(CNN) -- The United States successfully tested a sea-based component of its missile defense shield Thursday evening, intercepting a ballistic missile with a dummy warhead over the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said. A dummy missile is launched from a ship during a 2008 test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. The exercise was the 19th successful test in 23 attempts of the system -- known as the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program -- since 2002. A target missile was fired from Hawaii about 5:40 p.m. (11:40 p.m. ET) and was tracked by Navy ships hundreds of miles away. The USS Hopper, one of three Navy ships tracking the launch, fired an interceptor missile, which struck the target about 100 miles above the Earth. The process -- from launch to shoot-down -- took less than five minutes, according to the U.S. military. The United States plans to use the sea-based system on Navy Aegis-class ships to protect against incoming short- to medium-range missiles fired from hostile countries. Eighty-six of the ships eventually will have the capability. Another part of the missile defense protection -- ground-based midcourse defense -- is designed to strike at long-range missiles. Both the sea-based and ground-based systems are part of the Pentagon's "layered" missile defense plan. Much of the missile defense program is still under development, including lasers fired from a plane that the military hopes would destroy an enemy missile during launch. Other parts of the missile defense would fire short-range missiles at incoming warheads that are close to hitting their targets. Over the past seven years, the U.S. military has spent billions of dollars on the missile defense program. Pentagon officials have said that each missile defense test costs about $85 million.

How many of U.S. ships will be equipped with the Aegis system?

How many trial runs have been successful?

How many successful tests has Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense had?

How many US Navy ships will be equipped with the system?

What does the ship-based system shoot down?

Answer: Eighty-six

Answer: in 23 attempts

Answer: 19th

Answer: United States

Answer: 19th

Answer: United States

Answer: 23

Answer: Eighty-six

Answer: tested a sea-based component of its missile defense shield

Answer: an interceptor

Answer: Navy Aegis-class ships to protect against incoming short- to medium-range

Answer: missiles fired from hostile countries.

Summary:
Ship-based system shoots down dummy missile from hundreds of miles away .
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense has 19 successful tests in 23 tries, agency says .
More than 80 U.S. Navy ships eventually will be equipped with system .


(CNN) -- The United States warned the Indian government about a potential maritime attack against Mumbai at least a month before last week's massacre in the country's financial capital left nearly 180 dead, a U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN.

Onlookers in Mumbai read messages posted outside the Oberoi Hotel, scene of one of the attacks.

U.S. intelligence indicated that a group might enter the country by water and launch an attack on Mumbai, said the source, who refused to be identified due to the ongoing investigation into the attacks and the sensitivity of the information.

Indian security forces have confirmed to CNN that not only did U.S. officials warn them of a water-borne attack in Mumbai -- they were told twice. The area entered a higher state of alert for a week, including tightened security measures at hotels, but those efforts were eventually reduced, Indian officials said.

Local fisherman in Mumbai said they witnessed a group of gunmen dock their boat Wednesday night, before heading toward the busy causeway.

Also, sources have told CNN-IBN that officials found phones and a global navigational device on an abandoned boat floating off the coast of Mumbai. The boat had been hijacked, intelligence officials told CNN-IBN. Watch Nic Robertson's report about U.S. warning

Four crew members who had been on board were missing. The captain was found dead, lying face down with his hands bound behind his back.

India has made clear that it believes last week's coordinated attacks in Mumbai originated in Pakistan, but the Indian government is under pressure to explain the lapse of security that allowed the siege to occur.

Indian police say 179 people were killed in the attacks on 10 targets in Mumbai. Most of the deaths occurred at the city's top two hotels, the Oberoi and the Taj Mahal. Watch report about nanny saving infant

Pakistani authorities say Islamabad has not received any evidence that militants from within its borders carried out the attacks, but have vowed to fully cooperate in the investigation. Suspicion has fallen on Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan-based terror group allied with al Qaeda, even though it has denied responsibility.  Watch how attacks could damage relations Â»

Pakistan banned the group in 2002 after an attack on India's parliament that brought the two countries to the brink of war.

Indian security forces say they arrested a member of the group in February, noting that the man was casing Mumbai for an attack.

U.S. counterterrorism officials continue to say signs are pointing to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and they haven't seen anything to rule it out. However, they will not definitively say the group is responsible.

A team of FBI agents is in Mumbai to assist in the investigation, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is heading to New Delhi on Wednesday to try to ease strained relations between the nuclear neighbors.  Watch Pakistan's PM say his country will defuse tensions Â»

At the center of India's investigation is the lone suspect in police custody, who Indian authorities say is Pakistani and trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.

Indian officials have identified the suspect as a clean-shaven young man who was photographed during the attack on Mumbai's Victoria Terminus train station. One of the still images shows him walking with one arm outstretched and a gun in his other hand, lowered by his side. He is wearing a black T-shirt, cargo pants and a backpack.  Watch Anderson Cooper talk with Fareed Zakaria about the attacks Â»

Indian police say the other nine attackers were killed in three days of battles with police and the Indian military.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson contributed to this report.

Who warned India about potential Mumbai attack?

What country did the US warn about the Mumbai attack?

Answer: 180

Answer: 180

Answer: militants from within its borders carried out the attacks,

Answer: potential maritime attack

Answer: Pakistani

Answer: United States

Answer: 179

Answer: India

Answer: India

Summary:
U.S. warned India about potential Mumbai attack, source says .
Attacks that killed 179 people have strained India-Pakistan relations .
Suspect is from Pakistan, Indian authorities say .
Pakistan PM rejects accusations his country had role in Mumbai massacre .


(CNN) -- The United States will withdraw another 4,000 troops in Iraq by the end of October, the U.S. military commander in Iraq said in prepared testimony for a congressional hearing Wednesday. The top military commander in Iraq says the U.S. is on track to end its combat mission in Iraq by next year. U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno is expected to tell the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee that there has been a significant drop in violence in Iraq recently, according to the statement obtained by CNN. President Obama has said the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will end by August 31, 2010. Obama also said he plans to keep a range of 35,000 to 50,000 support troops on the ground in Iraq after combat troops are out. "We have approximately 124,000 troops and 11 Combat Teams operating in Iraq today. By the end of October, I believe we will be down to 120,000 troops in Iraq," Odierno said in the remarks. Odierno said statistics show violence has dropped in Iraq. "Overall attacks have decreased 85 percent over the past two years from 4,064 in August 2007 to 594 in August 2009, with 563 in September so far," Odierno said. "In that same time period, U.S. military deaths have decreased by 93 percent, Iraqi Security Force deaths have decreased 79 percent." Odierno said there were still security questions. "Although security is improving, it is not yet enduring. There still remain underlying, unresolved sources of potential conflict," Odierno said. Odierno pointed to the August 19 bombings in Baghdad that targeted the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs that killed more than 100 people as an example of ongoing challenges in Iraq. However, Odierno gave a vote of confidence to the Iraqi forces who had taken over security for Baghdad after U.S. forces handed over control. "The Iraqis wanted to be in charge; they wanted the responsibilities; and they have demonstrated that they are capable," he said.

When will Odierno talk with the House Panel?

Answer: violence in Iraq

Answer: by next year.

Answer: by the end of October,

Answer: 4,000

Answer: by the end of October,

Answer: Iraq

Summary:
Thousands more troops in Iraq expected to return to U.S. in October .
U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno to tell House panel Wednesday violence has dropped in Iraq .
President Obama had said U.S. combat troops would leave in August 2010 .


(CNN) -- The University of California San Diego has suspended a student who admitted to hanging a noose in a campus library, school officials announced Friday.

"We are feeling real pain, and we will take real action," said UCSD chancellor Marye Anne Fox told reporters. "The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is my primary concern."

The student, whose identity was not released, admitted Friday to police at the University of California San Diego that she hung a noose Thursday night in the library, police said.

"Detectives have interviewed the student and taken a statement," UCSD police said in a release. "The investigation is ongoing as we continue to identify and interview witnesses."

After Thursday's discovery, hundreds of people joined a campus rally to oppose racial intolerance. "It's OK to feel hurt and angry about this," said one participant. "We've been silent for too long."

Watch iReport of campus protest

One student said she feared for her safety.

The student's admission came the day after police were alerted to the presence of the noose in a library bookcase at the school. Fox said the admission was a result of "pressure from our UC San Diego community."

"This underscores the fact that our university is banding together," she said.

In a crime alert bulletin, police said they received several reports Thursday around 10:30 p.m. of the noose on the seventh floor of the Geisel Library. It was found hanging in an aisle facing windows.

"Officers spoke with people who were in the area, but no one witnessed the noose being placed on the bookcase," police said in a campus notice.

Hanging a noose with intent to terrorize is a crime, it noted.

On Friday, the school announced several measures it was taking in response to recommendations from its Black Student Union. They include the establishment of a task force on minority faculty recruitment, a new commission to addressing declining African-American enrollment and finding space for an African-American resource center.

"I want to emphasize these are the initial steps, and I realize we have a lot of work ahead of us," Fox said.

The noose incident occurred two weeks after Black History Month was mocked in an off-campus party that was condemned by the school.

It's unclear how long the student is suspended for.

what was student attempting to accomplish

Answer: in a campus library,

Answer: Black History Month

Answer: racial intolerance.

Answer: hundreds

Answer: Thursday

Answer: suspended

Answer: campus library,

Answer: intent to terrorize

Summary:
University suspends student who admits hanging noose in library .
Hundreds attend campus rally to oppose racial intolerance .
Incident comes weeks after Black History Month was mocked in off-campus party .


(CNN) -- The Virginia Tech community on Monday remembered Deriek Crouse, the police officer who was gunned down last week while conducting a routine traffic stop on campus.

