(CNN) -- Somali pirates demanded a $7 million ransom for a British couple kidnapped aboard their yacht last week, a British agency said Friday. The British government says it won't pay. "The government will not make substantive concessions for hostage takers, including the payments of ransom," the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said. Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were snatched last week from their yacht in the Indian Ocean, had been held aboard a Singaporean cargo ship hijacked by pirates. They have been moved to a hijacked Spanish ship that pirates have stocked with more supplies and armed men, a local journalist in contact with the pirates said Friday. The pirates moved them to the Spanish vessel after elders in the Somali town of Haradhere refused a pirate request to allow the Chandlers ashore, the journalist said. The journalist's identity is not being disclosed for security reasons. After hours of negotiation, the couple spoke with Rachel Chandler's brother, Stephen Collett, on Friday -- a phone conversation that was videotaped by CNN's British affiliate ITN. In the conversation, Rachel Chandler confirmed only that they had been moved from the Singaporean cargo ship, but not their current location, the network reported. "We're managing. They tell us that we're safe and that we shouldn't worry and that if we want anything, they will provide it in terms of food and, you know, water," an emotional Rachel Chandler told Collett. "They're very hospitable people, so don't worry. ... Physically we're fine; physically, we're healthy." Paul Chandler spoke slowly and carefully in the interview: "Rachel and I are here. We are fine," he told Collett. "We know nothing here. It is nice to speak to you. I can only say we are well and that's as far as I can say." Collett read a message to the captors, asking them to release his sister and her husband to show "your compassionate nature." ITN reporter Angus Walker noted that Paul Chandler's tone sounded more strained than during their conversation Thursday, when he laughed at one point and sounded more relaxed. In their Thursday conversation, Chandler told ITN that men with guns had boarded the couple's yacht, demanding money and taking everything of value. Paul Chandler spoke later with the BBC's Somali Service, reportedly saying, "We are well and being looked after OK." He said they were being fed and "food is OK at the moment." The pirates abandoned the Chandlers' yacht, the 38-foot Lynn Rival, which the British Royal Navy found drifting in international waters Thursday. The Chandlers set off from the Seychelles islands on October 21 bound for Tanzania, according to their blog. A distress beacon was activated on October 23, according to naval officials. Britain's Foreign Office said it has been in close contact with the couple's family. Pirates have been very active off the east coast of Africa in the past several years, operating out of lawless Somalia. Two vessels were attacked the day after the Chandlers set sail. One of them -- a cargo ship -- was successfully boarded and seized off the Seychelles, while the other fought off its attackers near the Kenyan coast. Thursday, pirates attacked and boarded a Thai-flagged fishing vessel about 200 miles north of the Seychelles, according to the European Union Naval Force. Attacks in the region have significantly increased this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crimes. But successful attacks have gone down as a result of a strong presence of international monitors. The first nine months of this year has seen more pirate attacks than all of last year, the bureau reported October 21. From January 1 through September 30, pirates worldwide mounted 306 attacks, compared with 293 in all of 2008, it said. More than half of this year's attacks were carried out by suspected Somali pirates off the east coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route between Yemen and Somalia. Out of

Where did the couple leave for Tanzania?

What will the British government not do?

Answer: October 21

Answer: Paul and Rachel Chandler,

Answer: Seychelles islands on October 21 bound

Answer: guns

Answer: it won't pay.

Answer: a Singaporean cargo ship hijacked by pirates.

Answer: it won't pay.

Answer: Somali

Summary:
NEW: British government says it won't pay ransom .
Pirates move kidnapped British couple to hijacked Spanish ship .
Pirate source says ship has more men and weapons on board .
British couple left Seychelles for Tanzania on October 21 .


(CNN) -- Somali pirates have turned high-seas kidnappings into a lucrative business, one that netted between $50 million and $150 million last year, a former Navy SEAL told CNN.

Attackers hijacked the Maersk Alabama, shown here, formerly known as the Alva Maersk.

Kaj Larsen spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper Wednesday night about the changing tactics of pirates in Somalia. Below is a transcript of that interview, portions of which have been edited.

Cooper: You have spent a fair amount of time there. You have actually met with the pirates, right?

Larsen: I did. I met with some of the pirates that were operating out of Port of Mogadishu in 2006. And that was right before this current uptick in piracy that we're seeing so much of right now.

Cooper: And why the uptick? Just because now they realize it's so profitable?

Larsen: Sure, absolutely.

There's an extraordinary incentive to conduct acts of piracy. Last year, they estimate the pirates took in somewhere between $50 million and $150 million in ransom money. It's extraordinary. It's very lucrative. And, obviously, the cheap flow of weapons available in Somalia all contribute to this problem of maritime piracy.  See how pirate attacks are skyrocketing »

Cooper: And this is a different situation, because now the USS Bainbridge is on scene. This is the first time an American has been held hostage.

But, normally, a whole crew gets taken hostage, and it's basically a negotiation between the company that owns the vessel or the cargo and the pirates.

Larsen: Right Obviously, this is a very unique situation and it's developing right now as we speak. So, this is setting new standards and new precedents. My concern during this situation is that the pirates, seeing their first batch of resistance, in the future might be using more aggressive tactics now that they see that some ships are willing to fight back.

Cooper: You were a Navy SEAL. What is the procedure in something like this?

Larsen: Well, obviously, each situation is very unique, and so they have to balance the use of force with the potential threat of injury to the hostage. Again, this is a unique situation. This is the first time Americans have been taken hostage, so we could see a new precedent being set.  Watch how pirates operate off Somalia »

In the past, the U.S. Navy and the other coalition forces and the combined task force in the region has been reluctant to engage with the pirates militarily, for fear that one of the hostages will be hurt. We will see if that continues to be the case here.

Cooper: And, basically, I mean, if [pirates are] operating 350 miles offshore, and they're running around, and then they're going around in these little skiffs, do they have a larger boat nearby somewhere in the area? ... They can't go 350 miles offshore in a little skiff, can they?

Larsen: No, absolutely not, I mean, although you are seeing improved weather conditions in the Gulf of Aden, which is responsible for the increased in attacks over the past week, 350 miles is a long ways out at sea.

So, again, the pirates are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, are actually [using] mother ships in many cases, from which they send out the small speedboats out to both track and then sometimes assault these tanker and these container ships in the gulf.

Cooper: How do you think this thing is going to end? Do you have any idea?

Larsen: I don't really have any idea.

In the past, what we have seen is a classic kidnap-for-ransom hostage negotiation system, where the insurance companies end up paying sometimes millions of dollars for these pirates.

In this case, I think the very close presence of a U.S. Navy vessel might ...  provide some discomfort to the pirates in the area.

What does he say about the sophistication of the pirates?

Answer: between $50 million and $150 million

Answer: are becoming increasingly more sophisticated,

Answer: high-seas kidnappings

Answer: Somali

Answer: between $50 million and $150 million

Summary:
Ex-Navy SEAL says kidnapping of American is change for Somali pirates .
Kaj Larsen says pirates made between $50 million to $150 million last year .
"The pirates are becoming increasingly more sophisticated," he says .


(CNN) -- Somalia is facing life-threatening food and water shortages leaving millions at risk for starvation, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday.

A growing percentage of Somalia's population has become dependent on humanitarian aid.

"The Somali people are going through unbearable hardship," said Pascal Hundt, head of the ICRC's delegation for Somalia, in a written statement. "We are witnessing the worst tragedy of the past decade in Somalia."

Somalia's last severe famine, from 1991 to 1993, devastated crops, killed between 240,000 and 280,000 people and displaced up to 2 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Humanitarian workers view Somalia's food crisis as one of the worst in the world. With winds ripping though the country, hundreds of thousands of Somalis are finding their crops as dry as the surrounding landscape, preventing harvests, killing livestock and leading to a mass risk of starvation.

The continual armed conflicts in central and south Somalia have aggravated the situation, hindering people from accessing shelter and medical attention.

A growing percentage of the population has become dependent on humanitarian aid. The ICRC, World Food Program and CARE plan to deliver four months worth of food to 435,000 Somalis within the next few weeks.

International donors are being asked by the ICRC to provide some of the emergency money. Aid includes giving blankets, kitchen sets and other shelter supplies to 150,000 people.

The WFP will be increasing the amount it spends in Somalia to $163 million in food assistance, the group said at a U.N. conference in Rome Wednesday.

In addition to drought and armed conflict, high inflation on food and fuel have also exacerbated the situation. Similar factors have affected other developing nations in Africa and other parts of the world.

Ethiopia's food crisis has affected 4.5 million people, said the United Nations Children's Fund.

As a result of widespread food shortages and little rainfall, an estimated 126,000 children are in need of medical assistance to combat severe malnutrition, while the WFP projects $193 million will be needed for urgent food distributions.

What has exacerbated the situation in Somalia?

Inflation on what products has worsened the situation?

Who is facing life-threatening food, water shortages leaving millions?

What has been exacerbating the situation?

What parts of Somalia have experienced a lot of armed conflicts?

What items in Somalia are affected by inflation the most?

What national element is leaving crops dry and preventing harvests?

What tension has contributed to the problem in Somalia?

What are leaving crops as dry as the landscape?

What is Somalia facing according to the ICRC?

