Week Five - AlphaGo 勝棋王

Human board game champion again outwitted by Google program

by Charles Riley and Sophia Yan @CNNTech

March 10, 2016: 4:24 AM ET

The rise of the machines was on full display Thursday in Seoul when a Google computer again defeated the top-ranked human player of Go, the world's most complex board game.

The computer's second consecutive victory over Lee Se-dol, the Go world champion, will be seen as a significant advancement in artificial intelligence.

The South Korean must now win three games in a row against Google DeepMind's AlphaGo to triumph in the best-of-five series. The computer won its first match against Lee on Wednesday.

If Lee wins the series, he gets $1 million and reasserts his title as global champ; a convincing win by AlphaGo would signal the end of human dominance in the insanely complicated board game. (Google will donate the prize money to charity.)

Lee, 33, holds the highest possible professional ranking for a Go player and has been called "the Roger Federer of Go."

Go originated thousands of years ago in China. During play, two opponents take turns placing black and white stones on a square grid of 19 lines by 19 lines. The goal is to take territorial control of the board by using pieces to surround those of the other player.

Games can last for hours, and winning requires immense mental stamina, intuition and strategy.

Teaching computers to master Go has been a kind of holy grail for artificial intelligence scientists. There are more possible configurations of the board than atoms in the universe, according to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, which developed AlphaGo.

"Go is the most profound game that mankind has ever devised," Hassabis said. "Go is a game primarily about intuition and feel rather than brute calculation, which is what makes it so hard for computers to play well."

Last October, AlphaGo convincingly defeated the European Go champion, Fan Hui, obliterating him in five consecutive games. The computer's victory was considered a huge breakthrough, occurring roughly a decade sooner than experts had expected.

Software programs long ago became adept at classic board games like backgammon. Their rapid progress culminated in the historic victory of IBM's Deep Blue computer over world chess champion Gary Kasparov in 1997.

But it's taken another two decades for artificial intelligence to get to grips with the mind-boggling complexities of Go. Until recently, software programs could only compete with human amateurs.

Google researchers say they expect AlphaGo's technology will be put to use in the company's own apps, and in areas such as medicine.

Google acquired DeepMind in 2014 to bolster its portfolio in artificial intelligence and robotics.

CNNMoney (New Delhi)First published March 10, 2016: 4:24 AM ET

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/10/technology/alphago-google-deepmind-go-lee-computer/index.html

Structure of the Lead :
WHO - AlphaGo 
WHEN - March 10, 2016
WHAT - Human board game champion again outwitted by Google program

WHY - Not given

WHERE - Not given
HOW - The computer's second consecutive victory over Lee Se-dol, the Go world champion, will be seen as a significant advancement in artificial intelligence.

Key words :
1.triumph: 勝利
2.reasserts : 重新確認
3.territorial : 領土的
4.immense : 巨大
5.stamina : 耐力
6.obliterating : 擦掉

7.consecutive : 連續

8.culminated : 高潮

Week Four - 滋卡病毒

Stopping Zika: Mass sterilization of male mosquitoes

by Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Updated 1939 GMT (0339 HKT) March 7, 2016

This is part two in a four-part series about efforts to stop or slow the spread of Zika virus though the use of modified and engineered mosquitoes. See all four pieces here.

(CNN)The International Atomic Energy Agencyrecently announced a plan to help Brazil and other countries hard hit by the Zika virus produce "gamma-irradiated" sterile mosquitoes for mass release in those countries. Within the next few months, the agency says, it will send a cobalt-60 gamma cell irradiator to Brazil's Moscamed research center in Juazeiro.

"The irradiator would allow our facility to produce up to 12 million sterilized male Aedes aegypti mosquitos per week," said Moscamed Director Jair Virginio, "reaching up to 750,000 people in 15 municipalities ... which have been particularly hard-hit by Zika."

In the sterile insect technique process, or SIT, male insect pupae are subjected to sterilizing gamma rays. The insects are then raised in massive numbers and released in equally massive hordes to compete with wild males. It's believed that if there are enough sterile males mating with females, the chances of producing offspring are reduced, and the population crashes.

Over the years, the technique has had some real success in reducing problem insects. Populations of moths, screwworms and fruit flies such as the Medflyhave been brought under control in areas of the United States, while the tsetse fly has been tamed in Zanzibar using this method.