The funeral service for Crouse, 39, was held at Cassell Coliseum, near where authorities say he was shot dead Thursday by Ross Truett Ashley. A witness saw Ashley approach the officer's vehicle -- where Crouse was at the time -- and open fire, then flee the scene, police said.

The 22-year-old shooter, who was not involved in the traffic stop and had no connection with Crouse before the shooting, killed himself about 30 minutes later a quarter of a mile away, authorities said.

"He was a lifelong public servant," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said of Crouse at Monday's service. "For the last four years, he went to work here protecting the citizens of the state and the students and the faculty and the administrators of Virginia Tech, swearing the oath of the Constitution, strapping on his gun, putting on his badge and doing a police officer's duty."

Crouse, an Army veteran, joined the Virginia Tech police force six months after a 2007 mass shooting on the Virginia Tech campus, according to the school's website.

He had worked at the New River Valley jail and with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. Crouse was trained as a crisis intervention officer, firearms instructor and defensive tactics instructor.

The Christiansburg, Virginia, resident is survived by his wife, Tina, plus five children and stepchildren, his mother and brother.

Students, supporters and others affiliated with Virginia Tech have championed Crouse's memory since his death, including making attempts to help his family.

An online effort known as "Hokies for Crouse" had raised nearly $75,000 for the Crouse family as of early Monday afternoon.

who is crouse?
when Deriek Crouse  was killed?
what was the age of Deriek Crouse?
What happened in the campus?
Was he a veteran?
What did Deriek Crouse do?

Answer: police officer

Answer: Thursday

Answer: 39,

Answer: mass shooting

Answer: an Army

Answer: police officer

Summary:
Deriek Crouse, 39, was killed Thursday conducting traffic stop on the Virginia Tech campus .
Authorities: Crouse shot while he was in his police vehicle, then shooter later killed himself .
Crouse, a U.S. Army veteran, had been on Virginia Tech police force since 2007 .


(CNN) -- The West African country of Guinea, reeling after the death of President Lansana Conte, is staring at the prospect of widespread political instability amid an apparent coup. Lansana Conte came to power in a military coup in 1984. Journalist Mohammed Kayta in Conakry said the Guinean military seized control of the capital city's streets in an apparent coup. He reported that the military was holding negotiations to determine who will succeed Conte, who ruled the country for nearly 25 years. The action followed an announcement on national radio Tuesday by army Capt. Foamed Dadis Camara that government and national institutions had been dissolved, according to Le Jour, a national newspaper, and the subsequent announcement by Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare that the government continued to function. Soldiers were out in force, including around the offices of the president and prime minister in Conakry, local journalist Barry Minkalou told CNN. The streets were calm, with no reports of injuries or violence, he said. Camara said Tuesday an "advisory council" of civilians and soldiers would be set up. The Foreign Office in Great Britain said it was "concerned by reports of a military coup. "We condemn any attempt to seize power by force, and call on all parties to ensure respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to safeguard the well-being of their own citizens and foreign nationals in Guinea," the office said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who issued a statement commending Conte and passing along condolences, urged "a peaceful and democratic transfer of power" and exhorted "the armed forces and all stakeholders to respect the democratic process." The United Nations told its personnel in Guinea to stay off the streets. "All U.N. staff have been encouraged to stay at home," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' spokesman in Guinea, Faya Foko Millimouno, told CNN. "Only the military is in the street now." The U.S. Embassy in Conakry warned Americans in the country "to be particularly alert to their surroundings, and to be prepared for any eventuality." Aboubacar Sompare, president of the National Assembly, announced Conte's death. "We regret to announce to the people of Guinea the death of Gen. Lansana Conte after a long illness," Sompare said, according to Le Jour. Conte was 74. A 40-day period of national mourning has been declared. Conte came to power in a military coup on April 3, 1984. Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its mineral wealth, according to the British charity Plan UK. The country hosts large refugee populations from neighboring Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Which person announced his death?
Who has  just died?
What person died?
What has been declared?
What did the president announce?
How many days of mourning are declared?

Answer: Aboubacar Sompare, president of the National Assembly,

Answer: Lansana Conte

Answer: President Lansana Conte,

Answer: A 40-day period of national mourning

Answer: Conte's death.

Answer: A 40-day period

Summary:
Guinea President Lansana Conte dies; 40 days of mourning declared .
Army captain says government institutions dissolved .
Prime minister insists government is functioning .
Conte's death was announced by president of the National Assembly .


(CNN) -- The White House insists that it was entirely former Sen. Tom Daschle's decision to withdraw his nomination, but some observers say he didn't have a choice.

Tom Daschle said Tuesday that he's stepping aside as the nominee for secretary of health and human services.

Despite the controversy over his tax records and his work in a field that some consider lobbying, Daschle was expected to be confirmed.

His withdrawal shocked Capitol Hill, and Democratic colleagues expressed regret over his decision.

"I think one of the major factors had to be that the political climate has changed radically just in the last couple of weeks," CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry said.

President Obama ripped Wall Street executives last week for their "shameful" decision to hand out $18 billion in bonuses in 2008 while accepting federal bailout money.

The next day, news broke that Daschle hadn't paid his taxes in full. Daschle said Monday that he was "deeply embarrassed" for a series of errors that included failing to report $15,000 in charitable donations, unreported car service and more than $80,000 in unreported income from consulting.

Daschle recently filed amended tax returns and paid more than $140,000 in back taxes and interest for 2005-07.

"That, in this political climate, really tripped up Tom Daschle because it looked awful politically for this White House," Henry said.

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, Obama said he made a mistake in handling the nomination of Daschle.

"I think I screwed up. And, I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again.

"Ultimately, I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom-up politics," Obama said.

"And I don't want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards -- one for powerful people and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes."

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, press secretary Robert Gibbs insisted that the White House did not pressure Daschle to step down.  Watch Gibbs answer questions about Daschle's move »

Pressed on whether Daschle was given any sort of signal to resign, Gibbs said, "I don't know how much more clear I could be. The decision was Sen. Daschle's."

A Daschle ally familiar with his thinking said Tuesday that he was not aware of any White House pressure on the former Senate majority leader to withdraw his nomination.

Asked whether Daschle was pushed, the source said, "things don't work that cleanly."

The issue was not whether Daschle could "survive"; it was what that process "would do to Obama" and his health care reform and economic agenda. It's a question of the "price of that confirmation," he said.

The source said Daschle read the Tuesday New York Times editorial urging him to withdraw from consideration but would not say whether that might have played a part in his decision.

"Tom has been a politician for a very long time," the source said. "He understands this town. He made a mistake; he apologized, but timing matters. There was a critical mass building."

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said he thought Daschle made the decision Tuesday morning.

"I have to believe that Sen. Daschle having spent as many years as he has up here had a clear picture that there was going to be a delay, and I think he didn't want to contribute to that.

In announcing his withdrawal, Daschle said it was an honor to be chosen to lead the reform of America's health care system.

"But if 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction," he said in a statement.

"Right now, I am not that leader and will not be a distraction.

What did senators not see coming?
What was Daschle worried about?

Answer: withdraw

Answer: tax records

Summary:
NEW: Political climate tripped up Daschle, says CNN's Ed Henry .
Source says Daschle was worried about what his confirmation would do to Obama .
Senators say they did not see the withdrawal coming .
Daschle's nomination questioned due to tax problems, work in recent years .


(CNN) -- The White House unveiled a strategy to combat rising drug crimes along the border Friday, vowing to curb the flow of narcotics and weapons that has been endangering more and more U.S. communities. Pedestrians cross the U.S.-Mexico border at the San Ysidro gate in San Diego, California. "The National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy we introduce today provides an effective way forward that will crack down on cartels and make our country safer," Attorney General Eric Holder vowed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the plan "calls for tougher inspections, more enforcement personnel and close coordination with our partners in Mexico as we work across federal, state and local governments. ... Together, we will continue to reduce the flow of illegal drugs across the Southwest border and ensure that those who ignore our laws are prosecuted." The plan did not appear to contain any surprises. It focuses largely on increased intelligence, cooperation among law enforcement agencies and enhanced technology. A summary released by the White House also promises "targeted financial sanctions to disable drug trafficking organizations." Rising drug violence in the United States is one of the administration's top domestic concerns. Among the worst-hit cities in recent years is Phoenix, Arizona, where there's been an average of more than one reported kidnapping every day since 2007, virtually all linked to the drug trade. Home invasions have spiked as well. As drug cartels have extended their reach in the United States, the violence has also been on the rise on the other side of the border. More than 40 people, including two police officers, have been killed in shootings in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez since last weekend, authorities there said. Gil Kerlikowske, President Obama's director of national drug control policy, will oversee the policy announced Friday. "This new plan, combined with the dedicated efforts of the government of Mexico, creates a unique opportunity to make real headway on the drug threat," Kerlikowske said. "At the same time, we are renewing our commitment to reduce the demand for drugs in the United States, which will support this effort. The National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy will improve the safety of communities on the border and throughout our nation." CNN's Terry Frieden contributed to this report.

what will slow the flow of cash and illegal firearms into Mexico?

Who is concerned about rising drug violence?

What is among the White House's top domestic concerns?

Answer: flow of narcotics and weapons

Answer: "The National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy

Answer: House unveiled a strategy to combat rising drug crimes along the border Friday, vowing

Answer: The

Answer: Rising drug violence in the United States is one of the administration's

Answer: "calls for tougher inspections, more enforcement personnel and close coordination with our partners in Mexico as we work across federal, state and local governments.

Summary:
Plan involves increased intelligence and enhanced technology .
It aims to slow the flow of cash and illegal firearms into Mexico .
Rising drug violence is among White House's top domestic concerns .


