Hyukkyu/superglue huggingface dataset:
Premise: If 20 multiple sclerosis patients were in a room, all would exhibit different symptoms, she says. "The disease is not clear and not set. It's highly unpredictable." In particular, in the relapsing-remitting stage, there are symptoms such as fatigue, blurry vision, numbness or tingling that the patient feels but are not noticeable to others. As a result, outsiders may not be aware of the extent of the patient's suffering. "Sometimes, they think if you're not in a wheelchair, M.S. must not be that bad. That's not true," Caesar observed. In Florida, 20,000 individuals have been diagnosed with the disease. Nationwide, that number is 400,000. Although it is still in the basic research stage, stem cell therapy shows promise, says Caesar. The research focuses on getting stem cells to regenerate the nerve-insulating myelin.
Hypothesis: Stem cells could be useful to treat multiple sclerosis.
Premise: A Northern Ireland teenager has been charged with the murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll earlier this month. The 17-year-old appeared at Lisburn magistrates court shortly before 11am today where he faced four charges including murder, possessing of an AKM assault rifle and 26 rounds of ammunition, gathering intelligence likely to be of use to terrorists, and membership of the Continuity IRA. The youth, who cannot be named because of his age, denied all the charges, according to his solicitor.
Hypothesis: A teenager is accused of the death of Constable Stephen Carroll.
Premise: December 29 United States - According to NASA's Near Earth Object Program, 2004 MN4's assessed risk has been corrected downward to zero on the Torino scale. The Torino scale is the current method by which astronomers classify the likelihood of an impact with a near-Earth object.
Hypothesis: MN4 is an asteroid.
Premise: ASUNCION, Paraguay — Paraguay's president was hit with another paternity claim Monday, just a week after the former Roman Catholic bishop acknowledged fathering a different illegitimate child while still subject to his vows of chastity. Lugo, 57, did not confirm nor deny fathering the 6-year-old boy, but read a brief statement promising to "act always in line with the truth and subject myself to all the requirements presented by the justice system." He also appealed for privacy, referring all questions about paternity claims to his lawyer. Two of Lugo's cabinet ministers said they were initiating judicial proceedings against their boss on the latest woman's behalf, and vowed to order DNA tests if Lugo doesn't recognize paternity.
Hypothesis: Fernando Lugo is the President of Paraguay.
Premise: The protest, which was also held by Falun Gong members in major cities around the world, marked the 10th anniversary of Falun Gong's protest against China's persecution, as Beijing cracked down on the group and declared it a cult in 1999. "We hold this rally to call on the world's people to urge China to halt its suppression of Falun Gong and persecution of Falun Gong members," Chang Ching-hsi, head of the Taiwan branch of Falun Gong, said. He said Falun Gong members will keep up the peaceful protest until China has ended its crackdown.
Hypothesis: Falun Gong is a spiritual meditation group seeking world harmony.
Premise: GlaxoSmithKline is nearing a deal to acquire Stiefel Laboratories, a large maker of dermatology products, for as much as $3 billion, people with knowledge of the talks said Sunday. These people cautioned that the talks were continuing and could still fall apart. If a deal is reached, it would be the latest round of consolidation among drug makers, who have sought to acquire product lines in the face of pressure from rivals making generic products. So far this year, Pfizer agreed to buy Wyeth for $68 billion; Merck agreed to acquire Schering-Plough for $41 billion; and Roche struck a $46.8 billion deal for the 44 percent of Genentech it did not already own.
Hypothesis: GlaxoSmithKline is a British drug company.
Premise: SUVA - Fiji President President Ratu Josefa Iloilo repealed the country's constitution on Friday, appointed himself head of state and set a 2014 election deadline. He said he had also sacked all the judges and established a "new legal order" following Thursday's Court of Appeal ruling that the country's military regime was illegally appointed following the 2006 coup. "I will soon be inviting suitable individuals to join or rejoin the bench under the new order," Mr Iloilo said in an address to the nation. The self-appointed head of state said a "soon-to-be-appointed interim government" would prepare the country for democratic elections in September 2014, at the latest.
Hypothesis: The President of Fiji is Ratu Josefa Iloilo.
Premise: MANILA, Philippines - Fishermen in the Philippines accidentally caught and later ate a megamouth shark, one of the rarest fishes in the world with only 40 others recorded to have been encountered, the World Wildlife Fund said Tuesday. The 1,100-pound, 13-foot-long megamouth died while struggling in the fishermen's net on March 30 off Burias island in the central Philippines. It was taken to nearby Donsol in Sorsogon province, where it was butchered and eaten, said Gregg Yan, spokesman for WWF-Philippines.
Hypothesis: A megamouth is a rare species of shark.
