Baja California peninsula." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. Geological Survey measures quake at magnitude 5.7 .\nThousands of panicked people stream into the streets .\nNo immediate reports of injuries or damage .\n1985 earthquake killed thousands in Mexico City ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Somalia needs international help to fight Islamist extremists battling for power in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, the country's moderate Islamist president said Monday. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president. \"I am calling on the international community to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country,\" President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said. Speaking at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, Ahmed called several times for international help in fighting foreign militants whom he claims are the same fighters who have fought the \"international community\" in Iraq and Afghanistan. \"Wherever they come, they fuel violence,\" the president said. \"The Somali people cannot and should not accept that their countries should be a launching pad for these militants to attack.\" Ahmed told local journalists that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups. He also praised local militias in the two regions of Hiiran and Middle Shabelle for struggling against the foreign militias. Last week, al-Shabab militants advanced to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, sparking sporadic fighting and shelling in the Somali capital. The recent fighting has killed more than 40 civilians and wounded about 150 others, according to sources at the scene. Al-Shabab -- once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union -- has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, which says it is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network. Ahmed participated in seizing control of Mogadishu in 2006 along with the Islamic Courts Union before it was ousted by Ethiopian forces later that year. He has since split from Somali jihad movements and was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president through a process shepherded by the United Nations. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed speaking at a conference in Mogadishu .\nAhmed fears foreign fighters will turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan .\nFighting in past two days kills more than 40 civilians .\nU.S. says Al-Shabab militants are affiliated with al Qaeda network ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- The deafening roar of drums and horns rose as thousands of people took to the streets in Sri Lanka Friday for a victory parade marking the end of the decades-long civil war. Sri Lankan youth celebrate on the street in Colombo on May 20, 2009. Enthusiastic revelers danced in the street, carried yellow and red flags and some even carried hand-crafted puppets depicting the dead body of the leader of the rebel Tamil Tigers. Watch the victory parade » . Sri Lanka's government declared victory Tuesday in the country's 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels. The announcement brought celebrations to some parts of the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed and local media released footage of the fallen leader's body. But while thousands partied Friday, humanitarian organizations worried about the estimated 250,000 refugees the war created in northeast Sri Lanka. Many have had their homes destroyed are struggling for food, clean water, emergency health kits, cooking pots and school supplies, relief agencies say. Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » . A U.N. spokesman has said the country's government has not adequately helped refugees and has started to restrict U.N. relief agencies from providing aid. Watch Sri Lanka dispell allegations » . \"The process of national reconciliation we feel must be all inclusive so that in can fully address the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil as well as other minorities. It is important that the victory becomes a victory for all Sri Lankans,\" said Vijay Nambiar, a U.N. special envoy. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit the area this week. CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Revelers dance in the street, wave flags to celebrate end of Sri Lanka civil war .\nSri Lanka government declared victory over Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday .\nAid groups express fears for 250,000 displaced people in country's northeast .\nU.N. has accused the government of not providing enough help for refugees ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- More than one million people in Darfur are at risk of losing food, water and shelter in coming months, following the expulsion of international aid groups by Sudan's government, the United Nations' chief humanitarian coordinator said Tuesday. A Doctors without Borders medic helps a sick child in a Darfur refugee camp. The statement by coordinator John Holmes comes after a joint U.N.-Sudanese assessment of the situation. The information was gathered from March 11-18 in hopes of stemming further troubles in Darfur after Sudan's government expelled 13 international relief organizations from the wartorn region. The announcement came on the same day that President Omar al-Bashir, now an indicted war criminal, ignored the threat of arrest by traveling abroad to Eritrea. Also Tuesday, a Sudanese staffer working for a Canadian relief group was shot dead in Darfur. A full report of the assessment will be released soon, according to the U.N., but an executive summary and recommendations were made available on Tuesday. \"While a significant effort is being made by the government, by the U.N., by the NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] which are left, to plug some of the immediate gaps in these areas, these are at the same time, 'Band-Aid' solutions, not long term solutions,\" Holmes said. The U.N. estimates that 1.5 million people in Darfur are dependent on healthcare support, 1.1 million need regular food aid, and another 1 million are in need of clean drinking water. The summary released Tuesday said the World Food Programme, which is still allowed to operate in Sudan, is carrying out a one-time-only distribution program in March and April, but that new partners will be needed to continue delivering food after April. After the International Criminal Court charged Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity on March 4, Khartoum expelled 13 international aid agencies and revoked the permits of three organizations in the country. Bashir -- the first sitting head of state to be charged with war crimes by the court -- has continued to say that humanitarian efforts in the country should be \"Sudanized.\" \"Within a year, we don't want to see any foreign aid group dealing with a Sudanese citizen,\" he said at a rally a week after his arrest warrant was issued. Holmes said that 13,000 to 14,000 aid workers in the region already were Sudanese nationals. Holmes said the cooperation and technical help from the Sudanese government on the assessment was a good step forward. But he called it \"only the first of many steps if the people in Darfur are not going to suffer major consequences from these expulsions.\" Sudan's U.N. Ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, has repeatedly said he has information implicating the ousted organizations in activities contrary to their humanitarian missions. He has yet to make any of that information public. One claim is that some organizations acted as spies for the International Criminal Court. Holmes denied those allegations, saying they remain unfounded. \"Despite claims that there are dossiers of evidence, we have not been given any of that evidence,\" he said. \"In the absence of that, no meaningful investigation can be done.\" The British aid organization, Oxfam, one of the agencies expelled from Sudan, released a statement in response to Tuesday's findings. \"Current stop-gap measures will only be effective for a short time,\" the statement said. \"As the rainy season arrives within the next two months, people living in weak temporary shelters, in flood-prone locations where latrines can fill and overflow, will become at extreme risk of disease and death. \"With the humanitarian capacity reduced by nearly 50 percent, responding to such emergency scenarios will be an enormous challenge for others to tackle,\" Oxfam said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Assessment of humanitarian needs in Darfur conducted by UN and Sudan .\nInfo collected in bid to stem further troubles after Sudan expelled 13 aid groups .\nAid groups kicked out after President Omar al-Bashir indicted on war crimes by ICC .\nThe U.N. estimates 1.1 million need regular food aid; 1 million need drinking water ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- After Denise Honeycutt sashayed down the catwalk modeling a sleek sleeveless black dress with a blue lace jacket, she felt so good she bought the outfit. A model walks the runway at the Arlington United Methodist Church fashion show in an outfit from Goodwill. \"I got those two pieces and a skirt for $20,\" she said. \"How's that for a deal?\" Such bargains may not be haute couture, but during a recession they are a thrifty shopper's dream. As budgets tighten during the economic crunch, buying used clothing is no longer just for fans of vintage wear. Many are discovering the hidden treasures in consignment shops, as well as thrift stores and other places once thought to be only for the destitute. That's a message that Brendan Hurley, senior vice president of Marketing and Communications for Goodwill of Greater Washington, has been working hard to get out. Goodwill of Greater Washington provided the fashions Honeycutt modeled for the show at the Arlington United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia, and has been actively campaigning to spread the word that Goodwill fashion is contemporary and hot. \"Most people have a misunderstanding of Goodwill's mission and they believe that our mission is to sell inexpensive merchandise to the poor,\" Hurley said. \"In fact, Goodwill's mission is to provide job training and employment services to people with disadvantages and disabilities. We just happen to fund that mission through the resale of donated items at our retail stores.\" To change the negative perception, Hurley said that four years ago they started a campaign to make the stores more appealing as a source of inexpensive fashions by holding virtual and live fashion shows. See one of Goodwill's fashion shows » . Hurley said things really took off after they launched a viral marketing campaign and the very successful DCGoodWillFashions blog. Em Hall is the retail marketing manager who blogs as the DC Goodwill Fashionista in a gig that has become so high-profile that she was invited to blog this year from Fashion Week in New York. About once a month on average, Hall and her team put together \"travel and trunk shows\" where they pull merchandise from their nine stores, put them on rolling racks and take them to events for attendees to shop. People respond to the great prices and selection as well as the opportunity to recycle by buying someone's gently used clothing, Hall said. iReport.com: Tell us about your thrift fashions . \"The response has been tremendous,\" Hall said. \"We know that finding that treasure at Goodwill, finding that vintage piece, really resonates with people.\" Across the country, Goodwill stores have launched several creative ideas to attract divas (or divos) who may have more style than funds. Goodwill Industries of Michiana Inc. of South Bend, Indiana, has \"Boutique Days,\" where they work with local fashion reporter and consultant Kathy Friend to raise awareness that Goodwill can be an excellent resource for brand name and designer clothing. Those who donate at least 20 clothing items receive an opportunity for a private consultation with Friend at a reduced rate. \"On a trip to Goodwill I've found Chanel handbags still in the tissue paper and in Saks Fifth Avenue bags,\" said Friend, who as part of her consultation teaches clients everything from how to spot signs of wear to how they can get pieces altered. \"I was like, are you kidding me?\" See examples of fashionable outfits from Goodwill » . The Goodwill/Easter Seals program in Minnesota held a \"Second Runway\" fashion show in February where 30 volunteer fashion designers took existing clothes from surrounding Goodwill stores and turned them into hip new outfits. The event attracted more than 500 attendees. \"We were given $50 and we could create up to three looks out of things we found at the Goodwill,\" said designer Kristina Bell, who whipped up a cute little dress out of recycled T-shirts. \"I've always been a thrifter, but now it's a really good way to save money.\" Someone else's hard times can be a fashionista's gain. Denise McShane owns McShane's Exchange, whose two locations in the Chicago, Illinois, neighborhood of Lincoln Park have seen an uptick in those unloading their Prada and St. John. \"Business has really boomed,\" McShane said. \"The bad news is that we are in a recession, but I absolutely have had a surge in consigners.\" McShane said she offers those who still have a cash stash a bit of retail therapy during hard times. They can get great buys at a reduced rate. Such shops, known in the industry as resale stores, have long attracted quality merchandise, said Barbara Nell, owner of The Daisy Shop on Oak in Chicago. Nell said women are bringing in only the best for resale. \"Women seem to be cleaning their closets of their most luxurious items,\" said Nell. \"It's not just the bread and butter or staples of their wardrobe anymore.\" iReporter Elizabeth McElherne scored a $25 mink coat in August at a shop in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Check out Elizabeth's iReport on her find . \"If you can't buy something new, you might as well recycle and buy someone else's stuff,\" McElherne said. \"I saw that coat and I said 'If it's less than $100 I have to get it.' \" Nicole Mladic is the \"babe\" behind the \"Budgeting Babe\" blog for \"young, working women who want to spend like Carrie in a Jimmy Choo store but have a budget closer to Roseanne.\" Mladic said she encourages her readers to not only shop thrift, but also to be generous in their giving. \"I make sure to thin out my wardrobe every so often,\" she said. \"Any pieces that I am not wearing, I donate.\" That type of generosity is much appreciated, especially in the current economy. Melissa Temme, a national spokeswoman for the Salvation Army, said that while the need for low-cost clothing is increasing, donations for such clothing have remained consistent and that could spell trouble. \"It means that down the road we may not be able to stock our shelves,\" Temme said. \"In the long term, that's a concern.\" Katherine Ransom, communications manager for Goodwill of Orange County, California, said that as more people turn to thrift fashions to help stretch their dollars, they are discovering the clothing is a lot more current than they might have imagined. Ransom said even Hollywood types are getting in on the act, as wardrobe consultants for television shows and movies are also perusing the racks for good buys. A recently launched coupon campaign is bringing in even more shoppers, she said. \"People are saying 'I've never done this before, but now is a good time to start,' \" said Ransom, whose organization launched shopgoodwill.com 10 years ago. It now includes merchandise from 77 Goodwill organizations around the country. \"They are taking advantage of the quality merchandise with really deep discounts.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Buying used clothing gains popularity during a recession .\nConsignment and thrift stores seeing increased business .\nGoodwill and Salvation Army increasing visibility as fashion hot spots .\nShop owner: \"Women cleaning their closets of their most luxurious items\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Barack Obama is a married man but there's another woman with a hold on him that his wife can never match: she runs the House. Nancy Pelosi has been an easy target for Republican ire. She is Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, the most powerful woman in Washington and lately, a target for Republicans. Pelosi is easy to spot in any crowd of U.S. politicians; she's the small brown-haired woman in the smartly tailored suit. Conservatives like to stereotype some Democrats as rich, isolated and out-of-touch. As the wife of an affluent investment banker, the always expertly coiffed Pelosi looks like exactly the kind of \"Limousine Liberal\" they're talking about. Ironically, it's money that makes her powerful. Under the U.S. constitution, the president can't spend a penny without the permission of Congress. Within the Congress, the Senate has its own powers but the House is the place where taxes and spending start. So almost every one of Obama's plans needs a push from Pelosi. Maybe that's part of the reason she's in trouble right now. The issue isn't really part of her daily duties: \"waterboarding\" and other extreme interrogation tactics used against prisoners in the Bush era. Obama ordered an end to the harsh methods, but Republicans are asking why Democrats who knew about them years ago didn't try to stop them then. Pelosi was one of a handful of lawmakers who was briefed by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2002, but she now accuses the agency of lying to her and hiding what it was doing. Republicans have been attacking Pelosi for making unsubstantiated and damaging accusations against a crucial national security agency. The man who once had her job, former Republican speaker Newt Gingrich, says Pelosi is lying in a way that is \"despicable, dishonest and vicious.\" Whether or not he's right, it's smart politics. Obama is still remarkably popular. Most of the country hopes that he'll succeed in rebuilding the economy and ending the war in Iraq. If the president is immune to most easy attacks from the opposition, it needs to find someone who isn't. Pelosi is a crucial part of his plans. As potential targets go, with her nearly perfect hair and nearly perfect clothes, Pelosi is nearly perfect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nancy Pelosi, speaker in House, is most powerful woman in Washington .\nU.S. President Obama needs Pelosi to ensure his plans get House approval .\nPelosi under attack over Democrats' failure to challenge CIA over waterboarding .\nTactic is smart move by Republicans as Pelosi an easier target than Obama ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It's a Tuesday morning and Dr. Eric DeJonge is headed to work. But unlike most physicians, DeJonge's office is his car and his patients are waiting for him in their homes, not in a large waiting room. As part of the Medical House Call Program, Dr. Eric DeJonge visits one of his group's 600 patients. DeJonge, a geriatric specialist at Washington Hospital Center, runs the hospital's \"Medical House Call Program.\" Sharing duties with program co-founder Dr. George Taler and two other doctors, DeJonge criss-crosses the nation's capital, checking on patients in their homes. Armed with a black bag and blackberry, DeJonge visits mostly the elderly who either can't get to a hospital or are so ill that moving them would prove life-threatening. He usually sees them once a month to check on their status, to make sure their medications are working, and to let them know he's there for them. DeJonge says the one-on-one care is invaluable. \"We know the patients, their families,\" he says. \"We know when they change medically, what has to happen to prevent them from making an ER visit.\" Terry Carter's father, Aubrey, has been homebound since he suffered a stroke over 20 years ago. For most of those years, Carter ran back and forth to doctors' offices and the ER, making sure his father got the best medical help. It got to be expensive and time consuming and, as the years progressed, it became increasingly difficult to care for his dad. Carter says it was tough because \"I really don't have very much help to take him out.\" Now, with DeJonge making regular visits, Carter's father doesn't have to be moved from his home and his health has improved. \"He's only been in the hospital twice in the last three years,\" says Carter. \"Before that he was in the hospital every other month.\" Dr. Gupta: Watch more on the return of the house call » . House calls, once popular in the 1930s, began to drop off as medical technology improved. According to a recent article in the Clinics of Geriatric Medicine, home visits by doctors dropped from 40 percent of physician encounters in 1930 to 10 percent by 1950; by 1980 home visits represented less than 1 percent of physician encounters. Many patients, the article stated, felt they could get better care at hospitals and clinics, and shied away from having a doctor come to their home. And over the years, billing and paperwork for medical professionals became so overwhelming that many spent hours at their desks with calculators instead of spending time with their patients in their homes. And then, there was the financial disincentive: most insurance companies didn't pay for house calls. It was easier and more lucrative for doctors to see more patients in their office than fewer patients in their homes. Reimbursement was spotty and in order to survive doctors had to put house calls on the back burner. But that has begun to change. Ten years ago, Medicare made it a bit easier for physicians to receive payments for house calls by modifying the way doctors bill for their procedures. And this month, a new \"Independence at Home\" bill -- designed to coordinate benefits for Medicare's most expensive beneficiaries, like Aubrey Carter -- will be reintroduced, making it easier and less expensive to carry out house calls. \"Our current health care system does a poor job caring for seriously ill Americans, who often are 'lost in transition,'\" says Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey, author of the bill. \"This bipartisan, bicameral bill holds great promise for improving quality of care, reducing hospitalizations, lowering costs and lifting the spirits of those who, after a lifetime of contributions to our society, deserve the dignity and peace of mind that comes with living independently.\" From the doctors' perspective, DeJonge says it will make all the difference in how he and his partners practice, and everyone would benefit. \"Those savings would be shared with the health systems that are willing to create them and serve their communities . For now, DeJonge, along with his fellow physicians and staff (three nurse practitioners, three social workers, one office nurse and four support staffers), will continue to provide care for 600 patients in the neighborhoods of Washington. With the help of machines such a portable EKGs, compact ultrasounds and X-ray programs for laptops, they can provide even more extensive care to patients in their own homes than their 1930s counterparts. DeJonge says it's stressful but rewarding. \"They feel like the medical community is part of their family,\" he says. \"There is a trust level that they develop when you know them over that long period of time. That's very important.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In 1930s, 40 percent of physician encounters were house calls; 1 percent by 1980 .\nFinancial disincentives and patient preference for clinics contributed to decline .\n10 years ago, Medicare made it easier for physicians to get paid for house calls .\nBill before Congress would make house calls less expensive, easier to arrange ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Eighteen-year-old Juan Gonzalez was dying alone in a hospital, thousand of miles from his Guatemalan home. He was separated from the family he had traveled to the United States to help support. Juan Gonzalez was earning $250 a week as a dishwasher when his heart trouble began. Diagnosed with a chronically weak heart, without much money and lacking resources, Gonzalez seemed bound to die without ever seeing his parents again. That changed after CNN aired a story about his plight. Thanks to the help of a compassionate hospital staff, a U.S. congressman and a concerned community, Gonzalez has been reunited with his parents for what may be the last time. Watch Gonzalez make his tearful plea » . Like many undocumented workers, Gonzalez came to the United States last fall to provide some financial help for his family, who had fallen on hard times back in Guatemala. He took a job as a dishwasher in Rome, Georgia, making about $250 a week. Then, in November, his heart gave out. Gonzalez has been in and out of the hospital for seven months. Doctors diagnosed Gonzalez with dilated cardiomyopathy, which means his heart muscle is very weak. Dr. Frank Stegall, Gonzalez's cardiologist, said the Guatemalan teen's heart pumps only 20 percent of the blood a healthy heart should. But as Gonzalez's heart failed him, he opened up the hearts of others. Stegall and the staff at Rome's Redmond Regional Medical Center were inspired by Gonzalez's attitude and courage and set out to reunite the dying teen with his parents. They contacted U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Georgia. Gingrey got the State Department involved in expediting visas for Pascual and Maria Gonzalez, Juan's parents. Delta Air Lines donated tickets to Atlanta, and the Gonzalezes boarded a plane for the first time, bound for Georgia to see their dying son. Watch the family reunion » . Gonzalez has vowed to fight to the end, but doctors say his prognosis isn't good. With no money, Stegall says, it will be tough for the teen to get a heart transplant. Now, after traveling thousands of miles for more than two weeks to make a better life for his family and himself, Gonzalez faces his final fight, but it's one he will face with his family, thanks to the kindness of others." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Undocumented immigrant went to Georgia to make money for family .\nHe has an extremely weak heart muscle; doctors give poor prognosis .\nLawmaker got visas for parents; Delta donated plane tickets ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Fareed Zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who hosts \"Fareed Zakaria GPS\" on CNN at 1 and 5 p.m. ET Sundays. Zakaria says India's elections could mark its debut as a great power. (CNN) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took the oath of office Friday for a second consecutive term after winning a mandate for his Congress party. President Pratibha Devisingh Patil administered the oath to Singh, seen as the architect of India's economic reforms in the 1990s. Nineteen other lawmakers also were sworn in as members of the new federal Cabinet. The Indian National Congress, headed by Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, won 206 of 543 boroughs in the April and May general elections. That is the party's best performance in almost two decades that saw mostly coalition governments running the country. CNN spoke to author and foreign affairs analyst Fareed Zakaria about the results. CNN: What do you think of the outcome of the Indian elections? Fareed Zakaria: These elections I think may be looked upon as India's debut as a great power -- the way the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics heralded China's debut. They are also the perfect symbol, in this case, of India's unique strengths -- which are defined not by government power but people power with all the messiness and chaos that implies. With 420 million people voting, India's recent polling was the biggest exercise of democracy ever. CNN: But the exercise of democracy in India isn't new. What makes this one special? Zakaria: You are right. It was the result of these elections. Over the last two decades, India has been consumed with its internal divisions -- of caste, ethnicity and religion. This has made if difficult for a government in New Delhi to mobilize national power to any purposeful and responsible end internationally. A decentralized, divided, and diffuse polity has punched well below its weight internationally or adopted policies abroad for purely domestic reasons. That's bad for India and bad for the world. This could all change, starting with this election result. For the first time in three decades, a single party -- the Indian National Congress -- was given a clear and large mandate. CNN: Why were there so many problems in the past? Zakaria: It was mainly two issues. First, populism trumps economic reform. Promising the voters goodies works better than imposing budgetary discipline. Two, in the age of terrorism, fear was an easy way to mobilize political support. (These problems have affected democracies in rich countries like America just as much as poor ones.) The Indian results contradict both notions. The Congress Party has been reasonably reform-mined economically and highly responsible on issues of terrorism. It chose not to react violently to the recent Mumbai terror attacks and was vilified as weak by the opposition. The voters didn't buy it. CNN: Can you think of why things have changed for the voters? Zakaria: I can't be certain but I will put some of the credit for providing a new option to voters on the shoulder of Rahul Gandhi. He is the 39-year-old son of the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, and the current head of the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi. He spent the last few years reviving the grassroots base of the Congress party. He also made a series of big strategic bets during the campaign such as to field young candidates, not to ally with caste-based parties which proved to be right. He, along with his mother and the current Prime Minister Singh, are reviving the Congress party, and have done all this while maintaining a commitment to secularism, economic reform and clean government . CNN: So the voters in India got it right? Zakaria: I think so. But I also do want to take a minute to impress on readers the scope of elections in India. It really is amazing to see the largest democracy at work. First of all, look at the scope. 420 million people voted. That's more than all the people (men, women and children) who live in the United States, Britain and Canada combined. Then the process -- there are five election days over the course of a month; votes are cast in almost 1 million polling places. It is by far the biggest exercise in democracy in the history of the world. But all of that is only part of what makes it really remarkable. The Indian electorate is one of the poorest, least educated in the world but they actively participate in the political process. And they voted in a very intelligent way. Something they should be very proud of." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Zakaria: Election shows India's unique strength, people power .\n420 million voters make this biggest democracy exercise ever, he says .\nZakaria: For the first time in three decades, one party has a clear mandate ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Five people were killed when their boat struck a barge in southern Louisiana, the Terrebonne Parish sheriff said Thursday. The accident occurred Wednesday night in the Falgout Canal in Dularge, Louisiana, Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois said. The bodies were not discovered until Thursday morning, when people began arriving on the barge for work and saw the boat and one body, Bourgeois said. The barge is being used to repair damage to the canal from past hurricanes. The victims' damaged boat was partially submerged under the barge, he said. The barge was slightly damaged, he said. The victims were last seen about 10 p.m. Wednesday leaving the Dulac, Louisiana-area en route to Bayou Dularge, the sheriff's office said. The victims were identified as: Michael J. Carrere, 43, of the Bayou Blue area, Louisiana; Carey Meche, 52, of Metairie, Louisiana; Lawrence Flak, 54, of Conroe, Texas; Rene Gauthier, 59, of Houston, Texas; and William Voss, 49, of Katy, Texas. They were entered in a fishing tournament that begins Friday, the sheriff said. Additional details were not immediately available. The accident occurred about 75 miles southwest of New Orleans." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "5 killed after boat hits barge Wednesday night in Falgout Canal in Louisiana .\nBodies discovered Thursday morning by people arriving on barge for work .\nVictims' boat was partially submerged under the barge; barge was slightly damaged .\nVictims last seen Wednesday night leaving Dulac, Louisiana-area for Bayou Dularge ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Shell-shocked and scarred both inside and out, they huddle in tents, water and medicine in short supply -- hundreds of thousands of people, civilian victims of Sri Lanka's recently-ended civil war. Displaced Sri Lankan people look out from inside a camp in Cheddikulam. \"We suffered a lot because shelling was coming from everywhere,\" said a 38-year-old man identifying himself as Vishwamala. \"Firing, shelling -- many, many people have died ... there was nobody there to carry the dead. A lot of dead were left on the road.\" Another survivor, Krisha Duray, recalls \"running and running\" to escape shelling by both the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels, who waged a bloody 25-year war. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday visited refugee camps housing such victims. \"I have traveled around the world and visited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scenes I have seen,\" he said. Ban requested that the United Nations be provided full access to the displacement camps in order to provide aid. In a joint statement issued Saturday, Ban and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the United Nations will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons, and that the government will continue to provide access to humanitarian agencies. That access, however, is limited. The United Nations and other organizations have never had full access, as government officials fear some remaining Tamil Tiger rebels may be hiding in the camps and are screening those inside. Watch the U.N. chief discuss the humanitarian crisis » . Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper reported that attempts to smuggle youths out of the camps has prompted the government to impose restrictions on visits. Rajiva Wijesinha, the nation's human rights ministry secretary, was quoted as telling the newspaper that people \"with the connivance of Non-Governmental Organization workers\" were involved in the plot. Because of the plot, \"a thorough screening of IDPs was under way,\" the newspaper said. \"I have United Nations humanitarian agencies, and there are ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and many other international humanitarian agency workers,\" Ban said in a Saturday news conference, according to a transcript. \"They should be given unimpeded access and freedom of movement within the camp. That is what I have asked the foreign minister and the president (for), and I was assured that the leaders of the Sri Lankan government will make sure (of this).\" Sri Lanka's government as of Sunday had not responded to Ban's appeal. But the joint statement Saturday said, \"The government will expedite the necessary basic and civil infrastructure as well as (the) means of livelihood necessary for the IDPs to resume their normal lives at the earliest. \"The Secretary-General welcomed the announcement by the government expressing its intention to dismantle the welfare villages at the earliest as outlined in the plan to resettle the bulk of IDPs and call for its early implementation.\" Ban toured Manik Farm, a sprawling camp for internally displaced people in the country's north, days after Sri Lanka declared victory in a 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers rebels. About 250,000 to 300,000 people are refugees in the country, according to humanitarian groups and U.N. figures. Some in the camp have experienced fierce fighting in recent months, saying that at moments they did not believe they were going to survive. Asked whether he agrees with the military's assertions that not many civilians died in the violence, Ban told CNN he believes there were many civilian casualties. While the war's end elicited celebrations in parts of the country, humanitarian groups and the United Nations worry about those uprooted by the fighting. Ban arrived in the South Asian island nation Friday, saying he came to offer help and partnership. \"I hope my visit today can help begin a process of national recovery, renewal and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans,\" Ban said in a written statement issued Friday. \"That is why I am here.\" He said he would urge the government to expedite the screening and processing of refugees and ensure that displaced camps have adequate supplies of food, medicine and water. With the war's end, \"the government of Sri Lanka faces many immediate and long-term challenges relating to issues of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement and reconciliation,\" the joint statement said. Ban also flew to the site of the civil war's final battle, near Mullaitivu. CNN's Iqbal Athas in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ban Ki-moon says camp contains \"the most appalling scenes I have seen\"\nBan asks president to grant unrestricted access to humanitarian agencies .\nAbout 250,000 to 300,000 people are refugees in the country, aid agencies say .\nSri Lankan government has declared victory in the country's 25-year civil war ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- \"Jurymen seldom convict a person they like, or acquit one that they dislike.\" -- Clarence Darrow . A moussed, tousled brown hairstyle is murder trial defendant Phil Spector's latest look. Since April, the murder trial of music producer Phil Spector has been playing out in Los Angeles, California, oddly contrasting gruesome CSI details with the defendant's daily fashion emergency. Jurors finally will go behind closed doors for deliberations at the end of the week. Their impressions of Spector's over-the-top fashion statements and nebbish-like demeanor could weigh as heavily, legal analysts say, as any of the conflicting expert testimony about ballistics, blood spatter and other forensic evidence. Spector, a diminutive aging hipster who invented the \"Wall of Sound\" and worked with the Beatles and Ike and Tina Turner, is accused of second-degree murder. He allegedly shot Lana Clarkson, a B-movie actress-turned-House of Blues hostess whose film credits include \"Barbarian Queen\" and \"Amazon Women on the Moon.\" As the sun began to rise on February 3, 2003, police found her body slumped in a chair in the foyer of Spector's 8,500-square-foot Pyrenees-style castle, a Colt Cobra Special .38-caliber revolver at her feet. The question the jury must answer is straightforward: Did Spector, 67, shoot Clarkson, 40, in the face after she spurned his romantic advances and tried to leave his home? Or did she shoot herself, either by accident or in suicidal despair over her flagging Hollywood career? The jurors didn't hear directly from Spector. The most damaging testimony came from his Brazilian-born driver, who said the boss wandered out of the castle that morning and announced, \"I think I killed somebody.\" His dress and mannerisms at the defense table were impossible to ignore. \"Sometimes the most important thing about a defendant's court appearance is the defendant's appearance,\" Court TV anchor Lisa Bloom said. \"Looks count when it comes to a criminal trial,\" agreed Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. \"They can work for a defendant, and they can work against a defendant.\" Levenson, who observes and analyzes high-profile trials, has written a scholarly article on the subject. She cites studies that show jurors are influenced by how attractive -- or unattractive -- a defendant is. Such impressions are not formally recognized as evidence in most courts, and jurors are rarely instructed on how to weigh them, she found. Levenson concludes that jurors inevitably take cues from a defendant's courtroom demeanor, whether judges want them to or not. Demeanor makes the biggest impact when a defendant doesn't take the stand. \"We need to be realistic as to how we deal with the theater of the courtroom,\" Levenson concludes. \"Demeanor evidence of non-testifying parties is the new frontier.\" She suggests adding a jury instruction to weigh a defendant's demeanor like any other character evidence. It could prove to be a controversial idea. Jeffrey Toobin, CNN's senior legal analyst, is comfortable with the current standard. \"If it ain't broke, don't fix it,\" he said. \"Jurors can't help but look at a defendant. But turning it into a formal part of trial would be a mistake.\" Levenson agreed to share an advance copy of her richly footnoted paper, which will be published in January's Minnesota Law Journal. She cites several well-known cases in which jurors later said their impressions of the defendant influenced their verdicts: . Attorneys long ago learned how to manipulate nonverbal cues to communicate with juries. \"Smart lawyers use it to their advantage,\" said Mark Geragos, a frequent guest on CNN's \"Larry King Live.