(CNN) -- The Wiggles have been officially wiggling for 17 years now, entertaining children with music, television, videos and films that have become modern classics. The Wiggles have been entertaining children with colorful, clean-cut songs since 1991. In Australia, their annual end of year national tour sells over 120,000 tickets, while their U.S. fans include John Travolta, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, John Fogarty, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Rock, Courtney Cox-Arquette and Cate Blanchett. And since 2003, in addition to their native English, they also wiggle in Mandarin and Spanish, reaching out to the Taiwanese and Latin American public, respectively. Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page met at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, where they were studying early childhood education and writing children's songs. Together with fellow musician Jeff Fatt, who played with Anthony in the popular 1980s band The Cockroaches, they formed The Wiggles and released a self-titled album on ABC Music in 1991. Fifteen years and 27 DVD releases later, they had been awarded with 17 Gold, 12 Platinum, 3 Double Platinum and 10 Multi Platinum Awards for sales of over 17 million DVDs and 4 million CDs worldwide. They have also been awarded with Highest Selling Children's Video Sales in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999 at the ADSDA Awards. The Wiggles made their U.S. debut at the famous Wall Mart in June 1999, while performing in shopping mall parking lots. In 2003 they performed 12 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City and performed to over 250,000 people in November 2005. That year also initiated a series of amusement-park openings, from Wiggles World at Dream World on the Gold Coast of Australia, to a second Wiggly Play Centre to be launched in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Did Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page study early childhood education?

what did Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page study

What else was used besides music to entertain children?

Answer: Travolta,

Answer: studying

Answer: early childhood education

Answer: John Travolta, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, John Fogarty, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Rock, Courtney Cox-Arquette and Cate Blanchett.

Answer: television, videos and films

Answer: John Travolta, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, John Fogarty, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Rock, Courtney Cox-Arquette and Cate Blanchett.

Answer: Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page

Answer: early childhood education

Answer: television, videos and films

Summary:
Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page studied early childhood education .
Entertain children with music and visuals in English, Mandarin and Spanish .
U.S. fans include John Travolta, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Rock, Cate Blanchett .


(CNN) -- The Winter Olympics has been hit by tragedy after the death of a Georgian competitor following a crash during training for the high-speed luge event -- the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Georgian Embassy have confirmed.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, was on the final corner of the course during official training when he had a "serious crash" and was propelled off the track at the  Whistler Sliding Center in Vancouver, Canada, according to the IOC.

"Our first thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of the athlete. The whole Olympic Family is struck by this tragedy, which clearly casts a shadow over these Games", IOC President Jacques Rogge said in a statement.

"We are deeply struck by this tragedy and join the IOC in extending our condolences to the family, friends and teammates of this athlete, who came to Vancouver to follow his Olympic dream", added John Furlong of VANOC, the Games Organizing Committee.

In the same statement, International Luge Federation President Josef Fendt said: "This is a terrible accident.

"This is the gravest thing that can happen in sport, and our thoughts and those of the 'luge family', are naturally with those touched by this event."

The luge event is one of the most dangerous in sport, with competitors sliding down an icy track on a sledge, while steering with their legs, at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour.

Kumaritashvili was not considered one of the favorites to win a medal and was ranked 44th in the world.

However, earlier in practice, gold medal favorite Armin Zoggeler of Italy also lost control and crashed on curve 11, although he was able to walk away from the incident.

The accident came just hours before the Games officially started with a lavish opening ceremony on Friday evening.

What age was Nodar Kumaritashvili at the time of his death?

What was the name of the Athlete from Georgia who was killed

Answer: 21,

Answer: death of a Georgian competitor

Answer: Nodar Kumaritashvili,

Answer: Nodar Kumaritashvili,

Answer: death of a Georgian competitor

Summary:
The Winter Olympics are hit by tragedy after the death of a competitor .
Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia was killed suring a training crash for luge event .
The 21-year-old smashed into a pole after coming off the track at high-speed .


(CNN) -- The World Bank cut China's economic growth forecast in 2009 to 6.5 percent Wednesday, down a full percentage point from November's projection. Workers assemble toys on a production line at a factory in Shantou, in China's Guangdong province. Despite the downgrade, "China is a relative bright spot in an otherwise gloomy global economy," said the World Bank's David Dollar. Last week, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated projections that the nation's economy will grow by 8 percent in 2009, despite doubts expressed by domestic and international economic analysts. Some have forecast growth as low as 5 percent. "I will admit it will be a difficult job [to reach 8 percent]. This being said, I also believe with considerable efforts it's possible for us to obtain this goal," Wen said at a news conference following the annual session of the country's rubber-stamp legislature. China has seen a sharp decline in demand for its exports since November as other major economies have struggled. In February, Chinese exports plunged 25.7 percent compared with the previous year's, Beijing reported last week. Even with the slowdown, China's economy -- the third largest in the world -- has gone from white-hot to merely robust. In 2007, China's gross domestic product grew at 13 percent. The two largest economies -- the United States and Japan -- are in recession. "So a lot of things will go down in 2009 globally," Dollar said. "But we see China's contribution as being very positive in keeping many markets from going down as far as they would otherwise." The World Bank expects China's economy to outgrow most others in 2009. In November, China announced plans to inject $586 billion (4 trillion yuan) into its economy to offset declines in industrial and export growth. That economic stimulus plan included the loosening of credit restrictions, tax cuts and massive infrastructure spending.

/What did the World Bank say China's economic growth will be in 2009

By how much has the World Bank cut China's growth forecast in 2009?

What has happened to China's demand for exports since November?

Answer: November's

Answer: China

Answer: 6.5

Answer: since November

Answer: The

Answer: 6.5 percent

Answer: 6.5

Answer: 6.5 percent

Answer: plunged 25.7 percent

Answer: World Bank

Summary:
World Bank cuts China's economic growth forecast in 2009 to 6.5 percent .
Reduction is down a full percentage point from November's projection .
Last week, Chinese Premier projected nation's economy would grow by 8% in 2009 .
China has seen a sharp decline in demand for its exports since November .


(CNN) -- The World Bank said that it is increasing funding to the war-wracked and drought-stricken Horn of Africa to $1.88 billion from more than $500 million, a generous gesture that coincides with a U.N. mini-summit on the devastated region.

"Countries in the Horn of Africa that are facing one of the worst droughts in more than half a century, causing mounting malnutrition, food insecurity, and displacement of people," the D.C.-based bank said in a statement on Saturday.

The announcement comes as the first week of U.N. debates wrapped up Saturday where delegates continued to outline their visions for peace and global security.

"In Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti, more than 13 million people need our help," said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon during the summit. "In Somalia, famine has spread through large areas of the south."

Ban said three-quarters of a million people are "at imminent risk of starvation" as a result of war, rising food costs and droughts that have continually plagued the region.

He described the situation in the Horn of Africa "as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world."

"Somalia will never be free of the threat of famine until it has peace and stability," said the U.N. chief. "We could save many more lives if we were given free access to areas under the control of Al-Shabaab."

The al Qaeda-linked group has been waging an insurgency against Somalia's transitional government since 2006.

How many people are at risk of starvation?

Answer: "Somalia will never be free of the threat of famine until it has peace and stability,"

Answer: U.N.

Answer: mini-summit

Answer: three-quarters of a million

Answer: Africa

Summary:
The U.N. hosts a mini-summit on drought and famine in the Horn of Africa .
Three-quarters of a million people are "at imminent risk of starvation," said the U.N. chief .


(CNN) -- The World Health Organization raised the swine flu alert Thursday to its highest level, saying the H1N1 virus has spread to enough countries to be considered a global pandemic. Kindergarten students, some wearing masks, attend school in a residential estate in Hong Kong on Thursday. Increasing the alert to Phase 6 does not mean that the disease is deadlier or more dangerous than before, just that it has spread to more countries, the WHO said. "This is an important and challenging day for all of us," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in a briefing with reporters. "We are moving into the early days of the first flu pandemic of the 21st century." The last previous pandemic occurred in 1968. As of Thursday, the virus had spread to 74 countries, the health agency said. There were 28,774 confirmed cases and 144 deaths. The United States had 13,217 cases and 27 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said June 5 in its weekly update. Cases have been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  See where H1N1 flu cases are in the U.S. » The U.S. death toll is expected be higher when the CDC releases its latest figures Friday, said Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. New England -- particularly Massachusetts -- and the New York and New Jersey areas have been hit the hardest, Schuchat said Thursday at a CDC news conference. The Phase 6 pandemic designation had been widely expected for weeks. "Further spread is considered inevitable," Chan said at a news conference at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. "The scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met." The announcement came after a meeting of the WHO's Emergency Committee, which has debated since April whether the spread of a novel H1N1 flu virus was fast and widespread enough to warrant a Phase 6 designation. Phase 6, Chan said, is meant as a signal to countries to recalibrate their strategies to minimize the harm from swine flu. In countries where the virus and the response to it are already widespread, it is not likely to mean significant changes, but Chan urged countries that have not seen cases, or seen only limited cases, to get ready. "The virus is not stoppable," she said. "I would advise them to maintain vigilance, enhance surveillance and be prepared for the arrival of the novel H1N1 in their country." The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security said those agencies have been acting for weeks as if Phase 6 were already in effect and no additional measures would be put into effect. The United States declared a public health emergency April 26. "WHO continues to recommend no restriction on travel and on border closures," Chan said. Discussions about shifting to Phase 6 have been under way for weeks. Chan indicated that a major factor in the decision was surveillance from countries in the Southern Hemisphere, where flu season is under way. In Chile and Australia, two countries with many flu cases, she said H1N1 appears to be the dominant strain, "crowding out" the seasonal influenza virus. Chan said she would recommend that vaccine manufacturers proceed with mass production of an inoculation against the new swine flu strain as soon as they finish production of seasonal vaccine, which she estimated would be complete in about two weeks. HHS spokesman Bill Hall said Thursday that no decision has been made on full-scale production because there is no need yet to make that decision. It is a step-by-step process that is moving forward. "We're doing as much as we can now," he said. The agency awarded a contract several weeks ago to five manufacturers to develop an H1N1 antigen. The companies are producing pilot lots. Clinical testing will take place over the summer, Hall said. At the end of the summer, HHS will decide whether to go into production. "There's no specific date on the calendar," Hall said. If officials

Does the WHO believe the spread of swine flu is inevitable?