Premise: China has rejected Coca-Cola's planned $2.4 billion acquisition of top juice maker Huiyuan Juice, saying the deal would have been bad for competition. The acquisition by Coca-Cola would have been the largest-ever takeover of a Chinese company by a foreign rival, and is the latest rebuff for an overseas buyer of a Chinese company. "This just shows that China is still not open to allowing the takeover of a national brand," said Jeffery Lau, an analyst with Polaris Capital. "But this is not exactly a huge surprise to the market, protectionism has been on the rise everywhere this year. This also explains why the stock has been trading at a nearly 20 percent discount to the takeover price," he said.
Hypothesis: China refused Coca-Cola's bid to take over a juice company to protect its market.
Premise: It contained "a great number of inadmissible concepts", he wrote, and did not acknowledge the calls for better Cuba-US ties. "Who is now demanding our exclusion? Perhaps they don't understand that times of exclusionary agreements against our people have been left far behind," he wrote. US President Barack Obama has taken a less confrontational approach to the communist nation than his predecessor, George W Bush, our correspondent adds. But his administration continues to insist that there must be progress towards democracy and on human rights before the trade embargo can be lifted. The US began imposing restrictions on Cuba after Mr Castro took power in 1959, making it the only Communist state in the Americas - and a Cold War flashpoint.
Hypothesis: Castro took power in Cuba in 1959.
Premise: HONG KONG (Reuters) - Eating two and a half ounces of baby broccoli daily for two months may protect against a common stomach bug that is linked to gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer, a study in Japan has found. Fresh broccoli sprouts contain plenty of sulforaphane, a natural biochemical that appears to trigger the production of enzymes in the gut that protect against oxygen radicals, DNA-damaging chemicals, and inflammation. In an article published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, scientists found that eating two and a half ounces of baby broccoli daily may help stave off some serious health problems.
Hypothesis: Eating broccoli may protect against ulcers and stomach cancer.
Premise: Israel was stung by the 2001 Durban conference. Despite successful pressure to remove any reference to Israel from the official closing statement, the international NGO forum could not be so easily tamed. It issued a strongly worded declaration that equated Zionism with racism. It also described Israel's occupation of Palestinian land as "Israel's brand of Apartheid" and accused Israel of perpetrating war crimes and crimes against humanity. It was perhaps the loudest criticism so far by the international community of Israeli practices against the Palestinians. As such it was attacked by Western governments, and the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, as anti-Semitic.
Hypothesis: NGO forum charged Israel with war crimes against Palestinians.
Premise: Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle will be the leading member of the jury at the Shanghai Film Festival. The Oscar-winner filmmaker told the Xinhua news agency that he had never been on a fest jury before. Boyle also revealed his plans to make a flick in China. "When you have a city that is full of people and stories like Mumbai, Beijing or Shanghai, it's just so much excitement and potential for a filmmaker. It's like a dream come true," Variety magazine quoted him as saying.
Hypothesis: The movie "Slumdog Millionaire" has been directed by Danny Boyle.
Premise: This slight 93-year-old with white hair, who is now largely confined to a wheelchair, was formally recognised last week as one of the tiny handful of people to have survived not one but both of the American atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 - bringing to an end to World War II. Known in Japan as one of the hibakusha - literally 'the explosion affected people' - Mr Yamaguchi had long been recognised as a survivor of the nuclear explosion in his home town of Nagasaki. But now officials there have certified formally that he also survived the Hiroshima blast three days earlier - where he'd suffered severe burns to his upper body and temporary blindness.
Hypothesis: Americans dropped nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945.
Premise: For sale: Six-room two-flat in Chicago's Park Manor neighborhood; ornate tile work; impressive brick exterior; an underground cellar big enough to hide some cash or ditch a tommy gun. The home at 7244 S. Prairie Ave. once owned by mobster Al Capone and his family has hit the market for $450,000. It's a hefty sum considering similar two-flats in that working-class South Side neighborhood are selling for $180,000 to $230,000. But no other home in Chicago can match the history of the modest brick house that has had just two owners since Capone's mother died in 1952.
Hypothesis: Al Capone was a gangster.
Premise: I have, of these issues, a clear conscience, a relaxed-looking de Klerk told reporters in Cape Town less than a week after a South African newspaper said he had been implicated in apartheid atrocities. "I'm standing here to state my case, not in a defensive spirit, but in a spirit that I am owed a fair deal in my own country." De Klerk was South Africa's last white president and shared the 1993 Nobel Peace prize with Nelson Mandela for fostering racial unity and securing the country's smooth transition from apartheid to the first all-race poll in 1994.
Hypothesis: F. W. de Klerk was the President of South Africa.
Premise: India has higher rates of malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa, despite having the money to tackle the problem, according to a survey that raises grave questions about the country's economic rise Almost 46 per cent of Indian children under the age of 3 suffer from malnutrition, according to the survey by the Indian Health Ministry in conjunction with Unicef, the United Nations children's agency. That compares with about 35 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and only 8 per cent in China, whose economic growth India strives to emulate. It also represents only a slight decrease since the last National Family Health Survey in India seven years ago showed that 47 per cent of its children were mal-nourished.
