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In car racing, Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull wins the European Grand Prix in Valencia. | It was 2pm local time when the European Grand Prix got under way, which is a popular time for a siesta in these parts. It was the high decibel count that prevented the eyelids from drooping; it certainly was not the entertainment.
"Maybe from the outside it looked like a boring race but I enjoyed it so much," Sebastian Vettel said, after the fast cortege had passed for the last time. He had good reason to be enthralled, for this was his sixth victory in the season's eight races so far and his ninth win in 12, going back to the final races of last year.
This has been a terrific season in Formula One but those who recall Ferrari's unrelenting hegemony in the early years of the century will feel uncomfortable about Red Bull's nonchalant dominance now. Vettel always wanted to be Michael Schumacher and now he is, at least in the manner of his unchallenged superiority. This was his 16th grand prix victory, putting him one ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and the gleam in his eye was redolent of Buzz Lightyear when the space ranger talks about going "to infinity and beyond".
He is 77 points ahead of his team-mate, Mark Webber, and McLaren's Jenson Button, who are tied in second place. Red Bull's total of constructors' points, 295, dwarfs the tallies of McLaren (206) and Ferrari (129).
Arithmetically, the season may be over after a few more races. In essence it already is, because from now on, Vettel's driving can be of the sort that was once associated with Sunday afternoon, even though the notion of "going for a spin" might have a worryingly different meaning for the young German.
This is the first time a driver has finished first or second in the first eight races of the season; Vettel has dropped only 14 points, with his two second places. From qualifying to pole position to chequered flag, Vettel bestrode the weekend in Valencia, which might fondly imagine itself to be Monaco on weekends such as this, as the yachts, in warm, aquamarine waters, nestle up against the circuit.
In reality, this dockside location is far removed from the sybaritic opulence of Monte Carlo. But in their predictability, the two races can be a bit samey. This was the fourth European Grand Prix held here and they have all been duds. Lovely city, shame about the race.
Red Bull were denied a one-two finish by Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who was second, ahead of Webber. But Alonso never got close to the swaggering Vettel. It was an even more frustrating afternoon for the McLaren team, Hamilton finishing 46 seconds off the pace in fourth place and Button finishing two more places behind that, with Felipe Massa's Ferrari getting between the Woking team-mates.
Whereas Button suffered a breakdown in his Kinetic energy recovery systems, or Kers, which he was unable to use for half the race, Hamilton made an awful start, in which he was passed by both Ferraris. He then struggled with his tyre management. "That Lewis Hamilton is too cautious by half," said a wag, as the McLaren driver slow-coached away from the grid. He and Button would struggle for pace all afternoon.
Nico Rosberg of Mercedes was seventh, after a tussle with the eye-catching Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari, who made the most of a two-stop strategy to finish in eighth place. But there was disappointment for Rosberg's team-mate, Schumacher, who was 17th. That ended a sequence of performances from the former world champion that had been less dire than they were last season and at the start of this.
Schumacher challenged for a podium place in the previous race, in Canada, and had ambitions here too until he came into contact with Vitaly Petrov of Renault and had to come in for a new front wing.
Despite the considerable heat, there were no retirements. This was only the fourth time in history that all cars made it home, but on the other three occasions, in 1961 and 2005 (twice), there were not as many as 24 drivers involved.
Essentially, though, there was only one driver involved. "Of course I had some pressure from Fernando and Mark behind me," Vettel said.
"Again, I was pushing hard, judging the tyres, trying to imagine what the end of the stint would be like. For some reason I enjoy this track. Last year I had a smooth race and again this year, I had a good race. This track is not made for us, with no real fast corners, but we still managed to put everything together."
For everyone else on the grid, the season is falling apart.
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1hr 39min 36.169sec, 2 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Ferrari 1:39:47.060, 3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:40:03.424, 4 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 1:40:22.359, 5 Felipe Massa (Br) Ferrari 1:40:27.874, 6 Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 1:40:36.234, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:41:14.259, 8 Jaime Alguersuari (Sp) Scuderia Toro Rosso at 1 Lap, 9 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India at 1 Lap, 10 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault at 1 Lap, 11 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari at 1 Lap, 12 Rubens Barrichello (Br) Williams at 1 Lap, 13 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso at 1 Lap, 14 Paul di Resta (GB) Force India at 1 Lap, 15 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault at 1 Lap, 16 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari at 1 Lap, 17 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP at 1 Lap, 18 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams at 1 Lap, 19 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus F1 at 2 Laps, 20 Jarno Trulli (It) Lotus F1 at 2 Laps, 21 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing at 2 Laps, 22 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin Racing at 2 Laps, 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi (It) HRT-F1 at 3 Laps, 24 Narain Karthikeyan (Ind) HRT-F1 at 3 Laps
Drivers: 1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 186pts, 2 Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 109, 3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 109, 4 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 97, 5 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Ferrari 87, 6 Felipe Massa (Br) Ferrari 42, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 32, 8 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 31, 9 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 30, 10 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP 26, 11 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 25, 12 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 10, 13 Jaime Alguersuari (Sp) Scuderia Toro Rosso 8, 14 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 8, 15 Rubens Barrichello (Br) Williams 4, 16 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 2, 17 Paul di Resta (GB) Force India 2, 18 Pedro de la Rosa (Sp) Sauber-Ferrari 0, 19 Jarno Trulli (It) Lotus F1 0, 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi (It) HRT-F1 0, 21 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin Racing 0, 22 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus F1 0, 23 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams 0, 24 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing 0, 25 Narain Karthikeyan (Ind) HRT-F1 0
Manufacturers: 1 Red Bull 295pts, 2 McLaren 206, 3 Ferrari 129, 4 Renault 61, 5 Mercedes GP 58, 6 Sauber-Ferrari 27, 7 Scuderia Toro Rosso 16, 8 Force India 12, 9 Williams 4, 10 Lotus F1 0, 11 HRT-F1 0, 12 Virgin Racing 0
… | Sports Competition | June 2011 | ['(BBC Sport)', '(The Sunday Business Post)', '[permanent dead link]', '(The Guardian)'] |
Authorities in Texas report a fifth death from Tropical Storm Imelda. | The widespread damage brought to the Houston area by one of the wettest tropical cyclones in U.S. history came into broader view Saturday, as floodwaters receded to reveal the exhausting cleanup effort that lies ahead for many communities and homeowners.
Hundreds of homes and other buildings in the region, extending eastward from Houston and across the Louisiana border, were damaged by Imelda, as the one-time tropical storm slowly churned across the region, dumping more than 40 inches of rain in some spots and being blamed for at least five deaths.
Officials in Harris County, which is home to Houston, were trying to determine if millions of dollars in uninsured losses were enough to trigger a federal disaster declaration, Francisco Sanchez, a spokesman for the county’s Office of Emergency Management, said Saturday.
Authorities raised the storm’s death toll to five, saying it is believed to have killed a 52-year-old Florida man who was found dead Thursday in his stranded pickup truck along Interstate 10 near Beaumont, which is near Texas’ border with Louisiana. Jefferson County spokeswoman Allison Getz said that although floodwaters seeped into Mark Dukaj’s truck, investigators don’t believe he drowned, though they do believe his death is storm-related. An autopsy will determine the cause.
A section of the highway just east of Houston remained closed Saturday after at least two runaway barges struck two bridges carrying eastbound and westbound traffic. Nearly 123,000 vehicles normally cross the bridges each day, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The Coast Guard has said that witnesses reported early Friday that nine barges had broken away from their moorings at a shipyard along the fast-moving San Jacinto River.
Two barges remain lodged against the bridges, said Emily Black, a spokeswoman for the state Transportation Department.
“The current is really very strong right now so it’s kind of pushed them up against the columns,” she said.
Inspectors hope that the water will recede and the current will slow down enough for the barges to be removed this weekend so that a better assessment of the damage to the bridges can be made.
Several schools in the Beaumont area were damaged by floodwaters and two are closed indefinitely as officials evaluate the extent of the damage, the Beaumont Enterprise reported. The closure of schools in two separate school districts could affect more than 3,000 students.
Counties in the region, meanwhile, imposed curfews to ensure motorists stayed off roadways that still have standing water. Elsewhere, in Galveston County, officials said people along a Gulf Coast peninsula could be without fresh water service for a month because a water treatment plant was knocked out of operation by flooding, the Galveston County Daily News reported.
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| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | September 2019 | ['(Los Angeles Times)'] |
An outbreak of dengue fever in Bolivia has killed 18 people and infected 31,000. | The mosquito-transmitted infection has killed 18 people and infected 31,000 around the country, according to the Bolivian Health Ministry.
The infection is widespread in the tropical eastern lowlands, where the conditions allow mosquitoes to thrive.
Bolivia's healthcare services are struggling to cope and experts from Venezuela, Cuba, Paraguay and the World Health Organisation have come to help.
For the past four weeks, since the national health authorities declared an emergency, the government has allocated funds to supply the hospitals and step up fumigation, but many accuse the authorities of being too slow to take action.
However, according to health authorities, they are expecting to cut the disease's transmission chain in some regions by the end of the month. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan has announced a plan to send 7 million yen in emergency relief goods to Bolivia since the scope of the outbreak became a national emergency.
Mosquito-borne infection
Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes which thrive in the high temperatures and humidity of the Bolivian lowlands. There is no vaccine for the infection and it is associated with flu-like symptoms: severe headaches, fevers and joint pain. Those suffering from dengue fever are advised to drink plenty of fluids and rest. On 20 February, the Pan American Health Organization reported 80 cases of the lethal dengue hemorrhagic fever in Bolivia since the beginning of the year, of which they were reporting a 22% fatality rate. Those suffering from dengue fever have about a 1% chance of progressing to dengue hemorrhagic fever, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms for progression to dengue hemorrhagic fever include hypothermia, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and confusion.
The global average case-fatality ratio for dengue hemorrhagic fever is 5%, the CDC reports, adding that fatalities can be kept below 1% with proper medical care. What are these? | Disease Outbreaks | February 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
The prosecutor in Abkhazia says that the driver of the car that probably initiated the deadly accident of Prime Minister of Abkhazia Gennady Gagulya yesterday was under the influence of drugs and has been detained. | The Abkhazian Office of Prosecutor opened a case on the fact of the traffic accident leading to death of Prime Minister Gennady Gaguliya and the probable accident initiator was detained, assistant general prosecutor Daur Amichba told TASS on Sunday.
"The office of prosecutor opened a criminal case on the fact of the traffic accident resulting in death of Prime Minister Gennady Gaguliya," the official said. "The car driver was detained," he added.
The vehicle driver was under the influence of drugs, Amichba said. "It was ascertained according to results of examination that the driver was in a state of drug intoxication," he said.
The driver and the security guard of Gaguliya hospitalized after the accident were discharged later.
. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate | September 2018 | ['(News.am)'] |
Former Republican United States House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay is sentenced to three years in prison for money laundering. , | AUSTIN, Texas — Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, once considered among the nation’s most powerful and feared lawmakers, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for a scheme to influence elections that already cost him his job, leadership post and millions of dollars in legal fees. The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay, a Houston-area Republican, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for using a political action committee to illegally send corporate donations to Texas House candidates in 2002. Prosecutors said DeLay will likely be free for months or even years as his appeal makes it through the Texas court system. Before being sentenced, DeLay repeated his longstanding claims that he did nothing wrong, the prosecution was politically motivated and that he never intended to break the law. DeLay was convicted in Travis County, one of the most Democratic counties in Texas, which is one of the most Republican states in the country. “I can’t be remorseful for something I don’t think I did,” DeLay said in a 10-minute speech to the judge. DeLay told Senior Judge Pat Priest the “selective prosecution” he’s gone through has deeply affected his wife’s health, forced him to raise and spend $10 million in legal fees and cost him everything he has worked for — including the second-highest post in the U.S. House. “This criminalization of politics is very dangerous. It’s dangerous to our system. Just because somebody disagrees with you they got to put you in jail, bankrupt you, destroy your family,” he said. Priest sentenced him to the three-year term on the conspiracy charge. He also sentenced him to five years in prison on the money laundering charge but allowed DeLay to serve 10 years of probation instead of more prison time. “I do not agree that the Travis County District Attorney’s Office has picked on Tom DeLay to persecute,” Priest said. DeLay was briefly taken into custody, but Priest granted a request from his attorneys that he be released on a $10,000 bond pending appeal. About three hours after he was sentenced, DeLay posted bond and walked out of the county jail without talking to reporters. DeLay’s attorney Dick DeGuerin said he expected the conviction would be overturned. “If I told you what I thought, I’d get sued,” DeGuerin said. “This will not stand.” The former congressman had faced up to life in prison. His attorneys asked for probation. “What we feel is that justice was served,” lead prosecutor Gary Cobb said. During his closing argument, Cobb told Priest that if DeLay received only probation, the ex-lawmaker would use such a sentence to make himself a martyr for his political beliefs and that he would “wear probation like Jesus on the cross.” “He put his principles, ideals and beliefs above the laws of Texas,” Cobb said. Priest issued his ruling after a brief sentencing hearing on Monday in which former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert testified on DeLay’s behalf. Prosecutors attempted to present only one witness at the hearing, Peter Cloeren, a Southeast Texas businessman who claimed DeLay had urged him in 1996 to evade campaign finance laws in a separate case. Prosecutors said the case was similar to the one DeLay was being sentenced for. But not long after Cloeren began testifying, Senior Judge Pat Priest declined to hear the testimony, saying prosecutors couldn’t prove the businessman’s claims beyond a reasonable doubt. DeLay’s attorneys objected to the testimony, saying the former lawmaker was not criminally charged in the case. Cloeren pleaded guilty to directing illegal corporate money into the 1996 congressional campaign of an East Texas candidate. DeLay’s attorneys had indicated they would have up to nine witnesses but decided to present only Hastert. Hastert, an Illinois Republican who was House speaker from 1999 to 2006, testified that DeLay was not motivated by power but for a need to help others. Hastert talked about DeLay’s conservative and religious values, his efforts to provide tax relief for his constituents in Texas, his work helping foster children and the help he provided to the family of one of the police officers who was killed in a 1998 shooting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. “That’s the real Tom DeLay that a lot of people never got to see,” Hastert said. DeLay’s lawyers had also submitted more than 30 character and support letters from friends and political leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and eight current U.S. congressmen. Most of the letters ask for leniency in the sentencing. After a month-long trial in November, a jury determined that he conspired with two associates to use his Texas-based political action committee to send $190,000 in corporate money to an arm of the Washington-based Republican National Committee. The RNC then sent the same amount to seven Texas House candidates. Under Texas law, corporate money can’t go directly to political campaigns. Prosecutors claim the money helped Republicans take control of the Texas House. That enabled the Republican majority to push through a Delay-engineered congressional redistricting plan that sent more Texas Republicans to Congress in 2004, strengthening DeLay’s political power. DeLay contended the charges were politically motivated and the money swap in question was legal. DeGuerin says DeLay committed no crime and believes the convictions will be overturned on appeal. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | January 2011 | ['(New York Post)', '(Washington Post)'] |
In Uzbekistan, Komiljon Usmanov is on trial for "threatening Uzbekistan's constitutional order and public security," and is accused of allegedly leading the banned Hizb ut–Tahrir organization. Usmanov was sentenced in 2001 to 10 years in jail on similar charges, but was freed under an amnesty. He maintains his innocence. | September 22, 2006 -- Independent news reports from Uzbekistan say the trial of an alleged leader of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir radical Islamic grouping opened on September 21 in Tashkent.
Komiljon Usmanov faces charges of threatening Uzbekistan's constitutional order and public security.
Usmanov, who is now 33, was sentenced in 2001 to 10 years in jail on similar charges, but was then freed under an amnesty.
He denies the accusations brought against him.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | September 2006 | ['(RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)'] |
Preliminary results show Alpha Condé winning Guinea's latest presidential election. The announcement sparks violent protests in the capital Conakry. | A preliminary count has shown Guinean President Alpha Conde will win a third term in office following a bitterly fought election that has led to deadly violence. Conde's opposition says the count was rigged. Preliminary results released Thursday show Guinea's President Alpha Conde as the winner of a controversial election that keeps him in office as president for a third term.
Conde's opposition, led by his main election rival Cellou Dalein Diallo, say he his breaking the law by seeking a third term and will contest the results of the election in constitutional court.
Diallo said he has evidence of electoral fraud, accusing the government of manipulating the vote count in Conde's favor.
With 37 of 38 electoral districts counted, Conde received 2.4 million votes versus 1.26 million for his rival Diallo, the Reuters news agency reported. Official final results are expected to be announced on Saturday.
Read more: Guinea: Tensions ahead of crucial presidential elections
Widespread violence follows contested results
Diallo had declared he won the election on Monday, without waiting for official results or citing figures.
Opposition supporters clash with police in Conakry on Wednesday
Conde's Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party said Diallo's premature announcement was "irresponsible and dangerous."
Cities across Guinea have been wracked by violence since Sunday's vote, with Diallo's supporters clashing with government forces. At least 10 people have been reported killed.
Fresh clashes were reported in the capital, Conakry, Thursday, with demonstrators blocking streets, lighting fires and hurling stones at police, the AFP news agency reported.
Conde says a constitutional referendum in March reset his two-term limit. His decision to run for a third term has sparked repeated protests since then, resulting in dozens of deaths. | Government Job change - Election | October 2020 | ['(DW)'] |
Protests continue across Iraq with a death toll of seven protesters by unsourced reports. Other reports by hospital sources state the death toll is over 20 due to Iraqi forces opening fire in Nasiriya. | At least seven people reported to have been shot dead, officials said, hours after PM’s announcement to step down.
Violence has continued in the capital Baghdad and southern Iraq with reports of at least seven protesters killed despite Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announcing his intention to resign.
Security and hospital officials said one protester was killed and 18 wounded on Friday by security forces who fired live rounds and tear gas to repel them on Baghdad’s historic Rasheed Street, near the strategic Ahrar Bridge.
Three protesters were also shot dead by security forces in the southern city of Nasiriya, bringing the total killed there to six on Friday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Hospital sources gave a higher death toll to Reuters news agency, saying at least 21 people were shot dead in Nasiriya after protesters tried to storm a local police headquarters.
Separately, a Katyusha rocket exploded in an empty lot inside the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.
The violence came as protesters continued a thousands-strong sit-in at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad despite the prime minister announcing he would step down.
His statement did not say when he would resign. Parliament is to convene an emergency session on Sunday to discuss the crisis.
Young, unemployed and unarmed protesters have led calls for a rehaul of a political system they say is endemically corrupt and serves foreign powers, especially Baghdad’s ally Tehran.
Protesters celebrated the imminent departure of Abdul Mahdi, but said they would not stop their demonstrations until the whole of the political class was removed.
In southern Iraq, unidentified armed men shot live rounds at demonstrators, sending dozens scattering in Najaf.
According to the Reuters and AFP news agencies, Iraqi forces have killed nearly 400 mostly young, unarmed demonstrators people since mass anti-government protests broke out on October 1.
More than a dozen members of the security forces have also died in clashes.
The burning of Iran’s consulate in the holy city of Najaf on Wednesday escalated violence and drew a brutal response from security forces who shot dead more than 60 people nationwide on Thursday.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2019 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(BBC)'] |
In football, host nation France plays against Portugal for the 2016 UEFA European Championship at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. Portugal wins 1–0 with an Éder goal in extra time. , | A dramatic wondergoal from striker Eder has won Portugal its first European championship, breaking French hearts with a 1-0 win at the Stade de France.
After a goalless 90 minutes, most notable for an early injury to Cristiano Ronaldo and the influx of moths that took over the stadium, Portugal began to take over the match in extra-time and substitute Eder proved the match-winner.
After cutting inside past two French defenders, the Lille striker unleashed on his right boot past Hugo Lloris, stunning the vocal home crowd and sending the Portugal bench into euphoria.
It was a rare moment of individual class in a match that, much like the tournament on the whole, failed to reach any great heights.
The early injury to Ronaldo had many expecting the end of the game as a contest, but in many ways the loss of its star player galvanised Portugal.
A hard but mostly fair challenge from Dimitri Payet twisted Ronaldo's knee, and despite the Real Madrid man trying on two occasions to run it off, the injury soon got the better of him.
Cristiano Ronaldo is able to draw the ire of football fans even while getting injured, but perhaps it's time to appreciate one of the game's greats, warts and all.
It was to be Payet's most meaningful contribution of the match, as the star of the tournament's opener back in early June was subbed off before the hour mark.
Chances were rare, but when they came they generally fell to the French. Antoine Griezmann, the tournament's golden boot winner and breakout star, missed a simple headed chance in the second half of normal time while Andre-Pierre Gignac hit the post after a smart turn in the 90th minute.
Portugal didn't register a shot on target until late in normal time, when a Nani cross was deflected to Ricardo Quaresma, whose acrobatic overhead effort was comfortably dealt with by Lloris.
But when extra-time rolled around, and with Ronaldo hobbling and barking orders along the touchline, Portugal found a winning edge through an unlikely source.
Getty Images: Laurence Griffiths
Eder's goal sent tears flowing in the stands and on the pitch, with this highly-fancied France thwarted by a team that only managed one win in 90 minutes throughout the entire tournament.
Questions will be asked as to why Anthony Martial was not given a minute in the final, while Paul Pogba's touted 100-million-pound move to Manchester United will raise eyebrows after an anonymous display.
But while France will be left to mop up after a disappointing conclusion to a promising tournament, the night belonged to Portugal.
Ronaldo lifted the trophy in front of his team, and while plenty will try, few should begrudge him the honour.
AFP: Patrik Stollarz
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) | Sports Competition | July 2016 | ['(UEFA official)', '(BBC)', '(ABC News Australia)'] |
U.S. President Donald Trump nominates Mark Esper as Secretary of the Army. | Esper is the third person nominated to be the Army's top civilian leader and, if confirmed, would become the latest high-ranking addition to the Pentagon with a background as a major defense contractor. The first two nominees dropped out — one over financial vetting issues and the other amid a backlash over controversial comments on LGBT issues.
Esper is a defense lobbyist for Raytheon and has been head of the company's government relations arm since 2010.
He is a former Army lieutenant colonel who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1986. He served for more than a decade on active duty, including a combat tour in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Later, Esper served as deputy assistant secretary of defense under former President George W. Bush.
Esper also has experience on Capitol Hill, working for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and the house armed services committee.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, who would handle Esper's confirmation process, has urged the Trump administration to put forward Pentagon nominees, but he could be wary of Esper's industry ties.
During the confirmation hearing for the new Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, McCain raised concern over Shanahan's ties to Boeing.
McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer after surgery last week to remove a blood clot above his left eye, his office said Wednesday.
It's likely Esper's confirmation won't occur until after the congressional August recess.
Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman are the five largest defense contractors in the United States. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | July 2017 | ['(Voice of America)'] |
German airline Germania declares bankruptcy and ceases operations, cancelling all flights immediately. | BERLIN (Reuters) - Holiday airline Germania collapsed on Tuesday and canceled all flights immediately, the latest to succumb to turbulence in the European airline industry as it failed to secure financing to navigate a short-term cash squeeze.
The insolvency of the German company, which carried about 4 million passengers a year, followed the failure of Germany’s second-biggest carrier, Air Berlin, in 2017.
Britain’s Monarch Airlines and Alitalia also filed for insolvency in 2017. German charter carrier Small Planet Airlines hit financial trouble last year after an expansion drive.
Germania cited rising fuel prices, a stronger dollar, delays in integrating new aircraft into its fleet and high maintenance costs.
“Unfortunately, we were ultimately unable to bring our financing efforts to cover a short-term liquidity need to a positive conclusion,” Chief Executive Officer Karsten Balke said in a statement.
The carrier’s 37 aircraft mainly flew German sun-seekers to more than 60 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The Berlin-based company, founded in 1986, also offered flights to less conventional destinations including Iran, Iraq and Armenia.
It said all flights had been halted overnight after it filed for bankruptcy late on Monday.
A spokesman for the airline’s administrators said it was unclear whether operations could resume and whether the company could continue.
CEO Balke thanked Germania’s staff and apologized to passengers who had booked directly and would not be entitled to alternative flights. A Germania spokesman declined to comment on the number of passengers or staff affected.
“I have no idea whether we are going to be put on another flight or whether we can book our own new flight through another carrier. No idea,” passenger Iris Fenske told Reuters TV at Duesseldorf airport.
The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry said other airlines, including Condor, Tui Group’s TUIfly and those belonging to the Lufthansa Group, would offer stranded Germania passengers special rates to return to Germany.
Tour operators will organize alternative travel arrangements for holidaymakers who have booked package deals, the German Travel Association (DRV) said.
Germany’s Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, a conservative, said he had no specific plans to offer help to Germania, adding the government would watch the situation closely.
The Social Democrats, junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition, vowed to push for creation of a European system to protect passengers in the event of bankruptcies, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported late Tuesday.
“The new EU commission and the new European parliament must tackle this urgent problem,” it quoted the party’s legal spokesman, Johannes Fechner, as saying.
“The horror for German air travelers continues,” Klaus Mueller, head of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, said of the airline’s demise.
On Monday, Europe’s largest budget airline Ryanair, posted its first quarterly loss since 2014 and said it expects further consolidation over the next 12-18 months because of overcapacity.
It predicted a further rise in oil prices would hit smaller airlines that cannot afford to increase their oil price hedging.
In a video message on Twitter, Ryanair’s chief operating officer on Tuesday said the airline will offer Germania pilots, engineers and cabin crew “immediate” starts if they apply for vacancies in Germany, Austria and across Europe.
Germania’s financial problems emerged at the start of January when it said it was examining several financing options to secure short-term liquidity.
On Jan. 19 it said it had a commitment for 15 million euros ($17 million) in funding that would secure its medium- and long-term future, but at the end of last week it confirmed media reports that it had delayed paying wages.
| Organization Closed | February 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Peter Robinson, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, steps aside after the Democratic Unionist Party fails to get enough support to adjourn the assembly. | Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson has stepped aside and other DUP ministers have resigned as a result of the political crisis at Stormont.
He has asked his party colleague Arlene Foster to take over as acting first minister, after the DUP failed to get enough support to adjourn the assembly.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "gravely concerned" but it would not be right to suspend the assembly.
The crisis was sparked by the murder of ex-IRA man Kevin McGuigan, last month.
Police said that IRA members may have been involved in the killing. The political row escalated on Wednesday, when detectives arrested three senior republicans as part of the murder inquiry, including Sinn Féin's chairman in Northern Ireland, Bobby Storey.
All three men were released unconditionally on Thursday evening and Mr Storey's lawyer said he plans to sue for unlawful arrest.
With the exception of Mrs Foster, the DUP's ministers have all signed their letters of resignation.
Mr Robinson said: "The failure of the SDLP and Sinn Féin to implement the Stormont House Agreement, together with the assessment of the chief constable of the involvement of the IRA in murder, the continued existence of IRA structures, and the arrests that followed has pushed devolution to the brink," the DUP leader said.
"In light of the decision by republicans, nationalists and the Ulster Unionist Party to continue with business as usual in the assembly, I am therefore standing aside as first minister and other DUP ministers will resign with immediate effect with the exception of my colleague Arlene Foster."
The DUP leaded added he has "stepped aside but not technically resigned" and has asked Mrs Foster to play a "gatekeeper role".
"Arlene remaining in post allows us to ensure that no irrational financial decisions are taken by other parties in what might appear to be the last number of days of this assembly," he added.
Mr Robinson said he will not take his salary and will not carry out any departmental work at Stormont while Mrs Foster is in post as acting first minister.
Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said Mr Robinson's decision to step aside instead of announcing his resignation was intended to avoid an election.
"The DUP are afraid of an election," Mr Kelly said.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the Prime Minister had spoken with Mr Robinson on Thursday afternoon and was "gravely concerned about the situation in Northern Ireland".
"While acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the Prime Minister told Mr Robinson that the UK government did not believe it would be right to introduce emergency legislation now to suspend the assembly.
"They discussed options for what more the UK government could do to comprehensively address all remaining paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland.
"The Prime Minister underlined the need for intensive cross-party talks to identify ways to tackle all paramilitary groups and to get on with implementation of the Stormont House Agreement
Earlier, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers told a press conference that she would not suspend the assembly despite the DUP resignations.
She said the latest developments were "a sign of a complete breakdown in the working relationships within the executive".
"There is an urgent need to get the parties together, find a way to repair those working relationships and address the two issues," she added.
"We did not think the circumstances will justify suspension, that has not changed and obviously suspension would not resolve the two big problems we face, implementation of the Stormont House Agreement and the presence of paramilitary organisations."
Analysis: Mark Devenport, BBC Northern Ireland political editor
In some ways the situation is not quite as grave as had been thought earlier today. The DUP has not pulled out all its ministers as Peter Robinson had said he would yesterday. Instead he has stepped aside and Arlene Foster will be in place as acting first minister for six weeks - that's how long an acting FM can remain in place. There will be no suspension as in the words of the Secretary of State "the time is not right". It would seem that Peter Robinson was left in no doubt that the government was not offering the option of immediate suspension. And despite pressure on the SDLP from the Irish government, they did not offer the DUP the lifeline of voluntary adjournment.
It looks like Mr Robinson has come up with a clever tactic which gives the government six weeks to rescue the situation.
Last month, Northern Ireland's police chief said the IRA still existed and that detectives believed some IRA members had a role in Mr McGuigan's murder.
But Chief Constable George Hamilton added that there was no evidence at that stage that the murder was sanctioned by the IRA, which he said was committed to politics and not engaged in terrorism.
However, Sinn Féin's leadership has insisted that the IRA no longer exists and said the murder was being exploited by enemies of the peace process.
Reaction as NI leader steps aside
Robinson steps aside as first minister
Four released in McGuigan inquiry
Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | September 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
A storm in the Gulf of Mexico kills 18 Mexican oil workers fleeing an oil rig, with Navy rescue teams trying to reach survivors. | Mexico's state oil company, Pemex, says 61 people were rescued from life rafts but several are still missing at sea. Pemex said it would take several days to control the leaks but they were not as bad as originally feared. The bad weather forced the Mexican authorities to close the main oil exporting ports in the Gulf of Mexico.
During a heavy storm on Tuesday night, the Usumacinta drilling platform collided with an adjacent platform, setting off crude oil and natural gas leaks. Pemex said there were wind gusts of up to 130km/h (80mph) and waves of up to eight metres (26ft) at the time of the collision. No choice
One survivor told Mexico's Televisa network that they only abandoned the rig after the leaking gas became unbearable and they had no air left in their emergency breathing devices.
"We knew the conditions at sea were bad but there was no other choice," Eder Ortega Flores said. Workers jumped into life rafts but it was only after several hours that rescue crews in helicopters and boats were able to reach them. The bad weather forced the closure of Mexico's most important oil ports, including at Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas, which supply much of the country's crude oil exports to the US. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | October 2007 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
Ghana eliminates Cape Verde to reach the semi-finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. | From the section Football
Ghana reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after Mubarak Wakaso scored a controversial penalty and a breakaway goal.
After a dour first half, Ghana won a spot-kick when Asamoah Gyan fell after a Carlitos shoulder barge and Wakaso smashed home the spot-kick
Cape Verde responded well and Ghana goalkeeper Fatau Dauda made superb saves from Platini, Djaniny and Heldon.
