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Three Egyptian protesters in Suez and one police officer in Cairo are killed in protests against president Hosni Mubarak. | Protesters taking to the streets in Egypt on Wednesday felt the wrath of security forces, a day after an unparalleled display of public rage at the government and full-throated cries for the ouster of the longtime president.
Police turned water cannons and tear gas on protesters in the early hours of Wednesday morning to try to break up anti-government demonstrations as the Interior Ministry warned it "will not allow any provocative movement or a protest or rallies or demonstrations."
In the heart of Cairo, people were being beaten with sticks and fists and demonstrators were being dragged away amid tear gas. Witnesses saw security forces harassing journalists and photographers. Demonstrations continued into the nighttime hours.
Egypt's official MENA news agency reported that at least 90 people were detained Wednesday while trying to demonstrate in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square.
The country's main opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, said Wednesday that 149 of its members were arrested during the protests.
The state-run Nile News TV reported violent clashes Wednesday night between security forces and protesters in Suez, a port city east of Cairo on the Gulf of Suez. At least 27 people were wounded, Nile News said, most of them police officers. Quoting provincial officials, the station said most of the clashes took place in the Alarbeen neighborhood and that looters attacked some shops.
The Muslim Brotherhood said 35 people were injured in Suez and that security forces in the city had implemented a curfew there Wednesday night. Egypt's Interior Ministry denied claims of curfews in parts of the country, MENA reported.
Dozens of Bedouins, meanwhile, gathered Wednesday in the Sheikh Zwayd area near Rafah -- close to Egypt's border with Gaza -- and tried to stop traffic on the international road by setting tires on fire and throwing rocks at cars, MENA reported.
The Interior Ministry urged "citizens to renounce attempts to bid and trade their problems and not lose sight of the consequences of provocation for those who attempt to try to open the door to a state of chaos or portray the situation in the country this way."
At least 10 journalists have been beaten by Egyptian security personnel during the demonstrations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
Lina Attalah, the managing editor of the English-language edition of the newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm, was attacked in downtown Cairo, CPJ reported.
"I started running, but four policemen pulled me by my hair and kicked me in my face and back," Attalah told CPJ by phone. "I tried telling them that I'm a journalist but they were too busy kicking me."
Her glasses were broken and police confiscated two cell phones, the journalists group said in a Wednesday statement.
The Committee to Protect Journalists also said Wednesday that Egyptian authorities have shut down the websites of two popular independent newspapers, Al-Dustour and El-Badil.
The clampdown comes after thousands of protesters spilled into the streets of Egypt on Tuesday in an unprecedented display of anti-government rage inspired in part by the tumult in another North African nation, Tunisia.
At least four people died in the Tuesday clashes, the Interior Ministry reported -- three protesters in Suez and one police officer in Cairo. It also said at least 102 security personnel were injured.
The Interior Ministry put the size of the Tuesday demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square at 10,000 at its peak, falling to 5,000. CNN estimated that demonstration peaked at 15,000 to 20,000.
But Wednesday is a work day in Egypt, so the numbers on the streets of Cairo were lower than they were on Tuesday, a holiday known as Police Day. Protesters had been expressing their anger over the rising cost of living, failed economic policies and corruption, but all those concerns were distilled into one overriding demand -- the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, a reliable American ally who has been in power for three decades.
Egyptian authorities have been aware of complaints, but protesters widely believe the government has simply paid lip service to their grievances.
There is talk among protesters about staging a big demonstration on Friday, after Muslim prayers.
Twitter said it was blocked for the second day on Wednesday but added that "some users are using apps/proxies to successfully tweet."
Magdi Radi, spokesman for Egypt's prime minister, told CNN that the government "didn't block Facebook, Twitter or any other website. He said that "the websites may have been slow because of the heavy usage."
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, a human rights group, on Wednesday underscored a "national demand" -- the dismissal of Interior Minister Habib Al-Adli.
"Yesterday, disengagement of peaceful gatherings by using excessive force was added to his crimes as well as arbitrary arrests of hundreds of citizens and detaining them in illegal locations, such as security camps of Darrasa in Cairo and Madinet el Salam at the outskirts of Cairo, two locations completely controlled by the Interior Ministry."
The group said police "turned into monsters attacking demonstrators, especially small clusters in side streets, without distinction between an elderly man or a woman or youth."
Organizers said they hope to capture the regional momentum for political change set by Tunisians, who forced the collapse of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year rule.
But Mubarak, unlike Ben Ali, remains in his country. Stories that Mubarak or any other member of his family left Egypt are "categorically false," said Karim Haggag, Egyptian Embassy spokesman in Washington.
Calling its relationship with Egypt "strong and friendly," the U.S. State Department regards Mubarak's help in maintaining security in the Mideast as critical.
The government, which has diplomatic relations with Israel, has helped forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians and has helped in efforts to stabilize Iraq, the State Department said.
It contributes to U.N. peacekeeping missions, "played a key role during the 1990-1991 Gulf crisis," and is a "key supporter of U.S. efforts against terrorists and terrorist organizations such as Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, the department said in a background note about Egypt.
U.S. military aid to Egypt totals over $1.3 billion annually, and the U.S. Agency for International Development has passed along more than $28 billion in economic and development assistance to the country since 1975.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that the Obama administration continues to monitor the situation. He called on all parties to refrain from violence and said authorities should lift bans on protests. Asked at Wednesday's briefing whether the U.S. continues to back Mubarak, Gibbs said that "Egypt is a strong ally."
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh spoke to reporters about the ferment in the Arab world.
Clinton urged freedom for people and called on Egyptian authorities not to block social media. She urged the countries in the region to enact reforms and expressed optimism that the leaders there can do so.
"It is something that everyone knows must be on the agenda of the government as they -- not just respond to the protests -- but as they look beyond to what needs to be done economically, socially, politically. And there are a lot of very well-informed, active, civil society leaders in Egypt who have put forward specific ideas for reform and we are encouraging and urging the Egyptian government to be responsive to that."
Jordan has experienced demonstrations over economic issues, and the foreign minister was asked whether the protests that raged in Tunisia and Egypt will spread.
Judeh said Jordan doesn't exist in an economic bubble and faces hardships that other lands endure. But he said the country is tackling a political and economic reform agenda and its system promotes freedom of expression. | Protest_Online Condemnation | January 2011 | ['(Xinhua)', '(CNN)'] |
Five thousand people are temporarily evacuated from Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, after a tank truck carrying hydrofluoric acid overturns. | A tractor-trailer carrying a dangerous acid overturned on a highway Saturday, prompting authorities to order thousands of residents to leave the area for almost nine hours.
The tanker, carrying 33,000 pounds of corrosive hydrofluoric acid, a component for household detergents, flipped on a sloping curve in the road at about 3 a.m. on the edge of Wind Gap, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia, and began leaking slowly.
Hydrofluoric acid in low doses can irritate the eyes, nose and respiratory tract, and in higher doses it can cause severe burns, chronic lung disease or even death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
At 7 a.m., officials ordered an evacuation of 944 households. They said about 5,000 people were in the affected area.
Northampton County spokesman John Conklin said the truck driver was treated at a hospital and was released. One of about 200 people at an evacuation center at a local high school was taken to a hospital for a condition unrelated to the hazardous-materials incident.
Emergency crews reported liquid dripping from the tanker's valves or piping, forcing them to don full-protection suits to stop the drip. The tanker truck was righted at about 3 p.m., and the evacuation order was lifted soon after, although the road, Route 33, remained closed in both directions. | Road Crash | March 2009 | ['(AP via ABC News)'] |
The death toll in cyclone-hit northern Mozambique has risen to 38, as aid workers struggle to reach the worst-affected areas. Seven people were also killed by the cyclone in Comoros. | Mozambique requires urgent life-saving relief to deal with the destructive aftermath of Cyclone Kenneth, an aid organisation has said. Save the Children says the humanitarian situation is significant and life-threatening and more funds are needed. The UN gave Mozambique and Comoros Island $13m (£10m) for food, water and repair of infrastructure. The death toll in cyclone-hit northern Mozambique is 38, but is expected to rise, officials say.
Meanwhile aid workers are scrambling to reach the areas that were worse hit by the cyclone. Happening now:Rains have paused this morning around Pemba and we are about to leave to Matemo Island with medical supplies from @UNICEF. Aid works will conduct assessments in the island, one of the worst-hit by #CycloneKenneth in #Mozambique.
The storm struck the southern African nation last week with winds of 220km/h (140mph), flattening villages and damaging thousands more homes.
It lost its strength, but torrential rain was still battering the area on Tuesday, with more expected.
As a result, aid efforts by air have been hindered. It is predicted the weather system will dump twice as much rainfall as Cyclone Idai, which struck last month, leaving more than 900 dead across southern Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The flood risk was compounded by Kenneth hitting at the end of the rainy season when river levels were already high, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) noted. Already, Pemba, the regional capital of Cabo Delgado state, has experienced more than 2m (6.5ft) of rain and flooding.
Aid workers have been trying to deliver medical and food supplies to people cut off by the flood waters before more rain falls on Tuesday. Nicholas Finney, Save the Children's response team leader, says that poor people in the region have been hardest hit. "Those who were already living on the brink of poverty have now been left with nothing. With donations dwindling, we're facing a critical situation," he said. According to Mozambique's National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC), 38 people have been killed by Cyclone Kenneth, while another 35,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged.
The privately-owned O Pais website reported five people died after part of a rubbish dump collapsed onto homes in Pemba on Sunday evening. It is unclear if these deaths are recorded in the government total.
Ocha says humanitarian needs "have sky-rocketed, and the humanitarian response will need to rapidly scale up".
Some 200,000 people are in danger in Pemba alone, Ocha warned. Spokesman Saviano Abreu added that the situation in the northern towns of Macomia and Quissanga was critical, while there were also worries for the cut-off island of Ibo.
But attempts to reach those areas had not been entirely successful.
"We managed to send one flight with World Food Programme (WFP) supplies of rice and biscuits, and some non-food items," Mr Abreu told news agency AFP. "But unfortunately the weather conditions are changing too fast and threatening the operation. It's raining again and the second flight couldn't go."
This satellite image shows the cyclone over northern Mozambique and Tanzania on Friday night.
On Sunday a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was appealing for "additional resources" from the international community "to fund the response in the immediate, medium and longer term".
Tropical cyclones in this part of the Indian Ocean are not that rare.
However, according to the BBC's Environment Correspondent Matt McGrath, Cyclone Idai was the seventh such major storm of the Indian Ocean season when it struck back in March. That is more than double the average for the time of year.
What's even more unusual, however, is the fact Idai and Kenneth hit in such quick succession.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), "there is no record of two storms of such intensity striking Mozambique in the same season". It is especially unusual in the context of the trend which has seen tropical cyclones in the region decrease slightly over the past seven decades.
But it is far too early - and too small a sample size - to say whether this frequency is a direct result of climate change. Instead, experts point to other elements making the storm's impact worse which they know are related to climate change.
"There is absolutely no doubt that when there is a tropical cyclone like this, then because of climate change the rainfall intensities are higher," Dr Friederike Otto, from the University of Oxford, told the BBC in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai.
"And also because of sea-level rise, the resulting flooding is more intense than it would be without human-induced climate change."
Cabo Delgado province is not as densely populated as the area hit by Cyclone Idai, and there is apparently more high ground there.
That, in addition to warnings by authorities ahead of the storm, could significantly stem losses compared with Cyclone Idai.
But reports said many thousands of homes had been flattened by the winds, and the area has been hit by militant Islamist violence in recent months, which could complicate humanitarian operations.
Thousands of people had already fled their homes to seek shelter from violence in camps for displaced people.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | April 2019 | ['(BBC)', '(ReliefWeb)'] |
American Republican politician Bill McCollum proposes stricter immigration legislation for the U.S. state of Florida, similar to that in the U.S. state of Arizona. | Florida's attorney general today promised to introduce laws emulating – and exceeding – the draconian clampdown on undocumented immigrants recently attempted by Arizona.
The proposed legislation would put the sunshine state at the forefront of the anti-immigrant moves rapidly sweeping across the US.
Architects of the plans boast they will be the harshest anti-illegal immigration laws yet, a claim that could have an incendiary effect in Florida given the state's high proportion of Latinos.
Bill McCollum, Florida's attorney general, is the main proponent of the clampdown. He said the legislation would "provide new enforcement tools for protecting our citizens and will help our state fight the on-going problems created by illegal immigration. Florida will not be a sanctuary state for illegal aliens."
Under the proposals, police would be required to investigate the immigration status of anyone they stopped whom they suspected of being illegally in the country. Any suspects lacking papers would be liable to up to 20 days in jail after which time they would be handed over to the immigration services for deportation.
In an innovation that goes beyond anything tried in Arizona, the Florida law would allow local courts to impose longer prison sentences and tougher bail conditions on anyone committing a crime in the state who is found to be undocumented.
Critics of the increasingly hostile mood of local politicians in states across America towards illegal immigrants accuse them of pandering to popular white prejudices towards Hispanics in order to garner electoral support.
In Florida's case, McCollum is currently embroiled in a close electoral fight to gain the Republican party's nomination for governor of the state ahead of elections in November.
His Republican rival for the candidacy, Rick Scott, accused McCollum of devising policy specifically for electoral gain. His spokesman told the Miami Herald: "It's clear the only way to get McCollum to take any action on anything is when he's down in the polls."
McCollum and his supporters in Florida are highly mindful of the fact that Arizona's attempt to force the police to check on the immigration status of suspected undocumented workers has been blocked by the federal government in a legal dispute that is likely to go all the way to the supreme court.
McCollum claims to have avoided a similar challenge from the Obama administration by being more specific about the circumstances under which officers are obliged to check immigration papers.
In particular, McCollum said the proposed new rules would avoid any whiff of racial profiling against Hispanics — an accusation widely levelled at Arizona where the vast majority of undocumented residents are Mexican.
Under the planned law, police would need to have a concrete reason for suspicion such as an altered driving licence or an admission from the suspect that they were in the country without permission.
"It's not how you look, it's not what you say," McCollum said.
Despite his insistence that his proposals would be less likely to provoke federal intervention, they are likely to face a challenge. The Obama administration is alarmed that immigration policy is spinning out of its control as individual states seek to make their own rules. | Government Policy Changes | August 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)'] |
The United States Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey resigns over poor conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. President Bush later orders a full review of health care available to returning soldiers. | WASHINGTON, March 2 — The Secretary of the Army, Francis J. Harvey, resigned today amid the fallout over revelations of shabby conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, once considered the very symbol of fine medical care for military men and women.
A grim-faced Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Mr. Harvey’s resignation at the Pentagon this afternoon, only hours after President Bush ordered a top-to-bottom investigation into the medical care available to returning veterans. The White House move came a day after the firing of the two-star general in charge of Walter Reed.
Mr. Gates said he was “disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed.” Then he said he was reversing a move announced just a day earlier by Mr. Harvey, and that by late today Walter Reed would have a new permanent commander.
“This flagship institution must have its new leadership in place as quickly as possible,” Mr. Gates said. Advertisement
Mr. Gates took no questions after announcing Mr. Harvey’s departure, leaving the strong impression that Mr. Harvey, who has been Army secretary since Nov. 19, 2004, had been pushed out as a direct result of the problems at Walter Reed, or at the very least that he had offered his resignation and that it had been quickly accepted. Mr. Gates said Pete Geren, the under secretary of the Army, would be acting secretary until a replacement for Mr. Harvey is picked.
Earlier, the White House said that in his regular Saturday radio address this week, the president will say he intends to name a bipartisan commission to conduct “a comprehensive review of care that America is providing our wounded servicemen and women.” “The review will examine their treatment from the time they leave the battlefield through their return to civilian life as veterans, so we can assure we are meeting their physical and mental health needs,” said Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman.
The president will announce the members of the bipartisan commission in the next several days, Ms. Perino said. She said Mr. Bush would reflect in his Saturday address on his “solemn experiences” visiting men and women recovering from wounds suffered in battle.
The general in charge of the Walter Reed hospital was relieved of his command on Thursday following disclosures that wounded soldiers who were being treated as outpatients there were living in dilapidated quarters and enduring long waits for treatment.
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The officer, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, a physician and a graduate of West Point, was removed from command because Mr. Harvey “had lost trust and confidence” in his ability to make improvements in outpatient care at Walter Reed, the Army said in a brief statement on Thursday.
The Army said on Thursday that command of Walter Reed would be taken over temporarily by Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the Army’s top medical officer. That announcement, made without the knowledge of Mr. Gates, infuriated the defense secretary, who reversed Mr. Harvey, Pentagon officials said today.
Those officials said Mr. Gates believed General Kiley would be viewed as part of the problem at Walter Reed, rather than part of the solution, since he headed the hospital complex before General Weightman, and some of the troubles arose under General Kiley.
Mr. Gates may have been alluding to Mr. Harvey’s tapping of General Kiley when he said, “Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems.”
The revelations about conditions at the hospital, one of the Army’s best-known and busiest centers for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, have embarrassed the Army and prompted two investigations, several Congressional inquiries and a rush to clean up the accommodations for outpatients, where residents lived with moldy walls, stained carpets and other problems.
A series of disclosures published prominently in The Washington Post about the living conditions, the red tape ensnarling treatment and other serious problems have challenged the notion promoted for years by the Army, especially since the war in Iraq, that wounded soldiers receive unparalleled care at Walter Reed.
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Army officials have defended the treatment provided to most patients at Walter Reed, especially the most serious cases, those admitted to inpatient wards on the hospital’s campus a few miles from the center of Washington.
But they have acknowledged that the large number of wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan, currently around 650 patients, has taxed doctors, nurses and other care providers and forced them to rely more heavily on overflow facilities to house outpatients who must remain near the hospital for treatment.
The Army has admitted in recent weeks that the system it uses to decide whether wounded soldiers who have been moved to outpatient status will be able to return to active duty often takes too long and has promised to change the system. At Walter Reed the process has taken an average of more than 200 days, a source of frustration to soldiers and families who are awaiting decisions about what benefits they will receive if they retire.
Treatment of wounded soldiers has also been spotlighted recently in a documentary recounting the treatment received by the ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff, who was wounded in Iraq last year. Mr. Woodruff contrasted his care with that of soldiers, finding that Veterans Administration regional medical centers provide retired soldiers with good care but that local V.A. hospitals are less skilled at dealing with complex problems like traumatic brain injuries.
Mr. Harvey told reporters Thursday that the Army was also examining conditions at other medical facilities, both in the United States and abroad. “We’ll fix as we find things wrong,” he said.
Paralleling the Army effort, Defense Secretary Gates appointed a panel last week to examine conditions at Walter Reed and other Defense Department hospitals it chooses, including the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Mr. Gates endorsed the decision to relieve General Weightman in a statement Thursday.
“The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government,” he said. “When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command.”
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Mr. Gates had signaled earlier, after a visit to Walter Reed, that senior officials would probably be relieved of command.
A Pentagon official said that, in addition to General Weightman, a captain, two noncommissioned officers, and an enlisted soldier involved in outpatient treatment were being reassigned. He said he could not provide further information because of Defense Department confidentiality rules.
General Weightman assumed command of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center on August 25, 2006. He oversees medical facilities in seven other states in addition to Walter Reed and is one of the most senior officers to be relieved in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He could not be reached for comment.
A 1973 graduate of the United States Military Academy, General Weightman received a medical degree in 1982 from the University of Vermont and has held a series of medical commands in the past two decades, including “land component command surgeon” during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In comments to reporters on Feb. 16, just before the first of a series of articles was published by The Post, General Weightman conceded that there were problems with outpatient care at Walter Reed, but said that improvements were being made.
“The family members get a little frustrated because, I mean, we are really disrupting their lives,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
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In the last year, General Weightman said, Walter Reed had increased to 17 from 4 the number of caseworkers charged with helping outpatients with the paperwork and other requirements of the patient disability evaluation system, which determines whether soldiers can remain in the military or retire with full benefits.
He said that the process often took months or years at Walter Reed because the hospital handled some of the most complex medical cases, involving head trauma and other conditions that made gauging recovery difficult.
Outpatients at Walter Reed have received initial treatment but require further care or rehabilitation before retiring from the armed forces or returning to active duty.
Addressing reports that recovering soldiers were asked to attend daily inspection, even when under medication, Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman, said that there would be periodic inspections in the outpatient facilities. Mr. Boyce added that soldiers who are able were asked to attend a daily morning meeting where treatment options and other information were discussed but that the sessions were not inspections.
Mr. Boyce said the worst conditions in the outpatient residences had been corrected but added the Army was planning to make more repairs, like replacing a faulty heating and air-conditioning system that was the cause of the mold on the walls. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | March 2007 | ['(New York Times)'] |
Japan and the United Kingdom reach a tentative free trade agreement, which British trade secretary Liz Truss hails as the UK's "first major post-Brexit trade deal". | The U.K. and Japan on Friday agreed in principle to a trade deal, in a move that sees the U.K. strike its first major agreement post-Brexit.
The announcement, which the U.K. hailed as a “historic moment,” comes as Britain struggles to secure an agreement with its closest trading partners in the European Union.
Britain’s trade department said U.K. businesses would benefit from tariff-free trade on 99% of exports to Japan. It also suggested the deal would see the country increase trade with Japan by £15.2 billion ($19.5 billion).
The deal will include digital and data provisions that go “far beyond” the EU-Japan deal, Britain claimed, enabling the “free flow of data whilst maintaining high standards of protection for personal data.”
The tentative agreement, which will require the approval of both the U.K. and Japanese parliaments, is scheduled to come into the force at the end of the year.
“This is a historic moment for the UK and Japan as our first major post-Brexit trade deal,” Liz Truss, U.K. international trade secretary, said in a statement.
“Strategically, the deal is an important step towards joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership and placing Britain at the centre of a network of modern free trade agreements with like-minded friends and allies,” Truss said.
Sterling traded at $1.2817 during lunchtime deals, around 0.1% higher for the session.
Negotiations between the U.K. and Japan started on June 9. Since then, Britain said more than 100 negotiators had met via remote means or in-person to negotiate the deal.
Late last month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced his intention to step down, citing health reasons. The 65-year-old said he would fulfill his duties as prime minister until the next leader is appointed.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this year that Britain could become the Superman of global trade, striking lucrative agreements on its own terms following the country’s exit from the EU in January.
The proposed deal with Japan marks the first major deal for the world’s fifth-largest economy post-Brexit.
Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, described the agreement as a “breakthrough moment” that would be “welcomed by businesses across the country.”
“Business will help support the Government in its efforts to secure more trade deals around the world and promote their benefits to communities. The Japan deal can be the first of many,” Fairbairn said.
However, critics of Johnson’s “global Britain” agenda suggest free trade agreements with countries around the world are unlikely to offset exports lost to the EU if it cannot reach an agreement with Brussels.
The U.K. and EU are currently at loggerheads over Britain’s so-called Internal Market Bill. The bill, proposed earlier this week, seeks to amend part of the country’s Brexit deal with the EU. If approved, it would allow ministers to change parts of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement, negotiated last year.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, a government minister, has since conceded the Internal Market Bill would “break international law.”
In response, the U.K.’s opposition Labour party has condemned the proposal, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she was “very concerned about the announcement from the British government.”
Stateside, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House and a vocal Democrat lawmaker, said Wednesday that if the U.K. violates its international agreements, “there will be absolutely no chance of a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement passing the Congress.”
The U.K. and the EU are currently trying to reach a trade agreement before the end of the transition period on December 31, with the U.K. set to go onto World Trade Organization rules if no agreement is reached. | Sign Agreement | September 2020 | ['(CNBC)'] |
Bryce Dejean–Jones, a National Basketball Association player with the New Orleans Pelicans, is shot dead in Dallas, Texas, after breaking down an apartment bedroom door. | New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce Dejean-Jones has died at the age of 23, the Dallas County coroner's office confirmed to Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune on Saturday.
Shams Charania of The Vertical reported Dejean-Jones bled to death after suffering a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Per Sarah Mervosh of the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Police Department confirmed Dejean-Jones was shot after entering into an apartment complex:
#BREAKING NBA player @B2nyce was shot breaking into an apartment in Dallas, per @DallasPD. https://t.co/yxvPFZTKyj https://t.co/AI7Ok6WewE
Dejean-Jones' agent Scott Nichols said his client was visiting his girlfriend for his daughter's first birthday, and mistakenly entered the wrong apartment unit, per CNN.com.
"There is no information that suggests the deceased [Bryce] Dejean-Jones knew the apartment resident, or was armed as he entered the apartment," said police spokesman DeMarquis Black, via CNN.
Former Iowa State head coach and current Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg expressed his sympathies via a school press release:
"We are deeply saddened to learn the tragic news about Bryce. I'm grateful that our paths crossed in this life. Bryce was a passionate and talented player that lived out his dream of playing in the NBA through hard work and perseverance. It's an incredibly sad day for me and all of Iowa State University. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryce's family."
The Pelicans also released a statement about the death of Dejean-Jones, via their official Twitter account:
"It is with deep sadness that the Pelicans organization acknowledges the sudden passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones. We are devastated at the loss of this young man's life who had such a promising future ahead of him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryce's family during this difficult time."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver provided a statement regarding Dejean-Jones' death:
Marc Spears of ESPN provided the NBPA's statement:
NBPA statement on passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones. https://t.co/VnISXroYBz
Minnesota Timberwolves star Shabazz Muhammad also expressed his thoughts:
I just lost my best friend/cousin last night enjoy life because you never know if tomorrow is guaranteed love you soldier ! #RIPBDJ
Iowa State point guard Monte Morris tweeted a picture of himself and Dejean-Jones:
Never forget! #RIP. Love https://t.co/koxCvlpJAU
Dejean-Jones played college basketball at USC (2010-11), UNLV (2012-14) and Iowa State (2014-15). After going undrafted in 2015, he played for the Pelicans during Las Vegas Summer League and signed a deal with them in August. After going through training camp with New Orleans, the team waived him a few days before the 2015-16 season began.
The NBA Development League's Idaho Stampede acquired Dejean-Jones off waivers in mid-December. He averaged 19.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in nine games with the team throughout December and January.
The Pelicans signed Dejean-Jones to a 10-day contract on Jan. 21. He appeared in 14 games, making 11 starts, and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. A right wrist fracture ended his rookie season in February.
A week prior to undergoing wrist surgery, the Pelicans signed Dejean-Jones to a partially guaranteed three-year contract, per Charania. His best game came against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 4, when he scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 99-96 loss.
| Famous Person - Death | May 2016 | ['(Bleacher Report)', '(ESPN)'] |
A letter bomb explodes at the office of the International Monetary Fund in Paris, injuring one person. | A letter bomb that exploded at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) office in Paris was sent from Greece, officials there say.
The IMF employee who opened the letter received hand and face injuries, and staff were evacuated.
It came after a parcel bomb meant for German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was intercepted on Wednesday.
Greek far-left group the Conspiracy of Fire Cells claimed responsibility for sending that device.
French President Francois Hollande has noted a "similarity" between the two incidents.
"We are trying to establish the causes of what happened as part of an international investigation," he said.
IMF director Christine Lagarde condemned the "cowardly act of violence" against IMF staff.
Ms Lagarde said in a statement that the IMF was working closely with the French authorities to investigate the letter blast. Greece's deputy minister for public order, Nikos Toskas, sad in a TV interview that the letter bomb was sent in the name of Vassilis Kikilias, a senior opposition politician from the conservative New Democracy party.
It bore a return address of an office in Greece "that is no longer in use", he said. The letter bomb sent on Wednesday to Mr Schaeuble, which was intercepted and destroyed before it could explode, was sent in the name of Adonis Georgiadis, New Democracy's vice-chairman.
The explosive sent to the IMF was like a "big firecracker" and was sent by post, Paris police chief Michel Cadot said.
The office is located on the Avenue Iena, in a central district of the city centre near the Champs Elysees.
The IMF is one of three organisations, along with the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB), which bailed out the Greek government after it came close to defaulting on its debts. In Germany, Mr Schaeuble is hosting the new US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The device sent to his ministry, which was intercepted in the mailroom, was designed to cause "severe injuries" when it was opened, local police said in a statement. | Armed Conflict | March 2017 | ['(IMF)', '(BBC)'] |
Four British police officers are charged with beating, dragging, punching, stamping and mocking "terror suspect" Babar Ahmad after arresting him in Tooting, South London in 2003; the suspect, a 36yearold IT worker, was later deemed innocent. | London, England (CNN) -- Four British police officers have been charged with assault in connection with the arrest of a British terrorism suspect seven years ago, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced Thursday.
Babar Ahmad was arrested at his home in Tooting, south London, in December 2003 on British terrorism charges. During the course of the arrest, according to the CPS, Ahmad "suffered a number of injuries, including heavy bruising to the head, neck, wrists, and feet."
The CPS said it is bringing charges of causing actual bodily harm against four officers involved, named by London's Metropolitan Police Service as Police Constables Rod James-Bowen, Nigel Cowley and Mark Jones, and Detective Constable John Donohue.
All four must appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 22.
The announcement marks a reversal of an earlier CPS decision not to bring charges against the officers and comes a year after Ahmad was awarded 60,000 ($93,500) compensation from the police in a civil case brought at Britain's High Court.
'I am pleased that the CPS has decided that a jury will hear the evidence in this case and it will now be for the jury to determine whether any police officer should be punished for the assault upon me in December 2003," Ahmad said in a statement through his solicitor, Fiona Murphy.
The Metropolitan Police said it is now considering whether there should be any restriction or suspension of the officers.
Ahmad was released without charge after his initial arrest. A year later, however, in 2004, he was arrested again on a U.S. extradition request and is currently in Long Lartin prison in central England fighting transfer to the United States.
He is wanted by the United States for allegedly running a website that raised funds for Islamist militant groups in Chechnya and Afghanistan.
A European Court has yet to rule on whether extraditing Ahmad would breach the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ahmad's case has prompted criticism of policing methods, particularly among Britain's Muslims, a fact acknowledged by the Metropolitan Police Authority, which oversees the work of London's main police force.
"This case has serious implications for policing in London," the MPA said in a statement. "The allegations have damaged public confidence in the way police officers carry out their duties and Londoners have the right to expect that if found to have acted improperly, officers will be held to account." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Wandsworth Guardian)', '(The Independent)', '(The Guardian)', '(ABC News)', '(CNN)'] |
Voters in the Philippines go to the polls to elect new members of the Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines, as well as various other local positions. | MANILA — Millions of Filipinos voted Monday to choose half of the nation’s Senate in what was widely seen as a proxy battle between President Rodrigo Duterte and politicians opposed to his deadly war on drugs.
Throughout the day, the police reported scattered incidents of violence and voter intimidation, including a shooting that injured five people at one voting area, as well as bombings believed to be connected to the elections.
| Government Job change - Election | May 2019 | ['(The New York Times)'] |
Ali Larijani is reelected chairman of the Iranian Parliament for a one year term while Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Motahari are elected deputy chairpersons. All three elected members were supported by List of Hope in the recent election. | TEHRAN — A leading conservative was re-elected speaker of Iran’s Parliament on Tuesday, denying reformists a post they thought they had earned with a big win in February elections.
In a mild surprise, an overwhelming majority of Iran’s lawmakers chose a conservative candidate, Ali Larijani, who has held the position since 2008. Mr. Larijani, 57, scion of a powerful Iranian family, is not considered a die-hard conservative, as he managed the Parliament’s approval last summer of the nuclear agreement with Western powers.
| Government Job change - Election | May 2016 | ['(Yahoo! news)', '(Xinhau net)', '(The New York Times)'] |
At least 22 Hindu pilgrims died after a van they are travelling in falls into a reservoir in the southern Indian town of Dhavaleswaram in Andhra Pradesh. | A 12-YEAR-OLD child is the sole survivor of a van crash which killed at least 22 Hindu pilgrims in southern India.