Hypothesis: 47% of Chinese children are mal-nourished.
Premise: A man who spent 27 years in jail for the murder of a barmaid in Southampton had his conviction quashed at the Court of Appeal today after DNA tests proved that he could not have been the killer. Sean Hodgson, 57, was found guilty in 1982 of killing Teresa de Simone, 22, who was found strangled in her Ford Escort three years earlier in a car park below the pub where she worked part-time. He has long pleaded his innocence after retracting a confession initially given to a Roman Catholic prison chaplain - one of hundreds of crimes to which he pleaded guilty because, as he told his original trial, he was a "pathological liar".
Hypothesis: Sean Hodgson was in jail for 22 years.
Premise: In 2007 the 550-seat double-decker A380 Airbus overtook the 747 as the largest passenger airliner in service, a development that some aviation experts saw as signalling the end of the 747. Dwindling 747 orders have cast a dark cloud over the future of the airliner. Most are now are freighters as traditionally loyal customers such as Qantas, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines turn to the A380. The last remaining commercially flown 747 in Australia is the 747-400: with Qantas discontinuing the 747-300 model two weeks ago.
Hypothesis: Airbus A380 can carry 550 people.
Premise: A man who spent 27 years in jail for a murder he did not commit finally had his conviction overturned today after DNA tests destroyed the prosecution case against him. But even as Sean Hodgson, a frail 57-year-old, celebrated his freedom on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice, it emerged that the DNA tests which freed him should have been carried out 11 years ago. Mr Hodgson was found guilty in 1982 of killing Teresa De Simone, 22, who had been found strangled in her Ford Escort three years earlier in a car park below the Southampton pub where she was a part-time barmaid.
Hypothesis: Sean Hodgson was convicted of the murder of Teresa De Simone.
Premise: Seven Democratic representatives traveled to Havana but an official communique read on the air said only six attended the meeting with Castro. The statement provided no details of what was discussed or how long the meeting lasted. It added that the group also spoke in recent days with the head of parliament and the country's foreign minister. The lawmakers came to talk about improving U.S.-Cuba relations amid speculation that Washington is ready to loosen some facets of its 47-year-old trade embargo against the island.
Hypothesis: The U.S. embargo on Cuba has been in place for 47 years.
Premise: Advocates for the detainees today said the new position is at best a modest departure from Bush policy, but is a public-relations effort to move away from the loaded term "enemy combatants" that critics across the world associate with the former president. The brief maintains the US government's ability to hold terrorist suspects without charge, said Tom Malinowski, Washington director of Human Rights Watch, and applies international laws of war to suspects captured far from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. "It's a symbolic effort to distance the new administration from the Bush approach," he said. "But they've preserved significant aspects of the previous administration's detention authority."
Hypothesis: Tom Malinowski works for Human Rights Watch.
Premise: More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc., Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, say people familiar with the matter. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations at Apple, these people say. But Jobs has continued to work on the company's most important strategies and products from home, they say. He regularly reviews products and product plans, and was particularly involved in the user interface of the new iPhone operating system that Apple unveiled last month, these people say.
Hypothesis: Steve Jobs is the co-founder of Apple.
Premise: As he campaigns for a third term, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is counting on his reputation as a top-notch manager who tamed a once-unruly metropolis. Yet to remarkable degree, the task of managing New York City over the last four years has fallen to Mr. Skyler, a lanky 35-year-old former Ivy League fencer and "Star Wars" buff who once tackled a mugger who was trying to steal a cellphone in Midtown Manhattan. When a steam pipe exploded near Grand Central Terminal in 2007, it was Mr. Skyler who coordinated the cleanup.
Hypothesis: Bloomberg has been mayor twice.
Premise: Israeli scientists predict the world's coral reefs could begin to collapse in as little as 30 years from now. Studies show the oceans are becoming increasingly acidic as they soak up manmade emissions of carbon dioxide. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers say this will make it difficult for many coral organisms to produce skeletal and other hard parts. The team's work on corals in the Red Sea suggests a tipping point will be reached in between 30 and 70 years. Then the forces of erosion eating away at corals will outstrip the organisms' ability to make the reefs.
Hypothesis: The oceans are getting more acidic due to the carbon dioxide emissions.
Premise: It is also worth considering the impact of global warming on human health as well. With increasing surface temperature, heat waves are expected to occur more frequently, possibly endangering children and the elderly. Many pathogens proliferate much faster in warm environment. Increasing atmospheric temperature could very well mean faster proliferation of these pathogens that would cause numerous diseases and illnesses to humans. There is also expected spread of fatal tropical diseases as the world becomes warmer and warmer, placing those living in temperate regions at higher risks.
Hypothesis: Global warming is dangerous to public health because it could cause the diffusion of tropical diseases.
