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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": "(CNN) -- Facetime with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum . Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines talks strategy and adresses rumours about the airline. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines is at the center of Dubai's aviation industry. As the world witnesses an unprecedented economic downturn, Emirates has embarked on a $4 billion expansion plan. MME speaks to Sheikh Ahmed to find out about his strategy, and address rumors about the airline itself. In focus -- Risky business . Northern Iraq holds great potential, which is largely underdeveloped and the country is thirsting for investors. But, there are risks, with the potential for conflict on three fronts. There are other risks too, according to Herish Mohammed, Head of the Board of Investment of the Kurdish Controlled Region -- an ancient banking system, lack of insurance policies and corruption. But as one American entrepreneur put it -- it's not just about the money, it's about the adventure. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: . Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines .\nAl-Maktoum, who is at the heart of Dubai's aviation industry, on the economic downturn .\nPlus, the huge investment potential in Northern Iraq, despite the risks ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Facetime with Saad Hariri, Leader of Future Movement . Saad Hariri is the leader of Lebanon's majority party, Future Movement. Lebanon's economic growth may have slipped from an estimated 7 percent to 4 percent so far this year, but according to politician and businessman Saad Hariri, the country should largely escape the effects of the global slowdown. The leader of Lebanon's majority party talks to MME about the credit crisis, its impact on remittances, and how he believes peace in the Middle East is the only way to bring political and economic stability to his country. In focus -- The Land Grab . The Gulf might have oil, but it has a shortage of arable land. A year ago, food prices skyrocketed and there were shortages of all kinds -- even for basics, such as bread. The shortage caught the region flat-footed, and now food security is a top concern for many countries. It has prompted the likes of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to use their petro-dollars to buy farmland in Africa and Asia to feed their people. In the long run, could this search for food security also develop sustainable agricultural businesses and local jobs in the process? Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: Friday: 0815, 1945 Saturday: 0545 Sunday: 0715 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The leader of Lebanon's majority party discusses the impact of the credit crisis .\nHariri explains why peace in the Middle East is needed to stabilize Lebanon .\nFearing a food shortage, the Gulf countries are buying land in Africa and Asia ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In focus: OPEC quota cuts . OPEC, which pumps 40 percent of the world oil, is set to announce this week plans to cut its output when it meets in Oran, Algeria. CEO Naguib Sawiris is expanding his mobile phone services into North Korea, an area where few businessmen venture. The cut in crude is hoped to stabilize prices and will be the third cut in quotas since September. So what's behind the supply cuts? Is it just a matter of price stability? Or is OPEC trying to protect the cost of future investments? Facetime with Naguib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom . Amidst the economic downturn, one company is venturing into markets where others fear to tread. Orascom launches its mobile phone services in North Korea this week. CEO Naguib Sawiris tells MME about the company's ambitious expansion plans and the effects of the international financial crisis. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: . Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "OPEC, which supplies 40 percent of world oil plans on cutting more output .\nThis is the third cut since the fall and is supposed to stabilize prices-will it?\nOr is OPEC just looking out for its own interests?\nPlus, CEO Naguib Sawiris talks about his North Korea expansion plans ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed victory in Puerto Rico on Sunday and insisted that she is leading Sen. Barack Obama in the popular vote. Clinton won 68 percent of the vote compared with Obama's 32 percent. Her vote tally was 263,120; his was 121,458. The win gives Clinton the larger share of Puerto Rico's 55 delegates. The Democratic primary season ends Tuesday when Montana and South Dakota cast their votes. \"When the voting concludes on Tuesday, neither Sen. Obama nor I will have the number of delegates to be the nominee,\" she said in San Juan, Puerto Rico. \"I will lead the popular vote; he will maintain a slight lead in the delegate count,\" she said. Obama leads in the overall delegate count -- 2,070 to Clinton's 1,915. CNN analysts weigh in on Clinton's next steps » . A candidate needs 2,118 to claim the Democratic nomination. The Clinton campaign has been focusing on the popular vote as it tries to convince superdelegates to pick her instead of Obama. The superdelegates are a group of about 800 party leaders and officials who vote at the convention for the candidate of their choice. But the popular vote count is debatable. If all the primary results including Florida and Michigan are counted, but not the caucus votes, Clinton leads in the popular vote 17,461,845 to Obama's 17,244,762, according to CNN estimates. That number includes giving Obama all the \"uncommitted\" votes from Michigan. Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates for scheduling their primaries too early. Clinton won both states, but Obama's name was not even on the ballot in Michigan. The Democratic National Committee decided Saturday to reinstate all of Florida and Michigan's delegates to the national convention, with each delegate getting a half-vote to penalize the two states for holding their primaries earlier than party rules allowed. The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee's move gave Clinton 87 delegates and Obama 63. In a second scenario, which adds in CNN's estimate of the caucus-goers, Obama leads Clinton 17,928,000 to 17,843,000. And in a third scenario, which includes all of the caucuses but does not give Obama Michigan's \"uncommitted\" vote, Clinton leads 17,873,000 to 17,703,000. Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs expressed confidence that Obama would clinch the nomination in the coming days. \"If not Tuesday, I think it will be fairly soon,\" he said Sunday on ABC's \"This Week.\" \"We hope this week, absolutely,\" he added. At a campaign stop in Mitchell, South Dakota, Obama congratulated Clinton for her win Sunday and praised her for being an \"outstanding public servant.\" \"She is going to be a great asset when we go into November to make sure that we defeat the Republicans,\" he said. Watch Obama rally in South Dakota » . As Clinton tries to win over the undecided superdelegates, she argued Sunday that she would be the stronger candidate to face Republican John McCain in the fall. \"In the final assessment, I ask you to consider these questions: Which candidate best represents the will of the people who voted in this historic primary? Which candidate is best able to lead us to victory in November? And which candidate is best able to lead our nation as our president in the face of unprecedented challenges at home and abroad?\" In the Puerto Rico primary, Clinton swept Obama in every major demographic group, including groups Obama generally wins, such as younger voters and higher-income voters, according to CNN's exit polls. CNN estimated turnout to be between 325,000 and 425,000. \"Most people in Puerto Rico, I would venture to guess, they are not even aware that there's a primary going on,\" said Luis Pabón-Roca, a local political analyst. Part of the reason for the lack of interest, he said, is because voters feel the primary isn't meaningful since Puerto Ricans cannot vote in the general election. The Democratic and Republican parties run the primaries and caucuses, and they allow U.S. territories, such as the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to take part in the process. But only the 50 states and the District of Columbia vote in the general election. CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez, Willie Lora, Bill Schneider, Xuan Thai and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Clinton claims she'd be the stronger candidate to face McCain .\nElections officials report low turnout .\nObama campaign spokesman: Obama could clinch nomination soon .\nMontana, South Dakota hold final two contests Tuesday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- A former transit police officer charged with murder was released from custody Friday after posting a $3 million bail. Video shows Johannes Mehserle shoot Oscar Grant III in the back as another officer knelt on him. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Oakland to protest the release of Johannes Mehserle, 27, charged with killing an unarmed man on New Year's Day. iReport.com: Watch the protest . The former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer's release funds came from unknown sources, Alameda officials told CNN. Video taken by a bystander showed Mehserle pulling his gun and fatally shooting Oscar Grant III, 22, in the back as another officer kneeled on Grant. Mehserle may have intended to draw and fire his Taser instead of his gun, according to a court filing by his attorney. In January, protests turned violent after a judge decided to allow bail for Mehserle's release. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for March 23, authorities said. CNN's Jackie Castillo contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Former BART officer accused of murder posts $3 million bail .\nJohannes Mehserle charged with murder of Oscar Grant III .\nMehserle may have intended to use Taser instead of gun, attorney says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A new company in Germany is trying to break into the fashion business selling stylish clothes designed and produced by prison inmates. Inmates design and produce the Haeftling range. The company Haeftling, which in English means inmate, has just opened its first store in Berlin. \"We want to have basic, durable, timeless, beautiful clothes,\" said Stephan Bohle, one of the company founders. Many of the clothes, cooking aprons and even stainless steel food trays offered in the Berlin store were either designed or manufactured in jails, but not just German ones. One design shows a female comic figure that was drawn by a man sitting on death row in Texas. Bohle said part of the proceeds from sales go to organizations that support prisoners' rights and better conditions for inmates, like Amnesty International. But in some cases, money goes directly to the inmates that designed certain pieces. \"In the case of the female cartoon figure, this man was almost granted a stay from execution because of the design he did for us but in the end unfortunately the appeals court ruled against him,\" Bohle said . The clothes offered at the Haeftling shop also tell the story of the inmates that designed individual pieces. A small text inside the item lays out the prisoners story, including the name, where he is in jail and how long the term will be. Some of the clothes are manufactured at a corrections facility in Halle, near Leipzig, in Eastern Germany. Watch the inmates at work » . Prisoners sew cooking aprons in a jail workshop for several hours a day. \"It's wonderful, at least it takes your mind off jail for a little while,\" says Mario Hildebrand, who is serving a 20 month term in Halle. \"We can really identify with this label,\" he said. \"We are the prisoners and without us this label would not be possible, so we do take some pride in making these clothes.\" However, Mario said he would not wear the clothes himself: \"Look, I am a prisoner, and I'm really not proud of it. It isn't something I want to be parading around.\" But others seem to be catching the fever. Bohle said the company wants to start selling in the United States. \"We've had people from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles ask about Haeftling,\" he said in an interview in the flagship store in Berlin. Bohle said he hopes socially responsible clothes will also make for a good business for the company. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Prison inmates design clothes for new shop in German capital .\nPortion of profits go to prisoner rights organizations .\nClothes include tag include prisoner's name and sentence .\nProducts include design by inmate on death row in Texas, U.S." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Despite Hillary Clinton's landslide victory in Kentucky, Barack Obama has won a majority of pledged delegates in the race for the Democratic nomination. Clinton won Kentucky by more than 30 points, but Obama's share of the state's 51 delegates was enough put him over the threshold, according to CNN estimates. Obama is expected to pick up at least 14 delegates in Kentucky, and by CNN estimates, that will give him 1,627 of the 3,253 pledged delegates at stake in all of primaries and caucuses. Obama will also pick up a win in Oregon, CNN projects, giving him the larger share of the state's 52 delegates. Obama's top strategist, David Axelrod, said getting the pledged delegate majority was an \"important milestone,\" but not the end of the trail. Neither candidate is expected to reach the 2,026 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. That means the race is likely to be settled by \"superdelegates\" -- party leaders and officials who will cast votes at the Democratic convention in August. Speaking in Iowa, where he won the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Obama told supporters, \"it was in this great state where we took the first steps of an unlikely journey to change America.\" Watch Obama say he's in reach of the nomination » . \"The skeptics predicted we wouldn't get very far. The cynics dismissed us as a lot of hype and a little too much hope. And by the fall, the pundits in Washington had all but counted us out. But the people of Iowa had a different idea,\" he said. Obama continued to look to the general election, focusing his attacks as he has for the past week on Sen. John McCain, while commending Clinton for \"her courage, her commitment and her perseverance.\" Obama said McCain's policies don't represent change. \"This year's Republican primary was a contest to see which candidate could out-Bush the other, and that is the contest John McCain won,\" he said. McCain's camp accused Obama of launching \"the tired old political attacks of a typical politician, not the 'new politics' he's promised.\" \"Without a doubt, Barack Obama is a talented political orator, but his naive plans for unconditional summits with rogue leaders and support for big tax hikes on hardworking families expose his bad judgment that Americans can ill-afford in our next president,\" spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement. After Kentucky's results came in, Clinton thanked her supporters for handing her a win \"even in the face of some pretty tough odds.\" \"Tonight we have achieved an important victory,\" she said in Louisville. \"It's not just Kentucky bluegrass that's music to my ears. It's the sound of your overwhelming vote of confidence even in the face of some pretty tough odds.\" Watch Clinton vow to keep going » . Clinton beat Obama across all age groups, income groups and education levels in Kentucky. Eighty-nine percent of Tuesday's voters in Kentucky were white, according to the exit polls. Among them, Clinton won 72-22 percent. Nine percent of the voters were African-American and they overwhelmingly broke for Obama, 87-7 percent. The exit polls from Kentucky also suggest a deep division among Democrats. Watch how Clinton's win could affect the race » . Two-thirds of Clinton's supporters there said they would vote Republican or not vote at all rather than for Obama, according to the polls. Forty-one percent of Clinton supporters said they'd cast their vote for McCain, and 23 percent said they would not vote at all. Just 33 percent said they would back Obama in the general election, according to the polls. Those numbers are even worse for Obama than in West Virginia one week ago, where 36 percent of Clinton voters said they would back him in the fall. Obama on Tuesday downplayed the idea that his party will have trouble unifying once there is a nominee. \"Some may see the millions upon millions of votes cast for each of us as evidence that our party is divided, but I see it as proof that we have never been more energized and united in our desire to take this country in a new direction,\" he said. \"More than anything, we need this unity and this energy in the months to come, because while our primary has been long and hard-fought, the hardest and most important part of our journey still lies ahead.\" Obama leads Clinton in the number of states won and in the popular vote in the primary and caucus contests this campaign season, but he has been careful not to declare victory in the Democratic contest. Obama doesn't have enough delegates to capture the nomination outright; Clinton still has a chance, if a slight one, to win the nomination if enough of the roughly 800 superdelegates were to back her. \"I'm going to make [my case] until we have a nominee, but we're not going to have one today, and we're not going to have one tomorrow, and we're not going to have one the next day,\" Clinton said Monday in Kentucky. She argues that she leads in the popular vote, but her argument is debatable. For Clinton to claim such a lead, primary states but not caucus states -- which Obama mostly won -- would only be counted, plus the popular vote totals in Florida and Michigan. Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates for scheduling their primaries too early, in violation of Democratic Party rules. Obama's name wasn't on the Michigan ballot, and he received no votes in that state's contest. Clinton also argues that she's won the states that she contends would stack up stronger against McCain in the general election. \"The states I've won total 300 electoral votes. If we had the same rules as the Republicans, I would be nominee right now,\" she said. \"We have different rules, so what we've got to figure out is who can win 270 electoral votes. My opponent has won states totaling 217 electoral votes.\" CNN's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Obama captures majority of pledged delegates .\nObama: \"Most important part of our journey still lies ahead\"\nClinton wins Kentucky across all age, education, income groups, polls show .\nClinton voters in Kentucky more likely to back McCain than Obama, polls show ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As President Obama approaches day 100 of his administration, some in Washington caution that the torture tug-of-war could be a costly distraction. Leg restraints await detainees at Guantanamo Bay in this 2006 photo. Earlier this month, the Obama administration released four Bush-era memos detailing \"enhanced interrogations\" of suspected al Qaeda members. Now, the White House is reviewing former Vice President Dick Cheney's request to make more memos public. Two weeks before Obama released any memos, Cheney submitted a request to the National Archives calling for the release of other documents. He says that what he requested will prove that the Bush interrogation tactics -- which critics have called a torture program -- worked. \"I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country,\" Cheney said in an interview with Fox News last week. The White House is signaling that not only is it considering honoring Cheney's request, it may go even further. \"I think the president, as you know, is a big believer in transparency,\" White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday on NBC's \"Meet the Press.\" \"I think one of the things that will have to be examined is whether there are additional memos that have to be released that give a broader picture of what's gone on in enhanced interrogation techniques.\" The almost daily revelations are dividing Democrats between those calling for full disclosure and those urging caution. \"We don't just turn the page without reading it. We want to make sure what the mistakes were so that the Obama administration doesn't make these mistakes,\" Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont. said Sunday. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, warned Sunday against moving to quickly. \"We need to find these things out, and we need to do it in a way that's calm and deliberative and professional, because I think all of this, on the front burner, before the public, does harm our intelligence gathering, it does harm America's position in the world,\" she said on CNN's \"State of the Union.\" Across the aisle, Republicans are insisting the Justice Department drop any investigation of Bush administration officials who authorized harsh interrogations. \"I think that would be a stab in the back. I think he has already demoralized the CIA, put them in a CYA mode,\" Sen. Kit Bond, R-Missouri, said Sunday on Fox News. Arizona Sen. John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, said prosecuting those who gave legal advice is wrong. \"I don't think those memos should have been released, but the fundamental point now is whether to prosecute people who gave the president, in my view, legitimate advice, even though it was wrong,\" he said. \"We should not be prosecuting people who gave legal advice. It's wrong to do that to them, and it sets a terrible precedent for the future.\" Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio are calling on the White House to release a list of who was briefed about the interrogation programs. \"Congress and the American people deserve a full and complete set of facts about what information was yielded by CIA's interrogation program, and they deserve to know which of their representatives in Congress were briefed about these techniques and the extent of those briefings,\" Boehner said in a statement Monday. \"To date, the administration has fallen short in providing this information. ... The American people have been provided an incomplete picture of exactly what intelligence was made available by the interrogation program,\" he said. But Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, said the whole debate over the memos is \"moot.\" \"What do we gain, first, by releasing the memos; but, secondly, what do we gain from indicting lawyers for their opinions, if that is a possibility here? ... It will poison the water here in Washington. It will achieve nothing. It will make it harder for President Obama to do some of the big things he wants to do for the country,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Former Vice President Dick Cheney wants more memos released .\nCheney says memos will show what was learned through interrogation process .\nSome Democrats are calling for full disclosure; others are urging caution .\nGOP opposes any investigation of officials who authorized tactics ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In just one day, you'll get a mere glimpse of Rome, a city teeming with over two millennia of culture -- but it will surely whet your appetite for more. The sun sets behind St. Peter's Basilica on a beautiful spring day in Rome. Spring is one of the most beautiful times of year to visit the \"eternal city,\" when flowers begin to bloom from ancient monuments, cafe tables reappear on bustling sidewalks and throngs of summer tourists are yet to descend en masse. Food-lovers will also be thrilled to find many traditional Italian ingredients in high-season -- look out for fresh fava beans, agretti and wild mushrooms. Before dawn, head up to the Janiculum Hill to catch the sun rise. From here you'll be able to see the Vatican, Borghese Gardens, Pantheon, Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo and Campidolgio, all come to light in one breathtaking cityscape. In Rome, breakfast is on-the-go. Your best bet is to stroll through one of the early morning markets to pick up a hot cornetto and some fresh fruit. One of the oldest is Campo di Fiori, a daily mix of food and flower stalls in an eclectic renaissance square. Proceed from the Campo through the ruins of the Roman Forum, past the spot where Julius Caesar was slain, toward the Pantheon. Built in 124 A.D. as a temple to all the gods of Rome, the Pantheon remains today as a Catholic church and a tomb for Italian luminaries, such as the artist Raphael and King Vittorio Emmanuelle II. Stand in the center of the rotunda and gaze up to the heavens through the eight-meter-high oculus at the center of the five-ton concrete dome --a stunning feat of ancient engineering, still intact after two thousand years. The most important part of the morning is the coffee, and Romans are passionately divided as to who makes the best cup: Sant Eustachio (Piazza Sant'Eustachio, steps behind the Pantheon) or Tazza d'Oro (Via degli Orfani, a few feet in front of the Pantheon). Take your coffee the traditional Italian way, standing up at the bar. Spend the rest of the morning exploring St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Home to the papacy, Vatican City is brimming with extraordinary artworks and monuments of history. Once inside St. Peter's, admire Michaelangelo's \"Pieta\" and the incredible soaring dome he helped complete. Climb to the top of it for an incredible view, and perhaps another coffee. Image gallery: See more of Rome's art treasures » . Splurge on a private tour guide for the Vatican museums to avoid the hour-long lines outside. Highlights include the Sistine Chapel, featuring Michelangelo's famed ceiling fresco series and \"Last Judgment,\" works by Raphael, da Vinci, Caravaggio, and ancient wonders from Rome and Egypt. After the Vatican, stroll across Via Cola di Rienzo and the Ponte de Margherita to the Piazza del Popolo, where an Egyptian obelisk of Rameses II has stood since 10 B.C. The food at Dal Bolognese, a fixture on the well-heeled lunch scene, is consistently outstanding and the view on the square cannot be beaten (don't miss the Caravaggios tucked inside the tiny Santa Maria del Popolo church nearby). In the afternoon, head to the Borghese for a leisurely stroll through the gardens and a stunning collection of Baroque sculpture. If you're in the mood for shopping, head down the Via Babuino towards the Spanish Steps. Drop into l'Offatorio perfume bar on the way for a \"fragrance tour\" and get a custom-made scent bottled. Also check out TAD, a minimalist-design luxury lifestyle store for everything from shoes to a haircut. Some of the city's best boutiques are nearby - find them by meandering through the side streets between Via Croce and Via Condotti. Essential to any afternoon in Rome are a few scoops of ice cream. The renowned classic Giolitti, in the Piazza Colonna, is an Italian institution: politicians flock here between their government meetings. Enjoy a few of their 40-odd flavors of gelatto as you stroll around the Column of Marcus Aurelius. If you're over by the Spanish Steps, try San Crispino on Via della Panetteria, and sit at the edge of Bernini's Trevi Fountain while you indulge. In the evening, take in a performance before dinner either at the Teatro dell'Opera, or the Accademia Santa Cecilia, for classical music. For dinner, Rome's casual outdoor trattorias cannot be beaten. For pizza, locals line up outside Da Ivo in Trastevere, then take their piping-hot thin-crust pie over to Piazza Santa Maria, the neighborhood's heart, and watch impromptu performers and musicians cheer the crowds. For homemade pasta, try Maccheroni or Da Francesco (particularly for gnocchi) near Piazza Navona. For a formal meal, head to the Michelin three-starred La Pergola at the Cavelieri Hilton. Arrive early for a gorgeous view of the sunset from the hotel bar, perched high atop Monte Mori. At night, the spirit of Fellini's \"La Dolce Vita\" lives on, in low-lit cafes, wine bars and nightclubs. Bar della Pace is a fashionable Roman classic for drinks. For all-night dancing, try the see-and-be-seen La Maison. Both are tucked behind the Piazza Navona, where you can stroll past Bernini's \"Quatro Fiumi\" (Four Rivers) fountains, beautifully lit up in the early hours of the morning. What are your tips for getting the most out of the city? Use the Sound Off box below and have your say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Our tips for Rome: Hire a private guide to see Michaelangelo's stunning frescoes .\nIndulge in homemade gnocchi and gelatto in Rome's bustling piazzas .\nTaste the good life with the late-night locals at Bar della Pace .\nWhat are your favorite places in Rome? Share them with CNN users below." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The arrival of autumn in Australia will be a welcome relief for international visitors emerging from a bleak winter in the northern hemisphere. There's no mistaking the city of Sydney -- fine weather means you may struggle to see a cloud in the sky. Peak season may be winding up but with temperatures off their sticky summer highs it's a great time to sample one of the country's most recognizable cities. While few international visitors are likely to find themselves stranded in Sydney for 24 hours (if only!), here's our fast-track tour for travelers short on time. See the sun come up over Sydney Harbour. At this time of year, the sun rises at around 6:30am, an hour after the first ferries leave the wharf, so there's plenty of activity on the water. Early risers can waste no time in immersing themselves in Sydney's cultural highlights. At 7:00am, the Sydney Opera House hosts tours for just eight people to backstage areas normally off-limits to theatre-goers. At $100 per person, the two-hour tour is not a budget option but it does include breakfast. Be warned, the tour includes 300 steps. If you're not exhausted by the machinations of the Opera House, cool off with a relaxing dip. A recent spate of shark attacks may have put you off Sydney's beaches, but there are plenty of outdoor pools that offer both sun and seawater. For serious laps, try the North Sydney Olympic Pool (next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge) or for a lazier affair have a massage at Wylies Bath in Coogee. Image gallery: 24 hours in Sydney » . Once in Coogee you can admire the Australian coastline by following it all the way back to Sydney's famous Bondi Beach. Most people start in Bondi but there's no reason why you can't do it in reverse. The two-hour walk takes you past bays and beaches and through the dramatic Waverley Cemetery where you can reflect on life while breathing in the views. The path ends at the Bondi Icebergs surf club where you can grab a cold fizzy beer at the bar or stay for lunch at the Bistro. The hungry seagulls and pelicans at the Sydney Fish Market make lunch there a more interesting affair. Select your meal from the huge variety of seafood inside the market, grab a bottle of wine and an outdoor table and prepare to guard your chips. There is no shortage of up-market alternatives when it comes to dining out in Sydney. For one of the best try Tetsuya's in Kent Street. It was opened by Japanese-born Tetsuya Wakuda in 1989 and was lauded in a recent review as \"magical dining.\" It's only open for lunch on Saturdays and you'd be advised to book well in advance for dinner. A cheaper option would be any of the BYO (bring your own) restaurants dotted around the city. Most restaurants allow you to bring your own bottle of wine, but they will charge you corkage. Still, it's cheaper than the mark-ups on bottles at licensed premises. Until May 24, visitors can drop into the Art Gallery of New South Wales to see the finalists and the winner of this year's Archibald Prize, Australia's leading portraiture contest. Shoppers can pick up a souvenir close by in one of Sydney's oldest and most beautiful shopping centers, the Queen Victoria Building. The building opened in 1898, underwent major refurbishment in the 1980s and is now not only a great example of Victorian architecture but a stunning place to grab a quick coffee. (Note: The builders are back but the building remains open. The new improvements are scheduled to finish in July 2009.) In the evening, take a twilight cruise of Sydney Harbour aboard a yacht. Sunsail invites everyone for a \"fun blast\" around the harbor every Wednesday evening from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. The yacht leaves from the Boat House in Lavender Bay, a short hop from the city on the north side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Two new festivals have been added to a busy calendar in Sydney this year. In June, Vivid Sydney promises to turn the city into \"a living canvas of music and light.\" And on October 25, 20,000 people will have the opportunity to have \"Breakfast on the Bridge\" (yes, the Sydney Harbour Bridge) as part of the month-long Crave Sydney festival. Check the NSW Master Events Calendar for more. In the evening, join the pretty young things at The Ivy in George Street, or take the lift to the fourth floor of the Hilton Hotel where you'll find the Zeta Bar. The Loft on King Street Wharf is also popular, but it has a strict dress code so don't turn up looking like a traveler or you won't get in. And finally, there's no better place to end the night than in one of Sydney's karaoke bars. Some allow you to bring your own drinks. Check out the private booths at Karaoke World on Elizabeth Street where you can warble without shame until the early hours." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Start the day in Sydney with a backstage tour of the famous Opera House .\nAvoid shark scares by swimming in one of the city's many outdoor pools .\nEat fish and chips with the seagulls and pelicans at the Sydney Fish Market .\nEnd the night in one of the city's Karaoke bars: some allow you to BYO ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SINGAPORE (CNN) -- Co-founder and executive director of Architecture for Humanity, Cameron Sinclair opened the second Principal Voices debate on Design for Good by outlining just what the term means to him, but also what it means to the communities his design solutions are aimed at. 'When your focus is social change... why wouldn't you want to share that openly?' Taking the ego out of architecture, Sinclair sees the sharing of transformative design ideas as being a moral responsibility of today's designers and architects. \"When your focus is social change and not financial change why wouldn't you want to share that openly?\" Below are some of Sinclair's thoughts on a number of topics that were discussed at the debate. On shared design . \"I always think of the design world like the medical world; we have people who are plastic surgeons, but we have a lot of people who are in the emergency room and a lot of our designers are in the emergency room dealing with the critical issues like post-disaster issues or systemic issues or poverty. When I was in college the idea of being a socially responsible architect was unheard of, it was almost taboo: 'We're trying to make jewels in the city', whereas a lot of us wanted to create cities that were jewels.\" \"When your focus is social change and not financial change why wouldn't you want to share that openly? Innovation only succeeds when it's shared. If you're a pioneer and you come up with something that can change the world and you turn round and say 'I'm not going to share this idea with anyone' then you only impact the few and not the many.\" \"But we're in a situation right now where we have to deal with a huge variety of issues. If you have a design idea that can improve the lives of a million people it's almost ethically irresponsible to keep to it yourself.\" On sustainability . \"It angers me when sustainability gets used as a buzz word. For 90 percent of the world, sustainability is a matter of survival. When you as a designer design something that burdens a community with maintenance and old world technology, basically failed developed world technology then you will crush that community way beyond bad design; you'll destroy the economics of that community and often the community socially is broken.\" \"You have to do this marriage between what is appropriate, learning from the local nature, but also can we leapfrog technologies, so we're not burdening people with outdated technologies. If we can come up with that, then it truly is sustainable.\" On community involvement in design . \"The community is not your client but your partner. You don't just put up some nice big rendering and tell them this is what you might have and do a Q&A. Doing workshops within the community and having them design these quiet moments of innovation within the larger developments, not only allows an empowerment of that community, but also ownership.\" \"Just because you put their name on the building doesn't mean they feel like they own it; but empower them in the process not only does it quicken the process, but you find you have the political will you can put through things you never even imagined.\" \"When you have strong common will, then projects go forward. There's nothing worse than selling or convincing, but if you're inspiring and including then it's a beautiful thing, and at the end of it you're part of the community.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Second Principal Voices debate took place in Singapore on July 9 .\nCameron Sinclair lead calls to take ego out of architecture .\nBelieves that designers have moral responsibility to share good ideas ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "High blood pressure is truly a silent killer. In fact, a heart attack or stroke may be the first sign that you even have a problem. That's why it's so important to get your blood pressure checked every time you go to the doctor -- especially if you're a woman. High blood pressure can lead to stroke, kidney problems, heart trouble and other conditions. About 35 million American women have high blood pressure, and a third of them don't know it. In part, experts say, the increase comes just because women are living longer and doctors are paying more attention to the problem. But less-benign factors -- such as the exploding use of anti-inflammatory medicines (which make your body retain salt) and ever-increasing waistlines -- may be at play in what the American Heart Association calls a rise in uncontrolled hypertension in women. Fortunately, there are many ways to control your blood pressure, even without medication. And just knowing your numbers is half the battle, says Dan Jones, M.D., president of the AHA. But that doesn't mean fighting high blood pressure is a cinch. Here are the stories of three women whose high blood pressure took them by surprise. Think about them the next time that cuff goes around your arm. Erin O'Connell Peiffer, 45 . While Peiffer exper­ienced hypertension during all three of her pregnancies, her blood pressure always returned to normal after each birth. Later, as she juggled working and caring for her young children, the thin, nonsmoking telecommunications executive who lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland, considered herself healthy (except for her high cholesterol). Then one day about seven years ago, she couldn't stop coughing during a water aerobics class. A month later, she was shocked to find out that she had congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema, or swelling of the lungs. High blood pressure was behind the problems. Following open-heart surgery to repair a 99 percent blockage in her left main coronary artery, Peiffer was terminated from her job because of her illness and went on disability. She hasn't worked in seven years because of chronic chest pain and other conditions. Learn some tricks to lower your blood pressure . Looking back, she remembers that in her 20s, her blood pressure was elevated when she was first found to have high cholesterol. \"They said it was white-coat hypertension [the idea that just being in a medical office can drive blood pressure up],\" Peiffer says. \"No one said, 'Hey, you need to exercise,' or anything.\" So she didn't. Now she's on two blood pressure medications -- an ACE inhibitor that lowers levels of blood vessel-tightening chemicals and a beta-blocker that slows heart rate -- and her pressure's normal. Daily two-mile walks help, too. \"Get a baseline number, and keep an eye on it,\" she says. \"Take care of yourself first so you can be there to take care of your children.\" Carolyn J. Daniels, 43 . On the way to a regular medical checkup last year, Daniels, an Atlanta, Georgia-area marketing director, was in good spirits. Her weight was under control at 145 pounds, and she thought she was healthy. Her blood pressure had been slightly elevated at past checkups, but she had never been told to do anything about it. This time was different. Her reading was 160 over 100, and she remembers her doctor saying, \"You're like a firecracker -- ready to pop.\" Daniels was petrified: \"I thought I was going to die.\" Her doctor put her on blood pressure medication immediately. Read which 10 foods are best for your heart . Now she takes a beta-blocker and a calcium channel blocker, which also relaxes blood vessels. To stay healthy, she and her husband walk every other evening after dinner. The hardest part? Giving up the fried foods she loves. \"Every now and then, I'll cheat and have some fried chicken over at my sister's house,\" she confesses. But she's learned to broil, bake, and stir-fry tomatoes, collards, cabbage, and other vegetables. Daniels is among the 43 percent of African-American women who have hypertension. The risk for African-Americans is much higher than for Asians or whites, although it's not clear why. Daniels thinks there is only one way to cope: \"I felt fine, but that' s not good enough. It's especially important for African-American women to go to a doctor routinely. That's the only way you're going to know you have it.\" Antoinette Trammell, 50 . Even though her mother had hypertension, Trammell, a hospital human resources specialist in Richmond, Virginia, didn't think about her family medical history 20 years ago when she started having headaches and blurred vision -- two of the very rare symptoms of high blood pressure. Then one of the hospital's nurse managers took Trammell's blood pressure and sent her straight to a cardiologist. Read who is at risk of high blood pressure . Her blood pressure is now under control thanks to an ACE inhibitor, a diuretic, and some overdue diet changes. She's trying to lose weight -- hoping to drop 30 pounds -- and the self-professed saltaholic has cut way back on her favorite foods. \"Potato chips, fries, all those good things,\" Trammell says. \"I could literally put salt in my hand and eat it.\" Too much salt makes many people retain water, which increases blood volume and puts more pressure on arteries. The diuretic also helps break that cycle. Why wasn't Trammell more active in controlling her risks at a younger age? Probably because she grew up on a farm, and her parents rarely saw a doctor. Her mother died at age 80 in 2002 after a stroke and heart attack. \"Now I make sure to have my blood pressure checked once a week,\" Trammell says. \"This isn't a condition that I can just take care of when I have the time.\" Try a FREE TRIAL issue of Health - CLICK HERE! Copyright Health Magazine 2009 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "About 35 million American women have high blood pressure; a third don't know it .\nForty-three percent of African-American women have hypertension .\nWeight loss, excercise and cutting salt in diet can help lower blood pressure ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Teratomas of the brain are very rare and comprise less than 1 per cent of all brain tumors. Teratomas have been the subject of intense fascination among scientists because of their sometimes strange qualities -- some have been reported to contain hair, teeth, bone and, very rarely, more complex organs such as eyeballs. Thoughts about the origin of these tumors have attracted much debate. CNN spoke with Dr. Thomas L. Ellis, senior neurosurgeon at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in North Carolina, United States, about the tumors sometimes known as \"the monsters\". He explained some quick facts: . • \"Teratoma\" comes from the Greek word \"teraton,\" meaning \"monster\". • Teratomas are seen most commonly in children and young adults. • Teratomas are made up of tissue from all three germ layers -- mesoderm, ectoderm, and endoderm -- that occur during the formation of an embryo. • Although teratomas can occur during embryonic development, most arise much later in life. • Teratomas occur most often in the midline of the brain, therefore often obstructing and putting pressure on critical areas of the brain. This can lead to loss of basic functions, but this loss can be temporary -- until the tumor is removed or reduced in size. • Teratomas are commonly very solid and rubbery making them resistant to dissection with standard instruments." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teratomas of the brain are very rare tumors -- less than 1% of all brain tumors .\n\"Mature\" teratomas sometimes contain highly developed tissues like teeth and hair .\n\"Teratoma\" comes from the Greek word \"teraton,\" meaning \"monster\"." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- An outbreak of the deadly ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted neighboring Angola to close its border with that country, Angola's state news agency reported Tuesday. Angolan Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem announced the \"suspension of migratory movements\" at the country's north-eastern border Sunday, the Angop news agency reported. The World Health Organization reports 41 suspected cases of the deadly fever in Congo since November 27. Thirteen people have died, and 183 cases are under observation. Two people are being held in quarantine. The handling of dead monkeys may be the source of the outbreak, the WHO suspects, according to Angop. Diosdado Nsue-Micawg, the WHO representative in the Angolan capital of Luanda, said the health agency does not know the source of the virus, but fears that hunters and women who visit the forest might have been in contact with infected monkeys. The outbreak is centered in the western Kassi province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been reporting intermittent cases of the disease since 1976, according to Angop." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Democratic Republic of Congo has reported intermittent cases of ebola since 1976 .\nWorld Health Organization reports 41 suspected cases, 13 deaths, since Nov. 27 .\nAs a result of the outbreak, neighboring Angola has closed its northeastern border ." } ]