AT least 22 Hindu pilgrims were killed when a van they were travelling in fell into a reservoir in south India.
TEN women and six children were among the victims in the accident on Saturday at Andhra Pradesh state's Dowleswaram dam.
Originally published asIndian van crash kills 22 Hindu pilgrims | Road Crash | June 2015 | ['(AAP via News Limited)'] |
A Sri Lankan journalist is jailed for 20 years on charges of "inciting racial hatred" and "supporting terrorism" for writing articles critical of the government's military operations. | A Sri Lankan reporter, recently named by US President Barack Obama as an example of the way journalists are persecuted around the world, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for writing articles critical of the government's military operations.
In a case that campaigners say highlights a campaign of intimidation against the country's independent media, JS Tissainayagam was jailed after a court decided he had breached harsh anti-terror laws. He is the first journalist to be convicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Mr Tissainayagam, an experienced columnist who wrote for several publications including the now defunct Northeastern Monthly magazine, had written several articles in 2006 and 2007 in which he accused the government of withholding food and other essentials from Tamil-majority areas as a weapon of war. The court decided that his articles broke the law because they were designed to create agitation between the Tamil minority and the Sinhala majority. "The constitution guarantees media freedom, but no one has a right to deliberately publish false reports that would lead to communal violence," said the government prosecutor Sudarshana de Silva.
Last night campaigners condemned the decision and called for Mr Tissainayagam, who was arrested in May last year, to be set free. Yolanda Foster of Amnesty International, which has named the journalist a prisoner of conscience, said he had been jailed purely for expressing his opinions. "Our position is that he should be released, and we would also call on the government to repeal [this legislation]," she said.
Mr Tissainayagam's lawyer insisted that his client, who was also accused of having links to Tamil rebels, was innocent of the charges, and said he would appeal. The journalist signed a confession but retracted it, saying it had been written under duress.
"He was never a racist and he at no time tried to arouse hatred," said his lawyer, Anil Silva, describing Mr Tissainayagam as a champion for human rights. "This is a good lesson for all journalists to be cautious when writing in future. He lost his job in the 1980s when talking about labour union rights. Now, he lost his freedom when talking about Tamil rights."
Earlier this year, President Obama highlighted the detention of the Sri Lankan columnist when the White House issued a statement to mark Press Freedom Day. "In every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed: from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, Burma to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Eritrea," he said. "Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like JS Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka, or Shi Tao and Hu Jia in China."
Campaigners say the case of Mr Tissainayagam highlights the pressure that independent journalists in Sri Lanka have been under since the election of the country's current President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was determined to end the country's long-running civil war and crush the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and campaigners say the government has been equally resolute about refusing to allow criticism.
Press campaigners say that at least 14 journalists and other media workers have been killed since the beginning of 2006, and scores have fled the country. While officials claim the Sri Lankan media is independent, many reporters privately admit to a degree of self-censorship.
Tamil reporters are particularly fearful of angering the government. A number of international journalists who have angered the government have been either expelled or threatened with expulsion. In June, the government said it would re-establish a powerful press council with the authority to jail journalists it found guilty of defamation or inaccurate reporting.
"There is no press freedom in this country today, even after the war is over," Sirithunga Jayasuriya, a local media rights activist, told Reuters.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | September 2009 | ['(The Independent)'] |
In Brazil, prosecutors lodge corruption charges against Speaker of the Lower House Eduardo Cunha and former President Fernando Collor de Mello, alleging illegal activities involving the state-owned oil company, Petrobras. , , | Brazilian prosecutors investigating a major corruption scandal have filed charges against the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha. He is accused of taking $5m (3.2m) in bribes to secure contracts with the state oil giant, Petrobras. Mr Cunha denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated. He is an outspoken critic of President Dilma Rousseff.
Charges have been submitted against ex-President Fernando Collor de Mello.
Mr Collor de Mello was in power between 1990 and 1992, when he resigned hours before the Senate was due to vote on his impeachment for corruption.
Brazil's Attorney General, Rodrigo Janot, has accused Mr Cunha of corruption and money laundering.
The charges against Mr Collor de Mello have not been disclosed.
He was on a previous list of people under investigation over the Petrobras corruption scandal. He has also denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Collor de Mello's office has posted a message on Facebook accusing the attorney general of "playing for the media".
"Everything could have been clarified had the senator been given the right to examine the accusations and offer his explanations," reads the post.
Mr Collor de Mello says he is "the main victim of this plot". The Supreme Court will now have to decide whether to accept the charges.
As congressmen, both men would be tried by the Supreme Court.
Mr Cunha said earlier this week that he would remain in his post as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies even if he was indicted.
"I am not going to stand down in any way. I am going to carrying on doing the job I was elected to to by the majority of the House," he said.
Dozens of politicians, businessmen and civil servants have been charged over the past year in connection with the Petrobras scandal.
The corruption allegations and Brazil's economic crisis have helped push Ms Rousseff's popularity to record low figures. She was head of Petrobras for several years but has not been implicated in the scandal.
Last month, Mr Cunha left the biggest party in the governing coalition, PMDB, in order to join a campaign calling for Ms Rousseff's impeachment.
Ms Rousseff, from the left-wing Workers Party, was re-elected in October to a second four-year term.
Her supporters say calls for her impeachment amount to a coup attempt by right-wing politicians defeated in last year's polls.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2015 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(BBC)', '(The Guardian)'] |
Atlantabased rapper 21 Savage is taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , accusing him of actually being a British national who has been in the United States unlawfully since his visa expired in July 2006. | Recording Artist 21 Savage attend his 21 Savage And His Leading By Example Foundation Host 3rd Annual Issa Back 2 School Drive on August 5, 2018, in Decatur, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Leading By Example Foundation) ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Federal authorities detained the rapper known as 21 Savage during an immigration enforcement operation in metro Atlanta Sunday morning. Agents said the man, whose real name is Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is in the country illegally and is also a convicted felon.
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The rapper, songwriter, and record producer was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying his visa. The 26-year-old is a British national who arrived in America at the age of 14, according to the feds. Authorities said under the terms of his non-immigrant visa, 21 Savage was required to leave the U.S. by July 2006.
SEE ALSO:Atlanta's Trap Museum opens hall of fame exhibit
The feds say he was convicted on drug charges in Fulton County in 2014. Officials say more charges are possible.
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ICE released the following statement:
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested unlawfully present United Kingdom national Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph AKA “21 Savage” during a targeted operation with federal and local law enforcement partners early Sunday in metro Atlanta. Mr. Abraham-Joseph was taken into ICE custody as he is unlawfully present in the U.S. and also a convicted felon.
"Mr. Abraham-Joseph initially entered the U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa and he became unlawfully present in the U.S. when his visa expired in July 2006. In addition to being in violation of federal immigration law, Mr. Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia.
"Mr. Abraham-Joseph is presently in ICE custody in Georgia and has been placed into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts. ICE will now await the outcome of his case before a federal immigration judge to determine future actions.”
No word yet from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Georgia on those charges.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for 21 Savage says she is working to get the Grammy-nominated rapper out of federal immigration detention.
Lawyer Dina LaPolt said in an email to the Associated Press that she is working with authorities "to clear up any misunderstandings." She says Abraham-Joseph is a role model to many young people in the U.S., especially in Atlanta.
21 Savage is best known for his single “X” off the Metro Boomin collaborative album Savage Mode released in 2016. He also collaborated with Drake on the single “Sneakin.” | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2019 | ['(ICE)', '(Fox 5 Atlanta)'] |
British pop singer George Michael is released from a Suffolk prison after serving 4 weeks for driving while under the influence of cannabis. , | Pop star George Michael has said he "just wants to start again" following his release from prison in Suffolk after serving a sentence for drug driving.
The 47-year-old said it was "fantastic" to be free on "a beautiful day".
"I just want to say thank you for everybody who has supported me in there," the singer told reporters outside his north London home.
Michael served half of an eight-week sentence in jail for crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis.
He was arrested in July after being found slumped at the wheel of his Land Rover in Hampstead, north London.
The singer served the initial days of his sentence in Pentonville Prison before being transferred to Highpoint Prison in Suffolk.
While serving his time in jail, Michael - real name Georgios Panayiotou - issued a statement to say he had received "no special treatment of any kind".
The star, who had a previous conviction for a similar offence, was told there was no option apart from a custodial sentence when he appeared at Highbury Magistrates Court last month.
Following his release on Monday, Michael left his home to tell reporters he was "going to try to stop running away from you guys".
"I'm coming out here on my own so that you'll realise I just want to start again," he said, adding they would "see him about".
"By the way, I've just thought of a really good idea for a song," he added. "It's going to be nothing to do with prison."
Michael first shot to fame as half of pop duo Wham! before embarking on a successful career as a solo artist. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | October 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Sky News)'] |
At least 34 people are killed following a pipeline explosion in Lagos, Nigeria. | Local people had been trying to collect fuel from the pipeline, which had been deliberately breached, when something caused the petrol to ignite.
Most of the victims were women and children, who had arrived with fuel containers, witnesses said.
The remains of many of the victims have been buried in mass graves.
"We gathered that about 45 or 50 people were involved - they were burned down. When we got to the site we found out that they had been buried... there are three mass graves of 40 dead already," Philip Daferiogho, a spokesman for the Nigerian Red Cross said.
The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says the fireball scorched an area roughly the size of a football pitch.
Red Cross officials say they are now focusing their efforts on finding and treating injured people who have gone into hiding, scared of being arrested. Such disasters are not unusual in oil-rich Nigeria.
A year ago, at least 260 people died in one pipeline explosion in Lagos.
Nigeria produces huge amounts of fuel from its vast oil reserves, but it remains out of legal reach to most of the poverty-stricken population. | Gas explosion | December 2007 | ['(BBC News)'] |
At least 23 people have been killed and 50 injured following a stampede at a free clothing drive in the northern Bangladeshi city of Mymensingh. | At least 23 people have been killed and 50 injured in a stampede during a clothes giveaway in Mymensingh city in northern Bangladesh, police say.
Hundreds of people rushed through a small gate into a factory compound before dawn to get the free garments, causing a crush.
Police have detained seven people, including the owner of the factory.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, wealthy Bangladeshis often donate clothing to the poor.
Police told AFP news agency that 1,500 people had gathered outside the chewing tobacco factory at about 04:45 local time (22:45 GMT Thursday) after the owners announced they would distribute free clothing, as zakat, or a charitable contribution.
The stampede began when people tried to force their way in.
Television pictures showed scenes of devastation, with hundreds of blood-spattered sandals lying at the factory gate.
"Most of the dead are poor and emaciated women," Mymensingh police chief Moinul Haque told AFP.
An injured woman told Reuters: "The moment the door opened, all the people all together rushed through the gate. "Many fell on the ground and others ran over them, and they died."
Police officer Main Ul Haque said: "We have found 20 bodies, and the number will increase as many of the bodies were taken from the spot by their family members."
| Riot | July 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Iran defeats the United States to take the gold medal in freestyle wrestling's World Cup. | Iran men’s national wrestling team claimed the Freestyle Wrestling World Cup for the sixth time in a row Friday in Kermanshah, Iran.
Iranian wrestlers Friday defeated the United States wrestling team 5-3 in the final match.
At 57 kg devision, Hassan Rahimi defeated Anthony Joseph Ramos, 6-0, winning the first victory for Iran. At 61kg, Masoud Mahmoud Esmaeilpour downed Logan Jeffery Steiber with a 6-2 victory. Meisam Abolfazl Nasiri earned Iran's third victory, defeating Frank Aniello Molinaro, 5-4 in the 65kg category.Mostafa Hosseinkhani downed James Green 2-0, at 74kg category.
At 80kg devision, Jordan Burroughs broke the consecutive wins streak of Iran, defeating Peyman YARAHMADI, 3-2, to earn the first victory for USA. Later, Hassan Yazdani Cherati of Iran lost to American wrestler David Taylor 8-4 by a technical fall in the 84kg class. Olympic champion Kyle Kyle Snyder kept the USA hopes alive as beat Amir Mohammadi IRI, 6-0, at 96kg category.
Komeil Ghasemi defeated Nicholas Gwiazdowski at the 125kg match, 5-0, to win the sixth straight world championship for Iran.
Iran defeated Turkey, India and Mongolia in group B over two days to reach the final. The U.S. wrestling team reached the final matches after defeating Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan in group A of the competition.
Azerbaijan finished in the third place after defeating Turkey in the bronze-medal playoff that ended 7-1.
Following their win, hundreds of Kermanshah residents poured into the streets to celebrate the victory.
President Hassan Rouhani congratulated Iran men’s national freestyle wrestling team over its outstanding performance at the 2017 Freestyle World Cup.
| Sports Competition | February 2017 | ['(Financial Tribune)', '(Time)', '(Flowrestling)'] |
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder is arrested for bribery. | Follow NBC News Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four cohorts were arrested on Tuesday in what prosecutors called the “largest bribery scheme" in state history.
FBI agents raided Householder’s farm in Glenford, about 45 miles east of Columbus, according to Perry County Sheriff’s deputies who assisted in the operation on Tuesday morning.
The 61-year-old Householder, regarded as one of the state's three most powerful lawmakers, was taken into custody and charged with racketeering conspiracy, officials said.
Also arrested and charged were the speaker's adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, 44, former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matthew Borges, 48, and prominent lobbyists Neil Clark, 67, and Juan Cespedes, 40, authorities said.
The defendants are behind "what is likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio," U.S. Attorney David DeVillers told reporters.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on his fellow Republican Householder to step down and labeled Tuesday "a sad day for Ohio."
"Because of the nature of these charges, it will be impossible for Speaker Householder to effectively lead the Ohio House of Representatives," DeWine said in a statement, "therefore, I am calling on Speaker Householder to resign immediately."
Because of the nature of these charges, it will be impossible for Speaker Householder to effectively lead the Ohio House of Representatives; therefore, I am calling on Speaker Householder to resign immediately. This is a sad day for Ohio.
The charges are connected to House Bill 6, officials said, a bill signed into law last year that bailed out two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio to the tune of $1.5 billion.
The lawmaker played a key role in passing the financial rescue, which included new fees on electricity bills in Ohio and will direct more than $150 million annually, through 2026, to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo.
Throughout the day, there was no answer at Householder’s Columbus office and its voicemail box was full.
A representative for the Ohio GOP did not immediately return email and phone messages seeking comment on Tuesday.
The center of the scheme, officials said, was the formation a tax-free non-profit called Generation Now that was supposed to be a social service organization. Instead, it was allegedly Householder's personal account, funded by an energy company, to wield political power and pass the bailout, authorities said.
Generation Now was allegedly used to funnel $61 million in "dark money," DeVillers said.
"Make no mistake, these allegations are bribery, pure and simple," DeVillers said. "This was a quid pro quo. This was pay to play."
As a tax-exempt social welfare organization, deposits could be made into Generation Now with no required disclosure, authorities said.
Payments into the fund were made between March 2017 and May 2020, FBI Special Agent Blane Wetzel wrote in the criminal complaint.
"The millions paid into this entity are akin bags of cash," Wetzel wrote.
The Republican Householder is now on his second stint as House speaker, having held that position from 2001 to 2004. He served in the House from 1997 through 2004 and left due to term limits.
He won election back to the chamber in 2016 and assumed the speakership again last year.
DeVillers took preemptive aim at any critics who might accuse him of any political motive, because this probe is targeting top GOP figures.
"I'm a Trump appointee and these are a bunch of Republicans," he said. "I don't care what party they're in, I don't care who they work for, this is what this office does."
The defendants made an initial appearance in court on Tuesday but were not required to enter a plea. A judge ordered Householder released on his own recognizance.
The Ohio lawmaker's arrest comes one day after a former New York politician of similar stature, one-time Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for a bribery scheme. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | July 2020 | ['(NBC News)'] |
Seven people are killed and 18 are missing after a nursing home burns in Russia's Komi Republic. | (CNN) -- At least seven people were killed and another 18 were missing early Sunday after a nursing home caught fire in northwestern Russia, state media reported.
Firefighters in the republic of Komi spent several hours fighting the blaze.
Irina Valentinova, a spokeswoman with the Russian Ministry of Emergency Services, said that details about the fire were still emerging early Sunday and that the government does not think the current death toll will be final.
Russian media were reporting that authorities were slow to report the fire, making it more difficult for firefighters to battle the blaze in a building engulfed in flames when they arrived.
Lubov Terenteva of the emergency ministry in Komi said that by early Sunday, the fire was out and rescue workers were clearing the scene and searching for survivors.
Authorities did not know what caused the fire, Terenteva said.
President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Russian prosecutor general's office to conduct an investigation of the fire. The order comes after reports show that there have been frequent fires at Russian hospitals, schools and other state-run facilities. Many Russians blame the fires on official negligence and violations of fire safety rules. | Fire | January 2009 | ['(CNN)'] |
Record breaking rain causes flooding in the American states of Oklahoma and Texas with Oklahoma City recording record rainfall levels for the month of May. | .
A firefighter dies early Sunday while performing a high water rescue
Overall monthly rain record shattered in Oklahoma City
The bottom dropped out over northern Texas and Oklahoma overnight. Rainfall broke records and river banks, and killed a firefighter early Sunday, as emergency crews scrambled to pull residents from floodwaters. With more rain falling, the torrents have already pushed Oklahoma City handily past a rain record, and rescuers have carried out at least 48 high-water rescues. By late Saturday, 3.15 inches had drenched the city, bringing the total for the month to 17.61 inches. “It … shatters the all-time monthly record of 14.66 inches set in June of 1989,” said CNN weather producer Sean Morris.
And in the town of Claremore, near Tulsa, a firefighter died while attempting a high-water rescue, said local emergency manager Thomas Hudson.
In Hays County, Texas, adjacent to Austin, hundreds of people were rescued or evacuated from their homes, according to sheriff’s office spokeswoman Lt. Jeri Skrocki.
Many of the rescues were along the Blanco River, she said. Hays County set up emergency shelters in two schools, a community center and a nursing home.
“We have 25 active rescues that we are working right now,” said Kristi Wyatt, communications director for the city of San Marcos, the seat of Hays County. “We have people on car tops and rooftops awaiting rescue. People in homes are going to higher levels in the homes. Emergency workers are working around the clock trying to get to those people and get them out safely,” Wyatt said. Authorities had to open more evacuation centers because the first one filled up so quickly.
“We had over 300 residents at the first location and the second location is getting filled up as well,” Wyatt said. “These are just people who had no friends or relatives to go to, so there are many more residents than that evacuated,” she explained, adding that the National Guard was coming to Hays County to provide air assistance. An area of about 400 homes around Louis Creek Dam is under mandatory evacuation, according to Miranda Haas with the Montgomery County, Texas, Office of Emergency Management. The dam has not breached and workers continue to pack soil on it. “Our construction efforts have been phenomenal, they have made tremendous progress, it’s just the weather is not letting up at all,” she said. Haas said a Red Cross shelter was opened at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET) Friday night and remains open Saturday.
Wichita Falls, Texas, was warned that its river could widely overflow its banks and severely flood broad swaths of surrounding areas, as well as large parts of the city. Officials published a potential flooding map with a red zone nearly the size of the city.
“Predictions from the National Weather Service indicate that significant flooding along the Wichita River is very likely,” the town’s emergency management agency said. “The National Weather Service is calling this an ‘historic’ flood event.” The agency called for the voluntary evacuation of 2,177 homes.
Wichita Falls is having the rainiest May ever recorded there and “could set an all-time record for rainiest month ever recorded there,” CNN’s Morris said. Broad, muddied flood waters gushed across fields, towns and roads in images from both states, turning land expanses into lakes, half burying cars and houses. Blue and red emergency vehicle lights bounced off dark, watery surfaces, as rescuers worked through the night.
On the National Weather Service map, chartreuse squiggles signified overflowing rivers and creeks from southern Texas to northern Missouri. Much of the state of Oklahoma was covered in the bright green.
Motorists abandoned cars in streets and parking lots, as rising waters took them over. The weather service put out its usual flood mantra to drivers, “Turn around, don’t drown” when encountering flooded roads. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.” The weather service also told campers and hikers to seek higher ground.
In addition to the worst-hit areas, flood watches and warnings reached from the Texas and western Louisiana Gulf coasts up through eastern Kansas and western Missouri.
Despite the heavy rain, western Oklahoma and parts of the Texas Panhandle and central Texas are still facing moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The rainfall should put a dent in it, though.
But the current deluge might be a bit much.
“I didn’t hesitate telling people… there’s going to come a day when we’re gonna wish the rain would stop,” Wichita Falls Mayor Glenn Barham told CNN affiliate KAUZ. “I think that day is probably here.”
In 2011, drought and wildfire brought heavy damage to Texas. The drought caused at least $5 billion in economic damage, and wildfire damage amounted to tens of millions of dollars, authorities said. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | May 2015 | ['(CNN)'] |
Insurgents kill at least two Pakistani soldiers and injure three others in Manra Mendara, North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. | NORTH WAZIRISTAN: Two soldiers were martyred and three others sustained injuries in an attack on a security post in Shawal valley of North Waziristan tribal district on Saturday.
Officials said militants attacked the post in the Manra Mendara area adjacent to South Waziristan tribal district. They said militants fired rockets in the pre-dawn attack on the post which left two soldiers martyred and three others wounded.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Sepoy Shakeel and Sepoy Akmal. The wounded soldiers were shifted to a hospital in the area.
Encounters between security forces and militants are frequently taking place in North Waziristan. Security forces have killed several suspected hardcore terrorists in recent encounters. | Armed Conflict | October 2020 | ['(Dawn)'] |
Sanrio founder and CEO Shintaro Tsuji, whose company is best known for creating Hello Kitty, announces he will resign on July 1 citing a need to "transform the company to better respond to today's rapidly changing business environment." His grandson Tomokuni Tsuji is expected to replace him. | The founder of the Japanese company that created Hello Kitty has announced he is stepping down as CEO aged 92.
Shintaro Tsuji said he would hand over control of Sanrio to his 31-year-old grandson, Tomokuni Tsuji.
It marks the first change in leadership in the company's six-decade history.
Hello Kitty, a mouthless cartoon adorned with a trademark hair bow, has generated billions of dollars since its inception almost 50 years ago.
The simple line-drawn image has appeared on merchandise including clothing, toys and stationery. It is targeted mostly at young children, but in recent years it has also proved popular with adults.
Mr Tsuji will formally leave his role on 1 July.
Analysis by Celia Hatton, Asia Pacific Editor
Shintaro Tsuji started a gift company in the 1960s and quickly realised that the products featuring "cute" designs were his bestsellers. That led to the creation of Hello Kitty, who has since become an iconic Japanese character. But Kitty has competition: sales have been dropping inside Japan for years and Sanrio now depends on its increasingly fragile global business. So, Mr Tsuji's decision to step aside comes at a turning point for the company.
In Japanese tradition, CEO founders strive to pass on their positions to family members. Mr Tsuji's son died of a heart attack in 2013, and so this is why his grandson is taking over.
Tomokuni Tsuji has already pledged to transform the company and to drop outdated ideas. Let's hope he's not referring to Hello Kitty, who is older than the company's new leader.
Tomokuni Tsuji, who is currently a senior managing director at Sanrio, will become the youngest CEO of a company listed on the Topix share index. He coincidentally shares a birthday with Hello Kitty on 1 November, according to the AFP news agency. But he is 14 years younger than the character itself.
"I want to transform the company to better respond to today's rapidly changing business environment," he told a press conference on Friday.
Sanrio, whose business has been declining for several years, has been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Annual net profits fell by 95% in the 2019/2020 fiscal year, according to figures published on Friday. Sales were also down 6.5 % on the previous year.
Hello Kitty-branded products are sold in 130 countries worldwide, with the range extending from prosecco to plimsolls.
It is also licensed for amusement parks and cafés, while last year a Japanese railway firm splashed the image on its bullet train, painted in pink and white.
Although the brand typifies the Japanese trend for "kawaii" or cuteness, the character itself is identified as British because when she was created in the 1970s British culture was fashionable in Japan. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | June 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
The Conservative Alliance wins the Iranian legislative election. | They did particularly well in the capital, Tehran, which is seen as the key to parliamentary power.
However, many of the conservative winners are critics of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Reformists saw a small increase in their representation, despite the disqualification of many of their proposed candidates.
They are claiming a relative success, given the circumstances of the poll.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says that if the new parliament causes problems for Mr Ahmadinejad, this will strengthen the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
That, he adds, is likely to mean an even tougher line on Iran's nuclear programme and its foreign policy.
Presidential battle
The conservative critics of Mr Ahmadinejad include the former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who could become the new parliamentary speaker. IRANIAN POLL
Eighth parliamentary election since 1979 revolution
43 million eligible voters
290 seats from 30 provinces
About 40% of those who applied to stand disqualified by the Guardian Council
New challenges for presidentIran in facts and figuresIn pictures: Iran votes
Our correspondent says there could be quite a battle within the conservative camp to challenge Mr Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections next year.
Reformists had said the election was unfair, but still urged voters to turn out for the country's eighth parliamentary elections since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Reformist candidates made up the bulk of about 1,700 candidates barred from running by Iran's Guardian Council - an unelected body of clerics and jurists that vets election candidates. The Guardian Council has denied bias. 'Cooked'
The Associated Press news agency reports that 188 out of 290 parliamentary seats have been decided so far.
Quoting state television and official news agency Irna, AP says pro-Ahmadinejad politicians have won about 70 seats, reformists 31, and conservative critics of Mr Ahmadinejad about 43. Independents whose political leanings were not immediately known claimed 39, the agency says, although reformists said at least 14 of these candidates were pro-reform - which would raise the reformists' number of seats from 40 to 45.
The remaining five seats are designated for Iran's Jewish, Zoroastrian and Christian minorities.
At least 70 further races are expected to go to run-offs, the agency reported.
The EU criticised the conduct of the vote as "neither fair nor free". Washington said Iran's leadership had "cooked" the election by barring reformists. | Government Job change - Election | March 2008 | ['(BBC News)'] |
Indonesian police arrest more than 34 people over "charges of treason" for attempting to raise the outlawed Morning Star flag, which represents the independence movement of West Papua Province. | Dozens of West Papuans have been named as treason suspects for attempts to raise the outlawed Morning Star flag.
The West Papua Morning Star flag Photo: AFP
Indonesian police arrested over 34 people in Papua province for planned activities to mark 1 December, which some Papuans consider their national day.
Benar News reports a human rights lawyer, Yohanis Mambrasar, confirming that 20 people arrested in Sentani are expected to be charged with treason.
Dozens of other people were arrested in other Papuan towns and face possible treason charges.
Raising the Papuan nationalist flag is illegal in Indonesia, with police mobilising in extra numbers before the anniversary to prevent public rallies.
Tensions remain high in Papua following violent demonstrations earlier this year and escalating demands for a referendum on independence for the region.
Mr Mambrasar said the 20 suspects and 14 others who were questioned and released came to Jayapura from other parts of the province to attend a flag-raising.
Of these, six also will be charged with possessing weapons and one will face charges of incitement, said Victor Makbon, the police chief in Jayapura.
Meanwhile, seven people arrested in Manokwari, a coastal town in West Papua province, were being held for questioning after being picked up on Nov. 27, a local police official said.
A lawyer from the Legal Aid Research, Study and Development Institute, Yan Warinussi said police had named seven of the eight people detained in Manokwari as suspects.
West Papua Police Chief Brig. Gen. Herry Rudolf Nahak said police had arrested 11 people and charged them with treason after a flag-raising ceremony in Sorong, another coastal town in West Papua province.
Arrests also took place in Fakfak, on the southern coast of West Papua, including dozens who allegedly attempted to raise a flag at the official residence of the regent, the top local official.
Twenty of these people reportedly stated they were members of the West Papuan National Liberation Army.
Fakfak police chief Ary Nyoto Setiawan said 23 people had raised Papua's Morning Star flag in Warpa Kayuni village, adding that about 20 would be named treason suspects.
The news outlet also reported that two leaders of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua were questioned by police in Jayapura.
They had reportedly made an appeal for people to commemorate the 1 December anniversary, the date Papuans declared independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1961.
Copyright © 2019, Radio New Zealand
About 50 activists flew the Morning Star flag at New Zealand's Parliament on Monday to mark the 58th anniversary of the declaration of West Papuan independence. Audio
Indonesian police in Jayapura have arrested dozens of people for planning to celebrate a key West Papuan nationalist anniversary.
A group calling for an end to violence in West Papua say they have received threats in the lead-up to a protest at Parliament today. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | December 2019 | ['(RNZ)'] |
A car bombing kills at least five people and wounds 22 others in the Turkish-occupied town of Afrin in northern Syria. Turkey's Ministry of National Defense accuses the Kurdish-led YPG of being behind the attack. | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - At least five people were killed and scores wounded when a car bomb detonated in the northern Syrian town of Afrin on Saturday, the Turkish defence ministry and local civil defence said.
The ministry said in a statement the bomb attack took place in an industrial site at the center of the town and wounded 22 people, blaming the attack on the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.
There was no immediate comment from the YPG.
Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist group tied to the PKK inside its own borders, and has staged incursions into Syria in support of Syrian rebels to push it from the Turkish frontier.
Ankara now retains a large military presence in the area deploying thousands of troops in the last rebel enclave.
The local civil defence said the death toll due to the bomb stood at six, including children.
Reporting by Khalil Ashawi and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Angus MacSwan
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. | Armed Conflict | January 2021 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow to discuss a peace treaty and the Kuril Islands dispute. | MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began their talks in Moscow on Tuesday, which will focus on a peace treaty.
Opening the talks, Putin said: "It’s very pleasant that our meetings have become regular, this allows us to discuss issues related to fostering bilateral relations and the situation in the region." He noted that issues on many areas have been worked out, including on a peace treaty.
The leaders will be later joined by other participants of the meeting during a working breakfast. After talks, Putin and Abe are expected to make statements for the media.
Putin and Abe will also discuss prospects of developing bilateral cooperation in political, trade and economic and humanitarian areas, and also exchange views on the most pressing issues on the international and regional agenda.
Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov earlier said that despite certain differences between Moscow and Tokyo, the two leaders wish to fully normalize relations and sign a peace treaty. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | January 2019 | ['(TASS)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Slovenia tightens controls over its Schengen border with Croatia due to concerns of an influx of migrants. | Ljubljana (AFP) - Slovenian government said Monday it would take urgent measures to strengthen control of its Schengen border with Croatia, fearing an expected new wave of migrants would be scarcely manageable.
"The government has prepared additional urgent measures to manage the migrants' flow, including the necessary measures to safeguard the Schengen border," the administration said in a statement issued late Monday.
Earlier in the day Slovenian foreign minister Karl Erjavec said that 20,000-30,000 migrants heading towards western Europe could flock on Slovenia's border -- the passport-free Schengen area's external frontier -- later this week, following the end of a Greek ferry crews' strike that contained the flow for days.
"We estimate Slovenia will rather likely soon have to face a number of migrants that will be hard to manage. Such a situation could lead to extremely severe humanitarian conditions," the government said.
The statement did not explain what "necessary measures" was but private POP TV reported quoting unofficial sources that the government had decided to start building a barbed wire fence on the most vulnerable part of the border, where most of the 167,000 migrants that entered Slovenia over the last month came in.
The TV report added that Slovenia had already acquired enough barbed wire to erect some 120 kilometres (75 miles) of fence to secure part of its 670-kilometres long border with Croatia.
"If necessary, the measures will be implemented in the next few days," the government said.
Earlier on Monday, Interior Minister Vesna Gyorkos Znidar reacted to questions on whether the government would green-light the building of a fence by saying that such a decision "could be taken."
Prime Minister Miro Cerar is expected to announce the decision at a news conference on Tuesday.
