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Massachusetts voters elect Republican Scott Brown to fill the vacant United States Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy. | Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Republican Scott Brown won a major upset victory in Tuesday's special election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy.
Brown defeated Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, the Democratic candidate.
Brown's victory made real the once unthinkable prospect of a Republican filling the seat held by Kennedy, known as the liberal lion, for almost 47 years until his death from brain cancer in August.
Voters across Massachusetts braved winter cold and snow for an election with high stakes -- the domestic agenda of President Obama, including his priority of health care reform.
Brown's victory strips Democrats of the 60-seat Senate supermajority needed to overcome GOP filibusters against future Senate action on a broad range of White House priorities. Senate Democrats needed all 60 votes in their caucus to pass the health care bill, and the loss of one seat imperils generating that support again for a compromise measure worked out with the House.
In a subdued concession speech, Coakley said she expected a tough assessment of her loss and lots of "Wednesday-morning quarterbacking" after losing a seat held by Democrats for more than 50 years.
"I am heartbroken at the result," Coakley said, later adding: "Although I am very disappointed, I always respect the voters' choice."
Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin said last week that certifying Tuesday's election results could take more than two weeks -- potentially enough time to allow congressional Democrats to pass a final health care bill before Brown is seated.
But multiple Democratic sources said this is unlikely. Even if House and Senate Democrats could reach a deal to meld their bills and pass them in the next couple of weeks, there would be a huge outcry from not only Republicans, but also an increasingly distrustful public if they appeared to be rushing it through.
Galvin had predicted as many as 2.2 million of the state's 4.5 million registered voters would vote -- at least double the turnout from December's primary. In one sign of high interest, more than 100,000 absentee ballots were requested ahead of the election, according to Galvin's spokesman, Brian McNiff.
Coakley was initially expected to easily win the race to replace Kennedy, who made health care reform the centerpiece of his Senate career.
Until recently, Brown was underfunded and unknown statewide. In addition, no Republican has won a U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts since 1972, and Democrats control the governorship, both houses of the state legislature, and the state's entire congressional delegation.
However, Brown surged in the weeks preceding Tuesday's vote and led in all the final polls.
Democratic sources told CNN that Coakley called Brown on Tuesday night to concede.
In a sign of the high stakes involved, the Coakley campaign held an afternoon news conference Tuesday to complain that voters in three places received ballots already marked for Brown.
McNiff confirmed that the secretary of state's offices received two reports of voters saying they got pre-marked ballots. The suspect ballots were invalidated and the voters received new ballots, McNiff said.
Kevin Conroy, the Coakley campaign manager, said the "disturbing incidents" raised questions about the integrity of the election. In response, the Brown campaign issued a statement criticizing Coakley's team.
"Reports that the Coakley campaign is making reckless accusations regarding the integrity of today's election is a reminder that they are a desperate campaign," Daniel B. Winslow, the counsel for the Brown campaign, said in the statement.
Obama has been both "surprised and frustrated" by the race, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.
Obama and former President Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail over the past three days in an attempt to save Coakley's campaign, which observers say was hampered by complacency and missteps.
Obama crushed Sen. John McCain in Massachusetts in 2008, beating the GOP presidential nominee by 26 points.
"If you were fired up in the last election, I need you more fired up in this election," Obama urged a crowd at a Coakley campaign rally on Sunday.
Vicki Kennedy, the late senator's widow, called on state Democrats to turn out to save her husband's legacy.
"We need your help. We need your support. We need you to get out there and vote on Tuesday," Kennedy said. "We need you to bring your neighbors. We need you to bring your friends."
Brown, who has trumpeted his 30 years of service in the National Guard, hewed to traditional GOP themes at the end of the campaign. He promised at a rally Sunday that, if elected, he would back tax cuts and be tougher on terrorists than Coakley.
He also repeated a pledge to oppose Obama's health care reform effort.
"Massachusetts wants real reform and not this trillion-dollar Obama health care that is being forced on the American people," he said. "As the 41st [Republican] senator I will make sure that we do it better."
Forty-four percent of Massachusetts voters cited the economy and jobs as their top concern in a recent 7 News/Suffolk University poll. Thirty-eight percent mentioned health care as their top concern.
Voters more concerned with the economy were split almost evenly between the two candidates; voters more worried about health care narrowly supported Coakley.
Brown's surprising strength came in part because some independents and conservatives who have supported Democrats in the past were having second thoughts.
Democrats far outnumber Republicans in Massachusetts, but there are more independents than Democrats and Republicans combined.
Several Democratic sources say multiple Obama advisers have told the party they believed Coakley was going to lose, despite Obama's campaign appearance for Coakley on Sunday.
Facing the possibility of Coakley's defeat, Democrats were trying to figure out if they could pass health care reform without that crucial 60th Senate vote. The seat is currently held by former Kennedy aide and longtime friend Paul Kirk, who was appointed to the seat on an interim basis.
Two Democratic sources in close contact with the White House told CNN on Monday they've urged the administration, in the event of a Brown victory, to push House Democrats to pass the Senate's health care bill as currently written. Doing so would prevent the plan from having to be taken up by the Senate again.
"I think the Senate bill clearly is better than nothing," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said Tuesday.
A third option would be for Democrats to revisit the idea of trying to push health care through the Senate with only 51 votes -- a simple majority.
But to do that Democrats would have to use a process known as reconciliation, which presents technical and procedural issues that would delay the process for a long time. A number of Democrats are eager to put the health care debate behind them and move on to economic issues such as job creation as soon as possible this election year.
Senate Democrats could also try again to get moderate GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine to vote for a compromise health reform plan. Multiple Democratic sources, however, have said they believe that is unlikely now.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | January 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(CNN)'] |
John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, appoints Judge William Curtis Bryson as presiding judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. | The end of the government’s fiscal year 2013 is just weeks away, but an intelligence authorization bill for fiscal year 2014 is nowhere in sight. In past years, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees typically reported intelligence bills in late spring or early summer for House-Senate conference and floor action later in the year. But this year, nothing.
On its homepage, the Senate Intelligence Committee website cites the Committee’s report on the fiscal year 2012 intelligence bill under the heading “recent action.” But that report was issued in August 2011. (The Committee website also offers a current compilation of YouTube videos that appear to reflect the use of chemical weapons in Syria.)
Though 2013 has become the most momentous year for intelligence policy in a generation, the Senate Intelligence Committee has not held any public hearings since a March threat briefing, and none at all on surveillance policy. Americans seeking insight into the meaning of current intelligence controversies must look elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have each held stimulating hearings on intelligence surveillance, while the House Intelligence Committee offered a one-sided forum for government officials only.
Up to now, the machinery of intelligence policymaking has seemed poorly suited to coping with the Snowden-derived revelations that continue to emerge.
Confusingly, both the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) and the ad hoc Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies are delving into the privacy implications of intelligence surveillance, among other topics, and each has independently sought to engage interested members of the public. But neither body has policymaking power or authority, and it is unclear how their findings and recommendations might eventually shape policy.
My initial comments to the Review Group are available here.
The Director of National Intelligence yesterday released several newly declassified opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in response to FOIA lawsuits from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU. The voluminous materials shed new light on interactions between the FISA Court and the intelligence community, including what one Court opinion described as a “history of serious and widespread compliance problems.”
Yesterday, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Judge William C. Bryson to succeed Judge Morris Arnold as the Presiding Judge of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, following Judge Arnold’s retirement on August 31. Judge José A. Cabranes was appointed to the Court of Review on August 9, 2013. The appointment of a third judge to the Court is pending.
The Court of Review, which hears government appeals of unfavorable opinions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, only rarely has occasion to meet. It could not immediately be learned when the Court was last presented with a case. The Rules of the Court of Review may be found in FISCR Order No. 1, January 22, 1980. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | September 2013 | ['(Secrecy News)'] |
Several people are reported killed after fresh clashes erupt in the Kokang region of Shan State, northeastern Burma, near the border with China. A bomb is also thrown across the border. | Temporary tents are provided by Nansan local gov't in Yunan for people fleeing from Kokang due to the conflicts between the Kokang ethnic and the Myanmar gov't forces. (CNS photo)
The Kokang armed forces had killed over 30 government soldiers and captured another 50 in the fightings during the last two days, said Kokang leader Pheung Kya-shin (Peng Jiasheng) in an exclusive interview with Global Times' correspondent on Saturday.
The Kokang leader refused to reveal where he is but claimed that he is safe and in charge of the battle, adding the government's military action has inflicted property damages worth millions of yuan on Kokang. Fierce fightings between the Kokang ethnic army and the government forceson Saturday morning in Kokang region were witnessed by Global Times correspondent who rushed toNansan, southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The fightings are near Yanglongzhai, a strategic place in Kokang where Kokang leader Peng and his fellows are hiding there.
A well-informed person revealed that about 480 government forces were garrisoning on a small hill in Kokang. This morning, they charged down the hill and had a fierce shootout with Kokang ethnic army.
Judged by the shot, light machine guns, tommy-guns and rifles were used in the battle.
He Yongchun, Vice President of Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Society, confirmed that one Chinese was killed and several others were injured by a bomb thrown from across China's border with Myanmar.
"Thunderous roar of guns"
"We were playing Mah-Jong when we heard thunderous roar in the direction of Kokang on August 27. Later, many local people shouted that it was the thounder of guns. They climbed up the roof of buildings and saw the smoke over Kokang's sky. By now, the battle hasn't been over, which has caused some casualties", a local driver told our correspondent.
Chinese border guards strengthen observation to prevent the conflict from spreading to China. Armed police has divided Nansan into south and north security areas. Vehicles were not allowed to enter south area, however, local people could enter the area on foot.
Agroup of unidentified Myanmese was detained and disarmed as they attempted to cross the border into China's Nansan county around 10am in Saturday. The group members are currently held in custody about 100 meters away from the border.
Local residents extended their worries about the conflict. "War didn't break out in the past 20 years and many Chinese do business in Kokang. The fighting in Kokang will affect border trade. We hope the two sides should cease fire first, no matter what purpose they hold." | Armed Conflict | August 2009 | ['(Global Times)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(Times of India)', '(AFP)'] |
Virgin Galactic and the U.S. state of New Mexico sign a US$150–250 million agreement to launch sub–orbital commercial space flights at Spaceport America, near Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences. |
The company planning to take tourists into space, Virgin Galactic, and the State of New Mexico announced today that they have signed a 20-year lease agreement – a deal worth an estimated $150 million to $250 million which firmly plants the spaceline operator's world headquarters in New Mexico to make use of Spaceport America.
The inland Spaceport America is billed as the nation's first purposely built commercial spaceport.
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic firm will make use of the WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo launch system – now under development at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California – to loft paying customers at $200,000 a seat on suborbital treks departing from Spaceport America.
The WhiteKnightTwo mothership, the craft that will haul SpaceShipTwo to release altitude, made its maiden flight on Dec. 21 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Both the carrier plane and the two pilot, six passenger SpaceShipTwo are to undergo significant testing prior to commercial operation.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson – recently nominated by President-elect Barack Obama as Secretary of Commerce – has been a champion of the spaceport, and a strong advocate for private space commerce.
"The signing of this agreement is a momentous day for our state and has cemented New Mexico as the home of commercial space travel," Richardson said in a statement. "I want to thank Virgin Galactic for partnering with us to create a whole new industry that is going to transform the economy of Southern New Mexico – creating thousands of jobs, generating money for education, boosting tourism and attracting other companies and economic opportunities to the area."
String of events
Today's lease agreement is another in a string of events that pushes Spaceport America from artist concept to ribbon cutting and vertical and horizontal launch operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration's commercial space office recently issued a launch license to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). The lease agreement with Virgin Galactic as an anchor tenant was the final requirement set by the New Mexico Legislature to release the next level of funding for Spaceport America.
Earlier this month, NMSA selected Gerald Martin Construction Management of Albuquerque to oversee construction of Spaceport America. The architectural firm of URS/Foster + Partners is completing their final design for the terminal and hangar facility.
Construction is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2009 with the terminal and hangar facility scheduled for completion in 2010. Road construction to Spaceport America is already underway.
Spaceport business
The site of New Mexico's Spaceport America is 30 miles (48 km) east of Truth or Consequences and 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces.
"This is a historic moment for New Mexico, Spaceport America and Virgin Galactic. A lot of very dedicated people have been working long hours to secure this lease agreement," said Steven Landeene, Spaceport America's Executive Director. "Like several other companies, Virgin Galactic has realized the outstanding advantages offered by Spaceport America and the State of New Mexico."
In addition to Virgin Galactic, the Spaceport Authority has been working closely with other aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Rocket Racing Inc./Armadillo Aerospace, UP Aerospace, Microgravity Enterprises and Payload Specialties.
"We are really looking forward to making Spaceport America and New Mexico the home and worldwide headquarters of Virgin Galactic," said Jonathan Firth, Virgin Galactic Projects & Operations Director.
Firth said that New Mexico has all the right elements for a successful commercial space operation including good weather and clear airspace attributes.
Revenue stream
"Obviously, it's a great day for commercial space," Landeene told SPACE.com. "Virgin and New Mexico have now committed to the beginnings of the first commercial spaceline with that lease," he said.
The 20 year lease is built upon three components, Landeene explained – ground rent, facilities rent and then user fees – an approach that draws upon classic airport infrastructure.
The facilities rent – Virgin Galactic's use of a terminal and hangar – equates to about $50 million over the lifetime of the lease, Landeene said.
The user fees have been scoped out in a partnership approach. There are different fee schedules based on the activity level that Virgin Galactic has at the spaceport, including passenger fees, as well as fees where launches from Spaceport America might not involve passengers but scientific payloads, for example.
"There's an incentive for Virgin Galactic to conduct more missions out at the spaceport," Landeene stated.
Due to the various types of flights, "we're looking at probably $100 million to $200 million dollars in revenue for the state over the 20 year lease ... so $150 million to $250 million dollars of revenue for the state. Of course, Virgin Galactic has a revenue line of their own," Landeene said.
| Sign Agreement | January 2009 | ['(Space.com)'] |
At least 22 people are killed in clashes between Arab and Berber communities in Ghardaia, Algeria. | At least 22 people have died in clashes between Arab and Berber communities around the Algerian oasis city of Ghardaia, the state news agency says.
The city has seen clashes for the last two years, with rivalry among communities for jobs, housing and land.
But the two days of clashes in Ghardaia and two nearby cities - Guerrara and Berianne - are the most violent yet.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
A statement by the president urged people in Ghardaia "to help to restore calm and to preserve the age-old bonds of brotherhood which have always marked the region".
Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui arrived in Ghardaia, a Unesco world heritage site, earlier in the day.
Mozabites - members of the local Berber community - called for better protection in a protest in the capital, Algiers, 600km (373 miles) to the north.
"The situation is very serious," one Mozabite leader told AFP. "This is not just clashes any more, it's terrorism."
Algeria's official news agency, APS, said most of the deaths were from "projectiles". It is not known to which groups the dead belonged. A cemetery belonging to Mozabites was desecrated in December 2013, leading to fighting between groups. At least a dozen people had been killed before violence flared up again this week, AP said.
Algeria profile
. | Armed Conflict | July 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Violent protests occur in Oakland, California following Johannes Mehserle receiving two years jail for the shooting of Oscar Grant on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system with Oakland police chief Anthony Batts expecting to make 150 arrests. , | OAKLAND — Protesters vandalized storefronts and clashed with the police here on Friday night after a white former transit police officer was given what they considered to be a light sentence for the killing an unarmed black man. But protests initially seemed less violent than others that have surrounded the controversial case.
The authorities said one officer was hit by a car — perhaps by a police vehicle — and another officer’s gun was stolen and turned on him. That protester was arrested, Police Chief Anthony W. Batts said, and a police spokesman said 152 people had been arrested. “You have a very aggressive crowd,” Chief Batts said.
. | Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2010 | ['(New York Times)', '(CNN)'] |
At least eight people are killed in the Southern United States amid severe storms bringing floods and tornadoes. | Powerful storms swept across the South on Sunday after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town. Three children were among the dead.
Nearly 90,000 customers were without electricity in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia as of midday Sunday, according to www.poweroutage.us as the severe weather left a trail of destruction.
Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car in which they were riding in a severe thunderstorm Saturday near Pollok, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southeast of Dallas.
The tree "flattened the car like a pancake," said Capt. Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriff's Office. The children, ages 8 and 3, were dead at the scene, while both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said.
At least one person was killed and about two dozen others were injured after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in East Texas during a Native American cultural event in Alto, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) southeast of Dallas. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis said the fatality that was reported was of a woman who died of her critical injuries.
In neighboring Houston County, the sheriff's office said one person was killed in Weches, 6 miles southwest of Caddo Mound.
There was widespread damage in Alto, a town of about 1,200, and the school district canceled classes until its buildings can be deemed safe.
A tornado flattened much of the south side of Franklin, Texas, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences, said Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak. Franklin is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Dallas.
The weather service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph (225.3 kph).
It destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex, and part of the local housing authority building, authorities said. Two people were hospitalized for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene, Yezak said. Some people had to be extricated from damaged dwellings.
Heavy rains and storms raked Mississippi into the night Saturday as the storms moved east.
Roy Ratliff, 95, died after a tree crashed onto his trailer in northeastern Mississippi, Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference, adding that a tornado had struck. Nineteen residents were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. A tornado was reported in the area 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, at the time.
In Hamilton, Mississippi, 72-year-old Robert Scott said he had been sleeping in his recliner late Saturday when he was awakened and found himself in his yard after a tornado ripped most of his home off its foundation.
His 71-year-old wife, Linda, was in a different part of the house and also survived, he said. They found each other while crawling through the remnants of the house they have lived in since 1972.
"We're living, and God has blessed us," Scott, a retired manager for a grocery store meat department, said Sunday as neighbors helped him salvage his belongings.
National Weather Service meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister touched down in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported, but officials reported damage to several businesses and vehicles.
The storm is expected to continue moving toward the Northeast where its impact has already been devastating.
The Times Gazette reported several homes and businesses were damaged after an apparent tornado struck Shelby, Ohio, Sunday about 4 p.m.
Shelby is about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) northeast of Cleveland.
The Richland County Emergency Management Agency reported about a half-dozen homes were damaged and at least six people were taken to a hospital to be treated for storm-related injuries.
The National Weather Service has issued tornado watch warnings for parts of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
But the majority of damaged remained in the Southern part of the U.S.
The storm damaged a roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, and Mississippi State University's 21,000 students huddled in basements and hallways as a tornado neared the campus in Starkville.
University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were toppled and minor damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus.
The large storm system also caused flash floods in Louisiana, where two deaths were reported.
Authorities said 13-year-old Sebastian Omar Martinez drowned in a drainage canal after flash flooding struck Bawcomville, near Monroe, said Deputy Glenn Springfield of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Department. Separately, one person died when a car was submerged in floodwaters in Calhoun, also near Monroe.
As the storm moved into Alabama, a possible tornado knocked out power and damaged mobile homes in Troy, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Montgomery.
Near the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown, a county employee died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, said Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The man, whose name was not immediately released, died after being taken to a hospital.
The forecast of severe weather forced officials at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, to start the final round of the tournament early on Sunday in order to finish in midafternoon before it began raining. | Floods | April 2019 | ['(ABC News)'] |
The Welsh political party Plaid Cymru elects Leanne Wood as its new leader. | Ms Wood called for "real independence" for Wales after beating rivals Elin Jones and Lord Elis-Thomas.
Ms Wood, who is currently learning to speak Welsh, promised to be an "open, forward looking, positive and constructive" leader.
She inherits the leadership of the third-largest party in the Welsh assembly behind the Labour government and Conservative opposition.
Speaking after the result was announced in Cardiff on Thursday, she paid tribute to her fellow candidates for a campaign that was "positive, respectful, constructive, and in parts a good laugh".
"And that's how we do politics in this party and that is how I intend to lead," she said.
She also gave a special thanks to her young supporters, many of whom joined the party for the first time during the campaign, she said.
Her predecessor Ieuan Wyn Jones, who Ms Wood thanked in her acceptance speech, announced he would be standing down last year after disappointing election results that saw Plaid lose seats in the assembly.
She said: "We may be a small party and a small country but we can stand tall if we stand together and if we stand up for our principles.
"Real independence means collectively lifting our people out of poverty leaving no-one behind, building a future based on hope not on fear."
She added: "Together we can build a Wales that is fair, a new Wales that will flourish and a new Wales that will one day be free."
Aged 40, she is the ninth leader in Plaid Cymru's 87-year history, the first Welsh-learner in the role and the first woman. Her election means Plaid now has a female leader, chief executive, president and chair.
Her supporters hailed a decisive victory.
In the first round of voting, she won 2,879 votes to Ms Jones's 1,884 and Lord Elis-Thomas's 1,278.
As no candidate had more than half the votes, Lord Elis-Thomas was eliminated and the second-preference votes of his supporters were redistributed, giving Ms Wood 3,326 votes and Ms Jones 2,494.
Plaid MP Jonathan Edwards, Ms Wood's campaign manager, said she would lead "a far more aggressive strategy in taking on the Labour Party".
"I was extremely happy to see that it was a very strong result for Leanne - nearly winning on the first ballot and I think the strength of the result gives her a very strong mandate for the months ahead," he said.
Speaking before the result was declared, Mr Jones said: "It's our job now, all of us in this party, to unite behind the successful candidates so they can face the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead."
Fellow party leaders have sent messages of congratulations to Ms Wood, including First Minister Carwyn Jones.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said that despite their differences on a range of issues, she hoped the two parties "can work constructively together in order to hold the Welsh government to account and grasp the opportunity to strengthen devolution through the Silk Commission established by the UK government".
The Conservatives' assembly leader, Andrew RT Davies, said he "looked forward" to working with Ms Wood in holding "lethargic Labour ministers to account".
"She succeeds Ieuan Wyn Jones, who led his party with distinction and played a pivotal role in the development of the National Assembly. I wish Ieuan well in his future endeavours," he added. | Government Job change - Election | March 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Omar Bakri Muhammad is sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Lebanon. | The radical Muslim cleric, Omar Bakri Muhammad, has been sentenced to life in prison by a military court in Lebanon.
He told the BBC from his home in Tripoli that he had been informed by his lawyer of the verdict on Thursday.
He had been tried in his absence by the court, accused of forming a militant group with the purpose of weakening the Lebanese government. He strenuously denied the accusation.
Lebanese officials have confirmed the sentence, but he has not been arrested.
Bakri Muhammad, who was born in Syria and also holds Lebanese nationality, has been told he has 15 days to appeal. He was among 54 people sentenced, to varying terms of imprisonment, the officials said. About half are already in prison. Bakri Mohammad told the BBC he had never been informed about the case or asked to attend the court.
"I have never received any notifications, not even a warrant of arrest - everything was in my absence," he said.
"When I heard about [the trial] one and a half years ago, I did contact many officers, many people in the securities, in the army... and they said, 'If you do not receive a warrant of arrest officially, do not worry.' "So now I am receiving a sentence for life for a crime I never committed." Bakri Muhammad lived in the UK for nearly 20 years after seeking political asylum in 1986 and being granted indefinite leave to remain.
The self-styled "sheikh" ran the radical Islamist group, al-Muhajiroun, from north London until it was disbanded in 2004. After the July 2005 London bombings, he caused a media storm when he declared that the only people he blamed were the British government and public. The next month, Bakri Muhammad left the UK on what he described as a holiday to see his mother in Beirut. While abroad, the British government used existing powers to exclude him, saying his presence was "not conducive to the public good".
The decision did not affect his family, including his seven children.
At the time, Bakri Muhammad said he had never preached violence, and had run a "purely ideological, political campaign" in the UK. But he also vowed that he would never return the UK because of the "evil policies adopted by the British Government".
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | November 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
In tennis, Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer in the men's singles in four sets to claim his third title. , | Last updated on 11 July 201511 July 2015.From the section Tennis
Roger Federer will look to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon titles when he plays defending champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.
Federer, 33, currently shares the record of seven wins with Pete Sampras and victory would make him the oldest Wimbledon winner in the Open Era.
Djokovic, 28, beat Federer in the 2014 final for his second title at SW19.
"I have played Roger many times and he is one of my greatest rivals," Djokovic said. "We all know how good he is."
Federer is into a record 10th Wimbledon final after sweeping aside Britain's Andy Murray in straight sets to maintain his 100% winning record in semi-finals at the All England Club.
He is three years older than Arthur Ashe was when he won Wimbledon in 1975 and the oldest man in a final since Ken Rosewall, who was 39 when he lost to Jimmy Connors in 1974.
The Swiss second seed has been in imperious form, dropping only one set and one service game in his six matches so far at the tournament. He faced only one break point against Murray, in the first game. "I need to keep it up for one more match to really make it the perfect couple of weeks," Federer said.
To do that, he must overcome the Serbian world number one, who trails 20-19 in their head-to-head record since 2006 but has beaten Federer twice already this year.
Both players will have something to prove on Sunday according to BBC Sport analyst Andy Roddick, who lost three Wimbledon finals to Federer.
"Roger has been turning back the clock and, if he wins, we will be saying that he has never looked better," Roddick said. "For Novak, it is about getting over the disappointment of losing the final of the French Open.
"Federer is in better form but Djokovic can say to himself that he is still going to establish himself as the number one player and he doesn't have to play well for the whole two weeks do it - he just needs to get himself in a position to succeed on Sunday."
Djokovic took almost four hours to beat Federer in a thrilling five-set encounter in last year's final, and Roddick is expecting another memorable encounter this time.
"There is almost no way for this not to be an impressive match," Roddick added.
"If one of these guys comes out and wins in straight sets then we are going to be saying 'what an amazing performance'.
"If it goes past three sets and they are throwing punches for three, four or five hours then that will just be part of the script of what we are used to seeing at Wimbledon.
"It is just perfect when you get the best theatre in the best venue, because it creates magical moments.
"There are rarely any one-sided men's finals here. The only one that comes to mind, apart from maybe my defeat to Roger in 2005, was when Lleyton Hewitt beat David Nalbandian in 2002 and that was kind of a romp from the beginning."
Djokovic ended an 18-month drought in Grand Slams by winning last year's final and celebrated by eating a handful of grass that he had plucked from Centre Court.
"It was a very important match for me to win because I've lost quite a few Grand Slam finals," Djokovic said.
"To win that match in five sets against Roger on grass was definitely something that gave me a lot of confidence.
"A few days after that, I got married. That was more than a few things that happened in a positive way in my life.
"Of course, I became a father as well, entered a new dimension of joy and happiness and love.
"I'm trying to stay on that wave as much as I can and hopefully I can do well on Sunday."
Federer says what happens 12 months ago will not play on his mind as he prepares to walk out on Centre Court.
"I don't really think about the match we played against each other last year," Federer said. "I just remember it was unbelievably thrilling and the crowd really got into it.
"It's great to play Novak anywhere these days because he's a great player. He's had great success, unbelievable success actually, throughout his career but especially the last few years, he's been unbelievably dominant.
"I'm just happy personally for myself to be back in a final. That it's against Novak, the world number one, it obviously adds something extra." | Sports Competition | July 2015 | ['(BBC)', '(BBC)'] |
Typhoon Rammasun heads for southern China and northern Vietnam after killing at least 38 people in the Philippines with eight missing. | MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The death toll from a typhoon that hit the Philippines is now 12.
The capital, Manila, was spared a direct hit today, but the fierce storm still brought down trees and utility poles and tore off roofs.
Officials say most of those killed were pinned by falling trees and electrical posts. A fire volunteer died when he was hit by a block of concrete while hauling down a Philippine flag.
None of the deaths were in Manila.
The typhoon weakened later in the day before it blew out of the country, heading possibly toward northern Vietnam or China’s Hainan Island.
Forecasters say it could regain strength while crossing the South China Sea.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | July 2014 | ['(Glenda)', '(Reuters)', '(WTOP-FM)'] |
A rare annular solar eclipse occurs, visible from East Asia, the North Pacific, and the Western United States. | An "annular eclipse" has been viewed across a swathe of the Earth stretching across the Pacific from Asia to the western US.
The eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth and does not block out the Sun completely.
Millions of people witnessed the resulting "ring of fire" phenomenon.
The eclipse passed almost directly over Tokyo before sweeping just below Alaska's Aleutian islands and making landfall in the western US.
In Japan "eclipse tours" were held at schools and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events were also held in China and Taiwan.
TV in Tokyo broadcast the event live.
Light rain fell on Tokyo as the eclipse began, but the clouds thinned as it reached its peak, providing near perfect conditions.
"It was a very mysterious sight - I've never seen anything like it," said Kaori Sasaki, who joined a crowd in central Tokyo.
Japanese electronics giant Panasonic sent an expedition to the top of Mount Fuji to film the eclipse using solar-powered equipment.
"Our goal is to broadcast the world's most beautiful annular eclipse from the highest mountain in Japan," the company said.
However, in Hong Kong skywatchers were not so lucky. Hundreds had gathered along the Kowloon waterfront where the Space Museum had set up solar-filtered telescopes, but heavy clouds obstructed the view.
In the US, viewing parties were reported in Reno, Nevada; Oakland, California, and elsewhere.
Hundreds also travelled to the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was hailed as one of the best vantage points.
"That's got to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen," said Brent Veltri of Salida, Colorado.
The eclipse was fully visible across a 240 to 300km-wide swathe but partial views could be seen across much of east Asia and North America. The Slooh series of space telescopes has been covering the event
on its website.
In pictures: Annular eclipse
Esa tech satellite views eclipse
| New wonders in nature | May 2012 | ['(AAP via SBS News)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(BBC)'] |
A judge in Peru issues an arrest warrant for former President Alejandro Toledo for allegedly receiving US$20 million in bribes from Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction company, in exchange for a contract deal to build a transoceanic highway between Brazil and the Peruvian coast. Toledo denies any wrongdoing. | International arrest warrant issued for 70-year-old Toledo over claims he took bribes from construction giant Odebrecht
Last modified on Fri 10 Feb 2017 18.50 GMT
A judge in Peru has ordered the arrest of ex-president Alejandro Toledo while prosecutors prepare criminal charges against the former leader for allegedly receiving $20m in bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht in return for granting a lucrative contract to build a transoceanic highway between Brazil and the Peruvian coast.
Judge Richard Concepcion ordered 18 months “preventive” prison and issued both a national and international arrest warrant for Toledo, 70, on Thursday. The ex-president, who was in France last week, has angrily denied any wrongdoing when interviewed by Peruvian journalists. His lawyer said he would not flee but declined to say what country he was in.
Observers said the warrant marked the nadir of a precipitous fall from grace for Toledo, a one-time pro-democracy activist who headed street protests against the authoritarian former president Alberto Fujimori and pledged to clamp down on rampant corruption when he took office from 2001 to 2006. Fujimori is serving a 25-year jail sentence for human rights crimes, embezzlement and bribing the media. Many Peruvians are shocked that one of his leading adversaries could join him behind bars if found guilty. Earlier this week, Peru’s attorney general’s office formally charged Toledo with asset laundering and influence trafficking. The move came after police and prosecutors raided his home in Lima on the weekend, seizing documents, videos, mobiles phones and more than $30,000 in cash.
Prosecutors allege the payments to Toledo were made through his friend Josef Maiman, a Peruvian-Israeli businessman who was also being investigated along with Odebrecht’s former boss in the country, Jorge Barata, whose testimony implicates the former president. Toledo, who came eighth in an electoral bid last year, said the charges had been orchestrated by his “traditional enemies”. However, he said he would return to be Peru if he could be guaranteed a fair trial.
The president of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who served as Toledo’s economy minister and prime minister, urged the former leader to return home.
The attorney general’s office is also investigating two more former presidents, Alan García (2006-11) and Ollanta Humala (2011-16) for allegedly having received bribes as part of the widening Odebrecht scandal.
Gustavo Gorriti, a leading investigative journalist and pro-democracy campaigner, told local radio: “Toledo ended his government like the protagonist of a film about gangsters, who robbed and used power like a masquerade for what they really wanted.”
“Having been handed the noblest possible mandate he betrayed it the most vile way imaginable,” he added.
Gorriti who leads IDL-Reporteros, an investigative reporting outfit, told the Guardian the Odebrecht scandal could be “the biggest case of corruption in the history of Latin America”.
It is estimated that Odebrecht paid out more than $730m in bribes across 12 countries in Latin America, according to a journalistic investigation. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | February 2017 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
An Islamic State member is sentenced in Vienna to nine years in prison, among others for instigating a 12-year-old boy to commit a Christmas market bombing in Ludwigshafen, Germany. | A 19-year-old man was imprisoned for nine years over his involvement in plans for two Islamist extremist attacks in Germany. One of the suicide missions was to be carried out by a 12-year-old boy. The Vienna Criminal Court sentenced an Austrian man of Albanian descent to nine years in prison on Friday in connection with plans for two Islamist extremist attacks in Germany.
The case highlights the challenges posed by radicalized youth ready to commit acts of terror at home and in neighboring countries.
n
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The blue bag left on the platform at Bonn's central station in 2012 contained explosives that did not go off, but a city-wide manhunt unfolded. Marco G. was eventually arrested and charged with planting the bomb. Three others are charged with plotting to assassinate a politician from the far-right PRO-NRW party. Their group allegedly drew inspration from an Islamist movement in Uzbekistan.