[ { "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 British woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis has lost her appeal to clarify Britain's laws on assisted suicide, a charity working with the woman said Thursday. Debbie Purdy and husband Omar Puente pictured outside the High Court in October 2008. But the woman did get a strong hint that anyone who helped her travel to a country where assisted suicide is legal would not be prosecuted. Debbie Purdy, 45, had asked the Court of Appeal to clarify Britain's laws on assisted suicide -- an option she has said she wants if her pain one day becomes unbearable. Under the current laws, Purdy says, it is not clear at which point her husband would be breaking the law if he helped her to travel to an assisted suicide clinic. Purdy was appealing an October ruling by the High Court, which also refused to clarify the laws. Purdy suffers from primary progressive multiple sclerosis, in which symptoms become progressively worse over time. She has said she wants the option to travel abroad to have an assisted death should her condition deteriorate. Under Britain's current law, Purdy's husband, Omar Puente, could face 14 years in prison if he accompanies her to a country, such as Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal. Purdy had asked the High Court judges to tell her at what point Puente would be subject to prosecution -- whether it would include helping her into a car, sitting with her on the plane to the clinic, or helping her with her bags. In its judgment Thursday, the appeal court did imply Puente would be safe from prosecution. The judges referred to the earlier case of Dan James, a 23-year-old British rugby player who died in an assisted suicide last year. James had been paralyzed from the neck down in a rugby accident. James' parents, Mark and Julie James, flew with their son to an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland. They faced questions on their return to Britain but were not prosecuted. The court said the decision not to prosecute the Jameses \"is illustrative not only of the care with which the issue in these cases would be approached, but also an extremely helpful example of the kind of broad circumstances in which ... the ultimate decision would be that a prosecution should not be mounted,\" according to an excerpt released by Dignity in Dying, the charity that worked on Purdy's case. \"If the prosecution amounts to an abuse of process, the court will dismiss it,\" the court said in its judgment. Purdy said that wording made her feel like she had won her argument, even though she lost the appeal. \"I am very grateful for, and respect the ruling of the appeal court,\" she said in a statement. \"They have done everything they can do to clarify that, given the Dan James judgment, Omar would be unlikely to be prosecuted if he were to accompany me abroad for an assisted death, and we are therefore one step closer to the clarification I need.\" Dignity in Dying has said it is important for the British government to distinguish between people who maliciously encourage suicide and those who accompany a loved one abroad to die. Under current law, the 1961 Suicide Act, assisting a suicide is a crime punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment. Anyone who aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another, or an attempt by another to commit suicide, is liable. Dignity in Dying has said it ultimately wants British law changed to allow the terminally ill the choice of assisted death. To date, no one who has accompanied a loved one to the Swiss clinic Dignitas has been prosecuted, but they have been questioned by police and threatened with prosecution, according to Dignity in Dying. \"The courts have done all they can,\" said Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying. \"They make quite clear that only Parliament has the authority to change the law. If there's no public interest in prosecuting, there must be a public interest in updating the law to remove doubt.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "UK court rejects appeal calling for clarification of laws on assisted suicide .\nBut verdict hints anyone helping another go elsewhere to die wouldn't be prosecuted .\nMS sufferer Debbie Purdy wants option to travel abroad for assisted death .\nParents of rugby player who died in Switzerland last year were not prosecuted ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Inspectors found mildew on a ceiling and other problems last year at a peanut butter producing plant in Georgia that has been linked to a salmonella outbreak, according to reports released Monday by the state Department of Agriculture. A salmonella outbreak linked to a peanut butter plant has sickened nearly 500 people, the CDC says. But the owner of the Blakely, Georgia, plant -- Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America -- described the problems as \"relatively minor and for the most part corrected on site.\" PCA this month stopped production at the Blakely plant and launched a nationwide recall of peanut butter and peanut paste made there after July 1, 2008. The New York Times reported Monday that Georgia agriculture inspection reports from 2006 and 2007 depicted a series of sanitation lapses in the Blakely plant. Citing an inspection report from August 23, 2007, the Times noted at least three incidences in which \"food-contact surfaces\" were \"not properly cleaned and sanitized.\" In an apparent response to the Times article, PCA released a statement saying, \"When the observations were noted during inspections by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, corrective action was taken immediately where possible and subsequently when immediate action was not possible.\" The statement, which PCA sent to CNN accompanied by a copy of a state inspection report from last October, said \"the most recent inspection observations by the state [the October inspection report] were relatively minor and for the most part corrected on site.\" In the October 23, 2008 report, an inspector said she found \"mildew and possibly some static dust on ceiling of butter storage room.\" The report did not specify the amount of mildew. The report continued with the notation, \"Correct By: 11/05/2008,\" but the report did not indicate whether any action was taken or whether a follow-up inspection occurred. Moisture was blamed for an unrelated salmonella outbreak two years ago. That outbreak was traced to a different Georgia peanut processing plant. A June 2008 inspection of PCA's Blakely plant found violations including dust buildup on a fan in the butter room, and \"possible metal flakes from metal scrubber which is used to clean outside of equipment,\" according to an inspection report. The report did not indicate where the flakes were found. PCA has said that the peanut butter and peanut paste made at the Blakely plant were sold in bulk to manufacturers, and that the recall does not involve any peanut butter jars sold directly to consumers. However, more than 125 products that include peanut butter or peanut paste, including Trader Joe's celery with peanut butter packs and nutrition bars from Clif Bar, NutriSystem and Luna, have been recalled in connection with the PCA's recall. See a list of recalled products . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has counted nearly 500 cases of salmonella illnesses in 43 states from the most recent outbreak, and says the bacterial infection might have contributed to seven deaths. The American Peanut Council has a list of peanut products that are not affected by the recall." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inspectors: Plant linked to salmonella outbreak had mildew, other problems last year .\nNew York Times: Earlier inspections found sanitation lapses at plant .\nOutbreak has led to nearly 500 salmonella illnesses, CDC says .\nProducts made with Georgia plant's peanut butter recalled this month ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Would you still watch your favorite television program if you had to cycle for an hour before you could view it? A computer-generated image of Club Watt, Rotterdam's human-powered club. Couch potatoes will be horrified, but fresh advances in human-powered technology -- where users power appliances through their own motion -- could one day see a 'workout-to-watch' scenario become reality. Human power is rapidly gaining in popularity worldwide as businesses seek 'greener' methods of operating. The profile of the technology is set to receive a further boost this month when a human-powered gym opens in Portland, Oregon, and again in September when the human-powered 'sustainable dance club', Club Watt, opens its doors in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Human power is already being used to run the 'California Fitness' gym in Hong Kong, and to power the recently opened 'Club Surya' in London. iReport.com: Can you predict what the future will be like? Beyond all of this, further concepts have been developed for human-powered 'river gyms' for the waterways of New York. But, how does your sweat and strain turn into power for lights, music and machines? The general concept is known as energy harvesting, which simply refers to the gathering of energy from one source and applying it to power an object. Italian inventor Lucien Gambarota, who designed California Fitness's method of storing energy and using it to power lights and music in the gym, told CNN the concept is straightforward. \"One of the oldest types of energy used by people is muscular energy -- so this is nothing new.\" Gambarota said machines such as exercycles created a load, used as a counter-force by means of a resistor. \"I disconnected the resistor and started storing the energy into a battery... that is then used as power. It was a way to show there can be very simple solutions. It doesn't always have to be high-tech,\" he said. Portland's 'green' gym will have spinning bikes connected to wind-generator motors. The users should generate enough electricity to power the gym's music system or run personal DVD players on the machines, the gym's manager Adam Boesel predicts. While harnessing the energy from people working out at a gym seems logical, utilising the movement of clubbers at dance clubs is a little more complex. Two methods have developed -- the first of which is piezoelectricity, used by Club Surya, where crystals in blocks under the dance-floor rub together with the assistance of dancers on the floor. This generates an electrical charge which is then fed into batteries. A second method using wheels to generate energy under a slightly moving floor will be used at the soon-to-be-opened Club Watt. This model involves coils and magnets which move under the dance-floor to create a charge. Vera Verkooijen, spokeswoman for Sustainable Dance Club, the company which is behind the floor for Club Watt and produces smaller, portable floors, said the human power would be enough to power about 30 percent of the club's requirements. Verkooijen admitted the first floors were not very efficient, and said the designers were already working on new models to improve the amount of energy captured. \"This is just the first version. We are willing to take it further,\" she said. At Club Surya the power shortfall is made up by solar panels and a wind turbine. Putting the current buzz aside, how far could this human-powered technology develop? And how widely can it be applied? Verkooijen told CNN she already had some indications of where the technology was heading. \"We receive a lot of requests from other companies for people who want to use the floors. We get many of these for bus and train stations -- places where there are lots of people.\" Lights and display boards at those spaces could be powered applying the same concept as that being used in Club Watt, she said. Evert Raaijen, technical director of energy conversion company Exendis, felt the technology could have a number of different applications. From pedal-powered computers on bicycles, to self-powered soldiers in militaries, Raaijen predicted human power would be developed widely in coming years. \"I think it's a science field which will be one of the future,\" he said. Gambarota believed there were ways human power could be brought into practical use in the home. He had generated an idea of using human-powered batteries for television or portable video game consoles. \"With so many kids not exercising enough, a battery could be created for these devices so they had to create the energy to use them. The same could be done for television sets. \"We could get the situation where people have to cycle so they can use it,\" Gambarota said. Despite these potential developments, human-power is attracting its share of criticism. Although he shows enthusiasm for the battery project, Gambarota, who now spends much of his time developing micro wind turbines, is sceptical about the future of human-power on a mass-scale. He raises doubts about the efficiency of human power and questioned its economic viability. The average amount of power one person could produce going about normal activities on any given day was about one kilowatt-hour (kWh), which only amounted to about € 0.10 worth of electricity, Gambarota said. \"It's a very good marketing tool for businesses, but in terms of economics it does not make sense at all.\" The main reason it was being used was because companies wanted to \"look green, taste green and smell green\", he said. Raaijen, who was consulted on the Sustainable Dance Floor project, agreed that opting for human-powered technology at present was not a financially-based decision. \"The project (dance floor) in itself doesn't save a lot of energy. It's more of a statement than anything.\" Observing recent trends, the sustained drive for 'green energy' should continue to push human-powered technology forward, and despite the limitations to development, human-powered gyms, dance clubs, and maybe even video game consoles are likely to feature strongly in our immediate future." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A Hong Kong gym and London dance club are part powered by human power .\nItalian inventor Lucien Gambarota says human power is simple to use .\nThe concept could be taken to busy places like train stations or into homes .\nThere are some questions about the economic sense of human power ." } ]

[ { "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) -- Hong Kong authorities Sunday announced that two recalled candy products made by British confectioner Cadbury had high levels of melamine. The industrial chemical has recently been found in Chinese-made milk products that have sickened nearly 53,000 children in China, killing four. Countries around the world have since banned the import of Chinese products containing milk, or have withdrawn products that contain milk from China -- such as candy -- amid worries they contain melamine. Last week, Cadbury recalled all of its Chinese-made candy products after preliminary tests showed they contained trace amounts of melamine. Cadbury took the action because \"no level of melamine is appropriate,\" spokesman Tony Bilsborough told CNN on Sunday. He could not comment on the latest test results. The company stresses that its products manufactured at its Beijing plant are only exported to Taiwan and Hong Kong, with one product -- Cadbury Eclair -- sent to Australia, Nauru and Christmas Island. Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety tested 104 samples of products made by a variety of manufacturers, including Cadbury, Nestle, and some U.S. and Chinese companies. Only two of the samples showed unsatisfactory levels of melamine -- Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate (bulk pack 5kg) and Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate (bulk pack 5kg). The sample of the Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate contained melamine levels of 65 ppm (parts per million) which is more than 25 times the acceptable level of 2.5 ppm, according to Hong Kong's government. According to the center, a child weighing 22 pounds (10kg) would have to eat more than 10 small pieces of the hazelnut chocolate to surpass the tolerable daily intake. An average adult weighing 132 pounds (60kg) would have to eat more than 112 small pieces to surpass the level. The melamine levels in the samples of Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate were 6.9 ppm -- more than twice as high as the legal limit of melamine. Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety said it will continue to test dairy products and other products with dairy ingredients. Test results on other products -- including milk powder, soya drinks, yogurt, butter, baby food and frozen confections -- would be released on Monday, it said. Chinese authorities have implicated 22 Chinese dairy companies in the tainted milk scandal. Investigators suspect people watered down milk in an attempt to sell more of it, and added melamine in order to fool quality checks, Chinese authorities have said. The toxic chemical is used to bolster apparent protein levels in diluted or poor-quality milk. On Saturday China announced that a test of 607 batches of liquid milk from 27 cities found the samples to be melamine-free, state-run media said. The tests were the sixth Chinese officials have carried out since melamine was discovered in powdered infant formula last month. Chinese authorities have promised to subsidize farmers hit by the shrinking demand for milk, the news agency Xinhua said. Among them is the northern Hebei province, which has earmarked 316 million yuan ($46.1 million) for subsidies. That translates to giving a farmer 200 yuan ($29) per cow, Xinhua said. Melamine is used to bolster apparent protein levels in diluted or poor-quality milk. Chinese authorities have arrested 40 people in connection with the scandal, including two brothers who could face the death penalty if convicted. Authorities have implicated 22 Chinese dairy companies in the scandal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hong Kong authorities say two Cadbury products have high levels of melamine .\nCadbury recalled all of its Chinese-made candy products last week .\nChinese milk products have sickened nearly 53,000 children in China, killing four ." } ]

[ { "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) -- An American Airlines Boeing 757 made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport an hour after taking off because the crew smelled smoke in the cockpit, a fire department official said. Inflatable chutes extend from a jet that made an emergency landing Tuesday in Los Angeles. American Airlines spokesman John Hotard said there was evidence of smoke in the cabin, but he could not say if it was visible or just an odor. Flight 31 was headed from Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii. There were 188 passengers and seven crew members aboard. When it landed, the pilot ordered an emergency evacuation. Passengers evacuated by inflatable slides. Watch passengers slide down chutes » . \"It was split-second, 'Go, go, go. Don't take any bags with you. Just go, get off,' \" said passenger Julie Brown. \"And we just walked to the exit door, and there's that huge slide.\" Five passengers had minor cuts and bruises, Hotard said. Hotard said the flight was the first of the day for the aircraft, and there were no reports of problems with it in the past 30 days. The pilot requested an emergency landing as a precaution, Hotard said. Watch as official tells what happened » . American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said most passengers would take an afternoon flight to Hawaii, although he added that a \"handful\" of passengers were not continuing to Honolulu. He did not specify why. CNN's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Honolulu-bound American jet lands at Los Angeles International Airport .\nPilot requests emergency landing after smoke in cabin reported, official says .\nPassengers slide down inflatable chutes to get out of cabin; minor injuries reported ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Greek physician Hippocrates was the first to use the words \"carcinos\" and \"carcinoma\" in 400 BC to describe tumors, which led to the term \"cancer\" being coined. Greek physician Hippocrates was the first to use the words \"carcinos\" and \"carcinoma\" to describe tumors, which led to the term 'cancer.\" Since his day, medical advances in the treatment of cancer have evolved significantly. Below we chart some of the key moments in the battle against cancer. 1890 -- William Stewart Halsted, the first professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale, performs the first mastectomy to treat breast cancer. 1895 -- Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers X-ray radiation, which makes the detection of tumors in the body much easier and non-invasive. Later in 1899, Tage Anton Ultimus Sjogren becomes the first person to successfully treat cancer with X-rays. 1896 -- Removal of the ovaries is performed for the first time to treat breast cancer. 1898 -- Marie and Pierre Curie discover radium and later use it to treat tumors. 1900 --Thor Stenbeck cures a patient with skin cancer using small doses of daily radiation therapy. This technique is later referred to as fractionated radiation therapy. 1900s -- Dr. George Papanicolaou invents the Pap smear test after his findings suggest that vaginal cell smears reveal the presence of cancer. 1943 -- The first electron linear accelerator is designed for radiation therapy. Today, it is widely used for treatment of cancer. Late 1960s -- Lars Leksell develops the Gamma Knife -- a radiosurgical tool that uses a high dose of radiation to eradicate cancerous cells. 1964 -- The Epstein-Barr virus is linked to human cancer for the first time. 1974 -- Dr. Lawrence Einhorn finds a cure for advanced testicular cancer. This changes the cure rate from 5 percent to 60 percent. 1975 -- Scientists Georges Kohler and Cesar Milstein develop tailor-made antibodies in large quantities in a laboratory, leading to ways of attacking cancer and diagnosing disease. They go on to win the Nobel Prize in 1984. 1976 -- Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus discover oncogene, a gene that, when mutated or expressed at high levels, helps turn a normal cell into a cancer cell. They win the 1989 Nobel Prize. 1980s -- Anti-nausea drugs are developed to suppress the side effects of chemotherapy. 1991 -- The U.S. Human Genome project begins. The first gene transfers in humans also take place in that same year. 1998 -- Tamoxifen, a drug that helps reduce the risks of breast cancer by half in women is approved for wide use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 2004 -- The FDA approves Avastin, a monoclonal antibody that restricts tumor growth by blocking the formation of new blood vessels for the treatment of metastatic cancer. 2007 -- The FDA approves Nexavar, an oral inhibitor for liver cancer. This is the only drug approved for liver cancer. 2008 -- German scientist Harald zur Hausen wins a Nobel Prize for his research that found that oncogenic human papilloma virus, or HPV, causes cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women. He made the discovery in the early 1980s. Sources: Emory University, Cure Today, Britannia.com . CNN intern Priyanka Deladia contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers X-ray radiation in 1895 .\nLars Leksell develops the Gamma Knife in 1960s .\nAnti-nausea drugs to suppress chemotherapy side effects created in 80s .\nGerman scientist Harald zur Hausen wins a Nobel Prize in 2008 for HPV work ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi Security Forces captured 66 people believed to be connected to al Qaeda in Iraq terror cells, the U.S. military said Thursday. Members of the Iraqi Security Forces are working in Iraq to capture terrorists and insurgents. The suspects were captured during separate operations in northern Iraq this week, according to a military news release. The suspects included 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq and 21 suspected terrorists from an umbrella group of al Qaeda in Iraq known as The Islamic State of Iraq, the statement said. The suspects are believed to be part of terror cells responsible for bombings, torturing of civilians, conducting attacks and warning insurgents about upcoming Iraqi and U.S. military operations, the military said. One of the suspects is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July. \"These operations show the ability of Iraqi Security Forces to repeatedly capture criminals who undermine the security of Iraq,\" said Lt. Col. Neil Harper, a U.S. military spokesman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suspects blamed for bombings, civilian torture, warning insurgents about operations .\nSuspects include 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq, 21 from the Islamic State of Iraq .\nOne of the suspects is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July ." } ]

[ { "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) -- Beginning December 1, Mexico City plans to hand out free medicine to elderly men with erectile dysfunction, the local government said. Medications such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis reportedly will be offered under medical supervision. \"Everyone has the right to be happy,\" said Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, governor of the federal district that encompasses the Mexican capital. \"We have to protect people -- senior citizens above all,\" he said in a statement Thursday. \"Many of them are abandoned and lack money. They don't have medical services, and a society that doesn't care for its senior citizens has no dignity.\" The government said it plans to offer Viagra, Levitra or Cialis -- medication used to treat erectile dysfunction -- under adequate medical supervision. It cited figures saying that 70 percent of elderly men suffer from the condition. To obtain the medicine, men must first undergo a \"very, very detailed\" medical check to screen for and possibly treat ailments such as hypertension and diabetes, the government said. Centers in Mexico City also will offer a variety of treatment to elderly men and women." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Elderly men in Mexico City must undergo medical screening first .\nFree medicine will be out handed out to those with erectile dysfunction in December .\n\"Everyone has the right to be happy,\" official says .\nFigures show 70 percent of elderly men suffer from condition, local government says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Having a CT scan of the heart to check for heart disease? You may want to ask how your hospital plans to conduct the test. A new study suggests that people who get the common heart test can get a dramatic range of radiation exposures. When cardiac CT angiography is used appropriately, the benefits far outweigh the risk of the radiation, experts say. In the study of 1,965 patients undergoing the CT scans (also known as cardiac CT angiography), the median exposure was roughly equivalent to 600 chest X-rays, or about 12 milliSievert (mSv) of radiation, according to the report in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Traditional angiography -- a technique in which a catheter is snaked though a blood vessel and dye is injected near the heart -- exposes patients to roughly half the dose of CT angiography, or about 5--8 mSv, says study author Jorg Hausleiter, M.D., of the University of Munich in Germany. It's also about the same amount of radiation as other standard cardiac screenings, such as the nuclear stress test. There was a wide range of exposures in the study depending on the medical center and the way the tests were performed. The median radiation dose ranged from 4.6 to 30 mSv. About 80 percent of the centers studied used techniques to reduce radiation, such as adjusting the CT scan to the patient's size (meaning smaller patients get less radiation) or precisely timing the radiation dose to a particular point in the heart rhythm (which shortens the duration of exposure). Health.com: How to help your heart for better health . Overall, the danger posed by radiation is very small, according to Hausleiter. Being exposed to 10 mSv increases an individual's cancer risk by 0.02 percent, he says. However, the greater the exposure to radiation, the greater the risk. Watch Dr. Gupta talk about the cardiac CT scan » . Nearly all of the 50 sites in the international study, which included sites in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, were making at least some effort to limit excess radiation. Other medical centers may be doing even less to cut down on radiation during the test, says Andrew J. Einstein, M.D., Ph.D., of Columbia University Medical Center, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. \"Probably the group of centers which were studied in this paper are more sophisticated and more aware of radiation-reduction methods than your typical center that is performing cardiac CT angiography,\" he says. According to Einstein, many other sites may not be using radiation-reduction techniques at all. When cardiac CT angiography is being used appropriately -- meaning, for example, in people with chest pain suggesting blocked heart arteries, rather than as a screening test for people with no symptoms of heart disease -- the benefits far outweigh the risk of the radiation, according to Einstein and Hausleiter. However, cardiac CT scans are often marketed directly to patients interested in finding out how much plaque they have in their arteries, even though there's no evidence to show that this is an appropriate way to use the test, Hausleiter says. Health.com: 28 days, 28 ways to slash your risk of heart disease . Critics of cardiac CT angiography question whether its benefits warrant its current widespread use and the amount of radiation exposure. In fact, on Monday the American Heart Association issued an advisory warning that imaging tests, including CT scans, be used cautiously to minimize exposure to radiation. In the new study, Hausleiter and his colleagues looked at patients who underwent cardiac CT angiography at 21 university hospitals and 29 community hospitals between February and December 2007. They found some regional differences in radiation exposure; for example, the median dose was three times higher in South America and Latin America than in Canada and the United States. More than 70 percent of the centers in the study were using electrocardiographically controlled tube current modulation (ECTCM), which is currently the best-known strategy for reducing radiation dose. It involves timing the radiation beam to the diastole, when the heart is resting between beats. This is when the heart is the quietest, so it's easiest to get a good image of the organ. Health.com: Tricks to lower blood pressure . Another strategy involves using less energy (100 kV instead of the standard 120 kV), which is effective but useful only for patients who are not obese. Finally, sequential scans take a series of pictures of the heart at the same exact point in the cardiac cycle, which also reduces radiation dose. This approach, as well as ECTCM, can be used only in people with slow, steady heartbeats. Another problem, Einstein noted, is that doctors often don't know what a patient's heart rate will be until he or she is on the table being readied for the scan. But the fact that centers were able to use at least one radiation-reduction technique in most patients \"should serve as a wake-up call to cardiac CT laboratories that do not routinely use these methods,\" Einstein writes in his editorial. Health.com: I paid $450 to up my cancer risk . Patients who undergo cardiac CT angiography are within their rights to ask about what strategies, if any, are being used to reduce radiation dosage, he said. \"I would not recommend anyone to have this test done without discussing it with their doctor first. It's not something patients should be initiating on their own,\" he adds. Caution is warranted not only due to the radiation exposure, according to Einstein, but also because the dye that must be injected into the veins to perform the test can cause kidney damage in some people. While a person's doctor would be able to judge if he or she would be harmed by the dye and thus shouldn't have the test, he said, \"there are some sites that would be willing to perform this test on anyone.\" David J. Brenner, Ph.D., D.Sc., of Columbia University's Center for Radiological Research was not involved in the current study, but he coauthored a 2007 report warning that overuse of CT scans could contribute to excess cancer risks. He said that such CT scans are still controversial. New technology can decrease the radiation dose from cardiac CT scans, but as this study shows, \"It's very variable from institution to institution -- in part because there is no regulatory body making sure that there is some degree of quality control,\" says Brenner. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Study finds dramatic range of radiation exposures for cardiac CT angiography .\nMedian exposure for the heart CT scan is roughly equivalent to 600 chest X-rays .\nSeveral radiation-reduction techniques may be used, but protocol not standardized .\nIncrease in cancer risk is small, slightly more than 0.02 percent for median exposure ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recovering from pancreatic cancer surgery, plans to be back on the bench when the Supreme Court resumes oral arguments in 17 days. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also had surgery for colorectal cancer in September 1999. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said Friday that the 75-year-old justice is expected to be on hand for the next public session February 23, when the court will hear appeals in two cases. Ginsburg remains hospitalized at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center a day after undergoing surgery for the disease. Sources close to Ginsburg say that she continues to do well after surgery and that doctors and family remain cautiously optimistic. Those sources said she was resting comfortably and speaking with her staff about the court's upcoming caseload. Watch friends talk about Ginsburg's resilience » . The justice could be released from the hospital next week. A court statement Thursday said she will probably remain in the hospital for seven to 10 days, according to her attending surgeon, Dr. Murray Brennan. \"Justice Ginsburg had no symptoms prior to the incidental discovery of the lesion during a routine annual check-up in late January at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland,\" the court said. The justices are on a month-long recess but return for a closed door conference February 20. There is no word on whether Ginsburg will attend that meeting, among just the nine members of the court, to go over pending appeals. President Obama was hoping to speak with Ginsburg by phone later Friday, said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Ginsburg underwent surgery for colorectal cancer in September 1999. Court sources said she continued to work on pending cases while in her hospital bed and her subsequent recovery. Less than a month later, she appeared in public to give a speech and said, \"I am still mending but have progressed steadily.\" She never missed a day on the bench. The Brooklyn, New York, native has been on the federal bench since 1980, the past 15 on the high court, where she is the he only female justice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg expects to return to the bench by February 23 .\nThe only woman on the Supreme Court is hospitalized with pancreatic cancer .\nIt is her second bout with cancer .\nShe was treated for colon cancer in 1999-2000 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Ever caught a glimpse of the secretive Iberian lynx? Or heard the croaking bark of a Mediterranean monk seal? Arctic foxes are trapped and skinned for the pelts. If not, and you want to do so, you had better hurry because pollution and habitat degradation have pushed both species to the brink of extinction. According to a recent study by the Switzerland-based World Conservation Union (IUCN) human activity is threatening almost one-sixth of Europe's total land mammal population. Among marine mammals the situation is even more grave, with some 22 percent of total numbers being pushed towards annihilation. The IUCN's recently published European Mammal Assessment identified 17 European mammal species that are \"vulnerable,\" seven that are \"endangered,\" and six that are \"critically endangered.\" The Mediterranean monk seal population, for example, has now dwindled to just 350-450 individuals. The outlook for the Iberian lynx is even worse, with only an estimated 150 still surviving, making it the most endangered cat species on earth. Other species on the critically endangered list include the Arctic fox, Bavarian pine vole, European mink and North Atlantic Right whale. \"This new assessment proves that many European mammals are declining at an alarming rate,\" said IUCN Director-General Julia Marton-Lefèvre, a position echoed by the EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. \"The results of the report highlight the challenge we currently face to halt the loss of Europe's biodiversity,\" said Dimas. \"It is clear that the full implementation of the Habitats Directive (adopted by the EU in 1992 to safeguard Europe's endangered wildlife) is of the utmost importance to protect Europe's native mammals.\" Europe is home to a rich diversity of native mammal species ranging from the small such as shrews and voles, to the large such as wolves and brown bears. to the enormous -- in the case of the 70-ton North Atlantic Right Whale. Human activity, however, especially in the form of agriculture, deforestation, hunting and pollution, has reduced the numbers of these species, leaving many of them in danger of vanishing. The aforementioned Habitats Directive -- a corollary of the 1979 Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats -- introduced a range of measures aimed at protecting endangered species (including plants, birds and fish as well as mammals). That directive has certainly had an effect, with a number of mammals that previously seemed destined to disappear from Europe now enjoying something of a revival. The Alpine Ibex, for example, was almost hunted out in the 19th century, its population reduced to just a small group of survivors in Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park. Thanks to extensive conservation and protection efforts, however, the species is once again flourishing and has been downgraded to the \"least concern\" category on the IUCN's \"Red List.\" It is the same story for the European bison, which was limited to just a few zoos before re-introduction programs across eastern Europe helped re-build the population to current levels of around 1,800. \"The fate of the European bison provides an example of the way in which a species may be brought to the brink of extinction in a very short time, and then saved only through great efforts,\" said Dr. Zbigniew Krasinski of Poland's Bialowieza National Park. \"The saving of the bison has been an undoubted success, although further action will continue to be essential.\" Dr. Jean-Christophe Vie, Deputy Head of the IUCN's Species Program, agrees that significant progress has been made. \"In Europe we now have a network of protected areas, as well as strong conservation laws,\" he told CNN. \"It is possible for species to recover even when their numbers drop to extinction level. \"Both the Alpine Ibex and European bison are recovering well because of appropriate conservation measures. \"The European beaver is another example. It was persecuted almost to extinction but has now been re-introduced and is colonizing all over the continent.\" While there are positive stories, however, the overall picture remains a disheartening one, as the European Mammal Assessment demonstrates. Commissioned by the European Commission and a year in the drafting, it is the first such overview of its kind and draws on the work of a Europe-wide group of scientists, zoologists and conservationists. Its findings provide an unequivocal picture of biodiversity loss and species decline. Habitat destruction, usually due to agricultural practices, is the key driver of that decline, although many other factors are involved, including pollution, disease and the introduction of invasive foreign species. The case of the European mink, one of the IUCN's six critically endangered European mammals, is an example of how different elements can combine to drive a particular species to the brink of destruction. Once found in great numbers across Europe from Spain to the Urals, the mink population has plummeted in recent years. While hunting has certainly contributed to this decline, the main causes have been habitat loss and competition from invasive foreign species, according to Vie. \"The mink is freshwater dependent,\" explains Vie. \"The more you damage its habitat by polluting rivers, or channeling them, or building dams, the more the population declines.\" The introduction of the American mink into Europe for fur-rearing also proved disastrous, with some of those mink escaping from captivity, establishing their own colonies in the wild and setting up direct competition for food and resources with the native population. The result: an 80 percent decline in that population in the last decade alone (in 1993 the IUCN only classified it as \"vulnerable\"). But experts say that species loss can be reversed. \"There is more and more perception across Europe that biodiversity conservation is crucially important,\" says Vie. \"And we are seeing good recoveries in some species. \"The picture in the mammal world is not nearly as bad as, say, among freshwater fish, where the number of threatened species is far, far higher.\" At the same time, the latest figures remain a source of considerable concern. At a time when so many conservation initiatives and laws are already in operation, the population of many European mammal species is in apparent free fall. It is not simply the possibility of losing a particular species that worries experts, but also how the loss will affect the species' wider ecosystem . \"The food web is extremely complex,\" says Vie. \"If you lose one element that has a very specific role in that web, it has a knock-on effect and the whole system is threatened. \"It is very worrying. Some people think it is a disaster if a famous painting is lost in a fire, but that is just the work of a few weeks or months. These species and systems are the product of millions of years of evolution. \"I am biased, of course, but I think it would be an absolute tragedy if we lost these native species.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only an estimated 150 Iberian lynx remain .\nHuman activity is endangering many animals .\nExperts say situation is redeemable ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A severely disfigured woman received the nose, cheeks, upper jaw and facial tissue from a female cadaver in the first near-total face transplant in the United States, the woman's surgeon said Wednesday. Cleveland Clinic doctors replaced 80 percent of a woman's face two weeks ago in the first such U.S. surgery. The 22-hour face surgery was completed two weeks ago by a team of eight surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic. The patient had severe deformity in the middle of her face and was missing her right eye and upper jaw, the Cleveland Clinic doctors said. She could not taste or smell, and she had trouble speaking. Dr. Maria Siemionow, the head of plastic surgery research at the Cleveland, Ohio, hospital, said many people are \"hiding from society because they're afraid to walk to the grocery stores; they're afraid to go to streets because they're called names and humiliated.\" \"Our patient was called names, and our patient was humiliated,\" she said. \"We very much hope for this special group of patients, there is hope, and one day they will be able to go comfortably from their houses and enjoy the things which we take for granted.\" The patient is doing well, the doctors said. Interactive: More details of the surgery » . Details about the recipient, including her name and age, were withheld at her request. In the surgery, 80 percent of the woman's face was transplanted. The forehead and chin were left intact. In this transplant, tissue from the donor's face was shaped and fitted into position. Multiple layers of tissue, bone, muscles and blood vessels, nerve grafts and each artery and vein were connected. Watch an explanation about face transplants » . \"Our hope is she should be able to smile again,\" said Dr. Frank A. Papay, chairman of the Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. With physical therapy, surgeons hope the patient will regain her ability to smell and blink and will have other facial functions. Siemionow said the patient never saw a photo of the donor and said, \"the donor never looks like the recipient. The recipient never looks like the donor.\" Siemionow had medical and ethical clearance for a full facial transplant since 2004. She said it has taken 20 years of research and four years to find the right patient who understood the risks involved. The doctors' approach from the beginning was to consider \"only patients who are the most disfigured\" and had \"exhausted all existing procedures,\" Siemionow said. \"This patient exhausted all conventional means of reconstruction and is the right patient,\" she said. Watch Dr. Siemionow in the news conference. » . Dr. Eric Kodish, the professor and chairman of the Cleveland Clinic's Department of Bioethics, said doctors thought she would adhere to medications after the surgery. \"This patient had very robust decision-making capacity,\" he said. Like with all transplants, there is a risk that the recipient's body could reject the graft. The doctors say they haven't seen any such signs. The transplant recipient has to take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of his or her life to prevent rejection of the donated tissue. In the past three years, facial transplants have been completed in France and China, but these cases have raised medical and ethical questions. Read about the first facial transplant . Some candidates for a face transplant are survivors of trauma, such as burn or accident victims, who have exhausted all other reconstructive possibilities. The recipient in France, Isabelle Dinoire, had been mauled by a dog, and the Chinese man, Li Guoxing, was attacked by a bear. Both received major facial disfigurements. In 2007, a French team performed the third partial facial transplant on a man who was disfigured by a genetic disorder that created large tumors on his face. Watch a 2006 report about China's first face transplant . Guo Shuzhong, the face transplant doctor who handled Li's case, confirmed to CNN that he died in July of unknown causes. Li last visited the hospital in summer 2007, and he stayed in his hometown in Yunnan province. The doctor told CNN that Li had a checkup in a small hospital in his hometown three weeks before his death but that no health problems had been found. Watch an ITN report about the Li's case . The facial transplants in France and China generated much controversy as questions arose about whether the patients were adequately vetted and informed about the risks. Those procedures have been \"under an ethical cloud,\" said David Young, a professor of plastic surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. The current face transplant patient understood the risk of rejection and of immunosuppressants, doctors said. Criticism of facial transplants . Critics such as Peter A. Clark, director of the Institute of Catholic Bioethics at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said a facial transplant introduces unnecessary risks for a procedure that is not a matter of life and death. \"With something like a liver or kidney transplant, it's a life or death transplant,\" Clark said. \"Even with a kidney or liver [transplant], you have to be put on immunosuppressants with serious side effects.\" Bioethicist Dr. Arthur Caplan, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania's Medical Ethics Department, said Wednesday on CNN's \"American Morning\" that he initially had similar qualms about the facial transplant, which improves the quality of a life rather than saving it, but was gradually convinced. People with major facial disfigurements \"don't come out and basically stay at home and have a huge suicide rate,\" Caplan said. \"They're really up against it.\" At the news conference Wednesday, Kodish said the transplant had \"abundant moral justification\": the face as a personal embodiment as self. He added that people with disfigurements are often isolated and suffer tremendously and that this case was \"not cosmetic surgery in any sense.\" Patient's reaction . Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic said that because the patient has limited vision after the surgery, she has yet to see herself. \"At this point she can't see herself but can feel her face,\" Siemionow said. \"She was happy when she could go over her face\" and could feel that \"she has a nose, she has jaws and has a full face.\" After the surgery, the patient was heavily sedated from being on the breathing machine. As she was slowly awakening, medical staff members asked her how she was feeling and whether she was comfortable. \"She gave a thumbs up, first indication she was comfortable,\" said Dr. Chad Gordon, a fellow at the clinic's department of plastic surgery. \"She has been speaking to us very slightly. Most of communication has been through writing.\" Siemionow said the patient will need re-educate her facial motion and need three to six months of nerve regeneration. CNN's Miriam Falco and Judy Kwon contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow led face transplant team .\nEighty percent of trauma patient's face reportedly transplanted .\nSiemionow has had clearance to perform full facial transplant since 2004 .\nPrevious transplants have come under ethical cloud, professor says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, the hero pilot who safely landed a full passenger jet in the Hudson River, was once again honored with cheers and applause Tuesday during a ceremony for him hosted by the governor of his home state. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger a flag and license plate. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, first lady Maria Shriver and other dignitaries greeted Sullenberger at the state Capitol rotunda in Sacramento. Taking a break from difficult negotiations over a troubled state budget, the governor presented Sullenberger with a jacket with the state seal, a California state flag that had flown over the state Capitol, a proclamation and a \"California Hero\" license plate. \"Today is a very important day,\" Schwarzenegger said. \"There are legislators upstairs that are negotiating and working on a budget -- [we] need a great hero in a state capitol.\" The Sullenberger family lives in Danville, California. Sullenberger's response was understated -- as it has been at other ceremonies, including a New York City Hall event when he was given the key to the city by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. \"On behalf of the other four crew members of Flight 1549 and also on behalf of the many thousands of aviation professionals whose daily devotion to duty keeps air travel safe, I gratefully accept this recognition,\" he said. Sullenberger and his crew safely landed the damaged airplane, believed to have hit a flock of birds, in the Hudson on January 15. All 155 passengers aboard the US Airways flight survived. CNN's Scott Thompson contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "California governor honors U.S. Airways pilot Capt. Chesley Sullenberger .\nSchwarzenegger: \"We need a great hero\" in state legislature like Sullenberger .\nSullenberger safely landed flight 1549 in the Hudson River in New York .\nSullenberger accepts recognition on behalf of crew members, others ." } ]

