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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": "ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- The governments of Armenia and Turkey will sign a peace agreement in Zurich on Saturday that would normalize relations after nearly a century of animosity between the neighboring nations, the Swiss government said Friday. The Swiss-mediated peace deal would also open the border between the countries, which has been shut since 1993. The signing ceremony comes more than a month after Armenia and Turkey announced they had agreed to start six weeks of \"internal political consultations\" on two protocols aimed at establishing diplomatic and bilateral relations. The Swiss-mediated peace deal would also open the border between the countries, which has been shut since 1993. The border was closed after Turkey objected to Armenia's war with Turkish ally Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabagh. Neither country has an embassy in the other's capital. Turkish-Armenian relations have often been overshadowed by the dispute over the massacre of ethnic Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire, more than 90 years ago. Armenians accuse Ottoman Turks of committing genocide, killing more then a million Armenians starting in 1915. Modern-day Turkey vehemently rejects the allegations. The proposed protocols for normalizing relations call for creating a committee of international experts to research archives and \"restore mutual confidence between the two nations.\" There is no mention of the disputed territory of Karabagh, which Armenian troops have controlled since the 1993 Armenian-Azerbaijan war. But the success of the protocols is still uncertain, as the parliaments of both countries still must ratify the agreement. A senior U.S. State Department official -- authorized to brief reporters without attribution because of diplomatic sensitivities -- said the situation remains \"difficult.\" \"There's opposition both in Turkey and in Armenia,\" the senior official said Thursday, \"but both governments realize ultimately it's in their interest to have normalized relations and an open border after years of tension and the economic isolation, particularly of Armenia.\" U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the signing, along with dignitaries from several other countries, including the European Union, according to the Swiss government." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Swiss-mediated deal would normalize relations between rival nations .\nAccord also open the border, which has been closed since 1993 .\nAnimosity dates back to Ottoman Empire and massacre of ethnic Armenians .\nBoth countries still must ratify the protocols, and difficulties remain ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Wendy Williams knows that her syndicated television show often provides fodder for jokes on E!'s \"The Soup.\" She's more than all right with that. Wendy Williams is hoping to attract a broad audience for her daytime talk show. \"I love it,\" she said, letting out a throaty laugh. Williams is not at all bothered if people poke fun, because at least they are talking about her new show. Long known to her radio fans for her outspoken nature and sometimes controversial interviews with celebrities, she is now navigating the switch from radio to television with \"The Wendy Williams Show.\" Williams' mix of celeb guests, \"Hot Topics\" and straight-forward advice to audience members led Entertainment Weekly's critic-at-large Ken Tucker to headline a recent blog item \"Are you watching 'The Wendy Williams Show'? You should be.\" The talk show host said she is settling comfortably into her new role. \"The radio was wonderful, and for 23 wonderful years, the radio served me, and I served it,\" said Williams, who is scheduled to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame this fall. \"The transition for me seems very natural and very easy.\" Her career has not always been so. A self-described \"Jersey girl,\" Williams was reportedly dumped from New York's Hot 97 radio station in 1998 after a run-in with a fellow on-air personality. She eventually found success with a syndicated radio show, \"The Wendy Williams Experience,\" which aired on WBLS in New York. In 2008, she and her radio show made news after a talent booker accused Williams' husband/manager, Kevin Hunter, of sexual harassment, accusations Williams has dismissed as false in earlier interviews. Williams has also had several high-profile feuds with celebrities, notably Whitney Houston, who have been less than enthusiastic about her dishy gossip style and what they perceived as prying questions. In a 2003 interview with Houston, she tangled on-air with the singer about Houston's drug use in an exchange that resulted in Houston delivering an expletive-laced diatribe. But while Williams still asks the questions many fans want to know (and retains her catchphrase, \"How you doin'?\"), she said, her television show is different. \"It's more polished,\" she said. \"Four hours on the radio versus one hour on TV -- that means you that you have to have five words instead of 35 words to explain what you are talking about.\" That doesn't stop her from sharing everything from her love of wigs to information about her breast implants -- without which, she recently told viewers, she was \"naturally a long, floppy A [cup].\" Rob Dauber, executive producer of the show, said daytime television needs Williams' bluntness. \"Wendy Williams has a really unique, honest personality who audiences really relate to,\" he said. \"The daytime viewer, I think, is hungry for a personality who is not afraid to speak the truth, to tell her own truth and to kind of let it all hang out. \"Wendy's not hiding anything from anybody about herself, and she's not afraid to show all of her faults.\" During a recent phone interview, Williams, mother of a 9-year old boy, chatted easily while trying to get clothes in the washing machine and dinner on the table for her family. \"After the show, it's real life,\" she said. \"Last night was parent night at school, and I forgot to include the box of tissues, pens that erase and a few other things,\" Williams said. \"No one said anything about it, but I went back in his folder and looked and immediately started sweating and feeling inadequate.\" She thinks daytime television fans can relate to her, because ultimately she is a fan, too. She rattles off countless shows she enjoys including \"Ellen,\" \"Oprah,\" \"Judge Judy\" and \"Dr. Oz.\" Williams said she aspires to attract higher-profile guests on her talk show and hopes the audience will give her time to find her stride. \"I know that the show is messy, because I'm messy,\" she said. \"But I have a staff of very talented people working with me.\" She said she is grateful for her radio audience but hopes to branch out to more fans via television -- including men. She said she often observes them at her show, clearly annoyed that they have been dragged there by women. \"I see their faces dragging long when I first come out, and somewhere around the end of 'Hot Topics,' they are roaring with laughter,\" she said. \"At the end of the day, I just want people to laugh and have a good time.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wendy Williams has made the transition from radio to daytime television .\nFormer radio personality now hosts \"The Wendy Williams Show\"\nShe says she hopes the audience gives the show a chance .\nWilliams: \"I just want people to laugh and have a good time\"" } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(WIRED) -- What did you do this summer? Flat World Knowledge stayed busy on campus and now has 40 times as many students and more than 10 times the colleges using their freemium, open-source digital textbooks as they did spring semester. And they did it the old-fashioned way -- one professor at a time. A company is offering digital alternatives to traditional college textbooks. After a sort of beta earlier this year, Flat World was set to announce Thursday that more than 40,000 college students at 400 colleges will use their digital, DRM-free textbooks fall semester, up from 1,000 in 30 colleges in the spring. Digital textbooks remain a nascent business and a tough market to enter. At an average cost of $100, textbooks command the highest cover prices in publishing, outside of only some art and coffee-table books. Demand is artificially inelastic as students are indentured to cost servitude at the whim of college professors who blithely assign titles a student must own if she hopes to do well in a given course. Now, multiply that by four, five or even six courses a semester and you are talking big bucks. By comparison, Flat World has a pricing scheme that starts at zero for online access using a browser, and $20 for a PDF, which they believe will be the most popular format. Printed versions of their textbooks cost up to $60. Perhaps best of all: Textbooks are available a la carte, chapter by chapter. But the key buy-in has been from teachers who make the assignments and who, in my college days, could not care less how much the textbooks cost. What's changed? \"There has been a mind shift,\" co-founder Eric Frank told Wired.com. A tipping point came a couple of years ago when faculty began to consider the financial burden on students because many of them (Frank estimates a third) didn't bother to get the textbook at all. Perhaps more to the point, open-source textbooks -- which are Creative Commons-licensed to allow unencumbered non-commercial use -- make it possible to graft supporting material to the curriculum, rather than the other way around. \"Faculty are notorious for wanting to do things their way,\" said Frank. \"But they always had to cut the foot to fit the shoe. Now, with open source, they can cut the shoe to fit the foot.\" There is virtually no friction involved. A professor can register on Flat World's site and let students know that the book is available there. No cooperation from a school district or college administration is required. \"Every single class is a fiefdom, and they are kings and queens of their domain,\" Frank jokes. Like any freemium retailer, Flat World depends on enough people buying something, because clearly the business cannot be sustained if everyone just opts for free web access. \"What we're counting on is that people will be willing to pay for different packaging.\" And it will come down to the price points, Frank acknowledges, even when the company develops formats for the Sony e-book reader and Amazon Kindle, as they hope to this year. It makes as much sense to equip students with a device that makes all their reference materials available on demand as to offer a casual reader a complete portable library -- perhaps more. This is a classic chicken-and-egg scenario in which a device-dependent culture needs to evolve alongside new content formats. For this and a variety of other reasons, including the cost of e-readers and for the media they serve up, Frank thinks the PDF will remain the format of choice for students for some time to come (and the ubiquitous and DRM-free Portable Document Format is readable on the Sony and Amazon devices, anyway). \"They'll move forward,\" Frank says of device-specific e-reader formats. \"But there is so much irrational pricing right now that they'll move forward much more slowly than they probably should.\" For now, expect a PDF revolution. And what better back-to-school present can you think of for 40,000 hard-up college students in the midst of a recession? Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2009 Wired.com." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Flat World Knowledge offers free access to digital textbooks online .\nThe company charges $20 for downloadable PDF-format books .\nInterest in the company is rising; the service will be at 400 colleges this year .\nStill, the digital textbook business remains in its infancy, author says ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- Were nine attractive young Turkish women duped and imprisoned in a villa by Internet soft-core porn peddlers? Or did they simply call in the police to help them break their contract with an Internet contest similar to the reality TV show \"Big Brother\"? A lawyer for the production company, Istanbul Group Electronic Trade Communications and Advertising A.S., is arguing the latter. In a written statement on the company's Web site, Hilmi Tufan Cakir denied reports published in the Turkish and international media, that nine women were trapped against their will in an Istanbul villa, while cameras sold their images on the Internet. \"My client organized a contest with reward money, contracts were signed with the contestant girls,\" the lawyer's statement said. \"In accordance with the contracts signed by the nine girls, this contest was to be broadcast on the Internet live.\" But on Friday, an officer with a Turkish gendarme unit, told CNN that security forces raided the reality show's villa earlier this week, after they received a complaint. \"We detained one person,\" said the gendarme officer, who asked not to be identified. \"There were eight or nine young girls, some younger then 18, who were returned to their families.\" Turkish television showed footage of gendarme officers raiding the villa and detaining a suspect earlier this week. The disputed Web-site is a page of hot pink graphics and photos of scantily clad young women, accompanied by throbbing dance music and the title, \"We Are at Home.\" It shows video of the villa and its pool, and flashes photos of the nine female \"contestants\" as well as a list of ratings for viewers, who can vote for their favorite lady via cell phone text message. Audience members were also encouraged to send \"virtual gifts\" to the contestants, like pink panties, beer, chocolate and a pearl necklace. Each resident of the house had their own introductory video. The women, dressed in mini-skirts and bikinis, pose by the villa's pool, dance around in revealing outfits, and introduce themselves to the camera. In one segment, a hostess named Zeynep Karacan, who wears a long dress with a plunging neck line, reads from cue cards, introduces viewers to the house and its residents, who enter one-by-one waving to the camera and carrying luggage. According to the Web site's rating system, the second most popular contestant was woman from the town of Kocaeli who went by the name \"Tugce.\" Text on the web-page said she was 18-years old, born on September 14th, 1990. But in her on-camera appearance, Tugce tells the audience \"I am 16.\" She wears a purple bikini by the pool and goes on to say \"I came here to be discovered. My biggest dream is to be a model.\" In Turkish press reports, the women said they signed contracts requiring them to pay fines of more then $30,000 if they left the show before it completed filming. This is not the first time scandal has rocked the booming reality TV industry in Turkey. In 2005, a male contestant from the hit show \"Would You Be My Bride?\" died of an apparent drug overdose after the season wrapped up production. On that show, mothers helped their sons choose a bride. The mother of the young man who killed himself, has since gone on to host another reality match-making TV show." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police: 8 or 9 young girls, some under 18, were returned to their families .\nTurkish television showed footage of gendarme officers raiding the villa .\nWomen were to take part in a Big Brother-style show on the Internet .\nReport: Women signed contracts requiring them to pay fines if they left show ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- In yet another blow to the already ailing soap opera world, Eric Braeden, the venerable star of CBS' \"The Young and the Restless,\" has exited the top-rated daytime drama after a nasty negotiation with Sony. Eric Braeden's last episode as Victor Newman will air on November 2. The production company wanted the popular actor to take a pay cut for playing mega mogul Victor Newman, but Braeden -- who's been on the soap since 1980 -- opted to leave instead. Barring any last-minute change, Braeden's final episode will air on November 2. Reps for Sony and CBS had no comment, though one insider indicated that no further talks are planned. EW talked with Braeden, 68, about Sony's decision to exercise a draconian clause in his contract (his deal that was set to expire in November 2010 can still be renegotiated every 26 weeks) and what it means to the future of daytime dramas. EW: Where do things stand? Did your representative counter Sony's offer and you have yet to hear an answer? Eric Braeden: Precisely. EW: As of today, are you willing to take what Sony offered? Braeden: No. There is no appreciation of the fact that I've been an important part of the show for 27 years that has been No. 1 in the ratings. That's extraordinary. So to be dealt with in a perfunctory matter as if you had just known these people for a few months is what is most offensive. This is a certain corporate culture now that is very deleterious. EW: Is it true you offered to take a pay cut before? Braeden: I was the first one [to offer] because I knew that if we all did it, we would insure the continuation of the show. I did it two years ago when I signed my last contract, which I thought would last until next November. EW: Did you say your on-set goodbyes? Braeden: I said this could be a long goodbye, and I may not see you for a long time. Who knows? I'm not saying I've been let go -- we're still negotiating. But it feels like that. EW: What does this say about the state of the industry when a production company is asking the star of the No. 1 show in daytime to take a pay cut? Should everyone be worried? Braeden: Yes, though it depends on what the star does. All options are open right now. What can I tell you? I know there are certain economic realities that dictate the actions they are taking right now, but the manner in which its being done is most insulting. EW: You taped your last episode on September 23. Was that the way you wanted Victor to go? Braeden: No. It was rushed. It was obviously meant to intimidate. It was obviously done with enormous forethought to coincide with the end of the 26-week cycle. Essentially that is what the business is doing now and has been doing for a while. And quite frankly, it's outrageous. When I sign a three-year deal, I'm obligated to fulfill that deal. The producers, however, can come to me after a half-year and say, \"We've changed our minds.\" Where in the world of business does this kind of contract exist? Do I blame the people for wanting to squeeze as much out of us as they can? I do not. The question is, when do you squeeze too much? EW: Would you do another daytime drama? Braeden: I doubt that. Never say never in this business or in life, but I doubt that. EW: Can you see the genre still existing in 10 years? Braeden: Yes I can. How many reality shows can you watch? They're so obviously phony. Our show deals with adult problems in a long continuous manner, and very much like the way things are dealt with in real life. In that sense I think there will always be a need for (soaps). They're almost novelistic in their approach. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eric Braeden opted to leave the daytime soap instead of taking a pay cut .\nThe actor said he'd taken a pay cut two years ago when renewing his contract .\nBraeden: \"There's no appreciation that I've been an important part of the show\"\nBraeden's last episode will air November 2 ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Just over a year ago, a U.S. staff sergeant in Iraq decided to practice his shooting skills. His target: the Quran, Islam's holiest book. Pvt. Nicole Wright, 20, learns cultural awareness by watching an interactive DVD. The military issued a formal apology, promptly dismissed the soldier from his regiment and reassigned him to stateside duty. But news of the shooting had already made its way onto YouTube, and a firestorm of outrage was ignited across the Islamic world. Protests turned deadly in Afghanistan. Back at the Army's Intelligence and Cultural Awareness Center at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, commanders knew they had a problem. In the 21st century, the Army was sending younger soldiers into an arena they had little cultural experience in, and at the same time, new social networking sites were poised to broadcast their mistakes to the world. Maj. Gen. John Custer, the leading officer at Fort Huachuca, knew that the Army not only needed trained linguists, but it also needed a new language of its own. \"The advent of social networking has changed the world. The soldiers who I see coming from basic to the intel center, what is the first question they ask? 'Are you Wi-Fi?',\" he said. Today, a third of the men and women the Army has deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are between the ages of 20 and 24, and Custer believes the military has now entered the age of the \"strategic private\" -- a young soldier reared on video games. And because of social networking, that private is now armed with the ability to severely cripple a mission and spark the kinds of reactions that the world saw after the Quran shooting. So Custer decided his young recruits needed some extra training in cultural awareness. For help, he turned to a group of former military men who also saw an opportunity to engage today's Iraq-bound soldiers. Russ Phelps spent a career in the Navy before starting a Denver, Colorado-based company called InVism, which combines live-action video and virtual-reality technology to create simulators that become learning tools for the military and other clients. \"I was watching the rise of the gaming world, and the impact and the power it was having over how people were interacting with information, and I thought there is something here,\" Phelps said. So Phelps, a trained Arabic linguist, worked with two other companies, Combat Film Productions and Quest Pictures, to help him create realistic, movie-like combat scenarios. Hollywood veterans shot the scenarios on an elaborate set in Southern California, adding real footage from Iraq whenever possible. The result: an immersive cultural simulation program that is part video game, part blockbuster Hollywood movie. Soldiers use computers to train on an interactive DVD that plunges them into a series of scenarios and presents them with choices, such as whether to accept a cooler full of drinks from an Iraqi youth. At the end of each scenario, the recruit clicks on his or her choice, then discovers whether it was the right one. (Hint: That cooler could contain a bomb.) In this way, the DVD becomes an immersive learning tool that trains soldiers in a way that lectures and textbooks cannot. Ken Robinson, an Army Ranger turned Hollywood guru, is the project's executive producer. He's convinced that by grabbing soldiers' attention with stunning graphics and compelling characters, and then engaging them in the decision-making process, the project will deliver the ultimate payoff. \"They're gonna live,\" he told CNN. \"They're gonna make choices on the battlefield that will prevent their first choice from being to use their weapon. They're gonna use their mind.\" Robinson believes the simulator program is more effective then a traditional video game because soldiers relate more to human characters than virtual avatars. \"Nobody cares about an avatar that gets killed. You just get another avatar,\" he said. \"It's a 'band of brothers' mentality,\" agreed Steve Wilson, Chief of Training at Fort Huachuca. \"You are building a camaraderie.\" Wilson hopes that the soldiers build enough of a bond with the characters onscreen that they will be able to sense the shock and stress that come with the life-or-death situations they'll soon be immersed in for real. But can a soldier really save a life, or multiple lives, just by using more cultural sensitivity? Does it really matter if a U.S. soldier knows the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni? Custer thinks so. \"If an untrained soldier walks through a market, he's gonna come back and tell you 'there are a lot of tomatoes here today,' \" Custer said. \"The guy who has cultural training is gonna come back and say, 'All the Sunnis in the market are talking about al-Dari, a meeting tonight.' \" Pvt. Nicole Wright, 20, who doesn't know yet when she'll be deployed, has found the training useful. \"I'm going to be a little more aware of what I'm looking for, the people and the environment,\" she said. Spc. Andrew Omernick, 23, who grew up playing video games, agrees. \"The format was a little bit different from most video games I've seen. It was intuitive,\" he said. \"I thought this training was a significant step forward.\" Every soldier who takes the DVD immersion course is given a pre- and post-training test to measure the change in their cultural acuity. But there is an even more immediate feedback about whether the Army has achieved its mission of connecting with its young soldiers. \"If it were a video game, I'd buy it,\" Omernick said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The U.S. Army is using interactive videos for soldiers' cultural sensitivity training .\nThe videos help recruits understand and adapt to Iraq and Afghanistan .\nSoldiers watch DVDs that plunge them into a series of wartime scenarios .\nRecruits face choices, click on options, then find out how they scored ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Since the revolution in 1959 Cuba has been many things to many people, but the collapse of the Soviet Union meant few have seen the island state as a vision of the future. But that could be changing -- at least in one aspect. Cuba experienced a reordering of its food production in the early 1990's. A boom for organic foods, but problems persist. As worries grow in developed nations about a future without plentiful supplies of oil, the communist republic is proving to be an increasingly popular example of how to cope when the spigots run dry, for the simple reason: they've already been there. With the loss of supplies from oil-rich Russia in 1991, and a U.S. embargo preventing imports from elsewhere, Cuba was plunged into a severe recession in the early 1990's, referred to as \"the Special Period.\" Suddenly society was faced with dramatically reduced amounts of hydrocarbon energy, and the result was a fundamental reorganization of food production, leading to a boom in urban organic agriculture, which requires fewer inputs than conventional farming. Despite the increase in organic production, problems remain for Cuba's agricultural system and ability to feed itself with local produce. \"Some estimates of the amount of food imports in Cuba go as high as 80 percent of domestic consumption,\" says CNN's Havana Bureau Chief, Morgan Neill. \"This isn't to say that small scale organic farmers couldn't learn for isolated growers, but Cuba's overall agriculture is one of the government's biggest problems.\" Cuba's organic example, however, has been a source for inspiration for many outside of the country, such as the UK-based Cuban Organic Solidarity Group (COSG). \"With the collapse of the Soviet Union Cuba was in a position where no-one thought it would survive -- they lost 80 percent of their trade overnight,\" says Wendy Emmett of COSG. \"As a result the priority given to food changed, and it was immediately seen as much more important.\" All over Havana small-scale organic gardens were started on roof-tops, backyards and in empty parking lots, spreading rapidly to other cities and urban centers. Farmer's markets known as \"Kiosks\" sprang up providing city-dwellers with access to locally-grown fruit and vegetables, cutting the use of oil in transporting food in from the countryside. In the countryside, oxen and horses replaced tractors. Manual labor replaced machines. A huge program of land re-distribution was instigated. Many of the vast collective farms beloved by communist planners started to look inefficient, and so were broken up into units more manageable without fleets of tractors. The process is still ongoing. In February 2009 the Cuban authorities announced that 1,827 square miles of state land would be given to Cubans with agricultural experience or other citizens. But this change wasn't easy. Prior to the \"Special Period\" Cuba had been a heavy user of oil-based chemical fertilizers, and much of the land was heavily degraded, requiring years of careful manuring to restore fertility. However, despite the obstacles, they did it. \"I was there in 1992, which was one of the most difficult years, and certainly people were moaning a lot, but they worked together, they still kept the milk coming for the schoolchildren,\" says Emmett. \"Throughout it all they didn't close any hospitals, they didn't close any schools; they kept going against the odds. In many ways they show us what is possible, what a community can achieve when they work together; the power of co-operation.\" A blue-print to cope with problems post-peak oil? Of course a powerful authoritarian state and strong central planning made such huge changes easier to implement; a similar process of development might be very different, and possibly lees successful, in the West. But as an increasing number of people believe we will soon face a major social and economic crisis as oil supplies dwindle over coming decades, many believe we have a lot to learn from the Cuban experience. \"The industrialized world can learn that its dependency on oil will eventually push it through similar experiences to that which Cuba had to face in the 1990's, and with similar outcomes,\" says Julia Wright, author of \"Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in an Era of Oil Scarcity: Lessons from Cuba.\" \"We can also learn that if we do not have the necessary capacities in place, our food production system will be caught short, as was Cuba.\" All over the world from New Zealand to the United Kingdom members of the Transition Town Movement, which aims to help communities prepare for the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change, hold regular screenings of the film, \"The Power of Community\", an upbeat documentary that explores the Cuban experience, alongside films about our oil addiction such as \"The End of Suburbia\" and \"A Crude Awakening.\" \"Cuba inspires groups overseas wanting to develop alternative, more sustainable farming and food systems, partly based on the myth that has built up around Cuba being organic,\" says Wright. \"Organic farming in Cuba only operates in urban areas, not rural... [but] the Cuban organic movement and the people within it are highly dedicated to their work and will continue to influence and be influenced by the organic movement overseas.\" The future is less clear. New allies are once again opening Cuba up to the outside world -- and providing fresh oil supplies. \"Hugo Chavez is supplying Cuba with increasing quantities of oil and agrochemicals, so Cuban agriculture -- and here I'm talking about rural farms which supply 95 percent of the nation's domestic food needs -- is becoming more industrialized, though it will not revert back to the extreme practices of the Soviet era,\" says Wright. \"Organic urban agriculture will continue and likely continue to expand out to peri-urban areas.\" But whatever the years ahead bring, Wright believes the experience of the \"Special Period\" has left its mark on Cuban society. \"The crisis that Cuba suffered has made it a better place in certain aspects, as people had to become more resilient and self-sufficient and less wasteful,\" says Wright. \"Although Cubans would certainly say that their food shortages and lack of inputs has been a hardship.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cuba's economic hardship in early 1990's led to reorganization of agriculture .\nUrban and organic farming implemented plus break up of inefficient large farms .\nSome see Cuba's experience as way to cope with problems of future oil crises ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A surveillance video of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, missing since March 27, shows the child in the mobile home park where she lives, skipping and happily swinging her arms on the day she disappeared in Tracy, California. A surveillance video shows Sandra Cantu skipping in the mobile home park where she lives. The grainy scene appears for about eight seconds before she disappears from view. Police Lt. Jeremy Watney showed the clip Saturday at a news conference, but offered no details. \"I can't get into specifics of where it came from. That's all part of the investigation,\" he said. \"The CD will show you exactly how she looked on that particular day when she went missing.\" In the video, the girl emerges from a pathway at the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park into what appears to be an alley. To her right is the corner of what looks like a wooden deck; there seem to be deep shadows on the left. Watney said authorities initially thought Sandra was carrying a purse or backpack, but the images turned out to be shadows. He said authorities have \"hundreds of hours of videotapes\" in the case. The day the child disappeared, she came home from school, kissed her mother and left to play with a friend who lives a couple of homes away. A short time later, she left that home to go to another friend's home, according to a spokeswoman for her family. She was reported missing about 8 p.m. Sandra was wearing a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings. Watney said the reward for information leading to her whereabouts has increased to $26,000, and authorities are following more than 800 leads. More than 300 trained searchers from 17 agencies were out on Saturday. A door-to-door canvass moved outside of the park Saturday afternoon as police continued to collect details from residents in the area. Watney said police executed search warrants on a home, a vehicle and a person Friday, but nobody has been detained in the case. \"It's just looking for clues and evidence\" he said of the warrants. Watney said the reward for information leading to her whereabouts has increased to $26,000, and authorities are following more than 900 leads. Over 300 trained searchers from 17 agencies were out on Saturday. On Monday night, Tracy police and FBI agents searched six locations, some in the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park and some in Tracy. All of the places were connected to two men who live in the mobile home park, officials said. Authorities have not called the men suspects and have not named them publicly. They did not say how or if they might be related to the case. Police have said they do not believe Sandra ran away. The girl's aunt, Angie Chavez, told CNN Headline News' Nancy Grace that Sandra's father lives in Mexico and was not around the day she disappeared. Tracy is about 60 miles east of San Francisco." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Video shows Sandra Cantu skipping near her home the day she went missing .\nNEW: Grainy, 8-second image of the 8-year-old was shown at a news conference .\nGirl had on a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings the day she disappeared .\nReward has increased to $26,000, and authorities are following more than 800 leads ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The world's tropical forests are disappearing, and one reason is simple economics: People, companies and governments earn more by logging, mining or farming places such as the Amazon jungle than by conserving them. Global climate change treaty, scheduled for completion in December, is designed to protect tropical forests. Efforts to halt rain forest destruction date back decades, but they so far have failed to tackle the issue on a scale commensurate with the challenge. Now there may be a remedy, and the reason is climate change. Increased awareness of the threat from global warming has prompted unprecedented international focus on how to combat it, as well as new appreciation for the vital role of tropical forests in the climate change equation. On Tuesday, world leaders gather at the United Nations for a special climate change summit, intended to build momentum for a new global climate change treaty being negotiated by almost 200 countries. The new treaty is scheduled to be completed in December in Copenhagen, Denmark. If eventually enacted, the treaty will include a revolutionary but little-known provision intended to protect remaining tropical forests. Known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in developing countries, or REDD, the provision is based on the knowledge that destroying tropical forests contributes to global warming. Rain forests absorb and store huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Burning or clearing the forests returns that stored CO2 to the atmosphere, where it can trap heat and gradually increase temperatures. Every year, tropical forests equal to an area the size of England are destroyed, contributing about 20 percent of total annual greenhouse gas emissions -- more than all the world's cars, trucks and airplanes combined. The idea of the proposed provision is to make the stored carbon dioxide in the forests a commodity that can be bought and sold on the global market. Polluters in the developing world would be able to offset their emissions by buying credits for stored forest carbon dioxide. The money from those purchases would go to developing world governments, international organizations, local communities and others involved in forest protection programs. For the first time, tropical forests would be worth money for simply existing. That could create an economic incentive to protect tropical forests, which also have biological value as the planet's richest storehouses of land species and spiritual worth as pristine natural landscapes. To longtime defenders of tropical forests, the proposal represents the final stage of a long and halting journey from the fringes of the environmental movement toward the mainstream of international policy. \"Done properly, this is our No. 1 hope,\" said Randall Hayes, who founded the Rainforest Action Network in 1985 with the goal of halting tropical deforestation. \"Other strategies have been heroic but insufficient.\" The system would let nations and industries that are the biggest greenhouse-gas emitters buy carbon credits in tropical forests in South and Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia and other equatorial regions. At the same time, investors could speculate on the price of carbon dioxide through credit trading. Private and public funds could invest in projects that protect forests to generate credits. Final details of the plan remain uncertain, such as how forest carbon credits would be verified and how the money paid for them would be handled and distributed. For developing countries, the idea represents a potential new revenue source. President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana, a leading proponent of the plan, has made trading carbon credits a central element of his Low-Carbon Development Strategy. The strategy \"is more about development than about the environment and it will help us to accelerate infrastructural development and fill the budget gap,\" Jagdeo said in an August 29 speech. The World Bank and partners have set up funds to help developing countries prepare for REDD and finance forest-protection initiatives. However, both funds are not fully capitalized, pending the successful conclusion of negotiations on the new global climate change treaty. \"Right now everybody is in a wait-and-see mode,\" said Benoit Bosquet, the World Bank's lead carbon finance specialist. \"Everybody seems interested, but the level of activity is still humble.\" Conservationists cite the environmental benefits of saving tropical forests, which provide essential resources and services -- such as fresh water, food, flood control and many others -- on which more than a billion people depend. Now, they say, conserving forests also can contribute to sustainable development, benefiting both nature and people. Yet several steps remain before the tropical-forest provision becomes reality on a large scale. First, the U.N.-led negotiations must agree on a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol -- the world's first global climate change agreement, which expires in 2012. The Kyoto treaty created a global carbon market -- but only the carbon storage of newly planted or replanted forests is eligible for credits. REDD also would protect standing forests, to prevent the absorbed carbon dioxide stocks from being released back into the atmosphere. Whether a new treaty will be completed in December is unclear. Negotiators have yet to set consensus targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and major disputes remain between industrialized powers such as the United States and emerging and developing economies including China and Brazil. The draft under negotiation includes REDD, but negotiations continue on how broad the policy would be. Advocates of a limited scope for REDD say areas with no history of deforestation should be excluded because protecting them won't reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In response, conservationists and developing nations warn against leaving out nations and regions -- including Jagdeo's Guyana, parts of Indonesia and Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and others -- that still have much of their tropical forest intact. They argue that halting deforestation in only some countries would cause the loggers, palm oil developers and other drivers of forest destruction to move to previously untargeted areas. \"If REDD mechanisms exclude any significant group of countries, REDD will fail,\" Jagdeo told U.N. negotiators in December. Critics, including some environmental groups, question how such a vast and complex system can be successfully implemented. A Greenpeace report issued in March said including REDD credits in carbon markets would create a glut and drastically cut the price of carbon, resulting in industrial polluters buying cheap credits for offsets instead of reducing their emissions. The report also warned of reduced investments in renewable energy technologies due to the lack of an incentive from the cheaper carbon credits. Others question whether REDD will be another scheme generated by industrialized nations to exploit resources of the developing world, and in particular, the indigenous forest peoples. Jagdeo, the president of Guyana, has said such critics should recognize the opportunity that a new climate change treaty could present. If it includes sufficiently robust commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he argues, that would create a strong demand for carbon credits. The deforestation provision of a climate change treaty could help stem deforestation while providing \"badly needed capital flows to some of the poorest countries in the world,\" he said. Yet even the idea's most ardent supporters recognize that it could take years for a global-scale program to become effective. While local projects exist in rain forest countries such as Madagascar, it would take time and money to expand them. \"If there is a deal in Copenhagen and if there is a signaling by industrialized nations that, yes, they will make money available, then you will see developing countries scaling up their readiness,\" said the World Bank's Bosquet. \"They will see that this is now real and it's the time to react.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "World leaders gather at the United Nations for special climate change summit .\nTreaty based on finding that destroying tropical forests adds to global warming .\nWith proposed provision, stored carbon dioxide in forests could be bought and sold .\nReduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation provision has critics ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- They were crimes born of the Internet age -- romantic solicitations on popular Web site Craigslist that police say led to the fatal shooting of one woman and the robbery of another in Boston hotels this past spring. Internet forensic expert Mark Rasch used high-tech sleuthing to help police in Boston's Craigslist crimes. And it was high-tech, 21st-century sleuthing, along with some old-fashioned gumshoe detective work, that put police on the trail toward a suspect and eventually an arrest. On CNN's \"AC 360\" Randi Kaye recently took a behind-the-scenes look at how technology was used to lead police to 23-year-old medical student Philip Markoff, who has been indicted on seven counts, including first-degree murder. Prosecutors said Julissa Brisman, a model from New York who advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist, was shot three times at close range and suffered blunt head trauma at the Marriott Copley Place hotel on April 14. And a 29-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, woman was robbed of $800 in cash and $250 in American Express gift cards at the Westin Copley Place hotel, police reports said. Read the AC360 blog post . Investigators knew they had crimes born of the Internet on their hands, but how were they able to use that same technology to help them find a suspect who went to great lengths to hide his tracks? \"The figures involved communicated with each other [via] text and e-mail, and they only met at the very last minute,\" said special correspondent Maureen Orth, who investigated the story for Vanity Fair magazine. \"And then the way the police were able to solve the crime was going back, using the clicks and the Internet addresses.\" In Brisman's case, police knew she had communicated on Craigslist with a person calling himself \"Andy.\" Mark Rasch once headed the computer crimes unit at the U.S. Department of Justice. Now an Internet forensic expert, he helped Boston police track the alleged killer. \"The first thing you start with was the e-mail address. In this case, it's an e-mail address from Live.com, which is Microsoft,\" Rasch explained to CNN's Kaye. Watch Randi Kaye's full report » . Rasch showed Kaye the tracer program he used to help follow the e-mails from \"Andy.\" \"Trace Back does what it says -- traces the route that the e-mail took on its way from its origin to the destination,\" Rasch said. Rasch says police got the Internet protocol address for the e-mailer's computer. From there, investigators tracked down the company providing Internet service to the suspect, which told them that the subscriber lived in a Quincy apartment building, outside Boston. Even though police had what they believed was the killer's real name and home address, that still was not enough, Kaye reports. \"They have to validate and actually get this guy's fingers on the keyboard,\" Rasch said. \"So in the end, they reverted to the old gumshoe thing of a stakeout.\" Police zeroed in on Markoff. They'd seen a tall, blond male they believed was the killer on the hotel surveillance cameras. And they did what many people do on a daily basis -- they Googled him. Police learned their prime suspect was a medical student at Boston University. He was engaged to be married. Again, the Internet helped. They got a better look at him through pictures with his fiancee online. It's a piece of a digital trail criminals rarely think about, Kaye reported. \"As one of the law enforcement people told me, if you can see it, they can see it,\" Orth said. Markoff's cyber footprint was growing more clear to authorities every day. On April 20, six days after Brisman's slaying, detectives arrested him. They said he was carrying on him a New York driver's license with a photo of someone named Andrew or Andy Miller. Police say Markoff used that driver's license to purchase the gun that killed Brisman and that his fingerprints were on the paperwork. In June, Markoff pleaded not guilty to Brisman's death and the other charges against him. He remains in jail. CNN's Randi Kaye contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Internet expert: Craigslist slaying suspect left a trail of clues behind in cyberspace .\nMark Rasch says he used a tracer program on e-mail sent to slaying victim .\nBoston investigators even used a Google search to help track down suspect .\nPhilip Markoff, a medical student, pleaded not guilty in death of Julissa Brisman ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It seems the world of the golf cart is changing if certain industry manufacturers are to be believed. By shedding their normal surroundings, improving their dowdy image and hitting the streets -- \"pimped up\" carts may increasingly be seen away from the course. Celebrities have been queuing up to jump on the buggy-wagon. The most recent purchase was by pop star Cheryl Cole, who bought husband and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole a \"Mini-Hummer\" buggy as a gift, spending $8,000 customizing the cart with gold-plated hub caps, Swarovski crystals and a trunk for his golf clubs. Dominik Jackson, owner of Mini-Hummer says demand for the vehicles has rocketed since 2006: \"It started as a glorified golf buggy, but since adapting the look we've had demand from all over Europe and even from royal families in the Middle East.\" The carts are already on the roads in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and the company are planning to launch a new fully enclosed Mini-Hummer in London next year. While Europe is catching up with the trend, there has been a big market for \"pimped\" golf carts in the United States for some time. \"I'd say about 99% of our sales these days are for individual use,\" says Randy Hopper, owner of Sick 'N' Twisted Designs, one of the largest bespoke golf cart manufacturers in California. \"We build customized golf carts to the specific requirements of the customer - we pretty much do everything.\" And this really means everything. Modern carts are now built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes - street, lifted, off-road and even Limo carts. Sick 'N' Twisted customer Dave Johnson is having his golf cart pimped and modified to match the color of his boat: \"It's going to be burgundy with 12-inch wheels, full sound system and air-bags that adjust the height of the cart.\" Dave insists that in his neighborhood, golf carts are more of an everyday than a luxury item: \"They're practical, affordable and it's nice to cruise around and see your neighbors.\" So is this a case of keeping up with the Joneses? \"There's no official competition on our street, but people take notice of things like that. It's definitely seen as a status symbol.\" While the golf cart remains a staple on the fairways, the souped-up street version is no longer just par for the course." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Adapted golf carts are growing in popularity across Europe .\n99% of sales are for individual use in the USA .\nModern carts built with leather seats, airbags and iPod players .\n'Pimped' golf carts are seen as status symbol ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has died, his family told CNN. He was 69. Wahid, affectionately known as Gus Dur, died Wednesday evening as a result of heart problems, his family said. A news conference was planned later. Wahid, who was also a popular religious leader, had been ill for several weeks and had been hospitalized a few days ago. He had been in frail health for many years and was partially blind and unable to walk. Before becoming Indonesia's fourth president, Wahid was the revered leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, with more than 30 million members. No one took Wahid seriously when he contested the presidential race in October 1999, mainly because of his poor health. He was seen, however, as a candidate of compromise, and the Central Axis, a coalition of Muslim forces, lobbied in his favor. However, Indonesians -- including his onetime supporters -- were frustrated by his erratic and chaotic leadership. He was at odds with the nation's parliament, which eventually forced him to step down. Wahid was known for injecting humor into his religious sermons and political speeches. CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wahid was a popular religious leader .\nHe contested the 1999 presidential race .