In March 2011, Arid Uka shot dead two US servicemen waiting for a bus at Frankfurt airport prior to deployment in Afghanistan. "This is indeed the first Islamic-motivated terror strike to have happened in Germany," the judge said, adding Uka had sought revenge for military operations in Afghanistan. Uka, born in Kosovo, acted alone and was sentenced to life in prison in February 2012.
The "Sauerland Cell" was a German cell of the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a terrorist group on the Pakistani-Afghan border. The four German and Turkish men had planned large-scale bomb attacks against American targets in Germany from their base in the western region of the Sauerland. Arrested in September 2007, they were sentenced in March 2010 for up to 12 years.
Sven Lau, a Salafist Muslim, was the man behind a well-known Islamist publicity stunt. In 2014, Lau led several men around the city of Wuppertal in orange security vests labeled "Sharia police." Acting as state authorities, they warned people visiting local clubs and bars to adhere to Sharia, or Islamic law. He is currently on trial for backing a terror group fighting in Syria.
Nils D., a Salafist from Dinslaken, joined the "Islamic State" in Syria in October 2013. He tracked down the group's deserters - armed with explosives and guns. He returned to Germany a year later, and boastful statements about his time in Syria eventually got him arrested. He confessed the names of other German Islamic extremists and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail.
On the final day of Harry S.'s July 2016 trial, he said "going to Syria was the biggest mistake of my life." The Bremen-born Muslim convert spent three months with "Islamic State" in Syria in 2015. He wanted out after civilians were murdered for a short recruitment film he helped make. He was sentenced to three years in jail for being part of a foreign terrorist organization. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | April 2018 | ['(Deutsche Welle)'] |
The confirmed worldwide number of cases of swine influenza reaches 1,490. | (CNN) -- A Texas woman who had swine flu has died, officials said Tuesday, marking the second death in the United States linked to the virus and the first of a U.S. resident. Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. Richard Besser tour part of the CDC on Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia.
The news came as officials in the United States and Mexico, where the outbreak of the H1N1 virus started, were voicing hope that the worst of the new flu strain may be over.
The woman, who died earlier this week, was from Cameron County on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. The Texas Department of State Health Services said the woman had "chronic underlying health conditions," but did not provide more details.
Dr. Brian Smith, regional director for the department, confirmed the virus was linked to the woman's death and told one CNN affiliate there was "one death confirmed in Cameron County from H1N1 influenza." But speaking with CNN affiliate KRGV-TV, he stopped short of saying it killed her.
"It's certainly part of the clinical picture," Smith said.
The Texas medical examiner's office told CNN the woman had been sick for about a month. The United States' first death from swine flu came last week: a toddler whose family was visiting Houston, Texas, from Mexico.
By Tuesday afternoon, the number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus stood at 1,490 in 22 countries, according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number includes 822 confirmed cases in Mexico.
WHO has confirmed 30 deaths worldwide from the virus, including 29 in Mexico. The count did not include the most recently reported death in the United States.
There were 403 confirmed cases of the swine flu in the United States, according to the CDC, and another 693 suspected cases counted by various state agencies.
The 403 confirmed U.S. cases are in 38 states, most of them in New York (90), Illinois (82), California (49) and Texas (42), the CDC said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials now recommend that schools stop closing when a case of swine flu is confirmed at a school, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday.
Scientists believe the H1N1 virus epidemic is no more dangerous than seasonal flu, and schools should act accordingly, Sebelius said.
"This virus does not seem to be as severe as we once thought it would be," she said at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sick students should be kept home for seven days, she said, "but the schools should feel comfortable about opening."
Schools that have been closed can reopen, Sebelius said.
Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director, said that closing schools in a pandemic has a definite benefit. But closing during a general flu outbreak is not required, he said.
"When you get to situations that are approaching general flu, then the downside of closing schools outweighs the benefits," Besser said.
And federal officials have been hearing from local officials "how incredibly difficult and burdensome school closure is," he said.
In Mexico, officials announced plans to reopen government offices and restaurants Wednesday and museums, libraries and churches the following day, citing improvement in the battle against the virus.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano acknowledged claims by Mexican authorities who believe that their cases have peaked.
"I have no reason to think that is inaccurate," Napolitano said.
"What the epidemiologists are seeing now with this particular strain of H1N1 is that the severity of the disease, the severity of the flu -- how sick you get -- is not stronger than regular seasonal flu."
Health officials have begun using the virus's clinical name, H1N1, to reflect that it's a combination of several different types of flu and to reduce confusion about whether eating pork can spread the virus, which it cannot. Officials from WHO and the CDC plan to monitor developments in the Southern Hemisphere, where flu season arrives over the next few months as winter begins there.
Those results will help determine whether a stronger strain of the virus will return to the United States and the Northern Hemisphere during the fall flu season.
In Mexico City, about 35,000 public venues were shut down, transforming the bustling metropolis of 20 million people into a ghost town overnight.
Soccer games were postponed, restaurants served only takeout orders, and Sunday Mass -- which usually draws millions of worshippers -- was canceled. "It's surreal to say the least. And the masks add to that," said Cristiano Oliveira, a Brazilian living in Mexico City for the past year and a half. "There was, to me, at least the impression that Mexico City would never slow down. And now it's halted."
In the city's Condesa neighborhood, Alfredo Sono Dillman whiled away the days watching movies on a home computer.
"We all live inside our houses, because the schools have been canceled until May 11," the 15-year-old said. "I'm not scared like last week. This week has been easier. Now we know much better what is going on."
Early Tuesday, the Mexican and Chinese government sent chartered flights to each other's countries to pick up their respective nationals stranded or quarantined because of the global swine flu outbreak.
An Aeromexico flight made several stops Tuesday throughout China to collect nearly 70 Mexican citizens who were being held in quarantine across the communist nation as part of its strict swine flu-control measures. Watch as Mexicans begin the journey home ?
At least two Mexicans remained in quarantine in Beijing. Meanwhile, a U.S. Embassy official said four Americans are or were quarantined in China: two in Beijing and two in southern Guangdong province.
China suspended all flights into and out of Mexico after a 25-year-old Mexican man who arrived Thursday in Shanghai from Mexico City became the Asian country's first confirmed case of the virus.
As a result, 200 Chinese citizens were stranded in Mexico City and Tijuana. A China Southern Airlines flight was expected to fetch them Tuesday, state media said.
Also Tuesday, the U.S. Navy said it has canceled the deployment of one of its ships because of a number of possible cases of swine flu.
The USS Dubuque, an amphibious transport dock ship, was due to deploy June 1 to the South Pacific on a humanitarian mission, according to Cmdr. Joseph Surette, a Navy spokesman.
He said there was one confirmed case of H1N1 virus and 49 possible other cases among crew members over the past several days. The 50 crew members are off the ship recovering and being given Tamiflu medication, Surette said.
The ship is being scrubbed and disinfected, and the remaining 370 crew members are being given Tamiflu as a precaution, according to Surette.
WHO officials said there were no immediate plans to raise its pandemic alert to the highest level, 6. | Disease Outbreaks | May 2009 | ['(CNN)'] |
The Russian military launches cruise missile strikes from the Mediterranean on ISIS positions in Al-Raqqah, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's de facto capital in Syria, Aleppo, and Idlib. A U.S. official confirms that Russia has conducted a significant number of strikes in Syria using both sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to escalate his military campaign in Syria after it was confirmed that a bomb brought down Metrojet Flight 9268 over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. , | Vladimir Putin has pledged to escalate his military campaign in Syria after it was confirmed that a bomb brought down a Russian airliner over Sinai
The Russian military has fired multiple cruise missiles at the Isis stronghold of Raqqa, the Kremlin has confirmed.
Russia's defence minister told a briefing with President Vladimir Putin that cruise missiles targeted militant positions across Syria's Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
Sergei Shoigu said the missiles were launched from Tu-160 and Tu-95 warplanes, and said they were among 2,300 sorties carried out by the Russian military in the past 48 days.
Earlier, US officials were quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying Russia had launched a "significant number" of strikes in Syria using both sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers.
The French daily Le Monde cited senior French government officials as saying Russian missiles had struck Isis positions in Raqqa, its de facto capital in its Syrian territories.
According to reports, Russian officials gave their US counterparts notice ahead of the strikes, in a sign of closer cooperation between the two states after talks between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama at the G20 summit.
Videos showing alleged cruise missiles flying and crashed in Syria appeared across social media on Tuesday, though their provenance could not be immediately verified.
Russia has vowed to escalate its military campaign in Syria after it was confirmed the airliner which crashed in Sinai was brought down by a bomb.
"Our military work in Syria must not only continue," Mr Putin said. "It must be strengthened in such a way so that the terrorists will understand that retribution is inevitable."
Speaking to the Associated Press, an unnamed US defence official said the Russian military had communicated prior to the attacks with the US-led coalition's centre of operations at the al-Udeid air base in Qatar.
Russia has been launching air strikes on Isis in Syria since the end of September, although it has faced accusations of targeting moderate Syrian rebels in a bid to support regime forces.
| Armed Conflict | November 2015 | ['(RT)', '(The Independent)'] |
Taliban militants execute a 7-year-old boy for "spying for the government" in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, in an increasing wave of killings. | Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Suspected Taliban militants have executed a 7-year-old boy, accusing him of spying for the government, officials in southern Afghanistan said Thursday.
The execution took place Tuesday in the Sangin district of Helmand province, said Dawoud Ahmadi -- the provincial governor's spokesman. In the past, militants have carried out similar killings of those accused of spying, Ahmadi said. Three years ago, a 70-year-old woman and a child in the Musa Qala district of the province were executed following the same allegations, he said. During a news conference Thursday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said officials were looking into reports of the execution and said he condemned the act if it is confirmed to be true.
"I don't think there's a crime bigger than that that even the most inhuman forces on earth can commit," Karzai said. "A 7-year-old boy cannot be a spy. A 7-year-old boy cannot be anything but a 7-year-old boy, and therefore hanging or shooting to kill a 7-year-old boy ... is a crime against humanity."
"If this is true, it is an absolutely hiorrific crime," British Prime Minister David Cameron said during the news conference on an unannounced stop in Kabul. "If true, I think it says more about the Taliban than any book, than any article, than any speech could ever say." | Armed Conflict | June 2010 | ['(CNN)', '(The New York Times)'] |
18 people were killed and 14 others injured in a head–on collision between a passenger bus and a truck on a highway in central China. | Beijing — The death toll in a head-on collision between a passenger coach and a truck on a highway in central China has risen to 18, with another 14 people injured, police said Saturday.
The accident took place Friday evening in Hunan province south of the capital Beijing. Footage from the scene showed both heavily damaged vehicles along the rain-slicked highway. It appeared that one of the vehicles may have crossed a centre divider.
Speeding, dangerous passing, poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued drivers are most often the cause of serious traffic accidents in China. Friday's disaster appeared to be one of the worst in recent months.
Despite vast improvements in safety, the World Health Organization says about 260,000 Chinese die each year in traffic accidents, many of them pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcycle riders. Long-distance coach buses are a cheaper alternative to high-speed trains or planes for the vast majority of working-class Chinese travelling around the vast country. | Road Crash | June 2018 | ['(IOL)'] |
Al Shabaab militants attack an African Union base in the Leego district of Somalia and kills more than 70 African Union soldiers and seizes control of their military base. | Last updated on: June 26, 2015 6:59 PM
Islamist militant group al-Shabab killed at least 50 African Union soldiers at dawn Friday and seized control of their military base in southern Somalia.
Witnesses said attackers rammed a car filled with explosives into the main gate of the base in the town of Leego, 130 kilometers south of Mogadishu, then opened fire on Burundian soldiers manning the base.
A spokesman for al-Shabab said more than 50 soldiers were killed, while Somali officials told VOA's Somali service the death toll was more than 70.
Additionally, another 20 Burundian soldiers and 40 Somali civilians were missing, and there were fears that they might have been kidnapped.
A statement from the U.S. Department of State condemned in “the strongest possible terms” Friday’s “horrifying” terrorist attack in Somalia.
The statement added, “We will continue to work with all of our allies and partners to address the shared threat of terrorism and violent extremism” to degrade and destroy terrorists' ability to attack innocent people.
The Somali government said in a statement that it "will not be deterred from achieving its ambitions of peace, progress and prosperity for its entire people and the wider region by the cowardly acts of those who hide behind a bankrupted and fraudulent interpretation of our beautiful Islamic religion.”
This was the latest of several reported al-Shabab attacks since the start of the holy month of Ramadan last week.
Troops from Burundi and Uganda make up the bulk of the African Union force that has battled al-Shabab in Somalia since 2007.
AU troops, together with Somali forces, have pushed the al-Qaida-linked militants out of Somalia's major cities, but the group still controls rural areas and continues to launch attacks. In April, al-Shabab fighters stormed Garissa University College in Kenya, killing 148 people. | Armed Conflict | June 2015 | ['(Reuters)', '(VOA News)'] |
More than a dozen wildfires around Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba counties in California, kill at least ten people, destroy at least 1500 homes and businesses, and force 20 thousand people to evacuate. The Governor of California, Jerry Brown, declares a state of emergency. , , | SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The deadly wildfires devastating Northern California continued to spread across dry hills and vineyards Wednesday, prompting more evacuations from a menacing arc of flames that has killed at least 21 people, destroyed more than 3,500 buildings and battered the region’s renowned wine-growing industry.
Officials expect the death toll to rise as crews begin to reach heavily burned areas. Hundreds in flame-ravaged Sonoma County remain missing, and higher winds coupled with low humidity and parched lands could hamper efforts to contain the fires or create new ones.
“It’s going to continue to get worse before it gets better,” Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said at a news conference Wednesday.
What makes these fast-moving fires particularly dangerous, Pimlott said, is that they “aren’t just in the backwoods. . . . These fires are burning in and around developed communities.”
Nearly two dozen large fires have been raging in the northern part of the state, sending thousands of residents to evacuation centers and burning roughly 170,000 acres — a collective area larger than the city of Chicago. That size is likely to grow.
Pimlott said he’s worried that “several of these fires will merge.”
“This is a serious, critical, catastrophic event,” he said.
An elderly couple just celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Then the Napa wildfires came.
The cause of the fires was unknown and likely to remain so for some time, officials said.
“Trying to speculate on any cause is premature. At this point, it’s way too early to talk about it,” Pimlott said. “Primary efforts are stopping the fire and protecting lives.”
Officials continue to order evacuations, including one Wednesday afternoon covering the entire city of Calistoga in Napa County.
Sonoma County Sheriff Rober Giordano said crews had not been able to reach most of the areas called “hot zones” that were immolated in the firestorm. When they begin searching those areas, “I expect that [death toll] to go up.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, 285 people in the county remain unaccounted for, Giordano said. It’s unclear if those who are still missing have been harmed, or are simply unable to reach friends and families, as fires have disabled much of the communication system in the region.
Evacuation zones in Sonoma County will remain off limits, partly to limit the possibility of looting, which has resulted in several arrests. Giordano doubts residents will be allowed to return to their homes this week.
“If you have a place to go, go; you don’t need to be here,” Giordano said, adding later: “I can’t stress this enough. If you’re in an evacuation zone, you cannot come home.”
Apocalyptic images show the devastation caused by California
Losses are equally grim in Mendocino County, where two fires had merged into one, and the death toll climbed from two to six in the last 24 hours.
“What’s irking people around here is the national news is only talking about Napa and Sonoma, and we’ve lost just as much here,” Alison de Grassi, spokeswoman for the Mendocino County Tourism Commission, told the San Jose Mercury News. “People have built their lives around these wineries and these ranches, and now they’re gone.”
High winds that whipped up 22 large wildfires had faded Tuesday, and humidity increased, assisting an operation that has drawn resources from throughout the state and neighboring Nevada. But the sharp northern wind, known as a Diablo, soon returned, allowing only a brief window for firefighters to carve clearings in place to stop the fires from spreading to vulnerable populated areas.
The National Weather Service expects “red-flag” conditions — dry air and wind gusts up to 40 mph — to remain until Thursday in the North Bay Area, which includes Sonoma and Napa counties.
More than 25,000 people have fled homes from seven counties north of San Francisco, filling dozens of shelters that state officials had hoped to consolidate in the coming days to provide more-efficient services. Many left houses with nothing, and officials acknowledged Tuesday that it could be weeks before some are able to return to what is left. In Sonoma County, 5,000 people have taken refuge in 36 shelters as of Wednesday morning, officials said.
The scope of the damage prompted President Trump on Tuesday to approve federal emergency assistance to California, agreeing to a request made by Gov. Jerry Brown (D). The declaration, announced by Vice President Pence during a visit to the state’s Office of Emergency Services near Sacramento, provides immediate funds for debris clearing and supplies for evacuation centers, among other aid.
Brown cautioned that recovery would be very costly but seemed optimistic when asked Wednesday about the fires’ impact on California’s economy. The wine industry generates more than $55 billion in economic activity in California — and twice as much nationally — each year.
“Overall California’s economy is very large, about $2.5 trillion . . . The machinery of the markets grind on,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to see a slowdown because of the fires.”
The wildfires, which have already charred 8 million acres of land this year in California and much of the West, represents just one of 22 disasters the federal government is managing across the country, said Mike Cappannari, spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.
The agency has already deployed majority of its staff to help with a series of hurricanes that battered Texas, Florida and the Caribbean islands.
State officials said that firefighters planned to clear lines between the Atlas Fire and the city of Napa, and between the Tubbs Fire and the city of Santa Rosa — the largest in Sonoma County and gateway to the wine-tourism industry.
Those barriers would protect the areas from the south with the expectation that winds will shift back to the north in the days ahead. Officials said the idea, in the case of the Tubbs Fire, was to prevent a “reburn” of Santa Rosa.
On Wednesday, Ameir Kazemi stood in front of what used to be his business and shrugged his shoulders in frustration. Mohawk Sign Company has been in Santa Rosa for 50 years; Kazemi has owned it for 10. Now it’s a pile of ashes and charred wood.
Friends started calling his cell phone early Monday morning to tell him that his building was in flames, he said. But he decided to stay at home with his pregnant wife. Two hours later, TV stations began broadcasting images of his burning building, located in a strip mall with a gun shop.
Mapping the wildfires in Northern California’s wine country
“It was pretty sickening,” Kazemi said. “I just wanted to come see if there was any chance that anything survive — the artwork, 10 years worth of stuff on my hard drive. It’s all gone.”
The disruption to daily life in a region known as a calm, sometimes intoxicating, tourist destination was immense.
The 100,000 acres of vineyards — the focal point of California’s wine industry and the tourism business built around — remained threatened and, in some cases, damaged or destroyed. The extent of the damage was still unclear.
More than a dozen schools were shuttered in the seven counties most affected by fires, and damage to the power grid meant that everything from charging cellphones to pumping fuel was curtailed.
Nearly 80 cell towers were damaged or destroyed, complicating efforts by even those with a charged battery to contact relatives or call for emergency assistance. The majority of those had been restored by Wednesday afternoon, officials said. The National Guard plans to bring in communications equipment to bolster the network, which state emergency officials called a priority.
Phillips and Achenbach reported from Washington. Lea Donosky in Windsor, Calif.; Breena Kerr in Healdsburg, Calif.; Alissa Greenberg in Berkeley, Calif., and Scott Wilson, Kimberly Kindy, Herman Wong, J. Freedom du Lac and Amy B Wang in Washington contributed to this report, which has been updated. | Fire | October 2017 | ['(AP)', '(The Washington Post)', '(NBC)'] |
The Gaddafi compound is hit again in airstrikes. | Nato air strikes have again hit the compound of Col Muammar Gaddafi, hours after Libyan state TV showed footage purportedly of the leader in Tripoli.
Libyan government officials said the attack in the early hours of Thursday killed three people, although this cannot be independently verified.
Correspondents said three rockets hit the base and caused extensive damage.
A video of Col Gaddafi aired Wednesday was the leader's first appearance since his son was killed two weeks ago.
Nato has repeatedly hit Tripoli this week as it intensifies its operations against Col Gaddafi, who has been fighting to crush a three-month old rebellion against his rule.
Smoke rose from the Gaddafi compound, Bab al-Azaziya, and ambulances raced through the city as the last missile struck early on Thursday, reports said.
Journalists were taken by government officials to the compound to survey the damage.
Libyan government spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim said that Nato, which "once again is deprived of all morals and all civilisation", had fired five missiles on the compound.
"Three people died - two of them are journalists and one was their guide who was helping them film a documentary," Mr Ibrahim told a news conference in the compound, held next to a large, water-filled crater.
He said the journalists had been filming "hundreds of people who were celebrating their resilience against Nato".
Nato has not commented on the latest strike, but has said that most of the alliance's 46 air strikes on Wednesday were focused on and around Tripoli, hitting command and control centres, ammunition dumps and anti-aircraft missile launchers.
State television also reported that the North Korean embassy in Tripoli was damaged in the overnight Nato strikes. Nato has denied this.
In another development on Thursday, France said one of its citizens had been shot dead and four others arrested in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
It was not clear who the five were or what they were doing in Benghazi, but a French foreign ministry statement said: "During a police check in Benghazi last night, five French nationals were detained. One of them was wounded by a bullet and died overnight in a hospital in Benghazi."
On Wednesday, state television showed Col Gaddafi meeting tribal leaders. It said they had met in Tripoli earlier that day.
It was the first appearance of the leader since one of his sons and three of his grandchildren were killed two weeks ago in a Nato strike on the Bab al-Azaziya compound.
In the footage, Col Gaddafi was dressed in his trademark brown robes, dark sunglasses and black hat. He appeared to be in good health.
Meanwhile, the US government has said it has invited representatives of Libya's rebels to the White House on Friday.
A delegation from the Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC), including senior leader Mahmoud Gibril, will meet National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and members of the US Congress.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday invited the TNC to set up an office in Britain.
After meeting TNC leaders in London, Mr Cameron praised the group and described them as "Britain's primary partner" in Libya.
At a news conference, rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil reiterated calls for the UK to provide them with weapons.
"We need some lethal weapons. The British government has offered non-lethal (gear) such as night vision equipment and body armour.
"Col Gaddafi has heavy weaponry. We need light weapons, which is not equivalent to Gaddafi's weaponry, but perhaps with courage, which Libyan people have, there may be some kind of balance," he said.
On Wednesday, eyewitnesses said Misrata airport had fallen to the rebels after hours of fighting with pro-Gaddafi forces.
Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, is the only significant western rebel holdout and is strategically important because of its deep-sea port, which has become a lifeline for delivering aid and for evacuating the wounded. | Armed Conflict | May 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
Andy Murray of the United Kingdom wins the Men's Singles at Wimbledon, defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia in straight sets. Murray becomes the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. | ANDY Murray ended Britain's 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men's singles champion when he destroyed world number one Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
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Britain's Andy Murray raises the winner's trophy after beating Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final on day thirteen of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament at the All England Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2013. Murray won 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USESource:AFP
ANDY Murray ended Britain's agonising 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men's singles champion on Sunday when he destroyed world number one Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the blistering heat of the All England Club.
The 26-year-old became the country's first male winner since Fred Perry in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started, Jesse Owens defied Hitler at the Berlin Olympics and Gone With The Wind was published.
It was Murray's second Grand Slam title to follow his breakthrough triumph at the US Open in 2012 which followed his Olympic gold medal as well as a heartbreaking, tearful loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final.
However, Sunday's title showdown, between two men who have now contested three of the last four Grand Slam finals, rarely lived up to expectations.
GREAT DROUGHT BREAKING PERFORMANCES
BRITS CALL FOR MURRAY KNIGHTHOOD
MURRAY WIN LIGHTS UP TWITTER
DJOKOVIC BLAMES SEMI STRAIN FOR LOSS
KYRGIOS FINISHES JUNIORS IN STYLE
Both struggled in the stifling 40C heat and the top-seeded Serb, who had beaten Murray in the Australian Open final in January, looked jaded after his record four hour 43-minute semi-final victory over Juan Martin del Potro.
And despite leads of 4-1 in the second set and 4-2 in the third, he was out-hit by Murray who finished with 36 winners to 31, with 21 unforced errors to the Serb's 40 and having carved out 17 break points.
"I have played Novak many times and when everyone finishes playing, he will go down as one of the fighters,'' said Murray.
Murray wins WimbledonSource:AFP
"He did the same today and that is what made it tough. I understand how much everyone wanted to see British winner at Wimbledon and I hope everyone enjoyed it.
"My team have stuck by me through some tough moments. This one is for Ivan (Lendl, his coach) as well, I know he did everything to try to win this one when he was playing. He's fantastic, he's been patient and I thank him.''
Djokovic, who lost in straight sets at a Grand Slam for the first time since the semi-finals at Wimbledon three years ago, praised Murray.
"It wasn't easy. Andy deserves the win, he played incredible tennis. Congratulations to him and his whole team and the country, I know what it means to you all,'' said the Serb.
"It makes the success even bigger as I am aware of the pressure he gets. There are always lots of expectations on him to win this tournament. It's a great achievement.''
Inside a baking Centre Court, and watched by Victoria Beckham, Wayne Rooney as well as Hollywood stars Gerard Butler and Bradley Cooper, the first point of the match was a punishing 20 strokes.
Murray, who has played in the final of his last four majors, had break points in the first and third games, with the Scot finally pouncing on his seventh for a 2-1 lead.
Djokovic levelled at 2-2 but Murray was the more aggressive, positive man and broke to love for a 4-3 edge firing almost four times as many winners than the top-seeded Serb.
Murray saved three break points for a 5-3 lead but Djokovic was furious that umpire Mohamed Lahyani had called a ball out at 30-40 while allowing play to continue with the Scot going to deuce.
The British second seed took the opener 6-4 after 59 minutes with a love service game, having hit 17 winners to six and with only six unforced errors to the world number one's 17.
Murray wasn't getting complacent -- he had won the the first set of the pair's last three meetings and still lost the match.
Djokovic was obviously aware of the history, speeding into a 4-1 lead with two more marathon rallies of 30 and 32 shots.
Murray LendlSource:Getty Images
But Murray roared back to 4-4 in a final which, despite its punishing hitting, still felt flat.
Djokovic, however, was becoming increasingly frustrated and in his fog of anxiety, Murray mugged him for a break to lead 6-5 and went two sets to the good at 7-5.
Murray had only lost once when two sets up and that was in the Wimbledon third round in 2005 against David Nalbandian, his debut year when he was a rookie 18-year-old.
A break in the second game of the third set gave Murray a 2-0 lead before Djokovic suddenly raced away with the next four games for a 4-2 lead.
But terrier Murray reclaimed the break in the seventh game and levelled in the eighth with a running, curled forehand off a Djokovic drop.
It was almost over.
Andy Murray WimbledonSource:Getty Images
Djokovic, in his 11th Grand Slam final and chasing a seventh major, was broken for 4-5 before the British star, with the crowd on their feet, wasted three match points.
He finally achieved his place in history when Djokovic netted a backhand after three hours and nine minutes of action.
Originally published asMurray claims Wimbledon crown
A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. | Sports Competition | July 2013 | ['(News Limited)'] |
A roadside bomb strikes a United Nations vehicle in Aguelhok, Kidal, Mali, killing three Chadian peacekeepers. | BAMAKO, MALI - Three U.N. troops were killed early Sunday and three wounded when their convoy hit a roadside bomb, an official said, in the latest violence to hit the war-torn West African state.
Chadian peacekeepers were on a routine patrol in Aguelhok commune in the north of the country, according to a U.N. official stationed in the area.
"There are three dead and three seriously wounded," said the official, who declined to be named.
Olivier Salgado, the spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, confirmed the account to AFP, adding that reinforcements had been sent into the area.
Known as MINUSMA, the U.N. mission has some 13,000 troops drawn from several states deployed across the vast semi-arid country.
Mali is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that erupted in 2012 and which has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives since.
Despite the presence of thousands of French and U.N. troops, the conflict has engulfed the center of the country and spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Laying roadside bombs is a favored tactic of jihadists active in the Sahel.
Also known as improvised explosive devices, they kill and maim scores of victims every year in Mali. | Armed Conflict | May 2020 | ['(Voice of America)'] |
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei cuts ties with the government of disputed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and closes Guatemala's embassy in Caracas. | GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala’s new President Alejandro Giammattei cut diplomatic ties with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday and ordered the closure of its embassy in Caracas.
“We have instructed the foreign minister that the only person left in the embassy in Venezuela should return, and that we definitively end relations with the government of Venezuela,” Giammattei said. “We are going to close the embassy.”
The conservative Giammattei, who took office on Tuesday, had already indicated he would cut ties upon assuming power.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Rodriguez, in a response on Twitter, accused Giammattei of bowing down to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“His government will surely become another bad joke,” Rodriguez wrote. “Our respect and affection for the people of Guatemala.”
| Organization Closed | January 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The Brazilian government passes legislation aimed at curbing Amazon deforestation. | The steps were announced after an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The measures include sending extra federal police and environmental agents to stop farmers and cattle ranchers illegally felling any more rainforest.
In the last five months of 2007, 3,235 sq km (1,250 sq miles) were lost.
Environment Minister Marina Silva said environmental agents and police would be deployed around 36 cities and towns where illegal clearing jumped dramatically last year.
People or businesses who buy anything produced on the deforested land could face fines, she said.
The plan involves a 25% rise in the police force assigned to the region.
The Amazon has long been known as the "lungs of the world"
The authorities will also monitor areas of deforestation, with the aim of stopping crop planting and cattle raising there.
Rising prices of raw materials and commodities could be spurring the rate of forest clearing, the environment minister said.
The state of Mato Grosso was the worst affected by the sharp rise in deforestation, contributing more than half the total area of forest stripped.
The states of Para and Rondonia were also badly hit. Gilberto Camara, of satellite imaging institute INPE, said: "We've never before detected such a high deforestation rate at this time of year." The environment ministry said the estimate for deforestation between August and December last year could more than double as detailed satellite images are analysed.
The total area affected could be as high as 7,000 sq km, it said.
The latest figures will be an embarrassment for the Brazilian president, says the BBC's Americas editor, Warren Bull. Last year, President Lula said his government's efforts to control illegal logging and introduce better certification of land ownership had helped reduce forest clearance significantly. What are these? | Government Policy Changes | January 2008 | ['(BBC News)'] |
A suicide bomber driving a Humvee detonated the vehicle loaded with explosives near a security building in Afghanistan, killing 8 officers. | A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden Humvee inside an Afghan security forces base in central Ghazni province on Saturday night, local officials confirmed.
Abdul Karim Abed, deputy administrative for Ghazni police chief told Ariana News that the incident has taken place in the police reserve unit center in the provincial capital of Ghazni city at around 9:30 pm on Saturday.
According to Abed, at least five security forces were killed and seven others wounded in the suicide attack.
Meanwhile, Arif Noori a spokesman for the provincial governor said four civilians were also injured in the incident.
However, the provincial council members say that eight Afghan soldiers have been killed and seven others wounded in the attack.
The Taliban militants group in a statement has claimed responsibility for the attack adding that at least 40 Afghan soldiers have been killed in the incident.
Ghazni is among the insecure provinces in central Afghanistan where the Taliban militants are actively operating in a number of its districts including the capital city of the province.
IEC Fails to Provide Satisfactory Information to Media
Two Killed, 24 Wounded in Kabul Blasts
India to play vital role in Afghan peace process: Khalilzad
Abdullah quashes rumors of districts being abandoned intentionally
NATO to provide provisional funding to help run Kabul airport
CENTCOM chief says Washington still mulling embassy safety plans
Khan Abad district of Kunduz falls to Taliban
Tribal elders arrested after negotiating check post deals for Taliban
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The families of victims of the girls’ school bombing in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul have called on international organizations to investigate the attack.
About 40 days after the attack on the Sayeed-ul-Shuhada school in which hundreds of people including school girls were killed or wounded, the families of victims stated that the culprits have not yet been identified and the Afghan forces failed to maintain security in the west of the city.
They also called on the international community to recognize the attack as an act of “genocide” as a specific ethnicity was targeted in the incident.
Sabr Gul Alizada, a student of Sayeed-ul-Shuhada, stated: “all human rights organizations, the EU, the United Nations, and other international bodies have to recognize this incident as genocide in order to condemn this attack.
Mohammad Saqi, the grandfather of one of the victims, called on the government to maintain security so that students could pursue their education.
“I wish, we would not witness the loss of our loved ones again. We just want security,” he said.
Mohammad Mohaqiq, President Ashraf Ghani’s political and security adviser, last week called on the UN Security Council to recognize the attacks on the Hazara community during the last few years in Afghanistan as an act of genocide.
Mohaqiq in a statement said that the attacks on civilians are not justified and is “a clear example of crime against humanity and genocide.”
Highlighting attacks on Sayeed-ul-Shuhada High School, Dasht-e-Barchi Maternity Ward, Maiwand Wrestling club and several attacks during prayers in Mosques, Mohaqiq said:
“People who are killed in schools and educational and other centers were civilians, harmless and children, and their massacre has no justification and is a clear example of a crime against humanity and genocide.”
