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United States President Barack Obama signs the health care reform bill into law. | Mr Obama now has to sell the reforms to a divided American public
US President Barack Obama has signed his landmark healthcare bill into law in a ceremony at the White House.
The new law will eventually extend health insurance cover to about 32 million Americans who currently do not have any. Mr Obama said he was signing the bill for people like his mother "who argued with insurance companies even as she battled cancer in her final days". The bill is strongly opposed by the Republicans, who say it is too costly. Immediately after the signing, attorneys general from 13 states - 12 Republicans and one Democrat - began legal proceedings against the federal government seeking to stop the reforms on the grounds that they are unconstitutional. Mr Obama was joined at the White House signing ceremony by healthcare reform supporters including Democrats from both Houses of Congress who supported the measure. He said the bill's provisions were "desperately needed", adding: "The bill I'm signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see." He hailed the "historic leadership and uncommon courage" of the Democratic leadership in Congress that secured the bill's passage, singling out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for particular praise. He concluded: "Today after almost a century of trial, today after over a year of debate, today after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. Today. "All of the overheated rhetoric over reform will finally confront the reality of reform." Mr Obama now has to sell the reforms to a divided American public before November's mid-term elections. On Thursday, he will go to the state of Iowa to talk about how the new law will help to lower healthcare costs for small businesses and families. After a heated debate, the House of Representatives voted 219-212 late on Sunday to send the 10-year, $938bn bill to Mr Obama. Not one Republican voted for the bill, and some Democrats also voted against it. The measure, which the Senate passed in December, is expected to expand health insurance coverage to about 95% of eligible Americans, compared with the 83% covered today. It will ban insurance company practices such as denying coverage to people with existing medical problems. Correspondents say the bill represents the biggest expansion of the federal government's social safety net since President Lyndon Johnson enacted the Medicare and Medicaid government-funded healthcare programmes for the elderly and poor in the 1960s. Mr Obama's campaign to overhaul US healthcare seemed stalled in January, when a Republican won a special election to fill the late Edward Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, and with it, enough Republican votes to prevent the bill from coming to a final vote in the Senate. But Democrats came up with a plan that required the House to approve the Senate-passed measure - despite its opposition to many of its provisions - and then have both chambers pass a measure incorporating numerous changes after the president signed it into law. | Government Policy Changes | March 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(New York Times)', '(IOL)'] |
The British government is dragged into the nationwide scandal surrounding former BBC presenter and DJ Jimmy Savile, who faces hundreds of allegations surrounding his conduct in the presence of teenage girls. | The government has been dragged into the Jimmy Savile scandal after it emerged that the Department of Health could be sued directly over claims the star abused patients when he was a volunteer at Broadmoor hospital in the 1970s and 1980s.
A lawyer acting for victims preparing legal action against Stoke Mandeville hospital and the BBC said it was possible the government could face civil claims as it was directly responsible for the running of the Broadmoor high security psychiatric hospital in that time.
Savile was a volunteer for more than four decades at the hospital, had keys to its secure unit and at one point in 1988 was appointed to lead a "taskforce" overseeing the management of the hospital after its management board was dismissed by the then health secretary, Kenneth Clarke.
The Department of Health confirmed that it had launched an internal inquiry into its management of the secure hospital before it was transferred to the control of West London mental health trust in 2001. A number of allegations of abuse at the hospital have emerged, including one claim by a psychiatric nurse that a former patient told her Savile had repeatedly raped her at Broadmoor.
The scale of the crisis at the BBC became apparent on Friday night with the director general, George Entwistle, calling a last-minute press conference to announce two independent inquiries into the Savile scandal and the BBC's reporting of it. He offered a "profound and heartfelt apology" to Savile's victims.
The actor Julie Fernandez, who has appeared in The Office and Eldorado, said on Friday the presenter groped her when she appeared on Jim'll Fix It aged 14. She said she was sitting next to him in her wheelchair and his hands "lingered in places they shouldn't".
She told Radio 5 live that: "It was in a busy room full of people in a studio so it was quite discreetly done … I do remember feeling uncomfortable." She said she joked about it later with classmates but never told an adult about it.
Metropolitan police revealed that their investigations were spiralling and now involved 340 lines of inquiry and 40 potential victims.
Liz Dux, a partner at Russell Jones & Walker in London and an expert in personal injury and child abuse cases, revealed on Friday that she was acting for a number of women who want to sue the BBC and Stoke Mandeville hospital on the grounds of vicarious liability. With 340 lines of inquiry, the threat of legal action is expected to spread to other institutions where Savile made official charity visits.
Dux said it could also reach the government: "The government is not immune in civil litigation. It would absolutely be no different to sue the government."
Health ministers and civil servants are hastily trying to establish the management structures at the hospital between 1959, when the one-time Victorian prison became part of the NHS under the Mental Health Act of that year, and 2001, when the government no longer had direct responsibility for its running.
"Although the framework for child protection and safeguarding for Broadmoor and other special hospital patients changed radically in 1999, we of course want to establish the circumstances and see if any lessons can be learned," a Department of Health spokesman said. In hindsight it was clearly not appropriate that Savile had been given a supervisory role at the hospital, said the spokesman, adding "it is far from clear why any such role would have required possession of … a set of keys, we need to establish how he came to have them and on what basis".
Clarke was appointed health secretary on 25 July 1988. The management board was dismissed the following month. He said: "I have no recollection of ever having met Jimmy Savile and no recollection of these events. The Department of Health are now investigating to establish the facts."
Dux, a personal injury lawyer who has acted for people with severe spinal injuries and amputees, has been contacted by several women who want to sue over the Savile allegations. She said she is preparing cases against the BBC and the hospital on the grounds that they both have a duty of care to anyone who comes into contact with their staff or agents.
"The case would be against the BBC or the hospital because they would be held vicariously liable in law on behalf of someone like Savile who was acting as their agent," Dux told BBC Radio 4's World at One on Friday.
"So in the case of the BBC where he abused people through his connection with programmes, for example the case about the girl who alleges she was abused in his changing room, then because of the close connection with the BBC, the BBC would be what we call vicariously liable in those circumstances," she added.
"Likewise in the hospitals. He may not have been paid by the hospital but he's there as their agent, then they owe a duty of care to those he abused."
Dux said the duty of care towards patients or guests of Top of the Pops, Jim'll Fix It and other programmes would be "heightened" if any managers had suspicions at the time about Savile.
The threat of legal action will now increase the pressure on the BBC and the police to establish who knew what, when and why rumours of his interest in young women were not acted upon.
The fact that some alleged incidents happened decades ago was not an issue, she said. "By their nature, abuse cases are often historic. They are often very old by the time cases are brought. People feel great shame and psychologically don't feel able to talk about it for some time," she told World at One. "Quite often the courts will apply their discretion to allow these cases. For example, sex abuse cases against the Catholic church or against schools or the children's homes cases in Jersey."
"They want some form of recognition as to what's happened to them in the past. They want to be taken seriously, they are not interested in the financial compensation at all, they just want the cathartic process of telling someone what they have been through and someone believing them for a change."She said compensation could range from a few thousand pounds for someone who suffered a minor assault and got on with their lives to hundreds of thousands if their lives had been wrecked, for instance if they had been unable to have a career or form relationships.
"To win the case against the BBC you do not have to show they knew about it, provided you can prove Savile was acting as an agent of the BBC," said Dux.
Richard Scorer, a Manchester lawyer acting for the Rochdale child abuse victims and co-author of Child Abuse Compensation Claims, said victims could also sue Savile's estate "even if the assets have been distributed to others".
He said there would be difficulty in getting a case to court because Savile was dead, but the "evidence stacking up" meant courts were likely to be sympathetic to a trial.
Scorer won 580,000 for a man who had suffered abuse as a child, one of the highest payouts in an English court. He suffered a mental breakdown at the age of 45 when the police started investigating case, and the payout reflected his inability to work after that. Most payouts are less than 100,000.
"The difficulty normally is the injury is inflicted when you are a child so you don't have an earnings capacity built up; this man did," said Scorer. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | October 2012 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi accuses the United States of being the "world's biggest destabilizing factor" and of "smearing China everywhere" at the G20 meeting in Nagoya. | BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States is the world’s biggest source of instability and its politicians are going around the world baselessly smearing China, the Chinese government’s top diplomat said on Saturday in a stinging attack at a G20 meeting in Japan.
Relations between the world’s two largest economies have nose-dived amid a bitter trade war - which they are trying to resolve - and arguments over human rights, Hong Kong and U.S. support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan.
Meeting Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministers meeting in the Japanese city of Nagoya, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi did not hold back in his criticism of the United States.
“The United States is broadly engaged in unilateralism and protectionism, and is damaging multilateralism and the multilateral trading system. It has already become the world’s biggest destabilizing factor,” China’s Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying.
The United States has, for political purposes, used the machine of state to suppress legitimate Chinese businesses and has groundlessly laid charges against them, which is an act of bullying, he added.
“Certain U.S. politicians have smeared China everywhere in the world, but have not produced any evidence.”
The United States has also used its domestic law to “crudely interfere” in China’s internal affairs, trying to damage “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity, he added.
China was incensed this week after the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills to back protesters in Hong Kong and send a warning to China about human rights, with President Donald Trump expected to sign them into law, despite delicate trade talks with Beijing.
China runs Hong Kong under a “one country, two systems” model whereby the territory enjoys freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China like a free press, though many people in Hong Kong fear Beijing is eroding this. The government denies that.
Wang said that China’s development and growth was an inevitable trend of history that no force could stop.
“There is no way out for the zero-sum games of the United States. Only win-win cooperation between China and the United States is the right path.”
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | November 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
After 20 years "floating" the Solar System, the Cassini space probe to the Saturn system ends the mission with a controlled fall into the atmosphere of the planet. | Engineers now have a precise expectation of when they will lose contact with the Cassini probe. The spacecraft is being ditched in the atmosphere of Saturn on Friday, bringing to an end 13 amazing years of discovery at the ringed planet. The team hopes to receive a signal for as long as possible while the satellite plummets into the giant world. But the radio will likely go dead at about 6 seconds after 04:55 local time here at mission control in California. That is 11:55:06 GMT (12:55:06 BST). This is the time that antennas on Earth lose contact. Because of the finite speed of light and the 1.4 billion km distance to Saturn, the event in space will actually have occurred 83 minutes earlier. "The spacecraft's final signal will be like an echo. It will radiate across the Solar System for nearly an hour and a half after Cassini itself has gone," said Earl Maize, the US space agency's (Nasa) project manager. "Even though we'll know that, at Saturn, Cassini has already met its fate, its mission isn't truly over for us on Earth as long as we're still receiving its signal." An epic journey to the ringed planet, by the people who helped make it happen
A giant dish in Canberra, Australia, will be in prime position to track the probe. Others across the globe will be working in support. Cassini is in the process of taking its final pictures of the Saturnian system - some last postcards for the scrapbook, if you will. These will include views of the moons Enceladus and Titan, which harbour huge volumes of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces and where scientists believe simple lifeforms might be able to eke out an existence. "And then… we're going to look on the dark side of Saturn at that point where Cassini will be plunging into the atmosphere, looking in the near-infrared and the ultraviolet, trying to get some pictures of Cassini's final home inside the planet Saturn itself," explained Nasa project scientist Linda Spilker. All pictures must be downlinked and the cameras switched off before the death plunge can begin. The data rates flowing back from Saturn will not support imaging on the way down. Instead, Cassini will be configured to run only those instruments that can sense the planet's near-space environment, such as its magnetic field, or that can sample the chemical composition of its gases. Hunter Waite leads the probe's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS). "We'll be able to look at some important constituents that we know are there because we've been measuring them, but we'll get a better idea, for example, of the hydrogen to helium ratio, and that's important in terms of understanding the formation and evolution of Saturn," he said. In the final three hours or so before impact on Friday all data acquired by the spacecraft will be relayed straight to Earth, bypassing the onboard solid state memory. The end when it comes is going to be a bittersweet moment. The probe has dazzled all those who have followed its progress, including Jim Green, the head of planetary science at Nasa. He said Cassini had re-written the textbooks on where one might try to find life beyond Earth. "No-one ever thought that we could go to the outer part of the Solar System," he told BBC News. "That's where water, because the Sun hardly shines there, should be frozen solid - and you have to have liquid water to be able to have life. "And now we're finding whole moons with oceans of liquid water that have been that way for 4.5 billion years. That blew our minds." Looking to the future, many of Cassini's scientists are eager to return with new, more capable spacecraft. Mission proposals have been submitted to Nasa that include instrumented boats that could float on Titan's seas, and life-detection probes that could be flown through the jets of water that spout from the southern polar region of Enceladus. In the near term, though, many of the same researchers will be working on America's Clipper mission to Europa, a moon of Jupiter that in many ways is just a big version of Enceladus. And in tandem, European Cassini scientists will be targeting Ganymede, another jovian moon that is bigger even than Titan and which is suspected also of hiding a huge ocean of liquid water under its icy shell.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a joint endeavour of Nasa, and the European and Italian space agencies.
| New achievements in aerospace | September 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
About 20,000 pairs of empty shoes lay around Paris, symbolizing the absent marchers who would have joined this weekend's worldwide climate change protests pressing for a bold international agreement at the upcoming climate summit there. The capital city was planned to be the center for demonstrations but French police banned large protests following the terrorist attacks this month. , | LONDON — From Melbourne to Mexico City, tens of thousands of people worldwide hit the streets this weekend for a global climate march, pressing world leaders to push for a bold international agreement at the upcoming climate summit in Paris.
The center for the demonstrations was supposed to be Paris, where nearly 150 world leaders are gathering for a U.N. global summit on climate change that kicks off Monday. But after the terrorist attacks there more than two weeks ago that killed at least 130 people, French police banned large protests.
On Sunday, they sought to enforce that ban, firing tear gas in the afternoon on an unauthorized gathering at the Place de la Republique, a focal point for protests, and detaining more than 100 people.
The square was also the site of an installation of “marching shoes,” made from donated shoes and meant to symbolize those banned from protesting. The Vatican sent shoes to represent Pope Francis, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon donated a pair of his shoes.
Beyond the streets of Paris, more than 2,400 events around the world took place this weekend, with demonstrators hoping to encourage world leaders to deliver a loud message to their negotiators: Do not leave Paris without a strong agreement to slash carbon emissions. The summit concludes Dec. 11.
In the District, several hundred gathered by the White House and marched along the Mall, with signs that read, “Preserve our home,” “Don’t nuke the climate” and “Keep it in the ground,” the latter referring to fossil fuels.
“If you know there’s other protests going on around the world at the same times as yours, it just gives you a lot of energy,” said Ted Conwell, a founder and organizer of Climate First, a clean-energy advocacy group based in Takoma Park, Md. “We are the people. We are the boss. We can tell our government we don’t want our climate destroyed any further.”
Vinicius Gonzalez, 21, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, said that while the D.C. demonstration appeared smaller than some of the others — chilly temperatures and overcast skies may have been a factor — the combined effect of the worldwide protests would be vast.
“As individuals, we can’t do much, but if many people show they care about climate change, then they have the power to make the leaders act,” he said.
The sheer number of demonstrations around the globe shows that there is widespread public support for action, said Sam Barratt, a spokesman for Avaaz, a global activist community that has helped coordinate many of the marches.
“It shows it isn’t just a green issue — it’s an everyone issue,” he said.
[Global warming: The great thaw] In Nepal, people marched alongside traffic in the streets of Kathmandu, holding signs that read, “Climate terrorism ends here” and “Save our Himalayas.” Organizers in New Zealand said they saw the largest climate marches to date, with about 15,000 hitting the streets in Auckland for a rally that ended with people slapping their thighs and sticking out their tongues for what they called the “People’s Climate Haka.” Undeterred by rainy weather, people in Beirut urged their government to take strong action while marching with a wide array of colorful umbrellas.
[A treaty may not be enough to keep temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, study warns] Protesters are calling for countries to do more to curb greenhouse-gas emissions and for wealthier nations to help fund vulnerable and poor nations in the transition to cleaner energy.
It was a message broadcast loudly by tens of thousands marching in central London, where many spoke of their disappointment with the British government for dramatically cutting support for solar and onshore wind energy in recent months.
There was a carnival atmosphere on the wet and windy streets of the British capital, with floats and vibrant costumes and actress Emma Thompson lending star power. The thumping music came compliments of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, who was DJing.
Sommer Birch-Skerradd, 19, a student wearing a fluffy polar bear costume, said, “We do need to keep up the global voice, to give those final pushes to make a big difference.”
The climate demonstrations in the United Kingdom included many people who had planned to march in Paris over the weekend.
The global interest in influencing the Paris talks “shows that there’s been a significant effort to raise awareness,” said Bob Ward, policy director for the London-based Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
But other causes have brought far more people to the streets than this, and he argued that the scale of the demonstrations were not proportional to the scale of the problem.
“If it was a massive meteorite hurtling towards Earth, one could imagine an urgent and radical response, nothing but coverage. Because we are dealing with something that people find difficult to grasp, partly because of uncertainties and because risks are in the future and the impacts are distributed, I think people are not really as aware of what’s at stake here,” he said.
Some people said they were aware of the stakes and were even willing to venture out on unsafe streets to make their voices heard.
Walid al-Hashef, 29, organized a march through the ancient city of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, which has endured eight months of bombings. The march drew about 70 people, he said, and began with the singing of Yemen’s national anthem followed by reading passages in the Koran that related to climate change. Partway through the march, he said, he had to change routes after a nearby airstrike.
Yemen suffers from frequent water shortages, and Hashef said he hoped the climate demonstrations would encourage world leaders to take action.
“We want a better future for our children,” he said.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2015 | ['(The Washington Post)', '(The Daily Mirror)'] |
The Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper announces the construction of two Arctic bases including an army training base and a deep water port in response to recent Russian claims to the area. | Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced the construction of two military facilities in the Arctic in a move to assert his country's sovereignty over the contested region.
The announcement comes a week after a Russian submarine planted a Russian flag on the ocean floor under the North Pole.
The area is estimated to contain billions of dollars of oil and gas deposits.
Mr Harper says the new army training centre and deepwater port underlines Canada's growing long-term presence in the region.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) | Organization Established | August 2007 | ['(BBC via the ABC)'] |
Atlanta–based rapper 21 Savage is taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , accusing him of actually being a British national who has been in the United States unlawfully since his visa expired in July 2006. | Recording Artist 21 Savage attend his 21 Savage And His Leading By Example Foundation Host 3rd Annual Issa Back 2 School Drive on August 5, 2018, in Decatur, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Leading By Example Foundation) ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Federal authorities detained the rapper known as 21 Savage during an immigration enforcement operation in metro Atlanta Sunday morning. Agents said the man, whose real name is Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is in the country illegally and is also a convicted felon.
The rapper, songwriter, and record producer was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying his visa. The 26-year-old is a British national who arrived in America at the age of 14, according to the feds. Authorities said under the terms of his non-immigrant visa, 21 Savage was required to leave the U.S. by July 2006.
SEE ALSO: Atlanta's Trap Museum opens hall of fame exhibit
The feds say he was convicted on drug charges in Fulton County in 2014. Officials say more charges are possible.
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ICE released the following statement:
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested unlawfully present United Kingdom national Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph AKA “21 Savage” during a targeted operation with federal and local law enforcement partners early Sunday in metro Atlanta. Mr. Abraham-Joseph was taken into ICE custody as he is unlawfully present in the U.S. and also a convicted felon.
"Mr. Abraham-Joseph initially entered the U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa and he became unlawfully present in the U.S. when his visa expired in July 2006. In addition to being in violation of federal immigration law, Mr. Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia.
"Mr. Abraham-Joseph is presently in ICE custody in Georgia and has been placed into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts. ICE will now await the outcome of his case before a federal immigration judge to determine future actions.”
No word yet from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Georgia on those charges.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for 21 Savage says she is working to get the Grammy-nominated rapper out of federal immigration detention.
Lawyer Dina LaPolt said in an email to the Associated Press that she is working with authorities "to clear up any misunderstandings." She says Abraham-Joseph is a role model to many young people in the U.S., especially in Atlanta.
21 Savage is best known for his single “X” off the Metro Boomin collaborative album Savage Mode released in 2016. He also collaborated with Drake on the single “Sneakin.” | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | February 2019 | ['(ICE)', '(Fox 5 Atlanta)'] |
An overloaded ship carrying migrants capsizes and sinks off the island of Lampedusa, Italy, in rough conditions in the Mediterranean Sea. Search and rescue is underway; of at least 50 on board, 22 survivors have been saved and 13 bodies found. The deceased and missing both include pregnant women. The International Organization for Migration states the boat had departed from Tunisia. | The bodies of 13 women were recovered as authorities continue to search for the boat's remaining missing passengers. The vessel capsized in rough conditions on the Mediterranean Sea.
At least 13 people died and several others were still missing after a ship carrying migrants sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa, authorities said Monday.
The boat overturned shortly after midnight. On Monday rescuers pulled the bodies of 13 women, some of them pregnant, from the water. Many more are feared dead.
The ship had roughly 50 people on board when disaster struck. Twenty-two survivors have been rescued. Among those still missing are eight children and other pregnant women. | Shipwreck | October 2019 | ['(Deutsche Welle)'] |
Pope Francis condemns the way young people have been "radicalized in the name of religion to sow discord and fear," during a talk in Nairobi, Kenya. | NAIROBI — In his first full day in Africa, Pope Francis spoke to the many millions reeling from a string of terrorist attacks, condemning the way young people have been “radicalized in the name of religion to sow discord and fear.”
That message — like the rest of his comments here Thursday — spoke to both global and local concerns, shifting between lamentations for a perilous time globally in history and the threats facing Kenya as its economic and geopolitical strength grows. Francis has described the amalgam of conflicts pervading the globe as a “piecemeal” third world war, and on this trip, he has set out to examine some of the pieces.
At a meeting with religious leaders from multiple faiths, he cited the two largest terrorist attacks in Kenya’s recent history — the 2013 assault on the Westgate shopping mall, in which 67 people died, and the attack this year on Garissa University, where 147 were killed. The growth of terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa has often been overshadowed by the Islamic State’s operations elsewhere, but the string of groups operating on the continent is no less deadly.
[Pope Francis starts Africa trip with visit to Nairobi] Francis recognized Kenya’s struggles against Islamist extremism, saying at a meeting of religious officials that he knew the two attacks “are fresh in your minds.”
Over the next three days, he is likely to bring the same approach to Uganda and the Central African Republic, countries plagued by their own protracted conflicts. Uganda has failed to defeat the Joseph Kony-led Lord’s Resistance Army, which has conducted strings of killings across much of east and central Africa. The Central African Republic (CAR) is in the midst of a civil war that has killed more than 5,000 people since 2013.
The visit to CAR is particularly risky — marking the first time in recent history a pope has flown into an active armed conflict. On the plane to Kenya, according to the ANSA Italian news agency, Francis joked with the pilot:
“I want to go to CAR. If you can’t manage it, give me a parachute.” His spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, had joked last week that the pope would give a news conference at the end of the Africa trip “if all are alive.”
[You can’t understand Pope Francis without Juan Perón — and Evita] At Thursday’s interfaith meeting, Francis discussed the ways extremism is used “to sow discord and fear, and to tear at the very fabric of our societies.” He stressed the need for religious leaders to heal those wounds, shifting his message back to the universal.
“His holy name must never be used to justify hatred and violence,” Francis said.
After that address, Francis visited the U.N. Office at Nairobi, where he spoke about another issue with both local and global implications — environmental conservation. More specifically, he spoke about the world’s failure to conserve much at all, calling for “a new culture” that re-prioritizes sustainable development.
“Nothing will happen unless political and technical solutions are accompanied by a process of education which proposes new ways of living,” he said.
[Eight of Pope Francis’s most notable statements] Francis has emerged as one of the world’s most prominent champions of the environment and has frequently argued that irreversible damage will be caused by climate change unless humankind changes course. In a major paper he issued earlier this year — called an encyclical — he wrote, “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.”
During his speech at the U.N. office, which houses the headquarters of the United Nations’ environmental program, Francis appeared to add emphasis to his earlier writings on the environment ahead of the U.N. climate change conference in Paris, which begins next week.
He called the conference “an important stage in the process of developing a new energy system which depends on a minimal use of fossil fuels, aims at energy efficiency and makes use of energy sources with little or no carbon content.”
He singled out Africa as a place where there was a “cry rising up from humanity and the earth itself” in the form of ivory trafficking, the illegal trade of minerals and a range of other environmental abuses.
In between the meeting with religious leaders and the address on the environment, Francis celebrated his first Mass in Africa, an event that drew thousands from throughout East Africa to the muddy grounds of a university campus here. The audience gathered in the rain for hours, singing hymns through the early morning while waiting for the pope. The participants huddled under umbrellas, cheering and ululating at the first sight of the popemobile.
[Pope wraps up Cuba visit with call for ‘revolution of tenderness’] “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Nganda Paul, who works at a tea factory outside Nairobi. “He is pointing out the issues we are struggling with as a nation, and we love him for that.”
Pope John Paul II was the last pope to visit Kenya, in 1995. Pope Benedict XVI, Francis’ predecessor, visited Africa twice, in 2009 and 2011. But the continent has changed considerably. When Francis spoke Thursday at the University of Nairobi, he was at the foot of the city’s growing skyline.
Behind a cluster of traditional dancers in bright African fabrics, many people were posting photos and comments of the pope on social-media platforms from their cellphones.
“I follow him on Twitter,” said Sophie Ndugu, a banker from nearby Machakos County. “He’s keeping up with the world.”
Just after the Mass ended, @pontifex tweeted:
“May my visit to Africa be a sign of the Church’s esteem for all religions, and strengthen our bonds of friendship.”
Michelle Boorstein contributed to this report.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | November 2015 | ['(Washington Post)'] |
American actor Emile Hirsch takes a plea for 15 days in jail for an assault on a Paramount Pictures executive at the Sundance Resort in Utah. | UPDATED with more from the hearing: Facing five years behind bars for felony and misdemeanor charges resulting from his violent and drunken January 25 nightclub attack on Paramount Digital VP Daniele Bernfeld, Emile Hirsch began serving 15 days in jail starting today after pleading guilty as part of a deal. With 90 days probation, the actor also must pay $4,750 and perform 50 hours of community service. He also is required to participate in an aftercare treatment program. Additionally, a payment of restitution will be going to Bernfeld, with the matter and amount to be determined in civil court. If Hirsch fails to meet these requirements, he will go to jail for a year. If he meets the criteria, the charge will be dismissed. Six days after attending the premiere of Ten Thousand Saints in L.A., Hirsch was back in Park City today again to face justice. Unlike the tense and fully suited-up man who appeared in Utah court on two previous occasions, the actor looked almost relaxed and semi-casual Monday in a black blazer, tie and jeans — a clear indication he knew he’d dodged a long jail term. As first reported by Deadline at the time of the last Hirsch-attended hearing on June 8, the actor and his lawyers were trying to make a plea deal. As Judge Kara Pettit said today, Hirsch’s lawyers agreed on a “resolution” with the Summit County Attorney’s Office over the aggravated assault and intoxication charges he incurred at a Sundance Film Festival party earlier this year. With the guilty plea in advance admitting to the assault, the deal proposed in the semi-packed courtroom sees the Ten Thousand Saints star avoid the maximum five-year stint designated under the Beehive State’s laws. “Mr. Hirsch did something inexcusable,” Summit County Attorney Robert Hilder said today in court when he deal was announced. In a statement read in the courtroom, Bernfeld said that she thought she “was going to die” when Hirsch was choking her. She also called the deal the “bare minimum” and said she actually wanted him to be punished more. Claiming he still could not remember what happened that early morning in January, Hirsch today told the court that there is “no excuse” for his behavior at the party and it was “wrong” and “reckless.” He also offered an apology to Bernfeld. The judge agreed that there was no excuse for what Hirsch did to Bernfeld that night. Ordering Hirsch into custody, Pettit also called the jail time, probation and more “a significant punishment” for someone with no record except minor traffic violations. Monday’s proposed preliminary hearing, as it is known under Utah law, could have resulted in a mini-trial of sorts. If Hirsch hadn’t waived his rights to the hearing and there had been no plea deal, the state’s evidence would have been presented by Summit County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Stack; witnesses would have been called and subpoenas issued if the long-negotiated plea deal had fallen apart. Arrested around 3:15 AM at TAO nightclub following the assault when Bernfeld apparently refused his advances, Hirsch was charged on February 12. In rehab within days of the incident, the actor, who slurringly told police on the scene at TAO that he had no memory of what happened, appeared in court again on March 16. Though other hearings occurred subsequently, UTA-repped Hirsch was excused from them at the request of his attorneys because of his rehab program, until the early June appearance. The third-degree felony charge not only calls for sentencing of up to 5 years behind bars but a $5,000 fine under Utah law. The intoxication misdemeanor could have gotten Hirsch a $750 fine and 90 days in jail. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | August 2015 | ['(Deadline)'] |
Kenneth Lay, the former Chairman of Enron, is indicted by a grand jury in Houston, Texas. Enron filed for bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, after investigators discovered that it had hidden more than $1 billion in debt and inflated profits. | Follow us: NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Former Enron Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay has been indicted by a grand jury in Houston, his spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.
The indictment remains under seal and is expected to be unsealed Thursday. The Justice Department declined to comment.
"I have been advised that I have been indicted," Lay said through a spokeswoman. "I will surrender in the morning. I have done nothing wrong, and the indictment is not justified."
Enron filed for bankruptcy Dec. 2, 2001 after investigators found it had used partnerships to conceal more than $1 billion in debt and inflate profits. The company once ranked as the country's seventh-largest.
Several former Enron executives, including former Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow, have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government. Fastow was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Former CEO Jeffrey Skilling pleaded not guilty this year to fraud, insider trading and lying about Enron's finances.
Lay, 62, guided Enron for years, shaping the once-obscure pipeline company into a world-leading energy trading concern.
The Houston-based company's collapse was the first of several high-profile scandals at some of the country's top corporations, among them WorldCom, Global Crossing, Adelphia Communications and Tyco International.
By indicting Lay, prosecutors have finally reached the highest, if not the final, rung at the fallen energy giant. While details of the charges are not yet publicly known, prosecutors are expected to focus at least part of their case on assurances Lay gave, in the months leading up to Enron's fall, to employees about the company's financial health at the same time that he was quietly unloading his own Enron stock.
In recent days, as rumors spread that an indictment was near, Lay and his defense lawyers have mounted a public campaign declaring his innocence in the hopes of warding off criminal charges. Lay and his advisers have argued that he knew nothing of the secret partnerships managed by Fastow and fully believed in the company's long-term viability when he urged employees to hold onto their Enron shares.
Kirby Behre, a former federal prosecutor who is now in private practice in Washington, D.C., said it comes as no surprise that Lay has been charged. "The government seems to have successfully worked its way up the food chain and enlisted the help of senior officers of the company who obviously were cooperating."
