(CNN) -- Guitarist Carlos Santana signed on as the first rock 'n' roll resident artist at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's new concert hall, The Joint.

Santana will not play any other shows west of the Mississippi River over the next two years.

The two-year deal calls for Santana to play 36 shows a year, starting May 27, the hotel said.

The Joint, which holds 4,000, opens next month with Paul McCartney in a show that sold out earlier this month in just seven seconds.

Santana said his show -- "Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits" -- will "mix up a little practical spirituality with a rebel-from-the-street vibe, and with lots of incredible music."

"My wish is for it to be a night that will move you to dance, to cry, to laugh and to feel the totality and fullness of being alive," Santana said.

Santana, who has sold 90 million records over the past 40 years, is credited with blending American rock with Latin jazz.

Santana's deal is exclusive, meaning he will play no other shows west of the Mississippi River over the next two years, according to the news release announcing it.

Santana's residency is produced by AEG Live, the same company that brought Celine Dion, Elton John, Bette Midler and Cher to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

"Now we are setting the standard for rock 'n' roll residencies with this new deal," said John Meglen, AEG Live president.

How many shows will Santana play in a year?

Who is setting the standards for rock 'n' roll residencies?

How many seats are in the new concert hall?

Answer: May 27,

Answer: rock 'n' roll residencies

Answer: 36

Answer: The Joint,

Answer: 36

Answer: Carlos Santana

Answer: 36

Answer: Las Vegas

Answer: 4,000,

Summary:
Guitar player Santana to play 36 shows a year, starting May 27 .
Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's new concert hall holds 4,000 seats .
AEG Live president: "Now we are setting the standard for rock 'n' roll residencies"


(CNN) -- Gulf Coast chefs and fishing advocates claim, "Come on in; the water's fine!" but find themselves facing a public awash in apprehension over potentially oil-tainted seafood.

When New Orleans, Louisiana, chef John Besh recently urged people to choose U.S. shrimp over imports during an interview about the state of seafood in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico spill, commenters responded negatively, writing, "What's a little tar or mercury in your system anyways?!" and "I hope you enjoy the petrol in your fish."

Another commented, "You eat the fish from down there, don't complain to anyone when you get cancer in 10-15 years. I can't even believe a responsible human being would advocate for eating seafood slathered in oil first."

A tweet in their response to CNN's query about diners' feelings on New Orleans seafood declared all post-spill offerings "a no-geaux." Similar sentiments abound online, despite authorities' assurances as to the safety of seafood currently on the market.

Maps and apps track spill

The supply of Gulf Coast food -- and the cost of it -- fluctuates on a daily basis, with the NOAA Fisheries Services map of safe and affected fishing waters constantly being redrawn. ABC reports that in light of the reduced amount of seafood on the market, "Fish that normally sold for $2.50 a pound were going for $3.25."

On Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a commercial fisheries failure to trigger aid for commercial fishermen from the Economic Development Administration.

In a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the governor wrote, "The waters offshore Louisiana's coast supply nearly one-third of all commercial seafood harvested in the lower 48 states, with values in excess of $2.85 billion annually. As the largest provider of domestic seafood in the continental United States, protection of Louisiana's fisheries, habitats and catch are critical to our nation's economy and food supply. In addition to the potential biologic and ecologic impacts in these coastal communities, we must not overlook the crippling effect that this event will have on the commercial and sport fisheries in Louisiana. The seafood industry is not only a large economic driver, but a defining element of the unique culture, and a crucial tourist draw to the state."

While the impact of the Gulf Coast oil spill on the future of shellfish harvesting is unknown, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is closely monitoring conditions and sampling water at oyster beds and fishing docks to determine whether the haul is suitable for public consumption. It has the authority to order closures of areas that are deemed unsafe.

The department's daily assessments and harvesting closures are distributed to restaurants and seafood purveyors, and agency Secretary Alan Levine has released a statement declaring, "Oysters exposed to the spill will not be permitted to be harvested, and thus are not available for consumer purchase. DHH stands by the quality of Louisiana seafood as a healthy and delicious choice for consumers."

On the other side of the Gulf, groups like the Florida Sea Grant, which operates as a partnership between the Florida Board of Education and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, echo that sentiment.

Steve Otwell, a seafood specialist with the Florida Sea Grant College Program, writes in an Oil Spills and Seafood Safety FAQ on the group's website, "All seafood sold in Florida retail stores, supermarkets and restaurants will remain safe to consume prior to and during any potential exposure to contamination from the pending oil spill."

Michael Herdon of the Food and Drug Administration backed that claim in a statement, writing, "The FDA is closely monitoring the developing situation in the Gulf Coast region to help ensure that seafood potentially impacted by the oil spill is not making its way into commerce. Fish and shellfish harvested from areas unaffected by the closures are considered safe to eat. There is no reason to believe that any contaminated product has made its way to the market."

For the proprietor of several New Orleans restaurants and author of the award-winning cookbook "My New Orleans," Besh's

What do chefs and fishermen fear?
who heads to louisiana
What are experts sampling?

Answer: oil-tainted seafood.

Answer: chef John Besh

Answer: water

Summary:
Chefs and fishermen fear customers will refuse safe Gulf seafood .
Experts sampling water at oyster beds, fishing docks to see if haul is OK to eat .
Celebrity chefs head to Louisiana in show of support and to attend fundraisers .


(CNN) -- Gunmen killed three police officers in Acapulco, Mexico, early Monday morning in attacks on two police stations, the state news agency Notimex reported. Suspected gang members are handcuffed after a gunbattle in Acapulco, Mexico, on Saturday. The attacks came two days after a ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead, including two soldiers. Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters kept watch over the resort town Monday. Along with swine flu fears, the uptick in violence threatens the tourist economy of Acapulco and other popular resort areas. Witnesses told police that just before 6 a.m., gunmen armed with AK-47s stepped out of two luxury vehicles, walked toward the police station in the Ciudad Renacimiento neighborhood and began shooting. Acapulco officers Gilberto Reducindo Salazar and Arturo Tonala Aguilar were killed in that incident, according to Notimex. Shortly afterward, at a second local police station, attackers fatally wounded officer Andres Guzman Casiano, Notimex said. A fourth officer was injured. The Guerrero attorney general's office said the attacks could have been conducted by the same people, as there was a 30-minute gap between them, the state agency reported. It was unknown whether the attacks were connected with Saturday's shootout, which started when soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco on an anonymous tip. They were met by gunfire, according to a statement from Mexico's Ministry of Defense. Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Sixteen gunmen and two soldiers were killed, and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said. After that incident, authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons, two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 180 charges and eight vehicles, the ministry said.

What city did the Mexican soldiers watch over?

How many people were left dead after gun battle?

How many days after ferocious street gunbattle did the attacks come?

What do Mexican soldiers keep watch over?

Answer: Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters

Answer: early Monday morning

Answer: of Acapulco

Answer: 18

Answer: nine

Answer: Five

Answer: 18

Answer: two

Answer: two

Answer: two

Answer: the resort town

Answer: Mexican soldiers,

Answer: three

Answer: Monday morning

Answer: 18 people

Summary:
Attacks came 2 days after ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead .
2 soldiers, 16 suspected gang members killed; 9 soldiers wounded Saturday .
Five people arrested in connection with shootout; authorities seize weapons .
Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters kept watch over Acapulco on Monday .


(CNN) -- Gunmen shot and killed a food monitor for the United Nations' World Food Program on Thursday, the second killing of a WFP humanitarian worker in Somalia in three days, a spokesman for the agency said Thursday. Mohamud Omar Moallim, a food monitor for the United Nations, was killed in Somalia on Thursday, the U.N. says. Peter Smerdon said Mohamud Omar Moallim, 49, was shot by unidentified gunmen while distributing food to displaced people at Daynile, 6 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Mogadishu. The gunmen put Moallim's body in a WFP vehicle and drove away, then pushed the corpse from the vehicle and drove on, Smerdon said. Moallim joined WFP in 1993 and worked until 1995 as a logistics assistant. He rejoined the agency in May 2006 as a food monitor. He was abducted in September 2008 for 16 hours outside Mogadishu. He leaves two wives and 11 children. Colleagues said Moallim was calm, extremely hard-working and highly responsible and was often consulted for advice and support by other staff members. On Tuesday, three masked men shot and killed 44-year-old Somali national Ibrahim Hussein Duale while he was monitoring food distribution at a school in Yubsan village, near the Gedo regional capital of Garbahare, the WFP said. Witnesses say the gunmen approached Duale while he was seated, ordered him to stand up and then shot him, according to the account on the WFP Web site. Duale leaves a wife and five children. He joined WFP in 2006 as a food monitor in the Gedo region, which borders Kenya and Ethiopia.

Who  was the aid worker shot while distributing food?

Answer: Mohamud Omar Moallim,

Summary:
U.N. aid worker shot by unidentified gunman while handing out food, U.N. says .
Attackers threw body in car, drove off, then dumped body, says U.N. spokesman .
Another aid worker shot on Tuesday while distributing food at a school, U.N. says .
Both the slain humanitarian workers leave behind families .