Answer: high inflation on food and fuel

Answer: food and fuel

Answer: Somalia

Answer: continual armed conflicts

Answer: winds

Answer: central and south

Answer: food and fuel

Answer: International Committee of the Red Cross

Answer: winds

Answer: continual armed conflicts

Answer: winds ripping though the country,

Answer: life-threatening food and water shortages

Summary:
ICRC: Somalia facing life-threatening food, water shortages leaving millions at risk .
Winds are leaving crops as dry as the landscape, preventing harvests .
Continual armed conflicts in central and south Somalia have aggravated the situation .
High inflation on food and fuel have also exacerbated the situation .


(CNN) -- Somalia is facing life-threatening food and water shortages leaving millions at risk for starvation, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday. A growing percentage of Somalia's population has become dependent on humanitarian aid. "The Somali people are going through unbearable hardship," said Pascal Hundt, head of the ICRC's delegation for Somalia, in a written statement. "We are witnessing the worst tragedy of the past decade in Somalia." Somalia's last severe famine, from 1991 to 1993, devastated crops, killed between 240,000 and 280,000 people and displaced up to 2 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Humanitarian workers view Somalia's food crisis as one of the worst in the world. With winds ripping though the country, hundreds of thousands of Somalis are finding their crops as dry as the surrounding landscape, preventing harvests, killing livestock and leading to a mass risk of starvation. The continual armed conflicts in central and south Somalia have aggravated the situation, hindering people from accessing shelter and medical attention. A growing percentage of the population has become dependent on humanitarian aid. The ICRC, World Food Program and CARE plan to deliver four months worth of food to 435,000 Somalis within the next few weeks. International donors are being asked by the ICRC to provide some of the emergency money. Aid includes giving blankets, kitchen sets and other shelter supplies to 150,000 people. The WFP will be increasing the amount it spends in Somalia to $163 million in food assistance, the group said at a U.N. conference in Rome Wednesday. In addition to drought and armed conflict, high inflation on food and fuel have also exacerbated the situation. Similar factors have affected other developing nations in Africa and other parts of the world. Ethiopia's food crisis has affected 4.5 million people, said the United Nations Children's Fund. As a result of widespread food shortages and little rainfall, an estimated 126,000 children are in need of medical assistance to combat severe malnutrition, while the WFP projects $193 million will be needed for urgent food distributions.

Where are the continual armed conflicts?

Answer: deliver four months worth of food

Answer: drought and armed conflict,

Answer: is facing life-threatening food and water shortages

Answer: high inflation on food and fuel

Answer: in central and south Somalia

Summary:
ICRC: Somalia facing life-threatening food, water shortages leaving millions at risk .
Winds are leaving crops as dry as the landscape, preventing harvests .
Continual armed conflicts in central and south Somalia have aggravated the situation .
High inflation on food and fuel have also exacerbated the situation .


(CNN) -- Somalia needs international help to fight Islamist extremists battling for power in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, the country's moderate Islamist president said Monday. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president. "I am calling on the international community to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country," President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said. Speaking at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, Ahmed called several times for international help in fighting foreign militants whom he claims are the same fighters who have fought the "international community" in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Wherever they come, they fuel violence," the president said. "The Somali people cannot and should not accept that their countries should be a launching pad for these militants to attack." Ahmed told local journalists that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups. He also praised local militias in the two regions of Hiiran and Middle Shabelle for struggling against the foreign militias. Last week, al-Shabab militants advanced to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, sparking sporadic fighting and shelling in the Somali capital. The recent fighting has killed more than 40 civilians and wounded about 150 others, according to sources at the scene. Al-Shabab -- once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union -- has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, which says it is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network. Ahmed participated in seizing control of Mogadishu in 2006 along with the Islamic Courts Union before it was ousted by Ethiopian forces later that year. He has since split from Somali jihad movements and was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president through a process shepherded by the United Nations. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

Who did the U.S. say Al-Shabab militants are affiliated with?

What does Ahmed fear will happen to Somalia?

Who will speak at a conference in Mogadishu?

Who fears foreign fighters will turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan?

How many has the fighting killed in the past two days?

Who are the Al-Shabab Militants affiliated to

Who is speaking at a conference in Mogadishu?

What does Ahmed Fear foreign fighters will do?

Who are Al-Shabab militants affiliated with?

where is the conference the president is speaking at?

Answer: in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu,

Answer: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed

Answer: 40

Answer: the al Qaeda terrorist network.

Answer: foreign fighters would turn

Answer: at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu,

Answer: President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed

Answer: 40 civilians

Answer: Somalia into another Iraq or

Answer: Ahmed

Answer: more than 40 civilians

Answer: The recent fighting

Answer: al Qaeda terrorist network.

Answer: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed

Answer: Afghanistan,

Answer: al Qaeda terrorist network.

Answer: Mogadishu,

Summary:
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed speaking at a conference in Mogadishu .
Ahmed fears foreign fighters will turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan .
Fighting in past two days kills more than 40 civilians .
U.S. says Al-Shabab militants are affiliated with al Qaeda network .


(CNN) -- Somalia's hard-line Islamic group Al-Shabab seized control of Jowhar, the president's hometown, after a battle with pro-government forces Sunday. An Islamist fighter mans a position in the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, on Saturday. Jowhar is a major town 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of Mogadishu, the capital. "All businesses are closed and residents are already fleeing while Al-Shabab are roaming the streets," a local journalist said. The town had been under the control of forces backing the transitional government, which is scrambling to cope with deadly advances from Al-Shabab in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab was once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union, which took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006. The United States says the group is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network, and the U.S. backed an Ethiopian invasion that drove the ICU from power in 2006. After seizing control of Jowhar on Sunday, the rebels started conducting "search operations in the police station and the provincial headquarters of the town," the journalist added. The clashes extended into the suburbs of the town, where sporadic fighting was going on between the rebels and government forces, said the journalist, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. The town's seizure comes amid escalating tension between Somalia's transitional government and the Al-Shabab militia, which has waged days-long attacks in the capital. In the latest round of violence, one person was killed and 15 others wounded when mortars slammed into a police academy in Mogadishu on Sunday. Clashes between the rebels and the government in Mogadishu have left at least 103 people dead and 420 wounded, Somali officials said Friday. The east African nation has not had an effective government since 1991. Last week, a spokesman for the rebel group said that it had successfully recruited more fighters. "It is not only Somali jihadists that are fighting in Mogadishu against the government," said Sheikh Hassan Ya'qub, a spokesman for Al-Shabab. "There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us." The new round of fighting stems from an interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, the spokesman said. Somalia's new president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, recently approved implementing sharia, but the rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form. Meanwhile, a powerful Islamist warlord defected to the government Saturday after he disagreed with rebel Islamist groups on the war against the transitional government. The warlord, Sheikh Yusuf Mohamud Siad Indha Ade, was the military commander of Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is suspected by the United States of being a terrorist.

How many people were killed in clashes between rebels and government?

What group is Al-Shabab affiliated with?

Who does the U.S. say is affiliated with al Qaeda?

How much people were killed in clashes between rebels and the government?

What has Al-Shabab been successful at recently?

Answer: 103

Answer: al Qaeda

Answer: Al-Shabab

Answer: 103

Answer: that it had successfully recruited more fighters.

Answer: Clashes between the rebels and the government in Mogadishu have left at least 103 people dead and 420 wounded,

Answer: Islamic Courts Union,

Answer: 103

Answer: Somalia

Answer: one person was

Answer: "There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us."

Answer: seized control of Jowhar,

Answer: Al-Shabab

Answer: Somalia,

Summary:
Group Al-Shabab is affiliated with al Qaeda, according to the U.S.
Clashes between rebels and government killed 103, wounded 420, officials say .
Al-Shabab recently said it has been successful at recruiting more members .


(CNN) -- Somalia's president escaped an opportunistic attack by Islamic militants Wednesday as deadly fighting erupted in the center of Mogadishu, officials said. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was returning from a trip to Yemen when insurgents began firing mortars, resulted in a clash with African Union peacekeepers, the president's director of communications told CNN. "The Islamic insurgents were just guessing the arrival of the president so they started firing mortars, just to send a kind of their regular violent message that they are around," said Abdulkadir Barnamij. The heaviest of the fighting was centered on Maka Al Mukarama, which links the airport to the presidential palace but it is heavily guarded by forces from the African Union Mission in Somalia. Meanwhile Ali Muse, head of an emergency group in the city, confirmed to CNN that three people died and 16 others were wounded in the fighting. "The casualty (number) is small because people deserted the streets soon after the fighting started," said Ali Muse. -- Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report

Where did the heaviest fighting take place?

How many people was left dead because of the fighting?

Where was the heaviest of the fighting centered?

Answer: Maka Al Mukarama,

Answer: Mogadishu,

Answer: "The Islamic insurgents were just guessing the arrival of the president so they started firing mortars,

Answer: three

Answer: three people died and 16 others were wounded

Answer: insurgents began firing mortars, resulted in a clash with African Union peacekeepers,

Answer: Maka Al Mukarama,

Summary:
President's office: Islamist insurgents, African Union peacekeepers exchanged fire .
Fighting left at least five dead, according to Shabelle Media network .
The heaviest of the fighting centered on area linking airport to the presidential palace .


(CNN) -- Somalia's president on Wednesday declared three days of national mourning for the victims of a suicide truck bomb that killed more than 70 people in Mogadishu, the nation's capital.

According to the Health Ministry, 72 were killed Tuesday and 103 remained injured, 38 of those in serious condition. A majority of the victims were students and their parents who were registering for an education program at a government complex.

Al-Shabaab, an Islamist movement that has links to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility.

President Sharif Ahmed visited the scene and some of the hospitals where the victims were, the government said in a statement. Some of the injured who cannot be treated in Somalia will be flown to other countries.

