xiangpku/GLUE huggingface dataset:
Kiril Georgiev, a Bulgarian chess grandmaster, began playing 360 simultaneous games of chess on Saturday, in an attempt to break the world record for the most games played simultaneously. The games are being hosted at the Inter Expo Centre in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The current record for the largest number of simultaneous games belongs to the Hungarian-American grandmaster Susan Polgar, who played 326 games in 2005, losing three games, drawing fourteen, and winning the other 309.
Kiril Georgiev is a chess grandmaster from Bulgaria.
Queensland National Senator Barnaby Joyce, who met with the 43 refugees on Christmas Island, said they appear to have a genuine asylum claim and had been persecuted because of their Christian beliefs. "There are documented cases of members within their families being shot," he said. "There's certainly on the record experiences of them being jailed and tortured so I think they would be under risk if they went back," he said. The group, which includes seven children, arrived carrying a banner accusing Indonesia of terrorism and genocide in the province. Indonesian troops have been repeatedly accused of rights abuses in Papua province, which was taken over by Jakarta in 1963.
Mr. Joyce is an Australian Senator.
Mr Rao has been credited for Indian economic reforms during his tenure from 1991 to 1996, and for supporting then finance minister and current Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's economic reforms, which allowed for the greatest sustained GDP growth in the country's history. He has also faced several accusations of bribery, although he has been acquitted on all such charges.
Mr. Rao had cancer.
Manchester United progressed to the qaurterfinals of the Champions League earlier today after defeating Lille 1-0 for the second time. After the controversial winning goal from the first leg, United had a strong advantage in the series, and Lille needed a win to advance. The scorer of that controversial goal, Ryan Giggs, was left out of the lineup, and instead the more defensive minded John O'Shea was played. Lille started the game with a defensive lineup as well, hoping to stall the Red Devils, and make a score later in the match. Manchester United came into the game short of several key players due to injury, including Louis Saha (hamstring), Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer (surgery recovery), and Darren Fletcher (ankle).
Lille has defeated Manchester United.
According to Dasgupta, these rights made Iraq a leader in equality of the sexes in the Middle East for the better part of last century, although a number of studies reveal horrific abuses of both women and men, under Hussein's regime, and Hussein enabled laws allowing men to kill their wives in certain situations (see Wikipedia article Honor killing for background on the practice). The first Gulf War in 1991, and ensuing sanctions, made economic conditions in Iraq difficult, and literacy and employment rates of women began falling.
Women in Iraq have lost their freedom.
On Halloween night, October 31, during a 2-hour long live episode of NBC show Phenomenon, famed magician Criss Angel told Uri Geller and Jim Callahan, "I will give you a million dollars of my personal money right now if either one of you can tell me specific details of what's in [this envelope] right now." While Geller ignored Angel's challenge, Callahan started to confront Angel in a hostile manner, as host Tim Vincent held him back and Geller held Angel back.
Criss Angel is a magician who challenged Jim Callahan.
2,000 charges had been laid province-wide in Ontario for highway traffic act offences over the Labour Day weekend. More than 100 charges for people not wearing seatbelts. 17 drivers have been charged with impaired driving, 17 others received 12-hour suspensions. Remnants of tropical storm Ernesto in southern Ontario could have caused accidents. OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said on Sunday that about 130 crashes could be attributed to "people going too fast in the rain and hydroplaning."
Ernesto is the name given to a tropical storm.
The Zambian government has previously been criticised by some for its annual ban on fishing during December. It is unclear whether this policy, which was widely applauded by environmentalists and implemented to protect sensitive fish stocks, will be affected by the new agricultural policy.
The Zambian government has ordered to plant potatoes.
"If Iraqi women take part in Sunday's poll, who are they to vote for? Women's rights are ignored by most of the groupings on offer," she writes. "In reality, these elections are, for Iraq's women, little more than a cruel joke. Amid the suicide attacks, kidnappings and US-led military assaults of the 20-odd months since Saddam's fall, the little-reported phenomenon is the sharp increase in the persecution of Iraqi women. Women are the new victims of Islamic groups intent on restoring a medieval barbarity and of a political establishment that cares little for women's empowerment.
Islamic groups want to restore medieval barbarity against women.
His opposition is the incumbent Mr Yanukovich, who is seen as pro-Moscow, a sensitive issue in a former territory of the Soviet Union. The Telegraph quotes Yuschenko as saying to deputies: "Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict. We have two choices: either the answer will be given by the parliament, or the streets will give an answer."
Yuschenko is a banker.
On Thursday three individuals accused of involvement in the October 2006 killing of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya were acquitted by a 12-person Russian jury. Not present for the trial nor among the defendants was Rustam Makhmudov, the accused trigger man, suspected to be hiding out abroad. Makhmudov's two brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, were accused of acting as accomplices in the murder. Former police officer with the Moscow Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was the final defendant in the trial, charged with engaging the Makhmudov brothers for the contract-style killing and providing the pistol with silencer used.
