Premise: Varun and his estranged cousins are the grandchildren of Indira Gandhi, the former prime minister who was assassinated in 1984. Her two sons - Rajiv Gandhi, who became premier after Indira's assassination and Sanjay Gandhi who died in an aircraft crash while doing aerobatics - married women with very different personalities. Varun's mother, Maneka, widow of Sanjay Gandhi, is headstrong, voluble, and strident. Rahul and Priyanka's mother is the Italian-born Roman Catholic, Sonia Gandhi, who was widowed by Rajiv's assassination, was more demure as a daughter-in-law.

Hypothesis: Indira Gandhi died doing aerobatics.


Premise: On a mundane morning in late summer in Paris, the impossible happened. The Mona Lisa vanished. On Sunday evening, August 20, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's best-known painting was hanging in her usual place on the wall of the Salon Carré, between Correggio's Mystical Marriage and Titian's Allegory of Alfonso d'Avalos. On Tuesday morning, when the Louvre reopened to the public, she was gone. Within hours of the discovery of the empty frame, stashed behind a radiator, the story broke in an extra edition of Le Temps, the leading morning newspaper. Incredulous reporters from local papers and international news services converged on the museum. Georges Bénédite, the acting director, and his curators were speculating freely to the press.

Hypothesis: Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.


Premise: Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, a defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy who led the elite seminary for U.S. priests, becoming known for his energy, wit and warmth, was named archbishop of New York on Monday. The Vatican said Dolan would succeed Cardinal Edward Egan, 76, who is retiring as archbishop after nearly nine years. The post is the most prominent in the American Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II called the job "archbishop of the capital of the world."

Hypothesis: The 76-year-old Timothy M. Dolan is the new archbishop of New York.


Premise: SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament appointed Kim Jong Il to a third term Thursday as leader of one of the world's most reclusive nations, buoyed by a rocket launch heralded in state media as "historic" but assailed elsewhere as provocative. State media said lawmakers re-elected Kim chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission at the opening session of the new parliament, an appointment that under the constitution makes him the nation's top leader.

Hypothesis: Kim Jong Il is the ex-chairman of the National Defense Commission.


Premise: The Pope courted further controversy on his first trip to Africa today by declaring that condoms were not a solution to the Aids epidemic - but were instead part of the problem. In his first public comments on condom use, the pontiff told reporters en route to Cameroon that Aids "is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems". Pope Benedict has previously stressed that the Roman Catholic Church is in the forefront of the battle against Aids. The Vatican encourages sexual abstinence to fight the spread of the disease.

Hypothesis: The Pope thinks condoms cause AIDS.


Premise: When UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon's special representative for Nepal Ian Martin completed his tenure in Nepal, it was at the Reporters' Club that he held his last press conference. It was the same organisation that gave Bollywood stars Manisha Koirala and Govinda to the media when they were passing through Nepal. However, on Wednesday, the well-connected Dhamala, whose contacts included Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, deputy premier and home minister Bam Dev Gautam and other ministers, industrialists, politicians and foreign envoys, hit the headlines for a different reason. The Metropolitan Police said the high-flying journalist has been arrested Tuesday for being involved with an underground organisation and is likely to be charged with violating the Arms Act and even treason.

Hypothesis: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is Maoist.


Premise: China yesterday threw down a challenge to America's 50-year dominance of the global economy as it proposed replacing the dollar as the world's main reserve currency with a new global system under the control of the International Monetary Fund. In a muscle-flexing move that will be seen as an attempt to exploit the big shifts in economic power created by the recession sweeping the West, Beijing said that the dollar's role could eventually be taken over by the IMF's so-called Special Drawing Right (SDR), a quasi-currency that was created in 1969.

Hypothesis: The SDR is the world's main reserve currency.


Premise: CAIRO — Even in old age the imposingly tall, athletic German known to locals as Tarek Hussein Farid maintained the discipline to walk some 15 miles each day through the busy streets of Egypt's capital. He walked to the world-renowned Al Azhar mosque here, where he converted to Islam, and to the ornate J. Groppi Cafe downtown, where he ordered the chocolate cakes he sent to friends and bought the bonbons he gave to their children, who called him Uncle Tarek. Friends and acquaintances here in Egypt also remember him as an avid amateur photographer who almost always wore a camera around his neck, but never allowed himself to be photographed. And with good reason: Uncle Tarek was born Aribert Ferdinand Heim, a member of Hitler's elite Waffen-SS and a medical doctor at the Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen and Mauthausen concentration camps.

Hypothesis: The real name of Tarek Hussein Farid was Aribert Ferdinand Heim.


Premise: The earthquake happened at 0332 (0132 GMT), hours after a 4.6-magnitude tremor shook the area but caused no reported damage. Thousands of the city's 70,000 residents ran into the streets in panic during the 30 second tremor. A student dormitory was said to be one of the buildings badly damaged. It was not clear if anyone remained trapped inside. One student told Rai state TV that he managed to escape the building before the roof collapsed.

Hypothesis: A powerful earthquake strikes central Italy.


Premise: ContourGlobal's $325 million Kivuwatt project will be the first large scale facility to extract methane from the depths of Lake Kivu, a deep water lake located on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lake Kivu possesses a unique source of energy, methane gas held in solution deep within the lake water. This gas can be harvested for power generation. Extracting the gas also greatly mitigates the environmental hazards associated with a natural release of the lake gasses and provides an environmentally friendly and sustainable source of power generation.

Hypothesis: Lake Kivu separates Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo.


Premise: Hundreds of Climate Camp demonstrators - behind direct action protests at Heathrow Airport and power stations in North Yorkshire and Kent - have pitched tents in protest against carbon markets. Several hundred anti-war demonstrators are marching to a rally in Trafalgar Square from the US Embassy in central London. On Wednesday morning, protest groups under the G20 Meltdown banner had marched from Tube stations to the Bank of England urging those who had lost their homes, jobs, savings or pensions to join them in following four "horsemen of the apocalypse" to "lay siege" to financial institutions.

Hypothesis: Trafalgar Square is in London.


Premise: The Porsche driver, identified as Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, of Costa Mesa, was arrested after allegedly abandoning his car on a side street near the collision and taking off on foot with his female passenger. Kirby is being held on suspicion of felony drunk driving and driving under the influence. Bail is set at $2 million. Kirby's passenger, Lynn Marie Nabozny, 32, of Newport Beach, was arrested for public intoxication and later released. The motion picture database imdb.com lists a Lynn Marie Nabozny as having acted in the 1997 television series "The Heartbreak Cafe."

Hypothesis: Lynn Marie Nabozny was arrested for public intoxication.


Premise: MADAGASCAR'S constitutional court declared Andry Rajoelina as the new president of the vast Indian Ocean island today, a day after his arch rival was swept from office by the army. Mr Rajoelina, who was expected to address his supporters in the capital later in the day, moved swiftly to assert his authority in the wake of Marc Ravalomanana's ouster at the end of a months-long deadly power struggle. "You can call me president," the 34-year-old former disc jockey told French television.

Hypothesis: Andry Rajoelina was proclaimed president of Madagascar.


Premise: Washington, DC — Josh Schwartz, creator of the hit series Chuck, Gossip Girl, The O.C. and the new web series Rockville, CA will address NAB Show attendees during a Super Session titled "Josh Schwartz: Creating in the New Media Landscape," held Wednesday, April 22 in Las Vegas. Schwartz will be interviewed by media industry veteran Joe Flint, director of industry programs at The Paley Center for Media. During the Session, Flint will ask Schwartz about the future of the entertainment industry and the impact that new digital technologies have on the creative side of content production. Schwartz will discuss his many projects including Rockville, CA, a new web based series comprised of four-minute episodes and performances by indie bands.

Hypothesis: Josh Schwartz is the creator of "Gossip Girl".


Premise: The terror attacks, it was clear, had blasted a hole in the dam holding back Mumbai's reservoir of woes. While the protesters seemed to be reacting to a tragedy that had left at least 164 people dead and 308 injured, they were really venting the frustrations of having to cope with life in a city with an infrastructure so stretched that simply getting to work and back is an ordeal. At peak hour, the commuter trains - which carry six million people each day - are packed with up to 5,000 commuters, even though they're built for 1,800. Every day, an average of 11 people die on the railway system, either because they fall off the trains or because they're hit by passing locomotives as they cross the tracks.

Hypothesis: Every day in Mumbai about 164 people die.


Premise: (CNN) — Nadya Suleman, the Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets in January, has fired a nonprofit group of nurses charged with helping care for her children, CNN affiliate KTLA has reported. Suleman accused the nurses, from a group called Angels in Waiting, of spying on her to report her to child-welfare authorities, the affiliate reported Monday. The group was working for free, the affiliate said. Suleman instead will rely on nurses whom she is paying, Suleman's attorney said. She now has four of the octuplets at home, along with her six other children. The other octuplets remain in a hospital, which is discharging them two at a time to ease the adjustment.

Hypothesis: Nadya Suleman has 14 children.


Premise: It is the country's aging nuclear facility that currently concerns Armenian environmental groups as well as those in neighboring countries. Twenty miles west of the capital Yerevan, Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1970s and houses two VVER-440 Model V230 nuclear reactors. Metsamor, which currently produces about 40 percent of the country's electricity, is located in a seismically active zone and was closed even before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union because of the devastating Dec. 7, 1988, earthquake in Spitak.

Hypothesis: Metsamor nuclear reactor was shut down on Dec. 7, 1988.


Premise: BUJUMBURA, Apr 9 (Reuters) - An anti-corruption activist was murdered in a knife attack in Burundi on Thursday, police in the central African nation said on Thursday. Ernest Manirumva, who suffered stab wounds to the head, was the deputy chairman of a Burundi corruption watchdog known as OLUCOME. His body was found on Thursday morning inside his house in the capital Bujumbura, witnesses told Reuters. 'Manirumva was assassinated after midnight,' said a police spokesman. 'We don't yet know the people who committed the crime but investigations have started.'

Hypothesis: Ernest Manirumva was an anti-corruption campaigner.


