CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr and photojournalist Peter Morris traveled to southern Afghanistan with Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. CNN's Barbara Starr is on assignment in Afghanistan, where she says Marines are living in very tough terrain. HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Our travels in Afghanistan continue. I feel like the title of this posting should be "why I had to get power-washed in Afghanistan" or "the body armor is only heavy until they start shooting at you." OK, now I will explain. CNN photojournalist Peter Morris and I just wrapped up spending several days in southern Afghanistan with Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, touring the combat zone. The Marines are living in some of the toughest terrain there is. It is remote and often raining. That means dust turns to mud, and you find yourself covered in it from head to toe. Stinky, cold, wet, oozy mucky mud. The good news is, everybody stinks, so you lose any sense of self-consciousness about it. But you do dream of getting power-washed. So, yes, after a few days a shower was, shall we say, more than essential. For the Marines, however, it is a seven-month tour of duty in mud in the winter and dust in the summer. It seems very grim, especially when compounded by the fact that the Marines are wearing heavy body armor all the time. Ask them if it's heavy to wear, the typical answer goes something like, "It's only heavy to wear until the bad guys start shooting at you. Then it's OK." The young Marines know exactly how tough the fight they are facing in the coming weeks and months will likely be. Several of them told me security had gotten considerably worse in recent days. Their bases were being repeatedly shelled by insurgents, several roadside bombs had gone off, and local Afghan police had died at the hands of suicide attacks. Senior commanders usually have a more cheery outlook, but here in southern Afghanistan, everyone is cautious. Almost everyone is a veteran of Iraq and learned the tough lesson there about not declaring victory too soon. Even Conway, who commanded U.S. forces in Fallujah, picks his words very carefully. He tells me he believes that everyone must be ready for a spike in U.S. casualties as the Marines begin to move into the region in greater numbers this spring. All of this was rattling around in my head when I saw the Marines riding around in what they call "a 7-ton truck." As the name suggests, it's huge and has some armor plating on the sides. But what it doesn't make clear is that the truck is open in the back and sides. The Marines insist it is a safe way to transport troops. For years now, the Army has used fully armored vehicles only in the combat zone. The Marines have a somewhat different view. They believe heavy armor isn't everything; sometimes being able to get around on the battlefield faster is better. But then again, when someone starts shooting at you, I think you want all the armor you can get. Next stop, Iraq. Yeah, there is still a war there, too.

Who often travel in "7-ton truck" that's open in the back and sides?

Who wears heavy body armor all the time, adding to the discomfort ?

What did Barbara Starr say about the mud in southern Afghanistan?

What is the marines method of transportation?

What adds to the discomfort of the marines?

What is only heavy "until the bad guys start shooting at you," ?

Answer: the Marines

Answer: The Marines

Answer: and you find yourself covered in it from head to toe. Stinky, cold, wet, oozy mucky

Answer: "a 7-ton truck."

Answer: they call "a 7-ton truck." As the name suggests, it's huge and has some armor plating on the sides.

Answer: wearing heavy body armor

Answer: "the body armor

Summary:
With all the mud in southern Afghanistan, everyone stinks, Barbara Starr says .
Marines also wear heavy body armor all the time, adding to the discomfort .
Armor is only heavy "until the bad guys start shooting at you," Marines say .
Marines often travel in "7-ton truck" that's open in the back and sides .


CNN Student News -- Welcome to CNN Student News, a daily commercial-free, ten-minute broadcast of the day's news geared for middle- and high-school students. CNN Student News can be found on air and online, and whether you're brand new to the program or a longtime viewer, we've got new things in store for you.

CNN Student News anchor Carl Azuz.

You've already found our new homepage, CNNStudentNews.com, where you can access the show and free related curriculum materials, including Learning Activities, Discussion Questions, Newsquizzes and One-Sheets.

CNN Student News airs on CNN Headline News at 4 a.m. You can record the show from 4:00-4:10 a.m. Eastern time on Headline News. (Check your local listings for channel number).

If you'd prefer, you can download CNN Student News to your desktop or iPod. Go to the CNN.com Podcast page and look for the Student News podcast. Once you've signed up for the free subscription, every episode will automatically be downloaded to iTunes.

In addition to CNN Student News, each week, CNN offers educators a commercial-free edition of "CNN: Special Investigations Unit," "CNN Specials" or its award-winning documentary program "CNN Presents," along with a corresponding free curriculum guide on CNNStudentNews.com. You can record these CNN Classroom Edition programs from 4:00-5:00 a.m. Eastern time on Mondays on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.)

And if you want to be the first to know what's coming up on CNN Student News and CNN Classroom Edition programs, you'll want to sign up for our CNN Student News Daily Education Alert. Registration is quick and simple. Just click here to subscribe.

who is the  day's news for middle- and high-school students?

what is aired daily on CNN Student News?

at what time is CNN Headline News is aired?

Answer: CNN Student

Answer: CNN

Answer: commercial-free, ten-minute broadcast of the

Answer: 4 a.m.

Answer: 4 a.m.

Summary:
CNN Student News is the day's news for middle- and high-school students .
CNN Student News airs daily on CNN Headline News from 4:00-4:10 a.m. EST .


CNN affiliates report on where job seekers are finding work across the country and how those looking for employment are coping with the situation. A census employee poses with the new handheld device field workers will use for the 2010 count. (CNN) -- The nation will take roll call in 2010 and the federal government is giving the states money to hire thousands of census workers. Officials in Colorado say they may hire as many as 8,000 workers for positions that last between 10 weeks and one year. Cathy Illian says the bureau has already hired 800 people in the Denver area. The organization will also post open positions in early April. Some jobs pay as much as $28.75 an hour. Read the story on KMGH In Idaho, Dave Mulvihill, manager of the state's census bureau, said the organization will hire 1,200 workers. He has plenty of job searchers to choose from. "We've had applications from approximately 7,300 people across the state," he told CNN affiliate KIVI. Read the full report on census jobs The office is holding off on taking any more applications until fall. The Alabama census bureau is preparing to hire between 1,000 and 1,500 workers. "We need workers so we can get good addresses [to] send the questionnaires out so we can get a good response," state census bureau official Darryl Lee told TV Alabama in Birmingham. Census officials point out that an accurate count of U.S. citizens helps the government figure out how much funding to give each state for federally sponsored programs. Read the ABC 33/40 story Northeast: Rhode Island strip club holding job fair Business is so good at the Foxy Lady in Providence, Rhode Island, that owners need to hire 25 to 30 more people. And not just dancers. Club co-owner Tom Tsoumas said he also needs managers, waitresses and other behind-the-scenes workers. Tsoumas said because of the poor economy he is expecting to be shocked by the quality of applicants on Saturday. The state's unemployment rate is 10.3 percent. Read the story at WPRI's Web site Southeast: Beauty schools see increase in applicants looking for career change Maria Gonzalez was a receptionist until she was laid off. Now she is training to cut hair. Gonzalez, 34, attends Bradenton Beauty and Barber Academy. "But right now with everything slowing down and being laid off, all the companies, you know, [are] not hiring at this time, so I decided to start coming to school here," she told Bay News 9 in Tampa, Florida. The CNN affiliate reports that The Florida Association of Beauty Professionals says beauty schools throughout the state are seeing a 5-15 percent increase in students. Read Bay News 9 report on beauty schools Liz Galdamez, director of the school, said her newly enrolled students were more likely to be looking for a career change than people in their 20s. "We're seeing more people in their early 30s and 40s coming into this industry," she said West: Man shows job hunters how to look for work on Twitter A man who was laid off from his real estate job a year ago now organizes events that bring job seekers together while teaching them skills to use social networking tools. Edwin Duterte runs Pink Slip Mixers and has put on 10 networking events in Southern California. Recently he held his first such event in Mountain View, California. Perrine Crampton, a program manager who is out of work, was impressed with the willingness of other job seekers to help each other. "With people saying, 'Hey, I found this job; I'm not a good fit. Would you like this position?' she told CNN affiliate KGO. Watch the KGO report on the mixer "That kind of thing is going on now. That is something I really hold onto, because it shows me that there is good in humanity." Duterte said the Web sites Twitter and LinkedIn are a great way to build an online network of contacts. "If I get other eyes to look for you maybe you

What kind of club in Rhode Island needs more workers?

What does the strip club in Rhode Island need more of?

Census bureaus are hiring people from where?

Answer: the federal government

Answer: workers

Answer: strip

Answer: workers

Answer: Denver area.

Answer: census bureau,

Summary:
Census bureaus are hiring hundreds of workers in each state .
Strip club in Rhode Island needs more dancers, other workers .
California man advising people on using Twitter to get job leads .
The Navy needs rocket scientists and other types of workers at one of its centers .


CNN caught up with Italian midfield legend Andrea Pirlo who gave us his insight into the World Cup holders and made his predictions for this summer's tournament in South Africa.

Describe Italy's coach Marcello Lippi:

He is serious but just when you have to work or when he has to deal with the press. With the players he is able to joke around and create a good atmosphere. He is a delightful person and a great coach.

Are Italy too old to win the World Cup again?

There are so many players with experience, I would say we are experienced, not old. And considering we have played together at the highest level for a long time we can go far at the World Cup.

Who impressed you the most during qualifying?

Spain and Germany -- Spain are the team that has been playing better. They are amongst the favorites.

Who can be the surprise package?

I like the Ivory Coast. They did not play particularly well at the Africa Cup of Nations but they are full of talent.

Who is the most passionate player?

