ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The Italian capital Rome was spared major damage Saturday as some of the heaviest flooding in the past century reached its peak without bursting the banks of the Tiber river. A rescue boat patrols the swollen River Tiber in central Rome early Friday. Italian Civil Protection officials said the river will take several days to return to normal levels but there was no longer a risk of flooding. Civil Protection teams were also coordinating the removal of two barges that crashed against bridges after breaking their moorings on Friday. Italian media report that last night a young man from Ireland fell in the Tiber, but his body has not been found yet. Hundreds of volunteers and officials had been deployed around Rome ahead of the flood's peak, while sandbags were lined up to contain any possible river overflow. Firefighters Thursday had to rescue dozens of motorists stranded in their cars. Because of the intense rain, the streets of some northern Rome neighborhoods were already flooded by water and covered in thick brown mud. One woman died near Rome early Thursday when her car was submerged by a wave of water and mud in an underpass. The body of a second victim was found in the southern region of Calabria after a bridge collapsed. Earlier this month, much of the Italian city of Venice was underwater as some of the heaviest floods for several decades burst the city's famed canal networks and inundated historic landmarks such as St. Mark's Square.

Where was the body of the second victim found?

Answer: southern region of Calabria

Answer: southern region of Calabria

Answer: One

Answer: southern region of Calabria

Answer: Rome

Summary:
Flood waters subside in Rome .
Italy has been hit by a wave of bad weather that has claimed two lives .
One woman died near Rome when her car was submerged by a wave of water .
Body of a second victim was found in Calabria region after a bridge collapsed .


ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The Italian government is vowing to fight a European court ruling that crucifixes in classrooms violate students' right to freedom of religion. The European Court of Human Rights found unanimously Tuesday that the display of a particular religious symbol -- such as the Christian cross -- in a classroom "restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions, and the right of children to believe or not to believe," a court statement said. The case was brought by an Italian woman, Soile Lautsi, who objected to the crucifixes on the walls in her two sons' classrooms. Italian courts had ruled earlier that the cross was a symbol of Italy's history and culture, prompting Lautsi to take her case to the European court in Strasbourg, France. It awarded her 5,000 euros ($7,400) in damages Tuesday. The Italian government said it would appeal the European Court's verdict and leading Catholic figures expressed astonishment and anger. The ruling "is cause for bitterness and many perplexities," the Italian Conference of Bishop said in a written statement. The bishops said they were still studying the ruling, but it appeared to result from "ideological bias" and a lack of understanding of "the multiple significances of the crucifix." "It does not take into account the fact that in Italy the display of the crucifix in public places is in line with the recognition of the principles of the Catholicism as 'part of the historical patrimony of the Italian people,' as stated in the Vatican/Italy agreement of 1984," the bishops said. The Vatican in Rome, which has been the seat of the Catholic Church for most of its 2,000-year history, did not officially respond to the ruling. But Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told the leading Italian daily La Repubblica he could not understand it, and that no one with common sense could have expected it. "When I think that we are talking about a symbol, the crucifix, an image that cannot but be the emblem of a universally shared humanity, I not only feel disappointed but also sadness and grief," he said. "The crucifix is the sign of a God that loves man to the point of giving up his life for him. It is a God that teaches us to learn to love, to pay attention to each man ... and to respect the others, even those who belong to a different culture or religion. "How could someone not share such a symbol?" Italy has three months to file a request for a new hearing, court spokesman Stefano Piedimonte told CNN. A five-judge panel will examine the request, officially known as a referral, to determine if it raises sufficiently important issues for a 17-judge Grand Chamber hearing. Only the Italian government can appeal the verdict, but other interested parties can file briefs if the case goes forward, Piedimonte said. The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. CNN's Hada Messia in Rome contributed to this report.

What is the issue with "display of religious symbols?"

What did the court rule that the display of religious symbols violated?

Who was the woman who brought the case to trial?

Answer: it would appeal the European Court's verdict

Answer: classrooms

Answer: their convictions, and the right of children to believe or not to believe,"

Answer: students' right to freedom of religion.

Answer: Soile Lautsi,

Summary:
Italy vows to fight European court ruling banning crucifixes in classrooms .
Court ruled Tuesday that display of religious symbols violate students' right to freedom of religion .
Case was brought by an Italian woman who objected to crucifixes on walls in her sons' classrooms .
Government says it will appeal verdict; leading Catholics express surprise, anger .


ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The Vatican said Tuesday it has worked out a way for groups of Anglicans who are dissatisfied with their faith to join the Catholic Church. The Vatican says more Anglicans have expressed an interest in joining the Catholic Church. The process will enable groups of Anglicans to become Catholic and recognize the pope as their leader, yet have parishes that retain Anglican rites, Vatican officials said. The move comes some 450 years after King Henry VIII broke from Rome and created the Church of England, forerunner of the Anglican Communion. The parishes would be led by former Anglican clergy -- including those who are married -- who would be ordained as Catholic priests, said the Rev. James Massa, ecumenical director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "This sets up a process for whole groups of Anglicans -- clergy and laity -- to enter in to the Catholic Church while retaining their forms of worship and other Anglican traditions," Massa said. The number of Anglicans wishing to join the Catholic Church has increased in recent years as the Anglican Church has welcomed the ordination of women and openly gay clergy and blessed homosexual partnerships, said Cardinal William Joseph Levada, the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Their talks with the Vatican recently began speeding up, Vatican officials said, leading to Tuesday's announcement. "The Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion," Levada said. Levada said "hundreds" of Anglicans around the world have expressed their desire to join the Catholic Church. Among them are 50 Anglican bishops, said Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia of the Congregation for Divine Worship. While married Anglican priests may be ordained as Catholic priests, the same does not apply to married Anglican bishops, Levada said. "We've been praying for this unity for 40 years and we've not anticipated it happening now," Di Noia said. "The Holy Spirit is at work here." One interested group is the Traditional Anglican Communion, an association of churches that is separate from the Anglican Communion and has hundreds of thousands of members worldwide. The TAC in 2007 petitioned the Vatican for unity with the Catholic Church with the stipulation that the group retain its Anglican rites. The TAC's primate, Archbishop John Hepworth of Australia, said in a statement Tuesday that the Vatican's announcement "more than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition two years ago." That is because the Vatican's move involves not only the TAC but other Anglican groups that want to unite with the Catholic Church, said the Right Rev. Daren K. Williams, bishop ordinary of the western diocese of the Anglican Church of America, which is part of the TAC. The Vatican has yet to release all details of the offer, and the TAC's leaders will meet and discuss how to respond when it does, Williams said. But Williams said he believes much of TAC will respond favorably. Williams, who also is rector of All Saints Anglican Church in Fountain Valley, California, said his parishioners have generally been "very warmly receiving" Tuesday's announcement. "It is encouraging for them to know their worship experience wouldn't be turned upside down by the Roman Catholic Church," Williams said. "The person in the pew should see very little difference in the way we pray. We might be asked to pray aloud for any pope who happens to be in office, in addition to praying for our primate. "Really, there'd be very little other difference." The parishes retaining the Anglican rites would answer not to Catholic bishops but to regional or nationwide "personal ordinariates" who would report to the pope, Massa said. Those officials often will be former Anglican clergy, Vatican officials said. The Church of England said the move ends a "period of uncertainty" for Anglican groups who wanted more unity with the Catholic Church. Both groups have a "substantial overlap in faith

What  will enter into full visible communion?

How many Anglicans have expressed interest in joining?

Answer: clergy and laity

Answer: "hundreds"

Summary:
Vatican opens door to disillusioned Anglicans wanting to join Catholic Church .
Married priests and bishops to be allowed to "enter into full visible communion"
Vatican says "hundreds" of Anglicans have expressed interest in joining .
Anglicans can retain their rites while recognizing the pope as their leader .


ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The garbage crisis in Naples encompasses the worst Italian clichés, and in particular those of the southern part of this lovely peninsula: mismanagement, political interference, mafia profiteering and the ability of those responsible to deflect the attention and the blame elsewhere.

Naples has had problems in finding sites for municipal dumps -- now workers have stopped collecting trash.

There is a popular saying here that roughly goes like this: everybody is competent enough (to find a solution) but nobody is responsible (for actually carrying it out).

In many parts of the world waste disposal is a business -- and usually it is a good business. Garbage can be transformed into various sources of energy and then sold for a profit. In Naples, garbage is also good business, but in the sense that millions, if not billions, of euros have been wasted -- and nobody really knows how.

The problem is as old and ugly as rotten trash. The region's dumps reached full capacity more than a decade ago, and since then a state of emergency has been declared every year. Eight different commissioners have been appointed, but they have all failed to solve the problem. State of emergency means government money: €1.8 billion (more than $2.5 billion) in emergency funds have been devolved to deal with the problem.

It is still difficult to find out where or how that money has been spent. Incinerators that were supposed to be built were never finished, either because the companies in charge of constructing them could not finish the job, or else because magistrates stopped the work, pending ongoing criminal investigations into alleged mafia involvement.

One Italian newspaper suggested that a good 20% of the money went to pay for the salaries of those in charge of coming up with a solution to the problem.

More worrying perhaps, is another suggestion: that the local mafia, known as the Camorra, is taking advantage of the situation. As the crisis has worsened over the years, so the Camorra's profits, estimated now at around €1 billion (roughly $1.45 billion), are alleged to have increased.

How does the local mafia make money? The Naples prosecutor in charge of environmental crimes says city government officials use the state of emergency to quickly award contracts which otherwise would have to be checked by complicated anti-racketeering legislation.

