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Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle completes a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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CHICAGO -- The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle's day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew -- his perfect game was in jeopardy.
Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted toward the fence in left-center, a dozen strides. What happened next would be either a moment of baseball magic or the ninth-inning end of Buehrle's bid for perfection against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Wise jumped and extended his right arm above the top of the 8-foot wall. The ball landed in his glove's webbing but then popped out for a split second as he was caroming off the wall and stumbling on the warning track. Wise grabbed it with his bare left hand, fell to the ground and rolled. He bounced up, proudly displaying the ball for the crowd.
Magic. A home run turned into an out.
His biggest threat behind him, Buehrle coolly closed out the 17th perfect game all-time in the regular season, a 5-0 victory Thursday.
"I was hoping it was staying in there, give him enough room to catch it. I know the guys were doing everything they could to save the no-hitter, the perfect game, whatever it might be," said Buehrle, who has now thrown two no-hitters in his career.
Wise knew the stakes.
"I was with the Braves in '04 and I was there when Arizona's Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game. So I've been on both sides of it," he said. "It was probably the best catch I've ever made because of the circumstances.
"It was kind of crazy, man, because when I jumped, the ball hit my glove at the same time I was hitting the wall. So I didn't realize I had caught it until I fell down and the ball was coming out of my glove, so I reached out and grabbed it."
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was happy he made the switch to Wise, who came in at center while Scott Podsednik shifted to left and Carlos Quentin was pulled out.
"I guess that's our job," Guillen said.
Buehrle fell behind 3-1 in the count to Michel Hernandez, the second batter in the ninth, who took a called strike and then swung and missed at strike three.
With fans chanting Buehrle's name, Jason Bartlett got ahead 2-1, then grounded to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who threw to first baseman Josh Fields. Buehrle put both hands on his head and was mobbed by teammates between the mound and first base.
"Never thought I'd throw a no-hitter, never thought I'd throw a perfect game, never thought I'd hit a home run," said Buehrle, who has done all three. "Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen."
The pitcher received a congratulatory telephone call from President Barack Obama -- a White Sox fan -- following the 16th perfect game since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since Johnson's on May 18, 2004.
"We joked around, a 30-second phone call, and I'm like 'What? That's all he's got for me?" Buehrle said.
Obama, a lefty like Buehrle, wore a White Sox jacket when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at last week's All-Star game in St. Louis.
"I told him how surprised I was that he actually did it," Buehrle said. "He said, 'Congratulations, and it's an honor. A lot of people are going to remember this forever."
Obama had spoken with Buehrle -- a St. Charles, Mo., native -- in the AL clubhouse last week.
"As a fan, it's extraordinary," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs quoted Obama as saying. "When you're a White Sox fan and know the guy who did it, it makes it even more fun."
Backed by Fields' second-inning grand slam, Buehrle (11-3) threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes and fanned six in his second no-hitter, helping Chicago move within a percentage point of AL Central-leading Detroit.
Kapler understood his role.
"That moment was magical for both Wise and Buehrle," Kapler said, "and most guys earn those moments."
In a 6-0 win over Texas on April 18, 2007, Buehrle also faced the minimum 27 batters. He walked Sammy Sosa in the fifth inning of that game, then picked him off two pitches later.
"I bought everyone watches after the last one. That was an expensive no-hitter," Buehrle said. "This one will probably be more expensive."
Buehrle and Johnson are the only two active pitchers with a pair of no-hitters, according to STATS LLC. In addition to his perfect game in 2004, The Big Unit tossed a no-hitter for Seattle on June 2, 1990, against Detroit.
Before the ninth, Buehrle needed no great plays behind him. In the fourth, Evan Longoria hit a line drive right at Ramirez. In the eighth, third baseman Gordon Beckham didn't have to move to catch Pat Burrell's liner.
"I've been involved in no-hitters before and you just have to move along," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "It's just a loss, but it does impact the team that gets the win, I believe."
Buehrle went to three-ball counts on five batters, including 3-0 to Bartlett in the sixth. Bartlett took the next two pitches for strikes, fouled one off and then hit a routine grounder to Ramirez. As the shortstop threw to first, those in the crowd of 28,036, sensing history, cheered loudly.
With one out in the eighth, Ben Zobrist hit a weak grounder that just rolled foul and later popped out on a 3-2 pitch. The next batter, Burrell, lined one just foul to left, with third-base umpire Laz Diaz making an emphatic "foul" call. Burrell then lined out to third moments later.
The 30-year-old Buehrle became only the second pitcher to throw two no-hitters for the White Sox: Frank Smith did it against Detroit in 1905 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908. The only previous perfect game for the White Sox was by Charles Robertson at Detroit on April 30, 1922. There has been only one perfect game in the postseason.
It was the second no-hitter against the Rays. Derek Lowe accomplished the feat for Boston on April 27, 2002.
Scott Kazmir (4-6) allowed five runs and five hits in sixth innings. In addition to Fields' grand slam, Ramirez hit an RBI double in the fifth.
Toward the end, Buehrle's wife Jamie was a wreck as she watched from the seats near home plate with 4-month-old daughter Brooklyn.
"I'm so proud of my husband, it's unbelievable," she said. "He just never ceases to amaze me. He keeps accomplishing more and more in his career."
The Rays placed RHP Chad Bradford on the 15-day DL with low back tightness and recalled RHP Dale Thayer from Triple-A Durham. ... After failing on their previous four attempts to go five games over .500, the White Sox succeeded. ... Chicago activated RHP Bartolo Colon from the 15-day DL and optioned RHP Carlos Torres to Triple-A Charlotte.
New York Mets (35-26, first in the NL East) vs. Washington Nationals (30-35, fourth in the NL East)
Miami Marlins (29-39, fifth in the NL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (39-30, first in the NL Central)
Los Angeles Dodgers (41-27, second in the NL West) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (20-50, fifth in the NL West)
Boston Red Sox (42-27, second in the AL East) vs. Kansas City Royals (30-37, third in the AL Central)
Chicago White Sox (43-26, first in the AL Central) vs. Houston Astros (40-28, second in the AL West)
St. Louis Cardinals (35-34, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Atlanta Braves (31-35, third in the NL East)
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Sports Competition
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July 2009
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['(ESPN.com)']
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When Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the January telephone conversation with President Donald Trump, raised the possibility of extending the 2010 New START treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads, President Trump declined, stating that this treaty is a bad deal for the United States.
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In his first call as president with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump denounced a treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads as a bad deal for the United States, according to two U.S. officials and one former U.S. official with knowledge of the call. Trump slammed nuclear treaty in first call with Putin
01:26
When Putin raised the possibility of extending the 2010 treaty, known as New START, Trump paused to ask his aides in an aside what the treaty was, these sources said.
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Trump then told Putin the treaty was one of several bad deals negotiated by the Obama administration, saying that New START favored Russia. Trump also talked about his own popularity, the sources said.
The White House declined to comment on the details of the call. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump knew what the New START treaty is but had turned to his aides for an opinion during the call with Putin. He said the notes from the call would not have conveyed that.
“I would say they had a very productive call,” Spicer told reporters. He added, “It wasn’t like he didn’t know what was being said. He wanted an opinion on something.”
It has not been previously reported that Trump had conveyed his doubt about New START to Putin in the hour-long call.
New START gives both countries until February 2018 to reduce their deployed strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550, the lowest level in decades. It also limits deployed land- and submarine-based missiles and nuclear-capable bombers.
During a debate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump said Russia had “outsmarted” the United States with the treaty, which he called “START-Up.” He asserted incorrectly then that it had allowed Russia to continue to produce nuclear warheads while the United States could not.
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Two Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, senators Jeanne Shaheen and Edward J. Markey, criticized Trump for deriding what they called a key nuclear arms control accord.
“It’s impossible to overstate the negligence of the president of the United States not knowing basic facts about nuclear policy and arms control,” Shaheen said in a statement. “New START has unquestionably made our country safer, an opinion widely shared by national security experts on both sides of the aisle.”
Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based advocacy group, said: “Unfortunately, Mr. Trump appears to be clueless about the value of this key nuclear risk reduction treaty and the unique dangers of nuclear weapons.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he supported the treaty during his Senate confirmation hearings.
During the hearings Tillerson said it was important for the United States to “stay engaged with Russia, hold them accountable to commitments made under the New START and also ensure our accountability as well.”
Two of the people who described the conversation were briefed by current administration officials who read detailed notes taken during the call. One of the two was shown portions of the notes. A third source was also briefed on the call.
Reuters has not reviewed the notes taken of the call, which are classified.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The phone call with Putin has added to concerns that Trump is not adequately prepared for discussions with foreign leaders.
Typically, before a telephone call with a foreign leader, a president receives a written in-depth briefing paper drafted by National Security Council staff after consultations with the relevant agencies, including the State Department, Pentagon and intelligence agencies, two former senior officials said.
Just before the call, the president also usually receives an oral “pre-briefing” from his national security adviser and top subject-matter aide, they said.
Trump did not receive a briefing from Russia experts with the NSC and intelligence agencies before the Putin call, two of the sources said. Reuters was unable to determine if Trump received a briefing from his national security adviser Michael Flynn.
In the phone call, the Russian leader raised the possibility of reviving talks on a range of disputes and suggested extending New START, the sources said.
New START can be extended for another five years, beyond 2021, by mutual agreement. Unless they agree to do that or negotiate new cuts, the world’s two biggest nuclear powers would be freed from the treaty’s limits, potentially setting the stage for a new arms race.
New START was ratified by the U.S. Senate in December 2010 by a vote of 71 to 26. Thirteen Republican senators joined all of the Senate’s Democrats in voting for the treaty, although Republican opponents derided it as naive.
The call with Putin was one of several with foreign leaders where Trump has turned to denounce deals negotiated by previous administrations on trade, acceptance of refugees and arms control.
In a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump questioned an agreement reached by the Obama administration to accept 1,250 refugees now being held by Australia in offshore detention centers.
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Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting
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February 2017
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['(Reuters)', '(The Hill)']
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The Pacific Gas and Electric Company is expected to plead guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter in the Camp Fire.
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PG&E has agreed to plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of unlawfully causing a fire after it was blamed for the Camp Fire in Northern California, the deadliest in state history.
The fire, which burned through the Sierra Nevada foothills for half a month in late 2018, burning through three towns, was sparked by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which identified ignition points in Butte County.
The settlement, which the utility reached with the Butte County district attorney's office on March 17, was filed in state Superior Court in the county and made public Monday morning by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
It must still be approved by Butte County Superior Court, as well as the federal bankruptcy court overseeing PG&E's case. In January 2019, PG&E filed for Chapter 11 protection to, in part, set up a "Fire Victim Trust."
The company was expected to plead guilty in court this Friday, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, courts are closed, and a date of April 24 has been set for the guilty pleas and sentencing, according to a statement released by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
The fire reduced the towns of Paradise and Magalia and parts of Concow to ash.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The Butte County sheriff-coroner initially said 85 people were killed, but further investigation "cast doubt" that one of the deaths resulted directly from the Camp Fire, Ramsey's statement said. The Wall Street Journal reported that the grand jury that returned the indictment found that one of the victims had died by suicide.
The count of unlawfully causing a fire "includes three special allegations for PG&E's causing great bodily injury to a firefighter; causing great bodily injury to more than one surviving victim; and causing multiple structures to burn," Ramsey said.
PG&E also plunged millions of Californians into darkness for days at a time last fall as it shut off power to prevent its transmission lines and other outdated equipment from sparking more fires. The San Francisco-based utility is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the U.S.
A PG&E spokesman told NBC News that the utility has reached settlements with victims from 2015, 2017 and 2018 wildfires, amounting to about $25.5 billion. The staggering total allots $13.5 billion for private claims, $11 billion for insurance companies' claims and $1 billion for government entity claims, according to the Butte County district attorney's office.
The Camp Fire burned more than 153,000 acres and destroyed almost 19,000 structures, while 2017's Redwood Fire in Mendocino County also caused a great deal of destruction and killed nine people.
The district attorney's office determined that ongoing criminal prosecution of PG&E could "jeopardize the company's ability to pay victims," according to the settlement. The utility cited more than $30 billion in potential uninsured liabilities as part of its bankruptcy claim.
Ramsey's staff spent the weekend notifying the next of kin of deceased victims that a settlement would be disclosed Monday so "they would not be surprised," the district attorney's office statement said.
PG&E and California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a deal Friday in which PG&E agreed to completely restructure its board and operations and to put the company up for sale, which would essentially allow the state to take over if it can't get out of bankruptcy by June 30.
It also agreed to regulatory oversight and committed billions of dollars in additional spending to prevent wildfires, The Associated Press reported. The plan gained the approval of Newsom, who had rejected two previous versions. PG&E needs the state's cooperation to qualify for coverage from a $21 billion wildfire insurance fund that California created last summer.
"We are working diligently to get our Plan of Reorganization approved by the Bankruptcy Court as soon as possible, so that we can get victims paid," PG&E CEO and President Bill Johnson said. "We will emerge from Chapter 11 as a different company prepared to serve California for the long term."
As part of the plea agreement, PG&E must pay the maximum allowed fine of nearly $3.5 million on top of $500,000 to the Butte County District Attorney Environmental and Consumer Protection Trust Fund to cover costs related to the investigation.
"Other agreements with the company included having a federally-appointed court monitor of PG&E's safety performance report to the Butte County District Attorney for the next two years," Ramsey's office said.
PG&E also agreed to fund efforts to help residents gain access to water for the next five years because the fire destroyed the Miocene Canal, the utility said in a statement.
"Thousands lost their homes and businesses," Johnson said. "We cannot change the devastation or ever forget the loss of life that occurred ... but our hope is that this plea agreement, along with our rebuilding efforts, will help the community move forward from this tragic incident."
"Our equipment started the fire," he added. "Those are the facts, and with this plea agreement we accept responsibility for our role in the fire."
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
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March 2020
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['(NBC News)']
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A fire at Krefeld Zoo, NRW, Germany, kills over 30 animals.
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German police suspect a mother and her two adult daughters of having caused a deadly zoo fire by releasing illegal sky lanterns on New Year's Eve. The blaze killed more than 30 animals, including rare apes and monkeys, in the western city of Krefeld.
Police say they have questioned the three women, local residents who are said to be "extremely sorry".
They allegedly did not realise that the lanterns - bought on the internet - were banned in Germany.
The fire on the night of 31 December gutted the zoo's tropical ape house.
Rare Bornean orangutans, chimpanzees and marmosets lived in the 2,000 sq m (21,500 sq ft) enclosure. Two chimpanzees and a seven-strong family of gorillas survived. They were in a neighbouring Gorilla Garden, and firefighters managed to prevent the flames spreading from the ape house.
Five orangutans died, along with a chimpanzee and many monkeys. The ape house - replicating a rainforest habitat - was also home to birds and fruit bats. Flying "Chinese" lanterns have a solid fuel flame inside a thin paper shell. Police say five were let off, including four that were found near the gutted ape house.
State prosecutor Jens Frobel said the case was focused on three women from Krefeld, who are from 30 to 60 years old.
The women, who are suspected of "arson through negligence", could face up to five years in jail or a fine.
They reported to police on Wednesday, and officers praised them for "courageously" coming forward with information.
"We checked their handwriting," police said, as handwritten New Year greetings had been found with the lanterns.
The zoo is mourning the loss of Massa, a 45-year-old western lowland gorilla, and his female partner. Massa was one of the oldest captive gorillas in Europe.
Firefighters saved two chimpanzees - Bally and Limbo. One firefighter, Andreas Klos, said: "We were amazed that the building burned down so quickly". He noted that it did not have a sprinkler system. The zoo thanked people for their "overwhelming wave of compassion". It remained closed on Thursday. A makeshift memorial with flowers, candles and mourning placards has been set up at the entrance.
The apes died from smoke inhalation. "In death, too, apes are very similar to humans," said police investigator Gerd Hoppmann.
It is the most devastating zoo fire in Germany in recent years. In November 2010, a fire at a zoo in Karlsruhe killed 26 animals including alpacas, miniature donkeys and Shetland ponies.
Monkeys and apes die in German zoo fire
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Fire
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January 2020
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['(BBC News)']
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Sudan announces its timetable for January's referendum on independence for the south, with 14 November named as the first date for voter registration.
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Sudan has announced a timetable for January's referendum on independence for the south of the country.
Voter registration will start on 14 November and end on 4 December, with campaigning starting a few days later.
The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal to end two decades of conflict between the north and oil-rich south in which some 1.5 million people died.
There has been growing international concern that the referendum could be delayed, sparking violence.
The BBC's Peter Martell in the southern capital, Juba, says the timing for the referendum - due to be held on 9 January - is extremely tight.
But Chan Reec, deputy chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, says he believes the timetable will be met - and only "unseen reasons" would delay it by a week or two.
"You can see that we will have no Christmas this year, because we will be working," he said.
However, preparations for the separate referendum also to be held on 9 January in Abyei, on whether the oil-rich region wants to be part of the north or south of the country, are making less headway.
UN-mediated talks are being held in Ethiopia to try and resolve disputes over voter eligibility and the physical demarcation of the state's border.
The announcement by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission comes as 15 members of the UN Security Council are visiting the region to make sure the controversial votes go ahead on time in a fair and peaceful manner.
The Security Council delegation will also be travelling to Darfur, where there has been renewed violence after the breakdown of a ceasefire between the government and the main rebel group.
UN missions there have faced mounting difficulties, with humanitarian workers blocked from conflict zones and peacekeepers killed in the fighting.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted for alleged war crimes in Darfur, which he denies.
Correspondents say council members almost called off the trip because some were worried they would have to meet him and shake his hand, but went ahead after all the ambassadors agreed they would not ask for a meeting.
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Government Job change - Election
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October 2010
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['(BBC)', '(AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald)']
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Swiss businessman Max Goeldi, who hid in the Swiss embassy in Libya for 19 months during a diplomatic argument, is taken away in handcuffs and thrown into jail while his colleague Rachid Hamdani is deported.
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One of two Swiss businessmen who sought shelter at the Swiss embassy in Libya amid a diplomatic row is being transferred to jail, an official says.
The man, Max Goeldi, was driven from the embassy in handcuffs. He faces four months in jail on immigration offences. The second man, Rachid Hamdani, who has been cleared, was to leave the country. The case against the two is widely thought to be retaliation for the arrest of one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's sons in Geneva. Last week Libya stopped issuing visas to citizens from many European nations, prompting condemnation from the European Commission. 'Storm the embassy'
Goeldi faces a four-month prison sentence after being convicted of violating immigration rules. His initial 16-month sentence was reduced on appeal. Libya set a deadline of midday on Monday for Goeldi's handover, and authorities stepped up their presence outside the embassy as the deadline approached, the BBC's Rana Jawad reports from Tripoli. Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger was cited by Reuters news agency as saying the Libyan police had threatened to storm the embassy if the deadline was not met. "Last night there were many intense phone calls," he was quoted as saying at an EU meeting in Brussels. "It was announced there was a deadline - either hand over the convicted Swiss citizens or the embassy would be stormed." He said EU ambassadors had gone to the embassy to show solidarity before "the situation was calmed and an escalation avoided". Pardon request
Libya's Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Khaled Kaim, said Goeldi was being taken to the Ain Zara jail near Tripoli, an "open prison" where he would be allowed visits. Goeldi's lawyer told Swiss TV that his client would request a pardon.
Mr Hamdani left the embassy hours earlier. A lawyer said the businessman, who holds dual Swiss and Tunisian nationality, was heading by car to Tunisia. Analysts suggest the charges against the two were brought in retaliation for the arrest of Mr Gaddafi's son Hannibal and his wife, Aline Skaf, in Geneva in July 2008. They were accused of assaulting two servants while staying at a luxury hotel in the Swiss city, though the charges were later dropped. Libya retaliated by cancelling oil supplies, withdrawing billions of dollars from Swiss banks, refusing visas to Swiss citizens and recalling some of its diplomats. In the same month that the Gaddafis were arrested, Libyan authorities detained Mr Hamdani, who works for a construction company, and Goeldi, the manager of an engineering firm. The two were later released on bail before being convicted in absentia while sheltering in the Swiss embassy in Tripoli in December. Libya's move to stop issuing visas came after Switzerland allegedly blacklisted 188 high-ranking Libyans, denying them entry permits. It covers Switzerland but also 24 other nations in the Schengen zone, which includes European countries that have abolished mutual border controls.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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February 2010
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['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)', '(Reuters)', '(The Daily Telegraph)']
|
The Ajmer–Sealdah Express operated by Indian Railways derails in northern India killing at least two people and injuring dozens. Twenty four people have been hospitalised.
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A train derailed in northern India on Wednesday injuring at least 43 people, police and rail officials said, at least the third such accident in recent weeks that has raised concerns about the safety of the ageing rail network.
The train derailed near the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh state early in the morning.
All the injured, several of whom were in critical condition, had been taken to nearby hospitals, Javeed Ahmad, director general of police, Uttar Pradesh, said in a tweet.
TV footage from the scene showed mangled, toppled carriages, some with their wheels still on the tracks. Two coaches had fallen off a bridge into a small canal. Some passengers were seen picking up their luggage from near the tracks.
India's creaking railway system is the world's fourth largest. It runs 11,000 trains a day, including 7,000 passenger trains carrying more than 20 million people.
But it has a poor safety record, with thousands of people dying in accidents every year, including in derailments and collisions. This was at least the third such accident in recent weeks. On Nov. 20, at least 146 people died when a train derailed near the same city.
Suresh Prabhu, India's railways minister, has promised to replace old tracks and upgrade safety apparatus. The government spends more than 90 percent of the railways' revenues on operational costs, leaving little for upgrades for the colonial-era system.
By some analyst estimates, the railways need 20 trillion rupees of investment by 2020, and India is turning to partnerships with private companies and seeking loans from other countries to upgrade the network.
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Train collisions
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December 2016
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['(Daily Express)', '(The Telegraph)']
|
Two Chinese dissidents Xu Wei, a former reporter, and Jin Haike, a writer, are released from prison after serving a ten–year sentence.
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BEIJING -- Two Chinese dissidents who were sentenced to 10 years in prison for getting together to talk about political reform and posting their views online have been released after completing their jail terms, their fathers said Sunday.
Xu Wei, a former reporter, and Jin Haike, a writer, were detained in 2001 and convicted of subversion in 2003 after taking part in an informal study group in Beijing that met privately to talk about democratic reform.
Their fathers said that both were released Saturday.
The harsh sentences given to the men were a sign that China's intolerance of political dissent remained entrenched despite dramatic moves to reshape and liberalize the country's economic system.
Friends and supporters had repeatedly sought medical parole for Jin, who underwent a botched appendectomy in prison and suffered abdominal pain and other health problems.
His father, Jin Jiangguo, said his 33-year-old son planned to stay with his family for the next year or so while recovering.
Xu staged several hunger strikes in prison after clashing with prison guards and allegedly suffered mental problems, rights groups have said.
Xu's father, whose mobile phone disconnected before he could give his full name, said that he only saw his son briefly on Saturday but that he seemed healthy.
Jin, Xu and two other defendants, who became known as the "Four Gentlemen of Beijing," were convicted of subversion based mainly on a batch of Internet postings that called for political reform.
"This was one of the first cases that involved an allegedly anti-government group organizing around the Internet," said Joshua Rosenzweig, research manager for the U.S.-based human rights group Dui Hua Foundation. "In a way, it was a sign of things to come because the Internet since then has become the chief virtual space in which political discussions takes place (in China)."
The two other members of the group, Yang Zili and Zhang Honghai, were released in 2009 after completing 8-year prison terms.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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March 2011
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['(Washington Post)']
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At least 11 people are killed after rebels from the AlShabab militant group attack the Somali parliament as it meets for the first time this year.
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Islamist rebels attacked Somalia's parliament as it met for the first time this year, in clashes which led to the deaths of at least 11 people.
Insurgents fired mortar bombs at the building in Mogadishu, triggering retaliatory shellfire from African Union peacekeepers. There were rowdy scenes in the chamber earlier as members voted to remove the speaker, who had criticised the PM. The rebels have fought a three-year war against the fragile interim government. They launched Sunday's attack from their stronghold in the capital's main market at Bakara. 'Treason'
A police official told news agency Reuters that some mortars had landed near the parliament, but there had been no direct hits. More than 20 people were injured in the crossfire as AU soldiers guarding MPs fired back with artillery. Parts of Bakara market caught fire and several shopkeepers were killed, according to reports. Shortly beforehand, the parliamentary speaker, Sheikh Adan Madobe, urged Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to appoint a new prime minister. MPs voted to sack the speaker and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke later accused him of treason. Many Somali MPs live abroad because of safety fears; the chamber last convened in December. The Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning central government since 1991.
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Armed Conflict
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May 2010
|
['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(Daily Nation)']
|
Iranian police fire tear gas at protesters near Tehran University as new protests continue.
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TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian pro-government Basij militia members dispersed crowds of protesters here Thursday -- sometimes with force -- witnesses said.
Protests by Iranians, such as this one on June 15, have been defended by the reformist figures.
An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people crowded the streets in different locations of the city, and headed toward Tehran University, the site of a student uprising in 1999. Several protesters were hit on the arms and backs by the Basij, pro-government militia members, while elsewhere riot police released tear gas into crowds.
Iran's state-funded Press TV described the crowd size near the university in the hundreds.
Some of the protesters shouted "Allah u Akbar," or "God is Great" and "Ya Hussein, Mir Hussein" referring to opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi, the witnesses said. Police blocked roads leading to Tehran University, while some protesters set trash cans afire so smoke would counter the effects of the tear gas.
When crowds tried to gather between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Revolution Square, hundreds of security forces were waiting for them, witnesses told CNN. Watch scenes of protesters and street clashes »
Most of the security forces were uniformed officers wearing helmets and holding batons and shields, though many wore plain clothes. The forces ordered bystanders to move along, the witnesses said.
There were at least five reports of clashes during this time.
Over the next two hours, the crowds grew to around 3,000, but witnesses said security forces grew too.
Many of the protesters left Revolution Square and marched to side streets and neighborhoods a few kilometers away.
Many held up victory signs and clapped. The contents of several Dumpsters were set afire. See the protests and violence through Iranians' own photos
Witnesses said they heard several pops that sounded like gunshots and saw security forces fire what appeared to be pepper spray towards the crowds on several occasions.
Some of the chants heard Thursday were familiar refrains that have been repeated often in recent days:
"Death to the Dictator!"
"Death to Khamenei!"
But a new phrase entered the lexicon on Thursday that referred to Mojtaba, the son of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei: "Mojtaba bemire, rahbariroh nagiri," they chanted: "Die, Mojtaba, so you don't become the supreme leader!"
During the past week, rumors have surfaced that Mojtaba has taken over the pro-government Basij militia and that his father is grooming him to be the next supreme leader. Thursday marked the first time protesters chanted against him.
By nightfall, most of the demonstrators headed home.
At 10 p.m. Tehran time two sources told CNN the chants of "God is great!" were louder than usual in their neighborhoods.
The demonstration took place on the 10th anniversary of a student uprising that posed a major threat to the Islamic regime. On Thursday, the protesters used the anniversary to resume demonstrations against the outcome of the contested June 12 presidential election.
Iranian-American journalist Jason Rezaian said Iranians have been scared since last month's bloody crackdown on those who protested the accuracy of election results. Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner by a landslide over reformist candidate Moussavi, his chief rival, who declared the election rigged.
Moussavi's supporters took to the streets by the thousands in the aftermath of the vote until the protests turned bloody as security forces cracked down. Iranian state-run media said 20 people have been killed and more than 1,000 have been detained.
On July 9, 1999, known in the Iranian calendar as the 18th of Tir, 200 students protested the closing of a reformist newspaper, Salaam, which supported moderate President Mohammed Khatami. Hard-line activists entered dormitories in Tehran University, broke windows, set fires and attacked students.
Six days of protests ensued. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 25,000 people participated, making the demonstrations the biggest threat to the Islamic regime since its inception in 1979.
|
Protest_Online Condemnation
|
July 2009
|
['(BBC)', '(The Globe and Mail)', '(CNN)']
|
In baseball, the 2015 Japan Series ends with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks beating the Tokyo Yakult Swallows by 4 games to 1 for their second consecutive Japan Series.
|
20
L/RAIN
Staff Writer
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks only needed five games to win the Japan Series and show everyone they were the best team in NPB last season.
Almost exactly one year to the day, Softbank proved that nothing had changed.
Lee Dae-ho capped his outstanding series with a two-run home run (which required a replay review) and the Hawks won their second consecutive Japan Series title with a 5-0 win over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Game 5 on Thursday night at Jingu Stadium.
“I feel great for all our players,” Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo said. “We took it one game at a time all year, and we refused to lose. I am so happy.”
The Hawks are Japan Series champions for the second consecutive season and for the seventh time in franchise history. Softbank is the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Seibu Lions won three straight from 1990-92.
“It’s not easy because other clubs are also putting forth the effort to get here,” team owner Masayoshi Son said. “So winning it in consecutive years is truly a blessing.”
First-year skipper Kudo, earned his first title as a manager to go along with the 11 he won as a player.
“It is totally different winning as a manager than as a player,” Kudo said. “I feel happy for all my players who did such a great job this year, and we even won the Japan Series playing without our captain (Seiichi) Uchikawa. I want to congratulate them all.”
Kudo is the 10th rookie manager to lead his team to the title.
“We hope he doesn’t get too comfortable,” team chairman Sadaharu Oh said. “We’ve set a goal to repeat and expect him to do the same next year.”
Lee was named MVP of the series after going 8-for-16 with two homers and eight RBIs.
“My teammates supported me and gave me a lot of chances to succeed,” Lee said. “I am happy I was able to come through, and it is a great honor to win this Japan Series MVP prize.”
The Korean slugger is the first foreign winner since the Orix BlueWave’s Troy Neel earned the award in 1996. The last Hawks foreign MVP was pitcher Joe Stanka in 1964, when the franchise was still known as the Nankai Hawks.
Lee proved to be nearly unstoppable out of the No. 4 spot in the lineup, where he was placed after Uchikawa was ruled out with fractured ribs hours prior to Game 1.
“It is too bad Uchikawa could not play in the Japan Series,” Lee said. “I am just happy I could fill in for him and do a good job.”
Hawks players Kenji Akashi, Shota Takeda, and Rick van den Hurk were given outstanding player awards. The Swallows’ Tetsuto Yamada earned the fighting spirit award.
“It’s like the icing on the cake,” Akashi said. “I’m more pleased with the championship.”
The Swallows did all they could, but came up a little bit short.
“You have to tip your cap to them,” Swallows closer Tony Barnette said. “They had a really good team. We just ran into the buzz saw. It’s about who makes the fewest mistakes. They made the least amount of mistakes and they capitalized on the most mistakes.
“That being said, it was a great year. We did a lot of things a lot of people didn’t think we would do. We went from worst to first (in the Central League). That’s a big step.”
Lee was 1-for-3 and drove in two runs with his homer in the clincher on Thursday. He also drew a walk and had a scary moment in the ninth when he was hit by a pitch. Akashi had three hits and drove in a run, while Yuki Yanagita was 1-for-5 with two RBIs.
The Hawks scored at least four runs in all five games.
Softbank starter Jason Standridge threw six shutout frames to earn the win. Standridge allowed four hits, struck out two and walked a pair. Closer Dennis Sarfate closed out the game and the series in the ninth.
Yakult stranded a runner on third in the second inning, left a man on second in the third and was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Swallows starter Masanori Ishikawa pitched 4 1/3 innings and was charged with four runs — three earned — on five hits. He struck out four and walked one.
No Swallows starter lasted beyond 4 2/3 innings during the series.
Akashi doubled to begin the top half of the third and moved up a base when Yanagita grounded out. Lee stepped to the plate and sent a ball over the foul pole in left. It was called a home run on the field and stood up after a lengthy replay review.
Kenta Imamiya doubled to start the fourth, and Standridge drew a one-out walk later in the inning. That ended Ishikawa’s night, but an error at third on a hard-hit ball by Keizo Kawashima left reliever Daichi Ishiyama facing a bases-loaded, one-out jam.
Akashi drove in a run with an RBI single, and the Hawks pushed across another on a groundout by Yanagita that made the score 4-0.
Yuichi Honda singled in the top of the ninth and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Shuhei Fukuda. He moved up on a groundout by Akashi and scored when Yanagita singled into center.
“I think both teams really played well, but our pitching staff dominated them,” Oh said. “I think we really showed our strength Both offensively and defensively.”
The Hawks’ triumph continued the Pacific League’s recent dominance of the Japanese Fall Classic. Pa League clubs have won three straight titles and 10 of the previous 13.
Son is not only the Softbank owner, he’s also the current chairman of U.S. telecommunications giant Sprint, which is located in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Royals, who are currently competing in the World Series.
Son jokingly made reference to the series after the Hawks’ triumph.
“Sprint is in Kansas, so if the Royals win, we want to do a real World Series,” a Son joked with a smile on his face. “I wonder why the American champions are called world champions and the series is called the World Series. We should play a real World Series with the Japanese champions and the American champions.”
Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report
|
Sports Competition
|
October 2015
|
['(Japan Times)']
|
A helicopter and an ultralight airplane plane collide near the town of Inca, on the island of Mallorca, Spain, killing seven people including two children, according to regional government officials.
|
Officials say five people were on board the helicopter, which was on a sight-seeing tour, and two Spaniards were in the aircraft.
Sunday 25 August 2019 18:11, UK
Seven people, including two children, have been killed in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane in Majorca.
Five people were on board the helicopter, two of them minors, and they were all likely to be German, the Balearic Islands government said on Twitter.
Two adult Spaniards were in the small plane. All the people on board the two aircraft were killed.
According to a Spanish news agency, the aircraft crashed into a field following the collision at 1.35pm local time.
Emergency services and local police attended the scene of the accident near Inca on the island, El Pais newspaper reported.
Local media said the helicopter was on a sight-seeing tour.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent "solidarity and affection" to the families of the victims via a Twitter message and said that he follows "with concern" the information that comes from Inca.
|
Air crash
|
August 2019
|
['(Sky News)']
|
James Murdoch, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, resigns from the board of News Corporation citing "disagreements over editorial content ... some strategic decisions." News Corp owns media in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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James Murdoch, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has resigned from the board of News Corporation citing "disagreements over editorial content".
In a filing to US regulators, he said he also disagreed with some "strategic decisions" made by the company.
The exact nature of the disagreements was not detailed.
But Mr Murdoch has previously criticised News Corp outlets, which include the Wall Street Journal, for climate change coverage.
In recent years James Murdoch has also found himself at odds - politically - with his father, BBC North America correspondent David Willis says.
Whilst Murdoch Senior has pledged support for Donald Trump, James Murdoch has reportedly contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaign of Mr Trump's Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
James Murdoch's departure from News Corp would, our correspondent says, appear to grant even more influence to his brother Lachlan who is generally thought to share his father's more conservative views. Rupert, News Corp's executive chairman, and Lachlan, co-chairman, wished James well in a joint statement.
"We're grateful to James for his many years of service to the company," the statement said. "We wish him the very best in his future endeavours."
News Corp also owns The Times, The Sun and The Sunday Times in the UK, as well as a stable of Australian newspapers, including The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and The Herald Sun. James Murdoch's resignation letter:https://t.co/jwKtph60Qt pic.twitter.com/tAV0WT0lrQ
Earlier this year, amid devastating wildfires in Australia, James Murdoch and his wife Kathryn expressed their frustration with climate change coverage by News Corp and Fox.
Their spokesperson told The Daily Beast they were "particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary." Rupert Murdoch has described himself as a climate change "sceptic" and denies employing climate deniers.
But critics of News Corp pointed to its comment articles and reporting of the alleged role of arson in the wildfires as minimising the impact of a changing climate.
Born in London in 1972, he is the youngest of Rupert Murdoch's three children from his marriage to Anna Torv, the others being sister Elisabeth and brother Lachlan.
He was schooled in New York, going on to study film and history at Harvard University but he dropped out in the mid-1990s without completing his degree.
Gaining a reputation as the family rebel, he set up an independent hip-hop label, Rawkus Records, which launched the career of rapper-actor Mos Def and gave an airing to the then little-known Eminem.
He was formerly chief executive of 21st Century Fox before Walt Disney bought most of its assets last year.
|
Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal
|
July 2020
|
['(and)', '(BBC)']
|
Vietnam closes off an ethnic Hmong area that was the scene of rare protests demanding autonomy and religious freedom.
|
Vietnam has sealed off the scene of a rare protest by thousands of ethnic minority Hmong in a remote north-eastern mountainous area, reports say.
It comes after army units were sent in to quash the demonstration for greater autonomy, which started on 30 April.
Soldiers are stopping people leaving or entering the Dien Bien region, and electricity and telecommunications have reportedly been cut. It is the most serious ethnic unrest in Vietnam for seven years, analysts say.
Vietnam's communist rulers keep a tight control on dissent and protests of any kind are extremely rare.
Some 5,000-7,000 people have been involved in the unrest, according to a diplomatic source cited by the Reuters news agency. The demands of the protesting Hmong - who are mostly Christians - include more religious freedom, better land rights and more autonomy. The Dien Bien region, which borders Laos, is one of Vietnam's most remote, making it difficult to verify reports.
A local official told the BBC's Vietnamese service on Wednesday that the authorities had tried to negotiate with the demonstrators.
But several officials had been taken hostage by the protesters, he said. It is unclear whether they have been released.
A military source quoted by the AFP news agency said the army had sent reinforcements and "had to disperse the crowd by force".
He said there had been "minor clashes", but did not say whether there had been any casualties. "The situation is still being resolved by all levels of party and government so that the lives of the compatriots there can return to stability at an early time," foreign affairs spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga told Reuters.
|
Organization Closed
|
May 2011
|
['(BBC)', '(AFP via Google News)']
|
Hassan Rouhani receives his presidential precept and enters to the Sa'dabad Palace to begin his work as President of Iran.
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Editor’s note: Will Fulton is an Iran analyst and Palantir fellow with the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute. The views expressed are the writer’s own.
Hassan Rouhani will be inaugurated as Iran’s eleventh president on August 4, in a ceremony before the Iranian parliament. But Rouhani will officially become Iran’s president the day prior, in a ceremony known as tanfiz (validity), during which the Supreme Leader formally appoints the Iranian president. This important event is only attended by senior regime officials, including the Supreme Leader and his chief of staff, the heads of the judiciary and Expediency Council, current cabinet members, senior military commanders, and members of parliament. That Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei formally grants the president his authority, with Parliament only ceremonially witnessing this appointment, is symbolic of the relationship between Iran’s republican institutions and the Supreme Leader; the former are influential, the latter is sovereign.
The notion that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is the final arbiter of policy in the Islamic Republic is not new; rather, it has become something of an oversimplified cliché in discussions of Iranian politics. Certain events, however, occasionally remind us that this power dynamic is still a defining feature of the regime in Tehran. President-elect Rouhani’s cabinet selection process has provided one such reminder.
According to Saham News, affiliated with 2009 presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi, Rouhani visited the Supreme Leader last week and presented him with a final list of cabinet picks. Khamenei was apparently dissatisfied and asked that Rouhani replace his nominees for the ministries of intelligence and culture, Ali Younesi and Ahmad Masjed Jame’i, respectively. Both Younesi and Jame’i had previously held these positions under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, whom hardliners have branded as a “seditionist” because of his unapologetic support for the 2009 Green Movement.
More from GPS: Iran's new leader no reformist
Rouhani reportedly acquiesced and returned later that week with a revised list, but Khamenei was still not satisfied. He asked that Rouhani make additional changes, but this time to his picks for the ministries of science and defense, Jafar Tofighi and Hossein Alaei. As with the other two rejected candidates, Tofighi served in the same position under President Mohammad Khatami. Although there are still a number of Khatami-era officials among Rouhani’s reported cabinet nominees, it seems clear that the Supreme Leader has certain criteria that individuals associated with the Khatami government must meet before returning to senior government positions.
The other rejected nominee, Hossein Alaei, has not previously held a government position, but he has given the Supreme Leader reason to mistrust him. Alaei commanded the IRGC Navy during the latter years of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and went on to become Chief of the IRGC Joint Staff, but is no longer an active IRGC commander. He made headlines in Iran and the West when he published an editorial in 2012 implicitly criticizing the Supreme Leader for his actions during and after the 2009 post-election protests. Several members of a powerful faction of hardline IRGC commanders subsequently responded with a public letter denouncing Alaei for his “betrayal.”
Alaei apparently backed down from that confrontation, and the signatories of the letter attacking him released a second letter explaining that Alaei had indicated there was a misunderstanding over his intentions. But the damage was done. Khamenei’s rejection of Alaei as a candidate to be defense minister suggests that there is still no love lost between the two. Iranian media reported July 31 that former IRGC Air Force Commander and current head of the Expediency Council’s Political, Defense, and Security Council Hossein Dehghan is currently Rouhani’s “only nominee” for the position.
Hassan Rouhani has, indeed, received a mandate of sorts after his surprise election victory, but the Supreme Leader’s intervention in Rouhani’s cabinet selection process is an indication of the extent to which Khamenei remains willing and able to define the reach of Iran’s president. Rouhani’s accommodation of the Supreme Leader’s requests is also an indication of his loyalty and deference to Khamenei, though that has never really been in question.
The larger question, of course, is whether Rouhani can follow through on some of his more ambitious campaign promises – changing Tehran’s approach to nuclear negotiations, freeing prominent political prisoners, and improving Iran’s relations with countries such as Saudi Arabia – within the confines of the regime’s formal and informal power structures. The most accurate answer at this stage is, “maybe.” Contrary to some of the more eager commentary that has either written off or over inflated Rouhani’s ability to make reforms, it is simply too early to tell. But history, and in this case very recent history, can and should serve as a guide to the obstacles that Rouhani must overcome in order to make substantive changes to policies that serve the interests of other regime centers of power.
Rouhani won a respectable mandate with the promise of pulling Iran back from the brink, helping to end international sanctions, ending sky-high inflation and putting the country's economy back on its feet. But can he deliver? Only time can tell.
Would Rouhani be able to persuade the Supreme Leader to release political prisoners that many reformists demand? This will be the first test of his authority. The mandate that Rouhani had received from the reform-minded voters was a big rebuff to the isolationist and extremist policies of the Supreme Leader. This had weakened Khamenei's position, who has the last word on many areas of policy. Would he undermine Rouhani's agenda?
|
Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration
|
August 2013
|
['(BBC)', '(theGuardian)', '(CNN)']
|
At least 23 people are killed and 14 injured in Dang Deukhuri District, Nepal, when a bus carrying students and their teachers returning from a botanical trip runs off a road and plunges 700 meters into a ravine.
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At least 23 people died in Nepal when a bus carrying students and their teachers back from a botanical trip ran off a road and plunged 700m (2,300ft) into a ravine.
Another 14 people were injured in the crash in Dang district, western Nepal.
Most of the victims were students aged between 16 and 20, officials said. Two teachers and the driver also died.
The cause of Friday's crash appeared to be speeding, a police spokesman told AFP news agency.
The students and teachers were from the Krishna Sen Ichchhuk Polytechnic in Ghorahi, Dang district, the Kathmandu Post reported. They had been returning from a visit to a farm when the bus veered off the road near Ramri village.
Police said the bus had been carrying 37 people.
Road accidents are common in Nepal, usually caused by bad roads, poorly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
Last week 20 people died when a lorry carrying mourners from a funeral plunged into a river in central Nepal.
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Road Crash
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December 2018
|
['(BBC)']
|
Senegalese Judge Malick LaMotte sentences Khalifa Sall , mayor of Dakar, Senegal, to a five–year term for fraud.
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One of Senegal's most popular politicians has been jailed on charges of fraud which his supporters say are politically motivated.
Khalifa Sall, mayor of the capital Dakar, was sentenced to five years for embezzling $3.4m (£2.4m).
His conviction bars him from next year's elections, when he had been expected to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall - no relation.
Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in West Africa.
It is the only country on mainland West Africa never to have had a military coup.
It has seen two peaceful transfers of power following elections, most recently in 2012, when Macky Sall became president.
Khalifa Sall, 62, was arrested last year and successfully stood for parliament even though he was in detention at the time.
His parliamentary immunity was lifted so he could stand trial.
The court heard that he had used fake receipts for rice and millet, and diverted the money for "political purposes", reports the AFP news agency.
"I feel shame for my country," deputy Dakar mayor Cheikh Gueye told Reuters. "This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate."
His lawyers have told the media they intend to appeal. However, they are unable to launch the appeal process immediately as Senegal's court clerks are currently on strike.
The BBC's Alex Duval Smith in Dakar says that, whether or not there has been political interference in the trial, it appears to have boosted Khalifa Sall's popularity. Ever since his arrest, and during last October's parliamentary election process, the mayor's supporters have painted him as a victim of an elitist and skewed justice system, she says, adding that he is more popular in his prison cell than he was in city hall chambers.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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March 2018
|
['[fr]', '(BBC)']
|
A Sri Lankan court in Colombo releases Vetrivel Jaseeharan, the publisher of North Eastern Monthly, and his wife after they were charged with conspiracy against the government in March 2008. The editor was given a twenty year jail sentence in August 2009.
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A court in Sri Lanka has released the Tamil publisher of a monthly magazine after he was detained under anti-terrorism laws in March 2008.
Vetrivel Jaseeharan who published North Eastern Monthly, and his wife Vadivel Valarmathi, were charged with conspiracy to discredit the government. But a court in Colombo said charges would be dropped as the magazine's editor had already been found guilty. JS Tissainayagam was sentenced to 20 years in prison in August 2009. He was found guilty of "causing communal disharmony". The world's largest organisation of journalists, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the judgement - which also sentenced him to hard labour while in prison. The court added that the defendants' only offence was to publish articles written by Mr Tissainayagam. The lawyer for the publishers, KV Thavarasa, told the BBC Sinhala service that the judge noted that there were some doubts over whether the alleged confession by Mr Jaseeharan was voluntary. What are these?
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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October 2009
|
['(BBC)', '(Khaleej Times)']
|
Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in George Floyd's death, is released on bail.
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been released from a correctional facility Wednesday and has posted bail, which means that he’s the last of the four officers currently facing charges connected to the death of George Floyd to have been released from custody.
Chauvin, 44, was being held at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, where he had been also appearing in court remotely for all but the most recent hearing during which he and the other three officers charged — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — appeared in person. WCCO has learned that Chauvin left the facility at 9:40 a.m. Wednesday to be transferred to Hennepin County Jail in order to post bail, and left the jail at 11:22 a.m.
READ MORE: Minnesota National Guard Deployed Following Derek Chauvin’s Release
Chauvin had been at the maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights since late May.
Chauvin’s $1 million bond comes with conditions: he can’t leave the state without written court approval, he’s to have no contact with Floyd’s family, he must remain law abiding and make future court appearances. According to state court records, Chauvin posted a non-cash bond guaranteed by Allegheny Casualty.
“He’s financially responsible for a small portion of it. They are the surety that’s on the hook if he were to violate it,” Rachel Moran, associate professor at St. Thomas School of Law, said. “He used a company out of Brainerd that appears to have gotten assurity from a bond insurance company in California. So it’s that bond insurance company in California that’s actually funding this and is on this hook if Chauvin were to somehow violate conditions of the bond.”
(credit: Hennepin County)
Moran said posting bond is a legal right.
“He’s presumed innocent, even if there is significant video evidence, he’s presumed innocent,” Moran said. “As part of that presumption of innocence, most — the vast majority of cases — do have a bailable amount that if you can post, that you are allowed to remain free pending trial.”
WCCO reached out to Chauvin’s attorney about his release, and he had no comment. Ben Crump, attorney for the Floyd family, tweeted the following:
Derek Chauvin posted a $1M bail today – buying his freedom after robbing George Floyd of his life over $20. His release on bond is a painful reminder to George’s family that we are still far from achieving justice. pic.twitter.com/LONbzSgimj
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) October 7, 2020
RELATED: Who Is Judge Peter Cahill, Who Will Oversee Case Of Four Ex-MPD Officers Charged In George Floyd’s Death?
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Video that was taken by a witness at the scene of Floyd’s Memorial Day death — outside of Cup Foods on 38th Street South and Chicago Avenue — shows Chauvin with his knee pressed down on Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes. The video sparked days of protest and violence in Minneapolis and demonstrations around the world.
Prosecution documents in the case against four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of Floyd show Chauvin had seven prior incidents of using neck or head and upper body restraints on arrestees, including four in which prosecutors say he went too far.
Chauvin’s attorney has argued that Floyd was positive for COVID-19, and that his death was the result of very high levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.
RELATED: Judge Disqualifies Hennepin Co. Attorney Mike Freeman From George Floyd Case
Chauvin faces over 12 years in prison if he’s convicted of unintentional second-degree murder.
Additionally, prosecutors have also charged Chauvin, and his estranged wife, with several counts of tax evasion for allegedly lying about their income.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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October 2020
|
['(WCCO-TV)']
|
In preparation for a government–proposed transportation tunnel, anthropologists discover 6,000–year–old charcoal at a site near Stonehenge suggesting an encampment existed much earlier than previously theorized.
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The earliest Mesolithic encampment at Stonehenge has been discovered in a University of Buckingham archaeological dig and it will reveal for the first time how Britain’s oldest ancestors lived – but it could be damaged if Government plans for a tunnel at Stonehenge go ahead.
Charcoal dug up from the encampment, a mile and a half from Stonehenge, has been scientifically tested and reveals that it dates from around 4,000BC. The dig has also unearthed evidence of possible structures, but further investigation is needed to see in more detail what these features in the only untouched Mesolithic landscape in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site contain.
There is also evidence of feasting – burnt flints and remains of giant bulls – aurochs – eaten by early hunter gatherers, as well as tools. A natural spring at Blick Mead would have been the attraction for both people and animals. The combination of water of a constant temperature and a rare algae also produced the only colour-changing stones, which change from brown to pink, found at any archaeological site in the country.
Archaeologist David Jacques, who made the discovery on a dig which launched the University of Buckingham’s MA in Archaeology in October, said: “This is the latest dated Mesolithic encampment ever found in the UK. Blick Mead site connects the early hunter gatherer groups returning to Britain after the Ice Age to the Stonehenge area all the way through to the Neolithic in the late 5th Millennium BC.”
“Our only chance to find out about the earliest chapter of Britain’s history could be wrecked if the tunnel goes ahead.”
Andy Rhind-Tutt, of Amesbury and chairman of the Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust, added: “Traffic congestion to one of the country’s most visited attractions will not be solved by a tunnel with one exit lane. Any tunnel would need to be motorway standard, and even with four lanes there would still be tailbacks.
What we already know about how and when Stonehenge came to be built is examined in a new Stonehenge MOOC, launched today (Friday) and run by the University of Buckingham.
|
New archeological discoveries
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December 2014
|
['(Huffington Post)', '(The Telegraph)', '(University of Buckingham)']
|
The pursuit of a car jacking suspect in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, leaves four police officers injured and hospitalized.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A carjacking suspect speeding through city streets in an attempt to elude deputies early Friday morning crashed into a police officer on his way home from his shift, according to a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.
Officer Fred Duran said the officer was taken to the hospital and has several broken bones and cuts, and another officer was treated for smoke inhalation.
A deputy sustained minor injuries in a separate crash during the pursuit, said Felicia Romero, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.
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Following the crash deputies took five suspects into custody and four were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, Romero said. She released a statement about the incident Friday evening but said authorities will not be identifying the suspects who were taken into custody. She did not say why.
Romero said the chase started shortly after 3 a.m. when a woman called deputies to her South Valley home, saying she had been carjacked at gunpoint by five people. Deputies spotted the stolen car nearby a short time later.
Romero said a deputy tried to pull over the car for a traffic stop, but the driver sped away. The deputy then crashed his car during the chase.
“The county vehicle may have lost control due to the pursuit and hit a barrier,” Romero said.
The deputy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and then released.
Around 4 a.m. deputies asked APD for help with the pursuit, Duran said. He said officers were in the process of providing backup when the suspects raced through a red light at Atrisco and St. Joseph’s NW, crashing into an off-duty officer who had just finished his shift and was driving a marked patrol unit.
“The suspect T-boned the officer’s vehicle causing it to spin out of control and pin the officer inside,” Duran said. “Both agencies were able to get to the officer and deputies on scene quickly and render aid to all involved.”
Duran said three of the people in the carjacked vehicle had felony warrants. He said they had ties to the group of people arrested in the murder of 18-year-old Aliyah Garcia, but he didn’t say how they were tied to the fatal shooting. Garcia, an innocent bystander, was shot and killed on May 26 and three people, including 16-year-old twin boys, were arrested in her murder last week.
“These are also the same subjects being investigated for many other violent crimes which have occurred across Albuquerque and Bernalillo County within the past couple months,” Duran said.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest
|
October 2016
|
['(The Albuquerque Journal)']
|
North Korea unveils a new uranium enrichment plant.
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WASHINGTON — North Korea showed a visiting American nuclear scientist earlier this month a vast new facility it secretly and rapidly built to enrich uranium, confronting the Obama administration with the prospect that the country is preparing to expand its nuclear arsenal or build a far more powerful type of atomic bomb.
Whether the calculated revelation is a negotiating ploy by North Korea or a signal that it plans to accelerate its weapons program even as it goes through a perilous leadership change, it creates a new challenge for President Obama at a moment when his program for gradual, global nuclear disarmament appears imperiled at home and abroad. The administration hurriedly began to brief allies and lawmakers on Friday and Saturday — and braced for an international debate over the repercussions.
An article in some editions last Sunday about a new uranium-enrichment plant in North Korea misstated the year that the Bush administration accused North Korean officials, in private talks, of secretly pursuing the technology that would allow the enrichment. It was 2002, not 2003. (The administration had decided by mid-October 2002 to withdraw from a 1994 nuclear arms accord with Pyongyang.)
William J. Broad contributed reporting from New York.
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Government Policy Changes
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November 2010
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['(The New York Times)', '(Arirang)']
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"Serial bride" pled not guilty to felony fraud for marrying 10 husbands, up to 8 at once in New York City. She married men from "red flagged" nations such as Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan, Mali, and Bangladesh who sought resident status.
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New York - A serial bride accused of trying to wed her 10th groom in a little over 10 years - even though she hadn't divorced all her previous husbands - pleaded not guilty Friday in a Bronx courtroom, the county's district attorney's office said.
Liana Barrientos, 39, of the Bronx, is charged with two counts of offering false instruments for filing, a felony offense. If convicted, she faces up to four years behind bars, the Bronx DA's Office said.
Those false statements are an application for a marriage license and a signed marriage license created five years ago, prosecutors said. They allege that on March 4, 2010, Barrientos filed marriage documents to wed Salle Keita and stated that this marriage was her "first and only."
But that was far from the truth, prosecutors said.
The serial bride allegedly was married 10 times and is believed to be married currently to four people. Prosecutors said at one time, she was married to eight men simultaneously.
Many of the men filed for legal permanent resident status months after their nuptials, the DA's office said. Seven of them are from so-called red-flagged countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan and Mali. The Department of Homeland Security is also part of the investigation.
From 1999 to 2010, Barrientos allegedly married the following 10 men but divorced just six of them — and one of those divorces is listed as "possibly" having happened:
Mohamed Gebril, of Egypt — Married Nov. 1999; Divorced April 29, 2002
Ahmed Allam, of Egypt — Married Nov. 2001; Divorced Nov. 20, 2004
Habibur Rahman, of Bangladesh — Married November 2001; Currently married
Davit Koridze, of Georgia — Married February 2002; Currently married
Duran Goktepe, of Turkey — Married March 2002; Divorced Jan. 10, 2007
Aliaksandr Paharelau, of Czechoslovakia — Married March 2002; Possibly divorced July 25, 2005
Vakhtang Dzneladze, of Georgia — Married May 2002; Divorced Feb. 26, 2007
Rashid Rajput, of Pakistan — Married July 2002; Currently married
Kakhaber Khorbaladze, of Georgia — Married August 2002; Divorced Aug. 6, 2007
Salle Keita, of Mali with no valid immigration status — Married March 4, 2010; Currently married
Rajput, the defendant's eighth husband, filed for legal permanent resident status but was deported in 2006 after an investigation into threatening statements made toward the U.S. They are still married, the DA's office said.
Barrientos fled marriage certificates in Westchester and Rockland counties, the Bronx and Long Island, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PIX11 News.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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April 2015
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['(WTKR)']
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Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is arrested and taken into police custody on charges of being involved in the crackdown on protests in 2008 that resulted in ten deaths following a disputed presidential election.
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YEREVAN -- Former President Robert Kocharian has been taken into custody by Armenian authorities after being charged in connection with the deadly crackdown on opposition protests following the disputed presidential election in 2008.
A Yerevan district court late on July 27 ruled that the Special Investigative Service (SIS) could hold Kocharian pending investigation into the crackdown that left 10 people dead, including two police officers.
The arrest comes as the government of new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, a longtime anticorruption campaigner, has stepped up legal action against officials linked to the previous government.
Kocharian has denied charges of “overthrowing Armenia's constitutional order," calling them politically motivated, and his lawyers say he will appeal the pretrial detention ruling.
The lawyers, Ruben Sahakian and Aram Orbelian, declined further comment and said a news conference would be held in Yerevan on July 28.
The case dates back to late February and early March 2008 in the wake of a disputed election to determine Kocharian’s successor.
Kocharian’s ally, Serzh Sarkisian, was declared the winner, angering the opposition and setting off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1 in which 10 people, including two police officers, were killed.
Kocharian is accused of illegally ordering the violent dispersal of protesters. Kocharian said the postelection crackdown was necessary to prevent an illegal takeover of the government by another former president, Levon Ter-Petrosian.
In March, Nikol Pashinian, then an opposition figure in parliament, asked prosecutors to subpoena Kocharian for questioning over his order to use lethal force to suppress the protests.
Pashinian, who in 2010 was tried and convicted as one of the protest organizers, argued that, in particular, Kocharian should explain where he got information about gunshots allegedly fired at security forces by the demonstrators, which was a key reason cited by authorities in violently putting down the protests.
In a reply to a question from RFE/RL, the Prosecutor-General’s Office in March said Pashinian had no legal standing to demand Kocharian's testimony.
That all changed after Pashinian led a series of massive, nonviolent street protests in the capital, eventually toppling Sarkisian from power and leading to Pashinian’s own election on May 8 to the prime minister’s role in what was hailed by many as a "velvet revolution."
Pashinian, who for years spoke about what he said was widespread government corruption as an opposition member, immediately announced a crackdown on suspected wrongdoing after taking office.
Earlier on July 27, Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian chief of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), was charged, like Kocharian, with overthrowing Armenia's constitutional order related to the 2008 crackdown. Khachaturov, who was Armenia's deputy defense minister at the time, denied any wrongdoing in comments to reporters. Officials said he would be released after paying a bail of about $10,000. The CSTO is a regional grouping that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Critics say Russian President Vladimir Putin sees it as a way to increase Moscow’s influence in former Soviet republics and to counter the European Union and NATO.
Earlier this month, the SIS issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikael Harutiunian, who served as defense minister during the 2008 unrest. It charged Harutiunian with "illegally" using the armed forces against the protesters, saying that it amounted to an “overthrow of constitutional order.”
On July 9, a spokesman for Kocharian denounced the accusations leveled against the fugitive ex-general as a “mockery of the law.”
Pashinian's administration has also brought cases against several close relatives of Sarkisian’s family for a variety of alleged financial crimes, although Pashinian insisted that no particular family was being targeted.
Pashinian told RFE/RL on July 6 that the cases against Sarkisan family members were being pursued on their legal merits and were not "political" in nature.
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, operating out of a bureau in Yerevan, is a leading source of trusted reporting and technical innovation, reaching outsized audiences when developments demand authoritative, up-to-the-minute news most.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest
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July 2018
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['(RFE/RL)']
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A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 11 people and wounding 22 others.
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At least 11 students have been killed and about 20 hurt in a blast on a bus at a university for women in the western Pakistani city of Quetta.
A homemade bomb had been planted on the bus, police say.
Later gunmen attacked the hospital where the victims were being treated. A senior city official is reported to have been killed.
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, which has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months.
Some attacks are carried out by separatists and others by Islamists who oppose women's education. In the latest, the students were about to go home when the explosion occurred.
"It was an improvised explosive device placed in the women university bus," police chief Zubair Mahmood said.
Hospital sources say some of the wounded are in critical condition.
Later another explosion rocked the medical centre where the students were being treated,
Militants armed with grenades were positioned there and exchanged fire with members of the security forces who rushed to the scene, police say.
Pakistan TV says a senior Quetta official, Abdul Mansoor Khan, who had gone to the hospital to visit the wounded students, was killed in the stand-off. There are fears of more casualties. No group has said it carried out either attack.
The violence came hours after militants carried out a rocket attack against a historic home in the Ziarat area of Balochistan, which was used by Pakistan's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The house is said to have been severely damaged.
Last month the Taliban killed at least 11 people in an attack on security forces in Quetta.
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Armed Conflict
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June 2013
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['(BBC)']
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The attorney general of Ethiopia files terrorism charges against opposition activist Jawar Mohammed for the unrest that erupted following the assassination of musician Hachalu Hundessa last June. Jawar is due to appear in court on Monday to respond to the charges.
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ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has filed terrorism charges against a prominent media mogul and opposition politician from the Oromo ethnic group, Jawar Mohammed, the attorney general’s office said on Saturday.
Jawar, founder of the Oromiya Media Network and a member of the Oromo Federalist Congress party, was arrested in June amid the widespread unrest that followed the assassination of popular Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa.
Jawar and 22 other activists, including Oromo opposition leader Bekele Garba, face charges relating to the violation of anti-terrorism laws, telecom fraud laws and firearms laws, the attorney general’s office said in a statement on social media.
Those charged include journalists and scholars. Bekele is a senior leader of the Oromo Federalist Congress.
They will appear in court on Monday to answer to the charges, the attorney general’s office said in the statement.
Jawar, a former ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, was instrumental in the Oromo protests that brought Abiy to power in 2018. But he became a critic of Abiy, accusing the prime minister of failing to protect Oromo interests.
Tuuli Baayyis, Jawar’s lawyer, told Reuters that they had learnt about the charges from social media as formal charge papers had not been provided to them yet. He did not comment on the charges.
At least nine people have died in the Oromiya region around Addis Ababa following clashes between Ethiopian security forces and protesters demanding the release of the detained Oromo opposition politicians.
The unrest in Oromiya highlights the challenges facing Abiy ahead of elections which were due this August, but were postponed due to the coronavirus crisis.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
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September 2020
|
['(Reuters)']
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The Attorney General for England and Wales Geoffrey Cox is sacked by Johnson.
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The government's chief law officer had made clear in a speech on Wednesday that he wanted to hold on to the post, and said after his dismissal that he was 'leaving the government at the prime minister's request'.
Cox, who spoke at the launch of Mr Johnson's bid for the Tory leadership last year, is understood to have fallen foul of the prime minister because of his insistence on speaking out independently in cabinet.
In a letter of resignation - which he made clear he had made at Mr Johnson's request - the outgoing attorney appeared to allude to this by referring to his efforts to deliver "candid and independent" advice to the PM and his predecessor Theresa May.
Known as parliament's highest-earning MP before his appointment to Ms May's cabinet in 2018, the barrister and QC won plaudits from Westminster-watchers for his deep baritone voice and his Rumpole of the Bailey-style rhetorical flourishes.
He hit the headlines last September when he branded parliament a "disgrace" following the Supreme Court decision outlawing Mr Johnson's suspension of the Commons.
Standing at the despatch box, he launched a blistering attack on MPs for being "too cowardly" to hold an election, adding: "This parliament is dead."
In his letter to Mr Johnson, he recalled his role at his leadership launch, in an apparent reminder of the loyalty he had shown to the PM.
And he wrote: "I bluntly told the House of Commons in September that they risked incurring the wrath of the British people by continually frustrating the result of the referendum, and that a reckoning at the polls would come.
"It is very good news for our country and a source of great personal satisfaction to me that you have so emphatically proven those predictions to be correct."
Mr Cox, 59, has been MP for Torridge and West Devon since 2005.
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Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal
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February 2020
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['(The Independent)']
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An Afghan border police guard is killed and two Pakistani troops are injured in border violence.
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Afghan and Pakistani troops have clashed across the border between the two countries for the second time in a week.
There are no reports of serious casualties in the latest clashes.
One Afghan border police guard was killed and two Pakistani troops injured in violence on Wednesday.
The renewed fighting comes after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government would never recognise the current border with Pakistan.
Afghan grievances over the frontier with Pakistan date back to its being drawn as the so-called Durand Line by the then colonial power Britain in 1893, the BBC's David Loyn reports from Kabul.
The governor of the Afghan province of Nangarhar said that several Pakistani border checkpoints were torn down just south of the Khyber Pass.
The Afghan foreign ministry summoned the Pakistani charge d'affaires Shah Nazar Afridi in Kabul to lodge a "strong protest" over the latest violence, according to a statement.
The ministry said that Mr Afridi was told that Pakistan would "bear responsibility for any consequences" if it refused to move Pakistani posts in areas which Afghanistan says are inside its territory.
Pakistani officials say Afghan forces initiated the latest violence.
Thousands of Afghans took part in anti-Pakistan protests in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday.
The border police officer killed in the previous clash has been hailed as a martyr amid rising nationalist fervour on social media sites in Afghanistan, our correspondent reports.
Afghanistan believes that Pakistan is taking advantage of the reduction in US forces, seizing ground and setting up new border posts, he adds. There has been no official Pakistani comment on the latest clashes, but a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman insisted that the Durand Line was the settled frontier, and that Pakistani checkpoints were vital for good border management.
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Armed Conflict
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May 2013
|
['(BBC)']
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In Fort Worth, Texas, a woman is shot dead in her bedroom by a policeman sent to check on her welfare.
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A black woman was shot dead by police through her own bedroom window in the early hours of Saturday morning, after a request to check on her welfare.
Atatiana Jefferson, 28, had been living at the residence in Fort Worth, Texas with her eight-year-old nephew.
