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Six people are killed and seventeen wounded following an attack on the Parliament of the Russian republic of Chechnya. , | Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- Three suicide bombers launched an attack on the Chechen parliament Tuesday, killing at least three people, officials told CNN.
Vladimir Markin of the Russian Prosecutor's Office said two police officers and a civilian died in the attack. Six other officers and 11 civilians were wounded, he said.
However, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov later said that only two people remained in the hospital. The others had "sought medical assistance due to minor scratches caused by broken glass, or stress disorders," he said. A few hours after the attack was reported, the Prosecutor's Office said police had the situation under control.
"The special operation on neutralizing rebels who had stormed into the Chechnya parliament building has just been completed," the office's Investigative Committee said on its website. "All of them were destroyed in a special operation when they showed resistance."
The militants entered the parliament compound as lawmakers were making their way in, according to RIA Novosti, a state news agency.
One of them blew himself up at the entrance to the building, while two others managed to get inside and barricade themselves on the ground floor, Markin said. As they were attacked by security forces, they too blew themselves up, he said.
The explosions caused heavy damage to parts of the building, according to a reporter for the state-run Interfax news agency. Stained-glass windows on several floors were blown out, as were exterior tiles on the building, and some interior walls were demolished, the reporter said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who was on a visit to France, was informed about the incident, the Kremlin reported on its website.
Local Russian news agencies reported from the Chechen capital, Grozny, that the parliament resumed its work hours after the incident and held a planned session to discuss the republic's budget. Kadyrov was there, as was Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, who has been in Chechnya on an inspection visit.
Kadyrov announced that the families of those killed in the attack will receive 300,000 rubles (about $10,000) and those injured will receive 100,000 rubles (about $3,300) each. In 2002, suicide bombers driving two trucks carrying an estimated 1 ton of explosives rammed the gates of another government building in Grozny, killing 72 people and wounding 310.
Rebels in Chechnya started out fighting for independence in the 1990s, but in recent years, the fight has been aimed more at imposing Islamist rule and asserting their authority in the area.
The fight has exacted a heavy toll in the North Caucasus region where Chechnya is located, and has now spread to other regions of Russia.
The standard of living in the southwestern republic is poor compared with the rest of Russia. Unemployment is rampant and infant mortality is high.
In addition, the Chechen population of about 1 million is mostly made up of Sunni Muslims, who maintain a distinctly different cultural and linguistic identity from Russian Orthodox Christians.
The conflict dates back nearly 20 years, with Chechens having laid claim to land in the Caucasus Mountains region. Thousands have been killed and 500,000 Chechen people have been displaced from the fighting.
A Chechen rebel leader took the responsibility for the deadly bombings that rocked two subway stations in central Moscow in March.
In addition, Chechen rebels held 700 audience-members hostage in a Moscow theater in 2002. A Russian effort to free them resulted in the deaths of 120 hostages.
Chechen rebels also were accused of downing two Russian airplanes in 2004. And they took over a school in Beslan in the North Ossetia region in 2004. When the siege ended, more than 330 people had died -- half of them children.
In recent years, the insurgency has moved to the east and the west -- to the republics of Dagestan and Ingushetia, where rebels are fighting troops to destabilize the region. | Armed Conflict | October 2010 | ['(CNN)', '(RIA Novosti)', '(BBC)'] |
An earthquake of approximately 5.8 magnitude, two lesser related quakes, and an accompanying series of landslides kill at least three people in a municipality 32 miles south of Guatemala City, Guatemala. | Three earthquakes rocked Guatemela on Monday, with preliminary reports indicating that at least three people have been killed, according to CNN and the Associated Press.
According to Reuters, one of the victims — in Cuilapa, Santa Rosa — died in a landslide triggered by the earthquake. It is not yet clear how the other two reported fatalities occurred.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that a quake with a magnitude of 5.8 hit at 12:34:00 p.m. local time, or 2:34 p.m. EDT. Weaker earthquakes — both measuring a magnitude of 4.8 — struck about a half hour before and about 45 minutes after the larger tremor.
From the Associated Press:
Local media also reported that a wall fell on several houses, trapping a family. It was not clear if there were more casualties.
Public buildings were evacuated in the area and school classes canceled, authorities said.
The epicenter of the magnitude 5.8 quake was 32 miles southeast of Guatemala City, the country’s capital, according to the USGS.
At least 53 people were killed when an earthquake struck in the Indian state of Sikkim on the India-Nepal border on Sunday. UPDATE 6:08 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press is reporting that one person was killed when as many as four earthquakes struck the region today. CNN and Reuters report the death toll has reached three.
UPDATE 6:31 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press reports four earthquakes rocked Guatemala today. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | Earthquakes | September 2011 | ['(Huffington Post)'] |
A Dhaka court sentences 19 people to death, including two former ministers, and sentences Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman to life imprisonment over a 2004 attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. | DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladesh court sentenced the acting head of the main opposition party to life in prison on Wednesday and 19 other people to death over a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2004, lawyers said.
The ruling against Tarique Rahman, who was tried in absentia as he is living in exile in London, dims the future of his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ahead of the South Asian nation’s next election in December.
The BNP has been in disarray since Rahman’s mother and former prime minister Khaleda Zia were jailed on corruption charges in February, while Rahman sought to run the party affairs from London.
The case related to an attack on a rally that Hasina was addressing in the capital Dhaka when she was in the opposition and Khaleda, her bitter rival, was in power.
Minutes into Hasina’s speech, assailants threw grenades that killed 24 people and wounded more than 500, most of them workers with her then-opposition Awami League party.
Judge Shahed Nur Uddin ruled the attack was a “conspiracy” mounted by the BNP to wipe out the Awami League leadership, lawyers quoted him as saying in the courtroom.
Deputy Attorney General Motahar Hossain said the BNP engaged members of militant group Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami to carry out the attack targeting Hasina and her top colleagues.
The court held that the conspiracy was plotted in Rahman’s personal office with militant leaders in attendance.
The BNP said the charges were trumped up. “The judgment was not given in a just way, so we will go for appeal and we believe all of them will be freed without any charges,” BNP lawyer Sanaullah Mian told reporters.
Mosharraf Hossain Kazal, a lawyer for the government, said it would go to the Supreme Court to seek the death penalty for Rahman and his party colleagues who received lesser sentences.
The court convicted 49 people in all on Wednesday and sentenced 19 to death including ex-junior home minister Lutfuzzaman Babar. Eighteen of the 19 are in custody.
The court decision was the latest blow for the BNP, many of whose members are in prison.
“It is a disaster for the BNP, as its de facto chief has been implicated as the main planner and handed lifetime in prison,” said Ataur Rahman, a professor of political science at Dhaka University. “There is not enough time for them to be able to absorb this debacle.”
The BNP has not spelled out its plans for the election but has called for a neutral caretaker government to be put in place before the vote. A similar demand before the 2009 election was rejected, prompting the BNP to boycott those polls.
The BNP has also urged the government to free Khaleda, jailed for five years in February on a corruption conviction.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | October 2018 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(Reuters)'] |
Don Chu, an executive of a hedge fund networking fund Primary Global Research, is arrested on insider trading charges in the United States. | NEW YORK (Reuters) - An executive of a California research firm was arrested on Wednesday on securities fraud and conspiracy charges after U.S. prosecutors accused him of arranging for inside information to be leaked to hedge funds, the latest development in an investigation of the industry.
The arrest of Don Ching Trang Chu of Primary Global Research stems from wiretaps and the cooperation of Richard Choo-Beng Lee, a hedge fund manager who pleaded guilty last year as part of the insider-trading prosecution of Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and 22 other traders, lawyers and executives.
Chu, 56, also known as Don Chu, was accused in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in New York of introducing hedge funds to corporate executives who gave them insider trading information.
The government scored a victory in the Galleon case on Wednesday when a judge ruled that telephone conversations of Rajaratnam’s that were secretly recorded by the FBI were admissible as evidence at his trial. Rajaratnam has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and securities fraud and is scheduled to go on trial on January 17.
Prosecutors have described the Galleon case as the biggest investigation of insider trading at hedge funds in the United States. The investigation has widened to include subpoenas of several funds with billions of dollars under management.
In subpoenas served on SAC Capital Advisors and other hedge funds and mutual funds, authorities have asked for information about so-called “soft dollar” deals, an arrangement in which a hedge fund client executes trades through a designated brokerage that has some relationship with an expert networking firm such as Primary Global.
Expert networking firms take fees to match up hedge funds with experts in particular industries such as medicine, engineering and technology.
The investigation widened on Monday when FBI agents used search warrants to raid three hedge funds in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Lee once worked for SAC Capital. There is nothing in Wednesday’s complaint accusing SAC Capital of any wrongdoing. A spokesman for SAC declined to comment.
Authorities are looking at funds established by former associates of SAC founder Steven Cohen, according to lawyers and people familiar with the investigation.
A spokesman for Primary Global Research said in a statement that “based upon recent events, PGR has severed its relationship with Mr. Chu.”
The statement said Chu served as the firm’s liaison in Taiwan and that he had been with PGR for seven years.
Related Coverage
Chu, of Somerset, New Jersey, made a brief appearance before a magistrate judge in New York and was released on a bond of $1 million. Chu was not asked to enter a plea to the charges and both of his lawyers declined to comment.
The office of Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said Chu had been scheduled to leave the United States for Taiwan on November 28. His lawyers said Chu had planned the trip to visit family. The court was told that Chu had surrendered his U.S. passport and agreed to surrender an expired passport issued by Taiwan.
Prosecutors said Chu had arranged for hedge funds to receive confidential information on companies including Atheros Communications Inc, Broadcom Corp and Sierra Wireless Inc.
Sierra Wireless said in a statement it intended to cooperate with prosecutors in the case.
Telephone calls between Lee and Chu from July 14 to August 28 of last year were recorded by the FBI, according to the criminal complaint. It does not identify the brokerage that hedge funds were directed to by Primary Global.
However, Primary Global owns a San Francisco-based brokerage called PGR Securities. A company representative declined to comment. The brokerage’s registration statement does not show any previous regulatory infractions.
Prosecutors claim that in 2008 and 2009. Lee struck up a relationship with Chu while Lee was working at Spherix Capital, a now-closed San Francisco fund that Lee managed with Ali Far.
Lee and Far have pleaded guilty to trading on inside information in the Galleon case and are cooperating witnesses.
Far worked at Galleon for many years. Lee is a former trader and analyst at SAC.
As part of his cooperation agreement, Lee agreed to tell prosecutors of any insider trading he engaged in at SAC, which he left more than six years ago.
Lee’s lawyer, Jeff Bornstein, said: “My client is and continues to be cooperating to the best of his ability with the U.S. attorney and the FBI. Beyond that I don’t have a comment on the specifics.”
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | November 2010 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The United States government avoids another government shutdown when President Trump signs the 1.3 Trillion dollar omnibus spending bill into law. This bill ensures no more shutdown threats until October 1, 2018. , | Lawmakers have eight legislative days to either a pass a budget or a sixth continuing resolution for fiscal 2018 before the March 23 deadline.
The deadline to avoid a third government shutdown this year is fast approaching. But unlike previous months, there’s more optimism in the air.
Congress already completed much of the more complicated work last month, when members passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The budget act set spending caps for the next two years — at $300 billion higher than current levels — and extended current appropriations through March 23.
Lawmakers have spent the last four weeks finalizing appropriations for fiscal 2018, with the intent of packaging all 12 spending bills into one omnibus.
As long as that omnibus steers clear of any potential politically-divisive issues, Roll Call Senior Editor David Hawkings expects a relatively tame few weeks leading up to the March 23 deadline.
“The appropriators are talking about actually getting it done a few days ahead of schedule,” Hawkings told the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. “They are down to a very few issues. Negotiating these omnibuses is a little bit like a pyramid, where a vast majority of the decisions at the bottom are handled by… staffers on these various appropriations subcommittees. The ones they can’t agree on go to the members and then to the chairman and then to the leadership. Finally, the very, very pinnacle of the issues are really settled by the leadership and the White House. At this point, they’re down to just a couple of those.”
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is also optimistic for the long term, if not slightly more cautious about a short term prediction.
After all, congressional leaders were confident in the days leading up to the passage of the latest CR they could avoid a second government shutdown. But last minute drama on the Senate floor forced another lapse in appropriations.
This time, the spending caps set in the Bipartisan Budget Act should bring more certainty, Connolly said.
“Having that number, and it’s at a higher level for both defense and domestic spending, gives us some breathing room and a little sense of predictability over the next year and a half,” he said Monday morning at the Federal Managers Association’s national convention in Alexandria, Virginia. “Bumping up against March 23, we may yet again not have everything worked out. … There could be a very small CR while we put the finishing touches on the omnibus, but I would expect an omnibus for the balance of the fiscal year.”
Connolly, meanwhile, is turning his attention to the familiar platter of challenges facing the federal workforce.
Workforce For the fourth consecutive year, Connolly offered an alternative pay raise for federal employees in the form of the Federal Adjustment of Incomes Rates (FAIR) Act. This time, the legislation calls for a 3 percent pay raise for 2019.
“Sometimes the press gets a little cynical, like, ‘You know that bill’s not going to pass.’ If we did nothing, then there’s no resistance at all,” Connolly said. “There’s no pressure to raise federal pay at all. By having that as a marker, we think we’ve actually been able to influence both the Obama and Trump White Houses on the subject of federal pay. We’re going to continue to do that on your behalf.”
The president’s 2019 budget proposal includes a pay freeze for civilian employees.
Connolly said he’s working with members of Congress to better educate them about their constituencies of federal employees, and he’s reminding them that the federal workforce has already had three years of frozen pay in recent years.
“When we have the opportunity to engage with my colleagues, most would ascent to the proposition that federal employees deserve a pay raise,” Connolly told reporters Monday morning. “Ideologues don’t care. Ideologues feel, ‘good enough for them to freeze their salaries.’ For other members it’s just not an issue, because it’s just not something that’s talked about in their districts. That’s why it’s so important we raise that level of dialogue back home.”
The president’s proposed cuts to the federal retirement system also has Connolly’s attention. The recommendations to increase employee pension contributions by 1 percent a year, eliminate the cost-of-living adjustment for participants in the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), base future retirement benefits on the highest five years of a worker’s salary and eliminate the special retirement supplement for employees over age 62 represent a “breach in contract,” Connolly said.
They’re also an attempt to make agencies more dysfunctional and less desirable places to work, he added. But Connolly believes he can help change the dialogue.
| Government Policy Changes | March 2018 | ['(Federal News Radio)', '(The Washington Post)'] |
A Norwegian rescue coordination centre says the crew of MV Eemslift Hendrika was evacuated by helicopter overnight, with some having jumped into the North Sea, after the vessel began listing heavily. The ship, which specialises in transporting luxury yachts, has lost power, may sink, and is drifting towards the Norwegian coast. | ‘The ship lost power on the main engine during the night and is drifting towards land’
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The crew of a Dutch cargo ship was evacuated in stormy weather off the coast of Norway late on Monday, leaving the abandoned vessel adrift and in danger of sinking, local officials said on Tuesday.
Footage released by the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Centre showed some of the 12 crew members jumping into the ocean from the badly listing Eemslift Hendrika before being rescued by helicopter. Others were hoisted directly from the deck.
All were brought to safety, but the vessel - currently some 130 km (80 miles) off the cost in the North Sea - is at risk of sinking, a Norwegian official said.
“The ship lost power on the main engine during the night and is drifting towards land,” Hans Petter Mortenson of the Norwegian Coastal Administration, told public broadcaster NRK.
“There is a risk it may capsize and sink,” Mr Mortenson said, adding that this could cause a spill of diesel and fuel oil from its tanks.
Read more:
Built in 2015 and registered in the Netherlands, the 111.6 metre (366 feet) Eemslift Hendrika is a yacht transport vessel, carrying smaller boats on its deck, according to Monaco-based Starclass Yacht Transport, which markets the ship’s services.
Reuters
The vessel is in danger of sinking
Maybe they can get their diesel sub, moored off the coast of Cornwall to do something, rather than sun themselves and cook BBQs.
If the Dutch have a navy, do something with it.
Meanwhile, Russia Today reports 37,000 NATO troops had already been deployed in Ukraine, before the Russians started deploying troops along their borders in response.
If true. World War 3 is imminent.
Meanwhile, Independent is running articles about everything else possible.
BlackArrow aka Lou Coatney
Sigh. it's a NATO exercise. It happens regularly and was well flagged in advanced. I think the Russians are grown up enough to know about it and no doubt they will do the usual posturing in reply.
Stop trying to scare people.
37,000 troops. Russia is redeploying.
But relax, everyone, Captain Biden's batman RedL says that the iceberg just scratched us.
| Shipwreck | April 2021 | ['(The Independent)'] |
President of Switzerland, Samuel Schmid, speaks in Madrid in a conference on terrorism and urges countries to respect international law and human rights | Swiss President Samuel Schmid has urged countries attending a conference on terrorism in Madrid to respect human rights and international law.
His appeal came as Switzerland confirmed a request from Saudi Arabia to set up an international anti-terrorism centre in Geneva.
Speaking on Thursday in the Spanish capital, Schmid warned that terrorism represented a grave threat to the fundamental values of a free society and to the rights of every individual.
"The fight against terrorism and its causes has to be the common task of all nations," he said.
"The attacks of September 11, 2001, demonstrate once again the need for greater police cooperation among all states," he added.
The three-day meeting, which ended on Thursday, was held to mark the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings in which 191 people died.
The International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security brought together world leaders and experts to develop a common strategy for combating terrorism
Schmid told the conference that the Swiss authorities had been liaising closely with police forces around the world.
He highlighted the "effective" working relationship with Spain in the wake of last year's atrocities.
In January Switzerland agreed to extradite a suspected Islamic extremist to Spain. Mohamed Achraf, who is accused of plotting to bomb a Madrid court, has appealed against the decision.
Schmid added that Switzerland was using all the means at its disposal to prevent financial or logistical support for terrorist groups or acts.
But he cautioned that the fight against terrorism needed to respect human rights and international law. He said that Switzerland, as the depository state of the Geneva Conventions, would continue to monitor the situation.
Schmid also urged nations to tackle the causes of terrorism, such as the lack of democracy, violation of human rights and regional conflicts.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who was also in Madrid, called on member states to adopt the international convention on nuclear terrorism.
"That such an attack has not yet happened is no excuse for complacency. Rather, it gives us a last chance to take effective preventive action," said Annan.
On Thursday the Swiss foreign ministry confirmed a report in the weekly m>Factsm> magazine that it had been approached by Saudi Arabia, which wants to set up an international anti-terrorism centre in Geneva.
The foreign ministry said the request came via the Swiss embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
"We have been informed verbally of this idea, but it is still too early to say whether Switzerland will proceed with the project," said spokesman Ivo Sieber.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | March 2005 | ['(Swissinfo)', '(NZZ)'] |
The Chinese government announces it will review a new language policy promoting mandarin as the sole language of instruction in universities following protests by Tibetan students across the country. | The Chinese government said on Saturday it would reconsider its plan to promote the use of Mandarin, the language spoken by the majority Han Chinese ethnic group, as the sole language of instruction in universities after hundreds of Tibetan students in western China and in Beijing protested the move this week. On Tuesday, more than 1,000 university and high-school students marched in Tongren (Rebkong in Tibetan) in western Qinghai province, calling for “equality of ethnicities” and “freedom of language”.
The protest was sparked by reported comments from the Communist Party's Qinghai chief, Qiang Wei, calling for the use of “a common language” in schools and suggesting that the province would introduce Mandarin as the language of instruction over the next decade.
Protests spread to other towns in western China last week after videos of the Tongren protest spread through the Internet. The official Xinhua news agency reported protests in at least four prefectures in Qinghai, with students “expressing their dissatisfaction”. There were no reports of arrests or clashes between police and the students, who appear to have been allowed to carry out the protests.
On Friday, 400 students at Minzu University, a school that specialises in education related to China's minority groups, marched in their campus in north-western Beijing, echoing the call to ensure the freedom of language.
The government moved on Saturday to calm fears of the introduction of the new language policy. Xinhua quoted Wang Yubo, director of Qinghai's education department, as saying changes would not be enforced in areas where “conditions are not ripe”, though he did not say what those conditions were.
Woeser, a prominent Tibetan writer in Beijing, said it still remained uncertain whether or not the government would suspend the policy. “In view of the protest in Qinghai, the government has said it would somehow suspend the language policy, but I cannot see if this will really happen,” she told The Hindu.
In recent years, the Chinese government has introduced a “bilingual education” policy to promote Mandarin in ethnic minority areas. The government argues that spreading Mandarin would help bridge the income gap between Han Chinese and the country's 55 minority groups.
In Tibet, and other areas such as Xinjiang, widening income disparities have been blamed on higher-income jobs, for which Mandarin is often a prerequisite, going to Han migrants from other provinces. The government introduced bilingual education in Tibet and Xinjiang, but Tibetans and Uighurs fear the neglect of their languages will erode their cultures.
Ms. Woeser said many Tibetans viewed the policy as a move “to marginalise the Tibetan language.” “On the one hand, the government's objective is to advance its objective of unifying the country,” she said, also pointing to recent protests by students in southern Guangdong province following efforts to promote Mandarin in place of the local Cantonese in television programming.
“The second objective,” she added, “is their political intention. The government is trying to weaken Tibetans' identity as an ethnic minority.” | Government Policy Changes | October 2010 | ['(The Hindu)'] |
Bangladesh eases curfew arrangements in place in its major cities following a reduction in street violence. | DHAKA (Reuters) - Traffic poured onto the streets of Bangladesh’s main cities on Friday as the army-backed interim government relaxed a curfew imposed two days ago to quell street violence, allowing people to venture out to buy essentials.
Angry students burn a vehicle during a clash at Dhaka University August 21, 2007. Angry students burned at least 50 vehicles including an army van during fresh violence with security forces at Bangladesh's Dhaka University on Tuesday, witnesses said. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman
“The law and order situation is fully under control,” the country’s police chief, Nur Mohammad, told Reuters, dismissing fears the curfew relaxation might see a return of the protests, which had begun as a student demonstration on Monday.
A statement from the government said the curfew, which was lifted at 8 a.m. (10:00 p.m. EDT), would be reimposed at 10 p.m.
The curfew -- which shut down public transport, schools, banks, clinics and pharmacies -- was imposed in Dhaka and five other cities on Wednesday after a student-led protest against the presence of troops at a football match at the Dhaka University campus turned violent and spread across the country.
The violence subsided on Thursday, as security forces patrolled the streets and the authorities warned they would take stern action against disorder.
All universities and colleges in the six cities, including the 40,000-student Dhaka University, were closed indefinitely.
Security forces detained two Dhaka University professors late on Thursday, including Anwar Hossain, general secretary of the university’s Teachers Association. The other was professor Harun-ur Rashid, dean of the Social Science Department.
Two other teachers and a top student leader have been arrested, and cases filed against 2,500 students.
Thousands of Muslims went to say prayers at mosques in the Bangladesh capital on Friday noon, and were given entry only after checks by security forces.
Witnesses said police stopped every devotee at the gate of the city’s largest Baitul Mokarram mosque and conducted body searches, in what police said were normal security precautions.
Bangladesh has repeatedly suffered unrest and crippling strikes over the past two years, which finally led to the imposition of a state of emergency when the interim government took charge in January.
It has promised to hold a free and fair election by the end of next year, after completing a drive against corruption.
The authorities have ordered a judicial inquiry into the Dhaka University incident, which they said was fuelled by a section of “politicized” teachers.
Zillur Rahman, acting chief of Awami League, one of Bangladesh’s two largest parties, demanded “exemplary punishment” for those responsible for triggering the violence.
Political analysts said the curfew and strong presence of armed forces on the streets sent a “tough message” to those trying to shake the stability of the interim government.
Students have played a key role in Bangladesh political movements in the past, including in the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan, and led a people’s revolt that toppled former army ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad in December 1990.
In recent years, students have been prominent as activists for the country’s two main political parties.
Additional reporting by Ruma Paul, Azad Majumder and Nizam Ahmed
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
| Government Policy Changes | August 2007 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Six miners are trapped in a coal mine 15 miles west of Huntington, Utah. A 3.9 to 4.5 magnitude earthquake was reported in the area around the time of the cave–in. | HUNTINGTON, Utah (Reuters) - Six miners were trapped in the collapse of a coal mine in central Utah on Monday and experts said initial reports of an earthquake might have been the rumbling from the mine’s cave-in.
Initial efforts fail to find miners
01:08
No contact had been made with the miners some 12 hours after the collapse. But the mine operator said rescue teams had come within 1,700 feet of the trapped miners and work was being done to drill from the top and horizontally.
“You have six miners who all could very well be alive,” Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman told Reuters outside the Crandall Canyon Mine, 140 miles south of Salt Lake City.
“In fact, the experts tell us that they are and the rescue attempts are increasingly close to the cavern where they think they are located.”
Robert Murray, president of Murray Energy, which owns the mine operator, told reporters he was certain of the location, but did not know the conditions surrounding the miners.
“They could be in a chamber that is 1,000 feet long or they could be dead,” Murray said, adding that “time is of the essence.”
Some 200 employees and four rescue teams were at work, he said. A helicopter was drilling from the top of the mine located in a steep, craggy canyon.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 4.0 earthquake on Monday morning at 2:48 a.m. (0848 GMT), about 16 miles northwest of Huntington and at the relatively shallow depth of five miles.
A quake of magnitude 4.0 is capable of causing moderate damage and it was initially believed the nearby mine collapsed after the seismic movement.
But the USGS National Earthquake Information Center said it was analyzing data to determine whether the shaking was produced by the collapse, which occurred around the same time.
“If you have a mine collapse, there will be a seismic component,” Harley Benz of the NEIC told Reuters.
“We simply don’t know at this point,” he added, noting that the analysis could take up to 48 hours and perhaps longer.
Gov. Huntsman said he would meet with the miners’ families at an undisclosed location. “Hope is in order at this point. Heavy doses of hope,” he said.
The area in central Utah is known for its mining industry and has seen its share of tragedy. A fire at the nearby Wilberg mine killed 27 people in 1984.
“All we can do is wait and pray and let the rescuers do their job and until we hear, we will continue praying with the families of the missing miners,” said Brad King, a Utah state representative from nearby Carbon County.
Concerns about mine safety in the United States resurfaced last year when 12 miners were killed in an explosion at International Coal Group’s Sago mine in West Virginia.
In response, Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, which President George W. Bush signed into law last year.
s. | Mine Collapses | August 2007 | ['(USGS)', '(Reuters)'] |
The Lithuanian and Polish presidents call for NATO treaty Article 4 consultations on the basis that Russia is executing military maneuvers in Kaliningrad, close to the borders with Lithuania and Poland. |
The Lithuanian and Polish presidents are calling for NATO consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s founding treaty because Russia’s actions threaten the security of the entire region, the Lithuanian president’s office said on Sunday, BNS reported.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and her Polish counterpart, Bronislaw Komorowski, agreed during their telephone conversation on Sunday that Russia’s actions close to the alliance’s border pose a threat to the security of the entire region.
Therefore, the presidents of the two countries call for immediate consultation under Article 4, according to the press release.
The article says that NATO members “will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened”.
The two presidents expressed their concern at Russian troops being at combat readiness close to NATO’s borders.
Grybauskaite underlined that the territorial integrity of Ukraine is an essential condition for international security.
The Lithuanian president said that all sides must respect international agreements and seek a peaceful solution to the situation through dialogue.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday is convened an extraordinary meeting of the ambassadors of all 28 member countries to discuss the situation in Crimea.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | March 2014 | ['(Lithuania Tribune)'] |
Allen Stanford's lawyers seek a two–year postponement of his trial and for his release from prison in the meanwhile. He is charged with running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. | HOUSTON (Reuters) - Lawyers representing Allen Stanford told a federal judge they need at least two years to prepare for the accused swindler’s upcoming trial, citing their client’s health and lack of access to documents.
R. Allen Stanford arrives at federal court for a hearing before U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas in Houston August 24, 2010. REUTERS/Richard Carson
Stanford’s attorneys, Ali Fazel and Robert Scardino, also said in a court filing they need more time to adequately prepare the complex case for trial because they were assigned to it only two months ago.
Stanford, 60, is due to go on trial on January 24. He is accused of defrauding investors from the United States, Latin America, Canada and Europe with a $7 billion Ponzi scheme run through his offshore bank in Antigua.
One roadblock is a computer database containing more than 20 million pages of documents that Stanford and his legal team must review, the lawyers said in motion filed in federal court in Houston on Thursday.
Because Stanford has no Internet access, “the only material the accused has reviewed is a hand full of documents that have been printed and delivered by counsel,” the motion said.
Other attorneys who have represented Stanford have complained that the former billionaire has limited access to materials for his trial. He has been held since September 2009 at the federal jail in Houston.
Fazel and Scardino said in their request for a trial delay that Stanford is on medication that causes “simple matters such as prolonged reading to become arduous.”
Additionally, Stanford says he is partially blind in his right eye, a lingering effect from a jailhouse fight that sent the Texas financier to the hospital in September 2009.
In a filing earlier this month, Stanford’s attorneys sought his release by arguing that their client is on so much medication that it has rendered him unable to prepare for trial.
Judge David Hittner, who is overseeing Stanford’s criminal case, granted a prosecutor’s motion last week that he be examined by a psychiatrist of their choosing to determine the defendant’s competency.
The case is USA v. Stanford et al, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, No. 09-00342.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | December 2010 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The Governor–General of Australia swears in Julia Gillard as Prime Minister of Australia and her Ministry. | Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her new-look frontbench have been officially sworn in by the Governor-General in Canberra.
