Hyukkyu/superglue huggingface dataset:
Premise: British writer Edward Upward has died at the age of 105. Upward died on Friday, February 13 in Pontefract, England. He was believed to be the UK's oldest living author. Upward was born Edward Falaise Upward on September 9, 1903 in Romford, England. He attended Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, where, in 1924, he was awarded the Chancellor's Medal for English Verse. He was attending the college on a history scholarship he received in 1922.
Hypothesis: Edward Upward was a British writer.
Premise: Brazilian comedienne and actress Dercy Gonçalves has died at the age of 101. Gonçalves died of pneumonia on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was born Dolores Gonçalves Costa on June 23, 1907 in Santa Maria Madalena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In her 80-year long career, Gonçalves has worked in the theater, revues, film, radio and television, becoming famous by her humorous use of vulgar language.
Hypothesis: Dercy Gonçalves died of pneumonia.
Premise: Ike Turner was perhaps best known as one half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo, with his former wife, Tina Turner, whom he married in Mexico in 1962. During a career that lasted half a century, Ike's repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. Alongside his former wife, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Hypothesis: Ike Turner was married to Tina.
Premise: The leader of Liverpool City Council, Warren Bradley has today taken a dossier to the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police detailing some of the allegations contained on the Liverpool Evil Cabal web site. This is the second visit to the Police stimulated by the Blog. The previous visit by Executives at the Council, was aimed at closing the Blog, this visit takes the claims of the blog to the Police.
Hypothesis: Liverpool Evil Cabal is the name of an online blog.
Premise: The bill on voluntary student unionism, as proposed earlier by the Federal Government education minister Brendan Nelson passed the House of Representatives on December 7 and is now to be debated in the Senate. The Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-Front Student Union Fees) Bill 2005, commonly known as "voluntary student unionism" or VSU, will have the effect of removing the automatic joining of university students into their respective unions, and the consequent abolition of the payment of union fees. These fees go towards amenities and services provided the student unions. The Federal Australian Labor Party Opposition, which had originally opposed the introduction of VSU, changed its policy which originally supported automatic unionism of students and compulsory fees, to a stance supporting only retainment of amenity and services fees.
Hypothesis: A bill on students' associations is being discussed in Australia.
Premise: Wikinews has learned that according to an Internet posting made just over 24 hours ago, the Church of Scientology's website is being attacked by hackers, causing the site to shut down. The attack was launched on Wednesday by a user labelled "Anonymous", on the website "Insurgency Wiki", a spinoff of 4chan. The "History" section of the site explains, in a satirical fashion, that the incident was prompted by the Church of Scientology's attempts to remove a promotional video featuring Scientologist Tom Cruise from YouTube. Though YouTube is complying with the Church of Scientology's requests to take down the video, other sites such as Gawker.com have stated that they will keep hosting the video.
Hypothesis: The Church of Scientology doesn't have a website.
Premise: Salil Ankola, who was one of the celebrities participating in the reality TV-show Bigg Boss, which is said to be an adopted version of the Big Brother series from the UK; had to leave the house of Bigg Boss following a ruling from the High Court of Maharashtra. Ankola's trouble began when Balaji Telefilms Ltd., dragged him to the court for appearing in a rival production house. He had signed up a contract with this production house in the month of August, and was expected to abide by the contract for the next 12 months. However, he shot through the months of September and October and did not show up in November. The High Court ordered that until the arbitration in this matter is pending, the actor cannot act, endorse, advertise or do voice-overs for production houses that compete with Balaji.
Hypothesis: Salil Ankola was happy to leave the Bigg Boss reality show.
Premise: The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands has ordered the arrest of the president of the African country of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The warrant was issued by the ICC for seven charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, in the Darfur region of the country.
Hypothesis: Al-Bashir was arrested for crimes against Egypt.
Premise: Others described him as a "well-heeled chap", and one of the few members of Ryanair early in the airline's history to be able to afford expensive items, such as his luxury car and his high-quality suit. Cathal's prosperity had often helped Ryanir through financial problems in it's early stages. Several colleagues recalled one famous incident where airport authorities had refused to allow an aircraft he was piloting to be refueled unless it was paid for up front due to an unpaid bill. When Cathal was informed of the issue, he produced his gold credit card to pay for the fuel.
Hypothesis: Ryan was Cathal's father.
Premise: Ford Motor Company NYSE: F sales dropped 42% last month from the previous year. General Motors NYSE: GM reported a 49% decline. Chrysler was hardest hit among the domestically owned manufacturers with a plunge of 55%. The decline in sales has not been limited to just US manufacturers. Japanese automaker Toyota NYSE: TM reported a 32% drop in US sales from a year earlier, Nissan MotorsNASDAQ: NSANY dropped 30%, and Honda NYSE: HMC sales dropped 28%. Subaru and South Korean Hyundai Motor Company LSE: HYUD were two of the few auto firms that reported an increase in sales. They posted gains of eight and fourteen percent, respectively.
