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Several people are killed during protests in Indian–administered Kashmir after the worst anti–government violence in two years. | Kashmiri muslims shout anti Indian slogans as they carry the body of a nine year old boy during a funeral in Srinagar on August 2, 2010. Six people, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed in Kashmir on Monday, amid renewed clashes between protesters and security forces.
Seven civilians died in continuing violence in the Kashmir Valley on Monday as thousands of people defied curfew at several places. At least 50 people were injured. Mobs set on fire several government buildings.
A youth, injured in police action a few days ago in Bijbehara, died on Monday.
Seven civilians were killed as police and CRPF personnel opened fire to quell demonstrations at several places. People broke security cordons and defied curfew. Throughout the night mobs were protesting on the streets and using loudspeakers in mosques to give vent to their anger.
Eight-year-old Farooq Ahmad of Dawood Colony Batamaloo in Srinagar was killed in a clash between protesters and the CRPF late on Monday evening.
Residents who spoke to The Hindu alleged that he was beaten to death by CRPF personnel. However, a police spokesman said the boy was killed in a stampede when the CRPF chased a mob. His death triggered further protests in the area.
Reports said 16-year-old Bashir Ahmad Reshi died after the police and the CRPF opened fire on protesters at Sangam near Khanabal on the Srinagar-Anantnag highway. Arshad Ahmad Bhat also died, but police said he was caught in a stampede. Locals refuted this.
Six others, critically injured in the incident, have been admitted to hospitals in Srinagar.
In Kulgam, security forces opened fire killing 16-year-old Rameez Ahmad. A 9th class student, Ashiq Hussain Bhat, died of his injuries in the district hospital. Sources said seven people, including Ashiq, were injured in the firing on protesters at Chawalgaam village.
Kakpora area of Pulwama district witnessed massive protests. Muhammad Yaqoob Bhat, 16, of Zadoora died in police firing.
After the incident, the protesters went on the rampage attacking the police and the CRPF, forcing them to flee.
In Kralpora area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir, the police and the CRPF opened fire on stone-throwing youth, injuring six people critically. Sources said 20-year-old Khurshid Ahmad War died of his injuries.
A police spokesman said rampaging mobs broke curfew restrictions at Kakapora, Pulwama, Budgam, Anantnag, Kulgam and Kupwara, destroying police and public property. | Protest_Online Condemnation | August 2010 | ['(The Hindu)', '(BBC)'] |
The Mayor of Liverpool, England, Joe Anderson is arrested along with four others for conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. He is subsequently suspended from the Labour Party. | Liverpool's mayor Joe Anderson has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.
He and four others were held as part of an investigation into the awarding of building contracts in the city.
It is understood the Labour Party has suspended Mr Anderson pending the outcome of the case. The year-long police probe, Operation Aloft, has focussed on a number of property developers.
Liverpool City Council said it was co-operating with Merseyside Police.
A police statement said those arrested include two men, 33 and 62, both from Liverpool, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. A 46-year-old man from Ainsdale has also been arrested on suspicion of the same offence. The other two arrested men are a 72-year-old man from Liverpool and a 25-year old from Ormskirk, who have been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation.
Developer Elliot Lawless was arrested in January 2019 and denied any wrongdoing. Elliot Lawless is currently released under investigation and was not one of the five arrested earlier on Friday. Councillor Richard Kemp, leader of the opposition Lib Dem group on Liverpool City Council, said Mr Anderson "should follow the precedence set by leaders of the council and other senior figures in such cases."
"He should step away from the council and step away from his mayoralty while this goes through due legal process," he said.
Mr Anderson joined the Merchant Navy after leaving school aged 16.
He later studied for a degree in social work at Liverpool John Moores University and went on to become a social worker for Sefton Council in 1992.
The father-of-four was Liverpool's first elected mayor in 2012 having served on the city council since 1998.
His national profile been raised by his role in driving forward mass coronavirus testing in the city.
Mr Anderson, whose brother Bill died recently of Covid-19, was praised for his response to the virus by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
A suicide bomber explodes himself at the entrance of the "Stage" club in Tel Aviv, killing at least 4 Israelis and wounding 38 more. Responsibility is reportedly claimed by Islamic Jihad. | TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- Less than three weeks after Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to a cease-fire amid newfound optimism about the Mideast peace process, a suicide bomber attacked a nightclub in a popular beachfront area of Tel Aviv late Friday night, killing four people and wounding at least 65 others, according to Israeli police and emergency services. At least three of the wounded were considered severely injured and at least three others were critically hurt, Israeli emergency services spokesman Yoni Yagodozsky said. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was consulting early Saturday with his defense minister and security services, but Israel "remains committed" to the cease-fire reached with Palestinian Authority officials in Egypt on February 8, said Ra'annan Gissin, a spokesman for Sharon.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called an emergency meeting of his security officials in Ramallah, Palestinian sources said. He also released a statement pledging that Palestinian authorities would do everything they can to track down those responsible for the attack. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said the Palestinian Authority condemned the bombing in the "strongest possible terms," and he urged "all sides to exercise restraint." "If this is a suicide bombing, then whoever is behind it is trying to attempt to sabotage efforts to revive the peace process," Erakat said.
Gissin said Friday's blast showed that the Palestinian Authority needs to do more to restrain militants and fight terrorism, rather than trying to negotiate.
"With terrorists, you can't reach compromise. You can't make agreements. The Palestinian Authority effort to try and reach an understanding or an agreement with a terrorist organization failed. Tonight, it failed. It failed before," Gissin said.
"There would be no need for condemnation had the Palestinian Authority taken real steps to dismantle the terrorist organizations, to arrest the terrorists, to collect all the illegal weapons, to do what they were required to do according to the obligations in the road map to peace."
Responding to the criticism, Erakat noted that Israeli forces still have security responsibility in many West Bank cities. He said as the new Palestinian government, sworn-in Thursday, assumes more security responsibility, it would have "zero tolerance" for militants and would make a "100 percent effort" to combat violence.
He also said Palestinian security officials were in touch with their Israeli counterparts to coordinate efforts following the bombing.
Some militant groups have said they don't consider themselves bound by the cease-fire. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group associated with the Fatah movement, and Islamic Jihad denied responsibility for the attack. The blast occurred near The Stage nightclub at 11:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), just as nightclubs were set to open, and was the first suicide bombing in Israel in almost four months. The club owner, Tzahi Cohen, told CNN about seven to 10 people and four security guards were outside the club when the bomber set off the explosives. Security guards normally check patrons coming into the club, but because the club was not yet open, the people in line would not have been checked, Cohen said. People inside an adjacent store were also wounded, he said. In Washington, a senior State Department official described the attack as "a step back, a blow to our efforts," adding that "it will be important to see what steps are taken." Officials at the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem have contacted senior Palestinian officials to urge them to condemn the bombing, take action against those responsible, and work with U.S. and Israeli officials to combat terrorism, the senior official said. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to London on Monday for a conference on Palestinian issues, and "this incident will certainly bring to light an issue that will already be in the forefront," the senior official said. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan released a statement Friday night condemning the Tel Aviv attack "in the strongest possible terms."
"This terrorist act should not be allowed to undermine the recent positive steps taken by both sides," he said. CNN's Elise Labott, Guy Raz and John Vause contributed to this report. | Armed Conflict | February 2005 | ['(Haaretz)', '(CNN)'] |
The Electoral Commission of Uganda declares incumbent President Yoweri Museveni the winner of the presidential election, winning about 59% of the vote, while opposition leader Bobi Wine received only 35% of the vote, according to the commission. | Uganda's long-time President Yoweri Museveni has been re-elected, electoral officials say, amid accusations of vote fraud by his main rival Bobi Wine.
Mr Museveni won almost 59% of the vote, with Bobi Wine trailing with about 35%, the Electoral Commission said.
Thursday's poll may turn out to be the "most cheating-free" in the history of the African nation, the president said.
Bobi Wine, a former pop star, vowed to provide evidence of vote-rigging when internet connections were restored.
The government shut down the internet ahead of voting day, a move condemned by election monitors.
They said confidence in the count had been damaged by the days-long cut. A government minister told the BBC on Saturday evening that the internet service would be restored "very soon".
In a phone interview with the BBC World Service, Bobi Wine said he and his wife were not being allowed to leave their home by soldiers.
"Nobody is allowed to leave or come into our house. Also, all journalists - local and international - have been blocked from accessing me here at home," he said.
Dozens of people were killed during violence in the run-up to the election. Opposition politicians have also accused the government of harassment.
The result gives President Museveni a sixth term in office. The 76-year-old, in power since 1986, says he represents stability in the country.
Meanwhile, Bobi Wine - the stage name for 38-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi - says he has the backing of the youth in one of the world's youngest nations, where the median age is 16. "The electoral commission declares Yoweri Museveni... elected President of the Republic of Uganda," election commission chairman Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama said on Saturday.
He said turnout was 57% of the almost 18 million registered voters.
Earlier, Mr Byabakama said the vote had been peaceful, and called on Bobi Wine to make public the evidence for his fraud allegations.
16 January 2021
5.85 millionvotes were won by Yoweri Museveni, according to the Electoral Commission.
3.48 millionvotes were won by Bobi Wine, his main rival, the commission said.
6terms as president for Museveni.
Bobi Wine has vowed to provide proof of voting fraud. 2,000The number of observers deployed by the Africa Elections Watch coalition, which said they had observed irregularities.
The opposition candidate earlier said: "I will be happy to share the videos of all the fraud and irregularities as soon as the internet is restored."
But speaking after being declared the winner, Mr Museveni said: "Voting by machines made sure there is no cheating. "But we are going to audit and see how many people voted by fingerprints and how many of those voted by just using the register."
Mr Museveni also warned that "foreign meddling will not be tolerated".
The EU, United Nations and several rights groups have raised concerns. Aside from an African Union mission, no major international group monitored the vote.
Earlier this week the US - a major aid donor to Uganda - cancelled its diplomatic observer mission to the country, saying that the majority of its staff had been denied permission to monitor polling sites. | Government Job change - Election | January 2021 | ['(BBC)'] |
Voters in Argentina go to the polls for the 2007 general election. Exit polls show First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner with a clear lead over Elisa Carrió. | Opinion polls suggest Mrs Kirchner could win enough votes to avoid a second round run-off next month. Her main rivals are a former beauty queen, Elisa Carrio, and Mr Kirchner's ex-Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna.
Mr Kirchner has governed for the past four years, but surprised the nation by deciding not to seek a fresh term.
Polling was extended by one hour in some parts of the country to 1900 local time (2200 GMT) to accommodate a late rush of voters.
Besides a new president, voters were choosing eight provincial governors, a third of the Senate and about half of the Chamber of Deputies.
ELECTION ARITHMETIC
27m eligible voters
14 candidates running for president
Winner needs 45%, or 40% plus 10-point lead
If needed, second round on 25 November
New president to be sworn in on 10 December
Some 27 million people were eligible to vote and people attended polling stations under sunny skies across most of the country. After casting her vote in her south Patagonian home town of Rio Gallegos, Mrs Kirchner kissed supporters and declared it was "an important day for the continuation of democracy".
"I'm part of the generation that grew up and couldn't vote for anything," she added, referring to the military dictatorship of 1976-83.
Economy and crime To win in the first round, a candidate needs to win either 45% of the vote, or 40% if they are 10 percentage points ahead of their nearest rival. Recent opinion polls suggested Mrs Kirchner could win between 39.5% and 49.4% of votes. Argentines give their views on candidates and issues
In pictures
If she wins, she will be the first woman elected president of Argentina.
The economy and rising crime have been the two main issues in campaigning.
President Kirchner has overseen a return to stability and some prosperity since the economy collapsed six years ago, plunging thousands into poverty, the BBC's Daniel Schweimler reports from Buenos Aires.
But there are fears over how strong the economy really is and general scepticism over official statistics suggesting inflation is under control.
Ms Carrio, the candidate of the centre-left Civic Coalition, is running on an anti-corruption platform and is promising to reduce economic inequality.
Roberto Lavagna and Elisa Carrio are Mrs Kirchner's main rivals
She has urged the poorest to vote for her in order to take the election to a second round on 25 November.
The other 12 candidates include Mr Lavagna of the centrist Coalition for an Advanced Nation and a well-known free-market economist, Ricardo Lopez Murphy.
Mrs Kirchner's critics have attacked her for failing to outline exactly what her policies are but voters who spoke to the BBC's Will Grant in Buenos Aires said the opposition had failed to offer any real alternative. Surprise candidate
Just a few months ago, Mr Kirchner was riding high in the opinion polls and looked set to continue for a second term. | Government Job change - Election | October 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown announces his intention to resign as Leader of the Labour Party, and calls for a leadership election to be completed by September. | Gordon Brown is to step down as Labour leader
Gordon Brown has announced he will step down as Labour leader by September - as his party opens formal talks with the Lib Dems about forming a government.
The PM's continued presence in Downing Street was seen as harming Labour's chances of reaching a deal. Labour and the Tories are both trying to woo the Lib Dems with promises on electoral reform as the battle to run the country reaches its critical phase. No party won a Commons overall majority at Thursday's general election. The Tories, who won the most seats and votes, reacted to Mr Brown's announcement that he was standing down as Labour leader by making a "final offer" to the Lib Dems of a referendum on changing the voting method to the Alternative Vote (AV) system. Labour are offering to put the AV system into law and then hold a referendum asking voters to approve it. 'Progressive majority'
It is now understood the Lib Dems are seeking a full coalition with either Labour or the Conservatives. A senior Lib Dem source indicated that he expected a resolution to the process of shaping the new government to be reached within the next 24 hours, saying that tomorrow was "crunch time". A meeting of the party's MPs continued beyond midnight and ended with no firm decisions taken, the BBC understands. BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Brown's resignation was an audacious bid by Mr Brown to keep Labour in power - and himself in power for a limited period - and that Tory MPs would be furious. In his statement, Mr Brown said Britain had a "parliamentary and not presidential system" and said there was a "progressive majority" of voters. He said if the national interest could be best served by a coalition between the Lib Dems and Labour he would "discharge that duty to form that government". But he added that no party had won an overall majority in the UK general election and, as Labour leader, he had to accept that as a judgement on him. Leadership process
"I therefore intend to ask the Labour Party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership election. "I would hope that it would be completed in time for the new leader to be in post by the time of the Labour Party conference. "I will play no part in that contest, I will back no individual candidate." He has urged potential candidates, such as Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Schools Secretary Ed Balls, not to launch their campaigns yet. Harriet Harman has ruled herself out of the race, saying she wants to continue as deputy leader. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg had requested formal negotiations with Labour and it was "sensible and in the national interest" to respond positively to the request, Mr Brown said. It emerged earlier that the Lib Dem negotiating team, who have held days of talks with the Conservatives, had also met senior Labour figures in private. But it was understood that one of the stumbling blocks to any Labour-Lib Dem deal was Mr Brown himself. Mr Clegg said he was "very grateful to David Cameron and his negotiation team" and they had had "very constructive talks" and made a "great deal of progress". 'Smooth transition'
But he said they had not "reached a comprehensive partnership agreement for a full Parliament" so far and it was the "responsible thing to do" to open negotiations with the Labour Party on the same basis, while continuing talks with the Tories. "Gordon Brown has taken a difficult personal decision in the national interest," he said. "And I think without prejudice to the talks that will now happen between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Gordon Brown's decision is an important element which could help ensure a smooth transition to the stable government that everyone deserves." Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Tories offer vote referendum
The Lib Dems have long campaigned for a change to the voting system - something which the Conservatives have strongly opposed. But speaking after a meeting of Conservative MPs, following Mr Brown's statement, shadow foreign secretary William Hague said they were prepared to "go the extra mile" on electoral reform - and offer a referendum on switching to AV in return for a coalition government. He said the Lib Dems had to choose whether to back them or a government that would not be stable - because it would have to rely on the votes of other minor parties - and would have an "unelected prime minister" for the second time in a row. Labour scepticism
He also said the Labour offer was for a switch to the AV system, without a referendum, which he believed was undemocratic. The BBC understands, from Lib Dem sources, that the Labour offer is legislation to introduce AV, followed by a referendum on proportional representation. Under AV no candidate is elected without at least 50% of the vote, after second preferences are taken into account, but it is not considered full proportional representation. Meanwhile BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said he understood some cabinet members were sceptical about the idea of a "progressive alliance" with the Lib Dems and were concerned it would look bad. And he said Mr Brown would be asking Cabinet ministers not to launch immediate leadership campaigns, for fear it would look undignified. John Mann, the first Labour MP to call for him to go after the election result, said Mr Brown had made a "wise and brave" decision. Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander told Sky News Mr Brown had decided to step down last week but was "very keen to ensure that he meets his constitutional obligations which is to ensure that a government is formed". And the SNP's Westminster leader Angus Robertson said it was "inevitable" Mr Brown would have to go and he had "done the right thing". But Conservative MP Nigel Evans told the BBC: "The fact he's going in September, I think the country passed its verdict. Gordon, they want you to go now." Labour backbencher Graham Stringer said he did not believe a coalition with the Lib Dems would work and could damage the party: "I don't think it makes sense in the arithmetic - the numbers don't add up." The Tories secured 306 of the 649 constituencies contested on 6 May. It leaves the party short of the 326 MPs needed for an outright majority, with the Thirsk and Malton seat - where the election was postponed after the death of a candidate - still to vote. Labour finished with 258 MPs, down 91, the Lib Dems 57, down five, and other parties 28. If Labour and the Lib Dems joined forces, they would still not have an overall majority. With the support of the Northern Irish SDLP, one Alliance MP, and nationalists from Scotland and Wales they would reach 328, rising to 338 if the DUP, the independent unionist and the new Green MP joined them. Sinn Fein's five MPs are not included in these coalition scenarios as they traditionally do not take up their seats. Technically, however, 326 remains the figure needed for an overall majority. The seat of Thirsk and Malton is also not included as the election there was delayed due to a candidate's death. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | May 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
49 members of a Sicilian Mafia syndicate are jailed in Italy in what the government describes as a landmark case. | An Italian judge has jailed 49 members of a Sicilian Mafia syndicate - some for up to 20 years - for running protection rackets against businesses.
The government says the case is a landmark in the ongoing battle against organised crime in southern Italy. The accused, all from the Lo Piccolo crime family, were extorting money - called "pizzo" - from shops in Sicily. The BBC's David Willey in Rome says failure to pay led to violence, arson and occasionally murder. Official figures suggest that up to 80% of businesses in Palermo pay the protection money to Mafia criminals in order to continue their commercial activities. But this is the first time that Sicilian business groups, working closely with the police, have achieved a successful prosecution, including the payment of compensation to victims, says our correspondent. But the fight against Mafia crime in Sicily is far from over, he adds. Seventeen years after the murder of two leading anti-Mafia judges and investigators, the authorities are investigating alleged newly-discovered links to members of the security services who may have betrayed the judges to the crime clans. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | July 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Gaelic football and Aussie rules icon Jim Stynes dies at the age of 45. | Stynes' wife Sam confirmed the AFL legend passed away at 8.20am "in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by friends and family". The Baillieu government has offered to hold a state funeral for the football legend, which the family has accepted.
Replay
"Jim was pain free, dignified and peaceful. (His children) Matisse and Tiernan were present," Sam Stynes wrote in a statement posted on Facebook.
She said the former Melbourne Demons president, who has battled an aggressive form of cancer, "continued to defy the odds" in his last week of life, attending a Melbourne vs Hawthorn match, son Tiernan's seventh birthday party and enjoying dinner on Friday night at Topolino's Italian restaurant "in his much-loved suburb of St Kilda".
Difficult time ... Jim Stynes with wife Sam.Credit:Angela Wylie
"In his final days Jim was immersed with insurmountable love and tenderness surrounded by his family and some close friends in the comfort of his own home.
"On behalf of Jim my heartfelt thanks to all those who have so generously cared for, guided and supported Jim throughout his challenging cancer battle.
"It is an incredibly sad time, however Jim in his passing, has made us see that in our grief that we can smile in our hearts for a beautiful man who will forever hold a special place in the hearts of many. Jim’s lesson is that life was to be challenged and treasured."
Premier Ted Baillieu, who participated in a moments' silence and a small tribute ceremony in the middle of the MCG this morning, said he had spoken to Sam Stynes to offer a state funeral for Jim, whom he described as "an exceptional Victorian."
Family man ... Jim Stynes leaves behind wife Sam, son Tiernan and daughter Matisse.Credit:Joseph Feil
"This is something we can do for the family...they are pleased," Mr Baillieu said.
"In many respects (Jim) is the classic Victorian. He embraced the culture here, he charmed people, he reached out to people. He became a legend."
He said details of the funeral were yet to be finalised.
In a statement, Melbourne FC president Don McLardy said: ‘‘There are few places in Australia that have not heard or been touched by the legend of Jim Stynes - the affable Irishman who left his homeland to chase a dream, and succeeded beyond anyone's expectations.
Jim was pain free, dignified and peaceful. (His children) Matisse and Tiernan were present.
‘‘In the next few weeks, you will hear from many who will tell you about his magnificent playing record, and why Kevin Sheedy says he is the greatest story in the history of the AFL.
‘‘You will also hear from many whose lives have been changed by Jim, mainly through contact with his incredible youth organisation Reach. Not just great achievers such as Jules Lund, Trisha Silvers and the like, but hundreds of young kids who openly say Jim Stynes 'changed my life'. Can there be a greater accolade than that?’’
McLardy said he spoke to Stynes for the last time on Friday and said he seemed calm.
"In the end he'd fought his fight and he was very peaceful at the end," McLardy told 3AW.
"He'd had a tremendous battle."
McLardy said he was stunned to see the ailing champion at the Demons' commencement dinner last week, when the club had presented him with a blazer.
"It was a pretty massive shock because he was pretty ill. It was that iron will (that got him there)."
Melbourne Football Club held a press conference this afternoon. Stynes stepped down from his role as president of the club last month.
Oncologist Grant McArthur from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre described Stynes as a remarkable and inspiring man.
‘‘(He was) a very insightful, intelligent man,’’ he told radio station 3AW this morning.
‘‘He knew about his illness and what the ultimate outcome was ultimately going to be. He didn’t want to give up.’’
Professor McArthur said Stynes went public with his battle with cancer to help others.
‘‘He was an inspiring guy. He gave hope to others.’’
The sentiment was echoed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who paid tribute to an "absolute legend''.
"He showed such bravery in the face of his devastating illness, he’s shown courage to the Australian people. He will be very sorely missed," Ms Gillard said.
‘‘He’s come into the hearts of Australians for so much more than his footballing career.’’
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said Stynes had made a significant contribution to the game and the community.
He said the AFL planned to honour Stynes, possibly in conjunction with Stynes’ youth organisation Reach.
Demetriou last spoke to Stynes just before Christmas and visited him a short time before that.
‘‘I think it is important that people, when the are alive and quite ill, are told about their significant contribution,’’ Demetriou told 3AW this morning.
‘‘We should all have been proud to know Jim Stynes and we are all the better for it.’’
Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said Stynes, the 2010 Melburnian of the Year, had been an outstanding ambassador for the city.
"It was an absolute honour to know Jim and a privilege to name him 2010 Melburnian of the Year in recognition of his work with Reach Foundation," Cr Doyle said.
The mayor said Stynes work with Reach had helped more than half-a-million young Victorians.
"His loss is a great one for the football community, Melbourne and the many thousands of young people whose lives he touched throughout his career," he said.
The 45-year-old underwent brain surgery six times and had more than 20 tumours removed in the past three years.
He stepped down from his role as president of Melbourne Football Club last month.
Social media erupted with an outpouring of tributes for Stynes, whose name began trending worldwide on Twitter within minutes of his death becoming public.
‘‘Jim Stynes’’ also became the number one trending topic among Australian Twitter users as fans and celebrities expressed their sadness.
Cricketer Shane Warne, model Megan Gale and seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong were among those to tweet condolences.
Acting Premier Peter Ryan, a Melbourne supporter, spoke emotionally about his memories of Stynes.
"Jimmy Stynes made a contribution which I think has become part of the folklore of this state, and it goes well beyond football."
The MCC and MCG flags will be flown at half mast today in tribute to Stynes.
Melbourne Football Club has tweeted links to Reach - www.reach.org.au - and the Peter Mac Cancer Foundation - www.petermac.org - for people wanting to donate money in tribute to Stynes. | Famous Person - Death | March 2012 | ['(Melbourne Age)', '(RTE)', '(The Australian)'] |
The United Nations announces expansion of civilian camps for people fleeing Mosul, following resumption of airstrikes on ISIL-held portions of the Iraqi city. | MOSUL/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Tuesday it was expanding camps for people fleeing Mosul, as air strikes resumed on Islamic State positions in Iraq’s second largest city.
More than 300,000 people have fled Mosul since the start of the U.S.-backed campaign in October, the office of the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq said in a statement.
Before the operation to drive Islamic State from the city began, Mosul had a population of about a million and half, split about evenly between the areas east and west of the Tigris river that runs through the middle.
Iraqi forces captured the eastern side in January and in February launched a second phase to take the western side, with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition.
They are now battling to take the northwestern part, but the civilian death toll has mounted in the old city, where the militants are dug in amongst residents.
More people are expected to flee the fighting and camps for the displaced north and east of Mosul are expanding, the U.N. statement said.
Air strikes on the city by the Iraqi air force resumed on Tuesday as the sky cleared after several days of bad weather, the Iraqi military said.
The Iraqi air force carried out at least three air strikes in western Mosul, killing several dozens of Islamic State fighters, according to Iraqi military statements on Tuesday.
A number of Islamic State commanders were killed in an air strike on a position in Hay al-Tanak, a stronghold of the group, they said.
Among those killed were commanders in charge of booby traps, of Arab suicide fighters and child recruitment, the statement added, without identifying them by name. The two other strikes killed militants and destroyed weapons and vehicles.
Islamic State’s media outlets did not mention the strikes when they aired comments from Abi al-Hassan Al-Muhajer, who took over the role of spokesman after the death last year of the group’s notorious media head, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, in an air strike.
“O soldiers of the caliphate, beware not to withdraw from any inch before turning it into hell,” he said in an audio recording on Telegram, echoing a similar call made by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi when the campaign on Mosul started.
“Ambush them in the houses, the alleyways and the streets, mine the arcades and carry out raid after raid,” he said.
“NO FOOD”
A Reuters TV crew saw dozens of people fleeing their homes near or across the frontline, braving sniper and mortar fire, while a helicopter strafed positions further north.
“Shells were falling on us and there is no food, no water, no electricity,” said Hamda Bakheet, a woman in her mid-60s from the Nablus district, adding that the militants were firing on people who leave the city.
Bakheet said one of her sons was killed when the Islamists first overran Mosul and the other was accused of being a “renegade” and jailed a year ago. “I hope the army will free him soon.”
The improved weather should also allow ground forces to resume their advance toward the Grand al-Nuri Mosque, where Baghdadi, declared a “caliphate” nearly three years ago over parts of Iraq and Syria.
Heavy fighting with machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers and mortars was heard by the Reuters TV crew coming from the area around the mosque, located in the old city and famous for its leaning minaret.
The current phase of the campaign is the most difficult as narrow alleyways in the densely populated old city limit the use of artillery, air power and armoured vehicles.
An explosion in western Mosul last month killed between 60 and 240 people, according to various accounts.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, flew into Iraq on Monday with the top U.S. general to get a first-hand assessment of the battle against Islamic State from U.S. commanders on the ground and Iraqi leaders.
The trip comes as Trump examines ways to accelerate a campaign that U.S. and Iraqi officials say has so far largely succeeded in uprooting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
In the first official remarks by the group referring to Trump since he took office, the Islamic State spokesman Al-Muhajer said: “... You (the U.S.) are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye.”
“... There is no more evidence than the fact that you are being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is,” he said.
Editing by Giles Elgood and Alison Williams
| Armed Conflict | April 2017 | ['(Reuters)', '(Arab News)'] |
Somali pirates hijack a South Korean owned Kenyan registered fishing boat with 43 crew aboard. | A South Korean fishing boat with 43 sailors aboard has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Kenya, South Korea's foreign ministry says.
The ministry said the crab fishing vessel was seized off Lamu Island on 9 October.
South Korean media reported the boat had been taken to a pirate stronghold in northern Somalia.
Kidnapping for ransom is common in Somalia, which has had no effective government for two decades.
In a statement, South Korea's foreign ministry said it was investigating the incident and had set up an emergency team at its embassy in Kenya.
The statement did not say if contact with the pirates had been made or if a ransom had been demanded.
South Korea has a warship on anti-piracy patrol in the waters of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden off Somalia.
The area is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, leading to the Suez Canal.
European naval officers fighting piracy in the waters warned earlier in October that pirates would likely be more desperate with the onset of the piracy season as their success rate was declining.
The European Union's naval force, Navfor, estimates that the pirates' success ratio - the number of successful hijackings versus the number attempted - has dropped from 50% a few years ago to 20-30% this year because of international patrols.
The patrols have forced the pirates to range a wider area of the Indian Ocean in search of targets.
But Navfor also warned that hostages are being held for a longer period on average and that ransoms being demanded - and paid - are breaking new records. | Armed Conflict | October 2010 | ['(Yonhap)', '(BBC)'] |
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland announces dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs of 10% or 25% on a list of goods – steel, aluminum, whiskey, orange juice and other food products – worth $16.6 billion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounces an "affront" to the security partnership between the US and Canada. | Canada will retaliate against new U.S. tariffs by imposing its own trade barriers on U.S. steel, aluminum and other products, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday.
Freeland said Canada plans to slap dollar-for-dollar tariffs on the U.S. The Nafta partner’s proposed import taxes would also cover whiskey, orange juice and other food products alongside the steel and aluminum tariffs.
The retaliatory measures will cover CA$16.6 billion in imports, Freeland said. The products being targeted will be subject to tariffs between 10 percent and 25 percent.
Canadian Prime Minister said that the tariffs, announced Thursday by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, are an affront to the security partnership between the U.S. and Canada.
Ross said the tariffs will take effect at midnight Thursday, when previously set exemptions for Canada, Mexico and the European Union are set to expire.
The tariffs are “totally unacceptable,” Trudeau said, though he noted that Canada will continue to negotiate with the U.S.
Trudeau warned that the Trump administration’s soon-to-be-applied tariffs — of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports — will harm both countries’ economies.
Canada took umbrage with the U.S.′ finding, outlined in a proclamation from President Donald Trump, that “steel mill articles are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.”
Freeland said Thursday: “It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a threat to the United States’ national security.”
