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.
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Question: The Cold War aerial games of chicken portrayed in the movie "Top Gun" are happening in real life again nearly 30 years later. A U.S. Air Force spy plane evaded an encounter with the Russian military on July 18, just a day after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a suspected surface-to-air missile that Ukraine and the West allege was fired by pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine. The RC-135 Rivet Joint fled into nearby Swedish airspace without that country's permission, a U.S. military official told CNN. The airplane may have gone through other countries' airspace as well, though it's not clear if it had permission to do so. The U.S. plane had been flying in international airspace, conducting an electronic eavesdropping mission on the Russian military, when the Russians took the unusual action of beginning to track it with land-based radar. The Russians then sent at least one fighter jet into the sky to intercept the aircraft, the U.S. official said Saturday. The spy plane crew felt so concerned about the radar tracking that it wanted to get out of the area as quickly as possible, the official said. The quickest route away from the Russians took them into Swedish airspace. The U.S. official acknowledged that was done without Swedish military approval. As a result of this incident, the United States is discussing the matter with Sweden and letting officials know there may be further occurrences where American jets have to divert so quickly they may not be able to wait for permission. "We acknowledge a U.S. aircraft veered into Swedish airspace and will take active steps to ensure we have properly communicated with Swedish authorities in advance to prevent similar issues before they arise," the U.S. State Department said. The incident was first reported by the Swedish news agency Svenska Dagbladet. Russian officials did not provide any immediate reaction about the encounter. This was at least the second potentially-dangerous encounter between a U.S. plane and Russia over the past few months. On April 23, a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet buzzed within 100 feet of the nose of a U.S. Air Force RC-135U reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia and Japan, a Defense Department official said. Russian fighter jet nearly collided with U.S. military plane in April . Russian and U.S. aircraft often encounter each other, both in Northern Europe as well as the area between the Russian Far East and Alaska. But the official said the land radar activity by the Russians in this instance was unusual. The ongoing civil unrest in Ukraine and the downing of MH 17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, which killed all 298 people aboard, have heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow.  Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was brought down by a suspected missile. Pro-Russia rebels have denied allegations from Ukraine and the West that they shot down the Malaysian airliner, or that Russia supplied equipment used to shoot it down.

Answer: U.S. military official tells CNN the incident occurred on July 18 .
RC-135 Rivet Joint was on electronic eavesdropping mission in international airspace .
Russians began tracking with ground radar, and sent at least one fighter to intercept .
U.S. plane evaded encounter by flying into Swedish airspace without permission .


Question: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- State Department officials should serve where they are needed -- even in war-torn Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says that "people need to serve where they are needed." Rice was responding to foreign service officers' objections to the possibility of "directed assignments" in Iraq. The issue has caused an uproar in the State Department, resulting in a contentious town hall-style meeting Wednesday. The new directives would be needed if enough qualified foreign service officers don't step forward to fill open positions at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. If the State Department enforces directed assignments, it will be the first time since the Vietnam War era. One official called the order to serve in Iraq "a potential death sentence" during the town meeting. The State Department already has begun notifying about 200 people considered prime candidates. Those chosen will be given 10 days to respond, according to last week's announcement. Unless they have a valid medical reason to refuse, those who decline could face dismissal, it said. Wednesday's heated meeting was replayed on an internal State Department television channel in Washington several times and talked about widely. Some at the hourlong meeting questioned why they were not told of the policy change directly, learning about it instead from news organizations last week.  Watch the diplomats exchange angry words » . "I just have no respect for the whole process because you've demonstrated a lack of respect for your own colleagues," said foreign service officer Jack Croddy. "Thank you for that comment. It's full of inaccuracies, but that's OK," Harry Thomas Jr., director general of the foreign service, shot back. Others pointed out the risks of such assignments, considering the dangers of a war zone, lack of security and regular rocket attacks on U.S. personnel. Rice, who did not attend the meeting, tried to calm things down Friday by underscoring the State Department's attempts to do "everything that we can to try and protect our diplomats." However, she said, "This is one of the highest priority tasks of the United States, and we're going to meet our obligations." Speaking to reporters en route to Turkey and the Mideast, she said, "I don't know if we will have direct assignments or not, but we are one foreign service, and people need to serve where they are needed." The secretary sent out a cable to State Department employees worldwide encouraging them to serve in Iraq. "This year [U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker] has identified the need for additional positions to more effectively accomplish our mission in Iraq," Rice said in the cable. Rice said she has decided to go forward with the identification of  officers to serve, "should it prove necessary to direct assignments." "Should others step forward, as some already have, we will fill these new jobs as we have before -- with volunteers. However, regardless of how the jobs may be filled, they must be filled," she said. Rice earlier said reports that the State Department was finding it hard to coax foreign service employees into Iraq "couldn't be further from the truth." The assignments are new positions. Fifteen people have stepped forward to volunteer for Iraq service since the new policy was announced October 26, department spokesman Sean McCormack said. McCormack rejected comments by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, that State Department employees are "nervous Nellies" and that wounded U.S. military veterans should be asked to fill the Iraq vacancies. McCormack said until now the State Department has been successful in filling jobs in Iraq with volunteers. Since 2003, more than 1,500 personnel have volunteered to go to Iraq, he said. But with the expansion of the staff in Iraq this year, 58 spots were left open. "They are serving in dangerous and challenging places," he said. "We have a lot of brave people who are stepping up to the plate in Anbar and Basra and Baghdad and Kabul and a lot of other places that are not necessarily in the headlines." State Department employees have been killed in Iraq, but McCormack could not say how many. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Zain Verjee and Charley Keyes contributed to this report.