[Gennaro] Gattuso, who shows his passion in the way he plays and for sure also [Gianluigi] Buffon and [Fabio] Cannavarro.

Who plays the most practical jokes?

Me, [Daniele] De Rossi and Gattuso. There's enough understanding between veterans to do that.

Who is the most vain guy on the team?

[Gianluca] Zambrotta is that kind of guy. He uses a lot of cream and gels. He would like to be always perfect but he is not able to be!

And who is the last one on the bus?

That is easy [Mauro] Camoranesi -- if there is someone missing on the bus, in the briefings it is always the same guy -- Camoranesi.

Who believes Spain has the best chance of lifting the World Cup this summer?

Who believes the Ivory Coast is full of talent?

Answer: Ivory Coast.

Answer: Andrea Pirlo

Answer: Andrea Pirlo

Answer: Andrea Pirlo

Summary:
Pirlo believes Spain have the best chance of lifting the World Cup this summer .
Gennaro Gattuso is the most passionate player in the Italian national team .
Pirlo believes Ivory Coast are full of talent and may be a surprise in South Africa .


CNN's Ed Henry followed President Obama on his trip to the Middle East and Europe, ending at a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Europe. You can see his reflections from Normandy, as well as  the entire Obama trip, by going to his Twitter page. Row upon row of gravestones at the American Cemetery  mark those killed in the invasion. NORMANDY, France (CNN) -- I knew my first visit to the American Cemetery at Normandy would be emotional, but I really had no idea I'd be tearing up literally within about eight minutes of walking the rows of bone-white gravestones. Those of us in the White House press corps traveling with President Obama to France on Saturday to celebrate the 65th anniversary of D-Day were very lucky. It was truly awesome to have a front-row seat to the celebration of the climactic battle of World War II, where Allied forces finally stopped the Nazi aggression. If there was a hint of a downside, it was that all of us had to wake up Saturday somewhere around 5 a.m. Paris time (11 p.m. ET Friday, ugh) to then board one of several buses that would take us on a 3½-hour journey to Normandy. That's right,  3½ hours on a tour bus when you're already totally exhausted from a very busy trip that took us from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and then Germany and France in just a few days.  Watch President Obama's speech at Normandy » The upside? WE'RE GOING TO NORMANDY!!! Besides, do I really want to complain about a stinking bus ride when about 2,500 brave Americans lost their lives on this battlefield during the first 24 hours of vicious combat on June 6, 1944? Didn't think so. So I jump off the bus, head for the cemetery and decide I should pick just one of the dozens and dozens of rows of tombstones and keep walking until I stumble upon the first grave of a soldier from New York -- my home state -- that I can find. In less than a minute, I found it. His name was Martin J. Biringer, a private from the 4th Cavalry. I bowed my head and thanked him for his service, trying to put myself in his combat boots, thinking that when I was an 18-year-old or 19-year-old kid growing up in New York, I doubt I had the strength and courage this man had to answer his country's call. I decided to take my iPhone out and start posting reflections and photos on Twitter, starting with Biringer's grave. I decided to keep walking down the same row of graves toward Omaha Beach, where the invasion began, and this is where I really got choked up. There was a bouquet of flowers sitting under one grave with a card written out in longhand on a piece of white paper. "From your brother Pete, I remember you," it said so simply and yet so elegantly. That's when I started feeling the chills on my back. The flowers were fresh, and so was the ink on the card. "Pete" had clearly been here in the last day or two, and I started thinking about the fact that he had not seen his "brother" in 65 years. Sixty-five years. And yet he made the trek all the way here to simply say, "I remember you." I started tearing up thinking of my own family: imagining my son going off to war and dying, and my daughter traveling to this cemetery 65 years later, and leaving a card like that. I remember you. That's when it hit me: how easily we take for granted the emotional holes that the war left in so many lives. In this case, I looked up and saw that Pete was paying tribute to his brother Theodore Cassera of New Jersey, a staff sergeant from the 8th Infantry who died a couple of weeks after D-Day. A man who fought and died so that we could be free. Nearby, I found another

What was on the grave?
What does Ed Henry do?
Where was President Obama visiting?
Where did Ed Henry walk?
When was Normandy?
What was on one grave?
What news agency does Ed Henry work?
Where did Obama take a trip too?

Answer: a bouquet of flowers

Answer: followed President Obama on his trip to the Middle East

Answer: Middle East and Europe,

Answer: American Cemetery at Normandy

Answer: June 6, 1944?

Answer: a card written out in longhand

Answer: CNN's

Answer: Middle East and Europe,

Summary:
Normandy visit came at the end of President Obama's trip to Mideast and Europe .
CNN's Ed Henry says walking the rows of gravestones brought chills, tears .
On one grave were flowers and a message from a "brother"
A group of young boys sought out autographs from assembled veterans .


CNN's Susan Lisovicz sat down with her uncle Lenny Lisovicz, a decorated D-Day veteran, to talk about his experiences at war. CNN's Susan Lisovicz spoke to her Uncle Lenny about his D-Day and war experiences. HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Decorated D-Day veteran Lenny Lisovicz says the whispers are true. For 65 years my family had heard whispers that he and 220 men stormed Omaha Beach and that he and his captain later went AWOL in Paris, France. They heard he returned to combat and fought all the way to Germany and his courage was rewarded with the prestigious Silver Star. Then -- after that sacrifice and loss -- he was committed to a hospital. On the 65th anniversary of D-Day, Uncle Lenny finally talked at length about everything he had seen and done. And he said it was all true. Nowadays, Uncle Lenny lives a tranquil life. At 91, he is proud of his garden, where he grows corn, tomatoes and grapefruit. He takes in stray cats, attends Mass and sends money regularly to Catholic missionaries. But his thoughts are never far away from a sliver of sand thousands of miles away. He turned down my offer to visit Normandy. "I don't want to see it. I try to rub that out of my mind. It won't go away," he said. But now, he finally agreed to share his memories.  Watch Uncle Lenny describe storming the beach » It began with The Longest Day: June 6, 1944. My uncle was a 26-year-old lieutenant with the Army 1st Infantry Division, the famed "Big Red One." They had been training in England for something big for months. Then, over the loudspeakers in the barracks came the famous declaration from Gen. Dwight Eisenhower: "You are about to embark on the Great Crusade." The Germans were taken by surprise in one of the greatest amphibious invasions of all time, which would mark a turning point of the war in Europe. "I just imagined what that enemy observer felt when he looked through that concrete bunker and looked out at that ocean and all he could see was boats, warships," Lisovicz said. But the Nazis had a superior position. "They had you pinpointed. It was just like shootin' ducks on a pond. Your comrades would get artillery busted. A hand flying here, a leg there, guts laying out on the ground, asking for help and you couldn't help them. You had to move. You just had to push them aside," he recalled. But the Allies couldn't push their way onto the cliffs until a massive air assault began. "At times there were so many planes in the sky you couldn't see the sky... ," Lisovicz said. "You could see them forming from all directions coming into one pattern. And that's how we got off the beach, darlin'." Their orders were to meet up with the paratroopers, who landed behind enemy lines. My uncle said they found them by smell, because they were all dead. "They backed them in a corner and machine gunned them down and didn't have enough decency to cover them," he said. That was when an unwritten order came down: "No prisoners. And we didn't take any." It was shortly after this that he decided he had enough. He and the captain went AWOL in Paris. To add insult to injury, they stole the major's jeep. Their freedom lasted only about a week. "The MP told us he was going to shoot us for going AWOL. But who cares? You didn't care anymore," Lisovicz said. "You were just fed up with war, fed up with killing, just absolutely fed up." But they weren't shot -- not by Americans, anyway. My uncle and the captain went back into combat. The captain was killed by a camouflaged tank. My uncle was now the commanding

Lenny Lisovicz descibed what
what did Lenny Lisovicz  describe
what did he say
What does Lenny Lisovicz describe?
Who did Lenny say had you pinpointed?

Answer: his experiences at war.

Answer: his experiences at war.

Answer: the whispers are true.

Answer: storming the beach

Answer: Nazis

Summary:
Sixty-five years after D-Day, CNN correspondent's uncle talks about experience .
Lenny Lisovicz describes day he and his unit stormed Omaha Beach .
He says the Nazis "had you pinpointed. It was just like shootin' ducks on a pond"
Lisovicz was one of 22, out of 220 men in his group, to return home alive .


CNNU campus correspondent Brandon Gates is a junior at University of South Carolina. CNNU is a feature that provides student perspectives on news and trends from colleges across the United States. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of CNN, its affiliates or the schools where the campus correspondents are based. Some of the students killed were affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta sorority, whose house is pictured above. COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) -- At the University of South Carolina, the campus is quiet, but students were still heading to their classes after six students were killed in a beach house fire during the weekend. The school is planning a short ceremony Monday evening to honor the six students who were killed Sunday morning in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. A seventh person killed is believed to be a student at Clemson University. Their identities had not yet been released Monday afternoon. The USC students were affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. "The fraternities are praying for them and their families for the loss. It's something we're all affected by," Jay Laura, student president of the USC chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In a later news conference, Laura said the outpouring of condolences was a testament to the character of the fraternity brothers who died. He also said he was proud of the way the university was coming together to support each other. Lauren Hodge, the chapter president of Delta Delta Delta, said the sorority would have ministers and counselors at the sorority house to help USC students. "We're trying to everything we can right now to help people cope," she said. "We've spent a lot of time (counseling) with the students from the sorority and fraternity," said Dennis A. Pruitt, the vice president for student affairs. "We encourage any student who is just learning of the situation and is a member of Tri-Delta or SAE to contact their parents and let them know they're OK." The school decided against canceling classed on Monday. "Going back to normal, everyday activities may be the best way for some to mourn and grieve," Pruitt said. A weekly concert that is typically a well-attended event failed to bring out students on Monday. Most students appeared to be spending time in their dorm rooms where counseling was offered. "I feel shocked that something like that could happen here. You always see stuff like that happening at other schools, but you never it can happen to your school," said Artifa Ricks, a sophomore majoring in broadcasting. Six other University of South Carolina students were treated for injuries at a local hospital and released, the school said. The university is providing counseling and assistance to students who have requested it. "When any one member of our family is lost, every one of us is diminished. I'm profoundly saddened, as are all members of Gamecock Nation, by these tragic deaths," said Dr. Andrew Sorensen, the university president. The students were on a weekend getaway at Ocean Isle Beach, a popular resort destination along the southern coast of North Carolina. E-mail to a friend

What sorority has ministers and other counselors available?