(CNN) -- Gunpowder, fireworks and attention-grabbing installations mark Cai Guo-Qiang as one of the world's biggest and brightest artists. Cai's fireworks will be seen by millions during the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. The Chinese artist is about to show the world what he can do with a spectacular pyrotechnics display at the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Despite not having lived in China since 1986, Cai has been selected to be the Director of Visual and Special Effects for both the opening and closing ceremonies at the Games. For the 51-year-old contemporary artist, whose work has previously caused controversy in China, the politics that have been swirling around the Games are secondary to the event itself. "In any country, in any city, there will be political influence on what is said, what kind of images are to be projected and, yes, of course artists can be and are influenced by politicians," he told CNN. "But what I also think is that our leaders at the very highest level want artists to be able to be free, to be creative and to show this other side of China that is vibrant." While some of his art is politically charged, Cai has established his reputation as much as a director of the spectacular, with his work often providing a visceral and visual bang. He studied stage design at the Shanghai Drama Institute between 1981 and 1985 before moving to Japan a year after graduation. Now residing in New York, he gained wide-spread international recognition at the Venice Biennale in 1999, winning the Golden Lion prize. However, the work he displayed -- Rent Collection Courtyard, a replica of famous Chinese socialist-realist sculpture -- upset artists of the original piece in Shanghai who believed it diminished the sentiment behind the original work. Born in Fujian in 1957, Cai's father was also an artist, but had a much more traditional outlook than the one Cai developed. "He and his friends always lamented about the good days and, that there's no vitality in today's art and culture. So, I really rebelled against that. I felt that what they were talking about had very little to do with how our lives were like at that moment," he said. Cai began using gunpowder in his work after moving to Japan. Detonating large trails of it on his two-dimensional pieces, creating small mushroom-clouds, or lighting enormous firework displays, explosions have been a continuous theme of his work. "I have always been a coward as a child. I am not very brave. I am very aware of the fact that I am not very gutsy. So, I am always trying to do things to kind of boost my own sense of courage a bit. So maybe that is why I use gunpowder," he told CNN. Cai has proffered different explanations for different projects that feature the same motifs. Perhaps that is not surprising when his influences come from a myriad of sources that include Taoism, Buddhist philosophy and UFO-observations. Recently exhibited at New York's Guggenheim Museum, "Inopportune: Stage One" is a set of 9 cars suspended above each other with illuminated shards shooting out. Cai has previously said it denotes Chinese craftiness in stealing western technology, while arrows piercing the life-sized stuffed tigers of "Inopportune: Stage 2" are also about the aesthetics of pain. "For me cars are tigers, they are all bodies of the human form and it is a human form I am working with through this medium. For the cars the energy goes inward out and for the tiger piece the energy flows in," he told CNN. Meanings and interpretations then can be fluid, but as well as the explosions and visual excitement, there is a common social theme in his work. The most connected to this ethos is "Reflection-A Gift from Iwaki 2004." The skeleton of a wooden boat found off the coast of Iwaki, Japan, that spills delicate pieces of porcelain from its hull is recreated piece by piece by the people

Spectacular large-scale pieces will be achieved by using what?

What will be used to create spectacular large-scale peices

International recognition was gained by  winning the Golden Lion in which year?

An artist from which country will curate Olympic Games' opening ceremony pyrotechnic display?

Who will curate the pyrotechnics for the opening ceremony

Answer: Gunpowder,

Answer: pyrotechnics display

Answer: 1999,

Answer: Cai Guo-Qiang

Answer: spectacular pyrotechnics display

Answer: Cai Guo-Qiang

Answer: Golden Lion prize.

Summary:
Chinese artist will curate Olympic Games' opening ceremony pyrotechnic display .
Uses gunpowder and fireworks to produce spectacular large-scale pieces .
International recognition winning Golden Lion at 1999 Venice Biennale .


(CNN) -- Haiti's earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees," something that will pose a challenge for Haitian society for years to come, experts say.

The 7.0 earthquake resulted in thousands having their limbs crushed as Haiti's ramshackle buildings fell on top of them.

The number of amputees created by the disaster is hard to measure, but Handicap International estimates it is at least 2,000 and growing. Dr. Mitra Roses of the Pan American Health Organization said some hospitals were performing between 30 and 100 amputations a day after the earthquake.

At one small hospital in the capital that is now functioning under a tent, doctors say they are performing more and more amputations on children.

"We're having a generation of amputees," said one medical worker. She had just discovered that a 2-year-old girl cannot feel her left foot and may need an amputation. "It's heartbreaking."

Amputations in Haiti are especially difficult for patients because so many people get around on foot or by bicycle. Sidewalks and roads are poor and wheelchairs, crutches and canes are few.

"What I fear is that if I can't walk, I can't go to school and I can't go to church," said a boy who lost his foot in the earthquake. Without his foot, he said, he can't pedal the bike he normally takes to church and to school.

"It's not an environment which is conducive to mobility for people who are not able to walk for a variety of reasons," Stephanie Stuart, director of Handicap International UK, told CNN.

Amputees may have trouble getting to work, she said, and the problem is compounded if those people perform manual labor, which requires greater use of their limbs.

"Their circumstances are pretty dire, because an amputee in Haiti is highly disadvantaged in terms of being able to be mobile, have a job and look after family," said Eric Doubt, executive director of Healing Hands for Haiti International, which provides treatment and rehabilitation to people with disabilities.

Young amputees face different issues, said Stuart. Like the boy who lost his foot, they may not be able to go to school, putting them at risk of losing education.

They also can't play with their friends or enjoy the activities they used to, and they may be too young to understand why, Stuart said.

Even if those children make it to school, they may have trouble adapting to an able-bodied environment.

"A lot of children, if they couldn't manage to go to the loo (toilet) in schools, would they feel they wanted to spend the day there?" Stuart said.

Parents of children with lost limbs may also find it hard to adapt, she said.

"However much they love them, are (parents) still going to be able to support them and help their education and well-being as much as they could with an able child?"

The Pan American Health Organization said disabilities can cause significant and long-term economic and mental health problems for earthquake survivors.

With so many earthquake victims having had or facing the prospect of amputations, Haiti's government should prioritize the issue of disability and support for disabled people, Stuart said.

Before the earthquake, Haiti had only one facility that produced prosthetic limbs. It survived the earthquake but will not be able to meet current needs, Doubt said.

"They actually are able to start fabricating but ... they're very small, and the need is much greater," Doubt told CNN by phone from the organization's offices in Georgetown, Ontario. Even before the earthquake, he said, "we were only really touching the need at the time."

There were about 800,000 Haitians with handicaps and disabilities before the earthquake, Doubt said.

"Handicapped in Haiti have been largely unattended to or abandoned by their governments, and there are very few medical organizations who attend to them or provide a focus on them, so it was a very large job to begin with," he said.

What can cause long-term economic and mental health problems?

What in Haiti are difficult because people get around on foot or by bicycle?

Who says Haiti's earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees"?

Answer: disabilities

Answer: earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees," something that will pose a challenge

Answer: Sidewalks and roads are poor and wheelchairs, crutches and canes are few.

Answer: Amputations

Answer: experts

Answer: earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees," something that will pose a challenge

Answer: Amputations

Answer: disabilities

Summary:
Experts say Haiti's earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees"
Disabilities can cause long-term economic and mental health problems .
Amputations in Haiti are difficult because people get around on foot or by bicycle .


(CNN) -- Haiti's orphanages have become targets for people desperate for food, water and medical supplies in the aftermath of the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

On Wednesday night, Maison de Lumiere, an orphanage caring for 50 orphans, came under attack from a group of 20 armed men, aid workers told the Joint Council on International Children's Services.

A neighboring orphanage sheltering about 135 children has been robbed several times over the past few days, they said.

Meanwhile, aid workers said a third orphanage caring for 17 orphans reported that townspeople are trespassing and tapping into the water supply that is reserved for the children.

"It was calm at first, but the situation is getting more desperate," said David Beck, pastor at Child Hope International, the nonprofit that oversees Maison de Lumiere. No shots were fired in the attack on the orphanage, and security guards were able to drive off the marauders, he said. But one orphanage worker was hit in the head with a rock, he said.

"If people think you have food, then they will come after it," Beck said. The orphanage is rationing what food and water it does have, he said.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, and experienced high rates of poverty and disease even before the quake. The quake has made the situation far more desperate.

Looting is becoming a big concern for the orphanages as fear and frustration mount and help is slow to arrive, said Tom DiFilipo of the Joint Council on International Children's Services, a U.S.-based advocacy group for children in need of families.

To protect the children, some orphanages are on lock-down, according to volunteers working with the relief agencies.

"When bringing in supplies to an orphanage, you can only bring in a day or two day's worth," said DiFilipo. "If you bring more than that, the locals come in."

This week's raids are included on a growing list of difficulties facing orphanages that is being compiled by the Joint Council on International Children's Services. DiFilipo said he expects the challenges of food, medical aid and security to continue affecting the orphanages for weeks.

For every Haitian orphan brought to safety in the United States and elsewhere, thousands more are left behind to face the primitive conditions resulting from last week's earthquake. There is no accurate count of how many orphanages have experienced looting and other attacks.

Since the quake, the Joint Council on International Children's Services has received dozens of phone calls, text messages and e-mails from orphanages reporting problems ranging from food shortages to security threats.

The agency is in touch with about 50 orphanages in Haiti and the reports are updated daily. The group is also working with members of Congress, the Red Cross and other aid agencies to relay the messages.

Before the quake, Haiti had 380,000 orphans, according to UNICEF. It is still too early to determine how many children were orphaned by the quake.

The people of Haiti have grown desperate for food, water and assistance since the quake decimated the capital last week, toppling buildings, cutting power, contaminating water supplies and ravaging roads.

The conditions for children in Haiti are bleak, aid officials said. Orphans are sleeping outside or in makeshift tents. Facilities are running low on food, water and medical supplies. Some orphanages have already reported deaths.

Ruuska Village, an orphanage in the Bon Repos section of Port-au-Prince, was looted several times during the first few days after the quake, said volunteer Cherie Shropshire.

Security was inadequate after 80 percent of the building was damaged, she said. The locks were broken and people stole food, clothes and supplies, but the orphanage was able to keep its generator protected, Shropshire said.

"Another aftershock that woke us so roughly on Wednesday morning and a wall tumbling down on our heads, children starving, the orphanage being looted as the frustration continues to grow regarding the delay in distributing supplies, children dying from sickness. ...," wrote an American adoption service provider in Haiti in a

How many people attacked Maison de Lumiere?

How many men attacked Maison de Lumiere?

Answer: Haiti's

Answer: Haiti's

Answer: 20

Answer: orphanages

Answer: 20 armed men,

Answer: 20

Summary:
20 men attacked Maison de Lumiere, an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, aid workers say .
A U.S. advocacy organization is tracking attacks on Haiti's orphanages .
Getting food, medical supplies and security top challenges faced by orphanages .
"If people think you have food then they will come after it," one official says .


