(CNN) -- A woman convicted in the 2002 kidnapping of Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart pleaded guilty in the attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin a month later, court officials said Monday.

In exchange for Wanda Barzee's plea of guilty but mentally ill to one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, prosecutors dropped state charges against her in Smart's abduction, said Nancy Volmer, spokeswoman for Utah state courts.

Barzee, 64, pleaded guilty in November to federal charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor in connection with Smart's abduction. As part of that plea agreement, she agreed to cooperate with the state and federal cases against her husband, Brian David Mitchell, federal prosecutors have said.

Barzee and Mitchell were accused of abducting Smart, then 14, at knifepoint from her bedroom in her family's Salt Lake City home in June 2002. Smart was found nine months later, walking down a street in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah, in the company of Barzee and Mitchell, a drifter and self-described prophet who calls himself Emmanuel and had done some handyman work at the Smarts' home.

The month after Smart was kidnapped, prosecutors alleged, Barzee and Mitchell attempted to break into the home of her cousin, but were unsuccessful. The girl was 15 years old at the time, according to CNN affiliate KSL. She is not named in court documents.

"Mr. Mitchell's attempt was thwarted when the minor child awakened, which caused Mr. Mitchell to flee," the court documents said.

Following her arrest in 2003, Barzee told authorities that she and Mitchell went to the home in order to abduct the girl, and planned to hold her, along with Smart, in the couple's camp in the mountains, according to court documents.

Sentencing is set for May 21 on the state charge, Volmer said. Barzee faces between one and 15 years in prison, but prosecutors have agreed to allow that sentence to run concurrently with her federal sentence, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison for her in exchange for her cooperation against Mitchell. Federal sentencing was set for May 19, but a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors has said a sentence would not be imposed until Barzee's cooperation against Mitchell is complete.

At the hearing in federal court, Barzee apologized to Smart, according to a transcript.

"I'm greatly humbled as I realize how much Elizabeth Smart has been victimized and the role I played in it," she said. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth, for all the pain and suffering I have caused you and your family. It is my hope that you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me one day."

Barzee had been housed at the Utah State Hospital while courts determined her competency as well as Mitchell's. After years of being declared incompetent, she recently was declared competent to stand trial, according to the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper. A state court had ruled she could be forcibly medicated, and that ruling led federal prosecutors to proceed with bringing a case against the couple, the Tribune said.

At a competency hearing for Mitchell in October, Smart, now 21, testified that she had been held captive in Utah and California. Just after her abduction, Mitchell took her to a wooded area behind her home and performed a mock marriage ceremony with her, she said. During the nine months of her captivity, Smart testified, no 24-hour period passed without her being raped by Mitchell.

U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball has not yet ruled on Mitchell's competency. State court proceedings are on hold pending the outcome of the federal case.

CNN's Ashley Hayes and Eliott McLaughlin contributed to this report.

Who did Barzee, husband tried to kidnap month after taking Smart?

Where did Barzee kidnapped Smart in 2002?

When did Barzee kidnapped Smart in Utah?

Answer: cousin

Answer: Wanda Barzee's

Answer: June 2002.

Answer: her bedroom in

Answer: guilty but mentally ill

Answer: June 2002.

Answer: to

Answer: prosecutors dropped state charges against her in Smart's abduction,

Summary:
In exchange for plea, Barzee's state charges in Smart's abduction have been dropped .
Prosecutors: Barzee, husband tried to kidnap Smart's cousin month after taking Smart .
Barzee, husband kidnapped Smart -- then 14 -- in Utah in 2002, prosecutors say .
Barzee already has pleaded guilty to federal charges in Smart's abduction .


(CNN) -- A woman hospitalized after spending time in a sauna-like "sweatbox" has died, bringing the total fatalities to three, authorities said late Saturday. Retreat participants spent up to two hours inside the sweatbox, the sheriff's office said. In addition to the deaths, 18 others were injured at the October 8 event at Angel Valley Retreat Center near Sedona, Arizona. The latest victim, Lizabeth Neuman, 49, was a Minnesota mother of three. She died at the Flagstaff Medical Center, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said. There were up to 65 visitors, ages 30 to 60, at the resort attending the "Spiritual Warrior" program by self-help expert James Arthur Ray, according to authorities. Participants spent up to two hours inside the sweatbox, a dome-like structure covered with tarps and blankets, the sheriff's office said. Hot rocks and water are used to create steam in the enclosed environment. Neuman's attorney, Lou Diesel, told CNN her family is cooperating with the investigation and once it's complete, he will "take all the appropriate actions in response to those responsible for Liz's death." Fire and rescue officials received an emergency call from the resort and transported the injured by air and land ambulances to nearby medical facilities, the sheriff's office said. Two people were pronounced dead shortly after arrival at a local medical center. A homicide investigation into the incident is under way, authorities said. The other retreat participants who were hospitalized have since been released. Ray is widely known for programs that claim to teach individuals how to create wealth from all aspects of their lives -- financially, mentally, physically and spiritually. He has appeared on various national programs, including CNN's "Larry King Live." CNN's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.

Who is the leader of the "Spiritual Warrior" program?

Who was the "Sweatbox" retreat's third victim?

Answer: A homicide investigation into the incident is under way,

Answer: James Arthur Ray,

Answer: A homicide investigation

Answer: A homicide investigation into the incident is under way,

Answer: Lizabeth Neuman,

Summary:
"Sweatbox" retreat claims third victim, a Minnesota woman .
Retreat participants fell ill after spending hours in hot, dome-like structure .
"Spiritual Warrior" program was led by self-help guru James Arthur Ray .
Police are conducting a homicide investigation into "sweatbox" deaths .


(CNN) -- A woman in rural Papua New Guinea was bound and gagged, tied to a log and set ablaze on a pile of tires this week, possibly because villagers suspected her of being a witch, police said Thursday. Her death adds to a growing list of men and women who have been accused of sorcery and then tortured or killed in the South Pacific island nation, where traditional beliefs hold sway in many regions. The victims are often scapegoats for someone else's unexplained death, and bands of tribesmen collude to mete out justice to them for their supposed magical powers, police said. "We have had difficulties in a number of previous incidents convincing people to come forward with information," said Simon Kauba, assistant commissioner of police and commander of the Highlands region, where the killing occurred. "We are trying to persuade them to help. Somebody lost their mother or daughter or sister Tuesday morning." Early Tuesday, a group of people dragged the woman, believed to be in her late teens to early 20s, to a dumping ground outside the city of Mount Hagen. They stripped her naked, bound her hands and legs, stuffed a cloth in her mouth, tied her to a log and set her on fire, Kauba said. "When the people living nearby went to the dump site to investigate what caused the fire, they found a human being burning in the flames," he said. "It was ugly." The country's Post-Courier newspaper reported Thursday that more than 50 people were killed in two Highlands provinces last year for allegedly practicing sorcery. In a well-publicized case last year, a pregnant woman gave birth to a baby girl while struggling to free herself from a tree. Villagers had dragged the woman from her house and hung her from the tree, accusing her of sorcery after her neighbor suddenly died. She and the baby survived, according to media reports. The killing of witches, or sangumas, is not a new phenomenon in rural areas of the country. Emory University anthropology professor Bruce Knauft, who lived in a village in the western province of Papua New Guinea in the early 1980s, traced family histories for 42 years and found that one in three adult deaths were homicides -- "the bulk of these being collective killings of suspected sorcerers," he wrote in his book, "From Primitive to Postcolonial in Melanesia and Anthropology." In recent years, as AIDS has taken a toll in the nation of 6.7 million people, villagers have blamed suspected witches -- and not the virus -- for the deaths. According to the United Nations, Papua New Guinea accounts for 90 percent of the Pacific region's HIV cases and is one of four Asia-Pacific countries with an epidemic. "We've had a number of cases where people were killed because they were accused of spreading HIV or AIDS," Kauba said. While there is plenty of speculation why Tuesday's victim was killed, police said they are focused more on who committed the crime. "If it is phobias about alleged HIV/AIDS or claims of a sexual affair, we must urge the police and judiciary to throw the book at the offenders," the Post-Courier wrote in an editorial. "There are remedies far, far better than to torture and immolate a young woman before she can be judged by a lawful system."

What happened recently to a women suspected of being a witch?

What country did the women get burned alive?

Answer: of men and women who have been accused of sorcery and

Answer: list of men and women who have been accused of sorcery

Answer: bound and gagged, tied to a log and set ablaze on a pile

Answer: victims

Answer: Her death adds to a growing list of men and

Answer: someone else's unexplained death,

Summary:
Woman suspected to be witch in Papua New Guinea burned alive .
Death adds to growing list of people accused of sorcery tortured or killed .
Victims are often scapegoats for someone else's unexplained death .


