(CNN) -- Singer Rihanna, through her lawyer, asked a judge Thursday not to prohibit her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her. Chris Brown attends his arraignment in Los Angeles on Thursday. Attorney Mark Geragos is at right. The judge granted Rihanna's request. Brown, 19, allegedly attacked Rihanna, 21, during an argument in February that began when she found a text message from another woman on his cell phone, according to a sworn police statement. Brown appeared before a judge Thursday on the two felony counts, but his arraignment was delayed until next month at the request of his lawyer. Authorities charged Brown on Thursday with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats, the Los Angeles County, California, District Attorney's Office said. If he is convicted, the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison, the office said. While Los Angeles County Judge Kristi Lousteau warned Brown "not to annoy, harass, molest, threaten or use force or violence against anyone," Lousteau did not issue a "no contact" order that would have kept Brown away from the woman he is accused of beating.  Watch a discussion of the charges -- and Brown's future » Rihanna's lawyer, Donald Etra, stood near Brown and his lawyer, Mark Geragos, during the brief hearing. Rihanna was not in the courtroom. Referring to the "no contact" order that could have been imposed, Etra told reporters after the hearing, "Rihanna requested that no such order be issued." Etra said the less stringent protective order against harassment and threats signed by Lousteau was "more than sufficient in this case." Etra did not respond when reporters asked if the singer was cooperating with prosecutors in the case against Brown. Brown, dressed in a suit and tie, said little during the hearing, except to answer "yes" when the judge asked him if he wished to waive his right to a speedy trial in exchange for a delay in arraignment. He then signed a waiver, which also allows Geragos to appear without him in court for hearings on routine issues. Lousteau ordered Brown to return to court on April 6 for formal arraignment. Court documents released Thursday revealed details about the case against Brown, including a police statement that the incident began when Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, found a text message on Brown's cell phone from "a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with."   Watch panelists discuss whether Rihanna will testify » A search warrant used by police to obtain cell phone records related to the case included the sworn statement by Los Angeles Police Detective DeShon Andrews in which he detailed what allegedly happened in the early morning hours of February 8. Read the affidavit (PDF) "Brown was driving a vehicle with Robyn F. as the front passenger on an unknown street in Los Angeles. Robyn F. picked up Brown's cellular phone and observed a three-page text message from a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with. "A verbal argument ensued and Brown pulled the vehicle over on an unknown street, reached over Robyn F. with his right hand, opened the car door and attempted to force her out. Brown was unable to force Robyn F. out of the vehicle because she was wearing a seat belt. When he could not force her to exit, he took his right hand and shoved her head against he passenger window of the vehicle, causing an approximate one-inch raised circular contusion. "Robyn F. turned to face Brown and he punched her in the left eye with his right hand. He then drove away in the vehicle and continued to punch her in the face with his right hand while steering the vehicle with his left hand. The assault caused Robyn F.'s mouth to fill with blood and blood to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. "Brown looked at Robyn F. and stated, 'I'm going to beat the s--t out of you when we get

when was chris browns arraignment delayed until?

Answer: next month

Answer: Rihanna,

Answer: next month

Answer: felony charges of assaulting her.

Answer: Rihanna,

Answer: Rihanna,

Answer: felony counts of assault and making criminal threats,

Summary:
NEW: Rihanna's lawyer says she requested there be no "no contact" order .
Chris Brown's arraignment delayed until April 6 .
Brown charged with assault, making criminal threats .
Victim identified as "Robyn F."; "Robyn F." is Rihanna .


(CNN) -- Singer and actress Eartha Kitt has died, her publicist, Patty Freedman, told CNN on Thursday. Actress Eartha Kitt, shown at a benefit for the Actors Fund in 2003, performed almost until the end of her life. Kitt, 81, died in New York, where she was being treated for colon cancer, Freedman said. Her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, was by her side. She was performing almost until the end, taping a PBS special six weeks ago in Chicago, Illinois. The show is set to air in February. The ringtone version of her recording of the saucy Christmas song "Santa Baby" was certified gold earlier this month. Kitt was well known for her distinctive voice and made a name for herself in her portrayal of Catwoman in the television series "Batman." That role produced Kitt's recognizable sultry cat growl. She worked in film, theater, cabaret, music and on television during her lengthy career. According to Kitt's official Web site, she was nominated for a Tony three times, a Grammy and Emmy twice. According to the biography on that site, Kitt lived in Connecticut near her daughter and four grandchildren. Kitt was ostracized at an early age because of her mixed-race heritage, the biography says. At age 8, she was sent from the cotton fields of South Carolina by her mother to live with her aunt in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, the site said. As a teen, she auditioned for the famed Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe, was hired as a featured dancer and vocalist, and toured worldwide with the company. This launched Kitt into a life of roles in the entertainment field. According to the book "Contemporary Black Biography," she was adored in Europe in the 1950s as a cabaret singer. In the United States, her dance career led to a critically acclaimed stint on Broadway, including the play "New Faces of 1952," which was later made into a movie. Broadway stardom landed Kitt a recording deal that led to a string of best-selling records, including "Love for Sale," "I Want to Be Evil," "Santa Baby" and "Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa." She recorded more than 20 albums, worked in hundreds of television and movie roles, and was invited as a guest to the White House several times. CNN's David Daniel contributed to this report.

Kitt made a name for herself in which TV series?

Answer: "Batman."

Answer: daughter, Kitt Shapiro,

Answer: "Santa Baby"

Answer: New York,

Answer: New York,

Answer: "Santa Baby"

Answer: colon cancer,

Summary:
Kitt died in New York, where she was being treated for colon cancer .
Her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, was by her side .
Her recording of saucy Christmas song "Santa Baby" was certified gold last week .
Kitt made a name for herself in as Catwoman in "Batman" TV series .


(CNN) -- Singer-actress Mandy Moore and rocker Ryan Adams were married this week in Savannah, Georgia, Moore's publicist told CNN on Wednesday. Mandy Moore first found recording success in 1999 with her single "Candy" and is now a well-known actress. The wedding took place Tuesday, said Jillian Fowkes, who gave no further details about the nuptials. Rumors first surfaced almost a year ago that Moore, 24, and Adams, 34, were dating, as paparazzi photos surfaced of the couple out together in Los Angeles, California. Moore's first success as a recording artist came in 1999 with her debut album, "So Real," which went platinum with the help of her top-10 single "Candy." Adams is known for producing rock music with a country influence. He is best known for his song "New York, New York", which appeared on his 2001 release "Gold." Adams is also an author and has produced music for Jesse Malin and Willie Nelson. He recently announced that he was leaving his band, The Cardinals, because of inner ear troubles affecting his balance and hearing. Adams has fronted The Cardinals since 2004.

When was the couple first spotted together?

Where Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams married?

Who married quietly in Savannah, Georgia?

Answer: almost a year ago

Answer: Savannah, Georgia,

Answer: Cardinals

Answer: Ryan Adams

Answer: almost a year ago

Answer: announced that he was leaving his band, The Cardinals,

Answer: Ryan Adams

Answer: Mandy Moore and rocker Ryan Adams

Summary:
Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams married quietly in Savannah, Georgia .
Couple was first spotted together by paparazzi almost a year ago .
He recently announced he is leaving The Cardinals .


(CNN) -- Sir Edmund Hillary has been laid to rest in New Zealand after thousands paid tribute to a mountaineer whose conquest of Mt Everest in 1953 was one of the 20th century's defining moments. A last farewell to Sir Edmund Hillary. Guests filled Auckland's Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral and an overflow area next door for a service. Among the guests were politicians, mountaineers and friends. Lady Hillary sat with family and Prime Minister Helen Clark. In the congregation were members of Nepal's Sherpa community and Buddhist monks. In front of them, Hillary's coffin was draped in a New Zealand flag and covered in wreaths.  See photos of the funeral service » As the service began, Sherpas laid Tibetan prayer scarves on the coffin. In Nepal, schools were due to ring bells as the service started. Hillary's son, Peter, told the congregation: "Adventure was compulsory growing up in the Hillary household. He took us to the most extraordinary places." His daughter, Sarah spoke of a childhood where Sir Edmund was planning expeditions, and coming home to a family eager to see him again. "When asked at primary school what my father did, I was unable to find an answer." Clark said: "He was a role model for a generation of New Zealanders... We mourn as a nation because we know we are saying goodbye to a friend." On Monday, New Zealanders filed past Hillary's casket as they paid final respects in Auckland's Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral. Four soldiers, rifles at rest, stood guard as ordinary New Zealanders said goodbye to a national hero, whose achievements are known around the world. Hillary's widow attended the tribute, which featured Maori song and dance. Clark, called it a celebration of a "very great" life. Hillary, who was 88, died at Auckland City Hospital on January 11. On May 29, 1953, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa guide, became the first men to climb the 29,035 feet to the top of Everest and safely return. Hillary, who served during World War II in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, began climbing while in high school and traveled to the central Himalayas to join a British party exploring the southern face of Everest in 1951. He returned in 1953, when he and Norgay made their ascent -- spending 15-30 minutes at the summit. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on his return to England, but continued exploring -- reaching the South Pole by tractor in 1958, joining the first group to climb Antarctica's Mount Herschel in 1967 and boating east Himalayan rivers and the Ganges. His Himalayan Trust has helped build schools, hospitals and airstrips in Nepal since 1961. He was also a strong supporter of environmental causes and worked to improve the lives of Nepal's Sherpas. E-mail to a friend

Which two men were the first to climb Mount Everest?

Who were the first men to climb Mount Everest?

Answer: Hillary and Tenzing Norgay,

Answer: ordinary New Zealanders

Answer: politicians, mountaineers and friends.