Premise: Ninty-seven years ago Tuesday, the Titanic, the largest passenger steamship in the world, struck an iceberg and began to sink during her maiden voyage. On April 14, 1912, the cruise liner, headed from England to New York, struck the iceberg. It took only 2 hours, 40 minutes for the 882-foot ship to be totally engulfed by the icy waters off the coast of Halifax. Killed were 1,517 people — although initial news bulletins indicated that all passengers had been safely transported to other ships.
Hypothesis: Titanic sank in 1912.
Premise: It's official: California's unemployment insurance benefits will be extended an additional five months, beginning immediately. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Friday that will assist about 469,000 longtime jobless Californians by year's end. The goal is to help families wracked by the recession buy food and pay rent in a year when the state's unemployment rate tops 10 percent. Roughly $3 billion in federal stimulus funds will bankroll the 20-week extension for out-of-work residents who exhaust their existing benefits.
Hypothesis: Arnold Schwarzenegger was an actor.
Premise: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand reported suspected swine flu cases on Monday among a second group of teenagers returning from Mexico, even as Asian nations with potent memories of SARS and bird flu outbreaks screened travelers for illness with thermal scanners. Hong Kong assigned a team of scientists to find a quick test for the latest virus to raise fears of a pandemic, following confirmed human cases of the disease in Mexico, United States and Canada.
Hypothesis: More than 100 people in Mexico are believed to have died of swine flu.
Premise: Russell Dunham, who as an Army sergeant in World War II received the Medal of Honor for charging up a snowy hill in the Alsace region of France and single-handedly killing, wounding or capturing 18 German soldiers, died Monday in Godfrey, Ill. He was 89. The cause was congestive heart failure, said his daughter, Mary Lee Neal. On the afternoon of Jan. 8, 1945, Sergeant Dunham was leading a platoon in the 30th Infantry, Third Infantry Division, when the soldiers, among them his brother Ralph, were pinned down by German fire. They were at the bottom of a hill near the village of Kaysersberg, the birthplace of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
Hypothesis: Russell Dunham was a soldier during the Second World War.
Premise: Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Jim Wesley said Page had slid from his hospital-type bed, as Wesley said he would occasionally, sometime between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET, when his wife found him, and that his death was consistent with positional asphyxia. Page was found sitting on the floor with his head lodged between the bed and the rail, Wesley said. Patricia Page immediately moved him to try to resuscitate him, Wesley said. Page told The Associated Press her husband "is in a better place now." The March 9, 2001, fight left Page in a coma for nearly a week. He then had a stroke during post-fight surgery. He was paralyzed on his left side and received intensive physical therapy.
Hypothesis: Greg Page was a World Boxing Association champion.
Premise: As Mel Gibson walked hand in hand with his new Russian girlfriend on the red carpet last night, a few new grey hairs were the only sign that he is a man about to lose $US500 million. The Australian actor - in the middle of what is expected to become one of the world's most expensive divorces - attended a movie premiere in Los Angeles with Russian songstress Oksana Grigorieva, the woman at the centre of worldwide speculation about his marital split. The public debut of his girlfriend, at the premiere of X -Men Origins: Wolverine, put to rest the rumours which have dogged the Oscar-winning Braveheart star since it was announced he was divorcing his wife of 28 years, former dental nurse Robyn Gibson.
Hypothesis: Mel Gibson comes from Australia.
Premise: DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Casey Stoner led from start to finish to win the MotoGP season opener on Monday and complete a personal hat trick of victories in Qatar. The Ducati rider produced a near-perfect race under lights to win the 22-lap race with a time of 42 minutes, 53.984 seconds at the 5.38 kilometer (3.34 mile) Losail International Circuit. The 23-year-old Australian finished ahead of defending world champion Valentino Rossi of Italy and Jorge Lorenzo of Spain. Yamaha rider Rossi crossed the finish line 7.771 seconds behind Stoner.
Hypothesis: Valentino Rossi is the Ducati rider in the MotoGP.
Premise: BOSTON — Derrick Rose, the baby-faced Chicago Bulls point guard, is similar to nearly every other N.B.A. player in that he talks with his agent, B. J. Armstrong, about everything from the meaningful to the mundane. Their relationship diverges only because they discuss not only signatures on endorsement deals but also signature plays. Once, Armstrong was also a baby-faced point guard for the Bulls. Their futures are conjoined through the agent-player relationship and by similar career paths. Armstrong churned through the Midwest pressure cooker first, delivering the ball to Michael Jordan during a period when they won three N.B.A. titles together.
Hypothesis: Michael Jordan played basketball.
Premise: This gap in knowledge makes earthquake prediction a frustrating and chancy exercise, and complicates the effort to calculate the risk that a human construction like a water reservoir or a geothermal power plant could inadvertently set off a deadly quake. Last month, Giampaolo Giuliani, a technician who works on a neutrino experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, issued an urgent warning that a large earthquake was about to strike the Abruzzo region. The prediction was based on measurements he had made of high levels of radon gas, presumably released from rocks that were being ground up by the stresses of an incipient quake.