\nHe was known for injecting humor into his religious sermons and political speeches ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(InStyle.com) -- She refuses to dwell on the past and accepts that she can't control the future. Reese Witherspoon juggles her career, family and love life, yet still is able find time for herself . For Reese Witherspoon, it's all about living in the moment. And with a thriving career, two children, and a handsome boyfriend -- Jake Gyllenhaal -- who can blame her? On her divorce from Ryan Phillippe ... You have to keep it together for your kids and for yourself too. I'm trying to learn from the things that have happened in my life, live more in the moment, and have more fun. Someone told me recently to live in the present but make plans and take pictures. And I am. I'm writing more, I'm reading more. Going to more concerts. Jake and I went to Coachella this year. On being confident ... As you get older, you know what you like and what you don't like, and you're not apologetic about it... I used to judge myself so harshly. I think women in their 20s do. You're hard on your body, you're hard on yourself. But you start to realize that none of it is really all that important. As long as you're comfortable, the best parts of yourself come through no matter what. Your mother can tell you that a million times, but you don't understand it until you live it! On if she likes to cook ... I do. And Jake is a great cook, he does a lot. We spend the weekends outside L.A, in Ojai, where I have a farmhouse. We have chickens and we grow cucumbers and tomatoes. I love it. It reminds me of where I grew up in Tennessee. On working out ... I try to exercise every day. I like to run for about an hour, and I'm big into working out with girlfriends. It's an acquired skill, being able to discuss your love life, children and friends, all while you're running! But we have mastered it. On her new perfume ... I have a lot of favorite smells from growing up in the South that I wanted to capture in this scent. As a kid, I was always outside. There was a magnolia tree in the front yard that I think I spent most of first, second and third grade in. And there was the smell of honeysuckle from the creek that ran down by our house. Gardenias were important too, because every Mother's Day or on my birthday my father would buy small bouquets or corsages for my mother and me. While we were working on the perfume, Avon asked me if I could explore other notes, but I kept going back to white flowers! The packaging reminds me of my grandma's bureau, where she'd have little perfume bottles out. I love it. On her girlfriends ... There are three of us who wear pretty much the same size, so we'll get together on a Friday night and I'll bring clothes I want to trade and they'll bring theirs. We swap shoes and purses a lot. I wore my girlfriend's dress to a wedding recently. It's fun. On raising her kids, Ava and Deacon, far from home ... Sometimes it's really difficult for me, being far away from home. L.A. is where my job is and I have to be close, but I never imagined that my children wouldn't grow up next door to my brother's children. Or my mom and dad wouldn't constantly be around. You know, I had dinner every night with my grandparents as a kid, so I think missing out on that is a hard compromise. At least I have a lot of Southern friends in L.A. I gravitate toward them. I think of those people as a part of my family: They take care of me and I take care of them. On being a mom and a career woman ... I love my life without work and I love my life with work. My mom, who's a nurse, called me the other day when I was really stressed out from working a 15-hour day. And she was like, \"Yeah, but think of it as a part-time job.\" And I thought, that's actually right, it puts it in perspective. I work incredibly hard for three months, but then I get a break. It's about really enjoying my time off. Where do I relax the most? Where are my children happiest? My ideal scenario is to do one movie a year. But as an actor, I don't think you can do an awful lot of planning. In fact, my new philosophy in life is I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, as if I could magically predict it if I planned it enough. And then I realized, I can't. Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reese Witherspoon on divorce: \"You have to keep it together for your kids\"\nActress says she exercises for an hour a day .\nShe and boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal cook and grow cucumbers and tomatoes ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Tiger Woods has changed his cell phone number and is not talking to some of his famous friends, NBA legend Charles Barkley said, following Woods' sex scandal that erupted last month. Barkley and filmmaker Spike Lee talked about their concern for the golfer during the taping of a one-hour special -- \"With All Due Respect\" -- to air Sunday on HLN, a CNN sister network. \"I think when you have these fires in your life, as I call them, you need to talk to somebody else who is famous who [has] been through things in their life,\" Barkley said. \"I don't think you can talk about it to your family and friends, because your family and friends, they're not famous.\" Lee said he had hoped Barkley or retired NBA star Michael Jordan could counsel Woods on how to survive the crisis. \"He's insulated,\" Lee said. \"If Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan can't get to him, and those are his boys, then other people are making bad moves.\" Woods, in a written statement that acknowledged \"my infidelity,\" announced last week that he is taking \"an indefinite break\" from professional golf. The 33-year-old golfer, who tops the sport's world rankings, has been mired in controversy since he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion in late November. The crash prompted authorities to cite him for careless driving and fine him $164." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tiger Woods should lean on his famous friends, NBA legend and filmmaker say .\nBut Woods has changed his number and isn't talking, Charles Barkley says .\nBarkley: \"You need to talk to somebody else ... famous who [has] been through things\"\nGolf star, who acknowledged \"infidelity,\" is taking a break from the sport ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Real Madrid defender Christoph Metzelder fully expects to be leaving the Spanish giants next summer. Metzelder, whose contract is up at the end of the season, has played just one Spanish Primera Liga match all campaign. And the 29-year-old admits the Bernabeu giants are unlikely to offer him a new deal. \"All us players have hope but you also have to be realistic and I don't think the club will renew my contract,\" the Germany international told reporters. \"These have been two-and-a-half complicated years for me, but I don't want to talk about that. It is the coach who makes these decisions and as a player I have to accept it. \"I am professional and for that reason I will work until the end of the season and we'll see if I return to playing or not.\" Metzelder insists, however, that whatever happens he will not be leaving Madrid in the winter transfer window. \"I don't think it's the right date to change clubs,\" he added. \"Moreover, in Germany the teams will not pay a transfer for a player who five months later will be free. In any case, I am a player who always completes his contracts.\" Meanwhile, Real Madrid have denied they have received a mega-offer from Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to buy them out. Reports in Spain suggested the Sheikh was set to shell out one billion euros for Madrid and was due to meet club president Florentino Perez early in the new year for discussions. However, Madrid insist the story is completely unfounded. \"Real Madrid wishes to inform that Real Madrid president Mr. Florentino Perez has had a great friendship for many years with his Highness, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan,\" read a statement on the club's official Web site. \"And that the so-called interest and the existence of any offer to acquire Real Madrid are false. \"His Highness has always shown tremendous respect for the club and understands that Real Madrid belongs to its members.\" Sheikh Mansour, who is reportedly a Real Madrid supporter, is president of Abu Dhabi's Al Jazira Club, where he set up a twinning agreement with the Spanish giants in 2005." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Real Madrid defender Christoph Metzelder fully expects to be leaving the Spanish giants next summer .\nMetzelder, whose contract is up at the end of the season, has played just one match all season .\nReal Madrid deny they have received an offer from Manchester City owner to buy them out ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The allegation is shocking: an 8-year-old girl lured to a storage shed with the promise of chewing gum, pinned down and sexually assaulted by four boys, none of them older than 14. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has made cracking down on sex crimes a top priority in Liberia. The response from the girl's family sent a second and equally stunning shockwave through their Phoenix, Arizona, community: \"The parents felt that they had been shamed or embarrassed by their child,\" reported Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill. As a result, the girl was taken into custody by Arizona's child welfare agency. The prosecutor who charged the four boys called the crime \"heartrending\" and \"deeply disturbing.\" But to those familiar with Liberia, the west African nation where the families of all of the children are from, the crime and response are both part of a sadly familiar story. \"It's something that happens every day in every community in Liberia,\" said Tania Bernath, a researcher for the human rights group Amnesty International. The country was racked by a brutal civil war for most of 14 years. During that time, rape was used by fighters on all sides as a tool of war and a way to spread terror and demoralize enemies. A United Nations report in 2004, the year after much of the fighting stopped, estimated that 60 to 70 percent of all women in the nation had been the victims of sexual violence. A 2006 government report said that of 1,600 women surveyed, 92 percent reported some kind of sexual violence, including rape. \"They would have cases where they would rape the wife in front of the husband -- things like that, really breaking down communities,\" said Bernath, who spent several years in Liberia working for a relief organization. While no one yet knows whether the boys charged in the case were exposed directly to violence in their homeland, advocates say they fear that harmful attitudes toward rape in Liberia have followed some members of the tight-knit immigrant community to the United States. Watch a report on the allegations and cultural conflicts » . \"Things like gang rape were used so often during the war that I think, with kids, if they saw it and heard it or heard about it -- that's part of what you might wonder about [in the Phoenix case],\" Bernath said. \"It was sort of normalized.\" In the Phoenix case, a 14-year-old boy who police say was the ringleader is being charged as an adult. The other boys accused are 13, 10 and 9 and were charged as juveniles. Phone calls by CNN to the Maricopa County public defender's office, most recently on Wednesday, have not been returned. It's not known what, if any, exposure the boys or their parents had to the fighting in their homeland, where it was once commonplace for children as young as 7 or 8 to be forced into duty -- the boys handed rifles while the girls were made to perform chores or serve as sex slaves. A United Nations report estimates that about 70 percent of all fighters in the conflict were younger than 18, and former fighters have told U.N. and other researchers about the rapes they say they routinely committed. After the Phoenix attack, a 23-year-old sister of the victim told a reporter that her sister was \"bringing confusion\" after the assault was discovered by a neighbor. She said that she wanted the suspects to be released from jail because \"we are the same people\" and that her sister would be ostracized by others in the Liberian community for being a rape victim. It's a reaction that Beverly Goll-Yekeson knows all too well. A native of Liberia, Yekeson was a victim of sexual violence and now works as an advocate for other Liberian women. She says most families in Liberia condemn rape, but the crime is drastically underreported because of the stigma victims and relatives feel. \"There are a lot of social illnesses in the society; they are ashamed to come out,\" said Yekeson, president of the Liberia Crisis Center for Women and Children. \"Rape is not something that people just come out and say.\" Yekeson, who now lives and works in Maryland, said that refugees who have resettled in other countries, including the United States, often bring those attitudes with them. Her group, which runs a shelter for abuse victims in Monrovia, Liberia, also works with refugees. \"Reintegrating them into society, changing their mind-set -- that's where we have to go,\" she said. \"That's a bigger challenge. It's one thing to implement a rape law and another thing to change the mind-set of a people.\" In 2005, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa's first elected female head of state. Shortly afterward, the country enacted a law making rape a crime for the first time. Before that, only gang rape had been explicitly outlawed, and advocates say anarchy in the country meant any law added to the books during the civil war wouldn't have been enforced anyway. Johnson-Sirleaf has made cracking down on rape and changing attitudes about it a top priority. She condemned the alleged attack in Phoenix and said defending rape is not a part of the nation's culture. \"Those parents should know that things have changed in Liberia,\" she told CNN last week. \"No longer do we tolerate this. This is not a question of shame on the family. It's a question of the assault of a young child, and that cannot be tolerated.\" Watch Liberia's ambassador, president react to the alleged rape » . The girl was taken into custody by Arizona's child welfare agency after the police accounts saying her parents were ashamed of her. Her father has since said he wants his daughter back and denied telling police that she brought shame to the family. A pastor working with the family has said he wants to investigate to find out if there was miscommunication between the family and police in the hours following the alleged assault. Johnson-Sirleaf said she hopes the alleged attackers will receive counseling in addition to any criminal sentence they may face if they are found guilty. Liberian refugees, and those still living in her country, need to be clear that the days of sex crimes being excused or swept under the rug are over, she said. \"[Rape is] something that is no longer acceptable in our society,\" she said. \"It is a problem, but it is [also] a crime, and people bear the brunt of the penalty for such crime.\" Under Johnson-Sirleaf's leadership in Liberia, bail is not available to those charged with rape, and a special court system has been set up to deal specifically with sex crimes. But even that system has problems that need reform, advocates say. Yekeson said an 8-year-old girl from her crisis center in Liberia was persuaded to press charges. But in the courtroom, she was made to testify while her accused attacker sat only feet away. \"You had the rapist right there, staring in her face,\" she said. \"That child was so traumatized, she ran away from the shelter and we had to look for her for days.\" But Yekeson and others remain hopeful that as the years since the fighting stopped tick away, attitudes about sex crimes in Liberia will continue to change. \"Because of the war, the social structure in Liberia, like any other war country, was destroyed,\" she said. \"Once the proper institutions have been put back into place, you will have more parents coming out and saying they are not ashamed.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "8-year-old girl sexually assaulted by fellow Liberia natives, police say .\nDuring Liberia's civil war, rape was used as a weapon by soldiers .\nU.N. report: 60 to 70 percent of Liberian women were assault victims .\nJohnson-Sirleaf, first elected female leader in Africa, makes stopping rape a priority ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Washington (CNN) -- Veteran sports anchor George Michael died early Thursday after a two-year battle with cancer, according to his former TV station. Michael, 70, was known nationally for \"The George Michael Sports Machine,\" a syndicated TV show that ran nationwide for 27 years. He was a sports anchor on WRC-TV -- NBC's channel 4 in Washington, D.C. -- for more than 25 years. \"Michael was a prominent fixture, providing the most accurate and spirited sports news and highlights,\" Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said. \"He truly captured the hearts and minds of sports fans in the District and around the country.\" A statement issued by the station said \"George was a pioneer in sports broadcasting.\" \"He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller, and one of the hardest working journalists out there,\" the station said. Michael retired from broadcasting in March 2007. He is survived by his wife, Pat, and his daughter, Michelle Allen, the station said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The George Michael Sports Machine,\" a syndicated TV show, ran for 27 years .\nHe was a sports anchor for Washington's NBC affiliate for more than 25 years .\nStation: \"He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller\"\nSurvivors include his wife, Pat, and daughter Michelle ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Delaware pediatrician is facing numerous charges in the alleged sexual abuse of his patients, authorities said Wednesday, and there may be \"multiple victims.\" Dr. Earl Bradley, 56, who has had a practice in Lewes, Delaware, for more than 10 years, is charged with eight counts of first-degree rape; four counts of second-degree rape; 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a child; and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden told CNN. A prosecutor in Biden's office estimated that Bradley may have had as many as 100 victims. Biden stopped short of that, saying only authorities think there may have been multiple victims, and the investigation is ongoing. As of Wednesday, seven victims had been identified, said Jason Miller, spokesman for the Delaware Department of Justice. CNN affiliate WBOC-TV reported Bradley is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bond. Read local coverage from CNN affiliate WBOC-TV . He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas, but his attorney requested that it be continued until January 14, Biden said. WBOC reported that concerns about Bradley's mental health prompted the postponement and said the doctor is under suicide watch at Sussex Correctional Institution. The charges against Bradley, and any additional charges that are filed, will be presented to a grand jury \"at some point,\" Biden told CNN. He would not give specifics of how Bradley came to authorities' attention \"over the course of recent months.\" Police believe the abuse goes back \"for several years,\" with victims as young as 2, he said. Additional charges were filed earlier this week after \"preliminary forensic investigation of a computer\" seized by Delaware State Police, authorities said in a release. Police said they have seized photographic and video evidence showing Bradley abusing victims, WBOC said. Court documents provide graphic details about the evidence, the station said. Bradley also has medical licenses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Biden said authorities in those states have been contacted. Biden urged parents or others who have concerns regarding Bradley to contact his office, where a hot line is staffed with people who can provide information including counseling referrals. \"We're taking this incredibly seriously,\" he said. CNN's Devon Sayers contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Earl Bradley is charged with eight counts of first-degree rape .\nOne prosecutor estimates Bradley may have had as many as 100 victims .\nThe charges against Bradley will be presented to a grand jury .\nPolice believe abuse goes back \"for several years,\" with victims as young as 2 ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CareerBuilder.com) -- 2009 has given employers and employees a run for their money -- literally. Budgets have been cut, layoffs made and furloughs instituted, and benefits and perks have evaporated. At the beginning of the year, 38 percent of employers said the economy would force them to make administrative cuts sometime during 2009, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. Sixty-five percent of those employers indicated that they would cut back company social events, 61 percent anticipated curtailing business travel, 25 percent expected to scale back on health-care benefits and 11 percent planned to reduce wellness benefits. Other areas where companies planned to cut spending included special office perks, such as coffee, ice machines or discounted vending (34 percent), incentive trips (28 percent) and philanthropic activities (21 percent). Such perks and benefits being taken away make for a tough situation for employees. Not only are they working harder to keep their jobs, but workers have to do more for less. While some argue that it's hard to keep employees motivated in this situation, others say that they shouldn't focus on incentives, but rather think about the bigger picture. \"When perks and benefits are taken away, management often does this to allocate resources where they're needed, elsewhere. The money being saved by not buying bagels every Friday or purchasing Christmas gifts for employees may be going towards your salary,\" said Tom Gimbel, founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, a staffing and recruiting firm. \"If you had to choose between taking a salary cut and not having free coffee versus being let go, most employees would likely take the former.\" Urmil \"Tracy\" Marshall, coordinator for the Office of Diversity and International Affairs at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia., agrees that it's important not to focus on what is being taken away. She said that due to budgetary constraints, furloughs were implemented at the school; but rather than get discouraged, she focused on the positive. \"I reminded myself how blessed I was to even have a job,\" Marshall said. \"We need to remind ourselves of our priorities in life, placing a greater emphasis on what we have -- not what we don't.\" Communication is key . Although it's understandable for employees to be upset, frustrated and discouraged when benefits or perks are taken away, Kevin Sheridan, founder and CEO of HR Solutions, which specializes in helping organizations to keep employees engaged, said that employees are less likely to be upset if management communicates with employees. In fact, 82 percent of employees surveyed in HR Solutions' International Normative Database say that it's important that their organization allow them to choose from a variety of benefits to meet their individual needs. The survey consisted of more than 3.3 million responses from 2,400 organizations. \"If an organization's leadership team simply decided amongst themselves which benefits would be best to cut, employees will commonly become upset and their engagement will be negatively affected,\" Sheridan says. \"Open communication is a key driver of engagement, and employees will immediately recognize the fact that they had no voice in the situation. If leadership had simply asked employees which benefits were important to them, this situation may be avoided.\" Attitude is everything . Despite having to deal temporarily with a few displaced benefits or perks, there are benefits to sticking around with your employer until those things are reinstated. \"It's a good time to remember that the perks were never the reason that you liked the job. No one gets up in the morning saying, 'I'm really excited to go to the office because there's free coffee,'\" said Paul Glen, author and management columnist. \"If people feel that the [cuts] are being made in a good-faith effort to save jobs, they will be even more loyal than before, since they believe that the company is working on their behalf -- not just for executives.\" Additionally, according to the HR Solutions survey, 37 percent of employees have thought of resigning in the last six months. Twenty-three percent said they thought about leaving because of pay; 18 percent because of a supervisor or manager; 15 percent because of career advancement; and 5 percent because of benefits. Thirty-nine percent considered it for other reasons. \"This statistic is especially important because many organizations have cut benefits over the last six months, and it illustrates that the majority of employees have not thought of resigning as a result of adjusted benefits,\" Sheridan said. \"These employees recognize the advantages of sticking around with a company, benefits or not, for advantages such as career development and compensation. Also, as soon as the economy picks up, many benefits programs will be re-evaluated; employees sticking around with these organizations will not remain without benefits forever.\" Workers should also remember that there could be consequences to abandoning a job just because you lost free coffee or a transportation reimbursement. If you're thinking about leaving your job for such reasons, make sure that your missing perks outweigh any possible career advancement or opportunities you would receive if you stayed. \"In this economy, it may be very hard to find another job, and there's no guarantee that one will have free coffee, either,\" Glen said. \"Also, at the new job, even if it is good, the employee will have less tenure and is more likely to be cut in future layoffs.\" If you've had benefits or perks taken away in recent months and need help staying motivated, remember these five tips from our experts: . 1. Get over it . \"The longer you talk about it to fellow employees, the longer you will have bad feelings, cause others to have bad feelings and be less productive yourself, which is not what will help the company be able to restore what has been taken away,\" said Aubrey Daniels, author of \"Oops! 13 Management Practices That Waste Time and Money (and What to Do Instead).\" 2. Find motivation . Sheridan encourages employees to find motivation through career planning with supervisors, interacting with co-workers or being proud of where they work. For example, an employee could volunteer to act as a sounding board for job candidates considering employment at the organization. 3. Create your own perks . Nancy Irwin, a motivational speaker and author, said employees can take turns bringing in coffee, bagels or potluck lunches to help fill the void of things that have been cut. 4. Understand what's still offered and take advantage . Darcy Eikenberg, president and chief creative officer of Coach Darcy LLC, recalls a client who didn't sign up for a course because she thought training costs had been eliminated. She realized that a co-worker was taking the course and getting it paid for from tuition reimbursement, an area that hadn't been cut. \"Do a deep dive into your company's programs, policies and even discounts because there's probably something you can use now,\" she said. 5. Focus on the solution, not the problem . Concentrate on actions today that will affect your organization's success and growth tomorrow, said Jonathan Berger, director of human resources at Direct Agents, an interactive advertising company. \"Take this time as an opportunity to offer new ideas to your managers and take an active and entrepreneurial role in helping your company overcome straining times. If you do a good job, you may be rewarded for your efforts when things improve,\" he said. \"In addition, by taking on new challenges and opportunities, you can further develop your skills and make yourself a more valuable asset to any organization.\" &copy 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": "In a survey, many businesses said they would have to make large cuts in employee benefits .\nManagement should communicate these issues to help employees adjust said, Kevin Sheridan .\nDarcy Eikenberg recommends for employees to dig deep and and find benefits still available .\nConcentrate on actions today that will help your organization succeed, said Jonathan Berger ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The new leader of the Pakistani Taliban vowed revenge on Pakistan, the United States and NATO forces for drone attacks along the Afghan border, two local journalists who attended a meeting with him told CNN. File picture taken on November 26, 2008 of Pakistani Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud . Leader Hakimullah Mehsud met reporters Sunday in South Waziristan, according to the journalists, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the news media. Taliban commanders Wali-Ur Rehman and Qari Hussein, and spokesman Aazam Tariq, were at the meeting as well, the journalists said. Mehsud also vowed to avenge the recent death of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, they said. Officials think he was killed by a drone attack in August. The leader said the Taliban would not disarm as a condition for talks, and added that the militants' withdrawal from the Swat Valley was a strategic move and not a retreat or a defeat, the journalists said. South Waziristan is one of seven districts in Pakistan's tribal region along the Afghan border. The Pakistani military is fighting Taliban militants in the country's north, and missile attacks from suspected U.S. drones have targeted militant leaders. The United States is the only country in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely. U.S. officials do not comment on suspected drone strikes, which have caused tension between Pakistan and the United States." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hakimullah Mehsud met reporters Sunday in South Waziristan .\nMehsud also vowed to avenge recent death of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud .\nU.S. the only country known to have ability to launch missiles from drones ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Roger Federer exclusively told CNN that the stunning shot he executed in his U.S. Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic was the best of his career. Roger Federer hailed his stunning shot against Novak Djokovic as the best of his career. The world number one produced a near-faultless performance to defeat fourth seed Djokovic in straight sets to reach his sixth consecutive U.S. Open Final at Flushing Meadows, but it was an outrageous shot to set up match point that will be most remembered. It came with Djokovic serving at 6-5 down in the third set. At love 30-0 up Federer dashed back to the baseline and hit a winner through his legs that flew over the net and past Djokovic into the corner for match point. \"I think it was the greatest shot I have ever hit in my life,\" Federer told CNN. \"I have hit some good ones over all the matches I have played, but I think this one, especially under the circumstances at love 30-up and with having chance to maybe clinch the match, was amazing. \"I got a standing ovation and people went crazy -- here in New York the crowds are fantastic -- as it was the perfect shot to hit, at exactly the right time, and I can't believe I pulled it off.\" Federer also revealed he is producing his best tennis because he is under less pressure than perhaps he was at the same time last year. At this stage in 2008 Federer had not won a grand slam but after winning the French Open and a historic 15th major at Wimbledon this time round he admitted he is more relaxed. \"I have a little bit less pressure to prove myself after reaching the 15 Grand Slams everyone was talking about and I also I won in Paris,\" he added. \"Getting through the pregnancy with my wife Mirka and having two beautiful daughters is also something that relaxes you for sure. But at the same time when you walk out on center court there will always be a certain type of pressure which will be there for the rest of my career. \"I just have to make sure I handle it correctly. I always play my best tennis towards the end of a tournament and I am happy that it is continued in this match after everything that has already happened this year.\" Federer will play Argentina's Juan Del Potro who reached his first grand slam final after he crushed Rafael Nadal in the other semifinal. The sixth seed blew Nadal away at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, taking two hours and 20 minutes to take a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 6-2 victory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Roger Federer hailed a shot against Novak Djokovic as the best of his career .\nThe Swiss world number one hit a stunning baseline winner through his legs .\nFederer is going in search of his sixth U.S. Open title at Flushing Meadows .\nArgentina's Juan Del Potro faces Federer in what will be a first grand slam final ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Tribune Media Services) -- Fantastique France continues to make its heritage and culture easier for travelers to appreciate. Being up-to-date on changes for 2009 will help your visit go smoothly. The Eiffel Tower is planning to offer online reservations, allowing visitors to book an entry time and avoid a long wait. Due to a smoking ban, you'll enjoy fresh air in bars, cafes and restaurants throughout France. The smokers have scurried outdoors to sidewalk tables; many of those seats now come with space heaters in winter. If you're traveling in France by railpass, it's increasingly important to book trips on the TGV bullet trains in advance, as there's a strict limit on the number of seats allowed for railpass holders. And with high gas prices -- and the recognition among Europeans that rail travel is about as green as you can go -- trains are more crowded than ever. In Paris, the transit system has introduced a chip-card called the Passe Navigo Decouverte, but for most tourists, the \"carnets\" (packs of 10 individual tickets) are still the better deal. The new Passe costs about $27, runs strictly from Monday through Sunday, and requires a photo, which means it's not shareable. In contrast, a 10-ticket pack costs about $14, is shareable, and has no expiration date. Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral has a new modest-dress rule. The \"no shorts\" code is not strictly enforced, but inside you're expected to be quiet and respectful. A new online reservation system for the Eiffel Tower may debut in 2009, allowing Tour-Eiffel-ists to book a half-hour time slot and avoid the notorious lines. At the Army Museum nearby, the section on 19th-century French military history (\"Revolution to Napoleon III\") should reopen in the spring. The museum also has a new Charles de Gaulle wing, offering a 25-minute film, plus a high-tech display of photos tracing the life of France's towering 20th-century figure. Paris' market streets delight many visitors. While rue Cler (near the Eiffel Tower) has become quite touristy, rue des Martyrs (at the foot of Montmartre) is edgier and a great way to connect with workaday Paris. If you'd like to \"do the Time Warp again\" while ducking airborne \"French\" toast, you can enjoy the cult movie \"Rocky Horror Picture Show\" with a Parisian crowd Friday and Saturday nights in the Latin Quarter (www.rocky.fr). Travel Snapshots: Paris . The Palace of Versailles is undergoing extensive renovation so expect some closures. Repair projects may close its Opera House through June; the Petit Trianon may be closed or only partially open. Busy sightseers can save both time and money by visiting Versailles with the Paris Museum Pass. The pass covers most major sights in and around Paris, pays for itself in about three entries, and allows you to walk right by the long ticket-buying lines at places like the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Sainte-Chapelle chapel, and Versailles (www.parismuseumpass.com). However, everyone needs to wait through any bag-check security line. The charming city of Reims, rebuilt after World War I when Art Deco was the prevailing style, is now served by a speedy TGV train, making it an easy day trip from Paris. Reims is known for its champagne tours (Mumm, Taittinger and Martel), giant cathedral (with Chagall stained glass), and fascinating Museum of the Surrender (General Eisenhower's final World War II headquarters with stirring artifacts and the document of surrender that was signed by German generals right there). This year is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy; prepare for big crowds -- especially from June 1 to 10. Also in Normandy, a museum has opened at Dead Man's Corner, a critical crossroads between Omaha and Utah beaches that saw five torrid days of fighting in 1944. This museum, south of Ste. Mere-Eglise, is a hit with enthusiasts as every display case shows incredible attention to detail. It also has a remarkable selection of D-Day paraphernalia for sale -- both original items and replicas. In Chinon (in the Loire Valley) the massive renovation project has nearly been completed at the medieval castle where Joan of Arc implored French King Charles VII to \"act like a man and fight the English.\" The castle is now connected to the old town by a snazzy glass elevator. Farther west, at Mont St. Michel, the first stage is under way of an ambitious project to make it a true island once again. On the French Riviera, Nice has dropped the entry fee for all city museums. Basically every sight in town -- except the Chagall Museum and the Russian Cathedral -- is free to enter. That's nice. Antibes, just a short hop away by train, has finally reopened its prized Picasso Museum after extensive renovation. No matter what changes, visiting France is always a pleasure, which is why it remains the No. 1 tourist destination in Europe. Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. E-mail him at [email protected], or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, Wash. 98020. Copyright 2009 RICK STEVES, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows .\nHis TV series, \"Rick Steves' Europe,\" airs on PBS stations .\nSteves' company, Europe Through the Back Door, conducts European tours ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Tribune Media Services) -- When Eileen Mather lands in Mexico City on her way to Tapachula, Mexico, she learns her airline ticket isn't valid. Her airline forces her to buy a new one. Mather asks her online agency, Cheapoair.com, for a refund, but more than six months later, she's still out $879. Is she also out of options? Q: I need your help getting my money back for a plane ticket I had to pay for twice. Here's my story: I bought tickets online through Cheapoair.com from Philadelphia to Tapachula, Mexico. When we arrived in Mexico City, Aviacsa Airlines representatives told us that Cheapoair hadn't paid for the last leg of our trip. So I had to buy new tickets. Two members of our group also had to pay again. After I returned home, I faxed all of my documents to a supervisor at Cheapoair. That was six months ago. I've called her repeatedly and left messages, but no one has contacted me, and I'm out $879. Is there anything you can do? -- Eileen Mather, Glenside, Pennsylvania . A: You shouldn't have to pay twice for your airline tickets. But you also shouldn't be too quick to blame Cheapoair for the mix-up. A lot can go wrong when you're dealing with a flight schedule that involves multiple carriers. Reservations can be lost, paper tickets and boarding passes can be misread. And, of course, there's the language issue. When you're traveling internationally, something can easily get lost in the translation. Cheapoair may -- or may not -- have been responsible for your non-working tickets. But as your online travel agent, it was responsible for helping you fix it. That's why you buy from an intermediary and pay a booking fee: so there's someone to turn to when something goes wrong. The online agency shouldn't have kept you in a holding pattern for more than six months. Cheapoair's \"Golden Guarantee\" promises \"to provide all our customers with 24/7 toll-free number support because we understand the importance of critical last-minute client/traveler needs and requirements for changes to trips.\" I guess offering a toll-free number around the clock doesn't necessarily mean your questions will be answered quickly, but you can't blame me if I'm left with that impression. You could have avoided a lengthy dance with Cheapoair by taking this up with Aviacsa either when you were flying to Tapachula or returning home. If you had arrived at the airport a half-hour earlier, you might have been able to speak with a supervisor and straightened this out. Once you were home, and were running into a brick wall with Cheapoair's supervisor, I would have tried knocking on the front door again. Normally, starting a new query through an online form means your complaint will get reviewed again and may be assigned a new case number. A phone call doesn't work the same way. After you hang up, your case is basically closed. I contacted Cheapoair on your behalf. It apologized for the delay and said it contacted Aviasca, but couldn't determine why your ticket wasn't accepted. An airline representative told Cheapoair it would have to speak to the agent who was working at the ticket counter when you checked in, which was impossible. Cheapoair refunded the $879 you spent on your second ticket. Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at [email protected]. Copyright 2009 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Customer booked an international flight through Cheapoair.com .\nTicket for one leg of her flight was not accepted, and she had to buy a new one .\nThe online agency did not know why her ticket was rejected .\nTroubleshooter contacted Cheapoair, and it refunded the customer's money ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Of all things, it was surfing that first led Sandow Birk to Islam. Illustration of Sura (chapter) 57 of the Quran is described by Sandow Birk as a triptych. The southern California artist rode the waves in Indonesia, India and Morocco, and on dry land, his curiosity piqued about the religion practiced there. He visited mosques and eventually, acquired a translated copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book. Then came the chilling attacks of September 11, 2001, and Birk realized that Americans knew very little about the teachings of the Quran. He embarked on a project to paint all 114 suras (chapters) -- but in a way that no one had done before. The 46-year-old painter re-imagined God's 7th-century revelation to the Prophet Mohammed in contemporary American context. Birk began transcribing the chapters, relating each to the things he knew best. So far, he has completed 60 chapters. \"American Quran\" is currently on display in two California galleries. \"The simple goal was to take text and make it more familiar,\" he said. So, the Quran's opening chapter, seven verses asking for God's guidance, often found displayed in Muslim homes, is bordered with arabesqing shapes that on closer inspection reveal objects essential to American home life -- spatulas, forks, toothbrushes, glasses, ladders, egg beaters, flip-flops. To illustrate a verse that speaks metaphorically about the thundering hooves of camels, Birk painted a stock-car race. How would Americans, after all, relate to camels? The red, white and blue hues of a political convention accompany verses on hypocrisy. Other scenes unfold in offices, suburban lawns and sushi bars. They show funerals, weddings and holidays. And then there is sura 44, called ad-dukhan (smoke). \"Therefore, watch for the day when the sky brings a profound smoke. It will envelope the people; this is a painful retribution,\" chapter 44 says. Birk pushes buttons with his interpretation: a diptych of a Manhattan street scene, smoke billowing from the World Trade Center. \"I knew I would have to bring up the Trade Center. Otherwise this project would have been disingenuous,\" Birk said. \"It was the crux of understanding of Islam for Americans.\" And the impetus for Birk's undertaking. San Francisco gallery owner Catharine Clark knew the Sura 44 panel had the greatest potential to offend. She said she worried about reaction to the piece, but said there was nothing malicious about Birk's intent. \"It was a tough piece,\" she said. \"But he's not intending to upset anyone.\" Birk says he is not a deeply religious person. He has, however, established a reputation for tackling projects of epic proportions, including work that explored the Iraq war and Dante's \"Divine Comedy.\" Clark said some Christian blogs have accused the artist of being an apologist for Islam. And Muslim reaction to his latest work has been mixed. Half of \"American Quran\" is at Clark's gallery. The other 30 chapters are on display at the Koplin del Rio gallery in Culver City. But four miles down Washington Boulevard, the reviews are not good. Usman Madha, a spokesman for the King Fahad Mosque, the largest in Los Angeles County, said he had no plans to see Birk's work. Madha could not even get past the title. \"American Quran is very misleading,\" Madha said. \"There is no such thing as an American Quran just as there is no European Quran or Asian Quran or Middle Eastern Quran. There is only one Quran. \"I am disheartened,\" he continued. \"It gives a wrong impression.\" Madha has heard about Birk's vivid imagery. He said he understood the artist had good intentions and he respected freedom of expression. But he could not accept the idea of an illustrated Quran. That, he said, goes against the grain of of his religion. \"In Islam, we don't have pictures. That becomes idolizing. And that is what we avoid,\" Madha said. Birk, however, does not plan to abandon his personal Quran project. He hopes to complete all 114 chapters by 2011, painstakingly transcribing by hand each chapter taken from a 1861 English translation of the Quran and painting with gouache on 16-by-24-inch paper. He said his panels are not literal illustrations but highly personal meditations on the messages in the Quran. It was important to him that Americans recognized that Islamic scripture was no more strange, poetic, violent or beautiful than any other religious text; that it was telling similar stories that are in the Bible. That's a message people expect from scholars, peacemakers, even theologians but not necessarily from a California surfer dude." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Surfing waves in Indonesia, India, Morocco inspired Sandow Birk's interest in Islam .\n9/11 attacks led Birk to realize Americans knew very little about the Quran .\nHe embarked on a project to paint all 114 suras (chapters)\nSo far, he has completed 60 chapters of \"American Quran\"" } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Budget Travel) -- When you have beach on the brain, who wants to bother with a layover? Budget Travel has prepared the ultimate insider's guide to seven resort towns south of the border that are just one quick flight away. The Pacific-coast resort of Puerto Vallarta has attracted artists in recent years with its natural beauty and well-preserved colonial architecture. MAZATLÁN . As resort towns go, Mazatlán is one of Mexico's prettiest, with an assortment of 19th-century neoclassical, republican, and French baroque buildings in pastel colors. The best place for wandering is Old Mazatlán, particularly the tree-lined streets around Plazuela Machado, where guitarists and singers roam from one sidewalk café to the next. Eat Sample traditional Sinaloan dishes at Pedro & Lola, a restaurant with seating on the square that's known for its Mexican Molcajete, grilled beef served with cactus and onions (011-52/669-982-2589, restaurantpedroylola.com, beef $14). Drink On nearby Belisario Domínguez street, locals gather nightly for tequila and Pacifico beers at La Tertulia, a bullfighting-themed bar that's owned and staffed by actual bullfighters and has posters, costumes, and pictures of the sport's greats all over the walls (no phone, tequila from $2). BudgetTravel.com: Find a nonstop route to Mexico . Stay Among the hotel options in the area, the 72-room Best Western Posada Freeman Express has the most character -- it's in a renovated 1940s high-rise and has a rooftop pool with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean (011-52/669-985-6060, book.bestwestern.com, from $80). Detour To lose the crowds, jump on one of Aqua Sport Center's boats to tiny, uninhabited Deer Island just off the coast. It has a white-sand beach, trails for hiking, and clear waters that are perfect for snorkeling (011-52/669-913-3333, $12). IXTAPA-ZIHUATANEJO . The twin cities of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are separated by just three miles, but despite that proximity, they don't have a lot in common. Zihuatanejo, which dates back to precolonial times, is a relaxed fishing town set on an enclosed bay with not a single high-rise hotel. Stay The 30 rooms at the Hotel Brisas del Mar are accented with Mexican tiles and have hammocks on the balconies (011-52/755-554-2142, hotelbrisasdelmar.com, from $102). Ixtapa, in contrast, was built 36 years ago as part of a government effort to spur tourism development on the coast. Today, it has a gleaming strip of beachfront hotels, manicured lawns, and a wide range of restaurants, from local spots to large Mexican chains. Eat El Arbolito serves fresh seafood dishes, such as camaronillas -- shrimp and cheese in a fried tortilla -- and creative cocktails like the Black Banana, a mixture of Kahlua, coconut liqueur, and orange juice (011-52/755-553-3700, entrées from $8). Drink At Barceló Ixtapa Beach Hotel's Sanca Bar, bands play salsa and Cuban music on weekend nights (011-52/755-555-2000, barcelo.com, beer from $3). Do Ixtapa has no shortage of beaches, but if you're in the mood for something more active, rent a bike at Xplora Adventours (011-52/755-553-3584, $3 per half hour) and take a ride through Parque Ecológico Aztlán, a forest teeming with native birds, turtles, and iguanas. BudgetTravel.com: Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo photos . ACAPULCO . Acapulco got its glamorous start in the 1950s and '60s, when celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Judy Garland turned the exclusive hotels on the rugged cliffs over the bay into their playground. Drink One of these spots, the 78-year-old Hotel el Mirador, is the place to go for a quintessential Acapulco experience: Watching cliff divers plunge 130 feet into the bay while having a watermelon daiquiri on the patio at the on-site La Perla bar (011-52/744-483-1155, hotelelmiradoracapulco.com.mx, $24 drink minimum). For another side of the city's nightlife, find a dance partner and head to Ninas, a salsa and merengue club where bands play nightly (011-52/744-484-2400, cover $24, with open bar). Stay Close to the city center, One Hotel Acapulco Costera has 126 rooms with simple, Scandinavian-style furniture (800/343-7821, onehotels.com, from $75). Eat The open-air restaurant El Zorrito offers a wide range of regional Guerrero dishes, such as posole, hominy stew with chicken (011-52/744-485-3735, posole $6). Detour Eight miles south of downtown Acapulco is one of the most secluded beaches around: Playa Majahua. Swim in the bay and then try the ceviche at one of the tiny shacks set up near the sand. BudgetTravel.com: Acapulco photos . PUERTO VALLARTA . Puerto Vallarta's art scene doesn't yet rival that of San Miguel de Allende, but it's well on its way: Painters, sculptors, and other artisans have moved to the Pacific-coast resort town in recent years, drawn by the natural beauty of the mountainous coast and the well-preserved colonial architecture in Old Vallarta. Shop The old town has a number of galleries and boutiques, such as Joyería Yoler, which sells handcrafted silver jewelry (011-52/322-222-8713), and Peyote People, a purveyor of Huichol Indian art (011-52/322-222-2302). See Large bronze sculptures by Mexican artists adorn the city's Malecón, the oceanfront boardwalk lined with dozens of restaurants and shops. Stay One of the best hotel options in the area is the Buenaventura Grand Hotel & Spa, which has more than 200 newly renovated rooms -- some with beamed ceilings -- and a pool overlooking Playa Camarones (011-52/322-226-7000, hotelbuenaventura.com.mx, from $120). Eat Dine on a patio overlooking the beach at nearby El Barracuda, which specializes in seafood dishes like the Dynamite: shrimp, octopus, and tilapia served over rice (011-52/322-222-4034, entrées from $13). LOS CABOS . Wedged between granite peaks and the water on the tip of Baja California, Los Cabos has one of Mexico's most dramatic settings. But a less-than-thrilling 20-mile-long tourist corridor connects the towns of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, making it all the more appealing to choose a town and stick with it. See In San José del Cabo's downtown arts district, galleries like Old Town show works by Mexican artists (011-52/624-142-3662, oldtowngallery.net). Stay El Encanto Inn & Suites is decorated in Spanish-colonial style, with chandeliers in the entryway and a fountain in the courtyard -- plus, the 28 rooms all have balconies (011-52/624-142-0388, elencantoinn.com, from $95). Eat Set in a hacienda in Cabo San Lucas, La Fonda serves dishes that chef Christopher Chong's grandmother used to cook, like empanadas with a red chili sauce (011-52/624-143-6926, empanadas $11). Do At Playa Médano in Cabo San Lucas, Andromeda Divers y Mas offers water sports such as sea kayaking and parasailing (011-52/624-143-2765, scubadivecabo.com). Detour An hour's drive north of Los Cabos, eclectic shops and galleries have opened in artist-friendly Todos Santos, including the bookstore El Tecolote Libros (011-52/612-145-0295) and Galería de Todos Santos (011-52/612-145-0500, galeriadetodossantos.com). BudgetTravel.com: Los Cabos photos . CANCÚN . Cancún may never shake its reputation as a rowdy college-party destination, but outside of spring-break season, the city is a surprisingly subdued place. The peninsula is where most of the major resorts are located, so if you're looking for character, it's best to head downtown on the mainland. Stay The boutique hotel Sol y Luna has 11 brightly painted rooms, mosaic-trimmed baths, and balconies overlooking Parque de las Palapas (011-52/998-887-5579, solylunahotel.com, from $48). Eat The park is a popular gathering spot for musicians in the evenings; it's also where you'll find one of the city's best restaurants, Labná, which serves Yucatecan dishes such as pibil, achiote-flavored pork wrapped in a banana leaf (011-52/998-892-3056, labna.com, pibil $9). Drink The aptly named Bling Resto Bar, on the resort peninsula, is just what it sounds like; lounge on the patio with a grape mojito and watch the sun go down over the lagoon (011-52/998-840-6014, blingcancun.com, drinks from $5). Detour Xcaret, a sprawling ecological and adventure theme park about 45 minutes south of Cancún, is an ideal spot for families. Activities here range from swimming through caves in an underground river to walking through a butterfly pavilion and watching monkeys, manatees, pumas, and jaguars in their natural environments (011-52/998-883-0470, www.xcaret.com, from $69). BudgetTravel.com: Cancun photos . COZUMEL . Surrounded by vibrantly colored coral reefs, the island of Cozumel, 11 miles off the Yucatán coast, has been attracting divers since Jacques Cousteau popularized it in the 1960s. The most central place to be situated for day trips around the island is the town of San Miguel, which has a number of reasonably priced guesthouses. Stay Las Anclas gets high marks not only for its seven bi-level suites and beautiful garden, but also for owners Pedro and Eyal, who are eager to offer up restaurant recommendations (011-52/987-872-5476, lasanclas.com, from $95). Eat A local favorite is La Candela, which serves hearty dishes like chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, and jamaica, a cold tea made from hibiscus flowers (011-52/987-878-4471, chicken $8). Do The tour operator Deep Blue arranges dive trips to some of the hardest-to-reach reefs around the island (011-52/987-872-5653, deepbluecozumel.com, from $68). Or, you can take a boat ride through the mangroves in the Faro Celarain Eco Park for an adventure of a different sort: crocodile spotting (011-52/987-872-1680, cozumelparks.com, $11). Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2008 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The island of Cozumel, 11 miles off the Yucatán coast, is a diving hot spot .\nPuerto Vallarta has attracted painters, sculptors and other artisans in recent years .\nLos Cabos, on the tip of Baja California, has one of Mexico's most dramatic settings ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Steve Clemons directs the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation and publishes The Washington Note, a popular political blog. Steve Clemons says the Nobel panel correctly decided Obama's approach to diplomacy holds great promise. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Cynics will say that Oslo was jealous that Copenhagen, Denmark, scored a visit from President Obama, and giving him a Nobel was the only way to get him to Norway. But the Nobel Committee's decision to make Obama the only sitting U.S. president since Woodrow Wilson to receive the Nobel Peace Prize shows the committee's clear-headed assessment that Obama's \"unclenched fist\" approach to dealing with the world's most thuggish leaders has had a constructive, systemic impact on the world's expectations of itself. Obama has helped citizens all around the world -- including in the United States -- to want a world beyond the mess we have today in the Middle East and South Asia. They want a world where America is benign and positive, and where other leaders help in supporting the struggles of their people for better lives rather than securing themselves through crude power. Obama has found a way in this interconnected world of cell phones, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking to reach a majority of the world's citizens with his message of hope for a better world. He speaks past the dictators to regular people and has, on the whole, raised global political expectations about everything from climate change to nuclear nonproliferation in ways that no one in history has done before. Americans tend to look at everything from a U.S.-centric lens, and many woke up this morning shocked that Obama, who just saw a lot of his political capital wasted on trying to secure the 2016 Olympics for his hometown of Chicago, has gotten a fresh injection of sizzle to fill the Obama bubble. The world has been mesmerized by Obama since he started to run for the presidency. The battle between Hillary Clinton and Obama for the Democratic nomination did more to educate the rest of the world about real political choice -- and about a system in which no candidates had an automatic lock on victory -- than any USAID program could have achieved. Obama's decision to make the ulcerous Israeli-Palestinian negotiations one of the first foreign policy challenges of his administration, rather than the last, defied most seasoned analysts' expectations. His message to Iran's citizens, marking the Persian new year holiday of Nowruz, and his powerful and captivating speech in Cairo, Egypt, communicated to Muslims all around the world that their lives and their faith and their expectations for a better world were vital and as valid as any others. From his perch in the White House, Barack Obama affirmed the humanity of Muslims and told them that America does value Muslim lives. Obama's posture and rhetoric have reversed the collapse of hope and trust that the world's citizens had in America and stopped the degradation of America's image during the tenure of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney. Should a U.S. president get the Nobel Peace Prize if he's about to send more U.S. troops, armed drones, bombs, tanks and other military hardware into the war-ripped zones in Afghanistan? Or should Obama get the prize if he hasn't even succeeded in getting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations going? Or if he hasn't gotten Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions and to re-enter the international system on constructive terms? The answer is yes. I think that given how the odds were already so stacked against Obama on the global economic and security fronts, one can only be amazed at what this unlikely and fascinating president has done with \"optics.\" The night before Obama's inauguration, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel accepted my congratulations and responded, \"It's going to be tough, and right now we can only change the optics,\" meaning that political perceptions and appearances could be changed more quickly than hard realities. What is brilliant about Obama and why he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize is that he is a global leader who clearly saw the gains that could be made in changing \"the optics\" of the global order, upgrading the level of respect between the United States and other nations, making a point of listening to other leaders. Obama saw that before the world could move to a more stable and better global equilibrium, it had to believe it could -- and this is what Obama has done in ways that no other leader has in memory. Obama will still make mistakes. Leaders will still wrestle with him. Hard choices and the gravity of war will still generate challenges for Obama's leadership. But the Nobel Prize Committee has shrewdly given a key down payment for a kind of leadership it wants to see from the U.S. for many more years and given Obama another tool to help craft a new global social contract between the United States and other responsible stakeholders in the international system. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Steve Clemons." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Steve Clemons: Many Americans shocked that Obama won Peace Prize .\nHe says the rest of the world sees how Obama has changed international tone .\nHe says Obama's rhetoric has \"reversed the collapse of hope\" in the world ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- The call came over the radio. \"Shots fired.\" And then, even worse: \"Officer down.\" Billy Rhoads, chief of the Fort Hood Fire Department, grabbed a radio and donned his flak jacket. He jumped into his SUV and tore down the road. A dozen or so blocks away, at the Soldier Readiness Center, a gunman had opened fire on soldiers. Rhoads stepped from his truck. His department's motto is \"Protecting those who protect us.\" He hoped he was not too late for that. The scene was chaotic. Wounded and dead soldiers were everywhere. \"I was listening to people hollering for help, and I was trying to get in there to see what we had,\" Rhoads recalled three days after the November 5 attack. \"I assumed that we would have maybe several victims. I had no idea, I just could not fathom what we were going to encounter.\" Amid all the army uniforms, one dark blue uniform stuck out. It was Fort Hood police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who, officials say, shot the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, to end the rampage. She suffered three gunshot wounds. \"I broke and ran over to her,\" Rhoads said. \"I got over to her and began trying to talk to her.\" Rhoads and Munley had worked closely in the past. He considers her a friend. Army medics had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet on her leg. He bent down to comfort her. She was extremely weak and unable to speak loudly. \"I just kept reminding her of her daughter and that she needed to stay with us for the baby's sake,\" he said. \"She's a very tough cookie.\" Munley, 34, had served in the Army herself before becoming a police officer at Fort Hood. Her husband is a staff sergeant in the Army, and their daughter is 3 years old. Munley's neighbors have said she is so tough, she stopped burglars from entering her house last year. Said Rhoads of Munley: \"The old saying that dynamite comes in small packages is very true.\" Emergency personnel were flooding the scene, and helicopters were en route to evacuate the injured. Rhoads, who began as a volunteer firefighter 26 years ago when he was just a teen, took over the scene as incident commander. But first, he paused for a quick prayer. \"I just asked the Lord to be with me, to give me the strength and the courage I need to do my job wisely and keep my people safe.\" Even as the first responders worked on the dozens of wounded soldiers, they weren't certain whether there were other shooters on the post. \"The thought's always there on your mind that there could be another suspect in the area,\" Rhoads said. As for Hasan, the fire chief says that discussing the shooting suspect is too emotional. \"I saw the suspect from a distance, but I never got a look at him.\" Rhoads' prayers remain with the soldiers he tries to keep safe. \"It's very emotional for everybody when we lose our soldiers. But when we lose them here at home like this, it takes it to a different level.\" He says the department has arranged for counselors to be available for the firefighters as they process all they have endured. They've received phone and text messages from fire and police departments all across the country, offering support and prayer. But the main thing his firefighters have relied on, he says, is each other. \"Afterward, everyone started to console each other and talk to each other. It's a brotherhood.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fire chief came across officer, told her she \"needed to stay\" for her daughter .\nChief says people were hollering all over the scene: \"I had no idea\"\nBilly Rhoads began firefighting when he was a teen ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Washington (CNN) -- A key congressional committee opened its investigation Thursday into the November 5 Fort Hood shootings with a pledge to find out if authorities failed to \"connect the dots\" and could have prevented the attack. The head of the committee promised the inquiry would not interfere with a separate investigation into the shootings being conducted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder. \"Their investigation looks backward and is punitive. Ours looks forward and is preventive,\" said Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, . Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, is accused of opening fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood Army Post, killing 13 people. Dozens of others were wounded. Hasan was shot and paralyzed during the attack and remains in a military hospital. Lieberman said the committee will carry out its investigation \"with respect for the thousands of Muslim-Americans who are serving in the American military with honor and the millions of other patriotic, law-abiding Muslims who live in our country.\" But, he added, \"we do no favor to all our fellow Americans who are Muslim by ignoring real evidence that a small number of their community have, in fact, become violent Islamists and extremists.\" Lieberman said the committee's investigation will focus on whether concerns raised by Hasan's colleagues about his \"mental stability and political extremism\" were dealt with appropriately by senior Army officials. Among other things, a memo reportedly written two years ago by Hasan's supervisor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center says Hasan demonstrated \"a pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism\" during his residency at the hospital. CNN could not corroborate the authenticity of the memo, which was obtained by National Public Radio. Lieberman also said the committee will examine a lack of response by federal authorities after uncovering an exchange of e-mails between Hasan and a radical cleric accused of having ties to al Qaeda. The FBI has said it was aware of communication between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric who has promoted jihad against the United States and other Western countries. But investigators determined that those contacts were \"consistent with research being conducted by Maj. Hasan.\" Also, Lieberman noted, the committee will look into whether information on Hasan gathered by a joint terrorism task force was shared with officials in the Army, the Defense Department or elsewhere. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the committee, said Hasan's case \"raises questions about whether or not restrictive rules have a chilling effect on the legitimate dissemination of information, making it too difficult to connect the dots that would have allowed a clear picture of the threat to emerge.\" But a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN that when Hasan first came to the attention of investigators because of his communications with al-Awlaki, officials looked at his military personnel file and nothing was found that raised suspicion. None of the items that have been reported since the shootings -- including the reported memo from his Walter Reed supervisor or a Power Point presentation arguing that Muslims in the Army should be given conscientious objector status -- were part of the file, the official said, but it was noted that Hasan had done research about Muslims in the military. Thursday's hearing included testimony from former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Keane, Rand Corp. consultant Brian Jenkins and New York City Police Department intelligence analyst Mitchell Silber. \"At a glance, Maj. Hasan's rampage at Fort Hood looks a lot like what used to be called 'going postal,' \" Jenkins said. It was \"a deepening sense of personal grievance culminating in a homicidal rampage directed against co-workers -- in this case, fellow soldiers. \"For Hasan, 'going jihad' reflects the channeling of obvious personality problems into a deadly fanaticism,\" he said. The committee launched its investigation only hours before Gates announced a 45-day review of Pentagon policies to see if the Defense Department has fallen short in identifying service members \"who could potentially pose credible threats to others.\" The review will be led by former Army Secretary Togo West and retired Adm. Vern Clark, a former Navy chief. At the same time, the Army will conduct its own, more detailed review of its policies and whether they could have prevented the shootings at the post in Texas. And those will be followed by a four- to six-month study of \"systemic institutional shortcomings\" conducted by each of the armed services. The Fort Hood shooting has \"broader implications for society ... particularly in these lone wolf cases, which are the hardest,\" Lieberman said. \"When people hear people saying things that seem extreme ... respecting First Amendment rights, you've got to begin to reach out and see if you can stop somebody before they do something very harmful.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Incident has \"broader implications for society,\" Sen. Joe Lieberman says .\nCongressional committee opens inquiry into massacre at Fort Hood, Texas .\nLieberman: Feds' lack of response after uncovering e-mails will be examined .\nAlso to be investigated is whether task force information about suspect was shared ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- When Barack Obama was elected U.S. president he probably did not realize it would give him a chance to pick up tips on his backswing from the world's elite golfers. U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden make use of the White House putting green. Obama is the honorary chairman for the 2009 Presidents Cup which will be contested at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco this week where the top U.S. golfers take on the best players from around the world outside of Europe. As a golf enthusiast, and keen amateur player, the president will get the chance to pick the brains of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh on how to improve his game. But he is not the first to take to the greens while occupying the Oval Office with 15 of the last 18 U.S. presidents said to have played the sport while in power. Living Golf's gallery of presidential putters. » . Dwight Eisenhower is recognized as probably the most dedicated to the sport, and was often criticized by Democrats for spending too much time on the golf course. Eisenhower's solution? In 1954 he had a putting green installed at the White House a short stroll from the Oval Office to enable him to practice while at work which was regularly used by subsequent presidents and still exists to this day. The former five-star general was also a member at the Augusta National Golf Club where a overhanging tree on the 17th hole proved such an obstacle to the leader that it was dubbed the \"Eisenhower Tree.\" There is little doubt though that John F. Kennedy was the most talented presidential golfer, although he was reluctant to associate with the game. During his run for president in 1960, Kennedy did everything possible to keep his fellow Americans from discovering that he not only loved the game but was nearly as good as a club professional and was said to have had a beautiful natural swing. Throughout Eisenhower's two terms Kennedy had portrayed him as someone who cared more about lowering his handicap than improving the lives of ordinary Americans, so information about his passion for the links only really came out later. Lyndon Johnson is at the opposite end of the spectrum on the talent stakes and is reported to have taken up to 400 swings to get round an 18-hole course while Gerald Ford, who served as honorary chairman for the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994, had a reputation for accidentally hitting the ball at spectators. In terms of sheer number of matches though even Eisenhower could not match Woodrow Wilson who was said to have played almost every day, apart from on Sundays, and even had golf balls painted red so he could play in the snow. Ronald Reagan was only an occasional player but Bill Clinton was renowned for an entourage featuring Secret Service agents, a police sniper, a man carrying U.S. nuclear codes, various aides and someone with a secure telephone so he could speak to world leaders on a typical round. George W. Bush still plays regularly with his father, and fellow former president, but Bush junior's contribution to golf will forever be immortalized in a short press briefing he gave from the course after being questioned on violence in the Middle East. \"I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you.\" Bush said before he paused and told reporters: \"Now watch this drive!\" Obama therefore follows a healthy tradition of golfing presidents and he can relax safe in the knowledge that even if he cannot solve the world's problems while in the White House at least he can improve his short game." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "President Barack Obama is honorary chairman for the 2009 Presidents Cup .\nObama follows a tradition of recent U.S. presidents who are keen golfers .\nDwight Eisenhower had a putting green installed at the White House in 1954 .\nGeorge W. Bush and his father George H.W. are both enthusiastic golfers ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Southern Living) -- For a heady dose of holiday spirit, dive into Opryland. Fifteen miles of green garland and 10 miles of hand-tied red ribbon festoon the property. I've heard that you can see the Great Wall of China from outer space. At Christmastime, I bet you can also see Gaylord Opryland. It sparkles with megawatts of lights, fun, and merriment. But you don't have to be shot into orbit to enjoy the view of this Nashville treasure. Make the easy drive to Middle Tennessee and delight in this perfectly luminous getaway. The one must-see . Many holiday activities raise your spirits; one really promises to chill you out. Most of you have read or seen \"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!\" But you haven't had the ultimate Dr. Seuss experience until you meet the green grump carved in ice. Put on a parka -- loaned to you upon admission -- and enter ICE!, a frozen world located in the Gaslight Theater. The attraction will be back next year, but this is the last time you'll see the Grinch and Who-ville, carved by Chinese craftsmen from huge, brilliantly hued blocks of ice. There are even frigid sliding boards to try. Afterward, leave the 18-degree area, and grab a cup of hot chocolate in the adjoining gift shop. Are you smiling yet? Special happenings . It's the 25th year the resort has provided a Santa's bagful of activities and entertainment. The decorations begin going up in July for A Country Christmas, and the festivities run from mid-November until the holidays end. During that time, enjoy delights such as carriage rides, photos with Santa, the Hall of Trees, and the Treasures for the Holidays Craft Show. Just admiring all the lights, poinsettias, and \"faux-piaries\" -- animal-shaped topiaries -- will get your inner Rudolph aglow. Southern Living: Tips from a repeat Oprylander . The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes high-kick from the Grand Ole Opry stage. Wear your Christmas sweater and jeans while you watch them -- everyone else does. For a memento of your visit, add glitter and sparkle to a fragrant miniature holiday house at Gingerbread Corner. Special events also include Louise Mandrell's \"Joy to the World Christmas Dinner & Show,\" as well as a Winter Wonderland that includes a train ride for little ones. Near the hotel, board the General Jackson showboat for a dinner cruise on the Cumberland River. SouthernLiving.com: Hot Spots for the New Year . Dining and shopping . You have many options for meals in the huge Gaylord Opryland complex. For a fine-dining experience, try Old Hickory Steakhouse. Indulge in a rich lobster bisque, perfectly cooked filet mignon, and crème brûlée. Water's Edge Marketplace Buffet, located in the Delta Atrium, is a more casual venue. Graze among 60 different stations, filled with everything from pasta and salads to meats and vegetables. You can also grab a quick meal at Stax Burgers or Paisano's Pizzaria & Vino, both on the Delta Island. For a nighttime dose of high-octane fun, go directly to the new Fuse nightclub, with rave reviews and visiting luminaries such as Kid Rock and Kim Kardashian. If you need festive duds, check out the shopping at Gaylord Opryland, such as Amelia's or Savannah's, both featuring dressy and casual women's clothing. Opry Mills, the outlet mall just down the road, offers some of the best shopping opportunities, with winning Tennessee stores such as The Gibson Showcase and The Apple Barn Cider Bar & General Store. The Disney Store Outlet and Build-A-Bear Workshop also mesmerize, while standbys such as Nike, Gap Outlet, and Tommy Hilfiger Company Store are perennial favorites. The on-premises Rainforest Cafe or Johnny Rockets are ever popular refueling spots. If you go ... Gaylord Opryland Resort: www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland or 1-888-999-6779. Special holiday packages, including accommodations and tickets to several attractions, begin at $335 for a two-night stay. Try 2 FREE TRIAL issues of Southern Living - CLICK HERE ! Submit your favorite places to visit, stay, and dine in the South and enter to win a Caribbean Getaway - click here! Copyright SOUTHERN LIVING Magazine. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ICE! in the Gaslight Theater includes an ice sculpture of the Grinch .\nThe decorations began going up in July for A Country Christmas .\nOpry Mills, the outlet mall just down the road, offers great shopping ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The U.S. State Department said Sunday it was \"deeply disturbed\" at the deportation of 20 Uyghur asylum seekers from Cambodia back to China. The deportation \"will affect Cambodia's relationship with the U.S. and its international standing,\" said acting State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid in a statement. It occurred on Saturday at the request of China, the U.S. said. \"The United States is deeply concerned about the welfare of these individuals, who had sought protection under international law,\" Duguid said. \"We are also deeply disturbed that the Cambodian government decided to forcibly remove the group without the benefit of a credible process for determining refugee status and without appropriate participation by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.\" Kitty McKinsey, a coordinator with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees agency in Asia, told CNN on Saturday that the refugees had been seeking asylum. China's northwestern region was wracked by ethnic violence between Han Chinese and Uyghur Muslims earlier this year, and the Uyghurs fled to Cambodia to escape the unrest. McKinsey said the UNHCR considers the deportation a breach of international law, and Uyghur human rights activists have expressed concern about the move. The Uyghur American Association also expressed concern in a statement. The 20 were held in handcuffs and leg shackles and were not given any food to eat on Friday, according to the association. They were part of a group of 22 Uyghurs seeking refuge in Cambodia, all of whom were under UNHCR protection when taken into custody. \"The United States strongly opposed Cambodia's involuntary return of these asylum seekers before their claims have been heard,\" the State Department said. Duguid urged the Chinese government to \"uphold international norms and to ensure transparency, due process and proper treatment of persons in its territory\" now that the Uyghurs have been returned. Cambodian and Chinese officials could not immediately be reached for a response. But a Cambodian state media outlet, Agence Kampuchea Presse, reported that Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is to arrive in Cambodia on Sunday for a three-day visit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. condemns deportation of 20 Uyghur asylum-seekers from Cambodia back to China .\nUyghurs fled to Cambodia to escape ethnic violence in China's northwestern region earlier this year .\nThe 20 refugees were held in handcuffs and leg shackles and not given food, said Uyghur American Association ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It was one of the greatest humanitarian acts in history. Pondering an imaginary Yiddish-speaking place produced \"The Yiddish Policemen's Union,\" says Michael Chabon. At the beginning of World War II, as the Nazis tightened their grip on Europe, the U.S. government allowed millions of Jews to resettle from their homes in Poland and Russia to southeastern Alaska, along the panhandle. Two million Jews had died at the hands of the Nazi scourge, but millions more were saved as the Federal District of Sitka, Alaska, became the new Jewish homeland -- all the more important when the fledgling State of Israel went down to defeat in 1948. However, 60 years later, Sitka is about to be returned to local jurisdiction, and the island's Jews -- including a noted detective, Meyer Landsman -- are wondering where to go next. The Jewish people, forever rootless, will have to wander some more. Landsman's got other problems, too. He's rootless himself, biding his time in a seedy hotel. There's the body that turned up in a nearby room, a onetime chess prodigy who appears to have major connections with some big shots -- machers, in the local Yiddish lingo. There's his ex-wife, now his boss -- at least until the department is disbanded -- and his partner, a half-Jewish, half-Tlingit named Berko who's far more responsible than Landsman. And there are a host of old enemies with long memories, particularly when Landsman decides to root around the dead chess player's case. Landsman's world is fiction, of course, a product of Michael Chabon's imagination. Chabon's new book, \"The Yiddish Policeman's Union\" (HarperCollins), combines Landsman's hard-boiled detective's terrain with the landscape of alternate history, one in which world events take a startling turn. The story is rooted in fact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Chabon (\"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay\") observes. Chabon had written an article about the decline of Yiddish, and the reaction to the piece -- some of it very negative -- \"got me thinking about ... a possible, but nonexistent, imaginary Yiddish-speaking place in the modern world,\" he says in an interview at CNN Center. In the article, he noted an actual plan by Franklin Roosevelt's Interior secretary, Harold Ickes, to create a refuge for European Jews in Alaska, still 20 years from statehood. In reality, the plan was squelched thanks to the opposition of Alaska delegate Anthony Dimond, but in the \"Yiddish Policemen's\" world, Dimond is conveniently killed off and the plan goes forward. Chabon's Federal District of Sitka is a land of tall apartment blocks and grimy streets, as if \"Hong Kong had moved to the other side of the Pacific Ocean,\" he says. The novel is peppered with clever conceits. The book's black hats, as in villains, are actual \"black hats,\" a slang term for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The characters are fond of Filipino doughnuts, a twist on the Jewish taste for Chinese food. The place names of Russian Alaska are an apt companion to the Eastern European surnames of Chabon's Jews, and then there are throwaway bits -- such as in the Sitka of 2001, Orson Welles did release a version of \"Heart of Darkness.\" Doing a genre novel -- or several at once, as \"The Yiddish Policeman's Union\" is part detective story, part alt-history, part modern Jewish folktale -- isn't considered the natural turf for a so-called literary writer like Chabon, but the author -- who has been vocal in support of genre fiction -- makes no apologies for the work. \"I only ever try to write in genres that I love ... I love hard-boiled detective novels, I love fantasy, I love science fiction,\" he says. \"It feels like a natural impulse to want to integrate that passion that I have as a reader into my writing. I didn't see a good reason not to. ... And to say that there's something inherently inferior about the mystery genre is just silly.\" In writing \"The Yiddish Policeman's Union,\" Chabon says, the key was re-reading Raymond Chandler, creator of L.A. detective Philip Marlowe and a distinctive tough-guy style, as well as the Russian-Jewish short story writer Isaac Babel, \"whose use of simile and metaphor strangely echoed Chandler,\" he says. Babel also had a \"clear-eyed view of violence. ... There's a kinship there between Chandler and Babel, and that's what helped me kind-of forge the voice for this novel,\" Chabon says. But, he adds, \"the whole novel is itself a simile. It's setting up a series of semblances and mirrorings of the world we live in, so it seemed almost necessary, not just from a stylistic point of view but from a thematic point of view.\" Chabon's layered themes include reason's conflict with religious extremism, an idea that comes to the fore as the novel progresses. Holding a mirror to our world is a common theme of alternate histories, and Chabon says he is fond of the type in general. The noted comic-book fan -- he co-wrote \"Spider-Man 2\" -- cites two favorites: the \"what-if\" scenarios often proposed in the Superman comics, and an issue of National Lampoon that celebrated John F. Kennedy's fifth inaugural with the cover line, \"JFK's First 6,000 Days.\" \"I read and re-read that a dozen times,\" he says. \"It had an undertone of poignance. ... It was like a perpetual November 21, 1963. America never went through any of the turbulence of the '60s. ... It was the opposite of most counterfactual fiction, which tends to present the catastrophic -- what if the bad things happened. ... This was presenting an 'if only,' not a 'what if.' \" Which is not to say \"The Yiddish Policeman's Union\" is presenting a better -- or worse -- future. There is a darkness in the book, Chabon observes. But there's also the idea that millions of people were saved from the death camps. \"I'm certainly not presenting the world of this novel as 'it would have been better this way.' It's a dark world, and the Jews of Sitka are on the brink of the abyss,\" he says. \"But there is a certain 'if only' quality.\" \"The Yiddish Policeman's Union\" has earned mostly admiring reviews. \" 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union' builds upon the achievement of 'Kavalier & Clay,' \" wrote the notoriously hard-to-please Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times. Reaction from the public has been positive and even put him on The New York Times' hardcover bestseller list, a rarified place for any author. \"I feel like the book has been embraced,\" says Chabon. Perhaps the only people concerned about the book's subject matter are some Jews, who have asked Chabon if the book isn't, well, \"too Jewish.\" \"It reminds me of when my first novel, 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,' came out ... and everybody in Pittsburgh said, 'Are you crazy? Why would you set a novel in Pittsburgh? Who's going to want to read a novel about Pittsburgh?' \" he laughs. \"The reason we read fiction is know what it would be like to really be someone else. ... That kind of transport across time and place is the magic of fiction.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yiddish Policemen's Union\" posits Alaskan Jewish homeland .\nAuthor Michael Chabon won Pulitzer for earlier novel .\nNew book inspired by thoughts of Yiddish, love of genres ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar is free to travel outside the country, Pakistan's government said Friday a day after blocking his departure and sparking a national incident. There are 53 Pakistani individuals reinstated to an Exit Control List this week which prevents them from leaving the country -- but Mukhtar is not one of them, the National Accountability Bureau said. The confusion stems from a list, dating back several years, that prevented some government officials facing corruption charges from leaving the country. In October 2007, the country passed the National Reconciliation Ordinance, which provided amnesty to about 8,000 people facing various offenses, said Mohammed Afzl Sindhu, Pakistan's minister of state for law and justice. Among them were about 30 politicians. Those who had been on the Exit Control List were given amnesty and could travel. On Wednesday, Pakistan's Supreme Court struck down the ordinance. The 17-judge court said the amnesty \"seems to be against the national interest\" and \"violates various provisions of the Constitution.\" Following that decision, the government restored the names of 53 people to the Exit Control List, said National Accountability Bureau spokesman Ghazni Khan. Mukhtar was among the officials protected by the ordinance -- but Pakistani officials say he was not among the 53 people on the Exit Control List. He was about to leave on an official trip to China on Thursday when immigration authorities told him he was on the Exit Control List. He said he raised the issue with the offices of the president and prime minister. \"It is clarified that the name of Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar was not included in that list of 53 persons,\" Khan said Friday. The National Reconciliation Ordinance, passed under then-President Pervez Musharraf, covered alleged wrongdoing between 1986 and 1999. Among those protected by the order -- which expired last month -- were Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Also on the list were bureaucrats, bankers, retired military officials, and low ranking government officials, Sindhu said Friday. With the order lifted, corruption charges against some officials will now proceed, Pakistani authorities said. An accountability court in Karachi summoned Interior Minister Rehman Malik to appear on January 8, 2010 regarding an outstanding corruption case against him, said Malik's attorney, Khawaja Naveed Ahmed. Ahmed added that 51 others have been summoned to court in Karachi. Atiq ur Rehman, spokesman for the National Accountability Bureau in Lahore, said the cases of 80 people accused of corruption and misuse of power have been reopened and sent to accountability court for further processing. They include include Jahamgir Badar, who is the secretary general of the Pakistan People's Party, and Nusrat Bhutto, mother of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. CNN's Samson Desta contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Defence Minister Mukhtar is free to leave Pakistan after initally being denied .\nMukhtar was wrongly put on an exit control list which prevented him from leaving the country .\nConfusion stems from a list that prevented officials facing corruption charges from leaving." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Poet and punk rocker Jim Carroll has died at age 60. Funeral arrangements are pending. Poet, punk rocker and author Jim Carroll performs at a 2002 benefit in New York. A respected poet and musician, Carroll also was the author of \"The Basketball Diaries,\" which was adapted into a 1995 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Carroll died Friday at his home in Manhattan after suffering a heart attack, said his former wife, Rosemary Carroll. In 1980, he released the popular album \"Catholic Boy,\" which, according to his fan Web site, expressed the \"[b]omb-fear anticipation, the optimistic nihilism and glittering darkness of the 1980s.\" The track \"People Who Died\" was one of the most-requested songs on FM radio at the time, and as Newsweek's Barbara Graustark noted then, \"it propelled [Carroll] from underground status to national attention as a contender for the title of rock's new poet laureate.\" The release of the song coincided with the death of John Lennon. The success of the album was attributed to the powerful combination of pure rock 'n' roll with Carroll's poetic sensibility and ability to write from his own experience. The fan Web site Catholicboy.com sums up Carroll's approach to music by quoting him as saying, \"There ain't much time left, you're born out of this insane abyss and you're going to fall back into it, so while you're alive you might as well show your bare ass.\" In addition to two follow-up albums, Carroll was a best-selling author of six books. \"He was a sweet, sweet man, and I'm going to really miss him,\" said Cassie Carter, a close friend for more than 20 years who operates Catholicboy.com. Carroll was born in New York in 1949 and spent his childhood living on the city's Lower East Side, attending Catholic schools, said Rosemary Carroll, whom he met in 1973. At 12, he began keeping a journal that eventually was published as \"The Basketball Diaries\" in 1978. In it, he recorded the highs and lows of his youth. He first experimented with drugs at 12 and soon was addicted to heroin, but he was able to kick that habit in the 1970s, his former wife said. He had just completed a novel, tentatively titled \"The Petting Zoo,\" which is about a young painter who experiences spiritual crises. The date of its release has not been set. Carroll is survived by a brother, according to his ex-wife." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Poet and punk rocker Jim Carroll dies after heart attack at 60, ex-wife says .\nDrug addiction as teen chronicled in \"The Basketball Diaries\"\nBook made into 1995 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio .\nCarroll's 1980 album \"Catholic Boy\" featured popular \"People Who Died\" track ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An explosion outside the home of Afghanistan's former vice president killed at least eight people Tuesday, government officials have said. The explosion was near the Kabul residence of former vice-president Ahmad Zia Massoud, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told reporters. Massoud was not harmed in the attack. Among those killed were one of Massoud's guards and an assistant, the former vice president's aide said. Forty others were wounded in the blast. The explosion broke windows in a hotel a few blocks away. Tuesday morning's explosion occurred as the Afghan president was at a nearby anti-corruption convention. Karzai issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it inhumane and cowardly. The president called for a full scale investigation. Massoud is a notable figure in Afghan politics. Not only was he a vice president of the county under Karzai, but his brother the late Ahmed Shah Massoud was heralded as a leader in the fight against the Taliban. Ahmed Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance, the Taliban's main opposition, was killed September 9, 2001, by a bomb inside a video camera during an interview at his headquarters with Tunisian al Qaeda operatives posing as journalists. Meanwhile the International Committee of the Red Cross visited three Afghan security forces being held captive by the Taliban for the first time, the agency said Tuesday. The two visits occurred in late November in Badghis province in northwestern Afghanistan, the agency said. \"This is the first time since the beginning of the current conflict that the ICRC has visited people detained by the armed opposition,\" said Reto Stocker, head of the ICRC's delegation in Kabul. \"We plan to conduct and repeat visits in other regions, and hope to visit people held by other armed opposition groups, with the aim of ensuring that everyone detained in relation to the armed conflict is treated humanely.\" The ICRC says it regularly visits detained people in conflict zones to assess their conditions and treatment. The agency say it currently currently visits 136 places of detention in Afghanistan. -- CNN's Tim Schwarz and Fred Pleitgen contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dead included one of former Afghan VP's guards and an assistant .\nBlast hit as Afghan President Hamid Karzai at nearby anti-corruption convention .\nFormer Vice President Ahmad Zia Massoud not harmed in the attack .\nRed Cross says it visited three captives of the Taliban in November ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Refugees at a settlement in southwestern Uganda have barricaded all roads into the camp to protest a food-aid disruption they say has caused the deaths of several children, refugee leaders said Tuesday. \"We have spent three months without any food supplies from government nor from any food relief or humanitarian agency,\" Congolese refugee leader Serugendo Sekalinda said by telephone. The protest began Tuesday after the deaths of three children Monday night, refugees said. Those were the latest of dozens of children who have died in the past two weeks due to hunger, refugee leaders said. But Needa Jehu Hoyah, a spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee agency, known as the UNHCR, told CNN by telephone from the Ugandan capital, Kampala, that no children have died in the Nakivale settlement, which has tens of thousands of refugees. \"We have a malnutrition program [in Nakivale] for children, [but] no children have died of hunger there,\" she said. The UNHCR, along with the U.N.'s World Food Program and the Ugandan government, will deliver a food shipment to the settlement Wednesday, Hoyah said. Uganda's disaster preparedness and refugees minister, professor Tarsis Kabwejyere, told CNN that the refugees living in that camp -- most of whom fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- would have their full rations Wednesday. For a time they've been getting half rations, he said. \"By tomorrow there will be no food crisis at that settlement,\" Kabwejyere said. \"We do our best to make sure humanity survives, even in the hardships in refugee settlements, so people have a reasonable existence.\" The food shortage came about as a result of a disruption in the food supply chain and a shortage of money for food, the minister said. Hoyah agreed that there \"were issues with the food pipeline.\" Protesters at the Nakivale settlement, about 400 kilometers (248 miles) southwest of Kampala and 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the Ugandan border with Tanzania, gathered at the homes where the most recent deaths of children have occurred, Sekalinda said. \"We are demanding to be relocated to another country where we can be protected from death caused by hunger,\" he said. While the settlement's population is composed mainly of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, it also houses refugees from conflicts in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and Kenya. Nakivale is the largest and oldest of the five refugee settlements in Uganda, having opened more than two decades ago. People living there are provided small plots of land on which to grow crops, and they often build huts made of mud, water and thatched grass. As many as 155,000 refugees live in all the camps in Uganda, according to the UNHCR. As of January of this year, there were also an estimated 853,000 internally displaced persons, or IDPs, the UNHCR says on its Web site. The IDPs were forced from their villages in the past decade by attacks from the Lord's Resistance Army, which wants to create a democratic government in Uganda based on the Bible's Ten Commandments. Last week, an African Union summit in Kampala endorsed a declaration to end the forceful displacement of people in all of Africa. Delegates to the poorly attended summit also pledged to aid refugees and IDPs by training them in vocational skills so they could find work during and after their forced displacement. Journalist Samson Ntale in Kampala, Uganda, contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lack of food causing deaths of children, refugees at Ugandan settlement say .\nProtest began after three children died Monday, refugee leader says .\nUnited Nations refugee agency denies any child has died of hunger at Nakivale .\nBut agency acknowledges supply problem, says food coming Wednesday ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) -- A radical Muslim sheikh's call for the creation of an Islamic emirate in Gaza sparked clashes with Hamas forces that left 21 people dead and injured at least 121 others. Members of Jund Ansar Allah surround Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi in Rafah on Friday. Hamas forces blew up the home of Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi, leader of the radical group Jund Ansar Allah, or Soldiers of the Partisans of God, Hamas sources said. Al-Maqdessi, also known as Abdel Latif Musa, was among the 21 dead, a hospital spokesman told CNN. Friday's clashes were the latest between Gaza's Hamas rulers, who have said they are moderate Muslims pledged to the Palestinian cause, and more extremist Islamic groups. Jund Ansar Allah is part of the radical Islamist movement that follows the doctrines of the \"Salaf,\" or the predecessors -- referring to the early generations of Muslims. They reject all modern influences such as politics and government. In a televised statement, Hamas ministry spokesman Taher Nunu called al-Maqdessi's group \"outlaws\" and said they have been \"terrorizing the country and attacking civilians.\" \"We hold the group and its leader fully responsible for what is happening in Gaza and we offer our condolences to everyone who was killed during the clashes,\" Nunu said. \"No one is above the law and we urge everyone who is a member of this group to surrender himself to the authorities or they will be accountable for all of their actions.\" The gunfight erupted near a mosque in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the cleric delivered his sermon, the sources said. Hamas militants raided the mosque and seized control of it. Later, the fighting spread to al-Maqdessi's home, the sources said. Al-Maqdessi also called for a public meeting at the mosque, posting on the Jund Ansar Allah's Web site an invitation dubbed \"the golden advice to the government of (Hamas leader) Ismail Haniya.\" The group posted a statement on the Web site announcing the establishment of the Islamic emirate in Gaza and proclaiming al-Maqdessi \"the commander of the faithful.\" The statement declared that armed forces in Gaza should unite under him. It urged Muslims everywhere to support the \"young emirate\" by providing money, weapons and men because \"this is the hope of the Muslim nation in raising the banner of monotheism in Palestine and to liberate all the lands and purify Al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the damned Jews.\" Al-Aqsa mosque is in Jerusalem. The group accused Hamas of not being Islamic enough, saying they care more about pleasing \"tyrants\" than \"obeying God.\" But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri dismissed statements about the establishment of an Islamic emirate as \"theoretical.\" \"It is not permitted to any party or individual to enforce their own laws because this is the responsibility of the security forces,\" he said. CNN's Talal Abu-Rahman in Gaza City, Gaza, contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sheikh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdessi killed in battle with Hamas forces, officials say .\nAl-Maqdessi was leader of Islamist movement that rejects politics, government .\nAl-Maqdessi had sought creation of Islamic emirate in Gaza ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The death toll from an explosion in the central Pakistani city of Dera Ghazi Khan climbed to at least 25 on Wednesday, a senior government official said. Another 56 people were wounded in Tuesday's attack, according to Hassan Iqbal Khan. The blast ripped through a market located near the house of a senior adviser to the chief minister of Punjab province, said Mohammed Hasnain, a rescue official. The adviser, Sardar Zulfiqar Muhammad Khosa, is a former provincial governor and a senior opposition party politician. He said he was the target of the attack, though police initially said he was not the intended target. Khosa told CNN that none of his family members were in the house when the attack occurred. He also said that he had never before received any threats against his life. The attacker detonated his car in front of the main gate at Khosa's house, said Hassan Iqbal, a senior government official. About 20 shops in the market were reduced to rubble. CNN's Samson Desta and journalist Umar Aziz Khan contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Attack on market in Dera Ghazi Khan leaves 25 dead, 60 wounded .\nAttacker detonated car in front of Sardar Zulfiqar Muhammad Khosa's home .