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[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Oasis front man Noel Gallagher has quit the rock group after a fallout with his bandmate brother, he announced late Friday. \"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,\" Noel Gallagher said in a brief statement on the band's Web site. \"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.\" Noel Gallagher is the band's lead guitarist and songwriter, and Liam Gallagher is the lead singer. The band is currently on a European tour for its album, \"Dig Out Your Soul.\" Noel Gallagher apologized to fans who had bought tickets for upcoming gigs in France, Germany and Italy. Oasis had to cancel its headlining performance at the V Festival in Britain over the weekend because Liam Gallagher said he was sick and couldn't sing. He later apologized for the cancellation and quashed rumors that it was the band's last-ever British gig. Disputes between the brothers have been in the public eye in the past, but never before has one of the brothers gone so far as to leave the band. Oasis shot to stardom with its 1994 album, \"Definitely Maybe,\" which contained the band's first major hit, \"Supersonic.\" The follow-up, \"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?\" produced one of group's most famous tracks, \"Wonderwall.\" The Manchester band was one of the pioneers of the Britpop movement of the early '90s, along with British band Blur." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Never before has one of the brothers gone so far as to leave the band .\nOasis shot to stardom with its 1994 album, \"Definitely Maybe\"\nThe band was one of the pioneers of Britpop, along with Blur ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(WIRED) -- Two cable powerhouses have announced an ambitious pilot program that aims to convince their customers that, actually, TV on the web should not be free. Jeffrey Bewkes, chairman and CEO of Time Warner, speaks at the NCTA conference in Washington. With a service called TV Everywhere, Comcast and Time Warner will give cable subscribers access to \"premium\" television content via broadband, and later cellphone connections. To begin with, 5,000 Comcast subscribers will begin testing the system next month, giving them access to Time Warner's TBS and TNT channels on their computers, and the same channels' video-on-demand catalogs on their cable boxes. If you made peace long ago with the idea of paying a monthly cable bill, this probably sounds great. It means watching your existing subscription on new screens without paying additional fees or buying more hardware. (Of course, as consumers adopt TV Everywhere, they can probably expect price increases.) But if you prefer to watch your television for free on ad-supported sites like Hulu while paying only for the internet connection that delivers it, you could be in for a rude awakening. TV Everywhere represents an alternative -- and possible threat -- to the popular Hulu model. If the pilot program impresses the group -- and proves to other networks that its user-authentication system is secure -- Comcast and Time Warner expect the other television programmers, ISPs and mobile providers to join, giving all cable subscribers a way to watch the content they pay for on their televisions using any broadband-connected computer or authenticated cellphone. Already \"at least 92 percent of Americans qualify to watch this for free online,\" according to Jeff Bewkes, chairman and CEO of Time Warner. For these subscribers, TV Everywhere represents a potential win. The only question is whether they will keep paying for the old cable subscription model as their viewing habits shift online. There's nothing to stop television networks from putting their content on both Hulu and TV Everywhere, because TV Everywhere's contract will be non-exclusive, according to Bewkes. However, given the choice between Hulu and TV Everywhere, television programmers have an incentive to go with the latter. Only the TV Everywhere model promises to port yesterday's lucrative business model onto today's platforms. And that, according to some critics, is exactly the problem. \"[TV Everywhere] raises substantial anti-competitive issues by restricting the availability of programming to the favored distribution methods,\" said Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of the public interest group Public Knowledge. \"Under the TV Everywhere plan, no other program distributors would be able to emerge, and no consumers will be able to 'cut the cord' because they find what they want online. As a result, consumers will be the losers. \"In addition, we are concerned that this program violates the open nature of the internet. By adding this additional toll lane, Comcast and Time Warner want to create their own 'managed channel' within the internet and turn the internet into their own private cable channel.\" So, what about Hulu? Will its deals fall through given this new option? \"There will be some part [of Time Warner's content] that will be out there [on Hulu], said Bewkes.\"Short-form content, I think, will continue to be available -- promotional content will continue to be available.\" However, only cable subscribers will be able to access other content online -- through officially licensed avenues, anyway. Bewkes added that some other television programmers have avoided Hulu \"for security concerns and because they didn't like the model,\" but that they will give TV Everywhere a chance. \"Consumers vote every single month with their pocketbook,\" he added. \"They don't have to subscribe to cable. They don't have to pay for these services, yet they do. The number of people paying for subscription television has gone up and up and up every single quarter that we've been in the business.\" Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2009 Wired.com." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Comcast and Time Warner will give cable subscribers online access to tv content .\nProgram is called TV Everywhere and will begin testing next month .\nTV Everywhere represents alternative -- and possible threat -- to popular Hulu model .\nSome of Time Warner's content will remain on Hulu.com ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Shortly before his death, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking for the pontiff to pray for him as he struggled with an aggressive form of brain cancer, it was revealed at his graveside service Saturday evening. Members of the Kennedy family gather at the gravesite Saturday evening. Kennedy, the youngest and last-surviving brother of a heralded Kennedy generation, was laid to rest on a hillside at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his slain brothers, the late President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy -- both assassinated more than four decades ago. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick read a recent letter from Kennedy to the pope at the private burial ceremony in Arlington, Virginia. \"I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines,\" McCarrick said, quoting from Kennedy's letter. \"I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago, and although I continue treatment the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old, and preparing for the next passage of life,\" the cardinal read. Read excerpts from Kennedy's letter to pontiff . The burial service at dusk followed a eulogy by President Barack Obama in Massachusetts, a brief prayer service outside the U.S. Capitol and a procession through the crowd-lined street of Washington's streets. Among the congressional colleagues greeting the Kennedy family at the Capitol was 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, who has been out of the spotlight lately because of deteriorating health. Watch an overview of the day's events » . Many who had gathered at the Capitol were visibly emotional and wiping tears from their eyes. Some held framed photos of Kennedy, and many held American flags that they waved during a singing of \"America the Beautiful.\" The Rev. Daniel Coughlin -- chaplain of the House of Representatives -- said a prayer and addressed the family. \"Here we are to pray with you, offer sympathy and thank you,\" he said. \"Thank you for sharing the senator.\" Coughlin also noted that Kennedy's hopes were \"unquenchable, full of immortality.\" As Kennedy's widow, Vicki, went back into the car, she waved to the crowd and mouthed, \"Thank you\" as the crowd erupted into applause. The late senator's son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, addressed those on the steps, saying how his father \"knew that he was only great because he had great people supporting him.\" \"He would be very proud to see you all out here today paying a final respect and tribute to his memory,\" he said. Earlier Saturday at the funeral in Boston, Massachusetts, Obama hailed Kennedy as \"a champion for those who had none; the soul of the Democratic Party; and the lion of the U.S. Senate.\" \"He was given the gift of time that his brothers were not, and he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many wrongs as the years would allow,\" the president said. \"We can still hear his voice bellowing through the Senate chamber, face reddened, fist pounding the podium, a veritable force of nature, in support of health care or workers' rights or civil rights,\" Obama said, calling Kennedy \"the greatest legislator of our time.\" Watch President Obama's full eulogy » . Kennedy's son Ted Jr. delivered a tender, personal remembrance of his larger-than-life father. He said his father \"never stopped trying to right wrongs.\" Kennedy lived up to the ideals of three older brothers, all of whom died young -- Joseph in World War II, President John and Sen. Robert assassinated -- his son said. \"He answered Uncle Joe's call to patriotism, Uncle Jack's call to public service and Bobby's determination to seek a newer world. \"Unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather, and knowing what my cousins have been through, I feel grateful that I have had my father as long as I did,\" Ted Jr. said. \"My father was not perfect, but he believed in redemption,\" he said. And he said Kennedy had made light of his failure to become president, despite the weight of expectations on him as a Kennedy. \"I don't mind not being president, I just mind that someone else is,\" he quoted his father as saying, closing his remembrance with a line from Kennedy's famous 1980 concession speech that ended his presidential ambitions: \"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream will never die.\" Watch as Ted Kennedy Jr. recalls his dad's help when he lost his leg as a boy » . The funeral began with a hearse bearing Kennedy's body through Boston rain from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to Mission Church. A military honor guard carried the coffin through a sea of black umbrellas into the church. Watch as military honor guard carries Kennedy's casket » . People lined the streets of Boston cheering for Kennedy as the service began, despite the rain. Local bars and restaurants were packed with people watching the live coverage on television inside. Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter also came to honor the late legislator, known as the lion of the Senate. Vicki Kennedy accepted condolences from each of the current and former presidents before Holy Communion. The program concluded with an undated quote from Kennedy: \"For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.\" Many of Kennedy's fellow senators past and present came to say a final farewell. Other mourners included Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dan Quayle, all veterans of the Senate, where Kennedy served for 47 years. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, CIA chief Leon Panetta, and several Cabinet members also turned out to pay their respects. Watch as Mass for Kennedy begins » . Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, chatted with Sen. Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, in the pews before the ceremony began. Honorary pallbearers at the service included Dodd, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts -- his party's 2004 presidential candidate -- and long-time Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, also a Democrat. The actual pallbearers were Kennedy children, nieces and nephews. World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed two pieces during the service, and was joined by the tenor Placido Domingo for one of them. At the graveside service were a number of family members, as well as Vice President Joe Biden. Kennedy's grave is 95 feet south of his brother Robert's, which is just steps away from the burial site of another brother, former President John F. Kennedy. A single white, wooden cross will be placed at the head of the grave and a marble footmarker put in place. The footmarker reads: \"Edward Moore Kennedy 1932-2009.\" The setup is identical to Robert Kennedy's grave, Arlington cemetery spokeswoman Kaitlin Horst told CNN. Kennedy, the patriarch of America's leading Democratic family for more than 40 years, died at the age of 77 on Tuesday, 15 months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. CNN's Jessica Yellin, John King and Elaine Quijano contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: In letter to Pope Benedict XVI, Kennedy asked for prayers .\nSen. Edward M. Kennedy laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery .\nPresident Obama hailed Kennedy as \"a champion for those who had none\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger can expect an apology from Premier League referees chief Keith Hackett following his dismissal in the closing seconds of Saturday's 2-1 English Premier League defeat to Manchester United. Arsene Wenger has to stand with Manchester United fans after being sent off at Old Trafford. League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan has spoken to Hackett about the Old Trafford incident which saw Wenger sent to the stands by referee Mike Dean on the advice of fourth official Lee Probert. And he has been told that Wenger will receive an apology from the Premier Game Match Officials Board which appoints officials to top-flight games in England. The Gunners manager caught Probert's attention when he kicked an empty water bottle down the touchline following a disallowed goal for Arsenal. There was then confusion as Wenger seemed unaware of where he was supposed to go -- moving first to the back of Arsenal dugout then starting to walk down the touchline as the whistle was blown. On the decision to penalize Wenger, Bevan said: \"Although correct in 'law', it was completely out of context in the game and it was followed by the nonsense which followed over where Arsene Wenger should sit to watch the game.\" He added: \"I've spoken to Keith Hackett and he fully recognizes the situation was an error and an apology will follow to Arsene Wenger. \"Lee Probert totally failed to manage the situation and created a needless pressure point taking the focus away from the pitch in a big event with only a minute to go.\" Meanwhile, Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham have suffered a setback with a serious injury to Croatia playmaker Luka Modric. The 23-year-old broke his leg in Saturday's 2-1 victory against Birmingham, which left the club second in the English Premier League after four wins from four. \"X-rays have determined that Luka Modric sustained a fracture to his right fibula,\" said a statement on the official Spurs Web site. Tottenham did not indicate how long the midfielder would be sidelined, but he is likely to miss the home game against champions Manchester United and the trip to Chelsea which follow the upcoming international break. Croatia play England at Wembley on September 9 in a crucial World Cup qualifier." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to receive an apology from referee's chief .\nWenger sent off in the closing seconds of the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United .\nWenger kicked an empty water bottle down the touchline after disallowed goal .\nTottenham's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric suffers a broken right leg ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Voters in Japan will turn out for parliamentary elections Sunday in what poll after poll shows will be a historic shift in political power to oust the ruling party. Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has approval ratings in the teens. The Liberal Democratic Party has been in nearly continuous control of Japan's parliament for more than five decades. But the country's worst economic crisis since World War II has led a normally sedate electorate to the polls, disgruntled with how slowly the country is emerging from the downturn. Polls show that the opposition, the Democratic Party of Japan, will snag more than 300 of the 480 seats up for grabs in the lower house of Japan's parliament. If the DPJ does win a majority, it will be the first time it will govern the world's second-largest economy. Leading the DPJ is Yukio Hatoyama, who has been mobbed at street rallies by supporters, the kind of support the opposition has never seen. Hatoyama is touting an Obama-style message of change, pledging to raise the minimum wage and discourage hiring through agencies or on temporary contracts. That message is gaining traction in a country that is witnessing historic highs in unemployment and experiencing ramifications like homelessness for the first time. Voters are looking for somebody to pay, and if the polls are right, that target is the current prime minister, Taro Aso. Aso's approval ratings dwell in the teens, and his stimulus packages, though credited for lifting the economy slightly out of recession, are not being credited with helping households feel more secure about a lasting economic recovery. The LDP, in political ads and stump speeches across Japan, says the DPJ is making empty promises and can't pay for its proposed programs. CNN's Kyung Lah contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Liberal Democratic Party has been on top for almost five decades .\nVoters disgruntled with slow progress on economic recovery .\nDemocratic Party of Japan set for its first majority .\nDPJ's Yukio Hatoyama has Obama-style message of change ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ANTIOCH, California (CNN) -- Customers of the printing company knew her as \"Allissa.\" Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped at 11 and kept hidden for 18 years in a backyard compound, authorities say. They spoke to her about graphic design, business cards and fliers, and describe her as professional, polite and responsive. \"She was always good at getting us what we wanted,\" said Ben Daughdrill, who used to own a junk hauling business. \"You got the feeling she was doing all the work.\" But \"Allissa,\" authorities say, was really Jaycee Dugard, kidnapped 18 years ago from her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. Her identity was discovered earlier this week and her alleged kidnappers -- 58-year-old Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, and his 55-year-old wife Nancy -- were arrested. Watch police officers talk about Garrido » . They face 29 felony charges, including rape and kidnapping, and both have pleaded not guilty. Authorities said the Garridos held Dugard -- and the two daughters she had by Phillip Garrido -- in sheds in their backyard. Watch aerial view of backyard compound » . Garrido's business, \"Printing for Less,\" catered to small businesses. He ran it out of his home in Antioch, east of San Francisco. His customers say he did good work and had much lower prices than competition. CNN obtained e-mails written by \"Allissa\" to Daughdrill. The e-mails came from a Yahoo account set up by Phillip Garrido and in his name, but Daughdrill said they came from \"Allissa\" because the two were either on the phone or had just finished a conversation when they arrived. In them, Dugard uses short, compact answers and lowercase letters. The e-mails also have a typo or two. Hear interview with Garrido » . \"i will take a look at the price sheet and send you over a copy of the revised brochure tomorrow,\" she wrote in an e-mail written on May 7, 2007. \"as to the pictures sorry ... but we don't have a digital camera ... hopefully you can find a way to get me those pictures you want so i can add them to them brochure. i can get the brochures to you pretty fast within the week of final approval of the brochures. How many are you going to order and do you want them on glossy or matte paper, thick or thin?\" In another e-mail, this one from January 21, 2008, Dugard wrote, \"heres the business cards in jpeg format let me know if you need anything else thank you.\" While authorities say they are still trying to sort out the conditions in which Dugard was held captive, it's clear she was an integral part of Garrido's business. Watch about recovering from captivity » . Daughdrill told CNN he met Dugard in person on two occasions. \"Nothing stood out,\" he said when \"Allissa\" emerged from the house and gave him his print orders. \"Obviously there was some brainwashing going on. That's all I can think,\" he said. \" She had access to a phone and a computer, so obviously something went on that no one knows about.\" See photos of Dugard's living conditions » . Three northern California law enforcement agencies have joined the investigation of Phillip Garrido, saying he may be responsible for other crimes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "E-mails show girl was integral part of business owned by her alleged kidnapper .\nJaycee Dugard was known as \"Allissa\" to customers of printing business .\nBusiness was owned by Phillip Garrido, the suspect in Dugard's kidnapping .\nPrinting business catered to small businesses in San Francisco area ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Authorities believe at least one person not in custody may have information about the deaths of eight people in a Georgia mobile home, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said Sunday. Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in a mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia. \"I'm confident to say that there's somebody, at least an individual, that we would like to know about that's not at the scene,\" whether or not they were directly involved in the case, Doering said. Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in the New Hope mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia. Two others were hospitalized in critical condition, and one of them died Sunday, authorities said. Police have \"no known suspects,\" Doering told reporters Sunday afternoon. \"We are not looking for any known suspects. That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us.\" One person, 22-year-old Guy Heinze Jr., was arrested Saturday night, Doering said. Heinze is related to one of the victims, he said, and was the one who called 911. He told police he discovered the bodies when he arrived home. Heinze was being held on suspicion of having a controlled substance and marijuana, as well as evidence tampering and making false statements to a police officer, Doering said. He told reporters Heinze has been cooperative. \"We're still looking for anybody and everybody that may be related to this,\" he said. \"That naturally includes [Heinze]. Of course we're looking at him.\" He stopped short, however, of calling Heinze a suspect in the deaths. Autopsies on the victims were taking place Sunday in Savannah, Georgia, Doering said. Police have tentative identifications for the victims, who ranged from children to adults in their mid-40s, he said. Police have been called to the home before, Doering said, but would not say why. Doering remained tight-lipped Sunday about many aspects of the case, refusing to say how the victims died or to give a breakdown of male and female victims. All nine victims lived in the mobile home, he said, and police do not believe any of them conducted the assault. He said police are making progress, and have narrowed down the timeline for when the deaths occurred. Brunswick is about 300 miles southeast of Atlanta, on the Georgia coast. Volunteers conducted an extended search of the area around the mobile home, but nothing was found, Doering said. Meanwhile, police removed additional evidence from the mobile home. Authorities are examining surveillance video from nearby areas, but are not aware of any surveillance system in the mobile home park, he said. \"There is cause for concern,\" Doering said. \"We just simply don't have a whole lot to go on, and I'm not going to sit there and tell everybody not to be cautious, because people need to be.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police: Someone not in custody may have information about the deaths .\nSeven found dead Saturday at mobile home park residence in Brunswick, Georgia .\nOne other victim died Sunday, 9th victim still in critical condition Sunday .\nPolice said they have been called to the home before, but would not say why ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NIAGARA FALLS, New York (CNN) -- Thirty years ago this summer, America learned the name Love Canal. The working-class Niagara Falls neighborhood built atop tons of chemical waste became a synonym for environmental disaster. Lois Gibbs, who runs an environmental justice group, shows a photo of children from Love Canal protesting. Troubles at the local elementary school -- and health problems among its students, such as seizure disorders -- were among the first signs of a much larger problem that made news around the world and prompted federal Superfund legislation to clean up the most polluted sites in the United States. Despite the outcry over Love Canal, little has been done to make schoolchildren safer from hazardous or toxic waste, says Lois Gibbs, who headed the Love Canal Homeowners Association and now runs the Center for Health, Environment & Justice. \"We should be farther along today than we are,\" said Gibbs, who started the nonprofit a year after her evacuation from Love Canal. The organization is dedicated to helping communities facing environmental threats. A 2005 study by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice looking at just four states -- Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Michigan -- found half a million children attending schools within half a mile of known toxic dumps. Gibbs points to New Bedford High School in Massachusetts as an example of children at risk. New Bedford High opened in 1972 on top of a former burn dump for PCBs, an industrial chemical linked to cancer and brain damage. PCB levels in the body build over time, raising health risks. \"Like a lot of teachers there now, I figured, how bad could it be? I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005,\" said former New Bedford teacher Susan Dias, who is now cancer-free. She is returning to the classroom this fall but will not go back to New Bedford High. Former teacher Maria Quann also says New Bedford High made her ill. \"I became very, very sick. My immune system shut down. I collapsed and was bedridden for several months,\" Quann said. Her health improved after she left the high school, she says, and she has now retired. Maureen Woolley, who worked in the cafeteria, says she compiled a list of 25 school employees who died of cancer. Three classrooms were closed last year because of high PCB levels, but the school has been scrubbed and a new ventilation system added. The rooms are expected to be open this fall. There have been no reports of students at the high school becoming sick as a result of the toxic waste. \"I wouldn't have kids in the school if I didn't think it was safe. I would close the school,\" said Mayor Scott Lang, whose two sons attended New Bedford High. PCB levels inside the school now fall within federal guidelines, he says. Despite results of ongoing air-quality testing, teacher David Greene remains skeptical. \"I do think there are areas of that school that continue to be dangerous,\" he said. Only seven states have laws preventing cities and towns from building schools on or near toxic waste, according to the Center for Health Environment and Justice. They are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Utah. \"You can go most anyplace and build [a school] on top of a Superfund site,\" Gibbs said. \"They can build a school anywhere they want, really. And that's the sad truth. I think at schools, very little has changed, and that's unfortunate.\" Even in states with laws, many are weak or poorly enforced, she says. In Massachusetts, state law prevents schools only from being built close to active waste dumps, which would not have prevented New Bedford High's construction three decades ago on a former dump site. In Niagara Falls, Gibbs' home was built three blocks from 20,000 tons of industrial waste placed in barrels and buried in a mile-long ditch by a plastics and chemical maker. The 99th Street Elementary was built on top of the dump. Gibbs, married with two young children at the time, recalls elementary school students playing with ooze bubbling up on the playground. \"The children would actually pick up these chemicals and handle them,\" Gibbs said. \"So, for example, one of these things was phosphorous rocks. Phosphorous rocks were little pieces of chemical residue that would bubble up to the surface. The children would pick up these phosphorous rocks, and when you threw them at a hard surface, they would explode like a firecracker.\" Some children were badly burned by the phosphorous, she adds. Gibbs says neighborhood children also played with the chemical Lindane, a pollutant associated with skin irritation, nausea, convulsions -- even death. \"I have a high school education. I don't have a science degree, but you don't have to be a scientist to know that 20,000 tons of chemicals and kindergartners don't mix,\" Gibbs said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Few states have laws preventing towns from building schools on or near toxic waste .\nEven in states with laws, many are weak or poorly enforced, group says .\nLove Canal is a Niagara Falls neighborhood built atop tons of chemical waste ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon's ruling party paid the price for a weak economy in midterm elections as the opposition Revolutionary Institutional Party rolled to victories in the lower legislative house as well as state and local posts. Mexican President Felipe Calderon wasn't on Sunday's ballot and has three years left in his six-year term. With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, the PRI had 36.7 percent to 28 percent for Calderon's National Action Party (PAN), the state-run Notimex news agency reported Monday. The leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which nearly won the 2006 presidential election, came in a distant third with 12.2 percent of the vote. In response to the defeat, PAN president German Martinez resigned from the top party post Monday. On the ballot were seats for 500 federal legislators, six governors and about 500 mayors and local legislators in 11 states. Though Calderon has three years left in his six-year term and was not on the ballot, analysts said Monday he was held responsible for Mexico's problems amid the global economic downturn. \"He got a beating because of the economy,\" said Ana Maria Salazar, a television and radio political commentator in Mexico City. \"The government in power pays for it,\" said Peter Hakim, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. Besides the economy, Calderon has had to face the consequences of a drug war he launched that has left more than 10,000 people dead since he came to office in December 2006. He also had to deal with the H1N1 flu pandemic that first became known in Mexico this year. The PAN has the most seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Mexico's Congress, but it does not have a majority in either. The party lost its lead in the lower house, as the PRI will hold more seats when the new delegates are seated in December. No seats were at stake in the Senate, which elects its members every six years. Calderon acknowledged the setback in a late-night address to the nation Sunday. \"The federal government recognizes the new composition of the Chamber of Deputies since it is a sovereign decision of the citizens. I congratulate who they have chosen,\" Calderon said, adding he will work with the new representatives. He will have no choice but to work with the resurgent PRI, analysts said. But since the PAN did not have control of either house of Congress, Calderon has been compromising and making deals with the PRI and other parties since coming to power. \"I don't think the job is much more difficult than it was at the outset,\" Hakim said. \"It's all a matter of degrees. Yeah, it will make it a little more difficult. But he has had to work through negotiation anyway.\" Still, analysts said, the PRI now wields considerable more power. \"They're in a position to run Congress,\" said Andrew Selee, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute. By forming temporary coalitions with the Green Party and other minor parties, the PRI can block presidential vetoes, Salazar said. \"They pretty much have control over the purse,\" she said. Much more is at stake for the PRI though. After having held the presidency from 1929 to 2000 and then losing it to the PAN in the last two elections, the party is looking for a path back to power. Sunday's results were particularly significant because the PRI finished third in the 2006 presidential election. \"The presidential campaign has started as of today, Monday,\" Salazar said. Also significant was the PRD's apparent collapse as a major party, considering it came within 1 percent of winning the presidency in 2006. That race was so close that the results were not verified until a controversial decision two months later. Losing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refused to accept the results and announced himself the winner. Fistfights broke out in the Chamber of Deputies. The PRI drew away votes from the PRD in Sunday's election, Hakim said, noting that may help Calderon because the PRD is Calderon's main foe in Congress. Working with a larger PRI may be easier. But Selee said Calderon is on a deadline, until the 2012 presidential race really heats up. \"His window of opportunity is for the next year and half,\" Selee said. \"The PRI wants to show that they can lead, that they're a party of ideas.\" No one knows if the PRI is up to the task. \"The big question is whether the PRI will look forward only to the presidential elections,\" Hakim said. \"The PRI has to show that they're responsible and capable of governing again.\" To do so, the PRI has to make sure that internal fighting over who will run as the presidential candidate in three years does not paralyze the party. \"Don't underestimate the ability of the PRI to cannibalize itself,\" Salazar said. PRI leader Beatriz Paredes has emerged as a major power broker. As head of the party and newly elected member of the Chamber of Deputies, she will lead the PRI's legislative efforts. That's good for Calderon, Salazar said, because it will be \"much easier to negotiate with her than with other factions of the PRI.\" But if the PAN and PRI can't agree, Selee said, \"there will be a breakdown of consensus politics.\" Mexico's leaders -- regardless of party affiliation -- also have to battle apparent disenchantment among everyday Mexicans. Voter participation Sunday was about 30 percent, officials said, but more 5 percent of those were people who \"annulled\" their ballots. They turned in a ballot but did not vote for anyone or defaced the ballot. Their intent was to show that they cared enough to vote, just not for anyone on the ballot. \"It's a repudiation of what is going on in Mexico in general,\" Salazar said. Selee sees \"a general skepticism,\" saying, \"Mexicans have tired of where things are going.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: German Martinez, president of PAN political party, resigns in aftermath .\nFelipe Calderon's party loses lead in Mexico's lower house .\nMexican president held responsible for economic downturn, analysts say .\nPRI has 36.8 percent of vote to 27.9 percent for Calderon's PAN, news agency says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Sen. Ted Kennedy would have had a \"very, very difficult\" time politically surviving the drowning death of a young woman if it happened in the era of blogs, talk radio and 24-hour news cycles, experts said. Sen. Ted Kennedy hit the airwaves to say it was \"indefensible\" he didn't immediately report the accident. Mary Jo Kopechne, 28, drowned after Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile off a bridge following a regatta party in July 1969. The incident on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, helped dash the youngest Kennedy brother's chances at the Oval Office in 1972 and 1980. Massachusetts was more forgiving than the rest of the nation, however, backing Kennedy by a 3-to-2 margin in his 1970 bid to keep his Senate seat. That his brothers, John and Robert, had been assassinated in recent years may have been a factor, experts said. Watch Kennedy attend brother Robert's funeral » . \"Great expectations and great tragedy has always been the storyline of the Kennedys,\" said Christopher Arterton, dean of George Washington University's graduate school of political management. \"The people of Massachusetts were prepared to forgive a lot of transgressions.\" Kennedy vanished to the family compound for days after the incident, huddling with advisers before emerging the following week to plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. A judge suspended his two-month jail sentence. Critics saw the plea as an attempt to stifle details that would have emerged during a trial. In a display of the senator's legendary oratory, he delivered a nationally televised explanation and apology, saying it was \"indefensible\" that he hadn't called police until the day after the accident. See how Chappaquiddick fit into Kennedy's legacy » . \"If at any time, the citizens of Massachusetts should lack confidence in their senator's character or his ability, with or without justification, he could not in my opinion adequately perform his duty and should not continue in office,\" Kennedy said. Jim Baughman, author of \"The Republic of Mass Culture: Journalism, Filmmaking, and Broadcasting in America since 1941,\" said he recalls Kennedy's address being \"less an explanation to the country than to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.\" The nation's response was tepid. According to a Time-Harris poll in August 1969, about 44 percent of respondents said Kennedy failed \"to tell the real truth,\" 51 percent said his explanation was inadequate and 77 percent said he was wrong not to report the accident immediately. However, 58 percent of respondents said \"he has suffered, been punished and should be given the benefit of the doubt.\" Watch a timeline of Kennedy's tragedies, triumphs » . \"I think the national repercussions would have been more severe [today],\" Baughman said. In 1969, the national media were dominated by three TV networks and a handful of magazines and newspapers. New media and talk radio would be a \"much more ferocious force\" today, he said. Media reports from the time indicate few mysteries were solved by Kennedy's address. Then-Edgartown Police Chief Jim Arena was often lambasted for his handling of the case. He said Thursday he would handle it no differently today except that he would charge Kennedy with vehicular homicide, a charge that did not exist in 1969. \"I will always contend that what happened that night was an accident. What happened afterward has never been completely explained,\" said Arena, who is now 79. In his national address, Kennedy said he was driving Kopechne to a ferry landing because she was tired. He denied \"widely circulated suspicions of immoral conduct\" and also refuted reports that he was \"driving under the influence of liquor.\" Watch Kennedy's explanation » . Kennedy said his unfamiliarity with the bridge, which had no guardrails and met the road at an awkward angle, caused him to drive off the side and into Poucha Pond. \"The car overturned in a deep pond and immediately filled with water,\" Kennedy said. \"Water entered my lungs and I actually felt the sensation of drowning, but somehow I struggled to the surface alive.\" Kopechne did not. Kennedy said he dived back into the water several times, \"but succeeded only in increasing my state of utter exhaustion and alarm.\" Conceding he did not seek a telephone, Kennedy said he returned to the party and summoned a cousin and friend to the scene. They, too, failed in saving Kopechne, he said. \"All kinds of scrambled thoughts -- all of them confused, some of them irrational, many of them which I cannot recall, and some of which I would not have seriously entertained under normal circumstances -- went through my mind during this period,\" he said. He asked to be taken to the ferry slip, he said, where he jumped into the water, swam the 500-foot channel back to Edgartown, returned to his hotel room and collapsed. It wasn't until morning that he called police, and then, only after he called legal adviser Burke Marshall, he said. The media clamored with questions: Why had Kopechne left her purse and room key at the cottage and told no one she was going home? How did Kennedy get lost on a one-turn trip to the ferry? Was the ferry operating when Kennedy and Kopechne left? \"The larger anger about it was the 10-hour lag [in reporting the accident], that he was more concerned about his reputation than this young woman's life,\" Baughman said. \"He didn't take enough time to blame himself and take responsibility.\" Today, Baughman said, Kennedy could still survive a Chappaquiddick -- largely because of the Kennedys' clout and because Massachusetts is so enamored with the family -- but it would be tougher with the Slate.coms and Drudge Reports of the world hounding him. George Washington University's Arterton concurs that, like Jesse Helms' North Carolina or Strom Thurmond's South Carolina, Massachusetts would likely forgive one of its favorite sons today. If Kennedy survived his first re-election, as he did in 1970, he likely would have prevailed in later ones, though it would have been \"very, very difficult to remain in office,\" Arterton said. He also doubts Kennedy would have been able to isolate himself with advisers for days without making a statement. Watch a newsreel of Kennedy's early years » . \"In the cable news era, that would not have been possible,\" he said, explaining that blogs and other new media would have prodded the networks and newspapers. \"There would have been much more effort to dig into that story nationally.\" At the least, Baughman said, \"you'd have maybe a more diverse conversation about Kennedy's culpability and judgment.\" Then-Chief Arena remembers the intense criticism of his investigation from his own counterparts. Diver John Farrar, who pulled Kopechne from the car, told media outlets she may have lived had Kennedy called police immediately, and George Killen, a detective-lieutenant with the State Police, alleged at the time that Kennedy \"killed that girl the same as if he put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.\" Kennedy's explanation was a \"weak defense,\" Arena acknowledges, but he insists there was no evidence of negligence to facilitate manslaughter charges. Arena said the Kennedys never pressured him during the investigation. He also never obfuscated details to benefit Kennedy -- in part, because of a paternal adage he has always held dear. \"When you tell the truth, you don't have to worry about what you said the first time,\" he said. \"The charge I came up with was the only one I thought we could prove. ... I did what I could, and I'll stick by it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Media \"more ferocious\" today, wouldn't have left questions unanswered, expert says .\nEx-police chief says he would have charged Kennedy with vehicular homicide today .\nChappaquiddick incident credited with ending Ted Kennedy's presidential hopes .\nChief: \"What happened afterward has never been completely explained\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ANTIOCH, California (CNN) -- Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, will face 29 felony counts after being accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard when she was 11 and keeping her in their backyard since 1991, the district attorney of El Dorado County, California, said Friday. Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, was arraigned in California on Friday. The Garridos are each facing charges of kidnapping someone under 14 years of age, kidnapping for sexual purposes, forcible rape and forcible lewd acts on a child. The maximum penalty for both defendants would be life imprisonment. Authorities are looking into Garrido's possible connection to other crimes. Hear interview with Garrido » . A search warrant was issued for Garrido's home in connection with killings that occurred in the 1990s, a spokesman for the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department said Friday. Pittsburg, California, police obtained the search warrant, said the spokesman, Jimmy Lee. Earlier Friday, a California sheriff also admitted that his organization \"missed an opportunity\" nearly three years ago to find Dugard. Someone called 911 on November 30, 2006, to say that a woman and young children were living in tents in the backyard of Phillip Garrido, said Sheriff Warren E. Rupf of Contra Costa County, California, on Friday. \"This is not an acceptable outcome,\" he said. Watch Rupf talk about the 'missed opportunity' » . The responding sheriff's deputy spoke with Garrido, a registered sex offender, in the front yard of his house. \"None of us, particularly law enforcement, should believe a word that one of these animals utters,\" Rupf said when asked about the lessons learned from the missed opportunity. \"If there's a sophistication [about sex offenders] in any regard, it's in misrepresenting who they are and what motivates them. \"We took things he said obviously at face value and did not properly brand him.\" Rupf also said that \"to the best of his knowledge,\" the deputy didn't know that Garrido was a sex offender. The deputy determined that no crime had been committed even though he did not enter or ask to enter the backyard, the sheriff said. \"We should have been more inquisitive, more curious, and turned over a rock or two,\" the sheriff said. \"We missed an opportunity to bring earlier closure to this situation.\" Dugard lived for 18 years in a shed and other outbuildings behind her abductor's house, where she gave birth to two girls whom he fathered; the girls are now 11 and 15, police said. CNN policy is not to publish the names of victims when there are allegations of sexual assault. In this case, Dugard has been the subject of a 20-year public search and her image and name have been widely disseminated, making protection of her identity virtually impossible. Dugard was kidnapped in 1991 as her stepfather watched, helpless, in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California. Learn about some missing children who have been found alive » . Investigators arrested Garrido on charges of kidnapping and abusing her after police discovered Dugard on Wednesday. \"The last 18 years have been rough, but the last two days have been pretty good,\" her stepfather, Carl Probyn, told CNN's \"American Morning\" on Friday. Watch Probyn describe getting the news » . Phillip Garrido, 58, and 54-year-old Nancy Garrido were arraigned Friday in Placerville Superior Court in Placerville, California. They pleaded not guilty Friday. During their time living in Garrido's backyard, Dugard and her two children apparently rarely ventured out of their compound, investigators said. Dugard \"was in good health, but living in a backyard for the past 18 years does take its toll,\" El Dorado County Undersheriff Fred Kollar said. He described her as \"relatively cooperative, relatively forthcoming\" in discussions with detectives. She was \"in relatively good condition,\" neither obviously abused nor malnourished, he added. \"There are no known attempts by her to outreach to anybody.