(CNN) -- Investigators expanded their search into Texas Monday for a 7-year-old girl who was reported missing after her mother was found dead in Oklahoma Sunday night.

Authorities also are trying to find the dead woman's estranged husband, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

The girl -- Aja Daniell Johnson -- was reported missing from Geronimo, Oklahoma, late Sunday, the bureau said.

Her mother, Tonya Hobbs, 37, was found dead inside a parked RV Sunday night, the bureau said. Hobbs and her daughter were visiting Hobbs' estranged husband, Lester William Hobbs, at his sister's home, the bureau said.

Lester Hobbs, 46, and Aja are missing and are presumed to be in Hobbs' car, said investigators who issued an Amber Alert to try to find her. Lester Hobbs is not Aja's biological father, police said.

Texas authorities also issued an Amber Alert, Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lisa Block said. Authorities believe Hobbs has connections to Rockport, Texas, and the alert was issued preemptively, she said.

Tonya Hobbs and her daughter were last seen Saturday night. Authorities did not say how Hobbs died, but the bureau said investigators believe someone killed her.

The RV belonged to Lester Hobbs, and was parked at his relatives' home, Richard Goss, agent in charge of the state bureau of investigation's Lawton, Oklahoma, office, told reporters Monday. Hobbs' relatives became suspicious Sunday after they did not see Tanya Hobbs or Aja, and one of them pried open the door and discovered Tanya Hobbs' body, he said. Lester Hobbs and Aja were gone, Goss said.

The Hobbses were separated, but apparently Tanya Hobbs was visiting Lester Hobbs in an attempt to reconcile, Goss said. The couple had been together for about five years.

A medical examiner was performing an autopsy, the bureau said, and police want to question Lester Hobbs about the death.

He and the girl are believed to be traveling in his car, a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag number 577-BPW. The two-door car has no hubcaps, and the rear passenger window is covered in plastic, the bureau said.

The Comanche County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's Office said Aja has a medical condition that requires medication.

"Our main concern at this time is to find the little girl," Sheriff Kenny Stradley told reporters. "We know that she does need some medication," and authorities were checking leads regarding that, he said. He did not specify Aja's medical condition.

Goss said Lester Hobbs has an extensive criminal history but did not elaborate. The Sheriff's Office said he had prior felony convictions.

Lester Hobbs was supposed to appear in court in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, on a DUI charge, Goss said, and did not appear, so a warrant has been issued for him.

Aja's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with Aja and keep the girl away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.

Aja is 4 feet tall and weighs 59 pounds, Goss said. She has brown eyes, and her hair is brown with the ends dyed black.

Lester Hobbs is about 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The agency released a picture of him and said he has a mustache but no longer has a goatee.

Geronimo is about 12 miles south of Lawton, Oklahoma, in the south-central part of the state.

What was  issued as authorities extend search into Texas?

Who was believed to be traveling in a white 1992 Toyota Paseo?

What was issued after authorities extend their search?

Answer: Amber Alert,

Answer: Lester William Hobbs,

Answer: Texas

Answer: a 7-year-old girl

Answer: her mother

Answer: an Amber Alert

Summary:
NEW: Amber Alert issued as authorities extend search into Texas .
7-year-old was reported missing after mother was found dead Sunday night .
Authorities seek mother's estranged husband, say she, girl visited man at his sister's home .
Man, girl believed to be traveling in a white 1992 Toyota Paseo .


(CNN) -- Investigators have arrested a third suspect in the killing of a prominent doctor near Houston, Texas. Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was found dead at his ranch last month, police say. The Texas Rangers arrested Misael Sotollo, 18, Tuesday evening in a Houston apartment, the Austin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Sotollo and two others -- brothers Cristobal Galvan Cerna, 23, and Moises Galvan Cerna, 18 -- are charged with murder in the death of Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez. Bail has been denied for all three, according to authorities. The doctor was chief of the critical care section at Houston's Methodist Hospital and "a pulmonary medicine leader," according to the hospital system's Web site. Gonzalez was found dead August 22, after deputies responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress at his weekend ranch, in a rural and isolated area outside Bellville, Texas, authorities said.  Bellville is about 50 miles west of Houston. The suspects were already at the home when the Gonzalez family arrived around noon, law enforcement officials said. The doctor was able to enter his home and obtain a handgun in an attempt to defend himself and his family, authorities said. Gunshots were exchanged, and the doctor died at the scene, they said. Also wounded in the shooting was ranch hand Noel Galvan Cerna, who worked for Gonzalez and is the brother of two of the men in custody in the killing. Sotollo is their cousin. An officer responding to the Gonzalez home on the robbery report was met by vehicles leaving the location, Austin County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Paul Faircloth said, and a person in one vehicle fired on the officer. Neither the officer nor his patrol car was struck, and the officer did not return fire, Faircloth said. The officer was able to provide a detailed description of the vehicles, he said. The officer found Gonzalez' wife and toddler unharmed inside the home.

where was Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez found shot to death?

Answer: Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was found dead at his ranch last month,

Answer: Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez

Answer: Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez

Answer: Noel Galvan Cerna,

Answer: at his ranch

Summary:
Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez found shot to death at his ranch on August 22 .
Police say Gonzalez arrived at the rural home to find suspects already there .
He was able to get his gun from the house but died in ensuing gunfire, police say .
Ranch hand was injured in the attack; the suspects are his brothers and cousin .


(CNN) -- Investigators have found the bodies of three small children and the father who allegedly abducted them from their home in Columbus, Georgia, two weeks ago, the FBI said Wednesday. Eddie Harrington threatened to kill his children before disappearing with them, police say. "It is my sad duty to report that deceased bodies of these children and Eddie Harrington were located this afternoon," said FBI Special Agent Gerald Green. A coroner would confirm the identities, he added. The remains were discovered in a wooded area of Columbus by a person walking nearby, Green said.  Watch the FBI say the bodies were in a car » Eddie Harrington, 28, whom police described as depressed, took the children March 5, police said. Before he left, Harrington sent a letter indicating his intent to kill his twin 23-month-old girls, Aliyah and Agana Battle, and his son, Cedric Harrington, 3, officials said. The day before Wednesday's grisly discovery, the children's mother told CNN's Nancy Grace that Harrington had threatened them  before. "He's just told me he'll do anything to keep me at that time, and he said that he was going to take them and ... kill himself and the kids," Agena Battle said. "But then later on, he told me that it was just to prove to me that, you know, what he'll do for me." Battle also described the moment earlier this month when she knew something was wrong. "I got home and I realized that the kids weren't there, and Eddie wasn't there either, and when I looked on the dresser and read the note, that's when I realized that my kids are in trouble," she said. A week ago, a tearful Battle publicly begged her boyfriend not to harm the children. "I am asking the public to please help me. I want my children home where they belong, with me," she said at an FBI news conference. "Please, if you see Eddie, the car or the children, please call 911. Please help me and keep them in your prayers."  Watch the mother's tearful plea » A child abduction alert was issued in Georgia after the children disappeared.  "We have great concern for the safety of these children," Green said at the time.  It was unclear what sparked Harrington's decision to take the children, authorities said. E-mail to a friend

When was the last time Harrison was seen?

Answer: two weeks ago,

Answer: their home in Columbus, Georgia,

Answer: Eddie Harrington

Answer: The remains were discovered in a wooded area of Columbus

Answer: 23-month-old girls, Aliyah and Agana Battle, and his son, Cedric Harrington, 3,

Answer: that Harrington had threatened them

Answer: kill his children

Answer: Columbus, Georgia,

Answer: Columbus, Georgia,

Answer: Eddie Harrington

Answer: three small children

Summary:
NEW: Children's mother says Eddie Harrington had threatened the kids before .
Harrington was last seen in Columbus, Georgia, March 5 .
Police say he was depressed, threatened to kill kids .
He took twin girls, 23 months, and boy, 3, from their home .


(CNN) -- Investigators have heard a signal from the flight data recorders of the Yemenia Airways plane that crashed last week, they announced Sunday. Search parties continue their operation to locate the Yemenia Airbus A310 off the Comoros Islands Saturday. "A signal was picked up from two acoustic transmitters from the plane's flight data recorders during a sea search to locate the data recorders this morning," the French air accident investigation agency, known as the BEA, said in a statement. Commonly known as "black boxes," the data recorders should contain information to help determine what caused the crash. The Yemenia Airways Airbus 310 crashed into the Indian Ocean early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands. One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari, who lives in Marseille, escaped with cuts to her face and a fractured collarbone.  Watch teen survivor from crash » The teen's father, Kassim Bakari, told a French radio network that his wife and daughter were flying to Comoros to visit relatives. "When I had her on the phone, I asked her what happened and she said, 'Daddy, I don't know what happened, but the plane fell into the water and I found myself in the water... surrounded by darkness. I could not see anyone,'" Bakari told France Info. The head of the rescue team in the Comoros told French radio RTL that the teenager beat astonishing odds to survive. "It is truly, truly, miraculous," Ibrahim Abdoulazeb said. "The young girl can barely swim." Another rescuer told France's Europe 1 radio that the girl was spotted in the rough sea, among bodies and plane debris in darkness, about two hours after the crash. The Airbus 310 plane tried to land at the airport in Moroni, then made a U-turn before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said soon after the accident. A French official said the nation had banned the plane after it failed an aviation inspection in 2007. "Since this check-up, we have not seen the plane reappearing in France," said Dominique Bussereau, the transport minister. But Yemenia Airlines was not on the European Union's list of banned airlines, he added. Passengers on the flight included 66 French citizens, 54 Comorians, one Palestinian and one Canadian, according to Yemeni and French officials. The crew was made up of six Yemenis, two Moroccans, one Ethiopian, one Filipino and one Indonesian. The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar.

who are helping to search for debris and bodies?

