text:
(CNN) -- It would be hard to claim surprise at the array of sanctions which were finally imposed on the Syrian regime in the last weeks, following months of seemingly endless warnings from friends and foes alike. Yet, judging by the reaction of various officials in Damascus, the regime does seem stunned by this shock to its system, having been living in denial about the evolving situation it created.

From the apex of its fortunes only a couple of years ago to the most severe isolation modern Syria has ever witnessed, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad regime has single-handedly managed the feat which no other detractor achieved: bringing the entire country, and of course the regime itself, to a dead-end from which it can no longer extricate itself.

While accustomed to U.S. sanctions since 1979, Syria had never been simultaneously cut off from Europe, Turkey and the Arab world, while also facing the most determined popular uprising the Arab world has yet seen. For refusing to stop its mass military campaign of repression throughout the country, which none of the neighbors or friendly nations could continue to ignore while urging for the proverbial promised reforms, the Syrian regime is now faced with a heavy bill it has no way of paying.

Taken separately, the various sets of sanctions could have been manageable, even if the hardships would still be passed on to the population under the usual empty slogans of sovereignty and resistance in the face of a global conspiracy. In response to the first set of EU sanctions, in fact, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem had told a press gathering that Syria would "forget that Europe was on the map" and turn eastward for its business. When the sanctions reached the oil sector, the Syrian regime boasted it would sell its crude to China, India and other "non-aligned" countries. However, with the increasing difficulties of dealing with a Central Bank under sanctions, even countries sympathetic to the Syrian regime have been unwilling to go through so much trouble just to acquire Syrian oil, which, to boot, is mostly a low-grade crude needing special refineries.

With Europe wiped off the map, the 150,000 barrels per day output which used to be exported across the Mediterranean will be difficult to sell, with very significant financial repercussions for the regime - and that was before the Arab League finally decided to tighten the screws.

It is possible that repeated warnings followed by recurring extensions of deadlines convinced the Syrian regime that Arab countries were bluffing, and that the legendary impotence of the Arab League would prevent real pressure from materializing; this could explain al-Assad's bloody intransigence, and his erroneous interpretation that he really still had a carte blanche to kill, literally, the growing popular uprising which was now supplemented by armed resistance from an increasing number of defected soldiers, grouping themselves to form the Free Syrian Army.

When the announcement of sanctions finally fell on November 12, even with additional deadlines allowing the regime to accept a set of conditions (including Arab monitors) which could save it from isolation, al-Assad and his advisers seemed unprepared. Instead of astutely accepting the offer to avoid greater seclusion, they decided to retreat into the usual conspiracy rhetoric while trying to buy time with complaints about protocols: this merely allowed the Arab League to ensure near unanimity in its decision to isolate al-Assad.

All that remained was for Turkey to close the loop, and to carry out its own promise to punish the Syrian regime if it did not desist in what the UN has since described as crimes against humanity. As of this week, the Syrian regime is completely isolated, politically and financially. Even the reluctance of Lebanon and Iraq to apply full sanctions will be unlikely to make a big difference in Syria's fortunes, especially as international pressure continues to mount.

The impact of this isolation cannot be exaggerated. While powerful allies such as Iran and Russia will try, for the time being, to pull their weight as they attempt to save the regime from its own folly, perhaps lending it limited financial support, a solid geographical reality imposes itself, cutting off Syria from most of the rest of the world.

There is no doubt that these measures will also hurt those who imposed them, and this is one of the reasons why they were so long in coming. For Turkey, not only has the zero problem with neighbors policy been shattered, but the Arab world opening it had carefully nurtured will be negatively affected if transport trucks must now take a long diversion through Iraq. This will take time, effort and resources which had not been expected.

The truth is that for all the propaganda spewed by the Syrian regime, few countries in the region want to see Syria completely isolated, if only for their own selfish reasons. Everyone is worried about potential civil strife and its effect on the region, but there is also an economic aspect: while losing trade with Syria might not make a difference to most neighbors, losing the trade route will.

The battered Syrian population will only feel more hardship as it struggles to overcome this unprecedented period in recent history, and the sanctions will affect people, economically, socially and politically. Indeed, even Syrians who do not actively support the revolution will feel the pain of remaining silent while the al-Assad regime entrenches itself with increasing violence, if that were possible.

Decades ago, the regime had been able to count on the population's fear and on its acceptance of the broad argument of resistance in the face of imperialist aggression. Today, however, the imposed agony of sanctions coupled with the extreme brutality of the regime will probably push people to make a stand before it's too late. The sooner this happens, the less likely the possibility of civil strife or of intervention in Syria.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rime Allaf

text: CNN

text: It

text: would

text: be

text: hard

text: to

text: claim

text: surprise

text: at

text: the

text: array

text: of

text: sanctions

text: which

text: were

text: finally

text: imposed

text: on

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: in

text: the

text: last

text: weeks

text: following

text: months

text: of

text: seemingly

text: endless

text: warnings

text: from

text: friends

text: and

text: foes

text: alike

text: Yet

text: judging

text: by

text: the

text: reaction

text: of

text: various

text: officials

text: in

text: Damascus

text: the

text: regime

text: does

text: seem

text: stunned

text: by

text: this

text: shock

text: to

text: its

text: system

text: having

text: been

text: living

text: in

text: denial

text: about

text: the

text: evolving

text: situation

text: it

text: created

text: From

text: the

text: apex

text: of

text: its

text: fortunes

text: only

text: a

text: couple

text: of

text: years

text: ago

text: to

text: the

text: most

text: severe

text: isolation

text: modern

text: Syria

text: has

text: ever

text: witnessed

text: the

text: regime

text: of

text: President

text: Bashar

text: al

text: Assad

text: regime

text: has

text: single

text: handedly

text: managed

text: the

text: feat

text: which

text: no

text: other

text: detractor

text: achieved

text: bringing

text: the

text: entire

text: country

text: and

text: of

text: course

text: the

text: regime

text: itself

text: to

text: a

text: dead

text: end

text: from

text: which

text: it

text: can

text: no

text: longer

text: extricate

text: itself

text: While

text: accustomed

text: to

text: U.S.

