Premise: The human rights promotion and protection secretariat of the FMLN strongly condemns the massacre of five Spanish-born Jesuit priests, and three Salvadoran citizens, carried out by the Salvadoran Armed Forces Soldiers.

Hypothesis: The Salvadoran Armed Forces Soldiers murdered three Salvadoran citizens.


Premise: The longest mission which these Salyuts supported was 63 days. The second generation Salyuts would fly missions much longer and would need to be resupplied from time to time; therefore, a supply ferry was mandatory to maintain a fully operational Salyut for two years with 40,000 pounds of fuel, food, clothing and water.

Hypothesis: Russians hold record for longest stay in space.


Premise: Oil prices, notoriously vulnerable to political events, spiked as high as $40 a barrel during the Gulf War in 1991.

Hypothesis: The Gulf War was fought in 1991.


Premise: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on April 21, 1926 in London, England. Her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of King George V. Her mother, the former Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, was the daughter of a Scottish earl. Princess Elizabeth was their first child. Her only sibling, Margaret Rose, was born in 1930.

Hypothesis: Elizabeth the Second's father was George VI.


Premise: Co-author Dr Zita Martins, a chemist and astrobiologist from Imperial College London, believes their findings suggest that some of the chemicals that generated life on Earth came from meteorite bombardments. "We are not saying that only meteorites contributed to the building blocks of life," she said, "but it's a very great contribution." Other scientists, however, do not believe that meteoritic chemicals played such a significant role. According to Emeritus Professor Robert Shapiro of New York University, "They're a subunit of a subunit of DNA. My opinion is that their amounts were utterly unimportant and insignificant." Wikinews contacted Professor Paul Davies, a physicist and astrobiologist presently at Arizona State University, about the recent findings. While he agreed with the findings, he said that he thinks such discoveries are "a red herring in the origin of life story - a hangover from the Miller-Urey experiment. Life is all about information - its replication and processing."

Hypothesis: Shapiro teaches at NY University.


Premise: In 1869 Sumner resigned his see, but continued to live at the official residence at Farnham until his death on the 15th of August 1874.

Hypothesis: Sumner died at Farnham.


Premise: Three Democrats joined the committee's 10 majority Republicans in a 13-5 vote to advance the conservative judge's nomination to the full Senate. Five Democrats opposed Roberts.

Hypothesis: The Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday, approved Judge John Roberts' nomination as the next Supreme Court Chief Justice, virtually assuring his confirmation by the Senate next week.


Premise: As a real native Detroiter, I want to remind everyone that Madonna is from Bay City, Mich., a nice place in the thumb of the state's lower peninsula.

Hypothesis: Madonna was born in Bay City, Mich.


Premise: The total estimated project cost including financing, inflation and interest during construction, is approximately US$1.1 billion.

Hypothesis: A hydroelectric project is proposed or is under construction.


Premise: Nevertheless, Salesforce.com's stock--which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CRM"--got a Wall Street reception in line with that of other recent successful tech IPOs.

Hypothesis: Salesforce.com started trading under the symbol "CRM."


Premise: Clinton informed the two parties that in the absence of an agreement, a public announcement would be made, with the apparent objective of applying pressure to both sides, particularly the Israelis.

Hypothesis: Clinton told the two sides that he would publicly announce their failure to agree, thereby pressurising them.


Premise: The policy focused on coca eradication from the territories of Peru and Bolivia. During the years of 1996 and 2000, much of the resources of "Andean Initiative" where utilized in intense aerial fumigation in coca producing areas.

Hypothesis: Peru debates border region with Ecuador.


Premise: The man known as just the "Piano Man" has left the hospital and has returned home to his native Germany. According to British tabloids, the man, after losing his job in Paris, travelled to the UK through the Channel Tunnel.

Hypothesis: The "Piano Man" came from Germany.


Premise: French police recovered five masterpieces stolen from Paris Museum last Summer including a small work by Renoir.

Hypothesis: Five masterpieces, including a Renoir, were recovered when the thief confessed.


Premise: On November 17, 2007, at the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard competition in Paris, France, American pair skaters Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent, a mirror pair team, became the first pair skaters in the world to land a throw quadruple salchow jump. The jump was ratified as clean by Technical Controller Ann Hardy-Thomas, and the International Skating Union officially proclaimed it the first in international competition on Monday, November 19th.

Hypothesis: Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent are the first pair of skaters to land a triple salchow jump.


Premise: iTunes software has seen strong sales in Europe.

Hypothesis: Strong sales for iTunes in Europe.


Premise: PARIS — Julius Meinl V, the scion of a Viennese business dynasty whose name has been synonymous since the days of the Hapsburgs with luxuries like exotic coffee, handmade tortes and discreet private banking, has been jailed on suspicion of fraud at a company linked to the family. Prosecutors accused Mr. Meinl of artificially bolstering shares of the real estate company Meinl European Land on the Vienna stock exchange, even as its investments in real estate across Eastern and Central Europe cratered.

Hypothesis: Julius Meinl V is the chairman of Austria's closely-held Meinl Bank.


Premise: Loraine besides participating in Broadway's Dreamgirls, also participated in the Off-Broadway production of "Does A Tiger Have A Necktie". In 1999, Loraine went to London, United Kingdom. There she participated in the production of "RENT" where she was cast as "Mimi" the understudy.

Hypothesis: Does A Tiger Have A Necktie was produced in London.


Premise: The program will include Falla's "Night in the Gardens of Spain," Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, Berlioz's Overture to "Beatrice and Benedict," and Roy Harris' Symphony No. 3.

Hypothesis: Beatrice and Benedict is an overture by Berlioz.


Premise: Speaking outside the hospital moments after getting her child back, Ciancio said she was confident all along that the baby would be found.

Hypothesis: Ciancio was hospitalized for speaking to the baby.


Premise: Fast forward a decade or two and scientists began to notice antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

Hypothesis: Bacteria is winning the war against antibiotics.


Premise: At the Amman Summit of Arab Women in Jordan last month, Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said womens' advancement in the Arab world will be hobbled as long as they are so poorly represented in parliaments.

Hypothesis: Women are poorly represented in parliament.


Premise: Albert Sabin developed an oral, attenuated (live) vaccine, which, with Salk's discovery, brought polio under control.

Hypothesis: Polio is under control in the world.


Premise: Nokia, Texas Instruments and other leading makers of mobile phones have formally complained to Brussels that Qualcomm, the US mobile chipmaker, has unfairly used its patents on 3G technologies.

Hypothesis: Nokia produces mobile chips.


Premise: The fifth World Social Forum (WSF) has kicked off in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.

Hypothesis: The WSF takes place in Brazil.


Premise: Gemayel's assassination is almost certain to deepen the political crisis in Lebanon, which started after the resignation of six pro-Syrian ministers, two from Hezbollah, hours after all-party round table talks collapsed.

Hypothesis: After the resignation of six pro-Syrian ministers a deep political crises started in Lebanon.


Premise: The scientific community now generally agrees that between 5 and 8 million years ago, there lived in Africa a hominid which would ultimately give rise to the first hominids and later the members of the genus Homo.

Hypothesis: Humans existed 10,000 years ago.


Premise: Tropical Storm Debby is blamed for several deaths across the Caribbean.

Hypothesis: A tropical storm has caused loss of life.


Premise: A suicide attack is an attack in which the attacker or attackers intend to kill others and intend to die in the process (see suicide). In a suicide attack in the strict sense the attacker dies by the attack itself, for example in an explosion or crash caused by the attacker.

Hypothesis: People were killed in Tamil suicide attacks.


Premise: Critics said the National Certificate of Educational Achievement or NCEA, the main qualification for high school students, would be degraded by the authority allowing text speak use in exams.

Hypothesis: NCEA is the main qualification for high school students.


Premise: Climatologists believe artificially induced climate change is the reason Australia is destined for the warmest year on record. Temperatures so far this year have averaged one degree above the 30-year average, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) told the Greenhouse 2005 - Action in Climate Change Conference being held in Melbourne this week. The head of the National Climate Centre, Michael Coughlan, says Australia has had the warmest ever first 10 months of 2005, and seems likely to be a record-breaking year.

Hypothesis: Bad weather creates problems.


Premise: While the Baltic countries are set to join the European Union soon, their economies are already in good shape. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania boast the fastest economic growth in the entire Baltic Sea region, for example.

Hypothesis: The Baltic Countries will join the EU.


Premise: The seven refineries located in Lake Charles, La., and the Texas cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur, appear to be the ones hardest hit by the water and wind that accompanied Rita.

Hypothesis: Rita caused damages to seven refineries located in Lake Charles, La.


Premise: The Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Office had earlier purposely asserted that the case is strictly in the jurisdiction of the police and the justice system.

Hypothesis: The jurisdiction of the case was queried by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Premise: Reward offers have led to recovery of stolen art.

Hypothesis: Some stolen art is recovered through offered rewards.


Premise: Someone said to be an informant within Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's trusted circle told Coalition forces the insurgent leader was going to have a meeting, it has emerged. This information appears to have led US F-16Cs to a safehouse in the Iraqi town of Hibhid, where the Jordanian and five others, including a child, were killed on Wednesday.

Hypothesis: Al-Zarquawi is dead.


Premise: The attacker wore a bullet-proof vest under his clothes and a backpack containing a knife, an axe and a fake pistol. Two other knives were found near the crime scene. The prosecutor confirmed that the man's face was painted white with blackened eyes as he committed the crime, which led international media to make comparisons to the Joker, the villain from the Batman series. "I have a question," the killer told the first employee he encountered, after which he immediately stabbed her, and started his rampage. One female day care worker attempted to disarm the killer while others locked the doors. The killer stabbed employees trying to carry children to safety.

Hypothesis: Joker appears in the Batman series.


Premise: International observers are surprised at the attack, given the recent advances that the Sri Lanka army has made, driving the LTTE from their former territories. "It is very significant that the rebels have carried out such an audacious attack when the government say that they are all but finished," opined BBC's Sinhala Editor, Priyath Liyanage. "It confirms what many of us already knew ―the rebels may be experiencing reverses on the battle field but they are not simply just going to disappear."

Hypothesis: LTTE stands for Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.