However, SIT requires a system of regular breeding, zapping and release of a mind-boggling number of insects to keep populations in check. For example, Guatemala's El Pino facility produces more than 2 billion sterile Medflies each week for use in key areas of California and Guatemala.Unfortunately, results with mosquitoes have been less successful. Radiation weakens mosquitoes more than it does fruit flies and screwworms. And the inbreedingthat can occur while raising massive populations also takes a toll. So the gamma-irradiated male mosquito doesn't seem to score with the girls as easily as his wild counterpart.

Scientists have played with reducing the gamma dose and are looking for alternative ways to sterilize the males. X-rays show some promise, as the dosage is less, plus using X-ray machines would reduce concerns about terrorists getting their hands on shipments of replacement radioisotopes as they cross international borders.

The IAEA admits the use of gamma irradiation in mosquitoes is still in pilot stages, with "encouraging results" coming out of Italy, Indonesia, Mauritius and China. The agency says it's still working on how to separate males from females before the mosquitoes are zapped.

Next steps before this irradiated mosquito can become the answer to controlling Zika: Lots of research verifying survival, mating skill, and disease reduction.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/07/health/zika-virus-sterile-mosquito/index.html

Structure of the Lead :
WHO - Not given
WHEN - March 7, 2016
WHAT - Mass sterilization of male mosquitoes
WHY - Not given
WHERE - Brazil
HOW - The International Atomic Energy Agencyrecently announced a plan to help Brazil and other countries hard hit by the Zika virus produce "gamma-irradiated" sterile mosquitoes for mass release in those countries.

Key words :
1.irradiated : 照射
2.aegypti : 伊蚊
3.sterile : 不育
4.sterilizing : 消毒
5.screwworm: 螺旋繩
6.inbreedingthat : 近親繁殖的
7.radioisotopes : 放射性同位素

Week Three - 北韓氫爆

White House doubts North Korea's claims of hydrogen bomb test

By Elise Labott and Kristen Holmes, CNN
Updated 0319 GMT (1119 HKT) January 7, 2016


Washington (CNN)The White House expressed skepticism Wednesday over North Korea's claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the initial analysis that had been conducted was "not consistent" with Pyongyang's assertions.

"There's nothing that's occurred in the last 24 hours that has caused the United States government to change our assessment of North Korea's technical and military capabilities," Earnest told reporters during the White House daily briefing.

READ MORE: North Korea nuclear test 'slap in the face' for China

Earnest rattled off a list of diplomatic steps the administration was taking in response to the nuclear test, saying President Barack Obama was hoping to speak with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President of South Korea Park Geun-gye shortly.

In addition, National Security Advisor Susan Rice met with the Chinese Ambassador to the United States at the White House Wednesday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry had been in touch with his counterparts in the region and Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken will travel to the region next week.

"We'll be working closely with our allies and partners in the region who have their own capabilities (that) can be brought to this collection and analysis of data," Earnest said, reiterating the United States' "rock-solid" support of its allies in the region.

"North Korea continues to be one of the most isolated nations in the world and their isolation has only deepened as they have sought to engage in increasingly provocative acts," he said.

In addition, the U.S. will seek a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against North Korea in the wake of its nuclear test, U.S. officials told CNN Wednesday.

"This is going to have to be fairly substantial resolution," one of the officials said. "This is very concerning behavior, and we can't just issue some statement condemning it. It has to be a resolution with teeth."

The U.S. will also intensify diplomacy with China to support action at the United Nations and urge that it use its influence on Pyongyang, as North Korea's closest ally and biggest benefactor.

U.S. officials said the fact that China quickly issued a statement condemning the test was encouraging and that they hope it will mean that Beijing will be willing to sign onto a tough resolution.

"The fact the North Koreans did this without giving China warning should be very concerning to Beijing," one of the officials said. "It means we are dealing with a much more unpredictable leader. We are hoping this will energize the Chinese, not just to be helpful in New York but also with unilateral sanctions and pressure."

READ: 2016ers slam Obama, Clinton over North Korea nuke test

The U.S. doubted North Korean threats to test a hydrogen bomb last month, the officials said, because they had not demonstrated such capability in the past.

"We didn't want to overestimate the program or give them too much credit," another official said. "We still don't know if they do have that capability. We know it was a test, but we don't know it was a hydrogen test and it will take some time to determine what it was."