\" The children didn't go to school or to the doctor's office. Now they and their mother are being thrust into a strange new world. On Friday, Dugard began the long process of reuniting with her family. Watch about recovering from captivity » . Terry Probyn, who is separated from Carl, spoke with her daughter Thursday and learned that she had two daughters of her own, he said. Carl Probyn said he expects Dugard and her two children to come back to Southern California, since \"that's where we all live.\" Garrido apparently maintained a blog in which he claimed to control sound with his mind. The blog now has numerous profanity-laced responses from people outraged over his alleged actions. In a rambling telephone interview from jail, Garrido told CNN affiliate KCRA of Sacramento that he was relieved at being caught. \"I feel much better now,\" he said. \"This is a process that needed to take place.\" The investigation went years without apparent progress until Tuesday, when Garrido showed up on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley with his two daughters and tried to get permission to hand out literature and speak, Kollar said. He did not know the subject of either the literature or the planned talk. Police officers \"thought the interaction between the older male and the two young females was rather suspicious,\" so they confronted them and performed a background check on him, Kollar said. That check revealed that Garrido was on federal parole for a 1971 conviction for rape and kidnapping, for which he had served time in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. The two female police officers contacted Garrido's parole officer, who requested that he appear Wednesday at the parole office. Watch police talk about why they arrested Garrido » . Garrido did just that, accompanied by his wife \"and a female named Allissa,\" Kollar said. The presence of Allissa and the two children surprised the parole officer, who had never seen them during visits to Garrido's house, Kollar said. \"Ultimately, Allissa was identified as Dugard,\" Kollar said. Scott Kernan, undersecretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said Garrido admitted having abducted Dugard. Dugard's presence behind Garrido's home since apparently went unnoticed in the neighborhood, where homes on one-fourth to one-half-acre lots typically sell for less than $200,000, said Kathy Russo, whose father has lived two houses away from the Garridos for 33 years. Watch aerial view of backyard compound » . \"My dad said he never saw a young woman,\" Russo said, adding that her 94-year-old father considered Garrido to be a \"kind of strange, reclusive, kind of an angry kind of guy.\" She said the one-story house's backyard was obscured by trees and ringed by a wooden fence. In his jailhouse interview, Garrido told KCRA that he could not go into detail about why he chose to abduct Dugard. \"I haven't talked to a lawyer yet, so I can't do that,\" he said. But Garrido said he had \"completely turned my life around\" in the past several years. \"You're going to find the most powerful story coming from the witness, from the victim,\" he promised. \"If you take this a step at a time, you're going to fall over backward, and in the end, you're going to find the most powerful, heartwarming story.\" He added, \"Wait till you hear the story of what took place at this house. You're going to be absolutely impressed. It's a disgusting thing that took place with me in the beginning, but I turned my life completely around.\" Describing his two daughters, he said, \"Those two girls slept in my arms every single night from birth; I never kissed them.\" In a later comment, he said that, from the time the youngest was born, \"everything turned around.\" CNN's Taylor Gandossy, Tom Watkins, Stan Wilson and Mallory Simon contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Sex offender, wife plead not guilty at arraignment .\nAuthorities have search warrant for Garrido home relating to 1990 killings .\nVictim reportedly kept in isolation in backyard with children fathered by captor .\nPolice: Phillip Garrido admitted abducting victim when she was 11 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "PARIS, France (CNN) -- Debris from Air France 447, which crashed en route from Brazil to France last month, killing 228 people, has arrived in France, the French air accident investigation agency BEA said Wednesday. Searchers have discovered hundreds of pieces of wreckage from Air France Flight 447. \"The debris ... will be sent to Toulouse where they will be examined at the Center of Aeronautics Tests of Toulouse (a branch of the Defense Ministry) under the control of the police and the BEA investigators,\" said the French air accident investigation agency BEA. The wreckage was transported to France from Brazil by the ship \"La Ville de Bordeaux,\" according to the plane's manufacturer Airbus. It will be taken overland to Toulouse by truck. Flight 447 went down in the Atlantic Ocean in stormy weather as if flew from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France on June 1. Only 51 bodies were recovered, and the search is ongoing for the cause of the crash. The search for the data and voice recorders from the plane entered a second phase last week, according to France's accident investigation agency. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder -- commonly known as \"black boxes\" -- stop giving out acoustic broadcasts after 30 days. But investigators decided to continue listening for the \"pings\" for another 10 days after that. On July 10, two U.S. naval vessels and the French Navy submarine called off their search for the recorders, which investigators hope will shed light on exactly how and why the plane crashed. The second phase of the search will involve France's oceanographic ship \"Pourquoi Pas?\" which carries specialized exploration and intervention vehicles, according to the BEA. The French vessel will conduct new searches using diving equipment and towed sonar, the BEA said. Finding the recorders is of \"capital importance\" and \"no effort must be spared in achieving this end,\" Air France has said. \"We want to stress that for the sake of the families, we hope that the search for the black boxes will be successful,\" an Air France representative told CNN. The crash was the worst in Air France's 75-year history. Earlier this month, investigators revealed that the plane bellyflopped intact into the Atlantic Ocean. Investigator Alain Bouillard said it was still not clear what caused the crash. The mountainous ocean floor in the search area ranges from 3,280 to 15,091 feet, BEA officials have said in the past, making the search for the recorders -- and the rest of the plane's debris -- difficult. \"It is as if it fell in the Andes (mountains),\" Olivier Ferrante, chief of the BEA search mission said. Brazil called off the search for bodies on June 27, having found 51 of the 228 people who died, according to the military. Investigators have also found more than 600 parts and structural components of the plane, along with luggage, Bouillard said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Debris from Air France 447, which crashed last month, has arrived in France .\nPlane went down off Brazil on June 1, killing all 228 aboard .\nFrench oceanographic ship will conduct new searches for data recorders ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Cyber criminals are setting snares that move at the speed of news. Savvy cyber criminals are taking advantage of our increasing reliance on computers and the Internet. Panda Security, a Spain-based antivirus maker, has been monitoring an onslaught of links with malicious software, or \"malware,\" on Twitter that tag hot topics such as the Air France crash, the NBA finals, \"American Idol\" runner-up Adam Lambert and the new iPhone. \"Cyber criminals have been targeting Twitter users by creating thousands of messages (tweets) embedded with words involving trending topics and malicious URLs,\" Sean-Paul Correll, a threat researcher for Panda Labs, wrote recently on a blog for the company. The growing sophistication of malware attacks mirrors the growing threat -- and cash -- generated by online crime. Already, cyber crime is estimated to cost companies and consumers more than $100 billion worldwide. Some officials claim it has now eclipsed illegal drugs as a criminal moneymaker. \"It's very seldom reported ... if discovered by companies, they generally don't want the public to know they've been had,\" said Eugene Spafford, a computer security specialist at Purdue University who has advised two U.S. presidents and numerous companies and government agencies. Cyber crime is one of the few industries benefiting from the financial crisis. Last year, antivirus maker McAfee saw a 500 percent increase in malware types -- more than the company had seen in the previous five years combined. In the United States, the FBI reported a 33 percent increase in Internet crime last year. Companies lost an average of $4.6 million in intellectual property last year, according to a survey of 1000 firms worldwide by Purdue University and McAfee. \"As the economy has declined, we've seen the threat landscape increase,\" David DeWalt, president and CEO of McAfee, recently told Richard Quest for CNN International's \"Quest Means Business.\" That increase has helped antivirus makers such as McAfee snare record returns -- the company's first quarter profits were 21 percent higher than same period last year. But companies and governments find themselves in a losing war with Web-savvy criminals, experts say. \"The fundamental fact is cyber criminals are highly organized with sophisticated corporate structures and business chains,\" said Michael Fraser, director of the Communications Law Centre at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. \"They have R&D departments, strong distribution networks and Web sites for the discerning cyber criminal,\" Fraser said. On these Web sites, would-be criminals can purchase toolkits to learn how to side step security measures or create their own \"botnet\" -- referring to software that can, unbeknownst to victims, turn their computers into spamming foot-soldiers for criminal networks. One Web site advertises software that can capture information for a popular Internet secured-payment provider for $500 -- discounted to $400 for the first 100 buyers. Skimmed credit card numbers and other personal-identity information stolen from computers also can be found for sale on Web sites, Fraser said. \"When police shut these Web sites down, they just mushroom up some other place,\" he said. Although the techniques of cyber crime have evolved, online criminals prey on human vulnerabilities like criminals throughout the ages. In the digital age, that means tempting with free downloads, money schemes and pornography. The range of tools used by cyber criminals reveals the quick evolution of the industry. Viruses -- the first generation of the computer culprits -- are used for the computer equivalent of vandalism, as the malicious programs replicate, spread and damage computers. \"When the company was set up, we were seeing two or three new viruses a week,\" said Mahendra Negi, chief financial officer of Tokyo-based antivirus maker Trend Micro. \"Now there's a new one every two-and-a-half seconds. \"With the arrival of spam in 2001 and 2002, the big difference was it was commercial malware,\" Negi said. \"Once money became involved, the level of sophistication raised a hundred-fold.\" Now the biggest threats include \"phishing\" schemes and \"botnet\" attacks. Phishing is where criminals masquerade as a legitimate business or Web site and trick victims into revealing passwords, credit card information and other personal data. Botnet attackers commandeer personal computers as part of a large network of \"zombie\" computers that, on command, target companies for spam attacks to cripple IT capabilities. Botnets -- some of which are large enough to deploy tens of billions of spam e-mails a day -- are often used in extortion schemes. \"They ring up the IT manager of a company and say, 'Pay us a million or we'll take you down',\" said Fraser, who has worked with companies victimized by botnet attacks. Companies often pay up and shut up, computer experts say, rather than report the crime and garner publicity that may hurt their corporate reputation. And unlike prankster virus-makers, these malware makers are determined to stay hidden. \"Once it became a business, then (cyber criminals) began to look at what companies like us were doing, and figure out weaknesses,\" he said. \"They are very customer friendly ... they sell updates, they will highlight what the product does and what antivirus software can't detect them. Adding to the difficulty is the legal situation that in many jurisdictions, it is not illegal to create or sell malware. \"It's like the arms industry ... it's not a crime to build and sell them,\" Negi said. And because of the transnational nature of the crime, it's extremely difficult to prosecute. A scan of 500 headlines on Internet-related arrests from newspapers around the world the past two years found about 90 percent were related to child-pornography cases. \"Child pornography is easier to prosecute because it is possible to find the evidence on the perpetrator's computer systems,\" said Spafford of Purdue University. Cyber-criminal networks are as porous as the Internet itself. \"There are multiple jurisdictions and unless it's an ongoing crime that uses the same path all the time, the trail goes cold quickly,\" Spafford said. \"I may be able to trace back to a computer system, if I'm lucky, or trace it back to a cyber cafe -- but how do I know who was behind it?\" Often criminal networks are run in countries such as Russia and China, where government officials turn a blind eye to these activities -- so long as their victims reside outside the host country, Spafford said. \"For the host countries, that's dangerous ... it's kind of like breeding tigers in the back yard and saying, 'Well, they haven't hurt anyone here yet,'\" he said. \"Mexico is a wonderful example ... they tolerated drug smugglers for years, and now it's such a major problem and incredibly painful and costly to run them out. \"I'm not saying (cyber criminals) are involved in physical violence, but it's not out of the realm of possibility,\" he said. \"What are they doing with all that money?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some officials say cyber crime has eclipsed drug trade as a money maker .\nLatest ploy is planting malicious software in intriguing Twitter topics .\nSome companies give in to extortion and remain silent, officials say .\nSkimmed credit card numbers can be found for sale on Web sites ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- Staff Sgt. Travis Nielsen had no idea when he joined the U.S. Army that his duty would include one of the most solemn and hallowed ceremonies in the military. John F. Kennedy's funeral in 1963 included a riderless horse with boots facing backwards in the saddle. During funeral processions at Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, Nielsen walks the riderless horse, a powerful military symbol that stands among the highest honors for the fallen. Images of the so-called caparisoned horse, often referred to as the \"cap horse,\" remain emblazoned in the memories of millions of shocked Americans who watched President Kennedy's funeral procession shortly after his 1963 assassination. According to Army tradition, a ceremonial horse is led by a \"cap walker,\" like Nielsen, in a procession with boots set backward in the saddle's stirrups. In addition to high-ranking government officials such as the president, the cap horse honor is reserved for officers of the rank of colonel or above. The tradition dates \"to Roman times, or Genghis Khan,\" Nielsen said, \"as a high honor bestowed on high-ranking fallen warriors.\" Watch Nielsen lead a riderless horse at Arlington » . The ancient riderless horse ceremony didn't include backward boots, he said, but it did include an unusual meal. \"They were shrouding their horses or putting him in battle armor or escorting the fallen to their grave,\" Nielsen said. \"When that was done, they would eat the horse, and they would have a big feast.\" Today \"the boots facing backward symbolize [that] the fallen won't ride again and [the rider is] looking back on his family one last time,\" he said. Nielsen serves with the ceremonial Caisson Platoon of the 3rd U.S. Infantry regiment, also known as the Old Guard, based at Fort Myer, Virginia, near the cemetery. Formed in 1784, the Old Guard ranks as the oldest active duty unit in the Army. \"Memorial Day weekend is very busy around here,\" said Nielsen, who joins Old Guard comrades in the annual tradition at Arlington called \"flags in.\" \"We are responsible for going out in the cemetery and placing the American flags on all the headstones.\" Platoon soldiers rarely know any details about the troops or civilians they honor. \"Sometimes someone who served with the fallen or maybe went to [military] academy with them will come up to you and tell you what a great guy they were,\" Nielsen said. When choosing Old Guard members, commanders \"want guys who are punctual and disciplined and picky about the way they look and the way their horses look,\" he said. The focus of much of Nielsen's duties involves drilling and training horses such as Kennedy, a cap horse whose previous career involved running around harness racing tracks. Cemetery ceremonial horses are washed and brushed until their coats have a bright sheen. Saddles and brass are buffed and polished until they shine like mirrors. Ancient caissons that carry flag-draped caskets are cleaned and readied for a day of service. As for the soldiers, Old Guard members' woolen uniforms are flawless and take hours to prepare, as each inch is inspected again and again. Uniforms are pressed and ironed. Shoes and brass are polished and shined. \"In the winter, it can get pretty cold out there,\" Nielsen said. \"In the summer -- it's no joke -- the summers get extremely hot. There will be heat indexes of 100 to 115 degrees.\" Nielsen described his duty as rewarding. \"We carry America's heroes to the final resting place,\" he said. Soldiers in formation lead the procession. An Army band plays, and the unit marches to muffled drums. The caisson passes, led by six horses, either black or white. The horses' harnesses jangle and the caisson wheels rumble through the hallowed paths of Arlington. Bringing up the rear of the procession is Nielsen, leading Kennedy. They pass in formation directly behind a flag-draped casket carrying the body of a soldier or Marine; Navy and Air Force officers do not use cap horses at burial ceremonies. After a casket is carried to a burial site, the caisson and cap horse depart. Nielsen and Kennedy head back to the stables alone, to prepare for another ceremony." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Riderless horses honor high-ranking fallen U.S. troops, government officials .\nMany recall horse with empty saddle during 1963 JFK funeral .\nArmy's ceremonial \"Old Guard\" unit prides itself on its military funerals .\nTradition of riderless horses at funerals dates to ancient Rome, soldier says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- You don't want to monkey around on a blind date, especially if your friends are also taking an interest in the same dark, handsome stranger. Jookie, as she is known, studies a poster of French gorilla Yeboah, who is heading for London Zoo. So when three female gorillas at London Zoo heard that they would soon be visited by a brooding French hunk -- well, they went a bit bananas. The latest development in Anglo-French relations sees Yeboah, a 20-stone 12-year-old, leave his current home at La Boissiere Du Dore Zoo, Pays de la Loire, northwest France and head for the British capital by the end of the year. There he will be greeted by gorilla trio Zaire, Effie and Mjukuu, who were given posters of their prospective boyfriend for the first time Thursday. One female gorilla shrieked in delight, while another wedged the poster in a tree to stare at it. A third, clearly overcome by emotion, held the photo close to her chest -- then ate it. Their reception was somewhat unsurprising. The zoo has been without a male gorilla since the demise of Bobby, a silverback, in December. Tracey Lee, team leader at London Zoo, put in a good word for the hirsute lothario on the London Zoo Web site, saying Yeboah is \"a very charming, fun loving and intelligent gorilla.\" But whom will Yeboah choose to charm first? Zaire, at 34, is the oldest female gorilla and has been at London Zoo since 1984. The zoo says she's \"happiest when she's taking down and rebuilding her nest in various spots around the island. She loves to play with fabric and often drags it around with her all day. \" Then there's Effie, 16, who \"enjoys seeing toddlers and often makes her way over to the glass when they come to see her,\" according to the zoo Web site. Finally there's 10-year-old Mjukuu, or \"Jookie.\" Dan Simmonds, a keeper at the zoo's Gorilla Kingdom, says she \"has this 'butter wouldn't melt look' to her, and she gets away with murder.\" \"The other two females get along with her very well; she seems to have them all wrapped around her little finger.\" Bridget Fallon contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "London Zoo has been without a male gorilla since December .\nFrench gorilla Yeboah is being sent from La Boissiere Du Dore Zoo, NW France .\nFemale gorillas at London have been shown posters of their new guest ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India's financial capital of Mumbai was put on a high-tide alert with officials expecting a water rise of up to 197 inches (5 meters). High tides lash the coast near the Gateway of India in Mumbai on Thursday. Sea tides are expected to rise 5 meters Friday, 4.9 meters Saturday and 4.7 meters Sunday, according to a bulletin by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. \"We have installed water pumps along the coast and advise the people to avoid beaches,\" said Jagtab, an official at the disaster management control room. Floodgates may also be closed in case the threat mounts, he added. High tides are also forecast from August 19 to 23. At least 467 people have died in floods in India from this season's monsoon rains, federal authorities said in their latest report. Flooding has affected about 1.7 million people in parts of India, according to the disaster management division of the federal home ministry. The country's main weather office has warned of heavy rains in western and central parts of India." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "India's financial capital of Mumbai put on a high-tide alert .\nOfficials expect a water rise of up to 197 inches (5 meters)\nSea tides expected to rise 5 meters Friday, 4.9 meters Saturday, 4.7 meters Sunday .\nHigh tides also forecast from August 19 to 23 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Fireworks continued to erupt between Bolivia and Peru over a costume worn at this year's Miss Universe pageant. Last week, during the national costume part of the competition, Miss Peru, Karen Schwarz, wore an Andean-inspired outfit featuring a headpiece with large horns based on the costume used in the traditional Diablada, or deviled, folk dance. In wearing the outfit, Schwarz unwittingly set off a firestorm in Bolivia, whose culture minister Pablo Groux threatened to go to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to claim that the Diablada belongs to Bolivia's culture and no one else. Bolivia sent a letter to the Miss Universe organizers, citing evidence that the dance has its roots in Bolivia and distinctly belongs to the country, Bolivia's state-run news agency ABI reported. Bolivia dancers showcased the Diablada at events in Washington and Panama, and Bolivia's ambassador to France summed up the country's stance, according to ABI: \"We ask that urgent, adequate, opportune and pertinent measures be taken to protect Bolivian cultural patrimony and the respect of the origin of our customs and ancient traditions.\" Peruvian officials have said that the Diablada folk dance has its roots in both countries. Bolivia has no grounds to claim the dance in the international court, countered Peru's director of its National Institute of Culture, Cecilia Bakula told the newspaper El Comercio. \"This issue should stop because we can't lose tolerance or respect between both countries over things like this,\" Schwarz said in an interview with Bolivian media. \"We have a dance that unites us because the Diablada is danced in Bolivia and Peru.\" The cultural dispute comes at a time of political disagreement between the countries relating to maritime access at the border between Chile and Peru. Peruvian President Alan Garcia has accused Chile and land-locked Bolivia of negotiating an under-the-table deal that would leave Peru out. On Monday Peru said it was taking its own case to the International Court of Justice over the maritime dispute." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Miss Peru, Karen Schwarz, set off firestorm in Bolivia with Andean-inspired outfit .\nBolivia's cultural minister threatens to go to international court .\nReport: Peru cultural director says Bolivia has no grounds to claim dance .\nPeru also threatens to go to court: over maritime dispute with Chile and Bolivia ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Bad dubbing, angry men with extraordinary facial hair, balletic fighting and more blood than you can shake a nunchuck at: just some of the key ingredients to make a perfect kung fu flick. Tony Jaa may be the modern day Bruce Lee, and in \"Ong-bak\" he shows off his impressive skills. Whether it's a traditional tale of ancient Chinese fighting mystics, or a slickly made, modern bloodfest, kung fu has always been a rich part of cinema. We've compiled a list of 10 of the best. Don't agree? Think we've missed one? Share your views by using the Sound Off box below and we'll publish the best. 1. Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973) Bruce Lee's last movie before his untimely death, this is him at his very best. A man on a revenge mission, Lee travels to a mysterious island to fight in a deadly tournament hosted by an evil billionaire. Along with being technically amazing -- the nunchucks scene is jaw-dropping -- it's the most stylish and iconic martial arts film ever made. 2. Ong-bak (Prachya Pinkaew, 2003) Tony Jaa is a modern master. He has appeared in very few major releases, but has already made a huge impact. \"Ong-bak\" is the perfect showcase for his extraordinary skills: whether he's fighting a roomful of people or taking part in the most exciting chase we have ever seen -- jumping through rings of barbed wire and sliding under moving cars while doing the splits -- he makes this film every bit the martial arts spectacle. 3. Wong Fei Hung (Once Upon a Time in China) (Hark Tsui, 1991) Part Chinese history, part gripping kung fu movie, this eastern epic has Jet Li demonstrating his talents as the eponymous hero who stands up to invading foreign forces in 19th century China. Armed with a limitless arsenal of martial arts moves, Li takes on masses of gun-toting, badly acting opponents. A visual delight and Jet Li's best work. 4. Kill Bill 1 & 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003/2004) Quentin Tarantino is a movie geek -- specifically, a B-movie geek -- and kung fu has long held a place in his heart. \"Kill Bill,\" his tribute to the genre, ticks every box: revenge; a powerful, all-knowing nemesis; stylish fights, costumes and music; and blood, lots and lots of blood. 5. Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) (Ang Lee, 2000) Every eye-catching detail of this touching and beautiful film works. A love story with outlaws, witches and Shaolin monks is augmented by breathtaking cinematography and some fantastic performances from Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and newcomer Ziyi Zhang. This visual feast tugs at the heart strings better than any karate chop could. 6. The Karate Kid (John G. Avildsen, 1984) A simple but well-executed plot sees Ralph Macchio's underdog work his way up an unconventional path to take on the mean and nasty establishment. It spawned a spate of copycat films, while thousands of children signed up to after-school karate; everyone now knows how to defend themselves by waxing on or off and that the best fighting move is obviously The Crane. Hiya! 7. Ging chaat goo si (Police Story) (Jackie Chan, 1985) Jackie Chan is probably China's biggest export to Hollywood, well-known for doing his own death-defying stunts. This is one of the films that got him noticed in the United States. When he fights, Chan is unstoppable: he uses every prop on the set and puts himself in enormous physical danger. Out and out fun. 8. Shogun Assassin (Robert Houston, 1980) Referenced several times in Tarantino's \"Kill Bill\" films, this forgotten classic must have set a record for the amount of blood spilt as our hero crosses the country on a revenge mission. Early on, Tomisaburo Wakayama says \"they will pay with rivers of blood\"; he isn't wrong. Violent and wonderful. 9. Siu lam juk kau (Shaolin Soccer) (Stephen Chow, 2001) Should this be in the best or worst list? It's definitely unique. Once described as \"the best kung fu football film of all time,\" this is one of the more ridiculous films of the genre. A group of down-and-out martial arts experts form a five-a-side football team to take on a group of evil, drug-taking clones. It's as simple, and as silly as that. And it's one of our guiltiest pleasures. 10. The Matrix (Andy and Larry Wachowski, 1999) A sci-fi spin on the genre, this modern classic has all the key elements: our hero has superhuman powers; the bad guys, led by the relentless Agent Smith, form part of a shady, all-powerful organization intent on oppressing humankind; and the fight scenes are fantastically technical. Against all the odds, it appears Keanu really does know Kung Fu. .................................... Don't agree? Think we've missed one? Read others' comments and share your views by using the Sound Off box below. .................................... And the mainstream films that lacked the killer punch ... Street Fighter (Steven E. de Souza, 1994) Jean-Claude Van Damme has made some good films, really he has. \"Kickboxer\" nearly made it into our top 10. But this is, by a huge margin, his worst effort. Most depressing, though, is that this was the last major outing for Raul Julia -- not the way he should be remembered. Great game; terrible film. The Karate Kid, Part III (John G. Avildsen, 1989) The franchise came out of part two with a little credibility intact, but this last installment -- unless you include \"The Next Karate Kid\" (which no self-respecting \"Karate Kid\" fan would) -- managed to kill off our last shred of enthusiasm. Where the original might have inspired you to take up karate, this would put you off the sport, and probably kung fu movies too. Bulletproof Monk (Paul Hunter, 2003) \"I've got a great idea, let's take a well-respected Chinese actor and pair him up with an annoying teen-film actor in a mystical kung fu movie; it can't fail!\" Unsurprisingly, this film was a disaster, shoe-horning silly fight scenes into a plot that spirals from implausible to disturbingly stupid. A frightful mistake, and one of our worst-named films to boot. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Geoff Murphy, 1995) The first \"Under Siege\" was a surprisingly good film, and Hollywood's best martial arts expert acquits himself well, but this follow up is laughable. Seagal still fights like the best, but has lost the ability to speak, and whispers his way through the dialogue. Considering the action takes place on a train, we were amazed his co-stars could hear him. Come on, Steven, you were so much better when you were just a lowly, lowly cook. Game of Death (Robert Clouse, 1978) Through no fault of his own, this is Bruce Lee's posthumous contribution to the list. This tacky movie features fight scenes shot before Lee died, interspersed with material filmed using lookalikes and a cardboard cutout of the great man. The fights are impressive, but the rest of the film smacks of a cash-in -- they even use footage from Lee's actual funeral. A desperate slur on Lee's memory. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Iconic kung fu star Bruce Lee hits the top spot with \"Enter the Dragon\"\nTarantino's genre tributes, \"Kill Bill 1&2,\" are stylish and bloody .\n\"The Matrix\" is a sci-fi kung fu movie with slickly made fight sequences .\nBut Jean-Claude Van Damme's \"Street Fighter\" lacks the killer punch ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A man at a Fort Lewis army post on Wednesday fatally shot a woman before turning the gun on himself, military authorities said. The shootings on Wednesday occurred outside the main post exchange at Fort Lewis in Washington state. The man, who was hospitalized earlier in the day, was pronounced dead late Wednesday, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Kubistek said. The man shot the woman and then shot himself in the head, said Maj. Mike Garcia. He said the shootings occurred outside the main post exchange, as retail stores at military installations are called. Garcia said the 59-year-old shooter was a retired soldier. The woman he shot, Garcia said, was a civilian who worked as a vendor in the store. Neither was identified. Kathy Johnson had taken her elderly mother to shop at the store when shots rang out. \"I heard five to six shots and hit the floor,\" Johnson said, \"I was hiding under a clothing rack and people were yelling that we were being taken hostage.\" Eventually, Johnson said, customers were told over the store intercom that it was safe to leave the store. Outside military police had surrounded the store and were posted on nearby rooftops, she said, . It was not immediately clear what the relationship between the man and woman was, Garcia said. He said since the shooting took place on a federal installation, the FBI would lead the investigation into the shootings. CNN's Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alleged shooter is a 59-year-old retired soldier, Fort Lewis spokesman says .\nSlain woman was a civilian who worked as a vendor at the post, spokesman says .\n\"I heard five to six shots and hit the floor,\" witness says .\nFBI will lead probe into shootings on the federal facility, spokesman says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- In Pakistan's combustible Swat Valley, some girls refuse to wear uniforms so they can make it to school without being harmed. Shiza Shahid, left, a 20-year-old Stanford University student, is helping to teach young girls in Pakistan. Other girls hide textbooks in their shawls to escape harassment. School-age girls are among the victims in the fierce fighting between government soldiers and Taliban militants in the Swat Valley. The Pakistani government said it has flushed much of the Taliban out of the area, but some fighting persists. Many girls remain banned from schools. Dozens of their schools have been bombed, and militants have burned books. A new program has taken 26 girls out of the battle-scarred region to Islamabad for a 10-day retreat, where they can learn in safer surroundings. A group of college students of Pakistani background is helping the girls. Among them are Shiza Shahid, 20, from California's Stanford University, who organized the program called Shajar-e-llm, or Tree of Knowledge. Shahid said she was moved to help after hearing about how the girls struggled to get an education. \"I think we were so angry, upset and emotional that we decided we have to do something,\" she said. Watch as Shahid says she had to act to help the girls » . Though well-intentioned, the program sometimes seems disorganized. \"We need support. We need unfortunately more organization, more of the bureaucratic nitty-gritty that you don't want to do, but you have to,\" Shahid said. \"We are young, and that does come with the burden as not being equally trusted or seen as capable.\" Nonetheless, the group has ambitions for a boys' learning retreat as well. The lessons are simple enough -- confidence-building exercises, critical-thinking lessons -- all framed in the context of Islamic values. The girls -- ages 11 to 14 -- spoke about their dreams. One wants to meet a poet; another wants to learn calligraphy. Another wants to grow up to lead Pakistan. \"I want to become president and rule this country in a good way,\" said 12-year-old Malila. One day during the retreat, the girls were taught a song about freedom of speech. As a guitarist strummed, the girls sang that God gives everyone the right to free speech and no one can take it away. Free speech seemed to end with the song, however. The girls could not risk talking about Taliban harassment, because the militants' version of Islamic law lingers. Such Islamic law, or shariah, also keeps females from going to school or going outside without their husbands. The United Nations estimates that 375,000 Swat Valley residents fled their homes during fighting that started in April. In all, 2.5 million Pakistanis were displaced in what was said to be one of the largest human migrations in recent history. Many residents have returned to their homes, but peace has not been completely restored to the region. And soon, the girls at the learning retreat will return home to the Swat Valley as well. Organizers said they hope the girls will carry a new love for education. \"There were tears and there were tough moments,\" said Madihah Akhter, a volunteer with the program. \"But the girls surprised me. They were really resilient. They were beyond their years.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Schoolgirls victims of fighting between Pakistani soldiers and Taliban in Swat Valley .\nA retreat in Islamabad gives 26 girls a safe haven to learn .\nA student from Stanford University is helping lead the retreat ." } ]

[ { "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 Home Office said Wednesday it is banning the military wing of Hezbollah, the Lebanese political movement, because of its support for \"terrorism\" in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. Hezbollah fighters with the Shiite militia's yellow flags during ceremony for slain commander Imad Mughnieh. Parliament must approve the order for it to become law. The announcement would make it a crime to belong to or encourage support for Hezbollah's military wing. The order does not apply to Hezbollah's political or social activities. \"It sends out a clear message that we condemn Hezbollah's violence and support for terrorism,\" Home Office minister Tony McNulty said in a statement. Britain's Terrorism Act allows Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to ban any group that she believes is involved in terrorism. \"Hezbollah's military wing is providing active support to militants in Iraq who are responsible for attacks both on coalition forces and on Iraqi civilians, including providing training in the use of deadly roadside bombs,\" McNulty said. \"Hezbollah's military wing also provides support to Palestinian terrorist groups in the occupied Palestinian territories, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad.\" British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the ban came after \"new evidence\" of Hezbollah's involvement in terrorism in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. In the House of Commons, Brown called on Hezbollah to lay down its arms and participate in the Lebanese political process \"on the same terms as other political parties.\" Hezbollah is the largest Shiite Muslim political movement in Lebanon and maintains an armed force that fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006. The group has been linked to numerous terrorist attacks against American, Israeli, and other Western targets and the United States lists it as a terrorist organization. But many in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East, particularly Shiites, view Hezbollah militants as freedom fighters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "UK Terrorism Act allows Home Secretary to ban suspected terror groups .\nWill become a crime to belong to, encourage support for Hezbollah's military wing .\nUK PM: Ban came after \"new evidence\" of Hezbollah's involvement in terrorism .\nHezbollah is the largest Shiite Muslim political movement in Lebanon ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The first bodies to be recovered from the crash of Air France 447 arrived at a Brazilian Air Force base in Recife, Brazil, Wednesday, the air force announced. Brazilian pilots and a medical team bring one of the first bodies ashore at Fernando de Noronha island. The 16 bodies were taken to the Legal Medical Institute in Recife for identification, the statement said. Police will perform DNA tests at their lab in the capital, Brasilia, if necessary, they said. Another 25 bodies have been found and will go through the same procedure starting Thursday, the air force said. Official identification of the bodies will be made only by the Legal Medicine Institute, even if any of the bodies could have been identified while on Fernando de Noronha, the islands where they were first brought after being recovered. A French nuclear submarine joined the hunt Wednesday for the flight data recorders and other wreckage from Air France Flight 447 as Brazilian air force and navy crews continued to pull bodies from the Atlantic. Bad weather and poor visibility are expected in the search area, Brazilian Air Force spokesmen said. France is leading the investigation into what caused last week's accident when the Paris-bound flight from Rio de Janeiro plunged into the sea off the Brazilian coast with 228 passengers and crew on board. The French nuclear submarine Emeraude began patrolling the area Wednesday morning, the French defense ministry said. Around 400 French military personnel are involved in the salvage effort. France has also sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment, a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations. Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- are participating, along with five Brazilian ships. The U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders. The \"towed pinger locators,\" which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) -- will be placed aboard the French tugs. Watch challenges faced by search crews » . Brazilian officials emphasized earlier this week that finding bodies was their main priority. The French are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders. The 16 bodies retrieved Tuesday from the Atlantic were taken to the island of Fernando de Noronha for transport by helicopter to Recife. The 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a Brazilian frigate. Watch bodies being returned to land » . The first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of the Brazilian archipelago of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; Tuesday's recoveries were 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. See photos of bodies arriving at Fernando de Noronha » . It was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air. The location of the crash has not been determined, because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris. The search area covers 200,000 square km (77,220 square miles), Brazilian officials said. Map of Flight 447's flight path » . The ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies, but averages about 3,000 meters (nearly 9,900 feet) deep, according to the University of New Hampshire/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Joint Hydrographic Center. Brazilian officials said the plane debris will be taken to France for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in Recife. The cause of the crash is still not known, but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as Pitot tubes, among other factors. Did plane's tail fin snap off? » . Air France has agreed to replace the sensors on its Airbus A330 and A340 jets, a pilots' union said Tuesday. The airline said Saturday that it began replacing its fleet's sensors last month. Another Air France pilots' union, ALTER, has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their Pitot tubes are replaced. ALTER, the smallest of three Air France pilots' unions, would not say what percentage of the carrier's pilots it represents. The biggest union, SNPL, said Tuesday it has accepted Air France's assurances that no Airbus A330 or A340 will take off unless at least two of its three Pitot tubes have been replaced. Union spokesman Eric Derivry added that there is no indication that the Pitot tubes caused the accident. Air France said over the weekend that it began to notice in May of last year that Pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on A330s and A340s. That caused \"a loss of airspeed data,\" according to the airline -- that is, the pilots didn't know the plane's speed. Air France decided to replace all its probes starting April 27, following laboratory tests earlier in the year, the airline said. CNN's Karl Penhaul, Ayesha Durgahee, Niki Cook, Jim Bittermann and Barbara Starr contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "16 bodies retrieved from crashed airliner arrive in mainland Brazil .\nBodies taken to police laboratory in Brasilia for DNA testing .\nFrench nuclear submarine joins hunt for wreckage from Air France Flight 447 .\nLocation, cause of crash off Brazilian coast have not been determined ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in President Obama what might be a new chapter in the 60-year relationship between Israel and the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama visit at the White House on Monday. Based on interviews with U.S., Israeli and Arab diplomats, no one expects a drastic change in the relationship -- the Obama administration won't waiver from the traditional unshakable commitment to Israel's security. But the Obama administration seems to have a different view from Israel -- and previous U.S. administrations -- on how that security is best achieved. Observers think this administration -- Obama, National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones and Middle East envoy George Mitchell in particular -- are predisposed to be tougher on Israel than the Bush administration was. Israelis are concerned the special strategic relationship between the United States and Israel could be in jeopardy. Because Obama has made clear he thinks a Palestinian state better serves Israel's and the United States' security, there were expectations of a showdown between him and Netanyahu. Netanyahu came to Washington refusing to commit to a two-state solution and instead talked of a \"Palestinian entity\" with promises of beefed-up economic development. Arab states and the United States have said that's not a substitute for a true Palestinian state. Because of the good will and enhanced credibility the election of Obama has brought the United States around the world, he can ask for more, and expect more, on this issue. The United States is working with Jordan's King Abdullah to \"sequence\" the Arab initiative, a plan proposed by then-Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in 2003 and endorsed by the Arab League. Under the plan, all Arab states would normalize relations with Israel after it returns former Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories. The United States wants Israel and the Arab countries to take simultaneous steps toward peace. For instance, if Israel halts settlement activity or removes outposts, the Arabs could take any number of steps, such as opening trade offices in Israel or allowing telecommunications or air travel between Israel and Arab countries. There is a long list of potential moves and different Arab countries are considering steps from the list. Some are more willing to participate than others. We will probably hear more about this in the coming weeks as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visit Washington later this month. Netanyahu has also made clear one of his main priorities is dealing with the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program; he's said that if the United States can't eliminate the threat through talking, Israel will do so militarily. He also has threatened to halt progress on the Palestinian issue until the United States takes meaningful steps to curb Iran. The United States has made clear that such threats are a nonstarter. Netanyahu's position is to solve Iran first and then Israel can deal with Palestinian peace. The United States wants the Israelis to make peace with the Palestinians and it will deal with Iran at the same time. In fact, Washington believes progress on the Palestinian issue could rally Arab support for dealing with Iran. Israeli diplomats said Netanyahu is not going to provoke a confrontation with Obama and they expected him to announce some immediate steps to improve the quality of life for Palestinians in the West Bank, including removing illegal settlement outposts. However, Netanyahu made no such announcement during a brief photo opportunity with Obama. Netanyahu was expected to make a statement supporting the idea of a Palestinian state, but most analysts said he would stop short of a full endorsement. Again, sitting next to Obama, Netanyahu spoke of a scenario in which \"Israel and the Palestinians live side by side in dignity, security and in peace,\" but he didn't mention a Palestinian state. No breakthroughs were expected. Monday's meeting was largely expected to be a chance for the two sides to discuss their positions rather than iron out differences. Some might see this as Obama being tougher on Israel, but others say it's an evenhandedness that hasn't been seen from recent U.S. administrations. In short, it seems the Obama administration is going to use more of a tough-love approach to Israel, rather than just automatically siding with it. CNN's Jill Dougherty contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one expects a drastic change in U.S.-Israel relationship .\nBut Obama has different approach from past administrations .\nObservers think Obama team is predisposed to be tougher on Israel .\nWhether Palestinians or Iranians get attention first is at issue ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Brooke Shields is upset with a tabloid reporter over an incident involving the actress' elderly mother. Brooke Shields moved her mother to a different residence after last week's incident, Shields' lawyer says. Shields accused a reporter and photographer from the National Enquirer of taking her 75-year-old mother -- Teri Shields, who suffers from dementia -- out of a New Jersey nursing home last week, People magazine reported. It was \"reprehensible and disgusting,\" Shields told People. The reporter, \"looking for a tabloid story,\" signed her mother out of a senior living facility in Old Tappan, New Jersey, by falsely claiming to be her friend, Shields said. Watch why Shields is upset » . The National Enquirer said the reporter has known Teri Shields for a decade. \"Teri asked the reporter to take her out to lunch and run some errands,\" the tabloid said. \"The freelance reporter then got permission from the facility to do so. ... At no point did the facility, which had given its permission for the outing, contend that there had been any wrongdoing.\" Old Tappan police told People they are investigating. Brooke Shields' lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, said the actress has not filed charges, but was exploring her options. Shields moved her mother to another facility, Lefcourt said. CNN's Marc Balinsky contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reporter takes Brooke Shields' mom out of nursing home, People magazine reports .\nReporter, with National Enquirer, claims to have known Teri Shields for years .\nTeri Shields, 75, asked reporter to take her to lunch, National Enquirer says .\nPolice in New Jersey community investigating, People reports ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- Neither the magic of Harry Potter nor the combined star power of Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler was enough to keep a crew of wise-cracking guinea pigs from scurrying to the top of the box office this weekend. Disney's family comedy \"G-Force\" made an estimated $32.2 million in its debut. Disney's family comedy \"G-Force,\" produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Will Arnett, and Penelope Cruz as a team of world-saving rodents, made an estimated $32.2 million in its debut. Despite opening hot on the heels of the one-week old \"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,\" the animation/live action hybrid pic was a hit with young audiences, pulling 55 percent of its viewers from the under-18 crowd. But Potter's box office magic hasn't worn off just yet: The series' sixth installment landed in the number two spot its second weekend with $30 million, bringing its total to $221.8 million. After just 12 days in theaters, 'Half-Blood' is already the fifth biggest hit of the year domestically, not to mention overseas, where the powerhouse has raked in an additional $236 million. There was plenty for adults to enjoy at the box office, too. \"The Ugly Truth,\" a raunchy R-rated rom-com that pits Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in a battle of the sexes, scored an impressive $27 million bow, a career best for both Heigl and director Robert Luketic (\"Legally Blonde\"). The weekend's other wide release, Warner Bros' creepy \"Orphan\" -- starring Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga -- pulled in $12.8 million from an audience that was 55 percent female. Lower down on the chart, Fox Searchlight's \"(500) Days of Summer\" (at number 11 with $3 million) is still building momentum. The quirky rom-com posted a hefty $19,176 per-site average and a 95 percent increase over its debut last weekend. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Disney's family comedy brought in an estimated $32.2 million over the weekend .\nThe sixth installment of the \"Potter\" series raked in another $30 million at No. 2 .\n\"The Ugly Truth,\" starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, took in $27 million .\nCheck out the other top earners on this weekend's top 10 list ." } ]