text: sanctions

text: since

text: Syria

text: had

text: never

text: been

text: simultaneously

text: cut

text: off

text: from

text: Europe

text: Turkey

text: and

text: the

text: Arab

text: world

text: while

text: also

text: facing

text: the

text: most

text: determined

text: popular

text: uprising

text: the

text: Arab

text: world

text: has

text: yet

text: seen

text: For

text: refusing

text: to

text: stop

text: its

text: mass

text: military

text: campaign

text: of

text: repression

text: throughout

text: the

text: country

text: which

text: of

text: the

text: neighbors

text: or

text: friendly

text: nations

text: could

text: continue

text: to

text: ignore

text: while

text: urging

text: for

text: the

text: proverbial

text: promised

text: reforms

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: is

text: now

text: faced

text: with

text: a

text: heavy

text: bill

text: it

text: has

text: no

text: way

text: of

text: paying

text: Taken

text: separately

text: the

text: various

text: sets

text: of

text: sanctions

text: could

text: have

text: been

text: manageable

text: even

text: if

text: the

text: hardships

text: would

text: still

text: be

text: passed

text: on

text: to

text: the

text: population

text: under

text: the

text: usual

text: empty

text: slogans

text: of

text: sovereignty

text: and

text: resistance

text: in

text: the

text: face

text: of

text: a

text: global

text: conspiracy

text: In

text: response

text: to

text: the

text: first

text: set

text: of

text: EU

text: sanctions

text: in

text: fact

text: Foreign

text: Minister

text: Walid

text: Muallem

text: had

text: told

text: a

text: press

text: gathering

text: that

text: Syria

text: would

text: forget

text: that

text: Europe

text: was

text: on

text: the

text: map

text: and

text: turn

text: eastward

text: for

text: its

text: business

text: When

text: the

text: sanctions

text: reached

text: the

text: oil

text: sector

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: boasted

text: it

text: would

text: sell

text: its

text: crude

text: to

text: China

text: India

text: and

text: other

text: non

text: aligned

text: countries

text: However

text: with

text: the

text: increasing

text: difficulties

text: of

text: dealing

text: with

text: a

text: Central

text: Bank

text: under

text: sanctions

text: even

text: countries

text: sympathetic

text: to

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: have

text: been

text: unwilling

text: to

text: go

text: through

text: so

text: much

text: trouble

text: just

text: to

text: acquire

text: Syrian

text: oil

text: which

text: to

text: boot

text: is

text: mostly

text: a

text: low

text: grade

text: crude

text: needing

text: special

text: refineries

text: With

text: Europe

text: wiped

text: off

text: the

text: map

text: the

text: barrels

text: per

text: day

text: output

text: which

text: used

text: to

text: be

text: exported

text: across

text: the

text: Mediterranean

text: will

text: be

text: difficult

text: to

text: sell

text: with

text: very

text: significant

text: financial

text: repercussions

text: for

text: the

text: regime

text: and

text: that

text: was

text: before

text: the

text: Arab

text: League

text: finally

text: decided

text: to

text: tighten

text: the

text: screws

text: It

text: is

text: possible

text: that

text: repeated

text: warnings

text: followed

text: by

text: recurring

text: extensions

text: of

text: deadlines

text: convinced

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: that

text: Arab

text: countries

text: were

text: bluffing

text: and

text: that

text: the

text: legendary

text: impotence

text: of

text: the

text: Arab

text: League

text: would

text: prevent

text: real

text: pressure

text: from

text: materializing

text: this

text: could

text: explain

text: al

text: Assad

text: 's

text: bloody

text: intransigence

text: and

text: his

text: erroneous

text: interpretation

text: that

text: he

text: really

text: still

text: had

text: a

text: carte

text: blanche

text: to

text: kill

text: literally

text: the

text: growing

text: popular

text: uprising

text: which

text: was

text: now

text: supplemented

text: by

text: armed

text: resistance

text: from

text: an

text: increasing

text: number

text: of

text: defected

text: soldiers

text: grouping

text: themselves

text: to

text: form

text: the

text: Free

text: Syrian

text: Army

text: When

text: the

text: announcement

text: of

text: sanctions

text: finally

text: fell

text: on

text: November

text: even

text: with

text: additional

text: deadlines

text: allowing

text: the

text: regime

text: to

text: accept

text: a

text: set

text: of

text: conditions

text: including

text: Arab

text: monitors

text: which

text: could

text: save

text: it

text: from

text: isolation

text: al

text: Assad

text: and

text: his

text: advisers

text: seemed

text: unprepared

text: Instead

text: of

text: astutely

text: accepting

text: the

text: offer

text: to

text: avoid

text: greater

text: seclusion

text: they

text: decided

text: to

text: retreat

text: into

text: the

text: usual

text: conspiracy

text: rhetoric

text: while

text: trying

text: to

text: buy

text: time

text: with

text: complaints

text: about

text: protocols

text: this

text: merely

text: allowed

text: the

text: Arab

text: League

text: to

text: ensure

text: near

text: unanimity

text: in

text: its

text: decision

text: to

text: isolate

text: al

text: Assad

text: All

text: that

text: remained

text: was

text: for

text: Turkey

text: to

text: close

text: the

text: loop

text: and

text: to

text: carry

text: out

text: its

text: own

text: promise

text: to

text: punish

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: if

text: it

text: did

text: not

text: desist

text: in

text: what

text: the

text: UN

text: has

text: since

text: described

text: as

text: crimes

text: against

text: humanity

text: As

text: of

text: this

text: week

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: is

text: completely

text: isolated

text: politically

text: and

text: financially

text: Even

text: the

text: reluctance

text: of

text: Lebanon

text: and

text: Iraq

text: to

text: apply

text: full

text: sanctions

text: will

text: be

text: unlikely

text: to

text: make

text: a

text: big

text: difference

text: in

text: Syria

text: 's

text: fortunes

text: especially

text: as

text: international

text: pressure

text: continues

text: to

text: mount

text: The

text: impact

text: of

text: this

text: isolation

text: can

text: not

text: be

text: exaggerated

text: While

text: powerful

text: allies

text: such

text: as

text: Iran

text: and

text: Russia

text: will

text: try

text: for

text: the

text: time

text: being

text: to

text: pull

text: their

text: weight

text: as

text: they

text: attempt

text: to

text: save

text: the

text: regime

text: from

text: its

text: own

text: folly

text: perhaps

text: lending

text: it

text: limited

text: financial

text: support

text: a

text: solid

text: geographical

text: reality

text: imposes

text: itself

text: cutting

text: off

text: Syria

text: from

text: most

text: of

text: the

text: rest

text: of

text: the

text: world

text: There

text: is

text: no

text: doubt

text: that

text: these

text: measures

text: will

text: also

text: hurt

text: those

text: who

text: imposed

text: them

text: and

text: this

text: is

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: reasons

text: why

text: they

text: were

text: so

text: long

text: in

text: coming

text: For

text: Turkey

text: not

text: only

text: has

text: the

text: zero

text: problem

text: with

text: neighbors

text: policy

text: been

text: shattered

text: but

text: the

text: Arab

text: world

text: opening

text: it

text: had

text: carefully

text: nurtured

text: will

text: be

text: negatively

text: affected

text: if

text: transport

text: trucks

text: must

text: now

text: take

text: a

text: long

text: diversion

text: through

text: Iraq

text: This

text: will

text: take

text: time

text: effort

text: and

text: resources

text: which

text: had

text: not

text: been

text: expected

text: The

text: truth

text: is

text: that

text: for

text: all

text: the

text: propaganda

text: spewed

text: by

text: the

text: Syrian

text: regime

text: few

text: countries

text: in

text: the

text: region

text: want

text: to

text: see

text: Syria

text: completely

text: isolated

text: if

text: only

text: for

text: their

text: own

text: selfish

text: reasons

text: Everyone

text: is

text: worried

text: about

text: potential

text: civil

text: strife

text: and

text: its

text: effect

text: on

text: the

text: region

text: but

text: there

text: is

text: also

text: an

text: economic

text: aspect

text: while

text: losing

text: trade

text: with

text: Syria

text: might

text: not

text: make

text: a

text: difference

text: to

text: most

text: neighbors

text: losing

text: the

text: trade

text: route

text: will

text: The

text: battered

text: Syrian

text: population

text: will

text: only

text: feel

text: more

text: hardship

text: as

text: it

text: struggles

text: to

text: overcome

text: this

text: unprecedented

text: period

text: in

text: recent

text: history

text: and

text: the

text: sanctions

text: will

text: affect

text: people

text: economically

text: socially

text: and

text: politically

text: Indeed

text: even

text: Syrians

text: who

text: do

text: not

text: actively

text: support

text: the

text: revolution

text: will

text: feel

text: the

text: pain

text: of

text: remaining

text: silent

text: while

text: the

text: al

text: Assad

text: regime

text: entrenches

text: itself

text: with

text: increasing

text: violence

text: if

text: that

text: were

text: possible

text: Decades

text: ago

text: the

text: regime

text: had

text: been

text: able

text: to

text: count

text: on

text: the

text: population

text: 's

text: fear

text: and

text: on

text: its

text: acceptance

text: of

text: the

text: broad

text: argument

text: of

text: resistance

text: in

text: the

text: face

text: of

text: imperialist

text: aggression

text: Today

text: however

text: the

text: imposed

text: agony

text: of

text: sanctions

text: coupled

text: with

text: the

text: extreme

text: brutality

text: of

text: the

text: regime

text: will

text: probably

text: push

text: people

text: to

text: make

text: a

text: stand

text: before

text: it

text: 's

text: too

text: late

text: The

text: sooner

text: this

text: happens

text: the

text: less

text: likely

text: the

text: possibility

text: of

text: civil

text: strife

text: or

text: of

text: intervention

text: in

text: Syria

text: The

text: opinions

text: expressed

text: in

text: this

text: commentary

text: are

text: solely

text: those

text: of

text: Rime

text: Allaf

question: On what purpose was the ban?

answer: save it from isolation,

text: save it from isolation,

question: The regime is now isolated politically and economically?

answer: the Syrian

text: the Syrian


text:
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A small, rural town in the hills of New Hampshire was jolted by a home invasion over the weekend that left a mother dead and her young daughter severely injured.

Steven Spader, 17, is accused of using a machete to kill a woman and injure her daughter.

"This type of murder does not happen very often," New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Will Delker said. "This is something out of the ordinary."

Four teenagers have been charged in connection with the incident early Sunday morning along an isolated dirt road in Mont Vernon, a town of about 2,000.

In a news release Tuesday, the New Hampshire Department of Justice identified the victim as 42-year-old Kimberly Cates. The medical examiner determined that she died from "multiple sharp injuries to the head, torso, left arm, and left leg."

The victim's 10-year-old daughter sustained serious knife injuries that required hours of surgery.

"She's still in the intensive care unit," Delker said. "Her injuries weren't life-threatening, but you shouldn't minimize the severities of the injuries she suffered."

Delker said Kimberly Cates' husband was away on business at the time of the attack.

Cates was a registered nurse at St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, New Hampshire.

"She worked part time in our maternal and labor department and also in our emergency department," Sarah Ward, director of marketing and communications for the hospital, said Tuesday. "The staff is pretty upset about it. They were pretty close to her."

"The people up here aren't used to this kind of thing," Don Himsel, senior photo editor for the Nashua Telegraph, said Tuesday. "This never really happens."

Himsel also said violent crime is extremely rare in Mont Vernon. "I think we may have had one assault in town in the last 10 years."

The Mont Vernon Congregational Church opened its doors Wednesday for people who want to grieve, pray and meditate.

"This is a way to come together peacefully; that's what we are trying to do," church official Jane Nilles said Wednesday. "The church understands that there are people hurting on both sides. This is a time to pray and ask for God's presence right now. It is a time to gather and to pray."

On Tuesday, the state Department of Justice announced the arrests of the four teenagers accused of taking part in the crimes.

Steven Spader, 17, and Christopher Gribble, 19, were charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

William Marks, 18, and Quinn Glover, 17, were charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and armed robbery.

"The allegations are that Spader wielded the machete and Gribble used the knife, and each of them struck the victims," Delker said.

Delker, who described the case as being in its earliest stages, said prosecutors will evaluate whether additional charges will be brought or upgraded.

"Under New Hampshire law, anyone 17 and older is charged as an adult," Delker said.

A probable cause hearing for the suspects will be held October 20.

text: NEW

text: YORK

text: CNN

text: A

text: small

text: rural

text: town

text: in

text: the

text: hills

text: of

text: New

text: Hampshire

text: was

text: jolted

text: by

text: a

text: home

text: invasion

text: over

text: the

text: weekend

text: that

text: left

text: a

text: mother

text: dead

text: and

text: her

text: young

text: daughter

text: severely

text: injured

text: Steven

text: Spader

text: is

text: accused

text: of

text: using

text: a

text: machete

text: to

text: kill

text: a

text: woman

text: and

text: injure

text: her

text: daughter

text: This

text: type

text: of

text: murder

text: does

text: not

text: happen

text: very

text: often

text: New

text: Hampshire

text: Senior

text: Assistant

text: Attorney

text: General

text: Will

text: Delker

text: said

text: This

text: is

text: something

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: ordinary

text: Four

text: teenagers

text: have

text: been

text: charged

text: in

text: connection

text: with

text: the

text: incident

text: early

text: Sunday

text: morning

text: along

text: an

text: isolated

text: dirt

text: road

text: in

text: Mont

text: Vernon

text: a

text: town

text: of

text: about

text: In

text: a

text: news

text: release

text: Tuesday

text: the

text: New

text: Hampshire

text: Department

text: of

text: Justice

text: identified

text: the

text: victim

text: as

text: old

text: Kimberly

text: Cates

text: The

text: medical

text: examiner

text: determined

text: that

text: she

text: died

text: from

text: multiple

text: sharp

text: injuries

text: to

text: the

text: head

text: torso

text: left

text: arm

text: and

text: left

text: leg

text: The

text: victim

text: 's

text: old

text: daughter

text: sustained

text: serious

text: knife

text: injuries

text: that

text: required

text: hours

text: of

text: surgery

text: She

text: 's

text: still

text: in

text: the

text: intensive

text: care

text: unit

text: Delker

text: said

text: Her

text: injuries

text: were

text: n't

text: life

text: threatening

text: but

text: you

text: should

text: n't

text: minimize

text: the

text: severities

text: of

text: the

text: injuries

text: she

text: suffered

text: Delker

text: said

text: Kimberly

text: Cates

text: husband

text: was

text: away

text: on

text: business

text: at

text: the

text: time

text: of

text: the

text: attack

text: Cates

text: was

text: a

text: registered

text: nurse

text: at

text: St.