Hypothesis: Car manufacturers are suffering a loss in profit.
Premise: Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and John Edwards took part in a rally to commemorate Martin Luther King day. In the event Hilary Clinton asked the crowd to "Let us just take a moment to marvel at the progress we have made together." After saying that she added "But the work is far from finished, the dream is not fulfilled." The use of the word dream was widely interpreted as reference to Martin Luther King.
Hypothesis: Clinton is the Secretary of State.
Premise: HANOVER, Germany - Internet portal and mail-provider Lycos Europe has launched a program to increase spammers' bills by having thousands of voluntary users' computers repeatedly query websites from which spam originates. Such a tactic would increase the bandwidth costs for these websites. However, it also faces legal questions. Spamming, the mass sending of unsolicited emails, is lucrative in part because each email can be sent for nearly insignificant costs. With such low costs, a commercial spammer needs only to have a very small number of recipients buy their product to make a profit. The goal of many anti-spam proposals has been to increase the cost of spammers sending messages. Lycos' approach is to make it more expensive to maintain servers that send spam.
Hypothesis: Lycos Europe has an anti-spam program.
Premise: The Japanese Nikkei 225 has recorded it's third biggest drop in history with a massive sell-off in the exchange that has resulted in USD 250 billion being knocked of the index's value. Toyota, which is the second largest carmaker in the world, fell by the largest amount in 21 years, while Elpida Memory, the world's largest manufacturer of computer memory, dropped in value to a record low.
Hypothesis: Japan's economy is not flourishing.
Premise: SANTOS,Brazil - Miss Marina Souza, aged 43, mother of Robson de Souza-known as Robinho (Little Robin)- a Brazilian soccer player for the Santos Football Club has been released Friday, December, 17 by her kidnappers at Santa Cruz Street, in Perus, a district of São Paulo city, after 40 days been captive. She was kidnapped last Saturday, November 6th, in Praia Grande, São Paulo, during a barbecue with her relatives. Right after been released she asked for help in neighborhood, she contacted her son and called the police officers. She was sent to the hospital and the doctors said she is well although a little dehydration and a phew pounds more lean. A ransom (the quantity has not been revealed) has been paid by family and friends.
Hypothesis: Marina Souza is Robinho's sister.
Premise: The ferry was was bound for Samarinda, East Kalimantan, from Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi. Samarinda is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur) on the island of Borneo. Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes) is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. Majene is a town in West Sulawesi and it is the seat (capital) of Majene Regency.
Hypothesis: An Indonesian ferry with 300 passengers sank.
Premise: The Mandela birthday celebration will be capped with a concert at Hyde Park on Friday that will feature Annie Lennox, Queen, Razorlight, Leona Lewis and the Soweto Gospel Choir. The proceeds from the concert will go to Mandela's 46664 Foundation that looks after people suffering from HIV in his beloved South Africa.
Hypothesis: Leona Lewis had a number one single in America.
Premise: The Walt Disney Company and the government of Hong Kong officially opened the world's eleventh Disney theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland, today at 13:00PM local time. The park, located in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, is the major attraction at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which also features two luxurious hotels and a recreational lake with stunning views of local Hong Kong scenery, unlike previous Disney theme parks.
Hypothesis: Walt Disney World is in Florida.
Premise: Three inmates hung themselves with nooses made from their bedsheets at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to the U.S. Military, the time of death is not yet clear; the men were "found unresponsive and not breathing in their cells by guards." Two of the men are reported to be Saudi, the third being Yemeni. According to Admiral Harry Harris, one of the prisoners was a mid-to-high level Al-Qaida operative, another belonged to a splinter group, and the other was captured in Afghanistan.
Hypothesis: Three people committed suicide in jail.
Premise: Portuguese Maria de Jesus died Tuesday, at 115 years and 114 days old. The vegetarian, non-smoking, teetotal farmer had only visited a hospital once in her life, outliving her husband by 57 years, and two of her five children. The cause of her death is either unknown or has not yet been released.
Hypothesis: The world's oldest woman has died.
Premise: The leak of the information was said to be "regrettable" by the Ministry of Defence, however this meant that Prince Harry was ordered to return home due to fears for his, and the others in his unit's safety. Prince Harry will be flown home "immediately", after 10 weeks of front line service. During this he worked as a Joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) and was involved in major operations on the frontline against Taliban forces.
Hypothesis: Prince Harry has to go home.
Premise: The bodies were discovered after Allam's pregnant wife called emergency 9-1-1 to request urgent medical aid. Both men had been shot once through the head, according to Charles Zewe, a spokesperson for the EWU system. Officers and medical personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene. The University officials gathered the latest information and sent out an emergency text message to the members of the LSU community who had previously registered their phone numbers with the university's emergency text-messaging system.
Hypothesis: Two PhD students were found dead in Louisiana.