Slovenia and its two million population has been struggling to cope since suddenly finding itself last month on the main route for thousands of migrants travelling to northern Europe after Hungary sealed its borders.
Sajad Hassan sat at his professor's hospital bedside for three nights, doing most of the talking as his friend and mentor breathed through an oxygen mask and struggled with a suspected COVID-19 infection. Both were confident the 48-year-old academic would be heading home soon, until a coronavirus test came back positive and physicians ordered him moved to the isolation ward — known by many at the university hospital as the “dark room” because so few who entered came out alive. Two days later Dr. Jibraeil was dead, one of nearly 50 professors and non-teaching staff at AMU, one of India's top universities, who fell victim to the coronavirus as it ripped through through the country in April and May. AMU's tragedy was repeated across India as schools suffered similar blows to their faculty, and the loss of their knowledge — and in many cases friendship and guidance — has been devastating to the academic community.
Rep. Ted Lieu, a Catholic, said the move was "nakedly partisan" and said "next time I go to Church, I dare you to deny me Communion."
Richard Barnett, a self-described white nationalist, was arrested days after he was photographed with his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk.
About 84 million years ago, Earth's crust and the mantle below it rotated around the planet's inner core - causing the Earth to tip over.
In an interview with McClatchy, Anthony Fauci discusses the Delta variant and his plans to eventually return to research.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photos via GettyMyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s charity and business combo venture to make and sell COVID-19 masks has cost him millions of dollars, according to the increasingly far-right conservative figure.Today his company is sitting on millions of unsold face coverings, which he now despises and wants to burn.“I can’t give them away,” Lindell told The Daily Beast in a phone interview this week. “I tried to. No one wants the things anymore.”Lindell, who clai
Young people who are unvaccinated and socially active may be particularly susceptible to a Delta infection.
Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence was booed at what should've been a friendly crowd at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Orlando.
The U.S. spent $8 billion building an Afghan air force in its own image. But how long can it last after American forces withdraw?
Alexandr Kudlay and Viktoria Pustovitova's last attempt to mend their relationship involved handcuffing themselves together. It didn't work.
The urine test could help detect brain cancer earlier than traditional scans, improving patient survival.
While working her job at Starbucks, the daughter of Miami Gardens’ police chief was allegedly threatened with a gun over an order mix-up — the gunman was given his bagel without cream cheese, police say.
Much to the surprise of a puzzled pundit corps, history may well conclude that, while President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin produced no big-deal breaking news headline, their summit may prove to be one of the 21st century’s pivotal events.
A Tory MP is facing trial accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008, it can now be revealed. Imran Ahmad Khan, 47, the Conservative MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is alleged to have groped the teenager in Staffordshire. Mr Ahmad Khan, who was elected at the 2019 general election, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday by video-link from his lawyers' office. He was named on Friday after reporting restrictions were lifted. Mr Ahmad Khan has had the Tory whip suspe
The border closure will now extend into its 16th month since the start of the pandemic.
Rebekah Vardy has accused Coleen Rooney of “putting two and two together and making seven” in the latest round of the Wagatha Christie legal battle. Mrs Rooney, wife of England’s top scorer Wayne, accused fellow footballer’s wife Mrs Vardy of leaking stories to tabloid press about her after she turned detective using her own social media accounts. In a dramatic social media post in October 2019, Mrs Rooney detailed how she posted a series of fake stories about her family on her Instagram, and se
Teachers should drop the terms boys and girls in favour of “learners”, and mix up the sexes in PE classes, Stonewall has told schools. The controversial LGBT charity is urging teachers to ditch all gendered language and gendered uniforms and suggests that children should compete against the opposite sex in sport. A series of guidance documents state that uniform policies should "give the option to wear a skirt as well as the option to wear trousers". One of Stonewall’s guides said that its work
Daredevil Alex Harvill, 28, crashed his motorcycle while practicing to perform a 351-foot jump at an airshow in Washington state on June 17.
Former White House doctor Rep. Ronny Jackson and 13 other Republicans want President Joe Biden to take a mental cognition test and share the results. | Government Policy Changes | November 2015 | ['(AFP via Yahoo News)'] |
The death toll in the Camp Fire rises to 56, with the statewide total at 59. Authorities release the names of 130 people who are missing, including many in their 80s and 90s, with the potential that dozens more are unaccounted for. | Authorities searching through the blackened aftermath of California's deadliest wildfire Wednesday released the names of some 130 people who are unaccounted for, including many in their 80s and 90s, and said dozens more could still be missing.
Officials in Northern California said Tuesday that search crews had found six more bodies, bringing the death toll from the so-called Camp Fire to 56 and the statewide total to 59.
As the names of the missing were made public, more crews joined the search. "We want to be able to cover as much ground as quickly as we possibly can," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said. "This is a very difficult task."
A sheriff's department spokeswoman, Megan McMann, acknowledged that the list of the missing was incomplete. She said detectives were concerned about being overwhelmed with calls from relatives if the entire list were released.
A new lawsuit blames the fire on a major utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, for allegedly failing to inspect and properly maintain its power lines. In a statement, PG&E said customer safety was its "highest priority" and it's focusing on helping first responders.
Five hundred miles south, firefighters have made progress battling the "Woolsey Fire," passing the 50-percent containment mark. Some neighborhoods were reopened, and residents were able to see if their homes survived.
Firefighters are battling two major wildfires in California. Here's a breakdown by the numbers as of Wednesday evening, according to Cal Fire and local officials.
CBS Los Angeles teamed up with the Los Angeles Rams and the United Way to raise money for victims of the massive wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and Wednesday's day-long effort brought in more than $1.1 million.
Celebrities including Robin Thicke, Stephanie Weir, Pauley Perrette, Heather Tom and John McCook helped out at the phone bank, along with Galaxy player Daniel Steres and Rams legends Eric Dickerson and Jackie Slater.
Even though the telethon ended late Wednesday night, you can still donate.
CBS L.A. sent a special thank you all the volunteers who pitched in as well as the Annenberg Foundation, Dole Food Company, Edison International, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Sikand Foundation and 21st Century Fox for generous donations.
Barrett Foa from "NCIS: Los Angeles" said the cast pledged $10,000 after seeing Foa's appearance during the telethon earlier in the day and starting a text message chain.
Two sisters visited CBS L.A. during the fundraiser to donate their last $20, despite their having fallen on hard times.
CBS Los Angeles' Mike Rogers reports a firefighter battling the Woolsey Fire has been injured:
#BREAKING: A firefighter from Washington state has been hit by a car while fighting the Woolsey fire. The crash happened on PCH near Deer Creek Road in #VenturaCounty just after midnight. The fireman's condition is not known at this time. #CBSLA pic.twitter.com/MDkcJktZ0N
The "Camp Fire" in Northern California is raging north of the state capital of Sacramento, and the "Woolsey Fire" is burning outside Los Angeles.
9 p.m. ET: As of Wednesday night, eight more human remains have been found, bringing the death toll to 56. Six of them were found inside structures and two were found outside. Statewide, the death toll is 59 (including three from the Woolsey Fire).
There have been more than 10,000 structures destroyed by the Camp Fire, including homes. The total amount of evacuated residents remains at 52,000 people.
The Camp Fire containment remains at 35 percent. Some 138,000 acres have been scorched.
"An additional 8 human remains were recovered, that brings the total up to 56. All 8 of those human remains were found in the Paradise area," says official of the death toll from the CA Camp fire. https://t.co/lt5i9SiHrQ pic.twitter.com/UgTo6sImhk
A National Weather Service meteorologist said light winds over the valley will continue the poor air quality in the region. There may be some relief Saturday night when stronger winds push the air out.
The California Highway Patrol said it has cleared vehicles from roads in Chico.
The Butte County sheriff's office said at least 130 people are reported "unaccounted." A list has made public here.
The sheriff's office said 287 additional search and rescue personnel have joined the search for human remains, joining 50 California National Guard troops. A total of 461 people are part of the search and rescue effort.
Peter Martinez contributed to this report.
Jeff Hill of Paradise, California, joined CBSN over the phone Wednesday night to describe his rescue of a mule he found trapped in a pool as the wildfire raged in the community.
He had posted pictures of the mule on Facebook and they have since gone viral.
Hill told CBSN he had lost his own home in Paradise, but found a glimpse of hope as he came to the mule's rescue.
The horse "had the look of defeat in her eyes," Hill wrote on Facebook. But thanks to the pool, she was spared from the deadliest wildfire in California history.
CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports from Southern California where the Woolsey Fire has destroyed homes from the hillside to coast.
Residents are reeling as they find their homes in ruins and their community in rubble.
Watch Yuccas' report here:
KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV are holding a fundraiser Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can donate here.
You can also call 818-821-1080 or text "2018FIRES" to 41444.
A full list of other ways to help can be found here.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said it's not the time to "point fingers" as he was visiting the aftermath of the "Camp Fire." Zinke lamented the destruction Wednesday and said there were many factors in wildfires, including rising temperatures.
"There's a lot of reasons for a fire," he said. "Now is really not the time to point fingers."
Zinke was visiting the town of Paradise with Gov. Jerry Brown days after President Trump blamed "poor" forest management for the fire. Brown said climate change was the greater source of the problem.
Brown said he spoke with Mr. Trump on Wednesday and that the president has pledged "the full resources of the federal government." Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long called the blaze "one of the worst disasters that I've seen in my career."
Long said people affected by the fire can start requesting federal assistance.
Authorities said six people have been arrested on suspicion of looting homes evacuated when the "Camp Fire" swept through a Northern California town and several surrounding communities. The Butte County Sheriff's Office said deputies on Monday found two men hiding inside a home in the town of Paradise with a .45 caliber handgun and drugs.
Deputies also found an ATV, an AR-15 rifle and tools the men were suspected of stealing. The sheriff's office said deputies arrested two other men Tuesday with a laptop computer that didn't belong to them.
A few hours later Tuesday, two more people were arrested after they were spotted in a motorhome reported stolen in the neighboring town of Magalia.
Human remains were found inside a burnt residence in Southern California, authorities said Wednesday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that homicide detectives were investigating whether the death was related to the wildfires.
The remains were found west of Los Angeles in Agoura Hills. Two deaths have already been linked to the "Woolsey Fire" that has devastated the area.
PG&E's stock lost more than 20 percent of its value Wednesday after the utility said it does not have nearly enough insurance coverage if it is found liable for the "Camp Fire." San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. told Wall Street regulators that if its equipment were found to have caused the fire that has ravaged the town of Paradise, it "could be subject to significant liability in excess of insurance coverage."
That would deal a major blow to the utilities' finances and operations, it said. It noted that investigators have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.
PG&E's stock fell $7.13 to close Wednesday at $25.69, a level it hasn't seen since 2003. It has lost 47 percent of its value since the fire broke out last week.
The company said it has wildfire liability insurance coverage of about $1.4 billion for the year that ends July 31, 2019. An analyst with Citi Investment Research estimates damages from the fire could exceed $15 billion but noted that the state of California "will likely step in to protect the utility and its customers."
President Trump called the wildfires "devastating" and "the likes of which we've never seen before" at the White House on Tuesday. "We mourn the lives of those lost, and we pray for the victims, and there are more victims than anybody would ever even think possible," Mr. Trump said during a ceremony marking Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
On Saturday, the president blamed the fires on "poor" forest management in the state, saying on Twitter that there was "no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor." The causes for the state's biggest fires were under investigation.
Mr. Trump had threatened to withhold federal aid, but he approved an emergency disaster declaration Monday making federal resources available to affected communities. On Tuesday, the president thanked firefighters, first responders and officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for responding to the fires, which he described as "a very tough situation."
Actor Liam Hemsworth posted a picture of the remnants of his Malibu house on Twitter on Tuesday. Scorched stones spelling the word "love" are surrounded by what was left after the "Woolsey Fire" hit the "Hunger Games" star's home.
"It's been a heartbreaking few days," Hemsworth said. "This is what's left of my house. Love."
It's been a heartbreaking few days. This is what's left of my house. Love. Many people in Malibu and surrounding areas in California have lost their homes also and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these fires. To help: https://t.co/YQCE1cLaej & @happyhippiefdn pic.twitter.com/vtLFytFmNw
On Sunday, Miley Cyrus, who is reportedly Hemsworth's fiancee, said that she also lost her home, ET reports. Hemsworth said in another tweet Tuesday that he spent Monday in Malibu.
"It was amazing to see the community pulling together to help each other out in any way they can," Hemsworth said. "Malibu is a strong community and this event is only going to make it stronger."
California regulators said initial testing has found no elevated levels of radiation or hazardous compounds after the "Woolsey Fire" burned near a former nuclear test site in hills to the northwest of Los Angeles. The state Department of Toxic Substance Control said its staff went to the site known as the Santa Susana Field Laboratory on Saturday and found that facilities that previously handled radioactive and hazardous materials were not affected by the fire.
The organization Physicians for Social Responsibility said in statement Monday that it was likely that smoke and ash from the fire spread radiological and chemical contamination that was in soil and vegetation. But the state agency said its measurements on the site and in the surrounding community found no radiation levels above background levels and no elevated levels of hazardous compounds other than those normally present after a wildfire.
The site was used for decades for testing rocket engines and nuclear energy research. One of its nuclear reactors had a partial meltdown in 1959.
Battles over decontamination efforts have gone on for years, with neighbors blaming illnesses on the site.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday that firefighters held containment lines to slow the "Camp Fire" from advancing toward Oroville, a town of 19,000 people. Officials said more than 5,000 firefighters were battling the blaze that leveled the town of Paradise.
Milder winds of up to 25 mph were expected in the area Tuesday. But Jonathan Pangburn, a fire behavior specialist at Cal Fire, said there's plenty of bone-dry vegetation ready to burn "really fast and hot."
In Southern California, firefighters said the threat from the "Woolsey Fire" was far from over, CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports. Gusty Santa Ana winds continued to cause flare-ups overnight Monday, forcing firefighters to move from spot fire to spot fire.
Some 200,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders. Dry vegetation, low humidity and mountainous geography make it hard for crews to get the upper hand.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Lucas Spelman told Yuccas that the cause of the fire has yet to be determined. "Sometimes it takes weeks and even months to actually put all that together," he said.
First published on November 14, 2018 / 9:47 AM
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | Fire | November 2018 | ['(CBS News)'] |
In Major League Baseball, current MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred is elected as the 10th Commissioner of Baseball. He will succeed the retiring Bud Selig in January 2015. | BALTIMORE -- Rob Manfred was elected baseball's 10th commissioner Thursday, winning a three-man competition to succeed Bud Selig and given a mandate by the tradition-bound sport to recapture young fans and speed play in an era that has seen competition increase and attention spans shrink.
The 55-year-old Manfred, who has worked for Major League Baseball in roles with ever-increasing authority since 1998, will take over from Selig, 80, on Jan. 25. It's a generational change much like the NBA undertook when Adam Silver, then 51, replaced 71-year-old David Stern as commissioner in February. And like Silver, Manfred was his boss' pick.
Manfred beat out Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner in the first contested vote for a new commissioner in 46 years. The third candidate, MLB executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan, dropped out just before the start of balloting.
"I am tremendously honored by the confidence that the owners showed in me today," Manfred said. "I have very big shoes to fill."
Selig has led baseball since September 1992, first as chairman of the sport's executive council following Fay Vincent's forced resignation, then as commissioner since July 1998. After announcing his intention to retire many times only to change his mind, he said last September that he really, truly planned to leave in January 2015.
One baseball executive who attended the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press because details of the 4 1/2-hour session were not to be divulged, said Manfred was elected on approximately the sixth ballot. The initial vote was 20-10 for Manfred, three short of the required three-quarters majority.
His total increased to 21 on the second ballot and 22 on the third. While teams put written ballots into envelopes, keeping their choices secret, from team official speeches it was evident that the Tampa Bay Rays' Stuart Sternberg and Milwaukee Brewers' Mark Attanasio likely switched their votes, the source said.
Manfred's total dropped to 20, then increased to 22 before a dinner break. He got the needed 23rd vote on the next ballot, apparently from the Washington Nationals. Owners then made the final vote unanimous. The source said that it appeared the Arizona Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays had been the final holdouts.
"What I said to the owners when I came down after the vote is that I didn't really want to even think about who was on what side of what issue at points in the process," Manfred said, "and that my commitment to the owners was that I would work extremely hard day in and day out to convince all 30 of them that they had made a great decision today."
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Toronto president Paul Beeston spoke out strongly against Manfred, the source told the AP. Angels owner Arte Moreno joined Reinsdorf in leading Werner's support. Other teams have said Reinsdorf wanted a commissioner who would take a harsher stance in labor negotiations.
"While Rob may not have been my initial choice for commissioner, the conclusion of a very good process was to name Rob as the person best positioned to help baseball endure and grow even stronger for the next generation of fans," Reinsdorf said in a statement. "Today's decision was reached by 30 owners voting separately but speaking, in the end, with one voice."
Werner, who made his career as a television executive, was preferred by those who wanted an owner to follow Selig, who was the longtime head of the Brewers when he took over MLB.
"I think the last two days have been productive because we've been able to share a number of ideas about the game and how to improve it and modernize it," Werner said. "I think that Rob agrees with many of the ideas that I espoused, and I am very confident that we are going to see some things, such as improved pace of play."
Brosnan quit the race when it became apparent he likely had one vote: Cincinnati.
"I cared too much about the game and really wanted the process to be as efficient as it could be," he said.
Manfred has been chief operating officer since September 2013, a role in which he reports directly to Selig and oversees functions such as labor relations, baseball operations, finance, administration and club governance.
Manfred had spent the previous 15 years as MLB's executive vice president of labor relations and human resources, and received an expanded role of executive vice president of economics and league affairs in 2012. He was the point man in negotiating the past three labor agreements, with all three negotiated without a work stoppage for the first time since the rise of the MLB Players Association in the 1970s. He also helped lead negotiations for the first joint drug agreement that was instituted in 2002 and has been strengthened repeatedly.
Manfred started with baseball in 1987 as a lawyer with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius who assisted in collective bargaining.
Manfred has been to Selig what Silver was to Stern -- a longtime trusted aide who negotiated labor deals, handled crises such as the Los Angeles Dodgers' bankruptcy saga and was intimately involved in major issues ranging from drug testing to revenue sharing. Manfred has taken criticism in recent months, however, for some of the methods baseball employed in its controversial Biogenesis investigation.
"There is no doubt in my mind he has the training, the temperament, the experience to be a very successful commissioner," Selig said, "and I have justifiably very high expectations."
Manfred -- whose term was not specified but is expected to receive a three-year contract, according to multiple reports -- grew up in Rome, New York, about an hour's drive from the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He must address issues that include decreased interest in baseball among younger people and an average game time that has stretched to 3:03, up 30 minutes from 1981. And he will be leading an opinionated group of multimillionaires and billionaires.
"I think some of Rob's greatest attributes are his ability to reach consensus," said St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr., who chaired the committee that picked the three candidates.
Baseball has had labor peace since a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that canceled the World Series. Talks to replace the collective bargaining agreement with players that expires after the 2016 season will be conducted with a new union leadership headed by former All-Star first baseman Tony Clark.
"I have known Rob for more than 15 years, and I'm confident that his vast experience in all aspects of the sport will serve his commissionership well," Clark said in a statement.
While average attendance of about 30,500 is not far below the record of 32,785 set in 2007 before the Great Recession, national television ratings for the World Series have dropped by more than 50 percent under Selig -- partly because of fractured viewing caused by the vast increase in available networks.
"We have to figure out ways to make it relevant to that 12-year-old," San Francisco Giants president Larry Baer said. "I have four children, and we want to make baseball as relevant as possible to them with their handheld and on television and getting more people playing the sport. Those are all big challenges, and I think Rob sees all of those in his purview, and I think he's ready to attack."
"I am confident he will be an outstanding commissioner and I look forward to working with Rob to build upon Commissioner Selig's outstanding legacy," ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement.
Selig is the second-longest-serving head of baseball behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1920-44).
Werner, 64, was the controlling owner of the San Diego Padres from 1990 to '94, triggering fan criticism for the payroll-paring departures of Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield, Tony Fernandez, Randy Myers and Benito Santiago. He has been part of the Red Sox ownership group since 2002, a period that included three World Series titles. While working at ABC, he helped develop Robin Williams' "Mork & Mindy" and later was executive producer of "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne" at The Carsey-Werner Co. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | August 2014 | ['(ESPN)'] |
The Cleveland Indians defeat the Detroit Tigers 5–3 for their 21st consecutive win, surpassing the previous American League record of 20 set by the 2002 Oakland Athletics. The streak is the longest in Major League Baseball since the 1935 Chicago Cubs won 21 straight. | CLEVELAND -- For more than 100 years, American League teams have gone on winning streaks of varying lengths -- short ones, long ones, double-digit ones.
Nothing, though, like the one the Cleveland Indians have pieced together.
A streak for the ages.
Moving past the "Moneyball" Oakland Athletics, the Indians set the AL record with their 21st straight win on Wednesday -- a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers -- to join only two other teams in the past 101 years to win that many consecutive games.
Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer off Buck Farmer (4-3) and Mike Clevinger (10-5) won his fourth straight start as the Indians, a team with its sights set on ending the majors' longest World Series title drought, matched the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest unbeaten streak since 1900.
And in doing so, they separated themselves from every AL team since the league was formed in 1901.
"Who would've ever thought that we'd be in this situation?" Bruce said. "I can't even imagine."
Believe it.
Now that they've moved past those 2002 A's immortalized on film, the Indians are within five wins of catching the 1916 New York Giants, who won 26 straight without a loss but whose century-old mark includes a tie.
The Indians haven't lost in 20 days, and they've rarely been challenged during a late-season run in which they've dominated every aspect of the game.
"I think they're enjoying themselves," manager Terry Francona said as clubhouse music boomed in the background. "They should. I think what's kind of cool about our game is when you do things, and you do them the right way, I think it means more. Our guys are playing the game to win the right way.
"That part's very meaningful. They should enjoy what they're doing. It's pretty special."
After leading 4-1, the Indians had to overcome a costly error and rely on their bullpen to hold off the Tigers, who have lost 11 of 12 to Cleveland and saw manager Brad Ausmus and catcher James McCann ejected from the series finale.
Roberto Perez added a homer in the seventh and four Cleveland relievers finished the game, with Cody Allen working the ninth for his 27th save.
With the crowd of 29,346 standing and stomping, Allen retired Ian Kinsler on a sinking liner for the final out, giving the Indians the league's longest streak since the AL was founded 116 years ago.
There was no big celebration afterward as the Indians simply congratulated one another and stuck to their routine.
"We're so focused," said Bruce, who arrived via trade last month from the New York Mets. "I thought we were playing the Royals today. ... Everyone comes here and gets ready to play today, and I think that's something that speaks volumes."
During their streak, which began with a 13-6 win over Boston ace Chris Sale on Aug. 23, the Indians have rarely been tied, never mind equaled, for nine innings. They have been superior in every way possible.
Cleveland's starters have gone 19-0 with a 1.70 ERA. The Indians have outscored their opponents 139-35 and trailed in only four of 189 innings.
Incredibly, the Indians have hit more home runs (40) than their pitchers have given up in total runs.
And while they've racked up win after win, the defending AL champs have reduced their magic number for winning their second straight AL Central title to four. They've also passed Houston for the league's best record, which will come into play in the postseason as the team with the best overall mark will have home-field advantage.
Now that they're alongside the 1935 Cubs, the Indians have a realistic shot of running down the 1916 Giants.
The Indians open a four-game series Thursday against Kansas City, which was outscored 20-0 on its three-day visit to Cleveland last month.
Francona was asked if he thought the Giants' run should be the record since it includes a tie.
"I wasn't there," he said, drawing laughter. "I've given that zero thought. I promise you I've given it no thought."
With a shot at AL history, Clevinger took the mound with Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" blasting through the ballpark's sound system, and Cleveland's crowd came to rock -- and witness history -- on a mostly sunny day.
Some parents kept their kids home from school and brought them to Progressive Field to see a once-in-a-lifetime event Cleveland residents may remember more than a solar eclipse. They cheered every two-strike count like it was October, and there was something much bigger on the line. The Indians have viewed the streak as a perfect postseason warm-up as they try to end a Series title drought dating to 1948.
Clevinger, who didn't allow a run in 18 innings over his three previous starts, was down 1-0 in the first after Jeimer Candelario touched him for a two-out RBI double.
But as they have done for the past three weeks, the Indians responded, with Bruce connecting for a three-run shot into the left-field bleachers in the bottom of the first.
"Expected, I would say by now," Clevinger said of the Indians' three-run answer. "I don't think there was a second that I doubted we were going to score some runs or string together some hits."
SIZZLING SEPTEMBER
At 14-0, the Indians are off to the best start in September since the 1991 Minnesota Twins went 15-0.
TESTY TIGERS
Two batters after Ausmus and McCann were ejected, a pitch from Farmer eluded catcher John Hicks, who had just entered the game, and struck plate umpire Quinn Wolcott in the chest.
Farmer disputed that the Tigers would try to intentionally hit Wolcott.
"The fact that's even a question is appalling," Farmer said. "It shouldn't be a question. When you look at the situation, it's stupid to even think about. It shouldn't even be a thought from anybody that Hicks and I would do that."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: OF Mikie Mahtook missed his fifth consecutive game after being scratched from a Sept. 9 game against Toronto with left groin soreness. Ausmus said Mahtook was "getting closer, but he's not ready."
Indians: All-Star reliever Andrew Miller will be activated from the disabled list Thursday following his second stint on the disabled list with knee tendinitis.
UP NEXT
The Indians' Josh Tomlin, who is 5-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his last six outings, starts the opener against Royals rookie Jakob Junis. | Sports Competition | September 2017 | ['(AP via ESPN)'] |
An Algerian man in Antwerp, Belgium, dies after a police officer knelt on his back during an arrest outside a bar. The death was compared to that of George Floyd. | Belgian authorities are investigating the death of a man after footage shared on social media appeared to show a police officer kneeling on his back.
Police said a 29-year-old man of Algerian origin was arrested outside a café in Antwerp on Sunday after he allegedly tried to attack people.
The man died in hospital hours later.
His death drew parallels with the case of George Floyd, who died in May after a police officer knelt on his neck during his arrest in the US.
A police spokesman told the AFP news agency that officers were called after the "very agitated" man tried to attack people, adding that the man had already been injured and appeared intoxicated.
Antwerp police said in a tweet that they would not comment on the case pending a judicial investigation.
The man has been named in local media as Akram, and the hashtags #JusticeForAkram and #MurderInAntwerp have been trending in Belgium.
Floyd's death led to an outpouring of anger in cities across the world against police brutality and racism.
Thousands of Belgians took to the streets to join solidarity protests and more than 80,000 people have signed a petition calling for statues of King Leopold II, whose rule in the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo killed millions of Africans, to be taken down from the capital Brussels.
A statue of the monarch has already been removed in Antwerp after it was targeted during demonstrations.
Belgium 'wakes up' to its bloody colonial past
'Pandemic of racism' led to George Floyd death
Three generations on George Floyd's death
An athlete, friend and father - who was George Floyd?
'I remember George Floyd as me'
US must confront its Original Sin to move forward
The US's history with police brutality
Three facts that help explain US anger
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. | Famous Person - Death | July 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Arnel Joseph, a powerful Haitian gang leader, is killed in a gun battle with police in L'Estère a day after escaping from prison during a riot. The death toll from the incident rise to a total of 25 people, including many civilians killed by the inmates after randomly opening fire in the streets. The prison's director, six inmates and police officers are among the dead. Sixty more prisoners who escaped are captured and arrested, while more than 200 others are still on the run. | More than 200 prisoners are on the run in Haiti after escaping from a jail near the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Authorities said 25 people died following Thursday's mass escape from the Croix-des-Bouquets prison, including the prison director.
The victims included bystanders who were caught up in the violence, officials said.
One of those who fled, a powerful gang leader named as Arnel Joseph, was killed hours after escaping.
Joseph, still wearing prison ankle cuffs, was a passenger on a motorcycle that was flagged down at a checkpoint, police spokesman Gary Desrosiers said.
The motorcycle failed to stop and Joseph pulled a gun on officers who then shot and fatally wounded him, Mr Desrosiers said.
Joseph was Haiti's most-wanted gang leader before his arrest in 2019.
Details of the escape are not clear, though it was initially reported that more than 400 inmates had escaped. Witnesses reported hearing bursts of gunfire at about midday on Thursday and prisoners were then seen running from the prison.
Staff at a nearby clothing store told reporters that they had been forced to give items to the escaped prisoners.
The Croix-des-Bouquets jail was inaugurated in 2012 and was designed for a maximum capacity of 872 inmates, AFP news agency reported.
Frantz Exantus, Haiti's Communications Secretary, told a news conference on Friday that the jail had held more than 1,500 prisoners before the breakout.
"Twenty-five people died including six prisoners and Divisional Inspector Paul Hector Joseph who was in charge of the prison," he said.
"Among those killed were some ordinary citizens who were killed by the prisoners during their escape," he added.
He later added in a tweet that 60 inmates had been captured.
Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Caribbean, has witnessed mass prison escapes before.
In 2019, all 78 inmates of Aquin prison in southern Haiti escaped while police were distracted by anti-government protests nearby.
Two years earlier, more than 170 inmates escaped from a prison in Arcahaie, north of Port-au-Prince.
Inmates escape from Haiti prison
Deadly protests hit Haiti capital
Haiti country profile | Riot | February 2021 | ['(BBC)'] |
Mexican authorities arrest the entire police force of Ocampo, Michoacán, on suspicion of murdering a mayoral candidate. | The entire police force of the Mexican town of Ocampo has been detained on suspicion of involvement in the murder of a mayoral candidate.
Fernando ngeles Juárez, 64, was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Thursday outside one of his properties. More than 100 politicians have been killed across Mexico ahead of general elections on 1 July.
Mr ngeles was the third politician to be killed in the western state of Michoacán in just over a week. The town's 27 police officers and the local public security secretary were detained by federal forces in the early hours of Sunday. Mr ngeles was a successful businessman with little previous political experience. He had considered standing as an independent but eventually joined one of Mexico's main parties, the centre-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). "He couldn't stand seeing so much poverty, inequality and corruption and so he decided to run," one of his closest friends, Miguel Malagón, told El Universal newspaper.
After his murder, prosecutors accused Ocampo's public security secretary, Oscar González García, of involvement. When Mexican federal agents arrived in the town on Saturday to detain him, they were stopped by local police officers. They returned with reinforcements on Sunday morning and arrested the entire force and their boss.
They were handcuffed and taken for questioning in the state capital, Morelia. Prosecutors accuse the officers and Mr González of links with organised crime groups in the state.
Mexicans will go to the polls next Sunday to choose a new president, senators and members of the Chamber of Deputies. More than 3,000 posts at regional and local levels will also be at stake. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | June 2018 | ['(BBC)'] |
In 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F, Northern Ireland secure a famous 1–1 draw against Portugal, third in the FIFA World Rankings, in Porto. | Northern Ireland were 10 minutes away from a famous victory over a Portugal side 114 places above them in the FIFA rankings, but still managed to spoil Cristiano Ronaldo's big day with a battling 1-1 draw in Porto.
The Group F match was supposed to be all about the Real Madrid superstar, who was presented with his 100th cap in a pre-match ceremony, but Michael O'Neill's men took a shock lead on the half-hour when Niall McGinn capped a fine counter-attack.
Ronaldo, and his illustrious team-mates, dominated possession and chances throughout but had to wait until the 80th minute for Helder Postiga to turn home a scrappy equaliser.
It took Ronaldo just two minutes to register his first shot, while Nani and Joao Moutinho looked to target Ryan McGivern at left-back. But Jonny Evans looked in determined mood at the back, twice clearing the danger as Portugal closed in.