The European Union (EU) condemned the U.S.′ trade maneuver in similar tones on Thursday. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said the EU had no choice but to introduce countermeasures. Mexico, too, said it would impose tariffs in response to the U.S. actions. | Government Policy Changes | May 2018 | ['(CNBC)'] |
Former Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands Timothy P. Villagomez is sentenced to seven years in prison for political corruption. | The federal court sentenced former lieutenant governor Timothy P. Villagomez yesterday to seven years and three months in prison for his role in the Rydlyme corruption scandal.His sister, former Commonwealth Ports Authority human resources manager Joaquina V. Santos, and her husband, former Commerce Secretary James A. Santos, were sentenced to six years and six months in prison each for their involvement in the scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and the United States.“[Villagomez] is convicted of four very serious felonies,” said U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson. “As a lieutenant governor he was in a position of public trust. He betrayed that trust.” Munson ordered Villagomez and the Santos couple to jointly pay $346,125 to the court for reimbursement to CUC. The judge also required the Santoses to each pay a $25,000 fine.Villagomez and the Santoses, through their lawyers, told the court that they are going to appeal to the Ninth Circuit.CalmWearing a brown Hawaiian polo shirt and black slacks, the 46-year-old Villagomez was calm as he stood beside one of his lawyers, Leilani Lujan, and listened to Munson's pronouncement of the sentence. After the sentence, Villagomez wiped his eyes as teary-eyed family members and friends hugged him.Villagomez and the Santos couple were found guilty on April 24 of all charges relating to CUC's purchases of excessive amounts of a chemical, at a 400 percent markup, from companies owned by James and Joaquina Santos. The scheme extended over 10 years, beginning when Villagomez was executive director of CUC, and lasting through 2007, when Villagomez was lieutenant governor, exercising de facto control over the utility.At advice of their lawyers, the three did not say anything to the court before their sentences were handed down.After serving their prison sentences, the three defendants will be placed on three years of supervised probation. Munson also ordered Villagomez and the Santos couple to each pay a $400 court assessment fee and perform 200 hours of community service.Damage to CUCMunson said the defendants' scheme caused financial losses to CUC and damaged the public's trust in CUC and the CNMI government. Munson said the sentences given to the defendants-prison terms, restitution, and supervised release-are appropriate to promote respect for the law.He said he hopes the sentence will send a strong message to deter other people from committing the same crimes.Munson said the offense affected everybody in the community as it added damage to a financially struggling CUC, which at the time was suffering from heavy blackouts.Munson said a probation sentence-as requested by the defendants-is not appropriate as the court doesn't believe that their family's case is extraordinary.He said Villagomez has a big family who can take care of his elderly mother.He said the Santoses also have big family who can take care of their children and the Santoses' ailing mother.Munson said he gave the lowest term in the sentencing guidelines as the defendants have no criminal history or prior convictions.No acceptanceMunson disagreed with the defense's assertion that the defendants have accepted responsibility for their actions by resigning from their positions.“There was no acceptance of responsibility. There was no showing of admission of fault and culpability,” said Munson, adding that the defendants in fact subjected the U.S. government to a test for a trial that lasted 19 days.The judge believes that an appeal will not be successful as there is no debatable issue.He allowed the three to remain free while a decision is made as to where they will be imprisoned. He ordered the defendants to contact the U.S. Marshal's Office thrice a week to check if a facility has already been designated.Defense lawyers Leilani Lujan, Victorino Torres, and Ramon Quichocho, counsels for Villagomez, James Santos, and Joaquina Santos respectively, had recommended a probation sentence and, if there is a jail term, it should be converted into home confinement instead.Lujan said Villagomez is taking care of his elderly mother and that he has minor children to support.Torres and Quichocho said the Santos couple are taking care of James Santos' ailing mother and they also have children.Clear messageU.S. Attorney Leonardo M. Rapadas said the sentences send a message to all government officials that no matter what positions of authority they hold, they will be held to high standards of conduct because of the trust placed on them by the people.“The people should know that at all times when they do business with the government, there will always be fair dealings with those responsible government officials,” Rapadas said in a statement.Significant sentenceAssistant U.S. Attorney Eric O'Malley who, along with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Strand, prosecuted the case, told Saipan Tribune yesterday that he respects the court's decision.“I think he [Munson] weighed all the factors. Of course I was asking for a more severe sentence. I thought that would have been more appropriate,” O'Malley said.At the hearing, O'Malley recommended 15 years in prison for Villagomez, 97 months for James Santos, and 78 months for Joaquina Santos.O'Malley said this was such isolated event a stiffer sentence would have sent a stronger message.“But, as I said, I do respect the court's decision. I think he imposed the lenient sentence because of many factors, not least of which was the fact that there's family members that had to be cared of,” he said.The prosecutor, however, still sees it as a significant sentence.“I think that will send a message that there are heavy penalties to pay,” he said.O'Malley said they also want to convey to the community that they need people to come forward and give them information.“I want to commend the witnesses at CUC for making this happen,” he said.IN BRIEF-TIMOTHY P. VILLAGOMEZ 87 months in prison 3 years supervised release $346,125 as restitution-JAMES A. SANTOS 78 months in prison 3 years supervised release $25,000 fine $346,125 as restitution-JOAQUINA V. SANTOS 78 months in prison 3 years supervised release $25,000 fine $346,125 restitution Back to top | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | August 2009 | ['(Sapain Tribune)'] |
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev will address the Supreme Council on 30 December 2006 in an effort to compromise on proposed amendments to the constitution. Several Parliamentarians warn that Kyrgyzstan is on the verge of civil war. | December 28, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev is due to address parliament on December 30 amid the latest political crisis in the country.
Pro-presidential deputies tried several times recently to introduce amendments to the new constitution, which was finally adopted November 8 as thousands of people stood outside the government building in Bishkek demanding that Bakiev accept it.
Too Hastily Written?
In the days leading up to that, Prime Minister Feliks Kulov warned that a hastily adopted constitution would bring more problems than it would solve. He may have been prophetic in this belief, but in any case he and his government resigned last week as the battle between the executive and legislative branches of power intensified.
Omurbek Tekebaev, the leader of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party and a former speaker of parliament, spoke out against any changes to the constitution and gave procedural reasons why the issue cannot be considered.
"Any changes or additions to the current constitution should be made in accordance with the rules set by the constitution itself," he said. "According to these rules, a bill [to amend the constitution] can be considered after a period of three months since [it was proposed], following a ruling by the Constitutional Court. This term is given in order to prevent the decision from being influenced by short-term political considerations."
Although the new constitution takes some powers away from the executive branch and gives them to the legislative branch, there is a perception among opposition deputies and others that Bakiev does not want to see the powers of the presidency limited.
Increasing Presidential Powers
Bakiev has said publicly that he has nothing to do with deputies' attempts now to strengthen the powers of the executive branch.
Pro-presidential lawmaker Kamchybek Tashiev told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service that he and other deputies support Bakiev and are prepared to reintroduce the proposed amendments. And Tashiev said there are enough deputies supporting the proposals to force the issue onto the parliament's agenda.
"We have prepared a new version of the [Kyrgyz] Constitution," he said. "Now we are gathering supporting signatures again. If there would be 38 lawmakers this will give an opportunity [to include it to the parliament session agenda]. Then we will [formally] propose it."
Opposition lawmaker Temir Sariev told RFE/RL that the pro-presidential deputies are leading the country back to the system that existed under former President Askar Akaev, who was chased from power by demonstrations in March 2005 after parliamentary elections were widely regarded as rigged.
"Now the matter is not about some controversies in the constitution," Sariev said. "They are trying to revise the constitution that we adopted on November 8, and to introduce an authoritarian, one-family led-, one-person led-state. We are against it. I believe the [implementation of] the current constitution has to be carried out."
Deputy Muratbek Mukashev read a statement from the For Reforms movement warning of dire consequences if the political fighting continues.
"The Kyrgyz Constitution belongs neither to the president, nor to the government, nor to parliament," he said. "It belongs to the people of the country. The authorities have no right to continue political games endlessly or manipulate the fundamental law. Such games will lead to no good."
Defending The Constitution
Mukashev said that to continue along the current path is to risk another period of instability.
A protest against the HIPC program in Bishkek earlier this month (RFE/RL)
Kyrgyzstan's possible entry in the World Bank-supported HIPC program has also faced stiff resistance in Kyrgyzstan.
It was those two issues -- the controversy around the new constitution and entry into the HIPC program -- that seems to have prompted Kulov and the government to resign on December 19. But many still feel the resignations were simply an attempt to force a final battle between the president and the parliament. The final round of that battle may come during Bakiev's December 30 speech to parliament.
There are some who feel a call for early parliamentary elections next year is unavoidable, and that raises the stakes for many political figures in Kyrgyzstan. The new constitution states that the parliament should have 90 seats instead of the current 75 and that at least 50 percent of the deputies should be chosen by party lists. The current deputies were all elected by single-mandate districts.
The opposition is not against early elections -- as several leaders have publicly stated. But some are against dissolving parliament before constitutional regulations on elections are included in the country's election code, something that is not yet done. The opposition is also concerned that if parliament is dissolved and there is no new government in place, it leaves only the president and judiciary.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | December 2006 | ['(RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)'] |
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko reshuffles his government in the wake of a corruption scandal. Andrei Kobyakov is replaced by Sergei Rumas as Prime Minister of Belarus. | Andrei Kobyakov replaced by Sergei Rumas, formerly development bank head Last modified on Sat 18 Aug 2018 19.25 BST
Belarus’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko has sacked his prime minister and other key members of government following a corruption scandal that saw top officials arrested.
Andrei Kobyakov will be replaced as prime minister by former development bank head Sergei Rumas. Several vice-premiers as well as the ministers for economy and industry have also lost their posts.
“I won’t name names, but in our government we had the following situation – one programme would be announced and then another programme would be carried out,” Lukashenko said in comments released by his press office.
“I’ve never allowed this and I never will. What we have promised the people – with a government formed precisely with this programme in mind – we must follow this programme,” he added.
Over the summer a corruption scandal rocked the health service of the ex-Soviet nation. Authorities arrested dozens of top health officials, medics and drug company representatives on suspicion of siphoning off millions of dollars in state funding.
Even the head of the security services in the country dubbed “Europe’s last dictatorship” called for an overhaul of the system in the wake of the arrests.
Other smaller instances of corruption and administrative failures have hit local and national governments in recent months.
Independent economist and director of the Scientific Research Mises Center, Yaroslav Romanchuk welcomed the government shake-up. “It is good to replace these people, pillars of the old socialist economy,” he said, adding that the new team were not “bogged down in corruption”. “Sergei Rumas knows what the economy and finance are about, he’s an intelligent economist … we can hope for the start of economic reforms, as long as Lukashenko gives a mandate to carry them out,” Romanchuk said.
Political analyst Valeriy Karbalevich said: “Lukashenko has discovered the government wasn’t afraid of him, it clearly wasn’t carrying out his orders.”
The president “hopes the new people will be too scared to steal or sabotage his directives”, he added. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | August 2018 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The interim Prime Minister of Iraq, Ibrahim Jaafari, has called on US troops to leave Iraq soon. , | Mr Jaafari was speaking in a joint press conference with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who is in Baghdad on a surprise visit.
Mr Jaafari asked the US to train Iraqi troops faster and to begin handing security control over to local forces.
The top US commander in Iraq has said a withdrawal could begin in the spring.
Gen George Casey, speaking before Mr Jaafari made his comments, said if elections went ahead as planned at the end of the year and security improved, "we will still be able to make fairly substantial reductions... in the spring and summer of next year".
Mr Jaafari said any US withdrawal had to be co-ordinated with the Iraqi authorities.
"We do not want to be surprised," he said.
Constitution
Mr Rumsfeld urged Iraqis to complete their new constitution on time as he arrived in Baghdad on his unannounced visit.
"Now's the time to get on with it," he said, calling for the committee writing it to meet its 15 August deadline.
Mr Rumsfeld met US troops in Tajikistan before visiting Iraq
He also had strong words for Iraq's neighbours Iran and Syria, who he said turned a blind eye to insurgents crossing their borders into Iraq.
He said Iraqi leaders should insist the two countries "stop foreign terrorists" entering Iraq.
Iraq "should demonstrate that they are a big country, that they are a wealthy country, that they have been around a long time, and they don't like it", Mr Rumsfeld said.
Speaking to reporters as he flew to Baghdad on Wednesday, he said the US would ask the Iraqi government for more people to train as prison guards.
US troops are estimated to be guarding at least 15,000 security detainees in Iraq.
Iraq needs trained guards "so that as soon as it is feasible, we can transfer responsibility for Iraqi prisoners to the Iraqi government", he said.
Stop-start progress
The writing of the Iraqi constitution has proceeded in fits and starts.
Special efforts were made to include members of the country's once-dominant Sunni minority on the committee writing the document. Sunni committee members withdrew temporarily after three Sunni politicians were killed on 19 July. They have since ended their boycott.
IRAQ TIMELINE
15 August: Complete constitution
September: National referendum on constitution
December: Elections under new system
Jan 2006: Permanent government takes office
Humam Hamoudi, the chairman of the committee writing the constitution, has said the document will be finished on time.
The committee has the option of extending the deadline for six months, but Mr Hamoudi says that will not be necessary.
He has called an emergency meeting of representatives of the country's various communities and factions to find solutions to the most difficult constitutional questions.
The meeting will take place on Thursday and Friday if enough Sunnis agree to participate, the Washington Post newspaper reported.
Mr Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad after visiting the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, where the US maintains a military base to support its operations in Afghanistan.
He was met at Baghdad airport by Gen George Casey, the senior US commander in Iraq.
This is Mr Rumsfeld's tenth visit to Iraq since the invasion in March 2003.
He last visited Iraq in December, when he stopped in Falluja, Mosul and Tikrit on a flying one-day visit. | Famous Person - Give a speech | July 2005 | ['(BBC News)', '(The Christian Science Monitor)'] |
A 37yearold man is charged with murder and hate crimes in Los Angeles, California, U.S., after killing a 82yearold man in a hospital room for praying. Both men were in the hospital after testing positive for COVID19. | A 37-year-old man who allegedly used an oxygen tank to beat to death a fellow Covid patient in his California hospital bed last week has been charged with murder and hate crime.
Jesse Martinez became upset when the 82-year-old man sharing his hospital room started praying, according to Los Angeles police.
Mr Martinez then allegedly grabbed an oxygen tank and bludgeoned the elderly patient.
The victim died the following day.
The pair, who police say did not know each other, were receiving treatment for coronavirus in a two-person room in Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster in southern California.
"The suspect became upset when the victim started to pray. He then struck the victim with an oxygen tank," a statement from Los Angeles police said.
"The suspect, 37-year-old Jesse Martinez, was arrested and charged with murder, a hate crime enhancement and elder abuse," a statement read.
California hospitals are struggling to cope after the state recorded one million new infections in just six weeks. More than two million cases have now been confirmed in California since the pandemic began.
Hospitals are facing staff shortages and the state has put out an appeal for extra 3,000 medical workers from as far afield as Australia and Taiwan.
On Monday California's health secretary Dr Mark Ghaly said entire areas may run out of room even in their makeshift additional treatment centres "by the end of the month and early in January".
.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismisses Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki for unknown reasons. He is replaced by Ali Akbar Salehi in an acting capacity. | Iran's president has fired Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in part of a perceived power struggle in Tehran.
Initial reports gave no reason for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's decision. There had been no indication that Mr Mottaki - who was sacked while on an official tour of Africa - was about to lose his job. Mr Ahmadinejad has appointed the country's top nuclear official, Ali Akbar Salehi, to replace Mr Mottaki in a caretaker capacity. "I appreciate your diligence and services as the foreign minister," said Mr Ahmadinejad in a letter to Mr Mottaki, Mehr news agency reported.
Mr Mottaki was appointed foreign minister in 2005.
Analysts say Mr Mottaki's dismissal may be part of a political power play among ruling conservatives in Iran.
There has been mutual distrust between the president and Mr Mottaki since the 2005 election that brought Mr Ahmadinejad to power: Mr Mottaki was the campaign manager for one of Mr Ahmadinejad's rivals, Ali Larijani.
Mr Mottaki and Mr Larijani are often described as part of a pragmatic conservative bloc that believes the president's inflammatory speeches and radical agenda have made Iran more vulnerable.
Relations worsened when Mr Ahmadinejad's plans for presidential envoys stationed abroad were vetoed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the foreign ministry's concerns it would create a parallel diplomatic service.
Mr Mottaki had faced criticism in Iran over the international pressure on the country to halt its nuclear enrichment programme. A fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions was imposed in June.
But recently concluded talks in Geneva ended with an agreement to hold more talks in Istanbul next month.
Iran insists it wants only atomic energy but a number of Western countries suspect it of trying to build nuclear weapons.
A well-known figure inside Iran, Mr Salehi led the early response to the fatal attacks in Tehran two weeks ago on two prominent nuclear scientists. Mr Salehi now gets to take his enthusiastic support of Iran's nuclear ambitions on to a wider stage, analysts say. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged Iran to continue negotiations over its nuclear programme, saying the dismissal should not cause "an interruption or a delay in the talks".
"The talks have started and they must continue, whatever the political make-up may be," AFP news agency quoted Mr Westerwelle as saying ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Germany has been involved in the Geneva talks along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, UK, China, France and Russia.
Neither Mr Mottaki nor Mr Salehi was part of the Iranian negotiating team in Switzerland, which was headed by the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili.
A career diplomat, the 57-year-old speaks fluent English, Turkish and Urdu, and gained a postgraduate degree in international relations from Tehran University in 1991.
His departure from the foreign ministry rids President Ahmadinejad of a critic at close quarters, analysts say, but the move may yet cause problems in a parliament that is increasingly unhappy with its presidency. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | December 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(Sify India)', '(Press TV)'] |
Jioji Konrote is elected President of Fiji by the country's Parliament. Konrote, Fiji's Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, received 31 votes, defeating Epeli Ganilau, who garnered 14 votes. | Fiji's Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Jioji Konrote, has been elected by Parliament as Fiji's next President.
Fiji President Jioji Konrote Photo: supplied
Mr Konrote's resigned from his seat, in accord with the constitution.
He was elected by a margin of 31-14, with the three National Federation Party members abstaining from the vote.
The opposition SODELPA party had proposed Ratu Epeli Ganilau as its presidential candidate.
According to electoral laws, the next most popular candidate at the previous election will take his place, however that is the current acting Military Commander Viliame Naupoto, who told FBC he would not leave the military.
The next most popular candidate at last year's election for FijiFirst was the veteran journalist Matai Akauola. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | October 2015 | ['(Radio New Zealand International)'] |
Carrie Lam is sworn in as the first female Chief Executive of Hong Kong by Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping amid protests against the 20th anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty to China. | Hong Kong police clashed with protesters on Saturday as Carrie Lam was sworn in as the city's new leader on the 20th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule.
Lam became the semi-autonomous Chinese region's chief executive in a ceremony presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Lam and her Cabinet swore to serve China and Hong Kong and to uphold the Basic Law, the territory's mini-constitution. The protesters, a small group of activists linked to the pro-democracy opposition, clashed with police and counter-protesters, and called for a reversal of Lam's election.
They fear Beijing's ruling Communist Party is increasing its control over the financial centre's affairs. Avery Ng, the chairman of the pro-democracy League of Social Democrats, and student activist Joshua Wong were both was seen being dragged away by police from the protest.
They said their attempt to take a prop casket to the swearing-in ceremony had been stopped by police and alleged intimidation by members of Hong Kong's organised crime grouping, known as the Triad.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | July 2017 | ['(The Telegraph)'] |
Uganda passes law banning homosexuality. | Uganda's parliament has passed a bill to toughen the punishment for homosexual acts to include life imprisonment in some cases.
The anti-homosexuality bill also makes it a crime punishable by a prison sentence not to report gay people.
The prime minister opposed the vote, saying not enough MPs were present.
The bill has been condemned by world leaders since it was mooted in 2009 - US President Barack Obama called it "odious".
The BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga in Kampala says the government knows there will be an international outcry, which could see some countries suspend aid to the country. She says that Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi might follow up on his complaints about a lack of quorum, while it remains to be seen whether President Yoweri Museveni will sign the bill into law. The private member's bill originally proposed the death penalty for some offences, such as if a minor was involved or the perpetrator was HIV-positive, but this has been replaced with life in prison.
The MP behind the bill, David Bahati, told the AFP news agency: "This is victory for Uganda. I am glad the parliament has voted against evil."
"Because we are a God-fearing nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks," he said.
The bill also bans the promotion of homosexuality.
"I am officially illegal," Ugandan gay activist Frank Mugisha said after the vote.
The bill's supporters say it is needed to protect traditional family values, which they say are under attack from Western-inspired gay rights groups.
Its critics say the bill has been pushed by some US evangelical Christians.
Uganda is a socially conservative country and on Thursday passed an Anti-Pornography Bill, which bans miniskirts and sexually suggestive material such as some music videos.
Human rights activists say the bill highlights the intolerance and discrimination the gay community faces in Uganda. One gay activist was killed in 2011, although the police denied he was targeted because of his sexuality.
Meanwhile a local newspaper has been condemned for publishing the names and addresses of people it said were gay.
Holidaymakers and visiting foreigners are not immune from prosecution under Uganda's existing anti-homosexuality laws.
A retired British man is awaiting trial in Entebbe on charges of possessing a gay sex video after thieves found images on his laptop. Sixty-five-year-old Bernard Randall, from Kent, faces a possible two-year prison sentence if found guilty.
His friend Albert Cheptoyek, a Ugandan national with whom he shares a house, has denied a more serious charge of carrying out "acts of gross indecency", which could see him jailed for up to seven years if found guilty.
| Government Policy Changes | December 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
An Islamic state attack on a Kurdish Nowruz festival (New Year's Day) kills 45 people. | The death toll from a bombing attack on a Kurdish new year festival in northeastern Syria has risen to 45, a monitoring group says.
Forty-five people, including five children, were killed in attacks on Syrian Kurds as they celebrated their new year, a monitoring group says, accusing the Islamic State group of responsibility.
The attacks occurred on Friday in what was one of the IS group's bloodiest days in Syria as the Sunni Muslim extremist group left dead more than 120 people across the war-ravaged country.
"There are now 45 dead from last night's attacks in Hasakeh, as most of those who were in critical condition passed away," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, updating its toll after reporting that 33 were killed.
Two explosions struck as members of Syria's Kurdish minority took part in festivities on the eve of Nowruz, the Kurdish new year, in the northeastern city of Hasakeh.
"They were lighting the candles at night, and there were a lot children around," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
There was still no claim of responsibility, but Abdel Rahman told AFP that the Islamic State group was behind the attacks.
He said the explosions were a few hundred metres apart from each other, with at least one of them caused by a suicide bomber inside a vehicle.
Hasakeh city is under the control of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and regime forces, but IS militants have launched attacks on towns nearby.
The jihadist offensive has sparked fierce clashes with Kurdish militia in the province, which is strategically located along Syria's borders with Iraq and Turkey.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the "heinous" attacks, while the commander of the Kurdish security forces, Joan Ibrahim, said "the crime that occurred today in Hasakeh will not pass without retribution."
The IS jihadists also attacked government checkpoints and positions in the central provinces of Homs and Hama on Friday, killing at least 82 members of forces loyal to the Syrian regime.
Sixty-two of those deaths were in the province of Hama alone, where IS attacked regime points along a key road leading north to Aleppo. | Armed Conflict | March 2015 | ['(AAP via SBS)'] |
3,200 police officers have been fired so far this year by Mexico's federal police force due to extracurricular activities. | The federal police force in Mexico says it has sacked almost 10% of its officers this year for corruption, incompetence or links to criminals. Commissioner Facundo Rosas said 3,200 officers had been fired.
More than 1,000 others were facing disciplinary action and could also lose their jobs, he added.
In a separate development, a shoot-out between troops in Veracruz state and a suspected drugs gang has left six gunmen and one soldier dead.
The firefight, in the town of Panuco, started when the soldiers went to investigate a house used by the alleged drug traffickers.
Announcing the dismissals, Mr Rosas said none of the sacked officers would be allowed to work in police forces at local, state or federal levels.
At a news conference, he said some had been accused of having links to drug cartels in Ciudad Juarez, the country's most violent city.
The commissioner said this was only the first stage of a purge of Mexico's forces. Soon after taking office, President Felipe Calderon launched an all-out war against the drug cartels. In many parts of the country he has deployed the army against the traffickers despite the opposition of many of his critics.
But Mr Rosas said the federal police force was also taking part in the drugs war. He said the ongoing purge was part of a strategy to rid the police of corruption and make its 34,500 officers more reliable, as they were an integral part of the country's security forces.
The war against the drug cartels has left some 25,000 people dead since Mr Calderon came to power in December 2006.
One Covid vaccine dose cuts hospital risk by 75%
But the number of Delta variant cases recorded in the UK has risen by 79% in a week, figures show. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | August 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(AP via France24)', '(Aljazeera)'] |
The Independent Election Commission says it has reports that there is no contact with 901 of the 4,942 polling centers. | KABUL (Reuters) - Officials with Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) said they have had no contact with 901 of the 4,942 polling centers across country on Saturday as presidential voting is under way.
“We sent materials to 4,942 centers, but we received some reports that only 4,041 centers are open, ” said Hawa Alam Nuristani, the head of the IEC, in the capital Kabul.
A second IEC official said they have had no contact with 901 polling centers across the country.
It was not clear whether voting had taken place in these 901 centers, or they were forced to shutdown by the Taliban.
Reporting by Orooj Hakimi; editing by Christian Schmollinger
| Government Job change - Election | September 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
New Zealand have won four medals including two golds at the World Rowing Championships. | The New Zealand men's and women's coxless pairs have taken gold this afternoon at the Rowing World Championships in Lake Karapiro.
Men's coxless pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray had a nail-biting finish, winning by just 0.32 of a second.
Minutes earlier, the Kiwi women's pair of Juliette Haigh and Rebecca Scown crushed the field to pick up New Zealand's first gold medal at the championships.
Mahe Drysdale rowed a hard race but was beaten by the Czech Republic's Ondrej Synek. Emma Twigg, New Zealand's entry in the women's single sculls race, earned herself a bronze.
Haigh and Scown did it in a canter, winning by two boat lengths and more than three seconds.
They started slowly and were back in the pack at the 250m mark, but by 500m they were less than half a second behind the British boat.
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From there it was all Kiwi as Haigh and Scown demolished their opposition in the most emphatic style.
The pushed hard to the halfway mark and just when the other crews should have been digging in to take time out of them, the New Zealanders found another gear and motored away even further.
Although British pair Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won the silver medal, daylight was second in this race.
New Zealand's expected biggest competition, the United States pair of Zsuzsanna Francia and Erin Cafaro, started dreadfully and were last halfway through the race.
They left their run too late to defend their title won last year in Poland, but did enough to pip Australians Sarah Tait and Phoebe Stanley into fourth. Canada and Germany finished fifth and sixth respectively.
The gold is Scown's second medal in a row in the event after she and Emma Fetahery teamed-up to win bronze in Poland last year.
Today's gold was the first in the event since Gifu, Japan in 2005.
Haigh was in that boat too, alongside Nicky Coles, the same pairing that won silver the next year in England.
The Kiwi-British rivalry lived up to the hype in the men's coxless pair, but the New Zealand's duo of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond won by a narrow margin.
Bond and Murray were pushed harder than they have been recently only won the final by .3 of a second. British pair Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge have now lost 12 straight races to the Kiwis, but with 500m to go, their duck looked to be broken.
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Earlier the Greek pair of Georgios Tziallas and Ioannis Christou got the final off to a flying pace.
It forced the Brits and Kiwis to counter and the race remained at a frantic pace. While the Greeks tired and fell away, Reed and Triggs Hodge were able to keep the defending world champion Kiwis at bay.
At the 1500m mark, the Brits still held a 0.6 second lead, but with just 400m to go Murray and Bond pounced. They sky rocketed their rate and pushed past the Brits. Reed and Triggs Hodge countered, but it was too late and the New Zealanders were able to hold on to the delight of the boisterous crowd.
Murray and Bond's gold kept alive New Zealand's brilliant run in the event. They have medalled - thanks to Nathan Twaddle, George Bridgewater, Bond and Murray - in every world championships since Gifu, Japan in 2005. | Sports Competition | November 2010 | ['(TVNZ)', '(Radio NZ)', '(Stuff)'] |
Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency for New Orleans and other parts of the state as it is expected that Hurricane Sally will make landfall as a strong hurricane on Tuesday. | Updated 0828 GMT (1628 HKT) September 15, 2020 (CNN)Hurricane Sally strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Monday, and there's a chance it will make landfall in southeastern Louisiana, a state still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. The City has issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas outside of levee protection, including Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine, and Irish Bayou. In areas outside the levee system, we may see storm surge between 7-11 feet. This evacuation order goes into effect at 6pm.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | September 2020 | ['(CNN)'] |
Swiss financial services company UBS AG lost 19.7 billion francs for fiscal year 2008 and will cut 15,000 jobs throughout 2009. | Swiss banking giant UBS
(UBS) - Get Report
reported a fourth-quarter loss of 8.1 billion Swiss francs ($6.9 billion) and a 2008 loss of 19.7 billion Swiss francs ($16.8 billion) primarily because of losses on risk positions in its investment bank, and said its investment bank will further slash its headcount to 15,000 by the end of the year.
In the fourth-quarter a year earlier the bank reported a loss of 5.25 billion Swiss francs; in 2007 profit was 296 million Swiss francs.
Analysts had predicted a net loss in the latest fourth quarter of predicted net losses of 6.2 billion francs.
UBS said its investment bank recorded a pretax loss of 7.5 billion Swiss francs in the quarter, compared with a pretax loss of 2.75 billion a year earlier. The bank attributed the fourth-quarter loss to "trading losses, losses on exposures to monolines and impairment charges taken against leveraged finance commitments." A charge of 1.62 billion was recorded by the investment bank in the latest quarter.
UBS said its investment bank will remain a core business. The business has been "significantly de-risked and deleveraged, and its overall structure has been greatly simplified. Further targets have been set for 2009 for reducing its use of balance sheet and overall risk," UBS said.
UBS said net new money was positive in January in both its wealth management and asset management businesses. "However, financial market conditions remain fragile as company and household cash flows continue to deteriorate," UBS said in a press release Tuesday. "On the other hand, governments are taking very substantial measures to ease fiscal and monetary conditions. Our near-term outlook remains cautious, and UBS will continue its program to strengthen its financial position through reductions in risk positions, risk weighted assets, total assets and operating costs."
UBS said it plans to refocus on its core activity in Switzerland, its international wealth management franchise, and its global onshore business. To this end it will create two new business units. Wealth management and Swiss bank will be led by Franco Morra and Juerg Zeltner, while wealth management Americas will be led by Marten Hoekstra.
UBS is shedding 2,000 jobs at its loss-making investment banking unit, which has been blamed for many of the bad investment choices that have seen the bank write down tens of billions of francs since mid-2007.
The Zurich-based bank said net new money outflows from its wealth and asset management businesses reached 85.8 billion francs during the fourth quarter .
UBS also revealed it will pay staff bonuses of 2.2 billion francs for the year. Further payments of 1.6 billion francs will be delayed until 2010. The bank has been embroiled in a fierce public debate over bonus payments since taking up a $60 billion bailout offer from the Swiss government last year.
UBS announced in November that its CEO, chairman and the executive board will receive no bonus payments for 2008. Since then several former top officials also have declined or handed back million-dollar payments.
The bank said it remains the subject of several investigations, including a tax evasion probe in the United States. The Internal Revenue Service has requested that UBS hand over details on U.S. clients suspected of having avoided paying taxes by hiding money in offshore accounts with the bank's knowledge.
UBS warned investors that other countries might follow the lead of U.S. authorities and investigate the bank's cross-border wealth management business.
"It is premature to speculate as to the scope or effect of any such reviews," UBS said. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | February 2009 | ['(The Street)'] |
A bomb detonates in a Muharram procession in Jacobabad killing twenty-four people, including 10 children & 6 women and several others injured. | JACOBABAD: A bomb targeted a Muharram procession near Shershah Haveli in Jacobabad's Lashari Mohalla Friday evening, killing at least 20 people and injuring many others, DawnNews reported.
SSP Jacobabad Malik Zafar Iqbal Awan claimed “police have recovered lower part of the body of the possible suicide bomber from the site.”
Security and rescue teams rushed to the site following the explosion. The dead and the injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Jacobabad, where an emergency has been declared.
Rescue and hospital sources told DawnNews that at least 20 persons were killed in the incident, including four children.
Speaking to Dawn.com over phone from the site of the attack, SSP Jacobabad said more than 15 people were killed in the attack.
The police officer explained that the blast took place in a six-feet wide alley in Lashari Mohalla.
The director general health services of Sindh, Dr Hassan Murad Shah, said an emergency has been declared in District Hospital Jacobabad.
He, however, avoided confirming the number of dead bodies received by the district hospital.
Security personnel cordoned off the area following the incident, while a search and rescue operation was initiated.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah strongly condemned the blast, and expressed sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives. The chief minister prayed for early recovery of the injured. Sectarian violence has claimed thousands of lives in the country over the past decade. Yesterday, a suicide attacker blew himself outside an imambargah in Bolan’s Goth Chalghari area, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others.
Today's attack is the second deadliest bombing on a Shia congregation after 61 people were killed and at least another 60 were injured in a bomb explosion in an imambargah in upper Sindh district of Shikarpur on Jan 30, 2015.
Law enforcement agencies in Sindh had found a “nexus between sectarian terrorists and anti-state elements”, posing a threat to peace during Muharram.
The intelligence agencies were told to keep an eye on the Indian intelligence agency RAW during the month, it emerged.
The Sindh government had already imposed a ban on pillion riding in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana.
Moreover, cell phone services have also been suspended in major cities, including Karachi, as a security measure during the observance of Muharram.