Premise: Pupils who are given detention at a Christchurch, New Zealand high school are being forced to wear orange overalls with the words 'Work Crew' on the back. The New Zealand Parent Teacher Association (NZPTA) have said that this is unacceptable humiliation and will make each student stand out. The vice-president of the NZPTA, Margaret Mooney described the overalls as radical. The principal of Shirley Boys' High School, John Laurenson, denied these allegations, stating that the only reason for the overalls is to keep uniforms clean. Since each pupil's punishment is the opposite of what they committed, then the uniforms need to remain clean. "The average fellow, he [sic] doesn't want to get mud or muck on his uniform."
Hypothesis: Children in New Zealand are forced to wear orange overalls.
Premise: Lucky Dube was one of the most prominent reggae artists of all times - often remembered alongside Bob Marley for his songs on social issues. He began his career singing in Zulu and released his first album in 1982. He later moved to reggae and released is album 'Rastas Never Die'. This album was banned by the apartheid government. His other albums include Slave, Prisoner and Together As One and Respect - his most recent album which he released in April of this year.
Hypothesis: Lucky Dube was a reggae star.
Premise: French President Jacques Chirac continued his hospital stay Tuesday in what a government spokesperson describes as favorable conditions. Chirac was admitted on Friday to a military hospital in central Paris, where doctors called his condition a "small vascular incident" that hindered his vision. Doctors report such a problem as he was having could range from a ruptured blood vessel to a stroke, since more than 80% of strokes are caused by blockage in an artery carrying blood to the brain. The problem reddened and bothered the eyesight of the 72-year-old Chirac.
Hypothesis: Chirac doesn't want to be re-elected.
Premise: Soundtracks for kids movies and TV shows included them with some regularity. Jump5 were heard in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Sleepover, Spy Kids, Ella Enchanted, Ice Princess, and Brother Bear. Best Picture-nominee Beauty and the Beast included one of their tracks on its DVD release. MTV's Newport Harbor, Disney Channel's Kim Possible and the Lilo & Stitch: The Series all featured their songs. Once the group even performed for United States President Bush at the White House.
Hypothesis: Jump5 performed their last show in Tennessee.
Premise: A Vatican City official has referred to abortion, and euthanasia as "terrorism with a human face." Archbishop Angelo Amato is the acting Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which is led by William Cardinal Levada. He was addressing Vatican chaplains, when he made the remarks on Monday in a keynote address that opened an April 23 to 27 seminar in Rome with Catholic airport chaplains. The seminar's main focus is security and preparedness against acts of terrorism.
Hypothesis: A woman in a persistent vegetative state has died.
Premise: The San Francisco zoo has two different kinds of tigers, two Siberian and one Sumatran tigers. The Siberian tigers are named Tony and Tatiana while the Sumatran is named Padang. It is not yet known which of the two Siberian tigers was involved in the attacks. Last year, another zoo worker was seriously injured by Tatiana while attempting to feed her, but survived the attack.
Hypothesis: A tiger attacked three people in San Francisco.
Premise: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated his position regarding the ending of the conflict in a phone call with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel: "The only possible and reasonable way out of this situation is the withdrawal of Georgian troops to their initial positions and the immediate signing of a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force." He reiterated much the same position in telephone conversation with the President of the United States, George W. Bush, today.
Hypothesis: Russian forces have bombed the town of Gori.
Premise: Appearing before Judge William Ledbetter Jr. in Spotsylvania County Circuit Court, the fatal dog mauling defendant Deanna Large plead not guilty Wednesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and three misdemeanor counts of letting a dangerous dog run at large. Large is the alleged owner of three pit bulls that attacked and killed an 82-year-old neighbor as she walked her dog in the front yard of her home. Police responding to the incident on March 8, shot two of the dogs at the scene and later euthanized the third.
Hypothesis: A woman was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Premise: On January 11, 2009, an 18-year-old teenager was arrested for writing her nickname, "2shie", on a wall in a café near Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia. After the arrest, the teenager, Cheyene Back, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly damaging property. Cheyene Back had been captured on a closed-circuit security camera at the "Hyde Park Cafe" on Macquarie Street, when she and friends wrote on the wall. Robert Napoli, a co-defendant, has had his case adjourned. They were arrested by police outside the café.
Hypothesis: A teenager was arrested in Australia for scrawling graffiti on a wall.
Premise: During a rally protesting the decision on Wednesday, Al-Bashir spoke, calling the charges worthless and told the ICC to "eat" the warrant. "[It is] not worth the ink it is written on. It is a flawed decision". Egypt says it is also not in favor of the warrant and the government states it will ask the United Nations Security Council to stop the implementation of it. The Human Rights Watch, a human rights organization located in the United States, in New York "the International Criminal Court has made Omar al-Bashir a wanted man", welcoming the warrant.
Hypothesis: Al-Bashir was arrested for crimes against Egypt.
Premise: Ernesto, now a tropical storm, made landfall along the coastline of the state of North Carolina near Long Beach in Brunswick County at 11:40 p.m. eastern time. Reports say the storm was near hurricane strength when it made landfall, but officials are welcoming the rain. "We need some rain around here - just not all at once," said Jean Evans, a worker for a convienence store in North Carolina's Holden Beach.