"If in fact it was a hydrogen explosion, this would be much more serious and indicate a very significant advancement," the official added. "But we have to wait and see."


The U.S. has also been watching North Korea's efforts to develop its intercontinental ballistic missile program, although this official said that "it's hard to judge the extent of their capabilities. We know they are trying."

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/06/politics/north-korea-un-resolution-us/index.html

Structure of the Lead :
WHO - North Korea
WHEN - January 7, 2016
WHAT - hydrogen bomb test

WHY - Not given
WHERE - North Korea
HOW - White House doubts North Korea's claims of hydrogen bomb test

Key words :
1.skepticism : 懷疑

2.reiterating : 重申 

3.provocative : 挑釁

4.condemning : 譴責

5.sanctions : 處分
6.intercontinental : 洲際 

Week Two - 深圳坍崩

China: Former official jumps to his death after deadly landslide

By Katie Hunt and Shen Lu, CNN

Updated 1401 GMT (2201 HKT) December 28, 2015 | Video Source: CNN

Beijing (CNN)A former official in charge of regulating a massive waste dump that collapsed in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has killed himself, local police said Monday.

The former director of the Urban District Administrative Enforcement Bureau in the city's Guangming district where the landslide disaster took place December 20, jumped off a residential building Sunday night, the Shenzhen Nanshan District public security bureau said on its official Weibo social media account.

Police only identified him by his family name Xu but Caixin, an influential financial magazine identified the official as Xu Yuan'an.

Police and state media have not said whether Xu had been directly responsible for authorizing the dump.

In a statement posted on its official Weibo page, the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau said the police had taken what they call "compulsory measures" against 12 people who should be held responsible for the landslide, including executives of the facility.

State broadcaster CCTV said they had been detained.

No natural disaster

A search of the Shenzhen Guangming District Government website suggested Xu was still director in July 2015 and local media reported that his bureau had approved the waste dump.

Authorities have said that the mountain of construction debris, which swallowed 33 buildings when it collapsed, was a result of safety violations -- not a natural disaster.

"Those responsible for the incident will be seriously punished in accordance with laws and regulations," a state investigation team said Friday.

As of Sunday, rescue crews had pulled out four bodies after the landslide. More than 70 people are still missing.

Rescue effort involves thousands

A massive rescue effort involving 4,000 people has been underway since the landslide, with hopes dimming daily.

Excavators have been working to clear the rubble, dwarfed by the sheer scale of the landslide. It covered 380,000 square meters (94 acres) -- or around 60 football fields.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/28/asia/china-landslide-suicide/index.html

Structure of the Lead :
WHO - Not given
WHEN - December 28, 2015
WHAT - Landslide

WHY - not a natural disaster.
WHERE - Shenzhen
HOW - Former official jumps to his death after deadly landslide

Key words :
1.bureau : 局

2.executives : 高管

3.swallowed : 吞食

4.accordance : 按照
5.dimming : 變暗淡的

6.excavators: 挖掘機

Week One - 美加州恐攻

(CNN)ISIS on Saturday hailed the two people who massacred 14 people in Southern California this week as "supporters" of the terror group -- a message that came after U.S. investigators said they suspect one of the shooters professed loyalty to the Islamist network.

The terror group's official Iraq-based station made the declaration following Wednesday's San Bernardino shooting that also left 21 injured, but -- notable for a group quick to claim attacks -- did not say the couple were members or that ISIS was responsible.

Tashfeen Malik and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, sprayed bullets at Farook's co-workers at a holiday party for the environmental health department in San Bernardino before being gunned down in a shootout with authorities the same day.

"We pray to God to accept them as martyrs," ISIS' al-Bayan Radio declared Saturday.

The ISIS radio report came a day after the FBI said it was treating the attack as an act of terrorism.

It also came after reports that Malik made a public declaration of loyalty to ISIS' leader while the attack was underway. Three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told CNN on Friday that Malik posted to Facebook a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The couple's motivation for the attack is a key focus for investigators. But ISIS' acknowledgment of Malik and Farook as supporters doesn't mean they were members or that someone from the group ordered it, said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a CNN military analyst and a former intelligence officer.