[ { "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 HIV-positive Winnie Sseruma was invited to speak on the subject at the United Nations in New York last June, she never expected that her condition would prevent her from obtaining a visa. HIV positive Winnie Sseruma was repeatedly questioned before being allowed into the United States. Winnie Sseruma has been living with the disease for over 20 years. Preparing for her trip, UK-based Winnie discovered that the United States was one of 70 countries worldwide that either banned or restricted inbound travel for people with HIV. \"I was told I needed to come to the U.S. embassy for an interview and bring a doctor's letter stating I was fit to travel,\" Sseruma, HIV coordinator for charity Christian Aid, told CNN. \"At first, the embassy told me that the first available appointment for my interview would be at a date past the U.N. High-level Meeting I was meant to attend.\" Only when the U.N. intervened on Sseruma's behalf was she granted an earlier interview date. Sseruma was relieved when she finally received her visa on time. But the hurdles were far from over. At the airport in New York, Sseruma was detained twice for further questioning. \"It was so humiliating,\" Sseruma said. \"The immigration officers were asking me very personal questions about my health.\" A month after Sseruma's ordeal, the U.S. Senate passed the re-authorization of President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including an amendment to the ban on travel and immigration for HIV-positive non-citizens. But the United States travel ban still remains in effect, and will continue to be the law until the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) modifies its regulations. Fifty-eight Members of Congress have sent a letter to the HHS, urging them to take action. Russia also places restrictions on travelers with HIV. Affected visitors are not permitted to stay in the country for more than three months. Anyone applying for a visa for long-term stay must present a certificate stating that they are HIV negative. The Russian embassy's spokesperson in London told CNN no changes to the ban were currently being considered and declined to comment further. Crusading against these bans is \"Ctrl.Alt.Shift,\" a UK-based organization that attempts to engage youth to combat global and social injustices. The organization argues that there is no public health rationale for \"restricting liberty of movement or choice of residence on the grounds of HIV status.\" Are these laws outmoded? What do you think? Tell us in the Sound Off below. The fight against stigmas associated with HIV and AIDS has been widely adopted by the organization's young members. Many are joining Ctrl.Alt.Shift's protests across London. Last week, following two protests at the embassies of Saudi Arabia and South Korea -- both countries ban HIV positive travelers from entering their borders -- the organization launched its third protest in front of the Russian embassy in London. \"The level of proliferation of the HIV virus in countries that do not implement bans on HIV travelers is proof that these bans have no impact whatsoever, except for reinforcing the stigma,\" said Neil Boorman, Ctrl.Alt.Shift's project manager. Boorman told CNN that the bans and restrictions further the spread of the epidemic by driving the issue underground and force people to lie about their health on visa applications. Tinchy Strider, a 22-year-old British rap artist, was also present at the protest. \"I'm here because many young people are not aware of these issues, but if they knew these bans existed, they would want to do something about it,\" Tinchy explained. Eighteen-year-old Sian Anderson agrees. Anderson believes it is bad enough to live with HIV and that these regulations make life \"even harder.\" \"Some people are completely not at fault, they might have gotten the virus through blood transfusion and Russia doesn't take that into consideration,\" Anderson said. \"Science has moved on from the days where HIV was an unknown virus. Now the world needs to move on too,\" Sseruma said. \"Stigma remains our biggest challenge.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Russia is one of 11 countries worldwide that restricts HIV positive visitors .\nThe U.S. lifted similar ban last July, but has not yet been implemented .\nProtesters argue that ban forces people to lie about health to gain entry ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Just after 7 a.m. Tuesday in the fifth district of Kabul, Afghanistan, a suicide bomber struck a bus carrying Afghan police and civilians. Afghan I-Reporter S. Samimi sent this photo of a bus struck by a suicide bomber on Tuesday. At least 10 people were killed, including four children. I-Reporter S. Samimi was in his car on his way to work, only 100 meters from where the blast went off. He jumped from his car, unsure of what had happened. Samimi asked people around him what was going on. Finally, the truth dawned on him. Samimi, 23, grabbed his camera and made his way to the site of the attack. He said it was difficult taking pictures because his whole body was shaking. It was the first suicide bombing he had ever witnessed. Hands and limbs were scattered about the ground. Within minutes a crowd of hundreds had gathered around the bus, some of them family members of victims. \"People were screaming and crying,\" Samimi said. \"The situation was so bad. So tragic. I am so sad about it.\" Samimi said security guards were quickly on the scene and ordered him to stop taking pictures. He said at that point he was ready to leave. Samimi, who works as a secretary, said he was too shaken to concentrate on the job. \"I couldn't work well, because my condition was so bad after having seen a scene like that for the first time. It was so tragic.\" He said he returned home to learn that one of his neighbors, a policeman, had been killed in the bombing. \"I saw his family screaming and crying over his death,\" he said. He talked about the bombing with his family. \"They were so sad when they heard about what had happened and when they saw my pictures. People in the neighborhood are still crying.\" Samimi explained why he sent his photographs to CNN. \"The world should see what's happened in Afghanistan. The situation is not good in Afghanistan at the moment.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On Tuesday, a suicide bomber struck a bus in Kabul, Afghanistan .\nSamimi, a 23-year-old resident of Kabul, witnessed the bombing .\nHe shares photos, first-hand account of the tragic situation .\nI-Report: Send photos, video of breaking news situations near you ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Sri Lankan government said Thursday it has made more inroads into the remaining territory held by ethnic Tamil Tiger rebels after troops seized their command center in the north of the country. Sri Lankan workers bury the bodies of some 38 suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed in recent fighting. The defense ministry's announcement, also reported by the country's Lankapuvath national news agency, could not be independently verified. Military jets pounded the rebel's \"transit camp\" in the district of Mullaittivu Wednesday evening, the agency said. The defense ministry said rebels were firing at and killing civilians who were trying to flee the fighting. \"In the face of humiliating defeat, LTTE terrorists are tailoring a civilian tragedy,\" it said on its Web site. The LTTE, or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, are commonly known as the Tamil Tigers. They have fought for an independent homeland for the country's Tamil minority since 1983 in a civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. In recent days, the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds. Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years. The re-capture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sri Lanka news agency says government jets bombarded rebel transit camp .\nDefense ministry says rebels killing civilians .\nReported capture is latest in a series of claimed government successes ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The leading champion of democracy in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, emerged from house arrest Wednesday to meet with political supporters, a diplomatic source told CNN. Activists display a portrait of detained democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in Myanmar. Military leaders in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, let Suu Kyi leave her house to meet with senior leaders of the National League for Democracy, the source said. The meeting comes after the U.S. State Department criticized Myanmar for arresting 10 democracy activists. \"The United States condemns the regime's decision to press criminal charges against ten Burmese pro-democracy activists ... for the peaceful expression of their political beliefs,\" the department said in a statement Tuesday. The department noted that the 10 were charged with crimes that can carry lengthy sentences. \"If the regime were serious about engaging in a peaceful transition to democracy, it would stop arresting and prosecuting Burma's democratic leaders, and instead engage them in a genuine dialogue.\" The military government in Myanmar held Suu Kyi under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2002. It restricted her travel afterward and put her back under house arrest in 2003. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The regime in Myanmar used force to suppress a pro-democracy movement a few months ago. The government admitted that its crackdown killed at least 10 people, but human rights groups said they suspect the number is much higher. The government also acknowledged arresting several hundred people after democracy protests led by Buddhist monks. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from house arrest to meet with political supporters .\nJunta allowed her to meet senior leaders of the National League for Democracy .\nMeeting comes after the U.S. criticized Myanmar for arresting 10 democracy activists ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For more than two decades, artist Robert Wyland -- simply known as Wyland -- has wowed people with his giant whale murals that cover the walls of city parking decks, high-rises, convention centers and hotels around the world. Arist Wyland in front of his 50th Whaling Wall in Atlanta, Georgia. They are an expression of his love of the sea and all its inhabitants, he says. Wyland, a conservation advocate, believes art can change the way people, kids especially, look at the ocean. \"Art can play a role in the 21st century for conservation of clean water and healthy oceans,\" he says. \"There are things we can do everyday to protect water and conserve it.\" Wyland is taking his campaign for clean water across the nation. Wyland and his non-profit Wyland Foundation will visit kids at zoos, aquariums and schools showing them how they can help conserve water. Watch Wyland paint a whale shark » . \"If we are going to keep the oceans clean we need to think about what we are doing here on land. We need to protect the rivers, the lakes, the ponds, the streams, the estuaries -- it's all connected. Every drop of water on the planet is connected,\" Wyland explained. Along with mural painting with children, Wyland's Clean Water Challenge tour includes a mobile learning truck where participants can learn about water quality. He hopes to encourage everyone to reduce water waste by 10 million gallons or more over the next year. Wyland and his team kicked off their campaign at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta on October 7. Stops along the East and West coasts as well Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; and Phoenix, Arizona, are planned over the next month. At the Georgia Aquarium, Wyland was surround by children who joined him in painting a mural that will hang inside the aquarium. \"I got to paint a whale shark with kids. That was fun,\" he said. \"We have some great artists here in Georgia.\" \"Looking fantastic, everyone. Keep painting!\" Wyland shouted enthusiastically. Roxie Stricker, 8, from Atlanta, Georgia, asked Wyland if she could paint a baby right whale tail right next to his adult right whale tail. \"What a great idea,\" Wyland responded. Wyland says that when children paint their favorite animals of the sea, they become more aware and sensitive to those animals' needs. And it's this awareness that can make a difference. \"I learned that we should start saving water and stop throwing trash in it,\" said Stricker. \"I believe that this art is going to make a difference and these kids are going to change the world,\" Wyland said. \"Every drop counts.\" Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, Wyland, 51, was surrounded by lakes but it was the ocean that captured his imagination. \"I was inspired by Jacques Cousteau,\" Wyland says. \"He was my hero.\" At 14, he traveled west to visit his aunt in Southern California. \"I jumped into the ocean and I immersed myself in the Pacific for the first time. And as I came up two gray whales were migrating along the coast and spouted right in front of me and that changed my life,\" he says. Those two whales became the subject for his first Whaling Wall in 1981 in Laguna Beach, California. Over the past 26 years he has painted 95 Whaling Walls. See some of Wyland's amazing Whaling Walls » . He collects no fee for his murals. Each is a gift to its city. In 1993, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for painting the largest mural in the world. Wyland's \"Planet Ocean\" mural wraps around the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California. The mural, depicting a variety of sea life, is 1,280 feet in diameter and 185 feet high. He will reach his goal of 100 murals in the summer of 2008 in Beijing, China. Wyland, along with student artists, will paint an epic mural that will span nearly 3 miles. The Beijing Olympics will be his inspiration. He's been selected as the official artist for the U.S. Olympic team. Wyland won't be taking any breaks after he completes his 100th Whaling Wall. He plans on tackling 100 over-sized bronze marine-life sculptures for 100 cities around the world. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Artist Wyland world famous for his Whaling Walls .\nWyland wants to teach kids about the importance of clean water .\nWyland Foundation on a North American campaign to get kids involved .\nWill paint his 100th Whaling Wall in Beijing, China, in the summer of 2008 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Pakistani civilians were given a brief window on Friday to flee the ongoing fighting between government forces and Taliban militants in the country's north, according to military officials. Pakistani civilians pack a bus leaving Mingora, the capital of the troubled Swat Valley. The Pakistan army is trying to push the Taliban away from regions within the troubled Swat Valley. A curfew was relaxed until 2 p.m. local time Friday in Kabal, Kanju and Mingora -- in the Swat Valley -- and in Malakand Agency, which is a separate district. The government provided an estimated 150 vehicles to evacuate people, as private cars are not allowed to enter Mingora. The Taliban have been concentrating forces there -- digging trenches, laying mines, taking positions on rooftops, according to strategic expert Reva Bhalla of Stratfor, a firm that describes itself as a global intelligence company. \"The Taliban are concentrating forces in Mingora -- digging trenches, laying mines, taking positions on rooftops,\" said Bhalla. \"It is not clear if the Pakistani military is trained and even equipped to go into a situation like that,\" she said, adding that even the United States military \"would have to think twice\" about such an offensive. She estimates there are 5,000 Taliban fighters in the area. \"The question is: Are they going to try to stand and fight, or try to regroup?\" she asked. With a government offensive against the Taliban nearly three weeks old, a spokesman for Pakistan's army said the military intends to drive the Taliban out of the contested area. \"The whole resolve of the government and the military is to once and for all finish the Taliban from the Valley of Swat,\" Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told CNN's Reza Sayah. The Pakistani military is trying to push the Taliban away from the heavily forested and mountainous regions of the Swat district toward the south, so the army can encircle the militants, Bhalla added. According to the chief minister of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, some 1.5 million people have been displaced by 10 months of fighting between the military and Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan. The number of people at the Yar Hussain displaced-persons camp in Swabi district is expected to reach 2 million, Amir Haider Hoti said. The military announced earlier this week the number was 1.3 million. The huge refugee camps that the conflict is creating could be \"the perfect recruiting grounds for the Taliban to prey on,\" Bhalla said. Meanwhile, the United Nations' top official on refugees told CNN Thursday the world must launch a \"massive international effort\" to care for the refugees, or it will be \"absolutely impossible\" to provide for them. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a speech to parliament Thursday, called the refugee crisis a massive and unprecedented predicament. \"They are our own people and their children are my children,\" Gilani said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Curfew relaxed from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. local time in Swat Valley, Malakand .\nTaliban \"digging trenches, laying mines\" in disputed western city, expert says .\nPakistan wants to push Taliban south so it can encircle militants, expert says .\nSome 1.5 million people have been displaced by 10 months of fighting ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A court has lifted a ban on identifying a man charged with one of a number of deadly wildfires that scorched southeastern Australia this month. A dirt track runs through the burnt out forest in the Kinglake region of Victoria state. The man, 39-year-old Brendan Sokaluk, did not appear in Monday's hearing in Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the Australian Associated Press reported. An order banning the publishing of Sokaluk's street address or his image remains in place. Public passions are running high in the aftermath of the fires that have killed scores of people. One T-shirt says, \"The bastards who lit Victoria's fires should: Burn in hell.\" Sokaluk is suspected of lighting a fire on February 7. He was charged with arson causing death, intentionally or recklessly lighting a bush fire, and possessing child pornography, Victoria state police said last week. The fire Sokaluk is accused of setting killed at least 21 people in Gippsland. See map of fire-hit areas » . Sokaluk's identity had already been revealed on social networking sites before the court lifted the suppression order on his name. There were 12 Facebook groups carrying details about Sokaluk, with one attracting more than 3,600 members. Watch more on arrest » . Robbie Shenton, who has joined one such group, told CNN: \"The judicial system had no right to suppress his name or photograph.\" Melbourne's Age newspaper reported Police had contacted Facebook seeking removal of Sokaluk's details. The death toll in a string of fires across Victoria climbed to 189 on Monday, police reported. The number of fires burning had dropped to six, from about a peak of about three dozen, the Country Fire Authority said. Watch a survivor tell his story » . Meanwhile, more than 150 detectives were working on the arson investigation, authorities said. The fires have destroyed more than 1,800 homes and displaced about 7,000 people. Priyanka Deladia contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Court lifts ban on identifying man charged with starting deadly wildfire .\nBrendan Sokaluk, 39, did not appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court .\nOrder banning publishing of Sokaluk's address or image remains in place ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Lebanon on Sunday to pledge U.S. support for the country and its push for free elections. Lebanon President Michel Sleiman greets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday. \"The people of Lebanon must be able to choose their own representatives in open and fair elections, without the specter of violence or intimidation, and free of outside interference,\" Clinton said during an unannounced visit to Beirut. It was Clinton's first time visiting the country since taking office. Lebanon is preparing for legislative elections in June that analysts say could bring the militant group, Hezbollah, to power. The Obama administration backs the unity government of Sleiman, while Syria is allied with Hezbollah. \"Both of us are committed to supporting President (Michel) Sleiman's efforts to build a peaceful, prosperous, sovereign and democratic Lebanon.\" Clinton is expected to meet with Sleiman and lay a wreath at the tomb of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a bomb attack in 2005. Many Lebanese, as well as the United States, accused Syria of orchestrating the assassination of Hariri, an outspoken opponent of Syria. Damascus denied responsibility. But massive popular protests after Hariri's death led to the pullout of thousands of troops that Syria maintained in Lebanon from the 1970s. A senior state department official said Clinton's visit is intended to reassure Lebanon that the United States will not forgo its support of the country as it opens dialogues with Syria and Iran. \"Beyond the election, we will continue to support the voices of moderation in Lebanon, and the responsible institutions of the Lebanese state they are working hard to build,\" Clinton said. CNN's Jill Dougherty contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes unannounced visit to Lebanon .\nClinton says people of Lebanon should vote \"without the specter of violence\"\nClinton also reassures U.S. support of Lebanon in ongoing talks with Syria, Iran ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The surgeon who performed heart surgery Wednesday on former first lady Barbara Bush said Thursday that she is recovering well from the 2 1/2-hour surgery in which her aortic valve was replaced with a pig valve. Former first lady Barbara Bush had heart surgery Wednesday in Houston, Texas. \"From our perspective, this was a very routine procedure, and we expect her to make an excellent recovery,\" Dr. Gerald Lawrie told reporters at Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston. Bush had experienced \"severe narrowing of the main valve that lets the blood come out of the heart into the circulation,\" Lawrie said. \"This valve, instead of being a soft, flexible structure that opens and closes, breaks down,\" he said, adding that calcium deposits cause it to stiffen, which can result in fluid in the lungs and progressive deterioration. He said an echocardiogram showed her condition was \"extremely severe.\" Typical symptoms of problems with an aortic valve include shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness and swelling, he said. Though his patient is 83, \"she's a very fit lady,\" which helped make the operation a \"relatively straightforward\" procedure,\" he said. Diagnosed with the condition less than a week before the surgery, Bush entered the operating room at 7 a.m. and, after an hour of preparation during which lines were attached to her and anesthesia was administered, the main work began, Lawrie said. In all, she was on a heart-lung machine for 55 minutes; the implantation of the valve took 45 minutes, he said. She required no blood transfusion. Bush was back in the intensive care unit by 10:45 a.m., where she awoke \"quicker than most\" patients of her age, he said. He described her as \"very lucid.\" \"She recognized all of us immediately and actually started tearing us up with some humorous comments just as soon as we took that tube out.\" He predicted she would remain in the ICU until Friday or Saturday, and then be transferred to a standard hospital floor for another five to seven days. But already, he said, she is \"walking around the room a little bit.\" Bush's husband of 64 years, former President George H. W. Bush, visited her shortly after the operation. \"I've been a nervous wreck about it,\" said the former president, who said he had received telephone calls of support from President Obama and all the other surviving former presidents. \"I think there is a lot of interest because of who she is,\" he said, his voice cracking. \"She looks well. I just came from her room and she's doing well. I keep saying, 'You look great.' [She says] 'Don't tell me that.' But you know, she does ... she looks well to me -- and beautiful.\" Bush added, \"She's in command. She's in control of our whole family.\" Asked to describe what occurred between the two when he saw her, he said, \"I don't remember any words. I'm not the anecdotal one in the family. It was just a reunion of two people who love each other.\" Afterward, the former president turned to a hospital administrator and said, \"I'm sorry I get emotional, but I can't help it.\" The Bush family matriarch is the mother of former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Surgeon: \"We expect her to make an excellent recovery\"\nSurgeons spent 2 1/2 hours replacing Barbara Bush's aortic valve with a pig valve .\nEchocardiogram showed her condition was \"extremely severe\"\nDoctors think the former first lady will be in ICU until Friday or Saturday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. His new book, \"Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security -- From World War II to the War on Terrorism,\" will be published this fall by Basic Books. Zelizer writes widely about current events. Julian E. Zelizer says it's vital that new media provide support for journalism that strives for objectivity. (CNN) -- Last week, Sen. John Kerry convened a discussion of the troubled state of journalism in America by way of a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. In Kerry's home state of Massachusetts, the Boston Globe is barely surviving. Several major metro papers have closed down, and there are indications that many more could soon follow. Experts have been warning in recent months that much of the newspaper industry may not survive. While the end of the metro newspaper would constitute a huge blow to journalism and the political system, realistically there might be nothing that we can do. The popularity of news on the Web and the potential of mobile devices such as the Kindle makes it difficult to see how we can sustain news in print -- unless electronic delivery can produce enough revenue to support the cost of newspaper staffs. Sometimes technological innovations and consumer preferences cause changes that are irreversible. The industry has seen other important shifts in the way that Americans receive their news, such as the advent of television news in the 1950s and 1960s. But the real issue is not whether we can save the newspapers, but how we can create the best Internet news system possible. As Kerry said in his opening statement: \"There also is the important question of whether online journalism will sustain the values of professional journalism, the way the newspaper industry has.\" The first challenge we must address has to do with editorial control. A great danger of blog-based news is that information disseminates instantly with very little editorial supervision. On too many sites, information goes right from writer to reader. In the heyday of daily newspapers and network news, the news cycle was slow, lasting over the course of a day. There was a considerable amount of time for reporters, editors, and producers to check and verify information before it reached the public eye. Those days are gone. The result is too often that incorrect information circulates quickly. It will be crucial that television news networks continue to maintain Web sites which have the financial capital to support an editorial and production staff and that the newspapers which do survive find ways to expand their online operations, turning them into commercially lucrative ventures. Only they can finance the kind of infrastructure that good journalism requires. The second challenge we face has to do with polarization. Most studies of politics show that polarization has increased significantly throughout American politics. The media are both a product and cause of this political phenomenon. In Congress, there are fewer centrists in either party who are willing to compromise. Unfortunately, we have seen a similar phenomenon in the news business. During the 1990s, FOX News promoted a style of journalism framed within a clear conservative perspective. In recent years, liberals have mimicked these efforts. The nightly broadcasts of MSNBC have offered a counterpoint on the left, with television shows offering news from a liberal perspective. Bloggers on the Web follow this model as well. Not believing that the norm of objectivity is attainable, they prefer to present their political views openly and tend to be much more partisan in how they interpret world events. Moreover, readers and viewers tend to go for their information to sites and channels where they can see their own perspectives confirmed. It will be difficult to counteract these kinds of trends since they are so deep-rooted in American politics. But at a minimum, someone needs to fund reporters who keep covering the story and who at least strive to achieve as much objectivity as possible. There are many Web sites that do undertake this mission, but it will be essential that there is continued and expanded support for reporting as the metro newspapers slowly vanish. The final challenge has to do with fragmentation of news outlets. One of the great advantages of the Internet is that it has broken the monopoly the networks and major newspapers maintained on reporting the news. But the cost of fragmentation is that there are so many competing sites, some run by lone individuals and others by organizations, that Americans have fewer sources that can expose them to a diverse range of stories and that can make clear the interconnections between events that are taking place. When you read the newspaper, it is possible to get a rounded picture of the world by flipping through the international news, national news, arts, business, sports, and more. Now, many sites focus on narrow subject matter. How can we bring the pieces together? The multiplicity of sources on the Web forces the reader to be his own editor, and not many people are inclined to do all the work of scanning a variety of the relevant sites to get a full picture. All of these are challenges to journalism, but we should not lose hope in the potential of the Internet to provide high-quality news. The Internet offers many advantages. The speed can be an asset as readers learn of breaking stories more quickly. Editors have less power to stifle stories because of political or economic pressure. With so many more outlets, somehow the news will get out. Hyperlinked stories can offer readers easy connections to related information and even to original documents through which they can draw their own conclusions about what reporters are saying. The Internet offers room for many more perspectives than existed when just three network anchors and the local newspaper told Americans what was happening. The Internet can also combine written news with video and audio sources, as well as disseminate stories through social networking sites. Readers have the opportunities to interact with reporters and comment on stories. The death of the metro newspaper would be a huge loss. But rather than only focusing on lament, our best response would be to make the new medium of Internet news as strong as it can possibly be. We must address the major challenges by developing sites with the resources to edit, insisting on venues where the pursuit of objectivity remains a goal, and cultivating sites that help bring together different subject matter. If we do, the technological transition that we are living through can turn into a positive moment of advance for the media rather than a moment of decline. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Julian Zelizer: Sen. John Kerry held hearing on future of newspapers and news .\nZelizer says newspapers are endangered by rise of new media .\nFocus should be on what new media can do to ensure quality reporting .\nZelizer: Pursuit of objectivity is a needed goal for Web-based news ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "L'AQUILA, Italy (CNN) -- The youngest hadn't lived half a year. The oldest had lived nearly a hundred. A rescue worker Friday kisses the coffin of a child killed by this week's earthquake in central Italy. The official government list of victims from this week's earthquake in central Italy reached 287 on Friday, as Italians held a mass state funeral to lay the victims to rest. They included Antonio Loavan Ghiroceanu, who was born December 11. He would have been 6 months old on Saturday. The oldest-known victim of the quake was Evandro Testa, 96, who was born in 1913. More than 200 caskets were lined up at the funeral, draped with flowers. At least one small white coffin belonging to a child sat atop a larger coffin, a baby's pastel outfit hanging off the side. The funeral was being held outside a hangar in Coppito, a town adjacent to the earthquake's epicenter of L'Aquila. Officials elected to hold the Mass in the open air to avoid the risk of injury from falling debris. Aftershocks continue to shake the region more than four days after the earthquake, and some were even felt during Friday's funeral. All of the area's cardinals and bishops, along with 100 priests, attended the special funeral Mass. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was also there, greeting and embracing some of the thousands of mourners before the service. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone presided over the Mass as an envoy from Pope Benedict XVI, who plans to visit the region after Easter. Watch Italy bury its dead » . Bertone said the funeral was a \"precious moment\" to understand the meaning of life and death. \"Everything can stop in a second -- projects, plans -- everything finishes. All that remains is love,\" he said. Watch more on funeral . Mourners, who were transported to the funeral on buses, dabbed their eyes and noses. Some stared at the ground or held each other. Few appeared focused on anything but remembering the victims. \"I feel rebirth in the heart, because below that rubble there is a will to rebuild, to start again, to plan and to dream,\" Bertone said, offering a message of hope. The towns of L'Aquila and the surrounding region, he said, \"will come back stronger, will have more courage and give life to these places with that power and strength and dignity of the soul that distinguishes them.\" As well as sending Bertone to deliver his message, the pope sent holy oils to L'Aquila and a chalice with which to take Communion. Archbishop Giuseppe Molinari of L'Aquila also planned to deliver a message. The 6.3-magnitude quake Monday morning left about 30,000 people without their homes. Almost 20,000 of them are braving chilly nights in tents while about 11,000 others are staying in hotels, said Agostino Miozzo, a spokesman for the Italian Civil Protection Agency. Watch more on the aftermath . Recovering from such losses and rebuilding the city of L'Aquila will take several years, according to Miozzo. The medieval city is about 120 km (75 miles) northeast of Rome. Berlusconi has said rebuilding will cost several billion euros. Aftershocks have heightened anxiety in the area -- including a moderate 5.6 magnitude tremor that struck the area Tuesday. \"The mood is a little bit afraid,\" said Marco Volponi of the Civil Protection agency. He was working in a tent camp, housing people whose homes were inhabitable. In the nearby village of Onna, 40 people -- more than one out of every eight residents in the town of 300 -- were killed in the earthquake. On some streets, every single home was destroyed. Anna Rita Difilice lost her son, Fabio, 20, to the quake -- the deadliest to strike Italy in decades and the first major quake in the country in seven years. She said she doesn't know what comes next for her. Her village has become populated with tents, fold-up beds and feeding stations handing out food, water and other supplies for survivors. But she said she knew one thing: she's not going anywhere. \"My son died here,\" she said. \"There is no way I'm leaving this town -- not ever.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Italians have gathered to farewell nearly 300 earthquake victims .\nAlmost 20,000 have braved chilly nights in tents, about 11,000 others in hotels .\nToll from Monday morning's earthquake continues to rise: 287 now dead ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Some of the $85 million in hurricane relief supplies given away as federal surplus will be sent back to Louisiana and given to nonprofit agencies for distribution, the state's hurricane recovery office said Tuesday. Hand towels sit unused in Fort Worth, Texas. Goods ranged from cots to camp stoves to coffee makers. \"Today we can report that we have been notified that some of the surplus property has been located in Texas and will be coming to the state of Louisiana for distribution by Unity New Orleans,\" said Paul Rainwater, the executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. A CNN investigation revealed last week that FEMA gave away the supplies as government surplus, even though agencies like Unity -- which works to resettle hurricane victims -- were still seeking the kind of supplies given away. After the disclosure, Rainwater's organization asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to return some of the extensive stockpiles of household goods that had been purchased as \"starter kits\" for people living in trailers after Hurricane Katrina. After CNN reported on the giveaway, other Louisiana officials also asked that the supplies be redirected to the state, which originally passed on them. John Medica, director of Louisiana's Federal Property Assistance Agency, told CNN he was unaware Katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, an outspoken critic of FEMA's response to the hurricane, told CNN the supply giveaway was \"just a shame.\" \"It's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy,\" Landrieu said last week. She wrote Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to request an explanation. FEMA Administrator David Paulison on Sunday defended the agency's decision, telling CNN that Louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles, but that state officials had declined the goods. Rainwater said state officials \"will move to quickly get these supplies in the hands of those who need them.\" \"Moving forward, we have made it clear that I am to be the point of contact for FEMA when supplies for Katrina and Rita victims are set aside for our state,\" he said. \"We will also be informing nonprofits about how to access such supplies, so that we can all better serve our citizens who are struggling to rebuild their lives.\" CNN's Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some of the $85 million in supplies will be given to state nonprofit agencies .\nCNN investigation revealed FEMA gave away supplies as government surplus .\nFEMA administrator has defended the agency's decision to give away items ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- United Airlines and US Airways have joined American Airlines in charging passengers to check bags on certain flights. Passengers check in at the United Airlines counter at the Miami International Airport Thursday in Miami, Florida. Citing higher fuel prices, United Airlines said Thursday it will begin charging domestic passengers $15 each way for one checked bag. The Chicago, Illinois-based airline said the fee to check a second bag will be $25 each way. The fee to check three or more bags, overweight bags or \"items that require special handling\" will increase from $100 to $125 or from $200 to $250, depending on the item, United said in a statement. The $15 charge will apply to customers who purchase a ticket on or after Friday for travel within the United States, and who buy on or after August 18 a ticket to or from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The $15 service fee will not apply to customers flying in United First or United Business or who have premier status with United or Star Alliance airline network, the carrier said. iReport.com: How do you feel about the new fee? For itineraries that include international flights (except Canada), checking a first and second bag will continue to be free, United said. The cost to check more than two bags or items that are overweight or require special handling varies by destination. US Airways, meanwhile, said it will begin charging passengers $15 for their first checked bag for travel on or after July 9. The airline said it also has recently started charging passengers $25 for second checked bags. The new policy applies to flights in the United States as well as flights to and from Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Some airlines have been adding fees to once-free benefits, such as snacks. Despite this cost-cutting, airlines are finding it harder to survive as they get squeezed by soaring fuel costs. \"With record-breaking fuel prices, we must pursue new revenue opportunities while continuing to offer competitive fares, by tailoring our products and services around what our customers value most and are willing to pay for,\" said John Tague, United's executive vice president and chief operating officer. United said it estimates that the $15 fee will apply to one out of three customers, and the potential revenue from baggage handling service fees, including those for checking a first and second bag, will be approximately $275 million a year. The move comes a month after American Airlines announced a $15 service charge for the first checked bag. Delta, Continental and Northwest told CNN they are not charging for passengers' first checked bags. However, a spokesman for Northwest said the airline is well aware of changes in the industry. \"We are always keeping an eye on what our competitors are doing,\" the spokesman said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "United: Second bag to cost $25; $125 to apply to three or more or overweight bags .\n$15 fee will not apply to those in United First, United Business or with premier status .\nSome airlines add fees to once-free snacks .\nUnited: $15 fee will apply to one out of three customers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir landed in Qatar on Sunday for an Arab League summit, a move that could put him at risk of arrest on war crimes charges leveled by a U.N. tribunal. Omar al-Bashir is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant over allaged war crimes in Darfur. Al-Bashir met with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, after arriving in Doha, Qatar's capital. Earlier this weekend, al-Thani criticized the timing of the arrest warrant issued in early March by the International Criminal Court, arguing it has undercut his government's efforts to resolve the long-running conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. \"We believe that peace and justice should go hand in hand to settle the conflict in Darfur, or for that matter, any other conflict,\" al-Thani told Arab League foreign ministers Saturday in remarks carried by the Qatar News Agency. \"But we also believe that justice cannot be reached in the absence of peace.\" The March 4 arrest warrant is the first issued for a sitting head of state by the world's only permanent war crimes tribunal, based at The Hague in the Netherlands. But the ICC has no arrest powers of its own, and depends on its 106 member states to take suspects into custody. Qatar is not a member of the tribunal. Sudan refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the ICC, and has made no efforts to hand over two other officials indicted by the court. Al-Bashir has called the charges an attempt by Western powers to recolonize Sudan. The court accuses al-Bashir of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity in his government's campaign against rebels in Darfur, in western Sudan. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict. Qatar had been mediating talks between Sudanese officials and representatives of one of the rebel factions, who signed a confidence-building agreement in February. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrives in Doha, Qatar .\nMove puts him at risk of arrest for war crimes .\nInternational Criminal Court has issued arrest warrant over Darfur campaign ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A top Taliban commander has issued a new threat to foreign aid workers, saying that under the insurgent group's new \"constitution\" they will execute them as spies or hold them in exchange for the release of Taliban fighters. Taliban militants pose with their weapons as they drive their car in Wardak province. (File photo) In an exclusive telephone interview Friday night with CNN, Mohammed Ibrahim Hanafi said the Taliban intelligence wing was actively gathering information on foreign aid workers. \"If we get someone, that is how we will deal with it under our new constitution,\" he said. He added that he was telling \"Afghan brothers not to work with NGOs.\" In the 15-minute interview, arranged by an intermediary for CNN, Hanafi repeated the Taliban's pledge to keep girls out of public schools. \"Our law is still the same old law which was in place during our rule in Afghanistan,\" he said. \"Mullah Mohammad Omar was our leader and he is still our head and leader and so we will follow the same law as before.\" \"In my opinion,\" he added, \"Taliban aren't allowing girls to go to schools because Taliban want women to preserve their respect by staying in their homes, not to work as laborers for others.\" Dozens of crimes across the country, especially acid attacks, have marred the opening of the new school year in Afghanistan. Afghan girls have been burned and scared randomly with acid as punishment for going to school. More than 600 schools did not open this year because of security issues, according to the Afghanistan Education Ministry. Watch what females face in Afghanistan » . The schools that did open, however, remain defiant. Young women admitted to CNN being fearful but also said they are determined to get an education and better their lives. It is a sentiment echoed by their principal, a 35-year veteran of Afghanistan's girls schools. \"I am asking those who close schools and throw acid on girls to let the children of this country go to school because it's crime to close the schools, a crime against the children of this country,\" said Safia Hayat, principal of the Zarghona Girls School in Kabul. Hanafi, meanwhile, went on to discuss possible reconciliation talks with the Afghan government. \"I don't think there can be any discussion of peace until the the foreigners leave Afghanistan,\" he said referring to the presence of coalition troops. While he seemed to confirm that some reconciliation talks were ongoing, Hanafi also said he wondered what kind of peace was possible as long as Afghans are still dying in NATO bombardments. Hanafi described himself as a commander in the southern province of Helmand, but announced a new Taliban offensive in the north was about to begin and that he would be playing a key role there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Top Taliban commander issues threat to execute foreign aid workers .\nMohammed Ibrahim Hanafi said intelligence wing was gathering information .\nHanafi repeated Taliban's pledge to keep girls out of public schools .\nCommander gave exclusive telephone interview Friday night to CNN ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- What to do with 50,000 used, possibly smelly and dirty prison mattresses that need to be disposed of every year? Discarded mattresses pile up alongside trash in London in January of this year. Britain's Prison Service won praise Thursday for its innovative solution to the problem: recycle the mattresses for carpet underlay, or break them down for fencing or even roof tiles. Most of the mattresses are sent to landfills. There are enough of them each year to fill 30 double-decker buses, the National Audit Office said Thursday. The Prison Service wanted to find a better way to dispose of the mattresses -- a \"zero-waste\" solution that also cost less money, the NAO said. It worked with suppliers and launched a competition to find the best solution. They ended up coming up with several proposals to reuse the mattresses, and the Prison Service is now testing them out, the NAO said. Thursday's report highlighted several other examples of ways that government departments have used innovation to their advantage. \"We have selected them as good examples of innovative approaches which have lessons for how innovation can be managed in government,\" the report said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "UK's prison system wins praise for recycling mattresses .\nPrison mattresses sent to landfills could fill 30 double-decker buses .\nUK's Prison Service sought a \"zero-waste\" solution to tossed mattresses ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Doctors Without Borders has embarked on a massive vaccination campaign in three African countries to combat an outbreak of meningitis that has killed hundreds of people, the organization said Wednesday. A child gets vaccinated against meningitis in Niger in August 2007. The vaccinations are being carried out in Niger, Nigeria, and Chad -- part of a large swath of what is known as the \"meningitis belt\" of sub-Saharan Africa, the organization said. The \"belt\" stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia. Doctors Without Borders, widely known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres, said medical teams have treated and vaccinated 5.4 million people and plan on vaccinating another 1.7 million -- making the vaccination campaign the organization's largest ever. The group said more than 1,900 people have died in this outbreak since January. More than 56,000 cases have been reported in Nigeria, Niger and Chad alone, the organization said. Last month, the World Health Organization said the disease was at epidemic level in 76 areas of in Niger and Nigeria, and a spokesman in Nigeria, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, said the outbreak was \"bigger than usual.\" In March, the organization said a total of 24,868 suspected cases had been reported in the \"meningitis belt,\" including 1,513 deaths. The outbreak began around the start of the year, Soyinka told CNN. It usually peaks in the dry season because of dust, winds and cold nights, before dipping around May when the rains come, he said. Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord, according to the World Health Organization. Several different bacteria can cause meningitis but Neisseria meningitidis -- which is to blame for the current outbreak -- is one of the most important because of its potential to cause epidemics." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Doctors Without Borders embark on vaccination campaign to combat outbreak .\nVaccinations being done in Niger, Nigeria, Chad, where over 56,000 cases reported .\n5.4 million people have been treated, vaccinated; 1.7 million more to be vaccinated .\nOver 1,900 people have died in this outbreak since January ." } ]