Who is searching for debris from the plane

what Data recorders should contain information to help determine?

Who was the only person to survive the crash?

Answer: parties

Answer: One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari,

Answer: Search parties

Answer: the Indian Ocean

Answer: caused the crash.

Answer: early Tuesday,

Answer: 13-year-old French girl,

Summary:
Comoros Islands lie between east African and the island nation of Madagascar .
Data recorders should contain information to help determine what caused the crash .
Teenage girl only person to survive plane crash off Comoros islands .
French, U.S. divers are helping to search for debris and bodies from the plane .


(CNN) -- Investigators have named Casey Anthony a suspect in the mid-June disappearance of her toddler daughter, Caylee, Florida authorities said Wednesday.

Casey Anthony had been called a "person of interest" in her daughter's disappearance.

Police had previously labeled Anthony -- who authorities said didn't report the 3-year-old child's disappearance until mid-July -- a "person of interest" in the case.

"Casey is a suspect," said Orange County Sheriff's Department Capt. Angelo Nieves. "She has been uncooperative, leading investigators down the wrong path and lying to them. She has not provided any credible information about the last time she saw her or where she was left."

Casey Anthony of Orlando, Florida, was arrested July 16 on suspicion of telling detectives lies about Caylee's disappearance. She was released on bail after that arrest and subsequent arrests on unrelated theft charges.

Authorities said weeks ago that evidence suggests Caylee is dead. Investigators found evidence of human decomposition in the trunk of Anthony's car, authorities have said.

Law enforcement sources also suggested that a strand of hair found in the trunk of the car was Caylee's.  Watch Nancy Grace speak to Casey Anthony's "babysitter" Â»

Authorities also have said they found traces of chloroform in the car Anthony drove and Internet searches of chloroform Web sites on her computer.

Anthony and her daughter have garnered national headlines and served as fodder for nightly crime shows. Protesters have held vigils outside Anthony's home pleading with her to give police more information about Caylee's whereabouts.

In connection with her July arrest, Anthony was charged with child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation.

CNN's Andrew Iden and Natisha Lance contributed to this report.

What was the name of Casey Anthony's daughter?

Who was reported missing aa month after her disappearance?

Who was reported missing a month after her June disappearance?

What state did the investigation take place?

What was Caylee Anthony's age when she went missing?

Who suggests the Florida toddler is dead?

Who has been leading investigators down the wrong path?

Police have said that evidence suggest Florida toddler is what?

Answer: Caylee,

Answer: Caylee,

Answer: Caylee,

Answer: Florida

Answer: 3-year-old

Answer: Florida

Answer: mid-June

Answer: evidence

Answer: Casey Anthony

Answer: Caylee is dead.

Summary:
Police: Casey Anthony has been "leading ... investigators down the wrong path."
Caylee Anthony, 3, reported missing month after her June disappearance, police say .
Police have said evidence suggests Florida toddler is dead .


(CNN) -- Investigators on Tuesday released the identities of eight people who were killed in a mobile home in southeastern Georgia. Guy Heinze Jr. faces drug charges and is accused of evidence tampering and making false statements. A ninth person remains in critical condition, the Glynn County Police Department said. Police identified the victims as Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; Russell D. Toler Jr., 20; Chrissy Toler, 22; Joseph L. West, 30; Russell D. Toler Sr., 44; Guy Heinze Sr., 45; and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49. They were found dead Saturday in Brunswick, Georgia, about 300 miles southeast of Atlanta, on the Atlantic coast. Police said autopsies were completed Monday, but they did not offer any information about the findings. Authorities did not identify the hospitalized victim. A man who found the bodies called 911 Saturday to report in an anguished voice that he had arrived home to find "my whole family's dead."  Hear the frantic 911 call reporting the slayings » "I just got home," a man identified as Guy Heinze Jr., 22, tells the emergency dispatcher in the call, released Monday. "I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death. "I don't know what to do, man," an emotional Heinze tells the dispatcher. "My dad, my mom, my uncle, my cousin. .... My dad, he's laying there dead. That was my dad." A neighbor placed the call and put Heinze on the phone as well as the mobile home park's maintenance man. The park manager also called 911, sobbing as she told dispatchers, "Please hurry." Officers found seven people dead in the residence at the New Hope mobile home park. An eighth person died Sunday. Heinze was arrested Saturday night and faces charges of having a controlled substance and marijuana as well as evidence tampering and making false statements to a police officer, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said. According to an arrest warrant, Heinz provided "investigators with false and misleading information about his whereabouts and involvement in the circumstances leading up to him calling 911 to report the deaths of his family members." No further details were available. The arrest warrant also said that he removed a shotgun from the residence and hid it in the trunk of his car. He had Darvocet, a narcotic painkiller, and marijuana in a pill bottle in the center console of his car, according to the arrest warrant. Doering said Heinze has been cooperative. He stopped short of naming him a suspect in the deaths. "We're still looking for anybody and everybody that may be related to this," he said Sunday. "That naturally includes [Heinze]. Of course, we're looking at him." Heinze's attorney, Ron Harrison, said his client, who has a bail hearing Wednesday, denies any involvement in the killings. The arrest warrant, he said, alleges that his client took a shotgun from the house and hid it in his car. Asked how Heinze was doing, Harrison said, "Not well. Not well at all. You come across this murder scene, you call 911, and then you end up in jail." Police have said they have "no known suspects" in the case. "We are not looking for any known suspects," Doering said. "That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us." The 911 call paints a picture of violent chaos. At one point, while the maintenance man, known only as Mike, talks to dispatchers, Heinze goes in the mobile home and reports that his cousin, identified as Michael, is breathing. The maintenance man said that Michael is a "young man with Down syndrome." Heinze reports the youth's "face is smashed in," he said. Heinze

How many people were found dead?
What was happend in Glynn County?

Answer: eight

Answer: eight people who were killed in a mobile

Summary:
NEW: Warrant claims caller took shotgun from house .
Investigators release names of eight people found dead in mobile home .
Ninth person hospitalized in critical condition, police say .
Glynn County, Georgia, police have been tight-lipped about case .


(CNN) -- Investigators searching for a missing 8-month-old boy began an intensive excavation and search effort Tuesday at a Texas landfill. "Let me say this, that we do remain hopeful that baby Gabriel is alive," William McManus, chief of the San Antonio Police Department, said at a news conference at the landfill. "We are, however, conducting both a missing persons investigation as well as a homicide investigation," he said, adding that aspects surrounding Gabriel Johnson's disappearance involve elements of a possible homicide. Gabriel has been missing since December 26 and was last seen in San Antonio, with his 23-year-old mother, Elizabeth Johnson, who has refused to disclose information on his whereabouts. She told Gabriel's father she killed the boy and has also said she gave him away to a couple in San Antonio, police say. Johnson drove Gabriel to San Antonio from Tempe, Arizona, and she went to Florida a week later, according to investigators. Johnson was arrested in Florida and extradited to Maricopa County, Arizona, where she remains behind bars, charged with kidnapping, custodial interference and child abuse. A lead prompted investigators to focus on the landfill, which is owned by Republic Services, a waste and environmental services company based in Phoenix, Arizona. The part of the landfill that will be searched has been pinpointed, according to McManus. First, it will take at least six days to remove 45 feet of garbage that has piled up since the time investigators believe evidence may have been dumped in the area. "Once we have removed the debris and have searched our target area, we will begin the arduous task of sifting through layers in the search for possible evidence," McManus said. "This phase will be a long and repetitive cycle. Search teams will be looking for anything of evidentiary value." Cadaver dogs will assist the search teams in the effort, which will be conducted weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., McManus said. He estimated more than 20 people will be involved. Rain would not compromise any evidence but could cause dangerous toxic runoff, which Fire Department and hazardous materials experts would work to contain. San Antonio police have been working with the FBI and Tempe police. They have been looking at every lead and "chasing them down very, very vigorously," McManus said. "We are doing everything that we can to try to track down baby Gabriel, and hopefully we will find that baby alive."

Who said that she had killed him and that she gave him away?

What cities police are excavating the landfill ?

Answer: Elizabeth Johnson,

Answer: San Antonio

Answer: She told Gabriel's father she killed the boy and has also said she gave him away to a couple in San Antonio,

Answer: 8-month-old boy

Answer: Elizabeth Johnson,

Answer: Investigators

Summary:
8-month-old has been missing since December 26 .
His mother has said she killed him and also that she gave him away .
San Antonio police are excavating landfill in search after getting a lead .