Answer: Condoleezza Rice responds to foreign service officers' objections on Iraq duty .
"Directed assignments" will be enforced if enough officers don't volunteer in Iraq .
Rice: Department doing "everything that we can to try and protect our diplomats"
One official calls order to serve in Iraq "a potential death sentence"


Question: Washington (CNN) -- Not everyone subscribes to a New Year's resolution, but Americans will be required to follow new laws in 2014. Some 40,000 measures taking effect range from sweeping, national mandates under Obamacare to marijuana legalization in Colorado, drone prohibition in Illinois and transgender protections in California. Although many new laws are controversial, they made it through legislatures, public referendum or city councils and represent the shifting composition of American beliefs. Federal: Health care, of course, and vending machines . The biggest and most politically charged change comes at the federal level with the imposition of a new fee for those adults without health insurance. For 2014, the penalty is either $95 per adult or 1% of family income, whichever results in a larger fine. The Obamacare, or Affordable Care Act, mandate also requires that insurers cover immunizations and some preventive care. Additionally, millions of poor Americans will receive Medicaid benefits starting January 1. Thousands of companies will have to provide calorie counts for products sold in vending machines. Local: Guns, family leave and shark fins . Connecticut: While no national legislation was approved to tighten gun laws a year after the Newtown school shooting, Connecticut is implementing a final round of changes to its books: All assault weapons and large capacity magazines must be registered. Oregon: Family leave in Oregon has been expanded to allow eligible employees two weeks of paid leave to handle the death of a family member. California: Homeless youth are eligible to receive food stamps. The previous law had a minimum wage requirement. Delaware: Delaware is the latest in a growing number of states where residents can no longer possess, sell or distribute shark fins, which is considered a delicacy in some East Asian cuisine. Illinois and drones . Illinois: passed two laws limiting the use of drones. One prohibits them from interfering with hunters and fisherman. The measure passed after the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said it would use drones to monitor hunters. PETA said it aims through its "air angels" effort to protect against "cruel" and "illegal" hunting. Also in Illinois, another law prohibits the use of drones for law enforcement without a warrant. Gender and voting identity . California: Students can use bathrooms and join school athletic teams "consistent with their gender identity," even if it's different than their gender at birth. Arkansas: The state becomes the latest state requiring voters show a picture ID at the voting booth. Minimum wage and former felon employment . Workers in 13 states and four cities will see increases to the minimum wage. While most amount to less than 15 cents per hour, workers in places like New Jersey and Connecticut will see a slightly larger increase. New Jersey residents voted to raise the state's minimum wage by $1 to $8.25 per hour. And in Connecticut, lawmakers voted to raise it between 25 and 75 cents to $8.70. The wage would go up to $8 in Rhode Island and New York. California is also raising its minimum wage to $9 per hour, but workers must wait until July to see the addition. Rhode Island: It is the latest state to prohibit employers from requiring job applicants to signify if they have a criminal record on a job application. Social media and pot . Oregon: Employers and schools can't require a job or student applicant to provide passwords to social media accounts. Colorado: Marijuana becomes legal in the state for buyers over 21 at a licensed retail dispensary. (Sourcing: much of this list was obtained from the National Conference of State Legislatures). CNN's Christine Romans and Emily Jane Fox contributed to this report .

Answer:
40,000 measures set to become law in 2014 .
Obamacare mandate is the big federal law going into effect .
But states and cities have laws impacting minimum wage, shark fins and gender identity .
New gun control failed at federal level, but Connecticut acting on its own .