Once they receive the money, companies linked to the underworld dispose of the waste either in the open or, ironically, at regular city dumps, even if they are overflowing. The mafia clans have now managed to burrow their way so deeply into the system that every attempt to fix the problem has proved futile.

But why are citizens protesting now? Well, the government wants to re-open a previously shut dump to dispose of 3,700 tons of waste which is laying in the streets of Naples and surrounding areas. The problem is that when the site was closed years ago, locals were promised that a golf course would be built there. As a result, many residents invested savings to construct apartments and residences in the vicinity -- in some cases just a few yards away from the site.

They are now waking up to a mountain of trash instead of 18 holes. A rotten deal indeed. E-mail to a friend

What amount of money has been spent on this problem already?

What is piling up on the streets of Naples?

What amount of money has been spent on emergency funds in Naples?

Whose role do many commentators question in the award of contracts?

What amount has been spent on the problem?

What amount of emergency funds have been spent?

What is piling in the streets of Naples?

Where is rubbish piling up in the streets?

What sum of money was given towards cleaning it up?

What amount of emergency funds has gone to the problem?

Who is involved in the award of contracts?

What is the amount of emergency funds spent on the problem over the years?

Is local mafia involved in contracting involving municipal dumps?

What figure of emergency funds has been spent already?

What is piling up in the streets of Naples?

Answer: €1.8 billion

Answer: Naples

Answer: garbage

Answer: re-open

Answer: 3,700 tons of waste

Answer: profiteering

Answer: €1.8 billion

Answer: golf course

Answer: city government officials use the state of emergency to quickly

Answer: €1.8 billion

Answer: a previously shut dump

Answer: €1.8 billion (more than $2.5 billion)

Answer: garbage

Answer: Naples

Answer: the government wants to re-open a previously shut dump

Answer: €1.8 billion

Answer: €1.8 billion

Answer: criminal investigations

Answer: city government officials

Answer: Naples

Answer: €1.8 billion (more than $2.5 billion)

Answer: clans have now managed to burrow their way so deeply into the system that every attempt to fix the problem has proved futile.

Answer: €1.8 billion (more than $2.5 billion)

Answer: garbage

Summary:
Rubbish is piling up on the streets of Naples, with municipal dumps full .
Many commentators question the role of the local mafia in the award of contracts .
More than $2.5B in emergency funds has been spent on the problem over the years .
One dump was going to be a golf course -- residents furious it is being re-opened .


ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The world's richest countries committed to "any further action that may prove necessary" to restore confidence in the global financial system, their finance ministers said as they wrapped up a two-day meeting in Rome.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is calling on governments to help restart the flow of credit.

The Group of Seven finance ministers also urged countries not to close their markets to goods and services from abroad.

"An open system of global trade and investment is indispensable for global prosperity," they said in a statement at the end of their meeting Saturday.

"Protectionist measures ... would only exacerbate the downturn" in the worldwide economy.

The ministers said the global banking crisis had revealed "fundamental weaknesses in the international financial system" and called for urgent reform.  Watch workers put pressure on the ministers »

New U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, making his international debut at the meetings, called on governments to focus on stabilizing and strengthening financial systems and help restart the flow of credit.

"Although the precise mix of measures must be tailored to each country's situation -- our financial systems are different, [the] structures of our systems are very different -- there is a common recognition of more capital and government financing to help restart credit markets," he said.

Italy hosted the meeting in its role as G-7 president for 2009. G-7 members includes the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Britain and Canada.

The agenda drawn up by Rome calls for adopting global measures and economic policy reforms capable of stabilizing the world economy and ensuring transparency to allow markets to function correctly.  Watch CNN correspondents on the impact of job losses around the world »

Geithner spoke just after the U.S. Senate gave final approval late Friday to a $787 billion recovery package to boost the U.S. economy. He told attendees that the package "provides a very powerful mix of investments and tax cuts to create jobs and to strengthen our long-term growth potential."

"As we act together to build a strong foundation for economic growth and recovery, we need to begin the process of comprehensive reform of our financial system, so that we never again face a crisis of this severity," Geithner said.

Another attendee, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said he supports such stimulus packages for advanced countries.

"The question is no more to convince the governments to move today, but for them to implement the policies they need to manage," Strauss-Kahn said.

He also warned of the dangers of protectionism, which he said may still come "through the back door, especially in the financial sector."

What group urged countries not to close markets to goods from abroad?

Who said that focus must be on stabilizing economies?

What do officials call an urgent reform for?

Answer: of Seven finance ministers

Answer: stabilizing and strengthening financial systems

Answer: countries not to close their markets to goods and services from abroad.

Answer: Timothy Geithner,

Answer: global banking crisis

Summary:
Group of Seven ministers urge countries not to close markets to goods from abroad .
Focus must be on stabilizing economies, U.S. treasury secretary says .
Officials call for urgent reform of global financial system .


ROME, Italy (CNN) -- When Anna Elisa Fattori arrives at work the first thing she does is to take off her clothes. All of them. For Fattori is a professional nude model working at Rome's art academy.

Anna Elisa Fattori: "You are trying to give inspiration to the students."

"It is a tough job!" she tells me just before beginning to pose for a group of students, eager to paint her gracious figure. There is something striking about her bright green eyes and wavy red hair.

"It doesn't seem to be hard, but you know, try it! Put yourself in front of the mirror and then stay for a long time in a pose. You start: 'Oh my back, oh something is strange here...'" she says, mimicking pain on her lower back.

Fattori is one of about 300 people in Italy who do this job, but only about 50 of them have full-time contracts. She makes the equivalent of about $1,500 each month, but only works three months per year. And that is why she and others recently went on strike, demanding a full-time wage for work they say not everyone can do.

"It is not easy because you are naked, so you have to be very comfortable with your body and have a nice relationship with everybody," she says as the students look on, "but not too open and not too close. You are trying to give inspiration to the students. If we lose these artistic roots that are very important to Italy then we lose a big part of our identity."

Italian Renaissance art is filled with naked men and women: Think of Michelangelo's David or Botticelli's Venus. But back then artists mostly used prostitutes and lovers as models and muses, often with the complicity of priests who wanted the walls of their churches painted by famous names.

"Priests allowed prostitutes to use churches," explains Enrico Bruschini, one of Rome's best known art historians. "Officially it was to convert them, but the practical reason was to have the artist at the church."

Bruschini says that the Saint Augustine church, a stone's throw from Piazza Navona, was a famous gathering point in Rome for Renaissance artists looking for "inspiration." Back then though professional modeling did not exist, and most would agree that the art didn't really suffer from its absence.

So if Botticelli and Raphael could do without professional models, what is the big deal now?

"It all started with the rise of art schools in the 19th and 20th centuries" says Fattori. "During the Renaissance you just thought that a prostitute can be a model or even a lover. But now we are here, so we need to move ahead."

Art students hoping to become the next Michelangelo agree.

"I think a person should have talent," argues Anastasia Kurakina, a first year student from Russia. "Because you, for example, you couldn't [model]... I don't know you, but Anna Elisa has talent."

Anastasia is right, I certainly couldn't do it -- but unbeknownst to me she used me as a model while I was interviewing Fattori. Thankfully I was fully dressed, so all she drew was my head. And she didn't to a bad job at that. E-mail to a friend

What did Italian Renaissance artists use as models?

Who have gone on strike to demand they get a full-time wage?

Answer: 300

Answer: professional nude model

Answer: wage

Answer: prostitutes

Answer: prostitutes and lovers

Answer: professional nude model

Summary:
Italy's art models have gone on strike, demanding they get a full-time wage .
Around 300 people do the job, but only about 50 of them are full-time .
During the Italian Renaissance artists mostly used prostitutes and lovers as models .
Priests let prostitutes use churches so it was possible to attract, employ name artists .


ROME, Italy -- Captain Javier Zanetti saved Inter Milan's unbeaten Serie A record as he rifled home a stunning late volley to earn a 1-1 draw against second-placed Roma at the San Siro on Wednesday. Zanetti celebrates his late strike as Inter retained their unbeaten Serie A record with a 1-1 draw against Roma. Roma captain Francesco Totti had given the visitors a deserved first-half leadbut Zanetti's strike two minutes from time maintained Inter's nine-point lead at the top. Roma needed to win to breathe new life into the title race but they were dealt a cruel blow as French defender Philippe Mexes was sent-off late on for two bookings in quick succession. Inter capitalised and they have now lost only once in their last 65 league matches. The home side had the first clear-cut chance of the match and were within centimeters of taking the lead when Hernan Crespo met a cross from Patrick Vieira with an acrobatic volley, but saw his effort cannon back off the post. The defending champions were made to pay for that miss on 38 minutes as the visitors orchestrated a sublime goal. Neat footwork from Macedonia international Mirko Vucinic released Max Tonetto down the left and his pin-point cross was flicked home at the near post by Totti from six meters out as he stole in front of defender Cristian Chivu. Inter center-back Nicolas Burdisso should have restored parity in first-half stoppage time but his header from Luis Figo's corner flew over the bar. Figo himself had a great chance on 54 minutes but after having time to set himself up for an attempted volley, he skewed his effort so badly that it did not even go out of play. After Mexes' dismissal 10 from time, Inter laid siege to Roma's goal. Goalkeeper Doni had to be alert to tip over Crespo's header three minutes from time but he could do nothing about Zanetti's volley a minute later. Meanwhile, AC Milan slipped to fifth place as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Catania. Brazilian teenager Pato gave them the lead early in the second half with a skimming long-range shot but substitute Gionathan Spinesi's header earnt the Sicilians a point. Fiorentina are up to fourth after they defeated Livorno 1-0 at home thanks to a goal from Senegal forward Ndiaye Papa Waigo. E-mail to a friend

Which team retains their unbeaten league run?