(CNN) -- Iran could see widespread protests this weekend, as a day of mourning for the most prominent cleric to oppose the regime coincides with the major Shiite holy day of Ashura.

Iran -- whose regime exists as an explicitly Shiite Muslim leadership -- may find it politically and culturally difficult to put a lid on the marking of Ashura this year.

It falls on Sunday -- which happens to be a week to the day since the death of Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, a key figure in the 1979 Iranian revolution. Montazeri, who went on to become one of the government's most vocal critics, died December 20.

The seventh day after a death is a traditional time for mourning in Islam, giving Iran's opposition two reasons to demonstrate on Sunday, both with impeccable religious justification.

But what exactly is Ashura and why does it draw such passionate crowds, some of whom beat themselves until they bleed?

The holy day commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, who died in 680 fighting to lead the religion based on the teachings of his grandfather, the Prophet Mohammed. The battle is one of the defining points in the split between the two main branches of Islam, the majority Sunnis and the minority Shiites.

Hussein was badly outnumbered when he was killed fighting Yazeed near the city of Karbala, in modern-day Iraq.

Shiites commemorate the death of Hussein each year, climaxing on Ashura -- the 10th day of the month of Muharram -- after a 40-day mourning period.

While Shiites are a minority among Muslims worldwide, they are the majority in Iraq and Iran, where the day sees tens or even hundreds of thousands of faithful out on the streets.

Some of the most dramatic scenes take place in Karbala itself, as Shiites congregate to do symbolic penance for failing to come to Hussein's aid in his uprising against Yazeed.

Believers chant, beat their breasts, cut themselves with daggers or swords and whip themselves in synchronized moves.

In Iraq under Saddam Hussein, the marking of Ashura was banned for 30 years. (The former dictator was a Sunni.) The first public Ashura demonstrations in Karbala after his fall, in 2004, came under attack by Sunni militants.

What falls one week to the day after the death of Grand Ayatollah?

Answer: 1979

Answer: put a lid on the marking of Ashura

Answer: Ashura.

Summary:
Iran may find it difficult to put a lid on the marking of Ashura this year .
It falls one week to the day after the death of Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri .
Montazeri, a key figure from the 1979 revolution, was an opponent of the current regime .
Ashura marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of Mohammed .


(CNN) -- Iran has detained six documentary filmmakers on accusations that they worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation's Persian service, activists said on Monday.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran urged authorities to end the "ongoing intimidation and arrest of filmmakers and journalists" and called on diplomats and journalists in New York to press President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his country's rights record during his reported visit to New York this week.

"These arrests prove yet again that President Ahmadinejad and his intelligence apparatus have no tolerance for independent filmmakers and journalists," Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement.

"If the president expects the international community to respect his right to speak in New York, then he should be forced to explain why filmmakers and media are subject to repression in Iran," he added.

Citing sources, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said the six documentary filmmakers were detained over the weekend and taken to prison.

It said a pro-government news agency accused the filmmakers of working for BBC Persian and spying for the service.

The BBC said Monday that no one works for the Persian service inside Iran and noted that the arrests came one day after the service broadcast a documentary on Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

The documentary was an in-house production and none of the detained filmmakers worked on it, the BBC reported.

In a news story posted on its website, the BBC quoted its language service chief, Liliane Landor, as saying the arrests are part of the "ongoing efforts by the Iranian government to put pressure on the BBC."

Also Monday, the Iranian minister of culture and Islamic guidance told the semiofficial Iranian Students' News Agency that the intelligence ministry is responsible for providing details on the filmmakers' case.

"BBC Farsi was a major actor in the disturbances during and after the elections," Seyed Mohammad Hosseini told the agency, referring to the 2009 presidential elections.

"It agitated and guided the people in the hopes to create problems for the country. This is why the representative office of the BBC was shut down in Tehran at that time. Those who are working legally in Iran must now pay close attention and be very careful. We do not plan on supporting a network that engages in anti-Iran activities and works against the interests of the country," he said.

That office of the BBC was reopened and remains open.

CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.

Which news service were the filmmakers accused of working for?

Answer: British

Answer: has detained six documentary filmmakers on accusations that they worked for the British

Answer: no one works for the Persian service inside Iran

Summary:
Filmmakers accused of working for the BBC's Persian service .
BBC says no one works for it inside Iran .
Rights activists say Iranian government can't tolerate independence .


(CNN) -- Iran is to send a female skier to the Winter Olympics for the first time at next year's Games in Vancouver, Canada, the head of the Islamic Republic's ski federation told state media Monday. Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari, competing at last month's World Ski Championships, in France. The chosen competitor will ski in "full Islamic dress," Iran's National News Agency reported. Three women Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari, Mitra Kalhor and Marjan Kalhor are vying for the place on the national team alongside three male skiers, said Iranian Ski Federation head Isa Saveh-Shemshaki. Trials for the team will be held in December, two months ahead of the event. Iran has sent male athletes to every Winter Games since 1956. Skiing is hugely popular in Iran with some of the region's best slopes in the Zagros Mountains just a two-hour drive from the country's capital Tehran. At weekends during the seven-month ski season it is common to see long queues of traffic on routes to resorts. With a growing ski tourism industry, the price of the sport has steadily increased. But with fewer social restrictions on the pistes than in other areas of Iranian life, the sport remains a popular pursuit for the country's youth. Until recently, many slopes were strictly segregated with men and women skiing on different sides of the mountain. But while it is still illegal to travel in the same chair lift or gondola, the country's strict religious laws are visibly more lax at 3,000 meters. Iran took just three women among 53 athletes to last year's Beijing Olympics but the choice of 19-year-old female rower Homa Hosseini to carry the flag during the opening ceremony infuriated strict Islamists. Current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who faces an election this year, was forced to back down from an initiative ealry in his current term to encourage female participation in sport because of criticism from the country's religious leaders. One mullah reportedly said that women should not ski because the movement of their knees looked "more like dancing than sport."

what country does she represent
What is hugely popular?
who is going to the olympics

Answer: Iran

Answer: Skiing

Answer: Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari,

Summary:
Iran set to send female athlete to next year's Winter Olympics for the first time .
One female skier, three male skiers will be selected for Iranian Olympic team .
Skiing is hugely popular in Iran with resorts just a two-hour drive from Tehran .
Male, female skiers allowed to share slopes though not chair lifts, gondolas .


(CNN) -- Iran on Sunday released on bail four journalists and a retired professor whom it had held for two months, the semiofficial Iran Labour News Agency reported. The five prisoners had been held since they were arrested during a December 27 protest, according to ILNA. The journalists are Abdolreza Tajik, Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, Behrang Tonkaboni and Mohammad Javad Mozafar, who is also a prisoners' rights activist, ILNA said. The news agency reported that the retired professor is Mohammad Sadeq Rabani. Separately, ILNA reported that Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi said Sunday that "detainees of recent unrest will be released due to the upcoming Iranian new year," which falls on March 21. At the same time, ILNA quoted Doulatabadi as saying that those arrested on the Muslim holy day of Ashura, when the five prisoners freed on bail Sunday were rounded up, could face stiff penalties later. "The judiciary will imply more strict policies, and those who were arrested on Ashura Day will be confronted heavily by the judiciary," he said. Mozafar and Tajik were released on $100,000 bail, according to Parleman News, the Web site of the minority reformists of the parliament. It did not mention the bail amount for the other two journalists. CNN was not immediately able to independently verify the bail amount. The protests around Ashura were Iran's deadliest clashes since protests broke out last summer after incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed more than 62 percent of the vote in national elections. At least seven people were killed and hundreds were arrested on Ashura, witnesses said. The Iranian government has denied that its security forces killed anyone, blaming reformists for the violence. Doulatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, said Sunday that the judiciary and police forces will be on high alert near the Iranian new year. The judiciary and police will "confront those who disturb the norms of society with high explosives," he said. The five prisoners were released Sunday from Tehran's Evin prison. ILNA did not release the professional affiliations of the journalists, but they were listed on opposition Web sites. According to some main opposition Web sites, Tajik is an editor for Farheekhtegan, a weekly magazine, and a freelance journalist. Shamsolvaezin has edited many of post-revolutionary Iran's first independent newspapers, including Kayhan, Jame'eh, Neshat and Asr-e Azadegan, according to opposition sites. Many of those have been closed down. Tonkaboni is the editor of the magazine Farhang va Ahang, or Culture and Music, according to opposition sites. Javad Mozafar is publishing director of Kavir, a publishing house, and vice president of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights, according to opposition sites. Sadegh Rabbani is a retired science professor at the University of Tehran, according to opposition sites.

On what date did the protests take place?

What did the prosecutor suggest would happen to the detainees?

How many journalists were released on bail?