[ { "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 most eagerly anticipated animated film this year hits big screens this weekend, as \"The Simpsons Movie\" opens worldwide. The Screening Room spoke to creator Matt Groening and writer Al Jean in London about everyone's favorite two-dimensional yellow family. Simpsons supremo Matt Groening with his creations at the film's premiere in Springfield, Vermont . Matt Groening told the Screening Room that fans had driven the demand for the movie. \"We've had fans clamoring for a movie for the past 18 years,\" he said. The film has taken four years to come to fruition, as writer Al Jean explained. \"What really held us up for a long time was to have enough people to do the show and the movie,\" he said. \"We talked for a while about doing the movie after the show is done, but the show is never done! So it really started in earnest in 2003, when we started working on this story that became the movie.\" Technology has also played its part. Jean continued, \"The technology to do this film really wasn't even around five years ago. For example, there was this joke I once pitched and David Silverman, the director, started drawing and as I was pitching it, it went into the film and it was cut a day later. To go from pitch to cut in two days is pretty impressive.\" Its creators hope that \"The Simpsons Movie\" will both satisfy long-term fans and bring Homer and Marge's family to a new audience. Groening told the Screening Room, \"This movie is designed to both honor the people who have loved the show all this time, so there's lots of little details for them in the movie, little characters and stuff who they know and love, but we also want people who don't know the family to not be completely confused. It is a complete movie experience, but again, we have a lot of little details that only the really, true die-hard fans are going to get.\" And fans can expect to be entertained by plenty of cartoon mishaps. Groening said, \"When you see somebody fall off the roof in a live-action film, it's funny -- we all love it. But it's not as funny as when Homer falls off the roof. I don't know what that says about humanity, but we do like to see cartoon characters hurt themselves and there's quite a bit of that.\" But how have Springfield's finest led the field for so long? Groening believes that a large part of the Simpsons' success is down to the traditional animated techniques used to create it -- and that its hand-drawn charm puts the movie ahead of its CGI rivals. He told CNN, \"The difference between our film and these other films is that we have no penguins, okay? So that's the big difference. (Although we do have one penguin.) \"But the other thing is, our film is done the old fashioned way. It's got a lot of errors and flaws in it. These computer-animated films -- and I love them -- are perfect. They're spooky, they're so good. Ours is a way for us to honor the art of traditional animation.\" Al Jean thinks that the series' success is also down to its wide appeal. He says, \"I have a two year old and she loves the Simpsons already, just because of the way it looks and the family. And then on the other hand, we do satirical references that only an adult would get.\" A large part of the appeal of \"The Simpsons\" comes from its ability to portray the more touching moments in family life, like Jean's favorite moment in the movie. \"It's a scene where Bart is really mad at his father,\" he told CNN. \"He's sitting in a tree outside the Simpson house at night. He looks over and sees the Flanders house and thinks how wonderful it would be if he lived there. It's just really sweet: there's something really warm about that scene.\" Groening, who has been meeting fans worldwide while promoting the movie, said that the Simpsons phenomenon has excelled his wildest dreams. \"It's not just the numbers,\" he told CNN. \"The numbers are good, but it's the intensity and the tattoos. The tattoos are freaky. You know? And it's not all just Bart and Homer. You'd think it would be just Homer. I talked to this one guy and he had Millhouse, and I said, 'Oh my god, Millhouse!' and he said, 'Yeah, everybody gets Bart.'\" While Groening never expected the series to run for so long, he told the Screening Room he has no plans to quit while it's ahead. \"The answer is, 'No end in sight! No end in sight!'\" he said. \"We're having fun, we hope the audience has fun, and as long as that's true, we'll continue doing the show.\" Jean believes the show has proved it has longevity. \"I'm sure [it], like Mickey Mouse, will live on and on,\" he said. And he also hopes the Simpsons' success will continue. \"In terms of new episodes, we're doing another season after the movie comes out for sure, and then the casts' contracts expire, but I'd love to get another three seasons and maybe another movie,\" he said. But what is the legacy of this much-loved yellow family? Matt Groening sees the film as the culmination of two decades of hard graft. He says, \"I want to make sure that everyone who's ever worked on this show is proud of their work on this movie, so this rewards the writers, the animators, the actors. It's basically a celebration of twenty years of The Simpsons.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Simpsons creator Matt Groening: Movie is culmination of 20 years' hard work .\nWriter Al Jean says success is down to show's universal appeal .\nMovie uses traditional hand-drawn animation techniques ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian police foiled a plot by Marxist guerrillas to assassinate the nation's defense minister, according to President Alvaro Uribe. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe says authorities foiled an assassination plot against the country's defense chief. Ten guerrillas dressed as police planned to infiltrate the family farm of Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos over Easter week and kill the official and his family, Uribe said Thursday on national television. The guerrillas, who belong to the FARC, the Spanish acronym for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, were captured, Uribe said. Uribe thanked and congratulated federal authorities, saying, \"This investigation had been proceeding for several months, and fortunately the National Police has dealt this well-placed blow.\" Police Director Oscar Naranjo said eight of the guerrillas were captured at a property near Santos' farm in the municipality of Anapoima, 54 miles (87 kilometers) from Bogota, the capital. Officials did not reveal where the other two guerillas were captured. The FARC, the largest and oldest guerrilla group in Colombia, has been waging war against the government since the 1960s. Security analysts have said the FARC has about 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters, mostly in rural areas. The guerrilla group operates mostly in Colombia but has carried out extortion, kidnappings and other activities in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador, analysts said. The guerrilla group is known to pull off audacious operations, sometimes dressed as police, soldiers or other government officials. On April 11, 2002, a 20-member commando group dressed in police and military uniforms faked a bomb alert at the parliament building in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city. They tricked 12 congressmen into getting on a bus by telling them the military provided it for their safety. They then drove off, taking the congressmen into captivity. Eleven of those congressmen died in June 2007 during a shootout between military and the FARC. The sole surviving congressman, who was released in February, said the FARC shot the hostages when the soldiers approached." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Plot was against Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, president says .\nTen guerrillas planned to kill Santos' family, President Alvaro Uribe says .\nMembers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were captured, Uribe says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- The suspected leader of the Basque separatist group, ETA, and two alleged accomplices were arrested over the weekend in France. Jurdan Martitegui Lizaso is the fifth ETA suspect arrested in France in the past two weeks. Jurdan Martitegi Lizaso, 28, was arrested Saturday in a French-Spanish operation near Perpignan in southeast France, Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Sunday in a nationally televised news conference here. Hours later, in northern Spain's Basque region, six other ETA suspects -- ages 25-31 -- were arrested, Rubalcaba said. Police suspect Martitegi replaced the suspected ETA military chief who was arrested last December and who, in turn, had replaced the alleged ETA military chief who was arrested last November, Rubalcaba said. Those arrests occurred in France, from where ETA has launched a number of attacks into Spain. ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its more than four decades of fighting for Basque independence and is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States. Rubalcaba said police had also dismantled two ETA commando cells before they could strike, one of them last October in northern Spain's Navarra province, and the other late Saturday, when the six suspects were arrested. Martitegi's arrest came after police trailed an alleged ETA local leader from Spain to a meeting in France with Martitegi for a two-hour training session on the use of explosives and weapons, Rubalcaba said. Police made the arrests in France right after the meeting, before the alleged local leader could return to Spain to share those details with his alleged commando cells, Rubalcaba said. Police seized three pistols, two vehicles, and a small quantity of explosives from Martitegi and the two others arrested in France, Rubalcaba said. \"I think it's very good news and shows the constant police coordination and the cooperation between the police and the courts,\" Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, who was involved in the latest investigation, told reporters. Martitegi is the fifth ETA suspect arrested in France in the past two weeks. Given the heavy police crackdown, Rubalcaba said investigators have noted some internal discussion among ETA members about whether they should continue their armed fight or try for a negotiated end to the violence. But he said the government, which held failed peace talks with ETA under three prime ministers since the 1980s, was no longer willing to negotiate. \"The process of dialogue is the past, and the past never returns,\" Rubalcaba said, adding that ETA would have to decide to end the violence itself, or the state would force the group to end it. Over the past two years, police in Spain and France have arrested 365 ETA suspects, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in December. But top Spanish officials have repeatedly warned that ETA, while weakened, is not finished. There are about 600 ETA convicts or suspects in Spanish jails and 150 others in French jails, authorities in both countries have told CNN." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jurdan Martitegui Lizaso wanted for various ETA attacks in Spain .\nState security forces say Martitegui was ETA's \"No.1\"\nETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths in fight for Basque independence ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Goldendoodle? Bernese Mountain Dog? Irish wolfhound? Chihuahua? Gina Goodman says a Pomeranian would be a good pet because they're like a stuffed animal come to life. After selecting a chief of staff, President-elect Barack Obama quickly turned to the more pressing issue of finding the perfect puppy for his girls, Sasha and Malia. \"We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic,\" Obama said Friday in Chicago, Illinois. \"On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog. But, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me.\" CNN asked iReporters to weigh in on what kind of dog he should get and what to name it. The response was tremendous. After all, everyone's got an opinion about which pooch will be the Obamas' best friend. Gail Hurson, who lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, shared the opinion of many iReporters who want the Obamas to get a shelter dog. She says these pups appreciate having loving owners and a place to call home. iReport.com: What do you think the Obamas should pick? \"Mr. Obama, I say give your girls both a puppy of their own to care for, and give those dogs a second chance, like this country is going to get now that you've been elected to lead us back on track,\" Hurson said in her iReport. Although there was a mix of monikers for the First Dog, many iReporters believe that Hope would be a good name. \"I really believe that with a new president in the White House, there will be hope,\" Teri Satterlund said. The Troutdale, Oregon, resident wants the dog's name to reflect Obama's message of change. Barbara Martinez remembered that Malia is allergic to dogs, so she suggested that Obama get a Goldendoodle or a Labradoodle. Both breeds are hypoallergenic and have a sweet temperament, perfect for a family with children, she said. See some of the more popular hypoallergenic breeds » . America's Yankee Doodle Dandy would make for a great name, Martinez said. Of course, it's a mouthful, but \"Dude,\" \"Doodle\" or \"Dandy\" could work as nicknames. Finding a name that would celebrate Obama's African heritage was what led Don Belgard to the name Ubuntu. The Pittsfield, Maine, resident said Ubuntu is an African philosophy that promotes \"peace, harmony and good will.\" Because Dale Jacquef shares a birthday with Obama -- August 4 -- he jokes that he is qualified to give some puppy advice. The San Jose, California, engineer says his Alaskan Klee Kai is a big hit with everyone. \"All my daughter's friends go crazy over him, so I thought it would be a good one for the Obamas.\" Elizabeth Shumway of Geneva, New York, envisions the Obamas having a fluffy Bernese Mountain Dog. These \"big, cuddly pieces of fur\" take a while to grow up, maintaining their puppy playfulness, Shumway said. \"I could picture them standing in front of the White House with this big, beautiful dog.\" Huguette Rainforth raised Irish wolfhounds on her farm outside Montreal, Canada, for seven years and thinks the Obamas should get one, too. Rainforth thinks Obama and an Irish wolfhound would make a fine pair because of their comparable personalities. \"I think it's a very noble dog. It's very loyal, trustworthy,\" she said. \"I just felt it was the dog for him.\" A Pomeranian would be the perfect pooch for Obama, according to Gina Goodman, who runs a petsitting service out of her home in Malvern, Pennsylvania. \"They would be ideal for the sweet little Obama girls because they would be like having their stuffed animals come alive for play,\" she wrote in her iReport. Paris Pujol's pet Rocco died a month ago, but she will always remember him for being a great pup. The white Chihuahua loved to zip around outside his home in Natalbany, Louisiana. Being fast and fun-loving does not mean a Chihuahua will be too much for Obama to handle. Obama won't have to fret about it taking too long to train the puppy, because Chihuahuas are easy to train, Pujol said. iReport.com: Spunky little pup brought family lots of love . Dogs are too high-maintenance for Jeremy Larson of Belleville, Illinois, who says Obama should get a cat instead. \"Cats are easier to take care of you don't have to walk them outside. They run around inside and entertain themselves.\" Rusty Clark of West Springfield, Massachusetts, suggests that the Obamas go for a more unusual pet: a llama. iReport.com: An Obama llama? When Clark thought of the \"cute and fuzzy\" creature, she couldn't help but chuckle at the rhyme that popped into her head. \"Obama llama. It just sounded like a '50s doo-wop song,\" she said. \"If they've had donkeys and ponies at the White House, then why not a llama?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CNN.com readers suggest the perfect presidential pet .\nLabs, Pomeranians and a llama top the list .\nMany said the Obamas should pick a mutt from the shelter .\nTell us what you think at iReport.com ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN Student News) -- January 18, 2008 . Quick Guide . Focus on: The Economy - Hear about the \"r\" word, and see how a possible recession could be fought. No Girls Allowed - Learn why a Florida family is balking at a statewide baseball rule. A Song for Spain - Consider what it would be like to have a national anthem without lyrics. Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome! Thanks for spending part of yours with CNN Student News! From the CNN Center, I'm your host, Carl Azuz. First Up: Focus on: The Economy . AZUZ: First up today: Technically, recession isn't a four-letter word. But it is one that Americans don't like to use, because it describes a downturn in the economy over time. Why might this happen? Well, many Americans' home mortgages are going up. And they're not able to pay. More people are out of work, consumers --like you and me-- are spending less money overall. And we don't even need to mention gas prices. Now these factors add up to an economic forecast that's not so good; Your family may be feeling the pinch. And all this is lighting a fire under government officials to fight a possible recession. Brianna Keilar considers the options Congress has, to try to prevent America from slipping into the red. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN REPORTER: With fears of a recession growing, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was on Capitol Hill Thursday, urging Congress to act quickly on an economic stimulus package. BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Stimulus that comes too late will not help support economic activity in the near term and it could be actively destabilizing if it comes at a time when growth is already improving. KEILAR: The president had a conference call with Senate and House leaders from both parties, the White House characterizing it as a consultation rather than a negotiation. All sides are indicating partisan bickering will take a backseat to finding a quick solution. Today marks the first time the White House has said President Bush is backing a stimulus plan, but spokesman Tony Fratto shied away from discussing specifics. TONY FRATTO, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECY.: The headwinds that we're dealing with right now are things that we see over the next coming quarters. So we do want to try to pass something quickly. KEILAR: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader John Boehner met for the second day in a row. Both sides are stressing a bipartisan effort, but proposals are still vague. One option Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on: tax rebates: checks sent to taxpayers in an attempt to quickly pump money into the economy. Democrats say they'll scuttle any Republican attempts to extend the president's tax cuts as part of the stimulus package. Privately, congressional Republicans acknowledge it's a fight they can't win. What's more, Bernanke told Congress Thursday, making the tax cuts permanent won't help in the short term. BERNANKE: I think that the evidence suggests that measures that involve putting money in the hands of households and firms that will spend it in the near term will be more effective. KEILAR: Speaker Pelosi is hoping to have a final agreement before the State of the Union on January 28th. Brianna Keilar, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEO CLIP) No Girls Allowed . AZUZ: The next question today is, are girls as good as boys at sports? And if they are, should they be allowed to play at the organized, school level? Swing by Jacksonville, Florida, and you'll find that very controversy rounding the bases. But it's not over a school rule-- It's a state one. Laura Mazzeo of affiliate WJXT steps up to the plate. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALYSSA PITRE, WANTS TO PLAY BASEBALL: I can play as well as a boy. LAURA MAZZEO, WJXT REPORTER: Twelve-year-old Alyssa Pitre is passionate about baseball . PITRE: I just love the sport. MAZZEO: She lives by the motto, \"practice makes perfect.\" PITRE: I'm gonna try harder. MAZZEO: She spends hours here in the batting cage and working with coaches on her curveball. But this week, Alyssa went to try out for the middle school baseball team at the Providence School and was told she couldn't play. PITRE: I'm a girl. So what? You're not supposed to discriminate against females if they want to try to do something new, and try to make history at their own school. MAZZEO: The school's headmaster says they have no problem with her playing with the boys, but that she isn't allowed by the Florida High School Athletic Association. DON BARFIELD, HEADMASTER OF PROVIDENCE SCHOOL: Since we have a softball team, the state has indicated to us that she would not be permitted to play baseball. MAZZEO: The most obvious difference between softball and baseball -- it's the ball. The softball and the baseball. But Alyssa says there's much more to it than that. PITRE: The pitching is different. The ball is different. In softball they have longer bats -- different gear. MAZZEO: Alyssa isn't alone in her baseball dreams. her parents are considering taking legal action in hopes of changing the rules. ALYSSA'S MOTHER: If she wants to pursue baseball, then we'll pursue baseball. I just want to give her a chance. You know, give her a chance to try out, to see if she's good enough to make any team. MAZZEO: Alyssa is a humble, yet confident 7th grader. PITRE: I was going to give them something to show, instead of wearing pretty jewelry and short skirts. MAZZEO: She believes she is good enough to play with the boys. PITRE: There's really no difference - girls an play just as good as boys. (END VIDEO CLIP) Promo . AZUZ: Standing up for what she believes in; gotta give her props for that. Another famous American who stood up to create change: Doctor Martin Luther King Junior. CNN Classroom Edition will air 'The MLK Papers - Words that Changed a Nation.' It's on at 4 am Monday morning. Be sure to set your DVR's now. For special curriculum on the program, check out CNNStudentNews.com. Shoutout . MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mrs. Simmons' geography classes at Dixon-Smith Middle School in Fredericksburg, Virginia! Who wrote the lyrics to \"The Star-Spangled Banner\"? If you think you know it, shout it out! Was it: A) Betsy Ross, B) Thomas Jefferson, C) Susan B. Anthony or D) Francis Scott Key? You've got three seconds, GO! Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the U.S. national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, after witnessing a battle during the War of 1812. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout! Song for Spain . AZUZ: For many of us, it's hard to say, \"Oh Say Can You See\" without singing it --the words and music are sort-of glued together. In Spain, there's just a tune to hum. And though one Spaniard recently got really close to putting official words to it. Al Goodman explains why many people there, didn't like the way they sounded. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AL GOODMAN, CNN REPORTER: The English proudly sing their national anthem, the Americans croon to theirs. And then, there's Spain. Hold it. The Spanish anthem doesn't have any words. This man won a nationwide contest with his lyrics for the anthem. But then suddenly the Spanish Olympic Committee, which sponsored the contest, withdrew the winning entry. ALEJANDRO BLANCO, SPANISH OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Once Spaniards heard these lyrics, they sparked a lot of controversy, even rejection. GOODMAN: Viva Espana, or Long Live Spain, is how the now-discarded lyrics began. The phrase struck a sour note. Critics say it harkened back to the long right-winged dictatorship of Francisco Franco. MARGARITA SAENZ-DIEZ, JOURNALIST: You have to understand that many Spaniards do not consider the national anthem as their own. It was played a lot under Franco. GOODMAN: Spain is now a democracy, but many still bristle at the military march that's served for more than two centuries as the national anthem. Spain is made up of many different peoples, and five languages are spoken across the country. So, naturally, getting agreement on one set of lyrics is no easy task. One of those languages, ancient Basque, is among those taught in Madrid: Basques have their own national anthem and lyrics. At the Basque Cultural Center we found a Spaniard who liked the proposed lyrics for the Spanish national anthem. They're good, he says, and very neutral about Spain. Many others say the proposed lyrics lacked polish and shine. ANTONIO VILLALON, RETIRED CIVIL SERVANT (TRANSLATED): The French and American anthems speak about an enemy to defeat; our lyrics mentioned fields, wheat and friends. It's just stupid. MANUEL RINCON, TAXI DRIVER (TRANSLATED): The anthem should give us goose bumps. Spain's long history and diverse culture should show, in the lyrics. GOODMAN: The Spanish Olympic Committee says the search will go on, but in Beijing, Spanish athletes will likely have to just hum along to a wordless anthem, as they've done for years. It's a tune almost every Spaniard knows. Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid. (END VIDEO CLIP) Before We Go . AZUZ: Before we go, smaller cell phones: Cool. Smaller MP3 players: Cool. Smaller bridges? You're not gonna get too much traffic across this Golden Gate bridge. It's pictured next to a toothpick because it's made from one! Check that out-- you can even see the lines on the hand holding it! This thing was carved, with a great deal more precision than I've got, from a single toothpick and glue. The footage sent in to us by I-Report. The guy who did this says he's been a toothpick artist for 36 years! Goodbye . AZUZ: And as you could see, he really knows how to 'pick' his subjects. That's just painful! And that's where we conclude our week's last broadcast. We'll return on Tuesday, next week. Enjoy your three-day weekend, everyone! I'm Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hear about the \"r\" word, and see how a possible recession could be fought .\nLearn why a Florida family is balking at a statewide baseball rule .\nConsider what it would be like to have a national anthem without lyrics ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Movie director John Landis is suing Michael Jackson, accusing the reclusive entertainer of fraud in his handling of profits from the iconic \"Thriller\" video the two made together more than 25 years ago. \"King of Pop\" Michael Jackson, seen in 2005, made the \"Thriller\" video with John Landis more than 25 years ago. Landis claimed his 1983 contract with Jackson gave him 50 percent of net profits from the 14-minute video and the documentary about the making of it, both works that he directed and co-wrote with Jackson, court documents say. Jackson \"wrongfully refused to pay or account for such profits,\" the suit, filed against the singer and Optimum Productions, says. The suit characterizes Optimum as \"a defunct corporation\" Jackson has used as an alter ego. The suit accuses Jackson of \"concealing the extent of net profits\" by not giving an annual accounting for at least the past four years, and maintains that Jackson is \"guilty of fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct.\" Jackson's lawyers have not responded to the suit, which was filed on January 21. The video was based on Jackson's 1982 album by the same name, one of the top-selling of all time. Landis, best known as director of \"Animal House\" and \"An American Werewolf in London,\" made the song into a short horror movie, complete with Vincent Price adding narration. Word of the suit comes just after an announcement that Jackson has signed a deal to take the dancing zombie story to the Broadway stage. The Nederlander Organization, a Broadway production company, announced Tuesday that it had signed a contract with Jackson to produce \"Thriller\" on stage. The show, which Jackson is to be involved with, also is to include music from other Jackson albums, the company said. The court has set May 11 as the date for lawyers to hold a conference with a judge concerning the lawsuit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Director John Landis, Michael Jackson made \"Thriller\" video 25 years ago .\nLandis claims 1983 contract gives him 50 percent of net profits from video .\nJackson \"wrongfully refused to pay or account for such profits,\" suit says .\nJackson's lawyers have not responded ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN Student News) -- August 20, 2007 . Quick Guide . Stories of Summer '07 - Catch up on some of the big news stories from the summer of 2007. Hurricane Dean - Find out how some U.S. officials are preparing for Hurricane Dean. Earthquake in Peru: Learn about relief efforts in Peru following a deadly earthquake. Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: We're back with a brand new school year of CNN Student News. Glad to have you with us everyone. I'm Carl Azuz. Bracing for the storm: U.S. and Mexican authorities are preparing for a powerful hurricane tearing through the Caribbean and looks to be headed for the Gulf of Mexico. And wrapping up the summer: You might have been out of school, but the news doesn't take time off. So we're reviewing some of the summer's big stories . First Up: Stories of Summer '07 . AZUZ: You might have spent the last couple months working at a summer job or working on your tan, but the news didn't stop when school let out last spring. There was tragedy in the Twin Cities when a bridge in Minnesota collapsed during rush hour, and questions in America's pasttime when a slugger's record-breaking trip around the bases raised a cloud of controversy. We've followed it all and we're ready to get you caught up on some of the biggest headlines of the summer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RUSTY DORNIN, CNN REPORTER: It was an extended family of rescue workers from around the country who converged on Charleston to honor the nine fallen firemen, joining blood relatives, friends and the local community. HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN REPORTER: The relatives of those victims deal with the wrenching but definite news that everybody on board the flight from Puerto Allegre died during yesterday's crash. LIZ KENNEDY, CNN REPORTER: The questions for the CNN-sponsored debate were submitted to the online video sharing Web site YouTube. BRIAN TODD, CNN REPORTER: Animal rights protesters target their rage at an NFL star as he enters a federal courthouse. Inside, Michael Vick pleads not guilty to felony charges of dogfighting and conspiracy. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN REPORTER: Six o'clock on Wednesday evening, rush hour in Minneapolis. Cars, trucks, buses crawl across the I-35W bridge bumper to bumper. Just minutes later, that slow traffic comes to a tragic halt. JOHN VAUSE, CNN REPORTER: Many of the toys made here for the U.S. giant Mattel were coated in lead paint, and earlier this month more than a million were recalled. BARRY BONDS: This record is not tainted at all, at all, period. You guys can say whatever you want. JOHN LORINC, CNN REPORTER: Nearly a week into the search for six miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon coal mine, rescuers will now try a new tactic: drilling a third hole in an effort to find the men. BARBARA STARR, CNN REPORTER: Top U.S. commanders are now using the strongest language to condemn the killing and wounding of hundreds after multiple suicide vehicle bombs exploded in remote northern Iraqi villages, home to a religious minority group known as Yazidis. HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN REPORTER: People waited in lines for hours, desperate for food, water and blankets. Civil defense authorities estimate more than 17,000 homes were destroyed in one town alone. (END VIDEO CLIP) Promo . AZUZ: If you want to keep the discussion going on the stories in our summer round-up, we've got a learning activity that will help you take a closer look. Students can talk about how time and perspective might shape opinions about news events and examine how the stories from this summer might be presented in a history textbook. You can check out the free activity at CNNStudentNews.com. Hurricane Dean . AZUZ: Several countries are preparing for a deadly storm that's blowing through the Caribbean. Hurricane Dean has been tearing across the area since late last week, and on Friday, it strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. Jamaican officials turned off some power grids in advance of the storm's approach and advised residents to move into shelters, and the Mexican government issued a hurricane watch for areas in Dean's projected path. This massive storm is large enough to easily be seen from space, and with its menacing winds bearing down on the Gulf of Mexico, Liz Kennedy reports on what officials are doing to get ready. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIZ KENNEDY, CNN REPORTER: FEMA officials came out Sunday with a message: If Hurricane Dean does make landfall on the American Gulf Coast, help is ready to go. DAVID PAULISON, FEMA DIRECTOR: We are ready. This is one of the best efforts I've seen, the best coordinated efforts I've seen. KENNEDY: FEMA says their latest information shows the storm not making it as far north as Texas. However, they say hurricanes are ultimately very unpredictable and they are working under the assumption the United States will be affected. The White House has already approved a request to free up federal assistance for Texas. On the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast Sunday, oil rig workers were evacuated via helicopter to nearby Galveston. A veteran of the rigs says he was happy to comply. KEN YATES, OIL RIG WORKER: I know what its like to be on, get caught, trapped on one and you can't get off of it. Its not much fun. KENNEDY: Dean is being blamed for several deaths in the Caribbean. Forecasters say it could bring up to 20 inches of rain in heavily populated Jamaica, which could trigger life-threatening floods. I'm Liz Kennedy, reporting from Atlanta. (END VIDEO CLIP) Fast Facts . GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for some Fast Facts! Using categories of 1 to 5, the Saffir-Simpson scale gauges how much power a hurricane packs. A Category 1 hurricane, for example, has wind speeds of at least 74 miles per hour and is capable of lightly damaging trees and shrubs. Contrast that to a seriously damaging Category 4, which has wind speeds of more than 130 miles per hour and a storm surge of up to 18 feet above normal. Earthquake in Peru . AZUZ: As you saw in our summer wrap-up, parts of Peru are recovering from a different natural disaster. A massive earthquake struck there last week, killing more than 500 people. This tremor registered an 8.0 on the Richter scale, which measures the magnitude, or strength, of earthquakes. Towns along the country's Pacific Coast suffered the most severe damage, and many Peruvians were left in need of food, shelter and supplies. Harris Whitbeck has more on the relief efforts in the South American nation. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN REPORTER: Three days after the powerful earthquake, aid continued to flow into the stricken Ica region of southern Peru. A sports stadium in the regional capital hummed with activity as workers sorted supplies. Among the workers, Peruvian President Alan Garcia's daughter. GABRIELA GARCIA (Spanish): We are trying not only to give support and all the solidarity that we have, but also to give our time to help in moving and classifying things. WHITBECK: People waited in lines for hours, desperate for food, water and blankets. Civil defense authorities estimate more than 17,000 homes were destroyed in one town alone. Many of the area's residents spent the night in the streets for a third time in a row. They were surrounded by the destruction, accompanied by little more than what lay beneath the rubble . EARTHQUAKE VICTIM (Spanish): The dead are still buried under all this. It is going to start stinking here and we can be contaminated by cholera or many other epidemics. WHITBECK: Military personnel patrolled the stricken cities in efforts to prevent looting. Gunfire was heard throughout the night in Ica. Eyewitnesses reported armed inmates who had escaped from a nearby destroyed prison were roaming parts of town looting homes. Amid the chaos, a sign of hope. A baby was born to an earthquake victim while the visiting President Alan Garcia looked on. But other parents worried about the future for their families. EARTHQUAKE VICTIM (Spanish): I need to think about rebuilding so that my son can live here. I know it is too soon, but someday I will die and my children will live on. WHITBECK: They might live on, but they will do so with the memories of the horror of the past. Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Lima, Peru. (END VIDEO CLIP) Promo . AZUZ: CNN Student News has a new address, at least online. Check out CNNStudentNews.com. You'll find all of our free curriculum materials, transcripts of all of our programs and of course our show. Plus, you won't want to miss our brand new blog. It's all right there at CNNStudentNews.com. Shoutout . RAMSAY: Time for the Shoutout! Fill in the blank: A pachyderm is a _____. If you think you know the answer, shout it out! Is it a: A) Reptile, B) Mammal, C) Bird or D) Arachnid? You've got three seconds -- GO! Elephants, hippos and rhinos are all pachyderms, and they're all warm-blooded mammals to boot. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout! Before We Go . AZUZ: Before we go, we've got a look at an elephant's trip over the hill. Siri the elephant turned the big 40 this weekend. The plodding pachyderm has been the main attraction in her zoo's elephant exhibit for 35 years. She may be a little long in the tusk, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know how to party! Plenty of fans were on hand to sing happy birthday and cheer her on as she dove trunk first into her peanut butter birthday cake. Siri's friends at the zoo say she's got quite the fan club. NICK PIRRO, ONONDAGA COUNTY EXECUTIVE: She's the matriarch of the herd here, and we have one of the finest elephant breeding programs in the country. So we're very proud of it. Goodbye . AZUZ: And that's our last bite for today. But we'll see you again tomorrow for more CNN Student News. Thanks for watching, everyone. I'm Carl Azuz. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Catch up on some of the big news stories from the summer of 2007 .\nFind out how some U.S. officials are preparing for Hurricane Dean .\nLearn about relief efforts in Peru following a deadly earthquake ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Guerrillas in Colombia tortured and killed 17 Indians who they believed were helping the government, a governor and two human rights organizations said Wednesday. Marxist rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, swept into a village in southwest Colombia last week and abducted an undetermined number of Awa Indians, Human Rights Watch said. The guerrillas tortured and killed 17 Awas, including at least two minors, the human rights group said. Another human rights group, the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, or ONIC, also reported the allegations. Navarro Wolff, the governor of Narino province, where the Awas live, decried the reported killings. \"The guerrillas took several families, recriminating them for their supposed collaboration with the army,\" Wolff told El Pais newspaper. \"A young man was able to escape and told how he had been tied. Later, they tortured him, they beat him and they killed eight with with a knife.\" Nine other villagers also were executed, unconfirmed reports said. The allegations are based partly on the information provided by the young man who said he escaped. Human Rights Watch also said it received reports from \"reliable sources,\" whom the organization did not name. \"These cruel killings violate the most basic principles of human decency and dignity,\" said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director at Human Rights Watch. \"There is no possible excuse or justification for these horrific actions.\" The remote village is a 12-hour trip away from the nearest large town, and no independent verification has been obtained. Besides the unforgiving terrain, the presence of land mines and the existence of numerous armed groups virtually prevent outsiders from visiting the area. Monsignor Ruben Salazar Gomez, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, joined the chorus of criticism, alleging a \"crime the whole country should condemn.\" Another religious leader said the Awa need protection. \"We are very worried about the Awa community,\" said Monsignor Gustavo Giron Higuita, the bishop of the city of Tumaco. \"It is a community that is pretty unprotected and that in the past five years has received a type of persecution by armed groups.\" The prelate said that although there were indications that the FARC was behind the killings, \"we are not certain of that,\" El Pais said. The Awas, he said, \"are pacifist, want respect of their organization and want to regain their traditions. We have been accompanying them in this process, and that's why this hurts so much.\" New York-based Human Rights Watch said group members have made numerous visits to Narino, which is one of Colombia's 32 departments, or states. Narino is in southwest Colombia, on the Pacific Ocean and the border with Ecuador. The area has a heavy presence of various armed groups and Colombian military forces, and has among the worst human rights conditions in Colombia, the human rights group said. The Awa territories have been particularly affected. The Colombian government has issued a \"risk report,\" warning authorities that civilians in the region are at risk. The FARC is said to have \"confined\" some villages, cutting them off from the outside world and not allowing anyone to enter or leave. In another report Wednesday, ONIC, the indigenous human rights group in Colombia, said the FARC has abducted 120 Awas since February 4. ONIC said the FARC kidnapped 20 Awa men, women and children February 4 from the Barbacoas area in Narino. The rebels returned the next day and grabbed children who had remained behind, ONIC said, according to Caracol Radio. ONIC also reported that a number of Awa had been knifed to death. The FARC, the largest and oldest guerrilla group in Colombia, has been waging war against the government since the 1960s. Security analysts say the FARC has 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters, mostly in rural areas. The guerrilla group operates mostly in Colombia but has carried out extortion, kidnappings, bombings and other activities in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia accused of torture, slayings .\nFARC guerillas killed the Indians for helping the Army, governor reportedly said .\nAllegations are based in part on information from man who said he escaped .\nHuman rights group in Colombia says FARC has abducted 120 Awas since February ." } ]