But the two-and-half-year lapse between Enron's bankruptcy and the indictment that's expected to be announced Thursday has caused some former federal prosecutors to question the strength of the government's case against Lay.
They said the scope of the indictment that could be announced as early as Thursday would be telling.
"I've been rather skeptical based on how long it has taken and the nature of the charges that have been brought to date [against Enron officials] whether they would ever get to Ken Lay," said Jacob Frenkel, who was once a federal prosecutor and enforcement lawyer at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Frenkel is now a defense lawyer in Washington, D.C.
Both Behre and Frenkel pointed to ex-CFO Fastow as the likely missing link who gave the government the inside information it needed to bring the indictment.
"I don't think Fastow would have gotten the plea offer he did unless he had something to deliver on Ken Lay," said Behre, now a partner in Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.
Behre added, however, that he was surprised by the timing of the indictment in light of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that prompted James Comey, the No. 2 official in the Justice Department, to tell prosecutors to be far more specific about charges spelled out in indictments generally.
Behre said he figured the high court ruling would have caused a delay as prosecutors re-worked the indictment to conform with the new mandate. That said, Behre noted that prosecutors can always bring a superseding indictment against Lay later.
Lay's indictment follows the filing of criminal charges against other former high-flying executives, including Bernard Ebbers of WorldCom, Richard Scrushy of HealthSouth and Enron's own ex-CEO Skilling.
To date the federal government has launched 30 separate prosecutions related to Enron's implosion, including a criminal case that brought down auditor Arthur Andersen two years ago and criminal probes of about 20 former Enron employees. Of those, 11 have resulted in convictions or guilty pleas.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | July 2004 | ['(CNN)', '(BBC)', '(Democracy Now!)'] |
Russian air transport chief Alexander Neradko says Flight 9268 broke apart at high altitude and scattered plane parts over a wide swath of Egyptian desert. Neradko added it was too soon to determine what caused Saturday's horrific crash. | A Russian airliner that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard, broke apart at high altitude and scattered mangled bodies and plane parts over a wide swath of Egyptian desert, Russia's air transport chief said Sunday.
Alexander Neradko said it was too soon to determine what caused Saturday's horrific crash of the Metrojet charter flight. The tragedy rocked the Russian nation, which marked a day of mourning Sunday with vigils, memorials and sorrow.
Neradko said the debris field of more than 6 square miles indicated "the plane broke down in midair at high altitude," according to Russia's Rossiya-24 TV.
The Airbus A321's data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered. Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said it was not immediately clear when or where the boxes would be studied.
The Kremlin said Vladimir Puchkov, Russia's minister of civil defense, emergencies and disaster relief, was ordered to send aircraft to Egypt to aid in the recovery of the wreckage, The Wall Street Journal reported. Russia's first responders and Health Ministry were also instructed to immediately begin organizing assistance to relatives of the victims. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said five aircraft were flying to Egypt with first responders and forensic investigators on board.
The plane was en route from the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg, Russia, when it disappeared from radar screens 23 minutes into the flight.
The Sinai in recent years has been the setting for sometimes brutal battles between Islamic insurgents and Egyptian troops. Russian officials dismissed a claim of responsibility by an Egyptian militant group affiliated with the Islamic State in retaliation for Russia's airstrikes in Syria.
Egyptian security adviser Sayed Ghoniem told Daily News Egypt that the insurgents in the Sinai don't have the radar tracking technology and anti-aircraft missile capabilities required to take down a plane at 30,000 feet. Another Egyptian aviation official, Ayman al-Muqadem, said the pilot reported technical difficulties and sought to land at the nearest airport minutes before the crash, The Associated Press reported.
Most of the victims were Russian tourists. Sharm El-Sheikh is a popular tourism destination, known for its beaches and scuba diving. The youngest victim was 10-month-old Darina Gromova, according to a manifest released by the Russian Association of Tour Operators.
A picture of Darina gazing at a tarmac from inside the terminal in St. Petersburg days before the crash has become a symbol of the tragedy to Russians, according to RT news. Her parents, Aleksei, 27, and Tatiana, 26, also died in the crash.
At Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, an impromptu memorial to the victims quickly grew. Scores of flower arrangements, candles and stuffed animals — more than a dozen children were among the victims — adorn a section of the busy terminal.
The Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority most of the bodies had been recovered by midday Sunday. Some bodies were being flown back to Russia later in the day.
The Vatican issued a statement Sunday saying Pope Francis was praying "for all who have died and for all who mourn their loss." British Prime Minister David Cameron called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express condolences on behalf of the British people.
Russian plane crash in Egypt kills all 224 people aboard
Cause of Russian airplane crash in Egypt unknown
Russia's air safety agency ordered Metrojet to suspend all flights until at least Monday, but the company said it would continue operating its six remaining A321s if they passed inspections, the AP reported.
The German transportation ministry issued a "comprehensive warning" for airlines not to fly over parts of the Sinai Peninsula. Lufthansa, Emirates and Air France were among major airlines announcing they would stop flying over the area until the cause of the crash was determined.
A team of about 100 Russian investigators and support staff are working with Egyptian officials, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said. The plane was designed in France and built in Germany, and both nations said they will be involved to help determine the cause of the catastrophe.
Flight Radar 24, a flight tracking service, said the plane was descending at 6,000 feet per minute when it went off radar. The crash is believed to be the deadliest in the history of Russian aviation, surpassing a 1985 disaster in Uzbekistan in which 200 people died, the Russian-run news agency RIA says. | Air crash | November 2015 | ['(USA Today)'] |
7 people are missing after a fishing boat sank in the Xi River in south China. | BEIJING - CHINESE state media reports seven crew members are missing and feared drowned after their fishing boat sank in a southern China river. The official Xinhua News Agency says another four people were rescued after the boat sank on Sunday. Rescue boats and divers have been sent to search the area along the Xijiang River in the southern province of Guangdong. The report says the cause of the sinking is under investigation. It says there was no evidence of a collision. | Shipwreck | January 2011 | ['(Straits Times)'] |
Actress Patricia Neal, the wife of author Roald Dahl, dies. | Neal won an Academy Award for her role in the 1963 film Hud, but gave up acting two years later at the age of 39 after suffering a series of strokes.
But she returned to the screen after rehabilitation to earn a further Oscar and several Emmy nominations.
The star, who was born in Tennessee, was married to author Roald Dahl for 30 years and is the grandmother of model and TV presenter Sophie Dahl.
Indomitable grace
Neal's daughter Tessa is the mother of Dahl.
The actress was a star on Broadway before making the move to Hollywood in the late 1940s.
Among her early screen roles were 1951 sci-fi movies The Day The Earth Stood Still and A Face In The Crowd directed by Elia Kazan.
Her best actress Oscar for Hud recognised her portrayal of a tough housekeeper who refused to succumb to the charms of Paul Newman's character.
Neal had to learn to walk and talk again after suffering her strokes, returning to film in 1968 and being Oscar-nominated for The Subject Was Roses.
The actress's illness had left her with impaired memory and unable to remember large chunks of script.
She went on to play Olivia Walton in a TV drama which was the vehicle for popular series The Waltons, gaining the first of three Emmy nominations.
Neal, who divorced Roald Dahl in 1983, dipped out of the spotlight until 1999 when she returned to the big screen in Cookie's Fortune by Robert Altman.
The actress, who was famed for her husky voice, gained her last screen credit for Flying, made in 2009.
Her family said in a statement that on the day before she died, the screen star said: "I've had a lovely time."
They added: "She faced her final illness as she had all of the many trials she endured, with indomitable grace, good humour and a great deal of her self-described stubbornness."
Read your memories of Patricia Neal
| Famous Person - Death | August 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
India formally splits Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, dubbed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Both entities will be directly governed from New Delhi. | In the new arrangement, Jammu and Kashmir is one territory, and Ladakh, which borders China, is separate. The two new union territories are now ruled directly from the capital Delhi.
It's part of a controversial move announced in August to tighten the Indian government's control over the part of Kashmir it administers.
R K Mathur and Girish Chandra Murmu were sworn in as lieutenant governors of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir respectively on Thursday. "Now the real participation of co-operative federalism will be seen. New highways, new railway lines, new schools, new hospitals will take the development of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to new heights," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a public rally in the western state of Gujarat. Union territories have far less autonomy from the federal government than states do. The former state has long been one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints and is a highly militarised area. India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full, but control only parts of it. Almost 98% of the state's population will be in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, comprising two regions - the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, which has about eight million people, and the Hindu-majority Jammu, which has about six million. The third region, the newly created union territory of Ladakh, is a high-altitude desert inhabited by 300,000 people, with almost equal numbers of Muslims and Buddhists.
Workers from the previous state government will continue to retain their jobs in the new territories, the government said. On 5 August, the government revoked Kashmir's special status, sparking protests in the Muslim-majority valley. Article 370, as the constitutional provision guaranteeing special status was known, allowed the region a certain amount of autonomy, including special privileges in property ownership, education and jobs. This provision had underpinned India's often fraught relationship with Kashmir.
Before the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government announced its decision to scrap the special status, it put the region under lockdown - mobile phone networks, landlines and the internet were cut off; and regional political leaders were placed under house arrest.
The region also witnessed protests where security forces often clashed with civilians. Thousands of activists and others were believed to have been picked up from their homes in the days that followed the surprise move. Almost three months later, the situation is still far from normal. On Tuesday, militants killed five migrant labourers in Kulgam district. Just a day before, a truck driver from outside the region was killed in Anantnag district. In total, 11 such migrant workers have been killed by militants in the past two weeks. Earlier this month, the Indian government restored mobile services 72 days after they were suspended. But internet services continue to be suspended and most businesses remain closed - some in protest against the government, and others for fear of reprisals from militants opposed to Indian rule. | Government Policy Changes | October 2019 | ['(BBC News)'] |
Inmates take seven guards hostage at a prison in Manaus, Brazil, during an attempted escape. A raid later frees the guards and ends the prisoners' rebellion. | An inmate uprising at a Brazilian prison stoked by fears of a coronavirus outbreak saw seven prison guards briefly taken hostage on Saturday in Manaus, a state capital deep in the Amazon rainforest where public services have been overwhelmed by the pandemic.
Prison authorities reported no deaths and said 10 guards and five inmates suffered non-critical injuries in the rebellion, which they described as a distraction from a foiled escape attempt.
Relatives of inmates who gathered outside the lockup said prisoners were rebelling due to poor conditions, including a lack of food, power and medical attention. Some said the spread of the coronavirus in Manaus made their concerns more urgent.
Officials did not respond to questions about fears of coronavirus spreading in the prison. Two other penitentiaries in the same state of Amazonas have had confirmed cases of the virus, according to local prison authorities.
Inmates in various Latin American nations have rebelled during the pandemic, amid fears the virus will rip through the region’s notoriously underfunded and overcrowded jails. In late April, inmates in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires climbed to the roof of a jail and set fire to mattresses, saying they refused to die while locked up. Nine inmates died in a prison riot in Peru earlier this week.
On Friday in Venezuela, a riot at a prison in Portuguesa state left at least 46 people dead and 60 injured, according to a rights group and an opposition lawmaker.
The violence at Brazil’s Puraquequara Penitentiary came as the coronavirus outbreak overwhelms public services in Manaus, which is burying victims in mass graves and warning of an imminent shortage of coffins.
Television network Globonews reported that Brazil’s national prison chaplaincy has sent a formal complaint to the public defender’s office in Manaus alleging that up to 300 inmates at the prison were sick, some with symptoms compatible with coronavirus. According to the report, authorities denied there were coronavirus cases inside the prison.
The chaplaincy, which is tied to the Catholic Church in Brazil, and state prison officials did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters on Saturday evening.
The defender’s office said it visited the prison in late March, and the chaplaincy’s complaint regarding the coronavirus “was not confirmed.” However, it said the possibility of the coronavirus spreading within the prison population is a concern, and it is working to move vulnerable prisoners to house arrest where possible.
Violence is rife in Brazil’s prisons, which are often controlled by organized crime. Human rights groups call conditions medieval, with food scarce and cells so packed that prisoners sometimes have no space to lie down.
In January 2017, almost 150 prisoners were killed as rival gangs battled each other in several prisons in northern and northeastern Brazil. In one particularly violent incident in Manaus, 57 inmates were killed, some of whom were decapitated and thrown over prison walls.
Last year, over 50 inmates were strangled or stabbed to death as rival gangs battled each other in four separate Manaus jails. | Riot | May 2020 | ['(Global News)'] |
Four American journalists are charged by Bahrain for "unlawful obstruction of vehicles and attending unlawful gatherings." The staterun Bahrain News Agency said all were released "pending further investigations." Freelance reporter Anna Day and a film crew, who were covering the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings, are scheduled to fly to Dubai tonight. |
The four American journalists arrested in Bahrain over the weekend while covering protests were charged and released Tuesday, authorities said, and will soon leave the little island kingdom.
Freelance reporter Anna Therese Day and three members of her camera crew were charged with illegally assembling with the intent to commit a crime, Bahraini prosecutors said. The reporters' attorneyMohammed al-Jishi said the four are scheduled to leave Bahrain Tueday evening for a flight bound forDubai.
"While we believe the four should not have been held at all, we are grateful to the Bahraini authorities for facilitating their timely release," the families of the four said in a joint statement.
It's unclear if they will return to America soon and if they are expected to return to Bahrain for legal proceedings.
Police initially said the reporters who were covering the fifth anniversary of Arab Spring uprisings were arrested Sunday for providing "false information that they were tourists." Bahrain requires reporters to obtain special media visas before entering the country for work.
Authorities also accused one journalist of joining street protesters to attack police.
Activists have accused Bahrain of constraining international journalists after the Arab Spring demonstrations.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said Bahrain has at least six other reporters being held for doing their jobs.
"It is sad that the fifth anniversary of the protests is marked by the arrest of yet more journalists in Bahrain, which has since become one of the worst jailers of journalists in the Arab world," Sherif Mansour, the committee's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in a statement.
Friends and colleagues of Day, an Idaho native, used the hashtags #freeanna and #journalismisnotacrime to rally support for her online. The three members of her crew have not been identified. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2016 | ['(NBC News)', '(New York Daily News)'] |
Renewed clashes between Islamist extremists and the Fatah-supported Joint Palestinian Security Force at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugees camp, near Sidon, Lebanon, wound three more Palestinians. | Armed clashes intensified Tuesday afternoon in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in the southern city of Sidon, state-run National News Agency reported.
According to NNA, the sounds of rocket-propelled grenades and heavy gunfire were echoing across the camp's al-Tiri neighborhood, the bastion of the small Islamist groups led by the militants Bilal Badr and Bilal al-Orqoub.
The clashes are pitting the two groups against the secular Fatah Movement and the Joint Palestinian Security Force.
“Since the morning hours, the camp had been witnessing intermittent gunfire, while at noon the Fatah Movement scoured areas inside al-Tiri neighborhood after seizing control and hoisting flags on seven houses previously containing militants loyal to Badr and al-Orqoub,” NNA said.
“Two houses went up in flames after being targeted by RPGs,” the agency added.
It said the heavy fighting is concentrated on the frontiers of al-Tiri, al-Suhoun and the vegetable market and that the sounds of shelling were echoing across the camp.
A ceasefire agreement had been reached on Monday evening after a meeting at the house of Usbat al-Ansar official Sheikh Abu Tarek al-Saadi, TV networks said.
Several such agreements have so far failed to put an end to the fighting.
The clashes first broke out Thursday when gunmen from Badr's small group opened fire on a position of Palestinian security forces inside Ain al-Hilweh, a Palestinian source said.
Several people have been killed and injured in the violence while dozens of families have been forced to flee the camp and seek shelter in the city of Sidon. | Armed Conflict | August 2017 | ['(Daily Star)', '(Naharnet)'] |
Former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib Ibrahim El Adly is arrested pending investigation of corruption allegations along with former Housing Minister Ahmed Maghrabi, former Tourism Minister Zuhair Garana and a former official from the National Democratic Party. , | Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egyptian prosecutors have jailed a former ruling party official and three ministers from deposed strongman Hosni Mubarak's government, including its onetime interior minister, as part of a corruption investigation, state news outlets reported Thursday.
All four have been ordered held for 15 days while prosecutors conduct their investigation, the state-run EgyNews.net reported. Those arrested include ex-Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, whose agency was responsible for Egyptian police and paramilitary security forces.
Complaints about police corruption and abuses were among the top grievances of demonstrators who forced Mubarak from office last week. Al-Adly has been questioned regarding allegations of profiteering and money-laundering, but further charges are possible, EgyNews reported.
Also arrested were Ahmed Izz, the former secretary for organizational affairs of the National Democratic Party; former Housing Minister Ahmed Maghrabi; and former Tourism Minister Zuhair Garana, according to Egypt's official Middle East News Agency. All three are suspected of corruption and wasting public funds. According to EgyNews, Izz has been questioned about how he obtained, against established rules, licenses for the establishment of two factories in the free zone in Suez for the production of billet and steel. Maghrabi has been questioned about the allocation of 113 acres in an upscale Cairo suburb to a company with which he had ties, and Garana is under investigation for trying to steer licenses to business associates.
"The defendants mentioned above were present along with their lawyers, and the prosecution has ensured them all the guarantees prescribed by law, and ordered the investigations in all of these cases as well as other charges that they will face later as soon as possible after the completion of the current investigations," EgyNews reported.
Since Mubarak's ouster on February 11, Egypt's general prosecutor has banned several other officials -- including former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif -- and two businessmen and their families from traveling. The assets also were frozen. The post-Mubarak government also has asked the United States to freeze the financial assets of some officials from that country, a senior Obama administration official said Monday.
A military council led by Defense Minister Mohammed Tantawi took power from Mubarak and has pushed Egyptians to return to work. But protests have continued as bank employees, factory workers and police, among others, have demanded better pay and working conditions.
Egypt's banks and stock exchange have been shuttered since striking staffers forced the resignation of the national bank's chairman on Sunday. Once trading resumes, Cairo's stock exchange will freeze transactions from former ministers and business leaders who are under investigation, exchange chairman Khaled Serri Siyam announced.
The generals have dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, promising to run the country for six months or until new elections are held. Wednesday, they announced the formation of a committee to draft constitutional reforms with a goal of putting them before voters within two months. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2011 | ['(AP via Houston Chronicle)', '(CNN)'] |
The Chinese securities regulator introduces legislation limiting the sale of shares by shareholders. | SHANGHAI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - China’s securities regulator issued rules on Thursday to restrict share sales by listed companies’ major shareholders, saying the move will stabilise market expectations but doesn’t signal an imminent exit of the “national team” of investors.
Major shareholders must not sell more than 1 percent of a listed company’s share capital through stock exchanges’ centralised bidding system every three months, according to the rules published by the China Securities Regulatory Commission that will take effect Jan. 9.
In addition, major shareholders must file their plans 15 trading days in advance of sales. (Reporting by Samuel Shen and Pete Sweeney; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
| Government Policy Changes | January 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
In official results, Hezbollah and allied parties win a slight majority of seats in Parliament. | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah and its political allies made significant gains in Lebanon’s parliamentary election, official results showed, boosting an Iranian-backed movement fiercely opposed to Israel and underlining Tehran’s growing regional clout.
The leader of Shi’ite Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, called the result a “a very big political, parliamentary and moral victory for the choice of resistance”.
The number of Hezbollah MPs was the same or little changed, but candidates supported by the group or allied to it gained in major cities. Hezbollah and its political allies won just over half the seats in parliament, according to final results from all but one of Lebanon’s 15 electoral districts.
Branded a terrorist group by the United States, heavily armed Shi’ite Hezbollah has grown in strength since joining the war in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad in 2012.
The strong showing by parties and politicians who support Hezbollah’s possession of weapons risk complicating Western policy in Lebanon, which is banking on foreign aid and loans to revive its stagnant economy and receives U.S. military support.
An Israeli minister said the outcome showed the Lebanese state was indistinguishable from Hezbollah, signaling the risk of Israel hitting Lebanon’s government in a future war.
Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri lost over a third of his seats, the results showed. He blamed a complex new voting law and gaps in his party’s performance.
But with 21 MPs, down from 33 in the last parliament, he still emerged as the Sunni Muslim leader with the biggest bloc in the 128-seat house, making him the frontrunner to form the next government.
The staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, emerged as a big winner, nearly doubling its lawmakers to around 15, according to initial indications.
Lebanon’s prime minister must be a Sunni under its sectarian power-sharing system. The new government, like the outgoing one, is expected to include all the main parties. Talks over cabinet posts are expected to take time.
“Hariri is going to be further weakened in any kind of government going forward,” said Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute. “His ability to substantially tame or restrain Hezbollah... in Lebanon is going to be very limited.”
Official results released late on Monday showed that Hezbollah, along with allied groups and individuals, secured at least 65 seats. The final results for Akkar district have yet to be announced.
Seats in parliament are divided according to a strict sectarian quota.
Hezbollah-backed Sunnis won seats in Beirut, Tripoli and Sidon, strongholds of Hariri’s Future Movement, where the army was forced to deploy on Monday evening to break up clashes between Hariri and Hezbollah supporters.
The pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper declared the election a “slap” for Hariri.
Hezbollah-backed winners include Jamil al-Sayyed, a retired Shi’ite general and former Lebanese intelligence chief who is a close friend of Syria’s Assad.
Sayyed was one of the most powerful men in Lebanon in the 15 years of Syrian domination that followed the 1975-90 civil war.
At least five other figures who held office then returned to parliament for the first time since Syrian forces quit Lebanon after the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, Saad’s father.
Faisal Karami, son of the late pro-Syrian prime minister Omar Karami, won a seat for the first time.
Iranian media appeared to gloat at Hariri’s setback. The hardline Tasnim news agency ran a report headlined: “Lebanese election result puts an end to Hariri’s monopoly among Sunnis.”
Hezbollah’s big allies include the Shi’ite Amal Movement, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and the Christian Free Patriotic Movement of President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally since 2006 who has said its arsenal is needed to defend Lebanon.
While Hezbollah and its allies do not always see eye to eye, their support for its arsenal is vital to the group in Lebanon, where its weapons have been a major point of friction for years.
Hezbollah lost ground in the Baalbek-Hermel constituency, one of its strongholds. Two of 10 seats there were won by its opponents, one by the Lebanese Forces and the other by Future. It also failed to take a Shi’ite seat in Byblos.
Turnout was 49.2 percent, down from 54 percent the last time legislative elections were held nine years ago.
An independent candidate running against the political establishment won a seat in Beirut.
An anti-Hezbollah coalition led by Hariri and backed by Saudi Arabia won a majority in parliament in 2009. But that “March 14” alliance disintegrated and Riyadh has switched its attention to confronting Iran in other parts of the region, notably Yemen.
FIXING ‘THE PATH’
Samir Geagea, the Lebanese Forces leader, said the results showed there was still a “popular ground” that backs “March 14” and would “give us strength... to fix the path much more than we were able to in past years”.
Geagea is Hezbollah’s most prominent Lebanese Christian opponent. He led the Lebanese Forces militia in the last years of the civil war, during which he was an adversary of Aoun.
Hariri has urged the quick formation of a government after the election so it can press ahead with reforms needed to reduce state debt levels, among the highest in the world.
He said the international community should look at the election result “in a very positive way”.
Donors want to see reforms before they release some of the $11 billion of aid and soft loans pledged in April.
Lebanon has been a big recipient of foreign aid to help it cope with hosting one million refugees from neighboring Syria.
Nasrallah called for the quick formation of a new government and said it should be done in a spirit of cooperation, putting aside differences.
Lebanon should have held a parliamentary election in 2013 but MPs instead voted to extend their own term because leaders could not agree on a new parliamentary election law.
The question of Hezbollah’s weapons has slipped down on Lebanon’s political agenda in recent years. Hariri, who led years of political conflict with the group, says it is an issue to be resolved regionally through dialogue.
The Lebanon vote is to be followed on May 12 by an Iraqi election that is also set to underline Iran’s reach, with one of three pro-Tehran Shi’ite leaders set to become prime minister.
Iran said it respected Lebanon’s election, while France said the vote was an important step.
Additional reporting by Angus McDowall, Dahlia Nehme and Lisa Barrington in Beirut, Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Editing by William Maclean, Mark Heinrich and Dan Grebler
| Government Job change - Election | May 2018 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The passing of the United States generation that fought in World War I is marked by the funeral of Frank Buckles, who died on 27 February 2011, aged 110, and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. , , (The Washington Post}, | A LOWLY corporal of long ago has been buried in Arlington National Cemetery, ushered to his grave with all the army's old-guard solemn pomp.
Frank Woodruff Buckles lived to be 110, the last of nearly 5 million American World War I veterans, a generation now laid to rest.
After hundreds of strangers had paid their respects in public viewings since the weekend, soldiers carried the former doughboy's flag-draped coffin partway up a knoll and set it on polished rails above his plot, a stone's toss from the grave of his old supreme commander, General John ''Black Jack'' Pershing.
A chaplain commended his soul to God; rifle volleys cracked; a bugler sounded taps. With flags at half-mast in the military and government, it was a fine send-off for the country's longest-surviving veteran of a dimly remembered war, who died peacefully on February 27 in his West Virginia farmhouse.
Yet the hallowed ritual at grave No. 34-581 was not a farewell to one man alone. A reverent crowd of the powerful and the ordinary - President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden, labourers and shop assistants - showed up to salute the vanished millions of soldiers and sailors Buckles came to symbolise.
The troops of 1917 and 1918 came home to pats on the back and little else in an era before the country embraced and rewarded its veterans.
''I know my father would want me to be here,'' said Mike Oliver, 73, a retiree from Alexandria, leaning on a cane near the cemetery's amphitheatre. Inside, a hushed procession of visitors filed past Buckles's closed coffin in the chapel.
''I'm here for Mr Buckles and I'm here for what he represents,'' Mr Oliver said. On his left lapel, he wore a tiny gold pin, the insignia of his long-dead father's infantry division in World War I, the army's 80th. ''I'm here to say goodbye to my dad,'' he said.
Buckles, who fibbed his way into the army aged 16, was a rear-echelon ambulance driver in France. More than 116,000 Americans died, about half fighting, most of the rest from illness, in the nation's 19-month engagement in a conflict that scorched Europe for four years.
Now the survivors are gone. What's left is remembrance - the story of 4.7 million lives, an obituary for a generation.
Arriving home in 1918 and 1919, many of them scarred in mind and limb, they were met by a postwar recession and joblessness. Many vets felt they should be compensated for the good civilian wages they had missed. But lawmakers, year after year, said no.
''Oh, the YMCA did give me a one-month free membership,'' Buckles recalled when he was a very old fellow. Except for the $60 most veterans got from the government when they mustered out, the YMCA gift was ''the only consideration I ever saw given to a soldier after the war,'' the last doughboy said.
What he and other vets finally got, in 1924, was certificates redeemable for cash in 1945. And Congress had to override a veto to secure even that.
With the 1920s roaring by then, the young vets tucked away their certificates and went about their lives. Buckles became a purser on merchant ships, travelling the globe.
Buckles's family and members of West Virginia's congressional delegation had wanted him to lie in honour in the Capitol Rotunda, but the Senate and House leaders said no. The old corporal just didn't rate it. So the people came to Arlington to say goodbye.
In the waning afternoon, the soldiers of the burial detail strode up the avenue to Section 34 of the cemetery, escorting Buckles's coffin, the procession slow and deliberate, like the march of time. WASHINGTON POST | Famous Person - Death | March 2011 | ['(The Sydney Morning Herald)', '(The Los Angeles Times)', '(The Daily Mail)'] |
On New Years Day, Pope Francis livestreams his message from the library of the Apostolic Palace. He states "the Virgin Mary’s motherly care encourages us to use our God–given time for building up the world and peace, not destroying it." In the Catholic Church, January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. | The Virgin Mary’s motherly care encourages us to use our God-given time for building up the world and peace, not destroying it, Pope Francis said on New Year’s Day.
“The reassuring and comforting gaze of the Holy Virgin is an encouragement to make sure that this time, granted us by the Lord, might be spent for our human and spiritual growth,” the pope said Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
“That it be a time in which hatred and division are resolved, and there are many, that it be a time to experience ourselves as brothers and sisters, a time to build and not to destroy, to take care of each other and of creation,” he continued. “A time to make things grow a time of peace.”
Speaking via livestream from the library of the Apostolic Palace, Francis pointed to a nativity scene depicting St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the Child Jesus lying in Mary’s arms.
“We see that Jesus is not in the crib, and they told me that the Madonna said: ‘Won’t you let me hold this Son of mine a bit in my arms?’ This is what the Madonna does with us: she wants to hold us in her arms to protect us as she protected and loved her Son,” he stated.
According to Pope Francis, “Mary watches over us with maternal tenderness just as she watched over her Son Jesus…”
“May each one of us make sure that [2021] be for everyone a year of fraternal solidarity and peace, a year filled with expectant trust and hope, which we entrust to the heavenly protection of Mary, Mother of God and our Mother,” he said, before praying the Angelus for the Marian feast day.
The pope’s message also marked the Jan. 1 celebration of the World Day of Peace.
He recalled the theme of this year’s peace day, which is “A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace,” and said the difficulties of the past year, including the coronavirus pandemic, “taught us how much it is necessary to take an interest in others’ problems and to share their concerns.”
This is the attitude which leads to peace, he stated, adding that “each of us, men and women of this time, is called to make peace happen, each one of us, we are not indifferent to this. We are called to make peace happen each day and in every place we live…”
Francis added that this peace must begin with us; we must be “at peace inside, in our hearts -- and with ourselves, and with those who are near us.”
“May the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the ‘Prince of Peace’ (Is 9:6), and who cuddles him thus, with such tenderness in her arms, obtain for us from heaven the precious gift of peace, which cannot be fully pursued with human force alone,” he prayed.
Peace, he continued, is a gift from God, which must be “implored from God with incessant prayer, sustained with patient and respectful dialogue, constructed with an open collaboration with truth and justice and always attentive to the legitimate aspirations of individuals and peoples.”
“My hope is that peace might reign in the hearts of men and women and in families, in recreational and workplaces, in communities and in nations,” he stated. “We want peace. And this is a gift.”
Pope Francis concluded his message by wishing everyone a happy and serene 2021.
After praying the Angelus, Pope Francis asked for prayers for Bishop Moses Chikwe of Owerri, Nigeria, who was kidnapped with his chauffeur Dec. 27. A Catholic archbishop said this week that reports the bishop had been killed were “unconfirmed” and asked for continued prayers for his release.
Francis said, “let us ask the Lord that they and all who are victims of similar actions in Nigeria might be restored to liberty unharmed and that that beloved country may regain security, harmony and peace.”
The pope also expressed his sadness for a recent escalation of violence in Yemen and prayed for victims. A blast at an airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden Dec. 30 reportedly killed at least 25 people and wounded 110.