Premise: The main library at 101 E. Franklin St. changes its solo and group exhibitions monthly in the Gellman Room, the Second Floor Gallery, the Dooley Foyer and the Dooley Hall.

Hypothesis: Dooley Foyer is located in Dooley Hall.


Premise: Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer who lived from 1811 to 1886 was the equivalent of a rock star in his day. His piano compositions were extremely popular and he often gave concerts to his multitude of fans. Liszt was also the pioneer of many musical techniques, including the symphonic poem and the technique of transforming themes.

Hypothesis: Franz Liszt lived from 1811 to 1886.


Premise: Mr Gregory's conclusion in 1994 was that the ceremony, transferred to the more convenient nearest Sunday, was dying out. However, that year the Conservative government proclaimed "festivities" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

Hypothesis: 50th Anniversary of Normandy Landings lasts a year.


Premise: Zhao was removed from his position as secretary general of the Communist Party of China and placed under house arrest in 1989 after denouncing the use of force against student protesters in Tiananmen Square.

Hypothesis: Zhao was a member of the Communist Party.


Premise: The two attacks last week by the Islamic Resistance Movement, as Hamas is formally known, dramatized for both Israelis and Palestinians the dangers they face in pursuing peaceful coexistence.

Hypothesis: The Islamic Resistance Movement is also known as Hamas.


Premise: Dr Wood led a courageous and committed team in the fight to save 28 patients suffering from between two and 92 per cent body burns, deadly infections and delayed shock. As well as receiving much praise from both her own patients and the media, she also attracted controversy among other burns surgeons due to the fact that spray-on skin had not yet been subjected to clinical trials.

Hypothesis: Burns surgeons approve Dr Wood's spray-on skin.


Premise: The Dalai Lama has offered to send 50 trained teachers from the exile community to help the educational development of Tibet.

Hypothesis: The Dalai Lama has been living in exile since 1950.


Premise: World health officials warned yesterday that West Africa and Central Africa were on the verge of the worst polio outbreak in years, stemming from the refusal of a single state in northern Nigeria to vaccinate children against the disease.

Hypothesis: African polio outbreak feared


Premise: A Continental Connection flight from Newark to Buffalo crashed into a house about four to six miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Thursday night, killing 50 people, officials said. Continental Airlines Flight 3407 is a daily commuter flight from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York, operated under the Continental Connection brand by Virginia-based regional airline Colgan Air.

Hypothesis: A daily commuter flight crashed in New York.


Premise: The 60,000 customers, less than 10% of Telecom's subscribers, who subscribed to Go Large, which boasts full speeds and no data cap, since December 8, 2006 till late February, 2007 will receive up to NZ$160 in credit. Telecom has temporarily stopped either new or existing customers from signing up to the new plan, and will also ask existing customers in the next couple of weeks if they wish to change plans, stay on the same plan with a changed traffic management policy, or cancel their service.

Hypothesis: The number of internet users in New Zealand has increased.


Premise: The Prince of Wales and  Bowles will marry on Friday, April 8, at Windsor Castle, said Clarence House, Charles' residence and office.

Hypothesis: The Prince of Wales and Bowles will marry in a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle.


Premise: Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement in order to spend time with her ill husband.

Hypothesis: Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement.


Premise: SHIMOGA: The health condition of Shivu, the oldest elephant at the Sakrebylu Elephant Camp, about 15 km from here, has become a matter of concern to its maintenance staff. The elephant, which is said to be suffering from acute pain in the stomach, is refusing to take any hard food since the last one week. It has been kept on supportive medicinal system. According to sources in the wildlife section of the Department of Forests, the 85-year-old elephant is suffering from age-related weakness. Its health condition has made officials of the department and mahouts anxious.

Hypothesis: An elephant can reach the age of 85.


Premise: Local media reported on Tuesday that a gold mine collapsed in northwestern Tanzania on Sunday, killing at least twenty people. According to reports, the incident occurred at Geita region when the 100-metre-deep shaft the miners were working in collapsed after being flooded by heavy seasonal rains. Some media reports say that thirty people might have been killed by the accident.  "I know there is no hope of finding anybody alive," said Kelega Chacha, a miner who left the site soon before the mine's collapse. "We will just have to look for the bodies to give them a decent burial."

Hypothesis: Kelega Chacha died in the Geita region.


Premise: It would help the economy by putting people back to work and more money in the hands of consumers.

Hypothesis: More money in the hands of consumers means more money can be spent to get the economy going.


Premise: Even though the rug was ripped out from under Lollapalooza this week, Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell is optimistic that the eclectic music festival he co-founded in 1991 will resurface and it might be sooner than you think.

Hypothesis: Perry Farrel hopes to found another music festival.


Premise: Paul Watson, the founder of Greenpeace, will speak on campus Wednesday, March 3.

Hypothesis: Paul Watson is the founder of Greenpeace.


Premise: Organic fertilizer slowly enriches and feeds the soil. Fast acting synthetic fertilizers harm soil life.

Hypothesis: Organic fertilizers are used as soil enhancers.


Premise: In the very same room in fall, 1992, George Bush prepped to debate Clinton and Ross Perot in practice sessions with Chief of Staff John H. Sununu.

Hypothesis: Ross Perot ran for president in 1992.


Premise: The Hercules transporter plane which flew straight here from the first round of the trip in Pakistan, touched down and it was just a brisk 100m stroll to the handshakes.

Hypothesis: The Hercules transporter plane made a flight to Pakistan.


Premise: Oqueli was to fly to Nicaragua to join an international Socialist delegation, which will observe the Nicaraguan electoral campaign.

Hypothesis: Oqueli was taking part in the Nicaraguan electoral campaign.


Premise: An audience of 8.3 million people watched rural soap, "Emmerdale", on Thursday, while a live episode of "The Bill" got 7.9 million viewers.

Hypothesis: Hour-long special episodes of ITV soaps, "Emmerdale" and "The Bill", were the top-rated UK TV shows on the commercial channel's 50th anniversary.


Premise: In India, carpets are made mostly in Uttar Pradesh, which adopted a "Child Labour Abolition and Regulation Act" in 1986.

Hypothesis: The Child Labour Abolition and Regulation Act was adopted in 1986.


Premise: Expert examination of the vehicle after the crash confirmed that the braking system was flawed. Volvo had known there was a potential issue with the brakes but had not issued a recall of the affected cars for modifications. The court confirmed Volvo should pay a 200,000 euro fine. The court also confirmed that Kohtz should pay a 300 euro fine and receive a six-month suspended sentence and temporary revocation of her driving license for failure to control the Volvo.

Hypothesis: Volvo is a car manufacturer from Finland.


Premise: A plating company that dumped thousands of gallons of cyanide-laced waste water into the Los Angeles sewer system pleaded guilty.

Hypothesis: A plating company dumped cyanide-laced waste water into the Los Angeles sewer system.


Premise: The original owner, Henry Borski, opened his tavern in 1945. He later passed it on to his son Jake Borski, then it was owned by Phylis Roberts for approximately 23 years after that.

Hypothesis: Henry Borski and Jake Borski are relatives.


Premise: Controversy and discussion erupted on internet forums on 28 February 2007, when publicity was given to Essjay, a prominent Wikipedia administrator and editor, having claimed false credentials which were published in a magazine. Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia co-founder Jimbo Wales was travelling in India, and at 06:42 on March 3 he issued a statement that further information had come to his attention and he had asked the editor to resign his positions of trust within the community. At 03:17 on March 4 Essjay announced on his user talk page that he had retired and was no longer active on Wikipedia.

Hypothesis: Wikipedia was launched by Jimbo Wales.


Premise: From a research point of view, this is the first time we could identify what appears to be typical Parkinson's disease cases before people develop symptoms, says Mayo Clinic neuroscientist Matthew Farrer. "We know if someone inherits the mutation they are going to get Parkinson's disease." The mutation was discovered by sequencing the LRRK2 gene in families with Parkinson's from the US, Norway, Ireland and Poland.

Hypothesis: A genetic mutation has been linked with Parkinson's disease.


Premise: In 1997, Tyson bit off part of one of Evander Holyfield's ears in their rematch that led to Tyson's disqualification and suspension. In 2002, at a melee at a news conference in New York, Tyson bit champion Lennox Lewis' leg.

Hypothesis: Tyson bit off part of one of Evander Holyfield's ears in 2002.


Premise: As the storm passed, a celebratory mood took over the city until early Sunday morning, when rap mogul, Suge Knight, was targeted by gunfire at a Kanye West party.

Hypothesis: The most notable happening occurred early Sunday morning, when rap-label owner, Marion "Suge" Knight, was shot in the leg at a Kanye West party.


Premise: On Friday, James appeared in a Santa Barbara, California court for arraignment on charges of kidnapping and murdering a 15-year-old boy. James will plead not guilty, according to his attorney, James E. Blatt. Blatt also criticized the portrait prosecutors had painted of his client. "Have you ever seen a 20 year-old mastermind? He was not the shooter. He was not at the scene," said Blatt.

Hypothesis: James E. Blatt killed a 15-year-old-boy in California.


Premise: ASCAP is a membership association of more than 200,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers of every kind of music.

Hypothesis: More than 200,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers are members of ASCAP.


Premise: The blast observed on Dec. 27 came from a neutron star: a collapsed dead star with a sun-like mass squeezed into a sphere, just 15 miles across, in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer).

Hypothesis: The December burst came from a neutron star in the constellation Sagittarius.


Premise: In a separate mass shooting on Saturday in Pittsburgh, a man donned a bulletproof vest and killed three police officers after he had been driven into a murderous rage by an argument with his mother over a dog.  According to court papers, Richard Poplawski — who had recently been dishonourably discharged from the US Marines — had been arguing with his mother about the dog urinating inside their home early on Saturday morning when she threatened to evict him. When the argument escalated, she called the police. By the time a patrol car turned up at after 7am, Mr Poplawski, 23, had armed himself with an assault rifle, a long-arm rifle, a pistol and several rounds of ammunition.

Hypothesis: In Pittsburgh a man shot 3 policemen.


Premise: The organisation reports that it has recently seen a significant rise in the number of complaints and some of these involve modem connections being redirected, unbeknown to the users.

Hypothesis: Users were unaware of the modem connections' redirection.


