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The French regional elections result in massive losses for the governing conservative parties and victories for socialist–green alliances in at least 20 of 22 regions. | The socialists and their allies won 50% of the second-round votes, leaving Mr Chirac's centre-right governing UMP party trailing on 36.9%.
The socialists held eight councils and grabbed another 12 from the UMP.
Voters are thought to be angry at high unemployment, a stagnant economy and unpopular public sector reforms.
The centre-right has won only Alsace so far, with the results from Corsica still to come. All change
The election was seen as a mid-term test of opinion on the Chirac government.
MAINLAND RESULTS
Regional assembly wins:
Socialists: 20UMP: 1Corsica and overseas results not included
Mr Raffarin said lessons had to be learnt by the government, but "reforms must be continued, very simply because they are necessary".
The first round last Sunday saw the UMP lose heavily to the socialists and their communist and green allies. Socialist party leader Francois Hollande says voters have expressed their rejection of both Mr Raffarin's government and Mr Chirac. Our correspondent says the result is expected to lead to a major cabinet reshuffle, with Mr Raffarin tipped as the first to lose his job.
One of the high-profile casualties already claimed by the poll is former President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who lost the presidency of the Auvergne region to a socialist.
The far-right National Front confirmed its position as the country's third political force, with nearly 13%.
Options
At least 60% of the voters in France said they remained determined to use these elections to send a strong message of discontent to the government. Poll shock for Chirac
Press eyes Chirac's next move
"I feel like France's public sector is being sabotaged," said Elsa Quinette, in Paris. "What the government is doing is so serious, I just had to speak out."
Others said they wanted the government to stay. Mr Chirac has spent the past week weighing up his options. He will have to choose whether to keep Mr Raffarin in his post and use him to push through the next round of reforms - this time to public healthcare - or whether to appoint a new prime minister. The problem with that is that the most obvious candidate, France's popular Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, is known to want Mr Chirac's job, correspondents say.
So the president may prefer to keep on his unpopular but loyal prime minister to plough ahead with the next round of difficult reforms, despite voters' discontent. | Government Job change - Election | March 2004 | ['(BBC)', '(Spiegel)', '(Yahoo France)'] |
Another earthquake of 6.9 magnitude occurs off the coast of Sumatra. | Aftershocks are continuing to rock the Indonesian island of Sumatra, following major earthquakes earlier this week. A temblor with a magnitude of 6.9 struck off the island's west coast on Friday, prompting officials to briefly issue another tsunami warning. The aftershock was 153km (95 miles) southwest of Bengkulu, the area hardest hit by the series of quakes. At least 13 people are known to have died and thousands more have been left homeless by the earthquakes. The first earthquake, on Wednesday evening, had a magnitude of 8.4, making it the world's strongest this year. It was followed by a 7.8 magnitude quake and a series of shocks. A number of tsunami warnings have been issued and lifted. The damage is still being assessed but officials say it appears not to be as extensive as initially feared. No vehicles The worst of the destruction is in the areas around the cities of Bengkulu and Padang, on Sumatra's west coast. Hundreds of buildings are reported to have collapsed. The BBC's Lucy Williamson, in Bengkulu, says the aftershocks are frightening people, especially in areas to the north of the province where up to 80% of the houses have been destroyed. The local government has begun delivering food and tents to those sleeping outside, but its relief effort is suffering from a lack of vehicles to carry the aid. Less than a third of areas in the badly-hit north Bengkulu district have so far been reached and tents are being restricted to five for each area of the district, our correspondent says. Several international aid agencies have already pledged thousands of dollars in emergency aid. But Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that an aerial survey of the area had shown that overall damage was "minimal". Wednesday's earthquake was one of the most powerful in Indonesia since the tremor that caused the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. That measured 8.9 and struck under the sea near the northern Sumatran province of Aceh, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean. What are these? | Earthquakes | September 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
Eleven people are dead and many are missing after a jade mine collapses in the Myanmar town of Hpakant. | YANGON: At least 11 people died in a landslide in a remote jade mining region of northern Myanmar with many more feared missing, authorities said Tuesday, the latest deadly incident to hit the shadowy industry.
Locals and officials are searching for bodies after a wall of unstable earth collapsed during a downpour on Monday night in the town of Hpakant in Kachin state, the war-torn area that feeds a huge demand for the precious stones from neighbouring China.
“We have found 11 dead bodies so far. When the landslide happened, about 50 people were searching for jade,” Nilar Myint, a local official from Hpakant, told AFP.
“Heavy rain has been falling the whole night,” she added. A local police officer told AFP the rescue was continuing but was hampered by poor transport and communications infrastructure.
The area has suffered a string of deadly landslides over the past year, with a major incident in Hpakant last November killing over 100. Dozens of other smaller accidents have left scores more dead or injured. The victims are usually itinerant workers searching for pieces of jade left behind by large-scale industrial mining firms.
A local resident and former NGO worker told AFP that hundreds of people have been searching the deep pits left behind by mining firms during Myanmar’s rainy season, when major companies cease operations. “We think about 200 people were working in that area when the landslide occurred last night... there could be many more casualties,” the resident said on condition of anonymity, adding that heavy rain and poor roads had made the rescue difficult. Myanmar is the source of virtually all of the world’s finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone that is enormously prized in neighbouring China, where it is known as the “stone of heaven.”
But while mining firms – many linked to the junta-era military elite – are thought to be raking in huge sums, local people complain they are shut off from the bounty.
In an October report corruption watchdog Global Witness estimated that Myanmar jade produced in 2014 alone was worth $31 billion, with most profits going to powerful military and former junta figures instead of the state coffers.
The group said the secretive jade industry might be the “biggest natural resource heist in modern history.” --AFP | Mine Collapses | May 2016 | ['(AFP via New Straits Times)'] |
Christian Wulff, the President of Germany, resigns over a corruption scandal. | German President Christian Wulff has announced his resignation, after prosecutors called for his immunity to be lifted.
An ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Wulff, 52, stepped down over corruption claims involving a dubious home loan. He denies any wrongdoing.
Mrs Merkel cancelled a visit to Italy on Friday to deal with the crisis, and said she regretted that he had quit.
German media say the crisis is unprecedented in post-war Germany.
Mrs Merkel had fought to get Mr Wulff, from her centre-right Christian Democrat party (CDU), appointed as president. He had been in the job for less than two years.
She said she accepted his resignation "with respect but also with regret".
"He dedicated himself to the interests of Germany," she said in a brief statement at 10:30 GMT, shortly after his announcement on Friday. She said Mr Wulff was convinced he had "acted legally correctly" but was "stepping back from the office, from service to our people".
Germany's political parties will now seek to agree on a new candidate for president, she said.
In the interim, Horst Seehofer of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the CDU, will be acting president.
The president's role is largely ceremonial, to serve as a moral authority for the nation.
The BBC's Berlin correspondent Stephen Evans says the affair is just a headache for Mrs Merkel, whose approval rating is high among the German people.
However, she does not need any new problems as Germany wrestles with the eurozone debt crisis, our correspondent adds.
"The developments of the past few days and weeks have shown that [the German people's] trust and thus my effectiveness have been seriously damaged," Mr Wulff said in a brief statement.
"For this reason it is no longer possible for me to exercise the office of president at home and abroad as required." The scandal surrounding Mr Wulff escalated in December.
At the centre of the row is the story - first published by the Bild newspaper - that Mr Wulff received a low interest 500,000 euro loan (£417,000; $649,000) from the wife of a wealthy businessman in October 2008. Mr Wulff, who previously was premier of Lower Saxony, was later asked in the state's parliament if he had had business relations with the businessman, Egon Geerkens, and said he had not, making no mention of his dealings with Mr Geerkens's wife.
The president was also heavily criticised for trying to force Bild not to break the story in the first place. It has emerged that he left an angry message on Bild chief editor Kai Diekmann's phone, saying the story must not be published. Mr Wulff has since apologised to Mr Diekmann.
There were also corruption allegations against Mr Wulff, involving receiving political favours and free holidays from business executives.
On Thursday, prosecutors in Hanover, capital of Lower Saxony, said there were "enough actual indications" that the president had acted improperly. "Therefore they have asked the president of the German Bundestag [the lower house] to lift the president's immunity."
The move is formally required to start proceedings against Mr Wulff, although this does not mean necessarily that he will be charged. The Bundestag's committee on parliamentary immunity is expected to consider the prosecutors' request at a session starting on 27 February.
German press scolds Wulff over voicemail row
Duel of two German heavyweights
German president refuses to quit
German presidency
Bild | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | February 2012 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
In the Egyptian port of Safaga, relatives of hundreds of passengers killed when the ferry al–Salam Boccaccio '98 sank in the Red Sea, attack the office of El Salam Maritime Transport. | A crowd broke into Al-Salam Maritime's offices in Safaga, Egypt, and began throwing the contents onto the street.
Family members also tried to storm a hospital in the town of Hurghada after it displayed photographs of bodies recovered from the sea.
Around 1,000 people are thought to have drowned when the ferry sank.
About 1,400 people were on board the al-Salam Boccaccio '98 when it sank after a fire broke out on Thursday evening.
Angry scenes
Governor of Red Sea province Bakr al-Rashidi told the Associated Press news agency that 388 of those on board were known to have survived. The number of bodies recovered from the sea had reached 244, he said. We understand that people would like information but we don't have it
Spokesman Magdi Radi
Poor communication fuels anger
The Egyptian police said on Sunday that more than 400 survivors had been rescued and 195 bodies recovered.
Funerals for some of the ferry victims are due to take place in Cairo later on Monday.
The accident has prompted accusations of negligence, and the anger of relatives has increased because of a lack of information about their loved ones.
Riot police used teargas to restore order after family members destroyed furniture and attacked a fire engine at the offices of the ship's owners in Safaga.
There were also angry scenes outside a hospital in the port town of Hurghada, 40 miles (65 km) to the north, after police officers displayed photographs of those who had drowned on the ferry. Family members broke through security barriers but failed to enter the hospital. The hospital is allowing small groups to enter the morgue to identify their family members. Compensation
Egyptian government spokesman Magdi Radi said that the authorities were doing their best.
"We understand that people would like information, but we don't have it," he told the BBC.
"What we have is either the names of the living or the bodies of the dead, which we are trying to identify," Mr Radi said. He said 60 bodies had been identified in Cairo and returned to family members. Most of the passengers were Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, and others were said to be pilgrims returning from Mecca. Relatives' anger at the lack of information has grown as more details have been released about what happened to the ship, the BBC's Ian Pannell in Safaga says. The rescue mission is reported to have been launched several hours after the ferry sank. And the crew are accused of ignoring warnings to evacuate after the fire broke out on board and the ship began to list. The government's offer of $5,000 (£2,837) to every family has done little to appease the anger. "Is this what an Egyptian's life is worth?" one man asked. | Shipwreck | February 2006 | ['(BBC)'] |
Voters in Burkina Faso go to the polls to elect a new parliament and president after a year of turmoil. | Counting is under way in Burkina Faso where voters have been choosing a new president and parliament after a year of political turmoil.
It is the first election since last year's popular uprising which toppled longstanding president Blaise Compaore. The vote was due to have been held last month but was delayed by a failed coup in September led by members of the elite presidential guard.
Provisional results are expected by Monday evening.
Long queues formed outside many polling stations before they closed at 18:00 GMT.
Security has been tight with up to 25,000 troops and police deployed across the country and foreign observers oversaw the poll.
The election is meant to mark the end of the transitional period following Mr Compaore's removal. Analysts say it could be the most open and democratic vote in the country's history. "It is a victory for the youth that has expressed its will for change and for real democracy," said transitional President Michel Kafando as he cast his vote.
Former President Blaise Compaore was forced from office by street protests in October 2014 over his plans to serve another five-year term. He had been in power for 27 years.
A transitional government was installed but the country was thrown into turmoil again in September when members of the elite presidential guard led a short-lived coup. The attempt failed and the guard was disbanded.
Mr Compaore, 64, is now living in exile in neighbouring Ivory Coast.
Fourteen candidates are standing for the presidency and reports suggest that Roch Marc Christian Kabore and Zephirin Diabre are the front-runners. Economist Mr Diabre has served as minister of economy and finance before he fell out with Mr Campaore in 2010.
Mr Kabore served as prime minister and chairman of the Congress for Democracy and Progress party (CDP) before leaving the party in 2014, after opposing plans to extend Mr Compaore's rule.
If no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, a second round will be held. | Government Job change - Election | November 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Central African Republic Bush War: French fighter planes have fired at rebels in northern Central African Republic where thousands have fled fighting in recent weeks. | French fighter planes have fired at rebels in northern Central African Republic (CAR) where thousands have fled fighting in recent weeks. French Mirages attacked rebel positions in Ouadda and N'Dele in support of government forces. A rebel spokesman told the BBC that five of his fighters had been killed. It is the second time this week that French forces have fought the rebels. The UN has warned CAR's conflict is linked with fighting in Chad and Sudan.
CAR shares its northern borders with the two countries, which have been plagued by insecurity since trouble erupted in Sudan's western Darfur region in 2003.
Earlier this month, France promised to provide logistics and intelligence to CAR in their struggle against rebels who have recently seized several towns. The government says the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) rebels are operating from Darfur with the support of the Sudanese authorities.
The BBC's Joseph Benamse in Bangui says France recently added 100 troops to its 200 soldiers stationed in CAR.
Under bilateral accords, France's military provides logistical and intelligence support to some of its former colonies in Africa.
The UFDR rebels say they are fighting against corruption and mismanagement under President Francois Bozize, who seized power in a 2003 coup. The United Nations says 46,000 people have crossed over to neighbouring Chad because of the unrest and another 90,000 are internally displaced within eastern CAR. | Armed Conflict | November 2006 | ['(CAR)', '(BBC)'] |
Suspected Islamist militants launch an attack on an Burkina Faso Armed Forces unit, killing 24 Burkinabé soldiers and wounding 7 others, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist terrorism. The army said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack. | OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 24 soldiers in an attack on an army unit in Burkina Faso, the deadliest yet in the West African nation’s fight against Islamist militants, which the president on Tuesday called a “dark stain” on the country’s history.
Seven other soldiers were wounded in the attack on Monday and five are still missing, the military and President Roch Marc Kabore said in separate statements.
The army, which earlier put the death toll at 10, said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack in Koutougou, in northern Burkina Faso’s Soum province.
“August 19th is a dark stain on the life of our national army,” Kabore said in the statement posted on the presidency website. “It is a heavy toll, which ... saddens us.”
Once a pocket of relative calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a homegrown insurgency for the past three years, which has been amplified by a spillover of jihadist violence and criminality from its chaotic neighbor Mali.
Large swathes of Burkina’s north are now out of control, and France’s military Sahel mission began limited operations there earlier this year.
The main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), called for the government to step down, accusing it of failing to counter a jihadist threat which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 150,000 to flee.
“It’s a team overwhelmed by the turn of events, which is currently crossing its arms, waiting for how fate will play them and the Burkinabes,” UPC said in a statement.
Deteriorating security prompted the Ouagadougou government to declare in December a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali, including Soum.
. | Armed Conflict | August 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Alexander Lubigan, Vice Mayor of Trece Martires, Philippines, is assassinated in an ambush. | A piece of cloth shrouds the front passenger section of the pickup truck and the bullet-riddled body of Trece Martires City Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Published: 4:45 p.m., July 7, 2018 | Updated: 12:32 a.m., July 8, 2018
Gunmen peppered the vehicle carrying the vice mayor of Trece Martires City in Cavite province with bullets in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon, killing the local official instantly, police said.
Alexander Lubigan, 44, was with his driver-bodyguard Romulo Guillemer and security aide Romeo Edrinal when the gunmen blocked the path of his black Toyota Hi-lux pickup truck and opened fire around 3 p.m. in front of Korea-Philippines Friendship Hospital on the Trece Martires-Indang Road at Barangay Luciano in the province’s capital.
Lubigan became the third high official of a local government unit (LGU) to be killed in a week after Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas province, and Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija province.
The gunmen escaped toward Indang town aboard a black sport utility vehicle, police said.
Senior Supt. William Segun, Cavite police director, said Lubigan died on the spot while Guillemer, 50, died a few hours later at General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital in the city.
Edrinal, 56, survived and was being treated in the city’s Korea-funded hospital.
Lubigan, who ran in the 2016 elections under the United Nationalist Alliance, was on his third term as vice mayor.
Malacañang on Saturday condemned Lubigan’s assassination.
“We ask the leadership of the Philippine National Police to conduct a fair investigation and spare no effort in getting to the bottom of this latest crime,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“We must band together and put an end to the worrisome incidents of violence involving local politicians,” he added.
On Monday, Halili was shot dead by a sniper during flag-raising rites at Tanauan City Hall, while Bote was ambushed the next day by motorcycle-riding gunmen as he left the National Irrigation Administration compound in Cabanatuan City in his sport utility vehicle.
At least 10 town and city mayors have been killed since President Duterte took office in June 2016.
Halili, who was included in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of “narcopoliticians,” was stripped of supervisory powers over the local police amid allegations he was involved in the drug trade.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former chief of the PNP and a friend of Halili, called on the authorities to “bring the bastards responsible [for the three local officials’ deaths], including their masterminds before the bar of justice.”
“Let’s hope and pray that the successive killings of elected officials are not symptomatic of a bloody midterm election next year,” he said.
In a radio interview also on Saturday, Lacson said Halili had told him that he was worried he might go up against a retired general in next year’s elections.
Cavite Gov. Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a phone interview that Lubigan was on his way to a gym when the gunmen struck.
“[I’ve] never heard of any adverse behavior from him,” Remulla said of his “good friend” Lubigan.
Trece Martires City Mayor Melandres de Sagun, a party mate of Lubigan, was on leave abroad, according to Remulla who signed the mayor’s travel documents two weeks ago.
Supt. Chitadel Gaoiran, spokesperson for the Calabarzon police, said investigators were primarily looking into politics as the motive of the killing. He did not elaborate.
The brazenness of the killings have increased anxieties among elected public officials who now fear for their lives when they venture out of their homes, according to Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap).
Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara, president of Ulap, strongly condemned the killings of Halili, Bote and Lubigan, saying the incidents seriously affected the work of local officials. | Famous Person - Death | July 2018 | ['(The Philippine Daily Inquirer)'] |
Lawyers for the former Prime Minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, say they will sue President Nicolas Sarkozy for having called him "guilty" of the "Clearstream" affair and violating the principle of presumption of innocence. | Lawyers for the former French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, say they will sue President Nicolas Sarkozy for having called him "guilty".
Mr Sarkozy is accused of violating the principle of presumption of innocence. Mr de Villepin, an arch-rival of Mr Sarkozy, went on trial on Monday over the so-called "Clearstream" affair. It is alleged that Mr de Villepin tried to manipulate a judicial investigation to hurt Mr Sarkozy's chances of winning the 2007 presidential election. Asked for a comment on the trial, Mr Sarkozy told French television on Wednesday: "After a two-year investigation, two independent investigating judges ruled that the guilty parties should be tried before a criminal court." Correspondents say that, as president, Mr Sarkozy enjoys immunity from prosecution, but that the defence team may use the "guilty" comment to bolster an appeal on behalf of Mr de Villepin. They could argue that Mr Sarkozy is using political influence to pervert the course of justice. "This is a scandalous violation of fundamental principles," said defence lawyer Henri Leclerc. Sarkozy a plaintiff
Controversially, Mr Sarkozy - himself a lawyer by training - is a civil plaintiff in the case. As president he will not have to testify, but he is represented by lawyers in court. Mr de Villepin stands accused of "complicity in false accusation, complicity in using forgeries, receipt of stolen property and breach of trust" and is expected to testify next week.
The case dates back five years, when Nicolas Sarkozy's name appeared on a list of top politicians and businessmen sent to Mr de Villepin. It was alleged those named on the list had received bribes from international arms sales. But when a judge concluded that the list of names was bogus, the inquiry switched to who was behind the spurious allegations. Mr de Villepin and four others are accused of plotting against Mr Sarkozy to spoil his chances of winning the presidential election. The name Clearstream comes from the Luxembourg bank where the individuals on the list - including Mr Sarkozy - were claimed to be account holders. Chirac's protege
If found guilty, Mr de Villepin could face up to five years in jail and a 45,000 euro (41,000) fine. The former prime minister denies any wrongdoing. "I am here because of one man's will. I am here because of the dogged determination of one man, Nicolas Sarkozy, who is also president of the French republic," he told journalists on Monday. "I will come out of this a free man and exonerated," he said. Witnesses are due to include another former prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, and some past and present intelligence chiefs. Mr de Villepin and Mr Sarkozy were both ministers under President Jacques Chirac, but were intense rivals. Mr de Villepin was preferred by Mr Chirac, but it was Mr Sarkozy who won party support to succeed the president. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | September 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
The 2012 G-20 summit opens in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, with the Eurozone crisis high on the agenda. | World leaders meeting at a G20 summit in Mexico have urged Europe to take all necessary measures to overcome the eurozone debt crisis.
They voiced unease over what one top official described as "the single biggest risk for the world economy". But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said "the challenges are not only European, they are global". Sunday's victory of a pro-bailout party in the Greek election did not give stock markets the expected boost.
Antonis Samaras, the leader of the New Democracy party, which narrowly won the poll, is holding urgent talks to form a coalition with the socialist Pasok party and possibly the smaller Democratic Left party.
Mr Samaras earlier reiterated that he would "have to make some necessary amendments" to the terms of the bailout agreement reached with the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF), "in order to relieve the people of crippling unemployment and huge hardships".
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to dismiss the idea.
"The new Greek government has to implement the commitments entered into by the country. The programme framework has to be kept," she said.
On Monday, many world leaders expressed alarm in Los Cabos at what they saw as a lack of progress in dealing with the eurozone crisis.
World Bank chief Robert Zoellick said: "We are waiting for Europe to tell us what it's going to do."
Meanwhile, Jose Angel Gurria, the Mexican head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said the crisis was "the single biggest risk for the world economy".
Pascal Lamy, the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), warned about the danger of contagion from the eurozone crisis. He said that global volatility and uncertainty was fuelling a trend towards protectionism, which was not only stalling free trade but starting to reverse it.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on eurozone leaders to make structural changes to solve the debt crisis.
But Mr Barroso mounted a strong defence of the EU's handling of the crisis so far.
Asked by a Canadian journalist to explain why North Americans should "risk their assets to help Europe", he replied: "Frankly, we are not here to receive lessons in terms of democracy or in terms of how to handle the economy.
"This crisis was not originated in Europe... seeing as you mention North America, this crisis originated in North America and much of our financial sector was contaminated by, how can I put it, unorthodox practices, from some sectors of the financial market."
The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said a draft G20 communique showed "support and encouragement for the euro area countries and leaders and for the European Union as a whole to overcome this crisis".
The BBC's Andrew Walker says that while Europe is clearly the big danger, there are also problems elsewhere in the world's major advanced and emerging economies, starting with the two largest national economies, the US and China. The slowdown in India is something else for the G20 to fret about at the Mexican resort of Los Cabos, our correspondent adds.
A draft of the statement to be released on Tuesday is expected to call for a co-ordinated global plan for job creation and growth, reports say.
And if growth weakens, the proposed document says, countries without heavy debts should "stand ready to co-ordinate and implement discretionary fiscal actions to support domestic demand", according to Reuters.
In a separate development, China pledged $43bn (£27bn) to the IMF's crisis intervention fund, which has almost doubled to $456bn (£366bn).
The move comes after a meeting of the Brics group of emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The five nations all offered to contribute $10bn (£6.4bn) to the IMF each in exchange for voting reforms that would give them greater influence in the organisation.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for rules to allow protectionism for countries facing a financial crisis.
"It is time to stop pretending and come to an honest agreement on the acceptable level of protectionist measures that governments can take to protect jobs in times of global crisis," he said.
"This is particularly important for Russia as our country will join the WTO this year and we intend to take an active part in the discussions on the future rules for global trade."
BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says that for a forum which has always loudly claimed that free trade is the engine of growth Mr Putin's call is little less than heretical.
US President Barack Obama had earlier talked about the importance of avoiding protectionism, which is the process of making imports more expensive to protect domestic jobs. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | June 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos is eliminated in the first round of the Cypriot presidential election. | NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos was eliminated in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, sending two candidates who want talks on reuniting the island to a run-off.
Cypriot presidential candidates Tassos Papadopoulos (R), Ioannis Kassoulides (L) and Demetris Christofias chat before live television debates, hours before official canvassing closes for Cypriot elections, February 14, 2008. REUTERS/Andreas Manolis
The surprise result signaled that Greek Cypriots are ready to return to peace talks key to Turkey’s hopes of joining the EU, analysts said. The February 24 run-off will pit right-winger Ioannis Kassoulides against communist Demetris Christofias.
Both pledge a more conciliatory approach towards estranged Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north.
Cyprus was divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek inspired coup. Peace talks stalled in 2004 when Papadopoulos, elected the year before, led Greek Cypriot rejection of a United Nations blueprint for reunification.
Sunday’s vote showed a shift in opinion since then.
“If you want to extract a political message out of it, 65 percent of Greek Cypriots voted for clear pro-solution candidates,” said political analyst Hubert Faustmann. “The Greek Cypriots are back at the negotiation table.”
Kassoulides, 59, had supported the UN plan while Christofias, 62, had opposed it. Both acknowledge the blueprint cannot be revived but they also favor talks on reuniting the island.
Now, they will need to secure support from Papadopoulos ahead of the second round.
With all the vote counted, Kassoulides had 33.5 percent, Christofias 33.3 percent and Papadopoulos 31.8 percent. No opinion polls had shown Papadopoulos, 74, losing in the first round.
Celebrations at the result erupted in Nicosia. Cypriots drove around the city honking their horns, waving flags and lighting flares.
“This was the result of Papadopoulos’s arrogance, his authoritarian rule,” said Elena Neoptolemou, a 33 year old music teacher. “He was unable to fool people this time by persuading them that things were going well on the Cyprus issue.”
There was also some relief on the Turkish Cypriot side, where Papadopoulos was a popular hate figure.
“This is very good news,” said Cevdit Ozguler, a 44 year old taxi driver. “He never liked the Turks. I think a lot of Turkish Cypriots will be happy tonight.”
Turkish Cypriot spokesman Hasan Ercakika said: “The removal of an intransigent party should speed up the start of the process.”
Kassoulides and Christofias, although from different sides of the ideological divide, have both said they want to meet Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader.
“If I win, on February 25 I will pick up the phone and invite myself to Mr. Talat’s house,” Kassoulides told Reuters recently.
Stalled efforts to reconcile the two Cypriot sides are hampering Turkey’s chances of joining the European Union. A Greek Cypriot-led Cyprus represents the island in the bloc, with veto rights over the admission of Turkey.
| Government Job change - Election | February 2008 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Authorities in Slovakia charge four people with murdering investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée. The killings sparked widespread anti-corruption protests and forced the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico. | BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak authorities charged a high profile businessman and three others on Monday with murder over the killing of a journalist and his fiancée last year, a case that still roils politics more than a year after it brought down prime minister Robert Fico.
Politically connected entrepreneur Marian Kocner and two alleged accomplices have pleaded not guilty in the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova. The fourth suspect has confessed to the shooting.
A fifth man has confessed to facilitating the killing and has made a plea deal with prosecutors to act as a witness in the trial of the other four.
A spokeswoman for the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the four suspects could face life in prison on six charges including pre-meditated murder. The announcement completes the investigative phase of the case, which has been watched as a test of Slovak police and judicial independence.
The murder of Kuciak prompted mass demonstrations against corruption last year and forced the resignation of Fico, who had dominated Slovakia as prime minister for 10 of the previous 12 years.
Revelations of links between Kocner and security officials that were exposed during the investigation have led to more resignations in recent weeks.
Kuciak, 27, and Kusnirova were gunned down in their house outside the capital Bratislava in Feb. 2018. Prosecutors say Kocner, a subject of Kuciak’s reporting on corruption, had contracted out the killing. Kocner has denied any wrongdoing.
Although Fico resigned over the case last year, his ruling three-party coalition has survived, led by his hand-picked successor Peter Pellegrini.
But the case could still have a major political impact in a general election in February, with polls showing a slide in support for the ruling SMER party, and politicians from other parties also playing down their ties to Kocner.
Prosecutors said in August they had extracted tens of thousands messages from Kocner’s phone including communication with “representatives of state bodies and the justice system”.
Slovak media published parts of Kocner’s messages, leading to resignations of a deputy minister, two prosecutors and a judge.
. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | October 2019 | ['(The Guardian)', '(Reuters)'] |
Israeli singer Netta Barzilai wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal, with her song Toy. This is Israel's first Eurovision win in the 21st century and fourth overall. | Crown goes to Netta of Israel with her quirky entry Toy, in memorable contest after stage invader interrupted UK’s song
Heidi Stephens
Sat 12 May 2018 23.59 BST
First published on Sat 12 May 2018 18.30 BST
13 May 2018
23:46
So that’s IT for another Eurovision, and it’s goodbye from Lisbon! Thank you all for joining in and helping me hold this ship together, and a massive thanks to Alice for helping me navigate the madness. However you feel about Eurovision (and I fully expect plenty of people to share their opinions on this matter overnight), it remains one of my favourite nights of the year - you’ve all been brilliant company, so thank you for joining in. Putting on Eurovision is an absolutely epic feat - 43 countries, thousands of press and huge delegations to organise in one year. As usual the European Broadcasting Union have done the most phenomenal job, and the people of Lisbon have been an absolute joy. If you love Eurovision and get the chance to go, I can’t recommend it enough. Alice and I are on Twitter @heidistephens and @alice if you fancy saying hi; right now we’re off to the afterparty to dance the night away. Thank you so much for joining in, and I’ll see you next year! 13 May 2018
23:44
Time for another rendition of ‘Toy’ before we all go home *does chicken arms*
13 May 2018
23:43
I’m happy for Netta - she took a massive risk and it totally paid off. Eurovision bonkersness lives, and I can’t be sad about that. 13 May 2018
23:42
Cyprus have come second, which means ISRAEL have won this year’s Eurovision. A triumph for chicken madness, quirky pop and taking your Pikachu home. The UK came 24th out of 26, as predicted. Let’s never speak of this again. Updated
at 2.24am BST
13 May 2018
23:40
So it’s Israel or Cyprus. Popular voters, I love you. Updated
at 11.43pm BST
13 May 2018
23:38
Only three countries left! I can’t breathe. 13 May 2018
23:36
I’m sandwiched between Israeli and Cypriot journalists here. Not gonna lie, it’s all quite tense. 13 May 2018
23:35
See this is all exciting now. One by one, countries are being eliminated from the top spot. Can Cyprus do it, or will be it be Germany or Israel? 13 May 2018
23:33
Lowest public vote goes to Australia, which is an absolute shocker. Sweden have done very badly in the public vote, we’re not going back there next year. 13 May 2018
23:32
So the scoreboard after the jury votes: Austria at the top with 271. The UK has 23. I have issues with the new numberwang voting system. But we haven’t had the public vote yet, so everything can change. STAY EXCITED PEOPLE. 13 May 2018
23:26
Israel just gave the UK 8 points. We love Israel. To be fair they’ve given Austria 12 points, so it’s all relative. Updated
at 11.27pm BST
13 May 2018
23:21
Greece have given Cyprus 12 points. All is well. Updated
at 11.27pm BST
13 May 2018
23:20
I CAN’T go back to Sweden, I had to take out a second mortgage after 2016. I’ll be liveblogging back in front of the telly next year at this rate. 13 May 2018
23:18
So much jury love for Germany, Austria and Sweden. This is a beige bloodbath. 13 May 2018
23:15
The UK currently has 7 points from the jury vote. For context, the country in the lead (Israel), has 158. Updated
at 11.16pm BST
13 May 2018
23:12
“Is this a surprise?”, silver commentator asks Cesar. “Yes, I wasn’t expecting this”. You and me both, Cesar. Updated
at 11.14pm BST
13 May 2018
23:09
Hello why do all the juries love Austria please. I mean it was fine, but still. (apologies to my Austrian boyfriend, I still love you). Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. 'Evening all! Tonight I am going to attempt the impossible - watch the Eurovision stone cold sober. May the Lord help you
why would you do this? I’m not sure it works sober. Love Love Peace Peace, Heidi. with a man on a hamster wheel
Love love peace peace and a burning grand piano. Good evening Heidi, good evening glitter gang and everyone else.This should be a fun evening. Right, hope you don't mind me mentioning this here but I know a few people were beginning to worry for my health last year.So for the usual suspects who followed my deteriorating health last year during the strictly run I thought I would give you a little update.Seemed my issues of pains in hands and feet were a tad more serious than first thought and had to have major spinal surgery a couple of weeks ago to decompress my spinal cord.have had a titanium cage put in my neck so I'm wearing a collar and taking loads of painkillers so no drinking for me.Anyway, enough self regarding nonsense I like quite a few of the songs tonight including the UK (I have a sneaking suspicion we might do well).Se y'all at 8. Lovely to see you, sounds like you've had QUITE the year. Glad to hear you're on the mend xx
Oh gosh you poor thing! I hope you’re on the mend soon. The strong painkillers might be a blessing tonight though! Thank goodness you seem to be on the mend. Thanks for updating us! Hi all! Will only be dipping in and out periodically as I am hosting people tonight and am scurrying around the house trying to finalise nibbles. But I am excited for Eurovision! Really wish india were in this! If australia and israel are in why not a nation crazy about singing and dancing :). God that would be good. The dance routines would be amazing! We need to get India in the Eurovision. What a great idea! Cos they'd literally have to build the euro vision stadium in Dheli because they would never lose lol. Welcome Europe! Heading out to some friends' to watch (walking distance so no need to stay sober). Everyone enjoy the show and please please spare a vote for #magicmoldova, Italy or our Irish cousins! Absolutely loving the Moldovan entry this year, one of the most fun performances I’ve seen in a while! Also have Hungary as a personal favourite (always nice to have the token hard rock act on Eurovision). how time flies.....
bon soir. x
I know right? This time last year I was freezing my butt off in Kiev. according to trip advisor it has it's own display case in the national museum. evening h. x
Evening your dameship. Let’s all sparkle in euro camaraderie. Love love peace peace, everyone! Evening Heidi and Alice! (you lucky things). Not sure what I’m going to do with my time when this is over as I’ve been glued to my iPad for weeks now. I can’t remember another year when I’ve positively liked as many songs. Very strong selections almost across the board. I’ll be reasonably happy if any of about ten wins, but my votes will mostly go to France. I’ve recklessly tipped Italy for a surprise win, without putting any euros on it of course, I’m not yet completely mad. Favourite night of the year. Surprise! Bet you didn't expect me to find my own way! Me neither. Hi penguin and athena! Just thought to check whether there’s a live blog.... silly me
Have drinks, the bingo sheet is on the wall and food good to go. Evening all. Ah lovely Lisbon, surely a more attractive venue than Chernobyl in The Ukraine (or wherever it was last year).It's such a long show tonight that if I start drinking now I'll probably be typing with my nose by then so let the madness begin! Watching pait dry is more appealing
Off you go then. Epic Hair? Check. Heroic Teeth? Check? Oiled legs and Killer Heels? Check. With a Scandinavian wife I have to make the effort and that's just for the sofa. How lovely. Welcome back, Heidi- and hopefully the SCD glitterati. Frantically trying to avoid oven burns in order to have dinner ready for kick off. A sparkly evening to you! What a wonderful example of cooperation this songfest is, much needed. Hello Penguin. An evening of pure fun. It does feel like meeting up with old friends. Eurovision party tonight with friends. Heidi we eagerly await details of your brutal drinking game! This sweet, sweet oasis between series of Strictly Come Dancing. Praise be. Lots of Eurovision parties taking place here in the UK.My grown up kids at one where they all dress in the national costumes of the Eurovision country allotted to them.We will just be boring and watch it whilst having hot buttered toast and tea.Interesting to find out what others do. | Awards ceremony | May 2018 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The High Court in Glasgow jails corrupt juror Catherine Leahy for six years in the first case of its kind in Scotland. | Catherine Leahy found guilty of interfering in drugs trial in first case of its kind in Scotland
A juror who accepted a bribe has been jailed in the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland.
Catherine Leahy served on a jury in a drug trafficking and money laundering trial at the high court in Glasgow, which returned a not proven verdict in April 2016 after three days of deliberation. A police investigation was launched after information was passed to the Crown Office about an alleged bribe to a juror. Audio surveillance was used to capture recordings of Leahy talking to a family member at her home in Glasgow about the allegations against her.
At her trial at the high court in Glasgow, the Crown Office said Leahy had received nearly £3,000, paid in four instalments into her bank account, between April and June 2016. Prosecutors linked the payments to the charge against Leahy, which was described as “a serious breach of public duty”.
Last month, she was found guilty of agreeing to receive money for not properly carrying out her role as a juror. On Thursday, at the high court in Edinburgh, Leahy, 62, was sentenced to six years in jail. In his sentencing statement, released by the Scottish judiciary, Lord Turnbull said: “To agree to accept a bribe from, or on behalf of the accused whilst serving as a juror in a high court trial, involves conduct which reflects such a serious breach of the public duty that forms the cornerstone of justice in our society as to constitute conduct at the most serious end of that contemplated by the provisions of the Bribery Act. “The nature and seriousness of the lengthy trial in which you served as a juror, and accepted the position of spokesperson, aggravates the offence even further. It is obvious that a very lengthy custodial sentence is merited by such conduct.”
Leahy is the first juror to be prosecuted under the Bribery Act 2010. Turnbull said the maximum sentence for the offence was 10 years but he took into account mitigating factors, including her lengthy history of employment and the fact she had never previously offended. Prosecutors are giving further consideration to the circumstances of the original trial in which Leahy served as a juror. The Crown can ask the court for authority to bring a fresh prosecution in cases where a person was previously acquitted in certain circumstances, including when an offence against the course of justice in the original trial is considered to have been committed.
Liam Murphy, procurator-fiscal for specialist casework, said: “The role of the jury sits at the heart of our criminal justice system and is fundamental to our rule of law. This is the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland, which shows that cases of jury interference are exceptionally rare. “Leahy took advantage of a position of public responsibility for financial gain without any regard to the consequences.”
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| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | April 2018 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The sister of Filipino actress Maritoni Fernandez and daughter of British hereditary peer Antony Moynihan, 3rd Baron Moynihan is shot dead in a suburb of Manila. Through deliberate evidence left at the scene, the perpetrator's motive appears to be an implication that Moynihan had been a drug dealer. | Ma. Aurora Moynihan, an alleged drug pusher to celebrities, was the sister of actress Maritoni Fernandez Advertisement
MANILA, Philippines – A sister of actress Maritoni Fernandez was found dead early Saturday, September 10.
The Philippine Star reported that Ma. Aurora Moynihan was shot dead around dawn, her body found in the corner of Temple Drive and Giraffe street in Barangay Ugong Norte in Quezon City, according to police officer 3 Anthony Tejerero.
An Inquirer report says that Quezon City Police District's Guillermo Eleazar said that the victim was the sister of the actress Maritoni Fernandez.
Moynihan was found with a placard that said, “pusher ng mga celebrities kasunod na kayo (pusher to the celebrities you are next).”
Manila Bulletin posted a photo of the placard taken by the QCPD PIO on Twitter.
Moynihan's case is undergoing investigation. Her family has yet to issue a statement.
In a separate report, Chief Inspector Tito Jay Cuden told AFP that the victim, 45, held dual British and Filipino nationality and is a daughter of the third Baron Moynihan of Leeds, who died in 1991 in Manila where he ran a string of brothels.
Anthony Patrick Andrew Cairnes Berkeley Moynihan fled to the Philippines in the late 1960s while facing a string of fraud allegations in Britain.
| Famous Person - Death | September 2016 | ['(Rappler)'] |
The Obama administration through the United States Department of Labor sues Peter Thiel's Palantir Technologies for alleged discrimination against Asians in its hiring practices. , | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - (This version of the Sept. 26 story, corrects paragraph 4 to show that Palantir issued a statement denying the allegations, which was contained in an earlier story, instead of that Palantir could not immediately be reached for comment, adds Palantir comment on Labor Department analysis in paragraph 11 which was contained in an earlier story.)
The U.S. Department of Labor filed an administrative lawsuit against Palantir Technologies on Monday, alleging that the data analytics and security company systematically discriminated against Asian job applicants.
Privately held Palantir helps government agencies track down terrorists and uncover financial fraud. It raised $880 million in funding late last year, for a $20 billion valuation, and is considered one of Silicon Valley’s most secretive companies.
The lawsuit alleges Palantir routinely eliminated Asian applicants in the resume screening and telephone interview phases, even when they were as qualified as white applicants.
Palantir denied the allegations in a statement and said it intends to “vigorously defend” against them.
Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel and Joe Lonsdale, two of Silicon Valley’s more influential investors and entrepreneurs. A representative for Thiel could not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
Ian Eliasoph, civil rights counsel for the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, said Palantir was randomly selected for a review, which examines the number of applicants for a given position compared with applicants’ demographics. If signs of discrimination are found, the office opens an inquiry to search for violations.
From 2010-2015 the compliance office conducted 20,918 compliance evaluations, 78 percent of which resulted in no violations. Some 22 percent had some violation and 2 percent had discrimination findings, according to the Government Accountability Office.
In one example cited by the Labor Department, Palantir reviewed a pool of more than 130 qualified applicants for the role of engineering intern. About 73 percent of applicants were Asian. The lawsuit, which covers Palantir’s conduct between January 2010 and the present, said the company hired 17 non-Asian applicants and four Asians.
“The likelihood that this result occurred according to chance is approximately one in a billion,” said the lawsuit, which was filed with the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges.
However, Palantir said the Labor Department relied on a “narrow and flawed statistical analysis relating to three job descriptions from 2010 to 2011.”
Employment and civil rights attorney Cliff Palefsky said it was unusual to see hiring discrimination involving Asians.
But Tracy Chou, of Silicon Valley-based diversity and inclusion organization Project Include, said discrimination against Asians for senior positions has been widely publicized.
In 2015, Asians represented 27.2 percent of the professional workforce at Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, LinkedIn and Yahoo but were 13.9 percent of the companies’ executive workforces, according to a study by pan-Asian professionals organization Ascend.
“Asians are not perceived to be the same as whites even though in these diversity conversations Asians get lumped together with whites because they’re overrepresented in tech compared to the overall population,” she said.
Since January 2010, Palantir has been a party to federal government contracts worth over $340 million, the lawsuit said.
The Labor Department sent Palantir a notice in October 2015 about its findings, according to the lawsuit. Both before and after that notice, labor regulators attempted to secure Palantir’s voluntary compliance, the lawsuit said, but they did not succeed.
The lawsuit seeks relief for persons affected, including lost wages.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | September 2016 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
At least 10 people are killed near a Shia Muslim procession in Lahore, while two other people are killed in an attack in Karachi. | At least a dozen people were killed and nearly 70 injured in blasts in Lahore and Karachi on Tuesday evening along the route of the Tazia and Alam processions on the occasion of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain.
Both blasts took place on the outer limits of the multi-layered security cordon put in place in the two cities in view of past attacks on the minority Shia community during similar processions.
The blast in Lahore — the first and more severe of the two — took place near Urdu Bazaar where the first security check post had been placed for worshippers heading to the Data Darbar, the shrine of the Persian Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Ali bin Usman Hajweri, for the 967th Urz Shareef. Later in the evening, the Shia procession was also slated to pass through the area on way to Karbala Gamay Shah.
Three police personnel were among the nine killed in the Urdu Bazaar blast as a teenaged suicide bomber detonated himself on being stopped at the security check post. According to the police, the suicide bomber was no more than 15 years old. He had bombs strapped to his body and was apparently also carrying a bag full of explosives.
Soon after the blast, in which 52 people including five policemen were injured, Lahore authorities sought to convince the management of Data Darbar and the Shia leadership of the city to cut short the Urs and Tazia procession respectively in view of security situation.
Within an hour of the blast in Lahore, a bomb ripped through a police vehicle in the Malir Halt area of Karachi just after a Tazia procession had passed by. Two policemen were killed and 10 people sustained injuries. Police claimed the fatalities would have been higher had the procession got delayed. Again, the blast occurred when the police stopped a motor-cyclist.
Security had been strengthened across the country in view of the Tazia processions and officials said the inability of the terrorists to break through the cordon in both cities was testimony to the high state of alert. Last year, terrorists had struck at both the Data Darbar and Karbala Gamay Shah and Tuesday's attack was yet another reminder of how sectarian violence has come to haunt Pakistan's cultural capital. | Protest_Online Condemnation | January 2011 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(AP via Google News)', '(The Hindu)'] |
As expected, the regular-season schedule for the 2018 NFL season is released, with the defending champions Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons in the league's season opener on September 6. | When Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL release their schedules, only the hardcore fans take note. NFL schedule release day seems like a holiday in comparison.
The popularity of the league can be summed up in many ways, but few like the excitement over seeing the regular-season schedule being announced. NFL Network had a two-hour show scheduled for Thursday night around the schedule release, with five reporters on site at various NFL team headquarters. ESPN announced a competing two-hour schedule release show for Thursday night. The release of the schedule is an event, and has been for many years.
[For the full 2018 NFL regular-season schedule, click here.]
Finally, we have NFL football on the calendar (and not just the preseason schedule, which came out last week just to tease us). Here are the main points to take away from the 256-game NFL slate for 2018:
Since the 2004 season, the NFL has put the defending Super Bowl champion in the league’s opening game of the season, traditionally on a Thursday night with the champ being the home team. The Philadelphia Eagles waited more than 50 years to finally win a Super Bowl, and it will be an electric atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field as Eagles fans get to continue their championship celebration with an opening-night game against the Atlanta Falcons. That game will be on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8:20 p.m., and is a rematch of a tight NFC divisional round playoff game last season. The bulk of the Week 1 games happen that Sunday, Sept. 9.
Of course the opening game is more than a coronation for the champs, and it will be especially interesting from a football sense in Philadelphia because of the Carson Wentz situation. Wentz is coming off a torn ACL suffered last December, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to start Week 1. If Nick Foles has to start, it will be a tough test against a good Falcons team. The good news is Foles is the defending Super Bowl MVP.
The NFL scheduled a traditional rivalry for the first “Sunday Night Football” game of the season. The Chicago Bears will take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
There will be the traditional doubleheader on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1. The Detroit Lions host the New York Jets in the first game, then the Oakland Raiders — with Jon Gruden back on the sideline — will host the Los Angeles Rams in the second game. Gruden will go from the “MNF” broadcast booth to coaching on Monday evening in his first game back as Raiders coach.
The best Week 1 game that isn’t in prime time could be the Houston Texans, hopefully with quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt back from injury, at the New England Patriots.
The Los Angeles Chargers will host the Kansas City Chiefs in the second set of games on the Sunday of Week 1, and that one will have big implications in the AFC West race.
Before the games were even announced, the NFL said that the times of prime-time games will move up. Monday night games will start at 8:15 p.m. ET, 15 minutes earlier than last year, Sunday night games will start at 8:20 p.m. (10 minutes earlier) and Thursday night games will kick off five minutes earlier at 8:20 p.m.
There are plenty of interesting parts of the prime-time schedule, but one that stands out is the San Francisco 49ers got five prime-time games. Credit a late-season winning streak with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, which vaulted the 49ers into relevancy again. The Rams are among the teams that have an NFL-best five prime-time games, and Cameron DaSilva of The Rams Wire said that is the most in team history.
According to Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network, the teams with five prime-time games are: Rams, Cowboys, Packers, Chiefs, Patriots, Saints, Eagles, Steelers, 49ers and Seahawks. Siciliano said the Cardinals, Bills, Bengals, Browns, Colts, Chargers, Dolphins and Buccaneers get just one prime-time game each. NFL Network pointed out that every team will appear in at least one prime-time game this season. Also, no team with a “Monday Night Football” road game will have a road game the following week. In addition, there will be two Saturday games in Week 16, and the NFL will decide which games to move to that Saturday after Week 8.
The Chicago Bears will play at the Detroit Lions to begin the Thanksgiving tripleheader. Then the Dallas Cowboys will host the Washington Redskins. The night ends with the best game of the three, the Atlanta Falcons visiting the New Orleans Saints.
Flexible scheduling between the networks has allowed the NFL more options for the three Thanksgiving matchups, and it has resulted in better games. For many years, the Lions or Cowboys had to host an AFC team so the network that broadcasts AFC games could have one. A recent change allows networks to swap games, so we have gotten many more NFC vs. NFC games. Even though the first two Thanksgiving games this year feature four teams that missed the playoffs last season, they’re division rivalry games. And Falcons-Saints, with two teams that are coming off playoff berths, is one of the best rivalries in the NFL.
There are four international games this season, with three in London and one in Mexico. The NFL offered those games as an appetizer to the release of the full schedule, announcing the international games on Thursday morning.
The good news is the NFL has kept two of the London games in the early Sunday morning time slot, which provides some value to American fans who otherwise wouldn’t gain much from games being played in England.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders, Tottenham Hotspur, London. Oct. 14, 1 p.m. ET Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Wembley Stadium, London. Oct. 21, 9:30 a.m. ET Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Wembley Stadium, London, Oct. 28, 9:30 a.m. ET Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City. Nov. 19 (Monday), 8:15 p.m. ET
| Sports Competition | April 2018 | ['(Yahoo Sports)'] |
The national election in Australia results in a change of government, with the Australian Labor Party securing an electoral swing of more than 5%. Kevin Rudd will take office as 26th Prime Minister of Australia and the outgoing Prime Minister John Howard is also likely to lose his seat in parliament. | AUSTRALIA had looked to the future and had decided the nation must move forward, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd said last night.
Claiming the election win he said Australia had decided to prepare and plan to make the nation a better place – forging a new consensus that put old battles aside and wrote ‘’a new page in Australia’s history’’. "It is time for us to write this new page in our history – I thank the nation.’’ He called on Australia to seize the opportunity of the future.
He said there was a great privilege and responsibility in assuming leadership, thanking those who had voted for Labor for the first time.
"I will never take their sacred trust for granted,’’ he said. Mr Rudd said he would be "a prime minister for all Australians’’. He said he would be a leader for indigenous Australians, migrants, town and country, farmers afflicted by drought and for men and women serving in uniform.
"I will be prime minister for all Australians,’’ he said "And I make this solemn pledge for the nation I will always govern in the national interest. "And I will always have my door open to men and women of good will who wish to make this country better.’’ Mr Rudd said all that he had promised over the past year would be his work agenda: an education revolution, boosting the funding of hospitals, tackling climate change, building a first-class broadband network and getting the balance right in the workplace. He promised to keep the economy strong but ‘’to make sure it delivered for working families as well".
He said he understood it would be a hard task but one he would pursue with vigour. Mr Rudd sent a message to allies around the world, particularly the United States, as well as Asia and Europe, to work together on the great challenges. Mr Rudd started his speech by praising Mr Howard’s extensive contribution to public service in Australia despite policy difference and his dignified concession speech. He said all should celebrate and honour the way that Australians exercised democracy.
"I want to wish Mr and Mrs Howard and their family all the very best for future,’’ he said. Mr Rudd thanked the electors of Griffith and the Australian Labor Party, which grasps the great mission of pursuing prosperity ‘’without every throwing the fair go out the back door’’. He praised the ALP for keeping the faith through many defeats.
Mr Rudd made a special thanks to asbestos diseases campaigner Bernie Banton, praising the values he stood for and the support of the trade union movement. "You stand out as a beacon and clarion call to us all about what is decent and important in life,’’ he said. Mr Rudd also praised deputy leader Julia Gillard saying ‘’she has been fantastic as the deputy leader of the Labor party she will be fantastic as the deputy prime minister of Australia’’. Others to be thanked were old school colleagues Wayne Swan, party president John Faulkner, national secretary Tim Gartrell and NSW secretary and now senator-elect Mark Arbib, his chief of statff David Epstein, his deputy Alister Jordan, the rest of the frontbench and the candidates. Mr Rudd concluded with a thank to his ‘’life partner’’, wife Therese Rein, noting he was married 26 years ago and joined the party 25 years ago, and the rest of his family. He also remembered his father who died when he young and his mother who died the day before the last election. "I salute them and the values they delivered their son,’’ he said. Earlier flanked by his wife Janette and children, Mr Howard conceded defeat and thanked Treasurer Peter Costello to whom he owed a "special debt".
He accepted full responsibility for the Coalition’s loss and all but conceded the loss of his own seat. Mr Howard wished Mr Rudd well on the task he had ahead and said the Coalition bequeathed to him a nation that was "stronger and prouder and more prosperous’’ than it was 11 years ago. He said it was a privilege to have served as prime minister and he thanked the Australian people for that privilege. "The Australian people are the greatest people on earth and this is the greatest country on earth’’. He said he had led a government that had paid off debt and restored prosperity, a government that had not shirked hard decisions and a government that was the envy of the world.
He paid thanks to Nationals leader Mark Vaile and his predecessors.But without conceding defeat in his own electorate he gave a strong endorsement for Peter Costello, both as the fiscal steward of the past but also for the future.
"The future of our party is very much tied up with Peter Costello; he is very much our future,’’ he said. He expressed regrets for those Coalition members who had lost their seats particular Mal Brough the indigenous affairs minister who led the intervention in the Northern Territory. He said he hoped Kevin Rudd would continue to support the action. Mr Howard thanked the Liberal Party saying it had given him much. "I accept full responsibility for the Coalition campaign so I therefore accept full responsibility for the Coalition’s defeat in this campaign,’’ he said. Mr Howard thanked his family particularly his wife Janette. His daughter Melanie could not be there because she was a bridesmaid at a wedding. "She told me I had picked the wrong date for the election, I think she was right,’’ he joked. Mr Howard said he was saddened by the loss but was proud he had been the beneficiary of so much support over many years. "It has been a tremendous honour opportunity and privilege to have served you,’’ he said. Mr Howard concluded by saying Australia’s best years lay ahead and wish the new government good fortune.
Peter Costello also conceded a change of government would happen following a national swing of about 5 per cent. Mr Costello said he believed the Liberal Party was the party which best represented the entrepreneurial spirit and respect for the freedom of the individual. "I think the Liberal party will be very, very proud of what it has achieved in government over the past 11 and a half years,’’ he said. The Treasurer said he would be talking to his colleagues, particularly those who had lost their seats. "The highest form of service in any country is public service,’’ he said. Mr Costello said he was expecting a swing to him in his seat of Higgins when the postal votes are included, after a 1.9 per cent swing to Labor in the votes lodged yesterday. | Government Job change - Election | November 2007 | ['(The Australian)'] |
The President of the United States George W. Bush commences the last visit to Europe of his presidency. | As his presidency winds down, Bush — reviled by many Europeans and simply ignored by others — can do little this week but smooth the way for his successor.
His tour kicks off Tuesday with a one-day summit of U.S. and European leaders in Slovenia, where officials have alluded to long-standing misgivings in Europe over Bush's foreign policy in Iraq and its approach to climate change and other issues.
"As in all relationships, the EU and U.S. sometimes have different views," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told reporters before Bush's scheduled arrival Monday evening.
Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to meet with Slovenian President Danilo Turk and Prime Minister Janez Jansa, and later with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana at a castle that the late Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito once used as a retreat.
Later Tuesday, Bush was to head to Germany to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel. He also planned stops in Italy, the Vatican, France, England and Northern Ireland.
Like many Americans, Europeans have Bush fatigue. His decision to invade Iraq stirred anti-American sentiment in many countries, although that has receded as Europeans watch the U.S. presidential campaign and weigh prospects for change under a new president.
"A lot of people like America. They may not sometimes necessarily like the president but they like America," Bush said in an interview with POP TV of Slovenia. "They like what America stands for."
Yet many Slovenes, whose country now holds the rotating EU presidency, expressed a growing disinterest in Bush, coupled with a keen interest in who will replace him at the White House.
"I believe that it's more important now for all of us to see if his successor would do any change," said Sonja Virant, a 42-year-old clothes designer in the capital, Ljubljana.
Bush, she said, "can't do anything bad anymore — or I hope so."
"My opinion of him? Negative," said Tina Sremec, 19, a student.
Rupel said the EU and U.S. officials would discuss a wide range of issues including the Middle East peace process, global warming and security, efforts to forge a new global trade agreement, Iran's nuclear program, the burgeoning food price crisis and tensions with Serbia over Kosovo's independence.
The two sides also were to discuss ways to improve airline safety and broaden a program that lets people travel in the U.S. without visas for up to 90 days. The visa waivers currently are available for only 15 of the EU's 27 member nations.
National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley made clear the trip was not expected to produce any breakthroughs, saying last week: "I don't think you're going to see dramatic announcements on this trip."
Underscoring the low expectations, officials said the one issue they hoped could be resolved was a long-running dispute over an EU ban on imports of U.S. poultry.
Although Bush will meet with key European leaders again at next month's summit in Japan of the Group of Eight major industrialized nations, this week's trip was likely to be his last major tour across the continent before the U.S. presidential elections in November.
Climate change has been a major point of disagreement between the U.S. and Europe.
The EU has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, and by 30% if other developed countries accept similar commitments. But Washington has opposed binding commitments, arguing that they could hurt the struggling U.S. economy.
When Bush first visited this ex-Yugoslav republic in 2001 for a summit with then-Russian President Vladimir Putin, he was met with large and boisterous demonstrations.
This time, reflecting deep-seated apathy for a president increasingly viewed as yesterday's man, only a few small, loosely organized protests were planned. And though security was tight, unlike his 2001 stop, there were no American flags to welcome Bush.
"I feel nothing for him," said Andrej Sit, a 29-year-old CD vendor. "I don't think about him at all." | Diplomatic Visit | June 2008 | ['(USA Today)'] |
The United States Food and Drug Administration announces it has relaxed its official requirements regarding the use of the abortion drug Mifeprex . The current guidelines were based on 1990s medical evidence. Changes include reducing the number of physician visits required by abortion–seeking women, reducing drug dosage, and allowing women to take the drug for three weeks longer –– now a total of 70 days. | SILVER SPRING, Md., March 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday announced that it has relaxed its official requirements regarding the use of the abortion drug Mifeprex, which was based on outdated 1990s medical evidence.
The FDA said the change revises the regimen it wants providers to follow when prescribing the drug to patients.
Doctors and health experts have said the original agency label was based on old clinical trial evidence from the late 1990s that goes against the currently accepted standards of medical practice.
The FDA's revised label, for example, reduces the number of physician visits abortion-seeking women have to make and reduces the dosage of the drug, which doctors have found to be more effective.
The agency's label change also allows pregnant women to take the drug for three weeks longer -- for a total of 70 days -- than the FDA's previous stipulation.
The announcement is a victory for abortion rights advocates, who have been fighting for years against various state laws that oppose medically induced abortion.
"This is a huge step in increasing access to medication abortion and it comports with the scientific evidence," Guttmacher Institute associate Elizabeth Nash, who helps track female reproductive health issues, said.
Many doctors have been prescribing Mifeprex against the FDA's official instructions in favor of the new regimen -- a practice known in the industry as off-label use. However, that led lawmakers in some states to seek legal requirements that the FDA's label be followed to the letter -- a tactic some critics have said is intended to make drug-induced abortions more difficult to obtain.
The FDA approved Mifeprex, known generically as mifepristone, in 2000. When combined with another drug, misoprostol, it induces a miscarriage.
On Wednesday, Planned Parenthood and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists applauded the FDA's label update.
"ACOG is pleased that the updated FDA-approved regimen for mifepristone reflects the current available scientific evidence and best practices and includes many of the recommendations that ACOG had presented to the agency," the organization said in a statement.
"Access to reproductive services, including abortion care, is essential for women's health. Medication abortion, performed through a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, has provided a safe, effective option for induced abortion that has benefited millions of women," the ACOG added.
"This is another affirmation from the FDA that medication abortion is a safe and effective option to end an early pregnancy," Planned Parenthood Chief Medical Officer Raegan McDonald-Mosley said in response Wednesday. "Studies show medication abortion has a 99 percent safety record, and that medication abortion is up to 98 percent effective in ending an early pregnancy."