Answer: December 27

Answer: protest,

Answer: four journalists and a retired professor

Answer: The five prisoners had been

Answer: will be released

Answer: Ashura

Answer: four

Summary:
Four journalists, professor released on bail, Iran Labour News Agency reports .
Five held since arrests during a December 27 protest, ILNA reported .
Report: Prosecutor suggests detainees of 'recent unrest' will be released .


(CNN) -- Iran should release seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage because it does not have any evidence against them, their lawyer Shirin Ebadi told CNN on Saturday.

Attorneys Abdolfattah Soltani, left, and Shirin Ebadi, shown in Tehran in 2004.

"In the files, in the case basically, there is nothing, no reason that basically convicts them," said Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The trial will begin Tuesday despite the fact that one of their lawyers is behind bars and Ebadi is outside the country.

Other attorneys can be appointed, Hassan Haddad of the Prosecutor's Office in Tehran told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

But the court must recognize the replacements, who are colleagues of Ebadi at her Tehran-based Defenders of Human Rights Center, not appoint other lawyers, Ebadi said.

The imprisoned lawyer, Abdolfattah Soltani, is a well-known advocate with the human rights center. He was arrested in the aftermath of Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election and is being held at Evin prison, the same place where his clients are detained, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights.

He is being held on charges of taking "measures against national security," Ebadi said. "Mr. Soltani is completely innocent."

Soltani had an opportunity to leave prison, but under conditions he chose not to accept, Ebadi said.

Along with not giving any interviews after his release, Soltani would also have to end his work with the human rights center and no longer support Ebadi, she said.

In another attack on the law firm, a lawyer was arrested after agents entered the center with guns, searched each room and then declared that they found opium on the premises, Ebadi said.

That lawyer, whose family had been harassed by police, accused the agents of planting the opium, she said.

Ebadi was on a speaking tour when Soltani was arrested and has not returned to Iran.

The firm founded by Ebadi took up the case of the seven Baha'is last year. They are accused of spying for Israel, spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic and committing religious offenses. The Baha'i International Community, which has a delegation to the United Nations, denies the allegations.

The evidence against the defendants includes communication from Israel, but that is because the Baha'i World Center has its headquarters in Israel, said Kit Bigelow, director of external affairs at the American Baha'i Community. Prosecutors are calling that communication espionage, she said.

Human rights groups have demanded the release of the prisoners and accused the government of targeting them because of their religious beliefs.

The Baha'i faith originated in 19th-century Persia, and while modern-day Iran does not recognize it, the government denies any mistreatment of the members of the largest non-Muslim religious minority.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has reported a rise in persecution of Baha'is in recent years, including cemetery desecration, arbitrary detention, home raids, property confiscation, work expulsion and denial of basic civil rights.

The case of the seven Baha'is has drawn global attention. Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist freed from Evin prison earlier this year, spoke on their behalf, as have Human Rights Watch and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent bipartisan federal commission.

The defendants face the death penalty if convicted.

Six of the defendants were arrested in May 2008 at their Tehran homes, and one was arrested in the eastern city of Mashad in March 2008, said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations. The defendants were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration, she said.

The investigation into the charges against the prisoners concluded months ago and the trial was initially scheduled to start in July. Iran has continued to hold them in Evin prison without access to their lawyers and with minimal contact with their families, Ala'i said.

CNN's Moni Basu contributed to this report.

Who is to go to trial on Tuesday in Iran?

What day will the prisoners go to trial?

Case of the seven Baha'is has drawn what?

What are seven Baha'i prisoners been accused of

Seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage to go on trial when?

Answer: seven Baha'i prisoners

Answer: espionage

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: at

Answer: were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration,

Answer: The case of the seven Baha'is

Answer: seven Baha'i prisoners

Answer: of the seven Baha'is

Answer: seven

Answer: global attention.

Answer: espionage

Answer: Tuesday

Summary:
Seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage to go on trial Tuesday in Iran .
Baha'is are accused of spying for Israel, spreading propaganda against Iran .
One of defendants' attorneys is in jail; another is outside the country .
Case of the seven Baha'is has drawn global attention .


(CNN) -- Iran tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles Sunday, the state-run Press TV said. A short-range missile is test-launched during war games in Qom, Iran, south of Tehran, on Sunday. Earlier, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had said it would stage missile exercises beginning Sunday to promote the armed forces' defense capabilities. The tests, which are expected to last until Monday, are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4," Press TV said. The missiles, fired at targets around the country Sunday, included the Fateh-110, a short-range ground-to-ground missile, and Tondar-69, a short-range naval missile, the station said. Several models of medium-range Shahab missiles were tested at night, Press TV reported.  Watch Iranian missile tests » The final stage of the tests will be held Monday morning, when Iran plans to test the long-range Shahab missile, the station said. In May, Iran said it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe. At the time, a White House official said actions in Iran were noteworthy. "Of course, this is just a test, and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed. But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran's capacity to deliver weapons," said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation. The latest test follows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disclosure Friday that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility.  Watch analyst's view on missile tests, nuclear tensions » The United States and Israel believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program. Iran has denied the allegation.

Who is testing several types of missiles?

What is the code name for the missile tests?

What type of missiles is Iran test firing?

In which month did Iran test surface-to-surface missiles able to reach Europe?

Which country are the surface-to-surface missiles capable of reaching?

What type of range missiles has Iran included in their tests?

Answer: capable of reaching parts of Europe.

Answer: "Payghambar-e Azam 4"

Answer: tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.

Answer: tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles

Answer: Iran

Answer: short- and medium-range missiles

Answer: Sunday,

Answer: it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.

Answer: "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4,"

Answer: Iran

Answer: medium-range

Answer: May,

Answer: parts of Europe.

Answer: are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4,"

Answer: short- and medium-range

Summary:
NEW: Iran test-fires several types of short- and medium-range missiles .
NEW: Tests are code-named "The Great Prophet 4," state-run Press TV says .
Missile tests come days after Iran admits existence of second nuclear facility .
In May, Iran tested surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching parts of Europe .


(CNN) -- Iran will not send its partially enriched uranium abroad to be turned into material for medical research, its foreign minister said Wednesday, rejecting a key plank of a deal designed to ease international fears that Tehran aims to build nuclear weapons. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran might allow its nuclear material to be reprocessed inside Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported. The deal hammered out last month with the help of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran denies that it wants to do so, saying its nuclear program is to produce civilian nuclear energy and do medical work. The watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that it could not confirm or deny that Iran had rejected any part of the proposal. U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "This is the IAEA's proposal, and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA, and that's what we're waiting for. That's what the IAEA is waiting for." But, he said, "until the IAEA gets the response and formally says this is ... Iran's response, I don't consider a statement to the press necessarily a response." On October 1, the IAEA proposal "was accepted in principle by all the parties including Iran," Kelly said. "And there was also an agreement that each of the parties would provide a written response to the proposal. "Russia, France and the United States have provided a written response," he said. "We expect Iran to provide a written response. And we expect the IAEA to pronounce on that response. So we will wait for the IAEA to make a formal response to this." In a report published Monday, the IAEA expressed concerns about Iran's nuclear program. The Islamic republic's disclosure of a previously secret nuclear facility near Qom raised questions about the existence of other such facilities, and its delay in acknowledging the facility "does not contribute to the building of confidence" in Tehran, the IAEA said in the report. Tehran has not convinced the agency its nuclear program isn't military, said the report, published on the Institute for Science and International Security Web site. A source with direct knowledge of the report confirmed its authenticity to CNN. Tehran shocked the international community in September by revealing the existence of the nuclear enrichment facility. On Monday, Kelly said in a statement that the report "underscores that Iran still refuses to comply fully with its international nuclear obligations." IAEA inspectors visited the newly revealed facility last month, according to the report. During a meeting in Tehran, Iranian officials told the inspectors that construction of the site had begun during late 2007, the report said, and it would not be operational until 2011. However, the IAEA inspectors told Iran that "it had acquired commercially available satellite imagery of the site indicating that there had been construction at the site between 2002 and 2004, and that construction activities were resumed in 2006 and had continued to date," the report said. IAEA member states also allege that design work on the facility, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, began in 2006, the report said. Iranian officials told inspectors that the nation has no other undisclosed nuclear facilities either under construction or in operation, the report said, and promised that any future facilities would be disclosed. A letter sent this month asks Tehran to confirm that it has not decided to construct or authorized construction of any undisclosed facility, the report said. Iran remains bound by the terms of a 2003 agreement under which it must provide information to the IAEA regarding nuclear facilities as soon as the decision to build is made or construction is authorized. "Even if, as stated by Iran, the decision to construct the new facility at the Fordow site was taken in the second half of 2007, Iran's failure to notify the agency of the new facility until September 2009 was inconsistent with its obligations," the IAEA said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has

who says proposal "was accepted in principle by all parties including Iran"?

what Proposal was key part of deal brokered by U.N.?

Who is the EU concerned will develop nuclear weapons?

What does the US say about the proposal?

Which countries are concerned about Irans intentions?

Which country won't send partially enriched uranium abroad?

who says it won't send partially enriched uranium abroad for medical research?