A neighbour had called a non-emergency police number after growing concerned that her front door was open at night.
Police have released body cam footage of the incident, which shows an officer shooting within seconds of seeing her.
The clip shows police searching the perimeter of the residential property, before noticing a figure at the window. After demanding the person put their hands up, an officer then fired a shot through the glass. The Fort Worth Police Department said in a statement that the officer, who is a white man, had "perceived a threat" when he drew his weapon. He has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, officials added.
The shooting happened at about 02:30 local time (07:30 GMT) on Saturday morning.
Although it is edited, the body cam footage does not appear to show the officers identifying themselves as police.
It does not show footage from inside the property but includes images of a weapon that police say they found inside the bedroom.
It is unclear if Ms Jefferson was holding a weapon at the time, but firearm possession is legal for people aged over 18 in Texas.
Police said officers provided emergency medical care to Ms Jefferson at the scene, but she was declared dead at the property. The 28-year-old had been playing video games with her nephew before she went to investigate the noise outside the window, according to a lawyer representing her family. "Her mom had recently gotten very sick, so she was home taking care of the house and loving her life," lawyer Lee Merritt said on Facebook. "There was no reason for her to be murdered. None. We must have justice."
Ms Jefferson was a university graduate who was working in pharmaceutical equipment sales, he added.
The shooting comes less than two weeks after an off-duty police officer was jailed for shooting a black man, Botham Jean, dead in his own Dallas apartment less than 35 miles (55km) from Saturday's incident. A number of high-profile shootings of unarmed black men in US cities in recent years have sparked protests about the police use of force.
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, himself from Texas, has spoken out about Ms Jefferson's death. "As we mourn with Atatiana's loved ones, we must demand accountability and promise to fight until no family has to face a tragedy like this again," he posted on Twitter. The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) labelled Ms Jefferson's death "unacceptable".
UNACCEPTABLE! The acts of yet another “trained” police officer have resulted in the death of #AtatianaJefferson. Gun downed in her own home. If we are not safe to call the police, if we are not safe in our homes, where can we find peace? We demand answers. We demand justice. pic.twitter.com/UZqHQzPyaW
Neighbour James Smith, 62, said he had checked the property himself before calling police, but failed to spot movement inside. "I'm shaken. I'm mad. I'm upset. And I feel it's partly my fault," Mr Smith told the Star Telegram newspaper about requesting the welfare check. "If I had never dialled the police department, she'd still be alive."
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Famous Person - Death
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October 2019
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['(BBC News)']
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Live sports returned as UFC 249 occurred. In the Co–main event Henry Cejudo defeated Dominick Cruz to retain his Bantamweight Championship and retired after the win. In the main event Justin Gaethje defeated Tony Ferguson to win the Interim UFC lightweight title. This set up a fight with undisputed UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
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Justin Gaethje beat Tony Ferguson in the fifth round to win an interim lightweight belt at U.F.C. 249. It was the first major American sporting event since widespread shutdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic.
By Morgan Campbell and Kevin Draper
Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson were matched to provide action.
In organizing the first major professional sporting event in North America since the Covid-19 pandemic prompted an industrywide shutdown eight weeks ago, the Ultimate Fighting Championship wanted to ensure that, with something of a monopoly on fan attention, the main event from U.F.C. 249 entertained.
And the fighters delivered violence — with Ferguson absorbing most of the punishment. Gaethje dominated the 36-year-old for nearly five rounds, pummeling him with heavy punches until the referee, Herb Dean, stopped the fight with 80 seconds remaining in the final frame.
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Sports Competition
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May 2020
|
['(The Times)']
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Five arrests are made over the UK Islamist demonstration outside the Danish Embassy in London against the cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.
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Five men were arrested this morning in connection with last month's London protests against cartoons satirising the prophet Muhammad.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan police said four of the men were being held on suspicion of incitement to murder and all five were being held on the public order offence of "using words or written material to stir up racial hatred".
Four of the men were arrested at their London homes in Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Southall and Waltham Forest and were taken to a central London police station for questioning. The fifth man was arrested in Birmingham and is being questioned there.
The arrests relate to the February 3 demonstrations when most of the vehement protest placards appeared.
Among the written slogans touted by protesters that day were "butcher those who mock Islam" and "slay those who insult Islam". Some evoked previous al-Qaida suicide bombings with "Europe you will pay, your 9/11 is on the way", or "7/7 is on its way".
One man who dressed as a suicide bomber was sent back to jail for breaching the terms of his parole on a drug dealing conviction.
The cartoons were originally published in Denmark and included an image of the Prophet Muhammad with a fizzing bomb in his turban. They were reproduced in countries from France to Yemen, but were not printed in the national media in the UK.
Today's arrests come over a month after the protests, which were widely filmed and photographed allowing identification of the protesters. Shortly after the event, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Steve House, said the decision not to intervene and make arrests had prevented the situation from becoming "inflamed".
The Met established a dedicated investigation team named Operation Laverda on February 3 to look into the protests.
Asked if there were likely to be more arrests related to the demonstrations, the Met today said they expected "further developments later on".
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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March 2006
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['(Guardian)']
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Twenty Myanmar soldiers and two Arakan Army insurgents are killed in clashes in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State.
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Fierce fighting erupted Sunday between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in two townships in western Myanmar’s volatile Rakhine state, with disputed reports of military casualties on both sides, spokesmen for the warring armies said, while state lawmakers submitted an emergency proposal to petition the central government to restore regional internet service after it was cut off as a security measure.
The morning clash occurred on a mountain range near Ghahtar Taung Dam, northeast of Kyauk Kyar village in Mrauk-U township, when Myanmar troops attacked the AA from helicopters.
Arakan troops, who seek greater autonomy in the state, ambushed a Myanmar military column of about 100 soldiers, resulting in a loss of lives, AA spokesman Khine Thukha said.
“The enemy lost more than 20 [soldiers], and many of them were injured,” he said. “The Myanmar Army has been shelling continuously throughout the day.”
Two AA soldiers were injured during the clash, he added.
RFA could not independently confirm the AA’s claim about casualties among Myanmar troops.
Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun confirmed the clash on Sunday, but denied any casualties among government troops.
“There was a battle yesterday morning between Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U,” he said. “It occurred while our troops were maintaining security in the area. We had no causalities, but we seized two weapons from [the AA] side.”
The fighting that took place northeast of Kyauk Kyar village prompted hundreds of civilians to flee their homes, said Tun Thar Sein, a lawmaker representing the township in the Rakhine state parliament.
“Some returned home after the fighting stopped, but others did not and continued to stay at the Buddhist monastery in [neighboring] Kyauktaw [township's] Ywamabyin village,” he said. “There must be around 300.”
During a separate skirmish in Minbya township on Sunday, Myanmar troops captured an AA outpost, Zaw Min Tun said, though RFA could not independently confirm this.
"There was a battle near Khamaung Wa village in Minbya township," he said. "We overran an AA outpost. I don't know exactly if helicopters were used. They probably could have been. A [dead] body and three guns were seized during the search."
Khine Thukha said the Myanmar Army launched the offensive in the same area where clashes occurred on June 21 and 22.
“Two helicopters came and bombed,” he said. “We didn’t have any causalities in the fighting, but we don’t know about the enemy.”
Rockets hit military tugboat
On Saturday, three AA rockets hit a Myanmar Navy tugboat moored at the mouth of Satyokya Creek in Rakhine state’s capital Sittwe, reportedly killing two soldiers and injuring another, military spokesman Zaw Min Tun told the online journal The Irrawaddy,
Police have arrested six civilians in connection with the attack, including two young men from a displaced persons camp at Kayuchaung Monastery and four others from the compound where the rockets were fired, said state lawmaker Aye Thein who represents Sittwe township.
“The two young men are Soe Naing Linn and Maung Kyan Thu,” he said. “The others are Aung Naing Win and three of his family members who guard the compound.”
The arrested boys’ aunt, Hla Hla Nu, told RFA that her nephews went to the creek to go fishing.
“These two kids went to the creek for fishing at nightfall,” she said. “They returned to the refugee camp in the monastery around 10 p.m. The next morning around 10 a.m. five policemen in plainclothes from the No. 1 Myoma Police Station came and took the boys away. They said they needed to question them.”
A CCTV security camera recorded the two boys returning from their outing, Hla Hla Nu said.
They are now being questioned at the district police commander’s office following an interrogation at the police station, she added.
Deputy Commander Maung Maung Soe from Rakhine State Police told RFA that police are questioning the pair according to criminal procedures, but that he didn’t know the exact number of people being held for questioning.
Authorities also rounded up for questioning Sunday night more than 30 laborers working at the compound from which the AA rockets were fired, but released them the next morning, one of those detained said.
“Around 6 p.m. last night, we were taken to the police station,” said the laborer who declined to be identified out of fear of repercussions. “They interrogated us at the police station. They said it was about the explosion. They recorded our answers. They asked many questions about the explosion. We had to sleep at the station. They released us this morning around 8 a.m.”
AA spokesman Khine Thukha told RFA on Sunday that Arakan fighters launched the attack because the boat was being used to transport reinforcements for military troops in the region.
He also said that the civilians detained by authorities were not involved with the ethnic army.
“The people who have been rounded up are all civilians,” he said. “None of them have connections to us. As usual, the Myanmar military is carrying out arbitrary arrests to charge civilians in retaliation after they lost their soldiers. None of the people they have arrested belong to the AA.”
Zaw Min Tun said the attack has hindered the military from ensuring the safety of vessels that use the public waterway.
“We are taking care of security in the city,” he said. “The attack occurred on the waterway that enters into Sittwe city. It is the area commonly used by passenger boats. This attack is a hindrance for our work on securing safety in public transportation.”
Internet service cut in Rakhine
Meanwhile, the Rakhine state parliament on Monday submitted an urgent motion to appeal to the central government for the resumption of internet service in eight townships after it was temporarily shut down earlier this week because of the fighting, two lawmakers said.
Lawmakers will discuss the motion on Wednesday.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered telecommunication providers to disconnect internet service in Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya, and Myebon townships in Rakhine state and in Paletwa township in neighboring Chin State, where the national army is engaged in armed conflict with the AA.
Some township residents reported that they have only had telephone services since June 21.
Yanghee Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said the cutoff of mobile data networks in nine townships could affect monitoring in the conflict areas of Rakhine and Chin states.
“As there is no media access and serious restrictions on humanitarian organizations in the conflict-affected area, the entire region is in a blackout,” Lee said in a statement issued Monday.
“I fear for all civilians there, cut off and without the necessary means to communicate with people inside and outside the area,” she added.
Rakhine state lawmaker Hla Thein Aung who represents Minbya township and who submitted the motion said the service disruption could lead to more violence in the region.
“The shutdown of internet services can lead to even more violence and human rights violations,” he said. “We are deeply concerned and terrified as the government has ordered an information blackout instead of improving access to information in a time of conflict.”
State parliamentarian Tun Thar Sein said the internet cutoff has prevented lawmakers from communicating with the communities they represent and state offices from doing business.
“The internet shutdown hinders communications between parliament members and their constituencies,” he said. “It also has caused losses in businesses and government offices because they have had to use fax machines instead.”
Soe Thein, permanent secretary of Ministry of Transport and Communications, said the reason for the shutdown is the lack of rule of law in the conflict zone.
“The security in these townships is deteriorating,” he told RFA at a press conference on June 22. “It impacts the well-being of local civilians. For these reasons, the government has closed the internet service.”
“Besides, this is not a complete blackout,” he said. “Conversational communication can still carry on since SMS and phone services remain operational.”
The central government will restore internet service once the region becomes secure and stable, he added.
Zaw Min Oo, chief external relations officer of MyTel, one of the operators that cut off internet services in Rakhine state, said the government’s order is in accordance with Myanmar’s telecommunications law.
“We don’t have the intention of disagreeing with the order,” he said. “This issue is already covered in the contract since we received our [operating] license. The telecommunications law also dictates that the government may shut down the services if necessary, so it is doing it according to the procedures.”
Laborer dies in army custody
In a related development, one of several laborers detained by Myanmar forces on June 20 at temple construction site in Mrauk-U township on suspicion of having ties to the AA has died in detention, his relatives said.
Nay Myo Tun, 23, from Pauktaw Byin village, was detained with a handful of others working on a building project at a local Buddhist temple in Mrauk-U’s Waitharli village.
“People told us that Nay Myo Tun’s body was sent to Kyauktaw Hospital,” said a relative of the dead man who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution. “That’s how we learned he was dead.”
“Nobody contacted us to let us know about his death,” the relative said. “He was not an AA member, and we couldn’t see him when he was being detained.”
Zaw Min Tun said government forces cannot always contact the relatives of those who die in custody.
“We can contact families in time for some cases, but not for others,” he said. “It might be because of security reasons that we do not contact families. According to our procedures, we [first] have to open a case and get an autopsy. We definitely do these things.”
Government soldiers also detained about 14 other workers digging stones at a road construction site near Pauktaw Byin village on June 20.
The Myanmar military released eight of the men on Sunday, though the remainder are still in detention and under investigation at Kyauktaw Myoma Police Station on suspicion of having ties to the AA, which has denied that they are associated with the rebel army.
Since hostilities between the Myanmar Army and the AA escalated in late 2018, government soldiers have detained more than 90 civilians on suspicion of having ties to the AA. Three dozen are still under investigation, while 45 have been charged and three sentenced, the military said at a press conference on June 22.
Reported by Kyaw Htun Naing, Thet Su Aung, Kyaw Thu, and Zin Mar Win for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann, Ye Kaung Mying Maung, and Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
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Armed Conflict
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June 2019
|
['(Radio Free Asia)']
|
A security expert testifies to an inquest that film director James Miller was shot intentionally by an Israeli soldier while making a film in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
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James Miller, 34, from Devon, was shot by a soldier from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) while making a film in a Palestinian refugee camp in 2003.
An Israeli investigation in April 2005 cleared a soldier of misusing firearms.
At St Pancras Coroner's Court in London, former weapons inspector Chris Cobb-Smith said there was no way the soldier fired by accident.
A reporters' statement said Mr Miller was also under a white flag.
These were slow, deliberate, calculated and aimed shots
Chris Cobb-Smith "This was calculated and cold-blooded murder, without a shadow of a doubt," Mr Cobb-Smith told the inquest.
"These shots were not fired by a soldier who was frightened, not fired by a soldier facing incoming fire - these were slow, deliberate, calculated and aimed shots."
The 10-member inquest jury heard how Mr Miller had been wearing a helmet and flak jacket with the letters TV written in bright fluorescent tape as he approached the soldiers in Rafah at about 2300 on 2 May 2003.
He was holding a torch which shone on a large white flag being held by his interpreter.
A shot was fired, followed by a second fatal shot 12 to 13 seconds later. Several more shots were fired at seven to 12 second intervals, hitting the Palestinian house, from which the TV crew had emerged.
Weapon records
Mr Cobb-Smith said this illustrated that the shots were deliberate.
He said that although it was night-time, the TV crew would have been back-lit by lights from the house from which they emerged.
The Israeli soldiers would also have had night vision equipment on their armoured personnel carrier (APC) which would have made it obvious that the cameraman, reporter and interpreter were unarmed and presented no threat.
The security expert was also critical of the Israeli army as it was unable to provide a record of soldiers' weapons and any ammunition they may have discharged.
No help
The inquest also heard evidence from reporter Saira Shah, who was standing next to Mr Miller when he was shot.
In a witness statement read out by coroner Dr Andrew Reid, the inquest heard that she and Mr Miller, accompanied by their interpreter Abdul Rahman Abdullah, slowly approached the IDF soldiers with their white flag held high.
All three froze after the first shot and then dropped to the ground when the second shot rang out, but by this time Mr Miller had been seriously wounded.
As they struggled to move his body, the Israeli soldiers in their APC inched forward and eventually threw down a stretcher, the court heard.
"The Israeli soldiers watched us fumbling to remove James's body armour and get him back on to the stretcher but still would not help us," Ms Shah said.
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Famous Person - Death
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April 2006
|
['(The Independent)', '(BBC)']
|
Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, leader of Hamas, is killed by an Israeli missile attack.
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Rantissi's death came 26 days after the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was killed in another "targeted killing" by the Israeli military .
Two other people in Rantissi's car died and several passers-by were hurt.
Earlier a suicide bomber killed himself and an Israeli soldier at the Erez checkpoint just north of Gaza City.
The BBC's Peter Greste in Gaza City says people are speculating that the attack on the Hamas chief was in response to the suicide bombing.
Shrapnel wounds
The force of the explosion at about 2030 (1730 GMT) was felt around the city.
Israel will regret this - revenge is coming, this blood will not be wasted
Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya
Attack sparks outrage
In pictures: Killing in Gaza
There have been reports that the car was hit by two more missiles.
Two people, believed to be one of Rantissi's sons and a bodyguard, were killed instantly, but the Hamas leader himself was still alive and was taken to Gaza's al-Shifa hospital.
Surgeons operated on Rantissi, but he died at the hospital.
The first doctor to treat Rantissi, Joma el-Saka, told the BBC that the Hamas leader was in a serious condition when he arrived, with a severe head injury and multiple shrapnel wounds to his neck and torso.
He described Rantissi as being in "the terminal stage, alive, but gasping for breath".
"There is no hospital that could have saved him in the whole world," Dr Saka said.
Angry outcry
Crowds of Hamas supporters converged at both the scene of the attack and the hospital to demonstrate their anger and vow revenge. ABDEL AZIZ AL-RANTISSI
Profile: Forceful spokesman
"Israel will regret this. Revenge is coming," another Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, told reporters at the hospital. "This blood will not be wasted. It is our fate in Hamas and it is our fate as Palestinians to die as martyrs."
Palestinians swarmed around and on top of the wreckage of Rantissi's white car and the streets across Gaza City were filled by tens of thousands of residents pouring from their homes to voice their outrage at the killing.
The militant leader was one of Israel's top targets after he took over the leadership of Hamas in Gaza in the wake of Sheikh Yassin's assassination in a similar missile strike.
Khaled Meshaal - Hamas' politburo chief in exile - was declared the group's overall leader after Yassin was killed. International concern
The Israeli army confirmed that it had carried out the attack saying in a statement that Rantissi was "a mastermind of terrorism... directly responsible for the killing of scores of Israelis in numerous terror attacks".
The US reiterated its policy that Israel "has the right to defend itself from terrorist attack". The British government has made it repeatedly clear that so-called 'targeted assassinations' of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and counter-productive
UK Foreign Minister Jack Straw
In quotes: World reaction
Have your say
But a White House spokesman added that the US "strongly urges Israel to consider carefully the consequences of its actions, and we again urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint at this time".
The Palestinian Authority condemned the killing, accusing Israeli of "state terror".
"It is evident now to the world that the Palestinian people need international protection more than ever," Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat told the Reuters news agency.
UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "The British government has made it repeatedly clear that so-called 'targeted assassinations' of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and counter-productive."
A spokesman for the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, said the organisation condemned the incident, describing it as "state terrorism".
Gaza plan
The timing of the attack is particularly sensitive. On Wednesday Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won US President George W Bush's backing for his controversial plan of "unilateral disengagement".
Under the plan Mr Sharon proposes that Israel pulls out of Gaza including relocating all the existing Jewish settlements there. But Mr Sharon also proposes that Israel will retain control of large areas of the West Bank.
The Palestinians have criticised the plan saying it will wreck all peace hopes, but Mr Bush surprised observers by supporting the plan, which he described as "historic and courageous".
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Famous Person - Death
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April 2004
|
['(CNN)', '(BBC)']
|
A top Al-Qaeda commander is killed in an airstrike in Syria.
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BEIRUT - An airstrike has killed a top al-Qaeda commander and two other fighters in Syria, activists said Saturday, but it was not immediately clear whether it was carried out by the U.S.-led coalition or Russian warplanes.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al-Charekh, a Saudi better known as Sanafi al-Nasr, was killed Thursday in an airstrike near the northern Syrian town of Dana, along with another Saudi and a Moroccan member of al-Qaeda'a local affiliate, known as the Nusra Front.
Russian warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes in Syria since Sept. 30. A U.S.-led coalition has been targeting the Nusra Front and the Islamic State group for more than a year.
The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said it was not clear if al-Charekh was killed by U.S. or Russian warplanes. The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, said an Egyptian commander escaped the bombing. It said all four men had been dispatched to Syria by al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri.
Jihadi activists on social media say al-Charekh was killed by a U.S. drone strike.
Al-Charekh, the alleged leader of al-Qaida’s operations in Syria, was one of six men that the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on last year. He was the 49th on a list of 85 most-wanted militants by Saudi Arabia who are outside the kingdom. The list, issued in 2009, includes 83 Saudis and two Yemenis.
“America is offering its services to the Safawi (Iranian) project in the region by removing every brain who confronts this project,” wrote prominent Lebanese jihadi cleric Sirajeddine Zuraiqat on Twitter. Zuraiqat is believed to be in Syria and is wanted in his home country.
The U.S. killed top al-Qaida official Muhsin al-Fadhli in an airstrike three months ago. Some Arab press reports suggested that al-Charekh was a member of the Khorasan group, a secretive cell of al-Qaida operatives who U.S. officials say were sent from Pakistan to Syria to plot attacks against the West.
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Famous Person - Death
|
October 2015
|
['(USA Today)']
|
The Pentagon confirms that the number of U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries from the Iranian attacks in January is higher than previously stated, now being at 109.
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The US had downplayed the effects of an Iranian attack on a US airbase in Iraq in an apparent bid to defuse tensions. However, the Pentagon has now admitted 109 service members suffered brain injuries.
The US Defense Department admitted on Monday that 109 service members suffered mild traumatic brain injuries in an Iranian attack on a US airbase in Iraq in January.
President Donald Trump had initially denied there were any casualties in the ballistic missile attack, which came in response to the US assasination of Revolutionary Guard general Qassem Soleimani.
In the weeks after the attack, Washington admitted that some troops had suffered mild traumatic brain injuries, but the latest figures are significantly higher than previously reported.
The Pentagon said that 76 of those service members had already returned to duty, while the rest are still undergoing treatment.
"Our research has been instrumental in the development of various breakthroughs to improve the lives of those individuals who have sustained brain injuries," Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said in a statement. "Our efforts must address the total picture — before, during and after any blast exposure or injury. This is a snapshot in time and numbers can change. We will continue to provide updates as they become available," she said.
Veterans slam Trump's response
Trump's initial downplay of their injuries as "not very serious" prompted rebuke from US veterans groups. "I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things," Trump said at a news conference on January 22. "I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries I have seen."
Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist, said on Twitter: “We shouldn’t hide our veterans’ injuries just to pretend like we’re invincible”.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization also issued a statement last month, condemning Trump's comments about the injuries. "TBI [traumatic brain injury]is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly. TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches, dizziness and fatigue — all injuries that come with both short- and long-term effects," said the group's national commander, William "Doc" Schmitz.
"The VFW expects an apology from the President to our service men and women for his misguided remarks ... Our warriors require our full support more than ever in this challenging environment," he added.
lc/aw (Reuters, AFP)
US politicians rejoiced over Soleimani's assassination while Iranians mourned him as a national hero. We sum up key events in the days and moments following the attack on Iran's most powerful military general. (08.01.2020)
The appearance of the supreme leader at Friday prayers comes at a tumultuous time for Iran, which had seemed on the brink of war with the US. The last time he led the sermon was in 2012 when he threatened Israel. (17.01.2020)
Iran's military fired a volley of ballistic missiles at Erbil and Ain Al-Asad air bases. A weapons expert explains what missiles might have been used and why the response appears "almost de-escalatory" in nature. (08.01.2020)
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Riot
|
February 2020
|
['(DW)']
|
Thousands of protesters demonstrate in the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia against the coal seam gas industry.
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Thousands of protesters have staged rallies across the country condemning Australia's multibillion-dollar coal seam gas (CSG) industry.
They massed in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia today in what is believed to be the largest series of demonstrations against the controversial extraction technique ever.
In NSW alone there were 20 rallies, including one at Sydney's Martin Place where about 400 people heard claims that CSG mining could damage major water sources.
"In the Illawarra, they are drilling in special catchment areas ... these are areas that are so precious you and I are not allowed to go for a bushwalk there," Jacinta Green, from the anti CSG group Lock the Gate Alliance, told the rally.
"But the coal seam gas companies can take their trucks in, take their drills in, take their chemicals in and potentially contaminate our drinking water."
Ms Green outlined other major water sources, including the Hawkesbury River, to Sydney's north and the Warragamba Dam, south-west of the city, that Lock the Gate believes could be contaminated.
The organisation says ultimately the entire Great Artesian Basin, supplying large swathes of east, north and southern Australia, could become polluted.
NSW Greens MP Kate Faehrmann said governments should invest in renewable energy rather than allow further CSG mining.
"This isn't a campaign about making the industry safe, because the industry cannot be safe," she told the Sydney protest.
"What they are doing under the ground ... is too risky and it risks our water supply too much."
In Queensland, large anti-CSG banners were placed across the countryside, including on the peaks of the state's southern ranges.
In Western Australia, protesters gathered in Reuther Park at Margaret River.
Heidi Ross, one of those organising the Queensland protests, said the CSG industry was moving into the Scenic Rim and locals didn't want it.
"Town and country people are working together on this; farmers, the tourism industry and local businesses are uniting to really make a stand," she said in a statement.
There were anti-CSG rallies across the state, including in Brisbane, Toowoomba, the Darling Downs, the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.
Those opposed to CSG mining believe the method, which involves fracturing underground coal seams by injecting fluids at high pressure, is capable of contaminating water tables.
There is also controversy surrounding the methods used by some energy firms to gain access to land for coal seam gas exploration.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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October 2011
|
['(Sydney Morning Herald)']
|
Seven & I Holdings Co., the parent company of the 7–Eleven convenience store chain, agrees to acquire the retail operations of Sunoco for $3.3 billion.
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(Reuters) - Sunoco LP SUN.N said on Thursday it would sell 1,110 convenience stores to Japan's Seven & i Holdings Co 3382.T for $3.3 billion as the Texas-based company shifts its focus to its fuel supply business.
Sunoco’s shares jumped as much as 24 percent to $29.50 on Thursday - their biggest intraday percentage rise in three years.
As part of the deal, the U.S. company will also supply about 2.2 billion gallons of fuel annually for 15 years to a unit of the operator of 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores.
Sunoco, a publicly-traded partnership controlled by pipeline operator Energy Transfer Equity ETE.N, operates about 1,350 retail fuelling sites and convenience stores under brands such as APlus and Stripes, the company's website showed.
The company said it planned to sell another 200 stores by the end of the fourth quarter and expand its distribution business, partly through acquisitions.
Energy Transfer’s chief financial officer, Thomas Long, said there are no plans to dissolve the partnership.
Energy Transfer wants Sunoco to remain a standalone business and continue on the M&A front to expand its business, Long said. “That is very much the directive.”
Sunoco said it expected to use the proceeds from the sale primarily to repay debt, which was about $4.51 billion as of December.
Seven & i Holdings has been aggressively expanding in Japan and the United States, where it has been acquiring stores from local retailers.
Its latest purchase comes as operators of traditional big-box retailers, including Seven & i, have been suffering weak sales as changing tastes and modest wage growth prompt shoppers to defect to cheaper speciality chains and online outlets.
“The U.S. convenience store market has growth momentum. We see opportunities there,” Seven & i President Ryuichi Isaka said.
Seven & i runs general merchandise, department and speciality stores, but the bulk of its operating profit comes from convenience stores.
The deal would be the biggest by the Japanese company’s U.S. unit 7-Eleven Inc [SILC.UL].
Seven & i has about 19,400 7-Eleven stores in Japan and 8,700 in the United States and Canada, including those run by franchisees.
7-Eleven Inc, known for its “Slurpee” frozen beverage, has said it aims to increase its number of stores to 10,000 over the three years through 2019.
Reporting by Taiga Uranaka; Additional reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu, Chris Gallagher and Gary McWilliams; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Martina D’Couto, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Anil D’Silva
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Organization Merge
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April 2017
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['(Reuters)']
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Five big banks Barclays, RBS, Citi, JP Morgan and UBS are fined $5.7 billion after a United States Department of Justice investigation into collusion by forex traders in several countries. The investigations estimated the banks profited over $100 billion from these crimes.
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Barclays, RBS, Citi, JP Morgan and UBS forced to pay out over collusion by traders in several countries in another big blow to their reputations
Last modified on Wed 29 Nov 2017 17.59 GMT
The reputation of the banking industry took another hammering on Wednesday as the fines imposed on major banks – including Barclays and bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland – for rigging foreign exchange markets topped £6.3bn.
The US Department of Justice accused the industry of “breathtaking flagrancy” as, along with other regulators on both sides of the Atlantic, it imposed a record $5.7bn (£3.7bn) of punishments on six banks. The new fines followed£2.6bn of penalties announced in November for manipulation of the £3.5tn a day currency markets.
Barclays was fined £1.5bn by five regulators, including a record £284m by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA will hand its fine to the chancellor, George Osborne. Yet Barclays’ stock market value rose by £1.5bn as a result of a 3% rise in its share price amid relief the fine was not even larger. RBS’s shares also rose 1.8%. The increases came even though the regulators said there could be more fines to come.
An unprecedented series of guilty pleas was extracted by the US DoJ from four of the banks: Barclays, RBS, Citigroup and JP Morgan. Swiss bank UBS was granted immunity for being the first to report the manipulation of the foreign exchange markets, although it was forced to admit to wrongdoing in other offences. Bank of America was fined by the Federal Reserve.
Announcing the fines, Loretta Lynch, the US attorney general, said bank traders had exhibited “breathtaking flagrancy” in setting up a group they called “the cartel” to manipulate the market between 2007 and the end of 2013.
“The penalty these banks will now pay is fitting considering the long-running and egregious nature of their anticompetitive conduct. It is commensurate with the pervasive harm done. And it should deter competitors in the future from chasing profits without regard to fairness, to the law, or to the public welfare,” she said.
The banks, which have been hit by billions of pounds of Libor fines in the last three years and admit they face further penalties for rigging other markets such as metals, faced a torrent of criticism.
“This sort of practice strikes at the heart of business ethics and is yet another blow to the integrity of the banks. Our pension funds invest billions of pounds in the financial markets and if they are being cheated in this way, it affects every one of us,” said Mark Taylor, dean of Warwick Business School and a former foreign exchange trader.
Andrew McCabe, FBI assistant director, said: “These resolutions make clear that the US government will not tolerate criminal behaviour in any sector of the financial markets.”
Campaigners for a tax on financial transactions at the Robin Hood Tax campaign, said: “These colossal fines are a shocking reminder that for too long our banks have had a rotten core. In what other sector would we tolerate the frequency and severity of such damaging behaviour?”
Barclays was ordered to fire eight staff as part of a deal with the New York department of financial services – including a global head of trading – although other individuals are also expected to leave. Benjamin Lawsky, who is stepping down as the head of the New York DFS, said Barclays “engaged in a brazen ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ scheme to rip off their clients”.
The FCA said Barclays engaged in collusive behaviour with rivals and used chat rooms to manipulate rates secretly. In one chat room, a trader described himself and his fellow participants as “the three musketeers” and said “we all die together”.
Georgina Philippou, the FCA’s acting director of enforcement and market oversight, said of the Barclays fines: “This is another example of a firm allowing unacceptable practices to flourish on the trading floor.”
Top bankers lined up to offer apologies and their frustrations. Antony Jenkins, appointed to run Barclays in the wake of the 2012 Libor rigging scandal, said: “I share the frustration of shareholders and colleagues that some individuals have once more brought our company and industry into disrepute.”
As RBS was fined £430m – on top of the £400m of penalties announced in November – boss Ross McEwan said: “The serious misconduct that lies at the heart of today’s announcements has no place in the bank that I am building. Pleading guilty for such wrongdoing is another stark reminder of how badly this bank lost its way and how important it is for us to regain trust.”
RBS, which is 79% owned by taxpayers, warned it could still face further action and has fired three people and suspended two more.
Citigroup was fined £770m, while JP Morgan, the biggest bank in the US – which has paid fines totalling more than £26bn since 2009 – was fined another £572m. Its boss, Jamie Dimon, said: “The conduct described in the government’s pleadings is a great disappointment to us. We demand and expect better of our people. The lesson here is that the conduct of a small group of employees, or of even a single employee, can reflect badly on all of us, and have significant ramifications for the entire firm.”
Barclays also became the first bank to be fined for fixing another benchmark, known as the ISDAfix. It is paying £74m to the US regulator the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
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Organization Fine
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May 2015
|
['(The Guardian)']
|
At least 15 children are killed and 45 more are injured after a school bus collides with a truck in Etah, India.
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At least 15 Indian children have been killed and 45 others injured after a school bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The crash happened on Thursday morning in Etah, around 265km (164 miles) from the state's capital, Lucknow.
A senior police officer told the BBC that 14 students "were in a critical condition".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "anguished by the tragic accident".
Can India really halve its road deaths?
India crashes kill 146,133 in 2015
Police spokesperson Rahul Srivastava said the exact cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained.
But he added that visibility was poor because of dense fog at the time of the crash. The victims were aged between three and 12 years and were studying in a local school. India has the world's highest number of road deaths, with an accident taking place every four minutes.