Hypothesis: Ernesto is the name given to a tropical storm.
Premise: Sunshine Coast Regional Council has received legal advice that it could not challenge the appeals proccess of McDonald's Australia. Council rejected development plans for a 24 hour store at Minyama in December. "... council has rceived legal advice back that McDonalds will win because of planning laws allow code assessment - the ugly American McDonald will win and run roughshod over residents and Sunshine Coast Council," said protest group spokesperson John Meyer-Gleaves.
Hypothesis: Sunshine Coast Regional Council accepted McDonald's Australia development plans.
Premise: The Department of Internal Affairs and the Internal Affairs minister, Rick Barker, also received a lot of support for a change, including from the Federated Farmers. Farmers had usually opposed a change to the daylight saving period because it hampered with operations. Helen Clark, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, stated that she personally did not support a change to the start of daylight saving in March. However the main reason that the start was altered was to avoid clashes with the fourth school term.
Hypothesis: New Zealand changed the daylight saving period.
Premise: The PTA has also blocked websites depicting the controversial cartoons of Muhammad published by a Danish newspaper in 2006 that also sparked violence in the Muslim world. Some of the cartoons have recently been reprinted.This is not the first time a country has moved to block YouTube. Turkey and Thailand both chose to temporarily ban the sites, as did Morocco which blocked the site after a video criticising the country's treatment of Western Saharans was uploaded.
Hypothesis: A country banned YouTube.
Premise: India is seeking extradition, but the fact that Nepalese authorities have added their own charges of illegal organ transplants in on top of the foreign currency possession charges, could delay proceedings. Meanwhile, Poonam Kumar, who is Amit Kumar's wife and lives in Brampton, Canada with their two sons, claims that "My husband is innocent... You tell me what human would want to do these things to anyone. My husband didn't do anything wrong."
Hypothesis: Nepal has laws about foreign currency.
Premise: Following the success of "Chinatrust Global Leaders Forum" in 2005, Chinatrust Commercial Bank (CTCB), the forum organizer, invited Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, to give the main address on the subject of "Cross-Strait e-Commerce Development" yesterday. "We (CTCB) held this forum originally with a speech-style type, and hoped participants absorb good experiences from some world-class notabilities. At the first holding, we invited Dr. Edward Prescott forecasting the future of global economics and this invitation was finally respected by financial people in Taiwan. With trendy transformations and global popularization of the Internet in the presence, we finally decided to invite Jack Ma to share experiences from his successful management theory." Jeffery Koo (Chairman of CTCB) remarked at the opening.
Hypothesis: The Alibaba Group was founded by Jack Ma.
Premise: Galvarino Apablaza has been arrested in November 29 in Argentina. Chilean authorities request now the expulsion of Apablaza so he can be tried in Chile. Apablaza and some left-wing organizations want Argentina give him political asylum. Apablaza is also suspected of participating to the kidnapping of the Brazilian advertising executive Washington Olivetto in 2001, according to Brazilian police authorities.
Hypothesis: Comandante Salvador is the nickname of Galvarino Apablaza.
Premise: A 300 million-year-old fossilized rain forest has been found, in its entirety, outside Georgetown, Illinois, United States. Coal miners called in scientists to look at a vast and dense seam of fossils they found in a mine. It is the largest fossilized forest ever to be found. It is about the size of San Francisco, California or 10,000 hectares [10 km by 10 km] and is said to be the first rain forest ever to exist on Earth.
Hypothesis: Fossilized trees have been found in the USA.
Premise: Majel also starred in other TV shows not related to Star Trek such as Earth: Final Conflict, The Lucy Show, Leave it to Beaver and Genesis II. Majel's husband Gene died in 1991 of heart failure. After his death, Majel took over the Star Trek franchise and put several of Gene's unfinished projects into production which included two television shows.
Hypothesis: Majel died of cancer.
Premise: Becky Hogge: If you think about what copyright does for the internet culture: if we didn't have copyright, we wouldn't have Creative Commons. Copyright is an incredibly sensible piece of law, and in fact serves to benefit a lot of what goes on online in the way that it's been used in things like free and open software, in things like Creative Commons. These things wouldn't exist without the framework of copyright law. I'm always very careful to say that copyright law is a benefit to society, but I think Erik's comparison to taxes is spot on: it's not about black and white.
Hypothesis: A copyright is a kind of monopoly.
Premise: The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines McJob as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects." The McDonald's fast-food giant has begun a campaign to have the word removed from the dictionary, or to have its definition changed, by lobbying British MPs. The company has also set up an online petition with the slogan "Change the definition. Sign the petition." Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield Attercliffe agrees with the restaurant chain. Betts has tabled a Commons motion on the issue. The motion has so far gained the support of 15 other MPs.
Hypothesis: A "McJob" is a low-paid job.