(CNN) -- A woman put on trial for wearing clothing deemed indecent by Sudanese authorities was jailed Monday for refusing to pay a court-ordered fine, her lawyer said. Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein was facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers. Lubna al-Hussein had faced 40 lashes for wearing pants deemed too tight and a blouse considered too sheer. The threat of lashes was dropped when a court found her guilty but ordered instead that she pay a fine. "She is now in jail," her attorney Nabil Adib told CNN. "She refused to pay the fine as a matter of principal." Al-Hussein will appeal her verdict in an effort to have the conservative Muslim government's decency law declared unconstitutional, Adib said by phone from Khartoum.  Watch what outfit brought the charges » "We intend to file an appeal within the next three days, but we do not know how long it will take the court of appeals to decide on the case," Adib said. "We expect it will happen in the next two to three weeks." He said al-Hussein could be in jail for a month unless her verdict is overturned. Al-Hussein, who was arrested in July, pleaded not guilty during her one-day trial Monday, he said. She was not allowed to call defense witnesses or present a defense case, he added. She was sentenced to pay 500 Sudanese pounds ($209) or face a month in prison, starting immediately, the lawyer said. "She thinks that she did not have fair trial and a conviction was wrong so she did not want to pay the fine nor let anyone else pay on her behalf," Nadib said. Al-Hussein, a journalist who worked in the media department of the United Nations mission in Sudan, resigned from her U.N. position in order to waive her immunity as an international worker and face trial. Police lobbed tear gas at people outside the courthouse Monday, and closed roads leading to the courthouse before the trial began, al-Hussein told CNN before the hearing. Sudanese security forces roughly handled scores of al-Hussein supporters, injuring some and detaining 47 women, according to an eyewitness who spoke to CNN by phone. A Sudanese official accused "the West" of interfering in the case. Mohammed Khair, the information attaché at the Sudan Consulate in Dubai, said the international campaign surrounding the case "proves the West contributes only toward deepening (the) crisis." The human rights organization Amnesty International had previously called for the charges to be dropped. "The manner in which this law has been used against women is unacceptable, and the penalty called for by the law -- up to 40 lashes -- abhorrent," Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa program, said in a statement. Al-Hussein was arrested along with 18 other women on July 3 at a Khartoum restaurant when police burst in and checked women for their clothing. "I don't think she was targeted specifically," Adib said. "They attack public and private parties and groups. They are called 'morality police' and she was just a victim of a round-up." Put your questions to Dutch activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali here At the time of her arrest, she said, she was wearing pants, a blouse and a hijab, or a headscarf worn by Muslim women. Scores of protesters gathered outside the courtroom in Khartoum to support al-Hussein in early August, when she was last scheduled to be tried. The demonstrators carried banners and wore headbands with the messages, "No return to the dark ages" and "No to suppressing women." Others demanded an amendment to the country's public order law that human rights activists say is vague on what constitutes indecent dress. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he is concerned about al-Hussein's case. "The United Nations will make every effort to ensure that the rights of its staff members are protected," Ban said

What was she wearing that was too tight?

Who was tried for wearing clothing deemed indecent?

Answer: wearing clothing deemed indecent by Sudanese authorities

Answer: 40 lashes

Answer: wearing clothing deemed indecent

Answer: pants

Answer: wearing clothing deemed indecent

Answer: 40

Answer: found her guilty but ordered instead that she pay a fine.

Answer: Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein

Summary:
Woman tried for wearing clothing deemed indecent jailed for refusing to pay fine .
Sudanese court spared female journalist lashing for wearing tight trousers .
She faced up to 40 lashes for wearing pants considered too tight .
Resigned U.N. position to avoid immunity afforded international workers .


(CNN) -- A woman to woman talk between Oprah Winfrey and the former head of her South African girls school ended with the settlement of a defamation lawsuit against the talk show host, their lawyers said.

Lerato Nomvuyo Mzamane sued Winfrey, contending she defamed Mzamane when talking about an abuse scandal at the school she ran in 2007.

The case was set for trial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starting March 29.

"The two parties met woman to woman without their lawyers and are happy that they could resolve this dispute peacefully to their mutual satisfaction," the attorneys said in a joint statement Tuesday.

Mzamane was immediately suspended and later fired after several students at Winfrey's South African leadership academy complained about abuse. A dorm mother was later charged with abusing and assaulting students.

The lawsuit contended that Winfrey's statements at a private meeting with parents, which later became public, and at a news conference defamed the headmistress by implying she knew of the abuse and covered it up.

Mzamane said the abuse complaints were never brought to her and that Winfrey never let her explain.

"Ms. Winfrey testified in her deposition that she did not intend the implications placed on her words by the plaintiff," the joint statement said. "Ms. Mzamane testified in her deposition that she has no evidence that Ms. Winfrey knowingly made a false statement about her or entertained serious doubt about the truth of what she said."

U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno ruled a week ago that Winfrey's comments could potentially be interpreted by a jury to be defamatory. The decision cleared the path for a trial.

The suit quoted Winfrey telling parents that "any person that has caused harm" to students would be let go. In the next sentence, Winfrey said she fired Mzamane because she had lost confidence in her ability to run the school.

Winfrey also told the parents that when students brought their complaints to the headmistress, she "had not taken them seriously," the suit said.

The suit said one Winfrey quote cited suggested Mzamane, a native of the African kingdom of Lesotho, did not have a high-enough level of care for the students:

"It was my intention by putting somebody in charge who was African, and was female, I believed that she would care as much for these girls as I do myself. I'm sorry I was let down."

Mzamane's suit said the damage to her reputation resulted in her not being able to get another education job for a year.

When Winfrey opened the school at the beginning of 2007, she said she hoped it would provide opportunities to girls from poor backgrounds. She personally approved each of the students, many of whom were at the top of their classes.

Who founded the school?
What did Mzamane claim Oprah had done?
Where was the school founded?
What did the lawsuit claim?
Who was suspended?

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Answer: defamed

Answer: South African

Answer: defamation

Answer: Mzamane

Summary:
The talk show host founded a girls leadership school in South Africa in 2007 .
Lerato Nomvuyo Mzamane was suspended, later fired after student complaints of abuse .
Mzamane claimed in lawsuit that Oprah Winfrey has defamed her .
The two women meet without their lawyers and agree to settle lawsuit .


(CNN) -- A woman who gave birth to a stillborn boy was left distraught after she discovered his body was kept in a jar for four years by the hospital. Jo-Ann Burrows believed for years that her son had been cremated before making the grim discovery about his fate. The mother-of-five is now taking legal action against the hospital authorities in Hampshire, southern England, the UK's Press Association reported Thursday. PA reported that Ms Burrows had daughter Ellie in April 2004 at the Hythe Birthing Centre, in Hampshire, but gave birth to the stillborn twin two days later at home. She said that an ultrasound scan taken the previous December had not revealed that she was carrying a twin, according to PA. After the stillbirth, Ms Burrows, 44, was taken to the Princess Anne maternity hospital in Southampton, also in southern England, where she gave her consent for the body to be cremated. PA reported that she has spent the past four years asking for the funeral papers and ashes. The 44-year-old is now organizing a naming ceremony and funeral for the stillborn, whose twin sister survived. Ms Burrows was quoted in her local newspaper, the Southern Daily Echo, as saying: "This experience has made me suicidal, if it wasn't for my friends and family I wouldn't be here. "I kept asking for my baby's funeral papers because I was always worried that he might be in a jar somewhere. I still couldn't believe it when I found out." She was informed through her solicitor in February that the hospital still had the baby and has now filed a medical negligence claim against Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust. It claims the Trust failed to "exercise reasonable care and skill when performing the ultrasound and also focuses on Ms Burrows' repeated requests for confirmation of the cremation," PA reported. A Trust spokeswoman told the news agency: "Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust confirms that legal proceedings have been brought against it by Ms Jo-Ann Burrows. "The chief executive has already written to Ms Burrows apologizing for shortcomings in the treatment provided to her and, in particular, for the circumstances which led to Ms Burrows' second twin not being cremated in 2004 as they had previously advised and for the distress this discovery may have caused."

what did the mother believe happenend to her child

Who believed for years that her son had been cremated?

Answer: organizing a naming ceremony and funeral for the stillborn,

Answer: son had been cremated

Answer: legal action against the hospital authorities in Hampshire,

Answer: stillborn boy

Answer: the hospital.

Answer: a stillborn boy

Answer: her son had been cremated

Answer: in a jar

Answer: Jo-Ann Burrows

Summary:
Woman's stillborn baby kept in jar for four years by hospital .
Jo-Ann Burrows believed for years that her son had been cremated .
The mother-of-five is now taking legal action against the hospital authorities .


(CNN) -- A woman who has been in a vegetative state for nearly 17 years was transferred to a private clinic Tuesday where she is expected to die -- ending what has been a lengthy and controversial legal fight. A portrait of Eluana Englaro taken in July 2008 in Italy. Englaro has been in a vegetative state for nearly 17 years. Eluana Englaro suffered irreversible brain damage in a car crash in 1992, when she was 20 years old. For years, her father has fought to have her feeding tube removed, saying it would be a dignified end to his daughter's life. Beppino Englaro says that before the crash, his daughter visited a friend who was in a coma and told him she didn't want the same thing to happen to her should she ever be in the same state. Euthanasia is illegal in Italy, but patients have the right to refuse treatment. It is on that basis that Englaro argued his daughter should be allowed to die, because she had expressed the wish not to be kept alive while in a coma -- indirectly refusing treatment, he said. "We knew Eluana well, and we always thought of her as a champion of freedom," her father said in October. "She had clear ideas about her life and for her, life was about freedom -- not an obligation to live." A series of legal battles finally ended in November, when Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation, upheld a lower court ruling allowing Englaro to suspend his daughter's treatment. But although Englaro had cleared the last legal hurdle, the court's decision sparked a new fight to find a hospital or clinic that would take out Eluana's feeding tube. Several clinics initially came forward to say they could do it, but the Italian health minister then issued a decree to remind them of their duty of care. Under pressure to adhere to his decree, the clinics backed off. Finally, a private clinic in the northeastern Italian city of Udine agreed to assist in Eluana's case. Monday night, Eluana was transferred from the church-run hospital in Lecco, north of Milan, where she had been kept alive to the Udine clinic. A handful of protesters tried to block the ambulance carrying Eluana from leaving the clinic, one of them holding a banner reading, "Only thieves and assassins act at night." The case has been a controversial one in Italy, a heavily Catholic country where the Vatican has great influence. Last Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims that "euthanasia is a false solution to suffering." Tuesday morning, a top Vatican official was quoted in the Italian media saying, "Stop the killer hands." The Udine clinic says the removal of Eluana's tube will begin in about three days, and the process of allowing her to die will take about 20 days. Clinic officials gave police an outline of the specific steps they are going to take with Eluana during that time. The outline adheres to the Cassation Court's ruling, which required certain steps and conditions once Eluana's feeding tube is removed. Among the steps and conditions was a rule that no video or photography may be taken and that only certain people may enter the patient's room.