What has the alert for swine flu become?

What organization calls H1N1 a global pandemic?

Answer: "The virus is not stoppable,"

Answer: the H1N1 virus

Answer: is considered inevitable,"

Answer: highest level,

Answer: World Health

Summary:
Further spread of swine flu inevitable, World Health Organization says .
WHO calls H1N1 a global pandemic, raises alert to highest level .
U.N. agency says that doesn't mean disease is worse, but that it's in more countries .
Hong Kong orders closure of all elementary schools, kindergartens, day care centers .


(CNN) -- The actors of "Slumdog Millionaire" won outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, and Heath Ledger posthumously won best supporting male actor at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. "Slumdog Millionaire" actors Irrfan Khan, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Anil Kapoor accept the film-cast prize. "It was overwhelming enough to be nominated, but to win this is unbelievable," said "Slumdog" actor Anil Kapoor of the award given to him and his cast mates at Los Angeles' Shrine Exposition Center. The cast's win comes two weeks after the modestly budgeted movie, about a poverty-raised orphan in Mumbai who goes on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," won the Golden Globe award for best drama. The film has been nominated for 10 Oscars, including for best picture. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the big name when the Academy Award nominations were announced earlier this week, was shut out at the SAG Awards. The movie leads all films with 13 Oscar nods. Ledger, who was 28 when he died just more than a year ago of an accidental prescription drug overdose, won his award for his role in "The Dark Knight," 2008's box-office king. Ledger's performance was widely praised, and he won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor two weeks ago. He also is considered the front-runner for an Academy Award for supporting actor.  Watch a roundup of SAG winners » Actor Gary Oldman accepted the SAG award for his friend. "He was an extraordinary young man with an extra ordinary talent, and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight," Oldman said. Josh Brolin, one of four actors who lost to Ledger on Sunday night, compared the SAG awards to "a big campfire we're all showing up for." "It's not a competition," Brolin said. "We're just happy to party together." Meryl Streep echoed Brolin's words when she accepted for best leading actress in a movie for her role in "Doubt." "Can I just say there's no such thing as the best actress," Streep said. Streep was dressed as if she might ready for Brolin's campfire, wearing black pants, a black blouse and no jewelry except for earrings. "I didn't even buy a dress," she said.  Watch SAG awards fashion » Sean Penn, chosen as best leading male actor in a movie for "Milk," told the four actors he won against that he wept when he watched their work. "You're stunning," Penn said. Penn's took a brief political turn when spoke about "Milk," the story of a gay San Francisco politician assassinated in 1978. "This is a story about equal rights for all human beings," Penn said. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on the Oscar race Kate Winslet's win as best supporting actress for her performance as Hanna Schmitz in "The Reader" could help her best actress Oscar nomination for the same role.  Watch an overwhelmed Winslet backstage » Winslet was nominated for SAG's lead actress in a movie for "Revolutionary Road," but lost to Streep. The SAG Awards are watched closely by Oscar fans, but they're not always a guarantee of Oscar gold. Last year, for example, Julie Christie won the SAG's outstanding lead actress for her work in "Away From Her." At the Academy Awards, she was beaten by Marion Cotillard, who played French singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose." Most of the SAG trophies handed out during the first half of Sunday night's show were for TV categories. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney  won for their roles in HBO's "John Adams." Giamatti got the trophy for best male actor in a TV movie or miniseries for his role as President John Adams, while Linney won the female actor award for her portrayal of first lady

What is the name of the best leading actor?

Who was named best leading male actor in a movie?

What got outstanding performance by cast in motion picture?

Who got SAG award for best leading actress in a movie?

Answer: Sean Penn,

Answer: Sean Penn,

Answer: best leading male actor in a movie

Answer: actors of "Slumdog Millionaire"

Answer: best leading actress in a movie

Answer: won outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture,

Answer: Meryl Streep

Answer: actors of "Slumdog Millionaire"

Answer: best leading actress in a movie

Summary:
"Slumdog Millionaire" gets outstanding performance by cast in motion picture .
Meryl Streep gets SAG award for best leading actress in a movie .
Sean Penn named best leading male actor in a movie .
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" ensemble cast win television awards .


(CNN) -- The airline operating an Airbus A310-300 jet that crashed in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday with 153 people aboard was being monitored by EU authorities, according to France's transport minister. An Airbus 310 like the one pictured crashed while on the way to the capital of Comoros. Dominique Bussereau told French television that inspectors in his country had also noted several faults on the doomed Yemenia Airways plane, Agence France-Presse reported. "The company was not on the blacklist (of airlines banned from European airspace) but was being subjected to closer inspection by us and was due to soon be heard by the security committee of the European Union," Bussereau said. The Airbus A310 was inspected in France in 2007 by the French civil aviation authority and "a certain number of faults had been noted." "The plane had not since then reappeared in our country," he added. However, Chris Yates, an aviation analyst for Jane's Information Group, said he suspected weather and/or airport failings were a greater factor in the crash than a technical fault.  Recent plane crashes » "It's more than likely to be a weather-related incident. Having said that, you cannot rule out a maintenance issue," Yates told CNN. Yemenia Air had used the jet since 1999, on about 17,300 flights, Airbus officials said. The company said it would assist in investigating the crash. "We are extremely saddened and our thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones affected by this accident," Airbus spokeswoman Maggie Bergsma told CNN. "We are giving our maximum support and assistance to the authorities and the airline." "This includes a team of Airbus experts that will go on site and our crisis center has been open since early this morning, where our specialists work in direct contact with the airline and the authorities," Bergsma added. "The task now is to gather as much information as possible, including retrieval of the black boxes, to help us understand what happened. This will need time and patience." It is the second crash involving an Airbus jet in a month. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. All 228 aboard are presumed dead. The cause remains under investigation. In the wake of the Air France crash on June 1, United States accident investigators have been probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s. One flight was between the United States and Brazil in May and the other between Hong Kong and Japan in June. The planes landed safely and there were no injuries or damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN's Saad Abedine and Ayesha Durgahee contributed to this report.

who noted faults
how many people were in the jet?
when was it inspected?
how many people were onboard
How many people were aboard the jet?

Answer: inspectors

Answer: 153

Answer: 2007

Answer: 153

Answer: 153

Summary:
EU concerned about airline operating jet that crashed in Indian Ocean .
Jet was carrying more than 150 people to island of Comoros from Yemen .
French officials noted faults with Airbus A310 when they inspected it in 2007 .


(CNN) -- The allegation is shocking: an 8-year-old girl lured to a storage shed with the promise of chewing gum, pinned down and sexually assaulted by four boys, none of them older than 14. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has made cracking down on sex crimes a top priority in Liberia. The response from the girl's family sent a second and equally stunning shockwave through their Phoenix, Arizona, community: "The parents felt that they had been shamed or embarrassed by their child," reported Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill. As a result, the girl was taken into custody by Arizona's child welfare agency. The prosecutor who charged the four boys called the crime "heartrending" and "deeply disturbing." But to those familiar with Liberia, the west African nation where the families of all of the children are from, the crime and response are both part of a sadly familiar story. "It's something that happens every day in every community in Liberia," said Tania Bernath, a researcher for the human rights group Amnesty International. The country was racked by a brutal civil war for most of 14 years. During that time, rape was used by fighters on all sides as a tool of war and a way to spread terror and demoralize enemies. A United Nations report in 2004, the year after much of the fighting stopped, estimated that 60 to 70 percent of all women in the nation had been the victims of sexual violence. A 2006 government report said that of 1,600 women surveyed, 92 percent reported some kind of sexual violence, including rape. "They would have cases where they would rape the wife in front of the husband -- things like that, really breaking down communities," said Bernath, who spent several years in Liberia working for a relief organization. While no one yet knows whether the boys charged in the case were exposed directly to violence in their homeland, advocates say they fear that harmful attitudes toward rape in Liberia have followed some members of the tight-knit immigrant community to the United States.  Watch a report on the allegations and cultural conflicts » "Things like gang rape were used so often during the war that I think, with kids, if they saw it and heard it or heard about it -- that's part of what you might wonder about [in the Phoenix case]," Bernath said. "It was sort of normalized." In the Phoenix case, a 14-year-old boy who police say was the ringleader is being charged as an adult. The other boys accused are 13, 10 and 9 and were charged as juveniles. Phone calls by CNN to the Maricopa County public defender's office, most recently on Wednesday, have not been returned. It's not known what, if any, exposure the boys or their parents had to the fighting in their homeland, where it was once commonplace for children as young as 7 or 8 to be forced into duty -- the boys handed rifles while the girls were made to perform chores or serve as sex slaves. A United Nations report estimates that about 70 percent of all fighters in the conflict were younger than 18, and former fighters have told U.N. and other researchers about the rapes they say they routinely committed. After the Phoenix attack, a 23-year-old sister of the victim told a reporter that her sister was "bringing confusion" after the assault was discovered by a neighbor. She said that she wanted the suspects to be released from jail because "we are the same people" and that her sister would be ostracized by others in the Liberian community for being a rape victim. It's a reaction that Beverly Goll-Yekeson knows all too well. A native of Liberia, Yekeson was a victim of sexual violence and now works as an advocate for other Liberian women. She says most families in Liberia condemn rape, but the crime is drastically underreported because of the stigma victims and relatives feel. "There are a lot of social illnesses in the society; they are ashamed to come out," said Yekeson

What number of women were assault victims?