"At this time, when the country is in the midst of a worsening humanitarian crisis, the terrorists could not have attacked the Somali people at a worse time," said Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed, the country's minister of information.

According to the government, Tuesday's bombing was the second Al-Shabaab attack in two years that specifically targeted students. In December 2009, a suicide bomber attacked a university graduation ceremony in Mogadishu, killing more than 20 people.

Al-Shabaab is a group in Somalia that was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States government in March 2008. It is waging a war against Somalia's government to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or Sharia.

Federal and African Union forces in the impoverished and chaotic nation have battled the group for years. Many analysts believe that Al-Shabaab has been severely weakened by the African Union Mission in Somalia, targeted strikes against foreign members and the weakening of al Qaeda.

whats Somalia's president visits hospitals and bombing scene, calls for three days of mourning?

What does the Somalian president call for?

Answer: Sharif Ahmed

Answer: 72

Answer: three days of national mourning

Answer: Al-Shabaab, an Islamist movement that has links to al Qaeda,

Summary:
A suicide truck bomb killed more than 70 people Tuesday .
Somalia's president visits hospitals and bombing scene, calls for three days of mourning .
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the blast .


(CNN) -- Somalia's transitional government has the right to request military help from its neighbors against armed militants, the African Union said Monday, but Kenya was quick to reject the idea of sending troops and suggested the AU should spearhead such a move. Islamist insurgents patrol part of Mogadishu during clashes with government forces. Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adan Madowe on Saturday called on Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen to send in their military forces to help government troops stop hardline Islamist militants from taking over. "Militants are wrestling the power from the government and so we call for military help from neighboring countries," the speaker said at a news conference in Mogadishu. "Please send your military to help in 24 hours' time." But Alfred Mutua, spokesman for the Kenyan government, told CNN that "Kenya doesn't engage in military support to our neighbors." He said that any such support would be under the umbrella of the African Union. However, he did say that "different types of support can be given, not just military, and Kenya's options are open." He said that the government should announce by Wednesday how it will move forward. Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, said in a communique issued Sunday that the transitional government, as Somalia's legitimate government, "has the right to seek support from AU Member States and the larger international community." Ping also said that the AU would "continue to do its utmost to assist the Somali people and its authorities in their lasting quest for peace and reconciliation." Somalia's call for help came hours after a third top politician was killed in ongoing fighting in the capital. Mohamed Hussein Adow, a powerful member of parliament who was leading the fight against the Islamists, was slain Friday in the north of the city. His death came two days after Islamists killed Internal Security Minister Omar Hashi Adan in a suicide attack in central Somalia. The nation's former ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdikarin Farah Laqanyo, was also killed, along with at least 11 others, government officials said. Madowe said a Pakistani militant who is a high-ranking official in al Qaeda is leading the fighting in Somalia against the government. He warned that militants will spread fighting into the rest of the region if they topple the government in Somalia. Mohammed Amiin Adow contributed to this report for CNN

What did Somali parliament speaker asks Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen to do ?

who is battling hardline Islamist militants?

Country is battling what kind of militants ?

Where did the speaker ask the tropps come from?

Answer: help government troops stop hardline Islamist militants from taking over.

Answer: government troops

Answer: that the AU

Answer: called on Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen to send in their military forces to help government troops stop hardline Islamist militants from taking over.

Answer: Islamist

Answer: AU

Answer: Islamist militants

Answer: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya

Summary:
Somali parliament speaker asks Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen to send troops .
Country is battling hardline Islamist militants .
Kenya says African Union must lead such an effort .
AU says it will help Somalia .


(CNN) -- Somalia's transitional president has resigned amid a power struggle with the African nation's prime minister and parliament, sources told CNN on Monday. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed tried to fire his PM this month but later lost a confidence vote. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed announced his resignation Monday before parliament in Baidoa. Ahmed's resignation is the latest turn in the political crisis in Somalia, which is already struggling with an Islamist revolt, a refugee crisis and rampant lawlessness that has fueled a wave of piracy off the Horn of Africa. Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991. The U.N.-backed transitional government has the support of Ethiopian troops that ousted an Islamist government at the end of 2006, but it controls little of the country outside the southwestern city of Baidoa. Ahmed attempted to fire his prime minister, Nur Hassan Hussein, earlier this month for being ineffective. But Hussein said the president did not have the power to fire him, and the vast majority of members of parliament backed Hussein in a vote of confidence. Kenya -- a major player in international efforts to stabilize Somalia -- warned that the government crisis endangered peace efforts and singled out Ahmed over his attempt to sack Hassan.

What has Kenya warned about the Somali government?

Which other country warned that Somali government crisis is endangering peace efforts?

The country struggled with which religious revolt?

What country's transitional president resigns?

What happened to Somalias transitional president?

Which country's transitional president resigns amid power struggle with PM, parliament?

Answer: endangered peace efforts and singled out Ahmed over his attempt to sack Hassan.

Answer: Kenya

Answer: Islamist

Answer: Somalia's

Answer: resigned amid a power struggle with the African nation's

Answer: warned that the government crisis endangered peace efforts and singled out Ahmed over his attempt to sack Hassan.

Answer: an Islamist revolt, a refugee crisis and rampant lawlessness that has fueled a wave of piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Answer: Somalia's

Summary:
Somalia's transitional president resigns amid power struggle with PM, parliament .
Country struggling with Islamist revolt, refugee crisis and rampant lawlessness .
Kenya has warned that Somali government crisis is endangering peace efforts .


(CNN) -- Somalian supermodel Waris Dirie has graced the pages of glossy magazines and starred opposite 007 as a Bond Girl. Face for change: Dirie is a tireless campaigner against FGM. But her glamorous appearances on catwalks and in magazines and films belies the personal battles Dirie has had to overcome. Dirie is a leading voice against forced circumcision and female genital mutilation (FGM) and struggled to overcome her own circumcision at the age of five. The forthcoming film, "Desert Flower", based on her biography, tells her story. Yet it is through her charitable foundation that Dirie hopes that the practice still common in traditions in parts of Africa, the Middle East, South American and Asia will not create more cases similar to her own. Growing up with a nomadic family in Somalia she was one of 12 children. She fled to the London, where one of her uncles was working in the Somali embassy, to avoid an arranged marriage with an older man. She was just 13-years-old at the time. After working as a housemaid and in a McDonald's restaurant she was spotted by chance by fashion photographer Terrance Donovan and became the covergirl for the 1987 Pirelli calendar. Becoming the face of beauty products and design houses, her successful modeling career has given her a life far removed from her childhood. Yet for Dirie more importantly it has created a platform to campaign against FGM. In 2002 she created the Waris Dirie Foundation and has been given a number of honors in recognition of her work.

Who was the supermodel discovered by in the UK?

Which year was the Waris Dirie Foundation set up?

What does the Waris Dirie Foundation do?

Who is a Somalian supermodel and human rights activist?

When was the Waris Dirie Foundation established?

Answer: forced circumcision and female genital mutilation (FGM)

Answer: Waris Dirie

Answer: 2002

Answer: London,

Answer: campaign against FGM.

Answer: Waris Dirie

Answer: 2002

Answer: Somalian

Summary:
Somalian supermodel and human rights activist .
Campaigns against female genital mutilation; suffered circumcision age just five .
Fled from Somali to UK as a teenager; spotted by fashion photographer .
Set up Waris Dirie Foundation in 2002; received numerous award for her work .


(CNN) -- Somalis forced to flee war and drought are living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at home and in neighboring countries, including in Kenya and Ethiopia, an aid agency said Thursday. Somali refugees in Kenya queue to find out about a move to a displacement camp. Somalia has seen a rise in fighting between government forces and the Islamic militant group Al-Shabab, which wants to implement a stricter form of Sharia law or Islamic religious law. The clashes have left scores dead in recent months. The country in the Horn of Africa is also going through the worst drought in 10 years, international agency Oxfam said. "Somalis flee one of the world's most brutal conflicts and a desperate drought, only to end up in unimaginable conditions in camps that are barely fit for humans," said Robbert Van den Berg, a spokesman for Oxfam International in the Horn of Africa. "Hundreds of thousands of children are affected, and the world is abandoning the next generation of Somalis when they most need our help. Why does it seem like you matter less in this world if you are from Somalia?" The international community has failed the refugees, who have little access to basic services such as water and medicine, Oxfam said. About 8,000 Somali refugees flock into the Dadaab camp in northern Kenya every month, the aid agency said. The camp, which has facilities for about 90,000, has 280,000 refugees who have no access to basic necessities, including clean water, Oxfam said. "The Kenyan government has repeatedly promised to provide more land to ease the overcrowding, but has so far failed to do so," Van den Berg said. "More pressure from the international community is needed to make it happen." Kenyan officials decried the criticism. "It is wrong to say we are not doing anything," said Francis Mwaka, a federal communications official. "The Kenya government is aware of the problem and is working on a solution." Several government departments that deal with refugee issues are planning to meet next week, Mwaka said. "During this meeting, they will discuss the possibility of having another camp for refugees in the country or relocating some of the ones in Dadaab to another camp," he said. Mwaka confirmed Oxfam's report that the Dadaab camp was built to host 90,000 refugees. In Ethiopia, the Bokolmayo camp has about 10,000 people. At least 1,000 people arrive there every month, but the facilities are not adequate enough to handle the influx, Oxfam said. Meanwhile, in Somalia, insecurity has hindered international aid agencies from reaching the 485,000 people who have fled the capital, Mogadishu, to nearby Afgooye, Oxfam said. The displaced are getting help from Somalis, who do not have enough resources, it added. "In all three locations -- Afgooye, Dadaab and Bokolmayo -- the services being provided to vulnerable and desperate people are far below international standards," Van den Berg said. About 1.4 million people have been displaced in Somalia and 500,000 more have fled to countries in the region, according to Oxfam. The transitional government has been mired in chaos since 1991 when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and sparked brutal clan infighting. Government officials have struggled to establish authority amid challenges by Islamist groups that have seized control of some cities.