What has her father been fighting for years?

When was Eluana transferred to a private clinic?

What will happen when Englano is transferred to a private clinic?

Answer: to have

Answer: Eluana Englaro

Answer: northeastern Italian city of Udine

Answer: her father

Answer: 17

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: Eluana Englaro

Answer: she is expected

Answer: 17 years

Answer: feeding tube removed,

Answer: Eluana Englaro

Summary:
Eluana Englaro has been in a coma for 17 years after a car crash .
Englaro was transferred to a private clinic Tuesday where she is expected to die .
Her father has fought for years to have her feeding tube removed .


(CNN) -- A woman who pleaded guilty to kidnapping Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart in 2002 -- and attempting to kidnap Smart's cousin a month later -- will be sentenced for both offenses in state and federal court Friday.

Wanda Eileen Barzee, 64, pleaded guilty in November to federal charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor in Smart's kidnapping. As part of that plea agreement, she agreed to cooperate with the state and federal cases against her husband, Brian David Mitchell, federal prosecutors have said.

Barzee and Mitchell were accused of abducting Smart, then 14, at knifepoint from her bedroom in her family's Salt Lake City, Utah, home in June 2002. Smart was found nine months later, walking down a street in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy in the company of Barzee and Mitchell, a drifter and self-described prophet who calls himself Emmanuel and had done some handyman work at the Smarts' home.

Federal prosecutors have recommended Barzee be sentenced to 15 years in prison in exchange for cooperation against Mitchell.

In state court in February, Barzee pleaded guilty but mentally ill to one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping in the attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dropped state charges against her in Smart's abduction, said Nancy Volmer, spokeswoman for Utah state courts.

The month after Smart was kidnapped, prosecutors alleged, Barzee and Mitchell attempted to break into the home of her cousin, but were unsuccessful. The girl was 15 years old at the time, according to CNN affiliate KSL-TV. She is not named in court documents.

"Mr. Mitchell's attempt was thwarted when the minor child awakened, which caused Mr. Mitchell to flee," the court documents say.

After her arrest in 2003, Barzee told authorities that she and Mitchell went to the home to abduct the girl, and planned to hold her, along with Smart, in the couple's camp in the mountains, according to court documents.

Barzee faces between one and 15 years in state prison. But prosecutors have agreed to allow that sentence to run concurrently with her federal sentence if she cooperates with the case against Mitchell, said Mark Biljanic, spokesman for the Salt Lake County district attorney's office.

The federal sentencing will be held first Friday, at 10:30 a.m., followed by the state court sentencing at 1 p.m.

When she entered pleaded guilty to Smart's kidnapping in federal court, Barzee apologized to Smart, according to a transcript.

"I'm greatly humbled as I realize how much Elizabeth Smart has been victimized and the role I played in it," she said. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth, for all the pain and suffering I have caused you and your family. It is my hope that you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me one day."

Barzee had been housed at the Utah State Hospital while courts determined her competency as well as Mitchell's. After years of being declared incompetent, she recently was declared competent to stand trial, according to the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper. A state court had ruled she could be forcibly medicated, and that ruling led federal prosecutors to proceed with bringing a case against the couple, the Tribune said.

At a competency hearing for Mitchell in October, Smart, now 21, testified that she had been held captive in Utah and California. Just after her abduction, Mitchell took her to a wooded area behind her home and performed a mock marriage ceremony with her, she said. During the nine months of her captivity, Smart testified, no 24-hour period passed without her being raped by Mitchell.

In March, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball ruled Mitchell competent to stand trial. His federal trial is set to begin November 1. State court proceedings against him are on hold pending the outcome of the federal case.

Was Wanda Barzee sentenced?
what is the recommended sentence
Does she face 1 to 15 years in prison?
who is being sentenced
what is the crime

Answer: for both offenses in state and federal court

Answer: 15 years in prison

Answer: Barzee

Answer: Wanda Eileen Barzee,

Answer: kidnapping Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart

Summary:
Wanda Barzee to be sentenced Friday on federal kidnapping, state attempted kidnapping charges .
Faces 1 to 15 years in prison for incident involving Elizabeth Smart's cousin .
Barzee pleaded guilty in 2002 Elizabeth Smart kidnapping .
Prosecutors recommend state sentence to run concurrent with federal .


(CNN) -- A woman who was beheaded near Buffalo, New York -- allegedly by her husband -- may have been on the phone with her sister when she was killed.

Muzzammil Hassan has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan.

Asma Firfirey of suburban Cape Town, South Africa, told the Afrikaans newspaper Die Burger that she was on the phone with her sister, Aasiya Zubair Hassan, last week when she heard Hassan tell her husband to calm down. She said she heard Hassan say the two could talk about their impending divorce the following day.

Then she heard something that sounded like her sister struggling to breathe, she said.

"I can only imagine how scared and emotional she must have been before she died," Firfirey said in the interview, reported in English by South Africa's News 24.

Police have charged Hassan's husband, Muzzammil Hassan, with second-degree, or intentional, murder in the death of his wife, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Her decapitated body was found at the offices of Bridges TV, the television network where Muzzammil Hassan was chief executive officer and Aasiya Hassan was general manager.

Hassan told Orchard Park police his wife was dead, led officers to her body and was arrested Thursday, said Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz on Tuesday contradicted a CNN report that quoted him as saying Hassan confessed to the crime.

A Buffalo attorney told CNN on Tuesday that he expects to represent Hassan but declined further comment, saying details had not yet been worked out.

Hassan came to America from Pakistan 25 years ago and became a successful banker, but he and his wife were troubled by the negative perception of Muslims, Voice of America reported in 2004.

Speaking in December 2004, Hassan said his wife, then pregnant, was worried about that perception and "felt there should be an American Muslim media where her kids could grow up feeling really strong about their identity as an American Muslim."

"So she came up with the idea and turned to me and said, 'Why don't you do it?' " he said. "And I was like, I have no clue about television. I'm a banker. ... And her comment was, 'You have an MBA. Why don't you write a business plan?' "

Bridges TV began as a television network for Muslim-Americans, aimed at overcoming the negative stereotypes associated with the religion.

"There should be a Muslim media," Muzzammil Hassan told VOA, "so that Muslim children growing up in America grow up with the self-confidence and high self-esteem about their identity both as Americans and as Muslims."

In the past few years, according to a former employee who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, Bridges TV transformed itself into more of a cross-cultural network seeking to bridge the gap between all cultures. Most of their employees were not Muslim, the former employee said, and Muzzammil Hassan himself was not devout.

Aasiya Hassan filed for divorce February 6, police said, and Muzzammil Hassan was served with divorce papers at the station. That night, he showed up at the couple's home, she notified authorities and he was served with a restraining order.

Police are not commenting on details of the crime, except to say the woman's body did not appear to have been moved. They also would not divulge what Muzzammil Hassan told police or the suspected motive. The law firm representing Aasiya Hassan refused to comment, only confirming that she had filed for divorce.

Benz told CNN on Tuesday that police had responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's address, but no one was arrested.

Firfirey, as well as a Pakistani woman identifying herself as another of Aasiya Hassan's sisters, characterized her as living in fear.

Firfirey said the last time she saw her sister was in May 2008, when she visited South Africa.

who was charged with second-degree murder?

Was New York man charged after his wife died?

Where was Woman's decapitated body found ?

Answer: Muzzammil Hassan

Answer: Aasiya Hassan

Answer: Muzzammil Hassan has been

Answer: second-degree murder

Answer: at the offices of Bridges TV, the television network

Answer: at the offices of Bridges TV,

Answer: Aasiya Zubair Hassan.

Summary:
New York man charged with second-degree murder after wife found beheaded .
Police: Woman's decapitated body found at TV station where she, husband worked .
Report: Sister says she may have been on phone with victim when she was killed .
Aasiya Zubair Hassan had filed for divorce from Muzzammil Hassan days earlier .


(CNN) -- A woman who was beheaded near Buffalo, New York -- allegedly by her husband -- may have been on the phone with her sister when she was killed. Muzzammil Hassan has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan. Asma Firfirey of suburban Cape Town, South Africa, told the Afrikaans newspaper Die Burger that she was on the phone with her sister, Aasiya Zubair Hassan, last week when she heard Hassan tell her husband to calm down. She said she heard Hassan say the two could talk about their impending divorce the following day. Then she heard something that sounded like her sister struggling to breathe, she said. "I can only imagine how scared and emotional she must have been before she died," Firfirey said in the interview, reported in English by South Africa's News 24. Police have charged Hassan's husband, Muzzammil Hassan, with second-degree, or intentional, murder in the death of his wife, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office. Her decapitated body was found at the offices of Bridges TV, the television network where Muzzammil Hassan was chief executive officer and Aasiya Hassan was general manager. Hassan told Orchard Park police his wife was dead, led officers to her body and was arrested Thursday, said Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz on Tuesday contradicted a CNN report that quoted him as saying Hassan confessed to the crime. A Buffalo attorney told CNN on Tuesday that he expects to represent Hassan but declined further comment, saying details had not yet been worked out. Hassan came to America from Pakistan 25 years ago and became a successful banker, but he and his wife were troubled by the negative perception of Muslims, Voice of America reported in 2004. Speaking in December 2004, Hassan said his wife, then pregnant, was worried about that perception and "felt there should be an American Muslim media where her kids could grow up feeling really strong about their identity as an American Muslim." "So she came up with the idea and turned to me and said, 'Why don't you do it?' " he said. "And I was like, I have no clue about television. I'm a banker. ... And her comment was, 'You have an MBA. Why don't you write a business plan?' " Bridges TV began as a television network for Muslim-Americans, aimed at overcoming the negative stereotypes associated with the religion. "There should be a Muslim media," Muzzammil Hassan told VOA, "so that Muslim children growing up in America grow up with the self-confidence and high self-esteem about their identity both as Americans and as Muslims." In the past few years, according to a former employee who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, Bridges TV transformed itself into more of a cross-cultural network seeking to bridge the gap between all cultures. Most of their employees were not Muslim, the former employee said, and Muzzammil Hassan himself was not devout. Aasiya Hassan filed for divorce February 6, police said, and Muzzammil Hassan was served with divorce papers at the station. That night, he showed up at the couple's home, she notified authorities and he was served with a restraining order. Police are not commenting on details of the crime, except to say the woman's body did not appear to have been moved. They also would not divulge what Muzzammil Hassan told police or the suspected motive. The law firm representing Aasiya Hassan refused to comment, only confirming that she had filed for divorce. Benz told CNN on Tuesday that police had responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's address, but no one was arrested. Firfirey, as well as a Pakistani woman identifying herself as another of Aasiya Hassan's sisters, characterized her as living in fear. Firfirey said the last time she saw her sister was in May 2008, when she visited South Africa.