Answer: 92 percent

Answer: 60 to 70 percent

Answer: rape

Answer: 8-year-old girl

Answer: surveyed, 92 percent reported some kind of sexual violence, including rape.

Answer: 8-year-old

Summary:
8-year-old girl sexually assaulted by fellow Liberia natives, police say .
During Liberia's civil war, rape was used as a weapon by soldiers .
U.N. report: 60 to 70 percent of Liberian women were assault victims .
Johnson-Sirleaf, first elected female leader in Africa, makes stopping rape a priority .


(CNN) -- The alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl on the campus of Richmond High School in Northern California while 10 or more witnesses, most of them students, looked on has sparked familiar questions: "Why are our kids so messed up?" "Why didn't these students try to stop the crime?" "What's happening in our schools?" These are fair questions, and commentators in the media have provided familiar answers. The purported rape is another sad example of today's self-absorbed and uncaring youth. It was the media's glorification of violence that caused it. The horrific act shows how sociopathic brains develop. But it seems as if the majority of commentators have settled on the idea that the Richmond students did nothing because of the "bystander effect": The more people involved in a criminal incident, the less likely any one of them will intervene to do something about it. Unfortunately, this "What's wrong with our children?" approach leads to a dead end, because it results in a sweeping moral condemnation of the schools, families and students in this community. These perpetrators committed a heinous act that should be widely condemned. But a discussion that focuses exclusively on the immorality of these deviant young men does not provide solutions that prevent gang rape from happening. Talking only about the bystander effect wrongly suggests that the vast majority of teens would not call for help. Take Richmond. Claims of depraved acts by a few kids have served to demonize an entire student community. Rather than demonize all teenagers in Richmond High School, we should be asking another question: "What can we do to prevent such heinous acts from happening?" The answer to that question leads to a wholly different kind of dialogue, one that may surprise. It is primarily students, the reputed problem, who can best prevent acts of violence on campus. Make no mistake about it. The alleged two-hour-long gang rape on October 24 was an extreme form of school violence. It unfolded not far from the gym where the school-sponsored homecoming dance, supervised by school staff and police officers, was being held. And students, police say, largely perpetrated it. Research since the massacres at Columbine High School (1999) and Virginia Tech (2007) has taught us a lot about how to prevent such school violence. Chief among them is that school staff and security should patrol campuses, especially violence-prone areas, during and after school events. According to a CNN report, a friend of the alleged victim saw blatant failures in safety precautions. She said, "I looked outside of the gym, and I saw 12 to 15 guys, sitting there, with no IDs. The officers -- not only did they not check the IDs of those students or men sitting outside of of our campus, but the security officers who are employed here did no job of checking either." Virtually all students and teachers at a school can identify these dangerous hot spots. At Richmond High School, one such spot is "a dark alley near the back side of the school," the site of the purported rape. As CNN reported, school officials had even requested that video cameras and more lights be installed in the area, but they were never installed. The alleged rapists and student bystanders probably knew that no one would be patrolling the area. As important as campus patrols are in reducing campus violence, the most powerful form of prevention is believing that students can help stop crime from happening. They didn't stop the purported rape at Richmond, a skeptic might say. A possible reason is that they were not educated on how to stop it. . Research shows us that students often know ahead of time when and where violence will flare up on campus. Strong social networks and the widespread use of cell phones and text messaging rapidly convey such information. This dynamic can fuel violence, as officials say it did at Richmond High School. It can also prevent violence. Thousands of potential school crimes, including violent ones, have been averted on campuses

What are commentators focused on?
On what are commentators focused?
What did commentators focus on?
what are commentators focused on?
what do the studies show?
What crime do students not report?
What do studies show?

Answer: the idea that the Richmond students did nothing because of the "bystander effect":

Answer: the idea that the Richmond students did nothing because of the "bystander effect":

Answer: "bystander effect":

Answer: "bystander effect":

Answer: students often know ahead of time when and where violence will flare up on campus.

Answer: gang rape

Answer: that students often know ahead of time when and where violence will flare up on campus.

Summary:
Commentators focused on why students didn't report alleged rape, Astor says .
Studies of school violence show ways it can be prevented, he says .
Astor: Training can prepare students to alert police and avert violence .


(CNN) -- The alleged victim in a 1977 sexual assault case against director Roman Polanski has filed court papers seeking dismissal of the charges against him.

Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski has lived in exile in France since fleeing the United States in 1978.

The woman's declaration seeking dismissal was filed Monday in Los Angeles, California, in connection with Polanski's efforts to have the 31-year-old case dismissed.

Polanski, 75, has lived in exile in France since fleeing the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse. Polanski admitted to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, and an arrest warrant against him remains in effect.

In her declaration, Samantha Geimer said, "I am no longer a 13-year-old child. I have dealt with the difficulties of being a victim, have surmounted and surpassed them with one exception.

"Every time this case is brought to the attention of the Court, great focus is made of me, my family, my mother and others. That attention is not pleasant to experience and is not worth maintaining over some irrelevant legal nicety, the continuation of the case."

Geimer, who has spoken publicly about the case before, including a 2003 appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live," added, "I have survived, indeed prevailed, against whatever harm Mr. Polanski may have caused me as a child."

She chided the district attorney's office for not dismissing the case earlier and for "yet once again (giving) great publicity to the lurid details of those events, for all to read again. True as they may be, the continued publication of those details cause harm to me ... I have become a victim of the actions of the District Attorney."

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office had no immediate response to Geimer's declaration.

Lawyers for the Oscar-winning film director filed a motion for dismissal of the sex offense case against him in December, citing what the defense called "extraordinary new evidence" of "repeated, unlawful and unethical misconduct" by the Los Angeles district attorney's office and the judge in Polanski's case.

The December motion also argued that Polanski should not be required to return to the United States to appear in court for the dismissal motion to be considered.

In her declaration, Geimer said if Polanski cannot appear in court, she will do so to seek dismissal.

"My position is absolutely clear," she said.

Polanski's motion for dismissal is scheduled for a hearing on January 21.

Polanski, a native of Poland, won the Academy Award in 2003 for his Holocaust drama, "The Pianist." Among his other films from earlier in his career are "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown."

His first wife, actress Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Charles Manson family in 1969.

What age is the sex case against Polanski?

What did Polanski plead guilty to in 1978?

Answer: 1978

Answer: 13-year-old

Answer: France

Answer: 31-year-old

Answer: 1977

Answer: France

Answer: France

Answer: the charges

Answer: unlawful sexual intercourse.

Summary:
Motion filed to dismiss a 31-year-old sex offense case against Roman Polanski .
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in 1978 .
Director lives in exile in France after fleeing the United States .


(CNN) -- The ambush by up to a dozen gunmen of a bus carrying members of the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore is the realization of fears long held by the sport's leading players.

Pakistani policemen outside The National Stadium after masked gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009.

The Sri Lankan team had agreed to tour Pakistan after India pulled out in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last November when more than 160 people died in a three-day siege.

The England team was in India -- but not in Mumbai -- during the attacks and promptly cut their tour short and returned home.

In September 2008, Cricket Australia decided to push ahead with a tour of India despite a series of bomb attacks in the country's capital New Delhi.

In March of the same year, they had pulled out of a tour of Pakistan after a spate of suicide bombings. Before that, the Australian team had not played in Pakistan for 10 years.

Such was the concern about the security risks presented to players in Pakistan that in August 2008 the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the biennial Champions Trophy would be postponed until October 2009.

The ICC announced last month that it was investigating other venues after three countries -- England, New Zealand and Australia -- expressed reservations about touring Pakistan. South Africa pulled out of the 2008 competition citing security concerns.

Long before that, in 2002, a suicide bomb blast outside the New Zealand team's hotel prompted them to pack up and abandon the second Test series in Pakistan. The explosion injured the team physiotherapist and killed 11 French navy experts as well as two Pakistanis.

The previous year, the New Zealand team cancelled a scheduled tour of Pakistan in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the U.S.

Most of the team stayed on to play, though under increased security, when a suicide attack closed Colombo's international airport in July 2001.

In February 1996, Australia and the West Indies refused to play in preliminary World Cup matches in Sri Lanka after a huge bomb blast killed 80 people and injured 1,200 in Colombo.

In November 1992, also in Colombo, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside a hotel where the New Zealand team was having breakfast, killing four people. Five players and the coach were allowed to return home on compassionate grounds.

Five years earlier, in April 1987, the New Zealand team cut short a three-test tour of Sri Lanka after a car bomb killed 100 people at a bus station in Colombo.

What national team pulled out of tour of Pakistan due to suicid bombings?

What nation have teams expressed security concerns about?

Why did the Australian team pull out of the tour last year?

Who is currently investigating other venues?

Who has expressed concern about security in Pakistan?

What team pulled out of the tour of Pakistan?

Why did the Sri Lankan team agree to replace India in Pakistan?

Answer: The ICC

Answer: India

Answer: Pakistan.

Answer: other venues

Answer: suicide bombings.