Answer: became the first men to climb the 29,035 feet to the top of Everest and safely return.

Answer: Tenzing Norgay,

Answer: members of Nepal's Sherpa community and Buddhist monks.

Answer: Edmund Hillary

Summary:
New Zealand says final goodbye to national hero Sir Edmund Hillary .
In the congregation is family, Nepalese Sherpas, politicians and friends .
Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first men to climb Mount Everest .


(CNN) -- Sitting at her home in West Seattle, Washington, Amanda Knox's aunt Janet Huff was watching the live television news coverage that her niece had been convicted of murder.

"It was terrible, it was gut-wrenching just to hear them say it," Huff said of the verdict.

She had been up for more than 11 hours while the jury deliberated, anxiously awaiting word. She remained hopeful but deeply afraid. She couldn't eat.

When the verdict was announced at about midnight in Perugia, Italy, her worst fears came true. Knox and her Italian former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of murdering Knox's roommate Meredith Kercher. Knox was sentenced to 26 years and Sollecito 25 years in prison.

Following the verdict, people flooded out of the Italian courtroom. When the prosecution emerged, a rush of applause followed.

"To see the people outside the courtroom applauding -- that just made me sick, that people can be that callous and cold," Huff said.

Soon after the verdict, Knox's parents, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas, emerged and swiftly moved through the crowd. Watch Janet Huff's interview with CNN's Campbell Brown

Huff said she spoke to Knox's parents shortly after the verdict.

"They are, of course, shattered. They are not doing great," Huff said. "But we have already started the process of appeals. That's all we can do."

For Huff, Knox is still the strong, kindhearted girl she has always known -- not the cold-blooded killer prosecutors portrayed during the trial.

Huff said Knox was worried about the trial's impact on the family.

"I think that's what gets her through, knowing that she's got to be strong," she said. "If she falls apart, then we are really going to lose it. Knox's parents: Our daughter is no killer

"I know she is terribly disappointed, heartbroken and scared to death, but she's more concerned about her family and how we are."

With Knox's conviction, Huff said the family was moving forward with plans for some relatives to move to Italy to be near Knox. The cost and physical toll of constantly traveling to Italy was weighing on the family, she said.

"We've looked at jobs and apartments just in case this happened," she said. "There's no way we are going to leave Amanda in Italy all alone."

Knox's case has attracted widespread media attention and prompted salacious articles focusing on her sex life. Her name and photo have appeared on the front pages of newspapers all over the world, and now, Huff fears, things may get worse.

"Now that there's a guilty verdict, she's always going to be remembered as 'The convicted killer Amanda Knox,' and I'm disgusted by that," Huff said.

Maria Cantwell, a U.S. senator from Knox's home state of Washington, issued a statement saying she was "saddened by the verdict." "I have serious questions about the Italian justice system and whether anti-Americanism tainted this trial," Cantwell said. "I will be conveying my concerns to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."

Huff said she hopes the appeals process will show what her family has believed all along.

"She will be vindicated and she will be found innocent," she said.

Despite the pain the trial has brought Knox's family, Huff stressed it is nothing compared to what victim Meredith Kercher's family has gone through.

"They still don't have closure, they may think they are vindicated with the guilty verdict but we know it doesn't bring their daughter back," she said.

Who are not doing great?
Who is Janet Huff?
who was convicted of murder
who was murdered
what did huff say

Answer: Knox's parents

Answer: Amanda Knox's aunt

Answer: Amanda Knox's

Answer: Meredith Kercher.

Answer: "It was terrible, it was gut-wrenching just to hear them

Summary:
Janet Huff: "It was terrible, it was gut-wrenching just to hear them say it"
Amanda Knox, former boyfriend, convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher .
Aunt says seeing people applaud verdict outside court made her sick .
Huff says Knox's parents are "shattered, they are not doing great"


(CNN) -- Six Nations winners Ireland ended the year unbeaten after defeating world rugby champions South Africa 15-10 in Dublin on Saturday thanks to an assured kicking performance from newcomer Jonathan Sexton. The fly-half, playing only his second international ahead of the veteran Ronan O'Gara, landed five penalties as the Irish overcame conceding the game's only try to Schalk Burger in the 16th minute. The injury-hit Springboks, who won the southern hemisphere's Tri-Nations title this year, were left to lament three missed kicks at goal by fly-half Morne Steyn and one by substitute Ruan Pienaar. The Irish fielded nine players who toured South Africa with the Lions earlier this year, when flanker Burger was banned for eight weeks for eye-gouging Luke Fitzgerald. Sexton landed an early penalty from long range, but Steyn helped to send blindsider Burger over the line and added the extras, before making it 10-3 with a drop-goal. Sexton reduced the deficit before halftime as Steyn three times missed from considerable distance. Ireland moved 12-10 ahead with two more Sexton goals despite struggling at the scrums, and the visitors started to wilt after Pienaar hit the post with a penalty attempt. New Zealand ended their northern hemisphere tour unbeaten after crushing France 39-12 in Marseille, running in five tries to none. The All Blacks have suffered an uncharacteristic four defeats this year -- three of them to the Springboks -- but took the chance to avenge the shock 27-22 home loss to Les Bleus in June. The Kiwis, who had earlier beaten Wales, Italy and England on tour, led 22-12 at halftime as backs Sitiveni Sivivatu and Mils Muliaina crossed for tries along with back-row forward Jerome Kaino. Winger Cory Jane and center Conrad Smith went over in the second half and mercurial fly-half Dan Carter kicked a total of 14 points while orchestrating the All Blacks' most free-flowing performance of the tour against a side who had earlier beaten South Africa and Samoa. New Zealand captain Richie McCaw was named the International Rugby Board's player of the year after the match, becoming the first to achieve the honor twice following his 2006 award. Scotland crashed back to earth following last weekend's first win over Australia in 27 years, losing 9-6 at home to bogey side Argentina. The visitors came back from 6-0 down at halftime in Edinburgh, where they have not lost for 19 years, and inflicted the first defeat on Scots coach Andy Robinson. Phil Godman kicked two penalties to give Scotland hope of winning all their November internationals for the first time since 2002, but paid the price for lock Nathan Hines' second-half sin-binning as Martin Rodriguez leveled with two kicks of his own. Rodriguez then landed a drop-goal two minutes from time to give the Pumas a fourth straight win at Murrayfield and their first victory on this tour. Australia, however, relieved the pressure on coach Robbie Deans by crushing Wales 33-12 in Cardiff, avenging last year's 21-18 defeat. Matt Giteau missed a last-gasp conversion against the Scots which would have won the match, but was to the fore this time as the Wallabies ran in three early tries. Center Digby Ioane, lock James Horwill, flanker David Pocock went over in the first 16 minutes, while Wales lost Shane Williams, try-scorer Leigh Halfpenny and Matthew Rees to injury as they surrendered a 23-12 halftime deficit. Substitute hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau crossed in the second half while Giteau kicked 13 points in total to hand Wales coach Warren Gatland, a New Zealander, his heaviest home defeat in front of a 74,339 crowd. Italy beat the touring Samoa team 24-6 for their first victory in four encounters with the Pacific Islanders, who had Henry Fa'afili sent off for a high tackle on first-half tryscorer Luke McLean.

Who was the Six Nations winners?
Who were kicked five penalties?
How many nations winners?
How many penalties did they have?
Who lose 9-6 at home to Argentina?
What was the Scotland loss?

Answer: Ireland

Answer: Jonathan Sexton.

Answer: Six

Answer: five

Answer: Scotland

Answer: losing 9-6

Summary:
Six Nations winners Ireland ended the year unbeaten after defeating South Africa 15-10 .
Jonathan Sexton kicked five penalties as world rugby champions lose in Dublin .
New Zealand avenge June's home defeat by France with a 39-12 victory in Paris .
Scotland lose 9-6 at home to Argentina, while Australia triumph 33-12 in Wales .


(CNN) -- Six Uyghurs who were imprisoned in the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were transferred Saturday to the South Pacific island nation of Palau, the Justice Department said. Ahmad Tourson, Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman, Edham Mamet, Anwar Hassan, Dawut Abdurehim and Adel Noori were resettled in Palau, the Justice Department said in a statement Saturday. Seven Uyghurs are still at Guantanamo Bay, where 215 prisoners remain. Uyghur is an ethnic group from western China. Since January, 25 detainees have been transferred to other countries. The United States has coordinated with Palau "to ensure that the transfers take place under appropriate security measures and will continue to consult with the Republic of Palau regarding the individuals," the Justice Department said. The 13 Uyghurs were accused of receiving weapons and military training in Afghanistan. Some of them have been cleared for release since 2003, and other Uyghurs have been released to other countries. The United States said it would not send them back to their homeland because of concern they would be tortured by Chinese authorities. The Chinese government has said no returned Uyghurs would be mistreated and has repeatedly warned other countries against taking the men. Beijing officials this summer again urged the United States to hand over all remaining Uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere. China alleges the men are part of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a group the U.S. State Department considers a terrorist organization, that operates in the Xinjiang region. East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang. On October 20, the Supreme Court tentatively agreed to accept an appeal from the 13 Uyghurs to be released into the United States from American military custody. CNN's Carol Cratty and Bill Mears contributed to this report.

Where did the  Uyghurs go to?
What does China say about the Uyghurs?
What were the 13 Uyghurs  accused of?

Answer: the South Pacific island nation of Palau,

Answer: no returned Uyghurs would be mistreated

Answer: receiving weapons and military training in Afghanistan.

Summary:
The Uyghurs -- Muslims from Southern China -- went to South Pacific island nation Saturday .
7 Uyghurs still at Guantanamo Bay; U.S. won't send them back to China, citing torture concerns .
The 13 Uyghurs were accused of receiving weapons and military training in Afghanistan .
China says returning Uyghurs won't be mistreated, warns other countries not to take them .