text: Joseph

text: Hospital

text: in

text: Nashua

text: New

text: Hampshire

text: She

text: worked

text: part

text: time

text: in

text: our

text: maternal

text: and

text: labor

text: department

text: and

text: also

text: in

text: our

text: emergency

text: department

text: Sarah

text: Ward

text: director

text: of

text: marketing

text: and

text: communications

text: for

text: the

text: hospital

text: said

text: Tuesday

text: The

text: staff

text: is

text: pretty

text: upset

text: about

text: it

text: They

text: were

text: pretty

text: close

text: to

text: her

text: The

text: people

text: up

text: here

text: are

text: n't

text: used

text: to

text: this

text: kind

text: of

text: thing

text: Don

text: Himsel

text: senior

text: photo

text: editor

text: for

text: the

text: Nashua

text: Telegraph

text: said

text: Tuesday

text: This

text: never

text: really

text: happens

text: Himsel

text: also

text: said

text: violent

text: crime

text: is

text: extremely

text: rare

text: in

text: Mont

text: Vernon

text: I

text: think

text: we

text: may

text: have

text: had

text: one

text: assault

text: in

text: town

text: in

text: the

text: last

text: years

text: The

text: Mont

text: Vernon

text: Congregational

text: Church

text: opened

text: its

text: doors

text: Wednesday

text: for

text: people

text: who

text: want

text: to

text: grieve

text: pray

text: and

text: meditate

text: This

text: is

text: a

text: way

text: to

text: come

text: together

text: peacefully

text: that

text: 's

text: what

text: we

text: are

text: trying

text: to

text: do

text: church

text: official

text: Jane

text: Nilles

text: said

text: Wednesday

text: The

text: church

text: understands

text: that

text: there

text: are

text: people

text: hurting

text: on

text: both

text: sides

text: This

text: is

text: a

text: time

text: to

text: pray

text: and

text: ask

text: for

text: God

text: 's

text: presence

text: right

text: now

text: It

text: is

text: a

text: time

text: to

text: gather

text: and

text: to

text: pray

text: On

text: Tuesday

text: the

text: state

text: Department

text: of

text: Justice

text: announced

text: the

text: arrests

text: of

text: the

text: four

text: teenagers

text: accused

text: of

text: taking

text: part

text: in

text: the

text: crimes

text: Steven

text: Spader

text: and

text: Christopher

text: Gribble

text: were

text: charged

text: with

text: first

text: degree

text: murder

text: attempted

text: murder

text: and

text: conspiracy

text: to

text: commit

text: first

text: degree

text: murder

text: William

text: Marks

text: and

text: Quinn

text: Glover

text: were

text: charged

text: with

text: burglary

text: conspiracy

text: to

text: commit

text: burglary

text: and

text: armed

text: robbery

text: The

text: allegations

text: are

text: that

text: Spader

text: wielded

text: the

text: machete

text: and

text: Gribble

text: used

text: the

text: knife

text: and

text: each

text: of

text: them

text: struck

text: the

text: victims

text: Delker

text: said

text: Delker

text: who

text: described

text: the

text: case

text: as

text: being

text: in

text: its

text: earliest

text: stages

text: said

text: prosecutors

text: will

text: evaluate

text: whether

text: additional

text: charges

text: will

text: be

text: brought

text: or

text: upgraded

text: Under

text: New

text: Hampshire

text: law

text: anyone

text: and

text: older

text: is

text: charged

text: as

text: an

text: adult

text: Delker

text: said

text: A

text: probable

text: cause

text: hearing

text: for

text: the

text: suspects

text: will

text: be

text: held

text: October

question: Who was killed?

answer: Kimberly Cates.

text: Kimberly Cates.

question: Who has been charged in the Sunday incident in Mont Vernon?

answer: Four teenagers

text: Four teenagers

question: Who was severely injured?

answer: young daughter

text: young daughter

question: What did the state official say?

answer: announced the arrests of the four teenagers

text: announced the arrests of the four teenagers

question: Where was the woman's husband at the time of the incident?

answer: away on business

text: away on business

question: Where was woman's husband?

answer: away on business

text: away on business


text:
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN)  -- Kabul's police chief and chief of criminal investigations have submitted their resignations to the Afghan Interior Ministry, but the ministry ordered them to complete their probe into Friday's suicide attacks first, a ministry spokesman told CNN.

The ministry has not yet approved the resignations of Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahman and investigations chief Abdul Ghafar Sayed Zada, spokesman Ezmary Bashari said.

The two were ordered to continue their investigation into deadly blasts that targeted foreigners in the capital city Friday. At least 17 people were killed and many others wounded.

Once the investigation into the bombings is complete, the minister of interior will make a decision on the resignations, Bashari said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks near the Safi Landmark Hotel in the Shahr-E-Naw neighborhood of Kabul. A number of government and United Nations offices are located there, as well as supermarkets, banks, diplomatic facilities and villas for well-to-do Afghans.

An employee at a Kabul hospital said eight Indians and one Pakistani were among the dead. Interior Ministry officials said an Italian was killed, and the Indian embassy said four Indians were killed.

The attack started with a suicide car bomb and four suicide bombers with explosive-laden vests, said Taliban spokesman Zaidullah Mujahid. Three of the bombers were killed, he said.

About 20 minutes later, a second large explosion occurred.

Journalist Matiullah Mati and CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.

text: Kabul

text: Afghanistan

text: CNN

text: Kabul

text: 's

text: police

text: chief

text: and

text: chief

text: of

text: criminal

text: investigations

text: have

text: submitted

text: their

text: resignations

text: to

text: the

text: Afghan

text: Interior

text: Ministry

text: but

text: the

text: ministry

text: ordered

text: them

text: to

text: complete

text: their

text: probe

text: into

text: Friday

text: 's

text: suicide

text: attacks

text: first

text: a

text: ministry

text: spokesman

text: told

text: CNN

text: The

text: ministry

text: has

text: not

text: yet

text: approved

text: the

text: resignations

text: of

text: Police

text: Chief

text: Abdul

text: Rahman

text: Rahman

text: and

text: investigations

text: chief

text: Abdul

text: Ghafar

text: Sayed

text: Zada

text: spokesman

text: Ezmary

text: Bashari

text: said

text: The

text: two

text: were

text: ordered

text: to

text: continue

text: their

text: investigation

text: into

text: deadly

text: blasts

text: that

text: targeted

text: foreigners

text: in

text: the

text: capital

text: city

text: Friday

text: At

text: least

text: people

text: were

text: killed

text: and

text: many

text: others

text: wounded

text: Once

text: the

text: investigation

text: into

text: the

text: bombings

text: is

text: complete

text: the

text: minister

text: of

text: interior

text: will

text: make

text: a

text: decision

text: on

text: the

text: resignations

text: Bashari

text: said

text: The

text: Taliban

text: claimed

text: responsibility

text: for

text: the

text: attacks

text: near

text: the

text: Safi

text: Landmark

text: Hotel

text: in

text: the

text: Shahr

text: E

text: Naw

text: neighborhood

text: of

text: Kabul

text: A

text: number

text: of

text: government

text: and

text: United

text: Nations

text: offices

text: are

text: located

text: there

text: as

text: well

text: as

text: supermarkets

text: banks

text: diplomatic

text: facilities

text: and

text: villas

text: for

text: well

text: to

text: do

text: Afghans

text: An

text: employee

text: at

text: a

text: Kabul

text: hospital

text: said

text: eight

text: Indians

text: and

text: one

text: Pakistani

text: were

text: among

text: the

text: dead

text: Interior

text: Ministry

text: officials

text: said

text: an

text: Italian

text: was

text: killed

text: and

text: the

text: Indian

text: embassy

text: said

text: four

text: Indians

text: were

text: killed

text: The

text: attack

text: started

text: with

text: a

text: suicide

text: car

text: bomb

text: and

text: four

text: suicide

text: bombers

text: with

text: explosive

text: laden

text: vests

text: said

text: Taliban

text: spokesman

text: Zaidullah

text: Mujahid

text: Three

text: of

text: the

text: bombers

text: were

text: killed

text: he

text: said

text: About

text: minutes

text: later

text: a

text: second

text: large

text: explosion

text: occurred

text: Journalist

text: Matiullah

text: Mati

text: and

text: CNN

text: 's

text: Ben

text: Wedeman

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: Who claimed responsibility for attacks near the Safi Landmark Hotel in Kabul?

answer: The Taliban

text: The Taliban

question: When did deadly blasts that targeted foreigners happen?

answer: Friday.

text: Friday.

question: where did Taliban claimed responsibility ?

answer: near the Safi Landmark Hotel in the Shahr-E-Naw neighborhood of Kabul.

text: near the Safi Landmark Hotel in the Shahr-E-Naw neighborhood of Kabul.

question: who is Abdul Rahman Rahman?

answer: Police Chief

text: Police Chief

question: Friday's deadly blasts targeted who?

answer: foreigners

text: foreigners


text:
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from a flash flood in Indonesia's capital grew to 98 people on Sunday as rescuers widened their search for more than 130 other people in the aftermath.

Members of a search and rescue team look for bodies near  Jakarta.

The nation's health ministry said 62 women, 31 men and three students had been killed.

Of those, 12 bodies remained unidentified, ministry spokesman Rustam Pakaya said.

Another 13 people were missing. The search for the missing will be called off Sunday night, he said.

The flood started Friday morning after heavy rains caused waters to smash through a dam and rush into Jakarta.   The breach unleashed a torrent of water that plowed into hundreds of homes in what some survivors described as a suburban "tsunami."

About 1,500 volunteers -- mostly students from two flooded universities in Jakarta -- are assisting in the search and rescue effort, said Mardjito, a social affairs ministry official who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.

He said rescuers started using heavy machinery to lift debris. Still, the death toll is expected to rise.

At least 50 people were injured and nearly 1,500 have been displaced. Mardjito said a camp for survivors so far has adequate supplies as members of political parties continue to send food, blankets, flashlights and other items amid a major election year.

Sleeping residents were taken by surprise by the powerful flash flood as it crashed through the crowded Cirendeu district near Jakarta early Friday.  Watch scenes of the flood devastation Â»

Drenched and shivering survivors were taking refuge on the rooftops of their homes as rescuers in rubber boats were struggling to reach them, said social affairs ministry official Mardjito.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, currently on the campaign trail ahead of the elections later this year, has said he had ordered senior ministers to visit the scene of the disaster.