But Wakaso raced clear with the Cape Verde keeper stranded to seal the win.
It was a harsh ending for Cape Verde, who came so close to an equaliser that would have been deserved on balance of play in the second half.
That they were undone by a dubious penalty decision and a last-minute goal when they had thrown everyone forward will be a bitter memory to reflect on when they look back at their first Nations Cup finals.
The Blue Sharks shaded a cagey first half as both sides looked more afraid to make a mistake than be prepared to try to make something happen.
Ghana are edging closer to their first title for 31 years. They last won the tournament in 1982 after beating Libya on penalty kicks 7-6 following a 1-1 draw.
They had the best of very few chances in the opening period, with Heldon firing over from 12 yards after he had been played in by a short pass from Julio Tavares.
And the Blue Sharks showed more ambition as Ghana, in their fourth consecutive Nations Cup quarter-final, appeared edgy and inhibited.
Heldon thumped another effort just wide after coming in off the wing, while Ghana keeper Dauda did well to pounce on a low cross from Tavares to stop the ball reaching Marco Soares.
The game was crying out for something different and 40 seconds after the break, Ghana brought on Wasako, who had failed to win back his place in the starting line-up having completed his suspension.
It took six minutes for the Espanyol winger to make an impact.
Ghana skipper Gyan fell after a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge with Carlitos and the referee pointed to the spot, waving away furious appeals by the Cape Verdeans. Up stepped Wasako to smash the spot-kick straight down the middle of the goal.
Rather than settle the Black Stars' nerves, it fired up Cape Verde as they channelled their perceived sense of injustice and launched wave after wave of attack.
Almost immediately, Heldon cracked a shot wide and, later, Platini was denied when Dauda tipped his shot around the post. The Ghana keeper was to be his side's hero and the barrier that Cape Verde could not break down.
He was at it again when he produced an excellent one-handed save to keep Djaniny's effort out of the top corner.
But Cape Verde were hit with the ultimate sucker-punch when they sent everyone, including keeper Vozinha, up for a corner but the ball broke to Ghana and Wakaso was able to run clear and slide the ball into an empty net.
Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah:
"Our first half was okay, but second half was not one of our best games.
"Cape Verde dominated in the second half, but the important thing is that we won and are through to the semi-finals. Cape Verde proved me right that they would be tough."
Cape Verde coach Luis Antunes: "Today, we all watched a beautiful game but, unfortunately, the best team is going home and the tournament will lose its shine.
"This was our fourth game and in our first three games there were no questions - now there are questions. You should draw your own conclusions.
"They would want to see Ghana move into the semi-finals or do you want 200 spectators to watch Cape Verde against Togo in the semi-finals?" | Sports Competition | February 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
The President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono meets with the Prime Minister of Australia John Howard to discuss security issues and the possibility of a bilateral free trade agreement. | Prime Minister John Howard has arrived on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, where he will meet with the Indonesian President and open an Australian-funded eye clinic.
Mr Howard is to hold talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will fly to the island from South Korea, where he has paid an official visit this week.
"I look forward to reviewing with President Yudhoyono the full range of our existing cooperative activities, including important areas such as security, counter-terrorism and transnational crime," he said in a statement from the Australian embassy.
Mr Howard says a recommendation made by the two countries' trade ministers to conduct a feasibility study into a bilateral free trade agreement would also be up for discussion.
"I am keen to explore how [our trading relationship] can be further strengthened," he said.
Australian Trade Minister Warren Truss visited Indonesia last month, the world's fourth most populous nation.
Mr Howard will then open the Australia-Bali Memorial Eye Centre, which is part of memorial assistance provided by Australia in the wake of the October 2002 terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 88 Australians.
The horrific bombings instigated by Islamic militants on the resort island killed a total of 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers.
Four Australians were also killed in a suicide bombing in October 2005 on the island.
Mr Howard's visit comes just weeks after his Government warned that a terrorist attack may be imminent in the sprawling archipelago nation.
The two nations share an occasionally tempestuous relationship.
The most recent incident saw Jakarta's infuriated governor receive a flurry of apologies from senior Australian officials over his alleged ill-treatment by police during a visit to Sydney.
Police had entered his hotel room using a master key and urged him to give evidence at an inquest into the death of five Australian-based journalists in East Timor in 1975. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | July 2007 | ['(AFP via ABC News Australia)'] |
In the fourth round of the 2012–13 Football League Cup, Arsenal and Reading participate in a twelve–goal thriller at the Mad Stad—with Arsenal 4–1 down by the end of the first half. | The Walcott celebrates scoring his side's sixth goal during the Capital One Cup, Fourth Round match at the Madejski Stadium, Reading. Photo: PA
1/1
The Walcott celebrates scoring his side's sixth goal during the Capital One Cup, Fourth Round match at the Madejski Stadium, Reading. Photo: PA
Henry Winter October 31 2012 04:45 AM
IT WAS a game of football which ended up with a tennis scoreline as Arsenal amazingly recovered from 4-0 down to reach the quarter-finals of the League Cup at the Madejski Stadium.
Atrocious for 40 minutes, Arsenal finally found some pride in their shirt and pulled off one of the great escapes thanks to Theo Walcott's hat-trick.
This was one of the craziest of cup ties, the Mad Stad living up to its nickname. Walcott equalised five minutes into second-half stoppage-time, angering Reading players who pointed out only four minutes had been signalled. Two of the Arsenal players thought it was all over, that there would be a replay. Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin threw their shirts into the jubilant Arsenal fans before sheepishly having to request them back for extra-time.
Few would have put their shirts on the hitherto anonymous Marouane Chamakh to strike in extra-time but he did, a fine finish. Pavel Pogrebnyak levelled but there was Walcott and then, unbelievably, Chamakh, making it 7-5 and making a mockery of their earlier travails.
Arsenal had been a shambles in the first half. Arsene Wenger's side were three goals adrift within 20 minutes, four within 40. The late arrivals from London must have been bemused to take their seats and look in disbelief at the scoreboard.
Reading had been well worth the goals from Jason Roberts, Laurent Koscielny's own-goal and Mikele Leigertwood before Noel Hunt added a fourth ahead of the the break. Arsenal's defending was shocking, two experienced centre-halves in Koscielny and Johan Djourou proving so weak in the air. The watching Tony Adams and Martin Keown could have done better -- even at 46.
Wenger had juggled his resources as usual in this competition, making 11 changes, but there was still enough quality out there to put up more resistance than evidenced in the first-half horror show. There was Emmanuel Frimpong easing his way back from injury, the highly rated Francis Coquelin and the teenage prospect Serge Gnabry in midfield. There was Walcott, Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin in attack. Chamakh and Arshavin stood around like statues for half-an-hour before vaguely remembering there was a game going on.
Cusp
At least Walcott became involved, running through and scoring on the cusp of half-time. The 4,013 Arsenal fans, all stationed behind Damian Martinez's goals, were given a ringside perch for the pummelling. They were enraged, chanting: "We want our Arsenal back".
Reading were quicker to the ball, also swift to launch counter-attacks particularly down the flanks. Brian McDermott's wide players, Hal Robson-Kanu and Garath McCleary, tormented Carl Jenkinson and Miquel Ignasi respectively.
Get the lowdown on the Irish football scene with our soccer correspondent Daniel McDonnell and expert team of writers with our free weekly newsletter. Enter email address | Sports Competition | October 2012 | ['(7–5)', '(The Guardian)', '(The Daily Telegraph)', '(Irish Independent)', '(ESPN)', '(GOAL)'] |
Lee Bradley Brown, 39, a British tourist is allegedly beaten to death in the Bur Dubai police station in Dubai after being arrested for swearing. | By Arthur Martin for the Daily Mail and Nick Mcdermott for MailOnline and Rebecca Evans for the Daily Mail Updated: 15:14 BST, 14 April 2011 510
View comments
Tragedy: An inquest recorded an open verdict into the death of Lee Bradley Brown, pictured, in Dubai custody after a barrister's requests for CCTV footage of the prison he was held in were ignored
A British tourist was beaten to death by officers in a Dubai police station after being arrested for swearing, it was claimed yesterday.
Lee Bradley Brown, 39, was on holiday at a £1,000-a-night hotel in the Arab state when he was thrown into a filthy cell.
Police sources say he was ‘badly beaten up’ by a group of police officers, leaving him unconscious on the floor.
Inmates told how they watched officers bundle him into a body-bag and drag him out of the building.
During Mr Brown’s six days in Bur Dubai police station, guards refused to give him enough food and water and did not let him see a lawyer, it is alleged.
His sister learned about the attack when she received a phone call from an inmate on Sunday, claiming her brother had been beaten.
The prisoner found her phone number on a photocopy of her brother’s passport which had been left behind in the cell.
She contacted the British Embassy in Dubai, and on Monday an official was sent to visit Mr Brown at the police station.
But the official was turned away by an officer who claimed Mr Brown did not want to see him and had ‘declined consular assistance’.
His sister, who did not want to be named, received another phone call from the inmate saying he had seen her brother’s body being taken out in a body-bag.
A source told the Daily Mail last night: ‘He suffered a really bad beating which must have caused some terrible internal injuries.
‘The poor bloke stood no chance at all. At one stage he was thrown against the concrete wall of a cell and landed badly.
‘Then the guards tried to hush it up and pretend nothing had happened.’
'The poor bloke stood no chance at all': Lee Bradley Brown was on holiday in the Arab state when he was arrested
The British Embassy officially told his family about his death yesterday.
Bur Dubai police station is a notoriously violent place where beatings, starvation, rape and the force-feeding of drugs is common-place. Foreign prisoners are often kept in cramped cells with up to 20 inmates for weeks for trivial offences.
Human rights charities say police officers regularly refuse to allow inmates to make a phone call or access to a lawyer. They say prisoners are sometimes beaten and coerced into signing confessions written in Arabic.
Brutal: Mr Brown was held for six days in the notoriously violent Bur Dubai police station
Yesterday Mr Brown’s sister described her anger and heartache at her loss. Speaking outside his home in Dagenham, East London, she said: ‘It is very difficult at the moment as you would expect, and his mum is extremely upset.
‘We were the ones that first contacted the British Embassy in Dubai with concerns after an inmate out there got in touch with us.
‘We were told unofficially on Tuesday it was true, and the worst was confirmed today. We are unable to be out there. All we have had is one call from officials telling us that he’s dead.
Paradise? Human rights officials say Dubai prisons are among the worst in the world
‘The inmates we spoke to at the jail are currently waiting to give statements to the police. Dubai custody death: Lee Brown allegedly suffered severe beatings at the hands of police
‘But they’re now in fear for their own lives.’ Mr Brown, who ran a maintenance business, flew to Dubai on his own for a last-minute holiday and was thought to have been staying in the Burj Al Arab, a seven-star hotel where rooms cost at least £1,000 a night.
A source at Dubai Public Prosecution said he was arrested on April 6 over allegations of assault, intimidating behaviour and using abusive language.
A British Embassy spokesman said: ‘I can confirm the man died in custody and that the embassy is taking the allegations very seriously. We are launching an investigation and working with Dubai police.’ Radha Stirling, founder of UK-based charity Detained in Dubai, said she hoped a full inquiry will be carried out.
‘Police stations in Dubai are notoriously brutal and the one that this poor man was in is by far the worst,’ she said.
‘I have never come across any allegations as serious as this.
‘Cells are usually covered in human faeces and can contain up to 20 prisoners in each one. Most will be forced to sleep on the floor.
‘They are often denied the basic rights you would expect in a police station.
‘You have to remember that these people have not even been found guilty in a court of law.’ A Dubai police spokesman said they would carry out their own investigation once the results of a post-mortem examination, which may take three days, are known.
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The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. | Famous Person - Death | April 2011 | ['(Daily Mail)'] |
Opposition activist Olga Kovalkova flees to Poland after her release from prison. Kovalkova reported that authorities warned her of further arrests if she did not leave the country. Kovalkova had been sentenced to 10 days in prison on August 25. | WARSAW (Reuters) - Belarusian opposition activist Olga Kovalkova arrived in the Polish capital Warsaw on Saturday, saying she had been forced by authorities in her homeland to leave the country.
Kovalkova, a senior figure in the Belarusian opposition Coordination Council, was sentenced to 10 days in jail on.
She said on Saturday that authorities had told her she would face further arrests if she did not leave the country.
“Representatives of the militia and the interior ministry of Belarus came to me and said that if I did not agree to leave, I would face long arrests ... it was said that there would be more (arrests) to infinity,” she told a news conference in Warsaw.
“They came to the remand center where I was isolated, they gave me a hat, a mask and took me out of prison, I was lying in the back seat, so as not to see anything.”
She said she was taken to the border, where she entered Poland at the Kuznica-Bruzgi border crossing before travelling to Warsaw.
Kovalkova’s arrived in Poland on the same day that Polish authorities confirmed Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will visit Warsaw on Wednesday, where she will meet Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, has faced a wave of opposition protests since his Aug. 9 election victory. He has denied accusations by the opposition and Western countries that the vote was rigged and has resisted demands to step down.
Human rights experts from the United Nations have reported receiving reports of hundreds of cases of torture, beatings and mistreatment of Belarusian protesters by police.
“All these activities will not stop me, I will continue to act politically and I intend to return to Belarus to continue my activities,” Kovalkova said.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | September 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
An explosion kills at least 29 people and injures dozens more at a Shia mosque in Herat, Afghanistan. | An explosion at a mosque in the Afghan city of Herat has killed about 30 people and injured dozens more.
The blast, which struck the Jawadia mosque, coincided with evening prayers at around 20:00 local time (15:30 GMT). Officials said there were at least two attackers - one a suicide bomber, and another who shot at worshippers with a firearm.
A spokesperson for the local governor told the BBC the death toll could rise.
He said at least 29 people had been killed, and another 64 were injured.
Both attackers are dead, a police spokesperson told AFP news agency.
The governor's representative said the suicide attacker also opened fire inside the mosque before detonating his explosives. Reuters reported grenades were thrown, citing local police.
The state broadcaster in neighbouring Iran, IRIB, said that seven gunmen were involved. The report has yet to be confirmed by local sources in Afghanistan.
No group has said it was behind attack, which occurred in a predominantly Shia Muslim area. A spokesman for the Taliban, which has struck Shia mosques in the country before, condemned the attack in a text message sent to reporters.
Herat, close to the border with Iran, is considered one of Afghanistan's more peaceful cities.
The attack there comes one day after a battle at the Iraqi embassy in the capital, Kabul, which also saw gunmen launch an assault following a suicide explosion. So-called Islamic State (IS) said it had carried out that attack.
Areas dominated by Shia Muslims in Afghanistan have been hit by attacks repeatedly in the past year, by both IS and the Taliban. Many of the casualties have been civilians, with injury numbers rising for the past five years as attacks increased.
In May, a huge bombing in the centre of Kabul killed more than 150 people, the deadliest militant attack in the country since US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001. It is not clear what the intended target was. | Armed Conflict | August 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
Ecuadorean judge Juan Ramirez reinstates 57 members of the National Congress of Ecuador only to be dismissed by the electoral tribunal that dismissed the members of Congress. | Provincial judge Juan Ramirez issued an injunction blocking the 7 March move by an electoral tribunal which unseated more than half the country's lawmakers.
But the tribunal has now fired him, saying he acted illegally. The sacked lawmakers oppose a referendum on constitutional change backed by President Rafael Correa.
Mr Correa has been embroiled in a bitter conflict with the opposition Congress since he took power in January.
He has argued that Congress is corrupt and the cause of many of the country's problems. The referendum, set for 15 April, will ask Ecuadoreans if they want a national assembly to look at constitutional reform. Mr Correa's opponents fear he will use the assembly to try and weaken the power of the legislature. The lawmakers have already failed in one attempt to seek an injunction from another provincial judge.
Jorge Acosta, head of Ecuador's electoral tribunal, told the BBC that removing Judge Ramirez was justified. "Anyone who tries to interfere in any way in the electoral process or any of the electoral tribunal's decisions is opening themselves up to being removed from office and deprived of their political privileges in accordance with the country's electoral laws," he said. Last week, 21 substitute lawmakers were sworn in, giving Congress a quorum. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | March 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
A French man is detained in Barcelona, Spain, upon entering the Sagrada Familia with a suitcase containing ammunition. The Catalan police do not consider it an act of terrorism. | Police are on high alert over fears that Islamists were planning to launch an attack during the Christmas period
Spanish police have arrested a man after he attempted to enter a popular tourist landmark with a suitcase filled with ammunition.
The major security alert took place Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica earlier on Sunday.
The incident comes just days after police stepped up security in the city amidst fears that a Christmas attack was being planned.
The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested a French citizen as he tried to enter the temple with five magazines for a nine-millimetre gun in a suitcase or backpack.
Security officers stopped him as he went through metal detectors. It is understood no gun was found though there are reports a weapon was discovered in a nearby car.
The man is claiming he was invited to a private mass after going out for shooting practice and had "forgotten" he was still carrying ammunition. He says he is a French soldier but this has yet to be verified.
Officers with the Catalan police have arrested him for illegal possession of arms.
Spanish newspapers say the ammunition was detected inside a suitcase when the detainee crossed the security arch that protects the monument.
The Mossos d'Esquadra have initiated an investigation to clarify the facts. Police sources say the detainee is collaborating and that they do not believe that he intended to carry out an attack on the Sagrada Familia
This incident comes after the Catalan police reinforced surveillance and spot checks in crowded areas of Barcelona for fear of a possible terrorist threat during the Christmas holidays.
The security forces maintain the anti-terrorist alert at level 4 out of 5. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2018 | ['(Mirror)'] |
Two passenger trains collide in Iran's Semnan Province resulting in at least 44 deaths and 100 people injured. | By Associated Press Published: 17:54 BST, 25 November 2016 | Updated: 17:54 BST, 25 November 2016 TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A train collision in northern Iran killed at least 43 people and injured 100 on Friday, Iran's state media reported.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Mostafa Mortazavi, a spokesman for the country's Red Crescent, as saying the latest casualty figures had risen to 43 killed and 100 injured in the accident that occurred in sub-zero temperatures when a moving passenger train struck another parked at Haftkhan station about 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of the capital Tehran.
The report said four of the fatalities were railway employees who were onboard the two trains when the accident occurred, near the city of Semnan.
This picture released by Iranian Fars News Agency shows the scene of two trains collision about 150 miles (250 kilometers) east of the capital Tehran, Iran, Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. An Iranian official has told state TV that the death toll from a train collision in the country's north has increased to 31. The provincial governor, Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, says that so far 31 bodies have been found at the site of the crash on Friday morning. (Saeed Esmaeilpour, Fars News Agency via AP)
The report said that in the collision, four carriages derailed and two caught fire. It showed footage of rescue teams working near the carriages on fire. The casualties from the crash were taken to nearby hospitals.
Initial reports had put the death toll at eight but the provincial governor, Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, later told state TV that more bodies were recovered at the scene of the crash.
Khabbaz said the cause of the accident was under investigation and that the parked train was apparently not inside the station but on a main rail line at the time of the collision.
The IRNA report said the 100 people who were injured in the collision were all in hospital. It said many of them had only sustained minor injuries.
Earlier, Ali Asghar Ahmadi, head of Iran's Red Crescent, told state TV that the death toll may raise further, based on unconfirmed reports from the site.
Helicopters and ambulances were sent to join the rescue operation, Ahmadi added.
Later on the day, President Hassan Rouhani issued a statement offering his condolences to the victims' families and assigned senior vice-president Eshagh Janahgiri to lead an investigation and identify those responsible for the incident.
Meanwhile, the minister for roads and urban development, Abbas Akhoundi, postponed his visit to Turkmenistan to visit the site of the accident.
A parliament representative for the region, Gholam Reza Kateb, hinted that the head of the Semnan train station may have mistakenly allowed the train to proceed prematurely.
Iran reports about 17,000 deaths on average in traffic accidents every year. The high accident rate is mostly blamed on drivers disregarding traffic laws, old vehicles and inadequate emergency services.
Years of punitive international sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program have also badly affected Iran's infrastructures, including roads and the railway network.
This picture released by Iranian Fars News Agency shows the scene of two trains collision about 150 miles (250 kilometers) east of the capital Tehran, Iran, Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. An Iranian official has told state TV that the death toll from a train collision in the country's north has increased to 31. The provincial governor, Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, says that so far 31 bodies have been found at the site of the crash on Friday morning. | Train collisions | November 2016 | ['(Reuters)', '(New York Times)', '(AP via Daily Mail)'] |
The Nigerian-based militant group seizes control of the northeastern town of Chibok, Borno State. | Boko Haram militants have seized the north-eastern Nigerian town of Chibok, from where they kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in April. Militants attacked and took control of the town, in Borno state, on Thursday evening, residents who escaped told the BBC.
Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted villages around Chibok over recent months.
The group says it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.
The schoolgirl kidnappings in Chibok caused worldwide outrage and sparked a social media campaign.
Separately on Friday, a suicide attack at a petrol station in the northern city of Kano left at least six people dead, police said.
A senator for Borno state, Ali Ndume, told the BBC Hausa service that security forces posted in Chibok, a relatively small, mainly Christian town, ran away when the insurgents attacked.
Residents told the Sahara Reporters news website that the militants headed to the centre of Chibok and declared that they were taking it over as part of their caliphate.
Who are Boko Haram?
Who are the militants?
Musa Ali, a vigilante who tried to defend Chibok, said the militants had attacked in two groups.
"You couldn't count them because there were so many," he said.
"All the security and the soldiers, they ran away and left us on our own. They didn't shoot at them, they just ran. All the ammunition we had was finished, so there was no way we could attempt to hold the area."
Since the kidnapping of the girls, people have complained that the area was not well protected and many residents of Chibok had already moved to safer parts of the country, fearing another attack.
The BBC's Will Ross in Nigeria says the military has repeatedly failed to defend towns and villages in the north-east, allowing Boko Haram to steadily expand the area it controls.
The crisis in Nigeria is deepening every week, but politicians appear more focused on next year's elections, our correspondent says. Emman Usman Shehu, an activist with the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, said the authorities should have realised that Chibok would be a symbolic target for the insurgents.
"It should have been obvious to everyone that Boko Haram was going to target Chibok. It shows a lack of compassion, a lack of empathy and a lack of concern," he told AFP news agency.
Boko Haram has changed tactics in recent months by holding on to territory rather than using hit-and-run attacks that have left thousands dead.
Last month, the group dismissed the government's claims to have agreed a ceasefire. The government had said the ceasefire would set the stage for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls.
Chibok's seizure comes a day after a government helicopter came down in Yola, in north-east Adamawa State - the second military helicopter to go down in the area in a week.
Also on Thursday, officials and residents said the army had managed to recapture the town of Mubi, which was the biggest town under Boko Haram's control. | Armed Conflict | November 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
Tens of thousands demonstrate against an abortion bill in several Spanish cities. | Thousands of demonstrators have marched through Spanish cities to protest against a bill that will make it easier for women to seek an abortion.
In Madrid, families with young children carried banners, flags and balloons and chanted "No to abortion! Yes to life!". The bill, already passed by parliament, introduces abortion on demand up to 14 weeks into a pregnancy. At present, a pregnancy can only be terminated in mainly Catholic Spain under specific circumstances. The new bill is due to come into force in July. It is the latest in a series of ethical issues which have pitted the Catholic right against the government, which has legalised gay marriage and made divorce easier. "No woman can be sent to jail for terminating her pregnancy or threatened with that. That's the difference," Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Saturday. Child's rights
One of those protesting in Madrid on Sunday, Maruchi Barosa, said the demonstration was "in support of humanity". According to one of the organisers, Victor Gago, the demonstrators had blocked the capital's central Sol square. "We are demanding the right to life. The children are not guilty if their parents want or don't want them. They should have thought about it before," said Marta Puig, quoted by the AP news agency. "It isn't the mother who has the rights, it is the child," said another demonstrator. A similar protest in October drew tens of thousands of people onto the streets. Spain's existing law, dating from 1985, allows abortion in cases of rape and when there are signs of foetal abnormality. Currently, Spanish women can also end a pregnancy if their physical or psychological health is at risk. In practice, the last category has been used to justify the vast majority of abortions - of which there were 112,000 in 2007. What are these? | Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(The Mercury)'] |
Wildfires in east and west Attica, Greece, kill at least 76 people, leave another 172 injured, and burn hundreds of houses and vehicles, prompting a state of emergency. The Greek government requests help from European Union countries. | MATI, Greece (Reuters) - Greece’s prime minister told of the “unspeakable tragedy” the country faced after at least 74 people were killed by wildfires that swept through a resort, trapping people in cars and on the edge of cliffs as others were forced to jump off to survive.
VERBATIM: Survivors recount Greek fire horror
01:17
The scale of Monday night’s devastation in Mati became apparent at first light on Tuesday.
Scores of gutted cars lined streets in the coastal town, east of Athens, melted by the intensity of the heat. Bodies lay on roadsides, and in one area, a group of 26 people were found dead - some locked in an embrace as the flames closed in.
The group, which included children, were found near the top of a cliff overlooking a beach. They had ended up there after apparently searching for an escape route.
“Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced,” the head of Greece’s Red Cross, Nikos Economopoulos, told Skai TV.
The lucky ones were able to leap off the cliffs to survive, or rush into the sea from the beach.
“We went into the sea because the flames were chasing us all the way to the water. It burned our backs and we dived into the water,” said Kostas Laganos, a middle-aged survivor.
He compared the ordeal to the destruction of the city of Pompeii, where thousands were incinerated by the volcano of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. “I said ‘my God, we must run to save ourselves and nothing else’.”
At least 74 people were killed, a fire brigade spokeswoman said, and the death toll was expected to rise. Poland said two of its citizens, a mother and her son, were among the victims.
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It was not clear how many people remained unaccounted for as boats combed beaches for any remaining survivors.
Residents, their faces blackened by smoke, wandered the streets, some searching for their burned-out cars, others for their pets. The eerie silence was punctured by fire-fighting helicopters and the murmur of rescue crews. There were yellow body bags in several areas.
Many in the area had been unable to escape the fast pace of the blaze even though they were a few meters from the Aegean Sea or in their homes, the fire service said.
A Reuters photographer saw at least four dead people on a narrow road clogged with cars heading to a beach.
One of the youngest victims was believed to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation. At least 187 people were injured, officials said, among those 23 children.
“Greece is going through an unspeakable tragedy,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said as he appeared on television to declare three days of national mourning.
“Greece is living one of its most difficult moments,” he said. “There are absolutely no words to describe how we feel right now.”
Flags atop the ancient Acropolis hill and parliament flew at half mast.
The inferno was thought to be Greece’s deadliest, with the death toll higher than fires which ravaged the southern Peloponnese peninsula over several days in August 2007, killing dozens.
By Tuesday afternoon, the Mati fire was contained, but the risk remained of it reigniting in scrubland parched by Greece’s searing summer heat.
(GRAPHIC: Greece wildfires - tmsnrt.rs/2Ly4az6)
“KILLER FIRE”
Wildfires are not uncommon in Greece, and a relatively dry winter and hot summer helped create the current tinder-box conditions. The cause of the current blaze was not immediately clear and an Athens prosecutor ordered an investigation into it.
Mati is a popular spot for Greek holidaymakers, particularly pensioners and children at summer camps. One of the missing included a woman with multiple sclerosis, dragged out of her wheelchair by her frantic husband as the flames closed in, but lost in the ensuing chaos.
The fire service urged residents to report missing relatives and friends. Some took to Twitter and Facebook, posting photographs of young children and elderly couples they hoped to track down.
Greece issued an urgent appeal for help to tackle fires that raged out of control in several places across the country, destroying homes and disrupting major transport links.
Newspapers printed banner headlines including “Killer Fire” and “Hell”.
Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Portugal offered assistance after Greece said it needed air and land assets from European Union partners.
“Our thoughts go to Greece and the victims of the terrible fires,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in tweets published in French and Greek.
Pope Francis said in a telegram he was deeply saddened by the tragedy and prayed for the victims and their families.
Additional reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, Michele Kambas, George Georgiopoulos, Renee Maltezou, Karolina Tagaris, Costas Baltas and Deborah Kyvrikosaios in ATHENS, Philip Pullella in ROME, Agnieszka Barteczko in WARSAW, Andrei Khalip in LISBON; Writing by Karolina Tagaris and Michele Kambas; Editing by Alison Williams
| Fire | July 2018 | ['(Reuters)', '(Sky News)'] |
Hina Jilani leads a protest in London to ask for the release of all political prisoners and to vocalize the call for President Pervez Musharraf's resignation. | They were protesting against the state of emergency established in the country by President General Pervez Musharraf since 3 November.
About 150 demonstrators called for the release of all political prisoners.
Mr Khan was arrested last week along with thousands of other political opponents of General Musharraf.
Ms Khan, 33, who helped set up the Free Pakistan movement with the help of lawyers, journalists, doctors and other professionals, attended the demonstration with the youngest of her two sons.
Petition
The eight-year-old boy held a picture of his father with the words "Release Imran. Release my Aba" - which is Urdu for father.
Ms Khan handed over a petition to the High Commission alongside Supreme Court lawyer Hina Jilani and Dr Aamer Sarfraz.
She told reporters: "I think it is time for Musharraf to resign.
We have to protest here because our friends in Pakistan are being arrested for protesting in Pakistan
Jemima Khan
"It's gone too far, he needs to go, but there are other things we are calling for: for the judiciary to be restored, for the press to be freed, for the conditions of democracy to be restored, for all political prisoners to be released, and for the right to protest.
She added: "We have to protest here because our friends in Pakistan are being arrested for protesting in Pakistan.
"I'm doing this because Imran and my friends in Pakistan have asked us to make noise here because they are not able to in Pakistan, but I am doing it because I care about Pakistan and I care about the issue of democracy and human rights."
'Martial law imposed'
She called on the British government to continue to put pressure on the general to resign.
She said her ex-husband's sisters, his female cousins, and an elderly aunt had also been detained after taking part in protests in Pakistan.
Respect MP George Galloway told the crowd he held Pakistan's two highest awards, but he also had the honour of being "a friend of the hero Imran Khan".
The terrorists are people who thrive on martial law
Tariq Ali, political commentator
He added: "I say shame on the government represented by the high commission behind us."
Political commentator Tariq Ali said: "This latest martial law that has been imposed, what is the reason for it?
"The impression given by the government and in Musharraf's pathetic, incoherent broadcasts is that we had to do this because we are fighting terrorism. But is Imran Khan a terrorist? The terrorists are people who thrive on martial law."
Gen Musharraf declared emergency rule earlier this month, saying Pakistan was under threat from militants and the judiciary. | Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
The UK Government is to pay millions of pounds in compensation to around a dozen British citizens who were held in detention overseas, including the camp at Guantanamo Bay, and who say British security services colluded in their torture. | Around a dozen men who accused British security forces of colluding in their transfer overseas are to get millions in compensation from the UK government.
Some of the men, who are all British citizens or residents, were detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.
At least six of them alleged UK forces were complicit in their torture before they arrived at Guantanamo.
Foreign Secretary William Hague denied the deal was an admission that security agencies colluded in any mistreatment.
In response to questions, he said the settlement reflected the desire to "move on" and be able to conduct an inquiry.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke told the Commons that the settlement was "significant", but had the cases gone to court, it would have cost taxpayers up to £50m.