How many USC students are being honored?

Answer: killed in a beach house fire

Answer: short ceremony

Answer: ministers and counselors

Answer: Delta Delta Delta,

Answer: of South Carolina.

Answer: six

Answer: ministers and counselors

Answer: South Carolina.

Summary:
University to hold ceremony honoring the six USC students .
Sorority to have ministers and other counselors available .
Group urges members to make sure families know they're OK .


COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (CNN)  -- World leaders gave thanks Saturday to military veterans for their efforts in the D-Day landings of 65 years ago at a ceremony in northwest France, warning that their legacy must not be forgotten as the world faces renewed threats of tyranny. President Obama and Britain's Prince Charles were among those attending the ceremony. President Obama joined Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a ceremony at the American Cemetary in Normandy, close where many died in the World War II offensive. More than 150,000 allied troops, about half of them Americans, took part in D-Day on June 6, 1944, overwhelming German forces in an operation that proved a turning point in driving the Nazis out of France. Allied forces secured the beaches at a cost of about 10,000 casualties in what was the first step in a campaign that would, in a matter of weeks, liberate Paris, which had been under Nazi occupation for more than four years. Brown praised those who fought on that day, saying, "as long as freedom lives, their deeds will never die." He said their sacrifices had put obligations on people living today in what he called "the great covenant of D-Day. "We must be as if liberators for our day and our generation too," he said, citing Burma (renamed Myanmar) and Zimbabwe, as well as the "mortal threat of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease and want." Obama addressed the 288 veterans said to be attending the ceremony, telling them: "You are why we keep coming back."  Watch Obama deliver speech to veterans » "You remind us that in the end, human destiny is not determined by forces beyond our control. You remind us that our future is not shaped by mere chance or circumstance. "It has always been up to us," he said.  Watch Obama arrive in France » He urged the world to remember what happened at nearby Omaha Beach, one of the main landing points for U.S. troops involved in the operation. "Friends and veterans, what we cannot forget -- what we must not forget -- is that D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century." Sarkozy described the horrors of the battle, where so many died before they were able to land that "those who did make it ashore waded through the bodies of the dead and wounded that floated in on the tide." He cited a letter from a U.S. soldier who said the day "was like a waking nightmare. The ground was so strewn with bodies that you could practically cross the beach without touching the sand." "Never, never will France forget," he vowed. The speeches were followed by a 21-gun salute, a lone trumpter playing taps and a flyover by American, British and French jets. Among veterans attending Saturday's remembrance ceremonies will be 86-year-old former British soldier Jim Tuckwell, who said the events will help those present to remember fallen comrades lost in the heat of battle. "There was no time to mourn, you didn't have time to mourn," he said, recalling the events of 1944. Read Tuckwell's story "And the worst thing about later battles was that when you lost people, you normally had to bury them yourself. You couldn't leave the bodies on the ground, there was nowhere else to put them."

Which world leaders attended D-Day tribute?

How many allied troops took part in D-Day ?

How many allied troops took part in D-Day operations?

Answer: military veterans

Answer: Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy

Answer: World leaders

Answer: June 6, 1944,

Answer: More than 150,000

Answer: More than 150,000

Answer: June 6, 1944,

Answer: President Obama and Britain's Prince Charles

Summary:
Dignitaries, World War II veterans pay tribute to D-Day fallen .
President Obama, France's Sarkozy, UK's Brown among those attending .
150,000 allied troops took part in operation on June 6, 1944 .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN -- Military officials in Sri Lanka said they shot down a Tamil Tiger aircraft near the Colombo International Airport on Friday, in an air engagement with rebels that killed two people and left about 50 wounded.

An injured survivor of a suicide attack in northeast Sri Lanka on February 9

Sri Lankan officials claimed both planes were shot down by the Sri Lankan Air Force, SLAF, refuting the Tiger's claim they were conducting suicide missions in the country's capital.

A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan Military said the body of a Tamil Tiger guerrilla was found by the plane's wreckage after it was shot down near the Colombo International Airport.

The other plane, which entered the capital of Colombo, dropped a bomb but crashed into the offices of the Department of Inland Revenue, two blocks away from Air Force Headquarters, a military spokesman said.

According to the Sri Lanka's Lankapuvath news agency, the country's air defense was activated at 9:30 p.m.( 11 a.m. ET) Friday after receiving information that two of the rebels light aircrafts were circulating over Colombo.

"Both aircrafts were brought down by air force firing," Lankapuvath reported. "The dead body of the LTTE pilot was also found strewn about."

The news agency said 50 people were admitted to Colombo General Hospital due to injuries from the crash. Two died from their wounds.

According to the pro-Tamil Tiger Web site Tamil.net.com, two Black Air Tiger Pilots -- the group's elite squadron --died after carrying out diving missions into Sri Lanka's air force headquarters in Colombo and an air force base in Katunayaka.   CNN could not independently verify the claims made by the rebels or the government.

In a report released on Thursday, Human Rights Watch criticized the Sri Lankan government for its "indiscriminate" killings of civilian as it attempts to fight the rebel movement. As the rebel stronghold continues to shrink, civilians are trapped in the cross-fire, HRW said.

"Sri Lankan forces are shelling hospitals and so-called safe zones and slaughtering the civilians there," James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

HRW also condemned the Tamil Tigers for its treatment of civilians.

The organization's 45-page study said 2,000 civilians have been killed and another 5,000 have been wounded.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead.

Who is to blame for rise in civilian casualties?

Answer: Sri Lankan government

Answer: Tamil Tiger

Answer: Sri Lanka

Answer: Sri Lankan Air Force,

Answer: killed two people

Summary:
NEW: Officials claim air force shot down rebel planes .
Two dead, 50 wounded in capital, Colombo .
Both sides to blame for rise in civilian casualties, Human Rights Watch says .
Up to 250,000 civilians trapped in Sri Lanka conflict zone, aid groups say .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN)  -- Colombo has been hit by a second bomb blast in only 24 hours following the fall of the Tamil Tigers' capital to government troops.

Police and army officials at the site of a suicide bombing in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Friday.

Two people were wounded and a store damaged in the Petard commercial district Saturday.

A day earlier a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up outside an air force headquarters in Colombo, killing two air force police officers and a member of the bomb-disposal unit. Another 30 people were injured.

The attacks come after President Mahinda Rajapaksa urged the  Tigers to lay down their arms and end a quarter-century of civil war.

He made his call after  government troops retook the separatists' capital, Kilinochchi.

In a televised statement Friday evening, Rajapaksa called the recapture of Kilinochchi "a victory against separatism."

"The time is not far off when people of the north can breathe freedom again," Rajapaksa said.

He invited the Tigers -- who have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983 -- to surrender as government troops closed in on their last remaining strongholds.

Rajapaksa's announcement was met with fireworks in Colombo, and Friday's news prompted celebrations in other cities as well.

The Tamil Tigers ran a parallel administration from Kilinochchi with their own police force, courts, prisons and taxes, and they had declared government plans to retake the city a "daydream." But after Sri Lanka launched a new offensive against the rebels in the fall, the insurgents moved their nerve center and logistics bases to Mullaitivu, on the northeastern coast.

Sri Lankan troops have been on the outskirts of Kilinochchi, about 580 km (360 miles) north of Colombo, for more than a month. They took a key highway junction and a town outside the city Thursday.

The civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. The U.S. State Department has designated the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organization.

What did President Mahinda Rajapaksa call for?

Answer: 24 hours following

Answer: Tigers to lay down their arms and end a quarter-century of civil war.

Answer: Tamil Tigers'

Answer: Mahinda Rajapaksa

Answer: Colombo

Answer: government troops.

Answer: Colombo

Summary:
Suicide bomber strikes in Colombo, injuring two and damaging store .
Second blast in the capital in 24 hours following capture of rebel capital .
President Mahinda Rajapaksa calls on rebels to lay down arms .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN)  -- The deafening roar of drums and horns rose as thousands of people took to the streets in Sri Lanka Friday for a victory parade marking the end of the decades-long civil war. Sri Lankan youth celebrate on the street in Colombo on May 20, 2009. Enthusiastic revelers danced in the street, carried yellow and red flags and some even carried hand-crafted puppets depicting the dead body of the leader of the rebel Tamil Tigers.  Watch the victory parade » Sri Lanka's government declared victory Tuesday in the country's 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels. The announcement brought celebrations to some parts of the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed and local media released footage of the fallen leader's body. But while thousands partied Friday, humanitarian organizations worried about the estimated 250,000 refugees the war created in northeast Sri Lanka. Many have had their homes destroyed are struggling for food, clean water, emergency health kits, cooking pots and school supplies, relief agencies say.   Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » A U.N. spokesman has said the country's government has not adequately helped refugees and has started to restrict U.N. relief agencies from providing aid.  Watch Sri Lanka dispell allegations » "The process of national reconciliation we feel must be all inclusive so that in can fully address the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil as well as other minorities. It is important that the victory becomes a victory for all Sri Lankans," said Vijay Nambiar, a U.N. special envoy. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit the area this week. CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this story.