More than 146,000 people were killed in road accidents in 2015. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles.
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Road Crash
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January 2017
|
['(BBC)']
|
Six Christians are killed in religious unrest in Punjab, Pakistan, after days of tension following an alleged desecration of a Qur’an.
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Eight Christians have been killed in religious unrest in Pakistan's central Punjab, after days of tension sparked by the rumoured desecration of a Koran.
The four women, a man and a child died as Muslim militants set fire to Christian houses in the town of Gojra. Two men died later of gunshot wounds. TV footage showed burning houses and streets strewn with debris as people fired at each other from rooftops. Officials said the rumours which led to the unrest were false. Minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that a Christian neighbourhood had been attacked by a mob "misled by Muslim extremists". Mr Bhatti accused police of negligence, saying he had himself visited Gojra on Friday and asked for protection for the Christians. Pakistan's small Christian minority has periodically been targeted since Pakistan became a US ally in the so-called War on Terror. In May 2007, Christians in the north-west of the country sought government protection following threats of bomb attacks if they did not become Muslims.
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Armed Conflict
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August 2009
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['(BBC)']
|
Eighteen people, including two opposition leaders, Henrique Capriles and Carlos Paparoni, are injured in Caracas as security forces stop protestors from reaching the government ombudsman's office.
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CARACAS (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan opposition leaders were wounded on Monday by security forces dispersing protests in the capital Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro, according to one of the leaders and an opposition legislator.
Maduro’s adversaries have for two months been blocking highways and setting up barricades in protests demanding he call early elections and address an increasingly severe economic crisis that has left millions struggling to get enough to eat.
Fifty-nine people have died in the often violent street melees, which Maduro calls an effort to overthrow his government.
“We were ambushed,” said two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who accompanied protesters in an effort to march to the headquarter of the government ombudsman’s office but was blocked by security forces.
“This government is capable of killing or burning anything,” Capriles said in a press conference.
He said 16 others were injured in the march, adding that he would file a complaint about the issue with state prosecutors.
Legislator Jose Olivares, who is a doctor, tweeted a picture of a bruise on Capriles’ face that he said was the result of a soldier hitting him with a helmet during the clashes.
During the same march, opposition deputy Carlos Paparoni was knocked to the ground by a water cannon sprayed from a truck, requiring that he receive stitches in his head, Olivares said.
The Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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May 2017
|
['(Reuters)', '(AP)']
|
Russia and Belarus begin a six-day joint strategic military exercise inside Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. The military exercise simulates war against the fictional state of Veyshnoria. According to the Defence Ministry of Belarus, fewer than 13,000 personnel will be taking part in the exercise; however, Western analysts believe the total number will range from 60,000 to 100,000.
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TALLINN/VILNIUS (Reuters) - From planes, radars and ships in the Baltics, NATO officials say they are watching Russia’s biggest war games since 2013 with “calm and confidence”, but many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West.
NATO believes the exercises, officially starting on Thursday in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, are already underway. It says they are larger than Moscow has publicized, numbering some 100,000 troops, and involve firing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
Codenamed Zapad or “West”, NATO officials say the drills will simulate a conflict with the U.S.-led alliance intended to show Russia’s ability to mass large numbers of troops at very short notice in the event of a conflict.
“NATO remains calm and vigilant,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week during a visit to an Estonian army base where British troops have been stationed since March.
But Lithuania’s Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis was less sanguine, voicing widely-felt fears that the drills risk triggering an accidental conflict or could allow Moscow to leave troops in neighboring Belarus.
“We can’t be totally calm. There is a large foreign army massed next to Lithuanian territory,” he told Reuters.
Some Western officials including the head of the U.S. Army in Europe, Gen. Ben Hodges, have raised concerns that Russia might use the drills as a “Trojan horse” to make incursions into Poland and Russian-speaking regions in the Baltics.
The Kremlin firmly rejects any such plans. Russia says some 13,000 troops from Russia and Belarus will be involved in the Sept. 14-20 drills, below an international threshold that requires large numbers of outside observers.
NATO will send three experts to so-called ‘visitor days’ during the exercises, but a NATO official said these were no substitute for meeting internationally-agreed norms at such exercises that include talking to soldiers and briefings.
Moscow says it is the West that threatens stability in eastern Europe because the U.S.-led NATO alliance has put a 4,000-strong multinational force in the Baltics and Poland.
Wrong-footed by Moscow in the recent past, with Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its intervention in Syria’s war in 2015, NATO is distrustful of the Kremlin’s public message.
In Crimea, Moscow proved a master of “hybrid warfare”, with its mix of cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and use of Russian and local forces without insignia.
One senior European security official said Zapad would merge manoeuvres across Russia’s four western military districts in a “complex, multi-dimensional aggressive, anti-NATO exercise”.
“It is all smoke and mirrors,” the official said, adding that the Soviet-era Zapad exercises that were revived in 1999 had included simulated nuclear strikes on Europe.
NATO officials say they have been watching Russia’s preparations for months, including the use of hundreds of rail cars to carry tanks and other heavy equipment into Belarus.
As a precaution, the U.S. Army has moved 600 paratroopers to the Baltics during Zapad and has taken over guardianship of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack capable air forces and air defense systems.
Russia’s military show of force raises some uncomfortable questions for the alliance because NATO cannot yet mass large numbers of troops quickly, despite the United States’ military might, NATO officials and diplomats said.
NATO, a 29-nation defense pact created in 1949 to deter the Soviet threat, has already begun its biggest modernization since the Cold War, sending four battalions to the Baltics and Poland, setting up an agile, high-readiness spearhead force, and developing its cyberspace defenses.
But NATO has deliberately taken a slowly-slowly approach to its military build-up to avoid being sucked into a new arms race, even as Russia has stationed anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles in Kaliningrad, the Black Sea and Syria.
“The last thing we want is a military escalation with Russia,” said one senior NATO official involved in military planning, referring to Zapad.
In the event of any potential Russian incursion into the Baltics or Poland, NATO’s new multinational forces would quickly need large reinforcements. But a 40,000-strong force agreed in 2015 is still being developed, officials say.
Lithuania’s Karoblis said he hoped to see progress by the next summit of NATO leaders in July 2018.
Baltic politicians want more discretion given to NATO to fight any aggressor in the event of an attack, without waiting for the go-ahead from allied governments.
During Zapad, NATO is taking a low-key approach by running few exercises, including an annual sniper exercise in Lithuania. Only non-NATO member Sweden is holding a large-scale drill.
NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Everard told Reuters there was no need to mirror Zapad. “It’s not a competition,” he said during a visit to NATO forces in Latvia.
Additional reporting by Gederts Gelzis in Latvia; Editing by Gareth Jones
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Military Exercise
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September 2017
|
['(Reuters)']
|
Luke March, who was charged with investigating the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal, resigns from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority after refusing to name those under suspicion.
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The man in charge of investigating MPs' expenses breaches has quit - after refusing to name those under suspicion.
Luke March has resigned as compliance officer for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) with immediate effect.
Last week, he said he felt it would be "unfair" to identify MPs until allegations against them were proved.
Ipsa guidelines state that those under investigation should be named and cases should generally be heard in public.
In May, it emerged that Mr March was carrying out "substantive" investigations into about 40 possible breaches of expenses rules.
But he said last week he would not name the individuals in question and suggested there should be no publicity at all about those who were ultimately cleared. He said the investigations were being carried out "for the first time" and there was a danger of a "lack of proportionality". Many of the cases involved data entry mistakes by the MP, or Ipsa, he added. However, in a letter to chairman Sir Ian Kennedy, Mr March wrote: "As I explained during our conversation, after much thought and with a good deal of regret, I have come to the conclusion that the role of compliance officer for Ipsa is not the right role for me.
"On that basis, I have decided that the sensible thing for me to do is to resign the post."
Sir Ian replied: "I accept, with regret, and understand your conclusion that the role is not the right one for you. I know you did not reach this conclusion lightly or hastily."
Martyn Taylor, previously Ipsa's head of governance, will take over as acting compliance officer - the third person to occupy the post in just over a year. Expense probe MPs not being named
Ipsa
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Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal
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August 2011
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['(BBC)']
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The Scottish National Party wins a historic fourth term in office. Along with the Scottish Greens, the majority of seats in the new Scottish Parliament will belong to parties favouring a proposed second independence referendum. Voter turnout also reaches a record high of 64%.
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Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to press ahead with plans for a second independence referendum after the Scottish National party won its fourth consecutive Holyrood election, triggering a constitutional battle with Boris Johnson.
In a letter issued before the final results were declared, Johnson attempted to blunt Sturgeon’s attack by urging the first minister and her opposite numbers in Wales and Northern Ireland to join a UK-wide Covid recovery summit involving all four governments.
It was in the UK’s interests for the governments to work collaboratively, the British prime minister wrote, taking a softer approach than on Friday when called a fresh referendum “irresponsible and reckless”.
After counting ended late on Saturday evening, the SNP won 64 seats, missing out on an overall majority by just one seat, after winning a record number of constituencies despite a surge in anti-independence tactical voting.
Sturgeon said Scottish voters had given Holyrood a clear mandate by electing a pro-independence majority larger than that in the last Holyrood parliament, with eight Green MSPs elected across Scotland’s regions. It was an “extraordinary” result, she said.
In a victory speech in Glasgow, the first minister said any attempt by the UK government to block that would be a democratic outrage. “It is the will of the country,” she said, buoyed up by a record 64% turnout for a Holyrood election.
“Given the outcome of this election, there is simply no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future,” Sturgeon said.
“If the Tories make such an attempt it will demonstrate conclusively that the UK is not a partnership of equals and that – astonishingly – Westminster no longer sees the UK as a voluntary union of nations. That in itself would be a most powerful argument for Scotland becoming an independent country.”
The final tally left the parties close to their standing after the 2016 election, with the SNP on 64, the Tories in second on 31, Labour on 22, the Greens on eight and the Liberal Democrats on four.
Johnson told Sturgeon in his letter: “I believe passionately that the interests of people across the UK and in particular the people of Scotland are best served when we work together. We have shown that through the vaccine roll-out.”
The vaccine procurement programme was “Team UK in action, and I recommit the UK government to working with the Scottish government in this cooperative spirit,” the prime minister added.
The Scottish and Welsh governments are likely to see this as nakedly cynical. Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford, who also won a fresh mandate in the Welsh elections, repeatedly asked Johnson and his predecessor Theresa May to work collaboratively on the UK’s post-Brexit deal with the EU, and other UK-wide economic policies.
His letter, in which he said collaborative working was “in the interests of the people we serve”, struck a markedly different tone to his combative interview with the Telegraph on Friday night when he said he thought “a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless.”
Sturgeon signalled the Scottish government was ready for a constitutional battle with Johnson, telling Channel 4 News on Friday evening her government would legislate for the vote “and if Boris Johnson wants to stop that he would have to go to court”.
That would force the UK government into the politically hazardous territory of asking the UK supreme court to quash that legislation, risking an increase in popular support for independence in Scotland and a constitutional battle over Holyrood’s limited legal powers.
“If this was in almost any other democracy in the world it would be an absurd discussion,” she added. “If people in Scotland vote for a pro-independence majority in the Scottish parliament, no politician has got the right to stand in the way of that.”
Sturgeon’s lingering hopes of winning a majority were quashed after the Scottish Conservatives won a key SNP target seat of Aberdeenshire West with a hefty majority – a result the Tories will argue vindicates their decision to make independence one of the biggest issues in their campaign.
Sturgeon’s ability to control the timing and strategy on a referendum was secured after Alex Salmond’s attempt to win seats for his new hardline pro-independence Alba party failed; he was humiliated after Alba secured about 2% of the vote, with SNP voters failing to swing behind his demands for an immediate referendum campaign.
After early indications from the regional list vote suggested Alba would fail to win seats, Salmond made a YouTube broadcast directed at his supporters. Looking tired, he complained Alba was “shut out” of the televised leaders’ debates and hit out at “weirdos and cranks” of the mainstream media.
Describing the SNP leadership as “among the most graceless I have ever come across”, he claimed that “Nicola lost her nerve on independence back in 2017 and has never recovered it”, adding that Alba was still needed in order the “fill a vacuum” created by Sturgeon’s “prevarication”.
One of the last constituency results to declare saw the election of Holyrood’s first woman of colour, a veteran candidate, Kaukab Stewart, for the SNP in Glasgow Kelvin. Scottish Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy also became the first permanent wheelchair-using MSP, representing Glasgow region.
Duncan-Glancy told reporters: “I promise to do everything in my power to make sure that the path for the next disabled and permanent wheelchair-using MSP is nowhere near as hard as it has been for the first.”
She congratulated Stewart, describing it as a “fantastic result”. “It really had been an incredibly special day for equalities.”
The final result, which gave the SNP the highest share of the vote since the Scottish parliament was set up in 1999, followed some widely varying results in the constituency counts on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, after a series of strong results for pro-UK candidates suggested the SNP vote was lower than expected, Sturgeon said she had always believed an SNP overall majority was a “very, very long shot.” Labour and the Tories believed an upsurge in anti-independence tactical voting in marginal seats, and Lib Dem-, Tory- and Labour-held seats, would restrain the SNP.
But the mood changed dramatically on Saturday after list votes showed higher levels of support for the SNP than expected. That led the Tories to predict the SNP could just snatch an overall majority. Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said the outcome was “very much on a knife edge … Clearly it’s extremely close.” Conservative officials said Sturgeon’s plea to SNP voters to back the party on both votes “seems to have worked.”
Angus Robertson, the former SNP Westminster leader who comfortably won Edinburgh Central, the seat famously taken off the SNP by Ruth Davidson, the then Scottish Tory leader in 2016, said there was a clear mandate for a second referendum.
Robertson, a combative and very experienced election strategist tipped as a future SNP leader, said: “If a majority is elected to the Scottish parliament in favour of an independence referendum, then that’s exactly what should happen,” he said.
Dealing with the social and economic impacts of the Covid crisis would be the immediate priority, he added. “The decision needs to be taken at the right time, in the right circumstances, about when it’s right to hold a referendum,” he said.
His caution reflects a series of opinion polls which have shown a 10-point fall in support for independence in recent months, compared with a peak in the yes vote of 58% late last year. The fall in the yes vote implies that consistent warnings from pro-UK parties that the Covid recovery needs to come first have cut through, even if that has not translated into greater support for Labour or the Tories.
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Government Job change - Election
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May 2021
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['(The Guardian)']
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Fiji imprisons eight men for an assassination attempt on Commodore Frank Bainimarama in 2007.
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Fiji has jailed eight men for between three and seven years for attempting to kill the country's military leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, in 2007.
Sentencing the men, Justice Paul Madigan said had the men's plot succeeded the consequences for the Pacific nation were "unthinkable". But critics have said the men did not have a fair hearing in court. Cmdr Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in a 2006 coup and has said elections can only be reinstated in 2014. The eight men were arrested in November 2007 over the alleged plot against Cmdr Bainimarama and four senior military and cabinet officials. Justice Madigan said Fiji had been in "a very fragile state" at the time of the plot. "Had this plot succeeded, the consequences are unthinkable," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying. "There has been no evidence before this court of any thought given to the fate of the average Fijian should the country be suddenly rid of its president, prime minister and army. "The plans of the accused were totally self-serving, thoughtless and greedy." Elections on hold
The longest sentences were given to indigenous leader and former politician, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata and businessman Sivaniolo Naulago. New Zealander Ballu Khan was also arrested in 2007, but had charges against him dropped. He said the men had never plotted to kill the leaders. "We are dealing with Fijian judiciary here. It's not an independent judiciary," Mr Khan told Radio New Zealand. "None of them should be going to jail, they should have never been tried in the first place. The military people should have been in the dock and being charged." Mr Bainimarama became interim prime minister of Fiji in 2007 and pledged to hold elections within two years. But he has since said constitutional reforms are needed and he not now call elections until 2014. Critics charge that under Cmdr Bainimarama's rule, Fiji has suspended the constitution, detained opponents and suppressed freedom of speech.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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March 2010
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['(BBC)', '(The Washington Post)', '(Bangkok Post)', '[permanent dead link]', '(The Sydney Morning Herald)']
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Baton–wielding Egyptian police disperse a pro–democracy demonstration in Cairo.
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CAIRO -- Egyptian police on Tuesday beat back and detained pro-democracy demonstrators in central Cairo calling for constitutional reforms and a repeal of the decades-old emergency law that restricts a broad array of personal rights.
At least 90 people were detained, according to organizers of the rally from the 6th of April movement, a mostly youth-led organization formed two years ago that is pushing for more political freedom.
Protester Amal Sharaf, 35, an office manager in an advertising agency, was hysterical after being beaten by a police officer with a baton. "I've been to protests before, but I've never been beaten," she said, grabbing her wounded arm. "We're trying to change the emergency law that we've been living with for 28 years."
The demonstration came amid political uncertainty, with parliamentary elections slated for this year and a presidential election next year. President Hosni Mubarak, 81, who had his gall bladder and a growth on his small intestine removed in a surgery performed abroad last month, has ruled Egypt for nearly three decades. He has not said yet whether he will compete in next year's election, fueling speculation that he might try to ensure his son, Gamal, succeeds him.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Egyptian former head of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, returned to Egypt last month and has become a prominent opposition leader, calling for reforms including a repeal of the emergency law that allows wide detentions and prohibits large gatherings that could be perceived as agitating against the government. He is also advocating term limits for the president and other changes to the political system to ensure parties can compete freely in elections.
Authorities denied the 6th of April movement a permit to demonstrate Tuesday, but it decided to go ahead with the protest anyway. The group issued a statement before the rally urging the police not to harm the demonstrators. "Nothing will stop us from loving our country and hoping to change it," the group said.
Police, some dressed in riot gear, others in plain clothes, filled Tahrir Square at noon Tuesday and waited outside metro stations for demonstrators, who had originally planned to march from the square to parliament.
Instead, a few hundred demonstrators ended up gathering on the sidewalk outside the Shoura Council, the upper house of the parliament, on Kasr al-Aini Street.
Police initially surrounded the protesters, who were waving Egyptian flags, carrying signs that said "No to Emergency Law, a New Constitution," and chanting "Long live Egypt," and tried to keep them out of traffic. They then began to beat some demonstrators with batons and haul them one by one into blue trucks. Police confiscated peoples' cameras and ordered passersby and journalists to stop taking photos.
The protest migrated across the street to the front of the Principal Bank for Development and Agricultural Credit and more demonstrators were arrested there. Police chased other demonstrators who were trying to run away in Tahrir Square.
"I'm very disappointed,'' said Mohamed Safeyeldin, managing director of business development at an Egyptian construction company, as he watched the police round up the demonstrators and looked for his son in the fray. He said it was his first time at a demonstration. "We have to change this constitution. We can't continue like this," he said.
A person who answered the phone in the media office of the Interior Ministry said the forces dealt with the demonstrators as is customary to ensure the streets would not become chaotic. He declined to give his name and hung up.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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April 2010
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['(BBC News)', '(Reuters)', '(The Washington Post)']
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In football, Sir Alex Ferguson announces his retirement as the Manager of Manchester United at the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season after 26 years in charge having won 38 trophies.
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From the section Footballcomments3044
Sir Alex Ferguson will step down as Manchester United manager at the end of the season after 26 years in charge.
The Scot, 71, has won 38 trophies during his reign at Old Trafford and will now become a director and ambassador for the club.
His haul includes 13 league titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about. It is the right time," Ferguson said.
"Everton have yet to receive a formal approach from Manchester United for David Moyes - but all signs now point to the Scot being swiftly appointed as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor.
"The choice will raise eyebrows in some quarters because the Scot has no serious European pedigree or trophies during his 11 years at Goodison Park but it is clear his stability, ability to build teams and willingness to give youth its chance appeals to the Old Trafford hierarchy.
"And his long-standing friendship with Ferguson will help ease potential tensions between the new manager's office and the boardroom. There is mutual trust and admiration between the pair."
Everton's David Moyes is the bookmakers' favourite to take over, with Jose Mourinho, currently at Real Madrid, also tipped.
BBC sports editor David Bond says United are confident of announcing a successor to Ferguson before the weekend.
He believes they are looking for someone who understands the club's history and is committed to youth development while employing an attractive, attacking style of football.
While United look for his successor, tributes to Ferguson have been led by Prime Minister David Cameron, who tweeted:external-link "Sir Alex Ferguson's achievement at #MUFC has been exceptional."
Former Manchester United and England striker Michael Owen says the Scot's managerial record will "surely never be eclipsed". Ferguson, who will undergo hip surgery in the summer, is confident his successor will take over a club in good health after winning their 20th top-flight title 17 days ago.
"It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so," he said.
"The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one."
Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013.
FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010
Champions League: 1999, 2008
Cup Winners Cup: 1991
Fifa Club World Cup: 2008
Uefa Super Cup: 1992
Inter-Continental Cup: 1999
FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
Ferguson praised the people he felt helped him build the club from a team that had not won a title for 26 years into one of the biggest in the world.
"I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential," he added. "My wife, Cathy, has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.
"As for my players and staff, past and present, I would like to thank them all for a staggering level of professional conduct and dedication that has helped to deliver so many memorable triumphs. Without their contribution the history of this great club would not be as rich.
"In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team.
"Over the past decade, the Glazer family have provided me with the platform to manage Manchester United to the best of my ability and I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with a talented and trustworthy chief executive in David Gill. I am truly grateful to all of them.
"To the fans, thank you. The support you have provided over the years has been truly humbling. It has been an honour and an enormous privilege to have had the opportunity to lead your club and I have treasured my time as manager of Manchester United."
Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of the British game and famously won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.
Co-chairman Joel Glazer highlighted Ferguson's desire to produce winning teams throughout his time at United and called the 2008 Champions League victory over Chelsea in Moscow a "magical night".
He said: "Alex has proven time and time again what a fantastic manager he is, but he's also a wonderful person. His determination to succeed and dedication to the club have been truly remarkable. "I will always cherish the wonderful memories he has given us, like that magical night in Moscow."
Fellow co-chairman Avie Glazer expressed how important the United board felt it was to ensure Ferguson continued working for the club despite his decision to step down as manager.
"I am delighted to announce that Alex has agreed to stay with the club as a director," he said. "His contributions to Manchester United over the last 26 years have been extraordinary and, like all United fans, I want him to be a part of its future."
Gill, who is also stepping down this summer after 16 years at United, revealed Ferguson had been planning to make his succession easier by putting in place a young squad and a state-of-the-art training facility at Carrington.
He said: "I've had the tremendous pleasure of working very closely with Alex for 16 unforgettable years - through the treble, the double, countless trophy wins and numerous signings.
"We knew that his retirement would come one day and we both have been planning for it by ensuring the quality of the squad and club structures are in first-class condition.
"Alex's vision, energy and ability have built teams - both on and off the pitch - that his successor can count on as among the best and most loyal in world sport.
"The way he cares for this club, his staff and for the football family in general is something that I admire. It is a side to him that is often hidden from public view but it is something that I have been privileged to witness in the last 16 years.
"What he has done for this club and for the game in general will never be forgotten. It has been the greatest experience of my working life being alongside Alex and a great honour to be able to call him a friend."
Ferguson began his playing career at Queen's Park as a 16-year-old striker whilst working as an apprentice tool-worker at Clyde Shipyards.
1: Knighthood from the Queen in June 1999
2: Champions League titles against Bayern Munich in 1999 and Chelsea in 2008
5: Teams managed by Ferguson - East Stirling 1974, St Mirren 1975-78, Aberdeen 1978-1986, Scotland 1985-86, Man Utd 1986-2013
6: Clubs as a player - Queen's Park, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Rangers, Falkirk, Ayr
9: Scottish and English FA Cup titles
17: Games missed due to touchline bans.
26: Years since United had won the title before Ferguson's triumph in 1993
38: Trophies won at Old Trafford
49: Trophies won as a manager with Manchester United, Aberdeen and St Mirren.
104: Players bought while at Manchester United. The last was Wilfried Zaha, signed from Crystal Palace for fee rising to £15m in January and loaned back to Palace.
170: Goals scored during his playing career
370: Appearances as a player
1498: Games at Manchester United, with 894 wins, 337 draws and 267 defeats
His most notable spell as a player came in a two-year stint at Glasgow Rangers from 1967. He retired as a player in 1974 when he was on Ayr United's books.
He began his managerial career as a 32-year-old at East Stirlingshire before moving to St Mirren, where he won his first trophy by taking the Scottish first division title in 1977.
Ferguson's talent at building winning teams became apparent after he took over at unfashionable Aberdeen and turned them into a major force in a league where Rangers and Celtic had dominated.
His crowning moment was winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 by beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the final
He also won three Scottish titles, four Scottish FA Cups and one League Cup during his time at Pittodrie and that success saw him land the United job, taking over from Ron Atkinson on 6 November 1986.
Ferguson had managed Scotland in the World Cup in Mexico earlier that year following the death of Jock Stein although he was unable to take his country past the group stages.
Current Blackpool manager Paul Ince won two league titles, two FA Cups, a European Cup Winners' Cup medal and a League Cup during his time playing for Ferguson at United.
He told Sky Sports News: "I'm totally shocked. What he's done is unbelievable. You'll never see anyone of his kind again.
"Two weeks ago he was talking about staying on for another two years, so it's a massive, massive shock.
"The man was immense and he got the best out of me that's for sure. The way he treated me was like a son." Ferguson told his players he was stepping down before training today as they prepare for Sunday's match against Swansea. It will be the Scot's final home game as manager of the Premier League champions.
First-team coach Rene Meulensteen said: "He told us just this morning. He called us in his office and told us the decision he had taken. I think he is feeling a sense of relief in some ways now."
Owen feels taking over from Ferguson is going to be a difficult job. He tweeted:external-link "What an act to follow. I guess only Mourinho would have the confidence to strut through the door. If it were me, I'd go for Moyes."
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Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal
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May 2013
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['(BBC)']
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Palaeontologists announce the discovery of the Tiktaalik genus, an important fossil link between fish and land animals.
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Scientists have made one of the most important fossil finds in history: a missing link between fish and land animals, showing how creatures first walked out of the water and on to dry land more than 375m years ago.
Palaeontologists have said that the find, a crocodile-like animal called the Tiktaalik roseae and described today in the journal Nature, could become an icon of evolution in action - like Archaeopteryx, the famous fossil that bridged the gap between reptiles and birds.
As such, it will be a blow to proponents of intelligent design, who claim that the many gaps in the fossil record show evidence of some higher power.
Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist, said: "Our emergence on to the land is one of the more significant rites of passage in our evolutionary history, and Tiktaalik is an important link in the story."
Tiktaalik - the name means "a large, shallow-water fish" in the Inuit language Inuktikuk - shows that the evolution of animals from living in water to living on land happened gradually, with fish first living in shallow water.
The animal lived in the Devonian era lasting from 417m to 354m years ago, and had a skull, neck, and ribs similar to early limbed animals (known as tetrapods), as well as a more primitive jaw, fins, and scales akin to fish.
The scientists who discovered it say the animal was a predator with sharp teeth, a crocodile-like head, and a body that grew up to 2.75 metres (9ft) long.
"It's very important for a number of reasons, one of which is simply the fact that it's so well-preserved and complete," said Jennifer Clack, a paleontologist at Cambridge University and author of an accompanying article in Nature.
Scientists have previously been able to trace the transition of fish into limbed animals only crudely over the millions of years they anticipate the process took place. They suspected that an animal which bridged the gap between fish and land-based tetrapods must have existed - but, until now, there had been scant evidence of one.
"Tiktaalik blurs the boundary between fish and land-living animal both in terms of its anatomy and its way of life," said Neil Shubin, a biologist at the University of Chicago, and a leader of the expedition which found Tiktaalik.
The near-pristine fossil was found on Ellesmere Island, Canada, which is 600 miles from the north pole in the Arctic Circle.
Scientists from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University led several expeditions into the inhospitable icy desert to search for the fossils.
The find is the first complete evidence of an animal that was on the verge of the transition from water to land. "The find is a dream come true," said Ted Daeschler of the Academy of Natural Sciences.
"We knew that the rocks on Ellesmere Island offered a glimpse into the right time period and were formed in the right kinds of environments to provide the potential for finding fossils documenting this important evolutionary transition."
When Tiktaalik lived, the Canadian Arctic region was part of a land mass which straddled the equator. Like the Amazon basin today, it had a subtropical climate and the animal lived in small streams. The skeleton indicates that it could support its body under the force of gravity.
Farish Jenkins, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University said: "This represents a critical early phase in the evolution of all limbed animals, including humans - albeit a very ancient step." Tiktaalik also gives biologists a new understanding of how fins turned into limbs. Its fin contains bones that compare to the upper arm, forearm and primitive parts of the hand of land-living animals.
"Most of the major joints of the fin are functional in this fish," Professor Shubin said.
"The shoulder, elbow and even parts of the wrist are already there and working in ways similar to the earliest land-living animals."
Dr Clack said that, judging from the fossil, the first evolutionary transition from sea to land probably involved learning how to breathe air. "Tiktaalik has lost a series of bones that, in fishes, covers the gill region and helps to operate the gill-breathing mechanism," she said. "The air-breathing mechanism it had would have been elaborated and having lost the series of bones that lies between the head and the shoulder girdle means it's got a neck, it can raise its head more easily in order to gulp the air.
"The flexible robust limbs appear to be connected with pushing the head out of the water to breathe the air."
H Richard Lane, director of sedimentary geology and palaeobiology at the US National Science Foundation, said: "These exciting discoveries are providing fossil Rosetta stones for a deeper understanding of this evolutionary milestone - fish to land-roaming tetrapods."
A cast of the fossil goes on display at the Science Museum in South Kensington central London today.
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New archeological discoveries
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April 2006
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['(BBC)', '(Guardian)', '(New York Times)']
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Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, and her husband Charlie Brooks are charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the alleged destruction of evidence associated with the News International phone hacking scandal.
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Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, has been charged over allegations that she tried to conceal evidence from detectives investigating phone hacking and alleged bribes to public officials.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that Brooks, one of the most high-profile figures in the newspaper industry, would be charged with three counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July last year at the height of the police investigation.
Scotland Yard later confirmed she had been charged along with her husband, Charlie Brooks, and four others.
Brooks is accused of conspiring with others, including her husband, a racehorse trainer and friend of the prime minister, and her personal assistant, to conceal material from detectives.
Brooks and her husband were informed of the charging decision the first since the start of the Operation Weeting phone-hacking investigation last January when they answered their bail at a police station in London on Tuesday morning.
They are among six individuals from News International, along with the company's head of security, Mark Hanna, to be charged over allegations that they removed material, documents and computers to hide them from officers investigating phone hacking. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life, although the average term served in prison is 10 months.
In a statement, Brooks and her husband who are both close to David Cameron condemned the decision made by senior lawyers and overseen by Keir Starmer QC, the director of public prosecutions.
"We deplore this weak and unjust decision after the further unprecedented posturing of the CPS," the statement said. "We will respond later today after our return from the police station."
The CPS chose to announce the charges against Brooks, her husband and four others in a televised statement in the interests of "transparency and accountability".
Brooks is accused in one charge of conspiring with her PA, Cheryl Carter, to "remove seven boxes of material from the archives of News International".
In a separate charge she is accused of conspiring with her husband, Hanna, her chauffeur and a security consultant to conceal "documents and computers" from the investigating detectives. All the offences are alleged to have taken place in July last year.
Alison Levitt QC, Starmer's principal legal adviser, said the decision to charge six of the seven individuals arrested over the allegations came after prosecutors applied the two-stage test required of them when making charging decisions.
"I have concluded that in relation to all suspects except the seventh there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction," she said.
"I then considered the second stage of the test and I have concluded that a prosecution is required in the public interest in relation to each of the other six."
Levitt said the televised statement had been made in "the interests of transparency and accountability to explain the decisions reached in respect of allegations that Rebekah Brooks conspired with her husband, Charles Brooks, and others to pervert the course of justice".
She said detectives handed prosecutors a file of evidence on 27 March this year in relation to seven suspects: Brooks, her husband, Hanna, Carter, Paul Edwards who was Brooks's chauffeur employed by News International, and Daryl Jorsling, who provided security for Brooks, supplied by News international.
The seventh suspect who has not been named also provided security. But Levitt said no charges were to be laid against him.
Brooks is charged on count one that between 6 July and 19 July 2011 she conspired with Charles Brooks, Hanna, Edwards, Jorsling and persons unknown to conceal material from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.
On count two she is charged with Carter between 6 July and 9 July 2011 of conspiring together to permanently remove seven boxes of material from the archive of News International. In the third count Brooks is charged with her husband, Hanna, Edwards and Jorsling and persons unknown of conspiring together between 15 July and 19 July 2011 to conceal documents, computers and other electronic equipment from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.
In a statement issued through her solicitor, Carter said she "vigorously denies" the charges.
Hanna said: "I have no doubt that ultimately justice will prevail and I will be totally exonerated."
All the allegations relate to the police investigation into allegations of phone hacking and corruption of public officials in relation to the News of the World and the Sun newspapers, Levitt said.