Premise: Katrina first made landfall in Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005 as a category one hurricane resulting in dozens of deaths in South Florida and spawning several tornadoes. Katrina then passed over Florida and headed into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a massive category 5 storm. She then made her second landfall on the morning of August 29, 2005, near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana with winds at 125 MPH and a central pressure of 920 mbar, a strong Category 3 storm.
Hypothesis: Katrina hit Florida.
Premise: The New England Patriots won their divisional playoff match against Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-20 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Tom Brady set a record with 26 out of 28 pass attempts completed, which is an NFL record as 92.9 percent in the regular season and playoffs. The New England Patriots are only two games away from becoming the second team after the 1972 Miami Dolphins to have a perfect record and win the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots will face the San Diego Chargers at Foxborough on January 20.
Hypothesis: New England Patriots is the name of a fast food chain.
Premise: R. T. Rybak, the Mayor of Minneapolis, has issued a statement, posted on the front page of his website saying, "Our heartfelt grief goes out to the families and loved ones of those who perished in tonight's I-35W bridge collapsed [sic] over the Mississippi River. The impact of this tragic disaster is felt by every resident of Minneapolis as we pray for those lost to this terrible accident.
Hypothesis: A bridge falls into the Mississippi River.
Premise: In a comeback after two years of inactivity due to stress fractures and becoming a mother, world record holder Paula Radcliffe from the United Kingdom has won the New York City marathon today. After leading the women's race almost all the way, she managed to shake off Ethiopian Gete Wami, who challenged her in the last mile. Third finished winner of previous two New York City marathons Jelena Prokopcuka from Latvia. The men's race was also a duel, but Martin Lel from Kenya managed to repeat his victory over Abderrahim Goumri from Morocco from the London marathon last April.
Hypothesis: Paula Radcliffe has a child.
Premise: Greenpeace activist Adele blogged the news from their Stockholm office expressing reservations over the legitimacy of the vote saying it  would "change little or nothing" as previous votes had already been passed in favour of the anti-whaling group of countries. Mike Townsley from  Greenpeace International said, "Greenpeace is disgusted that any member of the IWC would seek to promote whaling based upon the false notion that whales  consume so much fish that they are a threat to food security for coastal nations". He added that the declaration was more like a whaler's "wish list,  peddling predictable and well-rehearsed rhetoric".
Hypothesis: Greenpeace wants to protect whales.
Premise: Nonja, which means 'girl' in Dutch, was born in 1952 in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. She arrived at the Miami MetroZoo in 1983. Her death is believed to have been caused by a small brain tumor or aneurysm which ruptured. According to the zoo, an orangutan normally only lives about 40-50 years. Orangutans are part of an endangered species and in 2003, only about 7,300 were believed to be left living in the wild.
Hypothesis: A 40-year-old orangutan died in Florida.
Premise: The 4th National Museum of Japan opened on Saturday in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, the northern part of Kyushu island. The new museum was named Kyushu National Museum, and nicknamed "Kyuhaku". It is the first national museum in Kyushu, including national art museums and thematic museums. After the opening ceremony with around 800 invited guests on last Saturday, Kyushu National Museum began to accept visitors starting on Sunday.
Hypothesis: Kyuhaku is the nickname given to the Kyushu National Museum in Japan.
Premise: Program coordinators estimate that tutors volunteered some 5000 hours last year. City Manager Jennifer Sparacino estimates, "That's worth about $100,000 per year in volunteer time." Learners also spoke about what Read Santa Clara meant to them. Raymond Moreno said, "I hope it stays for another ten, twenty, thirty years, because we need it." Juan Velasquez said, "My life has changed a lot...I did many things I could not have done without help." And Ike Moore said, "To be able to express myself...What a gift!"
Hypothesis: Read Santa Clara is a learning program.
Premise: The 20th Olympic Winter Games are set to start today in Turin, Italy. Producers of the Olympics have promised, "rhythm, passion and speed," as an estimated 35,000 people will pile inside the stadium and nearly two billion will turn out for the events. Dancers, abutting the majestic Alps, paid a tribute to seven nations, including Austria, Germany and France, in the opening ceremonies wearing green sheaths and pulling fake cows on wheels. It was to pay homage to livestock and mountain life, and so the audience could cheer both, everyone was supplied with cowbells. Dancers then brought out big white bubbles which were stuck to their heads. Bacilli, who has performed in concerts for U2 and The Rolling Stones said the balls signify snow.
Hypothesis: The Winter Olympics will be inaugurated in Turin.
Premise: The People's Republic of China's Communist leaders have also been criticized for violating human rights and effecting a military build-up. Some argue that economic aid should be tied to compliance on relevant standards. Through the ODA, Japan enjoys the support of many developing nations in UN votes. When China did not react favorably to Japan's intention to seek permanent UN Security Council membership, the Japan Times criticized the aid as a "complete waste".
Hypothesis: China won't receive money from Japan.