(CNN) -- Six men, including a police officer, are facing homicide charges in last week's killing of French filmmaker and photographer Christian Poveda in El Salvador, the attorney general's office said. Filmmaker Christian Poveda poses for a picture at a workshop in Mexico on August 29. The suspect accused of ordering the slaying, Nelson Lazo Rivera, was already in prison, according to a statement Wednesday from the agency. Officials gave no motive for the slaying and did not say why Lazo Rivera is incarcerated. El Diario de Hoy newspaper said he is in prison for several murders, including three slayings in 2003 known as the massacre of Samcap. Poveda, 53, had recently finished a documentary about a violent street gang, part of the Mara 18 criminal group in El Salvador. He was found shot to death September 2 in the town of Tonacatepeque, about 10 miles northeast of the capital, San Salvador, authorities said. Four of the suspects are members of the same Mara 18 gang that was the subject of Poveda's film, the attorney general's office said. Authorities identified them as Calixto Rigoberto Escobar (known as Toro), Jose Alejandro Melara (El Puma), Roberto Luis Romero (Tiger), and Miguel Angel Rosa (El Cholo). National Civil Police Officer Juan Napoleon Espinoza also was arrested, the attorney general's office said. Officials did not say what his involvement in the crime may have been. But El Mundo, Diario Co Latino, El Faro and El Diario de Hoy newspapers said authorities believe the officer told gang members Poveda was giving information on the group to police. According to El Diario de Hoy, police deputy director Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde said Espinoza was a Mara 18 member, who would drink with other members in his free time and also was involved in giving them weapons, ammunition and information. Authorities said the suspects will be charged with aggravated homicide, proposition and conspiracy in the homicide and illicit associations. Poveda's documentary, "La Vida Loca," follows the lives of members of the Mara 18 gang. The documentary has been screened at a handful of film festivals and is slated for wider release later this month. His body was found in an area controlled by that same gang, officials said. The suspects had set up a meeting with Poveda on August 30, at which time they were supposed to kill him and bury his body, El Mundo and El Diario de Hoy reported. But Poveda did not show, heightening gang members' suspicions that he was an informant. He met with the suspects three days later and was shot by Romero, El Mundo said, but in their haste to get away the gang members forgot to bury his body. A funeral for Poveda was held Wednesday in San Salvador before his body was shipped to France. A photograph of a younger Poveda, with shoulder-length hair, and a 35 mm digital camera were placed on the altar, next to a communion chalice. "This is a painful and brutal act. Unacceptable," said Monsignor Gregorio Rosa Chavez, the auxiliary bishop of San Salvador. "God moved Christian with his work, awoke noble ideals. He tried to film with his camera in order to open the eyes of those whose eyes needed opening."

who is christian poveda?
What is he suspected of doing?
How many were involved
What happened in El Salvador
Where was he shot and killed?
Who was shot last week?
What did media report
where was he killed?

Answer: French filmmaker and photographer

Answer: homicide

Answer: men,

Answer: French filmmaker and photographer Christian Poveda

Answer: in El Salvador,

Answer: French filmmaker and photographer Christian Poveda

Answer: said authorities believe the officer told gang members Poveda was giving information on the group to police.

Answer: in the town of Tonacatepeque,

Summary:
French filmmaker Christian Poveda was shot to death in El Salvador last week .
Poveda had just finished documentary on violent street gang .
4 of those arrested are members of the gang, another is police officer, officials say .
Salvadoran media report the gang suspected Poveda was giving info to police .


(CNN) -- Six of the seven college students killed in a massive house fire Sunday morning in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, attended the University of South Carolina, a university official said Sunday.

"This is a very sad day for the University of South Carolina family," Dennis A. Pruitt, the vice president for student affairs, told reporters.

The seventh fatality is believed to be a Clemson University student, he said.

The six survivors -- who were treated and released from Brunswick Community Hospital -- are also USC students, he said.

Pruitt said the bodies were being sent to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for identification.  Watch home video showing the house in flames »

"It is difficult to ascertain exactly who was in the house and who was not," Pruitt said, explaining that several area houses were filled with college students visiting for the weekend.

Newspaper deliveryman Tim Burns was aghast when he first saw the inferno early Sunday morning. He tried to approach the door but the flames were too intense, he told the Associated Press.

"When I was going up to the entryway, you could hear the windows above me explode," Burns said. "When I knew the flames had taken over, I don't think I've ever felt as helpless in my life."

The USC students were affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Pruitt said, although he stressed that the weekend was not an official Greek function.

"It just so happens, as on many university campuses, that certain sororities and certain fraternities hang around together," he said.

One person described as "unaccounted for" was later confirmed dead, Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith told CNN.

"We suffered a terrible tragedy at Ocean Isle this morning," Smith said in a news conference. "Nothing like this has ever happened at Ocean Isle Beach, and we hope it never will again."

She said officials had not yet contacted all the victims' families, and that they were not yet releasing their names. The mayor said one of the 13 people in the house was related to the house's owner.

Smith said the house was fully "engulfed" in flames around 7 a.m. when the fire department arrived on the scene, about five minutes after the fire department was notified.

She said the house had working smoke detectors, AP reported.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, Smith said.

"We ran down the street to get away," Nick Cain told the AP. The University of North Carolina student was staying at a house about 100 feet away.

Some of his friends had met several people staying at the house that burned down.

"The ash and the smoke were coming down on us. We were just trying to get away," Cain told the AP.

Ocean Isle Beach is a popular resort destination along the southern coast of North Carolina. The 7-mile-long island's year-round population is about 425, while the summer season population is about 25,000, according to the town's Web site.  E-mail to a friend

What did Mayor Debbie Smith say about the victims?

What is the total number of USC students who were at the house?

What number out of the 7 killed were U of South Carolina students?

Who said the house owner is related to one of the 13 at the house?

Answer: "We suffered a terrible tragedy at Ocean Isle this morning,"

Answer: seven

Answer: 13 people

Answer: seven college students

Answer: seven

Answer: University of South Carolina,

Answer: Six

Answer: The mayor

Answer: "We suffered a terrible tragedy at Ocean Isle this morning,"

Summary:
Six of seven dead in fire were University of South Carolina students .
Official: Six treated at hospital and released were also USC students .
Mayor Debbie Smith said one of 13 at house is related to owner of house .
Victims' names not being released until families are notified .


(CNN) -- Six people were killed and six were injured when a small plane crashed at Cork Airport in southern Ireland on Thursday, local officials said.

Survivors were taken to a local hospital, the Cork County Council said.

Four of the injured are in serious but not critical condition, and the other two are "comfortable," Cork University Hospital said.

The crash caused a fire and scattered debris over a large area, the Irish Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The plane crashed on its third attempt to land in low visibility, they said. The airport and roads around it were closed, officials said.

It was coming from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Flight NM7100, an inbound Manx2 airline flight, was due to land at Cork Airport at 9:45 a.m., the airport said.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness expressed shock at the deaths.

Robinson called it "a terrible tragedy," and said his thoughts were "with the families of the bereaved. My thoughts are also with the injured and I hope that they will make a full and speedy recovery."

McGuinness sent his "condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in the plane crash. My thoughts are also with those who have been injured."

In Dublin, Ireland's Prime Minister Brian Cowen said, "my thoughts are with all of those affected by this morning's crash, including the families and friends of those who have died. I also want to send my best wishes and those of the government, to all of those who survived the crash and are being treated in hospital at present.

"I also want to commend the work of the various rescue crews and all of the emergency and support staff working to help those involved in the crash."

The aircraft involved was a Metro Liner leased from Flightline BCN in Spain, low-cost airline Manx2 said.

Irish and British experts will be involved in the crash investigation, authorities said.

CNN's Carol Jordan and Peter Taggart contributed to this report.

How many of the injured are in serious condition?

Answer: Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Answer: crashed

Answer: six

Answer: Four

Summary:
NEW: Four injured are in serious condition, while two others are "comfortable," a hospital says .
The flight was coming from Belfast in Northern Ireland .
Northern Irish leaders express shock and hope the injured will recover quickly .
The plane crashed on its third attempt to land, authorities say .


(CNN) -- Six years ago Thursday, then-President George W. Bush appeared on television screens across America and somberly addressed the nation. An Iraqi crowd pulls down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in April 2003. "My fellow citizens," he began his four-minute speech, "at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger." Six years later, the conflict in Iraq drags on -- with war-fatigued Americans shoving the military operation to the deep recesses of their psyches as they grapple with an economic crisis at home. Only 10 percent of voters questioned in exit polls during the November presidential elections picked the war as their top issue. Sixty-two percent said the economy was. "This is already one of the longest wars in American history. There's nothing new in Iraq," said Steven Roberts, a professor of media studies at the George Washington University. "We've read the stories of instability in the government a hundred times. Every single possible story has been told, and so there is enormous fatigue about Iraq." Against that backdrop, the United States has accomplished much of what it set out to do when it invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was deposed, captured, tried and hanged for a brutal and deadly crackdown against his opponents during his regime. The rate of U.S. troop deaths has slowed. A surge of 30,000 additional troops in 2007 is credited for security gains the country has made. iReport.com: Share your salute to troops And a fledgling democracy is taking hold, as President Obama announced that all U.S troops will be withdrawn by the end of 2011. But America has had to pay a steep price -- literally and figuratively -- to achieve its aims, analysts say. Taking into account operations for fiscal 2010, the conflict has racked up an $800 billion price tag since it began, the Congressional Budget Office said. By Wednesday, 4,261 Americans had been killed in the war, according to CNN's tally. The Iraqi casualty count, while harder to ascertain because of the lack of formal record-keeping, has reached at least 128,000, by CNN's tally. And leaked images of prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison and America's programs of detention and torture have tarred the United States' image internationally. "From the first step until now, they destroyed our country," said Sheikh Moffaq Qaraghuli, a Baghdad resident. "Smashed. Not destroyed. Smashed." As the battles rage on, researchers are still trying to gauge the damage the war has done to troops. "I still have the nightmares and wake up and find myself downstairs and I don't know how I got there," said Chris Tucker, who did three tours of duty in Iraq. "Faces. Kids' faces. People that you have engaged or you have had contact with. ... You see your colleagues blown up. Things like that." "I thought we would get there quick and handle our business and we'd be out," he said. "At least that's what we were told anyway." Tucker received a medical discharge from the army last year and is now a police officer in Savannah, Georgia. Many in Iraq also are trying to move on, amid the constant fear of suicide attacks in their ruined cities. The Shahbander cafe, one of Baghdad's oldest, is a favorite haunt of the city's intellectuals. Inside, photographs of five young men hang on the wall.  Watch Shahbander Cafe patrons talk about the war » All were sons of the cafe owner, Mohammed al-Khishali -- killed in a car bombing that ripped apart the cafe in 2007. A month later, al-Khishali lost his grief-stricken wife. For almost two years, he could not bear to reopen the cafe, he said. "I remember the tragedies every day," he

What does the poll show Americans are more focused on?