Premise: (CNN) — Numerous wildfires were roaring Thursday through parts of Oklahoma and Texas, engulfing one entire town and searing neighborhoods including one in Oklahoma City. Hurricane-force winds continued to kick the flames higher. The fires had engulfed so many miles of turf, and flying embers had sparked in so many different places, that hours after the first blazes were reported Thursday morning, safety officials still weren't sure how many fires they were facing. In Texas, the 100-person town of Stoneburg was "burned over," by a 25,000-acre fire said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Misty Wilburn. The town, northwest of Dallas near the Oklahoma state line, had been evacuated, she said. At least 100 homes were believed burned down in Midwest City, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

Hypothesis: A hurricane has caused vast damages in Oklahoma City.


Premise: Apple shrugged off the economic downturn to report a 15% jump in profits for the first three months of the year. Sales of its iPhone more than doubled from the same quarter one year ago, while iPod sales also grew. However, demand for Macintosh computers dipped. Net profit rose to $1.21bn (£0.84bn) from $1.05bn in the same quarter a year ago, on sales up 8.7% to $8.16bn. The results sent the company's shares 2.5% higher in after-hours trading.

Hypothesis: iPhone is a product of Apple's.


Premise: (CNN) — Children were among the victims of a plane crash that killed as many as 17 people Sunday in Butte, Montana, according to authorities in Oroville, California, where the aircraft stopped for fuel. The single-engine plane stopped at the Oroville airport at about 11 a.m. PT, refueled and departed about half an hour later, Police Chief Kirk Trostle said. "There were some adults and children on board," he told reporters Sunday evening, adding the passengers got out briefly to stretch while the pilot refueled the plane.

Hypothesis: 17 adults died in a plane crash in Montana.


Premise: Stanford, the chief executive officer of Stanford Financial Group and the Stanford Investment Bank at the heart of the SEC fraud charges, followed the lead of his Memphis-based chief financial officer, James Davis, who asserted his Fifth Amendment rights in court filings nearly two weeks ago. Stanford's signature is dated Monday. Memphis-based chief investment officer Laura Pendergest-Holt is accused of helping facilitate the scheme by misleading investors. The only criminal charges filed so far are against Pendergest-Holt — for obstruction of justice — related to the government's belief that she lied about her knowledge of assets involved with the uninsured Caribbean-based certificates of deposit that are at the center of the investigation.

Hypothesis: The Fifth Amendment right is against self-incrimination.


Premise: LOSAIL, Qatar (AFP) - Australia's Casey Stoner, riding a Ducati, was confidently eyeing a third successive Qatar MotoGP victory after taking pole position in a dominant qualifying performance under the Losail desert floodlights. World champion Valentino Rossi was second fastest with his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who was the pole sitter in 2008, in third place. Stoner, the winner here for the last two years and the 2007 world champion, clocked 1min 55.286sec with Rossi 0.473sec behind and Lorenzo 0.497sec off the pace. Italy's Andrea Dovizioso, on a Honda, was fourth quickest.

Hypothesis: Valentino Rossi is the World Moto GP champion.


Premise: (AP) The Italian court trying an American student and her former boyfriend for the murder of a British woman inspected the apartment house in Perugia on Saturday where the victim was stabbed to death in 2007. American Amanda Knox, 21, and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, who was also studying in the university town in Umbria, are being tried for the slaying of Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher. Both have denied all wrongdoing. The body of 21-year-old Kercher, stabbed in the neck, was found in a pool of blood in her bedroom of the rented flat in November 2007.

Hypothesis: Amanda Knox was in Italy on an exchange program for students.


Premise: US music producer Phil Spector has been convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, after a five-month retrial. The 68-year-old, famous for the "Wall of Sound" recording technique, faces between 15 years and life in prison. He had pleaded not guilty to the second degree murder of 40-year-old Ms Clarkson, who was shot in the mouth at Spector's home in Los Angeles. Spector was remanded in custody until sentencing on 29 May. His lawyer has said he intends to appeal.

Hypothesis: Phil Spector was a music producer.


Premise: A court in Venezuela has jailed nine former police officers for their role in the deaths of 19 people during demonstrations in 2002. The violence took place hours ahead of a failed coup against President Hugo Chavez. Both supporters and opponents of the left-wing leader were shot dead in the demonstrations in the capital, Caracas. Among those convicted were three former high-ranking police chiefs for the city. They were jailed for 30 years each for complicity in the deaths of pro-government demonstrators, a lawyer for the victims said.

Hypothesis: Nine police officers have had a role in the death of 19 people.


Premise: The death was confirmed by his daughter Alexandra Holzer. Mr. Holzer — who wrote more than 140 books on ghosts, the afterlife, witchcraft, extraterrestrial beings and other phenomena associated with the realm he called "the other side" — carried out his most famous investigation with the medium Ethel Johnson-Meyers in 1977. Together they roamed the house in Amityville, in which a young man, Ronald DeFeo Jr., had murdered his parents and four siblings in 1974. The house had become notorious after its next owners claimed to have been tormented by a series of spine-chilling noises and eerie visitations, set forth in the best-selling 1977 book "The Amityville Horror: A True Story," written by Jay Anson.

Hypothesis: Alexandra Holzer has an house in Amityville.


Premise: NEW DELHI, March 31 (Bernama) — Fifty years living in India is spiritually enriching, says 74-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. In March 1959, he crossed the Indian border as young man after a 14-day harrowing escape from his homeland. "I was 24 years old when I came to India as a refugee. I feel it is a very meaningful life because of the religious experience I had, following others like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism. "I am son of India," the Dalai Lama told reporters in Delhi, in conjunction with his 50th anniversary in exile in India.

Hypothesis: The Dalai Lama is 74 years old.


Premise: The museum's co-curator, Yitzchak Mais, former director of the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem, explained its significance as filling a largely unexplored niche. "These are your neighbors from the Midwest," Mr. Mais said. "You'll realize that you walked on the street with them, shopped with them at the grocery, sat with them at the movie theater." "You've lived with the witnesses," he went on. "It removes the distance. This didn't happen a thousand miles away. It's about right here, and that's very clear."

Hypothesis: The Yad Vashem Holocaust museum is located in Israel.


Premise: London, March 17 (IANS) British actress Natasha Richardson is reportedly in a critical condition after suffering a serious head injury while skiing in Quebec, Canada. The 45-year-old was involved in an accident on the slopes on Monday and was taken to Montreal's Centre Hospitalier Laurentien. She was later transferred to another medical facility, according to US reports. Richardson, who is married to Irish actor Liam Neeson, is under constant supervision from medics after suffering a "traumatic brain injury", a hospital source tells IrishCentral.com.

Hypothesis: Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson are married.


Premise: Despite the challenges, Ford made strong progress on our transformation plan by gaining share with strong new products, slowing operating-related cash outflows, reducing outstanding debt, lowering our structural costs and reaching new agreements with the UAW (United Auto Workers). Ford said it "remains on track to meet or beat its financial targets based on current planning assumptions, including the target for its overall and North American automotive pre-tax results to be breakeven or better in 2011, excluding special items."

Hypothesis: Ford is reducing its structural costs in order to achieve its financial targets.


Premise: (Washington, D.C.) - More babies were born in the United States last year than ever before, according to preliminary data, but it's not another baby boom just yet. About 4,315,000 children were born in 2007, about 15,000 more births than the peak time of the baby boom in 1957, said Stephanie Ventura, a demographer at the National Center for Health Statistics, which compiled the data from provisional birth certificate registrations at state health departments. "According to our provisional data, we had the highest number of births ever reported in 2007," she said.

Hypothesis: About 15,000 children of the 4,315,000 born in 2007 in the U.S. were Hispanic.


Premise: Leftist Mauricio Funes of El Salvador's former Marxist rebel FMLN party has won the country's presidential election. He defeated his conservative rival, the Arena party's Rodrigo Avila, who has admitted defeat. Arena had won every presidential election since the end of El Salvador's civil war 18 years ago. Addressing jubilant supporters, Mr Funes said it was the happiest day of his life and the beginning of a new chapter of peace for the country. Branded by his opponents as a puppet of Venezuala's President Hugo Chavez, Mr Funes vowed to respect all Salvadorian democratic institutions.

Hypothesis: Rodrigo Avila has won El Salvador's presidential election.


Premise: Most centenarians attribute their great age to some magic elixir or other. The longevity of the Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who this week became the first Nobel Prize-winner to reach the age of 100, might be the result of a potion that is a little out of the ordinary: Professor Levi-Montalcini, it is said, puts her undiminished mental vigour down to regular doses of nerve growth factor (NGF) - the discovery that made her famous. She was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for Medicine jointly with an American, Stanley Cohen, for her research into NGF: the proteins and amino-acids which enable the cells of the nervous system to grow and take on specialised tasks. Despite her age, Dr Levi-Montalcini, a neurologist and development biologist, still works every day at the European Brain Research Institute, which she founded in Rome.

Hypothesis: Rita Levi-Montalcini has never gotten married.


Premise: Rihanna's hell ride through Hollywood began when she intercepted a booty call to her boyfriend from a rival. "A three page text message" from a woman Chris Brown had "a previous sexual relationship with" popped up on his cell phone as the singer drove home with Rihanna by his side from a pre-Grammy Awards party. "A verbal argument ensued" that quickly escalated out of control, with Brown delivering a brutal and bloody beatdown of Rihanna as they hurtled through L.A. in a silver Lamborghini, according to a shocking affidavit.

Hypothesis: Rihanna's boyfriend won a Grammy Award.


Premise: A month after Gov. David A. Paterson dropped his proposal for a soda tax, New York City's health commissioner has written an article advocating "hefty" taxes on sodas and sports drinks containing sugar. Such a tax, the article said, could be the biggest boon to public health since tobacco taxes. The commissioner, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, and Kelly D. Brownell of Yale University, his co-author, argue in the New England Journal of Medicine that a tax of a penny per ounce could reduce consumption by more than 10 percent and raise $1.2 billion a year in New York State alone.