With half an hour gone, the Porto crowd was stunned into silence. Evans launched the ball up front and Kyle Lafferty did well to get it down to his feet and under control. The Portuguese defence, pressing up the pitch, were caught napping and when McGinn raced forward into space, Lafferty found him with the perfect pass.
The Aberdeen winger was one on one with goalkeeper Pedro Rui Patricio and calmly lifted his shot over him before celebrating wildly with the travelling supporters. Ronaldo was sure he had equalised in the 35th minute when he poked a boot at Joao Pereira's cross but the ball cannoned back off the bar.
The second half began in much the same fashion as the first had ended, Portugal dominating the ball only to be foiled as they moved in on goal. Ruben Micael attempted to change the pattern with a long-range shot soon after the restart but cleared both Roy Carroll and the bar.
With 55 minutes gone Portugal, and Ronaldo, thought they had finally made the breakthrough. Miguel Veloso floated a pass to the Real forward at the back post but his header, from just six yards, was directed straight at Carroll.
With 20 minutes remaining Ronaldo appeared to break free of the defence but, just as he lined up his shot, Aaron Hughes did enough to deflect it wide for a corner. The equaliser belatedly arrived in the 80th minute, the previously off-colour Postiga stabbing home in a goalmouth scramble.
Get today’s news headlines, opinion, sport and more direct to your inbox at 7.30am every morning, and every evening, with our free daily newsletter. Enter email address | Sports Competition | October 2012 | ['(Herald)', '(Mail)'] |
The Department of Justice and the FBI announce that they are investigating whether Alex Jones, Roger Stone, and Stop the Steal organizer Ali Alexander played any role in inciting the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. | The Justice Department and FBI have launched an investigation into Alex Jones, Roger Stone, and other high-profile figures’ potential link to the deadly riots that occurred at the US Capitol, The Washington Post reports.
The investigation would look into if people who promoted former President Donald Trump’s false election fraud claims helped encourage rioters to storm the US Capitol on 6 January.
Officials were currently seeking to better understand the insurrectionists and what led to their actions on the day of the riots, according to the newspaper.
But investigators were also considering if any key figures influenced the beliefs of the rioters and if they could bear enough responsibility to result in charges, such as conspiracy or aiding relief.
Although charges against figures like Mr Jones and Mr Stone were unlikely, law enforcement sources told The Washington Post, it was still possible. The two men have been adamant they played no part in the violence seen at the US Capitol on 6 January.
Mr Stone was a longtime political adviser to the former president. Prior to Mr Trump leaving office, the former president pardoned Mr Stone after he was charged on counts of witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding, and making false statements in connection with Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation.
Far-right web and radio host Alex Jones was known for founding InfoWars.com and promoting conspiracy theories to his followers.
Another person facing investigation from the FBI was Ali Alexander, who helped organise the“Stop the Steal” rally that took place on 6 January prior to participants breaching the US Capitol.
It was previously reported in the Wall Street Journal that Mr Jones pledged $500,000 to the Stop the Steal rally in exchange for a “top speaking slot of his choice”. Mr Jones also helped secure funding from Julie Jenkins, a megadonor to Mr Trump and heiress to the Publix supermarket chain. The event was also vigorously advertised on Mr Jones’ show on 1 January.
Mr Stone has claimed he had no knowledge of the violent events that were planned at the US Capitol, but he was filmed in Washington DC alongside far-right militia members as the events began to unfold.
Both Mr Jones and Mr Stone attended rallies on 5 January and 6 January but have said their participation at these events was entirely peaceful.
The investigation into the notable figures might not lead to criminal charges, but officials told the newspaper that it could help paint a picture into the events and intentions of the rioters on that day.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Getty Images
Will she still be doing The One Show then?
Im here to see the gullible Alex Jones fans in a total fury complaining about this evil, child enslaving, leftist, communist, liberal conspiracy by the secret "they" who rule the world and place triangles everywhere to show how "secret" they are. Where are you guys? I wanna laugh. Go!
foul pair of individuals, hard to understand how they are not in jail already
Jones has a history of backing down when legal actions start to get too serious and Stone is only out of jail thanks to Trump. Maybe this will be their year - with no get out of jail free card this time.
Alex Jones deserves everything he gets after the way he treated the Sandy Hook survivors. I cant wait for the Alex Jones disciples to come to the comments here and hit is with their collectives insanity. dont worry. I will destroy them., | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate | February 2021 | ['(The Independent)'] |
Colombia becomes the fourth state in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. | Colombia's top court has legalised same-sex marriage, making the country the fourth in Latin America to do so.
Gay couples were already allowed to form civil partnerships, but Thursday's ruling extends them the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples.
Earlier this month the constitutional court dismissed a judge's petition against equal marriage rights for heterosexual and homosexual couples.
| Government Policy Changes | April 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
Iraqi insurgency: The United States Army releases five Iranian suspects who had been arrested in Iraq. | The release followed a review of their cases which concluded that the men no longer posed a security risk and were "of no continued intelligence value".
The Iranians were released to the Iraqi government, which later reportedly gave them to the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.
Tehran has dismissed US accusations that it is aiding insurgents in Iraq.
In October, the US declared the overseas operations arm of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) a "supporter of terrorism", saying it was supplying and training Shia militants in Iraq.
'Careful review'
Two of those freed on Friday were among five Iranian officials detained by US forces in an "intelligence-driven raid" on an office in the same building as the Iranian consulate in the Kurdish city of Irbil in January.
Their detention has been the subject of intense protests by the Iranian government and lobbying by Iraqi authorities.
The release followed a careful review of individual records to determine if they posed a security threat to Iraq, and if their detention was of continued intelligence value
US military statement
US turns heat up on Iran
Timeline: US-Iran ties
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) also objected, saying the office and its personnel were known to them.
The other seven Iranians being freed had been picked up in different parts of the country and held for periods ranging between three months and three years. The US military said two of the men were captured "during a raid to disrupt al-Qaeda operations", while another was held after a raid "aimed at capturing a senior insurgent". "The release followed a careful review of individual records to determine if they posed a security threat to Iraq, and if their detention was of continued intelligence value," the military said in a statement.
"Based on this review, all nine individuals were determined to no longer pose a security risk and to be of no continued intelligence value."
After the men were transferred by Iraqi authorities to the Iranian embassy, they were driven to Baghdad International Airport for a flight to Tehran, the Iranian official news agency, IRNA, reported. The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the releases, although they leave a further 11 Iranians still in detention, might be seen as heralding something of a thaw between the US and Iran - at least in Iraq.
US military commanders have hinted they are beginning to sense a greater effort by Iran to stop weapons and explosives crossing the border, our correspondent says.
The release of the nine Iranians was welcomed by Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, who said it was a " positive development". He hoped it would improve the prospects for another trilateral meeting with the US and Iran this month on security and stability in Iraq. Both Washington and Tehran have said they are willing in principle. There have been several previous meetings, held at the request of the Iraqi government. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | November 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
George Galloway of the Respect Party wins the United Kingdom House of Commons constituency of Bradford West in a by–election. | Respect Party candidate George Galloway has taken the Bradford West parliamentary seat from Labour, winning the by-election by 10,140 votes.
Mr Galloway, expelled by Labour in 2003, said it was the "most sensational victory" in by-election history.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said it was "incredibly disappointing" and the party needed to "learn lessons".
At the 2010 General Election, Labour's Marsha Singh, who resigned on health grounds, won with a majority of 5,763 .
The party had held the West Yorkshire seat since 1974, except for a brief period in the 1980s when the sitting MP defected to the SDP.
Mr Galloway won 18,341 votes, a 56% share of the total vote. Labour candidate Imran Hussein came second with 8,201 votes as the party's share of the vote was 20% down on its 2010 figure.
Conservative candidate Jackie Whiteley was third, with 2,746 votes. Jeanette Sunderland, of the Liberal Democrats, secured 1,505 votes - the party lost its deposit.
Mr Galloway, who co-founded the anti-war Respect Party after being expelled by Labour because of comments he made as part of his opposition to the Iraq war, said the result represented the "Bradford Spring".
He said the "mammoth vote" represented a "total rejection" of the three major parties in the British political system.
He said Labour "must stop imagining that working people and poor people have no option but to support them if they hate the Tory and Liberal Democrat coalition partners.
"They have to stop supporting illegal, bloody, costly foreign wars because one of the reasons why they were so decisively defeated this evening is that the public don't believe that they have atoned for their role in the invasion and occupation of other people's countries and the drowning of those countries in blood."
Mr Miliband said the result had been unexpected and the reasons for it were "not simple".
"We should have won this by-election and I am very disappointed we did not," he said.
"I think this was to do with local factors that were particular to the constituency and we have got to understand those lessons."
He said he would travel to Bradford in the near future to start the process of trying to "win back people's trust".
A Liberal Democrat spokesman said the party was "clearly disappointed" with the result while David Ward, Lib Dem MP for Bradford East, said Mr Galloway still spoke for the old Labour Party.
"This was the Asian community within Bradford, really, who are in some ways punishing the Labour Party for abusing them and using them in the past," he said.
But Salma Yaqoob, the Respect Party leader, said it was "patronising" to suggest that Mr Galloway - a critic of the UK's mission in Afghanistan - had been dependent on support from Muslims for his victory.
She told Radio 4's Today programme: "Look at the result...Over 50% of the vote. That is not just one community coming out to vote. That is young, old people, people across all areas. In fact in every area across the constituency, Respect won."
Conservative Party co-chair Baroness Warsi said Mr Galloway had clearly "connected" with the electorate and suggested the result was disastrous for Labour.
"If Ed Miliband can't get his act together after a week like this when is he going to get his act together?" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"This is a Labour seat, has been for many, many decades and last night they lost it in spectacular fashion."
BBC Yorkshire political editor Len Tingle said there had effectively been two campaigns in the seat - one with the three main UK parties focused on the economy and jobs, and the other run by Mr Galloway which had his party's anti-war message at its forefront.
Turnout in the by-election was just over 50%, compared with 64.9% in the 2010 general election.
Bookmakers said they had taken a lot of money on Mr Galloway in the days leading up to the poll and had slashed the odds on him winning. Ladbrokes said they faced paying out up to £100,000 in winning bets.
It is the second time Mr Galloway has upset the political odds - he pulled off one of the most memorable results of the 2005 General Election when he overturned a large Labour majority in London's Bethnal Green and Bow to become the Respect Party's first MP.
His win in Bradford West is a remarkable comeback after disappointing showings at the 2010 General Election and the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections. With a different candidate, Respect only came fifth in Bradford West in the 2010 General Election.
Labour have won all five previous by-elections in England and Scotland since the 2010 General Election.
The full result (with vote share and change since 2010 in brackets):
George Galloway (Respect) 18,341 (55.89%, +52.83%)
Imran Hussain (Lab) 8,201 (24.99%, -20.36%)
Jackie Whiteley (C) 2,746 (8.37%, -22.78%)
Jeanette Sunderland (LD) 1,505 (4.59%, -7.08%)
Sonja McNally (UKIP) 1,085 (3.31%, +1.31%)
Dawud Islam (Green) 481 (1.47%, -0.85%)
Neil Craig (D Nats) 344 (1.05%)
Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 111 (0.34%)
Galloway | Government Job change - Election | March 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
A Palestinian kills a 20 year-old Israeli and wounds two women in a stabbing attack at a gas station near the town of Modi’in; the Palestinian assailant is shot and killed by an officer at the scene. | A terrorist killed 20-year-old Ziv Mizrahi, an Israeli soldier, at around 3pm on Monday at a gas station on Route 443, on the same day that a series of other attacks wounded several others, including a Palestinian.
A preliminarily investigation showed that Mizrahi and a woman had arrived at the gas station when the Palestinian terrorist tackled the soldier as he exited the car. The terrorist stabbed and killed the Mizrahi and lightly wounded the woman. An officer at the scene shot and killed the terrorist.
Hours before the deadly attack, female terrorists aged 14 and 16 wielding scissors stabbed an elderly Palestinian in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market.
In the attack committed by the teenagers, two people were lightly wounded in the attack, an 80-year-old who suffered head wounds, and a 27-year-old wounded in his hand. The 80-year-old victim of the attack was later reported to be a Palestinian resident of Betlehem. The 27-year-old may have been wounded by a ricochet from a bullet.
One terrorist was shot dead by security forces and the other was moderately wounded.
The terrorist who was killed was later identified by Palestinian sources as 14-year-old Hadil Wajiya Awad from the Qalandyia refugee camp. The reports mentioned that Awad's brother had been wounded in clashes with Israeli troops in 2013 and later succumbed to his wounds at an area hospital.
The other terrorist, who was seriously wounded, was identified as Norhin Awad, Hadil's cousin.
The attack captured on CCTV
According to a police statement, "two female minors aged 14 and 16 from north Jerusalem arrived at Jaffa street near the Mahane Yehuda market wielding identical scissors. The two managed to stab a man in his upper body, lightly wounding him according to MDA.
"An initial investigation of the incident reveals that the 70-year-old man stabbed in the incident was a resident of the West Bank," continued police.
"The terrorists attempted to stab several innocent civilians," said police. "A police bomb technician how was leaving the market noticed the woman and leaped out his vehicle, drew his gun, and called on the terrorists to stop and drop their weapons, the terrorists did not answer his calls and ran towards him. The policeman than conducted accurate fire and neutralized both terrorists," the statement concluded.
The wounded Palestinian, Yussuf Alharoub, told Ynet: "I thank God it ended this way. What happened was a matter of fate. Both the Jews and the Palestinians are suffering because of what's happening now and no one benefits."
Soon after the attack, an apparent vehicular attack occurred near Shavei Shomron in the West Bank, wounding one. Security forces were investigating whether the incident was an accident or a deliberate attack.
Later, a terrorist unsuccessfully attempted to stab a soldier at the entrance to Nablus and was killed.
The last attack to take place in the city was two weeks ago, when two Palestinians aged 11 and 14 stabbed a security guard on Jerusalem's light rail in the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood. In accordance with legal precendents, the younger of the two won't be prosecuted due to his age.
The moments of the attack
Hadar Buchris,
a 21-year-old Israeli woman from Safed, was seriously wounded and later declared deceased after a stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction in the West Bank on Sunday afternoon. IDF troops from the Kfir Brigade shot and killed her attacker.
The attack happened at a hitchhiking station where two terrorists who tried to commit a stabbing attack were shot to death three weeks ago.
On Sunday morning, two stabbing terror attacks were thwarted in the West Bank when a 16-year-old Palestinian girl tried to stab Israelis near Itamar and a Palestinian taxi driver tried to stab an Israeli man after failing to run over pedestrians near Jerusalem. Both terrorists were shot dead, while an Israeli was lightly wounded.
The taxi driver tried to run over Israelis at the Kfar Adumim junction near Jerusalem. When he was unsuccessful, he got out of the taxi and tried to stab an Israeli driver. | Armed Conflict | November 2015 | ['(Ynet News)', '(Times of Israel)'] |
The results of the recent Tunisian parliamentary election are announced with the secular Nidaa Tounes party winning a plurality of seats. | Tunisia's secularist party Nidaa Tounes has won 85 seats in the country's parliament following Sunday's elections, official results show.
The governing Islamist Ennahda party won 69 seats in the 217-seat chamber. The official results confirm earlier predictions and Ennahda officials have already urged Nidaa Tounes to form an inclusive government.
Tunisia's transition to democratic rule after a 2011 revolt has been hailed as a regional success story.
The revolt was the first and least violent of the Arab Spring uprisings against autocratic governments across the region.
"In with the old" is what some Tunisians have been saying about Nidaa Tounes, which has a comfortable lead of 85 seats in the new parliament, in reference to the fact that supporters of the regime of deposed President Ben Ali were allowed to join the party and run for office.
But their inclusion has not been without controversy and the party will still need to find coalition partners to be able to govern.
Meanwhile, the political Islamist Ennahda party and their secular coalition partners have been punished by voters for their three years in government. Despite the political progress and the international praise, many Tunisians - especially those who are younger and from poorer parts of the country - have been feeling neglected and forgotten by those in the capital - and simply did not vote on Sunday. The parliamentary poll was the second such election since the uprising.
Tunisia's secularists and Islamists have managed the transition to democracy with less acrimony and bloodshed than their neighbours, correspondents say. | Government Job change - Election | October 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former Mayor of the American city of New Orleans, Louisiana Ray Nagin is sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption, money laundering and other related offences. , | NEW ORLEANS — Former mayor Ray Nagin, the businessman-turned-politician who became the worldwide face of the city after Hurricane Katrina, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday.
Nagin, 58, was ordered to report to federal prison Sept. 8 and to pay restitution of $82,000. He was found guilty Feb. 12 of fraud, bribery and related charges involving crimes that took place before and after Katrina devastated the city in August 2005.
Prosecutors immediately objected to the sentence, which falls well below typical guidelines that called for 15-20 years.
"What Ray Nagin did was sell his office over and over and over again," Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Coman said outside the courthouse. "The damage that Ray Nagin inflicted upon this community ... is incalculable. We as a community need not and should not accept public corruption."
Coman said a decision on whether to appeal will be made by U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.
Judge Ginger Berrigan determined that Nagin did not have a leadership role in the criminal conspiracy, saying all defendants are "equally culpable."
"Mr. Nagin's crimes were motivated in part by a deeply misguided desire to provide for those closest to him," she said.
Before announcing the sentence, Berrigan indicated she would "downwardly depart from guidelines" and that "sentencing imposed should reflect Nagin's ability to harm the public again."
Nagin said he would "trust in God that this would all work out."
A jury convicted Nagin of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes — money, free vacation trips and truckloads of free granite for his family business — from businessmen who wanted work from the city or Nagin's support for various hurricane recovery projects.
Prosecutors asked the court to send Nagin to prison for a long time. They argued that he was found guilty of 20 of 21 counts in the indictment, and that he participated in and orchestrated a years-long conspiracy to enrich himself and his family.
The government also argued that Nagin spent years covering up his crimes and that his testimony during the two-week trial showed an unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions.
Coman compared Nagin's crimes with those of other public officials who drew stiff sentences, including former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (28 years), former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich (14 years) and former Birmingham, Ala., mayor Larry Langford (15 years).
"Nagin's widespread and corrosive breach of the public trust — lasting through much of his tenure in office — equals even the worst of these state and local corruption cases," Coman wrote.
Nagin's defense attorney, Robert Jenkins, petitioned the court for a lighter sentence. He pointed out that his client is a first-time offender with no criminal record.
Jenkins also argued that the allegations and evidence presented during the trial showed behavior inconsistent with his otherwise outstanding life as a businessman, family member and citizen.
"Mr. Nagin has been a devoted father, husband and supportive child to his parents, and greatly cares for the well-being of his family, and is their caretaker," Jenkins wrote.
According to Jenkins, a 20-year sentence would amount to a "virtual life sentence."
Jenkins noted that former governor Edwin Edwards received a 10-year sentence in a public corruption scheme that netted up to $5 million in ill-gotten gain.
The court previously calculated Nagin's take at more than $500,000.
The court received several letters of support for Nagin, including from members of his family. His wife, Seletha, asked that he remain out of jail until allegations of prosecutorial misconduct could be fully investigated.
"I am asking that you delay these sentencing proceedings until we are allowed to see all the reports that have thus far only been summarized but clearly show a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct," Seletha Nagin wrote.
Her letter detailed the family's financial ruin and personal anguish.
"We are mentally and financially drained," she wrote in the four-page letter dated July 1. "We have exhausted our savings, borrowed from family, gone on public assistance (for the first time ever) and even had to file bankruptcy to avoid being homeless. We have even sold much of our furniture and all of our jewelry with the exception of our wedding rings." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | July 2014 | ['(D)', '(USA Today)', '(New York Times)'] |
China lowers the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old for "abominable" crimes such as murder or causing injury that leads to death or severe disabilities by extremely cruel means. The measure was passed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee. | China has lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old for "abominable" crimes such as murder or causing injury that leads to death or severe disabilities by extremely cruel means, the China Daily said.
The revision was passed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Saturday after a third review and will be effective from March 1. It applies to children aged between 12 and 14, the state-backed newspaper said.
Children in China aged 14-16 can be held criminally liable if they intentionally commit serious violent crimes such as murder and rape. For most other offences, the age of criminal liability is 16.
| Government Policy Changes | December 2020 | ['(Al Arabiya)'] |
Flooding caused by Tropical Storm Pabuk causes widespread flooding in Guangdong Province in southern China affecting up to 1.2 million people. | BEIJING (Reuters) - Downpours brought by a fading tropical storm caused widespread flooding in south China, toppling more than 3,600 houses, while in the northeast hundreds were evacuated to avoid landslides, state media said on Monday.
Floods worsen in China
00:46
And a clear, sunny day in the capital Beijing ended in a brief, violent storm on Sunday taking everyone by surprise with high winds uprooting several trees, knocking flowerpots off balconies, cutting power in some places and causing flash floods.
Tropical storm Pabuk, which hit Hong Kong on Friday, brought rain southeastern coastal provinces, offering temporary relief to the lingering drought there.
But it also caused floods across the southern province of Guangdong, toppling the houses and “affecting” about 1.2 million people, Xinhua news agency said.
Downpours and rainstorms were recorded in Wenzhou and Taizhou in the eastern province of Zhejiang that have suffered more than 20 days of sweltering heat.
Heavy rains also brought relief to 65,500 people and 30,300 hectares of scorched farmland in Fujian in the southeast.
A drizzly Hong Kong itself was getting back to normal on Monday after a severe storm warning forced markets, schools and ferries public facilities to close early on Friday. overcast here.
The bad weather forced a group of about 30 activists to postpone a boat trip to the Diaoyu islands, held by Japan but disputed by China and Taiwan.
More than 1,100 people had been evacuated to avoid possible landslides after heavy rains hit Dandong, a city in northeast province of Liaoning, Xinhua said.
Mines in two counties under the jurisdiction of Dandong city were ordered to suspend operation, with rain expect all week.
More than 1,000 workers were repairing a railway on China’s first cross-strait railway linking Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, to Haikou on the island province of Hainan.
The railway was destroyed by torrential currents which inundated the rail-bed and distorted rails.
Three more tropical storms are expected to form in coming days, threatening China and neighboring Taiwan.
The tropical storms, as opposed to full-fledged typhoons, come at the tail-end of a summer in which a series of natural disasters in China has killed nearly 1,000 people in floods, landslides and house collapses.
| Floods | August 2007 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Macedonia says it will no longer let any migrants through its southern border with Greece, effectively blocking the Balkan route for migrants. The decision came after Slovenia barred access to migrants transiting the country. There are around 13,000 migrants now stranded at the Macedonia-Greece border. | Macedonia has said it will no longer let any migrants through its border with Greece, effectively blocking the Balkan route north.
The decision came after Slovenia barred access to migrants transiting the country. Croatia and Serbia then said they would follow suit.
Some 13,000 migrants are now stranded at the Macedonia-Greece border.
The moves come after the EU and Turkey set out a plan to ease Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War Two.
Under the plan, still to be finalised, all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey would be sent back. For each Syrian returned, a Syrian in Turkey would be resettled in the EU.
Announcing the plan on Monday, European Council President Donald Tusk, said there would no longer be a path to Europe for migrants. "The days of irregular migration to Europe are over," he said.
In another development, leading international non-governmental organisations accused the French government of planning to close a purpose-built camp for refugees and migrants outside the French town of Dunkirk.
The newly-opened site has been described as the first in France to meet international standards, and provides shelter, food, sanitation and medical care for almost 1,200 people, but officials have said they are concerned about security and potential fire hazards.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have travelled through Macedonia over the past year, heading north.
But Macedonia began to limit the numbers, first to Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi migrants, then recently to just a trickle - mainly Syrians from areas it considered conflict zones.
This created a bottleneck, with migrants now living in a sprawling camp at the Idomeni crossing.
Macedonia's announcement came after Slovenia said late on Tuesday that it would allow in only migrants who planned to seek asylum in the country, or those with clear humanitarian needs.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar said the country's move meant that "the Balkan route for illegal migration no longer exists".
In related moves:
The BBC's Europe correspondent, Chris Morris, says other countries such as Albania and Bulgaria will be wary of attracting attention as alternative routes for refugees and smugglers alike.
There is also concern, he adds, that there could be a renewed flurry of smuggling activity before any proposed deal between the EU and Turkey comes into force.
The closure of the Balkan route had clearly been on the agenda of the EU-Turkey summit on Monday, which ended without a deal.
A draft statement had declared the route closed although the final wording was changed after Germany objected.
The main thrust of the EU-Turkey plan is the one-in, one-out proposal for Syrian migrants.
There have already been objections. The UN expressed concern at the plan on Tuesday, while Amnesty International called it a death blow to the right to seek asylum. Speaking to the BBC, Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said the proposal to send migrants back would contravene international law.
Talks between the EU and Turkey will continue ahead of an EU meeting next week.
The EU heads said "bold moves" were needed, and made the following proposals:
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | Government Policy Changes | March 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
Okinawa's legislative assembly passes a resolution expressing "overwhelming indignation" at the alleged rape of a Japanese woman by two U.S. soldiers, the latest of 5,747 crimes on record allegedly involving U.S. personnel over the past 40 years, and condemns the worsening criminal activity of foreign troops on the island. | Assembly of the Japanese island passes a protest resolution following the arrests of two US sailors accused of rape.
Legislators of the Japanese island chain of Okinawa have passed a resolution expressing “overwhelming indignation” at the alleged rape of a Japanese woman by two US servicemen.
The resolution approved on Monday demanded proper punishment and victim compensation in the rape case.
The legislature says 5,747 crimes are on record involving US military personnel since Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972. It says that in some cases criminal activity is getting worse.
The resolution said US military top officials were not doing enough to control their thousands of personnel present in the area.
“Yet another incident has taken place. In fact, the severity of the incidents is intensifying,” it said. “With overwhelming indignation, we must question the present efforts of the US forces to prevent such incidents from happening.”
The arrest last week of two 23-year-old sailors for the alleged rape of a local woman worsened already strained ties between the large US military contingent and their island hosts.
The US Forces have imposed an 11pm to 5am curfew on all military personnel in Japan in response to the incident.
Outrage The resolution demanded “a fundamental review of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement”, which Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima said effectively made the island an extraterritorial space for the US military.
The agreement limits the authority of Japanese investigators to prosecute US personnel, giving jurisdiction to the American military. Opponents say it too easily leaves criminals unpunished.
“We are so fed up with this because incidents like this have often occurred since before,” Nakaima told reporters as he arrived in Washington on Sunday, where he is due to attend a symposium.
“I must let [Americans] know of such sentiment in Okinawa.”
Previous criminal incidents, including the gang rape of a 12-year-old by three US soldiers in 1995, sparked angry large-scale demonstrations, with protesters demanding a smaller US presence.
About half of the 47,000 US military personnel based in Japan are stationed in Okinawa.
| Government Policy Changes | October 2012 | ['(Al Jazeera)'] |
Paolo Gentiloni becomes the new Prime Minister of Italy. | Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni has been asked to form a government by the country's president.
President Sergio Mattarella has been looking for a replacement for centre-left PM Matteo Renzi, who resigned after losing a referendum on constitutional reform last week.
Mr Gentiloni, 62, is a loyalist from Mr Renzi's Democratic Party.
Correspondents say that if he is successful in rallying support a government could be formed in days.
In a brief acceptance speech, Mr Gentiloni said he realised the urgency of forming the government to reassure the country.
He said he would work within the framework of the previous administration, making it likely that he will reappoint several ministers. Mr Gentiloni faces a banking crisis and a rise in popular support for anti-establishment and eurosceptic parties.
Opposition parties have ruled out joining a national unity government, with the populist Five Star Movement saying it will boycott a parliamentary approval vote, due to take place on Wednesday, because it would have not legitimacy.
The party has called for immediate elections, currently due to be held in May 2018.
However, President Mattarella has said the current electoral rules must be revised so both houses of parliament are synchronised.
The law was changed to the so-called "Italicum" system last year to give the leading party a parliamentary majority through bonus seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies. But there has been no such change in the Senate, which is elected by proportional representation.
Senate reforms formed part of the package of reforms put to Italian voters last Sunday, while the legitimacy of the system for the Chamber of Deputies is to be ruled on in January.
Mr Renzi's plans for constitutional reform were rejected by a margin of 59% to 41%, prompting his decision to stand down. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | December 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
The entire Washington D.C. Metro system will shut down for 29 hours beginning at midnight Wednesday for an emergency investigation after an electric cable caught fire on Monday. | Hundreds of thousands of commuters, visitors and residents of Washington, D.C., are searching for travel alternatives Wednesday after the entire D.C. Metrorail system was shutdown for an emergency safety inspection.
Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld took the unprecedented step of shutting down the entire system at midnight and keeping it closed until 5 a.m. Thursday so crews could check about 600 underground jumper cables.
A problem with those cables caused a fire at the McPherson Square station early Monday, according to a preliminary investigation. The same problem also led to a smoke incident at L'Enfant Plaza in January, 2015, that killed one person and injured others.
"While the investigation (into the McPherson Square incident) is ongoing, the preliminary findings show commonalities with the cable fire in L'Enfant Plaza a year ago," Wiedefeld said.
"While the risk to public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life safety issue here," he said. "This is why we must take this [step] immediately. When I say safety is our highest priority, I mean it."
Metrorail has never shut down, except for weather-related causes, since beginning to operate in 1976, Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans said.
Federal employees have the option to work from home or take unscheduled leave, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced about 6 p.m. Tuesday.
D.C. public schools will be open Wednesday, the school system announced Tuesday evening. DCPS is working with Metro to add bus service. Absences and tardiness will be excused, DCPS said in a tweet.
"If we do it piecemeal, this could take weeks," he said.
The Metro boss said he thinks the work will be complete by the time Metrorail is set to open at 5 a.m. Thursday.
"We feel that we can do it in that time period," Wiedefeld said.
The closure of Metrorail, which transports about 730,000 people on an average weekday and is the backbone of commuting throughout the nation's capital and the region, will disrupt the daily routines of hundreds of thousands of workers.
Getting Around Without Metrorail
D.C. Streetcar was among the other transit agencies that responded, reminding commuters that there are some other options. Still, traffic on area roads on Wednesday morning could be extremely heavy.
Parking in all Metro garages will be free Wednesday for customers taking buses or carpooling, Metro announced.
The DC Taxicab Commission will allow multiple passengers to be picked up together and dropped off at different locations without any additional surcharges.
Transportation officals say restrictions for HOV and Express Lanes on area highways will remain in place Wednesday.
One Metro rider died and dozens were hurt Jan. 12, 2015 after a Metro train filled with smoke near the L'Enfant Plaza station. | Fire | March 2016 | ['(The Washington Post)', '(NBC4 Washington)'] |
Yonhap news agency reports that the Republic of Korea Coast Guard has been dispatched to rescue a ferry with 476 passengers sinking off the southeastern coast of South Korea with claims that at least four passengers have died and scores are injured. Approximately 280 people remain unaccounted for. , , | Grave fears are held for almost 300 passengers after a ferry carrying mostly high school students sank en route to a holiday island in South Korea.
South Korean rescue teams, as well as elite navy SEAL divers, were on Wednesday night working frantically under floodlights to find 291 people "unaccounted for" after the ferry sank with 459 people on board.
Authorities said 164 people had been rescued, with four confirmed deaths including a female crew member and a student. The death toll, however, was expected to rise.
Dramatic television footage showed terrified passengers wearing life jackets clambering into inflatable boats as water lapped over the rails of the vessel as it sank 20 kilometres off the southern island of Byungpoong.
Some could be seen sliding down the steeply inclined side of the ferry and into the water, as rescuers, including the crew of what appeared to be a small fishing boat, pulled them to safety.