Hypothesis: Giampaolo Giuliani is a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Premise: Afrol News, 24 March - The Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has said the country's authorities will not apologise or compensate to the Libyan government over the arrest of the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi saying that police were not at fault when Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife were arrested. The Minister has outrightly rejected the notion of compensation to the government saying the Libyan government was wrong to demand compensation for the arrest that was foreseen.
Hypothesis: Muammar Gaddafi is the Swiss Foreign Minister.
Premise: Boltanski filed a complaint on Saturday morning before returning to Paris. Libération and Reporters without Borders suspect this attack was a deliberate act of intimidation decided by the Tunisian regime. According to a United Press International report, Tunisian authorities arrested two men Saturday on suspicion of assaulting Boltanski.
Hypothesis: A French journalist was assaulted in Tunisia.
Premise: In response to Ike, and as part of an ongoing effort to save threatened historic sites across the United States, Brink's organization has added the Galveston district to its annual list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places." Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced an annual list of sites it aims to restore, protect and preserve. "Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy," the group said on its Web site.
Hypothesis: The National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1988 by Brink's organization.
Premise: The four — Jamil al-Sayyed, Ali Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan — directed the chief security and intelligence services and the presidential guard. They were widely seen as henchmen for Syria, which occupied Lebanon militarily for three decades. Widely believed to have ordered Rafik Hariri's killing, Syria was forced out of Lebanon under local and international pressure a few months later. Lebanon is preparing for a crucial parliamentary election in June in which Saad Hariri and his political allies, now in the majority, are facing an alliance led by Hezbollah. Many here believe that the tribunal's decision could cut into Mr. Hariri's votes by spreading the impression that Syria could escape being brought to account for the assassination of his father and be emboldened to rebuild its influence here.
Hypothesis: Ali Hajj and Mustafa Hamdan come from Lebanon.
Premise: First identified in 1930, swine flu is a common and sometimes fatal respiratory disease in pigs caused by type A influenza virus. The disease does not normally spread to humans, though infections are sporadically recorded, especially among people who have been directly exposed to pigs. The recent cases in Mexico and the United States, however, appear to have spread through human contact. From December 2005 through February 2009, only 12 cases of swine influenza were reported in the United States. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs. In 1976, swine flu at an U.S. military base at Fort Dix, New Jersey killed one soldier. Four were hospitalized with pneumonia. At first, experts feared the strain was related to the Spanish Flu of 1918, which killed millions, but the strain never spread beyond the base.
Hypothesis: Swine flu spreads to humans through contact with infected pigs.
Premise: Health ministers from countries suffering the highest burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases, including India, have agreed to a series of measures aimed at accelerating efforts to stop and reverse the global epidemic at a UN-backed meeting in China. Representatives of 27 countries with a high incidence of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) are meeting in Beijing for a three-day conference organised by the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), China's Ministry of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to secure funding and action to combat the spread of MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).
Hypothesis: XDR-TB is a type of tuberculosis.
Premise: Tributes have been paid to writer and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud, who has died at his London home nine days short of his 85th birthday. Stephen Fry, who starred alongside Sir Clement on Radio 4's comedy game show Just A Minute, described him as an "immensely generous and charming man". The former Liberal MP is survived by his wife, the actress Jill Freud, five children and 17 grandchildren. Sir Clement's funeral will take place in London next Friday.
Hypothesis: Sir Clement Freud was a grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
Premise: Marco Island's fringe and the surrounding Ten Thousand Islands are mostly made up of mangrove trees. Mangroves are a Florida native plant that thrives in salty water. They are able to separate the salt from the water and use the fresh water to survive. These mangrove forest ecosystems trap and cycle organic matter, chemicals and nutrients. They are the nurseries for area fishes, crustaceans and shellfish. They also provide food for species such as snook, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, red drum, oyster and shrimp. Our recreational and commercial fisheries would drastically decline without healthy mangrove forests.
Hypothesis: Mangroves are a kind of tree.
Premise: I'm not ruling out staying active in causes and issues, but at this point I'm looking for a new line of work, Blagojevich said. "I'm trying to pursue a way to earn a living and do some interesting things.. This is a chance to do something new and entertaining." Blagojevich first compared himself to Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he described as "my favorite governor" — well, now that he's no longer governor of Illinois. "(I'm pursuing) the reverse career path of Arnold's," he said. Later, in explaining his desire to join "I'm A Celebrity," he also invoked the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.
Hypothesis: Blagojevich is the ex-governor of Illinois.
Premise: LILONGWE, Malawi: In a surprise move, a judge yesterday rejected Madonna's request to adopt a second child from Malawi and said it would set a dangerous precedent to bend rules requiring that prospective parents live here for some period. Madonna's lawyer, Alan Chinula, said later yesterday that he has "filed notice for appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal." He says no date was immediately set. The country's child welfare minister had come out Thursday in support of the pop superstar's application to ado pt 3-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James.
Hypothesis: Madonna has three children.