Hypothesis: Yale University is located in New England.


Premise: AT&T, the largest telecommunications company in the United States, reported on Wednesday that its first-quarter profit dipped 9.7 percent from a year ago, but cost-cutting and new customers lured by the iPhone helped beat Wall Street's expectation of a bigger drop. The company, based in Dallas, reported its net income for the quarter was $3.1 billion, or 53 cents a share, compared with $3.5 billion, or 57 cents a share, in the period a year ago. AT&T said revenue was $30.6 billion, slightly down from $30.7 billion in the quarter a year ago. Analysts had expected revenue of $31.1 billion.

Hypothesis: iPhone is a product of Apple's.


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 was killed by a wild mushroom.


Premise: Things got under way around 1:30 p.m., after Nick Goddard, who is 26 and lost his job as a computer programmer last month, showed up with a few friends. Mr. Goddard said he had hatched the idea for the Unemployment Olympics because he yearned for the chance to "battle all the unemployed people for stuff." "It's also not a bad time to be unemployed," said Mr. Goddard, who is from Rochester Hills, Mich., and lives in the East Village. "There is no stigma associated with it now."

Hypothesis: The Unemployment Olympics took place in the East Village.


Premise: One man, who did not want to be named, said: "There was a big fight - I heard it was some sort of retaliation after something else that happened earlier on." Most of Larkhall Park has been sealed off following the incident. A 100-metre stretch of Wandsworth Road, which runs along the western side of the park, has also been closed to traffic. The teenager's death brings the total number of young people to die in violent circumstances in London this year, to seven.

Hypothesis: Seven young people died in violent situations this year in London.


Premise: The pope flew by helicopter from Vatican City to a tent camp near the village of Onna, where he led a prayer in the cold and rainy weather for the hundreds killed in the April 6 quake. The camp houses hundreds of families left homeless when the magnitude-6.3 quake destroyed their homes. Residents there welcomed the pope, who kissed and hugged some of the children. "I have come here personally to this splendid and hurt land of yours, which is living days of great pain and precariousness, to express in the most direct way my kind closeness," the pope told residents. "I've followed the news with apprehension, sharing with you your consternation ... for the dead, along with your anxious worries about how much you've lost in a brief moment.

Hypothesis: The pope reached the homeless camp near Onna by helicopter.


Premise: Currently, there is no specific treatment available against dengue fever, which is the most widespread tropical disease after malaria. Sanofi Pasteur is collaborating with the Communicable Disease Center in Singapore and the Pasteur Institute in Vietnam to conduct these clinical studies in children and adults. "Controlling the mosquitoes that transmit dengue is necessary but not sufficient to fight against the disease. A safe and effective vaccine has been long awaited to prevent dengue epidemics," said Professor Leo Yee Sin, director of the Communicable Disease Center in Singapore. "Clinical studies in Singapore are critical steps to advance the development of a vaccine for the prevention of dengue in Asia. We are happy to contribute to scientific research that would benefit the entire region."

Hypothesis: Malaria is the most widespread disease transmitted by mosquitoes.


Premise: A Ugandan spy who set up a bogus charity and embezzled thousands of dollars of funding meant for Aids patients has been jailed for 10 years. Teddy Sseezi Cheeye, 51, took $56,000 (£38,000) from the Global Fund charity, which aims to prevent HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. He set up an NGO, the Uganda Centre for Accountability, which received cash in 2005 to do HIV/Aids community work. But the High Court in Kampala heard Cheeye siphoned off the funds instead.

Hypothesis: Teddy Sseezi Cheeye is an Ugandan spy.


Premise: TWO years ago, Sheik Adil Kalbani dreamed that he had become an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Waking up, he dismissed the dream as a temptation to vanity. Although he is known for his fine voice, Sheik Adil is black, and the son of a poor immigrant from the Persian Gulf. Leading prayers at the Grand Mosque is an extraordinary honor, usually reserved for pure-blooded Arabs from the Saudi heartland.

Hypothesis: Sheik Adil Kalbani is the first black man to lead prayers in Mecca.


Premise: (CBS) The world knows Philip Markoff only by his headline nickname, the "Craigslist killer," but to Morgan Houston, he is more than a suspect or a defendant. To her, Markoff was a classmate and a friend - someone she thought she knew. "I thought he was very nice," she tells 48 Hours Mystery correspondent Richard Schlesinger. "He was dorky, but so many of us are. I mean, I can be a big dork, too. So, you can't hold that against him." Houston first heard that her college friend had been arrested from another friend on the social networking Web site, Facebook.

Hypothesis: Philip Markoff is a medicine student at the Boston University School of Medicine.


Premise: Washington - Kirk Kerkorian, the billionaire mogul and major shareholder in General Motors Corp., said Friday that automakers Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. are interested in purchasing a significant stake in GM and including the Detroit automaker in their alliance. Kerkorian's investment company, Tracinda Corp., told GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner in a letter that Renault and Nissan are receptive to the idea of including General Motors in their partnership and purchasing "a significant minority interest" in the automaker.

Hypothesis: The major shareholder of General Motors is Kirk Kerkorian.


Premise: Detroit — A federal judge upheld the right of a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper reporter to invoke the Fifth Amendment when he refused in court Tuesday to reveal his sources in a 2004 story about a terrorism prosecutor. David Ashenfelter of the Detroit Free Press appeared at the federal courthouse to be questioned in a deposition sought by Richard Convertino. The ex-prosecutor is suing the U.S. Justice Department over a leak that led to a Free Press story about an internal ethics investigation, and he wants to know the reporter's sources.

Hypothesis: The Fifth Amendment is about terrorism.


Premise: The exact figure is unknown, although some estimate it to be in the thousands. This is despite the fact that Falun Gong is not officially allowed by the Vietnamese authorities. The regime clearly does not want Falun Gong to be another potential point of conflict in the already tangled bilateral relationship with China. But organising meetings is becoming easier, and group meditation can now be seen in public locations. In Thong Nhat Park in central Hanoi, a dozen men and women are united in a group breathing exercise, their arms tracing arcs through the early morning mist. They look serene and undisturbed, but it has not always been the case.

Hypothesis: Falun Gong is a spiritual movement.


Premise: The News of the World, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper, said the 26-year-old royal, who is second in line to the throne, unwittingly spoke to their reporter in a nightclub. The prince gives away little when speaking publicly. William also said his brother Prince Harry was missing his ex-lover Chelsy Davy, while giving away no clues about whether he might marry his own girlfriend Kate Middleton. Harry, 24, served with the British Army in Afghanistan for 77 days with the Household Cavalry regiment until a reporting embargo broke down in February 2008.

Hypothesis: Prince Harry is 26 years old.


Premise: CASABLANCA, Morocco - This seaside city is known as a rich stockpile of art deco architecture, the hub of Morocco's economic growth and the setting of an all-time classic movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. But Casablanca is also the capital of a bleaker aspect of modern Morocco — sprawling slums, where huge families are packed into shanties with tin roofs rusted by the ocean winds, and goats and donkeys munch stray garbage. "It's as if we're eating straight from the gutter," said Mina Abujaman, 48, describing the squalor.

Hypothesis: Humphrey Bogart was 48 when starred in Casablanca.


Premise: Swampscott - Almost as if leading parallel careers with the 19th-century Brontë sisters are the 21st-century Ephron sisters. While Charlotte Brontë wrote "Jane Eyre," Emily wrote "Wuthering Heights" and Anne wrote "Agnes Grey." In the Ephron family, Nora wrote "Silkwood," "Heartburn," "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle," while Delia wrote "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and co-wrote "Michael" and "You've Got Mail" with Nora — all while Amy wrote six acclaimed novels. Amy Ephron's latest novel, "One Sunday Morning," is a bestseller, and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently bought her national bestseller, "A Cup of Tea."

Hypothesis: Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Brontë.


Premise: BEIJING — China has rejected Coca-Cola Co.'s $2.3 billion bid to buy a major Chinese juice producer, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Wednesday. The ruling is the first of its kind since China promulgated its anti-monopoly law last August.The proposed purchase was rejected on anti-monopoly grounds, MOC said on its website. "The bid may harm competition...in China's beverage market." The purchase of China Huiyuan Juice Group, the nation's largest juice maker, would have been the biggest foreign acquisition of a Chinese company to date.

Hypothesis: Coca-Cola buys Huiyuan Juice Group.


Premise: A SCUBA diver has died during a visit to a historic ship sunk off the Port Phillip Bay heads. The Geelong man, 49, was with a group of six on a diving expedition to explore the SS Coogee shipwreck when he collapsed. The experienced diver, who had explored the scuttled steamer 25 times before, was teamed with two other divers when disaster struck. About 11am yesterday, within minutes of entering the 13C water, he floated to the surface. Police say that on reaching the shipwreck the two other divers did not immediately notice he was missing because of the poor visibility at that depth.

Hypothesis: The scuba diver who died in Port Phillip Bay was 25 years old.


Premise: A Japanese pop singer who was arrested for public indecency after being found drunk and naked in a Tokyo park has apologised for his "shameful" conduct. "I drank a lot and did not know what I was doing," Tsuyoshi Kusanagi said on Friday after being released by police. "I deeply apologise to fans for causing so much trouble and worry," he added. Kusanagi, 34, shot to fame as a member of 1980s boy band SMAP. He has not been charged for the incident, which took place in the early hours of Thursday.

Hypothesis: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi is a pop star.


Premise: Dramatic footage obtained by the Guardian shows that the man who died at last week's G20 protests in London was attacked from behind and thrown to the ground by a baton-wielding police officer in riot gear. Moments after the assault on Ian Tomlinson was captured on video, he suffered a heart attack and died. The Guardian has handed a dossier of evidence to the police complaints watchdog. It sheds new light on the events surrounding the death of the 47-year-old newspaper seller, who had been on his way home from work when he was confronted by lines of riot police near the Bank of England.

Hypothesis: Ian Tomlinson was a police officer.