Brooks and her husband had travelled to London from their home in Oxfordshire to answer bail following their arrest in March on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. They were informed of the decision at that meeting. They have been bailed to appear at Westminster magistrates court along with the four others on June 13.
The six people are the first to be charged as a result of the new Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking. The inquiry is one of three linked investigations for which the Yard has budgeted 40m until 2015.
Carter was the first to be arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in January. Two months later the other suspects were arrested.
The news of the charges came as Scotland Yard announced on Tuesday that two people had been arrested in connection with alleged bribery of public officials.
A 50-year-old man who works for HM Revenue and Customs and a 43-year-old woman from the same address were arrested by officers from Operation Eleveden, the Met police operation investigating alleged bribery of public officials. The man was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and the woman on suspicion of aiding and abetting the offence.
Brooks was a high-flyer at News International. At 31, she became News of the World editor and three years later, in 2003, was given the editorship of the Sun. She was appointed chief executive of News International in 2009 before quitting in July 2011.
Days later she was arrested over alleged phone hacking and corruption offences, for which she remains on bail without charge. She was arrested again in March in connection with the separate allegation of perverting the course of justice along with her husband and others.
Charlie Brooks has been a columnist for the Daily Telegraph as well as writing a novel entitled Citizen.
Prosecutors are still considering four files of evidence relating to at least 20 suspects and involving allegations of phone hacking, alleged bribery of public officials and misconduct in a public office from the linked inquiries.
Starmer said he was facing "very difficult and sensitive decisions" as he predicted last month that more cases were coming his way.
Police launched Operation Weeting, the inquiry devoted specifically to phone hacking, after receiving "significant new information" from News International on 26 January last year.
Operation Elveden was launched months later following allegations that News International journalists made illegal payments to police officers.
As the inquiry escalated officers launched three related operations: the Sasha inquiry into allegations of perverting the course of justice; Kilo, an inquiry into police leaks; and Tuleta, the investigation into computer-related offences.
News International did not immediately make a statement, but confirmed that it still employed Hanna and Edwards.
A spokesman for Rebekah Brooks said she and her husband were still with police, and that the couple were likely to release a further statement on Tuesday afternoon.
This article originally stated that 'Brooks is charged on count one that between 6 July and 19 July 2011 she conspired with Charles Brooks, Carter, Hanna, Edwards, Jorsling and persons unknown to conceal material from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.' Cheryl Carter has only been charged with one count of conspiring to remove seven boxes of material from the archive of News International, not two counts as stated earlier.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
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May 2012
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['(The Daily Telegraph)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(The Guardian)']
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Five Thais including an MP are given suspended sentences after illegally entering Cambodia, in a case that has strained relations between the two countries.
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PHNOM PENH - FIVE Thais including a ruling party politician received a suspended sentence Friday for illegally entering Cambodia, in a case that has strained diplomatic ties between the two countries.
They were among seven Thais arrested in Cambodia on Dec 29 for illegal entry and trespassing on a military area, charges that carried a maximum combined sentence of 18 months in prison.
'The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has found the five suspects guilty' on both charges, said presiding judge Suos Sam Ath, adding that each had been sentenced to nine months in jail and a fine of one million riel (S$321).
Acknowledging time already spent in a Phnom Penh prison before they were bailed a few days ago, the judge said the rest of the sentence was suspended.
Thai lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth of the Democrat Party looked relieved and smiled after the verdict was read out.
He was seen leaving the court in a Thai embassy car with the four other Thais.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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January 2011
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['(Straits Times)']
|
Japan's Solar–B mission is launched from the Uchinoura Space Center. With its successful launch, it is rechristened "Hinode".
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Scientists have high hopes for Japan's Solar-B mission which has been launched from the Uchinoura spaceport.
The spacecraft will investigate the colossal explosions in the Sun's atmosphere known as solar flares.
These dramatic events release energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs in just a few minutes.
The probe will attempt to find out more about the magnetic fields thought to power solar flares, and try to identify the trigger that sets them off.
The ultimate goal for scientists is to use the new insights to make better forecasts of the Sun's behaviour. Flares can hurl radiation and super-fast particles in the direction of the Earth, disrupting radio signals, frying satellite electronics, and damaging the health of astronauts.
Solar-B acts essentially like a microscope, probing the fine details of what the magnetic field is doing as it builds up to a flare
Prof Louise Harra, UK mission scientist
Solar-B lifted off from Uchinoura, at the southern tip of Japan, at 0636 local time on Saturday (2136 GMT Friday).
"It will take two to three weeks to transfer the spacecraft into its so-called Sun-synchronous polar orbit. From this position, Solar-B will be able to observe the Sun without having any nights for eight months of the year," said Professor Tetsuya Watanabe, of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).
As is customary on Japanese missions, the satellite will get a new name once it is ready to begin its work.
The spacecraft, developed by the Japanese space agency (Jaxa) and the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, has scientific and engineering contributions from, principally, the US and the UK.
'Fine detail'
The Sun behaves like a giant twisting magnet; and when contorted field lines that have lifted up off the surface of the star clash, they release a colossal maelstrom of energy.
A blast of intense radiation is emitted, and charged particles are accelerated out into the Solar System. Some of these particles are moving so fast they can cover the 149 million km to Earth in just tens of minutes.
The flares can have a serious impact on Earth's environment
Whilst scientists understand the flaring process reasonably well, they cannot predict when one of these enormous explosions will occur.
Solar-B is expected to transform our understanding.
It carries three instruments: a Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), an X-ray Telescope and an Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer.
They will make continuous, simultaneous observations of specific solar features, to observe how changes in the magnetic field at the Sun's surface can spread through the layers of the solar atmosphere to produce, ultimately, a flare.
"Solar-B acts essentially like a microscope, probing the fine details of what the magnetic field is doing as it builds up to a flare," said mission scientist Professor Louise Harra, from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL, UK.
"What we don't know is what triggers a flare; we don't understand the physics of that phase at all. Solar-B will show us how tangled the field is, and how the field lines collide to produce all that energy." Space dependence
Solar-B is but one of a fleet of spacecraft now dedicated to understanding the relationship between the Sun and the Earth; and more are set to follow.
Next month, the US space agency (Nasa) plans to launch its Stereo mission - twin spacecraft that will make 3D observations of our star.
Scientists would like to predict the onset of solar flares
As we become more reliant on space-based systems - to provide us with everything from timing and positioning services to the relay of telecoms data - the need to understand the tempestuous Sun-Earth interaction just gets more urgent.
Losing a satellite because of solar flare effects could prove costly, not just in economic terms but in human lives.
Spacecraft like Solar-B should give scientists the data they need to make better "space weather" forecasts.
"The information that Solar-B will provide is significant for understanding and forecasting of solar disturbances, which can interfere with satellite communications, electric power transmission grids, and threaten the safety of astronauts travelling beyond the safety of the Earth's magnetic field," said John Davis, Solar-B project scientist at Nasa's Marshall Center.
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New achievements in aerospace
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September 2006
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['(BBC)']
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Uber announces plans to merge its China operations with rival DiDi with the merge company valued at $35 billion.
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(Reuters) - After a bruising two-year battle, ride-hailing firm Uber is selling its China operations to bigger local rival Didi Chuxing in a deal that will give Uber a one-fifth stake in Didi.
The merged entity is worth around $35 billion - combining Didi’s most recent $28 billion valuation and Uber China’s $7 billion worth - said a source familiar with the matter who did not want to be named before the deal was made public.
Didi confirmed the agreement on its official microblog, but gave no valuation. In a posting on Uber’s website, CEO Travis Kalanick said San Francisco-based Uber Technologies would have a one-fifth stake in Didi, making it the Chinese firm’s biggest shareholder. Kalanick will join Didi’s board, with Didi Chuxing chief Cheng Wei joining the Uber board.
Uber will continue to operate independently, the Didi posting said. “Cooperating with Uber will give the entire mobile travel industry a healthier order and a period of a higher level of development,” it said.
China has been a challenging market for Uber, which has spent billions of dollars in a price war with Didi.
Both firms spent heavily to attract riders with discounts and both also raised billions in recent fundraisings. Uber is profitable in the United States, Canada and about 100 other cities.
In an internal message to staff viewed by Reuters, Kalanick wrote: “Sustainably serving China’s cities, and the riders and drivers who live in them, is only possible with profitability. This merger paves the way for our team and Didi’s to partner on an enormous mission, and it frees up substantial resources for bold initiatives focused on the future of cities - from self-driving technology to the future of food and logistics.”
He said Uber was operating in more than 60 cities in China and “doing more than 150 million trips a month.” Didi, however, claims 87 percent of the Chinese market for private vehicle ride-hailing.
Richard Ji, Hong Kong-based co-founder of All-Stars Investment Ltd, which manages about $900 million and owns Didi stock, said the deal makes “huge sense”.
Related Coverage
“Uber faces an uphill task in China especially since Didi is multiple times larger by transaction value and city coverage,” he said.
“This will lead to favorable outcomes for both companies. The biggest benefit is cost savings, they no longer have to give out subsidies to drivers and passengers. It will give pricing power as the new entity will become the dominant player. That means profitability will come sooner than later.”
Under the deal, Didi will also invest $1 billion in Uber, which operates globally outside China, the source said, adding to a series of deals and joint ventures Didi has struck in recent years.
Analysts said Didi’s acquisition signals its readiness to step beyond its home market.
“This clearly shows Didi’s global ambitions and its desire to work together with Uber to tap Chinese travelers, who are going out in big numbers. There’s a possibility the two could work together in other markets,” All-Stars Investment’s Ji said.
Didi said in its posting it will look to expand its international business and enter markets like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Europe and Russia.
Didi - itself created last year from a merger of two firms backed respectively by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group BABA.N and social network firm Tencent 0700.HK - has invested $100 million in Lyft, Uber's main rival in the United States.
It has also formed an alliance with Lyft, India’s ride service Ola and Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing startup Grab in an effort to compete with Uber’s global dominance.
The Didi deal is the latest sign that global Internet and technology companies are struggling to break into China’s cut-throat market, where local entrepreneurs have built formidable businesses, partly helped by a supportive government.
All of China's technology heavyweights will be stakeholders in Didi, as Uber shareholder Baidu BIDU.O will gain a stake. Apple Inc AAPL.O recently made a rare $1 billion investment in Didi.
China last week issued guidelines that establish a long-awaited framework for the booming ride-hailing industry and remove uncertainty for firms such as Didi and Uber.
It was unclear whether the deal would need to be cleared by China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the anti-trust regulator.
“Given Didi’s reported high market share, any increment would attract MOFCOM’s attention. But for the parties to seek pre-closing approval, each has to meet the minimum sales threshold. That’s where it’s unclear whether an anti-trust filing would be required,” said Marc Waha, partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.
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Organization Merge
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August 2016
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['(Reuters)']
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Protests by the Patidar community in Ahmedabad turn violent, sparking violence across the state of Gujarat, India.
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During the ongoing Patel OBC quota protests in Gujarat, the house of Gujarat Minister of State of Home Rajni Patel in Mehsana was also torched by the agitators. Although, Mehsana police said that the fire did not cause much damage.
Police took away Hardik Patel, the campaign leader, and his supporters after lathi-charging his over 2,000 supporters. But the young leader's detention late in the evening led to an immediate backlash, as protesters gathered in large numbers at various cross-roads and attacked the police, pelted stones and set on fire public properties including buses at two places.
In her public message, Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel stated that she expressed regret over today's incidents and that her government will set up an inquiry to find out the truth behind them. She also said that necessary action will be taken against those found guilty in the inquiry.
Anandiben also appealed to maintain peace as members of Patel community resorted to violence over the issue across the city. "My sincere appeal to the people of Gujarat to maintain peace and not to indulge in activities disrupting the law and order across the state," she said in her message.
Protestors also set two motorbikes on fire and damaged public property at Shahibaug area of Ahmedabad after the release of their leader Hardik Patel. The protestors also damaged public property and set a bus on fire in Surat.
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Riot
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August 2015
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['(DNA India)']
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Fighting between Tuareg rebels and government troops in Mali kills 47 people.
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Paris - Fighting between Tuareg rebels and the army in the West African state of Mali have left at least 47 dead in two days, the government said.
Forty-five rebels and two soldiers died in the north of the country on Wednesday and on Thursday, French broadcaster RFI reported late Thursday, citing the military.
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad rebel movement disputed the number, saying one rebel and dozens of soldiers had died, RFI said.
Azawad refers to the Tuareg-populated areas of West Africa.
The Tuareg are demanding an autonomous area in the north of the country.
There have been reports that some of the rebels are former members of former Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi's security forces.- Sapa-dpa
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Armed Conflict
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January 2012
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['(IOL)']
|
The French Football Federation announces an internal inquiry over allegations of a secret racial quota targeting blacks and Arabs and supported by its own officials.
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The French Football Federation's (FFF) national technical director Francois Blaquart has been suspended from his post with the organisation.
The move comes amid claims of a secret racial quota for trainees.
Senior FFF members were said to have secretly approved limiting the number of black and Arab players to 30% from the age of 12-13.
Blaquart and French national team coach Laurent Blanc said the comments were taken out of context.
A probe into the allegations, made by French website Mediapart, is expected to be completed within eight days.
Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno and FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy suspended Blaquart on Saturday.
"The suspension is pending the conclusions of an investigation led by the FFF and the IGJS [General Inspection of Youth and Sports]," Jouanno said in a statement.
On Thursday, Mediapart, citing sources within the FFF, said Blaquart proposed to enforce racial quotas to limit the number of players of black or Arab origin in youth academies.
On Saturday, Mediapart published a verbatim report of a meeting at which France coach Laurent Blanc, Blaquart, under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and under-20 coach Francis Smerecki, among others, had a debate over players with dual nationality groomed in France eventually opting to play for their country of origin.
At one point Blaquart says there should be an unofficial policy of keeping down the number of mainly black and North African youngsters with dual nationality in French training centres. Blanc is also cited as saying he is "very much in favour" of a quotas. Mediapart's editors say the report is evidence of blatant racism. Blaquart told RMC radio's website: "I cannot not acknowledge these remarks.
"They have to be put in their context. We acknowledged the fact that there were many players with dual nationality... we had to control the management of these players who might be leaving us. There is nothing more to it."
Blanc strongly denied plans for any quotas on Friday, and on Saturday said he stood by his comments.
"I admit that some remarks made during a work meeting... taken out of their context, may be misinterpreted and, as far as I am concerned, I apologise if I have hurt some feelings.
"But I, who am against any form of discrimination, do not stand being accused of racism or xenophobia."
FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy had also denied there were any instructions to limit the number of black or Arab players.
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Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal
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April 2011
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['(FFF)', '(BBC News)']
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Amid a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid resigns as the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer after reportedly refusing to sack his adviser team. Javid is replaced by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak, who becomes the first Hindu to hold the senior position.
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The former chancellor says the PM attached conditions to him staying in the role which "no self-respecting minister would accept".
By Greg Heffer and Alan McGuinness, political reporters Friday 14 February 2020 00:45,
Sajid Javid has said he had "no option" but to resign as chancellor - because Boris Johnson attached conditions to him staying in the role which "no self-respecting minister would accept".
Mr Javid quit after refusing to sack his aides in a row with the prime minister that took Westminster by surprise.
Read Sajid Javid's full resignation letter at the bottom of this article
The former chancellor said the condition was something he was "unable to accept".
"I felt I was left with no option other than to resign."
He added: "I don't believe any self-respecting minister would accept such conditions and so therefore I felt the best thing to do was to go."
Former chief secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak has replaced Mr Javid, telling journalists as he entered the Treasury that he was "delighted to be appointed" and had "a lot to get on with".
He later tweeted that his "predecessor and good friend Saj" did a "fantastic job" as chancellor.
"He was a pleasure to work with and I hope to be able to build on his great work going forward," Mr Sunak added.
I am honoured to be appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer.My predecessor and good friend Saj did a fantastic job in his time at the Treasury. He was a pleasure to work with and I hope to be able to build on his great work going forward.
On a day when there were expectations of only a moderate shake-up of Boris Johnson's government - little more than two months after the Tories' general election success - Mr Javid caused shockwaves by quitting his role.
His departure comes less than four weeks before this year's budget, meaning Mr Javid will leave the Treasury without ever having delivered the set-piece fiscal announcement.
Mr Javid was offered the chance to keep his role but resigned following a dispute with Downing Street over his close aides.
The prime minister demanded the chancellor sack all of his special advisers following turbulence between Number 10 and the Treasury in recent weeks.
The chancellor refused and as a result both sides decided to part company.
Mr Javid made a number of pointed references to the row in his resignation letter to the PM.
The former chancellor said it was "crucial for the effectiveness of government that you have people around you who can give you clear and candid advice".
And he told Mr Johnson: "I would urge you to ensure the Treasury as an institution retains as much credibility as possible."
It has been a privilege to serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Prime Minister & government will continue to have my full support from the backbenches. pic.twitter.com/cFo0fuaqv2
In the hours after Mr Javid's resignation, Downing Street confirmed that a new joint team of special advisers was being established in Number 10 and Number 11 to advise the PM and his new chancellor.
Mr Johnson's official spokesman said preparations for the budget on 11 March will continue under Mr Sunak.
"Extensive preparations have already been carried out for the budget and they will continue at pace," they said.
He added that Mr Johnson thanked Mr Javid for his work as chancellor.
Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell claimed the events amounted to a power-grab by Mr Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings.
He said: "This must be a historical record with the government in crisis after just over two months in power.
"Dominic Cummings has clearly won the battle to take absolute control of the Treasury and install his stooge as chancellor."
In a wider shake-up of his government, Mr Johnson had earlier sacked eight ministers before beginning the process of announcing their replacements.
Those told to leave government included Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom, Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.
Full letter
Dear Prime Minister,
It has been a privilege to serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Since being elected as the MP for Bromsgrove 10 years ago I have had the huge honour of holding several ministerial roles - running five departments, including two of the Great Offices of State.
While I am grateful for your continued trust and offer to continue in this role, I regret that I could not accept the conditions attached to the reappointment.
It is crucial for the effectiveness of government that you have people around you who can give you clear and candid advice, as I have always sought to do.
The government you lead has an enormous opportunity in the coming years to transform our country.
Millions of people have given their renewed trust in a Conservative government to move on from the divisions and distractions of recent years, and lead us forward into a decade of social and economic renewal. We must not waste a moment in delivering on that promise.
As you know, the agenda we have been developing over the last seven months is one that I have long supported.
From maintaining strong public finances, investing in infrastructure, protecting our environment, recruiting 20,000 police officers, and boosting housing and skills so the next generation can have the opportunities they deserve.
I would urge you to ensure the Treasury as an institution retains as much credibility as possible. The team there has impressed me with the energy and intellect they have brought to delivering the shifts in policy that I have led.
They are among the very best public servants we have and I hope they can continue to play a central role in driving an economic agenda that puts people and place at its heart.
My biggest hope is that this government will bring the country together, and help to level the playing field so that stories like mine are not exceptional or lucky.
While it is of course disappointing that I will no longer be in a position to see this vision through as one of your Cabinet Ministers, I am very optimistic about our country's future.
You and the government you lead will continue to have my full support from the backbenches.
I am very much looking forward to spending more time with my family, and to continuing to serve the people of Bromsgrove.
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Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal
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February 2020
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['(Sky News)', '(The Yorkshire Post)']
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Former Vice President Joe Biden is officially nominated at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
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In his third campaign for president, former Vice President Joe Biden -- who found his "comeback kid" moment in South Carolina on this year's primary trail -- has formally accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president in a speech Thursday -- 33 years after he made his first bid for the White House. Under day four's theme of an "America's Promise," Biden assumed center stage at the Chase Center in Delaware -- more than 800 miles away from Milwaukee, where the speech was slated to take place in person before the coronavirus pandemic upended the committee's plans and forced a shift to a mostly virtual format. ABC News Live will kick off primetime coverage for the Republican National Convention each day at 7 p.m. ET on the network's streaming news channel and primetime coverage will air from 10-11 p.m. ET each night of the convention on the ABC Television Network. 12:39 a.m. 'All of us': Biden appeals for unity, as Democrats underscore stakes on convention's final night: ANALYSIS
It took him decades to get there -- and it took technological marvels to even create a there. When the moment came, Joe Biden met it with an appeal for unity in a time of division. He accepted the presidential nomination and closed out a unique convention Thursday night by offering himself as part -- but just part -- of a solution to a wide range of national woes. "While I'll be a Democratic candidate, I'll be an American president," the former vice president said in accepting the presidential nomination. "That's the job of the president -- to represent all of us, not just our base or our party." The convention was intimate, funny and searing at various points. The final night at times felt like a letdown, with the highest-profile speakers having already gone and a whole lot of Biden biography to work through. But Biden's speech turned such sentiments around. He touched on the tumultuous events of the last few years -- Charlottesville, George Floyd, the economic collapse, the pandemic -- to marshal support for what he calls a "battle for the soul of the nation." "America's ready," Biden said. "We can find the light once more." Read more of ABC News Political Director Rick Klein's analysis:
12:12 a.m. 5 key takeaways from the final night of the DNC
Democrats capped off four days of virtual celebrations by focusing on making the case for Biden -- and contrasting him with President Donald Trump. The themes of the night covered family, the military, voting rights, the economy, the working class and, most of all, Biden. Here are 5 takeaways from the final night of the convention:
-- ABC News' Kendall Karson and Stephanie Ebbs 12:09 a.m. Q&A with DNC Chairman Tom Perez
DNC Chairman Tom Perez, in response to criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders and others who felt like progressives did not get enough speaking time this week, pointed to the virtual format which "makes it harder to accommodate everyone." "We usually have about six hours of speaking opportunities over each day, over four days. So that's about 24 hours," he told ABC News. " We have this time around roughly 20% of that." "So it makes it harder to accommodate everyone. I think what our program has reflected is the broad diversity of our party," he said. Q: Is the roll call here to stay? Perez said the virtual roll call "may be a trend of the future," because "it really allowed us to highlight our rich tapestry as a party and the beauty of our nation." Q: Thoughts on next week's Republican National Convention? He declined to preview any Democratic counter-programming for the Republican National Convention -- but predicted that Americans won't be able to identify with the GOP program next week. "This was a convention for everyone, not just a convention for Democrats," he said. "They seek to divide and conquer. That's their strategy." "I'll be really interested to see the long array of Democrats for Trump next week, because this president has so alienated so many people," he joked. --ABC News' Benjamin Siegel
11:47 p.m. Trump's real-time responses
Throughout the final night of the DNC, President Donald Trump tweeted out his comments and appeared on Fox News. During Biden's acceptance speech, he wrote, "In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!" In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2020 In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words! Earlier, during a call-in interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, he mused about whether he will watch tonight's convention. "I don't know (if) I'll be able to watch all of it," he initially said, before adding, "I'm going to be watching. I watched a lot of hate last night and the night before. I watched tremendous hate." Leading up to the end of the DNC, Trump was having an entirely different kind of day. Read more from ABC News' Will Steakin and Allie Yang:
11:35 p.m. Obama pledges to do 'everything' to make sure Biden elected
In a Twitter post following Biden's remarks, former President Barack Obama referred to Biden as "our next president" and made a call for action. "Tonight our next President @JoeBiden made the case for his vision for this country and his plan to get there. I'll be doing everything I can over these next 75 days to make sure we get it done," Obama wrote. Tonight our next President @JoeBiden made the case for his vision for this country and his plan to get there. I'll be doing everything I can over these next 75 days to make sure we get it done. Join us: https://t.co/Kboaxi3MVL— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 21, 2020 Tonight our next President @JoeBiden made the case for his vision for this country and his plan to get there. I'll be doing everything I can over these next 75 days to make sure we get it done. Join us: https://t.co/Kboaxi3MVL
11:20 p.m. Supporters outside Chase Center honk horns, flash lights for Biden
Following Biden's acceptance speech, the supporters who participated in the drive-in watch party outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, flashed their vehicle lights and honked their horns. Joe and Jill Biden walked outside, followed by Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, and stepped onto another stage to wave to the crowd and watch fireworks. People are honking their horns in support of @JoeBiden outside of the #demconvention #DNC2020. pic.twitter.com/8YJylLNnH8— Beatrice-Elizabeth Peterson (@MissBeaE) August 21, 2020 People are honking their horns in support of @JoeBiden outside of the #demconvention #DNC2020. pic.twitter.com/8YJylLNnH8
While people had largely remained socially distanced throughout the evening in the parking lot, that quickly went out the window when Biden appeared, with groups rushing towards the stage. ABC News' Molly Nagle and Beatrice Peterson
11:16 p.m. Biden: 'We can rebuild together'
"What we know about this president is if he's given four more years, he'll be what he's been for the last four years. A president who takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cozies up to dictators and fans the flames of hate and division. He'll wake up every day believing the job is all about him, never about you. Is that the America you want for you, your family, your children?" he said. "I see a different America. One that's generous and strong, selfless and humble. It's an America we can rebuild together. As president, the first step I will take will be to get control of the virus that has ruined so many lives, because I understand something this president hasn't from the beginning, we will never get our economy back on track," he added. 11:11 p.m. Biden: 'This is a life-changing election'
All elections are important, Biden said, but "we know in our bones this one is more consequential." "This is a life-changing election. This will determine what America's going to look like for a long, long time. Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy. They're all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation, what we stand for, and most importantly, who we want to be, that's all on the ballot. And the choice could not be more clear. No rhetoric is needed," Biden said. 11:02 p.m. Biden: 'I will draw on the best of us, not the worst'
Biden stepped up to the podium and quoted human rights activist Ella Baker, "Give people light and they will find the way." "Here and now I give you my word. If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not the darkness. It is time for us, for we, the people, to come together. And make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America. We will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege," Biden said. "I'm a proud Democrat and I will be proud to carry the banner of our party into the general election. So it's with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America," he said. "But while I'll be a democratic candidate, I will be an American president. I'll work hard for those who didn't support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me. That's the job of a president, to represent all of us, not just our base or our party. This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment." 10:53 p.m. Biden accepts the nomination
Soon after taking the stage, former Vice President Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president. "It's with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America," he said. 10:44 p.m. Biden children introduce their father
In two videos, members of the Biden family paid tribute to their patriarchal figure, including Biden's son Hunter Biden -- a notable appearance by his only surviving son who has largely stayed off the campaign trail in the wake of the controversy over his work abroad while his father was vice president and the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. In alternating lines, Hunter and Biden's daughter, Ashley spoke about the qualities of their dad, and how those qualities will shape his presidency. Then they handed off to their brother Beau, who died in 2015. He introduced his father at the 2008 DNC just as he was about to deploy to Iraq, and his comments, played again at the end of the segment were poignant. "As I mentioned, my dad has always been there for me, my brother and my sister, every day. But because of other duties, it won't be possible for me to be here this fall to stand by him the way he stood by me," he said in 2008. "So I have something to ask of you. Be there for my dad like he was for me." 10:34 p.m. Former competitors recall Biden on the campaign trail
In opening a "United We Stand" segment, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Biden is right, "this is a contest for the soul of the nation." "And to me, that contest is not between good Americans and evil Americans. It's the struggle to call out what is good in every American," he said. Pete Buttigieg: "Joe Biden is right: this is a contest for the soul of the nation. And to me, that contest is not between good Americans and evil Americans. It's the struggle to call out what is good in every American." https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/deF4patofU— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 21, 2020 Pete Buttigieg: "Joe Biden is right: this is a contest for the soul of the nation. And to me, that contest is not between good Americans and evil Americans. It's the struggle to call out what is good in every American." https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/deF4patofU
During a video conference, his former 2020 competitors told stories about Biden. "In Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent and in this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something that this country absolutely needs," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: "In Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent and in this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something that this country absolutely needs." https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Fr5wCM70k2— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 21, 2020 Sen. Bernie Sanders: "In Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent and in this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something that this country absolutely needs." https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Fr5wCM70k2
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in solo remarks, mocked Trump. "Trump says we should vote for him because he's a great businessman," he said. "Really?!" Michael Bloomberg: "I'm not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he's a bad guy. I'm urging you to vote against him because he's done a bad job." https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/05p3RNnqKC— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 21, 2020 Michael Bloomberg: "I'm not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he's a bad guy. I'm urging you to vote against him because he's done a bad job." https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/05p3RNnqKC
"I'm not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he's a bad guy," Bloomberg said. "I'm urging you to vote against him because he's done a bad job."
|
Government Job change - Election
|
August 2020
|
['(ABC News)']
|
The Government of the United States claims that nearly 5 million barrels of oil have spilt from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, making it the largest accidental maritime oil spill ever.
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NEW ORLEANS — Nearly five million barrels of oil have gushed from the BP’s well since the Deepwater Horizon spill began on April 20, federal scientists said on Monday in announcing the most precise estimates yet of the well’s flow rate. The estimates would make this spill far bigger than the 3.3 million barrels spilled by the Mexican rig Ixtoc I in 1979, previously believed to be the world’s largest accidental release of oil.
Federal science and engineering teams estimated that 53,000 barrels of oil per day were pouring from the well just before BP was able to cap it on July 15. They also estimated that the daily flow rate had lessened over time, starting at around 62,000 barrels a day and decreasing as the reservoir of hydrocarbons feeding the gusher was gradually depleted.
The teams believe that the estimates are accurate to within 10 percent. They also reported that of the roughly 4.9 million barrels that had been released from the well, about 800,000 had been captured by BP’s previous containment efforts. That leaves over four million barrels that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico between April 20 and July 15.
The amount of oil estimated to be pouring from the well has been a matter of dispute from the earliest days of the BP spill. Federal and BP officials initially announced that no oil appeared to be leaking, then 1,000 barrels a day, then 5,000 a day, frequently repeating that spill estimates are rough at best and that the main goal was to stop the well. But criticism mounted that no effort was being made to measure the leak with more certainty.
The Obama administration announced the creation of a scientific group dedicated to analyzing the flow rate, which came up with a new estimate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day in late May, a figure that was almost immediately met with skepticism. That, too, was later revised upwards several times before Monday’s announcement. Previous estimates came from analysis of videos from remote controlled vehicles at the wellhead, modeling of the reservoir and measurements of the oil that was collected by surface ships in the response effort.
After BP capped the well, these measurements could be reinforced by pressure readings within the well. Those pressure readings were compared with pressure estimates when the well was first drilled to determine if the rate had changed over time, which it apparently did.
The government is continuing to study the data and may refine the estimate.
Officials also postponed until Tuesday the "static kill" method of capping the well indefinitely. The plan involves pumping heavy drilling mud, and possibly cement, into the runaway Macondo well, with the aim of sealing it by the end of the week.
|
Environment Pollution
|
August 2010
|
['(New York Times)']
|
Sri Lanka's governing coalition wins a majority in the country's 2010 parliamentary election.
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REUTERS - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday won his third battle in less than a year, securing the parliamentary majority he asked voters to give him to lead the nation from a martial past toward prosperity.
The veteran politician, 64, in the space of 11 months has won a war many deemed unwinnable, beaten back a stiff challenge to his re-election with a landslide victory and now will have a stronger parliamentary majority to entrench his dominance.
It is a stunning turnaround for a man who won his first term with barely 100,000 votes, but has since established a record of shattering expectations, crushing his rivals and displaying a mix of guile, charm and force in getting what he wants.
In May, he stood victorious in one of Asia's longest-running and bloodiest civil wars after the military crushed the separatist Tamil Tigers in a cataclysmic finale that drew Western condemnation for its brutality and disregard for civilians. In January, Rajapaksa defied forecasts he would race to a photo finish with former army commander General Sarath Fonseka, turning in a 57.8 percent tally against the popular soldier's 40.2 percent.
Two weeks later, Rajapaksa's government arrested the man who had led the army to victory and charged him in two courts-martial.
In doing so, Rajapaksa may have shown his neophyte challenger that four decades of battlefield experience were no match for his 40 years of practice in political combat. It was not the first time an enemy may have underestimated him.
Tamil Tiger separatist leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran may have brought about his own end by helping bring Rajapaksa to power. He ordered Tamils to boycott the 2005 election, which deprived Rajapaksa's competitor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, of votes.
First elected at 25
A lawyer, he followed his father into the family business of politics and became Sri Lanka's youngest-ever legislator in 1970 at the age of 25. He has also served as labour minister and prime minister.
And on Friday, the president must have seen through his father's eyes when his eldest son, Namal, won a parliamentary seat.
The president's brothers, Basil and Chamal, also won seats, while a third brother, Gotabaya, remains in charge of Sri Lanka's security apparatus as defence secretary. He was one of the main architects of the war strategy.
Rajapaksa habitually wears the traditional dress of a white knee-length shirt, sarong and his trademark maroon sash. He hails from the southern coastal district of Hambantota, where Chinese companies are now building a massive port.
Although Rajapaksa is a consummate populist, quick with a joke or a pat on the back, he has displayed steely resolve and cunning against opponents.
He quickly sidelined Fonseka after the war, creating a new job for him in which he had no troops at his command after suspecting the general may attempt a coup or otherwise try to subvert his vast powers.
Those factors led Fonseka to quit and enter the poll race, bringing his warrior's swagger onto the campaign trail, accusing the president of corruption and nepotism.
Rajapaksa fought back and in the end humiliated the general by cornering him in a Colombo hotel with soldiers he had commanded just a few months before. Two weeks later, the military arrested Fonseka.