\" The prominent Los Angeles criminal defense attorney has given makeovers to several of his clients, including Whitewater figure Susan McDougal, who favored white pantsuits in court and won acquittals at two trials. Spector's courtroom appearance seems to be a misfire, said Geragos, who doesn't believe the defense team is making the fashion calls. Geragos says a defendant can \"make or break himself\" » . At Spector's trial, jurors have heard about his history of threatening women with guns, although one witness left an impression more comic than fearsome when she offered this description of the gun-toting defendant: . \"He looked like Elmer Fudd. The gun was bigger than he was,\" said Kathy Sullivan, recalling an incident she alleges took place in 1997 or 1998. By contrast, the jurors' view of Clarkson has only two dimensions. In the agency photos she used to look for acting jobs, she is a striking, tanned California blonde with windswept hair and a broad smile of white, perfectly even teeth. In heels, she stood about 6 feet tall, according to testimony, while Spector is 5 feet, 4 inches tall. Jurors also have been barraged by gruesome crime scene photos of Clarkson. Her mouth is a pulpy crimson chasm. The revolver lies at her feet, which turn outward in platform Mary Janes. Jurors heard during the prosecutor's case how the bullet severed her spinal cord and shattered her teeth, spraying bloody saliva in a two- to six-foot arc, about how her dying gasps may have sprayed onto Spector's white jacket. Levenson has been advising the judge on legal issues during the Spector trial, so she declined to comment on the specifics of his case. But the consensus among the experienced trial analysts who spoke with CNN is that Spector has not done himself any favors. Spector has sported three hairstyles in three different shades, a color wheel of pastel ties and pocket handkerchiefs topped at times by foppish, flowing morning coats. He has worn an orange tie with a pink shirt, and a black shirt unbuttoned in a fashion better suited for an airport lounge. He wears platform shoes. Trial bloggers and observers gossip about whether he is wearing a wig or lipstick. \"He's definitely a nutty guy,\" observed Toobin. \"He's certainly not a very likable looking guy.\" \"Somewhere between Charles Manson and Marilyn Manson,\" quipped Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney in Miami who regularly comments on legal matters for CNN. \"As a prosecutor you're saying, 'Bring it on. We like blond. We like goofy clothes. We like a guy who looks like he's as phony as a $3 bill.' \" Coffey says Spector looks \"completely untrustworthy\" » . \"Fairly unhinged\" was the impression offered by Geragos, who described Spector's courtroom look as \"perplexing.\" The usually ebullient lawyer was uncharacteristically subdued in his comments: \"It is not an engaging look. It is not repulsive. I don't think this would be your ideal situation from a defense standpoint.\" Court TV's Lisa Bloom believes Spector is trying to communicate to jurors that he's \"an eccentric rock star\" who doesn't place much stock in what's happening in the courtroom. \"I think the pimp suits are his way for showing disrespect for the process.\" Bloom said Spector is sending a message: \"It's all about me, me, me. I'm the celebrity. It's all about me.\" She doubts it will be effective. \"His clothes are so out there,\" Bloom said. \"His looks are so out there. Will it backfire? I don't know. You have to take into account this is L.A.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jury deliberations to begin soon in Phil Spector's murder trial .\nLegal analysts say demeanor, odd looks could be a factor .\nSpector is accused of fatally shooting actress Lana Clarkson .\nSpector's defense says Clarkson shot herself ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Like many Nepalese guides, Apa Sherpa started trekking to the top of Mount Everest in the shadow of more famous climbers -- including the son of the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb to the top of the world's tallest peak. Apa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest more times than any other person. But the 49-year-old Nepali -- who now lives in the United States -- on Thursday morning became the only person in the world to summit Everest 19 times. Apa says his goals in climbing the 29,029-foot (8,848-meter) mountain have nothing to do with setting the world record for Everest summits, a title he has held since 1998. \"Up to the 17th time in 2007 I climbed as a professional, as part of my occupation,\" Apa said, according to the Web site tracking the progress of his most recent expedition. \"But last year I climbed to raise funds for a school in Thame, my village on the foot of Everest.\" In addition to raising money for Nepali schoolkids, Apa also plans to remove more than two tons of garbage from Everest. Over the past 55 years, some 2,000 mountaineers have climbed the peak, leaving behind a trail of trash that includes oxygen bottles, food cans, gas cylinders, paper, plastic and even tents. Everest -- known by Nepalis as Sagarmatha -- is considered sacred by the Nepalese people, and is worshipped as a goddess of wealth and power by the Sherpas, the inhabitants of the Everest region. Apa comes from the famed Sherpa community of mountain guides, who work as porters and climbing guides for mountaineers from all over the world. While Everest is not considered the most technically challenging climb by experienced mountaineers, the world's highest peak attracts an array of climbers who spend tens of thousands of dollars for the chance to make it to the top. However, the mountain is deadly for many climbers: More than 200 people have died trying to scale Everest. Apa began working as an expedition porter for Everest climbers to earn money after his father died when he was 12 years old, according to his biography on his team's Web site, SuperSherpas.com. Many of the mountaineers noticed the young Sherpa who, despite his small size, was able to carry large loads \"with strength, quickness and a wide smile,\" according to his biography. But it wasn't until he was about 30 years old that Apa began climbing Everest as a guide. He made it to the top in 1990 with a team that included Peter Hillary, whose father first summited the peak along Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953. That team also included Rob Hall, a New Zealander who lost his life on the mountain in 1996, the deadliest season for climbers in Everest's history. Eight climbers, including Hall, died trying to summit the peak on May 11, 1996, known as the \"Everest disaster.\" The incident highlighted the pressure that mountaineering companies face when their clients -- who have paid as much as $60,000 -- want to make it to the top despite foreboding weather and their lack of experience. Hall had asked Apa several times during the 1996 season to work for him, but Apa refused in order to be with his family, according to Everestnews.com. Apa reached Everest's peak for the 19th time at 8 a.m. local time on Thursday, announcing over a crackling radio, \"I am at the top and looking at all the prayer flags,\" according to the Web site tracking his progress. \"I have just satisfied the deities and placed the Bhumpa on the summit.\" He was referring to an 8-inch-tall copper vase which is considered sacred and contains 400 elements, including precious metals, Buddhist relics, shreds of robes worn by venerated monks, holy water, and soil. Last month, Apa said that putting the vase on the mountain would be a prayer for world peace and prosperity. After spending 30 minutes at the top, he headed down. \"It is so cold here ... I am heading down.\" Crowds of climbers forced Apa to delay his ascent to the summit by an hour. May is considered the ideal time to try to reach the top of Everest, and Nepali tourism authorities said 98 people had climbed the mountain on Tuesday and Wednesday from the south side. Apa currently lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, where he works as a climbing instructor and gives lectures. He has three children -- two sons, ages 23 and 18, and a 14-year-old daughter. He has said he does not want his children to follow in his footsteps as a climber. His SuperSherpas team has raised $30,000 to educate the children of Nepal, and Apa hopes that his climbing successes will continue to raise more money for the impoverished Himalayan country. \"I never had a plan to make a record,\" Apa told The Salt Lake Tribune last month before leaving for Nepal. \"I never had that as a dream. It just keeps happening.\" CNN's Manesh Shrestha contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Apa Sherpa, 49, of Nepal, successfully climbs Mount Everest for the 19th time .\nApa says he climbs to raise money for his village, at the foot of the mountain .\nMore than 200 people have died trying to scale Everest .\nAt 29,029 feet, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- The family history of poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath took another tragic turn Monday when it was revealed that their son had committed suicide after battling depression. Poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath had separated before their son's first birthday. Nicholas Hughes, whose mother asphyxiated herself in 1963 by putting her head in a gas oven at her London home while her two children slept in the next room, hanged himself at his home in Alaska, his sister Frieda told The Times newspaper. Hughes, 47, was unmarried with no children of his own and had until recently been a marine biologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Times said that shortly before his death he had left his academic job to set up a pottery workshop at home. Frieda Hughes, a poet, author and artist, said in a statement to the newspaper: \"It is with profound sorrow that I must announce the death of my brother, Nicholas Hughes, who died by his own hand on Monday March 16, 2009 at his home in Alaska. \"He had been battling depression for some time.\" She added: \"His lifelong fascination with fish and fishing was a strong and shared bond with our father (many of whose poems were about the natural world). \"He was a loving brother, a loyal friend to those who knew him and, despite the vagaries that life threw at him, he maintained an almost childlike innocence and enthusiasm for the next project or plan.\" Hughes was only a baby when his mother killed herself, and his father tried to shield his children from the intense public interest in the family. Some feminist groups blamed the death on Ted Hughes, who had left Plath for Assia Wevill, the wife of another poet. Six years later, Wevill gassed herself and their daughter Shura in an apparent copycat suicide. Ted Hughes died in 1998, the year he published Birthday Letters, a series of poems about his life with Plath and her death. Hughes appears in both of his parents' poetry. In \"Nick and the Candlestick,\" published in Plath's posthumous collection \"Ariel,\" she wrote: \"You are the one. Solid the spaces lean on, envious. You are the baby in the barn.\" Later his father wrote of how, after Plath's death, their son's eyes \"became wet jewels, the hardest substance of the purest pain. As I fed him in his high white chair.\" Frieda Hughes has written about her parents and her own battles with depression but a family friend dismissed the idea that Nicolas's death fitted into a family trend. \"Nick wasn't just the baby son of Plath and Hughes and it would be wrong to think of him as some kind of inevitably tragic figure,\" said the unnamed friend. \"He was a man who reached his mid-forties, an adventurous marine biologist with a distinguished academic career behind him and a host of friends and achievements in his own right. That is the man who is mourned by those who knew him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Son of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath commits suicide, his sister says .\nNicholas Hughes, whose mother gassed herself, hanged himself in Alaska .\nHughes, 47, was unmarried with no children of his own and was marine biologist ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "GREENVILLE, Ohio (CNN) -- The parishioners heard the sirens during Sunday morning services in Greenville, Ohio. A few blocks from St. Paul's Lutheran Church, a home was burning and five people were dead. Police tape wards off the curious from the duplex where a woman and four children died in a fire September 16. Shock followed sadness with news that a 10-year-old boy was being charged with arson and murder, more heartbreak for a town in tough times -- but heartbreak that shook people into action. The St. Paul's parishioners reacted quickly that morning, said Shirley DiRocco, a volunteer at the church. Just passing the collection plate once around the church, she said, \"We came up with $300.\" The money went to buy clothes for the fire's survivors and food for the emergency crew who responded, she said. Helping out is nothing new for the church -- but a boy being accused of killing his mother, half-sister and three other children in a fire has been unheard of till now. There's a lot of introspection going on in Greenville, a small town of 13,000 where the good-paying jobs are getting scarce and the problems of big-city poverty are creeping in. Residents are divided on whether the boy is responsible, but they say his plight compels them to look at themselves and face their deepening problems. \"He's a young kid. There's something got to be wrong for him to come up with that,\" said Angie Hughes, manager of a downtown Greenville hair salon. \"It has brought to the surface the fact that in this area ... we do have a lot of folks who are the have-nots in the world ... the vast numbers of people in our community who are really deep in poverty,\" said Peter B. Menke, pastor of St. Paul's. Watch Menke talk about how the tragedy has galvanized Greenville » . St. Paul's sees firsthand the poverty that led to the boy having to sleep on the sofa, because he had no bed in the half of the duplex he shared with nine other people. Christy Winans managed to escape the fire with her boyfriend, but her three children -- Kayla Winans, 6; Je'Shawn Davis, 5; and Jasmine Davis, 3 -- died along with their playmate Kaysha Palmer, 8, who was the boy's half-sister. The boy's mother, Chanan Palmer, was also killed. On Monday, as the 10-year-old appeared in court on murder charges, St. Paul's expanded its lunchtime soup kitchen service to run two days a week. Twenty-two people turned up for the meal that first day. The church had fed 70 people, including parents and children, one day this summer. Menke said the tragedy of September 16 \"has galvanized ... particularly the religious community to action. We not just saying 'Yes, we have a problem,' but we are looking at ways to genuinely address those issues and do something about it.\" Federal statistics show unemployment is hurting Greenville and surrounding Darke County. Employment in private businesses fell by 7 percent from 2000 to 2005. Manufacturing companies left town and big employers downsized, like Fram oil filter maker, or closed down completely, like Corning's fiber-optics plant. Alicia Sommer, who's lived in Greenville for 37 years and taught in the local schools, says job losses have changed the town. \"On the surface it looks like the ideal hometown,\" she said. \"Everyone wants to raise their kids here, but they can't afford it. They have to go where the jobs are,\" she says, leaning on the counter of the downtown coffee shop where she works part time. Walking through the five blocks of downtown Greenville, you see why it looks ideal. Mom-and-pop coffee shops stand in for Starbucks, locals chat on a bench outside a music store, a small cinema offers \"Mr. Bean's Holiday\" and an Asian monster flick about battling dragons. But St. Paul's offers the soup kitchen only a block off the Broadway main drag, and the tumbledown housing on Montgomery Street, including the burned duplex, is just a two-minute walk away. Fixing Greenville may be a slow process, and it's unclear if the continuing case against the 10-year-old will slow it further or provide impetus to the effort. The boy is staying with his maternal grandmother, Tammy Reed, whose daughter died in the fire. The child lost his stepfather to AIDS in July. \"He's doing really good,\" Reed said of the boy Tuesday morning. No matter how the case turns out, the boy will bear scars forever, his attorney, David Rohrer, said last week. The boy will always know he was charged with killing his mother. \"He'll never be able to escape that,\" Rohrer said. In downtown Greenville, salons offered $5 haircuts Tuesday to raise money for the fire victims. The community wanted to help in any way it could, salon manager Hughes said. Whether that community can also bring Greenville out of its slump may depend on people like Sondra Jackson. Jackson, a letter carrier, walked her new route Monday down Montgomery Street. It was only her second day of work, she said, and she had no idea of the tragedy that unfolded in the burned duplex two weeks before. Jackson said she had just moved to Greenville from Palm Springs, California, where she was born and raised. \"The school system is better in this area, and it's just a better place to raise kids,\" she said. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fire killed five people, a 10-year-old boy faces murder and arson charges .\nGreenville, Ohio, facing realities of poverty as jobs leave .\nResidents divided whether boy did it; but united in desire to help town ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- South Africa's embattled police commissioner resigned Sunday as president of Interpol, a day after he took an extended leave of absence from his police duties, the international crime-fighting agency said in a statement. South Africa police commissioner Jackie Selebi, facing charges of corruption, has stepped down as boss of Interpol. Interpol's Secretary-General Ronald Noble received a resignation letter on Sunday from Jackie Selebi, who is facing charges of corruption related to his role as police commissioner, the agency said. The charges are not related to his leadership role in Interpol. In the letter, Selebi said he was resigning because he did not wish the allegations against him \"to bring the good work of this august body into disrepute.\" \"Based on my experience of working with Mr. Selebi in his capacity as delegate, vice president and ultimately president of the organization, he has always conducted himself and acted in a way to enhance global security and police co-operation worldwide,\" Noble said in a statement. As to the charges Selebi faces, Noble said: \"Any such allegations should be prosecuted thoroughly, and the proper manner is for charges to be brought promptly before a court of law and not through media leaks and speculation.\" On Saturday, South African President Thabo Mbeki told a news conference in Pretoria, South Africa, that Selebi had been given an \"extended leave of absence\" from his police duties, but that he was not being sacked. Mbeki said Selebi supported the decision -- taken midnight Friday and effective immediately -- to temporarily step down and that an acting commissioner had already been appointed to take his place. The National Prosecuting Authority said it will charge the police chief with \"corruption and defeating the administration of justice,\" Tladi Tladi, a spokesman for the agency told CNN. According to widespread media reports, the upcoming charges hinge on Selebi's dealings with Glen Agliotti, a convicted drug smuggler. The suspended police chief is alleged to have accepted at least 1.2 million Rand ($177,000) from Agliotti over a 5-year period, the South African daily Cape Argus reported. In return Selebi allegedly handed over confidential intelligence reports from the British authorities relating to Agliotti's suspected drug-trafficking activities, according to the newspaper. Tladi said the corruption charges were linked to Agliotti \"to a certain extent.\" Agliotti recently received a 10-year suspended prison sentence in a drug case after entering into a plea bargain. He is also accused of involvement in the 2005 killing of mining magnate Brett Kebble, according to South African media reports. A court on Friday rejected an application to halt the prosecution by Selebi, who has been under investigation for around two years. Mbeki denied that he had been too slow in dealing with the fallout from the charges. \"I have said many times that if there was anyone who came to me with information indicating that the national commissioner had behaved improperly then I would act on such information. No one has come to me with such information,\" Mbeki said. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jackie Selebi, South African police chief, takes leave as faces corruption charges .\nAlso steps down as head of Interpol, although charges are not related to that position .\nCharged with taking money from a convicted drug smuggler over a 5-year period .\nSouth African President Thabo Mbeki denies he has been slow in dealing with affair ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- U.S. naval forces hunting pirates off Somalia detained six people this week who appeared to be pursuing a commercial shipping vessel, but soon released them because of a lack of evidence. A Yemeni Coast Guard boat patrols the Gulf of Aden for pirates who threaten shipping. The Navy said on Saturday the six matched the description of suspected pirates aboard a skiff in the area. The naval crew saw the men throwing objects overboard before they picked up the suspects. Investigators didn't say what was thrown overboard but said the evidence was not sufficient \"to hold the suspects for prosecution.\" The detentions reflect the aggressive U.S.-led fight against piracy. The United States is spearheading an international naval task force in the waters off Somalia that launched in February after a rash of attacks. Participating ships are patrolling more than a million square miles of water, an area about four times the size of Texas, Navy officials have said. The Navy said it arrested the six on Friday after responding to a distress call from the Philippines-flagged MV Bison Express in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia. The ship, a livestock carrier, reported a small skiff containing six heavily armed pirates was pursuing it. The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg arrived and found a skiff matching the description. A Seahawk helicopter flew from the Gettysburg over the skiff and reported seeing objects being thrown overboard, the Navy said. A team from the Gettysburg boarded the skiff, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard Legal Detachment and detained the six suspected pirates. The U.S. officials transferred the suspects onto the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, the flagship for the international anti-piracy task force, the Navy said, before releasing them. The attack on the Bison Express was the second one Friday on commercial shipping vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy said. In the first incident, pirates attacked the MV Sea Green, which managed to fend them off by firing flares as the men approached, the Navy said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. military ship captures skiff off Somalia coast .\nSkiff matched description of commercial ship's pursuer .\nNavy lets men go for lack of evidence; saw suspects throwing stuff overboard .\nU.S.-led international naval effort patrols a million square miles in Gulf of Aden ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Colin Powell stirred up the Republican Party's very public internal debate about the direction of the party and asserted it's losing because it doesn't appeal to moderates like him. The Republican Party is losing \"men, woman, white, blacks and Hispanics,\" says Colin Powell. Two Republican leaders questioned Powell's GOP credentials. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Powell should leave the party. Former Vice President Dick Cheney said he thought he already had. Powell says he's still very much a Republican and said the party would be better off to include more moderates like him. \"The Republican Party is losing north, south, east, west; men, woman, white, blacks and Hispanics,\" Powell said in an interview with CBS' \"Face the Nation.\" \"I think the Republican Party has to take a hard look at itself and decide: What kind of party are we?\" As it has squabbled within the family, the party has wandered. Most analysts say it will get back on the right track when its next leaders emerge. Is Powell emerging as a voice of the moderates in the party? \"A spokesman is good,\" said Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst. \"A candidate would be better.\" Watch what CNN's Bill Schneider has to say about the debate » . The Republicans' family argument started shortly after the Democrats won the White House and added to their control of Congress. Conservatives blame moderates for the losses, saying the party didn't present a contrast with Democrats and the only way for it to be successful is to lean harder to the right. Limbaugh and Cheney emerged from the leadership vacuum -- Limbaugh from his legions of listeners and Cheney in his emergent role as the sole defender of the Bush White House. Powell provoked Limbaugh when he suggested the GOP's future was in peril if it went in the Limbaugh's direction. Limbaugh responded that Powell is part of the \"stale, the old, the worn-out GOP that never won anything.\" Powell says the right has alienated undecided and independent voters and the only way for the GOP to return to power is to expand its narrow base. The former Pentagon commander of the 1991 Persian Gulf war has for the most part stayed out of politics since resigning as President's Bush's secretary of state in Bush's first term. Among Republicans, Powell, Cheney and Limbaugh are equally revered with favorability ratings in the 60s, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. But among all voters questioned, Powell has a favorability rate of 70 percent compared to 30 percent for Limbaugh. A poll a week ago found that Cheney had a favorability rate of 37 percent. \"Colin Powell is not the guy you want to pick a fight with,\" Schneider said. \"He's more popular than Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh combined. Between the two polls, Limbaugh's unfavorable rating among all respondents was 53 percent and Cheney's 55 percent. Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, another moderate, sided with Powell in an interview with with CNN's John King on \"State of the Union\" on Sunday. The former Pennsylvania governor said the different wings of the party need to listen to each other and differences of opinions need to be less divisive. \"Rush Limbaugh has an audience of 20 million people. A lot of people listen daily to him and live by every word. But words mean things and how you use words is very important,\" Ridge said. \"It does get the base all fired up and he's got a strong following,\" Ridge continued. \"But personally, if he would listen to me and I doubt if he would, the notion is express yourself but let's respect others opinions and let's not be divisive.\" Ridge, who ruled out a Senate bid earlier this month, also called for an end to personal attacks. \"Let's lead our party based on some principles that have been very much a part of who we are for decades. And let's be less shrill ... and particularly, let's not attack other individuals. Let's attack their ideas,\" said Ridge. Republican strategist and CNN contributor Mary Matalin challenged what she called the \"liberal-lite\" wing of the party and said Republicans win when they run on their conservative convictions. When [Powell] supports Barack Obama, one presumes he's supporting those principles and policies,\" Matalin said. \"Those are liberal principles and they spawn liberal policies. The road forward for Republicans is not to be 'liberal-lite,' \" said Matalin. \"This debate is a long one and it always is taking place vigorously when we change through any new paradigm. What is the scope and the role of a government in a free state? Those are big principles, big ideas, and that's how we should go forward. And anybody who agrees with those ideas should be in the party. If you don't agree with those ideas, you can be in the other party,\" she said. On another talk show, former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, who served with Powell and Cheney in the White House, took Limbaugh's side, saying he would choose the radio host over the former secretary of state if he \"had to pick between the two,\" in an interview on \"Fox News Sunday.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Powell should leave GOP .\nFormer Vice President Dick Cheney said he thought he already had .\nGOP \"losing north, south, east, west,\" says Powell .\nKarl Rove says he would choose Rush Limbaugh over Colin Powell ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The mother and brother of a 31-year-old woman found strangled with her two young sons in the bedrooms of their home filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the alleged killer -- the husband and father of the victims. Christopher Coleman has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond. Christopher Coleman has pleaded not guilty in the triple homicide police say took place early in the morning on May 5 in the family home in the small southwestern Illinois city of Columbia. \"To strip the culpable party of all financial holdings -- all that he has now and all that he may ever have,\" is the aim of the suit, said a statement accompanying the suit filed in Monroe County circuit court by Angela DeCicco and Mario Weiss, the mother and brother of Sheri Coleman. \"To allow one penny of ill-gotten gain to be derived at the expense of Sheri, Garett and Gavin is not acceptable to those who dearly love them.\" The money would go to a memorial fund set up for Coleman and her sons, Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9 and \"these funds will be used to erect a lasting tribute in the city of Columbia,\" according to the complaint. \"Our goal is to extract something positive from such a horrific and senseless tragedy and to honor the lives of my sister and her two young sons,\" Weiss said. The wrongful death suit also names Coleman's father, Ronald, and the Joyce Meyer Ministries, where Coleman worked until shortly after his family was killed, as \"respondents in discovery,\" which means they may be forced to hand over financial documents and information such as Coleman's personnel file, his work schedule and travel itineraries and the Ministries' employment policies. In addition, the suit tries to establish a timeline of events before and after the killings, saying the Colemans took the deed to their home in 2005, but six months ago, ownership was transferred to Christoper Coleman alone. \"Sheri did not voluntarily sign the deed transferring title to the residence to Christopher,\" the document says. Lawyers in the civil suit also allege that in the period between the killings and his arrest, Coleman removed personal property from the home. The suit asks that Coleman and anyone \"acting at his direction\" be forbidden from entering the home again and that he provide a list of items already removed. Coleman remains in jail after a judge denied bond." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sheri Coleman, 2 sons killed in Columbia, Illinois, home .\nChristopher Coleman, husband and father, is accused in the deaths .\nFamily says it hopes to prevent \"ill-gotten gain\" from the three deaths ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Global warming could destabilize \"struggling and poor\" countries around the world, prompting mass migrations and creating breeding grounds for terrorists, the chairman of the National Intelligence Council told Congress on Wednesday. Climate change could increase flooding in coastal areas, like the flooding that hit the Philippines. Climate change \"will aggravate existing problems such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership and weak political institutions,\" Thomas Fingar said. \"All of this threatens the domestic stability of a number of African, Asian, Central American and Central Asian countries.\" People are likely to flee destabilized countries, and some may turn to terrorism, he said. \"The conditions exacerbated by the effects of climate change could increase the pool of potential recruits into terrorist activity,\" he said. \"Economic refugees will perceive additional reasons to flee their homes because of harsher climates,\" Fingar predicted. That will put pressure on countries receiving refugees, many of which \"will have neither the resources nor interest to host these climate migrants,\" he said in testimony to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Reactions to the report broke down along partisan lines, with Democrats generally praising it and Republicans expressing doubts. Committee members had concerns about the report's secrecy, reliability and use of intelligence resources. Global warming may have a slight positive effect on the United States, since it is likely to produce larger farming yields, Fingar said . But it is also likely to result in storm surges that could affect nuclear facilities and oil refineries near coasts, water shortages in the Southwest and longer summers with more wildfires, the study found. International migration may also help spread disease, Fingar added, and climate change could put stress on international trade in essential commodities. \"The United States depends on a smooth-functioning international system ensuring the flow of trade and market access to critical raw materials, such as oil and gas, and security for its allies and partners. Climate change and climate change policies could affect all of these,\" he warned, \"with significant geopolitical consequences.\" The report was the conclusion of the most comprehensive government analysis the U.S. intelligence community has ever conducted on climate change. Fingar emphasized that it could make no hard and fast predictions, saying that the operative word in his assessment was \"may.\" Wealthy countries will be able to handle the situation better than poorer ones, he said. \"We assess that no country will be immune to the effects of climate change, but some will be able to cope more effectively than others,\" he said. \"Most of the struggling and poor states that will suffer adverse impacts to their potential and economic security are in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia. \"However, the spillover -- from potentially increased migration and water-related disputes -- could have a harmful global impact,\" he added. Fingar painted a mixed picture of the effects of climate change on the United States itself. \"Most studies suggest the United States as a whole will enjoy modest economic benefits over the next few decades, largely due to the increased crop yields,\" he said. \"Costs begin to mount thereafter, however, and some parts of the United States -- particularly built-up coastal areas -- will be at greater risk of extreme weather events and potentially high costs related to losses in complex infrastructure.\" The impact of fighting and preparing for climate change may be greater than the effect of global warming itself, Fingar said. \"Government, business and public efforts to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with climate change -- from policies to reduce greenhouse gases to plans to reduce exposure to climate change or capitalize on potential impacts -- may affect U.S. national security interests even more than the physical impacts of climate change itself,\" he said. The report, the \"National Intelligence Assessment on the National Security Implications of Global Climate Change to 2030,\" relied on U.S. government, military, academic and United Nations studies of climate change. The report itself is classified, which some members of the House committee objected to. \"I am disappointed it is classified,\" said Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California. Secrecy \"prevents this report from being released and discussed in public domain.\" Committee Chairman Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he would ask the administration to declassify it. Markey opened the hearing by saying \"human beings all over the planet face death or damage or injury if we do not act.\" He blasted the White House stance on climate change, saying, \"The Bush administration continues to limit what their experts know. The president doesn't want America to know the real risk of global warming.\" Republicans on the committee criticized the report as wasteful, with Rep. Darrell Issa of California calling it a \"dangerous diversion of intelligence resources.\" Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Michigan, said that the report was unreliable and that its authors admitted as much. \"We have a lot of information where we are incapable of assessing it,\" Fingar conceded. Hoekstra also questioned the committee's priorities. \"There are a lot more pressing issues out there for the intelligence community to be focused on right now that would help keep America safe,\" he said. The assessment \"was a waste of time, a waste of resources for the intelligence community to be focused on this issue versus other folks in the government that could have done this job and have a responsibility for doing it.\" Fingar said the intelligence community had relied on the science of others because it did not itself monitor climate change. He said the assessment was based on midrange predictions of global warming." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Climate change could destabilize \"weak\" states, intelligence chair says .\nGlobal warming could spark mass migrations, classified report finds .\nU.S. food production could increase with climate change, report suggests .\nBut it says U.S. coasts could be threatened by larger storm surges ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California (CNN) -- Space shuttle Atlantis landed Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base after rainy weather in Florida precluded a landing at Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle Atlantis touches down at Edwards AFB on Sunday. The shuttle touched down at 8:39 a.m. PT at Edwards, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, California. Within seven to 10 days, the shuttle will be transported from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet, NASA said in a statement. Atlantis' next flight is scheduled for November. Rainy weather postponed the shuttle landing both Friday and Saturday. NASA had said that Atlantis conceivably could have remained in space until Monday, but wanted to land the shuttle Sunday. Watch Atlantis land at Edwards Air Force Base » . Weather conditions in Florida were better Sunday than Saturday, NASA officials said, but atmospheric conditions were still too unstable for a landing at Kennedy. It was the 53rd time the shuttle has landed at Edwards, NASA officials said. In the early days of the space shuttle program, Edwards was its primary landing site. Shuttles have landed 70 times at Kennedy Space Center, NASA said, and once at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Atlantis launched May 11 for NASA's final repair visit to the Hubble Space Telescope. Shuttle astronauts conducted five spacewalks during the mission to perform routine repairs and replace key instruments, in what has been called one of the most ambitious space repair efforts ever attempted. Hubble was released back into orbit Tuesday morning. The telescope was rejuvenated with instruments designed to improve its capabilities by as much as 70 times, while extending its lifetime through at least 2014, according to the NASA statement. \"This is not the end of the story but the beginning of another chapter of discovery by Hubble,\" Ed Weiler, associate administrator for science at NASA headquarters, said in the statement. \"Hubble will be more powerful than ever, continue to surprise, enlighten and inspire us all, and pave the way for the next generation of observatories.\" Hubble, which has been in space for nearly two decades, can capture clear images that telescopes on Earth cannot, partly because it does not have to gaze through murky atmospheres. CNN's John Couwels and Alan Duke contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Repair mission means \"another chapter of discovery by Hubble,\" official says .\nShuttle lands smoothly at 8:39 a.m. PT at Edwards AFB in California .\nBad weather scuttled scheduled landing attempts in Florida on Friday and Saturday .