In its reaction, Planned Parenthood also noted that the newly FDA-sanctioned regimen has long been recognized as favorable by medical groups, including the ACOG and the American Medical Association.
"We have actually had the protocols approved today in place at Planned Parenthood for some time," McDonald-Mosley continued. "But given the restrictions on medication abortion enacted at the state level in recent years, updating the label to reflect best medical practice represents a significant step forward for science, for women, and for healthcare providers who want to give our patients the highest quality care."
The FDA's announcement comes amid a new round of abortion-related debate among the Republican presidential candidates.
GOP front-runner Donald Trump said Wednesday that as president he would not only outlaw abortion, but also favor "some form of punishment" for when women obtain illegal abortions.
"You know you'll go back to a position like where they had, where people perhaps will go to illegal places... But you have to ban it," Trump told MSNBC's Chris Matthews in the interview, scheduled to air Wednesday.
"There has to be some form of punishment."
. | Government Policy Changes | March 2016 | ['(RU–486)', '(UPI)'] |
The Indian Space Research Organization loses contact with Vikram moments before its planned soft landing on the Moon. India would have been the fourth nation to have explored the lunar surface, had Vikram successfully landed, and it would have deployed the Pragyan rover onto the surface. | Indian Space Research Organization employees react as they learn that mission control lost communication with its unmanned landing module moments before it touched down on the moon's south pole Saturday (local time.)
Aijaz Rahi/AP
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Indian Space Research Organization employees react as they learn that mission control lost communication with its unmanned landing module moments before it touched down on the moon's south pole Saturday (local time.)
India's attempt to become the first country to land a robotic mission at the Moon's south pole has failed, after engineers lost contact with the Vikram lander — part of the Chandrayaan-2 probe. Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation lost signal from the lander as it hovered over the surface, moments away from what would have been a successful soft-landing. In a statement ISRO's Mission Control Centre provided a brief explanation of what went wrong, saying the unmanned landing module's "descent was as planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication from Lander to the ground stations was lost." "Data is being analyzed," ISRO added. India's prime minister, Narendra Modi — who watched the final moments of the attempt — offered words of encouragement to the Chandrayaan team, which has been working on the $150 million project. "India is proud of our scientists!" wrote Modi on Twitter. "They've given their best and have always made India proud. These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be!"
Scientists were hoping to land the robotic spacecraft between two craters about 375 miles from the moon's unexplored south pole. The lander was supposed to release a small solar-powered rover equipped with instruments to collect and analyze the moon's 4-billion-year-old soil. A successful touchdown would have vaulted India into an exclusive club of countries that have successfully completed a soft landing on the lunar surface. So far, only the former Soviet Union, the United States and China have accomplished it.
Several of the early U.S. and Soviet attempts at a soft, robotic, landing on the moon in the 1960s were unsuccessful. Part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, an orbiter, remains in operation.
Saturday's disappointing lunar mission comes a little more than a decade after India launched the Chandrayaan-1, a satellite that fired a projectile into the moon's South Pole in search of water. NPR thanks our sponsors | New achievements in aerospace | September 2019 | ['(NPR)'] |
Turkey orders the detention of 42 journalists including well-known writer Nazli Ilicak. Earlier, Turkish satirical magazine LeMan was prevented from publishing its post-coup edition—a cartoon on the cover showed Turkish soldiers facing off against anti-coup protesters, both pushed toward each other by giant hands. | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey ordered the detention of 42 journalists on Monday, broadcaster NTV reported, under a crackdown following a failed coup that has targeted more than 60,000 people and drawn fire from the European Union.
The arrests or suspensions of soldiers, police, judges and civil servants in response to the July 15-16 putsch have raised concerns among rights groups and Western countries, who fear President Tayyip Erdogan is capitalizing on it to tighten his grip on power.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker questioned Ankara’s long-standing aspiration to join the EU.
“I believe that Turkey, in its current state, is not in a position to become a member any time soon and not even over a longer period,” Juncker said on French television France 2.
Juncker also said that if Turkey reintroduces the death penalty - something the government has said it must consider, responding to calls from supporters at public rallies for the coup leaders to be executed - it would stop the EU accession process immediately.
Turkey abolished capital punishment in 2004, allowing it to open EU accession talks the following year, but the negotiations have made scant progress since then. The country plays an pivotal role in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State and in containing the flow of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria.
Erdogan reiterated his government’s stance on the possible restoration of capital punishment in an interview with German television station ARD broadcast on Monday.
“What do the (Turkish) people say today?” Erdogan asked in the interview. “They want the death penalty reintroduced. And we as the government must listen to what the people say. We can’t say ‘no, that doesn’t interest us.’”
Responding to Juncker’s comments, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Haberturk TV that Europe cannot threaten Turkey regarding the death penalty.
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Erdogan has declared a state of emergency, which allows him to sign new laws without prior parliamentary approval and limit rights as he deems necessary. The government has said these steps are needed to root out supporters of the coup and will not infringe on the rights of ordinary Turks.
NTV reported that among the 42 journalists subject to arrest warrants was well-known commentator and former parliamentarian Nazli Ilicak.
Hinting at a possible concentration of more power in the presidency in the aftermath of the abortive coup, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that political parties have enough common ground to pass limited constitutional changes and aim to eventually draft a whole new charter.
He spoke to reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Erdogan, who met with two out of three opposition party leaders earlier in the day.
“There is unity of understanding among the party leaders to carry out work on drafting a new constitution ... Small-scale constitutional changes could be done through consensus,” Yildirim said.
He also said that the gendarmerie and Coast Guard would now report to the civilian Interior Ministry and no longer the Turkish Armed Forces.
Seven soldiers from a group which attacked a hotel in the coastal town of Marmaris where Erdogan had been staying, in an apparent attempt to capture or kill him during the coup bid, were detained at a police checkpoint on Monday.
Erdogan accuses U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has many followers in Turkey, of masterminding the plot.
In his first decree since the state of emergency was declared, Erdogan ordered the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and foundations with suspected links to Gulen, who denies involvement in the coup.
Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, says the coup may have been orchestrated by Erdogan himself.
Turkey wants the United States to extradite the cleric, while Washington has said it will do so only if there is clear evidence. Cavusoglu said that ties with Washington will be affected if it fails to extradite Gulen and that he would hold meetings with political and judiciary officials during a coming visit to the United States.
Erdogan has accused Gulen, his former ally, of attempting to build a “parallel network” of supporters within the military, police, judiciary, civil service, education and media with the aim of toppling the state.
“They are traitors,” Erdogan told Reuters in an interview last week. He described Gulen’s network as “like a cancer” and said he would treat them like a “separatist terrorist organization” and root them out, wherever they may be.
Gulen denies the allegations.
Authorities have detained 13,000 people over the coup attempt, including 8,831 soldiers, the government says, and has promised a fair trial.
The officers accused of staging the coup will stand trial in an Ankara district laden with symbolism for Turkey’s recent history - the scene of an army show of strength before a “post-modern coup” ousted its first Islamist-led government in 1997.
Rights group Amnesty International said it had received credible evidence of detainees being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt.
At least 246 people were killed and 2,000 wounded in the attempted coup.
Erdogan has extended the maximum period of detention for suspects from four days to 30, a move Amnesty said increased the risk of torture or other maltreatment of detainees.
Photographs on social media have shown some of the detainees bruised and bandaged.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter that Amnesty’s allegations were false, describing them as Gulenist “slander”. “Absolutely none of those detained were subject to torture or bad treatment during or after their detention,” he said.
Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul, Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Geert De Clercq in Paris; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Michael Georgy and Tom Brown
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.
Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | July 2016 | ['[tr]', '(Reuters)', '(CNN)'] |
Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz has said that, despite a 48-hour halt to air strikes on south Lebanon, Israel cannot agree to an immediate ceasefire. | Mr Peretz told parliament that if the offensive stopped, "the extremists will rear their heads anew".
He said Israel intended to "expand and strengthen" its operations in Lebanon.
Earlier Israel suspended air raids for 48 hours - apart from those to defend its civilians or troops - to allow an inquiry into civilian deaths at Qana.
At least 54 people, many of them children, were killed in the southern Lebanese village on Sunday when the house in which they were sheltering was hit by Israeli war planes - the deadliest Israeli raid since hostilities began on 12 July.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Qana says the scene is one of utter desolation. He says Qana has become a ghost village like many others on the road up from the southern city of Tyre, with women and children now a rare sight.
Shortly after Israel announced it was suspending air strikes, its war planes struck several targets, including areas near the village of Taibe.
The Israeli military said the air strikes were ordered after Hezbollah militants hit an Israeli tank near Taibe, wounding three soldiers.
In one incident air strikes killed three Lebanese soldiers in a car near Tyre. Israel expressed regret over the deaths, saying it believed the vehicle was carrying a senior Hezbollah official.
In other developments:
Mr Peretz described the temporary cessation of air strikes, which Israel said was to allow an investigation into the incident in Qana and give civilians trapped in the region a chance to escape, as a "humanitarian gesture".
The defence minister was interrupted by Arab members of parliament many times as he addressed the special session.
UN resolution plan
Mr Peretz's comments came after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US would seek a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire this week.
Speaking after talks with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, Ms Rice said the US would call for UN Security Council action on a comprehensive settlement.
UN 'shocked' by raid
Ceasefire push grows
She said it would comprise three parts: a ceasefire, the political principles that provide for a long-term settlement and the authorisation of an international force to support the Lebanese army in keeping the peace.
"As I head back to Washington, I take with me an emerging consensus on what is necessary for both an urgent ceasefire and a lasting settlement," Ms Rice said.
"I am convinced we can achieve both this week," she added.
US President George W Bush meanwhile said on Monday that the UN had to address the "root causes of the problem".
"We want there to be a long-lasting peace, one that is sustainable," he said after meeting Cuban-American business leaders in Miami, Florida.
Earlier, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, on a trip to the US, said he was optimistic of the chances of an end to hostilities.
While calling for "maximum pressure" to get the Security Council resolution passed, he also called for "maximum restraint" in the region and welcomed Israel's partial ceasefire.
Ground battle
Meanwhile, fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli ground troops has been continuing in southern Lebanon.
The BBC's Richard Miron in the Israeli border town of Metulla says the Israeli military has been shelling targets in the Lebanese villages of Taibe, Kila and Adasya.
For their part Hezbollah militants fired two mortar shells which landed near the Israeli village of Kiryat Shmona on Monday, without causing injuries.
Lebanon's health minister says about 750 people - mainly civilians - have been killed by Israeli action. A total of 51 Israelis, including at least 18 civilians, have been killed in the conflict. [Note: The number of people killed in the Israeli bombing of Qana was later revised. The Washington based human rights group Human Rights Watch investigated the incident and issued a report on 3 August saying that 28 people were known to have died, while 13 people were missing.] | Famous Person - Give a speech | July 2006 | ['(BBC NEWS)'] |
The monumental municipal building in Waalre, a town in the southern Netherlands, is destroyed in an attack after two cars purposefully rammed the building. | The town hall in the Brabant village of Waalre has been destroyed by fire, apparently caused after two cars drove at the building in the early hours of the morning.
The attack happened at around 03.00 hours and the 1920s building was quickly engulfed in flames, according to media reports. No-one was found at the scene. Fire officers are expected to spend the rest of the day making sure the fire is out. The building, which was on the official monument list, has probably been destroyed, officials said. In the dark As yet there is no indication as to why the attack took place. Local newspapers say the cars were driven into opposite sides of the building. Deputy mayor Ton Bonouvrié told Radio 1 it is ‘a very strange story’. There had been no threats against the council, or anything like it, he said. ‘We are in the dark, but that is all the more reason to be concerned about what can happen in the Netherlands,’ the deputy mayor said. Records According to news agency ANP, the home of the town’s mayor Henri de Wijkerslooth is now under police protection. De Wijkerslooth is currently on holiday. All the council’s paper records including passport and building permit requests were destroyed in the blaze, Nos television reports. However, the computer servers and archive were spared which means security camera footage is intact, Nos said. | Armed Conflict | July 2012 | ['(DutchNews)'] |
Thousands of protestors rally in front of the Parliament of Pakistan in Islamabad in support of Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of reformist Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer in 2011 who was subsequently executed last February. The Pakistan Army was called in to control the situation. | Thousands of supporters of executed Islamist killer Mumtaz Qadri are staging a sit-in outside Pakistan's parliament in Islamabad.
It comes a day after clashes broke out at a rally in support of Qadri, who was executed last month for the 2011 murder of reformist politician Salman Taseer.
There were new clashes on Monday as police made a number of arrests and cleared some areas of protesters.
Qadri killed Mr Taseer over his opposition to strict blasphemy laws.
His supporters say he is a hero and should be considered a martyr. Critics say the blasphemy laws, which allow the death penalty to be imposed in some cases, are often misused to oppress religious minorities. The protest was not given much prominence in local media, which is increasingly under official pressure to tone down coverage of events that might encourage unrest.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says protests are now concentrated in the so-called Red Zone of the capital, home to parliament and many government buildings.
Reports put the number of demonstrators at several thousand.
Sunday's unrest involved an estimated 25,000 people. Police fired tear gas at protesters who threw stones, | Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2016 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Later, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announces the threat has largely passed. The United States Geological Survey reports the 7.8 magnitude quake was preceded, 11 minutes earlier, by a 4.8 earthquake. Production at the 110,000 barrel-per-day Esmeraldas refinery is suspended as a precautionary measure. |
QUITO (AFP, REUTERS) - The death toll from Ecuador’s biggest earthquake in decades soared to at least 235 on Sunday as rescuers using tractors and bare hands hunted desperately for survivors in shattered coastal towns.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday and was felt around the Andean nation of 16 million people, causing panic as far away as the highland capital Quito and collapsing buildings and roads in a swathe of western towns.
President Rafael Correa, who was rushing home from a trip to Italy, said the confirmed number of fatalities rose on Sunday to 233.
“The immediate priority is to rescue people in the rubble,”he said via Tiwtter. More than 1,500 people were injured, authorities said.
Coastal areas nearest the quake were worst affected, especially Pedernales, a rustic tourist spot with beaches and palm trees. Information was scant from there due to poor communications and transport chaos.
“There are villages that are totally devastated,” Pedernales’ Mayor Gabriel Alcivar said in a radio interview.“What happened here in Pedernales is catastrophic.”
A state of emergency was declared in six provinces.
“There are people trapped in various places and we are starting rescue operations,” Vice President Jorge Glas said on Sunday morning before boarding a plane to the area. He said in televised comments earlier that it was the strongest quake to hit Ecuador since 1979.
President Correa declared a national emergency and urged the Andean nation’s 16 million people to stay calm. “Our infinite love to the families of the dead,” he said on Twitter, while cutting short a trip to Italy to return home.
With a depth of 10km, the quake struck at 11.58pm GMT (7.58am Sunday, Singapore time) about 173 km west-north-west of Quito and just 28km south-south-east of Muisne, the USGS said.
The USGS said the quake had a magnitude of 7.8, though Ecuador’s Institute of Geophysics on its Twitter account published several different figures that were lower.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially issued a warning for the nearby Pacific coastline, but later said that the threat had largely passed.
Pictures provided by the government showed a bridge collapsed in the coastal city of Guayaquil and a collapsed tower at the airport in the city of Manta.
“There is considerable damage in the area of the epicenter and also as far away as places like the city of Guayaquil,” the Geophysics Institute said in a bulletin, but gave no details.
The government said the damage was “serious”, especially in the western coastal areas nearest the quake and in Guayaquil.
Guayaquil’s mayor Jaime Nebot, who was traveling in Spain, said on his Facebook page he would coordinate recovery operations from where he was.
Official details on the damage to Guayaquil, a frequent departure point for foreign tourists visiting the Galapagos islands made famous by Charles Darwin, were slow to emerge.
The Andean nation’s government recommended residents leave coastal areas over concern for rising tides following the quake.
In fact, two earthquakes jolted the same area just 11 minutes apart, the USGS said. The first measured 4.8 and the second 7.8. Earlier reports had put the magnitude of the second quake at 7.4.
The quake sent confused residents streaming into the streets of Quito and spurred warnings of strong waves on the Andean nation’s coast.
“I was in my house watching a movie and everything started to shake. I ran out into the street and now I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Ms Lorena Cazares, 36, a telecommunications worker in Quito.
Some parts of the capital were without power or telephone service, with many communicating only via What'sapp. Photos on social media showed cracks in the walls of shopping centers.
The capital’s municipal government later said power had been restored and there were no reports of casualties in the city.
“At first it was light, but it lasted a long time and got stronger,” said Ms Maria Jaramillo, 36, a resident of Guayaquil, describing windows breaking and pieces falling off roofs. “I was on the seventh floor and the light went off in the whole sector, and we evacuated. People were very anxious in the street ... We left barefoot.”
“It was terrifying, we were all scared and we’re still out in the streets because we’re worried about aftershocks,” said Guayaquil security guard Fernando Garcia. “Everything is damaged.”
In northern Quito, people ran out of their homes frightened, as power lines swayed back and forth and cables danced.
“Oh, my God, it was the biggest and strongest earthquake I have felt in my whole life. It lasted a long time, and I was feeling dizzy,” said Ms Maria Torres, 60, in the capital Quito, where people fled their homes during Saturday evening’s quake. “I couldn’t walk... I wanted to run out into the street, but I couldn’t.”
Ms Cristina Duran, 45, grabbed her three pets and stood under a large doorway to avoid shards of glass falling from shattered windows. “I was frightened. And I just kept asking for it to be over,” she told AFP.
Mr Ramon Solorzano, 46, a car parts merchant in the city of Manta, said he was getting ready to leave the city with his family. “Most people are out in the streets with backpacks on, heading for higher ground,” he said, speaking in a trembling voice via a WhatsApp phone call.
“The streets are cracked. The power is out and phones are down.”
The authorities closed the airport in the western city of Manta, saying the control tower suffered “severe damage”.
At the Guayaquil airport, passengers awaiting flights dashed out of terminals when they felt the shaking.
“Lights fell down from the ceiling. People were running around in shock,” said Mr Luis Quimis, 30, who was waiting to catch a flight to Quito.
Ecuador’s 110,000 barrel-per-day Esmeraldas refinery was halted as a precautionary measure after an earthquake, Mr Pedro Merizalde, head of state oil company Petroecuador told Reuters.
Crude production in Opec’s smallest member was not, however, affected, other state oil officials said.
Quakes also rattled northern Peru and southern Colombia, according to authorities in those countries, although no casualties were reported. Peruvian officials however urged coastal residents to stay away from the beach.
Ecuador lies near a shifting boundary between tectonic plates and has suffered seven earthquakes of magnitude-7.0 or higher in the region of Tuesday’s quake since 1900, the USGS said. One in March 1987 killed about 1,000 people, it said.
The major jolt came as rescuers in Japan were racing against the weather and the threat of more landslides to reach people still trapped by two big earthquakes that hit that country’s south.
At last 41 people are known to have died in the double disaster, with at least six still missing – feared buried in shattered houses or under torrents of mud. | Earthquakes | April 2016 | ['(The Straits Times)'] |
The death toll from the earthquake rises to 59 with 76 missing. | THE death toll from the Taiwanese earthquake has risen to 59 with 76 people still missing following the 6.4-magnitude tremor.
TAIWAN'S Ministry of Interior says the death toll from the recent earthquake has risen to 59, with 76 people still missing and presumed trapped under the rubble of a collapsed residential building.
THE 16-story Weiguan Golden Dragon complex was the only building to collapse during Saturday's magnitude-6.4 earthquake, which otherwise caused limited damage in the southern city of Tainan.
Originally published asTaiwan quake toll rises to 59; 76 missing
| Earthquakes | February 2016 | ['(AAP via News Limited)'] |
The president of Gabon Ali Bongo calls for calm following clashes between police and anti–government protesters and a subsequent attack on an opposition television station. | Gabon's president says he won't let the Central African nation descend into chaos following violent clashes between police and demonstrators who back a recently returned opposition leader.
President Ali Bongo went on national television Thursday, saying he would not leave the country in the hands of those who “want to break and destroy Gabon.”
Opposition leader Andre Mba Obame, who recently returned from self-imposed exile, was accused of treason after he declared himself president after the 2009 election though he placed third in official results. Employees at his private television station say men stormed the TV+ headquarters on Wednesday after the protest and shut down their broadcast. The opposition says one person was killed during the rally that turned violent. The government maintains no one was killed. - Sapa-AP | Riot | August 2012 | ['(IOL)'] |
Ghana is set to receive a US$600 million three–year loan from the International Monetary Fund. | Ghana is to get a $600m three-year loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), amid concerns about the impact of the recession on poorer countries.
It will also be able to draw up to $450m from the IMF through a special facility - expanded after the G20 summit - to help poor countries. Ghana needs funds to reduce its budget deficit and support its currency. It has been hit by high food and fuel prices, an energy crisis and heavy spending before last year's elections. But the Ghanaian economy has proved "relatively resilient," the IMF said, supported by the high prices of cocoa and gold. The extra $450m will come from the money that Ghana and others have deposited in the fund. These are held as special drawing rights, a basket of currencies composed of the dollar, euro, yen and pound. Ghana is the world's second-biggest cocoa producer, Africa's second-biggest gold exporter, and is also set to become the continent's newest oil producer. Spending control
The IMF funds should help the country reduce its budget deficit from 14.5% in 2008 to 9.4% in 2009. Spending has risen in recent years. In 2006/07, poor rains meant that Ghana, which relies mostly on hydropower, had to rely on more expensive oil-fired power. Rising fuel and food prices also hit Ghana hard. In the run up to last year's fiercely-contested election, the government also spent heavily. If Ghana is to reach its budget deficit target of 4.5% of GDP in 2011, much more needs to be done to control spending, the IMF said. It needs to strengthen tax collection, keep the public sector wage bill under control and avoid large subsidies for petrol and utility bills, it said. If this advice is followed, this will likely mean higher electricity and fuel bills for Ghanaians. Oil hopes
But Ghana's economy should receive a welcome boost from oil. In 2007, Tullow Oil announced that it had discovered 600 million barrels of oil offshore. Oil revenues, expected to start in 2011, could potentially bring Ghana into middle income status, Takatoshi Kato, the IMF's deputy managing director, said. But he added: "The horizon for oil production could prove relatively short, and it will be important that the new revenues be used wisely." Mr Kato's views echo analysts' fears that Ghana may fall prey to the resource curse. An influx of oil dollars can deter countries from diversifying into other economic sectors. In countries where institutions are weak and governance poor, oil riches can also exacerbate corruption. Poverty and corruption are rife in oil producers such as Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Angola. The IMF has calculated that oil income to the budget will be worth about $40 per person in 2011, less than $1 a week. "That will make some differences to living standards in Ghana but not of a magnitude that you can afford to use it imprudently, and you need very strong budget mechanisms to make sure that money ends up in programmes where money is needed," Peter Allum, the IMF's mission chief to Ghana, said. What are these? | Financial Aid | July 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(Reuters)'] |
Iranian man Azim Aghajani is convicted in Nigeria of attempting to smuggle weapons to The Gambia. He is sentenced to five years imprisonment. | An Iranian man convicted of smuggling arms into Nigeria has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Lagos court.
Rockets, mortars and grenades were among the weapons seized from a ship which docked in Lagos in 2010.
Court documents said they were due for re-export to The Gambia, in defiance of a UN arms embargo on Iran.
Nigerian Usman Abbas Jega was convicted alongside Azim Aghajani, who is alleged to be a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and is on a UN blacklist.
They were convicted on four of five charges relating to the shipment, reports the AFP news agency.
The crimes carried a potential life sentence, but Federal High Court Judge Okechukwu Okeke said he had been swayed by the defence's plea for leniency and the conduct of the men in detention, it reports. The BBC's Will Ross reports from Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, that Aghajani prayed continuously as he awaited his fate. The five-year sentence will be counted retroactively from when their trial began in February 2011, which means they will be freed in less than three years, AFP adds. "In sentencing the accused, I have taken into consideration the plea for mercy by the defence team, but the law has to take its course," Judge Okeke is quoted as saying.
Defence lawyer Chris Uche said he would appeal against the ruling. "I strongly feel that a lot of pressure from the international community has influenced the way this case has gone on,'' Mr Uche told journalists. The United Nations placed Aghajani on a blacklist last year, labelling him a Revolutionary Guards member tied to "Iranian support for terrorism and extremism worldwide".
He denied the allegation. The final destination of the weapons has not been established.
There has been speculation that they could have been intended for The Gambia's neighbour, Senegal, where there is a low-level rebellion in the south.
The incident led Senegal to recall its ambassador to Tehran.
It accused the Iranian government of failing to provide a "satisfactory" explanation about the destination of the weapons.
The Iranian government said the shipment belonged to a private company and was being sent to a "West African country", which it did not identify.
The arms were found inside 13 shipping containers labelled as building material.
Iran is under a UN arms embargo over its nuclear programme. Profile: Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Senegal recalls Tehran ambassador
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | May 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker rejects union concessions on the state budget as protests continue in the state capital. | With no political compromise in sight on Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill, tens of thousands of demonstrators with strong opinions of their own converged Saturday inside and outside the state Capitol to chant, sing, wave signs, beat drums and march for their causes.
The march, believed to be the largest gathering at the Capitol since protesters began showing up last week, was huge but peaceful. There were no arrests, according to state officials.
The protesters descended on Madison as Walker, through a spokesman, rejected an overture from a Democratic state senator who said public employee unions had agreed to make financial sacrifices contained in the bill in return for the right to bargain collectively.
Cullen Werwie, Walker's spokesman, said in a statement that state Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) "should come to work and debate the bill while doing his job in Madison.
"Gov. Walker has repeatedly said that we won't negotiate the budget and we can't balance the budget on a hope and a prayer," Werwie said. "That remains true. State and local government need the flexibility to manage this and future budget crises. In addition, as government workers pay a modest amount toward their pension and health care premium, about half the national average, it is fair to give them the choice of additional savings on their union dues."
Walker's office reacted in response to Erpenbach, who said he had been informed that state and local public employee unions had agreed to the financial aspects of the measure.
Erpenbach's statement was backed by a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Education Association Council, who confirmed the agreement, and by Marty Beil, the head of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Erpenbach said the offer was "a legitimate and serious offer on the table from local, state and school public employees that balances Gov. Walker's budget."
"It would appear that Gov. Walker's only target is the destruction of collective bargaining rights and not solving the state's budget," Erpenbach said.
Erpenbach said the next move belonged to Walker.
"I don't see this coming to a head until the governor takes a look at this," Erpenbach said. "He has all he needs to balance the budget."
State Sen. Mark Miller (D-Middleton) agreed with Erpenbach.
"The governor got us into this mess by going too far," Miller said. He said local school districts and city councils across the state had the ability now to bargain with unions as a means of balancing budgets and negotiating cuts.
Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) said Democratic senators were to meet in caucus again on Saturday night at an undisclosed location in Illinois.
Holperin said the senators expect to remain out of state through the weekend. But he said eventually they will have to make a decision to come back, either with Republicans agreeing to let collective bargaining stay intact, or by senators staying away long enough for the public to have enough time to study the legislation.
It was the fifth day of protests over Walker's budget-repair bill but the first day on which a large, organized pro-Walker rally countered the demonstrators.
The number of protesters opposed to Walker's bill, however, outnumbered by far the groups representing tea party organizations and other groups backing the governor.
All day, there was a heavy security presence around the Capitol. Outside, while groups were parading around the square and shouting slogans, police from multiple jurisdictions, some as far away as Brown County, were watching. State officials said as many as 500 officers were on duty, representing 40 different law enforcement agencies.
There were no arrests and no major incidents were reported, said police spokesman Joel DeSpain.
"If the eyes of the nation and the world are truly upon us, then I think we've been able to show that democracy can work well, even if those who have passionate views on different sides come together" in competing rallies, DeSpain said.
Separated from union-sponsored gatherings by orange plastic barriers, several thousand tea party protesters and others supporting Walker gathered. Many were holding signs supporting the governor.
At one area in which both pro- and anti-Walker protesters had gathered, one side chanted, "Kill the bill," while another group yelled, "Pass the bill."
Tom Rynders, a Vietnam veteran in town to support Walker, was talking to a Journal Sentinel reporter when a union protester yelled at him, "This is about losing our rights as citizens." Replied Rynders, "I have rights, too."
Outside, pro-union protesters walked around the perimeter of the square, shouting their support for public employees. At times, the ambience seemed like Madison's venerable farmer's market on Capitol Square.
But once they approached the south side of the Capitol, where the tea party and pro-Walker groups were assembled, the shouting from both sides rose in intensity. Some of the signs read, "Do Your Job" and "The Gravy Train is Over."
At 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Jory Mikkonen of Milwaukee stood above the crowd and shouted loudly at the pro-union sympathizers, "Unions go home!"
Another protester yelled in response: "Get a degree!"
Mikkonen said, "Bring your legislators back, so we can pass the bill."
Yet another protester yelled to him, "You're ignorant."
"Maybe you should have voted on election day," Mikkonen shot back.
Mikkonen, a Marine Corps veteran, said he lost two jobs in manufacturing and now holds three different jobs, including working as a waiter and pizza deliverer, to support himself.
"Jobs are hard to come by, but I found something in less than a month," he said. "And these guys want more benefits at our expense."
But not all exchanges were so heated. Walker supporter John Poehling, 57, debated intensely but amiably for 10 minutes with a public employee. They shook hands and walked away.
"We had a dialogue, but we didn't change each other's mind," Poehling said with a smile.
Pete Skaar, 48, said he was a conservative who drove from northeastern Wisconsin to protest Walker's policies.
He stood on the square with a sign that read, "Conservative Ashamed of Walker."
"I just believe he's taken advantage of the crisis to push his political agenda, just like Obama with health care," Skaar said.
Skaar works with the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles in Peshtigo. He is represented by a state union, the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Association, but is not a member.
Most of Walker's supporters had left Capitol Square by midafternoon, but not all.
In the afternoon, the sound from the dueling protesters was so loud that many of the tea party supporters couldn't hear the speakers. Instead they commiserated about teachers, complained about the missing senators and tried to shout down pro-union demonstrators.
Americans for Prosperity Executive Director Tim Phillips told his supporters on Saturday that the country is in the midst of a "revolution of fiscal sanity." He led tea party supporters in a rousing chant of "Do Your Job."