The incoming ministers have waited over three weeks since the election to take up their new posts while Labor negotiated the formation of a minority government.
This afternoon they were sworn in by Governor-General Quentin Bryce as family members looked on.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd was among those sworn in and he will soon jet off to the United States as Foreign Minister to hold talks in Washington and New York.
The Opposition has criticised Mr Rudd's appointment as well as the rewarding of factional leaders who were instrumental in removing him as prime minister.
Bill Shorten is now Assistant Treasurer, while David Feeney and Don Farrell have been made parliamentary secretaries.
Ms Gillard was forced to reinstate Warren Snowden as the Minister for Indigenous Health after she was criticised for axing the position.
New Schools Minister Peter Garrett will now have the word education added to his ministerial title following criticism the word was missing from the original line-up.
Research has reappeared in Kim Carr's job description, and the word tertiary has been shoehorned into Chris Evans's new title too.
All up, the Prime Minister has made five changes to titles since unveiling her new ministry on Saturday.
Cabinet is likely to meet soon ahead of Parliament's first sitting day since June on September 28.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | September 2010 | ['(AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)', '(ABC Online)'] |
Senior commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards are among 35 people killed in a suicide bombing in the southeast of the country. | Iran`s Revolutionary Guards will
deliver a "crushing" response to those behind a suicide attack
today which killed seven of the elite group`s commanders, a
top Guards officer said.
Tehran: Iran`s Revolutionary Guards will
deliver a "crushing" response to those behind a suicide attack
today which killed seven of the elite group`s commanders, a
top Guards officer said.
"The Guards will give a very harsh and crushing
response to this group, so the group will never be able to
launch another act like this in the country," General Mohammad
Pakpour, commander of Guards` ground forces was quoted as
saying by Fars news agency.
A suicide bomber blew himself in the city of Pisheen
in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province at a meeting
of the Guards in which 35 people were killed, including seven
commanders.
An Iranian official said the attack was claimed by the
Sunni rebel Jundallah (Soldiers of God) group.
‘Bombers used Pak territory as springboard’ Iran summoned Islamabad`s envoy
to Tehran over on Sunday`s deadly bombing against the nation`s
Revolutionary Guards, claiming those behind the attack had
used Pakistani soil as a springboard, the ISNA news agency
said.
It said the foreign ministry had called Pakistan`s
charge d`affairs and "expressed Tehran`s regret to Pakistan`s
envoy (that) members of the terrorist group involved in the
incident entered Iran through Pakistan."
The ministry also "protested against the use of
Pakistani territory by the terrorists and rebels against the
Islamic Republic of Iran and urged Pakistani authorities to
act firmly to prevent the movement of those terrorists and
rebels in their country."
| Armed Conflict | October 2009 | ['(Zee News)', '(Press TV)', '(RIA Novosti)'] |
Danny Philip resigns as the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands before the National Parliament votes on a no confidence motion. | Solomon Islands prime minister Danny Philip has resigned ahead of a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
The opposition was certain it had the numbers to bring down the government, claiming 31 of the nation's 49 MPs would be supporting the no confidence vote.
Mr Philip's replacement is expected to be named later today, after his letter of resignation is presented to the governor-general.
There are three potential candidates to replace Mr Philip.
They include finance minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and public service minister Rick Hou, who were both sacked by Mr Philip yesterday.
| Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | November 2011 | ['(ABC News Australia)'] |
Ali alHaj, secretary of the Islamist Popular Congress Party, is arrested after Sudanese authorities summon him for questioning over his role in the coup d’état that put former President Omar alBashir in power. | KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan’s most prominent Islamist politician was arrested on Wednesday after being summoned for questioning over former leader Omar al-Bashir’s rise to power in a 1989 coup, a senior official from his party said.
The investigation into Ali al-Haj, secretary general of the Islamist Popular Congress Party (PCP), is a significant step against the Islamist political networks that supported Bashir, who was overthrown in April.
The official, who declined to be named, told Reuters Haj reported to investigators on Wednesday evening after the public prosecution summoned him and was then arrested and transferred to Khartoum’s Kobar prison, where Bashir is also being held.
Authorities went to Ali al-Haj’s home on Wednesday to inform him he was being summoned for questioning by the public prosecution, Idris Suleiman, the party’s political secretary, told Reuters. There has been no official comment.
“Ali al-Haj is a political leader and not a military man to be charged over the 1989 coup and he was abroad when that coup happened,” Suleiman said.
Haj has not been questioned yet, the senior official said. It is unclear when he will be.
Some of Bashir’s aides were arrested after his overthrow.
PCP was founded by the late Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi, who was one of Sudan’s most influential political figures, after a dispute with the former ruling National Congress Party (NCP) led by Bashir. The party later became an ally of the NCP.
The Islamist party has complained of being sidelined in Sudan’s transitional political process following Bashir’s departure.
The current transitional government was formed in September after a power-sharing deal between anti-Bashir groups and the Transitional Military Council that ruled the country after Bashir’s overthrow.
(This story corrects to say Haj (not Bashir) has not been questioned in paragraph 6.)
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | November 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State, is taken to hospital in Switzerland with a broken leg following a cycling accident in the nearby French town of Scionzier. Kerry had been in Geneva negotiating with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. , | The US Secretary of State John Kerry has broken his leg in a biking accident in the French Alps. Mr Kerry, 71, was in a stable condition in hospital in nearby Geneva, Switzerland, a spokesman said.
He was expected to make a full recovery after breaking his right femur and was in good spirits, said John Kirby.
Mr Kerry, who was in Switzerland for talks on Iran's nuclear programme, has called off visits to Madrid and Paris and will fly to the US for treatment.
The accident took place in Scionzier, France, some 40km (25 miles) south-east of the Swiss border.
It appeared Mr Kerry hit a kerb and there was no vehicle involved in the accident, a state department official was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
"Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with the secretary's motorcade at the time of the accident," the state department said. Mr Kerry "did not lose consciousness", it added.
Mr Kerry was taken by helicopter to a hospital to Geneva, from where he will now be flown to Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, Mr Kirby said.
Given the injury was near the site of his prior hip surgery Mr Kerry would be treated by the doctor who performed the operation, the spokesman added.
Mr Kerry will no longer travel to Madrid on Monday to sign a defence deal and to Paris on Tuesday for talks on combating Islamic State militants.
Mr Kerry is known for his love of cycling and often takes his bike with him when he travels.
In 1992, he injured his shoulder while riding a bike.
| Famous Person - Sick | May 2015 | ['(BBC)', '(NBC News)'] |
Egypt's military police and riot police end a three–week Tahrir Square sit–in. | CAIRO — Egyptian soldiers clashed Monday with protesters encamped in Tahrir Square, tearing down tents the activists have used to stage a weeks-long sit in. Hundreds of protesters have been sleeping in the square — epicenter of the 18-day uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak — since July 8. They are calling for quicker trials for Mubarak-era officials involved in the deaths of nearly 900 Egyptians during the uprising, and protesting the slow pace of change since the military council took control of the country on Feb. 11. On Monday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, television footage showed military police in riot gear throwing sticks and pushing protesters as demonstrators lobbed stones in return. One soldier could be seen raising his middle finger to the protesters and another was shown pointing a rifle. People who supported the military’s eviction ripped down banners, as a woman allied with the protesters screamed, “They’re an army of thugs.”
Activists vowed to stage a march to condemn the forced eviction of the demonstrators. Armored vehicles and tanks drove into the square and surrounded the area as angry protesters chanted for the fall of the remnants of Mubarak’s regime. Traffic crawled to a halt. “Where are the revolution’s heroes?” asked Islam Ramadan, 20. “Why haven’t they come to save” the revolution?
It took one hour for military police officers to take over the square, sitting where protesters had been just a short time earlier. Around them, torn posters were strewn on the ground, along with spent casings from rubber bullets. The canopy tents that had house the demonstrators were gone. When asked why the military was removing protesters from the square, a soldier answered, “We’re clearing out the trash.”A few business owners around the square cheered the military’s forceful move. The action was the first direct confrontation between protesters and the military since the start of the sit-in more than three weeks ago. Protesters have grown increasingly vocal in their criticism of the military leadership for failing to purge government institutions of Mubarak loyalists, and activists have expressed concern that the tension would turn into conflict. In July, demonstrators marching to the defense ministry to condemn perceived failures of the military leadership were attacked by army supporters. More than 150 people were injured. The military has accused protest leaders of taking foreign money and trying to destabilize the nation, painting them as thugs and foreign agents in statements, through state media and during television interviews. Protesters, in turn, have objected strenuously as Egypt’s new rulers have continued to use military trials for civilians, and other Mubarak-era tactics, to repress dissent. On Sunday, several groups chose to withdraw from the Tahrir Square sit-in during Ramadan, but they expressed continued support for those who wanted to remain. On Monday night, just before most Egyptians would break their daily Ramadan fast, the square was empty of demonstrators.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | August 2011 | ['(The Washington Post)', '(The National)', '[permanent dead link]', '(Al–Ahram)'] |
Ibrahim Jaafari, a Shia, has replaced Iyad Allawi as the interim prime minister of Iraq. | He was appointed shortly after Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was sworn in as Iraq's new interim president.
Outgoing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has resigned, but will continue his work until Mr Jaafari names his government.
The transitional government's main task will be to oversee the drafting of a permanent Iraqi constitution and to pave the way for elections in December.
Mr Jaafari, 58, is seen as one of Iraq's most popular political figures.
He has up to a month to name his team, but indicated that he hoped to announce a new government within two weeks.
IBRAHIM JAAFARI
Born Karbala, 1947
Educated at Mosul university as a medical doctor
Lived in Iran and UK since 1980s
Spokesman for the Islamic Daawa party
Preferred candidate of Shia United Iraqi Alliance
Served as vice-president in US-appointed regime
Profile: Ibrahim Jaafari
"Today represents a big step forward for Iraq and a big responsibility for me," he said.
The presidential swearing-in ceremony took place before the parliament in the heavily-fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad. Mr Talabani's deputies, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shia, and the outgoing President, Ghazi Yawer, a Sunni, have also taken the oath of office.
"We will rebuild the Iraqi government on principles of democracy, human rights... and the Islamic identity of the Iraqi government," Mr Talabani told a special session of parliament.
"[It will] preserve the liberty for all, where all the citizens, whether Shia or Sunni, will be brothers. New freedoms
The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad says this is a highly symbolic moment for both the Shia and the Kurds. After being brutally repressed under Saddam Hussein, they are now taking the reins of power in Iraq.
Ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein watched the session on television in jail, officials said.
PRESIDENCY COUNCIL
Elected by National Assembly
Largely ceremonial role
Helps select prime minister
Profile: Jalal Talabani
Profile: Vice-presidents
Members of the new parliament, dressed in tribal robes, business suits and religious garments, cast their secret ballots for the three-man presidency council in the assembly inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. The votes were then counted publicly.
The appointment of Mr Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, makes room for Kurdistan Democratic Party chief Massoud Barzani - his long-time rival - to head an autonomous government in the Kurdish region in the north of Iraq.
Some critics of the system have labelled the new political structure a "sectarian carve-up" of Iraq.
"The old wounds I think are getting deeper," Sheikh Fawaz al-Jarba, second cousin of new Sunni Vice-President Ghazi Yawer, told the AFP news agency. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | April 2005 | ['(BBC)'] |
President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev announced that the operation of Russian forces in South Ossetia is completed. He added that 'The aggressor has been punished, having sustained considerable losses. Its armed forces have been disorganised'. Medvedev also ordered the Russian Ministry of Defence to consider awarding the peacekeepers and military personnel that have 'showed their best' during the operation. | Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.
He told officials that the safety of Russian citizens and peacekeepers in South Ossetia had been restored. Russia also backed an EU plan to end the five-day-old conflict. Envoys will now try to get Georgian approval. Each side continues to accuse the other of breaking ceasefire accords, and analysts warn that the two remain far apart on a number of issues. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was vital that all sides cease fire, adding that Russian military operations "really do now need to stop because calm needs to be restored". The conflict began overnight last Thursday, when Russia responded to Georgian military action in South Ossetia. Russia received heavy criticism on Monday after its troops pushed on from the secessionist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia towards the town of Gori in central Georgia, and into Senaki in the west. On Tuesday morning there were more reports of fighting near Gori, but witnesses later said that Russian troops appeared to have pulled back from both towns. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in his current role as EU president, held talks with Mr Medvedev in Moscow for most of the day. In a joint news conference, they said a six-point peace plan had been agreed by Russia and would now be taken to Georgia. The deal included a pledge to pull troops on both sides back to their pre-conflict positions, and a plan to begin international discussions about the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. If Georgia agrees to the plan, Mr Medvedev said the "path to a gradual normalisation" in South Ossetia was open. But during the same press conference, Mr Medvedev called Georgian troops "lunatics" and accused Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili of lying over a previous ceasefire agreement. And just hours earlier, tens of thousands of Georgians gathered in Tbilisi's main square to hear Mr Saakashvili claim that Russia was continuing its "ruthless, heartless destruction" of Georgian citizens. Neither side's claims could be verified, but analysts point out that the inflamed rhetoric signifies how far away from an agreement they are. According to a Kremlin statement, Mr Medvedev told his defence minister and chief of staff that "the goal has been attained". "I've decided to finish the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace. The safety of our peacekeeping forces and civilian population has been restored," he said. But Mr Medvedev warned that Russia would not tolerate any further Georgian military activity in South Ossetia, saying: "Should centres of resistance or other aggressive attempts arise, you must take the decision to destroy them." Georgia also remained sceptical, the country's prime minister telling Reuters that troops would remain "mobilised... ready for anything" until a binding agreement was signed between the two countries. The Russian move followed strong comments from US President George W Bush, in which he spoke directly of concerns that Russia was planning to topple Georgia's pro-Western president. "Russia has invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people," he said. "Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st Century." France's president says the ceasefire is good news
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says Mr Medvedev's announcement must be seen in the light of the US president's words. President Bush's language was unusually blunt, she says, and if Russia cares about its relations with the US and Europe, it might have been given pause for thought. The five-day-old conflict began late on 7 August when Georgian forces bombarded South Ossetia, where a majority of people hold Russian passports. Russia quickly became involved, bombing targets throughout Georgia and sending troops in to recapture South Ossetia. Some 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the conflict. What are these? | Armed Conflict | August 2008 | ['(InterFax)', '(BBC News)'] |
At least 60 Taliban militants are killed in an ongoing offensive in South Waziristan, northwest Pakistan. | Pakistan said it killed 60 militants and lost 11 soldiers as a 30,000-strong attack force pushed into Taliban's tribal stronghold on the second day of a major operation.
Taliban fighters offered fierce resistance as ground troops, backed by warplanes and artillery, pushed into South Waziristan, the mountain headquarters of the notorious Tehrik I Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Militants detonated roadside bombs and opened fire on helicopter gunships. Villagers, some of them women, waved white flags and troops searching houses discovered large weapons caches, the military said.
In a statement it said tactical heights near Razmak, a mountain village at the northern edge of South Waziristan, had been captured following fighting that killed 10 militants and two soldiers.
The Taliban denied the army claims, and a spokesman insisted the guerrillas had inflicted "heavy casualties" and forced the invading soldiers back into their bases. "We know how to fight this war and defeat the enemy with the minimum loss of our men," Azam Tariq told the Associated Press from an undisclosed location.
The conflicting versions were impossible to reconcile. Inaccessible at the best of times, much of South Waziristan has been sealed off since the operation started on Saturday morning. Phone connections to Waziristan and nearby areas have been disconnected.
The fight, pitting 30,000 soldiers against 10,000 Taliban and al-Qaida miltants, according to the army, followed two weeks of audacious assaults in cities that left over 175 people dead and underlined the militant threat to national stability.
In the most shocking incident, a team of 10 gunmen laid siege to the army headquarters in Rawalpindi for 22 hours. All but one were killed. The army said the attack was orchestrated from South Waziristan.
The army has surrounded a mountainous swath of South Waziristan that is controlled by the Mehsud tribe, whose most notorious member, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed by a US drone last August. Mehsud's successor as leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, vowed to take revenge, apparently triggering the recent wave of militant attacks.
The military operation, which has been in the offing since June, has caused more than 110,000 people to flee their homes. Authorities expect another 140,000 to join them.
Soldiers are attacking the Mehsud territory from Razmak in the north, Jandola in the east and Wana in the south. Officials estimate the drive will take a minimum of six weeks and could stretch through the winter. The non-Mehsud parts of South Waziristan, which are controlled by the rival Wazir tribe and border with Afghanistan, have not been affected.
The army hopes to repeat the success of its campaign against the Taliban in Swat this summer. But few doubt this operation will be harder, longer and with a great risk of failure.
Riffat Hussain, a defence analyst, said the army's goal was to "degrade" the capability of the Taliban to launch attacks from Waziristan, and to kill an estimated 800 to 1,500 foreign fighters mainly from Uzbekistan sheltering in the area.
The al-Qaida-allied Uzbeks fled to Waziristan after 2001 and have become "naturalised citizens" through marriages with local women and the provision of training and finance to local militants.
"The core objective is to kill as many of the foreign militants who are also sympathisers of al-Qaida as possible," said Hussain. "They have no place to go, they know the area well and are highly motivated. That's a lethal combination."
The border area has a reputation as the graveyard of empires and Pakistan's army has had little more success in recent years. Three peace deals with Taliban militants in Waziristan between 2004 and 2006 failed badly, emboldening the militants to extend their violent campaign across North-West Frontier province.
This time, the army says, it is no longer prepared to talk. But the generals have made tactical compromises that leave western allies uncomfortable. In order to encircle the Mehsud area, the army has struck fragile agreements with rival militant groups controlled by Maulvi Nazir, in South Waziristan, and Hafiz Gul Bahadur, in North Waziristan. Although less famous than the Mehsud-led TTP, both warlords dispatch significant numbers of Taliban fighters to attack Nato forces across the border in Afghanistan.
The Mehsud territory of South Waziristan, in contrast, does not share a border with Afghanistan, and the Taliban based there have concentrated their firepower inwards on Pakistan. | Armed Conflict | October 2009 | ['(The Guardian)', '(Xinhua)'] |
A bus from Wales carrying 50 people, including 41 teenagers, tips over in eastern France, injuring 13, two seriously. | PARIS (Reuters) - A bus from Wales tipped over on its side in eastern France on Saturday, injuring 13 people, two of them seriously, a French police official said.
The British bus was carrying about 50 people, including 41 teenagers, when the accident occurred for unknown reasons on a motorway about 40 km (25 miles) from the Swiss border.
Doctors considered the life of one of the two badly injured teenagers to be in danger, the police official said. | Road Crash | July 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Bob Iger steps down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and is succeeded by Bob Chapek, former chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Iger will continue to serve the company's "creative endeavors" as executive chairman. | (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's DIS.N Robert Iger will step down as chief executive officer, handing the reins to Disney Parks head Bob Chapek, the company said on Tuesday, ending years of speculation on who will take over Hollywood's most powerful studio.
Walt Disney's Bob Iger steps down as CEO
01:32
Iger is still keeping a significant role at the company. He will assume the post of executive chairman and direct the company’s “creative endeavors” until his contract ends on Dec. 31, 2021, Disney said.
“The company has gotten larger and more complex just in the recent 12 months,” Iger said on a conference call on Tuesday, citing its purchase of 21st Century Fox and launch of direct-to-consumer services such as Disney+ last year.
“I felt that with the asset bases in place and with our strategy deployed I should be spending as much time as possible on the creative side of our business.”
Chapek, who will be the seventh CEO in the company’s nearly 100-year history, has most recently served as the chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Chapek will report to Iger.
Related Coverage
Analysts on the call, as well as two former employees Reuters interviewed, questioned if Chapek had sufficient experience in the entertainment business. The former employees expressed surprise that Kevin Mayer, chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International, was not named to the top job, especially after the roll-out of the Disney+ streaming service, which attracted 10 million sign-ups in its first day.
In Chapek’s new role, which is effective immediately, the company said he will directly oversee all of Disney’s business segments and corporate functions.
As chairman of Disney theme parks division, Chapek oversaw Disney’s largest business segment, including the opening of Disney’s first theme park and resort in mainland China and the creation of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. He joined Disney in 1993.
Chapek “did a great job of growing the home entertainment business and built consumer products at Disney,” said Michael Wolf, founder of Activate, a technology and strategy consulting firm. “Bob is one of the best managers in the entertainment business. And not a lot of people know about him.”
Iger, who has been CEO since 2005, built up the Disney brand through a series of acquisitions, including animation studio Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009, and “Star Wars” franchise owner Lucasfilm in 2012. His biggest bet was the purchase of 21st Century Fox, a deal that was instrumental in launching Disney+.
Shares of Disney, which ended the day down 3.6%, fell another 2.2% after the markets closed.
Reporting by Helen Coster and Kenneth Li in New York; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
More From Reuters
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | February 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row, has left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her daughters. | Pakistani officials and others say a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row has flown to Canada
ISLAMABAD -- A Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan, but who still faced death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release, flew to Canada on Wednesday to join her daughters, Pakistani officials and others involved in the case said.
Aasia Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 after a quarrel with two fellow farmworkers, who refused to drink from the same water container as a Christian. Five days later, the women said Bibi had insulted Islam, a crime punishable by death. Bibi was charged with blasphemy despite repeatedly denying the accusation. The Supreme Court overturned her conviction last year, and she had been in protective custody since then.
Islamic extremists have rioted over the case and threatened to kill Bibi. Even as word of her departure from Pakistan became known, the hard-line Tehree-e-Labbaik Party, whose single-point agenda is defending the controversial blasphemy law, threatened protests. The same party, whose leaders including firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi are in jail, also urged the overthrow of the government following Bibi's acquittal. Rizvi's bail hearing is May 13.
A close friend of Bibi confirmed that she had left the country. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Bibi's lawyer, Saif-ul Malook, said Bibi had already arrived in Canada and officials in Pakistan's interior and foreign ministries also confirmed her departure. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
"Obviously there are sensitive privacy and security issues on this and unfortunately I can't comment on this at this time," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa as he prepared to meet legislators Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement welcoming news of her departure, which was cloaked in secrecy.
"Asia Bibi is now free, and we wish her and her family all the best following their reunification," the statement said. "The United States uniformly opposes blasphemy laws anywhere in the world, as they jeopardize the exercise of fundamental freedoms."
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted his pleasure at Bibi's departure.
"Fantastic news that Asia Bibi appears to have left Pakistan safely," he tweeted, adding that he was about to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "to talk about persecution of Christians around the world."
The case has brought international attention to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, which carries an automatic death penalty. The mere suspicion of blasphemy against Islam is enough to ignite mob lynchings in the country. Blasphemy allegations have also been used to intimidate religious minorities and to settle scores.
Radical Islamists have made the punishment of blasphemy a major rallying cry, bringing tens of thousands into the streets and paralyzing major cities. The Tehreek-e Labbaik party won three seats in last year's provincial election on an agenda of defending the blasphemy law.
The reluctance of some local and foreign officials to speak openly of Bibi's departure may reflect fears of igniting more violence.
Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab province, was shot and killed by one of his guards in 2011 for defending Bibi and criticizing the misuse of the blasphemy law. The assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was celebrated as a martyr by hard-liners since being hanged for the killing, with millions visiting a shrine set up for him near Islamabad.
Even Punjab's information minister made a pilgrimage to his shrine, generating a public outcry.
Pakistan's minister for minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated later in 2011, also after demanding justice for Bibi.
Taseer's son Shaan, who spoke Wednesday to The Associated Press from Canada, said the fight against extremism is "the most important battle of our time."
He said Bibi's departure was reason to celebrate, but he said there are hundreds more people languishing in Pakistani jails on charges of blasphemy, including university professor Janaid Hafiz, who has been in jail since 2013 for allegedly blasphemous posts on Facebook, which he denies.
"It is a great day, a great moment but let's not forget the 200 other Aasia Bibi's in jail today on charges of blasphemy," Shaan Taseer said. "These are the people on the front line. ... These are the soldiers against extremism. They are facing the enemy up close and personal."
Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed not to be intimidated by the rioters, saying the rule of law would decide Bibi's fate. Still, she was denied permission to leave the country for several months after her acquittal until sentiments cooled.
Bibi's friend, who last spoke to her on Tuesday, said Bibi and her husband Ashiq Masih spent the last several weeks getting their documents in order. She received her passport last Wednesday, he said. He said she longed to see her daughters, with whom she spoke daily from her secure location, protected by Pakistani security forces.
On Wednesday, Taseer posted a video of Bibi's daughter's farewell message to her mother when they left Pakistan for Canada last year. Taseer said he waited until Bibi was safely out of Pakistan before posting the video.
"Their message was one of no regrets, no bitterness, just love and gratitude for all," he said. "It takes very special people to have been through such ordeals and to come out with a heart full of love."
A three-judge Supreme Court panel in January cleared Bibi's final legal hurdle when they ruled there was no compelling reason to overturn the court's earlier acquittal. The judges accused those who accused Bibi with blasphemy of committing perjury, but said they would not be tried because of the sensitivity of the case. The judges upheld the blasphemy law.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | May 2019 | ['(ABC News)'] |
Voters in Australia go to the polls to elect new members of the House of Representatives and half of the Senate. | Polling day has arrived as Australians head to the ballot box to decide the make-up of the country's federal parliament. Labor is tipped to take out the 2019 federal election, according to the latest YouGov exit poll.
Nine's YouGov Galaxy poll has placed Labor ahead by a four-point margin on a two-party preferred basis, 52-48, delivering a potential 80 lower house seats for the ALP.
The poll has also predicted a slide for Coalition primary votes - 39 down to 38 per cent.
Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen said the exit poll results were "encouraging".
"But polls haven't closed yet and I do think we're in for a long night, with pre-poll votes. And some sets aren't even counting pre-polls," he told the Seven Network.
The polls are set to close shortly across the country, with more than 16 million Australians expected to take part in the national vote at 7000 polling locations across the country.
Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten have cast their votes along with millions of Australians across the country in a poll that is tipped to see Labor form the next federal government.
The final Newspoll of the campaign has Labor ahead of the Coalition 51.5 to 48.5 on a two-party preferred basis, while the latest Ipsos poll shows Labor in front 51-49.
A confident Mr Shorten was handing out how-to-vote cards at his local polling booth in the Melbourne seat of Maribyrnong, before voting himself.
"We will shake up politics and get on with climate action," the opposition leader told one supporter.
Mr Shorten said pre-polling is convenient, describing it as the "Uber factor".
"But I also believe there's a mood for change. You don't have record numbers being set, people rushing out to save the government," Mr Shorten told ABC news.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison returned home to Sydney's Sutherland Shire to cast his vote on Saturday afternoon.
"This community means the world to me," he told reporters after casting his ballot, flanked by wife Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lily.
"I am so up for this because the people of Australia have energised me so much and continue to," he said.
"That is why I will burn for them every single day in this job."
Mr Morrison visited two voting stations in northern Tasmania earlier in the day.
Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP arrives with wife Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lilly to cast his vote at the Lilli Pilli Primary School in his electorate of Cook"I think it will be a long night. I've always said this election will be close," Mr Morrison told the Network Seven.
"Five weeks ago people weren't saying that but I've always known it to be the case," he said.
Mr Shorten started the day with a jog around Melbourne in a t-shirt with the slogan "Vote 1 Chloe Shorten's husband".
Time for change. Let’s do this!"What I know after 2000 days in the job is that I'm confident Labor can run a united government," he told Seven's Sunrise.
OL @billshortenmp heading in to cast his vote. ‘Any superstitions for Election Day?’ ‘Nope’
Nationals Leader Michael McCormack holds a safe margin of 16 per cent in his regional NSW seat of Riverina, but he is taking nothing for granted in his constituency or those of his National colleagues.
"I'm feeling quietly confident, quietly optimistic. I know we've delivered. I know we've been a good, Coalition government and I'd like to think that people will restore or put their faith in us, continue to put their faith in us," he told SBS News.
Nationals Leader & Deputy PM @M_McCormackMP says he is “quietly confident” about tonight’s result, & when asked about instabilities within the Coalition said: “People have to come first, personalities need to be pushed aside...it’s not about power.”He said, that in addition to drought, regional voters were concerned about mobile phone connectivity and funding for hospitals and education.
The deputy PM also said he remained confident, despite polls favouring Labor.
"Three out of the last four state elections, the polls have got it wrong. There is only one poll that matters and that's right here," he said.
As voters were putting their mark on their ballot papers, one punter put $850,000 on Labor to win the 2019 election.
Sportsbet.com.au says the trend over the past 48 hours has been to back Bill Shorten and Labor to win, with the odds coming into $1.10.
Conversely, the coalition is now out to $7.00 despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison's best efforts to retain power.
"Our punter has waited until the eleventh hour to pull the trigger," sportsbet.com.au's Rich Hummerston said in a statement on the $850,000 wager.
"If the money coming in for Labor is any indication, he'll be a happy man later on tonight."
Several other candidates also cast their votes.
Green leader Richard Di Natale voted mid-morning, after saying it would be a climate change election.
"What I'm hearing from lifetime Liberal voters is that they want strong action on climate change," he told the ABC.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott voted in his seat of Warringah not long after polls opened.
He is facing the fight of his political career against Independent Zali Steggall.
"I've always been a nervous candidate," he told reporters.
"Sure, I've got a few butterflies doing loop-the-loops in my tummy today as well. But that's the lot of all candidates because the one thing you can never take for granted is the vote of the Australian people."
While Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is confident he can hold his marginal seat of Dickson, which he's held for 18 years.
The home affairs minister is in the fight of his political life as he duels for votes with Labor candidate Ali Francis.