He noted that the UN Security Council (UNSC) should take precautionary measures against such attacks.
“The UNSC should recognize the killing of Hazaras as an act of genocide and the perpetrators should be subjected to sanctions,” Mohaqiq said.
Earlier, Tomas Niklasson, Special Envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan, also stated that “targeting Hazaras” must be stopped.
“Targeting Hazaras must stop and crimes be investigated,” he said.
Meanwhile, the German Embassy in Afghanistan stated: “We are dismayed by the unjustifiable continuation of violence against Afghan civilians and in particular also the Hazara community.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims and the grieving families. Violence must stop Afghans deserve peace,” the embassy stated.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) had also called on the Afghan government to grant special protection to Hazaras and the community in Dasht-e-Barchi.
The AIHRC stated that it was the government’s duty to protect the Hazara community against crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, or genocide.
The AIHRC stated that government has an obligation to “protect the population at risk of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing or genocide.”
“The Afghan government has an obligation under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law to protect the population at risk of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing or genocide and international law obliges the government to take measures to end and prevent genocide and war crimes, crimes against humanity and persecution on the basis of ethnicity and gender,” the statement read.
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Iran’s president appealed to voters to set aside their grievances and take part in a presidential election on Friday that record numbers of people are expected to boycott due to economic hardship and frustration with hardline rule.
Hardline judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi and moderate former Central Bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati are the main contenders after the hardline Guardian Council disqualified several prominent candidates from running and others quit.
President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, urged Iranians on Thursday, as campaigning ended, not to let the “shortcomings of an institution or a group” keep them from voting, an apparent reference to the Guardian Council.
“For the time being, let’s not think about grievances tomorrow,” Rouhani said in televised remarks.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already urged people to turn out in large numbers, saying that would help avert foreign pressures on the Islamic Republic.
Official opinion polls suggest turnout could be as low as 41%, significantly lower than in past elections.
In addition to anger over the disqualification of prominent moderates, grievances include economic hardship exacerbated by U.S. sanctions as well as official corruption, mismanagement and a crackdown on protests in 2019 triggered by rising fuel prices.
The accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian plane in Iran in January last year which killed 176 people also undermined public trust.
“Voting would be an insult to my intelligence,” 55-year-old Fatemeh said, declining to give her second name for fear of reprisals. “Raisi has already been selected by the government regardless who we vote for.”
Prominent dissidents inside and outside the country have called on fellow Iranians to snub the election, including exiled former crown prince Reza Pahlavi and opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, under house arrest since 2011.
On the other hand, many leading reformists have rallied behind Hemmati, including former President Mohammad Khatami, arguing that a massive boycott would guarantee a Raisi win.
Under the Iranian Constitution, the supreme leader, elected for life and responsible for choosing six of the 12-member Guardian Council, holds most of the powers of the state.
Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state and sets Iran’s foreign and nuclear policies.
The vote would have no impact on indirect talks between Tehran and Washington on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the top Iranian negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Al Jazeera on Thursday.
Polling stations open at 7 a.m. local time and close at 2 a.m. on Saturday. The interior minister told state TV that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, voting will take place outside at 67,000 sites across the country, with social distancing and the donning of face masks. Voters are asked to bring their own pens.
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Three Chinese astronauts on board the Shenzhou-12 spaceship entered the country’s space station core module Tianhe on Thursday, according to theChinaManned Space Agency.
At 18:48 Beijing Time, Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo entered Tianhe hours after the spaceship successfully docked with the core module.
The trio will stay in space for three months and start their work as planned.
Chinaon Thursday morning successfully launched spacecraft Shenzhou-12 with three astronauts to its space station core module Tianhe.
It isChina‘s seventh manned mission to space and the first in the process of buildingChina‘s space station. It is also the first in nearly five years after the country’s last manned mission.
The spacecraft, carried by a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestChina‘s Gobi Desert at 09:22 Beijing Time.
The spacecraft completed orbital status setting after entering the orbit and conducted a fast autonomous rendezvous and docking with the front docking port of Tianhe at 15:54 Beijing Time, forming a three-module complex with the cargo craft Tianzhou-2. | Armed Conflict | June 2019 | ['(ariananews)'] |
The UK government imposes a travel ban on Kenyan transport minister Chris Murungaru, who is investigated for corruption, forbidding him from visiting Britain | Nairobi — Transpsort minister Chris Murungaru has been banned from the United Kingdom - and from travelling through any of its airports.
His UK visa, issued by the British High Commission in Nairobi, has been revoked.
All the airlines which fly to the UK - Kenya Airways, British Airways, Emirates and the Dutch airline KLM - yesterday confirmed having been alerted that the Transport minister's visa has been revoked.
In a tight spot
The travel ban puts the minister in a tight spot, given that his docket involves travel agencies including the International Air Travel Association (IATA). Also under Dr Murungaru's docket are transport parastatals including all the airports and the port of Mombasa.
The alert reads in part: "Please note that the current United Kingdom visa in the passport of the above named gentleman has been revoked".
And it adds: "He is therefore not, repeat not, acceptable for travel to or through the United Kingdom and should not be carried there".
The airlines have also been told that if the minister disputes that his visa has been cancelled, he should be referred to the British High Commission in Nairobi.
Dr Murungaru is the first Cabinet minister to be banned from the United Kingdom, and only the second MP. Mr Nicholas Biwott, MP for Kerio South, had his visa revoked last December.
The spokesman for the British High Commission, Mr Mark Norton, yesterday said he could not comment on individual cases.
But he confirmed there is a long standing provision in the UK immigration rules that a visa can be refused to someone who is convicted of, or suspected to be involved in, serious crimes including corruption.
"The provision has been used before and could be used again," Mr Norton said.
Dr Murungaru was said to be in a meeting and unavailable for comment.
The revocation of his visa comes almost five months after he was moved from the Office of the President where he was in charge of Internal Security to handle the Transport docket.
During his time at National Security, the minister faced a barrage of criticism which linked the ministry to corruption.
It was also during his stay there that the immediate former High Commissioner, Sir Edward Clay, released a dossier of 20 deals that he claimed involved a degree of corruption and required formal investigation.
At least half of these contracts were with Internal Security within the Office of the President.
Shortly after the release of the dossier, Dr Murungaru faced demands for his dismissal.
President Kibaki went on to make sweeping changes in the Government, sacking two Permanent Secretaries who had worked with Dr Murungaru: Mr Dave Mwangi (Internal Security) and Mr Sammy Kyungu (Defence).
Dr Murungaru was moved to Transport and the minister there, Mr John Michuki, took his job at Internal Security.
Among deals questioned by the High Commissioner were the two contracts with Anglo Leasing and Finance Company; a Sh2.7 billion contract to supply a terrorist-proof passport system, and a Sh4 billion deal to build and equip forensic science laboratories for the Criminal Investigations Department.
Also related to Anglo Leasing was a Sh5 billion police communication project codenamed E-Cop.
Three other PSs - Mr Joseph Magari (Treasury), Mr Joseph Oyula (also Treasury), and Mr Sylvester Mwaliko (Home Affairs) - were also fired for their involvement in the passports contract.
The Government cancelled most of the contracts in the dossier presented by Sir Edward, although one for Sh4.1 billion Naval ships, also awarded during Dr Murungaru's tenure, was not touched.
That contract is now being investigated by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission led by Mr Aaron Ringera. So far the commission's officers have questioned the Chief of the General Staff, General Joseph Kibwana, the Navy Commander Major-General Pasteur Awita, and his deputy Brigadier Sam Mwathete.
After he was moved from Internal Security, Dr Murungaru accused Sir Edward of being, "short on substance and long on generalities".
He said the contracts raised by the envoy were those which for many years had been monopolised by UK companies, "but have now been awarded competitively to companies from other countries". | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate | July 2005 | ['(BBC)', '(KBC)', '(AllAfrica)'] |
Egyptian authorities release blogger Kareem Amer who was imprisoned for four years for insulting Islam and defaming President Hosni Mubarak. | A prominent Egyptian blogger who was imprisoned for four years for insulting Islam and defaming President Hosni Mubarak has been released. The case of Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman, often known as Kareem Amer, highlighted early government restrictions on political bloggers. He was the first Egyptian convicted specifically for his writing online. Human rights groups and opposition figures had campaigned for him to be freed.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), which represented the blogger in court, said he was in bad health and was beaten by security officers in Alexandria before his release on Tuesday.
"We are of the opinion that he shouldn't have been tried for his opinions and that it was an unfair trial," said the head of ANHRI, Gamal Eid.
"Now we are also looking for a full investigation from the general prosecutor because Kareem was beaten twice - once when he was in prison in 2007 and the second time a week ago as Kareem was held for 11 days beyond the end of his sentence."
A Ministry of Interior source confirmed the date of the blogger's final release but denied he was beaten.
Mr Soliman, 26, a former law student at al-Azhar University, a state-run, religious institution was arrested in 2006.
He was accused of posting blogs that insulted Mr Mubarak by calling him a "dictator" and incited hatred of Islam. He had called al-Azhar, "the university of terrorism", and accused it of promoting radical ideas and suppressing free thought.
The university expelled him and pushed prosecutors to put him on trial. According to the Free Kareem website set up by supporters, the blogger spent 1,470 days behind bars. It expressed gratitude to all who backed Mr Soliman through his ordeal.
"Thanks for everyone who has protested, rallied, supported, donated, written, shared or even tweeted anything about Kareem from all over the world!" it read.
Another blogger, Muhammad Mari, who met Mr Soliman after he was also imprisoned, sent him the message: "Congratulations on your freedom."
Mr Soliman is now said to be resting and considering his future. He is expected to make a statement to the media next week.
His release comes as the Egyptian government has cracked down on the media in the run-up to the country's 28 November parliamentary elections.
Activists say that his ordeal highlights concern by the Egyptian government over dissident voices emerging on websites and online social networks that are less easy to control. "The internet is still a big arena for human rights activism and political activism. It still offers a limited amount of freedom," commented well-known blogger Wael Abbas.
"They want to put us back to a time when everyone was working anonymously on the internet and operating underground because this limits credibility for bloggers. But even if we have to work with restrictions we will not stop."
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | November 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Al–Masry Al–Youm)'] |
Flooding caused by torrential rain in China kills at least 180 people, mostly along the Yangtze river. | More than 180 people have been killed in flooding along the Yangtze River in China following torrential rain, officials say.
Between 10cm and 50cm of rain has fallen in seven provinces, and storms stretching 1,600km (1,000 miles) are sweeping across central and southern China.
At least 45 people are missing and 33 million are affected, officials say.
The rain has also washed away railway lines and shut down road networks.
The dead included 23 people who were killed in a mudslide in Guizhou Province and eight who died in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province when a section of a wall collapsed, state media said.
Heavy rain is forecast to continue until Wednesday across parts of southern and western China, the South China Morning Post reported.
Building swept away in China floods | Floods | July 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
President Alexander Lukashenko says he has ordered security forces to "end the unrest" in Minsk, saying "People are tired. People demand peace and quiet", while also warning that state workers who joined a general strike will not be given their jobs back, and will instead be "replaced by Russians". | Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has stepped up efforts to reassert his control after 10 days of street protests and strikes triggered by disputed elections.
The official result gave him 80% of the vote but the opposition has denounced the poll as fraudulent.
Mr Lukashenko says he has given orders to end the unrest in the capital Minsk.
The move signalled an escalation just as EU leaders agreed to impose sanctions at a virtual summit.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, made clear that the EU did not recognise the result of the election and called on Mr Lukashenko to release hundreds of protesters who have been imprisoned. But on Wednesday, Mr Lukashenko approved a cabinet that would see Roman Golovchenko retain his role as prime minister, with many other key members of the previous government reappointed, the Tut.by news network reported.
Among those on the list to remain in place was Interior Minister Yuri Karayev, whose responsibilities include policing and public security. The proposed government is subject to further consent by the lower house of parliament.
The man who has led Belarus since 1994 said he had ordered police to quell protests in Minsk. "There should no longer be any disorder in Minsk of any kind," he told his security council.
"People are tired. People demand peace and quiet," he added. He said he had ordered border controls to be tightened to prevent an influx of "fighters and arms".
He also warned that workers at state media who had gone on strike in protest at the election and the subsequent crackdown on protests that they would not get their jobs back. Russian replacements have reportedly been brought in. Mr Lukashenko also accused those picketing outside factories of harassing workers.
He had earlier accused the opposition of "an attempt to seize power".
The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Minsk said there had already been some signs this morning of a change in tactics from the Belarusian authorities in Minsk.
Our correspondent said that a checkpoint had appeared on the road leading to the state TV building with police checking the identity of anyone walking to the building. Strikes at factories around Minsk have also been obstructed by police.
Mr Lukashenko's remarks came shortly after the exiled leader of the opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, had urged EU leaders to reject the election.
The 37-year-old, who left for Lithuania after being detained for hours following the vote, released a video statement on Wednesday.
She said President Lukashenko had "lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world" and urged the EU to back what she called the "awakening of Belarus".
She said: "People who went out to defend their vote in the streets of their cities all across Belarus were brutally beaten, imprisoned and tortured by the regime desperately clinging on to power. This is taking place right now in the middle of Europe."
Ms Tikhanovskaya has formed a "co-ordination council" with plans for "new, fair and democratic presidential elections with international supervision".
After a three-hour video conference, EU Leaders agreed unanimously to take three actions over Belarus, BBC Europe Correspondent Gavin Lee reports:
In addition, €53m (£48m; $63m) of financial support from the EU to Belarus is being re-assigned away from the state to non-governmental organisations, with some money assigned to help the victims of violence, as well setting up alternatives to government-backed media organisations.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said election had been neither free nor fair.
EU leaders, she added, condemned "the brutal violence against demonstrators as well as the imprisonment and use of violence against thousands of Belarusians" which followed in the wake of the disputed election. She and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the need for a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition in Belarus.
On Saturday, Mr Lukashenko had said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised to provide assistance in the event of any external military threat. But on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there was no need for Russia to help Belarus militarily or otherwise at present.
Mrs Merkel said that "we've made it clear that military intervention by Russia would make the situation far more complicated".
| Strike | August 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
With most of the votes counted, the opposition conservatives of former president Nicolas Sarkozy's party win in six of the country’s 13 regions and lead in the Paris region. The ruling Socialists of President François Hollande's party capture five regions. The winner in Corsica is not affiliated with a major party. France's far-right National Front fails to win a single region but did record its best showing in its history. Voter turnout was 58 percent. Definitive results are expected Monday. | PARIS (Reuters) - Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Front did not win any region in French elections on Sunday, in a setback to her hopes of being a serious presidential contender in 2017.
The regional election run-off, in which the conservatives won seven constituencies and the Socialists five, was no real victory for either of these two mainstream parties, shaken by the far-right’s growing appeal to disillusioned voters.
Boosted by fears about security and immigration after the Islamist militant attacks in Paris a month ago that killed 130 people, the National Front (FN) had won more votes than any other party nationally in last week’s first round.
Although it won no region on Sunday after the Socialists pulled out of its key target regions and urged their supporters to back the conservatives of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, the FN still recorded its best showing in its history.
“Tonight, there is no place for relief or triumphalism,” Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls said. “The danger posed by the far right has not gone away; far from it.”
Sarkozy struck a similar theme, calling the strong FN showing a “warning sent to all politicians, ourselves included, in the first round”.
“We now have to take the time for in-depth debates about what worries the French, who expect strong and precise answers,” he said, citing Europe, unemployment, security and national identity issues.
Le Pen, who had hoped to use regional power as a springboard to boost her chances in 2017 presidential elections, lost by a huge margin in northern France on Sunday, where she led her party’s ticket, attracting 42.8 percent of the votes in the run-off vs 57.2 percent for the conservatives.
Long content with attracting protest votes, the FN has changed strategy since Le Pen took the party over from her father Jean-Marie in 2011, seeking to build a base of locally elected officials to target the top levels of power.
But while it has been winning more and more votes in each election since then, its isolation in France’s politics means it cannot strike the alliances it would need to win major constituencies. So it failed once more on Sunday to turn growing popularity into power.
In the southeast, another FN target where Le Pen’s niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen was the FN’s lead candidate, the conservatives scored 53.7 percent and the FN 46.2 percent, official results based on 84 percent of the votes said.
“There are victories that shame the winners,” Marechal-Le Pen said, slamming the Socialists’ decision to pull out of the race for the run-off.
Aside from immigration concerns, which have been boosting nationalistic parties in other European countries too, the FN’s rise has been built on deep disaffection with mainstream politics among French voters and a frustration with President Francois Hollande’s inability to reduce unemployment.
With five regional wins out of 13, the Socialists did less badly than they had feared but it was still a huge defeat. Regional boundaries were redrawn after the 2010 election, in which the Socialists had won 21 out of 22 regions.
Sarkozy, weakened by his party’s poor showing in the first round, said the National Front’s high score should be a warning to all mainstream politicians.
Among those in his party elected thanks to left-wing voters and a much higher turnout in the run-offs, there was no triumphalism.
“I thank the voters for protecting our beautiful region,” said Xavier Bertrand, the Republicans’ main candidate in Nord-Pas de Calais-Picardie. “I also want to thank the voters of the Left who clearly voted to create a rampart” against the FN.
The regional election, the last one before the 2017 presidential and parliamentary ballots, was seen as a test for its main contenders, Hollande, Sarkozy and Le Pen.
“An immediate danger was avoided,” left-leaning Catholic daily La Croix wrote in an editorial.
“But if no answers are made to the French people’s concerns, the National Front will continue its rise until the presidential election,” it said in a front-page headlined: “Defeat for all.” | Government Job change - Election | December 2015 | ['(FN)', '(The Guardian)', '(Politico)', '(The Straits Times)', '(Sky News)', '(Reuters)'] |
Two trains collide in Alexandria, Egypt, killing at least 41 people and injuring at least 179. | Two passenger trains have collided in northern Egypt, killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 120 others, health officials say.
A number of carriage were derailed by the accident in the coastal city of Alexandria. Reports said one of the trains had been brought to a halt after a malfunction. Transport Minister Hisham Arafat blamed "human error".
Deadly train accidents in Egypt are rare but not unheard of.
The trains, one travelling from the capital Cairo and the other from Port Said, crashed at about 14:15 local time (12:15 GMT). One resident, Hoda, was standing on her rooftop when she saw the trains crash. "They rose in the air forming a pyramid when they collided. I started to scream from the rooftops for people to grab some sheets and run," she said.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an investigation into the accident, and the government promised financial compensation to the families of the victims.
The accident is likely to trigger fresh anger over the mismanagement and poor conditions of the country's transport system, BBC's Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher reports.
In 2013, dozens of people were killed and when a train crashed into a minibus and other vehicles south of Cairo.
Egypt's deadliest rail accident occurred near the capital in 2002, when a fire ripped through a crowded train killing more than 370 people. | Train collisions | August 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
Somalia's transitional parliament elects Abdullahi Yusuf, a former army officer, interim president. He will be Somalia's first head of state since 1991, when tribal warlords overthrew the ruling military dictatorship. The election was held in Nairobi, Kenya, since the situation in Somalia remains dangerous. | The election was held in a sports stadium in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, because Somalia's capital is still considered too dangerous.
The country has seen numerous attempts to restore order since 1991 when warlords ousted the military ruler.
Chaos followed, as rival militias fought and two million Somalis fled.
Clear winner
Sunday's election was the culmination of two years of often difficult negotiations in Nairobi. The election followed two years of peace talks
After two rounds of voting and three voluntary withdrawals, the field was narrowed down from 28 to just two candidates. Abdullahi Yusuf, a military strongman and president of the Somali semi-autonomous region of Puntland, was going head-to-head with Abdullahi Adow, a financier and former ambassador to Washington.
After the final third round, Abdullahi Yusuf emerged the winner by securing 189 votes against 79 for his run-off rival. His election was greeted by loud cheers in the hall, the BBC's Adam Mynott in Nairobi reports.
The 275 MPs, most of them clan leaders and warlords, had earlier queued to go through metal detectors and enter Nairobi's Kasarani Sports Centre Gymnasium, which is serving as the election venue. As the voting began the MPs - who were nominated in August - were called one by one to cast their votes in transparent ballot boxes. In his first speech Abdullahi Yusuf pledge to reconcile Somalis and bring peace to the country.
His first job will be to choose a prime minister, our correspondent says. In faction and clan-ridden Somalia, this decision will be made after considerable horse-trading, much of which has been going on in the corridors and backrooms of the sports hall. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is not expected to return to Somalia for at least two months, our correspondent says. Before voting began, parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden urged the international community to recognise the outcome and Somalis to support whoever was elected. One of the candidates who pulled out, outgoing transitional President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, said he was ready to do that. "That is democracy," he said. Decade of chaos
The stadium was packed while thousands more Somalis gathered outside where heavily armed Kenyan police were patrolling the venue.
Parliament-in-exile
Somalis are hoping that a new administration under a new president and prime minister will set them on the road to peace and stability.
But optimism is tempered by the knowledge that there have been numerous failed attempts to restore stability, correspondents say. Somalia descended into chaos as rival militias tore the country apart after the military ruler Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown. | Government Job change - Election | October 2004 | ['(BBC)', '(ABC)'] |
The constitution of Kosovo comes into effect. | A new constitution has come into force in Kosovo - handing power to the majority ethnic Albanian government after nine years of UN rule.
It comes four months after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in a move backed by the West but opposed by Serbia and its ally, Russia. An EU mission is being deployed in a supervisory role, but Russia has blocked a formal handover from the UN. Serbia says the constitution will not apply in Serb-dominated north Kosovo.
In a low-key ceremony in the Kosovan capital Pristina, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu signed a package of laws, creating Kosovo's first ministry of defence, army and foreign ministry. This is something which previously only the United Nations had the power to do.
Serbian President Boris Tadic has warned that the constitution would have harmful consequences. "Serbia does not accept the proclamation of Kosovo's constitution as a legal fact," he said. In the divided city of Mitrovica, the minister for Kosovo in the outgoing Serbian government, Slobodan Samardzic, announced the establishment of a new Serbian parliament in Kosovo, made up of Serb representatives elected in Serbian elections in May. Security is high in Mitrovica after a gunman attacked a police station on Saturday. The unidentified attacker was wounded along with a policeman in the incident, police said. It was not immediately clear in which part of the town the shooting took place. UN role unclear
Under the new constitution, which came into force at midnight on Sunday, Kosovo's government assumes many of the powers held up until now by the UN. "The will of the people of Kosovo and [the] Ahtisaari plan are included in the constitution," Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci told the AP Television. Mr Kuci was referring to the plan drawn up by former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, which envisaged the decentralisation of Kosovo and considerable autonomy for Kosovo Serbs. The plan - backed by Western countries - has not been formally approved, due to Russian objections. The EU is to deploy several missions to the territory, including a 2,200-strong Law and Justice Mission (Eulex). The Eulex had been due to start its work over the weekend, but Russia - a staunch Serbian ally - has blocked the handover, saying the move has not been approved by the UN Security Council. On Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon set out plans to start ceding UN functions in Kosovo to the EU, despite Russian objections. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The majority ethnic Albanian authorities are now in charge of Kosovo, according to the constitution.
"It is my intention to reconfigure the structure and profile of the international civil presence to one that... enables the European Union to assume an enhanced operational role in Kosovo," Mr Ban said. Serbia said Mr Ban had no authority to reconfigure the UN mission. It is unclear on whether the row will mean the UN will not withdraw. But Pieter Feith, the EU's special representative in Kosovo, said the UN thought it was the right time to hand over power to the Kosovo government. "We think this is a significant new period that is starting," he said. "The secretary general of the United Nations has recognised realities on the ground and has decided to reconfigure the United Nations presence here and this will give the government full authority in all its competencies." | Government Policy Changes | June 2008 | ['(BBC News)'] |
The Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull said that his country would open up trading with the United Kingdom in a post–EU trade deal. | Australia has called for a free trade deal with Britain following its exit from the European Union.
Theresa May described the move as "very encouraging" and insisted it showed Brexit could work for Britain.
In a phone call to the new PM, her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said he urgently wanted to open up trading between the two countries.
Liam Fox, the new international trade secretary, said he was already "scoping about a dozen free trade deals".
But the UK cannot sign any deals while it is still an EU member - and experts warned trade deals take a long time to negotiate.
Mrs May said: "I have been very clear that this government will make a success of our exit from the European Union.
"One of the ways we will do this is by embracing the opportunities to strike free trade deals with our partners across the globe. It is very encouraging that one of our closest international partners is already seeking to establish just such a deal."
"This shows that we can make Brexit work for Britain," she added. Economist Howard Archer told the BBC News Website that post-Brexit the UK would be looking to trade with other parts of the world outside of the EU.
"That is something that the Leave campaign was pushing for, so that we would be open to other deals with other countries and regions," he said.
He said trade deals "take a very long time" to be drawn up, and that while there might be a desire for the UK to seek out as many agreements as possible, there should be a focus on the most important trading partners.
Equally important, the UK should also look for major deals that can be quickly concluded and not drag on for years, said Mr Archer, chief UK and Europe economist at IHS Global Insight.
"There has been a focus recently on how few trade negotiators we actually have got in the UK at the moment," he added.
"So a trade negotiator working on a deal with Australia would not then be available to work on a trade deal with China. It means decisions have be taken about which deals to really focus on, such as China."
Mr Archer said that although the UK cannot sign trade deals while it is an EU member, there will be numerous informal discussions taking place leading up to the Brexit date, which could be in late 2018 or early 2019.
According to Australian government trade figures, in 2014 Australia exported A$8.3bn (£4.5bn) to the UK in 2014 and imported A$12.4bn (£6.5bn). But that is a fraction of the A$100bn (£55bn) exported that year by Australia to China, and the A$54bn it imported from the Asian giant. And according to the latest data from the UK's HM Revenue and Customs for May 2016, Australia was 21st on the list of Britain's export markets, and 20th on the list of import providers.
BBC correspondent Phil Mercer, in Sydney
Britain is Australia's seventh largest trading partner, and is second only to the United States when it comes to direct foreign investment down under. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said a free trade agreement with the UK was a priority, although such treaties are complicated and can be time-consuming. Australia's recent trade deal with China, for example, took a decade to negotiate. Mr Turnbull has said Canberra could also team up with New Zealand to strike new commercial and immigration accords with the UK following its decision to leave the EU.
Mr Fox, a prominent Brexit campaigner, said numerous non-EU countries had already asked Britain for a trade deal and he was "scoping about a dozen... to be ready for when we leave".
It comes amid reports he is preparing to fly to the United States next week for talks.
In April, President Barack Obama warned the UK it would go to the "back of the queue" for trade deals with the US if it voted to leave the EU.
Following the referendum, he said the UK's decision to leave raised "longer-term concerns about global growth".
Mr Fox told the Sunday Times: "We've already had a number of countries saying, 'We'd love to do a trade deal with the world's fifth biggest economy without having to deal with the other 27 members of the EU.'"
| Government Policy Changes | July 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
The U.S. Senate confirms, via Vice President Mike Pence's unprecedented tie-breaking vote, Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. (NPR²) | Vice President Pence arrives at the Senate to cast a tie-breaking vote for Betsy DeVos to be education secretary on Tuesday.
Vice President Pence arrives at the Senate to cast a tie-breaking vote for Betsy DeVos to be education secretary on Tuesday.
Vice President Pence has done something that his predecessor, Joe Biden, did not do even once in his eight years in the same office.
He cast a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate.
The occasion is Tuesday's confirmation of Betsy DeVos as President Trump's secretary of education. The DeVos nomination has so far proven the most contentious of all Trump's controversial Cabinet picks.
Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined all 46 Democrats and both Independents in opposing DeVos. The other 50 Republicans, however, stood by the nominee.
That means the vote ended in a tie. Ties in the Senate do not happen often, but when one does, the Constitution says it may be broken by a vote cast by the vice president of the United States.
Tuesday's vote is the 245th instance of this power being used, but it is the first time in history that the vice president's tie-breaking power serves to confirm a nominee to the Cabinet.
Note, though, that previous administration's Cabinet nominees, if filibustered, required 60 votes for confirmation, rather than a simple majority. Democrats changed that rule in 2013 when they were in power under former President Barack Obama, frustrated by Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell blocking dozens of Obama federal judiciary nominees.
Vice President's Powers
The tie-breaking power is vested in the vice president in his capacity as the president of the Senate, and it has been part of the job since John Adams first assumed the office in 1789.
If you are surprised to learn that the vice president of the U.S. has an "alter ego" role as the president of the U.S. Senate, you are not alone. This is a part of the veep's job description that is not often on display.
In fact, the nation's No. 2 shows up in the Senate chamber for the swearing in of new senators and on other ceremonial occasions (including Picture Day when the entire chamber poses together). When the president delivers a State of the Union address or there is another cause for a joint session of Congress, the vice president can be seen sitting right up there next to the speaker of the House.
The rest of the time, however, the day-to-day task of presiding over daily deliberations of the Senate is not performed by the vice president. The Constitution provides for the authority to preside to pass into the body of the Senate itself through an office called the Senate president pro tempore.
As a matter of Senate custom, this distinction goes to the most senior (longest serving) member of the majority party (currently Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah). The "president pro tempore" may then decide to act as the presiding officer personally or delegate the privilege to another, usually very junior senator. That is because on most days, the privilege is regarded as more of a chore.
The Original VPs
John Adams leads the list, which was produced using data compiled by the Senate Historical Office. Note that no ties have been broken by: John Tyler, William R. King, Andrew Johnson, Thomas A. Hendricks, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles W. Fairbanks, Calvin Coolidge, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald R. Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Dan Quayle or Joe Biden.
In the early days of the Republic, the first men to occupy the office of vice president were more inclined to preside over the Senate on a regular basis than veeps are today. John Adams, who was George Washington's vice president for eight years (and his successor in 1797), set a record for tie-breaking votes (29) that still stands today.
His successor as vice president, Thomas Jefferson, was also a well-known and highly respected member of the Founding Fathers fraternity. He was followed by the formidable but disruptive Aaron Burr.
These men were vice president by virtue of being the runner-up in the Electoral College vote for president. This was the original method of determining the vice president, and it may have seemed a good idea at the time.
But dissatisfaction set in fast, and the 12th amendment in 1804 made some big changes. Since then, candidates for president and vice president have run as a ticket, a system that has worked from the standpoint of presidents but often served to lessen the stature of their vice presidents.
Over time, the Senate grew restive with the presiding presence of the vice president. This became problematic enough that vice presidents largely stepped back from the daily business of the chamber. In the last few decades, as vice presidents have been given more substantial duties by the chief executive, they have had less reason than ever to spend their days listening to Senate debate.
Modern-Day 'Emergencies'
At the same time, the tie-breaking power has remained a valuable tool under certain circumstances, kept behind a windowed case that says: "In Emergency, Break Glass." Breaking a tie on behalf of the president and his party has given vice presidents a rare opportunity to matter — a chance to be in the limelight and cast a consequential vote that makes a difference.
As a general rule, vice presidents have been pressed into service as tie-breakers when the Senate was controlled by the president's party, especially when the margin of control was narrow. Vice President Al Gore had to break ties on budget votes and other tough calls for the Democrats in the 1990s. Vice President Richard Cheney had to be on call regularly to reinforce Republican control of the Senate early in 2001, when the regular roll call was split 50-50 between the parties. He ultimately cast eight tie-breaking votes.
Former Vice President Al Gore after he cast the tie-breaking vote on the Lautenberg Amendment on Capitol Hill in 1999 in Wash., D.C.
Former Vice President Al Gore after he cast the tie-breaking vote on the Lautenberg Amendment on Capitol Hill in 1999 in Wash., D.C.
By the same token, when the party opposed to the president has controlled the Senate, its leaders have usually avoided bringing votes that could result in ties. That is why Vice President Dan Quayle got no chances to vote in his single term.
Senate majority leaders opposed to the president have usually preferred to pull back on holding a vote if it seemed likely to result in a tie. On the other hand, some Senate majority leaders have forced votes to a tie in order to make the vice president cast a politically unpopular vote on behalf of his boss.
All told, there have been a dozen vice presidents (one-quarter of the overall total) who served without ever casting a single tiebreaker vote. It is a relatively noteworthy group, in that half of these dozen went on to be president, including Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford.
So it is rather rare and certainly notable to see Pence pressed into service in this manner in just his third week in office. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | February 2017 | ['(NPR)'] |
The United States Supreme Court rules sixtothree that "illegal combatants" such as those held in Guantánamo can challenge the basis of their detentions, yet can also be held without charges or trial. | The six-to-three ruling is seen as a major blow to the Bush administration and could herald hundreds of appeals in US courts on behalf of the inmates.
Lower US courts had previously ruled that Guantanamo prisoners were beyond US legal jurisdiction.
The ruling did not pass judgement on the guilt or innocence of any detainee.
Of the 600-odd terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay most were rounded up in Afghanistan and Pakistan during the US-led operation against al-Qaeda and the Taleban.
The Supreme Court did not address the issues of human rights surrounding the men's capture and detention without trial.
Human rights groups have challenged the legal basis for their continued incarceration.
The detainees comprise nationals from more than 40 countries.