Politkovskaya was killed.
Sicilian Mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo, considered to be one of the successors of the former "boss of bosses" Bernardo Provenzano (arrested in April 2006), was arrested at 9:30 a.m. CET (UTC+1) in a villa in Giardinello, between Cinisi and Terrasini on Sicily. He had been on the run since 1983. His son Sandro Lo Piccolo and two other top mafiosi, Gaspare Pulizzi and Andrea Adamo, were arrested as well. All four men were among Italy's top 30 most wanted Mafia suspects, according to police officials.
Salvatore Lo Piccolo is involved with the Mafia.
The closure of a mathematics summer camp in Sirince, Izmir, Turkey by Turkish authorities has drawn scorn from scientists around the world. Professor Alexandre Borovik, who organized some of the opposition, said "We are shocked to learn that the Summer School of Mathematics initiated by Professor Ali Nesin was shut down by local authorities. We found it surprising that such an esteemed mathematician such as Professor Nesin needs a specific permit each time he wants to teach math, as we saw that one of the reasons for shutting the camp down was the lack of such a permit, especially considering how this contradicts the fact that the summer schools organized every year by Professor Nesin are sponsored by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK), Turkish Mathematics Association and many respected Turkish universities."
Turkey closed a mathematics summer camp.
Cathal Ryan, an early board member of Irish non-designated flag carrier, and son of late co-founder Tony Ryan, has died. He was 48, and had been diagnosed with cancer. Cathal became one of Ryanair's first pilots, having trained as one in the 1980s in Sri Lanka, when his father set up the airline in 1985 in trust for his three sons, of which Cathal was the eldest. He left the Far East specifically to join the airline.
Garreth Ryan was Cathal's father.
Today marks the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign has lasted over 54 years. Her Majesty became the first female to become the sovereign since Queen Victoria, who died in 1901 after a 64-year reign. She was crowned on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey. It was the first coronation that was televised live. She is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms, which includes the United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth.
Alexandre Lomaia, the head of the Georgian security council, said that President Saakashvili's proposal states that the Georgian troops will withdraw from Tskhinvali, and will stop reacting to the Russian bombings. The crisis broke out after days of heavy fighting in the region. On August 7, Georgian troops launched an offensive against the Ossetian town of Tskhinvali. Russia responded to these actions by sending their own troops into South Ossetia on August 8.
Russian forces have bombed the town of Gori.
British pop star Leona Lewis has broken Billboard records in the United States to become the first female British pop star to reach a number one spot on the music charts in over 20 years and became the third solo British artist ever to reach the top charts. Lewis made the number one spot with her new hit single Bleeding Love. According to Billboard.com her single ranks number one in the top 100, the pop 100 and hottest digital songs.
Leona Lewis had a number one single in America.
When the budget was tabled last month, Harper initially said his party would support the bill. He now says the party will oppose it unless the Liberal government removes the amendment. Environment Minister Stéphane Dion, who is attempting to have a $10 million Kyoto implementation plan in place by April 4, said he would be "very, very pleased" to fight an election over climate change. The NDP and Bloc Québécois have both said they will oppose the bill. The Liberal Party of Canada has 133 seats, so its defeat seems certain if all four parties hold their positions.
In Canada Mr. Harper and his party will support the budget bill.
Police officers and officials at an emergency meeting have voted to ballot every United Kingdom police officer over the right to strike. They also called for the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, to resign over the current dispute and further passed a vote of no confidence in the home secretary's ability to deal with pay and conditions.
Police officers in England trust Jacqui Smith.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will accept a nomination for Prime Minister of Russia, as Dmitry Medvedev has suggested he will do, if he wins the presidential election. Meanwhile, the United Russia ruling party, which is backed by Putin, officially nominated Medvedev for presidency today. The intention was declared on December 10, being the long-awaited answer to the question on "Putin's successor". The next day Medvedev, who is the current deputy prime minister of the Russian government and the chairman in the board of directors of Gazprom gas giant, offered Putin the Prime Minister position in case of winning the election, which is forecasted to happen.
Vladimir Putin does not support Medvedev.
Honda's Civic and Ridgeline truck won the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards at the International Auto Show in Detroit. This is the first time a company has won both awards in the same year. The finalists were the Ridgeline, the Ford Explorer SUV and the Nissan Xterra. The awards are intended to recognize vehicles for their innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value.
Honda won the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards.