"Get Up and Labor have thrown a lot of mud," he said, while talking to voters and LNP volunteers at the polling booth at Strathpine West State School.
"So we've countered that and we've had a really strong campaign."
Meanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg arrived at the Balwyn North Primary School to anti Adani mine protesters.
About 4.76 million votes have been cast at early-voting centres, with 700,000 votes cast on Friday, the final day of campaigning.
Final figure for pre-poll votes cast at early voting centres for the 2019 federal election - 4.76m. Around 700k cast a pre-poll vote on Friday. #ausvotes
This compares to a total of 2.5 million at the same stage of the 2016 federal election.
In addition, there have been 1.5 million postal vote applications, the AEC said.
More than 1500 candidates have thrown their hat into the ring across 151 electorates, including more than 400 candidates contesting 40 Senate vacancies and just over 1000 people vying for 151 House of Representatives seats.
The final Newspoll of the campaign had Labor ahead of the coalition 51.5 to 48.5 on a two-party preferred basis while the last Ipsos poll had Labor ahead 51-49.
| Government Job change - Election | May 2019 | ['(SBS)'] |
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declares a state of emergency in Santa Cruz County for the ongoing Summit Fire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains. | (CNN) -- An aggressive wildfire has burned 10 homes and spread across 3,000 acres in Northern California, officials said Thursday.
A wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains is causing mandatory evacuations for neighboring homes.
Flames were threatening at least 50 more homes, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
About 200 children at a 4-H Club camp were told to take immediate shelter as high winds fanned the flames in the Santa Cruz mountains. The wildfire was burning in rugged terrain in Santa Clara County and moving south towards Santa Cruz County, south of San Francisco. About 190 people from the two counties had been evacuated, officials said. The Summit Fire began around 5:30 a.m. PT (8:30 a.m. ET) Thursday near Mount Madonna County Park in Santa Clara County. Five fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopters were dropping water on the fire, fanned by sustained winds of 15 mph to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Officials ordered a so-called Supertanker, a jumbo jet modified to battle fires from the air. State fire officials said at least 149 firefighters but likely many more were battling the blaze, which is being fueled by dry brush. Strike teams from across Northern California were being mobilized.
Aerial video footage from local TV station helicopters showed structures and vehicles engulfed. The Santa Cruz Mountains are dotted with multimillion-dollar homes.
The Santa Clara and Santa Cruz sheriffs were handling evacuations. A Red Cross evacuation center was established at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, said Officer Dinah Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. | Fire | May 2008 | ['(CNN)', '(KSBW)'] |
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. announces it will change its name to Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. on December 22. Its stock exchange ticker symbol will be IONS. | (Reuters) - After deliberating for most of the year, Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Friday it would change its name to avoid being confused with the Islamist militant group known as ISIS.
The biotechnology company said it would be called Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc from Dec. 22 and also changed its stock exchange ticker symbol to “IONS” from “ISIS”.
“It’s been an ongoing discussion for most of this year”, Chief Business Officer Sarah Boyce told Reuters.
“When you talk about the company you want people to immediately think about the incredible work you’re doing to deliver transformational drugs to patients ... not as an unfortunate namesake.”
The Carlsbad, California-based company’s stock dropped about 4 percent on the first trading day after the Paris attacks, for which ISIS claimed responsibility.
The drugmaker - named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was revered as a protector and healer - has been around for more than a quarter century.
Today it is a $7 billion company with one cholesterol drug on the market and treatments in development for a plethora of diseases, including cancer and heart conditions.
Reporting by Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza and Ted Kerr
| Famous Person - Give a speech | December 2015 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A measles outbreak from the Philippines has spread into Australia, Canada, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. , | MANILA, Philippine - While the measles outbreak in the Philippines is already stemmed, Canada is just beginning to experience the viral disease.
Canada is only the latest country to have reported measles transmissions. Australia, Taiwan and the United Kingdom have also reported that measles from the Philippines have spread to their countries.
Health officials in Toronto, Canada on Tuesday warned residents and medical professionals to be on alert for the measles contagion, which affected mostly young Filipinos in the latter part of 2013.Skip
"Measles remains rare in Toronto, but clinicians are reminded of the continued risk of importation and further spread," the Toronto Public Health surveillance alert stated as reported by Canada's The Star.
There are six reported measles cases in the North American country so far since the start of the year. All patients caught the disease during their visit in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, over 13 million children have been vaccinated by the Department of Health. Last year, over 1,700 measles cases were recorded, including 21 deaths.
The Canadian health bureau advised clinicians to protect their patients using two doses of measles-containing vaccine. | Disease Outbreaks | February 2014 | ['(The Toronto Star)', '(The Philippine Star)'] |
South Africa's general election begins. | (Reuters) - South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) is widely expected to win a general election on Wednesday with party leader Jacob Zuma becoming the country’s next president.
| Government Job change - Election | April 2009 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Dominique Strauss-Kahn offers his resignation as head of the International Monetary Fund following the charges. , | International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has resigned following allegations he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in New York.
In a statement, Mr Strauss-Kahn - who is being held in Rikers Island prison - said he wanted to "devote all my strength... to proving my innocence."
Mr Strauss-Kahn will make a fresh application for bail later on Thursday. Whether his successor comes from the developed or developing world will be a topic of hot debate, analysts say. In the statement, Mr Strauss-Kahn said it was with "infinite sadness" that he tendered his resignation.
"I think at this time first of my wife - whom I love more than anything - of my children, of my family, of my friends. I think also of my colleagues at the Fund." He said he denied "with the greatest possible firmness" all of the allegations against him, but said he wanted to protect the IMF.
The IMF said it would release information "in the near future" about appointing a successor. The organisation's deputy, John Lipsky, has been in interim control of the IMF since Mr Strauss-Kahn's arrest on Saturday. Dominique Moisi, a special adviser at the French Institute for International Relations, said it was sad that "a brilliant career" had ended in "such an indignant way". But he added that some in France were coming to believe that "there is maybe a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the personality of Mr Strauss-Kahn". The pressure had been growing on Mr Strauss-Kahn both at home and abroad, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had led calls for him to stand down, followed by the head of the governing right-wing UMP party in France, Jean-Francois Cope, who said he couldn't see how Mr Strauss-Kahn could carry on. Analysts say Mr Strauss-Kahn's resignation heralds a battle between established and emerging economies over who will get the top job.
Traditionally, the US names the head of the World Bank, while the top job at the IMF goes to a European. A Chinese government spokeswoman said the selection process should be based on "merit, transparency and fairness" - adding "we believe that emerging and developing countries should have representation at senior levels", Reuters reported.
However, Germany has said it wants the next head of the IMF to come from Europe. Mr Strauss-Kahn faces a number of charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 32-year-old maid in New York's Sofitel hotel on 14 May.
They are: committing a criminal sexual act, attempted rape, sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
Police have removed a piece of carpet from the Sofitel hotel, in search of evidence to support the maid's allegation she was forced into an act of oral sex.
Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said on Monday that the defence believes the forensic evidence "will not be consistent with a forcible encounter".
On Monday a judge in New York denied Mr Strauss-Kahn bail - despite the offer of a $1m (£618,000) guarantee - saying there was a risk the IMF chief would flee the country. However, he will make a new plea for bail at a court hearing on Thursday morning, Mr Brafman says.
A copy of his bail application, published on the website of the New York Times, shows Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyers are offering new conditions for bail in an effort to convince the judge that he will not try to flee while he prepares his defence.
They include Mr Strauss-Kahn being confined 24 hours a day to a Manhattan address, subject to electronic surveillance. The application also highlights Mr Strauss-Kahn's wife's ties to the US in an attempt to counter suggestions he could be a flight risk, saying she was partly schooled there and is currently working on a book about American political life, and pointing out the pair own a $4m home in Washington DC.
Since being remanded in custody, Mr Strauss-Kahn been placed on suicide watch at Rikers Island, a notorious prison.
Jeffrey Shapiro, lawyer for Mr Strauss-Kahn's accuser, says his client feared for herself and her daughter when she discovered Mr Strauss-Kahn's identity after the incident.
He said she had only become aware of Mr Strauss-Kahn's identity "a day later when a friend called her to tell her, 'do you have any idea who this man is who did this to you?'".
Mr Shapiro said his client was "scared and incredulous".
"When she found out this encounter was with a man of great power and wealth she feared not only for herself but more importantly for her daughter."
The woman, from the West African nation of Guinea, had now been reunited with her 15-year-old daughter in a "safe place", he added.
IMF statement
Setback for EU in legal fight with AstraZeneca
But the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | May 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(CBS News)'] |
Former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, jailed during Najib's term, is due to be released next Tuesday after receiving a royal pardon. Anwar is the leader of the Pakatan Harapan coalition that won the May 9 general election. The pardon will enable Anwar to immediately run for public office again. | Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, is due to be released from prison on Tuesday, his daughter has said.
Anwar is serving a second prison sentence for sodomy, which many believe was politically motivated and the result of judicial pressure brought by the country’s ousted prime minister, Najib Razak.
The election this week of Mahathir Mohamad, which gave the opposition its first win in 61 years, has paved the way for Anwar to be given a full royal pardon.
Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, said the paperwork for the pardon was being processed on the grounds of a miscarriage of justice.
Mahathir, who at 92 is the world’s oldest leader, ran for election on the agreement that, if the opposition won he would secure a royal pardon for Anwar and then step aside to let him take over as prime minister.
Anwar’s release will mark another chapter in his colourful and fraught relationship with Mahatir.
When Mahathir first served as prime minister, between 1981 and 2003, Anwar was his protege and seen as his natural successor. In 1999, however, when it seemed he was getting too powerful, Mahathir had him jailed on sodomy charges.
Anwar was released from jail in 2004 and became a powerful figure in the opposition, running against Najib in the 2013 election. In 2015, however, he was reconvicted of sodomy in a case that human rights groups criticised as unjust and politically motivated.
The relationship between Anwar and Mahathir had remained bitter until this year, when in a bid to remove Najib, Mahathir joined the opposition to run as leader in the election. He is now making good on the promise making Anwar’s release among his first priorities as prime minister. It is unclear how long Mahathir will remain prime minister after Anwar’s release. The opposition has said it will be two years before he hands over power, because Anwar will need to win a byelection first. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | May 2018 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, is killed in a blast at a café in Donetsk. | A leader of Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Alexander Zakharchenko, has been killed in an explosion at a cafe in Donetsk city.
"The head of the DNR [Donetsk People's Republic]... has died as the result of a terrorist attack," Zakharchenko's spokeswoman told AFP news agency.
Russia's foreign ministry said it suspected Ukraine of organising the latest killing.
The Ukrainian government has denied any involvement.
Some observers have attributed previous deaths of rebel leaders in Donetsk to infighting among the rebels, or moves by Moscow to eliminate inconvenient separatist leaders.
Rebel and Russian news reports say the separatists' "finance minister" Alexander Timofeyev was wounded in the blast at the Separ cafe that killed Zakharchenko.
Ukrainians suspected of being behind the blast were arrested nearby, a security source was quoted as saying.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said "there is every reason to believe that the Kiev regime is behind the murder". She said the Kiev "party of war" was "violating its pledges about peace and has decided on a bloodbath".
However, recent reports suggested that Zakharchenko had fallen out of favour with Russia.
A spokeswoman for Ukraine's state security service, Yelena Gitlyanskaya, rejected Moscow's accusations.
She said the killing was a result of "internal fighting... between the terrorists and their Russian sponsors".
Heavily armed rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk regions refuse to recognise the Ukrainian government in Kiev.
The rebels seized large swathes of territory there in an uprising in April 2014. Since then, thousands of people have died in fighting between the rebels and Ukrainian government forces.
Moscow denies sending regular troops and heavy weapons to the separatists, but admits that Russian "volunteers" are helping the rebels.
The frontline between them and Ukrainian government troops has remained largely static for months, but skirmishes continue despite a fragile ceasefire deal.
There has been shooting on the frontline despite a "back-to-school truce" that was supposed to take effect on Wednesday. International monitors reported 70 ceasefire violations on that day alone.
He played a key role in the Russian-backed separatist military operation from its very beginning.
In early 2014, soon after Ukraine's pro-Russian government was toppled by the Maidan revolution, he took part in the seizure of the Donetsk regional administration building by people saying they were protesting against the new pro-Western authorities.
Later that year, he was chosen as the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic by its parliament, the "Supreme Council".
He had been in the role ever since, assuming the title of president, and was among the signatories of the stalled Minsk peace agreement.
He was wounded twice in combat, and survived a car bomb blast in August 2014.
| Famous Person - Death | August 2018 | ['(BBC)'] |
A new round of talks on nuclear power between Iran and six world powers opens in Moscow. | A new round of talks on Iran's nuclear programme being held in the Russian capital, Moscow, has yielded few signs of a breakthrough, reports say.
Russia's negotiator has said differences between Iran and the powers at the talks have proved "hard to reconcile", Russian media say. The talks between Iran and six nations follows other recent inconclusive rounds in Istanbul and Baghdad.
The West suspects Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a claim it denies.
Earlier this month, the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said talks held with Iran in Vienna had made "no progress". The latest negotiations between between representatives of Tehran and the so-called P5+1 (US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany) took place in Moscow's Golden Ring hotel.
Following the talks, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying: "The main stumbling block is that the sides' positions are rather difficult and tough to reconcile."
Michael Mann, spokesman for the P5+1, told reporters there was an "intense and tough" exchange of views during the day. "We agreed to reflect overnight on each other's positions," he said.
It was in contrast to the start of the talks, when the respective lead negotiators - Saeed Jalili for Iran and Baroness Catherine Ashton for the P5+1 - nodded "hello" to one another and took their seats on opposite sides of a table separated by a bloom of white flowers. Mr Mann told reporters then that the atmosphere was good and businesslike. He said that the world powers were hoping that Iran would seriously engage with their concrete proposals. These include a demand that Iran suspend enrichment of uranium to 20%, export its stockpile of 20%-enriched uranium and close down an underground enrichment facility near the city of Qom. In return, the world powers say that they are prepared to start by offering help with nuclear safety measures. Iran is seeking more though: it wants the West to lift sanctions, including an EU oil embargo and US measures against Iran's Central Bank. It also says its "non-negotiable" right to enrich uranium must be recognised.
IAEA Iran file
. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | June 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
A shooting in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, leaves two dead, including a Turkish diplomat. | At least one diplomat has been killed in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish zone. An unknown gunman was reported to have fired at a group dining in a restaurant.
A gunman shot dead a Turkish diplomatin the Kurdish Iraqi city of Erbil on Wednesday, before fleeing the scene. A local citizen was also killed, according to the Kurdish security service.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry said one of its staffhad been killed in the shooting at the popular HuQQabazrestaurant close to Ankara's diplomatic mission tothe autonomous region. Local media reported that the individual was Turkey'svice-consul in the city.
"The attacker walked into therestaurant and headed to a table where the three were sitting. He drew out two pistols and started shootingintensely at them. Then, he the shooter escaped," the owner told journalists.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement an employee was killedin an "atrocious attack."
"We are continuing our efforts with the Iraqi authorities and local authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack are found quickly," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.
USSecretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the killing. "There can be no justification for such acts of wanton violence," hesaid in a statement.
Witnesses in the city said roadblocks had been quickly thrown up around the Ainkawa neighborhood, which is home to the consulate and numerous restaurants.
Turkish jets regularly bomb positions belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has outlawed, in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its military offensive in the region, which started in May, had been expanded. | Armed Conflict | July 2019 | ['(DW)'] |
Heather Watson is the first British woman to win a game on Centre Court since Jo Durie in 1985. | Last updated on 25 June 201225 June 2012.From the section Tennis
British number four Heather Watson claimed the highest-profile win of her career with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Iveta Benesova at Wimbledon.
The 20-year-old marked her Centre Court debut with an aggressive display to beat the world number 55 in a match that finished shortly before 21:00 BST.
It was the first win on Centre by a British woman since Jo Durie in 1985. British debutant Oliver Golding, an 18-year-old wildcard, fought hard before losing in four sets to Igor Andreev. Golding, ranked 398 places below the Russian, finally folded 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 in more than three hours.
But his valiant effort was outshone by Watson, the world number 103, who overwhelmed Benesova with winners off either wing and consistent, accurate serving to record her first win at the All England Club.
"I'm so pleased to have got through that - it was tough not knowing when we were on and waiting the whole day, but it worked out pretty well for me," she told BBC Sport. "This is my first singles win at Wimbledon, including juniors, so I'm so pleased. "I was lost in the moment, the crowd was amazing and I had the adrenaline going. I was having fun."
Watson was left in tears 12 months ago when, hindered by a right elbow injury, she lost to Mathilde Johansson in her opening match.
Her reaction was as different as the scoreline on this occasion as she skipped around Centre Court in the failing light.
Watson converted only four of the 20 break opportunities she created, but insists that she will continue to go for winners on the big points.
"Everybody is doing everything they can to get better, so you're going to have to take risks," she added.
"The biggest risk is not taking any. That's one of my favourite quotes."
Watson will play Jamie Lee Hampton in the next round after the American overcame Slovakian 27th seed Daniela Hantuchova in her opening match.
Golding, who turned professional after winning the 2011 US Open boys' title, has yet to win a match at ATP Tour level and faced a stern challenge from Andreev, a top-20 player in 2008.
Golding lost his serve in the opening game of the set, but falling behind seemed to purge him of any nerves.
He matched Andreev from the back of the court and showed a delicate touch when venturing to the net, hitting back with three breaks of his own to take the opener.
Golding's serve rarely looked in danger in the second and third sets, but he could not build enough pressure on Andreev, and he paid the price as he was outmuscled by his more experienced opponent in both tie-breaks.
Double faults began to infect his game in the decider and, having not done so since the very first game, Golding dropped serve to allow the match to slip away.
"I left everything out on the court. I couldn't have given anything more than what I did. It just wasn't to be today," he said.
Elsewhere fellow Briton Josh Goodall succumbed 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in a first-round loss to Grega Zemlja.
Goodall, ranked fourth in the domestic game, has not won a singles match in five appearances in the main draw at Wimbledon. A double fault in the third set tie-break proved costly and he was easily broken in the deciding fourth set.
Goodall, ranked 215th in the world, admits competing on the tour is a struggle financially and said he would reassess his future should his ranking not improve.
"I could probably hang around being 200 in the world for the rest of my career, but is that what I really want? I don't think it is," said Goodall, who has won three tournaments on the Futures Circuit this season. "If I was getting thrashed every time I could say 'well, I'm not good enough' but I don't feel like that's the case.
"I'm not financially in the best state. Obviously playing Wimbledon helps a lot, but I've got rent to pay and stuff like that. I can't really afford things."
British number six Naomi Broady was eliminated from the women's draw as she fell victim to Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Compatriot Johanna Konta will resume her match with American Christina McHale at 7-7 in the final set on Tuesday after their contest was suspended as darkness fell. | Sports Competition | June 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt calls for an end to street protests over Belfast City Council's decision to restrict the flying of the union flag after loyalists threw a petrol bomb into a police vehicle in which a female officer was sitting at the time. | The Ulster Unionist leader has called for an end to street protests after loyalists threw a petrol bomb into a car as a policewoman sat inside.
Police are treating the attack close to Alliance Party MP Naomi Long's east Belfast office as attempted murder. The protests followed a vote by Belfast City Council to restrict the flying of the union flag at the city hall.
The NI secretary of state said those involved in the recent violence were "dishonouring and shaming the flag".
In the past week, as trouble flared across Northern Ireland, 29 police officers have been injured and 38 people arrested.
The latest and more serious incident took place on Monday at 19:35 GMT, when a gang of six men smashed the back window of the policewoman's car, which was parked on the Upper Newtownards Road, and threw in a petrol bomb.
The woman escaped unhurt.
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said on Tuesday that violence associated with protests could not be tolerated.
"It is anti-British to attack a police officer, it is anti-British to attack an elected representative," he said.
"Peaceful protest is fine but the chances of conducting protests without this kind of repercussion is so high that I have to ask people to give up their right."
Ms Long, the MP for East Belfast, received a death threat last week. A police car has been stationed outside her office since then.
Condemning Monday night's attack, Ms Long said: "There is no doubt in my mind that the car was targeted because it was undertaking patrols in the vicinity of my office and I find that absolutely repugnant."
Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said: "This was a planned attempt to kill a police officer which also put the lives of the public in danger and it is fortunate there were no injuries as a result of this attack. "I am urgently appealing to those involved in ongoing protests to listen to their political leaders and step back from protest activity before someone is seriously injured or killed."
He said senior members of loyalist paramilitary groups working at local level were orchestrating violence but said that the leadership of those organisations may not be involved.
"Loyalism is very fragmented," he said. "What you have is people at a local level in some ways disconnected from the senior leadership of those organisations actively involved in violence."
Ms Long said recent attacks on the Alliance Party bore "all the hallmarks of a pogrom".
Her party colleague, the North Down Alliance MLA Stephen Farry told the assembly on Tuesday there had been a second attempted arson attack on his constituency office in Bangor, County Down, on Monday evening.
Labour's shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker said the government needed to act.
There was also rioting in the loyalist Village area of south Belfast on Monday night.
Police were attacked with petrol bombs, bricks, masonry, bottles and fireworks, and attempts were made to put burning barricades across roads.
Police responded with water cannon.
At the Mountpottinger Road/Castlereagh Street junction in east Belfast, riot police separated rival crowds throwing missiles, although a small crowd of nationalist youths continued to stone police Land Rovers for a period.
Police are also investigating reports of an attack on a bar in Thomas Street, Armagh, which is owned by the husband of a Sinn Fein councillor. It was reported that at about 21:00 GMT, windows in the bar were smashed and fireworks thrown inside. There were no reports of any injuries.
Publican Bernard Rafferty said a loyalist protest march had been passing the bar at the time of the attack.
"I was serving behind the bar and I noticed a crowd come by the window with union jacks - within 10 seconds I heard the windows starting to go in," he said. "Next minute the door was bust open and there were large, what I thought at the time were pipe bombs, but they were large rockets fired into the bar." At about 21:50 GMT, a car struck three men on the Newry Road in Armagh before being driven away. There was a loyalist protest in the area at the time.
The men's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. A 17-year-old boy was arrested a short time later in the Cavanacaw Road area, he has since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Alliance Party members and premises have been targeted since last Monday's vote on the city hall flag.
Alliance, Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors voted to limit the flying of the flag while the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionists (UUP) opposed the move.
Rush-hour traffic was also disrupted in Belfast on Monday by a series of protests. Some motorists moved less than a mile in the space of an hour.
Police maintained a presence at a number of locations in the city as roads were blocked by crowds carrying union flags and banners.
They said the biggest protest had been in Dundonald on Belfast's eastern outskirts, where about 500 people took part.
Monday was the eighth consecutive night on which loyalists have held demonstrations.
There have also been protests in towns such as Ballyclare, Limavady and Lisburn. But there was no violence.
First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson and Mr Nesbitt met on Monday night to discuss the flags issue.
In a statement they said they had "agreed to work on a joint basis with a view to urgently bringing forward political proposals to address widespread concerns across the community".
"The attempted murder of a police officer in east Belfast was a despicable act of terror," the first minister said. "The masked men responsible do not act in the name of our union flag. They are bringing shame on it." Meanwhile, Alliance Party leader David Ford has questioned whether the assembly commission should meet on Tuesday, given the "charged atmosphere".
A DUP proposal for a consultation on increasing the number of days the union flag is flown over Parliament Buildings at Stormont is due to be put forward by DUP MLA Peter Weir at the meeting of the assembly commission - the cross-party group that manages the estate. The flag currently flies over the building for 15 days a year. Mr Ford told the assembly that it was a time for measured reflection: "The question as to whether the assembly commission should meet in the charged atmosphere of today is one which is serious," he said.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | December 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, west of the Alaskan Aleutian Island of Attu, in the North Pacific Ocean. No immediate reports of casualties or damage; a tsunami warning was cancelled. | ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A strong earthquake on the Russian side of the Bering Sea briefly prompted a tsunami advisory for parts of the Pacific, including Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands and Russia. The National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, canceled the advisory because the tsunami no longer posed a threat.
Officials at the warning center had cautioned waves could reach up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) above the tide level. But waves later Monday were reported only 6 inches above tide at the sparsely populated Shemya, Alaska, site of a remote Air Force station in the extreme western Aleutians.
The quake was initially measured at magnitude 7.4 when it struck just after 3:30 p.m. AKDT in the Komandorskiye Ostrova region of Russian, roughly 1,400 miles (2,253 kilometers) east of Anchorage. | Earthquakes | July 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(AP)', '(USGS)'] |
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert holds talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh. | Israeli PM Ehud Olmert told reporters he hoped a peace deal with the Palestinians could be reached in 2008. The Sharm el-Sheikh summit comes a day after he failed to bridge gaps with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas over a agreed blueprint for future talks. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak offered to travel to Israel if that would help. A joint declaration about final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian had been intended to be the centrepiece of the next week's Annapolis conference in the US. A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the two sides would continue their efforts on Tuesday to try to agree a text. Analysts say that without a joint Israeli and Palestinian statement, the conference will have little chance of success. Ground-breaking
Mr Olmert went a little further than his previous prediction that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal could be reached before US President George W Bush leaves office in January 2009. Gaza must be part of the Palestinian state and then, naturally, the Palestinians must fight terrorism
Ehud Olmert
"The negotiations will not be simple. There will be differences, crises and arguments. But if we act with caution, there is a chance that we can reach a deal," he said. A major problem will be solving the split between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which the militant group Hamas took control of in June. "Gaza must be part of the Palestinian state and then, naturally, the Palestinians must fight terrorism, and that includes the Gaza Strip," Mr Olmert said. Mr Mubarak said he would be prepared to re-enact his predecessor Anwar Sadat's ground-breaking trip to Jerusalem, which took place exactly 30 years ago on Monday. "If my visit to Israel will solve the Palestinian problem, I'm ready to go," Mr Mubarak said in response to a journalist's question at the Sinai resort. The veteran Egyptian leader has visited Israel, for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's funeral in 1995, but it was an unofficial visit. 'Convinced'
Israel and the US have been pressing for high level Arab representation at the Annapolis talks due next week. Arab foreign ministers are meeting in Cairo on Friday to coordinate their positions, although each government is to decide separately whether to send a delegation. Egyptian officials say they are convinced the US is now committed to launching a serious peace process and its foreign minister is expected to attend. Analysts say other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, believe Israel has not offered enough assurances about its seriousness to reach peace and to make the necessary sacrifices. Israel and the Palestinians are divided over the fate of the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967, and the Palestinian refugee problem dating back to the establishment of Israel in 1948. Syria has said it will only join the conference if the issue of the Golan Heights, also occupied by Israel in 1967, is on the agenda. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | November 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
The second GPS IIIA satellite is successfully launched by a Delta IV Medium rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is the last launch of the Delta IV Medium vehicle. | The iconic white and orange stripes of United Launch Alliance’s storied Delta 4 rocket took to the skies for the last time in a medium configuration Thursday morning as it hauls an advanced GPS military satellite to orbit.
Launched at 9:06 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch complex 37, the Delta 4 rocket is carrying the second in a series of new advanced satellites called GPS III for the Air Force.
Watch the launch here.
It’s the last liftoff for Delta 4 in a medium configuration after 17 years of launches. ULA is phasing out the rocket to make way for its new Vulcan Centaur, which could launch from the Space Coast as soon as 2021. The Delta 4-Heavy still has another five remaining launches carrying large payloads through the early 2020s.
“This is the final Delta 4-Medium launch, and I want to recognize the contribution this rocket and the people behind it have made to national security,” said Col. Shane Clark, mission director for the GPS III mission, during a news media conference call.
Delta 4-Medium will get its send-off with an important payload on board — both for the military and for everyday users.
GPS has become such an integrated part of everyday life, said Bill Gattle, the president of Space Systems for L3Harris Technologies, which built the navigation technology on the satellite, that people may not recognize how many different systems rely on the satellites that provide global positioning.
“One of my favorite things because of kids is [to remind people that] Pokémon Go would not be possible without GPS,” Gattle said, referring to the popular phone app. “It just has very far-reaching capability into our everyday lives.”
That’s why the Air Force has invested in a new class of GPS satellites that will eventually replace the ones on-orbit now with upgraded technology. Built by Lockheed Martin, the GPS III class of satellites started to launch to median Earth orbit, 10,900 nautical miles above Earth, on Dec. 23. The second satellite in what could one day be a set of as many as 32 will go to space, if all goes well, on Thursday.
GPS III satellites will connect more than 4 billion military, commercial and civil users with GPS around the world. For regular users, the satellites come equipped with the capability to connect with other GPS systems, like Europe’s Galileo, making it easier to stay connected overseas.
“On the ground if you’re in Europe, you’ll be able to pick up either one and use them,” Gattle said.
For military personnel in particular, the GPS satellite will provide three-times better accuracy and eight-times improved anti-jamming capabilities to protect the signals from being intercepted by other forces. The spacecraft will also be able to stay in orbit 15 years — about 25% longer than the GPS satellites on-orbit today.
Most importantly, the systems on these satellites are designed to be “hack proof,” Gattle said.
“[They have] information insurance, so we’d know if people were inside it,” he said. “This is the first time we will have that software protection.”
Those safeguards are particularly important at a time when insuring the nation’s assets in space against cyber attacks from other countries has increasingly become part of the conversation — so much so that it would be built into the mission of President Donald Trump’s proposed Space Force military branch.
“Space is scary and wonderful at the same time,” Gattle said. “It’s scary in the fact that we have an infrastructure that is at risk and wonderful because there is a ton of opportunity for us to make a difference. [The Apollo generation] were truly pioneers on the human front. We are really pioneering some new technology.”