Clashes between government forces and islamic militant group has killed how many?

What is the name of the camp in Ethiopia?

Answer: scores

Answer: government forces and the Islamic militant group Al-Shabab,

Answer: the Horn of Africa

Answer: overcrowded and unsanitary conditions

Answer: Somali

Answer: Bokolmayo

Answer: government forces and the Islamic militant group Al-Shabab,

Answer: 280,000

Summary:
Somali refugees living in unsanitary conditions at home and in neighboring countries .
Clashes between government forces and Islamic militant group has killed hundreds .
Somalia also suffering from worst drought in ten years, according to Oxfam .
The Bokolmayo camp in Ethiopia is home to about 10,000 refugees .


(CNN) -- Some 220 square miles of ice has collapsed in Antarctica and an ice shelf about seven times the size of Manhattan is "hanging by a thread," the British Antarctic Survey said Tuesday, blaming global warming. Scientists say the size of the threatened shelf is about 5,282 square miles. "We are in for a lot more events like this," said professor Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Scambos alerted the British Antarctic Survey after he noticed part of the Wilkins ice shelf disintegrating on February 28, when he was looking at NASA satellite images. Late February marks the end of summer at the South Pole and is the time when such events are most likely, he said.  Watch aerial footage of the area » "The amazing thing was, we saw it within hours of it beginning, in between the morning and the afternoon pictures of that day," Scambos said of the large chunk that broke away on February 28. The Wilkins ice shelf lost about 6 percent of its surface a decade ago, the British Antarctic Survey said in a statement on its Web site Another 220 square miles -- including the chunk that Scambos spotted -- had splintered from the ice shelf as of March 8, the group said. "As of mid-March, only a narrow strip of shelf ice was protecting several thousand kilometers of potential further breakup," the group said. Scambos' center put the size of the threatened shelf at about 5,282 square miles, comparable to the state of Connecticut, or about half the area of Scotland.  See a map and photos as the collapse progressed » Once Scambos called the British Antarctic Survey, the group sent an aircraft on a reconnaissance mission to examine the extent of the breakout. "We flew along the main crack and observed the sheer scale of movement from the breakage," said Jim Elliott, according to the group's Web site. "Big hefty chunks of ice, the size of small houses, look as though they've been thrown around like rubble -- it's like an explosion," he said. "Wilkins is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula yet to be threatened," David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey said, according to the Web site. "I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly. The ice shelf is hanging by a thread -- we'll know in the next few days or weeks what its fate will be." But with Antarctica's summer ending, Scambos said the "unusual show is over for this season." Ice shelves are floating ice sheets attached to the coast. Because they are already floating, their collapse does not have any effect on sea levels, according to the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey. Scambos said the ice shelf is not currently on the path of the increasingly popular tourist ships that travel from South America to Antarctica. But some plants and animals may have to adapt to the collapse. "Wildlife will be impacted, but they are pretty adept at dealing with a topsy-turvy world," he said. "The ecosystem is pretty resilient." Several ice shelves -- Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Larsen B, Wordie, Muller and Jones -- have collapsed in the past three decades, the British Antarctic Survey said. Larsen B, a 1,254-square-mile ice shelf, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island, collapsed in 2002, the group said. Scientists say the western Antarctic peninsula -- the piece of the continent that stretches toward South America -- has warmed more than any other place on Earth over the past 50 years, rising by 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit each decade. Scambos said the poles will be the leading edge of what's happening in the rest of the world as global warming continues. "Even though they seem far away, changes in the polar regions could have an impact on both hemispheres, with sea level rise and changes in climate patterns," he said.

What is protecting the shelf from further breakup?

Answer: narrow strip of

Answer: Ice shelves

Answer: the size of the threatened shelf is about 5,282 square miles.

Answer: Antarctica

Answer: 220 square miles of ice has collapsed

Answer: sheets attached to the coast.

Summary:
A large chunk of the Wilkins ice shelf in Antarctica broke away last month .
Only a narrow strip of ice is protecting the shelf from further breakup .
"I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly," scientist says .
Ice shelves are floating ice sheets attached to the coast .


(CNN) -- Some 5,000 residents in eastern Pennsylvania were allowed to return to their homes Saturday afternoon, some 12 hours after they were evacuated when a tractor-trailer carrying 33,000 pounds of toxic hydrofluoric acid overturned after the driver tried to avoid a deer, authorities said. Traffic is backed up Saturday after a truck spilled hydrofluoric acid in eastern Pennsylvania. State police identified the driver as Raymond Leblanc, 54, of Harrow, Ontario, Canada. Leblanc, who initially was trapped in the truck, was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released. Police said a passenger in the truck was unhurt. No other injuries were reported. The truck flipped over on its side and slid along northbound State Road 33, which was closed in both directions from Belfast to Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, from the time of the early-morning accident until about 6 p.m. Saturday. Most of the acid in the tank was in the form of pressurized gas, but there also was some water, said Northampton County spokesman John Conklin. State and federal hazardous materials experts stopped the leak by noon. The wreck occurred at 3:30 a.m. near Wind Gap. Conklin said many evacuees -- those living within a mile of the accident site in Plainfield Township -- went to a shelter set up at nearby Pen Argyl High School in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. A dispatcher with the Northhampton County Division of Emergency Management said residents were allowed to begin returning to their homes about 3:45 p.m. Saturday. Hydrogen fluoride is a hazardous chemical compound used mainly for industrial purposes such as etching glass, and is extremely corrosive. It also is an ingredient in high-octane gasoline, refrigerants, aluminum and light bulbs. Contact with concentrated solutions can cause severe burns, according to medical authorities. Inhaling the gas causes respiratory irritation, severe eye damage and pulmonary edema.

When will the evacuees be able to go home?

What did a driver report trying to avoid?

Where was the location of the acid spill?

Answer: hydrofluoric acid

Answer: afternoon,

Answer: a deer,

Answer: tractor-trailer carrying 33,000 pounds of toxic hydrofluoric acid overturned

Answer: eastern Pennsylvania

Answer: toxic hydrofluoric acid

Answer: 5,000

Answer: hydrofluoric acid

Summary:
5,000 evacuees able to go home 12 hours after evacuated because of acid spill .
Canadian driver tried to avoid hitting a deer, flipped tractor-trailer .
Leak of highly corrosive hydrofluoric acid stopped .


(CNN) -- Some Americans visiting or working in Haiti have not been heard from since Tuesday's earthquake, but loved ones back home are trying to remain optimistic as good reports come in from others.

CNN iReporter Cynthia Kivland of Prairie Grove, Illinois, spent a sleepless night trying to get in touch with her 30-year-old daughter, Chelsey.

Chelsey Kivland has lived in Haiti for more than two years and speaks fluent Creole; she just returned there from a visit home in December. The Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chicago is finishing her doctoral dissertation in anthropology.

"She's just a beautiful person," said her mother, who contacted the State Department and the university for help.

Help the Kivlands find their daughter

There are about 45,000 Americans in Haiti, the U.S. State Department estimates.

A 15-member group from Trinity United Methodist Church of Hackettstown, New Jersey, turned up after going missing for about 18 hours after the quake. The group was believed to be at an orphanage in Bon Repos, 15 miles north of Port-au-Prince, when the earthquake struck.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, a church member said the group contacted the church via a CNN satellite phone in Haiti.

A message on the church's Web site said that a two- to three-day lag in communication is not unusual after natural disasters.

Skip Conover of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, said a 21-member team of congregation members from his church, Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton and Kingdom Church of Ewing has been out of contact.

"We have heard absolutely nothing from our group," he said. "If everything was on schedule, the team should have landed three hours before the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Our fingers are crossed that if there were no holdups in customs and no stopgaps, the team should have been up the mountains and reached the village of Thoman before the quake happened."

Thoman is a two-hour drive from Port-au-Prince, and phone communication is not good from there, he said.

Are you looking for loved ones?

Two Americans with another church were rescued from the rubble of their mission house.

Jillian Thorp and Charles Dietsch of the Catholic Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, were pulled from the remains of the three-story house after a night of digging by four mission workers, Thorp's father said.

"It was heroic. I think that's the only word for it," said the father, Clay Cook, of Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

Watch Cook tell the story

"Jill couldn't really do anything for herself, except she did have her cell phone, so she was able to talk to people and tell them where within the house she and this other gentleman, Chuck Dietsch, were located, so they didn't have to look through the whole pile of rubble."

Thorp's husband, Frank, arrived after driving all night from another town, "and he literally lifted her out of the hole when they finally got her free," Cook said.

When he spoke to her less than an hour later, "she was a little shaky," Cook said. "She spent about 11 hours buried in concrete, listening to the earth shake around her, so being a little shaky is probably pretty good."

At a news conference later, Cook and his wife, Karen, asked reporters to turn their attention to those who are still suffering and grieving.

"It's a beautiful country, and they're a beautiful people, and they need a lot of help right now," he said.

He said his daughter does not want to leave Haiti in its hour of need.