Who was charged with second-degree murder?

what did the sister say about the incident

Answer: at the offices of Bridges TV,

Answer: Muzzammil Hassan

Answer: Police are not commenting on details of the crime, except to say the woman's body did not appear to have been moved.

Answer: Aasiya Zubair

Answer: Buffalo, New York

Answer: can only imagine how scared and emotional she must have been before she died,"

Answer: second-degree murder

Summary:
New York man charged with second-degree murder after wife found beheaded .
Police: Woman's decapitated body found at TV station where she, husband worked .
Report: Sister says she may have been on phone with victim when she was killed .
Aasiya Zubair Hassan had filed for divorce from Muzzammil Hassan days earlier .


(CNN) -- A year ago Thursday, I-Report was born. CNN.com launched its I-Report initiative August 2, 2006, in an effort to involve citizens in the newsgathering process. Numerous milestones later, I-Report has grown and developed its ability to be an integral component of the network's coverage. Mark Lacroix photographed the collapsed bridge from his apartment window. On the eve of its anniversary, I-Reporters responded to yet another major news event: the deadly collapse of a bridge over the Mississippi river in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mark Lacroix sent photos of the scene immediately after the disaster. As the story developed, he provided information about the situation to viewers live on television. Lacroix's photos were among the more than 450 I-Report submissions sent to CNN within the first 24 hours of the bridge's collapse -- the biggest response in one day to a single news event in I-Report history. CNN.com readers have long been submitting photos and video, as well as speaking with CNN reporters, during major breaking news events. (Check out our timeline of I-Report milestones) » On April 16, Jamal Albarghouti sent cell phone video of the Virginia Tech shooting in Blacksburg, Virginia, as the dramatic events were unfolding. More recently, when fireballs began exploding from an industrial gas facility in Dallas, Texas, in July, I-Reporters wasted no time in recording video as smoke and debris rose into the air. Justin Randall was in a convertible during the incident and tried to drive around blast debris on a highway. He sent video of the explosions, showing flames rising high into the air. During a steam pipe explosion in New York, Jonathan Thompson sent video of a powerful surge of steam rising from the ground and rescuers scrambling to secure the area. He followed up later that month by sending footage of repairs being made to the crater left behind. E-mail to a friend

Who participated i the CNN newsgathering?

What year was I-Report initiative launched?

What kind of journalists have participated in CNN's newsgathering?

When did the I Report initiative launch?

What station was the report launched on?

Answer: August

Answer: within the first 24 hours of the bridge's collapse

Answer: citizens

Answer: August

Answer: 2006,

Answer: citizens

Answer: August

Answer: citizens

Answer: CNN.com

Summary:
I-Report initiative launched August 2, 2006, on CNN.com .
Citizen journalists have participated in CNN's newsgathering .
More than 6,000 I-Report submissions last month .


(CNN) -- A year ago, employees at Boiron, a medical manufacturing company, wined and dined at the Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort overlooking the picturesque bay in Rose Hall, Jamaica, for their annual retreat. The InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa is subtly scaling back amid a sagging economy. This year, employees are saying goodbye to luxury as company President Ludovic Rassat moved the event to a more sensible location: the Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport. Many of his employees who live near the hotel are expected to sleep at home. "It's important to see we are making decisions for the good of the company," Rassat said. "At the end of the day, it's going to be good for them. Their jobs are still going to be there." With a mentality like Rassat's pervading the business and leisure traveler psyche, luxury hotels are bleeding occupancy and revenue at a rate far worse than the travel slump experienced after September 11, travel experts say. To overcome their financial woes, luxury hotels are dropping rates, giving customers incentives and finding ways to cut operating costs without compromising the integrity of their posh images. Starwood Hotel & Resorts, which owns the chic W and St Regis hotels, is offering existing and new members of its preferred guest program the opportunity to earn a free weekend night with two stays at any of Starwood's hotels from May through July. Guests can use their free night through the end of September across Starwood's brands, including many of the company's luxury properties. This summer, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, which operates five-star properties around the world, will offer customers who book particular packages free breakfast and a $100 resort credit. Washington's Willard Intercontinental Hotel is offering a "buy two nights, get a third night free" promotion for weekend stays through December. From December to February, occupancy in luxury hotels, a category that includes names such as the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. sunk more than 15 percent -- a steeper drop than at mid-level hotels, according to leading hotel industry watcher Smith Travel Research Inc. The revenue generated from the available luxury rooms fell 23 percent in that same three-month period, according to the Smith Travel Research report. Meanwhile, there are 551,610 rooms opening this year amid sluggish consumer demand, according to a STR construction pipeline report in March. And when the economy rebounds, the luxury lodging segment will take longer to recover. "Luxury hotels will lag behind the rest of the hotel industry," said Bobby Bowers, senior vice president of operations at STR. "They have ups and downs that are steeper than the industry as a whole." PKF Consulting forecasts that the luxury hotel segment will stay in red ink until 2011. Things have gotten so bad that some upscale-hotel owners across the country are delaying hotel construction to save money. Other developers are facing foreclosure or have scrapped future hotel plans altogether, industry experts say. Much of the luxury hotel business' slowdown has been driven by guilt, some executives say. Business leaders fear that they might look too excessive by staying at an upscale hotel as pink slips and pay freezes become ubiquitous. One high-end resort in Amelia Island, Florida, had one of its business customers suggest that the hotel drop the word "island" from its address to downplay the resort's exclusive image. Many companies such as Starwood and Rosewood are trying to lure customers by giving free nights and dining and spa credits without significantly lowering room rates, which could tarnish their exclusive appeal. Hotel operators hope that offering guests free nights will encourage them to spend more money overall. Other hotels prefer bundling their rates in packages so it is difficult to tell how much the prices have dropped. "They need to protect the image of their property," explained Erik Herskind, a principle at Greenlight, a Dallas, Texas-based company that works with luxury hotels. "They need to feel like even in this tough time, they are a prestigious place, so they

What are the hotels offering to entice new customers?

What are executives avoiding to cut costs?

What are Luxury hotels offering to attract new customers?

By how much has occupancy in luxury hotels dropped?

Answer: free weekend night with two stays

Answer: rates,

Answer: "Luxury hotels

Answer: are dropping rates, giving

Answer: more than 15 percent

Summary:
Occupancy in luxury hotels dropped 15 percent from December to February .
Executives are avoiding meetings at fancy resorts to cut costs and appear frugal .
Luxury hotels are offering free nights and spa credits to attract new customers .
Rates at luxury hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, have dropped 30 percent .


(CNN) -- A young Iranian woman named Neda is gunned down in one of the most iconic images of the last week. Another walks down the street, defiantly showing off her hair and body in a revealing dress. And still another woman says she's not scared of paramilitary forces -- no matter how many times she gets beaten. Women have taken to the streets of Tehran. "This shows the new face of Iran," one expert says. "When they want to hit me, I say hit. I have been hit so many times and this time it doesn't matter. I just want to help my brothers and sisters," says the 19-year-old woman whose identity is being withheld by CNN for her safety. Amid the clashes and chaos, there has been a recurring scene on the streets of Tehran: Women, in their scarves and traditional clothing, at the heart of the struggle. Some are seen collecting rocks for ammunition against security forces, while video showed one woman trying to protect a fallen pro-government militiaman wounded in the government crackdown. At Shiraz University, riot police clubbed women dressed in black robes. "Don't beat them, you bastards," one man yells. When security forces come to attack, the 19-year-old woman protester says she looks them in the eye and asks: "Why do you kill your brother? Why do you hit your mother, your sisters?" "We all tell them, if you're Iranian, you shouldn't do that to your people, to your own country's people," she told CNN by phone.  Watch woman stand up in defiance to power » But it's the woman known as Neda who has become the symbol of women on the front line that has galvanized opponents of the Iranian regime. In a widely circulated video, Neda is seen in the middle of protests over the weekend. She is shot and drops to the ground. Blood runs from the side of her mouth as a few people, including her music professor traveling with her, press on her chest and shout her name. One pleads, "Do not be afraid." The camera closes in on her face as her eyes roll back and are still. Karim Sadjadpour, an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the image of Neda and other women at the protests showed the difference from the 1979 revolution. "The iconic pictures from the revolution 30 years ago were bearded men. This shows the new face of Iran -- the young women who are the vanguards of Iran."  See images of protests » Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University, agreed that Neda was becoming a symbol for all the women who have become involved in the turmoil that has followed the disputed election. "She will become the image of this brutality and the role -- the truly significant role -- that women have played in fighting this regime. I think that women are the unsung heroes of the last few years. They are the ones who began chipping away the absolute authority of the mullahs." The protests haven't just been confined to Iran's everyday women. The daughter of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was arrested over the weekend while taking part in a protest. She was later released. In addition, Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Mir Hossein Moussavi, whose apparent defeat in Iran's presidential election has sparked the unprecedented demonstrations, campaigned for her husband, an unusual step in politics in Iran. Her public support of his candidacy underscored his professed support for women's rights.  Learn more about the timeline of events » And in another act of defiance, apparently from after the election, a woman who appears to be in her 20s or 30s walks down a street in Tehran, showing off her body in a revealing dress and displaying her long, curly hair. In Iran, women are forbidden to show their hair, and they must keep their bodies covered. "Lady, is it a revolution already?" one female driver says as she passes by. The 19-year-

What gender is standing again authority in Iran?