"On behalf of the government, I express my condolences to the families of the dead victims and may their souls be accepted by God almighty," he said, according to the official Antara news agency.

The rain obliterated a 255-meter-long section of the dam, releasing a wall of water from a 20-hectare lake that some survivors said reminded them of the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004.

"They said they had heard loud rumbling sounds like during a powerful earthquake. They later found out that the sounds came from the water rushing out from the dam's lake," according to Antara.

Floods from heavy rains are an annual occurrence in and around Jakarta, a low-lying city on the northern coast of Java island, where poor infrastructure often results in polluted canals and rivers overflowing their banks and spilling into thousands of homes.

In 2007, 38 people were killed and 430,000 forced from their homes when storm water 3 meters deep in some places swamped 75 percent of the capital, which is home to about 9 million people.

With poor sanitation and a hot and humid climate, the risk of water-borne diseases is usually a major concern following floods in the city, where mosquito-transmitted malaria is also a threat.

CNN's Andy Saputra contributed to this report.

text: JAKARTA

text: Indonesia

text: CNN

text: The

text: death

text: toll

text: from

text: a

text: flash

text: flood

text: in

text: Indonesia

text: 's

text: capital

text: grew

text: to

text: people

text: on

text: Sunday

text: as

text: rescuers

text: widened

text: their

text: search

text: for

text: more

text: than

text: other

text: people

text: in

text: the

text: aftermath

text: Members

text: of

text: a

text: search

text: and

text: rescue

text: team

text: look

text: for

text: bodies

text: near

text: Jakarta

text: The

text: nation

text: 's

text: health

text: ministry

text: said

text: women

text: men

text: and

text: three

text: students

text: had

text: been

text: killed

text: Of

text: those

text: bodies

text: remained

text: unidentified

text: ministry

text: spokesman

text: Rustam

text: Pakaya

text: said

text: Another

text: people

text: were

text: missing

text: The

text: search

text: for

text: the

text: missing

text: will

text: be

text: called

text: off

text: Sunday

text: night

text: he

text: said

text: The

text: flood

text: started

text: Friday

text: morning

text: after

text: heavy

text: rains

text: caused

text: waters

text: to

text: smash

text: through

text: a

text: dam

text: and

text: rush

text: into

text: Jakarta

text: The

text: breach

text: unleashed

text: a

text: torrent

text: of

text: water

text: that

text: plowed

text: into

text: hundreds

text: of

text: homes

text: in

text: what

text: some

text: survivors

text: described

text: as

text: a

text: suburban

text: tsunami

text: About

text: volunteers

text: mostly

text: students

text: from

text: two

text: flooded

text: universities

text: in

text: Jakarta

text: are

text: assisting

text: in

text: the

text: search

text: and

text: rescue

text: effort

text: said

text: Mardjito

text: a

text: social

text: affairs

text: ministry

text: official

text: who

text: like

text: many

text: Indonesians

text: goes

text: by

text: one

text: name

text: He

text: said

text: rescuers

text: started

text: using

text: heavy

text: machinery

text: to

text: lift

text: debris

text: Still

text: the

text: death

text: toll

text: is

text: expected

text: to

text: rise

text: At

text: least

text: people

text: were

text: injured

text: and

text: nearly

text: have

text: been

text: displaced

text: Mardjito

text: said

text: a

text: camp

text: for

text: survivors

text: so

text: far

text: has

text: adequate

text: supplies

text: as

text: members

text: of

text: political

text: parties

text: continue

text: to

text: send

text: food

text: blankets

text: flashlights

text: and

text: other

text: items

text: amid

text: a

text: major

text: election

text: year

text: Sleeping

text: residents

text: were

text: taken

text: by

text: surprise

text: by

text: the

text: powerful

text: flash

text: flood

text: as

text: it

text: crashed

text: through

text: the

text: crowded

text: Cirendeu

text: district

text: near

text: Jakarta

text: early

text: Friday

text: Watch

text: scenes

text: of

text: the

text: flood

text: devastation

text: Â

text: Drenched

text: and

text: shivering

text: survivors

text: were

text: taking

text: refuge

text: on

text: the

text: rooftops

text: of

text: their

text: homes

text: as

text: rescuers

text: in

text: rubber

text: boats

text: were

text: struggling

text: to

text: reach

text: them

text: said

text: social

text: affairs

text: ministry

text: official

text: Mardjito

text: Indonesian

text: President

text: Susilo

text: Bambang

text: Yudhoyono

text: currently

text: on

text: the

text: campaign

text: trail

text: ahead

text: of

text: the

text: elections

text: later

text: this

text: year

text: has

text: said

text: he

text: had

text: ordered

text: senior

text: ministers

text: to

text: visit

text: the

text: scene

text: of

text: the

text: disaster

text: On

text: behalf

text: of

text: the

text: government

text: I

text: express

text: my

text: condolences

text: to

text: the

text: families

text: of

text: the

text: dead

text: victims

text: and

text: may

text: their

text: souls

text: be

text: accepted

text: by

text: God

text: almighty

text: he

text: said

text: according

text: to

text: the

text: official

text: Antara

text: news

text: agency

text: The

text: rain

text: obliterated

text: a

text: long

text: section

text: of

text: the

text: dam

text: releasing

text: a

text: wall

text: of

text: water

text: from

text: a

text: lake

text: that

text: some

text: survivors

text: said

text: reminded

text: them

text: of

text: the

text: tsunami

text: that

text: hit

text: Indonesia

text: in

text: They

text: said

text: they

text: had

text: heard

text: loud

text: rumbling

text: sounds

text: like

text: during

text: a

text: powerful

text: earthquake

text: They

text: later

text: found

text: out

text: that

text: the

text: sounds

text: came

text: from

text: the

text: water

text: rushing

text: out

text: from

text: the

text: dam

text: 's

text: lake

text: according

text: to

text: Antara

text: Floods

text: from

text: heavy

text: rains

text: are

text: an

text: annual

text: occurrence

text: in

text: and

text: around

text: Jakarta

text: a

text: low

text: lying

text: city

text: on

text: the

text: northern

text: coast

text: of

text: Java

text: island

text: where

text: poor

text: infrastructure

text: often

text: results

text: in

text: polluted

text: canals

text: and

text: rivers

text: overflowing

text: their

text: banks

text: and

text: spilling

text: into

text: thousands

text: of

text: homes

text: In

text: people

text: were

text: killed

text: and

text: forced

text: from

text: their

text: homes

text: when

text: storm

text: water

text: meters

text: deep

text: in

text: some

text: places

text: swamped

text: percent

text: of

text: the

text: capital

text: which

text: is

text: home

text: to

text: about

text: million

text: people

text: With

text: poor

text: sanitation

text: and

text: a

text: hot

text: and

text: humid

text: climate

text: the

text: risk

text: of

text: water

text: borne

text: diseases

text: is

text: usually

text: a

text: major

text: concern

text: following

text: floods

text: in

text: the

text: city

text: where

text: mosquito

text: transmitted

text: malaria

text: is

text: also

text: a

text: threat

text: CNN

text: 's

text: Andy

text: Saputra

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: Where did flooding occur?

answer: JAKARTA, Indonesia

text: JAKARTA, Indonesia

question: How many are dead?

answer: 98 people

text: 98 people

question: What caused the flooding to occur?

answer: heavy rains

text: heavy rains

question: What did the rumbling waters sound like?

answer: a powerful earthquake.

text: a powerful earthquake.

question: Where was the flash floods located at?

answer: JAKARTA,

text: JAKARTA,

question: Is there major flooding in Jakarta often?

answer: Floods from heavy rains are an annual occurrence in and around

text: Floods from heavy rains are an annual occurrence in and around


text:
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanair MD-82 airliner was not on fire as it took off from Madrid's airport but lifted off slightly into the air, fell back to the ground and caught fire only after skidding off the side of the runway, a source familiar said Friday.

The plane crash victims' bodies laid out at a makeshift morgue in Madrid.

A total of 153 people were killed.

Initially, there were indications that an engine might have caught fire as the plane was taking off, but the source said airport video shows the plane lifting off, veering sharply right and then dragging or skidding down the right side of the runway. There was a cloud of dust, the source said, followed by a fireball.

Canary Islands regional President Paulino Rivero said after meeting with Spain's prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, that the latter had seen the video and described it as showing the plane using up all the runway as it tried to take off but then never reaching adequate altitude, The Associated Press reported.

Eighty of the bodies recovered from the wreckage of Wednesday's fiery plane crash have been identified, Spanish authorities said Friday.   Watch as Spain deals with tragedy Â»

Many of the bodies are so badly burned that fingerprint identification is impossible, and investigators will have to rely on DNA, officials said.

Nineteen survivors remained hospitalized Friday.

The plane was all but destroyed in the crash, a rescue worker said.

When emergency crews arrived on the scene, "you couldn't distinguish that there was an aircraft there, apart from the remains of the tail," Ergivio Corral said. "If you didn't know it, you wouldn't have been able to say there was a plane."  Watch moment of silence Â»

Authorities have handed over the remains of 35 victims to their families, officials said.

Families of the victims are being housed in a hotel near the airport, and the government planned to brief them on the crash investigation Friday.

The cause of the accident is still unknown, but Spanair spokesman Javier Mendoza said flight data recorders had been recovered. iReport.com: Share your photos, videos from the scene

"One of them seems to be... a little bit damaged, but [investigators] are confident they could use the information," Mendoza said. "But we have to wait for the downloading and the analysis" before any conclusions can be drawn, he said.

Witnesses reported that the plane banked violently to the right as it attempted to take off before slamming back to the ground and coming to a rest in a gully just off the runway at Madrid's Bajaras airport.  Watch as the wounded arrive at a hospital Â»

The plane's departure had been delayed for nearly two hours due to a technical problem with the aircraft, Mendoza said, but it was not clear whether that fault was related to the crash.

"The heating problem was treated and corrected by Spanair maintenance personnel," he said.

"We have reviewed the details on this faulty situation with the inspectors of our civil aviation authority," he said, "and we all come to the conclusion that was nothing abnormal in this resolution of that problem."