"Our baby is safe, but there's so many babies that aren't safe," a tearful Karen Cook said.

The pastoral staff at Free Chapel, a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Georgia, used Skype on Tuesday night to reach Bobby and Sherry Burnette, the couple who run the church's permanent mission in Haiti,

What does the New Jersey mission group use?

Answer: CNN satellite phone

Answer: Two Americans

Answer: a 21-member team of congregation members from his church, Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton and Kingdom Church of Ewing has been out of contact.

Answer: 30-year-old daughter, Chelsey.

Answer: CNN

Answer: her 30-year-old daughter, Chelsey.

Answer: Two Americans

Answer: Americans visiting or working

Summary:
NEW: New Jersey mission group uses CNN satellite phone to contact church .
Another New Jersey church group still unaccounted for .
Mother hasn't heard from Fulbright Scholar daughter .
Two with Catholic mission pulled from rubble after night of digging .


(CNN) -- Some Democrats had dubbed the possibility of a Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton pairing last year as a "dream ticket," though the notion that the two once-bitter primary rivals would team up always seemed far-fetched. But then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was more seriously considering picking Clinton as his running mate than any of his senior aides realized, according to a forthcoming book by former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. Yet in the end, it may have been her husband President Clinton -- who had made headlines for his outbursts on the campaign trail during the primary season -- that ultimately scuttled the possibility. In the book, excerpts of which are running in the new issue of Time magazine, Plouffe said Obama took both him and senior aide David Axelrod by surprise when he insisted on including Clinton on the initial list of potential picks for the No. 2 spot on the ticket. "Obama was clearly thinking more seriously about picking Hillary Clinton than Axelrod and I had realized," Plouffe writes. "He said if his central criterion measured who could be the best VP, she had to be included in that list." While Obama continued to consider picking Clinton throughout the summer of 2008, he ultimately eliminated her name from the list in early August, fearing, Plouffe writes, that there "were just too many complications outweighing the potential strengths." "I think Bill may be too big a complication," Plouffe quotes Obama as saying. "If I picked her, my concern is that there would be more than two of us in the relationship." The new book, "The Audacity to Win," hits book stores November 3.

What is the date of the release of the book?

What was an Obama-Clinton pairing seen as by Democrats?

Answer: "The Audacity to Win,"

Answer: November 3.

Answer: a "dream ticket,"

Answer: then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was more seriously considering picking Clinton as his running mate than any of his senior aides realized,

Answer: Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton pairing

Answer: "The Audacity to Win,"

Answer: November 3.

Answer: picking Clinton as his running mate

Summary:
Obama-Clinton pairing was deemed a far-fetched dream ticket by Democrats .
Obama: "I think Bill may be too big a complication," former campaign manager writes .
Obama was more serious about picking Hillary Clinton for VP than aides realized, book says .
David Plouffe's book "The Audacity to Win," hits book stores November 3 .


(CNN) -- Some Democrats say they fear their party's method of picking a nominee might turn undemocratic as neither presidential candidate is likely to gather the delegates needed for the nomination. The Democrats' superdelegate system is supposed to avoid turmoil at the party's conventions. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running neck and neck toward the party's August convention in Denver, Colorado. Most projections show neither getting the necessary 2,025 delegates in the remaining nominating contests before then. Party rules call for the votes of superdelegates -- 800 or so party officers, elected officials and activists -- to tip the balance. The party instituted the system to avoid the turmoil that a deadlocked race would create at a convention. But even some superdelegates are questioning the system, as the party heads toward the conclusion of a race in which they might determine the outcome. "It's not the most democratic way of doing things," said Maine superdelegate Sam Spencer.  Watch the scenario for a "civil war" in the Democratic Party » At least two organizations have launched petition drives to reflect how the vote went in primaries and caucuses. MoveOn.org, which has endorsed Obama, is trying to get 200,000 signatures this week and plans to run an ad with its petition in USA Today. And Democracy for America, headed by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's brother Jim, said it will deliver signed petitions to all the superdelegates. While pledged delegates are allocated with the understanding they'll vote the way their state went in its primary or caucus, superdelegates are free to vote however they want. And even if they pledge their support to a candidate, they're free to change at any time. Clinton already has 234 superdelegates and Obama has 157. But Obama has a sizable lead in pledged delegates, 1,096 to 977, and is on a roll, having won all eight nominating contests since Super Tuesday.  See which states pledged delegates come from » If the superdelegates were to tip the balance against the popular vote, the turmoil would last long beyond the convention, longtime Democratic Party strategist Tad Devine said. "If a perception develops that somehow this decision has been made not by voters participating in primaries or caucuses, but by politicians in some mythical backroom, I think that the public could react strongly against that," Devine said. "The problem is [if] people perceive that voters have not made the decision -- instead, insiders have made the decision -- then all of these new people who are being attracted to the process, particularly the young people who are voting for the first time, will feel disenfranchised or in some way alienated," he said. Superdelegates were established in 1982 to bring more moderate Democrats back to conventions, where their attendance had been dropping since the 1950s, and to relect the party's mainstream more accurately. "[Superdelegates] are the keepers of the faith," said former San Francisco, California, Mayor Willie Brown. "You have superdelegates because this is the Democratic Party. You don't want the bleed-over from the Green Party, the independents and others in deciding who your nominee will be." Devine was part of the first campaign to benefit from the roles of superdelegates -- that of former Vice President Walter Mondale in 1984. Mondale's 1984 campaign went into the party convention with too few delegates to secure the nomination against the campaigns of former Sen. Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson. Mondale had received more votes, but Hart had won more states. Mondale was able to line up the superdelegates going into the convention and avoid a fight on the convention floor. Each campaign actively is trying to encourage the unpledged delegates to pledge to their side. Jason Rae, a 21-year-old Wisconsin superdelegate, said he's gotten calls from former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright from Hillary Clinton's camp, and Obama's wife, Michelle, visited with him during a campaign stop Tuesday in Wisconsin. Rae said he hasn't yet decided how he'll vote in Wisconsin's primary on Tuesday. Crystal Strait, a

What number of superdelegates was there?

Do superdelegates get to choose their vote?

What number of superdelegates are there?

What is the difference between delegates and superdelegates?

What is the number of superdelegates for the Democrats?

Answer: 800 or so

Answer: their party's method of picking a nominee might turn undemocratic

Answer: superdelegates are free to vote however they want.

Answer: however they want.

Answer: 800 or so

Answer: are allocated with the understanding they'll vote the way their state went in

Answer: 800 or so

Answer: tip the balance.

Answer: 800

Summary:
Democrats' system includes about 800 superdelegates -- party officials, leaders .
Unlike elected delegates, superdelegates can vote for any candidate they choose .
Some says they fear superdelegates could tip balance against the popular vote .
If such a thing happens, some say voters will feel alienated, disenfranchised .


(CNN) -- Some Iranian-Americans, watching the post-election unrest in Iran, say the tug-of-war between the people and their hardline government has come to a head after three decades. Crowds demonstrated in Los Angeles, California on Monday, June 15 over the Iran election results. "I am absolutely convinced that what we are witnessing is a turning point in the history of the Islamic Republic," said Dr. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City. "Even if the Islamic Republic survives this crisis, it will no longer be as it used to be," added Dabashi. The contentious election results between conservative incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformist challenger Mir Hossein Moussavi sent many Iranians protesting in the streets, while others celebrated Ahmadinejad's apparent victory. Kaveh Afrasiabi, who has taught at Tehran University and Boston University and identifies himself as an independent, told CNN that Ahmadinejad's widespread support in rural areas and small towns was the reason for his win. In results announced hours after the polls closed, Ahmadinejad received more than 62 percent of the vote, a figure hotly disputed by Moussavi's supporters. With the credibility of Friday's election under scrutiny, how the Islamic Republic of Iran overcomes it and reclaims its legitimacy in the eyes of some of its own citizens and the international community remains to be seen. "There is good reason to believe that many if not most of the pro-Moussavi demonstrators are gladly taking an opportunity to safely protest something bigger: their enormous discontent with the entire system as it stands," said Shirin Sadeghi, a Middle East analyst for the Huffington Post. The unstable political, social and economic climate has some scholars questioning the future of the Islamic Republic. "They are either going to crack down severely or they are going to cave in -- it could go either way," Dabashi said of the conservatives who now dominate Iran's government. Many Iranian-Americans say they see this as their opportunity for change. "This is the best chance Iranians have to evolve to a better situation," said Dr. Ali Nayeri, a professor at the University of California at Irvine. That chance has sparked an unprecedented wave of spontaneous demonstrations not only within Iran but also thousands of miles away from Tehran --- scenes unparalleled since the 1979 revolution. "Thirty years ago we had the war with Iraq. Now we have an internal war with our president and the fundamentalists," said Reza Goharzad, a political analyst who worked with Moussavi when he was prime minister of Iran. Goharzad, of Southern California, was among thousands of voters to cast an absentee ballot. "This was the first time I voted in 30 years," said Goharzad. The enthusiasm that drove record numbers of Iranian-Americans to the voting booths was overshadowed by disappointment when a shortage of ballots prevented hundreds from voting. In addition, the election results were announced before many of the voting booths in the U.S. had closed. Alex Vatanka, senior Middle East analyst at IHS Jane's, a provider of defense and security information, said Iran's supreme ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have miscalculated the mood of the country when he endorsed Ahmadinejad's victory before the country's election authority made the final call.  Khamenei has since asked the authority, the Guardian Council, to recount some of the votes. But Moussavi is asking for fresh elections. Goharzad, like many other voters, questions the legitimacy of the election. He wants to know where his vote went. A student activist in Dallas, Texas, echoed that sentiment. "The election volunteer at my voting location said that they had 500 ballots, which was not enough for the thousand or so people that turned out to vote," said the activist, who wanted to remain anonymous because he plans to visit Iran soon. For the first time, Iranian-Americans say, the post-revolution generation has seen the power of their unity unfold in masses. They say this has given Iranians at home and abroad hope that

What are people hoping for?
what is reason for unrest?
What could be a reason for the unrest?