What did the Sri Lankan goverment declare?

What has the UN accused the government of?

Who accused the government of not providing enough help for refugees?

How many people did aid groups express fears for?

Who declared victory over Tamil Tiger rebels?

What government declared victory over the Tamil rebels?

How many people are displaced in the country's northeast?

What has the U.N. accused the government of?

What caused the revelers to dance in the street?

Answer: victory Tuesday in the country's 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Answer: not adequately helped refugees

Answer: A U.N. spokesman

Answer: 250,000 refugees

Answer: Sri Lanka's government

Answer: Sri Lanka's

Answer: 250,000

Answer: not adequately helped refugees and

Answer: a victory parade marking the end of the decades-long civil war.

Summary:
Revelers dance in the street, wave flags to celebrate end of Sri Lanka civil war .
Sri Lanka government declared victory over Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday .
Aid groups express fears for 250,000 displaced people in country's northeast .
U.N. has accused the government of not providing enough help for refugees .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- A Sri Lankan government minister narrowly escaped injury Thursday when a suicide bomber in a car detonated explosives, police said. File image of Maithripala Sirisena taken in May, 2007. Two of the minister's bodyguards were hurt in the blast, which occurred in a southern suburb of the capital city, Colombo. The minister, Maithripala Sirisena, heads the agriculture department. He is also the secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, a partner in the ruling coalition. Authorities blamed the attack on Tamil Tigers rebels. The fighting in Sri Lanka pits government forces in a country dominated by the Sinhalese ethnic group against rebels from the Tamil minority. The rebels, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, are fighting for the creation of an independent nation, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese. On Monday, a suicide bombing blamed on rebels killed at least 27 people, including a prominent politician and his wife. Another 60 were wounded. That bombing took place in Anuradhapura, the capital of Sri Lanka's North Central province.

What part of the suburb of Colombo was the blast?

What department does Maithripala Sirisena  head?

who blamed the attack on Tamil Tigers rebels

Who did the authorities blamed the attack on?

Answer: southern

Answer: agriculture

Answer: agriculture

Answer: Tamil Tigers rebels.

Answer: Two of the minister's bodyguards

Answer: Authorities

Answer: Tamil Tigers rebels.

Answer: Maithripala Sirisena,

Answer: Tamil Tigers rebels.

Summary:
Minister's bodyguards hurt in blast in southern suburb of Colombo .
Maithripala Sirisena heads the agriculture department .
Authorities blamed the attack on Tamil Tigers rebels .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Angered by what he perceived as the systemic discrimination of the minority Tamils by successive Sri Lankan governments, 18-year-old Velupillai Prabhakaran, armed with just a revolver, set out in 1972 to right the perceived wrongs by forming a militant group. Sri Lanka's defense ministry says this handout photo shows troops with a captured Tamil Tiger craft. That group eventually morphed into the Tamil Tigers, who have engaged in a brutal 25-year insurgency for an independent Tamil state that has left more than 70,000 dead. Along the way, the group has been declared a terrorist organization in 32 countries, pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and, according to the FBI, invented the suicide belt. It was also behind the assassination of two world leaders -- the only terrorist organization to do so. Over the weekend, the militants offered to "silence" their guns after an intense military offensive decimated their ranks, usurping them from their stronghold in the north and east of the country, and cornered the remaining rebels on a small stretch of land.  Watch more on the possible end to the conflict » On Monday afternoon, the Sri Lankan government said it had killed Prabhakaran. If the rebels now follow through on their announcement, the action will potentially mark the end of the longest-running civil war in Asia. Who are the Tamils? The Tamils are an ethnic group that makes up about 12 percent of Sri Lanka's population of about 20 million. They mostly dominate the northern and eastern part of the country. Tamils are mostly Hindu and speak Tamil. That sets them apart from Sri Lanka's majority group, the Sinhalese, who make up 74 percent of the population. They are Buddhists and speak Sinhala. The tension between the two ethnic groups date to the British colonization of the country -- an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. At the time, the country was known as Ceylon. Many Sri Lankans regarded the Tamils as British collaborators and resented the preferential treatment they received. The tables turned when the country achieved independence in 1948 and the Sinhalese majority dominated government. It was the Tamils then who claimed they were being discriminated against in politics, employment and education. By the 1970s Tamil politicians were demanding a separate Tamil state. It would be called Tamil Eelam. In this climate Prabhakaran emerged with his militant group, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Who is Prabhakaran? Prabhakaran operated from a secret jungle base in the northeastern part of the country, granting few media interviews and remaining an elusive figure to even many Tigers. He was reputed to wear a cyanide capsule around his neck -- to swallow rather than risk capture. And he reportedly expected the same dedication from his troops. As a result, few Tigers have been captured alive. To Prabhakaran's supporters he was a hero fighting for the rights of his people. The Sri Lankan government deemed him a war criminal with disregard for civilian casualties. He was wanted by Interpol on charges including terrorism and organized crime. In 1975, three years after forming his group, Prabhakaran was accused of fatally shooting the mayor of Jaffna, his birthplace. Prabhakaran was also accused of masterminding the killing of then-Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in the Tamil-dominated Indian state of Tami Nadu. Sri Lankan authorities allege that Prabhakaran was avenging Gandhi's decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka. Two years later, a Tigers' suicide bomber, allegedly acting under Prabhakaran's orders, detonated explosives that killed Sri Lanka's then-president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, during a rally.  Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » Who are the Tamil Tigers? The Tigers reportedly number about 10,000, recruited from villagers in Tamil-dominated areas and unemployed Tamil youths who think they were passed over for jobs because of their ethnicity. Their armed struggle began in July 1983 when the Tigers killed 13 Sinhalese soldiers. It led to, what was until then, the largest outburst of violence in the island's history. Hundreds of Tamils were

What did the Tamil leader wear around his neck?

For how many years has the insurgency been going on?

What type of capsule did the leader wear?

Approximately how many people has the insurgency killed?

How long has the insurgency been going on?

What did the leader wear around his neck?

What has killed more than 70.000 people?

who wore a cyanide capsule around his neck?

What number of people have been killed in the insurgency?

How many years has the insurgency gone on for?

What did the Tamil leader have around his neck?

Answer: cyanide capsule

Answer: 25-year

Answer: cyanide

Answer: more than 70,000 dead.

Answer: a cyanide capsule

Answer: more than 70,000

Answer: invented the suicide belt.

Answer: 25-year

Answer: invented the suicide belt.

Answer: a cyanide capsule

Answer: Tamil Tigers,

Answer: Velupillai Prabhakaran,

Answer: more than 70,000 dead.

Answer: 70,000

Answer: 25-year

Answer: a cyanide capsule

Summary:
25-year long insurgency has killed more than 70,000 people .
Tamil leader reportedly wore a cyanide capsule around his neck .
FBI says group pioneered use of suicide belts for bomb attacks .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Efforts by government troops to secure control of a main highway that links mainland Sri Lanka to the northern Jaffna peninsula came a step closer Thursday when they re-captured Pallai, a palm-fringed village under rebel control. Sri Lankan army troops have had there most decisive victories against the Tamil Tigers in recent weeks. The village is located past Elephant Pass, described as a gateway to the Jaffna peninsula, which the army re-captured on Wednesday. Whilst a column of troops are moving northwards from this town, another column that advanced from the outer fringes of the government-controlled peninsula advanced southwards to recapture Pallai. "When the two columns meet we would have captured the entire A-9 highway," a senior army source told CNN. He spoke on grounds of anonymity since he is not authorized to talk to media. The A-9 highway links the hill city Kandy with Jaffna. The only stretch that remains to be recaptured is the area between Elephant Pass and Jaffna. Earlier this month, President Mahinda Rajapaksa urged the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms and end a quarter-century of civil war. Before he made that request government troops retook the separatists' former capital, Kilinochchi. Rajapaksa called the recapture of Kilinochchi "a victory against separatism." "The time is not far off when people of the north can breathe freedom again," Rajapaksa said. He invited the Tigers -- who have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983 -- to surrender as government troops closed in on their last remaining strongholds. The civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. The U.S. State Department has designated the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organization.