President Obama to address nation over terror threats

ISIS, when claiming responsibility for other terrorist attacks, would call attackers "knights" or "soldiers" rather than supporters. It has, however, urged sympathizers to carry out attacks on their own.

"What they're calling these two are supporters, which is kind of a lesser level," indicating it might not have had direct contact with the couple, Francona said.

On Saturday morning, officials briefing President Barack Obama about the investigation told him that they had "no indication that the killers were part of an organized group or a broader terrorist cell," the White House said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/05/us/san-bernardino-shooting/

Structure of the Lead :
WHO - A couple
WHEN - December 6, 2015
WHAT - San Bernardino shooters

WHY - Not given
WHERE - California
HOW - Couple stormed a party in Southern California and shot 14 people to deathd.

Key words :
1.massacre : 屠殺2.martyrs : 烈士

3.allegiance : 忠誠

4.acknowledgment : 承認
5.analyst: 分析人士

Week Six - 巴黎恐攻

Who was Abdelhamid Abaaoud, suspected ringleader of Paris attack?

By Mariano Castillo and Paul Cruickshank, CNN

Updated 1708 GMT (0108 HKT) November 19, 2015

(CNN)Even in death, Abdelhamid Abaaoud was hard to pin down.

It took investigators a day to confirm the suspected ringleader of last week's terror attacks in Paris was dead.

He was killed in a police raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Wednesday. His identity was confirmed via prints from fingers, palms and soles, the Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday.

Abaaoud's body was riddled with impact marks in the building where French police tactical units led Wednesday's assault. French officials did not say whether Abaaoud blew himself up or was shot by police.

Nathalie Gallant, an attorney for Abaaoud's father, spoke to CNN's Erin Burnett on Thursday and said Oman Abaaoud was "relieved" his son was dead. Gallant made a point to say he is not glad, but is relieved.

Omar Abaaoud, who lives in Morocco, told Gallant he thinks his son was a psychopath and a devil.

The Paris attacks, which killed 129, have shaken France and the world. But Abaaoud was not an unknown threat.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/16/europe/paris-terror-attack-mastermind-abdelhamid-abaaoud/index.html

Structure of the Lead :

WHO - Abaaoud

WHEN - November 19, 2015

WHAT - Paris attack

WHY - Not given

WHERE - Paris

HOW - The Paris attacks, which killed 129, have shaken France and the world.

Key words : 

1.suburb : 郊區
2.prosecutor : 解剖員

3.riddle : 佈滿

4.attorney : 律師

5.psychopath: 精神病患者

Week Five - 曼谷爆炸案

Tourists among 22 killed in apparent attack on Bangkok shrine

By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Kocha Olarn, CNN

Updated 0256 GMT (0956 HKT) August 18, 2015 | Video Source: CNN

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)A huge bomb explosion that appeared to target a popular Hindu shrine in central Bangkok killed at least 22 people Monday and wounded about 120 more, authorities said.

Twelve victims died at the scene, and the others died later at area hospitals, officials said.
"It was like this huge gust of wind and debris flying through you," recalled Sanjeev Vyas, a DJ from Mumbai, India, who was in the middle of the fray. "... And then I see bodies everywhere, there are cars on fire, there are bikes everywhere. People are screaming."

Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri Tuesday morning told Channel 3 that at least 22 people had been killed, marking the latest incremental uptick in the death toll.

Foreigners are among the casualties, with the Erawan Emergency Center saying that a Filipino and Chinese citizen were among those killed.

National police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said on state TV that Chinese tourists who had traveled to Thailand from the Philippines had been killed. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok later confirmed the report, telling China's state-run Xinhua that three nationals had died in the blast, while another 15 Chinese tourists were injured, some seriously.

Hong Kong's Immigration Department reported that three residents were among the injured.

Bangkok on edge after violent blast

It's too early to say who orchestrated the attack, Somyot said there had been warnings about possible attacks, if not exactly when or where they might occur.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/17/asia/thailand-bangkok-bomb/index.html

Structure of the Lead :

WHO - Not given

WHEN - August 18,2015

WHAT - Bangkok bomb

WHY - Not given

WHERE - Thailand Bangkok

HOW - killed at least 22 people Monday and wounded about 120 more

Key words : 

1.debris : 瓦礫
2.casualties : 傷亡

3.incremental : 增量

4.blast : 爆破

5.orchestrated : 精心策劃