“I pray so that efforts will be made to find solutions that allow peace to return to that tormented population. Brothers and sisters, let us think of the children in Yemen! Without education, without medicine, hungry. Let us pray together for Yemen,” Francis urged.
Earlier in the morning Jan. 1, Cardinal Pietro Parolin offered Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast day. Pope Francis was unable to attend as scheduled, because of a painful flare up of his sciatica, according to the Vatican.
At the Mass, Parolin read a homily prepared by Pope Francis, in which he noted that St. Francis “loved to say that Mary ‘made the Lord of Majesty our brother.’”
“[Mary] is not only the bridge joining us to God; she is more. She is the road that God travelled in order to reach us, and the road that we must travel in order to reach him,” the pope wrote.
“Through Mary, we encounter God the way he wants us to: in tender love, in intimacy, in the flesh. For Jesus is not an abstract idea; he is real and incarnate; he was ‘born of a woman,’ and quietly grew.”
| Famous Person - Give a speech | January 2021 | ['(Catholic News Agency)'] |
The opening ceremony of the XXI Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico is delayed after a tornado causes disruption in Mayagüez. | A tornado has hit the venue for the XXI Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico, forcing a delay to the opening ceremony. The twister slammed into the Olympic stadium in the western town of Mayaguez hours before the games were due to begin. It tore down a lighting tower, smashing cars and injuring five people. The start of the games - in which 31 nations are taking part - was rescheduled for Sunday. The tornado swept in suddenly from the sea, battering the stadium with spouts of water. "The wind was like something out of a movie," said the president of the Games organising committee, Felipe Perez. People who had already arrived at the stadium were evacuated. Organisers considered moving the opening ceremony to a baseball stadium next door, but then decided to postpone it until Sunday in case of more severe weather. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | July 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
According to the Colombian Minister of Defense, Juan Manuel Santos, FARC founder and commander Tirofijo died on March 26. The death was confirmed a day after in a video released to channel teleSUR. Noticias24 | M.I.R. : ¿Quién tomó la decisión en el caso de la incursión al campamento de las Farc en Ecuador? ¿Usted convenció al Presidente, o el Presidente lo convenció a usted? J.M.S. : Ni el uno ni el otro. Se tomó la decisión cuando se supo por vía de inteligencia que allá estaba Raúl Reyes. Yo autoricé esa operación y, conociendo al Presidente, sabía que él también la iba a autorizar. M.I.R. : ¿Pero cuánto tiempo pasó entre saber que ahí estaba Raúl Reyes y la decisión de hacer la operación? J.M.S. : Hacía mucho tiempo, meses, casi años, sabíamos que él estaba en Ecuador. Del campamento también sabíamos hace tiempo, pero lo que ignorábamos era cuando él iba a estar allá, porque se paseaba por varios campamentos en Ecuador. M.I.R. : ¿Por qué no pedirle ayuda al gobierno ecuatoriano cuando supieron su exacta ubicación? J.M.S. : Porque no teníamos la confianza. E infortunadamente, lo que ha salido en los computadores nos da la razón. M.I.R. : ¿Qué hacemos con el dato que usted tiene de que Iván Márquez está en Venezuela? J.M.S. : Por ahora, hacer lo que hemos hecho: decirles a los venezolanos que allá está. M.I.R. : Y ellos no han hecho nada… J.M.S. : Las veces en las que les hemos dicho sobre gente de las Farc en su territorio, no han reaccionado. M.I.R. : Como ciudadana, ni siquiera como periodista, quedé escandalizada con el grado de complicidad y cooperación que los retazos que hemos conocido de los computadores de Raúl Reyes, publicados en 'El País' de Madrid y en SEMANA, revelan sobre las relaciones Chávez y las Farc… ¿Qué vamos a hacer al respecto? ¿Esto se va a quedar así? J.M.S. : Nosotros también quedamos escandalizados. Sabíamos de cierto grado de colaboración, pero no sobre el nivel que alcanzó en cuanto a cooperación y complicidad. Nos preocupa mucho. M.I.R. : ¡Es que desde el fuerte Tiuna, cuartel general de las Fuerzas Armadas venezolanas, se producen reuniones entre generales de allá y guerrilleros de acá para fraguar el derrocamiento del presidente Uribe! ¿Estoy exagerando? J.M.S. : Es una forma de verlo. Dentro de la famosa revolución bolivariana, ese es uno de los objetivos: el presidente Uribe es un palo muy fuerte en la rueda de esa revolución. Si no hubiera tenido este éxito con su política de seguridad democrática y si no tuviera el apoyo que tiene en la ciudadanía, ellos habrían podido debilitar y desprestigiar -como han querido hacerlo- este gobierno con mucha más eficacia. M.I.R. : Cuando todo el mundo tuvo la seguridad de que el computador no fue manipulado, ¿por qué el senador Petro salió a hacer esos cuestionamientos de que sí? J.M.S. : Quedé muy sorprendido. O está jugando de mala fe o su ignorancia es infinita. Citó a dos periodistas totalmente chavistas que escriben en Rebelión, que es una web de ellos… Es una fuente totalmente parcializada. Lo dio a conocer a la opinión pública sin siquiera verificar. Y quedó muy mal. O fue mala fe o es un irresponsable. Se tuvo acceso a los documentos, pero en ningún momento los manipulamos, o los cambiamos o les metimos información. Eso lo comprobó expresamente Interpol. M.I.R. : De los computadores de Reyes no me queda duda de que hay un acuerdo del gobierno venezolano y parte de su Ejército con las Farc, no sólo para expandir la revolución, sino para tumbar a Uribe… J.M.S. : Esa interpretación, estoy de acuerdo con usted, escandaliza a cualquiera. Esperemos a que esto se decante y lo que nos interesa como objetivo de todo esto es que pare esa colaboración con un grupo terrorista como las Farc, que le ha hecho tanto daño al país. Cuando usted me pregunta cuál es nuestro objetivo estratégico con base en lo que revelan los computadores de Reyes, pues es ese: que esto pare. M.I.R. : ¿Qué quiere decir que eso pare? ¿Que hasta aquí llegamos con la información de los computadores? J.M.S. : En el caso nuestro, colombiano, ya esa información está en manos de la Fiscalía y ya se iniciaron los procesos judiciales. Estamos ofreciéndoles a todos los países que quieran, acceso a la información que les interesa, y ya hay varios que han manifestado su interés. M.I.R. : ¿Le preocupa lo que pasó con los computadores de los paras? J.M.S. : Pues sí me preocupa, pero no tengo la última información sobre eso. Aparecieron algunos, y si contienen información valiosa, pues que salga, porque nadie debe temerle a la verdad si no tiene rabo de paja. M.I.R. : Hace unos días corrió el rumor de que Alfonso Cano estaba cercado por el Ejército en el Tolima. J.M.S. : Eso es falso. Pero sí estamos haciendo operaciones en Cañón de las Hermosas, similares a las que le hicimos a 'Martín Caballero'. Y no pasará mucho tiempo antes de que caiga. M.I.R. : ¿Qué tan cierto es que la guardia de seguridad del 'Mono Jojoy' casi lo asesina? J.M.S. : Es cierto. Él los descubrió, fusiló a tres, los otros tres se escaparon; dos de ellos están desaparecidos y el tercero está trabajando con nosotros. M.I.R. : ¿Y 'Tirofijo' en qué anda? J.M.S. : Debe estar en el infierno M.I.R. : ¿En cuál infierno? J.M.S. : Al que se van todos los criminales muertos. M.I.R. : A donde 'Tirofijo' se va a ir... J.M.S. : La información que tenemos es que ya se fue. M.I.R. : ¿Cómo así, 'Tirofijo' se murió? J.M.S. : Es lo que nos dice una fuente que nunca nos ha fallado. M.I.R. : ¿'Tirofijo' está muerto? J.M.S. : Esa es la última información que tenemos y que estamos corroborando. M.I.R. : ¿Puedo titular esta entrevista, ''Tirofijo' está muerto'? J.M.S. : El riesgo es suyo. M.I.R. : ¿Y cuándo murió? J.M.S. : La inteligencia nos dice que el 26 de marzo de este año. M.I.R. : ¿Y cómo murió? J.M.S. : No sabemos. En esas fechas hubo tres bombardeos fuertes en donde se pensaba que estaba 'Tirofijo'. La guerrilla dice que de paro cardíaco. No tenemos pruebas ni de lo uno ni de lo otro. M.I.R. : ¿Y qué más información tiene sobre su muerte? J.M.S. : Hasta ahora sólo tengo esos datos. M.I.R. : ¿Y sabe quién va a reemplazarlo? J.M.S. : Todo nos indica que Alfonso Cano M.I.R. : Vamos al tema de las deserciones y la política de recompensas, que es bien interesante. El miércoles un suboficial del Ejército se tomó con una granada una sede de pensiones Porvenir, con el argumento de que a los desertores de las Farc les dan una plata, y él, que fue muchos años combatiente del Ejército, ni siquiera tiene pensión. | Famous Person - Death | May 2008 | ['(El Tiempo)', '(Semana)'] |
Egypt's supreme court calls for the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and for fresh elections after ruling that last year's parliamentary vote was unconstitutional. | Egypt's supreme court has caused widespread alarm by calling for the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and for fresh elections.
Two days before Egyptians choose a new president, it has declared last year's parliamentary vote unconstitutional.
Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi said the decision "must be respected". But other political figures have expressed anger amid fears that the military wants to increase its power.
Another senior Muslim Brotherhood politician, Essam Al-Arian, said the ruling on parliament would send Egypt into a "dark tunnel".
The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party won 46% of the vote in the three-month parliamentary poll and Mr Arian warned that the decision would leave the incoming president without a parliament or a constitution.
Islamist Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who took part in the first round of the presidential vote in May, said that dissolving parliament amounted to "a total coup, anyone who imagines that the millions of youths will let this pass is dreaming." Protesters gathered in Tahrir square in the centre of Cairo after the ruling.
The Salafist Al-Nour party, which has the second biggest representation in parliament, said the ruling showed "a complete disregard for the free will of voters".
Parliament speaker Saad El Katatny was equally scathing, arguing that no-one had the authority to dissolve parliament. In a separate ruling, the supreme court also decided that former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq could continue to run for president in the June 16-17 presidential run-off election, rejecting as unconstitutional a law that would have barred him from standing. Under the Political Exclusion Law, passed by parliament, senior officials from former President Hosni Mubarak's regime were banned from standing for office. Mr Shafiq is standing against Mr Mursi in a tight run-off. He told supporters that the court had made a "historic ruling and verdict that meant there was no way for anyone to do particular laws for particular people."
Egypt's ruling military council (Scaf) held an emergency meeting after the two court rulings and later confirmed that the election would go ahead as planned, and urged Egyptians to vote. But uncertainty about the intentions of the military had already been raised on Wednesday when the justice ministry announced that army personnel would have the right to detain civilians during the election period.
Addressing the fear that the military handover of power might be stalled, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters "there can be no going back on the democratic transition".
Mr Mursi was guarded in his response to the court's rulings. "I respect the decision of the Supreme Constitutional Court in that I respect the institutions of the state and the principle of separation of powers," he told Egyptian TV, according to AFP news agency.
But in a later speech he appealed to voters, with a warning that the country was at a turning point: "a minority are trying to corrupt the nation and take us back. We will go to the ballot box to say no to those failures, those criminals."
The court had been considering the validity of last year's parliamentary election, because some of the seats were contested on a proportional list system, with others on the first-past-the-post system. It decided that the election law had allowed parties to compete for the one third of seats reserved for independent candidates.
The head of the supreme court Farouk Soltan told Reuters: "The ruling regarding parliament includes the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in its entirety because the law upon which the elections were held is contrary to rules of the constitution." Many of the seats ruled unconstitutional were won by the Muslim Brotherhood.
But if parliament is dissolved, there will be uproar, the BBC's Jon Leyne says, because the Muslim Brotherhood has a majority of seats and will fear a worse performance in a re-run parliamentary vote.
Since the fall of Mubarak, Egypt's military has promised to hand power to an elected president by the start of July, but with no constitution and now the prospect of no parliament to write one, the new president is unlikely have his powers defined by the time he comes into office. | Government Job change - Election | June 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson temporarily steps down amid allegations his family attempted to hide millions in an offshore account. | Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson steps aside amid widespread anger over allegations his family attempted to hide millions in offshore account
First published on Tue 5 Apr 2016 16.51 BST
Iceland’s embattled prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, has become the first major casualty of the Panama Papers, stepping aside from his office amid mounting public outrage that his family had sheltered money offshore.
What was planned as a mass protest in Reykjavik on Tuesday evening turned to muted satisfaction as demonstrators vented their anger following revelations that Gunnlaugsson once owned – and his wife still owns – an offshore investment company with multimillion-pound claims on Iceland’s failed banks.
“We were hoping parliament would be dissolved,” said Steingrimur Oli Einarsson, a fish oil trader, one of a few hundred to brave a freezing northeasterly wind on parliament square in downtown Reykjavik. “Of course we’re happy the prime minister has stepped down. But we are not satisfied with who is taking over from him, and with the fact that the government itself is still there.”
Gunnlaugsson’s office said in a statement that he was not resigning, but “handing over the office of prime minister for an unspecified time” to Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, the agriculture and fisheries minister. Gunnlaugsson was “very proud” of his success resurrecting Iceland’s economy after the 2008 financial crisis, the statement said, and “especially proud of his government’s handling of ... the creditors of the failed Icelandic banks”. Outside parliament, Sigrin Eiroksdottir, a pre-school teacher, said the occasion “doesn’t really feel like any kind of victory. There is so much still to put right in this country in terms of ethics, of how the world looks at us.”
Lara Gardarsdottir, an illustrator, said: “It’s good news he’s resigned, yes. But we need far more drastic change. We’re left with the same gang in charge. And the guy who’s replacing the prime minister, a couple of days ago he was saying he saw nothing wrong in what he’d done.” The move still requires the formal approval of both the junior partner in the centre-right coalition government, the Independence party, and Iceland’s president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and a snap election is still a possibility.
The country’s leftwing opposition parties, who earlier this week presented a motion of no confidence in the government, said they were by no means satisfied. “It is clear our demand for new elections still stands,” the Left Green party leader, Katrin Jakobsdottir, said. The prime minister, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had earlier sought to remain in office by asking to dissolve parliament and call new elections. But after the president turned him down, the prime minister met senior Progressive party officials and reportedly suggested himself that he step down. The Independence party leader, finance minister Bjarni Benediktsson, whose name also appeared in the leaked documents in connection with a Seychelles-based company of which he once owned a third, was holding talks with Grímsson, who flew back early from the US to sound out all of Iceland’s parliamentary party representatives as the island’s political crisis deepened on Tuesday.
The leaked documents from the Mossack Fonseca law firm in Panama reveal Gunnlaugsson and his wife, Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir, bought a British Virgin Islands-based offshore company, Wintris Inc, in December 2007 to invest her share of the very substantial proceeds from the sale of her father’s business, Iceland’s only Toyota importer.
Gunnlaugsson sold his 50% stake to his wife for a symbolic $1 at the end of 2009, eight months after he was elected to parliament as an MP for the centre-right Progressive party. He failed, however, to declare an interest in the company either then or when he became prime minister in 2013.
His office has said his shareholding was an error due simply to the couple having a joint bank account and that it had “always been clear to both of them that the prime minister’s wife owned the assets”. The transfer of ownership was made as soon as this was pointed out, a spokesman said. The prime minister also denies he was required to declare an interest.
The Guardian has seen no evidence to suggest tax avoidance, evasion or any dishonest financial gain on the part of Gunnlaugsson, Pálsdóttir or Wintris. Gunnlaugsson’s office said in the statement that the couple had provided “detailed answers to questions” about the Wintris assets, which they had “never sought to hide”. The holdings had been reported as an asset on Pálsdóttir’s income tax returns since 2008 and all relevant taxes had been paid accordingly in Iceland, it said. No parliamentary disclosure rules had been broken. But Gunnlaugsson’s political opponents and many ordinary Icelanders, more than 10,000 of whom staged a first mass protest outside parliament on Monday night, have been outraged at what many see as an attempt by their prime minister – even if he has done nothing illegal – to hide money offshore.
Such allegations are particularly incendiary in Iceland, which was brought almost to its knees in the financial crisis of 2008 by the recklessness of a small group of bankers and businessmen – several of whom are now in jail – who used offshore companies to conceal their dealings in high-risk financial products.
Plunged into a deep depression from which it has only recently recovered, Iceland had to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund. It also introduced strict capital controls on the amount of money that could be taken out of the country – another reason why the question of offshore holdings inflames Icelandic opinion. Gunnlaugsson is also accused of a serious conflict of interest for failing to disclose his involvement with the company. Wintris held millions of pounds worth of bonds in Landsbanki, Glitnir and Kaupthing, the three big Icelandic banks that collapsed in the crisis with liabilities of more than 10 times the country’s GDP – and whose bankruptcies the prime minister’s government was responsible for overseeing.
Opponents are also angered by what many Icelanders see as hypocrisy: Gunnlaugsson rose to power as part of a grassroots group called In Defence of Iceland, pledging to protect the country from its “vulture” foreign creditors and relieve the burden on ordinary Icelanders – and stressing how important it was to keep Icelandic assets in Iceland. On Tuesday even members of Gunnlaugsson’s own party called for him to resign. City councillors from his own constituency of Akureyri said he should step down over what they described as a crisis of confidence.
Opposition MPs are much more outspoken. “People just feel humiliated and very, very angry,” said Birgitta Jónsdóttir of the radical Pirate party, which opinion polls currently estimate is the country’s largest with the support of between 35% and 42% of the electorate.
“After what happened to this country in 2008 we needed honesty, transparency and integrity from our leaders,” Jónsdóttir told the Guardian. “None of these things have been evident in this whole story.”
Árni Páll Árnason, leader of the opposition Social Democratic Alliance, said Gunlaugsson’s position was simply no longer tenable.
“I think it’s obvious that we cannot tolerate a leadership that is linked to offshore holdings,” Árnason said. “Iceland cannot be the only western European democratic country with a political leadership in this position.” | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | April 2016 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Al-Shabaab militants attack a remote AMISOM base in southern Somalia, claiming to have killed dozens of Kenyan troops. | MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab said its fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops when the Islamist group attacked a remote military base in Somalia on Friday, while Kenya’s army said nine soldiers died and 70 militants were killed.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna said that al Shabaab’s fighters had attempted to attack their base in the southern town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border, but were repulsed.
A spokesman for al Shabaab, which often launches attacks on troops of the African Union’s AMISOM force, said its fighters killed at least 66 Kenyans at the base. The group had said earlier it lost fighters but did not give numbers.
Njuguna said the attack was launched around dawn on Friday, when al Shabaab fighters used a vehicle packed with explosives to try to blast their way into the camp of the Kenya Defence Forces.
Al Shabaab gave a similar account of how the attack was launched. Its military operation spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, told Reuters fighters rammed two suicide car bombs into the base and seized it. “We are pursuing the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods,” he said.
Al Shabaab, whose assessment of casualties often differs markedly from official versions, typically rams the entrance to a target site with a car or truck bomb so fighters can storm in.
The Islamist group has been fighting for years to impose its strict interpretation of Islam on Somalia.
It once ruled much of Somalia and wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and drive out the peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African countries.
African Union and Somali troops have pushed its fighters from major urban strongholds and ports, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas from attacks.
In January 2016, al Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers in El Adde, a Somali camp near the border with Kenya. The military did not give details of casualties in that attack, but Kenyan media reports suggested a toll of that magnitude.
Njuguna said 15 wounded soldiers were airlifted on Friday to Nairobi for treatment, and that Kenyan forces were pursuing the rest of al Shabaab’s fighters. | Armed Conflict | January 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The Kivu conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues while the United Nations meets to discuss peace talks. | United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon called for an end to the fighting and warned that the conflict
risked spilling over into the wider sub-region. Derek Kilner has more
from Nairobi.United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon speaks during opening of Special Consultative Meeting on conflict in Eastern Republic of Congo, in Nairobi, Kenya, 07 Nov 2008UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined heads of
state from east and central Africa, as well as American and European
diplomats, for a summit aimed at putting a halt to the recent fighting
in eastern DRC between rebels led by Laurent Nkunda, and Congolese
government forces. Mr. Ban called on leaders in the region to put
pressure on Nkunda, who has launched a renewed offensive in August,
despite signing an agreement with the government in January. "As
leaders of Africa, you have an historic responsibility," he said. "This
is a critical moment for the Great Lakes region and for Africa as a
whole. We must put the cycle of violence behind us. We must build a
shared future of stability, peace, development and human rights for all
citizens of your countries. I am determined to work with you to realize
these urgent objectives. And I count on your leadership."Nkunda
announced a unilateral cease-fire last week, after advancing to the edge
of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, but clashes have resumed
in recent days. The U.N. estimates that some 250,000 people have fled
their homes since August, bringing the total number of civilians
displaced in the region to over one million.A major goal of the
summit will be to improve relations between Congolese President Laurent
Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Rebel
General Laurent Nkunda (C) walks in the courtyard of a house after
speaking with the press in the town of Kitshoumba, 02 Nov 2008 Congo accuses Rwanda of
backing Nkunda's forces, while Rwanda and Nkunda say the Congolese
government is cooperating with the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia, many
of whose members participated in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Nkunda claims
he is protecting the region's ethnic Tutsi community from attacks by
the Hutu militia.Notably absent from the summit was Nkunda
himself. Nkunda has called for direct talks with the Congolese
government, but Congo has insisted that any discussion must follow an
existing negotiating framework involving all of the various armed
groups operating in eastern DRC. The chairman of the African Union
Commission, Jean Ping, appeared to echo that position in explaining
Nkunda's absence."It is only the members of the Great Lakes who
have been invited plus a certain number of countries," he said. "But
you know that there you have also other groups who are fighting, like
Mai Mai."Uruguayan United Nations soldiers deploy to an observation post near the village of Kibati some 12 kilometers north of Goma in eastern Congo, 29 Oct 2008The UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo, known by its | Armed Conflict | November 2008 | ['(VOA)'] |
Ali Bongo is re-elected President of Gabon. | LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Three people were killed and up to 1,100 were arrested in Gabon on Thursday, the government said, in a second day of rioting over the announcement of President Ali Bongo’s re-election and his main rival’s accusation that the vote was rigged.
Opposition challenger Jean Ping accused the elections commission of inflating Bongo’s score to hand him a slim victory and extend his family’s nearly half-century rule in the oil-producing Central African country for another seven years.
Ping called on Bongo to step down.
Violent protests raged in at least nine neighborhoods of the capital Libreville, two witnesses and a police source said on Thursday, a day after demonstrators set fire to the parliament building following the results announcement.
“We want everyone to see, to tour the city, to witness the level of devastation, destruction, violence organized by certain politicians who do not want to recognize their defeat,” Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya said.
He told a news conference that several television stations, supermarkets, shops, and private homes had been looted in Libreville and the city hall was targeted by arsonists. Violence erupted in several other cities and provinces as well, he said.
Moubelet Boubeya said protesters had used grenades and police had seized AK-47 assault rifles, an accusation an opposition spokesman rejected.
Gabon’s sovereign dollar bonds fell across the curve with the 2024 and 2025 issue hitting a seven-week low on the back of the violence.
Ping told Reuters in an interview that two people were killed and others wounded when the presidential guard assaulted his party headquarters overnight.
He called for international assistance to protect the population against what he described as “a rogue state”.
“The only solution is that Bongo recognizes defeat, because he was beaten,” Ping later told France’s BFM TV. He said that contesting the results through Gabon’s constitutional court, the official channel for complaints, was pointless.
Related Coverage
“The constitutional court, like Gabon’s electoral commission, is a tool of the governing authority. They do what they are told to do,” he said.
Bongo’s office accused the Ping camp of planning “coordinated attacks on symbols of the state”, adding that security forces had in response encircled Ping’s headquarters and clashed with his supporters, resulting in one death.
“The elections gave their verdict. I know who won and who lost,” Bongo, first elected in 2009 upon the death of his father Omar Bongo, Gabon’s president for 42 years, told reporters on Thursday. “Who lost? A small group whose only aim is to take power for themselves.”
The United Nations called for restraint. Former colonial ruler France, the United States and the European Union urged the authorities to release polling station results for greater transparency. Bongo’s spokesman rejected the request.
“Transparency exists,” Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze told BFM TV. “Those who want a bureau by bureau count will only be able to do this by going through the constitutional court.”
On Thursday, a witness reported hearing gunfire and blasts in the Nkembo neighborhood, near Libreville’s city center, while another saw protesters pillage shops, turn over rubbish bins to block streets and smash cars in the Avea neighborhood.
A heavy police and army presence was visible on the streets throughout the city.
“This is just a consequence of the current situation. This is because of the victory of Bongo against Jean Ping,” said witness Alex Mbadinga, 32.
Libreville residents said the internet was cut on Thursday. Social media networks including Twitter and Facebook stopped functioning overnight. Earlier in the week, customs officials seized satellite telephones they said had been imported illegally.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said there was no room for violence within the political process. “I’m calling, therefore, all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid additional victims.”
The office of French President Francois Hollande also called for calm, which “means a process to ensure transparency in the election results”.
Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes in Saturday’s election against 48.23 percent for Ping, according to results read by Moubelet Boubeya on Wednesday. The announcement had been delayed by one day.
Bongo benefited from a patronage system lubricated by oil money ahead of the vote.
But economic headwinds caused by falling oil prices and crude production have led to budget cuts in one of Africa’s statistically wealthiest nations, providing fuel for opposition charges that many ordinary Gabonese citizens have not enjoyed the fruits of oil wealth and suffered under his rule.
The government says it plans to diversify the economy through investments in manganese mining and cash crops like palm oil and rubber.
Ping, a political insider who has served as foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, was a close ally of the late president and fathered two children with his daughter.
An EU observer mission criticized a “lack of transparency” among institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.
Additional reporting by Matthew Mpoke Bigg in Accra, Tim Cocks in Dakar, Joe Bavier in Abidjan and John Irish in Paris; Writing by Joe Bavier and Tim Cocks; Editing Mark Heinrich
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. | Government Job change - Election | August 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A random shooting in alTarmia District, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq, kills at least eight people and wounds at least fourteen. The gunmen responsible remain at large and unidentified. | by Mohammed Ebraheem May 2, 2018, 9:44 am Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) At least 22 Iraqi people were killed and wounded in a random shooting spree in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in the latest of several terrorist attacks against civilians in this war-torn country.
“The attack occurred late on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen randomly opened fire at civilians in a remote village in Baghdad’s al-Tarmia district, leaving eight dead and 14 others wounded,” a security source told Alghad Press Wednesday.
“The troops immediately rushed to the shooting scene and sealed off all entrances and exits of the district,” the source noted. “A manhunt was launched in search of the attackers, who fled the scene after the shooting.”
Meanwhile, the Iraqi security media council denied in a statement all reports on the spread of terrorist gangs in al-Tarmia, stressing that the district is fully under the control of security forces.
The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary troops and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake Islamic State-occupied areas in 2016.
Though most of the daily bombings go without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State is expected to be behind many.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq last December, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country | Armed Conflict | May 2018 | ['(Iraqi News)'] |
The National Transportation Safety Board concludes their investigation of the crash that killed former professional basketball player Kobe Bryant and eight others nearly a year prior, citing pilot error and spatial disorientation as the cause of the crash. | LOS ANGELES (AP) — The pilot who crashed the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, killing all nine aboard, made a series of poor decisions that led him to fly blindly into a wall of clouds where he became so disoriented he thought he was climbing when the craft was plunging toward a Southern California hillside, federal safety officials said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board primarily blamed pilot Ara Zobayan in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash that killed him along with Bryant, the basketball star’s daughter and six other passengers heading to a girls basketball tournament. Zobayan, an experienced pilot, ignored his training, violated flight rules by flying into conditions where he couldn’t see and failed to take alternate measures, such as slowing down and landing or switching to auto-pilot, that would have averted the tragedy. The NTSB said it was likely Zobayan felt pressure to deliver his star client to his daughter’s game at Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy. Officials believe Zobayan may have also felt “continuation bias,” an unconscious tendency among pilots to stick with the original plan despite changing conditions.
“The closer you get to the destination the more you think just maybe you can pull this off,” NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said Tuesday.
The agency announced the long-awaited findings during a four-hour hearing pinpointing probable causes of what went awry in the 40-minute flight. The crash led to widespread public mourning for the retired basketball star and several lawsuits, and prompted state and federal legislation. The agency also faulted Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, for inadequate review and oversight of safety matters.
When Zobayan decided to climb above the clouds, he entered a trap that has doomed many flights. Once a pilot loses visual cues by flying into fog or darkness, the inner ear can send erroneous signals to the brain that causes spatial disorientation. It’s sometimes known as “the leans,” causing pilots to believe they are flying aircraft straight and level when they are banking.
Zobayan radioed air traffic controllers that he was climbing when, in fact, he was banking and descending rapidly toward the steep hills near Calabasas, NTSB investigators concluded.
Flying under visual flight rules, Zobayan was required to be able to see where he was going. Flying into the cloud was a violation of that standard and probably led to his disorientation, NTSB said. There were 184 aircraft crashes between 2010-2019 involving spatial disorientation, including 20 fatal helicopter crashes, the NTSB said.
“What part of cloud, when you’re on a visual flight rules program, do pilots not understand?” Landsberg said.
NTSB member Michael Graham said Zobayan ignored his training and added that that as long as helicopter pilots continue flying into clouds without relying on instruments, which requires a high level of training, “a certain percentage aren’t going to come out alive.”
Zobayan had been certified to fly using only instruments, but was no longer proficient, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said.
The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was flying at about 184 mph (296 kph) and descending at a rate of more than 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) per minute when it slammed into the hillside and ignited, scattering debris over an area the size of a football field. The victims died immediately. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and six others who left Orange County that morning were headed to his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County. The group had flown to the same destination the previous day and Zobayan had flown Bryant along that route at least 10 times in 2019.
The aircraft itself had been flown on largely direct routes between the airports in Orange and Ventura counties about two dozen times since late 2018, data shows, but the pilot took the chopper further north because of low visibility that day.
There was no sign of mechanical failure and the pilot was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, investigators said.
The helicopter did not have so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not required, that would have given investigators a better understanding of what happened. The NTSB report reiterated a previous recommendation to require flight data and cockpit voice recorders on choppers, but the agency only investigates transportation-related crashes. It has no enforcement powers and must submit suggestions to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some board safety recommendations after other transportation disasters.
Over the past year, experts speculated that the crash could lead to a recommendation for requiring helicopters to have Terrain Awareness and Warning System devices, which signal when aircraft are in danger of crashing. But NTSB investigator-in-charge Bill English said the system, which was not on the helicopter, would probably not have prevented the crash.