Answer: change.

Answer: voters, questions the legitimacy of the election.

Answer: the tug-of-war between

Summary:
Some Iranians-Americans believe the Islamic Republic possibly is eroding .
Protests in Iran continue after disputed presidential election .
Tensions between Iran's clergy could be a reason for the unrest, analyst says .
Iranian-Americans say they hope more freedom is result of unrest .


(CNN) -- Some found it shocking when Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber granted convicted double-murderer Gary Haugen a reprieve Tuesday, setting aside Haugen's scheduled December 6 execution. Haugen, who killed another prisoner while serving a life sentence for a previous murder, had waived all appeals.

In a previous term as governor, Kitzhaber allowed two men to be executed, and he explained Tuesday that "I simply cannot participate once again in something that I believe to be morally wrong." A medical doctor with an active license, the governor also referred to his oath as a physician to "do no harm" as he announced Haugen's reprieve and a moratorium on executions for the remainder of his term in office. Notably, in issuing a reprieve (or delay) rather than commuting Haugen's sentence, Kitzhaber left open the possibility of Haugen's execution under a future governor.

As the news spread, many people reacted with anger. Kitzhaber has been called a coward and worse. This wave of anger, though, should not distract from two important truths: first, that Kitzhaber's actions are within, not without, the basic rules of our democracy; second, that Kitzhaber is a proxy for the thousands of people in this country who have had to live with doubt and even regret because they were thrust into the death penalty process while doing their civic duty as jurors, judges or lawyers.

In 1984, Oregon voters chose by referendum to reinstate the death penalty. The legislature formulated rules for capital punishment. Prosecutors elected, as they could, to pursue the death penalty against Haugen. A jury heard the evidence, and 12 Oregon citizens voted to have Haugen put to death.

The courts that heard Haugen's appeals (up to the point he dropped them) found the process fair. Then, after all of this, Kitzhaber chose not to finish this expensive and consuming project. Kitzhaber's choice is anti-democratic, it does frustrate the will of prosecutors, it must be confounding to those 12 jurors, and it constitutes a tremendous exercise of power based on just one person's sense of morality. It is also wholly within the genius of American government.

Oregon and other states have incorporated executive clemency into their systems of criminal law, drawing on the example laid out in the United States Constitution. The framers of the Constitution chose intentionally to give the executive that power, knowing full well that it would necessarily run contrary to popular will.

If you are angry with Kitzhaber for using that power, also direct your anger at Alexander Hamilton, who was a driving force behind the institution of executive clemency in the United States. Here is part of what Hamilton said about it in Federalist Paper 74: "Humanity and good policy conspire to dictate, that the benign prerogative of pardoning should be as little as possible fettered or embarrassed. ... On these accounts, one man appears to be a more eligible dispenser of the mercy of government, than a body of men."

The anti-democratic institution of clemency that is generating such anger is contrary to the voters of Oregon, yes. However, we should not forget that that same institution is ancient, principled and an integral part of the broad scheme of justice that wiser men than I have constructed.

A second buried truth is revealed within the tortured way in which Kitzhaber announced his decision. During a prior term as governor, in 1997, he had allowed two executions, and it seems clear that he was deeply troubled by his role in those killings. How could he not be? It is a heavy responsibility to participate in a deliberative process that identifies a citizen to be put to death by the state. However, Kitzhaber is just the exposed tip of an iceberg of human emotion. Beneath him are thousands of others who have been forced by the institution of capital punishment to live with their role in an intentional death.

Among that group are lawyers, witnesses and judges, but perhaps most sympathetic of all are the jurors. They are plucked from their daily lives by the government and suddenly thrust into the most important role of all -- they must vote, unanimously

What is part of Oregon law
what state is Kitzhaber governor of?

Answer: death penalty.

Answer: Oregon

Summary:
Mark Osler: Oregon governor drew some angry reactions to convict's execution reprieve .
But executive clemency part of Oregon law, Osler says, an act of principle, not cowardice .
Osler: It's right to resist process that pulls prosecutors, jurors, families into flawed system .
Gov. Kitzhaber should go further and commute death row sentences, Osler says .


(CNN) -- Some issues, it seems, still transcend America's increasingly bitter partisan divide. Ex-President George H.W. Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates smile during Obama's speech Friday. President Obama attended a community service forum at Texas A&M University on Friday hosted by one of his Republican predecessors, former President George H.W. Bush. Obama took the opportunity to emphasize that, regardless of partisan politics, the government can only do so much with the challenges facing Americans. "We face threats to our health, our climate and, of course, our security that have left many of our young people wondering what kind of future they will be leaving for their own kids," Obama told the audience, which including the former president and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. "Anyone here thinks that our government always has the solutions, President Bush and I will be the first to tell you that you'll be sorely disappointed." "The government can build the best school, with the best teachers, but we can't run the PTA ... we can pass the most comprehensive health care reform bill, but Congress can't be on the ground in our communities caring for the sick and helping people lead healthy lives." The two leaders met at Bush's presidential library to celebrate almost two decades of work from the Points of Light Institute, which was founded with Bush's encouragement in 1990 to "encourage and empower the spirit of service," according to the group's Web site. The Institute takes its name from Bush's 1989 inaugural address, where he referenced "a thousand points of light ... all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the nation, doing good." Obama lauded the former president's lifetime of service -- from his enlistment at 18 to his community work during retirement -- noting that Bush was the first president to create a White House office devoted to promoting volunteer work. The president said Bush's legacy of service affected the life of his own family. "It's a vision that's changed lives across this country, including that of a young woman who went to work for an organization called Public Allies to prepare young people for public service careers -- an organization initially funded by the Bush administration," Obama said. "Her experience there inspired her to devote her own life to serving others, and that young woman happens to be my wife, Michelle Obama." Obama latched onto the community service theme during last year's presidential campaign. He signed a measure in April designed to strengthen national community service efforts by boosting federal funding for thousands of volunteers in fields ranging from clean energy to health care and education. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, renamed to honor the late senator's sponsorship of the measure, will more than triple the number of positions in the AmeriCorps program, from 75,000 to 250,000, by 2017. "Our government can help to rebuild our economy ... [but] we need Americans willing to mentor our eager young children, or care for the sick, or ease the strains of deployment on our military families," Obama said when signing the bill into law. The law created four national service corps and launched several other initiatives, including, among other things, a "Summer of Service" program to spur greater community outreach by middle- and high-school students. Older Americans were encouraged to volunteer more through the creation of a "Silver Scholars" program, under which individuals 55 and older who perform 350 hours of service receive a $1,000 award. The law increased the existing AmeriCorps educational stipend offered to volunteers to $5,350 -- the same amount as the maximum Pell college grant. Some critics have contended the measure, expected to cost roughly $6 billion over the next five years, is fiscally irresponsible in light of the current economic downturn. They also argue that the concept of volunteerism is undermined by providing financial compensation for community service. Points of Light Institute CEO Michelle Nunn, however, praised the legislation for encouraging people to "volunteer their time and talents to positively impact the nation's largest problems." CNN

What did he say of the expectation on the government to solve all problems?

Answer: "We face threats to our health, our climate and, of course, our security that have left many of our young people wondering

Answer: you'll be sorely disappointed."

Answer: former President George H.W. Bush.

Answer: President Obama

Answer: Michelle Obama."

Answer: former President George H.W. Bush.

Summary:
NEW: Obama speaks at forum hosted by ex-President George H.W. Bush.
NEW: 44th president praises 41st for "thousand points of light" ethic .
NEW: Obama: It "changed lives across this country," including Michelle Obama's .
Obama: "You'll be sorely disappointed" expecting government to solve all problems .


(CNN) -- Some legendary names in music and art are voicing their support for the Occupy movement, with a music compilation record called "Occupy This Album," the album producers say.

David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Devo, Third Eye Blind, Yo La Tengo, Lloyd Cole, The Guthrie Family and filmmaker/activist Michael Moore have signed on to the project, the producers said in a press release.

The album was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and will "provide an anthem and rallying cry for the protesters involved in the uprising," producers say.

Graham Nash, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and former member of the band Crosby, Stills and Nash has also signed on to help with the project, according to the press release.

"The Occupation movement is really the voice of the people, it's an idea that's been a long time coming. I fully support their non-violent protests against a system that is carefully crafted in favor of the rich one percent," Nash is quoted as saying.

Producers of the album say all of the proceeds will benefit the Occupy movement. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Occupy Wall Street General Fund. The other half of money generated will be distributed evenly among the major occupations across the country, according to Jason Samel of Music for Occupy, who is producing the album.

According to the press release, "Occupy This Album" is supposed to be released this winter.

who are some of the artists on the record

Proceeds from the record will be distributed to who?

What are the names of two of the artists involved with the record?

Name an artist who will be on the record?

Which movement is the inspiration for the album?

Answer: David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Devo, Third Eye Blind, Yo La Tengo, Lloyd Cole, The Guthrie Family and filmmaker/activist Michael Moore

Answer: the Occupy Wall Street General Fund.