\nAtlantis launched May 11 for NASA's final repair visit to the Hubble Space Telescope ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Two people were killed and about a dozen others were injured when a bomb exploded in a Catholic church in Kathmandu on Saturday morning, police said. The damage inside the church in Kathmandu following Saturday's bomb blast. The explosion in the Nepalese capital killed a 15-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman. \"The bomb exploded inside the church when the explosion happened,\" senior police officer Kedar Man Singh Bhandari told CNN over the phone. About 100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded, police said. Manish Amatya, who was injured, said the blast interrupted their prayers. \"There was a loud explosion while we were praying and all of us ran out screaming,\" he said. Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb, which damaged the church. CNN's Manesh Shrestha contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Explosion in Nepalese capital killed 15-year-old girl, 30-year-old woman .\n100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded .\nInvestigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi (CNN) -- James Young still remembers the Ku Klux Klan tormenting his neighborhood. He can still see his father holding a gun on the living room couch ready to shoot anyone who threatened his family. James Young poses with one of his young supporters after winning this week's election. Nothing about Young's childhood ever made him think he could be the mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi, the town best known for the killings of three civil rights workers in 1964. That's the way it was for black kids growing up in this crucible of racial hostility -- big dreams were often squelched. Sitting on a sprawling Southern front porch this week, Young broke down in tears about what it means to be elected the town's first black mayor. \"When you've been treated the way we've been treated,\" he told CNN, choking up and then pausing to wipe the tears from his face. Watch tearful Young describe victory » . For a moment, he couldn't speak. He then regrouped, \"That's why it's so overwhelming to be a part of this history.\" This week, the 53-year-old Young was elected the mayor of Philadelphia, a town of about 8,000 in the east-central part of the state. Despite a 55 percent white majority, Young defeated Rayburn Waddell, a white, three-term incumbent, by the slim margin of 46 votes. See where the town is located » . Young described the victory as \"an atomic bomb of change.\" Another resident rejoiced, saying Young's win symbolized the scab finally falling off this town's wound. \"I couldn't even have wrote that in a fairy tale,\" Young said. \"Who would have thought a little country boy like me would be mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi?\" Philadelphia was the site of one of the most notorious killings of the civil rights era. On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers -- James Chaney, a 21-year-old black man from Mississippi; Andrew Goodman, 20, and Michael Schwerner, 24, both activists from New York -- were shot to death at the edge of town. The killings inspired the 1988 movie \"Mississippi Burning.\" \"Philadelphia will always be connected to what happened here in 1964,\" said Jim Prince, the publisher of the Neshoba Democrat newspaper. \"But the fact that Philadelphia, Mississippi, with its notorious past, could elect a black man as mayor, it might be time to quit picking on Philadelphia, Mississippi.\" Young knows his slim margin of victory means he still has to earn the trust of many more voters here. He knows there are still some in town who won't vote for him because he's black, but he says that number gets smaller and smaller as time passes. \"We have some -- a very small pocket -- that will never change. That's what we've got to deal with,\" said Young. The mayor-elect says his election symbolizes a dramatic shift away from his hometown's racist past. And for many black residents, it means they can finally call this place home. \"The places where we were locked out, I'm gonna have the key,\" he said. \"The places we couldn't go, I've got the key. No better way to say it than that.\" He takes special pride that his victory comes the same year the nation swore in its first African-American president in Barack Obama. \"It inspired people,\" Young said. \"There are times and seasons, I think, for everything. The season arrived and the people let me know it was my time.\" The mayor-elect says he won by shaking hands and knocking on doors all over town. But the groundwork for Young's climb to the top of Philadelphia's political world started decades ago. Young was one of the first black students to integrate Philadelphia's white schools. After graduating from high school, he worked in a motor factory and then as a hospital housekeeper. A white boss noticed Young's charming people skills and recommended that he become a paramedic. He eventually worked his way up to become the director of the EMT unit, and that catapulted him to his first elected job as a county supervisor in 1991. He is also a Pentecostal minister preaching on Sunday and organizing weekly Bible studies. \"I've been prepping for this. I felt like I knew enough people. I felt like they knew me and that if I could convince them to just give me the opportunity, things could happen,\" said Young. Driving around Philadelphia in a 1981 Ford pickup truck, Young basked in the glow of victory. He calls it the \"honeymoon\" period. As we drove down the road, black and white residents cheered. \"We're so happy,\" screamed one lady. Young shouted back, \"We did it!\" Until he's sworn in as mayor, Young will work out of a makeshift transition office provided by a prominent attorney. His victory might seem unlikely but there's little time left to celebrate. \"It's an awesome feeling to have that kind of respect that people support you in this way,\" Young said near the end of our interview. \"I'll never let the people down which called for that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Philadelphia, Mississippi, elects first black mayor .\nTown of 8,000 is best known for its notorious past, the killings of 3 civil rights workers .\nJames Young won election by 46 votes; the town has a 55 percent white population .\n\"When you've been treated the way we've been treated ... it's so overwhelming\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Pirates attacked a Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia on Sunday, a Japanese Transportation Ministry official said. A french navy helicopter watches over a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden earlier this year. A pair of small pirate vessels fired on a ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines about 4 p.m. Somali time (9 a.m. ET), damaging the front of the ship, but not seriously, according to Masami Suekado. There were no injuries. The exact number and makeup of the crew were not immediately known, although none of the crew members is Japanese, Suekado said. Pirating off Somalia has increase over the past four or five years as fishermen from Somalia realize that pirating is more lucrative. The crime, which is hard to prevent, has raised concerns internationally. In 2008, pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. In response, a number of countries have deployed ships from their navies to the region, including the United States, China and Japan. Two Japanese destroyers set sail earlier this month on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, the Japanese defense ministry said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pirates attack Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia .\nA pair of small pirate vessels fire on ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines .\nFront of ship damaged but not seriously; There are no injuries .\nIn 2008, pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia ." } ]

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

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Natalia Vodianova is the Russian supermodel and philanthropist described by designer Tom Ford as \"the most beautiful woman in the world.\" Natalia Vodianova: \"I think protecting your family and giving to them is the most important achievement.\" Natalia, 27, is a mother of three and has set up her own children's charity. The woman nicknamed \"Supernova\" tells My City_My Life about her tough childhood, her love of Moscow and why Russian vodka is the best. CNN: How would you describe Moscow? Natalia Vodianova: It's a city of contrasts. You have this great culture and traditions that are very normal, calm and established. And then you have explosions of emotion, craziness, art, and young people who are so proud to be Muscovites and really trying to be individuals. Moscow is a huge inspiration for me. I love what I find here, I love being here. CNN: What would you change about Moscow given the chance? NV: Definitely the way it's treated at the moment, the way the government wants to renovate the old buildings. To me it's a little bit sad because in the West people have a very different mentality about renovating buildings, keeping them as intact as possible. Watch Natalia Vodianova take CNN on a tour of Moscow. » . CNN: What's the fashion in Moscow? NV: You see women in jeans wearing very high heels and a short puffy jacket. It's really funny! CNN: Tell me about your childhood . NV: I was born in Nizhny Novgorod to a very poor family and unfortunately my father and mother separated when I was very little. She was a single mum and had two more girls. It was a struggle but we all worked really hard and stood up for each other. My mum was amazing; she never drank, she never smoked -- she lived for us. I appreciate what she has done for me and the way she raised me. CNN: Is family very important to you? NV: I think protecting your family and giving to them is so important. It's the most important achievement. CNN: How did your modeling career take off? NV: I went to Paris when I was 17. I was lucky because my career kind of gradually built up over two years -- I always had good work but I wasn't a star straight away. In fact, my agency thought that I might never do shows because I was a bit shorter and not skinny enough, but when I gave birth to my first son I was 19 and I lost a lot of weight. I guess the stress on the body was extreme and I suddenly just turned into this stick -- just the way designers love models. My career took off after Lucas was born because I opened a lot of shows on the runway and that's where a lot of stars are made in my industry. See Natalia Vodianova's Moscow in photos. » . CNN: If you weren't a model, what would your life be like? NV: It's very hard to say what my life would be like if I hadn't gone to Paris. People say I didn't change very much but I don't think that's true. I'm a happy person and even if I thought that I was happy then, I had so much baggage to carry with me: my background, people's expectations, the fact that I wasn't a perfect student and I wasn't going to school all the time -- I didn't live a normal life at all. That's not with me anymore, because of my success. It really doesn't matter because I know I have learned so much more than a lot of other girls who have had perfect childhoods. CNN: Tell us about the charity and what you are trying to achieve with it? NV: I started my foundation in 2005, after the Beslan tragedy [the 2004 school siege in which at least 339 hostages were killed]. I was in Moscow at the time and it just struck me so much. I went back to New York, where I was living at the time, organized a fundraising event and raised $350,000 to build a playground for the children that had survived in the area. I believe that play is very therapeutic. It's really the only way for these children to forget about what happened and just be children, even if it's only for five minutes. But then I realized that it would be good for all the other children in Russia and I just started raising money and building playgrounds. Now we have 23 places all over Russia and we are building 15 more this year and planning to build more. I want to fulfill my dream of building 500 play parks in Russia. Each one will cost about $300,000 so it's a big dream -- an expensive one! CNN: Let's talk about vodka... NV: Our vodka is definitely the best. It's a very pure, good drink and it goes with Russian food. Generally I don't drink vodka outside Russia, but when you come to Russia there is no reason to order a glass of wine. CNN: What do you think of your nickname -- Supernova? NV: I don't mind being called Supernova. If one nickname is going to stick, that's not a bad one! CNN: Which five words best describe Moscow? NV: It's mysterious, cultural, exciting, crazy and spiritual." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Natalia Vodianova is a Russian supermodel and has started a children's charity .\n\"Moscow is a huge inspiration for me. I love what I find here,\" she says .\nShe says she had a tough childhood but learned from the experience .\n\"I want to fulfill my dream of building 500 play parks in Russia,\" says Natalia ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Sidney Frank made millions marketing Jagermeister and other alcohol brands. Three years after his death, he's a big hit with students at the Ivy League college he briefly attended. Sidney Frank, shown accepting an honorary degree in 2005, gave $100 million to Brown University. He's a big hit not because of what he sold but because he's given dozens of them what he couldn't afford as a young man: an education at Rhode Island's Brown University. On Sunday, 49 students from low-income families became the first four-year Sidney E. Frank Scholars to graduate from Brown, owing virtually nothing except gratitude to the late liquor magnate. \"The world of difference that he made for each and every one of us is unbelievable, incredible,\" one of the Frank Scholars, 22-year-old Shane Reil, said Sunday. Frank -- who left Brown after one year in the late 1930s because he couldn't afford to stay -- gave the school a $100 million endowment in 2004. He stipulated that the fund's income go exclusively to covering all tuition and expenses for the neediest of Brown's admitted applicants. Hear graduates say how their dreams came true » . For this year's graduates, tuition and expenses came to a four-year total of about $180,000 each. The median annual income of the recipients' families was $18,984. The gift was the largest single one ever given to Brown and one of the largest ever given for undergraduate scholarships in the United States, according to the school. Reil, a history major who is preparing to co-chair a student conference on U.S.-South Korean relations and aspires to work in politics or foreign service, says the scholarship was the stuff of dreams. He was working up to 40 hours a week during high school so he could pay for clothes and even help with grocery bills. He and his mother were getting by, but the Massachusetts native thought community college or a big state school would be all he could afford. When his academic achievements put Brown in his sights, he thought he'd have to go into too much debt to go there. But he applied anyway, and Brown invited him to campus to tell him about how much the school would award him. \"I sat in this guy's office ... and he said, '$37,000 for tuition,' \" Reil recalled. \"I said, \"$37,000, that's going to be split over four years, so essentially I'm getting a $10,000 scholarship per year.' \"He said, 'No, no, that's $37,000 for this year, and it will be covered [the rest of the years] too.' \" Reil said he cried in the office and ran to his car, where his mother was waiting. \"She was crying so much, we had to sit in the car for so long because she couldn't drive. It was a great moment,\" Reil said. \"Having the opportunity to go to a really good school ... I think it took my world from a very small area and physical space and just expanded it in multitudes,\" he said. Though other universities give full rides, Frank's gift was a coup for Brown. Like many other schools, Brown used to factor a family's ability to pay when deciding whether to accept students. Brown no longer does that, and Frank's gift was \"integral\" in bringing the change, said Jim Miller, Brown's dean of admissions. The school intends to give 30 to 35 Frank scholarships per year. Most recipients are the first in their families to go to college, Miller said. That was the case for Eliana Reyes Castro, who was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States when she was 6. She said she attended a Massachusetts high school that had regained its accreditation only months before she graduated. Like Reil, she was one of the Frank Scholars who graduated Sunday. She received a degree in education with a concentration in human development and will pursue a master's in secondary social studies and history at Brown. She might have attended Brown even if she had to take out loans. But that might have taken her away from what she wanted to do -- teach -- in favor of something that she had less interest in but paid more, she said. \"Just teaching right after college ... might not have been as appealing if I had loans to worry about,\" Reyes Castro said. Frank, though he went to Brown only one year, landed an engineering job at Pratt & Whitney in part because someone there had gone to the school, said his daughter, Cathy Halstead. The company sent him overseas and he worked on Allied airplane engines during World War II, she said. Eventually he got into the liquor business, started the Sidney Frank Importing Co. and marketed Jagermeister and Grey Goose vodka in the United States. He took up Jagermeister in the 1970s, sending attractive young women to bars to persuade patrons to try the drink and coming up with the Jagermeister tap machine. He created Grey Goose, had it distilled in France and brought it into the United States through importers. In 2004, he sold Grey Goose for $2.2 billion, said Halstead, 61, of Seattle, Washington. When Brown gave him an honorary degree in 2005, not long after his gift and months before his January 2006 death, people gave him a hero's welcome, she said. \"People on both sides [of a procession] were yelling his name and yelling, 'Jager!' and yelling, 'Goose!' \" she said. He gave millions of dollars to other institutions and projects. As for the Brown scholarship fund, he started it because he saw that Brown had changed the course of his life, Halstead said. \"He really wanted kids who were coming from very economically challenged backgrounds to have the chance to make it all the way through,\" said Halstead, who attended Sunday's graduation ceremony. Reil and Reyes Castro said they couldn't thank Frank enough if he were alive. \"What he did is a catalyst for a lot of great things, and I'm indebted to him to do the best with the education that I've gotten here to help people in any way that I can,\" Reyes Castro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sidney Frank left $100 million to Brown University months before he died .\nFrank attended Brown for one year in 1930s, left because he couldn't afford it .\nThe gift covers tuition, other expenses for neediest accepted applicants .\nFirst students to receive Frank's scholarship for four years graduated Sunday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has been handed his first call-up to the France squad for their two World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania. Gignac has been rewarded for his superb form this season with a first call-up to the France squad. The 23-year-old forward is the top scorer in French Ligue 1 with 17 goals this season -- and has been selected by coach Raymond Domenech ahead of Paris St-Germain striker Guillaume Hoarau. Defenders Patrice Evra and Ladil Rami return, but fellow-defenders Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon) and Julien Escude (Sevilla) are all ruled out through injury. There is also no place in the squad for captain Patrick Vieira, who has struggled to find his best form for Inter Milan this season. France are currently third in European Group Seven with just one win to show from their first three matches. They trail Serbia and Lithuania by five points but have a game in hand on both nations. France initially face Lituania in Kaunas on March 28, with the return match at the Stade de France in Paris on April 1. France squad: . Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Toulouse). Defenders: Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (Roma), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Adil Rami (Lille). Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Samir Nasri (Arsenal), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac handed his first call-up to France squad .\nGignac named in 23-man squad after scoring 15 goals in Ligue 1 this season .\nBut there is no place for captain Patrick Vieira in Raymond Domenech's squad ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Pele has denied saying that Manchester City striker Robinho had taken drugs. Pele's alleged quotes about striker Robinho (above) have caused a sensation in Brazil. The Brazilian legend was quoted as saying that Robinho and former world footballer of the year Ronaldo used recreational drugs at a private party in Sao Paolo. The comments have caused a sensation in Brazil, where Ronaldo is still revered and Pele's word is taken as gospel, and led to Robinho's representatives demanding an official retraction. However, Pele insists he said no such thing. \"Robinho is our son and left Santos with our supervision,\" he told TV Globo. \"What happened was a misunderstanding because I never said anything like that, they gave him wrong information. \"I know what the people who need to sell newspapers are like. When there's a story like this you need to ask for the recording to hear what was really said.\" Pele's advisor went into further detail about the exact nature of the misunderstanding. \"There's nothing to this, Pele never said that Robinho had problems with drugs,\" he told Terra.com. \"His answer was distorted. Pele was asked about problems in football, and said that the problems are few compared to other sports. \"He said that in football only Maradona, Ronaldo and Robinho had really had problems, but he never talked about drugs at any moment.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pele has denied saying that Manchester City striker Robinho had taken drugs .\nBrazilian legend was quoted as saying Robinho used drugs at a private party .\nHowever Pele claims that his recent quotes were distorted and misrepresented ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- California's highest court upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages Tuesday but allowed about 18,000 unions performed before the ban to remain valid. Protesters gather outside the California Supreme Court in San Francisco on Tuesday. Supporters of November ballot initiative Proposition 8 hailed the ruling, but about 1,000 advocates of same-sex marriages who gathered outside the court building in San Francisco met the 6-1 decision with chants of \"Shame on you.\" Following the ruling, supporters of same-sex marriage took to the streets to protest. CNN affiliate KGO reported that after the opinion was made public lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender officers were brought in specifically to help manage the crowd. During those protests 159 adults and three juveniles were arrested and cited for jaywalking, San Francisco Police Department Sgt. Lyn Tomioka told CNN. Similar rallies were held Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, where 3,500 to 5,000 protesters took part, according to police estimates. There were no arrests, said Julianne Sohn of the Los Angeles Police Department. There were also reports of demonstrations in San Diego and some other California cities, as well as in major cities nationwide. iReport.com: Rally in San Diego . Lisa Angelot and Karen Brandenberger were married when it was legal, but they said their own marriage is not enough, and told KGO they were prepared to be arrested to make the point. \"It will be my first time to be arrested,\" Angelot told KGO. Many supporters said it was most upsetting to have the right to marry yanked away from them after last year's court ruling. \"It is impossible to square the elation that we felt just a year ago with the grief that we feel today,\" said Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. \"And it is impossible to reconcile the court's ruling from a year ago with its upholding of Proposition 8 today.\" The same court, dominated by Republican appointees, ruled in May 2008 that the state constitution guaranteed gay and lesbian couples the \"basic civil right\" to marry. Voters responded in November by approving the marriage ban by a margin of 52 to 48 percent. iReport.com: React to court decision and share photos, video . Opponents of the ban argued that it improperly altered California's constitution to restrict a fundamental right guaranteed in the state charter. Its supporters argued that Californians long have had the right to change their state constitution through ballot initiatives. Tuesday's ruling found that the proposition restricted the designation of marriage \"while not otherwise affecting the fundamental constitutional rights of same-sex couples,\" as Chief Justice Ronald George wrote. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Carlos Moreno -- the court's only Democratic appointee -- wrote that the decision \"is not just a defeat for same-sex couples, but for any minority group that seeks the protection of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.\" Watch what was at stake » . The decision sparked protests in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. \"It's nice that my marriage is still intact, but that's not the point,\" said Kathleen White, who was among those awaiting the ruling in San Francisco. \"The point is that everybody should have the same civil rights across the board.\" But Miles McPherson, pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, said the court \"did the right thing.\" Voters in 28 other states have approved constitutional bans on same-sex marriages, and none has been rejected, he said. \"God didn't create the family that way,\" McPherson said. \"You can't have a family with a mother and a mother, because [children] need a mother and a father to nurture their personality and their character.\" Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, said the ruling \"should encourage pro-family activists not only in California but across the country.\" But he said that by preserving marriages performed before the ban, the justices could have opened a door to a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. It was unclear whether advocates had an avenue to appeal Tuesday's ruling, however. And Dennis Herrera, San Francisco's city attorney, said the fight for same-sex marriage rights would most likely go on \"in the electoral arena.\" \"Today we're faced with a disappointing decision,\" Herrera said. \"But I think we also know it could have been worse.\" View reactions to the ruling » . A new effort, dubbed Yes on Equality, has begun working to place an initiative on the 2010 ballot that would repeal Proposition 8. State justices left unaddressed whether same-sex marriages performed in other states before the ban was adopted would be recognized in California, and advocates would have to argue that the measure violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case. California took its first steps toward recognizing same-sex marriages in 2004, when San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. iReport.com: React to court decision and share photos, video . Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who opposed the initiative, praised the court for leaving the previous marriages intact and urged opponents of the decision to respond \"peacefully and lawfully.\" \"While I believe that one day either the people or courts will recognize gay marriage, as governor of California, I will uphold the decision of the California Supreme Court,\" Schwarzenegger said in a written statement. Four states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Iowa -- currently allow same-sex marriages. A Vermont law making such marriages legal will take effect in September. And the District of Columbia voted May 5 to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, though it does not itself give marriage licenses to same-sex couples." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Police: 162 same-sex marriage supporters arrested during protests .\nDissenting opinion says decision \"fundamentally alters\" state constitution .\nCourt's 6-1 ruling met with chants of \"shame on you\" from crowd of about 1,000 .\nVoters approved ban on same-sex marriage in November ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A former federal prosecutor was arrested Wednesday on charges related to the murder of a witness in a drug case, among many other counts, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, New Jersey, said. Former federal prosecutor Paul Bergrin is charged with leading a racketeering conspiracy that included a murder. Paul Bergrin and three others were taken into custody after a federal grand jury in New Jersey indicted them on 14 counts, including murder, racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering charges, a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra Jr. said. The indictment charges Bergrin with leading a racketeering conspiracy that included the murder of a witness in a drug case and an attempt to hire a hit man in another drug case, the statement said. Bergrin also is charged with wire fraud and money laundering, Marra said. Gerald Shargel, Bergrin's attorney, said his client would plead not guilty to all charges. \"This is largely dredging up old issues, and we intend to vigorously fight the charges,\" Shargel said. The U.S. Attorney's Office statement said Bergrin was involved in the murder of a confidential witness in one federal drug case and tried to hire a Chicago, Illinois, hit man to kill a witness in another drug case. The second killing never occurred, the statement said, because the proposed hit man was a cooperating witness in the case. Marra called Bergrin's alleged conduct \"simply shocking.\" \"A licensed lawyer, a former prosecutor essentially became one of the criminals he represents, supporting, encouraging, indeed directing, a criminal enterprise that engaged in murder and murder conspiracies, drug trafficking and financial fraud,\" Marra said in the statement. \"Bergrin can now expect to feel the full weight of the very legal system he turned on its head with his conduct.\" Bergrin was an assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey before going into private practice. According to the New York Law Journal, Bergrin, 53, pleaded guilty this month to two misdemeanor counts for his involvement with a prostitution ring. He later represented U.S. Army Sgt. Javal Davis, one of seven people charged in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq. In that case, Davis entered a plea agreement on reduced charges before his court martial began. A recorded message at Bergrin's Newark, New Jersey, office said it was closed today, and messages left with Bergrin's cell phone and the cell phones of two associates went unanswered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paul Bergrin arrested after federal grand jury indicts him and 3 others on 14 counts .\nBergrin was assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey before going into private practice .\nIndictment charges him with leading conspiracy that included murder of a witness .\nBergrin's attorney: Case is \"dredging up old issues,\" will plead not guilty ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- They line up early every Saturday morning at the decrepit gymnasium that houses the La Matanza Barter Club. Nelly Vasquez and her 6-month-old daughter, Antonella trades wool for food. Club members shuffle in carrying sacks stuffed with everything from homemade clothing to homegrown vegetables, set up their stands and begin a day of bartering. The La Matanza Barter Club in the working-class Buenos Aires neighborhood of Isidro Casanova is one of more than 100 that now function throughout Argentina. They provide a vital service for people who are short on cash by helping them make ends meet. Each item brought to the club is given a value by its owner, who then trades it with other members for whatever goods they are offering. \"What we do here is a fair and honest trading. I look at this like a job, and I work hard at it, and it helps me live better,\" says Deolindo Farias, 66, who brings fresh bananas and mandarins every week and trades them for household items like flour and sugar. Barters Clubs boomed in Argentina following the country's 2001 economic meltdown when jobs, security and cash were scarce. Club officials say during 2002 more than 2 million people participated in the clubs on a regular basis. In recent years, as Argentina's economy bounced back, fewer people showed up, but ever since the global financial crisis hit last year, they say the barter clubs are more popular than ever. Watch how the clubs are helping poor Argentines » . \"It's a reality now. In these past few months there has been a big increase. For example, we now have 400 people every Saturday. It used to only be 300. People are traveling here from other neighborhoods so they can barter too,\" says Juan Maccarone, president of the La Matanza Barter Club. Nelly Vasquez, 29, goes to the club because she has no other options. She lost her job at a clothing factory last year, and has been going to the barter club every week since January -- often with her six-month-old daughter, Antonella, in tow. \"I come here because I don't have a job, and this is the only way for me to survive and get the things that I need,\" says Vasquez, who trades wool and women's shoes for pasta and rice. For others, the barter clubs offer something that every consumer on a budget seeks: a bargain. \"If you go to the supermarket, they charge 10 or 15 pesos for a bottle of cooking oil. Here, I can get it with 50 or 80 club credits. That's only 4 or 5 pesos -- that's a big difference,\" says Maria Rosa Araya, 37. By all accounts, Argentina was the first Latin American country to have the barter clubs. The idea has now spread to other countries, like Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela. There's even a burgeoning barter club circuit across the Atlantic Ocean in Spain. Organizers say barter clubs are evidence that in tough times, economies can thrive -- or survive -- on their own, when it's the people calling the shots. \"The golden rule at barter clubs is to offer an honest product for an honest price,\" says Ruben Ravera, co-founder of Argentina's Red Global de Trueque (Global Barter Network). \"It's a concept that could help solve the world's economic problems. Think about it,\" he says." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Barter clubs opening around Argentina show extent of country's economic crisis .\nMembers -- often poor and unemployed -- trade food, clothes .\nThe clubs first opened during Argentina's 2001 economic meltdown ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Texas woman tearfully recounted the death of her foster child at the hands of a schoolteacher during a congressional hearing Tuesday looking into the use of seclusion and restraints in U.S. schools. The House Committee on Education and Labor heard testimony Tuesday on a report looking at school abuse. The hearing came on the heels of a report issued by the investigating arm of Congress that documents widespread abuse of techniques use to restrain or discipline special-education students. The Government Accountability Office report was prepared for the House Committee on Education and Labor, which heard testimony from parents, investigators and experts who described traumatizing punishment of special-needs children. The violent acts -- from hours of isolation in locked rooms or closets to the use of handcuffs and pinning children on the floor -- often led to serious injuries and even death, witnesses said. Committee Chairman Rep. George Miller, D-California, called the testimony \"startling.\" \"This is just unacceptable,\" he said. \"This punishment is way out of bounds of what I believe are the social norms of this society.\" Toni Price of Killeen, Texas, told committee members that her 14-year-old foster child, Cedric, died in March 2002 when his eighth-grade teacher's disciplinary actions went too far. His death was one of the cases investigated by the GAO -- and the teacher, who is now working in a Virginia high school, has been placed on leave as a result of the congressional investigation. Price said Cedric was experiencing behavioral problems in school and on that particular day he stopped working at 11 a.m. His teacher withheld his lunch. Around 2:30, still without having eaten, Cedric tried to leave the classroom. Her voice shaking and tears welling in her eyes, Price said the teacher, whom she described as over 6 feet tall and weighing 230 pounds, forced the boy in a chair and restrained him. Price said Cedric, a small boy, struggled, so the teacher put him face down and sat on him. \"I can't breathe,\" he said. \"If you can speak, you can breathe,\" the teacher said, according to Price's testimony. Shortly after that, Cedric stopped struggling, and then stopped moving altogether. The teacher continued to restrain him as an aide wiped drool off his face, Price said. They then sat him up in the chair but Cedric slumped over and slid off, Price said. He was dead before Price could get to the school. \"If I treated Cedric that way at home, I'd be in jail,\" Price told lawmakers. Cedric's death was ruled a homicide, Price said, but the teacher never faced trial. She was placed on a Texas registry of individuals found to have abused children but, despite the listing, she now teaches at a public high school in Virginia, Price told the committee. Tuesday morning, the American Association of School Administrators told the committee that the teacher involved in Price's death had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. The school system acted after the GAO referred its findings to the state school board, the organization reported. Price questioned why the crimes of pedophiles are public but teachers who torture children are free to continue working without disclosure of their past actions. Government auditors examined hundreds of allegations of abuse, the GAO report said. In 20 of those cases, it said, children died after being put in restraints. In four of those, the restraints were found to have resulted in the children suffocating. GAO investigator Greg Kutz told the House committee Tuesday that he lacked data to quantify the problem, but in the 2008 school year, investigators discovered 33,000 instances of seclusion, restraints or other punishments in Texas and California alone. Despite the problem, Kutz said, no federal regulations exist on the treatment of the more than 6 million children classified as having \"special needs,\" conditions including autism and Down syndrome. At the state level, the laws are widely divergent -- 19 states have no laws at all. Auditors found that eight states prohibit prone restraints or other techniques that hinder breathing, and 17 require teachers or staff to be trained in proper techniques before using them. Only six keep records of how frequently those techniques are used, and reports are required by law in only two of those states -- California and Connecticut. The GAO investigation found that teachers and school staff frequently lack training in correct restraint methods, and in some cases, where improper restraints led to injuries, teachers often kept their jobs. In 13 states, parents have to agree before teachers can restrain children in non-emergency situations, while 19 require teachers to notify parents after the fact. Parents contacted by CNN commonly said they were not told their children were being disciplined until after they began to behave badly at home, which to them indicated trouble at school. When confronted with complaints, school systems sometimes sought to minimize or deny the allegations, even after public investigations found the charges to be true, according to parents and the GAO report. Miller's committee is considering new laws governing what actions teachers can take to rein in disruptive special-needs students. Abbie Boudreau and Steve Turnham of the CNN Special Investigations Unit contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New GAO report shows abuse of techniques used to restrain special-ed kids .\nHouse Education and Labor Committee hears testimony from parents, investigators .\nChairman Miller, D-California, called the testimony \"startling\"\nGovernment auditors examined hundreds of allegations of abuse ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Tuesday urged urban leaders and policymakers they need to take the lead now in fighting climate change. Bill Clinton to urban leaders in Seoul: What will you do about climate change? \"What are you going to do and how much are you going to spend?