Premise: Scottish football player Phil O'Donnell has died today after collapsing during a game in which his team Motherwell F.C., of which he was captain, were playing Dundee United in a Scottish Premier League match. O'Donnell collapsed as his substitution for Marc Fitzpatrick was being arranged. He received treatment for around five minutes before being stretchered off and transferred to a waiting ambulance. David Clarkson, O'Donnell's nephew, was also playing at the time and had scored twice but was taken off due to being visibly distressed by O'Donnel's collapse.
Hypothesis: Phil O'Donnell was the captain of Motherwell F.C.
Premise: On 31 October 2007 the National Court in Madrid issued a decision recognizing that the National Church of Scientology of Spain should be entered in the Registry of Religious Entities. The administrative tribunal of Madrid's High Court ruled that a 2005 justice ministry decision to scrap the church from the register was "against the law." Responding to a petition filed by the church, the ruling said that no documents had been presented in court to demonstrate it was anything other than a religious entity.
Hypothesis: The Church of Scientology is a recognised religious entity in Spain.
Premise: The Guardian is reporting that the University is being used by young men and women to stock up on firebombs and break up marble slabs to throw at police. From behind their makeshift barriers, they vowed the unrest would become "an uprising the likes of which Greece has never seen." "We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution," leftist activist Panagiotis Sotiris told Reuters. Sotiris is among those occupying a university building. "The protests will last as long as necessary," he added.
Hypothesis: The riots in Greece started on December 6.
Premise: Kiril Georgiev, a Bulgarian chess grandmaster, began playing 360 simultaneous games of chess on Saturday, in an attempt to break the world record for the most games played simultaneously. The games are being hosted at the Inter Expo Centre in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The current record for the largest number of simultaneous games belongs to the Hungarian-American grandmaster Susan Polgar, who played 326 games in 2005, losing three games, drawing fourteen, and winning the other 309.
Hypothesis: Kiril Georgiev is a chess grandmaster from Bulgaria.
Premise: Queensland National Senator Barnaby Joyce, who met with the 43 refugees on Christmas Island, said they appear to have a genuine asylum claim and had been persecuted because of their Christian beliefs. "There are documented cases of members within their families being shot," he said. "There's certainly on the record experiences of them being jailed and tortured so I think they would be under risk if they went back," he said. The group, which includes seven children, arrived carrying a banner accusing Indonesia of terrorism and genocide in the province. Indonesian troops have been repeatedly accused of rights abuses in Papua province, which was taken over by Jakarta in 1963.
Hypothesis: Mr. Joyce is an Australian Senator.
Premise: Mr Rao has been credited for Indian economic reforms during his tenure from 1991 to 1996, and for supporting then finance minister and current Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's economic reforms, which allowed for the greatest sustained GDP growth in the country's history. He has also faced several accusations of bribery, although he has been acquitted on all such charges.
Hypothesis: Mr. Rao had cancer.
Premise: Manchester United progressed to the qaurterfinals of the Champions League earlier today after defeating Lille 1-0 for the second time. After the controversial winning goal from the first leg, United had a strong advantage in the series, and Lille needed a win to advance. The scorer of that controversial goal, Ryan Giggs, was left out of the lineup, and instead the more defensive minded John O'Shea was played. Lille started the game with a defensive lineup as well, hoping to stall the Red Devils, and make a score later in the match. Manchester United came into the game short of several key players due to injury, including Louis Saha (hamstring), Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer (surgery recovery), and Darren Fletcher (ankle).
Hypothesis: Lille has defeated Manchester United.
Premise: According to Dasgupta, these rights made Iraq a leader in equality of the sexes in the Middle East for the better part of last century, although a number of studies reveal horrific abuses of both women and men, under Hussein's regime, and Hussein enabled laws allowing men to kill their wives in certain situations (see Wikipedia article Honor killing for background on the practice). The first Gulf War in 1991, and ensuing sanctions, made economic conditions in Iraq difficult, and literacy and employment rates of women began falling.
Hypothesis: Women in Iraq have lost their freedom.
Premise: On Halloween night, October 31, during a 2-hour long live episode of NBC show Phenomenon, famed magician Criss Angel told Uri Geller and Jim Callahan, "I will give you a million dollars of my personal money right now if either one of you can tell me specific details of what's in [this envelope] right now." While Geller ignored Angel's challenge, Callahan started to confront Angel in a hostile manner, as host Tim Vincent held him back and Geller held Angel back.
Hypothesis: Criss Angel is a magician who challenged Jim Callahan.
Premise: 2,000 charges had been laid province-wide in Ontario for highway traffic act offences over the Labour Day weekend. More than 100 charges for people not wearing seatbelts. 17 drivers have been charged with impaired driving, 17 others received 12-hour suspensions. Remnants of tropical storm Ernesto in southern Ontario could have caused accidents. OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said on Sunday that about 130 crashes could be attributed to "people going too fast in the rain and hydroplaning."
Hypothesis: Ernesto is the name given to a tropical storm.
Premise: The Zambian government has previously been criticised by some for its annual ban on fishing during December. It is unclear whether this policy, which was widely applauded by environmentalists and implemented to protect sensitive fish stocks, will be affected by the new agricultural policy.