"We are going to win. We are going to win our nation and our values," said Phillips.
"The eyes of the entire nation are on you today," said Phillips, whose group helped organize the event to back Walker's budget-repair bill.
On the other side of the question was Laura Vernon, 57, of Milwaukee, a WEAC member and security officer in Milwaukee Public Schools for 35 years. She told a union rally elsewhere on Capitol Square that schools understand the importance of fighting bullying.
"It's my job to fight bullies every day, but we are being bullied," Vernon said.
Elsewhere on the square, doctors from numerous hospitals set up a station near the Capitol to provide notes covering public employees' absences, according to The Associated Press.
Family physician Lou Sanner, 59, of Madison told the AP that he had given out hundreds of notes. Many of the people he spoke with seemed to be suffering from stress, he said.
Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) called on Democrats to return to Madison and said that all Republican senators are within three hours of the Capitol.
Fitzgerald emphasized Republicans have no plans to bargain over any aspects of the legislation, and that union officials' statements on Friday that they are willing to bargain on financial aspects don't change a thing.
"They (Democratic senators) need to come back and go to work," Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald also predicted that Republicans would vote unanimously on the bill, even though some members, including Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) have expressed some reservations.
State Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) said it appeared any legislative activity would have to wait for Tuesday. Monday, he said, is a scheduled furlough day for state employees.
Fitzgerald also said that his members continue to be concerned about safety issues. He said that several senators have received threatening e-mails - he said Capitol police have told him not to elaborate - and some senators have had protesters show up at their homes. | Protest_Online Condemnation | February 2011 | ['(Milwaukee Journal–Sentinel)'] |
Lifetime Senator Giorgio Napolitano is elected as the new President of the Italian Republic after four ballots. | The 80-year-old won an absolute majority of 543 votes out of a possible 1,009 after a fourth round of voting.
Mr Napolitano was the chosen candidate of incoming PM Romano Prodi, but faced opposition from the conservatives.
Mr Prodi has decided on his key cabinet positions and says he will be ready to govern within several days.
Mr Napolitano is the country's 11th post-war president and a well-respected figure from the Democrats of the Left, the biggest party in Mr Prodi's coalition, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome. I am very satisfied
Romano ProdiIncoming prime minister
Giorgio Napolitano: Profile
Mr Prodi, who narrowly won parliamentary elections last month, says Mr Napolitano will be sworn in next Monday and that he will be given a mandate for his new government that Wednesday. This probably means that the week after, they will have a vote of confidence in both houses for Mr Prodi's new government, our correspondent says.
Former minister
Members of the electoral college of legislators and regional representatives who elected Mr Napolitano rose to applaud him as he reached the majority of votes needed for election - well above the minimum 506 necessary.
"I am very satisfied, because the number of votes was the most we expected. I believe that the centre-right opposition has lost a chance to join us, because Napolitano will be the president of all Italians," Mr Prodi said. Italy's head of state - basically a figurehead - is elected by 1,010 grand electors, including MPs from both houses and representatives of 20 local regional governments. Mr Napolitano, a life senator, was interior minister in Mr Prodi's 1996 government, which are largely the reasons outgoing PM Silvio Berlusconi has refused to endorse his candidacy. The outgoing president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, has said he will stand aside early. | Government Job change - Election | May 2006 | ['(BBC)'] |
In preparation for a government–proposed transportation tunnel, anthropologists discover 6,000–year–old charcoal at a site near Stonehenge suggesting an encampment existed much earlier than previously theorized. | Archaeologists studying Stonehenge and its environs say they’ve unearthed the remnants of an untouched, ancient encampment that dates back 6,000 years—a find that could rewrite British prehistory. “This is the most important discovery at Stonehenge in over 60 years,” Professor Tim Darvill, a Bournemouth University archaeologist and a Stonehenge expert who was not involved in the new discovery, told the Telegraph. And as he told The Huffington Post in an email, the discovery overturns previous theories that “Stonehenge was built in a landscape that was not heavily used before about 3000 B.C.”
But if scientists are buzzing about the discovery, they’re also bummed about a new government plan calling for the construction of a new tunnel underneath Stonehenge.
The discovery was made during a dig at Blick Mead, a site about 1.5 miles from Stonehenge. Researchers found charcoal dating back to 4,000 B.C. and evidence of “possible structures,” according to a statement released by the university. They also unearthed burnt flint and tools, as well as the remains of aurochs—ancient cattle that served as food for ancient hunter-gatherers.
The researchers plan further analysis on the artifacts but say they’re worried the tunnel construction could damage the site and get in the way of their work.
“Blick Mead could explain what archaeologists have been searching for for centuries—an answer to the story of Stonehenge’s past,” David Jaques, the University of Buckingham archaeologist who discovered the encampment, told The Guardian. “But our only chance to find out about the earliest chapter of Britain’s history could be wrecked if the tunnel goes ahead.”
Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument consisting of a ring of standing stones, is located eight miles north of Salisbury, England in Wiltshire. It has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 1986. | New archeological discoveries | December 2014 | ['(Huffington Post)', '(The Telegraph)', '(University of Buckingham)'] |
Two women and seven men of the Extra Young Ohangla band die and eight other band members survive after their boat sinks in Lake Victoria at Kenya's Lihunda beach. The 15–member band was headed to Ndeda Island. | Some of the nine musicians who drowned in Lake Victoria yesterday morning made desperate telephone calls to their loved ones as their boat capsized.
Many of them drowned when their boat was just three nautical miles from the shore; an equivalent five kilometres on land.
The boat ferrying members of the popular Extra Young Ohangla band began to take in water at about 8 am, with seepage from the hull quickly filling the vessel with the shore just 20 minutes away. “We were about to dock when we noticed the boat was stalling. Water was seeping from the bottom and it soon started to capsize,” said Phillip Ouma, one of the eight band members who survived.
“We prayed and cried for help. We could see some people at the beach far off. We shouted for anyone we could see, but it was too late. Those who could swim survived and were rescued by fishermen. Those who could not, died a painful death,” said Ouma.
Locals retrieve body of fisherman from Lake Victoria
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“It was a classic case of God for us all and everyone for himself. I survived because of my swimming skills. I looked behind and saw water my passengers drinking in water, but there was nothing I could do to help them,” said Kamulus Owidhi, the boat’s coxswain.
The eight survivors spoke of tearful and anxious moments as they swam to safety, haunted by cries for help from their dying band members.
But they swam on motivated by a will to survive, said Mercy Adhiambo, 23, the only female survivor. Two of the three women in the band members died.
The group had performed at Lihanda Beach in Bondo on Friday night and were heading to Denda Beach across the lake to honour another gig.
Among the dead was Charles Oketch, an orphan who was the only bread winner in his family.
His sister Eunice Akoth wept uncontrollably at the beach yesterday. “He was a gifted electrician. We are orphans and he was our only bread winner. What will we do now?” she sobbed.
The band leader Eric Odhiambo, 23, survived.
The search for bodies continued for much of yesterday as grieving relatives and fans of the band flocked into Lihanda Beach where the musicians had boarded the ill-fated boat.
Bondo OCPD Paul Kiarie coordinated the search operation with Nyanza regional police boss Willy Lugusa seeking to mobilise support from the National Disaster team.
Lugusa said the passengers had not worn life jackets, possibly leading to the high casualties.
Among leaders present were Nyangoma Assistant County Commissioner Angelina Were and Central Sakwa MCA Johannes Andiego.
Mr Andiego said this was the worst maritime accident in the area in 41 years.
Lihanda Beach Management Unit Chairman John Nyadido and Secretary Rashid Odhiambo asked the government to help them reinforce safety rules along the beaches.
As the rescue effort went on, village elders said cultural rituals would have to be followed where survivors will spend the night at the beach until the bodies of those who drown are found. The belief among this Luo fishing community is that bodies of those who drown would not be traced if this rite is not adhered to.
A local elder, John Otegno, said the culture was elaborate and involved exorcising the evil spirits that caused the deaths.
“We will be calling the names of each of the dead people each day. We expect them to respond to our ancestors and resurface,” said Otegno.
| Shipwreck | June 2016 | ['(Kenya Star)', '(The Standard)'] |
At least 10 people are injured after fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. | At least 10 people were injured when fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
Video on social media showed people running for cover as fiery trails were shot towards them outside a police station in Tin Shui Wai district.
The activists had been supporting a small number of protesters who had been detained inside the station.
Tensions are high in Hong Kong after weeks of anti-government protests.
The incident early on Wednesday came as more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting, after a protest on Sunday ended in violent clashes with police.
If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
There is an absolutely tonne of footage flying in on Telegram in public & private groups; I’ll do my best to post it all here. This shows a better angle of the attack from above. You can see the fireworks coming from car windows, straight at the crowd in front of the cop shop: pic.twitter.com/8rlMyt6EbO
Campaigner Jack Hazlewood posted videos of the attacks collated from the private messaging app Telegram and other online sources.
Footage from Tin Shui Wai showed the car from which the attack was launched speeding away. The attackers have not been identified.
This is probably the best footage available of the incident - it’s from the perspective of someone directly under the line of fire. Truly terrifying. Ask yourself how anyone could think they’d get away with doing this in front of a police station - welcome to HK today. pic.twitter.com/YSV5FBks3i
Police "strongly condemned" those responsible and said they were investigating.
It was the second time this month that pro-democracy activists had been attacked. On 21 July, men dressed in white shirts and believed to be triad gangsters assaulted protesters and passers-by in the Yuen Long area, after some demonstrators had stormed China's central government building and defaced the national emblem.
Protesters alleged that the gangsters were acting at the behest of the authorities, a claim strongly denied by the government and police.
This footage from a car dashcam clearly shows the shots from the fireworks leaving the car, directed straight at the crowd: pic.twitter.com/ArvU6YCcqm
Elsewhere in Hong Kong, another crowd braved an approaching typhoon to gather outside a court where 44 people were charged with rioting. It is the first time the Hong Kong government has used the charge in connection with these anti-government protests.
The protesters chanted "revolution of our time" and "liberate Hong Kong".
The 44 were released on bail until September and most were given a midnight curfew.
Those gathered outside were in defiant mood.
"I'm not scared to protest. This whole thing today is just making me more angry," said one protester, who gave his name as Gartner.
China has largely allowed Hong Kong's authorities to deal with the protests but fears are growing that it could step in if disruption continues.
In a rare intervention, China's top policy office in Hong Kong condemned Sunday's violent clashes as "horrendous incidents" that have caused "serious damage to the rule of law".
A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office insisted that the territory's "top priority" was to "restore social order".
Demonstrations in Hong Kong began over a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China.
The government has since paused work on the bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely. The demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into police violence.
As a former British colony, Hong Kong has its own legal and judicial systems, and has been promised "a high degree of autonomy" from the Chinese government except in foreign and defence affairs.
China condemns 'horrendous' Hong Kong protests
Fireworks attack injures Hong Kong protesters
Tear gas fired at Hong Kong protesters
Were triads involved in the violence?
The background you need on the protests
| Armed Conflict | July 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
U.S. General Curtis Scaparrotti, the incoming head of the United States military forces in Europe, says he supports a permanent brigade-sized presence of U.S. combat troops in Eastern Europe to deter Russia’s expanded and assertive actions. | WASHINGTON -- The incoming head of U.S. military forces in Europe said he supports a permanent brigade-sized presence of U.S. combat troops in Eastern Europe to deter Russia’s expanded and assertive actions. U.S. Army General Curtis Scaparrotti also told a Senate hearing on April 21 that he supported putting U.S. aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea to send a “strategic message” to Russia and Iran.
The comments by Scaparrotti, who is expected to be confirmed as head of U.S. European Command in the coming weeks, reflect the growing push in Washington and some European capitals for a greater military presence, particularly among NATO members who have felt threatened by Russia’s actions.
In the wake of Russia’s forcible annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and Russia’s campaign in Syria, the United States and NATO have struggled to recalibrate their response to Moscow’s saber-rattling. The U.S. administration earlier this year announced it would quadruple defense-related spending in Europe and would bring the number of combat brigades rotating into Eastern Europe to three. A brigade typically has between 4,200 and 4,700 troops.
But NATO allies like Poland, or the ex-Soviet Baltic states, have called for a more permanent presence of troops to deter Russia. “I personally believe that a permanently stationed armored brigade in Europe would be best,” Scaparrotti told senators. It "gives you a little more substance, a little more strength in relationship building,” he said. The buzzing of a U.S. warship in the Baltic Sea by Russian fighter jets, and the close encounter by a Russian jet with a U.S. reconnaissance plane in recent days have also spooked U.S. policy makers and prompted calls from lawmakers for the administration to do more.
Scaparrotti, whose command will also make him NATO’s lead military officer, called the flyby that occurred April 12 “absolutely reckless and unjustified.”
“I think [the Russians] are pushing the envelope in terms of our resolve, pushing the envelope in terms of international law,” he said. "From a military perspective, we should sail and fly wherever we are allowed to by international law, and we should be strong, clear, and consistent in our message in that regard."
Scaparrotti also suggested he would support sending more sophisticated weaponry to bolster Ukraine and its government forces in their fight against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Washington has provided counterartillery radar, night-vision goggles, and other equipment, but has repeatedly declined Ukraine’s request for “offensive weaponry.”
Scaparrotti said he supported sending Ukraine antitank missiles like the Javelin. In June, the U.S. and NATO forces are scheduled to hold one of the largest war games in years in Poland, featuring around 25,000 troops in exercises that are likely to anger Russia.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | April 2016 | ['(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)'] |
The Constitutional Court of Russia approves amendments to the Constitution proposed by President Vladimir Putin. | Russia's Constitutional Court on Monday approved amendments proposed by President Vladimir Putin to the country's basic law, giving him the option of serving two further terms in office.
The Constitutional Court published the ruling on its website and immediately sent the ruling to Putin, who could now stay in power until 2036.
The court issued a speedy decision after Putin signed the final reform package on Saturday, though it had a week to consider its ruling.
Putin, 67, last week backed a last-minute proposal by the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, to add an amendment to the reform package allowing his possible return to the Kremlin after 2024.
Under the current constitution he is not allowed to serve another presidential term, having served two consecutive stints from 2012.
The new constitution would allow him reset his term-limit clock back to zero, paving the way for him to stay in power until 2036.
The bill subsequently sailed through the upper house and regional parliaments as required last week.
The Russian leader had proposed changes to the constitution in January but until last week denied that he was seeking to extend his rule.
His spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin changed his mind because of global instability.
The amendments also include stipulations banning gay marriages and protecting the "historic truth" of Russia's role in World War II. | Government Policy Changes | March 2020 | ['(The Moscow Times)'] |
Maria Miller resigns as the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom following an expenses scandal. Sajid Javid is announced as her replacement. | David Cameron will attempt to put the Maria Miller expenses row and questions about his handling of the case behind him as he launches his party's campaign for next month's European elections.
David Cameron will hope questions about his handling of the Maria Miller expenses row will not overshadow the launch of the Conservatives campaign for next month's European elections.
Mrs Miller resigned from her position as Culture Secretary yesterday after sustained pressure over the disclosure she had wrongly claimed thousands of pounds in mortgage interest payments.
She was also criticised for her 32-second House of Commons apology.
The Prime Minister repeatedly defended her but admitted the party had experienced a "difficult week" and said he under-estimated the depth of the "raw" public anger over MPs' expenses.
Nigel Farage has said he does not think Maria Miller resigning as Culture Secretary is "enough" and it is time voters were given the right to sack MPs who have stepped out of line.
The UKIP leader also rejected any suggestion that his own party had been abusing the expenses system in the European Parliament by using the money for eurosceptic campaigns.
Tory MP Michael Fabricant has been sacked as vice-chair of the party after criticising the HS2 rail scheme and Maria Miller over her expenses.
The former Conservative whip claimed on Twitter that he refused to resign so was sacked by party chairman Grant Shapps.
After news of Mrs Miller's resignation broke, the MP said: "Well, about time."
Mr Fabricant, MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire, tweeted this announcement:
Been asked to resign as Vice Chairman, refused, so sacked over HS2 and my views on a recent Cabinet Minister. Still available 4 speeches etc
After Mrs Miller resigned over her expenses scandal, he tweeted:
Note to self: If ever a minister again, be like Mark Harper. If in trouble, resign quickly & in a dignified manner. Lesson to us all.
He is set to lead a Tory revolt against the £50 billion HS2 scheme later this month by calling for laws so the London-Birmingham is denied a second reading in Parliament.
The MP has spoken of his shock at being sacked and wrote on Twitter:
"@alichat66: @mike_fabricant Stunned at the news - I always thought having an opinion was allowed." I think it was a knee-jerk decision.
I think David Cameron did make one quite bad misjudgment over Maria Miller and that is not to realise that the public is still very, very angry indeed at the expenses issue, which our poll underlines tonight.
Quite frankly, what is clear is that any scintilla of a hint of wrongdoing is enough to get that anger back up to the boil very quickly. To be fair to him, I read that report in detail last week - what it essentially concludes is that Maria Miller did wrong but there wasn't much malice in her intent. If you like it was more cock-up, by and large, than conspiracy, apart from her attitude, so you might argue the Prime Minister had to defend her.
She then went on to greatly complicate the situation with, let's politely call it, a half-hearted apology and there were other complicating factors.
To be blunt, she has very few allies or friends in politics, or not nearly enough. So, it was a complicated scenario, it will blow over for David Cameron but I think there was a misjudgment there. Maria Miller handed in her resignation today, saying the row over her expenses had become 'an enormous distraction'. Maria Miller has given a £17,000 payoff from her resignation from the cabinet to a charity in her constituency, a source close to the former Culture Secretary has said.
Mrs Miller had faced calls to reject the money, which she is entitled to under rules on ministerial severance pay.
She declined to reject the money outright, but will now give it to Speakeasy Advocacy, a charity in Basingstoke for adults with learning disabilities.
A Downing St spokesman has clarified that the new Financial Secretary, Nicky Morgan, will report directly to David Cameron on women's issues, rather than to the new Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid.
The role of minister for women and equalities has been split, with Ms Morgan taking on the women's brief and Mr Javid handling equalities.
She will report directly to the Prime Minister on women's issues. She will have an office as Minister for Women, supported by DCMS staff. But with regard to her responsibilities for women, she will report to the Prime Minister.
Sajid Javid will have the ministerial lead on equalities issues and Nicky Morgan will have the lead on women's issues.
The level of public "despair" about MPs' expenses means political leaders "have to try and see" if they can bring in further reforms to the system, Nick Clegg has told ITV News.
The Liberal Democrat leader said he was "always prepared" for cross-party discussions on the issue.
However, he also stressed "the important thing" is that new rules brought in under this government mean MPs' claims are now assessed by an independent body, rather than a committee of fellow MPs.
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has told Deputy Political Editor Chris Ship that MPs' expenses should be abolished, as they have become "toxic" to most voters. Read: Maria Miller resigns as Culture Secretary
Home Secretary Theresa May has been speaking of her disappointment at Maria Miller's resignation.
She told ITV News: "I was very sorry to hear that Maria Miller had resigned. She has been an excellent colleague. I had worked with her on a number of issues and, as I say, I was sorry to see her leaving the cabinet."
Maria Miller handed in her resignation today, saying the row over her expenses had become 'an enormous distraction'. It is possible that the Chancellor had come to a different conclusion from the PM as to which way the Maria Miller crisis was going. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | April 2014 | ['(ITV)', '(Financial Times)'] |
A Hong Kong court acquits prodemocracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai of criminal intimidation on a 2017 charge. This verdict comes after his highprofile arrest last month under the new national security law. | HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court declared media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai not guilty of criminal intimidation on Thursday, ending one several cases against him after his high-profile arrest last month under a new national security law.
HK media tycoon cleared of criminal intimidation
01:14
Thursday’s verdict was for a case that dates back to 2017 and was unrelated to his arrest. Lai, who is a key critic of Beijing, had used foul language when confronting a reporter from Oriental Daily News, a major competitor to Lai’s tabloid Apple Daily. Police however only charged him in February this year.
The mainland-born media magnate had pleaded not guilty.
Dressed in a light grey suit and green shirt, he smiled after the verdict was read out and shook hands with supporters who filled the courtroom.
His case comes after he was arrested for suspected collusion with foreign forces on August 10, making him the highest profile person to be arrested under the Beijing imposed law.
The 71-year-old had been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he met officials including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a “traitor”
After Lai’s August arrest around 200 police officers searched the office of his Apple Daily newspaper.
The national security law punishes anything China considers subversion, succession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.
Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged anti-China, pro-democracy protests last year.
Lai’s pro-democratic Apple Daily has vied with pro-Beijing Oriental Daily for readership in the special administrative region. In 2014 Oriental Daily published a fake obituary of Lai, claiming that he had died of AIDS and many types of cancer.
Prosecutors in the case said Lai had intimidated the Oriental Daily reporter.
Lai’s lawyers said Lai had been followed by reporters for three years and his comments were not intended to harm the reporter but expressed his exasperation.
Lai is also facing separate court cases for illegal assembly relating to anti-government protests last year.
Reporting by Yanni Chow; writing by Farah Master; editing by Philippa Fletcher
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | September 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
At least 73 people die as a ferry sinks in Lake Mai–Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | At least 73 people were killed when a boat sank on a lake in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has emerged.
Local reports said a logging vessel not authorised to take passengers went down in bad weather on Wednesday. DR Congo Red Cross president Dominique Lutula told a radio station about 270 people had survived. But he said that some people were still missing, with bodies thought to be trapped inside the sunken vessel. The boat - two logging barges linked together - went down on Lake Mai-Ndombe, in Bandundu province, some 400km (250 miles) north-east of Kinshasa. Mr Lutula said 73 bodies had been found so far on the shores of the lake. "There are still some people missing. But we don't know how many because there was no ship's manifest," he said. Red Cross workers were recovering bodies and rounding up survivors, he added. Lake Mai-Ndombe is 120km long and 50km wide at it broadest point. River transport is widely used on DR Congo's waterways but accidents happen frequently because of overcrowding and poor vessel maintenance. | Shipwreck | November 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Clashes flare up in Mogadishu between the interim government forces and local militiamen. | Fierce clashes again flared up in the northern and southern of the Somalia capital Mogadishu on thursday between the interim government forces and local militiamen following yesterday’s deadly violence which killed at least 22 people, nine of them were government soldiers.
Shabelle reporter, Abdinor Mohamed Kediye said fresh clashes erupted around Jamhuriya village early morning near Hotel Ramadan where both sides are exchanging all sorts of weapons forcing many people flee their home of stray bullets.
There is no immediate details on the casualties resulted from the latest skirmishes.
The government forces are trying to handle the whole control of the capital as supporters of the ousted Islamists are now getting strong with masked armed men could be seen in some parts of the capital.
Hundreds of families began this morning to flee the capital in fear of more violence hours after Somali’s Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi threatened that his forces would launch attacks on the specific areas in the capital particularly in the northern parts.
Wariri Ali Gabow, a free lance journalist told Shabelle that sporadic fires could be heard around former Siad academy in the southern outskirt of the capital.
In that area, government forces clashed with the local militia opposing the government. The fighting spread into nearby villages.
Earlier, traditional elders of the Hawiye, the dominant tribe in southern Somalia revealed the fighting would continue unless what they called ‘the Puntland militia withdraw from the capital. Shabelle Media Network Somalia | Riot | March 2007 | ['(Shabelle.net)'] |
Powerful aftershocks hit Chile after the Antofagasta earthquake, as President Michelle Bachelet visits the affected areas. | Northern Chile has been rattled by powerful aftershocks a day after an earthquake struck the region, leaving 15,000 people homeless.
Thursday's two tremors were measured at 6.2 and 6.8 magnitude by the US Geological Survey. They came as Chilean President Michelle Bachelet visited the disaster zone following Wednesday's quake, which killed two people and injured some 150. The major 7.7 magnitude quake wrecked 4,000 homes and other infrastructure. Tents have been set up to help residents who were forced to sleep outdoors under cold desert skies. 'Catastrophe'
On Wednesday in Tocopilla city two women, aged 88 and 54, were crushed to death by collapsing walls. Lasting about 50 seconds, the earthquake was felt thousands of kilometres away in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Electricity, water and phone lines were cut in some areas by the quake, which struck around midday on Wednesday 1,260km (780 miles) north of the capital, Santiago. Thursday's aftershocks occurred nearby only 35km (21.7 miles) deep, 93km (58 miles) north-east of mining capital Antofagasta. They came as President Bachelet and four cabinet ministers visited Antofagasta and other affected areas. Interior minister Belisario Velasco has formally declared the region a catastrophe zone, a measure which helps speeds up the delivery of aid. Tocopilla Mayor Luis Moncayo said that at least 4,000 people in the port city had been left homeless by Wednesday's quake and some 1,200 buildings demolished. About 500 emergency housing units have been sent to the city of 27,000 people. The local hospital was also damaged and patients were being treated at a portable military hospital, officials said. Paula Saez, a worker with aid body World Vision International, told Reuters news agency from Tocopilla: "People here are pretty afraid. "There have been so many aftershocks that start with a big noise, a humming noise, and then the ground starts moving and people start to run away." In Maria Elena on Wednesday, a small town south-east of Tocopilla, 20 people were hurt and 70% of the town's houses were destroyed. In Antofagasta, the airport was damaged, Chilean radio reported, while some 45 people were injured. Chile's largest copper mines are in the quake zone, and production was temporarily halted on Wednesday. The nation is the world's largest copper producer. In August more than 500 people died when an 8.0 magnitude quake struck neighbouring Peru just south of the capital, Lima. Have you been affected by this story, are you in the area? Send us your comments using the form below.
| Earthquakes | November 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
The death toll from a boat accident near Singapore reaches 54. The victims are mostly Indonesian migrant workers. |
BATAM, Indonesia (AFP) - The death toll from aboat accident in Indonesia has climbed to 54, an official said on Friday (Nov 4), after dozens of bodies were found floating in the ocean.
Search teams on Friday pulled another 36 corpses from the sea around Batam island, south of Singapore, near where the boat struck a reef and sunk more than two days ago, local police chief Sam Budi Gusdian told reporters.
The overcrowded boat was carrying three crew and 98 passengers, mostly Indonesian migrant workers, from Malaysia to Batam at the time of the accident.
Authorities managed to save 41 passengers and had hoped to find more alive before making the grisly discovery.
"Forty-one people have been found alive, while six remain missing. The rest died," Brigadier General Gusdian told reporters.
Only 12 passengers have been formally identified, he added. Among the dead were two young girls.
Police said the passengers were likely illegal Indonesian migrant workers returning from jobs in Malaysia, and the boat was over capacity at the time of the accident.
One of the crew members managed to survive and was being questioned by police, Brig Gen Gusdian said.
The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on boat transport, but safety standards are lax and fatal accidents common.
| Shipwreck | November 2016 | ['(Straits Times)'] |
Zimbabwe intends to release 62 mercenaries connected to failed coup attempt in the Equatorial Guinea last year. Most of the suspected mercenaries are South African. | Zimbabwe is set to free more than 60 suspected mercenaries linked to a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea last year.
They may be sent back to South Africa as early as Thursday, although their lawyer thought this unlikely. A court reduced the jail terms imposed for breaking Zimbabwe immigration laws, so they have now served their time. The alleged ring-leader, Briton Simon Mann and the two pilots of the plane will not be released, as they were given longer sentences. The Zimbabwe authorities said the group was en route to Equatorial Guinea last March to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in the oil-rich country. But they were found guilty of lesser charges of illegally landing a plane at Harare airport. Rearrest
Ronnie Mamoepa, from South Africa's foreign ministry, said he expected the men - most of whom carry South African passports - to arrive in Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon. But their lawyer Alwyn Griebenow said paperwork and plane tickets still had to be arranged, so he doubted they would arrive on Thursday. Correspondents say the men could face rearrest on their arrival in South Africa. In 1998, the country passed a law forbidding its citizens from engaging in military activities beyond its borders without official permission. On Wednesday, the 12-month sentences the men had been given were reduced by four month on appeal. Mr Mann's seven-year sentence for trying to buy weapons has also been reduced from seven years to four years and the pilots' 16-month jail terms have been cut to 12 months. In Equatorial Guinea, 14 other people have been found guilty of charges linked to the coup plot, including plot leader Nick du Toit who received 34 years. Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of the former British prime minister, appeared in court in South Africa last month to answer questions over his role in an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea in West Africa. He was given a suspended jail term and fined after agreeing a plea bargain to help investigators. The conduct of the trials in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea were criticised in the West, amid allegations of torture and forced confessions. What are these? | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | March 2005 | ['(Reuters SA)', '(IAfrica)', '(BBC)'] |
At least seven people are dead and six missing after a flash flood in the American town of Hildale, Utah. | (KUTV) Hildale officials confirmed Monday night at least eight people were killed when heavy rains fueled a flash flood that washed two cars off the road near the crossing of Canyon Street and Williams Avenue.
The rains washed down from a nearby mountain and took the cars several hundred yards downstream according to fire official Kevin Barlow. Crews were still working Monday night but the search was scaled back late Monday night as five or more people were missing in addition to those who are confirmed dead. Barlow said 16 people were in the two vehicles. He said rains weren't heavy in the town of Hildale and the flood came from the surrounding area. The waters washed down Short Creek bringing debris and muddy water into the area. "They were well back from the flood, but this was a very significant surprise flash flood that caught them unawares," Barlow told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Officials have not identified any of the dead or indicated who is missing but Barlow also told the Tribune that young children and mothers are among those dead and missing and that victims appeared to be from multiple families. They also said three survivors were known who either got out on their own or were pulled out of the vehicles.
They said seven agencies were involved in search and rescue efforts.
Hildale sits adjacent to Colorado City, Ariozona and the area is prone to flash floods.
Hildale mayor Phillip Barlow said there were at least three mothers in the cars and the youngest child was 4-years-old. He said the flood waters were still active making the search dangerous and the banks weren't stable.
Reports say the two cars were stopped and observing the swollen river when a surprise wall of water swept through the area taking the cars and passengers away. Some of those swept away were standing outside of the cars observing the water when the surprise flash flood struck.