Answer: Neda

Answer: Women

Answer: Women

Answer: streets of Tehran.

Answer: symbol of women

Summary:
Recurring theme of Iranian protests: Women defiantly standing up against authority .
19-year-old woman says, "When they want to hit me, I say hit."
A young woman named Neda has become the rallying cry of protesters .
"This shows the new face of Iran -- the young women who are the vanguards of Iran"


(CNN) -- AC Milan and Roma played out a goalless draw in Italy's Serie A in a result which does little to enhance the title ambitions of neither side.

The result left Inter Milan three points clear at the top of the table and they will be able to increase that lead to six if they claim victory over Genoa at the San Siro on Sunday night.

Roma began the brighter of the two sides and Cristian Abiatti saved well from a Julio Baptista shot while Daniele De Rossi screwed a shot wide when well placed.

The visitors were much improved after the half-time break and controlled possession but were unable to create many chances although Marco Borriello squandered a good chance when he opted to shoot instead of passing to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

John-Arne Riise's dangerous cross was met by the head of Mirko Vucinic in the 74th minute but the Montenegro striker was unable to direct his attempt on goal.

Brazilian Ronaldinho also went close with a header from David Beckham's cross in the dying stages as the match ended in a stalemate.

In Saturday's other game Juventus moved back into the top four in Serie A thanks to a narrow 2-1 victory over Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

The Turin giants were under pressure following a defeat to Palermo last weekend and coach Alberto Zaccheroni got the response he requested from his players.

Juventus took the lead through Brazilian playmaker Diego in only the second minute of the game when he took the ball round Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastian Frey and fired home after collecting an intelligent through-ball from Antonio Candreva.

Fiorentina responded positively and gained a deserved equalizer when former Juventus midfielder Marco Marchionni headed past stand-in goalkeeper Alex Manninger in the 32nd minute.

Marchionni then missed a chance to put his side ahead moments before the break when he fired a shot when well placed inside the penalty area.

Juventus improved after the interval and David Trezeguet tested Frey with a volley before the visitors took the lead for the second time in the 68th minute when Fabio Grosso crashed a shot into the top corner.

Zaccheroni's side could have extended their advantage in injury time but a superb double save from Frey denied Claudio Marchisio.

What was the score between AC Milan and Roma?

Answer: Marco Marchionni

Answer: Juventus

Answer: Fiorentina

Answer: goalless draw

Answer: Cristian Abiatti

Summary:
AC Milan and Roma played out a goalless draw in Italy's Serie A .
Juventus moved back into the top four in Serie A thanks to a narrow win over Fiorentina .
Diego and midfielder Marco Marchionni grabbed the goals for Alberto Zaccheroni's side.


(CNN) -- AC Milan have swooped to sign Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu on a three-year contract -- making him the first American to appear in Serie A since Alexi Lalas in 1996. Onyewu will become the first American since Alexi Lalas to appear in Italian Serie A after joining AC Milan. Onyewu, who has also played in the English Premier League with Newcastle United, has moved to the San Siro on a free transfer after impressing with some superb displays during the United States' run to the Confederations Cup final. The 27-year-old has played 38 times for his country, scoring five goals.Latest transfer gossip and rumors "This transaction shows once again the excellent friendly relationship between our club and Belgian club Standard Liege, particularly their executive vice-president Luciano D'Onofrio," said a statement on Milan's official Web site. The six-foot four-inch player was born in Washington DC to Nigerian parents but began his club career at Metz in France in 2002. He was loaned out to La Louviere in Belgium in 2003 and his form there earnt him a move to Liege, where he won two Belgian titles. He then joined Newcastle on loan, playing 11 league matches. However, the  transfer is unlikely to appease the Milan supporters who are unhappy with the summer sale of Brazilian superstar Kaka to Real Madrid -- and the departure of coach Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea. About 300 fans protested outside the club's Milanello base on the first day of pre-season training on Monday, complaining at the lack of big name signings.

Who is the American international defender?

Onyewu is the first American to do what?

Answer: Lalas

Answer: Oguchi Onyewu

Answer: 27-year-old

Answer: 27-year-old

Answer: appear in Serie A since Alexi Lalas in 1996.

Answer: three-year

Answer: American

Answer: Milan

Answer: AC

Answer: Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu

Answer: three-year

Answer: Oguchi Onyewu

Answer: Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu

Answer: Oguchi Onyewu

Answer: AC

Answer: American

Summary:
AC Milan swoop to sign up American international defender Oguchi Onyewu .
The 27-year-old joins from Belgians Standard Liege on a three-year contract .
Onyewu is the first American to appear in Serie A since Alexi Lalas in the 90s .


(CNN) -- AC Milan wasted a golden opportunity to close the gap on leaders and city rivals Inter at the top of the Italian Serie A table after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Livorno.

With Inter's match at Parma postponed because of heavy snow, a Milan win would have closed the gap at the top of the table to eight points -- with both teams having played 21 matches.

Veteran midfielder Massimo Ambrosini put Milan ahead on the stroke of half-time when he hooked the ball home after goalkeeper Francesco Benussi failed to deal with a David Beckham cross.

But Cristiano Lucarelli poked home a mis-hit Claudio Bellucci shot just before the hour mark to earn Livorno a point.

It completes a difficult week for Leonardo's side following their surprise Italian Cup defeat to Udinese and last weekend's 'derby' reverse at the San Siro.

Milan's failure to win means in-form Roma have joined them on 41 points after a narrow 2-1 home win over bottom side Siena.

Second-half substitute Stefano Okaka struck the winner three minutes from time in his final match before joining English Premier League side Fulham in a six-month loan deal.

Jon Arne Riise had put the hosts in front in the 29th minute before Siena's Simone Vergassola equalized just before half-time.

However, striker Okaka flicked home the late winner to earn Cluadio Ranieri's side a fourth successive Serie A victory.

Elsewhere in Italy, striker Antonio Cassano has confirmed he has turned down the chance to join Fiorentina, choosing to remain with Sampdoria despite reports of a fall-out with coach Luigi Del Neri.

On the pitch, Sampdoria maintained their Champions League challenge with a comfortable 2-0 win over strugglers Atalanta.

Meanwhile, Juventus moved up a place to fifth, going above Palermo, after a 1-1 draw at home to Lazio.

Alessandro del Piero's penalty after 70 minutes looked like giving new coach Alberto Zaccheroni a winning start to his reign.

However, Stefano Mauri converted a cross from Mauro Zarate to level matters with just 12 minutes remaining.

Who wasted a golden opportunity?
What did Milan waste?
How many points behind are Milan?
Who drew 1-1 at San Siro?

Answer: AC

Answer: golden opportunity

Answer: eight

Answer: Milan

Summary:
Milan waste a golden opportunity to close the gap on leaders Inter at the top of Serie A .
Cristiano Lucarelli pokes home an equalizer as Livorno draw 1-1 at the San Siro .
Milan are eight points behind leaders Inter, whose match against Parma was postponed .


(CNN) -- Abe Pollin, the longtime owner of the Washington Wizards professional basketball franchise, has died, the Wizards said Tuesday. He was 85. No further details were immediately available. The Wizards said information would be released as it became available. The Pollin family asked that their privacy be respected, the basketball team said. Pollin and his wife, Irene, have owned the NBA franchise, previously known as the Washington Bullets and before that the Baltimore Bullets, for 45 years. As the majority owners of Washington Sports & Entertainment Limited Partnership, the Pollins oversaw the Washington Wizards, Washington/Baltimore Ticketmaster and in-house promoter Musicentre Productions, as well as the management of the Verizon Center and George Mason University's Patriot Center, according to the Verizon Center's Web site. Pollin at one time also owned the Washington Capitals hockey team and the Washington Mystics WNBA team. Pollin moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Washington area when he was 8, according to the Verizon Center's biography of him. He attended George Washington University and worked for his family's construction company for more than a decade, it says. He and Irene, a St. Louis, Missouri, native, launched their own construction company in 1957 and built several large apartment houses and office buildings. They have two sons and two granddaughters, according to the Web site.

What amount of time have Pollin and his wife owned the Wizards?

Answer: his wife, Irene,

Answer: Pollin,

Answer: 45 years.

Answer: 45 years.

Answer: 85.

Answer: He was 85.

Summary:
Abe Pollin was 85 years old .
Pollin and his wife have owned the Wizards, formerly known as the Bullets, for 45 years .
Pollin also once owned Washington Capitals hockey team .
Survived by wife, two sons and two granddaughters, according to Web site .


(CNN) -- About 10 men armed with pistols and small machine guns raided a casino in Switzerland and made off into France with several hundred thousand Swiss francs in the early hours of Sunday morning, police said.

The men, dressed in black clothes and black ski masks, split into two groups during the raid on the Grand Casino Basel, Chief Inspector Peter Gill told CNN.

One group tried to break into the casino's vault on the lower level but could not get in, but they did rob the cashier of the money that was not secured, he said.

The second group of armed robbers entered the upper level where the roulette and blackjack tables are located and robbed the cashier there, he said.

As the thieves were leaving the casino, a woman driving by and unaware of what was occurring unknowingly blocked the armed robbers' vehicles. A gunman pulled the woman from her vehicle, beat her, and took off for the French border.

The other gunmen followed into France, which is only about 100 meters (yards) from the casino, Gill said.