(CNN) -- Haiti's top prosecutor on Friday denied reports that charges have been dropped against nine of the 10 American missionaries accused of kidnapping children after a devastating earthquake hit the nation in January.

Attorney General Joseph Manes was responding to news from the office of U.S. Sen Jim Risch, R-Idaho, whose staff on Thursday said the charges had been dropped against all but one of the Baptist missionaries. Group leader Laura Silsby remains in a Haitian jail. Risch spokesman Kyle Hines said the senator had been contacted by officials at the U.S. State Department, confirming that the kidnapping charges against the other nine were dropped.

However, Manes said that information was "absolutely incorrect." He said that under Haitian law, all charges against the 10 Americans stand until the examining judge, Bernard Saint-Vil, renders his final decision on whether to proceed to trial.

Risch's communications director, Brad Hoaglun, said: "We are standing by what we were orginally told by the State Department. We did, however, ask the State Department to reconfirm for us, and we are waiting that response."

A senior State Department official told CNN Friday the charges were dropped, but deferred questions to Haiti's government, saying "this was a Haitian decision."

On Thursday, Saint-Vil could not be reached for comment and Manes declined to respond to CNN's questions until he could do so in person on Friday.

Authorities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, accused the group, many of whom belong to a Baptist church in Idaho, of trying to kidnap 33 Haitian children after an earthquake in January leveled much of the capital and surrounding areas.

The Rev. Clint Henry of the Central Valley Baptist Church said the missionaries were notified by a State Department e-mail that the charges were dropped and no other charges were pending.

Meanwhile, Manes said his office received the documents pertaining to Saint-Vil's investigation and that his staff has five days to derive an opinion, which will remain confidential, on whether to move forward on a trial or dismiss the charges. At that point the case will be returned to the judge for a final decision.

The 10 Americans have said they were trying to help the children get to a safe place after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake.

Haitian authorities stopped the group on January 29 as they tried to cross the border with the children without proper legal documentation. The group said it was going to house the children in a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic and later move them to an orphanage.

Silsby originally claimed the children were orphaned or abandoned, but the Haitian government and the orphans' charity SOS Children say that all have at least one living parent. Some said they placed their children in Silsby's care because that was the only way they knew to ensure a better quality of life.

Eight of the missionaries were released from custody in February and a ninth, Charisa Coulter of Boise, Idaho, was released in March.

One of the missionaries told CNN affiliate KTKA on Thursday that the news of charges being dropped against him and the others was bittersweet.

"It's partial good news," Drew Culberth said. "It's good for me but not good news for [Laura] Silsby."

CNN's Lonzo Cook contributed to this report.

What did missionaries say they were doing?

What day did a U.S. senator say the charges were dropped?

Who still has to decide the status of charges?

Answer: trying to help the children get to a safe place after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake.

Answer: kidnapping charges against the other nine

Answer: Thursday

Answer: Laura Silsby

Answer: missionaries accused of kidnapping children after a devastating earthquake hit the nation in January.

Answer: nine

Answer: Haitian jail.

Answer: Bernard Saint-Vil,

Summary:
U.S. senator said Thursday he'd been told charges were dropped against 9 of 10 .
Haiti official says judge still has to decide status of charges .
Missionaries say they were trying to help children after massive earthquake .
Group's leader, Laura Silsby, remains in Haitian jail .


(CNN) -- Half a million homes remained without power across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region on Sunday, as rain continued to pound states from West Virginia to Connecticut for a second day. The rain caused flooding and airport delays across the region, even as Saturday's high winds -- reaching hurricane force in some areas -- waned dramatically on Sunday. "High winds are over, but the rain and flood threat remain in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast," CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said. "There are major travel delays -- and more expected on Monday." Some coastal areas have received up to six inches of rain since Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Flood warnings remained in effect in parts of the Eastern Seaboard into Sunday night, including much of New England. Flooding in West Virginia caused one death there, authorities said. Con Edison reported more than 100,000 customers without power in New York City and Westchester County on Sunday, while the Long Island Power Authority said that 150,000 of its customers were without electricity. "The ground is so wet from all the snow we've had this winter, it's helping the trees to topple over, as well as our utility poles," said Long Island Power Authority president and CEO Kevin Law. "The conditions are still too terrible to get crews out there." Law said that some customers will likely go without power until early in the week. Roughly 100,000 New Jersey customers saw their electricity restored Sunday, along with 30,000 PPL Electric Utilities customers in Pennsylvania. But tens of thousands of other homes in New Jersey and Connecticut were still without power on Sunday. iReport: Share photos, video of storm damage The outages were mostly due to power lines downed by Saturday's winds, which toppled trees and utility polls. Wind speeds reached 75 miles per hour at New York's JFK International Airport -- as strong as a Category 1 hurricane -- and 72 miles per hour in Atlantic City, New Jersey. New York-area airports reported delays of at least two hours on Sunday, while Boston's Logan International Airport averaged 40 minute delays. In the Midwest, meanwhile, flooding continued on Sunday because of snow melt, rains and ice jams. Farther west, North Dakota's Red River is expected to reach major flood stage around Fargo and Moorhead on Tuesday.

what reached hurricane-force levels in recent days?

who is dealing with their own flooding problems?

Answer: high winds

Answer: Half

Answer: Northeast and mid-Atlantic

Answer: a million

Answer: rain and flood

Answer: 75 miles per hour

Answer: the rain and flood

Answer: West Virginia

Summary:
Half a million homes remained without power across Northeast, mid-Atlantic region .
Winds reached hurricane-force levels in some places .
Winds dying down, but flooding remains a threat .
Midwest, North Dakota dealing with their own flooding problems .


(CNN) -- Hall of Fame football linebacker Lawrence Taylor was charged Thursday with rape and patronizing a prostitute in a case involving a 16-year-old girl, police in Ramapo, New York, said.

Taylor's attorney said the former New York Giants star denied the charges and will fight them.

"My client did not have sex with anybody. Period," Arthur Aidala said, adding: "Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody."

Taylor appeared at an afternoon court hearing where a judge set bail at $75,000. Taylor was not asked to enter a plea and left the courthouse after posting bail.

Seeing television cameras outside the courthouse, Taylor said, "I'm not that important" as he walked away.

Taylor, 51, was arrested in a Holiday Inn room a few hours after the alleged rape took place, according to Christopher St. Lawrence, the town supervisor and police commissioner in Ramapo, about 30 miles northwest of New York City.

Police Chief Peter Brower said Taylor was charged with third-degree rape, a felony, for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with someone younger than 17. Taylor also was charged with third-degree patronization for allegedly paying the underage victim $300 to have sex, Brower said.

According to Brower, the rape charge carries a possible four-year prison term, and the patronization charge, a misdemeanor, could bring up to a year in prison.

Asked whether Taylor knew that the victim was underage, Brower said "ignorance is not an excuse" for having sex with a minor.

Aidala said after the bail hearing that Taylor "is denying and preparing to fight each and every one of those charges."

Aidala said that "no violence, no force, no threat, no weapons" was involved in the case. He noted that the rape charge against Taylor was for consensual sex with a minor and said Taylor denied it.

St. Lawrence and Brower said the alleged victim, since March a runaway from New York's Bronx borough, was allegedly brought to Ramapo by a pimp on Wednesday night.

When the pimp and the girl returned to New York early Thursday, she texted an uncle who notified the New York police, St. Lawrence said.

New York police arrested the pimp and called Ramapo police, and Taylor was arrested in his hotel room at around 4 a.m., according to St. Lawrence.

The alleged victim had facial injuries that police determined occurred before she entered the Holiday Inn room, St. Lawrence said.

Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said police knocked twice on Taylor's hotel door and identified themselves before entering the room. Weidel and St. Lawrence said Taylor was cooperative with authorities.

Taylor was a 10-time All-Pro linebacker for the New York Giants from 1981 to 1993 after earning All American honors at the University of North Carolina.

A punishing tackler and pass rusher known by his initials "L.T.," he was on two Super Bowl champion teams and was inducted into the National Football League's Hall of Fame, which noted that he "redefined the way the outside linebacker position was played."

However, Taylor was twice suspended by the NFL for substance abuse and battled a cocaine addiction long after retirement, resulting in several arrests and a downward spiral that he chronicled in a 2003 autobiography.

After kicking drugs, he worked as a sports commentator and appeared as a contestant on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" in 2009. Taylor and his dance partner on the program, Edyta Sliwinska, were eliminated in the seventh week of competition.

Brower said that police found a bottle of alcohol in Taylor's hotel room but that Taylor showed no sign of inebriation. Brower said that no drugs were found in the room.

Mark Lepselter, Taylor's agent, said Taylor was very upset about the charges against him.

"He's worked very hard over the last 12 years to change perceptions about him," Lepselter said.

CNN's Ross Levitt and Alan Chernoff contributed to this story.

What are his charges?
What team did Taylor play for?
Who was charged?
What's the Bail?
What was Taylor charged with?
What was the amount of the bail?

Answer: rape and patronizing

Answer: New York Giants

Answer: Lawrence Taylor

Answer: $75,000.

Answer: rape and patronizing

Answer: $75,000.

Summary:
Taylor leaves courthouse after posting $75,000 bail .
Lawyer says former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor denies charges .
Former linebacker charged with rape, patronizing prostitute .
Police investigating accusations involving 16-year-old runaway .


(CNN) -- Hamburg have moved up to fourth place in the Bundesliga, only behind Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg on goal difference, after a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Energie Cottbus on Sunday. Ivica Olic celebrates his opening goal for Hamburg as they remain in touch near the top of the Bundesliga. Croatian striker headed Hamburg into a 32nd-minute lead while a free-kick from winger Piotr Trochowski seven minutes later secured the points for the home side. The result lifts Hamburg above Hoffenheim onto 45 points, with leaders Hertha Berlin remaining top of the table on 49 points following their 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. Sunday's other match saw Werder Bremen pick up their first league win of 2009 with a 4-0 victory over Stuttgart, the first defeat in 10 matches for new Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel. Sweden striker Markus Rosenberg struck twice for the home side who lie 10th in the table, while Stuttgart remain sixth, 10 points behind leaders Hertha Berlin.