Answer: U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly

Answer: aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb.

Answer: Iran

Answer: and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA,

Answer: "Russia, France and the United States

Answer: partially enriched uranium

Answer: Iran

Answer: Iran

Summary:
Iran says it won't send partially enriched uranium abroad for medical research .
Proposal was key part of deal brokered by U.N. nuclear watchdog .
U.S. says proposal "was accepted in principle by all parties including Iran"
U.S., EU nations concerned Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons .


(CNN) -- Iran's parliament on Thursday approved the Cabinet nominations of a suspected terrorist and the first woman minister in the Islamic republic's 30-year history. Iran's first woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi. She will head the health ministry. Lawmakers approved the nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post. He is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and one of six former and current Iranian officials sought by Interpol for the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago. Of those Cabinet choices approved by parliament, Vahidi won the highest number of votes. Argentina's Foreign Ministry has deplored the nomination of Vahidi, who is accused of working with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants in carrying out the 1994 attack. Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi was approved as the nation's health minister. She is the first female minister since the Islamic republic was founded. Iranian lawmakers gave their votes of confidence to 18 of the 21 nominees proposed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- who entered a second term of office after a disputed presidential election. Two of those who failed to get the required majority votes enabling them to start work officially were female nominees: Sousan Keshavarz for the education ministry and Fatemeh Ajorlou for welfare and social security. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets for more than two weeks to protest the June 12 election results, calling them fraudulent after Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner. More than 1,000 people were arrested in a government crackdown, and Iran said at least 30 people were killed in post-election violence.

What is the name of the Islamic Republic's first woman minister?

Who is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard?

Which post was Ahmad Vahidi nominated for?

Who also approved nomination of Ahmad Vahidi?

Who appointed it's first ever woman minister?

Answer: Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi.

Answer: Ahmad Vahidi

Answer: defense minister

Answer: bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago.

Answer: Lawmakers

Answer: Iran's

Summary:
Islamic Republic appoints its first ever woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi .
Lawmakers also approve nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post .
Vahidi, a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a suspected terrorist .


(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader on Sunday blasted U.S. plans to overhaul the setup for a missile defense shield in Europe, calling the Obama administration's intentions "anti-Iranian," state-run media reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the U.S. president is following "anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian" policies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also called Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions -- which Tehran says are only for energy purposes -- "purely a fabrication by the United States," according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. "This is something that is in the doctrine of anti-Iranianism, since the policy and the 30-year-old history of the Islamic Republic has proven that Iran wants to live in peace and under the spirit of equality and fraternity, with its Muslim neighbors and the rest of the world," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. On Thursday, President Obama said the United States is significantly overhauling Bush-era plans for a missile defense shield in Europe, based partly on the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities. The "new missile defense architecture in Europe" will be ready faster, work with existing technology and provide better missile defense than the program proposed by former President George W. Bush, Obama said. Obama said the change of gears was based on an "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles. The Islamic republic's "short- and medium-range" missiles pose the most current threat, he said, and "this new ballistic missile defense will best address" that threat. Khamenei, speaking on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, a festive end to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, countered by comparing Obama to his predecessor. "America, under its former president, spared no efforts against the Muslim world as well as against Iran," Khamenei said. "Even the current administration -- with the apparently friendly words and messages -- follows that same anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian policy of the past." The Bush-era proposal called for the United States to set up a radar site in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland to counter the threat of Iran launching long-range missiles at America's allies in Europe. The new system will have "hundreds" of missile interceptors instead, a Pentagon official said last week. It also will have mobile radars, including some in space, "that can move to wherever the threat actually emanates and wherever we feel we need to defend ourselves," said Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

What did Khamenei say is a fabrication by U.S.?

What did Khamenei say about Western concerns?

What is the full name of the organization with the initials "IRNA"?

Answer: the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities.

Answer: "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles.

Answer: Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions

Answer: "purely a fabrication by the United States,"

Answer: Islamic Republic News Agency.

Summary:
New U.S. plan is "anti-Iranian," Khamenei says, according to state-run media .
Obama: Change was based on updated assessment of Iran's missile capabilities .
IRNA: Khamenei says Western concerns over nuclear program "fabrication" by U.S.


(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader took verbal jabs at the United States Saturday in his first public reaction since the United States accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled the allegations "meaningless and absurd."

"They (the U.S.) want to isolate Iran," Khamenei said over chants of "down with America" in a speech before thousands in the western Iranian city of Gilangharb.

Also, an Iranian official said claims by the United States that a high-level U.S. diplomat had met Wednesday with an Iranian counterpart over the plot were untrue.

"There were no kinds of negotiations between the two countries, and there was not such a contact," said Alireza Miryousefi, press secretary for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.

The United States had reported having had "direct contact with Iran" about the alleged plot.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland disclosed the contact to reporters. A senior administration official told CNN it occurred Wednesday and was initiated by the United States.

Two State Department officials said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice met with Mohammad Khazai, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Ahead of Saturday's rebuttal of the claims of diplomatic contact, Iranian officials had previously declined to confirm the meeting.

U.S. authorities have accused Iran of being involved in a plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, in spring 2012.

The alleged scheme involved a connection to the Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, which formally answers to Khamenei.

Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of conspiring to hire hit men from a Mexican drug cartel to bomb a restaurant, where the ambassador would have been.

Authorities developed the case against the suspects with the help of an undercover informant posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, according to officials and an FBI agent's affidavit.

Reza Aslan, a religious scholar and author, told CNN on Saturday that the described plot "just does not fit the Quds Force's M.O. (modus operandi)."

Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas, he said.

"It's sloppy. It's uncharacteristic," said Aslan. "It really does not serve Iran's interest in any legitimate way."

Iran could more easily target Saudi diplomats in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, Aslan said. "Doing so on U.S. soil is unmistakably an attack on the United States, not on Saudi Arabia."

CNN's Mitra Mobasherat and Hala Gorani contributed to this report

Does Iranian diplomat say claims are true?

Ayatollah Khamenei calls the U.S. allegations what?

What does Khamenei think about the allegations?

The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in what?

Answer: accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Answer: the Quds Force's M.O.

Answer: untrue.

Answer: "meaningless and absurd."

Answer: "meaningless and absurd."

Answer: plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Answer: Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas,

Summary:
NEW: Scholar says plot does not fit Quds Force "M.O."
Ayatollah Khamenei calls the U.S. allegations "absurd"
Iranian diplomat: U.S. claims of a meeting with Iran are not true .
The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in a plot to kill a Saudi official in the United States .


(CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that a new Middle East -- one "without Zionists and without colonialists" -- was quickly emerging as regional bonds grow stronger by the day.

The hard-line leader made the comments after a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Thursday.

"The whole world should know that Iran will stand behind the Syrian nation to the end," Ahmadinejad said in remarks aired on Iran's state-run Press TV. "Regional bonds are very strong."

His comments came during a two-day visit to Damascus that follows efforts by the United States to weaken ties between Iran and Syria.

President Obama recently nominated veteran diplomat Robert Ford to be the new ambassador in Damascus, ending a five-year diplomatic hiatus there and sparking talk of a renewed relationship. But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran.

"No one has enlightened her to comment on regional issues," Ahmadinejad said, slamming Clinton's statements as interfering. "The whole U.S. government has no impact whatsoever on regional relations."

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen over Iran's nuclear program, which Iran insists is intended for civilian use but the United States believes is intended for developing weapons.

Assad voiced strong support for Iran and brushed off U.S. sentiment.

"I find it strange how they talk about Middle East stability and at the same time talk about dividing two countries," he said.

The meeting between Assad and Ahmadinejad sparked a harsh reaction from Israeli President Shimon Peres.

"The time has come to speak the truth," he said in a written statement. "The problem in the Middle East is not the Palestinians. The Palestinian problem will be resolved through the peace process in Israel. The central problem in the Middle East is Iran's attempt to reach hegemony over the Arab lands."

"The source of the problem is Ahmadinejad's megalomania. Assad must choose what he wants -- to join the Iranian camp of evil and terror or to make peace with Israel," he said.

He called on Assad to sit down with Israel to reach a peace agreement.

Where did U.S. recently send ambassadors?

Answer: Hillary Clinton

Answer: tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran.

Answer: Assad

Answer: Damascus,

Answer: Middle East stability and at the same time talk

Answer: Damascus,

Summary:
Iran's Ahmadinejad, Syria's Assad pledge mutual support .
U.S. recently sent ambassador to Syria for first time in five years .
Clinton interferes in the two nations' relations, Ahmadinejad says .
U.S. policy is contradictory, Assad says .