There were about 600 people in the casino at the time of the robbery. There were no serious injuries, although one guest on the Casino floor was kicked in the head by one of the robbers when he moved, the police officer said.

Swiss authorities are working closely with French authorities, Gill said. The robbers spoke French and drove vehicles with French license plates.

CNN's Andreena Narayan contributed to this report.

Where did part of the group fail to break into?

How many men raided the Grand casino Basel

What is only about 100 meters from the casino?

Answer: off into France

Answer: in black clothes and black ski masks,

Answer: 10 men

Answer: 100

Answer: casino's vault

Answer: 10

Answer: France,

Summary:
Dressed in black clothes and black ski masks, ten men raided Grand Casino Basel .
Part of group failed to break into casino vault on the lower level .
Gunmen made off into France which is only about 100 meters from the casino .
One woman was beaten by robbers after unknowingly blocking their vehicles with car .


(CNN) -- About 11.6 million Africans have been forced from their homes by wars and other conflicts, according to the United Nations. Next week in Uganda, leaders from across the continent will converge to tackle the issue. Somali women at a camp for displaced persons. Nearly half of the displaced people in the world are found in Africa, according to the United Nations. "Africa is the continent most affected by the scourge and tragedy of forced displacement," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement. "While refugee populations have declined in recent years, internal displacement continues to rise and the number of people uprooted from their homes is mounting." During the weeklong African Union summit that will start Monday in the capital, Kampala, the leaders are expected to sign a pledge to help the displaced across the continent, according to the U.N. agency for refugee issues. The agreement "would be the first legally binding international instrument on internal displacement having such broad regional scope," the agency said. Aid agencies have blasted some African countries for failing refugees and internally displaced people. Last month, Oxfam International released an explosive report accusing Kenya and Ethiopia of housing Somali refugees in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. It said the Somali government also is abandoning its internally displaced. "Somalis flee one of the world's most brutal conflicts and a desperate drought, only to end up in unimaginable conditions in camps that are barely fit for humans," said Robbert Van den Berg, a spokesman for Oxfam International in the Horn of Africa. "Hundreds of thousands of children are affected, and the world is abandoning the next generation of Somalis when they most need our help." On a visit to a refugee camp in northern Kenya that houses Somalis, actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie called it "one of the most dire" she had ever seen. The camp -- which has facilities for about 90,000 -- houses 280,000 refugees. "The toilets are already overflowing," Jolie said last month. "There is not even enough space for trash dumps, so people are living amongst the garbage." Kenyan officials have said they are working on a solution. In neighboring Uganda, a government spokesman said it had taken steps to ensure displaced people and refugees have access to resources to become self-sufficient. "The numbers of displaced have drastically gone down," Fred Opolot said. "The government offers them relocation packages, including planting seeds, cooking items and building materials." The east African nation has followed international protocol, Opolot said, noting that it was chosen to host the African Union summit on refugees. "Uganda does not just set up camps; it builds facilities for them," Opolot said. "There may well be some African countries that have not followed protocols. ... The summit will reassess the challenges they have and set up steps to ensure they follow international protocol."

African leaders converge to tackle what problem?

Aid agencies criticized some countries for what reason?

Aid agencies have criticized some African countries because of what?

Nearly half of the displaced people in the world are found where?

For what reason are African leaders converging?

Almost what fraction of displaced people are from where?

Answer: have been forced from their homes by wars and other conflicts,

Answer: failing refugees and internally displaced people.

Answer: failing refugees and internally displaced people.

Answer: Africa,

Answer: sign a pledge to help the displaced across the continent,

Answer: half

Summary:
African leaders converge to tackle problem of conflict-displaced people .
Nearly half of the displaced people in the world are found in Africa .
Aid agencies have criticized some African countries for failing refugees .


(CNN) -- About 80 people were arrested on the eighth day of protests in New York on Saturday, the greatest number since demonstrations started near Wall Street.

Earlier arrests in the week totaled about 20 on previous days for similar charges, according to New York City Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne.

The latest arrests include disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and assaulting a police officer, according to Browne.

The protests started September 17 in lower Manhattan and are aimed at drawing attention to the role powerful financial interests played in America's spiraling economy.

"We've got a whole bunch of people sitting in Washington that can't figure it out," said organizer Bill Csapo.

The mission is for " 20,000 people to flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months," the official "Occupy Wall Street" website read.

By Saturday, the site had a series of updates on arrests, including the exact location of a police van holding arrestees. One was described as having a "very bad concussion, possibly life threatening" and urged participants to demand medicare care for those affected.

"It's just letting people know that it's going on," Csapo said on the website. "We need to call the police and tell them to let these people go."

CNN called police officials, but they declined to comment further on the extent of injuries or specific use of force. But descriptions by the website and some protesters present affirm the use of mace and Tasers.

One midtown resident, Ryan Alley, claims he wasn't aware of the protests until he found himself among them. He said he was penned in by police while standing near a group of protesters, pushed against a wall and nearly arrested.

"They turned our backs, put us against the wall," Alley said. "They're being very aggressive ... half the people here have no idea what's going on ... I'm actually very ashamed to be a New Yorker."

One woman with bloody lips stood with her hands zip-tied behind her back.

"I wasn't doing anything and I was punched!" she called out to spectators.

Csapo says the organization is worried about NYPD activity after nightfall.

Despite the concerns, the "resistance continues," the group says.

"We're occupying that square. We're not going anywhere," Csapo said about their new Liberty Plaza location near the former World Trade Center.

What was the intended aim of the protest?

What are the protesters drawing attention to?

What are the main charges the protesters are facing?

Answer: lower Manhattan

Answer: New York

Answer: aimed at drawing attention to the role powerful financial interests played in America's spiraling economy.

Answer: September 17

Answer: the role powerful financial interests played in America's spiraling economy.

Answer: September 17

Answer: disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration

Summary:
The latest arrests include disorderly conduct and resisting arrest .
The protests started September 17 in lower Manhattan .
They are aimed at drawing attention to the role of financial interests in the spiraling economy .


(CNN) -- Academy Award-winning composer Maurice Jarre, who scored movies including "Doctor Zhivago" and "Lawrence of Arabia" among others, died Sunday from cancer in Los Angeles. He was 84.

Movie composer Maurice Jarre pictured at the Berlin International Film Festival last month.

Jarre enjoyed an illustrious career, working with Hollywood directing legends including John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock and, most notably, David Lean.

Fellow French composer Alexandre Desplat, who interviewed Jarre for The Screening Room at the Berlin International Film Festival last month, told CNN Monday: "Maurice was an immense artist, an incredible symphonist, a magician of the melody and a benevolent human being."  Watch tribute to Maurice Jarre »

Jarre won Oscars in 1963 and 1966 for his collaborations on the Lean movies "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago" respectively.

He then mustered a further six Oscar nominations but his third award came once again through a further collaboration with Lean on " A Passage to India" in 1984.

He then swapped orchestral composition to become a pioneer of electronic scoring, working on the music for, among others, "Ghost," "Witness," "Dead Poet's Society" and "Fatal Attraction."

At the same time his son Jean-Michel Jarre became one of the world's best known electronic musicians with global hits such as "Oxygene" and huge outdoor concerts.

His final movie composition was for the 2000 film "I Dreamed of Africa."

Jarre's career included symphonies, ballet and theatre but it was for his 150 film scores that he was presented with an honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival last month - almost half a century after producer Sam Spiegel hired him to work on "Lawrence of Arabia."

Festival director Dieter Kosslick said in a statement late last year: "Film composers often are in the shadows of great directors and acting stars. It's different with Maurice Jarre; the music of 'Doctor Zhivago,' like much of his work, is world-famous and remains unforgotten in the history of cinema."

Speaking in Berlin to double-Oscar nominee Desplat -- who himself scored "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Queen" -- Jarre said: "I never really had a 'bust-up' with a good director. A good director will always find an intellectual understanding. And that's what was great - I had an opportunity with all these people. I don't think I can say that I ever worked with a bad director."

But Jarre also said that directing legends of the rank of Huston and Hitchock had disappeared and no longer existed, adding: "The only problem is now, there is more and more bad music that goes 'dang dang dang dang dang...' So...it's better to turn off the music, and listen to a concert of Mozart."

Senior producer Neil Curry and associate producer Lidz-Ama Appiah contributed to this report.

where  is Berlin International Film Festival conducted?

Answer: Maurice Jarre,

Answer: "Lawrence of Arabia"

Answer: "Lawrence of Arabia"

Answer: Los Angeles.

Answer: Maurice Jarre,

Answer: third award

Summary:
Maurice Jarre won three Oscars during his career, all for scoring films by David Lean .
During the 1980s, 1990s he scored music for "Ghost," "Witness," "Fatal Attraction"
Career recognized most recently at the Berlin International Film Festival .


(CNN) -- Accusing local media in the Orlando, Florida, area of a "barrage" of coverage, Casey Anthony's lead defense attorney asked Monday to have her death-penalty case moved from Orlando to Miami, Florida. Casey Anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. "The overwhelming majority of the media's coverage of this case has been negative for the defendant," says a defense motion filed in Orange County Circuit Court. Anthony, 23, is scheduled to go on trial on a first-degree murder charge in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. "The effects of the inflammatory and negative aspect of the media coverage in this case is best witnessed in the violent and harassing protests which have dogged the defendant and her family for many months now," the motion says. Signed by Anthony's lead lawyer, Jose Baez, the motion says moving the trial far enough away from local media will "not end the coverage," which Baez said has produced thousands of articles and TV news reports, but will "have a chilling effect" on coverage. Peter Odom, a defense attorney appearing Monday on HLN's Nancy Grace to provide analysis of the case, said, "All the defense has to show is that there's been extensive media coverage. That's a cinch." "Secondly, that it will be impossible for them to find a fair jury pool," he added, referring to the Orlando area. Baez cited a number of reasons in his request to the judge to move the case to south Florida, where he says it has been covered far less and there is a "large and diverse jury pool." Local media in the Orlando area, he argued, have affected Anthony's chances of getting a fair trial not only in Orange County but in much of Central Florida. If the judge rejects his request to move the trial to Miami, Baez said Broward County, about a 45-minute drive north of Miami, is a second choice.