Want more space news? Follow Go For Launch on Facebook. Contact the reporter at [email protected] or 407-420-5660; Twitter @ChabeliH | New achievements in aerospace | August 2019 | ['(Orlando Sentinel)'] |
Two trains collide near US Highway 30 near the US city of Portland, Oregon, causing a fire and necessitating the evacuation of nearby residents. |
PORTLAND --The mechanics of a derailment, collision and possible spills of ethanol into the Multnomah Channel will be investigated Thursday after a spectacular two-alarm fire Wednesday on Hwy 30 just west of Cornelius Pass Road.
PHOTOS: Fiery scene at train collision
The National Transportation Safety Board, the Portland Fire Bureau and train owners Genessee & Wyoming will focus on the train wreck. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard will be checking into reports of a sheen on the Multnomah Channel of the Columbia River.
Derailmen causes fiery blaze
A train with 59 lumber cars was traveling westbound parallel to Hwy 30 Wednesday afternoon when it derailed. The derailed trains hit a group of 20 stationary tanker cars on a side track, including 13 ethanol tanker cars.
The impact triggered a fiery two-alarm blaze, and led to evacuation of homes in the area and the closure of Hwy 30. Flames were not extinguished until late afternoon.
Jim Miller watched the train with logs actually derail, a car dragging along and tracks getting torn up.
"It looked like it was going to tip right there," he said track-side. "My cousin was like 'its going over, its going over!'"
Dan Riser witnessed the derailment and tried to flag down the conductor.
"It was already too late," he said. "You could see it was derailed and there was flames."
Multiple crews from the Portland Fire Bureau, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Scappoose Fire Department were dispatched, but were forced to retreat due to the threat of an explosion of nearby tankers holding 20,000 gallons of ethanol, and concerns about possible toxic fumes, Portland Fire & Rescue crews said.
Crews from St. Johns Station 22 were the first to arrive, according to Scott Fisher, PF&R Division Chief of Emergency Operations.
"And had it not been for their decisive actions and quick deployment of turrets and aerial streams to cool down the tankers before having to withdraw because of imminent danger, this incident could have ended quite differently."
Fire crews used unmanned "ground turrets" to send streams of water to cool nearby uninvolved tankers to prevent an explosion.
All roads were reopened Thursday morning, although Hwy 30 remained restricted to one lane in each direction.
The tanker cars were owned by Genessee & Wyoming, the parent company of Portland & Western railroad. The train engineer was not injured, according to the train's owner.
| Fire | May 2011 | ['(KGW)'] |
South Korean politician Ahn Heejung is indicted on accusations he repeatedly raped his aide Kim Jieun, who previously accused him publicly of sexual abuse. | SEOUL: A former South Korean presidential contender was indicted Wednesday on charges of raping his aide multiple times in the highest-profile case of the country’s growing #MeToo movement.
Ahn Hee-jung who was widely seen as a strong contender to replace President Moon Jae-in when his term ends in 2022 was formally charged with rape and sexual harassment by abuse of power, a spokesman at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office said.
The spokesman said Ahn’s first hearing is expected next month.
Prosecutors opened an investigation into Ahn after his aide said in a television interview that he had raped her four times since she was hired last June.
Fighting back tears, Kim Ji-eun, who was Ahn’s personal assistant before becoming an aide in civil affairs, said last month that she had been unable to reject her boss in the rigid hierarchy of her office.
The 54-year-old politician has since stepped down from his post as the governor of South Chungcheong province and issued a formal apology but has claimed the sex was “consensual”.
But detailed accounts from the victim as well as testimonies from witnesses provided evidence of Ahn’s crimes, an official at the prosecutors’ office told Yonhap news agency.
A second woman had come forward shortly after Kim’s interview but prosecutors said her case will be excluded due to lack of evidence.
Ahn will not be physically detained as the court has denied the prosecutors’ demand for an arrest warrant.
It has been an astonishing fall from grace for Ahn, who enjoyed huge popularity among young, liberal voters thanks to his wholesome image and good looks.
Ahn came second to Moon in the contest for the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential nomination last year and was seen as a favourite for the next elections.
Ahn threw his support behind the #MeToo campaign against abuse of women in a public speech made just hours before Kim appeared on live TV to talk about the sex abuse she allegedly suffered at his hands.
Victims of sex abuse in patriarchal South Korea are reluctant to come forward due to fears of public shaming.
But Seo Ji-Hyeon, a prosecutor, in January made the rare move of appearing on live TV to talk about sex abuse by her superior.
Her interview opened a floodgate of similar revelations by women who accused figures including politicians, actors and film directors.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | April 2018 | ['(Gulf News)'] |
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko announces a wide–ranging reform program entitled Strategy 2020 to prepare Ukraine for applying for European Union membership in 2020. | The "most dangerous" part of Ukraine's conflict in the east is over, President Petro Poroshenko has said.
He said he had "no doubt that my peace plan will work", referring to deals with pro-Russian rebels this month.
He also unveiled a wide-ranging reform plan to get Ukraine ready to apply for EU membership in 2020.
Russia denies arming the rebels and sending troops into the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. About 3,200 people have died in fighting since April.
Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea southern peninsula in March - a move condemned by Ukraine and the West.
The European Union and the United States later imposed sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict.
"I have no doubt that the biggest, most dangerous part of the war is already behind us, thanks to the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers," Mr Poroshenko told reporters at a news conference in Kiev.
He also said that Wednesday had been the first day for many months when no one had died in the conflict. He described it as the first real day of a ceasefire. However, Mr Poroshenko said that not all of the conditions of the 5 September ceasefire and last weekend's memorandum were being fulfilled.
He stressed that more than 700 Ukrainian prisoners were still being held by the separatists, despite the agreed "all-for-all" prisoner exchange.
A shaky truce has largely held, but both the Ukrainian government and the rebels have accused each other of shelling.
On Wednesday, Nato said it observed a "significant" withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine, but added that some forces still remained there.
In Kiev, Mr Poroshenko also announced his reform programme - entitled Strategy 2020. He said his priorities would be to tackle corruption and reform the tax, economic and justice systems.
Minsk memorandum on ceasefire: Key points
UN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar
In a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo.
The ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters. VideoThe ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters
Tokyo Olympics: No fans is 'least risky' option
Asia's Covid stars struggle with exit strategies
Why residents of these paradise islands are furious
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Troubled US teens left traumatised by tough love camps
Why doesn't North Korea have enough food?
Le Pen set for regional power with eye on presidency
How the Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK | Government Policy Changes | September 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
At least 27 migrants die in a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea when a boat capsizes in the Turkish bay of Edremit, near the Greek island of Lesbos. | Two boats on their way to Greece have capsized near Turkey, killing at least 35 migrants, Turkish media say.
Both the Anadolu and Dogan agencies reported that 24 people died close to the Greek island of Lesbos.
Dogan said another 11 people died in a separate incident further south, near Dikili in Turkey’s Izmir province.
Up to 5 February, at least 374 people had died crossing into Europe this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.
Most of those were travelling to Greece. The sea route from Turkey to Greece was the most popular way for migrants to try and enter Europe in 2015.
Dogan reported that a number of children were on board the boat on which the 24 people died. At least four people were rescued, Hurriyet newspaper said.
News of the deaths comes as Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Turkey to discuss ways of reducing the number of migrants travelling to Europe.
After meeting Mrs Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Germany and Turkey would seek the use of Nato resources in the Aegean Sea and on the Syrian border to help handle the flow of migrants.
The IOM says close to 69,000 people have already arrived on Greek shores so far this year, despite often stormy conditions, compared to almost 854,000 in the whole of last year.
Nearly half of those who have arrived in Greece this year are from Syria, the IOM says.
But thousands of Syrians seeking to flee a government offensive in Aleppo, backed by Russian air strikes, are being prevented from leaving their homeland.
Turkey has so far closed the border to most of the 30,000 migrants gathering at the Kilis border crossing, despite appeals by EU leaders to let them cross.
Mr Davutoglu said his country would accept the migrants “when necessary”, and that it would reveal plans next week to slow the flow of arrivals
| Shipwreck | February 2016 | ['(ANSAmed)', '(Leadership)', '(news.com.au)', '(BBC)'] |
Tunisia's interim President Fouad Mebazaa and Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi resign from the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally party amid a row over the make-up of the new government. | The president and prime minister in Tunisia's day-old interim government have left the RCD party - a symbol of the old regime reviled by protesters.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi insisted his government had "clean hands", but said the transition needed experienced politicians.
Protesters want the RCD disbanded, and say no members of the old regime should retain power.
Three ministers quit the government earlier over the RCD's involvement.
Opposition groups view the RCD (Constitutional Democratic Rally) as synonymous with hardline former President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who was forced from power on 14 January.
State-run television reported that the prime minister and president were leaving the RCD to "split the state from the party".
Interim President Foued Mebazaa was the speaker of the country's parliament until Mr Ben Ali was forced to flee the country.
Mr Ghannouchi, who unveiled the national unity government on Monday, is a veteran RCD figure, and has been prime minister since 1999.
The RCD also expelled Mr Ben Ali from its ranks, according to state TV.
| Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | January 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(AFP via Google News)'] |
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspends the 2013 nuclear agreement with the United States concerning uranium research. | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia further curtailed its cooperation with the United States in nuclear energy on Wednesday, suspending a research agreement and terminating one on uranium conversion, two days after the Kremlin shelved a plutonium pact with Washington.
The Russian government said that as counter-measures to the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, it was putting aside a nuclear and energy-related research pact with the United States.
It also said it was terminating for the same reasons an agreement between its nuclear corporation Rosatom and the U.S. Department of Energy on feasibility studies into conversion of Russian research reactors to low-enriched uranium.
On Monday, President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons grade plutonium, signaling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria.
“The regular renewal of sanctions against Russia, which include the suspension of Russian-American cooperation in the field of nuclear energy demands the adoption of countermeasures against the U.S. side,” the Russian government said on its website.
In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the United States had not received an official notification from Russia although he had seen media reports of the suspension of the research agreement.
“If they’re accurate, we would regret the Russian decision to unilaterally suspend cooperation on what we believe is a very important issue that’s in the interest of both of our countries,” spokesman Mark Toner said at a daily news briefing.
“UNFRIENDLY ACTS”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decisions were taken in response to “unfriendly acts” by Washington. They came two days after Washington said it was suspending talks with Russia on trying to end the violence in Syria.
The agreement on co-operation in nuclear and energy-related scientific research, signed in 2013, provided the legal framework necessary to expand work between U.S. and Russian nuclear research laboratories and institutes in nuclear technology and nonproliferation, among others.
The uranium agreement, signed in 2010, provided for feasibility studies into the conversion of six Russian research reactors from dangerous highly enriched uranium to more secure low enriched uranium.
“We can no longer trust Washington in such a sensitive area as the modernization and security of Russian nuclear facilities,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
It said that should Russia decide on the feasibility of the conversion of any research reactors to low-enriched uranium, it will carry the work itself. But it warned the conversion may not be “an end in itself.”
“In some cases, including in the production of medical isotopes, highly enriched uranium is the most effective and renouncing its would be technically and economically inexpedient,” the ministry said.
The West imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014, followed by a pro-Russian insurrection in the east of the country. The breakdown of a ceasefire in Syria, where Russia backs government forces and the West supports rebel groups, has added to tensions. | Tear Up Agreement | October 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro orders the closing of his country's border with Brazil. International humanitarian aid is currently scheduled to enter Venezuela on February 23, under foreign military protection. | Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has closed the border with Brazil amid a row over humanitarian aid.
The embattled leader said he could also shut the key border with Colombia to stop the opposition bringing in relief.
Venezuela's inflation rate has seen prices soar, leaving many Venezuelans struggling to afford basic items such as food, toiletries and medicine. President Maduro denies any crisis and calls the aid delivery plans a US-orchestrated show. His ally Russia has accused the US of trying to arm Venezuela's opposition.
Rival concerts will be held on both sides of a bridge linking Venezuela and Colombia later on Friday.
On the Colombian side, an event will be held to raise money for Venezuela. At the same time, Mr Maduro's government will hold its own concert, just 300m (980ft) away.
Opposition leader Juan Guaidó and his allies hope to collect food and medicine being gathered in neighbouring Brazil and Colombia on Saturday, in defiance of President Maduro.
Head of the National Assembly, Mr Guaidó declared himself interim leader during anti-government protests last month and is recognised by dozens of countries, including the US and most Latin American nations.
The border crossing with Brazil remained closed on Friday morning but local G1 website reported that a group of Venezuelans managed to cross from the Brazilian city of Pacaraima on foot using an unofficial route.
Mr Maduro announced on Thursday that the border would be closed "completely and absolutely" until further notice and said he had been considering a "total closure" of the border with Colombia.
Brazil had earlier said that, in co-ordination with the US, food and medicine would be available to be collected by "the government of acting President Juan Guaidó in Venezuelan trucks driven by Venezuelans".British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has organised a concert near the Tienditas Bridge crossing at Cúcuta hoping to raise about $100m (£77m) to buy food and medicine for Venezuelans.
Venezuela Aid Live, he said, has been organised at the request of Mr Guaidó and another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who is under house arrest. About 250,000 people are expected to attend.
The Venezuelan government has erected a stage on its side of the crossing for its Hands Off Venezuela event.
More than three million Venezuelans have fled in recent years as the country grapples with hyperinflation and shortages of essential goods, the UN says.
Despite denying there is any humanitarian crisis, Mr Maduro announced this week that 300 tonnes of aid would be shipped from its ally Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attempt to deliver aid could spark violence and be used as a pretext by the US to remove Mr Maduro.
Citing unspecified information, she also accused the US and its Nato allies of discussing how to arm the Venezuelan opposition and claimed US special forces and equipment were being deployed near the country.
By Katy Watson, BBC South America correspondent in Caracas
There is no doubt this has become a political issue. Juan Guaidó and his supporters want to spread the word about how important the foreign humanitarian aid is. President Maduro accuses it of being a Trojan horse.
There is a feeling of optimism among many Venezuelans at the moment - an energy that has not existed in the country for a long time. And the hope that Saturday may be the start of a new path.
But if the stand-off drags on, the fear is that this positive energy that has revived Mr Maduro's critics will wane, as will the interest of the international community, and that's what Mr Guaidó needs to achieve regime change.
People want to know about a plan B - if indeed Mr Guaidó has thought of one. Otherwise, the hope here will soon turn to despair.
Mr Guaidó is leading a convoy that left the capital, Caracas, on Thursday, to Cúcuta, some 800km (500 miles) away.
He has said 600,000 volunteers have already signed up to help carry aid into Venezuela while the Venezuelan government said it would deliver 20,600 of its own food boxes to the Colombian border area.
Venezuela's military has so far resisted calls to abandon Mr Maduro, in power since 2013.
However, former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal called on the military to break with the president and to allow aid in. In a video posted online, the congressman recognised Mr Guaidó as "president in charge" and issued a stinging rebuke to Mr Maduro.
"You've killed hundreds of young people in the streets for trying to claim the rights you stole - this without even counting the dead for lack of medicines and security."
Mr Guaidó's aides in Washington said 11 Venezuelan diplomats based in the US had defected and declared their support for him.
| Government Policy Changes | February 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
Brazilian prosecutors are investigating allegations that organs are being illegally taken from unidentified bodies and sold for medical research. | Brazil's prosecutors are investigating allegations that organs are being illegally taken from unidentified bodies and sold for medical research. There are claims that organs were taken from bodies without proper efforts to find the relatives and obtain their consent, prosecutors told the BBC.
The Coroner's Service in Sao Paulo is the focus of the investigation.
Officials of the Coroner's Service, or SVO, deny any illegal activity, saying procedures were followed at all times.
Until recently, people who died in the street or in public hospitals were buried as paupers if their bodies were not reclaimed by relatives within 72 hours. The SVO says procedures have since been improved.
Sao Paulo's office of public prosecutors told the BBC their investigation, which began last November, was prompted by claims from relatives who said authorities had not made proper efforts to contact them before their loved ones were buried in the cemetery of Perus. Later, two witnesses also told prosecutors that organs from some of the bodies had been removed and sold for medical research. Prosecutors say they currently have no material proof of trade in human organs.
But investigations suggest that over the last 15 years the bodies of 3,000 people have been taken from the autopsy centre to mass graves - even though they had documents identifying them.
The SVO is run by pathology teachers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sao Paulo - one of Brazil's most prestigious universities.
The SVO's director, doctor Luiz Fernando Ferraz da Silva, told BBC Brasil that the service acts "strictly within the law" and that bodies are "generally... buried intact". "There are specific situations in which organs are used, but always with the purpose of being used for research," he said.
"But where patients' bodies are not claimed, that does not happen."
When asked about the allegations that organs were sold for medical research, he said that information required by the investigating authorities would be sent directly to them.
The service had no legal obligation to search for family members of dead people taken to its premises, he added.
Maria Cecilia Leao Correa's father was buried in the Perus Cemetery as a pauper, after he went missing and spent nine days in a public hospital.
After making a police report, Ms Correa learned of his fate through the Coroner's Service. "They told me that his body remained there for 72 hours, but since nobody went there to reclaim it, he ended up being buried in a mass grave," she said.
Ms Correa says that her "father had his ID on him but the Coroner's Service did not make any effort" to contact her. "There was even a police report on his death," she said. "All that was needed was a mouse click. How was I to guess that he was at this Coroner's Service?"
After learning where he was buried, she tried to transfer his body to the family tomb.
"But the gravedigger said it wasn't worth it," she said, adding that he told her that her father had been buried with no organs, and was totally unrecognisable.
When questioned by BBC Brasil about the circumstances of her father's death, Dr Ferraz da Silva said he did not evaluate "each case individually" and would not be able to "check and verify the specific case" of Ms Correa's father. Prosecutor Eliana Vendramini, who is heading the investigation, said the Coroner's Service should search for relatives to avoid mistakes. "There are situations of dead people who had six telephone numbers to be contacted, but whose families were not contacted," she said.
Families often struggled to identify the whereabouts of deceased family members, Ms Vendramini added.
"Few people know what the Coroner's Service does; that is why the bodies are not reclaimed within the right period." The SVO said they had improved their identification procedures following a critical newspaper report last month.
"The Coroner's Service is now collecting information with pictures of the face of the deceased, identification marks, fingerprints and tissue fragments," Dr Ferraz da Silva said. "That information is then sent to the police missing persons department. Bodies are only buried ten days after that information is reported." He also said that the number of mistaken burials had diminished over the past decade, from an average of 400 cases per year to about 100 cases per year. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | June 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is inaugurated as Prime Minister. | (CNN) -- Malaysia swore in a new prime minister on Friday, the country's state news agency reported.
Malaysia's former PM Abdullah Badawi waves from a vehicle in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak became Malaysia's sixth prime minister after taking over for from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who stepped down after leading the country for more than five years, according to the Bernama news agency.
The new prime minister will immediately be tasked with reuniting a multi-racial nation and shoring up an economy in dire straits.
Until now, Najib Razak had served as the Southeast Asian country's deputy prime minister. He is part of Malaysia's ruling party, the National Front Coalition, which has ruled the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1957.
But last year, a loose coalition of opposition parties won 82 of 222 parliamentary seats in elections. It was only the second time in the country's history that the ruling party failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution.
The election upset led to calls for Abdullah to step down.
In recent months, the country has seen riots with the country's ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who accuse the government of passing laws that favor the Malay majority. Najib has said he will do more to address their concerns.
Malaysia has been severely affected by the global economic downturn. Critics are demanding Malaysia diversify its technology-heavy economy.
Last month, Najib unveiled a multi-billion dollar stimulus plan for new spending, according to published reports. Watch what can be expected from the new Malaysian leader »
Najib also brings with him a whiff of controversy. Two former bodyguards are facing charges in connection the murder of a Mongolian model. He has denied all links to the killing. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | April 2009 | ['(CNN)'] |
The IMF pledges US$18 billion in loans to help steady Ukraine's economy. | KIEV, Ukraine -- The International Monetary Fund on Thursday pledged $18 billion in loans to prop up Ukraine's sinking economy, as the nation's prime minister forecast more pain ahead without reforms that will affect nearly everyone in the country.
In a lengthy and passionate address to parliament, Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned that Ukraine was "on the brink of the economic and financial bankruptcy" and laid out details for fixes needed to put the country back on track, including raising taxes, a freeze on minimum wage and radically higher energy prices.
The reforms will hit households hard, which is likely to severely dent the interim government's tenuous hold on power.
"We have no choice but to tell Ukraine the truth," Yatsenyuk said.
The IMF said Thursday that recent economic policies have drastically slowed growth and brought foreign currency reserves to a "critically low level."
In a statement issued after two weeks of talks with officials in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, the IMF said loans could range between $14 billion and $18 billion. It said a more exact sum would only be determined, however, when authorities give a more precise assessment of their needs.
Other donors, including the European Union and Japan, have already pledged further assistance to Ukraine, conditional on the conclusion of an IMF bailout and reform package. The total amount of assistance available for Ukraine will be about $27 billion over the next two years.
Separately, the 28-nation EU has prepared a wider aid package including loans and grants for Ukraine expected to total more than $10 billion over the coming years.
Ukraine's Finance Ministry has said it needs $35 billion over the next two years to avoid default.
"Ukraine's macroeconomic imbalances became unsustainable over the past year," the IMF said, warning that the country "faces difficult challenges."
The IMF loan hinges on structural reforms that Ukraine has pledged to undertake. The IMF said measures will need to include maintaining a flexible exchange rate and reforming the energy sector to make it profitable.
Retail gas and heating tariffs have to be raised "to full cost recovery," the fund said.
Income tax rates, meanwhile, would rise from 15-17 percent now to up to 25 percent.
State energy company Naftogaz announced this week that household gas prices would rise 50 percent beginning May 1 in what it said was part of efforts to make utility costs economically viable for the state by 2018. Some analysts have estimated prices might have to double for consumers.
Ukraine officially turned to the IMF for help in February. The country has historically had a fraught relationship with the IMF, however, and failed to keep to the terms of earlier bailouts in 2008 and 2010.
| Financial Aid | March 2014 | ['(CBS News)'] |
Demonstrators in London, England, demand that the G20 combat poverty, climate change, and unemployment. | Aerial footage of march as Action Aid's Claire Melamed explains the demands
Tens of thousands of people have marched through London demanding action on poverty, climate change and jobs, ahead of next week's G20 summit.
The Put People First alliance of 150 charities and unions walked from Embankment to Hyde Park for a rally. Speakers called on G20 leaders to pursue a new kind of global justice. Police estimate 35,000 marchers took part in the event. Its organisers say people wanted the chance to air their views peacefully. Protesters described a "carnival-like atmosphere" with brass bands, piercing whistles and stereos blasting music as the slow-paced procession weaved through the streets. Police said one man was arrested during the march for being drunk and disorderly. Unite union, general secretary Derek Simpson said: "I think it's an important message but whether it will get through to the people meeting in London I don't know. Anyone who sees the numbers on this march should realise how important it is." Families with children in pushchairs were among those marching along the 4.2-mile route under banners with slogans including 'capitalists - you are the crisis' and 'justice for the world's poor'. As protesters passed the heavily-policed gates of Downing Street, there were chants and jeers with one person shouting "enjoy the overtime". BBC News reporter Mario Cacciottolo said people were clearly angry, but the atmosphere was not tense. Milton McKenzie, 73, from Essex, told him: "How the hell can we have a situation here in Britain where we have people out of work and the bankers just cream it off and are helped by the government." Italian trade unionist Nicoli Nicolosi, who had travelled from Rome, said: "We are here to try and make a better world and protest against the G20." Glen Tarman, chairman of the Put People First co-ordination team, said: "An exciting alliance has been born today. We will keep up the pressure on world leaders and the UK government to address our demands and put people first." TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said he wanted to see G20 leaders agree a plan of action to deal with the financial downturn. "Where I hope we will see a consensus emerge is in the recognition that unless they act together, then the problems are only going to get worse. "This, unlike any other recession, is a recession right across the world." The Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said it was important for the G20 to make commitments on helping the environment as well as the economy. "There are some people who will say you can either tackle the economic crisis or the climate crisis. "But the truth is that both come together with this idea of a Green New Deal, of investing in the jobs of the future, which are going to be in the green industries of the future." The director of the the Adam Smith Institute, Dr Eamonn Butler, said governments have caused the economic crisis. "The world market economy is actually a very moral system that raised a billion people out of poverty in the last 10 years," he said. A huge security operation is under way in the run-up to the G20 summit, at which world leaders will discuss the global financial crisis and other issues. There have been fears that banks and other financial institutions could be the focus for violent protests. Commander Simon O'Brien, one of the senior command team in charge of policing security, said: "It's fair to say that this [the march] is one of the largest, one of the most challenging and one of the most complicated operations we have delivered. "G20 is attracting a significant amount of interest from protest groups. There is an almost unprecedented level of activity going on." Saturday's march will be followed by a series of protests on Wednesday and Thursday by a variety of coalitions and groups campaigning on a range of subjects, from poverty, inequality and jobs to war, climate change and capitalism. Berlin march
Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been visiting a number of countries seeking support. On Friday, during a visit to Chile, he said people should not be "cynical" about what could be achieved at next week's summit, saying he was optimistic about the likely outcome. However, in an interview with Saturday's Financial Times, German Chancellor Angela Merkel dampened expectations of a significant breakthrough. She said one meeting would not be enough to solve the economic crisis and finish building a new structure for global markets. In Berlin, thousands of protesters have also taken to the streets with a message to the G20 leaders: "We won't pay for your crisis". Another march took place in the city of Frankfurt. The demonstrations attracted as many as 20,000 people. Banners accused the Germany government of being too willing to spend billions bailing out financial institutions and too slow to protect ordinary workers, the BBC's Steve Rosenberg said from Berlin. What are these? | Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Abdelbaset al–Megrahi, the only person convicted in the case concerning the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, is buried in a private ceremony in a western suburb of Tripoli, having died of cancer aged 60. | Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has been buried in a private ceremony in a western suburb of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Megrahi, the only person convicted over the 1988 bombing above Scotland which killed 270 people, died at his home in Libya on Sunday. He was convicted by a special court in the Netherlands in 2001.
He was freed from a Scottish jail in 2009 on compassionate grounds as he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says Megrahi's body was transferred discreetly in an ambulance to the burial site, followed by a convoy of male relatives close behind.
The funeral was very much a private family affair and took place in the suburb of Janzour, where many other members of his family lay buried, our correspondent says.
"His pain is over now - he is with God," said his brother Muhammad, quoted by the AFP news agency.
Another brother, Abdulhakim, said on Sunday that Megrahi's health had deteriorated quickly and he died at home in Tripoli. Megrahi's release sparked the fury of many of the relatives of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing. The US - whose citizens accounted for 189 of the dead - also criticised the move. But some of the relatives of those killed believe he was innocent. In Libya, a spokesman for the National Transitional Council said Megrahi's death would not close the Lockerbie file. From the beginning, finding out the truth about Lockerbie was complicated by connections real and imagined, by skulduggery and intrigue, between rival powers in the Middle East, from Libya to Iran, and including the United States, says the BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen. Unless some fresh evidence emerges, perhaps from the new Libya, the passing of the years means there might never be a version of the truth accepted by everyone affected by this tragic saga, he says. Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer, always denied any responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988.
It remains the deadliest terrorist incident ever to have taken place on British soil.
All 259 people aboard the plane, which was travelling from London to New York, were killed, along with 11 others on the ground.
| Famous Person - Death | May 2012 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Watchdog organization NetBlocks reports Internet connection disruptions in Cali, Colombia, amidst the ongoing anti-government protests. | Accounts of internet problems in Colombia during anti-government protests have been reportedly confirmed. The internet watchdog organization NetBlocks found service disruptions in Cali, Colombia, beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday and that they were still ongoing as of Wednesday morning.
Cali has been the sight of some of the bloodiest protests against Colombia President Iván Duque Márquez and his tax plan that was aimed at helping the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus far, there have been at least 19 people killed during the nationwide protests and hundreds of others sustaining injuries.
NetBlocks analyzed network metrics to affirm service was disrupted during Tuesday's protests. Fixed-line and cellular services were also reportedly affected in recent days. NetBlocks states that the internet disruption "has partial impact at the present time but likely to significantly limit the free flow of information from the scene of the protests. Work is ongoing to monitor the situation."
There had been calls by some people in Colombia's media to censor the internet, particularly social media, in an effort to calm the violent protests that began a week ago. Others, though, rallied for communicating freely on the internet.
The United Nations human rights office has expressed concern about the protests, particularly in Cali, where the military has been deployed and there were reports of police opening fire on protesters.
The protests began on April 28 as opposition to a proposed tax reform. The reform would have lowered the threshold at which salaries are taxed; eliminated many of the current exemptions enjoyed by individuals; and increased taxes on businesses. With many citizens in the country suffering financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tax reform sparked outrage and people from the country's lower and middle classes took to the streets.
Márquez announced on Sunday that he would not go forth with the tax reform, but the protests persisted on in Colombia's major cities. At that point, protesters began calling for pension improvements, as well as health and education reform. Soon, many were also protesting against police brutality and the excessive force employed by the security forces.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | May 2021 | ['(Newsweek)'] |
Zhang Yuhuan is acquitted of murdering two boys in October 1993 and freed after serving 27 years in prison in Jiangxi as China's longest–serving wrongfully convicted inmate. The killer of the boys remains unknown. | A man in eastern China has been acquitted of murder and freed after spending 27 years in prison.
Zhang Yuhuan maintained he was tortured by police and forced to confess to the murder of two young boys in 1993.
He was China's longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate, after having served 9,778 days in the prison in Jiangxi province.