The 6,825-tonne Sewol had listed violently, before it capsized and finally sank - all within two hours of sending a distress signal at 9.00am (1000 AEST).
"I'm afraid there's little chance for those trapped inside still to be alive," one senior rescue team official, Cho Yang-Bok, told YTN television as teams of divers struggled to access the submerged, multi-storey ferry.
As night fell the coastguard said the rescue operation was continuing using floodlights and underwater flares.
Several rescued passengers said they had initially been ordered to stay in their seats, but then the ferry suddenly listed to one side, triggering panic.
"The crew kept telling us not to move," one male survivor told the YTN news channel.
"Then it suddenly shifted over and people slid to one side and it became very difficult to get out," he added.
Of the 429 passengers on board the ferry bound for the popular southern resort island of Jeju, more than 300 were students travelling with 14 teachers from a high school in Ansan just south of Seoul.
Among those confirmed as rescued, 78 were students.
"I feel so pained to see students on a school trip ... face such a tragic accident. I want you to pour all your energy into this mission," President Park Geun-Hye said on a visit to the main disaster agency situation room in Seoul.
Many of the survivors were plucked from the water by fishing and other commercial vessels who were first on the scene before a flotilla of coastguard and navy ships arrived, backed by more than a dozen helicopters.
Lee said 178 divers, including a team of South Korean navy SEALS, were working at the site, but low visibility and strong currents were hampering their efforts.
The US 7th Fleet sent an amphibious assault ship on patrol in the area to help.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, although rescued passengers reported the ferry coming to a sudden, shuddering halt - indicating it may have run aground. | Shipwreck | April 2014 | ['(AP)', '(AFP via Nine MSN)', '(BBC)'] |
The death toll from mudslides in Eastern Mexico triggered by Hurricane Earl rises to 38, with 28 people killed in Puebla, and 10 others in Veracruz. | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mudslides triggered by intense rainfall in eastern Mexico killed 40 people at the weekend as saturated hillsides collapsed onto modest homes in the wake of now-dissipated Tropical Storm Earl.
Mexicans mourn mudslide victims
The death toll rose late on Sunday after state governors in the two most affected states confirmed two more deaths from a series of mudslides that struck hillside communities.
The head of national emergency services previously put the death toll at 38, the vast majority of whom were found in Puebla state, while the remainder died in neighboring Veracruz.
Rafael Morena Valle, governor of Puebla state, said canine units were searching for the missing, but the number of unaccounted for residents was unclear.
Images of the damage from Earl, broadcast on Mexican television, showed massive mudslides burying entire hillsides, trees felled and buildings creaking under collapsed walls and roofs.
On the Pacific coast, Mexico’s Baja California peninsula braced for another major storm to strike as early as Monday.
Tropical Storm Javier was generating maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) on Sunday night and was forecast to become a hurricane late Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a statement.
The center of the storm was expected to strike the southern tip of Baja, home to the beach resort of Los Cabos, by Monday night.
At least 25 of the deaths in Puebla state were confirmed on Sunday near the town of Huauchinango in the rugged Sierra Norte de Puebla mountains, site of the worst destruction so far.
Eleven people have died in Veracruz, buried in landslides after intense rainfall and flooding struck the Gulf coast state after Earl crossed the Yucatan peninsula.
“We continue to monitor rivers that are above critical levels,” Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte said in a post on Twitter on Sunday.
Before striking Mexico, Earl battered Belize last Thursday, smashing car windows and punching holes in the roofs of Belize City’s wooden houses. It also flooded parts of the coast.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | August 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Shirlene Ostrov resigns as chairwoman of the Hawaii Republican Party following a series of tweets posted by vice chairman Edwin Boyette on the party's Twitter account defending people who supported the QAnon conspiracy theory. Additionally, Boyette resigned on January 24th after the tweets were posted the day before. | HONOLULU (AP) — The chairperson of the Hawaii Republican Party has resigned after a senior party member used an official Twitter account to send tweets defending adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Shirlene Ostrov stepped down “to allow the party to recover from the controversy and focus on finding excellent candidates and fighting for policies that improve the quality of life for Hawaii’s hardworking families,” the party said in a statement. Her resignation took effect Sunday. Ostrov said the party has been “redefining itself” since President Joe Biden was inaugurated. “We have a stark but important choice to make: either we rededicate ourselves to our Constitution and continue to defend and uphold our best American institutions and traditions or we get distracted by conspiracy theories and social media wars,” the statement quoted her as saying. Edwin Boyette, who had served as the state party’s vice chairman for communications, resigned on Jan. 24, one day after posting the tweets on the Hawaii GOP account. “We should make it abundantly clear — the people who subscribed to the Q fiction, were largely motivated by a sincere and deep love for America. Patriotism and love of County (sic) should never be ridiculed,” said one of the tweets, which were later deleted. QAnon followers advocate a conspiracy theory rooted in the baseless belief that former President Donald Trump was fighting deep state enemies and a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring. Some QAnon believers were among the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as lawmakers were counting Electoral College votes validating Biden’s victory.
Ostrov served as chairperson for four years. In 2016, the retired Air Force colonel was defeated by former Democratic Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the special election to serve out the remaining term of U.S. Rep. Mark Takai after his death. As chairperson, she had mixed success trying to boost the number of Republicans in the state Legislature, which is dominated by Democrats.
Rep. Val Okimoto, a Republican who represents the Honolulu suburb of Mililani in the state House, said Ostrov’s resignation was necessary for the future of the party and “a crucial part” of her taking responsibility for what happened on the party’s social media account. “It is high time we become the party of Lincoln and not a party on the fringe. Hawaii deserves better than that. It deserves a functioning two-party system,” Okimoto said in an emailed statement. “It deserves a Republican Party that fights for the people’s best interests instead of fighting between themselves.”
Fellow Republican state Rep. Bob McDermott said Ostrov worked hard and did a good job but she made the right decision to get a fresh start. Neither Ostrov nor Boyette returned messages to The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment. Republicans lost one of their five seats in the state House in the November general election, leaving them with just four out of the 51 seats in the chamber. The party holds one of the 25 seats in the state Senate. The party’s first vice chairperson, Boyd Ready, will serve as acting chairperson. The party will elect a new chairperson and executive committee in May. The party’s statement said Ostrov invigorated the Hawaii GOP, bringing in national resources to help candidates and presided over a 60% increase in party members in 2020. Ostrov will continue to serve on the party’s executive committee as immediate past chair and will help party efforts to elect more Republicans. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | January 2021 | ['(AP)'] |
The government of Armenia claims that Azerbaijani forces shelled Tavush Province resulting in three deaths. | Azerbaijani forces on Thursday shelled Armenia, killing three civilian women, officials in Yerevan said, as tensions mounted in the Caucasus neighbours' decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
Three women aged up to 94 "died as a result of shelling by Azerbaijani armed forces" in Armenia's north-eastern Tavush region close to the border with Azerbaijan, Armenia's interior ministry spokesman Ashot Agaronyan told AFP.
"A 70-year-old women was killed in the village of Paravakar village, and two other women, aged 94 and 41 were killed in the village of Berdavan. Two other civilians were wounded," he said.
"Shelling from large-calibre mortars" was still continuing on Thursday evening, Agaronyan said.
Armenia is locked in a protracted conflict with Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.
Armenia's defence ministry condemned the shelling as an "act of provocation" as the two countries' foreign ministers are set to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on a date still to be confirmed.
"Our neighbour's military leadership shows complete disdain towards diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a negotiated solution to the (Karabakh) conflict," Armenia said in a statement.
"Armenia will take appropriate steps to pacify Azerbaijani armed forces," the ministry added.
The two ex-Soviet nations regularly exchange fire along their shared border and across Karabakh's volatile frontline but last year clashes hit a new high. Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of the territory during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead.
Despite years of negotiations, the two countries have not signed a final peace deal to cement a tenuous 1994 ceasefire.
Energy-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget, has threatened to take back the breakaway region by force if negotiations fail to yield results. Armenia -- backed by Russia which sells weapons to both Baku and Yerevan -- says it could crush any offensive. | Armed Conflict | September 2015 | ['(AFP via France 24)'] |
War in Afghanistan: A NATO air strike kills a family of eight, including six children. | A Nato air strike has killed eight members of a family in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia, local officials say.
A provincial spokesman said a couple and their six children died in an air strike on Saturday in the village of Suri Khail, Gurda Saria district.
Nato says it is investigating the reports.
Earlier, the alliance said four of its soldiers had died in separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Paktia provincial spokesman Rohullah Samoon told AFP news agency: "It was an air strike conducted by Nato.
"This man [the father] had no connection to the Taliban or any other terrorist group."
Nato spokesman Lt Col Jimmie Cummings acknowledged that coalition forces had been conducting an operation in Paktia province "against a large number of insurgents" on Saturday night.
He said the alliance was aware of the reports of civilian deaths and was investigating them.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary says the restive Gurda Saria district is the ancestral home of the Haqqani network.
This is a Pakistani-based group with ties to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Nato did not give details of the deaths of its four service members on Saturday, nor reveal the nationalities of the victims.
However, the UK's defence ministry confirmed to the BBC that they included a British soldier whose death was confirmed on Saturday.
The soldier, from 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh, had been on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj region of Helmand province when his vehicle was hit by a bomb.
Earlier this month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that civilian casualties caused by Nato could undermine the strategic partnership agreement he had just signed with the US.
The 10-year accord outlines military and civil ties between the countries after the end of Nato's mission in Afghanistan in 2014. | Armed Conflict | May 2012 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(The News)'] |
A large fire consumes the 24-storey Grenfell Tower apartment block in North Kensington, West London, with the entire building evacuated and over 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters battling the blaze. At least 17 people are dead and more people are treated for injuries, with more people possibly being trapped inside. , , , , | A massive fire engulfed a residential high-rise building in London on Wednesday, leaving at least 74 people injured and 12 dead.
The London Fire Brigade dispatched at least 40 fire engines, 20 ambulance crews and more than 200 firefighters in an effort to battle the conflagration, at the 24-story Grenfell Tower in West London.
Authorities said they are monitoring the stability of the charred structure, but that firefighters have managed to search "most" of the building for remaining people.
The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed the rising death toll at a press conference Wednesday night.
"This is an unprecedented incident," London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton told reporters. "In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never, ever seen anything of this scale."
As of 11:45 a.m. local time Wednesday, 64 people were transported to six hospitals across London for a range of injuries related to the fire, and 20 of them are in critical condition. An additional 10 people made their own way to hospitals, bringing the total of those treated to 74, according to London Ambulance Service director of operations Paul Woodrow.
"Over 100 of our medics have been working hard to respond to this incident, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, advanced trauma teams from London's Air Ambulance and those staff managing the incident in our special operations center," Woodrow said in a statement late Wednesday morning. "Our hazardous area response teams are also on scene, who carry specialist equipment, including breathing apparatus. We've been treating patients for a range of injuries as well as for smoke inhalation."
It is not known yet what caused the blaze, which firefighters continue to battle. The fire has left the building almost totally charred, and there were fears in the morning about the building's structural integrity, as it appeared to lean slightly to one side.
The tower, built in 1974, contains 120 apartments, according to its management company, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation.
One resident told ABC News that he woke up smelling smoke and thought his laptop was overheating. He said it seemed as if the fire had been burning for at least 30 minutes before the building's fire alarms went off.
The resident, who said he was initially told to stay in place, said he fled the building once he realized how thick the smoke was. Regrettably, he said, he was unable to carry his elderly father and fears that he may not have survived.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Dan Daly said in a statement that "firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire. This is a large and very serious incident, and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "truly devastated" and warned that the numbers of dead and injured could increase.
"My heart goes out to everyone affected. I am sad to confirm that we now know there have been fatalities and more than 50 people have been taken to hospitals," he said in a statement early Wednesday. "The fire service is dealing with a rapidly changing situation and these numbers [of dead and injured] are likely to rise."
The Metropolitan Police Service said that at 1:16 a.m. local time it received "reports of a large fire at a block of flats in the Lancaster West Estate, W11."
Some social media users posted photos and videos of the fire as it continued to rage after sunrise, and others posted images of loved ones who are unaccounted for.
"It looks very bad, very, very bad. I've never seen anything like this. It's just such a big fire," Tim Downey, an eyewitness, told the BBC early Wednesday. "It has burned through to its very core."
He said part of the building appeared to be "completely burned away."
"The whole building is just crumbling. It's just billowing black smoke," Downey said.
Another witness, Hanan, who gave only her first name, told ABC News that she managed to escape from the building's ninth floor and that she was worried about her brother, Abdul Aziz, and his family, who were on the 26th floor.
Some tenants previously complained about the upkeep of the tower, specifically warning about the fire risk. In November a residents' group, Grenfell Action Group, said that only a "catastrophic event" would expose the concerns it had about the building's landlord, according to a blog post from the group.
ABC News' Molly Hunter, Alexandra Faul and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.
The suspect in a shooting spree targeting pedestrians and vehicles throughout metropolitan Phoenix on Thursday is a teenage security guard who allegedly told police he believed people were after him in the wake of a separate shooting he was involved in while working at a restaurant last month, according to court documents. Ashin Tricarico, 19, of Surprise, California, was charged Friday with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, drive-by shooting and endangerment in connection with the shootings, which left one person dead and a dozen others injured. Police said Friday they have not yet identified a motive in the complex case, which involved at least eight different shooting incidents over the course of a 90-minute period Thursday morning throughout the West Valley, according to the Peoria Police Department, which is leading the investigation.
Three people are dead and two remain missing after five people who were tubing on a North Carolina river went over the edge of a steep dam, authorities said. Four people who were "hanging on to various items" were rescued from the river at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Lt. Kevin Suthard, a spokesperson for the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, told ABC Radio. The three tubers who died were identified Friday as Bridish Crawford, 27; Antonio Ramon, 30; and Sophie Wilson, 14.
Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, lauded as a hero for protecting lawmakers in the Jan. 6 insurrection, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' home game Friday evening. Goodman threw out the pitch before the Nationals' game against the New York Mets. Wearing a Nats jersey with the No. 21 and "Goodman" on the back, he threw the pitch on one hop to Nationals outfielder Kyle Schwarber.
A federal judge ruled in favor of Florida in a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying the agency overstepped its authority. Judge Steven Merryday said the CDC is "preliminarily enjoined" from enforcing its conditional sail order -- a set of guidelines for cruise companies wishing to resume sailing in the U.S., including test cruises and vaccine requirements -- beginning July 18. "This order finds that Florida is highly likely to prevail on the merits of the claim that CDC's conditional sailing order and the implementing orders exceed the authority delegated to CDC," the ruling said.
Now that Juneteenth has been recognized as a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S., just ahead of Saturday's June 19 anniversary, advocates are weighing in on how Americans should mark the occasion and what the day should mean to the country going forward. Lee walked from her home in Fort Worth to Washington five years ago at age 89 to raise awareness of the holiday and said she was "ecstatic" and "overjoyed" to witness Biden sign the bill and make it official on Thursday. Lee and advocates say Juneteenth's elevation to a federal holiday now is an opportunity for all Americans -- not just African Americans -- to celebrate freedom and better understand the institution of slavery.
It’s an accomplishment set in motion long before Biden became president. The nation’s vaccination program, set up under the Trump administration, was always expected to expand supply throughout the year, moving beyond health care workers and the elderly, and reaching the general public in large numbers this spring. "We turned it around together by acting quickly and aggressively and equitably," Biden said Friday.
A tropical threat churning in the Gulf of Mexico is taking aim at the Gulf Coast -- and is forecast to strengthen into tropical storm Claudette just before making landfall in Louisiana. Heavy rain will be the main threat with this tropical system. Bands of rain and gusty winds are moving into parts of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi Friday afternoon and evening.
Senior citizens lost almost $1 billion in scams in 2020, according to an FBI report released this week. The scammer uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim.
House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn said on Friday that new legislation to mark Juneteenth as a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States gives him "hope." President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law on Thursday. "That was a real good vote, real good bipartisan demonstration of accepting the fact that slavery did exist, and it did come to an end on June 19, 1865," Clyburn said.
In Geneva and in the weeks that follow, President Joe Biden is testing his own approach to Vladimir Putin's Russia and his aggression -- on the world stage, in cyberspace and against his domestic opposition. After their afternoon summit in the Swiss capital, Biden said give him time to see if his approach works -- trying to play to Putin's long desire to have Moscow seen as a key power, respected and feared around the globe. For his part, Putin reveled in the role of world statesman again and the platform the summit gave him -- smiling before the cameras, fielding questions from several reporters, and defending his government on human rights, foreign interventions, and cyber space.
John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer, grew up close to his 1,000-acre farm in southern Virginia where he now grows soybeans, wheat and livestock. Boyd, of Baskerville, Virginia, is also the founder of the non-profit National Black Farmers Association, which educates and advocates for Black farmers’ civil rights, land retention and access to public and private loans, among other initiatives. Boyd and his father farmed together for 30 years and his grandparents were sharecroppers after the abolition of slavery in 1865.
When President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday making Juneteenth a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, there was one woman in the room who captured well-deserved attention. Opal Lee was called the "grandmother of the movement" to make Juneteenth a federal holiday by Biden, who at one point left the stage and walked over to the 94-year-old to speak with her directly.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Friday that a highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus that was first detected in India could soon become the dominant strain in the United States. "I think that that's probably going to be the case," Walensky told ABC News in an interview on "Good Morning America." After being identified in India in October, the so-called delta variant has since been reported in more than 80 countries around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.
Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka will not compete in this year's Wimbledon, the second consecutive Grand Slam tournament she has missed due to what she has said are her mental health struggles. Osaka, who lives in the U.S. but plays for Japan, will compete in the 2021 Summer Olympics, scheduled to begin July 23 in Tokyo. Osaka, 23, withdrew from the French Open earlier this month after being fined $15,000 for missing a post-match press conference.
Fina Kiefer said there was a moment where she thought she "wasn't going to make it." The 55-year-old hiker had been alone on an Alaska mountain for days after being chased off a trail by bears. "If the helicopters couldn't see me and I was getting wet, I would come into hypothermia," Kiefer told ABC News in an interview airing Friday on "Good Morning America."
Since federal prosecutors obtained the cooperation of GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz's once close-ally in May, sources tell ABC News the ongoing investigation, which includes sex trafficking allegations involving Gaetz, has engulfed the tight-knit Central Florida political scene as prosecutors continue their investigation of the Florida congressman. Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, who reached a plea deal last month, has been assisting federal agents in the sprawling probe that has recently revved up its focus on alleged corruption and fraud stemming from Greenberg's time in office and beyond, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The former tax collector pleaded guilty in May to a host of crimes including charges of stalking, identity theft, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a public official, as well as a sex trafficking charge.
The world has and continues to change in so many monumental ways since former President Barack Obama's eight years in office. Obama acknowledges how far political camps in our country have drifted apart from each other.
Millions of Americans were under historic heat wave conditions this week -- driving up widespread use of air conditioning and putting pressure on overloaded power grids. In Texas, where temperatures were slated to be in the mid- to high-90s for the majority of the week, residents were asked to cut back on energy use by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the state's electric grid. The early heat wave has presented a potential record power use for the month of June and has resulted in tight grid conditions and forced outages, ERCOT announced on Monday.
Latinas left the workforce at higher rates than any other demographic during the COVID-19 pandemic, with little sign of recuperating even as the country starts to reopen, according to a new report. From March 2020 to March 2021, the number of Latinas in the workforce dropped by 2.74%, meaning 336,000 fewer Latinas were in the labor force, according to a report released Wednesday by the UCLA Latino Police and Politics Initiative, a Latino-focused think tank. Adriana Rodriguez, 36, a widowed mother of six from Chicago, lost factory jobs twice in the pandemic.
In his first official reaction to the Biden administration, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told his government to get ready for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the United States, "especially to get fully prepared for confrontation," the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim's comment also comes as U.S. President Joe Biden's new nuclear envoy, Sung Kim, prepares to travel to Seoul this weekend to meet with top Korean and Japanese officials and discuss relations with North Korea amid the country's expanding nuclear arsenal. "It looks like North Korea chose to take a very flexible and practical approach to nuclear negotiations," Cheong Seong-Chang, the director of the Center for North Korean Studies of The Sejong Institute, told ABC News. | Fire | June 2017 | ['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)', '(NBC News)', '(New York Times)', '(ABC via Yahoo!)'] |
Protesters demonstrate against the Iraq war and possible military actions against Iran in New York City. | Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters have flooded New York streets to demand an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. About 300,000 people marched through Manhattan on Saturday and stretched for about 10 blocks as they headed down Broadway.
The event was organised by the group United for Peace and Justice.
"End this war, bring the troops home," read one of the many signs lifted by marchers three years after the war in Iraq began. Iran
Organisers aid the march was to call for the return of troops from Iraq and to express opposition to any military action against Iran. "We've been lied to, and they're going to lie to us again to bring us a war in Iran" Marjori Ramos, protester
"We've been lied to, and they're going to lie to us again to bring us a war in Iran" Marjori Ramos, protester
One marcher, Marjori Ramos, 43, of Staten Island, said: "We've been lied to, and they're going to lie to us again to bring us a war in Iran. "I'm here because I had a lot of anger, and I had to do something."
The mother of a marine killed two years ago in Iraq held a picture of her son, born in 1984 and killed 20 years later.
Cindy Sheehan, a vociferous critic of the war whose 24-year-old soldier son also died in Iraq, joined the march, as did actress Susan Sarandon and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. The toll
The march took place just hours after an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, the 70th US fighter killed in Iraq this month.
Reverend Jesse Jackson (2nd L) and Cindy Sheehan (R) at the rally The death toll for April was the highest for a single month in 2006 even before Saturday's fatality. Reverend Jesse Jackson (2nd L) and Cindy Sheehan (R) at the rally Although 70 is well below some of the bloodiest months of the Iraq conflict, it marks a sharp increase over March, when 31 American service members were killed. January's death toll stood at 62 and February's at 55. In December 2005, 68 Americans died. | Protest_Online Condemnation | April 2006 | ['(Washington Post)', '(The Hindu)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Four people are killed in a shooting in St. Charles, Missouri, United States. Another person was stabbed but survived. A suspect was arrested soon after. , | ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) A St. Louis-area man shot to death his girlfriend, her two young children and her mother in the home they all shared, authorities said Saturday. He exchanged gunfire with officers as he fled and was captured several hours later in a convenience store, covered in blood and wounded.
Prosecutors filed 15 charges against Richard Darren Emery of St. Charles, Missouri, including first-degree murder, assault and attempted robbery. Authorities said Emery, 46, abandoned his own pickup and tried unsuccessfully to steal a woman’s car while on the run, attacking her as well.
Emery remained in a local hospital with two gunshot wounds that authorities said did not appear self-inflicted and most likely came from the shootout with officers. St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said investigators did not know the motive for the shootings as of Saturday evening.
“We may never know,” Lohmar said during a news conference. “This one in particular was the worst example of a domestic violence case. Anytime you have a domestic violence case you worry about the safety of the victim, and this would be your worst nightmare.”
St. Charles is a city of about 70,000 residents on the Missouri River northwest of St. Louis. Officials said it’s had of spate of deadly domestic violence incidents recently with six deaths in the past eight days that Lohmar said are unrelated.
Officials said police received a call just before midnight Friday about a shooting at the house where Emery and the victims lived. Lohmar said officers later found three victims dead of gunshot wounds in one bedroom. They were Zoe Kasten, 8; her brother, Jonathan Kasten, 10; and their grandmother, Jane Moeckel, 61.
Officers found the fourth victim, a 39-year-old woman, in the home’s master bedroom, suffering from gunshot wounds but still alive, Lohmar said. She was taken to an area hospital, where she died.
Authorities did not name the fourth victim but described her as the children’s mother, the daughter of the older woman and Emery’s girlfriend.
The initial call came to police came from inside the house, and Lohmar said investigators believe Moeckel made it.
“During that phone call, the 911 operator could hear gunshots in the background,” St. Charles Police Lt. Tom Wilkison said.
Lohmar said Emery attempted to flee in his pickup and was stopped by a police car. He and the officers exchanged shots, and he fled on foot.
Authorities described his attempt to steal another vehicle as a carjacking and said she stabbed its female driver seven times. They said her injuries were not life-threatening.
The area is wooded, and Lohmar said Emery was able to elude police in the dark. But when he sought shelter in the bathroom of the convenience store a few miles away, an employee contacted police, Lohmar said.
Each of the charges against Emery carries a possible penalty of 30 years to life in prison, Lohmar said, adding that more charges are possible and seeking the death penalty is an option under Missouri law.
“It’s premature for us to make any sort of pronouncement about that right now, but I can tell you this thing looks and smells like a death penalty case,” he said. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2018 | ['(Associated Press)', '(The Daily Beast)'] |
A convention centre catches fire in Auckland while still under construction, causing signficant disruption in the CBD. | Fire crews will battle through the night to contain a massive fire which has engulfed the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland, Fire and Emergency NZ said.
The fire service said there was no way to put out the blaze from the roof of the seven-storey building as it could not withstand the weight of the firefighters needed to tackle it.
More than 100 firefighters have been struggling to contain the blaze and gale-force winds were forecast to cause more problems later.
One firefighter was taken to hospital after suffering a medical event at the scene and three other people were treated at the scene as a result of the blaze, which broke out at about 1pm.
READ MORE: * Live: SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre fire * Auckland fire causes gridlock * Pictures show firefighters battling huge CBD blaze * Auckland SkyCity Convention Centre new build: What we know * First look: inside NZ's largest convention centre construction in Auckland * SkyCity fire: Shares drop * Construction site has seen big delays
The whole SkyCity complex was evacuated in the afternoon as black smoke could be seen climbing into the Auckland skyline and people were told to stay out of the CBD.
Workers claimed the fire started when an unattended blow torch ignited flammable material on the roof.
Area commander Geoff Purcell, of Fire and Emergency NZ, said fire crews were trying to "contain the blaze" and stop it spreading.
He said the fire was located on the roof, which was made up of two layers of straw-like material sandwiched between the waterproof roof and plywood ceiling. Firefighters were fighting the fire from an aerial unit, known as a "snorkel", which resembled a cherry picker, he said. They were also trying to protect a crane on top of the building, which threatened to topple over and fall across the road if it got too hot. Firefighters were also inside the building on level 5 attacking the blaze with hoses, nine metres below. Purcell described the fire as "unprecedented". There hadn't been many like it in his 36 year career as a firefighter, he said. Earlier in the day the fire service had believed that one person was missing, but the fire service later said that "all persons had been accounted for".
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff described the fire as "pretty frightening", with flames rising from gas cylinders. Goff admitted he was concerned for the wider implications the fire would have on the city looking into the future. "The concern is that the convention centre will be a major asset for Auckland and this will inevitably push back the opening." A fire warden outside SkyCity was advising members of the public the lingering smoke was "toxic". Woon later clarified that all smoke was toxic.
Police were establishing cordons and people were amassing to watch in stunned silence.
A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency New Zealand said hundreds of calls had been received about the fire at 1.10pm.
"People are advised to stay out of the CBD area," they said.
A construction worker said police had closed down nearby roads, including busy Hobson St.
Fire is really building. People can be seen on the roof. pic.twitter.com/EFgQBaMYCJ
"There are masses of black smoke coming out the top of the building."
There were about 400 employees on site when the fire started on the roof, a worker said.
Workers had been using "a torch, like a blow torch" to heat and seal waterproofing material, which had started the fire, he added.
Electrician Lindsay Rowlands was working on the floor below where the fire erupted.
He said it was understood the fire started when a torch was being used on a rubber waterproofing membrane when it caught fire.
No one was injured or trapped when the fire started, he said.
"It (the evacuation) was very well organised. But everyone moved pretty quickly."
Judging by the volume of smoke the damage inside would be extensive, he said.
The damage would be even worse if it rained overnight and the nearby finished building became waterlogged, he said.
Craig, who would only give his first name, said he was installing a building management unit on the roof when the fire started. He also understood the rubber roofing layer had caught fire while being applied.
The application process involved setting the rubber on fire briefly while it was being rolled, he said.
"The trick is not to let it catch fire for too long."
A crane operator nearby hit the alarm first and people fled the nearby finished building quickly, he said.
"It was a really good evacuation."
"When I got to the first floor people didn't even know there was a fire." A spokeswoman for SkyCity said everyone had been evacuated and no one had been injured.
St John said multiple units were attending the fire but they had not treated anyone yet.
A command unit, rapid response vehicle, four managers and one ambulance were at the scene.
Sam Veamoi, 19, said he was at a business across the road when he saw masses of smoke and huge flames shoot from the upper stories of the half finished buildings.
"I've never seen anything like it," the student said.
"I just hope no one is hurt."
Kerrie-Lee Magill, who could see the blaze from her hotel room, said firefighters were sending ladders up towards the fire.
Thick, black smoke continued to billow from the construction site.
Hobson St was shut, she said, and construction workers had evacuated.
Auckland Transport spokeswoman Natalie Polley said Nelson St was closed from Wellesley St West to Victoria St West.
"People should follow detours from emergency services. There will be delays to services."
Auckland Transport would provide updates as they came to hand, she said.
NZTA was also advising people to delay their trips into the city as there were multiple road closures and heavy traffic.
Police said they were helping Fire and Emergency NZ with cordons and evacuations of workers in the immediate area.
Police are urging motorists to avoid the Auckland CBD area and members of the public are advised to stay away from the cordons.
Construction workers are assisting police direct traffic at the intersection of Hobson St and Wellesley St. Hundreds of construction workers and tradespeople are on the footpaths around the convention centre.
Winds in Auckland are set to gradually increase to gusts of up to 90kmh by 8am Wednesday.
Metservice has a strong wind watch in place for the region on Wednesday.
Meteorologist Tui McInnes said a south westerly wind was currently lashing the city, with gusts between 60kmh and 70kmh. | Fire | October 2019 | ['(Stuff)'] |
The United States Coast Guard reopens a section of the Mississippi River to shipping that was closed on Tuesday as a result of the 2011 Mississippi River floods. | The US Coast Guard has re-opened a section of the swollen Mississippi River to shipping, after closing it to protect strained flood defences.
The authorities halted barge traffic at the port in Natchez, Mississippi, earlier on Tuesday, warning ship wakes could increase pressure on the levees. An extended closure could have cost those who rely on the route to transport grain millions of dollars.
The river near Natchez is already 3ft (1m) above the record set in 1937.
It is not expected to crest for several days, and it could take weeks for water levels to return to normal.
The Mississippi is a highway for barges carrying corn, soybeans and other crops brought down from the Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi river systems on their way to the Gulf of Mexico, so the closure would have had far-reaching economic effects.
The brief halt in ship traffic along the 15-mile stretch at Natchez was one more measure in a growing list of attempts to prevent massive flooding in heavily populated areas like New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
The move blocked south-bound vessels heading for the Gulf of Mexico, and halted north-bound vessels that had dropped off their cargo at the Port of New Orleans.
As of Tuesday evening they were to be allowed through the re-opened section one by one, at a slow speed.
The US Coast Guard has warned the heavy wakes churned up by barges and cargo haulers increases pressure on the already straining levees.
The Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza Spillway at the weekend, choosing to flood more rural areas with fewer homes.
That decision forced nearly 5,000 people to leave their homes across Louisiana, many of whom say they are worried about when they will be able to return.
| Government Policy Changes | May 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
During a shootout with soldiers in Sulu, Philippines, Abu Sayyaf militants kills an Indonesian fisherman who was abducted early this year. A militant of the group also died in the fight. | ZAMBOANGA CITY: One of the five Indonesian fishermen kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf off Sabah in January was killed in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, Malaysian authorities said Wednesday.
Reports said the 32-year-old Laa Baa was found dead in Patikul town, but his four companions Arsyad Dahlan, 41; Riswanto Hayano, 27; Edi Lawalopo, 53, and Syarizal Kastamiran, 29 are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf.