While Fonseka and the rest of the armed forces fought to crush the rebels, Rajapaksa stood firm against international pressure and proved deft at using Sri Lanka's non-aligned status to play allies off each other.
Defiance against Western calls for war crimes probes cost Sri Lanka a European Union trade concession that would have boosted the country's garment business, but Rajapaksa readily turned towards India and China and other nations for support.
Since the end of the war, Rajapaksa has focused on a development drive, reducing a budget deficit and increasing investment to revive the $42 billion economy.
Despite his efforts to implement a political solution for a sustainable peace, extreme elements in his coalition resisted the move before Rajapaksa decided to go for a new mandate, promising to give a solution after the poll.
A great victory for a great leader President Rajapakse.He should now dedicate himself to rebuilding and renewing Sri Lanka for a vibrant future like the beautiful country it was before the terrorist vermin began to eat at its vitals.God bless the people of Sri Lanka.
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Government Job change - Election
|
April 2010
|
['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(France24)', '(Reuters)', '(South China Morning Post)']
|
At least 33 people die and several are injured as a bus flips over thrice in Zimbabwe.
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At least 33 people were killed and several injured when an overtaking bus hit an oncoming truck on a notorious road in Zimbabwe.
Most of the dead were on the bus, which overturned three times. The Harare to Masvingo road is one of the most dangerous in the country. Much of the country's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair. In March, the wife of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was killed in a car crash on the same road. A police spokesman, Andrew Phiri, told Zimbabwe Broadcasting Company that the accident on Sunday happened about 90km (55 miles) south of Harare. The bus was travelling towards Masvingo. What are these?
|
Road Crash
|
August 2009
|
['(BBC)']
|
At least 15 people are dead and 21 others injured in a bus accident near Phong Nha, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam. Some local officials said that the driver had possibly lost control when making a turn.
|
The bus was carrying a group of 40 former 12th graders getting together to celebrate 30 years of graduation from Quang Binh's Dong Hoi High School with a trip to the famous caves.
The accident took place at 9:53 a.m and about 10 km away from the tourist hotspot.
Tran Quang Vu, chairman of Bo Trach District People's Committee, where the tragedy occurred, said nine people died on the spot and six others succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. Of the dozens under treatment, four are in critical condition.
Some local officials said that the driver had possibly lost control when making a turn.
Tran Van Trung, Party secretary of Phong Nha Town, said that the coach had a license plate from Quang Binh Province.
The accident happened in an area with low telephone reception, hindering rescue efforts. While rescue operations are on, authorities have informed the families of the victims.
Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has instructed Quang Binh to mobilize maximum forces and human resources for the rescue effort.
Police said they are investigating the accident and trying to establish if the driver had consumed alcohol or drugs.
Further details were not immediately available.
Something should be done about coach drivers here. I would say at least 50 percent of them are dangerously reckless in their speed and driving style. How they got or have kept their licenses I don't know!
I have never been afraid driving between cities on our motorbike despite occasional crazy traffic but I was terrified the few times I rode an inter-city bus. Passing while going around blind curves seems the norm.
Why is the bus company name and license plate in photo blacked out? Oh that's right, because then somebody might actually be held accountable. Lawlessness..
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Road Crash
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July 2020
|
['(VnExpress)']
|
200 European football matches are under investigation in a match–fixing inquiry, at least three from the UEFA Champions League and 12 from the UEFA Europa League as Europe's biggest ever match–fixing scandal is revealed.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Friedhelm Althans, Bochum Police: 'Group betting with large sums of cash'
About 200 European football games are under investigation in a match-fixing inquiry, German prosecutors have said.
At least three of the games were in the Champions League and another 12 were in the Uefa Europa League, officials said. Uefa representative Peter Limacher called it the biggest match-fixing scandal ever to hit Europe. On Thursday police carried out about 50 raids in Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Austria, making 17 arrests and seizing cash and property. Fifteen of those arrested were in Germany and the other two in Switzerland. Matches under investigation were played in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Austria. Officials said the games included the 40 which Uefa revealed in September were under investigation. 'Stunned'
Prosecutors believe a 200-strong criminal gang has bribed players, coaches, referees and officials to fix games and then made money by betting on the results. The investigation is being carried out by German authorities and supported by Uefa, the European football body.
All the matches under suspicion are believed to have taken place this year, although prosecutors did not specify if they were qualifying games or group-round matches. Speaking at a news conference in Germany, Mr Limacher said the revelations represented "clearly" the worst ever match-fixing scandal in European football. "We at Uefa are stunned by the magnitude of this," he said. On the positive side, he said the arrests were proof that the detection system was working.
"We feel a certain satisfaction, but on the other side we are deeply affected by the scope of game manipulations by international gangs," he added. In a statement Uefa's general secretary, Gianni Infantino, said it would continue to impose "zero tolerance" on any form of corruption in European football. "Uefa will be demanding the harshest of sanctions before the competent courts for any individuals, clubs or officials who are implicated in this malpractice, be it under state or sports jurisdiction," he said. A German police spokesman told the BBC that officers in the UK had been helping in the inquiry but that no British football matches were under suspicion. UK police said they had carried out a search in the Greater London area following a request from German law enforcement officials. Detection system
Earlier this year Uefa President Michel Platini described match-fixing as the "greatest danger to football". In 2006, Italian clubs Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan were all implicated in a match-fixing scandal. Juventus were relegated while Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan had points deducted. German football was rocked by a match-fixing scandal in 2005 when referee Robert Hoyzer confessed to trying to manipulate games in the second division, third division and German Cup. His testimony revealed a network of corruption linked to a Croatian gambling syndicate. Uefa has since introduced an early warning system which flags up unusual betting patterns. The betting fraud detection system monitors real-time betting, giving investigators an immediate idea of whether there are irregular patterns. The recent arrests would seem to indicate the detection process is working, but the scale of the manipulation must be a concern, says BBC Sports reporter Alex Capstick.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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November 2009
|
['(BBC)', '(IOL)', '(Bangkok Post)']
|
Nigerian forces attack a mosque used by the militant Islamist Boko Haram group.
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More soldiers were said to have been killed in the exchange of gunfire between them and members of the militant religious sect, “Boko Haram”, yesterday in Maiduguri, Borno State.Military authorities refused to confirm or deny the story last night but promised to brief the press today on the situation.But highly placed sources told THISDAY that no fewer than three more soldiers lost their lives yesterday.This, if confirmed, will bring to six the total number of soldiers killed since hostilities began in Bauchi last Sunday.And as the military bombardment of the Maiduguri stronghold of the leader of the religious sect continued yesterday, the death toll in the uprising has been on the increase.There is also great apprehension in the city as many are now afraid that the fight between the soldiers and the fundamentalists expected to end a few hours after it began on Tuesday on the base of Mohammed Yusuf, the leader of “Boko Haram”, was still on 24 hours later.Security forces had moved into Maiduguri and begun attacking Yusuf's base on Tuesday, shelling it with heavy weapons and exchanging gunfire with the militants.About 1,000 people are said to be inside the Maiduguri enclave, according to the military. The officer commanding the operation, Col. Ben Ahanotu, told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) yesterday that the militants were well-armed and had been keeping up a steady stream of fire.He said there were at least 250 armed men guarding Yusuf's home, which is also the headquarters of the sect. Ahanotu also said some of the fundamentalists might have come from neighbouring Chad and Niger. One Maiduguri resident, Adamu Yari, told Reuters news agency that soldiers and the police were combing the whole city, searching house to house for Boko Haram followers.
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Armed Conflict
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July 2009
|
['(This Day)', '(Al Jazeera)', '(The Times)']
|
A Japanese man is taken into custody in North Korea with Tokyo trying to gather information about the case.
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A Japanese man has recently been taken into custody in North Korea, government officials said Saturday as Tokyo tried to obtain information on the case.
According to informed sources, the man, in his 30s, was visiting the communist regime on a package tour organized by a foreign tourist agency. He was in Nampo, a port town in the western part of the country, the source said.
Japanese officials are concerned his detention could affect negotiations on the long-running abduction issue, which concerns Japanese who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in 1970s and 80s. Five were returned several years ago after talks held under the administration of Junichiro Koizumi.
“North Korea may use the man it has held as a bargaining chip for negotiations with Japan,” an official said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been trying to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the wake of the historic summit between North Korea and the United States, but there are no signs of progress yet.
A Foreign Ministry official declined to provide specifics on the case, such as the purpose of the man’s visit, saying only that the ministry is in the process of confirming the details.
Tokyo has reportedly called on Pyongyang to release the man through diplomatic channels, including the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, the sources said. The ministry has asked Japanese to refrain from traveling to North Korea as part of its economic sanctions on the country.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho did not respond to questions on the matter when he arrived at Beijing international airport Saturday following a trip to Singapore and Iran.
In 1999 a Japanese newspaper reporter working in North Korea was taken into custody on spy charges and detained for about two years.
Sources familiar with bilateral relations said last month that North Korea has established a team to negotiate with Japan, which itself is seeking direct talks to settle various issues. The team was apparently established sometime between April and the historic U.S.-North Korea summit on June 12, reflecting a move by Pyongyang to explore dialogue with Tokyo amid the rapidly changing geopolitical situation on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea judged earlier this year that mending ties with Japan would become a future task if it moves to improve ties with the United States, South Korea and China, the sources said.
At a plenary meeting in April of the central committee of North Korea’s ruling party, the policy of pursuing active dialogue with surrounding countries was adopted, they added.
Tokyo has long sought answers about the abduction issue. Japan officially lists 17 citizens as abduction victims and suspects the North’s involvement in many more disappearances.
But no substantial progress has been made despite exchanges via the team, the sources said, and prospects for making progress are clouded by the murky outlook of the denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest
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August 2018
|
['(The Japan Times)']
|
Taliban officials say that they will not attend peace talks scheduled for next week in Saudi Arabia because they "cannot afford" to meet the Afghan government delegation at present.
|
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Taliban will not attend planned peace talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia this month, and want to shift the venue to Qatar, Taliban officials said on Sunday, seeking to fend off Riyadh’s push to include the Afghan government in talks.
The upcoming negotiations, the fourth in a series aimed at ending the 17-year war in Afghanistan, are scheduled between the leaders of the Taliban and U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss the withdrawal of foreign forces and a possible ceasefire in 2019.
Leaders of the hardline Islamic militant group have rejected the Kabul government’s offer for direct talks, despite growing international pressure in favor of the Western-backed Afghan government having a seat at the table.
“We were supposed to meet U.S. officials in Riyadh next week and continue our peace process that remained incomplete in Abu Dhabi last month,” a senior Taliban member based in Afghanistan told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
“The problem is that leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wanted us to definitely meet the Afghan government delegation, which we cannot afford to do now, and we have canceled the meeting in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The Taliban want to change the venue for the talks to Qatar, he said, the political headquarters of the militant group that is fighting to restore strict Islamic law in Afghanistan and the site for earlier talks.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group has decided to cancel the meeting in Saudi Arabia, but did not provide information about a new meeting venue.
The United States embassy in Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another senior Taliban leader said the group had explained to Saudi Arabia that it was not possible for the Taliban to meet the Afghan government at this stage.
“Everyone is aware of the fact that the Afghan government wanted the U.S. and its allies not to leave Afghanistan and we have paid a heavy price to expel all foreign forces from our country,” he said.
“Why should we talk to the Afghan government?”
The Taliban regards the United States as its main adversary in the Afghan war and views direct talks with Washington as a legitimate effort to seek the withdrawal of foreign troops before engaging with the Afghan government.
The war in Afghanistan is America’s longest overseas military intervention. It has cost Washington nearly a trillion dollars and killed tens of thousands of people.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have intensified since Taliban representatives began meeting with Khalilzad, an Afghan-born, U.S. diplomat last year. Officials from the warring sides have met at least three times, but fighting has not subsided.
Writing by Rupam Jain, Editing by Richard Pullin
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
Exclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish
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Diplomatic Visit
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January 2019
|
['(Reuters)']
|
Hosts Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5–0 in the opening match, with two goals by Denis Cheryshev.
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Russia launched the World Cup in emphatic style when they outclassed a feeble Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the tournament's opening match to end a nine-month winless run and give the host nation's team and fans the lift they desperately needed.
Aleksandr Golovin of Russia fields the ball against Saudi Arabia in the World Cup opener. Photo: AFP
Substitute Denis Cheryshev scored twice - the first after a piece of skill that would have graced a Lionel Messi highlights reel - and the second a superb shot in stoppage time.
Yury Gazinsky had headed the World Cup's first goal after 12 minutes, Artem Dzyuba got the third a minute after coming on as a 70th-minute substitute and Aleksandr Golovin completed a memorable day by smashing in free kick with the last action of the game.
The result equalled the best-ever in a World Cup opening game - Brazil beat Mexico 5-0 in Geneva in 1954 - as Russia took full advantage of a Saudi team who's defending fell painfully short of World Cup standard, while their attack was non-existent.
Russia's fans will not care about that after enduring a wretched run of seven games without a win but they will be aware that the Asian qualifiers look desperately ill-equipped to trouble Egypt or group favourites Uruguay, who meet tomorrow, and that there is still much to be done for the hosts to secure progress to the knockout stage.
Russia looked lively from the start as they poured into the vast spaces on both flanks and it was no surprise when they opened the scoring after 12 minutes as Gazinsky was totally unmarked to nod home Golovin's deep left-wing cross.
The home crowd, starved of any meaningful action for the last two years, were loving it as the red shirts poured forward with only some desperate defending preventing star striker Fyodor Smolov from adding a second.
Alan Dzagoev had been at the heart of things but had to go off after pulling a hamstring in the 23rd minute. It proved something of a fortuitous situation - if not for him - as his replacement Cheryshev doubled the lead with a mesmerizing touch of skill.
Collecting a pass from Roman Zobnin on the left of the box he showed great composure to nonchalantly flick the ball inches above two prone defenders desperately sliding in, before lashing into the roof of the net.
Russia made it 3-0 in the 71st minute when Golovin chipped in a cross for giant striker Dzyuba to rise unchallenged to head in from close range.
The crowd were then treated to a fabulous finale as Cheryshev cleverly steered home the fourth with the outside of his foot before Golovin capped a great personal performance by curling his free kick beyond the wall to get the month-long Moscow party well and truly started.
- Reuters
Copyright © 2018, Radio New Zealand
In anticipation of one of the globe’s most popular sporting events, RNZ Music has conducted a 'scientific' evaluation of one of the FIFA World Cup’s enduring traditions: its musical anthems.
Video
First person - Every four years the FIFA World Cup rolls around, and I start a new, month-long love affair with my alarm clock, writes Emile Donovan. Video
The FIFA World Cup is laden with opportunity for getting rich, quick, whether you are player, sponsor, or spectator.
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Sports Competition
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June 2018
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['(BBC Sport)', '(Reuters via RNZ)']
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China and South Korea are to hold defence talks following tension on the Korean Peninsula.
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SEOUL - Defence ministers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and China will hold talks in Beijing in February amid growing regional tension sparked by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear programmes and hostile acts, ROK's defence ministry said on Sunday.
ROK holds massive new drills
Tensions have risen to their highest in decades on the divided Korean peninsula after the DPRK bombarded a ROK island last month, and revealed major advances in its nuclear programme.
ROK President Lee Myung-bak in November appointed Kim as new defence minister after Kim's predecessor resigned after criticism of what was perceived as a weak response to aggression from the DPRK, including a submarine attack in March and the shelling of Yeonpyeong island last month.
DPRK on Thursday threatened a nuclear "sacred war" and ROK vowed a "merciless counterattack" against any fresh provocations as both sides sharpened their rhetoric after military exercises in the ROK.
Pyongyang has offered to re-admit UN inspectors concerned about its nuclear weapons programme, prompting speculation that six-party talks including the North may resume, and the worst of the most recent crisis may be over.
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Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting
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December 2010
|
['(China Daily)', '(BBC)']
|
An Ilyushin Il-76 military plane crashes shortly after take-off from Boufarik Military Airport in Algeria, killing all 257 passengers on board.
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An Algerian military transport plane has crashed, killing all 257 on board in the country's worst air disaster with witnesses reporting seeing a wing on fire.
More than 250 people were killed when a military plane crashed near Algeria's capital with witnesses saying they saw a wing catch fire shortly after the plane took off.
Dozens of firefighters, rescue workers and military officials worked around the blackened fuselage of the aircraft, which had been ripped open near its wings.
Bits of mangled and smouldering debris were scattered across the field near Boufarik airport southwest of Algiers where people were searching for bodies among the rubble.
Earlier TV images showed flames and smoke billowing from the site of the crash, the country's worst air disaster.
"This morning at around 8am an Ilyushin model military transport plane ... crashed directly after takeoff in an agricultural field that was clear of residents," Major General Boualem Madi told state TV.
A line of white body bags could be seen on the ground next to the wreck of what media said was a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane, part of which was still intact. Smoke was still billowing hours after the crash.
"After taking off, with the plane at a height of 150 metres I saw the fire on its wing. The pilot avoided crashing on the road when he changed the flight path to the field," Abd El Karim, a witness, told the private Ennahar TV station.
Another witness said: "We saw bodies burned. It is a real disaster".
A total of 257 people were killed, most of them military, the defence ministry said.
Ten crew and other people described as family members died, and a number of survivors were being treated at an army hospital, the ministry added.
The plane had been heading to Tindouf on the border with Western Sahara, Algeria's defence ministry said.
One young man cried as he spoke to a local TV station about a relative who died in the crash.
"We talked on the phone yesterday evening and he promised to call me again on arrival in Tindouf," he said.
A member of Algeria's ruling FLN party told Ennahar the dead included 26 members of the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed group fighting for the independence of neighbouring Western Sahara, a territory also claimed by Morocco in a long-running dispute.
In February 2014, 77 people died when a military plane carrying army personnel and family members crashed between Tamanrasset in southern Algeria and the eastern city of Constantine.
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Air crash
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April 2018
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['(BBC)', '(sbs.com)']
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Japanese rescue squads resume the search for missing people after the 2008 Iwate earthquake including seven people feared buried by a mudslide at a hot springs hotel in mountains outside the town of Kurihara, Miyagi.
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Aerial footage of a hotel swept by a massive landslide
Rescuers in northern Japan have found three more bodies, bringing the confirmed death toll from Saturday's earthquake to nine, officials say.
Four more people are feared buried by a mudslide at a hot spring hotel near the town of Kurihara, Miyagi region. With major roads buckled and unusable, rescuers are hiking through mountain trails to reach isolated towns. Twelve people are still missing and more than 200 have been injured after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
There have been more than 200 aftershocks since Saturday.
Helicopters
The quake was centred on Iwate, a rural mountainous region on Japan's main island, Honshu. Military helicopters have been taking in supplies and flying the injured to hospitals. A small amount of radioactive water was leaked at a nuclear power station.
But officials said there was no danger to the public from the minor spillage at the facility in Fukushima. Seismologists issued a warning of the earthquake moments before it struck at about 0845 (2343 GMT) on Friday
Footage from NHK television showed surveillance cameras in the city of Sendai being shaken violently for about 30 seconds. Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and experiences thousands of minor tremors each year. An earthquake last year caused a small radioactive leak from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant.
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Earthquakes
|
June 2008
|
['(BBC News)']
|
In composite rules shinty–hurling, Ireland defeat Scotland to claim the International Series.
|
Last updated on 27 October 201227 October 2012.From the section Scotland
Scotland suffered a heavy defeat in the second leg of the annual shinty-hurling international against Ireland.
the Scots went down 8 (11) - 4 (3) in the second leg in Ennis.
Shane Dooley scored three to complement a double from Brendan Murtagh and strikes from Patrick Maher, Barry McFall and Seamus Callanan as the Irish ran out comfortable victors.
Scotland's scorers were Finlay and Keith MacRae and Kevin Bartlett twice. The hosts were without Patrick Horgan, who scored a hat-trick in their victory last week, who was replaced by Callanan.
Both sides traded early points with Bernard Rochford in the Irish goal the busier of the two keepers.
However, it was the Irish who got the opening goal, Maher brushing the Scottish defence aside and firing home.
The hosts moved further ahead when Dooley swept home within 10 minutes.
Scotland looked in danger of a heavy defeat when Murtagh hammered home two minutes later.
They were unlucky not to pull a goal back shortly after, Rochford stopping the ball on the line.
A free-hit brought the next goal, Dooley smashing the ball home to put the home side four goals ahead with under twenty minutes played.
The Irish had five shortly after, as an error from John Barr presented Dooley with an opportunity, which he converted to complete his hat-trick.
Some desperate defending prevented Scotland from cutting the deficit with John Stewart denied from just in front of goal.
With four minutes to go in the first half the Scots did get a goal, MacRae smashing home a free-hit.
The Irish tacked on three more points before the half drew to a close and led 31 points to 7 at half-time.
McFall scored at the start of the second hald, slicing through the Scottish defence to finish.
Kevin Bartlett pulled another goal back for Scotland, driving the ball high in to the net from a narrow angle after 50 minutes.
Murtagh added his second of the match to re-assert the home side's dominance, running away from the Scots' defence and stroking the ball home.
Bartlett netted his second of the match as Scotland strived for some respectability, but shortly after Callanan scored again for Ireland with the Scottish defence posted missing.
Keith MacRae gave the travelling fans another goal to cheer in the dying seconds, but Ireland won comfortably 6-2 on aggregate.
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Sports Competition
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October 2012
|
['(BBC Sport)', '(Irish Examiner)']
|
EU summit in Brussels: the EU leaders back plans to develop a common energy policy, but the specifics remain vague and difficult
|
European leaders have backed plans to forge a common energy policy but failed to quell fears that the EU's single market could fall victim to a new wave of protectionism.
A summit in Brussels ended without direct confrontation over claims that France and Spain are preventing firms from other EU countries from entering their energy markets. It also failed to back the creation of a pan-European energy regulator, promising only better co-ordination of existing national regulation.
Yesterday's declaration is designed as a first step towards protecting the EU's citizens from future crises by pooling resources and using EU negotiating muscle on world energy markets. The leaders promised to fulfil their pledge to liberalise the EU energy sector by 2007, and the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, argued: "We are on the right track in Europe. There is no time to lose."
The agreement included a pledge to have a regular energy review, developing an external energy policy and boosting plans to diversify energy sources. The issue of nuclear power will be left to member states.
Underlying tension over economic nationalism and suspicion of Anglo-Saxon liberalism was underlined by Jacques Chirac, the French President, who defended his walkout on Thursday from the summit in protest at a Frenchman's decision to speak in English.
M. Chirac said that, after working to secure the position of French as a global language, he was "deeply shocked" when a French business leader, Ernest-Antoine Seillière, spoke in English at the summit on Thursday. M. Chirac left the meeting, returning only when the president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, began speaking in French. The Austrian presidency of the EU worked hard to prevent a direct row over claims that the French government orchestrated the merger between Gaz de France and Suez to prevent a takeover by Italy's Enel. In the event, the Italian premier, Silvio Berlusconi, did not speak during the formal dinner discussing energy on Thursday night. As the row simmered, the French President insisted, however, that France remained more open to foreign investment than the UK, Germany or the US.
Blair: how No 10 sets the example
Tony Blair drew attention to the liberalisation of Britain's energy market and held it up as an example to the rest of Europe, saying: "The electricity in No 10 Downing Street is supplied by a French company. The water by a German company. The gas is supplied by four companies, three of which are not British." He said electricity in most of London was supplied by Electricité de France (EDF), 80 per cent-owned by the French state; Thames Water was owned by RWE, a German utility. Gas supplies were provided by British Gas, Powergen, (owned by German's EON), Npower (RWE) and EDF.
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Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting
|
March 2006
|
['(Independent)']
|
Voters in Slovakia go to the polls for the second round of voting in the presidential election with former businessman Andrej Kiska elected in a landslide. ,
|
Voters in Slovakia have cast their ballots in a run-off election to choose their president. The result is expected to be extremely close.
Saturday's vote saw Prime Minister Robert Fico (r. above) face off against political newcomer Andrej Kiska (l. above).
The runoff comes after a first round of voting on March 15 saw Social Democrat Fico, 49, winning 28 percent to narrowly beat centrist Kiska, 51, on 24 percent. Results are expected around midnight local time (23:00 UTC).
Fico, an ex-Communist, came to power with his Smer party after sweeping a parliamentary election in 2012.
Some Slovaks feel that a victory for Fico in the presidentials could result in his party amassing too much power, endangering the country's democracy.
This fear is likely to fuel support for Kiska, a businessman turned philanthropist with no Communist past. Kiska has campaigned as an independent without a party.
The president has the power to name or approve some of the main figures in the judicial branch.
Rough campaign tactics
Campaigning turned tough in the last weeks, with Fico accusing Kiska of usury in consumer lending firms he used to own, for which Kiska filed a criminal complaint against his opponent.
Kiska has also vehemently denied that he is close to the Church of Scientology, as claimed by Fico, who has emphasized his own Catholicism. Critics of Scientology say it is a cult that extorts money from its members and harrasses them if they try to quit.
A majority of Slovaks identify themselves as Roman Catholic.
The next president will be sworn in on June 15 and replace incumbent Ivan Gasparovic, who has held the post for two terms and is barred by the constitution from running again.
Slovakia, which has a population of 5.4 million, is a member both of the European Union and the eurozone.
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Government Job change - Election
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March 2014
|
['(Deutsche Welle)', '(The Telegraph)']
|
In Sierra Leone, three members of the former military government, Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, go on trial accused of crimes against humanity during the civil war.
|
two years ago as well as the two men at the top of the RUF, Foday Sankoh and
Sam Bockarie, who are now dead.
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor, indicted for war crimes in
Sierra Leone, is living in exile in Nigeria and has yet to be handed
over.
For some Sierra Leoneans, these high-profile absences have diminished
the relevance of the trials. Others want justice, even if it is not
perfect.
On Monday as proceedings began in the court's second chamber, the
prosecution promised to provide a wave of witnesses who would testify to
atrocities committed or ordered directly by the three AFRC defendants.
One young man would tell about being captured and taken to a rebel base
at a primary school, Crane said.
"One by one they were ordered to extend their hands and one by one their
hands were severed with an axe.... The cuts were not clean, he will testify,
and it took four blows before his hand fell to the ground, four long blows,"
he told the panel of three judges, headed by Teresa Doherty of Northern
Ireland.
Women would describe horrific gang rape, with sticks being inserted into
their vaginas until they bled and bayonets being stabbed into their
buttocks. Children would recount how the initials AFRC were carved onto
their chests with a razor blade, Crane said.
The three defendants from the military junta, who have spent more than a
year in detention, have been charged with 14 counts of crimes against
humanity. They deny the charges.
Analysts expect the AFRC trial to wrap up later this year, but the two
trials taking place in the Special Court's first chamber are expected to
continue into 2006.
The first trial against the leaders of the pro-government Civil Defence
Force (CDF), including former interior minister Sam Hinga Norman, began last
June. The second trial against the RUF hierarchy opened in July.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations ] Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright 2005 UN Integrated Regional Information Networks.
All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
|
March 2005
|
['(Reuters)', '(AllAfrica)', '(ReliefWeb)', '(BBC)']
|
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang begins a four–day visit to the UK; Scotland and China sign a green energy deal.
|
Scotland and China have sealed a major green energy deal, as Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang began a four-day visit to the UK.
The agreement, worth $10m (£6.4m), will see technology pioneered in Scotland used at a new renewable energy conversion plant in China.
Confirmation of the deal came as Mr Li and his delegation arrived in Edinburgh for the first day of his visit.
The vice premier is also meeting Prime Minister David Cameron in London.
The visit has a focus on promoting trade and political links with the UK and other European nations.
Mr Li - widely tipped to become the next Chinese premier - will also meet key UK government figures in London, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor George Osborne and Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said the licensing deal was reached between Sino-Scots firm Shanghai Huanuan Boiler and Vessel Co/Cochran and Scotland-based engineers W2E Engineering, which specialises in generating electricity from domestic refuse.
SHBV/Cochran has its Scottish base at Annan in Dumfriesshire.
Mr Salmond, who has led several trade missions to China over the past two years, said the visit was vital for building economic growth, especially in renewable energy.
"China already has the largest deployment of on-shore renewable technology, and Scotland is a world-leader in pioneering the technology and application of clean, green energy," he said.
"This announcement is another positive step forward in strengthening Sino-Scottish links and confirming Scotland's reputation as a global leader in the development of renewable energy."
Shanghai Huanuan chairman Dong Ping added: "This agreement will see the creation of new green power stations built in Scotland and in China and this will generate sustainable renewable energy at a reduced cost for our global customers."
On the first day of the trip, Mr Li held talks with Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and also visited the renewable energy firm Pelamis Wave Power.
Mr Moore described the meeting as "very constructive", adding: "China and the UK are key partners in growth for the future.
"There are a huge number of economic opportunities which exist between China and Scotland and I am keen to see us take advantage of our excellent trading links and create new routes to market in the near future."
Mr Li is also due to deliver a speech at a China-Britain British Council banquet, ahead of his return to Beijing on Wednesday.
The vice premier's stay in the UK comes after a three-day visit to Spain, where he signed $7.5bn (£4.8bn, 5.7bn euros) in trade deals.
Mr Li also reaffirmed his country would buy Spanish government bonds, despite the recent crisis of market confidence over eurozone debt.
China has already made several Scottish trade agreements, including a deal requiring all "Scotch Whisky" sold in China to have been made in Scotland.
Anne MacColl, of the economic agency Scottish Development International, said Scotland was in a strong position to contribute to many of China's key aims, which also included life sciences, financial services and academic connections.
|
Diplomatic Visit
|
January 2011
|
['(BBC)']
|
Tropical Storm Harvey is expected to cross the coast of Belize with a tropical storm watch in place for Guatemala and parts of Honduras.
|
Tropical storm Harvey is forecast to strike Belize as a hurricane at about 00:00 GMT on 21 August.Data supplied by theUS National Hurricane Centersuggest that the point of landfallwill benear16.8 N,88.5 W.Harvey is expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around120 km/h (74 mph).Wind gusts in the area maybeconsiderably higher.
According to the Saffir-Simpson damage scale the potential property damage and flooding from a storm ofHarvey'sstrength (category 1)at landfall includes:
The information above is provided for guidance only and should not be used to make life or death decisions or decisions relating to property. Anyone in the region who is concerned for their personal safety or property should contact their official national weather agency or warning centre for advice.
|
Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard
|
August 2011
|
['(CNN)', '(Alertnet)']
|
Israel and Syria reveal indirect peace negotiations in Turkey in hopes of direct talks leading to a border agreement.
|
JERUSALEM, May 21 -- Israel and Syria disclosed Wednesday that they have been holding indirect talks through Turkish mediators since February 2007 and pledged in a joint statement to pursue negotiations "with good faith and an open mind."
The announcement marked another setback for the Bush administration's campaign to isolate Syria, Iran and their allies in the Middle East, coming the same day as a Lebanon peace agreement that acknowledged the political rise of Hezbollah, a Shiite militia supported by Syria and Iran.
Many in Israel and Syria greeted the first formal announcement of peace talks with skepticism, given the lack of strong support from the United States and the political difficulties facing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at home. Olmert is being questioned by police on bribery allegations while his administration pursues long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.
Wednesday's announcement came as Olmert's chief of staff and a senior political adviser were in Istanbul for the latest round of negotiations.
Israel and Syria "decided to pursue the dialogue between them in a serious and continuous way," the two governments said in their statement.
The talks center on Syria's demand that Israel return the Golan Heights, which Israeli forces have occupied since the 1967 Middle East war.
An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the two countries opened contacts in February 2007 after Olmert visited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During a 2 1/2 -hour, closed-door meeting, Olmert and Erdogan agreed to have top Turkish officials serve as go-betweens, the official said.
Olmert disclosed in a newspaper interview last month that the two countries had exchanged messages through Turkish officials about peace talks.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad then confirmed this in a separate interview but said he believed direct talks were possible only under U.S. sponsorship and only after President Bush had left office.
The U.S. response to Wednesday's announcement was polite. "I think Turkey played a good and useful role in this regard," said Assistant Secretary of State C. David Welch. "Israel and Turkey have apprised us in the past of these discussions."
Israel seized the Golan, a militarily strategic heights overlooking the Sea of Galilee, in the 1967 Middle East war and effectively annexed the area 14 years later by extending Israeli civil law to its residents, most of whom are Arab Druze.
About 20,000 Israeli settlers now live in the Golan, a rugged terrain of Israeli military bases, vineyards and cattle ranches that many senior Israeli army officers say still holds strategic value for the nation's defense.
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Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting
|
May 2008
|
['(Reuters via The Washington Post)']
|
Cuban state television announces that former President Fidel Castro has died at age 90.
|
Cuba's former president Fidel Castro, one of the world's longest-serving and most iconic leaders, has died aged 90.
His younger brother and successor as president Raul Castro announced the news on state television.
Castro toppled the government in 1959, introducing a Communist revolution. He defied the US for decades, surviving many assassination plots. His supporters said he had given Cuba back to the people. Critics saw him as a dictator.