Where did the lawyer want the trial moved to?

What are the Charges against Ms. Anthony?

Answer: Miami, Florida.

Answer: first-degree murder

Answer: Miami, Florida.

Answer: Baez cited a number of reasons in his request to the judge to move the case to south Florida, where he says it has been covered far less and there

Answer: death-penalty case

Summary:
Attorney cites negative TV, media coverage in request for venue change .
Lawyer asked for trial to be moved from Orlando, Florida, to Miami, Florida .
Lawyer says media coverage means Casey Anthony won't get a fair trial .
Casey Anthony facing death penalty trial for daughter's murder .


(CNN) -- Achtung, baby! Sacha Baron Cohen stars as a flamboyant Austrian fashionista in "Bruno." There's a British theory that everything sounds funnier delivered with a Teutonic accent. That's tested to the limit in Sacha Baron Cohen's newest provocation, "Bruno," but it's not what comes out of his mouth that makes the Austrian fashionista such a handful. The man in the tight yellow lederhosen knows that in our visually overstimulated culture, a picture is vorth a thousand vords. More if there's significant skin involved -- and he's happy to show us his wurst. Cohen seems to believe that prudery is the enemy. Certainly, bad taste is his Trojan horse. An early montage of romantic coupling, Bruno-style, is enough to get tongues wagging -- or clucking in disapproval. It's the closest thing to gay porn most heterosexuals will see this side of "300." Either way, Cohen's laughing: Properly managed, outrage is a useful marketing tool, as "Borat" showed. Apparently permanently airbrushed right down to his backside, Bruno looks nothing like his hirsute Kazakh cousin, but the men share an ego; they're equally insensitive to other people and oblivious to notions of social decorum and the politically correct. And they both invest heavily in the American Dream. Bruno hungers after fame as hungrily as Borat lusted for Pamela Anderson. After a brief prologue in Europe -- and the distressing revelation of the vacuity of the fashion scene -- he sets out for Los Angeles, determined to become Austria's "biggest superstar since Hitler." Perhaps inspired by another Cohen creation, Ali G, he sets out to make a celebrity interview show -- but sadly, the only dupes ignorant enough to participate are "American Idol" judges (Paula Abdul chats about her philanthropic pursuits while perched on the back of an immigrant laborer) and presidential candidates (take a bow, Ron Paul). It's not just about the scarcity of the guests, though. Bruno doesn't draw them out the way Borat did. Quite the opposite: Mostly they're wary and guarded, or downright hostile -- and understandably so, often enough, given Bruno's shock tactics. Yes, it's funny seeing him fire up a predominantly African-American TV studio audience by announcing that his "adopted" black baby is named O.J., but still, the scene tells us more about Cohen's need to provoke than about the crowd's supposed homophobia. The same goes for his brief stint in a U.S. Army training facility. The actor's quick wit and virtuoso physical comedy skills carry the day, but just as Bruno is forced to abandon one dead-end celebrity scheme after another, the movie too seems to be casting about haphazardly for some real comic traction. Evidently it's not easy testing taboos in 2009. Wherever Bruno turns, he seems to be following in someone else's footsteps. Peace talks in Israel (what Bruno calls "Middle Earth")? Morgan Spurlock has been there, done that. Camping out with the gun lobby? Michael Moore, "Bowling for Columbine." Gay conversion? Didn't director Larry Charles go there with Bill Maher just last year in "Religulous"? Meanwhile, Bruno's love-hate relationship with his assistant, Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), only highlights how similar the new film's few narrative pegs are to "Borat." Some sketches do hit much closer to home. A series of interviews with stage moms and dads who eagerly sign up their infants to work with hornets, wasps, dead or dying animals, antiquated heavy machinery and sundry toxic substances is a real jaw-dropper, though the kicker is tempered by Bruno's behavior. And, to its credit, the film saves the best for last. In a show-stopping climax (which I don't propose to spoil here) Cohen puts it all on the line and definitively nails gay-bashers where it hurts: right between the eyes. iReport.com: "Bruno" vs. Borat": Preview audience weighs in It's an

What character does Cohen play in his film?

what is the name of sacha baron cohen's movie

What phobia does the film attempt to show?

Answer: "Bruno."

Answer: Sacha Baron Cohen

Answer: "Bruno."

Answer: hungers after fame

Answer: "Bruno."

Answer: "Bruno."

Answer: homophobia.

Summary:
"Bruno" is Sacha Baron Cohen's new film; he plays gay fashionista .
Film attempts to show homophobia but in some cases pushes too hard .
Still, last scene makes it worth it, says reviewer Tom Charity .


(CNN) -- Acoustic rocker John Mayer has bowed out of a series of concerts after suffering from "something next to my vocal cords called a granuloma," he said in a statement released Friday.

The singer and songwriter said he had undergone months of monitoring, but the condition -- a small area of tissue inflammation that most often occurs in the lungs -- had prevented him from going ahead with the performances.

"I'm bummed to have to bow out of both the iheartradio Music Festival in Las Vegas and an appearance with Tony Bennett in Los Angeles," he said in the statement. "I know there were people depending on me to be there and I'm sorry that I can't be on those stages."

Mayer's soon-to-be-released album "Born and Raised" also will be delayed.

It's "complete as far as music recording, song selection, and in some cases mixing," he said. "But because of this condition I couldn't finish singing on several of the tracks."

The album, as a result, will be released next year "instead of this fall or winter."

"This is a temporary setback, though I'm not sure how long or short a period of time it will be," he said. "I've got the best doctors in the country looking after me and I will be singing and touring again as soon as I get the all clear."

Mayer said he plans to spend the down time writing and composing, and "kicking an empty soup can around the West Village."

What does John mayer have?
What did john mayer say?
What is a granuloma?
what will be delayed?
What is the album title?

Answer: granuloma,"

Answer: "something

Answer: a small area of tissue inflammation that most often occurs in the lungs

Answer: album "Born and Raised"

Answer: "Born and Raised"

Summary:
John Mayer says he has a granuloma next to his vocal cords .
Granuloma is a small area of tissue inflammation .
Mayer's soon-to-be-released album "Born and Raised" will be delayed .


(CNN) -- Actor Edward Norton already wanted to be in better shape for his 40th birthday than he was on his 30th when the idea hit -- why not join members of an African tribe famous for its runners and run the New York marathon? "Incredible Hulk" star Edward Norton, second from left, has trained for a marathon with Maasai tribesmen in Kenya Before he knew it, the star of "The Incredible Hulk" and "Fight Club" had signed on to the effort, despite never having run a marathon before. "The idea picked up traction pretty quickly," said Norton, who turned 39 in August. "Then, I was like, 'Wait a minute. What have I just done?'" The run is a benefit for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization working to promote sustainable development while protecting the east African grasslands that the Maasai tribe calls home. Both the traditional tribe's way of life and its environment have been threatened by rapid industrial development. Norton discovered, and became a supporter of, the trust about 10 years ago during his first visit to Kenya, where he met founder Luca Belpietro. "I was impressed at the way he was really genuinely working with the community to create value out of being good stewards of the land," Norton said. Belpietro will be one of nearly 30 runners joining Norton on the Nov. 1 marathon. Also running will be magician David Blaine and three Maasai tribesmen. The Maasai are at the heart of Kenya's long tradition of distance running. Norton said one of the runners, safari guide Parashi Ntanin, is so fast he could probably leave the rest of the group behind and run the race in less than 2½ hours. Norton said he's run as much as 15 miles twice during his training for the 26.2-mile marathon and that despite some leg and knee pains, he's confident he'll finish the endurance race. "I'm really enjoying it," he said after a workout Wednesday in New York. "I'm enjoying having a goal." A competitive rower at Yale, Norton said he's experienced the so-called "runner's high" during his training, which fans can follow on his Twitter account, @EdwardNorton. "Running in the park, I got a taste of what people say about the New York marathon. There were people of every shape and size out there," he said. "I really got a lift out of it." Norton's latest film, the independently produced "Leaves of Grass," is set to premiere this week at the Toronto International Film Festival and his company's "By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama," a documentary about President Obama's historic campaign for the White House, debuts on HBO on November 3.

What group will the actor's run benefit?

Answer: 15 miles

Answer: Nov. 1

Answer: David Blaine and three Maasai tribesmen.

Answer: Edward Norton

Answer: the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust,

Answer: for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust,

Summary:
Actor on marathon decision: 'What have I just done?'
Norton's New York run will benefit Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust .
Training runs have hit 15 miles for Nov. 1 race .
Maasai tribesmen, magician David Blaine also part of running group .


(CNN) -- Actor Gary Coleman, who had suffered from a brain hemorrhage from an accident in his home Wednesday, died Friday in a Utah hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated at 12:05 p.m. (2:05 p.m. ET), Janet Frank said.

Coleman's wife, Shannon Price, issued a short statement Friday afternoon saying details of how the former child actor died will be made public later.

"Now that Gary has passed, we know he will be missed because of all the love and support shown in the past couple of days," Coleman's spokesman, John Alcantar, said in a written statement. "Gary is now at peace and his memory will be kept in the hearts of those who were entertained by him throughout the years."

Coleman, 42, was rushed by ambulance to a hospital after the accident in his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday, Frank had said in a statement released earlier Friday.

Later Wednesday night he was taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- where he had been listed in critical condition, she said.

While Coleman appeared "lucid and conscious" Thursday morning, his condition worsened by the afternoon, leaving him unconscious and on life support, she said.