The coalition government made clear in the summer that it wanted to avoid a massive court case which would also have put the British secret intelligence services under the spotlight. Prime Minister David Cameron offered to enter settlement talks with six men seeking damages, an offer that has now been accepted. Bisher al-Rawi, Jamil el Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Martin Mubanga had led a High Court case against five government departments including MI5 and MI6. They had claimed that officials in London were complicit in their transfer to Guantanamo Bay and should have prevented it and their ill-treatment. In May, the Court of Appeal ruled that the government could not rely on secret evidence to defend itself against the six cases, saying allegations of wrongdoing had to be heard in public. Since then, more than 60 government lawyers and officials have been sifting through some 500,000 documents at a secret location. The case was estimated to cost millions and could have lasted for at least another three years. The BBC understands that both the Intelligence and Security Committee and the National Audit Office will be briefed in detail about the nature of the payments. But the settlement also paves the way for the government to launch an inquiry headed by former judge Sir Peter Gibson into the claims made against the intelligence and security agencies. Mr Hague said it would up to the inquiry to determine whether the case had been damaging for MI5 or MI6, but said it was good for Britain's intelligence agencies to be able to "look entirely to the future, and not spend years going through court cases".
Binyam Mohamed's solicitor, Sapna Malik, said: "I can't confirm any details about the settlement package. All I can say is that the claims have been settled and the terms are confidential.
"Our client was horrendously treated over a period of almost seven years, with a significant degree of collusion from the security services in the UK."
The UK security services have always denied any claims that they have used or condoned the use of torture.
Last month, the head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, described torture as "illegal and abhorrent" and defended the service's need for secrecy.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said of the payments: "It's not very palatable but there is a price to be paid for lawlessness and torture in freedom's name. There are torture victims who were entitled to expect protection from their country.
"The government now accepts that torture is never justified and we were all let down - let's learn all the lessons and move on."
Mr Mohamed, from west London, was held in Pakistan in 2002 before US agencies moved him to Morocco, where he was tortured, before he was sent on to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, via Afghanistan.
During court hearings, it emerged that a British intelligence officer visited him in detention in Pakistan and that his interrogators in Morroco asked him questions supplied by MI5. Around a dozen men who accused British security forces of colluding in their rendition overseas are to get millions in compensation from the UK government.
| Organization Fine | November 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is admitted to a London hospital for an exploratory operation after experiencing abdominal pains. | The Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to hospital for an exploratory operation, Buckingham Palace has said.
The duke was admitted to the London Clinic "following abdominal investigations" and is expected to stay in the hospital for up to two weeks.
The operation will take place on Friday under general anaesthetic. It is a planned, not an emergency, admittance.
Prince Philip, who will be 92 on 10 June, pulled out of an official engagement earlier this week.
In the past week, the duke has been having unannounced "abdominal investigations" at the hospital in central London, said BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt.
The Palace said in a statement that "further updates will be issued when appropriate".
On Monday, Prince Philip pulled out of an engagement for the Royal National Institute of Blind People after becoming unwell ahead of last week's service marking 60 years since the Queen's coronation.
Philip attended the service at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday and was present at a garden party attended by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon.
Guests said he gave no signs of being unwell.
According to the BBC's royal correspondent, Prince Philip was driven to the clinic after the party and walked in unaided.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "He is in very good health."
She added: "He felt unwell on Monday and missed an engagement, but that was down to the fact he had temporarily lost his voice."
A Palace spokesman at the London Clinic described the Duke of Edinburgh as being in good spirits.
The spokesman stressed it was not an emergency admission and the decision was taken by the duke's doctors to carry out the exploratory operation after investigations and tests last week.
Police officers were standing guard outside the hospital ahead of Philip's operation.
In April, Buckingham Palace played down fears about the Duke of Edinburgh's health after he was pictured with purplish skin round his eye in Canada. It said he did not fall and simply woke up with the discoloration.
Prince Philip, 91, has been admitted to hospital three other times in the past two years after suffering health scares.
In August 2012, he was treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for a bladder infection.
He spent four days in hospital over Christmas 2011, following an operation to clear a blocked heart artery.
After attending events to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June, he was admitted to hospital for five nights missing several days of festivities after sustaining a bladder infection.
Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "My best wishes to the Duke of Edinburgh who is in hospital tonight. I hope he has a swift recovery."
On Friday, Prince Philip was due to accompany the Queen when she officially opens the BBC's New Broadcasting House building in central London. The Queen will now undertake the visit alone.
Philip was at the Queen's side at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday for the coronation service and on Wednesday toured a Victorian steamship, the SS Robin, in London's East End. Ahead of the garden party, the Queen invested her husband with New Zealand's highest honour to mark the Diamond Jubilee making him an additional member of the Order of New Zealand.
BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the Duke of Edinburgh would miss the Trooping the Colour parade on 15 June, marking the Queen's official birthday.
Camilla Tominey, royal editor for the Daily Express, told the BBC: "Obviously he was at the garden party this afternoon, so he must have known that he was going into hospital later that day, but decided to carry ahead with that engagement.
"Naturally, Buckingham Palace is reluctant to go into too much detail because it concerns a key member of the royal family's health and personal affairs."
| Famous Person - Sick | June 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
South Korea launches its first civilian rocket called Naro–1 carrying a scientific satellite STSAT–2C amidst tension with North Korea. | South Korea says its third attempt at launching a rocket to put a satellite in space has been a success.
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) blasted off from the Naro Space Center at 16:00 (07:00 GMT).
Science Minister Lee Ju-ho said the satellite, which will collect climate data, was in its correct orbit.
The launch comes weeks after North Korea used its own three-stage rocket to place a satellite into orbit, sparking international criticism. South Korea's 140-tonne rocket, known as Naro, was built in partnership with Russia, which had agreed to work with Seoul for three launch attempts.
Previous launches in 2009 and 2010 failed, and this attempt had been postponed twice for technical reasons.
But officials said Wednesday's launch from the site 480km (298 miles) south of Seoul had gone as planned and that the rocket had reached its target altitude and deployed its satellite.
"After analysing various data, the Naro rocket successfully put the science satellite into designated orbit," Mr Lee told reporters. He said the satellite had detached 540 seconds after launch.
"We now have leapt up a step to become a space-power nation," he said, adding that South Korea would use this "overwhelming moment as a strong, dynamic force" to help drive an independent space programme.
The satellite, called Science and Technology Satellite-2C, is designed to collect climate data. The Yonhap news said it was expected to make contact with its ground station at 05:00 on Thursday, at which point its operators will be able to make the final judgement on whether the launch achieved its goals.
South Korea does already have satellites in space, but they were launched from other countries.
On its first attempt to carry out a launch on its own soil, in 2009, the satellite failed to detach from the rocket in orbit. In 2010, the rocket exploded seconds after take-off.
Pressure for success has increased since North Korea launched a rocket that placed a satellite in orbit on 12 December. It followed the launch by announcing plans for a "high-level nuclear test" and more long-range rocket launches.
The UN said the North Korean launch constituted a banned test of missile technology and voted to extend sanctions against Pyongyang. There have been international calls for Pyongyang not to carry out the nuclear test. | New achievements in aerospace | January 2013 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)', '(CNN)'] |
At least three patients were killed and several other people were injured during a protest outside the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, Pakistan. It was staged by the lawyers against a mocking viral video from doctors. The mob also attacked at the provincial information minister of Punjab Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan. The Young Doctors Association of Pakistan reports death of 12 patients. | Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday took notice of a violent protest by lawyers at Lahore's Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), during which three patients lost their lives.
Grand Health Alliance Chairman Dr Salman Haseeb had earlier put the death toll at four. However, Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid at a press conference later on Wednesday confirmed the deaths of three people. “Three patients including an elderly woman died after doctors failed to provide them timely treatment and remained engaged in averting the assault,” the minister said. After hours of continued violence, police arrested dozens of lawyers and unblocked the road. Punjab government also summoned extra troops of Rangers personnel to maintain law and order.
Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted that a total of 40 lawyers were arrested but four female lawyers were later released. "More arrests will follow," she wrote.
The protesters were apparently on a mission to avenge a group of lawyers, who had been beaten up at the PIC a few weeks ago, soon after some video clips went viral on the social media showing some doctors making fun of the lawyers while recalling the incident.
The protesters claimed that the legal fraternity was provoked by several video clips doing the rounds on social media. They showed some doctors making fun of the lawyers after some hospital staff had thrashed a group of lawyers over a dispute at the PIC.
In a video that went viral on social media on Tuesday, a doctor is seen narrating an encounter with some lawyers in front of a group. According to the doctor in the video, a group of lawyers had gone to the inspector general of police and told him to charge "two doctors" under Section 7 of ATA. He narrated that the IG had refused while the lawyers had urged him to press charges, saying "they could save face" that way. A large number of lawyers gathered outside PIC on Wednesday to protest against the "mocking video". The protest, however, turned violent as the lawyers initially closed off entry and exit points to the hospital.
The protesters also damaged equipment inside and broke windows of the hospital as well as cars parked outside. Protesters smashed doors of emergency theatres and staff had to run out to save themselves, according to reports.
Patients, some in ambulances, were unable to reach the hospital while those receiving treatment were left unattended due to the chaos. The lawyers also attacked media personnel on the site with stones. A DawnNewsTV female reporter, Kinza Malik, was injured and her phone was snatched from her. An eyewitness outside the Services Hospital told DawnNewsTV that a group of lawyers had fired outside the hospital. He added that the lawyers were cursing police officials who were trying to control the situation.
Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chauhan, who had arrived at the hospital, said that "lawyers had tried to kidnap" him. In a video, he can be seen being manhandled by a group of protesting lawyers. Police used tear gas and resorted to baton charges in an attempt to disperse the lawyers, who had gathered at the hospital in large numbers. The president and secretary of the Lahore High Court Bar Association also arrived at PIC to convince the angry lawyers to leave the hospital.
Lahore DIG Operations, who had also arrived at the hospital, said that those who took the law into their own hands will be dealt with strongly.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid was also at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Young Consultants Association (YCA) announced a nationwide strike after the violent protest. President of the YCA Dr Hammad Butt said that on Thursday no consultant will be on duty all across Punjab. "The vandalism by lawyers is highly condemnable," he said. A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Mar 22, 2015 at 11:21am PDT
Chief Minister Buzdar, who was in Islamabad to hold meetings with PTI MNAs, assured that action will be taken against those responsible for the violence. He said that he was headed to Lahore and had directed the authorities to submit a report of the incident.
The chief minister ordered an investigation into the attack and summoned a report from the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) and provincial secretary of specialised health and medical education. The premier summoned a report from the provincial chief secretary and inspector general. When asked why the government had not taken notice of tensions between doctors and lawyers earlier, Buzdar said that the matter had been resolved.
Prime minister's aide Firdous Ashiq Awan condemned the violence and said: "Lawlessness is not acceptable at any cost.
"The manhandling of provincial minister Fayyazul Hassan Chauhan, vandalism and harassment of poor patients and their attendants is extremely condemnable and regrettable," she tweeted.
"Those who wear the uniform of law will have to obey the law."
The Punjab chief minister termed the incident "intolerable" in a statement. "No one is above the law," he said after the protest broke out.
"Such an incident at a hospital for cardiology is intolerable. To create hurdles for patients receiving treatment is inhumane and a criminal act," he said.
In a tweet, Buzdar later said that he had directed authorities to take action against those responsible "without discrimination".
Human Rights Minister Mazari said it was "absolutely horrifying that those supposed to act in accordance with the law chose to become terrorists when they attacked PIC in Lahore killing patients in the process". "These lawyers actually murdered patients by pulling off their oxygen masks. This is sheer terrorism - nothing less. Govt must and will act," she wrote. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif demanded that a "high level and an unbiased" investigation be held and those involved "should not be forgiven".
"Can anyone compensate for the lives of innocent patients? Punishment should be meted out in accordance with the law," Sharif said in a statement.
"How will the legal and justice system work if the people who implement law start taking the law in their hands?"
He went on to criticise the government's "lack of administration" and said: "The incidents reflect that the government did not understand the gravity of the situation, neither did it show seriousness in preventing it."
Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairperson Syed Amjad Shah, in a conversation with a news channel, condemned the violence, adding that the protest "was the individual act of a few lawyers".
"Doctors misbehaved with the lawyers first after which the latter turned violent," he claimed. He further said that a committee, chaired by the Punjab Bar Council's chairman, had been formed to investigate the incident. | Protest_Online Condemnation | December 2019 | ['(Dawn)', '(Pakistan Today)'] |
Stock markets around the world fall on the back of concerns about global economic growth with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 4%. | What began as a weak day in the stock markets ended in the worst rout in more than two years, as investors dumped stocks amid anxiety that both Europe and the United States were failing to fix deepening economic problems.
With a steep decline of around 5 percent in the United States on Thursday, stocks have now fallen nearly 11 percent in two weeks. Markets have been plunging as investors sought safer havens for their money — including Treasury bonds, which some had been avoiding during the debate over extending the nation’s debt ceiling.
| Financial Crisis | August 2011 | ['(New York Times)'] |
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is discharged from hospital following treatment for a bladder infection. | The Duke of Edinburgh has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a bladder infection.
Prince Philip, 91, spent five nights at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - his third hospital stay in nine months.
He was taken to hospital on Wednesday during the royals' annual summer break at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
It is not yet known if he will be fit to attend the Paralympics opening ceremony with the Queen on 29 August.
It was a low-key exit and he looked extremely relaxed, shaking hands with the doctors and nurses involved in treating him, said the BBC's Lorna Gordon, outside Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Denise Webster, a senior staff nurse, told reporters: "The duke was a very good patient, and as he left the hospital he told staff to behave themselves and he said he was going back to enjoy the rest of his holiday."
The duke has now rejoined the rest of the Royal Family at Balmoral.
Buckingham Palace had described his admission to hospital as a "precautionary measure" after the recurrence of an infection he suffered shortly before the Diamond Jubilee concert on 4 June.
The duke missed the Royal Family's visit to morning service at Crathie Kirk on Sunday, before spending a fifth night at the NHS hospital, where he was seen by private physicians. Doctors told the duke to rest and he did not receive any visitors during his latest stay in hospital, however his family are said to have been in contact by phone.
In June, the duke spent five nights in hospital with a bladder infection following the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames.
He missed some of the key celebrations for the Queen's 60-year reign, including the star-studded Jubilee concert.
The duke, who is the longest-serving royal consort in British royalty, also spent four nights in hospital over Christmas following an operation to clear a blocked heart artery.
In March, Prince Harry said the operation - which was successful - had given his grandfather a "new spurt of life".
The duke went to Balmoral after attending several Olympic events, including the opening ceremony, and he also saw his granddaughter Zara Phillips' Olympic equestrian debut.
Last week he was said to be in good spirits when he took part in events as part of Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight. | Famous Person - Recovered | August 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Authorities in Namibia suspend the importation and transit of poultry from European countries where an outbreak of the Avian influenza subtype H5N8 has been reported. | WINDHOEK, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Friday suspended the import and in-transit movement of live poultry and poultry products from the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Sweden and France following the outbreak of bird flu.
"The Directorate of Veterinary Services would like to inform the importers about the immediate suspension of import and in-transit movement of live poultry, birds, raw/uncooked poultry products, live ostriches, and raw ostrich products from the above-mentioned counties due to the outbreak of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) in poultry in those countries," Chief Veterinary Officer Albertina Shilongo said.
Shilongo said the policy replaces the veterinary notification to importers that was issued on Dec. 29, 2020.
The official said that since the incubation period of the disease is 21 days as determined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the suspension takes effect 21 days prior to the date of start of the event with the date varying between October and November 2020.
"Thus, consignments containing poultry products packed in their final packaging on or after the date of start of suspension will be rejected and sent back to the country of origin or destroyed at the importer's cost," she added.
Meanwhile, she said all previously issued import and in-transit permits are hereby canceled and recalled with immediate effect. Enditem | Disease Outbreaks | January 2021 | ['(Xinhua)'] |
The winners of the annual Hugo Awards are announced at the 75th World Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki. | .
Jemisin was announced as the winner of the best novel Hugo at Worldcon in Helsinki on Friday. She took the prize, which is voted for by fans, for The Obelisk Gate, the follow-up to her Hugo award-winning novel The Fifth Season. The series is set in a world that is constantly threatened by seismic activity, and where the mutants who can control the environment are oppressed by humans. The New York Times called Jemisin’s writing in the series “intricate and extraordinary”.
Hugos administrator Nicholas Whyte said that 3,319 people voted in this year’s award, the third-highest vote total ever and the highest participation in the Hugos for a Worldcon outside the US or UK. “There’s been a very high level of genuine engagement and thoughtful participation,” said Whyte. “People can read into that what they like.”
The last two years of the Hugos have been plagued by block-voting campaigns from conservative lobbies calling themselves the Sad Puppies, and the more politically extreme Rabid Puppies. The two factions were out to combat a perceived tendency to reward books described by one disgruntled writer as “niche, academic, overtly to the left in ideology and flavour and ultimately lacking what might best be called visceral, gut-level, swashbuckling fun”. In 2015, this led to “no award” beating the Puppies’ slate of nominees in an unprecedented five categories, in order to avoid giving prizes to the group’s nominations. In 2016, candidates put forward by the so-called Puppies also dominated the ballots, but only two “no awards” were given.
This year, there was not a single “no award” given. On a roster of predominantly female winners, Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway took the best novella gong, Ursula Vernon’s The Tomato Thief won best novelette, and Amal El-Mohtar’s Seasons of Glass and Iron won best short story. Revered fantasy author Ursula K Le Guin took the best related work Hugo for Words Are My Matter, a collection of her writing about life and books spanning the last 16 years, while Lois McMaster Bujold won a new award for best series, for her long-running Vorkosigan Saga. The John W Campbell award for best new writer was taken by Ada Palmer.
“This is the first time that the same author has won two years running since Lois McMaster Bujold in 1991 and 1992, a quarter of a century ago; and of course Bujold’s continuing appeal was confirmed by the Vorkosigan saga winning the new best series category,” said Whyte of Jemisin’s win. “This is a super set of results ... which demonstrate that SF is thriving and diverse.”
When Jemisin won the Hugo last year, she said that when she set out to write The Fifth Season, she had thought that no one would want to read it, and then when it was nominated for a Hugo, she had wondered who might vote for it.
She wrote on her website: “I wondered how many of my fellow SFF fans, in a year headlined by reactionary pushback against the presence and performance of people like me in the genre, would choose to vote for the story of a fortysomething big-boned dreadlocked woman of colour waging an epic struggle against the forces of oppression.” “But I forgot: only a small number of ideologues have attempted to game the Hugo awards. That small number can easily be overwhelmed, their regressive clamour stilled, if the rest of SFF fandom simply stands up to be counted. Stands up to say that yes, they do want literary innovation, and realistic representation. Stands up to say that yes, they do just want to read good stories – but what makes a story good is skill, and audacity and the ability to consider the future clearly rather than through the foggy lenses of nostalgia and privilege.”
The Hugos have been running since the 1950s and have been won by authors including Isaac Asimov, Robert A Heinlein and Neil Gaiman.
Best novel The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin (Orbit Books)
Best novellaEvery Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com publishing)
Best noveletteThe Tomato Thief by Ursula Vernon (Apex Magazine, January 2016)
Best short storySeasons of Glass and Iron, by Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Saga Press)
Best related work Words Are My Matter: Writings About Life and Books, 2000-2016 by Ursula K Le Guin (Small Beer)
Best graphic story Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening, written by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda (Image)
Best dramatic presentation (long form)Arrival, screenplay by Eric Heisserer based on a short story by Ted Chiang, directed by Denis Villeneuve
Best dramatic presentation (short form)The Expanse: Leviathan Wakes, written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, directed by Terry McDonough (SyFy) | Awards ceremony | August 2017 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Waves of Chinese protestors gather outside of KFC restaurants and Apple Stores across China to express their anti-U.S. sentiments after the ruling, while Chinese state media asks for calm. | To the challenges facing KFC and Apple in China, add a surprise backlash from Beijing's spat with the Philippines over the South China Sea.
Nationalists are protesting at KFC outlets and calling for a boycott, spurred by government accusations that Washington encouraged Manila to oppose Beijing's claims to vast tracts of ocean.
Photos circulated online show young Chinese wearing scarves with patriotic slogans smashing Apple iPhones in protest.
State media have fanned public anger with a torrent of criticism of last week's ruling by a U.N. tribunal, which found no legal basis for Beijing's claim to most of the South China Sea.
"The Chinese public, as optimistic and positive as they are, are deeply patriotic and nationalistic, especially people who are younger," said James Roy of the research firm China Market Research Group. KFC and Apple "are just very closely associated with the United States, and you are seeing people picking the closest symbol they can think of to demonstrate against."
The protests are a reminder of the political risks for global brands in China, where they regularly become targets of nationalist sentiment, often stirred up by official media.
In 2012, sales of Japanese autos plunged when Tokyo and Beijing were in a dispute over control of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
The Chinese leadership has tried to tamp down this week's protests with demands in state media to leave foreign companies and their customers alone.
"This is not the right way to express patriotism," said the government's Xinhua News Agency. The China Daily newspaper called the protests "jingoism that does a disservice to the spirit of devotion to the nation."
Three protesters in the central city of Puyang in Henan province were detained by police on charges they illegally disrupted business at two KFC outlets, according to a news report. The web portal Sina said one was ordered jailed for 15 days and the other two for 13 days.
Some KFC customers have responded by posting photos of themselves online with a bucket of chicken, axes or other weapons and signs reading, "patriotic hooligans, try harassing me and I'll take you out."
KFC's owner, Yum Brands Inc., declined to comment.
A man in the eastern city of Yangzhou, northwest of Shanghai, said he watched a protest Tuesday morning after seeing a note online appealing to people to take part. He said it also told protesters to boycott Japanese and Korean goods.
"A group of more than 20 people including children broke into the restaurant and shouted at customers to leave," the witness, Guo Lu, said by phone from Yangzhou. He said police arrived quickly and pushed the protesters out of the restaurant.
The timing is unusually bad for KFC, which is China's biggest restaurant chain with more than 5,000 outlets but is overhauling its struggling business after a food scandal and marketing missteps.
Yum Brands is preparing to spin off its China unit, which also includes Pizza Hut restaurants, as a separate company in October in hopes of improving its performance.
KFC has long been an all-purpose target for protests about U.S. issues, especially in areas outside big cities with few other foreign symbols. In 1999, after NATO jets bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, protesters wrecked KFC restaurants.
The company and other foreign chain restaurants in China also face an upheaval as customers migrate to fast-growing local competitors they say offer more nutritious meals.
For its part, Apple has faced a series of legal hurdles this year in China, its second-biggest market.
In April, it suspended its iBooks and iTunes Movies services, reportedly due to an order by Chinese regulators.
The next month, an intellectual property tribunal ordered Apple to stop selling its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in Beijing after finding they look too much like a model made by a small Chinese brand. Apple was allowed to continue sales while it appeals.
Also in May, a court ruled a Chinese company is allowed to use the iPhone trademark on bags, wallets and other leather goods.
An Apple spokeswoman responded to a request for comment by pointing to CEO Tim Cook's positive comments in April about the company's future in China. Cook said Apple was "really optimistic" and planned to open five more stores in China during the current quarter for a total of 40. | Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2016 | ['(AP via ABC News)', '(BBC)', '(USA Today)'] |
Flash floods on the outskirts of the Greek capital Athens kill at least 16 people and injure dozens more after a severe thunderstorm. , | Roads are turned into torrents of mud and debris, homes and businesses are deluged and bad weather is forecast to continue
Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 13.42 GMT
Flash floods on the outskirts of Athens have killed at least 15 people, injured dozens more and caused “biblical damage”, with authorities ordering flags to fly at half-mast on Thursday after downpours turned roads into torrents of mud and debris.
“Cars are stuck in mud in hills where it is raining hard, homes have been flooded and people are missing,” said Nikos Toskas, the minister for public order and citizen protection. “The death toll may rise,” he told the Guardian. “The bad weather is forecast to continue until the weekend.”
Toskas, who toured several of the affected areas on Wednesday, described scenes of catastrophe. A section of the highway between Athens and Corinth had caved in, businesses had been inundated and power lines had gone down as the floods hit. “They’ve affected a very large region in some of the poorest parts of Athens,” Toskas said.
The flooding followed heavy rain overnight. As roads turned into rivers of mud, cars were carried away and tossed into piles,and walls from yards and small buildings collapsed. Deluged with debris and rubble, some streets became impassable.
Twelve of the people killed – four women and eight men – were found in or near Mandra, a small town on the western outskirts of Athens that was hardest hit by the flood. The bodies of two more men were recovered from the sea. It was thought likely both had been swept into the bay at Eleusina, 11 miles from Athens’ city centre.
The state-run TV channel ERT reported that all the victims were between 45 and 70 years old. Among the dead were a hunter and a truck driver found in the cabin of his vehicle. Authorities said at least 10 people had been taken to hospital with hypothermia, and call centres were overwhelmed with appeals for help. Many of the calls were from people trapped in cars, trucks and buses. Firefighters registered around 340 calls for help to pump water from flooded buildings.
“What we are seeing is unprecedented,” said Ioannis Vasilliou, vice-prefect of western Attica. “Huge amounts of water are raging through [the streets of] Mandra … we have to stop the gush [of water].” Speculation was rife on Wednesday that illegal construction over streams and riverbeds had contributed to the ferocity of the torrents. Schools in the suburbs of Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara were closed as authorities called a state of emergency and the fire department appealed to the public to avoid travelling to the area unless necessary. “Everything is lost. The disaster is biblical,” the mayor of Mandra Yianna Krikouki told state-run TV.
Further storms are predicted to hit parts of the Greek capital and western Greece in the coming days. The prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life. … | Floods | November 2017 | ['(AP via ABC Australia)', '(The Guardian)'] |
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka's return from the ISS on Saturday sets a new record for time in space, breaking the one fellow countryman Sergei Krikalev set in 2005. Padalka totaled 879 days in space over five flights. | Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka gestures after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan (Zhezkazgan), Kazakhstan, on Saturday.
Reuters/Landov
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Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka gestures after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan (Zhezkazgan), Kazakhstan, on Saturday.
Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka's safe return from months aboard the International Space Station has put him in the record books for spending more time in space than any other human — the equivalent of nearly two and a half years on five different flights.
Padalka, whose latest 168-day stay on the ISS gives him a total of 879 days in space, has smashed the previous record, which was set by fellow Russian Sergei Krikalev in 2005, by two months .
"I am fine," he told those gathered at the landing site near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, as he sipped tea and ate an apple, according to Agence France-Presse.
Padalka returned to Earth aboard a Soyuz spacecraft with two others, the European Space Agency's Andreas Mogensen and Aidyn Aimbetov of Kazakhstan.
As Space.com reports: "Padalka came up in March with fellow cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and NASA's Scott Kelly, both of whom are now halfway through an unprecedented yearlong orbital mission. Researchers are studying how Kornienko and Kelly adapt physiologically and psychologically to long-duration spaceflight, in an attempt to pave the way for crewed journeys to Mars and other distant destinations."
Padalka, 57, flew his first mission aboard Soyuz in 1998. He has commanded the ISS four times.
According to The Guardian, the cosmonaut said before his latest flight blasted off in March that he would like to try for at least one more mission to reach 1,000 days in space.
The newspaper quotes cosmonaut Yuri Baturin, with whom Padalka traveled to the Mir space station on his first mission, as saying that extended stays in space stretch out the spine, atrophy the muscles and decrease bone density, making it hard to readjust back on Earth.
"It's not so much the hardships of working with other crew members, but rather that you're cut off from your family, from your home, and for a very long time," Baturin told the Guardian. "Gennady is a real professional. He loves his work, and when a person loves his work, time doesn't drag on. He deals with [psychological challenges] through his work." | Break historical records | September 2015 | ['(2.41 years)', '(NPR)'] |
Teenager Jayme Closs, who went missing in October 2018 in Wisconsin after the murder of her parents, is found alive. A suspect, Jake Thomas Patterson, age 21, has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. , | The man arrested in the Jayme Closs case was identified Friday as Jake Thomas Patterson by authorities and neighbors who lived in the same Eau Claire Acres enclave in the Douglas County Town of Gordon.
Jayme was found by a neighbor walking her dog late Thursday afternoon. Patterson, 21, of Gordon, was arrested a short time later after law enforcement swarmed the neighborhood of about 20 small homes.
Gordon is about 40 miles south of Lake Superior and about 65 miles north of Barron, Closs’ hometown and where her parents were killed in October.
Patterson was arrested without incident by a Douglas County sheriff's deputy who spotted a car described by Jayme a short time after she was rescued, Douglas County Sheriff Thomas Dalbec said at a Friday morning news conference.
"He was just down the road from the residence" when he was arrested, Dalbec said.
Jayme vanished early Oct. 15 when Barron County sheriff’s deputies, responding to a 911 call, found the door to her family’s home near Barron kicked in. Her parents, James, 56, and Denise, 46, were shot to death.
Patterson is in custody in Barron County, authorities said. He is being held pending charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping. Charges are expected to be filed Monday, said Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright.
"Jake Patterson had zero criminal history locally and zero criminal history in the state of Wisconsin," Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at the news conference.
Authorities said no other suspects were being sought.
The neighborhood where Jayme was found remained blocked off by police Friday. Officers were searching the house.
Between 30 and 40 law officers were working on the case Friday, Fitzgerald said.
Neighbor Daphne Ronning said Patterson's parents moved to the home about 15 years ago and that Jake and his brother were raised there and attended high school at Northwood School in Minong.
Northwood School superintendent Jean Serum recalled Patterson as a "quiet kid."
"He was a good student" who graduated in May 2015, she said.
"He was a member of our quiz bowl team," which Serum described as a "battle of the brainiacs" competition between schools. She said he did not participate in sports or other activities.
The parents moved to another home once the boys became older, but Patterson and his brother continued to use the Town of Gordon home.
"We had some problems with them when they were teenagers – we caught them siphoning gas," Ronning said. "My husband talked with them and there was never anything else."
Ronning said she wasn't aware that Patterson was living in the house and had not seen Jayme.
Jayme, a student at Riverview Middle School in Barron, had not been seen or heard from since her disappearance until Thursday, when she approached a woman in the Town of Gordon after escaping from a home, identified herself and asked the woman to call 911. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | January 2019 | ['(CBS News)', '(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)'] |
Dellen Millard is convicted of murdering his father Wayne Millard, who owned an aviation company. The death had initially been ruled a suicide. Dellen Millard has already been convicted of two other murders in Canadian court. | This article was published more than 2 years ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.
Dellen Millard has been found guilty of first-degree murder for a third time – in this case, for the death of his father, whose November, 2012, shooting was originally deemed a suicide by police.
Dellen Millard, 33, had pleaded not guilty in the death of his 71-year-old father.
HO/The Canadian Press
Justice Maureen Forestell, who oversaw Mr. Millard’s month-long trial in June, ruled Monday that the 33-year-old Toronto man had committed the “planned and deliberate” killing of his father six years ago – going so far as to set up a fake alibi to fool police.