Hildale and Colorado City are collectively known as Short Creek, home to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The communities are known for practicing polygamy.
Flooding was also reported near Zion National Park.
Additionally the north fork of the Virgin River in Zion rose from 42 cubic feet per second to 2628 cfs in about an hour's time. The east fork of the river rose from 123 cfps to 3692 cfs near the town of Springdale, just south of Zion. Both waterways are trending downward.
The weather service forecasts additional thunderstorms to move through the area in the evening and nighttime hours. It had earlier reported that cars were washed away.
The National Weather Service expected flooding in areas including Zion National Park, Hildale, Orderville, Springdale, Rockville, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and Mt. Carmel. Follow us on Twitter @KUTV2News and LIKE us on Facebook for breaking news, updates and more. | Floods | September 2015 | ['(KUTV)'] |
Gujarat and Maharastra are on high alert because of Cyclone Ockhi. | Owing to Cyclone Ockhi, the city recorded the highest-ever December rainfall on Tuesday, in just 12 hours. Rainfall during 8.30am-8.30pm at the IMD's Santacruz observatory was 36mm, which beat the previous record of 31.4mm, recorded on December 12, 1967.
Cyclone Ockhi is gradually weakening into a depression and may not hit the Gujarat coast near Surat as predicted earlier, the Meteorological Centre said here on the intervening night of December 5 and 6.
A petition has been filed at the Madurai bench of the Madras high court seeking direction to central government to declare cyclone Ockhi a national disaster.
No direction from the Election Commission to postpone polls. These are all rumours. The poll panel took report from us and directed to ensure that voters do not face any inconvenience. We are in constant touch with the IMD and GOG.
As the path of the depression is not yet well established, sufficient vigil may have to be maintained in Coastal Areas of North Tamilnadu (Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Villupuram districts) Andhra Pradesh (from Nellore to Srikakulam districts) and South Odisha during the next three days.
We are all prepared to face Cyclone Ockhi. Ground preparedness is complete and all departments are coordinating well. Even the PMO in constant touch regarding the situation.
Entire Surat administration is prepared to deal with any eventualities in case of possible landfall of cyclone Ockhi.
Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani says that his government is focusing on cyclone Ockhi, election is secondary.
We have kept the communication lines open. We are trying to monitor that no water logging takes place and the water supply is in ample amount: Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani in Surat
The Election Commission has asked Gujarat's chief electoral officer to prepare a contingency plan in the wake of cyclone Ockhi and to ensure that those affected and rehabilitated should be able to vote.
The Kerala government today said intensified search and rescue operations are on to trace 92 fishermen, still missing in high seas after cyclone Ockhi hit the state coast on November 29 and 30.
As per the latest forecast, the cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea just 390 kms away from the coastline near Surat.
Rallies of several top leaders, including those by BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, cancelled.
NDRF teams deployed at various parts of Gujarat to assist the administration.
PM Modi said he is continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to the cyclone.
PM Modi appealed to the Gujarat BJP workers to focus on providing assistance to the people likely to be hit by the cyclonic storm.
Cyclone Ockhi is heading towards Surat and will be passing through Mumbai at around 9PM. It will not cause any major damage. Wind will start picking up speed after 12:00pm. Wind speed and rains will be high between 3pm to 3am. Avoid going out between 3:00pm, Dec 5 2017 to 3am Dec 6 2017, unless emergency. Weather should be normal in Mumbai on Dec 6th 2017 at around 6:00am with observation of low rain showers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday he is constantly monitoring the situation in various states arising out of cyclone Ockhi battering parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands and now heading towards Gujarat.
Twelve beaches in Goa have been affected by the rising sea level caused by Cyclone Ockhi: Revenue minister Rohan Khaunte
The chief secretary of Gujarat held a review meeting with government officials to take stock of preparedness in view of expected landfall of Ockhi cyclone in the state.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's rallies in Gujarat's Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar have been cancelled due to bad weather: ANI
State women's commission members to contribute a day's salary to the chief minister's disaster relief fund to support those affected due to cyclone Ockhi. Funds will be handed over to CM Pinarayi Vijayan on December 8.
Cyclone Ockhi crosses Mumbai, city gets respite from rains
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani is expected to brief journalists on cyclone Ockhi at 5.30pm in Surat.
IMD says cyclone Ockhi is 230km west-southWest of Mumbai, likely to continue to move north-northeastward, weaken gradually and will cross South Gujrat and North Maharashtra coast. No impact on Mumbai city and suburbs. Road and rail traffic is running smoothly, please don’t create panic: BMC
The fire brigade has a rescue boat ready at Dadar Chowpatty.
Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU) in Surat has canceled all exams due to Ockhi cyclone
There were 2606 boats that have been called back off the maharashtra coast. Of which, one boat which 4 people on board is missing and cannot be contacted: Additional chief secretary Medha gadgil
In view of the heavy rains expected in Gujarat due to cyclone Ockhi, the Surat collector has ordered to close schools and colleges today. The officer has also declared holiday on Wednesday as well.
Cyclone Ockhi to cross south Gujarat coast by tonight
Fishermen are advised not to venture into the Sea along & off South Gujarat coast during nex 24 hours
Damage Expected over south Gujarat and Saurashtra Damage Expected over south Gujarat and Saurashtra (Valsad, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Amreli, Gir- Somnath, Bhavnagar districts), Daman, Diu, and Dadra, Nagar Haveli : Minor damage to loose / unsecured structures, breaking of tree branches, uprooting of small trees. Minor damage to Banana trees. Some damage to agriculture near coast due to salt spray. Damage to ripe paddy crops. Minor damage to Kutcha embankments
Sea condition would be rough to very rough along & off South Gujarat coast during next 24 hours
Squally wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph very likely along & off South Gujarat coast during next 24 hours
Heavy rain very likely at isolated places in the districts of Gujarat region namely Valsad, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Narmada, Baroda, Chhota Udaipur, Panchmahal, Dahod; in the district of Saurashtra namely Amreli, Gir Somanath, Bhavnagar and in Diu, Daman, Dadra Nagar Haveli during 5th December 2017
The cyclone is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining north Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of 5th December 2017
The severe cyclonic storm 'OCKHI' over eastcentral Arabian Sea moved further north-northeastwards with a speed of 25 kmph during past 6 hours, weakened into a cyclonic storm and lay centred at 0830 hrs IST of 05th December, 2017 over eastcentral Arabian Sea near Latitude 18.2º N and Longitude 70.8º E, about 390 km south-southwest of Surat and 230 km west-southwest of Mumbai
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| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | December 2017 | ['(Times of India)'] |
At least 25 people are killed and 250 injured following a 5.4 magnitude earthquake in Yingjiang County, Yunnan province, China, near the Burma border. | The death toll from an earthquake that hit Yingjiang County in southwest China's Yunnan Province Thursday noon has risen to 25, local authorities said.
KUNMING - At least 24 people were killed and 207 others injured in a 5.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Yingjiang County in Southwest China's Yunnan province around noon on Thursday.
The earthquake has toppled 1,264 houses or apartments and left 17,658 others seriously damaged, mainly in the county seat near the border with Myanmar, said Zhao Yunshan, director with the county government's press office.
More than 127,100 people have been evacuated to nearby shelters, an official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs said late Thursday.
Over 80 percent of the homes in Lameng Village, the epicenter, collapsed during the quake, but no serious casualties but only a few slight injuries were reported in the village, Zhao said.
Four students were among those killed, he said, without giving further details.
The epicenter, with a depth of 10 kilometers, was monitored at 24.7 degrees north latitude and 97.9 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center(CENC).
Witnesses said people were buried under debris and part of a supermarket and a hotel caved in.
The tremor triggered a power outage but telecommunication service remained normal in Yingjiang, according to Wei Gang, head of the county government.
The earthquake, the largest of more than 1,200 minor tremors over the last two months in the region, is believed to have caused serious damage and loss, said Liu Jie, a director with the earthquake forecast department in the China Earthquake Networks Center.
Altogether seven aftershocks, measuring up to 4.7 degrees on the Richter Scale, has jolted the county since the first tremor.
Between 1991 and 2008, eight earthquakes registering higher than 5 magnitude on the Richter Scale hit the county, about 700 kilometers west of provincial capital Yunnan, said Chen Jianmin, director of China Earthquake Administration.
A Magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck the county in August 2008, leaving three people dead and 106 injured, said CENC researcher Sun Shihong.
Nearly 1,000 soldiers have been sent to join the rescue operation.
Provincial governor Qin Guangrong called upon relevant authorities to save injured people, evacuate disaster-hit residents and calculate casualties and economic losses.
The provincial disaster-relief and civil affairs authorities have launched an emergency response plan.
The National Committee of Disaster Reduction, Ministry of Civil Affairs and Yunnan's provincial government have dispatched 9,700 tents, 13,000 quilts, 13,000 clothes and other materials to the quake-hit region. | Earthquakes | March 2011 | ['(Xinhua)', '(China Daily)', '(AFP via Yahoo! News)'] |
A tropical depression forms in the Pacific ocean. It is not supposed to threaten land, and is also the first storm of the season. |
Tropical Depression One-E formed on Thursday afternoon well off the west coast of Mexico, kicking off the 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which doesn't officially begin until May 15.
(MORE: Hurricane Central)
The tropical depression is currently centered more than 1,400 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California.
Additional strengthening is not expected as One-E is approaching an area of stronger wind shear to its west.
Tropical Depression One-E will, therefore, be short-lived, and given it's far from land and has weak steering winds, it will be no threat to land as it drifts toward the west-northwest through Friday night.
Though not expected, if the depression were to become a tropical storm, it would earn the first name of the 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season: Aletta.
One year ago Wednesday, Tropical Storm Adrian became the earliest tropical cyclone on record to form in the Eastern Pacific Basin.
Adrian became a tropical depression, then strengthened to a tropical storm on May 9, 2017, south of the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Guatemala before wind shear tore it apart the following day.
The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through Nov. 30, beginning roughly two weeks earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center, an average Eastern Pacific season has its first named storm by the second week of June.
Since 2000, however, 19 named storms have formed in May in the Eastern Pacific Basin. Nine of those storms eventually became hurricanes and six became major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger).
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And, unlike the current system, some of these storms had land impact.
Five of those May storms made landfall either in southeastern Mexico's Gulf of Tehuantepec or in Central America. One of these, Barbara in 2013, made landfall as a hurricane along the Gulf of Tehuantepec coast.
The 2015 Eastern Pacific hurricane season got off to a record start, including a frenetic May, fueled by an intensifying El Niño.
Hurricane Andres formed over the open waters on May 29, then intensified to Category 4 intensity as the calendar turned to June.
That was followed immediately by another Category 4 hurricane, Blanca, which first became a tropical depression on May 31.
Blanca went on to become the earliest landfalling tropical storm on record in Baja California, moving ashore on June 8.
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| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | May 2018 | ['(Weather.com)'] |
The Government of Ireland announces Nicholas Kearns as its nomination for appointment as President of the High Court. | Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns has been nominated for appointment by the President to the post of President of the High Court, the Government announced today.
The vacancy arises as the current president, Mr Justice Richard Johnson, retires on October 23rd.
Born in 1946 and educated at University College Dublin and the Kings Inns, Mr Justice Kearns was called to the Bar in1968 and appointed judge of the High Court in 1998.
He is expected to take up the position on October 27th.
The post is the second most senior position in the judiciary and carries a heavy administrative burden, as he must ensure backlogs do not build up in the court, manage the court lists and assign judges to maximise the use of resources.
The High Court President also has a number of statutory duties. Of these one of the most important is responsibility for wards of court – adults and children who are not capable of administering their own affairs.
Many of these are the victims of accident or medical mishap, who received substantial awards. These monies are administered by the courts.
The High Court President also has responsibility for the regulation of various professions, including solicitors, doctors and nurses. The High Court has the final say in whether members of these bodies should be disciplined, including by being struck off. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | October 2009 | ['(The Irish Times)'] |
Floods in Vietnam trigger landslides that kill six people, and leave two injured and five missing. | The landslides in three communes of Phong Tho District have killed six people, while two were injured and another five are still missing, according to Ha Van Um, director of Lai Chau's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Rescue efforts however were hindered as Phong Tho District was still being battered by heavy rain and roads leading to the affected communes have been damaged by landslides.
"We have sent militiamen to search for the missing people, bury the dead and evacuate the people to safe areas," Um said.
Soldiers look for victims after landslides swept through Lai Chau Province on Friday.
A strengthening tropical depression is set to release moderate rains of 16-50 millimeters over northern Vietnam, starting Friday night, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.
Heavier rain (51-100 millimeters per day) is expected in the midlands and highlands regions, which is likely to trigger flash floods and landslides in mountainous provinces, including Lai Chau and its neighbors. The rainfall is forecast to persist until Sunday, August 5.
Since July 13, northern Vietnam has experienced continual heavy downpours due to the influence of a tropical convergence zone, followed by tropical depression.
Mountainous provinces like Yen Bai, Son La and Lao Cai have suffered severely from flash floods and landslides. Several urban areas in Quang Ninh and Thanh Hoa provinces as well as the capital city are still deep in water.
Nearly 40 people have been killed in the latest flooding, mostly in Yen Bai, Son La and Thanh Hoa. The number includes three children who drowned in Hanoi’s Chuong My District.
Natural disasters including floods and tropical storms killed more than 390 people across the country last year and caused damage worth nearly VND52.2 trillion ($2.34 billion), according to official figures. | Floods | August 2018 | ['(VnExpress)'] |
President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan announces that the Kazakh language will begin using a Latin script, rather than the current Cyrillic script. | Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed a decree setting out plans to switch from a Cyrillic-based script for the Kazakh language to a Latin-based alphabet.
The decree posted on the president's website on October 27 says that a national commission will implement the gradual shift to the Latin alphabet by 2025. Nazarbaev, in power since before the 1991 Soviet collapse, has been talking about switching to Latin for years. In April, he ordered authorities to come up with a new alphabet for the Kazakh language by the end of 2017.
The move is seen as an effort to emphasize Kazakh culture and distance the country from Russia, its Imperial-era and Soviet-era master.
No media source currently available
Kazakhstan has used a Cyrillic-based alphabet for nearly 80 years.
In 1929, Soviet authorities replaced traditional Arabic-based alphabets used by Muslim minorities in the Soviet Union with Latin-based national alphabets. In 1940, the Latin alphabet was replaced with Cyrillic, the alphabet used in the Russian language.
Former Soviet republics Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- which, like Kazakhstan are Turkic-speaking nations -- abandoned Cyrillic scripts and switched to Latin-based alphabet in the early years after the Soviet breakup.
| Government Policy Changes | October 2017 | ['(Official site of the Kazakh presidency)', '(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)'] |
The President of Myanmar Htin Kyaw pardons 83 political prisoners. A total of 282 people accused of political crimes have been released or had charges dropped since the new National League for Democracy government gained power on April 1. (Deutsche Welle,) | Myanmar's new president will continue releasing political prisoners. The latest releases still leave dozens of political prisoners locked up, with hundreds of others facing charges brought by the previous government.
The new civilian administration of President Htin Kyaw, who leads the country's first freely elected government after more than 50 years of direct or indirect military domination, took power at the end of March. The move to release political prisoners is part of the democratic change his government is pursuing.
"In the New Year, in order to give satisfaction to the majority of the people, we will continue to try to release political prisoners, political activists, and students facing trials related to politics," Htin Kyaw said in a nationally televised address to mark the start of the Buddhist new year.
Among those released were four journalists and an executive from the Unity Journal newspaper, who had been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in 2014 for reporting on an alleged military chemical weapons factory, Reuters reported.
A new broom
The new National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by former detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has released or dropped charges against 282 people accused of political crimes since taking power on April 1.
Htin Kyaw pardoned 63 political prisoners on the country's traditional New Year Sunday, according to a watchdog group, in his first major political act. "According to our documents, 63 political prisoners were released from various prisons by the amnesty of the president," said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Over 100 political prisoners and detainees, mainly students, awaiting trial were also freed just before the New Year holiday. The freed students had been held in Tharrawaddy since staging a march last year to protest against proposed changes to the education system.
Aung San Suu Kyi (center) and a military general share a light moment
About 1,000 were released under the previous quasi-civilian government as it moved the country toward democracy. It is not clear how many political detainees remain in custody.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the country's most famous former political prisoner, heads the NLD, which won an overwhelming victory in November's general election. She is barred from the presidency by a clause in the military-written constitution. After the election, she was given the specially created post of "state counselor," close to that of prime minister.
The military still controls key ministries overseeing defense, internal security and local governance. Opponents of the old junta were commonly arrested and jailed for years for their political views.
jbh/jlw (AP, Reuters, AFP)
A Myanmar court has released dozens of jailed student activists. Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de facto leader, has pledged to release political prisoners and jailed activists. (08.04.2016)
Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has announced plans to free all political prisoners to ease reconciliation efforts. The move has been seen as her government's attempt to mark power in the formerly junta-run nation. (07.04.2016)
Myanmar's new parliament has proposed a bill that would give Aung San Suu Kyi the power to rule "above" the president. The bill would circumvent a junta-era constitutional rule preventing her from leading the country. (31.03.2016) | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | April 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A Hamas militant is killed and two others are injured when an Israeli tank fires into the Gaza Strip after a protest turned violent. The Israel Defense Forces action is retaliation for a shooting which lightly injured an officer, and for the brief incursion of two Palestinians into Israel. | GAZA (Reuters) - An Israeli tank fired into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing a Hamas militant in what the army described as retaliation for the wounding of a soldier and a brief incursion during a violent Palestinian border protest.
An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also canceled a Qatari donation of $15 million for the impoverished enclave that had been due on Wednesday as part of international efforts to head off escalation.
The Gaza border has simmered since Palestinians launched weekly demonstrations last March to press for the lifting of an Israeli-led blockade on the impoverished territory and rights to family lands lost to Israel in the 1948 war of its foundation.
Palestinian medics in Gaza said a Hamas militant died and two others were wounded in the Israeli shelling of a lookout post near the fortified frontier in the central sector of the enclave ruled by the Islamist group.
Hamas confirmed the three casualties as its members.
Earlier on Tuesday, the army said in a statement, one of its officers was shot at as he faced Palestinian rock-throwers at the fence. The bullet struck his helmet, lightly injuring him, the army said, adding that during the incident two Palestinians also crossed into Israel before returning to Gaza.
Gaza’s health ministry says more than 220 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in 10 months of protests. Israel says it troops resort to lethal force to prevent border breaches by Hamas, against which it has fought three wars since 2008.
Worried about a potential flare-up into full conflict, Egypt and the United Nations have sought to calm Gaza, while Qatar in November pledged $150 million in donations, to be transferred via Israel over six months, in hope of easing economic pressure.
A third Qatari payout of $15 million was due on Wednesday, after it was previously held up by Israel in protest at border violence. An Israeli official, announcing the new postponement, did not say when the payout might now take place.
. | Riot | January 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
In Pakistan three suicide bombers attempted to storm a police housing complex in the southern Balochistan province. One of them was killed by guards, while the two others entered and blew themselves up, killing a senior constable and wounding five others. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility | QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A police constable was killed and five people injured in Pakistan on Wednesday, following a gun battle with Taliban militants at a police housing and training complex, security officials said.
Three militants wearing suicide vests attempted to storm the complex in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan when confronted by guards at the entrance.
“Police personnel deployed at the gate killed one of the suicide bombers,” senior police officer Abdul Rehman Luni told Reuters.
“The other two blew themselves up inside the police complex,” he said, adding that a senior constable was killed in the attack, and five wounded people were taken to hospital.
The attack was claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, in a statement sent to journalists.
Military cordoned off the area after the attack.
The walled complex comprises police residences and training facilities and is heavily guarded in a province where attacks on security officials are common.
Islamist militant groups and separatists fighting the central government are active in mineral-rich Baluchistan, with frequent attacks on gas and transport infrastructure and security posts.
Baluchistan’s coastal city of Gwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.
In May, gunmen from the Balochistan Liberation Army insurgent group dressed as military officers stormed a luxury five-star hotel in Gwadar, killing three security guards, an employee, and a naval official in the ensuing gunbattle.
| Armed Conflict | June 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Iran pressurises Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to death by lapidation, calling on her to name those campaigning for her release. | Iran has put fresh pressure on the woman it last month sentenced to death by stoning, demanding the names of those involved in the campaign for her release.
The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has drawn international attention after her children launched a campaign for her release. After a global outcry last month, Iran's judiciary said Sakineh would not be put to death by stoning, but still faced execution by hanging.
The 43-year-old mother of two has been interrogated inside Tabriz prison over the names of the people who have been in touch with her family and the way her photo has been distributed among the media, the Guardian has learned.
Sakineh's photo, which has been distributed all over the world, has become a defining image for human rights activists campaigning against stoning in Iran.
"Sakineh has been under big pressure since the world has paid attention to her case", a source close to her family told the Guardian. "Recently she was questioned and asked to advise her children to remain silent, otherwise they will be arrested too. International attention is the only hope for Sakineh's release", the source added.
Sakineh's lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, has received a letter from the Iranian intelligence service summoning him to a meeting in Evin prison in the next three days to "clarify certain issues".
Mostafaei is an acclaimed lawyer who volunteered to represent Sakineh when he heard her story.
Sakineh received 99 lashes, but was subsequently accused of adultery during the trial of a man accused of murdering her husband. Iran's judiciary has said Sakineh faces execution by hanging "because she is convicted of murder".
Mostafaei has issued a statement saying that Sakineh has been acquitted of murdering her husband, and the execution by hanging has not been mentioned in her final official sentence.
He has been told that her case will be reviewed in a high court in next 20 days, but Sakineh's fate is currently unclear.
Unlike many stoning cases in Iran, where the woman convicted of adultery is abandoned by her family, Sakineh's children have launched a strong defence of their mother. Her 22-year-old son, Sajad, who initially wrote an open letter pleading for his mother's release, has been asked by Iranian officials to switch off his mobile and not to talk to media. He has been summoned to the Iranian intelligence service twice in the last week.
Last week, Iran imposed a media blackout over Mohammadi Ashtiani's death sentence, banning newspapers, agencies and TV Channels in Iran from reporting any news about her case.
A campaign website for Sakineh, freesakineh.org, has attracted more than 120,000 signatories since last week. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Michael Bloomberg, Michael Douglas, Shirin Ebadi, Peter Gabriel, Hanif Kureishi, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Ian McEwan and David Remnick are among those backing the campaign.
The Guardian reported last week that at least 15 Iranians are awaiting execution by stoning. A group of Iranian activists, Iran Solidarity, are organising a series of protests on 24 July in support of Sakineh. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | July 2010 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
A Mexican military Bell 412 model helicopter crashes northeast of the town of El Salto in the mountainous state of Durango, seriously injuring one military member aboard and likely killing seven others. | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican military helicopter crashed on Friday in the northern state of Durango, seriously injuring one military member aboard and likely killing seven others, the defense ministry said in a statement.
The helicopter, a Bell 412 model, crashed 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) northeast of the town of El Salto in the mountainous state of Durango during a training flight.
The one survivor was in grave condition in hospital, while authorities are searching for the bodies of seven other military members which were presumed to be among the remains of the aircraft.
The northern state of Durango borders Sinaloa state, home of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Military authorities are investigating what happened to the helicopter, the ministry said.
| Air crash | October 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Thousands of people across 36 countries rally in protest of genetically modified seed producer Monsanto. | LOS ANGELES (AP) — Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said.
Organizers said "March Against Monsanto" protests were held in 52 countries and 436 cities, including Los Angeles where demonstrators waved signs that read "Real Food 4 Real People" and "Label GMOs, It's Our Right to Know."
Genetically modified plants are grown from seeds that are engineered to resist insecticides and herbicides, add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crop yields and increase the global food supply.
Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States today have been genetically modified. But critics say genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment. The use of GMOs has been a growing issue of contention in recent years, with health advocates pushing for mandatory labeling of genetically modified products even though the federal government and many scientists say the technology is safe.
The 'March Against Monsanto' movement began just a few months ago, when founder and organizer Tami Canal created a Facebook page on Feb. 28 calling for a rally against the company's practices.
"If I had gotten 3,000 people to join me, I would have considered that a success," she said Saturday. Instead, she said an "incredible" number of people responded to her message and turned out to rally.
"It was empowering and inspiring to see so many people, from different walks of life, put aside their differences and come together today," Canal said. The group plans to harness the success of the event to continue its anti-GMO cause.
"We will continue until Monsanto complies with consumer demand. They are poisoning our children, poisoning our planet," she said. "If we don't act, who's going to?"
Protesters in Buenos Aires and other cities in Argentina, where Monsanto's genetically modified soy and grains now command nearly 100% of the market, and the company's Roundup-Ready chemicals are sprayed throughout the year on fields where cows once grazed. They carried signs saying "Monsanto-Get out of Latin America"
In Portland, thousands of protesters took to Oregon streets. Police estimate about 6,000 protesters took part in Portland's peaceful march, and about 300 attended the rally in Bend. Other marches were scheduled in Baker City, Coos Bay, Eugene, Grants Pass, Medford, Portland, Prineville and Redmond.
Across the country in Orlando, about 800 people gathered with signs, pamphlets and speeches in front of City Hall. Maryann Wilson of Clermont, Fla., said she learned about Monsanto and genetically modified food by watching documentaries on YouTube.
"Scientists are saying that because they create their own seeds, they are harming the bees," Wilson told the Orlando Sentinel. "That is about as personal as it gets for me."
Chrissy Magaw was one of about 200 protesters who walked from a waterfront park to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Pensacola.
She told WEAR-TV that knowing what you eat and put into your body is the most important decision you make every day.
In Birmingham, Ala., about 80 protesters turned out at Rhodes Park, some dressed as bees and butterflies, Al.com reported.
SI Reasoning, an activist, artist and musician who lives in Vestavia, Ala., described Monsanto's handling of GMOs as a "huge, uncontrolled experiment on the American people."
Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, said that it respects people's rights to express their opinion on the topic, but maintains that its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy.
The Food and Drug Administration does not require genetically modified foods to carry a label, but organic food companies and some consumer groups have intensified their push for labels, arguing that the modified seeds are floating from field to field and contaminating traditional crops. The groups have been bolstered by a growing network of consumers who are wary of processed and modified foods.
The U.S. Senate this week overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization, a lobbying group that represents Monsanto, DuPont & Co. and other makers of genetically modified seeds, has said that it supports voluntary labeling for people who seek out such products. But it says that mandatory labeling would only mislead or confuse consumers into thinking the products aren't safe, even though the FDA has said there's no difference between GMO and organic, non-GMO foods.
However, state legislatures in Vermont and Connecticut moved ahead this month with votes to make food companies declare genetically modified ingredients on their packages. And supermarket retailer Whole Foods Markets Inc. has said that all products in its North American stores that contain genetically modified ingredients will be labeled as such by 2018.
Whole Foods says there is growing demand for products that don't use GMOs, with sales of products with a "Non-GMO" verification label spiking between 15% and 30%. | Protest_Online Condemnation | May 2013 | ['(The Guardian)', '(USA Today)'] |
The United Nations publishes the full Reprt of the SecretaryGeneral's Panel of Experts on Accountability In Sri Lanka which finds "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicate that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed both by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE in the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. | Tens of thousands of civilians died in the final phase of Sri Lanka's civil war - most of them killed in shelling by government forces, a UN panel says.
In a report on possible war crimes in the last months of the war in 2009, the panel also says Tamil Tiger rebels used civilians as human shields.
It wants an independent international investigation into "credible" reports of atrocities committed on both sides.
Sri Lanka's government has rejected the findings as biased. It denies that tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the months leading up to the victory over the rebels, who had fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for minority Tamils.
'Credible allegations'
The highly controversial document was the result of a 10-month process of gathering evidence by the three-member panel, which was not allowed into Sri Lanka. Their report paints a brutal image of the final offensive on the rebel-held enclave in northern Sri Lanka between January and May 2009.
It said that hospitals, UN centres and ships belonging to international aid group the Red Cross were deliberately shelled by government forces.
"Tens of thousands lost their lives from January to May 2009, many of whom died anonymously in the carnage of the final few days," said the panel, which was headed by a former Indonesian attorney general. "Most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by government shelling," the report added.
It describes prisoners being shot in the head and women raped, while the Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) used 330,000 civilians as human shields, and shot those who tried to escape.
The UN experts said there were "credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international rights law was committed both by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".
It urged the government to issue a formal and public recognition of its responsibility for the extensive civilian casualties in the final stages of the conflict.
Sri Lanka had asked the UN not to publish the report, saying it could damage reconciliation efforts.
"The Sri Lankan army is not responsible and [the] Sri Lankan government is not responsible," government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalle told the BBC.
"We never shelled or we never bombed. We never targeted innocent civilians. It's a wrong allegation and we can prove it," he said.
'A matter of transparency'
The panel also recommended that the Sri Lankan government should respond to the serious allegations "by initiating an effective accountability process beginning with genuine investigations" which would meet international standards.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he could not launch an international investigation into war crimes allegations unless the Sri Lankan government agreed, or member states called for it. But the BBC's Barbara Plett, in New York, says that the country continues to have strong allies on both the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council.
In 2010 Sri Lanka appointed its own commission mandated to look back at the war and learn lessons from the conflict, but human rights groups have expressed scepticism about the independence of the commission.
In January 2010, less than a year after the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected by a substantial majority on a wave of unprecedented support following the government's victory over the rebels.
However, the UN will carry out a review of its own actions during the conflict. The report criticises UN officials for not pressing the Sri Lankan government hard enough to exercise restraint and for not going public with high casualty figures which, it says, would have put more pressure on the government. In a statement, the secretary general's spokesperson said: "The decision to release the report was made as a matter of transparency and in the broader public interest." He said a copy of the report had been made available "in its entirety" to the government of Sri Lanka on 12 April, adding that the government had failed to respond to a repeated offer to publish its response to the panel's finding alongside the report.
Our correspondent says that a divided Security Council was initially reluctant to address Sri Lanka's war and much less call for an inquiry.