The gatherings and processions during Muharram mark Hazrat Hussain's (RA) martyrdom in the Battle of Karbala, Iraq, in 680 AD. | Armed Conflict | October 2015 | ['(Dawn)', '(Samaa News)'] |
In response to the $13.6 billion cash–and–stock offer by the Marriott International to purchase Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Anbang Insurance Group raises its bidding offer to $14 billion. | (Reuters) - China's Anbang Insurance Group Co raised its offer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc HOT.N to almost $14 billion, Starwood said on Monday, in the latest challenge to the U.S. hotel operator's merger with Marriott International Inc MAR.O.
The bidding war for Starwood has pitted Marriott’s ambitions to create the world’s largest lodging company with about 5,700 hotels against Anbang’s drive to create a vast portfolio of U.S. real estate assets.
The acquisition of Starwood, owner of the Sheraton and Westin brands, by Anbang would be the largest ever by a Chinese company in the United States.
Anbang’s consortium, which includes private equity firms J.C. Flowers & Co and Primavera Capital Ltd, has offered $82.75 per share in cash, in what is reasonably likely to lead to a proposal that is superior to the deal with Marriott, Starwood said on Monday. Reuters had reported earlier on Monday that Anbang had raised its offer.
Marriott’s latest cash-and-stock offer, which was announced on March 21, is currently worth around $78 per share. Starwood’s board has not yet changed its recommendation to its shareholders in support of the company’s merger with Marriott, Starwood said. A vote for Starwood shareholders to approve the Marriott deal is scheduled for April 8.
“Marriott has the financial capacity and the wherewithal to push its bid up higher. However, so much of the transaction is based on Marriott’s current share price, I think investors would be less than thrilled if it increased its offer materially at this juncture,” said Bill Crow, an analyst at Raymond James.
Marriott declined to say on Monday if it would raise its offer further. In a statement, Marriott said it was confident that the previously announced amended merger agreement with Starwood is the best course for both companies.
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“Starwood stockholders should give serious consideration to the question of whether the Anbang-led consortium will be able to close the proposed transaction, with a particular focus on the certainty of the consortium’s financing and the timing of any required regulatory approvals,” Marriott said in its statement.
In any deal with Anbang or Marriott, Starwood shareholders will also receive stock in Interval Leisure Group Inc IILG.O, which is getting Starwood's vacation ownership business, currently worth $5.91 per Starwood share.
Starwood shares were trading up 2.4 percent at $84.07 on Monday. Marriott shares were up 4 percent to $71.40, as some investors hoped Anbang’s move would prompt Marriott to walk away from an expensive deal.
Anbang's latest offer values Starwood at 13.5 times earnings. By comparison, peers Hyatt Hotels Corp H.N and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc HLT.N are trading at around ten times earnings.
To be sure, the Anbang offer is still cheaper than some of large real estate deals seen in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. Buyout firm Blackstone Group LP's BX.N $26 billion leveraged buyout of Hilton in 2007, for example, valued that company at 15 times earnings.
Marriott said last week it believes it could achieve $250 million in annual cost synergies within two years after closing the deal with Starwood, up from $200 million estimated in November 2015 when it signed its original merger agreement.
An acquisition of Starwood by Anbang would probably face scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency panel that reviews deals to ensure they do not harm national security. However, sources have said both Starwood and Anbang believe that deal would receive CFIUS clearance.
Under its latest merger agreement with Marriott, Starwood would pay a breakup fee to Marriott of $450 million.
Lazard LAZ.N and Citigroup Global Markets Inc C.N are financial advisers to Starwood, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is its legal counsel. Deutsche Bank Securities DBKGn.DE and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher are advising Marriott.
PJT Partners Inc PJT.N is Anbang's financial adviser, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is its legal counsel.
Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis and Mike Stone in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski
| Organization Merge | March 2016 | ['(AP)', '(Reuters)', '(UPI)', '(The Washington Post)'] |
The human rights group International Rights Advocates formally launches a lawsuit in the United States against Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. , Tesla, Inc., Dell and Microsoft on behalf of 14 Congolese families whose children died or were injured in Copperbelt mines that supply cobalt for the firms' lithiumion battery products. | Apple, Google, Tesla and Microsoft are among firms named in a lawsuit seeking damages over deaths and injuries of child miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The case has been filed by the International Rights Advocates on behalf of 14 Congolese families. They accuse the companies of knowing that cobalt used in their products could be linked to child labour.
DR Congo produces 60% of the world's supply of cobalt.
The mineral is used to produce lithium-ion batteries used to power electric cars, laptops and smartphones.
However, the extraction process has been beset with concerns of illegal mining, human rights abuses and corruption.
The lawsuit filed in the US argues that the tech companies had "specific knowledge" that the cobalt sourced for their products could be linked to child labour. They say the companies failed to regulate their supply chains and instead profited from exploitation.
Other companies listed in the lawsuit are computer manufacturer Dell and two mining companies, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Glencore, who own the minefields where the Congolese families allege their children worked.
Glencore said in a statement to the UK's Telegraph newspaper that it "does not purchase, process or trade any artisanally mined ore" adding that it also "does not tolerate any form of child, forced, or compulsory labour."
The BBC has sought comment from Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt.
The court papers, seen by the UK's Guardian newspaper, give several examples of child miners buried alive or suffering from injuries after tunnel collapse.
The 14 Congolese families want the companies to compensate them for forced labour, emotional distress and negligent supervision.
In a response to the Telegraph, Microsoft said it was committed to responsible sourcing of minerals and that it investigates any violations by its suppliers and takes action. A spokesperson for Google told the BBC that the company was "committed to sourcing all materials ethically and eliminating child mining in global supply chains". An Apple spokesperson said the company was "deeply committed to the responsible sourcing of materials" and "if a refiner is unable or unwilling to meet our standards, they will be removed from our supply chain. We've removed six cobalt refiners in 2019". The BBC has also sought comment from Tesla.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2019 | ['(Google)', '(BBC)'] |
A suicide bomber kills seven and wounds 30 in Nigerian city of Damaturu. | A female suicide bomber has killed at least seven people at a crowded bus station in north-eastern Nigeria. Police say more than 30 others were wounded in the city of Damaturu, capital of Yobe State.
No group has said it carried out the bombing but the jihadist group Boko Haram has previously launched attacks in the city.
On Saturday, Boko Haram fighters tried to take over the regional capital of neighbouring Gombe state.
They were repelled by Nigerian troops backed by a fighter jet.
Marcos Danladi, police commissioner of Yobe State, said Sunday's attack took place at the Damaturu Central Motor Park.
According to reports, the female suicide bomber arrived in a vehicle and walked into a crowd outside a grocery store at the end of the terminal where she detonated her explosives.
Witness Adamu Muhammad said the bus station "descended into panic".
A shop owner told AFP news agency that an angry mob stopped emergency workers from retrieving the remains of the bomber and instead set them on fire.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than three million displaced by Boko Haram's insurgency. The Islamist militants, who are fighting to create an Islamic state in north-eastern Nigeria, have become a regional threat.
In response, Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have agreed to form a regional military force to combat the group.
Growing insecurity in the north-east led Nigeria to postpone elections due to be held on 14 February. Correspondents say the insurgency has also cast doubt on the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is accused of not having done enough to contain it. | Armed Conflict | February 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former President Bill Clinton nominates current President Barack Obama as the party's nominee in the presidential election. | CHARLOTTE — Former president Bill Clinton delivered a spirited defense of President Obama’s handling of the nation’s struggling economy here Wednesday night, criticizing the agenda and philosophy of Mitt Romney and accusing the Republican Party of ideological rigidity and an unwillingness to compromise.
In a speech formally nominating Obama for a second term, Clinton argued that the president has spent the past four years putting in place policies that will lead to a more vibrant and balanced economy and asserted that, despite problems, Americans are “clearly better off” than they were when the president was sworn into office.
“No president — not me or any of my predecessors — no one could have fully repaired all the damage in just four years,” Clinton said. Obama, he added, “has laid the foundations for a new modern successful economy, a shared prosperity, and if you will renew the president’s contract, you will feel it.”
Clinton took the stage just after 10:30 p.m. to a chorus of cheers and applause, with delegates waving signs that said “Middle Class First” while his 1992 campaign theme song, “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow),” blared on the public address system.
After Clinton concluded, almost 50 minutes later, Obama walked on stage to acknowledge the work done on behalf of his reelection. The two men shook hands, embraced, smiled and waved to the audience and then walked off together. At that point, the roll call of the states began to formalize Obama’s nomination.
Clinton’s speech was the rhetorical and emotional highlight of the second day of the convention, which also featured a primetime address by Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic Senate candidate in Massachusetts.
After Tuesday’s strong opening night program, Wednesday’s session ran into early problems, as the Democrats were forced to clean up two controversies in the platform they adopted on Tuesday. By voice vote, delegates approved changes to declare Jerusalem as the preferred capital of Israel and to reinsert a reference to God, which had been omitted in the original text.
With the change on Israel policy, Democrats reversed an omission that drew sharp criticism from some Jewish organizations and from Republicans who saw it as evidence of Obama distancing the United States from a critical ally. The convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, called for a vote three times before ruling that the measure to add Jerusalem had passed, although some delegates booed from the convention floor.
Clinton spoke on the day Obama arrived in this convention city from Washington and prepared to deliver his Thursday night acceptance speech. But threats of severe weather forced a sudden change in plans for the final night of the three-day event.
Convention organizers announced that Obama would give his acceptance speech indoors at Time Warner Cable Arena, ditching plans to stage the event before a crowd of 74,000 people outdoors at Bank of America Stadium.
Clinton said the most important question voters should ask is what kind of country they want in the future. “If you want a winner-take-all, you’re-on-your-own, you should support the Republican ticket,” he said. “If you want a country of shared prosperity and shared responsibility — a we’re-all-in-this-together society — you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.”
Clinton used his speech both to defend Obama’s record and to rebut charges aimed at the president at last week’s Republican convention. He attacked Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan for criticizing Obama’s $716 billion cut in Medicare, part of the health-care law passed in 2010. Noting that Ryan has made the same cuts in his budget, he said, “You know it takes some brass to attack a guy for doing something you did.”
He attacked Republicans for accusing Obama of gutting the work requirement in the welfare reform act approved during the Clinton administration. The claim, he said, “is just not true.” He ridiculed Romney’s deficit reduction plan, saying it doesn’t pass the simple test of arithmetic. “The numbers don’t add up,” he said
Clinton sought to define November’s election as a clear, even stark choice, arguing that Republicans believe in “a parallel universe” about what makes the economy tick. “In Tampa, the Republican argument against the president’s reelection was pretty simple: We left him a total mess, he hasn’t finished cleaning it up yet, so fire him and put us back in,” Clinton said.
Clinton, with an eye on independent swing voters, talked at some length about how the GOP has become more rigid and uncooperative. “Though I often disagree with Republicans, I never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to hate President Obama and the Democrats,” Clinton said. He added that one reason Obama deserved reelection was that “he is still committed to constructive cooperation.”
Clinton and Warren represent two different wings of the Democractic party — with Clinton the original architect of the centrist New Democrat philosophy that built bridges to business and brought the party back to the White House in the 1990s, and Warren a strong voice for the progressive grassroots activists who have led an attack on Wall Street, big corporations and the so-called “one percent.”
Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who is fighting to unseat Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), got a huge response when she took the stage just ahead of Clinton. She delivered a populist blast, attacking what she said was a rigged system in which Wall Street and corporate America have profited while the middle class has been “chipped, squeezed and hammered.”
She sharply criticized Romney and his vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan for a budget blueprint that she said would “pulverize financial reform, voucher-ize Medicare, and vaporize Obamacare.” But she saved some of her toughest rhetoric for Romney’s contention that corporations are people. “No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people,” she said. “People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance. They live, they love, and they die. And that matters. That matters because we don’t run this country for corporations. We run it for people. And that’s why we need Barack Obama.”
Wednesday’s other speakers systematically tore apart virtually every aspect of Romney’s record and views. For the second straight night, Democratic speakers highlighted Romney’s personal wealth to cast him as far out of touch with the nation’s middle class.
“Mitt Romney’s only bottom line is the one at the end of his own bank statement,” said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.). “The problem is that he confuses his own narrow self-interest — and that of people like him — with the national interest.”
Three workers who were laid off by companies owned by Romney’s private equity firm, Bain Capital, presented a scathing critique of Romney’s business ethics by touching on themes the Obama campaign has hammered all summer.
“I don’t think Mitt Romney is a bad man,” said Randy Johnson, who worked for Ampad, a paper manufacturer. “I don’t fault him for the fact that some companies win and some companies lose. That’s a fact of life. What I fault him for is making money without a moral compass.”
Obama enjoys an advantage over Romney among female voters, and Wednesday’s speakers sought to build on that advantage by attacking Republicans on issues ranging from abortion and free coverage for contraception to the GOP pledge to repeal Obama’s health-care law if the party wins in November.
Wednesday’s program also featured a procession of liberal leaders and advocates that included House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and women’s advocate Sandra Fluke.
Fluke, the Georgetown Law student who was prevented from testifying before Congress on a contraceptive issue, took the stage during the coveted 10 p.m. hour and likened a Romney presidency to an “offensive, obsolete relic of our past.” She referenced an attack on her by conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, which Romney declined to rebuke.
“Your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen with hateful slurs, who won’t stand up to the slurs, or to any of the extreme, bigoted voices in his own party,” Fluke said.
The decision to move Thursday’s session indoors did not go unchallenged by the Republicans, who charged that the event was moved because there was not enough enthusiasm for the president to fill the football stadium.
But Obama campaign officials rejected that characterization, adding that the president was disappointed he would not be able to replicate the image of his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, where he addressed some 84,000 supporters from the 50-yard line at Denver’s Invesco Field.
“We’re all disappointed, because we had 65,000 ticket holders plus 19,000 people who were on the waiting list, excited to hear him deliver his speech tomorrow night,” Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. “This isn’t a call we wanted to make.”
Scott Wilson in Charlotte and Nia-Malika Henderson in West Lebanon, N.H., contributed to this report.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | September 2012 | ['(Washington Post)'] |
France shuts down its first nuclear power reactor, at the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant. | French energy company EDF has confirmed that it has turned off one reactor of its oldest nuclear power plant. The plant, located directly on the border to Germany, has drawn frequent protests in recent years.
EDF SA, a French energy company, said that it had completed the shut down of one reactor at its oldest nuclear power plant in Fessenheim near the border of Germany. The nuclear power plant's second and last reactor will be shut down on June 30.
The company told media outlets that the 900-megawatt reactor's shutdown began at 8:30 pm on Friday and ended in the small hours of Saturday. The shut down was completed normally, but it was an emotional moment for those in the control room, according to EDF. Around 100 people, including employees, reportedly protested against the shutdown.
German and Swiss officials have long demanded that French energy officials close the aging Fessenheim nuclear power plant, which is located on the border of France near Germany and Switzerland, near Freiburg in southwestern Germany.
"The time has finally come," said German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze on Friday in Berlin, adding that shutting down Fessenheim would make Germany "safer."
Schulze also said that Germany would keep lobbying its neighbors to commit to phasing out nuclear power.
"Nuclear power is not a climate savior. It is risky, expensive and leaves behind radioactive waste for thousands of generations."
A 'historic step'
French Energy Minister Elisabeth Borne has called the shutdown a "historic step," as it is the first time one of France's 58 nuclear reactors has been permanently taken off the country's power grid.
France gets about 75% of its electricity from nuclear plants, but many are aging. The country has set a target of reducing its nuclear energy dependence to 50% by 2035 by bringing in more renewable power.
Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, German environment officials concluded that although German facilities were better prepared for disaster than the Japanese, Germany would revert to a previous policy — briefly overturned by Angela Merkel prior to Fukushima — of shutting down all nuclear power plants within around 10 years.
There are currently six nuclear power plants operating in Germany: Grohnde and Emsland in Lower Saxony, Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Isar 2 und Grundremmingen in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg.
The remaining reactors in Germany are all scheduled to be shut down by the end of 2022.
| Organization Closed | February 2020 | ['(Deutsche Welle)'] |
News emerges, after survivors reach the city of Maiduguri, that suspected Boko Haram militants stormed the remote village of Gumsuri in north-eastern Nigeria on December 14, killing at least 33 people and kidnapping about 200. | Militants have stormed a remote village in north-eastern Nigeria, killing at least 33 people and kidnapping about 200, a survivor has told the BBC.
He said that suspected Boko Haram militants had seized young men, women and children from Gumsuri village.
The attack happened on Sunday but news has only just emerged, after survivors reached the city of Maiduguri.
Meanwhile, Cameroon's army says it has killed 116 Nigerian militants who had attacked one of its bases, AFP reports.
The state of Borno has seen at least two militant attacks over the past few days.
Residents told the BBC that armed militants attacked the border town of Amchide on Wednesday, arriving in two vehicles with many others on foot.
They raided the market area, setting fire to shops and more than 50 houses.
No group has said it carried out either attack but officials have blamed Boko Haram militants.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in militant violence this year alone, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, near the border with Cameroon.
This is yet another abduction on a staggering scale - one of the worst since the Chibok girls were seized in April.
It might seem surprising that it has taken four days for news of the killings and abductions to break. That points to just how dangerous that area of north-east Nigeria still is despite promises of a massive military deployment there. Gumsuri is about 70km (43 miles) from Maiduguri, the state capital, but survivors had to travel hundreds of kilometres via a circuitous route to avoid areas overrun with jihadists in order to reach the city and alert people to the horrors they had witnessed. The vigilantes in the same village had reportedly fought off Boko Haram before but this time they were overpowered.
There has been no word from the military or the government and you have to wonder whether in any other country in the world such a horrific event could take place without a single word from the authorities. The villagers who were kidnapped on Sunday were from Gumsuri, not Bintiri, as was earlier reported by the BBC.
The survivor of the Gumsuri attack said that he returned to the village and helped bury 33 bodies after the violence.
He said he went from house-to-house to ascertain how many people were missing.
While initial reports put the number of kidnapped at 100, it was actually double that, the survivor said. His testimony was confirmed to BBC Hausa by a local official. Neither person wanted their names published.
Meanwhile, Reuters and AFP news agencies quoted residents as saying that at least 185 people had been abducted.
A vigilante group that had protected the village from previous attacks was overpowered by the militants, AFP reported. "After killing our youths, the insurgents have taken away our wives and daughters," a resident who fled to Maiduguri was quoted as saying. In Cameroon, the army said vehicles from its elite battalion had been caught in an ambush on Wednesday.
"At the same time... the Amchide military base was attacked by hundreds of fighters from the sect, but the response from our defence forces was instant and appropriate," the army said, according to AFP.
One Cameroonian soldier was killed and an officer is missing, it added.
Who are Boko Haram?
Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau
On Wednesday a Nigerian court martial handed down death sentences to 54 soldiers who had refused to take part in an operation last August to recapture three towns overrun by the militants. The soldiers, who were found guilty of mutiny, had complained that they did not have the weapons needed to take on the jihadists.
Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency since 2009 and is seeking to create an Islamic state in north-eastern Nigeria.
Attacks have increased since three states - Borno, Adamawa and Yobe - were put under emergency rule more than 18 months ago.
The kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in Borno state in April sparked international outrage.
Despite military assistance from countries such as China, France, the UK and the US, the girls have not yet been rescued. | Riot | December 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
In Arizona, dashcam video showed a police officer intentionally running over an armed suspect. The suspect had stolen a rifle from a nearby Walmart, and had discharged the weapon in a neighborhood. | Updated 1942 GMT (0342 HKT) April 15, 2015 (CNN)Police in Arizona said Tuesday that an officer who intentionally used his car to run into a suspect with a rifle probably saved lives.
@cnnbrk and this is how police protect and serve? Actually hit the suspect with police vehicle? Ok. #EndPoliceBrutality
@cnnbrk As a resident of Tucson, I cannot believe that the actions of this officer are being justified. This is excessive force. | Armed Conflict | April 2015 | ['(CNN)'] |
As the situation worsens with clashes in the central financial district, police say violence is bringing the city to the "brink of total breakdown". Large-scale protests continue near the City University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and other districts including Central and Tai Po. | HONG KONG (Reuters) - Police in Hong Kong battled pro-democracy protesters at several university campuses in sometimes savage clashes, as parts of the city were paralyzed including Hong Kong’s Central financial district that was tear-gassed for a second day running.
Hong Kong now on 'brink of total breakdown': police
01:04
The flare-ups occurred a day after police shot an unarmed protester at close range and a man was doused with petrol and set on fire in some of the worst violence since the protests began nearly five months ago in the China-ruled city.
At the rural Chinese University near Tai Po, some of the fiercest fighting broke out at night as riot police stormed the campus where hundreds of protesters congregated, firing a barrage of tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.
Hundreds of masked protesters, many of them students, hurled back petrol bombs, rocks and bricks, some launched with catapults. After the clashes, dozens of the injured lay sprawled on the ground at a nearby sports pitch.
The chaotic night scenes of explosions, smoke plumes, yelling and sustained gunfire, which left scores of injured students sprawled on the ground, stoked a sense of dread among some who recalled the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown by Chinese troops on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.
“The fear among the students is so strong,” said Wing Long, a 25-year-old theology student. “That’s why we’ve gathered today to stop it from happening.”
The police, however, said protesters in the campus had thrown debris and petrol bombs onto a nearby highway linking the Northern New Territories with Kowloon, bringing traffic to a standstill in a haze of tear gas smoke.
The city’s 24 pro-democracy lawmakers condemned the police in a joint statement, saying the nonstop firing of tear gas had turned the campus into a “battlefield,” while urging the international community to speak out for Hong Kong’s youngsters to “prevent the recurrence of the tragedy of 1989.”
Medics on the scene told Reuters that at least 60 people were injured.
At City University, students in hard hats and gas masks had spent much of the day barricading the campus, making home-made shields, and stockpiled bricks and petrol bombs on bridges and other approaches.
They overran the campus and smashed up glass panels in the adjacent Festival Walk shopping mall and set fire to a giant Christmas tree.
Earlier in the day, more than 1,000 protesters, many wearing office clothes and face masks, rallied in Central for a second day during lunch hour, blocking roads below some of the city’s tallest skyscrapers and most expensive real estate.
After they had dispersed, police fired tear gas at the remaining protesters on old, narrow Pedder Street. Police made more than a dozen arrests, many pinned up on the pavement against the wall of luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co.
Police said masked “rioters” had committed “insane” acts, throwing trash, bicycles and other debris on to metro tracks and overhead power lines, paralyzing transport in the former British colony. TV footage showed activists dropping heavy objects from overpasses on to traffic below, just missing a motorcyclist.
“Our society has been pushed to the brink of a total breakdown,” Senior Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung told reporters.
The demonstrators have been protesting since June against what they believe to be meddling by Beijing in the freedoms guaranteed under the “one country, two systems” formula put in place when the territory returned to China from British rule in 1997. Tough police tactics in response to the unrest have also fueled anger.
China denies interfering and has blamed Western countries including Britain and the United States for stirring up trouble.
Protests and road blockages ran late into the night in multiple districts including Mong Kok, Tin Shui Wai and Tai Po, where a truck was set on fire.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said protesters were being selfish and she hoped that universities and schools would urge students not to take part in the demonstrations.
Most universities, and some schools, said they would close again on Wednesday. The Hong Kong Jockey Club said all off-course betting centers would also be closed ahead of Wednesday’s racing at Happy Valley as a safety precaution.
The United States on Monday condemned “unjustified use of deadly force” in Hong Kong and urged police and civilians alike to de-escalate the situation.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang urged Britain and the United States not to intrude, saying: “Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs that allow no foreign interference.”
Yang Guang, spokesman for China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said China condemned the dousing of the man with petrol and setting him on fire. He demanded that the person responsible be arrested as soon as possible.
Reporting by Donny Kwok, Clare Jim, Marius Zaharia, Twinnie Siu, Clare Jim, Meg Shen, Josh Smith, Kate Lamb, Jessie Pang and Farah Master in Hong Kong and Cate Cadell in Beijing; Writing by Nick Macfie and James Pomfret; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Matthew Lewis
| Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The Nobel Prize committee awards Americans Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and Kip Thorne the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration that discovered gravitational waves. , | Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne have won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics. The three Americans are members of the LIGO-Virgo detector collaboration that discovered gravitational waves. The prize was awarded “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves,” the committee said in a news release.
“This year’s prize is about a discovery that shook the world,” said the Nobel committee representative Göran K. Hansson in Stockholm on Tuesday.
Albert Einstein predicted in his 1915 general theory of relativity that distortions in gravity would travel through space-time like a shock wave. It took nearly a century to confirm that these distortions exist, a feat that required huge contraptions in two locations to detect an ultra-tiny ripple in the fabric of space.
One half of the prize went to Weiss, born in Berlin and now a U.S. citizen, who is a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The other half was split by Barish, a Nebraska native, and Thorne, who was born in Utah. Both work at the California Institute of Technology.
“When we first discovered them back in September 2015, many of us didn't believe it,” said Weiss, calling in by phone to the Stockholm conference. It took months for the scientists to convince themselves that the detectors found gravitational waves, he said.
2017 Nobel-winning research on gravitational waves, LIGO and gravity explained
Two black holes collided more than a billion light-years away, converting a mass equivalent to three suns into energy. As the violent belch passed by Earth, the twin LIGO detectors, in Livingston, La., and Hanford, Wash., caught the wave. The detectors registered the wave as a spike in frequency — a tone nicknamed the “cosmic chirp.”
The Nobel physics prize selection process is notoriously secretive. But that does not curb speculation. The detection of black hole gravitational waves has been floated as a contender both this year and last. This year, the predictions came true.
Detectors sensed three other gravitational waves since the first, all from merging black holes. The LIGO team, plus the Italian Virgo detector, announced the most recent cosmic distortion discovery in September.
A team of more than 1,000 scientists, researchers and technicians make up the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. Yet three people at most can share a Nobel Prize, a rule that critics say is too restrictive.
“It is unfortunate that, due to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, the prize has to go to no more than three people, when our marvelous discovery is the work of more than a thousand,” Thorne said in a news release Tuesday. He said the prize “rightly belongs” to the scientists and engineers who constructed the detectors and who plucked the signal from noisy data.
Scientists proposed using lasers to measure gravitational waves in the 1960s. Weiss conceived of the first L-shaped laser interferometers while teaching a course on general relativity at MIT decades ago.
The device consists of twin laser beams shot down an interferometer's branching arms, both of equal length. At the end of each arm is a mirror. The lasers bounce off the mirror to return at precisely the same time. If something has jiggled the fabric of space — like the long-ago collision of a black hole — one arm elongates or contracts out of sync with the other. These distortions are so small as to be inconceivable: a wobble a thousandth the width of an atom's nucleus. The lasers' mismatched return, however slight, signifies that space has warped.
Meanwhile, Thorne helped advance the theory of gravitational waves. He described how the waves, which could be the product of merging black holes or colliding neutron stars, stretch space and time. (Aside from his work on LIGO, Thorne is known for his theories about time travel. He was a consultant on the sci-fi movie “Interstellar” and came up with a wormhole plot device that allows an astronaut in the film to go back in time.)
“LIGO would not exist without Kip's vision for the scientific potential of gravitational waves and his amazing gift for sharing that vision with other scientists,” said Caltech's Stan Whitcomb, a LIGO Laboratory scientist, in a statement.
Military grants to develop small interferometers gave way to an ambitious proposal. In 1984, MIT and Caltech agreed to design and construct LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, together. The National Science Foundation “married MIT and Caltech with a shotgun,” joked Rochus Vogt, LIGO's first project director, to the Scientist magazine in 1988.
Disagreements between the two institutes and a lack of funding almost crippled the experiment. Barish, who replaced Vogt, is credited with reviving the project after its early problems and managing the unwieldy collaboration.
“I always wanted to be an experimental physicist and was attracted to the idea of using continuing advances in technology to carry out fundamental science experiments that could not be done otherwise,” Barish said in a statement Tuesday. “LIGO is a prime example of what couldn't be done before.”
The particle physicist earned a “sterling reputation,” Science magazine reported in 2016, blemished by a recent talk he gave in which his opening slide included a woman's bare back and “cartoonish racial caricature.” Barish apologized.
Barish was not included in some previous awards to the LIGO team, and as Science magazine reported, some experts worried that he would miss a shot at a Nobel Prize. The death in March of Ronald Drever, a LIGO physicist who was included in previous awards, may have cleared the way for Barish to be included.
“Barish, in my opinion, is the most brilliant leader of large science projects that physics has ever seen,” Thorne said.
LIGO's hunt for the cosmic ripples began in 2002. It succeeded more than a dozen years later. “Einstein was right!” President Barack Obama wrote in a congratulatory tweet to LIGO.
The search continues. The machines alternate between periods of active detection and pauses for technical refinement. As The Washington Post reported from LIGO in Louisiana this year:
LIGO is funded by the National Science Foundation. All told, the detectors had a $1.1 billion price tag. President Trump proposed a budget cut of 11 percent to the NSF, but Congress has been more supportive of the agency.
The Nobel committee has awarded a prize in physics 111 times since 1901. Last year, three researchers won for their work in the field of topology. Topology, as The Post reported, is the study of state changes more intricate than the pivot from liquid to solid. The 2016 laureates discovered exotic transformations that turn matter into superconductors or frictionless liquids, able to swirl in a never-slowing vortex.
Winners of the Nobel Prize in physics join a rarefied group that counts Einstein, Marie Curie and Niels Bohr as members. More recent laureates include University of Manchester scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who won the 2010 prize. They performed groundbreaking experiments with graphene, a lattice of carbon a single atom thick. In 2013, François Englert and Peter Higgs won for predicting a subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, the existence of which was confirmed by the Large Hadron Collider in 2012.
The Nobel Prize in chemistry will be announced Wednesday, the literature prize Thursday and the peace prize Friday. An award in economics, not one of the original prizes but now conducted in memory of Alfred Nobel, will be announced Monday.
| Awards ceremony | October 2017 | ['(Nobel Prize.org)', '(The Washington Post)'] |
A $300 billion stimulus bill proposed by the Republican Party is blocked in a 52–47 vote in the U.S. Senate. | Democrats said the bill was "emaciated" and didn't go far enough. No agreement reached on COVID-19 relief bill
Capitol Hill -- Democrats roundly defeated a slimmed-down GOP proposal for COVID-19 relief Thursday, a move that almost certainly means the end of coronavirus funding efforts through Election Day. The vote was 52-47.
GOP leaders were able to get at least 51 of their members to support the legislation, a reversal of political fortunes from July when about half of the conference rebelled against a $1 trillion package, but it is unclear what happens now.
Casting their proposal as a "targeted" approach to COVID-19 funding aimed at addressing areas that both Democrats and Republicans agree on, like schools, unemployment assistance and coronavirus testing, Republicans said they hope that Democrats might now come to the negotiating table to hammer out a bipartisan solution.
When asked about next steps, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "Well, I hope the Democrats will get back to the table. It’s time to get something done for the American people."
Democrats, decrying the $300 billion GOP plan for what they said were "poison pills," like taxpayer help for students to attend private schools and a lawsuit shield for businesses, said it was time for Republicans to understand that trillions more were needed to help Americans through the crisis.
The GOP plan included $105 billion for schools and a two-year tax credit for school choice, as well as, $29 billion for vaccines and $16 billion for testing. It also provides additional funding for the paycheck protection program with the possibility of loan forgiveness for small businesses.
Unemployment benefits of $300 a week to individuals who have lost their jobs were part of the proposal, but popular $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans were left out.
Democrats have also demanded more money for schools, state and local governments, food security, unemployment assistance, and election security needs.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made clear that Democrats had no plan to support the bill, which he has repeatedly referred to as "emaciated," said he hoped that in defeat, a compromise might be found.
"If past is prologue, once the Republicans see they can't intimidate us into voting for a wildly insufficient bill, they may come to the table and do what needs to be done," Schumer said.
This report was featured in the Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
| Government Policy Changes | September 2020 | ['(ABC News)'] |
An overloaded wooden boat with Sumatra–bound migrants sinks off the coast of Malaysia killing at least 15 people, 13 of which are women. Nearby fisherman rescue 19 people with more than 40 missing. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency states that the boat was taking migrant workers home to Tanjung Balai in Indonesia's Sumatra province for the Hari Raya Haji celebration. | PORT KLANG: More than 40 people are missing after a boat ferrying illegal immigrants on their way home to Indonesia from here capsized off Sabak Bernam.
The bodies of 15 passengers were found in the sea about nine nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Sauh, where the incident happened.