Wayne Millard was found in bed with a bullet through his left eye on Nov. 29, 2012. A Smith and Wesson .32 revolver was found on top of a shopping bag next to the bed.
It was Dellen who had supposedly come across the body after staying at a friend’s house the night before. But instead of calling police, he called his mother – despite the fact that his parents had been divorced for more than a decade. It was only after she arrived at her ex-husband’s house that 911 was called.
The death was ruled a suicide. But when Dellen Millard was charged with first-degree murder in the death of a total stranger a year later, the case was reopened.
Police realized then that his alibi did not check out, and that the gun had been purchased illegally by Mr. Millard from a gun dealer months earlier. His DNA was on the grip.
On Monday, as Justice Forestell read out her decision, Mr. Millard hung his head in the prisoner’s box. Applause broke out in the courtroom.
This is the 33-year-old’s third first-degree murder conviction after three trials in as many years.
In 2016, he – along with his friend Mark Smich – was found guilty of murdering Tim Bosma, a 32-year-old Ancaster dad who went missing on May 6, 2013, after taking the two men on a test drive of the pickup truck he was selling online.
And last fall, he and Mr. Smich were found guilty of murdering Laura Babcock, a 23-year-old Toronto woman who disappeared in July, 2012 – months after Mr. Millard’s girlfriend found out they had been sleeping together.
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Those sentences are being served consecutively, meaning it will be 50 years before the men are eligible for parole. Both have filed appeals.
The Crown is seeking a consecutive sentence in this case as well. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 16.
During this trial, court heard that Mr. Millard had been unhappy about the way his father was running the family business, Millardair Inc. Wayne had recently had a 55,000-square-foot air hangar built at the Region of Waterloo International airport, where he hoped to convert their airplane-storage company into a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business.
He saw it as a legacy for his son. But Dellen wanted no part of it – and did not want his father pouring their money into a floundering business.
After Wayne died, court heard that Dellen fired the Millardair staff and started to shut down the business.
Outside the courthouse Monday, Crown attorney Ken Lockhart thanked the investigators and noted the verdict marked the end of a long saga for multiple families.
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“We’re very grateful for the many people who put in a lot of time, effort and heartache into these prosecutions,” he told reporters.
Laura Babcock’s parents, Clayton and Linda, attended the verdict along with Hank and Mary Bosma, Tim’s parents.
An artist's sketch of the court where Dellen Millard, second left, appeared, Sept. 24, 2018, for his trial for the murder of his father, Wayne Millard. Alexandra Newbould/The Canadian Press
“It’s been proven that not only the Bosmas and ourselves lost a loved one, the Millard family must live with the fact that this heinous individual murdered his own father. We feel for Wayne’s relatives, save for one,” Clayton Babcock said to reporters outside the courthouse.
“For all those out there who believe that the sentence of an additional 25 years to Mr. Millard’s 50 years is too harsh, we say you haven’t dealt with this kind of sorrow. We live with a cloud of sadness and loss over us every day,” he said.
“There’ll be not a day in our lives when the loss of Laura, Tim, or Wayne, won’t be felt.”
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | September 2018 | ['(BBC)', '(The Globe and Mail)'] |
Bangladesh receives a loan from the World Bank to strengthen regional co–operation on wildlife protection. | DHAKA - Bangladesh will receive US$36 million (S$44 million) credit from the World Bank for a project on the strengthening regional cooperation for wildlife protection in Asia, a statement by the lending agency said on Saturday. The project will address cross-border illegal wildlife trade through regional cooperation and capacity building, and support the country's initiative for habitat protection and management for wildlife in general and tigers in particular. South Asia is a home to 13 to 15 per cent of the world's biodiversity and hosts some of the most endangered species on earth, the World Bank said. The bank said: '...pressures such as deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, and poaching of wild animals have put the environmental and ecological balance under severe threat.' 'This project will be the entry point to regional cooperation for wildlife protection and conservation,' said Mashiur Rahman, economic affairs adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are joining the project at this stage and participation by other tiger range countries in South and South East Asia is envisaged in later phases, the bank said. -- REUTERS | Financial Aid | June 2011 | ['(Straits Times)'] |
Thousands of Poles have held rallies in the capital Warsaw and other cities to condemn a controversial reform of the judiciary. Protestors claim the bill, passed by the Senate on Saturday, will erode judges' independence and undermine democracy. | Thousands of Poles have held rallies in the capital Warsaw and other cities to condemn a controversial reform of the judiciary.
Protesters say the bill, passed by the Senate on Saturday, will erode judges' independence and undermine democracy.
It gives MPs and the justice minister the power to appoint judges without consulting judicial circles. The government says the move is needed because the judiciary is corrupt and serves only the interests of elites.
The bill must still be signed by President Andrzej Duda in order to become law. He has given no indication that he plans to veto it.
Since it came to power in 2015, the government of the conservative, populist Law and Justice party (PiS), has passed a series of controversial reforms, triggering mass protests.
Opposition supporters and human rights activists gathered in Warsaw under Polish and EU flags, and other banners, blowing klaxons, in a demonstration which continued after dark. Police say about 4,500 people turned out in the capital while another estimate puts the number closer to 10,000. Smaller rallies were held in Krakow, Katowice and elsewhere. Chats of "shame, shame" and "we will defend democracy" could be heard, correspondents say. Instead of Law and Justice, one placard in Warsaw read "Lawlessness and Injustice", the BBC's Adam Easton reports from Warsaw.
Opposition leaders like former Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna of Civic Platform and Ryszard Petru of the Modern party took to the stage in Warsaw.
"Today we know that a great fight has begun and we know we must be together, we know we must fight against them together," Mr Schetyna told the crowd, Reuters news agency reports.
The opposition fear the law will give parliament - dominated by PiS lawmakers - indirect control over judicial appointments, violating the constitutional separation of powers.
Włodzimierz Wróbel, a Supreme Court justice, told the BBC Poland would lose its independent judiciary.
The leader of the PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, says the reforms are needed because the judiciary is corrupt and only serves the elites. His party has previously passed legislation giving it control over the public media and civil service.
Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said the current system of appointing judges was undemocratic. "We want to end corporatism and introduce the oxygen of democracy there," he said. "Because Poland is a democracy based on the rule of law. This is not court-ocracy."
Many Poles agree with the government, our correspondent reports.
A separate bill was also presented in parliament this week, which would allow the justice minister to get rid of all of Poland's Supreme Court judges and appoint new ones. This piece of legislation was not consulted on beforehand and introduced to parliament in the middle of the night, our correspondent says. It is still being discussed.
Under the PiS government, he adds, the justice minister already wields considerable power over the prosecution service in his role as prosecutor general because he can influence prosecutors to launch investigations.
The European Commission, which is already investigating Poland for a serious breach of the rule of law, will urgently discuss the developments next week
The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Nils Muiznieks, said the reforms were a "major setback for judicial independence". Manfred Weber, leader of the European Parliament's largest grouping the EPP, said: "Law and Justice is putting an end to the rule of law and leaving the European community of values." | Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
During a phone call between U.S. president Donald Trump and Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, Trump allegedly congratulates Duterte on his drug war, which has been widely criticized for its brutality by human rights organizations. | THE BIG IDEA: It’s one thing to not “lecture” foreign governments who abuse human rights. It’s something else entirely to praise them for it. And that’s exactly what Donald Trump did last month when he called Rodrigo Duterte. The Post’s David Nakamura and Barton Gellman yesterday obtained a transcript of his April 29th phone call with the president of the Philippines. “I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job (you’re doing) on the drug problem,” Trump told Duterte at the start of their conversation, according to the document. “Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that.”
“Thank you Mr. President,” replied Duterte. “This is the scourge of my nation now and I have to do something to preserve the Filipino nation.”
Trump, who affectionately referred to Duterte as “Rodrigo” during their chat, then took an unsolicited dig at Barack Obama. “I … fully understand that and I think we had a previous president who did not understand that,” the U.S. president said. “You are a good man … Keep up the good work. … You are doing an amazing job.”
With Breanne Deppisch
Duterte called Obama the “son of a whore” during a press conference last September. When he promised to curse out the then-president if he brought up his death squads, the White House canceled a bilateral sit-down that had been scheduled. When Obama later raised concerns about his human rights record, Duterte replied that he could “go to hell.” (He often uses unprintable profanity.) -- The context of Trump’s comments matters: Duterte is an authoritarian thug. He has overseen a brutal extrajudicial campaign that has resulted in the killings of thousands of suspected drug dealers. His abuses are well documented, including in reports by the U.S. State Department and Human Rights Watch. Duterte has publicly compared his campaign to crack down on drugs to the Holocaust, saying he would like to "slaughter" millions of drug addicts just like Adolf Hitler “massacred” millions of Jewish people. "Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there are 3 million drug addicts. ... I'd be happy to slaughter them," he told reporters last September. While Hitler (who actually killed closer to six million Jews) spoke of a “final solution,” Duterte says his campaign of mass killings is the only way to “finish the problem.”
He has said he would kill his own children if they ever took drugs. One victim of Duterte’s crackdown was a 5-year-old girl, who was shot in the head last summer when armed men came to her house in search of her grandfather. Eleven days before Trump phoned him, Duterte told a group of Filipino workers in the Middle East that if they lose their jobs because of the falling price of oil they can always come home to work for him. “If you lose your job, I’ll give you one: Kill all the drug addicts,” he said, according to the Philippine Star. “Help me kill addicts … Let’s kill addicts every day.”
The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize this year for a series of powerful photographs “showing the callous disregard for human life in the Philippines brought about” by Duterte’s policies. A witness has testified that before Duterte became president, when he was a mayor of Davao City, he paid a squad of hit men to carry out summary executions that involved feeding a body to a crocodile, chopping up corpses and dumping slashed bodies into the sea. Duterte has boasted to a group of Manila businessmen, on camera, about killing criminals in cold blood when he was mayor: “In Davao I used to do it personally, just to show the (cops) that if I can do it, why can’t you?”
He joked last year that the victim of a gang rape was “so beautiful” that he wishes he had “been first." Yesterday he declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao, as his security forces battled heavily armed militants linked to the Islamic State. -- Trump caught his own aides off guard during his phone call to Duterte by extending an open invitation for him to come visit the White House at any time, with no preconditions. “I will love to have you in the Oval Office,” Trump said, per the transcript. “Seriously, if you want to come over, just let us know.”
-- A senior administration official, who confirmed that the quotes in the transcript produced by the Philippines government are accurate, said that the president was not condoning Duterte’s “individual tactics.” Rather, the official said, this was Trump’s “way of expressing solidarity over a common scourge.” But that’s not at all clear from the transcript, and it’s certainly not the impression any reasonable person on the other end of the line would have been left with. -- Trying to advance our national interest, previous presidents of both parties have certainly looked the other way instead of confronting human rights abuses. But they felt they had no choice, especially during the Cold War, and none seemed to relish this dark side of realpolitik. -- As part of his so-called “America First” agenda, Trump seems not just content but determined to have America abdicate its moral leadership in the world. It’s hard to claim American Exceptionalism when Trump praises Duterte this way. It’s hard to say we’re a shining city upon a hill when the American president consistently treats despotic strongmen with greater respect than democratically-elected allies. -- The president’s sometimes over-the-top praise for totalitarian leaders has been covered extensively, from Russia’s Vladimir Putin to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. -- Coincidentally, Duterte was meeting with Putin at the Kremlin yesterday around the time that the Post’s story about the transcript broke. He’s referred to the Russian president as his “favorite hero.” This is from the write-up by RT, the government-financed propaganda network: “Duterte, who called Russia a ‘reliable partner,’ also emphasized that Manila is ready to develop relations with Moscow and is looking forward to purchase Russian arms.” Putin also lavished him with praise. -- Words matter: Autocrats have heard Trump loud and clear, and they’re emboldened. Abby Phillip and David Nakamura note that almost no attention was paid to the concerns that have made Saudi Arabia rank among the most repressive nations on Earth during the president’s visit this weekend. “Political protests in Saudi Arabia can be punishable by a death sentence and freedom of expression is severely limited. But Monday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross highlighted the absence of dissenters as a sign of the ‘genuinely good mood’ during Trump’s visit. ... And Sunday, a lone event on Trump’s schedule aimed at bolstering civil society in Saudi Arabia was scrapped.”
“We are not here to lecture,” Trump said during his Sunday speech in Riyadh, speaking to about 50 political leaders of Muslim nations, many of which are led by strongmen. “We are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership, based on shared interests and values.”
-- The foreign policy establishment was collectively horrified by the transcript of the Trump-Duterte call. From a Brookings scholar:
A former Obama National Security Council spokesman:
The U.S. attorney who Trump fired called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to press Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his views on how Duterte is prosecuting the drug war:
A Politico editor, who used to cover foreign policy, thought it was odd that Trump asked Duterte for advice about dealing with North Korea:
“Morning Joe” thinks Trump’s call was really all about the Benjamins:
SOME THOUGHTS ON CHARACTER:
-- Good morning from APPLE VALLEY, Minn. Last night I spoke at Eastview High School, my alma mater. Here is a short excerpt from my remarks to students during a National Honor Society induction ceremony:
It is often said that we have a government of laws, not of men. And that’s true. But the checks and balances you’ve learned about in civics class only work in practice when individuals within each institution uphold their assigned role. Institutions are guardrails meant to keep us on the road, but who is driving the car matters an awful lot. Because if you want to plow through the guardrail, you can. The guardrails slow you down; they may not stop you. That’s why these institutions you hear so much about only work when there are individuals with character behind the wheel. The Constitution has been tested before, and it’s worked. Our system has endured because courageous individuals exhibited character when the moment called for it. That’s why some of our darkest hours as Americans have also been some of our finest…
Character means putting country first. Character means being guided by your moral compass, not the fickle tide of public opinion. Character means caring more about the next generation than the next election. Just because something is legal does not make it right. Just because you probably won’t get caught doesn’t make it prudent. Character means recognizing this. The insincerity in our politics today breeds cynicism. This cynicism fuels mistrust. This mistrust corrodes our system of self-rule. Character doesn’t always mean being courageous, but sometimes that’s what it requires. And it is a price worth paying. No matter how old you are or what your job is, you can be a role model by exhibiting character. Everything starts small. But if you can’t get the small stuff right, you won’t be able to do the big stuff when the stakes are higher and the stage is bigger. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:
TERROR IN THE U.K.:
-- Britain’s domestic security chief said today that it is “likely” the Manchester bomber who killed 22 people at a concert venue Monday night was not acting alone. Griff Witte, Karla Adam and Souad Mekhennet report: “Home Secretary Amber Rudd did not provide details on possible associates of the Manchester suicide bomber, Salman Abedi. But she told the BBC that security services — which had been aware of Abedi ‘up to a point’ before the bombing — were focusing on his visits to Libya, at least one of which was very recent. Rudd’s French counterpart, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb … [said] Abedi — whose parents emigrated from Libya — may have also gone to Syria and had ‘proven’ links with Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Manchester blast and called Abedi a ‘soldier.’ A series of arrests since the Monday night attack have included Abedi’s brother, police said.”
-- Prime Minister Theresa May raised the nation’s threat level to its highest rating, “critical,” last night – deploying the military to guard concerts, sports matches and other public events as she warned another attack “may be imminent.”
-- “In suburban Manchester, a search for what might have motivated the attacker,” by Rick Noack and Souad Mekhennet: “With its red brick buildings, large villas and green lawns, the Fallowfield area of southern Manchester might appear to be an unlikely location ... But on Tuesday, police forces launched at least three operations (here) in connection with the devastating attack four miles away in the north of Manchester. In other communities at the center of recent terrorism investigations — such as the Molenbeek district of Brussels and some Parisian suburbs — authorities have openly acknowledged problems with Islamist extremism. Poverty, crime and high unemployment in these areas have long played into the hands of radicals, they say. Manchester is different. Suburbs such as Fallowfield are mostly culturally or ethnically diverse and wealthy, with little to suggest that neighborhoods there have dealt with extremism for years. ... More recently, however, authorities have largely lost the ability to monitor terrorism suspects during their visits to mosques or community centers. Instead, groups of friends or acquaintances are meeting in apartments, making it nearly impossible for Britain’s stretched security services to monitor suspects, a dynamic that could explain the seemingly sudden emergence of groups of radicalized individuals." -- U.K. and European intelligence officials are expressing concern over the fact that much of the information that emerged in the wake of the Manchester bombing has been sourced back to U.S. officials. Buzzfeed News reports: “The information first came in the hours after the attack — including a U.S. official saying that the leading theory was that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber — and culminated in [reports that] cited U.S. officials claiming to identify the suspect." Even U.S. officials were frustrated by the leak, saying the decision to release information about an ally’s investigation was "unprofessional." -- “Pope Francis welcomes Trump at the Vatican despite past disagreements,” by Karen DeYoung, Philip Rucker and Anthony Faiola: “The two men met in the pope’s private study for nearly half an hour, joined only by an interpreter. The pontiff, in white papal dress and a pectoral cross on a chain around his neck, sat behind a small desk while Trump, in a dark suit and navy striped tie, took the single chair across from him as if interviewing for a job. After some initial awkwardness — Trump looked somewhat uneasy as he was kept waiting for a few seconds in the Saint Ambrose room before shaking hands with Francis, who was stone-faced at first — the atmosphere soon warmed.”
The pope offered Trump copies of his writings on the topics of family, the joy of the gospel and “care of our common home, the environment.” “Well, I’ll be reading them,” the president replied. GET SMART FAST:
THERE IS A BEAR IN THE WOODS:
-- The CIA alerted the FBI to a troubling pattern of contacts between Russian officials and associates of the Trump campaign last year, former agency director John Brennan testified on Tuesday, shedding new light on the origin of a criminal probe that now reaches into the White House. From Greg Miller: “In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Brennan said he became increasingly concerned that Trump associates were being manipulated by Russian intelligence services as part of a broader covert influence campaign that sought to … deliver the presidency to Trump.”
“It should be clear to everyone that Russia brazenly interfered in our 2016 presidential election process,” Brennan said, one of several lines that seemed aimed at the president. “I know what the Russians try to do. They try to suborn individuals and they try to get individuals, including U.S. persons, to act on their behalf either wittingly or unwittingly.”
Because Russia uses intermediaries and other measures to disguise its hand, “many times, [U.S. individuals] do not know that the individual they are interacting with is a Russian,” Brennan said. He added that Russian agencies routinely seek to gather compromising information, or “kompromat,” to coerce treason from U.S. officials who “do not even realize they are on that path until it gets too late.”
Brennan testified yesterday that he confronted a senior member of the Russian government on the matter last August. In a phone conversation with the head of Russia’s security service, the FSB, the then-CIA director warned the meddling would backfire. Brennan said FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov told him he would carry the message to Putin. MORE SUBPOENAS:
-- The Senate Intelligence Committee is issuing two new subpoenas for information from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's businesses while challenging his attorney’s refusal to comply with an existing subpoena for documents detailing his contacts with Russian officials. Karoun Demirjian reports: “‘A business does not have the right to take the Fifth,’ [ranking Democrat Mark Warner] told reporters as he and chairman Richard Burr pledged to ‘keep all options on the table.’ Burr and Warner announced they would subpoena documents from the two Flynn businesses they were aware of [and] are sending a letter to Flynn’s lawyers challenging them on ‘whether Flynn can take the Fifth as it relates to document production,’ and itemizing more specifically what documents they want Flynn to furnish. The moves stop short of seeking a citation of contempt against Flynn for failing to comply with the committee’s subpoena — for now. ‘We’ve taken actions that we feel are appropriate right now,’ Burr (R-N.C.) said. ‘If in fact there’s not a response, we’ll seek additional counsel on how to proceed … at the end of that option, there’s a contempt charge.’”
COATS DOES NOT DISPUTE WAPO BOMBSHELL:
-- The nation’s top intelligence official declined to comment on The Post’s report that Trump urged him to deny publicly the existence of any evidence of collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign. From Ellen Nakashima: “Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, noting that he is the president’s principal intelligence adviser, said, ‘I have always believed that . . . it’s not appropriate for me to comment publicly on any of that.’ He added, ‘So on this topic, as well as other topics, I don’t feel it’s appropriate to characterize discussions with the president.’ Coats spoke at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.” Note that this is NOT a denial. If you missed it, Nakashima and Adam Entous reported on Monday night that Trump made the request of Coats after then-FBI Director James B. Comey disclosed in March that the bureau was investigating potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Asked “hypothetically” by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) whether it would be appropriate for a president to make such a request, Coats replied, “Any political shaping of . . . intelligence would not be appropriate.” He said, “I have made my position clear on that to this administration, and I intend to maintain that position.”
Coats also indicated that he would cooperate with Mueller’s probe. Under questioning by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Coats said that if asked, he would provide details of his conversation with Trump to Mueller. He also said that if he is called before an investigative committee, such as the Senate Intelligence Committee, “I certainly will provide them with what I know and what I don’t know.”
THE PRESIDENT LAWYERS UP:
-- Trump has retained the services of longtime lawyer Marc Kasowitz to help him navigate the investigations into his campaign and Russian interference. John Wagner and Ashley Parker report: “Kasowitz, who has known Trump for decades, has represented Trump in numerous cases, including on his divorce records, real estate transactions and allegations of fraud at Trump University. He is a partner at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman in New York. In recent days, Trump has been looking at pulling together a unit of lawyers outside the White House to guide him as he responds both to the ongoing federal probe and congressional investigations. One potential complication, however: Former senator Joseph Lieberman, among Trump’s leading candidates to head the FBI, is currently a senior counsel at his firm. “Were Lieberman officially chosen to run the FBI, and Kasowitz chosen to help with Trump’s legal advice, both men — the one leading the organization investigating possible Russian collusion and the one offering Trump legal counsel on that very issue — would hail from the same firm, a likely conflict of interest.”
MUELLER GETS HIS WAIVER:
-- Justice Department ethics experts have cleared newly-appointed special counsel Bob Mueller to oversee the Russia investigation. From Matt Zapotosky and Matea Gold: “Mueller, a former FBI director, had worked for the past three years in the Washington office of WilmerHale, a prominent law firm whose lawyers represent President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Trump’s daughter Ivanka and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Mueller resigned from the firm after Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appointed him last week to oversee the investigation of Russian meddling in the election. … Under a federal ethics regulation, government officials are barred from participating in matters involving their former employers for a year, unless they receive a waiver to do so. In addition, professional responsibility rules prohibit lawyers from representing a client and then later using information they have learned through that work against the client.”
-- Nugget: Mueller and his team are going to run their investigation out of the Patrick Henry Building on D Street N.W. We’re still unclear to what extent he will keep current FBI investigators and DOJ prosecutors on the case or replace them with his own team. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | May 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(The Washington Post)'] |
Around 2700 people are evacuated as 530 forest fires burn in British Columbia, Canada. | THOUSANDS of people in the Canadian province of British Columbia have been ordered to leave their homes as more than 500 fires rage out of control in the province.
The blazes have been fuelled by dry forests and record high temperatures.
Our province is facing the highest levels of wildfire risk in memory, the provinces Premier, Gordon Campbell, told the CBC network at the weekend.
Record high temperatures have created a serious situation, Mr Campbell said.
[Conditions] can best be described as tinder dry.
The forests across this province are in probably the driest situation theyve been that any of us can recall.
Temperatures in some parts of the province had reached more than 36 degrees for several days running, Environment Canada said.
There are 531 forest fires currently burning, Mr Campbell said.
Evacuation orders had been issued for some communities, while an additional 3000 people were told to be ready to leave their homes.
Fifteen hundred people were evacuated from their homes in the town of Fintry on Saturday, just two days after being allowed to return after a previous evacuation.
British Columbia is spending $C3 million ($A3.3 million) a day fighting the fires.
Mr Campbell asked people to stay out of the forests in order to avoid any risk of being trapped in a fire or accidentally starting a new one.
Since April 1, firefighters in British Columbia have responded to 1817 wildfires that have burned 51,042 hectares of forests and grasslands, Mr Campbells office said.
By comparison, at the same point in 2003 there were 959 fires and 31,000 hectares burned.
A fire that was sparked by a lightning strike late on Thursday near the Whistler ski resort, a venue of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, was under control and the site remained open, an organising committee official said. AFP | Fire | August 2009 | ['(The Age)', '(AFP)'] |
Peruvian President Alan García names José Chang as Prime Minister, replacing Javier Velásquez as part of a cabinet reshuffle. | The Peruvian President, Alan Garcia, has named Jose Chang as his new prime minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Mr Chang has served as the education minister and is a long-term aide to Mr Garcia. He will replace Javier Velasquez, who is stepping down to run for president next April. Mr Garcia is barred under the constitution from running for a second consecutive term as president. Peru backtracks on 'amnesty law'
Peru country profile
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | September 2010 | ['(Andina)', '(BBC)'] |
Iran rejects Brazil's offer to grant political asylum to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who has been sentenced to death in Iran for adultery. | Iran signalled today that it was likely to reject the Brazilian president's offer to give refuge to an Iranian woman convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning.
The case of 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani triggered an international outcry that prompted Iran to at least temporarily withdraw the stoning sentence. Ashtiani, who has two children, could still be hanged.
Ramin Mehmanparast, a foreign ministry spokesman, said: "A far as we know, [the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula] Da Silva is a very humane and emotional person who probably has not received enough information about the case."
Further information would be provided to the president to clarify the situation about "an individual who is a convicted offender", he added. Iran says Ashtiani has also been convicted of murder.
The outcry over the death sentence is one of the latest thorns in Iran's relationship with the international community, as the US, Britain and international human rights groups have urged Tehran to stay the execution.
Lula said on Saturday that Brazil could give Ashtiani political asylum. His government has built closer relations with Tehran in recent years and worked with Turkey to form a proposal aimed at resolving Iran's dispute with the west over its nuclear program.
The US and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear programme as a cover for developing atomic weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying the scheme is intended for peaceful purposes such as electricity production. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | August 2010 | ['(AP via The Guardian)'] |
Silvana KochMehrin, Vice President of the European Parliament, resigns amid claims that she plagiarised her doctoral thesis. | Germany's Silvana Koch-Mehrin has resigned as a vice-president of the European Parliament, after claims that she plagiarised her university thesis.
Ms Koch-Mehrin, aged 40, also stepped down from the board of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).
The University of Heidelberg is re-examining Ms Koch-Mehrin's academic work on currency unions.
In March, German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was forced to quit over plagiarism charges.
Mr Guttenberg, a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), was also stripped of his PhD by the University of Bayreuth.
On Wednesday, Ms Koch-Mehrin said in a statement that she also resigned as chairwoman of the FDP in the European parliament.
"I hope to make it easier for my party to make a fresh start with a new leadership team," she said. The move comes after an investigative website - VroniPlag Wiki - raised doubts about the liberal politician's 2001 thesis, called Historical Currency Unions between the Economy and Politics. Ms Koch-Mehrin allegedly failed to source the 227-page document properly.
She has not publicly commented on the allegations.
The resignation is seen by some German analysts as a fresh blow to the FDP - the junior party in Mrs Merkel's coalition - which is trying to recover from plunging popularity ratings. Last month, party leader Guido Westerwelle was forced to step aside. A new head is expected to be chosen later this week.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | May 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
The United States begins collecting the higher, 25 percent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in U.S. seaports. | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States began collecting higher, 25% tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in U.S. seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world’s two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed the tariff increase on a$200 billion list of Chinese goods on May 10, but had allowed a grace period for sea-borne cargoes that departed China before that date, keeping them at the prior, 10% duty rate.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office in a May 15 Federal Register notice set a June 1 deadline for those goods to arrive in the United States, after which U.S. Customs and Border protection would begin collecting the 25% duty rate at U.S. ports. The deadline expired at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday
The tariff increase affects a broad range of consumer goods, and intermediate components from China including internet modems and routers, printed circuit boards, furniture, vacuum cleaners and lighting products.
Earlier on Saturday, China began collecting higher retaliatory tariffs on much of a $60 billion target list of U.S. goods. The tariffs, announced on May 13 and taking effect as of midnight in Beijing (1600 GMT), apply additional 20% or 25% tariffs on more than half of the 5,140 U.S. products targeted. Beijing had previously imposed additional rates of 5% or 10% on the targeted goods.
Related Coverage
No further trade talks between top Chinese and U.S. negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended in a stalemate on May 10, the same day when Trump announced higher tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods and then took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.
China ordered the latest tariff increases in response to Trump’s move.
Trump has accused China of breaking a deal to settle their trade dispute by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations.
Beijing has grown more strident in recent weeks, accusing Washington of lacking sincerity and vowing that it will not cave to the Trump administration’s demands.
Its rhetoric has hardened particularly since Washington put Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a blacklist that effectively bans the firm from doing business with U.S. companies.
| Government Policy Changes | June 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Palestinian militants fire a Kassam rocket from Gaza which lands next to a bus stop used by schoolchildren in the Ashkelon area in southern Israel; no injuries are reported. | Police sappers early Monday morning collected the shards of a Kassam rocket that Palestinians earlier fired from the Gaza Strip at the Hof Ashkelon area.
The rocket was found several hours after it fell near a bus stop used by schoolchildren. There were no injuries in the attack, but the bus stop sustained light damage.
Late Sunday night the Code Red alert, which warns of incoming rockets or missiles from the Gaza Strip, was heard in several communities in the area to the east of the coastal city of Ashkelon.
Earlier this month,three Kassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory, all landing in open Gazan territory.
The rocket fire followed a series of unsuccessful attempts to launch attacks from the Gaza Strip in recent months. | Armed Conflict | December 2013 | ['(The Times of Israel)'] |
A C-130J transport aircraft crashes in eastern Afghanistan as it approaches the airport in Jalalabad killing at least 11 people on board. A U.S. military spokesman says there were no reports of enemy fire at the time. , , | — -- Fourteen people -- including six Americans -- were killed when a U.S. Air Force C-130J transport aircraft crashed in eastern Afghanistan as it was approaching the airport in Jalalabad, officials said.
The Air Force said six U.S. service members and five civilian contractors were killed when the plane crashed at Jalalabad Airfield after midnight Friday local time. A defense official said there were at least an additional three Afghan locals who were killed on the ground as a result of the crash.
The nationalities of the contractors weren't immediately released.
Another official said there were no initial indications the aircraft crashed as the result of hostile fire.
Two U.S. officials said that the aircraft was on approach to the airport when it crashed.
The C-130 is a workhorse in Afghanistan serving as both a cargo and personnel transport capable of landing on short runways which allows it to touch down in remote areas.
There are still 9,800 American military troops serving in Afghanistan as part of a training mission that is set to conclude at the end of next year. Most of the American service members conduct their training at a small number of large bases located in Afghanistan, including Forward Operating Base Fenty which is located in Jalalabad and has served as a major operations hub for the past decade.
The C-130J is the most modern version of the storied transport aircraft and is equipped with some of the most sophisticated navigational equipment. | Air crash | October 2015 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(ABC News)', '(Reuters)'] |
An attack on police headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan, kills 16 officers and 3 civilians, and injures 53 others. | KABUL, Afghanistan At least four gunmen wearing vests with explosives in them attacked police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar on Saturday, the third such attack since the start of the year in the strategically important city.