[ { "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) -- In its opening weekend, \"The Haunting in Connecticut\" scared and thrilled millions of moviegoers across the country. In \"The Haunting in Connecticut,\" Virginia Madsen sees strange things happen in her old house. The film, which earned $23 million to finish No. 2 at the box office, emphasizes psychological horror over slasher film blood 'n' gore, which its audience apparently appreciated. But Virginia Madsen, who plays Sara Campbell in the film, confessed that, while filming, fear was not just reserved for the screen. \"We all stayed in this big, old hotel which was kind of like the one in 'The Shining,' one of those turn-of-the- century big, old hotels,\" Madsen told CNN. \"I had a little chat with my room. I said, 'Just out of respect, if there are any entities around, I need to stay here, I have a lot of work to do, I have to sleep at night, so please leave me alone.' \" Yet, Madsen admitted, her belief in ghosts is not very strong. \"I do have an attraction to paranormal investigation and all those kinds of shows but I'm not sure if I really believe in ghosts,\" she said. \"The Haunting in Connecticut\" is based on the true story of Sara Campbell, a mother who moves her family into an old house in Connecticut in order to be closer to the hospital where her son, Matt (Kyle Gallner), receives cancer treatment. The house was once a funeral home and, shortly after their move, the family begins witnessing strange, supernatural activities. \"Something very powerful and very real happened to this family. Whether or not you believe it was some sort of demon or, you know, they're manifesting it -- whatever it is -- it changed their lives,\" Madsen said. Madsen, 47, is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated turn in \"Sideways\" as Maya Randall, the restaurant waitress who gets involved in a romance with the prickly writer played by Paul Giamatti. Since that 2004 film, the actress has made several films, including \"A Prairie Home Companion\" and \"The Number 23.\" She and the rest of the cast developed a close relationship on the set and were much like a family behind the scenes. \"I was more like a mother bear with my young actors,\" Madsen said. In fact, Madsen added, her close relationship with the younger actors made filming difficult at times. \"One scene in the movie that was the hardest for me to do was when [Matt] wakes up ... and his skin is all carved with these different incantations,\" she said. \"And I open his shirt and he's just looking up at me with these big blue eyes with tears ... and he really felt like my boy, he really felt like my second son.\" Madsen said the film, complete with ghosts, séances and creaking floorboards, is successful because it has all the elements of a good horror flick. \"The movie works ... because it plays on our most basic childhood fears. 'Something's under the bed, something's in the closet, something's in the mirror.' And all of us still have those same childhood terrors,\" she said. The desire to experience those same terrors and to forget about everyday life, Madsen added, draws people to the theaters at an older age. \"I like things that go bump in the night, and scary things that are fun,\" she said. \"That's really what this movie really is. I think horror movies are so popular because times are especially hard and I think a horror movie more than any other kind of movie is a true escape ... You're forgetting about your life because you're like, 'Oh my God!' \" CNN's Elham Khatami contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The Haunting in Connecticut\" had a successful opening weekend at box office .\nVirginia Madsen, who stars in film, likes \"things that go bump in the night\"\nMadsen, best known for \"Sideways,\" took motherly role over young co-stars ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- They've been called \"bromances\": those buddy films and TV shows, such as the movies \"Pineapple Express\" and \"The 40-Year-Old Virgin,\" that feature non-sexual but deep friendships between two or more males. Jason Segel and Paul Rudd star in \"I Love You, Man,\" which opens Friday. The forthcoming \"I Love You, Man,\" which opens Friday, appears to fit the bill. In the film, Paul Rudd plays a man who needs a best man for his wedding but has never made any male friends. Enter Jason Segel as Sydney Fife, whom Rudd's character, Peter Klaven, pursues on several \"man-dates\" that end up threatening his relationship with his fiancée (Rashida Jones). But don't call the film a \"bromance\" in the presence of Rudd and Segel. \"We hate that word,\" Segel told CNN. \"It was not part of the lexicon while we were filming,\" added Rudd. Still, both actors have plenty of experience in the, uh, guy-pal genre. Rudd has been in several comedies written, directed or produced by Judd Apatow, considered one of the leaders of the \"bromance\" trend with his softer, more openly emotional male characters. Segel has also been in Apatow projects -- including last year's \"Forgetting Sarah Marshall\" -- and he stars in the TV series \"How I Met Your Mother,\" which finds plenty of humor in male bonding. Segel observes that what helps the films work is the discomfort of two men trying to talk about their emotions while hoping to maintain a dispassionate, hard-edged, prototypically manly façade. And he knows he's good at bringing out that discomfort in his co-stars. \"Judd Apatow told me that my special skill was that I am able to maintain my likability while getting incredibly close to the creepy line, and that's what I should try to cultivate,\" he said. \"That's what he does,\" Rudd noted. \"He just holds [the moment] a little too long.\" \"It's the fraction of a second too long that makes people uncomfortable,\" Segel added. In \"I Love You, Man,\" Segel's character is rougher and looser than his characters in \"Sarah Marshall\" and \"How I Met Your Mother.\" He welcomed the change. \"It was a real treat for me, to be honest for a minute, to play this character, because I've played sort of a puppy dog guy in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' and on ['Mother'] I play a husband, you know, a loving husband,\" he said. \"So to get to play a character who is a bit more of a man of mystery was very exciting for me.\" In real life, claims Segel, he even has a man cave. \"It's filled with puppets,\" he said. \"And I keep wondering why I don't have a girlfriend. I'm like, 'hey, this is my house; come check it out. This is where I keep my 40 puppets.' ... I think that I have a reputation for being weird because of that.\" But he quickly turns serious and maintains that \"I Love You, Man\" does have a message to go along with its comedy. \"I think we both had something to learn from each other,\" he said. \"Paul's character had to learn that it's all right to take a little distance from your significant other and have some dude friends and someone to vent to about things you can't necessarily talk about with your girl.\" \"Sometimes buddies hold a mirror up to the way you behave in ways that relationships with the opposite sex don't,\" Rudd said. \"Yeah, and my character had to learn that maybe it's time to grow up a little bit,\" Segel added. So, this \"bromance\" thing, allowing a few feelings to show. Perhaps it's not so bad after all? Rudd says that the idea has its upside, despite its name. And he's glad it's been successful. \"That's us in a nutshell, not macho, not tough,\" he said. \"I think that we've all been kind of drawn to real stories, you know, characters that hopefully people can relate to and what's funny about just certain insecurites and just certain things in life. \"They could easily be dramatic,\" he pointed out. \"Just less fart jokes.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I Love You, Man\" stars Paul Rudd, Jason Segel as two men trying friendship .\nNeither Rudd nor Segel likes the term \"bromance\"\nComedy makes some serious points about friendship, Segel says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- With President Barack Obama limiting how and where detainees at Guantanamo Bay can be interrogated, some analysts are asking if intelligence agencies will be able to get the information they need to keep the country safe -- and where the prisoners will eventually end up. President Barack Obama recently ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Fresh off his inauguration, Obama issued executive orders relating to Guantanamo, including one requiring that the detention facility be closed within a year. During a signing ceremony at the White House on January 22, Obama reaffirmed his inauguration pledge that the United States does not have \"to continue with a false choice between our safety and our ideals.\" The president said he was issuing the order to close the facility in order to \"restore the standards of due process and the core constitutional values that have made this country great even in the midst of war, even in dealing with terrorism.\" At its peak, Gitmo held 770 people the U.S. government believed may have been involved in terrorist activity or military action against the nation. The facility drew sharp criticism, including from Obama as he campaigned for the presidency. Human and legal rights advocates complained that many Gitmo detainees were being held indefinitely without charge. There were a handful of reports of mistreatment of detainees and Obama, among others, said the facility was not an effective way to deal with alleged enemy combatants or gather good intelligence. With the closing of Gitmo and secret overseas CIA prisons, future detainees may stay in foreign custody. Those countries might not have the same constraints on interrogations, and they could share what they learn or let U.S. intelligence sit in. Watch more on the Gitmo dilemma » . \"While you're able to say that you don't have U.S. secret prisons, in effect, you may be able to get the benefit through your relationship with foreign intelligence services,\" said CNN national security contributor Frances Townsend, who served as President Bush's national security adviser. But some say it's the mere image of closing Gitmo that will help U.S. relations around the world. \"Guantanamo is an extraordinary debilitating symbol in the United States and the United States' standing in the world community. Closing it makes good sense,\" Charlie Swift, a former naval defense attorney, said on CNN's \"State of the Union with John King,\" on Sunday. But Douglas Feith, who helped shape the Bush administration's terrorism policy, downplayed that notion. \"I don't think that it's much more than a symbolic decision,\" he said. \"The real issue is whether we can make sure that the extremely dangerous people that we're holding at Guantanamo can continue to be held so they don't engage in terrorism in the future.\" That issue was raised last week amid a new report by the Pentagon -- released days before Obama took office -- which said 18 former detainees are confirmed to have participated in attacks, and 43 are suspected to have been involved in attacks. Watch more on where Gitmo prisoners may go » . But security experts are questioning information released by the Pentagon, saying 61 former detainees from Gitmo may have returned to terrorist activities. That figure would be about 11 percent of the roughly 520 prisoners who have been released from the Guantanamo facility. But in a briefing Thursday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates -- an advocate for closing Guantanamo while serving under Bush and, now, under President Obama -- seemed to downplay the number of former detainees who have returned to fighting. \"It's not as big a number if you're talking about 700 or a thousand or however many have been through Guantanamo,\" he said. On Friday, a Pentagon spokesman defended the integrity of the report but would not directly answer questions about where the figures come from. \"We don't make these figures up. They're not done willy-nilly,\" spokesman Geoff Morrell said. Pentagon officials said they would not discuss how the statistics were derived because of security concerns that such information could give clues to how U.S. intelligence officers collect their data. CNN learned some former Guantanamo detainees have returned to the fight. An al Qaeda video viewed by CNN's Nic Robertson showed militants labeled with their former prisoner numbers. Saeed Shihri, Prisoner No. 372, is believed to have been responsible for an attack on the U.S. embassy in Yemen that killed nearly a dozen people in September, barely a year after he was released from Guantanamo. CNN's Susan Candiotti, Ed Hornick and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "President Obama signs executive order calling for Gitmo facility to close .\nSecurity experts question where the detainees will be relocated to .\nThere are also concerns about how intelligence will be collected under new rules .\nCNN learned some former Gitmo detainees have returned to terrorism ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- No longer able to fit into a booth at a restaurant and too embarrassed to ask for seatbelt extensions on an airplane, Maggie Sorrells was desperate to lose weight. Maggie Sorrells lost 300 pounds and went from wearing a size 5X or 64 in men's clothing to a size 6. The day she stepped on a hospital scale and realized she weighed 440 pounds she knew she had to do something. Name: Maggie Sorrells Age: 32 Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee Occupation: Receptionist in doctor's office Height: 5 feet 6 inches Heaviest weight: 440 pounds Current weight: 140 pounds Pounds lost: 300 pounds Defining moment The moment I saw that I weighed as much as I did, it scared me, and I knew I had to do something about it. How did you finally lose the weight? Diet: Weigh Down Workshop, a faith-based weight loss program. I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry, and then I ate a lot slower, so I could tell when to stop. Exercise: Nothing out of the ordinary, occasionally I'd go for a walk, but never because I felt like I had to. How long did it take you to lose weight? Four years with two pregnancies within the same time period. One month after I lost 300 pounds, I became pregnant for the third time with my son. How has this changed your life? Drastically, the way I eat, the way I live my life. I am able to move better. I feel better emotionally and physically. I'm just a much happier person. I love to hike and I could never go when I was big. I almost killed myself going a half-mile. My chest would hurt and I would think I was having a heart attack. Just after we had our daughter, we went hiking all day and climbed rocks. I also love the beach. I'm no longer ashamed to go to the beach or wear a bathing suit. Do you have any tips for other people who want to lose weight? Yes, don't think about how much weight you have to lose because you'll get overwhelmed and discouraged. Set small goals, like 15 pounds. There were times I wanted to give up and there were days I felt like I couldn't do this. Food was my drug. Take [weight loss] in small increments because when you lose 15 pounds you'll be excited and before you know it you'll lose 50." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Maggie Sorrells could no longer squeeze into restaurant booths at 440 pounds .\nDoctors had warned her that she might not live to the age of 30 .\nShe shed 300 pounds following a faith-based weight loss program ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday accused a U.S. diplomat of contacting opposition groups, declared him \"persona non grata\" and ordered he be expelled. \"Francisco Martinez, a Mexican-U.S. citizen, was in permanent contact with opposition groups during the whole era of conspiracy,\" the leftist president said. \"He was the U.S. embassy person who contacted ex-police officers,\" Morales told reporters, according to The Associated Press, whose tape of the speech was broadcast on CNN en Espanol. \"The times of the colony will end in Latin America,\" Morales vowed to reporters. \"We are in profound transformation.\" Martinez was identified in media reports as the second secretary at the embassy in La Paz, Bolivia's capital. Heidi Bronke, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department's Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau, acknowledged the move, but said it had not been communicated through diplomatic channels. \"We reject the accusations made by the government of Bolivia,\" she said. \"This decision is unwarranted and unjustified. It is inconsistent with recent statements by the government of Bolivia expressing a desire to improve bilateral relations.\" Morales' move comes six months after he declared U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg persona non grata for allegedly having encouraged anti-government demonstrators to violence. Goldberg denied the charge. Journalist Gloria Carrasco contributed to this story from Santa Cruz, Bolivia ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bolivian President Evo Morales expels U.S. diplomat .\nFrancisco Martinez identified in media reports as second secretary .\nDiplomat \"contacted ex-police officers,\" said Morales .\nU.S. State Department rejects accusations, says spokeswoman Heidi Bronke ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LYON, France -- Inter Milan have agreed to the transfer of Italian World Cup winning defender Fabio Grosso to six-time French champions Lyon. Grosso made 23 Serie-A appearances for Inter Milan last season. \"The player arrived late on Friday evening and passed his medical test before signing his contract with the club on Saturday morning, all three parties involved are in agreement,\" said Olivier Blanc, communications director of the French club. The 29-year-old Italian will be present at a ceremony at Lyon's Town Hall to launch the French champions 2007-08 season. Grosso is Lyon's highest-profile summer signing and will come as much sought after relief by a club who saw the departure of France international left back Eric Abidal to Barcelona. Lyon, chasing a record seventh consecutive League One title, have also signed Nadir Belhadj from French first division rivals Sedan and Mathieu Bodmer and Kadar Keita both from Lille. The Italian League champions Inter Milan decided to release Grosso after a below-par season and just one year at the club. The imposing defender played 23 matches in the league last term, scoring two goals. He will be bitterly remembered in France for scoring Italy's winning penalty in the final shootout that denied France their second World Cup success. Grosso will be the third Italian to play for the club since it was founded, following Orenzo Dito and Aridex Caligaris in the 1950s. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lyon have completed the signing of Inter Milan defender Fabio Grosso .\nThe Italian World Cup winner signed his contract on Saturday morning .\nLyon will be bidding for a seventh consecutive French title next season ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Taresh Moore is a student at Winston Salem State University in North Carolina. The 21-year-old senior traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the inauguration. Alfred Bouey is a World War II veteran and a grandson of slaves. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Alfred Bouey, an 84-year-old African-American, still remembers the stories from his grandfather about the scars on his body from the beatings he took as a slave in the South. Bouey, of Oak Park, Illinois, attended Tuesday's inauguration of President Obama. Words can't express his excitement and happiness about witnessing history. A World War II veteran, he never thought he would live to see a black president in America. Bouey grew up in Arkansas and saw racism firsthand. He witnessed his mother being mistreated by whites in the South, but he never saw her give up. He eventually left Arkansas for Chicago. Bouey attended the inauguration after winning Brookdale Senior Living's Experiences of a Lifetime contest. Residents at various Brookdale Senior Living communities nationwide shared their experiences and submitted their wishes as part of the contest. Bouey shared his story and said he'd like to be there when Obama was sworn in. \"My grandfather and grandmother were whipped and beaten, and had the scars to prove it,\" he said. With CNN.com's help, Taresh Moore spoke with Bouey about the inauguration ceremony. Below is a transcript of their interview. Moore: How are you today? Bouey: I'm great. I couldn't feel any better right now. Moore: How did it feel to take part in this historic inauguration? Bouey: It felt very great. I can't find any words to express my happiness. I am speechless and full of joy. Moore: What will you remember most about the inauguration? Bouey: I will remember that I was actually there. I lived to see this historic event. I'm 84, and I had the chance to witness this. Not too many people had that opportunity, and I am honored. Moore: How did you feel when you found out that you and your family were going to Washington, D.C., to take part in the inauguration? Bouey: I was happy. At first when I was asked to take part in the survey, I didn't mind sharing my story because I had many stories to share. When I found out I had the opportunity to go, I was very grateful. I couldn't wait to get here. Moore: Did you ever believe you would live to see an African-American president in your lifetime? Bouey: No. I never thought I would live to see one. Growing up, my mother wanted me and my brother and sister to get an education. And we all did. An education will take you far, and we see that it did for our new president and for me. But I'm glad I lived to see this. It's a wonderful experience, and I am very proud of it! Moore: How was it growing up in the South? Bouey: I was born in Philadelphia and moved to Arkansas at the age of 1. Growing up, everything was segregated -- in the schools, restaurants and just everywhere. Blacks couldn't do this and we couldn't do that. I came to the point where I got tired of it all in the South and just moved away. I moved to Chicago on June 2, 1946. Moore: Was it better in Chicago? Bouey: Yes, a lot better. Better opportunities for blacks. Moore: You have lived a life that has seen the scars on the body of a former slave, who was your grandfather, to seeing America's first African-American president all in one lifetime. How does that make you feel? Bouey: I feel that America has come a long way. And I mean a very long way. My grandfather had scars from slavery. My mother wasn't a slave, but she still was beaten in the cotton fields. Beatings didn't stop for some years after slavery. But there are no slaves now. It shows the great progress this country has made. Moore: How do you think your grandparents and mother would feel to see the first African-American president? Bouey: I believe it would mean more to them than it means to me because of how they were treated and the hard work they put in. This would be like their reward for all of the work and suffering they endured. Others, like Martin Luther King, who I marched with, would be very happy as well. Moore: How did you feel when President Obama was first elected? Bouey: Well, I had tears of joy on Election Night. I cried. They almost had to mop up the floor due to all of the tears that came out of my eyes. It was just a great feeling. Moore: How do you feel about President Obama and the future of America? Bouey: I feel that America is headed in the right direction. The youth are our future, and the youth in the African-American community has a great example of a role model to look up to. Any youth from any race can look to President Obama. They don't have to sell drugs or other bad things. Be like Obama, get an education and succeed in life. Moore: Millions of people of all races filled Washington this weekend to witness history. Of those people, many white Americans filled the city to see a black man being sworn in as president. How does that make you feel? Bouey: I feel happy. It shows change. It's good to see the white Americans appreciate and show love to the new president. And it's good to see everyone come together for a special occasion. We're all equal, no matter what color your skin is. Moore: If you could say anything to President Obama, what would it be? Bouey: I would say job well done. Our prayers are with you. Keep your faith in God, and he'll keep you." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alfred Bouey, 84, attended the inauguration of the nation's first black president .\nBouey, who grew up in Arkansas, saw his mother being mistreated by whites .\n\"It's good to see the white Americans appreciate and show love to the new president\"\nBouey says, \"I am ... full of joy\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's Note: CNNU is following two student teams from the University of Southern California as they work to improve the quality of life in India. The student teams will be writing about their experiences for CNNU throughout the summer. Check back regularly for updates on their work. CNNU first introduced the Oral Cancer Awareness Team. It now introduces the Water and Health Team. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of CNN or its affiliates. Students visited slums to obtain data on the history of health and access to water in each household. (CNN) -- The World Health Organization reports that 88 percent of the 1.8 million deaths resulting from diarrhea can be attributed to unsafe water or inadequate hygiene or sanitation. Unfortunately, a significant population in the city of Hubli, India, fall victim to these causes, and they are not even aware of the cause. The University of Southern California Hubli Water and Health Team is spending this summer implementing a project model that will improve these statistics in the community. The team of six students, visiting from the University of Southern California, will guide a pilot project in the under-served community of S.M. Krishna Nagar. Over the course of the next year, the Team will employ local college students to maintain the program and monitor the efficiency of the water purification technology. And by subsidizing the cost for those living within S.M Krishna Nagar, the Team will be providing state-of-the-art purification systems at affordable prices, creating an important sense of ownership and empowerment for the people. The team also plans to build awareness within the local community about the need to drink purified water. While the source of water currently received by the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation is filtered, sewage leakage and the poor management of waste often contaminates drinking water on its way into the homes. This means that while the water from these pipes or the bore wells may look clean, it can be hazardous to drink. To compound the issue, even water contained in holding tanks on vehicles that visit the community is by no means guaranteed to be of sufficient, purified quality. The tanks carrying the water are rarely cleaned and the taps through which the water is dispersed may easily be contaminated. Families must be aware that the water they are provided is harmful to their health and provides a catalyst for breeding mosquitoes carrying malaria and other transferable diseases. Local reports have proven this, and communities in the past have fallen victim to water-related illnesses as a result of their consumption of unclean water. The USC Hubli Water and Health Team team hopes to shed light on this threatening issue, as confronting the challenge of dirty drinking water is a \"gateway\" step towards achieving measured, sustainable improvements in a wide array of serious health related issues. Through education at key points of community influence and the measured introduction of new technologies that encourage responsibility over simply charity, the Team will use its time in Hubli to affect change that is both scalable and sustainable." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Students from University of Southern California go to India to improve quality of life .\nTeam provides innovative water treatment measures to stop disease .\nOther team teaches how to prevent oral cancer, one of top 3 cancers in India .\nStudents employ locals to maintain program and monitor efficiency over next year ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Frank Micciche is managing director of the Next Social Contract Initiative at the New America Foundation, a think tank that promotes thought from across the ideological spectrum. He has worked for Sallie Mae, former Michigan Gov. John Engler and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Frank Micciche says Detroit has to justify its bailout while Wall Street is getting more without tough scrutiny. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There was good news and bad news in the recent filings Chrysler and General Motors made with the federal officials overseeing their multibillion-dollar rescue. The good news was that, if the federal government can see its way clear to adding another $21 billion or so to the more than $17.4 billion they received in bridge loans in December -- including a cool $7 billion by the end of March to forestall their insolvency -- the companies are confident that they will be able to retool, return to profitability and repay the money provided them. The bad news: it won't happen until late in President Obama's first term, if at all, and in the meantime they will eliminate at least 50,000 jobs this year alone, close even more plants than previously announced and discontinue several of their most recognizable lines of cars. If you think keeping the automakers afloat for another few years is expensive, you won't believe how much it would cost to let them fail. In the same report, GM CEO Rick Wagoner put the price tag for the feds should his company file for bankruptcy at $100 billion. Such is the through-the-looking-glass nature of bailout economics, circa 2009. Of course, even Wagoner's worst case scenario is a pittance compared to the more than $600 billion that will eventually flow to Wall Street through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). Which begs the question of why, after four months and nearly $400 billion in capital from the U.S. Treasury, we have still not seen anything remotely resembling the detailed disclosures and strategic planning required of the automakers from the banks that have received TARP funds? For that matter, shouldn't the state and local governments that stand to receive hundreds of billions of dollars under the recently enacted economic stimulus bill have to submit something, anything, that would explain how they intend to use this money, what their spending will do to speed and sustain the nation's overall recovery and what they will do to wean themselves from this emergency aid once the crisis has passed? Small nonprofits and community organizations that receive federal grants will tell you that the paperwork and scrutiny that comes with even the most modest federal award is often so exhaustive as to nullify the benefits of the grant. Not so, apparently, if your request is in the billions. Perhaps the secret to avoiding the withering glances of bean-counting bureaucrats is to ask for serious cash from Uncle Sam. How do we square the double standard in reporting required of Chrysler and GM, whose combined request is in the range of $40 billion, with the inability of even a pit bull like U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, to get answers as to exactly where and to what end the TARP money has gone? It may be that the situation on Wall Street is so complex, and the stakes so high, that lawmakers themselves have little confidence in their abilities to map a successful recovery for the industry, so they are relying on the sheer magnitude of their spending and the ingenuity of those left standing on Wall Street to work their market magic and revive the economy. The idea of a single \"Car Czar\" to oversee the rebuilding of the auto industry is now out the window, replaced by a task force led by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and National Economic Council Director Larry Summers, two of the most over-extended men in the history of American government. But it's still easier for Washington to imagine that they can manage Chrysler and GM back onto the road to viability than that anything short of massive infusions of vaguely traceable capital will unfreeze the credit markets and restore financial stability. In the meantime, the automakers await word on the acceptability of their plans to dramatically reduce production and add tens of thousands of new Americans to the ranks of the unemployed. Forty billion just doesn't go as far as it used to. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frank Micciche." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Frank Micciche: Auto companies are planning job cuts and plant closings .\nHe says they were required to give detailed plans in return for bailout money .\nMicciche: Wall Street firms getting much more money from federal government .\nHe says the bankers haven't been required to provide their restructuring plan ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Penn Jillette -- the larger, louder half of Penn & Teller -- is a magician, comedian, actor, author and producer. Obama and McCain both promise a government that will watch over us ... \"I don't like that,\" says Penn Jillette. (CNN) -- Everyone I talk to seems to think the president of the United States right now is stupid. The Bush presidency is stupid speeches, stupid high gas prices, stupid bad economy, stupid war on terrorism, stupid war on drugs, stupid hurricane fixing, stupid global warming, stupid war -- stupid, stupid, stupid. They all seem to think we need to get a smarter guy in the White House fast, and Bush is so stupid, that task shouldn't be too hard. Not me. I'd like to say that I believe every president in United States history, including the stupid one we have now, is smarter than me. My alma mater is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Clown College, so I'm damning with faint praise, but I'm stupider than this here stupid president. Maybe I'm less stupider than Bush than I'm stupider than Jefferson. But I'm stupider than all the stupid in both of them put together. The idea, especially from the Democrats that I know, is, we just get a smarter guy in the White House, and all the problems will go away. We'll have smart speeches, smart high gas prices, smart bad economy, smart war on terrorism, smart war on drugs, smart hurricanes, smart global warming, smart war in Georgia -- smart, smart, smart. Barack Obama is way smarter than Bush -- so way, way smarter than me. Obama is way more charismatic than me. He did his big speech for about 80,000 people; I'll do my show tonight in Vegas for about 1,000 people. He's more ambitious than I; he's going to be the next president of the United States, and I couldn't even get to week three of \"Dancing with the Stars.\" Obama is a great leader. He can fire people up and get them to do what he wants. He does smart speeches that promise everyone everything they need and make us feel good about our country and how much greater our government could be. But I don't think our next president being a great leader is a good thing. I'm worried about someone smarter than Bush taking over that tremendous power. Charisma and ambition increase my fear exponentially, and a great leader scares me to death. We need someone stupid enough to understand that the president of the United States can't solve many problems without taking away freedom and therefore shouldn't try. The only reason John McCain scares me a little less is because I think he's a little less likely to win. They both promise a government that will watch over us, and I don't like that. I don't want anyone as president who promises to take care of me. I may be stupid, but I want a chance to try to be a grown-up and take care of my family. Freedom means the freedom to be stupid, and that's what I want. I don't want anyone to feel my pain or tell me to ask what we can do for our country, or give us all money and take care of us. Gene Healy at the Cato Institute explains that the Founding Fathers wanted the president \"to faithfully execute the laws, defend the country from attack and check Congress with the veto power whenever it exceeded its constitutional bounds.\" That sounds like plenty to me. You gotta be smarter than me to do all that, but you don't have to be as smart as Obama, and you sure don't have to be a great leader. Our first seven presidents averaged a bit more than three public speeches a year, and they didn't promise jobs for everyone, day care, dental exams and free stuff. It's really hard to find someone who trusts Americans to take care of themselves and each other without government force. It's hard to find someone running for president who would be content to be what George Washington humbly called the \"chief magistrate.\" I think Ron Paul and Bob Barr mean it when they say they want much smaller government. But the government is already big enough, powerful enough and bipartisan enough (and \"bi\" means exactly two and no more) that Ron and/or Bob won't even be in the debates. People won't even hear someone suggesting that our president should do less and individual citizens should do more for themselves. The choice shouldn't be which lesser of two evils should have the enormous power of our modern presidents. The question should be, who would do less as president? Who would leave us alone? If we could find a lazier, less charismatic, stupider person than me to be president, I'd be all for it. But, it's not going to be easy; stupider than me is rare breed. So remember, the only way to waste your vote is to vote! The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Everyone thinks we need to get a smarter guy in the White House, says Penn Jillette .\nJillette: Obama is a great leader who fires people up, gets them to do what he wants .\nMcCain scares Jillette a little less because he's a little less likely to win .\nRon Paul, Bob Barr say they want much smaller government ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In the age of digital audio, what does good old-fashioned radio still have to offer? Teca Lima, the voice of RadarCultura, consults the Web site before talking into the mic. Plenty, according to the creators of RadarCultura, a community-based Web site and a daily three-hour AM radio program broadcast from Brazil's São Paulo. \"Radio is 'now,'\" says 22-year-old Brazilian André Avorio, who implemented the Web site. \"[Radio] is generally quick and live. This adds a special dynamic to the medium. Moreover, it is still one of the most popular means of mass communication in Brazil. Combining it with the power of the Internet can result in many new possibilities.\" RadarCultura is an experimental project of the Padre Anchieta Foundation to promote public participation in audio-visual programming, eventually aiming to fuse its radio, television and Web programs into a single interactive, real-time platform. Like many online music sites, RadarCultura is always looking for new music and emerging talents, but its primary focus is to preserve the memory of the Brazilian repertoire by resurfacing classic, forgotten or unknown songs. The Padre Anchieta Foundation also happens to boast the biggest archive of Brazilian music in Brazil, including more than 15,000 songs dating from the 1920's to the present. \"Making it easy to search through the vast archive of songs was an important feature since version one of the Web site,\" says Avorio. Producer Alceu Maynard observes two types of RadarCultura members: \"There are people who listen to the show because they are fans of Brazilian music. There are others who like to produce the content on our site -- they collaborate actively with suggestions, playlists and all aspects of programming.\" Meanwhile, RadarCultura team members Alceu, speaker Teca Lima and project manager Lia Rangel are busy podcasting interviews, moderating conversations, blogging, twittering and keeping the site relevant. Old media gets new blood . True to its non-visual origin, RadarCultura's Web site is strictly text-based, with icons that link to votes and streaming audio. And true to its Web-based platform, the site has adopted, and adapted, all Net-native systems for its daily operations. The site itself runs on the free Drupal content-management system, which allows content to rank and flow according to input and feedback from the site's online community. Members who wish to contribute their own audio material to RadarCultura's archive must either podcast it themselves first, or else they may upload it to the U.S.-based Archive.org to clear it of online rights. Given the quantity of music aired from the ever-expanding repertoire, copyright issues are the most common pretext to negotiation, most notably with ECAD, a privately owned civil society for the collection and distribution of copyright managed by 10 Brazilian music associations. Online, however, RadarCultura distributes the entirety of its streaming content under a Creative Commons license. The team has also been experimenting with the free CoveritLive software to enable live blogging, chatting and Twittering among audience, presenters and guests during its online coverage of radio and TV events, including the popular Roda Vivo TV show. RadarCultura's first live event coverage in February 2008 was of Campus Party Brasil, a seven-day tech-fest that saw people camping out in tents with broadband cables while sharing ideas and technological innovations. In April 2008, RadarCultura struck again with its live coverage of Virada Cultural, Brazil's largest cultural event, including art performances and exhibits in the streets of São Paulo during 24 continuous hours, attracting some 4 million people. \"I came up with the idea of inviting the audience to report directly from the streets using their mobile phones,\" says Avorio. \"A telephone system was installed, and the calls from the participants were automatically recorded. Our non-stop production team listened to every recording as they arrived and not only immediately published them online but geo-localized them on an interactive map of São Paulo. \"It was RadarCultura's first truly collaborative coverage, as the audience produced most of the interviews and reviews, of not only the main attractions of Virada Cultural, but also the very obscure ones that otherwise would not be covered by the mainstream media.\" Next: Music for the masses, on demand . But still much remains to be done with RadarCultura's original content -- music. \"Due to legal restrictions, it has been very difficult to exploit many of the possibilities previously imagined for the RadarCultura Web site, like listening online to playlists or to the thousands of songs in the archive,\" Avorio reflects. \"Live radio has been a great success and will remain so for a long time, but it is now clear the value of on-demand content -- whenever you want it, wherever you are, on whatever device you have handy -- from the iPod to your mobile phone.\" RadarCultura's Web site not only introduces Brazilian music and culture to the international online community, it brings its programming well beyond the limited broadcasting range of the station's native São Paulo to the rest of Brazil. In a nation notorious for violence rooted in social inequality, the democracy of the Web -- not unlike radio -- is a welcome new medium of communication. \"Certainly São Paulo is the most 'wired' city in the country, but the Internet and the possibilities associated with it have reached the most distant towns,\" says Avorio. \"It is amazing the value that such a technology delivers to a country in a fast development pace such as Brazil -- from education to more subtle ways of social inclusion.\" For Gioconda Bordon, Padre Anchieta Foundation's radio coordinator, RadarCultura's most memorable moment took place on December 17, 2008, when the program celebrated its first anniversary. \"We had here in our studio the great composer Tom Zé, a very well-known musician, singing and talking live with a very young singer, Mallu Magalhães, a teenager, actually,\" she recalls. \"The listeners were as happy as we were and, of course, as moved as the two artists were. It was a day in our history.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "RadarCultura is a daily 3-hour radio program and community Web site .\nIts father foundation boasts the biggest archive of Brazilian music in Brazil .\nWeb site invites members to create playlists, vote on, suggest music for air .\nRadarCultura also covers live culture and technology events ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Brittany Zimmerman, a 21-year-old college student who wanted to be a doctor, called 911 as she was being attacked by a stranger, police say. Brittany Zimmerman's screams and struggle for her life were captured by a 911 tape. But the police did not come for 48 minutes. By that time, Zimmerman was dead. Her fiance found her body. Although the dispatcher claimed later to have heard nothing, the 911 tape captured screams, gasps and what sounds like a struggle, according to the court documents. Spring was in the air when college student Zimmerman returned April 2 from classes at the University of Wisconsin to the off-campus apartment she shared with her fiance, Jordan Gonnering. He was out when she arrived home. He discovered her body when he returned. Zimmerman had been stabbed multiple times in her chest, near her heart. She'd also been beaten and strangled, according to warrants released recently. Watch an update on the case » . Zimmerman managed to call 911 at 12:20 p.m. The call was taken by the Dane County 911 center and an internal investigation revealed the dispatcher did not hear any sounds that would signal an emergency. Because of that, police were not sent to the apartment until 48 minutes after Zimmerman made the call. Her fiance was already there. Dane County has taken some harsh criticism from the public regarding the delay, and tough questions have been raised about whether a prompt response might have saved Zimmerman's life. Police are still looking for her killer. \"We are working diligently on this case, have generated significant leads, and are making progress,\" said Joel De Spain of the Madison Police Department. The police said they believe Zimmerman was attacked by a stranger. Her apartment door showed signs of forced entry. After interviews with Zimmerman's family, friends and acquaintances, investigators determined there was no personal motive for the attack. \"In fact, we have not been able to determine any motive yet in this case,\" De Spain said. He emphasized that police have no reason to believe Zimmerman was the victim of a serial killer. During the investigation, police have tracked leads pointing to vagrants in Zimmerman's off-campus neighborhood. The vagrants often would knock on doors and beg for money. \"We are still investigating this avenue, but at this time we have not been able to develop any specific suspects,\" De Spain said. Zimmerman's family and friends describe her as a loving, warm young woman, who had much to look forward to. She was engaged to the love of her life and had dreams of earning a medical degree, they said. She was idealistic, and her goal was to help people, not to earn a large salary, they said. Other details in the released warrants reveal that Zimmerman was murdered in her bedroom, that her cell phone was found in \"parts,\" and that her bloody slippers and bloody computer paper were recovered. The murder weapon is described as a knife, two to five inches long. Police are not saying whether they have recovered it. DNA was collected from Zimmerman's body, as well as hair, blood samples, footprints and fingerprints. So far, no match has been made to a suspect. Zimmerman's family is offering a $14,000 reward, and Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest and/or conviction of anyone responsible for Zimmerman's death. Please call the tip line at 608-266-6014." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "College student's battle for her life caught on 911 tape .\nPolice did not respond to her call for help for 48 minutes .\nBrittany Zimmerman's fiance found her body .\nPolice suspect she was attacked by a stranger and are eyeing vagrants ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The case against a Marine accused of murder in a 2005 incident involving the killings of Iraqi civilians in Haditha \"is simply not strong enough to prove against a reasonable doubt,\" the investigating officer said Thursday. The investigating officer has recommended that Sgt. Frank Wuterich not be tried for murder. Lt. Col. Paul Ware recommended that Sgt. Frank Wuterich face trial for lesser charges of negligent homicide. The case involved allegations that Marines killed up to two dozen Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005. Ware said the evidence indicated Wuterich \"failed to exercise due care in his own actions in supervising his Marines.\" \"When a Marine fails to exercise due care in a combat environment resulting in the death of innocents, the charge of negligent homicide, not murder, is the appropriate offense,\" he said in a statement. The recommendation goes to Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general overseeing the case, who will make the final decision. If the recommendation is accepted, it could mean that no one in the Haditha case will be tried for murder. Four enlisted Marines were initially accused in the case, and charges against two have been dropped. Murder charges remain against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, although Ware has recommended dropping all charges against him. Ware said the evidence is too weak for a court martial. Four officers were later accused of failing to investigate and report the deaths properly. Charges against two of them have been dropped. Haditha, along the Euphrates River, was the target of previous Marine campaigns aimed at rooting out insurgents. Wuterich was leading a patrol through the city on November 19, 2005, when the unit was hit by a roadside bomb that killed one of its members. Twenty-four civilians were killed in what a human rights group and military prosecutors said was a house-to-house rampage by Marines after the bomb exploded. The military began investigating the killings in March 2006, and charges were brought the following December. A statement from the Marine Corps originally blamed the civilian deaths on the roadside bomb, triggering a parallel investigation into how commanders handled the incident. Arrest made in terrorist financing case . Earlier Thursday, the U.S. military announced the arrest of a man who smuggled $100 million into Iraq during the past few months to finance terrorist operations. The unidentified man, arrested Tuesday near Baghdad, allegedly employs 40 to 50 extremists at $3,000 per job for al Qaeda in Iraq bomb attacks against coalition forces, using money from supporters outside Iraq, the military said. \"The extremist financier is suspected of traveling to foreign countries to acquire financial support for terrorist activities and is suspected of supplying more than $50,000 to al Qaeda each month,\" the military said. The suspect, captured during a coalition raid in Kindi, operates a network of financing cells across Iraq, the military said. \"He is believed to have received $100 million this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the Iraq border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt,\" the military said. The $100 million figure is based on intelligence report estimates over several months, a spokesman for Multi-National Corps-Iraq said. The man is also accused of purchasing some of the explosives and weapons used in the 2006 attack on Samarra's al-Askariya mosque, also known as the Golden Mosque, and a second attack on it in 2007. The attacks heightened sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. During a separate operation in Radwaniya on Tuesday, Iraqi forces detained a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq platoon leader who commands 15 men in attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces with roadside bombs and direct assaults, the military said. Meanwhile, an Iraqi Ministry of Information spokesman said Thursday that Iraq has entered into a \"substantial\" deal with China to purchase weapons and light military equipment for its police forces, because the Asian nation promised the fastest delivery. Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf told CNN he was unable to confirm that his country was spending $100 million for the items, a number reported in Thursday's editions of The Washington Post, which quoted Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Khalaf said there have been delivery delays from other countries, including the United States, and adequately arming police forces is a priority in Iraq's goal to provide its own security. In the United States, there are several layers of review before military equipment sales are approved. Khalaf said the deal was made last June during a visit to China by Talabani and Minister of Interior Jawad al-Bolani, whose department is in charge of policing and border control. Other developments: . CNN's Jamie McIntyre, Saad Abedine and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If advice accepted, it could mean no one in Haditha case will be tried for murder .\nIraq to buy weapons from China; $100 million worth, Washington Post says .\nPentagon: Detainee financed terror operations across country .\nFinancier allegedly paid $3,000 per roadside bomb operation ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Oprah.com) -- It came as no surprise to a woman we'll call Joan when, after 16 years of marriage, she and her husband started discussing the possibility of divorce. Deep down she'd never believed her marriage, or any marriage, could be genuinely happy. Still, the reality was crushing. \"I was desperate,\" she says. \"I thought, 'I'd do anything to feel better.'