The hilly terrain, combined with the disorientation, would have made the warning system “a confusing factor,” English said.
“The pilot doesn’t know which way is up,” English said.
Federal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to mandate the warning systems on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers.
The NTSB report is likely to factor into litigation in the case, whether it’s admissible in court or not, said Dallas lawyer Michael Lyons.
The crash generated lawsuits and countersuits, with Bryant’s widow suing Island Express and the pilot for wrongful death on the day a massive public memorial was held almost a year ago at Staples Center, where the Lakers all-star played most his career.
Vanessa Bryant said Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not properly train or supervise Zobayan. She said the pilot was careless and negligent to fly in fog and should have aborted the flight. Zobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, has said Kobe Bryant knew the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors aren’t entitled to damages from the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the crash was “an act of God” that it could not control.
Lawyers for Berge Zobayan and Island Express said they had no comment on the NTSB findings. Families of other victims sued the helicopter companies but not the pilot.
The others killed in the crash were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.
The companies have countersued two FAA air traffic controllers, saying the crash was caused by their “series of erroneous acts and/or omissions.”
While air traffic controllers failed to report the loss of radar contact and radar communication with the flight, which was inconsistent with their procedures, it did not contribute to the crash, the NTSB said. | Air crash | February 2021 | ['(AP)'] |
China bans foreigners from entering Tibet, ahead of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the People's Republic. | BEIJING - CHINA has banned foreigners from Tibet until after massive celebrations in Beijing marking the 60th birthday of communist China, a government tourism office and travel agents said on Tuesday.
A woman staffer at the official Lhasa Tourism Bureau in the regional capital said the ban would officially go into effect on Thursday.
'Passes for foreign travellers to enter Tibet will be suspended from Sept 24 to Oct 8. That's a notice from the Tibet Tourism Bureau,' said the woman, who refused to give her name.
She said the notice contained no further information and no reason for the ban. Officials with the regional government and Tibet Tourism Bureau refused to comment. Travel agents reached by AFP said the ban was already in place.
'It started from Monday, according to the notice from the Tibet Tourism Bureau. Passes for foreign travellers are suspended until Oct 8,' said a woman staff member at the Tibet Youth Travel Service.
The move is the latest in a series of steps indicating intense official concerns over security ahead of National Day on Oct 1, when China will celebrate 60 years of communist rule.
The government already has sharply ramped up security in Beijing, putting thousands of extra police on the streets ahead of the festivities, which will include a military parade, fireworks and mass performances at Tiananmen Square.
State media reported on Monday that outgoing flights would be halted at Beijing's airport during the parade, and retailers have said they have been banned from selling kitchen knives after two recent stabbings near the square.
Foreign tourists must obtain special permission from China's government to enter Tibet, the remote Himalayan region where resentment against Chinese control has seethed for decades.
China has previously banned foreign tourists from visiting Tibet, including after deadly anti-Chinese riots that erupted in Lhasa and across the Tibetan plateau in March 2008.
China also barred foreigners in March of this year during the tense 50th anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against China that sent the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, into exile. -- AFP | Government Policy Changes | September 2009 | ['(Straits Times)', '(Australia Network News)'] |
Mortar rounds are fired in a neighborhood in Wadajir District, Somalia, killing three civilians. Al-Shabaab is suspected of being behind the attack. | MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Mortar shells fired into homes in the Somali capital of Mogadishu has killed three people and wounded five, police and ambulance services said on Friday, a day after the government changed heads of security agencies.
Police said they suspected al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab were behind the attack, in which mortar rounds landed on homes in Wadajir district, in the vicinity of Mogadishu airport.
“We have carried three dead women and five others injured, including a woman and children. Mortars landed on their home today,” Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Amin ambulance services, told Reuters on Friday.
“Mortars believed to be fired by al Shabaab killed three people of the same family and injured several others. We are still investigating where they were fired from,” Osman Mohamed, a police officer, told Reuters on Friday.
Al Shabaab were not immediately reachable for comment. In the past, the group, which aims to impose its own harsh version of Islam in Somalia, has taken responsibility for blasts and gun attacks in the capital and elsewhere in Somalia.
On Thursday, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, replaced his security chiefs and called on al Shabaab fighters to surrender within 60 days in return for education and jobs.
Al Shabaab is carrying out increasingly deadly bombings despite losing most of its territory to a 22,000-strong African Union peacekeepers supporting the Somali government.
Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Larry King
| Armed Conflict | April 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Cambodia and Laos cause discord at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting after they block a joint statement by the group regarding the South China Sea. , | VIENTIANE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations were thrown into disarray after Cambodia on Saturday blocked them from issuing a statement referring to an international court ruling against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, diplomats said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the maritime dispute earlier this month, denying China’s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway.
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet for the first time since the ruling on Sunday, before hosting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi among others.
The disputed sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year, is the most contentious issue for the 10 ASEAN members.
China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims. Yi has described the Hague case as a farce, and Beijing says the ruling has no bearing on its rights in the sea.
China is adamantly opposed to an ASEAN stand on the South China Sea, preferring to deal with the disputed claims on a bilateral basis.
Cambodia is China’s closest ASEAN ally and is the only country opposing any reference to the ruling in a statement due to be issued after ASEAN foreign ministers meet on Sunday, an ASEAN diplomat told Reuters.
Cambodia is also pushing to strike out any reference to the militarization of the South China Sea, watering down the language in statements issued previously by ASEAN this year.
Cambodia is heavily dependent on Chinese aid and investment. Last week, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen announced China would give his government around $600 million in soft loans.
“Cambodia is unbelievable,” one diplomat said on condition of anonymity. “It is blocking any phrase about the arbitration and about militarization.”
A committee has been working since July 20 trying to hammer out an ASEAN statement acceptable to all, said another diplomat, but Cambodia has thwarted their efforts.
Indonesia has proposed that foreign ministers hold an informal meeting late on Saturday to thrash out an agreement.
Critics have long derided ASEAN as a feeble talk shop, whose overriding principle of making decisions by consensus keeps it from ever accomplishing anything of significance.
Some members of the group have started to talk about a change in a clause in ASEAN’s charter on the need for consensus, a former Vietnamese diplomat told Reuters.
ASEAN is keen to avoid a repeat of a debacle in 2012, when for the only time in its 49-year history the group failed to issue a concluding joint statement for a regional foreign ministers meeting.
The group may issue a separate statement that emphasizes unity, said an Indonesian diplomat.
“Our house is in a mess,” he said. “We don’t want ASEAN to be like Europe. We want to save ASEAN and be unified again.”
The United States has criticized China’s building of artificial islands and facilities in the sea and has sailed warships close to the disputed territory to assert freedom of navigation rights. Washington has called on China to respect the court’s ruling.
Barack Obama is set to become the first U.S. president to visit Laos in September to attend an annual summit hosted by the ASEAN chairman.
Laos, a one-party communist state with little experience hosting international gatherings and one of ASEAN’s poorest members, is this year’s chairman of the grouping.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | July 2016 | ['(Reuters)', '(The New York Times)'] |
Mounir el–Motassadeq, sentenced to 15 years in prison as a member of the Hamburg cell of the September 11 attackers, was deported from Hamburg, Germany to Morocco. | BERLIN (Reuters) - A Moroccan associate of the Sept. 11 hijackers is being moved from a German prison in preparation for deportation after serving most of a 15-year jail term for helping organise the 2011 attacks on U.S. targets, authorities said on Monday.
Mounir El Motassadeq was a member of a group of radical Islamists based in the northern German port city of Hamburg who helped bring about the suicide attacks with hijacked airliners that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Handed the maximum sentence of 15 years in 2007 for being an accessory to mass murder, Motassadeq is one of only two men convicted to date of involvement in the plot.
“Everything is going according to plan,” said a spokesman for the state of Hamburg’s interior ministry, declining to give details, other than to say that Motassadeq’s release was permissible from Oct. 15 if he was deported immediately.
Photographs showed a man with covered eyes being led by two armed policemen to a helicopter. German media reported that he would be taken to Frankfurt to be deported to Morocco, where his family lives.
The spokesman in Hamburg could not say exactly when his sentence was due to end. German media have reported he was due to stay behind bars until November or early next year.
At his 2007 trial, his lawyers argued that Motassadeq knew nothing about the Sept. 11 plot. But prosecutors said he played a central role in suicide hijacker Mohammed Atta’s group by running the financial affairs of some cell members.
Authorities in Hamburg said they would confirm the deportation once it has taken place.
.
. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | October 2018 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The National People's Congress of China changes the constitution to protect private property, in order to stop state officials from requisitioning property and private possessions. | Five decades after the Communist Party took power, nationalised private property and waged bloody campaigns against landlords, China's parliament on Sunday amended the constitution to add the clause: "Private property obtained legally is inviolable."
Analysts said the move reflected the party's desire to maintain its grip on power while adapting to wrenching social change wrought by 25 years of economic reform that have made the private sector one of the key pillars of the booming economy.
But the landmark change was coupled with calls by Premier Wen Jiabao to parliament to help phase out taxes on poor farmers and find jobs for unemployed workers to help ease a yawning wealth gap between rich urban centres and the countryside.
Wen's appeals - aimed at ensuring the party appeals to as broad a base as possible - were cornerstones of a work report approved overwhelmingly by the rubber-stamp National People's Congress on Sunday.
Equal footing
The constitution, changed for the fourth time since its adoption in 1982, put private property on an equal footing with public property - a key plan to sustain economic growth.
"It is significant for a socialist regime that says it is still socialist or Communist to recognise more than before the role of the private economy in its development," a Western diplomat said.
Jiang Zemin (R) handed over thepresidency in November 2002"It is significant that they decided to say that private property is as legitimate as public ownership," he said. "It is in a way recognising that exploitation is good. It is a big step."
Jiang Zemin (R) handed over thepresidency in November 2002
Warning of a widening wealth gap that Beijing fears could spark social unrest, Wen outlined in his work report steps to scrap farm taxes and boost subsidies in rural areas - home to 800 million people.
He also pledged to create nine million new urban jobs and re-employ five million workers laid off from state firms that are struggling to stay in business as the private sector blossoms.
Departure from Marx
Parliament also gave a further nod to the private sector by enshrining in the constitution the theories of Jiang Zemin, who handed over the presidency and top party post to Hu Jintao in a generational leadership change that started in November 2002.
Literally, the Three Represents theory says the Communist Party stands for advanced productive forces, advanced culture and the interests of the majority of the Chinese people. But the amendment is Communist code for opening the doors of the party to entrepreneurs once regarded as "running dogs of capitalism".
"It is a departure from Marxism. It is also a recognition of Jiang Zemin thought after 13 years in power," political commentator Wu Jiaxiang said.
Analysts say the amendment underscores Jiang's residual influence, vaulting him into China's pantheon of socialist greats. He has retained his post as chairman of the state Central Military Commission - China's top military job.
His political theory was added to the party charter in November 2002, paving the way for entrepreneurs to join. The move to protect private property was unlikely to sit well with some ageing cadres and Communist Party stalwarts.
"There will be a few people who say 'You are betraying Chinese socialism by selling out to the capitalists'," said one Chinese analyst. "But they will be a very small few." | Government Policy Changes | March 2004 | ['(BBC)', '(Reuters)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
Papiss Cissé fires two goals past UEFA Champions League finalists Chelsea to keep Newcastle United firmly in contention for a place in the Premier League's top four which would require Chelsea to defeat Bayern Munich in the final to qualify for next season. | Last updated on 2 May 20122 May 2012.From the section Football
Papiss Cisse produced two goals of the highest quality to keep Newcastle United firmly in contention for a place in the Premier League's top four with victory at Chelsea.
Cisse took his tally to 13 goals in 12 games with spectacular strikes in each half to leave Chelsea looking increasingly likely to have to win the Champions League final against Bayern Munich later this month to reach next season's competition.
Senegal striker Cisse, a £10m buy from Freiburg in January, had already demonstrated his class with a flick and left-foot volley that flew high beyond Chelsea keeper Petr Cech after 19 minutes.
He topped that brilliantly as the game moved into 10 minutes of stoppage time resulting from a lengthy delay when Newcastle's Cheick Tiote was taken off on a stretcher with a head injury sustained in an aerial clash with Chelsea midfielder Jon Obi Mikel.
Cisse was wide on the left flank when substitute Shola Ameobi touched a throw into his path. He instinctively struck a swerving, angled shot with the outside of his right foot that curved viciously before landing in the top corner beyond the retreating, helpless Cech.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew celebrated with a mixture of disbelief and delight on the touchline as his team's remarkable season hit another high.
They are now level on points with Spurs, who are ahead in fourth place thanks to a superior goal difference after their 4-1 win at Bolton, and Newcastle's meeting with leaders Manchester City at the Sports Direct Arena on Sunday is now an even more mouth-watering prospect.
Cisse's 13 goals in his first 12 Premier League appearances is a joint record with Micky Quinn and Kevin Phillips
(Source: Opta Stats)external-link
Chelsea's interim manager Roberto di Matteo shuffled his side ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final with Liverpool at Wembley and also after a heavy schedule in which they also secured a place in the Champions League final.
Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Juan Mata and Didier Drogba were left on the bench, but this was still a jaded Chelsea display and they are now four points off the Champions League places with only two games left.
Drogba's love of Wembley makes him favourite to start ahead of Fernando Torres but the Spaniard was in determined mood as he tried to force his way into contention to face his former club.
He was Chelsea's liveliest performer as they faded after a bright start, with Newcastle taking control in impressive fashion towards the latter stages of the first half.
By this time they were already ahead, courtesy of another top-class finish from the prolific Cisse. Davide Santon found the striker in space on the edge of the area and he teed himself up with a first touch before flashing a finish high past Cech.
Chelsea, perhaps understandably given their recent exertions, looked heavy-legged but could have levelled when Florent Malouda could only direct Torres' cross wide and Branislav Ivanovic headed Raul Meireles' corner off target at the far post.
Newcastle actually came closest to adding a second on the stroke of half-time when Demba Ba, who had passed 1,000 minutes with a goal, struck the bar from the edge of the area with Cech beaten.
Di Matteo introduced fresh impetus at the restart by sending on Mata for Daniel Sturridge but Chelsea continued to struggle to land any blows on this resilient Newcastle side.
The Magpies suffered a blow midway through the half when Tiote, who had been involved in a clash with Mikel moments earlier, was floored after an aerial clash with the same player. There was a delay of around seven minutes as the Ivorian was placed carefully on a stretcher.
During the break in play Chelsea brought on Drogba for Malouda and it was not long before Lampard was also in the action as replacement for Meireles.
Newcastle were fiercely disciplined and well organised, as proved when Santon was perfectly placed on the far post to direct John Terry's 87th-minute header off the line.
Chelsea's hopes were lifted by that length spell of added time, but they were dashed by that moment of magic from Cisse that ensures Newcastle's dream lives on.
The Magpies' last two games are at home to title-chasing City and away to Everton on the final day. Chelsea face Liverpool and Blackburn as well as their two cup finals. | Sports Competition | May 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Jorge Rafael Videla, the former de facto President of Argentina, is sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of crimes against humanity. | Former Argentine military ruler Jorge Videla has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity.
A court in the central Argentine city of Cordoba found Gen Videla, 85, guilty of murdering dissidents during the country's period of military rule between 1976 and 1983.
The general has been accused of being the main architect of what became known as Argentina's "Dirty War".
Up to 30,000 people were tortured and murdered under military rule.
The judges ruled that Gen Videla would have to serve his life sentence in a civilian prison.
He was already serving a life sentence for abuses committed during military rule, but had enjoyed special privileges after he was first sentenced in 1985.
The judges said Gen Videla was "criminally responsible" for the torture and deaths of 31 prisoners in Cordoba.
Most of the left-wing activists were taken from their cells in the central city of Cordoba and shot dead shortly after the military took power. The army said at the time that they were killed while trying to escape. Gen Videla was one of 30 members of the security forces charged with the murders.
Gen Luciano Benjamin Menendez, who the judges said played a crucial part in the "Dirty War" against leftist activists, was also sentenced to life in prison. The court said Gen Videla would be transferred to a civilian prison "immediately", while Gen Menendez would undergo medical tests to determine if he was fit to be transferred to a local prison.
During the trial, Gen Videla took responsibility for the army's actions during his rule. He said that the country's troops were following his orders during what he described as an "internal war".
Gen Videla had been sentenced to life in prison for torture, murder and other crimes in 1985, but was pardoned in 1990 under an amnesty given by the president at the time, Carlos Menem. In April 2010, the Supreme Court upheld a 2007 federal court move to overturn his pardon, clearing the way for the court case which ended with his life sentence on Wednesday. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | December 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
At least 73 people have been killed in flash floods in the province of Papua, Indonesia. | At least 73 people have died and more than 60 are missing in flash floods in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua.
Rescue workers are struggling to reach remote parts of the province, and there are fears the number of dead may rise.
Roads have been blocked by landslides and fallen trees, and floodwaters have damaged two bridges and more than 100 houses.
More than 4,000 people have been forced from their homes, and some are sheltering in government offices.
Local residents said torrential rain began on Saturday evening and continued into the night, triggering mudslides and flash floods.
"Our house was flooded with thick mud... we immediately grabbed our valuables and ran to a neighbour's [two-storey] house to seek refuge," mother-of-two Lili Puji Hastuti told AFP news agency.
"It's hard to get out of the area because many roads are blocked... I'm worried, sad and scared all at once."
The search for victims continues in the town of Sentani, one of the worst affected areas.
At least 51 people were killed in the town, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Reuters news agency.
Another seven confirmed deaths were in the nearby provincial capital Jayapura, Mr Nugroho added.
However, a five-month-old baby was rescued in the city after being trapped under the rubble for hours, according to the military.
The baby was later reunited with his family. His father survived but his mother's whereabouts is unknown.
Flooding is common in Indonesia, especially during the October-April rainy season.
In January, floods killed at least 70 people on the island of Sulawesi, and heavy rain in West Java earlier in March displaced hundreds.
Emergency officials say that in recent months they had warned the Papuan authorities of flood risks due to deforestation of mountains surrounding Jayapura.
Papua province borders the independent state of Papua New Guinea, to the east.
Baby found underneath collapsed home
Indonesia flash flood sweeps away longhouse
| Floods | March 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
Uganda's deputy Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem says the country's anti–homosexuality Bill "will be changed". | However, Deputy Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem did not give details of how he thought the final bill would be different to the current proposals. Uganda has come under intense international pressure over the bill, which provides for the death penalty for some homosexual acts. Mr Oryem was speaking after US leader Barack Obama called the bill "odious". It has also been condemned by various European countries. "I am sure the bill will take a different form when it is tabled on the floor in parliament," Mr Oryem told the BBC's Network Africa programme. However, he also pointed out that it was a Private Member's Bill and so the government did not have the powers to alter it at this stage. "Homosexuality is not a top priority for the people of Uganda," he deputy minister said. "Our priority is to make sure there is food on the table of our people - that we deal with the issue of disease." Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda and punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The bill would raise that penalty to life in prison. It also proposes the death penalty for a new offence of "aggravated homosexuality" - defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender". Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has already distanced himself from the bill, saying it did not represent the views of his government. Two weeks ago its sponsor, David Bahati, told a Ugandan newspaper he was willing to "amend some clauses". The cabinet has set up a committee to look at his proposals. | Government Policy Changes | February 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
A court convicts Donald Blankenship, former CEO of Massey Energy Company, of violating safety standards that led to the deaths of 29 Upper Big Branch mine workers in Montcoal, West Virginia in 2010. He is acquitted of making false statements and deceiving regulators. Blankenship, who faces up to one year in prison and a fine of $250,000, is the most prominent American coal executive ever to be convicted of a charge connected to the deaths of miners. , , | CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Donald L. Blankenship, whose leadership of the Massey Energy Company was widely criticized after 29 workers were killed in the Upper Big Branch mine in 2010, was convicted Thursday of conspiring to violate federal safety standards, becoming the most prominent American coal executive ever convicted of a crime related to mining deaths.
But in a substantial defeat for the Justice Department, the verdict, announced in Federal District Court here, exonerated Mr. Blankenship, Massey’s former chief executive, of three felony charges that could have led to a prison term of 30 years. Instead, after a long and complex trial that began on Oct. 1, jurors convicted Mr. Blankenship only of a single misdemeanor charge that carried a maximum of a year in prison.
“We are disappointed, but not as disappointed as we could have been,” said William W. Taylor III, a lawyer for Mr. Blankenship, who will appeal the conviction. Sentencing is expected next spring.
Mr. Blankenship was not tried on any charges that accused him of direct responsibility for the deaths at Upper Big Branch, which investigators said exploded because of improper ventilation that allowed gases to accumulate. But prosecutors argued that his leadership had laid the groundwork for a catastrophe. There was not necessarily a formal conspiracy, prosecutors acknowledged, but they said that Mr. Blankenship’s example and tone had set Massey on a course that put profits ahead of lives.
Federal officials said they welcomed the verdict, mixed as it was. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez said the decision sent “a clear message that no mine operator is above the law, that there must be accountability when people lose their lives because of the neglect of their employer.”
The prosecution of Mr. Blankenship was one of extraordinary political, legal and emotional significance in West Virginia, a state where many residents have long believed that coal companies and their leaders faced only cursory scrutiny. After they started their deliberations on Nov. 17, jurors twice reported in handwritten notes that they could not agree.
But just after noon on Thursday, it fell to a coal miner’s daughter, Judge Irene C. Berger, to face a crowded courtroom and pronounce a unanimous jury’s findings.
Relatives of the dead miners sat in the front row, their arms sometimes trembling as they bowed their heads in silent prayer. Mr. Blankenship, who appeared impassive in the courtroom, waited between two of his lawyers. Guilty on a version of count one, the judge announced, and not guilty of the second and third counts, which involved accusations of securities fraud and false statements and together carried decades in prison.
“Is this or is it not your verdict?” Judge Berger asked the eight women and four men of the jury. Yes, each replied.
The jury’s verdict came after its members heard descriptions of Mr. Blankenship’s fortune — he was paid nearly $18 million in 2009, the last full year before the explosion at the mine just about everyone called “U.B.B.” — and saw documents that portrayed him as a manager with sophisticated knowledge of his multibillion-dollar corporation. Jurors learned about his demands for production reports from Upper Big Branch every 30 minutes, even on weekends, and they heard him, on audio recordings, chastising and lecturing subordinates.
Perhaps most crucially, they heard dueling interpretations of an array of memos and programs about safety at Massey, a company that had thousands of safety citations and, according to the government, embarked on little more than a safety charade.
Mr. Blankenship’s lawyers, however, said that prosecutors had stretched federal laws and the evidence to their limits in their quest to prosecute Mr. Blankenship, a Republican who has suggested that the case against him was a form of political retaliation.
“Nobody’s blaming the miners,” Mr. Taylor said during his closing argument last month. “But the government wants you to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Don Blankenship is a criminal because this mine got citations.”
On Thursday, as he had for months, Mr. Taylor said that the case should have never been brought. But prosecutors, in interviews during the jury’s deliberations, defended their approach in a wide-ranging inquiry that began soon after the disaster and, ultimately, amassed a varied record.
“If we were going to have a shot at who, if anyone, was responsible for the circumstances that might have contributed to this event, then we would need to investigate this like we investigate criminal cases,” said R. Booth Goodwin II, the United States attorney. “How is it that this happens, and how is it that we have what seemed like a Third World mine disaster in the 21st century here in America?”
Last November, almost three years after the company that bought Massey agreed to a $209 million settlement with the Justice Department, a grand jury indicted Mr. Blankenship. He assembled a roster of lawyers for a defense that cost millions of dollars, while prosecutors weighed how to present a complicated case. Unlike the prosecutors, Mr. Taylor would not agree to discuss how the case unfolded.
There were, for instance, matters of how to explore the details of mining with jurors — prosecutors even considered taking the jury to a simulated mine — and how to explain gaps between the law and common perceptions of it, a particular concern for the conspiracy count.
“The hard part is getting the jury to understand that an unspoken conspiracy is just as much a conspiracy as sitting in a back room writing out a pact in blood,” said Steven R. Ruby, an assistant United States attorney.
In the end, it was just the conspiracy charge that persuaded jurors.
“I think it is a compromise verdict, but you have to remember that the two charges that received acquittals were for conduct quite different than culpability for operating an unsafe coal mine and violating laws that are intended to prevent precisely what occurred,” said Patrick C. McGinley, a West Virginia University law professor who was involved in the state’s investigation of the deaths at Upper Big Branch.
“A century of mine disasters and failing to hold coal company executives responsible is over,” he said.
And here in Charleston, family members of Upper Big Branch miners said they were somewhat vindicated by the verdict.
“Even though Mr. Blankenship may not be convicted of all of these crimes, he is guilty, my friends, and he is not guilty of just being a liar, cheating fraud,” said Judy Jones Petersen, whose brother worked at Upper Big Branch.
She later added, “I just wanted someone to step forward and say, ‘He is guilty. He is guilty.’ ”
Shortly before Dr. Petersen spoke, Mr. Blankenship emerged from the courthouse. Asked for his response to the verdict, he winked. Pressed for a further explanation, he said: “Just a wink. A wink and a nod.” | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | December 2015 | ['(The New Yorker)', '(NPR)', '(The Christian Science Monitor)', '(The New York Times)'] |
United States President Donald Trump, together with Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, unveils the RAISE Act, a plan that would, if passed, reduce legal immigration to the U.S. by half each year, and implement a "merit-based system" prioritizing skilled workers, instead of the current family-based chain migration system. , | President Trump announces the introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. (left), and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Wednesday.
Getty Images
President Trump announces the introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. (left), and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Wednesday.
Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET
President Trump unveiled controversial legislation on Wednesday that would sharply curtail legal immigration to the United States.
The president met at the White House with two Republican senators pushing the legislation, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia.
One of Trump's campaign promises was to reduce immigration, illegal and legal. The Cotton-Perdue legislation, also known as the RAISE Act (for Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy), would cut by half the number of legal immigrants accepted into the U.S. each year.
As NPR's John Burnett reported,
"Their bill would do three things: First, limit the number of foreign nationals who are able to get green cards to reunite with their families already in the U.S. — currently the largest category of legal immigrants; second, cut the number of refugees in half; third, eliminate the diversity visa lottery — a program that gives visas to countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
"Cotton says the number of green cards awarded each year — about a million — is excessive.
" 'In one year, this would reduce it to around 600,000,' Cotton says. 'Over the span of the 10-year window, it would fall to about 500,000.' "
Trump said the measure "will reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars." The current system, Trump said, "has not been fair to our people, to our citizens, to our workers." He said the new system would favor applicants "who can speak English, financially support themselves and their families, and demonstrate skills that will contribute to our economy." It would also prevent new arrivals from collecting welfare.
Legislation backed by Sens. David Perdue, R-Ga., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., proposes cutting legal immigration by half.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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Legislation backed by Sens. David Perdue, R-Ga., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., proposes cutting legal immigration by half.
A White House official, speaking on background, says that the current immigration system "is outdated, and doesn't meet the diverse needs of our economy" and that the legislation being unveiled Wednesday "is aimed at creating a skills-based immigration system that will make America more competitive, raise wages for American workers and create jobs."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement the proposal would "help the Department of Justice perform its duties to uphold our nation's immigration law and end the unlawful abuse of our public benefits program that undermine U.S. taxpayers."
Limiting legal immigration is opposed by business groups, which rely on low-skilled workers for agriculture and other jobs. And economists point to the low unemployment rate, 4.4 percent last month, as evidence that there are relatively few Americans who are without jobs now and that, as baby boomers retire, there will be a labor shortage.
But backers of stricter immigration limits say allowing unskilled people into the country keeps wages low, especially for workers with only a high-school diploma or less.
A group of 1,470 economists released a letter to the president, saying that "the benefits that immigration brings to society far outweigh their costs, and smart immigration policy could better maximize the benefits of immigration while reducing the costs."
It's not clear how much support there is in the Senate for such a bill. Republicans such as Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona are likely opponents, and there's little enthusiasm among Democrats.
Still, on the heels of last week's collapse of efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Trump is looking for a legislative victory, and with strong support inside the White House from advisers Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, there is likely to be a strong push for the measure in the weeks and months ahead. | Government Policy Changes | August 2017 | ['(The Washington Post)', '(NPR)'] |
Syrians in Aleppo stage a protest against a rebel siege of government-held areas in the city. | Dozens of Syrians in Aleppo have staged protests against a rebel siege of government-held areas in the city, residents have said.
Rebels stopped supplies from entering western parts of the city in a bid to weaken the supply routes for President Bashar al-Assad's forces, they add.
They say the blockade has led to severe food and medicine shortages.
The World Health Organization has urged Syrians to protect a convoy carrying medical supplies to the city. One protester was reportedly shot dead at a demonstration on Tuesday, according to the UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The group says it was not clear whether the man was shot by rebels trying to disperse the protest or killed by army sniper fire, as some civilians claimed.
Amateur footage uploaded onto YouTube shows dozens of men in civilian dress purportedly protesting at a checkpoint in the rebel-held district of Bustan al-Qasr, chanting: "The people want an end to the blockade."
The protest is disrupted by several men in black, one carrying a gun, followed by the sound of gunfire.
Many Aleppo residents are angered by the rebel blockade, which has created shortages of basics such as bread and flour, and hiked up food prices in several neighbourhoods at the start of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Aid agencies have voiced concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in the city after months of fierce fighting, with the World Health Organization calling on both sides of the conflict to guarantee the safety of a convoy carrying medical supplies to Aleppo. The UN's World Food Programme said it delivered food rations to more than 250,000 people ahead of the start of fasting. However, it also said that their aid shipments had been blocked by both sides across the country in recent months.
In Damascus, Syrian foreign ministry officials promised to increase efforts "to send urgent humanitarian aid to Aleppo province" after meeting UN representatives to discuss the crisis.
Residents in Homs are living under similar conditions, as government forces close in on some of the last remaining rebel positions there.
The government says it is focusing its campaign on the northern district of Khalidiya to root out "foreign subversion and domestic terrorism".
One activist told the BBC that hundreds of families were living in "medieval conditions", with no electricity or running water.
Meanwhile, rebel fighters in Khalidiya are becoming increasingly desperate, says the BBC's Paul Wood. They have uploaded amateur videos of themselves wearing suicide belts, saying these are their only weapons now.
Most of Homs has been recaptured by government troops backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The UN says more than 90,000 people have been killed in Syria - with a further 1.7 million forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries. | Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
The United States Africa Command says the US has carried out an airstrike against ISIL in southwest Libya, killing at least 17 militants. |
CAIRO (AP) - The US military says it has carried out an airstrike against the Islamic State group in Libya, the third US airstrike in the North African country in a little over a week.
These US airstrikes over the last eight days are the first in Libya in over a year.
US Africa Command released a statement on Friday (Sept 27) saying 17 militants were killed in the strike, launched a day earlier in southwest Libya.