Answer: Javier Zanetti

Answer: fifth place

Answer: fifth

Answer: Captain Javier Zanetti

Answer: Inter Milan's

Answer: once

Answer: 1-1 draw

Answer: Javier Zanetti

Summary:
Javier Zanetti scores a late goal to earn Inter Milan a 1-1 draw against Roma .
The result keeps Inter nine points clear and retains their unbeaten league run .
AC Milan slipped to fifth position as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Catania .


ROME, Italy -- Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney scored a goal in each half as Manchester United won 2-0 in Roma's Olympic Stadium to virtually assure the Premier League leaders a place in the Champions League semifinals. Cristiano Ronaldo rises above the Roma defense to power home a superb header. United proved they can still dominate the Italian side, following last season's 8-3 aggregate triumph at the same stage of the competition, with a stylish display. The visitors enjoyed a lot of the ball in the first period as Roma -- missing talismanic striker Francesco Totti -- sat back, seemingly intent on not giving anything away. On 12 minutes, United opened up the Roma defense but after Park Ji-Sung took the ball down on his chest he was crowded out. Christian Panucci headed over the bar from a David Pizarro corner and Mirko Vucinic shot over as he was falling backwards, after Rio Ferdinand had slipped, as Roma briefly threatened. United then suffered a blow as defender Nemanja Vidic was stretchered off with a leg injury, to be replaced by John O'Shea. Chances were few and far between but on 39 minutes United produced a move of majestic quality to take the lead. United switched the ball around the edge of the Roma box before Paul Scholes eventually crossed for Ronaldo to come steaming in to out-jump Marco Cassetti and thump home a header. Just three minutes later Roma had their best chance of the half after a mistake from Ferdinand, but Vucinic dragged his shot from the left just beyond the far post. Roma came out after the break with more purpose and Vucinic played in Max Tonetto, but he lashed his shot wide of the near post, failing even to force Edwin van der Sar into making a save. From a quick throw Panucci had great chance but skied his volley from five meters. Substitute Ludovic Giuly then got behind the United defense but Van der Sar cut out his cross. And the big Dutch keeper then made a stunning one-handed save on 62 minutes from a Vucinic header to keep the scores level. Four minutes later, United scored a crucial second as Park headed a deep cross from Wes Brown back across goal and Rooney mopped up the loose ball after goalkeeper Doni and Panucci impeded each other. Moments later Ronaldo had a shot deflected onto the outside of the post as United threatened to run riot. Rooney had two glorious chances to heap more misery on Roma late on but had one shot blocked and sent the other wide. Ronaldo then almost scored with a stunning late volley from substitute Carlos Tevez's cross but the ball flew over the bar. With Barcelona taking a 1-0 lead over Schalke in the other semifinal, it looks increasingly likely that United will face the Catalan giants for a place in the Moscow final mext month. Ronaldo played down his goal, simply saying his 36th of the season was "a good header" and preferred to comment on the team's overall performance. "That was a very good performance in what was a top game," he said. "We created a few chances,scored twice and deserved the victory. "The defense were terrific and they played their part. It was a good job overall but we must remember that the Champions League is a different style to the Premier League and this match is not over yet," added the Portuguese winger. E-mail to a friend

who won in the Champions League quarterfinals

Answer: Nemanja Vidic

Answer: 2-0

Answer: Wayne Rooney

Answer: Manchester United

Answer: Catalan

Answer: Wayne Rooney

Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney

Summary:
Manchester United win 2-0 in Roma in the Champions League quarterfinals .
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney put the visitors in control .
The winners will face Barcelona or Schalke for a place in the final in Moscow .


ROME, Italy -- Italian tennis players Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have been banned by the ATP for betting on matches. Top Italian player Potito Starace has been suspended for six weeks for betting on matches. The country's top player Starace -- 31st in the ATP rankings -- has been suspended for six weeks from January 1 and fined $30,000 (20,890 euros) for making five bets totalling around 90 euros two years ago. Bracciali, world ranked 258, has been banned for three months and fined $20,000 (13,930 euros) for making around 50 five-euro bets between 2004 and 2005. The Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) confirmed the news on its website, www.federtennis.it. However, they denounced the penalties as disproportionate, saying the players never bet on their own matches. "Injustice is done," the statement said. "These penalties are absolutely, excessively severe compared to the magnitude of the violations carried out by the two players." The federation said the two were not aware of the ATP's betting regulations, and that they stopped placing the bets as soon as they learned it was against the rules. Another Italian player, Alessio Di Mauro, became the first player sanctioned under the ATP's new anti-corruption rules when he received a nine-month ban in November, also for betting on matches. Starace and Bracciali said they were scapegoats for a larger match-fixing scandal."It's disgusting," said the 26-year-old Starace. "The ATP doesn't know where to turn. It's all a joke." Bracciali said the two had been "sacrificed." "That's why they came after us," the 29-year-old said. "We are not champions and we don't count in the upper echelons." ATP officials could not be reached for comment on Saturday. Concerns about match-fixing have risen since August, when an online betting company reported unusual betting patterns during a match between fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina. The company, Betfair, voided all bets and the ATP has been investigating. Davydenko, who retired while trailing in the third set, denies wrongdoing. Since then, several players have said that they had been approached with offers to fix matches in exchange for money. E-mail to a friend

What tennis players were banned by the ATP?

What did the pair do that led to their suspension?

What length of time is Bracciali banned for?

For what reason have the pair been suspended?

What nationality are Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali?

Answer: Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali

Answer: betting on matches.

Answer: three months

Answer: betting on matches.

Answer: Potito Starace has been

Answer: betting on matches.

Answer: Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have been

Answer: Potito Starace

Answer: Italian

Answer: Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali

Answer: Potito Starace

Answer: ATP

Summary:
Italian tennis players Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali banned by the ATP .
The pair have been suspended for betting on matches, although not their own .
Starace suspended for six weeks while Bracciali is banned for three months .


ROME, Italy -- Italy national coach Roberto Donadoni has left Cristiano Lucarelli in his squad for next Saturday's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier in Scotland.

Lucarelli keeps his place in the Italian squad after scoring twice against South Africa.

The Shakhtar Donetsk striker is in fine form and has been rewarded for his inspiring performance in last month's friendly against South Africa, when he scored twice in the world champions' victory.

While Donadoni has again left out veteran forwards Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero, he has handed Juventus striker and Italy under-21 international Raffaele Palladino his first call-up to the senior squad.

Donadoni's squad is also boosted by the return from suspension of captain Fabio Cannavaro,

Italy go into the clash in Glasgow third in Group B, two points behind leaders France and one point below Scotland.

Italy end their qualifying campaign by taking on bottom side the Faroe Islands in Modena on November 21.

Italy squad:

Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluca Curci (Roma)

Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Daniele Bonera (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Massimo Oddo (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)

Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Strikers: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Cristiano Lucarelli (Shakhtar Donetsk), Raffaele Palladino (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich) E-mail to a friend

What team does Cristiano Lucarelli play for?

Who earned his first call-up to the senior squad?

Who earns his first call-up to the senior squad?

which striker of juventus earns his first call-up to the senior squad?

which was the result of the match against South Africa?

who keeps his place in Italy's squad to face Scotland?

What team does Raffaele Palladino play for?

who was impressed by scoring twice in the recent victory over South Africa?

Who impressed by scoring twice in the recent victory over South Africa?

Answer: Shakhtar Donetsk

Answer: striker

Answer: Shakhtar Donetsk

Answer: Raffaele Palladino

Answer: Cristiano Lucarelli

Answer: Raffaele Palladino

Answer: twice

Answer: Italy

Answer: Raffaele Palladino

Answer: Raffaele Palladino

Answer: scoring twice

Answer: Roberto Donadoni

Answer: Cristiano Lucarelli

Answer: Raffaele Palladino

Answer: Italy

Answer: Italy

Answer: Lucarelli

Answer: (Juventus),

Answer: Lucarelli

Answer: Lucarelli

Summary:
Striker Cristiano Lucarelli keeps his place in Italy's squad to face Scotland .
Lucarelli impressed by scoring twice in the recent victory over South Africa .
Juventus striker Raffaele Palladino earns his first call-up to the senior squad .


ROME, Italy -- Seven Manchester United supporters were taken to hospital after violence flared before the 1-1 Champions' League draw against Roma in Italy. Manchester United supporters were segregated inside the Olympic Stadium for the Champions tie. British Embassy officials in Rome said five fans received stab wounds while two others, including a 16-year-old boy, needed treatment for being drunk, the Press Association reported. None of the stab victims is understood to have serious injuries following the clash between the rival fans outside the Stadio Olympico. An embassy spokeswoman said: "Seven Manchester United supporters were taken to hospital after fighting broke out on the Pont Duca d'Aosta bridge which fans cross over the river to get to the stadium. "Five are receiving treatment for stab wounds while two others, one who was a 16-year-old boy, were understood to be drunk. "Their injuries are not thought to be serious and most of them will be discharged in the next couple of hours. One person may be kept in overnight for observation. "The situation in the stadium is now fine and everything is running smoothly." The embassy had warned travelling fans beforehand not to use the Pont Duca d'Aosta bridge because it was habitually used by Roma's notorious Ultras - a following of hardcore fans. Roma coach Luciano Spalletti condemned the latest violence. "It's difficult to give a comment on what has happened," said Spalletti. After watching a video replay of the ugly scenes, Spalletti added: "These people are sick." The trouble marked the second consecutive game between Roma and Manchester United in the Italian capital which has been marred by violence. Eighteen United fans needed hospital treatment in April after clashes on the terraces in Rome and outside the ground. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had hoped tonight's game would pass off peacefully but the British Embassy in Rome had warned supporters faced a "real danger of attack" by the Ultras. The 1,200 British supporters who made the journey were largely shepherded into the stadium two hours before kick-off, with clear segregation in place in the less than capacity crowd. E-mail to a friend

What did the spokeswoman say about the injuries?