\" How about singing every day, making lists of things that made her happy, and getting a \"joy buddy\"? Those are among the suggestions given in Awakening Joy, a class taught by James Baraz, a meditation instructor and founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. A series of exercises, lectures, and meditations stretched over 10 months, Awakening Joy is designed to bring more happiness to people's lives. Like some participants, Joan, who heard about the program while attending a meditation retreat at Spirit Rock, initially balked at the idea of singing. \"I thought James wanted me to join a choir,\" she says, \"but I took it on faith that the singing was going to work.\" So she started trilling along with the \"Hairspray\" soundtrack while driving. \"It seemed ridiculous, but that's what initially helped me the most.\" \"The course uses practices that lead the mind toward states of happiness and well-being,\" says Baraz. \"In other words, it teaches you to focus on how it feels to feel good.\" The first and most important step, he says, is intention: making the decision to be happy. Robert Holden, Ph.D., author of \"Happiness Now! Timeless Wisdom for Feeling Good Fast\" and director of the Happiness Project in the United Kingdom, agrees that this is key. \"Intention is another word for focus. Whatever you focus on will become more apparent and will grow. For centuries, optimists and pessimists have argued over who's right, and the answer is they both are; each sees what they're looking for. If you focus on happiness, that's what you become more aware of.\" Once participants have made up their minds to be happier, Baraz gives them the tools -- delivered in lectures to the live class he teaches in Berkeley and in twice-monthly e-mails sent to participants in other areas -- to teach them how to cultivate a positive state of mind. Among them: . • Writing what the word joy means to you . • Doing some form of physical movement -- such as yoga, dance, or walking -- a few times a week . • Making a \"nourishment list\" of activities you enjoy, checking off those you do regularly and circling the ones that could be done more often . • Checking in with your \"joy buddy,\" a kind of running partner in the pursuit of happiness. \"That's important,\" says Holden. \"One of the major blocks to happiness is a sense of isolation. If you're alive, you need help.\" There are also guided meditations, including instructions on how to be mindful --being present for whatever you're doing and, as Baraz says, \"simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different.\" For Joan, that turned out to be a bigger challenge than singing -- especially when her husband suggested that they begin the separation process. \"Awakening Joy isn't about being a happy little do bee,\" she says. \"You're taught that when feelings arise, no matter what they are, you stay with them. When my husband said we should contact a mediator, I cried years of tears. But by accepting those painful feelings, I had a watershed moment: I realized that I really wanted this marriage.\" Rather than assuming divorce was inevitable, Joan started to see other possibilities. \"From that day to this, it's been a whole different experience,\" she says. \"My husband and I are still together, and in a way that I honestly didn't think was possible.\" For Baraz, the best testimonials come from former skeptics; he admits that he himself wouldn't be the best case study. \"I've always been a relatively joyful, celebratory kind of person,\" he says. He found his spiritual path in Buddhism, but when his studies became very serious, so did he. \"Then I realized that the Buddha was called the Happy One, and he said, 'Go for the highest happiness.' That became the focus of my teaching.\" (Baraz points out that one needn't be a Buddhist, or of any particular faith, to reap the benefits of Awakening Joy. \"Ministers, rabbis, and secular experts have successfully used these basic principles,\" he says.) The idea for the course began eight years ago, when Baraz's wife, Jane, gave him a book called \"How We Choose to Be Happy,\" by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks. \"The instructions made a lot of sense, but they didn't have a spiritual dimension,\" Baraz says. \"So I added that and presented it as a series of talks with my weekly meditation group for about three months to see what would happen.\" The results: \"We got happier and happier!\" Baraz then turned Awakening Joy into a six-month class and found that participants maintained a positive attitude even after it ended (as long as they practiced the exercises; as with diets or working out, continuity is essential). Word of mouth about the course that could make people happier began to spread: The first round of Awakening Joy meetings consisted of about 40 members. The next numbered 100; the next, 200, and then 500. It went international when its members began e-mailing their monthly homework assignments from the lectures to friends. Baraz was thrilled to receive messages from strangers in Europe, Africa, and New Zealand. \"It works!\" they wrote. Apparently, you didn't have to be there to get the joy. Nor do you have to be the type who can deftly turn a frown upside down. \"I'm the person who walks into a nicely designed room and notices only that the painting was hung too high,\" says Gretchen, age 56. In addition to being a \"serious\" woman from a depressive family, Gretchen also found herself in chronic pain after sustaining a back injury. \"It was horrible,\" she recalls. \"Medication made me sick. I felt guilty about not being able to work, and I thought people were judging me.\" Though a specialist was able to alleviate some of her physical discomfort, Gretchen fell into a deep depression. She heard about Awakening Joy after taking Baraz's meditation classes at Spirit Rock. \"The first thing I was hit by was the instruction to notice what it feels like when you're happy,\" she says. \"I loved the walks I took to help my back, but before, I just plodded down the street, not noticing anything. Now I'm aware of how I feel when I'm walking, which enhances my enjoyment.\" Writing lists of things she's grateful for was also a big help. \"A lot of my seriousness has lifted,\" she says. \"I have a lighter heart. I still have chronic pain, but I know there's a lot to feel good about.\" Baraz is writing a book about Awakening Joy and the people who now routinely roll up the windows in their cars so they can sing as loudly as they want to. \"More than 2,000 people have tested it, so it's not some airy-fairy idea,\" he says. \"I've learned that it's possible to change, no matter what your history or the limiting beliefs you've held on to. If you have the intention to be happy and you do the practices, if you give it your best shot and are very patient, it works.\" We're all so used to thinking that we'll finally be content when we find the perfect partner, lose weight, or get our dream job. Is it really possible to become happier just by deciding you can? \"We use the language of having, getting, and chasing to describe happiness, rather than being,\" says Holden. \"What we've learned about happiness is that it isn't an it or a thing. Research has proven that there is no one set of circumstances that makes someone happy; it's more about having a healthy mental attitude toward whatever you're experiencing. So, you can either chase happiness or you can choose to be happy. It really is that simple.\" By Suzan Colón from \"O, The Oprah Magazine,\" January 2008. E-mail to a friend . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Joy is different for everyone, but some may not recognize it .\nMake a list of activities that nourish your spirit .\nExpert: What you focus on in your life will grow .\nGet a partner to encourage and nudge you towards joy ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) -- The grandparents of missing 2-year-old Caylee Anthony continue to stand by their daughter, who is accused of killing Caylee, an attorney said Monday. Caylee Anthony, 2, has been missing since June in a case that has received national attention. The lawyer's announcement came just hours before a source confirmed authorities discovered bones in the area where a body believed to be Caylee's was found last week. The bones were scattered in the dirt, perhaps by an animal, the source said. Crime scene investigators were searching the area where the body was found and will continue searching through at least Wednesday, according to Commander Capt. Angelo Nieves with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Outside agencies, including the FBI, were helping the sheriff's office sift through the area \"in order to make sure that no stone, no area, is left untouched where the child's remains were found,\" Nieves said. \"Significant finds have been made,\" he added. \"At this point, we cannot identify what items have been recovered.\" George and Cindy Anthony were \"devastated\" upon learning a toddler's corpse had been found near their Orlando, Florida, home, attorney Brad Conway said, but the couple is waiting for authorities to confirm the body's identity. \"They're not grieving yet, because they don't know whose body this is, but if it is identified as Caylee they're going to go through that grieving process privately, and when they're ready to speak, they will,\" Conway told reporters. A utility worker discovered the remains in a plastic bag Thursday and alerted authorities. CNN affiliate WFTV-TV in Orlando reported the utility worker, a meter reader, picked up a bag at the site and a skull fell out. Listen to the disturbing 911 call » . Later that day, authorities searched the Anthonys' home and removed \"a number of items,\" Conway said. Authorities have said Casey Anthony, 22, waited about a month before telling her family Caylee was gone. Caylee's grandmother called police on July 15, saying her daughter would not tell her where Caylee was. See where remains were found » . The girl was 2 at the time of her disappearance. The FBI is using DNA analysis to try and positively identify the remains, Conway said. Though bureau spokesman Richard Kolko said Monday he did not know when tests would be complete, Conway said the FBI is likely to have results \"within the next week.\" Watch Conway describe the grandparents' devastation » . \"Everybody wants to make sure that there are no mistakes made, that the person responsible for this crime is held responsible for it and, if that happens to be Casey, a jury of her peers will have to make that decision after the state of Florida proves beyond a reasonable doubt,\" he said. If the remains prove to be those of their granddaughter, the body would be released to the Anthonys \"for proper and respectful burial,\" he said. Conway described his clients as \"good, honest, decent people that are getting publicity that they do not deserve.\" Orange County Sheriff Office's spokesman Carlos Padilla said last week that authorities believe the remains are Caylee's because no other children have been reported missing in the area, the remains are consistent with a child Caylee's age and the remains were found near the grandparents' home. Watch how a home became a crime scene » . Caylee and her mother had lived in the house with Caylee's grandparents, but Casey Anthony moved into an apartment at the time Caylee disappeared. Casey Anthony faces charges including first-degree murder in Caylee's disappearance. If convicted, she could face a sentence of up to life in prison. Prosecutors said this month they would not seek the death penalty. Casey Anthony's attorneys have insisted she is innocent. Watch Caylee's uncle dismantle a memorial » . After learning a corpse was found last week, attorneys sought a court order allowing them to observe the autopsy and conduct their own forensic tests. A judge denied the request after prosecutors said the motion was premature because the body had not yet been identified. Watch why police think it's Caylee » . \"What I don't want to see, bluntly, is 24 hours after viewing an autopsy, a defense expert on a national news show describing this child's remains,\" prosecutor Jeff Ashton argued. \"The specter of that is nauseating to me.\" Asked Friday how Casey Anthony responded to the news her daughter's remains may have been found, lawyer Jose Baez said, \"It's not something that someone takes well.\" Casey Anthony remains in protective custody and has no contact with other inmates, corrections officials said. A psychologist has seen her, and she is on psychological observation, which is not the same as suicide watch, according to a statement. Casey Anthony's trial, originally set for January, has been postponed until at least March. When questioned by police this summer, Casey Anthony gave conflicting statements, including some that were later disproved, according to hundreds of documents and investigative reports released in the case. She claimed she dropped Caylee off with a babysitter, but when police checked out her story, they learned the address Casey Anthony supplied belonged to an apartment that had been vacant for weeks. The woman Casey Anthony named as her babysitter told police she did not know her. Review a timeline of the case » . Investigators said cadaver dogs picked up the scent of death in Anthony's car as well as in her parents' backyard. They also said air quality tests conducted by the FBI found evidence consistent with human decomposition and chloroform in the car's trunk. A neighbor told police Anthony had asked to borrow a shovel. CNN's John Couwels and Natisha Lance contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Sheriff's official says \"significant finds have been made,\" doesn't elaborate .\nSource says authorities find bones near site where corpse was found .\nFBI should have DNA analyzed \"within the next week,\" he adds .\nHair, age, measurements of remains match toddler, police and attorneys say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari denied his nation was involved in last week's deadly attacks on Mumbai, India, and told CNN on Tuesday he's seen no evidence that a suspect in custody is a Pakistani national as Indian officials claim. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says he believes the Mumbai attackers were \"stateless actors.\" \"I think these are stateless actors who have been operating all throughout the region,\" Zardari said on CNN's \"Larry King Live\" in an interview set to air Tuesday night. \"The gunmen plus the planners, whoever they are, [are] stateless actors who have been holding hostage the whole world.\" At least 179 people were killed when a band of gunmen attacked 10 targets in Mumbai on Wednesday night, triggering three days of battles with police and Indian troops in the heart of the city -- the hub of India's financial and entertainment industries. Most of the deaths occurred at the city's top two hotels: the Oberoi and the Taj Mahal. Watch Zardari blame \"stateless actors\" » . Indian officials have publicly blamed Pakistani militants for the attacks, and called on Pakistan to hand over a group of wanted militant leaders suspected of plotting them. On Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi proposed a joint investigation into the attacks and said, \"This is not the time to point fingers.\" Zardari confirmed he is willing to have Pakistani security officials participate with India in a joint investigation. \"The state of Pakistan is in no way responsible,\" Zardari told King. \"... Even the White House and the American CIA have said that today. The state of Pakistan is, of course, not involved. We're part of the victims, Larry. I'm a victim. The state of Pakistan is a victim. We are the victims of this war, and I am sorry for the Indians, and I feel sorry for them.\" Indian officials have said that the only suspected attacker in custody has told police he is a Pakistani national. Indian intelligence sources have told CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN, that police believe all the attackers were Pakistanis. Indian police say nine of the 10 attackers were killed by Indian forces. Asked about the suspect in custody, Zardari said: \"We have not been given any tangible proof to say that he is definitely a Pakistani. I very much doubt it, Larry, that he is a Pakistani.\" He said Pakistan is looking into the allegation, but added, \"Like I said, these are stateless individuals. ... We've had incidents the past two days in Karachi where we've lost more than 40 to 45 people, hundreds injured. These are stateless actors who are moving throughout this region.\" India summoned Pakistan's high commissioner, the top-ranking Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi, to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's office Monday to inform him that last week's massacre in Mumbai \"was carried out by elements from Pakistan.\" It renewed a demand that Pakistan hand over a group of militant leaders whose extradition it has sought since a 2001 attack on India's Parliament that brought the South Asian nuclear rivals to the brink of war. \"The government expects that strong action would be taken against those elements, whosoever they may be, responsible for this outrage,\" a statement from India's Foreign Ministry said. \"It was conveyed to the Pakistan high commissioner that Pakistan's actions needed to match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India.\" The list reportedly includes Hafiz Mohammed, the head of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a now-banned Islamic militant group that denied last week that it was involved in the Mumbai attack. The group is blamed for the 2001 attack on India's Parliament. \"I am definitely going to look into all the possibility of any proof that is given to us,\" Zardari said. \"At the moment, these are just names of individuals. No proof, no investigation, nothing has been brought forward.\" If proof of the individuals' involvement is provided, he said, \"We would try them in our courts, we would try them in our land, and we would sentence them.\" Indian authorities said the suspect in custody was trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. Zardari told CNN that Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is a \"banned organization\" in Pakistan and around the world. \"If indeed they are involved, we would not know,\" he said. \"Again, they are people who operate outside the system. They operate like -- al Qaeda, for instance, is not state-oriented. They operate something on that mechanism, and ... I've already offered India full cooperation on this incident, and we intend to do that.\" \"I'm firmly committed to fighting terrorism per se,\" he said. \"That's why we are fighting them every day, Larry.\" Asked about the possibility of Indian military strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan, Zardari said: \"I would not agree with that because this is a time to come together and do a joint investigation and look at the problem in the larger context. We have a larger threat on our hands ... it's a threat throughout the region. So that would be counterproductive.\" Pakistan and India, both nuclear powers, have a tense relationship and have fought three wars since the subcontinent was divided in 1947. On whether the Mumbai attacks could trigger a fourth war, Zardari said: \"Larry, democracies don't go to war. All those wars you're talking about did not take place in any democracy. They all happened in the times of dictators. ... \"The whole nation of Pakistan is united to ... becoming friends with India,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pakistani President Zardari: \"Stateless actors\" behind attacks in Mumbai, India .\nIndian intelligence sources tell CNN-IBN they believe attackers were Pakistani .\nZardari says he doubts suspect in custody is Pakistani .\nHe says he's willing to have Pakistan participate in a joint investigation with India ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Michelle Crawley says she's a \"freak\" about putting sunscreen on her two girls. Emily Crawley and her dad, Jere, hit the pool on the first day of a Florida vacation, which left Emily sunburned. \"They are both pretty fair skinned,\" says the West Chester, Ohio, mother of two. So every time Emily, 6, and Claire, 3, go out into the sun, she slathers them with SPF 30 or higher . But during a recent trip to Key Largo, Florida, Crawley's vigilance wasn't enough. \"I wasn't sure if it was my technique, the sunscreen or being in Florida,\" Crawley said, but \"that evening they were just fried beyond belief.\" Slathering on sunscreen has become as much a part of the summer ritual as the vacation itself, but a consumer advocacy group has a warning for parents like Crawley who think they're protecting their family with sunscreen: You may be getting burned. The Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based nonprofit, has released an investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreens that says four out of five don't adequately protect consumers and may contain harmful chemicals. The group says that some of the products of the nation's leading brands -- including Coppertone, Neutrogena and Banana Boat -- are the poorest performers. Read about the study . Coppertone was named by the Environmental Working Group as having 41 products that failed to meet the group's criteria for issues ranging from failing to protect adequately to containing potentially harmful ingredients to making unsubstantiated claims. But in a statement to CNN, the company says it \"rigorously tests all its products in the lab and in the real world\" to ensure that they're safe and effective. Watch more on what to look for in sunscreen » . The makers of Banana Boat, which also failed to meet the Environmental Working Group's standards for various reasons, did not respond to CNN's requests for comment. Neutrogena says its sunscreen products have been \"embraced by dermatologists and consumers for their efficacy\" and says its new Helioplex technology provides broad-spectrum UV defense against sun damage. The science of sunscreens is simple: Active ingredients are compounds that absorb, reflect or block ultraviolet light. Sunscreens are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration not as cosmetics but as over-the-counter drugs. Sunscreens are rated based on their SPF, or Sun Protection Factor. The higher the SPF, the better the protection against sunburn. The Environmental Working Group says that the SPF rating on a sun product is only part of what consumers need to know and that one of the biggest problems with sunscreens is that they don't fully protect against sunlight. \"A good, effective sunscreen must prevent against a broad spectrum of rays,\" said Sonya Lunder, a senior researcher at the Environmental Working Group. Sunlight is composed of two types of ultraviolet light: UVB rays, which cause sunburns, and UVA rays, which tan. Although both may increase the risk of skin cancer, sun damage and wrinkles, the FDA doesn't require sunscreens to protect against both, just UVB. The FDA acknowledges that new rules mandating UVA testing and labeling requirements are being evaluated, but the Environmental Working Group wants tougher standards now. \"The fact most sunscreens still don't don't offer UVA protection and the fact the FDA has been working for years to finalize its rules is really what provoked us to look at this issue,\" Lunder said. Another issue: Is a key sunscreen ingredient safe? Oxybenzone is a a popular UV filter in many sunscreens, one evaluated by the FDA as safe. The Environmental Working Group says its analysis of hundreds of studies of more than a dozen sunscreen chemicals finds that oxybenzone can penetrate the skin and pose health concerns, anything from hormone disruption to cancer. The industry group representing sunscreen makers denies that oxybenzone causes harm and deems such claims irresponsible. \"Questions about the safety of oxybenzone unnecessarily alarm consumers,\" said John Bailey, the chief scientist for the Personal Care Products Council, which offers its scientific information about the safety of sunscreen ingredients online. \"Safe sun\" has always been a priority for the American Academy of Dermatology, which sees sun overexposure as the single most preventable risk factor in the more than 1 million new cases of skin cancer expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year. Although dermatologists agree that broad-spectrum sun protection is important, some experts see an even bigger sun danger if people perceive that their sunscreen isn't safe. \"We're concerned this will raise unnecessary confusion and cause people to stop using sunscreen,\" said the Skin Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to educating the public about sun safety. \"Consumers should rest assured that sunscreen products are safe and effective when used as directed.\" While sunscreen effectiveness is debated, all skin experts agree that how a sunscreen is used is just as important as what kind of sunscreen is used. Dermatologists say that an ounce of sunscreen should be applied to all exposed areas 30 minutes before going outside and should be reapplied every two hours, or immediately if you swim or sweat. Common sense can also protect from the sun. Experts agree that children under 6 months old should be kept out of direct sun. Children need sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. If you are sensitive to sunscreen, never go without. Instead, try sunscreens that provide a physical barrier, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. New micronizing technology makes both appear more transparent on the skin, so you don't have to look like a lifeguard with a white nose. After her girls were sunburned, Crawley bought aloe and sun shirts, which they wore for the rest of their Florida trip. She is frustrated some consumers may not be getting the protection they think they are when they buy sunscreen. \"I think it's disappointing if you are putting your trust in these companies,\" she said. \"Someone needs to be keeping an eye on it to make sure they are meeting their claims.\" CNN correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, senior producer Jennifer Pifer and Melanie Diaz contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Environmental Working Group: 4 out of 5 sunscreens tested don't adequately protect .\nGroup says chemical in sunscreens can penetrate skin and pose health concerns .\nFDA allows the chemical in sunscreens, says it is safe .\nSunscreen manufacturers say their products are safe and effective ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Harold Pinter, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter whose absurdist and realistic works displayed a despair and defiance about the human condition, has died, according to British media reports. He was 78. The much-honored Harold Pinter received the French Legion d'honneur in 2007. Pinter's wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, confirmed his death. Pinter, who had been suffering from cancer, died on Christmas Eve, according to the reports. Fraser told the Guardian newspaper: \"He was a great, and it was a privilege to live with him for over 33 years. He will never be forgotten.\" Pinter was known for such plays as \"The Birthday Party\" (1957), \"The Homecoming\" (1964), \"No Man's Land\" (1974), \"Mountain Language\" (1988), and \"Celebration\" (2000). The works caught a linguistic rhythm -- the legendary \"Pinter pause\" -- and an air of social unease that resonated throughout the English-speaking world and in myriad translations. His movie credits, like his plays, span the decades and include \"The Quiller Memorandum\" (1965) and \"The French Lieutenant's Woman\" (1981). Pinter also wrote the screenplay for his 1978 play \"Betrayal,\" the story of a doomed love affair told backward, which was made into a 1983 film with Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons and Patricia Hodge. He received the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005. Pinter's later plays were more overtly political, with works such as \"One for the Road\" (1984) and \"The New World Order\" (1991) focusing on state torture. In commentaries, he became a blistering critic of the United States, writing in his Nobel lecture that the country \"quite simply doesn't give a damn about the United Nations, international law or critical dissent, which it regards as impotent and irrelevant. It also has its own bleating little lamb tagging behind it on a lead, the pathetic and supine Great Britain.\" But Pinter could also be a man of great humor. In 2006, he recounted a story about a fall that had landed him in the hospital a year earlier. \"Two days later, I woke up to find that I'd been given the Nobel Prize in literature,\" he said. \"So life is really full of ups and downs, you see.\" Harold Pinter was born in London on October 10, 1930. He was the son of Jewish immigrants, his father a dressmaker, his mother \"a wonderful cook,\" he once recalled. In 1948 he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, then as now one of Great Britain's most renowned drama schools. But the RADA didn't take; Pinter hated the school and dropped out after two terms. He became an actor and turned to playwriting with his first work, \"The Room,\" in 1957. Later that year he wrote \"The Birthday Party,\" a \"comedy of menace,\" in the words of one critic, that helped make Pinter's reputation -- though, in an irony he could appreciate, after it closed in London due to scathing notices. Ensuing Pinter plays, including \"The Dumb Waiter\" (1957) and \"The Homecoming,\" made him Britain's most famous playwright, as influential to \"late 20th-century British theater [as] Tennessee Williams is to mid-century American stages,\" CNN.com's Porter Anderson wrote in 2006. \"What's generally meant as a 'Pinter play' in the purest sense usually revolves around one or more characters who are imposing on themselves a constricted, even deprived existence in order to hold off a presumed but uncertain threat,\" Anderson wrote. Pinter's plays featured sparse dialogue, often spiced with paranoia or simple befuddlement. In \"The Birthday Party,\" a boardinghouse resident is accosted by two malevolent visitors who insist it's his birthday; in \"The Homecoming\" -- which won the Tony Award for best play when it premiered on Broadway in 1967 -- a professor and his wife return to his working-class British family, where the wife becomes the center of attention. Pinter credited Samuel Beckett, among others, as an influence. (He starred in a production of Beckett's \"Krapp's Last Tape\" in 2006.) In turn, writers such as David Mamet and Sam Shepard followed Pinter's elliptical lead. \"One way of looking at speech is to say it is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness,\" Pinter once said. He was married first to the actress Vivien Merchant. Following a 1980 divorce, Pinter married writer-historian Lady Antonia Fraser." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Harold Pinter died on Christmas Eve, his wife tells British media .\nPinter, 78, had been suffering from cancer .\nHe won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three professors and a former professor at Columbia University's Teachers College received hate mail this week, the New York Police Department said. It's the campus that was shaken by several bias crimes directed at black and Jewish professors in 2007. Columbia University's Teachers College is once again the target of a hate campaign. Three professors received manila envelopes Tuesday with images of swastikas in them. The fourth, a former professor who is an African-American, was sent a manila envelope containing an image of a noose, according to NYPD deputy commissioner Paul Browne. Among those receiving a swastika image was Elizabeth Midlarsky, a Jewish psychologist who has studied psychological principles in the context of the Holocaust, police said. In 2007, her office door was spray-painted with a swastika. (A swastika is the right-angles cross symbol used on Nazi Germany flags). The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is leading the investigation into the incident. No arrests have been made. \"The TC community deplores these hateful acts, which violate every Teachers College and societal norm,\" said an e-mail Wednesday to faculty and students from the college's president, Susan Fuhrman; and dean, Tom James. No arrests were been made in the 2007 incidents. Police declined to say if they believe there is a connection between those cases and the mailings this week." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Three professors, one former one at Columbia University receive hate mail this week .\nJewish psychologist at Teachers College among those receiving swastika .\nIn 2007, same psychologist's office door was spray-painted with a swastika .\nNYPD Hate Crimes Unit is leading investigation; no arrests made ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Two teams of scientists say they have found a key area of the H5N1 bird flu virus which seems to be vital to its ability to copy itself, and hope the discovery could lead to new drugs to fight the infection. Human-to-human transmission of avian flu is rare, but in some cases, the virus has passed from poultry to humans. The discovery is generating excitement among scientists who are looking for a new weapon against the bird flu virus that typically kills more than half its human victims. Two separate groups of scientists -- one in China, one in France -- used a highly technical process to identify protein that seems to be involved in its ability to replicate itself. That gives researchers a new target, as they try and develop new medications. The announcements, detailed in the British-based journal Nature, come at an uneasy time for those who follow the bird flu strain called H5N1. So far this disease is mainly affecting birds in some countries and the number of human cases remains small, but the virus has shown no sign of growing milder since it first infected people back in 1997. It continues to decimate bird flocks in sporadic outbreaks, mostly in Asia, and occasionally breaks into the human population. China's Ministry of Health reported eight human cases last month, including four deaths. Since 2003, the World Health Organization has confirmed 404 human cases worldwide. Nearly two-thirds of the victims have died. While H5N1 doesn't make headlines the way it did in 2005, health officials say the continuing severity of the infections means the alarm is still on. Influenza viruses, in general, spread easily. If H5N1 were to acquire the genetic ability to pass easily from person to person, it could turn into a major catastrophe. Many countries have stockpiled both vaccines and antiviral medications, for such a scenario. The same medications that are used to treat regular flu, oseltamivir (Tamiful) and zanamivir (Relenza), also seem to be effective against H5N1. But that's no reason to rest easy. All flu viruses tend to mutate rapidly, which is why the flu vaccine one year, won't protect you against the next year's flu. Those rapid mutations mean the virus tends to develop a resistance to any widely used medication. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told CNN, \"It always happens that eventually, sooner or later, the [flu] virus will develop varying degrees of resistance. You just hope that it's kept to a minimum.\" The findings in Nature may lead to another option to fight bird flu, but an actual new drug is years away. A vaccine could be effective, but they first have to know what strain of flu they're fighting. The current strategy of health officials around the world is to try to contain isolated cases before they spread. The best case scenario would be, that this H5N1 killer remains primarily a disease for the birds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Experts say they have found key component of the H5N1 bird flu virus .\nIt is hoped this will lead to better medication to fight the infection .\nChina reported its first human-to-human infection in 2005 .\nSince 2003, the World Health Organization has confirmed 404 human cases ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A company accused of encouraging hundreds to illegally enter the United States and then hiring them using fake Social Security numbers has agreed to pay the largest settlement ever in a workplace immigration bust, the Department of Justice said Friday. Relatives of people arrested in IFCO raids gather for a news conference in July 2006. IFCO Systems North America, a pallet and crate company, will pay a $20.7 million settlement, which includes $18.1 million in fines and $2.6 million for overtime violations, the Department of Justice said. In early 2006, immigration officials raided 45 IFCO sites, arresting almost 1,200 low-level workers. Federal officials also charged several managers, accusing them of using \"as a business model the systematic violation of United States law.\" To date, nine IFCO managers and employees have pleaded guilty to criminal conduct, the Justice Department said. Four managers are awaiting trial on felony charges and the investigation is continuing, it said. The Justice Department said it will not pursue criminal charges against the company if it complies with the terms of the settlement. \"The agreement severely punishes IFCO for its serious immigration and employment violations,\" acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Baxter said. \"But it also allows the corporation to continue its operations, so that its lawful employees and innocent shareholders do not suffer the consequences of a business failure in this economy.\" IFCO's violation of the law was flagrant, officials said. More than half of the company's 5,800 workers during 2005 had invalid Social Security numbers, and the company ignored at least 13 letters from the Social Security Administration about questionable Social Security numbers. IFCO records suggests that as many as 6,000 illegal immigrants worked at company plants from 2003 to 2006, the Justice Department said. Federal officials said Friday that IFCO \"acknowledges and accepts responsibility for the unlawful conduct of its managers and employees.\" An IFCO official could not be reached for comment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pallet and crate company IFCO Systems North America will pay $20.7 million .\nIFCO accused of luring workers to U.S., giving them fake Social Security numbers .\nJustice won't pursue criminal charges if company complies with settlement .\nAs many as 6,000 illegal immigrants worked for company from 2003 to 2006 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Searchers looking for a woman believed to have fallen from a cruise ship off the Yucatan coast of Mexico have seen no sign of her, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said Friday afternoon. The Norwegian Pearl is on a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Lt. Matt Moorlag, based in Miami, said crews would work into the night to find 33-year-old Jennifer Feitz, whose husband reported her missing aboard the Norwegian Pearl about 3:40 a.m. Friday. Ship personnel called the Coast Guard for help when they couldn't locate Feitz. Moorlag said he had not spoken with the woman's husband. The search was centered about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen, a Coast Guard spokesman. \"Initial reports indicate the guest may have gone overboard while the ship was at sea, east of Cancun,\" a spokeswoman for the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement. AnneMarie Mathews said the ship left Miami on Sunday on a seven-day western Caribbean cruise. The Coast Guard dispatched an Air Station Miami HU-25 Falcon jet crew, and a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft crew from the Air Station in Clearwater, Florida, also was headed to the site, Ameen said. The Mexican government was aiding the search with a helicopter crew and three water- and ground-surface crews." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Passenger Jennifer Feitz, 33, reported missing on Norwegian Pearl ship .\nU.S. Coast Guard in search about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico .\nCruise line says, \"Initial reports indicate the guest may have gone overboard\"\nMexican government also is helping in the search ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Italy's prime minister held emergency meetings on Monday to discuss the growing garbage problem in Naples, where more than two weeks of closed dumps and uncollected garbage has led to mountains of trash across the city. Collectors stopped picking up rubbish on December 21, saying that dumps are full. The garbage problem has become so bad that Neapolitan residents have started burning their waste, leading to noxious fumes permeating the air in the southern Italian coastal city. On Monday, the government called on the army to help with emergency trash collection for the second time in a year. Bags of rotting, uncollected waste now line city streets and sit in alleys beneath residential apartment blocks. In some places, the piles of trash tower over the cars driving past. Prime Minister Romano Prodi met with the interior and environment ministers in Rome after President Giorgio Napolitano, who is from Naples, said he was alarmed by the crisis. The latest problems began on December 31, when the government closed one of the area's two working dumps. Gian Francesco Raiano, a spokesman for the government's \"garbage crisis administrator,\" said the dump was closed at the request of residents. That left only one working dump, in the town of Serre, which is able to accept only 2,000 tons of trash a day. Raiano said that was the reason trash started piling up on the streets. Authorities are hoping to alleviate the problem when they reopen a long-closed dump in the town of Pianura, near Naples, by the end of this week. The government announced on December 30 that it planned to reopen Pianura, and the decision immediately sparked protests by nearby residents. They blocked roads to stop trucks from entering the site to prepare to open it after 12 years out of commission, and there were scuffles as police tried to move protesters away. Problems with Naples' garbage have been around in some form for 14 years, when Italian authorities first declared the situation an emergency. Complicating the issue is the involvement of organized crime, which has long controlled the region's waste business. The Camorra, as the mafia is known in Naples, controls both dumps and garbage trucks, making the problem enormously difficult for the government to solve. Forty dumping sites have operated in the Campania region over the past 30 years, but most have been closed for various reasons, including criminal investigations related to the Camorra. Residents' protests, over-saturation, and lack of proper equipment were other factors. Italian media have cited statistics saying that Naples produces 1.6 million tons of garbage a year, and that the government has spent 1.8 billion euros ($2.7 billion) over the past 14 years to deal with the problem. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Prime Minister Romano Prodi holds emergency meetings over trash problems .\nProdi forced to act after army called to help clear rubbish piles around Naples .\nCity collectors stopped work on December 21 because dumps are full .\nResidents in a city suburb set up roadblocks in protest at dump reopening ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- He's the butt-kicking, karate-chopping, kung fu superstar who rose from nowhere to conquer Hollywood in a spectacularly visual style. Action star Jackie Chan celebrates winning Best Actor at the 25th China Golden Rooster in 2005 . With his compact but wiry 5-foot, 9-inch frame, Jackie Chan seems to pale into insignificance when compared with muscle-bound Hollywood tough guys such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme. But combining extraordinary athleticism and an acrobatic style, Chan could probably take them both on in a fight and emerge victorious. Best known to western audiences as star of the Rush Hour trilogy, Chan is a prolific actor who has made more than 100 films spanning three decades. But success did not come easy for Chan, who made a string of flops in the early 1970s in Asia. He struggled for years to break out of the shadow of Bruce Lee, the undisputed kung fu king of the time -- even appearing as a stuntman in two of Lee's films. But in 1978, Chan landed his first hit in Asia with \"Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.\" This was quickly followed by \"Drunken Master,\" which catapulted him to fame, and he suddenly became one of the highest-paid actors in the industry. Chan is credited with creating a new film art form, with his comedic take on martial arts, reminiscent of Buster Keaton's slapstick style. \"He totally reinvented Hong Kong cinema,\" said Renee Witterstaetter, author of \"Dying For Action: The Life and Films of Jackie Chan.\" \"He created a new film art form, mixing humor with martial arts,\" Witterstaetter said. \"It was so different and unique.\" Watch TalkAsia's exclusive interview inside Jackie Chan's den » . Although a household name in his native Hong Kong and most of Asia, Hollywood seemed largely oblivious to his talents. It was not until 1994 when he made \"Rumble in the Bronx,\" which grossed $10 million in its opening weekend and made it to number one at the U.S. box office, that Chan finally cracked Hollywood. Soon big-budget hits such as the \"Rush Hour\" series and \"Shanghai Noon,\" followed. \"Rush Hour\" was Chan's first movie to break $100 million at the U.S. box office, earning $141 million, according to the box office tracking Web site, Box Office Mojo. \"Rush Hour 2\" made $226 million and \"Rush Hour 3\" has earned $137 million so far. His current cinematic venture sees him paired with longtime friend Jet Li in \"The Forbidden Kingdom\" in their first movie collaboration. Set in a mythic, ancient China, it is described as \"The Wizard of Oz with lots of martial arts.\" The martial arts dream team have already seen \"Kingdom\" debut at No. 1 with $20.9 million in ticket sales last weekend, but Chan says the reason it took him so long to work with Jet Li is because he didn't like the Hollywood scripts they were initially offered. Chan, 54, is also quite candid about the fact that he doesn't like most of the Hollywood films he has made. He revealed to CNN: \"I didn't really like 'Rush Hour.' In America, everyone likes 'Rush Hour,' but in Asia nobody likes it. \"They like talking too much in America but in Asia they like to fight more in the films.\" After the film wrapped in 1998, he wrote on his Web site: \"When we finished filming, I was very disappointed because it was a movie I didn't appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. \"I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn't understand the American humor.\" Chan has certainly come a long way from his impoverished childhood in Hong Kong, where the story has it that his parents were so poor, they nearly sold him to a British doctor for less than $100. However, his parents instead enrolled him at the China Drama Academy, a talent school of hard knocks with a draconian regime that included training in music, acrobatics and martial arts that lasted 18 hours a day. Beatings were commonplace. Children were made to perform headstands for hours on end and Chan describes being forced to run, arms outstretched, carrying two full cups of water, with strict instructions not to spill a drop. With his parents now living in Australia, Chan stayed at the school for ten years and was adopted by his Master. Undoubtedly, the academy's grueling regime would later stand Chan in good stead, turning him into an incredibly driven and disciplined stuntman turned actor, who always choreographs and performs his own stunts. As a consequence, no insurance company will underwrite Chan's productions, which are legendary for his death-defying super stunts. They include water-skiing barefoot behind a speeding hovercraft, jumping off a building and swinging from a hot air balloon. Chan holds the Guinness World Record for \"Most Stunts By A Living Actor.\" He also holds the record for the most number of takes for a single shot in a film, having shot over 2900 retakes for a complex scene involving a badminton game in \"Dragon Lord.\" Unsurprisingly, Chan has suffered a litany of injuries in the course of his film career. Over the years, he has dislocated his pelvis and broken his fingers, toes, nose, both cheekbones, hips, sternum, neck and ribs on numerous occasions. When filming \"Police Story\" in 1985, he suffered second-degree burns to his hands and palms after sliding 100 feet down a pole festooned in Christmas lights. Many of the injuries have appeared, in eye-watering viewing, as outtakes or bloopers during the closing credits of his films. But in 1986, he came close to death while filming \"Armor of God,\" when he fell 45 feet from a tree and fractured his skull, leaving a permanent hole in his head. Chan explained to CNN's TalkAsia host, Anjali Rao that he never insists on doing his own stunts. It's just the way things are done in Hong Kong. \"Making a film in Hong Kong in the old days was not like Hollywood,\" he says. \"We didn't have protection like elbow pads and we didn't have the knowledge about safety. I had to risk my life jumping from building to building.\" Chan is a one-man movie-making machine. He has his own production and distribution company -- Jackie Chan Emperor Movies -- and controls all aspects of the movie-making process, from casting to directing, producing, screenwriting, choreographing and stunt coordinating. He even has his own stunt team and casting agency. His director on the Rush Hour series, Brett Ratner told CNN's The Screening Room that Chan's versatility gives him the edge over other martial arts stars like Bruce Lee and Jet Li. \"Jackie is the most gifted actor of the three because he has the most range. Bruce Lee is a legendary performer and martial artist, but I don't think he is as funny as Jackie Chan. \"Jackie can be funny, he can be dramatic, he can do the action and the stunts, he can direct, edit, shoot. He is also a stunt coordinator so he is everything wrapped into one.