Some fishermen saved 19 passengers from the “pom-pom boat”, a wooden vessel about 40ft to 50ft long, which was carrying about 70 to 80 passengers when it capsized early yesterday. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Klang chief First Admiral Mohd Aliyas Hamdan said the Indonesia-registered boat could have been overloaded and that most of the passengers were suspected to be illegal immigrants.
He said the passengers were heading home for the Hari Raya Haji celebration. The boat left in the wee hours from Kuala Sungai Bernam and was headed for Tanjung Balai in Indonesia.
Among the dead were 13 women and two men, he said. Mohd Aliyas said the first body was found at 10.37am and the rest by 9.15pm. The bodies and survivors were sent to the Teluk Intan Hospital in Perak. There was no information on the crew of the boat.
Search and rescue teams were looking for the missing passengers, Mohd Aliyas told reporters at the MMEA base in Tanjung Harapan.
He said the MMEA was still trying to find out exactly how many people were aboard the boat.
An operations base had been set up at the Sungai Sumun jetty in Hutan Melintang, Perak, he said.
In Petaling Jaya, MMEA deputy director-general (operations) Vice-Admiral Datuk Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar said four Royal Malaysian Navy ships, three boats, two agency aircraft and an RMAF C-130 plane were involved in the search.
Ahmad Puzi said Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas, was helping to look for more survivors.
Indonesian Deputy Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono said the embassy would assist in identifying the victims and getting the survivors home.
In June last year, a wooden boat with 97 passengers capsized about two nautical miles off Sungai Air Hitam in Banting, at about midnight.
Fourteen of them drowned, including 12 women and a five-year-old girl. Sixty-one were rescued.
The boat had left a jetty in Sungai Judah on Pulau Carey and was also heading to Tanjung Balai.
| Shipwreck | September 2015 | ['(Reuters)', '(The NY Daily News)', '(Malaysian Star)'] |
In Brazil, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva demands that the opposition present proof of its allegations that government had given bribes for political support | Speaking in central Brazil, Lula denounced his accusers, saying: "They don't know who they're dealing with."
He told an audience of farmers that he would welcome any investigation.
Lula's Workers Party has been accused of paying bribes to allies in Brazil's Congress. Last week his chief of staff resigned over the accusations.
"Corruption is not a game," an angry Lula told farmers in the central Brazilian state of Goias.
"You can't stain the name of people. You can't strip them bare in front of society, and later prove nothing."
The corruption allegations have grown into the worst scandal during former union leader Lula's period in power in Brazil.
He won power in 2002 pledging to crack down on endemic corruption in Brazil.
But despite repeatedly stressing his humble origins, Lula's popularity has waned in the face of slow economic growth and gathering corruption allegations.
Recent polls have rated his public support at just 39%.
Lula's chief of staff, Jose Dirceu, resigned last week despite denying involvement in the alleged bribery ring.
Correspondents say he was trying to shield Lula from further allegations.
Roberto Jefferson, a member of the Labour party, a government ally, has accused the Workers' Party of paying bribes to win political support.
A coalition of 40 social groups, including the leftist landless movement, have pledged to support Lula and root out corruption, Reuters reports. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | June 2005 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
Oakland Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley is sentenced to three days in jail and two years of probation in June after pleading guilty to firearms and resisting arrest charges stemming from an incident in April. | Oakland Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley was sentenced to three days in jail and two years of probation in June after pleading guilty to firearms and resisting arrest charges stemming from an incident in April, per Pennsylvania court records.
Worley initially was facing facing six charges in connection to his arrest in Philadelphia on April 15 before reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors. Police found him passed out inside a vehicle blocking an intersection in Philadelphia, and officers administered a taser on Worley. Police also recovered a gun at the scene.
Worley was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles at the time of his arrest, but he was released by the team hours after the incident. The third-year corner was actually acquired in a trade by the Eagles from the Carolina Panthers on March 9 before being cut by the team.
The Raiderssigned Worley on April 23. He's set to play a significant role in Oakland's revamped secondary after recording 150 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks in 31 games with the Panthers.
Worley remains subject to potential discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policies.
Bucs GM Jason Licht has said he'd let the ageless Tom Brady play until he's 50. Even for the all-time great, that might be stretching it a bit,. Brady has two seasons left on his recently signed extension with the Buccaneers and intends to make a decision on what's to become of the most successful career in NFL history after that.
Zach Wilson knows being an NFL quarterback isn't as easy as being drafted and putting on a helmet. It's not an easy task, but the New York Jets' first-rounder isn't shying from the challenge. He's also not keeping the difficulty of it hidden.
Following a first year in Seattle in which Jamal Adams appeared in his first postseason, a new deal is on the horizon and there's little concern with it coming to fruition, according to Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
It's June, prime season for the bliss of a football honeymoon phase, and Jadeveon Clowney has found himself quite a running mate with the Browns: Myles Garrett. After standing out as the physical freak with every team for which he's played in his career, Clowney is no longer alone as a marvelous specimen.
Multi-time Pro Bowler Tyrann Mathieu has no designs on moving on from Kansas City if he has a say and where he plays will outweigh how much he's paid.
With Odell Beckham Jr. appearing close to a full return after lightly participating in minicamp this week, it's natural to wonder again how he fits into his team's offensive equation. Specifically, will he make the Browns better?
There have been no significant developments in the Aaron Rodgers saga for some time now. Thursday marked the end of Packers OTAs, which means the reigning MVP was MIA for the entirety of the team's offseason program. Ian Rapoport reports that a resolution, whatever it might be, likely won't be reached until late July.
Justin Fields may have to wait a little longer to take over but the Chicago Bears QB is enjoying the learning process, most notably the support he's already received from veteran Andy Dalton.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' toe is fine and dandy, Jets tight end Chris Herndon's tight hamstring is OK and the Panthers and Lions signed some second-rounders.
Le'Veon Bell let it be known this past weekend that he would never play for Andy Reid and the Chiefs again. Reid responded Thursday with kindness.
With fellow Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard holding out of minicamp, Byron Jones said Thursday he'd love to have him back, but Howard's contract situation was none of Jones' business.
After being unceremoniously released by Washington near the end of last season, Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins says he is grateful for the chance to learn and grow in Pittsburgh.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | August 2018 | ['(NFL)', '(ABC News)'] |
U.S. and Afghan negotiators finalise an agreement concerning the continuing U.S. presence in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdraws its troops at the end of 2014. | US and Afghan negotiators have finalised a partnership agreement for the US role in Afghanistan after its forces withdraw at the end of 2014.
The draft agreement on their long-term relationship was signed in the Afghan capital Kabul after months of talks.
No details were released, with the deal to be reviewed by both presidents.
There have been sharp disagreements over how much financial support the US and Nato will provide after foreign troops leave.
Last week the Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the US to make a written commitment to pay a minimum of $2bn (£1.2bn) towards the maintenance of Afghan forces.
At last week's meeting of Nato ministers, the US was asking other nations to pay up to $1bn (£630m) a year, while it provides up to $3bn a year in support.
But it was unclear if the US was willing to make a firm commitment.
The agreement was signed on Sunday in Kabul by US ambassador Ryan Crocker and Afghanistan's national security adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta.
"The document finalised today provides a strong foundation for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world and is a document for the development of the region," Mr Spanta said in the statement announcing the deal.
A final commitment on funding Afghan security is expected to be announced at the Chicago summit of Nato leaders next month.
There have been doubts over whether the Afghan forces would be able to provide adequate security once Nato forces withdraw. But at last week's Nato meeting the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the co-ordinated attacks by the Taliban in Kabul in which two Afghan soldiers and 17 militants were killed earlier this month, showed otherwise.
"The response by the Afghan national security forces were fast and effective and the attacks failed... So the Afghans are proving themselves increasingly ready to take control of their own future".
| Sign Agreement | April 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterates his assertion that his county's nuclear program has been "peaceful and transparent" and criticizes the "illegal" UN sanctions imposed by "arrogant" members of the Security Council. | UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The nuclear issue in Iran is "now closed," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an address Tuesday loaded with broadsides against "selfish and incompetent" powers that have "obedience to Satan."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talks about nuclear power, Iraq and human rights at the U.N.
An agreement reached last month between his country and the International Atomic Energy Agency over its disputed nuclear program has, in the Iranian view, settled the matter, he said. The IAEA is the world's central nuclear technology governing body.
"Iran decided to pursue the issue through its appropriate, legal path, one that runs through the IAEA, and to disregard unlawful and political impositions by the arrogant powers," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. "I officially announce that in our opinion, the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed and has turned into an ordinary agency matter."
Under the deal brokered in August, the Iranian government agreed to a timetable for resolving outstanding issues with the IAEA over its nuclear program, which the Iranians have said is solely for peaceful power generation. The deal received a tepid reception from the United States and other Western countries that fear Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Ahmadinejad said Tuesday the IAEA has taken the "correct approach," as opposed to the U.N. Security Council, which has been "influenced by some bullying powers and failed to uphold justice and protect the rights of the Iranian people."
The Security Council has repeatedly demanded that Iran suspend enrichment of uranium and has imposed limited sanctions on Tehran for refusing to comply.
Ahmadinejad charged in his speech that the Security Council "ranks first" among ineffective international bodies because it is influenced by "monopolistic powers." A senior State Department official in Washington, however, said it was "safe to say he is the only one who thinks the file on Iran's nuclear weapons program is closed."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Iran "knows what the international community is demanding regarding its enrichment and reprocessing programs, and we are going to work with our allies to ensure they do. We believe this can be solved diplomatically."
The outspoken Ahmadinejad also offered veiled but unmistakable criticism of the United States -- not mentioning Iran's long-time adversary by name, but offering blunt critiques of the Iraq war and Washington's larger war on terrorism.
"Human rights are being extensively violated by certain powers," he said in his U.N. address. "Setting up secret prisons, abducting persons, trials and secret punishments without any regard to due process, extensive tappings of telephone conversations, intercepting private mail and frequent summons to police and security centers have become commonplace and prevalent."
Ahmadinejad also said Iraq "was occupied under the pretext of overthrowing a dictator and the existence of weapons of mass destruction."
"The Iraqi dictator, who had been supported by the same occupiers, was disposed of, and no weapons of mass destruction were discovered," Ahmadinejad said. "But the occupation continues under different excuses."
Ahmadinejad repeatedly criticized unnamed "powers" that he charged were responsible for insecurity, division and moral decline across the world. "Is it not high time for these powers to return from the path of arrogance and obedience to Satan to the path of faith in God?" said Ahmadinejad, who also invited "all independent, justice-seeking and peace-loving nations" to join Iran in a "coalition for peace." The Iranian leader did make one specific reference to the United States, saying "the rights and dignity of the American people are also being sacrificed for the selfish desires of those holding power."
U.S. diplomats, however, were not on hand to listen to Ahmadinejad's analysis. The chairs where the American delegation sits were unoccupied, except for one woman taking notes.
Ahmadinejad's visit to the United States has generated controversy and sparked demonstrations. Eighteen protesters were arrested Tuesday outside U.N. headquarters. One day earlier, the firebrand Iranian leader spoke at Columbia University and challenged the audience to look into "who was truly involved" in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Hundreds gathered to protest Ahmadinejad's appearance, incensed that a leader who has publicly denied the Holocaust and called for the destruction of the state of Israel was given a prestigious forum to espouse his beliefs. | Famous Person - Give a speech | September 2007 | ['(BBC)', '(CNN)'] |
A student, whose disappearance with a gun caused the precautionary closing of Washington College in Maryland this week, is found dead in Pennsylvania of a self–inflicted gunshot wound. The campus will reopen after Thanksgiving. | Jacob Marberger, the student at Washington College in Maryland whose disappearance prompted a suspension of classes, has been found dead in Pennsylvania, state police there said.
The Hamburg, Pa., division of the state police said he was found Saturday afternoon at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
The Chestertown, Md., college had shut down operations after information indicated that Marberger was upset and armed.
Relatives said that Marberger, 19, a sophomore, had been despondent about incidents at the college.
State police said sanctuary staffers found Marberger in a picnic area, along with the vehicle he was believed to be using. The sanctuary is in east-central Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half northwest of the Marberger family’s home near Philadelphia. Marberger’s parents had phoned the college Nov. 16 to report that he had come home distraught and taken a rifle case and was not responding to text messages.
The call prompted a campus lockdown and a decision by the school to close for the month.
College administrators grew concerned that Marberger could present an imminent danger. Recent incidents of mass shootings and of threats at educational facilities had reinforced their apprehensions.
“The guidepost is student safety,” said Sheila Bair, president of the college, a 1,400-student liberal arts institution on the Eastern Shore.
Authorities had been searching for the student, who was reported last seen in the Hamburg area at some point Nov. 16. That was the day he was believed to have purchased ammunition.
In an interview last week, Marberger’s father, Jon, said he never saw his son as a threat but thought that notifying the college was the right thing to do. He described his son as “an intellectual, conscientious young man” who loved his fraternity, was a student government leader and was active in theater.
School officials have said that Marberger was upset by a prank played on him in early October. A trash can full of water was apparently placed against his dorm room’s door so that when he opened it, the water spilled in.
A school official has said Marberger thought that a couple of students were ridiculing or persecuting him.
Later, Marberger allegedly brandished a pistol at his fraternity house, possibly while drunk, according to school officials. He was expelled from his fraternity and resigned as speaker of the Student Senate.
He was suspended by the college and faced expulsion.
On Tuesday, a warrant was issued for his arrest on weapons charges.
In a statement, the college called Marberger’s death “a terrible blow to our community” and extended its “deepest sympathies” to the Marberger family “in their time of unimaginable grief.”
| Famous Person - Death | November 2015 | ['(U.S.)', '(Washington Post)', '(Washington College)'] |
Moderating winds improve the outlook in the fight against the California wildfires of October 2007. | SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- Conditions that created what California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dubbed "the perfect storm for fire" eased Wednesday, helping firefighters gain ground against devastating Southern California wildfires.
A plane drops fire retardant on the fourth day of a wildfire pushed by winds through Pauma Valley, California.
Winds that gusted as much as 101 mph on Sunday dropped to about 30 mph Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the dry Santa Ana winds that have fanned the flames, changed direction and began blowing inland from the Pacific Ocean, increasing the humidity and easing the burden on almost 8,900 firefighters in the area.
But the destruction was taking its toll on the men and women on the front lines of the fires.
"It hurts us to have those homes lost. It hurts us to have those injuries. And it is frustrating for us to watch our community be devastated by this," said firefighter Andy Menshek.
As conditions improved, officials allowed people to return to communities that had been off-limits because of intense flames and dense smoke.
"It was home," said Mark Davis, whose two-story Rancho Bernardo house burned to the ground.
"It was us. We had been there 28 years, and it had a lot of our flavor."
The change in the weather also meant that firefighting aircraft -- grounded for most of the week by the winds -- could finally fly.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Scott McLean called the droning sound of aircraft the "sound of joy."
"Their drops are hitting their mark because the wind is not there," he said. The rate of burning had slowed significantly by Wednesday.
Still, the fire damage increased to 434,543 acres, said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Watch Schwarzenegger give a progress report »
That amounted to 679 square miles, or about 10 times the size of Washington, D.C. By Wednesday evening, the largest fire -- the Witch in northern San Diego County -- was 10 percent contained.
It burned about 196,000 acres before combining with the smaller Poomacha blaze.
Seven fires among the 22 counted Wednesday were contained. See where the fires are burning »
Others, such as the Buckweed Fire in Los Angeles County, were as much as 94 percent contained.
One large fire was a suspected arson.
The FBI and the Orange County Fire Authority are investigating the Santiago fire that has burned more than 19,000 acres.
All three of its points of origin have been declared crime scenes, said Jim Amornino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
A $70,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of those responsible for setting the fire. The blaze was about 50 percent contained after destroying 17 structures. Watch the raging flames of the Santiago fire »
The smaller Rosa fire in Riverside County, 70 percent contained at just over 400 acres, was also a probably arson, state officials said.
As the fire danger eased, residents were allowed to return to several neighborhoods surrounding San Diego: Del Mar Highlands, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Carmel Valley, Chula Vista and Otay Mesa.
Helicopters were back in the air over the Lake Arrowhead, California, area after all air activity had been suspended because of extremely smoky skies. In nearby Running Springs, CNN's Ted Rowlands stood in the midst of charred, smoldering rubble strewn with potentially deadly power lines.
"It will be a while before these people will come back. When they do come back, unfortunately they'll have this pretty much to look at," he said Wednesday. Watch Rowlands describe a major battle with the flames »
About 500 homes were lost in the mountainous region in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles. See photos of the fires »
"Yesterday we couldn't be here, because just this little flame and smoldering pieces of wood would be thrown by the intense winds. ... Now you can see the flames just basically burning themselves out," said Rowlands.
The fires have already destroyed 1,664 structures -- including 1,436 homes -- and they still threaten 25,000 more, Schwarzenegger said Wednesday. The blazes have killed three people and left 40 hurt, he said.
The governor will fly over the area Thursday with President Bush, who signed a major disaster declaration Wednesday. Watch Bush emphasize the need to be responsive »
It'll speed federal dollars to people whose property losses aren't covered by insurance and will help local and state agencies pay for the emergency response.
The cost of homes destroyed by the wildfires is likely to top $1 billion in San Diego County alone, an emergency official said. Federal help keeps arriving as officials promise a response based on lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.
People left homeless by the fires can go online to apply for federal help at FEMA.gov, he said.
There were 76,000 people staying in the 42 shelters opened in San Diego County Wednesday morning, according to San Diego emergency spokeswoman Lynda Pfieffer.
Qualcomm Stadium -- home to the NFL's San Diego Chargers -- housed 11,000 evacuees at the peak of the disaster, but that number dropped to 5,000 Wednesday morning. Watch how evacuees are being taken care of at the stadium » E-mail to a friend CNN's Kate Bolduan contributed to this report. | Fire | October 2007 | ['(CNN)'] |
Lionel Messi scores his 91st, and final, goal of a record breaking year as Barcelona win 3–1 against Real Valladolid in the 2012–13 La Liga. | By Rik Sharma Published: 19:49 BST, 22 December 2012 | Updated: 21:29 BST, 22 December 2012 71
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Lionel Messi scored his final goal of a record breaking year as Barcelona won 3-1 against Valladolid on Saturday night. Messi's second-half strike was his 91st of the season, nutmegging a defender and rattling home with his deadly left-foot to sign off in style. Scroll down for video
Unstoppable: Lionel Messi (left) scored the 91st goal of his record-breaking season
Bang: Messi smashes in Barcelona's second goal as they extended their La Liga lead
He broke Gerd Muller's 40-year-old milestone of 85 goals in a calendar year by grabbing 79 for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina.
The victory leaves Barcelona nine points clear of Atletico Madrid in second and 16 points up on Real Madrid, before they take to the field against Malaga later on.
It was achieved without manager Tito Vilanova who was released from hospital just before the match after having throat surgery to remove a tumour. Both teams wore T-shirts which carried messages of support for the manager, who will undergo chemotherapy in upcoming weeks. Support: Messi's T-shirt has a photo of Tito Vilanova on it along with the word 'courage'
For Tito: The team wore the shirts to support their boss who was released from hospital today
'This win is for Tito,' said Barcelona defender Dani Alves. 'It's a surprise and joy that he is home now. We are here to help him any way he can. Football is secondary now, he is fighting for his life.'
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The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. | Sports Competition | December 2012 | ['(ESPN)', '(Daily Mail)'] |
French police arrest a man in relation to a killing of a British family in the French Alps. | French police investigating the killing of a British family in the Alps in 2012 have arrested a 48-year-old man.
AFP is reporting that the man, from the Haute-Savoie region, strongly resembles an identikit image of a motorcyclist seen near the murder scene. Officers are using metal detectors to search a garden 10km (6 miles) away.
Saad al-Hilli, 50, an Iraqi-born British citizen, was found dead in his BMW car; his wife Iqbal, her mother and a French cyclist were also killed.
AFP is also reporting that sources close to the inquiry say the man arrested, who is in formal custody, is a former police officer.
It reports the man, described as a quiet type who liked guns, was dismissed from the police in June last year.
Meanwhile, a garden in Talloires, a small town on the east shore of Lake Annecy, is being searched by police.
Mr and Mrs al-Hilli's two young daughters, aged seven and four at the time, survived the attack, which took place in a car park near Lake Annecy. The older daughter, Zainab, was shot and beaten. Her sister, Zeena, was found traumatised but physically unscathed after hiding under bodies in the car.
The body of the cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, was found nearby. The identikit image of the motorcyclist was issued last November after French police said they wanted to speak to a man seen riding in the area between 3.15pm and 3.40pm shortly before the murders took place. This followed a BBC Panorama programme broadcast in October in which a key witness - a forestry worker - was interviewed for the first time.
He described seeing a BMW 4x4 car close to the murder scene and told Panorama two of his co-workers saw a man on a motorbike near the scene. The biker lifted up his helmet and they saw he had "a bit of a beard".
The man's helmet was said by prosecutors to be "very particular", one of only a few thousand such models worldwide. Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud was quoted by AFP as saying the arrest was the result of witness statements that came in after the image was released. He said there was no "direct link" apparent between the man and the victims.
Under French law, police can hold suspects in criminal cases for up to 48 hours without charge. Mr al-Hilli and his family lived in Claygate, Surrey, and were on holiday at the time of the attack, along with Mrs al-Hilli's mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, who lived in Sweden. More than 100 police officers in France and the UK have been involved in investigating the case and about 800 people have been interviewed.
Surrey Police said the arrest was prompted by a line of inquiry in France and was not as a result of investigation carried out in the UK.
French prosecutors previously said the "reasons and causes" for the killings had their "origins" in the UK and they investigated an alleged feud between Mr al-Hilli and his brother Zaid over inheritance. Zaid al-Hilli, 54 and also from Surrey, denied involvement in the murders and accused French police of "covering up" the real target of the killings. He was released from bail last month after being arrested last year on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Surrey Police said there was not enough evidence to charge him.
The motive for the shootings has remained elusive. Speculation has focused on possible links to Iraq or Saad al-Hilli's work as a satellite engineer. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | February 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
The U.N. General Assembly elects Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria to the U.N. Security Council as non–veto–holding members. | Politically divided Lebanon and Bosnia were among five countries elected to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, in a move diplomats hoped would help strengthen the two countries’ fragile institutions.
A general view of a Security Council meeting at the United Nations in New York in a file photo.
In an uncontested election, the U.N. General Assembly voted for Bosnia, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria to serve on the council through 2010 and 2011. All five had been selected in advance by their regional groups.
From January 1 they will replace Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam as non-veto-holding members of the 15-nation body, the powerhouse of the United Nations with the authority to impose sanctions and send peacekeeping forces.
Unresolved political and security issues have meant that both Lebanon and Bosnia are subject to Security Council scrutiny. Lebanon has some 12,500 U.N. peacekeeping troops in its south, stemming from past conflicts with Israel, while Bosnia, torn by war in the 1990s, has a European Union force.
“The experience of being on the council will help strengthen their national government systems to enable them to take decisions on international issues,” British Ambassador John Sawers said of Lebanon and Bosnia.
There are five veto-holding permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- and 10 temporary elected members without vetoes.
But the elected members have some power because a council resolution needs nine votes in favor as well as no vetoes.
Diplomats said they expected Lebanon to be able to speak for Arab countries despite its sectarian divisions, but one said he anticipated it would abstain if the council decided to impose further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Three rounds of sanctions have already been passed.
Iran is a sensitive subject in Beirut, where politicians are seeking to put together a new government, because of the political weight of the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Hezbollah group, whose militants fought against Israel in 2006.
“If it comes to Iran, that would cause quite deep divisions within the Lebanese government, and it would be difficult for them to take a definitive position, i.e. they’re likely to abstain,” said one Western diplomat who had spoken to Lebanese officials.
But the diplomat, speaking on condition he that he not be identified, also expected Lebanon to be a more moderate Arab voice on the council than outgoing Libya, which has clashed with the United States over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“They may look for a more moderate way through and take a lead perhaps more specifically from the Palestinians,” he said. “There have been occasions when the Libyans have refused to take the advice of the likes of Palestine and Egypt because it wasn’t to their own national taste.”
Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam said his country, on the council for the first time since 1953, had “a special mission as a country of tolerance, diversity” but declined further comment on how it would act.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj said his country’s election was a tribute to the long way it had come since its 1992-95 ethnic war. The Balkan state remains politically divided between a Serb republic and a Muslim-Croat federation.
He said Sarajevo would favor a council policy of preventive diplomacy, “never to allow the crisis and loss of human lives to happen ever again as we experienced in Bosnia.”
Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe also said preventive diplomacy “will be central to our approach.” Nigeria and Brazil have both been mentioned as possible new Security Council permanent members under reform proposals now under discussion.
The five countries elected on Thursday could only have been blocked if they had failed to obtain two thirds of the votes cast. All five were elected with overwhelming majorities. | Join in an Organization | October 2009 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The 39th annual Pacific Islands Leaders Forum opens in Niue, but is boycotted by Fijian leader Frank Bainimarama. | PACIFIC leaders including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will today begin three days of talks on the tiny nation of Niue.
The dignitaries from 15 nations are expected to discuss a range of regional issues when they gather for the 3 Issues likely to be discussed during the next three days include Fiji's return to democratic rule, climate change and Australia's recently announced guest worker scheme. The new scheme will see up to 2500 workers from Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu able to work for up to seven months a year in the horticulture industry in regional Australia. This morning Mr Rudd will sign partnership agreements with Samoa and Papua New Guinea. Similar agreements are expected to be signed with a number of Pacific countries and arise from the Port Moresby Declaration that Mr Rudd announced on his first visit to the region in March. The incentive-based agreements deal with things like infrastructure, health, education and security. Fiji has boycotted this year's talks saying its delegation was going to be unable to participate in post-forum discussions in Auckland. New Zealand has travel bans in place against Fiji's military government which took power in a bloodless coup in December 2006. Niue is a small island nation of about 1100 people situated near Tonga. From here you can use the Social Web links to save Pacific leaders gather for talks to a social bookmarking site.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | August 2008 | ['(The Australian)'] |
Thousands of people join protests against budget cuts in Madrid and ask that the government quit. Riot police greet the demonstrators. | Thousands of people have joined fresh protests in the Spanish capital, Madrid, angered by budget cuts and calling on the government to quit.
Demonstrators held a minute's silence with their backs to parliament, then shouted "resign" with fists clenched.
Parliament was guarded by hundreds of police officers.
PM Mariano Rajoy's government plans spending cuts of about 40bn (£32bn) euros for next year as it tries to prevent the need for an EU bailout.
The Spanish government has found itself in financial difficulty since the 2008 global financial crisis caused a big crash in the country's over-heated property market.
New figures this week showed about a quarter of working-age people in Spain were now unemployed.
Saturday's protesters came from all over the country and were met by vans of riot police, says the BBC's Pascale Harter in Spain. Just hours earlier, she says, 300 police had staged their own protest in the capital, setting off fire crackers and blowing police whistles over the same issue - budget cuts. One banner read: "The police can't take it any more."
Austerity protests also took place in Barcelona, Valencia and other cities.
One protester in Madrid, Sabine Alberdi, told Agence France-Presse: "I came to demonstrate because they're taking everything away, our health, our education, our houses."
Mr Rajoy's programme will require spending cuts of 150bn euros between 2012 and 2014.
Having spent almost a year in office, Mr Rajoy has tried to head off a full-blown EU bailout by introducing tax increases, labour reforms and public sector cuts.
However, output has now contracted for five quarters in a row.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | October 2012 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
More than 30,000 runners participate in the 120th running of the Boston Marathon. Two Ethiopian runners win. Adriana Haslett and Patrick Downes, survivors of the 2013 bombing who each lost a leg in the blast, were in the field. | Boston Marathon women's winner Atsede Baysa and men's winner Lemi Berhanu Hayle, led a dominant group of Ethiopian runners in Monday's race.
Boston Globe via Getty Images
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Boston Marathon women's winner Atsede Baysa and men's winner Lemi Berhanu Hayle, led a dominant group of Ethiopian runners in Monday's race.
Two Ethiopian runners wore the golden laurels denoting winners of the Boston Marathon Monday, marking the first time in the race's 120 years that Ethiopian racers won both the men's and women's divisions.
For the men, it was newcomer Lemi Berhanu Hayle, 21; for the women, it was Atsede Baysa, 29, whose career includes wins in Paris and Chicago.
Runners from Kenya, who had for years been considered the best of the best in the world, were nearly shut out of the podium entirely. As the AP reports, "Joyce Chepkirui was third in the women's race, the lone Kenyan to medal in a race that had been dominated by her countrymen for decades."
From Boston, NPR's Tovia Smith reports for our Newscast unit:
"21-year-old Lemi Berhanu Hayle did a little skip-jump as he took the men's race at 2 hours, 12 minutes, 45 seconds. He beat defending champion Lelisa Desisa.
"On the women's side, Atsede Baysa, 29, crossed the finish line in an unofficial time of 2:29:19. She got a hug from her coach on the other side and sent up a quick prayer of thanks. Baysa had been almost 40 seconds behind just a few miles back, but she made up the time to take the lead, and then some. Defending women's champion Caroline Rotich dropped out in the first 5 miles.
"Also running in the race this year: two survivors of the 2013 bombing who each lost a leg in the blast, Adriana Haslett and Patrick Downes."
The men's wheelchair race provided the closest finish of the day, with Marcel Hug of Switzerland breaking the tape at the 1:24:06 mark – just ahead of Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa (second) and Kurt Fearnley of Australia, who were nose-and-nose in Hug's wake.
Tatyana McFadden of the U.S. won the women's wheelchair race, earning her fourth consecutive victory in Boston with a time of 1:42:16.
Like many runners in today's race, McFadden competed in honor of Martin Richard, who was eight years old when he was killed in the 2013 attacks. On social media and at the race, runners showed their support for the Martin Richard Foundation (goal: to invest in education, athletics, and community) by using the hashtag MR8 — the boy's initials and his sports number. Dozens of athletes wore jerseys featuring MR8 today. | Sports Competition | April 2016 | ['(The Boston Globe)', '(NPR)'] |
Latvian President Valdis Zatlers names former Finance Minister Valdis Dombrovskis as the new Prime Minister. | Latvian President Valdis Zatlers has nominated former finance minister Valdis Dombrovskis as prime minister and asked him to form a new government.
Mr Dombrovskis, who is a member of the European Parliament, is from the main centre-right opposition party, New Era.
After being nominated, Mr Dombrovskis warned that Latvia was "on the verge of bankruptcy" and would need to make budget cuts or risk financial collapse.
Ivars Godmanis resigned as PM last week amid protests at the economic crisis.
Latvia's economy is in recession and is expected to contract by up to 12% in 2009, with unemployment rising by 50%.
Mr Dombrovskis, 37, will now hold talks with Latvia's political parties on forming a new government. If they are successful, a list of ministers will be submitted to parliament for a confidence vote.
"I wish Valdis Dombrovskis luck," Mr Zatlers said on Thursday.
'Verge of bankruptcy'
Mr Godmanis, a member of the small Latvia's First/Latvia's Way party, resigned on Friday after losing the support of his two main coalition partners - the People's Party and the Union of Greens and Farmers.
His government had come in for strong criticism over its handling of the economic crisis.
It was forced to seek a 7.5bn-euro ($9.6bn; £6.7bn) bail-out from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and EU in December, after nationalising Latvia's second-biggest bank.
As part of the deal it has had to cut public spending and increase taxes - both unpopular policies.
A protest in the capital, Riga, on 13 January ended in more than 100 arrests and more than 40 injuries.
The Baltic nation was once the fastest growing economy in the European Union, but in the last three months of 2008 it was the worst-performing, with gross domestic product (GDP) falling 10.5%.
After being nominated as prime minister on Thursday, Mr Dombrovskis warned that Latvia was "on the verge of bankruptcy" and would need to make further budget cuts totalling at least 700m lats ($1.27bn; £889m) or else endanger funding from international lenders.
"The previous government hasn't fulfilled its obligations under the agreement with the IMF," he told reporters in Riga.
"Our primary task at the moment is to prepare budget cuts," he added. "There are no easy decisions here."
But Mr Dombrovskis said he would continue the former government's policy of keeping Latvia's currency, the lat, pegged to the euro. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | February 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Residents of Wukan in southern China that staged a revolt against officials hold council elections. | Thousands of people turned out to elect a new leader in a Chinese village that staged a high-profile revolt over perceived local corruption.