Premise: MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he alone rules Russia and not former President Vladimir Putin, in unusually direct language during an interview with the BBC aired on Sunday. Analysts have been sceptical of Medvedev's ability to govern independently of Putin while polls show most Russians think the former President is still the real power in the country. "I am the leader of this state, I am the head of this state, and the division of power is based on this," Medvedev said. Medvedev made no direct reference to the so-called power tandem between himself and Putin, now Russia's Prime Minister.

Hypothesis: Putin was the President of Russia.


Premise: Mr Bouton has faced rising criticism ever since the bank said rogue trader Jerome Kerviel had lost 4.9bn euros ($6.5bn; £4.4bn) at the start of 2008. SocGen then needed a 1.7bn-euro loan from the government in December because of the impact of the credit crisis. Last month, SocGen bosses gave up their annual bonuses following public anger. Mr Bouton, who admitted that "like any manager I have certainly made mistakes", will now stand down on 6 May.

Hypothesis: Daniel Bouton is the chairman of Societe Generale.


Premise: Early iterations of the 3D Internet have been a hit. Virtual world Second Life, created by Linden Lab, hosts 1 million users a month, up from 544,313 a year ago. Cooliris makes software that lets users view photos, video, and Web pages in 3D. "We solve the problem of navigating large amounts of content," says co-founder Austin Shoemaker, 25, who is also among the Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs finalists. The free Cooliris iPhone app has been downloaded 800,000 times since last fall. The company also makes versions for PC browsers. In March, the Cooliris software was used to display baby pictures on the TV talk show Live with Regis and Kelly. Earlier this month, Cooliris closed a $15.5 million round of funding headed by Kleiner Perkins.

Hypothesis: Last year there were about 550 thousands players on Second Life.


Premise: The Pritzker jury praised Mr. Zumthor's use of materials. "In Zumthor's skillful hands, like those of the consummate craftsman, materials from cedar shingles to sandblasted glass are used in a way that celebrates their own unique qualities, all in the service of an architecture of permanence," the citation said, adding, "In paring down architecture to its barest yet most sumptuous essentials, he has reaffirmed architecture's indispensable place in a fragile world." Mr. Zumthor said that his projects generally originated with materials. "I work a little bit like a sculptor," he said. "When I start, my first idea for a building is with the material. I believe architecture is about that. It's not about paper, it's not about forms. It's about space and material."

Hypothesis: The Pritzker Prize is the highest recognition for an architect.


Premise: A South Korean official expressed doubts over United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's apparent support for a permanent Security Council seat for Japan, and attention has been drawn to widespread mistrust of Japan by Chinese - although the Chinese government has not commented directly against Japan.

Hypothesis: China won't receive money from Japan.


Premise: McDonald's has announced slightly higher profits in the first three months of the year as people look for value meals during the recession. Profits at the the US fast-food giant, the world's largest hamburger chain, rose 4% to $979.5m (£676m) from $946.1m in the same period last year. The company also said that sales so far in April were strong. Last month, McDonald's warned that the strong dollar and high commodity prices would squeeze first quarter revenues.

Hypothesis: McDonald's is the world's largest hamburger chain.


Premise: Wearing a black suit with a red tie and pocket square, Phil Spector showed no reaction as the verdict was announced. Now 69, he faces a sentence of 18 years to life in prison when he is sentenced May 29. Asked if he agreed to the sentencing date, Spector quietly answered, "Yes." Prosecutor Alan Jackson said he believed the jury reached the correct verdict, and he acknowledged the strength and backing of Clarkson's family. But defense attorney Doron Weinberg said Spector's defense team disagreed and planned to appeal.

Hypothesis: Phil Spector is related to the Clarkson family.


Premise: Napoli will not sign Fabio Cannavaro in the summer once the veteran defender becomes a free agent. The Italy captain whose contract with Real Madrid expires at the end of the season, is looking for a club and has been linked with a move to Manchester City. However, 35-year-old Cannavaro will not be granted the opportunity to end his career with his home club Napoli. "Cannavaro will not come to Napoli," said Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Hypothesis: Cannavaro is 35 years old.


Premise: Leftist Mauricio Funes of El Salvador's former Marxist rebel FMLN party has won the country's presidential election. He defeated his conservative rival, the Arena party's Rodrigo Avila, who has admitted defeat. Arena had won every presidential election since the end of El Salvador's civil war 18 years ago. Addressing jubilant supporters, Mr Funes said it was the happiest day of his life and the beginning of a new chapter of peace for the country. Branded by his opponents as a puppet of Venezuala's President Hugo Chavez, Mr Funes vowed to respect all Salvadorian democratic institutions.

Hypothesis: In El Salvador Mauricio Funes has defeated Rodrigo Avila.


Premise: The company also faced shortages of skilled riveters, the archives showed. Dr. McCarty said that for a half year, from late 1911 to April 1912, when the Titanic set sail, the company's board discussed the problem at every meeting. For instance, on Oct. 28, 1911, Lord William Pirrie, the company's chairman, expressed concern over the lack of riveters and called for new hiring efforts. In their research, the scientists, who are metallurgists, found that good riveting took great skill. The iron had to be heated to a precise cherry red color and beaten by the right combination of hammer blows. Mediocre work could hide problems.

Hypothesis: Titanic sank in 1912.


Hypothesis: The scuba diver who died in Port Phillip Bay came from Geelong.


Premise: The fishermen are protesting catch quotas they call too low for them to earn a living. They say they plan to continue blocking the northern French ports indefinitely. The European Union sets annual quotas in an effort to protect and revive dwindling fish stocks. Member countries negotiate each country's share of the total catch. "The immediate opening of supplementary catch quotas, for sole and cod, is vital for the future of small fishermen" in the region, Jacky Henin, former mayor of Calais and a European parliament member, said Wednesday. The French government said it may consider providing financial support to the fishing industry, but called the quotas reasonable.

Hypothesis: French fishermen protest against EU fishing quotas.


Premise: Alistair Darling will not raise the amount of cash he wants from the new 50p income tax rate because high earners will find ways to avoid paying it, experts say. The Chancellor revealed in his Budget that borrowing this year would soar to a record £175bn as the government tries to "grow" its way out of recession. Mr Darling confirmed that the UK was in the grip of the deepest slump since the Second World War, with the economy set to shrink by 3.5% in 2009 - more than double his previous forecast.

Hypothesis: Alistair Darling is chancellor.


Premise: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Starbucks Corp Wednesday posted slightly better-than-expected quarterly profit as cost savings helped offset an 8% drop in same-store sales. The coffee chain, which has been slashing costs to compensate for dwindling customer visits, had announced plans to close almost 1,000 stores around the world as the worst recession in decades drove consumers to tighten their belts. During the second quarter, Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) said it cut costs by $120 million, better than its target of $100 million, and that sales at restaurants open at least 13 months declined at a slower pace than the 9% drop recorded in the first quarter.

Hypothesis: Starbucks is a US coffee giant.


Premise: The pilot of an Indonesian plane that crashed at an airport on Java island, killing 21 people, has been jailed for two years for criminal negligence. An inquiry found that Capt Marwoto Komar had approached the runway too fast and landed at too steep an angle. The Boeing 737 skidded off the runway and burst into flames on 7 March 2007. This is the first time a pilot has faced criminal charges in Indonesia, and the trial has attracted a lot of media attention.

Hypothesis: Capt Marwoto Komar has been jailed for 21 years.


Premise: This winter's ski season in Europe and the US has been stunning — the snow arrived early, fell in heaps, and is still falling in many places. Only last weekend an extraordinary 4ft snowfall across Colorado and Wyoming left hundreds of drivers stranded on freeways and brought down power lines. But the future of skiing in many resorts hangs in the balance. The world's highest ski run has closed after running out of snow over several years — the Chacaltaya ski area in Bolivia stood at 5,300m (17,388ft) on a glacier. Skiing was established at Chacaltaya 70 years ago with Lake Titicaca on the horizon, and about 14 years ago could boast a ski run 12m (40ft) deep in snow. Bolivia even had its own Winter Olympics team until 1992.

Hypothesis: Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border between Bolivia and Peru.


Premise: The same mindset that led to these over-the-top punishments was apparently at play in the strip search of a 13-year-old student by Safford, Ariz., school officials in 2003. They were trying to find out whether she had prescription-strength ibuprofen tablets — the equivalent of a couple of Advils hidden in her bra or panties, in violation of the "no drugs" policy. No pills were found. Savana Redding, then an eighth-grader and now 19, was so humiliated she never went back to the school. Her mother sued the school district and the administrator involved. On Tuesday, the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, where the justices will determine whether school officials violated Redding's constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and whether she can hold them personally financially responsible.

Hypothesis: Savana Redding was strip-searched at school six years ago.


Premise: Norway's premier, Jens Stoltenberg, issued a curt "We lost a referendum on the EU and so it is not on the agenda now." Oslo has held two referendums on the matter, one in 1974 after negotiating an accession agreement and another in 1994. Both times membership was narrowly rejected. Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said that as part of the coalition agreement her centre-left Social Democratic Alliance had signed with the far-left Left Green Movement, the current caretaker government would not apply for membership of the EU. "But let's see what happens after the elections," she said. "At the same time, we need 30,000 Icelanders to demand a referendum."

Hypothesis: Johanna Sigurdardottir belongs to the Icelandic Social Democratic Alliance.


Premise: Starbucks was one of the first companies to recognize the United States was in a recession when it halted its expansion plans last July. Still sensitive to the spending habits of consumers, the company has not glimpsed an end to that recession. Howard D. Schultz, Starbucks' chief executive, told investors Wednesday after announcing that the company's second-quarter net income had dropped 77 percent that, "The global economy continues to be weak." He also said, "We did not see any improvement in U.S. consumer spending in Q2," and added that he was not expecting any improvement in 2009.

Hypothesis: Starbucks is an investment company.


Premise: Giampaolo Giuliani told locals to evacuate their houses and posted a video on YouTube in which he said a build-up of radon gas around the seismically active area of Abruzzo suggested a major earthquake was imminent. Several tremors had been felt in the medieval city of L'Aquila, 60 miles north-east of Rome, since mid-January, and vans with loudspeakers had reportedly driven around the city spreading the warning. But instead of heeding the advice of Mr Giuliani, local authorities reported him to police for "spreading alarm" and he was told to remove his findings from the internet.

