TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.
PROBLEM: Washington (CNN) -- Naif Al-Mutawa anticipated a struggle when he launched an Islam-inspired comic book series that he hoped would become a symbol of tolerance. He worried about the comics being banned in Saudi Arabia - which wound up happening, briefly -- and he expected to be challenged by conservatives in Islam, since Al-Mutawa wanted to buck the trend of Islamic culture being directly tied to the Koran. But it wasn't an Islamic cleric that stalled the series, called "The 99," after the 99 attributes of Allah, which the superheroes are supposed to embody. It is the American market, and the voices of Islam's Western critics, that have caused the most problems for "The 99," says Al-Mutawa, who is the focus of a PBS documentary airing next week. In 2010, President Barack Obama called the comic books, which debuted in 2006, "the most innovative response" to America's expanding dialogue with the Muslim world, which Obama has encouraged. The series features 99 superheroes from across the globe who team up to combat villains and who embody what Al-Mutawa calls basic human values like trust and generosity. But Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti-born clinical psychologist and graduate of Columbia Business School, says a vocal minority have raised surprising questions about American tolerance of Islam. The idea for "The 99" started during a conversation in a London cab between Al-Mutawa and his sister. It took off, although slowly, after Al-Mutawa raised $7 million from 54 investors across four continents. The first issue was released during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 2006. The comic book was quickly banned in Saudi Arabia and Al-Mutawa received threats of fatwas against him and his project from clerics. But Saudi Arabia eventually lifted the ban and the television adaptation of "The 99" will be aired there this year. Al-Mutawa and his team have now raised more than $40 million in venture capital for the project. But when word leaked that The Hub, a Discovery Channel cable and satellite television venture, purchased the series and planned to air it in the United States, the response from conservative bloggers and authors was swift. Pamela Geller, founder of the Atlas Shrugs blog, called the series, part of the "ongoing onslaught of cultural jihad," and created a counter-comic strip that made the 19 hijackers behind the September 11, 2001 attacks the superheroes. New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser, meanwhile, urged readers to "Hide your face and grab the kids. Coming soon to a TV in your child's bedroom is a posse of righteous, Sharia-compliant Muslim superheroes - including one who fights crime hidden head-to-toe by a burqa." According to Al-Mutawa, the criticism spooked The Hub. "All of a sudden we couldn't get an air date and I was asked to be patient and we have been," Al-Mutawa said. "But it has been a year and the actual push-back died down." A spokesperson for The Hub told CNN that "'The 99' is one of the many shows we have on the possible schedule, but at this time, no decisions have been made about scheduling." Al-Mutawa isn't shy about responding to the criticism his comics have received in the U.S. "There is nothing different from them and the extremists in my country," he says. "They are just as bad. They are just intellectual terrorists." Geller, author of the book "Stop the Islamization of America," called Al-Mutawa's statement "ridiculous victimhood rhetoric." "He is the one mainstreaming oppression and discrimination," Geller says. "I work for equality of rights for all people. So which one of us is the intellectual terrorist?" Geller also takes issue with Al-Mutawa's assertion that "The 99" exemplifies "moderation" and "toleration," pointing to a "burqa-wearing superhero." But Al-Mutawa says criticisms of burqas are evidence that, "for some people anything to do with Islam is bad." "How clichÃ© is it that characters created to promote tolerance are getting shot down by extremists," he says. Al-Mutawa's frustrations are chronicled in the new documentary "Wham! Bam! Islam!," which will air on PBS on October 13 as part of the Independent Lens series. The film's director, Isaac Solotaroff, began shooting before the comic was released. He said that one of the most surprising aspects of the story is how "a very small group of people who scream very loud, have a disproportionate share of the public discourse when it comes to culture." Echoing Al-Mutawa, Solotaroff calls it a case of the tail wagging the dog. He says that initial concerns of censorship in the Middle East began to change as the project progressed. "We were waiting for a fatwa from a cleric in Saudi Arabia, Solotaroff says," when it ended up being the U.S. market that has been resistant to "The 99." "Realizing that The 99 will not survive if focused solely on the Middle East, Al-Mutawa must now target an international and predominantly non-Muslim market," reads the website for "Wham! Bam! Islam!" Citing The Hub holdup, Solotaroff says the project is now stuck in the most important market" for "The 99." Al-Mutawa is also trying to gain distribution for his TV series in France and other countries, but his main focus remains the United States. "One way or the other," he says, "'The 99' will get on air in the U.S."

SOLUTION: Creator of Islam-inspired comic series hoped would become a symbol of tolerance .
Naif Al-Mutawa says he expected outcry from conservatives within Islam .
When a TV series in Middle East was financed, he sought to get it aired in U.S.
Conservative bloggers in the U.S. spooked TV deal, Al-Mutawa says .