Answer: 65,000

Summary:
Sri Lankan government troops continue advance into rebel territory .
Troops capture village on main highway linking mainland to Jaffna peninsula .
Civil war with Tamil Tigers has killed more than 65,000 .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Five members of the Sri Lanka's Civil Defense Force (CDF) were killed in a suicide blast in Sri Lanka at a church outside the capital of Colombo Sunday morning, police said. Sri Lankan police officers investigate Sunday's suicide bombing near Colombo. Eight other CDF officers and two civilians were wounded, police said. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels. There was no immediate response from the Tamil Tiger rebels to the incident, which, police said, occurred at St. Anne's Church in the Colombo suburb of Wattala, located on a roadway to the country's only international airport about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the capital. The attack happened during a weekly festival that usually draws a large crowd shopping for vegetables and household goods. The suicide bomber walked into an area where CDF officers were stationed and detonated his explosives, police said. Investigators suspect the bomber targeted the area because 150 police officers who help patrol the road to the airport are billeted there. Government forces have engaged rebels in heavy fighting for more than a year in the Kilinochchi region, once the center of political power for the Tamil Tigers. The 25-year civil war between ethnic Tamil separatists and the Sri Lankan government has left more than 65,000 people dead. The Tamil Tigers were founded in 1976, and the U.S. State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. The rebels, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), are fighting for the creation of an independent nation, citing discrimination by the country's Sinhalese majority. Earlier Sunday, Sri Lanka's navy said it had destroyed a Tamil Tiger rebel boat allegedly attempting to smuggle in military supplies through the northern coast. Commander D.K.P. Dissanayake, a navy spokesman, told CNN that four rebels were killed in attack after the boat was engulfed in fire. He said the incident occurred just after midnight Sunday but gave no other details. There was no immediate response from the Tiger rebels to that incident. CNN could not independently verify the government's claim because media is debarred from Sri Lanka's battle zones. In the past, both sides in the conflict have exaggerated accounts of military operations. On December 20, the Navy said it destroyed a similar rebel boat trying to smuggle military supplies through the coast near the northeastern coastal village of Mullaitivu. However, a second supply boat was caught on Air Force aerial surveillance cameras unloading along the coast. "They included assorted ammunition, artillery shells, mortar shells and other items," a senior Air Force official told CNN. He spoke on grounds of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Which group do the police suspect the bomber beloged to?

With what event did the attack coincide?

Answer: four

Answer: Tamil Tiger rebels.

Answer: the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Answer: weekly festival

Answer: a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Answer: Sunday morning,

Answer: in Sri Lanka at a church outside the capital of Colombo Sunday morning,

Answer: Five

Summary:
NEW: Attack coincided during a weekly festival that draws a large crowd .
NEW: Police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels .
No immediate response from Tiger rebels on church blast, destroyed boat .
Four rebels killed in boat attack after midnight Sunday, Navy says .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Shell-shocked and scarred both inside and out, they huddle in tents, water and medicine in short supply -- hundreds of thousands of people, civilian victims of Sri Lanka's recently-ended civil war. Displaced Sri Lankan people look out from inside a camp in Cheddikulam. "We suffered a lot because shelling was coming from everywhere," said a 38-year-old man identifying himself as Vishwamala. "Firing, shelling -- many, many people have died ... there was nobody there to carry the dead. A lot of dead were left on the road." Another survivor, Krisha Duray, recalls "running and running" to escape shelling by both the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels, who waged a bloody 25-year war. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday visited refugee camps housing such victims. "I have traveled around the world and visited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scenes I have seen," he said. Ban requested that the United Nations be provided full access to the displacement camps in order to provide aid. In a joint statement issued Saturday, Ban and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the United Nations will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons, and that the government will continue to provide access to humanitarian agencies. That access, however, is limited. The United Nations and other organizations have never had full access, as government officials fear some remaining Tamil Tiger rebels may be hiding in the camps and are screening those inside.  Watch the U.N. chief discuss the humanitarian crisis » Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper reported that attempts to smuggle youths out of the camps has prompted the government to impose restrictions on visits. Rajiva Wijesinha, the nation's human rights ministry secretary, was quoted as telling the newspaper that people "with the connivance of Non-Governmental Organization workers" were involved in the plot. Because of the plot, "a thorough screening of IDPs was under way," the newspaper said. "I have United Nations humanitarian agencies, and there are ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and many other international humanitarian agency workers," Ban said in a Saturday news conference, according to a transcript. "They should be given unimpeded access and freedom of movement within the camp. That is what I have asked the foreign minister and the president (for), and I was assured that the leaders of the Sri Lankan government will make sure (of this)." Sri Lanka's government as of Sunday had not responded to Ban's appeal. But the joint statement Saturday said, "The government will expedite the necessary basic and civil infrastructure as well as (the) means of livelihood necessary for the IDPs to resume their normal lives at the earliest. "The Secretary-General welcomed the announcement by the government expressing its intention to dismantle the welfare villages at the earliest as outlined in the plan to resettle the bulk of IDPs and call for its early implementation." Ban toured Manik Farm, a sprawling camp for internally displaced people in the country's north, days after Sri Lanka declared victory in a 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers rebels. About 250,000 to 300,000 people are refugees in the country, according to humanitarian groups and U.N. figures. Some in the camp have experienced fierce fighting in recent months, saying that at moments they did not believe they were going to survive. Asked whether he agrees with the military's assertions that not many civilians died in the violence, Ban told CNN he believes there were many civilian casualties. While the war's end elicited celebrations in parts of the country, humanitarian groups and the United Nations worry about those uprooted by the fighting. Ban arrived in the South Asian island nation Friday, saying he came to offer help and partnership. "I hope my visit today can help begin a process of national recovery, renewal and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans," Ban said in a written statement issued Friday. "That is why I am here." He said he would

How long has the civil war been going on?

What did Ban ask to give unrestricted access to?

How many people are refugees in the country ?

Answer: displaced people

Answer: 25-year

Answer: 250,000 to 300,000

Answer: displacement camps

Answer: 25-year

Answer: 250,000 to 300,000

Answer: About 250,000 to 300,000

Summary:
Ban Ki-moon says camp contains "the most appalling scenes I have seen"
Ban asks president to grant unrestricted access to humanitarian agencies .
About 250,000 to 300,000 people are refugees in the country, aid agencies say .
Sri Lankan government has declared victory in the country's 25-year civil war .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed Friday there was "a conspiracy with certain international forces" to belittle his government's military victories against Tamil Tiger rebels. Sri Lankan army troops have had there most decisive victories against the Tamil Tigers in recent weeks. The aim of these conspirators, he said in an address to the nation, "is to level unfounded charges against the army commander who works with greatest dedication to achieve these victories." He also used the address to formally announce the recapture of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had remained in rebel hands for over nine years. The recapture enable the government to use the A-9 highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Until now it was done either by air or by sea. Rajapaksa's remarks came amid mounting attacks on the media. On Tuesday a group armed with rifles, pistols and grenades attacked the country's most popular privately owned television channel MTV. The main control room equipment costing more than $ 1.7 million was damaged. On Thursday, Lasantha Wickrematunga, chief editor of The Sunday Leader, a newspaper which had exposed corruption and criticized aspects of ongoing military operations, was shot dead. Earlier Friday, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremasinghe, accused military and security officials of the attacks, saying the government could not control them. "Armed forces members are shocked about these incidents. The armed forces says due to the activities of few intelligence sections, the reputation of the country is being ruined. That is the team which the government has no control of," he told parliament. Rajapaksa said there were efforts to belittle military victories "to turn the attention of the people to other directions." He said such "conspiracies arise when a country moves ahead without giving in to external pressures." He added "one must not mistake these conspiracies as being against me or my government. This is a conspiracy against the entire country by those who have been driven to fear due to the successes of our security forces." Meanwhile, fighting in northern Sri Lanka between government and rebel forces escalated on several fronts Friday, while Tamil Tiger rebels killed seven people in a roadside bombing. Three members of the Sri Lankan air force and four civilians died when rebels exploded a claymore landmine in the village of Morawewa, near the northeastern port city of Trincomalee, police said. The strategic port town is located about 240km (150 miles) north of the capital, Colombo. Friday's incident came as troops pursued their military campaign in the northern Wanni region to recapture remaining rebel strongholds, military sources said. Government troops were said to be meeting fierce resistance as they advanced on the Tamil stronghold of Mullaitivu and a naval blockade remained in the northeastern seas. The 25-year long civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. The U.S. State Department has designated the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organization.

Where are the government troops advancing?

Who is in a civil war with Tamil Tigers?

What is the death toll in the civil war?

Answer: northern Wanni region

Answer: Tamil Tigers

Answer: civil war

Answer: Tamil stronghold of Mullaitivu

Answer: Sri Lankan army troops

Answer: Mahinda Rajapaksa

Answer: more than 65,000 people dead.

Answer: 25-year

Answer: Mahinda Rajapaksa

Summary:
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa makes conspiracy claims .
Sri Lankan government troops continue advance into rebel territory .
Civil war with Tamil Tigers has killed more than 65,000 .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lanka's government said Monday its forces had killed Tamil rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran as he attempted to flee, according to the country's state-run news agency. The Sri Lankan government says Tamil chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead. The Tamil rebel group, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), is aware of the government's report but has yet to confirm Prabhakaran's death or the deaths of its other leaders, according to a posting on the pro-rebel Web site, Tamilnet.com. It said "initial reports indicate a determined massacre by the Sri Lanka Army." Prabhakaran was one of 19 senior LTTE leaders that the government has identified among the bodies found as its troops completed mop-up operations after routing the Tigers, the defense ministry said. The leaders include Prabhakaran's eldest son, Charles Anthony, as well as Pottu Amman, LTTE's intelligence leader, according to the ministry. Prabhakaran founded the rebel group, which has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries. It pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and, according to the FBI, invented the explosive suicide belt. It was also behind the assassination of two world leaders -- the only terrorist organization to do so.  Watch more on the possible end of fighting » Prabhakaran is accused of masterminding the killing of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in the Tamil-dominated Indian state of Tami Nadu as he campaigned for a second term. Sri Lankan authorities allege that Prabhakaran was avenging Gandhi's decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka. Two years later a Tigers suicide bomber, allegedly acting under Prabhakaran's orders, detonated explosives that killed Sri Lanka's then-president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, during a rally. Over the weekend, the militants offered to "silence" their guns after an intense military offensive decimated their ranks, pushed them from their stronghold in the north and east of the country, and cornered the remaining rebels on a small stretch of land. If the rebels honor their pledge, it would potentially mark the end of the longest-running civil war in Asia. Prabhakaran's supporters considered him a hero with a single-minded focus -- to fight for the rights of his people. The Sri Lankan government deemed him a war criminal with a disregard for civilian casualties. He was wanted by Interpol on charges including terrorism and organized crime. In the past it has been reported he wore a cyanide capsule around his neck -- to swallow and kill himself rather than risk capture. And he reportedly expected the same dedication from his troops. As a result, few Tigers have been captured alive. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to announce that "military operations" against the Tiger rebels have ended in an address to parliament and country on Tuesday.  Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » The rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka since July 1983. Journalist Iqbal Athas contributed to this report.