Hypothesis: Giampaolo Giuliani works at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory.


Premise: The Unemployment Olympics are the hastily planned brainchild of Nick Goddard, a gangly, angular man in small glasses and a navy blazer who runs from one event to the other, herding the 30-some-odd contestants around like an inexperienced babysitter at a children's birthday party. The former computer programmer has been without a job for less than two months and says the idea for the four-event competition — Telephone toss, Payday piñata, Pin-the-Blame-on-the-Boss and the "You're Fired!" race — just popped into his head one night. "Normally you think of things like this but never do them," he says, "but I have so much free time right now, I decided to go for it." He built a rudimentary website, contacted local news outlets, and then watched in amazement as his email's inbox filled with hopeful participants.

Hypothesis: Pin-the-Blame-on-the-Boss is one of the events of the Unemployment Olympics.


Premise: Overall, the Southeast has the highest cancer death rate as researchers persist in looking for reasons, said Jennifer Pietenpol, director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. She said technology, education and outreach will curb deaths, but funding and staff are also part of the equation. Pietenpol said the National Cancer Institute stands to receive $1.3 billion in stimulus package funds. "We have to look beyond a stimulus package," she said. "Cancer is not waiting for a stimulus package. There is clearly not enough money for every research."

Hypothesis: The National Cancer Institute is the federal government's main cancer research entity.


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: Mr. Meinl owns a Falcon jet that he flies himself.


Premise: At least 14 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in southern Sri Lanka, police say. The telecoms minister was among about 35 people injured in the blast at the town of Akuressa, 160km (100 miles) south of the capital, Colombo. Government officials were attending a function at a mosque to celebrate an Islamic holiday at the time. The defence ministry said the blast was carried out by Tamil Tiger rebels but no-one has yet admitted responsibility. The Sri Lankan government has strongly condemned the attack. It urged people to remain calm and not to be provoked.

Hypothesis: 35 government officials were injured by a suicide bomber in Akuressa.


Premise: For weeks now, I've been hearing chatter that Disney was close to doing a distribution deal with Hulu. Disney would give Hulu exclusive access to at least some of its online video in exchange for an equity stake alongside GE's (GE) NBC and News Corp.'s (NWS) Fox. And accompanying said chatter was this refrain: Why? The puzzlement comes from video players who don't work at NBC, Fox or Hulu, and who can't see the upside in Disney CEO Bob Iger throwing in his lot with Hulu.

Hypothesis: Bob Iger is the CEO of Disney.


Premise: Shown on a test run with President Obama in the White House on March 15, 2009, the black-and-white Portuguese water dog is a gift to President Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha from Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who also owns Portuguese water dogs. Despite their lapdog looks, Portuguese water dogs are classified as working dogs. That means the pups seem to enjoy being given jobs that allow them to display their intelligence, strength, and stamina. "This breed possesses a lot of energy, so without training or a job to do, the dog may entertain itself by running full-speed down the West Wing or barking at Republicans," said animal behaviorist Mary Burch of the American Kennel Club.

Hypothesis: Bo is the new dog of President Obama.


Premise: In a sense Italy has never lost the art of la dolce vita: that is why millions of tourists go there every year, to discover (or rediscover) the leisurely lunch and the contemplation of beauty. But Mr Petrini, who founded Slow Food in 1986 as a reaction to the arrival of McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome, began his campaign out of fear that the Mediterranean way of life was being eroded by alien habits, such as a sandwich at the desk instead of lunch. "We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, invades the privacy of our homes, and forces us to eat Fast Foods," he wrote.

Hypothesis: Petrini is the founder of McDonalds.


Premise: (CBS/AP) A middle-aged volunteer church worker with the voice of an angel is Britain's latest unlikely showbiz star. Susan Boyle, 47, wowed judges and audience alike when she performed on the television contest "Britain's Got Talent." When Boyle stepped on stage she told the show's judges, "I'm nearly 48, currently unemployed but still looking..." But not likely unemployed for much longer, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. By Wednesday morning, a video clip of Boyle's performance on YouTube had been viewed more than 5 million times.

Hypothesis: Susan Boyle is a contestant on "Britain's Got Talent".


Premise: MOSCOW — Authorities in Dubai said Sunday that they believed the murder of Sulim B. Yamadayev, a former Chechen general, had been planned by a member of Russia's lower house of Parliament who is a well-known ally of the Chechen president. At a news conference, Dubai's chief of police, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan bin Tamim, said that he would ask Interpol to arrest the member of Parliament, Adam S. Delimkhanov, and that it was "Russia's responsibility in front of the world to control these killers from Chechnya."

Hypothesis: Sulim B. Yamadayev was a Chechen general.


Premise: Mexico's new president, Felipe Calderon, seems to be doing all the right things in cracking down on Mexico's drug traffickers. He's appointed new people to key military and criminal justice positions, deployed troops to quell drug violence, reasserted federal police power, extradited a few major traffickers to the United States, and given a green light to legislation clarifying Mexico's drug laws. But all this provides little reason to hope that Mexico has really turned a corner in its efforts to control the illegal drug trade. For a guide to what's in store, one need only look at past sexenios (the six year terms of Mexican presidents).

Hypothesis: Felipe Calderon is the outgoing President of Mexico.


Premise: DETROIT — The Treasury Department is directing Chrysler to prepare a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing as soon as next week, people with direct knowledge of the talks said Thursday. The company faces a deadline of April 30 to come up with a viable business plan supported by its creditors, the United Automobile Workers union, and Fiat, the Italian car company that wants to acquire a stake in Chrysler. The Obama administration has told Chrysler it will provide up to $6 billion in new financing, on top of the $4 billion in loans it has already given the company, if Chrysler can complete a deal by next Thursday with a cost structure that gives it a chance of survival. The creditors have so far balked at the terms suggested by the Treasury.

Hypothesis: Fiat wants to gain possession of a stake in Chrysler.


Premise: Updated The Senate confirmation of Governor Kathleen Sebelius, — who would be the final member to join the Obama Cabinet, as secretary of Health and Human Services — hit more snags on Thursday because of Republican opposition. It's increasingly likely that her nomination will face a procedural hurdle requiring 60 votes, before final approval, at the earliest next week. The Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, tried unsuccessfully to get unanimous consent to confirm Ms. Sebelius. But after a 15-8 vote out of the Senate Finance Committee earlier this week, it had already been pretty clear that a smooth path to confirmation wasn't likely.

Hypothesis: Kathleen Sebelius comes from Nevada.


Premise: Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and their 10-member staff are visiting Rome and Venic, and t Berlin before they return to Britain. The plane is said to contain a master suite and private bathroom, and costs more than $116,000 to charter. Prince Charles and his wife met today with the Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican to talk about the environment. The prince's spokesperson at Clarence House told ABC News that the prince was scheduled to fly on a Royale Air Force jet for his European tour, but the plane suddenly became "unserviceable" Friday, the day before the trip was to start, and he was .

Hypothesis: Benedict XVI is the current Pope.


Premise: Americans, however, aren't the only ones who began 2009 with a landmark inauguration. Iceland swore in Johanna Sigurdardottir on Sunday as not only the country's first female prime minister, but also the world's first openly queer head of government. It is difficult to make a perfect comparison between Iceland's situation and our own; Iceland's population is less than a one-hundredth of ours, and because of their parliamentary system, Sigurdardottir was never popularly elected. But that doesn't mean we can't ask, in a return to our initial speculation, "What's coming next for America?" One of the best places to begin to unravel this puzzle is, interestingly, with the Republican Party. Since the 1960s, the Republican Party has catered to an almost exclusively white base and has incorporated relatively few politicians from minority backgrounds.

Hypothesis: Johanna Sigurdardottir is Republican.


Premise: A reward of $2m (£1.37m) each will be paid to informers who help arrest Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug gang chiefs, the attorney general has said. Correspondents say the most-wanted list is a public challenge to the cartels. Some 8,000 people have died in the past two years, as drug gangs fight for territory amid government crackdowns. US and Mexican agencies are increasing their co-operation as the gang violence spills over the border, where kidnaps and killings are on the rise.

Hypothesis: The reward for informers in Mexico is 2 million dollars.


Premise: PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Paul Collier, a leading poverty guru, spent a recent morning here waxing positive about how the world's economic freefall might prove the perfect moment for Haiti to sell more exports like T-shirts and mangoes to Americans. His improbable enthusiasm coincided with appearances by a bevy of luminaries descending on Haiti this month, including Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, and the entire Security Council. All of them came to stress that this destitute nation stands at a crossroads between salvation and "the darkness," as Mr. Ban put it.

Hypothesis: Paul Collier is the United Nations Secretary General.


Premise: It was one of the most gruesome crimes this northern Colorado farming town has seen. The man accused of killing Ms. Zapata, Allen R. Andrade, 32, told the police that he had attacked her upon discovering that she was biologically a man, after the two met on the Internet and had a sexual encounter. In a chilling arrest affidavit, Mr. Andrade said he thought he had "killed it," after striking Ms. Zapata in the head until she stopped breathing. Now, Mr. Andrade stands accused of first-degree murder, in what national gay rights groups say is the first trial in which a hate-crime statute has been used to prosecute the killing of a transgender person.

Hypothesis: Angie Zapata has been killed with a fire extinguisher.


Premise: WEARE, N.H. — The black flies were swarming outside Justice David H. Souter's house on a dirt road here last week, and the house itself — with peeling paint, rotting wood and tattered shades pulled low — looked only slightly more seductive than a mud hut. Yet to Justice Souter, who told President Obama last week that he would retire from the Supreme Court in June and return to rural New Hampshire at the relatively young age of 69, this is apparently heaven. In this town of stone walls and bumpy roads, he can climb nearby mountains, jog unnoticed and, one can imagine, read by candlelight amid the piles of books said to dominate his house.