Premise: During a IRS raid in Spring 2006, the government confiscated records, $42,000 in cash was seized, and that day Kent Hovind withdrew $70,000 from the Creation Science Evangelism account, half in a check; the other in cash. At the November trial, the young Earth creationist chose not to present a defense case. While the prosecution noted Hovind never filed income taxes with the government, others testified Hovind claimed he had "beat" the tax system, and employees said Hovind's evangelism was a business not a ministry.

Hypothesis: Hovind  was found guilty on 59 federal counts.


Premise: A small bronze bust of Spencer Tracy sold for £174,000.

Hypothesis: A small bronze bust of Spencer Tracy made £174,000.


Premise: During the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989, Chinese student demonstrators in Beijing built a 10-meter version of the Statue of Liberty to symbolize their struggle.

Hypothesis: The Statue of Liberty was built in 1989.


Premise: Boris Becker is a former professional tennis player for Germany.

Hypothesis: Boris Becker is a Wimbledon champion.


Premise: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 The Suns had been on fire for the entire month of January. Unfortunately for them, Kevin Garnett was holding the extinguisher when the Suns came into the Target Center on Monday night. Garnett posted a double-double, scoring 44 points and snaring 11 rebounds, as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-112. The loss prevented the Suns from posting a perfect record in the month of January, and ended the Suns' season-high 17-game winning streak. The Suns had problems answering Garnett's scoring prowess, but it was the Minnesota defense that doomed the Suns, limiting them to 17 points in the final quarter after allowing 95 from Phoenix in the first three periods. Steve Nash had 20 points and 18 assists, but in the fourth quarter he was only able to score 3 points and provide one assist.

Hypothesis: Kevin Garnett was born in Minnesota.


Premise: A referendum in Ireland proposing the country's ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon has been rejected by the electorate despite near universal support from the country's political establishment. Although in most states the issue has been (or will be) decided through parliamentary vote, Ireland was obliged to hold a referendum by its constitution. Ireland is the first state to reject the treaty which came about as a reworking of the E.U. Constitution, rejected by referenda in France and the Netherlands in 2005.

Hypothesis: European nations have signed the Treaty of Lisbon.


Premise: Lawyer David Gibbs pleaded with the appeals court to order Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted to give her parents a chance to make a complete argument before a federal court that her rights are being violated.

Hypothesis: The appeals court was their last best chance to get that feeding tube reinserted into their daughter.


Premise: Reagan was seriously wounded by a bullet fired by John Hinckley Jr. in an attempted assassination on March 30, 1981.

Hypothesis: Reagan almost died on March 30, 1981, when would-be assassin John W. Hinckley Jr. shot him.


Premise: The crisis took a sharp turn for the worse after the cabinet, without the Syrian-backed ministers, approved the UN draft document for creation of an international tribunal in the case of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's killing.

Hypothesis: The crisis worsened after the UN draft document for the creation of an international tribunal was approved.


Premise: At eurodisney, once upon a time is now in this magical kingdom where childhood fantasies and make-believe come to life.

Hypothesis: EuroDisney is located in this magical kingdom.


Premise: Recently of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), where he worked in media and public relations, Mr. Jay Walsh was announced as the replacement for Sandy Ordonez as the communications officer for the Wikimedia Foundation on an internal mailing list on Tuesday, 8 January. "I'm extremely grateful for [Sandy Ordonez's] hard work and excellent judgement," said Sue Gardner, Executive Director of Wikimedia Foundation, in her announcement. Ordonez managed the WMF's public and media relations from January 2007, and will stay on in Florida until the end of the month when the Tampa office is closed.

Hypothesis: Sandy Ordonez was replaced by Jay Walsh.


Premise: The cost for some 30 million sheets of paper used each year by Cal State Long Beach colleges and departments went up Wednesday for the first time in four years.

Hypothesis: The cost of paper is rising.


Premise: Earlier this year reporter Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to name the US-government source who identified a member of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Valerie Plame.

Hypothesis: Judith Miller works for the US Government.


Premise: A former philosophy teacher whose best-known novel, Sophie's World, was a surprise international best-seller.

Hypothesis: Sophie's World is a best seller.


Premise: Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, left Lillehammer for Sarajevo to pay tribute to the besieged host city of the 1984 Winter Games

Hypothesis: The International Olympic Commitee's head office is in Lillehammer.


Premise: The lion's share of this traffic comes from Angola, where diamonds from the area controlled by UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) rebels are subject to an embargo.

Hypothesis: Angola was subject to an embargo on the export of diamonds.


Premise: Pollner, they say, began trading with Iraq before the 1991 Persian Gulf War and continued after a U.N. embargo. For his part, Chalmers had loaned money to Iraq since the 1980s and received repayment in oil, according to industry experts.

Hypothesis: Persia bought oil from Iraq during the embargo.


Premise: Following the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, in exchange for peace with its neighbor. For over two decades, the Sinai Peninsula was home to about 7,000 Israelis.

Hypothesis: The Israel-Egypt Peace Agreement was signed in 1979.


Premise: Crude oil dips below $43 on news that Russia's justice ministry will not force Yukos to halt sales.

Hypothesis: Crude oil rises.


Premise: The widow of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, may take legal action against a new breakfast cereal called "Strawberry Fields," which she believes is too close in name to Lennon's song.

Hypothesis: Yoko Ono is John Lennon's widow.


Premise: Tom Cruise has returned to The Oprah Winfrey Show and talked about his love for Katie Holmes, but this time he was denying marital problems instead of jumping on the couch to prove his passion for the young actress. "That's laughable to me," Cruise said when Winfrey told him there was speculation that "what you and Katie have is not real". It was the first time Cruise appeared on the show since his couch-hopping stunt three years ago drew a flood of satire and ridicule. "It was something that I just felt that way, and I feel that way about her. That's just how I felt," he said in the interview, which aired on Friday in the US.

Hypothesis: Tom Cruise is married to Oprah Winfrey.


Premise: President Ford reported that a force of 70 evacuation helicopters and 865 Marines had evacuated about 1,400 U.S. citizens and 5,500 third country nationals and South Vietnamese from landing zones near the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and the Tan Son Nhut Airfield.

Hypothesis: U.S. Military evacuated U.S. citizens.


Premise: On Feb. 1, 1945, the Polish government made Warsaw its capital, and an office for urban reconstruction was set up.

Hypothesis: Warsaw remained Poland's capital after the war.


Premise: The city retains its spotless streets, immaculate shops and nonexistent crime rate. Since the slowdown, only one manufacturing company has gone bankrupt, says the city's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, because Toyota spread out orders among many of the more than 400 auto parts factories in the city, to keep them afloat through hard times. Nonetheless, Toyota's downturn has rippled through the city's economy, idling many smaller auto-related suppliers, which also cut payrolls, mainly by refusing to renew the contracts of short-term workers. After losing their jobs, many of the city's 16,400 foreign residents, mostly ethnic Japanese from Brazil and Latin America, packed up and left, residents and city officials said.

Hypothesis: Toyota Motor is located in Toyota City.


Premise: On the morning of 1 June, there was a blackout throughout most of the capital caused by urban commandos of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).

Hypothesis: FMLN caused a blackout in the capital.


Premise: Oil prices eased back from record high levels after Russia's justice ministry said embattled oil giant Yukos can continue oil production and sales.

Hypothesis: Oil prices rise.


Premise: A variety of devices could be powered selectively from a single-power source carried on the body via multiple power supply signals at different frequencies, according to the patent abstract.

Hypothesis: The patent abstract shows a number of devices using a single source.


Premise: Shelby Foote, author of the acclaimed three volume history of the American Civil War, The Civil War: A Narrative, died in Memphis on June 27 at age 88. Foote also wrote historical fiction, including Follow Me Down and Shiloh. He may be best known for his appearance in filmmaker Ken Burns' PBS documentary, The Civil War. The Modern Library ranked Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative as number 15 on its list of 100 best non-fiction books. He was commissioned to write a short history of the Civil War by Random House and spent more than 20 years on the work eventually producing the three volumes.

Hypothesis: The Civil War: A Narrative is a book written by Shelby Foote.


Premise: Drew Barrymore and Justin Long have been cast in a romantic comedy called Going the Distance. The New Line Cinema film is to be directed by documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein, who made the films The Kid Stays in the Picture and American Teen. It will be Burstein's feature film debut. Going the Distance, written by New Line staffer Geoff LaTulippe, will focus on a couple dealing with challenges arising from a cross-country romance. Media reports did not indicate a release date had been determined.

Hypothesis: Drew Barrymore is in a relationship with Justin Long.


Premise: As late as 1799, priests were still being imprisoned or deported to penal colonies and persecution only worsened after the French army led by General Louis Alexandre Berthier captured Rome and imprisoned Pope Pius VI, who would die in captivity in Valence, Drôme, France in August of 1799.

Hypothesis: Pope Pius VI died in France.


Premise: Rana told a delegation of the Nepal Trans-Himanlyan Trade Association, the only non-governmental organization which has trade relations with China, who informed the minister of the problems existing in the bilateral trade sector.

Hypothesis: Rana is the Trade Minister in China.


Premise: Last week, saw the fall of the Dutch right wing coalition government, made up of the Christian-democrats (CDA) led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, the right wing liberal party (VVD) and the so-called left-liberal D66.

Hypothesis: Three parties form a Dutch coalition government.


Premise: An official of the International Special Commission in charge of disarming Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM) announced yesterday, Saturday, that the Commission will keep its inspectors in Iraq despite Baghdad's decision to stop its cooperation with them.

Hypothesis: UNSCOM is to stay in Iraq.


Premise: Toshiba, the world's third-largest notebook computer maker behind Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., said the PC would be introduced in Japan in early 2006.

Hypothesis: Toshiba produces notebook computers.


Premise: Tintin, the Smurfs, Boule et Bill, Astérix, Natacha, Spirou and other legendary characters were created by talented artists like Hergé, Morris, Franquin and Walthéry.

Hypothesis: Spirou was created by Rob-Vel.