What's the name of deceased the Tamil chief?

Who does the Sri Lankan government say is dead?

Answer: since July 1983.

Answer: since July 1983.

Answer: Velupillai Prabhakaran

Answer: Velupillai Prabhakaran

Answer: Velupillai Prabhakaran

Answer: Velupillai Prabhakaran

Answer: The rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka

Summary:
Sri Lankan government says Tamil chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead .
The offensive against the rebel group is in its last stages, the government says .
Rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils since 1983 .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lankan soldiers have seized a key rebel stronghold after launching a surprise attack early Sunday morning, the head of Sri Lanka's army announced.

Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka says a key Tamil town has been taken in a national TV broadcast Sunday.

Troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from Tamil fighters, according to the government-run news agency.

"Our troops fought their way through a 40 km (25 mile) thick jungle track," Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said in a televised address on Sunday.

"This is the long awaited victory and I am happy to say that our heroic forces today captured the Mullaittivu town after 12 years," the Sri Lanka Army chief said.

There is no confirmation from the rebels that the strategic garrison has been overtaken.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead.

The rebels gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996 and established a military garrison there, according to the government.

In recent days, the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds.

Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula.

It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years.

The re-capture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea.

"The area that the LTTE has dominated has shrank phenomenally," Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, C.R Jayasinghe, told CNN. "They lost... about 90 percent of what they had."

Despite major government gains, critics point to ongoing civilian casualties resultant from the conflict.

"This is an important strategic success for the army, but literally tens of thousands of people, children, are in the line of fire," United Nations spokesman James Elder said in a phone conversation Sunday.

"Some Sri Lankan U.N. staff are trapped there," he added. "Convoys are going to the area, delivering emergency supplies, but these are not sufficient for the number of people in need."

Sri Lankan authorities are barring journalists and humanitarian aid workers from areas where heavy fighting is taking place.

Amnesty International spokesman Shuransu Mishra estimated that "over a quarter of a million of the population, mostly Tamils, are trapped between the two sides."

The organization says greater access and protection for aid workers and journalists are needed as news agencies struggle to report an accurate picture of the conflict.

"The Sri Lankan authorities are doing little to ensure the safety of the country's media, or to prosecute those responsible for murdering or attacking them," Amnesty International spokeswoman Yolanda Foster said in a written statement on Friday.

"They (Sri Lankan authorities) are also directly responsible for subjecting journalists to harassment and interrogation," she said.

At least 14 journalists have been killed since the start of 2006, according to the statement.

Others have been driven from the country by death threats, or in fear of detention and torture by government authorities, it said.

Which northern town did troops regain control of?

Answer: 1996

Answer: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

Answer: the military

Answer: early Sunday morning,

Answer: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Answer: Elephant Pass,

Answer: military garrison

Answer: Sri Lankan soldiers

Summary:
Rebels gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996, established a military garrison there .
Military making significant progress to recapture rebel strongholds .
Earlier this month troops regained control of key northern town of Elephant Pass .
Tamils want independent homeland, war since 1983 has left more than 65,000 dead .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lankan soldiers have seized a key rebel stronghold after launching a surprise attack early Sunday morning, the head of Sri Lanka's army announced. Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka says a key Tamil town has been taken in a national TV broadcast Sunday. Troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from Tamil fighters, according to the government-run news agency. "Our troops fought their way through a 40 km (25 mile) thick jungle track," Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said in a televised address on Sunday. "This is the long awaited victory and I am happy to say that our heroic forces today captured the Mullaittivu town after 12 years," the Sri Lanka Army chief said. There is no confirmation from the rebels that the strategic garrison has been overtaken. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead. The rebels gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996 and established a military garrison there, according to the government. In recent days, the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds. Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years. The re-capture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea. "The area that the LTTE has dominated has shrank phenomenally," Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, C.R Jayasinghe, told CNN. "They lost... about 90 percent of what they had." Despite major government gains, critics point to ongoing civilian casualties resultant from the conflict. "This is an important strategic success for the army, but literally tens of thousands of people, children, are in the line of fire," United Nations spokesman James Elder said in a phone conversation Sunday. "Some Sri Lankan U.N. staff are trapped there," he added. "Convoys are going to the area, delivering emergency supplies, but these are not sufficient for the number of people in need." Sri Lankan authorities are barring journalists and humanitarian aid workers from areas where heavy fighting is taking place. Amnesty International spokesman Shuransu Mishra estimated that "over a quarter of a million of the population, mostly Tamils, are trapped between the two sides." The organization says greater access and protection for aid workers and journalists are needed as news agencies struggle to report an accurate picture of the conflict. "The Sri Lankan authorities are doing little to ensure the safety of the country's media, or to prosecute those responsible for murdering or attacking them," Amnesty International spokeswoman Yolanda Foster said in a written statement on Friday. "They (Sri Lankan authorities) are also directly responsible for subjecting journalists to harassment and interrogation," she said. At least 14 journalists have been killed since the start of 2006, according to the statement. Others have been driven from the country by death threats, or in fear of detention and torture by government authorities, it said.

What year did rebels gain control over Mullaittivu?

What is Tamil independence movement called?

The military is making progress in what?

What key northern town was retaken this month?

Answer: 1996

Answer: 12 years,"

Answer: Mullaittivu

Answer: Liberation Tigers of

Answer: an independent homeland

Answer: Sri Lanka

Answer: of the northern town of Elephant Pass,

Answer: in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds.

Answer: Elephant Pass,

Answer: independent homeland

Answer: Elephant Pass,

Summary:
Rebels gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996, established a military garrison there .
Military making significant progress to recapture rebel strongholds .
Earlier this month troops regained control of key northern town of Elephant Pass .
Tamils want independent homeland, war since 1983 has left more than 65,000 dead .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lankan soldiers seized a key rebel stronghold over the weekend, as humanitarian agencies feared for the safety of civilians. Sri Lankan troops at Elephant Pass, the isthmus that connects north Jaffna peninsula to rest of the country. "It's an incredibly serious situation," James Elder, a U.N. spokesman, said Monday. "We have a very large number of people, including tens of thousands of children, trapped in a fast-shrinking conflict zone." Government forces took the area in a surprise attack early Sunday, the head of Sri Lanka's army announced. Troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from Tamil fighters, according to the government-run news agency. "Our troops fought their way through a 40 km (25 mile) thick jungle track," Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said in a televised address Sunday. "This is the long-awaited victory and I am happy to say that our heroic forces today captured the Mullaittivu town after 12 years," he said. There has been no confirmation from the rebels that the strategic garrison has been overtaken. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead. The rebels gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996 and established a military garrison there, according to the government. In recent days, the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds. Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years. The recapture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea. "The area that the LTTE has dominated has shrank phenomenally," Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, C.R Jayasinghe, told CNN. "They lost ... about 90 percent of what they had." Despite major government gains, critics point to ongoing civilian casualties resultant from the conflict. "This is a critical moment in the conflict when the space for these people has shrunk," Elder said. The United Nations is "calling on the ... Tamil Tigers to meet their international responsibilities and guarantee that these very large civilian populations to move freely and then can move away from the conflict and to areas where they can receive appropriate assistance," Elder said. "Some Sri Lankan U.N. staff are trapped there," he said in a Sunday interview. "Convoys are going to the area, delivering emergency supplies, but these are not sufficient for the number of people in need." Sri Lankan authorities are barring journalists and humanitarian aid workers from areas where heavy fighting is taking place. Amnesty International spokesman Shuransu Mishra estimated that "over a quarter of a million of the population, mostly Tamils, are trapped between the two sides." The organization says greater access and protection for aid workers and journalists are needed as news agencies struggle to report an accurate picture of the conflict. "The Sri Lankan authorities are doing little to ensure the safety of the country's media, or to prosecute those responsible for murdering or attacking them," Amnesty International spokeswoman Yolanda Foster said in a written statement on Friday. The Sri Lankan authorities "are also directly responsible for subjecting journalists to harassment and interrogation," she said. At least 14 journalists have been killed since the start of 2006, according to the statement. Others have been driven from the country by death threats, or in fear of detention and torture by government authorities, it said.

When did the Tamil Tigers take control of Mullaittivu?

What group gained control over Mullaittivu?

When did the Tamil Tigers gain control over Mullaittivu?

Who took the area in a surprise attack early Sunday?

When did government forces take the area?

What did Rebel Tamil Tigers gain control over in 1996?

What key northern town did they regain control of?

Answer: an independent homeland for the country's ethnic

Answer: Elephant Pass,

Answer: early Sunday,

Answer: Elephant Pass,

Answer: took the area in a surprise attack

Answer: 1996

Answer: 1983.

Answer: Government forces

Answer: 1996

Answer: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Answer: Government forces

Answer: troops

Answer: in a surprise attack early Sunday, the head of Sri Lanka's army announced.