Premise: No longer just primetime entertainment for people tired of the cookie cutter sitcom barrage, the show has grown enough of a following (casual viewers as well as its near-rabid fanbase) to warrant its own feature length film. The journey from television to theater at the show's 18th year of existence—The Simpsons is one of the longest-running TV shows in history—wasn't necessarily a sure thing. Matt Groening, the show's creator, initially imagined that a movie would surface once the series ended. But with the proverbial fat lady still waiting in the wings, it seems as if now's as good a time as any to let Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie take the stage.
Hypothesis: The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening.
Premise: Ernie Barnes, whose drawings and paintings of athletes, dancers and other figures in motion reflected his first career as a professional football player, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 70. The cause was complications of a blood disorder, his personal assistant, Luz Rodriguez, said. Mr. Barnes was an offensive lineman in the old American Football League, playing four seasons in the 1960s for the New York Titans, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. He would often say later that even during his playing days, his heart was more in the painting and sketching he had been doing since he was a child.
Hypothesis: Ernie Barnes was an athlete.
Premise: Mr. Lieberman is part of the new government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and his conservative Likud Party, which was sworn in late Tuesday. Mr. Lieberman leads the hawkish party, Yisrael Beiteinu, an important partner in the governing coalition and the third largest party in Parliament. Critics of Mr. Lieberman were outraged at the outcome of the recent coalition negotiations, which put Yisrael Beiteinu in charge of the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for the police.
Hypothesis: Lieberman is the new Foreign Minister of Israel.
Premise: ALBANY, N.Y. — New York's rural 20th Congressional District becomes the center of the American political world this week in a special election that's piqued the interest of both major parties. Tuesday's election will pit Republican Jim Tedisco, a 58-year-old state legislator for 27 years, against Democrat Scott Murphy, a 39-year-old businessman who has the backing of President Barack Obama and influential unions. Voters will choose the successor to Kirsten Gillibrand, who is now a U.S. senator. The special election has come to symbolize issues far beyond the sprawling district along New York's Hudson River Valley.
Hypothesis: Barack Obama is 39 years old.
Premise: SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea's state news agency says that leader Kim Jong Il observed the launch of the country's satellite. The Korean Central News Agency says in a reported dated Sunday that Kim visited the General Satellite Control and Command Center and observed the liftoff. North Korea launched a rocket Sunday that flew over Japan. The country says it was a satellite and that it successfully went into orbit. The U.S. says all parts of the rocket ended up in the ocean.
Hypothesis: Kim Jong-il is the leader of North Korea.
Premise: The doctor who supervises Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix has been under suspension in the run-up to this year's race, the BBC has learned. Dr Amjad Deeb Obaid has headed the F1 medical unit in Bahrain since 2007, with responsibility for a team of 150 medical professionals. He was suspended this year after the death of a patient he had discharged. Bahraini health ministry officials had found "professional deficiencies in [Dr Obaid's] medical ability".
Hypothesis: Amjad Deeb Obaid worked at Salmaniya Medical Complex.
Premise: Monitors from the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, left North Korea on Thursday after being ordered out by Pyongyang, which has raised regional tensions by saying it will abandon atomic disarmament talks and restart an aged nuclear complex it had agreed to shut in an aid-for-disarmament deal. The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket on April 5, saying the action contravened a U.N. ban.
Hypothesis: The International Atmospheric Energy Agency is called IAEA.
Premise: The government of Niger and Tuareg rebels of the Movement of Niger People for Justice (MNJ) have agreed to end hostilities, according to reports. Libyan state news agency Jana said two days of talks in Tripoli ended with both sides committing themselves to "total and comprehensive peace". There has been no confirmation from the Niger government but a rebel website said everyone supported reconciliation. The rebels are seeking a greater share of the region's uranium resources.
Hypothesis: MNJ is a group of rebels.
Premise: Lib Dem justice spokesman David Howarth said the footage showed a "sickening and unprovoked attack" by police. The IPCC is investigating and said it would examine the footage. The pictures, shot at 1929 BST (1829 GMT) at Royal Exchange Passage, initially show Mr Tomlinson, who was not protesting, walking away from a group of police officers. He then receives a two-handed push from an officer, landing heavily before remonstrating with the police. Mr Tomlinson collapsed and died of a heart attack after walking to nearby Cornhill, where he received first aid from police. A New York fund manager recorded the footage, believed to be the last showing Mr Tomlinson alive.
Hypothesis: Mr. Tomlinson was a fund manager.
Premise: The tiny Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden has voted to prohibit the phenomenon of naked hiking. Anyone found wandering the Alps wearing nothing but a sturdy pair of hiking boots will now be fined. Appenzell is considered one of the most conservative regions of Switzerland, it only gave women the vote in 1990. Locals have been outraged by an apparent upsurge of hikers who think the best way to appreciate the mountains is with their clothes off. The vote was taken with a show of hands at Appenzell's annual Landsgemeinde; an open air meeting of all registered voters in the town square.