Hypothesis: The Zambian government has ordered to plant potatoes.
Premise: If Iraqi women take part in Sunday's poll, who are they to vote for? Women's rights are ignored by most of the groupings on offer, she writes. "In reality, these elections are, for Iraq's women, little more than a cruel joke. Amid the suicide attacks, kidnappings and US-led military assaults of the 20-odd months since Saddam's fall, the little-reported phenomenon is the sharp increase in the persecution of Iraqi women. Women are the new victims of Islamic groups intent on restoring a medieval barbarity and of a political establishment that cares little for women's empowerment.
Hypothesis: Islamic groups want to restore medieval barbarity against women.
Premise: His opposition is the incumbent Mr Yanukovich, who is seen as pro-Moscow, a sensitive issue in a former territory of the Soviet Union. The Telegraph quotes Yuschenko as saying to deputies: "Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict. We have two choices: either the answer will be given by the parliament, or the streets will give an answer."
Hypothesis: Yuschenko is a banker.
Premise: On Thursday three individuals accused of involvement in the October 2006 killing of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya were acquitted by a 12-person Russian jury. Not present for the trial nor among the defendants was Rustam Makhmudov, the accused trigger man, suspected to be hiding out abroad. Makhmudov's two brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, were accused of acting as accomplices in the murder. Former police officer with the Moscow Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was the final defendant in the trial, charged with engaging the Makhmudov brothers for the contract-style killing and providing the pistol with silencer used.
Hypothesis: Politkovskaya was killed.
Premise: Sicilian Mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo, considered to be one of the successors of the former "boss of bosses" Bernardo Provenzano (arrested in April 2006), was arrested at 9:30 a.m. CET (UTC+1) in a villa in Giardinello, between Cinisi and Terrasini on Sicily. He had been on the run since 1983. His son Sandro Lo Piccolo and two other top mafiosi, Gaspare Pulizzi and Andrea Adamo, were arrested as well. All four men were among Italy's top 30 most wanted Mafia suspects, according to police officials.
Hypothesis: Salvatore Lo Piccolo is involved with the Mafia.
Premise: The closure of a mathematics summer camp in Sirince, Izmir, Turkey by Turkish authorities has drawn scorn from scientists around the world. Professor Alexandre Borovik, who organized some of the opposition, said "We are shocked to learn that the Summer School of Mathematics initiated by Professor Ali Nesin was shut down by local authorities. We found it surprising that such an esteemed mathematician such as Professor Nesin needs a specific permit each time he wants to teach math, as we saw that one of the reasons for shutting the camp down was the lack of such a permit, especially considering how this contradicts the fact that the summer schools organized every year by Professor Nesin are sponsored by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK), Turkish Mathematics Association and many respected Turkish universities."
Hypothesis: Turkey closed a mathematics summer camp.
Premise: Cathal Ryan, an early board member of Irish non-designated flag carrier, and son of late co-founder Tony Ryan, has died. He was 48, and had been diagnosed with cancer. Cathal became one of Ryanair's first pilots, having trained as one in the 1980s in Sri Lanka, when his father set up the airline in 1985 in trust for his three sons, of which Cathal was the eldest. He left the Far East specifically to join the airline.
Hypothesis: Garreth Ryan was Cathal's father.
Premise: Today marks the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign has lasted over 54 years. Her Majesty became the first female to become the sovereign since Queen Victoria, who died in 1901 after a 64-year reign. She was crowned on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey. It was the first coronation that was televised live. She is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms, which includes the United Kingdom.
Hypothesis: Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth.
Premise: Alexandre Lomaia, the head of the Georgian security council, said that President Saakashvili's proposal states that the Georgian troops will withdraw from Tskhinvali, and will stop reacting to the Russian bombings. The crisis broke out after days of heavy fighting in the region. On August 7, Georgian troops launched an offensive against the Ossetian town of Tskhinvali. Russia responded to these actions by sending their own troops into South Ossetia on August 8.
Hypothesis: Russian forces have bombed the town of Gori.
Premise: British pop star Leona Lewis has broken Billboard records in the United States to become the first female British pop star to reach a number one spot on the music charts in over 20 years and became the third solo British artist ever to reach the top charts. Lewis made the number one spot with her new hit single Bleeding Love. According to Billboard.com her single ranks number one in the top 100, the pop 100 and hottest digital songs.
Hypothesis: Leona Lewis had a number one single in America.
Premise: When the budget was tabled last month, Harper initially said his party would support the bill. He now says the party will oppose it unless the Liberal government removes the amendment. Environment Minister Stéphane Dion, who is attempting to have a $10 million Kyoto implementation plan in place by April 4, said he would be "very, very pleased" to fight an election over climate change. The NDP and Bloc Québécois have both said they will oppose the bill. The Liberal Party of Canada has 133 seats, so its defeat seems certain if all four parties hold their positions.
Hypothesis: In Canada Mr. Harper and his party will support the budget bill.