Madrid observed five minutes of silence Thursday to honor the victims, and the country began three days of mourning.  See a map of the airport Â»

The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 carried 162 passengers, four non-working crew members and six working crew members, Spanair said. The aircraft was also carrying seven passengers from Lufthansa Flight 2554 on a flight scheduled to take more than two hours, airline spokeswoman Henriette Ellekrog said.

Spanair, a low-cost airline that has a flight-sharing agreement with Lufthansa, is owned by SAS Scandinavian Airlines.

Twenty-two of the passengers were children, two of them infants, Spanair said. After contacting families, the airline published the names of those aboard on its Web site.

It was the first fatal accident at the airport since December 1983, when 93 people were killed as two Spanish airliners collided while taxiing for takeoff. The airport, which sits eight miles (13 km) northeast of central Madrid, is Spain's busiest, handling more than 40 million passengers a year.

CNN's Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman, Claudia Rebaza, Cal Perry and Kathleen Koch contributed to this report.

text: MADRID

text: Spain

text: CNN

text: A

text: Spanair

text: airliner

text: was

text: not

text: on

text: fire

text: as

text: it

text: took

text: off

text: from

text: Madrid

text: 's

text: airport

text: but

text: lifted

text: off

text: slightly

text: into

text: the

text: air

text: fell

text: back

text: to

text: the

text: ground

text: and

text: caught

text: fire

text: only

text: after

text: skidding

text: off

text: the

text: side

text: of

text: the

text: runway

text: a

text: source

text: familiar

text: said

text: Friday

text: The

text: plane

text: crash

text: victims

text: bodies

text: laid

text: out

text: at

text: a

text: makeshift

text: morgue

text: in

text: Madrid

text: A

text: total

text: of

text: people

text: were

text: killed

text: Initially

text: there

text: were

text: indications

text: that

text: an

text: engine

text: might

text: have

text: caught

text: fire

text: as

text: the

text: plane

text: was

text: taking

text: off

text: but

text: the

text: source

text: said

text: airport

text: video

text: shows

text: the

text: plane

text: lifting

text: off

text: veering

text: sharply

text: right

text: and

text: then

text: dragging

text: or

text: skidding

text: down

text: the

text: right

text: side

text: of

text: the

text: runway

text: There

text: was

text: a

text: cloud

text: of

text: dust

text: the

text: source

text: said

text: followed

text: by

text: a

text: fireball

text: Canary

text: Islands

text: regional

text: President

text: Paulino

text: Rivero

text: said

text: after

text: meeting

text: with

text: Spain

text: 's

text: prime

text: minister

text: Jose

text: Luis

text: Rodriguez

text: Zapatero

text: that

text: the

text: latter

text: had

text: seen

text: the

text: video

text: and

text: described

text: it

text: as

text: showing

text: the

text: plane

text: using

text: up

text: all

text: the

text: runway

text: as

text: it

text: tried

text: to

text: take

text: off

text: but

text: then

text: never

text: reaching

text: adequate

text: altitude

text: The

text: Associated

text: Press

text: reported

text: Eighty

text: of

text: the

text: bodies

text: recovered

text: from

text: the

text: wreckage

text: of

text: Wednesday

text: 's

text: fiery

text: plane

text: crash

text: have

text: been

text: identified

text: Spanish

text: authorities

text: said

text: Friday

text: Watch

text: as

text: Spain

text: deals

text: with

text: tragedy

text: Â

text: Many

text: of

text: the

text: bodies

text: are

text: so

text: badly

text: burned

text: that

text: fingerprint

text: identification

text: is

text: impossible

text: and

text: investigators

text: will

text: have

text: to

text: rely

text: on

text: DNA

text: officials

text: said

text: Nineteen

text: survivors

text: remained

text: hospitalized

text: Friday

text: The

text: plane

text: was

text: all

text: but

text: destroyed

text: in

text: the

text: crash

text: a

text: rescue

text: worker

text: said

text: When

text: emergency

text: crews

text: arrived

text: on

text: the

text: scene

text: you

text: could

text: n't

text: distinguish

text: that

text: there

text: was

text: an

text: aircraft

text: there

text: apart

text: from

text: the

text: remains

text: of

text: the

text: tail

text: Ergivio

text: Corral

text: said

text: If

text: you

text: did

text: n't

text: know

text: it

text: you

text: would

text: n't

text: have

text: been

text: able

text: to

text: say

text: there

text: was

text: a

text: plane

text: Watch

text: moment

text: of

text: silence

text: Â

text: Authorities

text: have

text: handed

text: over

text: the

text: remains

text: of

text: victims

text: to

text: their

text: families

text: officials

text: said

text: Families

text: of

text: the

text: victims

text: are

text: being

text: housed

text: in

text: a

text: hotel

text: near

text: the

text: airport

text: and

text: the

text: government

text: planned

text: to

text: brief

text: them

text: on

text: the

text: crash

text: investigation

text: Friday

text: The

text: cause

text: of

text: the

text: accident

text: is

text: still

text: unknown

text: but

text: Spanair

text: spokesman

text: Javier

text: Mendoza

text: said

text: flight

text: data

text: recorders

text: had

text: been

text: recovered

text: iReport.com

text: Share

text: your

text: photos

text: videos

text: from

text: the

text: scene

text: One

text: of

text: them

text: seems

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: little

text: bit

text: damaged

text: but

text: investigators

text: are

text: confident

text: they

text: could

text: use

text: the

text: information

text: Mendoza

text: said

text: But

text: we

text: have

text: to

text: wait

text: for

text: the

text: downloading

text: and

text: the

text: analysis

text: before

text: any

text: conclusions

text: can

text: be

text: drawn

text: he

text: said

text: Witnesses

text: reported

text: that

text: the

text: plane

text: banked

text: violently

text: to

text: the

text: right

text: as

text: it

text: attempted

text: to

text: take

text: off

text: before

text: slamming

text: back

text: to

text: the

text: ground

text: and

text: coming

text: to

text: a

text: rest

text: in

text: a

text: gully

text: just

text: off

text: the

text: runway

text: at

text: Madrid

text: 's

text: Bajaras

text: airport

text: Watch

text: as

text: the

text: wounded

text: arrive

text: at

text: a

text: hospital

text: Â

text: The

text: plane

text: 's

text: departure

text: had

text: been

text: delayed

text: for

text: nearly

text: two

text: hours

text: due

text: to

text: a

text: technical

text: problem

text: with

text: the

text: aircraft

text: Mendoza

text: said

text: but

text: it

text: was

text: not

text: clear

text: whether

text: that

text: fault

text: was

text: related

text: to

text: the

text: crash

text: The

text: heating

text: problem

text: was

text: treated

text: and

text: corrected

text: by

text: Spanair

text: maintenance

text: personnel

text: he

text: said

text: We

text: have

text: reviewed

text: the

text: details

text: on

text: this

text: faulty

text: situation

text: with

text: the

text: inspectors

text: of

text: our

text: civil

text: aviation

text: authority

text: he

text: said

text: and

text: we

text: all

text: come

text: to

text: the

text: conclusion

text: that

text: was

text: nothing

text: abnormal

text: in

text: this

text: resolution

text: of

text: that

text: problem

text: Madrid

text: observed

text: five

text: minutes

text: of

text: silence

text: Thursday

text: to

text: honor

text: the

text: victims

text: and

text: the

text: country

text: began

text: three

text: days

text: of

text: mourning

text: See

text: a

text: map

text: of

text: the

text: airport

text: Â

text: The

text: McDonnell

text: Douglas

text: carried

text: passengers

text: four

text: non

text: working

text: crew

text: members

text: and

text: six

text: working

text: crew

text: members

text: Spanair

text: said

text: The

text: aircraft

text: was

text: also

text: carrying

text: seven

text: passengers

text: from

text: Lufthansa

text: Flight

text: on

text: a

text: flight

text: scheduled

text: to

text: take

text: more

text: than

text: two

text: hours

text: airline

text: spokeswoman

text: Henriette

text: Ellekrog

text: said

text: Spanair

text: a

text: low

text: cost

text: airline

text: that

text: has

text: a

text: flight

text: sharing

text: agreement

text: with

text: Lufthansa

text: is

text: owned

text: by

text: SAS

text: Scandinavian

text: Airlines

text: Twenty

text: two

text: of

text: the

text: passengers

text: were

text: children

text: two

text: of

text: them

text: infants

text: Spanair

text: said

text: After

text: contacting

text: families

text: the

text: airline

text: published

text: the

text: names

text: of

text: those

text: aboard

text: on

text: its

text: Web

text: site

text: It

text: was

text: the

text: first

text: fatal

text: accident

text: at

text: the

text: airport

text: since

text: December

text: when

text: people

text: were

text: killed

text: as

text: two

text: Spanish

text: airliners

text: collided

text: while

text: taxiing

text: for

text: takeoff

text: The

text: airport

text: which

text: sits

text: eight

text: miles

text: km

text: northeast

text: of

text: central

text: Madrid

text: is

text: Spain

text: 's

text: busiest

text: handling

text: more

text: than

text: million

text: passengers

text: a

text: year

text: CNN

text: 's

text: Madrid

text: Bureau

text: Chief

text: Al

text: Goodman

text: Claudia

text: Rebaza

text: Cal

text: Perry

text: and

text: Kathleen

text: Koch

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: What happened to the plane after the runway skid?

answer: caught fire

text: caught fire

question: How many people died?

answer: 153

question: Where did the plane crash?

answer: MADRID, Spain

text: MADRID, Spain

question: What was the death toll of the Spanair crash?

answer: 153 people

text: 153 people

question: What did the video show?

answer: the plane lifting off, veering sharply right and then dragging or skidding down the right side of the runway.

text: the plane lifting off, veering sharply right and then dragging or skidding down the right side of the runway.

question: How will the victims be identified?

answer: DNA,

text: DNA,

question: What will be used for victim identification?

answer: DNA,

text: DNA,

question: What will DNA tests be used for?

answer: identification

text: identification

question: What plane crashed in Madrid?

answer: Spanair MD-82 airliner

text: Spanair MD-82 airliner

question: What did the video show about Spanair?

answer: the plane lifting off, veering sharply right and then dragging or skidding down the right side of the runway. There was a cloud of dust,

text: the plane lifting off, veering sharply right and then dragging or skidding down the right side of the runway. There was a cloud of dust,

question: What will be used to identify the victims?

answer: DNA,

text: DNA,


text:
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- The optimism once held by many Americans has been "beaten out" of them amid a lagging economy, threat of terrorism and two ongoing wars, according to a professor at Emory University.