Prosecutors who reopened the case said his confession had inconsistencies and did not match the original crime.
He walked free after a high court found there was not enough evidence to justify his conviction.
Observers say China is growing more willing to quash wrongful convictions, but only criminal not political.
Footage on Chinese media showed Mr Zhang in an emotional reunion with his 83-year-old mother and his ex-wife following his release on Tuesday. Analysis by Celia Hatton, BBC World Service Asia-Pacific editor
It is an open secret in China that the police use various kinds of torture, including sleep deprivation, cigarette burns and beatings, to force suspects to confess to crimes. In the past, entire cases might then be pinned on that "confession".
In 2010, a serious effort began in China's legal system to stamp out the use of forced confessions. Death sentences must now be approved by China's Supreme Court and there is a growing drive to eliminate cases that are pinned solely on a suspect's confession. However, China's legal reform has clear limits. Police in many provinces remain under heavy pressure to "solve" cases, often by producing suspects and there is little appetite to improve the treatment of dissidents and some ethnic minorities, including Muslim Uighurs.
The authorities regularly detain individuals in politically sensitive cases and interrogate them outside of the normal detention system. Behind those closed doors, almost anything can happen. It is far more likely that China will reform its treatment of criminal suspects than those who appear to threaten the dominance of the Communist Party.
His former wife, Song Xiaonyu, had two sons with Mr Zhang before they divorced 11 years ago. She remarried but continued to help her former husband with his appeal.
"I was so excited when I heard the court's announcement," said Ms Song.
Mr Zhang was told by the court that he was entitled to compensation for wrongful conviction.
"I'll negotiate the exact amount of compensation with my client," Mr Zhang's lawyer, Wang Fei, told China Daily. "We're also planning to ask for those who committed judicial miscarriages in the case to be held accountable."
Mr Zhang's ordeal began in October 1993 when the bodies of two boys were discovered in a village reservoir in Jinxian, a county of Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi.
Mr Zhang was a neighbour of the victims and was identified as a suspect and detained.
In January 1995, a court in Nanchang found him guilty and sentenced him to death but allowed the sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment after he served two years.
Mr Zhang said he was tortured by police during interrogations and continued to maintain his innocence.
Despite this, his appeals were unsuccessful. Then, in March 2019 the high court agreed to retry the case and in July provincial prosecutors recommended Mr Zhang be acquitted based on insufficient evidence.
In a statement, high court judge Tian Ganlin said: "After we reviewed the materials we have found there is no direct evidence that can prove Zhang's conviction. So we accepted the prosecutors' suggestion and have declared Zhang innocent."
The killer of the two boys in 1993 remains unknown.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | August 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former CNN contributor and press secretary for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign Kayleigh McEnany is appointed as the new White House Press Secretary. | Kayleigh McEnany, his campaign spokeswoman, replaces Stephanie Grisham, who had the job for nine months, and will return to Melania Trump’s staff.
By Katie Rogers and Maggie Haberman
WASHINGTON — In President Trump’s early days in the White House, Kayleigh McEnany made a name for herself by defending him on CNN, a network where he has few allies. As a Trump campaign aide, she became a fixture at his political rallies. And on Tuesday, she was named White House press secretary, capping a journey toward the center of the president’s orbit.
But Ms. McEnany, 31, is not expected to significantly change her role in her new job, whose main responsibility — answering questions from press in the briefing room and communicating the president’s decisions to the public — has been long been subsumed by Mr. Trump himself. She is expected to keep defending him on television.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | April 2020 | ['(New York Times)'] |
Russia bans all United States agricultural products, European Union fruit and vegetable imports in response to Western sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis. | READ MORE: Putin bans agricultural imports from
sanctioning countries for 1 year
All agricultural goods produced in the US and imported into
Russia will be halted for one year, the assistant to the head of
Rosselkhoznadzor, Aleksey Alekseyenko, told RIA Novosti.
The list of banned products will be published on Thursday, he
added.
EU fruits and vegetables also fall under the ban, Alekseyenko
added. A source told Itar-Tass that dairy products from the EU
will be included on the list, as well.
“The list includes milk powder, butter and cheese,” the
source said, adding that this also includes mass production
cheeses.
Russia's sanctions on US and EU food imports will be “quite
substantial,” Alekseyenko said. The restrictions are to
affect those countries which have initiated sanctions against
Russia, he said.
By the end of 2013, the major importers of dairy products to
Russia were Finland, with 17,8000 tons worth US$19.6 million
dollars; Estonia, with 8,300 tons worth $19.4 million; Poland,
with 3.8 tons worth $8 million; and Lithuania, with three tons
worth $7.3 million, according to Russia’s Federal Customs
Service.
Alekseyenko stated that many countries that did not sanction
Moscow are ready to increase their exports of similar products to
Russia.
On Wednesday, Russian officials agreed to hold consultations with
representatives from Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina on
expanding food imports from those countries, according to
Rosselkhoznadzor. The talks have been set for Thursday.
Meanwhile, Russia’s agricultural watchdog has permitted imports
from more than 90 Brazilian suppliers of animal origin products.
The list comprises of 31 suppliers of beef by-products, 27
suppliers of poultry, 27 suppliers of beef, four suppliers of
pork and pork by-products, and three suppliers of milk and dairy
products.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree
imposing a one-year ban on certain agricultural produce, foods,
and raw materials from countries that have sanctioned Russia. The
government was then tasked to come up with a list of imports to
be halted.
This came as a retaliatory measure to the several rounds of
sanctions imposed by the US and EU on Moscow over the crisis in
Ukraine. Last week, the EU implemented its harshest restrictions
so far, targeting Russia's financial, energy, and defense
sectors. The sanctions hit five Russian banks, including the
country’s largest, Sberbank. In addition, the EU introduced an
embargo on the import and export of arms and related materials to
and from Russia.
The White House responded by saying that the import ban on
foreign food will hit Russian consumers first.
“Revenge for Western companies or countries will deepen the
international isolation of Russia, causing additional damage to
its own economy," White House spokeswoman Laura Lucas
Magnuson said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
However, the chairman of Russia's National Union of Milk
Producers (Soyuzmoloko), Andrey Danilenko, said that food prices
will not rise in Russia if the government takes control of the
situation on the domestic market.
"If the government will strictly control the whole chain
pricing, price hikes should be avoided,” he told Itar-Tass.
| Government Policy Changes | August 2014 | ['(RT)', '(BBC)'] |
Cambodia continues to block consensus in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting. The country has political and economical dependencies with China. | After days of discord, South East Asian nations have released a watered down joint statement on the disputed South China Sea that avoids rebuking China.
The Philippines had pushed for the 10-member Asean group to mention an international tribunal's recent rejection of China's claims in the sea.
But Chinese ally Cambodia had blocked such a move, in what is seen as a diplomatic victory for China.
One Southeast Asian diplomat told AFP a "compromise" had been reached.
The statement says Asean remains "seriously concerned" over recent developments in the sea "which have eroded trust and confidence".
It does not mention China directly.
Asean foreign ministers were meeting for the first time since the ruling on 12 July by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which found there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources in a case brought by the Philippines.
China, which claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also claimed by others, called the ruling "ill-founded" and said it would not be bound by it. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are also in Laos for regional meetings.
Over the weekend it had been feared that Asean ministers would fail to issue a joint statement for just the second time in the grouping's history.
The last time was in 2012, and also stemmed from Cambodian opposition to language used about the territorial dispute.
Mr Wang had earlier praised Cambodia's support for China's stance, Xinhua news agency reported.
Beijing has in recent years provided generous aid packages and loans to Cambodia, one of the region's poorest countries.
Asean (the Association of South-East Asian Nations) is made up of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Along with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims on the South China Sea, as does non-Asean Taiwan.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | July 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
T–Mobile USA removes the contract requirement from its mobile phone payment plans, becoming the first of the four major national wireless carriers in the U.S. to do so. | T-Mobile USA, long trailing its rivals in the cellphone industry, is trying to catch up by changing the conversation: it is selling the iPhone cheaper than the competition, and most important, customers would not have to sign a contract.
But it may not be enough to persuade smartphone users to abandon the competition. Analysts said the new marketing strategy, which spreads the cost of a new phone over two years as a separate line item on the monthly bill, will still feel like a commitment to many customers, even if they can choose to pay it off early and walk away. And T-Mobile, which has a slower network than its competitors, is only just beginning to introduce major upgrades.
The company on Tuesday said the Apple iPhone 5 would be available starting April 12 for $100 up front, with customers paying an additional $20 a month for two years. Other new smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the BlackBerry Z10, will be available with similar payment plans. Although T-Mobile’s new phone plans require no long-term contract, customers would have to pay off the balance owed in order to end service prematurely. For several years, T-Mobile, the No. 4 American mobile carrier by market share, has been bleeding subscribers to Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint. In earnings calls, the company has said its main problems were consumers’ negative perception of its network and its inability to offer customers the iPhone. Now that T-Mobile has landed a deal with Apple and turned on its new fourth-generation network, LTE, in seven cities, the company is hoping to mount a comeback. If T-Mobile does not find a way to bounce back, it risks losing even more market share to Verizon and AT&T and becoming a small niche player like Leap or U.S. Cellular. The carrier, led by its eccentric new chief executive, John Legere, has been undergoing a rebranding into what it calls an “uncarrier.” At a news conference in New York on Tuesday, Mr. Legere, wearing a blazer, T-shirt, jeans and sneakers with hot-pink shoelaces, casually dropped curse words while mocking his competitors, saying they were deliberately confusing customers with unclear two-year contracts and punishing them with fees for surpassing data limits or ending contracts early. “Do you have any idea what you’re paying?” Mr. Legere said. “I’m going to explain how stupid we all are because once it becomes flat and transparent, there’s nowhere to hide. You pay so much for your phones, it’s incredible.”
He said that T-Mobile’s contract-free plans would be more straightforward and cheaper over all for consumers, and that by moving to contract-free plans, the company was doing away with overage and early-termination fees.
Mr. Legere said that over two years, an iPhone on T-Mobile would cost $1,000 less than it would on AT&T. That would apply to heavy data users. But when looking at the cheapest plans on both carriers, the difference is much narrower. For example, an iPhone 5 on T-Mobile’s plan with unlimited text messages, unlimited minutes and 500 megabytes of data a month is only $360 cheaper over two years than an AT&T plan with unlimited voice and text and one gigabyte of data a month.
At $580, buying an iPhone from T-Mobile would also be cheaper than buying a $650 unlocked phone directly from Apple.
On Tuesday, T-Mobile formally replaced all its old phone plans with new plans that do not require signing a contract. For $50 a month, customers can get unlimited minutes, text messages and 500 megabytes of data; they can pay an extra $20 for unlimited data.
At AT&T and Verizon, the most popular phone plans cost closer to $100 a month with a two-year contract for limited data. The iPhone 5 costs at least $200 on their networks with a two-year contract.
Despite T-Mobile’s promise to be more straightforward than other carriers, some consumers might still find it confusing that they have to pay an extra device fee after paying $100 up front for an iPhone. In an interview, Mr. Legere said that the announcement of T-Mobile’s new contract-free plans was just the beginning of a conversation about greater transparency. He said T-Mobile would make every part of its plans visible to customers and break down their options for how they want to pay.
“The dialogue has just started,” he said. “This is an ages-old industry that’s very opaque that people just gave up understanding.”
Even though T-Mobile’s $50 plan costs less than its biggest competitors’ offerings, cheaper no-contract plans are already offered by smaller carriers, said Tero Kuittinen, an analyst at Alekstra, a mobile diagnostics firm. Virgin Mobile, for example, sells an iPhone for $650 and offers a plan including 300 minutes, unlimited data and unlimited text messages for $30 a month. Consumers still feel that T-Mobile’s network coverage is poor, Mr. Kuittinen added. And T-Mobile’s rivals are far ahead in deploying fourth-generation networks using LTE technology; Verizon is leading the race with LTE deployed in roughly 500 cities, while T-Mobile only recently started its LTE service in seven markets. “They can’t relaunch the operations from a clean slate because people have negative conceptions of what T-Mobile’s quality is,” Mr. Kuittinen said. The main difference between a traditional two-year contract and T-Mobile’s two-year device payment is what happens after that period of time. For T-Mobile customers who pay off their iPhone, their monthly bill would drop by $20. At other carriers, the monthly bill stays the same even after the two years of the contract are up. However, after two years, most consumers will want to buy a new device anyway, said Jan Dawson, a telecom analyst at Ovum, a research firm. The only people who will benefit from T-Mobile’s contract-free plans are those who pay the full price of the phone up front immediately instead of over the two years, he said, but hardly anyone does that.
“To most consumers, these plans are going to be indistinguishable from standard operating procedure in the industry,” Mr. Dawson said.
The big question is whether transparency will lure customers away from T-Mobile’s rivals. Mr. Legere said that in advertisements, the company would focus mostly on attacking on AT&T.
“I think they’re the most vulnerable because of their network problems and because of the capabilities that they demonstrated on the iPhone,” he said. AT&T also shares similar network technology with T-Mobile, making it easier for its subscribers to transfer their phones to T-Mobile. AT&T showed no sign Tuesday that it would change its pricing plans in light of T-Mobile’s announcements. It said its network was superior. | Tear Up Agreement | March 2013 | ['(The New York Times)'] |
A siege is underway at the Houses of Parliament ahead of the vote. | A car containing Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall has been attacked amid violence after MPs voted to raise university tuition fees in England.
A window was cracked and their car hit by paint, but the couple were unharmed. In angry scenes, protesters battled with police in Parliament Square. Hundreds were contained on Westminster Bridge for a time by officers.
Police say 12 officers and 43 protesters have been injured, while 34 arrests were made. Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "shocking and regrettable" that protesters had attacked the prince's car. Clarence House said the royal couple were safe and attended the Royal Variety performance as scheduled.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said there would be a "very serious and very detailed investigation" into the disturbances, in which 10 police officers have been injured.
The vote will mean fees will almost treble to £9,000 a year. The government's majority was cut by three-quarters to 21 in a backbench rebellion. Three ministerial aides resigned.
Only 28 Lib Dem MPs - less than half - voted for the government's plans for tuition fees. Six Conservative MPs voted against.
There were angry clashes as protesters - some throwing missiles - fought to break through police lines. Riot police had to force back protesters who were smashing windows of the Treasury and the Supreme Court.
Earlier, protesters had largely taken over Parliament Square and pressed against lines of police in front of the Houses of Parliament.
Mounted police were used to control crowds, at one point charging a group of protesters, as thousands of demonstrators protested outside the Houses of Parliament.
Other reported actions taken by the protesters include: Superintendent Julia Pendry said officers had come under sustained attack and condemned "acts of wanton vandalism, wanton violence" by protesters.
In violent scenes earlier, the BBC's Mark Georgiou said there had been injuries to both police and protesters near to Westminster Abbey.
The Metropolitan Police said there were attacks using "flares, sticks, snooker balls and paint balls".
Home Secretary Theresa May said she "utterly condemned" the violence.
"What we are seeing in London tonight, the wanton vandalism, smashing of windows, has nothing to do with peaceful protest," she said.
"I have spoken to Paul Stephenson, the Met Commissioner, and he has updated me on the appalling levels of violence seen today.
"Attacks on police officers and property show that some of the protesters have no respect for London or its citizens."
Students from around the UK gathered in London for a day of protests and a rally - with police expecting about 20,000 demonstrators.
The coalition government faced its first major backbench rebellion in the vote.
The BBC's Ben Brown, outside Parliament, said protesters shouted "shame on you" as news of the result filtered out to the crowd.
The package of measures will see fees rising to an upper limit of £9,000 per year - with requirements for universities to protect access for poorer students if they charge more than £6,000 per year.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | December 2010 | ['(The Hindu)', '(BBC)'] |
War in Afghanistan: A suicide bombing in the eastern Afghan city of Khost kills three NATO soldiers and 16 Afghan police officers and civilians. | KABUL, Afghanistan A suicide bomber who walked into the crowded center of Khost in eastern Afghanistan on Monday morning as foreign and Afghan soldiers conducted a joint foot patrol killed three international service members and 16 Afghan police officers and civilians, witnesses and hospital officials said.
A spokesman for the American-led coalition forces here said that three international service members and a civilian translator died in a blast in eastern Afghanistan, but he did not specify the location, in accordance with military rules barring the release of information about deaths until the next of kin are informed.
| Armed Conflict | October 2012 | ['(BBC)', '(New York Times)'] |
At least 42 people were killed during a landslide caused by torrential rainfall in the city of Bafoussam, Cameroon. Twenty–six of the victims are children. | Rescue teams scour rubble of damaged homes for survivors after landslide in Bafoussam as governor puts death toll at 34.
Dozens of people have died following a landslide caused by torrential rainfall in the western Cameroon city of Bafoussam, according to state media.
Rescue teams were scouring the rubble of destroyed homes for survivors following the landslide on Monday night, state television said on Tuesday.
“It is clear that we will have to ask the people who are resident in this area to leave the area, because the area is actually very dangerous,” Awa Fonka Augustine, governor of the West region, told Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV).
The Associated Press news agency quoted Augustine as saying on Tuesday that the death toll had risen from 13 to at least 34. “We also have at least a dozen people with severe wounds,” Augustine said. “The death toll may be higher because the incident occurred in the night and you know that there are many children in this neighbourhood who were sleeping at the time,” he added. The state-run Cameroon Tribune newspaper said on Tuesday 33 bodies have been recovered.
Police were searching for dozens more people reported missing in Bafoussam, some 200km (120 miles) north of Cameroon’s main port city of Douala.
It is feared that at least two pregnant women were killed. Pierre Kemvhe, 51, said his pregnant wife was still missing.
“My wife was expecting a baby and was very tired when she went to sleep while I was still in my shop last night,” he was quoted as saying by AP. “I have not seen her.”
Heavy rains have continued beyond the end of central Africa’s rainy season, causing severe flooding that has displaced nearly 30,000 people in Cameroon’s neighbour, the Central African Republic.
Further east, in South Sudan, nearly one million people have been affected by heavy flooding following heavy rains since July, the United Nations said last week.
| Mudslides | October 2019 | ['(Al Jazeera)'] |
A 25–year–old unemployed male dies after setting himself on fire in Alexandria. Another man, aged 40, sets himself on fire in Cairo in protests against rising prices. | A man has died after setting himself on fire in Egypt's northern port city of Alexandria. Officials say the 25-year-old unemployed man - Ahmed Hashem el-Sayed, who had suffered third-degree burns - died in hospital.
Earlier on Tuesday, another man set himself on fire in the capital, Cairo. They are the latest such acts in Egypt and the wider North African region, one of which led to the mass protests which toppled the Tunisian government.
The AFP news agency said the man who died in Alexandria had been suffering from depression.
An Egyptian security official said the man who set himself on fire in Cairo was a 40-year-old lawyer called Mohamed Farouk Hassan, Reuters news agency reported. It quoted an unnamed source as saying he shouted slogans against rising prices before setting himself alight. AFP quoted an official as saying the man was slightly injured and taken to hospital.
It said police had also arrested a man who was carrying jerry cans of petrol near parliament in Cairo, on the presumption that he was going to set himself on fire.
On Monday a 50-year-old man, Abdu Abdel-Monaim Kamal, set himself alight outside the parliament after shouting anti-government slogans. He was being treated in hospital for minor burns.
He is a restaurant owner and father of four from the city of Ismailia, east of the capital. The website of Egypt's leading Al-Ahram daily said he had repeatedly held heated arguments with local officials over the price of bread.
Similar incidents have been reported in Algeria and Mauritania.
The actions echo those of the 26-year-old Tunisian man whose self-immolation sparked a wave of protest in the country that brought down the government. Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself in the town of Sidi Bouzid in mid-December, after police prevented him from selling vegetables without a permit. He died in early January.
His action was followed by weeks of increasingly violent protests across Tunisia over unemployment, corruption and high food prices which resulted in the resignation of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali last week.
Many in Egypt have voiced the same grievances as the Tunisians.
An Egyptian Facebook group has called for street protests on 25 January, which the organisers are calling a "day of revolution against torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment".
Man sets himself on fire in Cairo
Mid-East bloggers hail change in Tunisia
Will Egypt take the Tunisian road?
Fear and rejoicing in Tunis
Could other Arab countries follow Tunisia's example?
Hardliner Raisi set to be new Iran president
Vote-counting shows Ebrahim Raisi - Iran's top judge - has so far received 62% of the vote.
UN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar
Tokyo Olympics: No fans is 'least risky' option
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The Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care. VideoThe Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care
Troubled US teens left traumatised by tough love camps
Why doesn't North Korea have enough food?
Le Pen set for regional power with eye on presidency
How the Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK | Protest_Online Condemnation | January 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
Politicians and civilians in Indonesia protest after Saudi Arabia used a sword to behead a maid without telling them they were planning to execute her; Indonesia recalls its ambassador to express its fury and civilians gather outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta wearing t–shirts with the slogan "corrupt government, workers are beheaded". | Indonesian MPs have called for a ban on workers being sent to the Middle East, after Saudi Arabia executed a maid without informing Jakarta.
Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Riyadh to express its anger.
A crowd of protesters gathered outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta displaying banners and T-shirts in support of the executed worker.
The maid, Ruyati binti Sapubi, was beheaded with a sword on Saturday after confessing to murdering her boss.
Indonesian media reports said she attacked her boss with a meat cleaver after being denied permission to return home.
About 1.5 million Indonesians work in Saudi Arabia - many of them as domestic maids.
Anger has been growing in recent years over the treatment of migrant workers - particularly maids, who often complain of mistreatment.
Parliamentary speaker Priyo Budi Santoso said MPs had told the government they must stop sending workers to the Middle East.
"We have asked the government to temporarily suspend sending Indonesian workers overseas, especially countries which refuse to sign an agreement which protects our workers' rights," he said.
Some MPs also called for the resignation of senior government figures including Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
Mr Marty addressed parliament on Monday, telling them that Saudi Arabia had a history of executing people without giving proper notification.
"It is regrettable that Saudi Arabia has repeatedly ignored its international obligation to inform related countries about consular affairs their nationals are facing," he said.
Indonesia's ambassador to Riyadh was recalled on Monday for consultations, and officials said they had lodged a strong protest with the Saudi authorities.
Meanwhile, a group of about 50 people gathered outside to the Saudi embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday.
They wore T-shirts emblazoned with "corrupt government, workers are beheaded" and carried banners proclaiming: "Our hearts for Ruyati."
Indonesia only recently resumed sending workers to Malaysia, after a row over the abuse of maids led to a two-year suspension in the practice.
A row erupted also in April when a Saudi woman, convicted of beating and torturing an Indonesian maid, had her conviction quashed on appeal. | Protest_Online Condemnation | June 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(Jakarta Post)'] |
The United Kingdom Professional Footballers' Association votes Wayne Rooney as "player of the year". | Wayne Rooney has been voted player of the year by his peers in the Professional Footballers' Association.
The Manchester United striker, who has scored 34 goals this season, beat off competition from Didier Drogba, Carlos Tevez and Cesc Fabregas. Rooney, 24, said: "It's a great feeling to win because it's voted for by the players. It's a great honour and I'm really proud." The young player accolade went to Aston Villa's James Milner. Rooney was also nominated for that honour but England team-mate Milner, also 24, came out on top.
Milner, who seems certain to be included in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad, credited a change in position for his success this season. "I've been moved into the middle and that suits me as it helps me influence the game a bit more," he said. "Maybe sometimes wide right you want to influence the game but you just can't get yourself into it." As for Rooney, he has blossomed at Old Trafford this season following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez to Manchester City. The England forward has played in a more advanced role than in previous seasons and has become hugely prolific in the air. He has also had to cope with a number of injuries in recent weeks.
He injured ankle ligaments in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich and missed Saturday's 3-1 win over Tottenham with a groin injury sustained in training. However, he insisted he will be fit for the World Cup and indeed hopes to play in United's last league game, against Stoke. "The groin will be fine for the World Cup, there are no worries about that," said the former Everton player. "I'm hoping to play for United in the last game of the season. "I remember coming here in 2005 and 2006 to win the young player of the year award. I saw the players winning the main one and it's something I've aimed for since." The striker paid tribute to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and the influence he has had on his career. "Sir Alex is a great manager who has really brought me on as a player since I joined United. His hunger passes through to the players. "It's great to see that he's pushing 70 and he hasn't changed a bit. I'm sure he'll be at United a long time yet." Former Leeds and South Africa defender Lucas Radebe, 41, won the PFA Merit Award. "Sport can change the world," he said. "Football has played such a big part in lifting my community. I'm very proud to get such a great award." Premier League team of the year:
Joe Hart (Man City, Birmingham on loan), Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Patrice Evra (Man Utd), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), James Milner (Aston Villa), Darren Fletcher (Man Utd), Antonio Valencia (Man Utd), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd), Didier Drogba (Chelsea). Championship team of the year:
Lee Camp (Nottingham Forest), Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle), Ashley Williams (Swansea), Jose Enrique (Newcastle), Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Peter Whittingham (Cardiff), Kevin Nolan (Newcastle), Charlie Adam (Blackpool), Andy Carroll (Newcastle), Michael Chopra (Cardiff). League One team of the year:
Kelvin Davis (Southampton), Frazer Richardson (Charlton), Patrick Kisnorbo (Leeds), Gary Doherty (Norwich), Ian Harte (Carlisle), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich), Jason Puncheon (Southampton), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Nicky Bailey (Charlton), Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Grant Holt (Norwich). League Two team of the year:
Kasper Schmeichel (Notts County), John Brayford (Crewe), Craig Dawson (Rochdale), Ian Sharps (Rotherham), Tom Kennedy (Rochdale), Ben Davies (Notts County), Stephen Dawson (Bury), Gary Jones (Rochdale), Nicky Law (Rotherham), Lee Hughes (Notts County), Adam Le Fondre (Rotherham). What are these? | Awards ceremony | April 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(The Daily Telegraph)'] |
Republican Ralph Norman narrowly defeats Democrat Archie Parnell to win a U.S. House district in north-central South Carolina. | Ralph Norman, a Republican, defeated Archie Parnell, a Democrat, in a South Carolina special election on Tuesday in a U.S. House race.
Mr. Norman was expected to have an advantage over Mr. Parnell for the seat, which was vacated by Mick Mulvaney, now director of the Office of Management and Budget. However, Mr. Parnell kept the race relatively close, losing by just a few percentage points.
The race did not receive the same national focus as special elections in Georgia and Montana.
The Fifth District was redrawn to heavily favor Republicans after the 2010 elections. Mr. Mulvaney won his three re-election campaigns easily. | Government Job change - Election | June 2017 | ['(The New York Times)'] |
Unidentified gunmen assassinate Sheikh Daud Ali Hasan, a senior commander of the AlShabab militant group in the southern city of Kismayo, Somalia. | MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A senior official of Somali insurgent group al Shabaab was shot dead on Friday in a rare assassination in the southern port of Kismayu, which is tightly controlled by the al Qaeda-linked rebels.
Sheikh Daud Ali Hasan, a commander who has been leading fighting against rival insurgents in the town of Dhobley close to Kenya, was killed near al Shabaab’s military base in Kismayu as he returned home on Friday night.
“We are after running the killers. We have already arrested several suspects and we should bring them to the justice soon,” Sheikh Abukar Ali Adan, al Shabaab’s chairman in the area, told a news conference in Kismayu on Saturday.
While al Shabaab and rebel group Hizbul Islam have fought together in the capital against the Western-backed government, the two insurgent movements have been at loggerheads for months in the south of the Horn of Africa nation.
They have battled for control of Kismayu, the lucrative main port for rebel-held areas of southern Somalia, as well as the town of Dhobley on the main road linking the port to neighboring Kenya.
Hizbul Islam denied having a hand in the killing, but said it would step up attacks on Dhobley after a raid on Friday night in which it said it killed a number of al Shabaab militants.
Somalia has had no effective government for 19 years and Western nations and neighbors say the anarchic country is used as a shelter by militants intent on launching attacks in east Africa and further afield.
At least 21,000 Somalis have been killed since the start of 2007, 1.5 million have been uprooted from their homes and nearly half a million are sheltering in other countries in the region.
.
| Armed Conflict | March 2010 | ['(Reuters)', '(African Press Agency)', '[permanent dead link]'] |
Police guards outside Bolivia's presidential palace abandoned their posts and join the protest against Evo Morales. | LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Police guards outside Bolivia’s presidential palace abandoned their posts Saturday, increasing pressure on President Evo Morales as he seeks to curb nationwide unrest after a disputed election.
Officers also climbed onto the roof of a nearby police station holding Bolivian flags and signs proclaiming “The Police with the People.” Police retreated to their barracks in at least three cities, and there were reports that some in two cities were openly declaring mutinies.
The president, who was not at the palace at the time and appeared later at a military airfield outside La Paz, urged police to “preserve the security” of Bolivia and obey the rules.
Growing dissension in police ranks posed a new threat to Morales, who claimed victory after the Oct. 20 vote but has since faced protests in which three people have been killed and hundreds injured. Opponents contend the results were manipulated.
Morales faces “the most complicated moment” in his 14 years in power and the situation could deteriorate, said Jorge Dulón, a political analyst at the Catholic University of Bolivia in La Paz.
Police units in some cities started protesting Friday, marching in the streets in uniform as anti-government protesters cheered them from the sidewalks.
Defense Minister Javier Zabaleta initially played down the police protests, saying a “police mutiny occurred in a few regions.”
Gen. Williams Kaliman, the military chief, said Saturday that the military had no plans to intervene.
“We’ll never confront the people among whom we live. We guarantee peaceful co-existence,” Kaliman said. “This is a political problem and it should be resolved within that realm.”