Who scored for Hamburg in their 2-0 win?

Who remains in the Bundesliga title hunt?

What place is Hamburg in after the victory?

Who suffered their first defeat under Markus Babbel?

Answer: Hamburg

Answer: Hamburg

Answer: Ivica Olic

Answer: Ivica Olic celebrates his opening goal for Hamburg as they

Answer: Werder Bremen

Answer: fourth

Answer: Stuttgart

Answer: The result

Answer: Stuttgart,

Summary:
Hamburg remain in Bundesliga title hunt following 2-0 win over Energie Cottbus .
The win lifts Hamburg into fourth in the table, four points behind leaders Hertha .
Stuttgart suffer first defeat under Markus Babbel, losing 4-0 at Werder Bremen .


(CNN) -- Hamburg have put one foot in the UEFA Cup final after a header from Germany winger Piotr Trochowski proved enough to give them a 1-0 win at Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in the first leg of their semifinal.

Piotr Trochowski celebrates the only goal as Hamburg took a major step towards the UEFA Cup final.

Martin Jol's side scored the only goal of a pulsating match in the 38th minute when Trochowski, the smallest player on the pitch, rose superbly at the back post to head Guy Demel's right-wing cross past goalkeeper Tim Wiese.

Both side had countless half-chances to score but Hamburg wasted the best of them on the hour mark when Bayern Munich-bound striker Ivica Olic broke through in acres of space, but fired his shot straight at Wiese.

Hamburg's victory puts them on line for their first European final since 1983, when they beat Juventus 1-0 to win the European Cup.

This was the second of four matches in quick succession between the north Germany neighbors -- who met each other in the German Cup last week and will play the return leg of the semifinal next Thursday before a Bundesliga clash on Sunday May 10.

And the result was sweet revenge for Hamburg, who saw Wiese save three penalties in last week's shoot-out as Werder knocked their rivals out of the German Cup, also at the semifinal stage.

The eventual winners will play either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev in May's Istanbul final.

The eventual winners will face who in the Istanbul final?

when Eventual winners will face Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo?

Who is in line for first European final?

Answer: 1-0

Answer: either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev

Answer: in May's Istanbul final.

Answer: the smallest player on the pitch,

Answer: Hamburg

Answer: Werder Bremen

Summary:
Hamburg in line for first European final since 1983 after defeating Werder 1-0 .
Winger Piotr Trochowski heads in the only goal of their UEFA Cup semifinal .
Eventual winners will face Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev in Istanbul final .


(CNN) -- Hanny van Arkel was poring over photos of galaxies on the Internet in August 2007 when she stumbled across a strange object in the night sky: a bright, gaseous mass with a gaping hole in its middle. Hanny van Arkel made her discovery by poring over images of galaxies on an astronomy Web site. "It looked a bit like an irregular galaxy, but I wasn't sure what it was," Van Arkel said. So she posted a query on the Web site of the Galaxy Zoo project, which encourages members of the public to join in astronomy research online. Van Arkel is a 25-year-old schoolteacher in Heerlen, The Netherlands, not an astrophysicist. But her startling find -- a mysterious and unique object some observers are calling a "cosmic ghost" -- has captivated astronomers and even caught the attention of the people who run the Hubble Space Telescope, who have agreed to take a closer look next year. "This discovery really shows how citizen science has come of age in the Internet world," said Bill Keel, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Alabama and a Galaxy Zoo team member. "There was a time when I spoke pejoratively of armchair astronomers. And I've gotten up at a star party and publicly apologized for that." Not so long ago, the term "amateur astronomer" conjured images of stargazers peering through backyard telescopes. But today's are as likely to be analyzing reams of sophisticated data collected by observatories and posted on space-related Web sites. Armchair observers like van Arkel increasingly are making significant contributions to science, said Steve Maran, spokesman for the American Astronomical Society, a group of 6,500 professionals. Amateurs have been invited to present papers at recent AAS conferences, "which wouldn't have happened years ago," he said. A successful example of amateur-professional collaboration, the Galaxy Zoo project was launched last year by Yale University astrophysicist Kevin Schawinski and Chris Lintott at the University of Oxford in England. The pair were looking for help in cataloging archived photographs of galaxies -- one million images -- taken by the robotic Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope in remote southern New Mexico. Knowing that the human eye is sometimes more sensitive than a computer at picking out unusual patterns -- and that they didn't have time to do all the work themselves -- Schawinski and Lintott posted the images on the Galaxy Zoo Web site last summer. The professors then invited amateur astronomers, with the help of a brief online tutorial, to classify the galaxies as spiral, elliptical or something else. Online galaxy-sorting might not sound as fun as, say, surfing YouTube, but it was an immediate hit. "We were overwhelmed by the response. It completely melted the server," Schawinski said. "People tell us it's addictive. Some of [the volunteers] are professional astronomers, but most of them are not. They're just regular people who got excited about the project." During the past year, more than 150,000 armchair astronomers from all over the world volunteered their time, submitting more than 50 million classifications. The public's collective wisdom -- the same principle that guides jury trials or Wikipedia -- proved remarkably astute, Schawinski said. For example, if 33 of 36 volunteers thought a galaxy appeared elliptical, then astronomers could be confident the classification was correct, he said. Van Arkel had been classifying photos on Galaxy Zoo for about a week when she came across the image that quickly became known as "Hanny's Voorwerp," Dutch for "object." The primary school teacher does not own a telescope -- "my [astronomy] background doesn't really go further than looking at the stars when walking outside in the evening," she said -- but when she posted her finding August 13 on the Galaxy Zoo forum, the astronomers who run the site began to investigate. They soon realized van Arkel might have found a new class of astronomical object. The Galaxy Zoo team asked scientists working at telescopes around the world to take a look at the mysterious Voorwerp. Their best guess: The Voorwerp

What does the Galaxy Zoo project encourage the public to do?

What group is going to look at the object closer?

What did a Dutch schoolteacher discover using the Web?

Who is contributing to science based on this example?

Answer: a mysterious and unique object some observers are calling a "cosmic ghost"

Answer: join in astronomy research online.

Answer: next year.

Answer: encourages members of the public to join in astronomy research online.

Answer: van Arkel

Answer: how citizen science has come of age in the Internet world,"

Answer: a strange object in the night sky: a bright, gaseous mass with a gaping hole in its middle.

Answer: Armchair observers like van Arkel

Summary:
Using the Web, a Dutch schoolteacher has discovered a strange astronomical object .
The find illustrates how more amateur astronomers are contributing to science .
The Galaxy Zoo project encourages the public to join in astronomy research online .
Hubble Space Telescope has agreed to take a closer look at the object next year .


(CNN) -- Happy birthday, Catherine Zeta-Jones. You are turning 40 this month, joining an exclusive club of women in show business who are marking the same milestone this year. Catherine Zeta-Jones arrives at a Hollywood event earlier this year. She turns 40 on September 25. Think big names like Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Cate Blanchett. It's a birthday many actors -- but especially female stars -- in Hollywood would once dread, hide and agonize over. At an age where men could comfortably play heroes and lovers in the prime of their life -- and could do so for many years to come -- women often found themselves starting to be cast in different roles. (One example: "The Graduate," where 36-year-old Anne Bancroft played a frustrated "older woman" trying to seduce Dustin Hoffman, who was just six years younger than she at the time.) No wonder some stayed mum about their age, but this generation of 40-something female entertainers is different. They're holding birthday bashes, embracing the big four-oh and staying as busy and famous as ever. Their faces grace magazine covers, their bodies are the envy of women decades younger and their careers seem to be going strong.  See photos of stars who are 40 and still hot » Zellweger herself has said she hasn't noticed good parts getting scarce. "I don't see it. I don't know. I'm so spoiled with respect to the experiences I've had and the opportunities I've had that I don't see it," she said, according to published news reports. So has anything changed for women hitting 40 in a business obsessed with youth? Industry observers say stars like Zeta-Jones, Zellweger and Aniston have more options than ever to have long, distinguished careers thanks to independent films and television, but opinions are mixed on whether they can sustain a big Hollywood presence. "These women are still among the most bankable, biggest stars in the industry and turning 40 isn't going to change that," said Kathy Heintzelman, entertainment director for More, a magazine geared toward women over 40.  Watch a report on the most rich and famous women over 40 » Importance of box office But others argue that the opportunity to land lead roles in major studio films for actresses like Aniston, Zeta-Jones and Zellweger is running out. It's all about the global box office for Hollywood, which right now is most interested in making comic book movies or big-action, special-effect films in which women are mostly decorative, said Leah Rozen, film critic for People magazine. That often leaves few lead roles in big-budget Hollywood films for established female stars as they get older. "They're going to work, but the entire movie will not be built around them. It will not be a Renee Zellweger vehicle or a Catherine Zeta-Jones vehicle, unless it's an indie film," Rozen said. "I'm not saying anything about the quality of the movies they're making or their validity as actresses," Rozen said. "I am saying that viewed as box office -- or can they open a movie? -- the answer would be no right now." Zellweger's most recent project, "My One and Only," which Rozen called a "very sweet little film," has grossed less than $1 million since it premiered last month (it opened in wide release last Friday.) Earlier this year, her film "New in Town" grossed about $16 million domestically, according to Boxofficemojo.com. Zeta-Jones' last big Hollywood role was in the 2007 movie "No Reservations," which earned $43 million in the United States. Aniston has had a better run. Last year's "Marley & Me" took in $143 million domestically and more recently, "He's Just Not That Into You" earned $93 million. Men are viable as box office leads far longer than most women, Rozen

What provides more option to actors than ever?

Answer: Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer

Answer: long, distinguished careers thanks to independent films

Answer: Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Answer: independent films and television,

Summary:
Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett have turned 40 this year .
Stars appear to be going strong in an industry famously obsessed with youth .
Some doubt Hollywood is interested in making 'vehicles' for top female stars .
Television, independent films offer more options than ever for actors .