US Navy Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, director of intelligence at the command, vowed to continue pursuing IS militants and deny them "safe haven to coordinate and plan operations" in Libya.
Islamic extremists expanded their reach in Libya amid the chaos following the 2011 uprising, which killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. | Armed Conflict | September 2019 | ['(The Straits Times)'] |
Russian blogger Alexei Navalny and opposition leader Ilya Yashin are released. | Alexei Navalny, a key figure in the rallies after Russia's disputed parliamentary elections, has left jail in Moscow promising new protests.
After serving 15 days for obstructing police, the anti-corruption blogger was freed in the early hours. A few hours later, the first parliamentary session since the election began in the State Duma.
Police say 25 people were arrested as they staged a rally outside the building, Russian media report.
Speaking to reporters as he left prison, Mr Navalny said "extraordinary efforts" would be made to continue the protest movement.
The protesters' demand for a re-run of the 4 December elections remained in force, he said.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won a narrow majority. But activists identified instances of ballot-stuffing and used social media to report them.
Days after Mr Navalny was detained on 6 December, Moscow saw its biggest anti-government protest in decades.
A new mass protest against ballot-rigging is planned on Saturday in Moscow.
"I'm not afraid and these 15 days convinced me there is nothing to fear," Mr Navalny said. "Let them be afraid instead."
Mr Putin is widely seen as favourite to win Russia's presidential election in March. "The party of swindlers and thieves is putting forward its chief swindler and its chief thief for the presidency," Mr Navalny added. "We must vote against him, struggle against him." | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | December 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(RIA Novosti)'] |
The Met Office issues a storm warning for the entire United Kingdom, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reportedly the worst–affected areas. Two people are later reported killed in separate weather–related incidents. | Storms have caused damage across many parts of the UK, with gusts of up to 100mph in Scotland.
A man in his 50s was killed in Kent when a tree collapsed on his van, and a crewman died after being injured on board a tanker in the English Channel.
A bus driver in Surrey suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on his bus.
Thousands of people are still without power in parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings which remain in place for many regions.
BBC weather forecasters said it would stay windy through the night. Strong winds and gales are also expected across the UK on Wednesday - particularly in the north of England and Scotland - but it will be less windy than Tuesday and gusts are not expected to reach more than 40-45mph.
Around the UK on Tuesday, trees fell on to railway tracks and power lines, lorries blew over on busy roads and flood warnings were issued after rivers swelled.
High seas and force 10 winds caused the Port of Dover to close, but it has now reopened, while gusts of wind damaged the roof of a stand at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey. Police said the incident in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, happened at about 12:25 GMT in Sandhurst Road. They said the van was believed to have been stationary at the time of the impact, and a male passenger was believed to have been uninjured. The crewman who died was one of three injured men who were rescued by Falmouth coastguards from the Annie PG in the Channel. The other two men were taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
Figures published by the Met Office reported wind speeds of 106mph at Great Dun Fell in the Cumbrian north Pennines, and 102mph in Edinburgh.
Travel has also been disrupted, with no East Coast services currently operating within Scotland, and East Coast Main Line trains between London and Scotland going no further north than Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Buses replaced trains on some services between London and Harrogate and Hull.
Also in Scotland, the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow was shut by two overturned lorries, Glasgow Airport warned that cancellations were expected because of high winds and Edinburgh Airport did not accepting incoming flights.
A number of roads were closed in Northern Ireland, including in Belfast and Londonderry, while the Foyle Bridge in Derry was closed. Some train, bus and ferry services have also been affected.
High winds in England forced the closure of the QEII Bridge on the M25 between Essex and Kent for much of the day, while the Tamar Bridge in the South West has been closed to high-sided vehicles. In Wales, the A40 between Carmarthenshire and Powys and the A478 between Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion were among roads affected, while the Britannia Bridge at Anglesey and the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire have been closed to high-sided vehicles.
In Northern Ireland 10,000 properties were left without electricity after fallen trees and severe winds damaged power lines, causing hundreds of faults.
In Scotland, more than 70,000 homes were without power. About 8,500 properties in parts of Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire have also been without power.
In Wales six homes in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, were evacuated because of arcing power lines in high winds.
The Environment Agency issued 20 flood warnings across the country, including 13 in the South West, three each in the Midlands and the North East, and one in Wales. It also issued 66 less severe flood alerts.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued flood warnings for the Moy Bridge area in the Highlands and locations in Tayside. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | January 2012 | ['(Belfast Telegraph)', '(BBC)'] |
Golfer Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa wins the 139th Open Championship, played at the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland. | The roll call of Open Championship winners at St Andrews took a serious detour into the land of the unknown with today's stunning victory by the South African whose practice-range nickname is Shrek (apparently, he looks like the film character) and whose only previous victory came at one of the European Tour's lesser events.
Louis Oosthuizen: Andalucia Open champion and now Open champion. The golfing purists – or at least those who forget that even the golfing greats had to start somewhere in their accumulation of major championship trophies – will be unhappy about that, while the casual observers will be bemused. Isn't Woods supposed to win every tournament he plays at St Andrews? Wasn't this meant to be Rory McIlroy's party?
Oosthuizen had not made the cut in his three previous appearances at the Open, far less challenge for the title. But as he brought home his ship with remarkable composure and more than a little aplomb, there was an acceptance among his fellow players that here was a man who had earned his just reward.
"Look what he's been doing this year and last year on the European Tour – that's a lot more important or valid than looking at his Open career," said the Welshman Bradley Dredge. "I think he had his first victory this year, but he had a load of top‑five and top‑three finishes last year and finished very high up in the order of merit. I've played with him a few times over the years – he really is a great player. When you've got somebody like him who hits it so far as well you're going to get a lot of putts for 15, 20 feet and it gives him a lot of chances."
Simon Dyson, another long-time European Tour player and a client of the same management company, is another dedicated fan of the new Open champion. "He is a good solid player," he said. "I've played quite a bit with him, I've seen him in Europe. He has always had a beautiful swing and this week he's been holing the putts pretty good. He is definitely a worthy champion – he is a fantastic player and a lovely lad as well."
A lovely lad and a well-balanced one, according to those who know him. "He is one of those people who never gets too 'up' when things are going well or too 'down' when they are not," said his manager, Andrew Chandler. This even temperament served him well before and during today's final round.
The body-language experts were on hand as the South African and Paul Casey, his playing partner for the day, were on the practice green, hitting a few putts before heading to the 1st tee. The unanimous verdict was that Oosthuizen looked the calmer of the two; serenely going about his business while the Englishman was the one initiating conversation. Oosthuizen looked equally composed out on the course, despite the inevitable pressure that comes with leading an Open. Scheduled to play in Sweden next week, where he only gained entry to the Scandinavian Masters by invitation, Oosthuizen can expect a warm reception from his fellow pros, although perhaps no one will be as delighted as Ernie Els, whose South Africa-based foundation nurtured the youthful golfer's talent. And there was plenty of talent to nurture.
Oosthuizen represented his country at every level as an amateur and was a member of the South African squad that won the world junior championships in 2000. He turned professional in 2004 and won four events in his homeland over the next five years.
His record on the European Tour, where the competition is much stronger, might be described as "adequate". However, such are the rewards in the modern game that adequate golf is enough to make a very good living. Oosthuizen, the son of a farmer, never had much money in his youth and now he had some. With that financial security, the temptation to sit back might have proved irresistible.
"He has a really fantastic golf swing," said Ian Poulter, when asked to assess the new champion's game. "Am I surprised that he's won? Not in the slightest. He has been an underachiever but he's a great ball striker and once he holed a few putts he really got it going."
Friends suggested today that the birth of Oosthuizen's daughter, Jana, in December last year may have changed his outlook on professional life, instilling a drive that came close to matching his talent. Weeks before this year's Masters it became clear that he had to win the Andalucia Open if he wanted to make the trip to Augusta and win he did, so becoming the first graduate of Els's foundation to play in the major.
With his victory today he also becomes the first graduate of the foundation to win a major championship. Truly, the pupil can now be considered the equal of the teacher. | Sports Competition | July 2010 | ['(The Guardian)', '(BBC Sport)'] |
A grand jury report alleging that more than 300 priests abused over 1,000 children in six Pennsylvania Catholic diocese -- Allentown, Scranton, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Erie -- is released by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. | More than 300 Catholic priests across Pennsylvania sexually abused children over seven decades, protected by a hierarchy of church leaders who covered it up, according to a sweeping grand jury report released Tuesday.
The investigation, one of the broadest inquiries into church sex abuse in U.S. history, identified 1,000 children who were victims, but reported that there probably are thousands more.
“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades,” the grand jury wrote in its report.
The 18-month investigation covered six of the state’s dioceses Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton and follows other state grand jury reports that revealed abuse and coverups in two other dioceses. The grand jury reviewed more than 2million documents, including from the “secret archives” what church leaders referred to the reports of abuse they hid from public for decades, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said at a news conference Tuesday.
Read the grand jury report
The 1,400-page report, delivered in scathing language, described some of the alleged abuse in disturbing detail:
In Erie, a 7-year-old boy was sexually abused by a priest who then told him he should go to confession and confess his “sins” to that same priest.
Another boy was repeatedly raped from ages 13 to 15 by a priest who bore down so hard on the boy’s back that it caused severe spine injuries. He became addicted to painkillers and later died of an overdose.
One victim in Pittsburgh was forced to pose naked as Christ on the cross while priests photographed him with a Polaroid camera. Priests gave the boy and others gold cross necklaces to mark them as being “groomed” for abuse.
The report makes clear that few criminal cases may result from the massive investigation.
“As a consequence of the coverup, almost every instance of abuse we found is too old to be prosecuted,” the report said.
Catholic Church and advocates of sex abuse survivors battle over release of Pa. grand jury report
Shapiro said at a news conference that he was bound by the state’s statutes of limitation.In Pennsylvania, victims of child sex abuse have until they are 30 to file civil suits and until they are 50 to file criminal charges. The oldest victim who spoke to the grand jury was 83.
“We all wish more charges could be filed, but due to the church’s manipulation of our weak laws in Pennsylvania, too many predators were out of reach,” Shapiro said.
The investigation has helped renew a crisis that many in the church thought and hoped had ended nearly 20 years ago after a church scandal erupted in Boston. But recent abuse-related scandals, including in Australia and Chile, have reopened questions about accountability and whether church officials at the highest levels are still covering up crimes.
About 15 victims flanked Shapiro at the news conference Tuesday, several holding back tears.
James VanSickle, 55, recalled to reporters being sexually abused in 1981 by a priest in Erie, but the priest was not prosecuted for the abuse because the statute of limitations had passed.
“This is the murder of a soul,” said VanSickle, who testified before the grand jury. “We don’t have a statute of limitations on the crime of murder. We don’t go after victims ... and question their ‘repressed memories’ or ‘recovered memories.’”
State Rep. Mark Rozzi (D) told The Post in an interview that he was raped by a priest at his Catholic school in Berks County, Pa. The same priest, he said, sexually abused one of his childhood friends, who killed himself in 2009.
Rozzi called on fellow legislators to pass measures that would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of sexual abuse of children.
In addition to ending such limitations for criminal cases, the grand jury also called for a law to allow older victims to sue the church for damage inflicted upon them as children, tighter laws that mandate the reporting of abuse and an end to nondisclosure agreements when settlements have been reached.
The new allegations have focused attention on Pope Francis and his handling of abuse as many Catholics look to him to help the church try to regain some of its credibility.
The grand jury’s report follows the resignation last month of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a towering figure in the U.S. church and a former archbishop of Washington who was accused of sexually abusing children and adults for decades. Both have further polarized the church on homosexuality, celibacy and whether laypeople should have more power.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, currently the archbishop of Washington, figures prominently in the report, because he led the Pittsburgh diocese as its bishop from 1988 to 2006. The grand jury depicts his actions as a mix of well-intentioned and obfuscatory, at times stopping abusive priests from continuing in their ministries in the diocese and at other times guiding them back into parishes.
Wuerl defended his conduct in a statement, saying: “While I understand this Report may be critical of some of my actions, I believe the Report confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse.”
Pennsylvania is believed to have conducted more investigations of institutional child sex abuse than any other state. But there is no full accounting of abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States.
Peter Isely, a longtime advocate for victims of sexual abuse, said groups have long been pressing the U.S. government for a national investigation of child sex abuse, especially in the Catholic Church. Isely, who was abused and is a spokesman for the global group Ending Clergy Abuse, said that a five-year inquiry in Australia is “the gold standard,” but that other nations, including Canada, Germany and Ireland, have conducted national forensic reviews.
“Imagine if they did what was done in Pennsylvania, but nationwide,” he said, but noted that the problem needs to be solved by the Vatican.
The closest thing was a 2004 study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. It reviewed abuse by priests and deacons from 1950 until 2002.
Worldwide, national law enforcement agencies are targeting abuse within the church. In Chile, prosecutors and police are raiding church offices, confiscating documents and looking for evidence of crimes that went unreported to police. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that authorities were raiding the headquarters of Chile’s Catholic Episcopal Conference.
The crisis in Chile is just one case in a new wave of abuse-related revelations that have raised pressure on Francis to deal more forcefully with abuse. In France, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin is facing a trial on criminal charges of not reporting sexual abuse. In Australia, one archbishop was recently convicted in a criminal court for concealing sexual abuse, and Cardinal George Pell, a top Francis lieutenant, will soon stand trial on charges related to sexual offenses.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2018 | ['(Washington Post)', '(Wilkes Barre Times-Leader)'] |
Hurricane Patricia strengthens to Category 4 ahead of making landfall in Mexico. |
This article was last updated on Thursday, Oct. 22. Click here for the latest information on Patricia.
Two major Mexican resort cities are under hurricane warnings as Category 4 Hurricane Patricia bears down on Mexico's Pacific Coast, bringing the threat of destructive winds, flooding and mudslides beginning Friday.
In the past 24 hours, Patricia rapidly strengthened from a tropical storm to a major hurricane. It is forecast to remain a Category 4 cyclone by the time it makes landfall along Mexico's Pacific coast Friday night.
As of 4 p.m. CDT, Patricia was located about 250 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, or about 355 miles south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. The storm reached hurricane status early Thursday morning and reached Category 4 status, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (210 kph), early Thursday afternoon, according to data from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area within 48 hours. A watch means hurricane conditions are possible in the watch area.
Tropical storm conditions are possible as early as late Thursday night in the warning areas and hurricane force winds are expected to reach the warning area Friday afternoon or evening.
While the resort area of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo may see heavy rainfall associated with Patricia, there are no watches or warnings for tropical storm or hurricane conditions there. Acapulco is also not under any watches or warnings for Patricia.
A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the right of where the center of Patricia makes landfall. In addition, Mexico's national water comission, CONAGUA, warned Thursday that waves of up to 12 meters (39 feet) may crash onto beaches near the landfall point.
Some additional strengthening is possible given a favorable environment that includes particularly warm sea-surface temperatures and very low vertical wind shear.
The projected path for Patricia shows that the center of the hurricane will make landfall late Friday somewhere on the coast from near Manzanillo to near Puerto Vallarta. Note that even areas outside the projected path, including Manzanillo, could see significant impacts from Patricia.
Patricia is expected to dump 6 to 12 inches (150 to 300 millimeters) of rain over the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero. Life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides are possible. Localized amounts as high as 20 inches (500 millimeters) are possible.
Patricia is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane. If it does so, it would join just three other eastern Pacific major hurricanes to do so this late in the season dating back to 1949.
Once this system moves inland, mid-level moisture and energy from it may get pulled into the south-central U.S. This may add more fuel to a heavy rain and flooding threat in Texas and nearby states this weekend.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | October 2015 | ['(The Weather Channel)'] |
Italian police arrest fugitive Camorra crime boss Antonio Iovine. | Italian police have arrested a fugitive mafia boss who had been on the run for 14 years.
Officials said that Antonio Iovine, a senior figure in the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate, was one of Italy's most wanted men.
The 46-year-old was arrested in a small villa in Casal di Principe, the gang's heartland north of Naples.
He is reported to have been discovered hiding in a wall cavity, and tried to jump off a balcony to evade arrest.
"It's a big success. A big blow [for the Camorra]," Naples police chief Santi Giuffre said.
He said his force had been preparing for the arrest of Iovine, considered a leader of the Casalesi clan, for some time. Iovine was sentenced to life in prison in absentia earlier this year along with 15 other Camorra bosses, one of whom is still on the run.
They were found guilty of multiple counts, including murder and extortion.
Italy's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni called it a "great day for the fight against the mafia". Italian PM vows to defeat mafia
Italy police in mafia crackdown
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | November 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
The United States and Russia sign a pact to use Russian technology on NASA missions to hunt for water on the moon and Mars. | Russia and the United States, the world’s great space powers, celebrated the eve of the first satellite launch 50 years ago with a pact to use Russian technology on NASA missions to seek water on the moon and Mars.
Mars is seen in an image taken from the Hubble Space Telescope in a 2003 file photo. Russia and the United States, the world's great space powers, celebrated the eve of the first satellite launch 50 years ago with a pact to use Russian technology on NASA missions to seek water on the moon and Mars. REUTERS/NASA/Handout
NASA administrator Michael Griffin signed the cooperation deal with his Russian counterpart at a ceremony on Wednesday at the U.S. embassy residence in Moscow attended by cosmonauts and astronauts and featuring a recorded greeting from space.
Both sides avoided mention of superpower rivalry during the Cold War and recent clashes over U.S. “Star Wars”-style missile defense plans to concentrate on what they had achieved together, first in the Apollo-Soyuz joint mission of 1975 and later with the International Space Station.
“What better example to set for the citizens of our countries and the world about what is possible if we work together in a spirit of cooperation, partnership and friendship?” NASA flight engineer Clayton Anderson said in a video message sent from the International Space Station.
Wednesday’s event, whose guest list included the world’s first ever man to walk in space, Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, was held on the eve of the October 4, 1957 launch of Russia’s Sputnik satellite.
Its successful blasting into orbit by the Soviet Union shocked the Americans, who had been unsuccessful with their own attempts, and led to a new Cold War space race.
Wednesday’s agreement, the product of a different era, will see NASA using Russian scientific instruments on missions to detect the presence of hydrogen -- a predictor of water -- on the Moon and later on Mars.
“I hope we will continue cooperation ... and that in the future Russian and American scientists will continue to work together on joint projects which will allow us to explore the moon and Mars successfully,” Russian Federal Space Agency (RosKosmos) head Anatoly Perminov told the reception.
NASA engineers want to use their Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission to the moon in October 2008 to check what resources are there to support a permanent manned station planned for the following decade.
“The (Russian) Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) instrument allows us to be able to locate very specific sites where water may exist,” NASA project scientist Gordon Chin told reporters.
Just over a year later, NASA will dispatch the Mars Science Laboratory, an unmanned mission which will land on the Red Planet in 2010 and spend two years analyzing its surface. The same Russian technology will be used on that mission to hunt for signs of water.
| Sign Agreement | October 2007 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The United Nations passes a resolution authorizing foreign countries to conduct military raids on land or by sea in pursuit of Somali pirates. | UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 16 -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize nations to conduct military raids, on land and by air, against pirates plying the waters off the Somalia coast even as two more ships were reportedly hijacked at sea.
The vote represented a major escalation by the world's big powers in the fight against the pirates, who have disrupted commerce along one of the world's most active sea routes and acquired tens of millions of dollars in ransom. It came as China -- which has had several ships commandeered in recent months -- said it is seriously considering joining U.S., European and Russian warships policing the region.
The U.S.-drafted resolution authorizes nations to "use all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia" in pursuit of pirates, as long as they are approved by the country's transitional federal government. The resolution also urges states to deploy naval vessels and military aircraft to carry out the operations, and it calls for the creation of a regional office to coordinate the international effort.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who personally pushed for the resolution's passage, said the vote sends "a strong signal of commitment to combat the scourge of piracy. Piracy currently pays. But worse, pirates pay few costs for their criminality; their dens in Somalia provide refuge from the naval ships in the Gulf of Aden."
Rice said the United States would help establish a contact group of governments to share intelligence and to coordinate naval and military operations in the region.
She also called on the shipping industry to strengthen the defenses of commercial vessels and urged countries victimized by piracy to detain captured pirates and prosecute them in their own courts. An unwillingness to apprehend and prosecute pirates captured on the high seas has hindered the global response to the threat, Rice said.
More than 60 ships have been seized by pirates this year, including two on Tuesday -- a Turkish cargo ship and an Indonesian tugboat under contract with the French oil firm Total.
Rice's diplomatic achievement in the council was tempered by the unraveling political and security situation in Somalia, which could jeopardize the international effort. Somalia's government has been hobbled by a power struggle between its president and prime minister.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that Somalia may descend into "chaos" by the end of the month, when an Ethiopian occupation force leaves the country. He said his efforts to muster an international force strong enough to stabilize the situation have been unsuccessful.
Ban rejected Rice's proposal for a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia, suggesting that conditions there were not secure enough. Instead, he asked the Security Council to increase funding for a financially strapped African Union force that has struggled to secure strategic sea and air ports.
Rice countered that it would be better to place the Africans under a U.N. flag, which would require the world body's 192 members to fund the operation. She urged the council to authorize a peacekeeping mission by the end of the year but said the United States was not yet prepared to present such a resolution to the council. "While the conditions may not be auspicious for peacekeeping, they will be less auspicious if chaos reigns in Somalia," she said. She voiced concern that Islamist extremists could take advantage of a breakdown in security to stage a return to power for the second time in three years.
Aid groups, meanwhile, said the approval of military raids could worsen the situation on the ground. "Expanding anti-piracy operations inside Somalia risks further complicating the conflict and could exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis," said Nicole Widdersheim, who heads Oxfam International's New York office. She urged nations to focus on reducing violence within the country, rather than "the threat to commercial interests from piracy off the Somali coast."
The commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet warned last week that ground attacks on suspected Somali pirates would put the lives of innocent civilians at risk. Rice told reporters Tuesday, "What we do or do not do in cases of hot pursuit we'll have to see, and you'll have to take it case by case."
The Security Council meeting, which was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, marked the end of a two-day effort by Rice to showcase progress on a series of international crises, including the Middle East conflict and Iran's nuclear ambitions. Early Tuesday, the council adopted a rare Middle East security resolution, which highlighted international efforts to end the conflict. | Armed Conflict | December 2008 | ['(Washington Post)'] |
UN Secretary–General Kofi Annan warns Security Council members not to grant the United States another exemption from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, stating that it was wrong, especially after the abuse of prisoners in Iraq. | Secretary General Kofi Annan harshly criticized the United States on Thursday for seeking immunity for its peacekeeping troops from the International Criminal Court.
He said the Security Council should resist the American move, which he said was ''of dubious judicial value'' and particularly deplorable this year ''given the prisoner abuse in Iraq.''
''I think in this circumstance it would be unwise to press for an exemption, and it would be even more unwise on the part of the Security Council to grant it,'' Mr. Annan told reporters. ''It would discredit the Council and the United Nations that stands for rule of law and the primacy of the rule of law.''
The Bush administration has argued that people could use the court to bring politically motivated actions against Americans abroad. When the court was established two years ago, Washington threatened to end its participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations if its troops were not promised such protection.
Last month, the United States introduced a resolution to the Security Council that would continue an exemption first granted in 2002 and renewed a year ago, exempting American personnel in United Nations-authorized operations like that contemplated in Iraq from prosecution in the international court. Mr. Annan has opposed such action both years, but not with such a forthright statement.
''While today's statement is more explicit than the secretary general has made before, it has even greater resonance since in the current environment the idea of exempting people from the rule of law because of their nationality is obviously less defensible than ever,'' said Richard Dicker, director for international justice at Human Rights Watch.
In the vote last year, three nations abstained, and diplomats said that as many as 7 of the 15 Security Council members were thinking of abstaining this year. If they do so, the United States could not get the nine votes it needs for passage.
Late last month, China obtained a postponement of the debate, saying that the events at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq had changed its thinking, and it could no longer rule out a veto. At the Chinese Mission to the United Nations on Thursday, a spokeswoman said, ''Our capital is still studying this issue, and the mission does not have instructions yet.''
Richard A. Grenell, the spokesman for the American Mission, said the United States intended to press for a vote before June 30 and saw no reason why the resolution should not pass. ''We still think that it should be a technical rollover,'' he said.
The court is the first permanent tribunal to try cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, but it has no jurisdiction in Iraq because neither the United States nor Iraq were signatories to the 1998 Rome treaty establishing it.
The United Nations role will grow in Iraq once power is transferred on June 30 from the American-led occupying forces to the Iraqis, but Mr. Annan said Thursday that he was still unwilling to send international staff back to Iraq because of poor security. | Famous Person - Give a speech | June 2004 | ['(New Zealand Herald)', '(NYT)'] |
A blanket of thick grey smog covers the Indian capital, Delhi, with some areas 30 times more polluted than the World Health Organization's recommended limit, one year after a similar smog. | Panic has gripped the Indian capital, Delhi, as residents woke up to a blanket of thick grey smog on Tuesday.
Visibility is poor as pollution levels reached 30 times the World Health Organization's recommended limit in some areas.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared "a state of medical emergency" and urged the government to "make every possible effort to curb this menace".
People have been posting dramatic pictures on social media showing the extent of the problem.
View from my balcony at 11:15 am! Delhi NCR has become a hellhole. #smog(It seems the evil Yindoos celebrated Diwali last night.)
The levels of tiny particulate matter (known as PM 2.5) that enter deep into the lungs reached as high as 700 micrograms per cubic metre in some areas on Tuesday, data from the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research website shows.
Delhi acts against pollution menace
Polluted Delhi has 'become a gas chamber'
Delhi chokes after Diwali fireworks
The IMA has also recommended that the city's half marathon, due to be held on 19 November, should be cancelled.
Most social media users have complained of breathing difficulties. When the heart of the capital is facing breathing issues
The chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, has asked his education minister to consider shutting down schools for a few days.
Delhi sees pollution levels soar in winter due to farmers in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana states burning stubble to clear their fields.
Activists say very little has been done to stop the practice despite Delhi facing severe pollution for a number of years.
Low wind speeds, dust from construction sites, rubbish burning in the capital and firecrackers used in festivals also contribute to increasing pollution levels.
The government enacted a plan in October to combat some of these problems.
The plan includes traffic restrictions and the shutdown of a major power plant. Last year car rationing was trialled in an attempt to curb pollution.
But none of the measures seem to have had much impact.
Some Twitter users believe that the problem needs a long-term solution instead of a "piecemeal approach".
| Environment Pollution | November 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki becomes the new world number one during the 2010 China Open. | Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki is set to become the new world number one after beating Petra Kvitova to reach the quarter-finals of the China Open.
Wozniacki defeated Kvitova 6-3 6-2 and will overtake Serena Williams when the new rankings are released on Monday. Wozniacki said: "This is a real big step for me. To be world number one has always been a dream for me." The 20-year-old is the 20th woman to top the rankings since their inception in 1975. However, the Dane is the third player in the last two years to reach the top without winning a Grand Slam title. Serbia's Jelena Jankovic and Russia's Dinara Safina are still without a major title despite topping the rankings in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Wozniacki said capturing a major title was her next target. "That would be like a dream come true," she added.
Williams, who has held top spot for a total of 123 weeks over the course of her career, has not played since winning her 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July. The 29-year-old could make her comeback next week at the WTA tournament in Linz, organisers revealed on Thursday. "Her flight is booked, her arrival in Linz is scheduled for Sunday morning," said the tournament website. A comeback at the modest, $220,000 (£193,000) tournament would allow Williams to get herself in condition for the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha at the end of October. In other matches, second seed Vera Zvonareva dropped the first set against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko but battled back for a 5-7 6-4 6-2 win. Serbia's Ana Ivanovic beat Russian seventh seed Elena Dementieva 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4). Home favourite Li Na, the ninth seed, trounced Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-0 in only 48 minutes, while Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia had a walkover against 13th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia. | Sports Competition | October 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Reuters)'] |
A gunman is arrested for one count of murder after killing a woman then taking dozens of people hostage at a Trader Joe's in Los Angeles, California. | A gunman who got into a deadly shootout with police, then took dozens of people hostage at a Trader Joe's supermarket in Los Angeles' Silver Lake has been arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said Sunday. Gene Evin Atkins, 28, was being held Sunday morning on $2 million bail, police said. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney. A message left at a number listed for Atkins in public records wasn't immediately returned.
A woman was shot and killed when Atkins ran into the supermarket on Saturday, but no hostages were seriously hurt before the man handcuffed himself and surrendered about three hours later, police said.
Coroner's officials identified the woman Sunday as 27-year-old Melyda Corado. Her brother, Albert Corado, said on Twitter that she worked at Trader Joe's.
"I'm sad to say she didn't make it. My baby sister. My world," he tweeted.
Atkins' grandmother was hospitalized in critical condition after the shooting and police had no update on her condition Sunday.
Authorities said Atkins shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, whom he forced into a car, at a South Los Angeles home around 1:30 p.m., police said. Officers tracked the car, gave chase and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the supermarket and then ran inside, they said. The unidentified woman, who suffered a graze wound earlier, was taken out of the car by police.
Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the man shattered the store's glass doors.
Some people inside the supermarket climbed out windows, and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police officers and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.
Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.
At around 6:30 p.m., Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was immediately taken into custody.
Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe's, where he and his wife regularly shopped when they lived in the neighborhood.
"The heroism that was shown today was second to none, and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said.
Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles, who lives in the neighborhood and was walking into the supermarket when he saw "two police cars coming like a bat out of hell" and the man crashed into the pole.
The driver got out, and police started firing at him as he ran toward the supermarket. Kohles hurried inside, and he and others took cover as the man ran in. "Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Kohles said.
Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby and frequents Trader Joe's, was on a corner near the store when he saw four people run out. One person, an employee, was dragging an injured woman by the hands. "She appeared lifeless," Dunlop said.
He then saw five employees hang out a second-floor window and drop to the ground and around 15 others run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, he said.
President Trump tweeted Saturday that he was watching the situation "very closely," but later deleted the tweet.
Police Chief Michel Moore said the gunman made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could persuade him to surrender peacefully.
Officers had tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase, the man fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.
Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and that's when Corado was shot and killed, Moore said. It was unclear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.
Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot, and all were in fair condition.
First published on July 21, 2018 / 8:17 PM
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | July 2018 | ['(CBS News)'] |
Floods and landslides in Yên Bái and Hòa Bình provinces in Vietnam kill at least 54 people with 39 more missing. , | HANOI (Reuters) - At least 54 people died and 39 went missing as destructive floods battered northern and central Vietnam this week, the disaster prevention agency said on Friday.
Vietnam is prone to destructive storms and flooding due to its long coastline. A typhoon wrecked havoc across central provinces just last month.
The floods that hit Vietnam this week starting on Monday are the worst in years, state-run Vietnam Television quoted agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong as saying.