Live updates
A hero and a tyrant - obituary
His life in pictures
A revolutionary at home and abroad
Ashen and grave, President Castro told the nation in an unexpected late night broadcast on state television that Fidel Castro had died and would be cremated later on Saturday.
"The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this evening (03:29 GMT Saturday)," he said. "Towards victory, always!" he added, using a revolutionary slogan.
A period of official mourning has been declared on the island until 4 December, when his ashes will be laid to rest in the south-eastern city of Santiago.
Barring the occasional newspaper column, Fidel Castro had essentially been retired from political life for several years.
In April, Fidel Castro gave a rare speech on the final day of the country's Communist Party congress.
"I'll soon be 90," the former president said, adding that this was "something I'd never imagined". "Soon I'll be like all the others," Fidel Castro said, suggesting his "turn" to pass away was coming. Castro was the longest serving non-royal leader of the 20th Century.
He temporarily handed over power to his brother in 2006 as he was recovering from an acute intestinal ailment. Raul Castro officially became president two years later.
News of his death left some in Havana stunned. "I always said it couldn't be," said one woman, a government employee. "Even though they said it now, I say it can't be."
Throughout the Cold War, Fidel Castro was a thorn in Washington's side.
An accomplished tactician on the battlefield, he and his small army of guerrillas overthrew the military leader Fulgencio Batista in 1959 to widespread popular support. Within two years of taking power, he declared the revolution to be Marxist-Leninist in nature and allied the island nation firmly to the Soviet Union. Despite the constant threat of a US invasion as well as the long-standing economic embargo on the island, Castro managed to maintain a communist revolution in a nation just 90 miles (145km) off the coast of Florida. Despised by his critics as much as he was revered by his followers, he maintained his rule through 10 US presidents and survived scores of attempts on his life by the CIA.
He established a one-party state, with hundreds of supporters of the Batista government executed. Political opponents have been imprisoned, the independent media suppressed. Thousands of Cubans have fled into exile. Latin American leaders have been quick to pay tribute. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Castro was a "great friend" of Mexico, while to El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren he was an "eternal companion". Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said "revolutionaries of the world must follow his legacy".
The Soviet Union's last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, said: "Fidel stood up and strengthened his country during the harshest American blockade, when there was colossal pressure on him."
Russian President Vladimir Putin described him as a "reliable and sincere friend" of Russia, while Chinese President Xi Jinping said "Comrade Castro will live forever".
For French President Francois Hollande, Castro embodied Cuba's revolution in both its "hopes" and its later "disappointments".
Pope Francis, who met Castro, an atheist, when he visited Cuba in 2015, called his death "sad news" and sent "sentiments of grief". From US President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to reverse his predecessor's work to build ties with Cuba, came a brief tweet exclaiming the news:
In Miami, where there is a large Cuban community, there have been celebrations in some parts of the city, with people banging pots and cheering.
A Cuban exile group, the Cuban Democratic Directorate, said Castro left "legacy of intolerance" and had set up a "vicious totalitarian regime".
Divisive legacy captivates world media
UK opposition: Castro 'huge figure'
Although the announcement of Fidel Castro's death caught many Cubans unawares, it can't be said that they weren't partly expecting it. In a sense, they have been preparing for this moment, a post-Fidel Cuba, for several years now as he retired from public life and largely disappeared from view.
But now that it has actually arrived, some are asking whether it will make any political different to Cuba's trajectory. It's unlikely to, mainly because Raul Castro has already been implementing economic changes intended to attract foreign direct investment and ease the tight restrictions on ordinary Cubans. Plus, of course, there is the new rapprochement with Washington. While it's still not clear what a Trump presidency will mean in that regard, those changes are unlikely to be reversed because of Castro's death. Nor will Cuba change its one-party political system in his absence.
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Famous Person - Death
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November 2016
|
['(BBC)']
|
At least seven people and 15 members of the Turkish Army are killed in a Kurdistan Workers' Party ambush in the Yüksekova district near the border with Iraq and Iran.
|
At least 18 people have died in fighting between Turkish troops and Kurdish rebels in south-east Turkey, officials say.
Eight soldiers were killed and 16 wounded when Kurdish fighters attacked army outposts in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq and Iran, early on Tuesday.
Troops counterattacked, killing at least 10 rebels, officials said.
Tens of thousands of people have died since the PKK took up arms in 1984.
Several thousand Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels are believed to be based in hideouts in northern Iraq.
Security sources told Reuters that the rebels had crossed the border to carry out the attack on an army post, and had then retreated back to Iraq.
Top army commanders, including armed forces chief Gen Necdet Ozel, as well as senior ministers have travelled to the area to assess the situation.
The number of clashes between the PKK and the Turkish armed forces has risen in southeast Turkey over the past year, and the PKK has in the past carried out bombings in other parts of the country.
A powerful bomb in Ankara in September last year killed three people and wounded 15. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government would continue fighting the rebels "until the end".
"Sooner or later, we will succeed," he said. "There is only one thing terrorists must do and that is to lay down their arms."
Selahattin Demirtas, the head of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), called on both sides to stop fighting.
"The PKK should stop every kind of armed activity. The government should also halt operations."
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul said the attack, near Yuksekova, followed the same pattern as other recent operations by the PKK.
Mr Erdogan's government has taken an increasingly hard line towards the PKK, our correspondent says. Thousands of Kurdish civilians believed to support the movement have been arrested, and the army has been authorised to pursue and engage insurgents.
At the same time, Mr Erdogan has sought to address some of the Kurdish minority's grievances, recently telling parliament that Kurdish-language lessons may be offered in schools.
The government acknowledges that the conflict cannot be solved through military means, although negotiations have made little headway, our correspondent adds.
Kurdish minorities constitute up to a fifth of Turkey's population and also live in Iraq, Iran and Syria.
The PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US, launched a guerrilla campaign in 1984 for an ethnic homeland in the Kurdish heartland in the south-east of Turkey.
It has now dropped a claim for an independent Kurdish state but says it is fighting for autonomy and the cultural rights of the Kurdish people.
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Armed Conflict
|
June 2012
|
['(BBC)']
|
Turkish airstrikes kill five civilians in the village of Bab al-Kheir.
|
TAL TAMR, Syria (AFP) Deadly Turkish airstrikes Friday shattered an hours-old US-brokered deal to stop Ankara’s military offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.
The ceasefire announced late Thursday was meant to provide a pause for the evacuation of Kurdish fighters from the battleground border town of Ras al-Ain and other areas Turkey wants to control along its border with Syria.
The five-day suspension looked designed to help Turkey achieve its main territorial goals without fighting but its Syrian proxies continued to clash with Kurdish fighters Friday and an airstrike killed five civilians.
“Five civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes on the village of Bab al-Kheir, east of Ras al-Ain,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.
The Britain-based war monitor said four fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces the de facto army of the embattled Kurdish autonomous region were killed in the strike.
|
Armed Conflict
|
October 2019
|
['(Time of Israel)']
|
The UK's Director of Public Prosecutions is to review a 2009 decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute Jimmy Savile over allegations of sexual abuse.
|
The decision not to prosecute Jimmy Savile over abuse allegations in 2009 will come under the spotlight again after the Prime Minister said Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer will review legal papers from the case.
Surrey Police submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service containing references to four potential offences, including an allegation of indecent assault on a young girl at a children's home, but it was dropped due to a lack of evidence.
David Cameron told MPs it was essential that lessons were learned from the scandal of Savile's decades of sexual abuse.
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he said: "The Director of Public Prosecutions has confirmed that his principal legal adviser will again review the papers from the time when a case was put to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) for prosecution.
"The Director of Public Prosecutions specifically is going to consider what more can be done to alert relevant authorities where there are concerns that a prosecution is not taken forward.
"The Government will do everything it can do, other institutions must do what they can do, to make sure that we learn the lesson of this and it can never happen again."
Mr Starmer said the evidence was considered by prosecutors, but because the alleged victims would not support police action, it was decided not to proceed.
As the number of allegations against Savile has snowballed, Mr Starmer asked the chief Crown prosecutor for the South East, Roger Coe-Salazar, to look at the files again. He concluded the correct decision was taken, although the files will again be reviewed "out of an abundance of caution".
Mr Cameron also told MPs the BBC had "serious questions" to answer about how Savile got away with the abuse for so long, adding that he did not rule out "further steps" in addition to the two inquiries into the Corporation already under way.
Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry welcomed the DPP's decision, but said any review should be conducted by independent inspectors, rather than the CPS itself. She said: "It is deeply disappointing that the CPS was presented with evidence of a clear pattern of sexual assaults by Savile and decided not to act."
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
|
October 2012
|
['(Belfast Telegraph)', '(The Daily Telegraph)']
|
The United Kingdom pledges US$1 billion for the Philippines to help with the reconstruction due to the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan.
|
MANILA, Philippines - The United Kingdom yesterday pledged an additional P1.091 billion, increasing its total contribution to over P5.4 billion to start the long-term recovery and restoration of livelihood and buildings destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).Longer-term British support will help rebuild homes in the Philippines and get people back into jobs, UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening said.
Greening announced the UK added commitment to the early recovery effort to help over a million people affected by the typhoon.
The UK’s support will help people to earn an income again by providing rice seeds, restoring irrigation systems on farms and re-establishing fisheries.
The UK will offer British experts to advise on how to protect women during the recovery and how the Philippines can prepare for future weather disasters. Specialists from the business sector will offer expertise on restoring infrastructure and jobs.
Greening said the UK was at the forefront of the international emergency response in the Philippines, getting vital humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of survivors.Now, British money and expertise will help rebuild homes, get people back into work, and protect the most vulnerable, especially girls and women, Greening said.
By supporting the reconstruction and recovery effort in the Philippines we are helping the victims of Typhoon Haiyan rebuild their lives and secure a better future.The UK supports the Philippine governments plans for recovery and reconstruction, including the construction of permanent housing units, restoring public infrastructure, rebuilding schools and hospitals while helping the citizens prepare for future disasters.
The efforts also include the restoration of rural production systems by reconstructing irrigation for farming, replanting coconut trees and re-establishing fisheries, helping people get back into work through skills training and entrepreneurial programs.
During her visit to the Philippines last month, Greening announced over P363 million in investments in four cities in the Philippines, so they can plan for and invest in measures such as flood protection and drainage systems that will help in the event of future extreme weather events.
British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said the victims of Yolanda have already shown that they want to work hard to restore their shattered lives.
The will to return to farming and fishing is strong amongst people where this has been the source of income for generations. I hope our support shows that we recognize the effort each person is making and gives families the strength and motivation to restore livelihoods Ahmad said.
Ahmad added the British people continue their massive fund-raising effort to help the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.
nd this is a strong message to the UK government from its citizens to sustain our work in the Philippines and our hearts and minds are with Pinoys as they rise again from this tragedy, he said.
Canada to fund 7 community projects
The Canadian government has also lined up its response to the relief and rehabilitation program of the Philippine government for victims of Typhoon Yolanda.
The embassy of Canada announced yesterday that the projects directly aligned with Canadas response to the relief and rehabilitation for typhoon-affected communities are the recipients of funding under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.
Seven proposals from across the Philippines will be awarded financial grants in the competitive program run by the Canadian embassy.For this year, projects that directly align with Canada response to relief and rehabilitation for communities affected by Typhoon Yolanda were strongly considered,Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder said.
We are very pleased to be able to work with the successful applicants to enhance ongoing efforts in rebuilding communities in many parts of the country,he said.
Meanwhile, the fatality count of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) remains unchanged at 6,109 for the last three days, while the number of injured has increased to 28,626 people in its report yesterday.
The NDRRMC also reported 1,779 people are still missing.
More than 5,000 of the fatalities, mostly coming from Tacloban City and several others towns in Leyte, remain unidentified.
The NDRRMC said a total of 3,424,593 families, or 16,078,181 people from the 12,139 barangays are from the affected storm regions of Mindanao, Visayas, Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions.
Out of this huge figure, 890,985 families or more than four million people were displaced, with some staying at 381 shelters.
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Financial Aid
|
December 2013
|
['(The Philippine Star)']
|
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits Taiwan, injuring 12 and disrupting communications and rail services.
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A helicopter pours water over the fires of Hongyuan Xing factory in Shanshang Township, Tainan County. The factory caught fire minutes after the earth... A helicopter pours water over the fires of Hongyuan Xing factory in Shanshang Township, Tainan County. The factory caught fire minutes after the earthquake on the morning of March 4. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – At least 12 people were injured, high speed train travel was disrupted, a textile hangar went up in flames and power outages were reported islandwide after a magnitude-6.4 hit Kaohsiung County Thursday morning.
No deaths were reported, though falling brick walls, roof tiles, trees and ceiling elements injured at least 12 people, mostly in the area already hit by Typhoon Morakot last August.
The earthquake, the worst one to hit the Kaohsiung area in more than a century, struck at 8:18 a.m. about 17 kilometers southeast of the mountain township of Chiahsien at a depth of only 5 kilometers and rocked buildings all over the island. The epicenter was 43 kilometers northeast of Pingtung City and 25 kilometers northwest of Taitung City.
The intensity of the shock varied from six in the counties of Chiayi and Tainan to two in Taipei City and one in Keelung. Several aftershocks were felt throughout the day, with the most serious one, at 4:16 p.m., registering a magnitude of 5.7. The tremor also swayed buildings in the Taipei area.
Rail traffic was the most immediate victim, with high speed rail service suspended for the rest of the day between Taichung and Kaohsiung while inspectors searched for damage.
About 2,400 people left six stalled trains by walking about one kilometer along the tracks on bridges, said Ou Chin-der, chairman of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation. A total of 874 passengers had to leave two high-speed trains stuck in Yunlin County, reports said. Five of the passengers were taken to hospital after they felt uncomfortable in the heat as the air conditioning broke down. One train braked hard near Hsinshih in Tainan County, causing panic among the passengers and forcing one side of the train off the rails, reports said.
High-speed rail service would resume at 6:30 a.m. Friday, the company said.
The Mass Rapid Transit system in Kaohsiung stopped operating for two and a half hours, while in Taipei, MRT trains resumed normal service after 15 minutes. There were also reports of tracks on railway lines in several parts of Taiwan being displaced by the quake, making travel impossible. The line between Chiayi and Shanhua was closed to traffic, reports said.
Mandarin Airlines announced during the afternoon that it would add four flights between Taipei and Kaohsiung to ease traffic congestion.
A hangar at a textile factory in Shanshang, Tainan County, went up in flames with one foreign worker taken to hospital with injuries. Damage was estimated at NT$100 million. A broken water main caused flooding outside National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City.
Electronics factories in the South Taiwan Science Park near Tainan evacuated thousands of staff but reported no apparent damage to their sensitive equipment.
The authorities closed the Kaomei Bridge linking Kaohsiung County to Pingtung County after cracks appeared, but reopened it after repair work. Inspectors traveled to the Hutoupei dam in Tainan County to investigate reports of a 15-meter long crack.
The electricity supply went down for 545,000 households in several parts of the country, but the Taiwan Power Corporation said it was working to restore service. There were also problems with telephone connections and water supply in some areas, reports said.
“Cell phone traffic increased fivefold compared to the same period on a normal day,” said Chunghwa Telecom official Lin Kuo-feng, estimating that 100,000 users lost service shortly after the quake.
People were stuck inside elevators or hit by falling walls and parts of the ceiling at supermarkets in several places. A dormitory at the Shihchien University in Neimen, Kaohsiung County and the Chiayi County Government building also recorded damage from the quake. A television set collapsed and exploded at a home in Meinung, cable stations reported.
A school dormitory in Liukui, Kaohsiung County, was damaged, reports said. The Ministry of Education said the quake had damaged 99 schools. Some schools decided to cancel classes for Friday, reports said.
The quake was the most serious to be centered in the Kaohsiung County mountains for over a century, said Kuo Kai-wen, the director of the Seismology Center at the Central Weather Bureau. A magnitude-6 tremor hit Kaohsiung in 1902, the bureau said.
Aftershocks of up to 5 were possible within one month, seismologists said.
The quake was related to the Chaochou Fault at the intersection of the Philippine Sea Plate with the continental Eurasian Plate, Kuo said.
He dismissed fears that the quake was the harbinger of more serious tremors to follow, or that there was any relation with last Saturday’s magnitude-8.8 quake in Chile, which killed more than 800 people.
President Ma Ying-jeou traveled to Tainan to attend a meeting of the disaster relief committee for Southern Taiwan. The government sent about 300 soldiers into the mountains to stand by for relief operations, while helicopters shot footage of landslides. Chiahsien was one of the townships most seriously hit by Typhoon Morakot last August, and cable stations showed many collapsed houses there Thursday.
Taiwan’s most serious earthquake in recent memory was the September 21, 1999 tremor centered in Nantou County. More than 2,400 people died in the disaster, which caused buildings to collapse from Taichung to Taipei.
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Earthquakes
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March 2010
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['(AP)', '(China Daily)', '[permanent dead link]', '(Taiwan News)', '(Focus Taiwan)']
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Weather forecasters issue hurricane warnings for eastern Cuba, from Las Tunas to Guantánamo provinces. ,
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A powerful Hurricane Matthew moved slowly Sunday across the Caribbean Sea on a track that authorities warned could trigger devastation in parts of Haiti.
The storm had winds of 145 mph as it moved northwest and the center was expected to pass across or very close to the southwestern tip of Haiti late Monday before reaching Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. Forecasters said the southern Haitian countryside around Les Cayes could see the worst of it.
“Wherever that center passes close to would see the worst winds and that’s what’s projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti,” said John Cangilosi, a hurricane specialist at the center. “There is a big concern for rains there and also a big concern for storm surge.”
Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane since Felix in 2007. The hurricane center said it appeared to be on track to pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it was too soon to predict with certainty whether it would reach the coast of the United States.
The government of Haiti opened 1,300 emergency shelters across the country, enough to hold up to 340,000 people. Authorities broadcast warnings over the radio and across social media, trying to counter a common tendency for people to try to stay in their homes to protect them during natural disasters.
“The shelters are open but I don’t believe we have anyone inside them just yet,” said Joseph Edgard Celestin, a spokesman for the civil protection agency.
Teams of civil protection officials were walking the streets of Les Cayes urging residents to secure their homes, prepare emergency kits and warn their neighbors. Many Haitians appeared unaware of the looming hurricane.
“No, I haven’t heard anything about a bad storm coming here,” farmer Jean-Bernard Mede said with a concerned expression as he took a break from walking three cows along a dirt track outside the town of Leogane. “I’ll do what I can for my animals and my family.”
Forecasters said the slow-moving Matthew was expected to dump 15 to 25 inches of rain over southern Haiti, with a few places getting as much as 40 inches.
The impoverished country is particularly vulnerable to devastating floods because of the steep terrain, with hillsides and mountains often devoid of the trees that hold back the water because they have been cut down to make charcoal for cooking fires. Many people often live in houses that are not able to withstand a storm, typically built of scraps of wood with flimsy corrugated-steel roofs.
As of 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 335 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was traveling north-northwest at 5 mph.
A hurricane watch was posted for the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. A tropical storm warning was in effect for parts of the Dominican Republic, where authorities began mandatory evacuations of areas at risk for flooding.
The hurricane earlier had been projected to move closer to Jamaica, but the risk to the island seems to have diminished somewhat.
“The center of the system is looking more likely that it will pass to the east of Jamaica but it won’t miss it by that much, so they are still going to see impacts,” Cangilosi said. “The impacts are maybe going to be a little lower there than they would be in Haiti and eastern Cuba.”
After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba, potentially striking near the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where authorities were evacuating non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of those serving there.
Everyone remaining behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman. There are about 5,500 people living on the base, including 61 men held at the detention center.
Cuban President Raul Castro traveled to the eastern city of Santiago to oversee preparations for Matthew’s arrival. A report on state television showed the 85-year-old leader discussing the hurricane’s path with ministers and saying, “This is a hurricane we need to prepare for as if it were twice as powerful as Sandy,” the 2012 hurricane that devastated much of Cuba’s second-largest city.
Hundreds of troops were moving in convoys around the city and state workers with chain saws were cutting trees overhanging power lines and homes. Trains from Havana to eastern Cuba were canceled and the government called on residents of eastern Cuba to move livestock to high ground, tape up their windows and store potable water ahead of the hurricane’s arrival.
The forecast track would also carry Matthew into the Bahamas. Cangilosi said the storm appeared to tracking toward the U.S., but it was too soon to say if it would affect Florida or parts of the East Coast.
“The message we have for people in Florida is just closely monitor Matthew,” he said. “We can’t rule out any significant impacts just yet but the indications at this point are that the center of it will move to the east.”
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Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard
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October 2016
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['(The Los Angeles Times)', '(The National Hurricane Center)']
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Mount Etna erupts, causing the closure of Catania–Fontanarossa Airport in Sicily, Italy.
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Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily, erupted on Monday, with officials reporting more than 130 earthquakes of up to 4.3 in magnitude.
The Mount Etna observatory said lava had spewed from a new fracture near its south-eastern crater.
A local volcanologist said it was Etna's "first flank eruption" in more than a decade.
Volcanic ash covered nearby villages, while planes into Catania airport had to be halted temporarily.
A large explosion was felt close to Etna during the morning.
A video filmed 2,500m (8,200 ft) up the 3,350m volcano showed the fast spread of ash. People on the mountainside were told to escape quickly.
Catania airport said later that the airspace had been reopened to allow four planes to land per hour, before confirming it would return to normal operation by 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
Sorry, this Twitter post is currently unavailable.
Italy's INGV volcanology institute said that during a three-hour period from 08:50 (07:50 GMT) on Monday more than 130 earthquakes took place.
The biggest tremor of magnitude 4 was on the north-east side of Etna near Piano Pernicana, while another of similar magnitude was felt on the northern flank.
That was followed by intense eruptions from the volcano's new south-east crater.
Later on Monday, a magnitude-4.3 tremor was also recorded by officials - the strongest felt throughout the day.
Although Etna has seen frequent eruptions, the INGV said in August that the volcano had grown faster than ever before in recent years.
In March a UK-led team said that the whole structure of Europe's premier volcano was edging towards the sea at a rate of 14mm per year.
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Volcano Eruption
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December 2018
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['(BBC)', '(China Economic Net)']
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An Iraqi court has issued arrest warrants for two correspondents with a Londonbased panArab newspaper Asharq alAwsat over a false news report accusing Iranian pilgrims of sexually harassing Iraqi women.
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A Baghdad court has issued arrest warrants for two correspondents with a Saudi newspaper over a false news report accusing Iranian pilgrims of sexually harassing Iraqi women.
A senior source in Iraq’s judiciary said the warrants, based on the penal code’s article 372 on religious hate crimes, were issued against the Asharq Al Awsat daily’s two Baghdad-based Iraqi journalists.
The article, published on Sunday in the London-based pan-Arab newspaper, caused an uproar in Iraq, where the prime minister and several other prominent figures issued public condemnations.
One of the two correspondents, Hamza Mustafa, denied any responsibility for the article and said he was resigning in protest.
Another journalist working for the newspaper in Baghdad, Maad Fayyad, said he had nothing to do with the controversial article.
The pair’s whereabouts on Wednesday were unclear.
Ziad Ajili, from the Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, condemned the warrants as an “incitement to murder”.
The article was published as Arbaeen, a Shiite pilgrimage that commemorates the 680 AD death of Imam Hussein and is one of the world’s largest religious events, was peaking in the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala.
It quoted a purported World Health Organisation spokesman as saying that after last year’s pilgrimage more than 169 Iraqi women became pregnant out of wedlock.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
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November 2016
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['(The Huffington Post)', '(The Independent)', '(The National)']
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Militants attack a Pakistani Army base in the Lakki Marwat District in Pakistan killing at least 23 and injuring at least 8.
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades, automatic rifles and suicide explosive vests launched a predawn raid on a Pakistani army camp in the country’s volatile northwest Saturday, killing 23 people and injuring at least eight.
The attack took place at a camp and checkpost in Lakki Marwat, a region just east of North Waziristan, the tribal area that the Pakistani Taliban, Al Qaeda and other militant groups continue to use as a primary base of operations, according to Pakistani security officials and local authorities. The militants converged on the camp at about 3:45 a.m. and engaged in a fierce firefight that lasted more than two hours.
Thirteen of the dead were security personnel -- nine army troops and four officers with the Frontier Constabulary, a security force that polices the country’s northwest, said a Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on such matters. The attackers also broke into a nearby house and killed a family living there, including four men, three women and three children.
During the attack, 12 militants were killed, the security official said. At least two of them were wearing suicide explosive vests.
Ahsanullah Ahsan, spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, said his group claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that it was in retaliation for U.S. drone strikes that recently killed two Taliban commanders in Pakistan’s tribal region along the Afghan border. Ahsan accused the Pakistani military of “providing logistical support” for U.S. drone strikes.
In the past the Taliban has accused the Pakistani government of cooperating with Washington in the drone campaign, which has over the years killed numerous Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. The Pakistani government publicly denounces U.S. drone attacks as violations of their country’s sovereignty, but has also allowed them to continue.
Last year, the frequency of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions dropped off. The U.S. carried out 46 drone missile strikes in 2012, compared with 64 in 2011 and 117 in 2010, according to the Long War Journal website, which tracks drone activity.
However, Washington stepped up drone attacks in January, launching seven missile strikes on militant targets in Pakistan’s tribal belt. One of those strikes, the Jan. 2 attack on a house in the village of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan, killed Pakistani Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir, who had called a truce with the Pakistani military to focus on attacking U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. Another drone strike the following day killed Shah Faisal, a top aide to Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mahsud.
The Taliban faction led by Mahsud regards the Pakistani government as its main enemy and is responsible for hundreds of suicide bombings and terror acts across the country in recent years. ALSO:
Thousands protest in Egypt after week of deadly riots
Death toll climbs to 32 in blast at Mexico’s Pemex headquarters
Police officer sentenced to prison in British phone-hacking scandal
Staff writer Alex Rodriguez reported from Islamabad, and special correspondent Zulfiqar Ali reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.
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Zulfiqar Ali is a special correspondent.
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Armed Conflict
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February 2013
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['(BBC)', '(CNN)', '(Los Angeles Times)']
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The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, removes Riek Machar from his post as deputy leader and as vice president, and installs Taban Deng Gai in his place.
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South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has removed Riek Machar as first vice president, two weeks after the rival leaders' forces clashed in the capital.
Mr Machar has not been seen since the clashes, which left 300 people dead and threatened to revive a civil war that has killed tens of thousands.
Mr Machar was replaced by Taban Deng Gai, a former peace negotiator.
The replacement was criticised by Mr Machar's supporters - but others in his party are said to have supported it.
The BBC's correspondent in Nairobi, Alastair Leithead, said the move has complicated an already tense political situation.
He said there were fears that Mr Machar's supporters might claim that a peace deal with President Kiir had been broken.
This could plunge the country back into civil war - unless a majority of opposition politicians decided to back the new appointment.
During the clashes in early July, Mr Machar's forces were outgunned by forces loyal to the president, and many of his bodyguards were killed.
The rebel leader left the capital, Juba, demanding the deployment of a neutral peacekeeping force that would guarantee his safety.
Mr Machar also sacked Mr Gai as mining minister just over a week ago, according to the AFP news agency. However, scores of other members of Mr Machar's party came out in support of Mr Gai, nominating him as interim vice president in Mr Machar's absence.
Mr Gai has reportedly said that he would step down if Mr Machar returned to Juba and helped "bring peace to South Sudan".
South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011 but its short history has been marred by civil war.
The international community played a major role in the creation of South Sudan and has tried to exercise some influence since independence in 2011. The UN and US had demanded an immediate end to the fighting in July, a call echoed by the East African regional group which brokered a recent peace deal.
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Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration
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July 2016
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['(BBC)']
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A 4-year-old boy is killed in a mortar attack on a southern Israeli village near the Gaza border; Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vows that military operations will "intensify" because of his death. The IDF claims the mortar was fired from a school used as a shelter by Hamas.
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A four-year-old Israeli boy was killed by a mortar shell firedfrom the Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon. The boy, named late Friday as Daniel Tragerman, was at homewith his parents and siblings at Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Sha’ar Hanegev Region, close to the border with Gaza, when the attack took place.
An Israeli army spokespersonsaid the fatal shell was fired from near a school used as a shelter for Palestinian refugees. Earlier Israeli officials had said it was fired from an UNRWA school an assertion the IDF later corrected.
Sirens wailed only very shortly before the mortar shell struck outside the Tragerman family home at the kibbutz, and hisparents Doron and Gila were unable to get their son Daniel into their protected room in time. He was killed by shrapnel from the explosion that smashed into the house.
Danielis the first Israeli child to die in the current Israel-Hamas conflict. His death brought the Israeli death tollsince Operation Protective Edge began on July 8 to 68.
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Armed Conflict
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August 2014
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['(BBC)', '(Times of Israel)']
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Australian cardinal George Pell is convicted of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old choirboys at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral. The verdict has been suppressed by a gag order until now. He is the Catholic Church's most senior official to be convicted of a sexual crime in history.
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The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction. It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict. We are wrapping up today's live blog on the guilty verdict handed down to Cardinal George Pell over child sex abuses.
Cardinal George Pell leaving the County Court where was found guilty of historic sexual offenses.Credit:Justin McManus
Here are some of the key responses to the verdict that have been collected in this live blog.
Replay
The guilty verdict has also led to these honours bestowed upon Cardinal Pell being revoked:
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or beyondblue 1300 224 636.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “deeply shocked” at Pell’s crimes.
“I respect the fact that this case is under appeal, but it is the victims and their families I am thinking of today, and all who have suffered from sexual abuse by those they should have been able to trust, but couldn’t,” he said.
“Their prolonged pain and suffering will not have ended today.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
The Age's court reporter Adam Cooper has been reporting on the trial of Cardinal George Pell since its beginning.
In this special bonus episode of the 'Please Explain' podcast, he talks with producer Rachael Dexter about the timeline of the trial and the reasoning behind the supression order that prevented the verdict from being published by Australian media until today.
Outspoken senator Derryn Hinch has called for Cardinal George Pell's Companion of the Order of Australia honour to be revoked.
"Finally, the good news is that now George Pell’s decades of predatory behaviour is out there for all to see," he said. "The sheer effrontery that he could abuse choir boys in a place of worship as the new Archbishop of Melbourne."
Mr Hinch said Cardinal Pell was a hypocrite and that it was good news the former archbishop would be jailed.
Senator Derryn Hinch.Credit:Penny Stephens
"The bad news is that more historical charges will not proceed, leaving other alleged victims without justice," he said.
"Pell must now be stripped of his Companion of the Order of Australia."
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is also calling for Cardinal Pell to be stripped of the honour.
It's about 7.30am in the Vatican City at the moment, and its residents are probably just now waking up to the fallout from the guilty verdict handed down to Cardinal George Pell.
According to leading Vatican commentator Ed Pentin, George Pell is unlikely to immediately lose his title of cardinal in the Catholic Church despite being found guilty of child sex abuse.
But Mr Pentin told Europe correspondent Nick Miller that while an immediate defrocking was unlikely there would be pressure for Pell to immediately resign or be removed from his post as head of the Vatican’s powerful corruption-buster the Secretariat for the Economy.
Cardinal George Pell speaks at a mass at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney in 2014. Credit:Wolter Peeters
Mr Pentin said “90 per cent if not more” of the people in the Vatican had known about the verdict since it was delivered. (Suppression orders meant the guilty verdict could not be published by Australian media until today).
“Most people here don’t believe the verdict,” he said. “Most here believe Pell is innocent, certainly those who worked with him.”
[Check out the full article]
Spokespeople from Australian Catholic University have declined to comment on Pell guilty verdict. The univeristy issued the following statement:
"Australian Catholic University is aware of a finding made by a Victorian jury against Cardinal George Pell.
"The University respects the judicial process and will not be making any comment until all legal avenues, including any appeal, have been concluded."
A spokesman for the Melbourne Archdiocese says it is yet to discuss whether it will reconsider the Melbourne Response, the protocol for dealing with abuse cases created by Pell while he was archbishop.
"At this stage the Melbourne Response remains unchanged," they said.
Recap: Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty and is set to be jailed for child sexual abuse in the most sensational verdict since the Catholic church became engulfed in worldwide abuse scandals.
Cardinal George Pell leaving the County Court where was found guilty of historic sexual offenses.Credit:Justin McManus
Here are some of the key responses to the verdict that have been collected in this live blog. We'll continue to post reactions throughout the day.
Replay
The guilty verdict has also led to these honours bestowed upon Cardinal Pell being revoked:
Institute of Public Affairs executive director John Roskam said that despite previous reports, neither he nor the IPA had been involved in fundraising for Pell's defence.
Mr Roskam said he had only passed on bank account details to people who were interested in contributing.
He had no further comment on Pell's conviction other than to note that an appeal had been lodged and "there's still a process to run".
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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February 2019
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['(The Age)', '(The Age2)']
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The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan announces indictments of the owners of the three largest online poker sites accepting U.S. playersPokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Pokeron charges of bank fraud, gambling offenses, and money laundering.
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The poker world was shaken Friday as the owners of the three largest online poker sites -- PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker -- were charged with bank fraud, illegal gambling offenses and money laundering.