Many were captured in 2001, during the early months of the US operation in Afghanistan.
About 150 have been transferred from Guantanamo - many of them to be detained by their own governments. Two Britons who were freed from Guantanamo Bay in March and released without charge in the UK, Shasiq Rasul and Asif Iqbal, urged the US government to inform all detainees of their right to take their case to US courts and to provide them with lawyers "to make that access a reality".
In a separate but related ruling, the Supreme Court decided that US citizens designated as "enemy combatants" could be detained without trial - but that those held also had the right to challenge their detention in US courts.
In that case - which centres on US-born detainee Yaser Esam Hamdi - Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said that a state of war was "not a blank cheque for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's
citizens".
US President George W Bush has announced controversial plans to try the Guantanamo detainees in military tribunals, rather than civilian courts. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | June 2004 | ['(BBC)', '(NYT)'] |
Two suicide bombings at mosques kill at least 33 people in the northeast Nigerian cities of Yola and Maiduguri. Archived 2015-10-24 at the Wayback Machine | Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Two bomb blasts ripped through mosques in northeast Nigeria on Friday, killing at least 55 people and injuring more than 100, as Boko Haram fighters briefly seized a town in neighbouring Cameroon.
The attacks in Maiduguri, Yola and the Cameroonian town of Kerawa again underlined the persistent national and regional threat from the Islamist militants, despite military claims of gains.
Fears will be heightened particularly in Maiduguri, which has been hit six times this month, with a total of 76 people killed, according to an AFP tally.
Questions will also again be raised about how the militants are able to carry out such attacks on a regular basis, after similar attacks in the city last month claimed 117 lives.
The bombings also demonstrated the challenges facing the United States, which last week announced the deployment of up to 300 military personnel to northern Cameroon.
The contingent will conduct surveillance and intelligence operations against Boko Haram, including within Nigeria, at a time when attacks on civilians are on the increase.
- Suicide bomber -
The first attack in Maiduguri happened shortly after 5:00 am (0400 GMT) in the Jidari area of the Borno state capital, where Boko Haram was founded in 2002.
Umar Sani, a civilian vigilante assisting the military in the counter-insurgency, and local resident Musa Sheriff both told AFP there were two blasts at the mosque.
"I was involved in the evacuation. We counted 28 dead bodies apart from the two bombers, who were identifiable by the mutilation of their bodies," said Sani.
"Over 20 other people were injured."
Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said only six people were killed and 17 others injured, while hospital sources put the death toll at 19.
Both Sani and Sheriff said two other people were arrested and handed over to the military for questioning after they were seen apparently celebrating following the blasts.
The two men were "standing from afar, hugging each other like a celebration, chanting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest)", said Sani.
"To them it was a mission accomplished," added Sheriff.
Boko Haram, which wants to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, has previously targeted mosques and religious leaders who do not share their extremist ideology.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has given his military commanders until December to end the insurgency, which has left at least 17,000 people dead and more than 2.5 million homeless since 2009.
- Packed mosque -
The explosion in Yola happened at about 2:00 pm at the Jambutu Juma'at mosque in the Jimeta area of the city, shortly after the imam had finished his inaugural sermon.
At least 27 people were killed in the bomb blast at the newly-inaugurated mosque, NEMA said.
One volunteer at the Jambutu Juma'at mosque, who helped in the rescue effort but asked not to be identified, said: "This mosque was nearly built and this was the first prayers in it.
"While worshippers had risen for the prayers to start after the sermon by the imam, there was a huge blast in the premises."
NEMA's coordinator in the Adamawa state capital, Sa'ad Bello said that 116 people were being treated for injuries at two hospitals in the city.
Most of the injured were in a stable condition, with injuries ranging from fractures and burns to cuts from the blast, he added.
Yola has been seen as a relatively safe haven from the Boko Haram insurgency, which has ravaged the northeast for the last six years.
But fears were heightened after an explosive device went off at a camp for displaced people to the south of the city last month, killing seven people and injuring 20 more.
- Town overrun -
In Cameroon, regional and security sources said the rebels had briefly overrun the town of Kerawa, in the far north, and an unspecified number of civilians were killed.
"They pulled out after the troops arrived. There hasn't been any more fighting," a source said, while another said the Islamist group had "fled" to neighbouring Nigeria.
Kerawa, which has 50,000 inhabitants, is located in the Kolofata district that is regularly targeted by Boko Haram.
There is a military camp inside the town, which was last hit by a double suicide bombing on September 3, which claimed at least 30 lives.
Cameroon, Chad and Niger have formed a military alliance with Nigeria and Benin to battle the extremists, who this year declared allegiance to the Islamic State.
The Islamists' grip on the region has suffered as a result of offensives launched by local armies.
But the group maintains strongholds in areas that are difficult to access, such as the Sambisa forest, the Mandara mountains and the numerous islands of Lake Chad.
Starting at 4 p.m. yesterday, Lee Sanderlin spent all night at a Waffle House where each waffle he ate shaved an hour off his 24-hour sentence.
| Armed Conflict | October 2015 | ['(Premium Times)', '(Reuters)', '(Media24)', '(AFP via Yahoo)'] |
A prison fire in the Dominican Republic claims 134 lives and injured 25. Fire started during a clash of prison gangs | They said clashes between rival gangs in the prison in the eastern town of Higuey began late on Sunday night. The fighting apparently over who controls the sale of cigarettes and drugs was broken up, but later inmates began rioting and started the fire. It was the deadliest prison blaze in the history of the Dominican Republic, where prisons are often overcrowded.
'Bodies piled up'
The blaze spread rapidly as inmates set fire to their bedding just after midnight, officials said. LATIN AMERICA'S JAIL RIOTS
Feb 2005 - five inmates die in a gang fight in Lurigancho, Peru
Aug 2004 - 31 inmates killed in clashes in La Esperanza, El Salvador
May 2004 - 34 prisoners die in a riot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 2004 - 103 inmates killed in a riot in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Apr 2003 - 69 people die in clashes at El Porvenir, Honduras
Sept 2002 - 28 inmates die in a fire and a riot in La Vega, Dominican Republic
Firefighters were unable to bring the fire under control and had to call for reinforcements from the neighbouring states. Rescue efforts had been hampered by a blocked door to the main cellblock as rival gangs battled for control of the lucrative sale of drugs and cigarettes, officials said. "When we arrived, the door was blocked with the rubble from mattresses and wood beds the prisoners had used to seal the exit shut," Nestor Vera, chief of the firefighters in Higuey, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. Mr Vera added that bodies were "piled up on top of each other" inside the cellblock. By midday, 133 bodies had been pulled out from the public jail in Higuey, about 120km (75 miles) from the capital, Santo Domingo, officials said. They said more than 20 inmates had been rescued. Army helicopters were ferrying the wounded to hospitals in Santo Domingo, national prison chief Juan Ramon de la Cruz Martinez said.
In 2002, at least 28 inmates were killed when fire started during a riot at a jail in the northern city of La Vega. Deadly prison riots have plagued several countries across the region, where inmates are often crowded into poorly-equipped prisons. | Fire | March 2005 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
State news agency SANA claims that insurgent group Jaysh al-Islam has conducted a rocket attack on Damascus with at least eight people injured. | DAMASCUS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - At least eight people were wounded in a rocket attack on residential areas of Damascus on Thursday, state news agency SANA said, in what appeared to the second heavy bombardment by insurgent group Islam Army in less than two weeks.
Shells thought to be fired from the east of the capital could be heard exploding in the city, a witness said, and local media reported that Islam Army, a group based in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the city, was behind the attack.
SANA said it was a "terrorist" attack, without giving further details. Islam Army's leader said on Tuesday that his group would target the Syrian capital.
The same group struck the capital with at least 38 rockets on Jan 25, killing seven people, a monitoring group said, in one of the heaviest attacks on Damascus in over a year.
A witness in Damascus on Thursday heard more than 30 bombardments in quick succession. Local radio Sham FM said the projectiles had hit at least five areas of the capital, including the historic Old City. People posted images on social media said to show plumes of smoke rising above the city.
A message on a Twitter account thought to belong to Islam Army's leader Zahran Alloush said the attack was a "taste" of what the Syrian military had done to Ghouta.
He described Damascus as a "military zone" in a statement earlier this week and said his group would respond to Syrian air force strikes on Ghouta. | Armed Conflict | February 2015 | ['(Reuters Trust)'] |
China sentences 20 men of the ethnic Uighur group to jail terms of up to life imprisonment on charges of terrorism and inciting secession in Xinjiang. | China has sentenced 20 men to jail terms of up to life imprisonment on charges of terrorism and inciting secession in Xinjiang, state media say.
Some of the men, who are all thought to be members of the ethnic Uighur group who live in the region, were accused of plotting to assassinate local police. An exiled Uighur group described the sentences as "repressive".
It said the men had been persecuted for listening to foreign radio broadcasts and forwarding video clips.
The men were convicted of a number of crimes, the local state-run news agency reported. These include circulating extremist religious material and attempting to promote ethnic separatism on the internet.
It is not known whether the 20 accused men pleaded guilty or not. Regardless of their plea, acquittals in China's party-run court system are rare, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Shanghai.
Xinjiang is home to about nine million mainly Muslim Uighurs.
But as a result of inward migration over past decades, that number is now almost matched by residents from the Han Chinese majority, our correspondent adds. Tensions between the two groups have been high since riots in 2009, China's deadliest ethnic violence in decades.
Exiled Uighur groups accuse the Chinese state of trying to crush their culture and religion.
But the Beijing authorities say they are fighting only violent extremists who want to take over the region and form an independent Islamic state | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | March 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Police fire stun grenades at protesters in a separate rally outside a cultural exhibition in Manama amid calls for the release of imprisoned Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, being kept alive by intravenous drip. | Bahraini security forces have fired stun grenades at protesters outside a cultural exhibition in Manama ahead of Sunday's Formula 1 Grand Prix.
A local journalist told the BBC the demonstrators in Old Manama were shouting "Down, down, F1" and demanding the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.
The activist has been on hunger strike in prison for more than two months.
Mr Khawaja's lawyer earlier told the BBC that his client had removed the intravenous drip keeping him alive.
The 52-year-old told his wife on Tuesday afternoon that he was also now refusing anything but water, Mohammed al-Jishi said.
Mr Khawaja believed nothing was being done to resolve his continued detention, and this was the only way to force the issue, he added.
Mr Khawaja was convicted by a military court in June of plotting against the state, but human rights groups have said that his trial was "grossly unfair". They said his conviction was based on a confession he made under duress, and that no evidence was presented showing he had used or advocated violence during protests against King Hamad Al Khalifa.
Bahrain's highest court is due to rule on Mr Khawaja's appeal against his conviction on Monday - a day after the Grand Prix.
Last year's race was cancelled after at least 35 people, including five police, were killed during a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, only decided to go ahead with this weekend's race at the last minute.
On Wednesday, opposition supporters held a protest demanding Sunday's Grand Prix also be called off, and calling for the immediate release of Mr Khawaja in Old Manama.
A Bahraini journalist, who asked not to be named for fear of arrest, told the BBC that there were chaotic scenes outside Bab al-Bahrain, which marks the entrance to the main souq.
Veteran activist Nabeel Rajab reportedly stood near Bab al-Bahrain chanting anti-government slogans, while others carried signs reading: "Your silence is killing al-Khawaja".
The journalist warned: "If he dies the streets will explode."
Riot police at first demanded the protesters leave. When they refused, officers fired deafening "sound bombs" into the crowd, sending protesters and bystanders running. Stun grenades and rubber bullets were also used to disperse the protesters, while helicopters circled overhead and interior ministry officers filmed the clashes, the journalist said.
The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights meanwhile told AFP news agency the authorities had arrested about 80 pro-democracy activists from villages outside the capital ahead of the Grand Prix.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | April 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
A German train controller, who was operating the tracks where two trains collided on February 9 near the town of Bad Aibling, Bavaria, is arrested on possible manslaughter charges. Prosecutors say the controller had been playing a game on his mobile phone, which led to his making signalling errors. The crash resulted in 11 deaths and 85 injuries, 24 serious. | A German controller who was operating the tracks where two trains collided in February was arrested Tuesday on possible manslaughter charges, authorities said.
Eleven people died in the Feb. 9 crash near Bad Aibling, Germany, and dozens more were injured.
Investigators said two trains collided head-on because they were on the same track.
Tuesday, Bavarian prosecutors said the controller who caused the crash had been playing a game on his mobile phone, which led to his making a signalling error.
After the signalling error, officials say, the controller then pressed the wrong emergency buttons to notify the trains' conductors they were on a collision course.
The unidentified man could face involuntary manslaughter and negligence charges for the crash, which was Germany's deadliest in nearly 20 years.
News reports said the man denied to authorities that playing the game distracted him in the course of his duties. | Train collisions | April 2016 | ['(UPI)'] |
President Barack Obama nominates Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States. | President Barack Obama has nominated veteran appeals court judge Merrick Garland to be the next US Supreme Court Justice. The Supreme Court vacancy follows the death of Antonin Scalia last month.
Judge Garland, 63, is viewed as a moderate and has won praise from senior Republican figures.
The appointment has to be ratified by the Senate, but its Republican majority has vowed to block a vote on any Supreme Court nominee from Mr Obama.
Republicans have called on the president to leave the nomination to his successor, who will be elected in November. The death of Justice Scalia, a staunch conservative, left the nine-member Supreme Court evenly divided between conservatives and liberals. With court fight ahead, Obama 'plays it straight' - President opts for a consensus choice over a progressive champion
Who is Merrick Garland? - Tough on crime, he prosecuted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh
Meet the current Justices - The current slate is evenly spilt between conservatives and liberals
The vacancy has become a major issue in the presidential election because the high court is often the final say on divisive issues such as abortion, immigration and climate change.
Urging the Senate to support Mr Garland, the US president said: "He is the right man for the job. He deserves to be confirmed". President Obama said Mr Garland - chief judge of the Washington appeals court and a former prosecutor - enjoyed respect from Democrats and Republicans alike. Announcing the nomination in the White House Rose Garden, Mr Obama praised Mr Garland's decency, integrity and even-handedness during his long career in public service, and described him as an exemplary judge.
Mr Garland was prepared to serve on the court immediately, he said.
President Obama expressed hope that Republicans would act in a bipartisan spirit and give Mr Garland a "fair hearing".
The nomination was the "greatest honour of my life", Mr Garland said.
Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News North America reporter
There were a lot of possible strategies being suggested as President Obama considered who would be his Supreme Court nominee. Would he opt for a young, outspoken liberal to rally his party's base and enact a generational ideological change on the court? Would he chose an underrepresented ethnicity or a woman that would force Republicans to risk angering some key voting bloc if they failed to confirm?
In the end Mr Obama chose accommodation by picking an older centrist in appellate court judge Merrick Garland. It could be that Mr Obama still thinks there's a chance of Senate confirmation for a respected moderate. Maybe he thinks voters will be angered if the Senate rejects even the most uncontroversial choice.
Or perhaps Mr Garland was the best, most qualified candidate who would agree to go along with what will likely be a bruising, probably futile nomination process - a sacrificial lamb offered up in acknowledgment of a dire political reality.
One way or the other it's the Republicans' move now. They can accept Mr Garland or gamble that there won't be a new Democratic president next year who is itching for a fight. Mr Garland was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1997, winning confirmation in a 76-23 Senate vote, and served in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration prior to that. Seven sitting Republican senators voted to confirm Mr Garland in 1997. The White House also noted that when Mr Garland was previously considered for the Supreme Court, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said the judge would be "very well supported by all sides".
Republicans again stressed they would defer action on a nomination to the Supreme Court until after the election. Senate Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell said the American people should have a voice in filling the vacancy. He also accused Mr Obama of making the nomination "in order to politicise it for purposes of the election".
Age: 63 Education: Harvard College and Law School Current Job: Chief Judge, federal appeals court of Washington DC Notable: Supervised investigations into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing Another Republican - Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives - said this had never been about who the nominee is. "It is about a basic principle. Under our Constitution, the president has every right to make this nomination, and the Senate has every right not to confirm a nominee."
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Republicans must act on the president's choice.
And a senior Democratic Senator, Chuck Schumer, described Merrick Garland as a "bipartisan choice". He asked: "If the Republicans can't support him, who can they support?"
Profile: Who is Merrick Garland?
Senate to block Obama nominee
Four big cases facing the court
Meet the Supremes - the judges on the top US court
One Covid vaccine dose cuts hospital risk by 75%
But the number of Delta variant cases recorded in the UK has risen by 79% in a week, figures show. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | March 2016 | ['(BBC)', '(CNN)'] |
Voters in Scotland go to the polls to vote on the referendum on independence. , , | With the results in from all 32 council areas, the "No" side won with 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989 for "Yes".
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond called for unity and urged the unionist parties to deliver on more powers.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was delighted the UK would remain together and that commitments on extra powers would be honoured "in full".
Mr Cameron said the three main unionist parties at Westminster would now follow through with their pledge of more powers for the Scottish Parliament.
He announced that Lord Smith of Kelvin, who led Glasgow's staging of the Commonwealth Games, would oversee the process to take forward the commitments, with new powers over tax, spending and welfare to be agreed by November, and draft legislation published by January.
Scottish referendum results in detail
The prime minister also acknowledged that the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over their affairs.
And he promised a solution to the West Lothian question - the fact that Scottish MPs can vote on English issues at Westminster, and not the other way round.
In other developments:
The result became a mathematical certainty at 06:08, as the returning officer in Fife announced a comfortable No vote.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Salmond said he accepted the defeat and called for national unity.
He told supporters: "The unionist parties made vows late in the campaign to devolve more powers to Scotland.
"Scotland will expect these to be honoured in rapid course - as a reminder, we have been promised a second reading of a Scotland Bill by March 27 next year.
And the first minister said: "Whatever else we can say about this referendum campaign, we have touched sections of the community who have never before been touched by politics, these sections of the community have touched us and touched the political process."
In a rallying call to his supporters, Mr Salmond urged the Yes voters to reflect on how far they had come."I don't think any of us, whenever we entered politics, would have thought such a thing to be either credible or possible," he said.
He also claimed the campaign had put "a scare and a fear of enormous proportions" at the heart of the Westminster establishment. "Today of all days as we bring Scotland together, let us not dwell on the distance we have fallen short, let us dwell on the distance we have travelled and have confidence the movement is abroad in Scotland that will take this nation forward," he added.
The margin of victory for the Better Together campaign - 55% to 45% - was greater by about 3% than that anticipated by the final opinion polls. The winning total needed was 1,852,828. Speaking in Downing Street, Mr Cameron said the result was decisive.
He said: "Now the debate has been settled for a generation, or as Alex Salmond has said: 'Perhaps for a lifetime'.
"So there can be no disputes, no re-runs; we have heard the will of the Scottish people."
The prime minister also spoke of the implications for the other nations of the UK.
"In Wales there are proposals to give the Welsh Government and Assembly more powers and I want Wales to be at the heart of the debate on how to make the United Kingdom work for all our nations," he said.
"In Northern Ireland, we must work to ensure that the devolved institutions function effectively."
Mr Cameron said "millions of voices of England must also be heard".
"The question of English votes for English laws, the so-called West Lothian question, requires a decisive answer so just as Scotland will vote separately in the Scottish Parliament on their issues on tax, spending and welfare, so too England as well as Wales and Northern Ireland should be able to vote on these issues.
"And all this must take place in tandem with and at the same pace as the settlement for Scotland."
Analysis by Andrew Marr, author and BBC presenter
What started as a vote on whether Scotland would leave the UK has ended with an extraordinary constitutional revolution announced outside Downing Street by the Prime Minister. It throws down the gauntlet to the Labour Party, and hints that we are going to see very big change coming and it had better come quickly.
We always used to be told that if you laid all the economists in the world end to end they still wouldn't reach a conclusion and I think that could be said often about parliamentary committees and inquiries and commissions.
Well, it can't happen this time because it's not taking place in a sealed room with the Westminster parties, the old smug consensus, getting round an argument with each other as before.
This is really taking place in a huge glass house, being watched by all the Scottish voters and by millions of people around the UK.
What the Scottish shock has done is produce a constitutional revolution on a very, very tight timetable. Possibly the most exciting political story in my lifetime.
Following his appointment by the prime minister, Lord Smith of Kelvin said he had begun work to oversee the process of delivering more powers for the Scottish Parliament. He said: "There is an appetite for change and a strengthening of the powers for the Scottish Parliament. This is backed by all the main political parties. "My role is to create a process through which we can channel that energy into real action. "This won't be a drawn out process; I have started work today and will present what I hope will be unifying recommendations on 30th November." Lord Kelvin said there would be an opportunity for "everyone to have their say". He promised to engage with all political parties, trade unions, businesses or voluntary organisations and listen to "ideas and thoughts" from ordinary people.
Alistair Darling, who led the Better Together campaign, said the people of Scotland had "chosen unity over division and positive change rather than needless separation".
"It is a momentous result for Scotland and also for the United Kingdom as a whole," he said. Mr Darling said the result had "reaffirmed all that we have in common and the bonds that tie us together", adding: "Let them never be broken."
"As we celebrate, let us also listen," he said.
Across Scotland, the "No" vote had a majority in 28 of the country's 32 local authority areas.
Dundee was the first area to back independence. On a turnout of 78.8%, "Yes" polled 53,620 votes to the "No" campaign's 39,880.
The other three areas were all clustered in Labour's traditional west of Scotland heartland. Glasgow, Scotland's largest council area and the third largest city in Britain, voted in favour of independence by 194,779 to 169,347, although turnout was lower than in other areas at 75%.
West Dunbartonshire also gave its backing to independence, voting 54% to 46% in favour, with North Lanarkshire completing the "Yes" quartet by 51% to 49%.
In Scotland's 28 other local authority areas, it was a night of huge disappointment for the pro-independence movement.
Hoped-for breakthroughs in other traditional Labour strongholds such as South Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and across Ayrshire never materialised.
Edinburgh, the nation's capital, clearly rejected independence by 194,638 to 123,927 votes, while Aberdeen City voted "No" by a margin of more than 20,000 votes.
Royal correspondent Nick Witchell at Balmoral
Balmoral seems very remote and cut off but of course the Royal Family has been following this minutely. Reaction - one word, relief. Relief that's it's over, relief that Scotland has decided what it has. The Queen undoubtedly, privately would have felt immense sadness had the United Kingdom been split up. Relief too for her officials who had been starting to contemplate some very tricky constitutional issues. Once all the politicians have said what they wish to say, I think this afternoon it is expected that the Queen will issue a short written statement. It seems logical to surmise that after this really quite divisive campaign she will concentrate on the vote, the decision that Scotland has taken, and express the hope that Scotland will now move on. | Government Job change - Election | September 2014 | ['(Reuters)', '(The Telegraph)', '(BBC)'] |
The sheriff's department of Morton County, North Dakota, issues arrest warrants for United States Green Party presidential candidate, Jill Stein, and her running–mate, Ajamu Baraka on charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief. The county sheriff's department says that Stein and Baraka vandalized equipment at a controversial pipeline construction site. | Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is facing local charges over her actions at an anti-pipeline protest in North Dakota.
Authorities in Morton County filed warrants Wednesday for the arrests of Stein and her running mate Ajamu Baraka, on charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
The county sheriff's department said Stein and Baraka vandalized equipment at a construction site for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in Morton County while trespassing at the site along with activists.
The warrant said law enforcement officers saw a video of Stein spray painting “I approve this message,” on construction equipment, and another of Baraka painting “decolonization” and “We need decolonization.”
Stein called her actions “civil disobedience” in a statement admitting to the accusations, and said she intended to protect American Indian burial sites and drinking water.
“I hope the North Dakota authorities press charges against the real vandalism taking place at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation: the bulldozing of sacred burial sites and the unleashing of vicious attack dogs,” she said.
“I hope they take action against the Dakota Access Pipeline company that is endangering drinking water not only for the Standing Rock Sioux, but for millions of people downstream of the reservation who depend on the Missouri River.”
Environmentalists and American Indian tribes are trying through multiple means to get Dakota Access’s construction blocked, including challenging an Army Corps of Engineers permit its developer obtained.
They say it would pass through or near sensitive water bodies, risking the water quality, and the oil it would carry would be harmful to the climate.
The activists scored a victory Tuesday when a federal judge issued a temporary, limited order halting some of the project’s construction.
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The contents of this site are ©2021 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | September 2016 | ['(The Hill)'] |
Three British Soldiers are to face war crimes charges as well as criminal charges at a CourtMartial following the death of a detainee in Iraq in September 2003. | One soldier faces manslaughter charges and two others abuse charges after an operation in which the Iraqi died. Four more soldiers face other charges.
All seven will be tried by British courts martial, not at The Hague.
In a separate case, four soldiers face criminal charges over claims an Iraqi drowned in a canal after being beaten.
One of the 11 men charged is a colonel, the most senior officer to be charged with an offence during the military action in Iraq.
CHARGES OVER MOUSA DEATH
Cpl Donald Payne - manslaughter, inhuman treatment of persons
L/Cpl Wayne Crowcroft - inhuman treatment of persons
Private Darren Fallon - inhuman treatment of persons
Sgt Kelvin Stacey - actual bodily harm, alternatively assault
Warrant Officer Mark Davies - neglecting to perform a duty
Maj Michael Peebles - negligently performing a duty
Col Jorge Mendonca - negligently performing a duty
The charges faced by three of the men - of "inhuman treatment of persons" - were brought under the International Criminal Court Act 2001 and will be tried as war crimes. The soldiers involved are from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. Brigadier Geoffrey Sheldon, the colonel of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, said the death of Baha Mousa, the victim in the first case, was an "isolated, tragic incident which should never have happened and which I and every member of the regiment bitterly regrets".
He added: "It is... particularly difficult for us to learn that Col Mendonca [who initiated the formal inquiry into the death] must himself now answer charges as a result."
But Phil Shiner, lawyer for the Mousa family, said a charge of murder would be more suitable and said it was inappropriate for the British military to try their own.
The charges were announced by the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, in the House of Lords on Tuesday evening. In the first case, the soldiers are alleged to have committed a number of offences against a group of detainees arrested following a planned operation.
One of the embarrassing things here for the British Army is this investigation has taken two years
One of the detainees, Mr Mousa, a Basra hotel receptionist, was allegedly killed by one of those charged, Corporal Donald Payne, 34, of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.
Corp Payne is also alleged to have mistreated others and faces charges of manslaughter, inhuman treatment of persons and perverting the course of justice.
Two other members of the regiment, Lance Corporal Wayne Crowcroft, 21, and Private Darren Fallon, 22, also face charges of inhuman treatment of persons.
A fourth serviceman, Sergeant Kelvin Stacey, 28, also of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, is alleged to have assaulted a detainee and faces a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, or alternatively common assault.
Warrant Officer Mark Davies, 36, of the Intelligence Corps, is charged with neglecting to perform a duty.
Two more senior officers - Major Michael Peebles, 34, of the Intelligence Corps, and Colonel Jorge Mendonca, 41, lately of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment - are charged with negligently performing their duties, contrary to the Army Act 1955.
'Public perception'
Col Tim Collins, famous for his speech on the eve of the war, said the case had taken too long already.
"One of the embarrassing things here for the British Army is this investigation has taken two years. That's far too long."
CHARGES OVER ALI DEATH
Sgt Carle Selman - manslaughter Gdsm Martin McGing - manslaughter
Gdsm Joseph McCleary - manslaughter
Unnamed lance corporal - manslaughter Only the charges under the International Criminal Court Act amount to war crimes, the Ministry of Defence says. BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams said the war crimes label was "something of a technicality" as those charges had existed in normal British military law prior to the introduction of the Act in 2001. The second case relates to the death of Iraqi civilian Ahmed Jabber Kareem Ali, who was detained in Basra as part of a group of four suspected looters on 8 May 2003.
The men were allegedly punched and kicked before being forced into a canal, where Mr Ali drowned. Four British soldiers are facing courts martial accused of his manslaughter. They are: Sgt Carle Selman, 38, then of the Coldstream Guards, now serving with the Scots Guards; Guardsman Martin McGing, 21, of the Irish Guards, Guardsman Joseph McCleary, 23, of the Irish Guards; and a 21-year-old lance corporal, also of the Irish Guards, who has not yet been named. Defence Secretary John Reid said in a statement that allegations against British servicemen should be investigated but that the men were innocent until proven guilty.
However, Tory MP Ben Wallace, a former soldier in the Scots Guards, criticised the decision to charge the men.
The MP for Lancaster and Wyre said: "If we are charging some of these men with neglect of their duties then we must recognise that the chain of command does not stop with commanding officers but goes right to the door of Number 10."
However, the Muslim Council of Britain said the decision to prosecute could indirectly "blunt" the appeal of Islamic extremism.
MCB spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said a "tiny group of extremists" had used the Iraq war as a "propaganda tool for recruitment".
"This kind of trial may help restore some confidence that British troops, if they are found to have abused their position, will be brought to account," he said. The most read story in North America is: Town lines 'make road dangerous' | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | July 2005 | ['(BBC)'] |
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Solomon Islands is officially opened. | Thousands of Solomon Islanders have attended the launch of a national truth and reconciliation commission in the capital, Honiara.
The panel will investigate the conflict between rival ethnic militias in which more than 100 people died and 20,000 were displaced between 1997 and 2003. The unrest was centred on the main island of Guadalcanal. The launch was attended by the South African Nobel laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The archbishop told a large crowd that if peace could come to South Africa, then the same could happen in the Solomon Islands. Tribal grievances
Years of ethnic conflict took the South Pacific archipelago to the brink of total collapse, which forced the intervention of international peacekeepers led by Australia in 2003. Although order has been restored, tribal tensions and other grievances still fester and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been established to foster long-term harmony. The country was almost torn apart by the fighting between the Isatabu Freedom Movement - which comprised indigenous residents of Guadalcanal, and the Malaita Eagle Force, a well-armed militia from a neighbouring province. The rival groups fought over jobs, land rights and political power. Tribal grievances still simmer and while many serious cases arising from the conflict, including murder and extortion, have been handled by the courts, other matters involving theft and sexual assault have not been resolved. These are the cases the new commission will hear. The independent body is made up of three commissioners from the Solomon Islands and two from overseas. The inquiry hopes that traditional methods of reconciliation, such as compensation and apology, will be enough to guide the country away from the bitterness and resentment of the past. What are these? | Organization Established | April 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir, the official spokesman of ISIL, is killed in a second operation near Jarabulus in northwest Syria. | U.S. military forces have carried out another operation in northwest Syria, killing senior ISIS leader and spokesman Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir, regional officials and witnesses say. It comes less than 24 hours after ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up while being pursued by U.S. special forces.
The latest operation happened on early Sunday night when U.S. forces carried out an airstrike in the village of Ain al-Baydah, near Jarablus in Aleppo province, close to the border with Turkey, witnesses said. A U.S. military spokesperson declined to provide information “for reasons of operational security.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in Britain and uses a network of local sources to track events in Syria, said a fuel tanker and a Hyundai vehicle were traveling in the area when they were targeted by U.S. forces. At least five people were killed, including al-Muhajir, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“Continuing the previous operation, terrorist Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, the right-hand man of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and an ISIS spokesman, was targeted in the village of Ain al-Baydah, near Jarablus, in direct coordination between SDF intelligence and the U.S. military,” SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi said.
The news comes less than 24 hours after ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph and the world’s most-wanted terrorist, was killed in a raid conducted by the U.S. military near Barisha in Idlib province. Al-Baghdadi was said to have blown himself up when he was cornered by U.S. special forces.
“We believe ISIS [spokesman] Al-Muhajir was in Jarablus to facilitate Baghdadi’s entry to [the] Euphrates Shield area,” SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said. “The two U.S.-led operations have effectively disabled top ISIS leadership who were hiding [in northwest] Syria. More still remain hiding in the same area.” Al-Muhajer, whose real name and nationality is unknown, became the Islamic State’s official spokesman after his predecessor, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria in August 2016. It’s unclear who will succeed al-Muhajer and al-Baghdadi. | Famous Person - Death | October 2019 | ['(BNO News)'] |
Baltimore prosecutors drop all charges against the final three police officers with pending cases in the death of Freddie Gray. None of the six cases resulted in a conviction. | Baltimore prosecutors have dropped the remaining cases against the three officers to be tried in the death of Freddie Gray, bringing the case to an end without a conviction.
Officer Garrett E. Miller's trial was slated to start Wednesday with Sgt. Alicia D. White to begin in October.
The trial of Officer William Porter, who was seen as a pivotal witness, ended in December with a mistrial. He was to be retried in September.
The Baltimore City State Attorney's decision to not prosecute those cases marks a surprising end to a protracted legal saga for a fractured city which erupted in riots and protests after the death of Gray, 25, while in police custody.
Experts have said the prosecution's inability to net a conviction in the previous trials highlighted State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's overreach in charging the six officers in the death of Gray, who died of injuries sustained in the back of a police van last year. Van driver, Caesar Goodson, who faced the most serious allegations, including second-degree depraved heart murder, was acquitted last month.
Officer Edward Nero was acquitted in April.
On Wednesday, with a court gag order removed, a defiant Mosby said police took steps to tank the case and "physically and professionally threatened, mocked and even sued" she and staffers working on the case.