"All of those things ... have made people start to be much more doubtful than they used to be," says Patrick Allitt, a British citizen who teaches American history.

Allitt recently wrote about what he describes as "America the miserable" -- the mood swing he has seen in his 30 years in the U.S. -- for The Spectator, a British magazine.

Read the professor's full essay

Allitt spoke with CNN about his perspective. Below is a transcript of that conversation, which has been edited:

CNN: How would you describe the change in America since you first came to America?

Allitt: The change is this: I don't get the same sense of intense self confidence as I used to feel when I first came to America, even though that was a period that's usually remembered as a pretty grim time -- the Jimmy Carter years when there was a lot of stagnation and inflation and a general feeling of malaise. Even so, to me, it seemed incredibly energetic here. People in America worked much, much harder than they did in Britain. They seemed more upbeat. They had faith in progress. And there was this feeling of being intensely wide awake for the first time. But now, I think some of that optimism has been beaten out.

Counter: Why there's reason for optimism

It's been a very tough 10 years since 2001, hasn't it? The attack on the World Trade Center, the growing fear of terrorism, the difficulty of prevailing in the wars, obviously, more recently the recession. All of those things, collectively, have made people start to be much more doubtful than they used to be.

CNN: Do you attribute it to a change in American mentality or are we exposed to an array of different beliefs through the ever-expanding media landscape?

Allitt: It's certainly true there are far more media than there used to be ... that devote a lot of time to people who are dissatisfied. In other words, if somebody's happy, that isn't news. It's certainly news when they become dissatisfied in some way or they have some kind of problem to deal with. In that sense, I suppose there's an inherent bias in favor of bad news.

But I think it's more than that. I've spent most of the last 30 years in the company of academics, who also tend to be pessimistic people. They tend to have very high ideals for America. When they see it doesn't live up to its ideals, it makes them disappointed and sometimes embittered. So it may be that, if I spent more time with less educated people, I wouldn't have this sense quite so acutely.

I think that's quite possible.

CNN: You write: "The decline of American confidence isn't just a temporary blip on the screen brought on by the recession." Elaborate on that for me.

Allitt: Even before this recession began, I guess it was in October and November 2008 when things really started to go bad. Already by then, I was having a feeling that the general national optimism was less emphatic than it used to be.

In the first five or six years of the last decade, there was this feeling that things were going wrong, particularly that the wars were grinding on interminably and that it was very difficult to prevail. It wasn't the same kind of decisive conflict as World War II where you're fighting against a nation-state and you can clearly detect when you're winning. The dispersal of the enemy and the very shadowy character of terrorism tends to be very depressing to confront. You have to maintain a high degree of vigilance and sometimes you have to take comfort in thinking what's extraordinary is what didn't happen; there wasn't another major attack.

That doesn't feel like a victory. ... That kind of thing is what I was attentive to when I was writing this story.

CNN: If we are in this funk as you describe, is there anything wrong with that? And how do we emerge from it?

Allitt: The one thing I've always admired about Americans is their willingness to be self-critical. I do think you could take the view that the very fact that so many Americans are willing to scrutinize their own behavior and their nation's behavior is a sign that they do have these high ideals and they want to live up to them.

So in that sense, you can take an optimistic view, even of pessimism -- that sooner or later, the sheer attention to it is going to cause people to recover.

But I do think there are generational trends in American life. People who were brought up in the 1930s during the Great Depression -- the image of it stayed with them for a lifetime. ... In the same way, I expect the kids who have grown up in the last few years are also going to carry the marks of this with them through life. They'll come into conflict with their own children who have different generational experiences. It's impossible at this stage to say what's going to happen next. ...

But it certainly is true studying the American past, you can see how various traumatic events through the nation's history leave a long-term impression on the people themselves.

CNN: You kind of hint about this in your piece: Maybe you're just going through a midlife crisis and that's why you might have this view.

Allitt: I think that's possible, but I think I'm describing something more real than that. My job is to study the American people in the past; but also to some extent in the present. I really do feel this kind of change has come about. But you can't quantify it. You can't say 8 out of 10 people are optimistic -- or at least if you try to you're really giving a false sense of definiteness. So what I'm trying to do is capture a mood and compare it to a mood that I saw previously.

... I still feel there's an enormous amount of hope and potential and capability here, so I don't share the feeling of gloom, which I see in the people around me.

CNN: Describe the "Avatar" analogy for me?

Allitt: The plot [of "Avatar"] is kind of incredibly depressing. The corporation is at the center of this planet. First of all, they have invaded the planet. And now they're sort of stomping on the homeland of the blue people who live there. And really the picture it gives you of America is incredibly depressing.

It shows Americans to be greedy and incredibly violent and intolerant, and they haven't got time for this anthropological experiment that's going on.

But obviously, the hero is one of the Americans. He's clearly an outsider. ... The main part of the story is a condemnation of America and its values. I was surprised how few reviewers said this picture is a grotesque distortion of what we're really like.

CNN: Have you started receiving hate mail yet: Hey, Brit, get the hell out of our country?

Allitt: No, not at all.

... It certainly isn't meant to be an attack on America; quite the opposite. As I say, I'm very, very pro-American.

CNN: Any final thoughts?

Allitt: To me, coming from Britain, one thing that is so inspiring about the United States is people really believe in human equality and they really take it seriously and they try to make it a reality.

When I was growing up in Britain, nobody talked about equality. It's a very hierarchical society in Britain, and everyone has their own place within the hierarchy and others are below them -- and then, what you've got to do is stay in your place.

So it felt very liberating for me to come to America. Although obviously, this isn't a society where everybody is equal in practice. But at least this is a place where everybody tries hard to make sure that every kid really does have the opportunities to make the most of their own abilities.

And that's a great thing. There haven't been many societies in the entire history of the world that have been like that.

text: Atlanta

text: Georgia

text: CNN

text: The

text: optimism

text: once

text: held

text: by

text: many

text: Americans

text: has

text: been

text: beaten

text: out

text: of

text: them

text: amid

text: a

text: lagging

text: economy

text: threat

text: of

text: terrorism

text: and

text: two

text: ongoing

text: wars

text: according

text: to

text: a

text: professor

text: at

text: Emory

text: University

text: All

text: of

text: those

text: things

text: have

text: made

text: people

text: start

text: to

text: be

text: much

text: more

text: doubtful

text: than

text: they

text: used

text: to

text: be

text: says

text: Patrick

text: Allitt

text: a

text: British

text: citizen

text: who

text: teaches

text: American

text: history

text: Allitt

text: recently

text: wrote

text: about

text: what

text: he

text: describes

text: as

text: America

text: the

text: miserable

text: the

text: mood

text: swing

text: he

text: has

text: seen

text: in

text: his

text: years

text: in

text: the

text: U.S.