Wukan, in southern Guangdong province, has come to symbolise the anger felt over land seizures by rural officials.
It ousted local officials three months ago and won the right to elections as part of a deal to end unrest there.
Respected elder Lin Zuluan was voted in as village chief, with Yang Semao his deputy.
After his landslide victory, with 6,205 votes on an 80% turnout, Mr Lin said: "With this kind of recognition from the villagers, I'll work doubly hard for them."
Some 6,800 residents had turned up at a local school to cast their ballots.
Five other seats on the village committee will be filled in a run-off vote on Sunday.
Activists from other parts of the country had travelled to Wukan to observe the polls and to try to highlight their own grievances.
"Wukan is an example for us," Hua Youjuan, a village chief from Huangshan in eastern China where residents have also protested against corruption, told Reuters.
"What Wukan has achieved through its solidarity is something we can also learn from," he added.
Protests had been simmering in Wukan since September.
Villagers said officials had sold off their land to developers and failed to compensate them properly.
The unrest escalated after the death of a village negotiator in police custody in December.
Police say he died of a "sudden illness", but his family say he was beaten to death.
The granting of elections was seen as a surprising concession from the Guangdong authorities, led by ambitious Communist Party head Wang Yang. | Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2012 | ['(BBC)', '(China Daily)'] |
In golf, Tiger Woods wins the inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan by three shots over Hideki Matsuyama for his 82nd career PGA Tour title, tying him with Sam Snead atop the all–time list. | CHIBA, Japan -- The journey to Japan was ostensibly about fulfilling corporate obligations, participating in a made-for-TV exhibition and getting in some reps following knee surgery and physical challenges that dogged Tiger Woods throughout the summer.
Nobody -- including Woods, if he is honest -- was thinking about a victory, and a record-tying one at that.
Woods finished off the final round of the Zozo Championship on Monday, holding off Hideki Matsuyama to win his 82nd career PGA Tour title, matching a 54-year-old record credited to Sam Snead, who notched the final victory of his Hall of Fame career at age 52 in 1965.
"Well, it's a big number,'' Woods said. "It's about consistency and doing it for a long period of time. Sam did it into his 50s, and I'm in my early to mid-40s. So it's about being consistent and doing it for a very long period of time. I've been very fortunate to have had the career I've had so far.
"To have won this tournament in Japan, it's just so ironic because I've always been a global player. I've always played all around the world, and to tie the record outside the United States is pretty cool.''
Woods has now won PGA Tour events in seven countries: the United States, Canada, Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain and Japan. (He has also won other titles in the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Germany and Thailand.)
Tiger Woods acknowledged his mother and father on Twitter, and President Donald Trump was among those to congratulate Woods via social media.
It's an honor to be tied with Sam Snead for most wins in @PGATOUR history. Thanks Mom and Pop and everyone who helped make this possible. Hideki put up an amazing fight on his home soil, but to do this in Japan is something I'll never forget. It's been an awesome year. pic.twitter.com/m9ICuVyJmX
An AMAZING CHAMPION. Great going Tiger! @TigerWoods https://t.co/GdmcpMG42s
I think @TigerWoods put it well after the @zozochamp when he said that the body doesn't allow him to do what he once did, but he can still think his way around a golf course. Congrats my friend! I wish I could shake your hand today, but I'm not sure I could get there in time.?
The victory came in Woods' first start of the 2019-20 season at the first PGA Tour event to be contested in Japan. And despite his summer physical woes, Woods now has three PGA Tour victories in his past 14 starts. The victory moves him to No. 6 in the world.
Woods shot a final-round 67 to complete the tournament at 261, 19 under par. Matsuyama was 3 shots back. Rory McIlroy and Sung-jae Im tied for third.
That Woods managed to pull it off at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club is just as extraordinary -- in its own way -- as winning last year's Tour Championship and also the Masters for his 15th major title.
Those tournaments are bigger and carry far more weight in the game, but Woods was trending toward those triumphs. He showed plenty of form going into each tournament, and it was hardly a surprise at the time that he won either event.
A week ago, nobody knew what kind of game he had, least of all himself. His odds at Caesar's were 40-1.
"I just told him, 'You never cease to amaze me,''' said Mark Steinberg, Woods' longtime agent. "I did not see this coming.''
It was only a month ago that Woods truly began playing golf again after arthroscopic knee surgery on Aug. 20. Woods admitted all of his golf in recent weeks was in a cart. "It's a little bit different than when you have to walk out here,'' Woods said.
When he competed in the skins game challenge along with Matsuyama, McIlroy and Jason Day on Oct. 21, his game was so sketchy early on that he missed a par-3 green so badly his ball hit a cart path and rolled halfway back to the tee.
Then he opened the tournament Thursday with three consecutive bogeys -- according to Elias, no player dating to 1983 has gone on to win a tournament after doing that -- and you figured it might be a struggle for him to be respectable.
But Woods then turned it around in a big way. He made nine birdies over his final 14 holes to tie Gary Woodland for the first-round lead with a 64. After a day off due to storms, he had seven more birdies in Round 2 to take a 2-shot advantage through 36 holes. A third-round 66 meant a 3-shot lead over Matsuyama after 54 holes; he had gone on to win all 24 times he previously held an advantage that large.
"His ballstriking was a joke; his distance control was something I've never seen,'' said Woodland, who played the final two rounds with Woods. "He looked like the best player in the world. It was impressive to watch.''
When play was suspended Sunday, Woods still led by 3. But the temperature was considerably cooler than it had been all week, and Woods appeared to be a bit stiff, certainly compared to the fluid movement he had shown throughout the tournament.
He bogeyed the tough par-4 12th and the lead dropped to 2, but he got it back with a nice birdie putt at the 14th after watching Matsuyama miss from 3 feet on the hole in front of him. When Matsuyama birdied the 16th, Woods again led by just 2. But a miss from 15 feet at the 17th by Matsuyama meant a 2-shot cushion with two holes to play. Woods birdied the 18th for the final margin of victory.
For the week, Woods led the field in birdies with 27, and he hit 55 of 72 greens while taking 111 putts, averaging 27.8 per round. A putting tip from his friend Rob McNamara -- moving his hands farther forward -- proved to be a big help. "He just kept reminding me because I tend to forget things like that.''
The victory came nearly 23 years to the day from when he won his first tour title, at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational. Woods had been a pro for a matter of weeks and beat Davis Love III in a playoff.
While much has been made of Woods' pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' major championship record of 18, it would have been impossible to foresee way back then that he could approach Snead's number.
"I probably thought about [the record] when I got north of 50, but then unfortunately I went through some rough patches with my back and didn't play for a number of years, so that record seemed like it was out of reach,'' Woods said. "Having had my fourth back procedure and being able to come back and play at a decently high level again, it put the number back in the conversation again. | Sports Competition | October 2019 | ['(ESPN)'] |
Nine people are shot dead in Rio de Janeiro as police battle drug gangs and private militias for control of the favelas or shanty towns. | In recent months some favelas have been taken over by militias - consisting of retired and off-duty police officers.
They offer to rid communities of drug gangs in return for protection money.
The new state governor, Sergio Cabral, says he won't tolerate the involvement of serving police officers in parallel security forces.
Rio de Janeiro is well accustomed to gun crime but now there is a new pattern to the violence. At the invitation of local businesses and residents, armed vigilante groups are driving drug gangs out of the favelas. Made up of off-duty and retired police officers, the "militia" - as they are known - then charge protection money in return for keeping the peace. Slum battle
But on Sunday there were further signs that the drug traffickers are fighting back. The police say five heavily armed men tried to retake control of a favela in the north of the city. They exchanged fire with local militia, and were later shot dead by uniformed police. In all, nine people died - including an off-duty police officer. It is not clear whether he had links to the militia. Such shoot-outs are becoming a regular feature of life in Rio as militia and traffickers battle for control of communities which are lucrative to both. Local media estimate that close to 100 favelas have been taken over by vigilante groups. Last week, a police commander was arrested and a senior official suspended on suspicion of profiting from militia activity. This weekend's violence comes just days before the start of the Rio Carnival, a giant street party which draws thousands of visitors from around the world. | Armed Conflict | February 2007 | ['(BBC)'] |
Voters in South Africa go to the polls for municipal elections. | South Africans have been voting in local elections after one of the most bitterly fought campaigns in years.
The delivery of basic services like water, housing and jobs have been among the issues dominating campaigning. Long queues were seen in the most hotly contested areas, such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, with the vote said to be fairly smooth.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) controls all of South Africa's nine provinces except the Western Cape.
Analysts say the ANC is likely to remain the largest party, but is facing its strongest opposition since the end of apartheid in 1994.
The BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says it is one of the most hotly contested local elections in recent years.
The battle for control of municipalities in the key economic provinces like the Western Cape, currently controlled by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), and Gauteng has seen mud-slinging from party officials and aggressive door-to-door campaigning by senior party officials to rarely visited parts of the country, she says.
Last week, President Jacob Zuma warned his countrymen that their ancestors would never forgive them if they voted against the ANC, which led the fight against white minority rule.
Protests threatened to disrupt elections in at least three of South Africa's poorest provinces - North West, Limpopo and Northern Cape. Some communities there refused to vote and held demonstrations near polling stations, demanding that the government provide services such as running water, electricity and decent housing but the police were able to prevent any violence.
There was also a large police presence in Ficksburg in Free State province, where a man was allegedly shot dead by a group of officers during one such protest last month.
Some protesters say the services are not being delivered because of corruption by local ANC councillors, who face very little opposition in many parts of the country.
A row over uncovered toilets has become the latest symbol of these demands.
"We are living in a dirty place. I want our place to be nice, I am voting for change. There have been changes since 1994 but not enough," Adeline Ndlanzi, 58, told Reuters news agency as she waited to vote in the Soweto township near Johannesburg.
"I want to see more employment created in this country for everyone. I am hoping my vote with make the government do more for its people," Nonhlanhla Dlamini, 19, told the BBC's Network Africa's programme as she voted in Springs township, east of Johannesburg. Some 23 million people are registered to vote. Results expected on Thursday or Friday.
In previous years, the DA has been seen mainly as a party for white people and those of mixed race but it has made a determined effort to appeal to the black majority in this election.
"This is the first election in which we've really seen a concerted attempt by the official opposition to compete for the black vote and the real test is whether black voters are biting," Steven Friedman from the Institute for Democracy in South Africa told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"It's certainly a propitious time for the opposition - there's a lot of feeling by grassroots supporters of the ruling party that the political leadership are only interested in themselves and other politicians - that they're not interested in voters," he said.
He said the polls were important in terms of South Africa's maturing democracy.
"We're not really going to have an effective democracy in this country until politicians are more accountable to voters. If you have a ruling party which wins with thumping majorities every time, it's very difficult for there to be accountability," Mr Friedman said.
But correspondents say ANC supporters are fiercely loyal and though there may be disappointment, many voters may not yet feel ready to switch sides.
"It's a party which I like and where my home is. Today I feel liberated because of that party," Malixole Gobelo, 60, told the AFP news agency as he voted in Cape Town.
"I will support that party until I die."
| Government Job change - Election | May 2011 | ['(BBC)'] |
The Inter–American Development Bank, Latin America’s largest development lender, cancels its scheduled annual 48–country meeting next week following China's refusal to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó to attend what would have been the first IADB meeting held in China. | The Inter-American Development Bank on Friday called off next week’s meeting of its 48 member countries in China after Beijing refused to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to attend, two sources with knowledge of the decision said.
The sources said the decision was made in Washington on Friday at a meeting of the executive board of the IADB, Latin America’s largest development lender, after China refused to change its position.
The sources said the board would vote within 30 days to reschedule the annual meeting for another date and location.
On Thursday, the United States threatened to derail the March 26-31 meeting unless Beijing granted a visa to Guaido’s representative, Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann.
The meeting, slated to bring together finance and development ministers from the lender’s members, was meant to mark the bank’s 60th anniversary.
Guaido invoked the constitution to assume Venezuela’s interim presidency in January, saying the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro was not legitimate. Most Western countries have recognized Guaido as head of state, but Russia and China, among others, back Maduro.
One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Thursday that China had proposed that no representative from either Maduro’s or Guaido’s camps attend the meeting to “depoliticize” the gathering.
The White House was not immediately available to comment, and China’s embassy in Washington did not respond to an emailed question on the IADB’s decision.
In a statement posted later on its website, the IADB confirmed that the meeting would not take place on March 28-30 in the city of Chengdu as planned, but it did not give a reason.
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China’s foreign ministry said in its own statement it regretted the decision but bore no responsibility.
Spokesman Geng Shuang said China “had difficulty allowing” Guaido’s representative to attend because Guaido himself lacked legal standing.
“Changing Venezuela’s representative at the IADB won’t help solve Venezuela’s problems and (the proposal) damaged the atmosphere of the IADB annual meeting and disturbed preparations for the meeting,” he said.
The Washington-based IADB was the first multilateral lender to replace a Maduro-selected representative with one backed by Guaido. The move would eventually open lines of credit to Venezuela should Maduro step down.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank have so far not made a decision on whether to recognize Guaido officially as head of state.
Had the annual meeting taken place next week, it would have been the first time the IADB held it in China. The Asian country has become a major player in Latin America and has poured more than $50 billion into Venezuela over the past decade in oil-for-loan agreements.
Trump administration officials have called on the IADB since last year to hold the meeting in the Americas, where all of its borrowers are located.
With relations between Washington and Beijing marred by an acrimonious trade dispute, U.S. officials have expressed concern in recent months at China’s growing influence in Latin America - a region Washington has long regarded as its backyard.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | March 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
North Korea warns South Korea that it will conduct live firing near the disputed maritime border. | North Korea has conducted a live-fire drill near the disputed maritime border, Seoul officials say, but no shells fell in South Korean waters. It is the second time in a month that Pyongyang has carried out such drills.
Last time, the exercises led to an exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea. But on this occasion, North Korea's live rounds fell short of the disputed western sea border and so South Korea did not respond. "The North's shells fell in waters about 3km (2 miles) north of the NLL [Northern Limit Line, the disputed border]," Yonhap news agency quoted a spokesman from the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying. "The South Korean military is currently monitoring North Korean artillery units, while maintaining high military readiness." South Korea's defence ministry said it was notified early on Tuesday that drills would take place near islands west of the Korean peninsula.
Firing began around 14:00 (05:00GMT), with around 50 shells fired at two locations, Yonhap said. The western sea border has long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas. The UN drew the border after the Korean War, but North Korea has never recognised it. A similar North Korean exercise at the end of March resulted in the two sides exchanging hundreds of rounds of artillery fire, after South Korea said rounds landed in its territory. Border islands in the area where the exercises took place are also hotspots. In November 2010, North Korea fired shells at Yeonpyeong, killing two marines and two civilians, in what it said was a response to South Korean military exercises. Earlier that year, a South Korean warship sank near Baengnyeong island with the loss of 46 lives. Seoul says Pyongyang torpedoed the vessel but North Korea denies any role in the incident. Residents on all five islands were told to move to evacuation centres during the drill, Yonhap said. This latest move from North Korea comes as satellite images suggest Pyongyang could be preparing to carry out a nuclear test. South Korea's military said it had recently detected "a lot of activity" at the North's Punggye-ri test site. The test, if it went ahead, would be Pyongyang's fourth, after tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. UN Security Council resolution 1718, passed in October 2006 after the first nuclear test, bans North Korea from nuclear and missile tests. The live-fire drill also follows President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea last week, which was strongly opposed by North Korea. Washington has led calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. In a statement on Monday, North Korea launched one of its strongest attacks on the South Korean leader, President Park Geun-hye, calling her a "despicable prostitute" who pandered to her "pimp", Mr Obama. South Korea described the comments as "foul words".
Koreas trade fire across sea border
In pictures: Tense sea border
Why border hot-spot is Korean War relic
Seoul condemns N Korea 'foul' slurs
North Korea's missile programme | Military Exercise | April 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
Antti Rinne resigns as the Prime Minister of Finland after losing the support of coalition partner Centre Party over Rinne's handling of industrial strikes. The Rinne Cabinet will continue as a caretaker government until a new government can be formed. | HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne resigned on Tuesday after a member of the ruling coalition said it had lost confidence in him following a series of disruptive strikes.
The Centre Party asked Rinne to step down after a more than two-week strike at Finland's state postal service, Posti, spread to the national airline, Finnair FIA1S.HE, and to other industries before being settled last week.
Centre Party chairwoman Katri Kulmuni questioned Rinne’s role in handling the strike on Monday but said she wanted the same five-member coalition to continue under an unspecified new prime minister.
President Sauli Niinisto accepted Rinne’s resignation and asked the centre-left cabinet to continue in a caretaker role pending the formation of a new one.
“Next we will likely have fast government formation talks, and likely with the same coalition,” Rinne told reporters.
The timing of the crisis is awkward. Finland holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until the end of the year, playing a central role in efforts to hammer out a new budget for the bloc.
Social Democrat Minister of Transportation and Communications Sanna Marin, 34, is seen as a frontrunner to replace Rinne.
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“I won’t dodge the responsibility,” Marin told reporters at Helsinki airport after flying back from Brussels due to the crisis.
“At 34 she’d be the youngest prime minister ever,” Helsinki University political scientist Johanna Vuorelma.
Another candidate to lead the government would be Antti Lindtman, SDP group leader and party chairman, who told reporters he was also ready become prime minister.
If all five coalition partners agree to be on board, it is customary that the election winner, in this case the Social Democrats, are given the first attempt to win approval for a new prime minister and form a government.
The Centre Party and SDP are both trailing in the polls and could lose ground to the nationalist Finns Party, which came a close second to Rinne’s Social Democrats in April’s election.
“It is very likely this same government coalition will continue,” Tampere University political scientist Ilkka Ruostetsaari said.
| Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | December 2019 | ['(Reuters)'] |
At least 11 crew members are killed after two ships caught fire, as one vessel was transferring fuel to the other, in the Kerch Strait near Crimea. | At least 11 people have died in a fire involving two Tanzanian-flagged cargo vessels in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, authorities say.
Russian rescuers are trying to reach sailors who jumped overboard. Fourteen people have so far been rescued.
One ship is a gas tanker, and the fire reportedly followed an explosion, which set the other vessel on fire.
They were named as the Kandy (Venice), with a crew of 17 from Turkey and India, and Maestro, with 14 sailors.
The fire broke out when one vessel was transferring fuel to another, Russian maritime agency spokesman Alexei Kravchenko said, adding that this had then forced several crew members to jump overboard. Rescue workers reportedly witnessed a further three people struggling in the water, who most likely had drowned. AFP news agency said that "no signal from either one of the two captains" had been received. Authorities in the Crimean city of Kerch are now preparing to receive the victims.
The crew members were sailing in "neutral waters" in the Black Sea when the incident occurred, authorities said. The names of the two vessels, the Venice and the Maestro, both appear on a US treasury list as possible targets for sanctions over petroleum shipments to Syria.
The US tightened sanctions against Syria back in 2011 in response to what it said was President Bashar al-Assad's "continued atrocities" committed against the Syrian people. The Kerch Strait is a focus of tension between Russia and Ukraine.
In November, Russian border guards seized three Ukrainian naval vessels near the narrow channel, which links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov. A court in Russia has extended by three months the detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors captured in the incident. They are accused of illegally crossing into Russian territory.
Ukraine condemned the Russian move, denying that its ships had violated the navigation laws in the area. The strait lies off Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. | Shipwreck | January 2019 | ['(BNO)', '(BBC)'] |
A severe drought in northern China leaves 5 million people short of water and damages 8.7 million hectares of farmland. | BEIJING - THE worst drought to hit parts of north China in six decades has left nearly five million people short of water, while officials warn of another dry spell further south, state media reported on Sunday.
A total of 4.6 million people and 4.1 million head of livestock face difficulty accessing drinking water in the north, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
The figure is up from 3.9 million people affected a week ago, according to earlier state media reports.
The drought, which has hit an area stretching from Inner Mongolia region in the north to Jilin province in the northeast, has lasted since late July, the agency said.
In Liaoning province, next to Jilin, the situation is the worst in 60 years, with half of all arable land having dried up, Central China Television reported earlier on its website.
Meanwhile, the risk of another drought is emerging in the provinces of Hubei and Hunan in central China, which have been hit by a combination of low rainfall and high temperatures, Xinhua said. -- AFP | Droughts | August 2009 | ['(The Straits Times)', '(Press Trust of India)', '(China Daily)'] |
At least 41 people are killed in a fire on a bus in Xinyang City, central China. | A bus has caught fire on a highway in central China, killing at least 41 people on board, state media say.
The Xinhua news agency reported that six passengers and the driver had escaped the inferno in Xinyang City, in the province of Henan.
State television said that the bus had 35 sleeper berths, suggesting it had been overcrowded.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but state TV said the bus was also carrying hazardous goods.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says some of the survivors reportedly heard an explosion at the back of the vehicle, which started the fire.
Xinhua said a police officer had described the bodies inside the bus as "carbonised", saying they could only be identified by DNA tests.
The fire happened at 0400 local time (1000 GMT), on a section of the highway linking the capital, Beijing, to the southern city of Zhuhai.
Officials are heading to the scene of fire from Beijing to begin an investigation.
China has a poor road safety record - in 2009, almost 70,000 people died in road accidents.
| Fire | July 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(Xinhua)'] |
Eighteen Iraqi military officers and soldiers are killed and more than 30 others injured after an attack in Rutbah, in Iraq's western Anbar province. Among those killed is the commander of the elite Iraqi 7th Division Major General Mohammed al-Karawi, as well as 4 other officers. | The commander of an Iraqi army division and other senior officers have been killed in a bomb attack during a security operation in Anbar province. At least one blast ripped through a house killing 15 officers and soldiers who were taking part in an operation against militants with al-Qaeda links.
It is unclear whether they were attacked by suicide bombers or if the building had been booby-trapped.
Sectarian fighting has made this the deadliest year in Iraq since 2008.
In other violence on Saturday, a bomb killed five police officers in Sharqat, north of Baghdad, and another four died in a gun attack in Falluja, west of the capital.
The commander of the army's Seventh Division, Maj Gen Mohammed al-Karawi, and up to four other officers died in the bomb attack near the town of Rutba, 390km (240 miles) west of the capital Baghdad.
As many as 32 soldiers were also wounded.
Unnamed army sources told AFP news agency that bombs had gone off as they entered a deserted building.
However, an unnamed military source who had reportedly been at the scene told Reuters: "All that we know so far is three suicide bombers wearing explosive vests came from nowhere and detonated themselves among the officers."
In a statement quoted by AFP, the army said troops had been involved in an operation against al-Qaeda training camps for militants.
More than 60 militants had been present in the area, it added.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who also heads the armed forces, offered his condolences, saying the soldiers had been "carrying out the most noble battles against the enemies of God and humanity".
He urged the armed forces "to strike with an iron fist... these malevolent gangs and track them down wherever they may be".
Sectarian violence has surged across Iraq this year with more than 8,000 people killed since January, many of them in fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
| Armed Conflict | December 2013 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)'] |
The Connecticut Huskies win the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the US defeating the Butler Bulldogs 53–41. | Butler's Matt Howard is defended by Connecticut's Charles Okwandu during the second half of the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game Monday, April 4, 2011, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Apr 5, 2011
HOUSTON — The rims were tight, the shots weren't falling and points were at a premium — surely one of the ugliest championships played on college basketball's biggest stage.
For Kemba Walker and UConn, though, the final score was beautiful.
In a game that featured 40 minutes of guts and grit, Connecticut made Butler look like the underdog it really was, winning the NCAA men's title Monday night with an old-fashioned, grinding 53-41 beatdown of the Bulldogs.
Walker finished with 16 points for the Huskies (32-9), whose amazing late-season streak could be stopped only by the final buzzer. They won their 11th straight game since closing the regular season with a 9-9 Big East record that foreshadowed none of this.
"Every time we play hard, great things always happen to us," Walker said.
It happened again.
They won the title with a defensive showing for the ages, holding Butler to 12-for-64 shooting. That's 18.8 percent, the worst ever in a title game.
It was the kind of game only a coaching lifer such as Jim Calhoun could love.
"Butler really plays defense," Calhoun said. "I mean, they really play defense. And we really play defense, and I think eventually our quickness and length got to them, but from a purist standpoint, if you really like defense, take a clip of this game."
At age 68, he became the oldest coach to win the NCAA championship. He won his third title since 1999 and joined John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight as only the fifth coach to get to the top three or more times.
He did it to close out a season marked by losing streaks, mistakes made by a young, growing roster and sullied by an NCAA scandal that wrapped up with the embarrassing conclusion that the coach failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.
Just like the last game, none of this was easy, but the Huskies kept overcoming.
"They truly were brothers, they truly were trusting in each other, and that was very, very special," Calhoun said. "This group has taken me on a very special journey, better than I could possibly imagine."
Calhoun coaxed this win out of his team by accepting the reality that the rims were rejecting shots and looked about as wide as a pancake on a cold-shooting, defensive-minded night in cavernous Reliant Stadium. He did it by making his players pound the ball inside and insisting on the kind of defense that UConn played during this remarkable run, but which often got overshadowed by Walker's theatrics.
"So you need to understand that defense is going to take you and hold you in the game until your offense gets going, and that's what I think happened tonight," Calhoun said.
UConn trailed 22-19 after a first half that came straight out of the '40s.
"The halftime speech was rather interesting," Calhoun said. "The adjustment was, we were going to out-will them and outwork them."
And so they did.
Connecticut outscored Butler by an unthinkable 26-2 in the paint. The Bulldogs (28-10), in their second straight title game and hoping to put the closing chapter on the ultimate "Hoosiers" story, went a mind-numbing 13 minutes, 26 seconds in the second half making only one field goal.
During that time, a 25-19 lead turned into a 41-28 deficit. This for a team that never trailed Duke by more than six during last year's epic final.
That time, Gordon Hayward's desperation halfcourt heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard and rim, barely missing — a breathtaking ending to a 61-59 loss. This time, UConn was celebrating before the clock hit zero, Calhoun pumping his fists and hugging an assistant while the Huskies ran to the sideline and soaked in the confetti.
"In my opinion, this one feels a little worse," said Butler's shut-down guard Ronald Nored. "Last year I was more shocked. This year is pretty tough."
The version of "Hoosiers" with the happy ending is still available on DVD.
UConn, meanwhile, gets the real celebration.
"You see the tears on my face," Walker said. "I have so much joy in me, it's unreal. It's surreal. I'm so happy right now."
Joining Walker, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, in double figures were Jeremy Lamb with 12 points, including six during UConn's pullaway run, and Alex Oriakhi with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Just as impressive were the stats UConn piled up on defense. Four steals and 10 blocks, including four each by Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith, and a total clampdown of Butler's biggest stars, Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. Howard went 1 for 13 and Mack went 4 for 15.
"You just hope the shots go in," Butler guard Zach Hahn said. "That's how it's been all tournament. Whenever we needed a big shot, somebody came up with it. I guess we just ran out of steam. Nobody could make 'em."
Butler's 41 points were 10 points fewer than the worst showing in the shot-clock era in a championship game. (Michigan scored 51 in a loss to Duke in 1992), and the 18.8 percent shooting broke a record that had stood since 1941. Butler's 12 field goals were the second fewest in a championship game — three more than Oklahoma made way back in 1949. But clearly not enough.
"They're very athletic," Mack said. "They would contest shots that people normally wouldn't be able to contest."
While the Bulldogs and coach Brad Stevens made history by doing it "The Butler Way" and bringing this school with 4,500 students within a win of the championship for two straight years, UConn played big-boy basketball in a big-boy league and suffered through some big-time problems.
Calhoun had to address the NCAA troubles more than once during what was supposed to be one of the best weekends of his life. He admitted he had his share of warts and said he has begrudgingly accepted the three-game suspension he'll have to serve when the conference season starts next year.
On this night, though, he wasn't thinking about his problems, only the exclusive fraternity he joined with Wooden, Rupp, Knight and Krzyzewski.
"My dad told me something a long time ago: You're known by the company you keep," Calhoun said. "That's awfully sweet company."
Nobody did it better this season than when it was all-or-nothing, one-and-done, than the Huskies.
Counting three wins at the Maui Invitational, Connecticut finished 14-0 in tournament games this year — including an unprecedented five-wins-in-five-nights success at the Big East tournament, then six games — two each week — in the one that really counts, one of the most unpredictable versions of March Madness ever.
It closed with 11th-seeded VCU in the Final Four and with eighth-seeded Butler joining the 1985 Villanova team as the highest seed to play in a championship game.
Villanova won that game by taking the air out of the ball and upsetting Georgetown.
Butler tried to do it in a most un-Butler way — by running a little and jacking up 3s.
Didn't work, and when the Bulldogs tried later to make baskets in the paint, it really looked like there was a lid there. During their dry spell, Howard, Garrett Butcher and Andrew Smith all missed open shots from under the bucket. It just wasn't their day.
"I felt like we kept trying to go back inside," Howard said. "We had quite a few pretty good looks. They just weren't going in."
Wasn't perfect for Connecticut, either.
The Huskies only made 19 of 55 shots, and Walker's 16 points came on 5-for-19 shooting. But through the ups and downs of the junior's college career, he has shown there are lots of way to lead — with words in the locker room, by example in the weight room and by doing the little things like playing defense and grabbing rebounds. He had nine on this night and finished with 15 in two games, including the 56-55 win over Kentucky in the semifinals.
His biggest offensive highlight: Probably the twisting, scooping layup he made with 10:15 left that put UConn ahead 39-28 — a double-digit lead that was essentially insurmountable in this kind of contest.
"It was tough shooting in the first half, but in the second half, we stuck with each other," Walker said. "We told each other we were going to make shots, and that's what we did."
It was the final, successful chapter in a season defined by believing even when things weren't going so great. This team lost its last two regular-season games and looked like it would spend a short time in the March Madness bracket. Instead, the Huskies were the team cutting down the last set of nets.
"We were unstoppable," Walker said. "That's why we're national champions. We're the best team in the country." | Sports Competition | April 2011 | ['(WRAL)'] |
Former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, whose arrest ended her career, apologized to U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, her former romantic rival and the woman she is accused of terrorizing. | It had been almost seven months since Lisa Nowak and Colleen Shipman came face to face in a dark parking lot at Orlando International Airport.
Friday they met again, this time before a television audience that tuned in to watch the latest developments in their courtroom drama.
Amid a throng of national media, Nowak -- whose arrest ended her career as a NASA astronaut -- apologized to Shipman, her former romantic rival and the woman she is accused of terrorizing.
“The past six months have been very difficult for me, my family and others close to me,” Nowak said after a five-hour hearing at the Orange County Courthouse. “I know that it must’ve also been very hard for Colleen Shipman, and I would like her to know how very sorry I am about having frightened her in any way and the subsequent public harassment that has besieged all of us.”
Shipman -- who attended part of Friday’s hearing and testified that she was still afraid of Nowak -- left hours before the apology.
But Kepler Funk, her attorney, was there for the news conference.
“Sounds like an admission of guilt to me,” Funk said.
Nowak, 44, stood before the media and read her statement, the clicking cameras nearly drowning out her wavering voice. They were some of her first public comments since she became known as a criminal defendant rather than an astronaut.
The Navy captain, who was a mission specialist on shuttle Discovery’s flight in July 2006, is charged with attempted kidnapping and burglary with assault, punishable by up to life in prison if convicted. She’s also charged with misdemeanor battery. She has pleaded not guilty.
Friday’s hearing -- aired live on Court TV -- ended with no resolution. Another hearing will be held.
But the key players in this public drama broke their silence under oath.
Nowak took the stand to explain the problems she has with wearing the court-ordered GPS monitoring device on her ankle, and told the court that a police officer never showed her a warrant to search her car.
“He asked me many times for consent and said he would get a search warrant,” Nowak testified. “I thought he would search my car no matter what.”
Shipman’s attorney told the judge that Shipman hoped Nowak would have to continue wearing the monitoring device. Shipman, 30, lives in Brevard County, Fla., home of the space program.
But Nowak’s attorney, Donald Lykkebak, wanted to hear that from Shipman, who sat in the front row about 10 feet from Nowak. The Air Force captain spoke firmly, with little emotion, when Lykkebak asked her why she traveled to Houston, where Nowak lives, if she is so frightened by his client.