Premise: With oil prices at $90 a barrel and fear of recession in the UK and many other European economies, the current outlook for the coming fiscal year is poor. While it is impossible to accurately forecast full year fuel prices and yields this far in advance, there is now a significant chance that profits may decline next year, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary cautioned. Ryanair said that it is not hedged against oil price increases for the next fiscal year. However, Ryanair is not the only airline to suffer from the economic downturn. Aer Lingus shares are down 3% to €1722.30. Easyjet has declined 11%. However shrewd, Mr. O'Leary has plans to spend up to 200 million purchasing back shares in the company, which equates to 3% of the company share capital.

Hypothesis: Ryanair shares suffered a 3% decrease.


Premise: Pakistani officials announced that two South African men in their custody had confessed to planning attacks at popular tourist spots in their home country.

Hypothesis: Two South Africans were arrested in Pakistan in the past week after a shoot-out at a house between al-Qaeda operatives and security forces.


Premise: A charity today joined forces with Glasgow's new Lord Provost to launch a campaign to help the Russian city's twin. A convoy of aid is being sent to Rostov-on-Don next month by The Caring City Organisation.

Hypothesis: Rostov-on-Don is a Russian city whose twin is Glasgow.


Premise: He'll teach the new environmental engineering classes at Carroll as a full-time professor. The school said his position will be funded by a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. While Weight couldn't be reached by phone this week, past studies have taken him to Lake Titicaca in Peru, where he studied mercury levels in the lake's fish. He authored the "Hydrology Field Manual," along with other professional journals. In the fall semester, Weight will begin teaching water quality, as well as a hands-on class in stream restoration. The following spring, he'll teach new classes in air quality and groundwater flow modeling.

Hypothesis: Lake Titicaca is located in Peru.


Premise: Jyestadeva (1500-1610), was an astronomer of the Kerala school founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama and a student of Damodara. He is most known for writing the first calculus text, the Yuktibhasa . He also authored the Drk-karana on astronomical observations.

Hypothesis: Jyestadeva invented calculus.


Premise: ET confirms that actor Bruce Willis has married his girlfriend of a year, model/actress Emma Heming.  A small, private wedding ceremony took place on Saturday at Willis' home in Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos, a rep said.  In attendance were the 54-year-old actor's first wife, Demi Moore, and her husband Ashton Kutcher, as well as his daughters Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Belle. The couple plans to hold a civil ceremony when they return to California.

Hypothesis: Bruce Willis' wife is from California.


Premise: Bush and his wife, Laura, departed the White House on Thursday afternoon to spend four days at the wooded presidential retreat of rustic cabins in the Maryland mountains. Along with the first lady's mother, Jenna Welch, the weekend gathering includes the president's parents, former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara; his sister Doro Koch and her husband, Bobby; and his brother, Marvin, and his wife, Margaret.

Hypothesis: The name of George H.W. Bush's wife is Barbara.


Premise: Merseyside Police concluded after a brief inspection that the controversial blog Liverpool Evil Cabal does not break criminal law. However the council officers continue to search for the editor. The blog has been blocked on computers controlled by Liverpool Direct Ltd, a company jointly owned by Liverpool City Council and British Telecom. The council's elected officials have denied ordering the block and are currently investigating its origin.

Hypothesis: Liverpool Evil Cabal is the name of an online blog.


Premise: Kasyanov was sacked by Putin in February 2004, after he had become critical of the Kremlin's politically motivated legal attack on the Yukos oil giant and its owner, billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Hypothesis: The Kremlin is owned by Mikhail Khodorkovsky.


Premise: In June 1971 cosmonauts Georgi Dobrovolski, Vladislav Volkov, and Viktor Patsayev occupied Salyut for 23 days, setting a new record for the longest human spaceflight.

Hypothesis: 23 days is the record for the longest stay in space by a human.


Premise: The galaxy, measuring just 2,000 light-years across, is a fraction of the size of our own Milky Way, which stretches 100,000 light-years in diameter.

Hypothesis: The Milky Way measures 2,000 light-years across.


Premise: Martin was given water to drink, then taken to New Orleans Ochsner Foundation Hospital, where nurse Jinny Resor said he was treated for dehydration.

Hypothesis: Ochsner Foundation Hospital is located in New Orleans.


Premise: India, an enchanting country situated in the southern central peninsula of the Asian continent, covers over 3.28 million square kilometers.

Hypothesis: India is on the Asian continent.


Premise: Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, also a prominent anti-Syria political figure, was killed in a suicide bombing in February last year, which led to rising anti-Syrian waves and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

Hypothesis: Syrian troops have been withdrawn from Lebanon after the murder of Rafik Hariri.


Premise: Heemeyer equipped an old bulldozer with three television cameras and monitors so he could see to steer.

Hypothesis: Heemeyer had installed television cameras connected to three monitors so he could see where he was going.


Premise: A series of projects with the objective of finding solutions to some of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident have been carried out within the framework of the UNESCO Chernobyl Programme. The IHP organized a workshop to review and compare present knowledge of radionuclide transfer in the hydrological cycle.

Hypothesis: The Chernobyl disaster had repercussions outside the ex-USSR.


Premise: Seagate Technology has said it intends to buy rival company Maxtor for $1.9 billion. Both companies produce hard drives. The deal, priced at 60% of Maxtor's closing share price, is intended to acquire Maxtor's customers, not its technology. Seagate, which also makes drives for Microsoft's Xbox 360, will have over 40% of the hard drive market share. The Scotts Valley, California, based Seagate had 30% of the hard drive market. Provided the deal makes it past regulatory committees, Maxtor shareholders will receive .37 of a share of Seagate common stock for every 1 share of the Milpitas based company.

Hypothesis: Maxtor is based in Milpita.


Premise: Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp., on Monday, threw their weight behind the next-generation, HD DVD format being promoted by Toshiba Corp., in a blow to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray format.

Hypothesis: Microsoft Corp. is a competitor of Toshiba Corp.


Premise: Professional computer hackers from the secret services were brought into attempt to hack into the Government's internal secure communicationssystem, which was launched today.

Hypothesis: Non-authorized personnel illegally entered into computer networks.


Premise: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is trying to reassure lawyers for the family of Jean Charles de Menezes that the inquiry is still on track.

Hypothesis: Police issued John Wadham's statement after lawyers for the de Menezes family met with the complaints commission, demanding more information about the killing.


Premise: President Chirac has been advised that his resumption of nuclear testing would precipitate an international boycott of French products.

Hypothesis: International pressure is exerted to end French nuclear tests.


Premise: Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament has delayed the presidential vote for an eleventh time since initial voting began on September 25. The last vote was set for December 29 but has been rescheduled for January 12. A senior political source stated the reason for the delay was due to "complications in regional and international negotiations and the severing of domestic talks."

Hypothesis: Lebanon elected a new President.


Premise: Iraq became a sovereign country Monday morning, but only a dozen officials were present at the transfer of power ceremony in the heavily guarded Green Zone of Baghdad. Bremer handed over legal documents that were accepted by Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

Hypothesis: The transfer of power took place in Baghdad.


Premise: Now GMFanuc Robotics has perfected a robotic solution that is three times faster than manual spraying, can reproduce a spray pattern to an accuracy of 0.03 inch, and can be programmed easily to handle a wide range of garments.

Hypothesis: Robots are used to spray dye on garments.


Premise: Comdex -- once among the world's largest trade shows, the launching pad for new computer and software products, and a Las Vegas fixture for 20 years -- has been canceled for this year.

Hypothesis: Comdex launches trade shows for 20 years.


Premise: GUS on Friday disposed of its remaining home shopping business and last non-UK retail operation with the 390m (265m) sale of the Dutch home shopping company, Wehkamp, to Industri Kapital, a private equity firm.

Hypothesis: GUS sold Wehkamp.


Premise: Prince Charles was previously married to Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

Hypothesis: Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married in August 1997.


Premise: The town lies along the stretch of coastline designated as Gold Beach during the D-Day landings , one of the beaches used by British troops in the allied invasion. Arromanches was selected as one of the sites for two Mulberry Harbours built on the Normandy coast, the other one built further West at Omaha Beach.

Hypothesis: The Normandy landings took place in June 1944.


Premise: Jerusalem was rebuilt and served as Israel's capital off and on under various foreign rulers until 70 AD, when Roman legions burned the city and expelled its Jewish inhabitants.

Hypothesis: Israel has 70 Jewish inhabitants.


Premise: Child labor is, generally speaking, work for children that harms them or exploits them in some way (physically, mentally, morally, or by blocking access to education).

Hypothesis: Child labor is widely used in Asia.


Premise: Brad Pitt is causing havoc on his school run. The handsome actor has been spotted taking his kids to school in New York, causing local mothers to fight over who drives all their children in the mornings, in the hope of meeting the star. A source said: "Moms are fighting over who gets to carpool the kids to school. They are all dressing up and are desperate to meet him." Brad, 45, has taken on the duty of driving adopted boys Maddox, eight, and Pax, five, to class while his partner Angelina Jolie shoots her latest film 'Salt'. The couple also raise four other children, adopted daughter Zahara, four, and their naturally conceived children Shiloh, two, and eight-month-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

Hypothesis: Brad Pitt is 45 years old.


Premise: Since independence and the blood bath of partition , in which an estimated 15 million people were uprooted and 200,000 died , India and Pakistan have fought three wars , two over possession of Kashmir .

Hypothesis: India and Pakistan have fought three wars for the possession of Kashmir.


Premise: The Statue of Liberty was reopened to the public on July 5 after its extensive refurbishing. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Hypothesis: The Statute of Liberty was built in 1986.


Premise: Apart from the new substances entering the market, the phase out of existing ones, which have been definitely identified as damaging the ozone layer, is far from complete.

Hypothesis: New substances are damaging the ozone layer.


Premise: On 12 August, the San Carlos Battalion came across mines placed in their path and one soldier was killed while two were seriously injured. Meanwhile on 10 August, urban commandos took a patrol car by surprise and dropped a grenade inside the car, injuring four and partially destroying the vehicle.

Hypothesis: Four people were injured by a grenade.


Premise: Mental health problems in children and adolescents are on the rise, the British Medical Association has warned, and services are ill-equipped to cope.

Hypothesis: Mental health problems increase in the young.


Premise: Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai were among foreign dignitaries flying in for Endon's funeral later Thursday. Thousands of people filed past Endon's body, which lay in state wrapped in white linen on a table while Muslim clerics recited verses from the Quran.

Hypothesis: Lee Hsien Loong is friends with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.