What date marks the start of the Iraq invasion?

Answer: March 19, 2003.

Answer: the conflict in Iraq drags on

Answer: Sixty-two percent said the economy was.

Answer: a fledgling democracy

Answer: March 19, 2003.

Answer: invaded Iraq

Answer: military operation

Summary:
U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began on March 19, 2003 .
Six years later, fledgling democracy taking hold, security situation improving .
But U.S. lost more than 4,000 troops; at least 128,000 Iraqis have died .
Polls show many Americans more focused on economy than lingering Iraq war .


(CNN) -- Six-time boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring Saturday for the first time in more than a year, squaring off against Victor Ortiz.

Mayweather, 34, has won all 41 of his professional fights and is a six-time world champion at five different weights. He is hoping to add more laurels at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas -- specifically, the World Boxing Council welterweight championship that Ortiz won after beating Andre Berto in April.

The opponent for Mayweather, who has 25 knockouts over his professional career, is not the man many hoped he'd fight next: Eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. But disagreements over drug testing and other issues have repeatedly derailed these talks.

Instead, Ortiz will be his opponent. The 24-year-old American has suffered two defeats and two draws in his 33 fights.

"I'm a world champion for a reason, and I am not going to let go of my title any time soon," Ortiz said soon after the match was announced. "This is going to be a great fight, but I will remain a world champion for many years to come."

In a teleconference last week to promote the fight, Mayweather said that -- despite concerns about rust and age -- he "still feel(s) strong when I get to the gym."

"I still think I'm very, very sharp ... and I think the reason why is, I don't think that I have been in any toe-to-toe wars," he said.

Recently, Mayweather has made headlines more for his legal run-ins outside the ring than his performance in it.

That includes his arrest last December on a misdemeanor battery charge, after he allegedly assaulted a security guard at his housing complex.

Also, his former girlfriend has also accused the boxer of domestic violence. A criminal trial is scheduled to start in January.

HBO -- like CNN, a division of Time Warner -- reports that Mayweather is the defendant in a total of six court cases, including one levied by Pacquiao alleging defamation.

CNN's Steve Almasy contributed to this report.

Who is facing at least 6 lawsuits?
Is Mayweather undefeated?
What is Mayweather facing?
When did Mayweather last box?
Who is Floyd Mayweather?
When will he fight Victor Ortiz?
What is the name of his opponent?
Who is undefeated in 41 bouts?
Who will Mayweather fight?

Answer: Mayweather

Answer: has won all 41 of his professional fights

Answer: Victor Ortiz.

Answer: more than a year,

Answer: boxing world champion

Answer: Saturday

Answer: Victor Ortiz.

Answer: boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather

Answer: Victor Ortiz.

Summary:
6-time world champion Floyd Mayweather hasn't boxed in more than a year .
He'll fight WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on Saturday night in Las Vegas .
Ortiz, 24, has a 29-2-2 record; Mayweather is undefeated in his 41 bouts .
Mayweather is facing at least 6 lawsuits and has had several run-ins with the law .


(CNN) -- Sixteen people were wounded and a guru was shot to death in an outbreak of violence between rival Sikhs at an Indian temple in Vienna, Austria, police said. Austrian police secure the area outside a Sikh temple in Vienna where a shooting occured Sunday. Six people were arrested in connection with the incident, which occurred about 1:20 p.m. local time (7:20 a.m. ET) Sunday in Vienna's 15th district, police spokesman Schwaig Hofar told CNN. One armed suspect fired at two gurus, and five other knife-wielding suspects attacked congregants during prayer, Hofar said. One of the gurus, a 57-year-old Sikh preacher, was killed. The number of wounded includes four of the suspects, two of them in serious condition, he said. About 150 people were in the room when the violence took place, he said. Authorities are investigating what triggered the attacks. CNN's David Ariosto contributed to this report.

What age was the Sikh preacher who was killed?

What number of people were in the room when shoootings took place?

Answer: five

Answer: knife-wielding

Answer: two gurus,

Answer: About 150

Answer: 57-year-old

Answer: 150

Summary:
Police: One suspect fired at two gurus, while five suspects attacked with knives .
One of the gurus, a 57-year-old Sikh preacher, was killed .
Police: About 150 people were in the room when the violence took place .


(CNN) -- Skeletal remains found in a hayfield are those of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police said Wednesday.

The remains were identified based on dental records provided by the victim's family, spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.

Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old education major, went to a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, on October 17. She was separated from her friends and was the subject of repeated searches.

"Investigators are now working to determine how the remains came to be in this particular location, cause and time of death, and identifying who was responsible for the remains being there," Geller said in a news release.

More information is expected after the completion of an autopsy, the spokeswoman added.

Police said skeletal remains were found Tuesday morning by a farmer driving a tractor through a hay field on his 700-acre farm. The area has no public access point, police said.

The farm is about 10 miles from where the concert was being held.

The farm's owner, David Dass, told CNN affiliate WTVR that he was out looking for damage after wind and rain knocked down several trees in his yard over the past week. He told WTVR that the area is at least a mile and a half from a main roadway.

"I looked down and saw what looked like a human skull, and my first thought was that it was Morgan Harrington," Dass told WTVR, adding that he immediately called 911.

WTVR: State police 'confident' remains are Harrington

There was significant evidence leading police to believe that the remains are Harrington's, Virginia State Police Col. W. Steven Flaherty said, though he declined to specify what the evidence was.

Police said the area where the remains were found had not been searched during the early stages of the investigation into her disappearance.

The girl's parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, were in town to identify the remains, WTVR reported.

Dan Harrington, in tears, told WTVR that "this is a horrible day" for his family.

Gil Harrington expressed concerns Saturday that there was beginning to be complacency in the search, she wrote in a blog on the Web site set up to help find their daughter.

On Sunday, more than three months after Morgan went missing, Gil Harrington still clung to hope.

"Despite the length of time Morgan has been gone I remain hopeful," she wrote. "Part of me is waiting to be surprised. Waiting for God to pull the rabbit out of the hat and bring Morgan home.

"I remember that the light always returns, it cannot help but return. Will the light of my life return soon? I cannot imagine that all the water of Morgan's potential is to run down the drain and be wasted. Can it really play out like that?"

Now, it appears, the Harringtons finally have their answer. Police say they have now switched their focus to finding out how Morgan Harrington ended up in the remote farm and who put her there.

During the concert, Harrington left her friends to use the restroom, police said. When she did not return, they called her cell phone at 8:48 p.m. She told them she was outside the arena and could not get back in because of its policy, police said, but told them not to worry about her and that she would find a ride home.

There are restrooms inside the arena, police said, and police do not know how or why Harrington got outside. Witnesses who saw her outside the arena said she did not appear to be with anyone, police said.

About 9:30 p.m. that night, witnesses reported seeing a person matching Harrington's description walking on a nearby bridge, police said. No further sightings were reported.

Harrington's purse, with her identification and cell phone inside, was found the following day in an overflow parking lot near the arena, police said. A friend had driven Harrington's car to the concert, she said, and

What was found on the farm on Monday morning?

What was found in the parking lot the next day?

Answer: remains

Answer: October 17.

Answer: Harrington's purse,

Answer: October 17.

Answer: Morgan Harrington,

Answer: Skeletal

Answer: skeletal remains

Answer: Metallica

Summary:
NEW: Dental records confirm remains are Morgan Harrington, police say .
Skeletal remains found Monday morning in hay frield on 700-acre farm .
Student was separated from friends at Metallica concert on October 17 .
Harrington's purse, cell phone found next day in overflow parking lot near arena .


(CNN) -- Skybus Airlines announced Friday it is shutting down its passenger flights -- becoming the third airline this week to cease operations. Skybus Airlines joins ATA and Aloha Airlines, which announced shutdowns earlier this week. The low-cost carrier couldn't overcome "the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment," the company said Friday. "These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier." Skybus, an Ohio-based airline founded in 2004, will cease operations effective Saturday. Earlier in the week, ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines announced they would shut down flights as both companies work through bankruptcy filings. ATA, an Indiana-based low-cost charter airline, filed for Chapter 11 status Wednesday as a result of financial problems "following the loss of a key contract for our military charter business," the company said. The company started operation in 1973. Hawaii-based Aloha Airlines announced Sunday it would shut down its passenger operations this week after filing for bankruptcy protections last month, concluding 61 years of service. In its bankruptcy filing, Aloha said it was unable to generate enough revenue from its inter-island passenger flights because of below-cost fares by competitors Mesa Air Group's go! airline. The company said it was forced to match the competitor's fares during an unprecedented increase in the cost of jet fuel. Skybus said all flights Friday would be completed; passengers with reservations for Saturday and beyond were told to seek refunds from their credit card companies. E-mail to a friend

What companies are closing after bankruptcy filings?