Where were seven manchester united supporters taken?

Which football club did supporters of get injured?

Who said the injuries weren't thought to be serious?

Answer: stab wounds

Answer: five

Answer: "Seven Manchester United supporters were taken to hospital after fighting broke out on the Pont Duca d'Aosta bridge which fans cross over the river to get to the stadium.

Answer: Olympic Stadium

Answer: None of the stab victims is understood to have

Answer: to hospital

Answer: Italy.

Answer: Manchester United

Answer: embassy spokeswoman

Summary:
Seven Manchester United supporters taken to hospital before game in Rome .
British Embassy officials in Rome said five of the fans received stab wounds .
Embassy spokeswoman said that the injuries were not thought to be serious .


ROME. Italy -- Italy and Roma striker Francesco Totti has threatened to quit the Italian Players Association, in a row over the starting date of the next Serie A season.

Roma striker Totti has complained that the Italian players are never listened to.

The row began last month, when the Italian Football League, which is run by the presidents of clubs in the country's top two divisions, voted to start the season on August 26.

In doing so, they ignored a request by Italy coach Roberto Donadoni to play the first round of matches midway through the month, to give his players time to gain match-fitness ahead of Euro 2008 qualifiers against France and Ukraine in early September.

"I'm ready to leave the Italian Players Association. We are the principal actors, but also the people who are never listened to," Totti was quoted as saying in Italian football magazine Dieci.

"This is the moment in which we must make our voice heard. We wanted to start on August 19, to have an extra week's rest at Christmas and allow the national team to come into the big matches in September better prepared.

"Those who decided (on August 26) didn't care at all about Donadoni's needs."

Serie A is one of the last major European leagues to start next season. The opening round of English Premier League matches is scheduled to start on August 11, while the French Ligue 1 will kick off on August 4. E-mail to a friend

what has Francesco Totti threatened to quit?

Who threatens to quit the Italian Players' Association?

Who is threatening to quit the Italian Players' Association?

What did he say about being listened to?

who has threatened to quit the Italian players association?

Who is is upset over the early start to the new season?

Answer: "I'm ready to leave the Italian Players Association. We are the principal actors, but also the people who are never listened to,"

Answer: threatened to

Answer: Italian Players Association,

Answer: "I'm ready to leave the Italian Players Association. We are the principal actors, but also the people who are never listened to,"

Answer: Francesco Totti

Answer: Francesco Totti

Answer: Totti has complained that the Italian players are never

Answer: "I'm ready to leave the Italian Players Association. We are the principal actors, but also the people who are never listened to,"

Answer: Francesco Totti

Answer: Roma

Answer: Francesco Totti

Answer: Italy and Roma

Summary:
Francesco Totti threatens to quit the Italian Players' Association .
The Italy and Roma striker is upset over the early start to the new season .
He says: We are the principal actors, but ... are never listened to."


ROOSEVELT, New York (CNN)  -- Lisa Brown was caught off-guard by the offers of help that came from strangers. Lisa Brown has to move out of her rental house because it fell into foreclosure and was sold at auction. "I'm overwhelmed," she said. "People helping people in these tough times. I never meant to solicit any help. This is incredible, really." Brown and her three daughters can't escape eviction. The family is being kicked out of a rental house because her landlord defaulted on the mortgage and the home fell into foreclosure. The house was sold at auction, and they have to move out by May 1. She didn't seek financial help, but it came anyway. An executive from Texas named Kelvin who saw Brown's story on CNN.com was moved by her "unfortunate situation" and wanted to help. He sent a check for $400. A New York man named Dave offered financial help as well as aid planning for the future. When Brown moved into the Long Island, New York, home last summer, she loved the spaciousness she never had in an apartment. "It was bigger than what I had lived in," she said. Brown was also won over by the neighborhood, with its tidy homes and good schools. "I wanted to come here, and I wanted to see my kids graduate from this school district." The bad news came just seven months after she moved in. A real estate broker came to the door and handed her an eviction notice, telling her she had to vacate. "I was hysterical. I was like, 'What do you mean?' "  Watch Lisa Brown talk about why she has to move » The broker explained that the landlord no longer owned the property and the lease was no longer valid. Brown had no idea the house was in foreclosure. As a tenant, she always paid her rent on time, and she assumed the mortgage was being paid. "I didn't see there was a problem," she said. "You know, I'm paying rent, and she's putting it toward her mortgage." Brown was astonished to learn that her landlord, who lives upstairs, rented the house when she knew that she was losing it. "She knew that this house was foreclosing on her. She did nothing about it," Brown said. "Nothing except take my money." Brown had been paying $1,900 a month in rent. She had also paid $5,700 for a security deposit and broker fees to secure the house. That money, she said, is gone. "She will not give me my deposit back. Nothing." CNN tried to reach the owner for comment about the security fee, but no one answered the door, and the phone is disconnected. The broker who rented Brown the house and who was paid $1,900 said he didn't know that the house was in foreclosure. He also said the brokerage fee will not be returned. Dave, who lives on Long Island and who also read Brown's story on CNN.com, was perplexed that none of the fees were being refunded. To help recoup her losses, Dave offered help and sent a check for $5,000. Helping with Brown's immediate needs was not enough for Dave, a financial adviser who wanted to do something for her future. "He offered me a retirement plan," Brown said. "He came to my job, gave me his business card and said, 'I want you to get into this plan; I will help you with this.' " Dave met Brown over coffee and set her up with a retirement account, something the 42-year-old said she has never had. He will make monthly contributions of $500 for 10 consecutive months to get her started. But Brown still has one problem: She has to move out. She has no legal right to stay. The bank that foreclosed on the house and owns it has offered her

when A CNN viewer from Texas sent Brown $400?

How much money did a CNN viewer send her?

Answer: An executive

Answer: Lisa Brown

Answer: $400.

Answer: Kelvin

Summary:
Lisa Brown is being evicted because landlord defaulted on mortgage .
A CNN viewer from Texas sent Brown $400 .
Another man gave her $5,000 and set up her retirement account .
The Children's Aid Society offered to cover Brown's moving expenses .


ROOSEVELT, New York (CNN) -- When Lisa Brown moved into her rental house on Long Island last summer with her three daughters, she says, it felt like a new beginning. Lisa Brown has to move out of her rental house because it is facing foreclosure After living in apartments, the spacious house got her attention immediately. "It was bigger than what I had lived in," she says. Brown was also won over by the neighborhood with its tidy homes and good school district. "I wanted to come here, and I wanted to see my kids graduate from this school district." But they hardly had a chance. Instead, fighting back tears, she says, "I have to get out." Brown and her family are being evicted not because of anything they did, but because her landlord defaulted on the mortgage and the house fell into foreclosure. The house was recently sold at auction. The bad news came just seven months after Brown had moved in. A real estate broker came to the door and handed her an eviction notice, telling her she had 30 days to vacate. "I was hysterical, I was like, what do you mean?" Watch Lisa Brown's talk about why she has to move »  The broker explained that the landlord no longer owns the property and that the lease was no longer valid. Brown had no idea the house was in foreclosure.  As a tenant, she always paid her rent on time, and she assumed the rent was going toward the mortgage. "I didn't see there was a problem," she said. "You know, I'm paying rent, and she's putting it toward her mortgage, I didn't see the problem." Unfortunately, Brown is not the only tenant caught off guard. According to the Center for Housing Policy, nearly 20 percent of all foreclosures are on rental properties, and tenants' rights in such situations are minimal.   In most states, when a bank forecloses on a landlord, the tenant has no guarantee of being allowed to stay in the property, and neither the bank nor the landlord has a legal obligation to tell the tenant about the foreclosure. So while the owners know what's going on, renters are usually kept in the dark. New York State Sen. Jeff Klein is aware that renters can run into problems. "In many instances, they're actually paying their rent on time, and the owner of the property who is in foreclosure is pocketing the money," he says. Klein says rental properties are involved in 50 percent of all foreclosures in New York, and he is working on a law to warn renters of foreclosure proceedings ahead of time and to keep them from losing their security deposit and being evicted with nowhere to go. Similar laws are already in place in Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland, Rhode Island, Michigan and California. "What we're facing here", Klein says, "is sort of the new homeless population unless we do something about it." Brown was astonished to learn that her landlord rented her the house when she knew she was losing it. "She knew that this house was foreclosing on her. She did nothing about it. Nothing, except take my money." Brown was paying $1,900 a month in rent. She had also paid $5,700 for a security deposit and broker fees to secure the house. She says that money is gone. "She will not give me my deposit back. Nothing." CNN tried to reach the owner, who lives upstairs, for comment, but her phone was disconnected, and no one answered the door. The broker who rented her the house and who was paid $1,900 says he did not know the house was in foreclosure. He also says the brokerage fee will not be returned. "It took everything I had to move in," Brown says, "to give my kids a better environment." And now, "I'm left out with nothing." Because eviction papers trump the

Who is working on a law to help renters?