This was confirmed by Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman, chief of the Eastern Sabah Security Command, who said the information came from Philippine authorities.
“It is true [that the victim was killed]. The incident occurred on September 28 during a mission by the Philippine Army to rescue the five abducted victims. During the mission, there was a shootout with the Abu Sayyaf group, and the victim’s body was found yesterday,” he toldBernamanewspaper.
Eight gunmen hijacked the Indonesian trawler near Tambisan Island and seized five of the eight crew.
Patikul skirmish
The Philippine military confirmed the fighting between troops and the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul that killed one gunman on September 28. There was also no report of Indonesian hostage killed during the clash after soldiers from the45thInfantry Battalion attacked an Abu Sayyaf hideout in the remote village of Maligay and engaged the terrorists in a battle that lasted nearly an hour.
Brig. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade, even described the fighting as heavy with soldiers battling about 30 gunmen. He said the terrorists split into several groups and escaped, leaving the body of the slain militant.
He said more troops were sent to the town to pursue the terrorists. “We immediately deployed more troops to establish blockade and pursuit operations,” he said. | Armed Conflict | September 2020 | ['(The Manila Times)'] |
Kenyan presidential election, 2007: Election officials have started counting the votes in what is seen as the closest election in Kenyan history. | First results are trickling in, and a number of government ministers have lost their seats in parliament.
But the presidential race between Mwai Kibaki and his main challenger Raila Odinga is too close to call.
International observers praised the polls as generally smooth and fair. Final results from a "massive" turnout are not expected until Saturday.
A spokesman for Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) told the BBC that turnout had perhaps been more than 70%, from an electorate of 14m.
Correspondents say that in Kenya's previous elections, the outcome has been obvious before polling, or at least there has been a strong favourite.
When Mr Odinga first turned up to vote in the Nairobi slum of Kibera, his name was missing from the electoral register - like many other people whose names began with "R" or "O".
The BBC's Karen Allen in Kibera says this will fuel suspicions of a plot to rig the election, although other say it was merely a bureaucratic mix-up.
Mr Odinga, who has led recent opinion polls, was allowed to vote later - to cheering crowds in the constituency he represents in parliament.
Milking delayed
There is tight security around the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, where the results will be announced.
Among those to lose their seats are the vice-president, Moody Awori, and the ministers for local government and information.
Kibaki: Dream or nightmare?Odinga: King-maker
At an overnight news conference, the ECK head, Samuel Kivuito, said there had been delays in voting and counting, and the process of compiling results was going slowly.
Some say the huge numbers overwhelmed the authorities. The queue of voters stretched for more than a kilometre outside some polling stations.
Mr Kibaki was able to vote unhindered in the central town of Nyeri.
"I am sure we will win. Thank you Kenyans for giving me an opportunity and I will not tire serving you," he said.
People started to queue before dawn.
I can see people shaking their fists
BBC's Ruth Nesoba, Kibera
At the polls: Reporters' logVoters' views
"I have not even milked my cow because today we are putting our country first," said Mary Muthoni Gikiri as she waited to vote in Mr Kibaki's hometown of Othaya, some 200km (125 miles) from the capital, Nairobi.
In the North-Eastern Province, one old man collapsed and died while waiting to vote.
Tempers frayed in Kibera, where voting was delayed for about six hours.
Because so many names were missing from the voters' roll, officials said people could vote with their national identity card and voter registration card and voting was extended by two hours.
A man has been shot dead in Kibera - police say it was criminal, but Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) says it was political.
Evidence
Earlier, chief EU election monitor Alexander Graf Lambsdorff invited anyone with evidence of election fraud to come forward. Vote in pictures
"As far as allegations of rigging are concerned, they are just that - allegations," he told the BBC.
Mr Odinga's supporters have accused the president of using state security agents to help rig the polls.
Three police officers were killed in Kisumu, after the opposition alleged that they were carrying pre-marked ballot papers.
The president has denied involvement in any election fraud.
More than 14 million Kenyans are eligible to vote - they are also voting in parliamentary and local elections.
President Kibaki, running under the banner of a broad-based coalition known as the Party of National Unity, hopes his economic record will secure a second term.
Mr Odinga played a key role in Mr Kibaki's 2002 victory. But the pair fell out soon afterwards.
Mr Kibaki's critics accuse him of failing to keep his promise to tackle corruption.
There are six other candidates standing in the presidential elections.
| Government Job change - Election | December 2007 | ['(BBC News)'] |
The secretive Bilderberg Group meet in Chantilly, Virginia, for its annual conference. | A secretive group of elite power brokers is meeting in the US state of Virginia for closed-door discussions over four days.
The Bilderberg Meetings have 131 participants from 21 countries in Europe and North America, the group said in a press release.
A couple of top advisers to President Donald Trump are to attend the forum, 30 miles (48km) from the White House.
The shadowy group is a lightning rod for conspiracy theorists.
This year's group includes Mr Trump's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, his National Security Adviser HR McMaster and Peter Thiel, the billionaire Paypal creator who has been a vocal supporter of the president.
At the top of the group's 13-point agenda is "The Trump administration: A progress report".
The forum - at a Westfields Marriott hotel in Chantilly - is also being attended by Trump critic Eric Schmidt, head of Google's parent company.
Mr Schmidt has previously said the Trump administration will do "evil things".
Other Bilderberg topics this year include, "The war on information", "Why is populism growing?", and "Can globalisation be slowed down?"
"There is no desired outcome, no minutes are taken and no report is written," the group's rules state.
"Furthermore, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued."
Other guests include Dutch King Willem-Alexander; David Rubenstein, head of private equity juggernaut the Carlyle Group; and former CIA director John Brennan.
Several journalists are joining this year's forum, including London Evening Standard editor George Osborne.
A full list of participants is here.
Some critics have accused the group - which has met every year since 1954 - of plotting to impose a one-world government. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | June 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
A man wielding a sword attacks a Tamil church congregation in Stuttgart, Germany, kills a woman and seriously injures three other people. | Police said they found "grisly" scenes, including severed limbs, at the scene of the attack in Stuttgart.
A 25-year-old suspect was overpowered by officers and arrested.
He is an ethnic Tamil, as were most of the congregation. Police say the attack was not politically motivated and was probably prompted by personal problems.
The man stormed into the church just before 1600 (1400 GMT) waving a sword before going on the rampage, according to eyewitnesses.
He killed a 43-year-old woman and seriously injured three other people, including one whose hand was hacked off, police said.
Police described the scene as a "bloodbath".
About 65 people - half of them children - are believed to have been in the church at the time. | Armed Conflict | April 2005 | ['(Bloomberg)', '(BBC)'] |
North Korea announces that it has detained a 24–year–old US tourist, Miller Matthew Todd, for "rash behavior" during the immigration process. | North Korea has detained a 24-year-old US tourist, reportedly for "rash behaviour" at immigration, the state news agency says.
KCNA news agency said the American, named "Miller Matthew Todd", 24, had been taken into custody on 10 April.
This was due to "his rash behaviour in the course of going through formalities for entry" into North Korea, it added.
The news was released as US President Barack Obama held talks with his South Korean counterpart on his Asia tour.
KCNA said Mr Todd had torn up his tourist visa, shouting that he had "come to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) after choosing it as a shelter".
The agency said such an action constituted a "gross violation" of North Korean law.
No reason was given for the two-week delay in the announcement of his detention. The US has no ties with Pyongyang, with Sweden usually acting on its behalf in cases involving US citizens.
The US state department said it was aware of the report and had been in touch with the Swedish embassy.
North Korea is currently holding US-Korean missionary Kenneth Bae, who was arrested in November 2012. He is serving 15 years of hard labour after being convicted of trying to overthrow the government.
Efforts from Washington to secure Mr Bae's release have so far been unsuccessful.
Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old US national, was briefly held by North Korea last year. He was freed after confessing to committing crimes during the Korean War - a statement he said was given under duress.
US President Obama earlier said America stood "shoulder to shoulder" with South Korea over North Korean provocation. He spoke after holding talks with South Korean leader Park Geun-hye.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | April 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
Independent candidate Kerryn Phelps leads the vote count in the Australian House of Representatives seat of Wentworth. If she wins, the Australian House of Representatives will enter into a hung parliament. | The Liberal Party is staging a surprise recovery in the Wentworth byelection to narrow the gap against independent candidate Kerryn Phelps, sparking talk of a recount because the result will be so close.
Liberal candidate Dave Sharma is gaining a large share of the postal votes still being counted, in a trend that scales back the astonishing swing that led to early predictions Dr Phelps would win the seat.
The Australian Electoral Commission is launching a "fresh scrutiny" of polling booths in Sydney's eastern suburbs amid speculation that the initial count did not properly allocate preferences to Dr Phelps in some booths, such as in Bellevue Hill.
The AEC said this check was being undertaken on Sunday in Bondi Beach, Double Bay, Bellevue Hill, Padd'n Central, Darling Point and Bronte.
"These are NOT recounts – also happens [in] all seats at federal elections by law," the commission said in a tweet.
With 16 candidates on the ballot papers, some observers suspect some of the initial counting could have made mistakes with allocating preferences and that this may only be resolved in a recount in the weeks ahead.
Dr Phelps remains the favourite but her lead could be narrowed given the trends in the postal votes being counted on Sunday morning.
Replay
Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged the dramatic swing against the Liberal Party on Saturday night and phoned Dr Phelps on Sunday morning to congratulate her on her campaign, but he said the counting was yet to conclude.
"If it gets as close as 100 then an automatic recount is triggered under the normal rules," Mr Morrison said.
The tally at 10.30am on Sunday showed Mr Sharma had 36,067 votes on a two-party basis while Dr Phelps had 36,951, a difference of 884.
The Liberals were gaining about 64 per cent of the postal votes already counted on a two-party basis, with another 1266 postal vote envelopes received and still to be processed.
Assuming the Liberals gain 810 of those remaining postal votes and Dr Phelps secures 456 of them, the gap would narrow but the independent candidate would still win.
In this scenario, Mr Sharma would have 36,877 votes and Dr Phelps would have 37,407 votes and would win the seat.
The gap between them would be 530 votes and the Liberals may consider calling for a recount, although they would have to bear the cost of doing so.
Another question mark hangs over the outcome because an unknown number of postal votes are yet to be returned to the Australian Electoral Commission. The AEC issued 12,788 postal vote envelopes. As at 10.30am on Sunday, it had received 6,890 and had processed 5,624.
Independent candidate Kerryn Phelps and the Liberal Party's Dave Sharma.Credit:Fairfax Media This means there are 5602 postal vote envelopes that were issued but have not been returned and may yet be counted by the deadline of November 2. Given the experience at previous elections, a conservative assumption is that only 70 per cent will be returned.
If another 4000 postal votes are returned and the same preference flows apply, with 64 per cent going to Mr Sharma on a two-party basis, the Liberal candidate could edge ahead. Mr Sharma would gain another 2560 votes and Dr Phelps would gain another 1440.
In this scenario, Mr Sharma would have 39,437 votes and Dr Phelps would have 38,847 votes.
Assuming these developments, Mr Sharma would win the seat by 590 votes.
ABC election analyst Antony Green said on Sunday morning the Wentworth count showed the biggest "turnaround" he had seen in postal votes.
Replay
Mr Green called the byelection result for Dr Phelps at around 7:15pm on Saturday night.
"She's in the lead, more likely to win, but the gap is likely to narrow further," Mr Green said on ABC TV on Sunday morning.
Mr Morrison said on Sunday morning that the verdict was a message to federal Liberal MPs about the removal of Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister on August 24.
"Yesterday, Liberal voters expressed their anger at the parliamentary Liberal Party – there's no doubt about that," he said.
"And we cop that fairly on the chin. The events of two months angered and outraged many Liberals, and particularly those in the seat of Wentworth.
"That’s on us, the parliamentary Liberal Party, those who serve in the parliamentary ranks.
"That's not on Dave Sharma. Dave Sharma would have to be one of the most quality candidates I've ever seen stand for the Liberal Party in any election, anywhere, anytime." | Government Job change - Election | October 2018 | ['(The Sydney Morning Herald)'] |
Indonesia's former anti–corruption chief Antasari Azhar is sentenced to 18 years for the murder of a businessman. | Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Hundreds of photographers, camera crews and journalists pushed and shoved each other at the South Jakarta District Court trying to catch a glimpse of the man at the center of a crime that has captivated a nation.
Dressed in a yellow floral shirt, neatly groomed hair and glasses, Antasari Azhar looked composed and respectable, carrying the air of a man who used to run the country's powerful anti-corruption agency.
His wife and family sat in the front of the packed courthouse in stifling heat, appearing exhausted. This has been their life since Antasari Azhar's arrest in May 2009.
The 56-year-old Antasari was charged with ordering the shooting murder of wealthy businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen over a love triangle involving the businessman's third wife.
Antasari sat patiently and with little expression as the three judges read out the 179-page judgment over six hours.
When they finally announced the guilty verdict, he maintained his composure. His wife, however, wept when they read out the 18-year sentence. The prosecution had sought the death penalty. The wife of victim Nasrudin, aged 22, who appears in photos with Antasari on her Facebook page, worked as a female golf caddy. Prosecutors said the woman and Antasari were having an affair, and when Nasrudin found out, he threatened to blackmail the anti-corruption boss.
Nasrudin, a director of pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjara, was found dead in his car, after being shot in the head through the driver's window while leaving a golf course on the outskirts of Jakarta.
Antasari maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of a set-up. As boss of the Corruption Eradication Commission, also known as KPK, he claimed he gathered a long list of enemies while putting many of Indonesia's elite and high profile government officials behind bars.
His attorney, Juniver Girsang, said they plan to appeal the verdict and he alleged that police had fabricated evidence against his client.
"We are very disappointed with the verdict, we thought we would get a fair and just judgment," he said, alleging: "The police and the prosecutor have succumbed into the plot" to bring Antasari down.
The prosecution is considering an appeal of the sentence.
Before his two-year tenure as anti-corruption chief, Antasari worked as a public prosecutor and was involved in the pursuit of convicted murderer Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of the late President Suharto.
KPK was set up during the presidency of Megawati Sukarnoputri. The body has become even more powerful and effective under current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who made anti-corruption reform his key platform for re-election last year. He told the public, "Let's make our system clean."
But this case has come as a major blow to his presidency and his track record on stamping out corruption.
Danang Widoyoko, of Indonesian Corruption Watch, said the public was fed up with the culture that allows corruption in everyday life. But he said he was also encouraged by the number of people who take to the streets to protest against it.
"I'm quite optimistic of Indonesian corruption eradication. Not because we have KPK, but because our people will not tolerate it anymore. People unite on this issue regardless of whether their students, laborers or farmers. They come together to fight against corruption." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | February 2010 | ['(Jakarta Post)', '(CNN)'] |
Indonesian authorities locate the black boxes of the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 PK-CLC that crashed into the sea soon after taking off from Jakarta, as human body parts and debris from the plane are found. Loss of everyone on board is considered almost certain. | Divers pulled body parts, wreckage and clothing from waters off Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Sunday, as the military picked up a signal from the wreckage of a passenger jet that crashed with 62 people on board.
The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 went into a steep dive about four minutes after it left Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Jakarta on Saturday afternoon.
A military vessel picked up the plane's signal, and divers recovered wreckage from around 23 metres (75 feet) below the water's surface, the transport ministry said Sunday, citing Indonesia's military chief Hadi Tjahjanto.
It did not specify if the signal was from the downed plane's voice and flight data recorder.
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo expressed his "deep condolences", and called on citizens to "pray together so that victims can be found".
But the frantic search involving helicopters and a flotilla of warships appeared to offer no hope of finding any survivors.
The search and rescue agency said it had so far collected five body bags with human remains as well as debris from the crash site.
A child's pink clothing, a broken tyre and wheel, life jackets and wreckage from the plane were found, according to authorities and AFP reporters on the scene.
Among the passengers was Beben Sofian, 59, and her husband Dan Razanah, 58.
"They took a selfie and sent it to their kids before taking off," the couple's nephew Hendra told AFP.
All 62 people on board, passengers and crew, were Indonesians, including 10 children, authorities said.
'Torn into pieces' Flight SJ182 was bound for Pontianak city on Indonesia's section of Borneo island, about 90 minutes flying time over the Java Sea.
On Saturday night, distraught relatives waited nervously for news at Pontianak airport.
"I have four family members on the flight -- my wife and three children," Yaman Zai said as he sobbed.
"(My wife) sent me a picture of the baby today... How could my heart not be torn into pieces?"
The plane crashed near popular day-trip islands just off the coast.
Data from FlightRadar24 indicated that the airliner reached an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet (3,350 metres) before dropping suddenly to 250 feet. It then lost contact with air traffic control.
The transport minister said Saturday that the jet appeared to deviate from its intended course just before it disappeared from radar.
Poor weather, pilot error or a technical problem with the plane were potential factors, said Jakarta-based aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman.
"But it's way too early to conclude anything," he added.
"After the black box is found we can start putting the puzzle together."
Sriwijaya Air, which operates flights to destinations in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has said only that it was investigating the loss of contact. | Air crash | January 2021 | ['(France 24)', '(The Jakarta Post)'] |
At least 17 people, including two Canadians, are reported dead and eight others injured in an attack on a Turkish themed restaurant in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. | TORONTO (Reuters) - Two Canadians were among those killed in an attack on a Burkina Faso restaurant, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday, though she gave no information regarding the victims’ identities.
Suspected Islamist militants opened fire on patrons at a restaurant in the capital of Ouagadougou, killing at least 18 people and wounding several others.
Six Canadians were among those killed in an attack on a hotel in Burkina Faso in January, 2016.
Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
| Armed Conflict | August 2017 | ['(RT)', '(Reuters)'] |
David Triesman, Baron Triesman resigns as chairman of The Football Association as well as England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid after his "entrapment" by The Mail on Sunday in which he suggested Spain could drop its bid if Russia bribed referees at the 2010 FIFA World Cup next month. | Lord Triesman is to stand down as chairman of the Football Association as well as the England 2018 World Cup bid.
His exit follows what he has called his "entrapment" by the Mail on Sunday. The newspaper article said he suggested Spain could drop its 2018 bid if rival bidder Russia helped bribe referees at this summer's World Cup. The England 2018 team has apologised to the Russian and Spanish FAs as it tries to rescue the World Cup bid with a Fifa decision due in December. FA board members David Sheepshanks and Roger Burden have been drafted in as acting joint-chairmen of England's governing body, while Geoff Thompson is the new chairman of the World Cup bid. Thompson, who was chairman of the FA between 1999 and 2008 before Triesman succeeded him, joined the bid board last year. The 64-year-old is also the only English member of the Fifa Executive Committee - the 24 men who vote on the World Cup hosts. The Mail on Sunday revelations
came only two days after former England captain David Beckham had helped the FA submit a 1,752-page bid book as they try to persuade Fifa to award England the 2018 World Cup. "I have decided to resign as chairman of the FA and the 2018 Bid board," Triesman said in a statement. "A private conversation with someone whom I thought to be a friend was taped without my knowledge and passed to a national newspaper," he added, referring to former aide Melissa Jacobs, who met Triesman a fortnight ago. "That same friend has also chosen to greatly exaggerate the extent of our friendship. "In that conversation I commentated on speculation circulating about conspiracies around the world. Those comments were never intended to be taken seriously, as indeed is the case with many private conversations. "Entrapment, especially by a friend, is an unpleasant experience both for my family and me but it leaves me with no alternative but to resign." Triesman's resignation statement followed an FA board meeting that lasted over two hours. "It would have been difficult for the FA to have sacked John Terry and for Triesman to have stayed on," said new Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, referring to England coach Fabio Capello's decision to strip Terry of the England captaincy over an extra-marital affair last year."I'm very impressed with the way it has been handled," Robertson told the BBC News channel. "The danger was this could have drifted on. I'm pleased they have acted decisively and they have done the right thing. "Nobody could pretend that this hasn't been a good day. But the trick now is to refocus everyone's attempts on the bid. It can be done and if you concentrate on the bid's core strengths we can get over this." Apart from the damage to the FA that may be created within the Fifa corridors of power, the world governing body's rules prohibit World Cup bidders from talking about rival bids. Triesman was quoted in the article as saying: "Spain are looking for help...to bribe the referees". On Friday, Fifa chief Sepp Blatter spoke in glowing terms of England's 2018 bid which includes 12 towns and cities from Sunderland to Plymouth, calling it "the easiest bid in the world" - but also described the plans put forward by Russia as "remarkable". After the good publicity that was generated by the 2018 team and Beckham on Friday it remains to be seen what effect Triesman's reported comments are likely to have on the FA's 2018 bid. From its inception the bid has been troubled by infighting with senior members resigning from the board while Triesman's leadership has also been questioned. In October the 2018 bid was criticised by Fifa vice-president Jack Warner and Danny Jordaan, who led South Africa's successful 2010 campaign. A month later former Birmingham City director Karren Brady, who was one of six board members to stand down, said that England's hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup were in danger of being undermined by internal politics among the bid team.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Beckham delivers 2018 World Cup bid
In November a senior member of Fifa's executive committee returned a handbag given to his wife as a gift by the England bidding team. The FA tried unsuccessfully to get an injunction against publication of the Triesman story on privacy grounds. The Mail on Sunday quotes Triesman as saying: "There's some evidence that the Spanish football authorities are trying to identify the referees...and pay them. "My assumption is that the Latin Americans, although they've not said so, will vote for Spain. And if Spain drop out, because Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia." But in his statement Triesman said: "The views expressed were not the views of the 2018 bid board or the FA. "Nobody should be under any misapprehension that the FA or 2018 bid board are disrespectful of other nations or Fifa and I regret any such inference that may have been drawn from what has been reported." A European bid is tipped to get the 2018 tournament with England up against Russia and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands. The other bidders, although they are mainly focused on the 2022 tournament, are Australia, the United States, Japan, Qatar and South Korea. Spain have yet to respond to Triesman's comments, but Russia insisted their bid was committed to "maintaining ethical norms and the principles of fair play". "I don't know why there are so many rumours regarding Russia's World Cup bid," Russian bid chief Alexei Sorokin told Reuters news agency. "Maybe because we're moving in the right direction and our rivals see us as a major force and try to derail our bid campaign." | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | May 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(The Mail on Sunday)', '(The Scotsman)'] |
An Afghan government spokesman says it will continue to release Taliban prisoners though disagreement prevails over the release of some 600 of them that are considered a "threat to national security". The Taliban could not be reached for comment and it is not clear whether they are willing to accept to start talks based on the list of prisoners set to be freed. | - Afghanistan is to release more Taliban prisoners in the hope of getting peace talks going, a government spokesman said on Thursday, after the insurgent group provided the government with a revised list of several hundred of their detainees.
Disagreement over about 600 prisoners from a total of 5,000 the Taliban want released has prevented the launch of U.S.-brokered peace talks aimed at ending nearly 19 years of war since the Islamist militants were ousted.
While releases by both sides have taken place, the Afghan government has said it does not want to release some prisoners for security reasons and its Western allies also object to some of them being set free.
“They have given us another list, the release process will continue but direct talks should also start immediately,” Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, told Reuters.
The Taliban could not be reached for comment and it was not clear if they would be willing to start talks based on the release of the prisoners on the list.
The United States and the Taliban struck a landmark agreement in February on the withdrawal of U.S. forces in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.
As part of the pact, the Taliban agreed to open power-sharing talks with the U.S.-backed government.
But a senior government official said there was still no agreement on starting the talks.
“The government will start the process of release in the coming few days and will complete the release whether the Taliban agree or not,” he said.
A diplomatic source said U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has overseen the negotiations with the Taliban, has been pressing Taliban leaders to compromise on the prisoner issue and there were hopes the hurdle would be overcome.
“Momentum is such that it would not be possible for any side to back out,” the source said.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | July 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A helicopter crashes in Taplejung, Nepal, killing 7 people, including Nepal's culture and tourism minister Rabindra Prasad Adhikari. | KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s minister of tourism and six other people were killed on Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in an eastern region of the Himalayan nation, police officials said.
The helicopter, operated by Air Dynasty, crashed in the mountainous district of Taplejung while on a trip to look at the feasibility of constructing an airport in the area. Everyone aboard was killed, including the tourism minister, Rabindra Adhikari, and the pilot.. | Air crash | February 2019 | ['(The New York Times)'] |
The Rwandan supreme court hears appeals for Pasteur Bizimungu, first president of Rwanda after the genocide, who was arrested last June. (Link dead as of 04:02, 16 January 2007 ), , | KIGALI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan Supreme Court begun here Monday the appeal hearing of former president Pasteur Bizimungu who had been sentenced to 15 years in jail. The former head of state was sentenced alongside his former cabinet minister in charge of transport and communication, Charles Ntakirutinka and other eight people in charges of forming a political party unconstitutionally. They are charged with threatening national security and embezzling public funds when they were in office. The court's final hearing is slated for this Wednesday. The prosecution has asked for a life sentence while lawyers defending the former head of state have asked for a reduction on the current 15 year-term jail. Bizimungu who was arrested in 2002 was the post genocide president who had earlier joined the then Rwanda Patriotic Front ( RPF), the current ruling party, in its early 1990 rebellion against the last regime of president Juvenal Habyalimana who organized the 1994 genocide that claimed over 800,000 lives. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | April 2005 | ['(Rwanda Information Exchange)', '(UTC)', '(IOL)', '(BBC)'] |
At least 162 miners are killed by a landslide at a jade mining site in Hpakant, Kachin, Myanmar. | At least 162 bodies have been found after a landslide at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar, officials say.
Rescue work has continued all day for people still missing at the site in the Hpakant area of Kachin state.
A wave of mud and rock triggered by heavy rain engulfed those collecting stones, the fire service said.
Myanmar is the world's biggest source of jade but its mines have seen numerous accidents, many involving people who scavenge for stones.
The country's fire service department said in a Facebook post (in Burmese): "The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud, which hit after heavy rainfall."
It said that by 19:15 local time (12:45 GMT) "162 bodies were found and 54 injured people were taken [to hospital]". No figure was given for the number of people still missing.
Kachin state's minister of social affairs, Dashi La Seng, told BBC Burmese: "All of a sudden... huge amounts of mud together with rainwater ran into the pit. It was like a tsunami." Heavy rain continued all day during the rescue work.
Police said some people had defied a warning issued on Wednesday not to work in the area after the rainfall, although the advice may also have saved many lives.
Video of the incident shows a massive landslide pouring into a large flooded pit or lake.
Maung Khaing, a 38-year-old miner, told Reuters he saw a towering pile of waste close to collapse and people were shouting "run, run".
He said: "Within a minute, all the people at the bottom [of the hill] just disappeared. I feel empty in my heart... There were people stuck in the mud shouting for help but no-one could help them."
Hundreds of people gather at mines to sift through rubble discarded from lorries, hoping to find jade stones.
The rubble creates large slopes that can be dangerous in an area denuded of trees and resembling a moonscape.
More than 100 people died last year alone at mining sites.
Myanmar's jade trade is reported to be worth more than $30bn (£24bn) a year. Hpakant is the site of the world's biggest jade mine.
"Searching for precious stones is traditionally the only job for the people in this area. They have no other choice of livelihood," local resident Shwe Thein told the BBC. "They will mine by any means whether they have an official permit or not. Although the mudslides keep happening, many organisations, including armed groups, involved in jade mining are saying the situation here is good. So it's difficult for the outside world to know the real situation here." The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says a new gemstone mining law was passed last year, but critics say the government has too few inspectors with only limited authority to stop illegal practices.
He says campaigners have accused the military, drug dealers, insurgent groups and Chinese business interests of controlling the jade trade and preventing a safer and more sustainable exploitation of the valuable gemstone.
A landslide at a jade mine in Kachin in 2015 killed at least 90 people.
Myanmar's deadly 'jade rush'
| Mine Collapses | July 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Croatian lawmakers approve conservative Croatian Democratic Union party leader Andrej Plenković's new coalition government 91–45. , | ZAGREB (Reuters) - The Croatian parliament approved on Wednesday a new government led by the conservative HDZ party leader Andrej Plenkovic whose main task will be to boost growth and sort out fragile public finances in one of the weakest European Union economies.
The new government was formed by the HDZ and its junior center-right reformist partner Most (“Bridge”) after several weeks of negotiations following a Sept. 11 snap election.
The government got support of 91 out of 151 parliamentary deputies.
“We will be the government that knows how to bring about changes,” Plenkovic told the parliamentary deputies while presenting his cabinet.
He said that spurring growth and improving the business climate would be his government’s priorities.
“We will ease conditions for doing business and implement tax reform to make the taxation system simpler and ease burden for citizens and businesses,” Plenkovic said.
In the past many investors have largely shunned Croatia due to red tape, high taxes, frequently changing regulations and a slow judiciary.
Plenkovic said that the 2017 budget, which is expected in November, will clearly reflect efforts to reduce the fiscal gap and public debt which now stands at around 85 percent of gross domestic product.
Tentatively, the government wants to reduce the gap to two percent next year from some 2.5 percent expected this year.
Among the main challenges for the new government will be disputes with Hungary’s MOL over decision-making in jointly owned Croatian energy group INA, with public sector trade unions over wage hike promise, and with local banks over the forced conversion of Swiss franc loans into euros.
Disputes over the promise of higher wages, dating back to 2009, and CHF loans, whose conversion cost was entirely imposed on the banks, could potentially inflict costs worth billions of kuna and undermine fiscal consolidation plans.
Analysts widely believe that without measures to significantly improve the business climate, the country is unlikely to surpass the 2.5 percent growth figure in the coming years.
HDZ won most parliamentary seats in the snap election following a collapse of the previous HDZ-Most government in June, after just five months in power, due to a row over a conflict of interest case involving a former HDZ leader..
Analysts believe the new government, led by the new HDZ leader, has a good chance of completing the four-year term.
| Government Policy Changes | October 2016 | ['(AP)', '(Reuters)'] |
In rugby union, the British and Irish Lions rout Australia 41–16 in Sydney to win their three–Test series 2–1. It is the Lions' first series win since 1997, when they defeated South Africa. | The British and Irish Lions ended a 16-year wait for a series win with a stunning second-half demolition of Australia in a pulsating decider in Sydney.
Leading 19-10 at half-time via an early Alex Corbisiero try and four Leigh Halfpenny penalties, the Lions roared to victory with three scores inside 12 minutes.
Jonny Sexton, George North and Jamie Roberts all crossed in a breathless spell to bring up the tourists' record points tally in any Test.
Man-of-the-match Halfpenny landed eight from nine kicks to finish with 21 points.
That was a new individual record for a Lion in a Test, overtaking the previous mark of 20 points shared by Jonny Wilkinson (in 2005 against Argentina) and Stephen Jones (in 2009 against South Africa).
It also took Halfpenny past Neil Jenkins's previous series record of 41 points for the Lions, the Welsh full-back finishing with 49. A James O'Connor try from the last move of the first half had kept the hosts in touch after the Lions had gone 19-3 ahead, and two Christian Leali'ifano penalties cut the gap to three points early in the second half.
But Halfpenny's fifth penalty settled the nerves and the Lions then ran away with it, surpassing their previous highest tally of 31 - in 1966 - against Australia.
Lions coach Warren Gatland had summoned some heavy artillery in making six changes to the side that narrowly failed to clinch the three-Test series in Melbourne, when Australia edged a 16-15 win, and the changes yielded an immediate reward when one of them, Corbisiero, burrowed over with just one minute and 17 seconds on the clock.
Will Genia knocked on Sexton's kick-off to give the tourists a scrum platform that produced the first in a series of free-kicks and penalties.
Mike Phillips took a quick tap, Alun Wyn Jones was held up short, but the England prop - who missed the second Test through injury - forced his way over at the posts, Halfpenny adding the conversion.