What kind of carrier cited the high price of jet fuel?

Which companies are also closing after bankruptcy filings?

Answer: ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines

Answer: "the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment,"

Answer: it is shutting down its passenger flights

Answer: Skybus

Answer: Skybus Airlines

Answer: Skybus Airlines

Answer: Skybus

Answer: Skybus Airlines

Summary:
Low-cost carrier cites high price of jet fuel .
ATA and Aloha also closing after bankruptcy filings .
Skybus says passengers can seek refunds from credit card firms .


(CNN) -- Skywatchers are gathering from parking lots in western India to music festivals on remote Japanese islands to witness what NASA describes as an "exceptionally long" total solar eclipse that will cross half the planet on Wednesday. People try out "solar view goggles" ahead of the eclipse on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. "This eclipse has the potential to be observed by more people than any eclipse in all of history," said MIT astronomer Richard Binzel, who will be in Shanghai leading an expedition of observers and a group of eclipse chasers.   "Essentially, every inhabitant of all of India and China will be able to see at least part of the sun covered throughout the day," he said. The path of the total eclipse will stretch across the heart of Asia -- from India's Bay of Cambay, over the Himalayas and across China and the southern islands of Japan. The eclipse is expected to reach its peak over India at around 12:40 a.m. GMT Wednesday (8:40 p.m. ET Tuesday). Though the duration of greatest eclipse will occur over the Pacific Ocean at six minutes, 39 seconds, people in some areas of China and Japan will experience up to more than six minutes of darkness, according to predictions by Fred Espenak of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and J. Anderson of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  Watch as eclipse-watchers head to China » The 15,150-kilometer (9,415-mile) journey of the moon's shadow across the Earth will last nearly three-and-a-half hours and be "one of the longest eclipses, if not the longest eclipse, in this century," Binzel said. Forecasters predict stormy weather for Wednesday morning in Shanghai, but this prognosis has not deterred astronomers and tourists from flooding the city. Send us your photos of the eclipse Professor Zhao Junliang of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory said the weather could be unpredictable but staying away from such an historic event would be a mistake. "In 1987, I chased a total solar eclipse in (the western region of) Xinjiang. At the time, the sun was entirely blocked by stormy clouds. Two minutes before the eclipse began, the clouds suddenly cleared," Zhao said. "You just never know, so you have to go." Read blog on how eclipse-chasers are gambling on weather Rick Gille and his wife flew in from Atlanta, Georgia, to catch the eclipse in Shanghai. They were heading to what is known as the "centerline" -- where the eclipse will last nearly six minutes. They are armed with high resolution digital cameras and telescopes. "You'll know us when you see us," said Gille, who travels the world chasing solar eclipses. "We're all wearing beige t-shirts which read 'Eclipse 2009.'" Total eclipses happen about once a year or a little less often somewhere on the Earth's surface and are visible in a narrow band, Benzil said. "This band starts at sunrise in India and ends at sunset over the Pacific, just east of Hawaii about four hours later. The shadow path of the moon is sweeping across the surface of the Earth at about 3,000 kilometers per hour," he said. "The partial eclipse is also visible throughout Thailand and Vietnam, as far south at the top tip of Australia and as far north as Siberia." In some cultures, legends and folklore surrounds eclipses. In India, an eclipse is considered inauspicious. Women forbid pregnant daughters-in-law from going outside out of the belief that their children could be born with marks. Some temples won't offer any prayers on the day of an eclipse -- such as the one next to the planetarium in Mumbai, which said it won't even light a stick of incense. In Chinese tradition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to scare off the dog and rescue the sun, said Bill Yeung, president of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society. "In ancient China, we shared the same impression with

is any special equipment needed to see it?

What will strecth across the heart of Asia?

What kind of events people watch the eclipse?

Answer: "This eclipse has the potential to be observed by more people than any eclipse in all of history,"

Answer: "solar view goggles"

Answer: an "exceptionally long" total solar eclipse that will cross half the planet on Wednesday.

Answer: The path of the total eclipse

Answer: total solar eclipse

Answer: from India's Bay of Cambay, over the Himalayas and across China and the southern islands of Japan.

Answer: 12:40 a.m. GMT Wednesday (8:40 p.m. ET Tuesday).

Answer: chasers.

Summary:
NASA says it will be "exceptionally long" total solar eclipse; will cross half the planet .
MIT astronomer says it could be seen by more people than any other eclipse .
The path of the total eclipse will stretch across the heart of Asia .
Some watching events include a cruise, plane trip and a music festival .


(CNN) -- Slavery may seem like a quaint notion in a 21st century world, but that distinction is lost on up to 40,000 Brazilians who find themselves toiling for no real wages and can't leave the distant work camps where they live.

A Brazilian government official takes notes as he talks with workers about to be freed.

Brazilian government officials and human rights activists call it slave labor, a condition they are aggressively trying to eradicate. A special government task force established in 1995 says it freed 4,634 workers last year in 133 raids on large farms and businesses that rely on workers driven to take these jobs by hunger and the empty promises of labor recruiters.

"Slavery is the tail end of a lot of abuse of poor people and workers in Brazil," said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based policy center. "Bad treatment reaches over to abusive treatment to treatment that becomes virtual slavery."

In Brazil, it often works this way: A recruiter known as a "gato," or cat, plumbs the slums and other poor areas of the vast country and gets people to agree to jobs in distant places. Once separated from home and family, workers are vulnerable to all sorts of abuses, such as being told they owe money for transportation, food, housing and other services.

"This is known as debt bondage, which also fits official definitions of slavery," says Anti-slavery International, a lobbying group based in Great Britain. "A person is in debt bondage when their labor is demanded as the means of repayment for a loan or an advance. Once in debt they lose all control over their conditions of work and what, if anything they are paid ... often making it impossible to repay and trapping them in a cycle of debt."

The United Nations International Labour Organization estimated there were between 25,000 and 40,000 Brazilians working under such conditions in 2003, the latest year for which it offered figures.

Leonardo Sakamoto, the director of the human rights group Reporter Brasil, says he's certain there are still more than 25,000 slave laborers in Brazil.

According to Anti-slavery International, the greatest number of slave laborers is employed in ranching (43 percent). That's followed by deforestation (28 percent), agriculture (24 percent), logging (4 percent) and charcoal (1 percent). Though those figures are from 2003, Sakamoto says they still apply, with cattle ranches and sugar cane plantations among the top employers.

Anti-slavery International estimates there are 12.3 million people working under such conditions worldwide.

"Forced labor exists in Sudan, Nepal, India, Mauritania as well as many wealthier countries (including the UK), where vulnerable people are trafficked into forced labor or sexual slavery," the group says. "A similar situation to the use of forced labor on estates in Brazil can be found in the Chaco region of both Paraguay and Bolivia."

But what may set Brazil apart are the government's attempts to wipe out the practice. One of Brazil's chief tools is a "Special Mobile Inspection Group" that consists of labor inspectors, federal police and attorneys from the federal labor prosecution branch. The group often raids workplaces, looking for abuses and laborers held against their will.

In 2007, the task force freed 5,999 workers, a record number. In 2003, the agency freed 5,223 laborers.

Since the group's inception in 1995, it has freed 33,000 people.

Labor Minister Carlos Lupi vowed in a recent interview with the state-run Brazilian news agency that efforts will be stepped up this year.

"The Brazilian government is to be commended for rescuing more than 4,500 people from the nightmare of slavery during the past year," Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International, said in a statement to CNN.

"Their commitment to step up their efforts in 2009 is even more heartening. The vocal and effective leadership we are seeing from Brazil is rare. Even India, like Brazil a democracy and a G20 member, seems content to remain the country with the

What is the number of those in forced labor?

How many people working under forced labor?

What has the task force been working at doing?

Answer: 40,000

Answer: 12.3 million

Answer: says it freed 4,634 workers last year in 133 raids on large farms and businesses that rely on workers driven to take these jobs by hunger and the empty promises of labor recruiters.

Answer: Sudan, Nepal, India, Mauritania

Answer: 40,000

Answer: it freed 4,634 workers last year in 133 raids on large farms and businesses that rely on workers driven to take these jobs by hunger and the empty promises of labor recruiters.

Summary:
More than 12 million people worldwide estimated to be working under forced labor .
Between 25,000-40,000 Brazilians may be slave laborers, U.N. estimates .
Brazil task force has worked to eradicate slave labor .
Poverty seen by experts as primary factor leading to slave labor .