But the secretary general appointed the panel after mounting evidence of serious human rights abuses and massive civilian casualties in the five-month offensive which ended the war. United Nations Security Council | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | April 2011 | ['(UN News Centre)', '(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(The Australian)'] |
The ex–chief financial officer of Bank of America, Joe Price, agrees to pay a $7.5 million fine for misleading investors during the acquisition of Merrill Lynch. | Bank of America Corp's former finance chief, Joe Price, has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the bank and its former executives of misleading investors during the lender's acquisition of Merrill Lynch, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Price also agreed to not serve as an officer or director of a public company for 18 months, the newspaper said. The pact is expected to be filed in a state court as soon as Friday.
A spokesman for Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America declined to comment on the Journal report. While, the New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office was not immediately available for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.
Last month, Reuters reported that Kenneth Lewis, the bank's chief executive from 2001 to 2009, had agreed to pay $10 million to resolve claims by Schneiderman that Lewis misled shareholders and the government in order to complete the Merrill Lynch merger.
New York accused Lewis of concealing Merrill's mounting losses from Bank of America shareholders prior to a Dec. 5, 2008 vote on the merger, and manipulating the U.S. government into providing an extra $20 billion bailout by falsely claiming that he would back out of the merger without the money.
At the time of Lewis's settlement, Price's lawyer, William Jeffress, said Price had decided to continue defending the case.
Jeffress did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.
| Organization Fine | April 2014 | ['(Reuters via Fox Business)'] |
Two men are found guilty at London's Old Bailey of the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people whom they were smuggling into the UK. The 39 people suffocated in a lorry during the journey across the North Sea, from Zeebrugge to Purfleet, in October 2019. | Two men have been found guilty of the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.
The migrants suffocated in the sealed container en route from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in October 2019.
Eamonn Harrison, 24, who dropped off the trailer at the Belgian port, and people-smuggler Gheorghe Nica, 43, were convicted by an Old Bailey jury.
Two others were convicted of being part of a wider people-smuggling conspiracy.
The trial examined three smuggling attempts by the gang - two that were successful on 11 and 18 October, and the final trip on 23 October. Lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, from County Armagh, collected the trailers from Purfleet on the earlier two runs, claiming he thought he was transporting cigarettes.
But the jury found Kennedy and Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, guilty of conspiring to assist illegal immigration.
During the trial, jurors were given a snapshot of the victims - who included a bricklayer, a university graduate and a nailbar technician - and their dreams of a better life.
Many of their families borrowed heavily to fund their passage, relying on their potential future earnings once they got into the UK.
Det Ch Insp Daniel Stoten, from Essex Police, said: "If you look at the method, the way they transported human beings... we wouldn't transport animals in that way."
Another two men - Irish haulage boss Ronan Hughes, 41, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, Ireland, and 26-year-old lorry driver Maurice Robinson - had previously admitted manslaughter.
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the deaths as a "truly tragic incident".
Prosecutors said in the fatal run, the container became a "tomb" as temperatures in the unit reached an "unbearable" 38.5C (101F).
The migrants, aged 15 to 44, were sealed inside for at least 12 hours.
They had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof, but only managed to dent the interior.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said: "There was no way out, and no-one to hear them; no-one to help them."
Harrison, of Newry, County Down, towed the trailer to Zeebrugge, from where it was transported to Purfleet.
During the 10-week trial, he claimed he did not know there were people in the trailer and that he watched "a wee bit of Netflix" in bed as they were loaded on. He also said he had no idea there were migrants in two other trailers that he had dropped off at the same port in the previous 12 days. Robinson, from County Armagh, collected the trailer when it arrived on UK shores just after midnight on 23 October.
His boss, Hughes, had messaged him: "Give them air quickly don't let them out.". Robinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. But when Robinson stopped on a nearby industrial estate, he found that the migrants were all dead.
There was a series of telephone conversations between him and Hughes and Nica, of Basildon, Essex, before Robinson eventually dialled 999. In his evidence, Nica said Robinson told him: "I have a problem here - dead bodies in the trailer."
Det Ch Insp Stoten said that many of the police officers who attended "were really young in service" and it was possibly the first time some had ever seen a dead person.
He said he believed the "absolutely horrendous scene" would stay with those officers "for the rest of their career and, quite probably, the rest of lives".
On all three runs, Nica had arranged cars and a van to transport the migrants at the UK end. Jurors were shown CCTV footage of him carrying a holdall of cash to Hughes's room at the Ibis hotel, Thurrock, early on 19 October.
Nica admitted to conspiring to assist illegal immigration in the first two runs, but he insisted that he believed the third run was all to do with smuggling cigarettes. The mechanic told jurors he had been roped into people-smuggling, and said: "I never wanted to be involved in this kind of job."
The day after the bodies were found, Nica travelled to Romania, claiming he was "scared" of a "big, big investigation", but prosecutors said the defendant's version of events was "ridiculous".
Det Ch Insp Stoten said the gang stood to make between £10,000 and £12,000 per person transported, "the lion's share of which would have gone to Ronan Hughes and Gheorghe Nica".
The jury had heard that on 14 October, between the two successful runs, Kennedy was found at the French end of the Channel Tunnel with 20 Vietnamese migrants in his trailer. At least two of those people ended up dying in the fatal run.
Police believe the smugglers had "doubled-up" the load on 23 October because of the problem on 14 October, and that was what led to the deaths.
This gang had been smuggling people for months and months, the Old Bailey heard.
On the first of several successful runs on the same route, a couple, Marie Andrews and Stewart Cox, saw people getting out of a van on a country lane in Orsett, Essex, and dialled 999.
Police attended but did not seize CCTV footage from the nearby golf course, in which a lorry and other vehicles were seen on the lane.
If, perhaps, Essex Police had managed to get to that footage, follow it up and identify some of the vehicles before the fatal run 12 days later, then this gang might possibly have been disrupted before these 39 people died.
Asked about that, the force said it could only allocate the resources available at the time.
But it says that now, if there are ever reports of people in the back of a lorry and the driver is present, the driver will be arrested.
Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, of Hobart Road, Tilbury, Essex, and Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, had earlier admitted assisting unlawful immigration linked to the case.
Mr Justice Sweeney adjourned sentencing of all the defendants to 7, 8 and 11 January.
Ms Patel said her "thoughts remain with those affected by this tragedy".
"Today's convictions only strengthen my resolve to do all I can to go after the people-smugglers who prey on the vulnerable and trade in human misery," she added.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | December 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
A US drone attack kills two suspected alQaeda members in Shabwa province, Yemen. | Two men suspected of being al-Qaeda militants were killed in Yemen by a missile strike said by witnesses and local officials to have been launched by an America drone.
The Yemen defence ministry said the two men, who were driving a car in Shabwa province in the east of the country, were brothers, but did not name them or give further details. Locally based journalists identified them as Abdullah and Mubarak al-Harad, and one report said the real target may have been a senior al-Qaeda operative of Saudi origin who was on his way to meet them....
| Armed Conflict | May 2011 | ['(The Telegraph)'] |
Hurricane warnings are issued for the state of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi as it is expected that Tropical Storm Marco will become a hurricane later today. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is also advancing toward the United States after leaving torrential rain in parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards requests a federal emergency declaration; Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declares a state of emergency. | Hurricane Marco is expected to move near the Louisiana coast on Monday, followed by Tropical Storm Laura later this week, as warnings have been issued for parts of the Gulf Coast.
Marco is currently 180 miles Louisiana coast and the storm has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph -- making it a Category 1 hurricane -- while moving north-northwest at 13 mph.
Tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect from southeastern Louisiana to the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines. Hurricane watches and warnings are also in effect along the southeast coast of Louisiana.
Cities such as New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi, are under a tropical storm warning and locations right along the coast are also included in the hurricane alerts.
Marco is expected to gain some strength today and then quickly move into the Gulf Coast -- southeastern Louisiana remains the location where a landfall could occur and depending on the exact track that could be sometime Monday afternoon or evening.
As Marco nears the coast, atmospheric conditions will become unfavorable and begin to impact the storm. As of now, Marco could make landfall as a strong tropical storm.
As the storm nears the north central Gulf Coast on Monday, areas of rain and gusty winds will begin to impact some areas by Monday morning.
The larger impact is likely to be later Monday afternoon and evening across southeastern Louisiana and the Mississippi coast, with heavy rains, strong winds and storm surge. Some areas could see 2 to 4 inches of rain and several feet of storm surge during high tide.
Tropical Storm Laura strengthened Sunday and now has winds of 60 mph and is moving west to northwest at 21 mph. The center of the storm is over eastern Cuba.
The storm brought life-threatening flash flooding over portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At least five deaths have been registered in Haiti as a result of Tropical Storm Laura, the Haitian Civil Protection Agency said on Twitter.
There are tropical storm watches and warnings for parts of Hispaniola, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
There is also a tropical storm watch for the Florida Keys and the waters off southern mainland Florida.
The National Hurricane Center is still forecasting that Laura will come ashore along the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane by later Wednesday and into Thursday.
As with all tropical systems, the area to the right of the center is where the greatest impacts will occur. Right now, the center of Marco looks to be coming ashore somewhere on the Gulf Coast from southern Louisiana to southern Mississippi, with the likely region being very close to New Orleans.
Marco is expected to make landfall on Monday. When the storm comes ashore it could bring a storm surge of 2 to 6 feet, rainfall of up to 6 inches, possible tornadoes and strong winds.
Laura will move across Cuba overnight into Monday. Locally, over 8 inches of rain, strong winds and dangerous surf is expected from Hispaniola to Cuba over the next 24-30 hours. This will likely cause flash flooding and mudslides.
The official forecast track shows Laura possibly reaching the southern Gulf of Mexico as Marco is making landfall on Monday.
The forecast after this point remains somewhat uncertain. However, in forecast models, there is increasing agreement in a strengthening storm moving towards the U.S. Gulf Coast later this week.
It remains to be seen what the intensity of both storms will be and whether this situation will break any tropical records.
The last time there were two tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico was in 2002, where Tropical Storm Fay was off the Texas coast and Tropical Depression Edouard was off the Florida West Coast.
The shortest time between two named storms making landfall in Louisiana was five days and that was back in 1885. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | August 2020 | ['(The Guardian)', '(ABC News)'] |
The San Francisco County Superior Court in the US state of California announces plans to cut 200 jobs and close 25 out of 63 court rooms due to budget problems. | SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- Budget cuts and layoffs are coming to San Francisco Superior Court, which means everything from divorces to lawsuits could drag on for years. They are drastic cuts to close a $14 million budget deficit.
The Superior Court handles more than 30,000 civil cases every year. On Monday, layoff notices will be sent to 200 workers who keep the wheels of justice turning. On Friday, employees left work at San Francisco's Superior Court building and headed home for an unsettled weekend. "Everybody's future is up in the air. So I'm trying not to think about it until I know what's actually going to happen," said Jennifer Pasinosky, a court employee. What's going to happen is a drastic reduction in the number of employees and courtrooms. The layoff notices will target court reporters and clerks, administrative staff members will lose their jobs, and that's on top of the 11 court commissioners who were let go this week. Twenty-five out of the 63 courtrooms will close. Civil cases will take the brunt. "You can still file a civil case, but it's going to sit on a shelf with hundreds of papers, stacks of papers, and it won't see a courtroom for at least five years. It could take at least a year and a half to get a divorce. It could take months to get copies of court records. It could take you a full day of standing in line to get your traffic ticket paid in our criminal division," said Superior Court spokesperson Ann Donlan. San Francisco Superior Court blew through a $10 million reserve hoping to avoid layoffs. Then, lawmakers cut $200 million in March and another $150 million last month. Court officials say unless there's a miracle, October 3 will be "D-Day" for the cutbacks to take effect. "Apparently the governor and legislature have not put the courts at the top of their priority lists. In fact, we appear to be at the bottom and there's going to be really severe impacts for the public as a result," said Donlan. Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, put blame on former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for eliminating the car tax. "This is the dismantling of the State of California and until we can access, not new revenue, but former revenues, we're going to see this horrible pain placed on Californians," said Leno. "A lot of people are going to be laid off, about 40 percent of the court staff, and apparently we're going to hear next week what's going on," said Pasinosky. The layoffs will take effect on September 30. The new state budget calls for another $4 billion in unanticipated revenue and if that money does not come in, the cuts to the court system could be even deeper. | Financial Crisis | July 2011 | ['(ABC News America)'] |
The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency states that the eruption of lower Puna has destroyed 467 homes in total. | June 16 (UPI) -- Lava from the Kilauea Volcano has destroyed 467 homes and covered 5,914 acres, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said Saturday.
Activity on Saturday included an explosive event at Halemaumau Crater that had the energy of a 5.3 magnitude earthquake, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.
As Fissure 8 in the lower East Rift Zone remains active, lava fountains are reaching 170 feet tall, leaving gas emissions high. Winds will to continue to bring vog to the central, southern and western parts of Hawaii Island, officials said.
Saturday's announcement comes with an alert to Hawaiians to remain vigilant about air quality conditions and for those with breathing problems to limit outdoor activities. The alert also said areas downwind of Kilauea should be prepared for ash.
An explosive event at the Kilauea summit on Friday produced an ash plume that rose to 10,000 feet and dispersed, the defense agency said.
Heavy vog is blanketing the interior and southern parts of the island, impacting Hilo and wrapping around to Kona through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. | Volcano Eruption | June 2018 | ['(Upi)'] |
In Russia, police arrested over 400 people in Manege Square hours after picking up some 200 people outside the court where the Bolotnaya square case defendants were being tried. | Russian police have made nearly 500 arrests at opposition rallies in the country's two main cities, including several well-known protest figures.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was among those picked up in Moscow on Monday evening, as he attended an unapproved rally near the Kremlin.
He and others have appeared in court, charged with offences that entail a fine or detention of up to 15 days.
The rallies were called to protest at sentences passed on other activists.
Seven people had received prison terms of up to four years on Monday, for rioting and attacking police at a demonstration against Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a third presidential term in May 2012, in Bolotnaya Square, Moscow. Human rights organisation Amnesty International condemned the sentences as a "hideous injustice", at the end of a "show trial".
An eighth defendant, the only woman on trial, received a suspended sentence. While the rallies on Monday in Moscow and St Petersburg were called to protest at the Bolotnaya sentences, some demonstrators also made shows of solidarity with the protesters in Ukraine, who brought down President Viktor Yanukovych last week. Police arrested 420 people in Manege Square, under the walls of the Kremlin, hours after picking up some 200 people outside the court where the Bolotnaya defendants were being tried. It appears that many of those detained near the court were released shortly afterwards, and at least some of them went to Manege Square for the bigger rally. Among those detained in Moscow were Pussy Riot punk band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, both recently freed from prison under an amnesty, and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov.
Those held overnight were apparently being charged with either disobeying a police request or breaching the rules on holding rallies.
In St Petersburg, 60 people were arrested at a similar protest rally.
Outside the court in Moscow, some demonstrators had shouted "Maidan" - a reference to the square in Kiev where Ukrainian protesters camped out before finally toppling the country's elected president.
However, Mr Navalny distanced himself from events in Ukraine, saying that Russia had its own battle for freedom.
Russian state TV coverage of the Bolotnaya trial drew analogies with the unrest in Ukraine, the Associated Press notes.
"With the events on the Maidan as a background, it's even more obvious what all of this could have led to, had it not been for the government's clear, tough response," one unnamed TV presenter was quoted as saying. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2014 | ['(BBC)', '(RFE/RL)', '(The Moscow Times)'] |
There are violent riots and protests in Athens between police and protesters as the city commemorates the first anniversary of the fatal shooting of 15–year–old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer. | Police fired teargas at rioters who threw rocks and firecrackers in central Athens as thousands gathered to mark the first anniversary of the police shooting of a teenager.
Clashes broke out as about 3,000 people, mostly students, anarchists and leftists, began a march to parliament. More protests were expected tomorrow. An evening memorial service was planned in the Exarchia district, where 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot dead.
Violence also broke out in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, where demonstrators threw petrol bombs at police and smashed the front of a Starbucks cafe.
More than 6,000 police were deployed across greater Athens amid fears that the demonstrations under way in the capital and other Greek cities would turn increasingly violent. Concern was heightened by reports that far-left groups and anarchists from other European countries have travelled to Greece for the protests.
Grigoropoulos was shot by a policeman on the evening of 6 December 2008, in Exarchia, a central Athens neighbourhood of bars and cafes popular with anarchist groups. Within a few hours of his death, riots spread from the capital to several cities, taking the government by surprise. An embattled police force took a passive approach as rioters looted and burned shops in violence that lasted two weeks.
The new socialist government, which has faced a spate of attacks by far-left and anarchist groups, since coming to power in October, has vowed not to tolerate any violence during today's anniversary.
Police yesterday detained about 160 youths and raided what they described as a firebomb-making hideout in the district of Keratsini, near the port of Piraeus. A memorial gathering last night at the spot where Grigoropoulos was killed began peacefully, although clashes broke out in the area later between rock-throwers and riot police. Police arrested 14 people, including five Italians and three Albanians.
Dozens of police, some in riot gear and others on motorbikes, stood guard throughout the district on Saturday night. Apart from the brief clash, the area was quiet, with heavy rain helping keep people off the streets.
Greece's civil protection minister, Michalis Chrisochoidis, who is also in charge of the police, said earlier this week that people had been right to demonstrate against the teenager's death, but further riots would not be tolerated.
"Without doubt (Grigoropoulos's death) was an act of extreme police violence and misconduct that has scarred our collective memory," Chrisochoidis said. "Young people were right to take to the streets to express their outrage. But we will not tolerate a repeat of the violence and terror in the centre of Athens and other cities. We will not surrender Athens to vandals." | Protest_Online Condemnation | December 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(Sky News)', '(The Guardian)'] |
The UK's Environment Agency issues a severe flood warning for part of south–west England following torrential rain. | A severe flood warning has been issued for part of south-west England, as river levels rise after heavy rain.
The Environment Agency said lives were in danger in areas near the River Axe, in Devon.
In Northumberland, a man in his 20s died
when his car came off a road during torrential rain.
Some 48 flood warnings and 133 flood alerts remain in England and Wales
, while nine flood warnings and seven flood alerts are in force in Scotland
.
The Environment Agency's severe flood warning means there is a danger to life, while a flood warning means immediate action is required. A flood alert means people should be prepared for possible flooding.
People in low lying properties and roads around Stoney Bridge and Castle Hill in Axminster have been urged to stay in a safe place, listen to the emergency services and be ready to evacuate their homes.
Earlier severe warnings for the River Yealm in South Hams, Devon, and streets in Burton Bradstock, Dorset, have been downgraded. The Environment Agency has used pumps to help emergency services clear flood water from properties and warned people on campsites to stay alert.
Officials at Silverstone on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border had to turn away thousands of fans wanting to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix qualifying sessions on Saturday because of muddy conditions in its car parks.
All fans with tickets for Sunday's Grand Prix have been advised they can attend, but told to allow plenty of time to arrive at the circuit.
Managing director Richard Phillips said it would be "a bit of a challenge", adding "please bear with us, we are going to do our best".
The Met Office has amber warnings of rain in force for Dorset, Somerset and parts of Devon. Parts of east Devon and west Dorset have received between three to almost five inches of rain in the past 24 hours - more than an average month's worth of rain in a day.
Environment Agency river gauges have recorded record levels at numerous locations including the River Otter at Ottery St Mary and River Bride at Burton Bradstock.
In separate incidents in Dorset, two people stranded on top of their car near the River Bride and a man stuck in his wheelchair in water at Burton Bradstock were rescued by coastguard teams.
Maddy Davey, the watch manager from Portland Coastguard, said: "We have responded to a significantly high number of incidents today - yachts in danger of breaking their moorings, crew have become seasick and most alarmingly a kayaker was separated from his kayak and then swept through the sluice gate into the harbour.
"He was extremely lucky to have survived the ordeal unharmed."
In other developments:
BBC weather forecaster Holly Green said the heaviest rainfall that many parts of the UK experienced on Saturday had eased during the evening. "There is still a risk of heavy, thundery showers in central and eastern areas of England on Sunday, which could lead to some local, rather than widespread, surface water issues in the heaviest downpours," she said.
Meanwhile, Labour has accused the government of failing to help communities hit by flooding in recent weeks.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the government was close to an agreement with insurance companies to make cover affordable for all. "We have been in close contact with the insurers, asking them to do everything they can to get on the ground with their loss adjusters," she said.
The Met Office said a low pressure system was set to bring rain and thundery showers to the UK until early next week.
In pictures: Heavy rain brings floods
| Floods | July 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
UN-backed Libyan Minister of the Interior Fathi Bashagha escapes a motorcade shooting in Tripoli. One of his guards is wounded and the others chase the assailants, killing one of them and arresting two others. The ministry calls the attack an assassination attempt. | A Libyan official says the motorcade of the interior minister of the U.N.-backed government came under attack on Sunday in the capital, Tripoli
CAIRO -- The interior minister of Libya’s U.N.-backed government survived an ambush by gunmen on his motorcade on Sunday, a brazen attack highlighting the towering challenges that remain for the newly appointed government that is trying to unite the country before elections late this year.
Armed men opened fire at Fathi Bashagha’s motorcade on a highway in Tripoli, wounding at least one of his guards, said Amin al-Hashmi, a spokesman for the Tripoli-based Health Ministry.
He said the minister survived the attack and his guards chased the assailants, killing one and detaining two others.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that Bashagha was was returning to his residence in the Janzour neighborhood when armed men in an armored vehicle opened fire on his convoy.
The statement called the attack an “attempted assassination” of the minister.
Earlier Sunday, Bashagha met with Mustafa Sanalla, head of Libya’s National Oil Corporation to discuss the security of oil facilities and how to strengthen the corporation’s independence to “ensure a fair distribution of wealth among all Libyans.” He posted a photo for both of them on his Twitter account, calling their meeting “fruitful."
The U.S. Ambassador in Libya Richard Norland also condemned the attack and called for an investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
“Minister Bashaga’s focus on ending the influence of rogue militias has our full support,” Norland said.
The U.N. special envoy to Libya Jan Kubis also urged a “full, rapid, and transparent investigation" into the incident, saying it had aimed at “derailing the political process and other efforts in support of Libya and its people.”
He said the attack has also showed "how important it is to keep all the arms only in the hands of the legitimate authorities.”
Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country has been divided between two governments, one in the east and another in the west, each backed by a vast array of militias as well as foreign powers.
Earlier this month, an UN-picked body comprised of Libyans from both sides appointed an interim government a three-member Presidential Council and a prime minister to lead the country through elections, scheduled for Dec. 24.
The newly appointed government, which has yet to resume its powers, called for judicial authorities to reveal the circumstances of the incident and bring those responsible before justice.
Bashagha was a contender for the post of prime minister, in the end Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah was chosen to lead the transitional Cabinet.
The forum also picked Mohammad Younes Menfi, a Libyan diplomat from the country’s east, to lead the Presidential Council. | Armed Conflict | February 2021 | ['(ABC News)'] |
The Electoral College meets in the state capitals to officially elect the next President. Joe Biden, the presumptive president-elect, is officially elected president after securing California's 55 electoral votes and will be inaugurated on January 20. Outgoing President Donald Trump continues to dispute the results of the election, claiming widespread electoral fraud, despite numerous failed lawsuits. |
Lamar Alexander, a Republican senator of Tennessee, who had previously said that it’ll be “over” once the electoral college affirms the election, has released a statement emphasizing that point. “The presidential election is over,” he said. “States have certified the votes. Courts have resolved disputes. The electors have voted. I hope that President Trump will put the country first, take pride in his considerable accomplishments, and help President-elect Biden get off to a good start. Especially during this pandemic, an orderly transition of power is crucially important.”
As much as Biden has emphasized unity since winning the election – and even though he ended his speech with a call to unity, his speech tonight didn’t pull any punches. Biden: "4 years ago, when I was VP, it was my responsibility to announce the tally of the Electoral College votes to the joint session of Congress ... I did my job ... now it's time to turn the page as we've done throughout our history."
Before concluding his speech, Biden gave his condolences to those who lost loved ones to Covid-19: “Today, our nation passed a grim milestone. 300,000 deaths due to this Covid virus. My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic.”
Biden also called out the 17 Republican state attorney generals and 126 Republican representatives who signed onto the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn election results in other states. “It’s a position so extreme we’ve never seen it before,” Biden said. The effort “refused to respect the will of the people, refused to respect the rule of law and refused to respect our Constitution”.
Now, he said, “is time to unite”. “There’s urgent work in front of us.”
“If anyone didn’t know it before, they know it now. What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: democracy” Biden said. After thanking officials who carried out the elections, he also praised the judicial system. “The Trump campaign brought dozens and dozens of legal challenges,” Biden said. “And each of the times they were heard, they were found to be without merit.”
“Together, Vice-president-elect Harris and I earned 306 electoral votes,” Biden said, noting that he has won by the same margin as Donald Trump in 2016. Trump called that a “landslide”, Biden noted. “Nothing, not even a pandemic, or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame” of American democracy, Biden added, noting the contributions of election officials in carrying out their duty amid the pandemic, and amid threats and verbal abuse from detractors and Trump supporters. “We owe these public servants a debt of gratitude,” Biden continued. “Our democracy survived because of them.”
“The will of the people prevailed,” he said. It’s official, folks. Tune in as I deliver remarks on today’s electoral college vote certification and the strength and resilience of our democracy.
Members of the electoral college affirmed that Joe Biden is the president-elect, having won more than 270 electoral votes.
Hawaii was the last state to cast its electoral votes, awarding Biden a total of 306 votes. 15 Dec 2020
Danielle Renwick reports: The US death toll from Covid-19 crossed the grim milestone of 300,000 Monday, just hours after the first doses of a new vaccine were given to high-risk healthcare workers.
Frontline healthcare worker have shouldered an extraordinary burden over the last 10 months and represent a disproportionate share of the sick.
The Guardian, in partnership with Kaiser Health News, is investigating the deaths of nearly 1,500 healthcare workers who appeared to have died of Covid-19 after working on the frontlines. The number of dead is expected to climb significantly as new data sources are unlocked in the coming weeks. Our data shows that the majority of healthcare workers who have died are people of color.
Lauren Gambino
The president-elect will address the electoral college vote count in a speech to the nation later tonight. According to excerpts released by his transition team, Biden will say: “In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed ... And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”
Traditionally an afterthought, the meeting of the electoral college has taken on added importance this year because of the president’s refusal to concede the election. Despite an extraordinarily unsuccessful legal campaign to challenge the results in state and federal court, Trump has continued to claim without evidence that the vote was corrupted by fraud and irregularities.
In his speech, Biden will seek to put the election firmly to rest by looking ahead to his presidency and the challenges facing the country.
“As I said through this campaign, I will be a president for all Americans. I will work just as hard for those of you who didn’t vote for me, as I will for those who did,” Biden is expected to say.He will add: “There is urgent work in front of all of us. Getting the pandemic under control to getting the nation vaccinated against this virus. Delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today – and then building our economy back better than ever.”
Biden is scheduled to deliver his speech at 7.30pm ET tonight, after every state has held its meeting of electors. Hawaii will be the last state to start its meeting, at 7pm ET.
Election results from November show Biden won 306 electoral college votes, exceeding the 270 needed to win, after four tumultuous years under Trump. The president-elect and the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, are due to take office on 20 January.
Trump’s refusal to accept reality has been embraced by a significant share of Republican elected officials, including the House leader, Kevin McCarthy, and much of the party’s base. Tensions over the election result, stoked by Trump, erupted in Washington over the weekend, when violence broke out amid a “Stop the Steal” rally.
Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican of Missouri, is yet another Republican to break with the president by – accurately – calling Joe Biden the president-elect.
He told the Senate press poll that “we’ve now gone through the constitutional process and the electors have voted so there’s a president-elect”. .@RoyBlunt to Senate press pool: "We've now gone through the constitutional process and the electors have voted so there's a president elect... We'll deal with Vice President Biden as the president elect."
William Barr’s resignation letter is dripping with praise for Donald Trump. “You built the strongest and most resilient economy in American history,” Barr writes. “You have restored American military strength.” Barr praises the president’s Covid-19 response, and Middle East policy while repeating Trumpian grievance rhetoric about how the president faced a “partisan onslaught” that was “abusive and deceitful”. ...Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all! pic.twitter.com/V5sqOJT9PM
From Guardian staff: William Barr has been seen as a loyalist to the president, facing accusations throughout his tenure that he had turned the Department of Justice into an obedient servant of the White House.
Deputy attorney general Jeff Rosen, who Trump said was “an outstanding person” will take Barr’s post as acting attorney general. Barr – whose fealty to Trump had seemed almost bottomless – had surprised many observers by telling the Associated Press in an interview published on 1 December that he disputed the idea, promulgated by the president and his re-election campaign, that there had been widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump has attempted to undermine the victory of his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, by pointing to routine, small-scale issues in an election – questions about signatures, envelopes and postal marks – as evidence of widespread voter fraud across the nation that cost him the election.
Trump and some of his allies have also endorsed more bizarre sources of supposed fraud, such as tying Biden’s win to election software created in Venezuela “at the direction of Hugo Chávez” – the former Venezuelan president who died in 2013.
“There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results. And the DHS and DoJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that,” Barr said in the interview with the AP.
Barr said some people were confusing the role of the federal criminal justice system and asking it to step in on allegations that should be made in civil lawsuits and reviewed by state or local officials, not the justice department.
Barr added: “There’s a growing tendency to use the criminal justice system as sort of a default fix-all, and, people don’t like something – they want the Department of Justice to come in and ‘investigate’.”
Those comments probably infuriated Trump and his supporters as they have tried – and failed – to find any meaningful way, via the courts, requested recounts, or pressure on officials, of overturning his defeat by Biden. | Government Job change - Election | December 2020 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The Argentine Senate passes a controversial media bill regarding the ownership of media outlets in the country. | BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNN) -- After 16 hours of debate, Argentina's Senate passed a controversial reform law Saturday that critics say targets media outlets critical of the government.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner saw her party suffer political losses earlier this year.
The 44-24 vote is a victory for Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who had pushed to change the way the media operates in the South American nation after her party suffered devastating political losses earlier this year.
Kirchner blamed media coverage, especially by conglomerate Grupo Clarin, for her party's defeats.
The law approved by the Senate calls for the creation of a regulatory agency and spells out ownership rules regarding how many and what kind of outlets one company can hold.