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Action star Jackie Chan is famed for combining humor with martial arts .\nHis new film \"The Forbidden Kingdom\" is first pairing with kung fu star Jet Li .\nChan holds the Guinness World Record for \"Most Stunts By A Living Actor\"\nHe has suffered a litany of horror injuries over his 30-year movie career ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince William received his Royal Air Force pilot's wings at a graduation ceremony Friday. Prince William while attending Remembrance Sunday ceremonies last November in London. His father, Prince Charles, presented the wings to his son and 24 other graduating students at the ceremony, held at the Cranwell Air Force base in northern England. Prince Charles smiled broadly as he pinned the badge on his son's lapel. The two shared a few words and shook hands as the audience clapped. William's girlfriend, Kate Middleton, was among those watching the ceremony. Watch William being presented with his wings » . William, 25, is already a second lieutenant in the British Army, where he serves in the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals). Since January, he has been on a four-month attachment with the Royal Air Force designed to give the future king experience with the various branches of the military. William plans to complete a similar attachment with the Royal Navy later in the year, according to his office at Clarence House. During his time with the RAF, William learned to fly three different aircraft: a Grob 115E light aircraft, the faster Tucano T1 plane, and a Squirrel helicopter. The prince was only eight days into his flying course when he made his first solo flight, Clarence House said. At the time, William described it as \"an amazing experience.\" \"Going solo is one of those things -- if you had a list of the top 50 things to do before you die, it would be in there,\" he said in January. Clarence House said it was William's \"lifetime ambition\" to learn to fly. After the ceremony, he will be known in the RAF as Flying Officer Wales. Prince Charles earned his wings more than 35 years ago at the same air force base, graduating as a Flight Lieutenant. William's uncle, the Duke of York, flew Sea King helicopters during the Falklands War in 1982. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Britain's Prince William due to receive his Royal Air Force pilot's wings .\nFuture head of British armed forces completes four-month stint with RAF .\nThe 25-year-old has trained as a helicopter and fighter pilot .\nHis father, Prince Charles, presented his wings at graduation ceremony ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York police have made an arrest in the case of an Ecuadorian immigrant beaten to death in an apparent anti-Latino and antigay hate crime in December, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced Wednesday. Jose Sucuzhanay was beaten after leaving a party at a church. Police arrested Hakim Scott, 25, on Tuesday and charged him with second degree murder as a hate crime. Police are still looking for a second suspect. On December 7, 2008, police say Jose Sucuzhanay and his brother Romel had left a party at a church and were embracing each other to keep warm in the cold when Scott and another man approached them in a car in Brooklyn's Bushwick section, about a block from the brothers' home. Police say the two assailants shouted antigay and anti-Latino vulgarities and attacked the brothers. Scott first assaulted Jose with a beer bottle before chasing after Romel, police said. The second assailant proceeded to \"savagely beat Jose about his ribs, shoulders,\" head and back with an aluminum bat, according to Kelly. Jose Sucuzhanay, 31, died of his injuries in December hours before his mother arrived in New York from Ecuador. Romel Sucuzhanay, 34, suffered minor scrapes. Police were able to identify two suspects after inferring that they had crossed the Triborough Bridge in the course of their flight from the crime scene. They interviewed bridge toll booth employees and combed through videotape of cars passing through cash-only lanes on the bridge. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said the incident should send a message that antigay violence endangers straights and gays alike. \"If there was ever a message to the people of this city or anywhere as to why heterosexuals have to stand up and not permit this type of violence ... it is this case,\" Hynes said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hakim Scott, 25, charged with 2nd degree murder in New York case .\nSecond suspect sought in beating of Jose and Romel Sucuzhanay .\nBrothers were hugging to stay warm; assailants made antigay remarks ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The slayings of two super-yacht staff within two weeks have shaken the luxury yacht industry and sparked calls for crews to exercise extreme caution. Australian luxury yacht captain Drew Gollan was killed in January in English Harbor, Antigua. Both slayings occurred in popular yachting destinations in the Caribbean and involved violent attacks. Last week, U.S. luxury yacht chef Sara Kuszak, of Savannah, Georgia, was killed after being abducted during a morning run in Puerto Rico. The body of Kuszak, who was five months pregnant, was found with a slashed throat in a field. A local man has been arrested by police in connection with the incident. On January 22, Australian Drew Gollan, captain of Perini Navi yacht Perseus, was shot dead in what was described as a \"failed robbery\" in English Harbor, Antigua. Gollan, 38, was described as a \"widely respected member of the yachting community.\" His death came less than a year after the double killing of a British couple on the island. Suspects have been arrested and charged with murder in both cases. Antigua, in particular, is highly dependent on the luxury yacht industry to boost its local economy -- and it appears news of the crimes is already having a negative impact. In a press release, the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting acknowledged that \"a number of boats have decided to leave Antigua in the wake of this incident.\" Further reports from yachting magazine SuperYachtWorld suggest several captains on the island have also decided to leave. Meanwhile, luxury yacht staff who are remaining in the Caribbean have been urged by industry Web site yotcru.com to \"exercise vigilant personal safety at all times.\" After the death of Gollan, local Antigua politicians and yacht industry representatives held an emergency meeting to discuss the problem. At the meeting, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Baldwin Spencer, said: \"Antigua is still a safe place to be. It's an unfortunate situation, however we are all hoping that justice will be done,\" SuperYachtWorld reported. Spencer also pledged new security efforts to help prevent future crimes. An international charter company manager and luxury yacht industry expert, Els Bucknell, said yacht crews and clients were \"shocked and saddened\" by the deaths, and there would likely be a short-term impact on the Caribbean region. \"Most people assumed that this part of Antigua was safe and I think it has come as a shock,\" she said. \"Some boats have already left and I think you will see some of that.\" However, Bucknell felt the incident would not affect the region in the long term. \"People do forget about these things over time ... and the local business people with police and other authorities have made a serious attempt to make it safer. \"The economy being the way it is has more to do with how business operates than these kind of things,\" she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Australian captain Drew Gollan shot dead in Antigua on January 22 .\nU.S. yacht chef Sara Kuszak was abducted and killed in Puerto Rico last week .\nReports indicate some yachts and crew members leaving Caribbean ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nearly seven years after the remains of federal intern Chandra Levy were found in a Washington park, a jailed laborer from El Salvador faces a murder charge in her death, authorities said Tuesday. Ingmar Guandique is serving a 10-year sentence for two assaults in the park where Levy's body was found. A judge on Tuesday signed an arrest warrant for Ingmar Guandique, 27, who is serving a 10-year sentence for two assaults in Rock Creek Park that occurred around the time of Levy's disappearance. Her remains were found in Rock Creek Park about a year after she was reported missing. \"We believe Levy was a random victim of Guandique, who attacked and killed her as she jogged in Rock Creek Park,\" said Jeffrey Taylor, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Guandique's public defenders said the case was far from over, and urged the public not to jump to conclusions. \"This flawed investigation, characterized by the many mistakes and missteps of the Metropolitan Police Department and every federal agency that has attempted to solve this case, will not end with the simple issuance of an arrest warrant against Mr. Guandique,\" the federal public defender's office said in a statement ... We look forward to trying this case before unbiased jurors who will not rush to judgment.\" Guandique faces a first-degree murder charge. A conviction on the charge would bring a mandatory sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison, Taylor said. The massive publicity surrounding the Levy case was largely a result of her romantic affair to then-Rep. Gary Condit, a California Democrat. Police questioned Condit many times in connection with the slaying, but the congressman was never considered a suspect. Watch the police announce arrest » . A California native working as an intern for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Levy, 24, disappeared May 1, 2001. Her remains were found in May 2002 by a man walking his dog in a remote area of the park. Guandique has been imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution-Victorville, a medium-security facility northeast of Los Angeles, California. Officials hope to transfer him from California to the nation's capital in 45 to 60 days. He's serving his sentence on the two assault convictions in California because there are no prisons in the District of Columbia. Those convicted of federal crimes in the capital are sent to various federal prisons across the country. Guandique was considered a person of interest in 2002 in connection with Levy's death, authorities said Tuesday. Before the new charges, his projected release date from prison was October 5, 2011. According to officials at Tuesday's news conference -- and the affidavit supporting the arrest warrant for Guandique -- circumstantial evidence played a large role in the case. Authorities presented no evidence Tuesday of anyone seeing Guandique and Levy together. Timeline of Levy's disappearance » . But the affidavit said a witness reported seeing and running from a man in the park, and she said she believed that occurred on the same day as Levy disappeared. Upon seeing a photograph of Guandique in the interim, the woman thought he looked like the man who followed her in the park, the affidavit said. Another witness reported seeing Guandique with \"a fat lip and scratches on his face\" about the time of Levy's disappearance, the affidavit said. The witness added that Guandique said he was injured by his girlfriend during an argument. Interviewed by police, Guandique's girlfriend at the time said that while he was violent with her on occasion, \"at no time during any of the arguments or fights did [she] ever strike Guandique or cause any injuries to his face or neck.\" Two other witnesses reported that Guandique told them he committed crimes against women, including rape and murder, according to the affidavit. And another witness last month told police Guandique admitted his involvement in Levy's killing, as well as that he tried to rape two other women in the park at knifepoint, the affidavit said. When news emerged last month that Guandique's arrest was imminent in the Levy case, the same witness told police Guandique \"became very anxious and said something to the effect of, '[Expletive], it's over. They got me now. What am I gonna do?' \" Authorities searching Guandique's cell in California in September found a photograph of Levy that apparently had been taken from a magazine, the affidavit said. Speaking last month as news emerged that an arrest in the case was imminent, Levy's mother, Susan, said, \"It's a bittersweet situation for me as the mother of a daughter who is no longer here. I want justice. I want to know that the person who did it is in jail and will not do it to anybody else.\" She added, \"Every day the elephant is there. Every day you get a knot in your stomach. It doesn't go away. It's a life sentence for the families and relatives that miss their loved ones. We have a life sentence of hurt.\" CNN's Carol Cratty contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Affidavit says suspect told fellow inmate last month \"They got me now\"\nNEW: Witness told police she saw man resembling suspect in park, affidavit says .\nIngmar Guandique is serving a 10-year prison sentence for two assaults .\nLevy disappeared in May 2001; her body was found a year later ." } ]

[ { "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 longtime employee and vault manager for a jewelry company in Long Island City, New York, stole millions of dollars worth of gold and gold jewelry from her employer over a six-year span, the Queens district attorney has alleged. Teresa Tambunting, 50, of Scarsdale, New York, is accused of stealing as much as $12 million from Jacmel Jewelry, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement Wednesday. At an arraignment Wednesday, she did not enter a plea to charges of first-degree grand larceny and first-degree criminal possession of stolen property, the district attorney's office said. She was released on $100,000 bail and will return to court May 19, the office said. Her attorney, David Kirby, did not return phone calls seeking comment. Tambunting, who worked for Jacmel for 28 years, has returned about $7 million worth of gold, but $4 million remains missing, according to Brown. \"The defendant is accused of establishing a virtual mining operation in Long Island City which siphoned off millions of dollars' worth of the precious metal from her employer,\" Brown said. Police say Tambunting -- whose job responsibilities involved monitoring the vault in which fine gold, finished products and raw materials were stored -- confessed that for several months last year, she hid gold in makeshift slits in her purse. An inventory in January revealed that as much as $12 million in merchandise was missing, Brown said in the written statement. After an investigation, Tambunting arrived at the jewelry company's offices wheeling a suitcase containing about 66 pounds of gold, an estimated $868,000, the district attorney's office said. In February, about 450 pounds of gold was taken from her residence, the office said. Tambunting became vault manager in 1991, the office said. The dates of the alleged thefts were not immediately clear. The value of the gold returned fluctuates because of the rise and fall of gold prices. However, the charges are based on what Jacmel claims it lost: $3 to $12 million, according to the Queens district attorney. Jewelry manufacturer owners often find themselves in precarious circumstances when protecting their companies from thievery, said Benjamin Mark, who owned a jewelry manufacturing company in New York for 20 years. \"Unless you have metal detectors where every single employee removes their shoes and belts, you can't be certain,\" said Mark, who now operates a one-man business. \"Stealing jewelry is relatively simple.\" Jacmel Jewelry is one of the country's largest manufacturers and distributors of popular price jewelry, according to its Web site. It employs more than 1,000 people worldwide, according to its president, Jack Rahmey. Rahmey said he is cooperating with authorities. Tambunting faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Vault manager worked for Jacmel Jewelry for 28 years .\nAuthorities say she confessed to hiding gold in her purse .\nDistrict attorney says she's returned about $7 million in gold .\nShe could get 25 years in prison if convicted ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- More than $20 million from dozens of clients is unaccounted for in the aftermath of what police say was a murder-suicide by the attorney who invested the money, according to a source with direct knowledge of deceased lawyer William Parente's financial dealings. Police say Stephanie Parente's father killed his family and himself in a Baltimore hotel Monday. Some investors fear their entire life savings have been wiped out, said the source, who based the $20 million amount on knowledge of Parente's finances. Some other investors are missing what could amount to another $7 million, CNN has learned, so the total of missing money tied to Parente could be upwards of $27 million. Baltimore County, Maryland, police say Parente, 59, killed his family before committing suicide. The bodies of Parente, his wife and their two daughters were found in a hotel room in Towson, Maryland, on Monday. The source, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive financial information involved, said one investor had been involved with Parente for more than 15 years, receiving regular monthly payments from Parente until April 16, four days before the bodies were found. The source said Parente solicited personal loans from clients at high interest, promising to use the money for bridge financing of real estate projects such as shopping centers. The source did not know whether Parente, of Garden City, New York, had actually used the money for any legitimate investments. The source, who knew Parente for more than 15 years, described him as \"serious, somber and conservative.\" Parente told investors he was generating returns of more than 13 percent even in down markets, according to the source. Investors were not given investment statements and were not charged a management fee, but Parente did provide notices informing investors that he owed them money, according to the source. In other developments Friday, police said Parente bought a set of knives from a Crate and Barrel store in Towson, and one of the knives is believed to be the one Parente later used to take his own life. Baltimore County police said that knife is being tested as evidence in the murder/suicide case. Investigators say they found a receipt for the knife in the hotel room where the deaths took place, and the time stamped on the receipt was 5:25 p.m. Sunday. Police have said Parente's wife, Betty, 58, and daughters Catherine, 11, and Stephanie, 19, were killed by asphyxiation and blunt force trauma Sunday afternoon. Authorities said Parente took a call about midnight Sunday from his elder daughter's college roommate asking whether she was returning to her dormitory. Police believe Parente's daughter was already dead. He told the roommate his daughter was spending the night at the hotel with the family. Also Friday, other details emerged about some of Parente's other clients. One of Parente's investors was Queens lawyer Bruce Montague, and Montague's office has heard from 10 Parente clients whose investments are unaccounted for. Together, those clients had invested about $7 million. Through a law partner, Craig Gardy, Montague said he is missing $450,000. The clients are from New York, New Jersey, California and Florida, according to Montague's office. The office has referred those clients to the FBI. Gardy said Montague, who considered Parente to be a personal friend, remains too devastated about the deaths to provide details himself, but he authorized his partners to speak on his behalf. The scenario as given by his partners was that after the Bernard Madoff scandal broke last fall, Montague got \"cold feet\" and repeatedly asked Parente for his investment money back. On April 16, Montague tried to deposit a check from Parente for $245,000. On Tuesday, April 21, when Montague's bank notified him the check did not clear, he called Chase bank, where Parente's funds were held. Montague was told Parente's account was empty, according to Gardy, and it would be useless to deposit other checks received from Parente. Then Montague called the New York attorney general's office. He called the attorney general's office again after he learned about Parente's murder/suicide. Gardy said Montague believed he was investing in real estate notes -- short-term, high-interest loans made to developers, for example, who wanted to circumvent conventional bank loans. Montague did not receive monthly or quarterly statements. Gardy said Montague believed he was making money on interest from those loans and would sometimes get a check when the note was paid off. The FBI is continuing its investigation. Spokesman James Margolin said a number of banks are being contacted. He would not identify them. Funerals for Parente's wife and daughters are scheduled for Tuesday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Garden City, New York. The funeral home handling arrangements said a separate, private service will be held for William Parente." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police say William Parente killed wife, 2 daughters and himself .\nParente may have taken more than $27 million from dozens of clients .\nClients got no investment statements and were not charged a management fee .\nA client nervous after Madoff case found there was no money in Parente's account ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The federal judge whose husband and mother were slain in their family home in Chicago, Illinois, four years ago was honored Monday by U.S. marshals charged with combating a growing number of threats to the judiciary. Judge Joan Lefkow has advocated improving judicial security since her husband and mother were killed. Judge Joan Lefkow, who eventually returned to the bench, credited the marshals who protect federal judges at work and at home with major improvements in judicial security in the years since her family tragedy. \"It's now four years later, and I do see dawn has broken,\" Lefkow told a crowd of friends and federal officials gathered at the Marshals Service headquarters across the Potomac River from Washington. The improved security -- including home intrusion security systems and coordinated intelligence and threat analysis -- was badly needed, according to both judges and the Marshals Service. The number of threats has increased each year, and is expected to exceed 1,500 this year, up from 1,278 last year. \"We've already had 600 inappropriate communications reported in the first months of this year,\" said Marshals Service spokesman Dave Turner. Whether real threats or hoaxes, every e-mail, phone call, written note and letter -- including some with white powder -- is investigated. The scope and seriousness of the protective effort increased sharply after the Lefkow tragedy. On Tuesday, the Marshals Service dedicated the \"Joan Lefkow Conference Room\" in the new Threat Management Center to the memory of her slain husband, Michael Lefkow, and mother, Donna Humphrey. Judge Lefkow returned home on February 28, 2005, to find them shot to death. The man authorities said was their killer committed suicide 10 days later when he was stopped by police in Wisconsin. The killer was angry that Judge Lefkow had dismissed his medical malpractice case and he sought revenge, police concluded. U.S. Marshals Director John Clark credits Lefkow's advocacy for better security as the catalyst for dramatic changes. \"Because of her courage to speak out and her advocacy for reform in the protection of judges, things started to happen,\" Clark said. He cited congressional funding for home-intrusion alarms in every judge's residence and a sharp increase in funding to hire more threat investigators, protections specialists, analysts and trainers. The threat management center has been open for more than a year. Deputy marshals in the judicial protection effort attribute a growing number of the threats to disgruntled members of what is known as the sovereign citizenship movement. The movement is a loosely organized network of individuals and groups claiming not to be accountable to the federal government. The movement includes tax protesters, white separatists, zealots of fringe religious groups and desperate individuals lashing out at bankruptcy courts or judges who had wronged them. As a result, some judges have been given around-the-clock protective details by deputy marshals. \"While steady progress has been made, we must be ever vigilant and progressive in order to ensure we are providing the best possible protection to our nation's judiciary,\" Clark said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. Marshals honor federal judge whose husband and mother were killed .\nFamily killed by man angry at judge's decision to dismiss malpractice case .\nJudge Joan Lefkow, marshals have worked to help increase security for judges .\nLefkow: \"It's now four years later, and I do see dawn has broken\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- On the tape, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan appears to burn with rage. Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, pictured here, allegedly tortured a business associate on videotape. Believing he was cheated in a business deal, the member of the United Arab Emirates ruling family was trying to extract a confession from an Afghan grain dealer. With a private security officer assisting, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan is seen stuffing sand in the Afghan's mouth. As the grain dealer pleads and whimpers, he is beaten with a nailed board, burned in the genitals with a cigarette lighter, shocked with a cattle prod, and led to believe he would be shot. Salt is poured on his wounds. In the end, the victim can muster up only weak moans as an SUV is repeatedly driven over him. The 45 minutes of torture appears on a nearly three-hour-long videotape shot in late 2004 in the desert outside Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf region. It was made at the direction of the sheikh himself. The tape has been viewed by CNN. Now the tape has surfaced as a piece of evidence in a federal civil suit filed in Houston, Texas, against the sheikh by his former business partner, Bassam Nabulsi. As media, U.S. governmental and human rights questions and concerns emerged, Abu Dhabi's government on Tuesday issued a statement saying it deplored the contents of the video and plans an immediate and comprehensive review of it. Nabulsi, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen living in Houston, says he met Sheikh Issa when the royal came to Houston for medical care in 1994. Watch portions of the tape and Nabulsi tell his story » . According to Nabulsi, the men became friends and business partners, and Sheikh Issa eventually recruited Nabulsi to move to Abu Dhabi to work for him. \"We were buddies,\" said Nabulsi, who met with CNN journalists in Houston. \"He gave me his personal vow. He swore to look after my family in case something happened to me.\" The sheikh, who holds no official government position, is the half-brother of the country's ruler. In the lawsuit, Nabulsi says was disturbed by the sheikh's \"increasingly bizarre behavior\" after the November 2004 death of his father, UAE ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. Nabulsi's lawsuit says that Sheikh Issa's father \"kept tight control over Sheikh Issa\" but after the father's death, he \"apparently no longer felt constrained.\" Nabulsi claims he confronted his business partner about the Afghan's treatment, telling him that to do such a thing he \"must not be a God-fearing person.\" Nabulsi says his boldness prompted the sheikh to turn on him. Later, Nabulsi was arrested on drug charges. Security officers working for the sheikh ransacked his home and demanded the torture video, Nabulsi claimed. By this point, the tape -- shot by Nabulsi's brother at the order of the sheikh -- had been smuggled out of the country. According to an affidavit, Nabulsi's brother worked for Sheikh Issa as a personal assistant. In 2005, Nabulsi was arrested, jailed and ultimately convicted on drug charges. And, he said, he was tortured and humiliated by UAE police, who demanded he return the tape. \"It was a lot of humiliation,\" Nabulsi told CNN. \"And I really don't like to talk about it.\" Nabulsi was fined and deported. Darryl Bristow, the sheikh's Houston attorney, argued in court papers that American courts have no jurisdiction over his client. In a statement to CNN, Bristow said Nabulsi is using the videotape of a third party, Nabulsi's brother, to influence the court over a business dispute. \"The public should know that the man behind the camera was Bassam Nabulsi's brother and that Bassam Nabulsi kept the video from the media while his lawyer was asking for money. What do you call that where you come from?\" Bristow asked. Nabulsi's attorney denied wrongdoing. The Houston case languished in the U.S. court system after it was filed in 2006 but it eventually moved forward when the sheikh's personal assistant was served with court papers last year. Nabulsi's attorney, Anthony Buzbee, said he has deposed the sheikh, but the deposition is under seal. The case was filed in Houston because the Sheikh Issa-Nabulsi business partnership was formed and focused in Texas and \"claims at issue in this case arose out of contacts within Texas.\" Nabulsi claims breaches of contract and fiduciary duty. He wants $80 million he says is owed to him from their business relationship. He also wants to be awarded punitive damages for torture, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and malicious prosecution. Initially, the UAE Interior Ministry said Sheikh Issa \"does not hold any official position\" in the government and that Nabulsi's lawsuit is \"a private dispute.\" Asked about the torture allegations, the UAE said it investigated and found \"...all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the police department. The review also concluded that the incidents depicted in the videotapes were not part of a pattern of behavior.\" The shocking case has made waves recently as news organizations asked about the tape. U.S. senior officials familiar with the case say the administration is holding off sending a nuclear deal with the United Arab Emirates to Congress for ratification because they fear a fallout from the torture story. Congress has to ratify the civil nuclear agreement signed in January between the Bush administration and the UAE. Those senior U.S. officials said the agreement was supposed to be sent to the Senate, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held off doing so because of the story's sensitivity. One American lawmaker, Rep. James McGovern, D-Massachusetts, asked Clinton to investigate and that all \"expenditures of funds, training, sales or transfers of equipment or technology, including nuclear\" to the UAE be put on hold until the matter is reviewed. He also wants the United States to deny any visas for travel by Sheikh Issa or his immediate family. \"I think we have an obligation to say we want to step back a bit and look at this a little more closely,\" said McGovern, co-chairman of the congressional human rights commission. He promised hearings on the issue, probing the case and how the U.S. Embassy in the UAE handled it. \"I am not going to let it go away,\" McGovern said. Human Rights Watch, the humanitarian watchdog group, is calling for the United Arab Emirates to \"investigate and prosecute\" the grain dealer's torture. With media questions about the tape mounting, Abu Dhabi said on Wednesday it decided to renew its inquiries -- more than four years after the incident. As for the grain dealer, UAE officials say he survived the ordeal, and said the sheikh and the grain dealer settled the matter privately by agreeing not to bring formal charges against the other. How much money was the grain dealer accused of stealing from the sheikh? \"It's nothing,\" Nabulsi said. \"No more than about $5,000.\" CNN's Scott Bronstein, Drew Griffin, Stan Grant, Elise Labott, Octavia Nasr, and Joe Sterling contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Former business partner of Sheikh Issa of Abu Dhabi suing royal .\nBassam Nabulsi's tape shows sheikh severely torturing grain merchant .\nNabulsi, of Houston, says he himself was tortured in jail, sheikh owes him $80M .\nU.S. senior officials say case is holding up a U.S. nuclear deal with the UAE ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Paul Goydos pulled ahead of overnight co-leader Justin Leonard to move into a three-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Valero Texas Open. Goydos posted six birdies to hold a three-stroke lead after 36 holes of the Texas Open. The American had begun the day tied on seven-under-par with former Open champion Leonard, a Texas native, who started early at the par-70, 6,896-yard Resort Course at La Cantera and followed his first-round 63 with a two-under 68 to move to nine-under. Goydos set off in pursuit later in the day and got off to a bad start with a bogey on his first hole at the par-four 10th. But it was to be the only blemish on his card as the 2008 Players Championship runner-up knocked off six birdies for a five-under 65 to get to 12- under-par. \"Another good day,\" Goydos told reporters afterwards. \"Really only had one mediocre shot all day, and that was on the first hole. I made bogey, and after that I played reasonably well.\" Mathias Gronberg led a Swedish charge in San Antonio, opening the day on four-under and going one better with a second-round 65 to take a share of the clubhouse lead with Leonard on nine-under. American Ted Purdy improved by three strokes with a 67 while his compatriots John Mallinger, with a 64, and Scott Sterling, who posted a 63, made it a five-way tie overnight for second place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paul Goydos leads by three strokes after the second round of the Texas Open .\nGoydos cards six birdies for five-under-par 65 to get to 12-under after 36 holes .\nJoint first round leader Justin Leonard among quintet to share second position ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A Thai judge fined dozens of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of illegal entry after escaping from their own country a month ago -- amid allegations that other Rohingya have been dumped at sea by the Thai army. Male refugees show scars they say were caused by beatings at the hands of the Myanmar navy. The Ranong Provincial Court judge ordered each of the 66 ethnic Muslim refugees to pay 1,000 Thai baht (less than $30). He imposed the fines via a closed-circuit television link to Ranong Provincial Prison, where the refugees will continue to be held until they can pay the court. Twelve additional refugees, all teenagers, were being detained at a police station and are exempt from prosecution. The 78 refugees will be handed over on January 31 to immigration police, who will deport them. It is unclear where they will be sent. The refugees arrived by boat on the Thai shore, and Thai police said many had severe burns from a fire that broke out on board their craft after it left neighboring Myanmar, also known as Burma. Members of Myanmar's Rohingya minority have been fleeing the country for years, saying they are persecuted by its military government. One refugee, who called himself Mohamed, told CNN that their boat had been at sea for a month, and that Myanmar's military had detained and attacked them before setting their boat on fire. The refugees are unwelcome in Thailand, where authorities say about 20,000 have settled illegally. Other boatloads of Rohingya have allegedly been set adrift after being towed out to sea by Thai authorities. A recent CNN investigation found evidence of such activity. Photos obtained by CNN include one that shows the Thai army towing a boatload of some 190 refugees. Watch Dan Rivers' BackStory on the investigation » . CNN also interviewed a refugee who said he was one of the few who had survived after a group of six rickety boats was towed back to sea and abandoned by Thai authorities earlier this month. The Thai government has launched an inquiry. The Thai army has denied the allegations. But after extensive questioning by CNN, one source in the Thai military confirmed that the Thai army was operating a dump-at-sea policy. The source defended it, saying that each boatload of refugees is given sufficient supplies of food and water. That source said Thai villagers had become afraid of the hundreds of Rohingya arriving each month, and they had accused the refugees of stealing their property and threatening them. The Thai government has said that \"there is no reasonable ground to believe\" that the Rohingya are fleeing Myanmar because of persecution. \"Their profile and their seasonal travel further support the picture that they are illegal migrants, and not those requiring international protection,\" the Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued Tuesday. One of the refugees who came ashore Tuesday said they will be killed if returned to Myanmar because of their minority status. He said the Rohingya are stateless because they lack bribe money to obtain identification cards in Myanmar. In Tuesday's statement, the Thai government said it deals with all illegal migrants in accordance with its laws and international guidelines. It said \"basic humanitarian needs\" such as food and water are met among the migrants before they are returned home. Their boats also are fixed, officials said. The Thai government said that \"accepting those arriving in an irregular manner would simply encourage new arrivals.\" The government denied media reports alleging that Thai authorities mistreat the illegal migrants and intentionally damage their boats. CNN's Dan Rivers and Kocha Olarn contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sixty-six Rohingya refugees from Myanmar fined by Thai court .\nThey will be handed over to immigration police with 12 others .\nRohingya refugees are at center of allegations of mistreatment by Thai army .\nPhotos obtained by CNN show army towing boatload of 190 refugees to sea ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MEMPHIS, Tennessee (CNN) -- When James Earl Ray bought a white Mustang in the summer of 1967, he stood on a streetcorner in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, and pulled the cash out of his shirt pocket, $2,000 in all. James Earl Ray paid $2,000 cash for a white Mustang, similar to this one, the seller told the FBI. \"Mostly twenties, with some $100 bills,\" the seller would later tell the FBI about the sale to Ray, later convicted of assassinating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. \"He must have had a roll of twenties, if he paid that guy $2,000 in twenties, that'd be a lot of money,\" said Jerry Ray, James Earl Ray's brother. Police Capt. John Light, who was chief of detectives that year in Ray's hometown of Alton, Illinois, suspects the wad of money came from a still-unsolved bank robbery. While Ray was on the run as a prison escapee from Missouri that summer, two men walked into the Bank of Alton with a pistol and a sawed-off shotgun. Both wore stocking masks. The leaner man went behind the counter, scooped up the cash and fled with close to $30,000. Ray, King crossed paths before shooting » Within a day or two of that robbery, Ray would leave the area and head to Canada -- just as he did almost a year later when he fled the scene in Memphis, Tennessee, after King's murder. Light told CNN the stolen bank money consisted mainly of $20 bills. The partially burned shotgun and the stocking masks were found abandoned in a wooded area near a cemetery where Ray's mother is buried. Ray returned from Canada and bought the Mustang after seeing a classified ad in Birmingham the month after the robbery. In the months to come, Ray would keep spending $20 bills. When Ray underwent plastic surgery in Los Angeles 30 days before King's death, he paid in cash -- denomination unknown. When he drove back to Birmingham six days before the murder to buy a .30-06 high-powered hunting rifle for just under $250, the gun store salesman later told investigators, \"I remember he paid for the gun with $20 bills, paid cash.\" On April 4, 1968, only hours before King would die, the landlady at the boarding house where Ray rented a room told police, \"He gave me a $20 bill\" when he paid for a week's rent just across the street from the Lorraine Motel. In the sporting goods store where Ray went to buy binoculars, the salesman told police, \"He gave me two twenties; I think he had two twenties left... The bills came out of his right pocket, neatly folded, and nothing but bills.\" For Light, the bank holdup is the most likely answer to the question of where Ray got the money to travel as a fugitive to Canada and Mexico, then to flee again to Canada and finally London, England, after King's murder. \"Thirty-thousand dollars back in 1967 was a lot of money,\" Light said. In London, Ray ran short of money. Four days before he was caught, he robbed a bank. His thumbprint was found on the holdup note. He got little more than $200 -- enough to buy an airline ticket to Brussels, Belgium, where he hoped to join mercenaries fighting to keep white rule in southern Africa. He was stopped at a London airport when a police sergeant spotted his phony Canadian passport. Ray lived very cheaply on the run. He got change back for his $20 bill at the Memphis boarding house -- a week's rent there was $8.50. The original prosecutors in the Memphis case decided it would not have cost that much for all of Ray's travels. \"He was living on a dollar to two dollars a day,\" said current prosecutor John Campbell. \"He was even darning his own socks to be able to save money.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police: James Earl Ray's money came from a bank robbery in his hometown .\nGun, masks used in robbery found near burial plot of Ray's mother .\nRay bought a Mustang and underwent plastic surgery before King's death .\nProsecutors believe he lived very cheaply on the run ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Now it's the Republicans' turn. Charlie Daniels will headline a concert Wednesday in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The Democrats turned out the star power for its convention in Denver, Colorado, right up to the final night, when the 80,000-strong crowd attending Sen. Barack Obama's closing speech at Invesco Field was serenaded by Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder, among others. The Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, may not have the same oomph, but it won't lack for well-known visitors. After mixing and mingling in Denver with Democrats, the nonpartisan Creative Coalition is scheduled to join the festivities in the Twin Cities. The organization is devoted to arts advocacy as well as issues such as health care and affordable housing. Its spokespeople include Warren Beatty, Dana Delany, Tim Daly, Giancarlo Esposito and Matthew Modine. The group is showing a film, \"14 Women,\" about the 14 female senators of the 109th Congress. Creative Coalition Executive Director Robin Bronk told The Hollywood Reporter that the organization was determined to present some steak with its celebrity sizzle. iReport.com: Share your photos, videos from around the Republican Convention . \"We have a great track record of bringing substance with splash,\" she said. The group is sponsoring a Charlie Daniels Band concert on Wednesday. The Black Eyed Peas played the group's Denver show. Retail chain Target is co-sponsor of both shows. Also in Minneapolis: a show titled \"The Songwriters Circle: The Songs We Love,\" which will feature performances by Brett James (who wrote \"Jesus, Take the Wheel\") and Greg Laswell (\"What a Day\"), according to RollingStone.com. The show is sponsored the The Recording Academy and its GRAMMY Foundation. Among other celebrities expected to be present are the Beach Boys -- who will be headlining a concert of their own Monday -- Gretchen Wilson and Sammy Hagar. However, one of the GOP's biggest celebrity names, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, may not make the trip. Schwarzenegger has said that state business may keep him in Sacramento. Not every event will be sanctioned by the convention, of course. The politically active band Rage Against the Machine, which played a free show in Denver, has scheduled a Minneapolis concert, though it's far from free: Tickets are $60 for the show at the Target Center on Wednesday. Rage guitarist Tom Morello is also teaming with Steve Earle for a union rally on Labor Day. There are also several arts-related events in a lower key. According to The New York Times, artists will be coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul to mount various forms of political theater, from creating ice sculptures to inviting the public to perform karaoke versions of convention speeches. Though some of the exhibits will be politically pointed, organizers are careful to characterize them as nonpartisan -- and expect some unusual discourse. \"You expect people to respond by organizing a protest and throwing their fists in the air, and you also expect people to respond by flying 1,000 American flags,\" Sarah Peters of Minneapolis' Walker Art Center, which is taking part in that city's \"UnConvention,\" told the Times. \"And those are two legitimate ways to respond to politics, but there is a whole in-between area that doesn't get talked about.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "GOP convention to include celebrities, some performing, others visiting .\nRage Against the Machine, which played in Denver, Colorado, also in Twin Cities .\nArt installations reportedly to express nonpartisanship ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Actor, author and Parkinson's disease activist Michael J. Fox spoke with CNN's \"Larry King Live\" to be aired Thursday. Michael J. Fox: \"I still travel with my kids, and I'm with them part of the day, every day.\" In the interview, Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991, talks about his new book, which he describes as \"a memoir of the last 10 years.\" In it, he explores the nature of optimism. He also talked about his family, a new approach to acting and President Obama's lifting of a ban on stem cell research, among other things. Here are some excerpts from the show. Larry King: He's founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. He's a best-selling author -- the new book is \"Always Looking Up.\" By the way, he has got an ABC special, \"Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.\" It airs on May 7. You remain -- is it easy to be an optimist? Michael J. Fox: Well, for me it's second nature. It's just the way I look at life. And it's certainly a challenge now for most people to be optimistic, obviously, with all of the troubles we have and the problems that the country is facing. But I think it's exactly in those times when our optimism kicks in highest gear. I think -- there's an expression that I like that I always use: \"Don't wish for a lighter load, wish for broader shoulders.