(CNN) -- Harold Pinter, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter whose absurdist and realistic works displayed a despair and defiance about the human condition, has died, according to British media reports. He was 78. The much-honored Harold Pinter received the French Legion d'honneur in 2007. Pinter's wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, confirmed his death. Pinter, who had been suffering from cancer, died on Christmas Eve, according to the reports. Fraser told the Guardian newspaper: "He was a great, and it was a privilege to live with him for over 33 years. He will never be forgotten." Pinter was known for such plays as "The Birthday Party" (1957), "The Homecoming" (1964), "No Man's Land" (1974), "Mountain Language" (1988), and "Celebration" (2000). The works caught a linguistic rhythm -- the legendary "Pinter pause" -- and an air of social unease that resonated throughout the English-speaking world and in myriad translations. His movie credits, like his plays, span the decades and include "The Quiller Memorandum" (1965) and "The French Lieutenant's Woman" (1981). Pinter also wrote the screenplay for his 1978 play "Betrayal," the story of a doomed love affair told backward, which was made into a 1983 film with Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons and Patricia Hodge. He received the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005. Pinter's later plays were more overtly political, with works such as "One for the Road" (1984) and "The New World Order" (1991) focusing on state torture. In commentaries, he became a blistering critic of the United States, writing in his Nobel lecture that the country "quite simply doesn't give a damn about the United Nations, international law or critical dissent, which it regards as impotent and irrelevant. It also has its own bleating little lamb tagging behind it on a lead, the pathetic and supine Great Britain." But Pinter could also be a man of great humor. In 2006, he recounted a story about a fall that had landed him in the hospital a year earlier. "Two days later, I woke up to find that I'd been given the Nobel Prize in literature," he said. "So life is really full of ups and downs, you see." Harold Pinter was born in London on October 10, 1930. He was the son of Jewish immigrants, his father a dressmaker, his mother "a wonderful cook," he once recalled. In 1948 he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, then as now one of Great Britain's most renowned drama schools. But the RADA didn't take; Pinter hated the school and dropped out after two terms. He became an actor and turned to playwriting with his first work, "The Room," in 1957. Later that year he wrote "The Birthday Party," a "comedy of menace," in the words of one critic, that helped make Pinter's reputation -- though, in an irony he could appreciate, after it closed in London due to scathing notices. Ensuing Pinter plays, including "The Dumb Waiter" (1957) and "The Homecoming," made him Britain's most famous playwright, as influential to "late 20th-century British theater [as] Tennessee Williams is to mid-century American stages," CNN.com's Porter Anderson wrote in 2006. "What's generally meant as a 'Pinter play' in the purest sense usually revolves around one or more characters who are imposing on themselves a constricted, even deprived existence in order to hold off a presumed but uncertain threat," Anderson wrote. Pinter's plays featured sparse dialogue, often spiced with paranoia or simple befuddlement. In "The Birthday Party," a boardinghouse resident is accosted by two malevolent visitors who insist it's his birthday; in "The Homecoming" -- which won the Tony Award for best play when it premiered on

What did Pinter win for Literature in 2005?

Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005 ?

In what year did he win the Nobel Prize for Literature?

Answer: Christmas Eve,

Answer: Harold

Answer: 78.

Answer: Nobel Prize

Answer: Harold Pinter

Answer: cancer,

Answer: 2005.

Answer: Harold Pinter

Answer: Pinter,

Answer: Pinter,

Answer: Pinter,

Summary:
Harold Pinter died on Christmas Eve, his wife tells British media .
Pinter, 78, had been suffering from cancer .
He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005 .


(CNN) -- Hashim Amla compiled his first double century after Jacques Kallis again fell short of the landmark as South Africa continued to punish India's bowlers on day two of the first cricket Test in Nagpur. Amla was unbeaten on 253 when the tourists declared on 558-6 in the final session on Sunday, then India safely reached stumps at 25-0 in a clash between the top two teams in the five-day format. It is the highest score made by a South African No. 3 batsman, and the highest by any from his country against India. Amla extended his third-wicket partnership with Kallis to a South African record of 340 before his senior partner fell for 173, having added just 14 to his overnight tally in a subdued second part of his innings. It was the first time any pair have put on a triple century in any matches between the two nations. Kallis edged a delivery from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh onto his pads, and Murali Vijay took the catch at short leg to end a 351-ball knock that put the all-rounder into third equal on the all-time Test century-scoring list with 34. Amla then added another 108 with A.B. De Villiers, who made a brisk 53 off 88 deliveries, and rode his luck as he was dropped twice on 149, as they broke South Africa's record for the fourth wicket in matches between the two teams. De Villiers fell to part-time bowler Virender Sehwag and then Harbhajan removed J.P. Duminy for just nine to have the Proteas 476-5, but then Mark Boucher contributed 39 to a stand of 78 with Amla before becoming Zaheer Khan's third victim, and captain Graeme Smith called the innings to a close with 40 minutes left in the day. India openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag survived four overs from pace bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with some positive batting, and will start Monday's play on 12 and nine respectively as they seek to make inroads into a massive first-innings deficit. They will do well to take the lead of Amla, who was steady throughout his 473-ball innings, hitting 22 boundaries and scoring 55, 45 and 38 in Saturday's three sessions. While India relied heavily on Harbhajan and Amit Mishra, who on a helpful pitch bowled only six maidens between them in 99 overs for combined figures 2-306, Smith has only one specialist spinner in Paul Harris plus all-rounder Duminy, with the medium pace of Kallis backing up Steyn, Morkel and rookie fast bowler Wayne Parnell. Meanwhile, Australia crushed the West Indies by 113 runs in the opening match of their one-day series in Melbourne on Sunday. Batting first, the hosts reached 256-8 in their 50 overs as opener Shane Watson top-scored with 56 in his 100th match, while captain Ricky Ponting made 49. All-rounder Kieron Pollard took 3-45 for the Windies, while seamer Ravi Rampaul claimed 2-43. The tourists then slumped to 143 all out in just 34.2 overs as opening bowler Ryan Harris and spinner Nathan Hauritz claimed three wickets each. Doug Bollinger also snared two early victims, including the key scalp of big-hitting captain Chris Gayle, as the West Indies were left reeling on 12-3. Pollard, signed for $750,000 in the Indian Premier League auctions last month, top-scored with 31 from 35 deliveries.

The third wicket partnership lasted for how many runs

Where did Hashim Amia compile a double centry

Answer: 340

Answer: Nagpur.

Answer: cricket

Answer: South Africa

Summary:
Hashim Amla compiles his first double century as South Africa declare on 558-6 in Nagpur .
Hosts India reach 25-0 at stumps on the second day of the opening Test of the series .
Amla extends third-wicket partnership to 340 with Jacques Kallis, who falls for 173 .
He then adds 108 with A.B. De Villiers and 78 with Mark Boucher, being unbeaten on 253 .


(CNN) -- Havana has a thriving cultural scene and is the setting for world-class ballet and film festivals. But it's also a city of music, sunshine and rum, and Havana knows how to throw a damn fine party. Here are some of the city's biggest and best annual events. Dancers parade along the Malecon for the Havana Carnival. May Day (May 1) Hundreds of thousands of cheering people march through Havana to celebrate International Workers' Day. This quintessentially Cuban event offers a fascinating insight into a country where politics is woven into every aspect of daily life. Marching Cubans carry placards past images of communist heroes like Marx and Lenin in Plaza de la Revolucion square. The fact that the whole occasion is carefully stage managed by party officials adds to its uniquely Cuban air. Havana Carnival (August)  One fiesta just isn't enough for a city like Havana, so the Cuban capital has two annual carnivals. There's the smaller event in February, which is well worth checking out, but to experience the real deal you're better off waiting until summer. Crowds pack the Malecon in the final two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August to hear some of the island's finest musicians performing al fresco. The final weekend sees a colossal parade make its way from Habana Vieja to the Malecon in a swirling mass of conga lines, skimpy outfits, music and dancing -- accompanied by lashings of rum. Look out too for the "Munecones", huge satirical figures of various famous faces, accompanied by the "faroleros", dancers who twirl brightly colored standards as they parade along the Malecon. See Carlos Acosta's Havana » The International Havana Ballet Festival ( October/November, every other year)  This festival brings together international stars and prestigious companies from around the world, as well as showcasing the renowned National Ballet of Cuba, which has produced the likes of Alicia Alonso and Carlos Acosta. The festival has showcased more than 200 world premieres and performances range from classics like Swan Lake to challenging modern pieces. One of the highlights of the festival is the choice of venues, ranging from the faded grandeur of the Gran Teatro de La Habana, the city's opera house, to open-air performances in Old Havana, where the subtly-lit facades of colonial palaces provide a wonderfully romantic backdrop. What do you think are Havana's seasonal highlights? Let us know below. Havana Jazz Festival (Winter) Cuban music has played a huge role in the development of jazz, with musicians like Chano Pozo exporting Cuban rhythms to the U.S. to create the fusion known as Latin Jazz. Cuban jazz maestro and five-time Grammy winner Chucho Valdes organizes the festival and is a regular performer, along with a host of international names. Past events have featured the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach and the present-day lack of U.S. stars is more than made up for by an impressive contingent of Latin American talent. There are performances at The Hotel Rivera, Casa de la Cultura Plaza, Teatro Nacional de Cuba, Teatro Amadeo Roldán and various smoky clubs. Although the jazz festival is usually held in December, the 2009 event took place in February, so if you're planning a visit be sure to check the dates well in advance. The Festival of New Latin American Cinema (December) This 10-day festival is one of the biggest events in Latin American film, which is currently producing some of the finest cinema in the world. Movie buffs from all over the island flock to see an impressive selection of movies, ranging from Spanish-language blockbusters to obscure art flicks. Even if your Spanish isn't good enough to fully understand the films being shown, the festival still offers the chance for a bit of celeb spotting. Past attendees have included the likes of Robert de Niro, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg and Pedro Almodovar.