PROBLEM: Washington (CNN) -- If the threat of underwear bombs became known last Christmas, why did airport screeners only recently begin aggressively checking for them? The answer is two-fold, Transportation Security Administration Director John Pistole told reporters Tuesday. First, the lack of a permanent leader at the TSA hindered change, he said. Secondly, the agency needed time to train screeners on the new pat-down protocols. The threat of hidden bombs became instantly clear on December 25, 2009, Pistole said, when authorities arrested Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, a Nigerian man, after his failed attempt to ignite his hidden explosive on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan. TSA officials immediately started looking at what they needed to do to modify technology or pat downs to detect the bombs, he said. But at that time, the top job at TSA was filled by a career official. The White House delayed nominating a TSA chief and then White House and Congressional Republicans feuded for a year over nominees. Much of the debate centered on whether the nominees supported unionization of airport screeners. Two of President Obama's nominees withdrew from consideration. "Frankly it just came down to the fact there was not a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed administrator in place until I was confirmed at the end of June to make a really significant decision like that, that would have impact on a number of people," Pistole said. "That was a big part of it." Pistole was sworn in as administrator in July and soon thereafter made the decision to go through "enhanced pat downs." Training time accounts for the rest of the delay, as the TSA quietly began pilot programs in Boston, Massachusetts, and Las Vegas, Nevada, in August, and rolled the program out nationwide in early November. Pistole consistently has said it was his decision to implement enhanced pat downs. He said he opted not to publicize them in advance because he felt to do so would be to give a "roadmap" to would-be terrorists. Implementation of the pat downs was further delayed because time was needed to train screeners on the new protocols, he said. Those protocols are considered sensitive security information, and have not been shared with the public. But Pistole said protocols do not allow for screeners to grope passengers. Pistole said some passenger descriptions of the procedures are "so wildly outside the standard operating protocols that it just absolutely should not be happening. If it is, then we'll take appropriate action." "If we receive any complaints from a passenger about something happening, then we immediately follow up both with that passenger and with our security officers," he said. Most airport checkpoints have closed circuit television systems, which help investigators find out what happened, he said. Videotape helped dispel one passenger's complaint that she was handcuffed to a chair and mistreated, he said. "If there's a security officer that did something that's not appropriate, then we take appropriate action. I just want to make sure that I have all the facts," Pistole said.

SOLUTION: The failed underwear bombing last Christmas raised the threat of bombs hidden in clothes .
Pistole says after that, the pat-down program was delayed by two factors .
The TSA lacked a permanent leader until July .
Extensive training also was required before implementation of the program, he says .

PROBLEM: (CNN) -- Champions League holders Barcelona survived a scare in Germany on Tuesday evening as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's second-half equalizer earned them a 1-1 last 16 first leg draw against Stuttgart. The Catalan giants failed to produce the free-flowing football that has become their trademark under coach Pep Guardiola and they fell behind in the 25th minute. Stuttgart had warmed up for the match by hitting five goals past Cologne at the weekend, with striker Cacau helping himself to four of them. And the Brazilian-born forward maintained that form by opening the scoring here, powerfully heading home Timo Gebhart's cross. The home side had chances to double their lead before the break, with only goalkeeper Victor Valdes depriving Cacau of a second -- although Lionel Messi did strike the post with a long-range effort for the visitors. However, Barca regrouped after the break and levelled just seven minutes into the second period, when Swedish striker Ibrahimovic was on hand to finish from Gerard Pique's nod down. The result means Barcelona will be strong favorites to reach the quarterfinals when the teams meet again at the Nou Camp in a fortnight's time. Meanwhile, in the night's other match, Bordeaux look well set to reach the quarterfinals after a narrow 1-0 victory against Olympiacos in Athens. Laurent Blanc's side are unbeaten in the competition this season and look genuine contenders to win the trophy after Michael Ciani nodded home Yoann's Gourcouff's free-kick from close range on the stroke of half time. In the only Europa League match played in Tuesday, Portuguese giants Benfica cruised into the last 16 after thrashing Hertha Berlin 4-0 for a 5-1 aggregate victory. Two goals from oscar Cardozo and one apiece from Pablo Aimar and Javi Garcia ensured Benfica's smooth progress, where they will now face either Marseille or FC Copenhagen.

SOLUTION:
Barcelona fight back to earn a 1-1 Champions League draw in Stuttgart .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic levels for the holders after Cacau put the Bundesliga side ahead .
Bordeaux secure a narrow 1-0 win in Athens against Olympiacos in the other last 16 match .