Premise: In Italy, big protests by students and university staff against government reforms to higher education brought parts of central Rome to a standstill on Tuesday.

Hypothesis: The Italian government introduces reforms to higher education.


Premise: In Britain, they channel their energies into gardening and riding. In Holland, they travel by bicycle to prove that they are of the people. But, conforming to a national stereotype, the Italian royal family, exiled from their homeland for 60 years, prefer fast cars and beautiful women.

Hypothesis: Italian royal family returns home.


Premise: No case of indigenously acquired rabies infection has been confirmed in man or any animal species during the past 2 years.

Hypothesis: A case of rabies was confirmed.


Premise: In 2005, Leland Yee, a California State Senator (in District 8 which includes the western half of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County), Speaker pro Tempore of the Assembly (D-San Francisco/Daly City), introduced California Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793 which barred "ultra-violent" video games from minors under the age of eighteen in California and mandated the application of ESRB ratings for video games. "California Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793" were commonly called the "ultraviolent video games bills" or simply "video game ban" bills. Bill 1792 banned the sales of such video games while Bill 1793 required signs explaining the regulations on said games to be placed where such were sold. Both bills were passed by the Assembly and signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger into law (AB 1179) on October 7, 2005.

Hypothesis: California Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793 are laws against ultraviolent video games.


Premise: 'Seeing that the decision to exploit oil in block 16 has been taken, we are now working to make the project as environmentally sustainable as possible,' says Danila Silva of EcoCiencia, an environmental research group.

Hypothesis: Sustainable forestry and development techniques are being employed.


Premise: Green Day, who arrived at the venue in the vintage green convertible from their gritty "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" video, won best rock video and video of the year for the clip and two of their leading eight nominations.

Hypothesis: Rock was resplendent at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, as the veteran punk group, Green Day, took home seven moonmen.


Premise: Over 100 more lives were lost at sea, and 1800 were lost in Holland.

Hypothesis: 100 or more people lost their lives in a ferry sinking.


Premise: Representatives from 142 nations are expected to sit down in Doha Qatar, next Friday for the World Trade Organization's (WTO) fourth Ministerial Conference.

Hypothesis: Representatives of the 142 member countries of the World Trade Organization will gather in Doha, Qatar, next Friday.


Premise: After giving nearly 5,000 people a second chance at life, doctors are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Britian's first heart transplant which was performed at Cambridgeshire's Papworth Hospital in 1979.

Hypothesis: The first heart transplant in Britian was performed in 1979.


Premise: A juvenile hacker who crippled an airport tower for six hours, damaged atown's phone system, and broke into pharmacy records has been charged in afirst-ever federal prosecution, the U.S. Attorney's office announcedtoday.

Hypothesis: Non-authorized personnel illegally entered into computer networks.


Premise: The American House of Representatives is due to vote today, on a resolution submitted by the Chairman of the Judicial Committee, Henry Hyde, asking Congress to launch an investigation over charges brought forward by Independent Prosecutor-General Kenneth Star against President Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky affair.

Hypothesis: Voting will take place in the American House of Representatives today, on the President Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal.


Premise: Two 8-year-old girls in Orlando, Florida, located in the United States have made a big donation to the research and curing of breast cancer. Victoria Petrucelly and Jesse Theobald along with classmates from their third grade class at The Christ School, raised almost US$24,000 by setting up lemonade stands and selling pink lemonade. The two girls were thinking about starting the lemonade stand in 2008, but were inspired to donate money when Petrucelly's mother, who suffered from the disease, died on Valentine's Day, February 14.

Hypothesis: Victoria Petrucelly is a student from the Christ School.


Premise: Crippa died a week ago at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, seven days after he ate a heaping plate of the deadly Amanita ocreata mushrooms, said his wife, Joan Crippa. Known as "death angel" for its snow-white appearance, the fungus has deadly toxins that worked their way through Crippa's system, sickening him and eventually causing his liver to fail. Family members had often warned Crippa against indulging in his passion for hunting wild mushrooms, an activity he learned from his Italian immigrant parents, his wife said.

Hypothesis: Crippa's wife, Joan, was an Italian immigrant.


Premise: The 26-member International Energy Agency said, Friday, that member countries would release oil to help relieve the U.S. fuel crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Hypothesis: Foreign oil reserves will be made available to the U.S. in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.


Premise: There is a growing sense of urgency to deal with the country's social issues, and a large number of professional NGOs can meet BOVESPA's standards of transparency and accountability.

Hypothesis: BOVESPA is an NGO.


Premise: Three of its five permanent members, France, Russia and China, are pushing the U.N. Security Council to lift the embargo on Iraq.

Hypothesis: China is a member of the U.N. Security Council.


Premise: Larsson was known in his native Sweden as an investigative journalist and a fervent campaigner against racism. But when he died of a heart attack at age 50 in 2004, he left behind the manuscripts of three books that would transform his legacy. His first novel, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, was published in Sweden a year after his death and was already an international success when it was released in the United States last year by Alfred A Knopf. More than 6 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide. An international study based on best-seller lists in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain and China ranked Larsson the second most popular fiction writer in 2008 after Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Hypothesis: The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini.


Premise: WINNENDEN, Germany ―A teenage gunman killed 15 people, most of them female, on Wednesday in a rampage that began at a school near Stuttgart in southern Germany and ended in a nearby town, where he then killed himself after the police wounded him. The attack left Germany, which tightened tough gun controls after a similar attack at a school seven years ago, struggling to understand the carnage that had again befallen it, a country with relatively little violent crime. In 2002, a gunman killed 16 people before killing himself at a school in Erfurt, in eastern Germany.

Hypothesis: A teenager shot 15 people in Germany.


Premise: There is no way Marlowe could legally leave Italy, especially after an arrest warrant has been issued for him by the authorities. Assisted by Zaleshoff, he succeeds in making his escape from Milan.

Hypothesis: Marlowe supported Zaleshoff.


Premise: Bosnia's leading Muslim daily Dnevni Avaz writes excitedly about "a sensational discovery" of "the first European pyramid" in the central town of Visoko, just north of Sarajevo.

Hypothesis: Europe's first pyramid has been discovered near Sarajevo.


Premise: Warheads believed to contain the deadly nerve agent cyclosarin that were found by Polish troops in Iraq date back to Saddam Hussein's war with Iran in the 1980s, authorities said Friday.

Hypothesis: Polish troops confiscated Warheads


Premise: A U.S. soldier accused of participating in the rape of an Iraqi girl and then killing her and her family was sentenced to 90 years in jail on Thursday, media reports said.

Hypothesis: A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 90 years in jail.


Premise: Long-distance telephone company MCI Inc., on Friday, touted its $6.75 billion deal to be bought by Verizon Communications Inc., but said it would thoroughly analyze a revised $8 billion bid by Qwest Communications International Inc.

Hypothesis: MCI made no mention of its planned $6.7 billion agreement to be acquired by Verizon Communications in its release, Friday.


Premise: The county Board of Supervisors accepted more than $700,000 in state grants Tuesday to extend a program that provides the controversial drug azidothymidine -- AZT -- to low-income residents with AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses.

Hypothesis: AZT is an AIDS treatment.


Premise: Despite this, even the most enthusiastic surgeons say it is likely to be several years before they would consider leaving a robot to operate on its own.

Hypothesis: Robots are used to assist in a range of surgical procedures.


Premise: In June the Supreme Court ruled that anti-sodomy laws are unconstitutional.

Hypothesis: U.S. Supreme Court in favor of same-sex marriage


Premise: NRDC states its mission as follows: The Natural Resources Defense Council's purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants, animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

Hypothesis: The Natural Resources Defense Council safeguards the Earth.


Premise: In other words, with its 2 million inhabitants, Slovenia has only 5.5 thousand professional soldiers.

Hypothesis: Slovenia has 5.5 million inhabitants.


Premise: North Korea states intention to restart reactors, throws out IAEA inspectors and takes down inspection cameras, announces immediate withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and makes threats of war if the UN or the United States imposes sanctions.

Hypothesis: North Korea has announced its withdrawal from liaison meetings with United States military officers.


Premise: While local cab drivers had compliments, not everyone appreciated the company. The Chicago Cubs decided to cancel their booking after hearing about the con, and J.J. Hardy of the Milwaukee Brewers reported being kept up by fans on Wednesday night. The Brewers lost their game the following day. The convention closed with next year's date ―June 26-29 ―along with the announcement of a guest: Disney animator Floyd Norman. The event's theme will be "It's a Jungle Out There!".

Hypothesis: J.J. Hardy has a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.


Premise: The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, 49, has claimed victory after voters ratified a new leftist constitution, granting more power to the country's indigenous majority.  "The indigenous farmers, the most marginalized sector throughout the history of the republic, are now recognized as people with the same rights as any citizen. Here begins the new Bolivia. Here we begin to reach true equality," Morales told a crowd in front of the flag-draped balcony of Palacio Quemado in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia.  Ratified with about 60 percent support in a referendum on Sunday based on exit polls, the new constitution lets Morales run for re-election later this year and grants him tighter control over the economy. An official vote count of some 3.8 million registered voters who cast their ballots will be announced February 4.

Hypothesis: Evo Morales' residence is Palacio Quemado in La Paz.


Premise: At the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Didrikson won gold medals in the javelin (Olympic record) and 80-meter hurdles (world record), along with a silver in the high jump (share of the world record).

Hypothesis: 2,45 m is the world record in the high jump.


Premise: Anita Page, an MGM actress who appeared in films with Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Buster Keaton during the transition from silent movies to talkies, has died at the age of 98. Page died in her sleep early Saturday morning at her home in Los Angeles, said actor Randal Malone, her longtime friend. Page was born Anita Pomeres on August 4, 1910 in Flushing, New York. She was the leading lady to Lon Chaney, Buster Keaton, Robert Montgomery, and Clark Gable (among others), and during the early 1930s was one of Hollywood's busiest actresses, as well as being romantically involved with Gable. At the height of her popularity, she was receiving more fan mail than any other female star, with the exception of Greta Garbo, and received multiple marriage proposals from Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini in the mail.

Hypothesis: Clark Gable dated Anita Page.