“I traveled to Texas to visit my boyfriend, where I do feel comfortable and I do feel protected,” she said. She did not say if her boyfriend was Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein, the former astronaut who was the object of both women’s affections.
Shipman said that she was still afraid of Nowak and that the monitoring anklet made her feel safe.
“When I’m home alone and there’s nobody there with me, it is a comfort,” Shipman said.
Nowak is free on $25,500 bail and wearing the tracking anklet as a condition of her release. She told the court it was bulky, uncomfortable and expensive -- the weekly rental rate of $105 reaching $3,000 so far.
She also said it prevented her from doing exercise she was required to do as a military officer.
Nowak promised to abide by all court orders if the device was removed, including not having contact with Shipman.
Assistant state attorney Pamela Davis suggested Nowak could do certain exercises and had been able to function despite the inconvenience. She also dismissed the anklet’s expense.
“You’re paying a media consultant -- fire the consultant,” she told Nowak.
Testimony also addressed whether Nowak wore diapers to avoid stopping in driving straight from Houston to Orlando. Astronauts use them on shuttle missions, and that detail has made Nowak a punch line on comedy shows.
In June, Lykkebak called it “the biggest lie in this preposterous tale,” and criticized the media for circulating the story.
Orlando Police Det. William Becton reiterated in testimony that he found three dirty diapers in a garbage bag inside the former astronaut’s BMW. He said Nowak told him she used them on the drive from Houston to Orlando to limit stops.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2007 | ['(Los Angeles Times)'] |
Archaeologists working for the Vatican have found the tomb of Paul of Tarsus. | Public and scholarly curiosity about the contents of the coffin located below the main altar of Rome's second-largest basilica and the possibilities of scientific testing are inevitable.
Vatican experts announcing their findings Monday said they hoped to be able to examine the coffin more closely and maybe even to open it.
But Vatican archaeologist Giorgio Filippi said the researchers' first concern now was to free it from centuries of plastering and debris, in the hope of finding other clues on the sarcophagus itself. Then they would look for ways of getting inside.
"Right now we can treat it as a symbol, regardless of its contents," Filippi said.
And asked by a reporter whether the Vatican would acknowledge it if the coffin were empty, the cardinal in charge of the basilica replied: "How can I say what I would say before I know what's there?"
According to tradition, St. Paul, also known as the apostle of the Gentiles, was beheaded in Rome in the 1st century during the persecution of early Christians by Roman emperors.
The 8-foot-long sarcophagus, which dates from at least A.D. 390 and is buried under the main altar of St. Paul's Outside the Walls Basilica, has been the subject of an extended excavation that began in 2002 and ended last month.
"These excavations give us the full certainty and knowledge that the sarcophagus is St. Paul's tomb, whether it contains his remains or not," Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, head of the basilica, told the Vatican news conference presenting the findings.
The project's original purpose was to make the sarcophagus, buried under layers of plaster and further hidden by an iron grate, more visible to pilgrims and tourists visiting the basilica.
Work in the small area under the altar, to clear the debris and insert a transparent glass floor for better viewing, unearthed new evidence of the authenticity of the sarcophagus, said Filippi, who headed the project.
"Our purpose was not to find out what was inside, but to confirm that it was the original sarcophagus," Filippi said.
The cardinal stressed they were hoping to find human remains when they eventually decided on how to open the coffin, saying they doubted X-rays would be of help because of the thickness of the marble.
Popular belief holds that bone fragments of the saint's head are in another Rome basilica, St. John Lateran, and the experts said that logically there should be remains in the coffin.
There are small openings — subsequently covered with mortar — in the top of the coffin, because in ancient times people would insert offerings or try to touch the remains.
Filippi said the decision to make the sarcophagus visible again was made after many pilgrims who came to Rome during the Catholic Church's 2000 Jubilee year expressed disappointment at finding that the saint's tomb could not be visited or touched.
The current basilica stands at the site of two churches built in the 4th century over the spot where tradition said the saint had been buried. One of them, built by the Roman emperor Theodosius, left the tomb visible, first above ground and later in a crypt.
When a fire destroyed the church in 1823, the current basilica was built and the ancient crypt was filled with earth and covered by a new altar.
During the recent excavations the apse of one of the ancient churches came to light, in the same area where the sarcophagus is located, proving that the tomb was the focal point of devotion in those early churches, the experts said. A slab of marble with the words "St. Paul apostle" in Latin was also found in the floor of a layer above the tomb. The slab is cracked and needs restoration, the experts said.
"We were always certain that the tomb had to be there, beneath the papal altar," Filippi said.
Paul, along with Peter, are the two main figures known for spreading the Christian faith after the death of Christ. | New archeological discoveries | December 2006 | ['(USA Today)'] |
The Federal Electoral Authority, based on preliminary results, reports the People's Party, headed by the prior chancellor Sebastian Kurz, wins the snap election with 38.4 percent of the vote. Second place Social Democratic Party got 21.5%. , , (National Election Authority ), | Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz won a snap election he called four months ago after his government collapsed because of a scandal engulfing his far-right coalition partner. But the result of Sunday’s vote raised the question of whether he would need to team up again with the far right to form a government, or would shift to the left.
While the scandal — set off by a video revealing the far-right Freedom Party’s openness to Russian influence peddling — did not appear to have dimmed the appeal of Mr. Kurz, it did seriously dent voter support for his former coalition partner. The leftist Greens, on the other hand, saw their support surge.
| Government Job change - Election | September 2019 | ['(BBC)', '(The New York Times)', '(in German)', '(Reuters)'] |
Over 50,000 people protest in Okinawa capital Naha against U.S. military presence on the Japanese island, spurred on by last month's arrest of an U.S. Marine veteran, civilian contractor for the rape and killing of a 20-year-old local woman. | NAHA, Japan (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people gathered in sweltering heat on Japan’s Okinawa island on Sunday in one of the biggest demonstrations in two decades against U.S. military bases, following the arrest of an American suspected of murdering a local woman.
Thousands protest against US bases in Okinawa
01:19
The protest marked a new low for the United States and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in their relations with the island and threatens plans to move the U.S. Marines Futenma air station to a less populous part of the island.
Organizers said 65,000 people attended the rally at a park in central Naha.
“Japan is part of Japan and when you hurt your little finger the whole body feels pain. I want Abe to feel Okinawa’s pain,” said Shigenori Tsuhako, 70, who came to the event because his grand daughter is the same age as the 20-year-old murdered woman, Rina Shimabukuro.
The United States and Japan agreed in 1996 to close Futenma, located in a residential area, after the rape of a 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirl by three U.S. military personnel spurred mass demonstrations.
That plan has been on hold because residents near the proposed relocation site oppose the move, worrying about noise, pollution and crime.
Okinawa assembly members against the move won a majority in the prefectural assembly election this month, providing support for Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga’s plan to have the base move elsewhere.
Speaking to the crowd in Naha, he said he would fight to have those U.S. Marines moved off the island.
Okinawa hosts 50,000 U.S. nationals, including 30,000 military personnel and civilian contractors.
The site of some of the bloodiest fighting between the U.S. and Japan in World War Two, Okinawa remained under American occupation until 1972 and around a fifth of it is still under U.S. military control.
Lieutenant General Lawrence D. Nicholson, commander of the U.S. Marines there, told Reuters on Saturday that Washington may be able to return a 10,000 acre (40.5 square km) tract of jungle early next year, which would be the biggest hand back since 1972.
Yet, with the United States and Japan looking to contain China’s growing might in the East China Sea, the Okinawan island chain, stretching close to Taiwan, is becoming strategically more valuable to military planners.
Japan’s Self Defence Force, which is pivoting away from defending its northern borders, is fortifying the region with radar bases and anti-ship missile batteries.
Last month’s arrest of the U.S. civilian worker prompted the U.S. military to announce a 30-day period of mourning for the victim and restrict off-base drinking in a bid to assuage local anger.
But relations frayed further with the subsequent arrest of a U.S. sailor on Okinawa on suspicion of drunk driving following a car crash.
“All U.S. bases in Japan should close. I want Abe to listen to what the people in Okinawa are saying,” said Ryoko Shimabukuro, a 28-year-old government worker at the protest.
Additional reporting by Teppei Kasai; Editing by Linda Sieg and Kim Coghill
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest | June 2016 | ['(Reuters)', '(AP)', '(The Washington Post)'] |
Eight National Army soldiers are killed during combat with the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Colombia. | At least eight Colombian soldiers have been killed during fighting with left-wing rebels near the Venezuelan border, officials say.
Troops clashed with guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) in the region of La Guajira in the north-east of the country. Seven soldiers were killed at the scene and another died later in hospital. Colombia's Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos said they were investigating the exact circumstances of the attack. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe later asked his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez to help capture the rebels, who he says have fled to Venezuela, reports said. Mr Chavez has regularly denied claims that he supports the Colombian rebels, saying he wants to work for peace. | Armed Conflict | April 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
The LNA captures several more towns in the Tripoli District, including Qasr bin Ghashir, Wadi Rabie and Suq al-Khamis, as well as the town of ‘Aziziya in the Jafara District, to the west of Tripoli. | KHALIFA HAFTAR’S decision would be troubling enough under normal circumstances. On April 4th Libya’s strongest warlord ordered his men to march on Tripoli. His self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) already controls the east and took the south in a lightning offensive earlier this year. Now it turns to the capital, home to a weak United Nations-backed government that has no army of its own. A spokesman claims the LNA already controls three towns along a highway to Tripoli. The closest, Aziziya, is just 40km southwest. “Control” has many meanings in Libya, and the LNA tends to exaggerate its gains; it may be that locals simply let it pass. Regardless, though, it is knocking on the gates of the capital.
In a remarkable stroke of arrogance, the offensive coincides with a visit by António Guterres, the UN’s secretary-general. He is in Libya to prepare for a peace conference this month that, he hoped, would lead to long-delayed elections later this year. If the general does not quickly halt his offensive, the conference will be over before it starts. Libyans and diplomats were stunned by his audacity. One UN official sent a string of confused emojis by way of analysis. | Armed Conflict | April 2019 | ['(Reuters)', '(The Economist)'] |
Women's basketball Mississippi State defeats four-time defending national champion Connecticut 66–64, ending the Huskies' NCAA-record winning streak at 111 games. | .
With the game tied at 64-64, Morgan William hits a pull-up jumper as time expires to lift Mississippi State past UConn and into the title game. (1:10)
DALLAS -- When the final shot beat the buzzer and UConn's record streak was over, Geno Auriemma had to smile.
After all the winning, the Huskies coach could appreciate a thrilling victory -- even from the other side.
UConn's 111-game run came to a stunning end when Mississippi State pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in women's basketball history, winning 66-64 on Morgan William's overtime jumper in the national semifinals Friday night.
"You know what? When stuff like this happens, it kind of makes me shake my head and go, `You know how many times this could have happened and it didn't happen?'" Auriemma said. "The fact that it never happened, that doesn't mean I went home thinking it's never going to happen. I knew this was coming at some point.
"I'm just shocked that it took this long to get here."
The Huskies hadn't lost in 865 days, with that defeat coming to Stanford in overtime on Nov. 17, 2014. Winning had become routine, often by routs. But in an instant, their drive toward a fifth consecutive national championship had been blocked.
When William's jumper dropped, Auriemma broke into that wry smile. He turned to his bench, then went to congratulate the Bulldogs.
"I just kind of shook my head. This kid's had an incredible run," Auriemma said. "When it went in, it was almost like, of course. Of course, it's going to go in."
"Look, nobody's won more than we've won," he said. "I understand losing, believe it or not. We haven't lost in a while, but I understand it. I know how to appreciate when other people win."
It took an incredible shot by Mississippi State's diminutive point guard to end the historic streak.
William hit a 15-footer to cap it, moments after a replay review awarded UConn two free throws for a flagrant 1 foul call that tied the game with 26.6 seconds left.
"I live for moments like this," William said. "UConn, they're an incredible team. For me to make that shot against them, it's unbelievable. I'm still in shock right now. I wanted to take the shot. I wanted to take the shot and I made it."
William's shot came one game after she scored a career-high 41 points to help Mississippi State beat Baylor and advance to its first Final Four.
The Bulldogs (34-4) will play South Carolina for the national championship Sunday night in a matchup of two SEC teams.
Mississippi State and UConn met in the Sweet 16 last season and the Huskies won by 60 points -- the most lopsided win in regional semifinals history. All season the Bulldogs had that humiliating loss on their minds.
Now they've erased that defeat, beating UConn (36-1) on the grandest stage in one of the sport's greatest games.
"I don't have to play them 100 times. Only have to beat them once," Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. "That is one heck of a basketball team, the greatest of all time. But how proud am I of my kids?"
Mississippi State led 64-62 before a replay review gave Katie Lou Samuelson the two free throws that tied the game. After a UConn turnover, William held the ball at the top of the key before dribbling to her right and pulling up for the shot, with the ball in the air when the buzzer sounded.
The Bulldogs ran onto the court, piling up at center court while UConn players stood stone-faced. Schaefer grabbed William in a bear hug, with former Mississippi State star Dak Prescott -- the Dallas Cowboys quarterback -- helping lead the cheers in a sellout crowd.
Prescott said he'd try to come back Sunday for the title game.
UConn rallied from a 16-point deficit, its biggest during its NCAA record streak, to take a 59-56 lead in the fourth quarter. The teams were tied at 60 when the Bulldogs had a chance to win it in regulation, but William's shot was blocked by Gabby Williams, sending the game into overtime.
"Maybe we're just not ready for this. Maybe we were ready for everything else, but maybe we're just not mature enough for this," Auriemma said. "Maybe all our young kids needed to experience this so that we can come back and really be ready for this."
Neither team scored much in OT, with Teaira McCowan's layup with 1:12 left in the extra session breaking a 62-62 tie. It was the lone basket for Mississippi State in OT until William's game winner.
During their past two decades of dominance, when they've won 11 national championships, the Huskies rarely found themselves trailing -- let alone by double digits. This was the first time this season that UConn was losing in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs got off to a great start, taking it right at the Huskies like not many teams had done during the streak. The Bulldogs led 15-13 before scoring 14 straight points to go up 29-13. It was the biggest deficit UConn had faced during its historic streak and one of the largest during the past 22 years.
The Huskies rallied to within 29-25 as senior Saniya Chong scored seven points during a 12-0 run. Mississippi State answered and was up 36-28 at the half.
UConn came back in the third quarter behind its trio of All-Americans with Williams, Napheesa Collier and Samuelson keying a 12-3 run to start the second half. That run brought Huskies alums Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore, who were sitting 20 rows behind the UConn bench, to their feet.
"We had an incredible run, but we came up against a much better team tonight," Auriemma said.
Streak buster - The loss ended a 28-game NCAA tournament winning streak for UConn. The last loss came to Notre Dame in 2012 in the Final Four. That was the last OT game in the national semifinals.
QB connection - Prescott wasn't the only quarterback in attendance on Friday night. Donovan McNabb was also in Dallas, cheering on niece Kia Nurse, who stars for Connecticut. Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was supporting his sister Anna, who is a freshman at Stanford in the first game.
Good morning, Mississippi - "Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts was sitting at center court. She was cheering on the Bulldogs, who hail from her home state. Roberts brought out a Bulldogs jersey on her morning show. | Sports Competition | March 2017 | ['(AP via ESPN)'] |
Two men who were photographed carrying plastic hand restraints in the Senate chamber during the storming of the United States Capitol, are arrested in Tennessee and Texas. | U.S. counterterrorism prosecutors are investigating two men who allegedly wore tactical gear and held plastic restraints or zip ties in the U.S. Senate during the breach of the U.S. Capitol last week, the Justice Department announced. The men were arrested Sunday.
Larry Rendell Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was arrested in Texas and charged with one count of knowingly entering a restricted building and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct, prosecutors said.
Brock identified himself to the New Yorker last week as the man photographed in the well of the Senate chamber wearing a green combat helmet, tactical vest, and black and camo jacket. The photo shows the man holding a white flex cuff, used by police to restrain subjects, prosecutors said. The man in the photo was also recorded apparently exiting the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
A mob insurrection stoked by false claims of election fraud and promises of violent restoration
Eric Gavelek Munchel, arrested in Tennessee, was charged with the same counts, prosecutors said, after being allegedly photographed climbing over a railing in the Senate gallery carrying plastic restraints, a holstered object on his right hip and a cellphone mounted on his chest.
Information about attorneys was not immediately available for the two men, who did not respond to requests for comment by The Washington Post but have given news interviews explaining their actions.
The cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington and the counterterrorism section of the Justice Department’s national security division, with assistance from federal authorities in northern Texas and central Tennessee.
Counterterrorism authorities are involved in a wide range of cases, and their participation speaks more to the focus of the Justice Department’s investigation of Wednesday’s events than the actions of any particular defendant, analysts noted.
FBI agents are exploring whether some of those who stormed the Capitol intended to do more than disrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s November victory, including whether anyone sought to kill or capture lawmakers or their staffers, The Post has previously reported.
Their work includes trying to determine the motivations of those who had weapons or other gear suggestive of a plot to do physical harm. Zip ties, for example, are a plastic version of handcuffs.
FBI focuses on whether some Capitol rioters intended to harm lawmakers or take hostages
Brock joins a growing list of military veterans who have been arrested and charged in connection with extremist events over the last few years, including the August 2017 white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
Brock, 53, a father of three from Grapevine, Tex., retired from the Air Force as deputy director of its admissions liaison officer program, which oversees personnel who recruit prospective military officers, the Air Force said. An Air Force official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Sunday night that Brock’s role in that position was administrative in nature and “fairly removed from students.” The official said it was possible that Brock did occasionally interact with students before retiring.
He previously served as an A-10 pilot, the Air Force said. And the New Yorker reported that he said in an interview that he had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Brock spoke to the magazine after members of the public traced him down partly through patches on his helmet and armor, which included the insignia of the 706th Fighter Squadron and a vinyl tag of the Texas flag overlaid on the skull logo of the Punisher, a Marvel comic-book character who has been adopted by police and military groups, and, more recently, by white supremacists and followers of the QAnon far-right conspiracy theory.
Brock denied to the New Yorker that he held racist views, echoed Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud and said he assumed he was welcome to enter the building.
“The President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important, because of how much I love this country, to actually be there,” he said, according to the New Yorker.
An FBI arrest affidavit cited two tips about Brock it received based on his photograph, including from one person who said Brock’s associates at a defense contractor where he previously worked knew he was traveling to D.C.
Interviews with family members and a close friend indicate Brock’s political views had become increasingly radical in the past few years, to the point of alienating those closest to him.
But Brock told the New Yorker that he did not identify as part of any organized group. Brock added that he wore tactical gear because “I didn’t want to get stabbed or hurt,” citing “B.L.M. and antifa” as potential aggressors. He said he had found the zip-tie handcuffs on the floor.
“My thought process there was I would pick them up and give them to an officer when I see one ... I didn’t do that because I had put them in my coat, and I honestly forgot about them,” he told the magazine.
Online sleuths who linked Munchel to the man in the Senate gallery carrying zip ties said the person photographed wore a patch on his tactical vest in the shape of Tennessee with a thin blue line, a pro-police symbol.
Munchel, 30, and his mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 57, spoke with the Sunday Times as they were leaving D.C. and confirmed they were inside the building during the riot.
“It was a kind of flexing of muscles,” Munchel told the publication. “The intentions of going in were not to fight the police. The point of getting inside the building is to show them that we can, and we will.”
Munchel did not mention to the Times whether he was carrying restraints.
He, family members and neighbors did not respond to calls from The Post.
Military veterans have criticized Brock, saying an active-duty service member who participated in the riot could face court-martial.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | January 2021 | ['(The Washington Post)'] |
A retired police officer shoots a man dead and minorly wounds his wife after an argument about the victim texting in a Tampa, Florida cinema. | UPDATE 5:45 p.m. According to multiple reports, the shooting occurred after an apparent argument over an audience member texting during a screening of “Lone Survivor.” The suspect was identified as Curtis Reeves, a retired Tampa police officer, according to News 13. He has been charged with second-degree murder.
The Orlando TV station website identified the victims as Chad and Nicole Oulson, a married couple.
ORIGINAL STORY An argument between couples over cellphone use at a Florida theater Monday led to one man being fatally shot and woman wounded, according to police who said a suspect was in custody.
Two couples had been watching “Lone Survivor” at The Grove 16 Theater in Wesley Chapel, north of Tampa, when the suspect and his wife apparently took issue with the couple in front of them over use of the phones, Pasco County Sheriff’s spokesman Doug Tobin said.
“It ended almost as quickly as it started,” Tobin said. Someone he described as a Good Samaritan was able to hold the suspect until police arrived.
Charles Cummings was at the theater for his birthday with his adult son and told a group of reporters that the show was still in previews when the two couples started arguing.
Cummings said the man in the back row got up and left the auditorium, presumably to get a manager. But he came back after a few minutes, without a manager and appearing upset. Moments later, the argument between the two men resumed, and the man in the front row stood up. Cummings said the men started raising their voices.
“Somebody throws popcorn. I’m not sure who threw the popcorn,” Cummings said. “And then bang, he was shot.”
Cummings said the man who was shot fell onto him and his son. Cummings said his son went to call 911, while Cummings and another patron who claimed to be a nurse began performing CPR on the victim.
A man sitting next to the shooter grabbed the gun out of his hand, and the suspect did not attempt to get away, Cummings said.
“I can’t believe people would bring a pistol, a gun, to a movie,” Cummings said. “I can’t believe they would argue and fight and shoot one another over popcorn. Over a cellphone.”
Both victims were taken by ambulance to a Tampa-area hospital, where the man died, Tobin said. The woman’s injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. | Armed Conflict | January 2014 | ['(Huffington Post)'] |
February 2013 nor'easter: A massive blizzard hits the northeastern United States and southeastern regions of Canada, with over 5,000 flights cancelled and at least 600,000 thousand people losing power. | A major snowstorm is hitting the north-eastern US and eastern Canada, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power and paralysing transport.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut and Maine are all on an emergency footing, with millions of residents being warned to stay indoors.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has temporarily banned all non-essential traffic on the state's roads. Meteorologists say the storm could be New England's worst for decades.
Airlines cancelled more than 5,000 flights - including all those to and from the three major airports in New York City - and the train operator Amtrak has suspended nearly all services north of the city.
People have been warned to stay off the roads, and stock up on food and other supplies as the storm affects 25 million people in the region.
More than 600,000 homes and businesses are without power in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
A nuclear power station in Massachusetts also lost power and was forced to shut down. Back-up generators are operating equipment and there is no threat to the public, officials said.
Canadians on the Atlantic Coast are also bracing for blizzards after heavy snow fell on Ontario.
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are under blizzard or storm watches.
Ontario has already seen 200 vehicle accidents, the CBC reported. At least three people have been killed.
One US man in his 70s also died when he lost control of his vehicle in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Blizzard warnings are in effect for much of the coastal section of the north-eastern US, from Newark to southern Maine.
Forecasters said the storm could dump as much as three feet (90cm) of snow in some places as it hammered swathes of territory, with winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) expected to create deep drifts.
Police in New York say hundreds of cars are stuck on the Long Island Expressway, with officers trying to help the drivers to safety.
Parts of Massachusetts were under two feet of snow, with more expected over the weekend. "This is a storm of major proportions," warned Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. "Stay off the roads. Stay home."
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said: "People need to take this storm seriously. Please stay home once the weather gets bad except in the case of real emergency."
In New York City, which is expecting a 12in (30cm) snowfall, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said snow ploughs and 250,000 tonnes of salt were being put on standby.
The storm has also disrupted New York Fashion Week, which is held under a big tent. Organisers say they will bring in extra crews to help with snow removal and add an extra layer of tenting to the venue. Some parts in the city are still recovering from Sandy, an October storm that brought record flooding. Many of those areas face a renewed risk of storm surge and flooding from the winter storm.
Fuel shortages were being reported from Connecticut to New York City as motorists queued at petrol stations to fill up vehicles, generators and snow blowers.
Mayor Bloomberg urged residents not to panic-buy fuel.
The National Weather Service had earlier said the combination of two weather systems from the polar and sub-tropical jet streams would produce a "potentially historic" storm.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | February 2013 | ['(BBC)', '(CNN)', '(NBC News)', '(CBC News)'] |
More than 26,000 people in Moscow participate in the largest demonstration so far against Russian president Vladimir Putin and the War in Donbass. | Thousands of people have marched in Moscow to protest against Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict. People carrying Russian and Ukrainian flags chanted "No to war!" and "Stop lying!" Similar rallies took place in St Petersburg and other Russian cities.
Ukraine accuses Russia of arming rebels in the east and sending Russian troops across the border. Moscow denies this.
More than 3,000 people have died in fighting since April.
A truce was agreed on 5 September but there have been repeated violations since then.
The fighting began after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in March - a move condemned by Ukraine and the West.
Moscow police said about 5,000 protesters took part in Sunday's demonstration but a reporter for the AP news agency estimated that the crowd was at least 20,000-strong. The organisers said the numbers were far higher for a march they described as a protest against Russia's "aggressive foreign policy".
The demonstrators marched from Pushkin Square to Sakharov Avenue in central Moscow.
Police stepped up security in the capital and there were only minor scuffles reported between rival demonstrators. It is Russia's first major anti-war rally since the fighting began five months ago in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A number of supporters of the pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine held their own rally in Moscow.
Vladimir Varfolomeyev, a journalist from Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio station, on the anti-war march turnout: "50,000, in my view, is a conservative estimate. Most likely it was slightly bigger."
Oleg Kashin, a correspondent with Kommersant newspaper, said: "The party of peace ended up on top today. And the party of war lost. And that's fantastic." Kristina Potupchik, a pro-Kremlin blogger, wrote: "The organisers preferred to forget the fact that there is currently a ceasefire in Ukraine, which was achieved partly due to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin personally."
"Look at this coven of orcs with flags of Nato and [Ukrainian nationalist group] Right Sector in Moscow. Does Russia need all this pestilence?" former professional boxer Nikolay Valuyev tweeted.
Source: BBC Monitoring
In Ukraine, fighting was reported to be continuing on Sunday close to the city of Donetsk despite an agreement on Friday to set up a 30km (19 miles) buffer zone as part of the Minsk memorandum.
The government in Kiev said its military forces would not pull back until pro-Russian forces stop firing and Russian troops leave. Russia denies that its forces are involved. Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said violations of the ceasefire continued, telling reporters: "In the last 24 hours we have lost two Ukrainian soldiers, eight have been wounded."
On Saturday, Gen Philip Breedlove, Nato's supreme commander in Europe, said the ceasefire existed "in name only".
He said the numbers of artillery rounds fired recently was comparable to periods before the truce came into effect two weeks ago.
Gen Breedlove said that since last week, some Russian forces inside Ukraine had returned to Russia but remained available to "bring their military force to bear on Ukraine".
| Protest_Online Condemnation | September 2014 | ['(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)', '(BBC)'] |
Chinese police recommend that prosecutors formally charge dissident Liu Xiaobo for "subversion of state power" after he was detained for a year without trial. | Chinese police have recommended that prosecutors formally charge top dissident Liu Xiaobo with inciting subversion, his lawyer has said.
Mr Liu has been detained for a year without charge. Mr Liu was detained on 8 December 2008 after co-authoring Charter 08, a manifesto urging political reform. The likely charge of "inciting subversion to state power" is routinely used against anyone criticising the Chinese Communist Party. "The public security organs feel the [prosecutors] should charge him and have recommended that they do so," Mr Shang said after seeing a copy of the recommendation. "It is two-fold. One part relates to Charter 08 while the other relates to articles of his posted on the internet after 2005," Mr Shang said. "This marks the end of the investigation phase and the beginning of the prosecution phase," he said. 'Citizens' movement'
Mr Liu is a writer and former university professor who has spent much of his time since being a leader in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests either in prison or under various forms of house arrest or close monitoring.
He has continued to write and publish his writings on the internet, calling for democratic pluralism in China. Charter 08 is a petition first circulated online last year that calls for human rights protection and the reform of China's one-party communist system. "We hope that our fellow citizens who feel a similar sense of crisis, responsibility, and mission, whether they are inside the government or not, and regardless of their social status, will set aside small differences to embrace the broad goals of this citizens' movement," the Charter says. It has been signed by more than 10,000 people, including leading intellectuals, writers and dissidents, according to Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a network of activists. Since Mr Liu's arrest, Western governments, rights groups, scholars and a group of Nobel Prize winners have called for his release. His wife, Liu Xia, and a range of rights groups last week renewed those calls as the anniversary of his detention approached. Liu Xia says she has not seen or spoken to her husband since March when police arranged a short, supervised meeting for the couple in a Beijing hotel room. She said she was "outraged" after reading the three-page investigator's report. "This report alleges that his crime is very serious and I expect they will try to jail him for 10 years or more," she said. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(Radio Television Hong Kong)', '(New York Times)'] |
In Guinea–Bissau, electoral commission declares João Bernardo Vieira winner of the presidential election with a 52–55% majority | Mr Vieira, known as Nino, came to power in a coup and ruled for 18 years until overthrown in 1999 by the armed forces.
Hours before the provisional results were announced, a spokesman for Mr Vieira's rival said he would reject the results because of fraud allegations.
Rival supporters briefly clashed in the capital after the announcement.
The election is intended to end years of coups and political instability.
During his campaign, Mr Vieira described himself as a gift of God to the people of Guinea-Bissau coming back to once again lead them to development and prosperity. Rumours
Mr Viera took 55% of the vote compared to 44% gained by his challenger Malam Bacai Sanha, the electoral commission said. NINO VIEIRA
1980: Seized power in a coup
1994: Won elections
1999: Ousted in a coup 2005: Wins run-off with 55.75%
Support base: Urban youth
Make or break poll
Both candidates had previously promised to respect the outcome of the election but a spokesman for Mr Sanha, Desejado Lima Da Costa said there had been fraud in two places, including the capital, Bissau, which must be addressed first.
He also criticised the head of the electoral commission for refusing requests for a recount.
European monitors said voting was "calm and organised".
Mr Sanha gained the most votes in the first round of voting.
Before the results were announced, electoral commission spokeswoman Vera Cabral Monteiro said: "The results will be published Thursday if we have all of the security guarantees in place."
"Without those guarantees, we cannot release the results, even though we have them. We cannot endanger people's lives."
There were some disturbances during campaigning, and one person was killed when police opened fire on former President Kumba Yala's supporters protesting against his failure to make the run-off.
An attack by gunmen on the country's presidential palace and interior ministry also raised tensions ahead of the poll.
Guinea-Bissau won independence from Portugal in 1974, but has had a chequered history of coups and military dictatorships ever since.
Mr Sanha's PAIGC party ruled the country from independence until it was overthrown by Mr Vieira in 1980.
Mr Vieira then won presidential polls in 1994, but was himself overthrown in 1999 as the country descended into civil war. | Government Job change - Election | July 2005 | ['(Reuters AlertNet)', '(BBC)'] |
Kenneth Kendall, who became the BBC's first in–vision television newsreader in 1955, dies aged 88. | The one-time presenter of the popular UK game show Treasure Hunt suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and died peacefully, his agent confirmed.
He joined the BBC as a radio announcer, later moving to TV where he became the first newsreader to appear in vision.
He also featured in the Doctor Who serial The War Machines and had a cameo role as a newsreader in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The first newsreader to appear in vision on BBC television in 1955, Kendall also worked occasionally for ITN in the 1960s. He was voted the most popular newscaster by Daily Mirror readers in 1979. Recognised for his elegant sense of style, he received an award for best-dressed newsreader by Style International. Wincey Willis, a former weather presenter and current BBC radio presenter, paid tribute to Kendall on Twitter.
She said: "[He] was a lovely man, very kind to me when I started Treasure Hunt. We were good friends. He was very funny and we both loved dogs RIP."
Born in India, Kendall became the face of the BBC Nine O'Clock News by 1975. He left the corporation in 1981, later joining Channel 4's Treasure Hunt, a gameshow which saw him direct Anneka Rice around the country in a helicopter to search for clues.
Speaking to the BBC, Rice said Kendall was a "truly great broadcaster".
"It was extraordinary when Kenneth joined Treasure Hunt because he was this very respected urbane newsreader, very serious, and I think it was genius casting. It allowed him to show a completely different side to his personality.
"He's going to be remembered for [playing] an important part of television history," she added, "starting in radio and television, the first in vision newsreader and finishing up on a reality TV show, probably the first of its kind. Again another iconic television moment.