Kirchner sent the media bill to Congress in August and, according to the government, its intent is to diversify the public airwaves.
The Argentine Congress passed the bill last month by a vote of 147 to 4, though the wide margin did not reflect the heated debate over it. Congressmen opposed to the measure protested by walking out of the chamber and not voting. Some threatened to turn to the courts to challenge the legitimacy of the vote.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the bill divides the airwaves in three parts: A third of broadcast concessions would be allocated to private companies, a third to state broadcasters; and a third to nonprofit organizations. The bill would limit the number of licenses a company can hold, and it would set quotas for national programming.
The CPJ said "many Argentine journalists and free press advocates acknowledge a need to overhaul broadcasting regulations enacted in 1980, during military rule, but have concerns about this bill."
CPJ, a nonprofit organization that promotes press freedoms worldwide, found that provisions in the Argentine bill could restrict freedom of expression, particularly an article that gives the president authority to appoint most members of a new broadcast regulatory body.
"We believe that the regulator must be autonomous and independent to ensure that broadcast concessions are not subjected to political interference," said Carlos Lauria, CPJ senior program coordinator for the Americas, in an article posted on the CPJ Web site. | Government Policy Changes | October 2009 | ['(Buenos Aires Herald)', '(AFP)', '(CNN)'] |
Around 1,000 dead ducks are pulled from Sichuan River in southwest China, sparking health and environmental concerns among residents. Also, more than 16,000 dead pigs have been pulled from Shanghai's Huangpu River over the past two weeks. | Around 1,000 dead ducks have been pulled from a river in southwest China, local officials say.
Residents found the dead ducks in Nanhe river in Pengshan county, Sichuan province, and alerted the environmental department, they said.
Local residents and livestock were not at risk as the river was not used for drinking water, officials added.
The news comes as the toll of dead pigs pulled from Shanghai's Huangpu river passed 16,000. Speaking in an interview with China National Radio on Sunday, Liang Weidong, a deputy director in Pengshan's publicity department, said that the authorities were first made aware of the ducks on Tuesday.
Officials discovered over 50 woven bags which contained the carcasses of around 1,000 ducks in the river.
They were unable to determine the cause of death as some of the ducks were already decomposed, Mr Liang said, adding that the bodies had been disinfected and buried.
An initial investigation suggested that the duck corpses had originated from upstream and were not dumped by local Pengshan farmers, he said.
The news has prompted concern and criticism from some users on weibo, China's version of Twitter, with many expressing incredulity at the government's assurance that the water is safe. | Environment Pollution | March 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
An estimated 60,000 Polish citizens, including a few hundred nationalists, some with banners "White Europe" and "Pray for an Islamic Holocaust", march through Warsaw under an umbrella slogan of "We want God", on the annual Independence March during the celebrations of Poland's National Independence Day. | Błaszczak said that people in an anti-government rally in opposition to the Independence March, which saw 60,000 people walk through the streets of Warsaw on 11 November, “wanted to pick a fight”.
A number people held a rally, armed with anti-fascist and anti-racist banners and posters, in opposition to the Independence March, which featured allegedly racist slogans.
Poland's government condemns racist slogans, according to the foreign ministry and the culture minister.
According to a foreign ministry statement, defining the whole event based on a few incidents was unjustified.
Culture Minister Piotr Gliński said he was surprised that a banner “which could suggest that someone thinks of nationhood in ethnic or racist terms showed up at the beautiful national march”.
Gliński did not specify to which slogan he was referring, while a number of major international media outlets referred to numerous slogans, both carried and chanted by the crowd, as racist.
“We do not condone ... nationhood being understood in terms of ethnicity” Gliński said, adding that the Polish nation was defined by its culture.
Gliński suggested the slogan was “a kind of political provocation” about the negative aspects of political correctness and multicultural policy.
The left-wing Citizens of Poland organisation, which held a rally to counter the Independence March, accused some of the march's participants of breaking the law and accused City Hall and the police of failing to react.
According to the organisation's leader Paweł Kasprzak, marchers used flares, carried banners with hate speech, and insulted and assaulted a group of women who were in their way.
At a press conference, some women claimed they were spat on and kicked, had their hair pulled, and were dragged off the street by the marchers after they stepped in their path peacefully, carrying anti-fascist banners.
Kasprzak said a smaller march in the southwestern city of Wrocław had been organised by a man who was convicted of burning an effigy of a Jew and accused that city's authorities of also failing to react.
The Independence Day March, organised by right-wing groups, had an umbrella slogan of “We want God”, a line from a religious song, and a quote made by US President Donald Trump when he was in Warsaw earlier in the year.
Some 60,000 people took part in the march, according to police figures. Marchers waved Polish flags, some of them with various patriotic symbols on them, as well as other flags and banners, including armed forces insignia with the slogan “Death to enemies of the fatherland”.
Other banners included slogans such as: “Europe will be white or uninhabited”, and “A white Europe of fraternal nations”. (vb/pk) | Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2017 | ['(Radio Poland)', '(Fox13)'] |
Republican Jim DeMint announces that he will resign from the Senate of the United States in January to lead the Heritage Foundation. | Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is leaving Congress in January to lead the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
DeMint, a staunch conservative who often clashes with party leadership, was reelected to a second term in 2010. He will depart before the new Congress is sworn in next month.
"I've decided to join The Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas," DeMint said in a statement. "My constituents know that being a Senator was never going to be my career."
The senator, a vocal advocate for term limits, had already pledged not to seek a third term.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) will appoint DeMint's successor, who will serve until a 2014 special election. That means two Senate races in the Palmetto State that year. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) -- targeted by many of the conservatives who love DeMint -- is up for reelection. DeMint's surprising move appears to be a break for Graham, who may see potential primary rivals flock to the open seat instead of challenging him.
Before entering politics, DeMint worked in market research, and he told the Journal that he's excited about taking Heritage Foundation research and working to "translate those policy papers into real-life demonstrations of things that work."
Heritage Chairman of the Board Thomas A. Saunders, in a statement, praised DeMint's "passion for rigorous research, his dedication to the principles of our nation’s founding, and his ability to translate policy ideas into action."
DeMint will take over from Ed Fuelner, who helped found the Heritage Foundation in 1973 and has been its president since 1977.
In 2010, Fuelner earned a total compensation (including bonuses and incentives) of $1,098,612. His base salary was $477,097. The annual salary for a senator: $174,000. (DeMint happens to be one of the poorest members of the Senate. According to the Post's Capitol Assets investigation, his estimated wealth in 2010 was $40,501.)
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the Board’s selection,” said Feulner in a statement. “Jim DeMint understands that conservative principles and values advance the interests of all Americans — regardless of age, gender, wealth or race."
The current president will stay on as chancellor of the foundation and chairman of Heritage's Asian Studies Center.
DeMint phoned McConnell this morning to tell him the news, according to leadership aides.
In a statement, McConnell thanked DeMint “for his uncompromising service to South Carolina and our country in the United States Senate.
"Jim helped provide a powerful voice for conservative ideals in a town where those principles are too often hidden beneath business as usual," McConnell added. "There is no question in my mind that he raised the profile of important issues like spending and debt and helped galvanize the American people against a big government agenda."
In his new role, DeMint will serve as the boss of McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, the former labor secretary who is a Heritage distinguished fellow.
McConnell’s deputy, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) appeared caught off-guard by the announcement. “I just heard about it,” he told reporters outside his office.
DeMint's political allies were quick to congratulate the senator.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said it was "disappointing" to lose a fellow conservative in Congress, but "South Carolina’s loss is the country’s gain.”
“Senator DeMint has done more to advance the cause of freedom and liberty in Congress than anyone else since his election,” said Chris Chocola, president of the anti-tax Club for Growth, in a statement. “We wish him nothing but the best in his new role at Heritage.”
DeMint has helped elect a number of like-minded colleagues in recent years through the now-independent Senate Conservatives Fund -- including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Aaron Blake and Ed O'Keefe contributed to this report.
| Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | December 2012 | ['(Washington Post)'] |
Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party is elected as Prime Minister of Nepal. | KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- An unopposed former Communist leader was elected Nepal's new prime minister Saturday, ending nearly three weeks of political uncertainty.
Madhav Kumar Nepal waves at his supporters at the country's parliament in Kathmandu.
Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) was the only person to serve as a candidate for the post after he received backing from more than 20 of the 25 parties in parliament.
Nepal, 56, is a former general secretary of the Communist Party, but had resigned after the party made a poor showing last year against another Communist movement.
In that vote, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) became the largest party, with 38 percent of the seats in the 601-member constituent assembly which also functions as parliament.
Nepal had been general secretary since 1993 and served as the country's deputy prime minister for nine months in 1995.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist chairman, resigned as prime minister May 4 after the president overturned the Cabinet's decision to sack the army chief.
Nepal became a republic last year.
The new government has two important tasks before it: the writing of a new constitution within a year, and integration of 19,600 Maoist combatants into the security forces.
Without the support of the former Maoist rebels, these tasks cannot be achieved. The Maoists fought a 10-year insurgency aimed at abolishing the monarchy. | Government Job change - Election | May 2009 | ['(Unified Marxist–Leninist)', '(CNN)'] |
Jockey Campbell Gillies dies the day before his 22nd birthday after an accident while on holiday in Corfu. | Last updated on 26 June 201226 June 2012.From the section Horse Racing
Jockey Campbell Gillies has died the day before his 22nd birthday after an accident while on holiday in Corfu.
Gillies led Brindisi Breeze to victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham this year.
The Scotsman, from Haddington, rode primarily for Lucinda Russell.
A statement on trainer Russell's websiteexternal-link said: "He was a much-loved, popular and respected member at Arlary House and it is so hard to lose part of our 'family'." Gillies, who had over 50 winners for Russell, won 131 races in Britain. He was also associated with the Willie Amos-trained Lie Forrit.
Brindisi Breeze died last month after being hit by a fuel tanker, having bolted from Russell's yard.
Gillies' most recent ride was on Sunday at Hexham and he had been enjoying his most successful campaign with 38 winners in 2011-12.
Born in East Lothian, Campbell attended the British Racing School.
Speaking on behalf of Gillies' mother Lesley, sister Rita, and brother Finlay, his uncle Rory McNeill said: "The whole family is devastated and trying to come to terms with our loss. "Campbell was dearly loved by one and all, and this is shown by the tributes to Campbell. We hope that at this time we can be given the space and time to grieve."
Russell added: "We are immensely proud of the achievements of Campbell. It was through his innate ability and talent that he reached great heights as a jockey at such an early age. Campbell Gillies, a product of the tradition in the Scottish Borders of producing talented jockeys, was truly a rising star. That sense was underlined by the success of Brindisi Breeze at Cheltenham, having been given a masterful ride by his jockey. It was truly a joyous occasion, a first win at the showpiece event for both the popular and colourful Gillies and for trainer Lucinda Russell, who provided many of his winners.
But barely three months later, neither jockey nor horse is still with us, Brindisi Breeze himself having died in a road accident in May. Stunned is the only word to describe the feeling right across the sport at this tragedy.
"More than that, he had a wonderful charm that I believe came across to everyone who met him and through his media interviews."
Assistant trainer Peter Scudamore added: "His victory at Cheltenham on Brindisi Breeze was the pinnacle of Campbell's career. The race epitomised him as a jockey; his belief and confidence and his innate timing. "He became one with the horse. This empathy and love of his horses was one of the reasons that he was a truly great jockey."
His brother Finlay plays rugby union for Glasgow Warriors, who said in a statement: "The thoughts of everyone at Glasgow Warriors are with Finlay and his family at this terrible time."
Champion jockey Tony McCoy said: "Very sad news about Campbell Gillies - a very good jockey but an even better bloke. All our thoughts are with his family. RIP."
Cheltenham racecourse tweeted:external-link "Desperate news that jockey Campbell Gillies has died on holiday. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."
Gillies' passing was also lamented by Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, himself a keen racegoer and pundit.
"This is devastating news. Campbell Gillies, at the age of 21, had achieved extraordinary success, highlighted by his victory at this year's Cheltenham Festival on Brindisi Breeze," he said. "The loss of his outstanding talent is a huge blow, not just to racing but to Scottish sport and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time." | Famous Person - Death | June 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
A jury including U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey convicts Dion Coleman of murder after two hours of deliberation. | Winfrey, 50, was paid $17.20 per day to sit on the Chicago jury which convicted Dion Coleman, 27, of first-degree murder. He could face a life sentence.
"It's a huge reality check, when your life intersects with others in this way, it is forever changed," Winfrey said outside the courtroom.
She is now planning to do a show about the trial with her fellow jurors.
Coleman was convicted for his role in the shooting of 23-year-old Walter Holley. He is due to be sentenced next month.
"The bigger story here for me is a man is dead, murdered, supposedly over $50, and that the real war is still going on in the inner-city streets every day," Winfrey said.
"Young black men killing each other. It was one of the saddest, saddest experiences I've ever had." Winfrey's presence on the jury meant huge media coverage of the trial, which the presenter said was a distraction.
"This is not good for the victim's family," she said. "This is not about Oprah Winfrey, the fact is a man has been murdered."
Media coverage
More than a dozen reporters and sketch artists filled the seats at the Cook County Criminal Courts building, while television cameras - which were barred from the actual courtroom - followed the presenter, thought to be a dollar billionaire, around its corridors.
Before she was chosen, Winfrey said she thought she was too opinionated to serve on the jury - but lawyers on both sides endorsed her presence.
Prosecutor Kathy Van Kampen said the attention surrounding Winfrey had no effect on the trial.
"She was accepted by both parties and we want fair, intelligent jurors on a jury, whether it's Miss Winfrey or anyone else," she said.
Juror Suzanne Goodman, who now plans to appear on the Oprah programme, said: "It was a lot of fun, it was like being on her show." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | August 2004 | ['(BBC)'] |
NBC drops support of 2016 United State Presidential candidate Donald Trump after Trump gives a campaign speech which includes accusedly racist remarks. | NBC today severed its relationship with Donald Trump over the overtly racist comments made by the 2016 Republican presidential candidate in his June 16 kickoff speech in New York. The action follows a similar move by Univision. Both companies cited these awful remarks by Trump:
In its statement announcing the move, NBCUniversal made clear its disapproval: “At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values. Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”
Never one to be out-statemented, Trump is slashing back. Via Deadline:
Bold text added to highlight a comparison barely worth analyzing, but what the heck:
*Point No. 1: Did NBC really “stand by” Williams? After they found him guilty of various embellishments and falsehoods regarding his reportorial past — many folks just call them “lies” — NBC executives bounced him from his perch as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” and dropped him to a flimsy-sounding position doing breaking-news coverage at MSNBC. They also slapped Williams with a six-month suspension. Suppose that all amounts to “standing by,” at least in Trump’s version of reality.
*Point No. 2: Trump is arguing that NBC is sticking with liars while jettisoning truth-tellers, such as himself. What’s truth to Trump, though, is a slander to the Mexican people. Let’s run those words again:
Some folks call those remarks “incendiary“; some call them “offensive“; some call them what they are:
So there’s a choice: On the one hand, a guy who has trouble with the truth; on the other, a guy who engages in racial stereotyping. Executives at the top of NBCUniversal will have earned their summer vacation this year.
*Point No. 3: Brian Williams apologized at great length for his misdeeds. In an interview with NBC News colleague Matt Lauer, he appeared troubled by all the developments, though he could have come a bit cleaner.
And here’s where the contrast gets deep: When confronted with his own misdeeds regarding his depiction of Mexican Americans, Trump continues with his shameless bumptiousness. As he rattles off his insistence that there’s nothing to amend, he proves that he’s way below the level of even one of journalism’s most damaged names.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | June 2015 | ['(The Washington Post)'] |
Typhoon Goni makes landfall in southwestern Japan with at least 26 people injured but no people killed. The death toll in the Philippines rises to 21 while South Korea is on alert. , | SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea was on alert Tuesday as powerful Typhoon Goni approached after causing casualties and property damage in Southeast Asia, weather officials said.
The typhoon, packing winds of up to 43 meters per second, passed through waters about 360 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, by around 6:00 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
The KMA forecast the typhoon will dwindle starting from Tuesday afternoon in waters around 190 kilometers southeast of the southern port city of Busan.
The weather agency issued an alert for heavy rains taking effect as of 9:40 a.m. in the southern resort island of Jeju, as well as the rest of North and South Gyeongsang provinces and some parts of Gangwon Province.
"An average of 30 millimeters of rain per hour is expected through Wednesday," said a KMA official, adding that a lot of rain and strong winds are forecast in Jeju Island, North and South Gyeongsang provinces and Gangwon Province.
On the way to the Korean Peninsula, the typhoon pounded several Southeast Asian countries, resulting in deaths in the Philippines, as well as damaged buildings and flooded streets in southwestern Japan. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | August 2015 | ['(AP)', '(Yonhap)'] |
The United States Space Force launches its first satellite into space aboard an Atlas V rocket. | A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket boosted a high-power military communications satellite into space Thursday, the sixth and final relay station in a jam-resistant, blast-hardened constellation valued at more than $11 billion.
The flight was the first national security space launch under authority of the newly established U.S. Space Force, carried out amid extensive precautions at the Cape Canaveral launch site to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The Air Force and ULA reduced the number of on-site personnel by 20-25% respectively while implementing social distancing and other safety protocols for those who remained.
"Obviously (personnel) can't necessarily telework on a launch, but ... we're limiting the crew to just the necessary folks that need to be there," said Brigadier General Douglas Schiess, commander of the 45th Space Wing and director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Air Force Base.
"We are cleaning all of our [operation] centers ... and telling our folks that are on crew that this is not the time to be out and about. If you're working a mission, make sure that you're keeping yourself at home and being prepared for mission operations. We're doing everything we can."
In the meantime, he said, launch operations will proceed, but "obviously, if the situation changes, then we would adjust. But we're going to continue operations at this time."
Running an hour and 21 minutes late because of trouble with ground equipment, the Atlas 5's Russian-built RD-180 first stage engine fired up at 4:18 p.m. EDT, followed a moment later by ignition of five solid-propellant strap-on boosters.
Generating 2.6 million pounds of thrust, the 20-story-tall rocket quickly climbed away from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, arced over to the east and disappeared from view high above the Atlantic Ocean.
The strap-on boosters burned out and fell away as planned, followed by first stage engine shutdown and separation about four-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. The hydrogen-powered Centaur second stage engine then took over with the first of three planned burns.
Between the second and third Centaur firings, a small satellite known as TDO-2, built by the Georgia Institute of Technology for the Air Force Research Laboratory, was released from the bottom of the upper stage to serve as a target for space sensor development.
But the primary goal of the flight was to put the Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite into an optimized "high-energy" elliptical orbit designed to minimize the fuel and time needed to reach its operational station.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the AEHF-6 satellite was bound for a circular orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. At that altitude, satellites take 24 hours to complete one orbit and thus appear stationary in the sky, allowing the use of fixed antennas on the ground.
The three Centaur firings were designed to put AEHF-6 into an elliptical "transfer" orbit with a high point of about 21,900 miles and a predicted low point of 6,760 miles. On board thrusters will be used to circularize the orbit at and to maneuver the satellite into its final operational location.
The six AEHF satellites are designed to provide a globe-spanning network of encrypted, jam-proof communications for strategic command and control and for tactical missions around the world. The satellites are shared by the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Netherlands.
"This is the nation's only strategic and tactical protected comm satellite network," Mike Cacheiro, Lockheed Martin AEHF program manager, said before an earlier launch. "It's also the only system that survives through a near nuclear burst and can provide communications through environments that other comm systems could not.
"So on a really bad day, you really want to have this system in place," he said.
The AEHF satellites can handle 10 times more data than the older Milstar relay stations they are replacing, feature advanced encryption technology and are designed to give "senior leadership a survivable line of communications to military forces in all levels of conflict, including nuclear war," ULA said in a brochure describing the spacecraft.
The first two satellites in the system, launched in 2010 and 2012, cost about $5.8 billion, including ground systems and terminals. The third satellite in the series, launched in 2013, cost some $900 million while the fourth satellite, featuring a variety of modifications, had a price tag of $1.8 billion, officials said before launch in 2018.
The final two satellites, AEHF-5 and 6, cost a combined $2.15 billion.
First published on March 26, 2020 / 8:19 PM
© 2020 CBS Interactive Inc.
Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches. Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood is a devoted amateur astronomer and co-author of "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia." | New achievements in aerospace | March 2020 | ['(CBS News)'] |
Iran claims to have tested more medium and long range missiles a day after test firing the Shahab-3. | (CNN) -- Iran test-fired more missiles overnight, Iranian news media reported Thursday, one day after it tested a long-range Shahab-3 and other missiles in the Persian Gulf region.
Iranian media say Thursday's test-fire of missiles was a continuation of exercises that began Wednesday, above.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that the missiles involved were medium and long-range. The Iranian news agency Fars said the launches, near the Persian Gulf, were a continuation of Wednesday's maneuvers and that the missiles hit their targets successfully.
The test came only hours after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States is determined to prevent Iran from threatening its interests or those of its allies.
At a news conference in the Georgian capital of Tblisi, Rice said the United States has been working with allies to "make certain that they are capable of defending themselves" against any threat from Iran.
"We take very strongly our obligation to help our allies defend themselves and no one should be confused about that," Rice said.
She said a missile defense shield the United States hopes to create in Eastern Europe would be another way to head off any threat from Iran.
"These are all elements of America's intention and determination to prevent Iran from threatening our interests or the interests of our friends and allies, and I don't think the Iranians are too confused, either, about the capability and the power of the United States to do exactly that," she said.
The forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had test-fired a Shahab-3 missile and several others during war games in the Persian Gulf, an Iranian commander said Wednesday.
The Shahab-3 has a range of about 2,000 km, putting all of Israel, Turkey, Pakistan and the Arabian peninsula within striking distance. From Iran the missile's reach extends from southern Russia to the Horn of Africa, from south-eastern Europe to Nepal. See where Iran's missiles could strike » The Iranian exercises came a month after Israel conducted a military drill in the eastern Mediterranean involving dozens of warplanes and aerial tanks.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in an escalating war of words: Iran has accused Israel of trying to destabilize the republic, while Israel has not ruled out military action to halt Iran's nuclear aspirations.
Iran's missile tests prompted condemnation from the United States and Israel. It is believed the longer-range Shahab-4 missile, when finished, would have the capability to hit parts of Europe, a U.S. intelligence official said.
Rice encouraged Iran to "get on the right side of the international community" by accepting a package of incentives put forward by China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- as well as Germany.
Iran "ought to be talking about that, not about threats against America or threats against America's allies because frankly it's not going to do them any good."
Meanwhile Israel was due Thursday to display an advanced aircraft that is capable of spying on Iran. Israel's Army Radio told CNN that the Eitam airplane is a "practical answer" to recent Iranian "threats."
But Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) -- which manufactures aircraft for both military and civilian use -- said the plane exhibit is not connected to Israel's recent "tensions" with Iran.
Rather, the airplane is being shown near Ben Gurion International Airport, southeast of Tel Aviv, because it will be at the prestigious Farnborough International Air Show in southern England next week, an IAI spokeswoman said.
The plane, a Gulfstream G550 business jet that has been modified with sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems, was unveiled last year and is already part of the Israeli Air Force's fleet. CNN's Michal Zippori and journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report | Military Exercise | July 2008 | ['(CNN)'] |
Tunisia gets another new Acting President, its second in two days, as 78-year-old speaker of parliament Fouad Mebazaa is sworn in. He claims all Tunisians "without exception" are now to be allowed participate in national politics. | Tunisia has sworn in a new interim leader as looting and deadly jail riots rocked the country, a day after President Ben Ali was swept from power.
Parliament Speaker Foued Mebazaa took the oath, pledging a unity government that could include the opposition. Fires burned out of control in the capital, Tunis, and there was shooting after celebrations marking Mr Ben Ali's flight to Saudi Arabia.
A curfew is back in force - troops are guarding key roads and buildings.
Two people were reported to have been shot dead by soldiers near the interior ministry.
Gunfire crackled throughout Saturday in the capital, some of it blamed on supporters of former President Ben Ali apparently trying to destabilise the precarious situation. The city's streets were largely deserted.
The BBC's Adam Mynott, in Tunis, says the country has been thrown into unprecedented turmoil by recent events.
He says looting and theft is going on everywhere and the immediate future of the country is in the hands of the military - police are conspicuously absent.
Despite a state of emergency declared on Friday, people have been emptying shops and destroying property across the country. Businesses and buildings connected with the former president and his family were singled out and attacked.
French-owned supermarkets were also targeted and the main railway station in Tunis was badly damaged by fire.
Saturday's deadliest incident appears to have been in the resort of Monastir, about 160km (100 miles) south of Tunis, where fire swept though a prison, killing at least 42 people. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze - inmates are believed to have been attempting to escape, as they did at a number of other jails where violence was reported. Tunis Carthage International Airport, which was closed amid Friday's unrest, re-opened on Saturday. Hundreds of tourists and other foreigners have been trapped there. Many have been airlifted home.
Amid the unrest and uncertainty Mr Mebazaa took over as acting president. He said he had asked Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi - who confusingly had earlier said he was in temporary charge - to form a national unity government. "All Tunisians without exception and exclusion must be associated in the political process," Mr Mebazaa said in a televised address.
Talks between the interim administration and political parties are due to resume on Sunday. Under the constitution a new presidential election must be held within 60 days. BBC correspondents say people are waiting for some indication that the interim administration is prepared to bring in widespread economic and political changes.
Meanwhile, the exiled head of Tunisia's Islamist party has said he will return to the country within weeks and would be prepared to take part in any unity government. Speaking to the BBC in London, Rachid Ghannouchi said the Tunisian people had got rid of a dictator, but were a long way from bringing down the dictatorship. The leader of neighbouring Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, has meanwhile spoken out against the uprising, saying the ensuing violence was "not worth it".
"You have suffered a great loss... There is none better than Zine (Mr Ben Ali) to govern Tunisia," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.
He added that he still considered Mr Ben Ali to be the "legal president of Tunisia".
In the past month, protests have swept the country over unemployment, food price rises and corruption. Security forces used live ammunition against protesters and dozens of people died.
Mr Ben Ali, who had been in power for 23 years, was only Tunisia's second president. He conceded power on Friday after the unrest culminated in a giant rally against him in Tunis.
He flew out of Tunisia with his family and, after the French government rejected a request for his plane to land there, was allowed to refuel in Sardinia before landing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy said Tunisians had "expressed their democratic will" and he urged the country to hold free elections as soon as possible.
His government says it has directed banks in France to block "suspicious" movements of assets belonging to Mr Ben Ali and his family.
There has been little official reaction from Tunisia's Arab neighbours to the events. The UK, the US and France are among countries advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia. Thomas Cook statement on Tunisia
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | January 2011 | ['(Oneindia)', '(BBC)'] |
Four American journalists are charged by Bahrain for "unlawful obstruction of vehicles and attending unlawful gatherings." The staterun Bahrain News Agency said all were released "pending further investigations." Freelance reporter Anna Day and a film crew, who were covering the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings, are scheduled to fly to Dubai tonight. | Four American journalists arrested in Bahrain have been formally charged but released from custody, the kingdom's state-run news agency said Tuesday.
Anna Therese Day and three members of her crew were detained on Sunday while covering the anniversary of Bahrain's 2011 uprising. Day's crew members have not been publicly named.
Bahraini authorities initially said one American had joined "rioters" in attacking police and accused all four of falsely claiming to be tourists.
On Tuesday, the state-run Bahrain News Agency said prosecutors investigated the Americans' involvement in "criminal acts" and had charged the four with "unlawful obstruction of vehicles and attending unlawful gatherings."
All four have been released "pending further investigations," the agency added.
A statement issued on behalf of the journalists' families on Tuesday afternoon said the four had left Bahrain and were "in transit."
"We are grateful to Bahraini authorities for their speedy resolution of the issue," the statement said, thanking U.S. officials who had "worked tirelessly to assist the group."
The State Department said it was aware of reports that U.S. citizens were detained in Bahrain and subsequently released but declined to comment further, citing privacy considerations.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press-freedom organizations had demanded the immediate release of Day and her crew. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2016 | ['(NBC News)', '(New York Daily News)'] |
In France, medical authorities investigate a case where remains of 351 stillborn fetuses had been kept in storage in St Vincent de Paul hospital against the law and the parents' consent. | Some of the tiny bodies had been kept against regulations at St Vincent de Paul for up to 25 years and the government has ordered an inquiry.
Health Minister Xavier Bertrand said his ministry would try to find out why and how it had been allowed to happen. All French maternity hospitals linked to mortuaries will also be checked.
The public prosecutor's office in Paris has opened its own investigation into the case. Incineration policy Announcing the grisly find, Xavier Bertrand said he was sad and indignant.
"I want to share my deep emotion and indignation at this discovery," he said after visiting the hospital in southern Paris.
"This situation demands that we find the truth."
French health ministry guidelines require that hospitals incinerate stillborn babies whose bodies are not claimed by relatives within 10 days, Liberation newspaper reports.
The BBC's Caroline Wyatt reports from Paris that French commentators suspect similarities to the Alder Hey scandal in the British city of Liverpool.
Parents there discovered that the remains of their children had been kept by the hospital without their consent. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate | August 2005 | ['(BBC)'] |
Thailand passes a law banning foreigners from hiring Thai women as commercial surrogate mothers. | Thailand has passed a law banning foreigners from paying Thai women to be surrogates, after two high-profile cases sparked debate last year.
The legislation also bans the use of agents, or any promotion of women willing to carry babies for others.
Last year the case of a little boy born with Down's syndrome put Thailand's surrogacy industry in the spotlight. His Thai surrogate mother said his Australian parents abandoned the boy but took his healthy twin sister home.
Under the new law, only married Thai couples or couples with one Thai partner who have been married at least three years can seek surrogacy, and commercial surrogacy is banned.
Anyone caught hiring a surrogate mother faces a maximum jail sentence of 10 years.
Agents touting surrogate mothers would also face imprisonment if caught.
The case of the Australian boy - named "baby Gammy" - made headlines around the world after his Australian parents took his healthy twin sister home and left him in Thailand.