Premise: Arizona offers better mental-health care than most other states but still struggles to deliver services to people who are suffering, according to a national report card released Wednesday. The National Alliance on Mental Illness graded Arizona a C, marking a modest improvement over the D grade the state received three years ago, the last time the study was conducted. Arizona was one of 18 states to get a C. The national average was a D. Six states received a B; none received an A.

Hypothesis: Arizona and 17 other states received a C in the field of mental-care health.


Premise: Fernandez, of FEMA, was on scene when Martin arrived at a FEMA base camp before going to the hospital.

Hypothesis: Fernandez works for FEMA.


Premise: The Irish Sales, Services and Marketing Operation of Microsoft was established in 1991.

Hypothesis: Microsoft was established in 1991.


Premise: Oil prices edged up today as Norwegian employers said they would respond to a strike by locking out all workers next week, threatening to shut off almost all oil and gas output.

Hypothesis: Workers strike in response to Norwegian employers' threats.


Premise: Six people were killed and 10 injured on Tuesday in a gun battle between rival militiamen in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, witnesses and clan elders said.

Hypothesis: Mogadishu is the capital of Somalia.


Premise: The Arabic Language is the door to Islam and the Language of the holy Quran and Prophetic traditions. Therefore, distancing ourselves from Arabic studies leads to innovation and disbelief.

Hypothesis: Arabic is the language of the Quran.


Premise: Most of the life of Petko Kiryakov was not unveiled by historians but by the prominent Bulgarian writer Nikolai Haitov, who wrote a novel and a script which was turned into a TV series, which became a favourite of most Bulgarians.

Hypothesis: Nikolai Haitov is a historian.


Premise: Scientists have made two major discoveries in the search for other Earth-like planets. British astronomers say they have discovered the smallest known Earth-like exoplanet orbiting a living star called Gliese 581 e and also discovered that a nearby planet called Gliese 581 d, discovered in 2007, is in the much sought after 'habitable zone'. Astronomers also believe there is a possibility that 581 d could have liquid oceans on its surface, calling the find "extraordinary."  "The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone'," said astrophysicist at Switzerland's Geneva University, Michel Mayor.  Astronomers say 581 e is 20.5 light years away from Earth and that it's roughly 1.9 times larger than Earth, making it the smallest exoplanet discovered to date. It was found using the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS).

Hypothesis: Michel Mayor is the discoverer of the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher.


Premise: Northwest Strikes: If Northwest flight attendants go on strike on the 15th, what does that mean for travelers? I have a trip booked on the 24th. Will NW rebook us with other airlines?

Hypothesis: Italian flight assistants go on strike.


Premise: On any given day, Ms Lupse is on camera for between one and five hours, presenting a number of different call-in shows on several different networks: not only National TV but also Prima TV and Antena 1, all broadcast from the same studio. Despite the repetition, she doesn't get bored. "For me it's always exciting. I enjoy it very much! If I'm tired at the end of the show it means I've done a good show. But I'm never tired during the show." When I play a clip of one of her energetic show presentations - not the one she's become best known for - she elaborates on her exuberance. "I'm always excited when I'm about to give big prizes! There is no show without winners!".

Hypothesis: Ms Lupse works for Prima TV.


Premise: It will be the most German of combinations: nudity and beach towels. After decades of sunbathing and camping in the buff, the legions of Teutonic naturists are about to get their very own holiday heaven — a completely clothing-free hotel. The Hotel Rosengarten, in the aptly named Black Forest town of Freudenstadt ("Town of Joys"), will mark a new frontier for the homeland of Freikörperkultur (FKK), meaning "free body culture". A handful of German hotels have accommodated naturists up to now, but the management at Rosengarten plan to take a hardline anti-apparel stance.

Hypothesis: Hotel Rosengarten is a completely clothing-free hotel.


Premise: Amid rumors that China's 90-year-old senior leader, Deng Xiaoping, is near death, the visit also comes at a propitious moment to establish relationships with top officials, both military and civilian, who are likely to play a role in the post-Deng succession period as China struggles to find a new leader.

Hypothesis: Deng Xiaoping is 90 years old.


Premise: Intel has decided to push back the launch date for its 4-GHz Pentium 4 desktop processor to the first quarter of 2005.

Hypothesis: Intel would raise the clock speed of the company's flagship Pentium 4 processor to 4 GHz.


Premise: President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's controversial ruler, has reached his 85th birthday. To mark the occasion, the BBC's African Perspective programme asked his former friends, employees and interviewers to recall their most memorable encounters with "Uncle Bob", as he is known in Zimbabwe. WILF MBANGA, EDITOR, THE ZIMBABWEAN I remember very well how I first met Robert Mugabe. In 1974, I did a series of profiles of nationalist leaders who had come out of jail.  We had not had pictures or heard of them for years.

Hypothesis: Uncle Bob is Robert Mugabe.


Premise: Five years later, Rennyo returned to the Kyoto area, establishing new Honganji branch temples. During this time, he established a new form of liturgy (gongyo), incorporating elements that would eventually become the core of Honganji Shinshu Buddhism.

Hypothesis: Rennyo founded Honganji Shinshu Buddhism.


Premise: Historians estimate that 800,000 Chechens were stuffed into rail cars and deported to Kazakhstan and Siberia, and 240,000 of them died en route.

Hypothesis: Stalin deported 800,000 Chechens.


Premise: This taught postgraduate masters degree programme will provide specialised training at a postgraduate level in the methods and uses of remote sensing applied to the ocean.

Hypothesis: Ocean remote sensing is applied.


Premise: Mr Roughan claims that children from the age of nine and up are drinking late at night. "You don't know what the hell's going to happen." Mr Nant has apologised to the affected, inconvenienced residents. New Zealand Post state they are going to continue to monitor the situation, however and also have on-going discussion with the local council and police "to make sure we're abreast of any developments in the area." The gang violence/activity New Zealand Post are referring to is, on the previous Thursday the Armed Offenders Squad was called out where they raided three homes following a shooting, eight people were arrested, and a large number of firearms were seized. Despite post not being delivered, newspapers were still being delivered, waste collection was still happening, and electricity meter readers were also going around house to house, checking the meters.

Hypothesis: Mr. Roughan is a member of the Armed Offenders Squad.


Premise: Nevertheless, increased longevity and falling birth rates are major factors making many state pension systems across Europe unsustainable in their present form. Some member states have already introduced major reforms (e.g. Germany, France and Austria) others have continued to adapt their existing systems.

Hypothesis: National pension systems currently adopted in Europe are in difficulties.


Premise: Meteorological observations suggest Claudette remained a tropical storm as she affected parts of west Texas.

Hypothesis: A tropical storm has caused significant property damage.


Premise: The Southeast Asian ministers gather in Laos for their regional meeting.

Hypothesis: Southeast Asian ministers' meeting is held in Laos.


Premise: New Delhi: More than 100 Nobel prize winners, two US congressmen, and leading labour organizations have expressed concern over threats against the life of Kailash Satyarthi, India's leading opponent of child labour.


Premise: Mahbob Amiri, head of Afghanistan's quick-reaction force, said Monday's bomb in the capital detonated as a United Nations vehicle drove past.

Hypothesis: The United Nations produces vehicles.


Premise: In an address to the IAEA board of governors in Vienna, Hans Blix said a technical team that visited North Korea last month found that "facilities subject to the freeze were not in operation and that construction work had stopped."

Hypothesis: Hans Blix is the director general of IAEA.


Premise: A total of 79 per cent of people questioned in a survey agreed that adults suffering incurable illness should receive 'medical help to a peaceful death'.

Hypothesis: In a poll of the American public, most people approved laws that allow life-support to be removed from a terminally ill patient.


Premise: Draft experts say as many as eight U.S. high school prospects could be taken in the first round of the two-round draft, as well as up to eight international players.

Hypothesis: Draft experts draft eight international players.


Premise: The report faults intelligence agencies for a "lack of imagination" in not anticipating that al Qaeda could attack the United States using hijacked aircraft.

Hypothesis: The report blames intelligence agencies.


Premise: This was, after all, Chuck Yeager, a guy with all the right stuff, the biggest top gun of them all, whose post-World War II exploits in the topsy-turvy world of supersonic air travel helped pave the way for space exploration.

Hypothesis: Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947.


Premise: The European-born groups with the highest labor force participation rates were  from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hypothesis: The European country with the highest birth rate is Bosnia-Herzegovina.


Premise: Ecevit, one of the most senior Turkish politicians, was unable to secure the necessary support from the parties represented in the Parliament in order to form his government.

Hypothesis: Ecevit was unable to form the government due to a lack of support.


Premise: The Sudanese government reiterated on Saturday that it would not retreat from its decision to expel more than a dozen of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating relief work in its western region of Darfur. Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha made the remarks at the opening session of the conference of Arab civil society institutions. "The government's decision to expel some of the organizations is a sovereign decision which was dictated by the national interest. We will not back down from this decision whatever the pressures," Taha said.

Hypothesis: Mohammed Taha works for an NGO.


Premise: Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov set the record for the longest continuous amount of time spent in space, a staggering 438 days, between 1994 and 1995. He orbited the Earth 7000 times, witnessing 7000 sunrises and 7000 sunsets.

Hypothesis: 7000 days is the record for the longest stay in space by a human.


Premise: Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota on Dec. 8, 1980.

Hypothesis: Mark David Chapman killed Lennon.


Premise: These problems can be avoided by legalization, under which cannabis could be legally sold, taxed and regulated like alcohol or tobacco.

Hypothesis: Drug legalization has benefits.


Premise: The introduction of the euro has dismantled barriers to cross-border trading and enhanced risk sharing and opportunities for diversification.

Hypothesis: The introduction of the euro has been opposed.


Premise: Coronado High School English teacher Lori Rosales has read the Harry Potter books and sees them as educational and something that children can relate to because the stories are timeless.

Hypothesis: Teacher wins right to market Harry Potter.


Premise: English has been written using the Latin alphabet since around the ninth century. (Before that, Old English had been written using the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.) The spelling system or orthography of English is historical, not phonological.

Hypothesis: A spelling reform was approved in all German speaking countries.


Premise: The city's motto is Contemnit procellas, which means, "It defies the storms."

Hypothesis: The city's motto is, appropriately, "Contemnit procellas" ( "It defies the storms").