(CNN) -- Iranian authorities confiscated the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize given to human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, Norway said Thursday. "The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi's bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement. Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation, and there was no immediate reaction from Iran. Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that it "has reacted strongly" and summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires on Wednesday afternoon to protest the move. During the meeting with the Iranian charge d'affaires, State Secretary Gry Larsen also expressed "grave concern" about how Ebadi's husband has allegedly been treated. "Earlier this autumn, he [Ebadi's husband] was arrested in Tehran and severely beaten. His pension has been stopped and his bank account has been frozen," the statement from Norway said. Store said in the statement that it marked the "first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities." The peace prize is one of five awarded annually since 1901 by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The other four prizes are for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Starting in 1969, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel also has been awarded. While the other prizes are awarded by committees based in Sweden, the peace prize is determined by a five-member panel appointed by the Norwegian parliament. Ebadi received the prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children. A statement from the Nobel committee at the time said, "As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond its borders."

Who received a prize for their focus on human rights?

Who did not explain how they learned of the alleged confiscation?

Who received a prize for her focus on human rights

Answer: "The medal and the diploma

Answer: Ebadi,

Answer: Norway

Answer: not explain

Answer: "The medal and the diploma

Answer: Ebadi

Answer: her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.

Summary:
Shirin Ebadi received prize for focus on human rights, especially women and children .
Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation .
The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi's bank box, say officials .


(CNN) -- Iranian media outlets have "systematically stirred up" widespread contempt toward the country's 300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority, the group says.

The Baha'i International Community issued a report Friday entitled "Inciting Hatred: Iran's media campaign to demonize Baha'is."

The report "documents and analyzes more than 400 media items over a 16-month period." The result, the Baha'is say, is an "insidious state-sponsored effort" to discredit the Baha'is with "false accusations, inflammatory terminology, and repugnant imagery."

Iranians officials at the United Nations and in Tehran could not be reached for comment.

Among "recurring themes" in media coverage about Baha'is, the report said, is that they are "anti-Islamic," a "deviant" and "cult-like" sect, agents of Zionism, spies for Israel and the West, morally corrupt and an influence in the shah's government, toppled in 1979.

New themes have emerged in recent months, the report says.

The report says the Baha'is have instigated opposition to the regime, influenced "anti-regime" Iranian human rights activists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, controls or influences foreign broadcasters, such as the BBC and Voice of America, and helped plan and participated in the 2009 Ashura protests against the presidential elections earlier that year.

The group also said the media "uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith," and "security attractive young women to lure converts."

"This anti-Baha'i propaganda is shocking in its volume and vehemence, its scope and sophistication," said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"It's all cynically calculated to stir up antagonism against a peaceful religious community whose members are striving to contribute to the well-being of their society," she said. "The parallels between the campaign of anti-Baha'i propaganda in Iran today and other state-sponsored, anti-religious campaigns of the past are undeniable. History shows us that such campaigns are among the foremost predictors of actual violence against religious minorities -or, in the worst case, precursors of genocide."

The Baha'i faith, founded during the 19th century in Iran and now with 5 million to 6 million adherents worldwide, is a monotheistic religion that focuses on the spiritual unity of humanity.

But Iran's Shiite Muslim ruling ayatollahs regard the faith as blasphemous because its founder, Bahaullah, declared himself to be a prophet of God. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed was the last prophet of God.

The group said the anti-Baha'i messages are "originates with and are sanctioned by the country's highest levels of leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."

Iran, however, claims that international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy.

Those claims are "both ludicrous and funny, if it wasn't so sad," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists' Middle East and North Africa program.

"Any international media outlet that carries news that is not identical to the Iranian government's line is accused of being an agent of fill in the blank: The Baha'is, the Americans, the Mossad."

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom -- an independent, bipartisan federal agency -- regularly documents the Iranian regime's actions toward the Baha'is.

A USCIRF official said the Iranian government's media campaign to denigrate and vilify the Baha'i community is part of its long-standing policy to not only incite violence against Baha'is but also to seek a slow death of the community's very existence in the country.

"The longer you wear down a community by demonizing them, intimidating them, depriving them, and arresting and imprisoning them - the hope is that you achieve your goal of total eradication," said Dwight Bashir, deputy director for policy and research at USCIRF.

The Baha'i report cities more than 200 "specious and misleading articles" by the semi-official Kayhan newspaper. USCIRF also singles out Kayhan.

"Among those responsible for this media initiative has been Hossein Shariatmadari, managing

Who said the Iranian media are demonizing them?

Answer: The Baha'i

Answer: "systematically stirred up" widespread contempt toward the country's

Answer: 300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority,

Answer: Baha'is."

Answer: the media "uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith," and "security attractive young women to lure converts."

Answer: international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy.

Summary:
The Baha'is say Iranian media are demonizing them .
Rights groups underscore the report's contentions .
Iran's rulers believe the Baha'i faith is blasphemous .


(CNN) -- Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at reining in the power of the Islamic Republic's leadership, a leading reformist newspaper reported Sunday. Mir Hossein Moussavi is reportedly seeking to form a new political party in Iran. Moussavi told supporters the party will be focused on upholding "the remaining principles of the constitution," according to Etemad-e Melli, a newspaper aligned with fellow opposition candidate Mehdi Karrubi. He is expected to file papers with Iran's Interior Ministry to establish the party before hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is sworn in for a new term, the newspaper reported. The announcement comes after weeks of protests over Iran's disputed presidential election and an attempted clampdown by Iran's clerical leadership. The clerical leadership has declared Ahmadinejad the winner of that vote. Moussavi, a former prime minister, was the leading challenger to Ahmadinejad in the June 12 balloting. The official results showed Ahmadinejad winning with more than 62 percent of the vote. Moussavi and Karrubi have consistently rejected those results as fraudulent and demanded a new vote. Their supporters turned out in crowds estimated in the hundreds of thousands to demand the results be overturned. Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees the elections, has declared the official count will stand.

who won the election
who lost in the election
What does reformist newspapers report?
Who did Moussavi lose to?
What did Moussavi's loss lead to?
Who is to be sworn in?
What sparked a mass protest?

Answer: Ahmadinejad

Answer: Moussavi

Answer: leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at

Answer: Ahmadinejad

Answer: form a new political party

Answer: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Answer: Iran's disputed presidential election

Summary:
Mir Hossein Moussavi seeks to curb power of clerics, reformist newspaper reports .
He's expected to file papers to form party before Ahmadinejad is sworn in .
Moussavi's loss to President Ahmadinejad in election sparked mass protests in Iran .


(CNN) -- Iranian student Puyan Mahmudian scored the sixth highest marks in his year group in his entrance exam, but was rejected for a Masters degree in chemical engineering at Amirkabir University in Tehran.

The problem was not his academic record, but his political background, according to human rights groups, which note that Mahmudian had previously been jailed for being editor of a student magazine that was critical of the government.

Mahmudian, now 25, believes he is one of hundreds of so-called "starred students," whom campaigners claim are denied access to university or expelled because of their religious or political beliefs.

A report called "Punishing Stars" by the non-governmental organization International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran names 217 students who it says have been deprived of education because of their religion or political activism in the last five years. It says the real number is much higher as many did not want to be named.

Many of those listed are members of the Baha'i Faith, the largest religious minority in Iran, with around 300,000 members, according to the official website of the faith in the United States. It says Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran since the faith started there in the mid-19th century. The conservative clergy considers followers of the Baha'i faith to be part of a wayward sect and apostates.

Other "starred students" are human rights activists, supporters of women's rights, members of the political opposition and student journalists, campaigners claim.

Now, a grassroots campaign, which began in Germany and has spread to other countries around the world, is drawing attention to alleged denial of education in Iran.

The campaign, called "Can You Solve This?" publicizes a QR code which, when scanned by smart phones, directs people to a website with an animated video.

The QR code has been printed on flyers, banners, pavements and t-shirts in coffee shops, streets and university campuses. In Germany, the QR code was used without any other information to build up mystery around the campaign.

Ruha Reyani, a second generation Iranian living in Germany and one of the architects of the campaign, said: "We are at the start of the university year and there's a big push from the Iranian government to use denial of education as a tool of persecution.

"We want people to come to take action by sending letters to their political leaders." Events to support the campaign have already been held in Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India and the Netherlands, and are planned for Canada, the United States, France, Italy and other countries.

Esra'a Al Shafei, founder of Mideast Youth, one of the organizations supporting the campaign, said: "It's a creative and dynamic campaign that appeals to young people everywhere. The video has had more than 70,000 views and more than 5,000 letters have been sent through the website."

Mahmudian, now living in Germany, was arrested and jailed in 2007 while editor of a student magazine at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.

In a case highlighted at the time by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, Mahmudian and seven other students were arrested, accused of defaming Islam in their publications.

Mahmudian said the members of the information ministry had circulated forged editions of their publications containing offensive articles.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a press release at the time: "The Iranian authorities are using the flimsiest of pretexts to arrests student journalists and activists.

"Even the Judiciary has admitted that these students had nothing to do with the forged publications."

Mahmudian said: "I spent more than 50 days in solitary confinement. They used physical and mental torture. I went on hunger strike for 11 days to be allowed to make one phone call to my mother to tell her I was okay.

"After 80 days of extreme pressure they got a videotaped confession from us inside prison. We apologized to the president and were released and allowed to go back to university."

It was after his undergraduate studies finished

What is the name of the campaign?
What is the student's name?