\" And I think that people are really -- I see a lot of broader shoulders these days, people are really working on the delts, you know? King: What was it like when you were diagnosed? Fox: Well, you know, it's hard to describe it, because I was so young, I was 29 years old. And so Parkinson's is not what you expect to hear. I had a twitch in my pinky and I figured it was some kind of nerve damage or I'd done something probably athletic. ... But then I got this diagnosis, and I thought the guy was kidding. And then it was shock, and then I had a certain amount of fear and I started to react to it in certain ways. I started drinking more heavily as a way of self-medicating it. And it took me -- you know, it's funny, because I sit and talk about \"Always Looking Up\" and being optimistic, and accept the losses and move on or find new gains, but it took me about seven years, I think, to really get to the point where I could tell people about it. ... I was diagnosed in '91, and it wasn't until '98 that I admitted publicly that it was a situation I was facing. King: It is not life-threatening, is it? Fox: No. And I would say you don't die from it, but you -- up to now, you'll definitely die with it if you have it. ... King: Why did you write the book? Fox: The book was -- I wrote the first book because I had to, I think I had to kind of tell that story just for myself, just kind of to acknowledge all of the work that I had done on getting through that journey. And then this book was -- I thought about writing another, and I thought about people responding so positively to the optimism in the first book. And so many people wanted to talk to me about that. So I thought, well, optimism: What is optimism? And so I started to think about it more kind of empirically, writing a book about optimism as a subject, and interviewing researchers about it and talking to people who are optimistic and traveling to places where people are optimistic and all of this stuff. ... So I had to kind of tell it -- I couldn't tell, talk about optimism without -- and separate it from my experience. I had to make it part of my experience. So then, having done that, and written this book, which is really a memoir of the last 10 years, I still have these questions about optimism. So I went to ABC and I said, 'There was a thing I was going to do a book on, but I'd like to do a documentary special on.' And they said, great. And so we've been traveling around, talking to optimists. We went to Bhutan, which is a country in the Himalayas that actually measures its gross national happiness along with its GDP. King: Really? Fox: Yes. And it makes decisions on its development as a country based on how to affect the happiness of the people. And the people are uniformly happy. It's amazing. ... King: Speaking of optimism, in March, President Obama lifted the ban on federal financing for embryonic stem cell research. You've long fought for that. You've got to feel like a -- it has come true. ... Watch Fox's talk about the lifting of the ban » . King: When you act, is it hard? Fox: Oh, yes. I don't have any access to the same tool kit that I always had. But it's like anything. It's like, you find new ways of doing things. And in those new ways, you maybe are able to do things you couldn't do before in ways you might not have approached before. And that's my whole kind of philosophy of life is -- in dealing with Parkinson's or any kind of setback or loss, is that if you avoid it or it creates a hole that you try to fill up with other stuff, with your ego and your needs and your wants and your control issues, then you're just going to dig deeper in a hole. But if you just recognize, 'look, it is what it is' -- now what's around it? I mean, the only thing that I don't have a choice about is whether I have Parkinson's. Everything else I have a choice about. ... Fox explains how he handles the bad days » . King: Parts of your book are a love letter to your wife, Tracy. Without being saccharine, how important has she been? Fox: I couldn't have made the journey that I've made without her. And certainly I wouldn't have this family that I have. And three-quarters of our children were born after the diagnosis. And we knew what we were facing, what we were dealing with, and had some sense of what the prospects were, although they've turned out a lot better than we could have imagined. I mean, I'm 20 years after diagnosis, and there's very little that I don't do now that I used to do. I still travel with my kids, and I'm with them part of the day, every day. King: How old are they now? Fox: My oldest is 19 -- he'll be 20 next month. And the twins are going into high school next year; they are 14. And then I have a 7-year-old." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fox gratified Obama lifted ban on federal money for embryonic stem cell research .\nHe says the research doesn't guarantee a cure, but it can't hurt .\nFox has some bad days, but he tries to separate the physical from the emotional ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Ethiopian immigrant with a history of mental health problems is in custody after being accused of mailing a letter with HIV-tainted blood to Barack Obama when he was president-elect, according to court records. Police say blood-stained letters were addressed to President Obama and top aide Rahm Emanuel. Saad Bedrie Hussein told investigators that he is an admirer of Obama and that the letter -- containing his photo, an admission ticket to Obama's election night victory party in Chicago's Grant Park and six index cards containing writing and reddish stains -- was his way of seeking government help and tickets to Obama's inauguration. Hussein, who has HIV, said he \"purposely cut one of his fingers with a razor so he could bleed on the letter,\" according to an affidavit by Terry L. Cullivan, an investigator with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The letter, postmarked December 27 and written in an Ethiopian language, was addressed to Obama at the Illinois Department on Aging in Springfield, Illinois. When the letter was opened two days later, it was found to contain an orange powder, Cullivan said. A state employee then took the letter to another state office, resulting in a two-hour lockdown of the building, affecting more than 300 people, the affidavit says. During an interview, Hussein was unable to remember what the orange powder was, but tests revealed it to be a drink-mix powder, the affidavit says. According to the affidavit, during a December 29 interview, Hussein denied mailing any additional letters. But, the affidavit said, two days later, the Illinois Department of Revenue notified him it had received two similar letters, both with Hussein's return address. One was addressed to the Illinois Department on Aging, and the second to \"Emanuel,\" which investigators believe was intended for Obama aide Rahm Emanuel. Both letters contained what appeared to be dried blood and an orange powder. The criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Illinois alleges that Hussein \"knowingly mailed\" the letters containing HIV-infected blood \"with the intent to kill or injure another.\" In January, a federal judge ordered a mental evaluation of Hussein, saying \"there is reasonable cause to believe [Hussein] may ... be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent [and] unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him.\" According to court records, Hussein was arrested March 29, 2006, by Chicago police after setting a fire in the middle of a Chicago intersection, waving a Quran in the air and yelling \"Allah[u] Akbar\" -- Allah is great -- and other words. Hussein \"created a standstill in the traffic and refused to comply\" with police commands, Cullivan's affidavit says. Hussein's attorney, public defender Robert J. Scherschlight, could not immediately be reached for comment. U.S. Postal Service Inspector Peter Rendina said this is the second known case in which a person is alleged to have sent HIV-tainted blood through the mail for malicious reasons. In the other case, which is ongoing, a man sent blood to a person he thought was a business associate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Affidavit: HIV-positive man \"cut one of his fingers ... so he could bleed on the letter\"\nThe note, mailed with orange powder, was sent to Obama at an Illinois state building .\nInvestigators think another letter, to \"Emanuel,\" was intended for Obama aide .\nJudge ordered mental evaluation of man, citing his history of instability ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- This holiday season, it's still shoes off and liquids out at airport security, but changes may be on the way to part of this routine, and agents will be watching much more than the contents of your carry-on. Passengers prepare for a security screening at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. In the coming months, the government expects to revisit its rule for the amount of liquids that may be brought aboard planes, while boosting the number of behavior detection officers deployed at checkpoints across the country. More than 2,000 are already on the job, and the program is growing every day, said Christopher White, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration. \"What the officers are looking for are physiological signs that cannot be manipulated that indicate stress, fear or deception,\" White said. \"We find bad people everyday with behavior detection officers.\" The specially trained agents, who work in teams, establish a baseline of behavior and then search for people who rise above that level, he added. The TSA has been taking steps to reduce stress for all travelers at security, such as adding special family lanes, to make it easier for the officers to spot passengers who are acting suspiciously. \"By calming the checkpoint down, it makes people with potential hostile intent really stand out,\" White said. \"If there's a shark fin in a rough sea, it's impossible to see. If there's a shark fin in a lake, it's very easy to see.\" The word on liquids . Meanwhile, new technology may help change a familiar part of the security screening process. By now, most air travelers know the government's 3-1-1 rule for liquids and gels: Containers no larger than 3 ounces are allowed in carry-on luggage, provided they are packed into one quart-size clear plastic zip-top bag, with one bag allowed per person. Those restrictions could be eased next year with the help of advanced X-ray machines that can be upgraded with software, like computers, White said. \"Scientists at the national labs have been working to develop an algorithm to plug into the machines that would allow us to tell the difference between a bottle of Coke and a bottle of liquid explosives,\" he said. The TSA is planning to have 600 of the machines installed at airports across the country by the end of this year and may look at changes to the 3-1-1 rule in fall 2009, White added. Coming much sooner: the expansion of the family lane program to every airport in the country starting Thursday. See where the nation's busiest airports are » . The special lanes are designed to make security screening as smooth as possible for people traveling with children, passengers with special needs or anyone unfamiliar with security procedures, while improving wait times for other travelers. What's not changing for the foreseeable future: taking your shoes off at security. Running them through the X-ray machine is simply the fastest way of ensuring there's nothing hidden inside, White said. Preparation and planning . If you are flying this Thanksgiving, expect lots of company but fewer people than last year. The Air Transport Association of America predicts a 10 percent drop in the number of people traveling on U.S. airlines during the holiday, compared with the same time period in 2007. \"Some of the capacity cuts that carriers put into place have finally taken effect, but also we do think that the economic downturn is finally taking a toll on consumer spending when it comes to travel,\" ATA spokeswoman Elizabeth Merida said. The trade association for U.S. airlines predicts that the busiest travel days of this Thanksgiving holiday will be Wednesday, November 26; Sunday, November 30; and Monday, December 1, with planes 90 percent full on average on those dates. Airports across the country are gearing up for the travel rush. \"We are making a commitment that even during peak periods, the [security] line will not exceed 20 minutes,\" said Ben DeCosta, aviation general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia. The world's busiest airport has spent more than $25 million on improvements, including 10 additional \"high-productivity, speedy\" security lanes for a total of 32, he added. Hartsfield-Jackson also offers a number of queuing options for the more than 40,000 people who line up at its security checkpoints every day. \"Our line management segregates people by expertise and by preference, and it helps to speed everything up and to make people less anxious about the beginning of their trip,\" DeCosta said. Hartsfield-Jackson is also joining the growing number of U.S. airports with whole-body imagers at security checkpoints. The machines offer an alternative to pat-downs by officers. No matter what airport you're passing through, be prepared, White said. \"If you're ready for security with your boarding pass and your ID out, with your shoes and your coat off, and with your liquids out of the carry-on bag, your experience is going to be very good and very pleasant,\" he said. \"For passengers who are not ready, they not only slow down themselves, they slow down the entire checkpoint line.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Government's 3-1-1 rule for liquids and gels could be eased next year .\nTSA aims to reduce travelers' stress, making it easier to spot suspicious behavior .\nTaking shoes off at security expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future .\nFamily lane program expands to every airport in the country starting Thursday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A diabetes test that measures a person's average blood glucose control over the preceding two to three months is being recommended as the new diagnostic tool for the condition. Diabetics have too much glucose in their blood when the condition is uncontrolled, and must monitor it. A committee of international experts recommended the test, called the the A1C assay, at the American Diabetes Association's 69th Scientific Sessions over the weekend. The report could instigate a change in the way diabetes is diagnosed, the American Diabetes Association said. The A1C assay, which has been used for nearly 30 years to determine how well a patient controls diabetes, is a more stable, reliable diagnostic tool than the techniques currently in use, the authors of the report said. \"This committee that I chaired is recommending that this be used as widely as possible to diagnose diabetes instead of the blood sugar test,\" said Dr. David Nathan, director of the Diabetes Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and chairman of the committee. The A1C test, which consists of a simple blood test, is also more convenient than the two tests commonly used for diabetes -- the fasting plasma glucose and the oral glucose tolerance test -- the authors said. In the fasting test, the patient does not eat for about 12 to 14 hours before a blood test. In the tolerance test, the patient drinks a sweet solution and has blood drawn two hours later. In addition, Nathan said, \"It probably is better related to the development of eye disease with diabetes, and therefore probably serves as a better diagnostic tool.\" The international committee was assembled by the American Diabetes Association, International Diabetes Federation and European Association for the Study of Diabetes, but those organizations have not officially endorsed the report. \"Basically, the American Diabetes Association supports the concept, supports the use of the A1C to diagnose diabetes, and just has to look at the implications of it, and the implementation of it,\" said Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association, who was part of the committee. Using A1C in diagnosis would be particularly useful for determining whether patients have type 2 diabetes, which is more difficult to diagnose than type 1, said Dr. William Bornstein, assistant professor of endocrinology at Emory University, who was not part of the committee. \"This will be beneficial to the population in terms of helping us more clearly diagnose folks who are at risks for complications and help them manage that earlier,\" Bornstein said. Still, controversy likely will arise over the use of the A1C in diagnostics because of the long, established track record of using the other two methods, Bornstein said. iReport.com: Boxing champ talks about diabetes struggle . How it works . Humans cannot live without having sugar called glucose in their blood. Too much glucose, however, attaches to a variety of proteins in the body and harms them. Uncontrolled diabetes is characterized by too much glucose in the bloodstream. This excess glucose then glycates with -- or sticks to -- a protein called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's cells. The A1C test measures the percentage of glycated hemoglobin in the blood, which is a reflection of average blood glucose control, according to the American Diabetes Association. A1C is a better measure of the problem that diabetes causes than glucose-based tests, at least for monitoring, said David Schoenfeld, professor of biostatistics at Harvard University. He and colleagues, including Nathan and a large group of international researchers, studied the relationship between A1C and average blood glucose. While many diabetics monitor their average blood glucose levels daily, at the doctor's office the patient receives a measurement in terms of hemoglobin A1C, Schoenfeld said. He and researchers created a chart to convert these two measurements, so that patients would not have to interpret two different numbers and feel confused. They concluded in a 2008 paper that, for most patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, A1C levels can be expressed as average glucose. The international committee concluded that an A1C level of 6.5 percent indicates that a person has diabetes, while values between 6 percent and 6.5 percent are likely to be at highest risk for developing diabetes. Experts note, however, that there is a continuum of risk for complications, and the \"cut-point\" of 6.5 percent should not be considered an absolute dividing line. All adults who are overweight and have additional risk factors, such as family history of diabetes, high blood pressure or abnormal lipid levels, should be screened for diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Adults aged 45 or older should be tested even if they do not have these risk factors, the association said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Committee says A1C test is more reliable and convenient than other tests .\nTests in use now are fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance test .\nA1C test is currently used for monitoring patients' control of diabetes .\nExpert: Report may cause controversy because of track record of using current tests ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's Note: Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Carl Bernstein, best known for his reporting work with Bob Woodward about the Watergate scandal, serves as a political analyst for CNN. Most recently, Bernstein wrote \"A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton,\" a detailed portrait of the junior senator from New York and former Democratic presidential candidate. Carl Bernstein says Republicans returned to old themes, including patriotism, to attack Democrats. (CNN) -- Democrats take note: the Republican convention was resolutely on-message Tuesday night, sounding old themes and buzzwords that have worked for the GOP in the past. It's those same themes that John McCain, who once rejected the approach, has now embraced as the only way to the White House. \"The Angry Left,\" \"Liberals,\" \"The Media,\" -- the familiar litany of right-wing Republican demons -- rocked the house in St. Paul, Minnesota. The message: McCain, Sarah Palin and the Republicans are the true party of patriotism, as if the Democrats aren't. In the repetitious theme of the evening, the Republicans would \"Put Country First,\" as if the Democrats wouldn't. The Democrats' first response to the evening, in a statement from the Obama campaign about the GOP's failure to address economic problems in the country, said nothing -- perhaps at its peril -- about the real Republican message. The theme was first sounded by actor Robert Duvall in the short film he narrated; followed by speaker after speaker and later interspersed in filmed tributes to Ronald Reagan and to a Navy Seal hero who died in Iraq. That is the theme invoked as the motif of John McCain's life. Perhaps the most extreme example of the implication that the Republicans have a lock on patriotism and \"Putting Country First\" came in video footage of a first-responder going underwater to rescue occupants of a car that plummeted in the Minneapolis bridge collapse. (No word at the convention about problems of infrastructure in the country -- just people (apparently only Republicans) who would \"Put Country First.\" Meanwhile, consistent with the demonizing subtext of this theme, President Bush attacked (rather incongruously, but with plenty of antecedents in Republican history) \"The Angry Left\" -- perhaps an attempt to stigmatize those who would question Sarah Palin's credentials. A quick video tribute to Ronald Reagan referred to \"the media [who] despised him.\" Former Sen. Fred Thompson pounded Barack Obama as \"the most liberal\" presidential candidate in history, and brought the convention to its feet. He also warned of losing the Supreme Court to the Democrats and \"liberalism\" (to delirious applause). Thompson said McCain's pick of Palin had thrown the Democrats' \"friends in the media into a state of panic\" (pandemonium in the hall). John McCain, in a different time in his life (i.e. running against George W. Bush for the Republican nomination in 2000), specifically rejected this approach. He courted and charmed the dreaded \"media\" monolith and enunciated a post-partisan vision (yet definitely consistent with conservative orthodoxy on many big questions). McCain also railed against the culture wars that his party and campaign are now intent on stoking as the way to victory. (Remember, only months ago, when the promise of this election was that there were two nominees who understood the enduring damage of the culture wars to the country and its political system?) Will the Republican message on display last night work? It was essential to George W. Bush's defeat of John Kerry and pulled Bush to parity with Al Gore in 2000. George H.W. Bush relied on the approach in 1988. Bill Clinton recognized the strategy, addressed it substantively and forthrightly and buried it. The McCain campaign and the Republican Party of 2008 are betting that Barack Obama won't be nimble enough to repeat Clinton's feat, and that they have found the formula (including putting Palin on the ticket at a moment when the election seemed to be eluding them) to victory. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tuesday's themes at GOP convention dealt with patriotism, \"Putting Country First\"\nPresident Bush attacked \"The Angry Left\" at convention .\nBernstein: McCain once rejected old GOP themes, now embraces them ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Everything about Jupiter is super-sized, including its colorful, turbulent atmosphere. But there's fresh evidence that one of the planet's most recognizable features, the Great Red Spot, is shrinking. NASA's Cassini spacecraft photographed Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, seen center near the equator, in 2000. The spot, which is actually an ancient monster storm that measures about three Earths across, lost 15 percent of its diameter between 1996 and 2006, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found. It shrank by about 1 kilometer (about 0.6 miles) a day during that time period, said Xylar Asay-Davis, a postdoctoral researcher who was part of the study. Astronomers have observed for years that the clouds of the Great Red Spot have been waning, but this newest research focused on the motion of the storm -- a much more reliable way to measure its size, Asay-Davis said. He and fellow Berkeley researchers Philip Marcus, Imke de Pater, Michael Wong and Sushil Shetty developed software that tracked the movement of the spot's cloud patterns over long periods of time. \"It's not just the motion of the spot as a whole object. Within it, it has a very complicated swirl to it -- sort of a thin ring on the outside and then a sort of quiet area in the center -- and that shape of it has been changing over time,\" Asay-Davis said. \"What we actually look at is where the winds are the strongest in the vortex. It's the ring where they're the strongest, and that ring has been shrinking over time.\" The findings have been submitted for publication in Icarus, the International Journal of Solar System Studies. See photos of the other planets and find out what makes them stand out » . What makes it red? The researchers do not know why the storm is shrinking. In fact, little is known about the Great Red Spot at all. Even the exact cause of its distinctive color is a mystery. \"We don't actually know what causes any of the colors on Jupiter,\" said Amy Simon-Miller, chief of the Planetary Systems Lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. \"One of the leading theories is that [the storm] is dredging up stuff from much deeper below in the atmosphere that turns red when it's exposed to sunlight.\" The spot isn't always bright red; sometimes it's actually quite pale, Simon-Miller noted. Astronomers have been tracking it since the 1870s, said Glenn Orton, a senior research scientist at NASA'S Jet Propulsion Laboratory who investigates planetary atmospheres. It is possible that the spot may one day disappear, he added. \"It's just a storm that, like many things, has a natural growth and disintegration rate,\" Orton said. Astronomers see a dramatic difference in the spot's shape when comparing photos of Jupiter taken more than a century ago to recent images of the planet. Orton joked that the Great Red Spot used to be so long that its acronym should have stood for the \"Great Red Sausage.\" \"I just happened to look at an old picture and said to myself, 'That looks like a breakfast sausage.' It's very long. I mean, if you look at one of those pictures back from then and a picture now, you think, 'My God, this thing is going on a diet,\" Orton said. Now eye-shaped, the spot is expected to become circular by about 2040, he added. Chemical stew . The storm is a fascinating feature on a fascinating planet. It has some of the characteristics of a hurricane on Earth, including a circular motion and strong winds. They're Jupiter-strength inside the spot, with some gusting up to 400 miles per hour, Simon-Miller said. Unlike hurricanes on Earth, which are low-pressure systems, the Great Red Spot is a high-pressure system, so it's more stable -- one of the reasons it has lasted so long, she added. Another factor in its longevity is that there is no land on Jupiter to slow a storm in the way landfalls cause hurricanes to lose steam on Earth. Jupiter's atmosphere of colorful dots, swirls and bands may look like an impressionist painting from above, but it would quickly lose its beauty on closer approach. The clouds visible from space consist of ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide -- a sort of smoggy chemical stew -- and the conditions below are brutal, especially inside the Great Red Spot. \"The winds are so strong, everything would get pulled apart pretty quickly. There's no surface to stand on and look up at it,\" Simon-Miller said. Probes sent by NASA towards the interior of the planet have been crushed by the gas giant's enormous atmospheric pressure. Still, the images of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot mesmerize astronomers. \"The pictures are just so beautiful, and they're different every single time we look,\" Simon-Miller said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Scientists: Great Red Spot lost 15 percent of its diameter between 1996 and 2006 .\nIt is possible that the spot may one day disappear, astronomers say .\nJupiter's famous feature is a monster storm that's been tracked since the 1870s .\nWinds inside gust up to 400 miles per hour; it's not exactly known what makes it red ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The bay pilot who steered a container ship into the San Francisco Bay Bridge in 2007, causing a massive oil spill, pleaded guilty Friday to violating misdemeanor pollution laws and faces up to 10 months in prison, federal prosecutors said. The Korean-flagged Cosco Busan rammed into San Francisco's Bay Bridge on November 7, 2007. Prosecutors dropped felony charges against him. John Joseph Cota, 61, pleaded guilty to violating the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, a law enacted in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Cota gave orders to officers controlling the Korean-flagged Cosco Busan as the ship was leaving fog-shrouded San Francisco Bay, California, on November 7, 2007. The 901-foot ship struck fenders around the base of a bridge support tower, rupturing two of the ship's fuel tanks and spilling about 53,000 gallons of oil into the bay. At least 2,000 migratory birds were killed. At the time, officials estimated clean-up costs at $60 million. \"Today's guilty plea is a reminder that the Cosco Busan crash was not just an accident, but a criminal act,\" said John C. Cruden, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. \"John Cota was an experienced ship pilot that was handsomely compensated for his special knowledge of ships and expertise in local waters. His failure to act prudently under the circumstances caused a major environmental disaster that could have been far worse,\" said Joseph Russoniello, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. Cota has piloted about 4,000 ships in the bay during his 27-year career, said his attorney, Jeffrey Bornstein. Bonstein said Cota is remorseful and accepts responsibility for his part in the accident. But Bornstein also criticized the accident investigation. He said it was unfair and protected others who also bear responsibility. \"Captain Cota has been vilified by the media, lost his job, will now go to jail for at least 60 days, and still suffers under the weight of crushing civil lawsuits,\" Bornstein said. \"He understands and accepts responsibility for his part in the accident and hopes that others will step forward and accept their roles and responsibilities as well.\" Cota will be sentenced to 2 to 10 months in prison and be fined between $3,000 and $30,000, if the plea terms are accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston. Sentencing is scheduled for June 19. Prosecutors said the plea included factual admissions by Cota, including an acknowledgment his negligence \"was a proximate cause of the [oil] discharge.\" Cota also admitted that he failed to discuss the planned route with the ship's master or crew as required, or to use the ship's radar in the final approach to the bridge. He also failed to recognize two red triangles on the ship's electronic chart system that marked bridge tower buoys. Attorney Bornstein said the ship's master told Cota the red triangles represented the lights on the bridge, \"which in Capt. Cota's knowledge were at the center of the span. He had no reason to think that the master didn't know what he was talking about.\" See the path . As part of the plea agreement with Cota, the government agreed to dismiss false statement charges pending against him. Those charges alleged that Cota failed to disclose his medications on required Coast Guard forms. The court ruled those charges would be tried separately. But Cota admitted in the plea papers filed Friday his 2006 physical exam form failed to disclose some of the medications he was prescribed. Among them were two pain medications, three different drugs prescribed as sleeping aids and an antidepressant prescribed for an off-brand purpose. Bornstein said there is no evidence that medication played any role in the accident. At Friday's hearing, Illston set trial for the remaining defendant in the case, the ship's manager, Fleet Management Ltd. (Hong Kong), for Sept. 14. The charges include acting negligently, killing protected migratory birds, obstructing justice and making false statements by falsifying ship records after the incident." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "John Joseph Cota pleads guilty to violating misdemeanor pollution laws .\nThe pilot faces up to 10 months in prison, federal prosecutors say .\nContainer ship Cosco Busan slammed into San Francisco's Bay Bridge in 2007 .\nMassive oil spill killed more than 2,000 birds and cost $60 million to clean up ." } ]

[ { "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 debate about using technology to help referees has been re-ignited following a number of controversial decisions in the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona. The Hawk-Eye system is already widely used in tennis and has transformed the game. Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, the game's governing body, has consistently opposed the use of in-game video replays, but goal-line technology, to determine if the ball has crossed the goal line, has received more support. The Hawk-Eye system is extensively used in tennis, using cameras to calculate the trajectory of the ball. The system then uses the trajectory data to determine exactly where the ball has hit the ground, making it invaluable for marginal line calls. Using similar technology, Hawk-Eye Innovations, based in England, has developed a football system to determine if a goal has been scored. It again uses cameras to track the ball and computers to calculate its position. If the system detects that the ball has crossed the goal line a central computer transmits a signal to the referee via either a watch or earpiece. The system was tested at Premier League football club Fulham in 2006 and then at Reading's training ground in 2007. It was backed by the British Football Association and funded by the Premier League. Another goal-line technology, a microchipped football, was developed by Adidas and German firm Cairos Technologies. A microchip built into the football detects a magnetic field generated by underground cables in the penalty area. Like the Hawk-Eye system it uses a computer to send a signal to the referee's watch when a goal is scored. The system was tested at the World Under-17 Championships in 2005 and the 2007 World Club Championship in Tokyo. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which decides the laws of the game, discusses new rules at an annual general meeting consisting of four representatives from FIFA and one each from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Explaining the IFAB's decision, Blatter said the microchipped ball had failed in one of the seven World Club Championship matches because of interference to the signal sent to the referee and that it would be difficult to implement the chip technology in the many types of football used around the world. He added that it was not possible to ensure that the Hawk-Eye system worked in a crowded goalmouth, where players might block the cameras' view of the ball. \"FIFA are of the opinion that the systems are very costly, would not add anything to the game and would harm the position of the referee,\" the UK's Press Association reported at the time. Do you think goal-line technology should be used? Share your thoughts in the Sound Off box below. But Hawk-Eye managing director Paul Hawkins told CNN that he believes FIFA has decided that it doesn't want technology in football. \"I saw FIFA last week and told them that we can provide a system if they want it, but it's very clear they don't want the system,\" he said. Hawkins said his company cannot develop the technology any further without more testing in real stadiums, but that kind of testing requires FIFA's consent. The idea that football's governing bodies are opposed to more technology in football has been supported by statements from the sport's governing bodies. In March 2009, Blatter said in a statement: \"The IFAB believes that football is a game for human beings and, as such, we should improve the standard of refereeing - and not turn to technology.\" Michel Platini, President of UEFA, European Football's governing body, has expressed similar views. Instead of pursuing goal-line technology, the IFAB chose to trial the idea of having two extra match officials, one behind each goal. A FIFA spokesman told CNN that while the use of goal-line technology hasn't been ruled out forever, even after recent refereeing controversies, the IFAB's current position is to continue to experiment with extra officials. The IFAB's decision means there will be no goal-line technology used in the Champions League final on 27 May, which means there is the potential for more refereeing disputes. \"Maybe there will be a controversial goal in the Champions League final and maybe the discussion over the technology will begin again,\" Oliver Braun, marketing and communications director at Cairos Technologies told CNN. Hawkins agrees that it will take a controversial goal-line incident in a big FIFA match to get the IFAB to change their position, saying it took a series of contentious calls at the 2004 US Open for tennis authorities to seriously consider using the Hawk-Eye system. If that is the case, there will be some football fans hoping for plenty of goal-line drama come May 27." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Debate over whether technology should be used to help referees .\nFIFA is opposed to video replays but has considered goal-line technology .\nHawk-Eye system and microchipped footballs were rejected by IFAB .\nSome feel it will take a big-match controversy to re-open the debate ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- How does a man from an unassuming Dutch village go to being loved in South Korea, adored in Australia, revered in Russia and admired in England? Guus Hiddink, the Russia and Chelsea coach, has had much to smile about in his 22-year managerial career. By being an exceptional football manager, for one. Enjoying success around the world -- at different levels with different players in different cultures -- has made Guus Hiddink one of the most admired bosses around. Born in rural Varsseveld, near the German border, in 1946, Hiddink's early years were unremarkable. While playing semi-professional football, he spent 10 years as a gym teacher at a school for children with learning difficulties. Most of his playing days were in the midfield of De Graafschap, a smallish club with no history of winning silverware. He later spent two years playing in America before returning to retire at De Graafschap. Watch CNN's exclusive interview with Hiddink » . Little, then, to suggest that here was a man who would achieve so much in his later career. But great players seldom become great managers. His first steps in that direction came at De Graafschap, Holland, where he was assistant manager before moving to the same role at Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. See key moments from Hiddink's career » . By 1987, at the age of 40, he was in charge of PSV and led them to their 1988 European Cup win, a feat unthinkable today. He almost reached the final again in 2005 during his second spell in Eindhoven. Hiddink's keeper at PSV, Hans van Breukelen, revealed some of the manager's methods. \"He's very interested in people and immediately tries to create a family environment,\" he told Britain's Sun newspaper. \"I can vividly remember him smoking and having a cup of coffee with his players. I don't know if he still smokes, but he was a chain smoker at PSV.\" Hiddink's resume includes stints in other high-pressure jobs such as Fenerbahce, Valencia and Real Madrid, but it's on the international scene where his shrewd tactical mind, organizational skills and motivational prowess grabbed attention. Semifinalists with Holland at the 1998 World Cup, he took over South Korea in 2001 and led the co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup to the last four. No Asian country had ever gone as far in a World Cup before and he left the job a national hero. He agreed to coach another underdog in the shape of Australia in 2005 and led them to the 2006 World Cup. There, the Socceroos had eventual winners Italy rattled for much of their second-round match before succumbing to a late, controversial penalty. Hiddink took Russia to Euro 2008, where they were beaten by Spain at the semifinal stage. Naturally his hometown Varsseveld wanted to capitalize on Hiddink's huge global popularity. The \"Guuseum\" was built in his honor, which for a time was particularly popular with South Koreans on a pilgrimage to see from where their idol hailed. Chelsea were in the doldrums when he arrived on a short-term deal in January as a favor to his comrade, Roman Abramovich, the club's billionaire owner. And the Hiddink magic has worked again, giving the Blues direction to a season that was drifting under previous boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. But the straight-speaking Dutchman is loyal to the project he has in charge of the Russian national side and insists he will leave Chelsea at the end of the season regardless. Sure of himself but free of ego, Hiddink knows what he wants. And, as he's repeatedly proved, he knows how to get it too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Born in 1946, Hiddink has become one of the best managers in the world .\nDutchman has enjoyed huge success at club and international level .\nHe's currently coach of Russia and is in charge of Chelsea until end of May ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SAVANNAH, Georgia (CNN) -- Walt Peters knows what it's like to fear for his life. He knows how it feels to board a plane, deploying for combat. He knows the feeling of making it home alive. Walt Peters is often among the last people soldiers see as they deploy and the first they see upon their return. That's why the retired Vietnam veteran has stood outside at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, for the past four years as a beacon of pride and support, welcoming home returning soldiers and wishing \"Godspeed\" to those deploying. \"To me, if it wasn't for our soldiers and our veterans, we would not have this beautiful country,\" says Peters. \"These guys are our freedom.\" Peters, 64, has been one of the last people that about 20,000 soldiers so far have seen before boarding the plane for the war zone -- and one of the first seen upon return. No matter what time the soldiers' flights are arriving or departing -- many take place in the middle of the night -- Peters is there to shake their hands and give them a token of support: a small American flag. Some of those flags, Peters says, have gone to Iraq and back. \"When they touch that flag, we're giving them a piece of our country, saying, 'Thank you.'\" Peters is not the only volunteer showing his support at each flight. But he does all of this nearly blind. He says learned he had chemical diabetes nearly 10 years ago after he was exposed to Agent Orange during his Vietnam tours. He has lost almost all of his sight over the past few years, but that hasn't depleted his dedication to the soldiers. \"When I went to Vietnam on my tours I'd never had this. I had never had nobody say, 'We appreciate your service. We thank you for what you're doing for our freedom,'\" Peters says. \"When they get on that plane, they're gonna know that this old Vietnam vet cares.\" Peters first became involved greeting flights through the Savannah Red Cross in 2004 when a friend from his fraternal Moose Lodge brought him to welcome a returning flight. Peters has since become a flight greeting leader, bringing in and training his own volunteers. His crew includes Moose members and Vietnam veterans. So many flights come in, Peters says, that it's impossible to be present for all of them. He's worked as many as three flights in one day, in a 26-hour period. Watch how Peters sends off and greets deploying and returning U.S. soldiers » . Peters and his volunteers arrive two hours before a flight's arrival or departure to set up their tables and brew coffee. He makes sure he walks around and talks with the troops when they come through for processing. \"I'm a combat veteran; the soldiers know I can relate to them,\" Peters says. \"I tell them, 'It's OK to be scared. You stay scared, you stay alive.'\" Peters also talks to the soldiers about the Adopt-A-Soldier program, asking them to fill out a card so a family can \"adopt\" them and send care packages and necessities to them in Iraq or Afghanistan. Watch Peters and volunteers interacting with U.S. soldiers before their deployment to Iraq » . Peters says the most important thing is to show the soldiers \"the support and the spirit that they need behind them as they step up to get on that plane.\" \"Sometimes it breaks your heart because you ask yourself, 'Which one of these beautiful people is not coming home?'\" But as long as there are soldiers deploying and returning, Peters says he'll be there. Watch Peters talk about one of the highlights of his military career » . \"I see the roots of our country and our future in every one of these soldiers,\" he says." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Walt Peters welcomes soldiers home, wishes \"Godspeed\" to those deploying .\nThe Vietnam veteran has greeted an estimated 20,000 soldiers since 2004 .\nHe says he lost sight as a result of chemical diabetes from Agent Orange exposure ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HIGH BRIDGE, New Jersey (CNN) -- \"The thought that I can reach out and permanently improve someone's life for the better is addictive,\" says Dave Schweidenback. Dave Schweidenback saw transformative effects of bikes while in the Peace Corps in Ecuador from 1977-80. Several times a year, the 55-year-old can be found prepping large shipments of used bicycles bound for a developing country. For Schweidenback, gathering and breaking down these bikes is a labor of love -- one that is helping to keep the bikes out of landfills and give them new life. \"Used bicycles can transform the economic and social condition of families,\" says Schweidenback. \"[They] give people access to jobs, health care and education that is too distant for walking.\" Since 1991, Schweidenback's nonprofit Pedals for Progress has collected and shipped more than 115,000 used bicycles to 32 developing countries worldwide, where they are sold at a low cost to local residents like Don Roberto Garcia. \"A used woman's mountain bicycle changed my life,\" says Garcia, 54, a house cleaning supplies salesman in Nicaragua who works six days a week to support his six children and buy medicine for his wife, who suffers from cancer. For 20 years, Garcia walked six to seven hours a day, hauling his merchandise in a wheelbarrow along a 6 mile route. This earned him $2-$3 a day. \"More than anything, I would always return home so tired from the walk,\" Garcia recalls. Little by little, Garcia saved his money and was able to buy a used bicycle six years ago from a Pedals for Progress partner agency in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. \"Because of a bicycle, I now earn about $4 a day,\" says Garcia. \"I sell more and I do my rounds quicker. I tell everyone to go buy a bicycle.\" Watch Garcia explain how a used bicycle has helped him in Nicaragua » . The seeds for Schweidenback's Pedals for Progress were planted years ago while he was volunteering for the Peace Corps from 1977-80 in Ecuador, near the Amazon Basin. \"Besides the bus that comes through town and one guy that owned a pickup truck, everybody walked everywhere all the time,\" he recalls. \"My landlord was the exception because he owned the only bike in a 500-mile radius. He was the most successful man in the region because he could access a job and get wherever he needed to go.\" Years later, Schweidenback noticed used bicycles at garage sales and in garbage cans throughout his New Jersey community. \"I remembered how [the need] in developing countries was so great, that I couldn't stop thinking about it,\" he says. Knowing the bikes could be put to better use, Schweidenback asked members of his community to donate 12 used bicycles; he planned to send them to Ecuador. The community brought him 140. Within a year, Schweidenback had created Pedals for Progress and shipped roughly 500 bicycles to developing countries. Today, Schweidenback organizes 140 used bike drives each year and, on average, collects 90 bicycles in three hours. Donors are asked to pay a $10 fee per bike to help cover shipping costs and reduce the cost of the bicycle when it's sold overseas. Each bike is sold for about $15. Watch how Pedals for Progress bikes get from donors to people in developing countries » . \"There's a bike that's unloved in every garage in this country. Rather than put these old bikes in landfills for no reason, we can use them as economic stimulus to aid our neighbors,\" Schweidenback says. \"This is the transfer of wealth between nations because these have great value overseas. And they give people the ability to hold a job or a child the ability to go to school.\" Watch Schweidenback talk about his inspiration for Pedals for Progress » . Pedals for Progress bicycles have been sent to countries in Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. For Schweidenback, knowing he's making an impact keeps him going. \"You can change someone's life with your bike.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CNN Hero's nonprofit Pedals for Progress gives new life to used bicycles .\nDave Schweidenback saw transformative effects of bikes while in the Peace Corps .\nMore than 115,000 used bikes have been sent to 32 developing countries since '91 .\nLow-cost bikes help local residents gain access to jobs, health care and schools ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Olafur Ragnar Grimsson is currently enjoying a third term as President of the Republic of Iceland. Since first being elected in 1996, Grimsson has been a passionate advocate of international cooperation in combating climate change. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson . Whilst Iceland still imports oil for its transport, electricity is generated from hydroelectric power. And heating is provided by geothermal power -- an abundant source in energy due to Iceland's geographical position sitting above two continental plates. Iceland is also pioneering the use of hydrogen power with several projects testing the viability of this renewable energy. In his youth, Grimsson studied Economics and Political Science at Manchester University, gaining a B.A. and a Ph.D before returning to Iceland to take up a post as a professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland. He entered Althingi, the Icelandic parliament in 1978, served as minister of finance between 1988 and 1991 and was leader of the Peoples' Alliance from 1987 to 1995. Grimsson promotes the intelligent use of renewable energy resources and is providing world leaders with an invaluable insight into how their own economies might make the switch to more renewable sources of energy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Olafur Grimsson is Principal Voices' Frontline Pioneer for the Economics of Energy .\nGrimsson has been President of the Republic of Iceland since 1996 .\nHe has called repeatedly for international cooperation on climate change ." } ]