Answer: in 1996

Answer: an independent homeland

Answer: Mullaittivu

Answer: over Mullaittivu in 1996 and established a military garrison there, according to the government.

Summary:
Government forces took the area in a surprise attack early Sunday .
Rebel Tamil Tigers gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996 .
Earlier this month troops regained control of key northern town of Elephant Pass .
Tamils want independent homeland, war since 1983 has left more than 70,000 dead .


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) -- Humble woodcutter Mohammed Sultan Nafeek's teenage daughter moved to Saudi Arabia to work as a housemaid to support her family after they were displaced by the 2004 tsunami. Now she is on death row, and all he can do is pray. Razeena Mohammad (left) and Mohammad Sultan Nafeek, parents of Rizana Nafeek. Rizana, who was 17 when she started work in Saudi Arabia, was convicted of killing a 4-month-old baby boy in her care just two weeks into her job. Nafeek says the child died accidentally, choking on milk. His daughter was sentenced to beheading in a case rights groups say underlines the vulnerability of many of the 1.5 million Sri Lankans who work abroad -- nearly 400,000 of them in Saudi Arabia alone. "Our family was suffering hardship, and so our daughter volunteered to go and work abroad to send money home," Nafeek told Reuters by telephone from his modest home in Mutur in Sri Lanka's war-torn northeast. After the December 2004 tsunami forced them from their home, the family was displaced again by renewed civil war between the state and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. Nafeek visited Saudi Arabia with Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister this month in a bid to secure clemency and met with relations of the dead child's parents but came away empty handed. Under Saudi law, a pardon is the gift of the family of the victim, and so far the parents of the dead child have refused to meet either the family or Sri Lankan officials. "The cops told us: 'Go and pray to Allah. If you can get the forgiveness of the parents, your daughter will be free,' " he said. "So I am praying all the time." "If we had been able to meet the parents, we are sure they would have been willing to forgive our daughter after seeing our situation." The Sri Lankan government is investigating the agency that sent Rizana to work abroad when she was technically still a child but remains hopeful she will be pardoned or exonerated. "I am fairly confident," said Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila. "We have spoken to tribal leaders of their particular tribe, we have spoken to area officials... It is they who will now have to speak (to the parents)." "His Excellency the President (Mahinda Rajapaksa) has been following this case very keenly. This is an exceptional case because of her tender age," he added. Rights groups accuse the government of failing to protect its expatriate workers -- one of the main sources of foreign-exchange revenues for the $23 billion economy -- with legal aid. They also decry Saudi Arabia's legal system. "This case raises many troubling questions about the treatment of children and foreigners in Saudi Arabia's criminal-justice system," Human Rights Watch said in a statement issued overnight. "International law prohibits the death penalty for crimes committed before the age of 18." Saudi Arabia executed four Sri Lankans convicted of armed robbery earlier this year, and did not inform Sri Lankan authorities beforehand. Sri Lanka reinstated its own death penalty in 2004 after the murder of a high court judge, but it has been dormant since 1976. There is no indication any of the dozens of convicted murderers, rapists and drug smugglers on death row in Sri Lanka and effectively serving life prison terms will actually be executed. E-mail to a friend

When was the family displaced by a tsunami?

Who was convicted of killing baby in her care in Saudi Arabia?

Answer: 2004 tsunami.

Answer: 17

Answer: the child

Answer: killing a 4-month-old baby

Answer: the child died accidentally, choking on milk.

Answer: 2004

Answer: milk.

Answer: killing a 4-month-old baby boy in her care

Answer: Rizana Nafeek.

Summary:
Girl convicted of killing baby in her care in Saudi Arabia when she was 17 .
Nafeek says the child died accidentally, choking on milk .
Girl's family displaced by December 2004 tsunami, renewed civil war in Sri Lanka .


COLORADO CITY, Arizona (CNN)  -- A 16-year-old girl in Arizona has alleged sexual abuse in a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints community, sources in Arizona told CNN Friday. Warren Jeffs is the jailed leader of FLDS groups in Arizona, Utah, Texas and elsewhere. Authorities are investigating calls made by a teenage girl alleging abuse in her home by a male relative, according to the sources, who said the calls were similar to those made last week to Texas authorities from the polygamist sect's ranch in Eldorado, Texas. The Texas calls prompted a law enforcement raid in which more than 400 children were taken into state custody. The sources told CNN the Arizona calls came from a teenager in an FLDS household. Church members openly practice polygamy in Colorado City and in Hildale, Utah -- two towns straddling the Arizona-Utah state line. Warren Jeffs, the 52-year-old leader and "prophet" of the 10,000-member sect, was convicted in Utah last year on two counts of being an accomplice to rape, charges related to a marriage he performed in 2001. He faces trial in Arizona on eight charges of sexual conduct with a minor, incest and conspiracy. Critics of the sect say it forces girls as young as 13 into arranged marriages. E-mail to a friend

What are the call reportedly similar to?

Which male relative was the girl abused by?

What number of children were removed from compound?

What person led the Arizona polgamist sect?

Answer: those made last week

Answer: Warren Jeffs

Answer: 400

Answer: calls made by a teenage girl alleging abuse

Answer: Warren Jeffs

Answer: calls

Answer: Warren Jeffs

Summary:
Authorities investigate calls by girl alleging abuse by male relative .
Calls reportedly similar to those that sparked raid at Texas polygamist ranch .
Arizona polygamist sect also led by jailed "prophet" Warren Jeffs .
More than 400 children removed from sect's compound in Texas .


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- President Bush told the 2008 graduating class at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Wednesday that the "only way America could lose the war on terror is if we defeat ourselves." President Bush and Air Force Academy graduate Michael Riddick of Aiken, South Carolina, celebrate graduation. Speaking on a cloudy day at Falcon Stadium, the president compared the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to America's earlier conflicts, particularly World War II. "Our nation is once again contending with an ideology that seeks to sow anger, hatred and despair: the ideology of Islamic extremism," he said. "In today's struggle, we are once again facing evil men who despise freedom and despise America and aim to subject millions to their violent rule. "We assumed this obligation before," he said, referring to the rebuilding of Germany and Japan after World War II, a conflict that saw the loss of more than 400,000 American lives.  Watch more of Bush's speech » "Germany and Japan, once mortal enemies, are now allies of the United States. And people across the world have reaped the benefits from that alliance," he said. "Today, we must do the same in Afghanistan and Iraq. ... We'll lay the foundation of peace for generations to come." But today's wars differ from those of the past, Bush acknowledged, and not only because of modern technology that allows "greater precision" in warfare. "One challenge is that in the past, in Germany and Japan, the work of rebuilding took place in relative quiet," he said. "Today, we're helping emerging democracies rebuild under fire from terrorist networks and state sponsors of terror. This is a difficult and unprecedented task -- and we're learning as we go." The measure of success in war has changed, he said. "In the past ... there were public surrenders, a signing ceremony on the deck of a battleship, victory parades in American cities. Today, when the war continues after the regime has fallen, the definition of success is more complicated." Nonetheless, he said, in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a clear definition of success: when those countries are rid of al Qaeda, when they are economically viable, when they are democracies that can govern effectively and when they are strong allies on the war on terror. "These successes will come," he told the class. "And when they do, our nation will have achieved victory, and the American people will be more secure. "

Where does he predict that successes will come?

Who speaks at the USAF Academy graduation?

What does he compare the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to?

What is the only way America could lose the war on terror?

Answer: "only way America could lose the war on terror is if we defeat ourselves."

Answer: Afghanistan and Iraq.

Answer: President Bush

Answer: America's earlier conflicts, particularly World

Answer: if we defeat ourselves."

Answer: U.S. Air Force

Answer: Academy

Answer: the "only way America could lose the war on terror is if we defeat ourselves."

Summary:
President Bush speaks at U.S. Air Force Academy graduation Wednesday .
Bush: "Only way America could lose the war on terror is if we defeat ourselves"
He compares the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to America's earlier conflicts .
Successes in Iraq and Afghanistan "will come," he told the class .


COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN)  -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama kicked off a series of local outreach gospel concerts Friday in Charleston, South Carolina, that unexpectedly came back to bite his campaign.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is competing for the black vote with Hillary Clinton.

The concerts were meant to boost black voters' support for his presidential nominee bid -- the kind of events that would normally fly under the national radar.

The ensuing controversy highlighted that Obama's desire to unite disparate voting blocs -- especially religious voters -- under his umbrella of "change" is not without some serious pitfalls.

When the campaign announced the lineups for the three-city "Embrace the Change!" gospel tour last week, one name stood out to gay bloggers: Donnie McClurkin.

The Grammy-award winning singer is on record as saying homosexuality is a choice, and that he was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts" but was able to get past them through prayer.

To say the least, neither of those arguments is very popular in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

John Aravosis, a prominent gay blogger and co-founder of the Web site AmericaBlog, led the charge against the Obama campaign, writing that the Illinois Democrat was "sucking up to anti-gay bigots" and "giving them a stage."

When the story bubbled up into the mainstream media, it took the Obama campaign by surprise.

Obama's efforts in the Palmetto State have overwhelmingly targeted African-American churchgoers in a bid to win over black voters in South Carolina from rival Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The campaign has vigorously promoted the candidate's faith, launching "40 Days of Faith and Family" in September, which used Bible study groups to tap into the black electorate.

Campaigners have run three radio ads, one of which called Obama a "Christian family man," that aired on gospel stations across the state.