"I'm very pleased he's got that recognition because he was an extraordinary person, very clever."
Rice met up with Kendall in more recent years as they lived in the same town, Cowes, on the Isle of Wight and shared a love of art.
"My one sadness is that we did talk, jokingly - obviously - that we would get together for one final Treasure Hunt, and sadly he's missed that moment," Added Rice.
Kendall returned to the BBC in 2010 to appear in a show called The Young Ones which featured six celebrities examining the problems of ageing.
He retired to Cowes on the Isle of Wight where he ran an art gallery with his longtime partner Mark Fear.
Acting BBC director-general Tim Davie said: "As the first British newsreader ever to appear on our TV screens in 1955, the passing of Kenneth Kendall is a sad moment in broadcasting history.
"Kenneth will be remembered for his long and successful career in both radio and later TV and, of course, for his much remarked- upon elegant sense of style.
"As one of the broadcasting greats, he will be hugely missed by colleagues across the BBC."
| Famous Person - Death | December 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
More than 114 anti-coup protesters are killed by the military as junta leader Min Aung Hlaing celebrates Armed Forces Day and promises to "protect people and strive for democracy". The protests erupted across the country despite a warning by state television that protesters could be "shot in the head and back". | (Reuters) -Myanmar security forces killed 114 people, including some children, in a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on Saturday, the bloodiest day of violence since last month’s military coup, news reports and witnesses said.
The killings, which took place on Armed Forces Day, drew strong renewed criticism from Western countries. British Ambassador Dan Chugg said the security forces had “disgraced themselves” and the U.S. envoy called the violence horrifying.
Military jets also launched air strikes on a village in territory controlled by an armed group from the Karen ethnic minority and at least two people were killed, a civil society group said.
Earlier, the Karen National Union said it had overrun an army post near the Thai border, killing 10 people - including a lieutenant colonel - and losing one of its own fighters as tensions with the military surged after years of relative peace.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader, said during a parade to mark Armed Forces Day that the military would protect the people and strive for democracy.
Demonstrators turned out on Saturday in Yangon, Mandalay and other towns, as they have done almost daily since the Feb. 1 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Myanmar Now news portal said 114 people were killed across the country in crackdowns on the protests.
At least 40 people, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed in Mandalay, and at least 27 people were killed in Yangon, Myanmar Now said. A boy as young as five was earlier reported among the dead in Mandalay but there were conflicting reports later that he may have survived. Another 13-year-old was among the dead in the central Sagaing region.
“Today is a day of shame for the armed forces,” Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for CRPH, an anti-junta group set up by deposed lawmakers, told an online forum.
Related Coverage
A military spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment on the killings by security forces, the air strikes or the insurgent attack on its post.
“They are killing us like birds or chickens, even in our homes,” said Thu Ya Zaw in the central town of Myingyan, where at least two protesters were killed. “We will keep protesting regardless... We must fight until the junta falls.”
The deaths on Saturday would take the number of civilians reported killed since the coup to over 440.
‘TERROR AND DISHONOUR’
U.S. Ambassador Thomas Vajda said on social media: “This bloodshed is horrifying,” adding “Myanmar’s people have spoken clearly: they do not want to live under military rule”.
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the killing of unarmed civilians and children marked a new low, while the EU delegation to Myanmar said Saturday would “forever stay engraved as a day of terror and dishonour.”
News reports said there were deaths in Sagaing, Lashio in the east, in the Bago region, near Yangon, and elsewhere. A one-year-old baby was hit in the eye with a rubber bullet.
Min Aung Hlaing, speaking at the parade in the capital Naypyitaw, reiterated a promise to hold elections, without giving any time-frame.
“The army seeks to join hands with the entire nation to safeguard democracy,” he said in a live broadcast on state television. “Violent acts that affect stability and security in order to make demands are inappropriate.”
The military has said it took power because November elections won by Suu Kyi’s party were fraudulent, an assertion dismissed by the country’s election commission. Suu Kyi remains in detention at an undisclosed location and many other figures in her party are also in custody.
RUSSIA ‘A TRUE FRIEND’
New U.S. and European sanctions this week increased external pressure on the junta, but the condemnation is not universal.
Russia’s deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin attended the parade in Naypyitaw, having met senior junta leaders a day earlier.
“Russia is a true friend,” Min Aung Hlaing said.
Diplomats said eight countries - Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand - sent representatives, but Russia was the only one to send a minister to the parade on Armed Forces Day, which commemorates the start of the resistance to Japanese occupation in 1945.
Support from Russia and China, which has also refrained from criticism, is important for the junta as those two countries are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and can block potential U.N. actions.
In a warning on Friday evening, state television said protesters were “in danger of getting shot to the head and back”. It did not specifically say security forces had been given shoot-to-kill orders and the junta has previously suggested some fatal shootings have come from within the crowds.
Gunshots hit the U.S. cultural centre in Yangon on Saturday, but nobody was hurt and the incident was being investigated, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Aryani Manring said.
Author and historian Thant Myint-U wrote on Twitter: “Even after weeks of appalling violence, today’s killing of civilians is shocking both in nature and scale, with again children amongst the dead, and deserves the world’s concerted attention and help.”
| Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2021 | ['(Reuters)', '(WGAU)'] |
Riccardo Muti resigns as music director of La Scala opera house, Milan after 18 years, following a vote of no–confidence by 700 orchestra members and staff last month. | The Italian maestro, who has held the post since 1986, said his resignation was "an obligatory choice".
The resignation comes after more than 700 orchestra members and staff demanded Mr Muti step down last month.
The conflict, over the sacking of a senior La Scala official, prompted a slew of cancelled performances.
Concern among staff was prompted by the dismissal in February of Carlo Fontana - who had headed the theatre since 1990. The theatre board cited "differences" with Mr Muti.
The theatrical show of hostility from people I have worked with for nearly 20 years has made it utterly impossible to continue our relationship
Riccardo Muti
Mr Fontana was succeeded by Mauro Meli, whose resignation staff also called for, following a vote of no-confidence on 16 March.
Of the opera house's 800 staff, only two members of staff supported Mr Muti.
Mr Muti is hailed as one of the world's great conductors, but has been criticised for his autocratic style and holding back on innovation.
"Despite the great esteem the board of directors has for me, the theatrical show of hostility from people I have worked with for nearly 20 years has made it utterly impossible to continue our relationship, which has to be based on harmony and trust," he said in a statement on Saturday.
"Making music together is not just a team effort. It requires us to respect each other, to share our passion and to understand each other - feelings I thought underpinned these 20 years of work at La Scala," Mr Muti added. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | April 2005 | ['(BBC)'] |
The Vatican announces that the 2013 papal conclave to select a new pope will begin on March 12. | VATICAN CITY — The College of Cardinals will convene Tuesday to begin the formal process of selecting a new pope to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, the Vatican announced Friday.
In their eighth general congregation, or pre-conclave meeting, the cardinals voted to start the conclave Tuesday afternoon, after a morning “pro eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The cardinals will convene inside the Sistine Chapel, and they are sworn to secrecy and barred from contact with the outside world until their deliberations are complete. Voting begins the first afternoon. | Government Job change - Election | March 2013 | ['(The Washington Post)'] |
In American football, Alabama defeats Ohio State to win the national championship. | Follow NBC News MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — DeVonta Smith was uncoverable, Najee Harris unstoppable and Mac Jones impeccable. With a performance that was both surgical and explosive, No. 1 Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 3 Ohio State on Monday night.
The final game of a college football season in a pandemic, a season that was uncertain to be played in the summer and filled with disruptions in the fall, ended in the most predictable fashion: Alabama (13-0) as national champion for the sixth time in the last 12 years under coach Nick Saban.
For Saban, it was career title No. 7 overall, breaking a tie with Alabama great Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most by a major college coach.
Ohio State (7-1) just couldn't keep up. Justin Fields, playing what might be his last game before heading to the NFL, passed for 194 yards and a touchdown. Whether Fields was 100% after taking a brutal hit to the side during his brilliant semifinal performance against Clemson was hard to know for sure.
On the Buckeyes' first drive, they lost star running back Trey Sermon to an injury and in a game they needed to be running at top speed, facing one of great offenses in recent history, they sputtered too much. Ohio State has never allowed more points in a bowl game.
Fans can debate which team in the Saban dynasty is best, but none will be more memorable than this group. The Tide finished perfect during a season that could not have been further from it as COVID-19 forced teams into quarantines and endless testing and uncertainty every single week with games played in mostly empty stadiums.
Only about 15,000 fans were at Hard Rock Stadium, capacity 65,326, to see the last magnificent performance of Smith's college career.
The Heisman Trophy winner had catches for 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half as the Crimson Tide bolted out to a 35-17 lead.
Using an array of motions and misdirections, outgoing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had Ohio State heads spinning trying to track down Smith.
Sometimes it was simpler than that. On Smith's third touchdown, he lined up in the slot, the closest to the line of three receivers on the left side. Smith cut quickly to the middle of the field and suddenly was matched up against a linebacker, whom he left in the dust for a 42-yard score with 41 seconds left in the second quarter.
Smith, who finished his freshman season by catching the 2017 national championship winning touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa, ended his Alabama career as the leading career receiver in Southeastern Conference history. He was the offensive player of Monday night's game.
As for Sarkisian, he is on his way to Texas as the head coach. Longhorns fans had to have liked what they saw from their new playcaller. If only he could bring Smith and his fellow Heisman contenders to Austin.
Jones, who finished third in the Heisman voting, was 36 for 45 for a CFP championship-record 464 yards and five touchdowns, operating behind a line that had him rarely feeling rushed. Harris had 158 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches, scoring three times to give him an SEC record 30 touchdowns this season.
Smith hardly played in the second half, leaving with what an injury. He returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter with his left hand wrapped to the wrist, two fingers taped together, and wearing a Heisman mask.
Alabama hardly missed him and cracked 50 early in the fourth quarter when Harris went in untouched from a yard out.
Smith and Harris surprised some by returning to college after last season for their senior years.
Boy, did it turn out to be worthwhile. Along with Jones, another member of that 2017 recruiting class, they will leave Alabama as the leaders of a team that managed to make an arduous march from through the pandemic look easy. | Sports Competition | January 2021 | ['(NBC News)'] |
Storms hit the American state of Texas causing at least two deaths with one person reported missing. Rivers overflowed as more than a foot of rain fell in some areas while tornadoes ripped through buildings outside San Antonio. | At least two people are dead and another two are missing after storms thundered through parts of Texas Friday, dumping more than a foot of rain on some areas and causing flash floods that trapped school buses and other vehicles, officials said.
The body of a driver who went missing in the floods was found in Travis County Friday, the county Office of Emergency Management said.
Another body was found at Joint Base San Antonio Camp Bullis in Bexar County after a driver was swept away in flood waters on Camp Bullis Road at around 6:15 a.m., base spokesman Oscar Balladares said. The driver's identity was not released, but Balladares said he was a contract employee.
Two people are missing in the Austin area: an elderly woman last seen at her home and a 37-year-old man last seen in his car on the state highway, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Department.
PHOTOS: Violent Storms Batter Central Texas
A possible tornado tossed a tractor-trailer onto the roof of a hotel in Floresville, Texas, and damaged cars and homes.
In the San Antonio area, four special needs students and two adults were rescued from a bus that became trapped in floodwaters just after 7 a.m., the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said.
Another bus with three students and two adults on board became trapped by high water, and five vehicles flooded in other parts of the county, the sheriff’s office said. There were no injuries.
An estimated 14 inches of rain fell near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Friday, the National Weather Service said. Parts of Travis County got 7 inches of rain in just an hour and a half, the weather service said.
"We really couldn't take this type of rainfall that we've seen today," National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Runyen told The Associated Press.
Homes were ordered evacuated along the San Marcos and Blanco rivers, authorities said.The Blanco River, where a house with nine people inside was swept away in May, surged to more than 26 feet, or 13 feet above flood stage, on Friday. The river later subsided.
"We didn't know where we were going, it was dark — the water was rising so fast," Kathleen Haney, who was trapped at a bed and breakfast near Wimberley, said.
A possible tornado was reported in Hays County on Friday afternoon, and authorities in other towns said they had spotted twisters and the damaging effects of high winds.
Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said a tornado touched down in D'Hanis, 50 miles west of San Antonio, destroying a bank and damaging other buildings in the tiny town of about 550 residents, reported NBC affiliate WOAI.
A tornado is also believed to have damaged a high school gymnasium in Floresville, southeast of San Antonio, early Friday, according to The Weather Channel. There were occupants inside the school, but no immediate reports of injuries. In response, the local school district said it was canceling school Friday.
Much of Texas, including the San Antonio area, is still recovering from heavy rains that battered the region last week, as remnants of Hurricane Patricia washed over the state.
The rainfall triggered flash flood warnings and caused a train to overturn on waterlogged tracks south of Dallas.
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | October 2015 | ['(NBC News)', '(Reuters)'] |
In the stand–off between Britain and Ecuador over Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gives a speech critical of the United States' policy against Wikileaks, "dragging us all in a dark, repressive world in which journalists live under fear of prosecution", from the balcony of Ecuador's London embassy. | The WikiLeaks founder calls for the US to end its ‘war on whistleblowers’ but gives no hint as to how his extradition deadlock will be resolved.
Mr Assange, who is wanted in Sweden for questioning on sexual assault allegations, entered the Ecuadorian embassy seeking asylum on 19 June and has been inside for the last two months.
Last week it was announced he had been granted asylum, sparking a diplomatic row between Ecuador, Sweden and the British government, which insists it is legally obliged to hand Mr Assange over to the Swedish authorities.
Mr Assange appeared on the balcony of the building in London’s exclusive Knightsbridge. If he were to step outside the building, which is guarded by a heavy police presence, he would face immediate arrest.
Mr Assange denies the allegations and fears being transferred on to America if he travels to Sweden to contest them. He enraged the US government in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published tranches of secret US diplomatic cables.
He told the waiting crowd the US had to decide whether it stayed true to its founding principles or creates a “dangerous and oppressive world” for journalists.
He added: “I ask President Obama to do the right thing. The United States must renounce its witch hunt against WikiLeaks. The United States must dissolve its FBI investigation. The United States must vow that it will not seek to prosecute our staff or our supporters.
“The United States administration’s war on whistleblowers must end.”
Mr Assange called for the release of whistleblowers including Bradley Manning, a US army intelligence analyst suspected of leaking the information, who is being held at an American military base and faces up to 52 years in jail.
The WikiLeaks founder thanked Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa for granting him asylum, a move backed by other Latin American states this week.
President Correa has justified granting asylum by saying Ecuador wanted “to guarantee that he is not extradited to a third country, which could put his life in danger”.
Mr Assange ended his short address by referring to the jailing of the Russian punk collective Pussy Riot this week, saying: “There is unity in the oppression. There must be absolute unity and determination in the response.”
He left the crowd with few clues as to how the drama will play itself out or whether there is a realistic hope of him being allowed to leave the embassy and travel to Ecuador without being arrested.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has made it clear that Mr Assange will not be granted safe passage if he leaves the embassy and the building, close to the Harrods department store in central London, has been guarded by a heavy police presence since Wednesday.
Not all Ecuadorians think their country has taken the moral high ground by making the offer of asylum.
Cesar Ricaurte, a campaigner for press freedom and director of the Andean Foundation for the Observation and Study of Media, said it is hypocritical to defend freedom of speech abroad when journalists were persecuted at home. “I’m concerned that the basis for granting the asylum was not very solid,” he said. “The Ecuadorian government’s arguments were based on hypotheses and possibilities, which are not a good basis for international policy.”
Others criticised Ecuador for getting involved in a dispute that is not their concern. “Ecuador is involved in a problem between Great Britain, Sweden, the US, and so on. Ecuador would have been better to have nothing to do with this,” said Ramiro Crespo, director of think tank Analytica.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | August 2012 | ['(Channel 4)', '(BBC)', '(Fox News)'] |
The meeting in Doha, Qatar, of the world's top oil producers, from both OPEC and non–OPEC countries, fails to agree on an output freeze. Oil analysts say the failure was due to Iran's non–participation, and Saudi Arabia linking its cooperation to Iran's inclusion. Oil prices drop in early Asian trading and on the New York Mercantile Exchange. | Nations representing almost 60 percent of the world’s oil production will gather in Doha on April 17 to discuss "freezing their output at January levels" in an effort to stabilize prices. According to Bloomberg, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela made a preliminary deal in February and are seeking to add more producers and extend the recent price recovery, but, despite the exuberant squeeze early this week, oil prices are fading modestly as D(oha)-Day looms.
(Click to enlarge)
While the mainstream narrative is that "everyone is short" on oil into this decision, Oil ETF shorts hover near 4-month lows and, as Citi notes, given that there is only an hour allocated for closed door discussions with a press conference right after, there is unlikely to be agreement. If there is no agreement, then expect a sharp oil market sell-off on Monday.
(Click to enlarge)
Bloomberg Q&A:
Who’s going?
In addition to the four signatories to the preliminary deal, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Nigeria, Oman and the United Arab Emirates will attend.
Who’s not attending?
Some of the world’s biggest producers including the U.S., Canada, China, Brazil and Norway won’t be showing up. Among the 13 nations in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, only Libya -- whose output is crippled by conflict -- has ruled out going to Doha. The key OPEC member resisting a production freeze is Iran. While it will send a representative to observe the discussions in Doha, Iran has insisted it won’t constrain production before restoring output to pre-sanctions levels. Related: U.S. Oil Industry Fears That New Regulation Could Cost $25B
How likely is an agreement?
Forty traders and analysts surveyed by Bloomberg this week were evenly split on whether there will be a deal. While Russia’s Energy Ministry is “optimistic” and Qatar’s has a “positive feeling,” Saudi Arabia has said it will only cap its output if Iran follows suit -- a notion Tehran has dismissed as “ridiculous.”
What impact would a freeze have on oil prices?
Crude has rallied more than 30 percent to above $40 a barrel since the preliminary freeze accord in mid-February prompted a shift in market sentiment. A final accord could lock that gain in place, or even extend it to $50, said Bank of America Corp. Yet a freeze will do little to mop up the glut because Saudi Arabia and Russia -- the world’s biggest crude producers -- are already pumping near record levels. Morgan Stanley said “our downbeat oil view is unchanged” by the prospects of a freeze.
How much oil supply is at stake?
Producers that have confirmed they will consider joining the freeze produce about 47 million barrels a day of crude. Many of those nations were already pumping flat out in January, with little scope for increasing output. Russia and Saudi Arabia both held production steady this year, even before a final agreement to freeze.
(Click to enlarge)
Production from the 11 members of OPEC that are backing the agreement is already almost half a million barrels a day lower than January.
Would the freeze make a difference?
With most Doha participants already expected to keep output steady, much more important for the oil market will be what happens in the U.S. and Iran. Declining shale oil production is expected to make up the lion’s share of the 710,000 barrel-a-day reduction in output from non-OPEC countries this year, according to the IEA. Iran plans to increase production by about 700,000 barrels a day this year from the 3.3 million pumped in March. Related: IEA Sees Oil Glut Gone By 2017
What would the accord mean for U.S. producers?
Any deal that pushed up prices would be “self-defeating” because it would allow a revival of drilling by U.S. shale producers, who can return to work at $55 a barrel, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. That would only postpone the supply curbs analysts say are needed to re-balance overloaded global markets.
How would the freeze be monitored and enforced?
During previous supply cuts, OPEC monitored members’ compliance using data on their production provided by external sources such as news agencies and tanker-trackers. It has no mechanism to punish countries that flout their limits and members habitually exceeded the group’s quotas, before production targets were effectively abandoned in December.
What happened when OPEC last made a deal with non-members?
OPEC has grounds to doubt the sincerity of its partners. The last time it struck a deal with rival suppliers was in late 2001, when Russia, Mexico, Oman, Angola and Norway promised to cut supply by a combined 500,000 barrels a day.
(Click to enlarge)
Yet by the middle of the following year, Russia had actually increased output and the only production declines were in Mexico and Norway.
What if there’s no deal?
With expectations growing over the past week, oil traders embarked on a buying spree that pushed crude to a four-month high. If ministers fail to reach an accord, prices will see a “severe negative impact,” Citigroup Inc. predicts. OPEC’s refusal to cut output in 2014 prompted calls to write the group’s obituary, and an inability to finalize the freeze might see those epitaphs being carved. The ensuing disappointment could drag prices down to $30 a barrel, said Saxo Bank A/S.
If there is no agreement, then expect a sharp oil market sell-off on Monday. If there is an agreement in name but market participants realize it has no teeth, except a slower sell-off. Main oil-producing countries, but especially Russia, have been stirring the market since late 2015 with talks of a potential agreement and the market has responded frequently, creating periodic froth to prices, only to see prices come off when no agreement has been forthcoming. Money manager net (and gross) length is around record highs on ICE Brent, giving some scope for position liquidation following any ‘disappointing’ headlines and adding to downside risk.
Citi continues...
The main unknown going into Sunday is what Saudi Arabia’s position will be.
The world’s largest petroleum exporter has been silent about whether it attends and what position it stakes out. Saudi officials have made two recent public statements over the past two months. At the February CERA conference in Houston, the Energy Minister stated, in defining a freeze, that the Kingdom would always fulfill its customers’ needs, thereby significantly reducing the force of any verbal agreement. Then two weeks ago, in a widely cited interview, the Deputy Crown Prince stated that the Kingdom would not engage in an agreement unless Iran also participated in some way, and Iran has announced that it won’t be bound by any agreement and won’t attend the Doha event. Citi projects that Iran is likely to put close to 1-m b/d of incremental liquids supply into the market over the course of 2016. Related: What Are The Long Term Effects Of The Oil Crash For Canada?
Two critical factors are required for an agreement:
• First, the Saudi government has to be comfortable that it will lose no market share as a result of any accord. With Iran raising output this year, any freeze would translate into a loss of market share and would likely be read by the market as a sign that the Kingdom has run out of capacity to increase production. To quell such thoughts, the Kingdom’s marketers have been indicating possible increases in exports to Europe and Asia.
• Second, the ‘elephant in the room’ – the U.S. – has to be brought in to any real deal, and that’s not feasible.
Counting total hydrocarbon liquids, the U.S. has become the world’s largest supplier as a result of the shale revolution, now producing ~14.8-m b/d versus total liquids from the Kingdom of 11.7-m b/d and Russia at 11.5-m b/d. As oil prices rise in the near term, U.S. production, the decline of which since last year is the only critical factor in markets finally balancing, is likely to come back. But U.S. production cannot be controlled by governments. It’s the result of a competitive market with hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of investors making as many decisions. The problem at Doha is that the market has lost its regulator and no agreement is about to bring one back.
Even if there is a deal on paper, there are reasons to doubt its credibility.
The history of these deals has been disappointing, even if the initial rhetoric coming out of the meeting indeed gives the market a boost. Back in 1998-99, Russia agreed to cut its oil production by 7 percent; the market promptly cheered and prices rallied. But it turned out that Russian production and exports rose in 1999, probably by ~0.4-m b/d; it was only after the fact that the market realized a sizeable cut did not actually take place. In 2001, there was another attempt at coordinated production cuts, with OPEC agreeing to jointly cut 1.5-m b/d but only if non-OPEC participants cut by 0.5m b/d. Russia was supposed to be responsible for 0.3-m b/d of that, but Russia had other ideas – that is, a much smaller cut was realized. Even if Saudi Arabia were to make a conditional commitment to cut, eventual non-compliance would remain a possibility, while the Kingdom would still stand to benefit from initial market euphoria from a deal, which could raise revenue, albeit in the short term.
Simply put, as Citi concludes, Sunday’s producer meeting is all about nothing no matter what agreement might be forged. At best, the agreement will be, as Russia’s energy minister has stated, a gentlemen’s affair, with no binding commitments, no concrete next steps beyond having a review meeting, and no procedure for moving to production cuts.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | April 2016 | ['(AFP via Bangkok Post)', '(CNBC)', '(Oilprice.com)'] |
Kate Tempest wins the 2013 Ted Hughes Award for innovation in poetry. | Kate Tempest – one of the few well-known poets to have performed at Glastonbury and with grime MCs – has pipped six others to win the Ted Hughes award for innovation in poetry. The 26-year-old Londoner, who started out rapping on night buses and at raves, is one of a new generation who are bridging the divide between poetry and theatre.
She won the £5,000 prize with Brand New Ancients, an hour-long "spoken story" with orchestral backing, which – in the spirit of Hughes' own engagement with classical myth – reincarnates the gods of old in members of two London families.
The award was presented at a ceremony at the Savile Club on Wednesday by Carol Ann Duffy, who funded it with her poet laureate's stipend as part of a mission to "recognise excellence and innovation in poetry – not just in books, but beyond".
Artist Cornelia Parker, who with poets Ian Duhig and Maura Dooley was on the judging panel, said: "The brief was to choose the poet who has made the most exciting contribution to poetry in the last year and I think Kate's performance piece is a shining example. I read it first as a piece of prose and thought it was compulsive. But when I heard it as an audio piece it was electrifying. It's a new departure which has informed the way I see the world since. It rings in my head."
Seven poets were shortlisted for the award, including Mario Petrucci, whose Tales from the Bridge was billed as "the world's largest 3D poetry soundscape" when it began life on London's Millennium Bridge during the Olympics.
Tempest – who released her debut album Balance in 2011 and has written for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Channel 4 and the BBC as well as performing on the festival circuit – is one of the rising stars of a performance community that is viewed with some suspicion by the poetry establishment.
On hearing of her shortlisting, she tweeted: "Brand New Ancients been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes award for poetry!! And people love to say 'performance' poets arent proper. Yes Mate." She spent the afternoon before the awards performing her work for inmates in Holloway prison.
Lavinia Greenlaw, Kaite O'Reilly and Alice Oswald have previously won the prize, which is now in its fourth year.
Brand New Ancients was co-produced by Battersea Arts Centre and featured a score composed by Nell Catchpole. The Guardian's reviewer, Lyn Gardner, wrote: "Spoken-word theatre is often heavy on words and light on theatre. Tempest's piece follows these conventions, but transcends them. Just as in her narrative, the ordinary is lifted into the extraordinary; score, writing, band and voice come together to create a package that never makes you question why you aren't just reading or listening to this.
"That's because Tempest, fierce and shy in the same moment, is such a genuinely galvanising presence and acutely responsive to her audience. It matters that we are there; it matters that these stories are told. It matters that we listen." | Awards ceremony | March 2013 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
Filipina convict Mary Jane Veloso gets a reprieve from Indonesian executions. | The private counsel of Mary Jane Veloso welcomed her reported exclusion from the third round of executions in Indonesia a year after she was granted reprieve while the court case against her recruiter is ongoing in the Philippines.
“It is with a sigh of relief to know her life is rightfully spared again even as we will leave no stone unturned to legally vindicate her or work harder for her clemency, or both,” lawyer Edre Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), said on Friday.
The NUPL is appealing to the government “to reopen official channels and strongly appeal for clemency based on humanitarian grounds and considering that she has been in prison for six years already.”
Veloso was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Indonesia. She was granted reprieve on April 29, 2015, minutes away from being executed following international clamor to spare her life and after her recruiter surrendered to authorities.
Jakarta Post recently reported that Veloso was excluded from the third round of executions as Indonesian Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said they respect the legal process taking place in the Philippines.
Veloso will testify against her recruiter Maria Cristina Sergio in the human trafficking complaint she filed in the Department of Justice. Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao are also facing large-scale illegal recruitment and estafa.
Considering the developments, Olalia said there are now better chances for obtaining executive clemency.
“The option of clemency is stronger from our point of view. Of course, the decision is at the hands of the Indonesian government and we ask the Philippine government to strongly push for it. It is without prejudice to the resolution of the cases in the Philippines,” Olalia said.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | May 2016 | ['(Philippine Daily Inquirer)'] |
U.S. President George W. Bush nominates Judge Samuel Alito of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. | He described Mr Alito as "one of the most accomplished and respected judges in America" and urged the Senate to quickly approve his nomination.
Mr Alito, seen as a conservative, said the role of a Supreme Court justice was to interpret, not make, the law.
The leader of the Democrats in the Senate has warned Mr Alito may face opposition in confirmation hearings.
Mr Bush's first choice, Harriet Miers, withdrew after Democrats questioned her judicial credentials and conservative Republicans her views on key issues.
The new nomination comes at a tense time for the White House, with a senior aide to Vice-President Dick Cheney charged last week in connection with a CIA leak.
'Extraordinary experience'
If approved by the Senate, the 55-year-old Mr Alito will take the place of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who often held the swing vote in the court.
Announcing the nomination, Mr Bush stressed Mr Alito's "extraordinary breadth of experience", saying he had a greater judicial record than any nominee in the past 70 years.
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He urged the Senate to approve his choice in a quick up-or-down vote before the end of the year.
Mr Bush called Alito a "thoughtful judge who considers the legal merits carefully and applies the law in a principled fashion".
He went on: "I'm confident that the United States' Senate will be impressed by Judge Alito's distinguished record, his measured judicial temperament, and his tremendous personal integrity."
The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says the choice of Mr Alito is likely to prove highly controversial.
As a supporter of restricting, if not entirely abolishing, the right of American women to have abortions, Mr Alito's selection would galvanise the conservative base of Mr Bush's Republican party but horrify the US left.
If he gets to the Supreme Court, he will be in a position to join forces with other social conservatives to reshape the culture of the nation, our correspondent adds.
'Too radical'
Republican Senator John Cornyn has praised Mr Alito as a "man of outstanding character, who is deeply committed to public service", Reuters news agency reported.
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But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who leads the Senate Democrats, said he was disappointed by Mr Alito's nomination, warning he may prove "too radical for the American people".
Mr Reid and other Democrats had urged the president to pick a moderate, consensus candidate rather than bowing to pressure from conservative Republicans.
Mr Alito is considered a quiet and reserved member of the federal appeals courts, having sat on the Third Circuit in Philadelphia since 1990. He is known for consistently conservative judgements, leading commentators to compare him to current Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The justices of the Supreme Court have immense power and are appointed until they die, resign or are impeached. In the near future, the court is expected to consider some of America's most bitterly contested social issues, including assisted suicide, abortion, same-sex marriage, human cloning and campaign finance law. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | October 2005 | ['(CNN)', '(BBC)'] |
Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush dies at age 92. | (Reuters) - Former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush, the only woman to see her husband and son both sworn in as president, died on Tuesday, the Bush family said. She was 92.
Bush was the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, and mother of the 43rd, George W. Bush.
The Bush family had said in a statement on Sunday that she was in failing health, had decided not to seek further medical treatment and instead would focus on “comfort care.”
According to some media reports, Bush had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart problems in recent years.
“Barbara Bush was a fabulous First Lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love and literacy to millions,” George W. Bush said in a statement. “To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end.”
Dubbed “The Silver Fox” by her husband and children, Bush was known for her snow-white hair and for being fiercely protective of her family.
She was first lady when her husband was in the White House from 1989 to 1993. Her son, Republican George Walker Bush, triumphed in the disputed 2000 U.S. election and was president from 2001 to 2009. The father-and-son presidents were sometimes referred to as “Bush 41” and “Bush 43.”
The Bushes celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January.
Bush had an independent streak and could be sharp-tongued. As first lady, she promoted literacy and reading but said she was more interested in running a household than helping her husband run the country.
She discouraged speculation that she wielded political influence with the president like her predecessors - Ronald Reagan’s wife, Nancy Reagan, and Jimmy Carter’s wife, Rosalynn Carter.
“I don’t fool around with his office and he doesn’t fool around with my household,” she once said.
“She’ll speak her mind but only to him,” said Jack Steel, a longtime Bush aide.
‘HUMILITY AND DECENCY’
President Donald Trump and former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were among those praising the late first lady.
“She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well,” Trump and his wife, Melania, said in a statement that noted Bush’s championing of literacy “as a fundamental family value.”
Clinton, who defeated her husband in the 1992 presidential election, called Bush “fierce and feisty in support of her family and friends, her country and her causes. She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like.”
Obama and his wife, Michelle, said in a statement that Barbara Bush was “an example of the humility and decency that reflects the very best of the American spirit.”
The only other woman to be both wife and mother of U.S. presidents was Abigail Adams, the first lady from 1797 to 1801. She was a major influence on husband John Adams, the nation’s second president, but died before son John Quincy Adams was elected president in 1824.