The assault, a complex operation involving several car bombs and a battery of rocket-propelled grenades, killed at least 19 people, most of them police officers, according to Afghan officials and witnesses. | Armed Conflict | February 2011 | ['(The New York Times)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
In the second case in a week in Australia, a surfing teenage boy is killed by a shark near Grafton, New South Wales. | SYDNEY (AP) — A 15-year-old surfer died Saturday when he was mauled by a shark, the second fatal attack in a week in Australia and already at least the fifth this year.
Police said the boy was surfing at Wooli Beach, near Grafton, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Sydney in New South Wales state just before 2:30 p.m. when he was attacked. The shark attack left him with severe injuries to his legs.
Several surfers came to the aid of the boy and helped him to shore for medical attention. Despite CPR efforts to revive him, he died at the scene.
Police initially said the victim was 17, but later corrected his age to 15.
Jim Simmons, mayor of Clarence Valley shire, said visitors had flocked to the region for the school holidays and there would likely have been many people in the water.
“What’s happened there this afternoon would shake everybody,” Simmons said. “It’s terribly shocking. All of our sympathies, from people in the area, go out to the boy’s family.”
It’s unusual for Australia to have five fatal shark attacks in the first six months of a year. On average, three people die from shark attacks each year in the country, according to figures kept by the Australian Shark Attack File. The last time there were five fatal attacks in an entire year was 2014.
Last Saturday, a 20-year-old scuba diver who was spear fishing died after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Australia’s Queensland state. The man was attacked near Indian Head on the eastern side of Fraser Island.
That attack happened not far from where 23-year-old Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba was fatally mauled by a great white shark in April.
A 57-year-old diver was killed off Western Australia state in January, and a 60-year-old surfer was killed off Kingscliff in New South Wales state in June. | Famous Person - Death | July 2020 | ['(AP News)'] |
Four Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on their base in Iraq by Kurdish forces. Twenty PKK members were also killed in the attack. | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Four Turkish soldiers and 20 armed assailants were killed on Friday in clashes between the military and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the border with Iraq, Turkey’s defense ministry and military said.
A military base was attacked overnight in the mountainous Cukurca district of Turkey’s southeastern province of Hakkari, prompting the military to respond with an air operation, news agencies and the ministry said on Saturday.
The Turkish military said “at least 20 terrorists were neutralized” as a result, and it held a ceremony for the dead soldiers on Saturday, according to state-run Anadolu news agency. Hulusi Akar, the defense minister, was to attend.
The ministry said six other soldiers were wounded in the clashes. “Terrorists are under intense fire with the air operation and fire support vehicles in the region,” it said.
The PKK, which has waged an insurgency for autonomy in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast since 1984, is deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
“Turkey is determined to continue its fight against terrorists and their supporters by making no compromises,” Mustafa Sentop, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, was quoted as saying by Anadolu.
Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean
| Armed Conflict | May 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Philippine Army troops free dozens of prisoners held hostage by the Moro National Liberation Front in the Battle of Zamboanga City in the city of Zamboanga. | Dozens of civilians held by Muslim rebels in a stand-off in the Philippine south have been freed as troops gained ground, the military said.
Soldiers have reportedly taken about 70% of areas held by fighters from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Zamboanga city on Tuesday.
A local police chief, earlier reported as abducted by rebels, has also been released, local reports say.
The MNLF have been holed up in villages in Zamboanga since 9 September. Troops have been engaging in gun battles with the rebels, who have been using civilians as human shields. A military spokesman said that they had been able to rescue more than 140 hostages on Tuesday.
"They [the rebels] have nearly run out of bullets. They are practically defeated," military spokesman Lt Col Ramon Zagala told Agence-France Presse news agency.
It remained unclear, however, how many more civilians were being held as the stand-off continued. Television reports showed exhausted hostages boarding buses taking them away from the front line after being released or escaping.
Meanwhile, local police chief Jose Chiquito Malayo, who was reported captured by rebels earlier on Tuesday, has been freed, officials and local media say.
Officials add that Mr Malayo managed to persuade some of the rebels to end their stand-off with the military and surrender.
It was not immediately clear how the release of Mr Malayo and his companions came about.
The death toll since the fighting began has risen to close to 100 - most of them rebels, according to the authorities. Some 80,000 residents have been displaced by the fighting in the southern city in Mindanao. On Monday, Philippine forces carried out helicopter airstrikes on rebel-held areas. After heavy fighting on Monday, there is a sense that the worst in Zamboanga is now over, says the BBC's southeast Asia correspondent, Jonah Fisher.
The MNLF is one of a number of splinter groups fighting for independence from Manila.
It is thought the MNLF are angry at being sidelined from peace talks between another Muslim rebel group and the government. Helicopters attack Philippine rebels
Philippine army 'surrounds rebels'
| Armed Conflict | September 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
31 people dead and at least 170 are missing as a ferry sinks after colliding with a cargo ship in Philippines. | At least 31 people have died and around 170 are missing after a ferry collided with a cargo ship in the Philippines.
More than 600 survivors have now been rescued since the MV Thomas Aquinas sank after a collision with a cargo ship on Friday night. Coastguard and military vessels helped with the rescue, but the operation has been hampered by rough seas.
The Philippines has a poor record for maritime safety, with scores of people dying in accidents every year.
The collision happened on Friday evening near the central city of Cebu - around 2km (1.2 miles) from the shore.
The MV Thomas Aquinas was carrying 715 passengers and 116 crew, according to the latest coast guard figures.
"The impact was very strong," Rachel Capuno, a spokesperson for the owners of the ferry, told local radio. Survivors said hundreds of passengers jumped into the ocean as the ferry began taking on water and listing. The crew distributed life jackets.
Many of the passengers were asleep and others struggled to find their way in the dark, reports said. One survivor, Jerwin Agudong, said he and other passengers jumped overboard in front of the cargo vessel.
"It seems some people were not able to get out," Mr Agudong told radio station DZBB. "I pity the children. We saw dead bodies on the side, and some being rescued."
It is believed 58 babies were among the passengers on board but it is unclear how many of them died.
Many of the survivors were sick from swallowing seawater and oil that is thought to have spilled from the ferry. Rear Admiral Luis Tuason, of the coast guard, said more bodies had been found on Saturday and that the death toll would almost certainly continue to rise.
"Because of the speed by which it went down, there is a big chance that there are people trapped inside," he told AFP.
Another coast guard official told reporters that the cargo ship, Sulpicio Express 7, had 36 crew members on board, but it did not sink.
Passengers on the ferry had embarked at Nasipit in the southern province of Agusan del Sur.
The 11,000 tonne ferry was 40 years old, and operated by a Chinese-owned company called 2Go, reports the BBC's South East Asia Correspondent Jonathan Head. The company became the largest ferry operator in the Philippines three years ago, following a merger of several smaller firms, our correspondent adds.
Joy Villages, an official at the coastguard's public affairs office headquarters in Manila, told AFP it was too early to determine the cause of Friday's collision.
She said the Thomas Aquinas was a "roll-on, roll-off" ferry that transports vehicles and is commonly used in the Philippines.
Maritime accidents are quite frequent in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical storms, badly maintained passenger boats and weakly enforcedf safety regulations.
The world's worst maritime disaster in peacetime occurred in the Philippines in December 1987. More than 4,000 people died when the Dona Paz ferry collided with a tanker.
Ferry sinks in central Philippines
Philippines country profile
Philippine Coast Guard
| Shipwreck | August 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Sachin Tendulkar of the India cricket team becomes the highest aggregate run scorer in Test cricket at 0901 hrs and the first to pass 12,000 in scoring 88 during the second test against Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. | India's Sachin Tendulkar has set a new record for the most runs scored by a batsman in Test cricket, overtaking the mark set by West Indies' Brian Lara.
Tendulkar, 35, scored the 15 extra runs he needed to overtake Lara's aggregate of 11,953 on day one of the second Test against Australia in Mohali.
Already the holder of a record 39 centuries in 151 Tests, Tendulkar hit the landmark runs off Peter Siddle.
A rapturous but sparse crowd in the Punjabi city stood to applaud him.
Afterwards, having been dismissed for 88 - and becoming the first man to 12,000 runs - he said: "It's definitely the biggest milestone because it's taken me 19 years to get - it's not something that can happen overnight.
"The journey has been fantastic. There have been ups and downs. So many times there have been stones thrown and you have to turn them into milestones.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "I knew I was 14 runs short [when Friday's innings started]. I have just been trying to focus on the game but whoever I see in front of me they have an opportunity to remind me.
"I decided to keep it simple and keep watching the ball."
Tendulkar insisted he had no plans to end his career in the immediate future.
"As long as I'm enjoying it I will play. I don't need X, Y or Z to tell me when I should stop or continue. When I started playing nobody told me that. So nobody need to tell me now either," he added.
He spent the tea interval on 13 not out, just one run away from Lara's record. But after the 20-minute break he hit his first ball for three down to third man and saluted the crowd before the Australian fielders went to shake his hand.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Tendulkar celebrates record achievement
Fireworks were set off around the ground.
India's President Pratibha Patil later said Tendulkar had "given joy to millions of Indians", while the country's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, described the batsman as a genius.
"I congratulate Sachin Tendulkar on becoming the highest run-scorer in Test cricket," said Singh.
"Sachin is truly worthy of the mantle of the greatest run-scorer in Tests. I have been following his cricket and there is no doubt that he is a genius."
Former India captain Kapil Dev says his compatriot is a hero to a cricket-loving nation and admire the way he has dealt with the adoration.
"I think he is one of the finest batsmen the world has ever seen," said Dev, who was once the world's leading wicket-taker.
"Millions of people in this country love him. Every kid wants to be come Sachin Tendulkar.
"He has set a standard for those young people to follow him. The country needs heroes like him.
"It is not easy to play for 19 years with the pressure he has had throughout his career. People love him. He can't go out, do the things he wants to do.
"Every simple thing he does in his life, people notice. Hats off to him for still coming forward to play cricket."
It was fitting that Tendulkar established the new mark against Australia, the overwhelmingly dominant team of his era - and a side against whom he has achieved distinguished success.
A prodigy as a youth, his century as a 19-year old on an ultra-fast wicket in Perth is often regarded one of the best innings ever to have been played in Australia.
He was only 16 when he made his Test debut, in 1989 and scored his first Test hundred, a match-saving one against England at Old Trafford, a year later.
Tendulkar was regarded by the late Sir Don Bradman as the one batsman of the modern era who most reminded him of himself.
A tremendous performer in the one-day arena, Tendulkar is also the highest scorer and century-maker in that format.
Former England batsman Geoff Boycott, who became the first Englishman to score more than 8,000 Test runs, breaking West Indies all-rounder Sir Garry Sobers' batting record in the process, told BBC Radio 5 Live that Tendulkar will hold the record for years to come.
But the 67-year-old still regards Bradman as the greatest batsman the game has seen, saying: "There's none of us who have come near him."
"There'll always be people who break records because nowadays they play more Test matches than ever, more one-day internationals.
"It was inevitable that people like Lara and Tendulkar - two of the great players of the last few years - would break records of some distinction almost every other year or two.
"I broke Garry Sobers' record and I said at the time that if you play enough Test matches and you're pretty good at what you do then you'll break records.
"But it didn't make me a better player than Garry Sobers and it won't make Tendulkar a better player than Bradman, a genius - the best batsmen of the lot."
Former England batsman Allan Lamb paid tribute to Tendulkar's feat, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "He's very classical. He's a batter who keeps very still at the wicket. That's something that every youngster is told to do.
"He's got all the shots in the book. He can play all round the wicket and he's got a lot of time to play his shots, and that's what makes him such a great player.
"Lara got his runs in 131 Test matches, so you've got to say that's an incredible achievement.
"Tendulkar's probably not the player he was two or three years ago, so he will probably hang up his boots in a year or so. But then you've got Ricky Ponting steaming up from the back so I don't know how long the Indians will hold that record." | Break historical records | October 2008 | ['(GMT)', '(BBC)'] |
Colombian businessman Alex Saab is arrested in Cape Verde a week after Colombian authorities froze his assets following the opening an investigation against him for alleged money laundering. The Nicolás Maduro–led Government of Venezuela denounces the arrest as an arbitrary detention and violation of international law. | (Reuters) - Authorities in Cape Verde have arrested a businessman close to Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Saturday, a move Venezuelan authorities called a violation of international law.
Alex Saab, a Colombian who also has a Venezuelan passport, had won contracts to obtain supplies for Maduro’s government-run food subsidy program. The United States charged him last year with money laundering, and Washington has also sanctioned him for the food deals, which U.S. officials described as a scam designed to enrich Saab and Maduro.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said in a statement that Saab was arrested pursuant to an Interpol red notice issued with respect to his U.S. indictment. She provided no further details.
Maria Dominguez, Saab’s U.S.-based attorney, confirmed his arrest in the archipelago nation off the coast of western Africa, but also declined to provide further details.
In a statement, Venezuela’s foreign ministry said Saab had been acting as an “agent” of the state at the time of his detention, on business to obtain food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to help the South American country fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“Venezuela calls on the state of Cabo Verde to set the citizen Alex Saab free,” the ministry said in a statement, calling the arrest an “arbitrary detention” in violation of international law and adding Saab should have had diplomatic immunity.
U.S. officials said the food program lined the pockets of Maduro, who has overseen a six-year economic collapse of the once-prosperous OPEC nation and stands accused of corruption and human rights violations.
Last Tuesday, the Colombian attorney general’s office said it had frozen assets belonging to Saab in the country worth some 35 billion Colombian pesos ($9.28 million), adding Saab was under investigation for crimes including money laundering.
Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; additional reporting by Brad Heath in Washington and Deisy Buitrago in Caracas; editing by Diane Craft and David Gregorio
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | June 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
An American judge sentences a former State Department worker to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and his wife to 6¾ years for spying for Cuba for three decades. | A US judge has sentenced a retired State Department worker to life in prison without the possibility of parole for spying for Cuba.
Walter Kendall Myers' wife Gwendolyn was also sentenced to 81 months for helping her husband steal US secrets.
US District Judge Reggie Walton said the pair deserved heavy punishment for betraying the United States.
Mr Myers, 72, had access to top-secret US government information and admitted spying for Cuba for three decades.
The couple shared Cuba's communist ideology and an admiration of the Cuban revolution, according to federal prosecutors. Mr Myers, who is the great grandson of Alexander Graham Bell, was contacted by the Cuban intelligence service to be a covert agent. He recruited Ms Myers in 1979, and the two married three years later.
Mr Myers said he stole secrets, but had no intent to harm the United States.
Judge Walton said he was "perplexed" how Mr Myers could think he was not hurting US, considering the level of antagonism between the two countries.
"The Cuban people feel threatened," said Mr Myers in a 10-minute explanation to the judge of his conduct. Adding that Cubans had "good reason to feel threatened" by the US.
Myers was known as Agent 202, while his wife was Agent 123, according to court documents.
The couple were originally arrested in June 2009, following an undercover FBI sting operation.
The two asked to be sent to prisons near one another so their six children and seven grandchildren could visit more easily. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | July 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Reuters)', '(Houston Chronicle)', '(Sky News)'] |
A gunman kills Qassem M. Aqlan, the Yemeni chief of security employed at the U.S. embassy in the capital, Sana'a. | Gunmen have shot and killed a local employee of the US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
Security official Qassem Aqlan was going to work when he was attacked by masked men on a motorbike, Yemeni and embassy officials said. Mr Aqlan had worked at the embassy for at least 10 years, sources said.
No group has said it carried out the attack but some officials in Sanaa said it bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants.
Other previous attacks have targeted Yemeni intelligence, military and security officials in retaliation for military operations by the US-backed government against al-Qaeda forces in the country.
The US state department was "deeply saddened" by the incident, a senior official said. "We are working with Yemeni authorities."
Mr Aqlan was responsible for co-ordinating security information between the embassy and Yemeni authorities.
He was also involved in an investigation into an attack on the embassy last month. During protests against an anti-Islam film made in the US, demonstrators briefly stormed the embassy grounds and burnt the US flag.
They were driven back by security forces.
Employees at the US embassy in Sanaa told BBC Arabic that Mr Aqlan might have been killed because he was about to reveal "compelling evidence" about who was behind the storming of the heavily fortified embassy. | Armed Conflict | October 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Sierra Leone imposes quarantine on hundreds of people following a recent death from the Ebola virus. | Sierra Leone's Government has urged the public not to panic as it announced more than 100 people had been quarantined following a new death from Ebola, just as the country seemed to have overcome the epidemic.
The World Health Organisation on Friday confirmed that a 22-year-old woman, who died after falling ill near the Guinean border last week, had tested positive for the tropical fever.
The announcement came a day after West Africa was celebrating the end of the outbreak when Liberia became the last of the three worst-hit countries in the region to be declared Ebola-free.
Sierra Leone had received the all-clear last November, and Guinea in December.
Health officials in Freetown said they had placed a total of 109 people who had been in contact with the student before her death in isolation.
What is Ebola, and how does this highly contagious and deadly disease spread?
Of those, 28 were considered "high risk" and three contacts had yet to be located, Ishmael Tarawally, the national coordinator of the Office of National Security, said at a press conference.
"We are worried and concerned about this new development but call on the general public not to panic and more than ever before, all Sierra Leoneans must work together to prevent further infection," he said.
The woman died in the northern Magburaka township in the district of Tonkolili but Mr Tarawally said "active case investigations" were ongoing in all the districts where the victim was known to have recently travelled.
Those include the districts of Kambia, Port Loko, Bombali and Freetown.
"The source of infection and route of transmission is being investigated and the Government urges all Sierra Leoneans to continue being vigilant," Mr Tarawally added.
The country's chief medical officer, Brima Kargbo, said that when the woman arrived at Magburaka Government Hospital she showed "no signs or symptoms that fitted the case definition of Ebola".
"She had no fever or redness of the eyes when she was examined at the outpatient ward. What was detected was dizziness. We are now going to revisit the Ebola case definition," he added.
The Ebola outbreak, which began in Guinea in December 2013, killed more than 11,000 people and was the deadliest outbreak of the virus yet.
| Disease Outbreaks | January 2016 | ['(AFP via ABC News)'] |
China hosts the ministers of defense from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations . During the meeting a Chinese defense official suggests joint maritime drills between the host and ASEAN. At the same time, it is widely expected that U.S. Navy vessels may soon sail within 12 nautical miles of islands China is constructing upon reefs and atolls in the South China Sea. | China has proposed joint maritime drills with South East Asian nations in the hotly contested South China Sea in 2016.
Beijing is currently hosting an informal meeting for defence ministers from the region.
China's Defence Minister Chang Wanquan has suggested drills for "maritime rescues and disaster relief".
China's reclamation activities in the sea in recent years have raised tensions with its neighbours.
The Philippines and Vietnam, in particular, have overlapping claims with China.
China's proposal comes a week after the US announced it was considering sending ships to an area of the South China Sea China has claimed for itself, a suggestion which sparked strong words from China.
The suggestion for joint drills was made on Friday at a meeting with defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional alliance.
The drills would be one way of achieving the aim of "jointly solving disputes and controlling risks", China's defence ministry said in a statement.
The offer "indicates potential for the conflict to de-escalate" and if Asean states agreed, the drills would be "a confidence-building measure that can ease tensions", military studies research fellow Daniel Wei Boon Chua, of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told the BBC.
William Choong, senior fellow at think-tank II-SS, called it "a conciliatory effort at blunting the bad press" and "to tamp down the temperature when you have US Navy ships possibly sailing in."
But he felt that the drills would be "unlikely" to take off, "because I don't see any concerted buy-in from Asean on joint patrols," he said.
Asean has had internal disagreements on a co-ordinated response to China on the South China sea dispute. China has been accused of militarisation and illegally expanding its maritime claims by reclaiming land around island reefs and building airstrips and structures on them. The US has called on China to halt such activities.
Vietnam on Tuesday alleged that China was constructing two lighthouses in the Spratly islands, and said it "resolutely rejects and vehemently protests China's action." The country saw anti-Chinese protests last year over a Chinese oil rig in a disputed area.
The Philippines has also taken China to a United Nations tribunal for arbitration over China's claims, although Beijing has refused to participate in the process.
China has insisted that it is developing areas within its sovereignty and that the structures are for civilian purposes such as fishing and rescue work.
China hits back at US over islands
Why is the South China Sea contentious?
| Military Exercise | October 2015 | ['(ASEAN)', '(New York Times)', '(BBC)'] |
Britain wins six gold medals and a silver on Day Eight of the 2012 London Olympics, making it the greatest British success in one day at an Olympics since 1908. | Last updated on 4 August 20124 August 2012.From the section Olympicscomments621
Great Britain enjoyed their most successful day at an Olympics in 104 years by winning six gold medals on day eight of the London Games.
Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah capped a historic day - the best ever for GB athletics - by winning the heptathlon, long jump and 10,000m in front of 80,000 jubilant spectators at the Olympic Stadium.
The rowers had started the celebrations with gold in the men's four and the women's lightweight double sculls before the women's team pursuiters added track cycling gold in the London Velodrome.
Saturday's series of successes keep the host nation third in the medals table with 14 golds, behind the United States and China.
Britain has now won 29 medals overall, having also taken seven silvers and eight bronzes at these Games.
Ennis had dominated the heptathlon from the start, leading her rivals after the four events on day one.
She then effectively clinched gold with strong performances in the long jump and javelin on day two, before rounding off victory in the 800m.
Her time of two minutes 8.65 seconds meant she smashed her own British record for the heptathlon, finishing the seven-event competition with 6,955 points, 49 more than she scored in a the Hypo meeting Austria in May.
"I am so shocked I can't believe it," said Ennis. "I'm going to savour the moment. I've had great support, although I've been under a huge amount of pressure."
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Awe inspiring win for Jessica Ennis. Proud to be cheering her on with the home crowd. Atmosphere electric on #SuperSaturday."
Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopt took the silver, with Russian world champion Tatyana Chernova in bronze. Rutherford took gold in the long jump with a fourth-round leap of 8.31m, equalling the feat of Lynn Davies in 1964.
Davies had been the only British man to have won an Olympic medal in the event, taking gold in Tokyo.
"What a night for British athletics," Rutherford told BBC Sport. "Three gold medals. It's absolutely incredible."
Farah followed Rutherford's success by controlling the 10,000m from start to finish.
"I just can't believe it," said Farah, who could also go for 5,000m gold. "The crowd got behind me so much and it was getting louder and louder.
"What unfolded over the course of a single day has been years in the making. It is a day unlike any that has been seen in the modern history of British Olympic sport and it is a day our country will never forget.
"Most importantly, it is a day for the athletes - the Olympic champions - and the millions of supporters who have lifted them on their shoulders and helped make this possible."
"I've not experienced anything like this. It's never going to get any better than this. It's the best moment of my life."
The wins for Ennis, Rutherford and Farah created history for Britain. Never before had they won three gold medals in a single athletics session at at Olympics.
Britain's first gold of the day came at Eton Dorney as the of Andy Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Andy Gregory and Tom James led from the start to triumph.
Just 20 minutes later, the team of Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland did the same, before the men's lightweight double sculls duo of Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter following a restart after their seat broke.
Britain have won a total of four rowing golds, with two silvers and three bronzes, to set a new record for an Olympic regatta.
Copeland said: "I can't believe this is real. We've just won the Olympics. I've been trying all week not to think about it because it has been making me cry."
Hosking added: "It's something we have been working on for so long."
On the men's four victory, Triggs Hodge said: "It was our masterpiece. Four years we have worked on that."
Laura Trott, Dani King and Jo Rowsell crushed the United States to win the team pursuit. They claimed victory in a time of 3:14.051 to set their sixth successive world record.
"It's mad," said Trott. "I can't believe it. It's been my dream since I was eight. We've gone and done it. I don't think we expected it."
Rowsell added: "I could tell we'd done it by the cheer of the crowd."
In the tennis, Andy Murray guaranteed himself another silver medal by reaching the mixed doubles final with playing partner Laura Robson.
The Scot is already through to Sunday men's singles final, where he will play Roger Federer.
They beat Germany's Christopher Kas and Sabine Lisicki in the last match on Court One at Wimbledon.
Back on the athletics track, defending champion winning his heat in 10.09 seconds.
American Ryan Bailey qualified fastest in 9.88, with world champion Yohan Blake running 10.00.
British hope Adam Gemili, who was playing non-league football as recently as January, also qualified in 10.11, behind Jamaica's Asafa Powell, who ran 10.04. Briton Dwain Chambers is through in 10.02. | Sports Competition | August 2012 | ['(BBC Sport)'] |
A Kenyan lower court judge upholds the use of anal examinations to attempt to determine a suspect’s sexual orientation. Homosexual acts are a crime in Kenya. | A Kenyan court has upheld the use of anal examinations in attempts to determine a suspect’s sexual orientation. Homosexual acts are a crime in Kenya, bringing possible prison sentences of up to 14 years.
Some might find the terms anal examination and/or anal probe graphic enough, but, to be clear, some consider it a form of torture. In fact, a U.N. special rapporteur on torture wrote this in a report in January: “In states where homosexuality is criminalized, men suspected of same-sex conduct are subject to non-consensual anal examinations intended to obtain physical evidence of homosexuality, a practice that is medically worthless and amounts to torture or ill-treatment.”
In other words, the “examination” is intended to humiliate, not obtain evidence, critics say.
The high court in the coastal Kenyan city of Mombasa made the decision after reviewing the case of two men who were arrested in a bar in February 2015 on suspicions of engaging in gay sex. The two men were subjected to the procedure, as well as mandatory HIV and hepatitis B testing, and subsequently protested their treatment as degrading and abusive.
A judge on Thursday dismissed their petition.
Other countries that still use “anal examinations” to determine homosexuality include Cameroon, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda and Zambia.
| Government Policy Changes | June 2016 | ['(AP)', '(The Washington Post)'] |
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that he is developing a plan to close the Rikers Island prison within 10 years. | Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced his support to close New York City's notorious prison on Rikers Island. Mr de Blasio said closing Rikers would be "long and arduous", but that local officials and stakeholders had a "moral obligation" to do so. The mayor said on Friday he was developing a plan to close the prison within 10 years.
He had previously said that replacing the massive jail complex would be too expensive. "It will take many years. It will take many tough decisions along the way, but it will happen," he said at a press conference on Friday. Mr de Blasio said that closing the prison, which houses about 10,000 inmates, would require cutting the jail population roughly in half. "The length of this process will also require continued investment in the facilities and conditions on Rikers Island that remain key to rehabilitation efforts for thousands of New Yorkers in the years ahead," he added in a statement. Details of the plan to close the prison have yet to be released. An independent commission, led by the state's former chief judge, has been reviewing options to close Rikers as part of a larger probe into the city's criminal justice system.
The commission was created following a series of brutality cases revealing questionable practices and corruption at the prison complex. One of the recommendations included moving inmates into a system of smaller jails across the New York City boroughs at a cost of $10.6bn (£8.4bn), according to US media reports. The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, has previously said that shutting the prison was a "noble idea" but would cost the city billions of dollars and take years to close. | Organization Closed | March 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
The defence team for Julian Assange, facing allegations of sex crimes, prepares to argue that Assange cannot receive a fair trial in Sweden as such cases are heard in secret without any transparency. | LONDON: Julian Assange's defence team is to argue that he cannot be given a fair trial in Sweden because all rape cases are heard in secret - and justice cannot be seen to be done.
But senior legal sources in London have warned that the chances of success may be slim as 95 per cent of European arrest warrants, the legal tool that is being used to try to return the WikiLeaks founder to Sweden to face allegations of sex crimes, are eventually granted.
Julian Assange ... fighting extradition to Sweden for sex offences.
On the eve of the extradition hearing in London, the Herald was told that the crux of the defence team's argument was the open justice principle being a fundamental feature of the rule of law - and that unless justice could be seen to be done it could not be done at all.
Sweden's tradition of secret trials for sex offences will be placed under the microscope as will inconsistencies in the evidence provided to Swedish police by his accusers.
The two-day appeal against the warrant begins in Belmarsh Magistrates Court, London, today, just 48 hours after the police file, ostensibly provided in confidence to Mr Assange's legal team by the Swedes, was leaked online. It appears to raise questions for both sides on the case. It says the Swedish woman who accuses Mr Assange of rape woke up as he was having sex with her. She let him continue, it says, even though she knew he was not wearing a condom.
In Sweden, having sex with someone who is asleep can be deemed rape, but the detail given in the leaked transcript may explain why different prosecutors in the country have reached different conclusions on the matter.
Mr Assange is also accused of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion against another woman with whom he had sex in the same week. According to the leaked documents she accused him of deliberately damaging a condom when they were having consensual sex, something he has denied.
Mr Assange's legal team made clear during the first hearing last month that it would fight the extradition on several fronts, including legal opinion from a Swedish expert that the accusations were unlikely to lead to charges let alone conviction.
The WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief has since been confined to a secluded country estate and electronic surveillance after conditional bail was granted but will be allowed to sleep in London during the hearings to avoid the long drive to the south London court complex.
The defence, led by the human rights advocate Geoffrey Robertson, QC, is also expected to hone in on the secrecy provisions and contrast them with several occasions when supporters of Mr Assange's two accusers have attacked him publicly. The team, with Assange's long-time solicitors, Mark Stephens and Jennifer Robinson, will press further the serious weaknesses in the evidence provided by the two female accusers and the lack of justice in allowing their case to be made behind closed doors.
Legal sources in London said it was important that those following the case, and those reporting it in Australia, understood that Mr Assange was not in court for anything but the warrant for his extradition back to Sweden for questioning on the accusations.
In Europe 12 nations have a legal instrument known as a European arrest warrant with which they can surrender suspects without examining the evidence.
This is meant to be an automatic process of surrender, and in 95 per cent of cases they are granted in an effort to ensure they are dealt with promptly but without trial of the allegations. The only way that a warrant can be quashed is on technical grounds or by arguing a flagrant denial of justice.
As Sweden is widely accepted to have an advanced and fair justice system, Mr Assange's chances of avoiding such a warrant are seen to be low by experts.
His defence has identified eight arguments for quashing the warrant but expects the Swedish prosecutor to call expert witnesses from Sweden, including a retired judge.
Assange's controversial prosecutors include Sweden's Director of Public Prosecutions, Marianne Ny, who has argued in the past that arrest for rape, even if untried, acts as a deterrent. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2011 | ['(The Sydney Morning Herald)'] |
Japanese citizens vote in a general election. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner win 325 seats out of 475 and thus a new term. | Japan's ruling coalition has won a new two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policy.
Japanese media reported that Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) retained its House of Representatives majority.
The LDP will govern with the Komeito party after the parties won 325 seats out of 475. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the snap vote to secure support for his "Abenomics" economic reforms.
Public broadcaster NHK said the LDP had won 290 seats, with Komeito taking 35.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, won 73 seats, an increase of 11, NHK said.
Mr Abe was elected in 2012 and has tried to revive the economy by raising public spending and printing money.
After an initial burst of growth, Japan slipped back into recession in the second half of this year, which many economists have blamed, at least in part, on an increase in sales tax, from 5% to 8% in April.
The tax increase was legislated by the previous government in 2012 to curb Japan's huge public debt, which is the highest among developed nations.
Mr Abe says he called the election to get a mandate to delay a second increase in the tax to 10%, scheduled for 2015.
"My 'Abenomics' policies are still only half-way done," Mr Abe said on Sunday, adding that his government would not become "complacent".