Who is working on a law to warn renters of foreclosures?

Answer: Brown and her family

Answer: Sen. Jeff Klein

Answer: being evicted

Answer: New York State Sen. Jeff Klein

Answer: Sen. Jeff Klein

Answer: "to give my kids a better environment."

Answer: Lisa Brown

Summary:
Mortgage meltdown affects renter Lisa Brown after landlord is foreclosed upon .
Brown evicted because landlord defaulted on mortgage, house fell into foreclosure.
Brown wanted a better life for her three daughters; now she must find a new home .
New York state senator working on law to warn renters of foreclosure early .


Ras Lanuf, Libya (CNN) -- The military forces of Moammar Gadhafi on Friday pounded Ras Lanuf, the key oil port once in the hands of rebel forces, with its leadership confidently vowing to retake all territory from the opposition despite growing international pressure.

Even as it targeted its domestic enemies, the Tripoli government continued to parry with leaders around the globe.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim, for instance, said Friday that Libya has suspended diplomatic relations with France, one day after the French government recognized the newly created Libyan opposition movement as the sole representative of the country.

In Ras Lanuf, pro-Gadhafi forces cranked up an intense and steady bombardment of the city, believed to be by rocket, artillery and tank fire. A storage tank at an oil refinery was on fire after an air raid there.

"We saw a bomb fall about a kilometer to the southwest of the refinery, and moments later saw thick black smoke rising from the refinery. We don't know, and no one we spoke to could say with any level of certainty or veracity, what caused the fire," said CNN Correspondent Ben Wedeman.

Dozens of pickup trucks and cars belonging to the opposition were heading away from the city amid fear that Libyan forces were advancing as the bombardment continued. The rebels evacuated to a checkpoint outside the town, but that and other rebel positions also were targeted by airstrikes.

Rebels said the eastern city has been essentially empty as civilians fled and opposition forces retreated from sustained attacks. On Thursday, state media said the town was "cleansed" of the fighters.

This reflects the turn in fortunes for Gadhafi's well-equipped military, which has gained an upper hand after rebel fighters seized ground across Libya.

Along with its offensive in Ras Lanuf, government soldiers beat back rebels Thursday in Zawiya east of the capital, Tripoli.

Zawiya's Martyrs' Square was littered with the bombed-out, scorched carcasses of army tanks and other military vehicles. Workers swept up the evidence as Gadhafi supporters chanted slogans and waved green flags.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, one of Gadhafi's sons and a spokesman for the regime, vowed Thursday to retake other areas in eastern Libya that were controlled by the opposition and warned the international community that Libyans won't welcome NATO and Americans. NATO is contemplating the establishment of a no-fly zone, but says it needs a clear U.N. mandate to do it.

"I receive hundreds of calls from the east daily, and they are saying, 'Save us.' They are begging us and pleading for us to save them, and my answer is two words. Listen to me, and I want those armed groups to listen to me real well, and I want our people in the east to hear this as well: We're coming," he said.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi is one of two Moammar Gadhafi sons who share the first name Saif.

On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, opposition to Moammar Gadhafi continues to gain momentum.

U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated Friday that he wants the Libyan leader to "step down." He added that he "won't take (the) decision lightly" to decide whether to use military force, including helping enforce a no-fly zone, saying it is critical to "balance costs versus benefits."

Obama noted that NATO officials will meet Tuesday to consider whether to implement a no-fly zone. He said U.S. actions so far, including freezing assets and other sanctions, are "slowly tightening the noose" on Gadhafi.

"We have moved about as swiftly as an international coalition has ever moved to impose sanctions," he said.

The U.S. Treasury Department beefed up those sanctions Friday, freezing the assets of nine more individuals. Among them are the wife and four sons of Libya's leader, including Saadi, Hannibal, Muhammad and Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi. Libya's defense minister, military intelligence director, external security organization head and public works coordinator are also included.

Also Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced former Jordanian

Gadhafi's government suspends diplomatic relations with ?

Pro-Gadhafi forces steadily bombarded the city of?

Answer: U.S.

Answer: France,

Answer: Ras Lanuf,

Answer: Ras Lanuf,

Answer: The U.S. Treasury Department

Answer: U.S. President Barack Obama

Answer: military forces of Moammar Gadhafi

Summary:
NEW: Gadhafi's government suspends diplomatic relations with France, a minister says .
NEW: The U.S. broadens its sanctions, freezing assets of Gadhafi's relatives and officials .
The EU council calls for Gadhafi's departure .
Pro-Gadhafi forces steadily bombarded the oil port city of Ras Lanuf .


Remember the days when a washing machine lasted for decades? If it broke down it could be fixed. But now it seems it is cheaper to discard our broken products and buy new ones. The side effects of our throwaway society are ever-larger waste mountains festering with toxic chemicals and the depletion of natural resources such as rare metals. Europe produced 8.3 to 9.1 millions tons of waste from electrical projects in 2005. Product makers are responding by designing goods that have a reduced carbon footprint at their point of manufacture, but leading thinkers in the field of sustainable design believe that a radical re-think in the way we consume products is required if we want to halt the growing mountain of toxic waste piling up on the world's rubbish dumps. Figures recently announced by the U.N. University suggest the production of electronic and electrical products is running neck-and-neck with their disposal: An estimated 10.3 million tons of electronic products were put on the market in the European Union in 2005, while 8.3 to 9.1 million tons of waste from electrical products found their way into Europe's rubbish bins. Electronic and electrical products account for four percent of Europe's waste and the rate is growing at three times the speed of any other form of waste. What is sustainable design? Sustainable design is a reaction to the global environmental crisis. It aims to produce products, buildings and services, which have a low impact on climate change and the depletion of the world's resources. In industrial design this includes the use of recycled and recyclable materials; reducing pollution through cutting down the need for transportation, such as by using locally-sourced materials; making products which can be taken apart once they are discarded so that their parts that can be used again; and designing goods which use as little energy as possible while they are being made. While many companies are beginning to think of ways in which they can reduce their environmental impact during the manufacture of their products, many sustainable design experts believe that these measures are not enough to reduce the damage the constant manufacture of products is doing to the world's eco-system. A change in culture "Daily life is becoming increasingly mediated by electronic artifacts," says Jonathan Chapman, editor of Designers, Visionaries and Other Stories, a book which seeks to bring together new thinking on sustainable design. "These products are great but it seems that as their popularity grows, their impermanence grows with it." Chapman believes that true sustainability can only be achieved if we moderate our inclination to strive for the newest product, and he argues that the onus is on designers to initiate a shift away from a disposable culture. He proposes a model for consumer behavior based on a service economy -- that products are designed to last longer and to be fixed when they break; brands can make their profits by providing the services to ensure that this can be done. "It's quite conceivable to make objects that don't necessarily make a profit at the point-of-sale but that, because their life-spans are extended and are punctuated with service and upgrade options, can generate turnover over long periods of time that is greater than making a small profit and having to remanufacture," he explains. He believes that consumers would be prepared to pay more for their electronic goods if they knew they would last longer. It is an economic model that would make most manufacturers choke, but it is an unfounded fear, says economist Andrew Charlton, author of Ozonomics: Inside the Myth of Australia's Economic Superheroes. "The key thing to remember is that human desires know no bounds -- we are never satiated," he says. "If we replace an expensive disposable product with a permanent one, that just frees up income to spend on other things. "Ballpoint pens last longer than quills, tarred roads last longer than cobblestones -- and the economy moves on. Every time we satisfy one demand, another one comes along to take its place." "A quarter-inch hole" But it's not enough to expect consumers to sign up to a longer

What product is Europe's fastest growing form of waste

what is Europe's fastest growing form of waste

What is the fastest growing form of waste?

Who finds it cheaper to throw away rather than fix electrical products

Answer: Electronic and electrical

Answer: to discard our broken products and buy new ones.

Answer: are designed to last longer and to be fixed when they break;

Answer: Electronic and electrical products

Answer: Electronic and electrical products

Answer: they would last longer.

Answer: our throwaway society

Summary:
Europeans find it cheaper to throw away rather than fix electrical products .
Electrical products are Europe's fastest growing form of waste .
Durable products reduce energy needed to manufacture new ones .
Sustainable design products have low carbon footprints and use little energy .


Researchers may be getting closer to an effective way of preventing age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of vision loss among older Americans.

A new study found that vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid may help prevent age-related macular degeneration.

A new study finds that women who took a combination of B6 and B12 vitamins along with a folic acid supplement had lower risks of developing age-related macular degeneration. The women who got the supplements, compared with those taking a placebo, had a 34 percent lower risk of developing any form of AMD, and a 41 percent lower risk of more severe forms of AMD.

Epidemiologist and study author William G. Christen, Sc.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, expects that if these findings are successfully replicated in future studies, "the combination of these vitamins might become the first prevention method of early stages of age-related macular degeneration other than avoiding cigarette smoking."

Christen also noted that although the study was conducted among women age 40 and older, there is no particular reason to believe the same results would not hold true in a similar group of men.

Christen and his colleagues examined the role of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid in AMD partly because previous studies have shown these vitamins are known to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood that when elevated has been associated with higher risks of AMD.

The 5,442 women who participated in the randomized, double-blind clinical trial already had heart disease or at least three risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The majority of them did not have AMD at the start of the study, which lasted more than 7 years. Christen explains that the underlying mechanism of AMD likely involves the vascular system, and researchers widely believe that cardiovascular disease and AMD share common risk factors.