According to reports, two United States Senators, Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd, suffered medical problems during a luncheon with new U.S. President Barack Obama. Kennedy collapsed as a result of a seizure and was taken away by paramedics in a wheelchair. In May, Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer, which required an operation. Kennedy is at Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C. where his family says he is awake and talking. At the time of his collapse, he was reported to be sitting with John Kerry, another Massachusetts Senator, 2004 presidential candidate, and close friend of Kennedy.
Ted Kennedy is dead.
A mathematical summer school in Turkey run by mathematics professor Ali Nesin has been closed by the authorities apparently for "teaching without a permit" and "founding an illegal institution". The attention of the international scientific community was attracted to this action on the blog of a mathematics professor at Manchester. Alexandre Borovik's "Mathematics under the microscope" blog had previously written in glowing terms about the summer camp at which he also taught. The story was broken with a photo of a "Blackboard under arrest" and carried a photograph of a board covered with advanced mathematics surrounded by police tape.
Turkey closed a mathematics summer camp.
In a written statement ABC Radio Networks president Jim Robinson said "Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history. As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households." Former president George W. Bush in a statement condoled Harvey's death by saying "Laura and I are saddened by the death of Paul Harvey. Paul was a friendly and familiar voice in the lives of millions of Americans. His commentary entertained, enlightened, and informed. Laura and I are pleased to have known this fine man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Paul Harvey was an American broadcaster.
In an interview on NBC's Today show with Matt Lauer, Tom Cruise aggressively defended his opposition to psychiatry and anti-depressive drugs. This occurred after being asked questions about his criticism of Brooke Shields, who has been taking drugs, including Paxil, for postpartum depression. Cruise is usually known for keeping his cool in interviews, but recently he has been slightly more unbound. Cruise's statements, including "Psychiatry is a pseudoscience", and "There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance in a body", reflect the beliefs of the Church of Scientology, of which he is a member. The interview became particularly tense when Lauer mentioned that he knew people who had been helped by taking Ritalin, an attention-deficit disorder drug.
Scientology is against psychiatry.
Mr Gonda credited the pub's success to the "excellent brewers we deal with, our faithful and supportive pub regulars, and our invaluable staff members." It was this community support which helped the pub recover so quickly after the 2007 flooding, with Mr Wraith describing the day the waters entered the pub. "The funny thing was that it was difficult to get the customers to evacuate. They just wanted to keep on drinking, but we did have to get them out eventually and some of them did get wet." Flood defences were erected after the customers left, but to no avail; Mr Wraith stayed in the pub overnight, despite the flooding and the lack of electricity.
Mr. Gonda is the manager of The Kelham Island Tavern.
Seven miners have been killed and seven more are missing after a coal mine flooded in north China's Hebei province. The Xinhua news agency reports the latest coal mine disaster occurred around 5:00 a.m. on Saturday in Xingtai City.A reason for the accident has not yet been given. Owners of the coal mine have been detained by local police and the investigation into the cause of the flooding is underway. State media reports say the disaster occurred at a pit in Xingtai City, but gave few other details.
A coal mine accident killed more than 73 people in China.
Firefighters have confirmed that the large James Bond sound stage at Pinewood Studios has been destroyed by fire. It is thought eight fire engines were called to the scene near Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire on Sunday morning, where filming for Casino Royale, the latest Bond movie, has been completed. Jen McVean witnessed the event, and she said the stage was "completely on fire". The set had been transformed into a replica of the Italian city of Venice, but Mrs McVean, who owns a firm at the studios, said: "Nothing is salvageable and there are many, many fire engines there." One spokesman said around 40 to 50 firefighters were at the scene.
James Bond was created by Ian Fleming.
Constable Erwood will return to his job on Monday but has been given the job in North Taranaki as rural liaison officer. He will start on February 5. Mr Lammas said: "Rural police officers in small and somewhat isolated communities in particular, have a fine and sometimes difficult balance to achieve - in being active members of their community but also being seen to be impartial in the discharge of their duties as a police officer."
Mr. Erwood drives when he's sober.
Rosa Parks, the African American woman who served as a catalyst to the American Civil Rights Movement, died of natural causes on Monday night at her home in Detroit, Michigan. She was 92. Parks was best known for her refusal to yield her seat to a white man who demanded it on a city bus. Her defiance led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama in 1955.
Rosa Parks died on Monday.
Fans of the American hard rock band Aerosmith have launched legal action against the band in response to a late cancellation of a scheduled concert on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. Attorney Brandee Faria filed a class action suit in Hawaii Circuit Court on October 19. The suit alleges that the band's cancellation cost fans between US$500,000 (€349,944) and $3 million (€2.1 million) in travel and accommodation costs, as well as other related expenses.
Aerosmith have cancelled a concert in Maui.