A list of demands from dissident police officers included better working conditions, the resignation of their commander and guarantees that they won’t be used as a political “instrument of any government.”
The spectacle of police leaving their positions outside the presidential palace was an ominous development for Morales.
At a news conference at the military base, Morales appealed to Bolivia’s political factions to hold talks. He said the four parties that received the most votes in the nine-candidate election should sit down with “an open agenda to pacify Bolivia.”
Carlos Mesa, the main opposition leader and a former president who finished second in the Oct. 20 vote, promptly rejected the suggestion.
“I have nothing to negotiate with Evo Morales, who has lost all grip on reality,” Mesa said.
Another opposition leader, Luis Fernando Camacho, said the president “is looking for exits, when people demand his resignation and call for new elections.”
While appealing for dialogue, Morales has also accused his opponents of trying to overthrow Bolivia’s rightful government.
The Organization of American States is conducting an audit of the election count. Findings are expected Monday or Tuesday. The opposition, which has alleged vote-rigging, says it will not accept the results because they were not consulted about the audit plan.
The European Union issued a statement Saturday calling for demonstrators to remain peaceful, saying a solution “can be achieved through peaceful negotiations.”
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Michael Kozak echoed that view on Twitter: “Bolivian citizens deserve credible and transparent elections that they can trust to represent their will. We urge all actors to avoid violence and ensure that the forces of public order continue to exercise restraint.”
In the city of Santa Cruz, a stronghold for anti-Morales sentiment, hundreds of opposition supporters marched along with police mutineers.
“We do not want to be indifferent. The police are joining their people,” one officer said.
On the outskirts of La Paz, groups of pro- and anti-Morales activists clashed at a roadblock seeking to keep the president’s opponents out of the capital. More than 30 injuries were reported.
Various groups also marched through the city center, while a crowd gathered outside the Bolivia state television station and radio Patria Nueva accusing employees of lying to defend the government.
After the Oct. 20 vote, Morales, the country’s first indigenous president, declared himself the outright winner even before official results indicated he obtained just enough support to avoid a runoff with Mesa.
But a 24-hour lapse in releasing vote results raised suspicions among opposition supporters that there had been fraud.
Morales ran seeking re-election to a fourth term after refusing to abide by the results of a referendum that upheld term limits for the president. The country’s constitutional court then ruled term limits violated his right to run for office. | Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2019 | ['(Associated Press)', '(Fox News)'] |
Abu Ayyub al–Masri, the leader of al–Qaeda in Iraq, has been wounded in fighting in Baghdad according to Arab TV stations. | Arab TV stations said early on Friday that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, had been hurt during clashes north of Baghdad.
The reports said that the incident had occurred in Balad.
Masri took over as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a 2006 US air raid.
ABU AYYUB AL-MASRI
Originally from Egypt
Known as Muhajir - which means 'immigrant' in Arabic
Trained in Afghanistan
Helped Zarqawi set up first al-Qaeda cell in Iraq
Named as al-Qaeda in Iraq leader in June 2006
Who's who in al-Qaeda
Little is known about Masri - the US military has said it believes him to be an Egyptian militant based in Baghdad.
He is understood to have trained in Afghanistan and helped Zarqawi form the first al-Qaeda cell in the Iraqi capital.
A statement posted on a website used by Islamic militants in June 2006 announced that he would take over as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq after Zarqawi was killed in a US air strike.
The statement said he had a history of fighting a holy war and that he had been unanimously elected as the group's new chief. | Famous Person - Sick | February 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
Several thousand people attend a rally in Moscow organized by opposition members due to several opposition candidates being disqualified from regional elections. The protests turned violent and police detained about 1,000 people, including politician Alexei Navalny. | Police in Moscow have detained more than 1,000 people at a rally, in one of the biggest crackdowns in years.
Demonstrators were dragged away from the city hall as security forces used batons against the crowd.
People were protesting against the exclusion of opposition candidates from local polls. The opposition say they were barred for political reasons.
Some of the candidates banned from standing in the 8 September election had been detained earlier. Officials disqualified about 30 people, saying they had failed to collect enough valid signatures to stand.
At least 1,074 arrests were made at the banned rally, officials say, while monitors reported 1,127 detentions.
Moscow's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has called the demonstration a "security threat", and promised to maintain public order.
Anger is widespread among opposition supporters at the way the city is run and the ruling United Russia party.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday after calling for Saturday's unapproved demonstration.
Mr Putin was on a trip to the Baltic Sea on Saturday for a dive in a submersible. "There are a lot of problems on Earth, so to diminish their amount one has to go up and deep down," he remarked.
Last Saturday, more than 20,000 Russians took to the streets, demanding fair elections, and dozens were arrested. It is unclear how many people turned up for the new unauthorised rally on 27 July but the numbers seem to have been sharply down.
According to police, about 3,500 people gathered, including about 700 journalists. Police in riot gear pushed back the crowd from barriers surrounding the mayor's office in central Moscow, hauling off detainees to police stations.
A number of protesters could be seen bleeding while at least two members of the security forces reportedly received eye injuries from pepper spray. | Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
Vietnam reports its first microcephaly case likely to be linked to the Zika virus. | Vietnam's Health Ministry has reported a microcephaly case that it says is likely to be the country's first linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The case, a four-month old baby whose mother was diagnosed with Zika when she was pregnant, was found in the central province of Dak Lak.
"This is a microcephaly case with a high probability of being related to the Zika virus and also the first such case in Vietnam," the General Department of Preventive Medicine, a department of the nation's health ministry, said in a statement posted on its official website.
Vietnam so far has reported a total of nine cases of Zika infection, with more cases expected to be confirmed in the next few days, the department's director Tran Dac Phu said.
If the microcephaly case is confirmed to be linked to Zika, Vietnam would become the second South-East Asian country after Thailand to report such a case.
Vietnam earlier this month raised the threat level for Zika and stepped up monitoring of pregnant women in the country after detecting more cases and amid growing outbreaks in the region.
Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized as well as other brain abnormalities.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light in Brazil, which has confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.
In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.
| Disease Outbreaks | October 2016 | ['(ABC Online)'] |
Burmese actor and prominent junta critic Paing Takhon is detained by the military in North Dagon Township, Yangon. | One of Myanmar's most popular celebrities has been arrested by the military as part of a growing crackdown on artists and actors.
Paing Takhon, a model and actor with millions of fans in Myanmar and Thailand, had been active in both online protests and in-person rallies. Takhon's Instagram - with more than a million followers - has been taken down along with his Facebook account. The military seized power in a coup on 1 February, sparking weeks of protests.
Around 600 civilians have been killed as forces respond to the demonstrations with increasing levels of violence. According to a Facebook post by Takhon's sister Thi Thi Lwin, around 50 soldiers with eight military trucks came to arrest him at around 05:00 local time (22:30 GMT Wednesday) on Thursday. A close acquaintance of his, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC he was taken from his mother's home in North Dagon, a township in Yangon.
They said that he had been suffering from "serious depression". The acquaintance added that Takhon had been suffering from a physical condition, adding that he could not even "stand or walk properly", though no further details were given. However, they said he had been "aware of the consequences" that awaited him, adding that he was "not scared at all". Both his mobile phones were taken along with him, they added. The 24-year-old had previously been seen participating in several demonstrations and marches. He had also posted images of ousted civilian leader and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. "We strongly condemn military coup. We demand immediate release of state counseller [sic] Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, civilian government ministers and elected members of perliment [sic]," Mr Takhon is said to have written in an online post which has also been taken down.
"We demand to respect 2020 election results and form new civillian [sic] government soonest by NLD led perliment [sic]."
His detention is the latest in a sweeping crackdown on celebrities in recent days.
It also comes a day after Myanmar's ambassador to London said a military attaché had taken over the embassy and forced him out. It comes after Kyaw Zwar Minn, who has now been removed from his position, called from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be released.
Arrest warrants for around 100 filmmakers, actors, celebrities and journalists have been issued for speaking out against the coup.
Earlier this week security forces arrested the country's best-known comedian Zarganar. Last week, Myanmar beauty pageant winner Han Lay, spoke out against the coup in a speech at an event held in Thailand. Mass protests have been taking place across Myanmar, also known as Burma, since the military seized control on 1 February and declared a year-long state of emergency.
The armed forces claim there had been widespread fraud during a general election late last year which had returned elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party (NLD) to power. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | April 2021 | ['(BBC)'] |
A 6.1–magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32. | SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (CNN) -- The official count of confirmed deaths grew to 15 Friday afternoon, one day after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook north central Costa Rica, a government emergency official said.
iReporter Leonardo Diaz photographed the damage in Plaza Mayor Shopping Center in San Jose.
Reinaldo Carballo, a spokesman for the federal Commission for National Emergencies, said the updated death toll came from information given to the agency by Costa Rica Vice President Rodrigo Arias.
In addition, Carballo said, rescuers were trying to reach 300 tourists stranded in a hotel in Varablanca. Carballo said he did not know the tourists' nationalities or the name of the hotel.
There were conflicting reports on the number of dead from Thursday's earthquake. The Commission for National Emergencies had issued a news release earlier Friday saying the quake had killed four people.
Also earlier Friday, Red Cross official Milton Chaverri told CNN there were 14 dead and 22 missing. Red Cross spokeswoman Fiorella Vilca said Friday afternoon there were nine dead and 42 missing.
The discrepancy may result from the fact that the Commission for National Emergencies reports only deaths it has confirmed, Carballo said. About 32 people were injured, he said.
On Friday, the U.S. government dispatched a team of 34 U.S. military personnel and four helicopters from Honduras-based Joint Task Force-Bravo to Costa Rica to assist. Survivors described the suddenness and brutality of the quake. Landslides, tumbling rocks and collapsed buildings caused widespread devastation and death.
"I saw how the earth moved and how it took my family -- my aunt, my cousin and her babies," Miguel Angel Marin told CNN affiliate Teletica TV. "It was very hard because I wanted to save them, but I couldn't."
A sobbing Vilma Cambronero was asked what happened to her family.
"Some are well," she said. "Others are buried."
An unidentified woman told Teletica, "Everything started to move and everything fell on top of us. It was a miracle we got out."
More than 1,200 people were stranded, without a way to get out of towns or homes, Chaverri said. Another 1,000 people were living in shelters, he said. iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, video
"Many people were injured, many buildings were damaged and landslides blocked roads in the area," the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The dead included three young girls, officials said Friday.
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez was scheduled to tour the affected area Friday. On Thursday, he appealed for calm.
The remote area near Alajuela, where the quake hit strongest, is difficult to reach, and officials said they were having to rely on helicopters for medical evacuations and to airlift supplies.
Randall Picado, a government rescue official, said many residents were without water and other necessities.
About 400 volunteers and Red Cross personnel were giving aid in 15 communities, Chaverri said.
The temblor was felt throughout Costa Rica and in southern and central Nicaragua, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its Web site.
"I felt the earthquake," Costa Rican office worker Erick Solorzano told CNN in an iReport message. "I work in a sixth floor, and it was very strong. We felt the building was going to collapse."
About 2,000 aftershocks have been felt in San Jose, the capital, and other cities throughout the nation, Red Cross spokeswoman Vilca said.
The Geological Survey placed the earthquake's epicenter at 20 miles (32 kilometers) north-northwest of San Jose at a depth of 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers). | Earthquakes | January 2009 | ['(CNN)'] |
The United States District Court for the Central District of California rejects a US$190 million defamation suit against entrepreneur Elon Musk by Tham Luang cave rescuer Vernon Unsworth. The lawsuit, considered to be the first major suit by a private individual over comments made on Twitter, was filed over Musk's insulting Tweets after Unsworth criticized his role in the rescue. | LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk emerged victorious on Friday from a closely watched defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the $190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter.
Musk wins defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet
02:18
The unanimous verdict by a panel of five women and three men was returned after roughly 45 minutes of deliberation on the fourth day of Musk’s trial. Legal experts believe it was the first major defamation lawsuit brought by a private individual over remarks on Twitter to be decided by a jury.
The outcome was a triumph for Musk, whose mercurial behavior in a number of instances last year came under close scrutiny from federal regulators and shareholders of Tesla, his Silicon Valley-based electric car manufacturer.
The jury’s decision signals a higher legal threshold for challenging potentially libelous Twitter comments, said L. Lin Wood, the high-profile trial lawyer who led the legal team for the plaintiff, Vernon Unsworth.
“This verdict puts everyone’s reputation at risk,” Wood told reporters after the verdict was announced.
Other lawyers specializing in defamation agreed the verdict reflects how the freewheeling nature of social media has altered understandings of what distinguishes libel punishable in court from casual rhetoric and hyperbole protected as free speech.
Musk, 48, who had testified during the first two days of the trial in his own defense and returned to court on Friday to hear closing arguments, exited the courtroom after the verdict and said: “My faith in humanity is restored.”
‘TAKE IT ON THE CHIN’
Outside the courthouse, Unsworth, 64, said he was resigned to his defeat. “I accept the jury’s verdict, take it on the chin and get on with my life.”
Related Coverage
Wood said his client went “toe to toe with a billionaire bully,” echoing a phrase from his summation earlier in court, and indicated to reporters that an appeal was doubtful.
“It’s not the verdict we wanted. But it’s the end of the road and we now close this chapter,” Wood said.
He said he nevertheless saw the lawsuit as meaningful in helping erase the stain he said Unsworth’s reputation suffered.
During the course of the trial, Musk testified under oath that his use of the term “pedo guy” - slang for pedophile - was never meant to be taken literally, and he apologized to Unsworth for the comment from the witness stand.
The case stems from a public quarrel between Musk and Unsworth, a British diver who lives part-time in Thailand and gained fame for his leading role in coordinating the successful rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in that country in July 2018.
Unsworth had chided Musk in a CNN interview for delivering a mini-submarine, which was never used, to the site of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system. Unsworth called Musk’s intervention a “P.R.” stunt and said the high-tech entrepreneur should “stick his submarine where it hurts.”
Musk responded two days later on Twitter with three posts that became the basis of the defamation case. The first questioned Unsworth’s role in the rescue, while the second said, “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.”
The third tweet, in reply to a follower who asked Musk about the second tweet, said, “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true.”
Wood said during his summation that Musk’s tweets were akin to a “nuclear bomb” that would overshadow Unsworth’s relationships and job prospects for years to come and urged jurors to teach the Tesla chief executive and SpaceX founder a lesson by awarding Unsworth $190 million, including $150 million in punitive damages.
Two days earlier, under questioning on the witness stand, Musk had estimated his net worth at $20 billion.
But the jury was apparently swayed by the arguments put forth by Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, who said the tweets in question amounted to an off-hand insult in the midst of an argument, which no one could be expected to take seriously.
“In arguments you insult people,” he said. “No bomb went off.”
The defense also said Unsworth failed to demonstrate any harm from the Twitter comments and even tried to profit from his role in the rescue, which won him plaudits from the Thai and British governments.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson had said the case hinged on whether a reasonable person would take Musk’s Twitter statements to mean he was actually calling Unsworth a pedophile.
To win, Unsworth needed to show that Musk was negligent in publishing a falsehood that clearly identified the plaintiff and caused him harm. “Actual malice” on Musk’s part, a high standard in defamation cases, did not need to be proven since the judge deemed Unsworth a private individual, not a public figure.
The trial revived discussion of Musk’s erratic behavior in 2018, when he used Twitter to float a leveraged buyout proposal for Tesla that was scuttled, ultimately paying $20 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint.
For most of 2019, Musk, who has nearly 30 million Twitter followers, has largely kept his public comments focused on Tesla’s new models and improved profitability and on the technical progress of his aerospace company, SpaceX.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announces that nearly 1 million people are affected and at least 24 people have died in the flash floods that hit Beledweyne and Jowhar, Somalia. | In this image made from video taken Sunday, May 17, 2020, people wade through a flooded street in Beledweyne, central Somalia. Flooding in central Somalia has affected nearly 1 million people, displacing about 400,000, the United Nations said Monday, May 18, 2020 warning of possible disease outbreaks because of crowding where the displaced are seeking temporary shelter. (AP Photo)
NAIROBI, KENYA -- Flooding in central Somalia has affected nearly 1 million people, displacing about 400,000 people, the United Nations said Monday, warning of possible disease outbreaks because of crowding where the displaced are seeking temporary shelter.
At least 24 people have died in the flash floods that hit Beledweyne and Jowhar, two agricultural centres in Somalia's central area, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The area is still recovering from floods last year that displaced more than 500,000 people,
Belet Weyne in Hiraan region is the most affected district after the Shabelle River burst its banks on May 12, inundating 85% of Belet Weyne town and 25 villages by the river, the UN said. The risk of disease outbreaks is high in the city of Beledweyne as heavy rains continue to pound Somalia and the highlands of neighbouring Ethiopia.
Residents in Beledweyne, a city of more than 400,000, said they are wading through flooded streets to escape waters that are still rising from the Shabelle River. They said they are worried about further flooding in the city, the epicenter of last year's devastating flood, the worst in the recent history.
"The flooding here has affected the entire city. ... People are very worried about their safety," said Hassan Elmi, a resident of Beledweyne. "The government forces are helping some people, but those who are too weak or old are need more help because they cannot wade through these flooded streets because the water is moving too fast."
The flooding also threatens to cut off the main road connecting Beledweyne to the airport which could disrupt deliveries of emergency humanitarian supplies to the town, according to the UN.
Nearly 40% of the people in Jowhar, a smaller centre of about 20,000 residents, have been displaced from their homes, according to the Somali government's Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management in Hirshabelle state | Floods | May 2020 | ['(CTV)'] |
In China city of Weihai, authorities eventually concluded that what appeared to be an accident was a school bus driver driving students from China and South Korea to an international school set fire to the bus in a tunnel, killing two adults and 11 children. The bus driver who died was angry that his overtime allowance had been suspended. | Share Authorities in eastern China's Shandong Province said on Friday they suspect a fatal bus was started deliberately by the driver, Xinhua reported.
11 children, aged between three and six, and two adults were killed in the blaze inside the Taojiakuang Tunnel in Weihai on May 9.
Of the 11 children, five were South Korean nationals and six were Chinese. They were all students at an international kindergarten in Weihai, according to local officials.
Electrical fault and traffic accident were ruled out as the causes of the fire, police said.
Police said the driver's overtime pay and night shift allowance had been suspended, causing him to buy gasoline and start the fire in anger. | Road Crash | May 2017 | ['(CTGN)', '(New York Post)'] |
Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith win the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for the achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication and for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor. | A Chinese-born Briton who graduated from Woolwich Polytechnic in east London and became director of research at a mobile phone company in Essex has won this year's Nobel prize for physics.
Charles Kuen Kao won half of the prestigious prize for research that allowed information to be sent in beams of light along glass fibres over distances of 100km and more. The research revolutionised modern communications.
Kao shares the prize with George Smith, an American, and Willard Boyle, a Canadian-American, at Bell Labs in New Jersey, who developed the charged-coupled device (CCD), more familiarly known as the miniature digital cameras now ubiquitous in devices as wide-ranging as mobile phones and spacecraft.
The 10m Swedish kronor (£818,000) prize money has been divided to give half to Kao, with Smith and Boyle taking a quarter each.
Announcing the award at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the Nobel assembly credited Kao for "groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication". Smith and Boyle were honoured "for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor".
Speaking by phone to a press conference at the Karolinska Institute, Boyle said: "I have a lovely feeling all over my body."
The Nobel assembly said the research "helped to shape the foundations of today's networked societies. They have created many practical innovations for everyday life and provided new tools for scientific exploration".
Optical fibres make up the circulatory system of our communication-based society. The glass fibres allow for global broadband communications including the internet. Light flowing in thin threads of glass carries almost all of the telephony and data traffic. Text, music, images and video can be transferred around the globe in a split second.
The CCD is the digital camera's electronic eye. It revolutionised photography, allowing light to be captured electronically instead of on film. The technology is used in many medical applications, such as imaging inside the human body for both diagnostics and microsurgery. | Awards ceremony | October 2009 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
A series of air strikes in Syria's Raqqa province, believed to be carried out by U.S.-led coalition warplanes, leaves at least 32 Islamic State fighters killed and 40 more wounded. The final toll could rise as casualty figures were collected from a single hospital. The jets hit IS headquarters and bases to the north, east, and southeast of provincial capital Raqqa city. | BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 32 Islamic State fighters were killed and 40 more wounded in Syria’s Raqqa province on Sunday, in a series of air strikes believed to be carried out by a U.S.-led coalition targeting the jihadists, a monitoring group said.
More than 15 explosions hit Islamic State positions in the countryside of Raqqa province and near its capital, Raqqa city, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Raqqa is Islamic State’s Syrian stronghold.
The coalition said it hit Raqqa and other areas of northern and eastern Syria on Sunday.
In central Syria, at least 45 air strikes, probably carried out by Russia, hit the city of Palmyra, which is also under Islamic State’s control, the Observatory said. Injuries were reported, but no details on the casualty toll were available.
The United States and its allies have been bombing Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in an effort to drive the group from swathes of territory it controls in both countries.
Britain joined the effort this week after lawmakers approved bombing Islamic State targets in Syria. Hours after the vote, British bombers struck oilfields the government says are being used to fund attacks on the West. They made a second round of strikes on Friday.
Russia is waging a separate air campaign in Syria, which it launched on Sept. 30 in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has said its air campaign targets Islamic State, but the West says most raids have hit other foreign-backed rebel groups.
| Armed Conflict | December 2015 | ['(Reuters)', '(AFP via Dawn)'] |
The death toll from floods and landslides on the Sulawesi island of Indonesia rises to 107. | An official in Indonesia says the death toll from devastating floods and landslides on the country's eastern Sulawesi island has risen to 107, as aid distribution to survivors gains pace.
Rustam Pakaya, who heads the health ministry's crisis centre in Jakarta, says 44 bodies have been recovered but 63 people remain missing, presumed buried under landslides.
Aid efforts were finally gaining momentum after days of poor weather hindered attempts to reach survivors, he said.
"A navy and cargo ship have arrived to distribute aid," he said, adding that 25 medical staff were also on location helping survivors.
Mr Pakaya says one village of about 1,000 people in central Sulawesi's Mamosolato district remain isolated, but a helicopter provided by a mining company working in the area will hopefully reach them on Friday.
Officials have said at least 45,000 people have been affected by the floods, which have hit in an area known for rampant deforestation.
- AFP
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) | Floods | July 2007 | ['(AFP via ABC)'] |
The 2019 NBA All-Star Game takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Team LeBron defeating Team Giannis 178–164. Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant is named the game's MVP; it is his second All Star MVP award, the first coming in 2012. | The 2019 NBA All-Star Game is in the books, and once again, the new format didn't disappoint. After taking the first half to show out and make highlights, things got serious even earlier than last season's edition. Team LeBron turned up the heat in the second half to flip a 20-point deficit into a 178-164 victory. Warriors forward Kevin Durant was named All-Star Game MVP after finishing with 31 points and seven rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo came out fired up, throwing down all sorts of slams in the opening few minutes. Then, later in the first half, he made the early play of the night, soaring to throw down an incredible bounce pass alley-oop from Steph Curry -- his first pick in the All-Star Draft. Giannis and his Bucks teammate Khris Middleton had Team Giannis out to a big lead, but they couldn't hold on. Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson and Bradley Beal led the way in the third quarter, draining a barrage of 3-pointers to get Team LeBron back in the game. Then, the starters came back in to finish the job. LeBron finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in a captain's effort. Giannis led all scorers with 38 points, while Middleton and Paul George added 20 points for Team Giannis. Here are some takeaways from an entertaining night. Durant is no stranger to clutch buckets (see: the last two NBA Finals), and he knew just when to turn things on down the stretch on Sunday night. He got it going late as Team LeBron completed its comeback and put the game out of reach. ? #NBAAllStar MVP ?Congrats, @KDTrey5! pic.twitter.com/7GJQAzWtB1
Giannis started off the game like he was gunning for the MVP as his team built a big lead, but when it came down to crunch time it was LeBron James who once again took center stage. He hit a big 3-pointer from the corner and then threw down an alley-oop from Kyrie Irving to give Team LeBron a lead it wouldn't relinquish. #KyrieIrving up top to #LeBronJames! ?#TeamLeBron 168#TeamGiannis 1582:52 to play on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/3zmD3eGO7g
You can point to the dunks, rebounds, assists or just the plain energy, but maybe the most interesting thing about Antetokounmpo's All-Star Game was that he knocked down two of his six 3-point attempts. This is obviously the next iteration of the Greek Freak's game, but this was the hint that it might come sooner than we thought. For a guy who can do things like this insane alley-oop from earlier in the game, that's a scary thought. Giannis throwing it DOWN! ?Watch the #NBAAllStar Game with Chuck, KG & Greg Anthony - LIVE NOW on TBS!#PlayersOnly pic.twitter.com/cY5yRZS44i
Most expected Stephen Curry to put on a show for his home fans, but instead he had an uncharacteristically terrible shooting night, making only 4-of-17 3-point attempts as his team took the loss. As a silver lining, however, Curry threw down one of the best dunks of the night in the closing seconds -- a self-alley-oop reverse that got the crowd going. #StephGonnaSteph pic.twitter.com/r8gUHcXMCz
This will be the last time we get to see a Dwyane Wade-to-LeBron James alley-oop, so savor it. The old duo who won two championships together in Miami connected for a huge highlight in the third quarter. D-WADE TO LEBRON OFF THE GLASS! ?#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/9Pkuwxhf4Y
If this is Dirk Nowitzki's last All-Star Game (and by all accounts it will be), he certainly went out on a good note. The 40-year-old made all three of his 3-pointers in the first half before exiting for the remainder of the game. Dirk is 3-3 from deep! ?#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/97PDweFoq9 | Sports Competition | February 2019 | ['(CBS Sports)'] |
Roger Federer defeats Andy Roddick to win the men's singles of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. | Roger Federer became the greatest player in Grand Slam history as he beat Andy Roddick in five dramatic sets for a sixth Wimbledon and 15th major title.
The Swiss won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to surpass Pete Sampras's 14 Grand Slam wins and regain the title he lost to Rafael Nadal last year. And Sampras was back at Wimbledon for the first time since 2002 to watch from the Royal Box as Federer made history. Federer, 27, will now return to the top of the world rankings ahead of Nadal. But he had to dig deep against an in-form Roddick, who had four points for a two-set lead and then battled back to force an epic fifth set as the match became the longest men's singles final ever in terms of games played. Federer lost 9-7 in the fifth to Nadal 12 months ago, but this year's final set alone lasted 95 minutes and with 30 games was considerably longer than the previous Grand Slam record of 11-9 in the fifth set at the 1927 French Open. "Andy played unbelievable," Federer told BBC Sport, adding: "It feels great. It was a crazy match with an unbelievable end and my head's still spinning, but it's an unbelievable moment in my career." Federer, who claimed a first French Open title last month, has now won Wimbledon six times, the US Open five times, the Australian Open three times and Roland Garros once. Sampras was the last man to set a new mark in Grand Slams when he beat Pat Rafter in an emotional final at Wimbledon in 2000, and the American chose to return to the All England Club to witness Federer's achievement. The 37-year-old arrived to applause during the changeover after the third game and, with his wife, took his seat alongside Manuel Santana, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase. With so many tennis greats on hand, Roddick appeared to be very much the support act as Federer attempted to make history, but the American has been a rejuvenated force this year and played one of his best ever matches in beating British hope Andy Murray in the semi-finals. He went into the final having won just two of his previous 18 matches against Federer, but with the confidence of having arguably the world's best serve and a new variety to his game brought out by coach Larry Stefanki. Both men started strongly on serve but it was the Swiss who put the pressure on first, forcing four break points in a tense game at 5-5. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Federer hails 'unbelievable' moment
Federer was twice denied by Hawkeye, while Roddick saved two break points with trademark heavy serves, and the five-time champion was quickly made to regret the missed chances. Moments later he was under pressure as he leaked a forehand into the tramlines to give Roddick a set point from seemingly nowhere, and when the Swiss made the same mistake in the following rally the American's supporters were on their feet applauding as their man took a shock lead. The second set followed the same pattern, with neither player able to fashion a break point and Roddick now making 80% of his first serves. It came down to a tie-break and, knowing his title hopes were under serious threat, Federer made a nervous forehand error to hand over the mini-break before the Roddick serve took over, sweeping the American to 6-2 and four set points. An imperious Federer backhand and two service winners cut the deficit before Roddick had a chance on his own serve, but he put a high backhand volley well wide. Federer fired a cross-court backhand pass to win a fifth straight point and earn a set point for himself, and Roddick pushed a backhand well over the baseline to bring Federer level at one-set all. It was a body blow for the American and he headed straight to the locker room on the changeover before marching to the wrong end on his return to Centre Court. Roddick's head cleared sufficiently for him to get a foothold in the third set and he saved a break point in game five with a serve. The 26-year-old could win only two points on the Federer serve throughout the set but he forced another tie-break, and a chance to amend for the disaster of the second set. A backhand approach into the net gave Federer the mini-break though and, although Roddick did well to close the gap to 6-5, the Swiss converted his third set point with a thumping forehand. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Defeated Roddick hopes for Wimbledon title
If anyone thought that the smooth coronation of Federer was now back on track, Roddick had other ideas, playing a magnificent volley at 2-1 to earn two break points and taking the second with a backhand pass that Federer could not handle. Roddick served out valiantly from 0-30 in game nine, thrilling the Centre Court crowd who were about to enjoy a fifth set that few had expected to see. Federer had the first chance at a break in the decider but again Roddick served his way out of trouble, and the Swiss had still not broken his opponent after nearly three hours. Both men appeared to be getting stronger and stronger and they were well and truly in the groove on serve, with Federer ahead in the ace count as the fifth set rolled on. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Federer is the greatest ever - Sampras
Roddick made his move at 8-8, firing a spectacular backhand winner down the line for 15-40, but five-time champion Federer responded magnificently with a service winner and a nerveless drive-volley. The set became the longest in a men's singles final when Federer fired three aces in a row to move ahead 13-12, and Roddick began to look the more tired - but he refused to yield until the 30th game of the set. The American looped a forehand long at deuce, and when he did the same on championship point Federer had his first service break of the day - and a historic victory after four hours and 17 minutes that takes him to the top of the Grand Slam list. "It's not one of those goals you set as a little boy but it's been quite a career and quite a month," said Federer. "This is not why I'm playing tennis, to break records, and this doesn't mean I'm going to stop playing tennis. I hope to come back for many years." Roddick told the crowd: "I'm one of the lucky few who gets cheered for, so thank you for that. I just want to say congratulations to Roger, he deserves everything he gets, so well done Roger." And looking up to the Royal Box, he told compatriot Sampras: "I tried, sorry Pete." What are these? | Sports Competition | July 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(Washington Post)'] |
2007 Antofagasta earthquake: Chile is hit by a magnitude 6.0 aftershock 41 miles northwest of Antofagasta. | A family walks past a street blocked with debris in the town of Tocopilla, some 1559 km (968 miles) north of Santiago, November 16, 2007. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck 41 miles north-northwest of Antofagasta, Chile, the U.S. Geological Service reported on Saturday. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Chile on Saturday, the latest in a series of aftershocks to hit the mineral-rich Andean country since a powerful temblor on Wednesday.