\nFormer provincial governor claims he was intended target of attack ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(OPRAH.com) -- Mindy Perlmutter was having a birthday party, but this was not just your garden variety, chocolate cake, two kinds of ice cream, balloons, and a piñata type soiree. No, this would be an affair to remember. Lisa Kogan has learned the hard way about when it's important to listen to loved ones. This would be even more fabulous than Alicia Mittenthal's tie-dye-your-own-pillowcase gala or Daisy Feng's macramé-your-own-bracelet bash. This was to be a build-your-own-terrarium shindig, complete with colored sand and plastic stones and an incredibly classy assortment of glass goldfish bowls. At the time (the time being about 34 years ago), it seemed like a very big deal -- I mean, let's be honest here, it would still be a big deal to go to a party where you get to build your own terrarium...in, you know, a kind of retro, '70s, ironic, hipster way. So there I sat, looking out the den window, which gave me a clear view to the driveway while I waited for my ride to come spirit me away. Actually, it hadn't been our den since my grandparents returned from their life in Miami Beach and my folks rented a hospital bed to turn the den into my grandmother's bedroom. I loved my grandmother, but I can't say I ever really got to know her. She was the lady who played bingo and walked with a cane and kept a plump red tomato pincushion next to the creaky old foot-pedal-powered Singer sewing machine. I remember that she put up her own pickles and draped strudel dough across the kitchen table, and I know that she learned to reupholster her own furniture and got her first driver's license when she was deep into her 50s, and I'm acutely aware that she spoke to my grandfather in a very stern Yiddish whenever he tried to convince me to watch \"The Lawrence Welk Show.\" My grandmother endured an awful lot from the man, but no grandchild of hers was going to be forced to watch Lawrence Welk so long as she still had breath in her body. Anyway, the sun was going down and my ride was running late and my grandmother started to talk. I thought she was going to warn me to be careful of something or other, because she was from the generation who believed that pigeons carry polio and she worried a lot, but if she was anxious about anything that night, she didn't show it. \"I used to love to go to parties,\" she told me. She might as well have said that she used to enjoy scaling Mount Everest in flip-flops and a tutu. I was pretty sure I'd heard all the stories from my grandmother's life -- and none of them involved a party. Oprah.com: How to write your own memoir . The talk I'd heard was always the same: She and her mother and her five brothers and sisters starving through the bitter Russian winters in a little village whose name sounded like a sneeze. I knew about the malnutrition, the crippling rickets, the father who slaved away for years in Detroit trying to earn enough money to bring his wife and children to America and how when he finally did manage to save enough, the man he entrusted with the job of bringing the family over disappeared with the money (was he killed? did he steal it?), leaving my great-grandfather to start all over again. I'd heard how my great-uncles Sam and Isadore would scrounge through fields looking for anything edible while my grandmother supported everyone with her job as a maid to the butcher's wife, and I knew by heart the story of how she lost that job because the woman caught her taking a sip of milk. I also knew how she met Arthur Levy, the love of her life, who my great-aunt Molly swore looked \"exactly like a young Perry Como,\" and that he died a few weeks after she married him, though she never stopped wearing his ring. I knew that the first son she had with my grandfather had died, and that on a Friday afternoon in 1939, her father, the man who worked so hard to bring the family here, died, too, after being pushed off the roof of a building in an anti-Semitic attack. And, of course, I knew that she worked nonstop to build a better life for her children. But I realize now that I only knew those stories because they were told to me by other people. The night of Mindy Perlmutter's terrarium party, my grandmother was telling me the things she wanted me to know. She talked about dances and boys and a silvery blue dress she'd sewn with her sisters. She told me about a time when all her friends were doubled over with laughter because...well, I'm not really sure what it was they found so funny. There was a honk and the glare of headlights, so I gave my grandmother a fast peck on the cheek and flew straight out the door. She went into the hospital the next morning, and she never came out. I sit playing Candy Land with the great-granddaughter Rose Kogan never got to meet. Julia Claire closes her eyes, blows on the dice, and whispers, \"C'mon, c'mon, Mama needs a pair of deuces.\" I have no idea why my 6-year-old sounds like Edward G. Robinson, but I make a mental note to quit letting her play blackjack with the doormen. She rolls \"snake eyes\" and becomes my little girl again. \"I want a do-over, Mommy.\" I start to explain that we don't really get do-overs in this world, that you kind of have to play it as it lays. I believe the parenting books call this a \"teachable moment,\" but my follow-through leaves much to be desired. I hand Jules the dice and say, \"Go for it, kid.\" The truth is, I want a do-over, too. I have ignored my instincts, I have embraced my neuroses, and there have been more than a few serious lapses in judgment over the years -- hell, I once painted my bathroom aubergine. But if I could get just one night back, it would be a chilly October evening when nothing mattered more to me than hanging with my friends in Mindy Perlmutter's basement. Oprah.com: One thing Lisa Kogan would never change . I would have taken off my coat and sat back down, only this time I'd have faced my grandmother instead of the driveway. I would have asked her if the good times outweighed the bad, if there were nights she'd do differently, if she'd ever felt like giving up -- or if that was even an option. I never told her how smart and talented and brave and lovely I thought she was. I never heard what was so great about Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon in Mrs. Miniver. I never found out what she did to make her skin so soft and her matzo balls so firm or if she'd have preferred it the other way around. And I never thanked her for being my go-to grandma in the unconditional goodness department. Julia and I finish the game and say our goodnights. I am eager to return a couple of calls, get her lunch packed for school, and watch the episode of \"Mad Men\" I've got waiting on our DVR. But my daughter is feeling chatty. \"Mommy,\" she begins, \"do you know why the Princess Barbie Musketeers have swords that match their ball gowns?\" Before I can answer, she announces, \"It's because they're royal squashbucklers.\" I tell her I'm pretty sure the word is swashbucklers, and she tells me she's pretty sure I'm wrong and goes on talking. She doesn't want to let go of the night, and so I nudge away two stuffed poodles and curl up beside her. The calls and the lunch and even Don Draper can wait, because I have learned the hard way that my job is to sit quietly in the dark and listen to whatever my daughter has to say. Oprah.com: What your children need the most . By Lisa Kogan from O, The Oprah Magazine, November 2009 . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Grandmother wanted to talk about dances, boys, silvery blue dress .\nBut Lisa Kogan had a party to got to and ran out the door .\nNow she wants that chilly October evening back to talk with her grandmother .\nSo when daughter wants to talk funny stuff, Lisa knows enough to listen ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar was blocked from leaving the country Thursday after Pakistan's Supreme Court struck down an amnesty that had protected politicians from corruption charges, state media reported. Nearly 280 government officials and ministers have been placed on an exit control list by the high court, said Wajid Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner in Britain. The 17-judge court invalidated the National Reconciliation Order on Wednesday, saying in its ruling that the amnesty \"seems to be against the national interest\" and \"violates various provisions of the Constitution.\" The order, passed in October 2007 under then-President Pervez Musharraf, only covered alleged wrongdoing that occurred between 1986 through 1999. The order, which expired last month, protected thousands of bureaucrats and politicians, including President Asif Ali Zardari and his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, from corruption and criminal charges. Mukhtar, among the officials once protected by the order, was on an official trip to China when he was stopped at the Islamabad airport. Pakistan's Supreme Court said its ruling revived all cases that had been suspended or withdrawn under the amnesty. Zardari's government released a brief statement Thursday saying: \"The government respects the judgment of the Supreme Court and is awaiting the detailed judgment. However, the government has already started consulting the legal experts for its implementation.\" CNN's Nic Robertson and Arwa Damon contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Supreme Court kills an amnesty protecting politicians from corruption charges .\nPakistani court rules amnesty \"seems to be against the national interest\"\nNearly 280 government officials, including defense minister, are on the court's exit control list .\nDefense minister taking official trip to China when he is stopped at Islamabad airport ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- He was a cold, calculating, \"morally depraved\" man who spent the last years of his socialite and megaphilanthropist mother's life bilking her fortune to line his pockets. That's one way to see Anthony Marshall -- and it's the only way, according to the prosecutors who secured a conviction against him for grand larceny and scheming to defraud his mother, Brooke Astor. Now as the 85-year-old son prepares to be sentenced Monday for his crimes, another portrait of him has emerged -- thanks to close friends and celebrity acquaintances (including Al Roker and Whoopi Goldberg) who sent letters to the court in hopes of saving him from a lengthy prison sentence. The man prosecutors described during the trial is apparently unrecognizable to many of Marshall's friends and acquaintances. He was a loyal churchgoing man, a Purple Heart recipient wounded in Iwo Jima during World War II and a son who tried mightily but could never live up to the high ideals of his socialite mother, according to letters friends submitted to the court. And now, they say he is a frail and sickly man who has faced extreme humiliation and would essentially be given a death sentence if a judge hands down the maximum sentence allowed. It will be up to Judge A. Kirke Bartley Jr. to decide how to reconcile the two portraits of Tony Marshall. He faces a minimum 1 to 3 years, or as much as 8 to 25 years in state prison. The drastically differing views have only further heightened interest in the case, which during the trial stage was a tabloid feeding frenzy, fostering headlines such as \"Bad heir day,\" \"Mrs. Astor's disaster\" and \"DA's kick in the Astor.\" The witness list was a virtual \"Who's Who\" of New York's social elite -- including Henry Kissinger, Graydon Carter, Barbara Walters, Vartan Gregorian and Annette de la Renta. During the case, prosecutors and witnesses portrayed Marshall as an only son preying on his physically and mentally ill 101-year-old mother. Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann called the case \"disturbing,\" and said the trial told the story of \"how a son, an only son, would stoop so low to steal from his own mother in the sunset years of her life in order to line his own pockets and the pockets of his wife.\" His only goal, they said, was to selfishly tap her fortune -- money that prosecutors said Astor intended to donate to ordinary New Yorkers who needed help after she died. He was convicted of the most serious charges against him -- first-degree grand larceny and scheming to defraud. One of the most serious convictions involved Marshall giving himself a $1 million-a-year raise for handling his mother's affairs, Seidemann said. During trial testimony, Marshall's lawyers called no character witnesses to come to his defense. So the new letters from friends are the first attempts by those who know him to share what they believe is his true character. Whoopi Goldberg told a judge in her letter that she met Tony Marshall and his wife Charlene 10 years ago when Goldberg moved into a building on the Upper East Side with Frank Langella. Unlike other residents who turned their nose up at her, Goldberg said she became quick friends with the Marshalls. Her interactions with Tony, she wrote, gave her an insight into his relationship with his mother, and in turn taught her about how fame can affect family dynamics. \"I also understand what it must be like for my own daughter to be around my fame,\" she wrote. \"I am not comparing myself to Mrs. Astor, but I've seen how you can be dismissed as not being good enough, or hip enough, and seeing it happen to Tony made me make sure that it didn't happen to my own daughter.\" The humiliation and ugliness of the trial was punishment enough and a prison sentence would be unjust, friends argued in the letters. Marshall's cardiologist, Kenneth W. Franklin, also wrote to urge the judge to consider his age and health in sentencing. A prison sentence \"will accelerate his deterioration from cardiac and neurologic disease and would result in his premature death due to medical complications,\" he wrote. NBC's Today show weatherman Al Roker came to Marshall's defense too, having met him at his church 10 years ago. He argued Marshall had suffered enough, paying a price greater than any sentence a judge could hand down -- seeing his son turn on him during the trial and being portrayed in a negative light each day. \"Given his advanced age and deteriorating health, justice may be better served by turning a compassionate eye towards this good son, father and patriot and finding it in your heart not to add 'prisoner' to Anthony Marshall's otherwise unblemished resume,\" Roker wrote in his letter to the court. Goldberg too, believed \"breaking this man\" by putting him in prison, was not the right punishment. \"Please don't put him in jail,\" she writes at the end of her letter. \"It would only amount to an unnecessary cruelty that would serve no real purpose. Hasn't Tony been through enough?\" CNN's Jessica Ravitz contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whoopi Goldberg, Al Roker among those asking for a compassionate sentence .\nTony Marshall convicted of bilking mom Brooke Astor of money before her death .\nHe faces a minimum 1 to 3 years, or as much as 8 to 25 years in state prison .\nFriends cite Marshall's age of 85, deteriorating health, among reasons for light sentence ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beijing, China (CNN) -- Five more defendants were sentenced to death for their roles in summer riots that killed around 200 people in western China, officials said Thursday. The five sentenced to death were among 22 defendants that went on trial this week by the Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi, according to a local government statement. Along with the five people to be executed, another five were sentenced to death but the execution will be postponed for two years, the statement said. The others received sentences ranging from 10 years in prison to life in prison. This group is part of dozens of people who have put on trial for the alleged role in the violent ethnic clashes in China's Xinjiang autonomous region that broke out this summer. More than 20 people have received death sentences after being convicted of crimes related to the unrest. The riots in July were prompted by long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese. The Uyghurs are mostly Muslims in Xinjiang. Some Islamists refer to the region as East Turkistan. Around 200 people were believed to have been killed in the riots. The unrest continued in August when Uyghurs were accused of attacking Han Chinese with syringes filled with different substances. In September, China sent 7,000 security personnel to Urumqi to ease tensions after Han Chinese protested the syringe attacks. China's constitution guarantees ethnic minorities equal rights. However, minority groups such as the Uyghurs say the Han discriminate and ethnic tensions run deep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More than 20 people have received death sentences after being convicted following riots .\nJuly riots prompted by long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han .\nUnrest continued in August when Uyghurs were accused of attacking Han with syringes ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(The Frisky) -- There are certain families -- like, say, the Coppolas and the Gyllenhaals -- where coolness seems to be infused in the DNA. I'd like to add another to the list: the Reitmans. Papa Ivan is the producer behind flicks like \"Ghostbusters\" and \"Animal House,\" and son Jason grew up on his sets. \"I was on the set of 'Animal House' when I was 11 days old. It had a profound effect on me,\" Jason joked this week on \"Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.\" When he was in his early teens, Jason started working as a production assistant and his dad even cast him in a few small roles. \"I was 13 and my dad gave me a scene in 'Kindergarten Cop' kissing a girl -- and that was in fact my first kiss,\" said Jason. \"My first kiss was directed by my father. You don't know what it's like to have to do eight takes of your first kiss while Arnold Schwarzenegger's pointing a gun at you and your dad's like, 'Grab her a little more.'\" While Jason probably could have busted into filmmaking by birthright, he decided against directing \"Dude, Where's My Car?\" which he was offered, and instead worked on short films to gain clout. \"It's interesting because I avoided working with my dad for a while because I was so sensitive of being accused of the idea of nepotism,\" he said. \"I remember when I was 19 years old I started a desk calendar company to pay for my first short film just so I could say one day my daddy didn't pay for my first short film. And I really established myself through the film festival world, starting at Sundance and lots of film festivals and really took on a different style of film from my father.\" Soon, Jason directed \"Thank You For Smoking.\" Then the amazingness that was \"Juno.\" And now, of course, he is the Best Director/Best Picture forerunner with his movie \"Up In The Air,\" which is getting all sorts of critical acclaim. \"Up in the Air\" is the first project the two worked on together. \"I love my father and we have such a strong bond and I look up to him as a filmmaker and a storyteller,\" said Jason. \"So it was great and when I see the credits and it says produced by Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, my heart swells. It's really, really cool.\" Ivan echoes that sentiment. \"It's great to be the producer of this kind of movie and sort of share in its success and the goodwill that comes with it,\" he said. \"But as a parent it's kind of this remarkable emotional moment that's kind of hard to describe.\" And it's not like Ivan's career is over -- he has a script in the works for \"Ghostbusters 3\" and the word on the street is that Bill Murray will be making a cameo in it as a ghost himself. Could this family be any cooler? TM & © 2009 TMV, Inc. \| All Rights Reserved ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ivan and Jason Reitman are the father/son tandem behind award darling \"Up in the Air\"\nThe father, Ivan was the producer behind \"Ghostbusters\" and \"Animal House\"\nThe son, Jason grew up on sets and directed \"Thank You for Smoking\" and \"Juno\"\n\"Up in the Air\" is the first movie the pair has worked on together ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department is calling on Honduras' de facto president to immediately rescind an emergency decree that limits constitutional rights such as freedoms of expression, travel and public congregation. Robert Micheletti, de facto president of Honduras, says he'll repeal an emergency decree, but not immediately. \"The freedoms inherent in the suspended rights are inalienable and cannot be limited or restricted without seriously damaging the democratic aspirations of the Honduran people,\" said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly in a statement late Monday night. Earlier Monday, Roberto Micheletti announced he would repeal the law, but it would not be immediately. The decree will undergo a legal review, he said. Still, Micheletti's announcement was an about-face. He had announced the policy less than 24 hours earlier in response to unrest that increased significantly after ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya secretly returned to Honduras on September 20 and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy. The 45-day decree announced Sunday night forbids any unauthorized public gatherings, allows officials to make arrests without a judicial order and lets the government close down news media that threaten \"peace and order.\" Micheletti said he would consult with the supreme court to repeal the decree, after a meeting with the leading presidential candidates. \"This decision was made because (Zelaya) was calling for insurrection ... but I'm going to listen to the other powers of the state and we're going to make the most wise decision in the interests of Honduras,\" Micheletti said, according to the newspaper La Prensa. Monday marked the three-month anniversary of Zelaya's ouster in a military-led coup on June 28. In the wake of Micheletti's decree, Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the OAS, said the Canal 36 TV station and Radio Globo were reported closed. The owner of Canal 36, Esdras Amado Lopez, told CNN that 60 soldiers entered his station Monday morning to shut it down. They removed all of the equipment, he said. \"They say that we offended the dignity of the president of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti,\" Lopez said, adding that he sees his station not as pro-Zelaya, but \"pro-people.\" Honduran soldiers were stationed in front of the shuttered TV and radio stations and would not allow anyone to enter. The United Nations, the OAS and the European Union have condemned the coup and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated. Micheletti has vowed that Zelaya will never return to power and has said the deposed president will be arrested if he comes out of the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, the nation's capital. Micheletti has accused Zelaya of using the embassy to instigate an insurrection and this weekend gave the Brazilian embassy 10 days to decide the ousted president's status. Brazil rejected the Honduran ultimatum. On Monday night, Zelaya addressed the United Nations General Assembly via a mobile phone that his foreign minister held up at the podium. A \"serious crime is taking place when the voice of the people is silenced and when the people who are being repressed are likewise silenced,\" Zelaya said. CNN's John Zarrella, Kim Segal and journalist Elvin Sandoval contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Roberto Micheletti said he would repeal decree but not be immediately .\nDecree clamps down on public gatherings, lets government close news media .\nJose Manuel Zelaya was ousted as president of Honduras three months ago .\nZelaya has returned to Tegucigalpa and is holed up in Brazilian Embassy ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNN) -- You've got your spot on a lounge chair angled into the hot Caribbean sun, with tall, slender palm trees jutting out over your head. As you gaze at the calm turquoise waters and sip that refreshing rum drink, you may ask yourself, \"What more could I possibly want?\" Visitors can climb the tower at Fortaleza Ozama for a view over the rooftops and out to sea. For many travelers to the Dominican Republic, that chair -- usually secluded inside a mega all-inclusive resort complex -- is the sole destination. And don't get me wrong, it's a great one. The Dominican Republic's stretches of sand are some of the best on the planet. But if you never leave the high walls of your tourist compound, you're missing out on a gem of a capital city. Santo Domingo is the New World's first city, with 16th-century buildings, quaint colonial streets, romantic ruins and a lively atmosphere. All you need is a full day to experience the city's architecture, culture and food. Plus, it's only a $9 coach bus ride from Punta Cana. So when you begin to tire of the antics of the \"animation team\" at the resort, and the color of your skin starts to resemble the papaya or watermelon you're eating, consider a short trip to Santo Domingo. Founded soon after Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World, and run by his son Diego, the city became the colonial capital of the Americas and launch pad for further Spanish expeditions. Despite several raids by pirates, the oldest section of town remains largely intact. Known as the Zona Colonial, it contains many European \"firsts\" in the Western Hemisphere including the first street, cathedral, hospital and university. How to see it all in a day . Start at the heart of the zone, Parque Colón, a square that borders the cathedral and is always full of life. You can sit and watch children chase pigeons as you gaze up at the simple beauty of the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Next, head over to the oldest fortress in the New World, Fortaleza Ozama, built in the early 1500s. There you can climb the tower for a view over the rooftops and out to sea. Back on street level, walk up a couple blocks to the expansive Plaza España, site of two museums and a hangout for locals, especially in the evening, when kids crisscross the square on scooters or fly kites, and couples sit quietly together. The Museo de las Casas Reales and the Alcázar de Colón -- Diego Columbus' palace -- show you how the wealthy Spanish lived when they came to the early colonies and provide some history of the island's colonization -- all for a buck or two. Next, head over to a pair of impressive ruins. Gaze up at the towering walls and arches of the Americas' first hospital, Hospital de San Nicolás de Bari. Then, just up a picturesque bend in the road lined with colorful houses, you'll find the large ruins of Monasterio de San Francisco. Pirate attacks and earthquakes brought down the monastery. The hospital was merely abandoned in the 18th century, and later dismantled for safety. Now let yourself wander a bit through the streets, checking out the colorful surprises around every colonial corner. You'll discover the varied architecture of people's homes, and get a view into Dominican city life. In just a few blocks, I ran across a pickup game of baseball, the national sport and passion, in the middle of the street, with adults using just a broom handle and roll of tape; several \"kiddie\" pools in the streets, where both children and adults were cooling off in the afternoon heat; and a handful of corner parks alive with activity. After exploring, your final destination is the zone's main drag, Calle El Conde. This pedestrian-only street is the place to shop. You'll find street sellers hawking colorful artwork; music stores to pick up that merengue and bachata music you've heard blaring out of everyone's stereos; and jewelry shops featuring native amber and the sky-blue stone larimar found only in the Dominican Republic. By now, you've certainly worked up an appetite walking in the hot sun. Parque Colón and Plaza España each have a row of chic sidewalk cafés, although they're a bit pricey and touristy. Consider wandering a bit through some side streets to find a more local establishment, where you can feast on typical cuisine such as la bandera dominicana (a red beans and rice dish), several stews, fried plantains or yucca and delicious tropical fruits. And if you still feel like dancing the night away, hop in a taxi to the Malecón, Santo Domingo's seafront boulevard, where the large hotels have popular dance clubs pumping merengue until the wee hours of the morning. The bus ride . Getting to the capital city from the beach areas is cheap and relatively easy. Expreso Bávaro runs from the Punta Cana area for $9 in an air-conditioned and comfy coach bus. On your four-hour ride, you'll get a glimpse of some smaller Dominican towns, a towering modern cathedral, distant mountains and vast sugarcane fields. Metro and Caribe Tours provide similar services from the beaches on the north coast around Puerto Plata. The buses to/from Punta Cana don't run long into the evening (they leave each side at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.), so you'll want to make this an overnight trip. The Zona Colonial has several boutique hotels that are quaint, clean and reasonably priced. You could even arrange to fly out of Santo Domingo's Las Americas airport, rather than Punta Cana." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic's capital, was the New World's first city .\nExplore 16th-century buildings, colonial streets, romantic ruins and Dominican city life .\nCheap, comfortable buses connect to the city from beach areas ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It has been 20 years since best-selling crime writer Patricia Cornwell began work on her first novel in the series chronicling the cases of forensic analyst Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Now, both have found celebrity. Cornwell's latest novel, \"The Scarpetta Factor,\" places her enduring heroine in a role the author knows all too well, a pop culture celebrity sought-after for her expertise. In an interview with CNN.com, Cornwell discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie \"White Chicks.\" CNN: The title of your new book, \"The Scarpetta Factor,\" has many meanings. Can you tell me about some of them? Cornwell: On the one hand, it's a very direct reference to the fact she's the chief forensic analyst for CNN in this book. But while she's doing the on-air spots, they decide they want her to have her own show and that's what they call it, \"The Scarpetta Factor,\" which is a reference to a cliché that's beginning to float around, that there's one element that she can add that will solve the case like she's Sherlock Holmes. This becomes very upsetting to her, first of all, because it's a cliché and the scientist in her doesn't think she has a special factor, she's a scientist. It begins to pose problems for her because even some colleagues and friends start to wonder if she's begun to believe her own legend and make mistakes. With her years of experience and high level of visibility and exceptional grasp of the criminal world, she would be asked to be on major shows. When someone like Michael Jackson dies or Caylee Anthony disappears, that's the obvious thing that would happen. People would say, I wonder what Scarpetta has to say. I'm trying to put her in the world we live in. CNN: Why did you choose CNN? Cornwell: It would make perfect sense that she would sit on the set with Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blizter and be asked relevant questions from a hard news angle. It's one [network] she would go on and there's lots she wouldn't go on. CNN: How have things changed since you published your first novel? Cornwell: When I was shopping my first book around, it was rejected by the major publishing houses and that was because a lot of people didn't think morgues and labs were interesting, and that's a huge statement about how things have changed. I remember one time, I called my literary agent at that time, and I said I was in a toxicology lab, and she said, I hate talking to you because you're always in these awful places. Forensic science was not viewed as cool, as it is today. CNN: Are there any on-air personalities we might recognize in \"The Scarpetta Factor?\" Cornwell: When she is up at CNN for a scene when she's on a fictitious show, she walks past posters of Nancy Grace and Lou Dobbs and Wolf Blitzer because she's up on that floor, so I do make real references to people, but the characters, the producers, none are real and they're not based on anybody I met or know. CNN: How much of yourself do you see in Kay Scarpetta? Over the years, have you grown into her or has she grown into you? Cornwell: Only insofar as we have the same values and sensibilities and perhaps the same approach to solving cases. I'm imposing the way my mind works in terms of connecting the dots, but beyond that, there are huge differences between us. She's a standalone character. I would feel very self-conscious and bored if she was a projection of me. I have certain things in common with all my characters. Like Marino, I can be a slob and sometimes say stupid things and rush to judgment. CNN: You're known for doing a lot of research on the ground to give your stories depth and realism. Where did your research for \"The Scarpetta Factor\" take you? Cornwell: I've certainly been in the CNN studios so that's helpful. When I was there over in the last year, I made a mental note of everything I saw while walking around so I could create the studio in the novel. I also spent lot of time with the NYPD, their bomb squad, their emergency unit, the Real Time Crime Center, so I could describe the amazing way computers are used to transmit data to police responding to a call. I spent time at the NYPD crime lab, the New York Medical Examiner's office, so I can show Scarpetta actually working there. The scene in the elevator in the beginning and the way people ID loved ones is based on what happens. Even the technology of the electronic nose, the mechanical sniffer that takes the place of cadaver dogs, is based on things I've seen. My research also included looking into the methods and means criminals are using, like TracFones, spoofcards and the different ways to disguise IP addresses. CNN: How has the CSI factor affected your research for your books? Cornwell: I think people are so inundated with this sort of detail that I don't want to make the story just about forensics. The people and their relationships are the heart of my books, the forensics are something they wear like an old pair of shoes. I'll always show you the latest and greatest forensic science and technology, but I can't show it all, so it's very important that I make things interesting in different ways. In the early to mid-'90s, up to the late '90s when I was coming out with new books, I was the only show in town and all of the sudden now they're everywhere, and I don't have any problem with that because I don't own forensics or forensic pathology. CNN: In your opinion, what has been the greatest change in forensic science since Scarpetta started out? Cornwell: DNA has changed our lives forever, just like the Internet has changed our lives, there's no going back to pre-DNA or pre-Internet. I would say both of those. The Internet has dramatically changed everything because it's creating a whole new wave of crimes that our laws and the courts don't know how to deal with. DNA analysis and the ultra-sensitivity of it: When you're dealing with some types of DNA, you only need three or four human cells to get a DNA profile, which is something that can't even see with the naked eye, so that helps investigators but it also creates a whole other set of problems. They're saying there will be a point when you can get DNA just from someone walking in the room, and you can see the problems if you have 20 people walk into a room and only one did something bad. Defense lawyers are going to have a field day with that. CNN: What do you want people to take away from this novel? I'd like them to take away an idea of how someone like Scarpetta deals with being in the same world you and I wake up to. Now she has a BlackBerry and she has to deal with it, which poses as many problems as it offers benefits. I want people to feel happy ending the book. We need to feel good right now, there's a lot to feel bad about and that's something I decided with the last book, I didn't want people to be depressed when they finished it. I used to write very dark books but we lived in happier times. Now, the goal is to scare you, lead you into suspense but when you finish, I want you to feel happy. CNN: What current cases in the news fascinate you? How much attention do you pay to crime and justice news? Cornwell: I'm fascinated by the Michael Jackson situation and the people who disappear and get abducted, all of it fascinates me in terms of the psychology involved and what science might tell us. I'm always frustrated because I love to know what's behind the scenes. I've been following Michael Jackson because it seems so unnecessary, an example of people who should've said no and not taken it upon themselves to solve a problem. I've also been interested in the case in Italy with the American on trial for murder. That is intriguing from a forensic standpoint because I think all of us would like to know more about the evidence and what's there to piece together that could tell us what happened. I'm afraid that because of how much time has passed and how the case was handled that a lot of the answers are gone and the kind of evidence that was collected could have been handled differently, . CNN: What do you like to watch? Cornwell: I don't watch crime dramas. I don't want to subconsciously get ideas from their shows. I try to keep my mind blank, and keep the influence of my own research, so I don't tend to watch crime dramas or crime movies. I rarely read crime novels because my work is so steeped in nonfiction, so I try to keep my mind free of those ideas. What I watch is the nonfiction, documentary type things, shows that depict real crimes that happened. I like the History Channel and I will watch reruns of \"The Sopranos\" until I'm 90 years old. I like comedy, stuff that's mindless. I don't watch stuff that scares me or makes me sad. There's enough of that in real life. CNN: What's the last movie you saw? Cornwell: The last movie I saw was a rerun of \"White Chicks.\" How's that to people who think I have this very esoteric repertoire? I think it's a hilarious movie. ... Will Ferrell, I love his stuff, Ben Stiller, I really enjoy comedy, especially stuff that's kind of warmhearted in its own way. I don't like stuff that's really scary. I've seen so much stuff that's real. Blood is always real to me. If they ever make a real movie of Scarpetta, I may not be able to watch it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Author Patricia Cornwell talks about Kay Scarpetta, fame and forensics .\nIn latest book, Scarpetta is CNN's chief forensic analyst .\nCornwell says she works hard to keep up with scientific advances .\nShe says she doesn't watch crime shows or scary movies ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- On the last episode of reality ... \"Guiding Light,\" a mainstay of CBS' daytime schedule for decades, airs its final episode Friday. Jon left Kate and his eight children and took up with the party girl Hailey. Audrina got a restraining order against an alleged stalker. NeNe got into an argument with Kim during a photo shoot. And Rachel was attacked -- yet again -- by one of the city tabloids. With plot points like this, who needs soap operas? Certainly not most of America. In the past decade, the audience for soap operas has dwindled, as has the number of what broadcasters call \"daytime dramas.\" Younger viewers, in particular, have gravitated toward reality shows, which feature the melodrama and outsized characters of soaps; it's perhaps no coincidence that the co-creator of MTV's \"The Real World\" and several other reality shows, Mary-Ellis Bunim, started as a soap writer and producer. The latest soap victim, CBS' \"Guiding Light\" -- a show that began on NBC Radio in 1937 -- went out Friday after 72 years on the air. Watch how \"Guiding Light\" became an institution » . On the final episode, long-entwined characters Reva Shayne and Josh Lewis decided to \"go on an adventure\" together, in Lewis' words. Other characters also received their moments. Fans have lamented the passing of the show, which has followed the Springfield clans of the Bauers, Spauldings, Coopers and Lewises for decades. \"I've been watching 'Guiding Light' for the past 20 years,\" says Ashley Dos Santos, an account executive and pop culture expert with the Washington-based public relations firm Crosby-Volmer. \"I think it's really, really sad.\" Gallery: Stars who started on soaps » . But, as a (well) realist, she adds, \"not surprising.\" She knows the trends, and the trend for soap operas is going in the wrong direction. Read a short history of soap operas . \"It's very difficult to see how it could have survived,\" she says, noting that even she's ceased to follow \"GL\" in the past few years. With the multichannel universe, particularly the alternatives of talk shows, judge shows and reality shows, \"I feel that a lot people, if they have to make a choice, they'd rather see 'Ellen.' \" Michael Sands, a Southern California-based media consultant, is blunter. \"Soaps are passe ... old-fashioned,\" he says. \"They're boring and stale. The public thrives on real-life drama. I'm surprised soaps lasted this long.\" Not so long ago, such a dismissal would have been unfathomable. In the three-network arrangement that dominated for decades, soaps ruled daytime -- there were 19 in 1969-70 -- and even spawned prime-time variations, such as \"Peyton Place\" and \"Dallas.\" \"The 1960s and '70s were an unmatched era for soaps, with women at home and just three or four [network] choices,\" says Sam Ford, an analyst with the communications firm Peppercom. He has a book on the genre due out next year. Soaps developed a formula: slow-moving, multiple plotlines; multigenerational casts, gathered in seaside towns or local hospitals. Some even broke ground, airing taboo subjects -- abortions, homosexuality, marital rape -- before prime-time shows. But events have conspired to kill off daytime dramas. With more women in the workplace, there are fewer at home to watch the soaps. The genre was slow to adjust to new technologies; even now, with the SoapNet cable channel and Internet streaming, effective promotion is lacking, says Dos Santos, who observes that soaps fly under the radar compared to reality shows. \"The networks aren't trying hard enough to make [soaps] relevant,\" she says. There's also the loss of family watching, a handoff from mother to daughter to granddaughter, that used to assure a continuity of viewers. Dos Santos watched with her mother; Ford's mother and grandmother were fans. But the fall-off in soaps tends to boil down to two limited resources: time and money. \"We don't have the time to invest in soaps as they exist now,\" says Mimi Torchin, a TV columnist and the founding editor of Soap Opera Weekly. \"Even with alternatives to TV viewing ... it's still five hours a week. In the old days, you could miss two or three days and it was easy to catch up. They don't do that anymore.\" Moreover, a soap opera is a big investment, like any scripted show. Bob Boden, now the vice president of programming for the Fox Reality Channel, was at CBS' daytime division in the '80s and '90s. \"The decline of the soap opera as is much a factor of the business model as it is of the creative,\" he says. \"It was designed to be 52 weeks a year of original product, no repeats. In today's business model for network television, that's not an efficient model anymore.\" To begin a soap, a producer has to put together performers, a writing staff, a bible of characters and plots -- and has to plan things out for months or years, as opposed to a handful of weeks. \"That's not really the mentality of network programming anymore,\" Boden says. \"I think a lot of it is about quick fixes, and about maintaining an ever-shrinking audience, and giving them something unique, and attracting a younger demo[graphic].\" Increasingly, the \"quick fix\" -- particularly for cable channels looking to hook viewers -- comes in the form of reality programming. There are a number of similarities in the forms: melodrama, over-the-top characters, extreme situations. But reality shows can have a limited run -- soaps are open-ended by design -- and offer a voyeuristic thrill soaps can't provide, creating new celebrities in the process, something the news media has seized upon eagerly. \"People like to emulate people on TV,\" says Sands, who has advised some reality stars. And, he adds, \"people get to feel superior\" to misbehaving reality show stars. Torchin, however, can't stand reality shows. \"They're voyeurism of the lowest order,\" she says. Soaps, she believes, offer some of the art that writing and acting can provide: \"They have adventure and heart,\" she says, singling out \"GL's\" \"compelling characters.\" \"They're more real than what reality shows can do.\" She's aware that soaps have been criticized for far-out plot devices, such as evil twins, long-lost children and bizarre coincidences. On \"Guiding Light,\" a character drove her car off a bridge; a few years later, she turned up alive, little worse for the wear. \"Some of those outlandish things hurt the genre,\" she says, noting that bringing back characters was a way to placate upset audience members, who were known to fire off angry letters to networks and sponsors. \"I always felt that convention [of restoring \"dead\" characters] always hurt soaps, because you were never invested in an event that should have been of great poignancy.\" Soaps aren't dead, of course. Even with \"GL's\" demise, there are still seven soaps on the air, each with passionate fans. Also, the elements of the genre are plainly visible in prime-time dramas such as \"Grey's Anatomy\" and \"Desperate Housewives.\" \"Everything is a soap now,\" says Torchin. \"The secret of a show that works is that you're involved with the characters, you're in their lives. Everything else is just diversion.\" Dos Santos believes that shrewder marketing -- helped by new media -- can help the genre make a comeback. And, indeed, Torchin observes that a \"GL\" star, Crystal Chappell, is launching a Web soap, \"Venice,\" in November. The Internet program is an outgrowth of the popularity of a \"GL\" storyline featuring Chappell's character in a lesbian relationship -- a relationship that many fans felt was handled poorly by the broadcasters. Watch Chappell go over her plans » . \"I think the ratings will be better than cable,\" says Torchin. Is she correct? Will soaps live to rise again? Will reality shows conquer daytime and nighttime? Tune in tomorrow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Guiding Light\" goes off the air Friday after 72 years on radio and TV .\nSoaps in general are declining; other genres, such as reality shows, have taken over .\nSome observers hopeful soaps will cross to the Web and have success ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Back in his native South Korea, the Korean Foreign Ministry nicknamed him \"Ban-chusa,\" meaning \"the Bureaucrat\" or \"the administrative clerk.\" U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has focused on global warming policy by world governments. While Ban Ki-moon was known for his attention to detail and administrative skill, he was also seen by some as lacking in charisma and subservient to his superiors, while the Korean press called him \"the slippery eel\" for his ability to dodge questions. But on October 13, 2006, South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was elected to be the eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly. Following up on a campaign aiming to bring out his charismatic side, Ban surprised the audience of a UN Correspondents' dinner that December by singing \"Ban Ki-moon is coming to town\" on the melody of \"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.\" Ban was born on 13 June 1944. He received a bachelor's degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970, and a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985. He and his wife, Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, whom he met in high school in 1962, have one son and two daughters. In addition to Korean, Ban speaks fluent English and is studying French. Ban was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea from January 2004 to November 2006. His tenure included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna, while he was responsible for a variety of portfolios such as Foreign Policy Advisor to the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General of American Affairs. Throughout this service, his guiding vision was that of a peaceful Korean peninsula, playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world. Ban had long been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations. In 1992, as Special Advisor to the Foreign Minister, he served as Vice Chair of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission following the adoption of the historic Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula with the adoption at the Six Party Talks of the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. In January 2007 Ban succeeded Kofi Annan and has since pushed the Sudanese government to allow peacekeeping troops in Darfur and focused on global warming policy by world governments." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ban Ki-moon elected eighth U.N. Secretary-General in October 2006 .\nBan has pushed Sudan on peacekeepers in Darfur and focused on climate change .\nBan was Ban was South Korea's Foreign Minister from Jan. 2004 to Nov. 2006 .\nHe has long been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Melissa Harris-Lacewell is associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book, \"Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought\" and writes a daily blog titled The Kitchen Table. Melissa Harris-Lacewell says Eric Holder's speech fell short of calling for real action against racism. PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) -- On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder marked Black History Month with an address at the Department of Justice. Holder clearly and courageously acknowledged the history of American racism. He forthrightly argued that, \"to get to the heart of this country, one must examine its racial soul.\" Because public officials so rarely discuss race, Holder's was an unusually bold statement. But ultimately, Eric Holder's discussion of race in America was a failure. It failed because Holder spoke more like a grade school principal than like the attorney general of the United States. He framed our nation's continuing racial work as a struggle to feel comfortable, be tolerant, and have \"frank conversations about racial matters.\" I appreciate the sentiment, but I would prefer Holder use the Department of Justice to sue those who illegally discriminate against racial minorities rather than holding encounter sessions in the lunchroom. February's celebration of black history is important because it reminds us that America's bitter racial legacy is not about name calling and hurt feelings; it is about structures of inequality codified in law and supported by government action. Black men and women risked their lives to gain the right to vote, to live where they chose, to educate their children in the best public schools, and to end segregation in transportation and public places. Black political history is the story of a battle against structures. Unfortunately, too many of those structures still exist. As attorney general, Eric Holder is charged, in part, with eliminating those violations of law that still create systematic racial inequality. In Holder's optimistic portrayal of modern America, we are a nation fundamentally altered by Brown v. Board of Education; a country that has \"done a pretty good job melding the races in the workplace;\" and a nation whose biggest racial obstacle is making our weekend socializing as congenial as our workweek happy hours. Maybe Holder doesn't realize that in many cities and towns the public schools are more segregated today than they were 40 years ago. A recent report from the Chicago Urban League found that African-American children in the city are almost exclusively educated in schools that are more than 85 percent black. These vastly predominantly black schools have fewer resources, fewer extracurricular activities and fewer experienced teachers than their white counterparts. Children from these schools are more likely to drop out or end up incarcerated than to enroll in college. Segregation is no longer the law of the land, but America's children continue to be educated in separate and unequal schools. We can't talk our way out of unequal schools. Holder's perspective that black and white workers get along easily in the workplace reflects a shocking disregard for contemporary employment realities. African-Americans continue to suffer from extraordinary employment discrimination at every stage of hiring and promotion and in every sector of the job market. For example, my Princeton University colleague, sociologist Devah Pager, has demonstrated that white men with criminal records are more likely to be considered for a job than black men with no criminal past. I am deeply concerned that the leader of the Department of Justice seems to believe that our workplaces need dialogue, discourse, and understanding rather than fair hiring practices, equal pay, and transparent promotion procedures. We can't talk our way out of employers who refuse to interview a job candidate if the name on the résumé \"sounds black.