"As a mother, the decision to not proceed on these trials is agonizing," she said. "As a prosecutor, I must consider the dismal likelihood of conviction at this point."
That fate, legal experts said, was the result of haste in pressing charges as community pressure mounted and the national glare put Baltimore and its handling of a racially charged case dealing with police brutality in the spotlight.
"It was clearly a rush. Keep in mind, the police got their investigation in on a Thursday, and she announces the next morning that she's decided to file these charges," Warren Brown, a Baltimore criminal defense attorney who has observed the officers' trials, told NBC News recently.
The case also shone a light on some of the case's more questionable aspects.
Presiding Judge Barry Williams said prosecutors in the Goodson trial withheld critical information from the defense that could have helped their case. Such "exculpatory" information is a core legal obligation in prosecutions and goes to fundamental fairness rights.
"I'm not saying you did anything nefarious. I'm saying you don't understand what 'exculpatory' means," Williams told prosecutors upon discovering the violations.
For Mosby, who catapulted to the national stage in the wake of unrest in Baltimore as a savvy, young prosecutor determined to seek justice, the outcome of the Gray cases has been a blow.
With the Goodson trial she especially faced an uphill battle. His would have been the first conviction of its kind in at least a decade, according to data exclusively obtained by NBC News compiled by Bowling Green State University criminologist Philip Stinson, who studies officer arrests.
Mosby is being sued by three of the officers involved for a range of causes including false arrest, false imprisonment and defamation. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump waded in on the decision Wednesday to drop the charges saying that Mosby "oughta prosecute herself."
Mosby had choice words for her critics.
"To those who believe I am anti police that’s certainly not the case," Mosby said during her press conference on Wednesday. "I’m anti police brutality." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | July 2016 | ['(Baltimore Sun)', '(NBC News)'] |
The first delegation from the Arab League comprising the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan visits Israel to talk about the Arab Peace Initiative. | They are trying to push forward an Arab peace plan that Israel has in the past treated coolly but which correspondents say it may now be willing to discuss.
New Middle East envoy Tony Blair said after visiting the West Bank he saw a "moment of opportunity" for peace.
'Common ground'
Egypt's Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordan's Abdel Ilah al-Khatib are presenting a long-standing Arab League initiative that was readopted at a meeting in Saudi Arabia recently.
We are extending a hand of peace on behalf of the whole region to you
Abdel Ilah al-Khatib
The initiative offers Israel normal ties with all Arab states in return for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, the creation of a Palestinian state and a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. Israel dismissed the proposal on its launch in 2002, but has recently suggested it could be the basis for negotiations.
Mr Gheit said: "We hope that upon our return, we would also convey to the Arab League the responses of Israel, and I hope that the responses will be positive."
Mr Khatib said: "We are extending a hand of peace on behalf of the whole region to you."
Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is hosting the talks in Jerusalem
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev welcomed the "historic" visit, saying: "We are willing to engage on the basis of their initiative and hopefully find common ground."
But Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa denied the ministers were representing the organisation.
"They are not acting under the banner of the Arab League. They are not going on behalf of the Arab League nor have they been sent as delegates by the Arab League.
"They represent two Arab countries that for certain circumstances entered into peace accords and official diplomatic relations," he said.
Some observers see the visit as part of growing diplomatic activity aimed at reviving the moribund Middle East peace process, says the BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem.
It suggests, they say, that peace is still possible if moderate forces work together. But elsewhere, our correspondent says, there is deep pessimism about whether these steps are really leading anywhere, as well as concern about the massive divisions among the Palestinians.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper said Israel was considering an "an agreement of principles" with Palestinians that could establish a Palestinian state on 90% of occupied territory.
The paper said Israel would propose a tunnel linking the West Bank and Gaza, while there would also be a territory exchange allowing Israel to keep its main Jewish settlements.
Blair trip
In the US, King Abdullah of Jordan met President George W Bush at a private dinner in Washington.
The king urged Mr Bush to step up US efforts on Middle East peace.
A US administration official said Mr Bush remained "committed to two states, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security".
Meanwhile, Mr Blair, the former UK prime minister, is continuing his tour of the region.
He is due to visit Bahrain and Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. He said in the West Bank: "I think there is a sense of possibility at the moment. I think this is a moment of opportunity." | Diplomatic Visit | July 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
A train derails on the Moscow Metro, killing at least 20 and injuring more than 100 others, 50 of whom seriously. , | By Associated Press Published: 15:56 BST, 15 July 2014 | Updated: 15:58 BST, 15 July 2014 MOSCOW (AP) — A subway train derailed Tuesday deep below Moscow streets, twisting and mangling crowded rail cars at the height of morning rush hour. At least 20 people were killed, Russian officials said, and 150 more were hospitalized, many with serious injuries.
The Russian capital's airports and transit systems have been a prime target for terrorists over the past two decades, but multiple officials vigorously dismissed terrorism as a possible cause.
The Moscow Metro is world-famous for its palatial interiors with mosaics, chandeliers and marble benches. Park Pobedy, where the derailment occurred, is Moscow's deepest metro station — 84 meters (275 feet) below the surface — which made the rescue particularly difficult. The station serves the vast park where Russia's World War II museum is located.
In this frame grab from video provided by the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations, rescue teams work inside the tunnel in Moscow where a rush-hour subway train derailed Tuesday, July 15, 2014, killing at least 20 people and sending 150 others to the hospital, many with serious injuries, Russian officials said. Officials vigorously dismissed terrorism as a possible cause. (AP Photo/Russian Emergency Situation Ministry)
It was unclear what caused the train to derail. Lines of inquiry included a fault in one of the cars or the sinking of the roadbed, according to Vladimir Markin, spokesman for Russia's top investigative body. He said other officials who said earlier that a power surge triggered an alarm, causing the train to stop abruptly, were incorrect.
Of the 150 people reported injured, at least 50 were in grave condition, health officials said. One citizen of China and one citizen of Tajikistan were among those killed, Russian news agencies quoted city officials as saying.
Over 1,100 people were evacuated from the train, which was stuck between two stations, in a rescue operation that lasted at least seven hours.
By late afternoon, rescuers had recovered seven bodies and were working to extract 12 more trapped in two wrecked train cars, said Alexander Gavrilov, deputy chief of Moscow's emergency services. One woman taken from the scene died at a Moscow hospital.
In video released by the Emergency Situations Ministry, several wrecked train cars looked almost coiled, occupying the entire width of the tunnel. Workers were trying to force open the mangled doors of one car to retrieve bodies. Photos posted on social media sites showed passengers walking along the tracks in the dimly lit tunnel.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told reporters that unnamed officials will not only be fired but also charged with crimes, though he would not say what charges they might face.
Dozens of injured people were carried out of the station on stretchers. Paramedics carried one woman covered with a blanket to the lawn by the Triumphal Arch, which commemorates Russia's victory over Napoleon, and put her on a helicopter ambulance.
Several survivors sat on the sidewalk near the station's entrance in an apparent state of shock, drinking water supplied by authorities on a hot summer day.
One man with a bloody cut on his brow told Rossiya 24 television outside the station that he felt a jolt before the train stopped abruptly.
"There was smoke and we were trapped inside," he said. "It's a miracle we got out. I thought it was the end."
While technical glitches are regular occurrences in the Moscow Metro, the subway hasn't seen deadly accidents in decades.
Terrorism is another matter. More than 100 people have been killed in bombings on Moscow's subway trains or near stations since 2000, including two bomb blasts on the same day in 2010 that killed a total of 40 people.
In this frame grab from video provided by the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations, rescue teams work inside the tunnel in Moscow where a rush-hour subway train derailed Tuesday, July 15, 2014, killing at least 20 people and sending 150 others to the hospital, many with serious injuries, Russian officials said. Officials vigorously dismissed terrorism as a possible cause. (AP Photo/Russian Emergency Situation Ministry)
| Train collisions | July 2014 | ['(AP via Daily Mail)', '(BBC)'] |
Former CEO of the RenaultNissanMitsubishi Alliance Carlos Ghosn escapes house arrest in Tokyo and flees to Lebanon. He was under arrest for money laundering and underreporting his income, though he denies the charges. | BEIRUT/TOKYO (Reuters) - Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape a “rigged” justice system in Japan, raising questions about how one of the world’s most-recognized executives had slipped away while on bail.
Ghosn flees to Lebanon, won't be 'held hostage'
01:52
Ghosn’s abrupt departure marks the latest twist in a year-old saga that has shaken the global auto industry, jeopardised the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and top shareholder Renault SA and increased scrutiny of Japan’s judicial system.
“I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied,” Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement on Tuesday.
“I have not fled justice - I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week.”
Tokyo officials have previously said the system is not inhumane and that Ghosn, who is facing trial on financial misconduct charges he denies, has been treated like any other suspect.
It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure from Japan. He had been under strict surveillance by authorities while out on bail and had surrendered his passports.
According to a senior Lebanese foreign ministry source, Ghosn entered Lebanon legally on a French passport and using his Lebanese ID with normal security procedures. People familiar with the matter told Reuters he had arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul on Monday.
The French and Lebanese foreign ministries both said they were unaware of the circumstances of his journey. “All discussion of it is his private matter,” the Lebanese ministry added.
Lebanon’s state security directorate said Ghosn will not face any legal consequences for the way he entered the country, state NNA news agency reported. The foreign ministry said Lebanon did not have a judicial cooperation agreement with Japan.
Japanese authorities had no record of Ghosn leaving, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. A person resembling him entered Beirut international airport under a different name, NHK reported, citing an unidentified Lebanese security official.
His lawyers were still in possession of his three passports, one of his lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters.
Hironaka, in comments broadcast live on NHK, said the first he had heard of Ghosn’s departure was on the news this morning and that he was surprised. He also said it was “inexcusable behaviour”.
Japan has extradition treaties with only the United States and South Korea, according to the justice ministry, meaning it could be difficult to force Ghosn to return to stand trial.
While his arrest on financial misconduct charges last year ensured a dramatic fall from grace in Japan, he retains more popularity in Lebanon, where billboards saying “We are all Carlos Ghosn” were erected in his support and he was previously featured on a postage stamp.
Born in Brazil of Lebanese ancestry, Ghosn grew up in Beirut and has retained close ties to Lebanon.
At Ghosn’s gated villa in the Achrafieh neighborhood of Beirut, a handful of police and private security personnel stood guard on Tuesday.
A man who identified himself only as his English neighbor walked by to leave a card, with the words “Carlos, welcome home!” written inside. It was not immediately clear if Ghosn was at the address.
“It’s a good thing that at last he’s out of being locked up for something which he may or may not -- probably not -- have done,” said the neighbor.
A French minister said before the report Ghosn used a French passport that she was “very surprised” by news of his emergence in Lebanon.
Ghosn was first arrested in Tokyo in November 2018, shortly after his private jet touched down at the airport. He faces four charges - which he denies - including hiding income and enriching himself through payments to dealerships in the Middle East.
Nissan sacked him as chairman saying internal investigations revealed misconduct including understating his salary while he was its chief executive, and transferring $5 million of Nissan funds to an account in which he had an interest.
The case sparked international criticism of Japan’s justice system, in which 99.9 percent of people charged with crimes are convicted and defence lawyers are prohibited from being present during interrogations that can last eight hours a day.
Ghosn was initially released in March on a record $9 million bail only to be arrested on related charges weeks later and then released on bail again at the end of April.
His movement and communications have been monitored and restricted to prevent his fleeing the country and tampering with evidence, the Tokyo District court previously said.
The terms of his bail have also been striking by Western standards. He has been prevented from communicating with his wife, Carole, and had his use of the internet and other communications curtailed.
Carole is now with him in Lebanon at a house with armed guards outside, the New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Ghosn did not believe he would get a fair trial in Japan and was “tired of being an industrial political hostage”, one person told The Wall Street Journal.
A person familiar with Nissan’s thinking told Reuters: “I think he gave up fighting the prosecutors in court.”
The trial was widely expected to start in April. Ghosn’s Japanese lawyers have fought, so far unsuccessfully, to get access to 6,000 pieces of evidence collected from Nissan, which they say is crucial to a fair trial.
Ghosn has said he is the victim of a boardroom coup, accusing former Nissan colleagues of “backstabbing” and describing them as selfish rivals bent on derailing closer ties between the Japanese automaker and its biggest shareholder Renault, of which Ghosn was also chairman.
His lawyers have asked the court to dismiss all charges, accusing prosecutors of colluding with government officials and Nissan executives to oust him to block any takeover by Renault.
Ghosn began his career in 1978 at tyre maker Michelin. In 1996, he moved to Renault where he oversaw a turnaround that won him the nickname “Le Cost Killer.”
After Renault sealed an alliance with Nissan in 1999, Ghosn used similar methods to revive the ailing brand, leading to business super-star status in Japan, blanket media coverage and even a manga comic book on his life.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
John Mark Karr is arrested in Bangkok for the 1996 murder of U.S. child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey. | The suspect was identified as John Mark Karr, 42, by Ann Hurst, Homeland Security attach?at the U.S. Embassy, during a televised news conference from Bangkok just before 3 a.m. ET today. Karr has been charged in the state of Colorado with murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of a child, Hurst said.
Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police, told reporters Karr confessed to the killing after his arrest.
"He told police while under arrest that he did kill the girl but so far he has not pleaded guilty in writing," Suwat said.
Lin Wood, the Ramsey family attorney, said Karr is a schoolteacher who once lived in Conyers, Ga., outside Atlanta. The Ramseys lived in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody for several years before moving to Colorado in 1991.
Thai police said Karr had recently applied for a teacher's position at an international school in Thailand.
Karr's brother, Nate, told Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren that he does not believe his brother killed JonBen?. JonBen? was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996. Her mother, Patsy Ramsey, reported finding a ransom note demanding $118,000 for her daughter. Ramsey and her husband, John, struggled for years under what a former Boulder police chief said was "an umbrella of suspicion" in the case. Patsy Ramsey died in June of ovarian cancer.
On Wednesday, John Ramsey expressed gratitude for the arrest. "Patsy was aware that authorities were close to making an arrest in this case, and had she lived to see this day, would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder," he said in a statement released by Wood. The Ramseys had always insisted that JonBen? was killed by an intruder who broke into their expensive home on Christmas night.
Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy officially announced the arrest of an unnamed suspect in a statement Wednesday. She said no details would be discussed until today.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers assisted Boulder County authorities and the Royal Thai Police in locating the suspect, the federal agency said.
Wood credited Lacy with doggedly pursuing the case after others had concluded it might never be solved. "The public mind was so poisoned against this family" that few took "an objective look at the evidence," Wood told MSNBC.
The case thwarted the efforts of police, private investigators, and amateur sleuths for nearly 10 years. JonBen?'s killing became a public obsession that spawned a flood of books, documentaries and lawsuits.
Pictures and videos of the pretty blonde posing coquettishly in her beauty contest costumes were widely printed in newspapers and broadcast on television.
An autopsy report revealed she had suffered severe head injuries and may have been sexually assaulted. For years, suspicion focused on her parents, a wealthy businessman and his homemaker wife. The parents had initially refused to submit to police interviews, and in 1997, Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said the family was under an "umbrella of suspicion." In September 1998, a Boulder County grand jury began a new probe into the case after many months of inconclusive investigation by Boulder police. Thirteen months later, Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter announced that no indictments would be issued. Hunter said there was insufficient evidence to indict anyone. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | August 2006 | ['(Denver Post)', '(USA Today)', '(MSNBC)'] |
Tenerife's randomly beheaded British woman is named by her family as 60–year–old Jennifer Mills–Westley. | The British woman stabbed and beheaded in a shop on the Spanish island of Tenerife has been named by her family as 60-year-old Jennifer Mills-Westley.
Her daughter Sarah said she was "full of life, generous of heart and would do anything for anyone".
She said her mother was enjoying her retirement, travelling between Tenerife and France and visiting her other daughter in Norfolk.
Spanish media said a Bulgarian man, 28, was arrested in Los Cristianos. Witnesses said a man entered a Chinese supermarket in a shopping centre and stabbed then beheaded her, before dropping the head outside.
He appeared to choose his victim at random, according to a local official.
Ms Mills-Westley's daughter Sarah said: "Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk.
"She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. "We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss."
Ms Mills-Westley, a grandmother of five from Norwich, retired to Tenerife after working as a road safety officer at Norfolk County Council. Leader of the council Derrick Murphy said the news was "absolutely devastating" for those who used to work with her.
"We offer our sincere and deepest sympathies to Jenny's friends and family, in particularly her two daughters and five grandchildren," he said.
"As you can imagine, the terrible news obviously has come as a great shock to us... she was an incredibly well-respected member of the staff."
Ms Mills-Westley's former neighbour, Stella Watts, said she was a "kind, lovely lady" who used to take her to hospital to visit her sick partner.
Local officials have been analysing CCTV footage of the attack which shows a man walking into the supermarket - which sells Chinese food and tourist souvenirs.
Witnesses said the man attacked the woman without saying a word.
"Apparently this gentleman without any motive or any reason... entered the shop and then cut this woman's neck and took the head in his hand outside," said local councillor Manuel Reveron. A security guard then managed to wrestle the man to the ground, he said.
"I parked my car and saw a man running out with something bloody in his hands and a security guard chasing him," one witness was quoted as telling local radio.
"He threw it to the ground, it almost hit me and what he had been carrying was a woman's head."
In a video posted on YouTube, Colin Kirby of Tenerifemagazine.com said security guards held down the suspect until the police arrived.
"The security and the police had to hold people off - they were queuing up - they were trying basically to kick the hell out of the guy," he said.
Christina Perez, a legal representative at a nearby court, said she and her colleagues ran indoors for safety.
"Everybody is shocked. It's a very safe area. You can usually go anywhere you want in the day or at night. This is really not normal."
Police sources told Spanish media the suspect had a police record.
Dominica Fernandez, of the Regional Interior Ministry, said the attack appeared to be random and that the suspect was well known in the area.
Regional newspaper La Opinion said the suspect had received treatment at the psychiatric unit of a local hospital in February after being involved in previous violent incidents.
The BBC's Maddy Savage said this kind of violence was extremely rare in the Canary Islands which attract more than 10 million tourists each year. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in touch with the next of kin and are providing consular assistance.
"Consular officials in Tenerife are in contact with local authorities about this tragic incident and our condolences go out to the family at this difficult time." | Famous Person - Death | May 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)'] |
In Australian rules football, Hawthorn Football Club defeats the Sydney Swans in the 2014 AFL Grand Final 137–74. | A rampant Hawthorn handed the Sydney Swans a 63-point belting en route to a 12th AFL flag in the grand final at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Despite their favouritism, the Swans wilted under enormous Hawks pressure as Hawthorn triumphed 21.11(137) to 11.8 (74).
Hawthorn kicked five goals in the opening quarter and carried that momentum into the next stanza, booting another six to Sydney's three goals to establish a 42-point lead at the long break.
The lead kept climbing as the Hawks stretched the margin to 54 points after three periods, before sealing the most comfortable of wins, booting home five more in an emphatic win. | Sports Competition | September 2014 | ['(ABC News Australia)'] |
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court reopens the illegal campaign funding case against President Michel Temer, who was the vice presidential candidate on former President Dilma Rousseff's ticket in 2014. Temer became president in August 2016 when Rousseff was impeached, and could be unseated if the court annuls the RousseffTemer election victory. | Brasília (AFP) - President Michel Temer expressed confidence Wednesday that he will not be toppled by a growing corruption scandal as Brazil's election court debated whether to strip him of his mandate.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) is examining whether the 2014 re-election of president Dilma Rousseff and her then-vice president Temer should be invalidated because of corrupt campaign funding.
If the court votes to scrap the election result, Temer -- who took over only last year when Rousseff was impeached -- would himself risk losing his office, forcing Brazil's congress to pick an interim president.
The seven judges on the panel had been expected to start voting during a session lasting all Wednesday morning, but debates over the complex case forced them to push back the schedule, with extra sessions planned for Thursday and possibly Friday and Saturday.
Temer -- who faces a separate, potentially devastating probe at the Supreme Court into alleged obstruction of justice -- said he was confident that he will ride out the turmoil and finish his term.
"We will lead the government until 31 December, 2018," the center-right leader told a gathering of agribusiness leaders at the presidential palace. "Do we have the right to be pessimistic about Brazil? Or should we be optimistic?"
Even if found guilty at the TSE, Temer would be able to appeal. A judge on the panel could also decide to adjourn the court hearings, a move that could drag the whole process on for weeks.
Temer's lawyer, Gustavo Guedes, said after the latest hearing that he was satisfied.
"The whole of Brazil is following this, looking for answers," he said. "The court has positioned itself very adequately in the opinion of President Michel Temer's defense."
- Temer to be acquitted? -
Analysts say that the initial reading of the court's deliberations makes acquittal more likely for Temer.
"Apparently, the most probable thing is that the president will escape, although that doesn't mean it's going to happen. In Brazil it's the most likely outcome," said Albert Almeida of the Analysis Institute.
The Eurasia Group issued a note saying that "there are growing signs President Michel Temer could well enjoy a majority on the court."
The first to cast a vote will be the lead justice on the case, Herman Benjamin. Although he is widely predicted to vote against Temer, the court's president Gilmar Mendes has made arguments indicating he will lean the other way.
Few analysts thought the TSE would convict Temer until recently, believing that it would allow him to complete his mandate instead. Brazil is still shaken by the trauma of Rousseff's impeachment last year, and Temer has argued repeatedly that he is needed to restore stability and see through austerity reforms meant to rebuild Brazil's sickly economy.
But Temer's political standing has been dramatically weakened by the revelation last month of secretly recorded audio in which he is allegedly heard approving payment of hush money from a meatpacking tycoon to a top politician jailed for corruption.
The opening of a probe into the alleged obstruction of justice fueled hopes among Temer's opponents that the TSE will seize the opportunity to bring him down -- even if the election case is unrelated.
- Time running out -
Although Temer could appeal a conviction by the electoral court, he would still face the ongoing parallel corruption probe and his grip on power may become untenable.
But the president could also be hurt if the court adjourns the case, leaving him ever more vulnerable to attacks on the corruption case, the Eurasia Group says.
It "may well determine Temer's fate," it said. "For if the court punts deliberations for weeks or even months, the president would be much more vulnerable to ongoing investigations by the prosecutor general's office."
Despite his troubles, Temer has so far retained a solid center-right coalition in Congress. That is partly because the legislature has no clear candidate to step into his shoes as an interim leader for the next year and a half.
But that coalition could crack at any time.
The key partner to Temer's PMDB party, the PSDB, has indicated that it is waiting to hear the results at the election court before deciding whether to withdraw support or stick by the president.
Without the PSDB, Temer's PMDB party would be highly unlikely to find the necessary support to enact controversial pension reform at the center of the president's austerity plans. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | June 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(Yahoo!7 News)'] |
Australian paleontologists discover Materpiscis, a 380–million–year–old placoderm fish which is the earliest known animal to bear live young. , | What the live birth of prehistoric fish might have looked like (Museum Victoria)
A fossil fish uncovered in Australia is the oldest-known example of a mother giving birth to live young, scientists have reported in the journal Nature.
The 380 million-year-old specimen has been preserved with an embryo still attached by its umbilical cord.
The find, reported in Nature, pushes back the emergence of this reproductive strategy by some 200 million years.
Until now, scientists thought creatures from these times were only able to develop their young inside eggs.
Before this find, the earliest evidence for this form of reproduction came from reptile fossils dating to the Mesozoic Era (248 to 65 million years ago)
The team said the latest discovery had a remarkably advanced reproductive biology, similar to modern sharks and rays.
The extremely well-preserved fossil represents a new species of "placoderm" fish.
The placoderms were an incredibly diverse group and are thought to be the most primitive known vertebrates with jaws. These armoured fish dominated seas, rivers and lakes throughout the Devonian Period (420-360 million years ago). This latest placoderm specimen, which measures about 25cm (10in) in length, was found in the Gogo area of Western Australia in 2005 by a team led by John Long from Museum Victoria.
Professor Lane said: "When I looked at it, my jaw dropped. I said: 'we are onto something big here'."
The team found an embryo and an umbilical cord, which had been exquisitely preserved along with the female fish.
The scientists have named it Materpiscis attenboroughi, in honour of the naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who first drew attention to the Gogo fish fossil sites in the 1970s. Sir David told the team that he was "very very flattered" to have had his name given to such an "astonishing creature".
The discovery prompted the researchers to return to another fossil that they had unearthed in 1986.
Close investigation revealed that this too contained evidence of live births - it contained three embryos.
Until the latest fossil find, scientists thought life forms that existed during these times had only evolved to reproduce using externally fertilised eggs - a primitive version of the way fish spawn today.
Now, however, the team believes this ancient species bore live young through internal fertilisation (viviparity). Dr Long commented: "This is not only the first time ever that a fossil embryo has been found with an umbilical cord, but it is also the oldest known example of any creature giving birth to live young.
"The existence of the embryo and umbilical cord within the specimen provides scientists with the first ever example of internal fertilisation - or sex - confirming that some placoderms had remarkably advanced reproductive biology.
He added: "This is a world first fossil find, and it opens up a window into the developmental biology of an entire extinct class of organisms."
Commenting on the paper, Zerina Johanson, a palaeontologist at London's Natural History Museum, said: "It is extremely rare to find preservation like this in the fossil record. This new discovery extends the record of viviparity back almost 200 million years in the fossil record. "Placoderms represent the most primitive group of jawed vertebrates, so this work shows that the capacity for internal fertilisation and giving birth to live young evolved very early during vertebrate history." | New archeological discoveries | May 2008 | ['(BBC News)', '(ABC News Australia)'] |
A Pakistani Taliban car bomb attack on a Federal Investigation Agency building in Lahore kills at least 11, wounds 60. | At least 13 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, police say.
More than 60 others were injured when an explosives-laden car targeted a building housing an anti-terrorist wing of the federal investigative agency. The amount of explosives was so large it brought down the two-storey building, correspondents say. Close to the country's border with India, Lahore has been hit several times by militants over the past year. Pakistan's government condemned the attack, blaming the "hired killers who want to destabilise Pakistan". A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban told the BBC they carried out the attack. 'Total chaos'
The police said that the blast had taken place at a building housing the offices of the Special Investigation Group, an anti-terrorism wing of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Model Town area of Lahore. The offices were used to interrogate suspected militants but officials said there were no "important suspects" in the building at the time.
A nearby religious school was also damaged. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says the emergency services are working to free those trapped under the rubble. Passers-by, including children on their way to school, were said to be among the dead and injured. Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore told reporters: "It was a suicide attack. We have heard that 40 to 50 people were in the [investigation agency] building when the incident happened. Rescue work is in progress."
Eyewitness Noorul Huda, a student at a religious school, said he was in class when an explosion shook the area. "With the huge bang, blocks and pieces of the roof fell upon us and six of us were wounded," he said. "It was total chaos outside and people were running and crying for help." One resident, Mohammad Musharraf, told Associated Press that locals had urged the authorities to move the anti-terrorism unit as they feared it would be targeted.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, quoted by Agence France-Presse news agency, said the Taliban were involved in almost every blast in Pakistan. "The ammunition and weapons are coming from Afghanistan." Pakistan recently stepped up its drive against the Taliban leadership, arresting the military commander of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. A number of other top figures are also reported to have been arrested this year. FIA offices in Lahore have been the target of two suicide attacks in recent years. More than 26 people died in those attacks. There have been a number of other explosions in Lahore over the past year. Last December, two bomb blasts at a busy market killed at least 48 people and injured more than 100. | Armed Conflict | March 2010 | ['(FIA)', '(BBC)'] |
Spain issues an arrest warrant against former Catalonian president Carles Puigdemont. | A Spanish judge has issued European Arrest Warrants (EAW) for sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his allies who went to Belgium.
The five failed to attend a high court hearing in Madrid on Thursday when nine other ex-members of the regional government were taken into custody.
One of those detained has been freed on bail of €50,000 (£44,000; $58,000). They all face charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for pursuing Catalan independence.
Mr Puigdemont has said he will not return to Spain unless he receives guarantees of a fair trial. Belgium will "study" the warrant, a spokesman for the state prosecutor told AFP news agency.
The regional parliament in Catalonia voted to proclaim an independent republic a week ago, following an illegal referendum on independence organised by the Catalan government on 1 October
No other country recognised the move and the Spanish central government moved swiftly to impose control, using emergency powers under the constitution.
Mr Puigdemont was the president of the autonomous region of Catalonia until the proclamation of independence and continues to regard himself as the president of the newly proclaimed "Republic of Catalonia".
Mr Puigdemont and his colleagues travelled to Belgium to raise their case for statehood at the EU institutions and he insists he is not trying to evade "real justice".
He said in a Belgian TV interview aired earlier on Friday that he would co-operate with Belgian judicial authorities.
He also said that he was ready to run in snap regional elections in Catalonia next month. The other four warrants are for: The warrants were sent to Belgian prosecutors, who have 24 hours to decide whether the paperwork is correct. If they do, they will forward them on to a judge who will decide whether Mr Puigdemont and the four others should be arrested.
Belgium has a maximum of 60 days to return the suspects to Spain after arrest. But if the suspects do not raise legal objections, a transfer could happen much sooner. A country can reject an EU arrest warrant if it fears that extradition would violate the suspect's human rights. Discrimination based on politics, religion or race is grounds for refusal. So are fears that the suspect would not get a fair trial.
There is an agreed EU list of 32 offences - in Article Two of the EAW law - for which there is no requirement for the offence to be a crime in both countries. In other words, any of those offences can be a justification for extradition, provided the penalty is at least three years in jail.
However, neither "sedition" nor "rebellion" - two of the Spanish accusations against the Catalan leaders - are on that list.
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Barcelona and other Catalan cities for the second night running to call for the release of the former officials detained on Thursday.
Santi Vila, the Catalan former business minister, was granted bail at the request of prosecutors after spending a night in prison.
"My colleagues and I are fine, we are calm," he said upon leaving jail in Madrid, but called the detentions "disproportionate", Spain's El País newspaper reports.
He had resigned from the cabinet before the Catalan parliament voted for independence.
Those who remain in custody are:
Protesters are also calling for the release of two grassroots separatist leaders, Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart, who were taken into custody last month. They lost an appeal for release on Friday.
Five senior members of the Catalan parliament, as well as Speaker Carme Forcadell, are facing the same charges but, because of their parliamentary immunity, their cases are being handled by the Supreme Court. Their hearings have been postponed until 9 November.
Catalonia sings for its exiled leaders
What next for Spain?
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | November 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
Landslides in India's Jammu and Kashmir state kill at least six people and leave sixteen others missing. | At least 15 people have been killed in landslides following floods in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials say.
Rescue workers said they had recovered the bodies from the debris of a landslide which buried homes in Chadoora town.
Some 200 families have been evacuated after torrential rain and a surge in the water level of the Jhelum river. More than 250 people died in September in what was described as the worst flooding in Kashmir in half a century.
Police said the mudslides had hit houses in Chadoora, some 15km (10 miles) west of the main city of Srinagar.
Rescue workers had recovered 15 bodies from the debris of two houses, police official Fayaz Ahmed told Associated Press news agency. Mohammed Sultan, a villager, said the ground above the houses collapsed without warning.
"All of them just suddenly got buried alive. Now they are nowhere to be found," he said.
Although it has stopped raining and the water level in the Jhelum has receded, more rain is forecast later this week.
Authorities have set up 20 relief camps and urged people living in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.
Last September's floods affected more than 1.2 million people and damaged more than 180,000 houses in the state.
| Mudslides | March 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Hundreds of Spartak Moscow fans and Russian nationalists clash with riot police in central Moscow over the death of a football fan earlier this week. | A number of people have been injured in central Moscow as some of the hundreds of football fans protesting over the killing of a fellow supporter clashed with security forces.
The Spartak Moscow fans gathered near the Kremlin following the shooting dead of Yegor Sviridov earlier this week.
Riot police were sent to Manezh Square to deal with the unauthorised demonstration.
Reports said the city's police chief also held talks with the protesters. Police chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev promised to complete an investigation into the shooting and urged the demonstrators to be patient, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
He also said the police tried to minimize the use of force during Saturday's rally. Police used baton charges to break up the protesters, who included Russian nationalists. There were chants of slogans such as "Russia for Russians". Reuters news agency quoted a witness as saying the injured included a number of passers-by, who appeared to be members of ethnic minorities from the Caucasus region, who were attacked by demonstrators. There were also clashes between police and football fans protesting in St Petersburg against the killing.
Mr Sviridov, 28, was allegedly shot dead with a rubber bullet in a fight with a group of men from the North Caucasus, a mountainous region in southern Russia.
Aslan Cherkessov, 26, from the Kabardino-Balkaria region in the Caucasus, was formally accused by a Moscow district court of murdering Mr Sviridov and placed in custody until 6 February.
On Tuesday night football fans briefly blocked a key city artery in protest at the killing, climbing on cars, lighting flares and chanting nationalistic slogans.