Answer: the International Cricket Council (ICC)

Answer: push ahead with a tour of India

Answer: tour Pakistan

Answer: South Africa

Answer: India

Answer: aftermath of the terrorist attacks

Summary:
Sri Lankan team agreed to replace India in Pakistan after Mumbai attacks .
International teams have long expressed concern about security in Pakistan .
Australian team pulled out of tour of Pakistan last year after suicide bombings .
ICC currently investigating other venues for postponed Champions Trophy .


(CNN) -- The announcement that Chicago, Illinois, will not host the 2016 Olympic Games took the hopeful wind out of many in the Windy City. Dreams of hosting the 2016 Olympics were dashed for many Chicagoans. But for others, the news was welcome. But for almost half of the city's dwellers, the International Olympic Committee's decision was winning news. A spokeswoman for No Games Chicago, a grass-roots organization opposed to hosting the Olympics, said she was "relieved" by the vote Friday in Copenhagen, Denmark. Chicago's Olympic fever, spotty as it was, broke abruptly when the city was the first of four final contenders to be knocked out of the running. The prospective host cities had been whittled down to four finalists -- Chicago; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Tokyo, Japan; and Madrid, Spain. The bid went to Rio de Janeiro, making it the first South American city to host the Olympic Games. Chicago had been seen as a front-runner in recent days, especially after it sent to Copenhagen America's biggest guns -- President Obama and his popular wife, Michelle -- for a last-minute sales pitch. But a poll taken by the Chicago Tribune and CNN affiliate WGN revealed in early September that 45 percent of the city residents didn't want the Olympic Games. And 84 percent of Chicagoans objected to the idea of public money being used to support the effort. Earlier this week, about 250 Olympic-bid protesters gathered in front of City Hall, WGN reported. A sign in the crowd read: "Have the audacity of nope." Many who gathered for the bid slapdown were affiliated with No Games Chicago, which sent three delegates to Copenhagen to state their case. After the vote, however, spokeswoman Francesca Rodriguez said No Games Chicago is "in no way taking any pleasure in this" and feels "sympathy" for those who are disappointed. "In reality, Chicagoans who were for the Games and those who were against them were committed to the same goal: Working hard for what they thought would be best for the city of Chicago in the coming decades," she said. "We're glad that the city won't now be burdened by the distraction of the Olympics at the expense of improving Chicago's schools, transportation, parks and the numerous other public policy initiatives on which the city needs to be focused." Those who believe the Olympics can bring lasting change to a city -- beyond the spike in economic activity during the event -- are often misguided, suggested economist Rob Baade of Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois. "There is no reason to expect that the Olympics, or any mega-event, is going to induce a sustainable boost in the economy," he said. "The cost overruns are pretty legendary. Costs are generally understated and the gains overstated." One Web site set up to rally against bringing the Olympic Games to town relied as much on humor as it did reason. Its name: Chicagoans for Rio 2016. The site showcased unflattering head-to-head comparisons, such as "Naked people dancing" vs. "Chubby people eating." The increasing budget deficit in Chicago was contrasted with a $0 total for Rio. "If you're a Chicagoan, Rio's budget deficit does not matter," the site said. "It would be exciting to host the Olympics here in Chicago. But you know what would be even better? Rio de Janeiro," the site announced. "Just let Rio host the 2016 Olympics. We don't mind. Honest." Wish granted.

How many Chicago residents were opposed to hosting the Olympics?

How many anti-Olympic protesters rallied?

What is the first South American host city?

How many protestors were at Chicago's City Hall?

For whom is losing out on the Olympics welcome news?

What do Olympic opponents prefer the city to focus on?

How many anti-Olympic protesters manifest?

Answer: 45 percent

Answer: 250

Answer: Rio de Janeiro,

Answer: 250

Answer: almost half of the city's dwellers,

Answer: improving Chicago's schools, transportation, parks and

Answer: 250

Answer: host the 2016 Olympic Games

Summary:
For about half of Chicago's dwellers, losing out on the Olympics is welcome news .
Olympic opponents prefer the city's focus to be on schools and other needs .
About 250 anti-Olympic protesters rallied outside Chicago's City Hall this week .
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, wins bid, making it the first South American host city .


(CNN) -- The applause that erupted during last week's NBC/Politico debate among Republican presidential hopefuls at the mention of the executions carried out during Rick Perry's tenure as Texas's governor cut off co-moderator Brian Williams' question in midstream.

Williams: Gov. Perry, a question about Texas. Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. Have you . . .

[SUSTAINED APPLAUSE]

. . . Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?

The response presumably would have been more muted if Williams had been allowed to finish his question. Most people are less enthusiastic about the death penalty's being applied against the innocent.

Following the question's completion, Governor Perry volunteered that he has "never struggled with that at all," explaining that "when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing ..."

Had the governor an opportunity to rephrase his answer, he likely would have clarified that fair hearings also are available to those who have been charged with but did not actually commit a heinous crime, and that such crimes might occasionally involve noncitizen victims as well. But the point is not to quibble about word choices; Texas governors can be forgiven linguistic mistakes if they allow no capital ones to happen.

Troy Davis, scheduled to be executed next week in Georgia for the murder of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail, could be a capital error that is about to happen. Davis was convicted and sentenced to death more than 20 years ago by a jury that heard testimony from at least nine witnesses who implicated him in the killing. Since then, seven of the trial witnesses have recanted or revised their testimony so that it no longer points to Davis' guilt. Of the two witnesses who have not revised their condemning trial testimony, one is believed by Davis' supporters to have been the actual murderer.

The last judge to review the case concluded that Davis' conviction and death sentence should not be disturbed, leaving the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, which has previously declined to take action, as the last apparent barrier to Davis' execution.

With no DNA or comparably reliable scientific evidence available to help confirm or contraindicate Davis' guilt, the cry to achieve a final resolution of the case appears poised to trump the trial's lingering uncertainties.

Davis may or may not be innocent. To acknowledge this much would suggest that he should not be executed. Yet Georgia is ready to move forward. If it is true that justice delayed is justice denied, it must also be true that an injustice not delayed is justice denied. (In another case, yesterday The U.S. Supreme Court delayed the scheduled execution of an inmate on death row in Texas after questions arose about a psychologist who had testified that blacks and Hispanics were more likely to commit future crimes.)

To make these observations about the cheering that greeted Perry's execution record and the angst accompanying Troy Davis' scheduled execution is to dwell on symptoms at the expense of their origins and deeper meaning.

I want to believe, and I do believe, that few of those celebrating at the mention of the Texas executions would not shed their festive enthusiasm and become reflective, sober, perhaps even somber if enlisted as witnesses to the execution of a fellow human being, even one indisputably guilty of committing murder.

I believe that those who cheer are applauding not the ugly reality of death inflicted by lethal injection but rather what it is that the punishment of death symbolizes: the triumph of law over criminal violence, of good over evil, the emphatic denunciation of unspeakably immoral misconduct, the restoration of order and a salve against the fear created in murder's wake.

The reality of the death penalty is that even if it is politically popular (to wit, the Perry applause) it is an ineffective criminal justice policy, rarely employed, unevenly distributed and fraught with the potential for error. Its mistakes, unlike those committed in cases resulting in imprisonment, cannot be corrected. Capital punishment is

Who is condemned to die?
What is fraught with potential error?
Troy Davis is condemned to what?
what question drew cheers?
What was the debate question about?
what does  Death penalty fraught with?

Answer: Troy Davis,

Answer: death penalty

Answer: scheduled to be executed

Answer: Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?

Answer: executions carried out during Rick Perry's tenure as Texas's governor

Answer: potential for error.

Summary:
James Acker: Debate question to Rick Perry about Texas' many executions drew cheers .
He says most people, though, are cheering triumph of justice, don't want wrongful executions .
He says Troy Davis is condemned to die even though witnesses have recanted .
Acker: Death penalty fraught with potential error; cases like Davis' focus our attention on this .


(CNN) -- The arrival of autumn in Australia will be a welcome relief for international visitors emerging from a bleak winter in the northern hemisphere. There's no mistaking the city of Sydney -- fine weather means you may struggle to see a cloud in the sky. Peak season may be winding up but with temperatures off their sticky summer highs it's a great time to sample one of the country's most recognizable cities. While few international visitors are likely to find themselves stranded in Sydney for 24 hours (if only!), here's our fast-track tour for travelers short on time. See the sun come up over Sydney Harbour. At this time of year, the sun rises at around 6:30am, an hour after the first ferries leave the wharf, so there's plenty of activity on the water. Early risers can waste no time in immersing themselves in Sydney's cultural highlights. At 7:00am, the Sydney Opera House hosts tours for just eight people to backstage areas normally off-limits to theatre-goers. At $100 per person, the two-hour tour is not a budget option but it does include breakfast. Be warned, the tour includes 300 steps. If you're not exhausted by the machinations of the Opera House, cool off with a relaxing dip. A recent spate of shark attacks may have put you off Sydney's beaches, but there are plenty of outdoor pools that offer both sun and seawater. For serious laps, try the North Sydney Olympic Pool (next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge) or for a lazier affair have a massage at Wylies Bath in Coogee. Image gallery: 24 hours in Sydney » Once in Coogee you can admire the Australian coastline by following it all the way back to Sydney's famous Bondi Beach. Most people start in Bondi but there's no reason why you can't do it in reverse. The two-hour walk takes you past bays and beaches and through the dramatic Waverley Cemetery where you can reflect on life while breathing in the views. The path ends at the Bondi Icebergs surf club where you can grab a cold fizzy beer at the bar or stay for lunch at the Bistro. The hungry seagulls and pelicans at the Sydney Fish Market make lunch there a more interesting affair. Select your meal from the huge variety of seafood inside the market, grab a bottle of wine and an outdoor table and prepare to guard your chips. There is no shortage of up-market alternatives when it comes to dining out in Sydney. For one of the best try Tetsuya's in Kent Street. It was opened by Japanese-born Tetsuya Wakuda in 1989 and was lauded in a recent review as "magical dining." It's only open for lunch on Saturdays and you'd be advised to book well in advance for dinner. A cheaper option would be any of the BYO (bring your own) restaurants dotted around the city. Most restaurants allow you to bring your own bottle of wine, but they will charge you corkage. Still, it's cheaper than the mark-ups on bottles at licensed premises. Until May 24, visitors can drop into the Art Gallery of New South Wales to see the finalists and the winner of this year's Archibald Prize, Australia's leading portraiture contest. Shoppers can pick up a souvenir close by in one of Sydney's oldest and most beautiful shopping centers, the Queen Victoria Building. The building opened in 1898, underwent major refurbishment in the 1980s and is now not only a great example of Victorian architecture but a stunning place to grab a quick coffee. (Note: The builders are back but the building remains open. The new improvements are scheduled to finish in July 2009.) In the evening, take a twilight cruise of Sydney Harbour aboard a yacht. Sunsail invites everyone for a "fun blast" around the harbor every Wednesday evening from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. The yacht leaves from the Boat House in Lavender Bay, a short hop from the city on the north side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Two new festivals have been added to a busy calendar in Sydney