(CNN) -- Snow Leopard, the highly anticipated new operating system for the Mac, will be released ahead of schedule Friday, Apple announced Monday. "Ordered already: I'm just one of those nut cases," one Twitter user wrote about the new release. The Mac OS X Snow Leopard will be available as an upgrade to the current Leopard system for $29 and can be pre-ordered now, the company said. "Snow Leopard builds on our most successful operating system ever, and we're happy to get it to users earlier than expected," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering. "For just $29, Leopard users get a smooth upgrade to the world's most advanced operating system and the only system with built-in [Microsoft] Exchange support." The company said in a news release that, for Snow Leopard, Apple engineers refined 90 percent of the 1,000 projects that currently make up its operating system. Among the anticipated features will be what Apple promises to be faster applications, including e-mail and Web browser Safari 4, while freeing up 7 GB of drive space, compared with the current system. An upgraded QuickTime system will let users more easily view, record, trim and share video, the company said, and it will include improvements to the system's iCal calendar, podcast producer and wiki server. The system had been scheduled for a September release date. But speculation in recent days had centered on an earlier release. Apple rival Microsoft is set to release Windows 7, a new version of its PC operating system, on October 22. Mac users were reporting that Apple's online stores were unavailable Monday morning, presumably to add the order page for Snow Leopard. The announcement Monday created the buzz typical of any Apple announcement among the world of devoted Mac users. Both "Snow Leopard" and "Mac OS X Snow" had become trending topics on Twitter on Monday morning -- with response mostly positive. "Ordered already: I'm just one of those nut cases," one user wrote.

When is Mac snow leopard expected to be out?

Answer: An upgraded QuickTime system will let users more easily view, record, trim and share video,

Answer: Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Answer: faster applications,

Answer: operating system

Answer: Friday,

Answer: $29

Answer: faster applications,

Summary:
Mac's Snow Leopard system to be out weeks ahead of schedule .
Apple promises new and faster apps, while saving 7 GB of space .
Upgrade available for pre-order: $29 for current Leopard users .
90 percent of system's projects were changed, Apple says .


(CNN) -- Snowstorms and icy conditions on Sunday delayed flights across the northern United States, caused havoc on roads and left thousands without electricity. A worker shovels snow as the storm hits Chicago, Illinois. At least one death has been attributed to storms that hit all over the country in the past week. A 44-year-old Massachusetts man died Friday when a tree limb weighed down by snow fell on him, authorities said. Forecasters say there's more cold weather to come. Authorities urged motorists in north-central and northeast Iowa to stay off roads because of poor visibility caused by blowing snow. Authorities prohibited tow trucks from operating on U.S. Highway 20, near the border with Minnesota, because of concerns the tow trucks would get stuck. Forecasters said wind chills of 20 below and 30 below zero were possible in much of the rest of the Midwest, prompting wind chill advisories and warnings for the region into Monday morning. Blizzard warnings also were expected to be in effect into Monday for parts of Maine and western parts of Michigan's lower peninsula. In much of Maine, between 10 and 18 inches of snow was expected to fall Sunday and Monday, the weather service said. Whiteout conditions were expected at night, with wind gusts of up to 45 mph, the weather service said. The Minnesota Department of Transportation ordered snowplow drivers off the road until Sunday morning in 13 southwest counties, because of poor visibility, blowing snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph, an agency spokeswoman said Saturday. The western U.S. has also been hit with the cold blast. Parts of Washington saw 2 to 3 feet of snow last week. On Friday, two buses carrying 80 people collided on a road in Seattle and crashed through a metal railing, where they hung over a freeway for several hours before two trucks rescued them. Many roads in Walla Walla, Washington, had yet to be plowed by Saturday, and the only practical way to drive on them was to have chains on tires, iReporter Aaron Cloward said.  Watch how driving has been difficult in Walla Walla » Cloward, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, said he had "never seen roads this bad or snow this bad." He also said he's been unable to free his car. "Everything is sold out -- snow shovels, ice melt, salt, chains ... so I don't know how to get out," he said. The storm system is expected to move eastward, where people are already dealing with air traffic delays and power outages brought on by snowfall earlier this week. "This is essentially the reincarnation of the same storm that brought the heavy snow to parts of California, southern Nevada and northern Arizona," Steve Corfidi, lead forecaster with the weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, told CNNRadio.

What kind of warning was there in Michigan?

Where have motorists been urged to stay off roads?

What kind of warning is there for Maine, Michigan?

Who is urging motorists to stay off roads?

How many people died because of the storms in total?

Who urged motorists in north-central to stay off the roads?

Who has issued a blizzard warning for parts of Maine?

How many deaths have been caused by the storm?

Answer: Blizzard

Answer: north-central and northeast Iowa

Answer: Blizzard

Answer: Forecasters

Answer: At least one

Answer: Authorities

Answer: one

Answer: Authorities

Answer: Forecasters

Answer: storms

Answer: one

Summary:
Authorities urge motorists in north-central and northeast Iowa stay off roads .
National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for parts of Maine, Michigan .
At least one death has been attributed to storms, authorities say .


(CNN) -- Soccer mom Meleanie Hain, who made national headlines last year by having a loaded, holstered handgun at her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game, has been found shot dead in her home along with her husband, police said Thursday. Meleanie Hain was found shot dead in her home along with her husband Thursday. Information from 911 calls shows that it took a SWAT team nearly an hour and a half to gain entry to the Lebanon, Pennsylvania, home Wednesday evening. Inside, they found the bodies of Hain, 31, and her husband, Scott, 33, police Capt. Daniel Wright said. Police have avoided labeling the incident a murder-suicide. However, they do not believe that another person was involved, Wright said. A full investigation is under way, he added. "Who [Meleanie Hain] is does not change the course of this investigation," he said. The autopsies are scheduled for Friday.  Watch why Hain caused controversy » Meleanie Hain's attorney, Matthew B. Weisberg, said she told him a few months ago that she and her husband were separating. It was not immediately clear whether they were still living together. The couple's three children were unharmed and took refuge at a neighbor's house before police arrived, Wright said, and the children remain in a neighbor's care. During the incident, police told neighbor Ann DiJohnson to avoid rooms with windows in fear of a possible shootout. "It was frightening," DiJohnson said. "I'm still shaking." Thomas Shaak, who lives a block from the Hains, said the couple hardly socialized with neighbors. The avid gardener said he occasionally saw Scott Hain working on his yard, but the two did not greet each other. He said Hain worked as a security officer and often kept odd hours. Meleanie Hain became an overnight celebrity and, to some, a steward of Second Amendment rights when she carried a Glock strapped to her belt to her daughter's soccer game September 11, 2008. Days later, on September 20, her permit to carry a gun was revoked by Lebanon County Sheriff Michael DeLeo, who claimed that she showed poor judgment at the child's game. County Judge Robert Eby later reinstated the permit. Weisberg, Hain's attorney, said the sheriff's action violated Hain's First, Second, Fourth and 14th Amendment rights. A lawsuit was filed against DeLeo on Hain's behalf for compensatory damages. She sought punitive and statutory damages, Weisberg said, along with reimbursement of attorneys' fees and lost wages. Although Weisberg called the Hains a "loving" and "unified" couple, he said that about four months ago, Meleanie Hain told him that they were separating and that she wanted to remove his name from the $1 million lawsuit. Although there was no indication of abuse, Weisberg said, Meleanie Hain was contemplating getting a "stay-away order." "It's shocking," Weisberg said of the shooting. "And sadly ironic."

Who were shot to death in Lebanon, Pennysylvania?

Who are avoiding calling Wednesday nights shooting a murder suicide?

Answer: Meleanie Hain,

Answer: Police

Summary:
Meleanie and Scott Hain shot to death in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, home .
Meleanie Hain brought loaded gun to daughter's soccer game in 2008 .
Police are avoiding calling Wednesday night shooting a murder-suicide .
Their three children are unharmed and in neighbor's care .


(CNN) -- Soccer star John Terry's role as captain of England's national team is in jeopardy following tabloid accusations of his marital infidelity, according to a British government minister. Terry is alleged to have had an affair with the ex-partner of his former Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge, having failed in a high court bid to prevent newspapers publishing details of his liaison with Vanessa Perroncel. The 29-year-old has two children with his wife Toni, whom he married in June 2007, and was named "2009 Dad of the Year" by a British sauce maker. He reportedly earns more than $200,000 a week. French actress and model Perroncel had a child with Terry's fellow England defender Bridge in 2006. The pair have since separated but Bridge, who is now at English club Manchester City, said on Saturday that he would not be commenting for the sake of their son. Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said he would contact the English Football Association about the matter, the UK Press Association reported. "On the field John Terry is a fantastic player and a good England captain, but to be the captain of England you have got to have wider responsibilities for the country," Sutcliffe said. "And clearly if these allegations are proven -- and at the moment they are only allegations -- then it does call into question his role as England captain. "I speak to the FA on a regular basis, so I will be asking what their viewpoint is and we will see what comes of it." Perroncel has enlisted the services of noted celebrity publicist Max Clifford, PA reported, and he said she told him that some of the allegations were true. "She has never spoken to a single journalist and she's all over all the papers with all kinds of allegations, some of which she said were true and some of which she said aren't true," Clifford told the GMTV television program. "All I'm prepared to say is that she's known John a long time, and obviously I think during that time they've become very close friends, but anything more than that, I wouldn't want to say at this particular stage. It's really for her to decide what she wants to do." While Terry's alleged infidelity may not have the global impact as that of golf superstar Tiger Woods, it could cause big problems for England ahead of June's World Cup finals in South Africa. Bridge, who is sidelined with injury, is not guaranteed to be part of the squad but has represented his country 36 times and is the regular back-up at left-back for Chelsea's Ashley Cole. England coach Fabio Capello is out of the UK following a knee operation, but is expected to make a decision on Terry's future before the friendly international against African Nations Cup winners Egypt on March 3, PA reported. The FA has released a statement saying that Capello, known to be a strict disciplinarian, "alone will make the decision about John Terry's position." "Fabio is fully up to speed with developments regarding John Terry. He spoke with our chairman Lord Triesman and chief executive Ian Watmore today, who both backed him to make the best decision for England on footballing grounds," the FA said on its Web site on Monday evening. "Fabio is dealing with the matter in his own way using his extensive experience as a football manager." Terry was first named captain of England after the 2006 World Cup when Steve McClaren took over as manager from Sven Goran Eriksson, and retained the armband when Capello was appointed in 2008. It is not the first time that Terry has been the subject of controversy. Last year he was accused by a tabloid paper of accepting money to show fans around Chelsea's training ground, and in 2002 he was cleared by a court after being charged with assault and affray following an incident with a nightclub bouncer.