The epicenter was 41 miles north-northwest of Antofagasta, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake, near the coast and Chile’s border with Peru, struck just 4.3 miles below the surface, but Chilean and Peruvian media did not report any damage or injuries.
A Reuters witness said the quake was not felt hundreds of miles (km) south in Santiago, the Chilean capital.
The USGS later said there was an aftershock of 5.2 magnitude in almost the same area.
Earthquakes frequently strike Chile, where most residents live in valleys sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes.
On Wednesday, a 7.7 magnitude quake near Antofagasta collapsed homes and large buildings, killing two people and injuring 115 others. On Thursday, two aftershocks with magnitudes of 6.2 and 6.8 hit northern Chile.
At least 15,000 people were left homeless by Wednesday’s quake, which temporarily halted production at Chile’s huge copper mines by cutting off power, the government has said.
Reporting by Manuel Farias in Santiago and Terry Wade in Lima; Editing by Vicki Allen | Earthquakes | November 2007 | ['(Reuters)'] |
An Arizona woman in Scottsdale is arrested at Target after pulling face masks off the displays. | An Arizona woman immediately dubbed "QAnon Karen" on social media was arrested after she pulled all the face masks off a display at a Scottsdale area Target. When employees told her to stop, she refused, claiming they let "everyone else" do that and they only targeted her because she is a blonde White woman wearing a $40,000 watch. In another video shared, the woman told police officers she was sent by President Donald Trump himself and is a spokesperson for QAnon.
The first video, filmed by the woman herself, begins with her looking at the face masks display and declaring she has been "looking forward to this moment my whole f life." She then swung her arm to knock off each face mask from the racks, declaring this "s is over" repeatedly. Two Target employees approached the woman to tell her to stop. She refused, telling them they are letting "everyone else" do the same thing. "Why can't I do it? Because I'm a blonde White woman? F wearing a f $40,000 Rolex? I don't have the right to do this?" she yelled.
This woman in Scottsdale, Arizona was super upset with Target for selling face masks. So upset in fact, that she attacked their display....pic.twitter.com/ye9LiDz0JH
Another clip, published on Instagram Live this time to her company, The Brand Consortium shows the woman's interaction with police officers. She told the officers she was "hired" to be a "QAnon spokesperson" and refused to give the officers any "classified" information. She told the officers to call Trump and that she is on the phone with him "all the time." She claimed she was "wired" and refused to put her phone down because she was recording.
The woman also told the officers the video was being live-streamed to "millions" of viewers, even though the video showed less than 100 people were watching live on her Instagram account. The officers told her to turn around as they finally cuffed her. At that point, she yelled, "You're doing this to me because I'm Jewish" repeatedly and yelled out, "This is Nazi bulls."
Police came to her house and she was arrested on IG Live saying she is a spokesperson for QAnon & the White House and wanted the police to “call Donald Trump and ask him” because she can’t share any “classified information.”
While this woman claimed the coronavirus pandemic "is over" during her tirade, it is not, particularly in Arizona. On Sunday, the Arizona health department reported 3,536 new cases and four deaths. The total number of cases in the state since the pandemic began sits at 98,089 and 1,809 people have died. The state set a single-day high in both deaths and cases on Wednesday, when 4,878 cases and 88 deaths were reported, according to KTAR.
"QAnon" is a far-right conspiracy theory centered on the idea that there is a "deep state" within the U.S. government trying to undermine Trump's administration. The theory includes several unsubstantiated and false claims. Lauren Boebert, a Rifle, Colorado restaurant owner who allows her wit staff to carry guns and has said she believes in QAnon, won the Republican primary in Colorado's Third Congressional district race. Trump congratulated her on the surprise win, writing, "Congratulations on a really great win!" | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | July 2020 | ['(popculture.com)', '(New York Daily News)'] |
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues its forecast for an above–normal 2007 Atlantic hurricane season with 13 to 17 named storms, 7 to 10 hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes. | May 22, 2007 — Experts at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center are projecting a 75 percent chance that the Atlantic Hurricane Season will be above normal this year—showing the ongoing active hurricane era remains strong. With the start of the hurricane season upon us, NOAA recommends those in hurricane-prone regions to begin their preparation plans. (Click NOAA image for larger view of NOAA’s 2007 Atlantic hurricane season outlook. Please credit “NOAA.”)
"For the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA scientists predict 13 to 17 named storms, with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could become major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. An average Atlantic hurricane season brings 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, including two major hurricanes.
Climate patterns responsible for the expected above normal 2007 hurricane activity continue to be the ongoing multi-decadal signal (the set of ocean and atmospheric conditions that spawn increased Atlantic hurricane activity), warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the El Niño/La Niña cycle.
Last year, seasonal hurricane predictions proved to be too high when an unexpected El Niño rapidly developed and created a hostile environment for Atlantic storms to form and strengthen. When storms did develop, steering currents kept most of them over the open water and away from land.
"There is some uncertainty this year as to whether or not La Niña will form, and if it does how strong it will be," said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. "The Climate Prediction Center is indicating that La Niña could form in the next one to three months. If La Niña develops, storm activity will likely be in the upper end of the predicted range, or perhaps even higher depending on how strong La Niña becomes. Even if La Niña does not develop, the conditions associated with the ongoing active hurricane era still favor an above-normal season." Bell also noted that pre-season storms, such as Subtropical Storm Andrea in early May, are not an indicator of the hurricane season ahead. "With or without Andrea, NOAA's forecast is for an above normal season."
"With expectations for an active season, it is critically important that people who live in East and Gulf coastal areas as well as the Caribbean be prepared," said Bill Proenza, NOAA National Hurricane Center director. "Now is the time to update your hurricane plan, not when the storm is bearing down on you." (Click NOAA image for larger view of tracks of major hurricanes forming in the main development region as indicated by the green box over a 24-year period. Please credit “NOAA.”) The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with peak activity occurring August through October. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center will issue an updated seasonal forecast in August just prior to the historical peak of the season.
The Atlantic Hurricane Seasonal Outlook is an official forecast product of the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Instituted in 1998, this outlook is produced in collaboration with NOAA scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, NOAA National Hurricane Center, NOAA Hurricane Research Division and the NOAA Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. The NOAA National Hurricane Center has hurricane forecasting responsibilities for the Atlantic as well as the East Pacific basins. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center, NOAA National Hurricane Center and the NOAA Hydrometeorological Prediction Center are three of the NOAA National Weather Service's nine NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, which provides the United States with first alerts of weather, climate, ocean and space weather events.
NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | May 2007 | ['(NOAA)'] |
The sale for Guggenheim Partners to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers is finalized for US$2.1 billion, the most ever for a professional sports franchise. ESPN/AP | The $2 billion sale of the team to Guggenheim Baseball Management, a group that includes former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson, was finalized Tuesday.
McCourt met with Dodgers employees Tuesday, expressing his appreciation, and introduced new controlling owner Mark Walter, said Howard Sunkin, a spokesman for McCourt.
Walter is chief executive officer of the financial services firm Guggenheim Partners. The team will be run by former Atlanta Braves president Stan Kasten. They will hold a news conference Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
"The Dodgers move forward with confidence in a strong financial position as a premier Major League Baseball franchise and as an integral part of and representative of the Los Angeles community," according to a joint statement by McCourt and the new owners.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he's pleased the sale is finished and the Dodgers can have a fresh start after the "unbecoming events of recent years."
"It is my great hope and firm expectation that today's change in ownership marks the start of a new era for the Los Angeles Dodgers and that this historic franchise will once again make the city of Los Angeles proud," Selig said in a statement.
The timing couldn't have come at a better time for Dodgers fans, who are excited about having their team leading the National League. The team moved to 17-7 after holding off Colorado 7-6 on Tuesday night at Coors Field.
"It's been a positive since the announcement of Magic and his group," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said in an interview on 710 ESPN's "Mason & Ireland Show." "You could feel a difference with the fans instantly. There's been so much negative for the last few years that it just gets kind of old for guys that are playing because people aren't showing up and it doesn't have anything to do with if you win or not.
"And I think the energy's been great with the new group. Hearing the things these guys are talking about wanting to do, it fits in right with what we want to do. We came to win. These guys come and they work hard, and at the end of the day they want to be fighting for a championship, and it sounds like the group we have coming are all about that."
Said Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp: "I think the fans of LA are pretty excited about the new ownership and what it's bringing. As long as L.A. is happy, I'm happy. As long as we're winning, I'm happy."
The Dodgers have won six World Series titles but none since 1988, when they were still owned by the O'Malley family that moved the team from Brooklyn to California after the 1957 season.
The sale was part of a reorganization plan after McCourt took the team into bankruptcy last June. A federal judge approved the deal last month.
The sale was supposed to close Monday, the day McCourt was to make a $131 million payment to former wife Jamie McCourt as part of their divorce settlement. The team's statement said all claims will be paid. Jamie McCourt did receive her payout on Monday.
McCourt bought the team, Dodger Stadium and 250 acres of land that includes the parking lots from the Fox division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. in a $430 million deal in 2004. Fox bought the team in 1998, then sold it to McCourt.
Despite the Dodgers making the playoffs the first four out of six seasons under McCourt's ownership, the off-the-field saga took attention away from the team as he and Jamie McCourt became involved in a protracted divorce battle during which their lavish spending habits were revealed in court documents and testimony.
In April 2011, MLB appointed former Texas Rangers President Tom Schieffer to monitor the Dodgers on behalf of Selig, who said he was concerned about the team's finances and how the Dodgers were being run.
The team filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after Selig rejected a proposed broadcast rights deal with Fox Sports that McCourt said would have alleviated worries about covering payroll.
The team's debt stood at $579 million as of January, according to a court filing, but McCourt stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars.
The sale price set a record; Stephen Ross forked out $1.1 billion for the NFL's Miami Dolphins in 2009, and Malcolm Glazer and his family took over England's Manchester United soccer club seven years ago in a deal then valued at $1.47 billion.
The previous record for a baseball franchise was the $845 million paid by the Ricketts family for the Chicago Cubs in 2009.
NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw said the ownership issues didn't weigh on the team last year because it was out of the players' control. He said the squad has had an opportunity to meet the new owners and he's excited about the future. | Organization Merge | May 2012 | [] |
A gunfight between the Mexican Army and suspected gunmen of a drug cartel left 12 dead in the western state of Sinaloa, the homestate of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, Mexico's most-wanted drug lord. | A gunfight between the Mexican army and suspected drug gang members has left at least 12 people, including two soldiers, dead, officials say. The clash happened in Guasave in the north-western state of Sinaloa. Gunmen using grenades and automatic weapons ambushed an army patrol before retreating to a hotel as police and military reinforcements closed in. Sinaloa is one of the Mexican states worst affected by drug-related violence. Schools and businesses in the area remained closed after the fighting broke out on Wednesday morning. Security forces seized vehicles and weapons, including a high-powered rifle capable of penetrating armoured vehicles, Sinaloa state prosecutors said. "An operation is under way to ensure that calm and security return to the Guasave area," state governor Mario Lopez Valdez said. He rejected suggestions that the authorities were losing control of security in Sinaloa, Efe news agency reported. The state on the Pacific coast is home to the powerful Sinaloa cartel, led by Mexico's most-wanted drug trafficker, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. But the cartel's control of smuggling routes into the US is challenged by rival criminal gangs. At least 20 people were reported in clashes between troops and gang members in other parts of the state last weekend. Around 50,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon began deploying troops to fight the cartels. | Armed Conflict | May 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, a Scottish Deerhound, wins Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. | NEW YORK -- A Scottish deerhound that loves to chase wild animals wound up catching her biggest prize yet.
A 5-year-old named Hickory pulled a huge surprise Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club, winning best in show and the title of America's top dog. She became the first of her breed to capture the purple-and-gold ribbon and shiny silver bowl.
"I think Hickory could feel my lead that I was excited and went with it," handler Angela Lloyd said.
Judge Paolo Dondina of Italy thanked everyone at Madison Square Garden, then picked Hickory from a best-of-seven final show ring that truly sounded international -- there was a Pekingese, Portuguese water dog, Chinese shar-pei, smooth fox terrier, bearded collie and black cocker spaniel.
A couple of those pooches on the green carpet ring with Hickory were among the country's top-rated show dogs. The 85-pound Hickory wasn't on that list, although she wagged her long tail the most at the end after beating out a total of nearly 2,600 entries.
"The quality of all of the dogs were outstanding," Dondina said. "This animal is like in the heavens. It's not of this world."
Hickory lives on a 50-acre farm in Warrenton, Va., where she enjoys running after deer and rabbits. Owners Sally Sweatt and Cecilia Dove and Dr. Scott Dove certainly will let her romp all she wants after this victory, her 16th best-in-show overall.
The 135th Westminster was considered a wide-open field from the start. A smooth fox terrier that was the No. 1 show dog of 2010 recently was retired, and an Australian shepherd that won the big AKC/Eukanuba event was not entered.
Hickory won the hound group Monday night, then had to wait around all day for her big chance. That was a lot to ask for a kind of dog that feels most comfortable in the woods, but she clearly managed to do just fine.
"She's not used to lights, camera and noise," Lloyd said.
The 31-year-old Lloyd had won at Westminster before -- in 1998, she was honored for her handling in the junior showmanship for youngsters who hope to work in the dog world.
"People who own, breed, show dogs dream of this day," she said.
Among the owners who showed earlier in the day: Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, an Army surgeon who was shot down from a helicopter during the Persian Gulf War and briefly held as a prisoner of war. She was at the Garden showing a Gordon setter.
Cornum was clear on which was more difficult, ascending in the show ring or in the military.
"No question, it is dogs," she said.
Sitting high up in section 118, Linda Melvin kept her eyes fixed on those Gordon setters competing on the floor. A seat away, her daughter fixated on her cell phone.
Krista Piller was busy posting on Facebook: "Wants a big dog to win the WKC dog show this year."
"I'll be putting up more, too," Piller said.
From the stands, to the rings to backstage, people were a-twitter -- iPads, Blackberries, Droids and then some at an event that started in 1877. Signs of social media were everywhere at the Westminster Kennel Club show.
Proving, in fact, that it is indeed possible to teach an old dog show new tech tricks.
"It is now uploaded!" exclaimed Lorraine Shore of Sequim, Wash.
In town with a pair of German pinschers, her people worldwide could see on YouTube how her favorite pooches fared.
"From Germany to Australia to California, people are waiting for my postings," she said. "People who have never been here, now they've experienced Westminster."
Westminster had 49,000 friends on Facebook by late Tuesday afternoon, said Susi Szeremy of the kennel club's social media team, and the number quickly zoomed to more than 60,000. There are about 2,400 followers Tweeting along.
Ken Roux of Dixon, Ill., made it easy for anyone to keep track of his Boston terrier at the 135th Westminster event. Hoss won a best of breed award Monday.
Roux put a tag with a QR code, a sophisticated set of small squares randomly appearing in a larger square, on top of his dog's crate. The pattern is more than an inch square, and anyone pointing a smart phone at the pattern is automatically taken to Hoss' website.
Brook Berth, an assistant to Hoss' handler, said she'd heard only one other dog at Westminster had the QR tag, which stands for "quick response." The new technology allows people to instantly access the dog's history and contacts.
"I noticed a lot of people taking pictures," Berth said. "It's just so convenient. You don't have to worry about people writing down information or passing out cards. They have it all right away."
The fancy bar codes could become Westminster's trendy bark codes.
"This is the test area," Berth said. "So far, it seems to be a big hit." | Awards ceremony | February 2011 | ['(ESPN)'] |
The director of Somalia's independent HornAfrik radio station, Said Tahlil Ahmed, is killed in Mogadishu. | The director of Somalia's independent HornAfrik radio station, Said Tahlil Ahmed, has been killed in the capital.
An eyewitness told the BBC a group of journalists were attacked on their way to a press conference called by the hardline Islamist militia al-Shabab.
A spokesman for the group denied to the BBC any responsibility for the killing.
Al-Shabab does not support the new president - Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist - recently elected by MPs as part of a peace process.
Civilians and journalists gathered outside the HornAfrik station in Mogadishu after Wednesday's killing.
And fighters belonging to the Union of Islamic Courts - who are loyal to the new president - turned up to provide security.
Since the announcement of the murder, all radio stations in the capital have been playing Koranic verses.
Analysts say this may be out of respect for Mr Ahmed or possibly because they are frightened of further attacks.
Mr Ahmed is the third senior employee of the popular HornAfrik radio station to be killed in the past two years.
Masked gunmen
A journalist, who was with Mr Ahmed when he was attacked, told the BBC Somali Service that senior members of Mogadishu's radio stations had been called to a press conference by al-Shabab.
He said they were nearly at the venue in Mogadishu's central Bakara Market when masked gunmen fired on them.
Mr Ahmed fell to the ground before his attackers approached and shot him again.
Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein, the al-Shabab representative in Mogadishu, confirmed his group had invited the media to a meeting in the capital about the situation in the country.
But he firmly denied al-Shabab had been behind the shooting.
He blamed an unnamed "enemy" who he said wanted to "defame" them.
"We are going after those who are behind the killing and will bring them to justice," he told the BBC's Somali Service.
Colleagues say Mr Ahmed was a well-respected journalist who continued working in Somalia after the collapse of Siad Barre's regime in 1991 despite extremely dangerous conditions in the capital.
He became the director of HornAfrik in 2007 after the station's owner, Ali Iman Sharmake, was killed by a car bomb - as he returned from the funeral of a presenter at the station who was himself murdered.
Media targets
Journalists have become targets for some of the many armed groups that roam Somalia - at least a dozen have been killed since 2007, and many more have fled the country.
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected president by MPs at a meeting in neighbouring Djibouti last Friday as part of a UN-brokered plan.
A key part of that plan was the withdrawal of Ethiopian soldiers, who had entered Somalia just over two years ago to oust the UIC.
However, al-Shabab has taken advantage of the Ethiopians' pull-out to boost its control of the south and it accuses him of selling out to the West.
Al-Shabab now even controls Baidoa, the seat of the interim parliament, taking the central town while MPs were in neighbouring Djibouti for the presidential vote.
Somalia has not had a functioning central government for nearly two decades and tens of thousands of people have been killed in successive waves of violence.
About 3,600 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers, from an intended 8,000-strong African Union force, are deployed in Mogadishu. | Famous Person - Death | February 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Siale'ataonga Tu'ivakano is elected as the Prime Minister of Tonga. | A noble has been elected Tonga's new prime minister, a month after elections which saw a pro-democracy party take the largest share of seats.
Akalisi Pohiva's party took 12 of the 17 elected seats, but nine more are reserved for the land-owning nobility. Lord Tu'ivakano secured the support of five independent politicians to defeat Mr Pohiva by 14 votes to 12. Four years ago, anger over slow political reforms led to riots in the capital, Nuku'alofa.
November's election marked a further stage in the transition away from the 165-year rule of the monarchy.
Previously the king had chosen the majority of politicians, the entire cabinet and the prime minister.
As none of the three blocs has a majority in parliament, decisions will be taken on a vote-by-vote basis. However, Lord Tu'ivakano's election appears to be a victory for traditionalists in the country. He had previously served as minister for education. The World Bank estimates that 40% of the 100,000 population of Tonga live in poverty.
Strong showing by Tonga democrats
People of Tonga go to the polls
Tonga's king vows more democracy | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | December 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
Four unknown gunmen, wearing military uniforms, open fire during a military parade to commemorate the IranIraq War in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran, killing 25 people and wounding up to 60. Both the Islamic State and Ahvaz National Resistance claim responsibility. | DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused U.S.-backed Gulf Arab states of carrying out a shooting attack on a military parade that killed 25 people, almost half of them members of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
Khamenei ordered security forces to bring to justice those responsible for one of the worst assaults ever against the Revolutionary Guards, the most powerful military force in the country, which answers to him.
The allegation will likely ratchet up tensions with Iran’s rival Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, which along with the United States have been working to isolate the Islamic Republic.
“This crime is a continuation of the plots of the regional states that are puppets of the United States, and their goal is to create insecurity in our dear country,” Khamenei said in a statement published on his website.
He did not name the regional states he believed were to blame. Israel is also a key U.S. ally opposed to Tehran.
An Iranian ethnic Arab opposition movement called the Ahvaz National Resistance, which seeks a separate state in oil-rich Khuzestan province, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Islamic State militants also claimed responsibility. Neither claim provided evidence. All four attackers were killed.
The assault, which wounded at least 70 people, targeted a viewing stand where Iranian officials had gathered in the city of Ahvaz to watch an annual event marking the start of the Islamic Republic’s 1980-88 war with Iraq, state television said.
Iran has been relatively stable compared with neighboring Arab countries that have grappled with upheaval since the 2011 uprisings across the Middle East.
Women and children died in the assault, state news IRNA agency reported.
The assailants had hidden weapons near the parade route several days in advance, said Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran’s armed forces.
“All four terrorists were quickly neutralised by security forces,” Shekarchi told state television. “A four-year-old girl and a wheelchair-bound war veteran were among the dead.”
Attacks on the military are rare in Iran.
Iran summoned the envoys of the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain on Saturday night over the shooting, accusing them of harboring Iranian opposition groups in their countries. Some members of the ethnic separatist movements are based in the European countries.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said Iran “asked their governments to condemn the attack and extradite people linked to it to Iran to be put on trial.”
“It is not acceptable that these groups are not listed as terrorist organizations by the European Union as long as they have not carried out a terrorist attack in Europe,” Qasemi was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) has been the sword and shield of Shi’ite clerical rule in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Guards have a big say in Iran’s regional interests and a vast stake worth billions of dollars in Iran’s economy.
A video distributed to Iranian media showed soldiers crawling to escape gunfire. One picked up a gun and scrambled to his feet as women and children fled for their lives.
State television’s website featured a video showing confused soldiers. Standing in front of the stand, one asked: “Where did they come from?” Another responded: “From behind us.”
Ahvaz is in the center of Khuzestan province, where there have been sporadic protests by minority Arabs.
The gunmen were trained by two Gulf Arab states and had ties to the United States and Israel, according to Shekarchi.
There was no immediate Gulf Arab comment on his remarks.
Fars news agency quoted a local Iranian official as saying that Monday would be declared a national day of mourning.
Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposite sides in wars in Syria and Yemen and rival political parties in Iraq and Lebanon, fuelling instability in the Middle East.
The attack occurred a day before Iranian President Hassan Rouhani heads to New York to address the annual United Nations General Assembly next week.
On his Instagram account, Rouhani said: “Those who are supporting these terrorists will be held responsible.”
Iranian analysts said the attack may benefit the Guards.
“Rouhani will use the terrorist attack to justify Iran’s presence in the Middle East ... The attack will strengthen the IRGC’s position inside Iran and in the region,” Tehran-based political analyst Hamid Farahvashian said.
Iran faces pressure to swiftly respond to the high-profile attack, which has hurt the security establishment’s prestige.
“The attacks are doubtlessly meant to tarnish the prestige of the IRGC, but I believe the terrorist incidents will strengthen the IRGC’s standing and even mobilize some public support,” said Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Gulf Arab States Institute in Washington.
Hardliners like the IRGC have gained standing at the expense of pragmatists in Iran’s multi-tiered leadership since President Donald Trump decided in May to pull the United States out of the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran and re-impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
“The United States stands with the Iranian people and encourages the regime in Tehran to focus on keeping them safe at home,” said National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis.
Egypt, a key ally of Saudi Arabia, also condemned the attack.
Kurdish militants killed 10 Revolutionary Guards in an attack on an IRGC post on the Iraqi border in July.
Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Islamic State in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. | Armed Conflict | September 2018 | ['(Reuters)'] |
An article in New York magazine speculates that the pilot may have deliberately crashed the plane into the Southern Ocean. | New York has obtained a confidential document from the Malaysian police investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that shows that the plane’s captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, conducted a simulated flight deep into the remote southern Indian Ocean less than a month before the plane vanished under uncannily similar circumstances. The revelation, which Malaysia withheld from a lengthy public report on the investigation, is the strongest evidence yet that Zaharie made off with the plane in a premeditated act of mass murder-suicide.
The document presents the findings of the Malaysian police’s investigation into Zaharie. It reveals that after the plane disappeared in March of 2014, Malaysia turned over to the FBI hard drives that Zaharie used to record sessions on an elaborate home-built flight simulator. The FBI was able to recover six deleted data points that had been stored by the Microsoft Flight Simulator X program in the weeks before MH370 disappeared, according to the document. Each point records the airplane’s altitude, speed, direction of flight, and other key parameters at a given moment. The document reads, in part:
>
New York has obtained a confidential document from the Malaysian police investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that shows that the plane’s captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, conducted a simulated flight deep into the remote southern Indian Ocean less than a month before the plane vanished under uncannily similar circumstances. The revelation, which Malaysia withheld from a lengthy public report on the investigation, is the strongest evidence yet that Zaharie made off with the plane in a premeditated act of mass murder-suicide.
The document presents the findings of the Malaysian police’s investigation into Zaharie. It reveals that after the plane disappeared in March of 2014, Malaysia turned over to the FBI hard drives that Zaharie used to record sessions on an elaborate home-built flight simulator. The FBI was able to recover six deleted data points that had been stored by the Microsoft Flight Simulator X program in the weeks before MH370 disappeared, according to the document. Each point records the airplane’s altitude, speed, direction of flight, and other key parameters at a given moment. The document reads, in part:
>
Search officials believe MH370 followed a similar route, based on signals the plane transmitted to a satellite after ceasing communications and turning off course. The actual and the simulated flights were not identical, though, with the simulated endpoint some 900 miles from the remote patch of southern ocean area where officials believe the plane went down. Based on the data in the document, here’s a map of the simulated flight compared to the route searchers believe the lost airliner followed:
Rumors have long circulated that the FBI had discovered such evidence, but Malaysian officials made no mention of the find in the otherwise detailed report into the investigation, “Factual Information,” that was released on the first anniversary of the disappearance.
The credibility of the rumors was further undermined by the fact that many media accounts mentioned “a small runway on an unnamed island in the far southern Indian Ocean,” of which there are none.
From the beginning, Zaharie has been a primary suspect, but until now no hard evidence implicating him has emerged. The “Factual Information” report states, “The Captain’s ability to handle stress at work and home was good. There was no known history of apathy, anxiety, or irritability. There were no significant changes in his life style, interpersonal conflict or family stresses.” After his disappearance, friends and family members came forward to described Zaharie as an affable, helpful family man who enjoyed making instructional YouTube videos for home DIY projects — hardly the typical profile of a mass murderer.
The newly unveiled documents, however, suggest Malaysian officials have suppressed at least one key piece of incriminating information. This is not entirely surprising: There is a history in aircraft investigations of national safety boards refusing to believe that their pilots could have intentionally crashed an aircraft full of passengers. After EgyptAir 990 went down near Martha’s Vineyard in 1999, for example, Egyptian officials angrily rejected the U.S. National Transport Safety Board finding that the pilot had deliberately steered the plane into the sea. Indonesian officials likewise rejected the NTSB finding that the 1997 crash of SilkAir 185 was an act of pilot suicide.
Previous press accounts suggest that Australian and U.S. officials involved in the MH370 investigation have long been more suspicious of Zaharie than their Malaysian counterparts. In January, Byron Bailey wrote in The Australian: “Several months after the MH370 disappearance I was told by a government source that the FBI had recovered from Zaharie’s home computer deleted information showing flight plan waypoints … my source … left me with the impression that the FBI were of the opinion that Zaharie was responsible for the crash.”
However, it’s not entirely clear that the recovered flight-simulator data is conclusive. The differences between the simulated and actual flights are significant, most notably in the final direction in which they were heading. It’s possible that their overall similarities are coincidental — that Zaharie didn’t intend his simulator flight as a practice run but had merely decided to fly someplace unusual.
Today, ministers from Malaysia, China, and Australia announced that once the current seabed search for MH370’s wreckage is completed, they will suspend further efforts to find the plane. The search was originally expected to wrap up this month, but stormy weather has pushed back the anticipated completion date to this fall. So far, 42,000 square miles have been covered at a cost of more than $130 million, with another 4,000 square miles to go.