While ethnic minorities complain of continuing discrimination in Russia, some ethnic Russians accuse the authorities of trying to play down hate crimes against Russians.
| Riot | December 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(RIA Novosti)'] |
English youth Michael Perham, aged 17 years, 5 months, becomes the youngest person to complete a solo circumnavigation of the world by sailboat, breaking the previous record by two months. | LONDON (Reuters) - A 17-year-old Briton became the youngest person to sail round the globe single-handed on Thursday after nine months at sea.
Teenage sailing ambitions
01:19
Mike Perham suffered knockdowns and damage to his yacht during the 24,000-mile (38,700-km) trip and the teenager from Hertfordshire, southern England, said he was now looking forward to a “good meal and a very good night’s sleep.”
Fewer than 250 people have sailed solo around the globe, but his record is already in jeopardy if a 13-year-old Dutch girl persuades a court to allow her to set sail.
Perham, who started sailing aged seven, was the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, aged 14, in 2007.
Perham crossed the start line for his round-the-world trip between Ushant, northern France, and Lizard Point, southern England, on November 18 last year as a 16-year-old and celebrated his 17th birthday in the southern Indian Ocean.
Early on, he suffered technical problems with his Open 50 yacht, TotallyMoney.com, and was forced to seek repairs at various ports, including in Portugal, Gran Canaria, Cape Town, Tasmania and Auckland.
Because of that, Guinness World Records categorized his record as “assisted.”
“The low points are when things go wrong unexpectedly and it is down to you to fix it, because that’s not getting you nearer to home, that’s only getting you further away,” he told BBC television by phone.
He had to deal with his genoa sail ripping from top to bottom and swimming under the boat’s hull to cut free a jammed spinnaker sheet.
Poor weather and the onset of winter forced him to go through the Panama Canal rather than sail around Cape Horn, on the southerly tip of South America.
Perham said he never doubted he would complete the trip, but he did have moments when he questioned what he was doing.
“But you push on and you handle it,” he told the BBC.
“I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for in terms of being on my own, but it’s definitely the hardest bit of the trip being on your own because there is nobody to help you and you do miss the physical contact.”
The previous youngest to complete a similar voyage was American Zac Sunderland last month, but his effort is not recognized by Guinness World Records.
Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, described Perham’s latest achievement as heroic.
“It shows Mike as a truly unique young man, whose dream was realized through sheer determination and commitment.”
Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Keith Weir
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Break historical records | August 2009 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Wallis and Futuna turns away a German cruise ship due to fears of coronavirus, and says that it is studying the possibility of denying another ship entry. | Customary authorities in Wallis and Futuna have decided to ban a planned visit by a German cruise ship to protect the population against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Photo: Michael Runkel
The kings on both islands, however, are yet to decide if the cruise ship Soleal will be allowed to dock later this month.
The Soleal is scheduled to sail from French Polynesia via the Cook Islands, Samoa and Wallis to Fiji.
Airline passengers arriving at the international airport on Wallis are examined.
The territory's main air link is with New Caledonia, which in the past month has checked more than 30,000 travellers for the disease.
Meanwhile, the operators of the Soleal, PONANT, say they have safety and security experts monitoring the Covid-19 situation closely and are in constant contact with the relevant international authorities to preserve the health of their passengers and crew.
PONANT said there had been no cases of contamination on any of their ships.
Copyright ? 2020, Radio New Zealand
A large cruise ship carrying passengers from Italy has been banned from the Cook Islands' atoll of Aitutaki amid fears about the coronavirus.
People should expect major discounts on travel amid the Covid-19 coronavirus, but people should decide for themselves if it's worth the risk, a travel agent says. Video, Audio
A luxury liner carrying passengers and crew from Italy - the European nation worst hit by coronavirus - is scheduled to arrive in the Cook Islands tomorrow.
All ships arriving in French Polynesia must now first dock in Papeete as a new measure to try to stave off the coronavirus, the government says. | Disease Outbreaks | March 2020 | ['(RNZ)'] |
In Germany, police in Brandenburg announce that they have uncovered bones of nine newborn babies that had been buried in flower pots. The woman believed to be their mother, identified in newspapers as "Sabine H.", has been arrested in the worst case of individual infanticide in German history. | The 39-year-old woman is believed to be the mother of the children found in Brieskow-Finkenheerd, in Brandenburg state, near the border with Poland.
Police officers with sniffer dogs were searching the site for further remains.
The grim discovery of little bodies found buried in flower pots and buckets has shocked Germany.
It is thought that the babies were born, and died, between 1988 and 2004.
"We are looking at a crime on a scale that, as far as I can remember, has never been seen in the history of the Federal Republic," Brandenburg Interior Minister Joerg Schoenbohm said in a statement.
"We have to ask ourselves how this incredible crime remained hidden over all these years. It's a question directed at relatives, neighbours, doctors and the authorities."
The bodies were discovered after someone clearing a garage at the site found human bones stored in a fish tank, police said.
According to Reuters, the woman has said she was the mother of the babies but has not admitted killing them. A court spokesman said her statement was confused.
The woman has been identified in the German press only as Sabine H. She is reported to be a jobless dental assistant who moved from the house, where her mother and eldest sister live, to nearby Frankfurt an der Oder.
Bild newspaper said she met her first boyfriend, a former East German army officer and Stasi employee, when she was 17 and they had a daughter in 1984. She had two more children in the following two years.
Berliner Zeitung says she has lived for several years in Frankfurt an der Oder with a man who is the father of her youngest child, 18-month-old Elisabeth. Three other children - aged 18, 19 and 20 - live with her first husband.
Neighbour Ulrich Heitmann, 69, told the newspaper: "Sabine was quite a normal girl, not stupid at all".
The finds come after other recent grim discoveries in Germany, says the Associated Press.
Last week, a dead baby girl was found in a public toilet in Magdeburg and a young boy was discovered on a recycling company's conveyer belt in Guetersloh.
A walker in Lower Saxony found a dead baby in a plastic bag in June.
The authorities in Austria are holding the parents of at least three of four children whose bodies were found in a freezer and concrete-filled buckets at their home. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2005 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
Two car bombs explode near the southern Iraqi city of Karbala, killing at least twenty people. | Two car bombs have exploded near the southern Iraqi city of Karbala, killing at least 20 people, officials say.
The bombs went off on the road from the city of Najaf, which is often used by Shia pilgrims travelling to shrines.
Dozens of people were wounded in the blast, hospital officials told reporters.
Iraq has been without a government since elections in March and it is feared that insurgents are exploiting the power vacuum.
Hundreds have been killed in attacks by insurgents since the election.
The blasts come as Shia pilgrims from around the country gather in Karbala to celebrate the birthday of the 9th century Imam Muhammad al-Mehdi.
Elsewhere in Iraq, four people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the headquarters of Arabic TV station al-Arabiya in Baghdad.
The level of violence in Iraq has decreased since 2006 and 2007 when Sunnis and Shias fought a bloody sectarian conflict, says the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Baghdad. But Shia pilgrims, who often travel to shrines by foot, are still targets for Sunni insurgents, adds our correspondent.
The US hopes to withdraw its 50,000 combat troops from Iraq by the end of August, ahead of a total withdrawal by 2012.
. | Armed Conflict | July 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
Hamas agrees to a one-week ceasefire, but fires at least two rockets into Israel afterward. | GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) -- Palestinian militants declared Sunday that they would stop attacks on Israel for a week, a statement that came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced a unilateral cease-fire in the country's assault on Hamas in Gaza.
An Israeli soldier holds up an Israeli flag after leaving Gaza on Sunday.
The Palestinians demanded that Israel remove all troops from Gaza within the week, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said from Egypt.
The agreement appears to cover all Palestinian armed factions, not only Hamas.
"We in the Palestinian resistance movements announce a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip," Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official in Syria, said on Syrian TV. "And we demand that Israeli forces withdraw in one week and that they open all the border crossings to permit the entry of humanitarian aid and basic goods for our people in Gaza."
There is no mutual agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians -- each side has made its own unilateral declaration of a cease-fire.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, called for the cease-fire to hold so aid could get into Gaza. Watch how a family in Gaza is coping with the violence
"We hope that it continues and that the situation calms down and that humanitarian aid delivery begins immediately to our people," he said at a summit in Egypt. Watch how a reporter finds Gaza in chaos
During 22 days of fighting, more than 1,200 people have died, all but 13 of them Palestinians. Watch clean-up efforts in Gaza City
The Palestinians and Israel continued to skirmish for several hours Sunday after Israel said it was stopping its offensive against Hamas. Palestinians fired at least 19 rockets into Israel on Sunday -- including at least two after the Palestinian cease-fire declaration, according to Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. At least three people were lightly wounded. Israeli military aircraft retaliated, firing missiles and destroying a rocket launcher, a military spokesman said.
Shortly before the rocket attacks, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces in northern Gaza, the military said. Troops returned fire.
Separately, Palestinian medical sources said 23 bodies were pulled from rubble in Gaza. Watch doctors tend to wounded civilians
Olmert said Sunday the Israeli offensive had achieved its goals but that the Israel Defense Forces reserved the right to respond to any Palestinian violence against Israelis.
"IDF forces are in the Gaza Strip and many other units, which are surrounding Gaza from all sides, are closely observing every corner and listening to every whisper, ready for any response that they might receive from their commanders if and when the violations continue, as they have this morning," he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, before the announcement of the Palestinian cease-fire.
Israel pulled some troops out of the Palestinian territory as it called a halt to its operation against Hamas, but others remained.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told CNN they would be there for a matter of days, not weeks.
International leaders are in the region for talks on the crisis. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosted a summit Sunday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, bringing together leaders from Europe and the Middle East.
Olmert told the gathering that, if the cease-fire holds, "the government of Israel has no intention to stay in the Gaza Strip. We are interested in leaving Gaza as soon as we can."
He said Israel would "continue to do whatever is possible to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," and expressed sorrow for the deaths of innocent civilians. "It wasn't our intention to fight them or to harm them, to hurt them or to shoot at them," he said.
German Premier Angela Merkel underscored the international community's preferred outcome in a news conference in Egypt: "The two-state solution is the only solution we have."
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, later in Jerusalem.
A top aide to Barack Obama said the president-elect would move swiftly to work on the Middle East after he is sworn in on Tuesday.
"The events around the world demand that he act quickly, and I think you'll see him act quickly," David Axelrod told CNN. But he refused to promise Obama would name a Middle East special envoy "on day one."
Israel said it launched the offensive in Gaza to stop the firing of rockets -- primarily the short-range homemade Qassam rockets -- from the territory into southern Israel by Hamas fighters.
"We welcome any alleviation of violence, with cautious optimism and hope that these declarations of cease-fire will lead to the end of fighting," said Charles Clayton, national director of World Vision Jerusalem, an aid group. "We call on all parties to stop attacks, including Hamas' rocket strikes against Israel, and refrain from further hostilities." | Armed Conflict | January 2009 | ['(CNN)'] |
Juan Manuel Santos wins convincingly in the final round of the Colombian presidential election. | Governing party candidate Juan Manuel Santos has won the final round of Colombia's presidential elections. With almost all the votes counted, Mr Santos had won 69% of the ballots and was more than 40 points ahead of his rival - Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus. Mr Santos shares outgoing President Alvaro Uribe's tough line on security.
In his victory speech, he told the country's main rebel group, Farc, that its "time had run out". He said there would not be "the slightest chance of negotiations" with the rebels and demanded they unilaterally release the hostages they hold.
Last week, the Colombian security forces rescued three police officers and a soldier who had been held captive by Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) for almost 12 years. Mr Santos, a former defence minister, praised the country's armed forces for the rescue, as well as their day-to-day work to keep Colombians safe.
He said he would not rest until they had secured every inch of the country.
But in a week when two soldiers were sentenced to 28 years in prison for carrying out extrajudicial killings, he warned the military to abide by the constitution and respect human rights.
Mr Santos also praised his predecessor Alvaro Uribe, for whose Social National Unity Party he ran.
Even after eight years in office, Mr Uribe's approval ratings remain as high as 60%, and Mr Santos said he was keen to build on his success.
"This is your triumph, too, President Uribe," he said. "We'll build on the progress you achieved over the past eight years. "Thanks to the security we've created, we can now focus on creating jobs, fighting poverty and providing opportunities for all Colombians," he promised.
But Mr Santos also reached out to his defeated rival, Antanas Mockus, saying that if in the heat of the campaign some blows had been traded, now was the time to heal those wounds. He said the time had come for national unity and invited all Colombians, not only those who had supported him, to "fly the banner for a united, educated and just Colombia".
Earlier, Antanas Mockus congratulated Mr Santos on his win. He said Colombians could continue to count on the Green Party to turn Colombian politics into something its citizens could be proud of. One of his campaign promises had been to put an end to the corruption scandals that swirled around the Uribe government.
Mr Mockus told his supporters he would not let them down. He also gave his condolences to the families of 10 members of the security forces killed on election day. Seven police died in the north-east of the country in an ambush blamed on left-wing ELN rebels.
And three soldiers were killed in battles with Colombia's main rebel group, the Farc. But correspondents say the level of violence was much lower than in previous presidential elections, when Colombia's rebel groups managed to seriously disrupt voting with attacks across the country.
| Government Job change - Election | June 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
National Democratic Congress candidate John Atta Mills wins Ghana's 2008 presidential election after narrowly defeating Nana Akufo–Addo of the incumbent New Patriotic Party in a run–off. | Opposition candidate John Atta Mills has won a tight presidential run-off in Ghana, saying he will be "a president for all".
Electoral officials announced the result after the last constituency to vote showed him extending his lead over his rival, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Mr Akufo-Addo congratulated Mr Atta Mills, but a spokesman said the party would challenge the result in court.
Officials say there was no evidence of vote-rigging, as alleged by both sides.
Street celebrations in Accra
The run-off, with the last vote held in Tain constituency, was closely watched as Ghana remains a rare example of a functioning democracy in West Africa.
The ruling party had boycotted the Tain constituency vote.
Celebration
The electoral commission said the results of the run-off showed Mr Atta Mills had won narrowly with 50.23% of the votes, against 49.77% for Mr Akufo-Addo.
"On the basis of the official results given, it is my duty to declare Professor John Evans Atta Mills the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana," the commission's head, Kwado Afari-Gyan, said in the capital, Accra.
He said the commission had considered allegations of vote-rigging by both sides but "did not find the evidence provided sufficient to invalidate the result".
Outgoing President John Kufuor earlier urged both candidates to respect the final result.
He appealed for calm and said any complaints of vote-rigging should be dealt with by the courts after the new president is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday.
Addressing jubilant supporters on the streets of Accra around the NDC headquarters, Mr Atta Mills, who had failed twice before to become president, said: "The time has come to work together to build a better Ghana.
"I assure Ghanaians that I will be president for all."
He also congratulated "all other contestants, especially Nana Akufo-Addo, for giving us a good fight."
Although Ghana remains a very divided nation when it comes to choosing a president, it has proved that democracy can work, BBC correspondent Will Ross in Accra says.
Mr Atta Mills, aged 64, is a former vice-president. He lost two previous elections to President Kufuor.
Mr Akufo-Addo, also 64, from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the first round of the presidential election but not by enough to avoid the run-off.
On Saturday, he told reporters: "I acknowledge the electoral commissioner's declaration and congratulate Professor Mills," Reuters news agency reported.
A spokesman later told the BBC that, contrary to earlier reports, he had not conceded defeat, and that the ruling party would go to court to contest the result.
Analysts says Ghana's poll could help salvage the tarnished image of constitutional democracy in Africa, after last year's flawed elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe and military coups in Mauritania and Guinea.
The stakes have been raised in these elections because Ghana has just found oil, which is expected to start generating revenue in 2010. | Government Job change - Election | January 2009 | ['(BBC News)'] |
More than 3,000 gold miners are trapped underground in the Elandskraal mine at Elandsrand, northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, owned by Harmony Gold Mining. | The final group was lifted to safety from Elandsrand mine, 80km (50 miles) from Johannesburg, officials said. The accident had left the miners trapped 2.2km (1.4 miles) underground. Some had been there for 40 hours.
The miners were brought out through a small shaft normally used for mining equipment. None were seriously injured.
Only 75 workers could be hauled clear at a time, adding up to no more than 300 in an hour.
'Room for improvement'
One of the last miners brought to safety, Richman Maneli, told AFP news agency he was happy to be out.
"It has been 30 hours of suffering," he said. "We had no food, no water and we are exhausted."
Each group of miners was greeted with shouts of joy and whistling, South African Press Association (Sapa) reported. Earlier, another rescued miner, Granny Makad, told South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper many of the trapped miners were crying and believed they would die underground.
"It was terrible," he said. "There was not enough air and they tried putting in more and ventilating the areas where we were trapped." ELANDSRAND GOLD MINE
Elandsrand mine has 6.9 million ounces of proven reserves
Located 80km (50 miles) west of Johannesburg
It has two vertical shafts - a men/material shaft and a rock/ventilation shaft
A new mine, to be finished by 2010, is being built under the existing mine, which is still in use
Harmony Gold Mining bought the mine in 2001
In pictures: Mine rescue
The accident at the mine, owned by Harmony Gold Mining, happened at about 1000 (0800 GMT) on Wednesday morning.
Harmony chairman Patrice Motsepe said the incident was a "wake up call to all of us".
Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, who visited the mine, said it would be closed for six weeks to ensure it was safe to continue operations.
Ms Sonjica greeted some of the miners as they emerged and said the government wanted to "tighten up" mine safety laws. "I wouldn't call it a crisis given that mining is risky in its nature, so incidents of this kind will occur, but I still think there is room for improvement and to reduce accidents in the mines," Ms Sonjica said.
She also complained that she and President Thabo Mbeki had not been informed of the accident by the company and learned of it from the evening news.
No serious injuries were reported, although there were cases of cramp and dehydration.
"All the miners are okay," National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told the BBC News website. Maintenance questioned
The miners were trapped in a cramped space where temperatures could reach 30-40C (86-104 Fahrenheit).
A spokeswoman for the mining company, Amelia Soares, said the bottom of the shaft where they were trapped was well ventilated, and that the miners had had access to water.
Ms Soares said a compressed pipe column fell down the mineshaft, damaging steel work in the shaft and cutting electrical cords connected to the lifts underground.
The NUM blamed Harmony's practice of mining 24 hours a day, which the union said left little time for safety checks.
"Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine, but they have not been attended to," Lesiba Seshoka told the Associated Press news agency.
The Elandsrand mine is in the Witwatersrand Basin, which holds the world's largest gold deposit.
Gold is important to South Africa's economy, says the BBC's Peter Biles in Johannesburg, although the industry has been in decline in recent years.
ELANDSRAND MINE ACCIDENT
1 45m chunk of piping breaks away near mine surface2 It damages steelwork and severs electrical cables as it falls down the 2.2km shaft3 Miners move from bottom of Men and Material shaft to adjacent Rock and Ventilation shaft4 Other miners working at about 2.6km join stranded colleagues5 They are raised to the surface via a hand-winding system | Mine Collapses | October 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
More than 123,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh due to escalating violence by the Myanmar Army. | The number of Rohingya refugees crossing from Myanmar into Bangladesh has surged, the UN says, with more than 35,000 new arrivals identified in the last 24 hours. More than 123,000 Rohingya are now said to have fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 25 August.
The conflict was triggered by an attack by Rohingya militants on police posts. This sparked a military counter-offensive that has forced a flood of Rohingya civilians from their villages. The Rohingya are a stateless mostly Muslim ethnic minority who have faced persecution in Myanmar (also called Burma). Many of those who have fled describe troops and Rakhine Buddhist mobs razing their villages and killing civilians in a campaign to drive them out. The military says it is fighting against Rohingya militants who are attacking civilians. Independently verifying the situation on the ground is very difficult because access is restricted, but since the police-post attacks Rohingya families have been streaming north into Bangladesh. The UN says it is not clear exactly when the latest refugees arrived, but said the number of new arrivals needing food and shelter had surged dramatically. Two main UN camps for them are now full, so people are sleeping outside or building shelters on open ground and along roads, a spokeswoman said. Many are in dire need of food and water. "We fled to a hill when the shooting started. The army set fire to houses," Salim Ullah, a farmer from Myanmar's Kyauk Pan Du village, told Reuters news agency as he arrived in Bangladesh. "We got on the boat at daybreak. I came with my mother, wife and two children. There were 40 people on a boat, including 25 women."
The UN's migration agency has launched an appeal for $18m (13.9m) to provide "life-saving services" for the new arrivals. Meanwhile fighting appeared to be continuing in Rakhine, a UN situation report said, with smoke seen at at least 15 points close to the Bangladesh border. Thousands of Buddhist villagers in Rakhine are also reported to have fled south. One woman told BBC Burmese she saw Rohingya militants attack people in her village with swords and ran for her life. The refugee surge comes amid mounting concern in Muslim nations over the plight of the Rohingya. "The security authorities need to immediately stop all forms of violence there and provide humanitarian assistance and development aid for the short and long term," said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who met Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Monday. On Tuesday Ms Retno met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who said the Rohingya influx was a "big burden" for Bangladesh and called on world leaders to put pressure on Myanmar to take them back. Indonesia is one of several nations where there have been protests over the Rohingya issue. Pakistan and Malaysia have spoken out, and the Maldives has suspended trade with Myanmar. The Turkish president called Ms Suu Kyi to raise concerns about human rights abuses, Turkish media said. Chechnya and Indian-administered Kashmir have seen protests and Kyrgyzstan has postponed an Asian Cup football qualifier with Myanmar, citing possible protests. On Monday, a senior UN human rights official said it was time for Ms Suu Kyi to step in to protect the Rohingya. Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate who was under house arrest for years for her pro-democracy activism, has yet to comment on the latest violence. She is under growing pressure to condemn the army's campaign, but faces both a powerful military and a Burmese public largely hostile to the Rohingya. On Tuesday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Myanmar for an official visit, but the extent to which he will raise the issue is unclear. Last month, his government - which wants to boost economic and military ties with Myanmar - announced plans to deport India's 40,000 Rohingya refugees, because it says they are illegal migrants. However, finding a country to accept them will be very hard, because Myanmar does not consider them citizens and Bangladesh, which is already home to hundreds of thousands of displaced Rohingya, takes a similar view.
| Armed Conflict | September 2017 | ['(BBC News)'] |
Voters in Canada go to the polls to elect members of the 43rd Canadian Parliament. Polls show Justin Trudeau's Liberals and Andrew Scheer's Conservatives deadlocked with equal numbers of support after a divisive campaign. | OTTAWA -- The contenders in Monday's federal election spent the last day of the campaign calling for voters to unite behind their parties amid accusations of dirty politicking and outright lying.
From when Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau fired the starting gun on the campaign on Sept. 11, voters have heard a mix of policy promises and warnings about dire consequences from each party leader if he or she doesn't come out on top.
Maxime Bernier loses riding he's held since 2006 but says PPC still has future Voters elect first Green candidate ever outside B.C.
The close of what many leaders said was a divisive campaign played out Sunday in one final, frantic barrage of sales pitches in and around Vancouver, where a host of seats are up for grabs.
Trudeau called on voters to swing behind the Liberals, warning of cuts to services if the Conservatives take power.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer warned of federal spending that leads to crippling national debt if the Liberals win a minority and are propped up by the New Democrats.
Jagmeet Singh called on voters to give his NDP a chance, while Green Leader Elizabeth May made a promise of electoral reform alongside a vow to mandate honesty from parties during future campaigns.
"I didn't think that this election would be so marred by dishonesty," May said during a morning event.
"Now all the media is covering this now, that this was a dirty election and that people lied -- the Conservatives lied about the Liberals, the Liberals lied about the Conservatives, the NDP continue to lie about the Greens. It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to endure."
Polls heading into Monday's vote suggest a deeply divided electorate after a campaign marked by revelations that Trudeau repeatedly wore blackface more than a decade ago; Scheer's dual citizenship with the United States and iffy credentials as an insurance broker; and questions about the federal role in a legal challenge to Quebec's secularism law, known as Bill 21, that is popular in the province but highly controversial.
While four leaders were on the West Coast, Scheer and Trudeau appealed, too, to vote-rich Quebec in the hopes of staunching any bleeding of support to the Bloc Quebecois, whose surge in recent polls has been one of the key surprises of the campaign.
On Saturday night, party leader Yves-Francois Blanchet rallied supporters by talking about the environment, but also talking about his party's revival with a reference to sovereignty as a possibility one day.
Trudeau warned Blanchet's "No. 1 priority is separation" -- not fighting climate change or "even to stop Conservative cuts" -- and returning the countries to debates thought dormant, as part of a message to Quebec voters to support the Liberals.
Not long after, Scheer said Blanchet's "priority is to work towards another referendum," in making the case for Quebecers to vote Conservative.
Blanchet, in Quebec, said separation is not a priority for his party now, nor is a referendum on the matter imminent, and said Trudeau was "purposefully lying" to Quebecers -- comments he made before Scheer spoke in Vancouver's Stanley Park.
"We thought that Mr. Trudeau was offering a clean campaign. This is over now. Now he is lying," Blanchet told reporters.
"If he listened to what I said yesterday, he obviously noticed that I said even if I do personally believe -- and that's a surprise for nobody -- that one day, at a time of their choice and in a manner of their own choosing, Quebecers might consider again giving themselves a country, in the meantime, I understand that this is not our mandate."
May was also heavily critical of what she called "dirty smears" from other parties, and the New Democrats in particular, after a heated war of words with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh over abortion.
She said she believed she had a good relationship with Singh -- May decided not to run a Green candidate in a byelection that gave the NDP leader a seat in the House of Commons earlier this year -- but that now appears to be in tatters.
Singh, before mainstreeting in Vancouver and Surrey, B.C., said he had no regrets about the campaign.
Any divisions in the country are a result of economic insecurity, exacerbated by the policies of successive Conservative and Liberal governments, Singh said. The NDP leader suggested his party's platform commitments would bridge any divides when asked about specific actions he would take to bring the country together if he becomes prime minister.
"All these worries and fears create division, or worries and fears allow others to come in and to divide us based on things that are not the reason for the problems," he said.
"I believe we can build a unified country if people see justice in their lives, if they see affordability in their lives, if they see child care and a health-care system and housing that is affordable that is there for them."
Meanwhile, People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier wrapped up his campaign in his Quebec riding of Beauce, defending his own seat.
He is scheduled to vote mid-morning in his riding -- just as millions of Canadians will do Monday. | Government Job change - Election | October 2019 | ['(CBC News)', '(CTV News)', '(HuffPost)'] |
Syrian opposition groups backed by Turkey recapture the strategic city of Saraqib, lift the siege on four Turkish observation points and cut the M5 highway. | DAMASCUS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Intense battles raged on Thursday as the rebels were attacking the key Saraqeb city in the countryside of the northwestern Idlib province that was recently taken by the Syrian army.
The rebels operated with the aim of cutting off the Damascus-Aleppo highway, known as the M5.
State news agency SANA said the Turkey-backed rebels are attacking the Saraqeb city in large numbers and with suicide bombers.
It said the rebels' attack is backed by heavy Turkish shelling on the Syrian positions in Saraqeb, adding that the Syrian army is engaged in intense battles with the rebels.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Turkey-backed rebels actually captured Saraqeb and cut off the M5 highway that connects Aleppo province in the north with the capital Damascus in the south.
The Syrian army secured the road earlier this month and opened it for travel and trade purposes for the first time in eight years.
The watchdog group said the Syrian army started a counter-offensive in Saraqeb with the help of Russian forces.
It said the battles for Saraqeb have been raging since Wednesday night.
The Syrian army captured Saraqeb from the Turkey-backed rebels on Feb. 6, which enabled the army to secure the M5.
SANA said a few rebels snuck on the highway near Saraqeb on Thursday, adding that the army is dealing with them.
Securing the M5 was the main purpose of a two-month-long military operation by the Syrian Army in Idlib and Aleppo.
Turkey, which backs the rebels, has pledged not to back down in Idlib.
The current battles reflect the tension between Russia and Turkey in Idlib amid fears of further complications in the Idlib region. | Armed Conflict | February 2020 | ['(SOHR)', '(Xinhua)'] |
Nobel Prize–winning economist Robert W. Fogel dies at age 86. | CHICAGO -- Robert W. Fogel, a University of Chicago economist whose study of the economics of slavery sparked a furious debate in academia and later helped garner him a Nobel Prize, has died. He was 86. The university announced that Fogel died on Tuesday, reporting that the family said he died after a brief illness. Fogel wrote 22 books in all -- the last one published in April -- and, according to the school, was an active faculty member in the Department of Economics and the Booth School of Business who was working on three more books at the time of his death. Fogel first rose to prominence among economists in the early 1960s when as a PhD student at Johns Hopkins University he conducted a statistical analysis of the impact railroads had on the nation's economy in the 19th century. That led to a book, "Railroads and American Economic Growth: Essays in Economic History," in which he contended that the railroads had a far smaller impact on the economy than was widely believed at the time.
But it was his work on slavery that brought Fogel the most attention. In "Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery," a book published in 1974, Fogel and co-author Stanley Engerman "challenged the long-held assumption, by then taken as fact, that slavery was unprofitable, inefficient and in decline in the years leading up to the Civil War," according to an article released by the school. Instead, Fogel and Engerman concluded that farms where slaves were used were as productive as those where they weren't.
Fogel spent decades at the University of Chicago, joining the faculty in 1964. After leaving for Harvard University in 1975, he returned to the university for good in 1981.
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In 1993, the Royal Swedish Academy awarded Fogel the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He shared the award with Douglass North, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
In the citation, the academy praised Fogel "for having renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institutional change." The academy said his books on the railroad and slavery "forced researchers to reconsider earlier generally accepted results, and few books in economic history have been scrutinized in such detail by critical colleagues." It noted that the book on slavery "aroused great attention and bitter controversies." | Famous Person - Death | June 2013 | ['(Newsday)'] |
Protesters clash with police in Paris. | PARIS (Reuters) - Rioters ran amok across central Paris on Saturday, torching cars and buildings, looting shops, smashing windows and clashing with police in the worst unrest in more than a decade, posing a dire challenge to Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.
'Yellow vest' protesters in Paris clash with police
01:32
The authorities were caught off guard by the escalation in violence after two weeks of nationwide protests against fuel taxes and living costs, known as the “yellow vest” movement after fluorescent jackets kept in all vehicles in France.
In Paris, police said they had arrested almost 300 people while 110 were injured, including 20 members of the security forces. Police fired stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon at protesters at the top of the Champs-Elysees boulevard, at the Tuilleries Garden near the Louvre museum and other sites.
In some areas there was virtually no police presence at all, as groups of masked men roamed in the shadows of the capital’s fabled landmarks and through its fanciest shopping districts, smashing the windows of designer boutiques.
Macron, in Argentina for a G20 summit, said he would convene ministers to discuss the crisis upon his return on Sunday. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe canceled a trip to Poland.
“We are in a state of insurrection, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Jeanne d’Hauteserre, the mayor of Paris’ 8th district, near the Arc de Triomphe.
The popular rebellion erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17 and has spread quickly via social media, with protesters blocking roads across France and impeding access to shopping malls, factories and some fuel depots.
On Saturday, some targeted the Arc de Triomphe, chanting “Macron Resign” and scrawling on the facade of the towering 19th-century arch: “The yellow vests will triumph.”
Addressing a news conference in Buenos Aires, Macron said no cause justified the looting of stores, attacks on the security forces or torching of property. The violence, he said, had nothing to do with the peaceful expression of legitimate grievances.
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“I will always respect differences. I will always listen to opposition, but I will never accept violence,” Macron said.
Protesters smashed the windows of a newly opened flagship Apple Store AAPL.O and luxury boutiques of Chanel and Dior, where they daubed the slogan "Merry Mayhem" on a wooden board. Close to the Place Vendome, Christmas trees decorating the streets were upended, piled in the middle of an avenue and set ablaze, prompting chanting from scores of protesters.
Order appeared to have been restored late in the evening, although small groups were still at odds with police near the Champs Elysees.
Authorities said violent far-right and far-left groups had infiltrated the yellow vests movement. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said most of those arrested were regular protesters who had been egged on by the fringe groups.
The protests began as a backlash against Macron’s fuel tax hikes, but have tapped into a vein of deep dissatisfaction felt toward the 40-year-old’s economic reforms, which many voters feel favor the wealthy and big business.
Unrest erupted in several towns and cities across France, from Charleville Mezieres in the northeast to Marseille in the south. In the Riviera city of Nice trucks blocked access to the airport, and in the central town of Puy-en-Velay the police headquarters was set on fire.
The protests are taking a toll on the economy. Parts of central Paris that should have been packed with tourists and Christmas shoppers resembled battle zones, as smoke and tear gas hung in the air and debris littered the ground. Hotels and department stores in the capital stand to lose millions, and shelves have run empty in some supermarkets.
The protests have caught Macron off-guard just as he was trying to counter a fall in his popularity rating to 20 percent. His unyielding response has exposed him to charges of being out of touch with ordinary people, particularly in rural villages and the provincial hinterlands.
Some peaceful protesters held up a slogan reading, “Macron, stop treating us like idiots!”
Macron on Tuesday said he understood the anger of voters outside France’s big cities over the squeeze fuel prices have put on households. But he insisted he would not be bounced into changing policy by “thugs”.