Hypothesis: President Obama has a house in New Hampshire.


Premise: VATICAN CITY - When Pope Benedict XVI embarks on his first trip to Africa as pontiff on Tuesday, traveling to Cameroon and Angola, he will be visiting the future of the Roman Catholic Church, if not its present. With one of the world's largest Catholic populations, estimated at 158 million, Africa is the continent where the church is at once strong - in terms of sheer numbers and devotional vitality - and weak, inevitably touched by the poverty, corruption, conflict and disease afflicting the larger society.

Hypothesis: Africa is estimated to have a 158-million Catholic population.


Premise: EVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Here's a new economic indicator: the diminishing level of glamour on Paris Hilton's reality TV show. Contestants in season two of "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" are living in a mansion that costs half as much as the home the show rented last season. Trips to New York and Tokyo are out this year, as the show's production budget has been cut 10 percent. With the recession eating into advertising revenue at TV networks, a popular solution has emerged — even cheaper reality TV.

Hypothesis: Paris Hilton is an heiress.


Premise: First runner-up Carrie Prejean (Miss California) was asked about legalizing same-sex marriage from judge Perez Hilton, the Internet blogger behind perezhilton.com. "I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody there. But that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be," Prejean said during Sunday night's live telecast. Hilton was visibly upset, and there was a mixed reaction from the live audience. Prejean ultimately came up short, losing the title to Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton.

Hypothesis: Carrie Prejean was a contestant in Miss USA.


Premise: Hours after the North's announcement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its inspectors had been ordered out. North Korea "informed IAEA inspectors in the Yongbyon facility that it is immediately ceasing all cooperation with the IAEA," Marc Vidricaire, spokesman for the UN nuclear watchdog, told reporters. "It has requested the removal of all containment and surveillance equipment, following which IAEA inspectors will no longer be provided access to the facility. The inspectors have also been asked to leave the DPRK at the earliest possible time."

Hypothesis: North Korea expelled international nuclear inspectors.


Premise: The trial against Swedish file-sharing website The Pirate Bay is coming to an end, with the four defendents saying they're "confident we are going to win". Co-founder Peter Sunde is on trial with three co-defendents charged with "assisting in making available copyright material." A higher charge of "assisting copyright infringement" was dropped on the second day of the trial. But even if they are found guilty, it won't have any consequences for the operation of the site and its millions of users.

Hypothesis: The site thepiratebay.org is one of the most visited BitTorrent destinations in the world.


Premise: Panetta told agency employees in an e-mail Thursday that the secret prisons are no longer used and the CIA is making plans to permanently shutter them. But the CIA can still hold prisoners temporarily. Panetta says if more prisoners are taken, they will be interrogated by agency employees and handed over quickly to their home country or a country with a legal claim. The Washington Post reported in November, 2005 that the CIA has maintained secret prisons, also known as "black sites" in at least eight foreign countries since shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

Hypothesis: Panetta is the director of the CIA.


Premise: NEW YORK (MYFOX NATIONAL) - New York City's Tompkins Square Park was the site of immigrant unemployment protests and labor conflict in the late 1800s . Now it's going to be the host of the Unemployment Olympics . The brainchild of laid-off computer programmer Nick Goddard, the event will take place on Tuesday afternoon and feature unemployed "athletes" participating in events such as the Fax Machine Toss, the "You're Fired" race and Pin the Blame on the Bosses. The 40 participants must show proof of unemployment — an unemployment card, a letter from the employer or an unemployment packet.

Hypothesis: The Unemployment Olympics will take place in New York City.


Premise: GORDONVILLE, Pa. - On a frosty March morning, with the stubble of last year's corn still in the fields, thousands of bargain-hunters flooded yesterday into a crossroads a mile from Paradise. For one day, the village of Gordonville (population: a couple of hundred) became maybe the biggest town in Pennsylvania's Amish country. Hundreds of Amish men in straw hats and Amish women in white head coverings joined thousands of "English" from as far as Texas in the bidding for a panoply of items, including birdhouses, antique desks, farm implements, quilts, bathtubs, horses, and mules.

Hypothesis: The biggest Amish community is in Pennsylvania.


Premise: Mr. Berlusconi promises to rebuild Onna again, as it was rebuilt after being overrun by the Nazis. Onna has become a symbol of the destruction wrought by the April 6 earthquake that killed 296 people in the central Abruzzo region. About 40 of Onna's 300 residents died. Mr. Berlusconi said on Saturday that Italians should remember with respect the partisans who fought Fascism but also those who died fighting on "the wrong side." Liberation Day marks the 1945 start of an anti-Nazi partisan uprising that ended with Italy's Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini being shot.

Hypothesis: Onna is an Italian village destroyed by the earthquake in April.


Premise: India has higher rates of malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa, despite having the money to tackle the problem, according to a survey that raises grave questions about the country's economic rise Almost 46 per cent of Indian children under the age of 3 suffer from malnutrition, according to the survey by the Indian Health Ministry in conjunction with Unicef, the United Nations children's agency. That compares with about 35 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and only 8 per cent in China, whose economic growth India strives to emulate. It also represents only a slight decrease since the last National Family Health Survey in India seven years ago showed that 47 per cent of its children were mal-nourished.

Hypothesis: India has higher malnutrition rates than China.


Premise: The UN human rights rapporteur John Dugard, a South African legal scholar, has compared the situation in the Occupied Territories to Apartheid. His successor Richard Falk, an American Jew and a leading authority on International law, called the situation a "prelude to genocide". Gaza, he said, was "slouching towards a holocaust" insofar as the situation expressed vividly "a deliberate intention on the part of Israel and its allies to subject an entire human community to life-endangering conditions of utmost cruelty". Falk accused Israel of bringing Gaza to the "brink of collective starvation", imposing "a sub-human existence" on a people "repeatedly and systematically" victimized.

Hypothesis: Richard Falk has compared the situation in Gaza to the Holocaust.


Premise: If 20 multiple sclerosis patients were in a room, all would exhibit different symptoms, she says. "The disease is not clear and not set. It's highly unpredictable." In particular, in the relapsing-remitting stage, there are symptoms such as fatigue, blurry vision, numbness or tingling that the patient feels but are not noticeable to others. As a result, outsiders may not be aware of the extent of the patient's suffering. "Sometimes, they think if you're not in a wheelchair, M.S. must not be that bad. That's not true," Caesar observed. In Florida, 20,000 individuals have been diagnosed with the disease. Nationwide, that number is 400,000. Although it is still in the basic research stage, stem cell therapy shows promise, says Caesar. The research focuses on getting stem cells to regenerate the nerve-insulating myelin.

Hypothesis: Stem cells could be useful to treat multiple sclerosis.


Premise: A Northern Ireland teenager has been charged with the murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll earlier this month. The 17-year-old appeared at Lisburn magistrates court shortly before 11am today where he faced four charges including murder, possessing of an AKM assault rifle and 26 rounds of ammunition, gathering intelligence likely to be of use to terrorists, and membership of the Continuity IRA. The youth, who cannot be named because of his age, denied all the charges, according to his solicitor.

Hypothesis: A teenager is accused of the death of Constable Stephen Carroll.


Premise: December 29 United States - According to NASA's Near Earth Object Program, 2004 MN4's assessed risk has been corrected downward to zero on the Torino scale. The Torino scale is the current method by which astronomers classify the likelihood of an impact with a near-Earth object.

Hypothesis: MN4 is an asteroid.


Premise: ASUNCION, Paraguay — Paraguay's president was hit with another paternity claim Monday, just a week after the former Roman Catholic bishop acknowledged fathering a different illegitimate child while still subject to his vows of chastity. Lugo, 57, did not confirm nor deny fathering the 6-year-old boy, but read a brief statement promising to "act always in line with the truth and subject myself to all the requirements presented by the justice system." He also appealed for privacy, referring all questions about paternity claims to his lawyer. Two of Lugo's cabinet ministers said they were initiating judicial proceedings against their boss on the latest woman's behalf, and vowed to order DNA tests if Lugo doesn't recognize paternity.

Hypothesis: Fernando Lugo is the President of Paraguay.


Premise: The protest, which was also held by Falun Gong members in major cities around the world, marked the 10th anniversary of Falun Gong's protest against China's persecution, as Beijing cracked down on the group and declared it a cult in 1999. "We hold this rally to call on the world's people to urge China to halt its suppression of Falun Gong and persecution of Falun Gong members," Chang Ching-hsi, head of the Taiwan branch of Falun Gong, said. He said Falun Gong members will keep up the peaceful protest until China has ended its crackdown.

Hypothesis: Falun Gong is a spiritual meditation group seeking world harmony.


Premise: GlaxoSmithKline is nearing a deal to acquire Stiefel Laboratories, a large maker of dermatology products, for as much as $3 billion, people with knowledge of the talks said Sunday. These people cautioned that the talks were continuing and could still fall apart. If a deal is reached, it would be the latest round of consolidation among drug makers, who have sought to acquire product lines in the face of pressure from rivals making generic products. So far this year, Pfizer agreed to buy Wyeth for $68 billion; Merck agreed to acquire Schering-Plough for $41 billion; and Roche struck a $46.8 billion deal for the 44 percent of Genentech it did not already own.

Hypothesis: GlaxoSmithKline is a British drug company.


Premise: SUVA - Fiji President President Ratu Josefa Iloilo repealed the country's constitution on Friday, appointed himself head of state and set a 2014 election deadline. He said he had also sacked all the judges and established a "new legal order" following Thursday's Court of Appeal ruling that the country's military regime was illegally appointed following the 2006 coup. "I will soon be inviting suitable individuals to join or rejoin the bench under the new order," Mr Iloilo said in an address to the nation. The self-appointed head of state said a "soon-to-be-appointed interim government" would prepare the country for democratic elections in September 2014, at the latest.

Hypothesis: The President of Fiji is Ratu Josefa Iloilo.