He remained with surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua, 21, and was later granted Australian citizenship so he can have access to medical care. Concern about the industry worsened when a Japanese man was found to have fathered more than a dozen babies by different Thai surrogates, a case later dubbed "the baby factory".
It has been nearly five years since Thailand began drafting a law on commercial surrogacy. The bill had been stalled by successive political crises, but the plight of Baby Gammy, and then the shocking revelation of Mitsutoki Shigeta's 16 or more surrogate babies, spurred the Thai government into action. They were shamed by the moniker 'Womb of Asia' that Thailand had earned from its booming surrogate business.
The yearning of childless couples for babies will now probably move on to less regulated countries. But will surrogacy end in Thailand? The money to be made is so tempting for poor families that the business may still survive as an underground, illegal one, with all the dangers to the women of exploitation and poor health facilities. Law enforcement in Thailand is famously lax. And there is still a debate over whether legitimate surrogates should be paid something for the time, effort and health risks they take in carrying some else's baby.
Tackling 'wombs for rent'
Q&A: Surrogate babies
Commercial surrogacy was supposedly banned by Thailand's Medical Council in 1997.
Nevertheless a booming surrogacy industry has sprung up, attracting many foreigners.
According to Families Through Surrogacy, an international non-profit surrogacy organisation, the UK has the highest number of people in Europe seeking surrogacy overseas and the second-highest globally after Australia.
The organisation estimates that hundreds of UK residents travelled abroad in 2014 to Thailand and the US - the two most common surrogacy destinations.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said last year that up to 150 Australian couples were expecting a child by a Thai surrogate mother in 2015.
Families Through Surrogacy estimates that parents travelling to Thailand pay approximately 1.7 million Thai Baht ($52,000; £34,000), comparable to estimated costs in the US, Mexico and India.
Lawmaker Wanlop Tangkananurak said the law - which was first read in parliament in November - aimed to prevent Thailand from being "the womb of the world". | Government Policy Changes | February 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Fretilin wins more votes than any other party in the East Timorese election with 29 per cent of the vote but has to form a coalition with other parties to form a government. | DILI, East Timor -- The ruling Fretilin movement emerged as the top party Wednesday night in vote counting from East Timor's weekend parliamentary elections, but it was far short of a legislative majority and will have to try to form an alliance with other blocs.
With nearly all the ballots counted, Fretilin had 29 percent of the votes, the election commission said. The National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor, a party formed by independence leader Xanana Gusmao, was second with 23 percent.
Most parties contesting the elections have indicated that they will not the Fretilin party, raising the possibility that it will be forced into opposition despite winning the most votes.
Analysts say a likely outcome is a government formed around the party of Gusmao, which would make him the become prime minister.
"If Fretilin fail to make a coalition, it is better for them to become the opposition," said Julio Tomas Pinto, a professor of political science at East Timor's La Paz University. "To avoid violence, the Fretilin leadership has to make sure its supporters understand that it did not win a simple majority."
Saturday's election followed a year of violence and political turmoil in East Timor, which broke from Indonesian rule in a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1999 and has since struggled with widespread poverty, gang violence and other problems.
Mari Alkatiri, head of Fretilin, said his party was in talks with several other blocs on forming a governing coalition, but ruled out any deal with Gusmao's party.
While it led the election, Fretilin's vote share plummeted from the 57 percent it took in the 2001 election. That widely predicted slide was largely due to anger at the slow pace of development since independence, analysts said.
East Timor, a Portuguese colony for 450 years, fought a 24-year struggle against Indonesia and formally became independent just five years ago amid a widespread campaign of murder and rape by pro-Indonesian militias that killed 1,500 people.
In April and May last year, the country of 1 million people descended into chaos when fighting between police and soldiers led to gang warfare, looting and arson, causing 37 deaths and driving 155,000 people from their homes.
About 3,000 foreign peacekeepers restored relative calm, but East Timor is still plagued by unemployment and about 10 percent of the people still live in refugee camps or with relatives. | Government Job change - Election | July 2007 | ['(AP via the Washington Post)'] |
All four on board are killed when a medical services helicopter, transporting a patient from a car accident, crashes in a wooded area in Coffee County, Alabama. The helicopter pilot, a nurse, a medic, and the patient were killed. | (Reuters) - Four people, including a patient who was being airlifted from the scene of a car accident, were killed on Saturday when a medical services helicopter crashed in Alabama, authorities said.
The Life Flight helicopter with four people on board crashed in a wooded area in Coffee County, Alabama, the Red Cross said, citing authorities.
Besides the patient, the helicopter’s pilot, a nurse and a medic were killed, according to media.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the crash of the Eurocopter AS350, which happened about 25 miles north of the state’s border with Florida’s panhandle.
Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Robert Birsel
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. | Air crash | March 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
More than 2,000 firefighters fight a fire at the port of Dalian after two oil pipelines explode. | More than 2000 firefighters were mobilised on Saturday to tackle a spectacular blaze which broke out at a Chinese port after explosions hit two oil pipelines, state media reported.
Crews brought the fire in the northeast port of Dalian under control after battling the flames for 15 hours, and state television channel CCTV showed the area engulfed by clouds of thick black smoke.
The blasts hit pipelines belonging to China National Petroleum Corp, the country's main oil company, on Friday evening, well away from residential areas, a spokesman for city authorities in Dalian told the Xinhua news agency.
A strong burning smell was noticeable in the city, but the authorities said the blaze did not release toxic fumes, and no casualties were reported.
The accident happened after a tanker carrying 300,000 tonnes of oil unloaded its cargo, Xinhua said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered a deputy prime minister to the scene to direct operations, Xinhua reported. | Fire | July 2010 | ['(WAtoday)', '(BBC)'] |
Bolivian journalist Fernando Vidal is set on fire live on radio. | A Bolivian radio journalist has been attacked while he was conducting a radio show in the southern city of Yacuiba. Staff at Radio Popular said four masked men broke into the studio, poured petrol over presenter Fernando Vidal and set him alight.
Mr Vidal, 78, and another staff member are being treated for burns. Relatives said Mr Vidal had been reporting on smuggling in the border area when the attack happened. Mr Vidal suffered burns on his face, arms and chest, according to his son-in-law, Esteban Farfan. A studio technician, Karen Anza, was also injured in the attack. Some eyewitnesses said the attackers had also thrown Molotov cocktails.
Mr Farfan said his father-in-law had been a harsh critic of the provincial government and had voiced his criticism on air. He said he believed there were political reasons for the attack, but police have not yet commented on possible motives.
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attack.
Yacuiba is only three kilometres (less than two miles) from the Argentine border. And while there is a high-volume of cross-border commerce, journalists such as Mr Vidal had been denouncing a rise in smuggling, particularly of liquid petroleum gas.
| Armed Conflict | October 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
An Iranian Revolutionary Court begins a trial of eight alleged Islamic State members accused of involvement in gun and suicide bomb attacks that killed eighteen in Tehran. | DUBAI (Reuters) - A Revolutionary Court in Iran on Saturday began the trial of a group accused of involvement in attacks last year which killed 18 people in the first deadly operation by Islamic State in the country.
Eight of the 26 suspects in the case attended the hearing, facing charges including belonging to a terrorist organization, weapons smuggling and unauthorized entry to Iran, the Iranian judiciary’s news website Mizanonline reported.
Sunni Islamic State, in decline in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the unprecedented attacks in majority Shi’ite Iran, in which suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the parliament and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum in Tehran. The attackers were Kurdish Iranian Sunnis.
Iran has said that the five gunmen and suicide bombers who were killed had fought in the militants’ strongholds in Syria and Iraq.
Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Andrew Bolton
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | April 2018 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The U.S. Justice Department announces Roman Seleznev, the son of Russian parliament member Valery Seleznev, pleaded guilty in a $50 million identity theft probe. This past April, Roman Seleznev was sentenced to 27 years in prison on 38 counts of hacking crimes. | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The son of a Russian lawmaker accused of stealing credit card data and other personal information has pleaded guilty in two criminal cases stemming from a probe into a $50 million online identity theft scheme, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.
Roman Seleznev, 33, the son of Russian parliament member Valery Seleznev, pleaded guilty to one count of participating in a racketeering scheme, and another count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The charges were filed in federal courts in Nevada and Georgia, and the plea deal for both cases was finalized on Thursday.
In April, Seleznev was sentenced to 27 years in prison by a federal court in Washington for his role in a cyber assault involving hacking into point of sale computers to steal credit card numbers.
He was arrested in the Maldives and brought to the United States to face charges.
The Russian government has previously criticized the arrest, calling it an unlawful kidnapping.
Seleznev’s attorney, Igor Litvak, said his client accepts responsibility for his role in the two cyber cases settled on Thursday, but that he intends to appeal his conviction stemming from the third separate Washington case.
“We still feel the way he was brought to the U.S. was illegal,” Litvak told Reuters. “He was basically kidnapped.”
The Nevada and Georgia cases involved a credit card fraud ring known as “Carder.su,” an Internet-based network used by criminals who trafficked stolen credit card data.
In pleading guilty, Seleznev admitted he got involved with the ring in January 2009 and sold compromised credit card data to others on the network.
He also admitted to serving as a “casher” by working with other hackers to defraud an Atlanta company that helped process credit and debit card transactions. That scheme ultimately let the hackers steal 45.5 million debit card numbers and withdraw $9.4 million from ATMs in 280 cities.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | September 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(Sputnik)'] |
James Alex Fields, who drove his car into a crowd of protestors at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, killing one person and injuring 28 others, pleads guilty to 29 federal hate crimes. He will be sentenced on July 3, 2019. | Driver in deadly car attack at Charlottesville white nationalist rally pleads guilty to federal hate crimes
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Follow NBC News The man convicted of murder in the deadly car attack on counterprotesters at the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges Wednesday in order to dodge a possible death penalty.
James Alex Fields Jr., 21, from Maumee, Ohio, pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 charges against him. The 30th charge, which included a possible death sentence, was dropped. He's been ordered to return to court on July 3 to be sentenced.
The single charge in Count 30 was brought under a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. It had accused Fields of racially motivated violent interference with a federally protected activity — counterprotesters using the public streets and sidewalks of Charlottesville — and carried a possible death penalty.
Fields was convicted in state court in December for the death of anti-racism activist Heather Heyer, 32, and for injuring dozens more during the infamous Unite the Right rally on Aug. 12, 2017.
Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, told reporters after the hearing that she didn't oppose the deal that spared her daughter's killer.
"There's no point in killing him," she said. "It would not bring back Heather."
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Thomas Cullen said his prosecutors kept victims and their families regularly updated on plea-bargain talks — and that he needed ultimate approval from Attorney General William Barr to finalize his deal with Fields.
“Attorney General Barr sent me a letter on Friday authorizing and directing me not to seek the death penalty pursuant to the plea agreement," Cullen told reporters.
"Given all the facts and circumstances, life imprisonment, or the potential of life imprisonment, was an acceptable result. We also believe it vindicates the victims on Fourth and Water Street."
Barr said of Fields' actions that "hate crimes are also acts of domestic terrorism." The nation's top prosecutor cited the recent mosque massacre in New Zealand that left 50 dead in saying the nation must have zero tolerance for racial and religious bias.
“In the aftermath of the mass murder in New Zealand earlier this month, we are reminded that a diverse and pluralistic community such as ours can have zero tolerance for violence on the basis of race, religion, or association with people of other races and religions,” according to Barr.
Before Wednesday in this separate federal prosecution, Fields had pleaded not guilty to 30 hate crime charges — including the one that carried a possible death sentence.
Cullen said he hopes this courtroom deal will spare survivors of reliving that day.
"We talked to them (survivors of the deadly attack) at every step along the way," Cullen told reporters. "Any time that you can save victims from having to go through a trial a second time … you recognize the benefit of a life sentence."
Hundreds of white nationalists converged on Charlottesville just before the start of the fall term to protest to the city's planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
About 30 more people were hurt in Fields' car attack.
Jurors in his state case found him guilty of murder and recommended he be sentenced to life in prison, plus 419 years. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for July 15.
President Donald Trump blamed the violence at the rally on "both sides" and critics of his viewed that as a refusal to condemn racism. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | March 2019 | ['(NBC)'] |
Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina declares himself "in charge" of Madagascar. | Madagascar's opposition leader Andry Rajoelina has proclaimed himself in charge of the country's affairs, following days of violent protests.
"Since the president and the government have not taken their responsibilities... I will run all national affairs as of today," he said.
The mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, is locked in a power struggle with President Marc Ravalomanana.
At least 44 people have died in the protests this week in the country.
Mayor Rajoelina's announcement came during a rally against President Ravalomanana in Antnananarivo.
"A request for the immediate resignation of the president will soon be filed with parliament," Mr Rajoelina told thousands of his supporters.
President Ravalomanana has so far not commented on the mayor's announcement.
The violence began last Monday, after tens of thousands of people took part in an opposition protest.
A small group attacked the headquarters of the state TV and radio stations and later looted shops belonging to President Ravalomanana.
At least one protester was shot dead, with the opposition blaming security forces.
The mayor earlier said he wanted those responsible for the deaths brought to justice before he enters into talks with Mr Ravalomanana. He also called for a transitional government to be set up.
On Tuesday, at least 25 bodies charred bodies were found in the burnt remains of a department store. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | January 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
At least 10 people are killed after a tour bus collides with a FedEx truck on Interstate 5 near Orland, California. | Authorities in California were trying to determine Friday how a joyous university recruiting trip for low-income high schoolers turned into a fiery tragedy on a Northern California freeway.
A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said it could take months to determine why a FedEx tractor-trailer roared across a narrow, brushy median of Interstate 5 about 5:40 p.m. PT Thursday, slamming into a charter bus and sparking an inferno that left 10 people dead and dozens more injured.
The dead included a Los Angles couple who were engaged recently in Paris, family members said. A 17-year-old girl whose twin sister was aboard a different bus is also feared dead.
The truck inexplicably veered across the two lanes of southbound I-5 and plowed through oleander bushes planted along the divide, said Officer Matt Thompson. The 2007 Volvo cab then sideswiped a northbound 2013 Nissan Altima in the passing lane before hitting the brand-new coach, which was behind it in the slow lane.
Many of the 43 students on board escaped through a window one of them had kicked open, running from the wreckage before the bus exploded behind them near the town of Orland, about 100 miles north of Sacramento.
The bus passengers were mostly high school seniors on their way to visit the campus of Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif. The crash killed five students, their three chaperones and the drivers of both vehicles. The CHP said that 34 passengers suffered minor-to-major injuries.
The driver of the car -- Bonnie Jean Duran, 53, of Lake Tapps, Wash., near Seattle --and her passenger suffered minor injuries, the CHP said.
Investigators were breaking down possible causes for the crash, including whether the FedEx driver fell asleep, suffered a medical emergency, was distracted by a cellphone or something else, experienced mechanical failure or lost control because of the collision with Duran's car.
Authorities also will probe roadway and weather conditions.
"Since these are such in-depth, detailed investigations, we don't expect to have a final report for a minimum of three months, 90 days," said CHP Lt. Scott Fredrick. "It could take as long as six months, depending on what the investigation entails."
Because of the impact and the intense fire, DNA and dental records may be needed to identify the truck and bus drivers and some other victims, and their names might not be confirmed until next week, the CHP's Thompson said.
A Glenn County coroner's official said Friday that autopsies were being conducted and that positive identifications might take "a couple of days, maybe less."
The Los Angeles Timespublished the names of the confirmed dead and those not yet identified.
The Sacramento County coroner's office on Thursday confirmed the name of one victim — Arthur Arzola, 26, of Rancho Cucamonga.
Humboldt State spokesman Frank Whitlatch said Arzola was an admissions office staff member who was with the students on the bus when it crashed. He had been the school's admission representative in Southern California for the past year, focusing on recruiting low-income and first-generation students — the ones invited to the weekend "Preview Plus'' event on campus. He was a 2006 graduate of Don Lugo High School in Chico, Calif.
In his online bio, Arzola mentions that he liked to walk on the beach when he visited Humboldt. It was a major recruiting factor for him; Whitlatch said that the campus' location usually ensured that students who visit it want to attend it.
The National Transportation Safety Board sent an investigative "go team" from Washington to the scene. The agency said NTSB Highway Safety Investigator Robert Accetta was leading a "multi-disciplinary" team. The highway patrol is leading the probe.
A 13-mile stretch of northbound I-5 that had been closed was reopened early Friday afternoon.
The investigation is focused on the FedEx truck. FedEx Freight Inc. has a satisfactory safety rating, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records. FedEx Freight has a 0.7% unsafe driving on-road record — one of the best scores for companies of its size that perform the same operations, according to FMCSA.
During the two-year period that ended Thursday, the company's vehicles were involved in 730 crashes in the USA. Twenty-three of those were fatal crashes, 223 were injury crashes, and 484 were tow-away crashes.
FMCSA's website simply lists a motor carrier's involvement in reportable crashes with no determination as to responsibility.
FedEx would not comment on any aspect of its safety record beyond a brief statement posted on its website. "All of us at FedEx are deeply saddened by the tragic highway accident in California. Our hearts go out to all of those involved and their families. We are cooperating fully with the officials investigating this accident."
In a statement Friday, FedEx CEO and Chairman Frederick Smith expressed his "deepest personal sympathies and the condolences of over 300,000 other FedEx team members to everyone involved in this accident."
He said it would "take some time to fully understand exactly how this accident occurred and why. In the meantime, I want everyone to know that we at FedEx are committed to providing every resource necessary to assist investigators in their efforts to understand what happened."
The bus company involved in the crash, Silverado Stages, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., also has a satisfactory safety rating. It was involved in one injury crash and one crash requiring a tow truck in the two years prior to Thursday, according to FMCSA.
The bus company said Friday that it is "helping the authorities in gathering information regarding the tragic accident. .. Our top priority is making sure that the injured are being cared for. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, their families and everyone affected by this accident."
Humboldt State issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened, adding, "Our hearts go out to those who have been affected, and we are here to support them, and their families, in any way possible."
The bus was one of three the university had chartered for a two-day spring preview for prospective students from Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area to tour the campus. The other two buses arrived about two hours before the crash, and students were being offered counseling.
Students from 37 Southern California high schools were aboard the bus that crashed. Tommy Chang, the instructional superintendent for the Los Angeles School District, confirmed that 19 students from Los Angeles schools were involved in the wreck, but he declined to provide further details.
The trip gave the students "an amazing opportunity to see what this amazing state has to offer in terms of higher education," Chang said. | Road Crash | April 2014 | ['(CNN)', '(USA Today)'] |
At least five people are dead, one missing, and 21 rescued, from a tour boat carrying 27 people that sinks west of Vargas Island, off the coast of Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The RCMP is responsible for the missing person now that the search has been called off. | At least five people are dead after a whale watching boat carrying dozens of passengers sank off the coast of Tofino, B.C., Sunday.
A massive search-and-rescue effort was launched after the vessel made a mayday call shortly before 4 p.m., said the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
A total of 27 people were on board when the ship capsized.
The JRCC called off the search late Sunday night.
According to officials, 5 people are dead, 21 were rescued and one person remains missing.
The ship belongs to Jamie’s Whaling Station and Adventure Centres, which offers whale watching tours in Tofino and nearby Ucluelet on zodiac-style rigid-hulled inflatable boats, as well as larger 65-foot cruisers.
It is believed the boat that sank is the MV "Leviathan II," a three-deck cruiser that is the largest in the company's fleet.
Witness Chris McLellan said local First Nations people and other whale watching tour boats were the first to respond to the mayday call.
"Everyone just converged when they heard on the radio what was happening," said McLellan, who heard the report over transmission radio.
Ambulances and emergency responders started arriving at the dock around 4 p.m., he added.
“The ambulances -- It was one after another after another,” he said. “They just didn’t stop.”
McLennan said he saw two body bags on the dock.
A spokesperson for EHS said a critical transport unit was sent in to fly two patients to hospital, and other people were being treated on the dock by paramedics.
Some passengers were being treated in private homes in the area, and off-duty paramedics jumped in to help, they added.
Josie Osborne, Tofino’s mayor, sent a message on Twitter thanking people for the outpouring of community support.
“Thoughts and prayers are with passengers, crew, emergency responders and their families,” she wrote.
Follow CTV Vancouver on Twitter for the latest on this developing story...
A boat carrying 27 people sank off the coast of Tofino, B.C., with one witness posting this photo of the scene on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. (Albert Titian / Facebook) | Shipwreck | October 2015 | ['(CTV)', '(CNN)', '(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)'] |
The jury in Michael Jackson's trial for child molestation finds the pop star not guilty on all counts. , | There were cheers from fans outside the court as the verdicts were read. The singer had strenuously denied molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo.
He was also cleared of giving alcohol to the boy, now 15, and conspiring to kidnap him and his family.
The star left the court in Santa Maria, California, for his Neverland ranch, without speaking to fans.
We expected some better evidence, something more convincing - but it just wasn't there
Jury member
Hear the verdict
His lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, said: "Justice was served. Michael Jackson is innocent."
Some 300 fans later gathered outside Mr Jackson's home, hoping to get a glimpse of the star, with cars backed up for at least 3km (2 miles) either side of the narrow lane leading to the Neverland ranch.
The singer's father, Joe Jackson, came down to the gates to speak briefly with fans. "As far as we are concerned justice has been served," he said. Michael Jackson had gone to bed exhausted, he added.
'Muted emotion'
Speaking on CNN, the star's brothers Tito said the verdict had been a huge relief for the Jackson family.
"As they kept reading the counts, the pressure was lifting off me and I was holding my mom tight and we all cried through every count," he said.
The BBC's Peter Bowes, who was in court in Santa Maria, said Mr Jackson held a tissue up to his face and showed "muted emotion" as the verdicts were read.
Michael Jackson fans react to the not-guilty verdicts
In pictures
Judge Rodney Melville told the singer he was free to go, and also read a statement from the jury saying: "We the jury feel the weight of the world's eyes upon us."
The jurors had asked to be allowed to return to "our private lives as anonymously as we came", he added.
At a subsequent news conference, an unnamed male jury member said: "One of the first things we decided, [was] that we had to look at him as just like any other individual. Not just as a celebrity.
"And once we got that established, we were able to deal with it just as fairly as we could with anybody else."
Another juror said: "We expected some better evidence, something more convincing - but it just wasn't there."
TV documentary
The verdicts on the 10 charges were reached after about 30 hours of deliberations over the last week.
Hundreds of reporters and supporters gathered for the verdicts, with scores of fans bursting into tears as the decisions were relayed on loudspeakers.
Jubilant fans danced and sung to Jackson's music outside Neverland
Mr Jackson had been in court with family members including father Joe, mother Katherine and sisters LaToya and Janet.
The singer waved to fans as he left the Santa Maria courthouse, surrounded by minders and family members. He walked straight to his car with little emotion and without the expected statement to the waiting fans and media.
Santa Barbara district attorney Tom Sneddon, who led the case against Jackson, said he accepted the decision. "We did the right thing for the right reasons," he said.
He was "not going to look back and apologise for what we've done", he told reporters. "We've done a very conscientious and thorough job."
The jury did their job - from what I heard I would have done the same
Jennifer B, Wisconsin, USA
Have your say on the verdicts
Mr Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe, who defended the star in court, said she was "overjoyed that the justice system really works".
Fan Tara Bardella, 19, who came from Arizona two weeks ago to wait for the verdicts, said: "This proves that justice can prevail in America."
Raffles Vanexel, 29, from Amsterdam, said: "I cried as a little baby, it was the most beautiful day of my life."
One fan released a white dove as every verdict was read out
Mr Jackson's trial began in February and the jury retired on 3 June. More than 100 witnesses took the stand, including Gavin Arvizo and his mother Janet.
Gavin told the court the singer had put his hands down his trousers and fondled him at Neverland.
The trial was sparked after British journalist Martin Bashir made a documentary in which Jackson admitted sharing his bed with children.
The star could have been jailed for more than 18 years if convicted on all charges. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate | June 2005 | ['(CNN)', '(BBC)'] |
Police in Burundi fire on protesters in Bujumbura opposing the bid by President Pierre Nkurunziza for a third term. | Police in Burundi's capital have opened fire on protesters opposing the president's bid for a third term.
They used tear gas and live ammunition on hundreds of protesters in the centre of Bujumbura - the closest the protests have got to the presidency.
More than 20 people have been killed since protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to stand for re-election began on 26 April.
Rumours of a coup on Wednesday have been dismissed by the presidency.
Burundi's presidential spokesman Willy Nyamitwe told the BBC Great Lakes service that the rumours had spread over Twitter and were unfounded.
Mr Nkurunziza is currently in Tanzania for a summit with other East African heads of state, who are expected to urge him to drop his election plans.
Meanwhile, Burundi's influential Catholic Church has called for the elections in June to be postponed.
It said in a statement that it would ask Catholics on the electoral commission to step down if the government refused to yield. Latest Burundi news and other Africa updates
Hundreds of protesters were within about a kilometre of the presidency when police opened fire, the BBC's Maud Jullien reports from the scene.
This is the first time since the beginning of the protests that police have used tear gas and live rounds on the demonstrators, she said.
Another journalist at the scene, Melanie Gouby, tweeted: "Grenades thrown, protesters have Molotov cocktails, water cannon tank keeps falling back and protesters gaining ground."
Many of the protesters were women, who moved to a petrol station in the capital from where they said they would remain until the leaders in Tanzania dissuade Mr Nkurunziza from running in the election.
They told the BBC they had deliberately chosen the petrol station as the site of their sit-in because police were unlikely to open fire near it.
Shops and businesses have closed while barricades continue to burn in the centre of the capital.
Mr Nyamitwe said security has been tightened around the national radio station in case a demonstration targeted it.
The violence of the last few weeks is the worst violence since the end of the civil war in 2005.
The 51-year-old former rebel leader argues that he is entitled to run for a third term because he was first appointed to the role by parliament in 2005.
The constitution states a president should govern only for two terms, but earlier this month a court upheld Mr Nkurunziza's interpretation. The UN said last Friday that more than 50,000 Burundians had fled their country since April because of fears of pre-election violence.
Burundi's President Nkurunziza in profile
Burundi president defiant on poll
Burundi country profile
| Armed Conflict | May 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
On the third day of protests in Iraq, the death toll reaches 100. The government imposes near-total internet blackout. | The death toll from anti-government protests in Iraq has risen to almost 100, says the country's parliamentary human rights commission.
The unrest entered its fifth day on Saturday, with at least five people killed in the latest clashes in the capital Baghdad. The security forces are again reported to have used live rounds. Demonstrators say they are taking a stand against unemployment, poor public services and corruption.
It is the deadliest unrest since so-called Islamic State was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017.
It is seen as the first major challenge to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's fragile government, nearly a year since he came to power.
The authorities have been trying to control the protests through curfews and a near-total internet blackout.
An emergency session of parliament failed to go ahead on Saturday afternoon. The daytime curfew in Baghdad was lifted on Saturday, and smaller groups of protesters began to renew their action.
The city's Tahrir Square has been the focal point of protests, but it was blocked on Saturday, according to local news agencies.
The violence has also affected majority Shia Muslim areas in the south, including Amara, Diwaniya and Hilla. A number of deaths were reported on Friday in the southern city of Nasiriya, about 320km (200 miles) away.
A total of 540 protesters have been arrested, of whom nearly 200 remain in custody, the human rights commission said. It also said more than 3,000 people had been injured.
The demonstrators do not appear to have any clear leadership at the moment, and their anger is increasingly radicalising their demands, says the BBC's Sebastian Usher.
On Friday, Prime Minister Mahdi vowed to respond to protesters' concerns but warned there was no "magic solution" to Iraq's problems.
He said he had given his full backing to security forces, insisting they were abiding by "international standards" in dealing with protesters.
Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, urged the government to respond to the demands for reform, saying it had "not answered the demands of the people to fight corruption or achieved anything on the ground".
The UN and US have expressed concern over the violence, and urged the Iraqi authorities to exercise restraint.
Corruption, unemployment and poor public services are at the heart of the discontent faced by young Iraqis today. The unrest began spontaneously with no formal leadership in mostly Shia areas in the south, and quickly spread.
Iraq has the world's fourth-largest reserves of oil, but 22.5% of its population of 40 million were living on less than $1.90 (£1.53) a day in 2014, according to the World Bank. One in six households has experienced some form of food insecurity.
The unemployment rate was 7.9% last year, but among young people it was double that. And almost 17% of the economically active population is underemployed.
The country is also struggling to recover after a brutal war against the Islamic State group, which seized control of large swathes of the north and west in 2014. | Protest_Online Condemnation | October 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
President Mahmoud Abbas postpones the election scheduled for May 22 until further notice, after the government of Israel allegedly rejected the holding of the election in East Jerusalem. Abbas says that the election cannot be held without the participation of the disputed area. | Photo taken on April 29, 2021 shows a leadership meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Abbas reaffirmed on Thursday evening that no elections can be held without East Jerusalem. (Palestinian President Office/Handout via Xinhua)
RAMALLAH, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced early Friday that the legislative elections scheduled for May 22 will be postponed until further notice.
"We have decided to postpone the elections until the participation of our people in East Jerusalem is guaranteed," Abbas said.
The Palestinian president made a televised speech after a leadership meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"We will work to form a national unity government that adheres to international resolutions," he said.
"We call on the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop its aggressive practices," he added.
On Thursday evening, the PLO was convening a leadership meeting to decide whether the first Palestinian vote in 15 years would be postponed.
During the meeting, Abbas reaffirmed that no elections can be held without East Jerusalem.
He said the Israeli government has rejected the holding of the upcoming Palestinian elections in occupied East Jerusalem.
He called for the meeting to hammer out an appropriate decision concerning the fate of the elections in the aftermath of Israel's refusal.
The president stressed that the Palestinian people in East Jerusalem have the right to vote and run as candidates in the elections.
The Palestinian leadership insists on holding the general elections in East Jerusalem, as they want to elect a new parliament and a new president for all the Palestinian territories.
In January, Abbas announced the 2021 general elections will include the legislative elections on May 22, the presidential elections on July 31, and the elections of the Palestinian National Council, the highest decision-making body of the PLO, on Aug. 31. | Government Job change - Election | April 2021 | ['(Xinhuanet)'] |
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