Another of Bush’s sons, Jeb, who served as governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, sought the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and she campaigned for him before he dropped out of the race.
The Bushes had six children. A daughter, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953 at age 3. Barbara Bush’s hair began to turn prematurely white after the shock of the girl’s death. In addition to George W. and Jeb, the other Bush children were sons Neil and Marvin and daughter Dorothy.
The Bushes married on Jan. 6, 1945, and Barbara set up households in numerous cities as her husband moved from being a Texas oilman to being a member of Congress, Republican Party leader, U.S. envoy to China and the United Nations and head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
‘RHYMES WITH RICH’
Barbara Bush sometimes made biting remarks, particularly when she felt the need to defend her husband. One notable example came in 1984 when George H.W. Bush was seeking re-election as vice president under Reagan, a post he held from 1981 until becoming president in 1989.
She told reporters that Geraldine Ferraro, her husband’s Democratic rival for the vice presidency, was a “4 million dollar ... I can’t say it but it rhymes with ‘rich.’” She apologized to Ferraro, the first woman running for U.S. vice president on a major-party ticket.
Texas Governor Ann Richards mocked her husband at the 1988 Democratic convention - saying: “Poor George ... was born with a silver foot in his mouth” - and Barbara henceforth referred to Richards as “that woman.”
In 2012, Bush dismissed the political ambitions of U.S. conservative darling Sarah Palin, saying: “I think she’s very happy in Alaska - and I hope she’ll stay there.”
Bush generally refused to discuss publicly her personal views on controversial topics such as abortion, an issue on which she was believed to differ from her husband’s more conservative stance.
But during her husband’s 1992 re-election race, she told reporters that abortion and homosexuality were “personal things” that should be left out of political conventions and party platforms. “I don’t think that’s healthy for the country when anyone thinks their morals are better than anyone else’s,” she said.
Opinion polls often showed her popularity as first lady exceeding her husband’s as president. “I don’t threaten anyone,” she said. “That’s because I’m everyone’s grandma.”
A year younger than her husband, she was born Barbara Pierce on June 8, 1925, and grew up in Rye, New York. Her father was Marvin Pierce, publisher of McCall’s magazine.
She was home from boarding school in 1941 when she met her future husband at a Christmas party in Connecticut. She dropped out of prestigious Smith College to marry Bush, then a young naval aviator home on leave from World War Two.
George Bush said marrying Barbara, whom he called “Bar,” was “the thing I did right.” But the marriage nearly did not take place. While they were engaged, his bomber was shot down by the Japanese in the Pacific in 1944. He bailed out and was rescued in the ocean by a submarine crew, but his crewmates died.
“When you’re 18, you think everybody is invincible. ... I mean, that was stupid - but I knew he was going to come home. He was Superman,” she told CNN in 2003.
After leaving the White House, she found time to write her memoirs. In 1990, she authored “Millie’s Book,” a humorous look at the adventures of the family’s English springer spaniel in the White House.
In one of their last public appearances, the Bushes attended the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston, with George performing the ceremonial pregame coin flip. Only a few days before, the couple had been released from a hospital where George had been treated for pneumonia and Barbara for bronchitis.
Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington; Additional reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Diane Craft and Peter Cooney
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Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Famous Person - Death | April 2018 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Cuba and Russia sign a deal which allows Russia to begin oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. | Russia is to begin oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, after signing a deal with Cuba, says Cuban state media.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin signed four contracts securing exploration rights in Cuba's economic zone in the Gulf. Havana says there may be some 20bn barrels of oil of its coast but the US puts that estimate at five billion. Russia and Cuba have been working to revitalise relations, which cooled after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia's Zarubezhneft oil concern will work alongside the Cubapetroleo monopoly in the deep waters of the Gulf. "Every time I travel through the region, I come to Cuba to advance our joint economic-commercial projects, and I take every opportunity to communicate with my colleagues," Mr Sechin told local media. Under the new agreement, Russia has also granted a loan of $150m to buy construction and agricultural equipment. Havana imports more than half of its oil, mostly at a subsidised price from Venezuela. Cuba's share of the Gulf of Mexico was established in 1977, when it signed treaties with the United States and Mexico. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recently estimated that as much as 9bn barrels of oil and 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could lie within that zone, in the North Cuba Basin. What are these? | Sign Agreement | July 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says that the life of top Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is "at serious risk" after receiving multiple death threats via phone calls and social media. His hospital is located in the middle of a conflict zone and the Congolese government pledged to protect him after he survived an assassination attempt years ago. | GENEVA (Reuters) - The life of a top Congolese doctor who won the Nobel Peace prize for his work treating war rape victims is in danger after a series of death threats, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday.
The threats, received in the form of phone calls to Dr. Denis Mukwege and his family as well as via social media, appeared to be linked to his outspoken criticism of violence against women and other human rights violations, another U.N. official said.
“His life seems to be at serious risk,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement, calling for an impartial investigation into the threats.
Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his work as a gynaecologist at the Panzi hospital which receives thousands of women each year, many of them requiring surgery from sexual violence.
The hospital is located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where ethnic violence is rife, involving various militia and armed groups, as well as counter-operations by the army.
He has received death threats before and survived an assassination attempt in his family compound in 2012.
“The threats appear to be linked to his advocacy and the very robust positions he has taken on accountability, on protection of women as a result of what he has seen over two decades in the Panzi hospital,” said Rupert Colville, a spokesman at Bachelet’s office, adding that he had also recently criticised civilian attacks in South Kivu.
Congo’s government is officially responsible for Mukwege’s protection, although the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country also provides some, Colville said. However, questions remain about the quality of his protection, he said, adding he needed 24 hour surveillance.
President Felix Tshisekedi last week called on his government to take all necessary measures to ensure his security and to open inquiries into the threats against him.
Additional reporting by Hereward Holland in Perpignan; Editing by David Holmes
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Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish | Famous Person - Sick | August 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
The ruling emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al–Ahmad Al–Jaber Al–Sabah, dies at age 79. Kuwait's cabinet names crown prince Sheikh Saad Al–Abdullah Al–Salim Al–Sabah as the new emir. | Shaikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the ruler of the tiny oil-producing Gulf state of Kuwait died on Sunday after a long illness, state media has reported. He was 78. In an official statement in early afternoon, the Cabinet named the crown prince, Shaikh Saad al-Abdulla al-Sabah, the 76-year-old crown prince, as his successor.
But because illness has incapacitated Saad, political analysts expect Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the prime minister, to run the country - a role he has played over the past four years.
The illness in the past few years of Jaber and Saad had sparked concerns at home and abroad over who would rule the Opec nation, which has on one-tenth of the world's oil reserves and was the main launch pad for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
"With the utmost of sorrow and sadness, the (royal court) announces to the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations and the peoples of friendly world nations the death of His Highness Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah"
A royal court statement"With the utmost of sorrow and sadness, the (royal court) announces to the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations and the peoples of friendly world nations the death of His Highness Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah," said a royal court statement carried by the state news agency KUNA.
"With the utmost of sorrow and sadness, the (royal court) announces to the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations and the peoples of friendly world nations the death of His Highness Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah"
A royal court statement
It said the amir, who had ruled Kuwait since 31 December 1977, "passed away at dawn on Sunday". Jaber had been ailing since suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2001. He had surgery on his leg in the United States in May.
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops occupied Kuwait for seven months before US-led forces expelled them in the 1991 Gulf War.
Forty-day mourning
The amir returned from exile in Saudi Arabia to lead the rebuilding of a land scarred by killings, torture and brutal rule during the occupation. He also oversaw the rehabilitation of oilfields set on fire by retreating Iraqi troops.
Kuwait said there would be a 40-day official period of mourning and that government offices would be closed for three days from Sunday.
Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the prime minister, runs the country The amir was the 13th ruler of a 245-year-old dynasty that has ruled Kuwait since the Anaiza tribe, to which the al-Sabahs belonged, migrated from the Arabian hinterland.
Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the prime minister, runs the country
Since the fall of Saddam in neighbouring Iraq in 2003 and US calls for change in the Middle East, the ruling family had come under intense pressure from both Islamists and pro-Western liberals to loosen its grip on the government and share power.
The ruling family has also been under pressure from parliament and elders within its ranks to break with tradition and replace the ailing crown prince.
The succession process alternates between the two branches of the ruling family, al-Jabers and al-Salems.
Strong US ally
Kuwait, a founder Opec member, enjoys one of the world's highest standards of living, despite its reliance on oil exports, unpredictable oil income and huge losses from the 1990-1991 Iraq occupation.
Kuwait hosts up to 30,000 US troops in the countryKuwait hosts up to 30,000 US troops and about 13,000 US citizens live in the country.
Kuwait hosts up to 30,000 US troops in the country
Kuwait has cracked down on Islamists opposing the US military presence in the country. Diplomats say radical Islam is taking hold among Kuwaiti youth.
In December, a Kuwaiti court sentenced to death six suspected militants linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida for bloody attacks in the country.
The six were among 37 Islamists on trial as members of the Peninsula Lions group, believed to be linked to al-Qaida in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. | Famous Person - Death | January 2006 | ['(Al–Jazeera)'] |
Johan Ferrier, first President of Suriname and the world's oldest living former head of state, dies in the Netherlands at the age of 99. | Former Surinam President Johan Ferrier has died aged 99 in The Netherlands. From 1967 until 1975, when the Dutch colony gained independence, Dr Ferrier was Surinam's last governor. He served as the country's first president between 1975 and 1980.
Born in Paramaribo in 1910, he began his career as a teacher. In 1946 he was among those who founded the Surinam National Party and until 1948 he had a seat in the National Council, the precursor of the National Assembly. After studying educational theory in Amsterdam, he returned to Surinam to resume his career in education, and later served as the country's head of education. Between 1955 and 1958, Mr Ferrier was prime minister and interior minister.
In August 1980, six months after a coup led by army sergeant Desi Bouterse, he and his family left Surinam to live in Oegstgeest, in the Netherlands. In 1999 he was chosen as Surinam's most important politician of the century. His memoirs, entitled Last Governor, First President: The Century of Johan Ferrier, Surinamese, appeared in 2005. | Famous Person - Death | January 2010 | ['(Radio Netherlands Worldwide)', '(Winnipeg Free Press)'] |
Forensic teams from the University of Leicester reveal that King Richard III of England was killed at the Battle of Bosworth by a combination of blows to the skull and pelvis. | King Richard III was probably killed by two blows to the head during a "sustained attack", according to new scientific research.
The English king was killed at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August, 1485.
Forensic teams at the University of Leicester have now revealed he suffered at least 11 injuries, some possibly inflicted after death.
CT scans were used on his 500-year-old skeleton to help determine his injuries and the medieval weapons used. His remains were found under a car park in Leicester in 2012.
The results of forensic analysis, published in The Lancet, show he had nine wounds to the skull and two to the postcranial skeleton.
Researchers said three of these "had the potential to cause death quickly".
Dagger wound
Small skull wound
Large skull wound
Injury inflicted by large-bladed weapon, possibly a sword or halberd (axe-headed pole). Experts have concluded that either of the two injuries to the back of his skull, could have killed Richard III. The wounds suggest he was not wearing a helmet and it seems likely he was kneeling down with his head bent at the time of the injury. Wound caused by sword tip or top spike of a halberd (axe-headed pole). The wound penetrated through the bone and brain, about 105mm ( just over 4 inches). Experts have concluded either of the large skull wounds could have killed Richard III. Richard III was possibly kneeling as the wound was inflicted from above, by a weapon like a dagger. Any other type of weapon, like a war hammer or a halberd, would have been delivered with more force, causing greater damage to the skull. This injury would not have been immediately fatal. Sarah Hainsworth, study author and professor of materials engineering, said: "Richard's injuries represent a sustained attack or an attack by several assailants with weapons from the later medieval period.
"Wounds to the skull suggest he was not wearing a helmet, and the absence of defensive wounds on his arms and hands indicate he was still armoured at the time of his death."
Guy Rutty, from the East Midlands pathology unit, said the two fatal injuries to the skull were likely to have been caused by a sword, a staff weapon such as halberd or bill, or the tip of an edged weapon. He said: "Richard's head injuries are consistent with some near-contemporary accounts of the battle, which suggest Richard abandoned his horse after it became stuck in a mire and was killed while fighting his enemies."
Investigators said they believed damage to the pelvis was caused by a thin dagger stabbed into the buttocks. While this injury could in theory have caused fatal bleeding, it was unlikely to have been the cause of death as Richard's armour would have protected this part of the body.
They suggested this wound, along with another to a rib, was likely to have been inflicted after death, possibly when the body was slung over a horse.
Researchers said there could have been more wounds to soft tissue which left no trace on the skeleton.
King Richard's skeleton is due to be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral in March.
Leicester City Council
University of Leicester
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| Famous Person - Death | September 2014 | ['(BBC)'] |
A jet from the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds crashes into a house in Kamloops, British Columbia, killing one pilot and injuring another. | VICTORIA -- One member of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds has died and another has sustained serious injuries after their plane crashed in Kamloops, B.C., while on a cross-country tour.
CTV News has confirmed that Capt. Jennifer Casey has been identified as the Snowbirds team member killed in the crash.
According to the Snowbirds website, Casey is originally from Halifax, N.S. and joined the Canadian Forces in 2014 following a career in journalism. She joined the Snowbirds in 2018.
The Royal Canadian Air Force confirmed the fatality in a tweet Sunday afternoon.
In a subsequent tweet, the RCAF said the surviving member's injuries, while serious, were not life threatening.
That member is Capt. Richard MacDougall, who was piloting the aircraft, according to a release from the Department of National Defence. MacDougall is one of the team's coordinators, the department said.
Kamloops RCMP confirmed Sunday afternoon that they received a report that a Snowbird plane had crashed into a residence on Glenview Avenue, at about 11:42 a.m. local time.
BC Emergency Health Services said multiple paramedics responded to the scene and one person was transported to hospital. EHS could not provide any information about that patient's condition.
The RCMP is asking for the public to avoid the area of Glenview, Crestline Street, Schreiner Street and Tranquille Road.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to social media on Sunday afternoon and said his thoughts are with the brave members of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
“I would also like to thank the emergency personnel in Kamloops who responded so quickly to this tragic incident,” he said.
In a statement, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said he is saddened to hear of the crash.
“On behalf of the entire Conservative caucus, I would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team member who died in today’s tragic crash,” Scheer wrote in the statement. We wish the injured member a speedy recovery and would like to thank emergency personnel in Kamloops.”
“The Snowbirds have been traveling across the country for the past few weeks lifting Canadians’ spirits as part of Operation Inspiration. This is a tragic end to a tour that has brought much needed joy to so many.”
Federal Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan said on Twitter that he was "deeply saddened" by the news of the crash, and offered his thanks to local first responders.
Kamloops Airport confirmed it was also responding to the crash in a tweet.
'THERE WAS A FLASH'
CTV News Vancouver Island has confirmed with witnesses at the scene that the crash happened just before noon.
“I heard these two huge bangs and all of a sudden up in the sky there was a dark black circle of smoke,” said Kerri Turatus.
She was driving nearby and drove to Glenview Avenue, where the crash happened.
“It was red and white and you could distinguish on the one wing and the backside, I took a picture of it, being the red and white Snowbirds,” said Turatus.
Another witness tells CTV News he was in his living room and heard the Snowbirds take off.
“One of the snowbirds flying a little lower than expected did a barrel roll over Crestline,” said Mike Trafford. “There was a flash and a spark shortly after the barrel roll and I saw the pilot eject and the plane basically took a nosedive straight into the ground or in this case, what I’ve heard, straight into a house."
“The first thing I thought was, 'This isn’t right.' And it was almost a split second between seeing the pilot eject and the plane go straight down.”
Josh Cox lives across the street from where the plane came down. He told CTV News Channel his family was "lucky" to have avoided injury or damage in the incident.
"The tail of the plane was flying across the street and it was coming right at our house, but it ended up hitting a power pole and spinning around and ended up right on our front grass," Cox said.
He described the neighbourhood as "really tight," and said residents had checked on each other after the crash to ensure everyone was OK.
"There's debris everywhere," Cox said, describing the scene.
At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian thanked residents of the city's Brocklehurst neighbourhood for remaining calm and banding together in response to the crash.
"This accident today shakes us to our core," the mayor said, describing Kamloops as "a military town."
Christian said the Snowbirds would be remaining in Kamloops for the time being, and promised that the city would do everything it can to aid them during this difficult time.
The Snowbirds flew into British Columbia for their western leg of Operation Inspiration and were heading to Vancouver Island.
“We know some areas are starting to clear up, however transit through some of the mountain passes have very low cloud cover which is unsafe for flying nine jets,” reads a tweet from the group posted earlier Sunday morning.
The Snowbirds were expected to fly through the Okanagan Valley on Saturday, but said they were going to reposition to Comox.
| Air crash | May 2020 | ['(CTV News)'] |
Tsai Ing–wen is sworn in as the first female President of Taiwan. | Tsai Ing-wen has been sworn in as the new president of Taiwan, becoming its first female leader and calling for "positive dialogue" with Beijing.
Ms Tsai, seen as an unassuming but determined leader, led the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to a landslide win in elections in January.
The DPP has traditionally leaned towards independence from China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province.
In the past, it has threatened to take the island by force if necessary.
It still has hundreds of missiles pointing towards the island.
Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's shy but steely leader Cats, K-pop and trolls: Tsai's strange first week
China and economy among Tsai's challenges
Ms Tsai, 59, swore the presidential oath in front of the national flag, before being presented with the official seal.
She and outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou then came out to wave at the crowds watching on screens outside the presidential building.
In her inaugural speech, she said Taiwanese people had shown they were "committed to the defence of our freedom and democracy as a way of life".
The "stable and peaceful development of the cross-Strait relationship must be continuously promoted", she said, calling on both sides to "set aside the baggage of history, and engage in positive dialogue, for the benefit of the people on both sides".
What Ms Tsai said in her speech is unlikely to satisfy Beijing. It sees eventual unification with the island as non-negotiable. Beijing has insisted she first recognise the two sides are part of one China, an agreement reached by both sides in 1992. On this, she stood her ground, recognising only that the previous pro-China government and Beijing had reached an understanding back then, but stopping short of accepting it herself.
With tensions rising in the South China Sea, Beijing is keen for Taiwan to be its ally rather than be aligned with rival claimants to the disputed islets in the sea.
What may also irk China is her focus on Taiwan's democracy and freedom - saying it's every Taiwanese person's responsibility to safeguard this. This is a clear message to Beijing that Taiwanese people cherish these characteristics of their society and their self-rule more than economic ties with China, even if the mainland is the island's biggest trade partner and export market. Democracy and freedom to Beijing mean pro-independence, so China will likely continue to distrust Ms Tsai. Taiwan, the place to be a woman in politics
What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?
Ms Tsai's election win was only the second ever for the DPP - the Kuomintang (KMT) has been in power for most of the past 70 years.
But Mr Ma lost public support over his handling of the economy, the widening wealth gap, as well as what many say was too friendly an approach to Beijing.
Media analysis by BBC Monitoring
Tsai Ing-wen's inauguration is making headlines in Taiwanese and Hong Kong papers. However, mainstream papers in mainland China appear to be giving the event scant attention.
In commentaries published ahead of the swearing-in, mainland Chinese state papers say her inauguration will mark the start of a "period of uncertainty" in cross-strait ties. Some online outlets are quoting a pro-reunification Taiwanese portal Central Daily News saying the island will enter an "economic winter" under Ms Tsai's leadership. The state mouthpiece Global Times says in an editorial that while Tsai may not seek "de jure" separation, her "softer approach will nonetheless allow pro-independence movements to linger in the island". Online censors appear to be deleting messages related to Ms Tsai's inauguration from China's Twitter-like service Sina Weibo. Many of those deleted posts praised today as an "important day" in Taiwan's history, and some recounted the crackdown on the island before democratisation in the 1990s. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | May 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip fire ten mortars at the Eshkol, Sha'ar Hanegev region, and Grad rockets at the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Beersheba; one person is injured in Beersheba. | Eight mortar shells hit western Negev between the two attacks on Be'er Sheva, and within hours of another strike on Ashdod; on Israeli lightly wounded, at least eight Palestinians killed over course of Tuesday.
Tensions continued along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, as Gaza militants fired two Grad-type Katyusha rocket at the southern city of Be'er Sheva and a barrage of mortar shells on the western Negev.
The first rocket struck a street in the middle of a residential area in the city, damaging buildings including a synagogue. A piece of shrapnel penetrated a nearby third-floor apartment upon impact, lightly wounding one man. The second hit an open area in the city. A number of people were treated for shock in both incidents.
| Armed Conflict | March 2011 | ['(Haaretz)', '(The Jerusalem Post)', '(The Australian)'] |
Josef Fritzl is charged with murder, rape and enslavement after allegedly sexually abusing and incarcerating his daughter in the cellar of his home, where one of the children she was forced to bear died due to lack of medical attention. | VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Josef Fritzl, who imprisoned his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children by her, has been charged with the murder of one of their children who died shortly after birth.
Josef Fritzl, who imprisoned his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children by her, in an undated photo.
Prosecutors said on Thursday they had also charged Fritzl, 73, with rape, enslavement, incest, coercion and deprivation of liberty. His lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said Fritzl would not appeal against the charge sheet -- an option under Austrian law. He does not need to enter a plea immediately.
Mayer told Reuters that the trial would start in the next two or so months.
Fritzl, who has been in investigative custody since the case was exposed in April, kept daughter Elisabeth in a soundproofed basement under his house in the central town of Amstetten.
He was charged with murder of the child through neglect in 1996. Fritzl burned the child’s body in a furnace, police investigators said in April shortly after his arrest.
“He is suspected of killing this newborn because, despite knowing the life-threatening situation it was in, he was not driven to seek necessary help,” the St Poelten provincial prosecutors’ office said in a statement.
This is a straight murder charge under Austrian law.
“He forced Elisabeth into slave-like conditions ... shut her away in the cellar and made her totally dependent on him, forcing her into sexual acts and treating her as if she was his own property,” it said.
The prosecutors also said he had threatened to kill his daughter and their imprisoned children by gassing them or through an explosion if they tried to escape.
A psychiatric report commissioned by justice authorities last month declared Fritzl to be mentally fit for a trial, which is expected to begin before a jury early next year. He could face life imprisonment if convicted of murder.
The statement recommended that Fritzl, if convicted, be confined in an institution for the mentally disturbed.
Repeated calls to Fritzl’s lawyer went unanswered and the Austrian news agency APA reported that he had declined to comment on the case.
According to the police, Fritzl lured his daughter into the basement in 1984, drugged her and locked her up. He claimed she had disappeared to join a sect.
Three of Elisabeth’s children were raised by Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie in their home after he pretended that his ‘runaway’ daughter had left them on his doorstep with a letter saying she could not care for them.
The other three children remained marooned in the windowless basement with their mother.
Mayer said earlier this year his client was “emotionally a broken man” and that it would be hard for him to get a fair trial in front of a jury because of the massive publicity generated by the case.
In September Fritzl visited the cellar under police guard on the request of his lawyer in order to examine the locks. Fritzl has told police the locked door to the cellar would have opened automatically if he had been away for an extended period.
Additional reporting by Alexandra Zawadil; Editing by Richard Balmforth
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | November 2008 | ['(Reuters)'] |
In Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo opens a national political conference about constitutional reform | Lagos — President Olusegun Obasanjo has set the ball rolling on Monday, Feb 14, 2005, when he announced that the National Political Reforms Conference, otherwise known as the National Dialogue will begin on Feb 21.
If there is anything that every one is agreed upon it is that the nation which is in a state of decay needs an urgent fresh lease of life. Several public opinion polls show that the opposition, demagogues, activists, charlatans and all, indeed, a broad spectrum of this troubled country do not quarrel with the need to talk.
Perhaps, this explains why the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO), a veritable regrouping of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) which fought the Abacha Dictatorship to a standstill are talking about an alternative conference.
Even the Obasanjo administration which had doggedly resisted the idea of a National Conference, sovereign or not, despite its well known cloak of arrogance had to finally come down from his high horse to accept this diluted conference.
The Obasanjo administration which had to finally bite the dust in the face of spirited public pressure, and PRONACO have agreed that a national dialogue is vital to the nation's long term survival, they only differ on modalities.
PRONACO says that a sovereign conference by a broad based representation of the people and not hand picked government lackeys, is the essence. While, government argues that a no- holds barred conference will allow Fifth Columnists, seccessionists and religious fundamentalists a field day to push through centrifugal agenda.
What is not in doubt is that Nigeria at over 44 is close to a terminally ill patient. Current economic and political profiting of the country locally and international have come close to describing it as a bandit and outlaw nation. All these platitudes about democracy dividends, transparency, accountability and the march of the so-called nascent democracy, have been exposed for what they are, cheap propaganda.
Transparency International (TI) declared for the second year running that we are the second most corruption nation in the world. TI couldn't be bothered by the antics and the sabre rattling of the ICPC and the EFCC in their much touted "anti-corruption war". The European Union (EU) sent a high powered delegation to monitor our 2004 General Elections. They took a deep look at it and dismissed it as the most fraudulent electoral exercise ever witnessed since the invention of the ballot box.
If you think that it was the usual foreign stereotyping of an African country, what of the confirmation that came from our own Court of Appeal? Ruling on the petition of the All Nigeria Peoples Party Presidential (ANPP) candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the Honourable Justices declared that there was incontrovertible evidence of large scale fraud even in the election of the man calling the confab- President Obasanjo.
The minority Judge described it as a "black Saturday for the nation." Well, if that is the opinion of others about the ruling Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) management of the nation, what about the opinion of the administration's top officials about their colleagues and their performance?
The President and his two ministers in the Finance ministry recently described most of the Governors, remember PDP has 28 out of the 36, as foreign exchange scammers, and promptly went to sleep over the accusation.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in separate situation reports which they recently submitted to the President, declared that Nigeria is in dire economic straits.
Inflation is galloping at an alarming rate. Unemployment is the highest ever, even the NDDC declared that its team of experts have found out that over 70 per cent of Nigerians live below the poverty line. A livid President Obasanjo took them to task contesting their verdict, calling their expertise to question.
The global economic ombudsman, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published its Annual Report (2004), listing Nigeria within the 23 most poorest countries in the World. Should it be so for the world's sixth largest exporter of crude oil?
As evidence of the growing discontent by restive youths nationwide, they become ready conscripts for the proliferating ethnic militia which have been in running battles with security agencies. From the Niger-Delta creeks to the mangrove swamps in the South East and the slums of the South West ethnic militias are having a time of their lives.
Isn't it the irony of our time, that society's dregs a High school drop-out and a carpenter have made political mileage out of the mounting societal discontent to become the heroes of the day? The Ateke Toms, the Dokubos, the Gani Adams and their militia forces - NDVF, OPC et al became such a serious threat to law and other that it took a truce with the president to break their resolve.
As part of the emerging trend of showing total disregard to constitutionalism and the rule of law, there is selective application of the law by the Executive, and what the immediate past president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Chief Wole Olanipekun described as a "black market for Jankara rulings" obtainable from Judges at the right fee. Corruption has become so endemic that no sector of the nation is spared. Members of the Nigeria Police are disparaged as the "N20 police" for their penchant of collecting N20 bribe from motorists. Are they so low in self esteem that even at doing such a negative thing, their asking price is so ridiculous?
There is also the issue of the national question. Nigerians are living in mutual suspicion of each other. Ethnic nationalities are crying out aloud at real and imagined marginalisation over the distribution of national resources and power.
Niger-Delta says it wants 50 per cent of oil resource as part of "resource control". Certainly, for them the diction being one's brother's keeper" is a matter for fools. Several years of Military dictatorships had so distorted the Nigerian Federation that it has become a cross between an amoeba and an algae.
Sure, every country has its fair share of problems and Nigeria may not be an exception, a cynic may say. With these catalogue of endless woes it is obvious "recycled old men "who are generally thought to be part of the problem to talk about. PRONACO should drop its opposition and come on board.
But given the general level of cynicism in the country about government's handling of the Reports of previous confabs and commissions of inquiry from the Abacha Confab to the Oputa panel which had been consigned to the dust bin of history, in this one going to fare any better? | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | February 2005 | ['(Reuters Alertnet)', '(AllAfrica)', '(IRIN)', '(Nigeria World)', '(BBC)'] |
At least three people are killed and 15 injured as a result of violent clashes between two religious communities in the Indian city of Hyderabad. | Hyderabad: Three people were shot dead and eight injured Wednesday when police opened fire to disperse two clashing groups in Hyderabad, officials said.
An indefinite curfew was imposed to bring the situation under control in Sikh Chowni in Kishanbagh, a part of Cyberabad police commissionerate.
Trouble broke out after miscreants attacked houses and shops of a particular community in the early hours of Wednesday after some unidentified people burnt a religious flag overnight.
Police opened fire to disperse the clashing groups, killing three people and injuring eight, a police spokesman of Cyberabad told IANS.
In the clashes, 15 people, including 10 policemen, were also injured. Few houses and shops were set afire by the attackers and some cars and two-wheelers were also damaged.
Bodies of two victims, both in their 20s, were shifted to government-run Osmania General Hospital and the third, aged 38, was taken to Gandhi Hospital for autopsy. The injured were admitted to the two hospitals.
Relatives of the victims alleged that the assailants armed with swords and knives entered their houses and attacked them. They said police opened fire without using teargas or batons.
A police officer, however, justified the firing, saying it was inevitable to control the situation.
Cyberabad police commissioner C.V. Anand said the situation was brought under control. He appealed to people to maintain calm and cooperate with the police in restoring peace.
As tension spread to the adjoining areas of the old city of Hyderabad, police imposed prohibitory orders. Additional police and paramilitary forces were rushed to the area.
Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma also visited areas adjoining Kishan Bagh and reviewed the situation.
Shopkeepers in the markets around the historic Charminar downed shutters while police stepped up patrolling.
Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed in the communally sensitive old city. Several RAF vehicles were seen moving into the interior areas as a precautionary measure.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan reviewed the law and order situation with Chief Secretary P.K. Mohanty and Director General of Police B. Prasada Rao. The governor appealed to the people to maintain peace.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi also appealed for peace.
Owaisi also demanded a thorough probe into the police firing and the violence.
One person was killed and many were injured in violence in the same area over a similar incident in 2006. | Armed Conflict | May 2014 | ['(Biharprabha News)'] |
Thousands of protesters in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province break through police barricades and attempt to march to Bannu, and eventually reach Islamabad, in order to demand a government probe into the deaths of four youths near Janikhel. The protesters allege that the youths were tortured and killed by security forces. | PESHAWAR/DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters broke through a police blockade in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday as they tried to march on the city of Bannu and then on to Islamabad to demand a government probe into the deaths of four young men who they allege were tortured and killed by security forces.
Police fired tear gas in an attempt to keep them from entering the city of Bannu, which lies on the way to Islamabad, on Sunday evening.
The protesters were carrying the bodies of the four young men, aged between 15 and 20, found in a shallow grave on March 21 in the town of Jani Khel, outside Bannu.
“The government didn’t pay any attention to us and left us alone to mourn the slain boys,” Haji Mohammad Wali, one of the protesters, told Reuters by phone.
Relatives of the dead, alleging they died during interrogation by security forces, held a sit-in in Jani Khel for nearly a week, refusing to bury the bodies until an investigation was opened against an army officer they said was responsible.
A Pakistani military spokesman declined to comment about the incident on Sunday, and the military has not commented publicly on the case.
The central government has not commented on the case.
Officials of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, including Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, travelled to Bannu on Sunday to meet with protesters.
“This incident is a challenge for my government and law enforcement agencies,” Khan said in a statement, adding those responsible for the deaths will be held accountable.
The protesters said that after their demands for an inquiry went unheard they decided to march to Islamabad - 300 km (190 miles) away - and local police tried to stop them by placing barricades in Bannu.
The four dead boys had been missing for several weeks, according to their relatives. Relatives said their bodies bore signs of torture when they were found.
Protests were also held in the port city of Karachi on Sunday.
The town of Jani Khel is part of the former semi-autonomous tribal areas, a region along the Afghanistan border that served as a base for the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other jihadist groups until a series of Pakistani military offensives drove them out.
Rights groups have accused the military of carrying out extrajudicial detentions and other abuses in the area - a charge the military has consistently denied.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2021 | ['(Reuters)'] |
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