What event was on the Malecon seafront promenade?

Who is attracted by the Ballet Festival?

Answer: Malecon

Answer: Havana Carnival.

Answer: Chucho Valdes

Answer: May Day (May 1)

Answer: international stars

Answer: Malecon

Answer: (May 1)

Summary:
Hundreds of thousands march through Havana on International Workers' Day .
Crowds pack the Malecon seafront promenade for the Havana Carnival .
The International Ballet Festival attracts world-famous dance stars to the city .
Legendary jazz maestro Chucho Valdes brings jazz to the Cuban capital .


(CNN) -- Hazardous materials teams are still cleaning up a toxic chemical spill from a  train derailment in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday that forced 3,000 people from their homes. Lafayette Police Sgt. Billy Soileau carries Ke'Iveion Solomon 2, as he helps evacuate children Saturday. "Hazmat says that clean up is moving quickly and on track," Lafayette police said Sunday in a statement. Two train cars leaked highly corrosive hydrochloric acid after the six-car train jumped the tracks Saturday about 2:30 a.m. CT (3:30 a.m. ET), according to police. The chemical spill caused a toxic cloud to form above the site. Lafayette authorities evacuated about 3,500 homes and businesses -- including a nursing home -- within a mile of the derailment location.  Watch traffic detoured from cloud » The Red Cross opened a shelter at Carencro High School for residents to stay Saturday night, while another 40 to 50 families were put up at hotel rooms, police said. Residents will be allowed to return home once the spill is contained and no longer dangerous, said Joe Faust, a spokesman for BNSF Railway, which operates the train cars. Hydrochloric acid is a clear, colorless solution of hydrogen chloride in water often used in metal cleaning and electroplating. Exposure to it can irritate the skin, said Lt. Craig Stansbury of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. People exposed to the substance are urged to seek medical attention. Residents outside the evacuation area were advised to close windows and doors and turn off air conditioning to avoid any contamination. Lafayette is about three hours west of New Orleans.

What happened because of the derailment?

Answer: caused a toxic cloud to form above the site.

Answer: toxic chemical spill

Answer: Hydrochloric acid

Answer: Two train cars

Answer: spill caused a toxic cloud to form above the site.

Answer: highly corrosive hydrochloric acid

Answer: about 3,500 homes and businesses

Answer: above the site.

Answer: irritate the skin,

Summary:
Train cars leaked corrosive hydrochloric acid after a Saturday derailment .
Chemical spill caused a toxic cloud to form above Lafayette site .
Exposure to the chemical can irritate skin .
Lafayette authorities evacuated about 3,500 homes and businesses .


(CNN) -- He armors himself, keeps other people guessing and likes to wear a mask. Christian Bale is known as a hard worker who immerses himself in his characters. Batman? Try Christian Bale. Though in his case the armor and mask are metaphorical, the 34-year-old "Dark Knight" star likes to keep his personal life as shadowy as a superhero's back story. He's been known to keep a low profile -- "You will never see me at a party," he told the Times of London -- and delights in concocting stories about his life. "I make up [things]," he told Details magazine earlier this year. "Absolutely. I'm an actor -- I'm not a politician. I always kick myself when I talk too much about family, or personal things. I'll enjoy chatting now and then later I'll regret it." But with the explosive impact of "The Dark Knight" -- the film has set box office records in the 10 days since its release, becoming the fastest film to reach the $300 million mark in history -- and the forthcoming release of the fourth "Terminator," which will star Bale, he may find his privacy limited. ("The Dark Knight" is a Warner Bros. film. The studio, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.) "Can he stand the glare of the spotlight?" a rival studio executive asked Entertainment Weekly. "Being put in major roles and major films?" Already there are signs that Bale has made the jump from actor to movie star. Last week, news of an alleged hotel-room tussle between the actor, his mother and his sister made headlines around the world. Bale, who has denied the allegations, described the incident as "a deeply personal matter" and asked the media to "respect my privacy in the matter" at a press conference.  Watch the latest on the incident » In general, he's been successful at making sure his personal matters are off-limits. Though willing to do interviews about his films -- the Internet is filled with them -- he usually sticks to talking about their production and his performances, reluctant to bring up his personal life. A few facts are well established: Christian Bale was born January 30, 1974, in Wales. His father, a former RAF pilot, once served as a film double for John Wayne; his mother was a one-time circus performer. (After divorcing his mother, Bale's father later married women's-rights advocate Gloria Steinem.) The family moved often, with Bale estimating he lived in 15 different places in his first 15 years. He started his acting career while still a child. He received his first acting break appearing opposite Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean") in the London stage show "The Nerd" in 1984, followed by two British TV miniseries. At 12 he was plucked from 4,000 hopefuls to star in Steven Spielberg's 1987 film "Empire of the Sun." (According to the Times of London, he was recommended by Spielberg's then wife, Amy Irving.) Even then he disliked dealing with the press: he abruptly walked out of a Paris press conference for "Empire" while promoting the film. "Empire" was followed by an eclectic filmography: Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation "Henry V" (1989); the musical "Newsies" (1992); the historical drama "Swing Kids" (1993); and the 1994 version of "Little Women," which made him a sex symbol to a group of "Baleheads." (He was one of the first stars to have a fan site devoted to him.) Through the latter, he also met his future wife, Sandra Blazic, a onetime assistant to "Little Women" star Winona Ryder. The two have been married for eight years, and have a 3-year-old daughter. By the late '90s, he was acting in a number of independent films, including "Metroland" (1997)

The success of which work of fiction has resulted in the spotlight shining more brightly on him?

Who has been known to make up stories about himself?

What movie of Christian Bale's was successful?

Answer: "The Dark Knight"

Answer: Christian Bale

Answer: "The Dark Knight"

Answer: Christian Bale.

Answer: "The Dark Knight"

Summary:
Christian Bale prizes his privacy .
Actor has been known to make up stories about himself .
With success of "Dark Knight," he may find spotlight shining more brightly .


(CNN) -- He came out on court wearing a Halloween mask, but Novak Djokovic had to overcome a fright of his own before winning his comeback match in Switzerland on Tuesday.

The world No. 1, playing his first ATP Tour tournament since winning the U.S. Open six weeks ago, survived a second-set scare against Xavier Malisse before beating the Belgian 6-2 4-6 7-5 at the Swiss Indoors event.

Djokovic suffered a recurring back injury in Serbia's Davis Cup defeat by Argentina just days after beating Rafael Nadal in an epic final in New York.

He missed tournaments in Asia, including the Shanghai Masters, but has returned to action in Basel where he was champion in 2009 and runner-up to Roger Federer last year.

"I'm only just back from the biggest injury of my career," Djokovic said after extending his record this year to 65-3. "It was a big ask for me to have played really well.

"I could do nothing for four and a half weeks, I've only been hitting for a week and a half. That's not enough to play at my best. I've lost rhythm.

"I had too many errors and too many double-faults. But I'm happy just to be playing tennis again. I hope to build on this performance."

As top seed, he is in the opposite half of the draw from Federer and new world No. 3 Andy Murray, who could meet in the semis.

The 24-year-old will next play either Poland's world No. 59 Lukasz Kubot or 91st-ranked German Tobias Kamke, who both came through the qualifying draw.

Fifth seed Mardy Fish's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals suffered a blow when he was forced to retire with a hamstring injury against fellow American James Blake after winning the opening game.

Fish holds the last of the eight places on offer for the London showpiece but could be overhauled if he has to miss the penultimate tournament in Paris starting next week.

Blake will next play Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin, a lucky loser from qualifying who upset American wildcard Donald Young in his opening match.

Stanislas Wawrinka, a semifinalist in 2006 and the Swiss No. 2 behind Federer, beat Croatia's Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-4 to set up a match with either Murray or Dutchman Robin Haase, who meet on Wednesday.

Federer's next match is against Jarkko Nieminen, after the Finn beat Brazil's Thomaz Belluci 6-7(5-7) 6-4 6-3.

Tomas Berdych had the sixth finals place ahead of his clash with Japan's Kei Nishikori, but the Czech failed to earn any ranking points after losing 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Seventh-ranked Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga closed to within five points of Berdych by winning his opening match at the Valencia Open on Tuesday.

Tsonga had to battle before beating 19-year-old Spanish wildcard Javier Marti 4-6 7-5 6-2 to secure his 12th win in 14 matches and set up a second-round clash with American Sam Querrey -- who defeated Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4.

Top seed David Ferrer is one of the five players already qualified for London, and he overcame fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-2 in his opening match to set up a meeting with Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.

French third seed Gael Monfils went through with a 6-3 6-1 win over Albert Montanes, but Ukrainian seventh seed Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. was eliminated by another Spaniard, Marcel Granollers.

whats Serbian beats Belgium's Xavier Malisse in three sets, but complains of being rusty?

Where Novak Djokovic wins his first match in six weeks?

What was the score of the winning match?

Where did Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have an opening win in the ATP World Tour?

Answer: Novak Djokovic

Answer: Novak Djokovic

Answer: Switzerland

Answer: forced to retire with a hamstring injury

Answer: 6-2 4-6 7-5

Answer: Valencia Open

Summary:
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic wins his first match in six weeks at Swiss Indoors event .
Serbian beats Belgium's Xavier Malisse in three sets, but complains of being rusty .
Fifth seed Mardy Fish suffers injury blow ahead of the climax to the men's season .
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga closes on ATP World Tour finals place with opening win in Valencia .