what can you do at the sydeny fish markt

Answer: Sydney

Answer: Select your meal from the huge variety of seafood

Summary:
Start the day in Sydney with a backstage tour of the famous Opera House .
Avoid shark scares by swimming in one of the city's many outdoor pools .
Eat fish and chips with the seagulls and pelicans at the Sydney Fish Market .
End the night in one of the city's Karaoke bars: some allow you to BYO .


(CNN) -- The attack on a Danish political cartoonist "runs totally against the teachings and values of Islam," the umbrella organization representing Muslim countries has said. If the attack was a reaction to Kurt Westergaard's drawing of the Muslim prophet Mohammed with a turban shaped as a bomb, "then it should be rejected and condemned by all Muslims," the Organization of the Islamic Conference said in a statement Sunday. An ax-wielding Somali man is accused of trying to break into Westergaard's home Friday and was charged the next day with attempted assassination. Intelligence officials linked the suspect to an East African Islamist militia allied with al Qaeda. The suspect tried to kill Westergaard and an on-duty police officer, the Danish Intelligence and Security Service said. Danish police shot the 28-year-old suspect Friday night as he tried to enter Westergaard's home in the city of Aarhus. The suspect was shot in the right leg and left hand. He was hospitalized after the incident. Video showed him appearing at court strapped to a stretcher. Authorities did not identify him because the judge decided it would be illegal to disclose his name, said Chief Superintendent Ole Madsen with the East Jutland Police. They said he has legal residency in Denmark and lives in Sjaelland, near Copenhagen. The judge ordered the suspect held for four weeks while the investigation proceeds. Madsen said the man is currently the only suspect in the case, and he would not say whether police were investigating anyone else. Al-Shabaab, the militant organization with alleged ties to the suspect, is waging a bloody battle against Somalia's transitional government and is currently on a U.S. government list of terrorist organizations. At a news conference in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said, "We are very happy with the Somali national who attacked the house of the Danish cartoonist who previously insulted our prophet Mohammed. This is an honor for the Somali people. We are telling that we are glad that anyone who insults Islam should be attacked wherever they are." Police had no indication that an attack was being planned on Westergaard, Madsen said, though the intelligence service said the suspect had been under surveillance because of his alleged terrorist links. Police said the suspect wielded an ax and a knife and managed to crack the glass front door of Westergaard's home. A home alarm alerted police to the scene, and they were attacked by the suspect, authorities said. Westergaard, who was home with his 5-year-old granddaughter at the time of the break-in, hid in a "panic room" when he realized what was happening, Madsen said. Westergaard is ordinarily accompanied by bodyguards when he leaves his home, but nobody was on guard at the house Friday, the Security and Intelligence Service told CNN. Police said Westergaard was "being taken care of" after the break-in, but wouldn't reveal his new location. The incident "once again confirms the terrorist threat that is directed against Denmark and against cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, in particular," said Jakob Scharf, spokesman for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service. Westergaard's caricature of Mohammed -- showing the prophet wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse -- was first published by the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. It sparked an uproar among Muslims in early 2006 after newspapers reprinted the images in support of free speech. At the time, Westergaard said he wanted his cartoon to say that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terrorism. However, many in the Muslim world interpreted the drawing as depicting their prophet as a terrorist. Over the years, Danish authorities have arrested other suspects who allegedly plotted against Westergaard's life. After three such arrests in February 2008, Westergaard issued a statement, saying, "Of course I fear for my life after the Danish Security and Intelligence Service informed me of the concrete plans of certain people to kill me. However, I have turned fear into anger and indignation. It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do

Who did attacked home of Danish cartoonist?

Answer: drawing of the Muslim prophet Mohammed with a turban shaped as a bomb,

Answer: Somali man

Answer: Kurt Westergaard's

Answer: Kurt Westergaard's

Answer: Danish political cartoonist

Summary:
Organization of the Islamic Conference condemns attack on cartoonist .
Somali man attacked home of Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard .
Westergaard known for controversial cartoons of prophet Mohammed .


(CNN) -- The attorney representing the 22-year-old Kentucky soldier charged with attempted espionage and communicating military information said Tuesday that his client told him he is innocent.

"Generally speaking, yes -- that he is not guilty of attempted espionage or spying against the United States," Stephen Karns said of what the solider told him.

Spc. William Colton Millay of Owensboro, Kentucky, was charged this week with attempted espionage and communicating military information, allegations that have shocked friends who have described him as a patriotic country boy.

The formal charges were issued 10 days after Millay was arrested at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, said Col. Bill Coppernoll, the public affairs officer at the base.

According to a statement from the base, issued Monday, Millay "communicated and transmitted unclassified national defense information to an individual whom he believed was a foreign intelligence agent." The Army specialist "believed (this information) could be used to the advantage of a foreign nation."

A charge of failure to obey general regulations stems from an assertion that Millay did not "report multiple contacts with someone he believed to be a foreign intelligence agent." He is also accused of "wrongfully concealing and storing two firearms and ammunition in his assigned barracks room."

The military further alleges that Millay "wrongfully solicited a fellow-service member to obtain classified information and tangible items" so that they could be given to a foreign intelligence agent, leading to a charge of solicitation.

He is also charged with making false statements, having allegedly not been forthright in telling Army counterintelligence officials "the full scope" of his attempted contacts with other governments and "the full nature" of what he'd disclosed to the believed-to-be foreign agent.

Military authorities did not disclose what information specifically Millay allegedly obtained and disclosed, but they described it as not classified. Nor did they state which country he believed that information was going to, via a "foreign intelligence agent."

He is currently being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, according to the military statement.

Karns, Millay's attorney, said that it may be important that the material allegedly involved in the case was not classified.

"It is very serious charges. My hope is it is not going to amount to what they are claiming," he said.

Having enlisted in the Army in November 2007, Millay was based in South Korea and Fort Stewart, Georgia, and spent one tour of combat duty in Iraq before being assigned to the Alaska base in May, according to the military statement. He was assigned to the 164th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 2nd Engineer Brigade, known as the "Arctic Enforcers."

Longtime friend Drew Bramschreiber of Owensboro has said Millay hardly fit the spy persona.

"He's just a simple country boy," he said. "He was never the kind of guy who would get into trouble."

Another friend, Janssen Payne, said last week that Millay idolized his brother, who is also in the Army, and that he had been in the ROTC program in high school. He was a supporter of President George W. Bush and the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, his friend said.

"You've got the wrong guy," Payne said. "That's just not who he is."

CNN's Charley Keyes contributed to this report.

Who faces charges including communicating military information?

Answer: client told him he is innocent.

Answer: Spc. William Colton Millay

Answer: November 2007,

Answer: Millay

Answer: his client

Summary:
Spc. William Colton Millay faces charges including communicating military information .
His lawyer says Millay told him he is not guilty .
Soldier believed he was giving info to "a foreign intelligence agent," military says .
The 22-year-old Kentucky native enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2007 .