Earlier this month, Obama spoke at an evangelical church in the traditionally conservative city of Greenville, where he demonstrated a casual familiarity with Christian vocabulary, telling the crowd, to much applause, that "I am confident that we can create a kingdom right here on Earth."

After that appearance, the Obama campaign told CNN that Republicans no longer had a choke hold on issues of faith and values.

"I think that what you're seeing is a breaking down of the sharp divisions that existed maybe during the '90s," Obama said. "At least in politics, the perception was that the Democrats were fearful of talking about faith, and on the other hand you had the Republicans who had a particular brand of faith that oftentimes seemed intolerant or pushed people away."

But on Tuesday, Obama was forced to confront the uncomfortable truth that some Christians and gays are a little more than just strange bedfellows, especially among blacks.

Obama issued a statement saying, "I strongly disagree with Reverend [Donnie] McClurkin's views and will continue to fight for these rights as president of the United States," and argued that it is important to confront homophobia among religious African Americans.

A September poll of African Americans in South Carolina by Winthrop University and ETV showed that 62 percent of those surveyed said that "sex between two adults of the same sex" is "strongly unacceptable."

Obama held a conference call Wednesday with Joe Solomonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and announced that the Rev. Andy Sidden, an openly gay South Carolina pastor, will appear at the same event as McClurkin on Sunday in Columbia.

Solomonese was not completely assuaged.

"I spoke with Senator Barack Obama today and expressed to him our community's disappointment for his decision to continue to remain associated with Reverend McClurkin, an anti-gay preacher who states the need to 'break the curse of homosexuality,'" he said in a statement.

"There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin's message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. That's a message that certainly doesn't belong on any presidential candidate's stage.

What about the butt lineup offends homosexuals?

What was Obama's reaction to the preacher-singer's views?

Who is offended by the appearance of anti-gay singer?

What concerts is Obama holding to win over African-American Christians?

Who is Obama trying to win over in S. Carolina?

What caused Obama to disavow preacher-singer's views?

Answer: Rev. Andy Sidden,

Answer: The Grammy-award winning singer is on record as saying homosexuality is a choice,

Answer: Charleston, South Carolina,

Answer: disagree with Reverend [Donnie] McClurkin's

Answer: saying homosexuality is a choice, and

Answer: transgender community.

Answer: gay bloggers:

Answer: Charleston, South Carolina,

Answer: gospel

Answer: Rev. Andy Sidden,

Answer: black vote

Answer: is on record as saying homosexuality is a choice,

Summary:
Obama holding concerts to win over African-American Christians in S. Carolina .
But lineup offends homosexuals, angered by appearance of anti-gay singer .
Obama disavows preacher-singer's views, asks gay pastor to appear too .


COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN)  -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford left the Governor's Mansion on Friday to visit with his family in Florida, his office said. South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says her husband, Mark, must rebuild trust with his family and with the state. Sanford departed the mansion, where he has spent much of the last 48 hours, in the passenger seat of a state vehicle. The Republican governor will spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend with his wife and their four boys. "The Sanford family asks members of the media to respect their privacy while they are together this weekend," his spokesman said in a statement Thursday. "The Sanfords also hope to take a longer family vacation toward the end of July." After disappearing for nearly a week, Sanford admitted last week that he'd been in Argentina with his mistress. His admission followed days of confusion over his whereabouts. His staff had said the governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail, and his wife had told reporters she did not know where he was. He later revealed to The Associated Press that he'd seen his mistress several times in the past year and that he'd also "crossed lines" with other women. Jenny Sanford released a statement Thursday calling Sanford's actions "inexcusable," but she left the door open to reconciling with her husband. She said that although she is willing to forgive her husband, "it is up to the people and elected officials of South Carolina to decide whether they will give Mark another chance as well." "Actions have consequences, and he will be dealing with those consequences for a long while. Trust has been broken and will need to be rebuilt. Mark will need to earn back that trust, first and foremost with his family, and also with the people of South Carolina," she said in a statement. "The real issue now is one of forgiveness. I am willing to forgive Mark for his actions. We have been deeply disappointed in and even angry at Mark." Her statement came shortly after it was announced that a review of the governor's travel records showed no misuse of public funds in his travels. Sanford already paid back the state for the Argentina leg of a state-funded missions trip last year because he saw the woman he had an affair with on that trip. "Mark showed a lack of judgment in his recent actions as governor. However, his far more egregious offenses were committed against God, the institutions of marriage and family, our boys and me. Mark has stated that his intent and determination is to save our marriage and to make amends to the people of South Carolina," Jenny Sanford said. In the week after Mark Sanford admitted to his affair, nearly half of South Carolina's 27 Republican state senators called on him to step down. Despite the growing chorus, Sanford has no plans to step aside, his office said Thursday. "He remains committed and determined to repair the damage he has done in his marriage and to building back the trust of the people of South Carolina," his office said. Republican strategist and CNN contributor Bill Bennett said that politically Sanford, once a rising star for the GOP, is "a dead man walking." Bennett joins calls for Sanford's ouster "He is embarrassing himself. There is the old notion of indecent exposure -- usually that refers to somebody showing some skin they shouldn't -- and there's another form of indecent exposure: He is telling us way too much," he said.  Watch Bennett discuss the political drama » Bennett also suggested that the GOP can easily fill the gap Sanford would leave. "We have other people," he said. "We have other people who are not only fiscally interesting and sound but also can keep their lives together." CNN's Kristi Keck contributed to this report.

What is the name of the South Carolina Gov.?

Answer: to visit with his family in Florida,

Answer: has no plans to step aside,

Answer: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford

Answer: has no plans to step aside,

Answer: Mark Sanford

Answer: forgive her husband,

Answer: forgive her husband,

Summary:
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaves for trip to Florida .
Jenny Sanford says she is willing to forgive her husband and reconcile .
Mark Sanford isn't resigning, his office says .
Nearly half of South Carolina's 27 GOP state senators call on Sanford to resign .


COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN)  -- South Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd seemed to suggest Wednesday that the time had come for GOP Gov. Mark Sanford to consider resigning from office. Gov. Mark Sanford has said it's better for him to keep his governorship to "learn lessons." "For the past two days, I have been speaking with Republican leaders across South Carolina," she said in a statement. "There is clearly a growing view that the time may have come for Governor Sanford to remove himself and his family from the limelight, so that he can devote his efforts full-time to repairing the damage in his personal life." The statement comes on the same day as a growing number of GOP state senators called for Sanford to step down. CNN has learned that GOP Sens. Daniel Verdin, Shane Martin, Ronnie Cromer and Wes Hayes joined the anti-Sanford chorus Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of Republican senators calling for the governor's resignation to 13. There are 27 Republicans in the state Senate. Another state senator stopped just short of calling for Sanford to step down Wednesday. Glenn McConnell, Senate president pro tempore, didn't explicitly ask Sanford to resign, but he did ask him "to do the right thing for himself, his family and our state." Sanford and his staff have said repeatedly this week that he will not resign. He wrote in a message to his political action committee e-mail list Monday that while he considered resigning, "I would ultimately be a better person and of more service in whatever doors God opened next in life if I stuck around to learn lessons rather than running and hiding down at the farm." After returning last week from a secret trip to Argentina that his staff and wife didn't know about, Sanford admitted to an extramarital affair with a woman identified as Maria Belen Chapur. Sanford also told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he's "crossed lines" with other women, although Chapur was the only one he had sex with.  Watch a report on Sanford's situation » Sanford's support among legislators and grassroots leaders in the state eroded considerably Tuesday after Sanford told The Associated Press he had met with his mistress more times than he had previously disclosed. He also admitted to dalliances with other women. At least four county GOP chairmen have also called for Sanford to go. Glenn McCall, the York County Republican Party chairman who has been leading a grassroots effort against the governor, said Wednesday that he and other conservative activists are postponing a rally at the State House next week because legislators are starting to come out strongly against Sanford. The rally had been scheduled to pressure Senate and House leaders to call for Sanford's resignation and start an investigation into his activities. But now that officials are publicly coming out against the governor and Attorney General Henry McMaster has begun investigating Sanford's travel records, McCall said the rally may not be necessary. "We are hoping that legislators can quietly, in private talks with the governor, ask him if he would please step down," McCall said. A top South Carolina Democrat also called for Sanford's resignation Wednesday. "While I believe an investigation should still be done to determine the full extent of Mark Sanford's abuse of power, [through] his long stream of confessions he has already revealed enough immoral and reprehensible behavior to justify asking him to step [down]," state Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler said in a statement. "State officials seem unable to do anything except worry and talk about Governor Sanford's extramarital affair, which we learn more about every few hours. "... South Carolina can't afford to be at a standstill for the next 18 months with a governor who ignores his job responsibilities while pursuing personal interests," the statement said. "Any other worker in South Carolina would be fired for not showing up at work with no notice." Late Tuesday, seven GOP senators, including Majority Leader Harvey Peeler, jointly issued a letter demanding that the governor step down because he has lost the trust of South

Who is now calling on Sanford to resign?

How many senators are calling for resignation?

Who suggests Sanford may have to step down?

Answer: admitted to an extramarital affair

Answer: Karen Floyd

Answer: Gov. Mark Sanford

Answer: South Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd

Answer: South Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd

Answer: 13.

Answer: Karen Floyd

Answer: rally at the State House

Summary:
GOP chairwoman suggests Sanford may have to step down .
13 of South Carolina's 27 GOP state senators now calling on Sanford to resign .
South Carolina Democratic Party chairwoman calls for Sanford's resignation .
County GOP Party chair cancels anti-Sanford rally, says it may not be needed .