Premise: MANILA, Philippines - Fishermen in the Philippines accidentally caught and later ate a megamouth shark, one of the rarest fishes in the world with only 40 others recorded to have been encountered, the World Wildlife Fund said Tuesday. The 1,100-pound, 13-foot-long megamouth died while struggling in the fishermen's net on March 30 off Burias island in the central Philippines. It was taken to nearby Donsol in Sorsogon province, where it was butchered and eaten, said Gregg Yan, spokesman for WWF-Philippines.

Hypothesis: A megamouth is a rare species of shark.


Premise: China has rejected Coca-Cola's planned $2.4 billion acquisition of top juice maker Huiyuan Juice, saying the deal would have been bad for competition. The acquisition by Coca-Cola would have been the largest-ever takeover of a Chinese company by a foreign rival, and is the latest rebuff for an overseas buyer of a Chinese company. "This just shows that China is still not open to allowing the takeover of a national brand," said Jeffery Lau, an analyst with Polaris Capital. "But this is not exactly a huge surprise to the market, protectionism has been on the rise everywhere this year. This also explains why the stock has been trading at a nearly 20 percent discount to the takeover price," he said.

Hypothesis: China refused Coca-Cola's bid to take over a juice company to protect its market.


Premise: It contained "a great number of inadmissible concepts", he wrote, and did not acknowledge the calls for better Cuba-US ties. "Who is now demanding our exclusion? Perhaps they don't understand that times of exclusionary agreements against our people have been left far behind," he wrote. US President Barack Obama has taken a less confrontational approach to the communist nation than his predecessor, George W Bush, our correspondent adds. But his administration continues to insist that there must be progress towards democracy and on human rights before the trade embargo can be lifted. The US began imposing restrictions on Cuba after Mr Castro took power in 1959, making it the only Communist state in the Americas - and a Cold War flashpoint.

Hypothesis: Castro took power in Cuba in 1959.


Premise: HONG KONG (Reuters) - Eating two and a half ounces of baby broccoli daily for two months may protect against a common stomach bug that is linked to gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer, a study in Japan has found. Fresh broccoli sprouts contain plenty of sulforaphane, a natural biochemical that appears to trigger the production of enzymes in the gut that protect against oxygen radicals, DNA-damaging chemicals, and inflammation. In an article published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, scientists found that eating two and a half ounces of baby broccoli daily may help stave off some serious health problems.

Hypothesis: Eating broccoli may protect against ulcers and stomach cancer.


Premise: Israel was stung by the 2001 Durban conference. Despite successful pressure to remove any reference to Israel from the official closing statement, the international NGO forum could not be so easily tamed. It issued a strongly worded declaration that equated Zionism with racism. It also described Israel's occupation of Palestinian land as "Israel's brand of Apartheid" and accused Israel of perpetrating war crimes and crimes against humanity. It was perhaps the loudest criticism so far by the international community of Israeli practices against the Palestinians. As such it was attacked by Western governments, and the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, as anti-Semitic.

Hypothesis: NGO forum charged Israel with war crimes against Palestinians.


Premise: Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle will be the leading member of the jury at the Shanghai Film Festival. The Oscar-winner filmmaker told the Xinhua news agency that he had never been on a fest jury before. Boyle also revealed his plans to make a flick in China. "When you have a city that is full of people and stories like Mumbai, Beijing or Shanghai, it's just so much excitement and potential for a filmmaker. It's like a dream come true," Variety magazine quoted him as saying.

Hypothesis: The movie "Slumdog Millionaire" has been directed by Danny Boyle.


Premise: This slight 93-year-old with white hair, who is now largely confined to a wheelchair, was formally recognised last week as one of the tiny handful of people to have survived not one but both of the American atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 - bringing to an end to World War II. Known in Japan as one of the hibakusha - literally 'the explosion affected people' - Mr Yamaguchi had long been recognised as a survivor of the nuclear explosion in his home town of Nagasaki. But now officials there have certified formally that he also survived the Hiroshima blast three days earlier - where he'd suffered severe burns to his upper body and temporary blindness.

Hypothesis: Americans dropped nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945.


Premise: For sale: Six-room two-flat in Chicago's Park Manor neighborhood; ornate tile work; impressive brick exterior; an underground cellar big enough to hide some cash or ditch a tommy gun. The home at 7244 S. Prairie Ave. once owned by mobster Al Capone and his family has hit the market for $450,000. It's a hefty sum considering similar two-flats in that working-class South Side neighborhood are selling for $180,000 to $230,000. But no other home in Chicago can match the history of the modest brick house that has had just two owners since Capone's mother died in 1952.

Hypothesis: Al Capone was a gangster.


Premise: I have, of these issues, a clear conscience, a relaxed-looking de Klerk told reporters in Cape Town less than a week after a South African newspaper said he had been implicated in apartheid atrocities. "I'm standing here to state my case, not in a defensive spirit, but in a spirit that I am owed a fair deal in my own country." De Klerk was South Africa's last white president and shared the 1993 Nobel Peace prize with Nelson Mandela for fostering racial unity and securing the country's smooth transition from apartheid to the first all-race poll in 1994.

Hypothesis: F. W. de Klerk was the President of South Africa.


Premise: India has higher rates of malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa, despite having the money to tackle the problem, according to a survey that raises grave questions about the country's economic rise Almost 46 per cent of Indian children under the age of 3 suffer from malnutrition, according to the survey by the Indian Health Ministry in conjunction with Unicef, the United Nations children's agency. That compares with about 35 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and only 8 per cent in China, whose economic growth India strives to emulate. It also represents only a slight decrease since the last National Family Health Survey in India seven years ago showed that 47 per cent of its children were mal-nourished.

Hypothesis: 47% of Chinese children are mal-nourished.


Premise: A man who spent 27 years in jail for the murder of a barmaid in Southampton had his conviction quashed at the Court of Appeal today after DNA tests proved that he could not have been the killer. Sean Hodgson, 57, was found guilty in 1982 of killing Teresa de Simone, 22, who was found strangled in her Ford Escort three years earlier in a car park below the pub where she worked part-time. He has long pleaded his innocence after retracting a confession initially given to a Roman Catholic prison chaplain - one of hundreds of crimes to which he pleaded guilty because, as he told his original trial, he was a "pathological liar".

Hypothesis: Sean Hodgson was in jail for 22 years.


Premise: In 2007 the 550-seat double-decker A380 Airbus overtook the 747 as the largest passenger airliner in service, a development that some aviation experts saw as signalling the end of the 747. Dwindling 747 orders have cast a dark cloud over the future of the airliner. Most are now are freighters as traditionally loyal customers such as Qantas, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines turn to the A380. The last remaining commercially flown 747 in Australia is the 747-400: with Qantas discontinuing the 747-300 model two weeks ago.

Hypothesis: Airbus A380 can carry 550 people.


Premise: A man who spent 27 years in jail for a murder he did not commit finally had his conviction overturned today after DNA tests destroyed the prosecution case against him. But even as Sean Hodgson, a frail 57-year-old, celebrated his freedom on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice, it emerged that the DNA tests which freed him should have been carried out 11 years ago. Mr Hodgson was found guilty in 1982 of killing Teresa De Simone, 22, who had been found strangled in her Ford Escort three years earlier in a car park below the Southampton pub where she was a part-time barmaid.

Hypothesis: Sean Hodgson was convicted of the murder of Teresa De Simone.


Premise: Seven Democratic representatives traveled to Havana but an official communique read on the air said only six attended the meeting with Castro. The statement provided no details of what was discussed or how long the meeting lasted. It added that the group also spoke in recent days with the head of parliament and the country's foreign minister. The lawmakers came to talk about improving U.S.-Cuba relations amid speculation that Washington is ready to loosen some facets of its 47-year-old trade embargo against the island.

Hypothesis: The U.S. embargo on Cuba has been in place for 47 years.


Premise: Advocates for the detainees today said the new position is at best a modest departure from Bush policy, but is a public-relations effort to move away from the loaded term "enemy combatants" that critics across the world associate with the former president. The brief maintains the US government's ability to hold terrorist suspects without charge, said Tom Malinowski, Washington director of Human Rights Watch, and applies international laws of war to suspects captured far from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. "It's a symbolic effort to distance the new administration from the Bush approach," he said. "But they've preserved significant aspects of the previous administration's detention authority."

Hypothesis: Tom Malinowski works for Human Rights Watch.


Premise: More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc., Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, say people familiar with the matter. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations at Apple, these people say. But Jobs has continued to work on the company's most important strategies and products from home, they say. He regularly reviews products and product plans, and was particularly involved in the user interface of the new iPhone operating system that Apple unveiled last month, these people say.

Hypothesis: Steve Jobs is the co-founder of Apple.


Premise: As he campaigns for a third term, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is counting on his reputation as a top-notch manager who tamed a once-unruly metropolis. Yet to remarkable degree, the task of managing New York City over the last four years has fallen to Mr. Skyler, a lanky 35-year-old former Ivy League fencer and "Star Wars" buff who once tackled a mugger who was trying to steal a cellphone in Midtown Manhattan. When a steam pipe exploded near Grand Central Terminal in 2007, it was Mr. Skyler who coordinated the cleanup.

Hypothesis: Bloomberg has been mayor twice.


Premise: Israeli scientists predict the world's coral reefs could begin to collapse in as little as 30 years from now. Studies show the oceans are becoming increasingly acidic as they soak up manmade emissions of carbon dioxide. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers say this will make it difficult for many coral organisms to produce skeletal and other hard parts. The team's work on corals in the Red Sea suggests a tipping point will be reached in between 30 and 70 years. Then the forces of erosion eating away at corals will outstrip the organisms' ability to make the reefs.

Hypothesis: The oceans are getting more acidic due to the carbon dioxide emissions.


Premise: It is also worth considering the impact of global warming on human health as well. With increasing surface temperature, heat waves are expected to occur more frequently, possibly endangering children and the elderly. Many pathogens proliferate much faster in warm environment. Increasing atmospheric temperature could very well mean faster proliferation of these pathogens that would cause numerous diseases and illnesses to humans. There is also expected spread of fatal tropical diseases as the world becomes warmer and warmer, placing those living in temperate regions at higher risks.