Answer: the Occupy Wall Street movement

Answer: David Crosby, Jackson Brown,

Answer: David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Devo, Third Eye Blind, Yo La Tengo, Lloyd Cole, The Guthrie Family

Answer: Occupy

Answer: the Occupy Wall Street movement

Summary:
Occupy This Album will be a music compilation record .
The album is inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement .
David Crosby, Graham Nash and Jackson Brown are a few of the artists who will be on the record .
All proceeds from the record will be distributed to the Occupy movement .


(CNN) -- Some of the $85 million in hurricane relief supplies given away as federal surplus will be sent back to Louisiana and given to nonprofit agencies for distribution, the state's hurricane recovery office said Tuesday. Hand towels sit unused in Fort Worth, Texas. Goods ranged from cots to camp stoves to coffee makers. "Today we can report that we have been notified that some of the surplus property has been located in Texas and will be coming to the state of Louisiana for distribution by Unity New Orleans," said Paul Rainwater, the executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. A CNN investigation revealed last week that FEMA gave away the supplies as government surplus, even though agencies like Unity -- which works to resettle hurricane victims -- were still seeking the kind of supplies given away. After the disclosure, Rainwater's organization asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to return some of the extensive stockpiles of household goods that had been purchased as "starter kits" for people living in trailers after Hurricane Katrina. After CNN reported on the giveaway, other Louisiana officials also asked that the supplies be redirected to the state, which originally passed on them. John Medica, director of Louisiana's Federal Property Assistance Agency, told CNN he was unaware Katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, an outspoken critic of FEMA's response to the hurricane, told CNN the supply giveaway was "just a shame." "It's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy," Landrieu said last week. She wrote Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to request an explanation. FEMA Administrator David Paulison on Sunday defended the agency's decision, telling CNN that Louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles, but that state officials had declined the goods. Rainwater said state officials "will move to quickly get these supplies in the hands of those who need them." "Moving forward, we have made it clear that I am to be the point of contact for FEMA when supplies for Katrina and Rita victims are set aside for our state," he said. "We will also be informing nonprofits about how to access such supplies, so that we can all better serve our citizens who are struggling to rebuild their lives." CNN's Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost contributed to this report.

Supplies were given away as government surplus by who?

Which company conducted the investigation?

What will some of the $85 million in supplies will be given to?

Answer: FEMA

Answer: the agency's decision,

Answer: CNN

Answer: nonprofit agencies for distribution,

Answer: FEMA gave away the supplies as government surplus,

Summary:
Some of the $85 million in supplies will be given to state nonprofit agencies .
CNN investigation revealed FEMA gave away supplies as government surplus .
FEMA administrator has defended the agency's decision to give away items .


(CNN) -- Some of the first accounts emerged Tuesday from eyewitnesses who were aboard several boats stormed by Israeli forces as they approached Gaza the day before.

Hanin Zoabi, a member of the Israeli parliament, was on board the Miva Marmara, the ship that was the scene of a confrontation between activists and Israeli soldiers. That clash left at least nine people dead.

The Israeli Navy fired on the ships five minutes before commandos descended from ropes that dangled from helicopters, Zoabi said during a press conference in Nazareth, Israel. She said passengers on board the ship were unarmed.

Were you there? Send us your story, images, video

Israel has said its forces found several weapons among the passengers on the Miva Marmara. Israel also has said that its forces started shooting after passengers on the Miva Marmara assaulted them.

Zoabi said the military operation lasted about an hour and that she saw five dead bodies in that time.

She urged Israeli authorities to investigate and to let the news media interview passengers who have been detained.

Zoabi said she believes Israel has video footage of how the ten passengers were killed, and she called on Israeli authorities to release that footage.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said that of the six ships in the flotilla, the people prepared an ambush on one, a reference to the Turkish ship. But on the other five, "the people got off without a scratch."

Huwaida Arraf, one of the Free Gaza Movement organizers, told CNN Israeli troops roughed her up when they responded aggressively to her ship, a smaller one in the flotilla that was near the Turkish vessel where the casualties occurred.

"They started coming after our ship," she told CNN, "so we took off and they charged us also. Eventually, they overtook our ship and they used concussion grenades, sound bombs and pellets."

She said the people on her ship tried to keep them off. She said they were told the vessel was American and the people aboard were unarmed.

But, she said "they started beating people. My head was smashed against the ground and they stepped on my head. They later cuffed me and put a bag over my head. They did that to everybody."

Her account could not be independently verified.

Who said shots were fired?
When were the shots fired?
How many dead bodies did Zoabi see?
What was placed over a witness's head?
How many dead bodies were there?
Whose forces started shooting?

Answer: Hanin Zoabi,

Answer: five minutes before commandos descended

Answer: five

Answer: bag

Answer: five

Answer: Israeli

Summary:
Passenger says shots were fired before Israeli commandos boarded ship .
Israel says its forces started shooting after passengers assaulted them .
Zoabi said she saw five dead bodies during the hour-long military operation .
Another witness said a bag was placed over her head .


(CNN) -- Some of the strongest support for health care cooperatives' place in the national effort to reform the nation's health care system comes from those who experience a co-op's care every day: doctors and patients. Co-op patient Norman Nistler says he didn't even realize he was a part of a health care co-op. Co-ops are non-profit organizations, so any money that is earned goes back to be used on patients and other costs. Patients also elect a governing board, which is in stark contrast to operations under private health insurance plan. Proponents point to two co-ops as evidence they are an alternative in the health care reform debate: HealthPartners in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington. HealthPartners has been in business for half a century and served more than a million people in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Some decades-long members said they didn't know they were with a co-op. "I watch a lot of it on television now. There's a lot of talking about co-ops, but I didn't realize this was a co-op," said patient Norman Nistler. The co-op was able to save millions, officials note, by switching to generic drugs and cutting tobacco use among its members by double the Minnesota state average because doctors help patients to quit. Darla Andrews, a patient at the co-op, said she and her doctor have easy access to her records. "It's all digital, so it works out good for me. It's more convenient." Dr. Eric Seaver, who works at Group Health. "We can communicate with patients through secure e-mail for routine questions or concerns that in the private world physicians often aren't able or won't do because there's just no motivation to do that. There's no reimbursement. ... Here with Group Health's model, it's all about providing patients the care that they need when they need it in a form that works best for them." Group Health lists Microsoft and Starbucks as organizations that use its system. "I have great contact with the doctors," said Group Health member Dave Jacobs. "I'm treated like a person, not a number." "My care has been absolutely exceptional. And that's because I believe I'm going to a private medical facility, dealing with doctors one-on-one and not a bureaucrat," he said. "Part of the great value in that structure is that our patients are actively engaged, not just in the organization and governance but actively engaged in finding ways to engage themselves in their care itself," said Scott Armstrong, president and CEO of Group Health Cooperative. "We all know that an engaged patient leads to a better health outcome. So much of health care is actually the responsibility of us as individuals." Aaron Katz, of the University of Washington Health Services, says the group health model could be viable nationally, but only if there are tougher restrictions on insurance companies. The reason co-ops are successful, he says, is because they employ their own doctors, specialists, pharmacies and can reduce the amount of tests and procedures that drive up costs. Seaver says his co-op emphasizes evidence-based medicine and making decisions in patient care based upon "the best evidence that we have available for what's effective and what is ineffective." "I think what we're finding in this model is doing the right thing for the patient is the best thing not just for the patient but also for the system as a whole," he said. "I feel like I'm able to practice medicine the way I had envisioned back in medical school." Working at Group Health "has been a breath of fresh air for my career," he said. CNN's Dana Bash, Ed Hornick, Lesa Jansen, Chris Welch and Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.

What are often cited as successful plans?

Answer: non-profit organizations,

Answer: he didn't even realize he was a part of a health care co-op.

Answer: "We can communicate with patients through secure e-mail for routine questions or concerns that in the private world physicians often aren't able or won't do because there's just no motivation to do that. There's no reimbursement. ... Here with Group Health's model, it's all

Answer: non-profit organizations,

Answer: Patients

Answer: co-ops

Answer: he didn't even realize he was a part of a health care co-op.

Summary:
Co-ops are non-profit organizations where patients elect a governing board .
HealthPartners and Group Health Cooperative are often cited as successful plans .
Patient: "I'm treated like a person, not a number"
Doctor says co-ops let him connect with patients using e-mail .