Premise: Though fearful of a forthcoming performance evaluation by her boss, Zoe must unravel the life of a man just found dead of a heart attack, who was supposed to have died three years earlier in a boating accident.

Hypothesis: Zoe died in a boating accident.


Premise: The Metropolitan Museum of Art said Thursday that it would lay off more than a quarter of its merchandising staff, eliminating 74 jobs in addition to 53 already cut over the last year. It also warned that the worsening economy would most likely force it to shrink its overall work force by 10 percent ―as many as 250 full- and part-time jobs in all ―before the summer, including some in curatorial and other pivotal departments.

Hypothesis: The Metropolitan Museum has 250 employees.


Premise: Jurassic Park is a novel written by Michael Crichton. Jurassic Park was published in 1990.

Hypothesis: Michael Crichton is the author of the book Jurassic Park.


Premise: After the service, Lennon left the cathedral, made his way through a crush of reporters and television cameras and talked briefly with protesters, some of whom say they are victims of abusive priests.

Hypothesis: After the service, Lennon attempted to speak to victims and protesters.


Premise: September 26 - Trial against former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, accused of Mafia connections, begins.

Hypothesis: Andreotti collaborates with the Mafia.


Premise: In 2005 Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France being considered the best rider that have ever competed in this contest. In 2008, after three years of retirement, he announced that he wants to compete the 2009 Tour de France. But unfortunately he was hospitalized today after crashing during a race in Spain in the first stage of a five-day race. The accident took place 12,5 miles from the stage's finish in La Vuelta de Castilla y Leon. It seems that Armstrong has injured his collarbone and was in such pain that he needed to go to Rio Carrion hospital in Palencia.

Hypothesis: Lance Armstrong is a French rider.


Premise: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia - The Sunshine Coast Regional Council has formally ratified the rejection of the 24 hour McDonald's in Minyama. The decision comes after council rejected the proposal earlier this week at a general committee meeting. McDonald's forwarded an 11th hour compromise to deputy mayor Tim Dwyer in order to overturn the decision. The compromised had included reducing the opening hours to 6am to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and until 12am Friday and Saturday.

Hypothesis: Sunshine Coast Regional Council accepted McDonald's Australia development plans.


Premise: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked with the International Space Station, after a two-day flight from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Hypothesis: Soyuz spacecraft were built by Russia.


Premise: The International Atomic Energy Agency report detailing the discovery also faulted Tehran for not cooperating with the U.N. watchdog's attempts to investigate other suspicious aspects of Iran s nuclear program.

Hypothesis: Tehran did not cooperate with the U.N. watchdog's attempts to investigate suspicious aspects of Iran's nuclear program.


Premise: Zhang and his co-workers performed behavioral tests on two purified cannabinoids. The test results indicated that these two cannabinoids have anti-anxiety and antidepression-like effects in rats that may depend on the ability of cannabinoids to promote the production of new neurons in the hippocampus. Marijuana contains a complex mixture of chemicals including cannabinoids and may have somewhat different behavioral effects than the purified cannabinoids tested so far.

Hypothesis: The use of drugs can help control anxiety.


Premise: Local health department officials were quoted as saying that the bridge over the Santa Barbara river, in southern Peru's Ayacucho province, "broke in two" as students and teachers from four rural schools were crossing it while going home. Fernando Valencia, a surgeon with a local hospital confirmed in reports that the death toll had risen to nine. The accident also injured 53 others, most of whom were children between the ages of 10 and 13, Valencia said. Fourteen of the victims were in critical condition. Local police said the 120-meter bridge, made of wooden boards and slats held together by steel cables, collapsed because too many people were on it.

Hypothesis: The Peruvian bridge in Ayachuco province broke because of the weight on it.


Premise: The longest mission to Salyut 7 was also a record-breaker, lasting 237 days (nearly eight months) in space.

Hypothesis: 237 days is the record for the longest stay in space by a human.


Premise: Buffalo, New York - The Common Council of Buffalo voted on Tuesday to send the Elmwood Village Hotel proposal "to committee for further discussion", after citing the need for more public involvement. The Elmwood Village Hotel is a development proposal by the Savarino Construction Services Corporation, a project designed by the architect Karl Frizlen of The Frizlen Group. The hotel would be placed on the southeast corner of Elmwood and Forest Avenues in Buffalo.

Hypothesis: The Frizlen Group is situated in Buffalo.


Premise: The accident in the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986 brought along great harm for many people. There were immediate damages and consequential burdens for human beings, the environment and the economy over long distances.

Hypothesis: Nuclear Power Plant of Sosnovyi Bor suffers an emergency shut down.


Premise: The bus, which was heading for Nairobi in Kenya , crashed in the Kabale district of Uganda near the Rwandan border.

Hypothesis: The Kabale district borders on Rwanda.


Premise: Priscilla Presley greeted thousands of cheering Elvis fans at a concert Friday night, marking the 25th anniversary of the King's death, telling them "you're helping Elvis make history again."

Hypothesis: Priscilla Presley told fans, "you're helping Elvis make history again."


Premise: In 1856 Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla was elected deputy, and soon attracted notice among the most advanced Progressists and Democrats. He took part in the revolutionary propaganda that led to the military movement in Madrid on June 22, 1866. He had to take refuge in France for two years, like his fellow-conspirators, and only returned to Spain when the revolution of 1868 took place.

Hypothesis: Zorrilla started the revolution of 1868.


Premise: The new Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States was opened shortly after 5 AM today. It replaces a bridge which collapsed last year, killing 13 people. A fire engine and ambulance were first across on each side. In each direction, a line of State Highway Patrol cars was followed by a formation of Department of Transportation construction trucks. A cluster of awaiting vehicles went honking across for a few minutes, then traffic returned to the sparse levels more typical of the pre-dawn period. The September 18 opening was well ahead of the scheduled December 24 goal, earning the contractor, Flatiron-Manson, up to $19.6 million in performance bonuses. The bridge is 189 feet wide, with a main span length of 504 feet and a deck height of over 100 feet above the Mississippi River.

Hypothesis: Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge crosses the Mississippi River.


Premise: Capital punishment has a deterrent effect.

Hypothesis: Capital punishment is a deterrent to crime.


Premise: Yoko Ono unveiled a bronze statue of her late husband, John Lennon, to complete the official renaming of England's Liverpool Airport as Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Hypothesis: Yoko Ono is John Lennon's widow.


Premise: President Bill Clinton on Tuesday passed the leadership of the Democratic Party to Vice President Al Gore, describing his deputy as the right person to be the first U.S. President of the 21st century.

Hypothesis: Bill Clinton belongs to the Democratic Party.


Premise: She would later return to the Contest in 2005 with "Angel," an anthem she penned herself, and achieved second place. Now, in 2009, she will be returning to Eurovision for a third try, hoping for the "3-2-1" charm and a victory ―something that has eluded her thus far. Her entry, the ballad "What If We," has special memories for Chiara; it is dedicated to her father, who is recently deceased.

Hypothesis: Ms Siracura joined the Eurovision Song Contest.


Premise: The south Indian flute had only seven finger holes till the 1970s when the legendary T.R. Mahalingam introduced the eight holed variety.

Hypothesis: T.R. Mahalingham made the first seven holed flute.


Premise: A bid topping $17.7 billion was jointly proffered by Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corporation on Thursday to buy beleaguered Adelphia Communications Corporation in an industry consolidation move. Adelphia is the fifth largest cable service provider in the United States with nearly 5 million subscribers. The market-share grabbing bid trumps the previous Cablevision offer of $16.5 billion. The bid is under scrutiny by the presiding judge over the Adelphia's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, and must also be approved by the company's creditors owed in the range of $20 million.

Hypothesis: Time Warner is based in Cingular.


Premise: U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema accepted would-be hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui's guilty pleas on six charges of conspiracy laid against him for his plotting to participate in the Sept. 11 attacks . Moussaoui, who had to be restrained at one point during the trial in an Alexandria, Virginia courthouse, was polite and quiet during the day's appearance.

Hypothesis: Moussaoui participated in the Sept. 11 attacks.


Premise: Mufti Latifullah Hakimi, the spokesman for the Taliban rebels, claimed responsibility for the blast, but said that the insurgents had planted the bomb to target the Afghan police.

Hypothesis: The Taliban is the rebels' employer.


Premise: In sub-Saharan Africa about one in every 30 people is infected with HIV.

Hypothesis: 30% of the people infected with HIV live in Africa.


Premise: Sweden has plans to open a virtual embassy in Second Life, the virtual world home to thousands of netizens. Companies like Dell are already selling computers via the virtual world, but Sweden would become the first country to have a cyber-embassy in Second Life. The embassy would not provide visa or perform diplomatic tasks, but would provide information on how and where to get these documents in the real world, as well as giving cultural and tourist information about the country. Visitors will also be able to chat with embassy personnel. A spokesperson explained that it would be an easy and cheap way to reach young people. The idea came from The Swedish Institute, an agency of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Sweden with providing information about Sweden as a key purpose. The "House of Sweden" as it will be called, will be modelled on the new Swedish embassy in Washington with the same name. The opening is expected in a few weeks. Second life has over 3 million registered accounts. On an average day, the maximum of people logged in at the same time peaks at 25,000. In September 2006, Second Life was reported to have a gross domestic product of $64 million. Some schools in the United States and Canada have virtual classrooms on the site. People like Ailin Graef a.k.a. Anshe Chung have developed virtual businesses in Second Life, and earn thousands of real dollars there.

Hypothesis: Dell is a Swedish company.


Premise: About one million years ago, these people began to slowly leave Africa.

Hypothesis: Humans existed 10,000 years ago.


Premise: Fiat's Gianni Agnelli, owner of Juventus, was quoted by Italian newspapers as saying that when Baggio came off the field after the Mexico game, "He looked like a wet rabbit."

Hypothesis: Giovanni Agnelli is the president of Fiat.


Premise: If you have rheumatic heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes, or take digitalis drugs, vitamin E can be harmful.

Hypothesis: Vitamin E can prevent heart disease.


Premise: Even while accepting the Russian plan, IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus noted that the efficiency of Russia's State Taxation Service "is declining rapidly."

Hypothesis: Michel Camdessus is managing director of IMF.