[ { "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 wife of an Iranian pro-reformist activist detained as he tried to leave the country last week says she is \"deeply concerned\" for his safety. Fatemah Shams and Mohammadreza Jalaeipour are students together at the University of Oxford. Fatemeh Shams told CNN she hadn't heard from her husband Mohammadreza Jalaeipour since she watched him being escorted away after he was prevented from boarding a flight to Dubai on June 17. Both are students at the University of Oxford and had been returning to the UK from Iran after attending a family wedding, just as demonstrations escalated following presidential elections earlier this month which have plunged Iran into political chaos. Shams said she and her 27-year-old husband -- both activists for the pro-reformist Third Wave campaign -- planned to leave Iran on June 17. At first, everything appeared fine with Jalaeipour having his passport stamped as he passed through immigration. But he was then approached by a plain clothes official who told him to turn off his cellphone before ordering Jalaeipour to follow him. \"We didn't get a chance to talk to each other -- I was watching what was happening and that was the last time I saw him,\" said Shams, 26, who flew to the UK via Doha in Qatar. Watch Shams speak about her husband's detention » . Shams said she hadn't heard directly from her husband since his arrest but believed he was being held in prison. \"It's a very difficult mental situation for me to understand what is going on and I am deeply concerned about his health and safety,\" she told CNN. Both Jalaeipour and Shams were members of the organizing committee of the Third Wave campaign, a reformist youth movement formed last year to back former president Mohammad Khatami's candidacy in this year's election. Following Khatami's withdrawal from contention, the Third Wave threw its support behind Mir Hossein Moussavi, who has disputed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, claiming that voting was rigged. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal Jalaeipour said he had advised Moussavi on using social-networking Web sites, such as Facebook, to reach young voters. \"Third Wave was a totally legal campaign with reformist tendencies that was trying to get young people involved in the elections,\" said Shams. \"We believed we should take part to make our country better and to have a better future. We were encouraging young people to not be indifferent about their country.\" Shams said she thinks he may have been detained because of his political activities. \"Most of the activists who have been supporting the reformist candidate, all of them are in prison now. Why should the young people who want to do something for the sake of their country and their people, why are they in prison now?\" Shams said she planned to return to Iran herself if there was no change in her husband's situation in the next week or so. But she but admitted her own safety could not be guaranteed if she went back. Following more than a week of daily demonstrations in Tehran, Iranian security forces have been cracking down on protests and arresting activists including Ebrahim Yazdi, a former deputy prime minister who headed a group supporting increased freedom and democracy. Yazdi, who is 76 and has suffered prostate cancer, was later released. Moussavi and former president Khatami have sent a letter to Iran's courts urging them to release arrested activists and protesters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Iranian activist detained at airport as he tried to leave country .\nWife says she is deeply concerned for Mohammadreza Jalaeipour's safety .\nFatemeh Shams says she hasn't heard from Jalaeipour since his arrest .\nCouple are both activists for pro-Moussavi Third Wave campaign ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle, deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya on Thursday started his journey from Managua, Nicaragua, to the country's border with Honduras. Honduran soldiers block the road at the Honduras-Nicaragua border in Paraiso, Honduras. A caravan of Zelaya supporters and reporters headed north to the city of Esteli, close to the Honduran border. From there, Zelaya would finalize his plans to cross back into Honduras, he said at a news conference before departing. The ousted president stated his intention to return to his homeland this week, raising concerns about increased unrest. The days since the June 28 military-led coup that deposed Zelaya have been marked by mostly peaceful demonstrations by supporters and detractors of the government of interim President Roberto Micheletti. One notable exception was an attempt by Zelaya to return by plane on July 5, only to be turned away by military vehicles blocking the airport's runways. One man was killed in clashes between Zelaya supporters and police. When asked about Zelaya's stated return, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley called it \"unwise.\" \"Any step that would add to the risk of violence in Honduras or in the area, we think would be unwise,\" Crowley said. Zelaya told reporters he hopes that border guards in Honduras will recognize him as president and commander in chief, and put down their weapons when he attempts to cross as early as Friday. \"We go with a white flag, with a flag of peace,\" Zelaya said. Micheletti's government, which has vowed to arrest Zelaya on charges of violating the constitution, announced on Thursday a curfew in the border area with Nicaragua from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., the newspaper La Prensa reported. A less restrictive curfew remained in effect in other parts of the country, the paper said. The backdrop to the tensions following Zelaya's caravan is a peace agreement offered Wednesday by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who mediated two rounds of unsuccessful talks between the two sides. The document, dubbed the San Jose Accord, calls for Zelaya's return to power, the creation of a unity government, and early elections. The accord was very similar to an original plan suggested by Arias, but with more details and a creation of a truth commission to investigate the events that led to the crisis. It also included a timeline for its implementation, which placed Zelaya back in Honduras by Friday. But Zelaya seemed intent to return on his own timeline, as neither side has signed the agreement. Hopes were slim that the agreement would be signed, as the Zelaya camp publicly said it rejected the document, and Micheletti's side said it would have to seek approval from the other branches of government before proceeding. The Honduran supreme court has said it would not accept Zelaya's return under any circumstances. On Thursday, the United States and the Organization of American States expressed support for the San Jose Accord. \"A favorable response to this proposal opens a path of reconciliation,\" OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said at a news conference in Washington. \"A rejection of this proposal opens a path toward confrontation. And I want to say very frankly, we don't want a path toward conflict.\" The Honduran political crisis stems from Zelaya's desire to hold a referendum that could have opened the door to extending term limits by changing the constitution, even though the congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court ruled it illegal. Zelaya was removed from office June 28 in a military-led coup and replaced by congressional leader Micheletti a few hours later. The coup has drawn international condemnation, including demands by the United Nations General Assembly, the OAS and the European Union that Zelaya be reinstated. Micheletti has steadfastly rejected that a coup took place, saying Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jose Manuel Zelaya hopes guards will recognize him as president, let him cross .\nInterim president has vowed to arrest Zelaya on charges of violating constitution .\nOusted president's attempt to return to homeland raises fears of increased unrest .\nU.S. Assistant Secretary of State Crowley calls planned return \"unwise\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- From the mid-1980s, Hungarian-born investor and philanthropist George Soros pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into foundations in Eastern Europe dedicated to promoting the idea of the \"open society\" and challenging the region's Soviet-backed regimes. Here, writing exclusively for CNN.com, he describes how the work of his foundations ultimately contributed to the collapse of communism. A Soviet tank rolls through Budapest during the failed 1956 Hungarian uprising against communist domination. I set up my first foundation in Hungary in 1984. The idea behind it was simple. The state dogma, promoted by the ruling communists, was false and by providing an alternative we could expose its falsehood. Accordingly we supported every cultural initiative that was not an expression of the established dogma. I was guided by the concept of the \"open society,\" which I adopted from the philosopher Karl Popper. I saw the open society as a more sophisticated form of social organization than the totalitarian closed societies of the Soviet bloc. The latter were trying to implement central plans; in an open society every individual or organization was supposed to implement their own plan. To make the transition from a closed to an open society would require outside help and that was what my foundations sought to provide. In Hungary the authorities insisted on having a controlling presence on the foundation's board. We eventually agreed to appoint two chief executives, one nominated by them and one by me. The project succeeded beyond my expectations. With very small amounts of money people could engage in a wide variety of civic initiatives ranging from self-governing student colleges to zither clubs. One of our first projects was to offer photocopying machines to cultural and scientific institutions in exchange for local currency. We used the money to give out local grants and support all kinds of unofficial initiatives, but the photocopying machines also did a lot of good. Up until then, the few existing copy machines were literally held under lock and key -- as more and more became available, the Party apparatus lost control of the machines and the dissemination of information. We did not have to exercise direct control. Civil society watched over the foundation. For instance, we were warned that a blind association, to whom we gave a grant for talking books, was stealing some of the money. With a budget of $3 million, the foundation had more influence on the cultural life of Hungary than the Ministry of Culture. Carried away my success in Hungary, by 1988 I had set up foundations in Poland, China and the Soviet Union. I think that I could have influenced General Jaruzelski in Poland to change his attitude toward the opposition and to see that dissidents such as Adam Michnik and Jacek Kuron were also patriots despite their criticism of the ruling party. As the Soviet empire collapsed, and eventually the Soviet Union and also Yugoslavia disintegrated, we continued to expand. By 1992 there were foundations in 22 countries and expenditure had reached $53 million. A year later we were spending nearly $184 million. Right at the beginning, I had a disagreement with the Polish board about the way the foundation should be run. But that taught me a lesson. They were right and I was wrong. I realized that the people living there understood their country better than I did and I deferred to their judgment. It did not always work. In Bulgaria, a board member who made his name as a human rights activist turned out to be a racist. A Latvian businessman sought to hijack the foundation for nationalist purposes. It was the Russian foundation that gave us the most trouble; we had to reorganize it twice. But the foundations were the first out of the gate everywhere. I remembered the lesson my father who had lived through the Russian Revolution in Siberia taught me: In revolutionary times things that are normally impossible become possible. In Ukraine, we set up the Ukrainian Renaissance Foundation before Ukraine became independent. In Tajikistan, we persevered with the foundation during the five-year civil war although we had no way of controlling its activities. Our impact was the greatest during that turbulent period. When I set up the foundations in Eastern Europe I hoped the open societies of the West would follow in my footsteps, but in that regard I was disappointed. Unwilling to burden their own budgets, they gave the job to the International Monetary Fund, which was ill suited to the task. The IMF was accustomed to signing letters of intent with governments, making the continuation of their programs conditional on the governments fulfilling their obligations. The countries of Eastern Europe fared better, but in the former Soviet states one after another, the programs largely failed. East Germany was the exception: West Germany was willing to make the sacrifices that were necessary to integrate it. Eventually, the countries of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states, also made the grade when the European Union gave them accession. But the rest of the former Soviet Union in the Caucasus and Central Asia never succeeded in making the transition. This has left a bitter legacy. Rightly or wrongly, both the rulers and the people of Russia harbor a deep resentment against the West, which the West has not come to grips with. The new order in Moscow that has emerged out of the chaos of the 1990s is very far from an open society. It is an authoritarian regime that preserves the outward appearances of democracy but derives its power from its control of Russia's national resources. It uses those resources to maintain itself in power, to personally enrich the rulers, and to exercise influence over its neighborhood, both in Europe and in the former Soviet sphere. But the ideal of an open society is difficult to suppress and I have not given up hope." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Financier George Soros funded eastern European dissident groups in 1980s .\nSoros: In revolutionary times things normally impossible become possible .\nSoros set up first foundation in Hungary in 1984; by 1992 foundations in 22 countries .\nWest failed many post-communist states; Russia again an authoritarian regime ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- German car manufacturer BMW has announced it is to pull out of Formula One at the end of the current season after a \"landmark\" decision to restructure the group's motorsport activities was made by the company's board in a meeting on Tuesday. BMW Sauber have opted to pull out Formula One at the end of the 2009 season. A statement on the BMW Sauber F1 Team's official Web site stated that \"the Formula One campaign is [no longer] a key promoter for us\" and that \"current developments in motor sport\" had resulted in the decision. Dr Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW board of management, said: \"Of course, this was a very difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment.\" The team currently lie eighth in the constructors' world championship with eight points after 10 rounds and of their two drivers -- Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld -- Heidfeld sits a lowly 13th in the drivers' championship with just six points. BMW are the second manufacturer to pull out of F1 in a further blow to the sport after Honda's withdrawal before the start of the 2009 season. CNN's analysis of BMW's exit from Formula One. » . However, since Wednesday's announcement, rival German car manufacturer Mercedes have reconfirmed their commitment to the sport. \"We regret the withdrawal of BMW from Formula One. This decision will not have the slightest influence on our commitment to Formula One,\" a spokesman for the company told AFP. Motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, reiterated their belief that the move was an indication of how the global economic downturn was affecting the sport. In a statement on their official Web site, they said: \"The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW's intended withdrawal from Formula One but is not surprised by it. It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis. \"Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer. This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically. \"These measures were needed to alleviate the pressure on manufacturers following Honda's withdrawal but also to make it possible for new teams to enter. Had these regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW and further such announcements in the future might have been avoided,\" the statement added. BMW entered Formula One with a takeover of the Sauber F1 team in 2005 and finished fifth in the constructors' championship in their debut campaign, before racing under their own name in 2006. With an aggressive aim of winning the world championship within three years, the team came close in 2007 finishing second to Ferrari, thanks largely to the exclusion of McLaren-Mercedes from the manufacturer's points standings. In 2008, the team captured third, thanks in part to a first win in the Canadian Grand Prix for Polish driver Kubica. The statement continued: \"It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team with the BMW Sauber F1 team. Unfortunately, the team were unable to meet expectations in the current season.\" The car-builder was also unable to \"quantify redundancies\" that may come from the move which follows the exit of Honda in December. The Japanese manufacturer -- who according to FIA president Max Mosley were spending $500m a season to compete in the sport -- cited the \"sudden contraction of the world economies\" as their reason to end racing. This led to Mosley spearheading an FIA plan to enforce controversial cost-cutting measures on the teams for the 2010 season. The Formula One furor explained. These measures, which split opinion within the sport, are expected to be adopted in a watered-down form and could eventually save $60 million from the cost of running a team, according to Mosley. However, the FIA were prompted by BMW's exit to warn again that if the measures were weakened too much the positive impact on the sport could be reduced. \"As a result of a sustained cost-cutting campaign by the FIA, new measures are in the process of being agreed which should make it easier for new teams to enter and enable existing ones to participate on much reduced budgets. \"It is no secret that these measures do not go as far as the FIA would have liked but a compromise was needed in the interests of harmony in the sport. Hopefully it will be enough to prevent further withdrawals and provide a solid foundation for Formula One,\" the statement read." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "BMW announce that they are to leave Formula One at the end of 2009 season .\nThe German motor manufacturer blame \"current developments in motor sport\"\nBMW entered the sport in 2005 with takeover of the Swiss-based Sauber team .\nThe F1 team are currently lying eighth in the constructors' world championship ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In 2004, even after being captured by U.S. forces, Saddam Hussein told an FBI interrogator he believed Iran was a greater threat to Iraq than the United States, according to newly released FBI documents. Baghdad's Al Mutamar newspaper shows Saddam Hussein, right, with Ahmed Chalabi of Iraq's governing council in 2003. The FBI interviews took place while Hussein, then identified by the FBI as \"High Value Detainee 1\" was held captive by U.S. military forces at Baghdad International Airport between February and June of 2004. Hussein regarded the Iranian threat as so serious that it was the major factor in his decision not to allow United Nations weapons inspectors to return, he said. Citing their shared border and his belief Iran would intend to annex southern Iraq, Hussein said he was more concerned about Iran discovering Iraq's weaknesses than repercussions from the United States and the international community. He believed that the inspectors would have directly identified to the Iranians where to inflict maximum damage to Iraq. Approximately 100 pages of declassified interview summaries, previously classified as secret, were obtained by the National Security Archive at the George Washington University through a Freedom of Information Act request. The FBI declined CNN's request to interview special agent George L. Piro, the agent who interviewed Hussein. FBI spokesman Paul Bresson declined to comment on the declassified documents. \"As a general rule, the FBI does not discuss FOIA'd documents. We let the information stand on its own,\" Bresson told CNN. Piro, an FBI agent fluent in Arabic, conducted the interviews along with another agent whose name has been redacted from the documents. Although Hussein had been a prisoner for months, at one point during an interview he said, \"I am not the ex-president of Iraq. I am still the president of Iraq.\" Hussein also described al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a \"zealot\" and said he had never met or seen him. He also said the United States used the September 11 attacks as justification to attack Iraq, and that the United States had \"lost sight of the cause.\" Despite Piro citing evidence of Iraq's contacts with al Qaeda, Hussein said, \"The Iraqi government did not cooperate with bin Laden\" and that the two \"did not have the same belief or vision.\" The former regime's alleged weapons of mass destruction and alleged ties to al Qaeda were the Bush administration's primary justifications for invading Iraq in March of 2003. Piro and Hussein spoke extensively about Iraq's chemical weapons during the Iran war, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and in the years before the second U.S. invasion. Hussein refused to answer a question about whether Iraq would have lost the war it fought with Iran from 1980 to 1988 if it had not used chemical weapons. He also said neither he nor any other Iraqi officials discussed using chemical weapons during the first Gulf War. Hussein admitted that Iraq made a mistake by destroying some weapons without U.N. supervision. In his view, the inspectors wanted all of their expenses paid for by Iraq. Instead of waiting for the inspectors and paying the expenses, Iraq began destroying the weapons. \"We destroyed them. We told you, with documents. That's it,\" Hussein said. When asked about restrictions he placed on weapons inspectors regarding which locations they could visit, Hussein responded, \"By God, if I had such weapons, I would have used them in the fight against the United States.\" Hussein commented about the mental state of U.S. soldiers occupying Iraq. \"If you asked the American soldier -- who came to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction, but none could be found, and who came to remove the leaders of the Hussein dictatorship, who are all in jail now, but are replaced with other dictators -- whether he wanted to stay or go, he would say go.\" Hussein said he alone gave the orders to fire SCUD missiles at Israel during the first Gulf War, adding, \"Everything that happened to us was because of Israel.\" He said he figured that the United States would stop the war if Israel was \"hurt,\" and he wanted to punish the country he viewed as the source of all his problems. Hussein recalled a meeting in Switzerland between his foreign minister Tariq Aziz and then-U.S. Secretary of State James Baker in January of 1991 shortly before Operation Desert Storm. According to Hussein, Baker offered no solutions to resolve the Kuwait situation and gave specific steps to Aziz that the United States wanted Iraq to do first, and Baker added \"otherwise, we'll take you back to the pre-industrial age.\" He also told Piro he wanted to have a relationship with the United States but was not given the opportunity because in his view the United States was not listening to anything Iraq had to say. Hussein also revealed details about his security measures and movements before and after the second U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. He says he had only used a telephone on two occasions since March of 1990. He denied ever using body doubles, claiming, \"This is movie magic, not reality.\" He also said he never saw his sons use body doubles. \"Do not think I am getting upset when you mention my sons. I still think about them and the fact that they were martyred. They will be examples to everyone throughout the world,\" he said. Hussein also states he was not in the Dora neighborhood of Baghdad on March 19, 2003, when it was bombed by coalition forces in an unsuccessful attempt to kill him. He says he remained in Baghdad until April 10 or 11 of 2003, when it appeared the city was about to fall to coalition forces. Before leaving the city, he said he held one final meeting with the senior Iraqi leadership and told them, \"We will struggle in secret.\" Shortly after his departure from the capital, Hussein began to gradually disperse his bodyguards, telling them they had completed their duty, so as not to draw attention. Hussein also admitted that after participating in the failed assassination attempt against then-Iraqi president Gen. Abdul Karim Qasim in 1959, he had stayed at the same farm where he was captured by U.S. forces in December of 2003. CNN's Carol Cratty contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Saddam Hussein calls Iran a factor in keeping U.N. inspectors out of Iraq .\nHussein described Osama bin Laden as a \"zealot,\" said he never met him .\nHe said the United States used September 11 attacks as justification to attack Iraq ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal authorities have charged seven men in North Carolina with supporting terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder abroad, the Justice Department announced Monday. Daniel Patrick Boyd, left, and Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan are two of the seven men charged. Officials said one of the men, identified as North Carolina resident and U.S. native Daniel Patrick Boyd, had traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he trained in terrorist camps to carry out \"violent jihad.\" Boyd, 39, who went by the name Saifullah, was charged along with two of his sons: Dylan Boyd, 22, also known as Mohammed, and Zakariya Boyd, 20. The four others also are residents of North Carolina, and all seven are accused of engaging in weapons training and military tactics in their home state, the Justice Department said. \"We consider this significant. We've been watching them for some time, and we think they were dangerous,\" said a federal law enforcement official who asked not to be identified. The Boyd family and defendant Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan are identified as U.S.-born citizens. Defendant Hysen Sherifi is identified as a native of Kosovo who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, and Hiyad Yaghi and Anes Subasic are said to be naturalized U.S. citizens. Officials did not immediately identify their native countries. The indictment, made public by the Justice Department, says Daniel Boyd and others left the United States for Israel in June 2007 to \"engage in violent jihad but ultimately returned to the United States after failing in their efforts.\" The defendants, with a substantial cache of weapons, had \"practiced military tactics and use of weapons on private property in Caswell County, North Carolina, in June and July 2009,\" the indictment says. The documents make no reference to a direct threat to individuals or property in the United States. In a written statement, the Justice Department's top counterterrorism official, David Kris, said that Daniel Boyd, \"a veteran of terrorist training camps\" had conspired with others to recruit and help young men travel overseas in order to kill.\" The U.S. attorney in Raleigh, George E. B. Holding, said, \"These charges hammer home the point that terrorists and their supporters are not confined to the remote regions of some far-away land, but can grow and fester right here at home.\" The defendants made an initial appearance in federal court in North Carolina. Officials said they are expected to return to court Thursday for detention hearings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. native and two sons are among suspects .\nMan accused of attending training camps in Pakistan, Afghanistan .\nSeven \"practiced military tactics\" in North Carolina, indictment says .\nNo mention of direct threats to individuals or property in United States ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Schools of robotic fish could one day map the ocean floor, detect pollution or inspect and survey submerged boats or oil and gas pipelines, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say. MIT researcher Pablo Valdivia Alvarado works in his lab on a robotic fish he co-created. MIT engineers are showing off the latest generation of so-called robofish 15 years after they built the first one. The latest incarnation is sleeker, more streamlined and capable of mimicking the movements of a real fish. And it's capable of exploring underwater terrain submersibles can't, said Pablo Valdivia Alvarado, a mechanical engineer at the school. \"Some of our sponsors were thinking of using them for inspection and surveillance,\" Alvarado said. \"Since these prototypes are very cheap, the idea was to build hundreds -- 200, 500 -- and then just release them in a bay or at a port, and they would be roaming around taking measurements.\" MIT researchers built their first robotic fish, \"Robotuna,\" in 1994. But Robotuna has gone the way of the dinosaur. Alvarado said the new generation -- modeled after bass and trout -- cost only a few hundred dollars and have only 10 parts instead of the thousands used in Robotuna. At five to 18 inches, the new fish is much smaller than Robotuna and built from a single, soft polymer. And unlike Robotuna, the fish is able to be released in the oceans. \"Most of the brains, the electronics, are embedded inside,\" said Alvarado, who designed the robofish with fellow MIT engineer Kamal Youcef-Toumi. \"We have built prototypes with the battery inside, but for my experiments, for simplicity. We have a lot of prototypes that are simply tethered. We have a cable that runs out from the body and connects to a power supply.\" The new generation has withstood harsh conditions in the lab, including two years of testing inside tanks filled with tap water, which is corrosive to standard robots, according to Alvarado, who says the Robotuna inspired him to take the technology to the next level. The oil exploration company Schlumberger helped fund the research, but Alvarado says the U.S. Navy has also expressed interest in the robofish. MIT's mechanical engineers are now turning their attention to new challenges: A robotic manta ray and a terrestrial robot in the form of a salamander. CNN's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Engineers at MIT have created a new generation of robotic fish .\n'Robofish' could be used to map the ocean floor, inspect submerged boats or pipes .\nMIT researchers built their first robotic fish, \"Robotuna,\" in 1994 .\nNew robofish are modeled after bass and trout and cost only a few hundred dollars ." } ]

[ { "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 David Whitney traveled to Pakistan to shoot his film about a man forced to flee Afghanistan after falling foul of the Taliban he didn't expect fiction to turn into reality. A still from \"Kandahar Break.\" Production of the film was halted after the crew were fired upon by suspected Taliban militia. But that's exactly what happened three weeks into shooting political thriller \"Kandahar Break\" in late 2008. Gunmen attacked the first-time director and his crew near the Afghan border. Four Pakistani crew members were shot and wounded in the incident and the entire crew was forced to flee the region. Pakistani authorities later told Whitney that the gunmen were affiliated with the Taliban and were in fact targeting the Western members of the team. \"I was very upset. It was terrifying to know that somebody was trying to attack us, trying to shoot us,\" Whitney told CNN. With the help of local security forces the team was immediately evacuated to Islamabad and put on a flight out of the country in 24 hours. Whitney had only managed to film three-quarters of the script and the film's future lay in the balance. \"When I heard that the crew members who had been shot were going to be fine I started to think like the businessman and the producer,\" says Whitney. \"I thought, 'How are we going to finish this film? We're not just going to give up.' And to a man everybody involved agreed to finish it.\" After six months spent organizing financial backing, the original cast and crew flew to Tunisia to complete the movie and has been attracting interest from distributors. Despite the danger caused by shooting so close to the actual conflict zone, Whitney says he would shoot in the region again if he had the chance. \"Every place you point a camera there's a great shot. You don't have to go very far to find fantastic authentic Afghan architecture and beautiful landscapes. \"All the people are in the same sort of authentic costumes, so you don't have the problem of trying to find authenticity -- it's all around you.\" Whitney hopes the authenticity will help \"Kandahar Break\" enjoy the same level of success as Kathryn Bigelow's \"The Hurt Locker\" -- the first film about the Iraq war to make a profit at the U.S. box office. Bigelow's thriller tells the story of an elite army EOD bomb squad who battle insurgents and each other, as they disarm a innumerable roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad. Bigelow shot \"The Hurt Locker\" in Jordan, as close as she could get to the actual conflict zone. She also made use of local actors. The film is based on screenwriter Mark Boal's first-hand experiences gathered whilst embedded with a bomb unit in Iraq. \"Because it was based on real life, we wanted to keep it as realistic as possible and keep it accurate,\" Bigelow told CNN. \"I mean this is a conflict that's still on-going so we felt responsible to the troops still there and the situation on the ground.\" The cast faced grueling shooting conditions: Temperatures ranged between 115 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit (46 and 49 degrees Celsius). It was even hotter in the authentic bomb suit worn by Jeremy Brenner, who plays Staff Sergeant James. The suit weighed 60 pounds. \"You really can't explain the heat and the weight of the suit,\" Brenner told CNN. \"That certainly helped the realism of it all. There were a few moments I felt like ... I've been as close as I could've come to war without actually being in the military. \"The heat was real, the dust was real, the costumes and everything was so real that the tension [was already there],\" Anthony Mackie who plays Sergeant JT Sanborn told CNN. \"Kathryn would come to us before every scene and say, 'Remember at any moment you can die.' And we kept that in mind throughout all the scenes.\" While \"The Hurt Locker,\" has made over $11 million in the U.S., previous movies dealing with conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have struggled to make money. Observers have attributed this to \"war fatigue\" suffered by audiences due to an abundance of war-stories in the media. Bigelow and Whitney are confident that cinema audiences have a thirst for knowledge about volatile regions like Iraq and Afghanistan that goes beyond what is reported on the news. \"I think the conflict [in Iraq] has been somewhat abstract for the general public, certainly speaking for myself,\" Bigelow told CNN. \"The film provides kind of a window, a lens onto what this particular conflict might be like, and gives it some specificity.\" David Whitney hopes \"Kandahar Break\" can have a similar effect. \"Afghanistan is at the moment quite central to global security. I think it's good that people are looking at Afghanistan, questioning it, asking all sorts of questions. If my film can play any part in that, any small part, then I'm pleased.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Four Pakistani crew members shot during filming of \"Kandahar Break\"\nDespite difficulties, director David Whitney says it was a great film location .\nStar of \"The Hurt Locker\" says filming was similar to being in the military ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez froze diplomatic relations with Colombia late Tuesday, citing verbal aggressions from the neighboring South American country. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro speaks to journalists on Monday in Caracas. The televised announcement followed declarations from the Colombian government Monday that anti-tank weapons purchased by Venezuela ended up in the hands of the guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. In addition, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said the guerrillas were trying to buy anti-aircraft missiles. Venezuela received a shipment of Russian SA-24 Igla shoulder-fired missiles earlier this year and showed them off at military parade in April. Chavez recalled Venezuela's ambassador to Colombia, as well as most of the embassy's staff. \"Leave only the lowest functionaries,\" he said. Chavez also threatened to take over Colombian companies operating in Venezuela if Colombia offends Venezuela one more time. Colombia's claims are \"mistaken,\" added Chavez, who called the country's leaders \"irresponsible.\" There was no immediate reaction from the Colombian government. Tuesday's developments came one day after Chavez signed a military agreement with Russia to buy enough BMP-3 armored fighting vehicles and T-72 tanks to double the nation's inventory, according to the Jane's Defense Weekly publication. Chavez said he will use the tanks in his \"Western Shield Plan\" on the border with Colombia. Tensions between the two countries have been high since March 2008, when Chavez ordered tanks to the border in response to a Colombian attack on FARC bases in Ecuador. More recently, Chavez has severely criticized Uribe for entering into negotiations to allow the United States to open military bases in Colombia. The United States says it needs the bases because Ecuador has ordered the closing of a U.S. installation there. Chavez accuses the United States of wanting the bases so it can attack Venezuela. Analysts say Chavez's actions toward Colombia are tied to his feelings toward the United States. \"Chavez hates the United States and he wants to lead a group of countries that don't pay attention to the United States,\" said Myles Frechette, the U.S. ambassador to Colombia from 1994-97. \"Uribe is a guy who is in tune with the United States.\" Frechette notes that \"Colombia and Venezuela have complementary economies\" and could sell more goods to each other under better conditions. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Americas Program at the Carter Center, makes the same point. \"It's a conflict between two ideologies between two countries that are mutually dependent on each other,\" she said. The latest dust-up started Monday, when Colombia accused Venezuela of selling arms to the FARC. Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos said army troops had found AT-4 shoulder-fired grenades in recent raids on jungle camps used by the FARC. \"This is not the first time that this happens,\" Santos said. \"In several operations in which we have recovered weapons from the FARC, we have found powerful munitions and powerful equipment, including anti-tank weapons, from a European country that sold them to Venezuela and that turned up in the hands of the FARC.\" The guerrillas were trying to buy anti-aircraft missiles, Uribe said. Analysts say that could change the guerrilla war's dynamics. \"The AT-4 is much less of a heavy weapon, but surface-to-air missiles would give the FARC a much greater military capability,\" said Anna Gilmour, senior America's analyst for the Jane's Country Risk consultancy group. Uribe said Monday that must not be allowed to happen. \"The international community must help us,\" he said. \"These bandits have historically been able to rely on many sources for armaments. We have found out through intelligence that they are now looking to buy surface-to-air weapons to use against our airplanes.\" Venezuelan officials denied any involvement. \"To me it seems that this is a new attack against our government based on lies,\" Venezuelan Minister of the Interior and Justice Tareck El Aissami said at a news conference Monday. \"We absolutely deny that our government or our institutions are providing assistance to criminal and terrorist organizations. \"It's laughable, it sounds like a cheap film made by the American government.\" Sweden probes 'serious incident' Officials in Sweden, where the anti-tank weapons were made by Saab Bofors Dynamics, verified that the AT-4s were sold to Venezuela in the 1980s. Anders Jorle, Sweden's foreign ministry spokesman, told CNN the government \"considers this as a serious incident\" and is investigating. \"We've been in contact with Colombian and Venezuelan authorities to clarify how this happened,\" Jorle said Tuesday. \"The weapons were part of a lot sold to Venezuela 20 years ago. No weapons have been exported to Venezuela since 2006.