The Lions promised an overtly physical approach, and hooker Richard Hibbard was at the heart of it.
(provided by Opta Sports)
Veteran Australia flanker George Smith, recalled for his first Test in four years, was led off gingerly after a sickening clash of heads with the Welshman in the fifth minute.
Remarkably Smith reappeared five minutes later, by which stage a thumping hit from Dan Lydiate on Joe Tomane, with help from Sean O'Brien, had produced a penalty from which Halfpenny made it 10-0.
Leali'ifano got the hosts on the board from the restart after some deliberate obstruction, but when they were penalised for deliberately wheeling the next scrum, Halfpenny restored the Lions' 10-point lead. The Wallabies were then driven back on their own ball at the next engagement, with the same result: penalty to the Lions; Halfpenny through the sticks. Ben Alexander was deemed the culprit, and when referee Romain Poite dispatched the Australia prop to the sin-bin for collapsing another scrum, Halfpenny's fourth successful penalty took him past Jenkins's record from 1997 - the last time the Lions won a series. Australia belatedly built some momentum as half-time approached, Geoff Parling's superb ankle tap on Jesse Mogg, on as a replacement for the stricken Israel Folau, halting a dangerous attack.
Three times in quick succession Australia opted to kick penalties to touch rather than at goal, each time with no reward. But the third brought a scrum five metres out, and O'Connor stepped past Sexton and O'Brien to squeeze over, Leali'ifano's conversion cutting the deficit to nine points. That was reduced to three within six minutes of the resumption as Leali'ifano landed two penalties. But after Halfpenny made it 22-16 on 51 minutes, the Lions turned on the style to leave Australia in tatters.
Sexton and Tommy Bowe combined to send Jonathan Davies through a tackle and Halfpenny was on his shoulder, getting his pass away for Sexton to sprint over.
Halfpenny's conversion suddenly gave the scoreline a far more reassuring look from a Lions perspective at 29-16. It got better and better.
Halfpenny, one of a record-equalling 10 Welshmen in the starting XV, stepped inside Genia and away from Tomane to send North surging to the left corner for a third try.
And the strains of "Bread of Heaven" were still ringing around the ANZ Stadium when Conor Murray's sweet pass put Roberts over for the fourth.
The Lions emptied their bench, including Richie Gray - the only Scot to feature in the series - as their army of travelling support were able to luxuriate in a thumping victory long before the end.
Australia: Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Joe Tomane, James O'Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill (capt), Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, George Smith, Wycliff Palu. Replacements: Saia Fainga'a (for Moore, blood, 55-62, then 72), James Slipper (for Robinson, 66), Sekope Kepu (for Smith, 26-36, for Alexander, 36), Rob Simmons (for Douglas 62), Ben McCalman, Michael Hooper (for Smith, 5-10, then 66), Nick Phipps (for Genia, 69), Jesse Mogg (for Folau, 27). Yellow card: Alexander (24) Lions: Leigh Halfpenny; Tommy Bowe, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips; Alex Corbisiero, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sean O'Brien, Toby Faletau. Replacements: Tom Youngs (for Hibbard 48), Mako Vunipola (for Corbisiero, 67), Dan Cole (for A Jones, 55), Richie Gray (for Parling, 68), Justin Tipuric (for Faletau, blood, 55, for O'Brien, 60), Conor Murray (for Phillips, 51), Owen Farrell (for Sexton, 64), Manu Tuilagi (for Roberts, 69). Referee: Romain Poite (France) | Sports Competition | July 2013 | ['(BBC Sport)'] |
Japanese prosecutors release the Chinese fishing boat captain recently captured in disputed waters in the East China Sea after pressure from the Chinese government. | Japan has released a Chinese fishing boat captain whose arrest two weeks ago led to a major row with Beijing.
Japan had accused Zhan Qixiong of deliberately ramming two patrol vessels near disputed islands in the East China Sea.
China said his detention was "illegal and invalid", and cut off ministerial-level contacts with Japan.
The release came after four Japanese were detained in China on suspicion of illegally filming in a military area.
A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said its embassy in Beijing had received confirmation that the four were being held, but he said he did not want to speculate whether it was linked to Japan's detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.
Officials said the four men were employees of a Japanese construction company who were in China to bid for a project to dispose of chemical weapons from World War II.
At a news conference, prosecutors in Naha, Okinawa, said Mr Zhan was just a fishing boat captain and had no criminal record in Japan.
They said they did not perceive any premeditated intent to damage the patrol boats and therefore had decided that further investigation while keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate, considering the impact on relations with China.
"It is a fact that there was the possibility that Japan-China relations might worsen or that there were signs of that happening," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, the Reuters news agency reported. "Our ties are important and both sides must work to enhance our strategic and mutual beneficial relations."
Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on the Chinese foreign ministry website that the government was sending a charter plane to bring Mr Zhan home, reiterating that "any form of so-called legal procedures taken by Japan against the Chinese boat captain are illegal and invalid".
Tensions had escalated since Japan detained the Chinese captain.
Beijing cut off ministerial-level contacts between the two countries and thousands of Chinese tourists pulled out of trips to Japan. Concerts by a Japan's top boy band SMAP due to take place in Shanghai were cancelled by the Chinese organisers. Earlier this week Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that Japan bore full responsibility for the situation and demanded the immediate release of the captain.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the two sides to settle the issue before it had a long-term impact on the region.
The Japanese coastguard arrested Zhan Qixiong on 8 September after his trawler collided with two of their patrol boats in an area claimed by both countries, near uninhabited islands which may have oil and gas deposits
Japanese prosecutors had until next Wednesday to decide whether or not to charge the man.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | September 2010 | ['(Reuters via Yahoo! News UK)', '(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Lech Kaczyński was sworn in as President of the Republic of Poland. | Mr Kaczynski, 56, said Poland must be "rebuilt and cleansed". A staunch Roman Catholic, he has pledged to root out corruption and communist influence.
Mr Kaczynski, a former Warsaw mayor elected in October, also vowed to help chart a new course for the EU.
He supports the socially conservative Law and Justice party.
It is led by his twin brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
State 'clean-up'
"The state is not working properly," Lech Kaczynski said on Friday. "It must be rebuilt and cleansed."
He called for "a great change in our political life".
On the economy, he said action to ensure fast growth must be balanced by action to tackle social problems, "with unemployment first on the list".
Lech Kaczynski replaces Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former communist who had held office for 10 years. Law and Justice is firmly opposed to former communists and advocates limited market reform and a robust approach to the European Union. The Kaczynskis oppose any concessions to gay rights or any relaxation of the law against abortion.
President Kaczynski sought to quell fears that Poland might become isolated, saying he would play "an active role in preparing a new project for the EU after the collapse of the constitutional treaty".
"Our goal is a Union, [defined] as an organisation with lasting, close and institutionalised co-operation between states based on the value of solidarity. We must take big strides."
He said Poland would maintain its strong ties with the US and played down recent tensions with Russia, saying "there exist no objective reasons why relations with Russia should not be good". | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | December 2005 | ['(BBC)'] |
An American UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission crashes off the coast of Yemen with six aboard, five of whom have been rescued. The search continues for the other U.S. service member. | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Black Hawk helicopter crashed off the coast of Yemen on Friday during a training mission and a search was under way for one U.S. service member, the U.S. military said.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that five other service members aboard the aircraft had been rescued after the crash, which took place about 20 miles (32 km) off the southern coast of Yemen at 7 p.m. (16000 GMT).
A U.S. official told Reuters that the cause of the crash was under investigation.
“When the incident took place the helicopter was not very high above the water,” CENTCOM spokesman Colonel John Thomas said.
The United States has been carrying out air strikes against al Qaeda in Yemen, with at least 80 launched since the end of February.
A small number of ground raids using U.S. Special Operations forces have also taken place, including one in January which resulted in the death of a U.S. Navy Seal.
There have been a number of aviation mishaps involving U.S military aircraft in the past few months.
The U.S. Coast Guard recently said that it had suspended its search off Hawaii for five Army aviators missing since their Black Hawk helicopter crashed earlier this month.
In April, a Black Hawk U.S. Army helicopter crashed on a Maryland golf course, killing one crewmember and seriously injuring two others.
Last month, a military transport plane crash killing 16 service members including elite special operations forces in northern Mississippi.
Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Michael Perry and Stephen Coates
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. | Air crash | August 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(Military.com)'] |
A Canadian woman is arrested for sending ricin poison to U.S. President Donald Trump last week. | Envelopes with ricin were intercepted last week on their way to the White House, a sheriff’s office and a detention facility in Texas.
By Katie Benner and Robert Draper
WASHINGTON — A Canadian national suspected of having mailed an envelope containing ricin to the White House was arrested on Sunday while trying to enter the United States from Canada, nearly a year after she had been deported from the United States for engaging in criminal activity, according to two American officials.
Customs and Border Protection agents detained the woman, who had a firearm, as she tried to cross the border into Buffalo, the officials said. Currently in the custody of border agents, she is set to be charged by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington.
The suspect had been living in the United States last year and was arrested in March 2019 by the Mission, Texas, police for possession of an unlicensed weapon, resisting arrest and carrying a fake driver’s license, according to a senior intelligence official.
While in the Hidalgo County Jail in Edinburg, Texas, authorities discovered that she had overstayed her six-month visa and had violated the terms of her passport by committing a crime while in the United States, and she was deported back to Canada, the official said.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force in Washington has been leading the investigation into who sent an envelope containing ricin to the White House, addressed to President Trump, in recent days, as well as other envelopes containing ricin sent to a sheriff’s office and a detention facility in Texas.
Once discovered, the substance in the envelopes was confirmed to be ricin, a poison that is part of the waste produced when castor oil is made and has no known antidote.
Law enforcement officials said this weekend that the letters could have been sent from Canada, but that it was not clear when they were sent. The mail was intercepted last week, before it reached its destination.
No links to any international terrorist groups have been found, according to two law enforcement officials.
“An arrest was made of an individual allegedly responsible for sending a suspicious letter,” the F.B.I. said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing.”
NBC News previously reported that the suspect had been detained.
The envelope addressed to Mr. Trump was intercepted at the final off-site processing facility before mail is sent to the White House mail room, according multiple law enforcement officials. All mail sent to the White House and other federal agencies in the Washington area is irradiated by the Postal Service and sorted in a facility that samples the air for suspicious substances.
This is the second time someone has tried to send ricin to Mr. Trump. In 2018, federal authorities intercepted mail suspected of containing ricin that was addressed to Mr. Trump and to top Pentagon and other national security officials. The Justice Department determined that the suspect, a Navy veteran named William Clyde Allen, had sent castor beans instead of ricin. He was charged in a seven-count federal indictment for threatening to use a biological toxin as a weapon.
Two people separately sent mail with ricin to President Barack Obama in the spring and summer of 2013. A Mississippi man, J. Everett Dutschke, received 25 years in prison for sending a ricin-laced letter to Mr. Obama and a Republican senator. And an actress, Shannon Richardson, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for mailing letters with ricin to Mr. Obama and other public figures. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | September 2020 | ['(The New York Times)'] |
Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus collapses into administration after buyout talks fail, with 1,200 jobs lost. Local politicians urge action from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who commissioned the so–called "Boris Bus" from the company when he was Mayor of London and previously promised to "do everything we can to ensure the future of" Wrightbus. | Model bus fan Boris Johnson is urged to help prevent the loss of skilled manufacturing jobs amid union anger at the failure.
Wednesday 25 September 2019 14:00, UK
Wrightbus, the Northern Ireland maker of the so-called Boris bus, has fallen into administration with 1,200 jobs lost.
Hours after a story by Sky News that an announcement was imminent, employees and their union representatives were told at a meeting a buyer or new investment could not be found.
It followed the breakdown of talks with a number of interested parties including Chinese industrial group Weichai and Jo Bamford - a member of the JCB-founding family.
About 50 workers have been kept on - for now.
Many of those made redundant left the staff briefing to express their disbelief that a deal - believed to have been close only last week - had not been completed.
One, Gordon Mairs, told reporters: "Officially we were made redundant this morning, we have no jobs. Twenty-two years I have been an employee."
Michael Magnay, joint administrator at insolvency specialists Deloitte, said: "It is bitterly disappointing for all concerned that despite extensive efforts over recent months it has not been possible to find a buyer who wanted to maintain the business as a going concern.
"We recognise the companies are crucially important employers in Ballymena, and this will be devastating news for those who worked there, their families and the town, which has already suffered from a number of manufacturing closures in recent years.
"We will continue to support employees through this difficult time. The joint administrators will explore all remaining options for the business and assets, and would encourage any parties with an interest to contact them."
The Unite union said the collapse of the 73-year old Balymena firm threatened "devastating consequences" for the economy in County Antrim and beyond as it built on the closures of Michelin Tyres and Gallaher's Tobacco operations.
Regional secretary, Jackie Pollock, said: "This is a workforce at the cutting edge of technological advancements in the design and supply of green public transport.
"We cannot afford to lose any more jobs or skills in this area.
"Just three months ago Boris Johnson gave assurances that he 'will do everything we can to ensure the future of that great UK company'.
"He has a chance today to do something decent."
Unite said 4,700 jobs were now at risk across the company's operations and in its supply chain.
The company is best-known for its double-decker Routemasters - with lower-emission vehicles commissioned for use in London while PM Boris Johnson was London mayor.
His successor at City Hall, Sadiq Khan, has shied away from them amid a wider fall in orders in recent years that has coincided with bus services drying up.
The company made two rounds of redundancies in 2018.
Wrightbus owner William Wright was the first prominent businessperson in Northern Ireland to declare support for Brexit.
The company has stopped short of blaming the decision to leave the EU for some of its financial troubles. | Organization Closed | September 2019 | ['(Sky News)'] |
Clashes break out at a jail in Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing at least 13 inmates and injuring 32 others. At least nine police officers, a prison guard and a bystander were also injured during the disturbances. | Clashes between inmates and police commandos at Colombo’s Welikada prison leave 27 people dead and many more injured.
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At least 27 people were killed and a senior police officer seriously wounded in a gunfight in Sri Lanka’s biggest prison that began when police came under fire from inmates, officials and police have said.
The army brought the violence under control before dawn and freed staff held hostage at the Welikada prison in the capital Colombo, jail officials and military.
Twenty seven people have been confirmed dead, prisons minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera told parliament on Saturday.
The violence erupted when officers from the Special Task Force (STF), Sri Lanka’s elite police commandoes, were searching the jail for drugs and illegal mobile phones. “When they were coming out, prisoners started to attack them with stones. The STF used teargas and the prisoners fired at the STF,” Police Spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said.
Witnesses said they saw police shooting towards the jail, where armed prisoners were on the roof during the clash. Prisons Commissioner P W Kodippili told Reuters that the prisoners had obtained the weapons – some of them machine guns – by breaking into the prison armoury.
“The search operations are continuing to clear the place and recover the weapons and also to find the escapees,” he said.
Army Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said a large number of weapons were found along with six bodies during the search operation.
Contraband recovered
During the rioting, some of the convicts had tried to escape and were shot by security forces, witnesses said adding that tear gas too had been fired at rioting prisoners.
Some of the inmates got onto a roof and fired at troops and police on the ground. Police and troops fired back with intermittent gun fire heard for at least three hours, witnesses said.
Troops used armoured vehicles to move in reinforcements as inmates kept on firing, witnesses said.
Afghan, Indian and Pakistani inmates were also at the same jail, but none of them had been taken to hospital.
The identity of Friday’s victims was not immediately clear, but witnesses said the dead appeared to be inmates.
A hospital source, however said, a jail guard was also among those killed.
“The STF search inside the prison went on for about five hours and they recovered a lot of contraband,” a security official told the AFP news agency.
“As commandos were completing their raid, the inmates turned on them.”
Power off
The standoff between rioting inmates and security personnel lasted several hours.
The convicts left the roof as the area plunged in darkness after the authorities switched off electricity.
Deputy Inspector-General RM Ranawana, the commanding officer of the elite police force that had come under attack was in intensive care, the head of Colombo National hospital said. “We’ve got 59 injured and 51 are still taking treatments and 16 are dead bodies,” an official at the hospital told Reuters.
The jail has about 4,500 inmates, including members of the former defeated Tamil rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) movement that fought a protracted war of independence, ending in 2009, but officials said it was unclear how many, if any, of them had been involved in the uprising.
There was similar violence at the same penitentiary in January when 25 inmates and four guards were wounded.
In 2010, more than 50 police and prison guards were wounded in a riot during another raid to seize illegal mobile phones.
Friday’s violence was the worst riot at the maximum security Welikada jail since July 1983 when more than 50 ethnic Tamil prisoners were massacred by majority Sinhalese prisoners during anti-Tamil riots that had gripped the country.
| Riot | November 2012 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(AP)'] |
Brazil's Federal Senate votes 59 to 21 to indict suspended President Dilma Rousseff on charges of breaking budget laws and put her on trial. | BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil’s Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to indict President Dilma Rousseff on charges of breaking budget laws and to begin an impeachment trial that is expected to oust her from office and end 13 years of rule by the Workers Party.
With the eyes of the world on the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, senators in the capital Brasilia voted 59-21 against the suspended leftist leader in a raucous, 16-hour session that began on Tuesday.
Her opponents mustered five votes more than they will need to convict Rousseff at the end of the month, allowing interim President Michel Temer to serve the rest of her term through 2018.
The result showed Rousseff had even less support in the Senate since the 55-22 vote to suspend her on May 12. She is charged with manipulating government accounts and spending without congressional approval, which her opponents say helped her win re-election in 2014.
Wednesday’s vote will strengthen Temer’s hand as he tries to plug Brazil’s fiscal crisis. Critics have blamed Rousseff for an economic recession that could be the country’s worst since the 1930s.
Temer, Rousseff’s conservative former vice president, has urged senators to wrap up the trial quickly so he can move ahead with a plan to cap public spending and enact pension reforms in hopes of restoring investor confidence in government finances.
Spokesman Marcio de Freitas said Temer is confident Rousseff’s impeachment is irreversible and Wednesday’s vote will give him more muscle to negotiate with Congress the reforms he believes are needed.
Temer also hopes to be confirmed as president in time to attend the summit of the G20 group of leading world economies in China on Sept. 4, Freitas told Reuters.
The move to replace Rousseff with the more business-friendly Temer has bolstered Brazil’s currency against the dollar and boosted shares on the Sao Paulo stock market more than 30 percent since January, placing them among the world’s best performing assets.
The real strengthened to 3.13 reais to the dollar on Wednesday. It had weakened as low as 4.16 in January.
Rousseff has denied wrongdoing and denounced her impeachment as a right-wing conspiracy that used an accounting technicality to illegally remove a government that improved the lot of Brazil’s poor.
“The cards are marked in this game. There is no trial, just a sentence that has already been written,” Workers Party Senator Jorge Viana said in a speech to the chamber. The impeachment, he said, was driven by elite opponents of social welfare gains.
Rousseff’s critics say her interventionist economic policies and inability to govern led to the debacle in Latin America’s largest country, and she should not be allowed to return.
Her supporters argue that she is being ousted by politicians who are in many cases being investigated for receiving kickbacks in the graft scandal at state-led oil company Petrobras.
Corruption allegations forced the resignation of three of Temer’s cabinet members. In plea bargaining testimony published by local media over the weekend, jailed construction magnate Marcelo Odebrecht reportedly claimed Temer had received illegal campaign funding.
The advance of the anti-Rousseff votes in the Senate would indicate that the corruption allegations have not hurt Temer’s standing as the man to lead Brazil out of its present turmoil.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy wins an absolute majority with 348 seats taken in the country's parliament, 19 seats more than the required 329, marking Myanmar's first democratically-elected government since the 1962 Burmese coup d'état. | Democracy leader’s party will now be able to push through legislation, form a government and handpick a president
Last modified on Fri 4 Dec 2015 11.13 GMT
Aung San Suu Kyi has won Myanmar’s landmark election and claimed a staggering majority in parliament, ending half a century of dominance by the military and providing the symbol of a decades-old democracy movement with a mandate to rule.
The government’s election commission in the capital of Naypyidaw said the National League for Democracy (NLD) party had won 348 seats across the lower and upper house of parliament, 19 more than the 329 needed for an absolute majority.
In the latest standings, the incumbent military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party (USDP) has taken just 40 seats across the two chambers. Minority parties won a handful of further seats.
With only 83% of the results announced so far this week, the NLD’s majority is likely to rise yet further.
Although Aung San Suu Kyi is banned from the presidency under an army-drafted constitution, her party will now be able to push through legislation, form a government and handpick a president. Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest, has said that a triumph for the NLD would place her “above the president”.
An NLD government would be the first administration not chosen by the country’s military establishment and their political allies since the early 1960s, most of that time under army dictatorship. Months of political haggling will now begin as the nation is drastically reordered.
The current leaders and military figures have signalled they will accept the overwhelming defeat, stamping out fears of a repeat of the 1990 election. Aung San Suu Kyi won that poll but the results were promptly annulled and her colleagues imprisoned.
On Thursday, the headline for the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper read: “Welcoming the New Guard.”
The president’s spokesman said on Wednesday that the government would obey the results and work to transfer power peacefully, after offering congratulations to Aung San Suu Kyi.
“We will respect and obey the decision of the electorate,” Ye Htut, also the minister of information, said on his Facebook page. “We will work peacefully in the transfer [of power]. Congratulations … to the chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi and her party for gathering the support of the people.”
Myanmar’s commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing also sent congratulations.
Aung San Suu Kyi does not have complete power and the army generals, who have amassed billions of dollars in wealth, will still control the most powerful ministerial portfolios – interior, defence and border affairs.
The Myanmar armed forces, or Tatmadaw, also has an automatic hold of a quarter of seats in parliament, meaning the opposition needed to win at least 329 seats to make up a majority (67%) of both houses.
Many in the country of 51 million hope the NLD will push through political reforms but also develop the country’s struggling education and health systems, and create jobs in south-east Asia’s poorest nation.
US president Barack Obama called Suu Kyi to congratulate her and her party’s successful campaign and also spoke to president Thein Sein to commend him on the historic polls, the White House said.
Aung San Suu Kyi invited the army chief, president and the parliamentary speaker to discuss the election and has said she will form a national reconciliation government.
Aside from the 25% of seats ringfenced for the military, there were 168 contested seats in the upper house of parliament and 330 in the lower house, although seven of those lower house seats were cancelled due to fighting with insurgent groups in border areas. That amounts to a total of 491 seats contested in both houses. | Government Job change - Election | November 2015 | ['(NLD)', '(The Economist)', '(The Guardian)'] |
US President Donald Trump issues an order banning "transgender persons who require or have undergone gender transition" from the military. Pentagon spokesman Major David Eastburn says this announcement will have no immediate practical effect for the military which will continue to recruit and retain transgender people in accordance with current law. | President Trump has signed a memorandum that bans some transgender people from US military service but rolls back the blanket ban he ordered last year.
The new directive adopts recommendations from Defence Secretary Jim Mattis that "transgender persons who require or have undergone gender transition" cannot serve.
But it gives the Pentagon and other agencies some discretion in the matter.
The earlier blanket ban was blocked by federal judges.
The new memorandum says that transgender individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are barred from military service "except under certain limited circumstances".
The Department of Defence (DoD) had submitted a report to the president which said allowing those with a history of gender dysphoria to serve entailed "substantial risks" and could, by exempting them from existing physical, mental and sex-based standards, "undermine readiness... and impose an unreasonable burden on the military".
It said the Obama administration's decision to allow transgender individuals to serve in the military was largely based on a 2016 study by the Rand think-tank, which "contained significant shortcomings".
Source: NHS website
The report found that allowing transgender people to serve openly would have a minimal impact on force readiness and healthcare costs.
The new policy approved by President Trump allows current transgender service members with gender dysphoria to continue serving if they were diagnosed after the Obama administration's policy took effect.
Transgender individuals not diagnosed with gender dysphoria, will be allowed to serve, "like all other service members, in their biological sex".
Between 4,000 and 10,000 US active-duty and reserve service members are believed to be transgender.
US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that the new policy was "the same cowardly, disgusting ban the president announced last summer".
She said it was meant to "humiliate" transgender service members.
The American Civil Liberties Union, meanwhile, said the policy was "transphobia masquerading as policy" and was not based on new evidence but rather "reverse-engineered for the sole purpose of carrying out President Trump's reckless and unconstitutional ban".
Mr Trump's earlier ban was first announced on Twitter in July 2017, when he posted: "The United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US military."
The order to reverse President Obama's policy was blocked by federal judges who said it was probably unconstitutional.
It is unclear when the new policy will be enacted and it is likely to face legal challenges. On Friday, the Pentagon said it would continue to comply with federal law, and "continue to assess and retain transgender service members". Judge halts US transgender military ban | Government Policy Changes | March 2018 | ['(BBC)', '(NBC News)'] |
At least 50 people are killed and more than 150 others are injured in two bomb attacks near Karbala. | Two bomb attacks near the Iraqi city of Karbala have killed at least 50 people and injured more than 150, officials say.
The blasts happened on two routes being used by pilgrims taking part in the Shia Muslim commemorations of Arbaeen.
Earlier, a suicide bomber killed at least three people in the central city of Baquba - the second deadly attack in the city in as many days.
Violence in Iraq has reduced in recent years, but attacks continue.
Thursday's bombings occurred near police checkpoints controlling the northern and southern entrances to Karbala.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are converging on the city from all over the country for the Arbaeen commemorations, which reaches its climax next week.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the authorities were well aware of the dangers, as previous pilgrimages have been attacked.
Strict security measures are in place, but protecting vast numbers of people travelling on foot over large areas has proven exceptionally difficult, our correspondent says.
The dead include women and children, medical sources at Karbala hospital say.
A witness to one of the attacks, named as Khamas, told the Associated Press news agency: "After the explosion, people started to run in all directions, while wounded people on the ground were screaming for help."
However, he added that pilgrims would continue to head to Karbala: "It will not deter us from continuing our march to the holy shrine... even if the explosions increase."
No group has said it carried out the Karbala bombings, but correspondents say they bear the hallmarks of Sunni militants.
Adil Barwari, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, told AP that the attacks showed the militants' determination "to undermine the new Iraqi government".
The government, which includes the country's major political factions, was approved by MPs last month, ending nine months of post-election deadlock.
The Karbala attacks came hours after a suicide bomber blew up his car outside police headquarters in Baquba, killing three and wounding about 30.
On Wednesday another suicide bomber in the city targeted a police compound, killing 14.
And on Tuesday in Tikrit, the home town of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, a suicide bomber joined a queue of about 100 police volunteers and killed about 60 of them.
| Riot | January 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(Times of India)'] |
Worldwide protests in 80 cities take place in support of Iranian protesters following the disputed presidential election. | (CNN) -- Protesters across six continents on Saturday demanded the release of hundreds of detainees in Iran who were arrested in the bloody aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election.
Iranian demonstrators in Pakistan shout slogans during a demonstration in Islamabad.
The global day of action that spanned about 100 cities was organized by United For Iran and supported by several human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.
"We are all working for the same Iran," Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner and a native Iranian, told a crowd in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. "Iran is our homeland, let us be united."
Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist who spent four months in an Iranian jail earlier this year, addressed a crowd in Chicago, Illinois.
"I'm very, very touched ... that all of you have turned out here, on this very important day, and that you're speaking out for those Iranians whose voices cannot be heard," she said. Watch her speak »
A crowd gathered in Times Square in New York before marching to the United Nations building to rally. Protesters waved green flags, held up green signs and wore green wristbands and shirts -- the color is symbolic of the opposition movement in Iran. iReport.com: Are you at a protest? Share your photos, video
The sea of green also appeared in Washington, where hundreds of Iranian-American protesters marched from the United Nations Information Center to the U.S. Capitol building to call on the United Nations to take a more active role in addressing alleged human rights abuses inside Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"This is a show of solidarity with the people inside Iran," protester Khosrow Akbari said. "Iranians all over the world are united to send the message that they will not tolerate the human rights abuses inside the country."
British protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London wanted to show solidarity for those Iranians "who feel too intimidated, too fearful" to go back out on the streets to protest, reported CNN Correspondent Paula Newton.
Several of the demonstrations, especially in the United States and Europe, called for Western governments to be more vocal about the reported human rights violations in Iran. Watch a report about the protests around the globe »
"Enough is enough," said Parviz Shahi, a demonstrator in London. "How many people do they have to sacrifice?"
The demonstrations on Saturday condemned the Iranian government's violent response to citizens who claim the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was fraudulent. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets after the election, and many were met with brutality from security forces that resulted in death or serious injuries.
"These acts are a direct assault on the Iranian people's human and civil rights -- and those of everyone who supports these ideals around the world," United For Iran said on its Web site.
"Our only aim is to condemn the widespread and systematic violations of the Iranian people's human rights and to call for full restoration of their human and civil rights," the group says.
Hundreds of people were detained after the elections, but officials say "only the organizers of the conflict" were still behind bars. Government officials announced last week that the "confessions" of the remaining detainees will soon be broadcast.
Ebadi called on all Iranians to ignore such broadcasts, saying they were forced by the government.
"Don't listen to these lies," she said Saturday, in a speech captured in an i-Report video.
Saturday's events came ahead of Ahmadinejad's swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for the first week of August.
Ahmadinejad's political rivals also continued their call for the release of detainees Saturday in an open letter to a handful of grand ayatollahs who are "sources of emulation" for many Shiite Muslims in Iran and abroad.
"This is not and will not put our country and our system on a path of fairness and justice, and will only darken the face of the Islamic republic, in the hearts and souls of all Iranians as well as those around the world," says the letter, signed by reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi, fellow opposition candidate Mehdi Karrubi and former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who supported Moussavi in the presidential race.
The letter was published on Moussavi's Web site, Ghalam News.
"Worst than this is that the security organizations are mysteriously pursuing the wrong and fabricated thoughts that the activists are tied to the foreigners and ... have, therefore, given way to illegal, immoral and unethical confession extraction methods," the letter says.
Meanwhile, in Berlin, Germany, about 2,000 people turned out to rally for Iranians. A moment of silence was held, and about 40 people have been participating in a hunger strike over the past three days, CNN Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen reported.
"We are watching Iran, hoping that they (the government) come to their senses and realize that this is their own people they're shooting at," said Sahand Zamani, whose cousin -- 19-year-old Sohrab Aarabi -- was reportedly shot dead on June 15 during one of the bloody protests that followed the presidential elections.
"I certainly think that Sohrab is standing for a lot of young Iranian people and ... his death is a national tragedy in Iran, as well as I think a tragedy worldwide. A 19-year-old boy getting shot because of his opinion -- this has a meaning," Zamani said. "But I hope he can find rest and peace and this won't happen again."
Germany is one of Iran's major trade partners, prompting the Berlin protesters to call on their government to get tough with Tehran over the Islamic republic's human rights record and nuclear ambitions.
United For Iran said it wants U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to send a delegation to Iran to investigate the fate of political prisoners; the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists; an end to state-sponsored violence; freedom of the press and Iran's adherence to international agreements it has signed. | Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2009 | ['(The Times)', '(CNN)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Toronto sees severe flooding in many parts of the city after some areas receive over 100 millimeters of rain. | Wednesday, August 8, 2018, 3:15 PM - Downtown Toronto was in the wrong place at the wrong time Tuesday night, as a slow-moving area of tropical moisture-fueled rain showers absolutely drenched the city. Radar estimates indicate that some spots received more than 100 mm in less than 3 hours, causing extensive flooding over parts of the downtown core. Didn't see any rain last night? You're not alone -- the heaviest rain was concentrated over a very small area, and that made the difference between seeing more than 70 mm of rain, or 2, over a distance that's probably shorter than your morning commute.
We take a look at some of the amazing images from the event, as well as the cause, below.