“I must emphasise that this does not mean we are giving up on the search for MH370,” Malaysian Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said. Officials have previously stated that if they received “credible new information that leads to the identification of a specific location of the aircraft,” the search could be expanded.
But some, including relatives of the missing passengers, believe that that evidentiary threshold has already been past. Recent months have seen the discovery of more than a dozen pieces of suspected aircraft debris, which analyzed collectively could narrow down where the plane went down. (The surprising absence of such wreckage for more than a year left me exploring alternative explanations that ultimately proved unnecessary.) The fact that Zaharie apparently practiced flying until he ran out of fuel over the remote southern Indian Ocean suggests the current search is on the right track — and that another year of hunting might be a worthwhile investment.
Pence’s comeback continues to go well
Did he think no one would remember?
… on June 19 of last year, [Bill de Blasio] made a solemn vow.
“Starting next year, Juneteenth will be an official city holiday and official New York City schools holiday,” Mr. de Blasio said.
He said that every city employee and every student would have “an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of our history.”
It was a momentous-seeming announcement for the largest city in the country and the nation’s biggest school system, and headlines followed.
But one year later, even as President Biden is poised to make Juneteenth a national holiday for federal employees, Mr. de Blasio’s efforts have yet to yield their promised result. On Tuesday, just days before Juneteenth, municipal employees learned that they would not actually be getting an extra paid day off to commemorate the holiday this year.
Rather, city workers will need to use their pre-existing paid time off — an unused vacation day, for example — to celebrate the holiday, according to three city officials and a union official briefed on the matter.
Obamacare survives again
The Texas bill that would ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy is now law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed into law a bill that would almost immediately outlaw abortions in Texas if a court ruling or constitutional amendment gave states the authority to prohibit the procedure.
The governor’s signature on House Bill 1280 comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case about a Mississippi abortion law that could pave the way for more state restrictions on abortion access. A decision is expected some time next year, and it would be the first time the Court’s newly expanded conservative majority weighs in on the issue.
“A favorable ruling would make Texas one of the first states to end abortions,” the bill’s author, state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, said on Twitter. | Air crash | July 2016 | ['(New York magazine)'] |
American and Afghan officials announce five people died on Saturday in a clash involving American and Afghan army troops at a checkpoint in Maidan Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The circumstances are unclear. | KABUL, Afghanistan Only two days after joint operations between American and Afghan forces were said to be returning to normal, five people two Americans and three Afghans were killed when a pitched battle broke out between soldiers of the two sides, American and Afghan officials said Sunday. Afghan officials said that the clash on Saturday was a misunderstanding and that the Americans apparently attacked an Afghan National Army unit in error. A top coalition officer said the Americans were attacked first in what might possibly have been an insurgent attack. Nonetheless, he expressed regret for what ensued.
| Armed Conflict | September 2012 | ['(New York Times)'] |
Protests against French President Emmanuel Macron enter a fourth month in Paris. Tear gas is fired at protestors throwing stones at riot police in front of the Arc de Triomphe, news stands are torched at the Champs-Élysées, and a branch of Banque Tarneaud is burned. More than 80 arrests are made. Businesses around the Champs-Élysées are looted. | PARIS (Reuters) - Rioters set fire to a bank and ransacked stores on Paris’s Champs Elysees avenue on Saturday, in a new flare-up of violence as France’s yellow vest protests against President Emmanuel Macron and his pro-business reforms entered a fourth month.
Violence returns to French 'yellow vest' protests
01:25
Police fired tear gas and water cannon as the protests turned violent after weeks of relative calm, during which marches had attracted declining numbers of participants.
A Banque Tarneaud branch spewed flames before firefighters arrived and rescued a woman and her infant from the building, with 11 suffering minor injuries, the fire department said.
Rioters also set fire to an upmarket handbag store and two newsstands on the Champs Elysees, while scattered bonfires burned on the thoroughfare.
Protesters hurled cobblestones at riot police through clouds of tear gas in front of the Arc de Triomphe monument, which was ransacked at the peak of the protests in December.
Police arrested nearly 240 protesters as rioters looted stores around the Champs Elysees and wrecked the high-end Fouquet’s restaurant.
The canvas awning was later set on fire of the swanky brasserie, known in France as the place where conservative Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated his presidential election victory in 2007.
Macron cut short a weekend ski trip in the Pyrenees to return to the capital on Saturday night for a crisis meeting with ministers.
“We are attached to constitutional rights, but we’ve got people who through all means quite simply want to make a wreck of the republic, to break things and destroy, running the risk of getting people killed,” Macron said.
“I want us to very precisely analyse things and as quickly as possible take strong, complementary decisions so this doesn’t happen again,” he told ministers.
Police said 42 protesters, 17 of their own officers and one firefighter were injured.
The interior ministry estimated 10,000 people had participated in the protest in Paris, compared with 3,000 on the previous Saturday. Nationwide, protesters were estimated at 32,300, compared with 28,600 last week.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that although the protest was relatively small, there had been more than 1,500 “ultra violent” people out looking for trouble.
“They decided, perhaps as a swansong, to come attack - and I use their words - Paris,” Castaner said, adding that more than 1,400 police officers were mobilised.
A separate, peaceful march against climate change through central Paris drew as many 36,000 people, police estimated. Some 145,000 people marched nationwide.
Yellow vest protesters had promised to draw bigger numbers to mark the fourth month since the movement erupted in mid November over since-scrapped fuel tax hikes and the cost of living.
Named after the high-visibility vests French drivers have to keep in their cars and worn by protesters, the revolt swelled into a broader movement against Macron, his reforms and elitism.
However, the weekly demonstrations, held every Saturday in Paris and other cities, have been generally getting smaller since December, when Paris saw some of the worst vandalism and looting in decades.
After the spike in violence, Macron offered a package of concessions worth more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion) aimed at boosting the incomes of the poorest workers and pensioners.
His government ordered police to crack down on the protests in January, leading to complaints of police brutality.
The 41-year-old former investment banker also launched a series of national debates aimed at determining what policies people want the government to focus on. Saturday’s protests coincided with the end of the debates.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
An official report released after five years of research by the Dresden Historians' Commission states a reduced figure of as many as 25,000 people died in the 1945 bombing of Dresden. | Up to 25,000 people died in the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II - fewer than often estimated, an official German report has concluded.
The Dresden Historians' Commission published its report after five years of research into the 13-15 February 1945 air raid by Britain and the US. The study was aimed at ending an ongoing debate on the number of casualties in the German city. Germany's far-right groups claim that up to 500,000 people died. They say the bombing - which unleashed a firestorm in the historic city when Nazi Germany was already close to defeat - constituted a war crime. Critics say there was no military reason for it, but others argue that Dresden was an important logistical point close behind German lines, as the Soviet Army approached from the east. 'Crux of argument'
The Dresden commission said it had used records from city archives, cemeteries and other official registries and compared them with published reports and witness accounts to reach its conclusion. It also noted that fewer refugees fleeing the Eastern front were killed in the air raid then was previously thought, rejecting reports that many victims' bodies were never recovered. "Remembering the Allied bombings of Dresden... still carries importance for the social-political understanding of how history is seen, how society is shaped, and how identities are formed," the commission said. "In this debate, the number of people killed in the raids on Dresden has long been a crux of the argument that is key to certain views." | Armed Conflict | March 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(USA Today)', '(The Sydney Morning Herald)'] |
Emmerson Mnangagwa is fired as Vice President by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. The public and the media widely perceives Mugabe's wife Grace as his likely successor after his death with Mnangagwa having been seen as her rival. | Dismissal of Emmerson Mnangagwa, once seen as likely successor to Zimbabwe’s president, paves way for Grace Mugabe to take over
Last modified on Thu 8 Mar 2018 13.48 GMT
Robert Mugabe has fired his powerful vice-president, clearing the way for his wife, Grace, to succeed him as leader of Zimbabwe.
The information minister, Simon Khaya Moyo, told reporters at a press conference in Harare on Monday that Emmerson Mnangagwa had been removed from his post.
Moyo said Mnangagwa, 75, a former intelligence chief, had exhibited disloyalty, disrespect and deceitfulness.
Tensions are rising in Zimbabwe amid a deteriorating economy and a vicious struggle to succeed Mugabe, who is 93 and visibly ailing after 37 years in power. The sacking of Mnangagwa appears to settle that contest in favour of Mugabe’s wife, who is 52.
The first lady is far from a popular figure in Zimbabwe. Her image has suffered after an alleged assault on a model she found in the company of her sons in a luxury apartment in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Granted diplomatic immunity after the incident, Grace Mugabe was allowed to leave South Africa despite a police inquiry. She denies any wrongdoing.
Reports of extravagant purchases, including property in South Africa and a Rolls-Royce, have also angered many in Zimbabwe, where an economic crisis has deepened.
Until recently, Mnangagwa was tipped as Mugabe’s likely successor, partly because of his support within the country’s powerful security establishment and among veterans of Zimbabwe’s 1970s guerilla war.
Despite his alleged involvement in atrocities in the 1980s, Mnangagwa was also the preferred candidate of much of the international community, where he was seen as most likely to guarantee a stable transition and implement economic reforms.
The feud between Mnangagwa and Grace Mugabe has been bitter and public. Last month the first lady, who leads the women’s league of the ruling Zanu-PF party, publicly denied she was behind the attempted poisoning of her rival in remarks broadcast on state TV.
Mnangagwa claimed he had been poisoned when he fell ill at a rally in August and had to be airlifted to hospital in South Africa. The veteran official has seen his own political stock plummet after accusations from party rivals that he was plotting to get Mugabe to step down in his favour. He denies the accusation.
On Saturday, Grace Mugabe cranked up the pressure against Mnangagwa, calling him the “root cause of factionalism” that was gnawing at Zanu-PF. She also accused the vice-president’s supporters of booing her while she gave her speech.
“What if I get in [as vice-president]? What’s wrong with that? Am I not in the party? If people know that I work hard and they want to work with me, what is wrong with that?” the first lady said.
A visibly angry Mugabe told the same rally that he and his wife were tired of constant insults from people who identified themselves as Mnangagwa supporters.
Fears of the return of 2008’s hyperinflation have led to panic-buying and rocketing prices in Zimbabwe, while confidence in the parallel “bond note” currency, launched by the government nearly a year ago, has collapsed.
The fractured opposition, meanwhile, has been unable to channel national discontent into a strong play for power. The main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has health problems and recently received treatment in South Africa.
Elections are due in Zimbabwe next year.
Mnangagwa was appointed vice-president in 2014, taking over from Joice Mujuru, who was axed after Grace Mugabe launched a campaign accusing her of plotting to topple the president. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | November 2017 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The 2020 BNP Paribas Open is canceled due to coronavirus fears. This is one of the first major sporting events in the United States to be canceled over the coronavirus. | The 2020 BNP Paribas will not take place as previously scheduled because of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The tournament, which was to be held in March at Indian Wells, California, announced it "will not take place at this time due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and the safety of the participants and attendees at the event" after the Riverside County Public Health Department declared a public health emergency.
"There is too great a risk, at this time, to the public health of the Riverside County area in holding a large gathering of this size," Dr. David Agus, professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California, said. "It is not in the public interest of fans, players and neighboring areas for this tournament to proceed. We all have to join together to protect the community from the coronavirus outbreak."
The announcement also explained that anyone who bought tickets for the annual event can receive a full refund or a credit for tickets to the 2021 tournament.
Concerns about the coronavirus have led to the cancelation of a number of events, including the South by Southwest music festival and the International Ice Hockey Women's World Championship.
There has also been discussion that the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo could be canceled depending on the proliferation of the virus.
The BNP Paribas Open is one of the most notable non-major tennis tournaments of the year and routinely attracts some of the best players in the sport. Dominic Thiem defeated Roger Federer in the 2019 men's final, while Bianca Andreescu defeated Angelique Kerber in the 2019 women's final.
According to CNN, there are more than 500 cases of the coronavirus in the United States and more than 105,000 cases globally. It has led to the deaths of more than 3,500 people. | Sports Competition | March 2020 | ['(Indian Wells)', '(Bleacher Report)', '(News AU)'] |
Former Saudi Ministry of the Interior official Saad bin Khalid Al Jabry accuses Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of attempting to assassinate him in Canada, where he currently lives in exile, two weeks after the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The wouldbe assassins, believed to be the Tiger Squad, were stopped at Toronto Pearson International Airport after Canadian border officials became suspicious of them following interviews. | Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been accused of sending a hit-squad to Canada in order to kill a former Saudi intelligence official.
The failed plan to kill Saad al-Jabri was soon after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, court documents filed in the US allege.
Mr Jabri, a veteran of the government of Saudi Arabia, fled into exile three years ago.
He has been under private security protection in Toronto since.
The alleged plot failed after Canadian border agents became suspicious of the hit-squad as they attempted to enter the country at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, court documents say.
Mr Jabri, 61, was for years the key go-between for Britain's MI6 and other Western spy agencies in Saudi Arabia.
The 106-page unproven complaint, which was filed in Washington DC, accuses the crown prince of attempting to murder Mr Jabri in order to silence him. Mr Jabri says this is down to him possessing "damning information". The document says this includes alleged corruption and overseeing a team of personal mercenaries labelled the Tiger Squad.
Members of the Tiger Squad were involved in the murder of dissident journalist Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, it says.
"Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating and damning information about defendant bin Salman than the mind and memory of Dr Saad - except perhaps the recordings Dr Saad made in anticipation of his killing," the document says.
"That is why defendant bin Salman wants him dead, and why defendant bin Salman has worked to achieve that objective over the last three years."
After fleeing Saudi Arabia ahead of a purge by the all-powerful crown prince in 2017, Mr Jabri fled to Canada via Turkey. He alleges Mohammed bin Salman made repeated efforts to return him to Saudi Arabia, even sending private messages, including one that read: "We shall certainly reach you".
Then, less than two weeks after the murder of Khashoggi, Mr Jabri says the Tiger Squad travelled to Canada with the intention of killing him.
The court filing says the group - which included a man from the same department as the man accused of dismembering Khashoggi - were carrying two bags of forensic tools. However, Canadian border agents "quickly became suspicious" of the group and refused them entry after interviewing them, it says.
"Bin Salman in fact dispatched a hit squad to North America to kill Dr Saad," the claim asserts.
Mr Jabri is accusing the crown prince of attempted extrajudicial killing in violation of the US Torture Victim Protection Act and in breach of international law.
The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment. Canada's Federal Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair said he couldn't comment on the specific case but said the government was "aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada."
"It is completely unacceptable and we will never tolerate foreign actors threatening Canada's national security or the safety of our citizens and residents. Canadians can be confident that our security agencies have the skills and resources necessary to detect, investigate and respond to such threats," he said.
"We will always take the necessary action to keep Canadians and those on Canadian soil safe and we invite people to report any such threats to law enforcement authorities."
In May, the BBC reported that Mr Jabri's children had been seized as "hostages", according to his eldest son, Khalid.
For years he was the right-hand man to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was widely credited with defeating the al-Qaeda insurgency in the 2000s. He was also the linchpin in all Saudi Arabia's relations with the "Five Eyes" (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) intelligence agencies.
A quiet-spoken man with a doctorate in artificial intelligence from Edinburgh University, Mr Jabri rose to the rank of cabinet minister and held a major-general's rank in the interior ministry.
But in 2015 everything changed. King Abdullah died and his half-brother Salman ascended to the throne, appointing his young and untested son Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, as defence minister.
In 2017 Mohammed bin Salman carried out a bloodless palace coup with his father's blessing. He effectively usurped the next in line to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, becoming crown prince himself.
That deposed prince is currently arrested, his assets have been seized and those who worked for him have been removed from their posts. Mr Jabri then fled to Canada.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is found guilty by the Malaysian High Court and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and fined RM210 million (US$47 million). The High Court convicted Najib on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust over misappropriating over RM42 million (US$ 10 million) from 1Malaysia Development Berhad's former subsidiary SRC International to his personal bank accounts. | Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million (US$49.38 million) on Tuesday (Jul 28), following a guilty verdict in his first corruption trial involving millions of ringgit linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The charges include abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
High Court judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali said when reading the judgment: “I find that the prosecution has successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. I therefore find the accused guilty and convict the accused on all seven charges."
The charges against Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, involved the transfer of RM42 million from former 1MDB unit SRC International into his personal bank accounts in 2014 and 2015.
He was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of power.
For each count of criminal breach of trust, Najib was sentenced to 10 years' jail; for each count of money laundering, 10 years.
For abuse of power, Judge Nazlan handed out a sentence of 12 years' jail and a RM210 million fine. If Najib fails to pay the fine, a five-year jail sentence will be served in lieu.
All prison sentences are to run concurrently.
Najib has indicated that he will launch an appeal.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a statement that he respects the court's decision, while urging all parties to "have faith in the legal system and judiciary as a free and independent institution".
"I understand the feelings and sentiments some of you have on the verdict by the court. Despite this, I would (like) to stress that the Perikatan Nasional government will always uphold the rule of law," he added.
In mitigation, Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Najib was merely an over-trusting prime minister who had done no wrong.
“He has not even gotten a traffic summon before.
“He is only at fault for trusting the people who ought to run the company - both SRC and 1Malaysia Development Berhad. He is not the only PM to overtrust,” said the lawyer.
On his part, lead prosecutor V Sithambaram noted that no other Malaysian prime minister has been convicted in court. “This case had tarnished the image of the country,” he said.
“I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE RM42 MILLION”: NAJIB
Following the submissions by the defence and the prosecution, Najib said in court: “As a Muslim although I have said this before, let me say this again. I did not demand for the RM42 million. I did not plan for the RM42 million.”
“I did not offer the RM42 million and there is no evidence, no witness at all. Also I have no knowledge of the RM42 million,” he reiterated.
This was after the judge had earlier stated in his judgement that it was impossible for Najib to have not known of such large transactions in his bank accounts.
The court was told in the course of the trial that Najib was “shocked and upset” when he found out that millions of ringgit had been transferred into his private accounts.
Najib's defence team had argued that he was merely a victim of a conspiracy planned by fugitive financier Low Taek Jho commonly known as Jho Low.
Besides this trial, Najib is also facing two other 1MDB-linked trials. The corruption case related to an alleged money laundering of RM27 million will be tried at Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan's court from Jul 5 next year.
In 2018, after the Najib-led Barisan Nasional government was ousted in the 14th general election, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the next prime minister on his second stint in office, called for investigations on the 1MDB scandal to be reopened.
In the months that followed, Najib was barred from leaving the country and police had seized cash and other valuable items from premises linked to him. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | July 2020 | ['[disambiguation needed]', '(Malay Mail)', '(BBC)', '(Channel News Asia)'] |
Clashes in Gyumri, Armenia between police and protesters demanding the handover of a Russian soldier accused of killing six members of a local family leaves at least twelve people wounded. | At least 12 people have been wounded in clashes in Armenia between police and protesters demanding the handover of a Russian soldier accused of killing six members of a local family.
The violence erupted when thousands of protesters in Gyumri tried to march on the Russian consulate in Armenia's second-largest city.
Valery Permyakov, a soldier at a Russian base in Armenia, is suspected of killing the family on Monday.
He is being held at the Russian base.
Russia has promised to investigate the shootings, but has so far refused to hand the soldier over to Armenian authorities.
Earlier on Thursday, thousands of people attended funerals of the six members of the family - including a two-year-old girl - in Gyumri, about 120km (75 miles) north-west of the capital Yerevan.
The incident has raised tensions between Russia and Armenia, a close ally of Moscow in the Caucasus region.
| Armed Conflict | January 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
The British Board of Film Classification issues draft guidelines outlining how it plans to enforce planned blocks on online pornography unless it comes with age verification systems. The blocks were initially planned to come into force this month. | After the UK's planned introduction of a porn block was delayed in March, there are finally some more details on how the controversial system may actually work.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has published its draft guidelines for the regulation of the age-verification requirement for all pornographic websites. The changes are being introduced by the government to keep children from viewing pornography.
Later this year, the BBFC will be extending its existing role in film classification to take responsibility for the regulation of all pornography that's available via the internet to persons in the UK. The new age verification guidelines, originally scheduled to have come into force in April 2017, will apply to everyone and anyone who makes money from online porn, anywhere in the world – those who don't meet the requirements will have to be blocked by UK ISPs.
Tech and internet lawyer Neil Brown, director of decoded:Legal describes these international restrictions as "a key part of the 'stick' to bring overseas sites into compliance, if they do not want to lose ... traffic from UK visitors."
While the regulations only extend to commercial porn, a very wide definition of 'commercial' is being used, which is likely to cover ad-funded free pornography and independent, donor-funded, pay-what-you-want porn, as well as more traditional pay-to-view commercial operations.
It'll be down to the BBFC to decide whether a company is flouting its requirement to have age-verification in place. Due to the sheer volume of porn on the internet, its investigations will prioritise factors such as how frequently the site is visited, whether children are among its regular visitors and whether it's had the kind of media attention that would cause under-18s in the UK to seek it out.
The body will also be responsible for monitoring and taking action against content that's illegal in the UK.
The BBFC will contact online porn publishers that aren't complying with the rules, and they'll either have to add age verification or be subject to a range of punishments. These include notifications to their payment processor that they're in breach of the law, notices to any "ancillary service provider" that provides them with internet services, civil legal action against them following an enforcement notice and measures to block access to the content from UK ISPs.
Responsibility for implementing age verification "rests at all times with the person that makes pornographic material available online", which means that it's porn site creators, rather than hosting firms, that will have to implement age-based content blocks.
While the guidelines don't go into specifics, the BBFC notes that "a range of solutions to age-verify online is currently available on UK-hosted pornography services", including "credit card, passport, driving licence and mobile phone age verification."
Depending on how the system is implemented, this could result in some people in the UK not having the right documents to prove their identity in order to access porn, even if they wanted to hand over their personal details in such an intimate context.
A passport, the gold standard of British identity documents, costs £72.50, which is a significant sum to people on low incomes. Credit cards can easily push people in unmanageable debt, while individuals whose lives have been disrupted by factors such illness, family breakdowns or homelessness may struggle to assemble any of the forms of paperwork commonly used to prove identity in the UK.
The guidelines specify that "age-verification systems must be designed with data protection in mind", and must tell users when, where, why, how and by whom their data is processed, must request only the minimum data required to verify a user's age, must retain it for no longer than is required to achieve the purpose of age verification, and must be able to facility the user's rights of access, erasure and rectification.
Verifiers will be obliged to follow new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, as Brown points out, "'but there’s a law' is very different to 'and we can guarantee that your data are protected'."
While large porn publishers will be easily able to roll out the required changes, it's independent porn producers who potentially face the greatest challenges. Online porn giant Mindgeek, the parent company of sites including PornHub and RedTube, has told WIRED that it will offer its forthcoming AgeID system to UK-based independent porn producers free of charge. Others will have to pay for the service, and so far no details have been revealed of exactly how it'll work.
Whoever provides verification services, the responsibility for getting that blocking technology into place falls on individual porn publishers, and the chilling effect it could have on visitor numbers stands to most severely affect small businesses and independent workers.
Sex blogger Girl On The Net explains the potential impact: "I rely on income made through my site to pay my bills, so if my traffic drops significantly (as it inevitably will even if I manage to implement age verification, because plenty of people will understandably decide they don't want to hand over personal details to read a blog full of smut) then I'll effectively be out of a job. While it currently seems as if text-based pornography won't 'count' under the guidelines, I also make audio porn to try and increase site accessibility for visually impaired people, and it's possible that would be covered under the law too."
Adult content creators, especially those in already-marginalised groups – trans people, other LGBT+ folk, people of colour, disabled creators and people in poverty – have recently born the brunt of self-imposed content restrictions on platforms including crowdfunding sites Patreon and social media platform Tumblr.
For the purpose of the UK's porn block, social media, search engines, crowdfunding sites and other online platforms count as "ancillary service providers', these are covered by a dedicated set of draft guidelines and subject to fewer controls.
"They fall outside the scope of the obligation to have age verification in place, as they are not making pornography available on the internet but rather providing a platform for others to do so," Brown says. "The BBFC is empowered to send them a notice if their services are being used by pornographers who are not compliant with the Digital Economy Act — but there is no obligation on them to do anything as a result. It is expected that some ancillary service providers — payment processors — will take steps voluntarily, and I believe they have indicated a willingness to do so."
Pressure from a national regulator in combination with that willingness to act could easily prompt further content restrictions from platforms. Girl On The Net says: "We've already seen the financial impact on smaller pornographers of blocks and filtering of adult content on social media sites – adding age verification into the mix just makes life even harder for those of us who make a living off turning people on. "
In addition to the harm to independent creators and the potential risk of a breach in any system that could be involved in keeping bulk records of users' identities and – depending on how such systems are implemented and what data they record – sexual proclivities, an obvious problem with the UK government's proposed approach to state censorship is how easy it is to evade.
VPN services, including those with free tiers, such as Windscribe and TunnelBear, are readily available to both mobile and desktop internet users, who can use them to virtually relocate, via an encrypted tunnel, to a country with a less censorious attitude to adult content, such as the Netherlands.
And the government is aware of the situation. "The impact assessment for this part of the Act notes that this is the case, so I doubt anyone who has given it a moment’s thought sees it as anything more than a roadblock for the less technically enabled, even if/when site-blocking comes into play," Brown says.
There's nothing to stop under-18s from using such services, and any attempt to restrict VPN providers would represent an even more significant erosion of privacy rights and internet freedoms in the UK than even the present Digital Economy Act 2017.
Correction: 07/04/2018: This article has been updated to remove an inaccuracy in describing illegal content in the UK.
. | Government Policy Changes | April 2018 | ['(Wired)'] |
Bailiffs and police officers swoop in and evict peace protesters from Democracy Village in Parliament Square, Central London, England | Last week the Court of Appeal rejected an application by demonstrators at the camp, dubbed Democracy Village, who wanted to be allowed to remain.
Bailiffs and police moved in at about 0100 BST, although a handful of activists tied themselves to scaffolding.
They have now been removed and a fence has been put up around the square.
A group of people have continued their protest on the pavement with some brandishing banners emblazoned with "the dispossessed".
They say they will go back when the fence comes down.
However the eviction order is not to be applied to the best-known protester in Parliament Square, Brian Haw.
Mr Haw, from Redditch, Worcestershire, who has camped there since 2001, successfully fought to be allowed to continue his demonstration after it was made illegal to hold an unauthorised protest within a square mile of Parliament in 2007.
It took about 60 bailiffs four hours to remove all the protesters.
Londoner Maria Gallastegui, 51, said: "No-one was hurt but people were forcibly removed. "There are certainly a few bruises."
She added that at least one protester was chained to the scaffolding and another was on top of a lorry containing fencing which was to be put around the square.
Anti-war demonstrators and climate change activists had been among those who set up camp in the square, opposite the Houses of Parliament.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who took legal action to remove the Democracy Village, had criticised the spectacle as "nauseating". A spokeswoman for the mayor said the protest had caused "considerable damage" to the site.
"The square will now be closed temporarily, during which time the site will be restored for the use of Londoners, visitors to the capital and responsible protesters," she added.
The leader of Westminster Council Colin Barrow said he was "relieved this dreadful blight of Parliament Square has finally come to an end, and look forward to it being restored to its previous condition so all Londoners can visit and enjoy it".
He said it was wrong for the square to be "hijacked by vociferous minorities" who had turned it into "a squalid campsite".
Critics say other groups have been unable to use the square for their protests, and there have also been concerns about public health because of the lack of toilet facilities.
But although solicitors representing the protesters said there would be no appeal against the decision to uphold the eviction order, protest organiser Chris Knight said: "We're not going very far and we're not going away."
Some protesters have promised a wave of further demonstrations, dubbing the campaign "Operation Rolling Thunder". | Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
At least 11 people are killed in a fire at a filling station in the Ghanaian capital Accra. | Some 11 people have been pronounced dead, while several others are injured in last night’s Goil Filling Station raze at the Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
The number could go up, security officials say.
The filling Station, close to the main Nkrumah Circle branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank was completely razed down by fire in an havoc that lasted several hours.
A joint team of security personnel from the Fire Service, NADMO, and military, tried for hours to access the location but to no avail as the road leading to the location was flooded.
The fire, which started some few minutes past 10pm Wednesday evening, spread to nearby structures.
The incident is happening after a heavy downpour in Ghana’s capital Wednesday left thousands stranded. The rains, which fell for well over three hours caused heavy vehicular traffic.
While most parts of the capital including the Nkrumah Circle has been declared a “no go area’, several residential and office buildings have also been left wrecked.
A Producer for Kasapa FM‘s morning show, Kojo Preko Dankwa, told us he was stuck at one place for close to two and a half hours.
Real time updates on social media, paints a worrying situation.
Government has called for calm. A statement signed by Minister of Communications, Edward Omane Boamah reads:
“As a result of the rains in and around Accra over the past two days, many suburbs of Accra and surrounding parts have been heavily affected leading to heavy restriction of movement of people.
The traffic situation has worsened on some roads, and fast flowing rainwater is also impeding vehicular movement on some others.
The Achimota sub-station has been affected by the floodwater, leading to an emergency cut in power supply to a number of communities, which were otherwise not programmed to go off tonight.
Residents are informed that personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation have been deployed to intervene and provide emergency services to affected persons.
The general public is kindly advised to avoid fast moving rainwater, and areas they know have big drains. Stay on higher ground, where necessary, to prevent loss of life.
Should you require the urgent attention of any of the security and emergency services, please call any of these numbers:
0299005011
0299005084
0299005086
0299500099
192
Please remain calm, restrict your movement as much as possible as we work assiduously to address this national emergency.” | Fire | June 2015 | ['(Kasapa)'] |
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