\" Holder discussed weekend segregation as if it is just a matter of personal recreational choice: White folks go off to NASCAR and black people prefer to watch basketball. But the reason Americans do not share racial vocabulary or opportunities for interracial dialogue is because of deeply entrenched racial residential segregation. We don't spend our weekends together because we don't live in the same neighborhoods. Housing segregation is not just a matter of personal choice. Some real estate agents steer black families away from predominantly white neighborhoods. Some property owners refuse to rent to black families. Both of these acts are illegal. In fact, the National Fair Housing Alliance documents hundred of thousands of acts of housing discrimination each year and has repeatedly criticized the Department of Justice for failing to adequately pursue and prosecute the vast majority of these cases. We can't talk our way out of residential segregation. As a teacher, I am deeply committed to interracial dialogue. I try to use my classroom as a site of conversation, deliberation, and debate about race. I do this because, as a teacher, dialogue is the most powerful weapon I have in the fight to build a better America. Eric Holder has something more. He has the law. I don't want my attorney general to scold me about having conversations; I want him to tell me the lawsuits he plans to file against those who continue to practice educational, employment, and housing discrimination. I appreciate Attorney General Holder for taking up a conversation on race, but it is not enough. The time for talking may come, but today is a day for action. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Melissa Harris-Lacewell." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Melissa Harris-Lacewell: Eric Holder's speech was ultimately a failure .\nShe says it was courageous for the attorney general to talk about race .\nRather than seek racial dialogue, she says, Holder should have called for action .\nHarris-Lacewell: Discrimination is rampant and needs to be addressed ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic intends to skip the start of his war crimes trial because he says he has had too little time to prepare, a spokeswoman for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said Thursday. Radovan Karadzic wrote to the court to say he would not attend the trial. The trial is still expected to begin on Monday despite Karadzic's intended absence, which he announced in a letter to the court, the spokeswoman said. \"The tribunal judges control court proceedings. They are the only relevant body that can make a decision about the readiness of the case for trial,\" she said. Karadzic, who is defending himself, faces genocide charges and nine other counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Bosnian Muslims, Bosnian Croats and other non-Serbian civilians during the brutal and bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The conflict introduced the phrase \"ethnic cleansing\" into the lexicon describing war crimes, as different factions in multi-ethnic Yugoslavia sought to kill or drive out other groups. Karadzic was arrested last year after more than a decade on the run and was found to have been living in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and practicing alternative medicine in disguise. In a letter dated Wednesday and made public Thursday, Karadzic complains that he has not been given the relevant case material on time -- and he says the volume of material would have been too much to go through even if he had received it promptly. \"I ask Your Excellencies -- why and how is it possible that the prosecution is allowed to literally bury me under a million of pages, only to start disclosing relevant material many months after my arrest?\" he writes. \"Why and how is it possible that the prosecution is allowed to file its final indictment against me on the eve of the planned trial date?\" Karadzic says he should not be penalized for representing himself. \"No lawyer in this world could prepare defense within this period of time,\" he writes. \"I hereby inform you that my defense is not ready for my trial that is supposed to begin as scheduled, on the 26th of October, and that therefore I shall not appear before you on that date.\" He promised to continue his preparations in \"the most intensive way\" and inform the court when he is ready. The genocide charges against him stem partly from the most notorious massacre of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, once a part of Yugoslavia. More than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed at Srebrenica when ethnic Serb troops overran a U.N. \"safe area\" in July 1995. It was the worst European massacre since World War II. Prosecutors at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague accuse Karadzic of responsibility. \"On 8 March 1995, Karadzic instructed Bosnian Serb forces under his command to create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival for the inhabitants of Srebrenica, amongst other places,\" the tribunal said in a statement this month. The Hague indictment also says Karadzic committed genocide when forces under his command killed non-Serbs during and after attacks in more than a dozen Bosnian municipalities in the early stages of the war. Karadzic, who faces life in prison if he is convicted, denies the charges. The court cannot impose the death penalty. When he was arrested in July 2008, Karadzic had grown a large white beard and let his famous steel-gray hair grow long and turn white. He had spent more than 13 years in hiding, during which he practiced alternative medicine at a Belgrade clinic. Karadzic's arrest leaves his former military commander, Ratko Mladic, as the highest-ranking fugitive still being sought by the war crimes tribunal. Prosecutor Alan Tieger told the court in July that the case against Karadzic would take approximately 490 hours. That means prosecutors are likely to need more than a year to lay out their evidence, a court spokeswoman said. The 1992-95 Bosnian war was the longest of the wars spawned by the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Backed by the government of then-Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, Bosnian Serb forces seized control of more than half the country and launched a campaign against the Muslim and Croat populations. Karadzic was removed from power in 1995, when the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war barred anyone accused of war crimes from holding office. Milosevic died in 2006 while on trial at The Hague." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Karadzic says he is skipping the start of his war crimes and genocide trial .\nFormer Bosnian Serb leader accused over atrocities during Balkans conflict .\nThousands died during the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1990s ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Mexican and Colombian officials working with U.S. agents have seized about $41 million in cash hidden in shipping containers, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced Monday. Colombian authorities seized $11.2 million in U.S. currency in Buenaventura, Colombia, on September 9. The U.S. agency, commonly called ICE, says the seizures were made September 9-18. It called them the largest seizure of cash ever found in shipping containers destined for Colombia and the largest for the agency since its inception. According to ICE: . • On September 9, Colombian customs inspectors and Colombian national police, acting on intelligence reports, seized $11.2 million in U.S. currency hidden in two shipping containers. The containers were aboard a vessel that sailed from the Port of Manzanillo, Mexico, and was headed to Buenaventura, Colombia. Colombian customs inspectors said it was the most cash ever seized by police at a port in the nation. • On September 10, a second seizure of U.S. currency estimated at $11.2 million also was made at the Buenaventura port. • On September 11, a shipment of $11 million was discovered hidden inside two shipping containers at the Port of Manzanillo. • On September 14, ICE special agents, along with Colombian authorities, discovered three additional shipping containers in Buenaventura containing about $5 million in $100 and $50 bills. These shipping containers also originated in Manzanillo. • On September 18, authorities seized $2.15 million in $100 bills concealed inside two containers aboard a vessel that arrived in Manzanillo. \"This seizure represents a bad day for organized crime,\" ICE Director John Morton said at a Monday news conference in Washington. \"Forty-one million dollars is not a rounding error. The loss of that kind of money hurts.\" All of the money was concealed in sacks of fertilizer chemicals in containers transported on commercial ships, Morton said. Watch investigators uncover cash » . \"When it's packed in very large containers, it's extremely difficult to probe; it's extremely difficult to X-ray. And so it was a very good means of concealing currency,\" he said. The ports of Buenaventura and Manzanillo are key points along a well-known route used for smuggling cocaine northward to Mexico and then on to the United States, and for sending cash back into Colombia, where most of the cocaine originates, ICE said in a news release. Morton called the smugglers \"very, very sophisticated,\" saying they were using the lawful shipping trade to send drug profits from the U.S. through Mexico to Colombia. Morton said the money will be forfeited in accordance with the laws of the nations where it was seized, with Colombia keeping $28 million and Mexico getting $13 million. \"None of these monies will be forfeited to the United States,\" he said. While large, this month's cash seizure is not a record. In March of 2007, officials in Mexico officials confiscated $207 million in cash in what was then called the largest drug-related cash seizure in history. ICE is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, investigating financial crime, trade fraud, narcotics smuggling and cash smuggling, the agency said. ICE was established in 2003 after the Homeland Security Act of 2002. CNN's Mike M. Ahlers and Elaine Quijano contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Joint operation nets about $41 million in cash hidden in shipping containers .\nMexican, Colombian authorities working with U.S. agents seize money in 2 ports .\nU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement calls ports key points in drug trade route ." } ]
[ { "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) -- As the man in the Dodgers jersey walked quickly around the perimeter of the infield, fans poured down from the bleachers begging for autographs. Pitbull says he learns from setbacks: \"Usually the negatives turned out to be the most positive for me.\" No, it wasn't home run king Manny Ramirez. It was Armando Christian Perez, the Cuban-American rapper better known as Pitbull. In five years, he's gone from a mouthy Miami street hustler to a chart-topping hip-hop star whose infectious Caribbean beats have enticed crossover audiences to swing their hips and sing along -- even taking on some of the words in Spanish. His fourth studio album, \"Rebelution,\" debuted in the Top 10 on the mainstream Billboard chart. But Pitbull's growing profile means nada as he takes the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game. \"I'm the only Cuban who never picked up a baseball in his life,\" he said, preparing. He awkwardly winds up and releases the pitch. It falls short, bouncing on the ground before reaching the plate. \"One more try!\" he signals. The second attempt is closer to the mark. It's symbolic of Pit's career. \"It's not how you start. It's how you finish it,\" he likes to say. Watch how Pitbull leads his \"Rebelution\" » . Tommy Lasorda, the legendary Dodgers manager, is waiting to bust his chops as he leaves the infield. Later, we get the scoop on the conversation. (By the way, the Dodgers won that game.) CNN: Tommy Lasorda was out there giving you a little bit of grief. Pitbull: Tommy Lasorda told me, \"It was the worst throw I've ever seen in my life!\" I said, \"Well, I'll throw you in the studio. You rap, I'll play baseball.\" He goes, \"I'll rap a whole lot better than that throw!\" (Laughs) CNN: How much do you deflect things with humor? Pitbull: [Humor is] everything. Everything. Usually the negatives turned out to be the most positive for me. In the music industry, any other artist would have looked at the situation I was in and thought, \"Oh man, this is not for me.\" I looked at it more like [Darwin exploring] the Galápagos Islands. You know -- survival of the fittest. CNN: Were you a troublemaker growing up? Pitbull: Not a troublemaker. I'm sharp. Slick, if you want to call it. What the street taught me how to do is how to hustle. How to make something out of nothing. CNN: In the music industry, street cred may help an artist. Pitbull: Anybody who's made it out of the street -- they want to do this (places index finger over his lips). Shh. CNN: Even though some of the struggles are similar, there doesn't seem to be a lot of crossover between African-American hip-hop artists and Latin-American hip-hop artists. Pitbull: You can't get a Diddy or Jay-Z to speak to the Latins. It's not gonna happen. There's a force field where they said, \"OK, we're going to let you here -- but that's it.\" Diddy got the closest. Why? Because he had J. Lo. The only reason my grandmother knows Puff Daddy is because of J. Lo. But he couldn't cross that barrier. So as far as myself -- I guess I'm their role model. CNN: How much do you want to cross over? Pitbull: I have respect for Jay-Z and Diddy for what they did in the hip-hop game. But I want to be Celia Cruz. I want to be Gloria Estefan [both were born in Cuba]. I want to enterprise -- open clubs and restaurants. They've done it also -- but those are who I look up to. CNN: Your parents were both born in Cuba. Pitbull: They didn't want to leave Cuba! They would have stayed in Cuba. They didn't want to get out of there. There were forced out of that country. CNN: How did they come to Miami? Pitbull: My grandmother fought in the [Cuban] revolutionary war actually with Castro, because everybody thought that Batista was corrupt. I'm not saying that he wasn't, but it's almost like the lesser of two evils. [When she became disillusioned with the Castro government], my mother and my aunt got sent off in an operation called Peter Pan without their parents. She didn't see her mother for seven years. As far as my father -- he came over also. He didn't come in the Peter Pan, but they fled the country. CNN: Would you ever go to Cuba and play a concert there? Pitbull: No way. I'd never go to Cuba and play a concert. [I'd consider playing there] as soon as I know that it's confirmed that Castro's out of there. I mean, if you ask me, I think Castro's been dead for years. He handed power to Raúl, and he slips pictures here and there. He keeps giving these pictures to the media with the same shirt on -- same jacket, same everything. CNN: How do you feel about other artists of your generation who feel compelled to go and perform in Cuba as kind of an olive branch? Pitbull: Juanes just did it. Papa, you can't change Cuba. History will tell you that you can't change Cuba. I respect him as an artist -- he's like U2, the Bono of Spanish. I don't respect his decision. Maybe he doesn't really understand it at the end of the day because he's not Cuban. [Juanes is Colombian.] . But to each his own. There's too much suffering, too much pain from people who left that island, that have come over here and tried to change their life. CNN: Even though you were born in America, how much are you influenced by your Cuban roots? Pitbull: My mother, she's like, \"Look, you're American, son. You were born here in the States.\" My father? My father said, \"You're Cuban-American.\" My mother would call me Chris, because my middle name's Christian. My father would say, \"No, your name's Armando.\" But in my blood, what it tells me is, \"You're Cuban-American.\" The music is what makes you, the food is what makes you, the way you've been taught mentally." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pitbull has had some crossover success; his new album debuted in Top 10 .\nHip-hop artist has Cuban heritage, has balanced that with American upbringing .\nHe says he's not fazed by failure: negatives can lead to positives, he says ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Public Utility Commission of Texas will review the case of a cancer patient fighting to keep her electricity on to power her oxygen machine, the commission told CNN on Wednesday. Mable Randon, who has stage 4 cancer, was denied help paying for electricity, which she needs to power her oxygen tank. CNN affiliate KHOU of Houston, Texas, said calls poured in from as far away as Connecticut after the station aired its story on Mable Randon, a stage 4 cancer patient who received a cutoff notice after she fell behind on her bills. \"I'm on a set income,\" she told KHOU. \"My husband lost his job. He finds a little work every now and then, but it's hard.\" She applied to CenterPoint Energy's Critical Care Program which helps maintain service for people who depend on electric-powered life support systems, but she was rejected. \"I'm fighting for my life, and I thought people at the power company would help me,\" said Randon, who uses a wheelchair. \"I just thought they'd make some kind of exception for me.\" Randon's power will stay on until the commission examines the facts in the case, said Terry Hadley, spokesman for the commission. CenterPoint told Randon she failed to meet the criteria. Spokeswoman Alicia Dixon told KHOU that Randon could have bought a battery-powered oxygen machine. The critical care program has thousands of applicants, and only 300 of them have been accepted, she said. \"This program is a communication program, not a guarantee of uninterrupted power, even to customers who are on the list,\" she said. Since the rejection, Randon said she is \"up and down all night,\" partly because she is worried about whether the power will be on when she wakes up. \"They have no consideration for life,\" she said. \"It's just like they don't care.\" CenterPoint spokeswoman Leticia Lowe said the company does not send electric bills; it merely owns the wires and poles and is directed to disconnect power by retail electric providers. Randon's electric company is Freedom Power, she said. CNN's attempts to contact Freedom Power were unsuccessful Wednesday. As of Tuesday, CenterPoint had not received a notice from Freedom Power to disconnect Randon's service, Lowe said. Following the KHOU report, CenterPoint received calls from viewers, she said. But the company can do nothing since they don't bill Randon. CNN's Divina Mims contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mable Randon, a stage 4 cancer patient, got a cutoff notice after falling behind on bill .\nShe applied for critical care program, was told to buy battery-operated oxygen tank .\n\"I'm fighting for my life, and I thought people at the power company would help me\"\nPublic Utility Commission of Texas reviewing Randon's case ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The rules governing air traffic over New York's Hudson River need to be rewritten to prevent another mishap like this month's fatal collision of a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter, federal safety investigators said Thursday. The wreckage of a plane that collided with a helicopter is lifted this month from the Hudson River. The recommendation comes three weeks after nine people were killed when the two aircraft collided in the congested airspace bordering Manhattan. The recommendation is noteworthy both because of its sweeping nature and its timing. Ordinarily, the National Transportation Safety Board makes recommendations at the conclusion of its investigation, which typically take a year. But in a letter to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said that based on preliminary findings, the safety board is concerned about the \"safety of flight\" over the Hudson River. She outlined a series of changes, among them requiring that helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft fly at different altitudes over the river. She made specific reference to \"the performance of air traffic controllers\" at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, who were monitoring the plane's flight during the August 8 collision. \"The NTSB is concerned with the complacency and inattention to duty evidenced by the actions of the [Teterboro] controller and the supervisor during the events surrounding this accident,\" Hersman wrote. Hersman said the pilot of the aircraft requested permission to climb to 3,500 feet minutes before the crash. But because there was no coordination between controllers at Teterboro and Newark airports, controllers did not grant the request, increasing the risk of a collision in Hudson River low-altitude airspace known as the \"exclusionary zone,\" she said. Pilots in the exclusionary zone are not separated by air traffic controllers, and instead use visual \"see and avoid\" tactics. The Teterboro controller was making a personal phone call and \"was not fully engaged in his duties\" in the minutes leading up to the accident, Hersman said. His supervisor, meanwhile, had left the building on a personal errand without informing the controller. The air traffic controller's inappropriate phone call \"likely would not have been permitted\" if the supervisor had been in the tower, Hersman said. The FAA on Thursday did not comment on the NTSB recommendation, but said a task force studying flight operations above the Hudson River will soon submit its findings. And the air traffic controllers union defended its member, saying he had handed off the plane's pilot to another radar tower before the helicopter appeared on his radar scope. \"The NTSB again has rushed to wrongly blame the air traffic controller in this incident,\" said Patrick Forrey, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. \"The bottom line here is that the controller is not responsible for contributing to this tragic accident. ... We cannot provide traffic advisories to aircraft we are not talking to, cannot see on radar or are not a factor at all.\" Forrey said the NTSB \"inexplicably\" made its recommendations before the FAA task force had finished its job. \"The task force is due to release its report next week. So why the rush?\" Forrey said. In its letter, the NTSB asks the FAA to establish a special flight rules area, or SFRA, for the class B exclusion areas near New York City; require vertical separation between helicopters and airplanes in these SFRAs; require pilots to complete specific training on the SFRA requirements before flight within the area; and conduct a review of other airspace configurations where specific pilot training and familiarization would improve safety." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NTSB advises rule changes over Hudson River after August 8 crash .\nNine people were killed when helicopter, small plane collided .\nOne proposal: Make helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft fly at different altitudes over river .\nNTSB makes recommendation before end of crash probe -- a rare move ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Going to the beach has become a lot like looking for hotel accommodations: If it has a one-star ranking, you know you're in for nothing but trouble. A new report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council ranked the water quality of 200 U.S. coastal beaches using a five-star guide, and the results are far from a day at the beach. Laguna Beach in Orange County, California, is one of the NRDC's five-star beaches for water quality. \"Nationwide, 7 percent of beach water samples are so contaminated with human or animal waste that they're not conducive for swimming,\" said Nancy Stoner, co-director of the NRDC's water program and lead author for the report. \"For the fourth year in a row, NRDC found that there were more than 20,000 beach closings last year because of human or animal waste in the water.\" Pollutants found in beach water are frequently the result of storm water or sewage overflow, and it's not something to take lightly, especially if small children, pregnant women or the elderly are spending time in the surf. Swimming in polluted water can lead to ear infections and stomach viruses, as well as more serious diseases like meningitis and hepatitis, Stoner said. The Environmental Protection Agency sets a standard for beach water quality, and when water quality tests reveal that pollution has exceeded that standard, the beach is closed. \"The problem,\" Stoner said, \"is that it does take 24 hours or longer to produce test results,\" meaning if the beach was contaminated on Thursday, you won't know about it until Friday. And once those results are produced, there's no guarantee that the cause is identifiable. While storm water and sewage are often the culprit for closures, for 62 percent of the 20,000 beach closures that occurred last year, the cause of the pollution was unknown. But with precious few weeks of beach season left, now is not the time to avoid sand and surf like the plague. Thankfully, not all beaches are polluted equally -- the NRDC hands out five stars to beaches that meet health standards more than 95 per cent of the time and quickly notify beach goers with signs and Internet alerts when there's a potential problem. Standout states include Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia, which boast having pristine, nearly pollution-free shores. Virginians however should take note: Fairview Beach in King George County is certainly not one of those. According to Stoner, this beach is considered to be one of the worst offenders, particularly because it consistently fails more than 25 percent of its water quality tests. Hands down, one of the best beaches is Ocean City, Maryland, which does well year after year because of its clean water and strict water quality monitoring, two factors that earned the popular East Coast beach five stars. In nearby Delaware, Dewey and Bethany beaches also earned a stamp of approval from the NRDC. Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are two of California's five-star beaches, but stay away from Doheny Beach and Avalon Beach, which both failed more than 25 percent of their water quality tests in 2008. If you're in the Great Lakes region and looking for quality beach time, strongly consider booking a trip to one of the coasts. \"From 2005 to 2008, the Great Lakes consistently tested the dirtiest. In 2008, 13 percent of beach water samples violated public health standards,\" Stoner said. But no matter which beach you frequent, five-star or not, you should always take precautions by avoiding beaches with obvious sources of pollution, like nearby open pipes and trash. Wait at least 24 hours after a heavy rain before hitting the waves again, allowing potential pollutants to dissipate. To see how your closest beach stacks up, visit http://www.nrdc.org/." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New study ranked 200 U.S. beaches according to water quality tests .\nDelaware, New Hampshire and Virginia have the cleanest beach water .\nOcean City, Maryland, consistently ranks as one of the best for water quality .\nFairview Beach in Virginia consistently ranks as one of the worst ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "DUBLIN, Ireland (CNN) -- Irish voters are going to the polls again Friday -- to vote on a treaty they rejected just over a year ago. Prime Minister Brian Cowen gets out the 'vote yes' message in Tullamore. But this time round, opinion polls indicate the \"yes\" campaign to adopt the Lisbon Treaty and its rules for governing an expanded European Union will be successful. The EU has made assurances to Ireland that the Lisbon Treaty will not affect the country's abortion laws or its neutrality and that Ireland will keep a European Commissioner. In the weeks leading up to the vote, Dublin was awash with posters for both sides of the emotional argument. \"Yes\" posters reminded voters how much Ireland has benefited financially from being inside the European Union. \"No\" placards questioned whether Ireland will lose its military neutrality, its anti-abortion laws and its minimum wage despite the EU assurances. Just more than half -- 53 percent -- of Irish voters said \"No\" to the Lisbon Treaty in June 2008, throwing the future structure of the European Union into doubt as all member states have to ratify the treaty before it can be adopted. Lisbon is the plan to modernize the EU's structure after it expanded to 27 members, with most of the new member states coming from Eastern Europe. Ireland has just one percent of the EU's population but its \"no\" vote effectively stopped adoption of the Lisbon Treaty across the continent. So, the Dublin government is holding another referendum Friday in the hope of this time getting a \"yes\" vote. No other EU citizens have been allowed to vote on the treaty as national parliaments have ratified the treaty. And to date only Poland and the Czech Republic governments have held up the final passage of the treaty in their own countries. But Ireland's constitution mandates citizens must be allowed to vote on any major changes to its own governmental structure. A handful of Dublin taxi drivers told CNN they would vote no because they see no reason to give to Brussels the powers that Ireland fought hard to wrestle away from Britain. \"No\" campaigner Brendan Young, from a group called People Before Profit, put it bluntly: \"People having had experience of benign British presence don't want to be going fighting Britain's wars, or anybody else's.\" But the \"no\" campaign is a rag bag of groups that have little in common. Young says he is pro-Europe but does not want Irish tax money to pay for Europe's military structure. To illustrate the diverging political viewpoints in the \"no\" campaign, Young was not happy that the United Kingdom Independence Party was in Dublin and on his side. UKIP is an anti-European Union, British party and it finds itself on the same side as Sinn Fein, the anti-British, nationalist party. Conservative anti-abortion catholic groups also press the \"no\" case. \"When I see the UK Independence Party join up with Sinn Fein and religious extremists, I must be on the right side,\" laughed Michael Wall, a \"yes\" campaigner. He said he volunteered to hand out leaflets because he says last year the pro-Lisbon Treaty lobby took a \"yes\" for granted. He says by talking about what is actually in the treaty -- a document most people last time round admitted they had not read -- he has changed minds. \"I have met a lot of people on the campaign who voted no the last time. Voted no out of anger, voted no because of the arrogance of politicians who put their faces on the posters when the issue wasn't about, say, local elections,\" Wall said. \"A lot of people have changed their mind and I think they should be given that opportunity\" by getting to vote a second time. But Ireland is going through one of the worst recessions of any developed nation since the 1930s. There are no green shoots on the emerald island. Property prices have collapsed, unemployment doubled in a year and for the first time in nearly 20 years, emigration is back. The government is very unpopular and the business community worries this will influence voting. \"The biggest concern is that it will be a \"no\" on the basis of people's anger about domestic policy issues rather than the treaty itself,\" says Patricia Callan, of the Small Firms Association. Business is at the fore of the \"yes\" vote this time around. At the U.S. tech giant Intel, Jim O'Hara, its General Manager of Ireland, said he had to persuade his boss this vote was critical. \"I had to go and convince the Intel Corporation,\" he said. \"And quite frankly Paul Otellini, when I spoke to him, the CEO, wasn't that particularly interested in the issues. I convinced him that it was good for Ireland and good for our business in Ireland.\" Results are not expected until Saturday." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ireland votes on treaty covering expansion of European Union .\nVoters rejected treaty in 2008 but have new EU assurances this time .\nA 'no' vote would delay, and possibly kill, implementation of the treaty EU-wide .\nOpinion polls indicate the 'yes' campaign will succeed this time ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- When Max Records auditioned for the \"Where the Wild Things Are\" (out Friday) role of Max, the precocious boy in a dirty white wolf suit who sails to an island full of fearsome horned monsters and becomes their even more fearsome king, he arrived with one advantage -- and it wasn't his first name. Max Records plays Max in the film adaptation of the children's book \"Where the Wild Things Are.\" \"I had memorized all the lines,\" the now-12-year-old acting novice from Portland, Oregon, told EW earlier this year. \"I was totally obsessed with the book, like from the age of half a year old to, like, 4. So I was really familiar with it.\" (Ah, the perspective of youth.) Of course, Maurice Sendak's 1963 kid-lit masterpiece is a picture book containing just 10 sentences. But Records clearly has a deep feel for the material. \"It's not moralistic or patronizing. It's not 'Johnny did something bad and had to apologize.' It's about being a kid. It's just real.\" Spike Jonze, the auteur behind \"Adaptation\" and \"Being John Malkovich,\" told EW he initially balked when offered the project more than a decade ago -- by no less than Sendak himself. \"I felt it was just so perfect in the form in which it already existed,\" said Jonze. \"I didn't know what more you'd add to flesh it into a movie, or even why you would want to add to it.\" He's reluctant to share too many details, but says his live-action adaptation elaborates on the world of the wild things as well as Max's relationship with his mom (Catherine Keener) and her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo). Jonze began shooting in 2006, but by 2008 the movie was not yet finished and there were reports that Warner Bros. wanted the whole thing reshot. Not true, says Jonze and producer Vincent Landay, though both admit the production was a long, challenging process -- from finding a naturalistic way to depict the fantasy world (\"I wanted everything to feel like it had really happened, not fabricated with CGI,\" says Jonze) to filming in the remote wilderness of Australia to getting emotionally resonant performances from Records, the puppet monsters, and the voice cast (including James Gandolfini and Forest Whitaker). Laughs Jonze, \"We made it really, really hard on ourselves.\" Here are more EW Picks for the week of October 11: . Movies . \"The Stepfather\" (out Friday). The original 1987 \"Stepfather\" -- about a seemingly kind man who marries a vulnerable widow and then reveals himself to be a murderous psychopath -- spawned two sequels, launched the career of future \"Lost\" star Terry O'Quinn, and then pretty much disappeared. Now, like a horror-movie baddie you were sure was dead, \"The Stepfather\" is back for more. This remake stars \"Gossip Girl's\" Penn Badgley as a teen who returns from military school to find that a suspicious new guy (Dylan Walsh) has moved in with his divorced mom (Sela Ward). \"Dylan looks so accessible and sincere and warm,\" says Ward. \"I guess Ted Bundy did too.\" Okay, now we're creeped out. \"Law Abiding Citizen\" (out Friday). Gerard Butler goes from family man to the meanest vigilante since Charles Bronson matching with Jamie Foxx in this action-thriller from director F. Gary Gray (\"The Italian Job\"). TV . \"Hell's Kitchen\" season finale (8 p.m., Tuesday, Fox). What \"Hell's Kitchen\" lacks in substance, it makes up for in style, and its slickly edited season finale is a sizzling nail-biter. Kitchen newbies will have no trouble following along as the three remaining chefs -- egotistical Kevin, coolheaded Ariel, and \"one-armed bandit\" Dave -- battle for Gordon Ramsay's foulmouthed approval. \"The Newlywed Game\" (6 p.m., Tuesday, GSN). George Takei and Brad Altman compete tonight, marking the first time a gay couple has ever been on the game show. \"30 Rock\" (9:30 p.m., Thursday, NBC). \"30 Rock\" is back? We want to go to there. NBC execs and Jay Leno, however, might not be so eager to visit, as Tina Fey kicks off season 4 with a barbed broadside against network programmers: When Jack (Alec Baldwin) forces Liz (Fey) to add a mainstream-friendly cast member to broaden her show's audience, Tracy Morgan's Tracy sweats his appeal to the common man, while Jenna (Jane Krakowski) gives herself a heartland-pandering country makeover. The satire on play-it-safe execs is wickedly droll. Also make sure to stay till the end to see Fey and Baldwin give a bitchy, meta \"welcome\" to their lead-out, Leno, whom Fey already jabbed at the Emmys by thanking NBC for keeping \"30 Rock\" on even though it's \"more expensive than a talk show.\" Music . \"Christmas In the Heart,\" Bob Dylan (out Tuesday). What's that blowin' in the winter wind? Sounds like holiday cheer. Profits go to the hunger-relief charity Feeding America. \"Crazy Love,\" Michael Bublé (out Tuesday). Due, no doubt, to the success of his adult-contemporary smash \"Home,\" the neo-Rat Pack crooner makes a few too many soft-rock concessions on his new studio disc. Covering the Eagles, as Bublé does with a hokey version of \"Heartache Tonight,\" seems way beneath a singer with his level of style. Still, there's no denying the sexy-jerk swagger Bublé brings to \"Cry Me a River,\" which here sounds like a Bond-movie theme, or to \"Baby (You've Got What It Takes),\" a funky duet with Brooklyn soul sister Sharon Jones. \"Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates,\" Hall & Oates box set (out Tuesday). Collecting the best of the blue-eyed soul smoothies, and making fans' dreams come true. EW recently asked Daryl Hall to fill us in on his personal favorites; for the record: \"She's Gone,\" \"Sara Smile,\" \"Every Time You Go Away,\" \"You Make My Dreams,\" and \"One on One.\" DVD . \"The Proposal\" (out Tuesday). Yes, it's a rip-off of 1990's \"Green Card.\" And sure, you can see every plot twist driving down Fifth Avenue. So the fact that \"The Proposal\" winds up as breezy and entertaining as it does qualifies as some sort of Hollywood miracle. Sandra Bullock plays an icy book editor about to get deported back to Canada unless she can find an American husband, stat. Ryan Reynolds is her long-suffering assistant, who conveniently happens to be single. Sham nuptials ensue. As the groom's dirty-bird grandma, Betty White is a hoot -- and frankly, the ho-hum extras (director's commentary, lame outtakes) could've used more of her. \"Drag Me to Hell\" (out Tuesday). Welcome back, Sam Raimi! The Spider-Man director returns to his delirious \"Evil Dead\" roots for \"Drag Me to Hell,\" a kick-ass ghost story about a bank officer (Alison Lohman) who denies a loan to the wrong gypsy woman. There are curses, maggots and -- thanks to this unrated version -- lots more gore and goo. Extras include a fantastic production diary. Books . \"Nine Dragons,\" Michael Connelly (out Tuesday). Michael Connelly writes fast-paced best-sellers that critics praise for their sharp characterizations and fluid storytelling. The appearance of a third Connelly title in a year would be excellent news if \"Nine Dragons,\" his latest offering, didn't read like it had been scribbled during a red-eye from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, the two cities where the slapdash action unfolds. \"Chronic City,\" Jonathan Lethem (out Tuesday). Lethem's latest novel follows the blank, descriptively named former teen actor Chase Insteadman as he floats, increasingly disoriented and adrift, between two New York worlds: one glamorous and social, the other bohemian and intellectual. Thick with paranoia, pot smoke and pop culture references (both real and made-up), \"Chronic City\" is a feverish portrait of the anxiety and isolation of modern Manhattan, full of dark humor and dazzling writing. The book's zonked philosophizing about the nature of reality wears a little thin, but Lethem's claustrophobic vision of a world where everything is connected and nothing is as it seems proves both funny and frightening. For pop culture picks for today, click here, plus see what's new this week in movies, music, TV and more. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Entertainment Weekly's top pick of the week: \"Where the Wild Things Are\"\nEmmy-winning \"30 Rock\" returns Thursday with a poke at network execs .\nUnusual music release: Bob Dylan's Christmas album ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- One of the Internet's great promises is that it's the ultimate democratizer. It's open to everyone and allows all people to communicate. Facebook and Google have added new translation tools, but they take different approaches. But, so far, there have been several hitches in that plan. Not everyone has access to a computer and a broadband connection. Some governments still censor the Internet. And of course, we don't all speak the same language. For the World Wide Web to be truly global, shouldn't Chinese speakers be able to chat online with people who only speak Spanish? And why should an English speaker be barred from reading blogs written in Malagasy or Zulu? Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. are two Web companies trying particularly hard to make this happen, and they've released a number of updates to their translation services in recent weeks. The two online giants are going about the process in different ways. Facebook aims to translate the Web using an army of volunteers and some hired professional translators. Meanwhile, Google plans to let computers do most of the work. Which method will ultimately prevail remains to be seen. But for now, here's a look at the latest language features from both companies, and some background on how their translation services work. (Feel free to add your own Internet translation tips -- and fun translation bloopers -- in the comments section at the bottom of the story): . Facebook's human translation . Many tech bloggers think Facebook's method of human translation seems promising. After all, the American-born social networking site introduced non-English languages for the first time only in January 2008. Now about 70 percent of Facebook's 300 million users are outside of the United States. How it works: Real people are at the heart of Facebook translation plan. They suggest translated phrases and vote on translations that others have submitted. These crowd-sourced edits -- which work kind of like Wikipedia -- make Facebook's translation service smarter over time. Go to Facebook's translation page to check it out or to participate. Size: More than 65 languages function on Facebook now, according to Facebook's statistics. At least another 30 languages are in the works, meaning Facebook needs help working out the kinks on those languages before they're put to use. What's new? Facebook announced in a blog post on September 30 that the social network has made its crowd-sourced translation technology available to other sites on the Web. The update allows sites to install a translation gadget on their sites through Facebook Connect, a service that lets Facebook users sign in on other Web pages. Facebook also added some new languages, including Latin and \"Pirate,\" which translates the Facebooky word \"share\" as \"blabber t'yer mates!\" Pros and cons: People are good at knowing idioms and slang, so Facebook tends to get these right, but there are limited numbers of multi-lingual volunteers who want to spend time helping Facebook translate things. Also, Facebook's site is available in many languages, but its human translators don't touch wall posts, photo comments and other user-submitted items, which is a big con if you want to have friends who don't share a common language with you. People who use Facebook Connect to translate their sites can choose which text they want users to help translate, according to Facebook spokeswoman Malorie Lucich. Craig Ulliott, founder of whereivebeen.com, said he's excited about Facebook's translation application, but it would be too much to ask his site's users to translate user-submitted material. Google's 'mechanical' translation . Google uses mathematical equations to try to translate the Web's content. This fits in line with the company's mission, which is to organize the world's information and make it useful and accessible to all. How it works: Google's computers learn how to be translators by examining text that's already on the Web, and from professional Web translations posted online, said Franz Och, a principal scientist at Google. The more text is out there, the more Google learns and the better its translations become. The search-engine company currently translates documents, search results and full Web pages. Size: Google claims to be the largest free language translation service online. It covers 51 languages and more than 2,500 language pairs. The site's interface has been translated, with the help of Google users, into 130 languages. What's new?: Google recently created a widget that any Web developer can put on his or her page to offer up Google translations. So, say you're a blogger who writes about music. You might get some Brazilian readers if you offered up a button to translate your site into Portuguese. Google also recently unveiled a translation service for Google Docs, which lets anyone upload a document to the Web and have it translated into a number of languages for free. And there's a new Firefox add-on from Google to help people translate the Web more quickly. Och said real-time translation of Internet chats is on the horizon, as are more languages and increased quality as Google's computers get smarter. Pros and cons: Google's computerized approach means it can translate tons of content -- and fast. But computers aren't quite up to speed with ever-evolving modern speech, so reports of translation errors are fairly common. On the plus side, the service has been vastly improved in the last five years, Och said. Also, Google lets people spot translation errors, suggest new wordings and translate its interface into languages Google's computers don't speak just yet." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Facebook and Google are finding new ways to translate the Web .\nFacebook favors human translation; Google leans on its computers .\nGoogle claims to be the largest translation service online, with 51 languages .\nFacebook announces a new service to let Internet users help translate sites ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- What appears to be the outline of a child in a fetal position can be seen in a photograph of the trunk liner from the car driven by Casey Anthony, a Florida woman charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, according to documents released in the case. Caylee Anthony's skeletal remains were found near her family's home in December. \"A very interesting photo exists of the trunk liner ... which highlights the very large stain,\" FBI Intelligence Analyst Karen Cowan writes to a colleague in a September 2008 e-mail contained among nearly 1,000 pages of documents released Tuesday. \"If you look closely at this photo, there appears to be the outline or silhouette of a child in the fetal position. You can make out what may be the back, bottom and legs most clearly.\" An FBI supervisory photographic technologist replied in a later e-mail, \"We do not report conclusions about what may or may not have left any marks or impressions in cases like this -- it is too speculative. Others can draw their own conclusions about that.\" Watch Nancy Grace report on the documents » . Anthony, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her daughter, Caylee Anthony. Prosecutors have said they are seeking the death penalty against her. The child's skeletal remains were found in December in a wooded area about a half-mile from the home where Caylee and her mother lived with Casey Anthony's parents. The cause of Caylee's death is homicide by undetermined means, authorities have said. Police released documents this year showing they believed that Caylee was slain within days of the time she was last seen and that her body was in the trunk of her mother's car for \"a period of time.\" An attorney for Casey Anthony's parents, Brad Conway, released more documents Wednesday, according to CNN affiliate WESH. Among them were results of an FBI test that show fibers taken from duct tape found across Caylee's mouth do not match similar fibers from tape that was found on a gas can in the Anthonys' garage, the station reported. \"It was easy in the beginning to say, 'Well, you know, the duct tape on the gas can and the duct tape at the crime scene, they're similar,' and people draw conclusions from that,\" Conway said. \"Now we have an FBI report that says they're dissimilar, that they're not matched. Now I think the view of the land is a little bit more accurate than it was six months ago.\" In a May interview on CNN's \"Larry King Live,\" George and Cindy Anthony said they believe that their daughter is innocent. Other documents released Tuesday by authorities show that: . • Unidentified female DNA found on the duct tape on Caylee's mouth was matched to a female FBI agent involved in processing the site where the remains were found. • A hair found in the trunk of the car is consistent with that being from a dead body, although authorities cannot say that for sure. The hair is also consistent with that taken from Caylee's hairbrush and is different from Casey Anthony's hair. An FBI agent says in an e-mail that it would be good to have more than one hair showing decomposition, if others are found, because there could be some \"random possibility of why one hair would look like that.\" CNN's Natisha Lance contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "FBI intelligence analyst speculated on photo in September 2008 e-mail .\n\"We do not report conclusions ... in cases like this,\" supervisor replied .\nCasey Anthony is charged with murder in death of 3-year-old daughter .\nPolice believe that Caylee's body was in mother's car trunk ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "YORK, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The city of York is steeped in history. The central Pennsylvania town was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and it was even, briefly, the nation's capital. A week of race riots in York, Pennsylvania, left two dead 39 years ago. Sen. Hillary Clinton's rally here Saturday, on the corner of Market and Beaver Streets, was down the block from a local landmark that touches on a less-heralded chapter in the city's history: the site of the monument that wasn't. A few months ago, Mayor John Brenner and others pushed for a memorial at the corner of George and Market Streets, in the center of town, that would remind York residents of a deadly week of race riots 39 years ago. The violence claimed two victims: police officer Henry Schaad, and minister's daughter Lillie Belle Allen, in murders that went unsolved for decades. Schaad was white, Allen black. But disputes over nearly every aspect of the project brought emotional responses that seemed to split along racial lines, including disagreements over inspiration, location and design. The process stalled entirely a few weeks ago, as organizers went back to the drawing board. This dispute is emblematic of the divide facing both Democratic candidates in next Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary. \"The issue of race has touched this community, much more deeply than it has in other places. It's not in the forefront, it's not usually discussed, but that issue has been very important to people here,\" said local NAACP chapter president Eric Kirkland, in a row house just off George St., the main drag that bisects the city's downtown. \"Historically, this has been a very racially hostile area. Race relations have always been strained here. There's an old guard, and they have those old ideas,\" he said. But the face of York itself has changed. A decade ago, the town was 70 percent white. City officials say black and Latino residents now make up roughly 45 percent of the population of 41,000. Sen. Barack Obama is expected to win the overwhelmingly Democratic town, locals say, and Clinton has the edge in York County, an area dominated by white, working-class, conservative voters -- a group that has largely backed the New York senator this year. But presidential loyalties here this primary season don't fall neatly along racial lines -- York's residents are split between the two candidates in patterns that defy traditional assumptions. Neatly manicured lawns in some of the city's mostly white suburbs are dotted with Obama signs. In the city, a restaurant window near Newberry Street -- where Allen was killed nearly four decades ago -- has a Clinton sign taped to the inside glass. Seven years ago, the town's mayor and several other white men were arrested for Allen's 1969 murder. In the shadow of a pending indictment, Mayor Charlie Robertson -- up for re-election -- won the Democratic primary in 2001. He later stepped down. Eventually, he was acquitted by a local jury. Two others were convicted of murder and others took plea deals. In the wake of the trials, the city became a magnet for outside hate groups, who clashed with anti-racist demonstrators in the center of town. In the years since, the most public division in York has been the measure of progress. Some, including Kirkland, say race is still a central issue here. Others -- including many resentful of the city's national notoriety after Robertson's arrest -- say it is not. But most residents fall somewhere in between, caught in a decades-long conversation that moves in fits and starts, spurred along by activists and city officials. The national dialogue may have turned to race this campaign season -- but in York, where the discussion has been on the agenda for years, many say they're all talked out. \"Race is here. It's an undercurrent,\" said York Mayor John Brenner, an Obama supporter. \"I do think in places like York that actually had civil unrest in the 1960s, I think we have more work to do. And we've done a lot of work in recent years. Most of our voters, I think, have moved on.