\" The Swedish Foreign Ministry added that the Swedish Inspectorate of Strategic Products, the authority responsible for checking weapon exports, will consider not selling any more weapons to Venezuela. The FARC most likely acquired the AT-4 grenade launchers in the past 18 months, said Jane's analyst Gilmour. This is not the first time that Venezuela has been tied to the FARC, which has been fighting the Colombian government for more than 45 years. Last fall, the U.S. Treasury Department accused two senior Venezuelan intelligence officials and a former official of providing weapons to the FARC and assisting the rebels with narcotics trafficking. The U.S. identified one of the individuals as Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, director of Venezuela's Military Intelligence Directorate. Another individual was identified as Ramon Emilio Rodriguez Chacin, who was Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice until September. Rodriguez Chacin was \"the Venezuelan government's main weapons contact for the FARC,\" the Treasury Department said. \"The FARC uses its proceeds from narcotics sales to purchase weapons from the Venezuelan government. Rodriguez Chacin has held numerous meetings with senior FARC members, one of which occurred at the Venezuelan government's Miraflores Palace in late 2007. Rodriguez Chacin has also assisted the FARC by trying to facilitate a $250 million dollar loan from the Venezuelan government to the FARC in late 2007.\" Computers recovered last year in the Colombian attack on the FARC base in Ecuador showed that \"Chavez has been heavily involved with the FARC,\" said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami. \"Chavez has been modeling himself more on what [former Cuban leader Fidel] Castro used to do in terms of helping insurgencies and destabilizing countries,\" Purcell said. Analysts point to Venezuela's increasing militarization as a threat to stability. From 2005-07, Venezuela bought $4.4 billion in weapons and military hardware, including 24 Sukhoi-24 aircraft, 50 combat helicopters and 100,000 AK-103 assault rifles, Gilmour said. Last year, Russia extended a $1 billion credit line for further acquisitions. \"Venezuela has been trying to frighten everyone in the region by buying Russian weapons,\" said former U.S. envoy Frechette. He said Chavez has become increasingly frustrated that he doesn't always get his way, such as in his relations with Colombia. So he turns to the Russians. Analysts: Chavez role in military sales in question . Chavez's involvement in the sale of the anti-tank weapons to the FARC is open to discussion, though. \"The more interesting question is how they got there and whether Chavez had anything to do with it,\" Purcell said. Frechette agrees, saying, \"Nobody can say this was done by Chavez.\" The former envoy believes there's a good chance that the sale was carried out by corrupt officers without Chavez's involvement. \"Don't underestimate the corruption in that country,\" he said, adding that some military officials might have \"discovered these things that have been sitting in a warehouse since the 1980s.\" Whether Venezuela would sell surface-to-air missiles also is open to discussion. Gilmour says Venezuela will want to safeguard its stockpile. \"Venezuela would not want any kind of seepage because the missiles were acquired so recently and Venezuela-Russia relations are pretty positive at the moment,\" she said. Purcell said Russia might not care, pointing out that \"Castro did all sorts of things that the Soviets didn't like\" but still kept supporting him for decades. \"Russia has a lot of different interests,\" she said. \"It's not clear that they would walk away from the relationship.\" CNN's Laura Perez Maestro and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Venezuela recalls ambassador to Colombia, most of embassy staff .\nColombia claims weapons purchased by Venezuela ended up in hands of guerrillas .\nVenezuela President Chavez threatens takeover of Colombian firms in his country ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Honey has been used to treat wounds since ancient times, but recent years have seen a surge of medical interest in the sticky stuff. Research has shown that honey has antibacterial properties. Manuka honey has been the subject of particular interest, with the results of a study just published by Sydney University finding that it has powerful antibacterial properties, and is even effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Associate Professor Dee Carter, from Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences said: \"Our research is the first to clearly show that these honey-based products could in many cases replace antibiotic creams on wounds and equipment such as catheters. Using honey as an intermediate treatment could also prolong the life of antibiotics.\" \"Most bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic, and there is an urgent need for new ways to treat and control surface infections.\" She added: \"We don't quite know how these honeys prevent and kill infections, but a compound in them called methylglyoxal seems to interact with a number of other unknown compounds in honey to prevent infectious bacteria developing new strains that are resistant to it.\" Honey is a complex substance, containing up to 800 compounds and its complexity means it has been difficult to pinpoint exactly how it kills bacteria. Manuka is a type of honey that is made by bees pollinating the flowers of the Manuka bush, a member of the Leptospermum family that grows naturally in New Zealand. Now, an Australian company is claiming to have produced the world's most potent medical-grade antibacterial honey, made by bees pollinating the Australian jellybush, also a member of the Leptospermum family. Australia's Medi Bioactive Honey Company claims its Berringa antibacterial honey has twice the antibacterial content of normal manuka honey, and has launched the product in the UK. Dr Rose Cooper of the University of Wales Cardiff School of Health Sciences has researched honey's antibacterial action and has written a book called \"Honey in Modern Wounds Management.\" Cooper told CNN that there are many components in honey that contribute to its antibacterial nature. She says its high sugar content, low water content and low pH are all factors. Additionally, some honey produces hydrogen peroxide, which can kill bacteria. Since 2004, Britain's National Health Service has licensed the use of manuka-honey wound dressings and sterilized medical grade manuka-honey creams." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Research has shown that honey can have powerful antibacterial properties .\nManuka honey is made only by bees that pollinate the manuka plant .\nAn Australian company claims it has produced the world's most potent honey ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Episcopal Church has moved decisively closer to full acceptance of gay men and lesbians, taking steps toward recognizing same-sex marriage and gay bishops. Gene Robinson is the Episcopal Church's first -- and so far only -- openly gay bishop. A key committee voted overwhelmingly Monday to start putting together blessings to be used in same-sex marriages, the church's official newspaper reported. Separately, the House of Bishops voted by a wide margin to allow gays and lesbians to become bishops, Episcopal Life reported. Both measures must be approved by the church's General Convention before taking effect, but expert Mark Silk said there is \"little reason\" to think the changes will not \"sail through.\" \"They basically decided to move forward on all fronts with regularizing the status of gays and lesbians within the church,\" said Silk, director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Connecticut. A leading campaigner for gay rights within the Episcopal Church welcomed the vote on bishops. \"There is no question that today's vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ,\" said Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA. The vote shows the Episcopal Church \"striving to actually become the church former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning called us to be nearly 20 years ago now ... a church where there are no outcasts,\" she said in a statement on the group's Web site. The Episcopal Church created controversy in 2003 with its decision to ordain Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, as a bishop. The move raised the possibility of a split within the worldwide Anglican Church, the third-largest Christian denomination, with about 70 million members around the world. The Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church, has not ordained another openly gay bishop since Robinson. \"The decision has been to kind of chill out on a bunch of things,\" Silk said. But Monday's vote ends what had been, in effect, a moratorium, he said. It was the Episcopal Church saying that \"this wasn't an anomaly when we elected Gene Robinson. We affirm that partnered gay people do have callings [to be clergy], and we have to recognize them.\" \"It is bringing the church's position in line with the civil society's,\" Silk said. The head of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, declined Tuesday through a spokesman to comment on Monday's moves. But on Monday, he expressed \"regret\" at the vote on gay and lesbian bishops, according to Episcopal Life. \"I regret the fact that the will to observe a moratorium is not the will of such a significant part of the church in North America,\" the paper quoted him as saying. A number of Episcopal dioceses have broken with the official church structure over gay and lesbian issues, forming the breakaway Anglican Church in North America. They say the mainstream Episcopal Church and the aligned Anglican Church in Canada \"have increasingly accommodated and incorporated un-Biblical, un-Anglican practices and teaching.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. denomination takes steps to bless same-sex unions, accept gay clergy .\nChanges must be approved by church's General Convention .\nChurch sparked controversy in 2003 by ordaining a gay man as a bishop .\nArchbishop of Canterbury expresses regret over decision on clergy ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to expand and tighten sanctions on North Korea after that nation's recent nuclear test. The U.N. Security Council votes for a resolution imposing sanctions against North Korea on Friday. The 15-0 vote on U.N. Resolution 1874 imposes an embargo on the shipment of arms from the communist regime and broadens a ban on the import of weapons. \"This resolution provides a strong and united international response to North Korea's test of a nuclear device,\" said U.S. Deputy Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo. The agreement comes amid rising tension surrounding North Korea, which recently conducted a nuclear test, fired test rockets and threatened U.S. and South Korean ships near its territorial waters. The nuclear test and the firing of six short-range rockets occurred in late May. Pyongyang's actions violated existing U.N. resolutions. The Security Council's five permanent members had already passed a draft resolution Wednesday that condemned North Korea's nuclear test \"in the strongest terms.\" The permanent members -- China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States -- reached the agreement in consultation with Japan and South Korea. The draft resolution reaffirmed that the \"proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security.\" That resolution provided a \"strong, very credible, very appropriate response to the provocative nuclear test that North Korea launched and its subsequent activities,\" Susan E. Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters at the time. \"And we think that the message that the council will send ... is that North Korea's behavior is unacceptable, they must pay a price, they ought to return without conditions to a process of negotiations and that the consequences they will face are significant,\" Rice said. Provisions already existing in U.N. Resolution 1718, passed in 2006, are strengthened by the new measure, but others are new, Rice said. The new resolution requires states to \"exercise vigilance\" over the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to North Korea of small arms or light weapons. Nations would be required to notify the sanctions committee at least five days prior to selling, supplying or transferring small arms or light weapons to North Korea. The resolution calls on all states to inspect vessels suspected of containing contraband. If a ship refuses, it is to proceed to the closest port for a mandatory inspection. A new regulation would prohibit nations from providing bunkering services, such as fuel, to North Korean ships believed to be carrying contraband. The draft also broadens authority to prevent the flow of funds that could benefit North Korea's missile, nuclear or proliferation activities. Late last month, two Defense Department officials said U.S. satellite imagery spotted \"vehicle activity\" at a North Korean ballistic missile facility. The officials said the images showed vehicles used to transport Taepodong-2 missiles, but no missile parts. The Taepodong-2 is a long-range missile North Korea tested in April. That test showed a significant improvement in range from North Korea's initial long-range missile test in 2006. This week, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak on the record told CNN that Washington had \"indications\" that North Korea may be planning another test. The official would not provide any details, however. President Obama's special envoy to North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, called \"simply groundless\" accusations by Pyongyang that its nuclear and rocket tests were in response to American aggression. Washington officials have said the United States' goal is for North Korea to return to nuclear negotiations with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia, known as the six-party talks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.N. Resolution 1874 imposes arms embargo, broadens weapons import ban .\nN. Korea recently did nuclear test, fired rockets, threatened ships near its waters .\nResolution requires arms sales notifications, inspection of suspect vessels .\nPyongyang's actions violated existing U.N. resolutions ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Michael Jackson was the pride of Gary, Indiana, growing up, and on Friday, his hometown paid tribute to the late entertainer with a memorial and celebration in his honor. A group pays tribute to Michael Jackson by performing some of his signature moves. They remembered him as not just the King of Pop or the musician who took Hollywood by storm, but as someone with an unmatched enthusiasm and talent for entertaining even as a little boy growing up in this city of about 100,000 in northwestern Indiana, 30 miles from downtown Chicago, Illinois. Jackson's first music teacher, Anita Hill, spoke of teaching Jackson to sing \"Climb Every Mountain,\" and remembered him as a \"very energetic and wonderful student.\" The principal of his middle school remembered how, at Christmastime how Jackson, always jumped up and offered to sing to his class. Later, when he joined with family members to create the Jackson 5, he performed for kids at his school, the principal said, joking about the bargain that at the time it only cost them 10 cents to see the future pop icon. Gary Mayor Rudy Clay noted Jackson put the city on the world's map and bid farewell to the star. \"He's going to put on those golden slippers and he's going to dance all over God's heaven,\" he said. The tribute at The Steel Yard baseball park in Gary was full of children dancing and singing to Jackson's music, including a performance of \"Thriller\" complete with the cemetery scene that became so iconic. Some of the biggest applause of the night came after a video was played of Jackson in Gary talking about his love for his hometown. \"Gary, you will always have a special place in my heart,\" Jackson said in the video played on the stadium's jumbo screen. \"And Gary, you are more than good friend -- you are my family and you always will be.\" As a finale, about 700 people holding candles sang \"We Are the World,\" the 1985 song Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie to benefit USA for Africa. Jackson lived in Gary for 11 years before moving to the West Coast after the Jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969. His father, Joe Jackson, made a brief appearance after being introduced by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. After being surrounded by TV crews and photographers, Joe Jackson made his way to the stage, thanked everyone for attending and said it was good to be home. \"This is a pleasure to be back to see so many people here,\" Joe Jackson said. \"It's always good to come back home, you know that.\" Fans have flocked to Jackson's boyhood home in the days following his death in Los Angeles, California, on June 25. Autopsy results are pending." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Joe Jackson: \"It's always good to come back home\"\nTeachers, neighbors remember energetic boy full of talent .\nChildren, groups sing and dance to pay tribute to Jackson ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Former boxing champion Vernon Forrest is dead after being shot multiple times in a neighborhood southwest of downtown Atlanta, officials said Sunday. Police say they have no suspects in the death of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest. An Atlanta police spokeswoman said it appeared that Forrest, 38, had been robbed, which led to a confrontation in which he was shot several times in the back. Police had no suspects as of midday Sunday, said the spokeswoman, Sgt. Lisa Keyes. Mark Guilbeau, senior investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office in Atlanta, said an autopsy will be conducted Sunday, and results are expected by afternoon. Watch Forrest's manager react to his death » . Forrest was the International Boxing Federation welterweight champion in 2001, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion in 2002-2003, and the WBC light welterweight champion in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, according to the BoxRec Web site. He was named the World Boxing Hall of Fame fighter of the year in 2002, according to BoxRec." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Forrest, 38, was robbed and then shot in the back after confrontation, police say .\nHe was shot multiple times, Atlanta, Georgia, police say .\nForrest, a welterweight, won several championships .\nHe was named the World Boxing Hall of Fame fighter of the year in 2002 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Guinea-Bissau will hold a runoff presidential election Sunday, five months after the leader of the West African nation was assassinated by a group of soldiers. Supporters of former president and current candidate Malam Sanha rally in Bissau. The race is between two former heads of state, Kumba Yala and Malam Sanha. The candidates won the most votes in the first round of balloting June 28. Analysts hope the new president will usher in an era of stability to the nation of 1.5 million. The former Portuguese colony has had a history of military coups since its independence in 1974. President Joao Bernardo Vieira became president in 1980 after a military coup. He was accused of purging political rivals and suppressing dissent, but several coup attempts in the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. He was finally ousted in 1999 -- and re-elected in 2005. Vieira was killed in March to reportedly avenge the death of the country's military chief a day earlier. Yala, who took office in 2000, was unseated in a military coup after three years. Sanha served as interim president for a few months before his opponent's term. The conflicts have ravaged the nation's infrastructure and economy, leaving it among the poorest in the world. Guinea-Bissau has been battling a booming drug trade and is considered a major transit point for smuggling cocaine into Europe. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, who urged voters to be peaceful, said he hoped the election would provide a clean start. \"The secretary-general hopes this election will mark a clear step forward for Guinea-Bissau in achieving political stability and security, and in fostering the social and economic conditions necessary to consolidate peace and fully realize human rights,\" Ban's representative said in a statement. A 1998 conflict led to the closure of the U.S. Embassy, which operates from neighboring Senegal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "West African state holds elections five months after president assassinated .\nRunnoff candidates Kumba Yala, Malam Sanha are both former heads of state .\nU.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urges Bissau-Guineans to vote peacefully .\nGuinea-Bissau has suffered succession of coups since independence from Portugal ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Daria Roithmayr is a law professor at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, where she teaches on race and law. She worked for Sen. Edward Kennedy as special counsel on the Clarence Thomas and David Souter confirmation hearings. Guy-Uriel Charles is a law professor at Duke Law School where he is the founding director of the Center on Law, Race, and Politics. Daria Roithmayr says Sotomayor would add broader life experiences to the background of Supreme Court justices. No one was surprised when the subject of race dominated the public conversation during Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings. What was surprising was how unwilling both sides of the aisle were to talk about race openly. Republicans tried to argue that race should be completely separated from judicial decision-making. For their part, Democrats tried to minimize the importance of her race to her decision-making by focusing on her record, to show that her race had played no role in her decisions. Judge Sotomayor herself suggested that life experiences are an important part of the process of judging, but then sought to minimize the difference that those experiences might have made to a particular result. Most people understand that life experiences and racial identity do affect the decision-making process. But is this something to be lamented or celebrated? We think the latter. In this, the not quite post-racial era of Obama, scholars are developing new understandings of the connection between race, life experience and decisions. Researchers such as Scott Page and James Surowiecki are telling us that varied life experiences and ethnicity can improve the result when a group makes decisions together. At the University of Michigan, Page uses mathematical models to show not only that people's backgrounds make a difference in how they think, but far more importantly, that these differences are essential for good collective decision-making. As Page acknowledges, the relationship between life experience and decision-making is an empirical question -- a question of fact to be determined based on research. In some domains -- making decisions about the scope of anti-discrimination law or deciding on a health care policy -- we likely will see that broader life experience makes for better decisions. Surowiecki, who wrote \"The Wisdom of Crowds,\" points out that a group will more often than not come to a better decision than the average individual, so long as the group includes a range of people with different life experiences and ways of looking at and solving problems. As Surowiecki notes, if the group has enough variation in the information that they bring to the table, their thought processes and their approach to solving problems, the group is more likely to come up with the right answer before an individual, even in some instances when the individual is an expert. The Constitution itself recognizes the importance of life experiences to legal decision-making. Defendants in the criminal process are entitled to a jury of their peers precisely because jurors bring to the process a collection of life experiences that will shape their understanding of the facts and the law. All-white juries are problematic in large part because we believe that the life experiences of jurors are an integral part of their collective judgment of innocence or guilt. We also are coming to understand that race is just one of several structural factors that affect a person's life experiences and life chances, together with economic security, gender, class and geography. These days, the best thinking on race focuses less on racial symbolism and more on understanding how race affects a person's life experiences and life chances -- her access to education, health care, economic and physical security, her experience with the criminal justice system, whether she grew up wealthy or in a public housing project. Thus, we understand that the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for disorderly conduct after he opened his jammed front door might be a signal of existing racism in law enforcement. But the better way to understand his arrest might be to acknowledge that whether one thinks this is the symbol of continued racism in law enforcement or an officer trying to do his job, in general, Gates' race affects his life chances and life experiences. As an African-American, Gates runs a much greater chance of being arrested during his lifetime than does his white counterpart. We should also acknowledge the role that class plays in life chances -- Gates was able to summon with a simple phone call one of the best criminal lawyers in the country, an opportunity not available to most African Americans. Although we have not yet figured out the meaning of race in this supposedly post-racial era, we know that race still matters, even as we know that it does not matter in the same way that it used to. Democrats and Republicans should acknowledge that having a Latina on the bench will make a difference because it will improve the court's collective decision-making. Wise men and women with different life experiences are more likely to reach a result that is better, that is wiser and that is more just. In that vein, Sotomayor's life story -- in which a Puerto Rican girl from Bronxdale Houses grows up to attend Yale Law School and become a Supreme Court justice -- is a story that should matter to us all. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daria Roithmayr and Guy-Uriel Charles." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Roithmayr, Charles: Race dominated the Senate hearing on Sotomayor .\nThey say research shows groups of diverse people make better decisions .\nHaving Sotomayor on court will widen life experiences of the justices, they say .\nRoithmayr, Charles: We should strive for diversity of class, gender, geography ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BELLEVUE, Nebraska (CNN) -- If LeRoy Carhart's abortion clinic had a terror alert scale, it would be at Code Red this weekend. Anti-abortion protesters plan demonstrations this weekend outside Dr. LeRoy Carhart's clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska. \"I feel safer on an airplane than I do in my clinic,\" Carhart said, sitting at his desk in his windowless office in Bellevue, Nebraska. \"You try to think about every way an attack could happen. You try to do all you can to prevent it, but obviously Dr. [George] Tiller thought he was safe in church.\" It's been nearly three months since Tiller, one of the world's most well-known doctors performing abortions, was shot in the head at point-blank range on May 31 as services began at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. Anti-abortion groups, led by Operation Rescue, plan to launch protests outside Carhart's clinic this weekend in Bellevue, just south of Omaha. They will be the first major anti-abortion protests since the Tiller killing. The demonstrations are set to culminate Saturday with so-called Truth Trucks -- delivery trucks with giant rolling billboards of dismembered fetuses on the sides -- parking outside Carhart's clinic and canvassing area neighborhoods. Protesters carrying anti-abortion signs also are expected. Operation Rescue President Troy Newman has vowed a peaceful demonstration and said that any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media. His group scaled down plans to protest at Carhart's facility Friday when it learned women's rights groups, including the National Organization for Women, would be there. Operation Rescue will hold a rally at a church instead Friday. \"Operation Rescue has said Dr. Carhart is the next target ...,\" said Katherine Spillar, executive vice president with the Feminist Majority Foundation. \"We fear that these kinds of activities can eventually erupt in violence, and I urge the community to make sure violence doesn't happen.\" Abortion rights supporters were predominant in the 50 to 75 people gathered outside the clinic Friday morning. \"Welcome, welcome, this clinic stays open,\" some shouted when cars pulled into the clinic's driveway. Newman said earlier, \"I'm not interested in putting our folks in any situation where the other side might flare up. I'm very confident about our side. They're very peaceful moms and dads and families that will be showing up with signs.\" He said he abhorred the killing of Tiller. \"Shooting someone in the head in a church,\" he said, \"is not a pro-life act. Sorry, it doesn't qualify.\" Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old anti-abortion activist, is charged in Tiller's killing. He has pleaded not guilty. Newman said he wants Carhart shut down -- through legal means. He said he was confident his organization would have shut down Tiller this summer through a legal battle. \"I vehemently disagreed with what Mr. Tiller did, as well as all abortionists for what they do. But they're still human beings, and they deserve due process,\" Newman said. Tiller was one of about a dozen U.S. doctors who performed late-term abortions. In the wake of his death, his family decided to close his clinic permanently. Carhart was a close friend and understudy of Tiller's. He performed abortions at Tiller's clinic for a week every month, including late-term procedures. Carhart has vowed to open an office in Kansas and said he'll keep doing abortions as long as he's healthy. He said he's performed more than 60,000 abortions in the past two decades. About 400 of those were after 24 weeks, he said. Staring across the room at a poster of Tiller, he said, \"I don't want his death to be in vain. He spent his whole life trying to ensure better health care for women.\" Carhart was performing an abortion in his clinic when Tiller was killed that Sunday morning. He learned of the news by phone from Tiller's head nurse. \"That's when she told me that George had been shot in church and that he was dead.\" Carhart is unlike many abortion doctors. He's doesn't parse his words about his profession. The outside of his office has the name of his clinic in bold letters: Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska. He said he takes pride in the term abortionist. \"I do abortions, and that is what I do,\" he said. On Friday, Carhart teared up when talking about the abortion rights supporters outside his clinic. \"It's unbelievable,\" he said of the support. Mark Gietzen, the driver of a truck for Operation Rescue, beamed with pride ahead of the protests. He stood outside his truck in Wichita adorned with a poster showing the dismembered hand of a fetus on a quarter. Across the top of the van, it reads, \"Abortion is an ObamaNation.com.\" He said he knew Tiller \"quite well\" from the vantage point of a peaceful common enemy over the years and said the killing was a setback for \"pro-lifers.\" He's only had one encounter with Carhart -- when the doctor drove his car by protesters and \"quacked like a duck.\" Carhart acknowledges he might've done that. Gietzen's message to Carhart: \"Please respect the life of the babies. Stop the killing, stop committing such a horrible act for money.\" Newman, the head of Operation Rescue, said he'll keep praying Carhart \"turns back to the healing arts and not taking babies' lives.\" Carhart remains unmoved. \"When they're ready to accept our position, then we'll sit down. We say choice is right. If you don't want to have an abortion, don't have one.\" Here in America's heartland, a battle is being waged and both sides are entrenched. There is no middle ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Abortion rights supporters dominant outside clinic on Friday .\nFirst major abortion protests set since killing of Dr. George Tiller in May .\nDr. LeRoy Carhart of Nebraska was understudy of Tiller's .\nCarhart says he takes pride in the term abortionist ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Shortly before his death, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking for the pontiff to pray for him as he struggled with an aggressive form of brain cancer, it was revealed at his graveside service Saturday evening. Members of the Kennedy family gather at the gravesite Saturday evening. Kennedy, the youngest and last-surviving brother of a heralded Kennedy generation, was laid to rest on a hillside at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his slain brothers, the late President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy -- both assassinated more than four decades ago. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick read a recent letter from Kennedy to the pope at the private burial ceremony in Arlington, Virginia. \"I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines,\" McCarrick said, quoting from Kennedy's letter. \"I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago, and although I continue treatment the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old, and preparing for the next passage of life,\" the cardinal read. Read excerpts from Kennedy's letter to pontiff . The burial service at dusk followed a eulogy by President Barack Obama in Massachusetts, a brief prayer service outside the U.S. Capitol and a procession through the crowd-lined street of Washington's streets. Among the congressional colleagues greeting the Kennedy family at the Capitol was 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, who has been out of the spotlight lately because of deteriorating health. Watch an overview of the day's events » . Many who had gathered at the Capitol were visibly emotional and wiping tears from their eyes. Some held framed photos of Kennedy, and many held American flags that they waved during a singing of \"America the Beautiful.\" The Rev. Daniel Coughlin -- chaplain of the House of Representatives -- said a prayer and addressed the family. \"Here we are to pray with you, offer sympathy and thank you,\" he said. \"Thank you for sharing the senator.\" Coughlin also noted that Kennedy's hopes were \"unquenchable, full of immortality.\" As Kennedy's widow, Vicki, went back into the car, she waved to the crowd and mouthed, \"Thank you\" as the crowd erupted into applause. The late senator's son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, addressed those on the steps, saying how his father \"knew that he was only great because he had great people supporting him.\" \"He would be very proud to see you all out here today paying a final respect and tribute to his memory,\" he said. Earlier Saturday at the funeral in Boston, Massachusetts, Obama hailed Kennedy as \"a champion for those who had none; the soul of the Democratic Party; and the lion of the U.S. Senate.\" \"He was given the gift of time that his brothers were not, and he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many wrongs as the years would allow,\" the president said. \"We can still hear his voice bellowing through the Senate chamber, face reddened, fist pounding the podium, a veritable force of nature, in support of health care or workers' rights or civil rights,\" Obama said, calling Kennedy \"the greatest legislator of our time.\" Watch President Obama's full eulogy » . Kennedy's son Ted Jr. delivered a tender, personal remembrance of his larger-than-life father. He said his father \"never stopped trying to right wrongs.\" Kennedy lived up to the ideals of three older brothers, all of whom died young -- Joseph in World War II, President John and Sen. Robert assassinated -- his son said. \"He answered Uncle Joe's call to patriotism, Uncle Jack's call to public service and Bobby's determination to seek a newer world. \"Unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather, and knowing what my cousins have been through, I feel grateful that I have had my father as long as I did,\" Ted Jr. said. \"My father was not perfect, but he believed in redemption,\" he said. And he said Kennedy had made light of his failure to become president, despite the weight of expectations on him as a Kennedy. \"I don't mind not being president, I just mind that someone else is,\" he quoted his father as saying, closing his remembrance with a line from Kennedy's famous 1980 concession speech that ended his presidential ambitions: \"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream will never die.\" Watch as Ted Kennedy Jr. recalls his dad's help when he lost his leg as a boy » . The funeral began with a hearse bearing Kennedy's body through Boston rain from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to Mission Church. A military honor guard carried the coffin through a sea of black umbrellas into the church. Watch as military honor guard carries Kennedy's casket » . People lined the streets of Boston cheering for Kennedy as the service began, despite the rain. Local bars and restaurants were packed with people watching the live coverage on television inside. Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter also came to honor the late legislator, known as the lion of the Senate. Vicki Kennedy accepted condolences from each of the current and former presidents before Holy Communion. The program concluded with an undated quote from Kennedy: \"For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.\" Many of Kennedy's fellow senators past and present came to say a final farewell. Other mourners included Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dan Quayle, all veterans of the Senate, where Kennedy served for 47 years. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, CIA chief Leon Panetta, and several Cabinet members also turned out to pay their respects. Watch as Mass for Kennedy begins » . Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, chatted with Sen. Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, in the pews before the ceremony began. Honorary pallbearers at the service included Dodd, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts -- his party's 2004 presidential candidate -- and long-time Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, also a Democrat. The actual pallbearers were Kennedy children, nieces and nephews. World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed two pieces during the service, and was joined by the tenor Placido Domingo for one of them. At the graveside service were a number of family members, as well as Vice President Joe Biden. Kennedy's grave is 95 feet south of his brother Robert's, which is just steps away from the burial site of another brother, former President John F. Kennedy. A single white, wooden cross will be placed at the head of the grave and a marble footmarker put in place. The footmarker reads: \"Edward Moore Kennedy 1932-2009.\" The setup is identical to Robert Kennedy's grave, Arlington cemetery spokeswoman Kaitlin Horst told CNN. Kennedy, the patriarch of America's leading Democratic family for more than 40 years, died at the age of 77 on Tuesday, 15 months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. CNN's Jessica Yellin, John King and Elaine Quijano contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: In letter to Pope Benedict XVI, Kennedy asked for prayers .\nSen. Edward M. Kennedy laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery .\nPresident Obama hailed Kennedy as \"a champion for those who had none\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- NATO and Russia have agreed to restart their military relationship, nearly a year after it had been frozen over the war in Georgia, the top NATO official said on Saturday. Russia's conflict with Georgia in August 2008 strained relations between NATO and Russia. \"The NATO-Russia Council is up and running again also at the political level,\" said NATO Secretary- General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, speaking at a meeting of ministers in Corfu, Greece. Russia is not a member of NATO but is a member of the NATO-Russia Council, formed in 2002. It consults, coordinates, reaches joint decisions on and carries out joint action with NATO on areas such as terrorism, cooperation on Afghanistan and military exercises. Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008 over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia -- the first time Russia sent troops abroad to fight since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Differences over that conflict and Russia's subsequent recognition of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia strained relations between NATO and Russia. While there are differences of opinions regarding Georgia, Scheffer said member states \"share common security interests,\" including stability in Afghanistan, arms control, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and concerns over drug trafficking, piracy and terrorism. Scheffer said officials \"are in the process of examining the current institutional structure of the NATO-Russia Council and have agreed to make it a more efficient and valuable instrument for our political dialogue and practical cooperation.\" Scheffer, who is completing his term as NATO head, said it is the latest time he will chair the NATO-Russia Council as well. He said he is \"confident\" that the council \"will continue to be an important channel for dialogue and cooperation among its members in the future.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Secretary-general: NATO-Russia Council \"up and running again\"\nMember states \"share common security interests,\" Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says .\nCouncil gives NATO and Russia opportunity to consult and coordinate activities .\nRussia's war with Georgia and recognition of breakaway regions strained relations ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina (CNN) -- Authorities in North Carolina have jailed a suspect in the slaying of one of five women whose bodies have been found since 2005 in remote areas outside Rocky Mount, the Edgecombe County sheriff said Tuesday. Jackie Nikelia Thorpe's body was found along Seven Bridges Road in August 2007. Sheriff James Knight said Antwan Maurice Pittman, 31, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Taraha Shenice Nicholson, whose remains were found in a wooded area on March 7. Nicholson was 29 when she was reported missing on February 22, Knight said at a news conference in Tarboro. Pittman, of Rocky Point, was being held without bond. All five of the slain women were African-American, and authorities said they were from an area frequented by prostitutes. Four of them lived in Rocky Mount, which is about 55 miles northeast of the state capital, Raleigh. Michael Teague, North Carolina's former top forensic psychologist, told CNN's David Mattingly he believes the deaths are the work of a serial killer. \"Just the fact that the bodies have been found close together would really argue for a serial killer,\" Teague said. He also said he believes the killer is someone with a lot in common with his victims. \"Their economic level, their background, the same race. So I think it's someone who would fit very easily within the environment,\" the psychologist said. The body of the first woman was discovered in May 2005. All the remains were found near the Seven Bridges Road, which snakes northeast from Rocky Mount into rural Edgecombe County. The probe into the deaths of the other four women is ongoing, said Knight, who is leading a joint investigative task force of his deputies, Rocky Mount police and the state Bureau of Investigation. Representatives from the other two groups also attended the news conference. \"The investigators with the task force have worked countless hours, days and nights in order to bring this case to the point where it is now,\" said Renee Robinson, special agent with SBI. \"We are following up on leads as they develop.\" Rocky Mount Police Chief John Manley Jr. said the task force also was investigating the cases of three other missing women and a death in Rocky Mount. He has said it appears the women \"suffered a similar death,\" but authorities have not divulged further details. They did tell CNN that two of the victims were strangled, and one was stabbed and beaten. Manley identified the four women whose bodies were found as: . • Melody Wiggins, 29, whose body was found May 29, 2005. • Jackie Nikelia Thorpe, 35, whose body was found August 17, 2007, behind a house on Seven Bridges Road. • Ernestine Battle, 50, whose remains were found in a wooded area along the road on March 13, 2008. • Jarneice Latonya Hargrove, 31, whose skeletal remains were found June 29, 2009 in woods off the road." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Antwan Maurice Pittman, 31, charged with first-degree murder .\nTaraha Shenice Nicholson, whose remains were found in a wooded area on March 7 .\nRemains of five women found since 2005 along road outside Rocky Mount .\nPolice chief says it appears women \"suffered a similar death\"\nCity, county, state agencies have formed task force ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (CNN) -- After making landfall on Mexico's Baja California peninsula, Category 1 Hurricane Jimena was weakening Wednesday night, forecasters said. After making landfall on Baja California, Hurricane Jimena started weakening Wednesday night. The storm made landfall Wednesday afternoon between Puerto San Andresito and San Juanico, Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said. As of 8 p.m. ET, the center of Jimena was located near San Buenaventura, Mexico, and about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Santa Rosalia, Mexico. It was moving north at near 12 mph (19 kph), and was expected to turn northwest and slow Wednesday night before turning west on Thursday. \"On the forecast track, the center of Jimena will move over the central Baja California peninsula tonight and Thursday, then move into the Pacific west of Baja California late Thursday or Thursday night,\" the Hurricane Center said. See the storm's projected path » . The storm's maximum sustained winds had decreased slightly, to 80 mph (129 kph) with higher gusts, the hurricane center said. Jimena is expected to weaken into a tropical storm Wednesday night, forecasters said. At its peak Tuesday, Jimena was a Category 4 storm, with winds of 145 mph (233 kph). A hurricane warning remained in effect for parts of the Baja peninsula, from Bahia Magdalena north to Punta Abreojos on the west coast, and from San Evaristo north to Mulege on the east coast, the Hurricane Center said. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph), are expected within 24 hours. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were in effect for the Baja California peninsula north of Punta Abreojos to Punta Eugenia on the west coast, and north of Mulege to Bahia San Juan Bautista on the east coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the peninsula north of Punta Eugenia to San Jose de las Palomas on the west coast, and north of Bahia San Juan Bautista to Bahia de los Angeles on the east coast. A tropical storm warning also was issued for northwestern mainland Mexico, from Huatabampito to Bahia Kino, the Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning means conditions including winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph) are expected within 24 hours. Jimena is expected to produce between 5 and 10 inches of rain over the southern half of the peninsula, with 15 inches possible on some areas. \"These rains could produce life-threatening floods and mudslides,\" the Hurricane Center said. In addition, \"a dangerous storm surge along with large and dangerous battering waves will produce significant coastal flooding along the Baja California peninsula,\" forecasters said. CNN's Betty Nguyen, Matt Cherry and Ninette Sosa contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Storm hits between Puerto San Andresito and San Juanico, Mexico .\nJimena expected to weaken into a tropical storm Wednesday night .\nHurricane warning remains in effect for parts of the Baja peninsula Wednesday night .\nJimena could bring up to 10 inches of rain to Baja California, western Mexico ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Katie Callaway Hall trembled for four hours when she heard Phillip Garrido was arrested. Katie Callaway Hall said she wanted to scream when she heard that Phillio Garrido kidnapped someone else. His name sent a flurry of emotion running through her mind. \"I screamed,\" she told CNN's Larry King on Monday night. \"I started screaming 'Oh my god, Oh my god, it's him.' \" She has thought about him every day since November 22, 1976 when he asked her for a ride at a supermarket in California, before handcuffing her, binding her and taking her to a mini-warehouse in Reno, Nevada, where he raped her. Watch victim describe her terror » . Garrido was convicted for kidnapping and raping Hall, but was released after serving just over 10 years of a 50-year sentence. He was labeled a sex offender and put on lifetime parole. \"In many ways, the capture of Phillip Garrido has closed a chapter in my life,\" Hall wrote for a Larry King blog. \"I don't have to hide anymore. I don't have to live every day of my life wondering if he is looking for me. I am finally free from the fear I have lived with since the day I learned he was paroled.\" Read what Hall wrote on the blog . Garrido and his wife, Nancy, were charged last week with crimes relating to the abduction of 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard in 1991 and her captivity in a hidden shed-and-tent compound in the couple's backyard in Antioch, California. \"With all the joy I should feel, I want to scream from the depths of my soul,\" she said. \"Scream because my fears turned out to be justified -- he struck again.\" While Hall has tried to suppress some of the memories of what happened to her that night, Garrido's arrest took her mind back to that night in November. \"A man tapped on my window and asked for a ride,\" she said. \"I agreed.\" When she stopped the car to drop him off, Garrido took the keys out of the ignition, according to court documents from Garrido's appeal in the case. Garrido, then 25, \"told [Hall] it wasn't intentional that he had taken her, but that it was her fault because she was attractive,\" according to the documents. \"Soon after, I was cuffed, bound, gagged, and taken to a warehouse,\" Hall told CNN. She was kept in the 6 by 12-foot storage facility, which Hall remembers was stacked with half-opened boxes with China-type dishes inside. Large, heavy carpets were hanging from the ceiling, spaced apart every few feet. \"It was like a maze,\" she said. \"And in the back of the mini warehouse where he had me, he had it set up to keep someone for awhile.\" \"Most of the details about what happened to me after I entered that warehouse have been repressed.\" She told Larry King that she feared for her life. \"I thought I was dead,\" she said. Hall was held in the small storage facility for five hours before she heard a noise. \"My recollections begin around 3 a.m. Someone banged on the door. I remember thinking, 'Oh my God, his friends are coming,' \" she said. \"Garrido said, 'Do I have to tie you up or are you going to be good.' \" She told him she would be good, but she knew if it was the police banging outside, she was going to \"have to try something.\" \"I barreled my way out of the warehouse completely naked. I could see the officer and Garrido standing there. They both looked at me like I was crazy,\" she said. \"I couldn't see the officer's car. I thought 'Oh God, he's not a real cop.' My state of mind was such that I couldn't fully embrace what I was seeing. Finally, I saw his police car.\" Garrido tried to tell the cop Hall was his girlfriend. \"I screamed, 'No I'm not -- help me, help me,' \" she said. \"The officer told me to go back in and put my clothes on. When I went inside, Garrido must have convinced the officer we were both on drugs, because he let Garrido go back into the building alone,\" Hall said. \"I had already put some of my clothes on. Garrido came back in and begged me not to turn him in.\" Half-dressed, Hall said she maneuvered past him and asked the police to keep him away. \"They asked if I was brought there against my will,\" she said. \"I told them I was, that he had handcuffed and bound me. An officer shined a light on my wrists, saw the sores from the handcuffs, and arrested Garrido.\" Though Garrido was put behind bars for what he did, Hall said that night changed her life forever. \"For years, I walked around like a zombie,\" she said. \"I had to tell everyone I met what had happened to me -- because I didn't feel like myself. It was as if I had to explain why I wasn't 'normal.' \" For her, that's the biggest pain Garrido put her though. \"I was a good person. I lived right, and treated others well,\" she said. \"He changed my life in an instant. I don't feel like I can ever be that person again. Being victimized is something that only a victim can understand. I hate that he did this to me, and I doubt I'll ever get over it.\" Though the trauma of her kidnapping has stayed with her all of these years, Hall said she couldn't even begin to imagine the pain Garrido has caused Dugard and the two children she had with him. \"The only thing I can think of worse than what happened to me, is it happening to my child,\" she said. \"I can't imagine what Jaycee is going through. He had me for 8 hours. He had her for 18 years. \"I was an adult, with instincts that helped me deal with the situation. She was a child. This is going to be with her for the rest of her life. I can only wish her the best.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Phillip Garrido was convicted for kidnapping, raping Katie Callaway Hall in 1976 .\nHall: \"I want to scream from the depths of my soul\" knowing he struck again .\nHall was kept in a storage facility for eight hours when a cop came to help .\nVictim: \"I hate that he did this to me, and I doubt I'll ever get over it\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Fabian Cancellara retained his gold jersey at the Vuelta Espana despite being caught up in a huge pile-up involving the leading riders near the end of Tuesday's fourth stage from Venlo to Liege. Andre Greipel of Team Columbia celebrates as he wins the 225km fourth stage of the Tour of Spain. Andre Greipel of Team Columbia edged out Belgian Wouter Weylandt and fellow German cyclists Bert Grabsch and Marcel Sieberg in a sprint finish to the rain-hit 225km leg which saw the race move from the Netherlands into Belgium. They moved clear after the main pack endured a major spill two kilometers from the end of the stage, which featured the first real climbs of the race. Switzerland's Cancellara now has a nine-second lead over Belgian sprint specialist Tom Boonen, who moved up to second as the top 57 riders involved in the crash were given the same time as the leaders. Grabsch is third, 11 seconds off the pace, with Greipel next at the same time following his fourth-place finishes on the two previous stages. \"My goal before starting the Vuelta was to win a stage,\" Greipel told the Vuelta's official Web site. \"I accomplished that here in Liege and now we'll just take it one day at a time. However, I really want to direct my first words to my fellow racers in the peloton who were involved in the spill. \"I just hope everyone can continue the race. As for me, I received great support from my team and that made my job much easier.\" On a difficult day for riding, the temperature dropped from 25C to 17C and persistent rain led to several falls for the competitors. Ezequiel Mosquera was one to cross the finish line in an apparent pain, though no details were released as to his condition. Lars Boom of Rabobank led a breakaway from the 21km mark with Dominik Roels (Milram), Javier Ramirez (Andalucia Cajasur) and Sergei Lagutin (Vacansoleil), and they built a 14-minute lead by 55km. However, that was slowly trimmed to just 2:35 with 47km remaining, and then to less than two minutes after the third and final ranked climb. Once they were caught, Enrico Gasparotto of Lampre went 10 seconds clear with 10km left but was also reeled in just before the mass crash. The riders have a much much-needed day off on Wednesday before moving to Spain for the 174km fifth stage from the Catalan city of Tarragona to the coastal city of Vinaros in Castellon. British rider Charles Wegelius became the first entrant to quit the event, meaning that New Zealander Julian Dean of the Garmin team is now the only man with a chance of completing all three of the sport's major three-week races this season. The duo started the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta along with Cancellara, Britain's David Millar and American Tyler Farrar, with the latter trio failing to finish in Italy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fabian Cancellara retains his gold jersey at Vuelta Espana despite pile-up .\nAndre Greipel of Team Columbia wins fourth stage to Liege after late mass crash .\nAll the peloton given the same time as leaders following rain-hit day of racing .\nRiders have a rest day on Wednesday before the race moves into Spain ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Packing winds of 140 mph, Hurricane Jimena was approaching Baja California on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, forecasters said. A satellite image shows Hurricane Jimena off the coast of Mexico early Sunday evening. \"There's a good chance this system could be a Category 5 in the next 24 hours,\" said Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. As of Sunday afternoon, Jimena was about 270 miles (440 km) south of Cabo Correintes, Mexico, or about 480 miles (770 km) south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California, according to the center. The storm is expected to continue in a north-northwest motion and approach the southwestern tip of Baja California sometime early Tuesday. Jimena is the 10th named storm of the Pacific season. \"It started out kind of slow for the Pacific,\" said Robbie Berg, another specialist at the hurricane center. \"Now we've had seven named storms form, and that's pretty busy for August. I think it's been a couple decades since we've seen that many storms in August.\" There's no reason for people in Southern California to panic, but they should keep an eye on Jimena, Berg said. \"There's no watches or warnings in effect, but we would like residents and tourists in the area to monitor the progress of the storm,\" Berg said. \"We do expect it to maintain its major hurricane strength as it heads up into that area.\" Tropical Storm Kevin has also emerged in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, Berg said it is weak -- with winds at a mere 50 mph -- and is not expected to pose a serious threat. CNN Radio's John Lorinc and Brendan Gage contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Hurricane specialist says Jimena could reach Category 5 strength .\nHurricane is currently a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds .\nStorm is expected to move northwest toward Mexico's Baja California .\nResidents of Southern California advised to keep eye on storm's progress ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Despite some high-profile bombings in recent days, Iraq's security forces are ready to take over for U.S. forces this week to stabilize the nation's major cities, the U.S. commander in Iraq told CNN on Sunday. Except for soldiers in advisory roles, all U.S. combat troops will leave Iraqi cities and towns by June 30. Army Gen. Ray Odierno said he's seen a \"constant improvement\" in both the security situation and governance in Iraq to prepare for the June 30 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from major cities. \"They've been working for this for a long time,\" Odierno said on CNN's \"State of the Union.\" In a separate interview on \"Fox News Sunday,\" Odierno said all U.S. troops already were out of Iraq's major cities before Tuesday's deadline. \"We have already moved out of the cities,\" Odierno said. \"We've been slowly doing it over the last eight months. And the final units have moved out of the cities over the last several weeks.\" Watch CNN's Michael Ware on the U.S. withdrawal » . The shift is part of the security agreement that former President George W. Bush's administration signed with Iraq. In the CNN interview, Odierno blamed the recent violence in Iraq on \"extremist elements using the timeframe and date to gain attention to themselves and divert attention from the success of Iraqi security forces.\" The 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still will \"maintain full coordination with Iraqi forces inside the cities\" and continue to have intelligence capacity, Odierno said. With approval from the Iraqis, they also will carry out operations in major cities as necessary, he said. Odierno said his goal is to help provide security that allows Iraq to hold planned national elections leading to the eventual removal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011. He said his biggest worry is a breakdown in stability such as a \"consistent increase in violence\" or a situation that Iraqi forces can't handle. \"I don't see that\" happening, Odierno said. \"I think we're on the right path.\" Odierno also said Iran continues to \"interfere\" in Iraq, including training insurgents and paying surrogates. But he said his mission is limited to providing security within Iraq, no matter the provocation from Iran or elsewhere. \"I'm not authorized to do anything outside the borders of Iraq,\" he said. Iran's government has repeatedly denied fomenting violence inside Iraq." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gen. Ray Odierno sees \"constant improvement\" in security, governance in Iraq .\nIran continues to \"interfere\" in Iraq, Odierno says .\nIranian government repeatedly denies instigating violence inside Iraq ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Rescuers on Tuesday spotted the wreckage of a Yemeni jet that crashed in the Indian Ocean off the island nation of Comoros, the country's Vice President Idi Nadhoim said. Relatives of passengers of the plane that crashed arrive at Marseille airport in southern France. The plane, carrying more than 150 people, was en route to Moroni, the capital of Comoros, from Yemen's capital, Sanaa. A reconnaissance plane spotted traces of the jet in waters off the town of Mitsamiouli, Nadhoim said. \"There were no sign of survivors,\" he said. \"There are a few bodies floating and there is a lot of debris floating around.\" The crash occurred as the plane approached the Hahaya airport in Moroni. The plane tried to land, but couldn't, and then U-turned before it crashed, Nadhoim said. Officials did not know why the plane could not land, he said. There were 142 passengers and 11 crew members aboard, Yemenia Air officials said. Nadhoim offered another figure, saying there were 147 passengers. Flight 626 left Sanaa at 9:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET) for what was expected to be a four-and-a-half-hour flight. The airline has three regular flights a week to Moroni, off the east coast of Africa, about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) south of Yemen. The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m., Nadhoim said. Most of the passengers aboard the Airbus A310 were Comoran, an official at Sanaa's international airport told CNN. An official at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris said there were 66 French passengers aboard. There was no indication of foul play behind the crash, the official in Yemen said. The crash was the second involving an Airbus jet in a month. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. All 228 aboard are presumed dead. The cause remains under investigation. CNN's Saad Abedine contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: French passengers aboard; most on plane are Comoran .\nCrash occurs as plane tries to land at airport, official says .\nReconnaissance craft spots traces of plane, bodies off Comoros .\nPlane crashes in Indian Ocean near Comoros, official says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal investigators at the Nestle USA plant in Danville, Virginia, have found evidence of E. coli bacteria in an unopened package of raw chocolate chip cookie dough, two sources at the Food and Drug Administration told CNN Monday. A Nestle spokeswoman says the tainted product was in a 16.5-ounce package and read \"best before 10 JUN 2009.\" Researchers were testing the bacteria to determine if it bears the same genetic fingerprint as the E. coli linked to an outbreak of illness that has affected at least 69 people in 29 states. The tainted sample was manufactured last February 10 at the Nestle Plant in Danville, said the sources, both of whom requested anonymity. All of the infected persons had been confirmed as having the outbreak strain of E. coli 0157:H7, the CDC said Monday. Those affected range in age from 2 to 65, however 64 percent are less than 19 and 73 percent are female. Thirty-four people have been hospitalized and nine developed a kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome. No deaths have been linked to the outbreak. A spokeswoman for Nestle said the company's baking division was informed Monday of the finding. She said the tainted product was in a 16.5-ounce package that had a day code of 9041 and a \"best before 10 JUN 2009\" on the package. The plant where the dough was produced has been shut since June 18." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bacteria found at Nestle USA plant in Danville, Virginia, FDA researchers say .\nResearchers tested bacteria for link to illness outbreak in 29 states .\nNestle spokeswoman said company's baking division was informed of finding .\nAll infected persons confirmed as having strain of E. coli 0157:H7 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Spongy red balls wait in a queue, separating two teams wired to smack their opponent. Within seconds, the players dip and dive like dolphins until one player stands alone, relishing in victory. An adult plays in a dodge ball league organized by the . City of Sparks Parks and Recreation in Nevada. It's the classic game of dodge ball, but these aren't fifth-graders during PE class in Sparks, Nevada. The childhood sport of dodge ball made a comeback four years ago in this bedroom community among adults in their 20s and 30s -- and even a few players who reached retirement. Now, hundreds of working professionals, doctors, lawyers and teachers congregate at the local recreation center for a dose of dodge ball on Sunday nights. \"I think a lot of it goes back to trying to stay young,\" said Tony Pehle, recreation supervisor in Sparks, who started the dodge ball program after being inspired by the 2004 Ben Stiller movie \"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.\" \"They might be adults, but they still like to play and have fun.\" Has Peter Pan syndrome come to stay? From playing dodge ball to jumping double Dutch and competing in rock-paper-scissors, adult men and women, from urban nests to rural towns, are reveling in games and activities once thought to be child's play. The 2009 World Yo-Yo Contest in Orlando, Florida, this weekend (August 13) is all grown up, attracting more than 150 adult competitors, who can showcase dizzying tricks with the flick of a finger. Later in the month, hundreds of adults outfitted in pirate and animal costumes will race their homebuilt vehicles for Oregon's annual Portland Adult Soapbox Derby, a crafty activity that began for youths in the 1930s. \"Once a year, I get to build something for the kid in me,\" says Jason Hogue, a 41-year-old carpenter, who has participated in the race for eight years. Last year, he constructed a car shaped like a hammerhead shark. \"We get to use our creativity and get excited with our friends.\" Whether they're done to seek refuge from the daily grind or to provide nostalgia for youthful days -- or they're a product of what some experts say is a generation that can't grow up -- these juvenile pastimes are getting more popular. For example, adult viewership of the Nickelodeon show \"SpongeBob SquarePants\" swelled by 51 percent from 1999 to 2009, officials say. The World Adult Kickball Association, one of the largest kickball organizations, has spread its tentacles to 33 states as well a soldier division in Iraq. WAKA Kickball began as a casual game between a few young single friends in their 20s in Washington, D.C. Now, the games appeal to tens of thousands of adults, many of them yuppies wanting a quick escape from the stresses of their first 401(k), mortgage and job. \"I played soccer growing up, and I like competition,\" says avid kickball player Marlon LeWinter, 28, of New York City. LeWinter, a public relations executive, usually plays the position of center with a bunch of producers, writers and analysts in their late 20s. They named their team Chipwich Nation after they scarfed down the cookies-and-ice cream treat at a bar after a game one night. \"Sometimes when it's [the score] two to one in a kickball came, I get the jitters,\" he says. The economic bind also creates a favorable environment for adults to latch onto simple children's games and sports. With players who are trapped in a world of layoffs and job freezes, these adult leagues, contests and tournaments are the equivalent of sandbox time for children. They can make new friends and go for a beer after the game. These activities are also budget-friendly, costing less than $100 to join for several months of play -- much less than a golf club membership. Since the recession, Duncan Toys, one of the biggest yo-yo manufacturers in the United States, has seen sales spike. A company official noticed many of the adults who purchased yo-yos tried to get the same models they owned as kids. \"Nowadays, everything is taken so seriously that people revert to something like playing with a yo-yo,\" says Mike McBride, a 34-year-old multimedia designer who picked up the activity shortly after college. McBride, who will compete in the Orlando World Yo-Yo contest, says the activity helps him relieve stress. \"There's no pressure.\" In 2006, Christopher Noxon, in his book \"Rejuvenile,\" explored why adults fancy childhood pursuits like kickball, cartoons and cupcakes. Beginning with Generation X adults in the 1990s, the group began to shift from the norms of the hierarchal corporate ladder, and the age of marriage began to steadily climb. Soon, juvenile activities that had been regarded as silly became hip. Quirky became cool, and more organized teams, groups and competitions for playground sports and childlike hobbies emerged. \"Our whole idea of adulthood has changed,\" says Noxon. \"We value flexibility and creativity, and these are things kids are good at. It's brought us back to what we had as children.\" But it isn't just the younger generations that clutch leftovers from their youth or become interested in child-like activities. Grandparents in their 70s and 80s still collect roomfuls of model train sets, romanticizing the days when the only way to travel was by choo-choo. Women in their 40s acquire American Girl dolls that stir fond memories of reading the novels during childhood. Psychology experts say it shouldn't be a surprise that the affinity for childhood hobbies and activities extends across generations. After all, Americans have long had an obsession with youth. To be young is associated with being fun, vibrant and active. In the Internet age, finding one's inner child has never been easier, with the proliferation of social networks such as Facebook or Web sites like Meetup.com, where users can create groups and meeting times for activities. On the site, groups of adults organize scavenger hunts in Atlanta, Georgia, and action figure discussions in New York City. \"This is a generation of people who are far less homogenous and more niche-oriented,\" says Judith Sills, a clinical psychologist who works with young adults. \"They can bond around their quirky differences. Ten years ago, you couldn't have easily found another kickball player, even if you wanted to play.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "WAKA Kickball started more than a decade ago by a few friends is now in 33 states .\nThe 2009 World Yo-Yo Contest will attract more than 150 adults this year .\nHundreds of adult soapbox racers will wear costumes to race in Portland, Oregon .\n\"Rejuvenile\" author Noxon says childhood pastimes are becoming more acceptable ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- British police are reviewing the death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, 40 years after the hard-living rocker was found dead in a swimming pool. An autographed photo of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones who was found dead in July 1969 . Police in Sussex, in southern England, have confirmed they are examining documents given to them by an investigative journalist who has been researching events surrounding Jones' death. Scott Jones, who is not related to the musician, has spent four years reviewing the evidence and speaking to key witnesses in the case. In an article published in the Daily Mail in November 2008, Jones wrote, \"I'm convinced Brian Jones' death was not fully investigated. The only question that remains is why?\" Brian Jones' body was found in the swimming pool after a party at his home in Cotchford Farm, East Sussex in July 1969. He was 27. An inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, despite post mortem results showing he had not taken illegal drugs and had only consumed the alcoholic equivalent of three and a half pints of beer. One of the most popular conspiracy theories that followed was that Jones was murdered by his builder, Frank Thorogood. The theory gained credence after Thorogood allegedly confessed to the killing before his death in 1993. The storyline formed the basis of the 2005 film \"Stoned.\" Sussex police told CNN they could not say how long it would take to review the new material, nor whether it could lead to a full investigation. There have been repeated calls for closer examination of the case since Jones' death, which came just three weeks after he left the Rolling Stones. His drinking and drug-taking had taken a toll on his health and the band, and in 1969 Jones announced he was leaving. In a statement he said, \"I no longer see eye-to-eye with the others over the discs we are cutting.\" Last year, Scott Jones published an article containing contents of an interview he conducted with one of the people present at Jones' home on the night of his death. In the article, published in the Daily Mail, Jones' said Janet Lawson, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones tour manager Tom Keylock, gave him a version of events that contradicted her official police statement. She is reported to have called her original statement, \"a pack of lies... total rubbish.\" Lawson's revised version of events is among the documents Jones has supplied to Sussex police. It is also believed to include previously unseen files released by the Public Records Office. Lawson died of cancer soon after telling Scott Jones her new sworn testimony." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sussex police confirm they are reviewing information on Brian Jones' death .\nRolling Stones founder was found dead in his swimming pool in July 1969 .\nInquest found \"death by misadventure,\" although questions remained .\nInvestigative journalist has handed documents, other material to police ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Flash floods have inundated refugee camps in northern Sri Lanka, endangering more than 16,000 Tamil refugees who only months ago survived cross-fire in the country's two-decade civil war, the United Nations says. In this file photo Tamil civilians are seen at Menik Farm refugee camp on the outskirts of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Three days of heavy rains have damaged or destroyed nearly 2,000 shelters housing the refugees in the Vavuniya District and in Menik Farm, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. An internal U.N. memo obtained by CNN painted a dismal picture for the refugees, who have been caught in mud flows and the runoff from flooded latrines. \"Due to heavy showers on 14 August 09 ... many tents and toilets were submerged/badly damaged,\" the memo said. \"Reportedly more than 300 families gathered together and marched towards the main access gate of the Zone to protest,\" the memo continued. \"Though ... not violent, they seemed disgruntled and agitated due to the sufferings and expressed their resentment by hooting and making noises.\" The camps spread across northern Sri Lanka are home to about 280,000 people, who were displaced in the final months of the nation's civil war. The flooding came ahead of Sri Lanka's monsoon season, which typically brings heavy rains to the country's northeast from October till January. \"If the rain continues, which is very likely, then the overall situation may go out of control of the management and lead to serious security threat,\" the memo warned, saying contingency plans are being \"discussed and worked out.\" Human Rights Watch has called for the immediate release of Tamil civilians living in the camps, which are surrounded by barbed wire, saying they are being confined against their will, like criminals. \"Those are not detention camps,\" Lakshman Hulugalle, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said in late July. \"They are relief villages. All the basic facilities are being given to the people.\" Hulugalle said that barbed wire is commonly used to define barriers in Sri Lanka and that military guards were being used out of security concerns. The government fears that rebels are hiding in the camps and is screening people living in them. Sri Lanka declared victory in May in its 25-year battle with the Tamil Tiger rebels, but concerns remain about how the island nation can heal its deep war wounds. The rebels -- formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -- had waged war for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka since July 1983. As many as 70,000 people were killed in the conflict. Last month the government said it had a 18-day plan to resettle most of the refugees, but added that a lot of work remains to be done to infrastructure and basic services destroyed in the fighting. Human rights activists say, however, that the government is not working fast enough. Human Rights Watch said Sri Lanka's goal now was to resettle only 60 percent of the refugees by year's end." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Refugees caught in mud flows, runoff from flooded latrines, internal U.N. memo says .\nMore than 300 families protest conditions, memo says .\nFlooding comes ahead of Sri Lanka's monsoon season .\nHuman Rights Watch has called for immediate release of Tamil civilians at camps ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "RALEIGH, North Carolina (CNN) -- Federal authorities are searching for an eighth alleged member of a North Carolina group that authorities say plotted \"violent jihad\" overseas, prosecutors said Tuesday. Daniel Patrick Boyd, left, and Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan are two of the seven men charged. Robin Zier of the U.S. attorney's office in Raleigh told CNN that the eighth person, whose name has been redacted from court documents, is a U.S. citizen. She added that U.S. Attorney George Holding had said federal authorities hoped to have the person apprehended soon, and the public should not be worried. The U.S. attorney's office would not release further details. According to an indictment released Monday, the eighth suspect, described as a North Carolina resident, traveled to Pakistan in October 2008 to \"engage in violent jihad.\" It offered no other information. Seven other men have been arrested on charges of supporting terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder abroad. Officials identified three of the men as U.S. native Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, and Boyd's sons, Dylan Boyd, 22, also known as \"Mohammed,\" and Zakariya Boyd, 20. Daniel Boyd had fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. The four others are: Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, also a U.S.-born citizen; Hysen Sherifi, identified as a native of Kosovo who is a legal permanent resident of the United States; and Hiyad Yaghi and Anes Subasic, both naturalized U.S. citizens. Watch why wife says they were in Mideast » . Officials did not immediately identify the native countries of Yaghi and Subasic. All seven are accused of engaging in weapons training and military tactics in North Carolina, the Justice Department said. Sabrina Boyd, the wife of Daniel Patrick Boyd and the mother of the two younger Boyds, said the charges had not been substantiated. \"We are decent people who care about other human beings,\" Sabrina Boyd said in a statement read on her behalf by Khalilah Sabra. \"I have raised my sons to be good people and we are a good family,\" she said, according to Sabra, the North Carolina director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation, a civic and human rights group. Sabrina Boyd said in the statement that her husband had fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan with the \"full backing\" of the U.S. government. Boyd went on to say in an interview with CNN that her family had traveled to the Middle East for peaceful reasons, including praying for a son who had died in a car crash. \"We all had agreed to go the Holy Land and pray for our son,\" Boyd said. \"It would be a positive action and it would help console us and it would be in a place where we felt, Islamically, we could do the most good for our departed beloved.\" According to the indictment, Daniel Boyd and his sons left the United States for Israel in June 2007 to \"engage in violent jihad, but ultimately returned to the United States after failing in their efforts.\" It said Yaghi and Hassan had also traveled to Israel in June 2007, and that Daniel Boyd had lied to Customs and Border Protection agents at the Atlanta, Georgia, and Raleigh airports about intending to meet the two men in the Jewish state. The indictment also said Daniel Boyd had traveled to Gaza in March 2006 \"to introduce his son to individuals who also believed that violent jihad was a personal obligation on the part of every good Muslim.\" The indictment mentions mentions other trips -- by Yaghi to Jordan in October 2006; by Sherifi to Kosovo in July 2008; and by the unidentified defendant to Pakistan in October 2008. All the trips were taken to \"engage in violent jihad,\" the indictment alleges, without providing details. The documents make no reference to a direct threat to individuals or property in the United States, but said the men had practiced military tactics in a North Carolina county that borders Virginia. The defendants, with a substantial cache of weapons, had \"practiced military tactics and use of weapons on private property in Caswell County, North Carolina, in June and July 2009,\" the indictment said. Daniel Boyd, \"a veteran of terrorist training camps\" had \"conspired with others to recruit and help young men travel overseas in order to kill,\" according to a written statement from the Justice Department's top counterterrorism official, David Kris. It was unclear whether the seven had hired lawyers, and the federal public defender's office in Raleigh did not immediately return a phone call. CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seven other men have been arrested on charges of supporting terrorism .\n8th person being sought is U.S. citizen; public told not to be worried .\nWife of suspect Daniel Patrick Boyd said charges had not been substantiated .\nDaniel Boyd, a U.S. citizen, and his two sons are among the seven men arrested ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In an anguished 911 call, a Georgia man told dispatchers that he arrived home to find \"my whole family's dead.\" Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in a mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia. \"I just got home,\" a man identified as Guy Heinze Jr. told the emergency dispatcher in the Saturday call, released Monday by authorities. \"I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death.\" Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence at the New Hope mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia, authorities said. Two others were hospitalized in critical condition; one of them, identified by police as 19-year-old Michael Toller, died Sunday. The remaining survivor remained in critical condition on Monday, police said. A neighbor of Heinze's placed the call and put him on the phone, as well as the mobile home park's maintenance man. The park manager also called 911, sobbing as she told dispatchers, \"Please hurry.\" Listen as the 911 operator hears a family has died » . Police said Sunday that they have \"no known suspects\" in the case. \"We are not looking for any known suspects,\" Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said. \"That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us.\" Heinze was arrested Saturday night and faces charges of possessing a controlled substance and marijuana, as well as evidence tampering and making false statements to a police officer, Doering said. He said Heinze has been cooperative and stopped short of naming him a suspect in the deaths. \"We're still looking for anybody and everybody that may be related to this,\" he said. \"That naturally includes [Heinze]. Of course we're looking at him.\" \"I don't know what to do, man,\" an emotional Heinze told the dispatcher. \"My dad, my mom, my uncle, my cousin ... my dad, he's laying there dead. That was my dad.\" \"It's a house full of people that live there,\" the neighbor said during the call. \"I know there's a baby. I don't know if the baby was in there or not.\" At one point, while the maintenance man, identified only as Mike, talked to dispatchers, Heinze went into the mobile home and reported that his cousin, identified as Michael, was still breathing. Asked to describe Michael, the maintenance man said that Michael is a \"young man with Down's syndrome.\" Heinze reported that the youth's \"face is smashed in,\" he said. Heinze got back on the phone to talk to a supervisor, repeating that Michael was breathing, although he appeared to be having trouble breathing and needed an ambulance. The dispatcher assured him that help was on the way and tried to question him gently. \"People's beat,\" Heinze said. \"Everybody is dead.\" Asked what the mobile home looked like, he yelled, \"It looks like a [expletive] murder scene.\" At the dispatcher's suggestion, Heinze tried to question Michael, asking him, \"Where do you hurt?\" There was no response. Doering said Sunday that police think at least one person not in custody may have information in the case. Authorities have not released the identities or ages of the other victims, revealing only that they range in age from children through mid-40s. One additional victim was identified, Doering said Monday, but he did not release that person's name pending notification of relatives. Autopsies on the victims began over the weekend in Savannah, Georgia, and continued Monday, Doering said. Police had been called to the home before, Doering said, but would not say why. He was tight-lipped Sunday about many aspects of the case, refusing to say how the victims died or to give a breakdown of male and female victims. All nine victims lived in the mobile home, he said, and police do not believe that any of them conducted the assault. He said police are making progress and have narrowed down the timeline for when the deaths occurred. Brunswick is about 300 miles southeast of Atlanta, on the Georgia coast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police identify one of deceased as 19-year-old Michael Toller .\nGuy Heinze Jr. heard on 911 call telling dispatcher he arrived home to find bodies .\n\"I don't know what to do, man,\" Heinze tells 911. \"My dad, he's laying there dead\"\nPolice say \"no known suspects\" in the attack; 7 dead at scene, 8th died later ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WESTERPLATTE, Poland (CNN) -- On a sand swept stretch of Afghanistan, a high-ranking Polish general put his country's mission there into perspective. The repurcussions of World War II lasted decades for Poland. He explained to a NATO delegation that Polish troops remind Afghan locals of two things about the mission: They are not Soviets and they know how difficult it is to live under foreign occupation. It is hard to ignore the incomparable price Poland paid during World War II. It was attacked by Germany, invaded by the Soviets, and became home to the notorious Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. After six brutal years, Poles were the victors in war but losers in peace, living for four decades under Soviet repression. Many here will tell you they still have not come to terms with their fate after the war. Seven decades after the start of World War II, the conflict still defines Polish identity and history. September 1, 2009 in Westerplatte, Poland turned out to be a blue sky day even as dignitaries and notably the leaders of Poland, Russia and Germany turned out to remember the dark horrors that so changed their histories. The leaders laid wreaths to honor the 'Defenders of Westerplatte', the men who died in the battle that started it all. It was here at this strategic port on the Baltic Sea, Danzig, now Gdansk, that Nazi Germany's surprise attack on Poland triggered six years of bloodletting, a savage Holocaust and the death of more than 50 million people. The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, called it a war against humanity itself. Tusk also answered critics who felt his country and the world should now move on from World War II. He warned that if anniversaries are not marked and ceremonies not planned, there may be nothing to shield us from the brutality of future wars. But still today the events of the last 70 years have left their mark and fueled some modern day controversies. Send us your war stories . Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tried to appeal directly to the people of Poland in an open letter. He reminded them that at least 27 million Russians died in the conflict but also warned against equating the Soviet Union's role in World War II with the menace of Hitler's Nazism. \"..exploiting memory, anatomizing history and seeking pretexts for mutual complaints and resentment causes a lot of harm. \" wrote Putin. He backed that up with public comments saying, \"If we talk about an objective assessment of history, we should understand that it had no one color. It was varied and there were huge number of mistakes committed by many sides. All these actions, in one way or another, created conditions for the beginning of a large-scale aggression by Nazi Germany.\" Putin was at the heart of a tug-of-war over the war. Some Poles say Stalin was as evil and complicit as Hitler during the war. Russians say that callously overlooks the sacrifice of Russians in defeating Nazism and liberating Europe. In fact, it took German Chancellor Angela Merkel to put their achievement in perspective. She said that a unified, peaceful Europe was a blessing and indeed a miracle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Poland helped win the war but lost the peace .\nIt was invaded by Germany but put under Soviet influence after the war .\n70 years from the start of WWII, the war still defines Polish identity and history .\nPolish military says its history helps its work in Afghanistan ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "GDANSK, Poland (CNN) -- At least 20 world leaders gathered Tuesday in Poland to commemorate the start of World War II 70 years ago -- a conflict in which 6 million Poles died. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (right) chats with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Poland on Tuesday. Germany's pre-dawn invasion began when the battleship Schleswig-Holstein fired on the Westerplatte military base in Gdansk harbor on September 1, 1939. The attack set off a chain of events that eventually embroiled all of the world's major powers in the war. Polish World War II veteran Romuald Bardzynski, said: \"I was a soldier on the front, a corporal in the cavalry. On September 16 I was injured. We were fighting against the Germans but I was shot by the Soviets. I was wounded three times. \"But the worst thing for me is the land in eastern Poland which was occupied by the Soviets ... and to this day we cannot come to terms with it. \"The Russians took half of Poland, and after the Polish fighting on all the world war fronts it turns out that after the war Poland was 77 sq km smaller! This was a great loss for us.\" Eugeniusz Cydzik, another Polish veteran, added: \"We have to talk about what happened ... to make sure it doesn't happen again. \"The young generations, like the boy scouts for example, are continuing the memory of those who perished. We take them to the sites of the battles. We even found munitions from the 1914 [war].\" WWII lasted until September 2, 1945 when Germany's ally Japan signed an unconditional surrender. Leaders from many of the warring nations were in Gdansk on Tuesday for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cemetery of Defenders at Westerplatte, with commemoration speeches to take place in front of the Westerplatte memorial. Among those attending were German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin -- leaders of the two nations that once held power over Poland. Merkel said on Tuesday that her country unleashed \"endless suffering\" by starting the war, but also recalled the fate of ethnic Germans expelled at the end of the conflict. Watch as Poland marks start of WWII » . \"Germany attacked Poland, Germany started World War II. We caused unending suffering in the world. Sixty million dead ... was the result,\" Merkel said on German television, according to Agence-France Presse. Send us your World War II stories . \"But the expulsion of well over 12 million people from areas of the former Germany and present-day Poland is of course an injustice. This must also be recognized,\" she said. Poland first came under German influence at the start of the war, but was later dominated for about 40 years by the Russian-led Soviet Union as the Cold War between East and West settled in after World War II. A dwindling group of veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, was also due to attend. Later on Tuesday, many of the world's leading classical musicians, playing together as the World Orchestra for Peace, performed a concert in Krakow to mark the 70th anniversary. Watch highlights of the performance » ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "About 20 world leaders gathered in Poland to mark the start of World War II .