Answer: "Can You Solve This?"

Answer: Puyan Mahmudian

Summary:
Report: Hundreds of Iranian students rejected from university for political or religious beliefs .
"Can You Solve This?" campaign using QR code and video raises awareness .
Puyan Mahmudian one of so-called "starred students" for editing student magazine .


(CNN) -- Iraq has banned all Turkish flights from landing in the country in response to a dispute over millions of dollars owed by an Iraqi government oil company to Turkey.

Iraqi transportation ministry spokesman Karim al-Nuri said the decision to block Turkish planes from Iraq, including the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, was in response to a similar ban in Turkey against Iraqi flights. However, a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.

The official did say that Turkey warned that if Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) does not pay the $3 million owed to his country, then the country would ban Iraqi aircraft.

"They owe the money and they wish to freeze Turkish flights ... Talks are ongoing. But the way out is for SOMO to pay its debts," the Turkish official said.

Al-Nuri said Baghdad did not make "a political decision."

"Iraq will reverse its decision if Turkey reverses its decision, too," al-Nuri said.

After years of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines was one of the first international companies to begin direct flights to Baghdad. Increasingly, Turkey has grown as a major international gateway for commerce and travel to and from its Iraqi neighbor.

Where all flights to all Turkish cities banned?

Which flights did Iraq say that Turkey banned from landing?

What kind of company's debts have caused the dispute?

Which country has banned Iraqi flights from landing?

Answer: millions of dollars

Answer: a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Iraqi

Answer: Iraqi government oil

Answer: Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO)

Answer: Turkey

Answer: $3 million

Summary:
Iraq claims Turkey has banned Iraqi flights from landing .
Turkey denies making such a decision .
The dispute is over money owed by an Iraqi oil company to Turkey .


(CNN) -- Iraq scored in injury time Friday to beat 10-man China 1-0 and all but end their opponent's hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup finals.

The Asia Group A match in Doha was a mirror image of the side's earlier clash in China a month ago, with Younis Mahmoud, who scored the only goal in Shenzhen, coming up trumps again in injury time.

China were handicapped by a red card for Zhang Linpeng and paid for missed chances.

Iraq, coached by former Brazil legend Zico, have moved into a strong position in the qualifying section, which is led by Jordan, who confirmed their place in the second stage by beating Singapore 2-0.

Jose Camacho's China would have to win their final two games and see Iraq lose by a heavy margin to Jordan and Singapore to claim an unlikely second in the group.

"China played bravely, but we won the match and the result has almost guaranteed our place in the last ten," Zico told the official FIFA website.

"The game went as we predicted. We knew China would attack, so we focused on defending in the first half before sealing victory late on."

Japan and Uzbekistan joined Jordan in clinching qualification Friday, continuing their domination of Group C.

Japan routed Tajikistan 4-0 and Uzbekistan beat North Korea 1-0 with Timur Kapadze scoring the only goal of the match for the hosts.

The big surprise of the day was the 1-0 defeat for Group D leaders Australia in Oman with Amad Ali scoring the winner in the 18th minute.

Australia will still be expected to progress after four earlier wins, with Frank Rijkaard's Saudi Arabia moving into second in the group after a 3-0 win over Thailand.

In Group B, South Korea stayed top by beating the UAE 2-0 and Mahmoud El Ali grabbed the only goal of the game as Lebanon shocked hosts Kuwait 1-0 to move into second.

Iran held on to top spot in Group E but needed an injury-time equalizer from Mojtaba Jabari to scramble a 1-1 draw in Bahrain.

Iran lead Qatar, who recorded a 4-0 home win over Indonesia, on goal difference.

In the first round of African qualifying, the outstanding result Friday was 3-1 win for the Congo DR in Swaziland with Togo held 1-1 in Guinea Bissau. Totttenham's Emmanuel Adebayor is set to return for Togo in the second leg next Tuesday.

A star-studded Argentina side were held to a disappointing 1-1 home draw by Bolivia in their third match of qualifying from South America.

Argentina, boasting the likes of Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, found the visitors hard to break down and even fell behind as Martins Moreno scored in the second half.

It needed an equalizer from Ezequiel Lavezzi to salvage a point, with Argentina booed from the field.

What country was booed off the field in South America?

What countries had places in the second round of Asia qualifying?

Answer: Argentina

Answer: Argentina

Answer: Iraq

Answer: 1-0

Answer: Japan and Uzbekistan

Answer: Saudi Arabia

Answer: China

Answer: Congo DR

Answer: Jordan,

Summary:
Iraq score last-gasp winner to beat China 1-0 in World Cup qualifying .
Japan, Uzbekistan and Jordan clinch places in second round of Asia qualifying .
Congo DR score fine 3-1 win over Swaziland in African first round qualifier .
Argentina booed off field after being held 1-1 by Bolivia in South America group .


(CNN) -- Iraq's presidency council Thursday approved the U.S.-Iraq security agreement -- the final step for the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government, a council spokesman said. The pact allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.

U.S. soldiers gather at the "Crossed Swords" in Baghdad's secure Green Zone on Tuesday.

The three-member presidency council -- Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi -- approved the agreement unanimously a week after the Iraqi parliament passed the measure.

Under the Iraqi constitution, unanimous approval by the presidency council is required for ratification of a law or agreement.

The security pact will replace a U.N. mandate for the U.S. presence in Iraq that expires at the end of this year.

The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns. The date for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.

The agreement -- which stresses respect for Iraqi sovereignty -- "requests the temporary assistance" of U.S. forces, but severely restricts their role.

The pact says that all military operations are to be carried out with the agreement of Iraq and must be "fully coordinated" with Iraqis.

A Joint Military Operations Coordination Committee will oversee military operations.

Iraq has the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. forces "for grave premeditated felonies," the agreement says. Suspects can be held by U.S. forces but must be available to Iraqi authorities for investigation or trial.

Iraq also will have the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. contractors and their employees under the agreement.

Also, the pact says that "Iraqi land, sea and air shouldn't be used as a launching or transit point for attacks against other countries."

The presidency council also approved a U.S.-Iraqi bilateral pact called the strategic framework agreement, which covers a wide range of bilateral cooperation efforts and which was approved by the Iraqi parliament last week.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, issued a statement welcoming the council's ratification of the measures.

"We look forward, under these agreements, to the continued reduction in U.S. forces and the normalization of bilateral relations as two sovereign and co-equal nations," the two said in their statement.

"We will undertake initiatives to strengthen our cooperation in the fields of economics, energy, health, the environment, education, culture, and law enforcement. The United States will support Iraq's request to the U.N. Security Council to continue protection of Iraqi assets," the statement said.

U.S. officials welcomed what country for approval of pact?

What was the council's approval the final step for?

When are all US Forces scheduled to entirely exit Iraq by?

U.S. troops will pull out of Iraqi cities by what date?

U.S. forces will exit Iraq fully by what date?

Answer: allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.

Answer: the U.S.-Iraq security agreement

Answer: Iraq

Answer: the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government,

Answer: December 31, 2011.

Answer: December 31, 2011.

Answer: the council's ratification of the measures.

Answer: December 31, 2011.

Summary:
NEW: U.S. officials welcome Iraqi council's approval of security pact .
Presidency council's approval was final legal step for enactment .
Agreement pulls U.S. troops out of all Iraqi cities by June 30 .
U.S. forces would exit Iraq entirely by December 31, 2011 .


(CNN) -- Ireland --- once Europe's 'Celtic Tiger' -- was last year felled by its black hole of a banking sector, and forced to tap Europe's bailout fund.

The country continues to live off bailout funds -- yet in September internet giant Twitter announced its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin. It will join Facebook and Google, which both have their headquarters in the Irish capital.

The move suggests Dublin could again become a major player in the technology industry, despite the country's financial woes.

According to Noel Ruane, head of Dogpatch Labs Europe -- which likens itself to a 'frat house for geeks' -- the city has enough of an internet community to rival Silicon Valley.

Dogpatch Labs was created by the U.S.-based venture capital company Polaris Venture Partners, and provides a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people.

The center has also chosen to call Dublin its European home, with Ruane as its entrepreneur in residence.

Ruane believes Dublin is a good base for emerging companies, despite their consumers being located elsewhere. Many companies are web based, and don't need to be near their customers, he says.

He acknowledges language barriers can prove more difficult for companies in Europe than in other parts of the world, such as the U.S.

"There is a localization requirement; we don't have one homogenous market like the U.S. where there are 300 million plus people that companies can target." But he says the nature of the web means businesses can be successful from wherever they're located, including Dublin.

But while Dublin's reputation as an internet hub is growing, many developers are still honing their skills in the U.S first before establishing themselves in Europe.

"I meet companies all the time where the founders have returned home after perhaps graduating from Stamford University and spending some years with the large internet companies in Silicon Valley," explains Ruane. "They have all that experience so that they can set up business back in Europe."

CNN's Emily Smith contributed to this story.

Where are headquartered Google and Facebook?

What companies have their headquaters in Ireland?

Who already has headquarters in Ireland?

Answer: Silicon Valley.