(Stay on top of active weather | Our alerts and warnings page)
Storms developed around 7:30 pm Tuesday evening, when a lingering afternoon lake breeze off of Lake Ontario butted up against a gradually southward-moving boundary from the northeast, which was likely the lake breeze generated by Georgian Bay. This created a local boundary with enhanced lift right along the 401 corridor north of the city, which in turn teamed up with significant tropical moisture in the atmosphere to unleash a deluge that drifted very slowly south as the storm motion overcame the dying lake breeze -- right over the downtown core.
The result was widespread flash flooding, as rain quickly overwhelmed drainage systems and flooded underpasses, roads, and, in some cases, buildings. Toronto Police services responded to numerous rescue calls through the night, including one case of two men being trapped in a rapidly-filling elevator.
Another round of rain moving in from the south delayed the drainage of standing waters in some places Wednesday morning. Toronto traffic cameras still showed water covering some roads by the start of morning rush hour. Fortunately the heaviest of this latest batch of rain moved over the Niagara Peninsula, rather than over the city itself. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are again possible across the region Wednesday afternoon.
Below are some of the remarkable images and videos that emerged from Tuesday night's flash flooding event. | Floods | August 2018 | ['(Weather Network)'] |
Prime Minister of Libya Fayez al–Sarraj announces his wish to step down at the end of October amidst the ongoing civil war and protests over corruption. | Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said he wants to step down by the end of October. The announcement comes amid talks on ending the country's conflict. Libya's internationally recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on Wednesday said he wants to hand over power to a new government by the end of next month.
"I declare my sincere intention to hand over the tasks of power to the coming executive authority in a time no later than October," Sarraj said in a televised address from the capital, Tripoli.
The announcement comes amid talks between Libya's rival factions on ending the country's conflict. Earlier this month, they had agreed to hold elections within 18 months and appoint a new government.
Read more: Libya: Rival authorities declare immediate cease-fire
The German government and the United Nations have announced an online summit for Libya, scheduled for October 5, DPA news agency reported.
The meeting will include UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, foreign ministers, and representatives of the conflicting parties in Libya, as well as representatives from Germany and the UN, the United States, Britain, France, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Congo, Italy, Egypt and Algeria as well as the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League.
The meeting comes after Berlin organized a summit in January, where parties agreed to stop supplying weapons to the warring factions.
Differences within the Sarraj government surfaced last month during protests over corruption and power cuts in Tripoli and other western cities. The country's south and east had also reported similar protests.
Libya has been split between rival administrations controlling the country's east and west following the toppling of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi in the 2011 NATO-backed uprising.
Sarraj is head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, which is backed by the UN. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | September 2020 | ['(DW)'] |
An Africa Cup of Nations qualification match between Senegal and Ivory Coast is abandoned due to rioting at the Stade Leopold Senghor in Dakar. | A crucial Africa Cup of Nations football match between Senegal and Ivory Coast has been abandoned after fans rioted at a stadium in Dakar.
Home fans started fires in the stands and threw objects on the pitch as Senegal were losing 2-0, a result which would have eliminated the team. Ivorian fans jumped down on the pitch to escape the violence. The fans and the Ivorian players were then escorted by police, who fired tear gas into the packed stands.
Reports say about 10 people - including Senegalese Sports Minister Hadji Malick Gakou - were injured in the violence on the Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor stadium.
The violence erupted after Ivorian striker Didier Drogba had scored his second goal from the penalty spot, with about 15 minutes left to play.
The result would have extended Ivory Coast's overall lead to 6-2 in the two-leg tie.
"Food, drinks and anything that could be thrown was being thrown on to the pitch, from all angles," Chris Fuglestad, a US student studying in Dakar, told the BBC. "There were fires started from garbage and they (fans) were tearing the flags down, even their own, which was pretty disturbing. "We felt safer inside the stadium than outside, so we waited inside. When we left it was calming down though there was lots of tear gas," Mr Fuglestad added.
Dozens of Ivorian fans were forced to run onto the pitch to escape the violence.
The fans and the players were then led out of the stadium by police holding shields, as fans continued to hurl objects.
"After 40 minutes suspension, the decision was taken to abandon the match," a local official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Reports say clashes continued on the streets outside the stadium.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has so far made no public comments on the issue.
But a Senegalese official was quoted as saying that the team would now be sanctioned by the Caf.
Manchester City brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure were in the Ivory Coast team - and the Premier League side said in a statement: "City's Yaya and Kolo Toure are both safe after crowd trouble halted play as Senegal hosted the Ivory Coast in Dakar."
| Riot | October 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
A gunman opens fire at Washington, D.C.'s Naval Yard killing 12; the gunman also dies. | Thirteen people are dead and at least eight others were injured after a gunman opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, officials said, spreading fear and chaos across the region as authorities sought to contain the panic.
The incident, in which the death toll rose almost hourly, represents the single worst loss of life in the District since an airliner plunged into the Potomac River in 1982, killing 78.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced the mounting number of casualties in a series of news conferences. The suspected shooter, identified by the FBI as Aaron Alexis, 34, living in Fort Worth, is among the dead. Alexis was a military contractor, one official said.
Hours after the rampage began it remained unclear whether the shooting was the act of a lone gunman, or if other shooters were involved. Lanier initially said authorities were looking for two more potential shooters dressed in military style clothing. Shortly after she announced a detailed description of two suspects, city officials said one had been located and cleared. And at a 10 p.m. news conference she said police were comfortable the shooting had been committed by one person.
Police are asking anyone with information on the suspect to call 202-727-9099. Shootings at Navy Yard
Lanier lifted the shelter in place order for the neighborhood around the Navy Yard that had been in place for much of the day.
Gray said those killed by the shooter ranged in age from 46-73 years old. He said the families of seven of the victims had been notified. Those victims were identified as: Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73; Frank Kohler, 50; Bernard Proctor, 46; and Vishnu Pandit, 61.
The families of the six other victims were in the process of being notified.
Lanier said one of those killed was a District resident, but she did not identify the person.
Gray said another eight people were injured in the attack. He said three people were shot, including Metropolitan Police Officer Scott Williams. Gray said the officer was doing well.
The other five had either stress related injuries, and at least one was someone who fell.
Vice Adm. Bill French earlier had said that the number of injured was 14. [For up to the minute information about the shooting, check The Post’s live blog .]
Gray said no motive is known yet. He said there is no reason to believe it was an act of terrorism, though he added that he could not rule it out.
As of 8:30 p.m. Monday, Navy officials said about 2,000 people remained on base, and that it could take another 3-4 hours before everyone was cleared to leave.
The FBI was still interviewing every person leaving the base out of concern that a second suspect may still be at large, French said. And SWAT teams are still finding people hiding in places on the base, where some had remained hunkered down since the initial attack early Monday morning. One city officials said that shortly before 7 p.m., officers found an employee hiding in a locker, where the employee had been for nearly 11 hours.
Throughout the day, people had been warned to stay in their homes and offices on the Naval Base as the incident unfolded.
Alexis was armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, two law enforcement officials said. One said he also had a shotgun. One official said all the weapons have not been accounted for.
The first, sketchy details about the suspect offered few hints about what may have gone wrong.
[Read our full story about Aaron Alexis.] Alexis grew up in Brooklyn with his mother, Cathleen, and father, Anthony Alexis, according to his aunt Helen Weeks. “We haven’t seen him for years,” Weeks said of her nephew in a telephone interview. “I know he was in the military. He served abroad. I think he was doing some kind of computer work.”
Alexis spent nearly four years in the Navy as a full-time reservist from May 2007 until he was discharged in January 2011, according to a summary of his personnel records released by Navy officials at the Pentagon.
The officials said they were still researching whether Alexis had been employed as a defense contractor or a civilian employee of the Navy, and were uncertain if he was assigned to work at the Navy Yard.
He achieved his final rank of Aviation Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class in December 2009. Officials said they did not immediately know the reasons for his discharge. The carnage began around 8 a.m. when the U.S. Navy said that three shots were fired at Building 197, headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command. About 3,000 people work in the building. As the noise that some thought sounded like construction work continued, the realization set in that a gunman was firing on them.
Rick Mason, a program management analyst who is a civilian with the U.S. Navy, told the Associated Press that a gunman was shooting from a fourth floor overlook in the hallway outside his office. He said the gunman was aiming at people in the building’s first floor cafeteria. Terry Durham said that as she and co-workers were evacuating, she saw a man down the hall raise a rifle and fire toward them, hitting a wall. “He didn’t say a word,” said her co-worker, Todd Brundage. One man who said he was at his desk on the second floor when the shooting began recalled hearing a loud noise “like someone dropping an old metal desk.” The man, who declined to give his name, said there was a pause, then several noises close together and he realized the danger: “There’s a shooter in the building. I started walking toward the door and I heard people running down the hall.”
Employees described the chaos, as a fire alarm sounded and people shouted, “Where is he? Where is he?”
Gregory Dade, a Navy contractor, said he and a co-worker locked themselves in a second floor office of Building 197 as soon as the shooting went on, in fits and stops. Dade, called it “terrifying.”
He heard a woman scream, glass crashing and a series of gun shots. Then he heard shouting: “Get down! Get down! This is the police.”
Finally, about 11 a.m., he and a co-worker made a break for it.
At an exit, they noticed a trail of blood running to the next building.
Tim Jirus, a Navy commander who works in Building 197, said that as he was evacuating the building he saw a co-worker who had been shot getting into a police car, and heard more shots fired from inside his workplace.
A far worse sight lay just ahead. Jirus went to an alley where he thought he would be safe, and talked briefly with a man there about what was going on. Jirus said he heard two gunshots, loudly echoing off the building. It caused him to spin around to look for the source of the noise. But when he turned back, he looked down and saw the man he had been conversing with lying on the ground, shot in the head.
Uncertain where the shooter was, he ran.
“I was just lucky,” he said. “The other person was shorter than me. There were two shots, he got that guy, he didn’t get me. ... The randomness of it standing right next to me, one person gets shot.”
At least two police officers were among those shot. Lanier said the D.C. officer worked in the K-9 unit and has been on the force 23 years.She said she has known and worked closely with him for "many, many years."
"He's got a stellar record," she said.
"He's got a pretty serious injury, but right now his family is here with him and he's in good spirits," Lanier added. "He's just very grateful for all the other responders who helped get him out of that building and get the medical attention he needed."
The other was said to be a base officer. Earlier in the say officials at MedStar Washington Hospital Center said his chances for survival were good.
Janis Orlowski, the chief medical officer at Washington Hospital Center, said three victims in all were brought to the center, all in critical condition but alert, responsive and able to talk with doctors. The victims were also able to speak briefly to law enforcement officers before undergoing surgery or treatment, she said.
The other two victims at the hospital were female civilians, Orlowski said at a news conference. All are likely to survive.
The impact of the incident rippled across town, forces schools, offices and homes into an enforced lockdown.
Senate buildings on Capitol Hill went on lockdown at about 3 p.m., with no one allowed to enter or leave the building, though it was partially lifted toward the end of the day to allow staffers to go home.
The Nationals, whose ballpark is near the Navy Yard, postponed a Monday night game. Instead, they will play a double header Tuesday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Ten public and charter schools and a public school administration building in the District went on lockdown, and flights out of Reagan National Airport were briefly halted, causing delays even after they began departing again.
Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the chief of Naval Operations, was evacuated from his residence at the Navy Yard complex shortly after the first report of shots fired, Navy officials said.
Greenert, a four-star admiral and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was safely evacuated to the Pentagon along with his wife, Darleen, said Cmdr. Ryan Perry, a Navy spokesman.
Police closed the 11th Street Bridge as well as M Street SE between Second and Fourth streets SE because of the shooting. Entrances to the Navy Yard Metro station remain open. As helicopters circled overhead and emergency vehicles continued to rush to the scene, crowds of onlookers gathered on sidewalks and at a construction site near the Navy Yard, but police pushed them back, yelling at them to keep a distance from the grounds. President Obama on Monday expressed sympathy for the victims of the shooting and said justice must be sought.
“I’ve made it clear to my team that we want the investigation to be seamless, so that local and federal authorities are working together,” he said.
As a long day drew to a close, weary and stunned Navy personnel filtered into Capitol Hill in their tan uniforms, blue camouflage fatigues and civilian clothes, many of them saying little, just wanting to get home after a day spent running or hiding, and then waiting.
Tom Dick-Peddie, 46, was at work in another building in the Navy Yard and said they were on lockdown for about an hour and a half, then they were evacuated to another building. Shortly after 3 p.m. they were allowed to leave. Kate O’Neill of Arlington and Stephanie Cates-Harman of Columbia, who work in the office of the general counsel, said their office had been ordered to shelter in place until 2 p.m. While some people were very upset, and others were calm, and tried to contact relatives to assure them that they were okay.
“Texts were going fast and furious,” O’Neill said. Under Secretary for the Navy, Juan Garcia, said Navy Yard would reopen tomorrow for essential personnel only. Most employees would be encouraged to telecommute. Garcia said it was unclear who the base would reopen in its entirety.
Garcia said the Navy has set up a counseling line for anyone struggling to cope with Monday's attack. That number is 1-800-222-0364.
Both Gray and Lanier said the streets around the Navy Yard would be opened by about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
| Armed Conflict | September 2013 | ['(NBC)', '(The Washington Post)', '(CNN)'] |
Spanish protesters known as the "Indignants" begin a march from Madrid to Brussels in Belgium to protest at cuts in government expenditure in Spain. | Spanish activists, known as "the Indignants", have set off from Madrid on a long march to Brussels. They are protesting against what they see as governments bowing to financial markets and ignoring the needs of their own people in the economic crisis. As they head north, the protesters plan to hold meetings, collecting complaints and proposals as they go. Since the movement began in Madrid two months ago, similar groups have sprung up across Europe. The Indignants have added a new chant to their repertoire: "To Brussels!" they sing. It will have to keep their spirits up for fully 1,000 miles (more than 1,500k), as they march across three countries. Many of them have already spent weeks on the road, walking across Spain to Madrid, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in the Spanish capital.
Following a mass rally there, the Indignants are heading for the heart of Europe. They say they are marching because they are fed up with the way the economic crisis is playing out in Europe, with spending cuts, job losses, and privatisations, while those they blame for the recession remain unaffected.
The aim is to link up with fellow indignants from across Europe for a mass rally in October.
The Madrid protest began on 15 May and spread to other Spanish cities as word got around via Facebook and Twitter. Spain's unemployment rate is the highest in the EU, at 21.3%. For the under-25s, it has risen to 44.6%.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former Prime Minister of Fiji Mahendra Chaudhry is released on bail. | Fiji's former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, has been released on bail after being charged with breaching the military government's emergency laws. Mr Chaudhry, leader of the opposition Labour party, was detained on Friday for allegedly holding an illegal public gathering.
He and five others are to appear in court again on Wednesday; Mr Chaudhry says they will fight the charge. His government was overthrown in a coup 10 years ago.
Mr Chaudhry was detained after a meeting with sugar farmers in Rakiraki, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.
The sugar industry is a sensitive topic for Fiji's military government, after attempts to modernise the production process backfired and resulted in losses.
Mr Chaudhry said he did not have to enter a plea but intended to fight the allegations.
"The charge as it was read out in the court is that we assembled at one of the accused's residences unlawfully," he was quoted by AFP as saying.
"We'll certainly be defending ourselves. We had no unlawful purpose in mind."
Mr Chaudhry became Fiji's first ethnic Indian leader in 1999 after the Labour Party won enough seats in a general election to rule on its own. He and his cabinet were taken hostage a year later when bankrupt businessman and nationalist George Speight and retired major Ilisoni Ligairi stormed the parliament. Mr Speight proclaimed himself acting premier, and President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara sacked Mr Chaudhry and his cabinet. Mr Chaudhry is one of the main opposition voices in Fiji, where the media is heavily censored and political parties cannot issue statements seen as destabilising the regime of Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in the 2006 coup.
Mr Bainimarama imposed emergency regulations which ban public meetings when he abrogated the constitution in April 2009.
In July, Mr Chaudhry appeared in court on other charges, including money laundering and tax evasion. Fiji suspended from Commonwealth
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | October 2010 | ['(Indian Express)', '(BBC)'] |
Indonesian forest fires have advanced into dense forest on Borneo and now threaten one third of the world’s remaining wild orangutans, say conservationists. | — -- A species of the Great Apes is among the biggest casualties of the latest fires ravaging several parts of Indonesia and the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.
Thousands of orangutans, who share 97 percent of their DNA with humans, have been caught in what scientists warn could be one of the biggest environmental disasters in the country since the devastating fires of 1997.
More than 63 fires reported in the region in the past month have contributed to the destruction of the orangutans’ habitat, which has been devastated in the past 20 years.
An area of rain forest the size of 300 soccer fields is destroyed every hour, said Lis Key of International Animal Rescue, a United Kingdom-based non-governmental organization working to rescue animals in the region.
“It’s happening at an absolutely breathtaking rate,” Key said. “If this goes on, this could have a serious impact in extinction and bring it closer.”
About 40,000 orangutans remain in Borneo, plus 10,000 more on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Dense smoke, burning fire and lack of food have not only caused malnourishment, burns and respiratory diseases, but it has also pushed the mammals closer to human settlements, where they face the danger of being killed or caged by locals.
Richard Zimmerman, executive director of Orangutan Outreach, a conservation group that is funding a firefighter program for people in the region, said the consequences of the fires are staggering.
“There are the homes of the biggest remaining populations of orangutans,” Zimmerman told ABC News. “The estimate is about 3,000 orangutans are lost each year; every loss is critical.”
The main cause of the wildires through the years: the illegal use of fire to clear land for development in so-called slash-and-burn agriculture and to benefit the palm oil industry. The warmer temperatures and drought brought by El Nino only make the situation worse.
Many rescued orangutans are babies because their mothers have either died in the fires, or been captured and killed by locals, Key said.
Tom Mills of Los Angeles-based Orangutan Conservancy, a non-governmental organization supporting programs in Indonesia, said the effects of the fires are devastating.
“The peatland where they live is so carbon-rich that it burns forever; once it starts going up, it just doesn’t stop,” Mills told ABC News. | Fire | October 2015 | ['(South China Morning Post)', '(ABC news)'] |
The Egyptian Football Association announces that Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before Egypt's 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against Togo. | Egyptian FA says Salah does not have symptoms and will undergo further checks in the coming hours.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has tested positive for the coronavirus on the eve of Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo, according to the Egyptian Football Association.
“The medical swab conducted on the mission of our first national football team showed that our international player, Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool star, was infected with the Coronavirus, after his test came back positive,” the federation said on Friday in a statement on its Facebook page.
“The player does not suffer from any symptoms. The other members of the team tested negative. Salah underwent the medical protocol after the team’s doctor coordinated with his English club. In addition to his isolation inside his room and also isolating all his contacts.”
The federation said he will undergo further checks in the coming hours.
Salah’s positive test is another blow for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is already facing an injury crisis with the loss of centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, potentially for the remainder of the season.
Added to that the absence of the versatile Fabinho and right back Trent Alexander-Arnold to less severe injuries, and Klopp’s options are shrinking for the visit of Premier League leaders Leicester City to Anfield next weekend.
He will likely start up front with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and in-form new signing Diogo Jota, who has scored seven goals in 11 appearances in all competitions since his arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September.
But the loss of Salah, who is joint leading scorer in the league this season with eight goals, eats further into Liverpool’s squad depth that is being tested to the limit.
Klopp will be hoping the remainder of the international window provides no more bad news.
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La Liga resumed on Thursday while Super Lig will restart on Friday behind closed doors.
The 56-year-old former forward had been hospitalised last week in Baghdad before his condition deteriorated on Sunday.
Maradona, who was admitted on Monday for anaemia and dehydration, underwent surgery for a subdural haematoma.
| Famous Person - Sick | November 2020 | ['(Al Jazeera)'] |
The military junta expands the provisions of Myanmar's martial law, which is perceived as an attempt to legitimize their violent pushback against anti-coup protesters. | YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling junta on Monday imposed martial law in parts of the country’s biggest city, a day after at least 38 people were killed in the bloodiest crackdown yet on resistance to last month’s military coup.
NOT THE FIRST RESTRICTIONS
After the Feb. 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, the military declared a nationwide state of emergency and gave itself broad powers. It also put in place similar but milder restrictions to martial law in dozens of townships across the country. Those earlier measures used Section 144 of the penal code and the main impact was a ban on gatherings of more than five people — which was generally ignored — and an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew, which protesters last week began defying in large numbers.
MARTIAL LAW TRUMPS ALL ELSE
Martial law basically supersedes all other law, allowing the military total authority over the specified area, including administrative, judicial and law enforcement functions.
The imposition of martial law in six townships in Yangon in legal terms legitimizes actions that the military had already been taking to suppress the protests. The immediate trigger appeared to be escalating violence — mostly on the part of the security forces but with increasing signs that at least some demonstrators are starting to take active self-defense measures including burning tires at makeshift barricades.
The official order issued Monday said martial law was imposed “to take more effective measures for the security, rule of law and community peace and tranquility.”
Violators of orders issued by the military can now be tried by military courts and could face punishments as harsh as death or life imprisonment, according to local news outlet Eleven Media. The minimum punishment, it said, was three years in prison with hard labor and a fine.
Eleven Media appeared to be basing its report on times martial law was declared in 1989 and 1974. Martial law remained in place for three years after it was declared in 1989 in the wake of a failed popular uprising against a military dictatorship.
PROTECTING BUSINESS INTERESTS
The first two places martial law was declared were two Yangon townships that are industrial zones home to garment factories, a major source of export earnings for Myanmar. One of those townships, Hlaing Thar Yar, was the scene of Sunday’s worst violence, with at least 22 protesters killed. Later the order was extended to another heavily industrial Yangon township as well as three other townships in the city.
The declaration follows reports that at least two factories that have Chinese ownership were set on fire Sunday night. It was not clear who set the fires.
A Chinese Embassy statement issued Sunday said several Chinese-owned factories were burned and multiple Chinese employees were injured and trapped.
“China requires Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all violent acts, investigate and deal with relevant perpetrators in accordance with the law, and ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese enterprises and personnel in Myanmar,” the statement said. Many factories in Myanmar have Chinese ownership or partners. China’s political and economic clout in Myanmar is a point of great resentment among many Myanmar people, who accuse China of exploiting their country for its natural resources and protecting the military from international consequences. | Government Policy Changes | March 2021 | ['(AP)'] |
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hits Batangas, causing damage to buildings and are felts as far as Metro Manila and Bulacan. | The 5.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Batangas on Tuesday evening damaged structures and establishments in the province.
Netizens shared photos of the quake’s aftermath on social media. The pictures showed glasses in food establishments and convenient stores were shattered following the jolt.
The quake also damaged the Taal Basilica or the Minor Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours, known as the largest Catholic church in Asia.
The quake was also felt in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon. Several aftershocks have been reported. | Earthquakes | April 2017 | ['(The Philippine Star)', '(Philippine Daily Inquirer)'] |
Goldman Sachs agrees to pay $5.06 billion to settle allegations that it sold packages of shoddy mortgages prior to the global financial crisis.. The U.S. Justice Department settlement includes a $2.385 billion civil penalty, and $1.8 billion for distressed borrowers and communities affected by the housing crisis. | WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman on Monday announced Goldman Sachs will pay $5 billion to settle an investigation into the bank's practices prior to the global financial crisis.
Federal and state authorities said Goldman Sachs engaged in "deceptive practices" -- misrepresenting the quality of loans it securitized and sold to investors as mortgage-backed securities before the financial collapse in 2008.
"Goldman made statements to investors in offering documents and in certain other marketing materials regarding its process for reviewing and approving originators, yet it failed to disclose to investors negative information it obtained about mortgage loan originators and its practice of securitizing loans from suspended originators," the New York State Office of the Attorney General said in a statement.
As with other settlements between the government and major banks, no employee of Goldman Sachs was named as bearing personal responsibility for any action or inaction that contributed to the financial collapse.
About $670 million of the settlement with Goldman Sachs is to be used in New York state, some of it to help New York homeowners restructure their debt and some for the construction of affordable housing.
"Since 2012, my number one priority has been getting New Yorkers the resources they need to rebuild," Schneiderman said in a statement. "These dollars will immediately go to work funding proven programs and services to help New Yorkers keep their homes and rebuild their communities. We've witnessed the incredible impact these programs and services can have in helping communities recover from the financial crisis."
The Goldman Sachs announcement follows similar multi-billion-dollar settlements previously reached with other financial institutions in connection with the 2008 financial collapse. J.P. Morgan Chase reached a $13 billion settlement, while Bank of America reached a $16.6 billion settlement, Citibank a $7 billion settlement and Morgan Stanley a $3.2 billion settlement.
"This settlement, like those before it, ensures that these critical programs -- such as mortgage assistance, principal forgiveness, and code enforcement -- will continue to get funded well into the future, and will be paid for by the institutions responsible for the financial crisis," Schneiderman said. | Organization Fine | April 2016 | ['(The Washington Post)', '(UPI)'] |
Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini is placed under investigation for possible illegal detention and kidnapping. He subsequently gives permission for the remaining 134 migrants to disembark. Ireland will take 25 migrants, Albania 20. The Italian church says it will take in the others. | Italian deputy PM allows migrants on the Ubaldo Diciotti to disembark, after he was placed under investigation over their detention First published on Sat 25 Aug 2018 19.59 BST
Italy’s deputy prime minister has relented over the fate of over 100 refugees and migrants forcibly kept on a docked rescue ship, after being formally placed under investigation for possible illegal detention and kidnapping. The Ubaldo Diciotti has been docked since Monday at the Sicilian port of Catania, initially with 177 migrants on board. Matteo Salvini, who is also the country’s interior minister and leader of the far-right League, had said that no one would be allowed to leave the boat until he received guarantees that other European nations would take most of them in.
Following the announcement on Saturday night of the formal investigation, Salvini finally gave permission for the remaining 134 migrants on board of the Diciotti to disembark. The Italian government announced that Albania would take in 20 of them, while Ireland would take 25 migrants. The Italian church said it would take in the rest to “put an end to this dramatic situation and sufferance”, said a spokesman for the Episcopal Conference of Italy.
A few days into the standoff, Salvini had allowed a group of 27 children travelling alone to disembark, and on Saturday doctors identified 16 people in need of immediate medical care, who were also allowed to leave the vessel. Two of them had possible symptoms of tuberculosis.
However, that left 134 people on board the ship, which is less than 100 metres long. Prosecutors announced on Saturday evening that they were investigating Salvini, a far-right populist, for holding all 177 hostage. Italy had appeared to be in violation of the European convention on human rights, which states that any asylum seeker detained for more than 48 hours should be released and given the opportunity to apply for refugee status.
An investigation into the detention of the passengers on the ship was first launched on Wednesday, by Luigi Patronaggio, chief prosecutor for Agrigento, who visited the ship and questioned its passengers. Magistrates travelled to Rome on Friday to question Salvini, members of his staff and at least two high-ranking officials in the ministry of the interior.
Prosecutors slowly worked towards the highest levels of the minister’s command structure. At first, the magistrate did not rule out questioning Salvini himself, but after interviews with his staff, prosecutors decided it was not necessary, sources told the Guardian.
“I heard prosecutors asked for my details. Here you go. I was born in Milan, March 9 1973, in Milan. I’m ready and proud to be arrested because I’m fighting to defend the Italian border,” Salvini wrote on Facebook as the news emerged about the investigation.
The Diciotti crisis began on 15 August, when the vessel rescued 190 people from an overcrowded boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Thirteen were evacuated for emergency medical treatment, and after the boat was turned away by Maltese authorities, it was allowed to dock in Sicily. However, Salvini said he would not allow those on board to disembark until he was assured all would “go elsewhere”.
The case drew fierce censure abroad, but Salvini hit out against critics in Europe, threatening to suspend the country’s financial contribution to the EU if Brussels did not intervene to redistribute the people on board. The European Union described the threats as unhelpful. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate | August 2018 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Severe rainstorms have killed at least 70 people since a powerful tornado hit Chongqing municipality in south–western China in Dianjiang and Liangping counties. Inclement weather in the next two days will affect Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. | At least 70 killed, aid for flood victims boosted GUANGZHOU - Severe rainstorms that have killed at least 70 people since Wednesday are expected to continue in the southern and central parts of the country, with strong winds and hailstorms in some areas, meteorological authorities have said.
Inclement weather in the next two days will affect Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces as well as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the China Meteorological Administration forecast on Sunday.
On Sunday, authorities sounded a yellow-level alert, two levels lower than the highest red alert, to warn of storms continuing in Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces until Monday.
Torrential rain, gale and hail are also expected to hit the areas, the administration said.
Many affected areas, such as Yunnan and Guizhou, had just emerged from the worst drought in decades.
"Floods usually start in June, but South China has already entered its flood season. The biggest floods have yet to come," National Meteorological Center meteorologist Sun Jun told Xinhua News Agency. The storms have already affected 2.55 million residents and forced 250,000 people to be relocated, Xinhua reported.
The storms have triggered flash floods and mudslides in the past few days. They have swollen rivers, burst dikes, threatened reservoirs as well as damaged highways, bridges and power and telecommunication facilities.
The storms affected up to 100,000 hectares of arable land and leveled 9,900 houses, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said. In Guangdong, heavy rains trapped more than 5,000 people in mountain areas in the villages of Minzhi, Youxi and Shaoguan. Floods also cut off power and food supplies to Minzhi village.
Since Friday, downpours of up to 107.7mm in Guangzhou claimed six residents' lives and submerged thousands of cars in garages and streets, authorities said.
"The road down at the foot of the building I live in turned into a river. When I waded to the Shiejiedaguan bus station, I found the street like a vast ocean," said a resident in the city's Tianhe district.
On Saturday, the Guangdong bureau of China insurance regulatory commission said 13,000 claims of compensation had already been filed for flood-hit cars in the past two days. The compensation amount is expected to exceed 125 million yuan ($ 18.3 million).
About 90 car owners who failed to reach agreements with property management companies on the liability for the damage to their cars reportedly blocked traffic in the city's Baiyun district. Police placed eight of them under administrative custody.
Heavy rain also delayed up to 174 flights at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on Sunday.
The rain is forecast to continue in the city until Monday.
Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang pledged all-out efforts for rescue and relief work in the affected areas.
Local authorities in the affected regions are also required to monitor the development of rainstorms to boost early warning efforts, said a statement from the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
Authorities have also allocated 31 million yuan to help resettle flood victims and rebuild collapsed houses in Chongqing municipality. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | May 2010 | ['(Sina)'] |
American Airlines Group is formed from the merger of AMR Corporation and US Airways Group and begins trading on the NASDAQ. | Eleven months after American Airlines and US Airways announced plans to merge, the union that creates the world’s largest airline became official Monday.
The parent companies of the two airlines, AMR Corp. and US Airways Group, have formally become American Airlines Group Inc., with common shares traded on Nasdaq under the symbol AAL. The new airline will be based in Fort Worth, Texas.
Officials for the airlines say it may take up to two years before the employees and planes for the two carriers operate as one.
For now, the two airlines operate separate websites and reservation systems. By early January, passengers are to be able to earn and redeem miles when traveling on either carrier, as well as reciprocal American Admirals Club and US Airways Club benefits and reciprocal elite recognition.
Together, the two airlines are to operate nearly 6,700 daily flights to more than 330 destinations in more than 50 countries and employ more than 100,000 workers.
The merger has the support of several labor groups, including the Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants for American Airlines, which faced an uncertain future after AMR Corp. filed for bankruptcy in 2011.
“Christmas has come early for the APFA,” said union President Laura Glading. “It’s been a long, tough slog, but today our hard work has paid off.”
However, mechanics and machinists for US Airways, represented by the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, have been without a contract for more than two years and threaten to oppose the merger until a contract is negotiated. | Organization Merge | December 2013 | ['(Los Angeles Times)'] |
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