Premise: After years of study, the Vatican's doctrinal congregation has sent church leaders a confidential document concluding that "sex-change" procedures do not change a person's gender in the eyes of the church.

Hypothesis: Sex-change operations become more common.


Premise: A Muslim charity in the Philippines that was supported by bin Laden and run by a brother-in-law, Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, financed Shah and the other plotters.

Hypothesis: Mohammad Khalifa's father-in-law is Osama Bin Laden.


Premise: Iraq would have been an unsafe, unsecure country that did pose a threat to the world.

Hypothesis: Iraq would have constituted a threat to the world.


Premise: Analysts expected the company to earn $1.42 a share on revenue of $3.82 billion, according to a Thomson Financial survey.

Hypothesis: Analysts had expected revenue of $3.8 billion, according to Reuters estimates.


Premise: Helena Brighton, an attorney for Eliza May who served as executive director of the Texas Funeral Services Commission -the state agency that regulates the funeral business- claimed that she was fired from her state job because she raised questions about SCI.

Hypothesis: Eliza May hired Helena Brighton.


Premise: American Airlines began laying off hundreds of flight attendants on Tuesday, after a federal judge turned aside a union's bid to block the job losses.

Hypothesis: American Airlines will recall hundreds of flight attendants.


Premise: Black Tigers are selected for their discipline and their loyalty to Vilupillai Prabhakaran, 41, the elusive leader of the LTTE.

Hypothesis: Vilupillai Prabhakaran is the elusive leader of the LTTE.


Premise: Researchers are aware that chimps have used similar methods in the past, but it was not fully known if the tools they used were designed specifically for the task of gathering the insects. Of all the tools the chimps left behind and Sanz's team recovered, 80% were custom made by their owners. Sanz says the new study has determined that their methods have since evolved, proving previous hypotheses.

Hypothesis: Chimps design tools to catch termites.


Premise: He also referred to the "illegal" arrest on 31 May of Mexican Professor Maria Eugenia Ochoa Garcia, whom the Salvadoran government accused of having connections with the Salvadoran guerrillas.

Hypothesis: Maria Eugenia Ochoa Garcia was arrested in May.


Premise: Paul Hester, drummer for the popular 1980s band "Crowded House", was found dead in a Melbourne park Saturday. An ambulance service spokeswoman told the Sydney Morning Herald that ambulance officers arrived at Elsternwick Park on Saturday afternoon. They reported Hester had "attempted suicide" and suffered "strangulation". The 46-year-old-father-of-two was last seen walking his two dogs in the popular suburban park near his home on Friday evening. Hester had a history with bouts of depression, but seemed to be coping well following eight years of therapy. Friends told the The Daily Telegraph, however, that he suffered a recent turmoil in his love life. Firstly, there was the end of his romance with long-time partner and mother of his two daughters, and then a parting last December with New Zealand singer Kashan, whom he planned to wed in May.

Hypothesis: Kashan dated Paul Hester.


Premise: The current Prime Minister Stephen Harper supported Mulroney's right to comment on Trudeau, "I think it's well known Mr. Mulroney was an opponent of Mr. Trudeau," Harper said. "He was his opposition leader and, as you know, came to power at the end of the Trudeau period when people wanted to make a change. I'll leave it to people who were there then to fight those battles. I think it's perfectly reasonable that they would comment. I think these are debates that are best left to some of the people who were around then and academics." Trudeau's former piers and friends have rallied behind his legacy and made public comments to dampen Mulroney's accusations.

Hypothesis: Mr Mulroney was an ally of Mr Trudeau.


Premise: On Tuesday, BVA published a telephone poll conducted for French magazine Le Figaro and news channel LCI to gauge support for right-wing presidential candidates. 73% of Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement or UMP) party supporters identified Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as their preferred candidate for May's presidential election. The UMP is one of the two major parties in France, and represents conservative politics. It was formed in 2002 as a union of several right-wing parties, and currently controls the legislature (the National Assembly) and the executive. Current president Jacques Chirac is aligned with the UMP.

Hypothesis: Nicolas Sarkozy is supported by the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire.


Premise: The flexibility of our market-driven economy has allowed us, thus far, to weather reasonably well the steep rise in spot and futures prices for crude oil and natural gas that we have experienced over the past two years, said Mr. Greenspan.

Hypothesis: Rising prices have helped make many people feel wealthier and thus more inclined to spend.


Premise: Alex Dyer, spokesman for the group, stated that Santarchy in Auckland is part of a worldwide phenomenon.

Hypothesis: Alex Dyer represents Santarchy.


Premise: This is only the fourth time that the Security Council has imposed sanctions, the earlier cases being against Rhodesia, South Africa and, most recently, Iraq.

Hypothesis: The Court endorsed U.N. sanctions against Libya.


Premise: If no settlement is reached, a divided Cyprus will join the European Union on May 1, 2004.

Hypothesis: Cyprus was divided into two parts on May 1, 2004.


Premise: Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with a TIME journalist, the first one-on-one session given to a Western print publication since his election as president of Iran earlier this year, Ahmadinejad attacked the "threat" to bring the issue of Iran's nuclear activity to the UN Security Council by the US, France, Britain and Germany.

Hypothesis: Ahmadinejad attacked the UN Security Council.


Premise: There were 20 survivors, the majority of them are in critical condition said Cyprian Gatete, Rwanda's assistant commissioner of police, during a telephone conversation with Reuters.

Hypothesis: Cyprian Gatete is an employee of Reuters.


Premise: The pet passport is a pink A4 sheet which contains the microchip number and certification that the dog has a rabies vaccination, and needs to be signed by a veterinary surgeon who has LVI status. The passport is not to be confused with the much smaller purple folder routinely issued by vets which records the complete vaccination history of the pet.

Hypothesis: The pet passport contains the complete vaccination history of pets.


Premise: Jackson also found the company maintained its Windows monopoly by setting deals with computer makers to promote Microsoft products over those from rival software makers.

Hypothesis: Microsoft Windows is an operating system.


Premise: Standing off to one side, seeing all and hearing Mozart's music, which only he understands to be a manifestation of God's love, is Antonio Salieri, the ambitious Italian-born composer and conductor, a favorite at the imperial court in Vienna in 1781.

Hypothesis: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg.


Premise: In 1986 he became the head of London European Airways, a business in which Ryanair had bought an 85% stake. This position, however, quickly disappeared as the carrier became Ryanair UK and was then merged entirely with Ryanair. Over the next decade, Cathal worked both on the executive board of the airline and as a pilot, although he resigned from the latter by 1996. He remained with Ryanair until leaving the board 2002, by which time he was a multi-millionaire due to the success of the airline.

Hypothesis: Ryan was Cathal's father.


Premise: Russia's natural gas monopoly Gazprom has also shown interest in acquiring a sizable stake in the Uzbek pipeline monopoly.

Hypothesis: Gazprom detains the Uzbek pipeline monopoly.


Premise: Most recently, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called North Korea an "outpost of tyranny" enraging Kim Jong-il , the leader of North Korea.

Hypothesis: Condoleezza Rice is the U.S. Secretary of State.


Premise: Canada rig count at 148, down 46 compared to last week's and down 27 compared to last year's.

Hypothesis: Last year, the tally was 148


Premise: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that North Korea should return to nuclear disarmament talks and avoid a path toward further international isolation.

Hypothesis: North Korea says it will rejoin nuclear talks.


Premise: Oh Eun-sun was the first Korean woman to climb Mt. Everest solo. For all the hardships she must have endured, she merely says that she was lucky. She now reminisces about the days she spent in that mountain.

Hypothesis: A woman succeeds in climbing Everest solo.


Premise: As the U.S. military evacuated Saigon in the Spring of 1975, President Gerald Ford approved Operation Babylift, the plan to transport thousands of Vietnamese children to adoptive parents in the West, hundreds of them at a time, before the U.S. was forced out of the country.

Hypothesis: The U.S. military evacuated U.S. citizens.


Premise: Dr. Amy Joy Lanou, director of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in America, was quick to point out health dangers of the Atkins diet.

Hypothesis: Atkins diet is associated with increased risk conditions.


Premise: Self-sufficiency has been turned into a formal public awareness campaign in San Francisco, by Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Hypothesis: Gavin Newsom is a politician of San Francisco.


Premise: Arabic, for example, is used densely across North Africa and from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Philippines, as the key language of the Arab world and the primary vehicle of Islam.

Hypothesis: Arabic is the primary language of the Philippines.


Premise: Anti-nuclear protesters on Wednesday delayed the progress of a shipment of radioactive waste toward a dump in northern Germany. The train stopped for the fourth time since crossing into Germany as it neared the northern town of Lueneburg.

Hypothesis: Nuclear waste transport delayed in Germany.


Premise: The Tunisian Foreign Ministry announced that Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Al Kaddafy arrived in Tunis this morning, Monday, for a "brotherly and recreational" visit, at the invitation of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Bin Ali.

Hypothesis: Libya's leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi arrived in Tunisia at the invitation of President Zine El Abidine Bin Ali.


Premise: By 45,000 years ago, humans had weathered the comings and goings of a number of ice ages, had spread themselves throughout most of Africa, Europe and Asia, and had reached a population of roughly a million.

Hypothesis: Humans existed 10,000 years ago.


Premise: Rome is in Lazio province and Naples in Campania.

Hypothesis: Rome is located in Lazio province.


Premise: The interest of the automotive industry increases and the first amplifier project, a four-channel output module for the German car manufacturer, Porsche, is finished.

Hypothesis: Porsche is a German car manufacturer.


Premise: Forced to flee attack again in 1471 Rennyo travelled to Yoshizaki, where he built a popular temple which attracted many peasant converts from the region.

Hypothesis: Rennyo reached Yoshizaki in 1471.


Premise: The contaminated pills included metal fragments ranging in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long, the FDA said.

Hypothesis: The contaminated pills contained metal fragments.


Premise: The Anzio beachhead, 33 miles south of Rome, saw some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II, and accounted for many of the 10,000 US battle deaths in Italy in the first half of 1944.

Hypothesis: The Anzio beachhead is located 33 miles south of Rome.


Premise: The National Assn. of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes had shot up to an annual rate of 7.29 million in August, 7.8% higher than a year earlier.

Hypothesis: Sales of existing homes raised 7.8%.