Hypothesis: The Swiss canton of Appenzell has prohibited naked hiking.
Premise: Barack Obama made history on 4 November 2008 when he defeated Republican rival John McCain to become the first black president of the United States. He had already broken new ground in his White House campaign, as the first black candidate to become the presidential choice of either major US party. To many people, Mr Obama seemed to come from nowhere. Although he had served in the Illinois state senate for eight years, it was only in 2004 that he shot to national prominence, with a speech that stirred the Democratic National Convention.
Hypothesis: Barack Obama was a Republican candidate for the US presidency.
Premise: Former Ontario premier Bob Rae received a boost today in his bid to win the leadership of the federal Liberal Party of Canada when rival candidate Maurizio Bevilacqua announced he was dropping out of the race in order to back Rae. "I'm convinced that Bob Rae is the best person to lead the Liberal Party to victory. He has the experience and the intelligence and the vision to lead Canada into the 21st century," Mr. Belivacqua said at a news conference, Monday. Bevilacqua is a six-term Liberal MP representing the riding of Vaughan, Ontario and was seen as a centrist on economic issues.
Hypothesis: Maurizio Bevilacqua is a supporter of Bob Rae.
Premise: In an election on Saturday, the Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement have won 34 of 63 seats in the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. They share approximately 52% of the popular vote. In February 2009, the centre-right Icelandic government, led by the eurosceptic Independence Party, resigned following mass protests following the collapse of the island's economy. The Social Democrat Alliance and Left-Green Movement formed an interim government under Johanna Sigurdardottir. The Social Democrat Alliance is eager to start negotiations with the European Union regarding membership and adoption of the Euro. Their partner, the Left-Green Movement, wants a referendum about EU membership, and whilst the Social Democrats have said they will honour this, analysts predict this result will place pressure on the Left-Green Movement.
Hypothesis: The Social Democratic Alliance is allied with the Left-Green Movement.
Premise: A Boeing 737 with 69 people on board safely made an emergency landing at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, after the crew noticed excessive vibrations in the aircraft's left engine shortly upon takeoff. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The airplane circled around the airport to burn spare fuel in order to make the landing safer, according to Interfax. Fire crews and ambulances were at the scene when the jet landed. "After the plane took off, a vibration of the left engine was detected, after which it was decided to return back to Vnukovo," (Translated from Russian) a spokesperson for the airport told Interfax. "The airplane made an emergency landing. None of the 69 people on board were hurt." The plane had taken off from Vnukovo and was en route to Sochi on the Black Sea.
Hypothesis: 69 people were injured during an emergency landing at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.
Premise: A court in Paraguay has completed its trial over the worst fire disaster the country has ever seen. The Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire in Asunción left 374 dead, 450 others injured and nine missing, presumed dead. Store owner Juan Pio Paiva, 64, received 12 years imprisonment whilst his son Daniel Paiva, 40, was given 10 years. A security guard, Daniel Areco, was given a five-year sentence while three business associates of the Paivas were cleared of any criminal activity.
Hypothesis: Daniel Paiva was born in Paraguay.
Premise: A team of European and American astronomers say that a recently discovered extrasolar planet, located not far from Earth, contains oceans and rivers of hot solid water. The team discovered the planet, Gliese 436 b, which is roughly the size of Neptune, using the Geneva Observatory and it is roughly 33 light-years away from Earth. "The water is frozen by the pressure but it's hot. It's a bit strange — we are used to water changing conditions because of temperature, but in fact water can also be solidified by pressure. It's not a very welcoming planet," said one of the astronomers who discovered the planet, Frederic Pont.
Hypothesis: Gliese 436 b was found by scientists from America and Europe.
Premise: Brazil - Denunciations of political corruption threaten the Brazilian government. The most recent case involves a deputy of the political party PTB (who supports the government of the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) in a scandal of the services of post office. Lula's government representatives said that they will investigate all the denunciations and affirmed that the government is a victim of political enemies.
Hypothesis: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is a member of PTB.
Premise: The explosion happened at about 9:45pm local time, at the 'Rizk Plaza' shopping mall. It is understood from local media that a bomb was placed in the underground parking area below the complex, although there has been no official confirmation from security services. Sources on the ground say that the actual commercial center occupied the ground floor, with upper stories occupied by inhabited apartments. Located in the Metn range of mountains east of Beirut, Broummana is about half-hour's drive from the capital and is popular with tourists, particularly those from the Gulf states.
Hypothesis: Beirut is near Broummana.
Premise: Fitzpatrick (42), of Larkfield Close, Lucan, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to fraud and making a false report to gardai at his store on June 13, 2007, at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan called it a "case of desperation" and sentenced Fitzpatrick to two years, suspended for three years. Garda Claire O'Malley told the court she responded to a call from Mr Fitzpatrick and found him standing outside his shop in a distressed state. He showed her the empty clothes railings and said two men had come in and ordered him to go into the back office. He said they told him to stay there while they took €20,000 worth of clothes. He claimed he emerged 30 minutes later and phoned gardai. Two witnesses reported seeing the men load the clothes into a white van and were able to give gardai the registration number.