Despite the unrest that has accompanied the protests, the “yellow vests” have widespread public support, even in cities.
“I am totally behind the ‘Gilets Jaunes’,” said George DuPont, a resident in Paris’ upscale 16th arrondissement. “The state has stolen money from the French people. It’s time to give it back.”
Assistant teacher Sandrine Lemoussu, 45, who traveled from Burgundy to protest peacefully, said people were fed up with Macron.
“The people are in revolt,” she said. “The anger is rising more and more, and the president despises the French. We aren’t here to smash things, but the people have had enough.”
Many on the outskirts of smaller provincial towns and villages have expressed anger, underlining the gap between metropolitan elites and working class voters that has boosted anti-establishment politics across the Western world.
“Mr Macron wrote a book called Revolution. He was prophetic because it is what he has managed to launch, but not the revolution he sought,” Far-left La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told reporters ahead of a protest in Marseille.
Reporting by Thierry Chiarello, Antony Paone, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Bate Felix, Luke Baker, Sybille de la Hamaide, John Irish, Celia Mebroukine, Antoine Boddaert, Lucien Libert, Stephane Mahe, Caroline Paillez in Paris, Jean-Francois Rosnoblet in Marseille and Johanna Decorse in Toulouse; Writing by John Irish and Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Hugh Lawson and Peter Graff
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Protest_Online Condemnation | December 2018 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna says he is stepping down in September after nearly a decade in power. His deputy and Finance Minister Mark Brown will take over. | Mr Puna plans to put his name forward to become the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum at the end of the year.
The Cook Islands Party leader will stand aside so he can commit to competing for the role at the regional body, which is elected by the region's governments.
His deputy and Finance Minister Mark Brown will take over as prime minister.
In a statement, Mr Puna said the move came after lengthy consideration and many months of talks.
The MP for Manihiki said he was proud of the direction the Cook Islands had taken in the past decade, pointing to the country's economic development, tourism boom, renewable energy development and the creation of the Marae Moana marine reserve.
But he said the coronavirus pandemic was an "unfortunate interruption" to the process, stressing the importance of a smooth transition. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | June 2020 | ['(RNZ)'] |
Bengali writer and Social Worker Sushmita Banerjee, whose book about her escape from Talibanruled Afghanistan was made into the Bollywood movie Escape from Taliban, is shot by suspected Taliban militants. | An Indian woman, who wrote a popular memoir about her escape from the Taliban, has been shot dead in Afghanistan by suspected militants, police say.
Sushmita Banerjee, who was married to an Afghan businessman, was killed outside her home in Paktika province. The book about her dramatic escape in 1995 became a best-seller in India and was made into a Bollywood film in 2003. Ms Banerjee had recently moved back to Afghanistan to live with her husband.
A senior police official told the BBC's Jafar Haand that Ms Banerjee, who was also known as Sayed Kamala, was working as a health worker in the province and had been filming the lives of local women as part of her work.
Police said Taliban militants arrived at her home in the provincial capital, Kharana, tied up her husband and other members of the family, took Ms Banerjee out and shot her. They dumped her body near a religious school, police added.
The Taliban have told the BBC they did not carry out the attack on Ms Banerjee. Ms Banerjee, 49, became well-known in India for her memoir, A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife, which recounted her life in Afghanistan with her husband Jaanbaz Khan and her escape.
She was the subject of the 2003 Bollywood film, Escape From Taliban. Starring actress Manisha Koirala, the film described itself as a "story of a woman who dares [the] Taliban".
Ms Banerjee also told her story in an article she wrote for Outlook magazine in 1998. She went to Afghanistan in 1989 after marrying Mr Khan, whom she met in Calcutta. She wrote that "life was tolerable until the Taliban crackdown in 1993" when the militants ordered her to close a dispensary she was running from her house and "branded me a woman of poor morals".
She wrote that she escaped "sometime in early 1994", but her brothers-in-law tracked her down in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where she had arrived to seek assistance from the Indian embassy. They took her back to Afghanistan. "They promised to send me back to India. But they did not keep their promise. Instead, they kept me under house arrest and branded me an immoral woman. The Taliban threatened to teach me a lesson. I knew I had to escape," she wrote.
It was shortly after that, she wrote, that she tried to escape from her husband's home, three hours from the capital, Kabul.
"One night, I made a tunnel through the mud walls of the house and fled. Close to Kabul, I was arrested. A 15-member group of the Taliban interrogated me. Many of them said that since I had fled my husband's home, I should be executed. However, I was able to convince them that since I was an Indian, I had every right to go back to my country," Ms Banerjee wrote.
"The interrogation continued through the night. The next morning, I was taken to the Indian embassy from where I was given a safe passage. Back in Calcutta, I was re-united with my husband. I don't think he will ever be able to go back to his family."
| Armed Conflict | September 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Officials of FIFA meet in Zürich for the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress to select a new President of FIFA to replace Sepp Blatter. Gianni Infantino is elected with a majority of votes in the second round of voting. | Last updated on 26 February 201626 February 2016.From the section Football
Gianni Infantino caused a surprise by polling the most votes in round one of voting in Friday's election to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa president.
The Uefa secretary general failed to get enough to seal outright victory, claiming 88 of the 207 votes available at an extraordinary congress in Zurich.
Pre-vote favourite Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa won 85.
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein was next with 27, followed by Jerome Champagne on seven. Tokyo Sexwale withdrew earlier.
It is the first time voting for the presidential election had reached a second round since 1974, when Joao Havelange of Brazil became the first non-European president ahead of England's Sir Stanley Rous.
Blatter, who led world football's governing body since 1998, stood down last year and was later banned from football for six years.
"Infantino's camp has consistently maintained an air of optimism throughout the final days of this election campaign," said BBC Radio 5 live's sports news correspondent Richard Conway.
"They were not surprised at how well he performed in round one.
"What was surprising according to those close to Shaikh Salman is that pledges of support from Asia and Africa failed to materialise for the Bahraini."
To become president after the first round of voting, a candidate needed to secure two-thirds of the available votes, which equated to 138.
In round two, a simple majority is required, which means Infantino needs another 16 votes to become Fifa's ninth president.
"This election is being fought on the floor of the congress hall right now, with supporters of both Shaikh Salman, Gianni Infantino and Prince Ali talking to voterw," added Conway. "We could be in for a long night."
Before voting began, reforms were passed to help make Fifa a more transparent and accountable organisation.
All salaries will be disclosed, while a limit of four years has been placed on a president's term.
A new council to replace the current executive committee has also been introduced, featuring a female representative from each confederation.
Greg Dyke, who will cast a vote as chairman of the English Football Association, says the reforms are "more important" than the new leader as it will provide an "opportunity for Fifa to start again".
There are 209 Fifa nations but Kuwait and Indonesia are currently barred from taking part, meaning there are 207 eligible voters.
To become president after the first round of voting, a candidate must secure two-thirds of the available votes. If no candidate achieves that mark, a simple majority is required in the second round.
If there is still no winner, a third round will take place, minus the candidate with the fewest votes in round two.
Fifa says a winner must be declared on Friday because an ice hockey rink is due to be installed at the Hallenstadion venue at midnight.
Given everything that has happened to Fifa, this is seen as a pivotal moment for an organisation which has been heavily criticised for its lack of transparency and for failing to clamp down on corruption within it.
A new leader, together with a raft of reform measures, is seen as a chance to start afresh.
Acting president Issa Hayatou said Friday can "signal a new dawn", adding: "This is our opportunity to show we are united in building a stronger Fifa."
There have been widespread allegations of corruption, the arrest of leading officials, the banning of its president and the sight of big-name sponsors deserting the organisation.
Numerous Fifa officials have been indicted in the United States, while Swiss authorities are also investigating the organisation.
Blatter has also been banned from all football activity for six years after being found guilty of breaching Fifa's ethics rules over a $2m (£1.3m) "disloyal payment" to the head of European football's governing body Uefa, Michel Platini, who had been favourite to succeed the Swiss.
Former France captain Platini was also suspended. Both men deny any wrongdoing and are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Furthermore, Jerome Valcke, Fifa's secretary general and formerly Blatter's right-hand man, was banned for 12 years following allegations - which he denies - of misconduct while in office.
Fifa's leader is the figurehead for world football, often seen in public alongside presidents, prime ministers and royalty.
There have been eight of them so far, presiding over the organisation's executive committee, which is where the real decision-making power lies.
Fifa organises World Cups and other international tournaments, distributes broadcasting rights and should both protect and develop the world's most popular sport.
The president also "legally represents" the organisation, "maintains relations between Fifa and the confederations, members, political bodies and international organisations", and "implements the decisions passed by the congress and the executive committee".
There are four candidates following Sexwale's withdrawal. They are:
Read more: the five candidates profiled
Prince Ali: "I'm a candidate beholden to no one. I wouldn't apply political pressure or coercion. I'm the only candidate from a national association."
Infantino: "I'm not a politician, I'm football person and I'm a worker. If we stop doing politics and start doing football, the world will admire us." Sheikh Salman: "My past and my track record speaks for itself. We want someone who is responsible and can deliver the promises he says."
Champagne: "I want a Fifa that serves football, that serves you. The Fifa I dream of is one which correct the inequalities."
Prince Ali wants to quadruple the amount Fifa's member associations receive - believing it will increase their sustainability - but wants the money properly accounted for.
Infantino would expand the World Cup to 40 teams to ensure more smaller nations can participate. He also wants to hugely expand Fifa's development plan by investing £860m of its revenues and giving £3.6m to each member association.
Sheikh Salman's big idea is to split Fifa in two with a business side handling commercial issues and the football side organising World Cups and developing the game. He believes this would stop executives making self-interested decisions.
Champagne's most recent manifesto emphasised "rebalancing" the inequality in football and "reconciling" the game's "protagonists". He wants to introduce technology to help referees and appoint women to key Fifa roles. He also wants Fifa to be run like a public sector organisation.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan in Zurich:
"Few fans or players would recognise these individuals, let alone know about their policies or have trust in their leadership.
"The selection of Sepp Blatter's successor should be the moment the governing body finally consigns the tainted tenure of their former president to history and symbolically moves on from the stranglehold he held over the organisation for so long. Except to many, it simply does not feel like that.
"All of the men running for president are members of the football establishment. Four of them have spoken to Blatter in the build up to the election, presumably to ask for advice. All are loathe to condemn the disgraced former president.
"The next 24 hours matters a great deal, and much is at stake. But do not assume that it represents the end of this great scandal, or the solution to FIFA's troubles. We should all know better by now." | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | February 2016 | ['(BBC)', '(Los Angeles Times)'] |
A suicide attack by car bomb in Galkayo, Somalia, kills at least seven civilians, though the death toll is expected to rise according to military officials. According to a military spokesman, the suicide bomber tried to enter a hotel compound but failed and hit a military pickup. No group has claimed responsibility yet. | MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car bomb went off on Saturday outside a hotel in the Somali town of Galkayo in the Mudug region, killing at least seven civilians, a local military officer said, and wounding dozens.
The official said the driver had failed to enter the hotel compound and instead hit a military pickup parked outside as a barrier.
“So far we know of seven people who died, mostly civilians, but the death toll may rise,” said Major Ali Umar. “Over a dozen others were injured, mostly Somali military personnel.”
A medic at Galkayo hospital said it had received over 30 wounded as a result of the explosion.
The Islamist militant group al Shabab, which is trying to topple the central government, could not be reached for comment.
The group is fighting to seize power and establish a state based on its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law. It controls small sections of the Mudug region, but not Galkayo.
Writing by Giulia Paravicini; Editing by Kevin Liffey
| Armed Conflict | December 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Arsenal F.C. beat local rivals Chelsea F.C. 1–1 to win the FA Community Shield. | Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1 (Arsenal win 4-1 on penalties): Arsene Wenger's side started this season as they finished the last - by beating 10-man Chelsea at Wembley to win a trophy
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Arsenal start the new season exactly like they finished the last one, by beating 10-man Chelsea at Wembley to claim a trophy, as this penalty shoot-out defeat after a 1-1 draw re-emphasised that Antonio Conte’s side are still some way off their own best form from last season.
Thibaut Courtois’s decisive penalty was some way off being accurate, as he farcically skied Chelsea’s second spot-kick of the new ‘ABBA’ format to hand the initiative to Arsenal as well as the shield itself, for the third time in four years.
Alvaro Morata also got his Chelsea career off to a disappointing start by missing the very next penalty on his official debut, and that was in stark contrast to goalscorer Sead Kolasinac, whose brilliant late equaliser after Pedro's red card secured a shoot-out and eventually led to Olivier Giroud scoring the winner. Getty
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Alexis Sanchez was there in a suit congratulating all of his teammates and his manager, and that was the deeper significance of this otherwise insignificant game: who wasn’t there.
The want-away Chilean did not play, while Conte still so badly needly needs more signings, especially with Eden Hazard injured. These issues hung over this match, as the contest periodically reminded everyone of them. Arsenal lacked cutting edge without Sanchez and Ozil, while Chelsea just looked short of sharpness.
Beyond their highest-profile personnel, the next biggest question for Arsenal this season concerns how they’ll actually be arranged, and whether Wenger’s belated decision to follow Conte into playing three at the back can be as transformative as it proved for Chelsea.
It did transform their run-in, and was probably the primary reason they actually beat the champions in the FA Cup final, but it remains to be seen whether that was merely the temporary benefit that any change will bring merely by being something different or if Wenger has found something deeper.
This game didn’t tell us too much more about it, because Arsenal could only temporarily play it with the trio Wenger started with, since Per Mertesacker had to go off injured for Kolasinac. It did, however, tell us a lot about the impressive new defensive signing.
Before then, Arsenal did continue the run-in’s trend of being more comfortable playing on the counter, and they initially look more composed than a conspicuously loose Chelsea as Lacazette probably should have given them the lead when he hit the post on 22 minutes.
It was Kolasinac who stayed most solid amid a few patchier periods thereafter, and was Arsenal’s best performer, offering the thrust and strength you would expect of a player with arms of that size.
Chelsea were far from at full strength with Hazard and Tiemoue Bakayoko injured and Morata on the bench, but it was still notable how far off last season’s slickness in the formation they were. There were even a few moments when it was difficult to work out their actual formation.
Pedro was the only Chelsea player really looking any way sharp, and threatened with one shot from a glorious take-down on the run. There was nothing glorious about his foul on Mohamed Elneny that brought a red card and Wenger’s side back into the game.
Chelsea had actually taken advantage of the remaining rough edges to that Arsenal back three to go into the lead, Moses granted so much time to fire past Petr Cech on 46 minutes after the Czech’s backline failed to clear a corner.
Wenger might well have complained of an elbow by Gary Cahill just before the ball made its way to the wing-back, but the problem for Chelsea was that they still couldn’t take control of the game. There was still a fairly unconvincing slackness to them, even when Morata and Antonio Rudiger came on for their official debuts.
That led to Arsenal getting closer and closer to goal, and to Pedro’s eventual foul. He was sent off on 79 minutes, and Wenger’s side immediately seized the initiative. Typically, given everything that had preceded it, it was Kolasinac that was responsible. He was quickest to think in the box, before guiding a deft but firm header past Thibaut Courtois into the corner.
Cahill almost followed with a header of his own, but was just wide, so it was on to penalties.
They were decided when Courtois sent the ball into the sky, allowing Wenger to yet again lift the shield to the sky.
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Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. | Sports Competition | August 2017 | ['(4–1 on penalties)', '(The Independent)'] |
Carrie Fisher, the actress best known for the role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, suffers a massive heart attack while on a flight and is rushed to a hospital near Los Angeles International Airport in critical condition. | The actress - most famous for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise - suffered a "massive heart attack" as she flew back to LA
Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher is currently in intensive care after suffering a massive heart attack on a plane from London to Los Angeles.
Passengers performed CPR on the 60-year-old after she went into cardiac arrest on the United Airlines flight yesterday, TMZ reported.
Actress Anna Akana was on board the aircraft when Carrie went into medical distress and she described the upsetting scene in a series of tweets.
Akana wrote that the actress wasn't breathing "for 10 minutes or so" and CPR was administered until the plane landed at LAX.
Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd, and her beloved dog Gary were both spotted at the UCLA Medical Centre as the star received treatment.
Scroll down for the latest updates on the story.
Carrie Fisher’s mum Debbie Reynolds says that her daughter is stable.
She tweeted the news in the last few minutes adding: “If there is a change,we will share it.
“For all her fans & friends. I thank you for your prayers & good wishes.”
Mark Hamill has tweeted again - the first time since Carrie was hospitalised - saying he wants his Princess to ‘come home’
The Luke Skywalker star wished “each and every one” of his fans a “honey of a holiday” on Twitter.
He continued: “Especially my #SuperCoolSpaceSis @carrieffisher #XmasPrincessPleaseComeHome”
There has still been no update on Carrie Fisher’s condition since her heart attack on a plane 48 hours ago.
Carrie Fisher’s sister Joely has posted on Twitter - thanking fans saying their ‘love and prayers are deeply felt’.
An actress herself, she has also just said she would be rushing back to the Star Wars princess’ bedside after going ahead with her own stage performance this afternoon - with the hashtag #showmustgoon.
She also posted a throwback photo of the two of them with their other sister, Tricia Leigh Fisher.
Dave Prowse, 81, who played the original Darth Vader, has spoken of his shock at hearing the news of Carrie Fisher’s heart attack.
Speaking from his home in Croydon, South London, he said: “It’s very sad. I was shocked when I heard the news. “I’m very, very concerned and wish her all the best. It sounds really serious and I hope she comes through it ok. “I’ll be watching the news and keeping my fingers crossed for her over Christmas. “I know the fans will be too, they always take good care of the cast members when we work abroad and go to conventions. “My thoughts are with her and her family.”
Last night Prowse also posted a photo memory of all the original line-up on Twitter.
Harrison Ford, who of course played Han Solo next to Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, has spoken of his concern for the actress.
“I’m shocked and saddened to hear the news about my dear friend,” Ford told The Hollywood Reporter in the past few minutes.
“Our thoughts are with Carrie, her family and friends.”
C-3PO star Anthony Daniels has described Carrie Fisher as the “galaxy’s beloved princess”. He tweeted: “At last I know what I want for Christmas. The galaxy’s beloved Princess, fully functional once more. And soon.”
Daniels, 70, from Wiltshire, starred alongside Carrie in the original trilogy and reprised his role in the later films, most recently alongside Carrie in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Clone Wars actress Ashley Eckstein and Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta have also tweeted their support for Carrie.
Eckstein wrote: “Our thoughts and prayers are with #CarrieFisher.”
Whitta added: “Be well @carrieffisher. Thoughts, hopes, and the Force are with you.”
Fans are paying their respects to Carrie Fisher and using the hashtag #MayTheForceBeWithHer
Carrie was taken ill on board a flight from London to LA and is believed to have suffered a heart attack. Her millions of adoring fans are wishing her the speediest recovery. Hollywood icons Ellen DeGeneres and Bette Midler are the latest stars to send their support to Carrie Fisher. The star became critically ill on a flight yesterday and messages of hope from around the world have poured in. Talk show host Ellen called on everyone to send “love and positive thoughts” to Carrie. The pilot of Carrie Fisher’s London to Los Angeles flight declared a mid-air emergency after she suffered her heart attack. In a radio transmission, the captain said there was a “medical emergency” on board and asked for medical personnel at the gate.
He added that nurses were working on the passenger who was “unresponsive”.
Carrie’s daughter, Billie Lourd, and her beloved dog Gary were both spotted going into the UCLA Medical Centre where the star is now being treated.
Sci fi legends including William Shatner and Billy Dee Williams are among those who have sent well wishes to Carrie. Star Trek icon Shatner said: “I ask everyone to stop for a moment and send special thoughts to @carriefisher.”
The star is in intensive care after suffering a heart attack on board a flight from London to LA. Carrie Fisher’s Star Wars cast members have sent heartfelt messages. Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill tweeted: “As if 2016 couldn’t get any worse... sending all our love to @carriefisher.”
And Chewbacca star Peter Mayhew added: “Thoughts and prayers for our friend and everyone’s favorite princess right now..”
Carrie’s condition remained unknown on Christmas Eve morning.
Her brother, Todd Fisher, said she is receiving excellent care in hospital, but that he could not classify her condition.
Carrie suffered a heart attack yesterday while flying on a plane from London to Los Angeles, US, according to TMZ.
She was reportedly rushed to a hospital shortly after landing at LAX at around noon.
Todd Fisher has claimed that publications had been “writing between the lines” by assuming that moving the star out of the emergency room meant she was in a stable condition.
“There’s nothing new from the doctors. There’s nothing new at all... There’s no good news or bad news,” he said on Friday evening.
Graham Norton has sent “so much” love to the actress.
During her time in the UK, Carrie also appeared on the Graham Norton Show. “@carrieffisher Don’t even think about it!! This planet needs you on it! Sending so much love xxx,” he wrote.
The actress spent the days leading up to her heart attack on Friday working in the UK and also enjoying a few days in Bruges, Belgium. Carrie, 60, appeared to be in good spirits in a series of photos taken in the Markt located in the heart of the city.
This dramatic audio from Carrie’s United Airlines flight records the pilot radioing in a medical emergency after the ‘unresponsive’ Star Wars actress suffered a massive heart attack.
In the audio recording the pilot can be heard telling air traffic control that passengers on board were “assisting” with treating Fisher.
He said: “They are working on her right now and we are going to have her seated in about two minutes.”
A Twitter account said to be Carrie’s beloved dog Gary has also been sending get well wishes to the star. I’ll be waiting right here mommy. #CarrieFisher @carrieffisher #princessleia pic.twitter.com/sfwVBCBvUE
— Carrie Fisher’s Dog (@Gary_TheDog) December 24, 2016
* Audio from Carrie’s United Airlines flight records the pilot radioing in a medical emergency after the ‘unresponsive’ Star Wars actress suffered a massive heart attack 15 minutes before the plane came into land.
* Actress Anna Akana was on board the flight when Fisher went into medical distress and she described the upsetting scene in a series of tweets.
She said Fisher stopped breathing and was helped by a doctor and nurse who happened to be on board.
* LAFD spokesman Erik Scott said paramedics were standing by for the plane’s arrival and immediately provided “advanced life support, aggressively treated, and transported” the patient to UCLA Medical Center. * Her brother Todd Fisher later told news outlets she was moved from the emergency room to the Intensive Care Unit.
* The actor and filmmaker said his sister is not in stable condition, despite previous reports. “She’s in the ICU and everybody’s praying for her,” he said.
New details have emerged surrounding the star’s scary ordeal. As the plane prepared to land, the 60-year-old “started throwing up and saying she couldn’t breathe”, a source told a US outlet. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens actress was travelling on a flight from London to Los Angeles when eyewitnesses said she stopped breathing and had to receive CPR from staff, doctors and nurses, who were passengers onboard.
Carrie was moved from the emergency room to the Intensive Care Unit hours ago, Todd has told a different outlet. The actor and filmmaker said his sister is not in stable condition.
“She’s in the ICU and everybody’s praying for her,” he told Variety. “There’s nothing new from the doctors. There’s nothing new at all. ... There’s no good news or bad news.”
Carrie’s brother Todd Fisher has given a further update on his sister’s condition.
“She is in the intensive care unit, she is being well looked after,” Todd told Entertainment Tonight.
“If everyone could just pray for her that would be good. The doctors are doing their thing and we don’t want to bug them. We are waiting by patiently.”
He continued: “We certainly do not know her condition, that’s why she is in ICU. I’m sure everyone wants to speculate, but now is not the time for that.”
People are still sending Fisher words of comfort and encouragement, including Stranger Things actor Gaten Matarazzo, who wrote “May the force be with you @carrieffisher.”
Others expressed dismay at the turn of events, even blaming 2016 for the incident. Patton Oswalt tweeted: “GODDAMIT 2016 ENOUGH ALREADY.”
Comedian Billy Eichner wrote: “We are NOT losing @carrieffisher. Do you hear me? We are NOT losing @carrieffisher. Love you @carrieffisher.
Carrie’s brother Todd Fisher told The Hollywood Reporter that the 60-year-old actress has been stabilized and is “out of the emergency room”.
But says he could not comment more on the star’s current state.
Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca in the franchise, has returned to Twitter after hearing she is now in a stable condition.
“UPDATE: @carrieffisher is stable. So worried, glad to hear some positive news.
“Thoughts and prayers for our friend and everyone’s favourite princess right now...”
Thoughts and prayers for our friend and everyone’s favorite princess right now.. @carrieffisher
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) December 23, 2016
Carrie Fisher’s brother, Todd Fisher, has told Associated Press that she was “out of emergency” and stabilised at a Los Angeles hospital.
— SimonNRicketts (@SimonNRicketts) December 23, 2016
Carrie had previously bemoaned the dramatic weight loss she was forced to undergo for his big screen return.
Her health problems come after she revealed that she shed 35lb - around two and half stones - before playing Princess Leia in last year’s Star Wars film, The Force Awakens.
Last year she told Good Housekeeping about how she was forced to lose weight in order to reprise her role.
“They don’t want to hire all of me, only about three-quarters,” she said. Nothing changes, it’s an appearance-driven thing. I’m in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance.
“That is so messed up. They might as well say get younger, because that’s how easy it is.”
Well wishes continue to flood in for the 60-year-old actress.
Star Trek actor William Shatner wrote on Twitter: “I ask everyone to stop for a moment and send special thoughts to @carriefisher.”
While filmmaker Kevin Smith said: “I don’t pray much anymore but I am praying for you right now. Please pull through.”
I ask everyone to stop for a moment and send special thoughts to @carrieffisher.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 23, 2016
Carrie’s daughter Billie Catherine Lourd has arrived at UCLA Medical Centre to be by her mother’s side as she fights for her life. Billie, 24, is Carrie’s only child with CAA talent agent Bryan Lourd.
Video, obtained by TMZ, sees her sitting outside the hospital with another female before entering. Carrie’s beloved dog Gary was also seen outside the hospital.
It’s emerged that - besides being on a book tour - Carrie Fisher was just in the UK filming a sitcom for Channel 4.
According to reports she was reprising her role as Mia in the hit TV series Catastrophe.
The show, also starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, has aired two series in the UK so far - and had been commissioned for another two, the first of which to air in 2017.
Since Mirror is a Reach news title, you have been logged in with the Reach account you use to access our other sites. | Famous Person - Sick | December 2016 | ['(Mirror)'] |
Joseph Kabila, the first freely elected leader of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 40 years, is inaugurated as President. | He told heads of state and an excited crowd that he would abide by "the trilogy of good governance, democracy and respect for human rights".
He is DR Congo's first freely elected leader in 40 years having won a tense run-off presidential poll in October.
The 35-year-old took power in 2001 after his father was assassinated.
Defeated presidential candidate and ex-rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba missed the ceremony. "A new page is opening up before us. I can see the Congo of tomorrow carrying the hopes of a renascent Africa at the dawn of this century with its great challenges," Mr Kabila told the audience.
Thousands of guests are taking shelter from the hot sun
President Kabila also saluted the "remarkable solidarity" of the international community during the country's political transition, which has seen 17,000 United Nations peacekeepers implementing a 2002 peace deal following a five-year war. Thousands of guests were in the garden of State House just near the huge and powerful Congo river for the ceremony.
Many people were shading themselves under umbrellas in the national colours of blue, red and yellow.
Several African leaders attended the event including South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and the Angolan leader, Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe did not attend - despite being a close ally of Joseph Kabila's father, Laurent. Hope
Last month, the Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge by Mr Bemba, who claimed the run-off vote was rigged.
The poll was intended to bring a new era of stability after years of war and its successful conclusion was hailed as a miracle.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | December 2006 | ['(BBC)'] |
25–year–old Scottish human rights worker Kate Burton and her parents are freed unharmed in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian gunmen who kidnapped them two days earlier. | British human rights worker Kate Burton and her parents are said to be safe and in good spirits. (File photo) (Al Mazen) A 25-year-old British human rights worker and her parents have been freed in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian gunmen who kidnapped them two days earlier. A previously unknown group calling itself Brigades of the Mujahideen-Jerusalem said it seized Kate Burton, her father Hugh and mother Helen to demand British and European pressure on Israel, and freed them as a gesture of goodwill. The Burtons passed through Gaza City briefly before being whisked away towards Israel in diplomatic cars with darkened windows. "They are well and in good spirits. They are currently with officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem," said a statement from the British Foreign Office. "She was not hurt, her parents were okay and she plans to visit Gaza next week," said Adnan Hajjar, a colleague of Burton's. "Kate said she was sorry that she could not make it to the hotel to greet everybody." In a video released to media, a masked gunman read out a message standing next to Kate Burton, who appeared with her hands behind her back. "We have decided to pardon the three Britons as a gesture of goodwill in return for a seriousness in answering our demands," the gunman said. Ms Burton and her visiting parents were seized in the southern town of Rafah on the Egyptian border on Wednesday. Kidnappers, armed with automatic rifles, pulled over their car and bundled them into another vehicle that sped away. The political demands and Islamist tone of the captors were a marked departure from previous kidnappings in the Gaza Strip, whose perpetrators tended to be seeking jobs or the release of prisoners, and set free their hostages within hours. The fact the kidnappers made no contact for two days had raised concerns for the Britons' safety. "We thank everyone who has worked so tirelessly towards this moment, especially Kate's colleagues and friends in Gaza, who kept all our hopes up throughout this ordeal," said a statement from the Burton family released through the Foreign Office. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | December 2005 | ['(ABC Australia)'] |
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev reportedly flees the country, as the government steps down and protestors overrun the parliament building. The opposition announces the formation of a new provisional government headed by Roza Otunbayeva. | Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has fled the country following clashes between police and anti-government protesters, according to some reports, and the opposition claims to have set up a provisional government.
Reports vary regarding where the President could have gone.
According to an unconfirmed report by the Russian news site Regnum, the head of the state was taken direct to the Manas airport and his plane took off in an instant.
Bakiyev’s destination is unknown, but the source says that “judging by the specifications, an aircraft of this type can only fly to one of the neighboring countries. Then he will need to refuel.”
The France Presse news agency also reported that President Bakiev left Bishkek on a small plane, quoting an unnamed source at the airport.
However, shortly after the Regnum report was published, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a person from Bakiev’s inner circle, who dismissed the information as false and said that the president remained at his workplace.
Russian news agency Interfax reported that three houses belonging to Kurmanbek Bakiyev's family were on fire. It also said that a group of people had started looting the houses.
Some suggest that Bakiyev is currently in Kazakhstan, which has been denied by Kazakh authorities and, moreover, the borer between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is now closed.
Other reports suggest that Kurmanbek Bakiyev is currently in the south of Kyrgyzstan, in the city of Osh, generally known to be the city where the most of his supporters live.
As of Thursday midnight the number of dead in Wednesday’s riots reached 47 and about 400 more people have been hospitalized with injuries. The headquarters report said most of the fatalities occurred in Bishkek, the nation’s capital, and the cause of death in most cases were gunshot wounds.
Erica Marat, a researcher at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington DC, told RT that the alleged escape of Kyrgyz President Bakiyev does not automatically mean the opposition has been victorious.
“I think at this point we can’t say if it was a revolution or not. We still haven’t heard what Bakiyev’s next steps are going to be. Until we hear from the president, we can’t claim victory for the opposition or from any other party. The president can still use force to protect his regime through his proxies inside Kyrgyzstan, and this can still lead to more bloodshed,” Marat said.
Watch the full interview with Erica Marat
Late on Wednesday evening the Kyrgyz opposition announced they had formed a provisional government headed by former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva. Further, the previous government has tendered its resignation in full, a representative of the opposition told RIA Novosti news agency.
“The opposition controls the power in the republic. The president’s whereabouts are unknown,” Otunbayeva told the press. She also said the most important task for the provisionary government is to maintain stability, protect human lives and prevent looting.
"I think we simply cannot remain indifferent. As citizens of this country we cannot stand and watch how it's being robbed – boldly and dishonestly. You might say it's not surprising and is typical of all former Soviet republics. But here, in Kyrgyzstan, they are doing it in a rude, savage and barbaric way. They are doing it with a high hand, and we simply cannot tolerate it any longer," Otunbaeva added.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | April 2010 | ['(Russia Today)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
At least 24,000 workers at two plants in Vietnam go on strike over pay, bonuses and lunar new year holidays. | HANOI - AROUND 24,000 workers at two South Korean plants in Vietnam have gone on strike over pay, bonuses and lunar new year holidays, company staff and news reports said on Friday. At the Tae Kwang Vina footware company in southern Dong Nai province, almost 20,000 employees refused to work on Thursday and Friday, a company employee told AFP, declining to be named. She said management had agreed that the Tet lunar new year holidays could last eight days 'but have not said anything regarding the requests for an increase in basic salary and Tet bonus'. Tet falls on Feb 3 in 2011 and is the most important holiday for Vietnamese people. The employee said basic salary at the South Korean owned plant is now 1.3 million dong a month (S$84.50). This is roughly in line with what the government says is the country's average monthly income of 1.365 million dong. Vietnamese consumers have been hit by rising inflation, which official figures released on Friday said is estimated to have risen 9.2 per cent year-on-year during 2010. -- AFP | Strike | December 2010 | ['(Straits Times)'] |
Uruguay striker and 2010 FIFA World Cup player of the tournament Diego Forlán is a popular attraction among the inhabitants of Kolkata as he participates in a talent search. | Uruguayan football star Diego Forlan, who was named best player in the 2010 World Cup, has attracted huge crowds in the Indian city of Calcutta.