"I am aware that there are still a lot of people who are still not feeling the benefits. But it's my duty to bring [benefits] to those very people, and I believe this election made that clear."
Many Japanese were bemused by this election. Most thought it completely unnecessary. Some were angry at the huge waste of money. But Shinzo Abe is nothing if not a canny politician. The turnout may have been a record low, but he got what he needed - a new majority, and four more years in power.
Why he felt the need is still unclear. Some observers think he has been facing stiff resistance to his economic policies from within his own ranks. A big election win will help him crush that resistance.
Others think it a cynical move to lock in four more years before his popularity slips further. Whatever the truth Mr Abe is now the most powerful prime minister Japan has had in many years.
The question now is how will he use that power? He says he is determined to push ahead with difficult and potentially unpopular economic reform. His opponents on the left fear he will use it to push Japan further to the right - to try again to overturn Japan's pacifist constitution, and to further whitewash Japan's historic crimes during World War II.
What's behind Japan's snap election?
Japan is the third-largest economy in the world, according to the World Bank, but it has struggled in recent years. Among his pledges, Mr Abe vowed to help more Japanese women enter and remain in employment by tightening anti-discrimination laws and setting employment targets.
The US hopes Mr Abe will be able to expand Japan's military role, so that it can play a bigger part in their alliance. That challenge to Japan's constitutional pacifism - traditionally opposed by Komeito - is expected to lead to heated debate in 2015.
Voters were choosing who sits in the 475-seat lower house of Japan's parliament, the Diet.
Reports said turnout at polling stations was low due to voter apathy and heavy snowfall in parts of the country. The government said turnout was at just 35%, two hours before polls closed. Several surveys in recent weeks had pointed to a win for Mr Abe's party.
Observers said this was partly due to the lack of a real political alternative, with the opposition in disarray.
Shinzo Abe's economic policy, launched in 2013, was so wide-ranging that it was named after him. It was designed to help pull Japan out of two decades of deflation and kick-start its stagnant economy.
It involved three main proposals: Economic growth briefly returned, helped by a weaker yen that boosted exporters, but 18 months on, Japan's economy is back in recession, and support for Mr Abe has been dwindling. | Government Job change - Election | December 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer is sentenced to two-years probation, with the first six months to be served under house arrest. Vandemoer is the first person to be sentenced among the 50 individuals indicted on federal charges related to the U.S. college admissions bribery scheme. | BOSTON – Former Stanford University head sailing coach John Vandemoer was sentenced Wednesday to home supervision – not prison – for his actions in the nation's college admissions scandal, a blow to prosecutors who had sought to send a strong message to other defendants in the high-profile case.
A federal judge gave Vandemoer two years of supervised release, including the first six months confined to his home, and a $10,000 fine in the first sentencing of the "Varsity Blues" college admissions bribery and cheating case.
He received a prison term of just one day, but it was deemed already served when he was arrested in March. Prosecutors had sought 13 months of prison while Vandemoer's defense fought for probation over incarceration.
Vandemoer, 41, pleaded guilty in March to racketeering charges for accepting $610,000 in bribes from the admissions scheme's mastermind Rick Singer to benefit Stanford's sailing program in exchange for designating college applicants as sailing recruits to get them accepted into the prestigious university.
More:Ex-Stanford sailing coach faces first sentence in college admissions scandal
Federal Judge Rya Zobel said it's important that Vandemoer be punished "because it's too easy to do this kind of thing" but she didn't think prison was warranted. Vandemoer funneled payments to Stanford's sailing program, not his personal use, she noted, and none of the students tied to his payments attended Stanford as a direct result of his actions.
Vandemoer, joined by his wife, parents and sister outside the courthouse after the hearing, said he takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the consequences.
"A big part of my coaching philosophy has always been that it's not the mistake that defines you, but it's what you do afterwards," he said. "I'm holding true to those words now in the face of my biggest mistake."
Vandemoer is the first of the 22 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the nation's sweeping college admissions scandal to receive a sentence. But because of his case's unique circumstances, his sentence might not signal other defendants will also avoid prison.
Still, the judge was bluntly skeptical of the government's central case, saying that although Vandemoer certainly committed fraud against Stanford, she couldn't determine that the payments he collected were bribes under the federal commercial bribery statute.
“You call them a bribe, but it’s not clear to me what makes it a bribe," Zobel said.
More:Lori Loughlin digs in – and 7 more surprises and takeaways in college admissions scandal
The judge also questioned whether Stanford suffered any losses at all from Vandmoer's actions – noting that no admissions slots were used on under-qualified students – and whether the coach himself gained anything from the transaction.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen cited Vandemoer's salary paid by Stanford as a loss for the school. He said directing the money to the sailing program was "absolutely his gain" because he could buy boats and other sailing equipment that benefit him.
The judge shot back: “So it’s a psychological gain.”
Rosen responded: “It’s not a psychological gain. He had the choice to put (the money) where he wanted.”
Stanford has said the university is in discussions with the California attorney general about an appropriate way for the "tainted" money brought in by Vandemoer to be used for "the public good."
In a brief statement after the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said, “We will continue to seek meaningful penalties in these cases.”
Prosecutors, led by Rosen, argued that Vandemoer's sentence should set an example in the historic admissions case, calling prison "the only way to deter similarly situated individuals" who are "entrusted with the power to shape figures."
He told the judge a prison sentence for Vandemoer “will set the tone for this case going forward" – and “send a powerful message” that if a person takes bribes for college admissions, he or she will be criminally prosecuted and go to jail.
He added that the sentence should signal to "honest and hardworking high school students" who are trying to get into college the right way that the wealthy can't pay bribes to undermine the system.
“These kids deserve that. Our society needs that," he said prior to the sentencing. If Vandemoer were to avoid prison, Rosen said, it would be "shortchanging not only the criminal justice system but all those kids in school trying to get in by hard work."
“The danger in this case and others is not an over-sentence but failing to send a message,” he said.
But Vandemoer's defense, led by attorney Robert Fisher, argued that he did not personally profit from the scheme "though he easily could have."
“He is a unique individual in what is a unique and unprecedented case," Fisher said. "No student got in. Money was given to the victim. We have unusual facts.”
"Everyone but Mr. Vandemoer gained something," Fisher said of the 50 overall defendants in the college admissions case that also include famous actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. "He got nothing. He gave every single dime to sailing, to Stanford. He could have pocketed that. He didn't."
Fisher highlighted letters from some of Vandemoer's former sailing players and others – 27 in all – lauding his character. Vandemoer is married with two children under 2 years old.
“Jail isn’t going to do anything other than punish his family." he said, adding that his client has already lost his job, his housing and health insurance and been the subject of countless media reports. “This is a gentleman whose heart is in the right place."
In March, Vandemoer admitted to designating a female college applicant from China as a sailing recruit in early 2016 after Singer, the scheme's ringleader, promised that the student's family would "endow" sailing coach salaries. Singer, who funneled payments from wealthy parents to carry out the admissions scheme, created a fake sailing profile for the student, but it was too late in the recruitment process, and the student was accepted through the normal admissions process.
More:Mom from China who paid $6.5M to Rick Singer says Stanford daughter a 'victim' of admissions scam
Prosecutors say Singer paid Vandemoer's sailing program $500,000 for his efforts anyway and for "recruiting" future clients.
The initial student has since been revealed as Yusi Zhao from China, whose mother paid $6.5 million to Singer's nonprofit The Key Worldwide Foundation in what prosecutors say was the largest single transaction in the entire scheme. Zhao is no longer at Stanford.
In the spring of 2018, Singer funneled an additional $110,000 into the sailing program for a second student to be designated as a sailing recruit, but the student chose to attend Brown University instead, prosecutors say.
Later that year, Singer promised Vandemoer an additional $160,000 for the sailing program to get a third female student tagged as a sailing recruit, but she ultimately went to Vanderbilt University. By this point. Singer was cooperating with federal investigators and his phone calls with Vandemoer were wiretapped.
The next defendant set to be sentenced in the college admissions scandal is Mark Riddell, a former college counselor at a private high school in Florida, who has pleaded guilty to taking tests for the children of parents who paid bribes to Singer. His sentencing date is set for July 18. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | June 2019 | ['(Los Angeles Times)', '(USA Today)', '(The New York Times)'] |
U.S. President Barack Obama announces that BP will finance a $20 billion fund to compensate people whose livelihoods have been damaged by the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the company's chairman apologized for the worst spill in U.S. history. | The "small people" of the Gulf Coast have a message for BP: They're tired of big-time execs making insensitive comments. Residents were already angry at BP's CEO for "wanting his life back" when the company's chairman made another blunder. Under the agreement:-- BP will pay $5 billion this year and $1.25 billion a quarter for three more years.-- Claims can include damage to natural resources and state and local response costs.-- States and individuals can still make claims in court.-- Fines and other penalties against BP will be paid out of a separate fund.
Eight weeks after oil started gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, Svanberg issued his apology Wednesday after a lengthy White House meeting that included a one-on-one session with President Obama. BP also agreed to put another $100 million into a foundation for out-of-work oil rig workers.
"We made it clear to the president that words are not enough," Svanberg said after the meeting. "We should be judged by our actions."
The $20 billion, in line with a typical one-year profit for BP, "is not a cap" on what BP ultimately may have to spend, Obama said. "The people of the Gulf have my commitment that BP will meet its obligations."
The compensation deal came amid a dramatic uptick in Obama's personal engagement on the spill. He made his fourth trip to the Gulf Coast earlier this week and made the spill the subject of his first Oval Office address on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Obama said he told Svanberg to remember the fishermen, shrimpers and small-business owners who "don't have a cushion" to absorb another crisis.
Obama and BP agreed that the fund will be run by Kenneth Feinberg, now the White House's "pay czar" who sets salary limits for executives of companies getting government bailout money. Feinberg previously managed $7 billion in government payments to families of 9/11 victims.
"This $20 billion will ... be put in an escrow account, administered by an impartial, independent third party," Obama said. The $100 million is for workers laid off because of the six-month moratorium on new deep-water drilling that Obama imposed after the April 20 oil rig explosion that caused the spill.
BP also announced it will not pay any more dividends this year.
Offering reassurances about BP's viability in the face of "significant" liabilities, Obama said that "BP is a strong and viable company and it is in our interests that it remains so."
Svanberg said there's a misconception that big oil companies are "greedy." He said that at BP, "we care about the small people." He later apologized for speaking "clumsily."
BP CEO Tony Hayward, who will testify before Congress today, also recently apologized for complaining, "I'd like my life back."
Corporate apologies are not uncommon after a problem. In February, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda said he was "deeply sorry" for accidents drivers have had in recalled cars. Exxon, however, never apologized after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.
New Orleans radio talk-show host Garland Robinette said the attitude of Gulf residents about BP compensating them is: "I'll believe it when I see it." | Organization Fine | June 2010 | ['(USA Today)', '(The New York Times)', '(Chicago Tribune)'] |
Macedonians go to the polls to elect the next President of North Macedonia in an election dominated by divisions over the Prespa agreement, which resolved the naming dispute between North Macedonia and Greece. | North Macedonia’s pro-Western candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, and his main rival Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova emerged tied in the first round of a presidential vote dominated by deep divisions over a change of the country’s name under a deal with Greece.
The change, which Greece demanded to end what it called an implied territorial claim on its northern province of Macedonia, resolves a decades-old dispute and opens the door to North Macedonian membership of NATO and the European Union.
But the accord continues to divide Macedonians and has eclipsed all other issues during campaigning for Sunday’s election, in which about 1.8 million voters were able to chose among three candidates.
Results on the State Election Commission website based on 98 percent of the votes counted showed Pendarovski got 42.7 of the votes, while Siljanovska-Davkova had 42.5 percent of the votes.
The two will face a run-off on May 5, reflecting differences over the deal pushed through by the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Blerim Reka, the candidate of the second largest Albanian party, came third with 10.4 percent of the votes.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT). The State Election Commission put turnout at 41.9 percent.
Both Zaev’s Social Democrats and the opposition VMRO-DPMNE proclaimed victory.
“I am convinced that in the second round we will have a European president of our state,” Zaev told journalists late on Sunday.
This election is about voting to move the country forward, he said.
“We won,” said Hristijan Mickoski, leader of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, which supported Siljanovska-Davkova. VMRO-DPMNE opposed the deal with Greece.
Analysts said the low turnout was down to disillusion among voters at the government’s lack of progress in attracting foreign investment and tackling high unemployment.
“We need a new and better president, a nation’s father that will help move this country forward,” said Sonja Kjurcieva, a 49-year old housewife from Skopje.
“Together with the government they will bring us closer to Europe.”
The presidency has no authority to block constitutional amendments that were passed earlier this year by a two-thirds majority of parliament to enable the name change.
Pendarovksi said the vote will be for how the country’s future will be shaped rather than a choice of president.
“I expect to win the elections and be the first woman president of Macedonia,” Siljanovska-Davkova said after casting her vote.
“I am a professor of European law, so I’ll respect (the agreement with Greece),” she said. “But I’ll do my best to show that some of the solutions are against our constitution.”
The presidency of the former Yugoslav republic is a mostly ceremonial post, but acts as the supreme commander of the armed forces and signs off on parliamentary legislation.
The refusal of outgoing nationalist President Gjeorge Ivanov to sign some bills passed by parliament has delayed the implementation of some key laws, including one on wider use of the Albanian language - 18 years after an ethnic Albanian uprising that pushed North Macedonia to the brink of civil war.
| Government Job change - Election | April 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A Kansas court convicts white supremacist Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr. of three counts of murder outside two Jewish centers. | OLATHE, Kan. (Reuters) - A man who admitted in court to wanting to kill Jews was found guilty on Monday of murdering three people, including a teenage boy, outside two Jewish centers in Kansas last year.
A seven-man, five-woman jury took less than two hours to convict Frazier Glenn Cross, 74, on the three murders as well as on three counts of attempted murder for firing at other people during the same shooting spree in April 2014.
None of the three victims were Jewish.
Jurors will next decide if Cross should get the death penalty, as prosecutors are seeking. The penalty phase is set to begin on Tuesday.
Cross, who acted as his own attorney at trial, admitted the killings on the witness stand, and said he was motivated to kill Jews because he believes they have too much power and are destroying the white gentile race.
Prosecutors charged Cross with murdering Reat Underwood, 14, and Underwood's grandfather, 69-year-old William Corporon, outside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, as well as 53-year-old Terri LaManno, 53, outside a nearby Jewish retirement home. Both the facilities are located in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Corporon and Underwood were shot at close range in the parking lot outside the Jewish community center. Corporon had taken his grandson there to audition for a singing competition.
The shooter then drove to the nearby retirement home where he encountered LaManno, who was there to visit her mother.
Cross said he did not find out until days after the murders that none of his victims were Jewish. He expressed remorse only for killing the boy.
Cross, who is in a wheelchair and has sometimes used an oxygen tank due a lung illness, told jurors that he risked his life that day in April of last year to do something important for the cause of white people.
"Everything I did was for you, for your children, your grand children and for future generations of our people," Cross told the jury.
After the guilty verdict, Cross said he was a "little disappointed" about the outcome.
Family members for some of the victims were in the courtroom for the verdict but declined to comment.
(Reporting by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Carey Gillam and Sandra Maler) | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | August 2015 | ['(also known as Frazier Glenn Cross)', '(AP via Yahoo)'] |
Ten people are killed in a blast at a weapons depot in southern Libya. | At least 30 people have been killed in an explosion at a weapons depot in southern Libya, officials say.
The blast is believed to have occurred after a group of people, reportedly including African immigrants, were trying to steal copper.
A hospital near the depot in Brak al-Shati, near the city of Sabha, says it is treating the injured.
Meanwhile, four soldiers have been killed in another day of violence in the restive eastern city of Benghazi.
In one incident, three naval officers were killed, and six others were injured, in clashes with members of the Salafist militia group Ansar al-Sharia.
Fighting broke out after naval officers arrested four people at their checkpoint when "a vehicle search found weapons and money", the army's special forces commander in Benghazi, Wanis Abu-Khamada, said.
Earlier on in the day, a soldier was reportedly shot in the head in a drive-by shooting in another part of Benghazi.
The government has struggled to contain militias in control of parts of Libya, and Benghazi has seen an increasing number of clashes between the army and militias.
The militias took part in the uprising that led to the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but have been told by the interim government to disband or join the army by the end of the year.
It is not clear what exactly caused the blast at the weapons depot in Brak al-Shati, some 650km (400 miles) south of Tripoli.
State television reported that African immigrants were among a group of civilians who had stormed the depot in an attempt to steal the ammunition so they could remove its valuable copper.
General Mohamed al-Dhabi told the Agence France-Presse news agency that "a group of unknown people tried to attack the depot, causing this unfortunate incident".
He said 10 people had died and 15 people had been injured.
The privately-owned Libyan news agency al-Tadamun said more than 30 people had been killed. Another later report put the toll at 40.
| Armed Conflict | November 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Todd Muller resigns as leader of the New Zealand National Party citing health and family reasons. A party caucus elects Judith Collins as the party's new leader. | New National Party leader Judith Collins says the party can “crush” the Government in September.
Collins was elected leader in an emergency caucus meeting held in Wellington on Tuesday evening after the shock resignation of leader Todd Muller that morning, just 53 days after he ousted Simon Bridges in a coup.
Ilam MP Gerry Brownlee was elected as her deputy, replacing Nikki Kaye and defeating Paul Goldsmith for the run.
Collins promised to take the fight to the Government, saying she would not let Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern get away with any “nonsense”.
READ MORE: * Todd Muller resigns as leader of the National Party * Todd Muller resignation: Nikki Kaye says her thoughts are with ex-National leader * Todd Muller may have left for the right reasons. But he leaves National in tatters * Todd Muller resignation: The contenders to replace him as National Party leader * Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sends 'best wishes' to resigning National leader Todd Muller “I am hoping that the National Party can crush the other lot when it comes to September 19,” Collins said.
Asked how she could unify a caucus that had lost two leaders in two months, she said the party would unify around beating the Government.
“It’s really important that we have a common goal. And the common goal is to get rid of the current Government and put in a far better Government.”
She said her party would work to be positive but also to “take back our country from the current lot”.
She would not confirm if Brownlee was her preferred deputy or whether anyone else ran against her during the two-hour caucus meeting. Stuff understands that Rodney MP Mark Mitchell ran against her, and Goldsmith ran for deputy.
Muller resigned following a brutal week of criticism over his handling of the leak of Covid-19 patient details to National backbencher Hamish Walker and health spokesman Michael Woodhouse.
Muller has not been seen by media in days and it’s understood mental health concerns are involved in his resignation.
This was Collins’ third official run at the leadership. She stood as a candidate after John Key stood down in 2016 and Bill English’s resignation in early 2018. During Bridges’ tenure she was widely discussed as his heir apparent, but ruled out a run during the coup d’etat in May.
Collins held several ministerial roles in the last National government and is one of the party’s longest serving MPs, having been elected in 2002.
She stood down from Cabinet and was stripped of her honourable title by Key after leaked emails from attack blogger Cameron Slater suggested she supported a smear campaign against one of her public servants. An inquiry later cleared her of wrongdoing and she was reinstated to Cabinet.
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In her first press conference as leader Collins said the difference between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her was “experience and toughness”.
“Jacinda Ardern is not someone you should ever underestimate.”
MULLER: HEALTH REASONS
Muller’s shock resignation took the form of a press statement on Tuesday morning, ending the shortest stint of any National Party leader in history.
Stuff understands most of the caucus found out about the resignation then, with a few key figures learning the night before.
Muller had cancelled an appearance at a regional conference over the weekend and declined interview requests on Sunday and Monday, with his staff citing illness on Monday.
It’s understood Muller did not attend an emergency conference call caucus meeting on Tuesday morning.
In his statement, Muller said the role had taken a “heavy toll on me personally” and “has become untenable from a health perspective”.
“It has become clear to me that I am not the best person to be Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party at this critical time for New Zealand,” Muller said.
Kiwis head to the polls in just 67 days.
Cheers, Aotearoa. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | July 2020 | ['(Stuff)', '(Stuff2)'] |
A memorial service is held for South African Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead at the home of athlete Oscar Pistorius last week. Pistorius faced murder hearings. | There will be a private memorial service on Tuesday for Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead last week at the South Africa home of the athlete Oscar Pistorius.
The 29-year-old will then be cremated in her home city, Port Elizabeth.
At around the same time, her boyfriend is due in court in Pretoria, for a bail hearing. Oscar Pistorius denies a charge of pre-meditated murder. On the eve of the funeral, Reeva Steenkamp's brother Adam said the family wanted to remember his sister and ''all the goodness that she stood for''.
'We want to remember Reeva's goodness' Video, 00:00:42'We want to remember Reeva's goodness'
Up Next. TV channel defends Steenkamp show. Video, 00:02:03TV channel defends Steenkamp show
Uncle says Pistorius 'numb with shock' Video, 00:01:08Uncle says Pistorius 'numb with shock'
Oscar Pistorius 'broke down' in court. Video, 00:01:39Oscar Pistorius 'broke down' in court
Reeva's family 'in devastating shock' Video, 00:00:52Reeva's family 'in devastating shock'
'I was beating the crocodile on its snout' Video, 00:02:43'I was beating the crocodile on its snout' | Famous Person - Death | February 2013 | ['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)'] |
Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, detained in Syria on suspicion of beheading hostages for Islamic State, claim their right to a fair trial has been breached by the government of the United Kingdom stripping them of citizenship. | Bethany Haines speaks out after Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh claimed they will not get a fair trial.
Saturday 31 March 2018 22:44, UK
The daughter of a British aid worker who was executed by Islamic State has said his alleged killers should be "left to rot in Guantanamo Bay".
Bethany Haines has been angered by claims from Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh that they will not get a fair trial after being stripped of their UK citizenship.
The jihadists, who are accused of being part of a death squad nicknamed "The Beatles" because of their British accents, slammed the Government's "illegal" decision in an interview on Saturday.
Mrs Haines' father David was killed by the IS cell and said Kotey and Elsheikh had shown "no remorse".
She added: "As for them saying they have been stripped of rights, well when they held my father for 18 months with his family not knowing whether he was dead or alive, they stripped him of his rights.
"In my opinion they should be given an orange jumpsuit and stripped of all the things they hold dear and left to rot in Guantanamo Bay."
The IS cell also killed American journalist James Foley in 2014.
His mother Diane said: "They deserve to be held in solitary confinement for the rest of their lives and held accountable for the pain they've inflicted."
Kotey and Elsheikh spoke to the Associated Press while being held captive in northern Syria after they were captured in early January in eastern Syria by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The pair used the interview to hit out at the "audacity" of the UK Government for its decision to strip them of their British citizenship in February.
Although it was widely reported, officials have not confirmed or denied it was the case.
"The Beatles" IS cell is believed to have captured, tortured and killed hostages, including aid workers and journalists.
The group included Mohammed Emwazi - dubbed "Jihadi John" - who died in a 2015 drone strike in Raqqa.
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The pair have not admitted to being involved in any hostage-takings or beheadings and said the allegations against them were media "propaganda".
However they did speak of their membership of Islamic State.
Kotey, from west London, said the killing of western hostages in Syria was "regrettable" and could have been avoided, adding that many people within IS would have disagreed with the killings.
He said there was "probably more benefit" in those captured being used as political prisoners.
"I didn't see the benefit in executing them," he said, before blaming Western governments for failing to negotiate and noting that some hostages were released for ransoms.
The cell is believed to have kept more than 20 Westerners hostage, and tortured and killed American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers in 2014 and 2015.
As well as David Haines and James Foley, their victims included American journalist Steven Sotloff, US humanitarian worker Peter Kassig, and UK aid worker Alan Henning.
Elsheikh, from west London, travelled to Syria in 2012, initially to join an al Qaeda branch before moving to IS, according to US State Department documents, which said he "earned a reputation for waterboarding".
They also claim Kotey served as a guard for the IS cell and was "likely engaged in the group's executions and exceptionally cruel torture methods".
The men criticised the media over the "Beatles" allegations and said the claims were concocted as a pretext to kill them with drone strikes.
"No fair trial, when I am 'the Beatle' in the media. No fair trial," Elsheikh said, who added the loss of their citizenship meant they were now open to "rendition and torture".
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He said: "Being taken to any foreign land and treated in anyway and having nobody to vouch for you.
"When you have these two guys who don't even have any citizenship... if we just disappear one day, where is my mum going to go and say where is my son?"
The capture of Kotey and Elsheikh has since sparked a debate about where they should be tried.
The US has called for the home countries of foreign jihadis to take their nationals back for trial.
However, the UK Government has signalled the pair should not be allowed back into the country.
Haras Rafiq, chief executive of the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think thank, told Sky News: "The Government is well within its rights to take away their citizenship.
"They both have nationalities from other countries, and as consistent with other crimes that other people have committed, the home secretary has taken away citizenships before without leaving people stateless.
"If you look at what they're actually saying about fair trial, and the fact that they claim Britain has the audacity to take away their citizenship, this stinks to me like a PR stunt."
Associated Press reporter Andrea Rosa, who interviewed the pair, told Sky News: "It was a bit confrontational I would say at the beginning, they would not speak or even answer our questions at the beginning."
He added: "Because I felt that they were like afraid of something, of an interrogation, they looked at us more as if we were like interrogators rather than journalists."
Mr Rosa continued: "But eventually it was all good and I think they were kind of also probably happy to be out of the prison for a while."
When asked if he questioned the pair about the horrific crimes are they accused of, Mr Rosa replied: "We asked those sorts of questions of course but they would not comment on anything like that. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | March 2018 | ['(Sky News)'] |
M23 Movement leader Bosco Ntaganda surrenders himself at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, having been wanted by the ICC since 2006 on war crimes charges. | KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) - A U.S. State Department spokeswoman says that a wanted Congolese warlord turned himself in to the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda after years on the run.
Bosco Ntaganda walked into the U.S. Embassy in Kigali on Monday and asked to be transferred to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, where he is wanted for war crimes.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says the U.S. is now consulting with the Rwandan government.
The ICC first indicted Ntaganda in 2006 but relies on member nations to arrest suspects and Congo did not apprehend him.
The allegations against Ntaganda date back to crimes allegedly committed a decade ago in northeastern Congo. However, human rights groups say Ntaganda has been implicated in other attacks on civilians in eastern Congo in recent years.
First in a Tweet and later in an official communique, Rwanda's Foreign Minister and government spokeswoman Louise Mushikiwabo said, "We have just learned that Gen. Ntaganda presented himself at the U.S. Embassy early this morning."
In the capital of the neighboring nation of Congo, where Ntaganda has been on the run since last year, Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende confirmed the information: "We have learned from non-official sources that Bosco Ntaganda is at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali. We are waiting for the United States to make the news official and we are confident they will hand him over to justice."
Nicknamed "The Terminator," for his ruthless actions, Ntaganda was born in Rwanda in 1973, and moved to the neighboring nation of Congo as a teenager. He was first indicted in 2006 by the International Criminal Court for conscripting and using child soldiers during his time as a senior commander in a Congolese rebel group accused of terrorizing the Ituri region of eastern Congo between 2002 and 2003. He later joined and rose through the ranks of a different rebel group, the National Congress for the Defense of the People, which signed a peace accord with the Congolese government on March 23, 2009.
The accord paved the way for Ntaganda and his fellow rebels to join the ranks of the regular Congolese army. He soon became one of Africa's symbols of impunity. Despite the outstanding warrant from the ICC and mounting evidence of continued abuse, he was awarded the rank of general in the Congolese army, living in an upscale villa in the eastern Congolese town of Goma, playing tennis in his spare time.
Then last spring, he and his men began defecting from the Congolese army by the hundreds, claiming that the government had failed to uphold their end of the 2009 deal. They started a new rebellion, dubbed the M23, in honor of the March 23 signing of the now-defunct 2009 accord. And in November last year, the rebel group marched into and seized control of Goma, one of the most important cities in eastern Congo.
Ntaganda's role in the M23 rebellion remained murky, with human rights groups accusing him of leading it, while other M23 leaders attempted to distance themselves from the wanted general.
Earlier this month, M23 split into two different factions. While Ntaganda was believed to have enjoyed Rwanda's support, Rwanda's relationship with him ever since the split remains unclear.
Rights groups on Monday quickly called for the U.S. embassy to hand him over to The Hague.
"Bosco Ntaganda is not called 'The Terminator' for nothing. If he is at the U.S. embassy, the U.S. should immediately hand him over to the International Criminal Court for trial," said Sasha Lezhnev, senior analyst for the Enough Project in Washington, who closely follows Congo. "This would send serious signals to current and future warlords who continue to perpetrate atrocities in eastern Congo."
In Congo, Henri Bora Ladyi, who works at the Conflict Resolution Center which helps demobilize child soldiers, including some who fought in Ntaganda's rebel army, said: "It's a relief, but justice must be done. We fear that he will be kept in Rwanda and won't be extradited. Now what is important is to create space so that children in the M23 can leave the movement." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | March 2013 | ['(AP via USA Today)', '(The Guardian)', '(The New York Times)'] |
Noor Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen who committed the 2016 Orlando mass shooting is arrested and charged with obstructing the investigation of the case. | WASHINGTON The F.B.I. arrested the wife of the man who carried out a deadly terrorist attack in Orlando, Fla., and charged her with obstructing the investigation of the mass shooting, law enforcement officials said on Monday.
Noor Salman, whose husband, Omar Mateen, killed 49 people and wounded dozens in an Orlando nightclub that was popular with gays, was also charged with aiding and abetting by providing material support, the officials said.
She was taken into custody by F.B.I. agents at her home outside San Francisco, where she had been living with her young son. Prosecutors had been weighing charges against her for months in the aftermath of the attack by her husband on June 12, 2016.
Investigators interviewed Ms. Salman for hours after the attack and came to believe she was not telling the truth about her husband’s plans to carry out the rampage.
A Justice Department spokesman said Ms. Salman would make her initial appearance on Tuesday morning in federal court in Oakland, Calif.
The Justice Department’s decision to prosecute Ms. Salman, 30, ends part of the mystery that has surrounded her since the first days after the attack, when she became a central subject of the wide-ranging investigation into her husband.
“Noor Salman had no foreknowledge nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night,” said her lawyer, Linda Moreno. “Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands. We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person.”
Accounts of what happened from officials and witnesses.
The aiding and abetting, a terrorism charge, suggests that prosecutors believe that Ms. Salman helped him in some way either before or after the terrorist attack.
The decision to charge her is not without risks for prosecutors. If the case goes to trial, prosecutors will have to contend with a jury that could be sympathetic to Ms. Salman, who said she was in an abusive relationship and living in fear.
In an interview last year with The New York Times, Ms. Salman said she was “unaware of everything” in connection with the attack.
Ms. Salman said she had accompanied her husband to Orlando with their child once when he scouted the club but did not know the purpose of the trip. On the day her husband drove to Orlando, she claimed he said he was going to visit a friend, named Nemo, who lived in Florida. But Nemo was not living in Florida at the time, a fact Ms. Salman said she did not know.
She also said she had no reason to suspect that ammunition he bought in the days leading up to the attack was to be used in the shooting, given that her husband was a security guard who frequently purchased ammunition. On the day of the shooting, she bought her husband a Father’s Day card, expecting him to return that evening. Her lawyers believe that supports her story that she did not know about the attack.