text: for

text: The

text: Spectator

text: a

text: British

text: magazine

text: Read

text: the

text: professor

text: 's

text: full

text: essay

text: Allitt

text: spoke

text: with

text: CNN

text: about

text: his

text: perspective

text: Below

text: is

text: a

text: transcript

text: of

text: that

text: conversation

text: which

text: has

text: been

text: edited

text: CNN

text: How

text: would

text: you

text: describe

text: the

text: change

text: in

text: America

text: since

text: you

text: first

text: came

text: to

text: America

text: Allitt

text: The

text: change

text: is

text: this

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: get

text: the

text: same

text: sense

text: of

text: intense

text: self

text: confidence

text: as

text: I

text: used

text: to

text: feel

text: when

text: I

text: first

text: came

text: to

text: America

text: even

text: though

text: that

text: was

text: a

text: period

text: that

text: 's

text: usually

text: remembered

text: as

text: a

text: pretty

text: grim

text: time

text: the

text: Jimmy

text: Carter

text: years

text: when

text: there

text: was

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: stagnation

text: and

text: inflation

text: and

text: a

text: general

text: feeling

text: of

text: malaise

text: Even

text: so

text: to

text: me

text: it

text: seemed

text: incredibly

text: energetic

text: here

text: People

text: in

text: America

text: worked

text: much

text: much

text: harder

text: than

text: they

text: did

text: in

text: Britain

text: They

text: seemed

text: more

text: upbeat

text: They

text: had

text: faith

text: in

text: progress

text: And

text: there

text: was

text: this

text: feeling

text: of

text: being

text: intensely

text: wide

text: awake

text: for

text: the

text: first

text: time

text: But

text: now

text: I

text: think

text: some

text: of

text: that

text: optimism

text: has

text: been

text: beaten

text: out

text: Counter

text: Why

text: there

text: 's

text: reason

text: for

text: optimism

text: It

text: 's

text: been

text: a

text: very

text: tough

text: years

text: since

text: has

text: n't

text: it

text: The

text: attack

text: on

text: the

text: World

text: Trade

text: Center

text: the

text: growing

text: fear

text: of

text: terrorism

text: the

text: difficulty

text: of

text: prevailing

text: in

text: the

text: wars

text: obviously

text: more

text: recently

text: the

text: recession

text: All

text: of

text: those

text: things

text: collectively

text: have

text: made

text: people

text: start

text: to

text: be

text: much

text: more

text: doubtful

text: than

text: they

text: used

text: to

text: be

text: CNN

text: Do

text: you

text: attribute

text: it

text: to

text: a

text: change

text: in

text: American

text: mentality

text: or

text: are

text: we

text: exposed

text: to

text: an

text: array

text: of

text: different

text: beliefs

text: through

text: the

text: ever

text: expanding

text: media

text: landscape

text: Allitt

text: It

text: 's

text: certainly

text: true

text: there

text: are

text: far

text: more

text: media

text: than

text: there

text: used

text: to

text: be

text: that

text: devote

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: time

text: to

text: people

text: who

text: are

text: dissatisfied

text: In

text: other

text: words

text: if

text: somebody

text: 's

text: happy

text: that

text: is

text: n't

text: news

text: It

text: 's

text: certainly

text: news

text: when

text: they

text: become

text: dissatisfied

text: in

text: some

text: way

text: or

text: they

text: have

text: some

text: kind

text: of

text: problem

text: to

text: deal

text: with

text: In

text: that

text: sense

text: I

text: suppose

text: there

text: 's

text: an

text: inherent

text: bias

text: in

text: favor

text: of

text: bad

text: news

text: But

text: I

text: think

text: it

text: 's

text: more

text: than

text: that

text: I

text: 've

text: spent

text: most

text: of

text: the

text: last

text: years

text: in

text: the

text: company

text: of

text: academics

text: who

text: also

text: tend

text: to

text: be

text: pessimistic

text: people

text: They

text: tend

text: to

text: have

text: very

text: high

text: ideals

text: for

text: America

text: When

text: they

text: see

text: it

text: does

text: n't

text: live

text: up

text: to

text: its

text: ideals

text: it

text: makes

text: them

text: disappointed

text: and

text: sometimes

text: embittered

text: So

text: it

text: may

text: be

text: that

text: if

text: I

text: spent

text: more

text: time

text: with

text: less

text: educated

text: people

text: I

text: would

text: n't

text: have

text: this

text: sense

text: quite

text: so

text: acutely

text: I

text: think

text: that

text: 's

text: quite

text: possible

text: CNN

text: You

text: write

text: The

text: decline

text: of

text: American

text: confidence

text: is

text: n't

text: just

text: a

text: temporary

text: blip

text: on

text: the

text: screen

text: brought

text: on

text: by

text: the

text: recession

text: Elaborate

text: on

text: that

text: for

text: me

text: Allitt

text: Even

text: before

text: this

text: recession

text: began

text: I

text: guess

text: it

text: was

text: in

text: October

text: and

text: November

text: when

text: things

text: really

text: started

text: to

text: go

text: bad

text: Already

text: by

text: then

text: I

text: was

text: having

text: a

text: feeling

text: that

text: the

text: general

text: national

text: optimism

text: was

text: less

text: emphatic

text: than

text: it

text: used

text: to

text: be

text: In

text: the

text: first

text: five

text: or

text: six

text: years

text: of

text: the

text: last

text: decade

text: there

text: was

text: this

text: feeling

text: that

text: things

text: were

text: going

text: wrong

text: particularly

text: that

text: the

text: wars

text: were

text: grinding

text: on

text: interminably

text: and

text: that

text: it

text: was

text: very

text: difficult

text: to

text: prevail

text: It

text: was

text: n't

text: the

text: same

text: kind

text: of

text: decisive

text: conflict

text: as

text: World

text: War

text: II

text: where

text: you

text: 're

text: fighting

text: against

text: a

text: nation

text: state

text: and

text: you

text: can

text: clearly

text: detect

text: when

text: you

text: 're

text: winning

text: The

text: dispersal

text: of

text: the

text: enemy

text: and

text: the

text: very

text: shadowy

text: character

text: of

text: terrorism

text: tends

text: to

text: be

text: very

text: depressing

text: to

text: confront

text: You

text: have

text: to

text: maintain

text: a

text: high

text: degree

text: of

text: vigilance

text: and

text: sometimes

text: you

text: have

text: to

text: take

text: comfort

text: in

text: thinking

text: what

text: 's

text: extraordinary

text: is

text: what

text: did

text: n't

text: happen

text: there

text: was

text: n't

text: another

text: major

text: attack

text: That

text: does

text: n't

text: feel

text: like

text: a

text: victory

text: That

text: kind

text: of

text: thing

text: is

text: what

text: I

text: was

text: attentive

text: to

text: when

text: I

text: was

text: writing

text: this

text: story

text: CNN

text: If

text: we

text: are

text: in

text: this

text: funk

text: as

text: you

text: describe

text: is

text: there

text: anything

text: wrong

text: with

text: that

text: And

text: how

text: do

text: we

text: emerge

text: from

text: it

text: Allitt

text: The

text: one

text: thing

text: I

text: 've

text: always

text: admired

text: about

text: Americans

text: is

text: their

text: willingness

text: to

text: be

text: self

text: critical

text: I

text: do

text: think

text: you

text: could

text: take

text: the

text: view

text: that

text: the

text: very

text: fact

text: that

text: so

text: many

text: Americans

text: are

text: willing

text: to

text: scrutinize

text: their

text: own

text: behavior

text: and

text: their

text: nation

text: 's

text: behavior

text: is

text: a

text: sign

text: that

text: they

text: do

text: have

text: these

text: high

text: ideals

text: and

text: they

text: want

text: to

text: live

text: up

text: to

text: them

text: So

text: in

text: that

text: sense

text: you

text: can

text: take

text: an

text: optimistic

text: view

text: even

text: of

text: pessimism

text: that

text: sooner

text: or

text: later

text: the

text: sheer

text: attention

text: to

text: it

text: is

text: going

text: to

text: cause

text: people

text: to

text: recover

text: But

text: I

text: do

text: think

text: there

text: are

text: generational

text: trends

text: in

text: American

text: life

text: People

text: who

text: were

text: brought

text: up

text: in

text: the

text: during

text: the

text: Great

text: Depression

text: the

text: image

text: of

text: it

text: stayed

text: with

text: them

text: for

text: a

text: lifetime

text: In

text: the

text: same

text: way

text: I

text: expect

text: the

text: kids

text: who

text: have

text: grown

text: up

text: in

text: the

text: last

text: few

text: years

text: are

text: also

text: going

text: to

text: carry

text: the

text: marks

text: of

text: this

text: with

text: them

text: through

text: life

text: They

text: 'll

text: come

text: into

text: conflict

text: with

text: their

text: own

text: children

text: who

text: have

text: different

text: generational

text: experiences

text: It

text: 's

text: impossible

text: at

text: this

text: stage

text: to

text: say

text: what

text: 's

text: going

text: to

text: happen

text: next

text: But

text: it

text: certainly

text: is

text: true

text: studying

text: the

text: American

text: past

text: you

text: can

text: see

text: how

text: various

text: traumatic

text: events

text: through

text: the

text: nation

text: 's

text: history

text: leave

text: a

text: long

text: term

text: impression

text: on

text: the

text: people

text: themselves

text: CNN

text: You

text: kind

text: of

text: hint

text: about

text: this

text: in

text: your

text: piece

text: Maybe

text: you

text: 're

text: just

text: going

text: through

text: a

text: midlife

text: crisis

text: and

text: that

text: 's

text: why

text: you

text: might

text: have

text: this

text: view

text: Allitt

text: I

text: think

text: that

text: 's

text: possible

text: but

text: I

text: think

text: I

text: 'm

text: describing

text: something

text: more

text: real

text: than

text: that

text: My

text: job

text: is

text: to

text: study

text: the

text: American

text: people

text: in

text: the

text: past

text: but

text: also

text: to

text: some

text: extent

text: in

text: the

text: present

text: I

text: really

text: do

text: feel

text: this

text: kind

text: of

text: change

text: has

text: come

text: about

text: But

text: you

text: ca

text: n't

text: quantify

text: it

text: You

text: ca

text: n't

text: say

text: out

text: of

text: people

text: are

text: optimistic

text: or

text: at

text: least

text: if

text: you

text: try

text: to

text: you

text: 're

text: really

text: giving

text: a

text: false

text: sense

text: of

text: definiteness

text: So

text: what

text: I

text: 'm

text: trying

text: to

text: do

text: is

text: capture

text: a

text: mood

text: and

text: compare

text: it

text: to

text: a

text: mood

text: that

text: I

text: saw

text: previously

text: I

text: still

text: feel

text: there

text: 's

text: an

text: enormous

text: amount

text: of

text: hope

text: and

text: potential

text: and

text: capability

text: here

text: so

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: share

text: the

text: feeling

text: of

text: gloom

text: which

text: I

text: see

text: in

text: the

text: people

text: around

text: me

text: CNN

text: Describe

text: the

text: Avatar

text: analogy

text: for

text: me

text: Allitt

text: The

text: plot

text: of

text: Avatar

text: is

text: kind

text: of

text: incredibly

text: depressing

text: The

text: corporation

text: is

text: at

text: the

text: center

text: of

text: this

text: planet

text: First

text: of

text: all

text: they

text: have

text: invaded

text: the

text: planet

text: And

text: now

text: they

text: 're

text: sort

text: of

text: stomping

text: on

text: the

text: homeland

text: of

text: the

text: blue

text: people

text: who

text: live

text: there

text: And

text: really

text: the

text: picture

text: it

text: gives

text: you

text: of

text: America

text: is

text: incredibly

text: depressing

text: It

text: shows

text: Americans

text: to

text: be

text: greedy

text: and

text: incredibly

text: violent

text: and

text: intolerant

text: and

text: they

text: have

text: n't

text: got

text: time

text: for

text: this

text: anthropological

text: experiment

text: that

text: 's

text: going

text: on

text: But

text: obviously

text: the

text: hero

text: is

text: one

text: of

text: the

text: Americans

text: He

text: 's

text: clearly

text: an

text: outsider

text: The

text: main

text: part

text: of

text: the

text: story

text: is

text: a

text: condemnation

text: of

text: America

text: and

text: its

text: values

text: I

text: was

text: surprised

text: how

text: few

text: reviewers

text: said

text: this

text: picture

text: is

text: a

text: grotesque

text: distortion

text: of

text: what

text: we

text: 're

text: really

text: like

text: CNN

text: Have

text: you

text: started

text: receiving

text: hate

text: mail

text: yet

text: Hey

text: Brit

text: get

text: the

text: hell

text: out

text: of

text: our

text: country

text: Allitt

text: No

text: not

text: at

text: all

text: It

text: certainly

text: is

text: n't

text: meant

text: to

text: be

text: an

text: attack

text: on

text: America

text: quite

text: the

text: opposite

text: As

text: I

text: say

text: I

text: 'm

text: very

text: very

text: pro

text: American

text: CNN

text: Any

text: final

text: thoughts

text: Allitt

text: To

text: me

text: coming

text: from

text: Britain

text: one

text: thing

text: that

text: is

text: so

text: inspiring

text: about

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: is

text: people

text: really

text: believe

text: in

text: human

text: equality

text: and

text: they

text: really

text: take

text: it

text: seriously

text: and

text: they

text: try

text: to

text: make

text: it

text: a

text: reality

text: When

text: I

text: was

text: growing

text: up

text: in

text: Britain

text: nobody

text: talked

text: about

text: equality

text: It

text: 's

text: a

text: very

text: hierarchical

text: society

text: in

text: Britain

text: and

text: everyone

text: has

text: their

text: own

text: place

text: within

text: the

text: hierarchy

text: and

text: others

text: are

text: below

text: them

text: and

text: then

text: what

text: you

text: 've

text: got

text: to

text: do

text: is

text: stay

text: in

text: your

text: place

text: So

text: it

text: felt

text: very

text: liberating

text: for

text: me

text: to

text: come

text: to

text: America

text: Although

text: obviously

text: this

text: is

text: n't

text: a

text: society

text: where

text: everybody

text: is

text: equal

text: in

text: practice

text: But

text: at

text: least

text: this

text: is

text: a

text: place

text: where

text: everybody

text: tries

text: hard

text: to

text: make

text: sure

text: that

text: every

text: kid

text: really

text: does

text: have

text: the

text: opportunities

text: to

text: make

text: the

text: most

text: of

text: their

text: own

text: abilities

text: And

text: that

text: 's

text: a

text: great

text: thing

text: There

text: have

text: n't

text: been

text: many

text: societies

text: in

text: the

text: entire

text: history

text: of

text: the

text: world

text: that

text: have

text: been

text: like

text: that

question: What is the name of the British professor?

answer: Patrick Allitt,

text: Patrick Allitt,

question: What is the mood like according to Allitt?

answer: miserable"

text: miserable"

question: what does Patrick Allitt say about u.s. optimism?

answer: have made people start to be much more doubtful than they used to be,"

text: have made people start to be much more doubtful than they used to be,"

question: who is greed and violent according to Allitt?

answer: Americans

text: Americans


text:
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed Friday there was "a conspiracy with certain international forces" to belittle his government's military victories against Tamil Tiger rebels.