\" Many of those voters -- among them Harley-Davidson factory workers, waitresses and home health aides -- echoed Brenner, saying their top concern had nothing to do with race, but with how they were going to pay their rent or afford health care. \"A few years ago, all those satellite trucks were parked out front for the trial, all those outsiders came to town for a week, and they had the story in their heads before they even got here,\" said mechanic Mike Davis, just outside the city's Central Market. \"You didn't see anyone from around here at the courthouse, except the families. But that case is all most people know about York. I know that's what they care about. But I have bigger things to worry about. Like my next mortgage payment.\" York has been slightly better off than many of Pennsylvania's hard-hit industrial areas, thanks to a more diverse local economy and an influx of new residents from neighboring Maryland that have made it one of the commonwealth's fastest-growing counties. But residents say that thousands of jobs have disappeared -- and with them, a way of life. \"I know we had that working-class tradition. I'm a product of it,\" said Brenner, whose father was a union electrician. \"I think York County has changed. That whole blue-collar model of the past just doesn't work anymore. It's still here, but it's not as strong as it used to be.\" Kirkland, who opposed Brenner's favored proposal for a race riot memorial, agrees with the assessment. \"There should be a memorial [to the victims of the riots]. But those are symbols. The reality is, the fundamental standard of living for people in this city has gotten worse, it's gotten much worse, since the trials. There are not enough jobs for people who need jobs. A monument isn't going to change that,\" he said. Kirkland is skeptical the city has truly moved beyond its headline-grabbing past. But he says the campaign, no matter who wins, has revealed a level of local progress on that front that has surprised many York residents. \"You travel the county, you travel the city, you travel the townships and most of the people want the same thing,\" he said. \"They want good jobs, a good education. They want to make sure they have decent health care. There's not a whole lot of difference there in terms of what people's needs are and wants are and desires are. \"I think things may be changing here, in the process of changing. It's like a lightbulb going on.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "York, Pennsylvania, was the site of deadly race riots in 1969 .\nIssue of race has touched the community, says local NAACP president .\nPresidential loyalties in York don't fall neatly along racial lines .\nSome skeptical the city has truly moved beyond its headline-grabbing past ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- For the past three weeks in a row, Michael Jackson's \"Number Ones\" has been the biggest-selling album in the country. For the first time in a month, the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 is actually the No. 1 selling album. Each time, it's been disqualified from Billboard's flagship Billboard 200 chart, along with all Jackson's other releases, due to its age. That unusual run of asterisked Billboard 200 chart-toppers is now over. Which artist put an end to Jackson's posthumous flummoxing of the Billboard rules, you ask? The answer is Chris Daughtry, whose \"Leave This Town\" bows atop the chart with a very nice 269,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's actually a bit of a drop-off from the 304,000 that the first album from American Idol alum Chris Daughtry's band sold when it hit shelves in 2006, but it's more than anyone else could muster in this sales frame -- yes, even Michael. And so for the first time in a month, the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 is actually the No. 1 selling album in the U.S., no tricks, no fooling. (\"Number Ones,\" meanwhile, sold another 192,000 this week, landing it handily atop the Top Comprehensive Albums chart, which counts catalog albums alongside new ones. So don't think that MJ's sales have dried up just yet.) Other Billboard 200 debuts this week came from the Dead Weather's \"Horehound\" at No. 6, demonstrating that at least 51,000 devotees can be counted on to buy any side project Jack White dreams up. R&B singer Joe, shows up at No. 7 after signing over 49,000 units of his \"Signature\"; Twista fast-talked his way into 45,000 sales and a No. 8 bow; and Christian power-pop teens pureNRG squeak in at No. 20 with 22,000 copies sold. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Daughtry's \"Leave This Town\" tops chart with 269,000 copies sold .\nIn past weeks, Michael Jackson's \"Number Ones\" has been biggest-selling album .\nDaughtry's first album sold 304,000 when it was released in 2006 .\nOther top albums this week are from Dead Weather, Joe and Twista ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- An employee of a luxurious New York hotel has been arrested in connection with the slaying of a woman in one of the hotel's residential condominiums, police say. The Jumeirah Essex House is a landmark on Central Park South in New York. Derrick Praileau, 29, faces second-degree murder charges in connection with the death of Andree Bejjani, 44. Police said Bejjani, who was originally from Lebanon, had moved to New York from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and had been staying in a residential condominium at the Jumeirah Essex House since August. Bejjani's nude body was found Saturday afternoon on the 10th floor of the hotel on Central Park South. Her throat was slashed, authorities said. Police have not revealed a suspected motive for the slaying. \"This incident occurred in one of the private condominiums at The Essex House complex,\" the hotel said in a statement provided to CNN. \"Our sincere condolences go out to the victim's family and we have offered our full support during this difficult time.\" The statement continued: \"We understand that a hotel employee has been arrested pending charges in conjunction with this incident. We continue to fully cooperate with the police throughout their investigation.\" A message left with Praileau's defense attorney was not returned. The hotel referred to Praileau only as an employee, but the New York Daily News said he was its housekeeping manager, citing Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. The 44-story Essex House opened in 1931, a landmark Art Deco building. It recently underwent a $90 million renovation. The hotel has more than 500 luxury rooms and suites, along with several privately-owned residences. One six-room unit is currently on the market for $8.25 million." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lebanese native Andree Bejjani, 44, found dead in condo Saturday .\nDerrick Praileau, 29, faces second-degree murder charges .\nPolice commissioner tells newspaper that Praileau was housekeeping manager .\nAuthorities have not revealed suspected motive ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- A 17-year-old said Tuesday he is \"blessed\" that prosecutors dropped a murder charge against him in the beating death last month of a Chicago honors student. Derrion Albert, 16, was beaten to death September 24. His death was captured on video. \"I'm just happy to be out,\" Eugene Bailey said, a day after authorities announced they were dismissing the charge against him in the September 24 death of Derrion Albert. Police said Albert, a 16-year-old honors student, was an innocent bystander who ended up in the middle of a street fight between two factions of students from Christian Fenger Academy High School. His beating death was captured on video, which shows him being hit by a person wielding a piece of a railroad tie. Bailey said he considered Albert a \"good friend\" and approached police offering to help in their investigation. When police told him he appeared on the video, he said, he told them, \"No, that can't be me.\" Authorities searched his mother's home and found he did not own clothing and shoes like that seen on the participant thought to be him, he said. \"I'm just blessed to have my freedom,\" he said, adding that what happened to Albert \"shouldn't happen to anyone.\" Cook County prosecutors issued a statement Monday saying, \"While the charge against Bailey was brought in good faith based on witness accounts and identifications, additional information has developed during the ongoing investigation that warranted dismissal of the murder charge against Bailey at this time.\" \"I was kind of overwhelmed,\" said Bailey's mother, Ava Greyer. \"They wouldn't listen to me.\" She said she received an eviction notice after her son's arrest, but has since received a letter of apology. She said she didn't think that was right, however: \"You are innocent until proven guilty.\" \"I didn't raise no murderer,\" she said. \"He didn't murder nobody.\" \"We all talk about what is what out here and point fingers at one another. ... These kids need something to do,\" Greyer said. \"It's not gang-related. They get out of school -- once they're in school it's cool. Once they get out of school, the school says 'Forget 'em.' That's wrong. Get them some after-schooling programs, some recreation centers 20 hours a week.\" She said, \"That was sad, that was wrong what happened to Derrion. I wish that upon no one. But at the same time, we need to sweep around our doorsteps and see what we can do as a community to keep this from happening to somebody else's child.\" Prosecutors said that when school let out on September 24, Albert was on his way to a bus stop when two groups of students converged on the street and began fighting. Albert was approached by two members of one faction and struck in the head with a long piece of a wooden railroad tie, and then punched in the face, Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County prosecutors, has said. After being knocked out for a brief period, Albert regained consciousness and tried to move from the fight, but was then attacked by members of the opposing faction, Simonton said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Albert's death remains under investigation, prosecutors said Monday. Three other individuals still face murder charges: Silvanus Shannon, 19, Eric Carson, 16, and Eugene Riley, 18. All three appeared in court for a preliminary hearing Monday, but their cases were continued to Friday. Albert's death prompted President Obama, a former Chicago resident and Illinois senator, to send Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder to Chicago earlier this month. The two met with the city's mayor and community leaders to discuss possible remedies for violent youth crime. Albert's death was not an isolated incident: More than 30 youths suffered violent deaths in Chicago last year. \"We shouldn't have to worry about walking down the streets,\" Bailey said. \"We all live amongst each other.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eugene Bailey, 17, freed of charge in Derrion Albert's beating death .\nBailey says he was Albert's friend, approached police with offer of help .\nPolice say Albert was bystander who was caught in middle of gang fight .\nBeating was videotaped and police thought Bailey was in video ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A woman put on trial for wearing clothing deemed indecent by Sudanese authorities was jailed Monday for refusing to pay a court-ordered fine, her lawyer said. Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein was facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers. Lubna al-Hussein had faced 40 lashes for wearing pants deemed too tight and a blouse considered too sheer. The threat of lashes was dropped when a court found her guilty but ordered instead that she pay a fine. \"She is now in jail,\" her attorney Nabil Adib told CNN. \"She refused to pay the fine as a matter of principal.\" Al-Hussein will appeal her verdict in an effort to have the conservative Muslim government's decency law declared unconstitutional, Adib said by phone from Khartoum. Watch what outfit brought the charges » . \"We intend to file an appeal within the next three days, but we do not know how long it will take the court of appeals to decide on the case,\" Adib said. \"We expect it will happen in the next two to three weeks.\" He said al-Hussein could be in jail for a month unless her verdict is overturned. Al-Hussein, who was arrested in July, pleaded not guilty during her one-day trial Monday, he said. She was not allowed to call defense witnesses or present a defense case, he added. She was sentenced to pay 500 Sudanese pounds ($209) or face a month in prison, starting immediately, the lawyer said. \"She thinks that she did not have fair trial and a conviction was wrong so she did not want to pay the fine nor let anyone else pay on her behalf,\" Nadib said. Al-Hussein, a journalist who worked in the media department of the United Nations mission in Sudan, resigned from her U.N. position in order to waive her immunity as an international worker and face trial. Police lobbed tear gas at people outside the courthouse Monday, and closed roads leading to the courthouse before the trial began, al-Hussein told CNN before the hearing. Sudanese security forces roughly handled scores of al-Hussein supporters, injuring some and detaining 47 women, according to an eyewitness who spoke to CNN by phone. A Sudanese official accused \"the West\" of interfering in the case. Mohammed Khair, the information attaché at the Sudan Consulate in Dubai, said the international campaign surrounding the case \"proves the West contributes only toward deepening (the) crisis.\" The human rights organization Amnesty International had previously called for the charges to be dropped. \"The manner in which this law has been used against women is unacceptable, and the penalty called for by the law -- up to 40 lashes -- abhorrent,\" Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa program, said in a statement. Al-Hussein was arrested along with 18 other women on July 3 at a Khartoum restaurant when police burst in and checked women for their clothing. \"I don't think she was targeted specifically,\" Adib said. \"They attack public and private parties and groups. They are called 'morality police' and she was just a victim of a round-up.\" Put your questions to Dutch activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali here . At the time of her arrest, she said, she was wearing pants, a blouse and a hijab, or a headscarf worn by Muslim women. Scores of protesters gathered outside the courtroom in Khartoum to support al-Hussein in early August, when she was last scheduled to be tried. The demonstrators carried banners and wore headbands with the messages, \"No return to the dark ages\" and \"No to suppressing women.\" Others demanded an amendment to the country's public order law that human rights activists say is vague on what constitutes indecent dress. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he is concerned about al-Hussein's case. \"The United Nations will make every effort to ensure that the rights of its staff members are protected,\" Ban said in July. \"The flogging is against the international human rights standards. I call on all parties to live up to their obligations under all relevant international instruments.\" In addition to the group of lawyers defending her, al-Hussein was also represented by two Egyptian defense attorneys, she said. CNN's Raja Razek and Elham Nakhlawi contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Woman tried for wearing clothing deemed indecent jailed for refusing to pay fine .\nSudanese court spared female journalist lashing for wearing tight trousers .\nShe faced up to 40 lashes for wearing pants considered too tight .\nResigned U.N. position to avoid immunity afforded international workers ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The U.S. Postal Service has just entered \"The Twilight Zone.\" \"The Honeymooners\" is one of 20 classic TV stamps that will soon find its way on the corner of envelopes. The classic show appears on one of 20 stamps released this week, featuring 1950s hit television shows. The first-class stamps include images of \"Dragnet,\" \"The Ed Sullivan Show,\" \"The Honeymooners,\" \"I Love Lucy,\" \"Lassie,\" \"The Lone Ranger,\" \"Ozzie and Harriet\" and \"Perry Mason.\" \"All of the classic television shows represented on these stamps represent the collective memory of a generation well deserving of entertainment,\" said James C. Miller III, a Postal Service board member. \"It was a generation that survived the Great Depression and fought World War II. They were pioneers -- creative geniuses -- who brought television shows of the 1950s into our homes, breaking new ground to provide entertainment for everyone.\" The retro-style stamps, featuring black-and-white images of the shows, were designed by Carl Herrman, an artist from Las Vegas, Nevada. The Postal Service releases several commemorative stamps annually. This year's releases have included civil rights pioneers, President Abraham Lincoln and author Edgar Allan Poe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New postage stamps will commemorate \"Golden Age of TV\"\n\"The Honeymooners,\" \"I Love Lucy\" among 20 classic TV shows honored .\nRetro-style stamps were designed by artist Carl Herrman ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A huge water main burst under a road in the suburban Baltimore community of Dundalk, Maryland, Friday, sending muddy water erupting over neighborhood streets and down highway ramps, officials said. Muddy water envelops the community of Dundalk, Maryland, on Friday. Many were left without power. The 72-inch main was shut about two hours after it ruptured, Baltimore County Chief Executive Jim Smith told CNN. No injuries were reported, Smith said, but he urged residents to \"shelter in place\" and not to go into the knee- to chest-high water under any circumstances. \"This is not a game,\" Smith warned. Authorities set up a command center near the site of the break and swift-water boat rescue teams were standing by, he added. See water main break damage » . Resident David Johnson said he felt helpless as he stood outside his house and watched the dirty brown water creep up his lawn and approach his front door. It stopped inches away and his basement stayed dry. The worst part now, Johnson said, is the smell. \"Like sewage,\" he said. Shannon Woerner was at home in nearby Essex, Maryland, when he heard the news about the water main break -- and the call for boats. He loaded his kayak in his truck and headed to the scene. \"I just wanted to see if I could help,\" he said. Woerner said he assisted by ferrying car keys and other items across flooded streets to people who were cut off from their homes by the water. Standing at the corner of Court and McShane streets, Mike Pell, 34, watched the water slowly recede after the main was shut. Water covered the wheels of his pickup truck. \"My basement's done,\" he said, pointing to his shoulder to show the height of the water inside, where he and his fiancée had their bedroom. \"All of our clothes are ruined,\" he said. He managed to get his two children, ages 2 and 3, to a dry area on the first floor of the house. \"Now I wonder who's going to pay for this. We don't have flood insurance -- this area doesn't flood,\" Pell said, shaking his head. Samantha Hansley, 21, could only watch from a dry hill and wonder if her truck would survive the deluge. It sat a block away in 2 feet of water. Hansley and her boyfriend had been driving out of the floodwaters when they stopped to try to help some stranded drivers. \"Our truck just died,\" she said. A manager at the Box and Save grocery store not far from the break site said the entire parking lot was flooded. Cathy Geisler said customers were still in the store Friday afternoon when police came to tell everyone to evacuate, except for essential personnel. \"We had customers, we were still doing business, then the electricity went out and we escorted everyone out of the store,\" Geisler said. She and another manager stayed behind in a building with no power. As she spoke on the phone with CNN, Geisler said police had come back to tell them to leave immediately and she abruptly hung up the phone. Aerial video from CNN affiliates WMAR and WBAL showed a collapsed roadway with massive amounts of water exploding over the area. Entire neighborhoods had flooded streets, and many residents were evacuated, authorities said. Eric Braughman, who lives on one of the flooded streets, told CNN he had \"thought something was up\" with the water Thursday when his faucets discharged brownish-orange water. \"My wife didn't give the baby a bath because it didn't look safe,\" Braughman said. Nearly 1,000 customers were without power, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's Web site. The main break is part of a larger issue with failing infrastructure in many U.S. cities, said Kurt Kocher, a spokesman for Baltimore's Department of Public Works. Kocher cited two other huge main breaks in the Maryland and Washington D.C. area that were started from the same type of pipe that burst in Friday's incident. \"This is a national infrastructure crisis,\" Kocher said. CNN's Alec Miran in Dundalk, Maryland, contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Residents say water has damaged vehicles, homes and left sewage smell .\n72-inch main shut down after about two hours, county official says .\nCNN affiliate video shows collapsed roadway, massive amounts of water .\nNearly 1,000 were without power, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The 63-year-old bearded fireplug of a man erupted in tears, pulled a white handkerchief from his back pocket, carefully unfolded it and pressed it into his eyes, pulled it away, pressed it again to his eyes, this time with more force, pulled it away again just long enough to take a sip of water, then rubbed them again. Lula da Silva gets a kiss from bid committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman after the announcement Friday. \"I've never won a gift before,\" Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told reporters. \"The first gift I ever had in my life I had to buy. It was an old bike with a broken belt and I had to fix it. Today, people who don't even know me gave me the greatest gift that a president could have: to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Rio deserves this because Rio is a city that has suffered.\" For Lula da Silva, Friday's announcement in Copenhagen, Denmark, that Rio de Janeiro will host the 31st Olympiad in 2016 signified a major achievement not only for his hemisphere (no city in South America has ever before hosted the games) but for him -- a former autoworker and union organizer who defied dizzying odds to become president. Lula da Silva was born to a peasant family in one of northeastern Brazil's most impoverished areas and migrated as a young man to a city near São Paulo, where he worked as a metalworker, losing his left pinky finger in the process. In the 1970s, he became a union leader, said Luiz Valente, chairman of the department of Portuguese and Brazilian studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. During the years of military rule from 1964 until 1985, the government cracked down on unions. But Lula da Silva acquired a reputation as a public figure by leading a successful strike in São Paulo, Valente told CNN in a telephone interview. \"He was able to negotiate a favorable contract for his union but, from a political standpoint, he demonstrated that worker strikes were possible again in Brazil,\" Valente said. During the early 1980s, as the military rulers' grip on control loosened, Lula da Silva helped found the leftist Workers' Party. In the late 1980s, he ran for Congress and won, but he chose not to run for re-election. Instead, he set his sights on the top job, waging a losing presidential campaign in 1989, the country's first presidential election since 1960. Successive tries in 1993 and 1997 were unsuccessful, but in 2001, he won and quickly surprised many observers. \"When he began, he was perceived as someone very much on the left,\" said Valente. \"He was perceived as being a socialist. However, he has not governed as a socialist. Instead, his economic policies were a continuation of the previous administration's.\" In fact, Brazil's economic policy has been \"pretty much middle of the road, some people would say pretty conservative,\" said Valente, who added that he has never voted for Lula da Silva. But Lula da Silva has worked to help the country's poor, introducing populist measures intended to lower the incidence of poverty and making other moves, Valente said. \"As a union leader during the military dictatorship, he learned how to negotiate with the so-called enemy,\" Valente said. \"So Lula is going to try to reach some kind of consensus, and he did. What he did was not a product of ideology but of a pragmatist attitude of the government of Brazil.\" Lula da Silva's moderate modus operandi has gained him popularity at home, where he has made no moves toward abolishing the term limits that preclude his running for a third term next year, Valente said. That pragmatism has served him well on the international front, where he is on good terms with the leftist governments of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador as well as with the United States and the European Union. \"Lula knows how to play the game,\" Valente said. Like Brazil's president, Rio did not succeed on its first try, having been rejected in an earlier bid -- which inspired planners to be meticulous, Valente said. \"They were very well-prepared,\" he said. Indeed, the city two years ago hosted the Pan-American Games, which officials looked on as a trial run for the Olympics, he said. \"Everything ran without a hitch,\" said Valente. \"It was just a beautiful event.\" Lula's waterworks were no surprise to his countrymen, the professor said. \"He's a very emotional guy and Brazilians tend to be emotional. They're certainly not ashamed of showing their emotions ... It's not unusual for Brazilian men to cry in situations like that. Brazilians actually like to see men cry. They think it's good to show your emotions.\" Watch the reaction as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is named host city for the 2016 Olympics » . \"He always cries when he talks of his mother, who never saw him become president,\" said Fabiana Frayssinet, CNN's correspondent in Rio de Janeiro. \"He's a man who cries, who gets mad. He's an emotional man who says what he thinks whenever he wants.\" Emotions were on display Friday on Copacabana beach in Rio, where thousands of people flocked on the first sunny day after two weeks of rain and atypically cold weather. \"It was a mix of the end of a football championship with a ... carnival and all the Brazilian festivals,\" Frayssinet said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lula da Silva calls announcement \"the greatest gift that a president could have\"\nBrazil's president rose from metalworker to union organizer to politician .\nHis election to the presidency in 2001 came after three unsuccessful tries .\nRio's hosting the Pan-American Games was seen as a trial run for the Olympics ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani authorities have launched a massive crackdown on terror groups that they say were planning numerous suicide attacks, including in the country's largest city of Karachi. Pakistan security officials show seized weapons and ammunition in Karachi on Sunday after the arrest of seven alleged militants. At least 13 suspects were arrested Sunday and Monday, including three people carrying suicide jackets and explosives inside a bus station, a police official said. The three were seized early Monday after police raided a bus station in Sargodha, a city located about 120 miles (190 km) south of Islamabad in Pakistan's Punjab province. The suspects were plotting to attack two Shiite mosques, police stations, and a Norwegian telecommunications company in Punjab, according to district police officer Usman Anwar. Three other suspects linked to the plot were arrested hours later in Sargodha, he said. Those arrested early Monday included the Pakistani Taliban's chief in Punjab, according to Anwar. The Taliban in Punjab have direct ties to Baitullah Mehsud, the former head of the Pakistan Taliban, and have been accused of sectarian murders in Punjab. Pakistan and U.S. officials contend Mehsud was killed in an August 5 drone attack in Waziristan at his father-in-law's house. The Taliban claim Mehsud is alive but ill. Hakeemullah Mehsud has been selected as the new head of the Pakistani Taliban, a Taliban commander said Saturday. Pakistani authorities also said they thwarted planned attacks in the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and the capital of Sindh province. Seven members of a banned militant group with strong ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban were arrested Sunday along with suicide vests and a large quantity of ammunition, according to the city's police superintendent Mohammed Fayyaz Khan . The group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was planning to conduct attacks in Karachi, according to Karachi Police Chief Waseem Ahmad. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department, and was banned by then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 2001. It is described as Pakistan's \"most extreme and feared militant group\" by IHS Jane's, a provider of defense and security information. The banned Sunni militant group, which began in the 1990s, is a \"key ally\" of the Taliban and al Qaeda, according to Jane's. \"However, many of its leaders and members have been killed or jailed in recent years and there is little evidence that it remains a coherent organization with centralized structures,\" Jane's said in an assessment released earlier this month. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is blamed for the attempted assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999, and the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. The group also has also been linked to the March attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the Pakistani city of Lahore. The recent arrests in Karachi and in Punjab are part of a broader crackdown on terror groups that have extended their reach outside Pakistan's volatile North West Frontier Province and adjacent tribal regions. That is where Pakistani security forces continue to battle a strong Taliban presence. Taliban militants maintained strongholds within 100 miles of the capital, Islamabad, before Pakistani security forces pushed them back this year. A month ago, Pakistani authorities unraveled a militant plot to target government buildings in Islamabad with suicide attackers, according to Interior Minister Rehmen Malik. Three bombers were detained, and along with them suicide vests packed with complex explosives surrounded by ball bearings that would kill anyone within 50 to 100 meters. \"They had the live jackets ... they were staying in one house and they had hidden the suicide jackets not far from that (house) in the hills,\" Malik told CNN. \"Obviously they had a plan in Islamabad because Islamabad is the icon of the country.\" He said they first planned to target parliament, then move on to other prominent government buildings in the capital city. Hitting back at the government would seem to be a high priority for the newly appointed leader of the Pakistani Taliban. Said to be a brazen and young commander, Hakeemullah Mehsud has been linked to past attacks on NATO troops along the Afghan-Pakistan border who are battling a resurgent Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. Malik said the government is \"not interested\" in trying to establish a cease-fire with Taliban commanders during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began this weekend. Past cease-fire agreements between the Pakistani government and tribal leaders negotiating on behalf of the Taliban have failed. \"They are at the weakest moments and everybody knows -- even a child of Pakistan knows about it -- that their back is broken,\" Malik said. \"They are no more powerful ... so we won't give them any time to get energized.\" CNN's Samson Desta contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Arrests averted attacks on Karachi, police chief says .\nLashkar-e-Jhangvi linked to Bhutto assassination, attack on Sri Lanka cricket team .\nPolice: Three suspected Pakistan Taliban members also arrested with suicide vests ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(WASHINGTON) -- The Federal Aviation Administration ordered U.S. airlines Thursday to replace a part that has come under suspicion in the crash of Air France Flight 447. U.S. air safety authorities have ordered the replacement of a part on A330 planes following the crash of Air France Flight 447. The FAA gave airlines 120 days to replace devices that could be giving false airspeed indications. All 228 people on Air France Flight 447 were killed when the Airbus A330 plane crashed June 1 en route to Paris, France, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U.S. air safety watchdog agency bypassed the usual process which allows for public comment on its orders. It said it could expedite the process because of the limited number of planes involved -- only 43 in the United States -- and because they say it is prudent to make the change as quickly as possible. At the same time, it said it did not feel the risk warranted grounding the fleet of aircraft. US Airways, one of only two American carriers who fly planes affected by the order, said Thursday they had already replaced the part. \"The work was completed last week. We are scheduled to take delivery of three new ... A330s by year's end and those three will not require any ... changes,\" a US Airways spokesman told CNN via e-mail. Northwest is the other U.S. carrier that operates A330s, the FAA said. A spokeswoman for Delta airlines, Northwest's parent company, said affected Northwest planes are getting new parts. \"We are well under way working closely with Airbus and Goodrich to install the Goodrich pitot tubes within the required timelines,\" Ashley Black told CNN. The devices under suspicion are the Thales Avionics pitot probes on some Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft. They measure \"ram air pressure,\" the pressure exerted on the plane as it flies through the air, and are part of a system used to determine air speed. The FAA order requires aircraft operators to replace certain Thales pitot probes with certain Goodrich or newer-design Thales pitot probes. The FAA says the order is intended to \"prevent airspeed discrepancies, which could lead to disconnect of the autopilot and/or auto-thrust functions and consequent increased pilot workload.\" French authorities are still investigating the cause of the Air France crash. But tests conducted since the crash have brought into question the performance of the pitot tubes and authorities say there have been reports of other malfunctions on flights. No U.S. operator flies A340s. There are 302 of the aircraft worldwide. The FAA action follows an announcement by European air safety authorities earlier this week to require pitot tube replacements by September 7." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Work \"well under way,\" Northwest parent company spokeswoman says .\nFAA orders U.S. airlines to replace part under suspicion in Air France crash .\nThe devices could be giving false airspeed indications .\nNorthwest and US Airways are only U.S. carriers that fly affected planes ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A pilot who parachuted from his disabled Marine Corps jet last year said he was horrified to see it smash into a California home, newly released documents say. A firefighter walks past as flames rise from the wreckage of a military jet crash in California. Marine Corps Lt. Dan Neubauer's statements, describing the December crash that killed four family members in a San Diego home, were released Tuesday by military officials. The four-page document details in technical terms several attempts Neubauer made to keep his crippled F/A-18D from crashing. When it became apparent that the plane was going down, Neubauer parachuted out. \"I looked down to see where my plane had crashed and saw that it had gone right into a house. I screamed in horror when I realized what had just happened,\" Neubauer said in the document. Neubauer landed in the backyard of another home and was not injured. The pilot had been trying to reach the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar when he started having problems with his fighter jet. See satellite photo of crash site » . The jet crashed into Dong Yun Yoon's house, killing his wife, his two young children and his mother-in-law. An unoccupied house was also destroyed. Days after the incident, Yoon said he did not blame the pilot. \"Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident,\" Yoon said. \"I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pilot horrified after seeing disabled jet crash into California home .\nCrash killed four people in home, including two children .\nRelative of four killed says he doesn't blame pilot for crash ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Italian paramilitary police carried out massive arrests Tuesday against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, \"decapitating\" the organization's leadership structure, the head of the city's carabinieri said. Members of the caribinieri outside their Palermo HQ Tuesday following raids against Sicilian mafia suspects. More than 1,200 Italian carabinieri, backed by helicopters, took part in the operation and arrested 89 suspects, added Colonel Teo Luzzi, the head of the carabinieri in the regional capital Palermo. The operation began at 3:30 a.m. (9:30 p.m. ET Monday) and was still going on at midmorning. Palermo officials said charges would include association with the mafia, extortion, and arms and drug trafficking. \"Their aim was to reconstitute the Sicilian mafia's decision-making body, known as the \"commissione,\" which was disbanded in the early 1990s following the arrest of the top boss Toto Riina,\" Luzzi said. The commissione was the executive body of the mafia, uniting the most powerful bosses of the mafia clans operating in Sicily. It was the commissione that decided to carry out the killings of Italy's top anti-mafia magistrates in May and July 1992. The high-profile killings prompted the Italian government to deploy the army in Sicily to fight the mafia, and Toto Riina was arrested in January 2003. \"Since then the mafia didn't really have a decision making body,\" Luzzi said, \"and with these arrests we decapitated the top brass of the Palermo mafia.\" Luzzi also said that Sicily's most wanted Mafioso, Matteo Messina Denaro -- who has been on the run for more than a decade and leads a clan in nearby Trapani in western Sicily -- is not among those arrested. \"But those whom we did apprehend were associated with him and were trying to create a new decision-making body at his request,\" Luzzi said. Arrest warrants were also issued against several suspects in Tuscany, Luzzi said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More than 1,200 Italian carabinieri arrest 89 suspects in Palermo, Italy .\nCharges include association with the mafia, extortion, arms and drug trafficking .\nPolice: With these arrests we decapitated the top brass of the Palermo mafia .\nArrest warrants were also issued against several suspects in Tuscany ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It has been a piece of Berlin history for 80 years, a symbol of Nazi power but also of Germans' desire for freedom after World War II. The giant Tempelhof Airport in Berlin will shut it doors for good on Friday. Friday, Berlin's Tempelhof Airport will shut its doors for good. Tempelhof was where American and British pilots touched down after the war when Soviet Forces blockaded West Berlin. The allied pilots flew in millions of tons of food, fuel and medication for an ailing population, earning themselves the title \"candy bombers,\" for dropping candy as they flew over the city. \"Through Tempelhof, we stayed alive,\" said Hedi Koenig, 83, who lived near the airport in West Berlin after the war. Without the air drops, she said, the people would have starved to death. The airport rapidly became Berlin's only hub for supplies, eventually carrying almost 2.5 million tons of goods into the city. Tempelhof's massive main building -- originally designed to represent Nazi Germany to visitors -- remains one of the largest structures in the world. The U.S. Army later built a basketball court and firing range at Tempelhof, and hid an entire command center in the vast network of tunnels under the buildings. These days, however, its runways are too short for most modern civilian aircraft. City officials said the airport was not profitable and needed to be shut down as Berlin builds a major new airport, Berlin-Brandenburg International. Moves to close Tempelhof have sparked protests from residents and aviators who thought more should have been done to preserve such an important part of the city's history. See archive photos of the airport . \"The people want it, private enterprise wants it, all national arguments are in favor of it,\" Friedbert Pflueger, a local opposition leader, said last year. More than 100 private pilots staged a \"fly-in\" in September 2007 to protest the plans. Koenig said Berliners were still angry with city officials who allowed the closure. She blamed business leaders for putting pressure on the city to close the airport by arguing it cost too much and didn't make enough money. \"For business people, the airport doesn't mean anything,\" said Koenig. She said they were too young to remember how important Tempelhof has been for the city. Koenig is among many who believe the airport should be turned into a cultural memorial. A memorial already exists outside the airport to remember the candy bombers, dozens of whom died flying in during bad weather or after being harassed by Soviet fighter planes. \"The success of the airlift made sure that the communist ideology lost its impetus, lost its thrust, because people began to realize that democracies can defend their way of life,\" said Helmut Trotnow of the Berlin Allied Museum. The allied pilots, Koenig said, were responsible for saving the city amid the Russian blockade. \"The Russians tried with all their might to break us,\" she said. Koenig snuck into West Berlin from the East after the war. That meant she didn't have a visa and couldn't receive official food rations, so she literally scraped by during her night job at a bakery. Koenig said she cleaned the pans and would try to scratch off whatever food remained stuck to the sides. Her boss would check to make sure she wasn't eating any of the remnants, but Koenig said she did it anyway, whenever her boss wasn't looking. Tempelhof's beginnings date to September 4, 1909, when American aviation pioneer Orville Wright flew an engine-powered plane for a few minutes on the airfield there. It ushered in the era of aviation in Germany, and Tempelhof eventually became Berlin's central airport and the biggest hub in Europe. The airport also became the home of Lufthansa, which was founded in Berlin in 1926. Civilian traffic declined during the second world war and the Soviet Army occupied the airport. The Americans took it over in July 1945. The Soviet blockade of West Berlin began in May 1948 as an attempt to force the Western Allied powers out of that part of the city. They cut off rail and road links to the West, and West Berlin -- isolated in the middle of the new East Germany -- found itself isolated even more. In response, the Allies imposed counter-blockade measures which included cutting off East German communications and an embargo on Eastern bloc exports. The moves forced the Soviet Union to eventually lift the blockade a year later, in May 1949. The last flights from Tempelhof will fly just before midnight Thursday, the airport authority said. One will be a special Lufthansa flight aboard a Junkers Ju-52, a post-World War II transport aircraft. The other will be a DC-3 -- the same type of plane flown by the candy bombers from Tempelhof some 60 years ago. With the closing of Tempelhof, the city has two remaining airports -- at Schoenefeld and Tegel. All flights from Tempelhof will move to Tegel. Eventually, Schoenefeld will become the new Berlin-Brandenburg International, or BBI. It is scheduled to open in 2011, after which Tegel will close. CNN Berlin Bureau Chief Fred Pleitgen and CNN's Carolin Fiehm in London contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The giant Tempelhof Airport, once a symbol of Nazi power, is to close .\nAirport was also used by British and Americans to break Soviet blockade .\nPilots flew in millions of tons of food, fuel and medication for ailing population ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "London, England (CNN) -- Something is stirring within the Hamas body politic, a moderating trend that, if nourished and engaged, could transform Palestinian politics and the Arab-Israeli peace process. There are unmistakable signs that the religiously based radical movement has subtly changed its uncompromising posture on Israel. For example, in the last few months top Hamas officials have publicly stressed that they want to be part of the solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, not part of the problem. What is happening inside Hamas' mosques and social base shows a concerted effort on the part of its leadership to re-educate its rank and file about co-existence with the Jewish state and in so doing mentally prepare them for a permanent settlement in the future. In Gazan mosques, pro-Hamas clerics have begun to cite the example of Salah al-Din al-Ayubi, a famed Muslim military commander and statesman, who, after liberating Jerusalem from the Western Crusaders, allowed them to retain a coastal state of their own. The moral lesson of the story is that if the famed leader could tolerate the warring, bloodthirsty Crusaders, then today's Palestinians should be willing to live peacefully with a Jewish state in their midst. This story is important because it provides Hamas with religious legitimacy and allows it to justify and explain its change of direction to followers. As an Islamic-based movement, Hamas' very raison d'etre rests on religious legitimization, and its leaders understand that they neglect that at their peril. Hamas' recent narrative marks a pronounced departure from the past in which Hamas moderates called for a minor or long-term truce. Now Hamas leaders appear to be going further by laying the ground for a shift in their position by educating their social base about the requirements of permanent peace -- recognition of the Jewish state. Although the evolution of Hamas' stance on the peace process has been slow, gradual and qualified, in the last three years many of its leaders repeatedly have said they wanted a two-state solution. Pressed by an Australian journalist on policy changes that Hamas might make to any new order, Khaled Meshaal, the top Hamas leader and head of its political bureau based in Syria and considered a hard-liner, asserted that the organization has already shifted on several key points: \"Hamas already changed -- we accepted the national accords for a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, and we took part in the 2006 Palestinian elections.\" Over the years, I have interviewed more than a dozen Hamas leaders inside and outside the Palestinian territories. Although, on the whole, Hamas' public rhetoric calls for the liberation of all historic Palestine, not only the territories occupied in 1967, a healthier debate occurs within. My recent conversations with Hamas' rank and file suggest that the militant organization has evolved considerably since the group unexpectedly won power in Gaza in free elections in 2006. Before then, Hamas was known for its suicide bombers, not its bureaucrats. But that had to change. \"It is much more difficult to run a government than to oppose and resist Israeli occupation,\" a senior Hamas leader told me while on official business in Egypt in 2007. \"If we do not provide the goods to our people, they'll disown us.