What is putting Terry's captain role in jeopardy ?

Who is threatening of stripping him of captaincy ?

Answer: captain of England's national team

Answer: accusations of his marital infidelity,

Answer: he would contact the English Football Association about the matter,

Answer: John Terry's role as captain of England's national team

Answer: Sutcliffe

Answer: "2009 Dad of the Year"

Summary:
John Terry's role as England soccer captain in jeopardy due to his alleged marital infidelity .
UK government minister says Terry may be stripped of role if tabloid claims are true .
Terry failed in court injunction to stop reporting of affair with teammate's ex-partner .
The 29-year-old has two children with his wife and won a parenting award in 2009 .


(CNN) -- Sodden and crumbling, the Pin Oak levee was the only thing standing between Winfield, Missouri, and the flood-swollen Mississippi River on Wednesday. James Burt sits on an embankment near a neighborhood inundated with floodwaters in Winfield, Missouri. "The currents are already doing enough to our levees, but a 2-inch wake can cause an entire levee to break," said Andy Binder, public information officer for Lincoln County Emergency Operations Command. "Right now, we are using the Missouri State Water Patrol to keep people from using their boats around the levees." On Tuesday, the 2½-mile levee was hit by a "down slide" along a 160-foot section of its northern wall. The Army Corps of Engineers rushed in with sandbags and extra dirt for the base to keep the soil from slipping further. The Army Corps of Engineers and Army National Guard announced Wednesday that the troubled section had been fixed, but a 100-foot-long slide west of the original was starting to crumble.  Watch the Mississippi's waters rise » For the 5,000 residents of Lincoln County, it is now a matter of waiting and hoping the levee holds until the Mississippi crests and begins to fall. The river level stood just above 37 feet Wednesday on its secondary crest, 11 feet above flood stage, and is expected to crest again Saturday afternoon at 37.5 feet, The Associated Press reported. At Winfield High School, halls normally dominated by teens are being shared with volunteer workers and evacuated families in the school's gymnasium, which has served as an American Red Cross rescue shelter since June 16. Floodwaters have damaged 692 homes. "Right now, I'm feeling pretty desperate and in need," said Sam Payne, who is staying at the high school with his wife and two children. Payne, who left his home June 17, watched as water rose to the roof after one of the first levee breaches. "It's positive that my family is still together," he said. "We're trying to hold back [our emotions]. The hard part -- the working part -- is going to be after the water finally recedes." About 20 Lincoln County residents are completely dependent on the emergency center at the high school, according to the American Red Cross. "What we have been doing is feeding people three times a day, even those who aren't sleeping in the gym, and giving others food and snacks to take home with them," said Dan Flippen, the shelter's manager. "Luckily, the turnout of the businesses have been outstanding up here, and the school's principal and staff have been gems for us." iReport.com: Take a flood tour of Lincoln County, MO The administration and staff memberse have been cleaning, cooking and making space inside the school for people who have been displaced by the flooding. Students have also been taking time to help. "The students here are constantly trying to help out in the gym," Flippen said. "We have to turn anyone who isn't 18 away, but most of those kids just go outside and sandbag." While the gym has been turned into a makeshift headquarters for the Red Cross and Salvation Army, the Army Corps of Engineers has created a loading depot for levee sandbags behind the school. Rescue officials were rushing to fill to 50,000 sandbags to fortify the levee. They brought in 200 tons of sand and called on anyone who wants to volunteer in the sandbagging effort to report to the high school. Their efforts have been vital to keeping the Pin Oak levee intact and protecting the southern end of Winfield. But with the river approaching its cresting level, sandbagging activities at the high school will stop Sunday afternoon, according to Binder. While they wait, officials watch the water levels and keep boats away from the levee. The Missouri State Water Patrol is also looking out for potential looters and people breaking into unattended cars. Only a few incidents have been reported, and law enforcement released a statement saying those caught looting flood victims would be prosecuted "with the utmost prejudice."

What river is expected to crest Saturday?

Answer: an American Red Cross rescue shelter

Answer: 692

Answer: Saturday afternoon

Answer: flood-swollen Mississippi River

Answer: Mississippi

Answer: Winfield, Missouri,

Summary:
Town of Winfield, Missouri, hopes crumbling Pin Oak levee holds until river crests .
Mississippi expected to crest Saturday at more than 11 feet above flood stage .
Winfield High School becomes staging ground for relief efforts, temporary shelters .
Floodwaters have damaged 692 homes in Winfield .


(CNN) -- Software giant Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of hackers behind a powerful computer virus that could lead to millions of PCs being hijacked. Experts say a single infected laptop could expose an entire network to the worm. Experts have so far been baffled by the true purpose of the Conficker or Downadup virus, but have described its spread as one of the most serious infections ever seen. The worm exploits a bug in Microsoft Windows to infect mainly corporate networks, then -- although it has yet to cause any harm -- it opens a link back to its point of origin, meaning it can receive further orders to wreak havoc. Microsoft has issued a patch to fix the bug, however if a single machine is infected in a large network, it will spread unchecked -- often reinfecting machines that have been disinfected. The threat from the virus prompted Microsoft in collaboration with other technology industry names to this week announce a $250,000 reward for information to track down those behind Conficker. "As part of Microsoft's ongoing security efforts, we constantly look for ways to use a diverse set of tools and develop methodologies to protect our customers," said George Stathakopoulos, of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Group. Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at anti-virus firm F-Secure says the true scope of the virus is not known, but in the past 24 hours his company monitored Conficker signals from two million Internet protocol addresses. "That's a lot," he told CNN. "And one IP address here does not mean one infected computer, it means at least one infected computer. "Many of those IP addresses are obviously company proxies or firewalls, hiding hundreds of more infections behind it. Unfortunately this also makes it impossible to estimate the total count of infected systems. "So it's still big. Very big." Microsoft has previously paid out similar rewards to informants who helped identify the creator of Sasser, another notorious worm let loose in 2004. The perpetrator was tracked to Germany, where he was sentenced a year later.

What does the worm do according to Microsoft?

How much does Microsoft offer on the bounty?

What price is Microsoft offering to catch the Conficker author?

What company offered the $250,000 bounty?

What do industry analysts say about this infection?

Answer: lead to millions of PCs being hijacked.

Answer: Windows

Answer: opens a link back to its point of origin,

Answer: $250,000

Answer: $250,000

Answer: PCs being hijacked.

Answer: Microsoft

Answer: Experts have so far been baffled by the true purpose of the Conficker or Downadup virus, but have described its spread as one of the most serious

Summary:
Software giant Microsoft offers $250,000 bounty to catch Conficker author .
Industry analysts say is one of the most serious infections they have ever seen .
The worm exploits a bug in Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows software .
Virus could allow its creators to hijack entire networks .


(CNN) -- Solid support from registered Democrats and women in New Hampshire were crucial Tuesday as Sen. Hillary Clinton rebounded from her third-place finish in last week's Iowa caucuses. Sen. Hillary Clinton has spent the past few days saying she has the experience to change Washington. She narrowly defeated Sen. Barack Obama in the New Hampshire primary, with 39 percent of the vote to Obama's 37. "Last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," the New York senator said after her victory. "Now let's give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me." Forty-three percent of self-styled independents said they voted for Obama, and 31 percent said they backed Clinton. Independents made up 43 percent of all voters polled. Addressing his roaring supporters after the race was called, Obama congratulated Clinton. But he was a candidate determined to draw a distinction between Clinton and himself. "But the reason our campaign has always been different, the reason we began this improbable journey almost a year ago, is because it's not just about what I will do as president," he said. "It is also about what you, the people who love this country, the citizens of the United States of America, can do to change it. That's what this election is all about." But Clinton was ahead of Obama 45 percent to 34 percent among those who said they were registered Democrats. Those voters made up a majority -- 54 percent -- of all respondents. Clinton also claimed the majority of women's votes, according to the polling. That's in contrast to last week's Iowa caucuses, in which Obama surprised observers by stealing the female vote from Clinton. Analysts say that shift among female voters was crucial to the Clinton turnaround. "If I had a single word, the word would be 'women,' " said CNN political analyst Bill Schneider. "She got the women back." And Schneider said the support of union voters that put Clinton over the top. "Union voters have her a 10 point lead," he said. CNN projected former Sen. John Edwards to finish third. College graduates, who made up 29 percent of the electorate, opted narrowly for Clinton -- 38 percent to Obama's 37 percent, according to the polling. Those polled who called themselves very liberal, and moderate, went with Clinton over Obama -- although by less than 2 percentage points in each -- and those who said they are somewhat liberal were evenly split. Pundits also were citing the role of former President Bill Clinton in helping his wife recover from what pre-primary polls were suggesting was a deficit of 9 percentage points to Obama in New Hampshire. The former president spent Tuesday in Hanover -- home to Dartmouth College -- where Obama had been expected to win handily. "They dispatched him to the area that Obama was surging," said CNN analyst Donna Brazille, who managed former Vice President Al Gore's campaign in 2000. "I think it had the effect of tamping down Obama support and giving Senator Clinton a real reason to come back in this race." New Hampshire was considered crucial to Clinton's campaign. If Obama had been able to sweep Iowa and New Hampshire -- after months of Clinton being considered the front-runner among Democrats -- it could have given him powerful momentum going into future primaries. "Age is also playing a big factor -- older voters are overwhelmingly outnumbering younger voters -- a proportion that is clearly benefiting Clinton," Schneider said. "Sixty-seven percent of Democratic primary voters are over the age of 40, and they are breaking heavily for Clinton over Obama." Over the past several days, Clinton has trumpeted her experience, saying that she has delivered change as both first lady and as a senator. After losing to Obama in last week's Iowa caucuses, it was unclear whether she could overcome what appeared to be Obama's ability to electrify American voters who had previously taken a sour and skeptical view

Who did CNN project will finish third place?

who has projected Edwards will finish in third place?

who has maintained favor with voters older than 40?