Answer: Dublin.

Answer: Facebook and Google,

Answer: a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people.

Answer: Facebook and Google,

Answer: Dogpatch Labs

Answer: its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin.

Summary:
Twitter announced in September it would set up shop in Dublin .
Google and Facebook have their international headquarters in Ireland .
Dogpatch Labs Europe provides space for entrepreneurs .
Its head Noel Ruane believes Dublin can rival Silicon Valley .


(CNN) -- Ireland opened the defense of their Six Nations rugby title with a 29-11 victory at home to Italy, while England repelled the challenge of Wales to win 30-17 in Saturday's other match.

Ireland, who won all five matches last year to complete a Grand Slam, led 23-8 at halftime in Dublin but could not run away with victory against a determined visiting team.

Recalled flyhalf Ronan O'Gara became the first player to score 500 points in the tournament as he was successful with all six kicks at goal, while Jamie Heaslip and Tomas O'Leary crossed for first-half tries.

Italy's only try came just before halftime, despite the sin-binning of center Gonzalo Garcia meaning coach Nick Mallett's team were reduced to 14 men, after a charge-down of Rob Kearney's kick by Kaine Robertson.

"It's not easy to click immediately having only been together for two weeks and not having played together since November," Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll told reporters.

"There is plenty to improve on. It's the first one and job done. We'll take the positives out of it and move on. We showed an ability in the first half to turn defense into attack and the amount of lineout ball we won was a big plus.

"We made some good line breaks but didn't finish them off. Maybe we need to improve our support play."

England flanker James Haskell scored two tries to lift the pressure on head coach Martin Johnson, as Wales paid the price for Alun-Wyn Jones' sin-binning with 17 points conceded while the lock was off the field at Twickenham.

The match was level at 3-3 when Jones was yellow-carded for leg-tripping England hooker Dylan Hartley, and the hosts subsequently scored a penalty and two converted tries, Haskell's first in Tests and another five minutes after halftime by scrumhalf Danny Care.

Wales battled back to 20-17 down with eight minutes left as Jones made some amends by setting up prop Adam Jones for a try and then James Hook crossed for another.

But four minutes later Haskell went over again thanks to Delon Armitage's interception, and then Jonny Wilkinson kicked his third penalty, this one from the halfway line to give the flyhalf 15 points for the match.

Wales coach Warren Gatland was furious after Jones' indiscipline cost his side dear.

"We are frustrated and disappointed. We felt that was a game that has slipped from our grasp," the New Zealander told reporters.

"The yellow card has cost us 17 points -- it was one of those things, stupid. It was massive. Sometimes those things are very, very costly, and it was for us today.

"We had stressed discipline over the past two weeks and talked about giving nothing soft away, and it is frustrating we have done that. He has made an impulsive decision, and hopefully it is a learning experience for him and he doesn't do it again."

France travel to Scotland for the opening round's other match on Sunday.

What was the score between England and Wales?

Who was the first player to score 500 points in the tournament?

What team won the Six Nations rugby title?

Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara becomes first player to do what?

Answer: England hooker

Answer: Ireland

Answer: England

Answer: 30-17

Answer: Ronan O'Gara

Answer: Ronan O'Gara

Answer: Ireland

Answer: score 500 points in the tournament

Answer: win

Summary:
Ireland open defense of Six Nations rugby title with 29-11 victory at home to Italy .
Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara becomes first player to score 500 points in the tournament .
England defeat Wales 30-17 at Twickenham as visitors pay for Alun Wyn-Jones' sin-binning .
Hosts score 17 points while lock is off field for leg-tripping England's Dylan Hartley .


(CNN) -- Ireland's government-backed "bad bank" is taking on 16 billion euros ($21.5 billion) in debt from five troubled Irish banks -- a first step toward buying 81 billion euros ($109 billion) in bad loans, the government announced.

The National Asset Management Agency, as the "bad bank" is officially known, will pay 8.5 billion euros ($11.4 billion) for the first 16 billion euros in debt, it said Tuesday.

The move takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank. The first two banks' debts were taken over on Monday and the other three institutions' bad loans should be transferred by early April, NAMA said.

Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan gave a sobering assessment of the banks' health Tuesday.

"I understand why many want us to close" Anglo Irish Bank, which lost huge sums in property lending, he told lawmakers. "I understand the impulse to obliterate it from the system."

But, he said, "the sums required to rescue the bank are enormous but the costs of winding it down are even greater."

The government has already replaced the management of the bank.

Lenihan hinted broadly that the government will take over Allied Irish Bank, which he said must raise "additional equity capital of at least 7.4 billion euros ($9.9B) by the end of the year."

"If sufficient private capital is not available, it is probable that the state will have a majority shareholding in Allied Irish Bank as a listed entity, but this is much more preferable than an under-capitalized or only adequately-capitalized entity," he said.

The government is seeking to sell Irish Nationwide or merge it with another entity as soon as possible, after having taken it over earlier, he said.

The Bank of Ireland "expects to be able to raise private capital and is well advanced in its actions to address its capital needs," and EBS is in talks with "a private party" about raising market capital, he added.

The move is part of an Irish government response to the global financial crisis, which hit Ireland particularly hard.

The government expects to complete the purchase of the 81 billion euros in debt by February of next year, a deadline set by the European Union, NAMA said.

Borrowers whose loans have been acquired by NAMA will be required to submit a comprehensive business plan in accordance with NAMA's template within one month outlining how they propose to honor their loan commitments, NAMA chief executive Brendan McDonagh said in a statement.

If the plans are not submitted or not approved, "NAMA will take whatever actions it considers necessary to protect the interests of the taxpayer," he said.

CNN's Jim Boulden and Eve Parish contributed to this report.

Who will purchase debt in february?
what does move do?
What does the move do?
How much debt will be purchased?
When will debt be purchased?
How many loans will be taken off?

Answer: The National Asset Management Agency,

Answer: takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank.

Answer: takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank.

Answer: 81 billion euros ($109 billion)

Answer: by February of next year,

Answer: 1,200

Summary:
Move takes 1,200 loans off books .
NAMA: Government expects to complete purchase of 81 billion euros in debt by February .


(CNN) -- Ireland's top Catholic cardinal is using the "Nuremberg defense" in the face of public outrage at his role 35 years ago in investigating one of the country's most notorious child-abusing priests, an activist said Tuesday.

Cardinal Sean Brady has been under fire over the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth.

The latest scandal comes on the heels of a huge government-backed report that found the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Catholic Church authorities in Ireland covered up child abuse by priests from 1975 to 2004. Child sexual abuse was "widespread" then, the report found.

Brady's office said Tuesday that the cardinal, then a priest and teacher with a doctorate in canon law, had been asked to investigate two complaints against Smyth in 1975, but had no decision-making power. He reported his findings to Bishop Francis McKiernan, his office said, and McKiernan recommended Smyth get psychiatric help.

But John Kelly, the founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said Brady should not have remained silent about what he learned in the course of investigating Smyth, who was later convicted of dozens of counts of child abuse in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. He died in prison.

"He's basically using the Nuremberg defense, he was carrying out orders," Kelly said, in reference to the justification many Nazis used in their war crimes trials after World War II.

There has been particular outrage over the revelation that two boys who filed complaints against Smyth were asked to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation.

The oaths of secrecy were "to avoid potential collusion" between the two boys as church officials investigated the case, Ireland's Catholic Communications Office said Tuesday.

Despite his criticism of Brady, Kelly said it would not necessarily do any good for the cardinal to resign.

"He's lost all moral authority to lead, but by replacing him, it won't resolve the problem," he said, arguing that the Vatican would "just replace guys with other guys."

The best solution, he said, would be for the Roman Catholic Church to let secular authorities deal with accusations of abuse, rather than trying to handle them itself.

"They have to accept secular authority, and they can get on with the business of religion," Kelly said. "It would be in the church's own interest. Resignations in themselves aren't the answer."

Four Irish bishops tendered their resignations in the wake of the government-backed report, and Pope Benedict XVI is expected to make a formal statement, or pastoral letter, on the Irish abuse issue by Easter.

The pope himself has been under fire since it was revealed that a priest suspected of abusing children was allowed to move into his diocese when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1980.

The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising said in a statement Monday it must have been clear at the time that the priest, whom multiple sources identified to CNN as Peter Hullermann, was coming to get therapy for allegedly molesting children. He was convicted of abuse in 1986, after Ratzinger moved to Rome. Hullermann was suspended on Monday.

Hundreds of allegations of sexual or physical abuse of children by Catholic clergy have come to light in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands this year.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin, Germany, contributed to this report.

What is the number of those who complained?

Answer: two

Answer: Rev. Brendan Smyth.

Answer: Sean Brady

Answer: the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth.

Answer: two

Answer: Rev. Brendan Smyth.

Answer: Sean Brady

Answer: to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation.

Summary:
Cardinal Sean Brady has been under fire over the investigation .
Brady investigated two complaints against Rev. Brendan Smyth .
Two boys who filed the complaints were asked to sign confidentiality statements .