\" Clinton asked leaders from the world's biggest cities at a climate summit being held in South Korea's capital, Seoul. Officials from the world's 40 biggest cities plus 17 affiliate municipalities are attending the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, which ends on Thursday. Waiting for nations to take the lead with a new climate protocol in Copenhagen in December is not an option, said David Miller, mayor of Toronto and chairman of the C40 Cities Leadership Group. \"If governments talk about reducing CO2 (carbon dioxide), cities are the ones that show how it's done,\" Miller said. \"The point is that cities act, and working together we have a scale and a size that we dramatically increase people's ability to fight climate change. \"The challenge for national governments is that while they can sometimes reach agreement they don't know how to act collectively,\" Miller continued. \"For cities, that's easier. We all have climate strategies, but can make our actions work better and make the partnerships to do that.\" The Seoul summit is the third conference by cities held to discuss responses to climate change. The C40 group was established in London in 2005. A second summit was held in New York in 2007. Watch efforts to make New York's Empire State Building more eco-friendly » . Much of the talk at this week's conference was how major urban centers could work toward adhering to the Kyoto Protocol, the existing environmental treaty that sets targets for nations to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations. Adopted in December 1997, the Kyoto Protocol entered into force in February 2005. In countries that did not sign up to the Kyoto agreement, cities took it upon themselves to reduce their carbon footprint. While the United States did not sign Kyoto, 825 U.S. cities and towns signed up to a climate protection agreement that embraced that protocol's goals. Some nations that signed Kyoto have set more ambitious environmental targets. Copenhagen, for example, aims to be the world's first carbon neutral capital by 2025. Toronto, like other cities, will be sending a city delegation to Copenhagen for the U.N. summit in December. There to lobby governments and for a parallel cities summit, Miller hopes that the actions that cities are taking now, and the partnership that he expects to be made while in Seoul this week, will serve as examples that the carbon reduction goals can be reached. \"Copenhagen is very important for all countries to agree, because we are losing the battle. Cities will be there and we're going to be very active. We'll have credibility because we are actually doing things. We'll be able to say to governments that they need to engage, empower and resource cities so we can accomplish the goals.\" How to actually reduce CO2 emissions is the purpose of the Seoul summit, Clinton reminded delegates. Representing around 600 million people worldwide, mayors and policymakers in Seoul have the ability to make a difference with climate change policies, the former U.S. president added. If the methods of reducing a city's carbon footprint are known there is still the question of the means, which vary wildly between the first world urban areas such as Seoul, London and Toronto, and other attendees from cities in the developing world, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Lagos, Nigeria. Miller believes that providing good examples of effective climate change policies and grasping the opportunity for cities to take the lead in planning for a low-carbon future should not be missed. He highlighted Toronto's own \"tower renewal\" project, retrofitting buildings in a run-down area of town that he hopes will be an example of a carbon-neutral urban renewal project that can be applicable elsewhere. New building projects in two areas of London and the creation of a new city in central Florida -- Destiny -- were among 16 projects announced at the summit as climate-positive initiatives and supported by the Clinton Climate Initiative. Once built, these projects will absorb more CO2 than they use, supporters claimed. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon introduced the South Korean capital's ambitious environmental plans, including building a vast path of park land bisecting the capital. Delegates cited practical challenges they are facing. The spread of the H1N1 virus had crippled Mexico City's economy by scaring off tourists, officials from that city said at the summit. Without money, they said, even the most promising environmental plans can struggle. Luis Castaneda Lossio, the mayor of Lima, Peru, highlighted the initiatives his city is trying to pursue. Compared to Seoul's thousands of acres of parkland, he admitted they had struggled to plant 150 trees in the traffic-clogged city. \"Solidarity is essential!\" Lossio said with verve as a final remark during his address on making Lima a low-carbon city. It was a sentiment echoed by Miller, who highlighted the opportunities for cities such as Toronto to take a lead during the global economic recession. \"I've always believed in activist governments. The private sector is in retreat. The green agenda is a way to restart the economy by doing the right thing. If there are ways for the governments to create incentives, like grants for solar power, then you can kick-start the economy on the right path, but cities and government importantly have to do that now. We have a great opportunity.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Summit of world's largest cities meeting in Seoul to discuss climate change .\nEx-U.S. President Clinton says cities must take lead with green policies .\nInitiative by cities began in 2005 in London .\nU.N. to hold climate conference at end of year in Denmark ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "TRION, Georgia (CNN) -- The Dodge Neon sped down Interstate 40 in eastern Oklahoma, its occupants heading to Phoenix, Arizona, to buy a load of dope. It was May 2005. The couple brought along methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana to help pass the time on the long journey. Paul Faulkner, 83, and his son, Michael Smith, were convicted in a drug smuggling ring in north Georgia. At that moment, Detective Rob Rumble had no clue that the traffic stop he was about to make would launch a years-long drug investigation stretching more than 2,000 miles, from the remote mountains of northwest Georgia all the way down to Mexico. The investigation showed how an 83-year-old grandfather adapted to the times, morphing from old school bootlegging to dealing Mexican dope. His son acted as the ringleader of the operation. His grandson was tied in too, authorities say. \"I've seen it all. Nothing surprises me,\" said Rumble, a drug investigator for the district attorney's office in east-central Oklahoma. After making that traffic stop, Rumble persuaded the nervous, lanky driver from Georgia to work with authorities and tell everything he knew. Investigators were led to a sleepy pocket of Georgia with scenic mountain views where people wave to strangers from their cars and where some homes still fly the Confederate flag. Watch moonshine, marijuana and a family feud » . It's the last place one might expect drugs from Mexico. But the demand for drugs is reaching even the most remote corners of America. Their story has all the intrigue of a classic Southern novel -- three generations of a family business on the wrong side of the law, complete with an old fashioned family feud. \"When they're in that type of business, there's a reckoning day -- and apparently this is it,\" said Benny Perry, the 78-year-old mayor of Trion, Georgia, one of the towns where the family was operating. Perry is a barrel-chested man and speaks in a welcoming Southern accent. \"I'll say this, I was completely surprised,\" he said. \"I felt like we had a problem here, but I wouldn't have thought it was originating in Mexico and coming here.\" The drugs, mostly marijuana, were trucked from Mexico through California and Arizona and then distributed across five counties in Georgia and one in Tennessee, authorities say. They were hidden in just about anything -- furniture, roofs of big-rigs and tire wells. Once the shipments arrived, the dope was put in 50-caliber ammunition cans and buried in the woods, where buyers would pick up the stash and leave behind thousands in cash, authorities say. See where the family operated » . At the heart of the operation was 46-year-old Michael Leon Smith, who authorities say became one of the richest men in Chattooga County, population 25,000, as he laundered his drug money by buying up dozens of pieces of property. One tract of land sits on Old Justice Road, an ironic name considering the law finally caught up with him. Smith's 83-year-old father, Paul Leon Faulkner, was also busted. Eight others, including Faulkner's grandson (Smith's nephew), pleaded guilty to an array of charges related to the drug ring. The drugs mostly involved marijuana, but methamphetamine and cocaine were also part of the smuggling operation, authorities say. \"We love it when somebody says they can't be caught,\" said Del Thomasson, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who worked the case. Faulkner, who is suffering from cancer, was handed a 20-year sentence last month and is to head to prison in August. \"Twenty years, that is a death sentence,\" said Giles Jones, Faulkner's attorney, adding that he has appealed the sentence. He said Faulkner was a \"full-time mountain shiner\" who could talk moonshine until he was \"blue in the face,\" but knew little about the Mexican marijuana operation. Jones said the old man's son \"threw his ass under the bus\" to save himself. \"It's a situation where I guess you're just looking out for yourself. It's every day as every day, man,\" said Jones. Not so fast, said Cathy Alterman, the defense attorney for Smith, Faulkner's son. \"Michael didn't throw his father under the bus. His father threw Michael down the drain when he was 16 years old,\" Alterman said. \"If the father got a longer sentence, it's because he's a lousy father. ... He was never there for his son, except to be a bad example.\" Smith is serving a nine-year sentence in federal prison in Montgomery, Alabama. Faulkner's grandson is also serving a nine-year sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. Alterman said the sentences are excessive for people involved in dealing marijuana, a substance she says should be legalized. iReport.com: Time to legalize pot? \"Michael's a wonderful family man, a Christian -- which means a lot to him, a very religious man. And I point out that in the Bible, God gave us every seed-bearing plant, and I think Michael looked at it that way. And, unfortunately, our government since 1937 has not seen it as a God-given right.\" Alterman is a defense attorney in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. She says about 90 percent of her clients are accused drug dealers, \"most of them out of Mexico.\" Asked if Smith was dealing with people tied to Mexico's ruthless cartels, Alterman said, \"Yes.\" Learn more about Mexican cartels » . \"When you're selling in quantity -- all right, and Michael was selling in quantity -- you need someone who is able to give you a regular supply at a reasonable price, and so eventually Michael did end up buying from people who were from Mexico.\" The cartels are so organized, the money so great, that when an operation like this family's is taken down, it doesn't take long for others to move in. \"Within 24 hours, if someone's arrested, someone else here already in the United States in the trade will take their place,\" Alterman said. \"America does not know that the fingers of the cartels are basically around the throat of America,\" she added, \"and it has spread out to rural America just as much as the inner city of Detroit.\" Authorities agree. Nearly every rural community is facing a similar battle, with drug dealers taking up shop in small towns where law enforcement has less of a presence and where the nation's highways make for easy transport. \"I think people should care about what happens in a rural area, because let's face it, there are more rural areas than there are cities. Our community is not the only one affected,\" said GBI agent Thomasson. A Justice Department study released last year showed Mexican cartels had a presence in 230 U.S. cities, stretching from the U.S.-Mexican border to the Southeast and as far north as Alaska. The nation's rural communities are increasingly affected. See the cartels' urban hubs . \"Historically, rural America uses more alcohol and less drugs. That is changing,\" said Dr. H. Westley Clark, the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. There have been few comprehensive studies over the last decade looking at the problem of drugs in rural America. According to a 2006 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the use of illicit drugs in America is nearly the same in cities and rural areas, 8.7 percent compared to 7.8 percent respectively. Another report, in 2000 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, found that eighth-graders living in rural America were 34 percent more likely to smoke marijuana than in urban centers and 83 percent more likely to use crack cocaine. In Trion, a town of about 2,000 people, a sign sits at the edge of the community in support of the local K-12 school. It reads, \"Trion Bulldogs deserve a drug free community to live and grow!!\" The words \"drug free\" are underlined. Many here are shocked to hear drugs from Mexico are coming through. Most don't like to talk on the record about the case because the family was well-known, even well-liked. \"You got a guy who's a drug dealer, but you have good people in a community. I mean, they don't have a clue what's going on,\" Thomasson said. The town's mayor, Perry, said it's difficult to reconcile a \"cordial\" local family with the serious drug convictions. \"You could talk to [them] ... and they would speak back,\" he said of Faulkner and Smith. \"That's a big thing up here in a small town. If you speak to somebody and they don't speak back, you think, 'Well, something's wrong here.' \" Perry said local authorities are trying \"to stamp out the local demand,\" adding, \"As long as we've got a market for it, they're gonna bring it up here.\" Alterman, the defense attorney, agrees. \"Americans are screaming for drugs\" and there's millions to be made, she said. \"There's too much money involved.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "10 people, including grandpa, son and grandson, convicted on serious drug charges .\n83-year-old former moonshiner gets 20 years; son who led operation gets 9 years .\nAttorney: \"If the father got a longer sentence, it's because he's a lousy father\"\nAuthorities say case is a microcosm of what's happening across rural America ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Two people were killed and about a dozen others were injured when a bomb exploded in a Catholic church in Kathmandu on Saturday morning, police said. The damage inside the church in Kathmandu following Saturday's bomb blast. The explosion in the Nepalese capital killed a 15-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman. \"The bomb exploded inside the church when the explosion happened,\" senior police officer Kedar Man Singh Bhandari told CNN over the phone. About 100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded, police said. Manish Amatya, who was injured, said the blast interrupted their prayers. \"There was a loud explosion while we were praying and all of us ran out screaming,\" he said. Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb, which damaged the church. CNN's Manesh Shrestha contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Explosion in Nepalese capital killed 15-year-old girl, 30-year-old woman .\n100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded .\nInvestigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- The election of 736 members from 27 member countries to the European Parliament in June will be the biggest transnational electoral contest there has ever been. Between them they will represent more than 500,000,000 people. About 375 million EU citizens aged 18 or over are entitled to vote. But few understand how the low-profile Parliament affects the lives of EU citizens. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about the contest. Who will be voting, when and where? About 375 million EU citizens aged 18 or over are entitled to vote in the election of the parliament members for a five-year term. The elections will be held on Thursday, June 4 in the UK and the Netherlands. There will be voting on Friday, June 5 in Ireland and the Czech Republic. And it will begin on Saturday, June 6 in Cyprus, France, Italy, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia. The other countries will conduct their voting on Sunday, June 7. Elections will take place in all 27 member countries of the EU, with the citizens of Bulgaria and Romania included for the first time. How many MEPs are there and how many does each country elect? There will be 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the new assembly. The number each country has varies according to its population. Germany, with a population of 82 million, the biggest among EU states, will have 99 members. Malta, with a total population of just 410,000, will have only 5. Will that number stay the same if the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect? No. The Lisbon Treaty, designed to give the EU a new streamlined constitution for the EU (and to increase the powers of the European Parliament,) has been put on ice following its rejection in a referendum in Ireland, the only country to give electors a direct voice. But the Irish are due to vote again in the autumn. If they then vote Yes and all remaining EU states ratify the treaty, then the Parliament will be increased from 736 to 751 members on a different distribution formula. That means that 15 'ghost MEPs', will be elected on June 7, entitled to attend the Parliament but not to vote in it until the Lisbon Treaty goes through. What election system is used? That varies according to the individual states represented, but all will be using some variant of proportional representation. In some countries candidates will all be on a single national list, making the entire country a constituency. Others elect MEPs from regional constituencies. Many countries set a threshold, insisting that parties have to gain an overall proportion of the vote -- 5 per cent in France and Germany, 4 per cent in Sweden or Austria -- to qualify for any allocation of seats. Whom do the MEPs represent? Most would-be MEPs contest the elections with the endorsement of national political parties. National parties such as the Christian Democrats in Germany or the Labour Party in Britain put up approved lists of candidates. But when they are in the European Parliament the MEPs mostly operate in wider groups of left or right such as the Socialist Group (PES), the Liberal Group (ELDR) or the European Greens. The main conservative grouping is the European Peoples Party (EPP). However, David Cameron, the national leader of Britain's Conservatives, has withdrawn his members from the EPP, regarding it as too federalist in its approach. The groups work as a bloc when they can and have \"whips\" designed to make them as cohesive as possible. What powers do the MEPs have? Much legislation in member states actually originates at a European level. National legislatures pass laws which have begun life as directives from the European Commission, the EU executive arm, which the MEPs have helped to shape. They are the only elected part of the European apparatus which is otherwise dominated by European Councils (meetings of the prime ministers or finance or trade or interior ministers from the 27 nations) or the European Commission. Do MEPs really make much difference to ordinary people's lives? It may not feel like it, day to day, but MEPs often have more influence over the shaping of European legislation which filters down to national parliaments than the members of those national parliaments do when the laws get to them. Recent EU laws which have affected citizens directly include the \"roaming directive\" which restricted the charges mobile phone companies can impose on customers for calls in countries other than their own. EU directives have helped initiate the era of cut-price air travel. It was the EU which determined that telephone and data companies had to keep records for at least two years to help counter terrorism . And the so-called \"REACH\" directive has forced businesses to disclose what chemicals they use in their products and to ensure that they are safe. Because driving legislation through the European Parliament requires the building of cross-party coalitions more than 50 percent of amendments proposed in the European Parliament end up as law. That is why company lobbyists spent much time in Brussels trying to make their case to MEPs. But does the Parliament have any muscle? It has the rather drastic power to sack the European Commission. It also holds public hearings on newly-appointed Commissioners. The Parliament also has significant powers over how much of the European Union budget is spent. Although most legislation originates with the Commission, if more than 50 percent of MEPs back a resolution calling for new laws in a particular area the the Commission has to get down to work to propose some. The EU is one of the largest aid donors in the world, dispensing some $15 billion a year across five continents and MEPs have a significant say in that. Where is the European Parliament situated? Most of its meetings are held in Brussels close to the officials whose draft legislation is examined by the Parliament's subject committees. But, at a considerable cost, some plenary meetings are also held in Strasbourg, an arrangement which the French government has fought long and hard to maintain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Election will be the biggest transnational electoral contest ever .\nAbout 375 million EU citizens aged 18 or over are entitled to vote .\nElections will take place in all 27 member countries of the EU .\nMuch legislation in member states actually originates at a European level ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The death toll from a powerful cyclone that hit India and Bangladesh this week has climbed to at least 180, officials said Wednesday. Cyclone Aila struck eastern India, causing an estimated $8 million damage in one district alone. In Bangladesh, some 111 people have died and more than 6,600 others have been injured in the storm, said Sultanul Islam Chowdhury from the country's food and disaster management ministry. Cyclone Aila, which made landfall on Monday, has swept away nearly 180,000 homes and affected the lives of more than 3.3 million people, he said. In India, the number of storm-related deaths climbed to 69 Wednesday, according to an emergency official. About a quarter of the total, 20 people, died in landslides triggered by Aila on Tuesday in a hilly region of West Bengal, said Debabrata Pal, a joint-secretary with the state's disaster management department. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Powerful cyclone in India, Bangladesh kills nearly 200 people, officials say .\nCyclone Aila has left thousands of people homeless in both countries .\nAila packed winds up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers)" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Stories about Sly Stone usually start with the word \"reclusive.\" Sly Stone sometimes takes the stage at Los Angeles clubs with daughter Novena and her group, BabyStone. Don't call him that anymore, because the superstar who blended funk, rock, soul and psychedelic sounds in the 1960s and '70s before disappearing from the scene in the '80s is not in hiding, his youngest daughter said. Stone's media shyness in recent decades earned him a comparison to the late billionaire recluse Howard Hughes, but he's just been living his life and making his music out of the glare of great expectations that superstars suffer. \"It's not like he wasn't making music,\" said Novena Carmel, his 27-year-old daughter. \"He was enjoying his life and riding motorcycles, one of his passions.\" Now 66, Sly Stone is talking to interviewers again and sometimes taking the stage at Los Angeles clubs with Novena and her group, BabyStone. \"She is the force that keeps him straight,\" said Anthony Valadez, a disc jockey with Los Angeles public radio station KCRW. \"I think it's her energy and their bond that is so sacred that keeps him in line. That's what brings Sly out.\" The Sly and the Family Stone founder gave a rare interview to KCRW's \"Morning Becomes Eclectic.\" Though it airs Monday, the interview was taped days ahead -- given Stone's 40-year reputation for not showing up for concerts and interviews. Sly Stone -- who was Sylvester Stewart before changing his name as a radio DJ -- didn't reminisce in the interview about past troubles. Guest host Chris Douridas kept the conversation about the music. He said he was a child, performing in his family's gospel group, The Stewart Four, when he first realized the power music has over people. It happened as he sang \"On the Battlefield\" during a Sam Cooke show at the Oakland Auditorium when he was 4. \"Towards the end of the song, people starting running down the aisle and I didn't know what was going on,\" he said. \"I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know they were just happy. So, I turned around and ran, and I've been running ever since.\" Stone now says he didn't know then where he was heading. \"Where I was is where I was,\" he said. Stone wrote his first hit song for someone else. Bobby Freeman made \"Come On and Swim\" a Top 10 pop hit in summer 1964. When he formed Sly and the Family Stone in 1966, the mix of race and gender was unusual for its time. \"It was on purpose -- that's what I intended to do,\" Stone said. He recruited two white musicians -- drummer Greg Errico and saxophonist Jerry Martini. Though African-American women were mostly used as backup singers back then, Cynthia Robinson played the trumpet. Larry Graham's revolutionary style of \"slapping\" his electric bass guitar strings added to the Family Stone's groundbreaking sound. The songs appealed to white and blacks equally and regularly topped both the pop and R&B charts. Stone's lyrics often carried dual meanings. \"Hot Fun in the Summertime\" -- released in summer 1969 -- might be a tribute to the fun of summer days to one listener, while another might see satire about the summertime race riots of the late '60s. Stone set the stage for other superstars to follow, but the band dissolved after one hot decade and success became as elusive as Stone. Novena may understand her dad better than anyone these days. She's lured him back to the stage for several performances, which she avoids calling concerts. With those, \"people expect certain things,\" such as wanting performers to be what they were 30 years ago, she said. Instead, it's the \"Sly Stone Variety Show,\" which allows her father \"to do whatever he wants to do in the moment.\" \"It's very wild, in the sense that they have the Sly Stone trivia game onstage with diehard fans,\" said Anthony Valadez, who has been to several. The show format is designed \"for him to connect with people and people to connect with him,\" his daughter said. Novena also knows to not plan too far ahead with her dad, so he doesn't have time to back out. \"If it's done quickly, then it works,\" she said. \"But if he has a tour, then there's a lot of expectations that you have to meet for everybody to be happy.\" \"My dad would be like, 'I wanna do a show as soon as possible,'\" she said. That gives her just about a week to get the show together and promote it. P-funk architect George Clinton and actor-comedian Eddie Murphy showed up for the last one, which was a sold-out celebration of Stone's 66th birthday. One indication that Stone has changed his no-show habit, which marred his reputation in younger days, is he actually arrives for shows early, Valadez said. \"Coming early to these gigs, you watch Sly and his affection for his daughter and it's evidence he would do anything for her,\" he said. Stone's complete interview can be heard at KCRW.com." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Stone is talking to interviewers again years after gaining a reputation as a recluse .\nStone takes the stage with his daughter, Novena, and her group, BabyStone .\nOnce known for being a no-show, Stone now shows up for performances early ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- London's newest hotelier Mark Fuller is showing commendable bravado for someone about to open a luxury hotel during a global recession. Entrepreneur Mark Fuller in the Sanctum Soho hotel, a rock'n'roll \"haven of hedonism\" in London. \"F*** the recession, let's get on with it,\" he says, while sitting on the roof terrace of the Sanctum Soho, a 30-room establishment dubbed the rock'n'roll hotel, as much for its \"anything goes\" service philosophy as the pedigree of its owners, which include the co-managers of heavy metal band Iron Maiden. \"We do not recognize there is a credit crunch because we believe you should battle through it,\" Fuller says, adding, \"If you get panicky and scary about things like this, you're no man at all.\" Besides, he admits, three years ago when he started working on the concept of an 'alluring haven of hedonism' (as the hotel is described on its Web site), the credit crunch didn't exist. And by the time it hit, it was too late to pull out. \"We wouldn't do anyway,\" Fuller insists, adding \"fortune favors the brave, as they say.\" See images of the rock star hotel » . The former band manager turned entrepreneur, is looking quite the rock star tonight, decked head-to-toe in black while a shiny silver skull stares ominously from his belt buckle. Downstairs, staff are frantically preparing for a launch party that promises to be heavy on champagne, cocktails and celebrities. It's almost like the crunch doesn't exist. This is Fuller's world and he's hoping plenty of people will want to join it. \"In every downturn in the economic climate I think people look for some affordable glamour and escape,\" he says. Fuller also owns and runs the Embassy Hotel, an exclusive nightclub in the upmarket London suburb of Mayfair which he plans to franchise in Dubai, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi. The partners in his new hotel venture ooze rock credential: Iron Maiden co-managers Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor. While Taylor has experience running a restaurant and hotel, \"The Inn on the Green,\" Smallwood's experience in the hotel industry is based on 30 years on the road with Iron Maiden. Last year he stayed in 80 hotels in 40 countries and one of his biggest gripes is returning to his hotel after a gig and finding the bar is closed. \"You want good service, and you want the bars open, and you want good food available,\" he says from the roof terrace equipped with a bar and Jacuzzi he's taken to calling \"my lounge.\" Smallwood expects to stay in the hotel once a week and says it will become a London bolt-hole for the band. While non-music types and the tone-deaf are welcome to stay in the hotel, over-enthusiastic groupies are not. \"If you're on the road for three months, you can never escape,\" Smallwood says. \"The fans, some of them, think they have a God-given right, just because they're staying in the same hotel, to put a camera in your face over your cornflakes.\" \"The rule here is no autographs and no photographs,\" he says firmly. \"Say Paul Weller is sitting in the corner having a beer, and you go and ask for an autograph or photograph, you will not stay here again.\" Along with privacy and a beer at all hours, guests have access to an on-call guitar doctor, a necessity, apparently, if you break a string while strumming in your room. Guests who have inadvertently left their guitar at home can hire one from reception. The rock star concept extends to the room decor. The silver wallpaper and mirrored columns may appear garish in daylight, but at 3 a.m. one suspects they add a touch of glamour. Free standing baths are a bold leap from the bed and the mini bar is well-stocked with champagne. Rod Smallwood is confident the concept will work. \"Recession or no recession, we're talking about 30 rooms in a huge major city. If we can't sell 30 rooms in the depths of recession it means we're useless, and we know we're not.\" Mark Fuller says he's selling more than a hotel room. In times of economic crisis the Sanctum Soho offers the chance to forget the mortgage and live like a rock star, if only for a day. \"You can sit in the restaurant and have a hamburger for seven pounds ($10),\" he says. \"The drinks are cheaper than most hotels, and probably cheaper than most nightclubs. The room accommodation runs everywhere from £125 ($255) straight up to £450 ($650). Take your pick. Cut your coat.\" I mishear him. \"Cut your coke?\" I ask. \"No, you can't do that!\" he exclaims. \"Musicians are not like that anymore,\" Fuller says. \"The music industry is such now that people release CDs to support tours, not the other way around, so this is a professional state. \"I just don't want to be the hotel at the end of the tour, then I'm in danger,\" he laughs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Entrepreneur braves recession to open rock'n'roll hotel in London's Soho .\nSanctum Soho offers roof terrace with 24 hour bar, Jacuzzi, guitar doctors .\nRooms sparkle with silver wallpaper, free standing baths and champagne .\nBackers include Iron Maiden co-managers Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While I am looking forward to being back on the air in June, there is something I want to share with people that cannot wait. I want to tell you about Kai Anderson. Kai is a 5-year-old boy who lives in my neighborhood in New York City. Kai has a rare form of leukemia. Kai Anderson has a rare form of leukemia. This little boy's best hope lies in a bone marrow transplant. His only hope is a bone marrow transplant and he desperately needs to find a match. As if Kai's family weren't going through enough, his father was diagnosed with a very rare form of lymphoma -- that's two cancers in this one family. Our community in downtown Manhattan has mobilized to try to find a bone marrow match for Kai. We are asking people to consider taking a very quick and test. I have done it. It just involves a q-tip swab in the cheek. If you are a match, donating bone marrow can be a simple outpatient procedure. I encourage you to visit www.hopeforkai.com to learn more. This is a heartbreaking story and a family that truly needs our help. -- Campbell Brown ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "5-year-old Kai Anderson has a rare form of leukemia .\nTo cure it, he needs a bone marrow transplant .\nClick here for information on bone marrow drives in Kai's honor ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "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!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Marks & Spencer is ending its surcharge on larger lingerie .\nRetailer takes out adverts admitting \"we boobed\"\nCampaigners argued that the higher prices of the bigger bras was unfair ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick arrived at his home in Hampton, Virginia, on Thursday morning. Michael Vick, left, arrives at federal court with attorney Billy Martin in Richmond, Viriginia, in 2007. \"He is happy to be reunited with his family,\" said Chris Garrett, a spokesman for Vick. Vick was released from a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, on Wednesday. He will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in Virginia, his publicist Judy Smith said. Vick is a native of Newport News, Virginia. Watch a panel discuss his release » . Vick, 28, pleaded guilty in August 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in Virginia. He could return to professional football as soon as September if reinstated by the NFL, according to the sports agent who negotiated Vick's 10-year, $140 million contract with the Falcons. Meanwhile, Vick's attorneys have said he will work at a Newport News construction firm after his release and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $600,000. Last month, a federal bankruptcy judge denied a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by Vick and urged him to offer another plan. The original plan called for Vick to come up with $750,000 to $1 million in cash to be paid to creditors, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro said, but he said he saw no evidence Vick could come up with that much. Santoro suggested Vick's next plan not call for him to keep two houses and three cars, as did the rejected proposal. In testimony, Vick acknowledged committing a \"heinous\" act and said he should have acted more maturely. He said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison. His Falcons salary, he said, was between $10 million and $12 million. He acknowledged failing to handle his money well. After his release, Vick will work with the Humane Society of the United States on anti-dogfighting campaigns, Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle told CNN Tuesday. Vick will work on programs aimed at preventing youths from getting involved in dogfighting, and on programs to assist young people who have already been involved in the blood sport. Watch more about Vick's dogs » . Pacelle said the Humane Society was approached by Vick's representatives. He said he has traveled to Kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback, and during the second visit, the two discussed how Vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting, as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it. Details have not yet been hammered out, Pacelle said, but will be in the next couple of days. iReport.com: Does Vick deserve a second chance? More attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of Vick's case, Pacelle said. The Humane Society, which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting, has recently paid out $40,000 in five cases, he said. CNN's Marylynn Ryan contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick released from prison on Wednesday .\nVick will serve last two months of sentence in home confinement .\nAttorneys have said Vick will work at construction firm; Vick has OK'd documentary .\nVick, 28, pleaded guilty in 2007 to bankrolling a dogfighting operation in Virginia ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNET) -- Craigslist's managers have complied with the wishes of most of the state attorneys general who demanded they rid the site of prostitution ads. Craigslist says it has removed prostitution ads, but some issues remain. The Web's dominate classifieds publication replaced its controversial \"erotic\" section with a new \"adult\" category. And where Craigslist once relied on readers to flag dodgy advertisements, the company's employees now review every ad submitted to the adult area before they appear online. Yet, the site has been unable to block every solicitation for sex. Catherine, a self-described sex worker from San Francisco, confirmed for CNET that she successfully posted an ad for her services to the adult section late last week. She wished to remain anonymous, so neither the ad's photo nor text can be included in this story. Regardless, it isn't hard to find questionable ads in Craigslist's new adult section. The most noticeable difference between Craigslist's erotic and adult categories is the photos. In the adult section, the photos are less provocative. Less skin is showing. When it comes to the text, however, the two sections are very similar. Both are packed with ads for massage services. Ads in both areas include descriptions of the masseuse's breast size (\"I'm a natural C cup\") and they are often photographed dressed in their underwear. Even if most of these services are legitimate, and only a few are veiled offers of sex in the new adult area, plenty of others make little if any pretense about what they offer. These ads typically include words such as \"busty,\" or \"fantasy girl\" in their descriptions. Often, they feature photos of a woman or man dressed provocatively in their underwear or bathing suit. Some include hourly rates. Clearly, Craigslist faces a significant challenge as it tries to purge prostitution from its Web pages. While it can ban nude photos and overt offers of sex, how can anyone expect the site to outlaw ads featuring photos of bikini-clad women offering phone numbers? One can find racier images in department store ads. The Internet has made it easier for merchants of all kinds to conduct commerce and reach wider audiences. Should anyone be surprised that the sex trade has benefited from this as well. If Craigslist were to disappear tomorrow, does anyone really expect that would curb prostitution? A review of some competing online classifieds shows that while Craigslist has been a popular destination for sex workers, it is by no means the only one. For example, Backpages.com is an online classified publication and Craigslist competitor. The content it produces can also be found on the Web sites of some entertainment and alternative publications in major metropolitan areas, such as New York's Village Voice or San Francisco's SFWeekly. Craigslist is G-rated compared with the photos found in Backpages' adult section. Ads included nude photos while others showed people engaged in sexual intercourse. A common ad would show a bare chested woman asking men to call her at a phone number. In the area of Backpages that services Charleston, S.C., one ad found on Tuesday by CNET featured a photo of a bare-chested woman apparently engaged in masturbation. It must be noted that there was nothing as graphic on Craigslist. This is relevant because Henry McMaster, South Carolina's attorney general, last week threatened Craigslist with a criminal investigation. McMaster hasn't made any similar threats--at least none that has been publicized--against Backpages. Managers at Backpages did not respond to an interview request. In November, Craigslist and 40 state attorneys general, including McMaster, signed an agreement that called for the site to add more safeguards. The classifieds publication followed through and one of the new changes was a new requirement that anyone posting to the erotic section must provide a credit card. All the parties hoped that criminals would be unwilling to provide identification and this would be deterrent. \"Many of the classified and communication services on the Craigslist site provide the public with a valuable service,\" McMaster wrote to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster on May 5. \"However, it appears that the management...has knowingly allowed the site to be used for illegal and unlawful activity after warnings from law enforcement officials and after an agreement with forty state attorneys general.