Answer: Sen. Hillary Clinton

Answer: Obama's

Answer: former Sen. John Edwards

Answer: CNN

Answer: Sen. John Edwards

Answer: Clinton

Summary:
Sen. Barack Obama has electrified younger voters .
Sen. Hillary Clinton has maintained favor with voters older than 40 .
CNN has projected Sen. John Edwards will finish in third place .


(CNN) -- Solomon Brown of San Jose, California, is one of the millions of voters who helped elect Barack Obama to be the future president. He's also one of the voters in California, Arizona and Florida who cast ballots in support of same-sex marriage bans that got considerable support in each state. Jim Smotherman, left, and Pat Wright of La Mesa, California, rushed to get married in June. His voting choices are a picture-perfect model of the paradoxical results of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. They also illustrate how Obama's inclusive strategy won over many voters who didn't necessarily toe the Democratic Party line. The war in Iraq and the economy were the main issues Brown, 18, a first-time voter, said he considered in choosing a president. But when the time came to vote on the "one man and one woman" issue, he followed his moral beliefs and voted in support of California's Proposition 8. He said he isn't at all surprised that many voters did the same. "They did that because of religion," Brown said of voters. "They wanted change for the country but weren't going to change their religion." He had no qualms about voting for Obama, either, and adds that his choice wasn't related to race. But he worries what moral beliefs will be taught in coming years. iReport.com: Read Brown's thoughts on Proposition 8 "I don't want a man and a man to be married," Brown said. "When I have kids, I don't want them to see that." Still, he says he doesn't hate gay people and has several gay friends. He emphasizes that he dislikes the fact that people are gay, but not the individuals themselves. "I can't be prejudiced against them, with me being an African-American," Brown said. "That would be hypocritical in my eyes." But Maggie Cassella of Toronto, Ontario, said she watched the U.S. elections and couldn't help but feel thankful for being in Canada. iReport.com: Watch Cassella express her disdain over the election "I'm tired of talking about it, because I live in a country where I have all my rights now," she said. "I talk about politics, but it's never gay rights because we're done." She said she felt upset by the election and couldn't help but wonder why voters would want to make the decision to elect a black man as president and then outlaw gay marriage at the same time. "I would just like someone to talk to an African-American gay person from California or any person from California and ask them what it feels like to have your rights to be an equal citizen taken away concurrent with this great day in history," she said. "My guess is it actually doesn't feel so great. After all, civil rights are civil rights. I don't care what anybody says." iReport.com: Share your story or opinion of same-sex marriage The issue hits close to home for Pat Wright of La Mesa, California, who married his partner, Jim Smotherman, in June. He says he doesn't like seeing the animosity from both sides and has personally lost friends over the issue. "A lot of ugliness and nastiness has come out. I don't know how these people have a direct connection to God," Wright said. "How can people be so badly informed, why are they qualified to vote on my marriage, and should 52 percent of the population be able to take away my rights? A very ugly situation." Wright said the couple rushed their marriage because of Proposition 8 and campaigned against it. They were saddened to see "Yes on 8" signs in nearby yards, but never expected the proposition to succeed. iReport.com: "We are still numb and in mourning" Two states away, Fred Thorne of Washington Terrace, Utah, said he was disappointed about the same-sex marriage decisions. Thorne says he comes

what Solomon Brown voted for Obama and supports?

In view of the upcoming vote who rushed into marriage

Answer: Brown,

Answer: by the election

Answer: same-sex marriage bans

Answer: same-sex marriage

Answer: Jim Smotherman, left, and Pat Wright of La Mesa, California,

Answer: get married

Summary:
Solomon Brown voted for Obama and supports Proposition 8 .
Maggie Cassella upset that black president elected, gay marriage opposed .
Pat Wright rushed marriage to partner in light of the upcoming vote .
iReport.com: What do you think? Share your thoughts on the issue .


(CNN) -- Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Saturday he will give in to a rebel demand that he impose Islamic law, or sharia, in an effort to halt fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents.

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed  says sharia law in Somalia will not be strict.

However, Ahmed told a news conference he won't agree to a strict interpretation of the law, which forbids girls from attending school, requires veils for women and beards for men, and bans music and television.

The president, speaking at his palace in the capital, Mogadishu, said local elders and religious leaders, acting as liaisons with the militants, brought him a message saying the rebels wanted a truce in the two-year-old fighting. He also asked African peacekeepers to stand down.

Ahmed, who was elected January 31, said he would ask the AU contingent to leave once there is a solid political solution to the conflict.

More than 40,000 Somalis have returned to abandoned neighborhoods in Mogadishu over the past six weeks, despite some of the heaviest fighting in months, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Friday.

They are part of the more than a million residents who have been displaced by fighting in Somalia, including 100,000 who fled to neighboring countries last year alone, according to the United Nations.

Ethiopian troops entered the country at its request in December 2006. The Ethiopians ousted the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamic movement that had claimed control of Mogadishu earlier that year.

Ethiopia's action had the blessing of the United States, which accused the Islamic Courts Union of harboring fugitives from al Qaeda. But various Islamist groups -- including al-Shabab, which the United States has designated a terror organization -- rejected the presence of Ethiopian forces and mounted an insurgent campaign against the Ethiopians and the transitional government.

From Mohamed Amiin Adow for CNN

who won't agree to a strict interpretation of Islamic law?

who has asked African peacekeepers to stand down?

What did he ask African peacekeepers to do?

Answer: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed

Answer: rebels

Answer: President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed

Answer: to halt fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents.

Answer: The president,

Answer: stand down.

Answer: a strict interpretation of the law, which forbids girls from attending school, requires veils for women and beards for men, and bans music and television.

Summary:
Concession is attempt to halt fighting between Somali forces, Islamic insurgents .
President Ahmed says he won't agree to a strict interpretation of Islamic law .
President also has asked African peacekeepers to stand down .


(CNN) -- Somali government forces have seized control of a central town from an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia, a spokesman for Somalia's president said Thursday. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has offered aid to Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's president. "Bulo Burde is now under the control of government forces after our forces overran a stiff resistance at the entrance bridge of the town by Al Shabaab fighters," said Abdulkadir Mohamed Osman, communication director for Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's transitional president. Despite the announcement, residents said heavy fighting continued Thursday and the town is still divided between pro-government forces and Al Shabaab fighters. The ongoing exchange of heavy-weapon fire between the two sides has trapped people in the town, residents said. "Everyone inside this house is scared because heavy shells are raining in the town," said one resident, Sahra Muse. Bulo Burde is about 155 miles (250 kilometers) southeast of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The United States is supporting the Somali government's fight against the insurgents, including providing weapons to government forces. Al Shabaab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The United States is concerned that Somalia's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency, as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power later that year. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Somalia's transitional president and vowed to continue U.S. support for his government. "The United States and the international community must serve as an active partner in helping the TFG [transitional federal government] and the people of Somalia confront and ultimately move beyond the conflict and poverty that have gripped their country," Clinton said at a joint news conference with Ahmed at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The United States announced in June that it is providing weapons and ammunition to help Ahmed's government fight the militants. The weapons shipments are in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions, which ban some arms shipments to Somalia, said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly. Clinton warned that terrorist groups like Al Shabaab pose a threat to the broader international community. "Certainly if Al Shabaab were to obtain a haven in Somalia, which could then attract al Qaeda and other terrorist actors, it would be a threat to the United States," she said. There are growing concerns that Somalia could be the next base for al Qaeda as U.S. forces pound their positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. CIA Director Leon Panetta recently said that the intelligence agency is keeping tabs on the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives. "Our concern right now is that likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa, like Somalia and Yemen, that are countries that because of their political status can be attractive to al Qaeda in order to operate there," Panetta said in June. Separately, the FBI is investigating what appears to be a massive recruiting effort by Al Shabaab in immigrant communities in the United States. More than a dozen young men of Somali descent have disappeared from the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area in recent months. At least three of them, including a suicide bomber, have been killed in Somalia. Also, Australia recently announced the arrests of four men with ties to Al Shabaab who were suspected of planning a suicide attack on a military base in the southern state of Victoria. President Ahmed is a former member of the Islamic Courts Union, which took part in the 2006 coup. His decision to renounce the bloody insurgency and try to establish peace in Somalia has put him at odds with Islamist hard-liners who are still battling for control of Somalia. It also paved the way for his election as president of Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government in January. Journalist Mohammed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

What does the U.S. fear could happen to Somalia's government?

Which country does the U.S. warn could become a haven for al Qaeda operatives?

Who is backing Somalia's weak government?

Answer: a central town

Answer: terrorist groups like Al Shabaab pose a threat to the broader international community.

Answer: terrorist groups like Al Shabaab pose a threat to the broader international community.

Answer: Al Shabaab fighters,"

Answer: fall

Answer: Somalia,

Answer: heavy fighting

Answer: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Summary:
Troops "overran a stiff resistance" from Islamist militia, spokesman says .
But residents still report heavy fighting between Al Shabaab, pro-government forces .
U.S. backs Somalia's weak government, fears it could fall to al Qaeda-linked group .
U.S. officials warn that Somalia could become haven for al Qaeda operatives .