Age-related macular degeneration is a vision disease common among people older than 60, involving the deterioration of tissues in the macula, the central part of the retina. The condition impedes the performance of critical everyday functions such as reading and driving because it affects the ability to see items that a person is looking at directly, as opposed to items even a few degrees off to either side of the direct line of vision.

"If you affect that central part of your vision, no one goes blind from it but it really interferes with your quality of life," explains Dr. Roy Rubinfeld, ophthalmologist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

There are two types of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Wet forms of AMD are caused by abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the macula, which can rupture and bleed. The dry form is generally caused by cells in the macula degenerating over time and thus losing function.

While some treatments do exist for the wet form of the disease (including laser surgery, photodynamic therapy and injections into the eye), there is currently not much in the way of treatments for the more common dry form.

When asked if the study results mean that people at high risk for AMD should begin taking a vitamin supplement that provides vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid, retina specialist Dr. Robert Frank of the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests probably not yet.

"If you do anything, I would take a supplement of antioxidant vitamins containing high doses of vitamins A, E, C and zinc," suggests Frank, who has no financial interest in the vitamin supplement industry. These antioxidant vitamins were found to prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration in the 10-year Age-Related Eye Disease Study conducted by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

However, Frank does say that while it still remains to be seen whether people currently taking a multivitamin containing the B vitamins and folic acid will be able to prevent early AMD from developing -- answers which will probably not be found for several years, after a large-scale clinical trial is begun -- there is little risk for most people in taking a daily multivitamin.

What kind of vitamins can potentially ward off age-related macular degeneration?

What is the abbreviation for "age-related macular degeneration"?

Those taking B vitamins have a 34% lower risk of what?

What should women take to lower risk of getting AMD?

What may help prevent age-related macular degeneration?

Answer: vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid

Answer: B6, B12 and folic acid

Answer: AMD

Answer: age-related macular degeneration.

Answer: developing any form of AMD,

Answer: B6 and B12 vitamins along with a folic acid supplement

Answer: B6, B12 and folic acid may help prevent age-related macular degeneration.

Answer: vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid

Answer: vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid

Summary:
Study: B vitamins may help prevent age-related macular degeneration .
Women taking B6, B12, folic acid had 34 percent lower risk of getting AMD .
Study findings need to be replicated .
Only prevention now is avoiding smoking; antioxidant vitamins prevent progression .


Reuters is a global information company providing material tailored for professionals in the financial services, media and corporate markets. Its information is trusted and drives decision making across the globe.

In October 1851 Paul Julius Reuter, a German-born immigrant, opened an office in the City of London which transmitted stock market quotations between London and Paris via the new Calais-Dover cable. 18 months earlier he had used pigeons to fly stock prices between Aachen and Brussels, a service which operated for a year until the gap in the telegraph link was closed.

Reuters, as the agency soon became known, eventually extended its service to other European countries. It also expanded the content to include general and economic news from all around the world. In 1865 Reuters was first in Europe with news of President Lincoln's assassination in the United States.

As overland telegraph and undersea cable facilities developed, the business expanded beyond Europe to include the Far East in 1872 and South America in 1874. In 1883 Reuters began to use a "column printer" to transmit messages electrically to London newspapers and in 1923 pioneered the use of radio to transmit news internationally. In 1927 it brought in the teleprinter to distribute news to London newspapers.

Today Reuters has over 16,900 staff in over 94 countries across the globe, and is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, with 196 bureaux serving approximately 131 countries.

In 2006 Reuters filed over two and a half million news items, including 656,500 alerts, from 209 countries around the world, published in 18 languages.

Although Reuters is best known as the world's largest international multimedia news agency, more than 90% of its revenue derives from its financial services business. Some 370,000 financial market professionals working in the equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, money, commodities and energy markets around the world use Reuters products.

The company supplies news -- text, graphics, video and pictures -- to media organizations across the globe. It also provides news to businesses outside the financial services sector, as well as direct to consumers. E-mail to a friend

Which President's death was first reported by Rueters?

What;s the number of countries that get news from Reuters?

Who has 196 bureaux serving approximately 131 countries?

What company was first in Europe to get news of President Lincoln's assassination?

Answer: Lincoln's

Answer: October 1851

Answer: 131

Answer: 196

Answer: Reuters

Answer: Paul Julius

Answer: In October 1851

Answer: Reuters

Answer: Paul Julius Reuter,

Answer: Lincoln's

Answer: global information

Summary:
Reuters was founded in 1851 by Julius Reuter, transmitting market quotations .
The company was first in Europe with news of President Lincoln's assassination .
Today Reuters has 196 bureaux serving approximately 131 countries.


Richmond, California (CNN) -- Four teenagers were arraigned Thursday on charges connected to the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl on a high school campus after a homecoming dance.

Cody Ray Smith, described by the court as over 14 years old, pleaded not guilty to charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force.

Two other juveniles, Ari Abdallah Morales and Marcelles James Peter, appeared with Smith at the Contra Costa County Superior Court, but did not enter a plea. The court described Morales as under 16, and did not give an age for Peter.

All three juveniles, who wore bulletproof vests at the hearing, were charged as adults.

A fourth individual, Manuel Ortega, 19, appeared separately without an attorney and did not enter a plea. He did not wear a protective vest.

The four are accused of taking part in what police said was a 2½-hour assault on the Richmond High School campus, in the Richmond community north of Oakland on San Francisco Bay.

All of those arraigned are due back in court on November 5. Another adult was arrested in connection with the October 24 attack, but has a different court date than the others.

Police said as many as 10 people were involved in the assault in a dimly lit back alley at the school, while another 10 people watched without calling 911.

The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition but was released Wednesday.

who does not enter a plea
What did Ray plead?
How many were accused?
Where did this take place ?
who pleads not guilty to rape
who are the juveniles
What did he plead not guilty to ?
What did Ortega not have with him?

Answer: Ari Abdallah Morales and Marcelles James Peter,

Answer: not guilty

Answer: Four

Answer: Richmond High School campus, in the Richmond community north of Oakland on San Francisco Bay.

Answer: Cody Ray Smith,

Answer: Ari Abdallah Morales

Answer: charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force.

Answer: a protective vest.

Summary:
Cody Ray Smith pleads not guilty to charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force .
Juveniles Ari Abdallah Morales and Marcelles James Peter do not enter pleas .
Manuel Ortega, 19, appears separately without an attorney, does not enter plea .
Four are accused of taking part in a 2½-hour gang rape at the school .


Richmond, Virginia (CNN) -- "I'm a big history buff," President Obama said in an interview with ABC News" George Stephanopoulos. "And I think that understanding the history of the Confederacy and understanding the history of the Civil War is something that every American and every young American should be part of."

I am sometimes asked the same question that Mr. Stephanopoulos put to President Obama: Why study Confederate history? And I agree with the president's response.

As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we look back to its centennial in the 1960s. A lot has happened in this country since then, and our appreciation of the lessons of history has changed with the times.

One constant has been the importance of the Civil War. It remains as the most important era of American history, a time when America withstood its biggest challenges to a constitutional democracy which then was still viewed as an experiment in a new form of government. The crucible of war defined the nation as we know it today, as we became "indivisible" and "with liberty and justice for all" for the first time.

During the 1960s, we Americans looked at the war as it occurred on the battlefields, because the conduct and course of the war dominated every single moment of every day. And the Confederate soldiers have historically captured our fascination even more than the Union soldiers.

Perhaps it is the gallantry and dash of leaders like Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson or J.E.B. Stuart. Or perhaps it was the common enlisted men in the Confederate ranks, whose valor and courage -- in the face of tremendous privation and against overwhelming odds -- makes them stand out in world history as one of the best bodies of soldiers ever known.

Another perspective on the Confederacy and history

If the fascination with soldiers continues from the 1960s to today, what has changed? Today, the study of Confederate history is much more "inclusive" -- to use the word of choice for many state's 150th anniversary commissions -- as we look more deeply into the past. Today we ask different questions of history and I think we get better answers. Let me list just a few of those questions.

What about slavery? We did not talk much about it in the 1960s. Today, we cannot study the Confederacy without studying 40 percent of its population. So now we look long and hard at this aspect of American history, including its existence and importance in the North. We see so clearly today that it was a wrong, so we need to ask why so many people 150 years ago did not see it as wrong and why several of the important Christian denominations split apart over this issue before the country itself split.

What about the slaves themselves? Why did many take advantage of the first opportunity to escape to freedom while others remained "loyal" to the South? And what about the 400,000 African-Americans in the South who were free long before Abraham Lincoln came on the scene?

iReporter: Civil War history could have been "teachable moment"

What about the Southerners who remained loyal to the Union and chose to fight in blue, rather than gray? What about the thousands of immigrants who "escaped" the wars of Europe yet enlisted in both armies to demonstrate their loyalty to their new country?

At the opposite end of the spectrum, what about the Native Americans who had been here long before any Europeans, yet allied with the Confederacy? The last Confederate brigade to surrender was composed entirely of Native Americans and commanded by Brigadier General Stand Watie, a full-blooded Cherokee.

What about the very important Jewish community in the South? Many served in the ranks while others saw civilian service, such as Judah Benjamin, who had three different Cabinet posts, or Phoebe Pember, who became the head nurse at Chimborazo, the biggest hospital in the world.

And what about the women of the South? The war thrust them into new positions of responsibility and many continued after the war to lead public enterprises that engendered self-esteem and respect.

We Americans -- from native Americans to

What is one topic the confederate studies cover?