Sri Lankan army troops have had there most decisive victories against the Tamil Tigers in recent weeks.

The aim of these conspirators, he said in an address to the nation, "is to level unfounded charges against the army commander who works with greatest dedication to achieve these victories."

He also used the address to formally announce the recapture of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had remained in rebel hands for over nine years.

The recapture enable the government to use the A-9 highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Until now it was done either by air or by sea.

Rajapaksa's remarks came amid mounting attacks on the media.

On Tuesday a group armed with rifles, pistols and grenades attacked the country's most popular privately owned television channel MTV.

The main control room equipment costing more than $ 1.7 million was damaged.

On Thursday, Lasantha Wickrematunga, chief editor of The Sunday Leader, a newspaper which had exposed corruption and criticized aspects of ongoing military operations, was shot dead.

Earlier Friday, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremasinghe, accused military and security officials of the attacks, saying the government could not control them.

"Armed forces members are shocked about these incidents. The armed forces says due to the activities of few intelligence sections, the reputation of the country is being ruined. That is the team which the government has no control of," he told parliament.

Rajapaksa said there were efforts to belittle military victories "to turn the attention of the people to other directions."

He said such "conspiracies arise when a country moves ahead without giving in to external pressures."

He added "one must not mistake these conspiracies as being against me or my government. This is a conspiracy against the entire country by those who have been driven to fear due to the successes of our security forces."

Meanwhile, fighting in northern Sri Lanka between government and rebel forces escalated on several fronts Friday, while Tamil Tiger rebels killed seven people in a roadside bombing.

Three members of the Sri Lankan air force and four civilians died when rebels exploded a claymore landmine in the village of Morawewa, near the northeastern port city of Trincomalee, police said. The strategic port town is located about 240km (150 miles) north of the capital, Colombo.

Friday's incident came as troops pursued their military campaign in the northern Wanni region to recapture remaining rebel strongholds, military sources said. Government troops were said to be meeting fierce resistance as they advanced on the Tamil stronghold of Mullaitivu and a naval blockade remained in the northeastern seas.

The 25-year long civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. The U.S. State Department has designated the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organization.

text: COLOMBO

text: Sri

text: Lanka

text: CNN

text: Sri

text: Lanka

text: President

text: Mahinda

text: Rajapaksa

text: claimed

text: Friday

text: there

text: was

text: a

text: conspiracy

text: with

text: certain

text: international

text: forces

text: to

text: belittle

text: his

text: government

text: 's

text: military

text: victories

text: against

text: Tamil

text: Tiger

text: rebels

text: Sri

text: Lankan

text: army

text: troops

text: have

text: had

text: there

text: most

text: decisive

text: victories

text: against

text: the

text: Tamil

text: Tigers

text: in

text: recent

text: weeks

text: The

text: aim

text: of

text: these

text: conspirators

text: he

text: said

text: in

text: an

text: address

text: to

text: the

text: nation

text: is

text: to

text: level

text: unfounded

text: charges

text: against

text: the

text: army

text: commander

text: who

text: works

text: with

text: greatest

text: dedication

text: to

text: achieve

text: these

text: victories

text: He

text: also

text: used

text: the

text: address

text: to

text: formally

text: announce

text: the

text: recapture

text: of

text: the

text: northern

text: town

text: of

text: Elephant

text: Pass

text: the

text: point

text: at

text: which

text: mainland

text: Sri

text: Lanka

text: links

text: to

text: the

text: northern

text: Jaffna

text: peninsula

text: It

text: had

text: remained

text: in

text: rebel

text: hands

text: for

text: over

text: nine

text: years

text: The

text: recapture

text: enable

text: the

text: government

text: to

text: use

text: the

text: highway

text: linking

text: the

text: mainland

text: to

text: the

text: peninsula

text: to

text: move

text: troops

text: and

text: supplies

text: Until

text: now

text: it

text: was

text: done

text: either

text: by

text: air

text: or

text: by

text: sea

text: Rajapaksa

text: 's

text: remarks

text: came

text: amid

text: mounting

text: attacks

text: on

text: the

text: media

text: On

text: Tuesday

text: a

text: group

text: armed

text: with

text: rifles

text: pistols

text: and

text: grenades

text: attacked

text: the

text: country

text: 's

text: most

text: popular

text: privately

text: owned

text: television

text: channel

text: MTV

text: The

text: main

text: control

text: room

text: equipment

text: costing

text: more

text: than

text: million

text: was

text: damaged

text: On

text: Thursday

text: Lasantha

text: Wickrematunga

text: chief

text: editor

text: of

text: The

text: Sunday

text: Leader

text: a

text: newspaper

text: which

text: had

text: exposed

text: corruption

text: and

text: criticized

text: aspects

text: of

text: ongoing

text: military

text: operations

text: was

text: shot

text: dead

text: Earlier

text: Friday

text: the

text: leader

text: of

text: the

text: main

text: opposition

text: United

text: National

text: Party

text: UNP

text: Ranil

text: Wickremasinghe

text: accused

text: military

text: and

text: security

text: officials

text: of

text: the

text: attacks

text: saying

text: the

text: government

text: could

text: not

text: control

text: them

text: Armed

text: forces

text: members

text: are

text: shocked

text: about

text: these

text: incidents

text: The

text: armed

text: forces

text: says

text: due

text: to

text: the

text: activities

text: of

text: few

text: intelligence

text: sections

text: the

text: reputation

text: of

text: the

text: country

text: is

text: being

text: ruined

text: That

text: is

text: the

text: team

text: which

text: the

text: government

text: has

text: no

text: control

text: of

text: he

text: told

text: parliament

text: Rajapaksa

text: said

text: there

text: were

text: efforts

text: to

text: belittle

text: military

text: victories

text: to

text: turn

text: the

text: attention

text: of

text: the

text: people

text: to

text: other

text: directions

text: He

text: said

text: such

text: conspiracies

text: arise

text: when

text: a

text: country

text: moves

text: ahead

text: without

text: giving

text: in

text: to

text: external

text: pressures

text: He

text: added

text: one

text: must

text: not

text: mistake

text: these

text: conspiracies

text: as

text: being

text: against

text: me

text: or

text: my

text: government

text: This

text: is

text: a

text: conspiracy

text: against

text: the

text: entire

text: country

text: by

text: those

text: who

text: have

text: been

text: driven

text: to

text: fear

text: due

text: to

text: the

text: successes

text: of

text: our

text: security

text: forces

text: Meanwhile

text: fighting

text: in

text: northern

text: Sri

text: Lanka

text: between

text: government

text: and

text: rebel

text: forces

text: escalated

text: on

text: several

text: fronts

text: Friday

text: while

text: Tamil

text: Tiger

text: rebels

text: killed

text: seven

text: people

text: in

text: a

text: roadside

text: bombing

text: Three

text: members

text: of

text: the

text: Sri

text: Lankan

text: air

text: force

text: and

text: four

text: civilians

text: died

text: when

text: rebels

text: exploded

text: a

text: claymore

text: landmine

text: in

text: the

text: village

text: of

text: Morawewa

text: near

text: the

text: northeastern

text: port

text: city

text: of

text: Trincomalee

text: police

text: said

text: The

text: strategic

text: port

text: town

text: is

text: located

text: about

text: km

text: miles

text: north

text: of

text: the

text: capital

text: Colombo

text: Friday

text: 's

text: incident

text: came

text: as

text: troops

text: pursued

text: their

text: military

text: campaign

text: in

text: the

text: northern

text: Wanni

text: region

text: to

text: recapture

text: remaining

text: rebel

text: strongholds

text: military

text: sources

text: said

text: Government

text: troops

text: were

text: said

text: to

text: be

text: meeting

text: fierce

text: resistance

text: as

text: they

text: advanced

text: on

text: the

text: Tamil

text: stronghold

text: of

text: Mullaitivu

text: and

text: a

text: naval

text: blockade

text: remained

text: in

text: the

text: northeastern

text: seas

text: The

text: long

text: civil

text: war

text: has

text: left

text: more

text: than

text: people

text: dead

text: The

text: U.S.

text: State

text: Department

text: has

text: designated

text: the

text: Tamil

text: Tigers

text: a

text: terrorist

text: organization

question: Where are government troops headed?

answer: northern Wanni region

text: northern Wanni region

question: Who is the civil war with?

answer: Tamil Tigers

text: Tamil Tigers

question: What has killed more than 65,000?

answer: civil war

text: civil war

question: Where are the government troops advancing?

answer: Tamil stronghold of Mullaitivu

text: Tamil stronghold of Mullaitivu

question: Who is in a civil war with Tamil Tigers?

answer: Sri Lankan army troops

text: Sri Lankan army troops

question: Who is the president of Sri Lanka?

answer: Mahinda Rajapaksa

text: Mahinda Rajapaksa

question: What is the death toll in the civil war?

answer: more than 65,000 people dead.

text: more than 65,000 people dead.

question: When did the civil war begin?

answer: 25-year

question: Who is the Sri Lankan president?

answer: Mahinda Rajapaksa

text: Mahinda Rajapaksa