\" Since then, Craigslist did away with the erotic section and agreed to review every ad before it appeared, but McMaster was dissatisfied. He posted a note on his site that said the \"Craigslist South Carolina site continues to display advertisements for prostitution and graphic pornographic material. This content was not removed as we requested. We have no alternative but to move forward with criminal investigation and potential prosecution.\" This is at best an empty threat, says Matt Zimmerman, a senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The Communication Decency Act protects Web sites like Craigslist from being held criminally liable for the actions of its users, Zimmerman said, who added that Craigslist has no legal obligation to even review ads before they go online. Had Zimmerman had his way, Craigslist would have never agreed to do the monitoring. Craig Newmark, Craigslist's founder, had earlier gone on national TV and said that Craigslist would not do away with the erotic section. The company's reversal may have led McMaster to believe he could shame Craigslist managers into doing more than what the law required. \"It made life more difficult for Craigslist I think,\" Zimmerman said. \"But I was much more disappointed with (McMaster) than Craigslist,\" Zimmerman said. \"His threats were bogus to begin with and he was wrong to threaten (Craigslist's managers) with jail when the law is very clearly on their side.\" © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Craigslist has banned sex ads, but some still remain, author says .\nA San Francisco sex worker says she still sells sex through the site .\nOn Tuesday, an ad on the site shows bare-chested woman .\nSource: law protects Craigslist from being held liable for users' actions ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Judge Sonia Sotomayor knew she wanted to go into law from an early age. Sonia Sotomayor says the nomination is the \"most humbling honor \" of her life. As a child, she aspired to be like Nancy Drew, the detective in the popular children's mystery series. But at the age of 8, she was diagnosed with diabetes and told she would not be able to pursue that line of work. Sotomayor said it was another fictional character that inspired her next choice. \"I noticed that [defense attorney] Perry Mason was involved in a lot of the same kinds of investigative work that I had been fascinated with reading Nancy Drew, so I decided to become a lawyer,\" Sotomayor told the American Bar Association publication in 2000. \"Once I focused on becoming a lawyer, I never deviated from that goal.\" See Sotomayor's life in photos » . Sotomayor's parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. Her father worked in a factory and didn't speak English. She was born in the Bronx and grew up in a public housing project, not too far from the stadium of her favorite team -- the New York Yankees. Her father died when she was 9, leaving her mother to raise her and her younger brother on her own. Related: Sotomayor well known in sports . Her mother, whom Sotomayor describes as her biggest inspiration, worked six days a week to care for her and her younger brother, and instilled in them the value of an education. Background on Sotomayor » . Sotomayor later graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and went on to attend Yale law school, where she was editor of the Yale Law Journal. In her three-decade career, she has worked at nearly every level of the judicial system, and on Tuesday she became President Obama's pick to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court. Watch Sotomayor accept the nomination » . Sotomayor thanked Obama for \"the most humbling honor of my life.\" \"I hope that as the Senate and American people learn more about me, they will see that I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences. Today is one of those experiences,\" she said. The 54-year-old judge, if confirmed, would become the first Hispanic to serve on the high court. She would also be the third female named to the Supreme Court, and the second on the current court. See who's already on the Supreme Court » . Sotomayor is touted by supporters as a justice with bipartisan favor and historic appeal. She currently serves as a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The liberal-leaning justice was named a district judge by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and was elevated to her current seat by President Clinton. Supporters say her appointment history, along with what they describe as her moderate-liberal views, will give her some bipartisan backing in the Senate. Sotomayor presided over about 450 cases while on the district court. Prior to her judicial appointments, Sotomayor was a partner at a private law firm and spent time as an assistant district attorney prosecuting violent crimes. Robin Kar, who clerked for Sotomayor from 1998 to 1999, described her as a \"warm, extraordinarily kind and caring person.\" Watch Kar recall his work with Sotomayor » . \"She has an amazing story, but she's also just an amazing person,\" he said, adding that she has a knack for getting to know those around her. \"She was the judge who, in the courthouse for example, knew all of the doormen, knew the cafeteria workers, who knew the janitors -- she didn't just know all of the other judges and the politicians. She really went out of her way to get to know everyone and was well loved by everyone.\" Conservatives argue Sotomayor has a \"hard-left record\" and believes that judges should consider experiences of women and minorities in their decision-making. They also described her as a \"bully\" who \"abuses lawyers.\" Asked about allegations that she tends to be prickly with her colleagues, Kar said, \"I would say no to that. What I would say is that she has a reputation for being prickly on the bench, which is a bit different.\" Kar said if attorneys have with a weak argument, \"she's very quick ... and intellectually demanding.\" \"They'll have a hard time if they show up in her court without really doing their homework,\" he said. Margarita Rosa, a Princeton classmate of Sotomayor, said she's always known the high court nominee to be \"measured and methodical\" in her decision-making. \"She really looks at the facts and she is, I think, very evenhanded and fair -- but does bring to the table a very valuable understanding of the challenges and experiences, I think, of average people,\" she said. Obama has said he hopes confirmation hearings will be held in July, with the confirmation completed before Congress leaves for the summer. Sotomayor was confirmed to her current seat by the Senate in 1998, a process that took more than a year. The final vote was 67-29. Though a majority of Senate Republicans opposed her nomination, she did win several key Republican votes that year, which could prove critical in this year's confirmation fight. In 1998, the New York judge won the support of 25 Republicans, including eight senators who still serve. If Sotomayor is able to maintain the support of just a few of those GOP senators this year, Senate Republicans would face an almost impossible task in defeating her nomination, even by filibuster, which requires 40 votes. Currently, Republicans hold 39 senate seats. All 29 votes against her 1998 nomination were from Republicans, 11 of whom still serve. CNN's Kristi Keck and Robert Yoon contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sotomayor: \"I am an ordinary person ... blessed with extraordinary opportunities\"\nSonia Sotomayor, 54, was born in Bronx to parents from Puerto Rico .\nSupreme Court nominee grew up in a public housing project in the South Bronx .\nNamed district judge by George H.W. Bush; elevated to current seat by Bill Clinton ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A southwest Illinois man accused of strangling his wife and two young sons appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to murder charges, officials said. Christopher Coleman sits in the back of a police car after his arrest Tuesday in the slayings of his wife and two sons. Christopher Coleman, 32, will remain jailed without bond pending a June 10 preliminary hearing, according to the Monroe County, Illinois, district court clerk's office. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sheri Coleman, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9. Their bodies were found May 5 in the bedrooms of the Coleman's two-story home in Columbia, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The three died of strangulation by ligature -- a string, cord or wire -- police said. Coleman was arrested Tuesday at his parents' home in Chester, Illinois. As a police patrol car carrying Coleman arrived at the Monroe County courthouse for Wednesday's hearing, a waiting crowd shouted \"murderer\" and \"baby killer,\" according to video posted on the Web site of CNN affiliate KSDK. Coleman told police he left the house at 5:43 a.m. the day of the deaths and drove to a gym to work out. Watch report of Coleman's actions after deaths » . \"Shortly thereafter, he started calling his house, realized that nobody was answering and on his way back at around 6:50 a.m. is when he made the phone call to the Columbia Police Department, said Maj. Jeff Connor, commander of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. Coleman said he was calling the house to make sure the boys were waking up for school, Connor said. Threatening messages were found on the walls inside the home, Connor said, but would not disclose the exact wording. In an article posted on the Major Case Squad's Web site, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported the message said something to the effect of, \"I told you this would happen.\" A glove with red spray paint on it was found along Interstate 255, which would have been on Coleman's route to the gym, the newspaper reported. The message in the Coleman home was written in paint of a similar color, the article said. Coleman previously worked in the security department for Joyce Meyer Ministries, an evangelical Christian organization based in suburban St. Louis, said spokesman Roby Walker. Walker told CNN Coleman resigned last week after the two met regarding \"a violation of moral conduct.\" He would not elaborate. The Post-Dispatch cited police sources as saying Coleman had more than one romantic rendezvous with a Florida woman, a friend of his wife, during out-of-town ministry trips. Neither Coleman nor his attorneys have commented on that report, the Post-Dispatch said. Police said Tuesday they did not have a motive for the killings. Joyce Meyer Ministries said in a statement Wednesday that it had learned of the charges against Coleman. \"This horrible tragedy has deeply saddened us all and although nothing can compensate for the loss of this beautiful family, our ministry remains fully behind the diligent efforts of the law enforcement community,\" the statement said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Illinois man held without bond on three counts of first-degree murder .\nChris Coleman pleads not guilty to slayings of wife, two children .\nBodies were found in Southern Illinois home on May 5 .\nColeman claimed he left home for gym before slayings, police say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Supreme Court hopeful Sonia Sotomayor breaks ground for Hispanics, she is poised to add an exclamation point to another historic demographic shift: the move to a Catholic court. If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor would be the sixth Catholic justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor was raised Catholic and if she is confirmed, six out of nine, or two-thirds of the justices on the court will be from the faith. Catholics make up about one-quarter of the U.S. population. \"It's most unusual,\" said Barbara Perry, a government professor at Sweetbriar College who was already writing a book about Catholics on the Supreme Court when Sotomayor was named as the next nominee. \"Presidents used to reserve a Catholic seat and a Jewish seat on the Supreme Court,\" Perry told CNN Radio. \"Now we've moved from a Catholic seat on the court to a Catholic court.\" Of the 110 people who have served on the Supreme Court, 11 have been Catholic. Five of those justices -- Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts -- are currently on the court. \"It is more than a random selection process that yielded the current five Catholics on the bench,\" Perry said. The five current Catholic justices were appointed by Republican presidents, which Perry notes may be a key reason why so many Catholics have joined the high court in recent years. \"It's their tie to conservative Catholicism which made them agreeable to (Republican) presidents' ideology,\" she said. Perry sees Catholics as swing voters with a base of socially conservative principles, and therefore naturally attractive for Republican presidents. Catholic League President Bill Donohue goes further, hypothesizing that Catholics have conservative credentials on issues such as abortion, without the political baggage of terms such as the \"religious right\" or \"evangelicals.\" \"Is it safer to nominate a Catholic as opposed to an evangelical to get votes? I think the answer is decidedly yes,\" Donohue said. Donohue also suggests the vigorous education in Catholic schools during the 20th century produced sharp legal minds. \"I think there might be a certain kind of Catholic edge, so to speak, as a residual property of a Catholic education,\" he said. Roberts, Scalia and Thomas attended Catholic school as children, as did Sotomayor. Watch more about Sotomayor's personal history » . Underlying causes aside, Perry sees the fast shift as a sign that centuries of American concern about Catholics are over. In 1985, a lone Catholic justice, William J. Brennan, Jr., sat on the court. A generation later, that number is poised to become six. \"What that tells is that in our politics, religion doesn't matter anymore,\" Perry said. Then she added: \"I don't think our politics are ready for an Islamic justice at this point.\" The current court is composed of two Jewish members -- Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If Sotomayor joins the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens would be the solitary Protestant on a court once dominated by white Protestant men. Learn about the other Supreme Court justices » . Court observers wonder what, if anything, six Catholic justices would mean for Supreme Court decisions. The five Catholics currently on the bench concurred in a 2007 decision, Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld a state ban on late-term abortions. Sotomayor has faced few abortion cases, and no tests on issues such gay rights or the death penalty. However, Donohue expects a Justice Sotomayor to lean more left than her fellow Catholics on the court. Read about Sotomayor's record » . \"I think she's more reliably liberal,\" Donohue said. Donohue said he still would like to see Sotomayor join the bench. \"Even though I'm a conservative and she is not, there's still a certain way that you do root for the home team,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If confirmed, Judge Sonia Sotomayor would be Supreme Court's sixth Catholic .\nFive current Catholic justices were appointed by Republican presidents .\nCatholic League president says Sotomayor would lean more left than other justices ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- An unopposed former Communist leader was elected Nepal's new prime minister Saturday, ending nearly three weeks of political uncertainty. Madhav Kumar Nepal waves at his supporters at the country's parliament in Kathmandu. Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) was the only person to serve as a candidate for the post after he received backing from more than 20 of the 25 parties in parliament. Nepal, 56, is a former general secretary of the Communist Party, but had resigned after the party made a poor showing last year against another Communist movement. In that vote, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) became the largest party, with 38 percent of the seats in the 601-member constituent assembly which also functions as parliament. Nepal had been general secretary since 1993 and served as the country's deputy prime minister for nine months in 1995. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist chairman, resigned as prime minister May 4 after the president overturned the Cabinet's decision to sack the army chief. Nepal became a republic last year. The new government has two important tasks before it: the writing of a new constitution within a year, and integration of 19,600 Maoist combatants into the security forces. Without the support of the former Maoist rebels, these tasks cannot be achieved. The Maoists fought a 10-year insurgency aimed at abolishing the monarchy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal was only candidate .\nNepal, 56, is a former general secretary of the Communist Party .\nPushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist chairman, resigned as prime minister May 4 .\nFollowed president's decision to overturn Cabinet's sacking of army chief ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- It's not every day the average Joe gets to take a peek at the personal possessions of a royal. Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, pictured on board his 52-foot racing yacht . But, this month CNN's MainSail program has been lucky enough to go on board Juan Carlos I -- the King of Spain's racing yacht. We get a unique insight into just what a royal's boat looks like and the kinds of technological toys and state-of-the-art equipment a King likes to equip it with. Speaking with the one of the boat's crew members, Ignacio Triay, CNN MainSail presenter Shirley Robertson finds that the King's boat is, indeed, at the cutting edge of modern sailing. The 52ft vessel is raced by a crew of 15 people and has competed in some of the world's most popular yacht racing series, racing alongside the very cream of the world's sailing talent. Video: See on board the King of Spain's yacht » . Triay, who has been sailing for the King of Spain for over 20 years, said the boat contains all of the best modern electronic and sailing equipment. For more sailing features -- including the 10 weirdest sailing terms you'll ever hear -- visit the MainSail homepage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CNN MainSail gets on board the King of Spain's racing yacht .\nThe boat is a 52-foot racing yacht that requires a crew of 15 .\nA crew member from the boat says it is full of state-of-the-art equipment ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- On the eve of what was to become the biggest sale ever of a Chinese contemporary painting, Trevor Simon wanted to get the word out about \"Execution,\" a painting he had hidden from everybody. The painting had been stored in a London warehouse for more than a decade after arriving from Hong Kong. \"Not a single person in the world had seen it other than me for more than a decade,\" said the 36-year-old investment banking strategist by phone from London on Thursday. That includes his mother and the woman he loves. Beijing artist Yue Minjun's painting, inspired by the bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square in 1989, sold for 2.9 million pounds ($5.9 million) Friday night in London. The sale exceeded the 2.15 million pounds ($4.37 million) paid in June for the previous record, Yue's \"The Pope.\" Simon remembers seeing the oil painting at Manfred Schoeni's gallery in Hong Kong during the late 1990s and how it fascinated him at first sight. \"As soon as I saw it, my whole self changed,\" he said. \"I realized that this stood for everything that was going on at the time, so I was stunned into silence literally. I saw what was happening in China. I was rising in banking, and I saw an execution of people who were smiling. \"I saw that was what was going on in banking.\" Schoeni and Simon were already on friendly terms, and Schoeni had wanted to show him \"Execution,\" which had been covered up. But when Simon insisted he wanted the painting, he recalled Schoeni telling him it wasn't going anywhere and was not for sale. But Simon said he would not leave and remembered saying: \" 'Fine, have a drink with me.' And maybe I loosened his head a bit. After a couple hours, I struck a deal.\" A junior investment banker in his 20s at the time, Simon would spend $250,000 Hong Kong dollars ($32,200), or two-thirds of his annual salary, on \"Execution.\" The painting reflected what he felt was going on in the world in which he worked: a soulless place. \"While you can apply a good mind, the job eats your life. You spend 14 hours in the markets. A week in Paris, a week in London running around. No life. My girlfriend didn't want to be with me: 'I can't have you.'\" She'd leave him and has since become engaged to someone else, he said. \"It was not only an image of an execution of characters in front of the walls of Tiananmen, but an execution of me,\" he said, describing himself as \"committed to this painting.\" Under the terms of the deal he struck with Schoeni, the painting was to be \"out of sight for five years\" and shipped to London, Simon explained. He described the painting -- at 3 meters (10 feet) wide and 1.5 meters (5 feet) high -- as \"monumental,\" \"physical,\" and \"like a wall.\" He put \"Execution\" in a box, shipped it out of Hong Kong to London. \"And it hasn't moved since that day. It's in a crusty warehouse behind a main road.\" He finds a key distinction between \"Execution\" and Francisco de Goya's \"The Third of May, 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid\" and Edouard Manet's \"The Execution of the Emperor Maximilien of Mexico.\" In those, he said, \"that's murder, true assassination of a political figure. But here [with \"Execution\"], it's far more potent. Because they're killed by culture.\" The laughing was a \"response to unimaginable persecution,\" he said. \"You don't know what the hell else to do. You're nervous. You're not laughing, 'Ha ha hee hee.'\" As for the underwear, Simon said, \"You're stripped down, you're defenseless. Even worse, you're being shot with cultural forces, not bullets.\" And while the man on the far right of Manet's painting cocks the gun and delivers the coup de grace, the figure in \"Execution\" has a similar role, said Simon. \"He's wearing a generic T-shirt -- the guy who's delivering the last shot to be delivered into the heartland of Chinese heritage.\" Yue's painting was in keeping with \"cynical realism,\" the term coined by art critic Li Xianting to describe post-Tiananmen artists disillusioned by and critical of Chinese society, Simon said. When asked if he, as a young 20-something, ever harbored doubts or questioned his sanity about dishing out a large portion of his salary for this work, Simon replied: \"No, no, no, no. I knew. I stood there. You just know. You just absolutely know beyond all doubt that the theme is something special. \"This art was a representation of all the ambition and all the anxiety that had been held back behind the Chinese wall and was now allowed to live, allowed to go free. \"I knew without a millionth of a doubt that that was the story of China on canvas.\" Simon said he would probably cry if he and Yue met. \"He's an immensely brave man, anyone who paints like this. None of his paintings are as politically dangerous as this.\" Simon left the painting in a box in the warehouse and never brought it out or hung it up, despite having other work elsewhere in his house. For one thing, Schoeni was murdered in 2004 in the Philippines. Simon felt that it was because Schoeni was involved in championing the works of people from \"repressive\" countries. The painting became a mental crutch for him. He determined that he would walk out on the most important job he could think of in investment banking, one that earned him more than a million dollars a year. \"The painting helped me leave the job because I could see a country being executed and surviving, and so maybe I could too,\" he said in a follow-up email. Simon had left Hong Kong for \"the lion's den,\" as he put it, in London, where he felt further \"executed by the politics and chaos one step below the top rung of the bank.\" The very top was where the more rational and humanity prevailed, he said. \"All the rest is scratching and positioning and seldom is the best thing done.\" He'd leave his job. That was five years ago, and while he is still involved in finance, he works on his own now, he said. Selling the painting brings Simon full circle to being \"un-Executed,\" he said. Yue's got a new museum and is being recognized by the Chinese government. \"He's no longer repressed by China. And I'm no longer repressed by commercial ambition. It's about doing it the right way,\" Simon said. \"The value of this piece is not the dollar value. It's lovely to have that extra money. But the real value, should I die tomorrow morning, has already been placed in my heart,\" he said. \"I'm not laughing at being shot at. What I'm most proud of is the courage to live. \"God gave me talents. I'm going to use them for good, not for money. Not for trading.\" But first, he plans to get the girl back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Beijing artist Yue Minjun's \"Execution\" sold for record 2.9 million pounds ($5.9M)\nIn the painting, Simon saw metaphor for himself and his life in the bank world .\nSimon spent two-thirds of his annual salary on the painting in the 1990s .\nUnder deal, Simon kept painting out of sight, shipped it out of HK to London ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Michael A. Olivas is the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law at the University of Houston Law Center and director of the university's Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance. He is the editor of \"Colored Men And Hombres Aquí: Hernandez V. Texas and the Emergence of Mexican American Lawyering,\" and is a member of the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Michael Olivas says Sonia Sotomayor's nomination affirms that Latinos matter in America. (CNN) -- I recently saw an old episode of \"West Wing,\" where Edward James Olmos, playing a fictional Puerto Rican federal judge, was nominated to become the first Latino on the U.S. Supreme Court. I cried, thinking how remote this possibility seemed, yet how close. Now that Judge Sonia Sotomayor has been nominated by President Barack Obama to the Court, that episode finally rings true. When I heard the news, I wept, for the long-overdue acknowledgement that Latinos matter. Judge Sotomayor's life and legal career are arcs possible only in this country: a hardscrabble life in a south Bronx housing project, educational opportunities made possible by her own intelligence and hard work, and a legal career devoted to public service. When she assumes her position on the bench in October, no other justice will have had the depth of legal experience she holds, and none will have served as a trial judge. The sum of her life is exactly what we should look for on this court: excellent academic credentials, an accomplished legal career in private and government practice, and appointments to federal benches by Republican and Democrat presidents. Her decisions have been well-reasoned and well-written, and she will ably take her place on the Supreme Court bench. The search for a justice with \"empathy\" is no less coded than is the traditional search for \"judicial temperament\" and a person who will \"judge, not legislate.\" All nominees have the requisite merit badges, as does Judge Sotomayor. And to make their way to such a short list, all have the combination of personal and professional lives that warrant their consideration. What Sonia Sotomayor will have, as few other candidates, is the additional weight of historical expectations and the hopes of Latinos. In today's culture, Latinos are marginalized and demonized and feared. In Judge Sotomayor's New York, roving gangs of thugs go \"beaner hunting,\" looking to harm undocumented Mexicans. Such racial hatred knows no nuance, as one such mob killed a permanent resident Ecuadorian, thinking him to be Mexican. Vigilantes along the Mexican border have taken the law of enforcement into their own hands. In cultural programming, this community is described as either lazy and shiftless, or stealing jobs from real Americans. They are typecast as drogeros or maids, long characterized as banditos or greasers. The racial rhetoric against Latinos has been tolerated for too long on cable television news and in political and polite discourse. I will be carefully watching the confirmation hearings for the coded political messages, knowing that Justice-elect Sotomayor's many merits will ultimately win her confirmation. But also watching will be little girls in a south Bronx housing project, in the valley of South Texas, and in rural New Mexico. Her service on our country's highest court will be the evidence that they, too, have reason to hope and to achieve. All of this country's citizens should realize that it is not just Latinos' dreams being realized, but our collective accomplishment. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Olivas." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Michael Olivas: Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination is a historic moment .\nHe says she has the personal and professional qualificiations to be confirmed .\nOlivas: In American culture, Latinos are marginalized and feared .\nHe says Sotomayor's nomination sends an important message of hope ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Angered by what he perceived as the systemic discrimination of the minority Tamils by successive Sri Lankan governments, 18-year-old Velupillai Prabhakaran, armed with just a revolver, set out in 1972 to right the perceived wrongs by forming a militant group. Sri Lanka's defense ministry says this handout photo shows troops with a captured Tamil Tiger craft. That group eventually morphed into the Tamil Tigers, who have engaged in a brutal 25-year insurgency for an independent Tamil state that has left more than 70,000 dead. Along the way, the group has been declared a terrorist organization in 32 countries, pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and, according to the FBI, invented the suicide belt. It was also behind the assassination of two world leaders -- the only terrorist organization to do so. Over the weekend, the militants offered to \"silence\" their guns after an intense military offensive decimated their ranks, usurping them from their stronghold in the north and east of the country, and cornered the remaining rebels on a small stretch of land. Watch more on the possible end to the conflict » . On Monday afternoon, the Sri Lankan government said it had killed Prabhakaran. If the rebels now follow through on their announcement, the action will potentially mark the end of the longest-running civil war in Asia. Who are the Tamils? The Tamils are an ethnic group that makes up about 12 percent of Sri Lanka's population of about 20 million. They mostly dominate the northern and eastern part of the country. Tamils are mostly Hindu and speak Tamil. That sets them apart from Sri Lanka's majority group, the Sinhalese, who make up 74 percent of the population. They are Buddhists and speak Sinhala. The tension between the two ethnic groups date to the British colonization of the country -- an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. At the time, the country was known as Ceylon. Many Sri Lankans regarded the Tamils as British collaborators and resented the preferential treatment they received. The tables turned when the country achieved independence in 1948 and the Sinhalese majority dominated government. It was the Tamils then who claimed they were being discriminated against in politics, employment and education. By the 1970s Tamil politicians were demanding a separate Tamil state. It would be called Tamil Eelam. In this climate Prabhakaran emerged with his militant group, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Who is Prabhakaran? Prabhakaran operated from a secret jungle base in the northeastern part of the country, granting few media interviews and remaining an elusive figure to even many Tigers. He was reputed to wear a cyanide capsule around his neck -- to swallow rather than risk capture. And he reportedly expected the same dedication from his troops. As a result, few Tigers have been captured alive. To Prabhakaran's supporters he was a hero fighting for the rights of his people. The Sri Lankan government deemed him a war criminal with disregard for civilian casualties. He was wanted by Interpol on charges including terrorism and organized crime. In 1975, three years after forming his group, Prabhakaran was accused of fatally shooting the mayor of Jaffna, his birthplace. Prabhakaran was also accused of masterminding the killing of then-Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in the Tamil-dominated Indian state of Tami Nadu. Sri Lankan authorities allege that Prabhakaran was avenging Gandhi's decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka. Two years later, a Tigers' suicide bomber, allegedly acting under Prabhakaran's orders, detonated explosives that killed Sri Lanka's then-president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, during a rally. Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » . Who are the Tamil Tigers? The Tigers reportedly number about 10,000, recruited from villagers in Tamil-dominated areas and unemployed Tamil youths who think they were passed over for jobs because of their ethnicity. Their armed struggle began in July 1983 when the Tigers killed 13 Sinhalese soldiers. It led to, what was until then, the largest outburst of violence in the island's history. Hundreds of Tamils were killed, thousands left homeless and more than 100,000 fled to south India. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Tigers have -- until now -- shown no signs of being overpowered by the Sri Lankan military. The Tigers are infamous for suicide bombings, with men and women strapping on suicide vests for more than 200 attacks against Sri Lankan citizens and dozens of high-profile political leaders. In addition to perpetrating the attacks that killed Gandhi and Premadasa, the rebels have carried out the assassinations of two lawmakers and four ministers. A suicide bomber targeted Sri Lankan then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga in December 1999 while she was campaigning for re-election. She was wounded but survived. The Tigers, however, have refrained from targeting Western tourists out of fear that foreign governments would crack down on Tamil expatriates who raise money for them abroad, the U.S. State Department said. Have there been peace talks? Periodically fighting has briefly halted because of a handful of peace agreements. By February 2002 the Tigers had dropped their demands for a separate homeland in exchange for a power-sharing deal with the government. Norway and some other countries agreed to monitor the ceasefire. A year later the rebels dropped out of the negotiations, saying they were being marginalized. They launched a suicide bombing campaign soon after. What led to renewed fighting? In January 2008 the Sri Lankan government announced it was annulling the nearly six-year-old truce with the rebels, declaring that it would crush the rebels. The fighting intensified with security forces driving the rebels from their strongholds in the east and north of the country. The government asked the rebels to lay down arms; the rebels vowed to continue. Caught in the crossfire were civilians, thousands of whom were displaced and hundreds killed. International aid groups expressed concern that both the government and the rebels disregarded civilian safety even in no-fire zones and hospitals. Both sides blamed the other for civilian casualties and exaggerated accounts of their victories. With journalists not allowed into the battle zones, their claims could not be independently confirmed. On Sunday, the Tigers posted an \"urgent statement\" on a pro-rebel Web site, saying the battle had reached \"its bitter end.\" \"We have decided to silence our guns,\" the statement said. Euphoria gripped the war-wracked nation. And Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa readied to announce to Tuesday that military operations had ended. But one last order of business awaited: The capture, dead or alive, of Prabhakaran. In the past, the Tigers have emerged from near-defeat. But if Prabhakaran's death is confirmed, the government is optimistic that it can write off the Tigers. CNN's Melissa Gray contributed to this report, which includes information from various sources. They include the U.S. State Department, the FBI, Interpol, Human Rights Watch, the Council on Foreign Relations, the CIA Factbook, and previous CNN reports." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "25-year long insurgency has killed more than 70,000 people .\nTamil leader reportedly wore a cyanide capsule around his neck .