What did S. Waite Rawls say is the key to knowing how the U.S. has evolved?

Answer: Civil War

Answer: "I'm a big history buff," President Obama

Answer: the Civil War,

Summary:
S. Waite Rawls: Understanding the Confederacy key to knowing how the U.S. has evolved .
Today's Confederate studies cover slavery and many other questions, he says .
Millions want to learn more about the Confederacy, he says .


Rio de Janeiro (CNN) -- Rio de Janeiro's special forces moved quickly and didn't stop to chat Monday as they peered in windows and knocked on doors in Rocinha, the city's biggest shantytown.

In a predawn raid the day before, 3,000 troops seized control of the hilltop favela, wresting from the hands of drug traffickers. They declared victory in just two hours, without firing a single shot.

"Today a lot of the drug dealers are gone," said Luis Machado, one of the officers in charge of the door-to-door searches. "Others are hidden. And it's now that we're going to find them and the weapons."

The massive operation was part of efforts secure Rio de Janeiro and eliminate bloody drug gangs ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the Olympic Games two years later.

For many of Rocinha's 100,000 residents, it was business as usual on Monday.

Food stalls displayed strings of garlic and onions while motorcycle taxis zipped up and down the winding roads.

"Thank god it's over," said Giovani, a food vendor. "It's 100% better. It's better than normal."

Rocinha's top drug trafficker, Antonio Francisco Bomfim, known as Nem, was captured by police last week, days before the invasion.

According to residents, a three-story house overlooking the shantytown and beachside condominiums below had been his home until his arrest.

Inside, all appliances and even bathroom fixtures had been ripped out, but the signs of luxury are evident, including a small pool and private gym. An empty bottle of Black Label whiskey sits on the glass bar.

Still, in many ways, the hard work has only just begun.

Mountains of trash line the streets, and tangled masses of electrical wires dangle over houses.

"Before this was called a favela because it was full of criminals," said Juliete, an 18-year-old physical trainer. "Now things have to be done to call it a neighborhood. We need running water, proper sewage and things for young people to do."

Raimundo Cesario, who has lived in Rocinha for 40 years, agreed.

"The system trapped young people in a life of crime. But it's also true that they helped people when they needed it," he said. "We'll have to see if things are better or worse under the police."

What is Rio de Janeiro trying to do before the World Cup?

What did a food vendor say about the situation?

What is happening in Rio de Janeiro in 2014?

Which city is trying to crack down on crime?

Answer: eliminate bloody drug gangs

Answer: "Thank god it's over,"

Answer: World Cup

Answer: Rio de Janeiro

Answer: door-to-door searches.

Answer: Giovani,

Answer: "Thank god it's over,"

Summary:
A door-to-door search follows a raid to take control of a Brazilian favela, or shantytown .
"It's 100% better. It's better than normal," a food vendor says .
Rio de Janeiro is trying to crack down on crime before the 2014 World Cup .


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (CNN) -- Electricity returned early Wednesday to a large swath of central and southern Brazil that was plunged into darkness when power from a major hydroelectric dam was lost. Up to 18 of Brazil's 26 states were left without power when electricity from the Itaipu dam was interrupted around 10:15 p.m. (7:15 p.m. ET) Tuesday, leaving Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities in darkened chaos. Hundreds of people were trapped in elevators. Subways, trains and buses stopped running their routes. Video showed long snaking lines of cars at a near standstill on the roads, their headlights the only illumination. The outage also led to medical emergencies, with a report in Sao Paulo of neighbors having to rescue someone who breathes with the help of a ventilator but the back-up battery was running low. Police also reported increased robberies and looting related to the blackout. Authorities in Rio de Janeiro and other cities stepped up enforcement. Officials said up to 60 million of Brazil's nearly 200 million residents were pitched into darkness. "I thought, 'How is this happening?' " said Rio de Janeiro resident Wesley Ferreira. "All of Copacabana is black." Power was restored to most of Brazil by 6 a.m. (3 a.m. ET), the government-run Agencia Brasil news agency said. But some water-treatment plants remained affected Wednesday. Authorities in Sao Paulo reported that 3 million residents in the metropolitan area remained without water, down from a previous 6.7 million. Sao Paulo is the largest municipality in South America, with about 11 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 20 million in the metro area. The Itaipu dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric facilities, is shared by Brazil and Paraguay, which also lost power. Neighboring Uruguay also reported outages. Itaipu provides more than 19 percent of Brazil's energy and 87 percent of Paraguay's, Agencia Brasil said. The outage affected 18 states, the UOL Noticias news outlet said, citing Brazil's minister of mines and energy, Edison Lobao. The states of Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo went totally dark, while Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Goias, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, Acre, Rondonia, Bahia, Sergipe, Paraiba, Alagoas, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte were partially affected. The Federal District in which Brasilia, the nation's capital, is located also had outages. As a point of reference as to how widespread the blackout was, it is about 2,000 miles from the southern tip of Santa Catarina to the northern tip of Pernambuco. Jorge Samek, the director general of the agency that runs the dam, said the blackouts were caused by a failure in the Brazilian power delivery system, not the hydroelectric plant at the dam. Officials said three transmission lines went out. Officials said they had not determined an official cause for the power failure, but pointed at the weather. They discounted any type of sabotage. "Apparently, according to information that we have, it was because of meteorological conditions that were pretty adverse, with strong winds and strong rain at the same time," Lobao said. Some experts agreed that the electric system should not collapse because of a storm. "There is a problem," said Luiz Pinguelli, director of the Post-Graduate Engineering Center at the Rio de Janeiro Federal University. "And you can't say under any circumstances that this is due to nature. There is a transmission problem, and the worst part of it is the dimension it takes. That is to say, an accident that can tumble one line is always possible. But for the power to go out in so many cities for such a long time, that shouldn't happen." Some residents blamed a sudden surge in electricity use as Brazil, which is in the Southern Hemisphere, enters spring and the weather gets warmer. "Those responsible for the energy supply do not perceive that the weather is changing and that there's a lot of hot weather in the spring

what has been returned to parts of brazil

What does the hydroelectric dam provide?

What happened to central and southern Brazil?

Answer: Electricity

Answer: power

Answer: electricity

Answer: outages.

Answer: Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro

Answer: southern Brazil

Answer: electricity

Answer: plunged into darkness

Summary:
Electricity returns to central and southern Brazil after power from major hydroelectric dam was lost .
Neighboring Paraguay, Uruguay report related blackouts .
Hydroelectric dam provides over 20 percent of Brazil's energy .


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (CNN) -- The death toll from flooding and mudslides in Brazil continued to climb Thursday, with official reports of at least 181 fatalities.

Thousands of people have been left homeless, said the government-run Agencia Brasil news service. The Rio de Janeiro mayor's office placed that figure at 5,000.

At least 161 people have been injured, the Rio de Janeiro state government said Thursday on its Web site.

A record 11.3 inches (287 millimeters) of rain fell in Rio within 24 hours Tuesday, Mayor Eduardo Paes said, according to the news service. The downpour continued Wednesday.

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More than 30 homes were destroyed in a mudslide Wednesday in metropolitan Rio, Agencia Brasil said.

About 200 people could be buried or trapped in the mud, emergency officials said.

The cities of Niteroi and Sao Goncalo are among the hardest hit, with more than 80 dead and dozens missing, the news service said.

CNN affiliate TV Record showed firefighters, military personnel and other rescuers using heavy machinery to dig for buried residents.

Brazil's minister of cities, Marcio Fortes, said that housing and sanitation problems are not new for Rio.

His department, which works directly with cities on urban development projects, said that before this week's flooding, the government already had set aside some $800 million to cities to help deal with flood waters and poor infrastructure.

Now, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made available another $11 billion for drainage infrastructure across Brazil, Fortes said.

As for the project that sits before them, Fortes estimated that about 4,000 homes can be rebuilt, together with better roads, schools and health centers. These would provide a shift from the current structures in the slums of Rio, where housing is often improvised.

"You can't correct the past, but you can fix the future," Fortes said.

CNN's Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report.

rain of record breaking 288 millimeters fell where?

how many can be trapped following the mudslide?

Answer: Rio

Answer: 200

Answer: About 200

Answer: 11.3 inches (287 millimeters)

Answer: at least 181

Answer: Eduardo Paes

Answer: at least 181 fatalities.

Summary:
Death toll climbs to at least 181; thousands left homeless .
Mayor: Record-breaking 11.3 inches (288 millimeters) of rain fell in Rio Tuesday .
200 could be trapped following another mudslide, Brazilian media report .


Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's interior minister, has been named the new crown prince of the key oil-producing nation, ascending at a time of regional turmoil amid the populist Arab Spring movement and simmering international issues involving Iran and other neighbors.

The news, following a royal decree signed by King Abdullah, was announced early Friday on state-run Saudi Television. The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the decree was issued the previous evening.

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the king's half-brother, died in a New York hospital on Saturday after being ill for some time. His funeral was held three days later in Riyadh.

As was the case with his predecessor, the move makes Nayef bin Abdulaziz the heir to the Saudi throne.

He will assume his new post at a tension-filled time in the Arab world.

The longtime leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have fallen in recent months during the so-called Arab Spring, while those in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere are holding on to power despite continuing popular unrest.

Violence remains a problem in neighboring Iraq, as well as Afghanistan. Iran, a longtime rival of the Saudi royal family's, is still at odds with much of the international community over its nuclear program, among other issues.

Before the announcement, Nayef had been considered a likely successor to his brother as crown prince. He was named in 2009 as second deputy prime minister, a post held by the second in line to the throne.