(CNN) -- He felt lonely, said he hadn't had a girlfriend since 1984. He said his father didn't love him. And he detailed plans to kill young women. The gunman, George Sodini, apparently left behind an online diary that detailed his loneliness. George Sodini, the 48-year-old man police blame for killing three women and wounding 10 others in a suburban Pittsburgh gym, left behind an online diary that is as shocking in places as it is profane in others. It offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a suspected killer who police say walked into an aerobics class, turned off the lights and fired more than 50 rounds from multiple handguns. "Why do this?? To young girls? Just read below. I kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions after I saw this project was going to drag on," the diary begins.  Watch how Sodini may have targeted a woman » It seems almost formatted, like a résumé, with Sodini's date of birth and date of death. The date of death is listed as Tuesday, the day of the shootings at an LA Fitness center outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Read an edited version of the diary (PDF) A law enforcement source who identified the shooter said Sodini was a member of the gym. The source provided a month and year of the suspect's birth that matches the month and year listed for Sodini in the online diary. The Web site where the diary appears is registered to George Sodini of Pittsburgh. It lists an address in or near Scott Township; the law enforcement source said Sodini lived in Scott Township. Throughout the log, Sodini refers to a shooting that he is planning as an "exit plan." His first entry is November 5, 2008. "Planned to do this in the summer but figure to stick around to see the election outcome," it says. The December 22 entry says: "Time is moving along. Planned to have this done already. I will just keep a running log here as time passes. Many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human, very edible. After joining this gym, started lifting weights and like it." Two days later came an entry about loneliness. "Moving into Christmas again. No girlfriend since 1984, last Christmas with Pam was in 1983. Who knows why. I am not ugly or too weird. No sex since July 1990 either (I was 29)." By December 26, the writer seems to have picked a date. "I will shoot for Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at maybe 8:15. I have list of to-do items to make." In an entry dated January 5, he laments, "Every evening I am alone, and then go to bed alone. ... Why should I continue another 20+ years alone? I will just work, come home, eat, maybe do something, then go to bed (alone) for the next day of the same thing. This is the Auschwitz Syndrome, to be in serious pain for so long one thinks it is normal. I cannot wait for tomorrow!" Then he loses his nerve. "It is 8:45PM," reads an entry dated January 6. "I chickened out! [Expletive] I brought the loaded guns, everything. Hell!" A May 5 entry outlines a technique. "To pull the exit plan off, it popped into my mind to just use some booze," the entry reads. "After the gym, I stopped at Shop N Save and got a fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels." The diary recounts a failure with women and a growing anger. "There are 30 million desirable women in the US (my estimate) and I cannot find one," a May 18 entry reads. "Not one of them finds me attractive. These problems have gotten worse over a 30-year period. I need to expect nothing from me or other

How many women were killed?
What number of people were killed?
What is Sodini accused of?
Which drinks did he purchase?
What was purchased in May?
Who is accused of killing?

Answer: three

Answer: three

Answer: killing three women and wounding 10 others in a suburban Pittsburgh gym,

Answer: fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels."

Answer: fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels."

Answer: George Sodini,

Summary:
George Sodini, 48, is accused of killing three women, himself at gym .
Online journal called "a running log that includes my thoughts and actions"
Diary says of January attempt to pull off "exit plan": "I chickened out!"
Jack Daniels, vodka purchased in May to pull off plan, journal says .


(CNN) -- He had a 1966 Volkswagen bus, scraggly beard and a penchant for the arts. She had blonde hair and liked the Grateful Dead. That was all they needed.

Craig Rutman poses poolside with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir before a 1997 show in Reno, Nevada.

"I knew right away she was not like other girls, other girls," muses Mark Goldfarb of Woodstock, New York, quoting the Grateful Dead song, "Scarlet Begonias."

On a fateful day 28 years ago, Goldfarb began a shaggy odyssey of love at a Grateful Dead concert when he literally bumped into his future wife, Diane. Over the years, he has been to more than 125 Grateful Dead concerts. The band literally changed his life.

Goldfarb, who now makes moccasins for a living, is excited about the Grateful Dead's new tour.

The surviving members of the band will be reuniting for 19 shows this year. He went to see them during their last organized tour five years ago.

"What was special about the Dead is you had a group of highly talented musicians who were able to get a sense of the audience," Goldfarb said. "When the audience was off, the band would be off. There was a lot of back-and-forth energy."

Back in the late '70s and well into the '80s, Goldfarb traveled the West Coast in a Volkswagen van playing music for a belly-dancing troupe at Renaissance festivals. Along the way, he went to Grateful Dead concerts whenever he could.

He sent a photo of his now short-haired self to show the "then and now" contrast. Though he lives now in Woodstock, New York, he missed the two large music festivals in his town. A businessman now, Goldfarb says he feels he's grown up in a lot of ways. The old bus is gone, but he dreams of getting another.  iReport.com: See the before-and-after contrast of this Deadhead

"I was a huge fan, I still love the music, but like I said times change. Interests change," he says.

Readers across the board said the band has stood the test of time because of the personal connection they brought to the music they played. iReport.com: What does the Grateful Dead mean to you?

Indeed, the revival has Craig Rutman of Apex, North Carolina, excited to revisit his past. His brother, a caterer, often provided food for the band and this gave Rutman access to members of the band. He has seen more than 200 shows and been backstage to meet the band.

He and his young daughter Laura met bandmember Bob Weir poolside in Reno, Nevada, in 1997. Rutman said Weir is always cordial and friendly.

"Whether it was backstage or poolside, whenever I saw him, Bobby always took the time with whoever came by to talk, share a joke or sign an autograph," Rutman said.

After the pool-side meeting, the Rutmans attended what would be the toddler's first show. iReport.com: See photos poolside with Weir and at the concert later that day

"I sat way in the back of a general admission show to keep her from the crowd and the loud music, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless," Rutman said.

Steve Maaske of Omaha, Nebraska, said one of his fondest memories is seeing the band in East Troy, Wisconsin, on the "Wave the flag" tour. He even plans to make the Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado, stops on the current schedule. It's a good year for a new Dead tour, he says.

"We have a new 'just off the shelf' president in Barack Obama, some clear optimism for the future of this country, and hey, gas prices for that VW bus are lookin' pretty good about now." iReport.com: See a picture of a colorful Volkswagen bus at the show

Greg Sarafan, 19, of Suffern, New York, last saw the band at a summertime

How many shows has Craig seen?
Where did Mark Goldfarb meet his wife?
Who drove the VW bus?
How many shows has Craig Rutman seen?
What year will the tour take place?
What band is planning a new tour?

Answer: 125

Answer: Grateful Dead concert

Answer: Goldfarb traveled the West Coast in a Volkswagen

Answer: more than 200

Answer: this

Answer: Grateful Dead's

Summary:
iReport.com: Grateful Dead tributes shared as band plans new tour in 2009 .
Mark Goldfarb met his wife at a Dead concert and drove a Volkswagen bus .
Craig Rutman has seen more than 200 shows and met the band members .
Steve Maaske says now is the perfect time for a tour after the historic election .


(CNN) -- He had a rough life during the Ice Age, walking around with a couple of broken ribs and a possibly cancerous lesion on his jaw before dying at a young age.

Assistant lab supervisor Trevor Valle discusses the teeth and lower jaw of Columbian mammoth fossil "Zed."

Now, at least 10,000 years later, visitors in Los Angeles can see the remains of "Zed," a Columbian mammoth whose nearly intact skeleton is part of what is being described as a key find by paleontologists at Los Angeles' George C. Page Museum.

Zed was discovered at a construction site in the heart of Los Angeles. An earth mover helping to build an underground parking garage near the L.A. County Museum of Art uncovered the mammoth's skull, according to project director Christopher Shaw.

"The skull was hit and shaved off ... by a scraper," Shaw told CNN Thursday. "We don't know just how smashed up it is, but it's fairly intact because it's a huge jacket we put it around."

The mammoth's fossil was found along with 16 other deposits at the site that paleontologists "tree-boxed" along with the surrounding dirt, creating 23 massive crates weighing between 5 and 53 tons that were then lifted out intact. Zed's remains were encased in a plaster jacket.

The construction was being monitored by a consulting firm because the site is so close to the La Brea tar pits -- a site that has yielded between 3 million and 4 million fossilized bones.

Construction on the parking garage began in 2006 but it took two more years for all the recovered materials to be handed over to researchers at the Page Museum, who began analyzing the various fossils in June, Shaw said.

"It's very exciting for us because each one of these ... could be different ages in the past 10,000 to 45,000 years," Shaw said.

John Harris, the head curator of the Page Museum, publicly announced the finding of "a whole new treasure trove of fossils" on Wednesday. He described it as "the most important discovery" for the museum "of the last 90 years."

Shaw said the announcement was made to "create interest" in the museum's discovery.

Among the most interesting items is likely to be Zed, who is believed to have died in his late 40s. Mammoths are thought to have had an average lifespan of about 60 years.

Not all of Zed's remains have been cleaned off and analyzed.

"Right now we have opened the plaster jacket of four sections that were excavated, including vertebrae and ribs and pelvis, one tusk and the lower jaw," Shaw said. "It will take another six to 12 months to open everything."

Shaw said both of Zed's tusks were found intact, which is very rare.

"Previously, we've found mammoths but the tusk material was very poorly preserved," Shaw said. "It's very exciting to us to have these two complete, beautifully preserved tusks."

The excitement generated by Zed and the rest of the paleontological find could help boost the Page Museum's attendance and funding, which is key as many museums are seeing their attendance dry up during the recession.

"The cleaning of Zed can be viewed inside the museum inside the 'fishbowl' -- a windowed area -- as parts of his bones are being cleaned," Shaw said. "So people come to see us and we've constructed small exhibits. It will attract a lot of people and that will help our funding situation."

Researchers hope to have the entire skeleton on display by next year.

Shaw said it is unique to have such a major fossil find in the heart of an urban center like Los Angeles.

"I've always said we're kind of spoiled here in Rancho La Brea," he said. "It's not like going to the Gobi Desert where you can't take a shower for weeks."

While the process of cleaning and analyzing the fossils is very intricate and time consuming, Shaw said it is a rare experience

What was found at an LA construction site?

What part of the animal was especially interesting?

Where can you find the La Brea tar pits?

Answer: Zed

Answer: Columbian mammoth

Answer: "Zed," a Columbian mammoth

Answer: two complete, beautifully preserved tusks."

Answer: Los Angeles

Answer: Columbian mammoth fossil "Zed."

Answer: a construction site in the heart of Los Angeles.