\" Ironically, in spite of the West's refusal to regard this government as legitimate, the democratic demands for governance from within Gaza are themselves driving change within Hamas. What is striking about Hamas' recent shift of opinion toward the peace process is that it has come at a trying time for the Islamist organization which, in the last two years, has faced critical challenges from al Qaeda-like jihadist groups, a low-intensity civil war with rival Fatah, the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Last summer a militant group called Jund Ansar Allah, or the Warriors of God, one of a handful of radical al Qaeda-inspired factions, declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Gaza, a flagrant rejection of Hamas' authority. Hamas security forces struck instantly and mercilessly at the Warriors, killing more than 20 members, including the group's leader, Abdel-Latif Moussa. In one stroke, the Hamas leadership sent a message to its foes and friends that it will not tolerate the existence of global jihadist groups such as al Qaeda: Hamas will not allow al Qaeda-inspired factions to turn Gaza into a theater to wage transnational jihad. However, the challenge to Hamas' authority persists. Israel's punishing siege of Gaza, in place since 2007, along with the suffering and despair it has caused to its 1.4 million inhabitants, has driven hundreds of young Palestinians into the arms of small Salafist extremist factions that accuse Hamas of forfeiting the armed struggle and failing to implement Quranic or Shariah law. Operationally and ideologically, there are huge differences between Hamas and al Qaeda and its various inspired factions, and a lot of bad blood. Hamas is a broad-based religious/nationalist resistance whose focus and violence is limited to Palestine/Israel, while al Qaeda is a small, transnational terrorist group that has carried out attacks worldwide. Thus Hamas, unlike al Qaeda and other fringe factions, is not merely an armed militia but a viable social movement with a large popular base that has been estimated at more than half a million supporters and sympathizers. Hamas also has shown itself to be sensitive and responsive to Palestinian public opinion. A further example of its political and social priorities is Hamas' decision to engage seriously with an Egyptian-brokered deal that sketches out a path to peace with rival Fatah. Despite its reactionary rhetoric, Hamas is a rational actor, a conclusion reached by former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy, who also was Ariel Sharon's national security adviser and who is certainly not an Israeli peacenik. The Hamas leadership has undergone a transformation \"right under our very noses\" by recognizing that \"its ideological goal is not attainable and will not be in the foreseeable future,\" Halevy wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth a few months ago. His verdict is that Hamas is now ready and willing to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state within the temporary borders of 1967. Yet if Hamas is so eager to accept a two-state solution, why doesn't it simply announce that it recognizes Israel's existence and promise to negotiate a peace deal that allows the two countries to coexist? In interviews with Hamas officials, they stress that their organization has made significant concessions to the so-called Quartet's three conditions, though the Quartet (the United Nations, Russia, United States and European Union) has not lifted the punishing sanctions against Hamas nor has it effectively pressed Israel. Hamas' diplomatic starting point will be to demand that Israel recognizes the nationalist rights of the Palestinians and withdraws from the occupied territories, but it will not be its final position. There could be no viable, lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians if Hamas is not consulted about peacemaking and if the Palestinians remain divided with two warring authorities in the West Bank and in Gaza. Hamas has the means and public support to undermine any agreement that does not address the legitimate rights and claims of the Palestinian people. Its rival, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, lacks a popular mandate and the legitimacy needed to implement a resolution of the conflict. President Mahmoud Abbas has been politically weakened by a series of blunders of his own making and by pressure by the U.S., compromising his moral authority in the eyes of a sizable Palestinian constituency. If, instead of ignoring Hamas or, worse yet, seeking its overthrow, the United States and Europe engaged the Islamically based organization, diplomatically and politically, and encouraged it to continue moderating its views, the West could test the extent of Hamas' evolution and find out if the organization is willing to accept a settlement based on the two-state solution. So far, the strategy of isolating and militarily confronting Hamas pursued by Israel and the Bush administration has not appeared to weaken the organization dramatically. If anything, what success this strategy has had in undermining Hamas has been counterproductive, since it has radicalized hundreds of young Palestinians who have joined extremist al Qaeda-inspired factions and reinforced the culture of martyrdom and nihilism. To break this impasse, and prevent further gains by more extremist factions, the U.S. and Europe should support a unified Palestinian government that could negotiate peace with Israel. The ongoing Egyptian-brokered truce deal between Hamas and Fatah is an opportunity that may be built on to repair and strengthen intra-Palestinian governing institutions that have been frayed as a result of intense rivalry in the last two years. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Fawaz A. Gerges." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are signs Hamas is taking new stance on Israel, Fawaz A. Gerges says .\nHe says pro-Hamas clerics are preparing people for coexistence .\nHamas is fighting groups inspired by al Qaeda, Gerges says .\nHe urges West to test Hamas' willingness to engage in Mideast peace process ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The U.S. military did major damage to the site of one of the wonders of the ancient world while converting it into a base, the United Nations said in a new report. An U.S. soldier looks over the ancient city of Babylon in Iraq in 2004. The site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was converted into Camp Alpha shortly after the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. The troops and their contractors caused \"major damage\" by digging, cutting, scraping and leveling while they were revamping the site to meet military standards, the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, said in a report. \"Key structures that were damaged include the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way,\" the report added. The Ishtar Gate, an entrance to the northern part of the city, is decorated with animals that portray the symbol of the god of the city of Babylon. \"Damage to the gate includes smashed bricks on nine of the bodies of the animals adorning the gate,\" according to the report. A military official said she had not seen the U.N. report, but added that one of the reasons troops set up a base at the site was to safeguard it. \"Coalition forces first occupied the Babylon site in April 2003 during the ground campaign of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a purpose, among others, of protecting the ruins from looting after the provincial museums in Babylon and Kufa were robbed of their entire contents,\" said Lt. Col. Tamara Parker, a spokeswoman. \"U.S. forces respect historical sites in Iraq,\" she added. The United Nations lists additional damage to the site, including trenches used as firing positions and barbed wire secured to various spots. The stakes used to set up the barbed wire damaged walls, according to the report. Babylon, an hour's drive south of Baghdad, dates to ancient Mesopotamia. The city on the banks of the Euphrates River was the home of Hammurabi and later Nebuchadnezzar, who built the famous gardens for his wife. Alexander the Great wished to make Babylon his capital, but died before realizing his plan. During colonial times, archaeologists hauled off Babylon's artifacts to Europe. Some of those artifacts can be seen in a museum in Berlin, Germany. The site was occupied by Camp Alpha from September 2003 till December 2004, the report said. The United States has agreed to pay $800,000 to help rehabilitate the Babylon site, an Iraqi official said. \"We were very disappointed when multinational forces took over these ancient sites as bases although they knew how important these sites are to Iraqis and to the entire world,\" said Abdulzahra al-Talaqani, spokesman for the ministry of tourism. Plans are under way to clean up the area in August with the help of hundreds of volunteers, according to al-Talaqani. The U.N. report noted that U.S. troops were not solely responsible for ruining the 4,000-year-old city. Before their arrival, local residents had contributed to the damage, mostly through development, the report said. \"The features of the western side of the city of Babylon disappeared many years ago due to encroachment by agriculture and development on the archaeological zone,\" the report said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.N. report claims U.S. troops damaged city of Babylon during Iraq invasion .\nCamp Alpha was built on site of Iraq's historic Hanging Gardens .\nReport cites extensive damage to Ishtar's Gate, Processional Way .\nUnited States to pay $800,000 to clean Babylon site ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Italy's Valentino Rossi gave his bid to seal a seventh Moto GP world title at the Malaysian Grand Prix a boost after qualifying for the race in pole position. The defending champion set a name lap-record time of 2 minutes 00.518 seconds despite sweltering conditions on Saturday. The time smashed Casey Stoner's 2007 lap record of 2 minutes 02.108 seconds. The Yamaha rider celebrated his seventh pole of the season by pulling a wheelie as he drove into the pit lane at the Sepang circuit. The 5.5-kilometer track that is situated south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, is a notoriously tought test for rider and machine alike with its combination of tight corners, long straights and tough high-speed bends. The 30-year-old currently leads the world championship by 38 points, a position that means a top-four finish at Sepang would seal the title on Sunday. Rossi's teammate Jorge Lorenzo qualified in second place, just 0.569sec behind -- a result that prompted Rossi to pay tribute to the hard work of his team. \"The team worked well, the bike performed well, hence I was able to go faster. \"Starting from pole is important since the (first) corner is far away,\" he added. Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (Honda) was 0.736sec behind Rossi while Australian Stoner was fourth at 0.937sec. Ducati rider Stoner, who finished ahead of Rossi in last weekend's Australian Grand Prix to take the win, is third in the world championship standings, with Pedrosa fourth on a Honda." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Italy's Valentino Rossi qualifies in pole position for the Malaysian Moto GP .\nThe 30-year-old's fastest time smashed the lap record at the Sepang circuit .\nRossi currently leads the world championship by 38 points with two races left .\nThe defending champion can clinch his seventh title with a top-four finish ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Asa Hill was 7 years old when he died. Although the boy was pulled out of a burning car alive in a horrific accident on the Niagara Thruway on Thursday, his injuries proved critical, and he passed away the following night. Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatzion hug at their son's funeral, which ended with their wedding. The Buffalo, New York, community, shaken, turned out in large numbers at his funeral Monday to support his parents, Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatzion, and were pleasantly surprised when the couple ended the service with a wedding ceremony, a fulfillment of their son's wish. The Rev. Joel Miller of The Unitarian Universalist Church of Elmwood, where the service was held, was unsure at first when the idea of a wedding was proposed by the couple and their family. \"I asked twice, 'We're doing a wedding?' This was new for me. I never did a funeral service and a wedding ceremony at the same time, and normally wouldn't, but they have known each other since they were teens,\" Miller said. \"And they had been providing for Asa, and they made a home together for all of Asa's life. ... It was clear they were following through on something they had been talking about for some time.\" Watch the funeral and wedding ceremony » . Hill and Ghirmatzion have been best friends since they were 15 and have been together for almost half of their lives. After Asa was born, marriage had always been something that they considered but, according to Hill, both felt that a wedding was \"superficial and not necessary.\" Asa, however, was insistent that they make their union official. \"Asa really wanted us to do it, and every time he would ask us we would say, 'Yes, we'll get married,' \" said Hill. But the couple never did get around to figuring out the logistics for a ceremony. While holding his lifeless son in his arms at the hospital, Hill was moved to finally officially propose to his lifelong partner. \"Rahwa was overwhelmed at that moment and just looked at me. When the family sat down to plan the funeral service, she said 'Let's get married.' And everyone broke down at the table,\" he said. The marriage took place after a service filled with African drums, dancing, sermons and family and friends sharing memories of Asa, all in celebration of his life. Miller said about 1,100 people attended the service, with hundreds overflowing onto the church lawn, where sound systems were set up so they could hear the service. When the wedding was announced, there were shocked cheers and applause from those in the church pews. \"We wanted it to be a surprise,\" Hill said. \"We knew it would be a joyous moment. You could see how it lifted them, and we figured, why not make it a surprise at the end.\" The Unitarian Universalist Church was chosen because its non-denominational tradition would welcome all the diverse groups of the Elmwood community, Hill said. The family has strong ties to the community and, according to Miller, who had known Asa since he was 5, Asa embodied this. \"He was a powerful presence: direct, smart, and had a way of bringing people together,\" Miller said. \"When you met him, you knew you met someone. We all didn't know each other, but we knew Asa and his family.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "7-year-old Asa Hill had asked his parents over and over to get married .\nThe boy died last week after being injured in traffic accident .\nAs parents dealt with his death, they decided to marry at the end of his funeral .\nWedding came as a joyous surprise to mourners who filled the church ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour has broadcast from some of the world's most challenging locations. Here, we bring together links to her documentaries and exclusive web-only footage. Generation Islam (2009) Christiane gives viewers a look inside the battle for the hearts and minds of youth in the Muslim world and travels to two of the places where the fight is most intense -- Afghanistan and Gaza. - Generation Islam . - Video: The would-be suicide bomber . Buddha's Warriors (2008) Christiane meets the Dalai Lama and spends time with his flock for CNN's 2008 special, \"Buddha's Warriors,\" where she explores how people whose religion commits them to love, kindness and non-violence confront severe political oppression. - Behind the scenes: Buddha's Warriors . - Interview with the Dalai Lama: On China \| A moment of karma \| On reincarnation . Notes from North Korea (2008) Christiane travels to North Korea as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra makes a historic visit to one of the world's most closed societies. She examines the tense standoff with the U.S. over nuclear weapons and provides a rare look inside a notorious, top-secret nuclear facility. - Notes from North Korea: Part 1 \| Part 2 . - Yongbyon tour: Part 1 \| Part 2 \| Part 3 . - Behind the scenes: Amanpour's notes . Scream Bloody Murder (2008) Christiane reports from the world's killing fields, where genocide has raged as the world watched -- and traces the personal accounts of those who tried to stop the slaughter. - Scream Bloody Murder . God's Warriors (2007) Christiane travelled to eight countries over eight months to examine the impact of the rise of religious fundamentalism as a powerful political force in three faiths: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. - God's Warriors . - Video: Rev. Jerry Falwell's final interview . Revolutionary Journey (2000) Christiane, who left Iran at the start of the Islamic Revolution, returns to the country of her birth for an inside look at a country that after years of conservative Islamic rule, voted to keep President Khatami in office and his democratic reform efforts alive. - Revolutionary Journey: Part 1 \| Part 2 \| Part 3 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CNN Chief International Correspondent, Christiane Amanpour presents \"Amanpour.\"\nSee her award-winning documentaries and exclusive web footage here .\nIn \"Scream Bloody Murder\" Christiane reports from the world's killing fields .\n\"Revolutionary Journey\" sees Christiane return to Iran to explore her birth country ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Manchester United are given more injury-time at the end of matches to equalize or score winning goals than their English Premier League rivals, a study has revealed. Owen's 96th minute winner at Old Trafford left Manchester City livid. As the row over the near seven minutes of added time accorded to United to win the Manchester derby with a last-gasp Michael Owen goal continues, the Guardian newspaper probed the official injury-time statistics. They looked at league matches at United's Old Trafford ground since the start of the 2006-07 season and revealed that, on average, there has been over a minute of extra time added by referees when the English champions do not have the lead. This is compared to when they are in front, but United have a reputation for scoring late goals on their ways to claiming three straight Premier League crowns. In 48 games when Alex Ferguson's men were in front, the average amount of stoppage time was 191.35 seconds. In 12 matches when United were drawing or losing there was an average of 257.17 seconds. In mitigation, the study revealed that the average stoppage time added at Old Trafford is below that at the home grounds of top four rivals Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. United's is 205 seconds, compared to Liverpool's 210 seconds, 224 seconds for Arsenal and Chelsea's 229 seconds. But it is the disparity between the time added on when United are winning or losing which appears to assert the popular assertion that referees allow the match to continue until the Red Devils either equalizer or score the winner. Manchester City manager Mark Hughes raged over the extra time in the 4-3 thriller on Sunday, speaking of feeling \"robbed\" as Owen slotted home his winner. The 2007-08 season shows the greatest difference, with an average of 178.29 second added when United were winning, with official stats from Opta showing 254.5 seconds added when they were not. The trend has continued in the first three United home games of the season. In the two matches United have led they have played an average 304 seconds of injury time. On Sunday, referee Martin Atkinson allowed the game to go on for another 415 seconds, despite his fourth official initially indicating 240 seconds should be added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Official statistics show referee add more time when Man Utd trailing at home .\nStudy conducted over the last three seasons shows disparity of over a minute .\nMan City manager Mark Hughes furious over amount of added time in 4-3 loss ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SLEEPY EYE, Minnesota (CNN) -- A 13-year-old Minnesota boy whose family has rejected chemotherapy to treat his cancer is with his mother near Los Angeles, California, and they may be planning to travel to Mexico, authorities said Wednesday. Doctors say Daniel Hauser's lymphoma responded well to a first round of chemotherapy in February. Brown County Sheriff Rich Offmann cited \"reliable information\" in making the announcement to reporters, adding that Colleen Hauser may be seeking treatment for her son's lymphoma just south of San Diego, California, in Mexico. \"I'm confident we will find them,\" Offmann said. \"I'm hoping for Daniel's sake we will find them.\" Anthony Hauser, Colleen's husband and the boy's father, has been cooperating with law enforcement, Offmann said. Earlier Wednesday the boy's father said he believed his son and his wife had already left the country. \"I will say this: I have left a call to where I think they could possibly be,\" Anthony Hauser said from his home in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, about 85 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Asked whether he believes that they have gone to Canada, he said, \"I'm not saying it's Canada. You know, that isn't where I left my call.\" He made his comments a day after a Minnesota judge issued an arrest warrant for Colleen Hauser, who failed to appear with the boy at a court hearing. A judge scheduled the hearing to review an X-ray ordered by the court to assess whether Daniel Hauser's Hodgkin's lymphoma was worsening. A doctor testified at the hearing that the X-ray showed \"significant worsening.\" In a news release, the Brown County Sheriff's Office said the father had been \"cooperative\" in helping them find his son but added, \"the investigators cannot speculate on the sincerity of the information that Anthony Hauser has provided.\" The sheriff's office has been in touch with the FBI, and the boy has been entered in the Missing and Exploited Children network, it said. Anthony Hauser testified at the hearing that he last saw his wife at the family's farm on Monday night, when she told him she was going to leave \"for a time.\" He later said he would like his wife and son to return. \"I'd like to tell them, you know, 'Come back and be safe and be a family again,' \" he said. \"That's what I'd like to tell them.\" Watch father urge the pair to come back » . District Judge John R. Rodenberg of Brown County, Minnesota, said the boy's \"best interests\" require him to receive medical care. His family opposes the proposed course of treatment, which includes chemotherapy. \"It is imperative that Daniel receive the attention of an oncologist as soon as possible,\" the judge wrote. During Tuesday's hearing, Dr. James Joyce testified that he had seen the boy and his mother on Monday at his office. He said the boy had \"an enlarged lymph node\" near his right clavicle and that the X-ray showed \"significant worsening\" of a mass in his chest. In addition, the boy complained of \"extreme pain\" at the site where a port had been inserted to deliver an initial round of chemotherapy. The pain was \"most likely caused by the tumor or mass pressing on the port,\" testified Joyce, who called the X-ray \"fairly dramatic\" evidence that the cancer was worsening. Watch CNN's Dr. Gupta discuss Daniel's chances » . Rodenberg ordered custody of the boy transferred to Brown County Family Services and issued a contempt order for the mother. Philip Elbert, Daniel's court-appointed attorney, said he considers his client to have a \"diminished capacity\" for reasons of his age and the illness and that he thinks Daniel should be treated by a cancer specialist. Elbert added that he does not think Daniel -- who, according to court papers, cannot read -- has enough information to make an informed decision regarding his treatment. Daniel's symptoms of persistent cough, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes were diagnosed in January as Hodgkin's lymphoma. In February, the cancer responded well to an initial round of chemotherapy, but the treatment's side effects concerned the boy's parents, who then opted not to pursue further chemo and instead sought out other medical opinions. Court documents show that doctors estimated the boy's chance of five-year remission with more chemotherapy and possibly radiation at 80 percent to 95 percent. But the family opted for a holistic medical treatment based upon Native American healing practices called Nemenhah and rejected further treatment. In a written statement issued last week, an attorney for the parents said they \"believe that the injection of chemotherapy into Danny Hauser amounts to an assault upon his body, and torture when it occurs over a long period of time.\" Medical ethicists say parents generally have a legal right to make decisions for their children, but there is a limit. \"You have a right, but not an open-ended right,\" Arthur Caplan, director of the center for bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, said last week. \"You can't compromise the life of your child.\" CNN's Chris Welch contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Police think mom, son may be headed toward Mexico .\nDad says he called where he thinks they could be, won't say if it's Canada .\n\"Come back and be safe and be a family,\" Anthony Hauser urges wife and son .\n13-year-old needs chemotherapy, doctors and court say ." } ]
[ { "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 contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose new book is \"Late Edition: A Love Story.\" Bob Greene says discussion of ballplayer Ted Williams' corpse is a shameful way to remember the superstar. (CNN) -- \"I was scared,\" Ted Williams said. He was talking about his lifelong fear of not being good enough -- of coming up short. \"I was always afraid I might fail,\" he said. \"I was pictured as being so cocky -- I might have been cocky to some people, but not in my heart. All the time, I was just hoping to make whatever league I was in.\" I am thinking about a long conversation I had with Williams toward the end of his life. I'm thinking about it because of the unconscionable thing that is being done to him now that he is gone, now that he is without any defenses. You may have heard about a new book that makes some cruel and repugnant allegations about the mistreatment of his remains. What has been done to Williams' good name since his death at age 83 in 2002 is heartbreaking. First there was the very public battle within his family about what to do with his body; when it was entrusted to a facility that specializes in cryonics -- freezing -- there were tasteless gags all over television. Now there is the nauseating voyeurism surrounding these new allegations. They are unspeakable, and I will not repeat them here. He has been made a joke. It is as if there has been a conscious effort to rob him of his humanity. As if he is a punch line, as if he was never a person with thoughts and feelings. No one deserves this, and certainly not Ted Williams. A magnificent 19-year career with the Boston Red Sox; twice the winner of baseball's triple crown; the last ballplayer to hit .400 in a season; two tours of duty in the military in World War II and the Korean War ... This is the man whose right to rest in respectful peace is being stripped from him. It is a crime. And because he can no longer speak for himself, I will share with you his voice from a time when he could. \"I can't believe how well people have treated me, how nicely,\" he told me. He had suffered a series of strokes; he knew there wasn't much time left. I was writing a monthly column for Life magazine, and he had agreed to talk with me. I told him that there was something striking about his voice: He sounded just like John Wayne. \"John Wayne sounded like me,\" he said, not kidding. When he told me about his fear of failure, it was in the context of always being fixated on his own shortcomings. \"The only time I could savor an evening is if I had done something well,\" he said. \"My most disappointing things all my life were always related to baseball. I didn't feel good because I did something successfully; I felt bad if I failed to do something that I was expected to do.\" As a young ballplayer, he supposedly said, \"All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street, people will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.' \" It happened. That was what people said about him. Did it satisfy him? \"I would slide down in my seat a little bit when I heard someone say that,\" he told me. \"Because I wanted people to believe it, but I didn't believe it myself. I didn't believe it then, and I don't believe it now. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron -- they were so good. When I would be at a dinner and someone would say I was the best, I would want to hide out of sight and sink into the floor.\" At the height of his talent, he stepped away from baseball to fly Panther fighter jets in Korea. He was a United States Marine pilot; often he would go out on two-plane missions flying side-by-side with a young Marine hotshot by the name of John Glenn. Talk about two Americans you can count on in a pinch.... I asked Glenn about Williams once. \"He was just great,\" Glenn said. \"The same skills that made him the best baseball hitter ever -- the eye, the coordination, the discipline -- are what he used to make himself an excellent combat pilot.\" This is the man who is being degraded today. This is the man who is being treated, in death, as if he is in a carnival sideshow. As I spoke with Williams, with his eyesight failing and his body inexorably shutting down, I asked him: If he could change one thing in his life, what would it be? He said that this, more than anything else, is what he wished for: the ability to \"run like a deer.\" I thought he was talking about wishing he could have his youth back -- wishing, in his old age, that he could stand up and run again. But that wasn't it. He said he wished that, back when he was a player, he was just a little faster. \"I would run to first,\" he recalled of his years with the Red Sox, \"and there would be that boom-boom.\" The sound of being called out at first base, the ball hitting the fielder's glove just before Williams's foot hit the bag. \"If I could have run a little faster ... how many at-bats did I have?\" he asked me. \"Seven thousand?\" I told him it was 7,706. With 2,654 hits. \"If I could have run just a little faster, I bet you I could have had 50 more hits,\" he said. He paused. There was wistfulness in his voice. \"Maybe a hundred,\" he said. A man seeing death just up the road, still dreaming of excellence. That is the man whose dignity we have treated with such awful indifference. Shame on us. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bob Greene: Discussion about Ted Williams' remains is distasteful .\nHe recalls superstar player as a man who always strove to do his best .\nWilliams was baseball's last .400 hitter and a veteran of two wars ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States temporarily closed its government facilities in South Africa on Tuesday after a \"possible threat\" to its embassy, the U.S. State Department said. The U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, is among the American facilities closed Tuesday. The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and other government offices in South Africa will remain closed Wednesday as the security threat is being monitored, embassy spokeswoman Sharon Hudson-Dean said. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the action was a precaution. \"We are ... notifying the American community in South Africa to remain vigilant,\" Kelly said. \"We are also maintaining close contact with South African authorities on this issue.\" He had no further details on the \"possible threat\" to the embassy in Pretoria. A note on the embassy's Web site said all U.S. government facilities in South Africa were temporarily closed following \"information recently received\" by regional security officials. Kelly said the embassy's Emergency Action Committee met and is formulating an appropriate course of action. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse and Elise Labott contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, other offices will be closed additional day .\nU.S. State Department spokesman calls temporary closings a precaution .\nAmericans in South Africa told to remain \"vigilant\"" } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Renault Formula One team have commenced legal proceedings against former driver Nelson Piquet Junior over allegations made by the Brazilian that he was asked by the team to deliberately crash his car in last year's Singapore Grand Prix. Renault boss Flavio Briatore has issued a statement confirming legal proceddings against Nelson Piquet Jr. It has been claimed that Renault boss, Flavio Briatore, in order to maximize the chances of Fernando Alonso winning the 2008 race, planned the crash of teammate Piquet Jr. Renault have hit back against the allegations concerning the event made by Piquet Jr in an official statement on their Web site. \"Managing Director Flavio Briatore personally wish[es] to state criminal proceedings against Nelson Piquet Junior and Nelson Piquet Senior [have commenced] in France concerning the making of false allegations,\" the statement read. The statement added the three-times former world champion and his son had also attempted to \"blackmail the team\" into allowing Piquet Jr to continue to drive until the end of the 2009 season. Renault, who dismissed Piquet Jr as their driver in August, confirmed they have referred the matter to the British police. The French car constructor face being thrown out of Formula One if the allegations are proved by an investigation being conducted by the governing body of world motorsport, the FIA. The team will go before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Paris on September 21 to hear the findings of the probe. Double world champion Alonso won the race -- the first for Renault in two years -- despite starting from 15th on the grid. Intriguingly, Renault ran a light fuel load on Alonso's car -- thereby increasing the driver's speed. Just two laps after Alonso came in early to take on more fuel, Piquet's crash forced the deployment of the safety car and the subsequent pit stop of nearly all other drivers, an action that promoted Alonso to fifth from where he went onto to secure victory. Piquet attributed the crash to a simple error at the time. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently warned \"there is going to be a lot of trouble\" if the allegations are found to be true. The FIA proved with the spygate saga only circumstantial evidence is required for them to impose strict penalties. On that occasion they fined McLaren $80 million for breaching the same article that is now now faced by Renault." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Renault commence legal action against Nelson Piquet Jr over race-fixing claim .\nTeam boss Flavio Briatore also accuses driver of \"blackmailing\" Renault .\nAllegations refer to Fernando Alonso's 2008 Singapore Grand Prix victory .\nRenault to face findings of FIA investigation into incident on September 21 ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- California voters on Tuesday appear to have approved Proposition 8, a measure banning same-sex marriage in the state. CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin says the U.S. Supreme Court may have to rule on the issue of same-sex marriage. California's secretary of state late Tuesday released semi-official results showing Proposition 8 had passed 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent. CNN has not officially called the result one way or the other. On Wednesday protesters took to the streets of Los Angeles to voice their opposition to the potential ban. And there are at least three legal challenges to it now pending in court. Kiran Chetry of CNN's \"American Morning\" spoke Thursday with the program's legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, about the issue. Chetry: California's attorney general says that the constitutional amendment is not retroactive, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says he will continue to marry people until someone sues him to stop. So what does Prop 8 mean first of all to people who want to get married in the state of California? Hostin: Well, we already know in Los Angeles they are no longer issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. So in Los Angeles, it's a no go. In San Francisco, as you mentioned, the mayor is saying, \"We're still going to be doing it.\" So for people that aren't married yet, it's really legal limbo. Chetry: All right. And what about people who from the time that they allowed same-sex marriage, this was in May until November, some 18,000 couples decided they were going to do it. What happens to them? Is their marriage still valid? Hostin: It's still valid right now. But really they are also in a legal limbo. The bottom line it's all over the place. The law is really unclear here. Last night, I was poring over these legal papers. I was also discussing this with a lot of law professors, a lot of different lawyers, and everyone is all over the place. Some folks said, you know, the bottom line is when you look at the language of Proposition 8, it is very clear that it was meant to be retroactive and that means that all the marriages will be invalidated. Then another law professor that I spoke to said that is absolutely fundamentally ridiculous. The bottom line is this is a fundamental right that was given to couples and this is a right that is not going to be given away. I think we're going to see a lot of litigation here, Kiran, and the bottom line is everyone is in a legal, legal limbo. Chetry: It's very interesting the grounds for which they are challenging. At least in one of these lawsuits they said that it was a constitutional revision rather than an amendment. And that means it would need two-thirds approval of the House in the legislature. So do we think it could go to the state house in California as well as being fought in the courts? Hostin: I really think this is going to be a legal issue. I think this is going to go before the California Supreme Court. And we already know as you mentioned that there are three cases pending before the California Supreme Court. And what is interesting to note is that it's the very same court that allowed these marriages in the first place. And so, my guess is that that court is going to weigh in, probably reinstitute the right to marry for same-sex couples and then that's going to be likely based on the U.S. Constitution and our Supreme Court is going to weigh in. What is I think extremely interesting here is that we now know that we have a president-elect, Obama. He's going to get the opportunity likely to appoint Supreme Court justices. So we don't even know which type of court or the makeup of the court that will hear this. But I think the Supreme Court will likely weigh in on this issue. Chetry: This was such a hot button issue in the state. More spending on either side, $35 million, $37 million on both sides. Hostin: Yes. Chetry: It was the highest funded campaign on any state ballot. Hostin: That's right. Chetry: They say it trumped every other campaign except the presidential. Hostin: People care about this issue. I mean, they're talking about discrimination, equal protection. It's an issue that's a hotbed issue. We also know, Kiran, that in Arizona and Florida that this ban was implemented. And so, you know, it's all over the place. People care about this issue, and this is an issue that is really present. And I think that it's something that, we, of course, have to watch because we're talking about equal protection, we're talking about discrimination. People care about these issues. Chetry: Sunny Hostin, great to see you. Thank you. Hostin: Thanks. iReport.com: Did you vote on a same-sex measure?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "California voters appear to have approved a ban on same-sex marriage .\nAt least three court challenges have been filed against ban .\nCNN legal analyst says opinions on ban's legality are \"all over the place\"\nAnalyst says U.S. Supreme Court will likely be called upon to decide issue ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel defeated her foreign minister Sunday to win another four-year term, according to exit polls reported by German television network NTV. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer, vote Sunday in Berlin. NTV reported Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party received 33.7 percent of the vote, based on exit poll projections. The polls show Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's center-left Social Democrats received 23.4 percent, the network reported. \"Not only are you happy, I am very happy as well,\" Merkel told cheering supporters at her headquarters. \"We've accomplished something great. We've done it. We've reached our election goal, to retain a stable majority in Germany and a new government with a new coalition.\" The crowd chanted, \"Angie, Angie, Angie.\" Steinmeier, meanwhile, conceded what he called \"a bitter defeat\" for the Social Democrats. \"The voters have decided, and the result is a bad day,\" Steinmeier said in a speech to supporters. He thanked those who helped lead his campaign and those who supported him. The two parties currently are in a coalition, with Steinmeier as foreign minister. Few doubted that Merkel's party would receive the most votes. The question was what kind of coalition will be formed -- another broad centrist one, across the political divide, or a more right-leaning one. Merkel favors cutting taxes to spur growth, while Steinmeier opposes tax breaks. The country is deep in debt. What's at stake in the German election » . Voters chose members of the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, who will pick the head of government. Each German had two votes -- one for a member of parliament representing a district and another for a political party. The election Sunday followed release of a threatening videos from al Qaeda and the Taliban warning Germans not to vote for leaders who want to keep the country's troops in Afghanistan. Security was tightened at airports and train stations, and authorities on Saturday banned all flights over the Oktoberfest beer festival until it ends on October 4. The annual event attracts about 6 million people. About 62 million people were eligible to vote, out of Germany's population of 82 million. CNN's Fred Pleitgen contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chancellor Angela Merkel defeats her foreign minister, exit polls indicate .\n\"This is a bitter defeat,\" says challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier .\nMerkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union got 33.7% of vote, TV reports .\nSteinmeier's center-left Social Democrats received 23.4 percent, network says ." } ]
[ { "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) -- Anna Nicole Smith's bizarre introduction of rapper Kanye West at the 2004 American Music Awards took center stage on the first day of a preliminary hearing for three people facing charges stemming from her death. Anna Nicole Smith's death on February 8, 2007, was ruled to be from \"acute combined drug intoxication.\" Prosecutors said they wanted Judge Robert Perry to see how the former Playboy model and reality TV star was affected by what they alleged was an illegal conspiracy to prescribe, administer and dispense controlled substances to an addict. Howard K. Stern, Smith's lawyer and companion, and co-defendants Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor each entered not guilty pleas in Los Angeles County Superior Court in September. The preliminary hearing, which lawyers said could last three weeks, is an opportunity for the defense to \"lock in\" the testimony of prosecution witnesses, one defense lawyer said. It is not expected to result in any charges being dropped, he said. The lawyer for Stern, who faces 11 felony counts, said to prove a conspiracy, the prosecutor would have to show Stern knew it was illegal to use fake names to obtain narcotics for Smith, which he said was to protect her privacy. \"He has no reason to believe that there was anything improper in what was going on,\" defense lawyer Steve Sadow said. \"He honestly believed that if the doctor said he could do it this way and, in fact, did it, then it was legitimate and lawful.\" Smith's death in a Hollywood, Florida, hotel on February 8, 2007, was ruled to be from \"acute combined drug intoxication,\" the Broward County, Florida, medical examiner said. Smith's introduction of Kanye West -- projected on a courtroom screen -- was a brief respite from a mostly tedious hearing spent shuffling through prescription records. \"Like my body?\" a slim and busty Smith asked as she showed off her tight-fitting gown. Smith slurred much of her speech as she tried to read from a teleprompter. \"Make some noise for my boy, Kanye West,\" Smith finally yelled. Sadow said the video should be viewed in the context of the medical problems Smith was suffering at the time. \"We all have bad days, and she suffered from seizures and she had medical problems,\" Sadow said. \"So, if she's on medication for that, [it] would explain her activity.\" Stern sat with his head in his hands at times while the government's lead investigator described what happened the day Smith died at the Hard Rock Hotel. Danny Santiago, special agent for the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, said investigators found 12 types of prescription drugs, including dangerous opiates, in the hotel room. Seven of them were prescribed using Stern's name, although spelled \"Stearn,\" he said. Two of the drugs apparently were for treatment of \"flu-like symptoms\" Smith was suffering when she arrived at the hotel three days before her death, he said. A hotel employee who saw Smith and Stern arrive told investigators she \"wasn't her normal vivacious self,\" Santiago said. Another hotel worker who had closely assisted Smith during several earlier stays said she was not allowed contact with Smith, which she said was \"very unusual,\" Santiago testified. The workers said they were told Smith was suffering from \"flu-like symptoms.\" The autopsy revealed Smith had a bacterial infection, Santiago said. When Stern left the hotel on the morning of February 8 to shop for a new boat, he asked Tasma Brighthaupt, a registered nurse who is married to Smith's bodyguard, to watch over Smith, who he said was sleeping, the investigator said. Brighthaupt sat next to the bed, surfing the Internet with a laptop and talking on her cell phone, believing Smith was sleeping, he said. Finally, Brigette Neben, described as a friend of Smith's, noticed her lips were turning blue and her skin was pale, he said. When the nurse was unable to find a pulse, she called her husband, Maurice Brighthaupt. He then called the hotel desk, where an employee called for paramedics. CPR efforts by the bodyguard and paramedics failed to revive Smith, who was then taken to Hollywood Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the investigator said. A series of affidavits used by state investigators to obtain search warrants in their 2½-year investigation was unsealed last month, revealing many details, including an account of one witness who told investigators she saw Stern inject Smith with drugs. Other affidavits included a medical expert's conclusion that Smith, whose real name was Vickie Lynn Marshall, was given drugs in \"excessive amounts\" and a pharmacist who said he had refused to fill a prescription for a long list of strong narcotics." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Video played at preliminary hearing on reality star Smith's death .\n3 charged with conspiracy to prescribe, administer and dispense drugs .\nHoward Stern, Khristine Eroshevich, Sandeep Kapoor have pleaded not guilty ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Click here for video . Thursday, August 20, 2009 . 8:13 PM ET - Gruesome details emerging from Buena Park police in the brutal death of 28 year old Jasmine Fiore. Not only was Fiore stuffed in a suitcase and thrown away in a dumpster, but we learn Fiore's teeth and fingers were removed. Authorities believe the murder suspect, Ryan Jenkins, is armed with a handgun, still on the run, most likely in Canada. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer) 7:24 PM ET - Moments ago Buena Park, California police announced that as of this afternoon an arrest warrant has been issued for Ryan Jenkins in the murder of 28 year old swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore. Jenkins is officially a fugitive. Although Jenkins' black BMW has been located in Washington State, Fiore's white Mercedes is still missing. Authorities do believe Jenkins has crossed the border into Canada and they are now working with Canadian Royal Police to apprehend Jenkins. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer) 6:23 PM ET - Major developments right now! The Orange County DA's office confirms they will file murder charges against reality TV star Ryan Jenkins in the brutal death of swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore. A news conference is set to take place any moment, standby for more details. We will also bring you all the latest developments on the show at 8pm EST for the full hour tonight. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer) 3 PM ET - Is a reality TV star wanted for questioning in the murder of swimsuit model 28 year old Jasmine Fiore on the run? LA cops have been unable to get in touch with Ryan Jenkins since Jenkins reported her missing and cops discovered the gorgeous model dead inside a suitcase dumped inside a Buena Park apartment complex dumpster. The last reported sightings of Jenkins were in San Diego alongside Fiore, before her death and within the last 48 hours near a Washington state marina. Jenkins' car and empty boat trailer discovered at that marina alongside the US-Canadian border. The Buena Park police are set to hold a news conference shortly. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer) 1:41 PM ET - Investigators confirm a reality TV star they want to question in connection with the murder of swimsuit beauty Jasmine Fiore may be heading for the border. A car and empty boat trailer belonging to Ryan Jenkins was discovered at a marina in Washington State, a few miles from the Canadian border. Authorities say Jenkins most likely walked across the border to British Columbia. LAPD wants to question Jenkins as a person of interest in Fiore's death because he was one of the last people to see her, reported her missing hours before the model's body was found, then took off. Jenkins has a criminal domestic violence record and was best known for his appearance on VH1's \"Megan Wants a Millionaire\". In light of the investigation, VH1 has shut down airing any more new episodes. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer) Wednesday, August 19, 2009: 7:28 PM ET - Preliminary reports are the swimsuit model found dead in a suitcase inside a Buena Park, California dumpster was strangled. Jasmine Fiore had signs of physical trauma when her body was discovered Saturday morning. The shocking discovery came just hours after her husband, reality TV star, Ryan Jenkins reported Fiore missing. The pair was last spotted in San Diego at a poker game Friday night. And the skeletons are already flying out of the closet for Jenkins. We've just received a criminal report stemming from a 2005 assault case in Calgary, Alberta involving Jenkins and a woman who was not Jasmine Fiore. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer) 5:36 PM ET - A reality TV star is making headlines at this hour for something other than appearing on the airwaves on VH1's \"Megan Wants a Millionaire.\" Police want to question 32 year old Ryan Jenkins in connection with the brutal death of a young, gorgeous swimsuit model. 28 year old Jasmine Fiore vanished after a poker tournament in San Diego. Fiore was allegedly there with Jenkins and reports are the two were husband and wife, secretly married in Las Vegas. Police confirm Jenkins was the one who reported Fiore missing Saturday night, just hours after her body was discovered in a bloody suitcase, thrown away like trash at a Buena Park apartment complex dumpster...but then Jenkins went missing. There are two vehicles of interest in the search for Jenkins...Fiore's white 2007 Mercedes CL S550 and Jenkins' black BMW X5. Police say Jenkins could be behind the wheel of either car. (From Stacey Newman, Nancy Grace Producer)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jasmine Fiore, 28, was found choked to death and stuffed in a suitcase .\nHer husband, reality star Ryan Alexander Jenkins now a murder suspect in the case .\nJenkins reported Fiore missing last Saturday night ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Salvadoran immigrant suspected in the 2001 slaying of Washington intern Chandra Levy told at least two people he killed her, according to an affidavit filed in the case. Ingmar Guandique is serving a 10-year sentence for two assaults in the park where Chandra Levy's body was found. Ingmar Guandique, 27, also kept a magazine photo of Levy in his prison cell, stated the affidavit detailing evidence supporting a warrant for his arrest for first-degree murder. Guandique is in prison in California for two assault convictions. Guandique boasted of his ties to the violent Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, and told witnesses that he was known as \"Chuckie\" -- the name of a demonic doll in a series of horror movies -- because he had a reputation for \"killing and chopping up people,\" the affidavit states. D.C. Metro police and federal prosecutors released the affidavit on Tuesday, announcing they would charge Guandique with first-degree murder in the Levy case. He has not been charged with any other slayings. Watch the police announce arrest » . The affidavit revealed that Levy, 25, fought for her life, scratching her attacker on his face and giving him a \"fat lip.\" Guandique said he received the injuries in a fight with his girlfriend. But the girlfriend later told police that while Guandique struck and bit her at times, she never hit him, the document says. Guandique is serving concurrent 10-year sentences in connection with attacks on two other joggers in the park during the summer of 2001. He told probation officials the attacks were motivated by robbery, but no valuables were taken from either victim. Guandique was arrested after the second attack -- exactly two months after Levy's slaying. D.C. Metro police began to take a hard second look at him in 2008, the affidavit shows. He has repeatedly denied to authorities that he killed Levy, and his public defenders have cautioned against a rush to judgment, citing what they called flaws in the investigation. The affidavit details a case built largely on circumstantial evidence collected over the eight years since Levy disappeared, apparently while jogging along the Western Ridge trail in Washington's Rock Creek Park. It portrays Guandique as an opportunistic attacker who came up behind female joggers, grabbing them as they were tiring and becoming winded. The affidavit includes highlights from interviews with a dozen witnesses, who are not identified by name and are instead given numbers. One witness, who frequently exchanged letters with the suspect, told police Guandique had told him as early as 2003 that he killed a young woman in the park. During a taped 2008 phone conversation with the witness, \"Guandique acknowledged that he had told W9 about the 'girl who's dead,''' the affidavit says. Another witness told police that Guandique said he and two male teenagers were sitting on a bench in a park smoking marijuana laced with cocaine when a woman with dark, thick hair jogged by. The witness said Guandique thought she \"looked good\" and told the two teens that he was going to \"get her.\" Guandique told the witness that the three followed her along a path, then grabbed her and forced her off the trail. When she started screaming, he grabbed her by the neck and choked her to death, so that other people in the park would not hear her cries for help. It is not clear from the affidavit whether the two teens Guandique said were with him actually exist. Police have said no other arrests are imminent, but the investigation is continuing. Timeline of Levy's disappearance » . Levy's skull was found in the park on May 22, 2002 -- more than a year after she disappeared. A search turned up other remains, as well as clothing later identified as hers strewn down the side of a ravine. Her running shoes were unlaced. He clothes were turned inside out, the pants knotted in tight restraints around her legs. \"It appears that Guandique wanted Ms. Levy naked and incapacitated,\" states the affidavit, signed by D.C. Metro Det. Todd Williams. Also among the witnesses are two women who were attacked in Rock Creek Park during the summer of 2001, along with a woman who narrowly escaped her attacker at about 2 p.m. on May 1, 2001 -- about the same time Levy is believed to have been jogging in the park. All three identified Guandique from photographs as the man who stalked them in Rock Creek Park. \"I do not doubt that he purposely stalked me as a hunter tracks his prey,\" one of the victims told police, according to the affidavit. The other victim described him as \"a bold and practiced attacker,\" the affidavit said. \"He waited until he thought I was fatigued from jogging up a hill and purposefully selected a secluded spot right next to a deep ravine. I fear for other women who may appear to be more vulnerable than I did.\" Guandique also allegedly described his methods to one of the witnesses in whom he confided, according to the affidavit. \"Guandique said he would hide on a dirt path and wait for the girl to walk by. He would then lasso the girl around the neck and tie her hands and feet together behind her back to prevent her from scratching or kicking him,\" the affidavit quotes the witness as saying. It continues: \"After the girl was tied up, he would rape her. Guandique admitted that he did not always know whether his victims were still alive at the end of the attack, but that it did not matter, because they would be eaten by the animals, like coyotes and vultures.\" Police visited Guandique at a federal prison in California in November, according to the affidavit. They found him to be heavily tattooed, with multiple MS-13 gang tattoos, as well as \"Chuckie\" tattoos and a devil tattooed on his head. One tattoo on his back depicts the \"Chuckie\" movie character holding a knife, according to the affidavit. Guandique learned last week from media reports that he would be arrested in the Levy murder case and, according to a witness, responded with an expletive. \"They got me now. What am I gonna do?\" the witness quoted Guandique as saying, according to the affidavit. He vowed that he was not \"going to go out alone,\" telling the witness he planned to set a fire with a battery and tissues, then use a homemade handcuff key to escape. He said he would kill the detectives with \"shanks,\" or weapons made in prison. A search of his cell on February 26 turned up the items he described to the witness, the affidavit says. They included an AA battery, several tissues, a toenail clipper fashioned into a sharp piece of metal, and a device made of a razor blade. Authorities said Guandique will be brought to Washington in the next 45 to 60 days and formally charged, ending a chapter in one of Washington's most notorious cold cases. Although the case's notoriety was fed by news reports linking Levy to a married congressman, U.S. Rep. Gary Condit's name does not appear at all in the affidavit supporting the case against the man police want to charge with her murder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Affidavit says suspect kept a magazine photo of Chandra Levy in prison cell .\nNEW: Witnesses say suspect known as \"Chuckie,\" like demonic movie doll .\nAn arrest warrant for Ingmar Guandique was signed Tuesday .\nLevy disappeared in May 2001; her body was found a year later ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A man police believe shot and killed two people at a California toll plaza during the height of evening rush hour Tuesday was taken into custody early Wednesday, authorities told CNN affiliate KTVU. Police say Nathaniel Burris, 46, was arrested just after 3 a.m. on Interstate 80 near Baxter, California. Nathaniel Burris, 46, was arrested just after 3 a.m. on Interstate 80 near Baxter, California, by the California Highway Patrol, Richmond, California, police Sgt. Bisa French told KTVU. The shooting happened at 5:55 p.m. at the entrance to the 7.5-mile Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which links Contra Costa and Marin counties, California Highway Patrol spokesman Sam Morgan told CNNRadio. Deborah Ross, 51, was killed inside one of the toll booths, the California governor's office said. The other person killed was a man shot while sitting in his vehicle, which was parked in a lot at the toll plaza, Morgan said. KTVU identified the man as Ersie \"Chuck\" Everett, 58. Both people were shot with a shotgun, authorities said. The suspect drove off in a white 2005 Ford van with \"Western Eagle Shuttle\" printed on it in orange and blue letters, Morgan said. Richmond police said the deaths appeared to stem from a domestic dispute, KTVU said. French told the station Burris was in a \"dating relationship\" and lived with Ross. Aerial footage showed traffic backed up after the shooting, with cars being ushered through the far-right toll lane. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement expressing shock and sadness over Ross' death. The statement said Capitol flags would be flown at half-staff in her memory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Woman shot inside one of the toll booths; another victim shot inside his vehicle .\nNathaniel Burris of Richmond, California, accused of rush-hour slayings .\nPolice say deaths appeared to stem from a domestic dispute ." } ]