Hypothesis: Global warming is dangerous to public health because it could cause the diffusion of tropical diseases.


Premise: Ninty-seven years ago Tuesday, the Titanic, the largest passenger steamship in the world, struck an iceberg and began to sink during her maiden voyage. On April 14, 1912, the cruise liner, headed from England to New York, struck the iceberg. It took only 2 hours, 40 minutes for the 882-foot ship to be totally engulfed by the icy waters off the coast of Halifax. Killed were 1,517 people — although initial news bulletins indicated that all passengers had been safely transported to other ships.

Hypothesis: Titanic sank in 1912.


Premise: It's official: California's unemployment insurance benefits will be extended an additional five months, beginning immediately. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Friday that will assist about 469,000 longtime jobless Californians by year's end. The goal is to help families wracked by the recession buy food and pay rent in a year when the state's unemployment rate tops 10 percent. Roughly $3 billion in federal stimulus funds will bankroll the 20-week extension for out-of-work residents who exhaust their existing benefits.

Hypothesis: Arnold Schwarzenegger was an actor.


Premise: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand reported suspected swine flu cases on Monday among a second group of teenagers returning from Mexico, even as Asian nations with potent memories of SARS and bird flu outbreaks screened travelers for illness with thermal scanners. Hong Kong assigned a team of scientists to find a quick test for the latest virus to raise fears of a pandemic, following confirmed human cases of the disease in Mexico, United States and Canada.

Hypothesis: More than 100 people in Mexico are believed to have died of swine flu.


Premise: Russell Dunham, who as an Army sergeant in World War II received the Medal of Honor for charging up a snowy hill in the Alsace region of France and single-handedly killing, wounding or capturing 18 German soldiers, died Monday in Godfrey, Ill. He was 89. The cause was congestive heart failure, said his daughter, Mary Lee Neal. On the afternoon of Jan. 8, 1945, Sergeant Dunham was leading a platoon in the 30th Infantry, Third Infantry Division, when the soldiers, among them his brother Ralph, were pinned down by German fire. They were at the bottom of a hill near the village of Kaysersberg, the birthplace of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

Hypothesis: Russell Dunham was a soldier during the Second World War.


Premise: Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Jim Wesley said Page had slid from his hospital-type bed, as Wesley said he would occasionally, sometime between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET, when his wife found him, and that his death was consistent with positional asphyxia. Page was found sitting on the floor with his head lodged between the bed and the rail, Wesley said. Patricia Page immediately moved him to try to resuscitate him, Wesley said. Page told The Associated Press her husband "is in a better place now." The March 9, 2001, fight left Page in a coma for nearly a week. He then had a stroke during post-fight surgery. He was paralyzed on his left side and received intensive physical therapy.

Hypothesis: Greg Page was a World Boxing Association champion.


Premise: As Mel Gibson walked hand in hand with his new Russian girlfriend on the red carpet last night, a few new grey hairs were the only sign that he is a man about to lose $US500 million. The Australian actor - in the middle of what is expected to become one of the world's most expensive divorces - attended a movie premiere in Los Angeles with Russian songstress Oksana Grigorieva, the woman at the centre of worldwide speculation about his marital split. The public debut of his girlfriend, at the premiere of X -Men Origins: Wolverine, put to rest the rumours which have dogged the Oscar-winning Braveheart star since it was announced he was divorcing his wife of 28 years, former dental nurse Robyn Gibson.

Hypothesis: Mel Gibson comes from Australia.


Premise: DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Casey Stoner led from start to finish to win the MotoGP season opener on Monday and complete a personal hat trick of victories in Qatar. The Ducati rider produced a near-perfect race under lights to win the 22-lap race with a time of 42 minutes, 53.984 seconds at the 5.38 kilometer (3.34 mile) Losail International Circuit. The 23-year-old Australian finished ahead of defending world champion Valentino Rossi of Italy and Jorge Lorenzo of Spain. Yamaha rider Rossi crossed the finish line 7.771 seconds behind Stoner.

Hypothesis: Valentino Rossi is the Ducati rider in the MotoGP.


Premise: BOSTON — Derrick Rose, the baby-faced Chicago Bulls point guard, is similar to nearly every other N.B.A. player in that he talks with his agent, B. J. Armstrong, about everything from the meaningful to the mundane. Their relationship diverges only because they discuss not only signatures on endorsement deals but also signature plays. Once, Armstrong was also a baby-faced point guard for the Bulls. Their futures are conjoined through the agent-player relationship and by similar career paths. Armstrong churned through the Midwest pressure cooker first, delivering the ball to Michael Jordan during a period when they won three N.B.A. titles together.

Hypothesis: Michael Jordan played basketball.


Premise: This gap in knowledge makes earthquake prediction a frustrating and chancy exercise, and complicates the effort to calculate the risk that a human construction like a water reservoir or a geothermal power plant could inadvertently set off a deadly quake. Last month, Giampaolo Giuliani, a technician who works on a neutrino experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, issued an urgent warning that a large earthquake was about to strike the Abruzzo region. The prediction was based on measurements he had made of high levels of radon gas, presumably released from rocks that were being ground up by the stresses of an incipient quake.

Hypothesis: Giampaolo Giuliani is a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.


Premise: Afrol News, 24 March - The Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has said the country's authorities will not apologise or compensate to the Libyan government over the arrest of the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi saying that police were not at fault when Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife were arrested. The Minister has outrightly rejected the notion of compensation to the government saying the Libyan government was wrong to demand compensation for the arrest that was foreseen.

Hypothesis: Muammar Gaddafi is the Swiss Foreign Minister.


Premise: Boltanski filed a complaint on Saturday morning before returning to Paris. Libération and Reporters without Borders suspect this attack was a deliberate act of intimidation decided by the Tunisian regime. According to a United Press International report, Tunisian authorities arrested two men Saturday on suspicion of assaulting Boltanski.

Hypothesis: A French journalist was assaulted in Tunisia.


Premise: In response to Ike, and as part of an ongoing effort to save threatened historic sites across the United States, Brink's organization has added the Galveston district to its annual list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places." Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced an annual list of sites it aims to restore, protect and preserve. "Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy," the group said on its Web site.

Hypothesis: The National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1988 by Brink's organization.


Premise: The four — Jamil al-Sayyed, Ali Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan — directed the chief security and intelligence services and the presidential guard. They were widely seen as henchmen for Syria, which occupied Lebanon militarily for three decades. Widely believed to have ordered Rafik Hariri's killing, Syria was forced out of Lebanon under local and international pressure a few months later. Lebanon is preparing for a crucial parliamentary election in June in which Saad Hariri and his political allies, now in the majority, are facing an alliance led by Hezbollah. Many here believe that the tribunal's decision could cut into Mr. Hariri's votes by spreading the impression that Syria could escape being brought to account for the assassination of his father and be emboldened to rebuild its influence here.

Hypothesis: Ali Hajj and Mustafa Hamdan come from Lebanon.


Premise: First identified in 1930, swine flu is a common and sometimes fatal respiratory disease in pigs caused by type A influenza virus. The disease does not normally spread to humans, though infections are sporadically recorded, especially among people who have been directly exposed to pigs. The recent cases in Mexico and the United States, however, appear to have spread through human contact. From December 2005 through February 2009, only 12 cases of swine influenza were reported in the United States. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs. In 1976, swine flu at an U.S. military base at Fort Dix, New Jersey killed one soldier. Four were hospitalized with pneumonia. At first, experts feared the strain was related to the Spanish Flu of 1918, which killed millions, but the strain never spread beyond the base.

Hypothesis: Swine flu spreads to humans through contact with infected pigs.


Premise: Health ministers from countries suffering the highest burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases, including India, have agreed to a series of measures aimed at accelerating efforts to stop and reverse the global epidemic at a UN-backed meeting in China. Representatives of 27 countries with a high incidence of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) are meeting in Beijing for a three-day conference organised by the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), China's Ministry of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to secure funding and action to combat the spread of MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).

Hypothesis: XDR-TB is a type of tuberculosis.


Premise: Tributes have been paid to writer and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud, who has died at his London home nine days short of his 85th birthday. Stephen Fry, who starred alongside Sir Clement on Radio 4's comedy game show Just A Minute, described him as an "immensely generous and charming man". The former Liberal MP is survived by his wife, the actress Jill Freud, five children and 17 grandchildren. Sir Clement's funeral will take place in London next Friday.

Hypothesis: Sir Clement Freud was a grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.


Premise: Marco Island's fringe and the surrounding Ten Thousand Islands are mostly made up of mangrove trees. Mangroves are a Florida native plant that thrives in salty water. They are able to separate the salt from the water and use the fresh water to survive. These mangrove forest ecosystems trap and cycle organic matter, chemicals and nutrients. They are the nurseries for area fishes, crustaceans and shellfish. They also provide food for species such as snook, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, red drum, oyster and shrimp. Our recreational and commercial fisheries would drastically decline without healthy mangrove forests.

Hypothesis: Mangroves are a kind of tree.


Premise: I'm not ruling out staying active in causes and issues, but at this point I'm looking for a new line of work, Blagojevich said. "I'm trying to pursue a way to earn a living and do some interesting things.. This is a chance to do something new and entertaining." Blagojevich first compared himself to Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he described as "my favorite governor" — well, now that he's no longer governor of Illinois. "(I'm pursuing) the reverse career path of Arnold's," he said. Later, in explaining his desire to join "I'm A Celebrity," he also invoked the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

Hypothesis: Blagojevich is the ex-governor of Illinois.


Premise: LILONGWE, Malawi: In a surprise move, a judge yesterday rejected Madonna's request to adopt a second child from Malawi and said it would set a dangerous precedent to bend rules requiring that prospective parents live here for some period. Madonna's lawyer, Alan Chinula, said later yesterday that he has "filed notice for appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal." He says no date was immediately set. The country's child welfare minister had come out Thursday in support of the pop superstar's application to ado pt 3-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James.

Hypothesis: Madonna has three children.