Hypothesis: Fitzpatrick is accused of robbery.
Premise: Brazilian federal police arrested Jesse James Hollywood, aged 25, in Saquarema city, Rio de Janeiro, on March 8. James had been sought by the FBI for more than four years. According to the police, he was living in Saquarema with a woman who is pregnant. His arrest occurred while they were in a mall. James was deported to the United States for trial. The two countries do not have a formal extradition treaty.
Hypothesis: Jesse James was arrested in Hollywood.
Premise: Since breaking off from San Francisco local legends, mk Ultra, Vanderslice has produced six critically-acclaimed albums. His most recent, Emerald City, was released July 24th. Titled after the nickname given to the American-occupied Green Zone in Baghdad, it chronicles a world on the verge of imminent collapse under the weight of its own paranoia and loneliness. David Shankbone recently went to the Bowery Ballroom and spoke with Vanderslice about music, photography, touring and what makes a depressed liberal angry.
Hypothesis: Emerald City is a part of the Green Zone.
Premise: State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers are doorknocking and advising residents to leave. Bruce Gunn from the Queensland cyclone warning centre says the cyclone will coincide with a high tide. "We are talking seawater a couple of metres above the high-tide mark, possibly more than that, with waves on top, so this is a very serious situation we are talking about," he said. Mr Gunn told the ABC that severe weather will be experienced several hours before the cyclone reaches the coast. "While we are saying the coastal crossing will be between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. AEST, the few hours leading up to that will be rather bumpy - not very nice to experience," he said.
Hypothesis: Bruce Gunn was raised in Queensland.
Premise: Former city manager of Largo, Florida and transsexual Susan Stanton, has been hired as the new city manager for Lake Worth. Stanton, formerly named Stephen, was allegedly fired from her job as Largo's city manager in 2007 when her sex-change operation became public knowledge. "We said all along that we'd pick the best candidate regardless and that's what it's all about, we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't," said Jeff Clemons, the mayor of Lake Worth. He added that the city's commission voted in favor of Stanton 4 to 1.
Hypothesis: Susan Stanton works for Lake Worth.
Premise: British actor Daniel Craig has been confirmed as the man to follow Pierce Brosnan as the sixth James Bond. Producer Barbara Broccoli and director Martin Campbell called Craig 'a superb actor who has all the qualities needed to bring a contemporary edge to the role'. "It is a huge iconic figure in movie history, and those things don't come along very often," Craig said. The role makes Craig the second Englishman to act as the British spy code-named 007, based on the famed literary character created by novelist Ian Fleming in 1953.
Hypothesis: James Bond is a British citizen.
Premise: NAOSC is an Alberta-based oil company founded in 2001. It manages 1,110 square kilometres of oil sands leases located in northern Alberta. It is estimated that the NOASC oil sands hold approximately 2.2 billion barrels of oil reserves. The company is planning to develop an extraction project and an upgrading facility. When the project is completed, NAOSC expects it to produce over 200,000 barrels of bitumen per day. The upgrading facility would then process the bitumen into synthetic crude oil.
Hypothesis: NAOSC is located in Alberta.
Premise: In March of 2007, Wikimedia was named in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court of Monmouth, New Jersey, along with 20 other defendants which included operators of the Absolute Write web site and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America who authored the list. Wikinews has learned that Bauer's Wikipedia article was deleted some time during the course of the proceedings, along with the edit history of her article and its talk page as a "courtesy." During the investigation, Wikinews found that all edits to her article, and edits to pages requesting it to be deleted were deleted by Wikipedia administrator MaxSem.
Hypothesis: Fantasy Writers of America is an operator based in New Jersey.
Premise: Australia's emergency telephone service, triple-0, which is operated by Telstra, has been lost in Southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory following damage to two optical fibre cables. It is believed that in two separate incidents, optical fibre cables were cut at Gundagai and Narrandera in Southern NSW. In addition to the loss of the triple-0 service, 34 mobile base stations in the region have also been affected. According to Telstra, local calls are still possible, and they recommend that people dial their local fire, ambulance or police station in case of an emergency.
Hypothesis: Narrandera is situated in Australia.
Premise: A suicide attacker detonated a bomb near the home of a prominent Pakistani Shia Muslim cleric in Karachi yesterday, killing the cleric and two other people, police said. The death of Allama Hassan Turabi is likely to raise tensions in Karachi, which is often the scene of violence between Shias and Sunnis. Allama Turabi had narrowly escaped an attempt on his life in April 2006 when a bomb was exploded just after his car crossed the area. He was the leader of a Shia party, Islami Tehreek Pakistan, and a vice provincial chief for Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal Sindh (MMA), an opposition religious coalition.
Hypothesis: Allama Hassan Turabi was a member of the Pakistani Shia Muslim in Karachi.