During his rampage, Mr. Mateen used Facebook to pledge his allegiance to the Islamic State. President Obama has said that Mr. Mateen “took in extremist information and propaganda over the internet and became radicalized.”
Federal investigators do not believe that Mr. Mateen, who was 29 and who was killed by the police after the shooting, received any specific training or support from the Islamic State. Part of their inquiry has focused on whether anyone in the United States assisted in his plans for the attack.
There has perhaps been no figure more central to those questions than Ms. Salman, who grew up in an avocado-colored home in Rodeo, Calif., near San Francisco. In Rodeo, on a diverse block populated by Chinese, Indian, Korean and Mexican families, neighbors recalled a younger Ms. Salman as warm and kind.
Ms. Salman married Mr. Mateen in a ceremony near her childhood home in Northern California, a second marriage for both. After the wedding, Ms. Salman moved to Fort Pierce, Fla., where she and Mr. Mateen lived in a condominium complex.
Their marriage in 2011 caused consternation among some of Ms. Salman’s relatives, mostly because of her Palestinian heritage and Mr. Mateen’s ancestral ties to Afghanistan. Ms. Salman said in the interview with The Times that her husband beat her repeatedly and verbally abused her.
Members of Mr. Mateen’s family, who have tried to shield Ms. Salman from public scrutiny, have said they believe she did nothing improper.
“She is shocked, that poor lady,” Seddique Mateen, Mr. Mateen’s father, said in June 2016. “And she doesn’t know anything.”
The Orlando police chief, John W. Mina, said in a statement that he was “glad to see” that Ms. Salman had been arrested.
“Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbors, friends, family members and loved ones,” the chief said. “But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime.”
In two recent mass shootings, prosecutors have brought charges against people with ties to the attackers.
In South Carolina, a friend of Dylann S. Roof, who was convicted of killing nine people on June 17, 2015, in a Charleston church, pleaded guilty in April to lying to federal investigators and misprision of a felony, or failing to inform authorities that a felony had been committed. The friend did not testify against Mr. Roof, who was sentenced to death last week.
In 2015, the federal authorities in California brought charges against a neighbor of the husband and wife who killed 14 people and wounded 22 others in San Bernardino. The man, who bought the rifles used in the attack on Dec. 2, 2015, was accused of lying on forms filled out in connection with the purchase. Although he was also accused of planning a terrorist attack several years ago, the man was not charged with having a direct role in the San Bernardino rampage.
However, federal prosecutors in the summer of 2014 declined to prosecute Katherine Russell, the wife of one of the assailants in the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. F.B.I. agents believed she had made false statements to investigators and concealed knowledge of a crime. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | January 2017 | ['(New York Times)'] |
Hundreds of counter–protesters show up and protest against an estimated nine attendees of a planned rally by a Ku Klux Klan–affiliated group in Dayton, Ohio. | Hundreds of counter-protesters demonstrated against an estimated nine attendees of a planned rally by a Ku Klu Klan-affiliated group in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday, CBS affiliate WHIO reported. Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl told the station he was "very pleased" with security, noting that no one was arrested or injured.
"This clearly was a safety challenge for our city and our community," Biehl said. City officials estimated that the cost of security measures for the event with nine KKK members was $650,000, according to TIME.
The nine members of the Honorable Sacred Knights of Indiana did little talking and when they did try to communicate, counter-protesters made sure they couldn't be heard, WHIO reports. All but one of the Klan members wore masks.
City officials estimated that around 500 to 600 people gathered in the area of Courthouse Square during the rally. News spread nationally earlier this week about the planned KKK rally after the group received a permit last month for the event.
More than 200 people attended an NAACP-sponsored "Love" event in downtown Dayton, city officials told WHIO.
Mayor Nan Whaley praised those who attended the counter-event "to celebrate what Dayton is all about."
"We are united against hate," Whaley said. "We are a community that no matter who you love, where you come from or what you believe, you are welcome in Dayton." | Protest_Online Condemnation | May 2019 | ['(CBS News)'] |
2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal: Sony BMG recalls all unsold CDs that are equipped with XCP, a controversial copy protection software. | The software was widely criticised because it used virus-like techniques to stop illegal copies being made. Widespread pressure has made the music giant remove CDs bearing the software from stores. It will also swap bought CDs for copies free of the XCP anti-piracy software.
Sony is also providing software to make it easy to remove the controversial program from Windows computers.
Swap shop
Sony's music arm could be recalling millions of CDs because at least 20 discs are known to use XCP some by best-selling artists such as Celine Dion, Natasha Bedingfield, and Amerie. One of the discs, Neil Diamond's 12 Songs, was the top seller on Amazon.com for several days. XCP PROTECTED CDS Trey Anastasio - Shine
Celine Dion - On ne Change Pas Neil Diamond - 12 Songs
Our Lady Peace - Healthy in Paranoid Times Chris Botti - To Love Again Van Zant - Get Right with the Man Switchfoot - Nothing is Sound The Coral - The Invisible Invasion Acceptance - Phantoms Susie Suh - Susie Suh Amerie - Touch Life of Agony - Broken Valley Horace Silver Quintet - Silver's Blue
Gerry Mulligan - Jeru Dexter Gordon - Manhattan Symphonie The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity The Dead 60s - The Dead 60s Dion - The Essential Dion Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten Ricky Martin - Life No detailed figures have been given by Sony for how many CDs are protected with XCP or how many have been sold.
However, work by respected net expert Dan Kaminsky found that more than 500,000 networks have at least one machine on them using XCP. Although the CDs containing XCP were only released in the US, Mr Kaminsky found that 44,000 copies were installed on machines in the UK.
In its statement announcing the recall Sony BMG said: "We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers and we are committed to making this situation right."
Security exploit
The alarm about XCP was raised by Windows programming expert Mark Russinovich who discovered that it used a "root kit" to install itself deep inside the operating system.
Subsequent to his discovery virus writers started exploiting XCP's stealthy abilities to hide their own creations.
In the same statement about the recall Sony BMG said it would make it much easier to uninstall the XCP system from Windows PCs on which is has been installed. Before now any customer wanting to rid their PC of XCP had to go through a several stage process of telling Sony what they wanted to do and then waiting for it to respond. As well as being criticised for its inconvenience security researchers found that the uninstaller left Windows machines vulnerable to several exploits. The XCP copy protection system only installed on machines running Windows. Writing on the Freedom to Tinker blog, researchers J Alex Halderman and Ed Felten found that cleverly written webpages could exploit the programming code used to remove XCP to install their own potentially malicious programs.
The pair also provided tools that help people work out if their Windows machines have been left vulnerable in this way.
The news about the uninstaller came as anti-virus firms and Microsoft announced tools to find and remove the "root kit".
The row about XCP has also led to Sony BMG facing several class-action lawsuits over the potential security problems that the software causes. | Government Policy Changes | November 2005 | ['(vnunet.com)', '(FT)', '(NBC4)', '(BBC)', '(Reuters)'] |
A 36-year-old man is arrested for attempting to firebomb a Jewish assisted living facility in Longmeadow, Massachusetts on April 3. His arrest is part of a larger investigation into a white supremacist group suspected of plotting mass killings online. He is charged with two counts of attempted arson, but is released the next day. | A Massachusetts man attempted to burn down a Jewish nursing home earlier this month that had been discussed as a target on white supremacist platforms online, federal authorities say.
John Michael Rathbun, 36, was arrested Wednesday on two counts of attempted arson. He is accused of placing a gasoline-filled canister outside Ruth’s House, a Jewish-sponsored assisted living facility in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and trying to ignite it. It did not ignite, and no one at the facility was hurt.
The incident took place on April 3, according to a criminal complaint. Police said they discovered a burnt Christian religious pamphlet in the nozzle of the canister. Blood on the canister matched Rathbun’s DNA, according to federal investigators.
“As alleged, John Rathbun placed a homemade incendiary device near the entrance of a Jewish assisted living facility, located within a short distance of three Jewish temples, a Jewish private school, and a Jewish Community Center,” Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division, said in a statement Wednesday. “This case highlights the very real threat posed by racially motivated violent extremists.”
According to a federal affidavit, FBI agents started investigating a white supremacist group in March that used two unidentified social media platforms to promote and plot mass killings in the U.S. targeting religious and racial minorities.
The group often listed targets for such attacks, including mosques and synagogues, the affidavit states. One member of the group suggested targeting “that jew nursing home in longmeadow massachusetts.”
Authorities believe the same member created an “event” in the group calendar titled “jew killing day,” scheduled for April 3. It named the location as “Jew Nursery Home” and contained the message “FUCK JEWS,” according to the affidavit. The event was “accepted” by six other users.
When agents confronted Rathbun, the affidavit says, he “categorically denied any involvement” or interest in white supremacist groups. He said he only used the internet to watch pornography and access a dating website.
Rathbun, who had cuts on his hand, also initially denied involvement in the arson attempt. But when the agents “informed him that his DNA matched the blood” found on the gas canister, his demeanor changed and a short time later he “stated that he did not know what he was going to do and that he wanted to cry,” according to the affidavit.
Rathbun will make his initial court appearance this week via videoconference, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office, as courtrooms in the state and across the country are closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. He could face up to 20 years in prison.
News of Rathbun’s alleged attempt to burn down the facility comes as nursing homes are struggling to cope with outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which is particularly fatal for the elderly.
Ruth’s House was already in lockdown on April 3 when Rathbun allegedly tried to burn it down, according to a note on the company’s website. Although no one there has contracted coronavirus, almost 100 residents at an affiliated nursing home nearby have tested positive for the virus. Twenty-one of them have died. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | April 2020 | ['(HuffPost)', '(WWLP)'] |
The Libyan National Army says it has shot down a pro-GNA L-39 Albatros over Tripoli. | LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters about the incident during a press briefing on Wednesday. He did not specify the type of the plane, just that it had taken off from the GNA-controlled Misrata and was shot down over Tripoli.
Unconfirmed reports indicate it was an Aero L-39 Albatros, a Czech-made training jet often used in a ground attack role.
Haftar’s forces control almost 80 percent of Libya, and last week moved against militias supporting the GNA in the west of the country, calling them “illegal armed groups.”
As LNA troops advanced, the remaining US forces in Libya pulled out from Tripoli. There were conflicting reports of checkpoints taken and lost, as well as air strikes by both sides in the area.
Clashes have resulted in the cancellation of a UN-sponsored peace conference, which sought to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement between the LNA and the internationally recognized GNA of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, which controls less than 8 percent of Libya’s territory.
Once the most prosperous country in Africa, Libya lapsed into chaos and civil war in 2011, when NATO backed Islamist rebels in overthrowing and brutally murdering the country’s long-time ruler, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. | Armed Conflict | April 2019 | ['(RT)'] |
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says North Korea's launch of a missile over Japan was "absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible" and that North Korea has "violated every single U.N. Security Council resolution that we've had, and so I think something serious has to happen." | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that North Korea’s launch of a missile over Japan was “absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible” and that the Security Council now needed to take serious action.
“No country should have missiles flying over them like those 130 million people in Japan. It’s unacceptable,” Haley told reporters. North Korea has “violated every single U.N. Security Council resolution that we’ve had and so I think something serious has to happen,” she added.
Saying “enough is enough,” Haley said she hoped China and Russia would continue to work with the rest of the U.N. Security Council when it meets on Tuesday afternoon to discuss what more can be done about North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
| Famous Person - Give a speech | August 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A series of Suicide bombings kill 74 Shia worshippers at two mosques in eastern Iraq while in Baghdad two car bombs destroy the blast wall protecting a hotel housing foreign journalists and kill eight Iraqis. | In the worst attacks, suicide bombers struck two Shia mosques in the town of Khanaqin near the Iranian border, killing at least 74 people.
The bombers blew themselves up while hundreds of worshippers were attending Friday prayers, in what is being seen as an act of sectarian provocation.
Earlier, six people were killed in two suicide car bombs in Baghdad.
The attacks outside an interior ministry building in the central Jadiriya district injured at least 40 people and brought down a block of flats. A hotel used by foreigners may also have been targeted in the attack.
A nearby interior ministry detention centre has been at the centre of a detainee abuse scandal. The suicide bombs in Khanaqin, in north-eastern Iraq, are the latest in a string of attacks against Shia mosques.
The BBC's Jim Muir, in Baghdad, says the attacks were intended as an act of sectarian provocation, as all the casualties must have been Shia Muslims at prayer.
"Two suicide bombers wearing explosive belts walked into the Greater and the Smaller Khanaqin mosques and blew themselves up," Diyala provincial council leader Ibrahim Hasan al-Bajalan told the AFP news agency.
The blasts in enclosed spaces, packed with worshippers, caused horrendous casualties.
BLOODIEST VIOLENCE IN IRAQ
18 Nov 2005 - 80 deadMultiple bombings in Baghdad and two Khanaqin mosques
14 Sept 2005 - 182 deadSuicide car bomber targets Baghdad labourers in worst of a series of bombs
16 Aug 2005 - 90 deadSuicide bomber detonates fuel tanker in Musayyib
28 Feb 2005 - 114 deadSuicide car bomb hits government jobseekers in Hilla
24 June 2004 - 100 deadCo-ordinated blasts in Mosul and four other cities
2 March 2004 - 140 deadSuicide bombers attack Shia festival-goers in Karbala and Baghdad
1 Feb 2004 - 105 deadTwin attacks on Kurdish parties' offices in Irbil
28 Aug 2003 - 85 deadCar bomb at Najaf shrine kills Shia cleric Muhammad Baqr Hakim and many others Hospitals throughout the region had to take in the wounded as local facilities could not cope.
Mr Bajalan said the two mosques had been completely destroyed and he expressed fears that many more casualties may be trapped beneath the rubble.
Security forces moved into the area shortly afterwards and imposed a curfew, AFP reported.
Khanaqin is a mixed Kurdish and Shia town near the Iranian border that was severely affected by the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
The town lies within a Kurdish-controlled area that has so far escaped much of the violence that has afflicted other parts of Iraq.
Alleged abuses
In Baghdad, the detainee abuse scandal was sparked five days ago, when US troops found 173 prisoners - some of whom had reportedly been tortured - in a bunker in an interior ministry building. In the light of the apparently systemic nature and magnitude of the problem... I urge the authorities to consider calling for an international inquiry
Louise ArbourUN Rights Commissioner Arbour calls for probe
On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour called for an international investigation into the conditions for detainees in Iraq.
Most of the detainees are believed to be Sunni Arabs - the main group involved in the insurgency. Sunni politician Saleh Mutlaq has accused the government of holding more than 1,100 prisoners at the ministry and suggested a number of them had been tortured to death. He also called for the alleged abuses at the detention centre to be referred to international courts. | Armed Conflict | November 2005 | ['(Ynetnews)', '(BBC)'] |
The U.S. Senate releases its version of the American Health Care Act of 2017. | WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, who for seven years have promised a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, took a major step on Thursday toward that goal, unveiling a bill to make deep cuts in Medicaid and end the law’s mandate that most Americans have health insurance.
The 142-page bill would create a new system of federal tax credits to help people buy health insurance, while offering states the ability to drop many of the benefits required by the Affordable Care Act, like maternity care, emergency services and mental health treatment.
| Government Policy Changes | June 2017 | ['(New York Times)'] |
Former Chinese Railways Minister Liu Zhijun is given a suspended death sentence for corruption. | A Chinese court has given former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun a suspended death sentence for corruption and abuse of power, state media report.
Liu was accused of accepting bribes totalling more than 64m yuan ($10m; £6m) over 25 years. Prosecutors said he awarded government rail contracts in return for bribes.
Liu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's leader earlier this year. Mr Xi has called for a crackdown on corruption, vowing to tackle it from the powerful "tigers" at the top to the "flies" at the bottom of the Communist Party.
China's railways ministry, once a powerful department, was disbanded in March. It had been criticised for a series of safety scandals, and faced allegations of fraud which were uncovered by government audits.
Liu was convicted by a court in the capital Beijing on Monday, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
He was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, deprived of his political rights for life and jailed for 10 years, Xinhua said, quoting the court verdict. His personal property will also be confiscated.
Despite his sentence, he is not expected to face the death penalty - suspended death sentences are normally commuted to life imprisonment in China.
Liu was suspended from the Communist Party last May, following allegations that he embezzled funds and received bribes when handing out contracts for China's high-speed rail project.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that he had helped 11 people win contracts and promotions in return for bribes.
The indictment reportedly said that Liu's "malpractice" led to "huge losses of public assets and damage to the interests of the state and people". Liu began his tenure as railways minister in 2003 and led a multi-billion dollar investment programme expanding the rail network.
China's high-speed railway network, said to be the largest in the world, has been plagued with safety scandals involving a series of accidents.
A deadly crash in Wenzhou city in July 2011 killed 40 people and caused a national outcry. At least two government audits - one released in 2010 and another in 2013 - showed evidence of fraud and irregular accounting in the handling of government funds.
In March, China dissolved the railways ministry in a raft of measures aimed at boosting government efficiency and tackling corruption, placing its functions under the transport ministry.
Liu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's president in March. But a host of other relatively senior officials, both at a central and provincial level, have also found themselves under investigation. In May, China announced that it was investigating Liu Tienan, formerly the top official at the body responsible for planning China's economy, for "serious disciplinary violations".
Allegations against Mr Liu first surfaced in December, after an investigative journalist alleged that he made questionable financial deals, fabricated his academic record and threatened to kill a former mistress.
Last month, Lei Zhengfu, a former official at the centre of a sex tape extortion scandal, was jailed for accepting bribes. And earlier this month, state media announced that a high-level provincial official in Inner Mongolia was also under investigation for "serious disciplinary violations" - which is often code for corruption. News of the former rail minister's verdict generated extensive discussion on China's microblogs, with many users scathing about what they saw as a relatively light sentence.
"How long do you think it'll be before he's out again?" user Clockwork Monkey wrote on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like website in China.
"Liu Zhijun wasn't sentenced to death, because if he was, a whole batch [of officials] would have to die," user 2011 Varyag wrote. "Chinese law is a freak!"
Many users on Sina Weibo mocked a Xinhua report that described Liu's sentence as "a demonstration that everyone is equal before the law" and that "both the 'tigers' and 'flies' are being tackled".
"The 'tigers' can't be killed, and the 'flies' can't be eliminated," user Hu Shengjie Scarf wrote.
"If Liu Zhijun was a regular railway employee, rather than the former railways minister, would his life really have been spared?" user Concerned about the World's Wellbeing wrote.
However, there were a few voices in support of Liu's verdict.
A user going by the name of The Unsilent Majority wrote: "A suspended death sentence is still considered a light sentence? What on earth has Liu Zhijun done that deserves a certain death penalty? ... Our bosses today are not so weak or silly as to let public opinion pressurise the judicial system." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | July 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Floods and landslides associated with Tropical Storm Kammuri kill 28 people in southwest China and force 11,000 people from their homes. | Landslides and flash floods have killed at least 28 people in south-west China and 11,200 have been forced to leave their homes, state media reported.
Tropical storm Kammuri triggered disasters last week that affected 1 million people in Yunnan province, according to civil affairs officials' estimates, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Kammuri, the third tropical storm to hit China this year, landed in the southern province of Guangdong on August 6, before sweeping westward to Yunnan.
In addition to those killed in Yunnan between Thursday and Monday, at least eight people were missing, Xinhua said.
About 2,700 homes were destroyed in Yunnan and 13,000 were damaged, with officials estimating losses at 549 million yuan ($AU91.2 million), mostly from damaged crops, officials were quoted as saying.
In Maguan county, one of the worst-hit areas, a landslide on Saturday left nine people dead, two missing and five injured, the report said.
- AFP
| Floods | August 2008 | ['(AFP via ABC News Australia)'] |
Floods caused by heavy rain over the past week has caused at least 13 deaths in central Vietnam with more heavy rain forecast. , | HANOI (Reuters) - Floods brought by torrential rain since late November have killed at least 13 people in central Vietnam while more heavy rain is expected in coming days, the government and state media said on Sunday.
Six people have died in floods in Binh Dinh province since Thursday and another four were killed in Quang Ngai province, while more than 10,000 homes in the two provinces were submerged, the government said.
Three children aged between four and 13 were swept away in flood waters in Quang Nam province on Saturday, the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper cited a provincial report as saying.
A cold snap now moving southward is forecast to bring heavy rain to central provinces between now and next Thursday, the government report said.
Floods killed 65 people since October in central provinces, submerged 200,000 homes and damaged railway and roads, with losses valued at more than 7 trillion dong ($309 million), the government said on Friday.
The flood-stricken areas are in the north, outside Vietnam’s Central Highlands coffee belt and Mekong Delta food basket.
Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Nick Macfie
| Floods | December 2016 | ['(Reuters via Jerusalem Post)', '(Reuters)'] |
China is to relax some elements of its one–child policy and announces it will end its "re–education through labour" camps. | China is to relax its policy of restricting most couples to having only a single child, state media say.
In future, families will be allowed two children if one parent is an only child, the Xinhua news agency said.
The proposal follows this week's meeting of a key decision-making body of the governing Communist Party.
Other reforms include the abolition of "re-education through labour" camps and moves to boost the role of the private sector in the economy.
The BBC's Celia Hatton, in Beijing, says most of the changes have already been tested in parts of the country. Officials announce their plans well in advance to gain the consensus they need, she adds. The latest announcements are contained in a 22,000-word document released three days after the Third Plenum meeting of the Communist leadership in Beijing.
Traditionally reforms are expected from the Third Plenum, because new leaders are seen as having had time to consolidate power. President Xi Jinping took office last year.
The one-child policy would be "adjusted and improved step by step to promote 'long-term balanced development of the population in China'", Xinhua said.
China introduced its one-child policy at the end of the 1970s to curb rapid population growth.
But correspondents say the policy has become increasingly unpopular and that leaders fear the country's ageing population will both reduce the labour pool and exacerbate elderly care issues.
By 2050, more than a quarter of the population will be over 65. The one-child policy has on the whole been strictly enforced, though some exceptions already exist, including for ethnic minorities.
In some cities, both parents must be only children in order to be allowed to have a second child.
In the countryside, families are allowed to have two children if the first is a girl. Couples who flout the rules can face heavy fines, or possibly lose their property or their jobs.
Rights groups say the law has meant some women being coerced into abortions, which Beijing denies.
The traditional preference for boys has also created a gender imbalance as some couples opt for sex-selective abortions. By the end of the decade, demographers say China will have 24 million "leftover men" who, because of China's gender imbalance, will not be able to find a wife.
Most of the elderly in China are still cared for by relatives, and only children from single-child parents face what is known as the 4-2-1 phenomenon.
When the child reaches working age, he or she could have to care for two parents and four grandparents in retirement. On Tuesday, when the Third Plenum ended, China's leaders also promised that the free market would play a bigger role, and farmers would have greater property rights over their land.
State firms will be required to pay larger dividends to the government, while private firms will be given a greater role in the economy.
There will be greater liberalisation in both interest rates and the free convertibility of the yuan. More overseas investment will be allowed.
There will also be an increase in the number of smaller banks and financial institutions funded by private capital.
Xinhua said the decision to do away with the "re-education through labour" camps was "part of efforts to improve human rights and judicial practices".
China's leaders had previously said they wanted to reform the system.
The network of camps created half a century ago holds tens of thousands of inmates. Police panels have the power to sentence offenders to years in camps without trial. Other reforms announced on Friday include a reduction in the number of crimes subject to the death penalty. | Government Policy Changes | November 2013 | ['(BBC)', '(Xinhua)'] |
Jürgen Klinsmann is named head coach of the United States men's national soccer team, one day after Bob Bradley was relieved as coach. | This time, it's not just talk: Juergen Klinsmann is the new coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team.
U.S. Soccer moved quickly to name a replacement for fired coach Bob Bradley, announcing Klinsmann's hiring Friday. The former standout player and coach for the German national team will be a familiar name to American fans, given that U.S. Soccer almost hired him twice -- first after the 2006 World Cup and again last year before giving Bradley what turned out to be a short-lived contract extension.
Now, with the U.S. team's progress seemingly stalled, it's time to see what Klinsmann can do.
Juergen Klinsmann doesn't have a whole lot of time to prepare for the United States' friendly against Mexico on Aug. 10, writes Leander Schaerlaeckens. Story
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati got his man, but now Klinsmann is faced with fulfilling lots of high expectations, writes Jeff Carlisle. Story
• Hirshey: Klinsmann will shake things up
• Klinsmann a good hire for the U.S. "We are excited to have Juergen as the head coach of our Men's National Team," U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. "He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Juergen has had success in many different areas of the game, and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field."
Klinsmann will be formally introduced Monday at a news conference in New York. His debut as coach will come Aug. 10, when the U.S. team faces archrival Mexico in an exhibition match in Philadelphia. Qualifying for the next 2014 World Cup in Brazil begins next year.
"I am proud and honored to be named the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team," Klinsmann said in a statement. "I would like to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I'm excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup."
Although the U.S. federation has discussed the job with Klinsmann in the past, the coach's desire for extensive authority over the entire U.S. program had been considered a point of contention, preventing a deal.
Germany coach Joachim Loew, who was Klinsmann's assistant before becoming his successor, wished him well -- and expects big changes.
"I am happy for Juergen, that he has found a new challenge and I wish him a lot of success," Loew said. "The way we know Juergen, he'll go into the job with power and shake up a lot of things."
The German soccer federation said Loew, federation president Theo Zwanziger and three other top officials were told by Klinsmann by telephone that he was about to sign the contract with U.S. Soccer.
Klinsmann, who turns 47 Saturday, has a considerable World Cup pedigree.
As a player, Klinsmann scored 11 goals in three World Cups (1990, 1994 and 1998). That ties him for sixth on the all-time scoring list, just behind Pele.
"He is an experienced coach and a great former player," Pele said of Klinsmann on Friday in Brazil. "Without a doubt he can be a very good coach because of his international experience."
Klinsmann was a key cog for then-West Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning team and European championship-winning German team in 1996. He retired in 1998 and moved to the U.S. shortly afterward. Klinsmann and his wife, Debbie, reside in California with their two children, Jonathan and Laila.
Klinsmann took over as coach of the German national team July 2004, after the team had a poor showing in the 2004 European championships. Klinsmann led the German national team to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup, which was hosted by Germany. In 34 matches, Klinsmann's record was 20-8-6.
He went on to coach German club Bayern Munich, but lasted less than a full season after falling out of favor with management. He has worked as a consultant since then, most recently with Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.
U.S. Soccer fired Bradley in a surprise move Thursday.
Bradley led the U.S. team to considerable success and several big moments, including an appearance in the round of 16 at last year's World Cup in South Africa and a victory over Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup. But the U.S. team seemed to take a step backward this summer, and a stinging 4-2 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final last month -- the U.S. blew a 2-0 lead -- appears to have convinced U.S. Soccer officials it was time to make a change. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | July 2011 | ['(ESPN)'] |
Hundreds of restaurants and other businesses in U.S. cities close their doors after activists called on immigrants to stay home from work, avoid shopping or eating out, and skip classes Thursday for #ADayWithoutImmigrants, to protest the President's immigration reforms and highlight the immigrant community's contributions to the United States. | DETROIT/SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Businesses shut their doors, students skipped class and thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the United States on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Thousands of immigrants skip work, protest against Trump
Activists called “A Day Without Immigrants” to highlight the importance of the foreign-born, who account for 13 percent of the U.S. population, or more than 40 million naturalized American citizens.
Trump campaigned against the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, playing on fears of violent crime while promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and stop potential terrorists from entering the country.
While the number of participants in Thursday’s protests could not be determined, many sympathetic business owners closed shop and working-class immigrants forwent pay for the day.
“I told my English teacher that I wasn’t going to school, and she said she understood,” said Rosa Castro, a 13-year-old U.S. citizen in Detroit, who marched with her 26-year-old sister, one of several undocumented family members whose future she is concerned about.
Since taking office last month, the Republican president has signed an executive order temporarily banning entry to the United States by travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees. That order was put on hold by federal courts.
Immigrant rights groups have also expressed alarm after federal raids last week rounded up more than 680 people suspected of being in the country illegally.
In San Diego’s Logan Heights neighborhood, a 44-year-old undocumented business owner who identified herself only as Lucia for fear of deportation told Reuters she closed her nutrition shop for the day, costing her $200.
“Our community is frightened and cannot speak out,” she said. “Things are very bad for us with the new president.”
Advocates have called attention to cases such as one in El Paso, Texas, where federal agents arrested a transgender woman as she left a courthouse where she was seeking a protective order for domestic violence.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe wrote Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to express concern over immigration enforcement in his state, citing an NBC Washington report that agents arrested people outside a church that operates as a shelter from the cold.
Sympathy marches and rallies were held in cities including Raleigh, North Carolina, and Austin, Texas. Thousands joined demonstrations in Chicago and Detroit.
In the Los Angeles Fashion District - comprising some 4,000 apparel outlets, showrooms and manufacturers covering about 100 blocks of downtown - about half the shops in the area’s retail core were closed, along with about 40 percent of one of the large flower markets in the area, said district spokeswoman Ariana Gomez.
A Southern California grocery chain, Northgate Gonzalez Markets, said it gave employees at 41 stores and the corporate headquarters permission to use paid personal time off to participate.
In Washington, more than 50 restaurants were closed, including high-end eateries.
“As far as I’m aware, all of our immigrant employees chose to take the day off,” said Ruth Gresser, 57, who owns four pizza restaurants in the District of Columbia area. “We have three relative novices and an old lady making pizza,” she said, referring to herself.
At the Pentagon, about half a dozen food outlets were forced to close after staff members joined the protest, a Defense Department spokesman said.
The National Restaurant Association criticized the walkouts, saying in a statement that the organizers “disrupt the workplaces of hard-working Americans who are trying to provide for their families.”
In Austin, hundreds chanting “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here” marched from City Hall to the State Capitol, where lawmakers in the Republican-controlled body are considering a measure to punish sanctuary cities that shield immigrants from federal agents.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | February 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(The Atlantic)', '(The Philadelphia Inquirer)', '(Los Angeles Times)'] |
The Brazilian government alters the country's COVID-19 death toll on the Health Ministry's website following a change in protocol for the release of pandemic-related data to the general public. President Jair Bolsonaro orders interim minister Gen. Eduardo Pazuello to limit the number of divulged deaths to under 1,000 per day. | Brazil’s government has stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections in an extraordinary move that critics call an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease.
The move came after months of criticism from experts saying Brazil’s statistics are woefully deficient and in some cases manipulated, meaning it may never be possible to gain a real understanding of the depth of the pandemic in the country.
As the global tally of confirmed cases approached 6.9 million, with nearly 400,000 deaths, Brazil’s last official numbers showed it had recorded more than 34,000 deaths related to the coronavirus, the third-highest number in the world, just ahead of Italy. It reported nearly 615,000 infections, putting it at the second-highest, behind the US. Brazil, with about 210 million people, is the world’s seventh most populous nation.
On Friday the federal health ministry took down a website that had showed daily, weekly and monthly figures on infections and deaths in Brazilian states. On Saturday the site returned but the total numbers of infections for states and the entire country were no longer there. The site was showing only the numbers for the previous 24 hours.