Answer: Los Angeles.

Answer: Zed's tusks were found intact,

Answer: "a whole new treasure trove of fossils"

Answer: "Zed."

Summary:
Nearly intact skeleton of mammoth found at Los Angeles construction site .
Columbian mammoth's skeleton was unearthed near the La Brea tar pits .
Discovery called the museum's most important in almost a century .
Both of mammoth's tusks were discovered intact -- a rare occurrence .


(CNN) -- He has been at the center of Asia's biggest sex scandal, but now actor Edison Chen has broken his silence on the public episode that has ended careers and caused him to face at least one reported death threat. Internet sex photos of Edison Chen and starlets caused a huge media storm and fall from grace for many. Talking exclusively to CNN on his return to Hong Kong, where he had been forging a career in the movies, Chen reveals his side of the scandal that broke in early last year when hundreds of sexually explicit photos of Chen with other celebrities turned up on the Internet. "There's been a lot of talk through the past year and a half about this or that and a lot of rumors, a lot of hearsay, and I feel, you know, I've kept quiet just to kind of respect everyone and respect the law," Chen told CNN. A Hong Kong computer technician was sentenced to more than eight-and-a-half months in jail for dishonestly obtaining access to the intimate photos when Chen sent his computer in for repairs. But it is still unclear exactly how the images made their way to the web. Watch the full exclusive TV interview with Edison Chen online » The photographs caused shock in Hong Kong and across Asia, with around 1,300 salacious images fueling front page news for tabloids for weeks. There was also a huge public backlash against the 28-year-old who has been one of the rising young stars of Asia cinema. After the scandal broke, Chen, who admitted taking the photos, announced his retirement from Hong Kong's entertainment business and fled to his native Canada. Added to the media attention, Chen says he faced death threats. A bullet was sent to a TV station in Hong Kong earlier this year warning the entertainer to stay out of the limelight. While Chen issued his own apology for any hurt or embarrassment caused soon after the photos surfaced, he maintains he suffered as well. "I believed I was a victim. I believed that I was hurt by this a lot. I believed that...I knew that I had nothing to do with the spreading of these photos," he told CNN in the exclusive interview. "I can't say I didn't do anything wrong. I've admitted that I was wrong, and I wouldn't say sorry if I wasn't wrong. But I also believe that at the same time that I wasn't the perpetrator, and I had suffered a lot from this as well." Chen has suffered a spectacular fall from grace and some of the starlets in the photos have endured public disgrace in this culturally conservative region. For some, careers have been left in ruins. Chen says he has not spoken to any of the women identified in the photos since the scandal broke. "Initially it was because I couldn't find them. Secondly, it was because I didn't really know how to approach and really what to say to be honest with you," Chen told CNN. Cecilia Cheung was one of the actresses identified in the photos and in a recent interview, she had strong criticism for Chen. "I wasn't allowed to talk to her in the initial because of the police request and they were investigating me...I had so much things on my mind," said Chen. "I'm not trying to say that that justifies any wrongdoing that she thinks I've done to her. But I hope that she can understand, and I hope that she can forgive me either today or one day, and she'll understand that I had my difficulties, and I really, really never wished this to happen upon anyone, and I still respect her." Watch the full exclusive TV interview with Edison Chen online. » Chen talks at length to CNN's Anjali Rao about the women involved in the photographs, why he took the images, the effect the scandal had on his health, his family and others.

What is the name of the actor being interviewed?

Answer: Edison Chen

Answer: sex

Answer: CNN

Answer: Edison Chen

Answer: death

Answer: sex

Answer: Hong Kong,

Summary:
Actor gives exclusive interview with CNN on the sex scandal that rocked Asia .
Chen faced death threats; careers of some girls in explicit photos ruined .
Returns to Hong Kong to explain his side of scandal and its effects .
Watch even more from the interview in exclusive online only footage .


(CNN) -- He has met the United States' former First Lady, and an audience with Barack Obama awaits, but the American that world champion boxer Amir Khan really wants to face next is proving a bit more elusive.

The British fighter has set his heart on becoming the planet's best pound-for-pound pugilist, and for him that means taking on the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- who, as a five-division champion, once laid claim to that coveted crown.

Khan, 24, unified the WBA super and IBF light welterweight world championship belts in July by defeating American Zab Judah in Las Vegas in July, while Mayweather recently returned to the ring after a 16-month absence.

Six-time world champion Mayweather has won all of his 42 fights as a professional, 26 by knockout, and emerged victorious from a controversial contest with Victor Ortiz on September 18.

But the fight many boxing fans want to see is Mayweather against eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao -- the Filipino rated by Ring Magazine as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

"Floyd Mayweather pound for pound is probably one of the best fighters in the world," Khan, who won an Olympic silver medal in the lightweight category at the Athens Games in 2004, told CNN.

"Me and Manny both want to fight him, but that will never happen because at the moment he doesn't want to fight either of us. But it will come to a stage when the pressure will be so much on Floyd Mayweather that he'll have to take the fight."

Khan doubts that a match-up between his Golden Boy stablemate Mayweather and Top Rank's Pacquiao will ever happen, with disagreements over drug-testing and money having previously prevented the fight.

"You've got two different promotion teams, and for them to agree on terms for a fight is very difficult," he said.

"Firstly, you've got Mayweather saying that Manny has to take so many drug tests and blood tests, then Manny talking about the purse. But that fight will generate about $100 million each, so it's a lot of money to say no to."

Mayweather, 34, and Pacquiao, 32, have both occupied the position of best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and Khan is aiming to emulate the success enjoyed by the decorated duo.

"I want to be known as a legend in the sport and I want to win everything. I want to be a pound-for-pound champion of the world, and every morning when I wake up that's what drives me to the gym to train hard," he said.

"When I'm tired in the gym, that's what pushes me, because I want to be the best there is. And, I'm nearly there. I'm only 24, I'm the unified champion, I'm a two-time world champion, and I've done it so young. But I want to achieve more."

Khan has seen his international profile increase in the last 18 months, having fought in the U.S. on three occasions since making his American bow against Paulie Malignaggi at New York's Madison Square Gardens in March 2010.

It would now appear even politicians are starting to sit up and take notice of the Bolton-born fighter, with Khan having recently met U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and now being lined up for an audience with President Barack Obama later this year.

"I was invited to go to the state building," said Khan. "Hilary Clinton invited me and my team. It was an honor to be part of that event. It was about the Muslim sportsmen who were influential and who do good things in the Muslim community.

"I enjoyed it and they want me back over there in December probably to meet Obama, so it's good times.

"When they first got talking about it, I thought they were just pulling my leg, but they were quite serious about it, and I thought 'Wow'. I

Khan has set his sights on becoming world's best what?

Who does boxing champion Amir Khan want to face?

Who will the 24-year-old will meet later this year?

Who is Khan going to meet later on this year?

What does Khan have his sights set on becoming?

Boxing champion Amir Khan wants to face who?

Answer: pound-for-pound pugilist,

Answer: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Answer: later this year.

Answer: President Barack Obama

Answer: President Barack Obama

Answer: planet's best pound-for-pound pugilist,

Answer: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Answer: Manny Pacquiao

Summary:
Boxing champion Amir Khan tells CNN he wants to face Floyd Mayweather .
The Briton says he doesn't think Mayweather will ever face Manny Pacquiao .
Khan has set his sights on becoming world's best pound-for-pound fighter .
The 24-year-old will meet U.S. President Barack Obama later this year .


(CNN) -- He is perhaps the most recognizable man in fashion, almost never seen without his dark glasses, a silver ponytail and fingerless gloves. And while the German-born fashion designer has been the creative force behind fashion house Chanel for more than a quarter of a century, he's still thriving on new ideas, designs and what the future may hold. "I don't look back... Life is not something made by order, we have to fit in the pattern of what life is all about now, and I'm a person who fits easily into this kind of situation because I like change," he told CNN in Shanghai. While his own image is enduring, he is the creative force of  the Chanel fashion house, whose eponymous designer, Coco Chanel created some of the most iconic outfits of the 20th century. He may have upset the traditionalists when he first took over the reins, but for the forward-thinking Lagerfeld, it was not a concern. "My job is to put in people's brain the idea what Chanel was all about, even if it was not about such a large choice of things... I pushed [Coco Chanel's] symbol, like the change of pearls, in a way much more than she did herself. I could play with everything and mix it with everything that's going on in fashion because fashion is about that. It's not retrospective, it has to be something you want to wear now," he said. As for the notoriously harsh world of fashion, Lagerfeld sees it merely as a reflection of the way the world works. "This is a world with no pity or that you can complain, 'I couldn't do it because things are against me.' No, things are against nobody, if you have something to offer, or if you can be something," he said. "If you want to be successful in the fashion world, as well as the movie world and music world, it's something else that you need, but you cannot decide that you have it. It's up to you to sew it, but it's up to the others to use it. In a way it's the worst of worlds, but if you made in the world, it's beyond pleasant." Confident and unabashed Lagerfeld is looking forward to more creative inspiration and hard work. His contracts with Chanel and Fendi are for life. "Chanel died doing her last collection in her 90s, so I have time. I don't think like this. It's my projection, always six months, six months, six months. I don't know. People laugh at me to disappear but I'm not ready for that one. "I am born for the battlefield. Competition is healthy you know. Some people would like the idea of no competition so they can keep the position for the rest of their lives, but no, there has to be a kind of danger all the time. I think it's very healthy, it makes you better." Watch the full Talk Asia show with Karl Lagerfeld on CNN from Wednesday, December 23.

Does the fashion designer believe competition is healthy?

Who is one of the most recognizable figures in fashion?

How many years has the German-born fashion designer been the creative force behind Chanel?

Answer: is

Answer: Lagerfeld

Answer: more than a quarter of a century,

Summary:
German-born fashion designer is one of the most recognizable figures in fashion .
Has been creative force behind Chanel for over 25 years .
Told CNN he thinks little of the past, successes or failures, focused on the present .
"I am born for the battlefield. Competition is healthy," he told CNN .