\nAttack set off chain of events that embroiled all of the world's major powers .\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian PM Vladimir Putin at event .\nMerkel says her country unleashed \"endless suffering\" by starting war ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Rescued after spending eight days lost at sea, Tressel Hawkins was happy to be back in Texas. Three missing boaters were returned safely to Port Aransas, Texas, after their rescue on Saturday. \"Actually, it feels great to be on solid ground,\" he told CNN on Sunday. Hawkins, 43, and his fellow boaters, Curtis Hall, 28, and James Phillips, 30, set out to catch swordfish and marlin when they set sail about 100 miles south of Matagorda Bay in Texas. But one night early on during their trip in the Gulf of Mexico, Hawkins was jolted by a \"rude awakening.\" The bean bag Hawkins was sleeping on started to float beneath him, he said. There was a water extractor malfunction, causing so much water to get into the boat that the water was knee high, he said. Watch CNN's Fredricka Whitfield talk to Hawkins » . There were yells and screams and attempts to stop the flooding, but it was too late. The boat capsized. They jumped ship, wondering how it all happened so quickly. \"We're just trying to get each other calm and try to get as much stuff as we could because we knew automatically it was going to be a survival test,\" he said. Watch two other fishermen describe ordeal » . The men were missing at sea since August 22. The Coast Guard had searched a week for three men before calling off the search Friday after it said it had looked more than 86,000 square miles. A day after the Coast Guard ended its search, the crew of a private vessel found the three sitting on top of their capsized 23-foot fishing vessel about 180 miles from Port Aransas, Texas, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Hawkins said that when they saw the boat they waved it down to catch the boaters' attention. They were all \"crying\" and \"celebrating.\" \"We had been through so much of an ordeal we were already celebrating before we got on his boat.\" After the rescue, Hall went to a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, but left after he waited too long in the emergency room, his mother told CNN. He returned to his home in Palacio, Texas, to rest and will see a doctor later on Sunday for what he thinks are second-degree burns on his legs from sun exposure, she said. Phillips was on his way home to reunite with his family, his wife, Shane, told CNN. He did not seek medical attention, she said. Hawkins suffered open sores on his legs after floating in the water for eight days. He plans to head to Fort Worth, Texas, to reunite with his family, he said. CNN's Janet DiGiacomo and Karen Zuker contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Three fishermen missing since August 22 were found Saturday on capsized boat .\nBoater spotted fishermen about 180 miles from coast of Port Aransas, Texas .\nCoast Guard had called off search for men on Friday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Police in Houston, Texas, say they have busted a prostitution ring that may involve more than 1,500 clients, including professional athletes, doctors and lawyers. Investigators were scouring computers files and credit card records on Monday, trying to verify a large client list that could ignite scandals throughout the city, CNN affiliate station KHOU reported. Police arrested alleged ringleaders Deborah Turbiville and her husband, Charlie, as part of a two-year investigation, the affiliate reported. Turbiville called herself the \"Heidi Fleiss of Houston,\" referring to a woman who was dubbed the \"Hollywood Madam\" for providing call girls to famous and wealthy clients, police said. Turbiville, who reportedly recruited prostitutes through the online site Craigslist, was in court Monday on a charge of promotion of prostitution. Investigators said the women met their clients in upscale hotels and charged about $350 an hour, the affiliate reported. Clients also met prostitutes in a luxurious three-bedroom apartment, police told the affiliate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alleged ringleader dubbed \"Heidi Fleiss of Houston\"\nInvestigators say women met clients in upscale hotels, charged about $350 an hour .\nPolice scour computer files and credit card records to verify a large client list ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CNN's Ed Henry followed President Obama on his trip to the Middle East and Europe, ending at a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Europe. You can see his reflections from Normandy, as well as the entire Obama trip, by going to his Twitter page. Row upon row of gravestones at the American Cemetery mark those killed in the invasion. NORMANDY, France (CNN) -- I knew my first visit to the American Cemetery at Normandy would be emotional, but I really had no idea I'd be tearing up literally within about eight minutes of walking the rows of bone-white gravestones. Those of us in the White House press corps traveling with President Obama to France on Saturday to celebrate the 65th anniversary of D-Day were very lucky. It was truly awesome to have a front-row seat to the celebration of the climactic battle of World War II, where Allied forces finally stopped the Nazi aggression. If there was a hint of a downside, it was that all of us had to wake up Saturday somewhere around 5 a.m. Paris time (11 p.m. ET Friday, ugh) to then board one of several buses that would take us on a 3½-hour journey to Normandy. That's right, 3½ hours on a tour bus when you're already totally exhausted from a very busy trip that took us from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and then Germany and France in just a few days. Watch President Obama's speech at Normandy » . The upside? WE'RE GOING TO NORMANDY!!! Besides, do I really want to complain about a stinking bus ride when about 2,500 brave Americans lost their lives on this battlefield during the first 24 hours of vicious combat on June 6, 1944? Didn't think so. So I jump off the bus, head for the cemetery and decide I should pick just one of the dozens and dozens of rows of tombstones and keep walking until I stumble upon the first grave of a soldier from New York -- my home state -- that I can find. In less than a minute, I found it. His name was Martin J. Biringer, a private from the 4th Cavalry. I bowed my head and thanked him for his service, trying to put myself in his combat boots, thinking that when I was an 18-year-old or 19-year-old kid growing up in New York, I doubt I had the strength and courage this man had to answer his country's call. I decided to take my iPhone out and start posting reflections and photos on Twitter, starting with Biringer's grave. I decided to keep walking down the same row of graves toward Omaha Beach, where the invasion began, and this is where I really got choked up. There was a bouquet of flowers sitting under one grave with a card written out in longhand on a piece of white paper. \"From your brother Pete, I remember you,\" it said so simply and yet so elegantly. That's when I started feeling the chills on my back. The flowers were fresh, and so was the ink on the card. \"Pete\" had clearly been here in the last day or two, and I started thinking about the fact that he had not seen his \"brother\" in 65 years. Sixty-five years. And yet he made the trek all the way here to simply say, \"I remember you.\" I started tearing up thinking of my own family: imagining my son going off to war and dying, and my daughter traveling to this cemetery 65 years later, and leaving a card like that. I remember you. That's when it hit me: how easily we take for granted the emotional holes that the war left in so many lives. In this case, I looked up and saw that Pete was paying tribute to his brother Theodore Cassera of New Jersey, a staff sergeant from the 8th Infantry who died a couple of weeks after D-Day. A man who fought and died so that we could be free. Nearby, I found another grave with another card, this one with a piercing question. The card said at the top: \"To save your world, you asked this man to die. Would this man, could he see you now, ask why? WH Auden\" In other words, did he die in vain? The quick and easy answer might be yes, this particular man died to save us from the Nazis, but in our busy lives, we often seem to take his sacrifice for granted. But after a couple more minutes of walking, I got a different answer. No, he did not die in vain. And the best part was that it was a few kids, about the age of my own children, who gave me that more hopeful answer. There was now a huge crowd gathering for the ceremony where Obama would speak. I came upon a large group circled around an old veteran in a wheelchair, all decked out in his old military uniform, and beaming from ear to ear. Watch D-Day vets in Washington talk about their experiences » . The source of the joy? A group of young boys from New York were rushing around with autograph books, the kind they would normally take to Yankee Stadium to desperately try to get Derek Jeter's signature. But on this day, they were desperately trying to get the signatures of as many World War II vets as they could find. It was a sight to see the wonder on their faces. Not just the boys -- the faces of the old men, too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Normandy visit came at the end of President Obama's trip to Mideast and Europe .\nCNN's Ed Henry says walking the rows of gravestones brought chills, tears .\nOn one grave were flowers and a message from a \"brother\"\nA group of young boys sought out autographs from assembled veterans ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon will wake up a lame duck Monday. How lame will depend largely on nationwide midterm elections Sunday. Mexican President Felipe Calderon has three years left in his six-year term. On the ballot will be 500 federal legislators, six governors and mayors and local legislators in 11 states. Although Calderon has three years left in his six-year term and is not on Sunday's ballot, many analysts see the election as a referendum on his performance and his party's nine-year reign on the presidency. By most accounts, Calderon's party will fare well. \"He's going to get a positive vote,\" said Larry Birns, director of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs. \"The nation feels he is doing a better job than they imagined he would.\" Low expectations may be understandable, given the circumstances under which Calderon came to power. After a bitterly fought race that polls indicated was too close to call, the nation went to the polls July 2, 2006, to pick a successor to President Vicente Fox. The race was so close that the results were not verified until a controversial decision two months later. Calderon's margin of victory was less than 1 percent. Losing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refused to accept the results and announced himself the winner. Fistfights broke out in the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies. The first three years of Calderon's tenure have not been much smoother. Perhaps most famously, the president declared war on the drug cartels that have taken hold of Mexico, spreading corruption, fear and violence to all corners of the nation. The war's outcome remains uncertain, but there's no doubt about the human cost: About 10,000 people have died in drug violence since Calderon took office in December 2006. The political fallout also has been costly. One U.S. politician said Mexico was undergoing a civil war. A Pentagon report said the nation was in danger of becoming a failed state. Calderon's job got tougher when the bottom fell out of the global economy late last year and the H1N1 flu outbreak drew the world's attention to Mexico this year. But Calderon's actions in the face of such adversity have helped his standing, some analysts say. \"Calderon has become increasingly popular in the country because he did project a certain amount of strength in the anti-drug war,\" Birns said. \"He did stand up to the United States on certain things, like swine flu.\" Calderon's aggressive management of the swine flu crisis -- in which he shut down schools, businesses and all public gatherings for more than a week to stop spread of the disease -- has given him higher credibility, said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue policy institute. But Calderon's personal popularity may not help his party in the legislative elections. \"The question is whether Calderon has coattails,\" said Ana Maria Salazar, a Mexico City columnist and political talk show host. Calderon is head of the National Action Party, known as PAN. The other two main parties are the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which narrowly lost the 2006 presidential election, and the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), which had a stranglehold on the presidency from 1929 until the 2000. PAN candidate Fox -- Calderon's predecessor -- broke that hold nine years ago. The PAN has the most seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies but does not have a majority in either. The party could lose seats after Sunday, as most polls show the PRI holding a slight lead. \"We will see the resurgence of the PRI,\" said Robert Pastor, a Latin America national security adviser for President Carter in the late 1970s. The PRD, he said, has largely discredited itself through internal division. \"And the PAN has been overseeing a government that has shunted from one crisis to another,\" Pastor said. Still, some observers say PRI inroads may not make much difference. \"It will not change the balance of power much in Mexico,\" said Andrew Selee, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute. \"Felipe Calderon will still have to negotiate with one of the two opposition parties to get legislation passed.\" Hakim said, \"It's not going to be as critical election as everyone was predicting.\" But as Calderon moves into the last half of his presidency and other politicians start jockeying to succeed him, he probably will find it increasingly difficult to get his legislative agenda accomplished. \"Felipe Calderon will have a small window of opportunity to get in additional reforms,\" Salazar said. \"And all of this is happening amidst a terrible economic crisis, a terrible security crisis.\" And then there's the issue of what many see as increasing voter distaste for the electoral process. \"There's a general disenchantment about the PAN administration for the past nine years,\" said John Mill Ackerman, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. \"They're linked to the economic crisis, the health crisis, the security crisis.\" But the PRI, he said, doesn't offer much of a choice. \"The problem here is that the PRI is not a new PRI,\" Ackerman said. \"They're not necessarily going to imply much change or difference.\" Nor is the PRI united, Salazar said. \"Everybody assumes that the PRI gets along. That's not true,\" Salazar said, noting that the party is riven with \"fractionalism.\" Most voters will just stay home. Election officials predict a 30 percent turnout. Others will annul their vote: They will turn in blank ballots, so officials will see that they voted but not for anyone. \"There's a lack of hope of making a difference with a vote,\" Ackerman said. Perhaps no one will be more interested in the results than the drug cartels. Numerous news reports have detailed how narcotraffickers fund some candidates, intimidate others to stay out of races and bribe politicians after they have been elected. \"The narcos definitely have taken this as another way in which they can expand their power,\" Ackerman said. Federal authorities have arrested more than 100 local officials in recent weeks on accusations that they have been taking money from drug cartels. The \"narco-politicians\" included mayors and a judge. Jose Vazquez, the former mayor of a town in Michoacan state, told a major newspaper two years ago how he had to go see the local drug boss when he decided to run. After he won, Vazquez said, he was constantly pressured to appoint officials the drug gangs wanted. \"If you don't do it, they kill you, and that's that,\" Vazquez was quoted as telling the Excelsior newspaper. \"All candidates have to suit them, whether they belong to the PRI, the PAN or the PRD. The drug gangs give their approval to candidates.\" Vazquez apparently fell out of favor. A group of armed men killed him in November. More recently, armed men opened fire last week in Sonora state on a PAN candidate for the lower house. He escaped, but two aides were killed. After all this, how the election and vote-counting is carried out Sunday looms as a major worry. No one wants to see a repeat of 2006. \"This is a referendum on democracy,\" Ackerman said. \"[Mexicans] may be convinced on democracy. The question is whether they're convinced that voting will lead to anything.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "President is not on ballot, but many see vote as comment on his performance .\nParty is expected to do well despite years of troubles .\nCalderon has stood strong in face of adversity, analysts say .\nMany see increasing voter distaste with electoral process ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. When Twitter asks \"What are you doing,\" maybe you should be following tweets on job advice. When microblogging and social networking site Twitter debuted three years ago, plenty of people wrote it off as yet another pointless addition in the overcrowded networking world. Considering the site only allows people to post, or Tweet, messages of 140 characters or less, you can't blame early skeptics. But little by little, users proved the site's worth to nonbelievers. Last year, student James Karl Buck was traveling in Egypt and wound up in jail. He Tweeted \"arrested\" to notify his friends of what was going on and ultimately get out of jail. During the 2008 presidential election, candidates reached out to voters using the service. When a plane crashed into the Hudson River in January, a Twitter user posted the first photograph from the scene. Although we're in the nascent stage of Twitter's existence and therefore have no idea how long it will be around, we do know it has more growing to do. If you're not yet certain you want to start posting your own daily activities for everyone to read, you can still use the service as a resource for tips on finding a job and keeping up with industry news. Job seekers can follow people who will make your job search process easier, from the interviewing stage to the salary negotiations. I follow many people whom I think give great advice, post informative articles and know what they're talking about. Seeing as the Twitter feed refreshes constantly so that I see new posts instantly, it's like having a scrolling news ticker about only the subjects I want to read. I suggest you do the same to improve your job search. Here are the 10 job Tweeters you should be following. @adriennewaldo . About the author: Adrienne Waldo, a New York-based writer, consultant and blogger, made a name for herself when she began blogging about Generation Y. Why you should follow her: Waldo, a Generation Y-er herself, offers advice as someone who's in the same shoes as many of her equally young Twitter followers, but she also uses her experience to let followers know what employers are thinking. @AlisonDoyle . About the author: Alison Doyle regularly writes articles on job-seeking issues, ranging from interview advice to using social media appropriately. Why you should follow her: She's prolific, so you always have something to read, and she knows her stuff. @AnitaBruzzese . About the author: Anita Bruzzese is the author of \"45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy\" and also writes a workplace blog full of tips and advice for employees. Why you should follow her: She lets you know when she's updated her blog, which is full of helpful advice. She also shares quirky, sometimes off-topic links that lighten the day's mood. @CAREEREALISM . About the authors: Careerealism.com founder J.T. O'Donnell and a group of job experts let you know when they've posted new advice for job seekers. They also respond to job seekers with career questions -- in 140 characters or less, of course. Why you should follow them: As a follower, you get to read advice from several experts who know what they're talking about and give their own perspectives. @careerdiva . About the author: Eve Tahmincioglu blogs, publishes articles and Tweets on career issues. Why you should follow her: Her advice is excellent and she often brings up issues you might not have otherwise considered. @CBforJobSeekers . About the authors: CareerBuilder's team of experts writes for the job seeking blog TheWorkBuzz.com and workplace articles, such as the one you're reading right now. Why you should follow them: The team's Tweets are a mix of tips, news stories, helpful articles and blog posts to keep you informed of what's going on in the world of job seekers. @heatherhuhman . About the author: Heather Huhman is an expert on helping Generation Y job seekers and recent graduates navigate the professional world. Why you should follow her: Huhman Tweets when she writes a new article, directs followers to other helpful experts and offers her own tips from time to time. @InterviewCoach . About the author: Lewis Lin is a Seattle-based interview coach who prepares clients for the difficult questions that will come their way during a job search. Why you should follow him: Lin Tweets his own interview tips, as well as other experts' advice and news articles. @Keppie_Careers . About the author: Atlanta-based Miriam Salpeter is a career coach and résumé writer for Keppie Careers. She helps job seekers spice up their résumés, prepare for interviews and achieve their career goals. Why you should follow her: In addition to posting links to the day's job seeker headlines and news, she also offers career advice and lets you know where she'll be giving presentations. @Writerbabe . About the author: Chicago-based Raven Moore authors The Writerbabe Series, a blog that explores professional, pop-culture and newsworthy topics. Why you should follow her: Moore directs you both to her own writings and to other writers' works, as well as interesting news items she comes across. Plus, some of her personal Tweets are entertaining enough to make you forget about the current economy. Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Twitter is becoming a good tool to use for your career .\n@heatherhuhman: Helps Gen Y, recent grads navigate professional world .\n@careerdiva: Often brings up issues you might not have otherwise considered .\n@InterviewCoach: Interview tips, also posts other experts' advice and news articles ." } ]

[ { "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) -- Florence Henderson, \"The Brady Bunch\" mom, may be one of America's best-loved mothers. Florence Henderson is often asked for hugs by complete strangers. As Henderson travels the United States with her one-woman road show, \"All the Lives of Me,\" fans respond as if they grew up in her 1970s TV family. \"Every day, I'm asked 'Can I have a hug?' \" Henderson said. \"And I do. I hug a lot of people.\" And on Mother's Day every year, her mailbox fills with cards from people she doesn't know but who think of her as Mom. \"I get mail from all over the world, 122 countries,\" she said. Henderson is using her fame as the iconic TV mother to help other moms who suffer from \"lackus appreciatus,\" which she says is \"a condition caused by years of under-appreciation and neglect\" of mothers by their kids. Her role as spokeswoman for the \"Center for Lackus Appreciatus Prevention\" is part of a tongue-in-cheek campaign sponsored by Kodak to promote an online service where Mother's Day cards can be sent for free. A video posted on YouTube points to the Mom-a-thon.com Web site, which aims to close the \"appreciation deficit\" between what your mom does for you and what you do for your mom. Although just five seasons of \"The Brady Bunch\" were produced, starting in the fall of 1969, children still grow up with the Bradys in syndication. \"It's never been off the air in the United States,\" she said. Henderson said she sometimes encounters mothers who tell her \"You know, I really didn't like you when my kids were small, because they preferred you to me.\" She knows the power of her motherly voice, using it to make a reporter feel special with a scolding: \"Don't play ball in the house!\" For a moment, the interviewer feels like a Brady." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Florence Henderson touring with one-woman show .\nHenderson most famous as mom on \"The Brady Bunch\"\nShow has kept her in public eye, made her symbol for mothers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A single-engine plane crashed Saturday outside a bank in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, seriously injuring the five people on board, authorities said. A damaged airplane lies on the ground Saturday next to a busy road in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The pilot reported engine problems shortly after leaving the city's Wiley Post Airport, about a mile away from the crash site, at midmorning, said Lynn Lunsford, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane hit two trees as it came down, and video showed the damaged Beechcraft Bonanza resting on the grass near a busy thoroughfare in the northwest section of the city. Fire Department Deputy Chief Cecil Clay said the two men and three women on the plane were taken to hospitals. Lunsford said they suffered multiple injuries. Watch footage of the plane at the crash site » . The plane was headed to Enid, Oklahoma, about 100 miles north of Oklahoma City. The pilot tried to return to Wiley Post Airport after he recognized the engine trouble, Lunsford said. \"I heard what I thought was a Dumpster being unloaded in the complex,\" said Shaddy Ahmad, who manages the U-Haul business across the street from the bank. He said emergency responders used special equipment to extricate the people from the plane, the top of which was peeled back. \"They were very lucky because this is a high-traffic area,\" Ahmad said. \"You have the expressway, the bank and stores in the area. They were blessed to land how they did.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Single-engine Beechcraft makes hard landing near busy road .\nPlane developed engine problems shortly after takeoff, FAA official says .\nFliers were headed for Enid, Oklahoma, about 100 miles north ." } ]

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

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ALBANY, Georgia (CNN) -- Pamela Green-Jackson didn't learn until after her brother's funeral that doctors had warned him his weight could cost him his life. Pamela Green-Jackson encourages a student in the Youth Becoming Healthy program. Bernard Green weighed 427 pounds when he died in 2004. He was 43 years old. \"He didn't have to die,\" said Green-Jackson. \"I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to make sure another child didn't suffer like he did.\" Turning her pain into action, Green-Jackson quit her job and procured $30,000 in grants to build a fitness center in a local middle school. Today, Youth Becoming Healthy (YBH) has facilities in six middle schools and one elementary school in Albany and provides free fitness and nutrition education to about 350 students a year. Youths work one-on-one after school with personal trainers and nutritionists who help them get on the right track. To keep young people engaged and fit, YBH offers classes such as martial arts, hip-hop dance and a walking club. Green-Jackson says her group allows the children to set their own goals. \"If we instill these habits in them early, they will grow up to become healthier adults,\" said Green-Jackson, 43. \"That's what this is really all about -- saving the lives of children.\" Do you know a hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes. Since 2004, YBH has helped about 4,000 youth lose thousands of pounds. Green-Jackson also successfully campaigned to have schools provide healthier options in their cafeterias and vending machines. Jasmine Warren has reaped the benefits of Green-Jackson's efforts. Warren said that by age 11, she had high blood pressure, a heart murmur and problems with her cholesterol. \"I felt bad about myself. People used to talk about me. ... 'Oh, she got too much weight.' \" Warren, now 15, has lost 37 pounds. She credits her brighter future to the program. \"Pamela saved me from going to an early grave,\" said Warren. Watch how Warren's life changed through Green-Jackson's program » . YBH targets children from low-income families. \"One in three children in this community is affected by childhood obesity because of poverty, lack of education and access to resources,\" said Green-Jackson, adding that dangerous neighborhoods are also a major obstacle. \"Kids don't go out and play as much anymore because of the gangs and the crime. It is unsafe.\" Georgia has the third-highest rate of obese and overweight youths in the nation, with 37.3 percent of its children falling into those categories, according to a recent report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (Mississippi and Arkansas rank one and two, respectively.) This summer, the group is offering camp for students with high-risk health issues, such as heart problems, kidney disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. \"A number of kids have [these issues]. That is unheard of,\" said Green-Jackson. \"These children are [given] prognoses that they won't live to 21 years old. That is something we are trying to correct through this program.\" At nearly 400 pounds, every day is a struggle for 13-year-old Malik Thomas. \"It's not easy carrying around all of this weight. I wanted to get healthy and fit,\" said Thomas, one of 25 children enrolled in YBH's summer program. Green-Jackson's program is giving Thomas hope for a healthier future. He's beginning to lose weight, and his endurance has improved. \"Miss Pamela is my hero, because she's helping me do things that I never thought I can do,\" he said. \"It feels great.\" Watch Green-Jackson's program in action » . Green-Jackson believes the program will help Thomas by introducing him to other young people who share his health problems. \"They motivate each other,\" she said. \"This program is encouraging him to continue beyond the summer.\" YBH is mostly funded through donations, but Green-Jackson also spends a large amount of her own savings each year to keep the program running. She says she refuses to rest until the children's healthy futures are secured. \"I want to have YBH in every school in the nation.\" Want to get involved? Check out Youth Becoming Healthy and see how to help." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pamela Green-Jackson began crusade for youth fitness after her obese brother died .\nYouth Becoming Healthy teaches middle schoolers about exercise and nutrition .\nThe organization has helped about 4,000 children since 2004 .\nDo you know a hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. officials are downplaying any imminent threat of a North Korean missile strike or confrontation between the two countries at sea. A U.S. official says North Korean leader Kim Jong Il seems to be \"testing the new administration.\" The U.S. intelligence community does not believe North Korea intends to launch a long-range missile in the near future, a U.S. intelligence official told CNN, despite reports in Japanese media citing intelligence that the North Korean regime intends to fire a missile toward Hawaii on July 4. Shortly after that report, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he was deploying defensive measures around Hawaii. But a recent warning to mariners issued by North Korea suggests the country only intends short- and medium-range missile tests, according to one U.S. intelligence official. The North Korean government issued a warning to mariners to avoid an area in the Sea of Japan at certain times between June 24 and July 9 because of a \"military firing exercise,\" according to a U.S. military communication about the warning provided to CNN. The North Koreans had issued a similar warning prior to testing a long-range missile in April, but that warning indicated two potential danger areas more indicative of a long-range missile test. The official said that these shorter-range missiles can be \"rolled out on a dime,\" but the U.S. intelligence community sees no \"readily observable\" indication of an imminent long-range missile launch. Vehicular activity had been spotted around a long-range missile site in late May, U.S. Defense Department officials told CNN at the time. But the officials said the activity was very preliminary, with no missile parts seen, and any launch would take a lot more time to prepare. The U.S. intelligence official said there is always concern that a shorter-range test \"could go wrong,\" but for the most part the North Koreans have short and medium missile tests \"down pat,\" and those missiles are \"pretty accurate.\" The official added, \"It's not particularly difficult to fire off\" short- and medium-range missiles. North Korea recently threatened to \"wipe out\" the United States if provoked. Watch the Pentagon reaction to the threat » . The official said the United States \"assumes\" North Korea will \"continue its provocations.\" The official acknowledged this phase of the usual ebb and flow of North Korean behavior seems to be lasting longer. This has been a \"protracted period,\" said the official, with the change in U.S. leadership being a \"big factor.\" The North Korean leadership seems to be \"testing the new administration.\" Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell defended Gates' decision to deploy defensive measures around Hawaii. \"Previous long-range ballistic missile tests by the North have been failures. But they obviously are intent on developing that capability, and so long as they are, we need to do responsible, prudent things,\" Morrell said at a news conference Wednesday. \"And in this case [Gates] thinks the responsible, prudent thing is to deploy those assets.\" The U.S. military has positioned its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system and its X-band radar system in the event a missile were to be launched toward Hawaii. Morrell said that no additional defenses were being deployed in the region because the defenses in place are sufficient. \"I think we're perfectly comfortable with the assets that are in place,\" he said. \"This threat that is posed by North Korea is not a new one, so we have adjusted our assets that are normally in that area some time ago.\" Separately, the United States has not yet decided to seek permission to board and inspect a North Korean vessel it suspects of carrying illicit weapons or technology in violation of U.N. sanctions against that country, despite a recent promise by President Obama that North Korean violations would \"be met with significant, serious enforcement of sanctions.\" Morrell told reporters that while the United States is \"interested\" in the Kang Nam -- a North Korean-flagged vessel believed by officials to be carrying weapons or illegal technology -- no decision has been made to stop the ship and search it. The ship departed North Korea last week and is currently headed south toward Myanmar, U.S. officials believe. The decision to enact the U.N. Security Council Resolution to investigate will most likely not be made just by the United States but in coordination with other countries, Morrell told reporters on Wednesday. \"That's a decision that will have to be made at some point, and not necessarily just by us or this government,\" Morrell said. \"But that is a decision I think we will likely take collectively with our allies and partners out there, and make a determination about whether we choose to hail and query this particular ship. And if we make that decision, when and where to do so.\" Watch why U.S. officials are watching the Kang Nam » . Asked about the Myanmar connection Wednesday, Morrell would only say there is \"some notion of that\" but would not elaborate. The United States has been tracking the ship's progress with air assets including the P-3 spy plane and the USS McCampbell, which recently replaced the USS John McCain in trailing the Korean ship. The ship is suspected of carrying weapons because it is known to have carried proliferation materials previously, though U.S. officials concede they are not certain of the ship's holdings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. does not believe North Korea intends to launch long-range missile soon .\nSea of Japan mariners warned to be clear due to \"military firing exercise\"\nJapanese media reported North Korea may fire a missile at Hawaii on July 4 .\nNorth Korea recently threatened to \"wipe out\" the U.S. if provoked ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- British police are reviewing the death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, 40 years after the hard-living rocker was found dead in a swimming pool. An autographed photo of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones who was found dead in July 1969 . Police in Sussex, in southern England, have confirmed they are examining documents given to them by an investigative journalist who has been researching events surrounding Jones' death. Scott Jones, who is not related to the musician, has spent four years reviewing the evidence and speaking to key witnesses in the case. In an article published in the Daily Mail in November 2008, Jones wrote, \"I'm convinced Brian Jones' death was not fully investigated. The only question that remains is why?\" Brian Jones' body was found in the swimming pool after a party at his home in Cotchford Farm, East Sussex in July 1969. He was 27. An inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, despite post mortem results showing he had not taken illegal drugs and had only consumed the alcoholic equivalent of three and a half pints of beer. One of the most popular conspiracy theories that followed was that Jones was murdered by his builder, Frank Thorogood. The theory gained credence after Thorogood allegedly confessed to the killing before his death in 1993. The storyline formed the basis of the 2005 film \"Stoned.\" Sussex police told CNN they could not say how long it would take to review the new material, nor whether it could lead to a full investigation. There have been repeated calls for closer examination of the case since Jones' death, which came just three weeks after he left the Rolling Stones. His drinking and drug-taking had taken a toll on his health and the band, and in 1969 Jones announced he was leaving. In a statement he said, \"I no longer see eye-to-eye with the others over the discs we are cutting.\" Last year, Scott Jones published an article containing contents of an interview he conducted with one of the people present at Jones' home on the night of his death. In the article, published in the Daily Mail, Jones' said Janet Lawson, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones tour manager Tom Keylock, gave him a version of events that contradicted her official police statement. She is reported to have called her original statement, \"a pack of lies... total rubbish.\" Lawson's revised version of events is among the documents Jones has supplied to Sussex police. It is also believed to include previously unseen files released by the Public Records Office. Lawson died of cancer soon after telling Scott Jones her new sworn testimony." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sussex police confirm they are reviewing information on Brian Jones' death .\nRolling Stones founder was found dead in his swimming pool in July 1969 .\nInquest found \"death by misadventure,\" although questions remained .\nInvestigative journalist has handed documents, other material to police ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The search for the data and voice recorders from the Air France plane that crashed more than a month ago off Brazil's coast is entering a new phase, according to France's accident investigation agency. Searchers have discovered hundreds of pieces of wreckage from Air France Flight 447. All 228 people aboard the plane were killed in the June 1 crash. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as black boxes, stop giving out acoustic broadcasts after 30 days. But investigators decided to continue listening for the \"pings\" for 10 days after that. Now, the two U.S. naval vessels and a French Navy submarine will halt their search for the recorders which investigators hope will shed light on exactly how the plane crashed. The second phase of the search will involve France's oceanographic ship \"Pourquoi Pas?\" which carries specialized exploration and intervention vehicles, according to the French air accident investigation agency known as the BEA. The French vessel will conduct new searches using diving equipment and towed sonar, the BEA said. Finding the recorders is of \"capital importance,\" and \"no effort must be spared in achieving this end,\" Air France has said. \"We want to stress that for the sake of the families, we hope that the search for the black boxes will be successful,\" an Air France representative said. This month, investigators revealed that the plane bellyflopped intact into the Atlantic Ocean. Investigator Alain Bouillard said it was still not clear what caused the crash, the deadliest in Air France's 75-year history. The mountainous ocean floor in the search area ranges from 3,280 to 15,091 feet, BEA officials have said, making the search for the recorders -- and the rest of the plane's debris -- difficult. \"It is as if it fell in the Andes,\" said Olivier Ferrante, chief of the BEA search mission. Flight 447 went down in stormy weather while flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. Brazil called off the search for bodies June 27, having found 51 of the 228 people who died, according to the military. Investigators have also found more than 600 parts and structural components of the plane, along with luggage, Bouillard said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Plane went down off Brazil on June 1, killing all 228 aboard .\nVoice, data recorders stop broadcasting after 30 days .\nInvestigators planned to keep listening for 10 additional days .\nFrench oceanographic ship will conduct new searches ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including \"Off the Wall,\" \"Thriller\" and \"Bad\" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed. Michael Jackson, shown in 2008, was one of the biggest pop stars in history. He was 50. He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center. Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon. Watch crowds gather at Jackson's hospital » . \"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color,\" the Rev. Al Sharpton said. \"To say an 'icon' would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by.\" Jackson's blazing rise to stardom -- and later fall from grace -- is among the most startling of show business tales. The son of a steelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, a band he formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late '70s, as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with cuts from \"Off the Wall,\" including \"Rock With You\" and \"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.\" Watch Jackson perform at a 1988 concert » . In 1982, he released \"Thriller,\" an album that eventually produced seven hit singles. An appearance the next year on a Motown Records 25th-anniversary special cemented his status as the biggest star in the country. Timeline: The life of Michael Jackson » . For the rest of the 1980s, they came no bigger. \"Thriller's\" follow-up, 1987's \"Bad,\" sold almost as many copies. A new Jackson album -- a new Jackson appearance -- was a pop culture event. iReport: Share your memories of Michael Jackson . The pop music landscape was changing, however, opening up for rap, hip-hop and what came to be called \"alternative\" -- and Jackson was seen as out of step. His next release, 1991's \"Dangerous,\" debuted at No. 1 but \"only\" produced one top-ranking single -- \"Black or White\" -- and that song earned criticism for its inexplicably violent ending, in which Jackson was seen smashing car windows and clutching his crotch. And then \"Dangerous\" was knocked out of its No. 1 spot on the album charts by Nirvana's \"Nevermind,\" an occurrence noted for its symbolism by rock critics. After that, more attention was paid to Jackson's private life than his music career, which faltered. A 1995 two-CD greatest hits, \"HIStory,\" sold relatively poorly, given the huge expense of Jackson's recording contract: about 7 million copies, according to Recording Industry of America certifications. A 2001 album of new material, \"Invincible,\" did even worse. In 2005, he went to trial on child-molestation charges. He was acquitted. In July 2008, after three years away from the spotlight, Jackson announced a series of concerts at London's O2 Arena as his \"curtain call.\" Some of the shows, initially scheduled to begin in July, were eventually postponed until 2010. Watch the reaction to Jackson's passing . Rise to stardom . Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958, to Joe Jackson, a Gary, Indiana, steelworker, and his wife, Katherine. By the time he was 6, he had joined his brothers in a musical group organized by his father, and by the time he was 10, the group -- the Jackson 5 -- had been signed to Motown. Watch Michael Jackson's life in video . He made his first television appearance at age 11. Jackson, a natural performer, soon became the group's front man. Music critic Langdon Winner, reviewing the group's first album, \"Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,\" for Rolling Stone, praised Michael's versatile singing and added, \"Who is this 'Diana Ross,' anyway?\" The group's first four singles -- \"I Want You Back,\" \"ABC,\" \"The Love You Save\" and \"I'll Be There\" -- went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart, the first time any group had pulled off that feat. There was even a Jackson 5 cartoon series on ABC. Watch reaction from Motown Studios » . In 1972, he hit No. 1 as a solo artist with the song \"Ben.\" The group's popularity waned as the '70s continued, and Michael eventually went solo full time. He played the Scarecrow in the 1978 movie version of \"The Wiz,\" and released the album \"Off the Wall\" in 1979. Its success paved the way for \"Thriller,\" which eventually became the best-selling album in history, with 50 million copies sold worldwide. At that point, Michael Jackson became ubiquitous. Seven of \"Thriller's\" nine cuts were released as singles; all made the Top Ten. The then-new cable channel MTV, criticized for its almost exclusively white playlist, finally started playing Jackson's videos. They aired incessantly, including a 14-minute minimovie of the title cut. (\"Weird Al\" Yankovic cemented his own stardom by lampooning Jackson's song \"Beat It\" with a letter-perfect parody video.) On the Motown Records' 25th-anniversary special -- a May 1983 TV extravaganza with notable turns by the Temptations, the Four Tops and Smokey Robinson -- it was Michael Jackson who stopped the show. Already he was the most popular musician in America, riding high with \"Thriller.\" But something about his electrifying performance of \"Billie Jean,\" complete with the patented backward dance moves, boosted his stardom to a new level. Watch Jackson perform \"Thiller\" » . People copied his Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacket look. Showbiz veterans such as Fred Astaire praised his chops. He posed for photos with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the White House. Paul McCartney teamed with him on three duets, two of which -- \"The Girl Is Mine\" and \"Say Say Say\" -- became top five hits. Jackson became a Pepsi spokesman, and when his hair caught fire while making a commercial, it was worldwide news. It all happened very fast -- within a couple years of the Motown special. But even at the time of the \"Motown 25\" moonwalk, fame was old hat to Michael Jackson. He hadn't even turned 25 himself, but he'd been a star for more than half his life. He was given the nickname the \"King of Pop\" -- a spin on Elvis Presley's status as \"the King of Rock 'n' Roll\" -- and few questioned the moniker. Relentless attention . But, as the showbiz saying has it, when you're on top of the world, there's nowhere to go but down. The relentless attention given Jackson started focusing as much on his eccentricities -- some real, some rumored -- as his music. As the Web site Allmusic.com notes, he was rumored to sleep in a hyperbaric chamber and to have purchased the bones of John Merrick, the \"Elephant Man.\" (Neither was true.) He did have a pet chimpanzee, Bubbles; underwent a series of increasingly drastic plastic surgeries; established an estate, Neverland, filled with zoo animals and amusement park rides; and managed to purchase the Beatles catalog from under Paul McCartney's nose, which displeased the ex-Beatle immensely. In 1990s and 2000s, Jackson found himself pasted across the media for his short-lived marriages, the first to Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie; his 2002 claim that then Sony Records head Tommy Mottola was racist; his behavior and statements during a 2003 interview with British journalist Martin Bashir done for a documentary called \"Living With Michael Jackson;\" his changing physical appearance; and, above all, the accusations that he sexually molested young boys at Neverland. Watch report on legacy on Michael Jackson » . The first such accusation, in 1993, resulted in a settlement to the 13-year-old accuser (rumored to be as high as $20 million), though no criminal charges were filed, Allmusic.com notes. He also fell deeply in debt and was forced to sell some of his assets. Neverland was one of many holdings that went on the block. However, an auction of material from Neverland, scheduled for April, was called off and all items returned to Jackson. Interest in Jackson never faded, however, even if some of it was prurient. In 2008, when he announced 10 comeback shows in London, beginning in July 2009, the story made worldwide news. The number of concerts was later increased to 50. Seventy-five thousand tickets sold in four hours when they went on sale in March. However, when the shows were postponed until 2010, rumors swept the Internet that Jackson was not physically prepared and possibly suffering from skin cancer. Watch discussion of his tough life, brilliant career » . At the time, the president and CEO of AEG Live, Randy Phillips, said, \"He's as healthy as can be -- no health problems whatsoever.\" Jackson held open auditions for dancers in April in Los Angeles. He is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Michael Jackson suffers cardiac arrest at home in Los Angeles suburb .\nSinger was dominant in pop music for four decades with Jackson 5, solo .\nJackson had many No. 1s; his \"Thriller\" is one of the best-selling albums of all time ." } ]