Coleman is best known as the wisecracking youngster Arnold on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes" from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.

"There was a touch of magic and a different stroke in Gary Coleman," said TV legend Norman Lear, who produced the show. "He was the inspiration behind his show's title."

What role did Coleman play on "Diff'rent Strokes"?

What role did he play on "Diff'rent Strokes" ?

In what TV series  did Coleman play Arnold?

Answer: Arnold

Answer: 42,

Answer: Arnold

Answer: "Diff'rent Strokes"

Answer: 42,

Answer: an accident in his home

Answer: Friday

Answer: an accident in his home

Summary:
NEW: Coleman's brain hemorrhage was caused by an accident at home .
Actor Gary Coleman taken off life support, dies at 42 .
He is best known for his role as Arnold on "Diff'rent Strokes"


(CNN) -- Actor Gary Coleman, who had suffered from intracranial brain bleeding and was on life support in the intensive care unit of a Utah hospital, has died, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.

Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated, Janet Frank said.

Coleman, 42, fell ill at his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday evening and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, the spokesman said in a statement released Friday.

He was then taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- later Wednesday night, the spokesman said.

Coleman one of TV's brightest stars in '70s and '80s

The former child actor was "conscious and lucid" Thursday morning, but he "was slipping in and out of consciousness and his condition worsened," the spokesman said.

Coleman became unconscious and was placed on life support Thursday afternoon, the statement, which was released by the hospital, said.

Coleman is best known as the wisecracking youngster Arnold Drummond on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes" from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.

"In recent years Gary Coleman has had difficulties, not only with health issues, but also with his personal and public life," his spokesman's statement said. "At times, it may not have been apparent, but he always has had fond memories of being an entertainer and appreciates his fans for all their support over the years. At this critical moment, we can only ask for your thoughts and prayers for Gary to make a speedy and full recovery."

CNN's Brittany Kaplan and Jack Hannah contributed to this report.

When did Coleman suffer a brain hemorrhage?

Answer: suffered from intracranial brain bleeding and was on life support

Answer: Wednesday evening

Answer: Gary Coleman,

Answer: life support

Answer: "Diff'rent Strokes"

Answer: Thursday afternoon,

Summary:
Coleman suffered a brain hemorrhage Wednesday .
Actor was awake and talking Thursday morning .
Coleman became unconscious Thursday afternoon .
He was placed on life support in the ICU .


(CNN) -- Actor Michael Jai White thinks the negative connotation surrounding the term "blaxploitation film" is a bunch of jive. Michael Jai White stars in the new spoof "Black Dynamite." "The problem I have with the word is that it seems to encompass movies that don't fall under that category," White said. "As soon as you hear the title 'Shaft' people think 'blaxploitation' and that is absolutely unfair because that film was made before the term even existed." White, the star and co-writer of the new movie "Black Dynamite," would rather people focus on what he views as the positives of the genre of 1970s urban action films starring African-American actors. His new movie, which opened in limited release last weekend and will start going wider, follows the exploits of Black Dynamite, a former CIA agent who takes to the streets after his brother is killed by the mafia, orphanages are flooded with drugs and some bad malt liquor finds its way into the 'hood. It is both a spoof of, and homage to, the genre whose films like "Black Caesar," "The Mac," "Foxy Brown," and "Superfly" have developed a cult following over the years. "Black Dynamite" caught the eye of Sony Pictures at the Sundance Film Festival and the studio acquired the rights to distribute the film. A viral marketing campaign helped whip up anticipation for the movie, which also features former late-night talk show host Arsenio Hall and "In Living Color" cast member Tommy Davidson as pimps. Director Scott Sanders said he has always been fascinated by the fact that while blaxploitation really only grabbed hold of the industry for about five years during the early 1970s, it was so influential. "It was such an extreme genre with the look and the music and there were really no boundaries or rules," he said. "It's always been a fascination for me given how much it influenced hip-hop, black culture and culture as a whole, given the brevity." White, best known for his roles in the films "Spawn" and Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married," said he is a huge fan of blaxploitation films and views his movie as a loving send-up. While he is aware that some of the films were unintentionally funny with their low-budget gaffes -- such as the appearance of mic booms in some scenes -- and their stereotypes, White said the genre is a valued part of the movie industry's history. "These movies really saved Hollywood because the studio system was in trouble and they learned that they had a cash cow with these films," he said. "Later they exploited it by making any movie and throwing the term 'black' in front of it and that's what made it exploitive." They also gave African-American actors a chance to work and reflected a people's pride following the gains of the civil rights era. Laurence Washington, managing editor and co-publisher of Blackflix.com, said the movies helped young, black fans like him realize that "when we grow up we don't have to be train porters, busboys and waiters." The films instead portrayed handsome, brave and suave black heroes who always got the girl, Washington said. "When the blaxploitation films came out in the '70s, black audiences had never had action film heroes they could identify with," he said. "[The movies] also opened the door for today's black actors and directors to enter the mainstream." Darius James, author of "That's Blaxploitation!: Roots of the Baadasssss 'Tude (Rated X by an All-Whyte Jury)," said blaxploitation films were like any other film that appeal to a specific audience, such as the indie movies of Roger Corman and Russ Meyer. James said he grew up seeing civil rights workers beaten and hosed on television and the movies came out time when there was a sense of defiance and resistance against the marginalization of

What does Michael Jai White say?
What does "Black Dynamite" spoof?
who stars in the film
what did the author say
what did scott sanders say

Answer: "The problem I have with the word is that it seems to encompass movies that don't fall under that category,"

Answer: "blaxploitation

Answer: Michael Jai White

Answer: said he is a huge fan of blaxploitation films

Answer: he has always been fascinated by the fact that while blaxploitation really only grabbed hold of the industry for about five years during the early 1970s, it was so influential.

Summary:
"Black Dynamite" spoofs the blaxploitation genre .
Film stars Michael Jai White, who says he is a fan of the movies .
Director Scott Sanders says genre greatly influenced the culture .
Author says films reflected a post civil rights era spirit .


(CNN) -- Actor Robert Pattinson dropped the f-bomb and singer Justin Timberlake grabbed the breasts of co-star Mila Kunis, who returned the favor by grabbing the pop singer's crotch.

And so went the 2011 edition of the MTV Movie Awards, where the outrageous and often sophomoric antics of the ceremony's featured performers tend to grab, so to speak, more attention than the awards themselves.

Between the gropes, the profanities and the off-color humor at Sunday night's 2011 version of the annual awards show, actors dispensed trophies to other actors.

"Eclipse," the third installment in the teen vampire saga "Twilight," carried the night with five awards.

That included honors for Best Picture as well as the Best Male and Female Performance awards, which went to co-stars Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. The movie also carried MTV's Best Fight and Best Kiss awards.

Meanwhile the award for best villain went to Tom Felton for his seventh outing as the churlish, bad boy wizard Draco Malfoy in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Ellen Page claimed the dubious Best Scared-As-(expletive) Performance prize for a supporting role in "Inception," and Emma Stone took top honors in the comedy category for her role in "Easy A."

MTV gave actress Reese Witherspoon, who at 35 was likely the most senior award recipient of the bunch, a "Generation Award," in recognition of her career in movies.

However, the moment was marred or immortalized -- depending on your point of view -- by an apparent failure of impulse-control by presenter Pattinson.

Pattinson, who played Witherspoon's lover in "Water for Elephants," told the audience "I did (expletive) you," uttering a profanity broadcast over the air without a bleep.

Pattinson didn't stop there. Moments later he quipped that that Witherspoon might be "33 percent lesbian."

Witherspoon wasn't the only celebrity to get ribbed for her fictional or real-life romantic pursuits.

Awards host Jason Sudeikis told the audience that actress and singer Selena Gomez had already swallowed three of boyfriend Justin Bieber's baby teeth while kissing the teen singing star.

Bieber, by the way, won Best Jaw Dropping Moment Winner for his biopic movie, "Never Say Never."

Other awards recipients included: Chloe Grace Moretz, who took the award for Best Breakout Star Winner for her performance as a vulgar child superhero in "Kick-Ass."

Who uttered an uncensored expletive?
How many awards did "Eclipse" claim?
name of vampire flick
How many awards has it claimed?
What kind of flick is "Eclipse"?
who is pattison

Answer: Robert Pattinson

Answer: five

Answer: "Twilight,"

Answer: five

Answer: teen vampire saga

Answer: Actor

Summary:
The teen vampire flick "Eclipse" claims five awards .
Pattinson utters an uncensored expletive .
Other stars rib each other for their fictional or real-life romance .


(CNN) -- Actor Sean Penn helped play a role in securing this week's release of two U.S. hikers imprisoned in Iran for more than two years, his representative confirmed Friday.

The report was first published by the Reuters news agency, which cited a source close to the release process as saying that Penn flew to Venezuela months ago to speak about the hikers' plight with President Hugo Chavez, an ally of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mara Buxbaum, a rep for Penn, confirmed the Reuters report but declined to provide additional details.

Venezuelan state media reported Friday that Chavez was part of the mediation process that resulted in the release of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer on Wednesday.

Upon their release, the men were flown to Muscat, Oman, where their families greeted them with elation.

"We're so happy we are free and so relieved we are free," Fattal said. "Our deepest gratitude goes toward His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman for obtaining our release. We're sincerely grateful for the government of Oman for hosting us and our families."

Bauer said, "Two years in prison is too long, and we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in America and Iran."

What did Penn fly to Venezuela to talk about?

Who declined to give additional details?

Answer: the hikers' plight

Answer: the hikers' plight with President Hugo Chavez,

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Mara Buxbaum,

Answer: President

Answer: his representative confirmed

Answer: confirmed the Reuters report

Summary:
Reuters: Penn flew to Venezuela to speak to Chavez about the American hikers .
Penn's rep confirms the report but declines to give additional details .
Chavez was part of the mediation process, state media says .