Nayef has served as the Saudi interior minister since 1975, having overseen the kingdom's counterterrorism efforts.

Saudi Arabia is one of the only countries that has truly dismantled a domestic al Qaeda network, said Christopher Boucek, a Saudi expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Nayef is widely seen as a hard-line conservative who, at best, is lukewarm to King Abdullah's reform initiatives," read a classified U.S. Embassy cable leaked by the website WikiLeaks.

In addition to his new title, Nayef will remain interior minister, according to Friday's announcement. The Saudi Press Agency noted that he also has been appointed deputy premier, meaning he will officially hold three positions in the Saudi government.

He and others met Thursday with a U.S. delegation that included Vice President Joe Biden, CIA Director David Petraeus and Sen. John McCain.

Ascension to the Saudi throne is kept within the royal family, though it does not pass from father to son. Instead, it's a complex process, and decisions in the conservative kingdom are often cloaked in secrecy.

Nayef's appointment follows the first-ever convening of the Allegiance Council, which the king established in 2006 to discuss and allow for more transparency on succession issues.

The king made his decision after receiving their input. Afterward, Abdullah instructed Nayef's fellow princes to pledge allegiance to him as the new crown prince.

CNN's Rima Maktabi contributed to this report.

Who died Sunday?
Who will be the deputy premier?
What did the king tell the princes?
What were the princes told
What was leaked?
Who is the hard-line conservative?
What leaked the cable?
Who is the interior minister?
When did the crown prince died?

Answer: Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud,

Answer: Nayef bin Abdulaziz

Answer: pledge allegiance to him

Answer: "Nayef is widely seen as a hard-line conservative who, at best, is lukewarm to King Abdullah's reform initiatives,"

Answer: a classified U.S. Embassy cable

Answer: "Nayef

Answer: WikiLeaks.

Answer: Nayef bin Abdulaziz,

Answer: Saturday

Summary:
NEW: Other princes were told, by the king, to pledge allegiance to Nayef, state media says .
NEW: Besides being crown prince, Nayef also will be deputy premier and interior minister .
A leaked U.S. Embassy cable described Nayef as a "hard-line conservative"
The previous crown prince died Saturday in New York .


Robert, Louisiana (CNN) -- Three attempts to pump mud and 16 tries to stuff solid material into a breached Gulf of Mexico oil well failed to stop the flow, top BP executives said Saturday, and engineers and executives with the oil giant have decided to "move on to the next option."

That option: Place a custom-built cap to fit over the "lower marine riser package," BP chief operation officer Doug Suttles said. BP crews were already at work Saturday to ready the materials for that option, he said.

Suttles said three separate pumping efforts and 30,000 barrels of mud -- along with what chief executive officer Tony Hayward described as "16 different bridging material shots" -- just didn't do the trick.

"We have not been able to stop the flow," a somber Suttles told reporters. " ... Repeated pumping, we don't believe, will achieve success, so we will move on to the next option."

Suttles and other officials said that the "top kill" attempt to stop the flow did so -- but only as long as they were pumping. When the pumping stopped, the oil resumed its escape. And Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said that BP would resume using undersea dispersants for the new attempt to trap the oil.

Suttles said the lower marine riser package cap "should be able to capture most of the oil" that has fed what is now the largest oil spill in U.S. history, but he cautioned that the new cap will not provide a "tight mechanical seal."

"We're confident the job will work, but obviously we cannot guarantee success at this time," he said.

Engineers should be ready in about four to seven days to make the fresh attempt, he said. Landry said officials were "disappointed in today's announcement," but noted that the immediate efforts to stop the flow were never intended to be permanent.

"The real solution, the end state, is a relief well," she said. BP currently is working on two relief wells, but they are not expected to be ready until August, Suttles said.

Earlier, Suttles said that BP engineers would try to place a second blowout preventer -- the piece of equipment that failed when the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20 -- should the lower marine riser package fail. The failed blowout preventer is a 48-foot-tall, 450-ton apparatus that sits atop the well 5,000 feet underwater.

Suttles and Landry praised the clean-up efforts, however, in light of the failure of the "top kill" attempt to stop the flow.

"It's a tribute to everybody that we only have 107 miles of shoreline oiled and only 32 acres of marsh," Landry said.

Meanwhile, teams in Louisiana were working Saturday on a clean-up project aimed at protecting coastal marshes. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser has said that machines would suck oil out of marshes Saturday after crews determined where to deploy them.

But Nungesser told CNN that BP needed to "step up to the plate tonight to save our wetlands" by using its might to create sand barriers to prevent the oil from moving into the marshes.

"BP needs to say it will pay to move those dredges and pump that sand berm," he said. "We are gonna die a slow death if we don't get that berm. We've got to have that barrier island."

President Barack Obama, who toured the area Friday, said federal officials were prepared to authorize moving forward with "a portion of" an idea proposed by local officials, who want the Army Corps of Engineers to build a "sand boom" offshore to keep the water from getting into the fragile marshlands.

But Nungesser said the marshes couldn't wait and that the effort needed to start immediately to save the Louisiana wetlands.

Government scientists on Thursday said as many as 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil were spewing into the ocean every day, making this disaster perhaps twice the size of the Exxon Valdez incident.

Previously, BP officials and government scientists

What will BP try ?
what will it capture
What will be built ?
what will  the cap capture
what will BP try to lower

Answer: Place a custom-built cap to fit over the "lower marine riser package,"

Answer: most of the oil" that has fed

Answer: custom-built cap

Answer: most of the oil"

Answer: marine riser package cap

Summary:
NEW: BP will try lower marine riser package cap next .
NEW: Lower marine riser package cap will capture most, but not all of oil flow .
NEW: Officials: Only sure option is relief wells, still 2 months away .
NEW: Parish president wants BP to build sand barrier islands now .
Workers toil on beaches and in marshes to clean up .


Rome (CNN) -- Mario Monti, the economist nominated to become Italy's new prime minister, began talks with political leaders Monday to discuss forming a government.

The 68-year-old's talks with political parties will continue Tuesday.

In comments after several meetings Monday, Monti said some of the delegations had discussed a "temporal outlook" for how long his government might last.

The time for the government "which I am trying to create is that period between today and the end of spring 2013," he said, according to a CNN translation. At any time the parliament could dissolve his government "because of lack of trust," he said.

It is "obvious" that the task at hand is an emergency, and that to achieve economic growth and social equity "should be the priorities," Monti said.

The new prime minister designate will face an arduous task, as Italy has one of the highest national debts in Europe at â‚¬1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) -- about 120% of GDP -- and has seen low growth in recent years.

To take the helm, Monti needs the approval of the Italian Parliament, which is composed of multiple parties with diverse interests. Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party remains the strongest force in parliament, and Berlusconi has said he plans to remain active in it.

Those diverse political interests and the pain of austerity measures could weigh heavily on Monti as he steers Italy through economically troubled waters. Some politicians in Italy have already called for elections to take place sooner than their scheduled time of spring 2013.

Italian party leaders spoke in support of the new prime minister designate on Italy's senate TV after exiting deliberations with Monti on the composition of a new government.

Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the Values Party, said his group is "happy that the Berlusconi government could be replaced by the Monti government." His party will not block a Monti-led government, he said.

But when asked specifically whether he would give Monti a vote of confidence, Di Pietro stressed that he would not answer until he learned more about Monti's plans and the composition of his Cabinet.

Franceso Rutelli, leader of the Alliance for Italy, also told reporters his block will support Monti's government.

Emma Bonino of the Radical Party expressed support for Monti as well. Speaking to reporters, Bonino called for reforms to address Italy's political and economic crisis.

Monti was nominated Sunday to replace Silvio Berlusconi as Italy's prime minister.

Berlusconi resigned Saturday amid the country's ongoing financial crisis. His role in Italy's political future is uncertain.

"For the time being he is waiting to see what is happening under the buildup of the new government under Mr. Monti," said Deborah Bergamini, a member of Italy's Parliament and former assistant to Berlusconi.

On Monday, Bergamini said Berlusconi told her he wants to continue acting as the chair of his PDL party.

Berlusconi's resignation was greeted with cheers and dancing in the streets, as people waved the Italian flag and sang the nation's anthem.

If he becomes prime minister, Monti could bring a distinctly different approach to governing than Italy has experienced over the past three years.

"It may be that the strong opposition ... against Berlusconi that has been going on in these years maybe will disperse itself, maybe will finish, and then we'll have a cooperative approach on the part of all the political forces. ... Let's hope that the international credibility of Mr. Monti will be able to work in this direction," Bergamini told CNN.

While the hot-blooded Berlusconi was for many years a master of forming political alliances, Monti is known for his achievements as a "Eurocrat," at the heart of Europe's institutions.

Dubbed Super Mario for his work in international finance, he served as a leading European Commission member for a decade -- including as commissioner for its financial services, market and taxation committee between 1995 and 1999 and as head of its competition committee from 1999 to 2004.

In announcing Monti's nomination, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said the

who is Silvio Berlusconi
Who supports Monti?
who support this gentleman
what did monti say

Answer: Italy's prime minister.

Answer: Italian party leaders

Answer: Italian party leaders

Answer: some of the delegations had discussed a "temporal outlook" for how long his government might last.

Summary:
Monti says his government would aim to continue through spring 2013 .
Heads of some key parties express support for Mario Monti .
Italian president: Monti is "gifted, competent, experienced"
Silvio Berlusconi is the second European leader to fall this month over the debt crisis .