(CNN) -- Some of the worst fighting to hit Somalia's capital city in recent months uprooted nearly 34,000 people in less than a week, according to a United Nations report released Monday. A young girl feeds her baby brother at a refugee camp  on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. Relief workers said the fighting between the Somali government and rebels over Islamic law has left Somali civilians with the choice of facing bloody battles or fleeing to squalid camps. The displaced people have found shelter in already overcrowded camps in and around Mogadishu, while others have fled into neighboring Kenya, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA said that an estimated 34,000 people were displaced by the fighting between insurgents and Somalia's government from May 8-14. Although Somalia's border with Kenya is officially closed, an estimated 5,000 displaced Somalis arrive every month in the U.N. refugee camps in the Kenyan border town of Dadaab, according to Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. "The situation is simply scandalous," said Joke Van Peteghem, who heads the MSF mission in Kenya. "These refugees have risked everything to escape the fighting in Somalia. Now some are telling us they would rather take their chances in Mogadishu than die slowly here." One nurse called the refugee camps in Kenya "public health time bombs." "The refugees, many of whom are already suffering from serious war-related injuries or illnesses, are packed together without the bare minimum to survive," said Donna Canali, who worked for MSF at Dagahaley Camp. "After all these people have endured, how can their most basic needs continue to be so woefully neglected?" Nearly a quarter of the more than 90,000 refugees at Dagahaley suffer from acute malnutrition, according to MSF. MSF is calling on the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Kenya's government, and international donors to help alleviate the "dire living conditions" at the camps in Kenya which house more than 270,000 Somali refugees. More than 100 people have died in the latest fighting in Somalia, and hundreds more have been wounded in the bloody insurgency, government officials said last week. The violence stems from an interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law. Somalia's new president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, recently approved implementing sharia, but the al-Shabab rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form. On Sunday, al-Shabab seized control of Jowhar, the president's hometown about 55 miles (88 km) north of Mogadishu, according to a local journalist. The violence is exacerbating the already precarious humanitarian situation in Somalia, where an estimated 40 percent of the country's population -- more than 3 million people -- need humanitarian support, according to the U.N. The fighting erupted days after a mortar attack on Somalia's parliament that killed six people and wounded more than a dozen others on April 25. The fatalities included a soldier and three children who were killed when the rounds struck a nearby school, a police spokesman said. Members of parliament were meeting when the attack occurred, but none of them was injured, an official said.

How many people have died in the most recent fighting?

How many civilians were uprooted due to fighting in Somalia?

Answer: Somalia's capital city

Answer: More than 100

Answer: May 8-14.

Answer: nearly 34,000

Answer: More than 100

Answer: in recent months

Summary:
Fighting in Somalia uproots 34,000 civilians in a week, report says .
Civilians have choice: Face bloody battles or be forced into squalid camps .
More than 100 have died in most recent fighting .
Violence stems from an interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law .


(CNN) -- Some of the worst flooding the mid-South has seen in decades is thought to be responsible for at least 11 deaths in Tennessee, the Nashville and state emergency management offices said Sunday.

Five of the deaths were in Davidson County, which encompasses Nashville, according to the Nashville mayor's Office of Emergency Management.

The rains have closed interstate highways, displaced thousands from their homes, prompted evacuations of hotels and nursing homes and turned city streets and parking lots into raging rivers.

Parts of the state have been drenched with up to 20 inches of rain, with more expected.

iReport: Experiencing the Tennessee floods? Send photos, video

On Sunday night, multiple vehicles were trapped by water on Interstate 40 with water rising around them and with authorities working since the afternoon to get to the cars, according to the Office of Emergency Management.

Authorities have recovered bodies from a flooded house in Nashville and from an upside down vehicle floating on a flooded road, among other places, the mayor's office said in a release Sunday night.

Two young men who'd gone tubing on a flooded creek on Sunday evening were missing, the mayor's office said.

Also on Sunday night, authorities were working to evacuate more than 500 residents from the MetroCenter in north Nashville.

"All of our major creeks and the Cumberland River are near flood level, if not at flood level," Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said at a press conference Sunday, referring to the waterway that bisects Nashville. "The ground is entirely saturated, and the rain continues to fall. There's nowhere for the water to go."

The western two thirds of Tennessee has seen between 6 and 20 inches of rain since Saturday, with flooding spreading to Kentucky on Sunday.

In Nashville alone, more than 600 people were rescued from the water this weekend, Dean said.

Dean said Sunday that more rain has fallen in Nashville in the last 24 hours than has ever been recorded in the city.

Video: Nashville resident captures 'practically a class two rapids' on her neighborhood streets

"We are still at this point in rescue stage and will be until the water begins to subside," he said.

Dean urged residents to stay home Sunday and, if they could, to skip work on Monday, when Nashville schools will be closed and public transportation will be suspended.

Two of the three temporary shelters -- which can each house 200 people -- opened by the Nashville mayor's office had reached capacity by Sunday evening. The Red Cross reported approximately 400 people in 22 shelters throughout Tennessee.

The floods shut down parts of interstates 24, 40 and 65 around Nashville on Saturday and Sunday.

The floods left 36,000 houses around Nashville without power on Sunday, while all Davidson County residents were asked to use water for essential purposes only after flooding closed one of the city's water treatment plants.

Flooding also led to the evacuation of three area nursing homes, affecting more than 250 patients, Dean said.

Opryland Hotel expected to lose power Sunday night and staffers planned to ask their guests to evacuate, according to Janel Lacey, a spokeswoman for the Nashville mayor's office.

While some streams around Nashville were starting to recede on Sunday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was planning to release dammed upstream water Sunday night, which could cause more flooding around Nashville, city emergency management chief Stephen Halford said.

The water needed to be released to keep the Army Corps equipment safe, Halford said.

The National Weather Service issued a civil emergency message Sunday to central and western Tennessee, telling people to stay off roads because too many are closed and people are getting stranded.

The weather service also issued a flood emergency Sunday for much of central Kentucky -- where tens of thousands were trying to get home after this weekend's Kentucky Derby -- and in south central Indiana.

In Louisville, Kentucky, the National Turnpike and Gene Snyder Freeway were closed on Sunday.

In addition to flooding fatalities, one Tennessean died over the weekend in a tornado in Hardeman County, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

What was  recovered from a flooded house and an upside down vehicle on a flooded road?

Multiple vehicles were trapped by rising water on which Interstate?

What was trapped by rising water on Interstate 40?

What was  issued Sunday for central Kentucky and south central Indiana?

Flood emergency was issued Sunday for which 2 areas?

Answer: bodies

Answer: Two

Answer: Interstate 40

Answer: Two young men

Answer: 40

Answer: multiple vehicles

Answer: flood emergency

Answer: bodies

Answer: central Kentucky

Summary:
NEW:  Bodies recovered from a flooded house and an upside down vehicle on a flooded road .
NEW: Multiple vehicles trapped by rising water on Interstate 40 .
NEW: Two young men who'd gone tubing on a flooded creek were missing .
Flood emergency issued Sunday for central Kentucky and south central Indiana .


(CNN) -- Some people might call 17-year-old Joshua Hanson one the luckiest people on the planet. Others might call him crazy. I-Reporter Joshua Hanson offered a look at the Mark IV helmet from his "Legendary Limited Edition Halo 3." Hanson waited more than eight hours outside a Woodbury, Minnesota, video game store on Monday evening to be the first in his town to buy one of the most anticipated video games in history -- "Halo 3."  Watch Hanson buying the game amid cheers » The final chapter in Microsoft's acclaimed video game series hit shelves at the stroke of midnight Monday in similar stores across the nation. The Xbox 360 game is expected to shatter entertainment sales records within its first 24 hours of release. Hanson is not alone in his loyalty to the game, and his belief in "Halo's" power to entertain and inspire. We asked other CNN.com readers for their take on "Halo 3." Some offered comparisons to "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter," while others discussed compelling new graphics and features. Below is a selection of their responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity. Curt Otto of Springfield, Virginia I waited in line for two-and-half hours to get this game at midnight. I purchased the Legendary Edition of this game at a hefty $130! Totally worth it! Although I haven't slept since yesterday and I'm currently at work and very tired, I would do it all over again for "Halo." This is the GREATEST game ever crafted by the hand of man. If you own a 360, buy this game. If you don't own a 360, buy one and go buy this game! The single player is incredible and the online multiplayer is MIND BLOWING! Totally worth $130!!! Tony Nash of Buffalo, New York  I've been playing "Halo" since the very first game came out in 2001. After getting the brand new Box with a copy of "Halo" and throwing myself into the game, I quickly realized this wasn't a standard gaming experience. It was something much, much more. The game had a great attitude and unique art style. Along with great audio and environments that brought the worlds to life. It also had the most addictive, natural, and fun game play I've ever experienced. It also contained a well written, downright intriguing story. Getting together with friends to play the multiplayer portion of the game only cemented this title's epic status. Then came November 2004, when, of course, a friend and I were in the lines for the Midnight release of "Halo 2." It is no joke; "Halo" is more than just a game. Now, I plan on "finishing the fight" as soon as I leave work. I had "Halo 3" pre-ordered for about a month before it came out. Hey, after all, it's good to keep the kid inside you alive and well! Cody Chmelik of Clearwater, Florida  "Halo 3" is the most anticipated event since the trial of O.J., but the only difference is that "Halo" isn't disappointing. "Halo 3" was the best game I have ever played. The levels are choreographed perfectly, the players look real and the game play is phenomenal. I recommend this game to players of all ages. Wayne S. of Colorado Springs, Colorado  "Halo" is not just a game, it's a lifestyle, a booming culture of millions of Xbox fans who eat, sleep and live "Halo." "Halo" has jumped started the major league gaming industry and will continue to do so with "Halo 3." I will be getting my copy of "Halo 3" at midnight and plan on playing it for days straight. I have played the beta and let me tell you: This is the best video game of the year by far and will be played by the masses for years to come just like "Halo 2." Brian

Who asked readers to share their early reviews of "Halo 3"?

What company asked readers to share early reviews?

Answer: "Halo 3."

Answer: midnight Monday

Answer: CNN.com

Answer: stroke of midnight Monday

Answer: the stroke of midnight Monday

Answer: CNN.com

Answer: their take on "Halo 3."

Summary:
"Halo 3" achieved a milestone million pre-orders 2 months before its release .
The game, an Xbox 360 exclusive, went on sale Tuesday at midnight .
CNN.com asked readers to share their early reviews of "Halo 3"
I-Report: Share your own pictures, video and reviews of "Halo 3"