A council of state health secretaries said it would fight the changes by Bolsonaro, who has dismissed the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic and tried to thwart attempts to impose quarantines, curfews and social distancing, arguing those steps are causing more damage to the economy than the pandemic.
“The authoritarian, insensitive, inhumane and unethical attempt to make the Covid-19 deaths invisible will not prosper,” the health secretaries council said Saturday.
President Jair Bolsonaro claimed on Saturday that disease totals were “not representative” of the country’s current situation. A Bolsonaro ally contended to the newspaper O Globo that at least some states providing figures to the health ministry had sent falsified data, implying that they were exaggerating the toll.
Carlos Wizard, a businessman expected to assume a high-level post in the health ministry, said the federal government would be conducting a review intended to determine a “more accurate” toll. “The number we have today is fanciful or manipulated,” Wizard said.
While precise counts of cases and deaths are difficult for governments worldwide, health researchers have been saying for weeks that a series of serious irregularities with Brazilian government statistics was making it impossible to get a handle on an exploding situation.
In the UK, reports emerged of a potential breakthrough in the hunt for a therapy for Covid-19. An injection of cloned antibodies that counteract Covid-19 could prove significant for those in the early stages of infection, according to the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca’s chief executive Pascal Soriot told the Sunday Telegraph that the treatment being developed is “a combination of two antibodies” in an injected dose “because by having both you reduce the chance of resistance developing to one antibody”.
Antibody therapy is more expensive than vaccine production, with Soriot saying the former would be prioritised for the elderly and vulnerable “who may not be able to develop a good response to a vaccine”.
In China, new trade figures showed the devastating economic effect of the pandemic, with exports down 3.3% for May, compared with a year ago, and imports tumbling 16.7%.
Customs data released on Sunday showed that reduced overseas demand saw exports return to negative territory after a surprising 3.5% gain in April. Imports worsened from a 14.2% decline the previous month, marking the sharpest decline since January 2016.
The sombre trade readings for the world’s second-biggest economy could pile pressure on policymakers to roll out more support for a sector that is critical to the livelihoods of more than 180 million workers, with trade accounting for about a third of the economy.
Opec and its allies also responded to the worldwide economic slowdown on Saturday by agreeing to extend its oil production cuts to the end of July. The world oil price has nearly doubled in the past two months since the organisation agreed to cut production by 10%.
Other developments around the world include:
Panama’s government said it would reintroduce restrictions on the movement of people in two provinces following increases in new cases. From Monday, It will reapply restrictions to stem the transit of people in the provinces of Panama, which includes the capital city, and Panama Oeste.
Mexico’s health ministry on Saturday reported 3,593 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 341 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 113,619 cases and 13,511 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely to be significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Australia’s finance minister, Mathias Cormann, called Black Lives Matter protesters reckless, selfish and self-indulgent, after tens of thousands took to the streets across the country on Saturday. Cormann attacked marchers for ignoring health advice to avoid mass gatherings. “As I think about the heartbreak of families who haven’t been able to attend funerals for their loved ones because they were doing the right thing by taking the health advice, my heart just goes out to them.” | Government Policy Changes | June 2020 | ['(The Guardian)', '(O Estado de S. Paulo)'] |
After several months of negotiations, President Félix Tshisekedi names Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba as the new Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an agreement with former president Joseph Kabila. He had not appointed a prime minister since being elected in December 2018. | Lubumbashi (DR Congo) (AFP) - DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday named a government veteran, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, as the next prime minister, a move that came nearly four months after his inauguration.
Ilunga Ilunkamba was appointed under "the political agreement" between Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila "regarding the creation of a coalition government," presidential spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba said.
Illunga Ilunkamba, whose government career spans decades, replaces Bruno Tshibala, who had been appointed by Kabila in 2017. Ilunga Ilunkamba's aides gave his age as 78.
Tshisekedi was sworn in on January 24 after elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.
But the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push through with pledges of reform.
The country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout after 18 years in power.
His political allies retain the upper hand in parliament, provincial assemblies and governorships across the unstable country. His men also play a major role in security services.
Ilunga Ilunkamba, speaking to the press after meeting Tshisikedi, said, " I would like to thank his excellency, Joseph Kabila Kabange, who proposed me as prime minister and assured me of his trust."
He vowed to throw himself into ensuring the "harmonious governance of the coalition."
Tshisekedi told him the priorities would be "social, meaning education, health, security and establishing peace," he said.
A PhD in economics from the University of Kinshasa, Ilunga Ilunkamba began his political career under former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was overthrown in 1997.
His long record in government includes four spells as vice minister and two as minister for planning and finance. Prior to his new appointment, he was director general of the DRC's railway corporation, the SNCC.
- Katumbi returns -
Meanwhile, thousands of people welcomed Moise Katumbi, a prominent foe of Kabila, as he landed at Lubumbashi airport on Monday after three years in self-imposed exile.
Katumbi, 54, a wealthy businessman of mixed Greek and Congolese origin, served as the elected governor of Katanga in southeastern DR Congo before the province was divided up in a territorial revision.
He was once an ally of Kabila but the pair fell out. Katumbi was given a three-year jail term in absentia for alleged property fraud -- an accusation he denied -- and was barred from standing in last December's elections.
The conviction was annulled before Katumbi flew back to his homeland three years to the day after he left for Belgium.
"The truth always triumphs in the end," Katumbi, the owner and president of the renowned TP ("All Powerful") Mazemba football club, told his fans at the airport.
"I return for peace and for national reconstruction in our country," he said.
Katumbi returned in a private jet to find supporters, many dressed in white, lining the road between the airport and the centre of Lubumbashi, now the capital of mineral-rich Haut-Katanga province.
He has also been an opponent of Tshisekedi and has yet to make clear what role he plans to play.
In the December 30 election, Katumbi backed Martin Fayulu, another wealthy businessman, who claims he was denied victory thanks to a back-room deal between Kabila and Tshisekedi.
Monday's developments coincided with a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the highest-ranking European official to come to Kinshasa since the election.
The French minister pledged "a programme of 300 million euros ($335 million) for the duration of Mr Tshisekedi's mandate" in sectors including development, training, health, security, agriculture and energy.
The Trump campaign changed the date of the Tulsa rally after President Trump asked a Black Secret Service member about the meaning of Juneteenth.
NY Judge David Benjamin Cohen on August 17 will hear oral arguments from Fox News and some of former President Trump's lawyers.
The PA health minister said the doses were supposed to expire in July or August, but expired this month instead.
Sajad Hassan sat at his professor's hospital bedside for three nights, doing most of the talking as his friend and mentor breathed through an oxygen mask and struggled with a suspected COVID-19 infection. “I could visibly see fear in his eyes,” Hassan recalled. Two days later Dr. Jibraeil was dead, one of nearly 50 professors and non-teaching staff at AMU, one of India's top universities, who fell victim to the coronavirus as it ripped through through the country in April and May. AMU's tragedy was repeated across India as schools suffered similar blows to their faculty, and the loss of their knowledge — and in many cases friendship and guidance — has been devastating to the academic community.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photos via GettyMyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s charity and business combo venture to make and sell COVID-19 masks has cost him millions of dollars, according to the increasingly far-right conservative figure.Today his company is sitting on millions of unsold face coverings, which he now despises and wants to burn.“I can’t give them away,” Lindell told The Daily Beast in a phone interview this week. “I tried to. No one wants the things anymore.”Lindell, who clai
Rep. Ted Lieu, a Catholic, said the move was "nakedly partisan" and said "next time I go to Church, I dare you to deny me Communion."
Ryan Lochte finished seventh in the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials Friday night, missing his chance to compete in Tokyo.
Richard Barnett, a self-described white nationalist, was arrested days after he was photographed with his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk.
There’s no rest for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. After hashing it out with fellow policymakers, now he's talking things out with lawmakers. The Fed Chief back on Capitol Hill - virtually, that is - tops the Reuters Business Calendar for the week of June 21.1. The Fed's learning momentsMarkets get another dose of Mr Powell on Tuesday. He will testify before a House committee delving into quote the "Lessons learned" about The Federal Reserve’s response to the global crisis. The Fed has thrown trillions of dollars at shoring up the economy. Powell's testimony comes with the Fed now ready at least to start thinking about how and when to pull back some of that extra help, given the strength of this economic rebound.Summit Place Financial Advisors President Liz Miller:"The Fed updating its economic dot plot, taking into account that we are seeing arguably a stronger opening than anyone expected in the spring of 2021, and therefore an expectation that rates will start moving up in 2023." 2. Keeping an eye on the gauge But any movement in rates or the Fed's bond-buying program will still largely depend on the data....particularly the big "I" word: inflation. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge comes out on Friday. The Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Index, excluding food and energy, otherwise known as core PCE, is expected to show a year-over-year surge of 3.5 percent for the month of May. It posted the biggest annual surge in nearly 30 years the month before. 3. Big Tech under the microscope Going back to Washington.....There's a vote on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that could mark the beginnings of a Big Tech break-up. Lawmakers on The House Judiciary Committee will vote on six anti-trust bills aimed at limiting the power of America's tech giants. Two of the bills take aim at how big companies like Amazon and Alphabet, the parent of Google, create platforms for other businesses to use...and then compete against those same businesses. Another bill would force tech companies to let consumers take their data with them when they transfer to a competing tech platform. Any of the bills that pass the committee vote would then have to be approved by the full House of Representatives.4. A real deal bandwagonReady....set.....click.....Are consumers ready for a mid-year online shopping spree? Amazon kicks off what it is calling “two days of epic deals” when it launches Prime Day, which - actually - isn't just one day. This year it’s Monday and Tuesday June 21st and 22nd. Not to be outdone, Walmart and Target are ready to go toe-to-toe with Amazon and are starting their online discounts a day earlier.5. Buckling up at the box officeBuckle your seat belts. Hollywood is about to go into hyper drive. "F9: The Fast Saga" comes out Friday June 25th with enough fast-winding twists and turns to give you whiplash. This is the latest installment in the blockbuster car-racing Fast and Furious franchise. The previous eight films have brought in some $5 billion globally, according to promotional materials. The whole gang is back, led by Vin Diesel, but cast newcomers John Cena and Cardi B join the chase....hopefully shaking things up on the big screen and at the box office.
While working her job at Starbucks, the daughter of Miami Gardens’ police chief was allegedly threatened with a gun over an order mix-up — the gunman was given his bagel without cream cheese, police say.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | May 2019 | ['(Yahoo News)'] |
The United States Supreme Court dismisses the case of the German citizen Khalid El–Masri who accuses the CIA of abducting him to a secret prison in Afghanistan where he claims he was tortured. The US government had argued that a public trial would reveal state secrets. | In a victory for the Bush administration and its use of the “state secrets” defense, the Supreme Court refused Tuesday to hear a lawsuit from a German car salesman who said he was wrongly abducted, imprisoned and tortured by the CIA in a case of mistaken identity.
The court’s action, taken without comment, was a setback for civil libertarians who had hoped to win limits on the secrecy rule, a legacy of the Cold War.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the so-called state secrecy privilege has been invoked regularly to bar judges or juries from hearing claims of those who say they were beaten, abused or spied upon by the government during its war on terrorism. Administration lawyers have argued successfully that hearing such claims in open court would reveal national security secrets.
Civil libertarians said Tuesday that the government was using the secrecy defense to cover up its own wrongdoing. They also said the broad use of this rule was doing further damage to the nation’s image, already sullied by international condemnation of its “extraordinary rendition” program of arresting terrorism suspects and transporting them to foreign countries for interrogation.
“In a nation committed to the rule of law, the government’s unlawful activity should be exposed, not hidden behind a state secrets designation,” said Steven R. Shapiro, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, which had urged the high court to hear the case of Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent.
The White House said it had no comment on the court’s decision. Though the Bush administration has not publicly acknowledged El-Masri’s account, the German government has said that the U.S. admitted it made a mistake.
The Supreme Court dismissed El-Masri’s appeal in a one-line order but may consider the state secrets rule in a future terrorism case. The justices are due next month to hear a challenge to the administration’s continuing detention of several hundred men at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They also are likely to act in the months ahead on other appeals that raise the secrecy rule in cases challenging the warrantless wiretapping of Americans.
The state secrets rule dates to 1953 with a case involving the crash of a B-29 bomber. When the widows of three crewmen sued and sought the official accident report, the Air Force refused, saying the plane was on a mission to test secret electronics equipment.
The court ruled, in U.S. vs. Reynolds, that the need to protect the nation’s security outweighed the widows’ claim. Recent disclosures show that the justices apparently had been misled. When the accident reports were declassified, they revealed the plane had been poorly maintained but did not contain military secrets.
Since then, the state secrets privilege has been invoked by every president to shield certain evidence from being disclosed in court.
In recent years, the secrecy rule has been used more often and more broadly, said Amanda Frost, an assistant professor at American University’s Washington College of Law. “Before, it was used to limit discovery. Now, they seek an immediate dismissal of the complaint,” she said.
For example, administration lawyers have said judges cannot hear challenges to the warrantless wiretapping of Americans because doing so would expose secret details about the National Security Agency’s program.
Civil libertarians had hoped the Supreme Court would reconsider the secrecy rule in El-Masri’s case because U.S. officials had acknowledged privately that he was an innocent man.
El-Masri was on vacation in the Balkans in 2003 when he was stopped at a border crossing in Macedonia and his passport was taken. He said he was questioned intensely and accused of associating with Islamic radicals.
According to his complaint, he was then blindfolded, taken to an airport and stripped of his clothes by a team of masked men. He said they drugged him and chained him inside an airplane, and he was flown to Afghanistan, where he was held in a CIA-run prison for five months.
Only then did intelligence agents conclude they had the wrong man. He was not Khalid al-Masri, a wanted terrorist and a member of Al Qaeda’s Hamburg cell that organized the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
American officials did not apologize to El-Masri for the mistake or return him to his home. Instead, he was dropped from a truck on a hillside in Albania. From there, he returned to Germany and contacted a lawyer.
Two years ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that U.S. officials “admitted this man had been taken erroneously.” In January of this year, German prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 13 CIA agents for their roles in the abduction and abuse of El-Masri.
In 2005, El-Masri filed suit against George J. Tenet, CIA director at the time of El-Masri’s kidnapping, and the private contractors who flew him to Afghanistan. He sought damages for his “unlawful abduction, arbitrary detention and torture by agents of the United States.”
In response, administration lawyers said the suit must be dismissed without a hearing “to protect classified intelligence sources.” A federal judge in Alexandria, Va., agreed and threw out the suit. This decision was upheld by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.
In their appeal, ACLU lawyers said it made little sense to use secrecy as a reason to throw out a case whose facts had been broadcast and discussed throughout the world.
“This is a sad day,” said Ben Wizner, an ACLU lawyer for El-Masri. “By denying justice to an innocent victim of this country’s anti-terror policies, the court has provided the government with complete immunity for its shameful human rights and due process violations.”
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | October 2007 | ['(Deutsche Welle)', '(LA Times)'] |
President of Ghana John Kufuor is involved in a car accident in Accra, but is not hurt. | Witnesses say they saw a vehicle crash into his car, causing it to roll over several times. When it came to a stop Mr Kufuor emerged holding his head. A presidential spokesman said he seemed fine but was seen by his doctor.
The driver of the other car is being treated in hospital and police have reportedly begun an investigation.
Mr Kufuor appeared healthy and composed and underwent checks in the presidential palace to ensure he was not at risk, presidential press secretary Andy Awuni said.
"He has been back at his desk since 1200 in scheduled meetings with traditional leaders," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa.
Eyewitness accounts
Witnesses told Reuters news agency that a red car coming from the opposite direction had struck the president's vehicle travelling in a motorcade at a major intersection near Kotoka airport in Accra.
"The car finally rested on the sidewalk and the people around helped his security men to pull him out," electrician James Kobinah said.
"The president came out holding his head."
Another witness told a Ghanaian radio station: "The president's car was involved. It somersaulted several times and landed on the pavement... "The president was rescued by onlookers who were around. They opened the car, the president was holding his head obviously injured in this accident he was put in another car and driven away
Mr Awuni told the BBC that both cars were damaged and they had still to identify the driver of the other car.
"Observers say the car was driving very, very fast." "We don't know if it was deliberate or otherwise... Somebody came in from side and ran into the president's car," he said.
Mr Kufuor was elected president in 2000, a poll which marked the first peaceful, democratic transfer of power in Ghana since independence. He had succeeded long-time ruler Jerry Rawlings.
Known as the "Gentle Giant" of Ghanaian politics, he won a second term in 2004, in an election praised for being well run and orderly. | Road Crash | November 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
Satsuki Eda of the Democratic Party of Japan is chosen as the President of the House of Councillors making him the first member of an Opposition party to hold the position. | Lawmakers voted unanimously for Satsuki Eda of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), who becomes the first opposition politician to hold the post. The move follows the LDP's crushing defeat in July's upper house elections.
Its ruling coalition lost its majority, while the DPJ made huge gains and became the chamber's largest party.
Since the polls, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has faced calls for his resignation, but says he intends to remain in office. He has, however, pledged a Cabinet reshuffle, which is expected to take place later this month. 'New situation' The 66-year-old new president, Satsuki Eda, is a veteran DPJ lawmaker. He told the chamber that Japan's political landscape had altered. I think voters' expectations for the upper house are now extremely high
Satsuki Eda
"The make-up of the upper house has drastically changed after the upper house elections and we are facing a political situation we have never faced before," he said. "I think voters' expectations for the upper house are now extremely high." Some analysts believe the new situation could lead to political deadlock. The ruling coalition still controls the more powerful lower house, but the opposition could now block bills in the upper house, forcing the spotlight on potentially controversial issues. One such issue is that of Japanese maritime support for US-led forces in Afghanistan. 'International expectations'
Japanese naval vessels have been providing refuelling and other logistical support in the Indian Ocean. Mr Abe says he needs the DPJ to work with him
The current mandate for the mission - which the DPJ opposes - is to expire on 1 November. On Monday, speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Mr Abe acknowledged that he faced a problem. "I will strive to pass the laws in order to meet the expectations of the international community and contribute to it," he said. "I want to discuss this thoroughly with people of the Democratic Party and seek their cooperation," the embattled premier told journalists. Recent polls have indicated further falls in support for Mr Abe, who took office in September 2006. A survey conducted by the Mainichi newspaper on 4/5 August showed support for him at 22%, a new low. He has been hit by a series of ministerial scandals and a pensions crisis, which have led voters to question his leadership skills. Traffic to this site is currently 32% below normal | Government Job change - Election | August 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
An 8.3 magnitude earthquake strikes the Samoa Islands, triggering a tsunami that kills at least 20 in the nation of Samoa and another 14 in American Samoa. | Radio DJ Lupe Lohmann describes the moment a tsunami hits American Samoa
A tsunami triggered by a strong quake in the South Pacific has killed more than 100 people in several islands.
At least 77 people were reported dead in Samoa, more than 25 in American Samoa and at least six in Tonga. Residents and tourists fled to higher ground as whole villages were destroyed. Boats were swept inland and cars and people out to sea. The 8.3-magnitude quake struck at 1748 GMT on Tuesday, generating 15ft (4.5m) waves in some areas of the islands. The Samoa islands comprise two separate entities - the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory. The total population is about 250,000. A general tsunami warning was issued for the wider South Pacific region but was cancelled a few hours later. Separately on Wednesday a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck a different fault line off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 75 people. The prime minister of Samoa, Tuila'epe Sailele Malielegaoi, said the latest death toll there was 77, including four overseas visitors, with 150 more people being treated in hospital. He said he was shocked at the devastation. "So much has gone. So many people are gone," he told Australia's AAP news agency. He said there had been extensive damage but that hospitals were coping well and that he was considering aid offers from New Zealand and Australia. "Had it happened in darkness, there could have been more disaster in terms of the number of those who died or are missing," he said. US President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in American Samoa, enabling federal funding to be made available to help victims. He pledged a "swift and aggressive" government response. False alarm
American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono said the effects of the tsunami would touch everyone.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Survivors in Samoa describe the tsunami
"I don't think anybody is going to be spared in this disaster," he said. Eni Faleomavaega, who represents American Samoa in the US Congress, said the waves had "literally wiped out all the low-lying areas in the Samoan islands". He said the tsunami had struck too quickly for a full evacuation. Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni told AAP that the ocean had receded, heralding the oncoming tsunami, "within five minutes" of the quake. "With the location and the intensity... I don't know if anything better could have been done." Officials at the Samoa Meteorology Division said many of those who died were killed by a second wave after they went to gather fish that had been washed up after the first. Sirens reportedly blared out across the Samoan capital, Apia, again late on Tuesday but the warning was thought to be a false alarm. Dr Lemalu Fiu, at a hospital in Apia, said the number of casualties was expected to rise as people arrived from coastal areas bringing reports. Mr Telefoni said there were fears the major tourism areas on the west side of Upolu island - the eastern of the two main Samoan islands - had been badly hit. "We've had a pretty grim picture painted of all that coast," he said. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd confirmed the death of two Australians - a six-year-old girl and a 50-year-old woman. Samoan officials say it could take a week before the full extent of the damage is known. Homes gone
A government official in Tonga said at least six people had been killed there and four more were missing. But New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Bill English said Tongan officials had told him a "considerable number of people" had been swept out to sea. Mr English added: "Over the next 12 hours the picture could look worse rather than better." The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) said the quake struck at a depth of 33km (20 miles), some 190km (120 miles) from Apia. Radio New Zealand quoted Samoan residents as saying that villages were inundated and homes and cars swept away. Graeme Ansell, a New Zealander near Apia, told the radio station the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale had been "wiped out". "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need around here," he said. Witnesses have reported scenes of destruction. "It's horrible... The village is gone and my once beautiful beachfront villa has now been submerged in water," Josh Nayangu told the BBC after fleeing the area on a small fishing boat with his wife and son. What are these? | Earthquakes | September 2009 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
American newscaster Peter Jennings states that he has lung cancer and will begin chemotherapy. | Peter Jennings, the sole anchor of ABC's evening newscast for the past 22 years, announced yesterday that he was suffering from lung cancer and had begun treatment.
ABC said Mr. Jennings, 66, would work as often as he could during his course of treatment. But the network, which has seen the recent replacement of anchors at NBC and CBS as an opportunity for Mr. Jennings to vault into the ratings leadership, is planning to use substitute anchors, including Charles Gibson and Elizabeth Vargas, in his absence.
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This is an offer for a Basic Digital Access Subscription. The Basic Digital Access Subscription does not include e-reader editions (Kindle, Nook, etc.), NYT Games (the Crossword) or NYT Cooking. Mobile apps are not supported on all devices. These offers are not available for current subscribers. Other restrictions and taxes may apply. Offers and pricing are subject to change without notice. | Famous Person - Sick | April 2005 | ['(New York Times)'] |
In an effort led by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans vote 51–48 to approve new Senate rules to limit the in–session debate time for most of President Donald Trump's appointed political nominees to two hours instead of the previously required 30 hours. Senate Republicans invoke the so–called "nuclear option" to approve the new rules, a procedure that allows the Senate to amend rules with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the two–thirds supermajority normally required to do so. | In an effort led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Republicans voted 51-48 on Wednesday to approve new rules to limit debate time for most of President Trump's nominees to 2 hours instead of the 30 hours now required.
The big picture: The new rule, approved by a procedural motion known as the "nuclear option," is designed to confirm Trump's nominees at a much faster pace. It affects nominations for Cabinet officials, circuit court judges and Supreme Court picks. But later on Thursday, McConnell is expected to make the change to speed up judicial nominees at the district court level as well.
| Government Policy Changes | April 2019 | ['(Axios)'] |
In Tripoli, the Moroccan Embassy is damaged by a bomb explosion just hours after gunmen assault the South Korean mission. ISIL loyalists take credit for both attacks. | TRIPOLI A bomb exploded at the gate of the Moroccan embassy in the Libyan capital early on Monday, causing some damage but hurting nobody, a security official said, only hours after gunmen attacked South Korea's mission in Tripoli.
Militants claiming loyalty to Islamic State said on twitter they were responsible for both attacks, the latest strikes against foreigners, embassies or oilfields in Libya. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the claims.
Islamic State militants have exploited chaos in the North African country where two governments allied to a host of armed groups fight for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.
The bomb damaged the gate and a residential building next to the Moroccan embassy located in the up market Ben Ashour district, a security official and Reuters reporter at the scene said.
Nobody was hurt by the blast early on Monday, the official said.
On Sunday, gunmen fired shots at the South Korean embassy in Tripoli killing two local security guards and wounding a third person, South Korean and Libyan officials said.
A South Korean foreign ministry official in Seoul said there were no Korean casualties, adding that the embassy was staffed by two foreign service officials and one administrative staff member. He said the government was considering relocating, but did not elaborate.
Libyan militants professing loyalty to Islamic State have claimed several high-profile attacks on foreigners in Libya this year, including an assault on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli and the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.
They have also claimed several assaults on embassies such as those of Egypt and Algeria in Tripoli, attacking mostly empty buildings as most countries have pulled out diplomatic staff because of the security situation.
Libya's internationally recognized government has been based in the east since a rival faction called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in August, setting up a rival administration.
| Armed Conflict | April 2015 | ['(New York Daily News)'] |
General Motors announces that it will begin shutting down operations at the Swedish carmaker Saab automobile. | General Motors Co. said it would wind down its Saab business, marking the near-certain death of one of Sweden's most storied companies and a car brand with a small but devoted following.
GM had given itself a final chance to complete a sale of the quirky 62-year-old luxury auto maker by year's end. But it said unsolvable issues arose in late-stage negotiations Friday to sell the company to Spyker Cars NV, a Dutch maker of ultraluxury sports cars.
It is the second time this year that GM's plans to sell an ailing brand have collapsed. Its efforts to sell Saturn also failed, and the company reversed itself on plans to sell its European car maker, Opel.
While bidders could still emerge for Saab's remaining assets, including two yet-to-be-launched models, GM's announcement ushers the car manufacturer spawned from a Swedish plane maker to the junkyard along with Saturn and Pontiac. | Government Policy Changes | December 2009 | ['(New York Times)', '(Wall Street Journal)'] |
Newly released cables document an alleged al-Qaeda "assassin" working for the British Secret Intelligence Service while suspected of bombing Christian churches and a hotel in Pakistan. | An alleged al-Qaeda militant suspected of bombing a luxury hotel and two churches in Pakistan in 2002 was an informer for MI6, it has been claimed.
Adil Hadi al Jazairi Bin Hamlili was detained at Guantanamo Bay between 2003 and last year.
The Guardian claims to have seen secret Wikileaks files in which he is described as an al-Qaeda "assassin".
Other Wikileaks files suggest a mosque in north London served as a "haven" for Islamic extremists. According to the files, 35 men held at Guantanamo Bay had gone to fight against Western forces in Afghanistan after being indoctrinated in Britain. The US documents identify two preachers at the Finsbury Park Mosque - Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada - as key recruiters.
Those revelations are contained in a Daily Telegraph report on separate secret files which suggested London was the hub of a global terror network.
The files, written by US military commanders, say that by the late 1990s the mosque was attracting young men from around the world, who were radicalised before being sent to training camps in Afghanistan.
It said the 35 detainees had passed through Finsbury Park Mosque as well as other centres such as Regent's Park and East London mosques and a rented room above a pub near Baker Street.
US intelligence officials said Finsbury Park served as "an attack planning and propaganda production base" for al-Qaeda.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said some of the files show MI6 in a very bad light.
He said: "A lot of it doesn't surprise me... In my view they completely underestimated how dangerous recruiters and proselytisers like Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza were." The Guardian says Mr Hamlili was described in his Guantanamo assessment file as a "facilitator, courier, kidnapper and assassin for al-Qaeda".
US interrogators believed he was also a British intelligence informer.
But, despite the accusations, he was never brought to trial and although he was sent back to his native Algeria last year it is not clear whether he is still in custody.
Wikileaks released the files of 759 Guantanamo detainees at the weekend.
The files are also claimed to reveal:
Mr Hamlili was captured in Pakistan in June 2003 and taken to Bagram detention centre in Afghanistan where he was interviewed by the CIA.
The CIA agents were apparently told he had been an informer for MI6 and the Canadian secret service since 2000.
But the CIA claimed he had "withheld important information from the Canadian Secret Intelligence Service and the British Secret Intelligence Service... and to be a threat to US and allied personnel in Afghanistan and Pakistan".
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has apparently admitted being the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, allegedly told his interrogators Mr Hamlili was behind a March 2002 grenade attack on a church in Islamabad, which killed five people.
Mr Mohammed also alleged Mr Hamlili was responsible for an attack on a church in Pakistan in December 2002 which killed three children.
Separate US intelligence reports said Mr Hamlili was "possibly involved" in a bombing outside Karachi's Sheraton hotel in May 2002 which killed 11 French engineers and two Pakistani citizens. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | April 2011 | ['(MI6)', '(BBC)', '(PA via The Independent)'] |
Floods kill an elderly man in Turkey's Bursa. | An elderly, bedridden man drowned in his home after torrential rains caused flash flooding in the western city of Bursa, news agencies reported Thursday.
Downpours early Thursday caused streams to burst their banks, inundating homes and shops and stranding cars. The flood’s sole victim, 84-year-old İsmail Güven, was alone in his ground-floor home when the flood hit. His son lives with him but was unable to save his father, private news channel NTV reported.
Also, 42-year-old man died in Istanbul on Wednesday night when he fell from the roof of his house as he tried to repair a leak.
The heavy rain caused schools in Bursa to cancel classes until Monday, and public personnel who are pregnant or have health problems were also told to stay home Thursday and Friday.
The main Bursa bus terminal was inundated and closed to passengers; many homes and workplaces in the city remain under floodwaters as well.
More than 110 kilograms of rain per square meter fell on the city within a 24-hour period, the Doğan news agency reported. According to Bursa Gov. Şehabettin Harput, the city typically receives 679 kilograms of rain per square meter annually.
“The rainfall in the last 24 hours is one-sixth of the annual rainfall, causing floods,” Harput said, adding that authorities would take every measure possible to mitigate the damage.
The city was expected to see heavy rainfall again Thursday night.
“Citizens who are in risky regions of the city should not stay in their homes. They should either go to their relatives’ houses or stay at places we determine for them,” the Bursa governor said.
Agricultural fields around the city were also inundated, killing some 30,000 chickens in the Yenişehir district. Sadi Aktaş, the head of the Yenişehir Agriculture Chamber, said roads connecting the district to nearby villages had been damaged due to the rain, making transportation difficult.
Gov. Harput paid a visit to Bursa’s Alacahırka neighborhood, where Güven died, and took a call while in the area from Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, the Doğan news agency reported. “There is a disaster here. One citizen died, two vehicles are missing. These problems occur in places with no urban planning,” Harput reportedly told Çiçek.
Heavy rain also hit the western province of Kocaeli on Thursday. Many houses and workplaces were still underwater in the city center and the province’s districts Thursday evening.
Meteorology officials said the rainfall was expected to continue Friday all around Turkey. Rain will be heavy in the Marmara region, coastal parts of the Aegean region, the western Black Sea region, northwestern Turkey and some parts of southern Turkey, including the Mediterranean resort town of Antalya. | Floods | October 2010 | ['(Hurriyet)'] |
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