Nineteen people from four neighboring households in Hoa Binh were buried alive early on Thursday after a landslide struck around midnight on Wednesday, but only nine bodies have been found, the disaster agency said in a report.
Some 317 homes have collapsed in floods and landslides this week, while more than 34,000 other houses have been submerged or damaged.
More than 22,000 hectares (54,300 acres) of rice have also been damaged and around 180,000 animals killed or washed away.
Floods have also affected seven of 77 provinces in Thailand, Vietnam’s neighbor to the west, that country’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said on Thursday.
More than 480,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of agricultural land Thailand have been hit, the department said.
Reporting by Mi Nguyen; Editing by Tom Hogue
| Floods | October 2017 | ['(BBC)', '(Reuters)'] |
Burmese pro–democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is reunited with her son for the first time in a decade. | The younger son of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met his mother for the first time in a decade. Aung San Suu Kyi greeted Kim Aris at Rangoon airport as he arrived. Mr Aris had travelled to Thailand before his mother was freed on 13 November and waited to be granted a visa to Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been kept in detention for much of the past 21 years by the ruling generals.
The 65-year-old was seen smiling broadly at Rangoon airport and told reporters that she was very happy. The opposition leader last saw Mr Aris in December 2000; since then he has been repeatedly denied permission to enter the country.
It has also been a decade since she last saw her elder son, Alexander, and she has grandchildren she has never met.
Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest less than a week after the country's first election for 20 years - which was widely condemned as a sham designed to consolidate the military rulers' power.
Kim Aris's visit has been described by British embassy officials in Bangkok as private and non-political. But the BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says that almost everything Aung San Suu Kyi does is watched carefully by both her devoted supporters and the ruling generals.
Mr Aris, who lives in the UK, is likely to find himself very much in the public eye, our correspondent adds.
Aung San Suu Kyi's husband, British academic Michael Aris, died in 1999. In the final stages of his battle with cancer, the military rulers refused him a visa to see his wife.
Many believe that if she were to leave Burma, the pro-democracy campaigner would never be allowed to return.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | November 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
A deep sea search vessel discovers the wreckage of the lost aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea. | Wreckage of the EgyptAir flight that went missing over the Mediterranean last month has been found, Egyptian investigators say.
A statement said "several main locations of the wreckage" had been identified.
A deep sea search vessel had also sent back the first images of the wreckage, the statement added.
There were 66 people on board flight MS804 when it crashed on 19 May while flying from Paris to Cairo.
The Airbus A320 plane vanished from Greek and Egyptian radar screens, apparently without having sent a distress call.
The Egyptian investigation committee said that investigators on board the John Lethbridge search vessel, which has been contracted by the Egyptian government, would now draw up a map of the wreckage distribution.
What happens next, by Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent @bbcwestcott
Investigators will begin with something they call "the four corners". It means that, before touching anything, they will map exactly where every single piece of the aircraft ended up.
If debris is spread over a large area it tells them the plane broke up in mid-air. If it is more intact, it suggests it hit the water then broke up.
They will also look for what is missing. If, for example, an engine or the tail is two miles away, it clearly broke off earlier in the flight. The little evidence so far suggests a fire broke out in the front of the aircraft, so they will be keen to film and photograph that area. One experienced investigator who worked on the Lockerbie bombing told me bomb damage looks very different to fire damage.
Ultimately, investigators will probably have to retrieve wreckage to know for sure what brought this plane down. And that could take weeks, even months.
Finding the 'black boxes'
Earlier this month, search teams said signals from one of the "black box" flight recorders had been detected.
Finding them is crucial to understanding what caused the plane to go down, Airbus said. The plane maker said photos of wreckage did not tell investigators much.
Experts have warned that signals emitted by the recorders are expected to expire by 24 June, but a source close to the search told AFP news agency that the John Lethbridge is capable of locating them even without those signals.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
A terror attack has not been ruled out but no extremist group has claimed the downing of the plane.
Analysts say human or technical error is also a possibility. Electronic messages sent by the plane revealed that smoke detectors went off in the toilet and the aircraft's electrics, minutes before the plane's signal was lost.
According to Greek investigators, the plane turned 90 degrees left and then 360 degrees to the right, dropping from 11,300m (37,000ft) to 4,600m (15,000ft) and then 3,000m (9,800ft) before it was lost from radar.
What do we know so far?
Who were the victims?
Setback for EU in legal fight with AstraZeneca
But the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer. | Air crash | June 2016 | ['(CNN)', '(BBC)'] |
The 25th EU–Russia summit begins in Rostov–on–Don with talks on industrial and trade links, human rights and a visa–free regime. (The Hürriyet) | The anniversary, 25th, Russia-EU summit is getting under way in Rostov on Don, in southern Russia. President Dmitry Medvedev and the European Union leaders will for the next two days consider the so-called partnership for modernization, an issue that they agreed back in November last year. The agenda also features the shaping of new Euro-Atlantic security architecture and countering the global financial and economic crisis. The parties to the summit will discuss in detail the introduction of a visa-free regime. The Kremlin emphasizes that the European Union is Russia’s only strategic partner that this country shares economic complementarity and civilization approaches and values with. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | May 2010 | ['(EU Observer)', '(Voice of Russia)', '[permanent dead link]'] |
Philippines President Gloria Arroyo signs a law banning torture, making it a criminal offence punishable by up to 30 years imprisonment. | The Philippines finally has an anti-torture law after 22 years.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, which criminalizes “torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo.
The new statute also stresses on the command responsibility of superiors over the acts committed by their subordinates.
A number of cases of extrajudicial killings, torture and harassment have been blamed on the police and the military, but families of victims have complained that no one has been prosecuted yet.
"This is a concrete demonstration of this administration's commitment to human rights," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in a statement.
The measure took 22 years in Congress before it was passed. The ratified measure was sent to Malacañang on October 13.
Arroyo signed it into law on November 10.
Quezon province Representative Lorenzo "Erin" Tañada III, chairman of the committee on human rights in the House of Representatives, said he hopes the law would help put a stop in "what seems to be a culture of impunity on human rights violations.”
Under the law, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will see through the implementation of the law and together with the Department of Justice and in consultation with human rights groups will draft the implementing rules of the said measure. The law gave the CHR initial funding for its implementation.
It also prescribed penalties ranging from arresto mayor to reclusion perpetua depending on the gravity of the acts committed.
The law defines torture as acts constituting physical torture such as systematic beating, food deprivation, electric shock, cigarette burning, rape, among others. Mental and psychological torture, meanwhile, refers to acts such as blindfolding, prolonged interrogation, maltreating a member or members of a person's family, and denial of sleep, among others.
Wars, political instability and other public emergencies could not be invoked as a justification for torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading forms of treatment or punishment, it said.
“Life imprisonment shall be meted on any person guilty of the following acts: torture resulting in the death of any person; torture resulting in mutilation; torture with rape and other forms of sexual abuse, when the victim has become insane, impotent, blind or maimed for life; and torture committed against children,” it further said.
Tañada urged the public and human rights groups to participate in the consultations and in the formulation of regulations for the effective implementation of the law and to help disseminate information on the provisions of the new anti-torture law.
He said that the new anti-torture law mandates the participation of human rights organizations in the formulation of rules such as those on rehabilitation of victims and the dissemination of information on the provisions of the measure.
Tanada also expressed optimism that before the end of the 14th Congress, additional bills such as the International Humanitarian Law and a bill creating a new charter for the Commission on Human Rights, will be passed into law.
The Philippines is a signatory to the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. | Government Policy Changes | November 2009 | ['(Philippine Inquirer)', '(Bangkok Post)', '[permanent dead link]'] |
Jair Bolsonaro is inaugurated as the 38th president of Brazil, succeeding Michel Temer. | Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has used his inaugural speech to promise to build a "society without discrimination or division".
The former army captain told Congress he wanted a "national pact" to free Brazil of corruption, crime and economic mismanagement.
In a swipe at the left, he vowed to free Brazil of "ideology".
He is seen as a deeply divisive figure whose racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks have angered many. Mr Bolsonaro, 63, won the presidential election by a wide margin against Fernando Haddad of the left-wing Workers' Party on 28 October.
He was propelled to victory by campaign promises to curb Brazil's rampant corruption and crime.
US President Donald Trump commended him for his speech on Tuesday, saying the US was "with" him.
Congratulations to President @JairBolsonaro who just made a great inauguration speech - the U.S.A. is with you!
Among the foreign guests at the inauguration were US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | January 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
A wildfire in Malibu, California, destroys 51 structures, including 49 homes. The fire has also burned 4,720 acres (1,910 hectares) and caused the evacuation of 10,000 people. It is currently 40% contained, being fueled by Santa Ana winds that gusted up to 60 mph on November 24. | MALIBU, Calif., Nov 25 (Reuters) - A wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed 49 homes in the exclusive beachside community of Malibu was partly under control on Sunday as firefighters took advantage of a break in the weather to gain the upper hand.
Officials said the fire, the second in just over a month to strike the seaside enclave hugging the Pacific Ocean, was 40-percent contained as of Sunday morning and no other homes were in imminent danger.
The blaze charred 4,720 acres (1,910 hectares) and forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate the community, popular with many of Hollywood's biggest stars. Many evacuees were allowed to return home on Sunday as fire crews determined that their homes were no longer in danger.
As of Sunday morning, 51 structures had been destroyed including the 49 homes, many of them multimillion-dollar, ranch-style mansions in the canyons of central Malibu.
Flea, bass player for the rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, told the Los Angeles Times that his home had been "burned to a crisp."
State officials this week pre-positioned hundreds of firefighters, aircraft and supporting fire gear across Southern California after forecasters predicted optimal fire conditions this weekend, fueled by Santa Ana winds that by early Saturday gusted up to 60 mph (96 kph).
The blaze started on Saturday and spread rapidly, but a quick response by firefighters saved many homes, one fire inspector said.
"If we had not had the pre-deployed firefighters, we could have lost a lot more homes than we did," said Los Angeles County Fire's Sam Padilla.
Dry, brush-covered mountains descend to the ocean in Malibu, creating a spectacular but precarious place to live. Mansions line the beaches and canyons that snake up into the famously fire-prone hills.
More than 1,700 firefighters, 15 helicopters and 12 fixed-wing aircraft were mobilized. Six firefighters suffered minor injuries and some of them were taken to hospitals for observation, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson said.
Fire officials had been bracing after devastating brush fires last month swept the dry hills of Southern California from Santa Barbara south to San Diego.
Across the region in October, at least a dozen people died, more than 1,500 homes were destroyed and 250,000 residents fled during the blazes, the largest evacuation in California's recent history. (Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Xavier Briand)
| Fire | November 2007 | ['(96 km/h)', '(Reuters)'] |
Eight people are killed in an explosion at a petrochemical plant in Shandong, China. | SHANGHAI (Reuters) - An explosion rocked a petrochemical plant in China’s eastern province of Shandong on Monday, killing eight people and injuring nine, state media and local government officials said.
Deadly accidents are common at industrial plants in China, where anger is growing over lax standards after three decades of rapid economic growth marred by incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires.
Monday’s blast took place about an hour after midnight, triggering fires at the loading area of Linyi Jinyu Petrochemical Co. Ltd. in the Linyi Lingang economic development zone, the state news agency, Xinhua, said.
The toll rose to eight, as authorities confirmed the deaths of seven people who had been reported missing, in addition to one death reported earlier, the local government said on its microblog.
Nine people were injured and the fires have been put out, the government said.
The “responsible person” at the company that runs the plant has been detained, Xinhua added, without giving details.
In 2015, huge chemical explosions in the port city of Tianjin killed more than 170 people, prompting a vow by President Xi Jinping that the authorities would learn the lessons paid for in blood.
Reporting by John Ruwitch; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez
| Gas explosion | June 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in a telephone call, discuss strengthening the two countries' strategic partnership with particular attention to the conflict in the Donbass, a Ukrainian region that borders Russia. | KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed strengthening cooperation on Saturday in a telephone call that also addressed the need to resolve Ukraine’s eastern conflict through diplomacy, Poroshenko said in a statement.
“The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States,” the statement said.
“Particular attention was paid to the settlement of the situation in the Donbass (in eastern Ukraine) and achieving peace via political and diplomatic means,” it said.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | February 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The Third Circuit Court of Appeal in the U.S. state of Louisiana rules that Mychal Bell should not have been tried as an adult in the Jena Six case, and he is released on a $45,000 bail bond. | ATLANTA (Reuters) - A teenager accused of assaulting a white schoolmate in a small Louisiana town was freed on bail on Thursday, one week after African-Americans staged a major protest in the town over the case.
A man holds up a painting of a noose and a suffering woman wrapped in a U.S. flag as protesters march along Second Street in support of the "Jena 6" in Jena, Louisiana, September 20, 2007. A Louisiana prosecutor has dropped an appeal in the case of a 17-year-old accused of assaulting a school mate in a decision that could hasten the release of the youth at the center of civil rights protests. Sean Gardner
Mychal Bell, 17, was released on a $45,000 bond, the Town Talk newspaper near Jena, Louisiana, reported on its Web site. After his release, Bell, who had been in jail nine months, held a news conference in Jena with civil rights leader Al Sharpton who has campaigned on his behalf.
Bell is the most high-profile among six teenagers accused over an assault on a white teenager at Jena high school in December. Five of the six were charged with assault but the charge was later revised upward to attempted murder.
The decision sparked protests the teenagers were charged excessively on grounds that were racially motivated. The six became a symbol for wider concerns about discrimination against young black males by the U.S. criminal justice system.
Tens of thousands of black Americans from across the United States marched in the central Louisiana town last week.
They called for Bell to be released and charges to be dropped against the “Jena 6,” in a protest reminiscent of the U.S. civil rights era.
Last August, white students hung nooses, which symbolize the lynching of blacks, from a tree at the school that was supposedly reserved only for white students.
Protesters said it was unfair the white students were not prosecuted over that act while Bell had been in jail since December.
Charges against the teenagers were reduced from attempted murder and Bell was convicted after a trial as an adult in June of aggravated second-degree battery.
Last week’s mass protest was timed to coincide with his sentencing but Louisiana’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction on the grounds he could not be tried as an adult.
Earlier on Thursday, LaSalle parish District Attorney Reed Walters said he had dropped an appeal aimed at preventing Bell being tried as a juvenile rather than as an adult.
The decision came after an appeal to him by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | September 2007 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Foreign Ministers from Japan and China meet to try to resolve soured relations over a maritime territorial dispute. | A diplomatic spat between China and Japan over a group of disputed islands has flared up again, hours after an apparently friendly bilateral meeting.
Beijing accused Tokyo of distorting facts over September's collision between two Japanese patrol boats and a Chinese trawler in the East China Sea.
Earlier on Friday, China and Japan's foreign ministers met on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam.
Talks at the Asean summit had focused on next month's elections in Burma.
On Thursday, diplomats demanded that the country's military government release immediately the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the last 21 years imprisoned or under house arrest.
But Burma reportedly would not say whether she would be freed when her detention expires on 13 November, six days after the polls.
September's incident in the East China Sea had chilled relations between China and Japan to their lowest point for years, analysts say.
After their cordial meeting in Hanoi on Friday, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said he and his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, had agreed to make efforts to improve bilateral ties.
Fuelling speculation over whether Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao would hold direct talks with Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, Mr Maehara said it was likely the two men would meet in Hanoi.
But shortly afterwards, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue said Japan was turning the contested islands into a "hot topic". "Their actions have damaged the atmosphere between the leaders of the two countries during the summit," he said.
China also criticised remarks by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - who is in Hanoi for talks with Asian leaders - that the islands fall within the scope of Japan's security alliance with the US.
The islands - known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu - are controlled by Japan, but claimed by China. They are close to key shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits.
China suspended talks about the joint development of a gas field in the East China Sea last month, but has denied also stopping the export to Japanese businesses of rare earths, which are used to produce electronic items such as mobile phones.
Other territorial disputes involving China and its neighbours are expected to be discussed during the summit, which will broaden to include other leaders from Asia, the US and Russia.
Why are South China Sea tensions rising?
China reassures on rare earth row
How uninhabited islands soured China-Japan ties
China stokes Japan diplomatic row
Row over Japan-China boat crash
Setback for EU in legal fight with AstraZeneca
But the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | October 2010 | ['(AP via Sign On San Diego)', '(BBC News)'] |
Jodhaa Akbar wins the prize for best film at the Tenth International Indian Film Academy Awards held in Macau, China. | The film Jodhaa Akbar was the big winner at the gala event in Macau
The Indian historical film Jodhaa Akbar, about a Muslim-Hindu relationship, has dominated an Indian film awards ceremony, with six prizes.
At the gala event in Macau, China, it won best picture, best actor for Hrithik Roshan and best director for Ashutosh Gowariker. The best actress award went to former Miss World Priyanka Chopra for her role in Fashion. The International Indian Film Academy awards were marking 10 years. Standing ovation
Jodhaa Akbar also won awards for best song lyrics, best music direction for Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, and best male playback singer - an award for performers who record soundtracks for on-screen actors. The movie tells the tale of a Mughal king and his love for a Hindu princess.
The best supporting actor award was won by Arjun Rampal for Rock On!!, a movie about the reunion of an Indian band. At the ceremony, which lasted seven hours, Kangana Ranaut won best supporting actress for Fashion. While the female star of Jodhaa Akbar - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - did not win for best actress, she did win best actress of the decade and outstanding achievement in international cinema. She described the atmosphere at the event, which was attended by 8,000 people, as "electrifying and fantastic". Gowariker's Oscar-nominated 2001 film Lagaan, about Indian villagers who play their British colonial rulers in cricket to decide the fate of their taxes, was named film of the decade. Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan presented the lifetime achievement award to veteran actor Rajesh Khanna, who received a standing ovation from the audience of thousands. "The word superstar in the Indian film industry was for the first time coined for him," Bachchan said.
Other awards included male star of the decade for Shah Rukh Khan, and director of the decade for Rakesh Rohan. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the IIFA awards, which organisers estimate will be seen by 500 million people around the world when it is televised later this month. The awards were the culmination of a three-day event, including film and music launches, a celebrity fashion show, a global business forum and a performance by Cirque du Soleil. The awards began in 2000 when the first ceremony was held in London at the Millennium Dome. | Awards ceremony | June 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
The South Africa government is to declare parts disaster areas: 40 people have died in floods. | South Africa has declared eight of its nine provinces disaster areas after 41 people died in floods in a month.
Co-operative Government Minister Sicelo Shiceka said the flood damage is estimated at $51 million (£32 million).
South Africa's airforce has been assisting in rescue efforts and the recovery of bodies since the weekend. About 10 people have also died in floods in neighbouring Mozambique and more than 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have also been affected by heavy rains.
President Jacob Zuma last week formed a ministerial task force to tackle the issue, led by Mr Shiceka.
Mr Shiceka told the BBC his team would also look at long-term issues.
"Among other things we are looking at, is that people must not build in flood plains."
"People who have been displaced must not go back," said the minister.
Officials say people in informal settlements throughout the country have been worst hit, as they are often built in basins and near rivers.
Western Cape is the only province which has not been declared a disaster area but officials say they are monitoring the situation there.
Meteorologists say southern Africa's floods are caused by a natural cycle called the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which has also been linked to recent flooding in Australia and the Philippines.
South African government
| Floods | January 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
The 12 other European nations meeting at the summit issue a joint statement saying they "deplore the loss of life and injuries during the incident in international waters" during the Gaza flotilla raid and "call "an impartial, independent and internationally credible investigation on this matter". (Today's Zaman) | 13 southeastern European countries, including Turkey, call for independent and internationally credible investigation on Gaza flotilla deaths.
Turkey and 12 other southeastern European countries on Wednesday denounced the recent Israeli raid on an aid flotilla headed to Gaza, which left eight Turks and one Turkish American dead.
The countries said in a joint declaration at the end of a Balkan summit that they want an impartial, independent and internationally credible investigation on this matter. They also stressed the urgent need to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | June 2010 | ['(The Jerusalem Post)', '(Haaretz)', '(The Straits Times)'] |
Floods in Vietnam kill at least 15. | HANOI (Reuters) - Floods in Vietnam’s central, central highland and southern provinces have left 15 people dead and six missing and displaced thousands, the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said on Monday.
Flooding from very heavy rain brought by cold air and a tropical low pressure system last week have blocked roads, destroyed more than 200 houses and inundated more than 40,000 other houses in 12 provinces, the department said in a report.
A combined 12,000 hectare of crop land were flooded while more than 40,000 cattle and poultry were dead or washed away, the report said.
Last month, floods following torrential rain killed dozens of people in Vietnam’s central region of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces and inundated more than 100,000 houses.
Reporting by Mai Nguyen; Editing by Michael Perry
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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| Floods | November 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The International Criminal Court orders the resumption of the war crimes trial of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga, who is on trial for using children under the age of 15 to fight for his militia during the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. | (CNN) -- The International Criminal Court on Friday reversed a decision to release a Congolese militia leader and ordered the resumption of his war crimes trial.
Thomas Lubanga Dyilo has been accused of conscripting children under the age of 15 into the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo and "using them to participate actively in hostilities in Ituri, a district of the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
The accusation covers the period between September 2002 and August 2003. The trial was the first launched by the ICC at The Hague in the Netherlands last year.
Judges asked the prosecution to release the names of two witnesses. But citing a threat to the security of the witnesses if they disclosed the identities, the prosecution refused.
The court in July imposed a stay of proceedings and ordered Lubanga's release "considering that the fair trial of the accused was no longer possible because the prosecution had failed to implement the chamber's orders." Prosecutors appealed the ruling.
The appeals judge, Sang-Hyun Song said that although "it is undisputed that the prosecutor did not comply with the orders," the trial chamber "erred by resorting immediately to a stay of proceedings without first imposing sanctions to bring about the prosecutor's compliance with its orders," so the decision had to be reversed.
"Sanctions are a key tool for chambers to maintain control of proceedings within the trial framework and to safeguard a fair trial without having to have recourse to the drastic remedy of staying proceedings," Song said. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | October 2010 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(AFP via Google News)', '(CNN)'] |
The United Nations Security Council goes on a mission to Africa with the first leg of the mission to Djibouti to discuss the Somali Civil War. | The UN Security Council has held its first discussions with Somalia's government and its opponents as a peace mission to Africa gets underway.
Somalia's Islamist opposition said face-to-face talks will not happen at the meeting in neighbouring Djibouti unless Ethiopian troops leave Somalia.
Talks began as the Security Council passed a resolution permitting foreign warships to enter Somali waters.
The move is a bid to crack down on the piracy gripping the nation's seas.
The diplomats are also due to go to Sudan and other countries at war. BBC World Affairs correspondent Mark Doyle, who is travelling with the mission, says there is less optimism about the situation in Sudan. The mass displacement of civilians in the country's troubled western province of Darfur is still unresolved, and the peace agreement between the north and south of the country is in the midst of new tensions. The mission will also visit the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions of people have been displaced by fighting in the east of the country. Plane attacked
The Security Council is holding separate meetings in Djibouti with the Somali government and the opposition at a luxury hotel on the shores of the Red Sea, although key hard-line militia opponents are not present.
"We believe that the people of Somalia are ready to move to another stage in your history and to move towards peace and security," said South Africa's UN ambassador Dumisani Kumalo at the start of the talks with the government delegation.
Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991.
Somalia's foreign minister told the BBC that he was ready to hold direct talks with the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS).
But the talks are being boycotted by the hard-line al-Shabab militia, blamed for many of the attacks on government troops and their Ethiopian supporters. They refuse to hold talks until the Ethiopian troops leave the country. But President Abdullahi Yusuf says there would be a security vacuum if the Ethiopians withdrew before being replaced by UN peacekeepers. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to promote peace and stability in Somalia," he said.
A small contingent of African Union troops is in Mogadishu but has done little to quell the violence. In a sign of Somalia's instability, the plane taking President Yusuf to Djibouti was delayed by a mortar attack on the airport. The plane was not hit but there are unconfirmed reports of two minor injuries in the attack blamed on Islamist insurgents. Our correspondent says Somalia is the ultimate failed state - the capital Mogadishu is destroyed by war and an estimated half of the city's population has fled. The UN says almost two million Somalis are in desperate need of outside assistance. An Islamist insurgency there has been mounting almost daily attacks on the weak government which is backed by the United States because Washington believes the Islamists are associated with al-Qaeda. Some experts on this part of Africa say the strong US backing of one side, rather than emphasising the importance of talks between the factions, has exacerbated the situation. Nevertheless, UN diplomats believe that the recent appointment of a new prime minister in Somalia, Nur Adde, who has said he will negotiate with anybody, provides a rare window of opportunity for a peace initiative. The unanimous UN resolution to allow warships to enter Somali waters is a reaction to the 26 ships that have been attacked by pirates in the past year. | Armed Conflict | June 2008 | ['(BBC News)'] |
Mo Farah and world tennis number one Andy Murray are among those knighted by Elizabeth II in her 2017 New Year Honours list. | Britain’s sporting elite has been rewarded in a New Year honours list in which Rio Olympic medallists Andy Murray and Mo Farah are made knights and Katherine Grainger and Jessica Ennis-Hill become dames.
Olympians and Paralympians make up 10% of the 2017 list, which also includes knighthoods for Kinks frontman Ray Davies, 72, comedian Ken Dodd, 89, actor Mark Rylance, 56, and a damehood for actor Patricia Routledge, 87.
Murray’s honour caps a remarkable year for the Scot, who claimed a second Wimbledon title, defended his Olympic crown and took the world number one slot from Novak Djokovic in an extraordinary run of form. Aged 29, he is among the youngest to be awarded a knighthood in modern times and had once said he felt too young for such an accolade.
Four-time Olympic gold distance runner Mo Farah, 33, said of his knighthood: “I am so happy to be awarded this incredible honour from the country that has been my home since I moved here at the age of eight. Looking back at the boy who arrived here from Somalia, not speaking any English, I could never have imagined where I would be today – it is a dream come true.”
Sir Roger Bannister, 87, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, is made a companion of honour – the highest award. So, too, is percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, and political veteran Baroness Shirley Williams.
Among the 1,197 people honoured, Anna Wintour, 67, editor-in-chief of US Vogue becomes a dame in the diplomatic and overseas list for services to fashion and journalism. Designer and former pop singer Victoria Beckham, 42, receives an OBE for services to the fashion industry, matching the honour given to her husband, David, 13 years ago.
This year sees the highest number of awards to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background recipients, who make up 9.3% of the successful candidates. Awards include a damehood for nursing pioneer Prof Elizabeth Anionwu, and a knighthood for Cambridge chemist and DNA expert Prof Shankar Balasubramanian.
The honours list is put together by nine independent committees set up by the Cabinet Office, and this year there are equal numbers of male and female recipients. A small number of honours are in the Queen’s personal gift, and included a knighthood for adventurer David Hempleman-Adams, 60, who said he was astonished to be made a knight commander of the Victorian order in recognition of his services to the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme.
In recognising Britain’s historic success at the summer Olympics, sporting stars were honoured not just for sporting excellence, but also for their contribution to giving back to their sport or community, the length of their career achievement and any previous honours.
Glasgow-born Grainger, 41, the first female Olympian to win five medals at five games, becomes a dame for services to rowing and charity, said it was “such a lovely honour to get”.
“What is lovely when you hear the titles and the names of the New Year honours list, if anything it makes you feel you have to step up again. It is something to live up to – it is almost like a new standard,” she said. “The honour is for sport, but also for charity, and I think that it is lovely that a lot of athletes have been able to give a lot back, and it is some of the areas I will probably go into when I move into other worlds and be able to do more charity work”.
Heptathlete Ennis-Hill, 30, who like Grainger is now a dame and has also now retired from competitive sport, added silver at the 2016 games to her gold in London, and was already a CBE. Highly decorated Paralympic equestrian Lee Pearson, who already had the MBE, OBE and CBE for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport, is knighted.
Max Whitlock, 23, from Basildon, who won double gymnastics gold at Rio, said receiving an MBE was “an amazing feeling”. “It looks pretty cool to see my name with an MBE on the end of it. I’m very proud, and it gives me a lot of motivation.” Whitlock, who is getting married in 2017, added: “As an athlete I never expected to receive it and to be recognised is amazing”. Para-swimmer Ellie Robinson, 15, who took both gold and bronze at Rio, said she hoped to inspire others as Ellie Simmonds had inspired her. Of her MBE she said: “If a 15-year-old with a disability can do it then anyone can do it. They have so much diversity in the awards now, and it just keeps getting better every year.”
Bishop James Jones, 68, former Bishop of Liverpool and chair of the Hillsborough independent panel which led to the quashing of the original inquests, receives a knighthood. He described the honour as a “salute” to the Hillsborough families. “It is a great honour but it is obviously tinged with sadness because of the enduring sense of loss the families have,” he said.
Acclaimed photojournalist and war photographer Donald McCullin, 81, who worked on the Observer and the Sunday Times, said he felt “inwardly warmed” by his knighthood. Northumbria’s police and crime commissioner, Vera Baird QC, is made a dame for services to women and equality. Justine Roberts, co-founder and CEO of Mumsnet, is made a CBE.
The prime minister, Theresa May, is setting new priorities for future honours lists. She wants particular focus on services and work with children and young people, and those who have encouraged social mobility. She also wants emphasis on those who work against all forms of discrimination and for the list to reflect the merits and achievements of people from all walks and parts of the United Kingdom.
Television presenter and cancer campaigner Lynn Faulds Wood, 68, former face of BBC’s Watchdog programme, said she had turned down an MBE, believing the honours system to be unfair, and calling for it to be overhauled to “drag the country into the 21st century”. She said she did not know who put her name forward for her work in consumer safety, but she felt she would have been a hypocrite to accept it. She objected to the word “empire” on the end of it, and “just wouldn’t accept it while we still have party donors donating huge amounts of money and getting an honour”. | Awards ceremony | December 2016 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Aquino names the incoming cabinet and becomes the Secretary of Interior and Local Government in acting capacity. |
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 2) President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino on Tuesday named the official members of his Cabinet, which he described as a mixture of "old and new faces."
"You will see old and new faces. You will see the young and...also young," Aquino told a press conference when he presented the nearly 30 members of his official family.
"But bottom line is these are the people who I believe have committed to the philosophy that the problems in this country are solvable..., have the energy and the commitment to sacrifice, to do the necessary things that will effect the changes the people are aspiring for," he said.
Among the new faces in his Cabinet are Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Presidential Management Staff chief Julia Abad, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, and presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
Ochoa was Quezon city administrator, Abad is Aquino's chief of staff in the Senate and daughter of newly-appointed Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad, Lim was executive director of the Makati Business Club, while Lacierda, a lawyer, served as Aquino's spokesman during the campaign.
The old faces, who were either incumbent officials of their respective departments or had served the previous administrations, are Budget Secretary Abad, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, presidential adviser on peace process Teresita Deles, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, among others.