\nFBI says group pioneered use of suicide belts for bomb attacks ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of Americans learn a painful lesson in banking every day: Waiting for a check to clear and then getting access to the money from a bank doesn't mean the check has really cleared. When Harry Smith, of New York, responded to an ad on Craigslist for an office assistant, a woman e-mailed him and said her British company was starting to sell its product in the United States, but was having trouble with dealing with checks from customers. Smith said the woman needed someone to collect the checks and then send the money to her company. It was a commission job -- deposit the checks, wait for the funds to become available at his bank, then send cash to her, minus 10 percent for Smith. After Smith checked out what seemed like a legitimate company on the Internet, he started receiving checks totaling several thousand dollars and deposited them in his account. When his bank released the funds, he sent cash to an address outside the country. But after a few weeks, Smith's bank notified him the checks he had deposited had actually been returned, and that he owed the bank all the money he had withdrawn. Smith has not heard from his business partner since and doesn't even know who she really is. He still owes his bank money, is unemployed and doesn't know what action the bank might take against him. What happened to Smith is one example of a wide range of fake check scams carried out in the United States every year. A Consumer Federation of America survey estimates that 1.3 million Americans have been the victim of a fake check scam, with an average loss of $3,000 to $4,000 per consumer. The most common scams are fake sweepstakes or lotteries, phony government sponsored grants and fraudulent work-at-home opportunities, the survey says. The scams follow the pattern of the so-called Nigerian Internet scams, which often involve accepting transfers of money that become obviously phony when it's too late. On Wednesday, the Consumer Federation launched a campaign to combat check scams. Many consumers don't know they are responsible if they deposit a bad check, said Susan Grant, the federation's director of consumer protection. Grant said its survey shows an alarming level of misinformation among consumers, and the problem includes money orders and cashier's checks. Fifty-nine percent of respondents in the survey incorrectly thought that, when you deposit a check or money order, your bank confirms it is good before allowing you to withdraw the money. That number goes up to 70 percent among adults age 18 to 24. More than 40 percent of those surveyed also incorrectly think that the person who gave you the bad check must pay back the bank. American consumers are mostly unfamiliar with the time needed to process checks and money orders, say consumer watchdogs. Government banking rules mandate that money from deposits become available within one to five days. However, it can take weeks, especially with foreign checks or money orders, for the originating institutions to get the checks or money orders back and determine that they are counterfeit. When that happens, scam victims are in for a rude surprise. Publishers Clearing House, which runs legitimate sweepstakes, warns consumers that scammers might claim that you are being given an advance on a prize, but that some fee, tax or other payment needs to be sent before you get the jackpot. That's the heart of the scam, and it's something that a real sweepstakes will never ask for, say legitimate companies. Consumer protection groups, state attorney generals, the Federal Trade Commission and government bank regulators warn consumers that the number of fake checks, money orders and even cashier's checks being used to scam victims is increasing. The bottom line: \"There's no legitimate reason why anyone who wants to give you a check or money order for something would ever ask you to send money anywhere in return. It's as simple as that,\" said Grant of the Consumer Federation of America. Smith said he suspected that his part-time job was not on the up-and-up, but didn't know about fake check scams. He's not sure how he will pay back his bank, but hopes his story will help keep other people from becoming victims. The Consumer Federation of America's tips against fake check scams: . -- Never agree to pay to claim a prize. -- Never agree to pay for grants from the government or foundations. -- Never agree to cash checks and send the money somewhere as part of a job working from home. -- Never agree to wire money to anyone you have not met in person and known for a long time. -- If it seems suspicious, consult your state or local consumer protection agency, the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service or another trusted source. -- Remember that there is no legitimate reason why anyone who wants to give you a check or money order would ask you to send money anywhere in return." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More than 1 million Americans have been victim of fake check scams, study finds .\nExperts warn not to accept checks from someone seeking money in return .\nSurvey: Most American consumers unfamiliar with time needed to process checks ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi took the stand for the first time Tuesday and told a Myanmar court that she did not violate her house arrest when she offered temporary shelter to an American man who swam to her lakeside home. People of Myanmar living in Japan protest for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi on May 24, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. \"She was very confident, very firm, very clear,\" said Mark Canning, the British ambassador to Myanmar, who was among diplomats and journalists allowed to watch the proceedings. \"In a strange way, she commanded the courtroom,\" he said. Suu Kyi, who is being tried on subversion charges, said she did not learn immediately that John William Yettaw swam nearly two miles and snuck into her crumbling, colonial-era bungalow on May 3. She was told about the visitor the next day by one of two housekeepers who are her sole companions in the heavily guarded residence, where she was under house arrest. Suu Kyi's two helpers are also on trial, as is Yettaw. \"I didn't know,\" she said. \"I was upstairs.\" Under questioning by a judge for half an hour, Suu Kyi said she provided Yettaw food but allowed him only to \"stay temporarily.\" Yettaw left late May 5, she said. \"He walked to the lakeside. But I don't know which way he went, because it was very dark,\" Suu Kyi said. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate also acknowledged that Yettaw, a 53-year-old former military serviceman from Falcon, Missouri, had visited her once before last November. \"Did you report to the authority about his arrival?\" the judge asked. \"No,\" she replied. Suu Kyi had earlier told supporters that she did not tell authorities about the latest intrusion because she didn't want Yettaw or anyone else to get in trouble. But it is this silence that the Myanmar's military junta is trying her for. The government said Yettaw's presence violated the conditions of Suu Kyi's house arrest. The country's regime rarely allows Suu Kyi any visitors, and foreigners are not allowed overnight stays in local households without government permission. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years -- a confinement the military junta has regularly extended. Watch the U.N. secretary general explain what he is doing for Suu Kyi » . Her latest round of home detention -- after five years of confinement -- expires Wednesday, according to her supporters at home and abroad. Last week, the military began prosecuting Suu Kyi on allegations of subversion at a prison compound near Yangon. Her supporters say the move is meant to keep her confined even longer -- beyond the general elections that the junta has scheduled for next year. If convicted, Suu Kyi, 63, could be sentenced to three to five years in prison. Before the proceedings got under way at the Insean Prison compound Tuesday, the junta said Suu Kyi's house arrest did not expire for six more months. And though the government said it considered releasing her at the end of the term, it said it had no choice but to try her after she met with Yettaw. \"As Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Gen. Aung San, the leader of our country, we were deeply thinking whether to extend her detention or not,\" Police Brigadier General Myint Thein told reporters Tuesday. \"Unfortunately, a U.S. citizen entered her house for two days. She allowed and made conversation with him, gave him food. \"These kind of actions broke the law,\" he added. \"This is why we have no way but to open a case. And we are very sad about this case.\" Gen. Aung San played an instrumental role in bringing about the country's independence from British colonial rule. He was assassinated in 1947 and is still revered in Myanmar. Suu Kyi's lawyers rejected the junta's explanation, saying the United Nations had already deemed the opposition leader's continuing detention unlawful under Myanmar's state protection laws. \"The U.N. has said her house arrest expired a year ago,\" said Jared Genser, her U.S.-based lawyer. \"They are out of time, and they cannot detain her any longer under their own law.\" Thein told reporters that the pro-democracy advocate had actually been under house arrest for four-and-a-half years. The official said Suu Kyi's house arrest officially went into effect on November 28, 2004. That gives the government six more months to restrict her movement, he said. Genser countered the government's account, citing the conclusion of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The law is unclear whether detention begins from the time a person is arrested or when a detention order is issued, the council said. \"This would suggest an interpretation that you start counting from the day you begin to detain her,\" Genser said. In Suu Kyi's case, she was put under house arrest in May 2003. \"You can't issue an order months later and use that as your starting point. That creates an unfair period of detention,\" he said. After Suu Kyi's testimony Tuesday, the court asked the diplomats and journalists to leave. It denied a defense request to consult with Suu Kyi privately. The court then questioned Yettaw. He is charged with violating immigration laws and trespassing. The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A lawyer selected by the U.S. Embassy is representing him. According to Yettaw's testimony in court Friday, he made the unauthorized trip because he had a vision that Suu Kyi would be assassinated and he wanted to warn her. He muttered to himself during the proceedings, including utterances that Suu Kyi is innocent, said Nyan Win, spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Suu Kyi's prosecution has prompted international criticism, with nine Nobel laureates -- including Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa -- calling it a \"mockery.\" U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the charges against Suu Kyi \"baseless\" and accused the junta of \"continuing resistance to a free and open electoral process.\" The Nobel laureate has been the face of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement and the focus of a global campaign to free her. Her party won over 80 percent of the legislative seats in 1990. But she was disqualified from serving because of her house arrest, and the military junta ignored the results. The government has said next year's scheduled elections will reintroduce democracy in Myanmar. But its plan includes a clause that forbids citizens who bore children with foreigners from running for office. That makes Suu Kyi ineligible. She married a British man and has two sons with him. CNN's Kocha Olarn in Bangkok, Thailand, and Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Junta says Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest does not expire for six more months .\nOpposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is on trial with American John Yettaw .\nSuu Kyi told Myanmar court that she is not guilty, has not broken any law .\nYettaw is charged with violating the conditions of Suu Kyi's house arrest ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KEY WEST, Florida (CNN) -- The USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a retired U.S. Navy warship, embarked on a sedentary new career Wednesday on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. The USNS Vandenberg was intentionally sunk Wednesday to create an artificial reef for marine life. The decommissioned warship was scuttled in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary between 10:20 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. ET to become the world's second-largest artificial coral reef. The 17,250-ton ship sank in less than two minutes, said Andy Newman, spokesman for the Florida Keys Tourism Council. It is resting about 140 feet below the surface, but much of its bulk is only 40 to 70 feet below the surface. \"It went down like a rock,\" he told CNN. \"Everything looked very, very smooth.\" About 300 boats positioned themselves as close as possible to the site, and cheers went up when the Vandenberg slipped beneath the water seven miles south of Key West, the spokesman said. Watch the Vandenberg sink » . Newman, who was circling in a helicopter above the 522-foot-long ship, said the Vandenberg appeared to rest in a level position on the Gulf floor. Divers were to assess its position Wednesday. Authorities said once final assessments of the ship are made, divers can begin exploring. The goal of the $8.6 million project is to divert fishing and diving pressure away from natural reefs, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission \"estimates that the vessel's life span of at least 100 years will contribute stable, long-term habitat for scores of marine fish species, and provide exceptional diving and fishing opportunities for Florida residents and visitors,\" its Web site says. To sink the Vandenberg, holes were made above the waterline in the side of the ship and throughout various decks, Newman said. Explosive charges were embedded in the bilge area below the water. The explosives detonated inside the hull, blowing outward. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects that the Vandenberg artificial reef will result in an annual increase of about $7.5 million in expenditures in the economy of Monroe County, which includes Key West. Sinkthevandenberg.com -- a joint effort by Artificial Reefs of the Keys and Valeo Films -- had offered a live, online stream of the event, but the system apparently was overloaded, making the site inaccessible. The Vandenberg was built at the Kaiser shipyard in Richmond, California, in 1943. It was commissioned as a World War II troop transport ship. After Japan surrendered, the Vandenberg was the first Navy ship to return to New York Harbor. During the 1950s the ship was used to transport refugees from Europe and Australia to America. In the 1960s the Air Force used the Vandenberg to track missiles. It also was used to track rockets and early space shuttle launches. The ship was decommissioned in 1986 and was anchored with more than 25 other mothballed ships in Norfolk, Virginia. The Vandenberg was towed to Key West last month. The Vandenberg was chosen from among 400 decommissioned military vessels mainly based on appearance: \"her topside structure, her smooth, interesting hull lines, big girth and her starring role in a motion picture,\" Newman said. The ship was featured in the 1999 movie \"Virus,\" starring Donald Sutherland and Jamie Lee Curtis. Four men who had served on the Vandenberg traveled to Key West to see the ship go to its final resting place. Patrick Utecht worked for more than 20 years as a civilian contractor on the Vandenberg when it was used for missile and radar tracking and data collection. When he heard about its future as part of an artificial reef, Utecht said, \"My feeling was one of elation.\" \"I can say that many of us [crew members] were thrilled that where she was going, she would keep her name and place in history.\" \"I think it's a far better use of her than being cut up,\" he added. The largest ship ever scuttled to create an artificial reef was the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, which sank to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast in 2006, according to the U.S. Navy. The former warship slipped under the water about 24 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, the Navy says on its Web site. The Oriskany was 888 feet long, and weighed 32,000 tons. It sank in water about 212 feet deep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A decommissioned U.S. Navy warship was intentionally sunk off the Florida Keys .\nThe USNS Vandenberg will become the world's second-largest artificial reef .\nThe sunken ship will create a long-term habitat for scores of marine fish species .\nThe ship was built in 1943 and commissioned as a WWII troop transport ship ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) -- The 101st Airborne's senior commander in effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since January 1, two of them in the past week. An Army honor guard stands ready to fire a salute at Fort Campbell. \"If you don't remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this -- suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad,\" Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. \"It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it's got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now.\" Fort Campbell's suicide rate, the highest in the Army, \"is not a good statistic,\" he said in remarks to one of four divisions he addressed during the day. After nearly one soldier per week committed suicide at the post between January and mid-March, the Army instituted a suicide prevention program that \"seemed to be having good effects\" until last week, when two more suicides occurred, he said. \"Suicide is a permanent solution to what is only a temporary problem,\" Townsend said. \"Screaming Eagles don't quit. No matter how bad your problem seems today, trust me, it's not the end of the world. It will be better tomorrow. Don't take away your tomorrow.\" He urged anyone feeling hopeless or suicidal to \"tell somebody.\" \"You wouldn't hesitate to seek medical attention for a physical injury or wound; don't hesitate to seek medical attention for a psychological injury.\" Townsend exhorted any soldier who suspects that a fellow soldier may be feeling suicidal to act -- first by asking how the soldier feels, then by escorting him or her to help. \"Do not wait,\" he said. Soldiers can turn to their leaders, chaplains, medics, social workers, teammates, family and friends, he said. \"Don't let yourself, your buddies or your families down,\" he said, ending his comments by repeating, \"This has got to stop, soldiers. It's got to stop now. Have a great week.\" But Townsend's message -- called a Second Suicide Stand-Down event -- is likely to be ineffective, said Dr. Mark Kaplan, a professor of community health at Portland State University in Oregon, who has researched veterans' suicide and served last year on a Veterans Administration blue-ribbon panel on suicide risk. \"It sounds like an order,\" he told CNN in a telephone interview. \"I'm not sure that a command like this is going to alter the course of somebody who is on a trajectory of self-harm.\" He suggested the Army might want to adopt the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs model. \"They're dealing with a comparable problem with a similar population,\" Kaplan said. \"They have infused more sensitivity to their approach to suicide prevention as opposed to this. This is like any other order.\" The military culture attaches a stigma to mental illness that needs to be reduced, he said. Soldiers who acknowledge they are considering suicide can suffer severe repercussions, such as losing opportunities for promotion and access to firearms, he said. If the Army is serious about addressing the problem, it needs to address the stressors common to soldiers, including financial problems, marital problems, frequency of deployments, length of deployments, deployments to hostile environments, exposure to extreme stress and service-related injuries, he said. The role of alcohol too must be addressed if the rate of suicide is to be lowered, he said. \"More often than not, these are individuals who'll get liquored up, so to speak, and have access to a gun and die from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,\" Kaplan said. Bill Lichtenstein, who serves on the board of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, the advisory council of the Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health at Columbia University, and on the advisory board of Families for Depression Awareness, was equally unimpressed with Townsend's tack. \"It's the equivalent of 'Just Say No' to prevent drug abuse,' \" he told CNN in a telephone interview. Screening techniques that involve a series of questions are available to identify people at risk for suicide, he said. \"Prominent among them, if not the most important question is: Have you made a plan for suicide? Using a simple battery of questions, you can suss out people who might be at risk, which is far more important than telling somebody, 'Don't take your life,' \" Lichtenstein said. The problem is not limited to Fort Campbell. The Army has reported 64 potential active-duty suicides this year; 35 have been confirmed as suicides, and 29 are pending determination of manner of death. CNN's Tom Watkins contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend spoke to troops about suicide problem .\nDon't hesitate to seek medical attention for a psychological injury, he says .\nSuicide bad for soldiers, families, units, army, country, says general .\nFort Campbell's suicide rate, highest in Army, \"is not a good statistic,\" says general ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- As General Motors heads toward insolvency, the company that was once the biggest on the planet is still riding high in the world's most populous country. China is one bright spot in GM's dismal fortunes, but U.S. consumer activists have raised concerns. As the storied American company prepares to financially dismantle its operations between good and poor performing assets, GM China is becoming the crown jewel in the company's operations. \"If there's a good GM and a bad GM, China is definitely going to be in the good GM side,\" said Michael Dunne, an auto analyst and managing director of J.D. Power and Associates China. But the company's build-up in China is raising concern for U.S. consumer advocates and members of the U.S. Congress. Of particular concern are plans to build cars for the U.S. market in China after thousands of GM workers were laid off at U.S. plants. \"Do we really want the United States of America to export its auto industry paid for by the taxpayer, and un-employ workers to a dictatorship to a country like China?\" said consumer advocate Ralph Nader. \"Where's our self-respect as a nation?\" Adds U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio: \"That cannot be a part of their restructuring of this company. Their business plan cannot include more outsourcing of jobs while taking taxpayer money.\" Industry analysts say the decision is a simple matter of dollars and cents: GM is now the third-biggest car manufacturer in China, which has recently overtaken the U.S. as the world's largest car market. \"Our business is run as separate joint-ventures here in China in partnership with SAIC ... so we're profitable, we fund our own investment and we would be largely independent of any action that took place in the US,\" said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China. \"It seems as though they have enough going on out here that they will remain insulated from the bankruptcy back home,\" adds Dunne. \"I see GM weathering the storm in Asia and holding on to what they've accomplished here and being able to ride it out here.\" CNN's Andrew Stevens and Jim Acosta contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "GM China is the third largest manufacturer in China .\nChina became the world's largest car market in recent months .\nConsumer activists and U.S. politicians deride plans to import GM cars .\nNader: Don't export U.S. auto industry to a \"dictatorship\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A history of childhood abuse and use of a provocative online identity increase the risk that girls will be victimized by someone they meet on the Internet, according to a study appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics. A study in Pediatrics sought to identify which risk factors are linked to Internet-initiated victimization of girls. While highlighting the dangers that exist for adolescent girls, the study's authors also offer a word to parents: You can lessen the risks to your children by monitoring their Internet use. The authors sought to identify risk factors connected to increased rates of Internet-initiated victimization of girls. They also wanted to find out whether abuse victims showed increased vulnerability to online victimization. They found that girls are more likely to experience online sexual advances or have offline encounters if they have previously been abused or have a provocative avatar, which is a digital image meant to represent the user online. Those two factors pose a greater risk to adolescents than perhaps more traditionally considered risks, such as Internet naivete and sexual innocence, the study says. The authors say many Internet-initiated sex crimes originate on social networking sites, which require users to create online identities. Some sites, such as Second Life, require users to create a character to represent them in the virtual world. The program presents users with hundreds of possibilities spanning all shapes and sizes; users can choose anything from a fully dressed persona to a scantily clad one. They also can select features such as hair color and figure. Other sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, allow self-descriptions and photographs. But even there, users can choose what to post, and those identities can shape behavior and interaction online, the study says. \"The extent to which provocative self-presentations ... translate into increased online advances or offline encounters is unknown, but it is plausible that these types of presentations constitute an initial invitation for exploitation and a familiar avenue by which sexual advances are initiated,\" the study says. The study's lead author was Jennie G. Noll of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. The report appears in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Noll and her co-authors cite the Proteus effect, or the idea that the presentation of oneself can affect the behavior of the presenter and the receiver. \"Self-presentations can change the way Internet users interact in a manner that increases the risk for online sexual advances,\" they say. The study looked at 104 abused and 69 non-abused girls ages 14 to 17. Abused adolescents -- who had suffered neglect, physical abuse or sexual abuse -- were recruited from child protective agencies, the authors said. Of the girls studied, 54 percent were white and 46 percent were minorities, of which 82 percent were black and 18 percent were mixed-race, the authors say. The authors held a laboratory session in which they asked the girls to create avatars on a program designed to mimic a popular social networking site, which the authors did not name in the study. Girls could choose bust and hip size, clothing type, visible navel piercings and skin, eye and hair colors. Girls were given a range of choices that allowed for a more provocative or conservative avatar. Participants were also asked to rate how many times they had had online sexual advances, which were described as \"explicit sexual chatting in virtual worlds,\" and how many times they had met someone in person after meeting first online. The authors say 40 percent of the girls reported experiencing sexual advances online, and 26 percent reported meeting someone offline after getting to know the person on the Internet. Abused girls were much more likely to have experienced both, the authors found. \"Results indicated that abuse status was significantly related to online sexual advances, which were, in turn, related to offline, in-person encounters,\" the study says. The authors say there was no direct link between abuse and offline encounters, but that a history of abuse puts girls at greater risk. Looking at the girls' avatar choices, the authors found that girls who present themselves provocatively in body and clothing choices are more likely to have had online sexual advances. That risk is tied not just to an avatar, but to the overall image a girl projects online, they say. On sites that don't use avatars, such as MySpace or Facebook, simply compiling suggestive photographs or narrative descriptions can increase girls' vulnerability, they say. \"Those adolescents who may be unaware of how their appearance might be perceived may not, from a developmental perspective, possess the social sophistication necessary to field and ward off sexual advances in ways that protect them from sexually explicit suggestions,\" the study says. \"This may be a particularly important lesson to convey to female adolescents who are especially vulnerable to exploitation and victimization, such as those who have been victims of childhood abuse,\" it says. One significant factor that helped decrease the risk to girls was the presence and influence of caregivers, the authors found. They urge parents to be aware of how their adolescent girls present themselves on the Internet and be aware that provocative self-presentation might have implications for sexual solicitation. \"Caregiver presence was associated with significantly fewer reports by adolescents of online solicitations,\" the study says. \"As such, the importance of parental monitoring of adolescent Internet use cannot be understated.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Study in June issue of Pediatrics identifies risk factors from Internet predators .\nStudy finds childhood abuse, use of sexy images puts girls at increased risk .\nThese factors more crucial than Internet naivete or sexual innocence, study indicates .\nAuthors urge caregivers to carefully monitor how girls present themselves online ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- A nude photograph of pop singer Madonna was sold for $37,500 Thursday afternoon at a Christie's Art House auction. Christie's auctioned this nude photo of Madonna (partially shown) taken by Lee Friedlander for $37,500. The photo, originally expected to go for between $10,000 and $15,000, was purchased for more than double its original estimated selling price, a Christie's spokesperson confirmed. The 13-inch by 8 5/8-inch framed photograph was purchased by an anonymous bidder over the phone. The full frontal photograph was one of several taken by American photographer Lee Friedlander in 1979. Madonna, then a cash-strapped student, received $25 for the entire photo shoot. Most of the pictures from the shoot were ultimately featured in Playboy magazine in 1985." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nude photograph of Madonna taken when she was student in 1979 .\nLee Friedlander pic sold by Christie's for $37,500 .\nAnonymous bidder made purchase over the phone ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- Usually, when characters in a movie are one-dimensional, that's not a good thing. But in \"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,\" the waxworks figures who come to life after sundown aren't crassly sketchy or dramatically lacking. They're one-dimensional, all right, but knowingly, delightfully so. Ben Stiller and Amy Adams size up a bobble-head Albert Einstein in the \"Night at the Museum\" sequel. Even at their most pop-up brash, they're true to the way that kids see history. They're like characters out of a cool yet innocent mischief-at-midnight children's book -- a \"Where the Wild Things Are\" of global story-time kitsch. And they give you a lift. The movie, make no mistake, is clownishly silly, a lark as light as balsa wood. If anything, though, it's a faster, wittier spin on the formula of its predecessor. Released in 2006, \"Night at the Museum\" was a family popcorn extravaganza that touched a chord even its producers may not have anticipated. In the sequel, Ben Stiller, as the former night guard Larry Daley (he's now a successful entrepreneur ... of flashlights!), spends one long night infiltrating the galleries of the Smithsonian Institution, where he attempts to rescue the exhibits he first got to know at the American Museum of Natural History. (He's trying to get his hands on the magical Egyptian tablet that brings them to life.) The T.rex, the capuchin monkeys, Attila the Hun -- all have been shipped to the archives of the Smithsonian. And all are as feisty as ever. But \"Battle of the Smithsonian\" tilts away from the zoological. The film is a history-of-the-world burlesque in which such drolly self-centered icons as General Custer (Bill Hader), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), and Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) -- a made-up pharoah who lisps with the enthusiasm of Boris Karloff on his own reality show -- collide happily with a living army of Albert Einstein bobblehead dolls, plus stone-carved angels who sing \"More Than a Woman\" and \"The Thinker\" come to life as a Brooklyn deadbeat. This is what you call a wholesome kiddie movie on drugs. It all works because Stiller, with his eager-to-please anxiety and his incredulous double takes, is the perfect addled straight man for a hellzapoppin history show. And it works because Amy Adams, as Amelia Earhart, has the breathless, daffy-sexy vivacity of a '30s screwball heroine, her eyes lit with fire, her delivery as sharp as cut glass as she rat-a-tats out lines like \"You haven't been able to take your cheaters off my chassis since we met!\" \"Battle of the Smithsonian\" has plenty of life. But it's Adams who gives it zing. EW Grade: B+ . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "EW: \"Night at the Museum\" sequel lighthearted, enjoyable .\nMovie moves action to Smithsonian, where Ben Stiller character follows exhibits .\nStandout of film is Amy Adams as screwball Amelia Earhart ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Ted Epperly, M.D., a family physician in Boise, Idaho, is president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which represents more than 93,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. He spent 21 years in the U.S. Army, including service as a family physician, chief of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital emergency room during Desert Storm and Desert Shield, and deputy commander of an Army medical center. Ted Epperly says recruiting more primary care doctors would improve access to quality health care. (CNN) -- Clayton Christensen, Jason Hwang and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan are right about one thing in their CNN commentary titled \"We don't need more doctors.\" America's health care system is broken. It requires significant reform if patients are to have access to convenient, affordable and -- most importantly -- high-quality care that results in good outcomes. But they have missed a central point. We need more primary care physicians now and we will need even more in the future as the baby boom generation ages. If Americans are to see meaningful health care reform, they must have a primary care doctor to whom they can turn for everyday problems: annual physicals and preventive care, diagnosis and treatment for common illness, and diagnosis and treatment of complex, chronic conditions, referral to subspecialists, and coordination of care provided by a team of professionals. Our current system has a serious and growing shortage of these primary care physicians. Today, only 30 percent of physicians provide primary care and 70 percent subspecialize in a single organ system or disease. We need a system in which patients get the right kind of care at the right time in the right place by the right type of provider. They need health services that provide not just convenient hours for minor health problems, but also medical expertise that ensures consistent, ongoing care; accurate diagnoses of symptoms; coordination with pharmacists, other specialists and allied health professionals such as physical therapists; consistent follow-up; and convenience. All at an affordable cost. Several health reform proposals set forth by President Obama and Congress would move federal policy in that direction. How? They incorporate convenience, efficiency, continuity of care and access to a system that relies on the patient-centered medical home -- a concept in which physicians coordinate care with a team of health professionals, offer evening and weekend office hours, and use electronic communication with patients and members of the health care team. But this concept won't be fulfilled unless we have health reform that increases the number of primary care physicians. Right now, America has a current and worsening shortage of primary medical care. Christensen, Hwang and Vijayaraghavan contend that increasing the number of physicians also leads to \"greater intensity of care, but not better health outcomes.\" But their argument leaves out a major caveat. Although a greater number of subspecialists does increase the intensity, number and cost of services, research by Barbara Starfield at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health consistently demonstrates the opposite occurs in communities with more primary care physicians, particularly family physicians. Starfield concludes that an increase of one primary care physician per 10,000 population resulted in a reduction of 34.6 deaths per 100,000 population at the state level. Katherine Baicker, professor of health economics at Harvard School of Public Health, and Amitabh Chandra at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government confirm these findings. Their research shows that increasing the number of primary care physicians results in a significant increase in the quality of health care and a reduction of cost to patients. However, increasing the number of subspecialists was associated with higher costs and poorer quality. At issue, then, is not the total number of physicians, but the number of family physicians and their primary care colleagues. Demographics, an aging population and resulting increased demand for services will require a significant increase in the number of these physicians. Given the long-term process required to train primary care physicians, we will continue to struggle with a shortage of primary care physicians, and that shortage will affect patients' access to care. Family physicians now are working to fill some of those gaps, according to a 2008 survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The survey found 42 percent of respondents offer extended office hours and 29 percent provide open access or same-day scheduling. Moreover, 36 percent offer Web-based health information, 32 percent (up from 10 percent two years ago) prescribe medications by e-mail, and 21 percent (up from 18 percent two years ago) offer e-mail interactions. In short, despite the financial disincentives and other barriers in the current system, family physicians are working to meet patients' needs for convenience and access. They are improving this convenience and access with the help of nurses and nurse practitioners, who are excellent sources of care when patients have a known set of conditions and diagnoses that are amenable to treatment protocols. Likewise, walk-in clinics can fill the access gap when patients have an acute problem that requires a treatment that can be spelled out by an accepted protocol. However, even these clinics rely on an adequate number of primary care physicians. Most walk-in clinic staff realize that convenience should not trump quality or continuity, and most will refer patients to a primary care physician for follow-up and ongoing care. Again, without an adequate number of primary care physicians, these patients will have only partial access to the care they need. Family physicians and other primary care providers are part of the solution, not part of the problem. It is important at this critical time of restructuring the health care system to understand clearly what we are trying to accomplish. What we are building is a high-quality, accessible health care system that increases patient satisfaction and health care outcomes while we decrease cost and ethnic disparities. This is what a primary-care based health system will deliver. This is why President Obama and Congress aim to rebuild the U.S. health care system around primary care. This is why we need more primary care physicians. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dr. Ted Epperly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Ted Epperly: America needs more primary care doctors to expand access .\nHe says studies show primary care doctors improve health-care outcomes .\nEpperly: Doctors are seeking to make services more easily available ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- British model and television personality Katie Price, also known as Jordan, and her singer husband, Peter Andre, are to separate, according to a statement released Monday. Peter Andre and Katie Price, who ran the London Marathon last month, are separating. The couple found romance on the reality show \"I'm A Celebrity... Get me Out of Here!,\" which was filmed in the Australian jungle. The statement said: \"Peter Andre and Katie Price are separating after four-and-a-half years of marriage,\" the British Press Association reported. \"They have both requested that the media respect their families' privacy at this difficult time.\" Only last month the couple, whose reality TV show of their life features on British television, said they were trying for another child. They have two children together, son Junior, 3, and 1-year-old daughter Princess Tiáamii. Price has a 6-year-old son Harvey, by footballer Dwight Yorke, who is disabled. Price first made her name as a tabloid newspaper topless model, but has since gone on to become a television star, author and clothes designer. She also competes in show jumping events and has her own stable of horses. Andre, who was born in London but raised in Australia, came to prominence in 1996 with his international hit \"Mysterious Girl.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katie Price and husband, Peter Andre, are to separate .\nBritish glamour model and singer married in 2005 after meeting on TV show .\nThey have two children together -- Junior, 3, and 1-year-old Princess Tiáamii ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil playmaker Diego from German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in a $34 million deal. Brazil playmaker Diego, right, has completed his $34 million move to Juventus from Werder Bremen. The 24-year-old, who missed the recent UEFA Cup final defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk because of suspension, has penned a five-year contract with the Serie A giants. \"I am enthusiastic and delighted to be a part of such a prestigious club,\" said Diego, whose contract at Werder Bremen was due to run until June 2011. \"I have dreamed of this moment since I was a child. Diego joined three seasons ago from Porto and his Werder farewell will be in the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend. \"After an experience in Portugal and in the Bundesliga, I will be able to prove my worth at a high level but difficult competition,\" he added. \"It is the right time for me to take this important step and I am convinced that at Juventus I will be able to achieve great results.