(CNN) -- The average American woman can live long enough to celebrate her 80th birthday, so if a woman is able to become pregnant using in vitro fertilization with a donor egg at 56, she could still watch her child grow into an adult. But just because it's possible, does that mean she should? Some feel that having children after 45 is unfair because the parents might not live to see the kids become adults. The death of 69-year-old Maria del Carmen Bousada of Spain, who used in vitro fertilization with a donor egg to have twin boys at 66, has the fertility treatment community bracing for a backlash. It could rival the fallout from octuplet mom Nadya Suleman -- and it seems to have already started. In a national online survey about fertility conducted in May by Johnson & Johnson's Babycenter.com, 7 out of 10 moms who responded wanted tougher regulation laws for IVF treatments, and half of the 1,095 respondents thought it was bad for the children if a parent conceived past 45. Fertility specialists understand those concerns, but they say it's not that simple. Although it's rare for anyone older than 55 to get the go-ahead for IVF, that guideline is peer-enforced rather than mandated, and decisions typically are made on a case-by-case basis. Georgia Dardick, an advertising executive in Boynton Beach, Florida, was one of those cases. Dardick tried to conceive via IVF six times and seriously considered adoption, but at 51, she wasn't ready to let go of her desire to have a baby. "Fifty was the cutoff for my doctor, but they agreed to give us one more try," she said. She had her daughter in January. Dardick said she never planned to have a baby at 51, but feels that she made the right decision, despite the judgments others may have. "The word selfish has come into my mind. But for any parent, having a child is selfish. No matter what your age is, once you have that child, you owe that child everything. I live the best, healthiest life I can." Doctors say society's views of aging needs to change. "The 40 and 45-year-old of today is not the 40-year-old of the past; the 50-year-old [today] is not the same of the past," said Dr. John Jain, a physician at the Santa Monica (California) Fertility Clinic who has treated age-related infertility for 15 years. "They're eating healthy. A woman who is 45 is barely halfway through [her] life." Healthy or not, having a child at that age can cause tremendous stress on the body. Candidates for IVF after 45 use either an egg donor or their own frozen embryos from a prior cycle and are screened for underlying medical problems, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension or lung disease, said Dr. Charles Coddington of the Mayo Clinic's reproductive endocrinology department in Rochester, Minnesota. Still, "if somebody were in good health, it would be hard to say, 'you shouldn't have a baby,' " he said. "One has to judge where they are, health-wise and financially." But if a woman who claims to be 55 is actually in her mid-60s -- as Bousada reportedly did -- what's a doctor to do? Not much, physicians say.  Watch report on death of 69-year-old mother » "The truth may get dimmed to fit into the realm of a patient that may be acceptable. I don't sit there and say, 'Go get your birth certificate.' If someone's coming in and they're saying they're 52 or 55, I take it at face value," Coddington said, who does refer questionable cases to the fertility center's ethics board. Even for those who choose to use it, the availability of this technology can be a double-edged sword. Dardick said she wouldn't change anything, but if she did have to do it all over again,

Who says tougher regulations would hinder their ability to treat patients?

When do most fertility centers stop treating?

How many years old was the Florida woman who had a miracle baby?

Who was able to have her miracle baby at 51?

Answer: Dr. John Jain,

Answer: it's rare for anyone older than 55 to get the go-ahead for IVF,

Answer: 51,

Answer: Georgia Dardick,

Summary:
If a woman is in good health, she can conceive and give birth into her 50s .
Most fertility centers stop treating after 55, but there aren't any laws to enforce this .
Doctors say tougher regulations would hinder their ability to treat patients .
Florida woman was able to have her miracle baby at 51 .


(CNN) -- The average cost of medical care for a premature or low birth-weight baby for its first year of life is about $49,000, according to a new report from the March of Dimes Foundation. Babies born after the 37th week of pregnancy are less costly to the health care system than premature babies. By contrast, a newborn without complications costs $4,551 for care in its first year of life, the report said. Newborns with other kinds of complications, such as congenital defects, have medical expenses of $10,273 on average in the first year. The foundation wants to show employers the importance of good maternity care, maternity coverage, and prevention of prematurity, said Jennifer Howse, president of the March of Dimes, a nonprofit for pregnancy and baby health. "It's in the best interest of the bottom line for the employer, and of course it's certainly in the best interest for the baby, the employee, and ultimately the community in which the business is located," she said. Although most of these costs go straight to the health care plans, even out-of-pocket expenses are far greater for premature babies than for children delivered at a normal time. The average out-of-pocket expense for a premature or low-birth-weight baby in the first year was $1,987. For uncomplicated births, it is $654, and a baby with other kinds of complications averages $953 in out of pocket expenses. But it's important to note that these are average costs for premature babies born at different times -- a baby born closer to 40 weeks will most likely cost much less than a baby born at 26 weeks, said William Sexson, neonatologist at Emory University and prematurity prevention chair for the March of Dimes for the state of Georgia. Sexson was not involved in the new report. The problem of prematurity By definition, a premature baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. About 12 percent of all pregnancies in the United States result in premature birth, according to the National Institutes of Health. A low-birth-weight baby weighs less than 2,500 grams, or 5.5 pounds. Prematurity may contribute to problems such as cerebral palsy, vision problems, learning disabilities, and developmental delays, experts say. The rate of premature babies in the United States has increased 36 percent since the early 1980s, the March of Dimes said. One reason for the abundance of premature births may be the increasing number of elective early deliveries, said Sexson. There is a lack of transparency about both patients' and obstetricians' decisions to, for example, have a Caesarean section close to term -- technically premature. The March of Dimes recommends every elective delivery before 39 weeks be reviewed. "There is a real concern that many of those deliveries are a lot more elective than they ought to be," Sexson said. Uncomplicated Caesarean deliveries cost over 40 percent more than uncomplicated vaginal deliveries, the new report said. These deliveries also resulted in longer inpatient stays, outpatient visits, and more prescriptions filled. Most of the costs get covered by a health plan -- out-of-pocket expenses were similar for normal Caesarian deliveries, uncomplicated vaginal deliveries, and complicated births. Preventing premature births Prenatal care is essential in helping mothers carry their babies to term, experts say. The vitamin folate is especially important for mothers-to-be because it has been shown to prevent congenital abnormalities, said Janet Larson, chief of neonatology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Premature babies cost the United States at least $26 billion each year, according to the Institute of Medicine. Women who have a shortened cervix, or have certain infections, such as bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis, are at higher risk for having a premature baby, according to the NIH. A history of giving birth to premature babies is also a risk factor, said Dr. Charles Macri, obstetrician-gynecologist at the The George Washington University Hospital in Washington. A woman in this situation may take progesterone therapy between weeks 16 and 36

What is the definition of a premature infant?

What is the cost of premature infants nationally?

What are risk factors for premature delivery?

Before what week of pregnancy is a baby premature?

What is the cost in the US of premature babies?

Answer: a

Answer: $49,000,

Answer: cerebral palsy, vision problems, learning disabilities, and developmental delays,

Answer: before the 37th week of pregnancy.

Answer: of

Answer: about $49,000,

Summary:
By definition, a premature baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy .
Premature babies cost the U.S. at least $26 billion each year .
There are risk factors, but not all premature births can be prevented .
In tough economic times, pregnant women should not cut back on health care .


(CNN) -- The average temperature in Bloomington, Minnesota, in January was 6.4 degrees Fahrenheit. But that didn't stop Adam Frey from grilling outdoors and burning through 80 pounds of charcoal during the month.

Leroy and Judy McMillin of Spring, Texas, own three Big Green Eggs and built an outdoor kitchen to house them.

Frey received a Big Green Egg -- a ceramic cooker that serves as a smoker, grill and oven -- for Christmas last year. Since then, he has devotedly grilled six or seven days a week.

"Extreme cold isn't an issue as long as you dress warm," Frey said. "I have and will continue to cook out every day if possible."

The oval-shaped grill has amassed a cult-like following since it was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1974. Fans of the grill call themselves Eggheads. Tell us about your grill of choice

Frey began grilling more than 20 years ago but got his first Egg in 2008.

"It changed everything," he said. He now owns two Eggs and calls himself a "grill junkie."

"When you find yourself waking up, thinking about what you're going to grill that night, you're pretty addicted," Frey said. iReport.com: See photos of Frey's grilled meals

With a hefty price tag and weight -- some Eggs cost up to $900 and weigh more than 200 pounds -- the uninitiated may question whether the cookers are worth it. Eggheads, though, are quick to spread the gospel.

Frey, who shared his story on iReport.com as part of CNN's "grill masters" assignment, wasn't the only one to express devotion to the ceramic cooker. Other iReporters shared photos, videos and stories about their egg-centricity.

"I am an Egghead. They should pay me, because I constantly encourage people to buy one," joked Brad Cates.

Cates, an insurance and financial consultant in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, raves about the ease of heat control and versatility of his Egg. Fueled by charcoal, the Big Green Egg can reach up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit to sear a steak within minutes or cook a slow and low brisket for hours.

"It is better than any other grill or smoker I've had," Cates said. "I've had numerous gas grills, and there is absolutely no comparison there."

Cates tends to "cook in spurts," firing up the grill for two or three days some weeks. Ribs, covered in his secret homemade rub, are his specialty. "I try to do at least three racks at a time, and they are gone within minutes," he said.

Thanks to Cates' enthusiasm, co-worker John Lindsey decided to purchase a Big Green Egg. Now he, too, raves about it.

"The grill is like no other," Lindsey boasted. "I have owned all types of grills, from the tiny charcoal grill to the giant stainless steel gas grills. But the BGE is by far my favorite."

Lindsey, 34, grills three or four times a week. His specialty is "pork in general"; baby back ribs, pork tenderloin and pulled pork are some of his favorite dishes. He owns an XL Egg, which, according to the manufacturer, can cook 24 burgers, 12 steaks or 11 whole chickens at a time. iReport.com: See some XL Egg creations

More than a million Eggs have been sold since the company began, spokeswoman Donna Myers said.

"Word of mouth literally made the Egg what it is today," Myers said. She noted that BGE founder Ed Fisher began the company with little advertising revenue.

"For many years, these devoted Eggheads became the company's primary sales force," Myers said.

Perhaps the biggest Eggheads in the iReport community are Leroy and Judy McMillin of Spring, Texas. The couple owns three Eggs and built an outdoor kitchen to house them.

"I think it's easy to see that we love our Eggs," Leroy McMillin said

Which fanatics call themselves "Eggheads" spread the gospel.

What did Leroy McMillin build for his grills?

Who grilled oudoors everyday in six degree weather?

What do the enthusiasts call themselves?

What temperature is Adam Frey grilling on?

Answer: Fans of the grill

Answer: outdoor kitchen

Answer: Leroy and Judy McMillin

Answer: Adam Frey

Answer: Eggheads.

Answer: 6.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Summary:
Big Green Egg fanatics call themselves "Eggheads," spread the gospel .
Adam Frey grilled outdoors everyday in six degree weather .
Leroy McMillin built a "coop" for his three Eggs .
iReport.com: Are you a grill master? Show us your custom grills .