Aquino described Ochoa's role as the "guardian of my back."
The newly-appointed Executive Secretary, he said, has been helping him out in understanding the law and the "intricacies of the law" since he started in public office.
Aquino introduced his new Defense chief, retired Lieutenant General Voltaire Gazmin, as one of the key people who took good care of his family during the "numerous coup attempts" against the administration of his late mother, President Corazon Aquino.
The new PMS chief, Julia Abad, on the other hand, got the "absolute trust" of the newly-elected President having served him "faithfully" since he was elected senator in 2007.
"She has undergone numerous schoolings. But more than that, she has my absolute trust having run my office," said Aquino.
"If I have been able to do anything within the Senate, it is because of her. I think she possesses 80 percent of the brain I am holding," he further said.
Aquino meanwhile described his Budget Secretary as his "mentor" and the "best person " for the job.
"The budget is the enabler of all of our policy decisions. We believe he is the best person at the present time to assist us in judiciously spending the people's funds," he said.
Following are the members of Aquino’s Cabinet:
1. Paquito Ochoa Jr., Executive Secretary
2. Alberto Romulo, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
3. Cesar Purisima, Secretary of Department of Finance
4. Leila de Lima, Secretary of Department of Justice
5. Voltaire Gazmin, Secretary of Department of National Defense
6. Bro. Armin Luistro, Secretary of Department of Education
7. Florencio Abad, Secretary of Department of Budget and Management
8. Cayetano Paderanga Jr., Secretary of National Economic Development Authority
9. Proceso Alcala, Secretary of Department of Agriculture
10. Ramon Paje, Secretary of Department Environment and Natural Resources
11. Jose "Ping" de Jesus, Secretary of Department of Transportations and Communications.
12. Rosalinda Baldoz, Secretary of Department of Labor and Employment
13. Enrique Ona, Secretary of Department of Health
14. Alberto Lim, Secretary of Department of Tourism
15. Gregory Domingo, Secretary of Department of Trade and Industry
16. Corazon Soliman, Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development
17. Mario Montejo, Secretary of Department of Science and Technology
18. Jose Rene Almendras, Secretary of Department of Energy
19. Rogelio Singson, Secretary of Department of Public Works and Highways
20. Virgilio de los Reyes, Secretary of Department of Agrarian Reform
21. Teresita Deles, presidential adviser on peace process
22. Julia Abad, presidential management staff chief
23. Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesman
24. Eduardo de Mesa, presidential legal counsel
25. Patricia Liguanan, Chairman of Commission on Higher Education
26. Kim Jacinto-Henares, Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue
Copyright 2010 INQUIRER.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | June 2010 | ['(Philippine Daily Inquirer)'] |
Several candidates in the first round of the East Timor presidential elections, including the Prime Minister José Ramos–Horta, have called for a recount amid allegations of voting irregularities. | Jose Ramos-Horta, a candidate in the election, said he was concerned by allegations of irregularities and intimidation of voters.
Another five of the eight candidates in the race filed a protest over the issue with election officials on Wednesday.
Mr Ramos-Horta is due to face a run-off with the ruling party candidate after no one won an outright majority.
According to preliminary results, the prime minister took 23% of the vote, trailing the Fretilin party's Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, who had 29%.
The two men are expected to go head-to-head in a second round on 8 May, although the final results of the first round will not be known until early next week.
Recount discussed
International observers, including the UN and the EU, had described Monday's election as generally calm, orderly and peaceful, with a high voter turnout.
But five of the candidates on Wednesday claimed the election had been undermined by intimidation of voters and irregularities with the count.
FIRST ROUND FRONTRUNNERS
Francisco Guterres, Fretilin Party - 28.79%
Jose Ramos-Horta, Independent - 22.6%
Fernando de Araujo, Democratic Party - 19% Cautious optimism at polls
Adding his voice to those concerns, Mr Ramos-Horta said he was alarmed that 150,000 voters - about 30% of registered voters - did not cast a ballot.
"Why? I don't know," he told reporters. "There has to be an investigation. I ask the UN for an explanation."
The national election commission was expected to meet on Thursday to discuss the possibility of a recount.
But spokesman Martinho Gusmao said any recount was unlikely to drastically affect the result.
"No candidate will win more than 30%," he said.
Monday's presidential election was East Timor's first since it won independence from Indonesia in 2002.
Many had hoped it would bring an end to the political tension and instability that has blighted the young country.
Last summer, more than 30 people were killed and thousands displaced in clashes between rival military factions.
There are fears that any prolonged uncertainty over the election could trigger more violence, although similar fears of unrest during the first round mostly proved unfounded. | Government Job change - Election | April 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
Belarus executes Vladislav Kovalev, one of the men convicted of the 2011 Minsk Metro bombing. |
The announcement on Sunday came after Vladislav Kovalev, who had pleaded not- guilty to the charges, was reportedly executed on Friday. A letter from the Belarusian Supreme Court arrived at his family home confirming the sentence had been carried out.“I have received a note from the Supreme Court dated March 16 saying the verdict has been implemented. I think he had already been shot on March 15,” Kovalev’s mother told Itar-Tass news agency on Saturday.The letter that arrived at Vladislav Kovalev’s family home in the city of Vitebsk had been signed by the deputy chairman of the Supreme Court.“I have received a note from the Supreme Court dated March 16 saying the verdict has been implemented. I think he had already been shot on March 15,” Kovalev’s mother told Itar-Tass news agency on Saturday.Tatyana Kozyar, Kovalev’s sister, uploaded a copy of the letter to the Russian social networking site Vkontakte with the caption “They’ve killed Vlad.” State television also confirmed Dmitry Konovalov's execution. Defense lawyers and human rights activists say the ruling was based on trivial and inconclusive evidence. Western governments have been urging Lukashenko to call off the execution, as Belarus remains the sole European country to still use the death penalty. But during the 20 years of his rule, Lukashenko pardoned only one person.The Council of Europe’s Secretary General Thorbjorn Jaglad noted that no other country in Europe exercises capital punishment: "With its disrespect of basic human rights and democratic standards, the government of Belarus is increasingly isolating its country and its people from the rest of the world." EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressed her condolences to the families of the men executed. She added that there was clear evidence that neither were accorded due process "including the right to defend themselves."Human rights activists are outraged with the government's rush to carry out the execution without even giving society an opportunity to learn the truth. "The government was in a rush to throw a white shroud over all the contradictions and discrepancies," Lyudmila Gryaznova, Vice-Chairperson of the United Democratic Party of Belarus said.The two convicted parties, Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalev, had been refused clemency by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, as the state media reported on March 14. The desicion came despite Kovalev filing an official plea to Lukashenko to pardon him.A court ruling for the April 11 terrorist attack, which killed 15 people and injured more than 200 people in the Minsk subway, was rendered in November 2011.Konovalov was found guilty of perpetrating the blast. He was also convicted of a previous July 2008 Independence Day bombing in Minsk, as well as terror attacks carried out in Vitebsk in September 2005. He pleaded guilty to all of the charges, except the Vitebsk incident.At the same time, Kovalev was convicted of delivering the explosive device and assisting in detonating it. The court also said Kovalev had been aware of Konovalov’s long standing terror activities, but never reported him to the police.Unlike Konovalov, Kovalev denied the charges. He said prosecutors had extracted his initial confession through coercion. His mother is still convinced Kovalev was not involved in the terror attack on the Minsk subway. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | March 2012 | ['(Russia Today)'] |
A Taliban suicide car bomber kills four Afghan civilians and wounds over 20 including four American soldiers. | ISLAMABAD - Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide bomb attack Friday targeted a foreign military convoy in Kabul, killing at least four Afghan civilians and wounding four American soldiers.
The U.S. military confirmed the attack in the Afghan capital and said the service members received “minor injuries”. It did not give further details.
The Taliban took responsibility for the bombing on a busy road linking Kabul to the eastern city of Jalalabad, saying a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed car near the foreign military convoy.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said several passerby were also among those injured.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid citing initial information claimed the powerful explosion destroyed two military vehicles and killed ten “invaders”, a term insurgents use for U.S.-led NATO forces in the country. The insurgent group’s claims are often inflated.
This was the second bomb attack in as many days in the Afghan capital.
On Thursday, an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate of an Afghan military academy and training center in Kabul. That blast killed six security forces and wounded 12 others. Afghan officials said four civilians were also among those injured.
Meanwhile, fierce clashes were continuing in the northwestern province of Badghis where the Taliban fighters have taken control of the embattled strategic Bala Murghab district during overnight fighting with Afghan forces.
Azai Akazai, who represents the province in the Afghan parliament, confirmed the insurgent advances while talking to VOA and said overnight clashes killed around a dozen government forces.
The Taliban assault forced around 250 Afghan forces to retreat to a nearby Afghan military base, the lawmaker added.
The insurgent violence comes amid peace negations between U.S. and Taliban officials.
The dialogue has lately slowed down over Taliban’s insistence it will not cease hostilities and engage in peace talks with the Afghan government until all foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan.
The insurgent group dismisses the Kabul administration as a puppet installed by “American invaders”.
The Taliban, however, has engaged in informal discussions with Afghan opposition politicians and civil society groups. The latest round of such talks took place in Moscow this week.
A joint statement issued after the meeting on Thursday, however, offered no substantial outcome on issues such as a Taliban cease-fire during upcoming Muslim festival of Eid. | Armed Conflict | May 2019 | ['(VOA)'] |
Four Jaish-e-Mohammed militants attack an Indian Army base near the Pakistan border with at least 17 soldiers and four militants killed. | Militants have attacked an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 17 soldiers, the army says.
All four of the attackers were killed. Carrying guns and grenades they stormed a base in Uri, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan in a pre-dawn ambush.
Indian Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh reacted by calling Pakistan a "terrorist state".
It is the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades.
It comes as violent protests against Indian rule in the disputed region continue, with a strict curfew imposed.
More than 80 people, nearly all anti-government protesters, have died in more than two months of violence.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and Pakistan denied any role.
"This is an old tactic of India. They immediately put the blame on Pakistan without investigation," foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told the BBC.
But Mr Singh said on Twitter that "there are definite and conclusive indications that the perpetrators of Uri attack were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped".
"I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan's continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups," he said.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned the attack and said the UK "stands shoulder to shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism, and in bringing the perpetrators to justice".
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir but only control parts of it.
Indian army military operations head Lieutenant-General Ranbir Singh said there was evidence the attackers were members of an Islamist militant group in Pakistan.
The terrorists had some items which had Pakistani markings on," he said.
Kashmir profile
The militants infiltrated across the Line of Control from Pakistan before attacking the base, west of Srinagar, an army officer told the BBC.
Gunfire and explosions were heard for several hours.
Many tents and temporary shelters caught fire during the attack, according to the army's Northern Command.
Twelve soldiers were killed by fires and the others died in gun battles, the Hindustan Times reports, citing army sources.
Disputed Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for more than 60 years, causing two wars between the neighbours.
A militant attack on an army camp in Uri in December 2014 saw at least nine members of the security forces killed. The last attack of this scale on the Indian army was in June 2015 in Manipur, north-east India, when at least 20 soldiers were killed in an attack on a troop convoy.
With the Indian Home Ministry talking about a "cross-border terror attack", there is no doubt the raid will make the already fraught relations between India and Pakistan even frostier. But the truth is this latest upsurge in violence has a distinctly home-grown flavour.
The huge wave of protests against Indian rule that were prompted by the killing of a popular young militant on 8 July have been overwhelmingly by people from Indian-controlled areas of Kashmir. The attack is likely to mean normal life in the province will continue to be paralysed by the curfew imposed by the security forces for some time to come.
The Indian government says it wants to discuss how to end the violence with local leaders, but so far its overtures have been rejected by separatists who insist that the issue of Kashmiri independence must be on the table.
| Armed Conflict | September 2016 | ['(International Business Times)', '(BBC)'] |
Israeli military forces seize a senior Hamas official after raiding Ramallah. | The mother of Maher Audi, a senior Hamas figure, poses with a picture of him in the West Bank village of Ein Yabrud near Ramallah March 14, 2010. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces arrested a senior Hamas figure on Sunday after a raid in the town of Ramallah, the seat of the West Bank-based Palestinian government, the Israeli military said.
A military statement described Maher Audi as a founder of Hamas in the West Bank and said he was responsible for the death of 10 Israelis.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas, an Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, has carried out dozens of suicide bombings against Israelis. It controls the Gaza Strip coastal enclave that is blockaded by Israel.
Hamas is less dominant in the occupied West Bank where the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds sway. Palestinians want both territories for a future state.
| Armed Conflict | March 2010 | ['(Reuters)', '(Hindustan Times)', '(ABC News)'] |
A Capitol Police officer is killed and another is wounded after being struck by a vehicle outside Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The attacker is shot dead after lunging at the officers with a knife. | An attack at the US Capitol complex in Washington DC has left one police officer dead and another in hospital with injuries.
A car crashed into a security barrier before the driver lunged towards the officers with a knife, police said. The officers opened fire and the suspect was shot dead.
Authorities said the attack, which came three months after January's deadly Capitol riots, did not appear to be terrorism-related.
"Whether the attack was at law enforcement, or whoever, we have a responsibility to get to the bottom of it and we'll do that," Robert Contee, the acting chief of Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department, said at a news conference.
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said it was "with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries".
In a later statement, she named the officer as William "Billy" Evans, who had been a member of the Capitol Police for 18 years and was part of the department's first responders unit.
"Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers," she said. Two law enforcement sources involved in the investigation told BBC partner CBS News that the suspect in the attack was 25-year-old Noah Green from Indiana. They said that no prior information about him had been found on any police databases.
In a post from mid-March on a now-deleted Facebook page, Green wrote that he had recently left his job, "partly due to afflictions, but ultimately, in search of a spiritual journey". He added he had been suffering the "side effects of drugs I was intaking unknowingly" and wrote extensively of his interest in the black nationalist religious organisation, Nation of Islam.
In a statement Facebook said it had designated the incident under its "Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy", meaning the suspect's Facebook and Instagram accounts were being removed, as well as any content praising him.
An increased security presence remains around the Capitol building, where the US Congress sits.
As Congress is not currently in session, most politicians were not at the Capitol complex at the time of the attack. Shortly after 13:00 local time (18:00 GMT) the Capitol Police alert system sent an email to lawmakers and their staff ordering them to stay away from exterior windows and doors due to a threat. Anyone outside was instructed to seek cover. At that time, a man driving a blue sedan had rammed the car into two officers standing at the North Barricade, according to police.
He exited the vehicle and ran towards the officers - at least one of whom drew a weapon and shot the suspect. The officers were then transported to hospital, one in an ambulance and one in a police cruiser.
Footage of the scene showed a helicopter flying overhead and what appeared to be two people on stretchers being moved into ambulances. Onlookers were told to clear the area. Police said the suspect died due to his injuries at 13:30 local time. Chief Contee told reporters the suspect appeared to act alone.
The FBI's Washington Field Office said it was providing support to the Capitol Police.
Analysis by Samantha Granville, US Capitol
Capitol Hill has been tense over the past three months. Since the riot on 6 January, the complex has been like a fortress with barbed wire, metal fencing and heightened security. But just weeks later, we are back here with blocked roads, extra troops, and a solemn feeling.
Congress is in recess today and staff I have spoken to are grateful to be home and nervous about returning to work after the Easter holiday. They say, understandably, that it is scary to have your workplace attacked twice in a short space of time.
It is concerning for them that even with ramped up security, an event that led to an officer's death still happened.
US President Joe Biden said he was "heartbroken to learn of the violent attack".
He offered his "heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans' family, and everyone grieving his loss", and said that he had ordered flags at the White House to be lowered to half mast.
Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi said "America's heart has been broken" and called Mr Evans "a martyr for our democracy".
Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he was "heartbroken for the officer killed" and indebted to the Capitol police force.
Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell wrote that he was "praying" for those attacked.
| Armed Conflict | April 2021 | ['(BBC)'] |
Illinois Senator Barack Obama wins the Democratic Party Wisconsin primary and the Hawaii caucus. | Barack Obama pummelled Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin and Hawaii today, making it 10 wins in a row against his bitter rival in the Democratic White House race.
Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain meanwhile fired a pre-emptive strike on his increasingly likely Democratic general election foe, ripping Obama's "eloquent but empty" rhetoric, after his own easy win in Wisconsin.
Obama's victories cemented his front-runner status, and left Clinton needing an astonishing turnaround in must-win contests in her firewall states of Ohio and Texas on March 4 to keep her fading presidential hopes alive.
"I think we've achieved liftoff here," said Obama, as he addressed a delirious rally in Houston, Texas, which hosts NASA's mission control for US space missions, as he set a rhetorical course the November 4 presidential vote.
"The change we seek is still months and miles away," he said.
Though Obama and Clinton had been tightly matched going into the Wisconsin primary, which had 74 delegates on offer, he swept to a comprehensive win.
With 97 per cent of precincts reporting, Obama led 58 per cent to 41 per cent.
Later Tuesday, Obama, who is vying to make history as America's first black president, secured another comprehensive victory as his birth state of Hawaii held its caucuses, US media reported.
Clinton, stung by another grievous blow to her hopes of becoming America's history-making first woman president, pleaded with voters to pause to consider who was truly qualified to lead the country.
"Both Senator Obama and I would make history. But only one of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief, ready to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the Republicans.
"That is the choice in this election."
Arizona Senator McCain, 71, edged even closer to mathematical certainty of grasping the Republican nomination, handily beating his pesky Republican rival Mike Huckabee in Wisconsin.
McCain also swept Washington state's primary, after winning the first part of its two-step nominating process, a caucus, ten days earlier.
The Vietnam war hero struck an immediate contrast with Obama, 46, trying to leverage the campaign onto national security territory where McCain draws strong support.
"Thank you Wisconsin, for bringing us to the point where even a superstitious navy aviator can claim with confidence and humility that I will be our party's nominee for president of the United States," McCain said in a victory rally in Columbus, Ohio.
Turning to Obama, he rapped an "eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy."
"Will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan?" he said, referring to Obama's threat to strike at al-Qaeda without Islamabad's permission if necessary.
McCain also hit out at Obama for suggesting talks without preconditions with US foes like Iran and North Korea.
But in his own victory speech Obama was unrepentant, saying America should not be afraid to talk to its enemies.
The two head-to-head showdowns set the stage for the crucial contests in Ohio and Texas on March 4, which one-time front-runner Clinton is billing as a firewall.
Obama's win in Wisconsin provided further evidence that key voting groups are lining up behind the Illinois senator's campaign.
Wisconsin, with its legions of blue collar white voters, should have been Clinton territory, but exit polls showed Obama repeating his feat in the Virginia and Maryland primaries last week of cutting into her power base.
He shared Clinton's core constituency of women, and union households.
The former first lady won only one age group, voters aged 60 and older.
Households who earn less than 50,000 dollars also narrowly went for Obama, and he also won the category of households earning more than that figure.
Obama now leads Clinton by 1342 to 1265 delegates, according to independent political website RealClearPolitics.com.
Neither candidate is likely to reach the winning line of 2,025 delegates, which has led to speculation of a convention brawl when the Democrats select their White House nominee in August.
McCain has amassed a total of 877 delegates, of the 1,191 needed for the Republican nomination.
His former rival Mitt Romney endorsed McCain on February 15 and urged his 271 delegates to do the same. | Government Job change - Election | February 2008 | ['(Reuters via The Melbourne Age)', '(AFP)', '[permanent dead link]'] |
Hillary Clinton wins the Washington D.C. Democratic Party primary, the last scheduled primary on the party's schedule before the 2016 Democratic National Convention in late July. | Follow NBC News Hillary Clinton has won the final primary of the Democratic nomination race in the District of Columbia, NBC News projected Tuesday.
The D.C. primary came more than a week after Clinton was declared the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party after securing a majority of Democratic delegates — including superdelegates.
With strong performances in last Tuesday’s primary contests — including in California and New Jersey – Clinton also accumulated a majority among only the pledged delegates who are bound to vote for her at the party’s convention in Philadelphia in July.
But rival Bernie Sanders pledged to stay in the race until the last votes were counted and has hinted that he could remain a candidate even longer in order to hold sway over the party’s platform and the rules for future elections.
Sanders objects to the inclusion of superdelegates in the Democratic count and says that all states should make voting in the presidential primaries more accessible to all voters, not just longtime registered Democrats | Government Job change - Election | June 2016 | ['(NBC News)'] |
A suspected militant suicide bombing at a court and prison complex in the Pakistani city of Peshawar kills at least 4 people and injures 47 others. | A suicide bomber blew himself up in a courtroom in the north-westPakistani city of Peshawar, killing four people and wounding more than 40 others, officials said.
Two militants attacked the back of the court compound and were confronted by three police guards, according to police officer Masood Afridi. The militants shot and wounded the policemen, but not before one of the guards killed one of the suicide bombers.
The other bomber managed to get into the courtroom and detonated his explosives, said Afridi.
Four people were killed and 47 wounded in the attack, said Habib Arif, a senior government official in Peshawar. Twenty of the wounded were discharged from the hospital after receiving first aid, while 27 remained under treatment, said Arif.
The female judge who was presiding over the session inside the courtroom that was attacked was among the wounded, said a police officer, Mohammad Arshad Khan.
Naeem Ullah was standing outside the courtroom when the bomber blew himself up. The blast "caused all of the glass in the windows to break, and I was wounded in my leg and back", said Ullah. He spoke while receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The attackers may have been trying to free militant colleagues jailed on the premises of the compound, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar is the provincial capital.
Hussain initially suggested the attackers may have taken hostages, but later said the situation was under control.
TV footage showed people running for safety, including wounded people being assisted by others. They included two police officers, a lawyer and other civilians, including one man whose clothes had been torn to shreds. Police commandos and army soldiers rushed toward the complex as the wounded were shifted to stretchers and taken to the hospital.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Elsewhere, in the southern port city of Karachi paramilitary forces arrested a militant leader who was involved in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, said two paramilitary officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
Qari Abdul Hayee, a former leader of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group in southern Sindh province, was detained on Sunday in Karachi, according to the officials. He also went by the name Asadullah and was involved in other attacks in Karachi, they said. | Armed Conflict | March 2013 | ['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)'] |
Armenia's parliament, by a 102–8 vote, ratifies an agreement to create an Armenia–Russia joint Air Defense system. | YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia’s parliament on Thursday voted to ratify an Armenian-Russian agreement to create a joint air-defense system which opponents fear gives too much control to Moscow.
Armenian officials say the new system will enable the inclusion of the Russian Air Force’s full range of capabilities, including multifunction fighter jets, into joint regional air defense.
“It will allow us to have serious reconnaissance data, which will be in the common informational field and will prevent all violations by adversaries,” Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan said on Wednesday.
“In this matter, we do not see any reliable partner other than Russia.”
The Armenia-Russian air-defense agreement was signed by the two countries in December 2015. Russia and Armenia have been jointly protecting Armenia’s airspace since the mid-1990s. Russian troops and warplanes are stationed on the territory of Armenia, once part of the Soviet Union.
The air-defense agreement does not apply to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia is embroiled in a long-standing conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the region.
A war between Azerbaijan and Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh ended with a fragile truce in 1994, which for many years was marred by only sporadic violence. But the ceasefire was shattered in early April with the fiercest fighting in years, killing dozens of people on both sides.
Opposition MPs and other critics of the air-defense agreement say it undermines Armenian sovereignty - and point out that Russia sells arms to rival Azerbaijan as well as to Armenia.
| Government Policy Changes | June 2016 | ['(Reuters)', '(Armenpress)'] |
Korean Central News Agency confirms North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon visit Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. | - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in the Russian city of Vladivostok on Wednesday for a summit he is likely to use to seek support from President Vladimir Putin while Pyongyang’s nuclear talks with Washington are in limbo.
The armored train carrying Kim -- on his first official visit to Russia -- pulled into the quayside station in Vladivostok, on the Pacific Ocean, a few hours after crossing from North Korea into Russia.
After a brief delay while the door of Kim’s carriage was lined up with a red carpet laid out on the platform, the door opened and a smiling Kim stepped out.
Earlier, at a stop on the border, Kim told Russian state television he was hoping for useful and successful discussions with Putin.
“I hope that we can discuss concrete questions about peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, and our bilateral relations,” he said through an interpreter.
Kim will sit down for talks with Putin on Thursday at a university campus on an island just off Vladivostok. It will be the first summit between the two leaders, and the standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear program will top the agenda, according to a Kremlin foreign policy aide.
The meeting comes two months after a summit in Vietnam between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump broke down over disagreement on ending the North’s nuclear program.
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A North Korean official heavily involved in advancing the U.S.-North Korean talks, Kim Yong Chol, was removed from a top post, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. He had visited the White House in January to meet Trump.
Now that negotiations with Washington are stalled, Pyongyang is looking for alternative sources of international support, including from Russia, and for possible relief from sanctions that are hurting the North Korean economy.
For Putin the summit is an opportunity to show that Russia remains a major global player despite being under sanctions itself over its intervention in Ukraine and allegations that it meddled in U.S. elections.
But analysts predicted that Kim is unlikely to emerge from the summit with any substantial promises of sanctions relief. The meeting is likely to focus more on showing camaraderie.
Vladivostok is located a few hours from the Russian-North Korean border by rail, Kim’s preferred mode of international transport.
On arrival in the city, the North Korean leader reviewed an honor guard of Russian troops in a square in front of the train station, with bodyguards looking on. He removed his black fedora while a military orchestra played first the North Korean national anthem, then the Russian anthem.
After officials from the two countries exchanged handshakes, Kim climbed into a black limousine and drove off. About 10 North Korean security guards in black suits jogged alongside the vehicle for about the first 100 meters (yards) of its journey.
Russian media reported that Kim would be heading to Russky island, linked by bridge to the mainland part of Vladivostok, where the summit will take place and where he is also expected to be staying.
Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, said Kim would want to be seen as a world leader who has international interlocutors besides Washington, Beijing or Seoul.
“As for Russia, the Putin-Kim summit will reaffirm Moscow’s place as a major player on the Korean peninsula. This meeting is important for Russian international prestige,” Lukin said.
Putin held a summit in 2002 with Kim Jong Un’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, who also met in 2011 with Dmitry Medvedev, the Putin lieutenant who was then Russian president.
The venue for the summit is a sports complex at the Far Eastern Federal University, which also played host in 2012 to an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
The sports complex at the university was closed on Tuesday and workers were seen bringing in furniture, a Reuters TV crew reported. Security guards at the entrance to the campus were searching vehicles as they drove in. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | April 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Reports surface that a United States nuclear weapon was lost somewhere in the ice after the January 21, 1968 crash of a B52 Stratofortress outside Thule Air Base, Greenland. | Declassified US government video of Thule clear-up
The United States abandoned a nuclear weapon beneath the ice in northern Greenland following a crash in 1968, a BBC investigation has found.
Its unique vantage point - perched at the top of the world - has meant that Thule Air Base has been of immense strategic importance to the US since it was built in the early 1950s, allowing a radar to scan the skies for missiles coming over the North Pole.
The Pentagon believed the Soviet Union would take out the base as a prelude to a nuclear strike against the US and so in 1960 began flying "Chrome Dome" missions. Nuclear-armed B52 bombers continuously circled over Thule - and could head straight to Moscow if they witnessed its destruction.
Greenland is a self-governing province of Denmark but the carrying of nuclear weapons over Danish territory was kept secret.
'Darker story'
But on 21 January 1968, one of those missions went wrong.
Pilots recount Thule crash
We reunited two of the pilots, John Haug and Joe D'Amario, 40 years on to tell the story of how their plane ended up crashing on the ice a few miles out from the base.
In the aftermath, military personnel, local Greenlanders and Danish workers rushed to the scene to help.
Eventually, a remarkable operation would unfold over the coming months to recover thousands of tiny pieces of debris scattered across the frozen bay, as well as to collect some 500 million gallons of ice, some of it containing radioactive debris.
A declassified US government video, obtained by the BBC, documents the clear-up and gives some ideas of the scale of the operation.
The high explosives surrounding the four nuclear weapons had detonated but without setting off the actual nuclear devices, which had not been armed by the crew.
The Pentagon maintained that all four weapons had been "destroyed".
This may be technically true, since the bombs were no longer complete, but declassified documents obtained by the BBC under the US Freedom of Information Act, parts of which remain classified, reveal a much darker story, which has been confirmed by individuals involved in the clear-up and those who have had access to details since.
The documents make clear that within weeks of the incident, investigators piecing together the fragments realised that only three of the weapons could be accounted for.
Even by the end of January, one document talks of a blackened section of ice which had re-frozen with shroud lines from a weapon parachute. "Speculate something melted through ice such as burning primary or secondary," the document reads, the primary or secondary referring to parts of the weapon.
By April, a decision had been taken to send a Star III submarine to the base to look for the lost bomb, which had the serial number 78252. (A similar submarine search off the coast of Spain two years earlier had led to another weapon being recovered.)
But the real purpose of this search was deliberately hidden from Danish officials.
One document from July reads: "Fact that this operation includes search for object or missing weapon part is to be treated as confidential NOFORN", the last word meaning not to be disclosed to any foreign country.
"For discussion with Danes, this operation should be referred to as a survey repeat survey of bottom under impact point," it continued.
'Failure'
But the underwater search was beset by technical problems and, as winter encroached and the ice began to freeze over, the documents recount something approaching panic setting inUS 'abandoned nuclear bomb'
As well as the fact they contained uranium and plutonium, the abandoned weapons parts were highly sensitive because of the way in which the design, shape and amount of uranium revealed classified elements of nuclear warhead design.
But eventually, the search was abandoned. Diagrams and notes included in the declassified documents make clear it was not possible to search the entire area where debris from the crash had spread.
We tracked down a number of officials who were involved in dealing with the aftermath of the incident.
One was William H Chambers, a former nuclear weapons designer at the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory who once ran a team dealing with accidents, including the Thule crash.
"There was disappointment in what you might call a failure to return all of the components," he told the BBC, explaining the logic behind the decision to abandon the search.
"It would be very difficult for anyone else to recover classified pieces if we couldn't find them."
The view was that no-one else would be able covertly to acquire the sensitive pieces and that the radioactive material would dissolve in such a large body of water, making it harmless.
Other officials who have seen classified files on the accident confirmed the abandonment of a weapon.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the investigation, referring back to previous official studies of the incident.
But the crash, clear-up and mystery of the lost bomb have continued to haunt those involved at the time - and those who live in the region now - with continued concerns over the environmental and health impact of the events of that day in 1968. | Armed Conflict | November 2008 | ['(BBC News)'] |
A Dutch appeal court reinstates order for Russia to pay $50 billion over Yukos. | Follow NBC News THE HAGUE, Netherlands — In a major legal defeat for the Russian government, a Dutch appeals court on Tuesday reinstated an international arbitration panel’s order that it should pay $50 billion compensation to shareholders in former oil company Yukos.