The 31-year-old, who scored five goals in the tournament in South Africa, is taking part in a football talent hunt.
Many of the participants come from underprivileged backgrounds.
"I've had the opportunity to see them playing, and I'm surprised how organised the young players are. You can see real talent," Forlan said.
The capital of the state of West Bengal is one of the few football-crazy cities in India, where the game often plays second-fiddle to cricket in people's affections.
The level of interest in the sport could be seen by the large number of fans who greeted Forlan on his arrival.
"I feel delighted and honoured, it's thrilling that Forlan is here among us," said one supporter.
The player said he was delighted to be in India and he expected Indian football to "grow over the next few years" with players in England, Spain and Italy.
"I hope we can see Indian players playing in great leagues in the future," he told the BBC Asian Network's Bengali show.
While in the city, the Atletico Madrid forward visited the headquarters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. Forlan is a hero in his home country and won many admirers around the world for his performances in the World Cup. Two-time World Cup champions Uruguay reached their first semi-final in four decades in South Africa.
When asked about the 2010 World Cup, he said: "My best goal was the one I scored against Germany."
He joins a host of football stars who have visited Calcutta over the last three years including Lothar Matthaus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Diego Maradona, Branco, Romario, Oliver Kahn, Gerd Muller, Mark van Bommel and Ze Roberto.
In 2008, German football team Bayern Munich became one of the first major European clubs to play in India at a Calcutta match. | Sports Competition | August 2010 | ['(BBC News)'] |
U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold announces his resignation from Congress. | Rep. Blake Farenthold had pledged to pay back the $84,000 he used to settle a staffer's sexual harassment claim, but he apparently has hedged.
Rep. Blake Farenthold had pledged to pay back the $84,000 he used to settle a staffer's sexual harassment claim, but he apparently has hedged.
Embattled Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, announced Friday that he has resigned from Congress, months after reports surfaced that he had used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim by a former staffer.
"While I planned on serving out the remainder of my term in Congress, I know in my heart it's time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve," the four-term congressman said in a statement.
Farenthold had already announced he wouldn't seek re-election and had pledged to pay back the $84,000 he used to settle the claim, but he had hedged on that promise as of late, according to CNN. Farenthold was also facing a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
Farenthold's office did not respond to inquires about whether he had repaid the settlement money, but, in a statement, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, urged the outgoing representative to do so.
"I hope Blake is true to his word and pays back the $84,000 of taxpayer money he used as a settlement," Stivers said. "As I have said repeatedly, Congress must hold ourselves to a higher standard and regain the trust of the American people."
Politico first reported in December that Lauren Greene, Farenthold's former communications director, had sued him in December 2014 for gender discrimination, sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and wrongful termination. According to Greene, another co-worker had said Farenthold said he had "sexual fantasies" and "wet dreams" about her and had told Greene that he was "estranged from his wife and had not had sex with her in years." When she complained about the comments, she was fired. Greene filed a lawsuit, but that was dropped after a private settlement was reached through the Congress' Office of Compliance.
Another male former staffer also detailed to CNN how the congressman was verbally abusive and created a hostile work environment, frequently using profanity and making vulgar sexual comments. Farenthold denied he had used some of the crude sexual language the staffer described. He did admit he used profanity in referring to some aides but said it was "in jest, not in anger."
The Corpus Christi-area seat he represents is a solidly Republican district that voted for President Trump by 24 points. A Republican source familiar with the situation said it's unlikely a special election will be called.
Farenthold was first elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, defeating Democratic Rep. Solomon Ortiz. Redistricting before the 2012 cycle made the once-competitive district much redder, and Farenthold hadn't faced a serious re-election threat since. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | April 2018 | ['(NPR)'] |
A shooting occurs at a local train station in the Unterföhring suburb of Munich, Germany. The assailant shot a police officer in the head; she is in critical condition. Backup police engaged in a shootout where the suspect and two bystanders were injured. Police do not believe this is a terrorist attack. | BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man shot a 26-year old policewoman in the head on Tuesday using a gun he had grabbed from another officer at a Munich train station, police said, adding there was no indication of a link to terrorism.
The 37-year-old man, who had been involved in a brawl at Unterfoehring station, shoved a policeman on the platform and grabbed his gun as a train was entering the station.
“Then there was an exchange of fire during which a 26-year old policewoman .. suffered a potentially life-threatening injury in the head,” Munich police said in a statement.
The man was also injured in the incident and then arrested. Two other people were also hurt but their lives are not in danger, said police. The area around the station was sealed off.
“There are no indications of a terrorist background,” the police said, adding that an investigation was being carried out.
| Riot | June 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(NBC News)'] |
The White House and United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. are evacuated, amid reports of an incoming aircraft. The US Secret Service subsequently issues an allclear. | People were seen running out of the Capitol after the alert was given just before noon (1600 GMT) on Wednesday. Staff in the Treasury and the Supreme Court were also moved to safety. They were allowed to return shortly after.
The plane was within three miles (5km) of the White House when it was forced to turn around.
President George W Bush was not in the White House at the time.
Warning flares
The aircraft, a two-seater Cessna 150 with a top speed of about 100mph (160km/h) appeared on radar at 1128.
Air traffic control tried to contact the pilot when the plane was 25 miles (40km) west of Capitol Hill.
At 1155 the customs department launched at least one Black Hawk helicopter to intercept the aircraft, which was registered to an air club in Pennsylvania.
Five minutes later, two military F-16s jets fired four warning flares when the Cessna's pilot did not respond to radio calls. The light aircraft was within three miles of the White House when it started to move away, escorted by fighter jets. By 1237 the aircraft had landed in neighbouring Maryland. A pilot and a student pilot aboard the Cessna - identified as Jim Sheaffer and Troy Martin - were questioned by the FBI and the Secret Service. The two men were later released without charges, reports said. Their intrusion appeared to have been accidental, as they were flying to an air show. The colour-coded terror alert was raised from yellow to orange to red and then lowered when the plane was diverted, the White House said.
'I ran'
As the alarm was raised, armed security officers raced through the Capitol shouting for people to leave. "This is not a drill," guards shouted as they moved people away from the building.
Senator Richard Shelby was on the Senate floor when police told him to evacuate the building.
"They said get out of here, so I ran," he told the AP news agency. "There's no joking about this kind of stuff."
President Bush was away from the White House at the time, riding his bicycle. But Vice-President Dick Cheney - who was present - was taken to a safer location. Airspace over Washington DC is restricted in a radius of about 30 miles (48km) from the US Capitol.
There are plans to introduce a new laser system within days. It will use red and green lights to warn pilots if they enter the restricted area without the appropriate identification. | Armed Conflict | May 2005 | ['(BBC)'] |
Yevgeny Dzhugashvili launches a court action claiming the Novaya Gazeta newspaper has defamed his grandfather, Joseph Stalin. | Hearings began today in a libel case brought by the grandson of Joseph Stalin against a prominent Russian newspaper. Yevgeny Dzhugashvili, the Soviet dictator’s grandson, took offence at an article published by the liberal paper Novaya Gazeta that accused Stalin of personally signing death warrants for thousands of people.
The article referred to declassified documents which the author claims bear Stalin’s signature. Mr Dzhugashvili, who did not show up in court today, says that this is a lie, and denies that his grandfather ordered any murders. He is seeking 10 million roubles (200,000) of damages from the newspaper and demanding the retraction of several quotes from the article.
A small group of mostly elderly Stalin supporters gathered outside the central Moscow courtroom as hearings began, some of them bearing photographs of the dictator on their lapels. Both sides have requested previously classified documents to be brought before the court to help them make their case.
That the court is even hearing the case is bizarre, as almost all serious historians agree that Stalin was responsible for monstrous crimes. Orlando Figes, a British historian of Russian has compared the case to a holocaust denier in Germany being allowed to bring a case against a newspaper that wrote that Adolf Hitler was responsible for the deaths of Jews.
“This case is practically a trial of Stalin himself,” says prominent liberal journalist Anton Orekh. In Russia, there have been no official trials or public soul-searching over the darker elements of the country’s history.
The Kremlin has avoided making direct statements about Stalin in recent years, but many have observers have noted a subtle rehabilitation of Stalin during the Putin years. This court case comes at an interesting time, as liberals claim that the state is attempting to silence critics of the Soviet period and make Russians proud of their history. There was an uproar when a recent renovation of a Moscow metro station was revealed to have restored an inscription praising Stalin that had been removed after his death. In recent weeks pro-Kremlin youth activists have hounded a journalist who criticised supporters of the Soviet Union. They asked him to apologise or leave the country, and set up a picket outside his house.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | October 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(The Independent)', '(Miami Herald)', '[permanent dead link]'] |
Ireland is hit by another earthquake, this time off the coast of County Mayo. | It has been confirmed that a magnitude four earthquake struck off the west coast of the country this morning.
Hundreds of people across counties Mayo, Sligo and Galway experienced strong tremors in their homes and workplaces this morning, though there were no reports of injuries.
The earthquake struck 100 kilometres off the coast at Belmullet in Co Mayo just before 9am.
Although the earthquake's epicentre occurred at a depth of 60km, people along the west coast still reported feeling tremors.
Meanwhile at the National Data Centre for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in Dublin, new specialised equipment picked up the earthquake.
Using data from five stations monitoring seismic activity, the Irish National Seismic Network confirmed that this was the biggest earthquake every recorded off the west coast.
The National Seismic Network says that although some aftershocks are likely, they probably will not be strong enough to be felt on land. | Earthquakes | June 2012 | ['(RTE)'] |
Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, hospitalised after falling in the United States last month, is not released from hospital as had been initially expected due to a negative reaction to her morphine. | Zsa Zsa Gabor was not released from hospital on Saturday as expected, her publicist has said.
Doctors have decided to keep the 93-year-old actress at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, three weeks after she was admitted.
She was taken to hospital in July after falling out of bed and breaking several bones.
Her publicist John Blanchette said she went into shock on Saturday and that she had a bad reaction to morphine.
Gabor is partially paralysed and uses a wheelchair following a car accident in 2002. She also suffered a stroke five years ago.
Gabor starred in films such as Moulin Rouge, Lili and Touch of Evil. Gabor critical after transfusion
Zsa Zsa Gabor to have hip surgery
Zsa Zsa Gabor taken to hospital
UN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar
In a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo.
The ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters. VideoThe ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters
Tokyo Olympics: No fans is 'least risky' option
Asia's Covid stars struggle with exit strategies
Why residents of these paradise islands are furious
The Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care. VideoThe Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care
Troubled US teens left traumatised by tough love camps
Why doesn't North Korea have enough food?
Le Pen set for regional power with eye on presidency
How the Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK | Famous Person - Sick | August 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
Filmmaker Benicio del Toro is presented with the International Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Prize by the Cuban government in Havana. | Oscar-winning actor Benicio del Toro has been presented with an award by the Cuban government in Havana, in recognition of his body of work.
The inaugural Tomas Gutierrez Alea prize was presented at a ceremony attended by US actors Robert Duvall, James Caan and Bill Murray. Their visit is seen as a sign of warming Cuban-US relations. Puerto Rican-born del Toro played revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara in two films out last year. Named after prolific Cuban filmmaker Alea, the new award was voted for by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. Del Toro - who won a best supporting actor Oscar for Traffic in 2001 - said it was "an honour" to receive the award and thanked Che director Steven Soderbergh. The director's two-part, four-and-a-half hour biopic on the Argentine revolutionary who helped Fidel Castro take power in Cuba in 1959, was a big hit on the island. Murray sang songs to union members packed into a room behind the group's main headquarters. He then jokingly passed around a baseball cap to collect tips for the pianist who accompanied him. "This is a show that will never be able to be repeated," del Toro said. "Bill Murray singing, Robert Duvall with his flowers, James Caan sitting here next to me, with [Cuban actors] Jorge Perugorria and Mirta Ibarra. "It will stay in history forever." Because of the long-standing US trade embargo against communist Cuba, Americans have been forbidden - with some exceptions - from visiting the island, which is 90 miles (145km) away from Key West, Florida. Hollywood stars such as Robert Redford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and director Steven Spielberg have visited in the past but cultural exchanges slowed down because of restrictions imposed by former US President George W Bush. | Awards ceremony | July 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(The New York Times)'] |
Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu announces that his government will scrap its proposed decree of decriminalizing some graft offenses on Sunday. | BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania’s government will scrap a decree decriminalizing some graft offences on Sunday, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu said on Saturday, as some 140,000 demonstrators protested against the law a stone’s throw from his office.
“We’ll hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday to repeal the decree, withdrawn, cancel it ... you understand, and find a legal way to make sure it does not take effect,” Grindeanu said in televised speech from the cabinet’s headquarters. | Government Policy Changes | February 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Multiple fires erupt in the Mória Reception & Identification Centre, Greece's largest migrant camp, causing widespread destruction. The fires happen shortly after the entire camp was put under quarantine due to the detection of positive COVID–19 cases. | Several fires have mostly destroyed the Moria refugee camp, home to more than 12,000 asylum seekers. There are no known casualties so far. Authorities are now investigating reports of arson. Firefighters on Wednesday fought to contain multiple fires at Greece's largest migrant camp, located on the island of Lesbos.
Thousands of residents fled from the camp, but were stopped by police vehicles. Most were being guarded by police on a nearby highway. There is no suggestion of injuries or casualties.
"The whole camp is on fire. Everything is burning. People are escaping. Their homes in Moria are gone," said local refugee support group Stand By Me Lesvos.
"The fire spread inside and outside the camp and has destroyed it," Stratos Kytelis, mayor of the island town of Mylinene told local radio.
"It is a very difficult situation because some of those who are outside will include people who are positive [for coronavirus]," he added.
A Somali refugee residing in Moria tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this week, triggering a host of lockdown measures in a bid to contain the outbreak.
At least 35 people at the camp had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Some of the firefighters said they "met resistance" from some of the camp's residents as they worked to suppress the blazes.
Greek authorities said the cause of the fires remain unknown. Local media reports suggested the fires may have been started deliberately to protest lockdown measures imposed on the camp earlier this week.
Health authorities said some of the migrants who had been placed in isolation were living in a separate site not affected by the fire.
Government spokesman Simon Petsas said that arson was being considered as a possible cause.
Firefighters were also battling two other forest fires on the west of the island.
| Fire | September 2020 | ['(DW)'] |
The Portuguese government announces details of its draft budget for 2013, as protests continue against austerity. | The Portuguese government has revealed details of its draft budget for 2013, one of the harshest in the country's recent history.
Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar confirmed the average income tax rise would increase from 9.8% in 2012 to 13.2% next year.
Portugal was granted a 78bn-euro ($100bn; £63bn) bailout last year.
Mr Gaspar said the budget was the only way for the country to meet its targets under the bailout. "We have no room for manoeuvre," he said.
"Asking for more time [under the bailout] would lead us to a dictatorship of debt and to failure."
He also announced spending cuts worth 2.7bn euros next year, which would include laying off 2% of the country's 600,000 public sector employees.
About 2,000 protesters gathered outside parliament on Monday to demand the resignation of the government, chanting: "The people united will never be defeated."
Mr Gaspar said the budget would allow Portugal to reduce its budget deficit to 4.5% in 2013. It must eventually get its deficit below the European Union target of 3% of GDP.
Portugal is currently experiencing its worst recession since the 1970s, with the unemployment rate above 15%, and predicted to rise to 16.4% next year.
Opposition Socialist Party leader Antonio Jose Seguro described the draft budget as "a fiscal atomic bomb".
Portugal's main trade union, the CGTP, said it was "an attack on the dignity of the people" and daily newspaper Diario Economico declared it "an insult to the Portuguese people".
As in Spain and Greece, Portugal has seen huge street protests against the austerity cuts that are needed to meet the demands of the bailout.
In September, the government decided not to raise social security contributions next year from 11% to 18% after protests against the proposed move.
A general strike is planned for 14 November.
The income tax rise in the budget amounts to a month's wages for many workers.
The budget also reduces Portugal's income tax brackets from eight to five, and there will be a one-off 4% surcharge tax on all workers' earnings in 2013.
Capital gains tax will increase from 25% to 28%.
The government expects the economy to shrink by at least 3% this year and by 1% next year, although many economists forecast a greater contraction in 2013.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | October 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
U.S. President Donald Trump visits Warsaw, where he speaks of defeating radical Islamist terrorism, pledges to uphold the North Atlantic Treaty, and urges Russia to "join the community of responsible nations." | An enthusiastic Polish crowd chanted President Donald Trump’s name and “USA USA USA” as the American president gave a valentine of a speech in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square by a memorial to the 1944 Polish Uprising.
HAMBURG, Germany — An enthusiastic Polish crowd chanted President Donald Trump’s name and “USA USA USA” as the American president gave a valentine of a speech in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square by a memorial to the 1944 Polish Uprising.
In a half hour, Trump essentially wrapped America in Polish history and likened the Poles’ resistance to the Nazis — most dramatically in a 63-day pitched battle that left more than 150,000 Poles dead and Warsaw a ruin — to America’s and the West’s fight against radical Islamist terrorism.
“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” Trump told the crowded square.
Trump also used the occasion to urge Russia “to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes — including Syria and Iran — and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defense of civilization itself.”
The president delivered an expected slap toward NATO nations that, unlike Poland, have missed the benchmark of spending more than two percent of their gross domestic product on defense. However, that criticism was balanced with an unsolicited embrace of Article 5, NATO’s mutual-defense clause, which Trump failed to endorse during his first trip to Europe in May.
Crowds waving U.S. and Polish flags gathered in and around the Warsaw square to hear Trump speak. “America loves Poland, and America loves the Polish people,” Trump said. The crowd returned the love.
Protests in Hamburg
It was a far different scene later in the day when Trump arrived in Hamburg, Germany, where columns of police tried to keep order as waves of protesters — some demonstrating their intent to commit violence by wearing black masks — hit the streets. Authorities expect as many as 100,000 protesters at the Group of 20 Summit, a two-day gathering of the world’s top economic powers.
German police used water cannons, pepper spray and batons to disperse marchers after some attacked them with bottles and other objects.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is hosting the G-20 Summit, has made clear her differences with Trump on climate change, refugees and trade. “We are not going to paper over the differences but rather, we will call discord discord,” Merkel said last month.
Trump met with Merkel after arriving in Hamburg. The pair shook hands and spoke briefly while looking directly at each other. They then left for closed-door discussions.
The German government said Merkel and Trump discussed issues including North Korea, the situation in the Middle East and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Trump is scheduled to meet face-to-face Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A number of high-ranking Democrats in Washington on Thursday demanded that Trump confront Putin over Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election, but Trump has refused to say if he will raise the issue.
First overseas press conference
Before his Warsaw address, Trump held a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. It was the first time he took press questions overseas.
During the press conference, Trump declined to definitively declare that Russia tried to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. “I think it was Russia,” he said, but added that other countries also may have been involved.
Trump used the question to slam former President Barack Obama for failing to do more to combat foreign meddling when he was informed of it in August.
Trump reminded the room that the intelligence community is not infallible, and harkened back to the intelligence community’s near certainty under President George W. Bush that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
“Everybody was 100 percent sure,” Trump recalled. “Guess what? They were wrong.”
Trump also used the occasion to again call CNN “fake news” and to chastise NBC for being almost as bad — even though his reality TV show, “The Apprentice,” made the network so much money.
Trump then looked to Duda and asked if the Polish president had to deal with the same sort of media coverage. Duda appeared quite sympathetic.
The “fake news” detour began when Daily Mail reporter David Martosko asked Trump about the fallout from a controversial tweet the president had sent that showed him wrestling with a man whose head had been replaced with a CNN logo.
Martosko then asked Duda about his Law and Justice Party’s attempts to clamp down on press freedoms by “limiting who can cover the parliament.” (Last year the Law and Justice Party made such a proposal, but Duda abandoned the plan after public protests.)
Duda’s answer could have come straight from Trump’s “fake news” playbook. The Polish president accused a Polish TV station of not covering his visit to Croatia, “because this broadcaster does not like me as the president of Poland.”
| Diplomatic Visit | July 2017 | ['(Las Vegas Review-Journal)'] |
The New South Wales Police arrests six people, including organizer Paddy Gibson, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney; five of those were handed penalty infringement notices. They arrested them because they were breaching a public health order. | Police have arrested six people, including organiser Paddy Gibson, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney.
Five of those arrested were handed penalty infringement notices.
Mr Gibson was put in the back of a police vehicle before the rally was due to start at 12:00pm.
After he was fined $1,000 for breaching a public health order, Mr Gibson was whisked into State Parliament through the back entrance by Greens MP Jenny Leong.
Police Commissioner Mick Willing said it was unfortunate that people had to be arrested, and he urged protesters to stop breaching public health orders.
"As we said all along, we are not anti the right to protest. This is about public safety. At the end of the day, we are in the middle of a pandemic," he said.
"The Supreme Court judge himself described the current situation in New South Wales as being on a knife's edge."
The rally was ruled unlawful by the NSW Supreme Court on the weekend, which was upheld at a last-minute appeal on Monday.
Supporters said they would march anyway while observing social distancing and other health and safety protocols like wearing masks.
"Stand on your own. Stand in a group that is smaller than 20," Mr Gibson said on Monday.
"Come and have your lunch in the Domain in Sydney tomorrow.
"It's not illegal to have your lunch in the park in the city of Sydney still even under the COVID-19 pandemic … we'll be continuing to raise our voice for justice."
Previously Mr Gibson told the ABC the protest was being held to demand justice for David Dungay Jr and other black people who have died in custody.
Mr Dungay died in Long Bay Jail in 2015 after five guards restrained him, and, a registered nurse gave him a powerful sedative. He was 26.
Following an inquest, NSW Corrections Commissioner Peter Severin acknowledged "systemic issues" and "clear failings" contributed to Mr Dungay's death.
There was a large police presence at the Domain in preparation for the rally, including riot and dog squads.
But just after noon, organisers said police move-on orders meant it was over before it could begin.
As demonstrators were marched out of the Domain by police, organisers told the crowds to "disperse, disperse".
Some protesters headed to Hyde Park, which is about a 10 minute walk from the Domain, but they did not congregate as police officers trailed them.
After the protesters were detained, a post on the event's Facebook page, Justice For David Dungay Jnr, instructed people on the way to the march to stay away instead.
"We are now appealing for people NOT to come to the Domain. "Please share spread the word the rally is OVER." ABC News: Jesse Dorsett
Lawyer Yashvi Shah watched the rally from the NSW Supreme Court and said she could see many more police officers than protesters.
"What I saw from many metres away were protesters socially distancing from each other, and every single one of the protesters I saw were wearing masks and were peaceful, not causing any chaos," she said.
Among the crowd on Tuesday was the nephew of Mr Dungay. The family of Mr Dungay presented a petition of signatures to the NSW Government this afternoon calling for charges to be laid against the guards involved in his death.
Mr Dungay's mother Leetona Dungay said the petition had "more than 100,000" signatures.
She said Tuesday's rally was "a bit scary".
"We showed them a sign that we weren't going to give up and [we would] get justice and charges and changes." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | July 2020 | ['(ABC News Australia)'] |
Los Angeles Police announce that they have arrested Lonnie David Franklin, Jr., suspected to be the serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper, yesterday. He is arraigned on various murder charges. | (CNN) -- The arrest of a suspect in the Grim Sleeper serial killings ends a quarter-century of "terror" for Los Angeles, the city's mayor said Thursday.
Lonnie David Franklin Jr., 57, made his first appearance Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court on murder and attempted murder charges. He was ordered held without bail pending an arraignment scheduled for August 9.
"For the last 25 years, one man preyed on the innocent and stole the lives of women living in some of our toughest neighborhoods," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told reporters Thursday.
"Today, I'm proud to announce that this terror has finally come to an end," he added.
Nicknamed for taking long breaks between attacks, the Grim Sleeper is believed responsible for at least 11 deaths since 1985 in south Los Angeles. The killer targeted black women, some working as prostitutes, using the same small caliber weapon. The police had DNA of the killer for years, but no one to match it. Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and California Attorney General Jerry Brown praised police for the arrest at a news conference Thursday. Authorities said a DNA match from a database Brown championed tied Franklin to the killings, and the attorney general said the case demonstrates the value of the sometimes-controversial tool. Brown said California's familial DNA search program led to the identification and arrest of Franklin.
The program -- which was enacted in 2008 against opposition from civil rights groups -- uses the DNA of family members to find suspects in cases of great risk to the public, Brown's office said in a press release.
"We're going to fight to protect this technology, and next week my office will be in court defending another form of DNA technology," said Brown, a former governor now running for the office again. Using the DNA of one of Franklin's family members, who had been convicted of a felony weapons charge, investigators established a familial connection between the family member and DNA collected at the murder scenes, the statement said. That connection was used to identify and arrest Franklin after his DNA was obtained.
"This arrest provides proof positive that familial DNA searches must be a part of law enforcement's crime-fighting arsenal. Although the adoption of this new state policy was unprecedented and controversial, in certain cases, it is the only way to bring a dangerous killer to justice," Brown said.
Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said detectives then used a piece of discarded pizza with Franklin's DNA to make the link, according to CNN affiliate KTLA. Examine CNN's interactive evidence case file on the Grim Sleeper
One of the Grim Sleeper's victims was Alicia Alexander, 18, who was killed in September 1988. She left her home in South Central Los Angeles to run to a nearby store and disappeared. Her body was found four days later. Police said she was sexually assaulted and shot once in the chest. Overcome with emotion, Alexander's father Porter Alexander reacted on Wednesday.
"It just -- it was such a good relief," he said.
Franklin is a former city trash collector who at one time worked as a garage attendant at an LAPD station. His arrest came as a shock to neighbors, KTLA reported.
Margaret Prescod, who founded the Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders and worked with the families of victims in the case, said the Grim Sleeper Task Force informed her of the arrest Wednesday.
Prescod said Det. Dennis Kilcoyne, head of the task force, told her that unlike a previous arrest in the case that turned out to be wrong, he was sure they had gotten their man this time.
"He told me that what they have is very solid," Prescod said.
Prescod said she is "cautiously optimistic" because an arrest years ago in the case, which police touted as solidly based on ballistics evidence, turned out to be false.
If Franklin turns out to be the Grim Sleeper, "It would be a huge relief, not only for the [victims' families], but for the entire community that remained at threat," Prescod said.
"We are mortified that it has taken this long to make an arrest, but nevertheless, one is always glad when there is a breakthrough and we can only hope right now that it is a solid breakthrough."
Prescod met with victims' family members, who had many questions, but were asked by officials not to speak to the media until the news conference Thursday, she said. She said some relatives of the victims screamed and shouted on the phone when she told them the news.
Aerial footage on Wednesday showed police searching cars in the garage of the suspect's home in south Los Angeles -- not far from the corridor where the victims' bodies were dumped.
Prescod said much of her organization's efforts focused on the area near Franklin's home.
"We went around there, going door-to-door to make sure people knew about the murders. At the time that we did that, most of the people hadn't even heard about the murders and people were concerned because they felt -- this is happening and we frankly don't know anything about it."
The LAPD confirmed that they are also searching a second home in the area listed under Franklin's name.
A 911 call made in 1987, reporting one of the murders, led police to a van they believed was involved. But the trail went cold.
In recent years, officials struggled to find new leads partially because the changing makeup of the neighborhood where the crimes were committed made it difficult to find witnesses, police said.
In May, new composite sketches of a suspect went up on billboards across Los Angeles as police intensified their hunt for the serial killer. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | July 2010 | ['(CNN)'] |
Thousands of people celebrate the expected downfall of Robert Mugabe in the streets of Harare. | HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe’s ruling party will dismiss President Robert Mugabe on Sunday and reinstate Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice-president he fired, two party sources told Reuters on Saturday, as ecstatic crowds celebrated the expected downfall.
Zimbabweans celebrate Mugabe expected downfall
01:47
Mugabe’s 37-year rule has been effectively at an end since the army seized control on Wednesday, confining him to his residence, saying it wanted to target the “criminals” around him.
State television said Mugabe would meet military commanders on Sunday, quoting Catholic priest Fidelis Mukonori, who has been mediating in negotiations with the president.
But hundreds of thousands of people had no need for a formal signal that his time had ended as they flooded the streets of Harare, singing, dancing and hugging soldiers.
In scenes reminiscent of the downfall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, men, women and children ran alongside the armoured cars and the troops who stepped in this week to oust the only ruler Zimbabwe has known since independence in 1980.
Others marched towards his lavish ‘Blue Roof’ residence, but were kept away by soldiers.
Under house arrest in his compound, the 93-year-old has watched support from his party, security services and people evaporate in less than three days.
The sources said a ZANU-PF party central committee meeting scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) would also dismiss 93-year-old Mugabe’s preferred successor, his wife Grace, from her role as head of the ZANU-PF Women’s League.
Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao, speaking from an undisclosed location in South Africa, told Reuters the leader and his wife were “ready to die for what is correct” rather than step down in order to legitimise what he described as a coup.
Zhuwao also said that only Mugabe, who had hardly slept since the military took over but was otherwise in “good” health, could call a meeting of the central committee.
“TEARS OF JOY”
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It was not clear from reading the party’s constitution who is empowered to call such a meeting - but events appeared to have made the issue irrelevant.
On Harare’s streets, Zimbabweans spoke of a second liberation for the former British colony, alongside their dreams of political and economic change after two decades of deepening repression and hardship.
“These are tears of joy,” said Frank Mutsindikwa, 34, holding aloft the Zimbabwean flag. “I’ve been waiting all my life for this day. Free at last. We are free at last.”
Mugabe’s downfall is likely to send shockwaves across Africa, where a number of entrenched strongmen, from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni to Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila, are facing mounting pressure to step aside.
The crowds in Harare have so far given a quasi-democratic veneer to the army’s intervention, backing its claims that it is merely effecting a constitutional transfer of power, which would help it avoid the diplomatic backlash and opprobrium that normally follows a coup.
The military had been prompted to act by Mugabe’s decision to sack Mnangagwa, Grace Mugabe’s main rival to succeed her husband. The next presidential election is due next year.
Zimbabweans abroad were also hailing the end of Mugabe’s rule, not least the hundreds living in Britain who gathered outside their embassy in central London.
“I’m ecstatic to see people give Mugabe a reality check because he has been in his echo chamber for too long, lying to himself that people still want him,” said Ruva Kudambo, 37, who came to study technology and ended up staying.
Tasa, a 36-year-old who refused to give his family name, said he had brought his four young children, aged 5 to 9, to the protest “because they are the future of Zimbabwe”.
For some Africans, Mugabe remains a nationalist hero, the continent’s last independence leader and a symbol of its struggle to throw off the legacy of decades of colonial subjugation.
But to many more at home and abroad, he was reviled as a dictator happy to resort to violence to retain power and to run a once-promising economy into the ground.
Political sources and intelligence documents seen by Reuters said Mugabe’s exit was likely to pave the way for an interim unity government led by Mnangagwa, a life-long Mugabe aide and former security chief known as “The Crocodile”.
Stabilising the free-falling economy will be the number one priority, the documents said.
The United States, a long-time critic of Mugabe, said it was looking forward to a “new era” in Zimbabwe, while President Ian Khama of neighbouring Botswana said Mugabe had no diplomatic support in the region and should resign at once.
The Herald, the state newspaper that has served as Mugabe’s loyal mouthpiece, said ZANU-PF had called on Friday for him to go. It said ZANU-PF branches in all 10 provinces had also called for the resignation of Grace, the first lady whose ambitions to succeed her husband outraged the military and much of the country.
To many Zimbabweans, she is known as “Gucci Grace” on account of her reported dedication to shopping, or - in the wake of an alleged assault in September on a South African model - “Dis-Grace”.
The scenes in Harare reflect the anger and frustration that has built up among Zimbabwe’s 16 million people in nearly two decades of economic mismanagement that started with the seizure of white-owned farms in 2000, the catalyst of a wider collapse.
The central bank tried to print its way out of trouble by unleashing a flood of cash but that only made matters worse, leading to hyperinflation that topped out at 500 billion percent in 2008.
At least 3 million Zimbabweans emigrated in search of a better life, most of them to neighbouring South Africa.
After stabilising briefly when Mugabe was forced to work with the opposition in a 2009-2013 unity government, the economy has collapsed again, this time due to a chronic shortage of dollars.
In October, monthly inflation leapt to more than 50 percent, according to some economists, putting basic goods beyond the means of many in a country with 90 percent unemployment.
Mugabe’s only public appearance since the military took over was at a university graduation ceremony on Friday morning. Decked out in blue and yellow academic gowns, he appeared tired, at one point falling asleep in his chair.
A senior member of ZANU-PF said it was only a matter of time before he agreed to go.
“If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday,” the source said. “When that is done, it’s impeachment on Tuesday.” | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | November 2017 | ['(BBC)', '(Reuters)'] |
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