[ { "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 organist on the seminal 1960s song \"A Whiter Shade of Pale\" has won a long-running legal battle for a share in the royalties for the tune. Matthew Fisher, shown here in a 2006 photo, has won a battle over \"Whiter Shade of Pale\" royalties. Matthew Fisher sued former Procol Harum bandmate Gary Brooker in the House of Lords, Britain's highest court. A lower court had ruled in his favor in 2006, granting him co-writing credits and a share of the royalties. Another court partly overturned the ruling in 2008, giving Fisher co-writing credit but no money. The Court of Appeal said Fisher had waited too long to bring his claim to court. The House of Lords disagreed, said there was no time limit on such claims. Fisher -- whose organ chords open the anthemic song and carry the psychedelic tune through its final swells -- says on his Web site that the song is the most-played ever on the books of Phonographic Performance Ltd. Lord David Neuberger of Abbotsbury said the organist had played a key role in the success of the song. \"Fisher's subsequent contribution was significant, and, especially the introductory eight bars, an important factor in the work's success,\" he wrote in his verdict. The ruling could be worth a lot of money to him. BBC television, for example, pays £43.89 ($72.40) per minute in royalties each time it plays the four-minute song, according to PRS for Music, which collects royalties on behalf of music writers, composers and publishers . BBC Radio 2 pays £19.35 ($31.92) per minute. Writers and composers receive royalties until 70 years after their death in the British system." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Matthew Fisher sued former Procol Harum bandmate Gary Brooker .\nFisher was seeking share of royalties for \"A Whiter Shade of Pale\"\nLower court had ruled in his favor in 2006, but another partly overturned ruling in 2008 ." } ]

[ { "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) -- In response to a spate of attacks allegedly by a drug cartel, Mexico more than tripled the number of federal police officers patrolling the state of Michoacan, a government spokeswoman said. Drug violence is up in Michoacan state, shown by recent attacks on police in at least a half-dozen cities. The government on Thursday dispatched 1,000 federal police officers to Michoacan state in southwest Mexico, increasing its presence to 1,300 total, Public Safety spokeswoman Veronica Penunuri told CNN. At least 18 federal agents and two soldiers have been killed since the weekend in Michoacan, the home state of President Felipe Calderon. The sudden spike in violence followed the arrest Saturday of Arnoldo Rueda Medina, whom authorities described as a high-ranking member of the drug cartel known as La Familia Michoacana. Cartel members first attacked the federal police station in Morelia to try to gain freedom for Rueda, authorities said. When that failed, drug gangs attacked federal police installations in at least a half-dozen Michoacan cities, according to authorities. The Michoacan cartel also is accused in the slaying of 12 federal police officers whose bodies were found Tuesday on a remote highway. Video from the scene showed three signs, known as narcomensajes, left by the killers. They all stated the same thing: \"So that you come for another. We will be waiting for you here.\" Since Calderon went after the drug cartels shortly after coming into office in 2006, more than 10,000 people have died across Mexico, about 1,000 of them police. The state of Michoacan, on Mexico's southwest Pacific coast, is not alone in the wave of violence sweeping the country. The border city of Ciudad Juarez set a record this weekend when its toll of drug-related deaths for the year topped 1,000, a distinction the Mexican city did not reach last year until September." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mexican government responding to a spate of deadly attacks in Michoacan .\nThe number of federal police officers patrolling the state has more than tripled .\nSudden spike in violence follows arrest Saturday of high-ranking drug cartel member .\nLa Familia Michoacana accused in the slayings of 12 federal police officers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Yemenia Airways is canceling all its flights between Yemen and the Comoros Islands after this week's crash on the same route, the airline said Saturday. Bahia Bakari holds her father's hand as she lies on a stretcher in a plane after landing in France. One more flight between Sanaa and Moroni is scheduled for Sunday, but all flights on the route are canceled after that, Yemenia said. A Yemenia Airways Airbus 310 went down early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Comoros' capital, Moroni. One person, 13-year-old French girl Bahia Basari, survived for hours in the Indian Ocean clinging to the debris of the downed plane. She arrived home in France on Thursday, where she was reunited with her father. Watch teen survivor from crash » . She is the only known survivor from the crash, which killed her mother. The Airbus 310 plane tried to land at the airport in Moroni, then made a U-turn before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said. The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar. French and U.S. divers are helping to search for debris and bodies. The French military has detected a rescue beacon, but rescue workers say the wreckage is difficult to reach in deep waters. The plane's data recorders have yet to be found, said Capt. Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Qadir, a spokesman for Yemen's civil aviation department." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teenage girl only person to survive plane crash off Comoros islands .\nFrench, U.S. divers are helping to search for debris and bodies from the plane .\nThe plane's data recorders have yet to be found, Yemeni authorities say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Saudi Arabia's Cabinet was reassured Monday about the condition of its crown prince, according to state-run media, amid mounting speculation about his health. Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud is in Morocco recovering after medical treatment. The country's second deputy prime minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, spoke to ministers about the condition of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud while leading a Cabinet session in Jeddah, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The crown prince has been convalescing at his residence in the Moroccan city of Agadir, where he arrived in May, after undergoing surgery and treatment in New York for an undisclosed illness. Speculation has mounted since he arrived in New York in February. The crown prince's age has never been officially announced but most estimates put him in his 80s. Earlier this week, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, stopped in Agadir to visit the prince and check on his health. The Saudi Press Agency issued a statement during the king's trip, saying he was \"reassured about the health of his brother the crown prince.\" Though Saudi officials have maintained publicly that Sultan's health has improved, the appointment in late March of a second deputy prime minister raised more questions. In April, King Abdullah named the interior minister, Prince Nayef -- the powerful brother of the crown prince and half-brother to the king -- to the post of second deputy prime minister. While many Saudis took the appointment to mean that Nayef is now the country's crown prince in waiting and second in line to be king, others interpreted it as a simple administrative move, ensuring leadership at home if Abdullah and Sultan are abroad at the same time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Crown prince recovering after treatment in New York for an undisclosed illness .\nCrown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud believed to be in his 80s .\nHas been convalescing at his residence in the Moroccan city of Agadir .\nSaudi officials have maintained publicly that Sultan's health has improved ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- The government of Peru on Friday declared a state of emergency in a remote northern area after a clash between police and indigenous people protesting what they say is the exploitation of their native lands left a number of people dead. Alberto Pizango, a leader of the protesters, says his followers did not kill police officers. Police and indigenous protesters said separately that at least eight police and 22 protesters died. The clash took place at dawn outside the northern province of Bagua in the Department of Amazonas as police attempted to break up a roadblock on the 59th day of protests. Foreign Minister Jose A. Garcia Belaunde told CNN en Español that the state of emergency was ordered to give the government the opportunity to re-establish order and reopen talks with the protesters. Under the state of emergency, the army can be called on to maintain order. \"Look, the use of force is legitimate,\" he said. \"Today, what we have received in response were gunshots -- directed at police helicopters, killing eight or nine police.\" But Alberto Pizango, the principal leader of the indigenous group, said his followers could not have been responsible for killing any police, because they were armed only with stones and arrows. He said the demonstrators had been pursuing a peaceful protest. Authorities have not confirmed the number of civilian deaths. The director general of the police, Jose Sanchez Farfan, said government buildings in Bagua had been looted and set aflame. Though a congressional commission has recommended the repeal of the laws rejected by the native communities, President Alan Garcia supports those that allow using the lands, maintaining that the richness of the Amazon belongs to all Peruvians and that a significant percentage of natural areas are already protected. \"These people don't have crowns,\" he said about the protesters. \"These people aren't first-class citizens who can say -- 400,000 natives to 28 million Peruvians -- 'You don't have the right to be here.' No way. That is a huge error.\" Garcia called Pizango a criminal. Several days ago, Garcia announced an arrest warrant had been issued for Pizango, who is accused of inciting his followers to violence. Journalist Maria Elena Belaunde contributed to this story from Lima." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Violence flares as police attempt to break up a roadblock .\nGovernment declares state of emergency in remote northern area .\nIndigenous people protest what they call the exploitation of their native lands .\nPeruvian president says land belongs to all the people of the country ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Where were you on the night of July 15? You may not even remember, but for me it was an extraordinary evening, an evening of unimaginable triumph and unbearable tragedy. Andrew Kinard testifies before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on April 29, 2009. But I would not actually know everything that happened until the night was long over. A couple of weeks before July 15, a friend who works with injured troops emailed me to say it was time for Andrew's going away party. Andrew Kinard is a young Marine I first met a few years ago at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington where he was recovering from a devastating IED attack in Iraq. He had stepped on the roadside bomb and lost his entire body below the hips. The party being arranged was Andrew's farewell to D.C. Andrew is off to the rigors of Harvard Law School. He's says he's itching to get into a courtroom. You need to remember the name Andrew Kinard. Many of his friends believe Andrew is such an amazing man that he will become president of the United States. If I had to bet, I'd say it could happen. I wouldn't have missed the party for the world. I was touched that this tight-knit community of wounded warriors had included me in this very special, very intimate evening. There was a display of photos of Andrew serving in Iraq. I suddenly realized I never knew how tall he was before the war. There were a few sniffles and wiping of eyes in the room for a Marine whose dream of service to his country ended within a few months of getting to Iraq. But sniffles didn't last long and the evening became one of hugs, laughter and good wishes (and more than a few beers) for a young Marine who had triumphed over what the war had dealt him. But my warm feelings didn't last long. The next day another source in the wounded troop community came to me in the Pentagon hallway with another tale. \"You have to do something about the story of Ray Rivas,\" he said. In the very hours we were celebrating Andrew in Washington, tragedy was unfolding in Texas. Lt. Col. Raymond Rivas, a 53-year old civil affairs officer who had dedicated his career to rebuilding war torn countries, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas. Colleagues of Ray's said prescription pills and notes he wrote to his family and wife, Colleen, were found. A military source told me all indications are Ray took his own life. His devastated family understandably declined to talk publicly, and the military won't discuss the case citing privacy concerns. But friends and colleagues I spoke to confirmed that Ray had suffered multiple blast injuries to his brain from bomb attacks during several deployments over the years. Watch Ray Rivas's struggle with his brain injuries » . In October 2006, Ray survived an attack in Iraq that rendered him briefly unconscious. He was transferred to Europe but somehow talked the doctors into sending him back to the war zone. A week later, ill and confused, he was sent back to the United States. A close associate tells me that at first, despite being diagnosed with traumatic brain injury in Iraq, some doctors thought Ray might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They didn't realize he had all the symptoms of traumatic brain injury. He had trouble talking, reasoning and remembering. He was sent to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio so he could be near his family, but for the first few months he just sat in his room. Fellow soldiers helped him with his bathing, dressing and eating. Finally, Ray was assigned a case manager, and things began to move rapidly. He got therapy and was able to go home. But by all accounts from his friends, Ray had become seriously debilitated by the injuries to his brain. A private email shown to CNN revealed that Ray had been diagnosed with rapidly emerging Alzheimer's disease. The cumulative impact of all those bomb blasts were destroying his brain. Colleagues say Ray knew he might have to move to an assisted living facility. Ray's doctors are not discussing his treatment because of privacy concerns. A colleague told me Ray was tired and in pain on the night of July 15. He was found in his car in the parking lot at the army hospital where he had spent so long trying to get better. But Ray will be remembered for all he did for others. Even with all his suffering, he wanted to make sure other injured troops were helped. In April he and his wife Colleen went to Capitol Hill to testify with other wounded warriors about their needs. Sitting on that panel with Ray was Andrew Kinard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CNN's Barbara Starr celebrated a victory and mourned a loss on July 15 .\nAn injured Marine was celebrating getting into Harvard Law School .\nOn same night, a warrior with a traumatic brain injury was found dead in his car .\nMen's stories are linked -- both pleaded with the government to aid injured soldiers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Security forces patrolled deserted streets in Gabon's capital as citizens of the west African nation awaited official presidential results amid growing fears of violence, witnesses told CNN on Thursday. Police block supporters of opposition candidate Pierre Mamboundou in Libreville, Gabon. Voters in the oil-rich nation went to the polls Sunday to elect a successor to President Omar Bongo, who died in June after more than four decades in office. Bongo, 73, was Africa's longest-serving ruler. His son, Ali Bongo, a candidate for the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party, was one of the main contenders. Local media reports indicated that the younger Bongo had won, but CNN was unable to confirm those results. \"The Gabonese have come out of 42 years of dictatorship; they don't care who will be the next president, as long as it is not Bongo,\" Andriankoto Ratozamanana told CNN by phone from the capital, Libreville. \"They want change. They don't want Bongo, because he is his dad's son.\" Libreville was deserted because residents had fled to villages for fear of post-election violence, Ratozamanana said. \"The citizens won't accept if Ali Bongo wins, because that will mean the government stole the vote,\" Ratozamanana said. The younger Bongo, a former defense minister, was one of 23 politicians originally in the ballot. Several candidates pulled out a few days before the vote to support the opposition, said Archippe Yepmou, a media activist. Bongo, main opposition leader Pierre Mamboundou and former interior minister Andre Mba Obame have all claimed victory. The elder Bongo took power in 1967, seven years after the country's independence from France. He imposed one-party rule a year after succeeding the country's first president, who died in office. He allowed multiparty elections after a new constitution in 1991, but his party retained its grip on the government despite that. The nation of about 1.5 million has a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations, according to the CIA World Factbook. Despite its wealth, which also comes from timber exports, a large percentage of its population lives in poverty because of poor financial management and a huge gap between the rich and the poor. CNN's Umaro Djau contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tension grows in Gabon, West Africa as citizens await result of presidential election .\nCapital Libreville deserted as residents flee the city through fear of violence .\nVoters went to the polls on Sunday to elect a successor to President Omar Bongo ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama will rack up plenty of frequent flyer miles this summer with planned trips in Africa, Russia and Italy. President Obama will travel to Ghana for two days after the G8 Summit in July. Obama, along with his wife, Michelle, will visit Accra, Ghana, on July 10 and July 11, the White House said Saturday. It will follow Obama's trip to the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, from July 8 to July 10. Obama will address various bilateral and regional issues with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, the White House said in a news statement. \"The President and Mrs. Obama look forward to strengthening the U.S. relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa, and to highlighting the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development,\" according to the statement. Obama announced a week ago that he will visit Egypt on June 4 to deliver a speech on America's relationship with the Muslim world. Egypt is \"a country that in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world,\" White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said at the time. Gibbs deflected several questions at his daily briefing about whether Egypt is a wise choice given President Hosni Mubarak's resistance to making his government more democratic. Obama originally promised to deliver the speech during his first 100 days, but senior administration officials say the date slipped in part because of security and logistical issues. Obama has visited Africa before as a senator. In 2006, he received a hero's welcome in his father's native Kenya. Before the G8 summit, the president is scheduled to travel to Moscow from July 6 to July 8 at the invitation of Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev. The G8 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, England and the United States." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Obama to visit Ghana after his trip to Italy's G8 Summit in July .\nObama also planning to visit Egypt, Russia this summer .\nObama last traveled to Africa in 2006 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LAKE VIEW TERRACE, California (CNN) -- A massive fire that has charred more than 147,000 acres in Southern California and destroyed dozens of homes north of Los Angeles was caused by arson, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said Thursday. A wildfire burns close to blackened hills in the Angeles National Forest outside Los Angeles on Wednesday. A homicide investigation has been initiated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department into the deaths of two firefighters as a result of the Station fire, said spokeswoman Rita Wears. The firefighters died Sunday in a vehicle crash while trying to escape fast-moving flames. The fire was at 38 percent containment Thursday. It has been burning for more than a week. Fire officials said progress has been made, particularly on the west side of the fire, but the blaze was still producing hot spots, including one that forced the evacuation of 25 residents early Thursday. Families in 11 homes were awakened at about 4 a.m. and given three hours to leave their homes near the Dillon Divide community. The fire had scorched 147,418 acres as of Thursday. Residents have fled from 10,000 homes along the edge of the Angeles Forest since the fire began on August 26. However, the majority of evacuees were allowed back into their homes by Wednesday. Watch as firefighters struggle to keep the blaze at bay » . \"We're fighting for every foot of containment we can get on this fire,\" said U.S. Forest Service Fire Chief Mike Dietrich. He said firefighters have made progress controlling the northern and western parameters of the fire, but the priority is to keep the southeastern corner of the fire away from areas along Interstate 210, including Pasadena, Arcadia and Sierra Madre. The blaze is headed toward the San Gabriel Wilderness Area of the Angeles forest. The San Gabriel represents the eastern edge of the fire, he said. Nearly all the fire was in forest land and the nearby foothill communities, including La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta and Acton. \"This is a very complicated situation, and it continues to be complicated as it moves east,\" Dietrich said. The fire has destroyed 64 homes, three commercial properties and 49 outdoor structures since it began last week, authorities said. The state has spent about $27 million so far fighting the fire in the Angeles National Forest, Dietrich said. Firefighters expect to have the blaze fully contained by September 15. Earlier, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked about the cost of the firefighting, given the state's precarious financial position. \"I've made it clear that even though we have a budget crunch and we have an economic crisis and we just solved a $23 billion deficit, we will always have the money available to fight the fires because public safety is our No. 1 priority,\" Schwarzenegger responded. That budget gap covers two years. The governor said he insisted that the state budget he signed in July have a $500 million reserve for emergencies such as fires. California has had 5,000 blazes so far this year, he said. He said 21 firefighters have been injured battling the Station fire, in addition to the two killed Sunday. While temperatures remain high, the humidity level increased on Wednesday and Thursday -- a boon to the firefighting efforts. Firefighters could get another break if temperatures cool off on Friday, as expected. CNN's Barbara Starr in Lake View Terrace, California, contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Investigation treated as homicide case because two firefighters died .\nThe fire was at 38 percent containment Thursday, officials say .\nStation fire has burned more than 147,000 acres north of Los Angeles .\nBlaze still forcing some residents to evacuate ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(AOL Autos) -- It had never been done before, but as Monte Perlin gunned the engine of his Harley motorbike and prepared to land it in an open boxcar of a moving train, he was strangely calm. Stuntman Monte Perlin putting his motorcycle through its paces. Rather than fret for his own life, he was thinking about the responsibility he had for the life of the woman sitting on the saddle behind him. He laughs to tell the story now, but his moving-train stunt for Disney's 2008 Adam Sandler vehicle \"Bedtime Stories\" was perhaps the most dangerous Perlin's attempted in his 25 years in Hollywood. His career has involved many films, including \"Spider-Man,\" \"Star Trek, \"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull\" and portraying Arnold Schwarzenegger's stunt double in \"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.\" That's right: Monte Perlin is a stunt man. In fact, he said that after completing that train stunt, which involved probably more math than we'd care to compute (consider a man jumping 70 feet on a motorbike at 60 mph from a ramp into an open car of a train traveling at 45 mph, all with a woman on the seat next to him...sounds a bit like a SAT question, doesn't it?) the footage showed he missed. In actuality, he came too close -- or about 6 inches -- to one of the boxcar's doors. So, he had to do it again. \"I have to time it with a girl on my back,\" Perlin said. \"Too short, I'm dead. Too late, I'm dead. Too high, fast or powerful, I take my head off. It had to be perfect. While he didn't sleep for two nights before the stunt, he says a strange type of calm precedes any of his attempts at a difficult trick. Then, just before launch, he says, as he revs the engine of whichever \"boss hog\" he's riding that day, his adrenaline kicks into gear. \"I get that feeling, that I could wrestle 10 gorillas, I could jump 10 trains, and boom! I go for it.\" Perlin completed the stunt, this time \"hitting\" it almost exactly through the middle of the box-car's open gate and the movie's production team wrapped the scene. \"I did it again and just hit it perfect,\" he said. \"I hit the impossible stunt.\" It didn't start this way . Perlin grew up in Lake Arrowhead, not far from Hollywood, where from the age of 10 he ripped around the largely rural area on motocross bikes before he graduated onto some seriously heavy machinery -- including his own super-modified Harley Davidson that packs a 350 Chevy car engine. That gave him a perfect start in his chosen career of motorcycle stunt riding. AOL Autos: Fastest coupes under $30k . He got into Hollywood by ditching the small-town naysayers who didn't believe in him, he says, and traveling to Los Angeles. After a couple misfires, he looked into a stunt school he found in a Hollywood trade publication and he found his calling. AOL Autos: Top 10 best car commercials . Perhaps more importantly, Perlin met his wife, also a stuntwoman. \"(She) changed my life and stopped my drinking,\" he said. \"I told her, 'If we're gonna get married, I gotta have a career.'\" In addition to traveling to Africa, Israel, Russia, and all over the world, the couple raised four kids on a 10-acre ranch about 25 miles north of Hollywood in Lancaster. Perlin hasn't touched a drop of alcohol in nearly 25 years. He says he often takes his grandkids for \"wheelies\" around his neighborhood. As it turns out, stuntin' runs in the family: His 17-year-old daughter is a champion horse show-jumper and is gunning for an Olympic place, but is already a professional stuntwoman. AOL Autos: Ford's 'Wonder Woman' engineers important new car . Stunt work isn't something to be taken lightly, though. Perlin has the scars to prove it. He says he's broken \"almost everything.\" Everything, according to Perlin, includes both of his arms, legs, knees, feet, ankles, several of his ribs, his back and his pelvis. But, his background in gymnastics has left him some flexibility. AOL Autos: Most common car- related injuries . Perhaps philosophically, Perlin points out that the most important thing for any stuntman, alongside having a particular niche or forte like motorbike riding, is learning from the mistakes you'll inevitably make. Sometimes this means knowing when to say no and, simply, when to go for it. He recalls the time he was cajoled by a director into doing a motorcycle stunt he considered too dangerous. \"The worst thing (I ever did) was on a Brian Bosworth series 13 years ago in Florida. I had to jump off a pier, over the water and into a barge. Well, usually they give you a lighter bike mocked up to look like a Harley, but they wouldn't do that (for) this so I had to get a stock Kawasaki 1200 Vulcan. I could jump a 35-foot distance (on that bike) but from pier to barge was now more than 35 feet. I checked the tide and the jump was 40 feet long. \"Now (I know) I don't want to do it. But the production manager came running out and said, 'If Monte Perlin doesn't do this jump, you all are going home right now.' He was really throwing it at me. I did the jump and landed perfectly, but the bike snapped in half and crushed my ankle. In the hospital, the 'doc said they were gonna have to cut my foot off.\" Perlin's foot was saved by steel plates and screws, but not before he learned an important lesson: \"It's not the fact of making mistakes in life, it's what you learn from them.\" He describes a later stunt where he had to jump a motorbike down 2.5 stories from a roof, jumping through a window, all while wearing a rubber monster suit. He says the lights were bad, and he \"couldn't see a thing.\" \"I called down to floor, said I couldn't see the ground,\" he said. \"They said 'You wimp, my mother could do that.' But, five minutes later the lights were right, and I landed it. The end result was I had learned from my mistakes. There are ways to get around anything.\" One tough assignment . Most famously, perhaps, Perlin portrayed Arnold Schwarzenegger in \"Terminator 3,\" a role that still has a special place in his memory (although he says he's back working with his old Terminator team on a \"major blockbuster\" to be filmed this summer). AOL Autos: Top 10 movie car chases . \"For Terminator 3, I got a call to double Arnold, to go in and meet him. We hung out for six months, riding together and training. Now (as a double for the) Terminator, I can't be riding and looking, or turning my head. I had to use peripheral vision for all my stunts.\" Not that he needed a reminder, but Monte's Terminator experiences proved once again that stunt work is serious business. \"In one of the sequences, Arnold's riding on a motorcycle and the lady's on a crane. She swings at him and he grabs the crane. But that transfer was not as sweet as it looked. Riding at 45 mph, following the crane, a harness was supposed to bring me closer to the crane and lock me safe to it. But, the crane made a swerve and it pulled me off the motorbike, and he's still going. Picture a fish on the end of a hook, being swung around. If that timing was off I would (have been) wrapped around a pole and torn in half.\" On the same shoot, Monte had to do battle with an object much larger than him and perhaps less forgiving than a moving crane. \"For an explosion shot in the movie, I was heading right toward a tanker,\" he said. \"I swerved around (it) and was head on with a remotely controlled ambulance, (which was) on fire. If I had fallen and it would of hit me, I would have been bone dead. \"But, it landed beside me -- a full-weight paramedic truck flipping through the air. I talked to the guy on the remote control after that. He said it would have landed on top of me, but on the last second it turned to the right and missed me. It woulda squished me.\" Unless you're Monte Perlin, do not try this at home. You might get squished." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Stuntman Monte Perlin has broken \"almost everything\" in his 25-year career .\nHis films include \"Spider-Man,\" \"Star Trek, \"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines\"\nOne motorbike stunt involved jumping 70 feet at 60 mph into open car of moving train .\nRemotely controlled, burning ambulance flipped and barely missed him ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "PALLAVAKAM, India (CNN) -- South India's sun beats down on a long line of trucks wending to the Bay of Bengal. In the back of these trucks, giant, brightly painted statues of the Hindu god Ganesha are waiting to be dropped in the nearby ocean. Ganesha worshippers transport their Idol for an immersion ritual. All over India, Hindus recently celebrated the birthday of the elephant god and now the idols made for this festivity are being taken to India's ocean, rivers and lakes and deposited. It's part of the Hindu religious cycle. But it's also a huge source of pollution. And in recent years, idol immersion has become a popular local event, with some statues so huge they must be lifted by cranes. The Ganeshas gleam with gold paint and glisten with reds, pinks and greens. But scientists who've studied the problem say these paints often contain toxic metals, such as lead and mercury. They contaminate plants, and poison fish and irrigation and drinking water. They end up in the human food chain. The problem is not just caused by idols of Ganesha, but by the many other Hindu god idols as well, such as Saraswati and Durga. Hundreds of thousands of god idols are immersed every year in festivals across India. A detailed study of the problem has been done by Shyam R. Asolekar of the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay. He estimates that, in the city of Mumbai alone, several hundred thousand idols are made annually. Watch a Hindu immersion ritual » . Decades ago, there were far fewer idols and idols were made of mud and biodegradable materials, Asolekar said. The effect also was \"minimal\" he said, because waterways weren't linked as they are now. As a result of water and irrigation projects, \"connected water systems and dams have reduced the flow of water\" and dramatically increased the effect of pollution. According to Asolekar's study, \"Forbidding the disposal of painted idols, ornaments and decoration is the only sure way of protecting our water bodies.\" Various Indian states are testing out new approaches, such as mobile immersion tanks, and encouraging mud idols. Asolekar dismissed the idea of an eco-friendly idol, saying even large amounts of mud kill waterways. \"The number of idols is so high,\" he said, \"no matter what the material, there will always be an impact. Even organic substances in large quantities cause a problem.\" He suggests a \"dry immersion,\" in which the idol is sprinkled symbolically with water and then later dried for reuse. This approach would face great hurdles in a country where religious rituals have deep social and cultural ties and change comes slowly. Another possible interim measure uses a polymer-lined tank for immersion. More than 100 such tanks have been installed in Mumbai. The linings can be rolled up after use and the materials separated into bio and nonbiodegradable materials for composting and landfill. The water is filtered. But this solution is far from ideal, Asolekar said, as tens of thousands of such tanks would be needed, and there is still plenty of contamination. \"It will take time to change people's attitudes,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hindu ritual of immersing idols in oceans, rivers and lakes is causing contamination .\nPaints on idols often contain toxic metals, such as lead and mercury .\nPollutants contaminate plants, poison fish and irrigation and drinking water .\n\"Dry immersion\" suggested as a solution -- idol is sprinkled symbolically with water ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's opium production dropped dramatically this year partly because of new aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country, a United Nations study found. Afghan police officers use tractors to destroy poppy crops in Helmand province earlier this year. According to the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, production dipped by 10 percent this year, while cultivation fell by 22 percent. \"At a time of pessimism about the situation in Afghanistan, these results are a welcome piece of good news and demonstrate that progress is possible,\" said Antonio Maria Costa, the office's executive director. The United Nations notes that drugs originating in Afghanistan have \"catastrophic consequences.\" \"They fund the activities of criminals, insurgents and terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Collusion with corrupt government officials is undermining public trust, security and the rule of law. \"Widespread money-laundering is harming the reputation of banks in the Gulf and farther afield,\" it said. Watch U.N. official discuss concerns about opium stockpiles » . The report, released this week, attributed the decrease to better government leadership, aggressive counter-narcotics tactics, a push for farmers to grow legal crops and pressure from NATO-led soldiers. This was the second year that the production of the opium, used to produce heroin, had dropped in Afghanistan. The study found 20 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan were now free of opium farming. The most significant drop this year was in Helmand province, the volatile southern region where NATO-led forces are battling with militants. In that opium hotbed, cultivation dipped from 103,590 to 69,833 hectares (255,976 to 172,561 acres). But even with this seemingly good news, some fear that drug traffickers in Afghanistan are preparing to fight back. According to the report, researchers found evidence strong drug cartels, similar to ones seen in Colombia, were being formed by participants in Afghanistan's drug trade. \"A marriage of convenience between insurgents and criminal groups is spawning narco-cartels linked to the Taliban,\" Costa said. Incentive programs giving local farmers seeds and training in growing legal crops represent a key tactic in the fight against drugs. Local farmers in Helmand are being trained at a facility ran by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Farmers like Abdul Qadir said programs like this one are key to bringing peace to war-torn Afghanistan. \"These countries that are here, why are they with guns and bombs? If you can just help the people of Afghanistan in this way, the fighting will go away, these Taliban and other enemies of the country will also disappear,\" Qadir said. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.N.: Drugs originating in Afghanistan have \"catastrophic consequences\"\nSuccess attributed to aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country .\nReport: 20 of 34 provinces in Afghanistan now free of opium farming .\nLocal farmers also encouraged to grow legal crops ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Investigators have arrested a third suspect in the killing of a prominent doctor near Houston, Texas. Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was found dead at his ranch last month, police say. The Texas Rangers arrested Misael Sotollo, 18, Tuesday evening in a Houston apartment, the Austin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Sotollo and two others -- brothers Cristobal Galvan Cerna, 23, and Moises Galvan Cerna, 18 -- are charged with murder in the death of Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez. Bail has been denied for all three, according to authorities. The doctor was chief of the critical care section at Houston's Methodist Hospital and \"a pulmonary medicine leader,\" according to the hospital system's Web site. Gonzalez was found dead August 22, after deputies responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress at his weekend ranch, in a rural and isolated area outside Bellville, Texas, authorities said. Bellville is about 50 miles west of Houston. The suspects were already at the home when the Gonzalez family arrived around noon, law enforcement officials said. The doctor was able to enter his home and obtain a handgun in an attempt to defend himself and his family, authorities said. Gunshots were exchanged, and the doctor died at the scene, they said. Also wounded in the shooting was ranch hand Noel Galvan Cerna, who worked for Gonzalez and is the brother of two of the men in custody in the killing. Sotollo is their cousin. An officer responding to the Gonzalez home on the robbery report was met by vehicles leaving the location, Austin County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Paul Faircloth said, and a person in one vehicle fired on the officer. Neither the officer nor his patrol car was struck, and the officer did not return fire, Faircloth said. The officer was able to provide a detailed description of the vehicles, he said. The officer found Gonzalez' wife and toddler unharmed inside the home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez found shot to death at his ranch on August 22 .\nPolice say Gonzalez arrived at the rural home to find suspects already there .\nHe was able to get his gun from the house but died in ensuing gunfire, police say .\nRanch hand was injured in the attack; the suspects are his brothers and cousin ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's Note: Lucas A. Powe Jr. is a professor of constitutional law at The University of Texas and the author of the recently published book, \"The Supreme Court and the American Elite, 1789-2008.\" He clerked for Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. Lucas Powe Jr. says it's not a surprise that justices voted 5-4 in favor of the New Haven firefighters. AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- Monday, in the much anticipated New Haven, Connecticut, firefighters' case, the Supreme Court reversed an opinion joined by Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee. The reversal was expected and is not the first time an appointee has been reversed by the court he was about to join. Indeed, two of Chief Justice Warren Burger's opinions for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals were reversed in 1969, the year he joined the court. One was Watts v. United States, in which the defendant had been convicted for threatening the life of the president. By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court reversed, holding that Watts' supposed threats were really nothing but hyperbole. The decision came down one month before President Nixon nominated Burger. More significantly, after Burger had been confirmed, the Court reversed him again, this time in a major case -- Powell v. McCormack. The House had refused to seat Harlem, New York, Democratic Rep. Adam Clayton Powell after he won yet another election. The reasons for the House's action were misappropriation of public funds and abuse of process in state courts to avoid paying a judgment. Burger wrote that federal courts could not decide Powell's case because the issue was nonjusticiable -- that is, not appropriate for a judicial resolution because issues of membership in Congress were exclusively committed to Congress. When the case reached the Supreme Court, a lengthy opinion by Chief Justice Earl Warren held that courts could rule in such a case and that a House of Congress could only exclude someone if that person did not meet the qualifications, age, citizenship and residence requirements set forth in the Constitution. There was but a single dissent. The reversal of Sotomayor was expected because a majority of the current court are Republicans who believe governmental decisions should be made on a color-blind basis. Beginning with the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Republicans have taken aim at affirmative action, and the Republican justices have concurred. Only once in the past 15 years has the Republican majority voted in favor of minorities in an affirmative action case. That came in 2003, when the court upheld the affirmative action program at the University of Michigan Law School. That case, however, was profoundly influenced by an amicus brief signed by 45 retired admirals and generals (plus former Defense Secretary William Cohen) stating that affirmative action was essential at the Service Academies in order to create a diverse officer corps in order to ensure necessary military cohesiveness. When asked about the military brief, Solicitor General Theodore Olson stated that he had not thought about the consequences of ending affirmative action at the Service Academies. That was enough for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a Republican, who switched from her normal skepticism of affirmative action to sustain the law school program. Nevertheless, four Republican justices -- William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas -- voted to invalidate the program. With John Roberts replacing Rehnquist and Samuel Alito replacing O'Connor, the court acquired a majority that appears more concerned about discrimination against whites than about racial equality in American society. Thus just two years ago in cases out of Seattle, Washington, and Louisville, Kentucky, the Republican majority invalidated school assignment plans that the school districts themselves had decided were appropriate to prevent resegregation. With those cases as background, the majority's sympathy for the plight of Frank Ricci, who studied so hard for the New Haven promotion examination, was easily predictable. But so was the fact that the four dissenters in the Seattle and Louisville cases -- John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and the now-retired David Souter -- would side with the city in its concern that the results of the test left no African-Americans eligible for promotion. What the New Haven case showed was that Republicans have been winning presidential elections and therefore gaining Supreme Court nominations more often than Democrats for the past generation. So when a Democratic president finally got a nomination, any person selected would dissent from the Republicans' disdain for affirmative action. It is merely a coincidence that the nominee, Sotomayor, happened to participate in the case already. Some Republican senators may try to use the New Haven majority to paint Sotomayor as out of the mainstream. But that conclusion requires painting the four dissenters as out of the mainstream, too. Only the Republican base could believe that. Sotomayor will be confirmed without a hiccup. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Lucas A. Powe Jr." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Powe: Two Warren Burger rulings were reversed as he was about to join court .\nHe says ruling in favor of New Haven firefighters was not a surprise .\nHe says Sotomayor is not out of the mainstream since 4 justices were on her side .\nPowe: Justices named by GOP presidents generally oppose affirmative action ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It's been three years to the month since Dan Brown's book \"The Da Vinci Code\" hit theater screens, becoming a worldwide blockbuster. Tom Hanks says working in Rome, Italy, added to the production values of \"Angels & Demons.\" Now superstar Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are back with another of Brown's best-sellers, \"Angels & Demons.\" Unlike the previous effort in which the Oscar-winning duo went on a shooting spree across several European countries, the new film takes place in just one locale, Rome. Much of the movie was shot on soundstages and sets built in Hollywood, but the cast and crew also spent months in the Italian capital, which they say provided the film with an undeniable authenticity, not easily duplicated anywhere else. Watch the excitement of shooting in Rome » . Hanks and Howard sat down with CNN to talk about the challenges -- and \"blessings,\" in Hanks' word -- of making \"Angels & Demons\" happen in one of the world's most densely trafficked, architecturally powerful cities. Tom Hanks: You're shooting in a place like Rome and quite frankly, every layer of history and every passer-by, every scooter, every truck adds to the ambience of the film, the production value that you couldn't get in a million years if we were trying to fake it during the daylight hours back home. Ron Howard: We used every device known to cinema, from the latest cutting-edge technology to certain filmic illusions that go back a hundred years, literally to the birth of the medium, to sort of low-budget street photography where you['re] just pull[ing] up in a car, getting out a van, clearing a little space and shooting a shot. And I hope that it does the thing that these kind of adventures should do, which is really transport an audience. Hanks: Every step of the way we seem to be enjoying the blessings of how complicated it is to shoot in a place of Rome. We had a lady show up who was getting married at the Pantheon, and she had to get to the altar, and we had to get our shots. She showed up right between shots when we were moving the cameras. We got her into her wedding day. We went and got our shots; she came out when she was done -- huzzahs all the way around and before the sun went down we were still able to finish up our day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Much of \"Angels & Demons\" footage shot in Rome, Italy .\nTom Hanks said being in Eternal City gave film feeling it couldn't get on back lot .\nBut star and director note challenges, including shooting scenes amid a wedding ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- \"Slumdog Millionaire\" leaves audiences uplifted. But that is hardly how one of its child stars felt on Thursday. Indian authorities demolished the home of \"Slumdog Millionaire\" child actor Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail. Despite the hit movie's mega-millions in box-office receipts, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail's life changed little after he returned home to Mumbai, India's, Garib Nagar, or city of the poor. On Thursday, even the roof over the real-life slum dweller's head was taken away as Indian authorities tore down the shanty where Ismail's family lived. Authorities said the home and about 20 others around it were illegally built. Senior Inspector Rahim Sheikh told CNN that the shanties were brought down as part of a municipal drive to clear encroachments on public land. Bulldozers leveled the slum built on a municipal garden, said Sheikh, who is in charge of the locality in Mumbai where Ismail lived. The little boy sat among twisted corrugated metal and other debris, surrounded by filth and squalor. Memories of Hollywood's glitz and glitter were distant as tears streamed down his face. He said his family was given no notice of the demolition and did not have time to remove their belongings. But, they said, they plan to return and rebuild. Watch 'Slumdog' actor's home razed. » . \"Slumdog Millionaire\" is the story of Jamal, an impoverished, uneducated teen who competes on an Indian game show. Ismail, who played a young Jamal's brother, Salim, traveled to Los Angeles, California, in February for this year's Academy Awards, where the movie won eight Oscars, including best picture. CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail's home is in Garib Nagar, or city of the poor .\nIndian authorities say the home, 20 others, were illegally built .\nFamily says they got no notice, plan to rebuild ." } ]