\" Last week, Juventus announced that Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is rejoining them after three years at Real Madrid. News of Cannavaro's return came less than 24 hours after the club sacked coach Claudio Ranieri and replaced him with former player and youth coach Ciro Ferrara. Ferrara's appointment had an immediate impact and Juventus are now level on points with AC Milan in second position after a 3-0 weekend victory at Siena. It was their first win in eight matches and guaranteed them Champions League action next season. The 35-year-old Cannavaro was voted world player of the year after leading Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and has helped Real to achieve two title triumphs during his stay in Spain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil playmaker Diego .\nThe 24-year-old is leaving German club Werder Bremen in a $34million switch .\nJuve said last week Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro will rejoin from Real Madrid ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Switzerland's Massimo Busacca has been selected to referee Wednesday's Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United in Rome on Wednesday -- UEFA have confirmed on their official Web site UEFA.com . Massimo Busacca refereed the 2007 UEFA Cup and one of the semifinals from Euro 2008. Busacca, 40, will be assisted by his compatriots Matthias Arnet and Francesco Buragina, while the fourth official will be Claudio Circhetta. Busacca has been an international referee since 1999 and has taken charge of 32 Champions League matches, including six this season. Among the top club matches he has overseen are this year's Champions League quarterfinal second leg between Porto and Manchester United and the 2007 UEFA Cup final between Sevilla and Espanyol in Glasgow. On the international stage, Busacca was also in charge of the Euro 2008 semifinal between Germany and Turkey and the 2006 World Cup last 16 match between Argentina and Mexico. Meanwhile, authorities in Rome have enforced a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol as they attempt to stave off the threat of trouble between 67,000 Barcelona and Manchester United fans. In a bid to avoid incidents, local authorities have banned the sale of alcohol throughout the city and in airports and stations from 11pm on Tuesday until 6am on Thursday morning. \"It will not be a militarised city,\" Rome authority spokesman Giovanni Pecorari told Press Association Sport. \"All the necessary measures have been taken in order to give the best possible image of this city.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Massimo Busacca selected to referee Champions League final on Wednesday .\n40-year-old Swiss will be accompanied by team of three compatriots in Rome .\nBusacca refereed the 2007 UEFA Cup final and one of Euro 2008 semifinals .\nRome authorities enforce a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol before the final ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Jose Mourinho has extended his contract at Serie A champions Inter Milan by 12 months until June 2012, killing off speculation that he could be on his way to Real Madrid. Coach Mourinho has signed an extended deal ending fears he could wave goodbye to Inter Milan. Former Chelsea supremo Mourinho took charge at Italian giants Inter a year ago following the departure of Roberto Mancini and has just guided the club to their fourth straight scudetto. They also won the Italian Super Cup, but were eliminated by defending champions Manchester United in the first knockout round of the Champions League. A statement on the Inter Web site read: \"In response to the wish of the coach to continue the project started together a year ago, a wish welcomed with pleasure by the club as a sign of attachment and winning spirit, FC Internazionale announces the extension of Jose Mourinho's contract until 30 June 2012.\" Mourinho had promised the fans more titles would be on the after lifting his first Italian title, but the eal issue refused to go away until Monday's statement. When asked about the chance he could leave Inter, Mourinho had earlier told the club Web site: \"There is still a 0.01% (chance). But for me this is not an important number, it just means that I am closer to Inter than to Real. \"I am satisfied with the relationship with the fans and with my players. I repeat, I am closer to staying at Inter than going elsewhere.\" Those comments failed to impress Inter president Massimo Moratti, but the extended contract has settled any differences. Mourinho made his mark at Porto in 2004 when he led the Portuguese team to the Champions League title, beating Monaco 3-0 in the final, before moving to Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge he claimed the Premier League title in each of his first two seasons and the FA Cup the following campaign, but left the club in September 2007. Not all Inter fans have warmed to the Portuguese since his arrival in Milan last summer. He has been involved in several disagreements with the Italian media and his style of play has has not endeared him to parts of the Nerazzurri faithful." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jose Mourinho has extended his contract with Serie A champions Inter Milan .\nThe decision kills off speculation that he could be on his way to Real Madrid .\nFormer Chelsea supremo now contracted with Italian club until 30 June 2012 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Indian telecom services provider Bharti Airtel Limited and South Africa's MTN Group Limited have renewed merger talks with the aim of creating an emerging market telecom giant, both companies announced Monday. Bharti Enterprises chairman and group chief executive officer Sunil Bharti Mittal in New Delhi in November . Such a merger would create an operator with combined revenues of over $20 billion and a combined customer base of over 200 million, according to both companies. In addition to savings, \"this opportunity also represents a first of its kind in developing an Indian-African initiative that would serve as a shining example of South-South cooperation,\" said Bharti chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal. MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko called the case for such a deal \"highly compelling,\" saying, a merged company would have \"leading positions in three of the fastest growing wireless markets globally -- India, Africa and the Middle East, with no overlapping footprint.\" Under the potential deal, Bharti would acquire a 49 percent stake in MTN, and MTN and its shareholders would take an approximate 36 percent interest in Bharti. Bharti would also be able to fully consolidate the accounts of MTN under the deal, MTN's statement said. Bharti would serve as the primary vehicle for expansion in Asia and India in particular, while MTN would be the primary vehicle for the conjoined company to expand in Africa and the Middle East, Bharti's statement said. The two sides have agreed to hold exclusive talks until July 31. Singapore Telecommunications, a major existing shareholder in Bharti, will remain if the deal is implemented, according to Bharti." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Merger would create an operator with combined revenues of over $20 billion .\nBharti would acquire a 49 percent stake in MTN .\nMTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko: Case for such a deal \"highly compelling\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- When a woman dates a much older man, bystanders often speculate that she has only the most superficial of motives. French actress Ludivine Sagnier stars in veteran New Wave filmmaker Claude Chabrol's \"The Girl Cut in Two.\" In \"The Girl Cut in Two,\" veteran French filmmaker Claude Chabrol tells the story of one young woman for whom just the opposite is true. It stars French starlet Ludivine Sagnier as a young woman who rejects the amorous advances of a flashy, wealthy man her age, in favor of a sleazy affair with a fickle, 60 year-old father figure. Sagnier's desire to take on the role was also motivated by the allure of a much older man: Chabrol. \"The idea of working with Claude Chabrol was the main attraction at the beginning,\" she told CNN. \"He is a great French director, one of the pioneers of the French New Wave.\" \"The guy has so much experience. I felt like I was a journalist, always asking things,\" continues Sagnier. \"He's very old ... he's been through many, many things. This was his 66th movie, or something like that.\" Sagnier describes her character, Gabrielle de Neige, a charming, 20-something television weather girl, as \"very naive.\" \"She falls in a trap like a poor little lamb and she gets eaten by wolves. \"The thing is, she doesn't have a dad, so she lacks affection, and sometimes that lack of affection can drive you to make mistakes. \"I'd say I'm stronger than that,\" says 29 year-old Sagnier, who is perhaps best-known for her provocative portrayal of a highly-sexualized teenager opposite Charlotte Rampling in Francois Ozon's 2003 drama, \"Swimming Pool.\" Sagnier who is often compared with screen sirens like Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve, drew international acclaim for a series of films in 2002 and 2003, but has recently has been taking smaller roles. Many of the qualities that attracted Sagnier to Chabrol are similar to those that draw her on-screen alter-ego Gabrielle to writer Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand) -- Charles' knowledge of life, literature and his ability to treat her like a little girl, not as an equal. Sagnier says of working with Chabrol: \"It was like opening a cinema book, because when you work with him he talks to you about Hitchcock, he talks to you about Kubrick. \"He met everyone, so he's full of anecdotes, so you want to know more.\" Chabrol began his career in 1956, earning his stripes alongside fellow New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. He became famous in the late 1960s for suspense thrillers such as \"La Femme Infidele\" (1969) and \"Le Boucher\" (1971). He has continued working prolifically in film and television ever since. Chabrol co-wrote the screenplay for the heartbreak drama, in which Sagnier character is consistently disappointed in love and let down by the men around her, with his step-daughter, Cecile Maistre, who also served as assistant director on the film. At the end of \"The Girl Cut In Two,\" Sagnier appears on stage as a magician's assistant, smiling in the spotlight as she hears applause rise from the audience, the attention perhaps curing her depression over lovers lost. She lies in a box, appearing to be cut in half, the trick functioning as an almost literal embodiment of the film's title -- but clearly there's more to it than meets the eye. \"She cuts into two men first of all, and she's also cut in two different sides of her personality,\" said Sagnier. \"She has a part of shade and a part of lightness.\" Sagnier's fate since her collaboration with Chabrol has, thankfully, been a decidedly rosier affair: Since finishing \"The Girl Cut in Two,\" she has starred in Jean-Francois Richet's, \"Public Enemy No. 1,\" which received more nominations than any other film at the 2009 Cesar Awards, France's equivalent of the Oscars. The indefatigable Chabrol has recently wrapped up yet another film: \"Bellamy\" starring Gerard Depardieu. \"The Girl Cut In Two\" is released in the UK on 22 May 2009 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "French starlet Ludivine Sagnier stars in \"The Girl Cut In Two\"\nIt tells the story of a young woman who embarks on an affair with an older man .\nIt was directed by prolific French New Wave veteran Claude Chabrol .\nSagnier on Chabrol: \"He is a great French director, one of the pioneers\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Budget Travel) -- I've never been a fan of the cold. As a kid, my favorite part of skiing was the hot chocolate, and I relished blizzards for the snow days, not the snowball fights. So when I booked a trip to the Icehotel in northern Sweden, my family and friends were amused -- and a bit concerned, especially when I got sick days before my flight. \"You can't go to the Arctic with a cold!\" my mother admonished. The hotel in northern Sweden opens every year in early December and closes at the end of April. But I had good reason for wanting to sleep in a glorified freezer: As an environmental reporter, I was curious to see a place where people have turned snow and ice into a moneymaker, one that's spawned copycats in frigid spots from Canada to Romania. Conceived by Yngve Bergqvist, a river-rafting guide who wanted to lure visitors to the Arctic north during the winter, the Icehotel started out in 1990 as nothing more than a crude igloo. Now, it's a fanciful ice castle that's rebuilt every November with an unparalleled level of artistry -- which explains why each winter 16,000 guests pay hundreds of dollars a night to sleep on a slab of ice and thousands more make the trek just to tour the rooms for the day. The 30 most elaborate suites are the handiwork of a team of artists -- sculptors, painters, architects, even comic book illustrators -- many of whom have never worked with ice before. Wielding chain saws and chisels, they spend weeks crafting frozen furniture while electricians install lights to provide an ethereal glow. Surreal? Exceedingly. This winter, German furniture maker Jens Paulus and American industrial designer Joshua Space created a space-station room straight out of \"Star Trek,\" with giant carvings of the sun and moon on opposing walls and twinkling lights in the ceiling. British decorator Ben Rousseau and graffiti artist Insa devised the Getting Cold Feet suite, with oversize high-heeled ice shoes beside the bed. Twenty-nine unadorned snow caves offer a somewhat less pricey and more purist experience. Since no hotel would be complete without a bar, the artists also sculpt a chic space where guests can warm their innards with an Icebar Jukkasjärvi, a mix of vodka, blueberry liqueur, blue curaçao syrup and elderflower juice, sipped from a cube-shaped ice glass. Then there's the chapel, where designs etched into the ice walls resemble stained glass. About 150 couples tie the knot here each year, some brides bundled in snowsuits, others dressed in white wedding gowns, their teeth chattering as they recite their vows. When I arrive in Sweden, I'm surprised to find that the guests actually spend a lot of time in a pair of heated chalets that look like life-size gingerbread houses. The shower and bathroom are located in the one nearest the hotel -- because, really, who wants to sit on a frozen throne? And the other contains the restaurant, where chef Richard Näslin dreams up such intriguing dishes as arctic char ice cream, which has a slightly salty, smoky flavor and is much more delicious than it sounds. Budget Travel Dream Trip: Scale a volcano in Ecuador . After my dinner, wrapped in several layers of fleece and down, I waddle out to a tepee for a folk concert by native Laplander Yana Mangi. At the end of each song, the crowd responds with a uniquely Arctic ovation: muffled mitten clapping. My suite has a nautical theme, with walls curved into a frozen wave and an oval bed of bluish ice set beneath a clam-shaped headboard. Topped with a mattress and a reindeer skin, the setup looks snug. Almost. The temperature is a brisk 23 degrees Fahrenheit, and I'm still petrified I'll lose a finger to hypothermia, even in my head-to-toe winter wardrobe. I climb under the furry blanket, making sure not an inch of skin is exposed. Then I gaze through the slits in my microfleece face mask and marvel at the stillness. My breath comes in shallow white puffs. Soon, I'm fast asleep. The next thing I know, a hotel attendant is standing beside me with a cup of steaming lingonberry juice -- my wake-up call. Amazingly, I slept through the night, giving new meaning to the expression \"out cold.\" I wiggle my fingers and toes -- they're tingly, but all there. Then I do what any sane person would: sprint to the chalet to thaw out in the shower and sauna. Most guests stay only one night, but I opt for a second. It's not to prove my mettle; I feel as if I've done that. Rather, I find my frosty alcove incredibly restful and therapeutic. Maybe the hotel should add an ice yoga studio next? IF YOU GO ... GETTING THERE A round-trip flight between New York and Stockholm on SAS costs about $700 in midwinter (flysas.com). From Stockholm, take a 16-hour train ride to Kiruna (from $44 round trip). The Icehotel is a $13 bus ride away. WHEN TO GO The hotel opens every year in early December and closes at the end of April. You have a chance of spotting the northern lights in December and January, but those are the coldest months -- temperatures can dip to 45 below. WHAT TO PACK Think wool and fleece layers; avoid cotton, which can trap moisture and make you colder. The hotel supplies boots and hats. For details, see icehotel.com/winter/adventure/dress. WHERE TO SPLURGE Don't miss the guided hotel tour ($37 per person). And how about an ice-sculpting lesson ($75 per person)? Or a six-hour snowmobile safari to see moose at their winter feeding grounds ($400 per person)? WHERE TO SAVE Tour the Icehotel by day, and then spend the night at Hotel Kebne in Kiruna (011-46/980-68-180, hotellkebne.com, from $100). Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Icehotel started out in 1990 as nothing more than a crude igloo .\nNow guests can stay in elaborate suites handcrafted in ice by artists .\nBathrooms are located in a heated chalet ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A moderately strong earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday afternoon, shaking the earth in the sprawling capital. People in Mexico City stream into the street as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.7, and placed the epicenter near the city of Puebla, about 85 miles southeast of Mexico City. It hit at 2:24 p.m. local time. The Mexican seismological service measured the quake at 5.9. People in the city reported the earth and buildings shaking. Thousands of panicked people streamed into the streets as stopped cars snarled traffic. Parts of the city were without electricity Friday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Earthquakes are a frightening experience for the 20 million residents of Mexico City, where thousands of people perished in a massive quake in 1985. The city, built on volcanic ash and clay, is particularly vulnerable to temblors. Aldo Pontecorvo of the humanitarian agency World Vision said the shaking lasted about 20 seconds. It came out of nowhere and \"without any warning,\" said Pontecorvo, who said he was in his office when the quake struck. Earlier this month, a moderate earthquake was measured off the coast of Mexico's western Baja California peninsula." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. Geological Survey measures quake at magnitude 5.7 .\nThousands of panicked people stream into the streets .\nNo immediate reports of injuries or damage .\n1985 earthquake killed thousands in Mexico City ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It has been nearly 20 years since Poland's Solidarity movement defeated the Communist Party in an historic election that prompted the fall of communism across central and eastern Europe. Solidarity leader Lech Walesa takes the oath in front of Poland's National Assembly on December 22, 1990. CNN International marks this significant anniversary with \"The New Poland,\" a week of programming examining the transformation of Poland from 1989 to where it sits today on the world stage. The combination of daily live programming and special reports from CNN correspondents in cities across Poland culminates June 4 with \"Autumn of Change, an in-depth documentary that takes a retrospective look at the events leading up to the election exactly 20 years ago. Reflecting the tumultuous year of 1989, which changed Europe forever, \"Autumn of Change\" will mix live programming and documentary programming, unforgettable historical images with interviews past and present, and a huge online audience initiative through Poland, Hungary, Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania, in a comprehensive narrative of events that have helped to shape the Europe of today. \"CNN's combination of historic footage, comprehensive reporting and access to Poland's key figures puts us in an unparalleled position to set the scene for how Poland was the catalyst for the Europe of today,\" said Mike McCarthy, vice president of coverage and feature programming for CNN International. \"In step with the anniversaries of the events themselves, CNN will invite viewers to take part in our ambitious account of how Europe has changed over the last 20 years and what the future may hold.\" About the programming: . Just eight months after reporting from Poland for the week-long \"Eye on Poland\" special, Fionnuala Sweeney returns to the country to anchor the network's live coverage for \"The New Poland.\" She will report on the various commemoration and celebration ceremonies throughout the week from cities across Poland including Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk. In addition to Sweeney's live reports, CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen will take viewers inside the Poland of today looking at the political, cultural, social and economic changes that have taken place in the past 20 years. The programs include: . -- Gdansk Today: CNN explores the city of Gdansk, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement. We visit the main shipyard and spend the day with a foreman who has been working there for more than 30 years. He talks about the transformation since Solidarity was born and the challenges the shipyards face three decades on. Finally, CNN heads out to sea with a polish yacht maker and finds out how they are dealing with the economic crisis. -- Catholicism in Poland: CNN looks at the Catholic Church in Poland and the challenges it faces. We visit Religia TV, a new project that aims to attract Catholics as well as viewers from other religions. -- Business in Poland: Solidarity transformed Poland from a communist state into a capitalist economy eventually capable of becoming a democratic member of the EU. During the last 20 years, its economy developed at a thriving pace, but even today there are remnants of the old system. CNN speaks to a family-run business on the local economy. We also visit Poland's biggest copper mining and refining company. We find out how the global market place is impacting the global economy and Polish business. -- Polish Cuisine: CNN speaks to Krakow's top celebrity chef and historian Robert Maklowicz about Polish cuisine and the recent trend to return to its roots. -- Poland's Film School: CNN visits Poland's largest film production Centrex, the National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz, and finds out what makes this school so unique. About the documentary: By combining narratives from key players within the Solidarity movement, the Communist leadership, CNN reporters who covered the events and Polish civilians who lived through it all, Autumn of Change charts the individuals, relationships and astonishing chain of events that shook eastern Europe to its foundations. About the online coverage: CNN's television coverage will be complemented by a full interactive companion site. This special site will feature a number of pieces that reflect the cultural influence of this movement as well as narratives from some of the major figures involved in the process. Via iReport.com, CNN will also encourage viewers and users from Poland and elsewhere to submit content -- photos, videos and comments -- to illustrate personal experiences. Whether a part of this revolutionary period or not, CNN wants to know how these pivotal events affected them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "20 years since Poland's Solidarity movement defeated the Communist Party .\nThe New Poland is a week of programming examining the transformation of Poland .\nCulminates in Autumn of Change, a look at the events that led to the election .\nFionnuala Sweeney will anchor CNN's live coverage from Poland ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Fifteen years after his death, and after his family fought a very long bureaucratic battle with the government, Enrique Valdez's name was added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Rick Valdez looks at his father's name on the Wall on Monday. Valdez was a Marine gunnery sergeant wounded by shrapnel in August 1969, combat that left him a quadriplegic. Since his death in 1994, his family has been waiting for the Defense Department to answer their requests that Valdez be included on \"The Wall.\" On Memorial Day, his family finally got their wish, as they watched his name officially added to \"The Wall.\" His name was added to the registry after the Department of Defense declared he was eligible because he died from his war injuries. Rick Valdez was 7 when his father was deployed to Vietnam. \"The night he had to go to the bus station for his second tour of duty, that was the last time I saw him walking,\" the son recalled. \"The next time we saw him was at the Veterans Administration hospital in Long Beach [California], after they shipped him home,\" he said. The Marine was 32. \"There are people that are worse off than I was,\" Tina Valdez recalled his father always saying. \"I enlisted, and I served. I knew what I was getting into. And if this is the worst that could happen to me, well then, so be it.\" When notification came weeks ago from the Defense Department that Valdez's name would be added to the Wall, there was no explanation with it. Valdez's family previously thought since he hadn't been killed during war, Enrique Valdez couldn't be on the wall. Comrades and others told the family that he could be added to \"The Wall \"as long as we could show that his death was a result of his [war] injuries,\" said daughter Tina Valdez. \"And when my father passed away, they put it on the death certificate, long before we even knew that this was a possibility.\" Now, they couldn't be more thrilled that it's not a possibility anymore -- it's a reality -- though they don't have an explanation for why the Defense Department finally notified them. \"What changed?\" his daughter Tina Valdez asked. \"I've been sending [the Defense Department] the same information for 14 years. Why all of a sudden is it different now?\" But when she saw the fresh lettering earlier this month on Panel 17, she felt that an explanation didn't matter as much anymore. \"It's OK, because his name is here,\" she said. Watch Gunnery Sgt. Valdez's family at the Memorial » . Enrique Valdez joins 58,260 other names listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and his is the only name added this year under 1969, for combat deaths that year or later deaths resulting from injuries sustained in combat that year." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Marine Gunnery Sgt. Enrique Valdez's name added to Vietnam Veterans Memorial .\nValdez died from wounds suffered in August 1969 .\nHis family worked for years to have his name added to the memorial ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- A militant group operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria said Monday that it had destroyed several major oil pipelines in response to a military offensive. File image shows Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta fighters. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had \"put out of operation\" a Chevron storage facility by destroying several pipelines that fed into it. \"This will henceforth become our standard mode of operation,\" the group said in a statement. The U.S.-based Chevron Corporation could not be immediately reached for an assessment of the damage. Nigeria's military has been clearing the western Niger Delta region in a major operation against MEND. The armed militant group demands that more of Nigeria's oil wealth be reinvested in the region instead of enriching those whom they consider corrupt politicians. The group declared war against the government in September for what it said were unprovoked attacks. At that time, MEND destroyed several oil facilities, forcing Nigeria to cut its oil exports by as many as 1 million barrels of oil per day, or 40 percent. The recent violence -- which has included attacks on pipelines and hostage-taking -- has limited shipment of crude oil supplies out of Nigeria, Africa's largest producer. \"We will continue our cat-and-mouse tactics with them (the military) until oil export ceases completely,\" the MEND statement said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Militant group operating in oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria destroys oil pipelines .\nMovement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has declared \"all-out war\"\nNigeria's military has been trying to clear the western Niger Delta ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- This classic chant of \"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!\" -- barked out by battalions of newsboys hawking newspapers -- died decades ago, a casualty of home delivery, mass distribution and the advent of coin-operated newspaper machines. Some coin-operated newspaper machines have lasted for 30 years, but lack of sales may force their retirement. But now as newspapers across the country wage a battle to survive in a market where readers are increasingly gravitating to the Internet for information, the fate of another industry fixture seems inevitable. Could those steel machines on street corners, distributing newspapers since the '50s, be headed for the scrap pile? To begin to answer the question, all it takes is an early morning visit with a man who feeds those machines. It's 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and a white delivery truck for the New Jersey Record has just pulled into the parking lot outside the Plaza Diner in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The driver -- Mike, who asked that his last name not be used -- is at one of his 130 stops on an eight-hour shift that began at midnight. Mike's job, which takes less than a couple of minutes per stop, entails filling the coin-operated machine with the day's papers, collecting unsold copies and emptying the machine of its coins. Even though Mike has a full schedule and lots of stops, it doesn't equate to pushing as many papers as he once did. Mike loads 15 copies of the Record into one machine -- and that's a good load, he says. Other locations receive only five to seven copies. He's also tasked with filling machines for USA Today. Though he's been on this job for only two years, Mike has been on the route long enough to know business is down. He says newspapers sell better at train stations than from the street machines he services. The demise of newspapers across the country is getting a lot of front-page headlines. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer in Washington was just one of the most recent victims, ceasing print publication in March as declining circulation and plummeting advertising sales forced it to retrench and become just an online provider of journalism. Even the legendary New York Times will force readers to dig deeper for more coins as it raises prices June 1, with the price of a paper going from $1.50 to $2. The publication that touts \"All The News That's Fit to Print\" has been relying less on newspaper racks. In 1999, the Times had 13,300 vending machines, but today that number has shrunk to 5,678, according to Diane McNulty, spokeswoman for the Times. \"One of the factors is home delivery,\" McNulty said, adding, \"This was due to our national expansion -- where once many readers could only get copies from the newsstand or vending machine, they can now enjoy home delivery service.\" But all the gloom-and-doom predictions that newspapers will one day disappear isn't scaring workers at the Kaspar Sho-Rack Company, based in Shiner, Texas. The company lays claim to being the world's largest manufacturer of coin-operated and no-charge newspaper vending machines. Don Kaspar is president and a fourth-generation member of a family business that began in 1898 manufacturing wire products. \"There'll be printed newspapers for years and years\" said Kaspar, president of a company that is actually part of the larger Kaspar Wireworks. Still, he concedes, \"Business is down about 25 to 30 percent from about five years ago.\" It wasn't until the late 1950s that the privately owned company was approached by the now defunct San Antonio Light newspaper to develop an early version of coin-operated newspaper machines. The early versions of newspaper machines were simple and made mostly of wire, but by the mid-1960s they were all made of metal. The machines typically consist of a thick metal housing, shelves, doors and hinges. But the heart of any machine is the coin mechanism, which can have 150 moving parts, according to the manufacturer. Some advanced models introduced in 1999 feature lithium batteries to run the coin-collecting mechanism. Often weighing around 100 pounds, these hand-assembled machines cost on average $450 each, with refurbished models selling for around $300, the company says. The zenith of the company's business may have been the 1980s, when the introduction of USA Today landed it a contract to build and deliver 100,000 coin-operated machines. Today only 65,000 machines populate the nation's sidewalks, according to a USA Today spokesperson. In 1985, Sho-Rack sold its 1 millionth newspaper machine and it has sold several hundred thousand since. Its biggest clients have been the giants of newspaper publishing, including Gannett, Tribune, Newhouse and the McClatchy newspaper groups. But the fate of those publishers directly affects the bottom line at Sho-Rack. \"Business now? It's certainly slowed down,\" said Kaspar. \"Free publication racks ... we've stayed fairly busy with those. Coin- operated machines? Newspapers are cutting costs and pulling a lot of the racks from outlying areas. As a result this causes a surplus number of racks and then ultimately less of a need for new racks from us.\" Though the coin-operated machine business makes up 25 percent of the parent company's overall business, Sho-Rack has learned to diversify and adapt. \"We're not dependent on any one industry,\" Kaspar said. The company, which employs nearly 500 workers and occupies more than 500,000 square feet in a small rural town, also manufactures thousands of wire, tubing and sheet metal products. The average life span of a coin-operated newspaper machine depends on several factors. Some machines, even with modest refurbishments every couple of years, have lasted for 30 years. For others it can be five minutes after an encounter with a snowplow. For the Kaspar Sho-Rack Company, as long as newspapers are printed and sold, its machines will gladly continue to accept coins." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fewer customers buy from coin-operated newspaper machines .\nDelivery man says newspapers sell better from train stations than street machines .\nTexas company that makes the machines says business is down .\n\"There'll be printed newspapers for years and years,\" firm's president says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama is expected to announce Friday the creation of the position of cyber czar, a person who will coordinate the nation's efforts to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists and spies, people familiar with the plan said Thursday. President Obama is expected to announce Friday the creation of the position of \"cyber czar.\" The czar will report to both the national security adviser and the head of the National Economic Council, the sources said. Obama will not name anyone Friday to the post because the selection process is ongoing, they said. In addition, the White House will release a 40-page report that sets broad goals for combating cyber intrusions, but does not spell out in detail how to do so, said the sources, who would not agree to be identified because the report has not been released. Shortly after taking office, Obama ordered a 60-day review intended to ensure the federal government's cyber initiatives were \"appropriately integrated, resourced and coordinated with Congress and the private sector.\" Melissa Hathaway, a senior member of the National Security Council who led the review process, told a security conference late last year that a public-private partnership and international alliances would be key to solving cyber security problems. Another senior official said any solution would be a \"team sport\" requiring a \"holistic, comprehensive\" approach. Administration officials said that representatives of the private sector, government departments and agencies, academics, state and local officials and civil liberties and privacy experts were among those consulted during the review. The Department of Homeland Security reports the number of cyber attacks on government and private networks increased from 4,095 in 2005 to 72,065 in 2008. This month, a Transportation Department audit -- carried out after hackers got into a support system containing personnel records -- indicated the nation's air-traffic control system could be at risk. Hathaway expressed concern that critical infrastructures such as the nation's power grid and financial networks could be vulnerable. \"God forbid if somebody were to take down and or manipulate our financial system, and what would we do, and would it make the current financial crisis look like a walk in the park?\" she asked. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair recently told reporters the biggest cyber threat facing the United States is from nation states, particularly Russia and China. \"I think China is winning the sweepstakes for the origin of most attacks on U.S. persons and organizations,\" he said. The Bush administration's own review of the matter culminated in the mostly classified National Cybersecurity Initiative, which was enacted in January 2008. National Security Agency executive Sandra Stenar-Johnson said that plan consisted of 12 initiatives with three goals: reduce the current vulnerabilities in the system, defend against the full spectrum of threats, and develop next-generation technologies to maintain an edge over adversaries. The Bush initiative tapped the Department of Homeland Security as the lead agency in the cyber battle. Senior officials in the Obama administration say the White House will anchor the latest effort, providing guidance and direction to ensure all agencies and departments are working well together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Obama will announce post Friday, sources say .\nCyber czar to lead effort to protect government and private computer systems .