[ { "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) -- Indian authorities Tuesday filed a police complaint against Continental Airlines for frisking a former president of the country as he was to travel to New York in April. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam was exempt from body checks, officials said. Civil aviation officials in New Delhi accused Continental of gross violation of Indian security rules that prohibit pre-embarkation body checks on certain dignitaries like a former president. The police complaint followed a probe that had established that APJ Abdul Kalam was subject to frisking before he boarded a flight from New Delhi to New York on April 21, the Indian civil aviation ministry said in a statement. The ministry also alleged the airline did not respond to its show-cause notice in connection with Kalam's body checks. In its police complaint, Indian civil aviation authorities accused the airline staff of \"willful violation\" of their directions on exemptions from pre-embarkation frisking. Continental, however, insisted it followed standard American air-safety procedures. \"TSA (Transportation Security Administration) requirements impose a final security check in the aerobridge just before boarding the aircraft. \"This procedure is followed by all carriers flying to the U.S. from most of the countries in the world and there is no exemption to this rule,\" it said in a statement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Indian authorities file complaint against Continental for frisking former president .\nFormer president APJ Abdul Kalam was exempt from body checks, officials say .\nContinental, however, insists it followed standard U.S. air-safety procedures ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A man who was raised at Camp Lejeune told lawmakers Thursday that he blames contaminated water at the U.S. Marines training base for his breast cancer. Government records show decades of contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Michael Partain, who was diagnosed two years ago at the age of 39, told the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs that his parents were stationed at the base in North Carolina when he was born. At least 40 former U.S. Marines or sons of Marines who lived at Camp Lejeune have been diagnosed with the cancer that strikes fewer than 2,000 men a year, compared with about 200,000 women. The committee hearing was focused on exposure by military personnel to hazardous materials in the United States, Japan and Iraq, including toxic smoke from burn pits in Iraq and contaminated water. Partain said that during his mother's pregnancy, the family was exposed to high levels of tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride in the tap water at the military base. \"I am one of about 40 men who share this unique commonality of male breast cancer and exposure to contaminated tap water [at] Camp Lejeune,\" he told the committee. The Marines with breast cancer served or lived at Camp Lejeune between the 1960s and 1980s. Government records show that the camp's water was contaminated for three decades. Although the Marine Corps contends that two independent studies have found no link between water contamination and later illnesses, the men facing a debilitating and possibly lethal disease don't believe it. Partain said his illness has been been a \"traumatic, emotional and physical\" ordeal for his family. Two North Carolina senators -- Richard Burr, the ranking Republican on the committee, and Kay Hagan, a Democrat who is not a panel member -- are pushing legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover the medical costs of Marines and their families who were exposed to the contaminated water. The provision, which has passed the Senate, would amend the Defense Appropriations Bill to prohibit the Navy from \"disposing of water-contamination claims before critical scientific studies can be completed.\" According to Hagan, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is conducting human health and water modeling studies to determine whether the toxic water contributed to health problems at the base. Some of the water was contaminated with toxins at concentrations up to 280 times what is currently considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, Hagan said. The bill covers the period between 1957 and 1987. \"I think it should be our mission to give these families complete answers,\" she said. \"They can't get closure until the remaining CDC studies, which are in progress, are complete.\" Sen. Roland Burris, D-Illinois, added, \"I am deeply concerned about possible environmental hazards in places where we are fighting two wars.\" He and other senators agreed that current military personnel and veterans should not have to battle red tape to get health care and benefits. Russell Powell, a medic with the 1092nd West Virginia Army National Guard, said that from April 2003 to June 2004, the unit was assigned to the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant in Basra, Iraq, to provide security for contractors with KBR, an engineering and construction company hired by the Defense Department to provide services in Iraq. When the platoon reached the plant, they found it in disarray and coated with orange-colored dust, he testified. Large bags of the dust had been ripped open, and frequent dust storms blew through the facility, he said. At no time were the security guards offered protective clothing, masks or respirators, Powell said. After a few weeks, several soldiers began getting lesions on their hands, arms, faces and nostrils. \"As a medic, I felt very concerned for the safety and health of persons exposed. I questioned one of the KBR workers, and he told me that his supervisors told him not to worry about it, that we were allergic to sand and dust,\" according to Powell. When he went to a military doctor with his symptoms, the physician prescribed Motrin and Tylenol. Soon after, Powell began coughing up blood and was hospitalized. His face and lips were burned, and he could barely swallow, he said. Powell left Iraq in April 2004, still suffering symptoms, he said. Doctors didn't know what it was. This year, he said, he received a letter from the West Virginia National Guard that said he and others may have been exposed to sodium dichromate. The medic said he's aware that research is being done. Sodium dichromate is a poisonous red-orange crystalline compound. Another witness, Stacy Pennington, cried in the hearing room as she described the agony her brother suffered before he died. Army Staff Sgt. Steven Ochs was 27 when he was deployed to Iraq in 2003, she said. He was assigned at one point to Balad Air Base in northern Iraq, where there was a large burn pit: a junk pit where plastics, food, medical waste and, Pennington said, possibly even body parts were burned. The toxic smoke wafted over the area. Dr. Bill Halperin, who heads a subcommittee of the Defense Health Board, an advisory committee to the Secretary of Defense, said in a presentation last year that before three incinerators were installed, the burn pit received as much as 500,000 pounds of waste a day. After Ochs returned from his third Iraq tour, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, his sister said. He spent 10 months at Duke University Hospital, where doctors, she said, told him that his aggressive form of the disease was \"definitely chemically induced\" by exposures to toxic materials in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Ochs also had served." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: National Guard medic testifies about exposure in Iraq .\nMan tells Senate panel that his family was stationed at base when he was born .\nHe was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago at age 39 .\nFamily was exposed to chemicals in tap water during mother's pregnancy, he says ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- After a weekend of rumors, it's finally official: Heidi Klum and Seal are now the proud parents of a baby girl, Klum's representative confirmed. Heidi Klum met Seal in 2004, and the couple married a year later. The \"Project Runway\" host gave birth Friday night. Klum and Seal named their new bundle Lou Sulola Samuel. The couple, who married in 2005, have been busy babymaking ever since. Lou Sulola is the youngest of four: Henri, 4, Johan, 2 and Leni, 5, whom Klum had from a previous relationship. \"It's difficult to imagine loving another child as much as you love your existing children,\" Seal said of the birth in a statement Tuesday. \"Anyone who has a family will tell you this. Where will one find that extra love? If you love your existing children with all of your heart, how then can one possibly find more heart with which to love another?\" The answer to that question, the Grammy-winning singer said, \"came in the form of our fourth child and second daughter. \"Lou Sulola Samuel was born, and from the moment she looked into both of our eyes, it was endless love at first sight. She is beautiful beyond words, and we are happy that she chose us to watch her grow over the coming years,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Heidi Klum and Seal have confirmed their daughter was born Friday .\nThe couple named her Lou Sulola Samuel .\nShe has three siblings: Henri, Johan and Leni .\nSeal said when Lou Sulola was born, it was \"endless love at first sight.\"" } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Search teams have found the flight data recorder from the Yemenia Airways plane that crashed off the Comoros Islands in June, killing 152 people, the chief investigator said Friday. Search parties continue their operation to locate the Yemenia Airbus A310 off the Comoros Islands in July. An operation to retrieve the recorder has begun, said a statement from investigator Ali Abdou Mohamed. The Airbus 310 crashed into the Indian Ocean, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands. One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. The recorder could contain information to help determine what caused the crash. The plane had tried to land at the airport in Moroni, then made a U-turn before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said soon after the accident. A French official said that country had banned the plane after it failed an aviation inspection in 2007, but Yemenia Airways was not on the European Union's list of banned airlines. Passengers on the flight included 66 French citizens, 54 Comorians, one Palestinian and one Canadian, according to Yemeni and French officials. The crew was made up of six Yemenis, two Moroccans, one Ethiopian, one Filipino and one Indonesian. The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Comoros Islands lie between east African and the island nation of Madagascar .\nRecorder could contain information to help determine what caused the crash .\nThirteen-year-old French girl was the only person to survive plane crash ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During CNN's \"Going Green: Green Light for Business\" coverage, we've asked businesses to tell us how they balance the imperative for profit with environmental concerns. First up is the co-founder of Hong Kong-based DIAZ Fine Jewelry, Salina Khan Fuchigami, whose business packages cubic zirconia diamonds in an environmental wrapping. Growing up surrounded by generations of jewelry wearing tradition, I was drawn to the brilliance and transparency of diamonds from an early age. Later, it was the fact that diamonds are a unique resource, evoking beauty and eternal love that lead me to found DIAZ Fine Jewelry. Salina Khan Fuchigami co-founded DIAZ Fine Jewelry with her husband Takashi. However, as I began to learn beyond the basics and beauty of diamonds, I began to discover the many environmental and ethical issues related to them. And the once simple wish to create a line of exquisite diamond jewelry grew into a mission -- to create an ecologically and ethically correct jewelry brand. I was one of many who were understandably concerned to learn that jewelry they had as a symbol of love may have come at a terrible human and environmental cost. Although the social and ethical issues associated with conflict diamonds were the impetus at the core of the DIAZ philosophy, the serious environmental impacts of the diamond industry could not be ignored. There's an undeniable link between the degradation of our global environment and consumer culture. The trouble is that these days, things are so nicely packaged, presented and displayed that we hardly ever question how the raw materials used to produce the goods are extracted and processed. We rarely think of how it all affects the environment and humankind. It's impossible to assess exactly how much devastation one single diamond could have caused before it was cut, polished, set and sold at a high-end retailer. It's hard to imagine what a diamond mine looks like by looking at the \"stunning sparklers\" that are neatly displayed in shop windows. Somewhere along the way it became irrelevant to question the true cost of the stones. Diamond mining practices are not without huge ecological impacts. Whether extracted from a large-scale diamond mine using modern, clinical mining methods, or through small-scale artisanal alluvial diamond digging, the diamond industry faces environmental challenges just as with any mineral extraction. Land disturbance, which involves the shifting of large quantities of soil from the earth, is interlinked with issues of waste and water pollution as well as huge impacts on biodiversity. Through my company, I knew I could offer an alternative to mined-diamond jewelry of equal beauty and quality -- using lab-created jewels and meticulous craftsmanship -- jewelry that evoked beauty and eternal love, and that was truly transparent. As with any environmental or ethical issue, education, knowledge and action are the keys to ending unnecessary harm. So, as the business grew, we made sure each of our customers received an info-leaflet with every purchase. We began donating proceeds from our sales to grassroots organizations that ran mine-reclamation projects promoting organic farming and biodiversity in mining towns in Sierra Leone, a country devastated by civil war that was fueled by diamonds and now has a landscape scarred by indiscriminate alluvial diamond mining. We began monitoring the working conditions at our workshop, and looking for more sustainable methods of packaging and delivering our jewelry. We found that our customers were happy to be a part of a solution and not the problem. The economic downturn, combined with an increasing awareness of the ecological and ethical facts surrounding diamonds, has meant an increase in customers who appreciate affordable luxury without any attached guilt. There's no doubt that the choices we make and the actions we take today affect the fate of our planet and in turn our well being. With shifting consumer behavior and a changing economic and environmental climate, the time has come where being environmentally conscious is an imperative for all individuals and businesses alike." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CNN has asked businesses to explain their concept of \"Going Green\"\nJeweler Salina Khan Fuchigami uses cubic zirconia instead of diamonds .\nKhan Fuchigami: \"Diamond mining practices have huge ecological impacts\"\nBlog series is part of CNN's \"Going Green\" coverage from June 15 to July 10 ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Phillip Garrido was registered as a sex offender, regularly visited by parole officers and fitted with an ankle bracelet to track his movements -- but nothing prevented him from being around children, according to a victims' advocacy group. Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, was arraigned in California on Friday. Garrido is charged with kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard in 1991, when she was 11, and raping her over the course of years. Police say Dugard lived in a huddle of tents and outbuildings hidden behind Garrido's home, and gave birth to two daughters, now 11 and 15, fathered by Garrido. Garrido and his wife Nancy were arrested last week. Both have pleaded not guilty. \"Here we have a guy who is essentially under every kind of supervision we allow. Law enforcement had every tool available to them, and [the tools] failed,\" said Robert Coombs, spokesman for the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Gordon Hinkle, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said a parole officer visited Garrido at his home, sometimes unannounced, twice a month. Garrido was also required to go to the agent's office once or twice a month, Hinkle said. Garrido wore a GPS anklet, and his movements were tracked passively, Hinkle said, meaning parole officers checked his location after the fact, as opposed to active monitoring, which involves watching parolees' comings and goings in real time. Despite the tight supervision, Garrido \"was technically allowed to be around minors,\" Coombs said, because his parole stemmed from the November 1976 rape of Katie Callaway Hall, who was 25 at the time of the assault. He was sentenced in 1977 to 50 years at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, for kidnapping, because he abducted Hall in California and transported her across the state line to Reno, Nevada, where he raped her in a warehouse, according to court documents. A Nevada court separately sentenced him to five years to life for the rape conviction, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported. While in prison in 1978, Garrido sent a handwritten letter to Judge Bruce R. Thompson, saying he was recovering from seven years of LSD use and progressing well. \"I am so ashamed of my past. But my future is now in controle [sic],\" he wrote. Court documents show Garrido requested that his 50-year sentence be reduced to 25, making him eligible for parole in eight years, \"where he could be released to the state of Nevada as an educated person and being a rehabilitated person.\" According to a 1978 court transcript, attorney Willard Van Hazel Jr. told a judge, \"Without the influence of any of this drug involvement, I think Mr. Garrido would pause before carrying out sexual fantasies.\" After more than a decade at Leavenworth, Garrido received a federal parole but was sent to Carson City, Nevada, in January 1988 to serve his rape sentence. However, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, he was automatically eligible for state parole because of the time served in federal prison. The Nevada Offender Tracking Information System indicates he appeared four times before the parole board, which granted his request in August 1988, about 11 years after he was incarcerated. He moved to Antioch, California. Three years later, 11-year-old Dugard was abducted from her home in South Lake Tahoe, California, about 100 miles northeast. \"He served about 20 percent of his sentence, and it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out if he served only one-third of his sentence, Jaycee Dugard doesn't end up in the predicament that she's in,\" said Andy Kahan, a crime victims' advocate in Houston, Texas. Citing revised federal sentencing guidelines, Kahan and Illinois defense attorney Stephen Komie concur that this is not something that could happen today. \"If he got 50 years, say, he would have 600 months. He would only get 50 months off. He would do 550 months,\" Komie said. \"So this would not be repeated in the federal system again.\" Added Kahan, \"You're going to have to do at least a minimum of half of your term without any good time credits before you can even see the light of day or say hello to a parole board member.\" In 1993, five years after his release from a Nevada prison, Garrido was jailed on a parole violation, but it's unclear what that offense was. Tom Hutchinson, spokesman for the U.S. Parole Commission, said documents have been requested and should be available later this week. Garrido was released later that year. California took over his parole supervision in 1999, Hinkle said, but regular visits did nothing to unearth Dugard's abduction or Garrido's backyard secrets. Another visit by law enforcement was the direct result of a 2006 call a neighbor made to 911, reporting that women and children were living in tents behind Garrido's house. Contra Costa County Sheriff Warren E. Rupf said he didn't think the deputy who responded knew at the time that Garrido was a sex offender and the deputy spoke to Garrido in the home's front yard. \"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.\" Hinkle acknowledged that neighbors called police again with a similar complaint in 2008. To his knowledge, Hinkle said, the deputy didn't contact Garrido's parole officer in either instance. Even if the deputy had made contact, there is no guarantee the parole officer would have found the compound. It was that well-hidden, Hinkle said. \"If you were to walk in the backyard, you would see a fence that ran from one end to the other,\" Hinkle said, describing how the fence created the illusion of a \"false backyard.\" \"It would not be immediately apparent that [the tents and outbuildings were] back there,\" he said. Kahan partially blames the economics of the criminal justice system -- not just in California, but nationwide -- and said Garrido likely became less of a priority as the time since his crimes passed. Despite the heinous nature of Garrido's 1976 crime, it paled in comparison to allegedly holding a young girl hostage and raping her for 18 years, Coombs said. \"Nothing in this guy's case history indicated he was capable of such evil, if you will,\" he said. \"It was so far out of the picture, they didn't even look for it.\" Rather than there not being enough money to fund the proper supervision of parolees, it's more a matter of priorities, Coombs said, citing the GPS device Garrido wore on his ankle. Although CALCASA has no official tally, it estimates California has spent roughly $500 million on GPS devices for 6,600 of the state's sex offenders. Garrido was fitted with a device after 2006 when voters OK'd a law requiring felony sex offenders to wear tracking devices for life. \"We know where this guy is, so we think we're safe,\" he said, \"but the place where we knew he was was the place where he was offending. GPS just tells you where they are. It doesn't tell you what they're doing.\" Each dollar spent on GPS equipment \"is one dollar you're not spending on real, traditional parole techniques, like talking to collateral contacts and neighbors,\" he said. Coombs also criticized the lack of communication across jurisdictions. Had Garrido's parole officer received a call from police and spoken to the neighbor who made the 911 call in 2006, authorities might have found Dugard three years earlier, Coombs said. Hinkle said the officer who flushed out Garrido's alleged crimes had only been supervising him since December. When the officer learned from campus police that Garrido had 11- and 15-year-old girls in tow while proselytizing at the University of California-Berkeley, he called Garrido in for a meeting. Garrido arrived with his wife, Dugard and the two girls. Hinkle would not provide details of the conversation -- it could affect the investigation and prosecution, he said -- but he did say Garrido and his wife were not forthcoming about Dugard's and the girls' identities. It was the parole officer's diligence that ultimately yielded the Garridos' arrest and Dugard and her daughters' freedom. Said Hinkle, \"They were coming in being elusive and deceptive about their identities, and the agent would not let go.\" CNN's Mallory Simon, Irving Last and Kiran Chetry contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Parole officer may have seen \"false backyard,\" suspected nothing, official says .\nNEW: Spokesman: Deputy didn't call parole officer after 911 calls about Garrido .\nGarrido was released from prison early after saying he had drug use under control .\nGarrido likely became lower priority as time since his crimes passed, expert says ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- Dan Brown's \"The Da Vinci Code\" has spawned a raft of imitators, most of which pale in comparison; the latest, \"The Lost Symbol,\" is by Brown himself. Dan Brown's \"The Lost Symbol\" is his first novel since the blockbuster \"The Da Vinci Code\" in 2003. Once again, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to the scene of a gruesome attack, joins forces with an attractive and erudite love interest, and speeds around a world capital chasing clues, solving puzzles, and risking his life while dropping cocktail parties' worth of scholarly minutiae. Even the setting, though new, will be familiar to most readers: Washington, D.C. This time, Langdon is lured to the Capitol to save his mentor, Peter Solomon, a prominent member of the Freemasons who's been kidnapped by a cryptic, heavily tattooed, Homer-reading psycho calling himself Mal'akh -- a vicious fellow even less plausible than the albino monk in \"The Da Vinci Code.\" Our hero is also in possession of an ancient Masonic artifact whose clues lead him on a treasure hunt to various D.C. tourist spots as he searches for a secret long hidden by the brotherhood. Watch the frenzy surrounding \"The Lost Symbol\" » . That secret, of course, is one giant MacGuffin -- though Brown is the rare thriller writer who seems to lavish as much attention on the object that sets his plot in motion as he does on the action itself. But for thriller fans, it's the chase that really matters. Especially since the secrets of Freemasonry just aren't as compelling as, say, a controversial theory about Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Luckily, Langdon remains a terrific hero, a bookish intellectual who's cool in a crisis and quick on his feet, like Ken Jennings with a shot of adrenaline. The codes are intriguing, the settings present often-seen locales in a fresh light, and Brown mostly manages to keep the pages turning -- except when one of his know-it-all characters decides to brake the action for another superfluous, if occasionally interesting, historical digression. (Did you know there's a carving of Darth Vader on the National Cathedral?) Even after the book's climactic showdown, you must slog through another 50-plus pages of exposition that Brown couldn't cram into the main narrative. Sometimes it seems that authors, like their villains, don't know when to leave well enough alone. EW Grade: C+ . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "EW: Dan Brown's new novel, \"The Lost Symbol,\" doesn't equal \"Da Vinci Code\"\nBook concerns the death of a Freemason that puts Robert Langdon back in action .\nBrown offers plenty of minutiae, but not all of it's interesting ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LITHIA SPRINGS, Georgia (CNN) -- As Zack Stephney stepped into the floodwaters last week, history washed over him. Thirty years after his father drowned in a rescue attempt, Zack Stephney helped save a woman whose car sank. The youngest of five children, he was only 8 when his father died. For three decades, he'd carried with him mere snapshots of memories: Family time at Christmas. Riding on the back of Dad's motorcycle. Tommie Stephney's love for drag-racing. But as the 37-year-old Douglasville, Georgia, man set out September 22 to try and save a woman whose car was swept away by rushing waters, he thought of his father's drowning. He, too, had fought to rescue people struggling against currents. That was in 1979. Tommie Stephney, a City of Atlanta employee, dove into the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, Georgia, to save canoeists who'd flipped their boat, his son said. He safely brought two to shore. The third, he said, panicked -- forcing them both under. It would be a week before his father's body was found. Dying in the massive floodwaters couldn't be Zack's fate. Certainly not this day. It was his mother Eva's 72nd birthday. Lord knows she didn't deserve news like that. 'All in a blink of an eye' Melissa Brooks was heading east en route to Dunwoody, Georgia, for an important morning meeting with her boss. She doesn't know why, but it simply didn't register with the Douglasville woman that she was the only one traveling along that stretch of I-20. No signs or barriers told her she shouldn't be there. The water up ahead? It simply looked like a puddle, albeit a big one, the kind that would send a huge spray flying. \"I got halfway through it, and it took control of my car. It started taking me backwards -- all in a blink of an eye,\" she said Tuesday. \"I knew I was in serious trouble.\" The Atlanta-area terminal for Werner Enterprises, a large trucking company off I-20 on Blairs Bridge Road, was abuzz that morning. Floodwater from nearby Sweetwater Creek had taken over a large swathe of the property, worse than they had ever seen. Nearly 30 mechanics had scrambled down to the lower lot to move about 100 semis, the water topping their tires. Some guys, including Stephney, a shop foreman who's been with Werner for nearly 19 years, looked out in wonder at the green space next to the lot, which had turned into a wide moving river. When they first saw the silver Mazda coming through the trees from the interstate, they laughed, thinking it had been carried out of someone's driveway. But after it hit a submerged fence and spun around, they spotted Brooks, 40, frantically waving. \"My eyes zoomed in to see her fear,\" said Stephney. And as the car started to go under, he thought, \"This woman is going to drown in front of us.\" Taking charge . Brooks thought back to the movies she'd seen, kept the car running and hit the power button to lower the window before it was too late. She was a good swimmer, she knew that much, and with this knowledge -- and purse in hand, of course, she would recall with a laugh -- Brooks pushed herself into the torrent. The current, however, was stronger than she was. It pulled her where it wanted. She grabbed on to what appeared to be a small tree. \"Hold on! Hold on!\" Brooks heard their voices and held herself together. She wasn't crying, but she was scared for her life. The tree branches began breaking. Stephney had taken off running, back up to the parts room to grab a spool of 1,000-foot yellow nylon rope, the sort used to tie tarps over flatbeds. He threw on a fluorescent safety vest, so the men on shore could easily spot him in the filthy water. Bigger men, including 265-pound Chris Mayfield, were ready to jump into the water. But Stephney, 100 pounds lighter, was laying out a plan in his head. Pulling him out would be easier, he told the men. Why make the job harder with a heavier man? \"He took charge like he'd done this a hundred times,\" Mayfield, 24, said. Maybe it was his training in the U.S. Army Reserves after high school or his father's experience, but keeping everyone calm, warding off panic, was top of Stephney's mind. More than 25 men stationed themselves on two points around the water as he waded in, and fed out the rope tied around him. He worked his way along the 6-foot-high, nearly submerged fence topped with barbed wire, struggling against the current to get close to Brooks, whose car had jumped the fence. The depth of the water worried him. Weeds tugged at his feet and legs. \"'What's your name?'\" Brooks remembered him asking calmly, his eyes locked on hers. Then, he said, \"'Melissa, everything's going to be OK.' And I believed him.\" She called Stephney the \"leader of the pack,\" and remembered him shouting to the others, \"Guys, let's pull this together. If we don't pull this together, we're going to lose her.\" On the other side of the fence was a stranger, Doug Weghorn. That morning, he'd been checking out the damage to his neighborhood when he came upon the mess abutting Werner Enterprises. Weghorn, 45, was now in the water as well. With a rope in his hand, unknowingly fed to him by Stephney's team, he snatched Brooks from the tree. It wasn't until Stephney was out of the water that he knew, for certain, that he and Brooks had made it. The 'what ifs' The first call was to his wife, Leaquarius, the mother of his three children. She didn't believe him when he told her what had happened. \"I kid you not,\" he told her. \"You want to smell me?\" He took a shower at work, scrubbed every inch of himself with a whole bottle of Clorox and joked that he was surprised his hair didn't turn white. He showered again, stepped into spare clothes and put in a full day on the job. It would be at least a few hours before he could call his mother. He knew she might get upset. A week later, the death toll in Georgia from the floods was 10. Standing along the fence still tangled with weeds and debris, Stephney peered down at Brooks' mucked-up car, knowing that number could have been higher. \"It could've happened to me the same way it did my dad,\" he said. The \"what ifs\" keep spinning through his head: . What if her window hadn't been down? What if they 'd never spotted her? What if she'd failed to stay calm? Mixed in are thoughts about his father, a man he in many ways struggles to remember. What Stephney did was not unlike the countless heroic efforts that played out in disaster areas during the flood. First responders and regular citizens risked their own lives to save others. But he had something else pushing him, the kind of inspiration rooted in family legacy. And without a doubt, Tommie Stephney would have been proud of his boy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Man enters flood to rescue woman, 30 years after father drowned saving others .\nWoman's car washes off I-20 in Georgia, 'in a blink of an eye,' she says .\nCo-workers hold rope while he goes in, trying to keep everyone calm .\nThoughts of his father and the 'what ifs' stay with him ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Hague, Netherlands (CNN) -- After Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic's failure to appear at the start of his trial on genocide and war crimes charges CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson explains what happens next. Q: How does the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) differ from the International Criminal Court (ICC)? A: The ICTY was set up by the United Nations in 1993 specifically to try people for crimes committed during the break up of the former Yugoslavia. The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to prosecute the most serious crimes of concern to the global community including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Q: Why did Karadzic fail to show up in court on Monday? A: Karadzic failed to show up because he wrote to the court several weeks ago telling judges he had not had sufficient time to prepare his defense. He is a \"self-representing accused,\" meaning he is defending himself. But he is backed by a large number of lawyers supported by a bevy of interns from U.S. law schools. Despite all this legal support, Karadzic says there has been too much evidence for him to go through. Prosecutors say they have 490 hours of evidence to present. The judge wrote back to Karadzic last week telling him he doesn't need to present his defense yet, he can do it after the prosecution. But Karadzic still refused to show. The court cannot compel him to come even though he is held in a detention facility about seven minutes drive from the court run exclusively for those awaiting or on trial at the tribunal. The detention facility is a lot more comfortable than a conventional jail. Karadzic will be able to watch TV when he wants, he has access to books and can mix with other defendants. Indeed, detention facility staff report that members of all three ethnic groups -- Serbs, Croats and Bosnians -- mingle freely, even playing games together. Q: Can the trial proceed without a defendant in the dock? A: The trial can go ahead without Karadzic present because there is no legal reason that says he needs to be there, even though he is defending himself. But the court is bound to give him a fair trial so if the prosecution begins without him the judges may give Karadzic a video feed so he can watch proceedings unfold. Q: How long is the trial expected to last? A: The trial could last at least two years and possibly three. The court allows at least one year for the prosecution and one year for the defense as a minimum. Q: What measures have been put in place to prevent a repeat of the delays and obfuscation seen during the trial of the former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic? A: Milosovic's trial dragged on because he defended himself, refused to accept the legitimacy of court and because of the complexity of the case and lengthy charge list -- 66 counts -- against him. Karadzic's case is less complex and this is one of the lessons prosecutors have learned from the Milosevic trial: make cases simpler and only go for those that can be readily proved. But with Karadzic defending himself and refusing to accept the court's legitimacy, the judges are still struggling to figure out how to deal with tactics designed to delay the trial. They are likely to be less lenient than they were with Milosevic." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Karadzic says he has not had sufficient time to prepare his defense .\nCourt cannot compel Karadzic to attend bur could put video link in cell .\nCourt has simplified case against Karadzic to avoid repeat of Milosevic trial .\nStill, trial will last at least two -- and possibly three -- years ." } ]
[ { "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) -- Air India took two pilots and two cabin crew off-duty over allegations that they had a fist fight during an international flight with 106 passengers aboard, the state-run airline said Monday. Faced with tough competition from private carriers, Air India has struggled with financial and image crises. The scuffle allegedly took place on flight from the United Arab Emirates to New Delhi, while the plane flew over Pakistan. An investigation had been launched into what Air India spokesman Jitender Bhargava called \"charges and counter-charges.\" In a police complaint made on landing Saturday, a 24-year-old flight attendant alleged a molestation attempt. But pilots Ranbeer Arora and Aditya Chopra alleged that the molestation claim was an attempt to deflect attention from misbehavior by a male purser. Have you ever experienced poor crew behaviour on a flight? \"All the four have been de-rostered and an inquiry committee is examining versions of each of them,\" Bhargava said. Faced with tough competition from private carriers, Air India has struggled with financial and image crises. Rats have been spotted on two Air India international flights in less than a month, according to news reports. An investigation in May revealed that the carrier had loaded a flight three passengers beyond capacity. Several employees were de-rostered as a result. \"Privatize Air India before it's too late,\" warned a column in the Hindustan Times newspaper Sunday. \"As long as the government runs Air India, it will continue to strangle it,\" columnist Vir Sanghvi wrote." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Scuffle allegedly took place on flight from United Arab Emirates to New Delhi .\n24-year-old flight attendant alleged a molestation attempt, which pilots refute .\nAir India has struggled with financial and image crises ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The oldest-known hominid skeleton was a 4-foot-tall female who walked upright more than 4 million years ago and offers new clues to how humans may have evolved, scientists say. This sketch shows what a 4 million-year-old hominid, nicknamed Ardi, may have looked like. Scientists believe that the fossilized remains, which were discovered in 1994 in Ethiopia and studied for years by an international team of researchers, support beliefs that humans and chimpanzees evolved separately from a common ancestor. \"This is not an ordinary fossil. It's not a chimp. It's not a human. It shows us what we used to be,\" said project co-director Tim White, a paleontologist at the University of California, Berkeley. Ardipithecus ramidus, nicknamed \"Ardi,\" is a hominid species that lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Aramis, Ethiopia. That makes Ardi more than a million years older than the celebrated Lucy, the partial ape-human skeleton found in Africa in 1974. Ardi's 125-piece skeleton includes the skull, teeth, pelvis, hands and feet bones. Scientists say the data collected from Ardi's bone fragments over the past 17 years push back the story of human evolution further than previously believed. \"In fact, what Ardipithecus tells us is that we as humans have been evolving to what we are today for at least 6 million years,\" C. Owen Lovejoy, an evolutionary biologist at Kent State University and project anatomist, said Thursday. Analysis of Ardi's skeleton reveals that she weighed about 110 pounds, had very long arms and fingers, and possessed an opposable big toe that would have helped her grasp branches while moving through trees. Ardi's brain was believed to be the size of a chimp's, but she also had many human-like features, such as the ability to walk upright on two legs. Her \"all-purpose type\" teeth indicate that she probably ate a combination of plants, fruits and small mammals, scientists say. \"The anatomy behind this behavioral combination is very unexpected and is certain to cause considerable rethinking of not only our evolutionary past, but also that of our living relatives: the great apes,\" said Alan Walker, professor of biological anthropology at Pennsylvania State University. Many scientists hypothesize that humans took a different evolutionary trajectory from those of chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas. Ardi's findings help challenge earlier beliefs that humans evolved from chimpanzees, their closest genetic relatives, scientists say. Researchers are still trying to pinpoint when the two lineages -- chimps and humans -- split from their common ancestor. Digging up the past has not been easy. Scientists stumbled upon the Ardipithecus fossil in 1994 when a graduate student found a single upper molar tooth. The rest of Ardi's fossilized bones, sandwiched between layers of volcanic rock, took three years to be recovered and many more to be analyzed. \"In many ways, the discovery of Ardipithecus has been like a marathon,\" White said. \"Ardipithecus ramidus and its prevailing anatomy revolutionize the way most of us understood the earlier part of our evolutionary history,\" said team member Yohannes Haile-Selassie, paleontologist at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The Ardi findings are the work of 47 paleontologists and geologists representing 10 countries. The results will be published Friday in 11 articles in a special edition of the journal Science. Until now, Australopithecus, nicknamed \"Lucy,\" was the oldest fossil studied by scientists seeking to explain human evolution. Lucy is believed to have lived about 3.2 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. Many scientists credit Ethiopia with taking the lead in helping the world better understand the origins of humans. \"This finding points to a deeper sense of our [humans'] interconnectedness,\" Samuel Assefa, Ethiopian ambassador to the United States, said Thursday. \"We are all Ethiopians at heart.\" Ardi's skeleton resides in the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Researchers have unveiled a 4.4 million-year-old skeleton of a hominid female .\nThe fossil, nicknamed Ardi, may be the oldest hominid skeleton ever found .\nIt replaces Lucy, a much-publicized skeleton that dates back about 3 million years .\nScientists: Ardi suggests humans and chimps evolved from a common ancestor ." } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Security forces patrolled the streets of the eastern Pakistan city of Gojra on Sunday, one day after seven people were killed and 20 injured when Muslim demonstrators set fire to houses in a Christian enclave and fighting broke out, authorities said. Pakistani human rights activists in Lahore protest on Saturday over the anti-Christian violence in Gojra village. Police said Muslims were enraged over an alleged desecration of pages in the Quran at a Christian wedding last Saturday, and held a rally to protest such an act. The Quran is the Muslim sacred text. Shehbaz Bhatti, federal minister for minorities, told CNN that four women, two men and a child, all Christians, were either killed when their houses were burned or were shot to death. Some 50 houses were burned down and more than 100 were looted by the protesters, Bhatti said. The incident occurred in Gojra City, 160 kilometers or around 100 miles southwest of Lahore. No violence was reported Sunday, Punjab Provisional Minister Rana Sana Ullah told CNN. There was a demonstration by about a thousand Christians who refused to bury their dead until the government registered a criminal case against those they alleged to have carried out the attacks. The government would register a criminal case, Sana Ullah said. Registering a case means a criminal investigation will be opened. Sana Ullah added that the government strongly condemned the incident. He said the attack was not a sectarian issue, but rather terrorism. He blamed the incident on attackers with ties to militants in Northwest Pakistan, where the government is carrying out an offensive against Taliban groups. On Thursday, 15 Christian houses in the region were also torched. Pakistan is predominantly Muslim but has a small Christian community. Meanwhile, police in Islamabad reported the Friday arrest of an al Qaeda member thought to be involved in several attacks. Bin Yamin, a senior police official in Islamabad, identified the militant as Rao Shakir Ali. He is suspected of being involved in strikes on several targets, such as the Danish Embassy, police and a hotel, and is also suspected of targeting a rally for Chief Justice Iftikhar Chauhdary, authorities said. The suspect is a resident of Sargodha, which is 165 kilometers (more than 100 miles) northwest of Lahore and has a house in Rawalpindi that has been used to facilitate insurgent acts, police said. CNN's Tim Schwarz and Journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fighting broke out as Muslims torched 40 to 50 houses in Christian enclave .\nMuslims enraged over an alleged desecration of Quran at a Christian wedding .\nMuslims burned 15 Christian homes on Thursday .\nPakistan predominantly Muslim, but has a small Christian community ." } ]

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