[ { "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) -- In response to a spate of attacks allegedly by a drug cartel, Mexico more than tripled the number of federal police officers patrolling the state of Michoacan, a government spokeswoman said. Drug violence is up in Michoacan state, shown by recent attacks on police in at least a half-dozen cities. The government on Thursday dispatched 1,000 federal police officers to Michoacan state in southwest Mexico, increasing its presence to 1,300 total, Public Safety spokeswoman Veronica Penunuri told CNN. At least 18 federal agents and two soldiers have been killed since the weekend in Michoacan, the home state of President Felipe Calderon. The sudden spike in violence followed the arrest Saturday of Arnoldo Rueda Medina, whom authorities described as a high-ranking member of the drug cartel known as La Familia Michoacana. Cartel members first attacked the federal police station in Morelia to try to gain freedom for Rueda, authorities said. When that failed, drug gangs attacked federal police installations in at least a half-dozen Michoacan cities, according to authorities. The Michoacan cartel also is accused in the slaying of 12 federal police officers whose bodies were found Tuesday on a remote highway. Video from the scene showed three signs, known as narcomensajes, left by the killers. They all stated the same thing: \"So that you come for another. We will be waiting for you here.\" Since Calderon went after the drug cartels shortly after coming into office in 2006, more than 10,000 people have died across Mexico, about 1,000 of them police. The state of Michoacan, on Mexico's southwest Pacific coast, is not alone in the wave of violence sweeping the country. The border city of Ciudad Juarez set a record this weekend when its toll of drug-related deaths for the year topped 1,000, a distinction the Mexican city did not reach last year until September." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mexican government responding to a spate of deadly attacks in Michoacan .\nThe number of federal police officers patrolling the state has more than tripled .\nSudden spike in violence follows arrest Saturday of high-ranking drug cartel member .\nLa Familia Michoacana accused in the slayings of 12 federal police officers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Almost all British troops in Iraq are being pulled out because the agreement that allows them to be there expires on Friday, the British Ministry of Defence said Tuesday. Nearly all of Britain's troops in Iraq will have left by the week's end. The withdrawal marks the first time since the invasion of Iraq more than six years ago that there will be almost no British troops in the country. The only British troops there will be a group of about a dozen helping to train Iraqi police as part of a NATO mission, the ministry said. The United Kingdom's remaining contingent of 100 to 150 troops is leaving Iraq for neighboring Kuwait, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told CNN. He declined to be named in line with policy. \"The small handful of British military personnel operating in Iraq will be withdrawn to Kuwait after Iraq's parliament adjourned without passing a deal that would let them stay,\" the spokesman said. Iraq must give its permission for foreign troops to be on its soil. It was a group of Iraqi lawmakers loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that prevented parliament from approving a new agreement on British troops. They walked out of parliament as a group on July 11, depriving the legislature of the minimum number of lawmakers necessary for votes to take place. Parliament is now on summer recess until September 8. Fawzi Akram, a lawmaker from the Sadr bloc, confirmed that the bloc reject the Iraqi-British security agreement. He said that Iraq does not need the British troops and that Iraqi security forces are ready to handle security on their own. Britain hopes the Iraqi parliament will eventually approve the security agreement. \"While this delay is unfortunate, we are continuing to seek a solution with the Iraqi Government that will provide our forces with the sound legal basis they need,\" the ministry said in a written statement. The British troops who are being pulled out include Royal Navy servicemen who have been helping the Iraqis to protect oil fields around the port town of Umm Qasr, according to the Ministry of Defence spokesman. All British combat troops have already left the country, another ministry spokesman told CNN. There were about 46,000 British troops in and around Iraq at the peak of major combat operations in March and April 2003, according to the Ministry of Defence. CNN's Jonathan Wald in London and Youssif Basil in Baghdad, Iraq, contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Almost all British troops in Iraq are being pulled out .\nAgreement that allows them to be there expires on Friday .\nOnly about dozen British troops will remain to help train Iraqi police ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino which led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC is using the date to launch an awareness campaign of its work in conflict-affected countries, featuring photos taken by five award-winning photojournalists. This week we're bringing you stories from some of the world's most troubled countries, as told by the ICRC. MONROVIA, Liberia (ICRC) -- On a dusty pitch in the middle of the capital of Monrovia limbless young men play football as though their lives depended on it. Coach Paul Tolbert says many members of Liberia's amputee football team had lost the will to live. Football has given them hope. They are members of the Liberian National Amputee Football Team and for the most part, victims of the war. Some participated in cruel acts against civilians during the fighting and face a daily struggle to live with both their disability and the past. \"I was at church when armed men came in and killed hundreds of us,\" says 18 year old Richard Duo, who is now a star infield attacker and one of the highest goal-scorers on the team. \"I lost my mother, father and one of my brothers. My other siblings were wounded and I lost my leg. \"Now that there is peace, I have decided not to think about that anymore. I only want to look forward, to see what I can do to help myself and my family in the future. Those terrible things have already happened. I just want to focus on the future,\" he says. See photos of Richard Duo and his team mates » . Tens of thousands of people were killed or injured in Liberia's 14-year civil war. The fighting brought rape and mutilation, children were abducted and forced to become fighters and untold numbers had to flee their homes. Since 2003, peace has returned and while efforts are underway to rebuild the country the emotional and physical scars of war remain. Amputee football began in Liberia as a means of therapy and healing. It was an initiative of the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Rehabilitation, which is responsible for assisting former fighters. The team's coach, 30 year old Paul Tolbert, began recruiting members when he worked for the commission as a counseling coordinator. \"When you ask them how they felt after they were amputated, most of them wanted to kill themselves,\" says Tolbert. \"Life no longer had meaning for them. Amputee football restores their hope. Take the example of the guy who won Most Valuable Player in the recent African Cup of Nations. He was a very good player before he was amputated, but gave up hope when he lost his leg. \"When I went to recruit him, I told him 'You can make it, there is still a chance for you.' He since has regained a sense of hope.'\" In 2008, the Liberian team hosted the African Cup of Nations and won the tournament. The team has been to Russia and Turkey for international competitions and will travel to England in June for the Amputee World Cup, where they have a very good chance of making it to the final. The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is their number one fan, ensuring support for travel and profiling the team in her speeches. Tolbert says the healing effects go well beyond the players. \"I tell my team they are bringing a sense of victory to the country. In my eyes, they are not disabled. They are men who bring pride to this nation.\" The players themselves say they are motivated by a desire to leave the war behind and to make something of themselves for their families. They're also looking for a sense of belonging and brotherhood among those who know what it's like to live with the horrors of war and to struggle just to survive. \"I love the sport because I can experience friendship again,\" says Joseph Allen, 21, who was named the best goalkeeper in the Russian tournament. \"Friendship was gone from my life for the longest time. Football brings attention to our disability and helps people better understand that we are able to contribute to society.\" For players like 32 year old Anthony Doe, amputee football has opened up a window on a world he never dreamed possible. \"I never thought that one day I would go and see Turkey or Russia but thanks to football I've been able to travel to compete,\" says the striker. For more about this topic go to the ICRC Web Site. Have you been affected by conflict? Send your photos and stories to iReport ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Many members of Liberia's amputee football team had lost the will to live .\nThey were recruited by a counselor working to rehabilitate former fighters .\nCoach Paul Tolbert: \"They are men who bring pride to this nation\"\nPhotos were taken by war photographer Christopher Morris for the ICRC ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Henry Joseph Madden was a good student and track team member in high school, but he had a secret: He sometimes wore his mother's pantyhose and underwear under his clothes. Dr. Jennifer Madden, a family physician, began her transition to being female at age 48. \"I really wanted to be a girl so bad, and that was one way for me to satisfy those feelings,\" Madden said. \"I always felt like someone was looking over my shoulder.\" The desire to be female never went away. At age 48, Madden confessed these feelings to a doctor, and started seeing a gender therapist who suggested Madden was transgendered. Through reconstructive surgeries, electrolysis, laser procedures and voice lessons, Henry Joseph became Jennifer Elizabeth, known as Jenny. She is a practicing family physician in Nashua, New Hampshire. Watch Jenny's story » . Chastity Bono, child of performer Cher and the late entertainer and politician Sonny Bono, announced Thursday the beginning of a transition from female to a male. While still relatively rare -- one advocate estimates that 0.25 to 0.5 percent of the American population is transgendered -- the idea of changing gender identity has become more widespread in recent years. The term \"LGBT\" (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) is more commonly recognized, and transgendered people have been portrayed in the 1999 film \"Boys Don't Cry\" as well as the 2002 book \"Middlesex\" by Jeffrey Eugenides. Many people who have transitioned, including Madden, say they knew they had been born into the wrong gender from childhood. As early as age 3, Dr. Julie Praus, born male, didn't understand why her father wanted to play catch. As a boy, Praus learned how to fish and hunt, but enjoyed collecting Depression-era glassware vases. Praus, 48, a psychiatrist in Brattleboro, Vermont, started living as a woman in March 2008. \"I get up every morning and say, 'Wow, I can actually look at myself in the mirror,' because I've never been able to do that in my life, because what would stare back at me was not me,\" Praus said. iReport.com: Share your story of gender change . Doctors speculate that there is a biological foundation to gender identity, but no one has determined what in the biological makeup determines that gender. The interactions between personality and culture also contribute to identity, said Chris Kraft, clinical director at the Johns Hopkins Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit. The process of changing genders . For people who want a gender change on a biological level, the first step is therapy, experts say. Dr. Gary Alter, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, said patients don't come to him until they've been in therapy, a process that can take as much as a year. A therapist then gives a physician approval to start the patient on hormone treatment. At that point, the patient may or may not start living as the chosen sex, Alter said. Females seeking to transition into males may elect to have their breasts removed via surgery. With testosterone, they will grow hair on their face and chest after about two years. Read one man's female-to-male advice to Chaz Bono . A higher percentage of males transitioning to females will go forward with genital surgery than females going to males, Alter said. Surgical methods for creating a penis -- which range from making one out of the clitoris to using the skin from the forearms -- are \"not perfect,\" and many patients are happy with just chest surgery, he said. Genital surgeries for creating female genitalia are better, he said. Alter's method is to make a clitoris out of the head of the penis, and make space for a vagina. Facing the rest of the world . It is rare for people to undergo a gender transition and then want to reverse it, especially when surgery is involved, experts say. Some say changing genders is one of the best things they've done, like Jamison Green, 60, author of \"Becoming a Visible Man,\" who went through chest reconstruction and genital surgery. \"I don't have too hard of a time telling people about it,\" Green said. \"I worried about that a lot in the beginning, before there was any kind of community and support about this condition, but one of the things I learned early on was that living in fear and shame is not very healthy.\" Green, who started his transition at age 40, is now happily married to a woman whom he did not know before his change. Praus is also married to a woman, who knew her before her transition. Madden has a boyfriend. \"For the longest time, I really felt like I had a mental illness, and I don't feel that way anymore,\" Madden said. But all three have experienced shock and dismay from others around them. Green said his mother took five years to adjust. One of Praus' sons doesn't speak to her. Madden's marriage to a woman ended in divorce during her transition, and her children have struggled. Yet these three transgendered individuals say they feel better in many ways in their chosen gender roles. \"My patients say I'm a better doctor,\" Praus said. \"Some of it is that I'm not exerting so much energy hiding myself.\" Psychologists recommend that people who change genders adopt a \"transgendered identity,\" and not keep their history of transition a secret. But some who \"pass\" as their new genders don't want to risk stigma, and tell only people closest to them, Kraft said. Often, males who transition to females face more problems than females who become males, Kraft said. Transgendered individuals who start as men tend to face more stigma, particularly if they are more noticeably transgendered. Transgendered individuals do face some legal quandaries. Some states require people to show proof of a medical procedure before changing gender on documents such as driver's licenses, while others require that the person has taken hormones, Kraft said. People may also elect to change their birth certificates to reflect chosen gender. Chastity Bono, who now goes by \"Chaz,\" has been a prominent gay-rights activist. \"You could speculate that that could make it more complicated -- when you're a public figure -- to take on something stigmatizing\" such as a gender transition, Kraft said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Estimate: 0.25 to 0.5 percent of the American population is transgendered .\nDoctors speculate that there is a biological foundation to gender identity .\nPeople rarely undergo gender-reassignment surgery and then want to reverse it ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Before the storm hit and the floodwaters took over, Kimberly Rivers Roberts pulled out her new video camera. Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband, Scott, sit outside their flood-damaged Ninth Ward home. The aspiring rapper and her husband, Scott, were among those trapped in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana, in late August 2005 as Hurricane Katrina raged toward them. The couple, who've described themselves as street hustlers, compiled amateur footage that captured the horrors experienced in their community and among their neighbors. From the middle of rising waters in attics where people waited to the struggles to find help from and for others, they documented what outsiders couldn't see. About 1,300 miles away, in Brooklyn, New York, documentary filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal sat glued to their televisions. \"After a few days of seeing people stranded on roofs, we had to do something,\" said Lessin, who with Deal had previously worked with Michael Moore. Watch Lessin and Deal talk about how the film was made » . So they set out, planning to do a film about New Orleans National Guardsmen. But when that was shut down -- \" 'Fahrenheit 9/11' screwed it up for all you guys,\" she remembered hearing -- they found what she called \"an unexpected gift\" in Kim and Scott, whom they met 10 days after the storm. The home video material, coupled with archival news footage and film verite capturing the couple's journey, led to the documentary \"Trouble the Water,\" which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and is up for an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards. Lessin and Deal, who both directed and produced this documentary that took two-and-a-half years to make, spoke to CNN about their Ninth Ward collaborators, their own experiences and the impact the film's made. CNN: Tell me about meeting Kim and Scott. Did you know right away that you were on to something? Tia Lessin: We were in a Red Cross shelter in central Louisiana -- that's where we met the subjects, the hero[es] of our film. They'd been on this five-day journey out of the city to higher ground. ... Everyone had a story to tell, but their story really rose to the top. Carl Deal: They called themselves \"street survivors.\" Kim said the most support and help they ever got from the government were the skills to survive on their own. They were used to not getting assistance. ... It's a slap in the face for those of us who come from a more privileged place. ... And the home video, it enabled us to ground the film in this inside point of view. CNN: I can't imagine what it was like to work on this. What was this experience like for you? Lessin: Originally the film was fueled by a sense of outrage. What it became, I guess, was something a little different. It's really about hope and survival. We were inspired by Kim and Scott's journey, and their commitment to do something different in their lives. The voices on 911 calls, we think about those people all the time, and there's no way to know what happened to them. What keeps us up at night now is that people are still struggling. Levees are still vulnerable, there's a lack of affordable housing, lack of jobs. Schools are a dismal failure. Tens of thousands of people can't return home. We hope in this new administration, things will happen. CNN: What did you hope this film would inspire in terms of emotion and action? Deal: We want to challenge people, when they see it, to think about themselves and the impact they can have in the community and the world. People respond to this film in different ways. We screened at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Mayor [Ray] Nagin [of New Orleans] came to the screening and walked out after a few minutes. Sen. [Mary] Landrieu, had a completely different response and tearfully embraced Kimberly. Lessin: We get hundreds of e-mails from strangers every day, about how they're using the film in classrooms, in churches, on college campuses to organize trips [to volunteer] in New Orleans. They're inspired to act. All of America, our hearts went out [after Katrina]. There's still a real connection. People want to know what's happening. They care deeply about the story and are appalled the Bush administration did so little and hope the Obama administration does better. CNN: How much do you think politics, and issues popular to the time, influence Oscar wins? Lessin: I would hope that the best film wins. It's an extraordinary pool of nominees. [That said, \"Trouble the Water\"] does resonate. It's about people who beat the odds and survived. And that's what we're all trying to do. Kim and Scott showed us how to do it with grace and dignity. CNN: I imagine the film's success has in many ways turned Kim and Scott's lives upside down. How are they doing today? Lessin: They're rebuilding their community. They started a record label, Born Hustler Records. Kimberly is carnival royalty [at Mardi Gras]. They're hometown heroes, as well they should be. They're living where they weathered the storm, but they're in a no-flood zone. iReport.com: Who do you think will win?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ninth Ward couple captures on video horrors of Hurricane Katrina and flood waters .\nThe New Orleans footage is used in Oscar-nominated film, \"Trouble the Water\"\nFilmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal hope to inspire action .\nOriginally \"fueled by a sense of outrage,\" the story is about \"hope and survival\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Search crews have recovered the bodies of the flight captain and a steward from the Air France flight that crashed off the coast of Brazil. A Brazilian diver floats on wreckage of Flight 447 earlier this month. The search for more debris continues. The two flight members are among the victims that have been identified, Air France said in a statement Thursday. About a dozen victims have been identified among roughly 50 bodies recovered from the crash of Flight 447, which killed 228 people on June 1, authorities in Brazil said this week. Crews continue to search for bodies, wreckage and flight-data recorders that apparently rest deep on the ocean floor. Data from the recorders may be crucial in helping investigators determine what caused the plane to crash. Watch more wreckage recovered from crash » . Autopsies conducted on some of the 50 bodies found so far show they suffered broken bones, including arms, legs and hips, Brazilian authorities have told French investigators, according to Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of the French accident investigation board. Such injuries suggest that the plane broke apart in midair, experts have said. Asked about that theory, Air France Chief Executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told France's RTL radio this week that he would not go that far. \"What I know is that the investigators would like to know the causes of death,\" Gourgeon said. \"That knowledge of causes of death will better clarify what exactly happened. Were the victims killed before the impact, or during impact?\" Searchers have found dozens of pieces of debris in the water and think they know the general location of the wreck, but Arslanian said this week that there is a chance the entire aircraft may never be found. Air France plans to pay relatives of the victims an initial compensation equivalent to about $24,500, or 17,500 euros, for each victim, Gourgeon has said. The airliner said this week that it has been in touch with about 1,800 relatives of the people who died when the Airbus A330 crashed, but that it has been difficult tracing the relatives of all 228 victims. \"The modern world is different and we often have only a cell phone, and as you can imagine, this cell phone is unfortunately in the aircraft,\" Gourgeon said. \"So we probably (will put in) more hours to access all the relatives.\" The company is also providing families with counseling, he said. The were 32 different nationalities present on Flight 447." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Search crews recover bodies of flight captain and steward from crash .\nAll 228 people onboard flight 447 from Brazil to France were killed .\nNone of names of bodies recovered have been released at request of families ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A sailor accused of killing another sailor was found dead in his cell in a southern California military jail, officials said Friday. Seaman August Provost, shown on his MySpace page, was killed while on sentry duty at Camp Pendleton. Petty Officer Jonathan Campos was found dead in the brig at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, a military statement said. The cause of death was self-inflicted asphyxiation, according to the statement. Campos had been charged with murder in the June 30 shooting death of Seaman August Provost. Provost was killed while he was standing guard as a sentry for the Assault Craft Unit 5 compound at Camp Pendleton, officials said. Authorities also said Provost's body was set on fire at his guard post. Provost's family believed that he was killed partly because of his sexual orientation. However, a spokesman for Camp Pendleton, where the shooting took place, said there was no indication early in the investigation that the killing was a hate crime. Along with the murder charge, Campos was facing charges of drug use, larceny, burglary, theft, arson and unlawful handling of a deceased individual." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sailor charged in death of gay sailor found dead in brig, officials say .\nOfficials believe Jonathan Campos asphyxiated himself .\nSeaman August Provost was shot, killed during sentry duty in June ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Michael Jackson's sudden death has thrown the peculiar path of his later life back into the spotlight. Michael Jackson spent 11 months living in Bahrain after his acquittal on child abuse charges in the U.S. He spent much of the past four years flitting from one part of the globe to another, failing to put down permanent roots. However, one of his longest spells in one place was spent in Bahrain. When his life was falling apart at the seams in 2005 he was offered sanctuary in the Persian Gulf kingdom. He had been just been acquitted of 10 child abuse charges at the end of a 14-week trial in the U.S., but there appeared to be no respite from the bad publicity and his spiraling debts which had forced the sale of his Neverland ranch. He suffered health problems during the trial and appeared increasingly frail. Jackson, who died owing an estimated $500 million, had been living beyond his means for years and wanted to flee the spotlight. He had not been seen in the two weeks after the trial before reports emerged from Bahrain that he and his children had landed there on a private jet as the guests of Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the king's son, and a friend of Jackson's brother, Jermaine. It was claimed at the time that Jackson had a large fan base in the kingdom and wider Gulf region. Watch why Jackson is \"as big as it gets\" » . Indeed Bahrain, a chain of around 30 islands with a population of 766,000 and relaxed social social environment, appeared the perfect escape -- for 11 months anyway. It was made even more enticing by Sheikh Abdulla's generosity. In 2008 he sued Jackson in a Britain's High Court for £4.7 million ($7.7 million), claiming the pop star had reneged on a music contract. Sheikh Abdulla said he had paid all of Jackson's living, travel and other expenses until his departure from Bahrain in May 2006, and advanced funds to retain legal and financial advisers. Watch Jesse Jackson share memories » . Sheikh Abdulla also built a recording studio, which he believed would be used to record albums using material he had helped to write. However, he claimed the singer pulled out of the deal in May 2006 after 11 months. iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes . Jackson claimed the payments were gifts. In November last year the High Court in London was told the dispute had ended with an \"amicable settlement,\" the details of which remain confidential." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jackson was offered sanctuary in Bahrain by king's son in 2005 .\nHe spent 11 months in the Persian Gulf kingdom .\nSheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa later sued Jackson ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ROCKWOOD, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Four generations of Saylors have worked the family's dairy farm for nearly a century, but for the past three years, the cows have been doing something besides providing milk: They've been helping power the place. \"The farm used to get a lot of complaints,\" says farmer Shawn Saylor. \"It used to stink a lot.\" Growing up on the sprawling spread 90 minutes from Pittsburgh, 36-year-old farmer Shawn Saylor developed into a self-described science buff. So it was no surprise that, when faced with rising energy costs, Saylor turned to technology. He tapped into an abundant and easily accessible energy source: manure from about 600 cows. Watch how cow poo powers the farm » . \"It's a pretty simple process. There's not really a lot to it,\" Saylor said. \"Manure comes from the cows, and there's energy left in the manure.\" The process is known as anaerobic digestion, and here's how it works: . With the help of a mechanical scraper in the barn, manure drops into a 19,000-gallon tank. The slurry then moves into the digester, which is 16 feet deep and 70 feet in diameter. It's heated there for about 16 days while the bacteria break down the organic matter in order to produce methane gas. That gas is burned in two engine generators to make electricity. See an interactive explaining the process » . Heat created by the generators keeps the digester hot, heats the buildings around the farm and helps provide hot water. The electricity is used to power this farm and a dozen neighboring homes, Saylor said. And there's still some left over, which he sells back to the grid. Overall, the poo power helps Saylor's bottom line. \"In savings, there's $200,000 a year, in either extra income from sale of electricity or cost offsets,\" he said. \"So you're talking about system project costs of over a million dollars to build the system but a payback of five years or less.\" Before he installed the system, the pungent smell from the cows could linger for three to four days, Saylor said. \"The farm used to get a lot of complaints from motorists, which is understandable. It used to stink a lot.\" Now, the digesters reduce 98 percent of all odor, although he admits that if the wind blows, you still \"get a whiff.\" The farm's leftover solid waste is sold to the community. \"We use it for bedding for the animals,\" according to Saylor. \"A lot of people like to get it for their gardens ... because it doesn't smell much.\" Farm-based digesters became popular in the United States during the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s. But the technology didn't catch on, possibly because of the high operational costs and declining energy prices, according to the Department of Agriculture. Although Saylor had been interested in digesters for years, his dream didn't become reality until 2006. That's when he received a $600,000 grant from Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection. But Saylor's work isn't done. He intends to make his farm entirely self-sufficient by using waste vegetable oil to make biodiesel fuel. He said his goal is to waste nothing. \"In a biodiesel system, all the waste products can either be used or fed back into the digester to make more gas,\" he said. \"I've always looked at new technologies and believed you kind of have to work with that stuff to stay with the future.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dairy farmer says he saves money by converting cow manure to electricity .\nRemaining waste from 600 cows is used as fertilizer and mulch .\nAnaerobic digestion became popular in United States in 1970s .\nHe says process also helps cut dairy farm's odor ." } ]

[ { "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) -- Whitney Houston swept into the room in full diva mode -- hair, makeup and entourage. She looked the part. Whitney Houston has credited mentor Clive Davis, right, for her comeback after a seven-year absence. She smiled and cooed over mentor Clive Davis, calling him \"Big Papa\" and \"Daddy\" while the music mogul patted her arm like a proud parent. The pair was in a side room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel just before the Los Angeles, California, listening session for \"I Look to You,\" Houston's first album in seven years, scheduled to be released Sept. 1. \"I just took a break, which sometimes you have to,\" said Houston, 45, looking elegant in diamonds and a black Prada dress. \"You have to know when to slow that train down and kind of just sit back and relax for a minute.\" Watch an interview with Whitney Houston » . This was definitely the old Whitney -- pre-troubled marriage to Bobby Brown and pre-comment to Diane Sawyer that \"crack is wack.\" Next door, several hundred industry folks, journalists and friends gathered in a ballroom surrounded by large screens emblazoned with the words, \"The Wait is Over.\" Jane Fonda, Halle Berry, Magic Johnson, Penny Marshall and Jackie Collins sat in the front while Barry Manilow, Brian McKnight and producer David Foster found seats in the back of the room. Davis, who has steered Houston's career for more than 25 years, introduced each of the album tracks, mostly slick, upbeat, radio-friendly tunes penned by proven hit makers such as R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, Akon and Johnta Austin. Heads bobbed while the songs thumped over the loudspeakers, with applause and cheers erupting after each cut. To the amusement of those seated in the audience, even Davis shook his shoulders behind his podium and pumped his fist to the beat from time-to-time. A ballad on the new disc, \"I Didn't Know My Own Strength,\" alludes to Houston's personal troubles in recent years. The song, written especially for Houston by Diane Warren, includes the lyrics: . I didn't know my own strength . And I crashed down and I tumbled . But I did not crumble. Houston deftly steered the focus away from herself, saying she identified with the lyrics because everyone has been through ups and downs in life. At the end of the session, Houston stepped from the wings to a standing ovation. \"I'm humbled,\" she said, her hand on her heart. \"There's so much love in the room.\" Then she joked, \"Jane Fonda's at my listening party? How cool am I?\" AEG chairman and CEO Randy Phillips also was hanging around, no doubt ready to pounce on a chance to promote her next tour. \"I think it's the biggest hit she's had,\" Barry Manilow said. \"It was really, really good,\" Stevie Wonder said. \"God takes care of his children.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whitney Houston held L.A. listening party for first album in seven years .\nJane Fonda, Barry Manilow and Halle Berry were among the stars in attendance .\nThe nine-track album contains songs written by R. Kelly, Alicia Keys and Akon .\nStevie Wonder said the album was \"really, really good.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that laboratory tests on popular smoking devices known as electronic cigarettes have found they contain carcinogens and other toxic chemicals dangerous to humans. E-cigarettes are battery-operated and contain cartridges filled with nicotine and other chemicals. Known as \"e-cigarettes,\" the devices are battery-operated and contain cartridges filled with nicotine and other chemicals, spiced with flavors such as chocolate, cola or bubble gum. While manufacturers tout e-cigarettes as a \"healthy way\" to smoke, federal health officials say the devices turn nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. \"The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public,\" said Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of the FDA. CNN contacted Florida-based Smoking Everywhere, one of the largest manufacturers of e-cigarettes, after the FDA announcement, and a spokeswoman said the company had no comment. Because e-cigarettes have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval, the agency had no way of knowing the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of these products deliver to the user. That is why the FDA began to test them. The FDA's Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis analyzed the ingredients in a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of e-cigarettes. In releasing its information, the FDA did not identify the two companies, but said in one sample, diethylene glycol -- a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans -- was detected. Other samples detected carcinogens that are dangerous to those who smoke them, the FDA said. The FDA has been examining and seizing shipments of non-U.S.-made e-cigarettes at the U.S. border since summer 2008. To date, 50 shipments have been stopped. The products examined thus far meet the definition of a combination drug-device product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. \"We know very little about these devices, said Dr. Jonathan Samet, director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California, \"but to say they are healthy -- that's highly doubtful.\" Samet and other health experts attended the FDA announcement on its findings. Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium, said parents need to be aware of e-cigarettes. \"It is very important that parents let their children know these are not safe and to make recommendations, or even enforce rules that they not be used,\" he said. \"Children who use these products may also be using other tobacco products,\" said Dr. Matthew McKenna, director of the Office of Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. \"It's a good idea to make sure the child is aware of the dangers of tobacco in products in general.\" The FDA has been challenged regarding its jurisdiction over certain e-cigarettes in a case pending in federal court. The FDA suggested health care professionals and consumers report serious side effects or product quality problems with the use of e-cigarettes to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program either online, by regular mail, fax or phone. CNN's Valerie Willingham contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "FDA lab tests on e-cigarettes find carcinogens and other toxic chemicals .\nE-cigarettes are battery operated, contain cartridges filled with nicotine, chemicals .\nThey turn nicotine, chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user .\nProduct had not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has launched a stinging attack on Astana teammate Lance Armstrong after returning as a hero to his native town of Pinto near Madrid. Lance Armstrong (right) looks on after Alberto Contador is handed the Tour de France trophy in Paris. Contador told a news conference that relations between the two riders were tense throughout the race, making the atmosphere very difficult for the team as a whole. Although not giving specific reasons why, Contador admitted the situation has affected his relationship with the American. \"My relationship with Lance Armstrong is non-existent. Even if he is a great champion, I have never had admiration for him and I never will,\" the 26-year-old Spaniard admitted. \"It was a delicate situation, very tense, the two riders who had most weight on the team did not have an easy relationship and that puts the rest of the technical staff and the riders in an uncomfortable position,\" he added. The Spaniard, who also won the Tour in 2007, compared the situation with that of Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at McLaren when they were colleagues. \"That situation in some way illustrated what I have experienced. But I knew that if we kept a cool head everything would be OK,\" he added. With Armstrong and Astana team chief Johan Bruyneel both leaving the team at the end of the season, Contador's future also remains unclear. \"We will have to see what happens. I do not know where I'll go, but I am clear that it will be a team that is 100 per cent behind me.\" Contador eventually finished the race over four minutes clear of Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, with American Armstrong -- who was riding in his first Tour since completing the last of his seven wins in 2005 -- a remarkable third. It was Contador's fourth successive grand tour victory, after he also won last year's Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Espana following the Tour organizers' decision not to invite the Astana team to the race." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alberto Contador launches an attack on Astana teammate Lance Armstrong .\nTour de France winner admits he will never have admiration for the American .\nContador beat Andy Schleck by over four minutes to gain his second Tour win ." } ]