Australian senator Barnaby Joyce (Nationals, Queensland) has moved to oppose the government's planned changes to the country's petrol retail industry. The National Party, of which Senator Joyce is a member, governs Australia in coalition with the Liberal Party. The government plans to amend regulations governing the petrol industry to allow oil companies to own more than five percent of petrol stations. Senator Joyce has given notice to disallow regulations that would force the government to debate them in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Mr. Joyce is an Australian Senator.
The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, 49, has claimed victory after voters ratified a new leftist constitution, granting more power to the country's indigenous majority. "The indigenous farmers, the most marginalized sector throughout the history of the republic, are now recognized as people with the same rights as any citizen. Here begins the new Bolivia. Here we begin to reach true equality," Morales told a crowd in front of the flag-draped balcony of Palacio Quemado in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia.
Morales is the President of Bolivia.
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, formerly the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee with responsibility for Southeast Asia, commented: I offer my deepest condolences for the loss of Benazir Bhutto and to the families of those killed today. This is a terrible loss to her supporters, the people of Pakistan and for democracy. I hope and pray that that the people of Pakistan and President Musharraf can avoid further bloodshed and continue down the road to democracy. Pakistan has been a good friend to the United States in fighting fundamentalist terrorism, and I sincerely hope we can continue to work together. Pakistan needs to continue to work toward a peaceful, stable and democratic nation if they hope to maintain our strong friendship.
Sam Brownback is not a Republican.
An appeals court in Eastern France has confirmed the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo is guilty over the deaths of two schoolchildren aged nine and ten and the serious injury of a third after a brakes failure caused an accident in 1999. The Volvo 850 TDI was being driven by a local teacher when it struck the children, who had been on their way to school. Driver Catherine Kohtz later asserted that the brake pedal had become stiff and the brakes themselves unresponsive as she traveled along the steep road.
Volvo is a car manufacturer from Finland.
BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM - Thieves have gotten away with money believed to be in excess of £20m ($39m) from the headquarters of Northern Bank, a subsidiary of National Australia Bank, in Northern Ireland. Other sources have stimated the total to be as much as $58m. In what appears to be a meticulously planned operation, the families of two executives were held hostage on Sunday night by armed gunmen. The two executives were made to go to work yesterday as if everything was normal, after closing the bank they opened the vault for a number of robbers who then proceeded to empty the contents into a waiting truck over a two hour period.
Belfast is in the UK.
It is the first time in the history of the Volvo Adventure Award that a Kenyan project has been selected as an international finalist. Emwatsi Primary School is a member of the Lake Victoria Schools Agroforestry & Environmental Education Network, which is facilitated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) within the framework of the 'Farmers of the Future' initiative.
Volvo is a car manufacturer from Finland.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters that China is protesting Japan's plan to allow drilling for gas and oil in disputed waters in the East China Sea, characterizing the move as "a serious provocation". On Wednesday, Japan announced that they would begin processing applications to allow oil and gas drilling firms to explore in the disputed area, east of the "demarcation line" which has held up applications to drill in the area for decades.
China won't receive money from Japan.
With online gaming in persistent worlds becoming more prevalent, a US congressional committee has begun to look into the tax implications of these booming online economies. Games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life have large player driven economic systems in which - either following the rules or against them - real world currencies are exchanged for in-game currencies. With the GDP of some of these economies rivaling that of some small countries, the US government is wondering if it is missing out on a potential source of tax revenue: or as some gamers might put it, the IRS is asking "You buy gold?"
The US Congress may re-establish luxury taxes.
The Kelham Island Tavern in Sheffield's Kelham Island Quarter was in a "semi derelict" state when it was purchased in 2001. After it was re-opened in 2002 by licensee Trevor Wraith and manager Lewis Gonda, business quickly picked up and the pub has been awarded Sheffield CAMRA's local Pub of the Year award for the past four years. The pub won the award despite six weeks of closure a year and a half ago when the pub's cellar and floor were affected by the flooding of the River Don and the nearby Kelham goit. The pub also received Yorkshire CAMRA's Pub of the Year award in 2004 and 2007.
Mr. Gonda is the manager of The Kelham Island Tavern.
The police have cordoned off roads around Upper Woburn Place following a massive explosion on a bus in the vicinity. Traffic is at a standstill in many places in the capital. Defra's security branch are reporting that police are advising everyone in London not to use any public transport and the Cabinet Office are advising staff to remain in offices until further notice. A further email sent to all staff by Defra's permanent secretary indicates that Charing Cross and Waterloo mainline railway stations have been closed down for police searches, and that other stations could close for similar reasons later today.
Charing Cross is in London.
James Horwitz, Chairman of the UTA Department of Physics was contacted by the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to study the new ball. Horwitz asked UTA physics professor Kaushik De to lead the project. De's team found that the new balls are tackier when dry, but become much more slippery than leather balls when they get damp. Traditional leather basketballs provide more grip when they are slightly wet.
Mark Cuban is a billionaire.