The ruling overturned a 2016 decision by The Hague District Court that quashed the compensation order on the grounds that the arbitration panel did not have jurisdiction because the case was based on an energy treaty that Russia had signed but not ratified.
The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that the 2016 decision “was not correct. That means that the arbitration order is in force again.”
“This is a victory for the rule of law. The independent courts of a democracy have shown their integrity and served justice. A brutal kleptocracy has been held to account,” Tim Osborne, the chief executive of GML, a company made up of Yukos shareholders, said in a statement.
The Russian Justice Ministry said in a statement after the verdict that Russia will appeal. It charged that the Hague appeals court “failed to take into account the illegitimate use by former Yukos shareholders of the Energy Charter Treaty that wasn’t ratified by the Russian federation.”
The arbitration panel had ruled that Moscow seized control of Yukos in 2003 by hammering the company with massive tax claims. The move was seen as an attempt to silence Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.
The 2014 arbitration ruling said that Russia was not acting in good faith when it levied the massive claims against Yukos, even though some of the company’s tax arrangements might have been questionable.
The state launched “a full assault on Yukos and its beneficial owners in order to bankrupt Yukos and appropriate its assets while, at the same time, removing Mr. Khodorkovsky from the political arena,” the arbitrators said.
Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint as he boarded a plane in Siberia in 2003 and spent more than a decade in prison as Yukos’ main assets were sold to a state-owned company. Yukos ultimately went bankrupt.
The Russian Justice Ministry said the Hague appeals court “ignored the fact that ex-shareholders of Yukos weren’t bona fide investors,” noting that “they had won control of the company assets through unlawful actions, including collusion and bribing officials.”
The ministry also emphasized that Tuesday’s ruling contradicted the 2011 verdict of the European Court for Human Rights, which rejected allegations that the case against Yukos was politically driven.
“The Russian Federation will continue to defend its legitimate interests and will appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court of the Netherlands,” the ministry said. | Organization Fine | February 2020 | ['(NBC)'] |
A Montenegrin prosecutor accuses Russian authorities of being involved in the October 2016 coup plot in order to halt Montenegro's accession to NATO. Russian officials dismiss the allegations as "absurd." | Russia dismisses allegations that it was involved in attempted overthrow in October as absurd and unsubstantiated
Russia has hit out at allegations that it was involved in an attempted coup during Montenegro’s election last year, ridiculing them as “absurd” and unsubstantiated.
On Sunday, a Montenegrin prosecutor said “Russian state bodies” had played a role in an attempted putsch with the aim of stopping the Balkan country from joining Nato.
Montenegrin police arrested a group of Serbian nationals on the eve of the 16 October vote and two Russian suspects are wanted over the alleged plot to seize parliament and assassinate former president and prime minister Milo ukanovi.
Montenegrin authorities had previously said the conspiracy was orchestrated by “Russian nationalists” but special prosecutor Milivoje Katni went a step further on Sunday evening, suggesting that Russian authorities were involved. “So far we have had evidence that Russian nationalist structures were behind [the plot], but now also that Russian state bodies were involved at a certain level,” Katni told local media. “The organs of the Russian state must investigate which bodies are involved and open a criminal trial over these acts.”
A spokesman for the Russian president, Vladimir, Putin, dismissed the allegations. “These (are) absurd accusations … We do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including Montenegro,” Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
According to Katni, a key witness, Aleksandar Sineli, a nationalist Serb, was invited to Moscow by Eduard Sismakov, a member of “Russian military structures”, to be cleared for the mission.
Sismakov, using the alias Shirakov, “asked him to work first to prevent Montenegro from entering Nato. That is the sole motivation of these structures,” Katni said.
Montenegrin prosecutors suspect 25 people, mostly Serbs, of links to the alleged coup, and are searching for two Russians, including Sismakov, who is believed to be the main organiser.
Three Serbian nationals were jailed for five months each last week after admitting to “creating a criminal organisation” to launch the coup.
The suspects include two leading pro-Russian lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Front (DF), Andrija Mandi and Milan Kneevi, whose parliamentary immunity was lifted last week so that they could face charges and be arrested. In a surprise decision immediately after the parliamentary vote, Montenegro’s top prosecutor issued a binding order that they remain at liberty.
The DF is strongly opposing Montenegro’s bid to join Nato but denies any involvement in a coup plot, claiming the affair was fabricated by the government. The weapons for what Montenegro officials called a “terrorist attack plan” have never been presented but Katni insisted they had been destroyed in Kosovo. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2017 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Airline pilots in Europe stage demonstrations in several cities against working hours. | Airline pilots and cabin crew across Europe are holding demonstrations Monday to protest over rules governing their flying hours which they say are putting the lives of passengers at risk.
European pilots and cabin crew are calling for shorter flying times to protect passenger safety.
Organized by the European Cockpit Association (ECA), and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), protesters are demanding that European Union rules on flying times are brought into line with scientific evidence.
The Moebus Report -- mandated by the EU in September 2008 -- recommends that an airline crew should not operate for more than 13 hours during the day and 10 hours at night.
Current EU rules stipulate pilots work up to a maximum of 14 hours during the day and nearly 12 hours at night. Are you concerned at the hours worked by airline pilots? Tell us.
Speaking from one of the protests outside the European Parliament in Brussels, Captain Martin Chalk, President of the ECA told CNN: "At the moment, the EU level is not adequate. That's not our view that is the view of experts employed to review the EU's own level of protection."
Chalk said that despite being in possession of the report, the EU completely ignored the recommendations when they produced new fatigue proposals in January 2009.
The ECA and the ETF have printed over 100,000 dummy airline tickets which they will hand out to airline passengers. The tickets contain cigarette-style warnings giving details on crew fatigue and an explanation as to why the EU current legislation needs to be changed.
"All we are trying to do at this stage is raise public's awareness. We're not trying to get in anyone's way," Chalk said.
Hundreds of protesters are attending events taking place at 22 airports across Europe. 400 ECA members are expected to attend the protests at Madrid airport.
"What we are saying today is that they need to listen to the safety review," Chalk said.
"It was conducted by the best scientists in this field in Europe. It was commissioned by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and therefore it should not be ignored when writing the rules."
Francois Ballestero, Political Secretary of the ETF echoed Chalk's concerns.
"Flight safety is the core mission of every cabin crew member. But EU law is insufficient to ensure that air crew can perform their safety role in an alert and effective way," he said.
But the EASA were critical of the protests and their timing. "This is jumping the gun. It is not a constructive contribution to a debate which is yet to happen," Daniel Hoeltgen, EASA communications director told CNN.
Hoeltgen believes that the pilots are simply setting up stall for an industrial debate between the unions and the airlines. "It's got nothing to do with safety regulations. We have made it clear that we will invite the unions and the airlines to take part in a review of the current rules and the timeframe for that has been made clear." The current law in Europe on air crew fatigue is set at two different levels. There is a minimum level set by EU and then there is a level set by individual countries that can be better than that minimum level. In 2012 the EU level is due to come into force.
"There needs to be a change in the law to protect passengers and our members from the insidious effects of airport fatigue," Chalk said. | Protest_Online Condemnation | October 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(The Times of India)', '(CNN)'] |
Sunni militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban kill at least 40 people and injure 50 in a bombing at a Shiite mosque in the Shikarpur District of Pakistan's Sindh province. | At least 40 people have been killed in a bomb blast at a Shia mosque in southern Pakistan, officials say.
Dozens were wounded in the attack after Friday prayers in Shikarpur district of Sindh province, and the death toll is expected to rise. Sunni militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban said they carried out the attack.
Local media reports suggest that the blast could have been a suicide attack, but police are investigating.
There has been rising sectarian violence in Pakistan in recent years. Sunni militant groups have targeted the Shia minority in the past. The Jundallah militant group claimed that they had carried out the attack. The group has been linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and announced allegiance to Islamic State (IS) last year. A number of people were trapped after the roof of the mosque collapsed due to the force of the explosion, local media said. Witness Zahid Zoon told AFP news agency that hundreds of people rushed to the scene after the blast to try to dig out survivors from the rubble. "It is chaos," he said.
Senior police official Abdul Qudoos Kalwar said that four children were among the dead, according to the Associated Press news agency Several of the most severely wounded patients were taken to hospitals in the cities of Larkana and Sukkur. Jundallah has been part of TTP and has been linked to militant groups including al-Qaeda as well as an Iranian Sunni Muslim group.
If the Jundallah claim is to be trusted, it would be its second most audacious attack on Shia Muslims in recent years. In 2012, it said it killed at least 18 Shia passengers after pulling them out of a bus in the northern Kohistan region.
The group first hit the headlines in 2004 with an ambush on the army's Karachi Corps commander. Though it did not claim the attack, the investigators named it and arrested some of its members.
Police in Karachi have blamed some recent attacks on Jundallah , but the group itself has made no comment.
However, some of its recent claims have conflicted with those of the TTP. In June 2013 it said it carried out the killing of nine foreign climbers on Nanga Parbat, but the TTP said a specially established unit called Jundul Hafsa had done it.
Three months later, both Jundallah and Jundul Hafsa claimed the killing of over 70 Christians in a church in Peshawar, but the TTP later said Jundul Hafsa was not involved.
Dr Shaukat Ali Memon, from the hospital in Shikarpur which received the first of those wounded, made an appeal on state television for blood donations.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the incident and ordered an immediate inquiry.
The attack came as Mr Sharif visited the city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. The BBC's Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that attacks on Shia targets have been fairly common in Karachi, on the coast, but are relatively new in the interior of Sindh province, where the influence of a more tolerant Sufi Islamic tradition is more widespread.
Our reporter says that Friday's incident is reportedly the fifth attack of a sectarian nature in the province's interior since 2010. Pakistan protests over Shia bus bomb
| Armed Conflict | January 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
At least eight Azeri soldiers are killed following clashes with Armenian troops on the border and near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan said Armenia had also suffered losses, although it did not provide any details. | Baku (AFP) - Azerbaijan said Friday eight soldiers had been killed in three days of clashes with arch-foe Armenia on the border and near the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region as tensions spiked in the long-running conflict.
International mediators, who have for years sought to help the two countries reach a breakthrough, expressed concern over the violence, with the United States renewing a plea for the presidents from both countries to meet for talks.
Azerbaijan's defence ministry said Armenian troops had ramped up their activity in the past few days and attacked Azeri positions.
"Reconnaissance and sabotage groups of the Armenian armed forces attempted to break through the line of contact between the troops along the entire front line," the ministry said, adding that the Armenian troops had been repelled.
"As a result of clashes over the past three days, eight Azeri troops have died," it said.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a protracted conflict over the Nagorny Karabakh region with occasional skirmishes along the front.
The latest clashes however represent a surge in tensions between the two countries, with one prominent Azeri military expert saying Baku has not suffered such losses in a single bout of hostilities since 1994.
Azerbaijan said Armenia had also suffered losses, although it did not provide any details.
In Armenia, a high-ranking defence ministry official presented a different version of the events.
Speaking to AFP, he said Azerbaijani "sabotage groups" had tried to break into Armenia and that the Azeris had lost 14 troops in the latest skirmish.
"Azerbaijani subversive groups were ambushed," the official said. "As a result, they have 14 dead and lots of wounded. There are no casualties or wounded on the Armenian side."
Officials in Nagorny Karabakh for their part said two Armenian troops died in an attack by Azerbaijani forces on Thursday.
Armenian-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people.
Despite years of negotiations since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.
- No military solution -
US officials said Washington was concerned about the escalation of violence, calling "on the sides to take immediate action to reduce tensions and respect the ceasefire."
"There can be no military solution to the conflict. Retaliation and further violence will only make it more difficult to bring about a peaceful settlement," said deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf in a statement.
She added US officials "stand ready to help efforts to bring about a lasting settlement."
Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to retaliate against any military action.
Uzeir Dzhafarov, a prominent military expert in Azerbaijan, said clashes had recently intensified between the two sides.
"Azerbaijan has not had such losses since March 1994," he told AFP.
A security analyst in Armenia, Stepan Safaryan, for his part pointed out that the clashes came as international mediators tried to organise a meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Safaryan suggested that the leadership of Azerbaijan had sought to wring concessions from Armenia in the run-up to the meeting.
"Through such an escalation Azerbaijan is blackmailing the international community and the Armenian side before the meeting," he told AFP.
The Karabakh peace talks are mediated by the so-called OSCE Minsk Group, which is co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.
| Armed Conflict | August 2014 | ['(Yahoo News)'] |
Police arrest five men, three from the mining company Vale and two engineers from a subsidiary company, in connection with the mine collapse. | Police in Brazil have arrested five people as part of an investigation into Friday's dam collapse in Brumadinho. At least 65 people died when sludge engulfed a company canteen and neighbouring residential buildings. Prosecutors in Brazil say three of those arrested were officials from the mining company Vale, whose responsibilities included dealing with environmental impact licences. Vale said it was co-operating with prosecutors.
The company is the world's biggest producer of iron ore and nickel.
Two engineers working for a subsidiary company were arrested in Sao Paulo. All five can be detained for 30 days and will be questioned by investigators in Belo Horizonte.
Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors in Brumadinho. Nearly 300 people are still missing and there is little hope they will be found alive.
On Monday, protesters gathered outside Vale's corporate headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and daubed slogans including "Murderers!" on its walls. In a statement following the arrests, Vale said: "With regards to the warrants served this morning, Vale informs that it is fully co-operating with the authorities. "Vale will continue to support the investigations in order to determine the facts, in addition to the unconditional support to the families."
Vale's share price plunged by nearly 25% on Monday on the Brazilian stock market. Vale halts bonuses after dam deaths | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | January 2019 | ['(BBC)'] |
Pakistan's government removes a loophole allowing those behind so–called honor killings to go free with the new legislation instead requiring a mandatory life sentence. | Previously, killers could be pardoned by a victim's family to avoid a jail term. Now forgiveness will only spare them the death penalty.
It is being seen as a step in the right direction in a country where attacks on women who go against conservative rules on love and marriage are common.
According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), nearly 1,100 women were killed by relatives in Pakistan last year in such killings, while many more cases go unreported.
The loophole allowed the perpetrators of "honour killings" - often a relative acting on the pretext of defending family "honour" - to avoid punishment because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.
In recent months, a number of high-profile deaths have made headlines both in Pakistan and abroad, including the killing of British woman Samia Shahid in July, allegedly by her father and her former husband.
The same month, Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was strangled to death, allegedly killed by her brother in the province of Punjab.
The amended law was debated by Pakistan's National Assembly for four hours on Thursday, before being passed unanimously.
Campaigners have been calling for tougher legislation to protect women from violence for years.
A 2005 amendment to the law pertaining to "honour killings" prevented men who kill female relatives pardoning themselves as an 'heir' of the victim.
Pakistani activist and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid - who won an Oscar earlier this year for a documentary on "honour killings" - paid tribute to the people who had worked to get the bill through.
"It may not change much over night but it is certainly a step in the right direction," she said in a Facebook post. "And today I am proud that we have gone the distance on this bill." Others were more cautious, raising concerns over the fact the bill still allows a judge to decide whether a murder qualifies as an 'honour killing' or not.
The bill - pending for a long time - has now been passed by both houses of parliament, which means they will soon make it to the statute books.
But it is yet to be seen how effective a deterrent the anti-honour killing law may prove. The crime is often committed either as a result of sudden provocation or under tremendous social pressure. Killers have largely enjoyed impunity due to a legal provision under which a relative of the victim could pardon the perpetrator. That clause has now been tweaked to ensure the offender pays the price. This may prove to be a deterrent in the long run.
In rape cases, the parliament has for the first time introduced a provision allowing DNA tests to ascertain identity of the offender. Experts believe this will effectively cover up for the weakness in the previous legislation that relied heavily on circumstantial evidence.
| Government Policy Changes | October 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
Citizens of Suriname head to the polls in the country's latest general election. It is the first election after Suriname's president Dési Bouterse was convicted of murder for the December murders in 1982. | The people of Suriname will decide on Monday whether President Dési Bouterse, who has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison, will continue to lead the South American country.
Voters will cast their ballots for members of the National Assembly, who in turn elect the president.
Mr Bouterse said he was confident of winning a third consecutive term. His appeal against his conviction is due to be heard in June. Dési Bouterse, 74, has long influenced politics in Suriname. 1980Leads a military coup and overthrows the elected government
1980-1987As Military Council chairman he effectively runs Suriname 1990Backs a military coup which overthrows the president
2010Becomes president after his party wins most seats 2015Re-elected president after his party narrowly wins election
He first came to political prominence when he led 15 follow non-commissioned officers in overthrowing the government of Henck Arron, the first to lead Suriname after independence from the Netherlands. In his role as National Military Council chairman, he was Suriname's de facto leader for much of the 1980s. It was during this time, in December 1982, that soldiers rounded up, tortured and executed 15 of Bouterse's opponents.
Bouterse claims the victims, which included trade union leaders and journalists, were shot as they were trying to escape from the colonial-era fortress in which they were being held.
In 2007, he admitted "political responsibility" for what has become known as the "December murders" but he has always denied personal responsibility.
A trial started that same year and three judges concluded 12 years later, in November 2019, that Bouterse was guilty of murder and should serve 20 years in jail. However, no arrest warrant was issued. But the murder conviction is not his only conviction. In 1999, a court in the Netherlands found Bouterse guilty of smuggling more than a thousand pounds of cocaine and sentenced him in absentia to 11 years in prison.
Bouterse has always denied the drug-smuggling allegations. Bouterse has never been far from power even though he spent much of the 1990s in the wings. In 2000, he won his first democratic election and was elected as member of the National Assembly.
In 2010, the Mega Combination coalition he leads won most seats in the National Assembly and he was elected president.
In 2015, his coalition won 26 of the 51 seats and he was re-elected to a second term. Ahead of Monday's National Assembly, he said he was confident his NDP party would win enough seats to guarantee he would get re-elected to a third consecutive term.
However, polls suggest the NDP could face losses especially in the capital, Paramaribo. Polls close at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT) and partial results are expected some hours later with full preliminary results expected on Tuesday.
Whether he is re-elected president or not, Bouterse's appeal against his murder conviction is due to go ahead in June so he is unlikely to be jailed before the appeals process is exhausted.
Despite his convictions, Bouterse, who is of mixed Amerindian, African, Dutch, French and Chinese ancestry, has in the past managed to transcend the ethnic lines along which much of Suriname's politics are organised.
But pollsters say surveys indicate his party's appeal may have waned due to a recent economic downturn. Bouterse's government, which wooed poor voters through handouts, has overspent with economists saying it is at increased risk of defaulting on its debt. A curfew in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus has been lifted to allow for voters to go to the polls. | Government Job change - Election | May 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Most schools in South Africa re-open after Education Minister Angie Motshekga says that efforts to contain the virus allowed 95% of schools to return to classes. South Africa has recorded nearly 50,000 cases and almost 1,000 deaths. | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Children began returning to classrooms in South Africa on Monday as part of a gradual loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, even as some parents worried not enough had been done to guard against infections.
The resumption of the school year had been delayed after teachers unions urged school staff to defy an order to return to work last week, saying schools did not have enough masks, gloves and other equipment.
But the biggest union dropped its objections and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Sunday that ramped-up efforts to equip schools meant 95% of primary and secondary schools could now host classes.
As children trickled through the gates of Zithathele Primary School in Soweto, a working-class township outside Johannesburg, staff took their temperatures at a makeshift check-point.
Classes were limited to 20 pupils and the school said it was giving them masks and gloves. But some parents were not convinced.
Ntomizodwa Zitha said her children, worried they were falling behind, had persuaded her to let them return.
I let my child come today but tomorrow I wont. Its too dangerous, she said.
The shutdown has exposed deep divisions between black and white, rich and poor that persist in South Africas education system a quarter century after the end of white minority rule.
Many government schools have no running water, making hand-washing nearly impossible. Others have been vandalised during a nationwide lockdown imposed by the government in March.
Government officials, however, worry that further delaying a return to classrooms would mean a generation of schoolchildren risks losing a key part of their education.
Initially, only pupils in grades 7 and 12 will return to class; other years will be phased in gradually.
As classes let out for the day, Aaron Motha said he was glad his son - in his final year at the elite Rand Park High School near Johannesburgs financial district - was finally back in the classroom.
The year was already gone ... and they need to apply for university next year, he said. This school is better equipped than some others, so I was happy hed be safe.
South Africa, the continents most industrialised nation, has recorded nearly 50,000 cases of the novel coronavirus - the most of any African country - along with almost 1,000 deaths.
Basic Education Minister Motshekga said the government will find alternative arrangements for pupils at schools unable to open on Monday.
The golden rule is there will be no school that will resume if not ready to do so, she said.
Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Writing by Joe Bavier, Editing by William Maclean, Mark Heinrich and Andrew Heavens
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
| Disease Outbreaks | June 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Bernard Hogan–Howe is named as the new Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. | Bernard Hogan-Howe has been named the new commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The former chief constable of Merseyside was appointed to the position this afternoon by the Queen. He beat three others to the job after interviews with the home secretary and mayor of London. Speaking briefly at Scotland Yard, the new commissioner said he wanted to lead a force that criminals fear and the public trust. The post became vacant after Sir Paul Stephenson quit amid the phone-hacking scandal and claims about links between Scotland Yard and News International.
Mr Hogan-Howe will be in charge of more than 50,000 staff, including 32,000 officers. The force, the biggest in the UK, includes more than a fifth of all police in England and Wales. The commissioner's job combines policing London and responsibility for national security issues such as combating terrorism. Mr Hogan-Howe, who has served in the Metropolitan Police before, went on to lead Merseyside before becoming one of Her Majesty's chief inspectors of constabulary in 2009.
He returned to Scotland Yard after Sir Paul's resignation to stand in as acting deputy commissioner while the post holder, Tim Godwin, stepped up to the top job. His appointment as commissioner was formally made by the Queen on the recommendation of the Home Secretary Theresa May. The candidates went through a series of interviews, including a final session with both Mrs May and London's Mayor Boris Johnson. Mrs May said: "I am delighted to announce Bernard Hogan-Howe as the new commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
"As you would expect for such a prestigious position, we had an exceptional field of candidates, but Bernard Hogan-Howe impressed us all with his vision for the Metropolitan Police, his commitment to cutting crime and the important work he has done for the public.
"I made my recommendation following representations from the Metropolitan Police Authority and discussions with the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson."
She went on: "The government's reforms are transforming the police in this country and Bernard Hogan-Howe has the skills and experience needed to ensure the nation's biggest force is at the forefront of this change.
"London is a great city and will next year host the biggest sporting event in this nation's history. I am confident he will lead the fight against crime with determination and vigour."
Tough competition
The other candidates were Sir Hugh Orde, former Chief Constable of Northern Ireland; Stephen House, the Chief Constable of Strathclyde; and Tim Godwin, the Acting Commissioner. Boris Johnson said that of all the candidates he believed that Mr Hogan-Howe provided a "firm, strategic lead".
"Londoners deserve strong and dynamic leadership at the helm of the country's largest and most industrious police force. "Public confidence is paramount for any police force and Bernard Hogan-Howe has the impressive track record to restore confidence and crack down on violent crime and disorder.
"Over recent weeks London has faced immense policing challenges and I truly believe that Bernard Hogan-Howe has the sound expertise to handle critical issues and keep our streets safe.
"It's no secret that I desired someone who has a clear strategy for tackling gang violence and youth crime and restoring pride in our great city.
"Bernard Hogan-Howe has made it clear that this will be a new more transparent era for the Met, making the police more accountable to the public, and strengthening police and public relationships."
Sir Hugh Orde, who remains the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "Bernard Hogan-Howe is to be congratulated for his appointment as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. "He brings a wealth of experience and professionalism to the job of policing our capital, protecting Londoners and leading the Met.
"Chief officers look forward to working closely with Bernard and the chief officer team at the Met as the service gets on with its work to cut crime, deliver a safe and secure Olympics and meet the challenges of reform. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | September 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
Respect MP George Galloway writes to British home secretary Theresa May and makes a complaint to the police about his secretary Aisha AliKhan, claiming that she was working as an "agent" for a Metropolitan police counterterrorism officer who was running a "dirty tricks" campaign against him. | Even given his own talent for hyperbole, the claim George Galloway made on Sunday night was extraordinary: that he had discovered his secretary was working as an "agent" for a Metropolitan police counterterrorism officer who was running a "dirty tricks" campaign against him.
It was a serious allegation. "A direct attack on not just me but on democracy," the MP said. He complained to the police, who promised an investigation, voluntarily referring the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. And he wrote to Theresa May, the home secretary, demanding an inquiry, saying he had "incontrovertible evidence" that the duo had set up fake email addresses to spread "rumour, disinformation and downright lies".
But Galloway's now former secretary, Aisha Ali-Khan, is fighting back. She says she is married to Afiz Khan, whom Galloway correctly identified as a detective inspector in the Met's counter-terrorism unit, SO15.
She says the two wed in a Muslim ceremony in 2009 and have had an on-off, hush-hush relationship ever since. She is furious that their relationship is being presented as somehow illicit.
"Not only have I lost my job and my credibility but I've been branded this tart sleeping with random police officers."
Suspended on full pay but not expecting her job back, Ali-Khan has filed a complaint with the Met, accusing Galloway of either hacking into her private emails or ordering someone else to do so. She believes there can be no other explanation for how he was able to quote verbatim, in his letter to May, from emails she and her husband had written to each other. Galloway says he was given the emails by his lawyer.
Ali-Khan believes she has been "thrown to the wolves" because she was disliked by certain male figures in Bradford's Respect party who wanted her out, and because Galloway wanted to deflect attention from a story about his personal life which he believed was about to hit the papers.
She says Galloway must have known about the marriage she listed Khan as her spouse on the security clearance questionnaire she filled in to gain a parliamentary pass when she began her job in April, after Galloway's sensational win for Respect in the Bradford West byelection. Her marriage certificate was included in the forms Galloway signed.
"If I signed a questionnaire, I would not have read who her husband was," said Galloway on Thursday, insisting he had once been introduced to a different man in Bradford who Ali-Khan said was her estranged husband, presumably the father of her nine-year-old son. "If I had read it, I would have assumed it was the person I met in Bradford."
Ali-Khan, a trained teacher who gave up her job mentoring young Muslims in order to work for Galloway, says she was upfront about her spouse's sensitive day job in the Muslim contact unit. "It was never an issue," she insisted.
Galloway has claimed that the couple "had been sleeping in my house, and without permission, while I was abroad". He says he discovered this following a break-in, when Ali-Khan's parliamentary laptop was stolen from Galloway's home in Streatham, south London, where she lived for a few months while the constituency office was being set up in Bradford.
"[Khan] had to tell the officers investigating the burglary that his fingerprints would be found in the house. I asked the local officers informally to report on this to his bosses. I heard no more and neither have I heard any more about the burglary. I should, of course, have dismissed [Ali-Khan] but foolishly I gave her a second chance," he wrote in his letter to May.
Ali-Khan insists Khan never slept in the house, but simply "popped in to use the loo" one night before the break-in, and so warned officers investigating that they might find his prints. She says the emails Galloway has seized on as evidence of a plot against him are nothing of the sort. And that far from showing a police handler and his spy, they show a couple making "silly jokes".
Galloway has pointed to one particular email as proof of foul play, in which Khan used his police account to tell Ali-Khan: "I think there was an election fraud. I found out the printer of the election voting cards is a member of Respect. The postman for the postal votes was also a member of Respect party. And finally there was a rush of new voters with the name of Ali. There were 450 voters apparently all staying at the Midland. And finally the gypsies came in to support GG via the Westfield site."
Ali-Khan dismisses any talk of conspiracy, saying this was an example of a number of "running jokes" the couple shared about conspiracy-prone Respect, the ubiquity of her maiden name (Ali) and the fact that party activists spent weeks camped out in caravans at the building site where a Westfield shopping centre was supposed to be built. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | October 2012 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The 50th International Eucharistic Congress opens in Dublin with an address by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and a Mass in a sports stadium, the RDS Arena. | The Church has nothing greater to offer than Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, Cardinal Marc Ouellet said as he celebrated the June 10 opening Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.
“Our gathering is an act of faith in the Holy Eucharist, the treasure of the Church, which is essential to her life and to our communion as brothers and sisters in Christ,” said the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, who is representing Pope Benedict as Papal Legate at the celebration in Ireland.
The Church, he told pilgrims gathered at the Royal Dublin Society Arena, “draws her life from the Eucharist,” and “receives her own identity from the gift of Christ’s own body.”
“In communion with his body, the Church becomes what she receives: she becomes one body with him in the Spirit of the new and eternal covenant,” the cardinal reflected. “What a great and marvelous mystery!”
More than 12,500 pilgrims from around the world are gathered in Dublin for the June 10-17 Eucharistic gathering. Its opening ceremony, held on the Feast of Corpus Christi, featured a parade of international flags as well as insignia of Ireland's different counties, carried alongside symbols of the Catholic faith.
Cardinal Ouellet concelebrated the afternoon opening Mass with Dublin Archbishop Diamuid Martin, Archbishop Robert Jean Louis LeGall of Toulouse, Cardinal Thomas C. Collins of Toronto, and Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for Eucharistic Congresses.
In his homily, the head of the Congregation for Bishops recalled Ireland's “long traditional of fidelity to the Catholic faith.” The country's faithfulness “has enriched not only these shores, but has, through her missionary sons and daughters, helped to bring the Gospel to many other, far-distant shores.”
But Cardinal Ouellet acknowledged that the 50th Eucharistic Congress comes at a “turbulent time” for the Irish Church, which has suffered in recent years from revelations about sex abuse committed by clergy in past decades. The country also faces a priest shortage, and problems with theological dissent.
“The Church in Ireland is suffering and faces many new and serious challenges to the faith,” noted Cardinal Ouellet. “Well aware of these challenges, we turn to our Lord, who renews, heals and strengthens the faith of his people.”
The papal representative, who served as Archbishop of Quebec from 2003 to 2010, hosted the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in his archdiocese in 2008. The experience showed him “that an event such as this brings many blessings to the local Church and to all the participants.”
He urged the congregation at the Dublin arena to remember their baptismal identity as members of Christ's “new and eternal covenant,” in order to approach God's sacramental presence with awe and devotion.
“Every Sunday and every special feast day we go to church to meet the risen Lord, to strengthen our bond of love with him by partaking in the Holy Eucharist,” the cardinal observed.
“It may seem in the world’s eyes that we gather for social reasons or according to our cultural and religious traditions, but, in fact, we are called together by the Lord himself … who wants us to be one body with him in a real and faithful covenant of love.”
“Let us be aware of the unfathomable gift of the Holy Eucharist,” Cardinal Ouellet urged worshipers, setting the spiritual agenda for the coming week. “God deserves much more adoration and gratitude for this gift of love.”
| Famous Person - Give a speech | June 2012 | ['(Catholic News Agency)'] |
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