\nWhite House will also release report with goals for combating cyber intrusions ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Budget Travel) -- Here's a snapshot of Portugal's defining experiences: beaches, cities, and food and wine. Get a sense of which ones fit your travel style and your budget. Sandy beaches dot Portugal's rugged coastline. Find a secluded beach . The Algarve, southern Portugal's balmy riviera, sees nothing but blue sky 300 days of the year. Admire the ocean views from the roof terrace at Dianamar, in the whitewashed old center of Albufeira, just a block from the beach. Rooms are simple, but all have private terraces, and the price includes a generous breakfast buffet and afternoon cake (doubles from $65). The most dramatic coastline is along the drive to the medieval fortress town of Lagos. (Cars can be rented for around $30 a day in Albufeira; book online with companies like Europcar.) Between Praia de Dona Ana and Porto do Mós, the cliffs have been broken by the wind and sea into jagged rock formations pierced by blowholes and grottoes. Secret half-moon bays of golden sand lie hidden from view from all but the ocean. An hour beyond Lagos is Europe's southwesternmost point: Cabo São Vicente, a cape whose plunging cliffs are dotted with crumbling medieval churches and castles. More than 500 years ago, Portuguese sailing ships left to explore the world from these shores. There's great hiking in the fragrant pine woods and peach orchards less than 20 miles inland, around the spa town of Monchique -- a cluster of tiny houses and 18th-century mansions tumbling down a steep, wooded valley. The trail up to the Picota peak has magnificent views out over the coast all the way to the cape. Families from Lisbon take weekends on the beaches of Cascais, less than 20 miles from the capital. There they jostle for space on three broad, short beaches and wander, ice cream in hand, along the ocean esplanade or the clusters of narrow streets crowded around the town's imposing fort. For wilder, lonelier sand, head to Guincho, four miles west. This sweeping, gently curved shoreline is pounded by some of the best surf in the eastern Atlantic. An almost constant wind makes for superb windsurfing; a world championship is hosted here most Augusts. But watch out for those rips and prepare for cold water. While the Algarve is good for swimming from spring to autumn, you'll need a wet suit around Cascais for all but the summer months. The town is easily reached from Lisbon; trains leave from Belém station every 15 minutes and take just over half an hour ($4.50 round trip). But if you choose to stay, take a room at the Solar Dom Carlos, a 16th-century manor in a quiet Cascais backstreet (doubles from $30). There's a pocket-size former Royal Chapel on the hotel grounds. Marvel at opulent chapels and palaces . Lisbon spreads in terra-cotta and cobblestone over seven hills, staring out over the Tagus River to the shimmering Atlantic. A rugged Moorish castle tops the skyline, and the streets are lined with baroque churches and Gaudíesque art nouveau buildings. Budget Travel Trip Coach: Friends explore Lisbon and beyond . Allow at least three days for a first visit, and make time for the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Extravagantly decorated doorways lead through long cloisters to a church supported by pillars adorned with stone ropes and coils of faux seaweed. These rise to a fan-vaulted ceiling whose thousands of tons of stone somehow look light and airy. Many Portuguese notables are buried at this monastery, including Luís de Camões, author of Portugal's national epic, Os Lusíadas, and the explorer Vasco da Gama. The Gulbenkian is one of the world's great small museums. Oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian acquired a huge collection of Egyptian, European and Oriental artifacts and Renaissance art, which was brought to Lisbon after his death. Highlights include intricate Roman jewelry, opulent Moorish carpets and tapestries, paintings by Rembrandt and Van Dyck, and an extensive collection of René Lalique's art nouveau glassware. Finish your day with a late afternoon's wander around the narrow, cobbled streets of the Bairro Alto neighborhood on a cliff overlooking the 18th-century city center. There's a pretty medieval square or a magnificent church at every turn. The most beautiful is the Igreja de São Roque, whose simple exterior hides what was said at the time to be the most expensive chapel ever built -- a feast of rich gold work and beguilingly complex mosaics of lapus lazuli, ivory, agate, and precious metals. Built in Rome in 1742, it was blessed by the Pope before being transported in its entirety to Lisbon. It's an easy day trip from Lisbon to Sintra, a former royal retreat in cool forested hills near the coast. It looks like a Disney fantasy: pastel tiered castles crown the hilltops; faux-Moorish domed palaces lie hidden in wooded gardens; and extravagant, neo-Gothic mansions loom at the top of steep driveways. The grandest of all is the Palácio Nacional da Pena, rebuilt by Portugal's half-mad Austrian king-consort in the late 18th century (park and palace admission $14). It's a fascinating mishmash of Italian colonnades, Ottoman/Oriental turrets and windows painted in garish pinks and yellows. The interior of the building is preserved as it was when royalty fled during the 1910 revolt -- down to the tables set for dinner and the lamp-stand statues of turbaned Turks holding light bulbs. Sample robust wines and fresh fish . Every small Portuguese town has its own wine, traditional cakes and cheeses. In the Alentejo, cheeses are curdled with thistle flowers and washed down with rich, earthy red wines. Base yourself in Évora, a city founded by the Romans, expanded by the Moors and enriched by the Portuguese kings. Each group left its monuments; the cork forests and vineyards around the city are strewn with Iberian dolmens, for example. About 150 miles north, in the mountainous Beira region, is the village of Pinhel, famous for its red wines and vanilla-flavored cavaca candies -- invented by nuns from the local convents in the Middle Ages. Pinhel is a delightful maze of winding streets and makes a great base for hiking in the nearby park land, Serra da Estrela, or for visiting the Côa Valley, where rock faces are inscribed with Paleolithic art. The Douro River flows out of Spain into a deep valley stepped with some of Europe's oldest vine terraces. Port wine comes from here, together with some of Portugal's heartiest reds. The Douro Valley is easily seen on a boat cruise from Porto, a destination in its own right. Here stands one of the largest collections of Renaissance buildings in the Iberian Peninsula. Every other corner leads to a little baroque church whose modest façade hides an interior encrusted with tons of gold. Winding streets in the city's medieval center lead down the hillside to the river. Wander along the quays in Gaia across from Porto city and drop in on the various port wine warehouses for free samples. It's a great way to decide what kind to bring home as a gift. Cap off your day with dinner on the banks of the Douro at D. Tonho. The house specialties are bacalhau (salted cod served steamed or in little deep fried crispy balls), followed by pork fillets with clams or hake au gratin with seafood sauce. 7 insider tips . 1. English is widely spoken, and it's always more welcome than Spanish, which might even produce a scowl. Portugal and Spain have an age-old rivalry. Visitors trying to speak a few words of Portuguese will make many friends. 2. In the Algarve, everyone sees the ocean from the beaches. But it's just as much fun seeing the beaches from the ocean. Book an afternoon boat trip out of Albufeira Marina with one of the numerous agents on the Rua 5 de Outubro and be sure to take a camera to capture the golden afternoon light on the crumbling cliffs. 3. Portugal can be a difficult country for vegetarians. Even vegetable soup is cooked with meat stock. Be sure to state clearly that you don't eat any meat or fish -- even as seasoning. 4. For the coolest night out in Lisbon, head to co-owner John Malkovich's waterfront warehouse club, Lux Fragil, which is always packed with the most fashionable crowd on a Friday or Saturday night. 5. Lisbon has some of the liveliest African music in Europe; terrific Cape Verdean, Angolan and Mozambican singers make the city home. The hottest acts play at the Club B.Leza nights at Cabaret Maxime (from $20). For schedules of Luso-African concerts all over Lisbon, e-mail [email protected]. 6. Portugal is a great country for driving. Small distances and an excellent and well-signposted road network mean that it's never a long journey to the next place of interest. And the whole country can be driven from north to south in a little over a day. But beware of Portuguese drivers. Hugging the fender and flashing headlamps furiously on the highway is common practice -- as is reckless passing. 7. Portugal is great for kids. Lisbon has a huge aquarium, and the dolphin and seal shows at the Zoomarine on the Algarve are some of the best in Europe. There are swimming pools and restaurants here, so you can stay for the whole day (adults $14). Timing . Portugal is sweltering in the summer (June through August) and very busy with European tourists. The spring (April through May) and autumn (September through October) are cooler, just as sunny and far less busy. The winter (November through March) is wet and cold. Price index . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Portugal's most dramatic coastline is along the drive to the medieval town of Lagos .\nA Moorish castle tops the Lisbon skyline and baroque churches line the streets .\nThe Douro River valley is stepped with some of Europe's oldest vine terraces ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Three suspects were arrested after an explosives-packed van reduced a police building to rubble Wednesday in eastern Pakistan, killing 27. The scene of an apparent suicide car bomb attack on a police building in Lahore on May 27. The morning attack in Lahore -- Pakistan's second-largest city -- also wounded more than 250 people, most of them police officers and staffers, authorities said. Fourteen of the dead included police officers. Three others were identified as bodies of \"terrorists,\" said City Commissioner Khusro Pervez. Immediately after the blast, police arrested two of the suspects, said City Commissioner Khusro Pervez. Local television showed the men being led away by officers. Sir Ganga Ram hospital, which was damaged by the explosion, was treating 128 victims. Authorities expected the death toll to rise as rescue workers picked through twisted metal and other debris from the building, looking for more bodies. Watch more on the attack » . The attack comes amid a Pakistani military offensive to rout militants from their haven in the northwestern part of the country. Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistan Taliban, had threatened to target major Pakistani cities if the operations did not cease. \"The enemies of Pakistan are trying their very best to use every venue to destabilize the country,\" Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters Wednesday. The blast occurred on Mall Road near the city police headquarters and the high court. It is one of Lahore's busiest areas. A passenger van, laden with explosives, broke through a security barrier and was headed toward the police building when guards opened fire to stop it, said Lahore's district coordination officer, Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta. Watch rescue workers respond to the scene » . The two sides exchanged gunfire, with the attackers hurling grenades, said Faisal Gulzar, deputy police superintendent. The van exploded before it could reach the building. It was carrying an estimated 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of explosives, Bhutta said. The impact was immense. The targeted building -- Building 15 -- collapsed. It housed the city's rapid response team, which is dispatched during emergencies. At least 50 people were thought to have been inside the two-story building at the time, said police spokesman Ray Nazar Hayat. The police headquarters that sits adjacent to the building was also damaged. Motorcycles from a nearby dealership were strewed about, charred from the heat. The roof of four operating rooms caved at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, with 40 medical staff members suffering minor wounds. Police waved away onlookers in vain. Many of them jumped over the collapsed walls of Building 15 to look for survivors. Semi-conscious officers in blood-stained uniforms were pulled from under wooden planks. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, with suspicion falling on the beleaguered Islamic militants in the northwest who had vowed revenge. \"We're doing our best,\" Malik, the interior minister, said of the offensive in the northwest. \"Please do not forget we're in a state of insurgency. It's a fight for our survival. We had two choices: We surrender our country or we save it for our next generation.\" Lahore is Pakistan's cultural capital, far removed from the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that is embraced in the north of the country, which borders Afghanistan. Still, it has sporadically been swept into widening Islamist violence that grips the country. In March gunmen hurled grenades and opened fire on officers at a police training center, killing at least seven cadets. The same month gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying members of the Sri Lankan national cricket team on their way to a stadium for a match. The attack wounded at least eight members of the team and killed a driver and six Pakistani police officers. \"Everywhere in the city is insecurity,\" Haris Nadeem, a student in Lahore, said Wednesday. \"You never know when a blast is going to occur or where. A shopping center? A government office?\" Still, said Saleem Khan, residents forge ahead . \"We will avoid places when they are crowded, but we can't change everything,\" he said. \"We can't stop going out of our houses. Life has to go on.\" CNN's Ingrid Formanek and Saeed Ahmed and journalists Zeeshan Ali Taher and Naser Habib contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Three attackers among the dead, city official says .\nAt least 27 killed, more than 250 wounded, according to officials .\nAttack reduces police building in Lahore to rubble .\nVehicle packed with explosives detonated by building with at least 50 people inside ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- The family of a woman who died ignored on an emergency room floor has reached a settlement with Health and Hospital Corp., the family's lawyer and the company's top executive said Thursday. Surveillance video shows Esmin Green on the hospital floor for more than an hour before anyone helps her. The attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, said the settlement, reached Wednesday, is for $2 million. Alan Aviles, the president and CEO of Health and Hospital Corp., said in a written statement that the company -- which operates Kings County Hospital, where Esmin Green, 49, died last year -- takes full responsibility for her death and offers a \"full apology.\" He said the settlement \"is not meant to put a value on a life and the loss of a loved one. That remains priceless.\" Last July, Green's relatives said they planned to file a $25 million lawsuit against the city and the hospital and called for criminal charges against hospital workers. A hospital security video showed that the mother of six waited in an emergency room chair for nearly 24 hours before she slid to the floor, where she convulsed for more than a half hour and then became still. An hour after she fell to the floor, the video showed, a hospital employee nudged Green with her foot and summoned help, but the 49-year-old woman was dead . The New York Civil Liberties Union alleges that hospital records were falsified to say that Green was \"sitting quietly in the waiting room\" at a time when, the video shows, she had been on the floor for 48 minutes and had not moved for more than 10 minutes. An autopsy revealed that Green died from pulmonary thromboembolism -- blood clots that formed in her legs and eventually made their way into her lungs, according to Ellen Borakove, the medical examiner's spokeswoman. The clots came from deep vein thrombosis, which complicated Green's chronic paranoid schizophrenia, she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Health and Hospital Corp., operates hospital where Esmin Green died last year .\nCEO Alan Aviles, takes full responsibility for her death and offers a \"full apology\"\nGreen died from pulmonary thromboembolism, says medical examiner .\nThe video appears to show hospital workers ignoring her lying on the floor ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Norwegian violinist, Alexander Rybak, 23, won the Eurovision Song Contest with an upbeat ballad that got the most votes in the history of one of the world's most watched television shows. Alexander Rybak of Norway performs during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday in Moscow, Russia. On Saturday night Rybak beat out contestants from 42 countries, with singers from Iceland and Azerbaijan taking distant second and third places. The boyish Rybak -- who performed a self-composed tune, \"Fairytale,\" with some deft dance steps and a smile plastered on his face -- won with 387 points, the most in the contest's 53-year history, organizers said. It was the third time Norway has won the competition. Although the classically-trained Rybak grew up outside the Norwegian capital, Oslo, he was born in Belarus. A television audience estimated at more than 100 million people watch the show. In years past, winners have parlayed their victory in varying degrees of success -- most notably the Swedish quartet ABBA, which won with \"Waterloo\" in 1974 and became one of the most successful pop groups of the 1970s. In the Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, each participating European nation submits one singer or group who then perform a specially-written song. Telephone votes as well as judges from each country decided the winner this year. This year the contest was televised from a packed stadium in Moscow, Russia. Earlier police arrested dozens of gay and lesbian rights activists who were planning a rally to coincide with the contest. The protesters wanted to draw attention to what they call widespread discrimination of gays in Russia. Watch what's different about this year's gay rights protests » ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rybak wins with 387 points, the most in the contest's 53-year history, organizers say .\nMore than 100 million people are estimated to watch the show .\nSwedish quartet ABBA won with \"Waterloo\" in 1974 .\nPolice arrest dozens of gay and lesbian rights activists planning rally during contest ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier convicted of murdering an Iraqi family spoke out for the first time Thursday, issuing a public apology for his crimes. Former U.S. soldier Steven Green got life in prison after being convicted of murdering four Iraqis. Steven Green, who escaped the death penalty this month, told relatives of the victims that he is \"truly sorry for what I did in Iraq.\" \"I helped to destroy a family and end the lives of four of my fellow human beings, and I wish that I could take it back, but I cannot,\" Green said, reading a statement at a victim impact hearing. \"And, as inadequate as this apology is, it is all I can give you.\" The family refused to accept the apology. Green was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Kentucky of raping a 14-year-old girl and murdering her, her parents and her 6-year-old sister in the town of Yusufiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, in 2006. A jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty, which means the judge is required under law to impose a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Green will be sentenced September 4, but the victim impact hearing was held Thursday so surviving members of the al-Janabi family could testify before they return to Iraq. They decried Green's sentence and testified about how the heinous crime had shattered their lives and how it will haunt them always. Green said that he knows \"you wish I was dead, and I do not hold that against you. If I was in your place, I am convinced beyond any doubt that I would feel the same way.\" He added, \"I know that I have done evil, and I fear that the wrath of the Lord will come upon me on that day. But, I hope that you and your family at least can find some comfort in God's justice.\" The wailing family matriarch, Hajia al-Janabi, lunged at Green as she left the witness stand, denouncing him as a coward, a criminal and a stigma on the United States, according to Louisville's Courier-Journal newspaper. Security officers restrained the distressed woman, the newspaper said. Another family member, Mahdi al-Janabi, said Green had lost the ability to distinguish between terrorists and Iraqi civilians. Green was tried in a civilian court in Paducah, Kentucky, because he had been discharged from the Army by the time his crimes surfaced. He was the last of five soldiers who served in the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to be convicted for the crimes and their subsequent cover-up. The others -- Spec. James Barker, Sgt. Paul Cortez, Pfc. Jesse Spielman and Pfc. Bryan Howard -- received sentences ranging from 27 months to 110 years, with the possibility of parole in 10 years in the most severe cases. Green said he now sees the Iraq war as \"intrinsically evil, because killing is intrinsically evil.\" He was sorry, he said, that he ever had anything to do with either." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I wish that I could take it back,\" says man convicted in 2006 attack .\nSteven Green must serve life in prison without parole .\nSurviving family members testify against Green at hearing .\nMatriarch lunges at Green while leaving witness stand ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- With their nation under high security alert, South Koreans mourned a former leader at a funeral ceremony Friday morning. The hearse carrying Roh Moo-Hyun's coffin heads for Seoul at Roh's hometown village of Bonghwa in Gimhae. Officials and dignitaries gathered in Seoul's Kyungbok Palace to honor former President Roh Moo-Hyun, who committed suicide last week. South Koreans poured into the streets to catch a glimpse of the black Cadillac making a five-and-a-half hour journey from Roh's home in the village of Bongha to the capital. Some bowed their heads or wept openly. Others, still stunned from the loss, stood quietly in black as the hearse drove by. Scores of Roh's supporters handed out yellow balloons, the color associated with Roh's political campaign. Other supporters had posters of Roh's image that read, \"President in my heart\" and \"You are my president.\" A person who walked by Roh's memorial site said, \"Roh understood the difficulties of normal people. We feel he acted like a shield for people with no power. He was the people's president.\" One woman on her way to work in Seoul said: \"He was the first president South Koreans picked with their own hands.\" She was referring to the fact that Roh didn't have a big political machine behind him. He won the election in 2002 by razor thin margin and his appeal was that he related to the common person. This week has been marred by grief and tension for South Koreans as they grappled with Roh's sudden death and renewed threats from North Korea. Following the official ceremony, Roh's body will be taken to the plaza in front of Seoul's city hall, where large crowds are expected to say goodbye to a beloved leader. He will be cremated later Friday and the remains carried back by hearse to Bongha. Roh, who served between 2003 and 2008, jumped from a hill behind his house last Saturday, government officials said. His death came amid an investigation into a bribery scandal that had tarnished his reputation. However, tens of thousands of people have visited memorial shrines for Roh, laying white chrysanthemums in a traditional show of grief and leaving cigarettes on the altars to remember a man who was reported to have taken up smoking during the investigation. In a suicide note given to the media by his lawyer, Roh wrote: \"I am in debt to too many people. Too many people have suffered because of me. And I cannot imagine the suffering they will go through in the future.\" Prosecutors were investigating the former president for allegedly receiving $6 million in bribes from a South Korean businessman while in office. Roh's wife was scheduled to be questioned by prosecutors Saturday, and Roh was planning to answer a second round of questions next week. Why some South Koreans are angry about Roh's death » . The investigation has now been suspended. The debate over Roh's suicide has occupied as much column space in South Korea's press as the recent aggressive behavior shown by the North. On Tuesday, the conservative Chosun Ilbo urged South Koreans to remember the words of the former president's suicide note. \"Roh's abrupt death brings home how vain the rise and fall of power is and how futile it is to nurse hatred and conflict in pursuit of them. Roh himself said in his will, 'Aren't life and death both part of nature? Don't blame anybody.' He would not have wished his own death to cause more political confusion and social conflict,\" the newspaper wrote in an editorial. It also criticized prosecutors who \"seem to have worried about public consensus rather than focusing on principles.\" The left-leaning Hankoryeh called Roh's death \"political murder,\" echoing the widespread feeling that the former president paid too high a price for his alleged crime. \"The case of late President Roh was the most unfortunate in South Korean history, brought about by the Lee Myung-bak administration, which despised the person more than the crime,\" the newspaper wrote in an editorial. The mood on South Korea's influential blogs and message boards was somber and split between messages of comfort, dismay at Roh's decision to end his life and angry accusations against prosecutors and the government. \"President Roh's perseverance to provide Korea with a true democracy has come to a sudden end. We saw the grief of his demise in the eyes of millions of Koreans,\" read a message posted on the popular Daum Agora Web portal. \"Prosecutors and the police! Are you the people of the Republic of Korea?,\" asked another. Just before he left the presidency, Roh became the first South Korean leader to cross the demilitarized zone and meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. He believed in the \"sunshine policy\" of his predecessor, Kim Dae-Jung, that sought to engage the north, and Roh also promised aid. CNN's Pauline Chiou and freelance journalist Nicolai Hartvig contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Motorcade accompanying Roh's body on way to the capital, Seoul .\nNEW: Grief-stricken S. Koreans pour out onto the streets to pay final respects .\nRoh Moo-Hyun took his own life amid an ongoing corruption investigation .\nRoh was in office between 2003 and 2008 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The longest-serving Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee told CNN Radio on Thursday that, barring any surprises, Sonia Sotomayor is headed for a Supreme Court confirmation. Judge Sonia Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic on the U.S. Supreme Court. \"If there are no otherwise disqualifying matters here, it appears to me she will probably be confirmed,\" Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said. Hatch was acknowledging the current Senate political landscape. Sotomayor was nominated by a Democrat president, and Democrats could have 60 votes in the 100-member chamber if Minnesota's Al Franken is seated. They now hold 12 of the 19 seats on the Senate Judiciary Committee that will first consider Sotomayor's nomination. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, said Thursday he does not plan to vote to confirm Sotomayor, becoming the first Republican to explicitly state his opposition. \"She has made statements on the role of the appeals court I think is improper and incorrect,\" Roberts said. \"I think that we should be judging people not on race and gender, or background or ethnicity or a very compelling story.\" Hatch -- who unlike Roberts voted in favor of Sotomayor's 1998 nomination to the federal appeals court -- also revealed one of the first Republican battle lines on the nomination: the schedule. See Sotomayor's key rulings » . President Obama and other Sotomayor supporters say they want her confirmed before the Senate goes on its August recess, so that she can be well-situated for the start of the next Supreme Court session in October. Hatch and fellow Judiciary Committee Republicans Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas are pushing for a longer timeframe. They say it is almost impossible to review Sotomayor's extensive record, debate her nomination and hold a Senate vote by August. \"If the Democrats don't overplay their hand and don't try to rush this too much, the process will go well, they'll be better off, she'll get confirmed,\" Hatch said, again adding that his prediction is based on no new concerns coming to light. The opposition party usually fights for extensive time to try to find hidden issues in a Supreme Court nominee's record. Hatch said senators need three months to consider Sotomayor and that a vote should come in September, after the Senate's August break. A September vote would crunch Sotomayor's preparation time for setting up her office before the high court's next term begins. It also would complicate Democratic fights on health care and energy that could reach a critical point at that time. See whom Sotomayor would sit alongside if she's confirmed » . Hatch insisted a September Senate vote would get Sotomayor on the bench in time for the new Supreme Court session. \"If they do it the right way,\" he said of Senate Democrats, \"and there is no otherwise disqualifying feature to this, it is highly likely she is going to be confirmed as the ninth justice on the Supreme Court in time to sit on the court on the first Monday of October.\" Meetings on the timetable have begun. On Thursday, White House staffers met with aides to Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to go over this and their strategies for Sotomayor's confirmation, according to a Senate Democratic aide involved in the confirmation process. Sotomayor will go to Capitol Hill as early as Tuesday to meet with senators who will vote on her confirmation. The Judiciary Committee has not announced when the confirmation hearings will begin. Democrats were relieved Wednesday when Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, and the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he did not think Republicans would block the nomination with a filibuster. But prominent conservatives still are trying to stir public opinion against Sotomayor. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich have called her racist, pointing to an October 2001 speech at the University of California, Berkeley. During that speech, she said: \"I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.\" The Senate Democratic aide involved in the confirmation process said Democrats are pleased with the initial response from Republican senators to Sotomayor's nomination, saying it was a \"good sign\" that GOP senators have not adopted some of the language coming from Limbaugh and Gingrich. \"If the fire-breathing rhetoric is contained to the far right element, it doesn't jeopardize the nomination,\" the aide said. CNN's Alexander Mooney contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sen. Orrin Hatch: Sotomayor confirmation likely if \"disqualifying matters\" don't appear .\nSotomayor could meet with some senators Tuesday .\nHatch, other Republicans want to wait until September for vote .\nSen. Pat Roberts is first Republican to say publicly he won't vote for nominee ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexicans in the United States sent home 12.2 percent less money this past August than the same month last year, the Banco de Mexico said Wednesday. Mexicans in the U.S. are sending fewer dollars home and are suffering from a tough economy. That translates into remittances of $1.9 billion, versus $2.2 billion last year, said the bank, which blamed tough economic times in the United States for the decline. \"The prolonged deceleration of economic activity in the United States has adversely affected the opportunities for employment in that country and, consequently, those of the Mexican migrants,\" the bank said in a statement posted on its Web site. August's tally quickens a trend -- during the first eight months of the year, remittances fell 4 percent to $15.6 billion, the statement said. The numbers translate easily into stories of hardship. Marilyn Pena lives outside Mexico City and depends on remittances to get by. Her father migrated to Chicago 12 years ago to find work and, in good months, sends his daughter about $200 per week. But last week he sent nothing. \"He told me he has no more work because of the situation there,\" Pena said. \"Temporary workers are always the first to lose their jobs in crises like this one,\" said Luis Pena, an economist. \"Since many Mexicans in the United States are there illegally, they are most vulnerable to unemployment.\" Some economists predict the drop will increase by year's end to 20 percent. After oil exports, remittances are Mexico's second-largest source of foreign currency. In Atlanta, Georgia, which has one of the greatest concentrations of Mexican residents in the southeastern United States, Yasmin Gutierrez runs a company that Mexican immigrants use to send dollars abroad. \"Before, they used to come every week and they used to send big amounts and lately, well, nothing, or almost nothing. Some clients are no longer coming, and those that are coming are sending small amounts.\" Rosina Gonzalez, who ran a Western Union office in Atlanta several years ago and recently returned to the job, said she has noticed a big change. Back then, \"everyone was sending money to Mexico, Mexico, Mexico -- a lot of money,\" she said. \"Now, I'm returning to work after four or five years and the norm now is that the people who used to send money to Mexico are asking the people in Mexico to send money here.\" Some are abandoning their hope for a slice of the American dream by opting to return to their country. The woman running the foreign-currency exchange service Afex, also in Atlanta, said business is so bad she is afraid of losing her job. CNN's Harris Whitbeck in Mexico City and Viviana Fernandez in Atlanta contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bank: Mexicans in U.S. sent 12.2 percent less money back to Mexico than last August .\nSome economists predict the drop will increase by year's end to 20 percent .\nAfter oil exports, remittances are Mexico's second-largest source of foreign currency .\nSome migrant workers are opting to return to Mexico ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- OutKast's Big Boi is a junkie, has been for years. Big Boi: \"You can really tell a lot about a person through the shoes, so I always like to keep me a fresh pair.\" The multiplatinum rap star got his first shoe fix back when he was better known as Antwan Patton, a busboy at Steak and Ale. He saved up his paychecks and rushed to a dealer to cop the only thing that could cure his jones -- a pair of British Knights tennis shoes. \"I've actually been into sneakers since I was a little kid,\" Big Boi, 34, said backstage before his concert this month at the Sneaker Pimps exhibition in Atlanta. \"You can really tell a lot about a person through the shoes, so I always like to keep me a fresh pair.\" Sneaker culture has thrived for decades, but shoe companies have increasingly capitalized on the demand for one-of-a-kind kicks. Collectors, known as sneakerheads, have lined up to pay hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to ensure few people are wearing the same shoes. See some of the rarest shoes » . \"Coming up, my mom got five kids so there wasn't a whole lot of stylish tennis shoes around the house, so I used to want a lot of sneakers,\" Big Boi said, explaining that he started making up for lost time -- and shoes -- long before OutKast's 1994 debut, \"Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.\" Juan Castaneda, 27, also grew up in a family of modest means and longed to don the fresh kicks he saw his peers wearing. \"When I got money to buy them, I started catching up,\" said Castaneda, who works at a nursing home in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He estimates he owns about 200 pairs of sneakers, including a pair of Nike Air Jordan XIs with patent-leather trim called \"Space Jams.\" They cost him $500. It's supply and demand at its simplest, said Elliott Curtis, a former Carnegie Mellon University basketball player who for two semesters taught Sneakerology 101, billed as the first accredited class on sneaker culture. Shoe companies create a limited number (say, a few hundred pairs) of shoes -- even if it's just an old model with new colors or materials -- and demand automatically spikes. \"It's like a status symbol. If Nike is selling a shoe for $2,000, they're not expecting to sell that many,\" the recent graduate said, adding that sneakerheads are drawn to scarcity. \"If they've got money, they can buy coolness,\" Curtis said. Curtis goes to garage sales and mom-and-pop stores seeking rare and retro sneakers for his 75-pair collection, but he concedes he's waited in line for limited editions and paid as much as $250 for a pair. Sporting an ultra-rare set of blue-and-red \"Bugs Bunny\" Nike Air Jordan VIIIs, Big Boi said he today boasts at least 400 pairs of sneakers, but he rarely pays for them because shoe companies send him pairs. His most expensive, a pair of crocodile-skin Nike Air Force 1s, sell on various auction sites for up to $1,800. Big Boi has never worn them, but he plans on taking them out of their Nike lockbox this summer so he can wear them in a video for his upcoming solo album. To Peter Fahey, the mastermind behind Sneaker Pimps shoe shows, Big Boi's enthusiasm is typical. Sneaker culture got its start in New York in the 1970s, mostly among playground streetballers and practitioners of an emerging genre of music called hip-hop. Over the next three decades, rappers and basketball players -- most notably, Run DMC and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan -- would play integral roles in boosting the popularity of rare kicks. \"Run DMC were probably at the height of the whole movement. It was the first time music and sneakers crossed like this,\" Fahey said of the group's 1986 hit, \"My Adidas.\" Today, Adidas, Nike and Puma compete with luxury brands such as Chanel, Prada and Gucci. The major sports shoe companies also allow customers to design their own shoes. Upstarts such as San Francisco's JB Classics and Japan's Madfoot and KKOK have snatched up market share as well. Shoe companies realize hip-hop's influence and work hard to get \"a fresh pair of steps\" on a rapper's feet. Earlier this year, Converse released a line of its iconic All-Stars in tandem with Chicago rhymesmith Lupe Fiasco. Nike has issued two versions of the Air Yeezy, inspired by rapper-producer Kanye West. Louis Vuitton also has teamed up with West. Some lines, such as the Yeezys, quickly become collectors' items. Die-hard sneakerheads keep them in their original boxes like \"Star Wars\" action figures and ferret them away in closets, their soles never to be scuffed by a sidewalk. Bryan Lyle, 22, of Stockbridge, Georgia, said he recently camped out three nights at an Atlanta boutique to get one of the shop's eight pairs of Air Yeezys. Lyle paid $300, a small fortune for shoes, but Castaneda said the price more than doubled within days. He got a pair of Yeezys from an eBay merchant in Hong Kong. The damage? $700. Melissa Bailey of Hendersonville, North Carolina, takes photos at the Sneaker Pimps show. Castaneda's girlfriend, Melissa Bailey, 26, said Castaneda actually bought three pairs. He found two online and paid someone to camp out for the others. Castaneda's modus operandi is to buy three pairs of his favorite shoes -- one to wear, one to store for later and one to sell or trade, she said. \"He will not walk through grass. He will not walk through dirt,\" Bailey said. For the last six years, Fahey has had a front-row seat for the evolution of sneaker culture. He held the first Sneaker Pimps show in Sydney, Australia, in 2003, but only 200 people showed up, belying the trend's rising popularity. Soon, however, tens of thousands would attend shows in more than 60 cities. A 2006 show in Jakarta, Indonesia, drew about 13,000 sneakerheads. The shows now feature between 1,000 and 1,500 shoes. Some are rare. Others are signed by celebrities. Hip-hop acts are a staple, as is artwork -- on both kicks and canvas. At this month's show, hundreds of sneaker enthusiasts filed through Atlanta's Tabernacle with the decorum of museum patrons, stopping to admire the shoes displayed on swaths of chain-link fence. There were novice sneakerheads, such as Chris Shepherd, 20, and Charnelle Cook, 20, an Atlanta couple who marveled over the DC Comics and Transformers sneakers. Asked about her multicolored hightops, Cook said, \"I couldn't tell you what these are called. All I know is they're Reeboks, and they're fly.\" There were seasoned collectors, such as Kyle Self, 35, of Decatur, Georgia, who said he had about 25 pairs, some of them still in their boxes. Included in the group are three pairs of $400 low-top Pradas, which he called his \"everyday sneakers.\" There were even female collectors, such as artist Estasha Goodwin, 23, who modeled a pair of shimmering gold, winged -- yes, winged -- hightops made by Adidas and designer Jeremy Scott. She complained that shoe companies too often focus on the male market and ignored female aficionados. \"When they do cater to us, it's always bubblegum pink. They don't even make them in our sizes,\" she said. \"I know women who know more about sneakers than any dude out here today.\" Incidentally, her favorite of the 15 pairs she owns were made for men -- the Nike \"Ace of Spades\" Dunks, inspired by the Detroit Tigers' high-kicking pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, who is prominently featured on the black-and-aqua shoe's hightop. Asked why she shelled out $250 for them, she gave a familiar response: \"It's a feeling you get when you know you're the only one that has something. Even if you're not, it's the way you walk it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Big Boi says he has 400 pairs, including crocodile-skin Nikes he's never worn .\nShoe companies capitalizing on niche demand for rare, limited-edition sneakers .\nSneakerology teacher: \"If they've got money, they can buy coolness\"\nWoman says boyfriend \"will not walk through grass. He will not walk through dirt\"" } ]