Premise: Police officers and officials at an emergency meeting have voted to ballot every United Kingdom police officer over the right to strike. They also called for the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, to resign over the current dispute and further passed a vote of no confidence in the home secretary's ability to deal with pay and conditions.
Hypothesis: Police officers in England trust Jacqui Smith.
Premise: Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will accept a nomination for Prime Minister of Russia, as Dmitry Medvedev has suggested he will do, if he wins the presidential election. Meanwhile, the United Russia ruling party, which is backed by Putin, officially nominated Medvedev for presidency today. The intention was declared on December 10, being the long-awaited answer to the question on "Putin's successor". The next day Medvedev, who is the current deputy prime minister of the Russian government and the chairman in the board of directors of Gazprom gas giant, offered Putin the Prime Minister position in case of winning the election, which is forecasted to happen.
Hypothesis: Vladimir Putin does not support Medvedev.
Premise: Honda's Civic and Ridgeline truck won the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards at the International Auto Show in Detroit. This is the first time a company has won both awards in the same year. The finalists were the Ridgeline, the Ford Explorer SUV and the Nissan Xterra. The awards are intended to recognize vehicles for their innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value.
Hypothesis: Honda won the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards.
Premise: According to reports, two United States Senators, Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd, suffered medical problems during a luncheon with new U.S. President Barack Obama. Kennedy collapsed as a result of a seizure and was taken away by paramedics in a wheelchair. In May, Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer, which required an operation. Kennedy is at Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C. where his family says he is awake and talking. At the time of his collapse, he was reported to be sitting with John Kerry, another Massachusetts Senator, 2004 presidential candidate, and close friend of Kennedy.
Hypothesis: Ted Kennedy is dead.
Premise: A mathematical summer school in Turkey run by mathematics professor Ali Nesin has been closed by the authorities apparently for "teaching without a permit" and "founding an illegal institution". The attention of the international scientific community was attracted to this action on the blog of a mathematics professor at Manchester. Alexandre Borovik's "Mathematics under the microscope" blog had previously written in glowing terms about the summer camp at which he also taught. The story was broken with a photo of a "Blackboard under arrest" and carried a photograph of a board covered with advanced mathematics surrounded by police tape.
Hypothesis: Turkey closed a mathematics summer camp.
Premise: In a written statement ABC Radio Networks president Jim Robinson said "Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history. As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households." Former president George W. Bush in a statement condoled Harvey's death by saying "Laura and I are saddened by the death of Paul Harvey. Paul was a friendly and familiar voice in the lives of millions of Americans. His commentary entertained, enlightened, and informed. Laura and I are pleased to have known this fine man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Hypothesis: Paul Harvey was an American broadcaster.
Premise: In an interview on NBC's Today show with Matt Lauer, Tom Cruise aggressively defended his opposition to psychiatry and anti-depressive drugs. This occurred after being asked questions about his criticism of Brooke Shields, who has been taking drugs, including Paxil, for postpartum depression. Cruise is usually known for keeping his cool in interviews, but recently he has been slightly more unbound. Cruise's statements, including "Psychiatry is a pseudoscience", and "There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance in a body", reflect the beliefs of the Church of Scientology, of which he is a member. The interview became particularly tense when Lauer mentioned that he knew people who had been helped by taking Ritalin, an attention-deficit disorder drug.
Hypothesis: Scientology is against psychiatry.
Premise: Mr Gonda credited the pub's success to the "excellent brewers we deal with, our faithful and supportive pub regulars, and our invaluable staff members." It was this community support which helped the pub recover so quickly after the 2007 flooding, with Mr Wraith describing the day the waters entered the pub. "The funny thing was that it was difficult to get the customers to evacuate. They just wanted to keep on drinking, but we did have to get them out eventually and some of them did get wet." Flood defences were erected after the customers left, but to no avail; Mr Wraith stayed in the pub overnight, despite the flooding and the lack of electricity.
Hypothesis: Mr. Gonda is the manager of The Kelham Island Tavern.
Premise: Seven miners have been killed and seven more are missing after a coal mine flooded in north China's Hebei province. The Xinhua news agency reports the latest coal mine disaster occurred around 5:00 a.m. on Saturday in Xingtai City.A reason for the accident has not yet been given. Owners of the coal mine have been detained by local police and the investigation into the cause of the flooding is underway. State media reports say the disaster occurred at a pit in Xingtai City, but gave few other details.
Hypothesis: A coal mine accident killed more than 73 people in China.
Premise: Firefighters have confirmed that the large James Bond sound stage at Pinewood Studios has been destroyed by fire. It is thought eight fire engines were called to the scene near Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire on Sunday morning, where filming for Casino Royale, the latest Bond movie, has been completed. Jen McVean witnessed the event, and she said the stage was "completely on fire". The set had been transformed into a replica of the Italian city of Venice, but Mrs McVean, who owns a firm at the studios, said: "Nothing is salvageable and there are many, many fire engines there." One spokesman said around 40 to 50 firefighters were at the scene.
Hypothesis: James Bond was created by Ian Fleming.