The Manhattan U.S. Attorney announced the indictments of those involved with the online poker sites as well as those who were responsible for the financial transactions. The 11 defendants are Isai Scheinberg and Paul Tate (PokerStars), Raymond Bitar and Nelson Burtnick (Full Tilt Poker), Scott Tom and Brent Beckley (Absolute Poker) and Ryan Lang, Ira Rubin, Bradley Franzen, Chad Elie and John Campos (involved with payment processors).
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in the indictment: "As charged, these defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud
scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively
bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in
illegal gambling profits.
The companies are all based overseas. The indictment sought $3 billion in money laundering penalties and forfeiture from the defendants.
The charges are conspiracy to violate Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), violation of UIGEA, operation of illegal gambling business, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy . Maximum penalties from these charges range from five years in prison and a $250,000 fine to 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine (or twice the gross gain or loss).
"These defendants, knowing full well that their business with U.S. customers and U.S. banks was illegal, tried to stack the deck," said Janice Fedarcyk, FBI assistant director-in-charge. "They lied to banks about the true nature of their
business. Then, some of the defendants found banks willing to flout the law for a fee. The defendants bet the house that they
could continue their scheme, and they lost."
The complaint also alleged that these companies used "fraudulent methods" to trick financial institutions into receiving payments.
"[The sites] arranged for
the money received from U.S. gamblers to be disguised as payments
to hundreds of non-existent online merchants purporting to sell
merchandise such as jewelry and golf balls."
"On behalf of the millions of poker players across the country, we are shocked at the action taken by the U.S. Department of Justice today against online poker companies and will continue to fight for Americans' right to participate in the game they enjoy," said the Poker Players Alliance in a news release. "Online poker is not a crime and should not be treated as such. We are currently gathering all of the information around today's announcement and will offer detailed analysis when the full facts become available."
The past few years, there have been numerous seizures and indictments of payment processors in the United States who were handling the financial transactions of the online poker sites. As processors continued to be targeted and shut down by federal prosecutors, the sites turned to a new direction to the point that sites "purchased the principals of a few small, local banks" that were facing tough financial times "in return for multi-million dollar investments in the banks."
Campos and Elie were arrested Friday morning, and the Southern District of New York has stated it is working with Interpol to arrest those located abroad.
PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have prohibited online poker players in the United States from participating in real-money gaming. Absolute Poker is still offering American players access to their sites.
ESPN.com contacted Carolyn Sullivan of the U.S. Department of Justice, but she was unable to comment at this time. PokerStars did not reply to ESPN.com's interview request.
Full Tilt Poker released a statement regarding the charges.
"I am surprised and disappointed by the government's decision to bring these charges," Bitar said. "I look forward to Mr. Burtnick's and my exoneration."
|
Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
|
April 2011
|
['(ESPN)']
|
U.S. President Donald Trump postpones House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's upcoming diplomatic trip to Europe, Afghanistan and Egypt after she urged the President to postpone his upcoming State of the Union Address over the ongoing government shutdown.
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US President Donald Trump has postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's upcoming trip to Brussels and Afghanistan, asking her to stay to negotiate an end to the partial US government shutdown.
The president was able to halt the trip by denying the use of military aircraft to Mrs Pelosi and a delegation.
On Wednesday Mrs Pelosi had urged Mr Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, amid political deadlock.
Mr Trump's move came on the 27th day of the US's longest-ever federal shutdown. The Republican president wants $5.7bn (£4.4bn) of congressional funding to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, but Democrats have refused.
Mr Trump's cancellation of the trip emerged less than an hour before the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives was scheduled to leave on Thursday afternoon, US media say.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shared the president's letter in a tweet.
President @realDonaldTrump’s letter to @SpeakerPelosi concerning her upcoming travel pic.twitter.com/TtBCvwp080
"I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown," Mr Trump wrote.
The president added that Mrs Pelosi could proceed with the trip - which he described as a "public relations event" - using a commercial airline. Later on Thursday the White House announced it would not send a US delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this month, over the shutdown.
"Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland," Mrs Sanders said in a statement.
Mr Trump had previously said he would not attend, and on Tuesday announced a scaled-back delegation, which was to be led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Drew Hammill, Mrs Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, said her travel to Afghanistan had required a stop in Brussels to allow pilots to rest, as well as to meet top Nato commanders "to affirm the United States' ironclad commitment" to the alliance.
Mr Hammill said the plans did not include a visit to Egypt, and noted that Mr Trump and Republicans have travelled during a shutdown.
The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines. (3/4)
Mrs Pelosi's travel had not been announced before Mr Trump's letter.
Some commentators expressed dismay that the president would reveal plans about a trip to a war zone by a congresswoman who is third in line to the presidency.
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Diplomatic Visit
|
January 2019
|
['(BBC)']
|
Majority of the House of Representatives of the Philippines elects Former President and current House Representative, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as House Speaker of the lower congress replacing Pantaleon Alvarez.
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MANILA (Reuters) - Former Philippine leader Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was elected speaker of the lower house of Congress on Monday, following a dramatic move by lawmakers to replace a loyalist of President Rodrigo Duterte with one of his most influential allies.
The removal of speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to make way for political heavyweight Arroyo could be pivotal in Duterte’s moves to consolidate power and ensure legislative passage of his core policies and his major revision of the constitution.
The diminutive Arroyo, 71, who was in power from 2001-2010 and then detained for five years for graft, was sworn in as the country’s first woman house speaker late on Monday after receiving the support of 184 house members present, with 48 against and 12 abstentions.
Arroyo’s climb back to become the nation’s fourth most powerful elected official will further strengthen Duterte’s hand due to her political clout and good relations with some of his biggest critics, particularly among influential Catholic bishops.
Her return will be of little surprise, as many officials Duterte has appointed had served in her administration and the two share similar policy agendas, including their desire to have strong ties with historic rival China.
A former congresswoman and senator as well as president, she has weathered five impeachment efforts and military coups that failed.
She was accused of rigging elections and her government was plagued by allegations of graft involving Chinese firms, which she denies. The Supreme Court in 2016 dismissed plunder charges against her and ordered her release from hospital detention, throughout which she still held her seat in Congress.
Though former speaker Alvarez was effective in pushing Duterte’s agenda, he was known for being a divisive figure who had an acrimonious fallout with the president’s politically connected daughter, Sara Duterte.
Political commentator Earl Parreno said Arroyo had the experience and influence to shepherd through Duterte’s planned shift to a federal system, and might have her eye on the presidency for when his term ends.
“She is perfect for the job,” Parreno said.
“This signals a big political comeback. She may have an ambition to replace Duterte under a new constitution in 2022. The only question is, is she acceptable?”
|
Government Job change - Election
|
July 2018
|
['(Reuters)']
|
The United Nations General Assembly Third Committee approves a resolution draft that calls for a moratorium on the capital punishment.
|
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. committee voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty in a key step toward the passing of the nonbinding motion by the world body.
Opponents had tried to derail the resolution in the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee by inserting amendments on the right to life of unborn children.
More than 15 amendments were voted down in two days of acrimonious debate that touched on whether the death penalty was a human rights issue or a domestic matter. Some Caribbean and other countries accused the European Union, a key backer of the text, of seeking to impose its values on other nations.
The resolution, which calls for "a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty," was passed 99-52 with 33 abstentions. It is likely to go to the full 192-member assembly in mid-December where supporters say they expect few countries to change their position.
"It's a question of coherence -- a country that votes in a certain way here will do so there," Italian Ambassador Marcello Spatafora told Reuters shortly before the vote.
Eighty-seven countries -- including the 27 EU states, more than a dozen Latin American countries and eight African states -- jointly introduced the draft resolution, though opponents singled out the EU as the driving force.
Two similar moves in the 1990s failed in the assembly. This time, the text of the resolution stops short of an outright demand for immediate abolition.
ANGRY OPPOSITION
Vanu Gopala Menon, ambassador of Singapore which has a mandatory death penalty for most drug offenses, accused those who brought the resolution to the committee of being "sanctimonious, hypocritical and intolerant."
Barbados was among the most vocal in complaining that "a group of countries" was trying to impose its will, saying it had been threatened with the withdrawal of aid over the issue.
Human rights organization Amnesty International welcomed the vote as a "historic resolution and a major step towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide."
"Although the resolution is not legally binding on states, it carries considerable moral and political weight," Amnesty International said in a statement.
China, Iran, Iraq, the United States, Pakistan and Sudan account for about 90 percent of all executions worldwide.
According to Amnesty, 133 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice -- a statistic that opponents of the resolution contested. They said more than 100 countries retained capital punishment on their statutes, even if they did not all use it.
Botswana's representative Rhee Hetanang said the death penalty was a domestic criminal justice issue. "No amount of intimidation and bullying will cause us to go against the expressed wish of the people of Botswana," he said.
Egypt and Iran were among countries proposing a last-minute amendment that would have urged member states "to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of unborn children."
The United States, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe were among the countries voting for that amendment. It was rejected 83-28 with 47 abstentions.
"We are in agreement with the view expressed in this amendment that the lives of the unborn deserve the strongest protection, and we agree that countries that advocate for the abolition of the death penalty should be at least equally scrupulous in showing concern for innocent life," U.S. representative Joseph Rees said.
The United States abstained in a vote on a more strongly worded amendment that would have said abortion was only admissible in necessary cases, "in particular where the life of the mother and or the child is at serious risk."
|
Government Policy Changes
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November 2007
|
['(Reuters)']
|
300 persons are estimated to be still missing in Christchurch, New Zealand, following yesterday's earthquake with the official death toll reaching 75.
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A large land slide lands on a house in Sumner. Photo / Getty Images
Scroll to the bottom of this story for our map showing the location of the most recent aftershocks. 10.58pm That concludes our Christchurch earthquake updates for this evening. They will resume from early tomorrow morning. 10.36pm A construction manager who joined rescue efforts after the earthquake describes rescuers using a hacksaw to cut off a man's leg to free him after he was pinned under concrete. Fred Haering says rescuers used sledgehammers and chain saws to cut into the collapsed Pyne Gould Guinness building from the roof, slicing downward through layers of sandwiched offices and finding bodies crushed under concrete slabs. One man had a leg pinned under concrete, and a doctor administered medicine to deaden his pain. A fireman asked Haering for a hacksaw. Haering handed it over and tried to avert his eyes as the man's leg was sawed off, saving him from certain death. Haering says: "It's a necessity of the game." 10.26pm Two Irish citizens have died in the New Zealand earthquake, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. A DFA spokeswoman told AFP that they had "serious concerns" about two other citizens and concerns about a further 10 - a figure down from 70 on Tuesday. The spokeswoman said they would not be giving out further details about the dead at this time. 10.15pm Janet Goza Ryle from the United States has emailed nzherald.co.nz looking for news of her brother and sister-in-law in Christchurch. They are Patrick (Pat), who works at the airport, and Elaine Hoyat Goza. She would also like news of their son Nathaniel, who is in the NZ Air Force, his wife Teresa, and Pat's daughter Tiffany Burke. Janet lives in Warner Robins, Georgia. Her email is ryle7@juno.com and phone number 001 478 297 2740. 9.45pm Telecommunications companies have repeated their call for people to continue to use text messages instead of calling on mobile phones when contacting people in Christchurch. Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees are working to repair their networks following yesterday's devastating magnitude 6.3 earthquake. Ongoing power problems remained the main problem disrupting Christchurch's cell phone network and the companies were working to get backup generators to mobile sites without power. People in Christchurch were also asked to change their voicemail message's to let callers know their location and give alternate contact details if possible. 8.45pm Automatic six-month visa extensions would be issued to foreign nationals whose applications can't be processed because of the Christchurch earthquake, the Government said tonight. Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman said 2000 temporary visa applications were held at the Immigration Department's Christchurch office, which couldn't be accessed for safety reasons. "I have issued a special ministerial directive, effective immediately, that any foreign national who is here legally and whose application is caught up in the Christchurch office will have a six-month visa extension issued," he said. "Any foreign national whose travel plans have been disrupted by the earthquake will similarly be granted a visa extension to allow them to remain legally in New Zealand for the reasonable duration of their visit." 8.41pm Cash donations are the best way to support people affected by the Christchurch earthquake, Civil Defence Minister John Carter says. "Donations of money are the quickest and easiest way to help organisations on the ground get exactly what they need," he said tonight. "That way, affected people can make their own choices about putting their lives back together and what's more, money spent locally helps the local economy at a crucial time." Mr Carter said if people offered goods it would be some time before they could be handled. "Staff need to focus solely on saving lives and protecting the public at this stage," he said. "Down the track, if there's a need for specific goods to be donated we will make a public call." Mr Carter said cash donations could be made through the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and any ANZ, National Bank, ASB, BNZ or Kiwibank branch. 8.32pm Foreign Minister Murray McCully tonight issued updated details of foreign assistance on its way to help rescue and recovery work after the Christchurch earthquake:
From Taiwan - a search and rescue team of 24 will arrive later tonight;
From Singapore - a search and rescue team of 71 personnel will also arrive later tonight;
From the USA - the US Dart (Disaster Assistance Response team) of 80 personnel is due to arrive tomorrow about 8am;
From the UK - a specialised search and rescue team of 63 personnel is due to arrive tomorrow. 8.30pm Welfare staff have managed to contact more than 1300 elderly and disabled people since yesterday's Christchurch earthquake, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says. "Because we can't get around the city physically yet, phoning those who are vulnerable in the first instance is a matter of urgency," she said tonight. "So far 5333 calls have been made and Work and Income staff have managed to get hold of 1344 people." Ms Bennett said of those contacted so far, two required emergency help, 11 needed home visits, 24 were referred to welfare centres and the rest were either going to stay with family or were fine where they were. "One elderly gentleman in his eighties had suffered injuries in a fall - he said he didn't want to bother anyone but obviously we arranged to get him to a doctor," Ms Bennett said. "Many others were distressed, scared and needing comfort and reassurance, so our staff are doing their best to provide that." She said staff were still making calls, attempting to contact more than 14,500 people on a priority list. 8.26pm Police spokeswoman Kim Perks told Newstalk ZB that houses on and below Clifton Hill have been evacuated temporarily because cracks are emerging in some of the cliff-sides. Their particular area of concern is Kinsey Terrace. 7.59pm Two streets in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner have been evacuated, TV One reports. 7.22pm The Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is calling for all staff able to work to come in if they are able and says it will pay for any child care needed. CDHB chief executive David Meates urged all staff to contact their manager if they were available. "This goes for all staff from laundry service staff to mental health staff," he said. "If you are able to come into work, it would be greatly appreciated, as we consider all staff to be essential. "The CDHB will pay for child care if staff need care for their children." 7.14pm British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell is among those scrambling to track people down in Christchurch's disaster zone. There were a number of British people caught up in yesterday's quake, many of whom had gone to triage centres at Hagley Park and Burnside, Ms Treadell told NZPA. "I personally spoke to about 30 of them this morning and I've got staff on the ground who are getting their details." A number of Britons had been taken to Christchurch Hospital, although Ms Treadell said hospital staff had told her none were in intensive care. "They're...going round all those who have been admitted to try to find out who they are, and we're hoping that during the course of tonight, certainly by tomorrow morning, we'll have confirmation." Ms Treadell said concerns were being raised by people in Britain about loved ones caught up in the quake. "I think our hotline in London is getting a lot of phone calls from family and friends worried about loved ones that they know are in this part of the world. Whether or not they are in Christchurch we don't know." 6.29pm Rescuers are still looking for survivors after pulling five people out of the collapsed Pyne Gould Guiness building alive today, the Fire Service has reported. Transalpine Area Commander Ross Ditmer said the rescues had inspired emergency services to keep looking for survivors amongst the rubble strewn through Christchurch city centre. More than 200 Urban Search and Rescue staff from around the world were now moving through the CBD checking every damaged building for signs of life, he said. "We're spreading ourselves to less damaged buildings. We still believe there is a good possibility of saving lives." 6.07pm Two children hurt in the Christchurch earthquake have arrived at Starship Hospital in Auckland for treatment. Auckland District Health Board has confirmed the pair are in its care, with three more adult patients expected to arrive from the quake zone for dialysis treatment this evening. Incident controller Margaret Dotchin said the DHB was giving all the support it could to help those in need of medical care after yesterday's 6.3 magnitude quake. Three intensive care nurses had already been sent to Christchurch and a further six nurses with adult and paediatric experience were on their way, she said. Clincal supplies such as pain pumps and a patient transport team had also been offered. 6.05pm The West Australian government will send 50 general duty police officers to Christchurch to assist where needed in the quake-devastated city. WA Emergency Services Minister Rob Johnson said the New Zealand government had requested 50 general duty police officers. "There's been no request for specialist officers at this stage but obviously if we get a request we will willingly send them there to help our New Zealand cousins," Mr Johnson told reporters. He said the officers would go some time in the next week and it was believed they will assist local officers to ensure the safety of the Christchurch community. "Obviously their own police officers are flat out in trying to assist the New Zealand public and we want to keep them as safe as possible so our police officers, I imagine, will support the constables in New Zealand," Mr Johnson said. 5.58pm All the delegates who came to Christchurch for the United States New Zealand Partnership Forum and arrived the day before the earthquake are safe and accounted for, the NZ-US Council says. The forum meeting began on Monday and was due to run until Tuesday evening, but the quake brought it to an early close. The US sent a 43-member delegation which included an assistant secretary of state and nine congressmen. US ambassador David Heubner yesterday used Twitter to get a message through to the delegates, telling them to go to the US Antarctic Centre if they had lost contact with each other. The New Zealand delegation of 63 included cabinet ministers and senior government officials. Today US-NZ Council director Stephen Jacobi said all the delegates and staff were safe and accounted for. "Forum delegates are dismayed and distraught by the loss of life, the injuries and damage in a city that had welcomed them so warmly," Mr Jacobi said. 5.52pm All White defender Winston Reid has expressed his condolences for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake after scoring his first goal for Premier League side West Ham. "It was a fantastic night for me and for the team, but obviously a thing like this happening puts it all into perspective," he told the club's website. "I heard about the earthquake and then saw the pictures of it all on the news. It is devastating and my heart goes out to everyone back home. "It is not a large country, but the spirit among the people there will be what gets them through. They will all help each other out and will help each other to recover from what has happened. My thoughts are with everyone." 5.50pm The rail network in Canterbury has been largely cleared and rail operations are set to resume in a number of areas, KiwiRail says. Repairs on the Main North Line between Rangiora and Christchurch were expected to be completed tonight and trains would begin moving south from Picton early tomorrow. The line south between Dunedin and Christchurch has been reopened, with some speed restrictions. The first rail service into Christchurch from the south was expected tonight. The line between the West Coast and Christchurch was open and general freight services were expected to start tomorrow. But the line to Lyttelton Port is closed due to bridge damage at Heathcote, KiwiRail said it was unsure when it would be repaired. TransAlpine and TranzCoastal services are cancelled until Monday, with resumption planned for Tuesday. KiwiRail had arranged accommodation and transport for all passengers forced to stay in Greymouth and Picton last night. 5.49pm The New Zealand Law Society is co-ordinating offers of help from the legal profession for victims of the Christchurch earthquake. The society had set up a special earthquake response committee and would co-ordinate lawyers who volunteered to provide first port-of-call advice and assistance to anyone in Christchurch with an urgent legal matter, president Jonathan Temm said. Lawyers around the country were also offering office space and support resources to
5.47pm People who cross police cordons in quake-ravaged central Christchurch could be arrested, superintendent Dave Cliff says. A "large" number of cordons were in place to restrict access to high risk areas. People who enter those areas without permission could be arrested under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act, Mr Cliff said. The cordons were there to protect people's safety and were "also about keeping out the criminal element, who we know will try and take advantage," he said. Six people had been arrested for looting in central Christchurch since yesterday's magnitude 6.3 quake, which has killed more than 60 people. The only people who could go beyond the cordons were residents who lived in the areas and legitimate workers, both of which had to produce identification. Police and army would be patrolling the cordons, he said. 5.46pm International flights have resumed from Christchurch airport after a 24-hour suspension following yesterday's earthquake. The airport website's Twitter feed said check-in resumed shortly after midday and international flights had departed by mid-afternoon. Domestic flights had resumed about 8am. The international and domestic terminals both suffered damage during the earthquake and had to be checked and cleaned up before flights resumed. Tourists and visitors to Christchurch who spent the night in the city's Hagley Park were the first to leave on two special flights to Auckland and Wellington this morning. 5.43pm More than 100 residents of rest homes damaged in yesterday's aftershock will be transferred to safe accomodation today, Canterbury District Health Board has confirmed. A statement from the DHB said many of the residents are going to stay with friends and family. Others are going to safe accommodation both within Canterbury and out of the region. The DHB also confirmed free GP care would be available to Canterbury residents with urgent medical needs until tomorrow night. 5.14pm The welfare centre in Hagley park will close this evening, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett. "The welfare centre at Burnside High remains open, with the new addition of Cowles Stadium which is open now and Pioneer Stadium which will be open from 6 o'clock this evening," says Ms Bennett. With rain forecast over the next few days, the decision has been made to move everyone from Hagley Park to the other, more suitable buildings. "People are being shifted by bus out of Hagley Park to other welfare centres," says Ms Bennett. 5.12pm Civil Defence Minister John Carter has confirmed devastating aftershock that hit Christchurch yesterday is likely to go down in history as New Zealand's worst ever disaster.
|
Earthquakes
|
February 2011
|
['(NZ Herald)', '(Courier Mail)']
|
It is revealed that Palau urged the United States to build joint-use military facilities in the country, a move seen as a push back against Chinese influence in the Pacific. Palauan President Tommy Remengesau Jr. made the request in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who visited the island country last week.
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Palau has urged the United States military to build bases there - in a region where Washington is pushing back against growing Chinese influence.
Photo: pikist
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper visited the island nation last week and accused Beijing of "ongoing destabilising activities" in the Pacific.
Palau President, Tommy Remengesau Junior, later revealed he told Esper the US military was welcome to build facilities in his country, an archipelago about 1,500 kilometres east of the Philippines.
"Palau's request to the U.S military remains simple - build joint-use facilities, then come and use them regularly," he said in a letter to the US defence chief that his office released this week.
The note, addressed to Esper and marked "by hand delivery, Koror. Palau," said the nation of 22,000 was open to hosting land bases, port facilities and airfields for the US military.
Remengesau also suggested a US Coast Guard presence in Palau to help patrol its vast marine reserve, which covers an area of ocean the size of Spain and is difficult to monitor.
While Palau is an independent nation, it has no military and the US is responsible for its defence under an agreement with Washington called the Compact of Free Association.
Under the deal, the US military had access to the islands, although it currently had no troops permanently stationed there.
"We should use the mechanisms of the Compact to establish a regular US military presence in Palau," Remengesau said.
President Tommy Remengesau Photo: Office of the President / Wendy Capili-Wilkie
"The US military's right to establish defense sites in the Republic of Palau has been under-utilised for the entire duration of the Compact."
He said bases in Palau would not only increase US military preparedness but also help the local economy, which was struggling as the Covid-19 pandemic has halted tourism, its main industry.
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Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting
|
September 2020
|
['(CNA)', '(RNZ)']
|
Eight more Michigan officials are charged along with former Governor Rick Snyder for their roles in the Flint water crisis. Former health director Nick Lyon and former state medical executive Eden Wells are also charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who contracted Legionnaires' disease during the crisis.
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Follow NBC News Nine former Michigan officials, including ex-Gov. Rick Snyder, were charged Thursday in connection with the Flint water crisis in a case one prosecutor said was about "finally, finally, finally holding people accountable."
Snyder, 62, and eight others who worked under him face a host of charges stemming from a water supply switch in 2014 that exposed Flint residents to dangerous levels of lead and Legionnaires' disease.
"Let me start by saying the Flint water crisis is not some relic of the past," Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud told reporters. "At this very moment the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of public officials at all levels of government who trampled upon their trust and evaded accountability for far too long."
State Attorney General Dana Nessel appointed Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to investigate the case, throwing out earlier charges brought by her predecessor, Bill Schuette.
Nessel is a Democrat, and Schuette, a Republican like Snyder, ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.
"This case has nothing whatsoever to do with partisanship," Worthy said. "It has to do with human decency, the complete abandonment of the people of Flint and finally, finally, finally holding people accountable."
"Pure and simple," she added, "this case is about justice, truth, accountability, poisoned children, lost lives, shattered families that are still not whole and simply giving a damn about all of humanity."
Earlier Thursday, during a virtual appearance before Genesee County Judge Christopher Odette, Snyder pleaded not guilty to the two misdemeanor chargers.
Odette set bond at $10,000 and ordered Snyder not to travel outside Michigan until at least his next court date, set for Tuesday.
The former two-term governor spoke to the judge from a booth inside the county jail, where he wore a mask and sat next to his defense lawyer, Brian Lennon.
Lennon called the case against Snyder "flimsy," and said that "this entire situation is puzzling.”
“It would be a travesty to waste additional taxpayer dollars pursuing these bogus misdemeanor charges," he said in a statement.
Michigan’s former health director Nick Lyon was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who got Legionnaires’ disease. He also pleaded not guilty on Thursday.
The Snyder administration in 2014 switched Flint from Detroit's water system to the Flint River in an effort to cut costs. That move proved disastrous, exposing Flint residents to lead contamination from the new supply's insufficiently treated river water.
"Our hearts go out to Flint citizens who have endured the fallout from that decision," said a statement from Lyon's attorneys, who said their client was "innocent" of all charges. "He did not make the decision to switch the water supply and had nothing to do with handling the water."
The other state officials charged were:
"The accusations in the indictment are untrue, and the charges are unwarranted," Ambrose's lawyer William Swor said. "We will aggressively contest these claims in court."
Croft's attorney, Jamie White, said his client is a longtime Flint resident who would never have deliberately harmed city residents.
"He grew up in Flint. He loved Flint. He lived in Flint. He drank this water. His wife drank this water. His pregnant daughter drank this water," White said. "The idea that he intentionally or even recklessly allowed his family to drink contaminated water is preposterous."
Attorneys for Wells touted her longtime efforts to back Native American health initiatives and her current work in contact tracing Covid-19 cases as proof the doctor is committed to sound public health policies.
"The Flint water crisis was an obviously tragic situation, but the understandable concern of Flint residents does not mean that innocent parties should be subjected to lengthy and unjustified criminal prosecution," her attorneys said in a statement on Friday. "Such prosecution does not provide justice to Flint residents, but simply compounds injustice."
Lawyers for Baird, Agen, Earley and Peeler could not be immediately reached for comment by NBC News.
Residents of the majority-Black city of Flint have struggled for years to recover as they relied on bottled water as their primary source of clean water and their property values suffered.
Today, tests show that Flint's water is safe to drink but many residents, skeptical of government officials, say they still don't trust the city's water.
Michigan agreed to a $600 million settlement in August in a class-action lawsuit with Flint residents whose health was affected, establishing a fund from which residents can file for compensation.
Flint City Councilman Herbert Winfrey said his constituents are pleased to see the charges finally reach the top of state government: "The powerful need to be held accountable."
But the lawmaker decried misdemeanor charges against Snyder as a "slap on the wrist."
"You don't put a community in jeopardy for the sake of saving money," Winfrey told NBC News. "The decision to use the Flint River water without cleaning the water up properly was a knee-jerk decision and a bad decision and when you make bad decisions, there are consequences."
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
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January 2021
|
['(NBC News)', '(AP)']
|
Voters in Tunisia go to the polls to elect a new president. Conservative academic Kais Saied wins more than 70% of the votes.
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Thousands take to streets after exit polls give conservative academic more than 70% of the vote
First published on Mon 14 Oct 2019 00.48 BST
A low-profile, conservative law professor has beaten a charismatic media magnate released from prison last week in Tunisia’s presidential election runoff.
In a contest that reflected Tunisia’s shifting post-revolution political landscape, Kais Saied scooped more than 70% of the vote, according to two exit polls, more than 40 points ahead of Nabil Karoui. Karoui conceded defeat, issuing a statement of congratulations to his opponent. “I would like to congratulate you on your election to the presidency,” he said.
Saied thanked the country’s young people “for turning a new page” and vowed to try to build “a new Tunisia”. About 90% of 18- to 25-year-olds voted for Saied, according to estimates by the Sigma polling institute, compared with 49.2% of voters over 60.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Tunis, to celebrate Saied’s victory, honking horns and singing the national anthem. “Kais Saied, voice of the people,” a crowd chanted. “It’s a historic day: Tunisia is reaping the fruits of the revolution,” said Boussairi Abidi, a 39-year-old mechanic. “Kais Saied is going to put an end to corruption. He will be a fair president.”
Earlier, Karoui had told a news conference that he had been denied a chance to compete fairly and would decide whether to appeal once the electoral commission had announced the official tally.
Analysts said the choice of the two candidates over better-known political faces, including many associated with the country’s revolution or with the old regime of the overthrown president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, reflected widespread discontent with the country’s ailing economy – a key factor that drove Tunisians on to the streets in 2011.
“The tremendous disappointment with the lack of economic reform was paramount on Tunisian voters’ minds,” said Safwan Masri, a professor of Middle Eastern and north African politics at Columbia University.
“The fact that presidential candidates such as the country’s defence minister or its prime minister didn’t do well sends a strong message that ‘we’re done with you, we’re done with the establishment and their failed promises’.”
Some Tunisians nickname Saied, 61, “Robocop” for his stiff manner and dour presentation. They call Karoui, 56, a flamboyant tycoon who wears designer suits, “Michael Corleone”, a reference both to his suaveness and the corruption allegations that have dogged him for years.
The pair squared off in a rare television debate on Friday evening in which Saied – who is not a member of a political party and shunned mass rallies during his campaign – addressed the audience in classical Arabic while Karoui, speaking in the local dialect, propounded his campaign’s ambitious promises to help the poor.
Karoui has run the private television station Nessma since 2002, burnishing his charitable reputation in past years with a popular show in which he distributes appliances to needy families.
Saied, in contrast, was relatively unknown in the decades he spent teaching constitutional law at a university in Tunis until he retired in 2018 and launched his political campaign. His apparent lack of charisma may be playing to his advantage, according to analysts, who say his appeal rests on the idea that he is incorruptible and sternly civic-minded.
He argued for scrapping the country’s parliamentary system in favour of a decentralised democratic model and is socially conservative, declaring his support for the death penalty and against a law under discussion that would distribute inheritances equally between men and women. He has spoken disparagingly of homosexuality and says he would seek to limit the work of foreign NGOs in the country.
Karoui was arrested on corruption charges on the eve of campaigning earlier this year in timing that many saw as a ploy to stem his popularity but which appeared to have backfired, enshrining his status as an outsider. He remains under investigation and cannot travel abroad.
Tunisia has come close to chaos in the years since its revolution, as Islamist and secularist forces fought for control of the country. Its transition appeared most risky in 2013 after several leftist leaders were assassinated, allegedly by Islamic extremists, deepening the polarisation between the country’s political factions.
Yet it pulled back, largely due to the efforts of civil society groups (who were awarded the 2015 Nobel peace prize) and political elders who struck an improbable power-sharing agreement in 2016. The agreement has brought stability but also stalled reforms that might have helped to curb corruption or slim down the country’s bloated and sclerotic bureaucracy.
Saied was considered the favourite and had the backing of the Islamist Ennahda party, which won the largest share of parliament though fell far short of claiming a majority. Presidential power is also limited, and the significant reforms Saied advocates would require a two-thirds majority in parliament that will be difficult to build, said Masri.
“He is going to be an isolated leader because he does not have a political party,” he said. “There’s a chance he could be an irrelevant president.”
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Government Job change - Election
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October 2019
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['(Al Jazeera)', '(The Guardian)']
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In golf, American Patrick Reed wins the 2018 Masters Tournament held in Augusta, Georgia.
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It’s the last round the Masters on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Players have been on the course since the early morning, and the leaders are filtering through as the afternoon continues.
Related
All times are Eastern: 6:36 p.m.: Patrick Reed sinks a par putt to take home the green jacket. Hell of a round for him, finishing 15-under. 6:31 p.m.: Rickie Fowler finishes his round with a birdie on 18 to move him to 14-under, one back from Patrick Reed. Unless Reed royally messes up on 18, the green jacket is his. 6:00 p.m.: Jordan Spieth has had a lightning back nine, par on 14, then came to back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 before a par on 17. Hole 18 might have cost him the green jacket — he bogeyed after missing a putt for par that was just off the mark. He couldn’t even believe he missed it: A few things just happened. Spieth missed this putt for par on 18 and had to settle for bogey to close out his round at -8. he now is 2 strokes back of Reed. We’ll be keeping our eyes on reed as he is just now teeing off on 16 at #themasters pic.twitter.com/xNZu4xWF1E
The problem for Spieth happened on his tee shot — he hit the top of the trees which made it go way short, a whole 267 yards to the hole. Had his tee shot gone further, he could have potentially made birdie, but was set up nicely for par regardless. 4:42 p.m: WELL. Things are getting fun y’all. Remember Jordan Spieth’s past demons at the par-3 12th? Those are gone now. He just dropped home a MASSIVE putt from off the green there to get to 11-under. He’s now just three behind Patrick Reed, and we’re hunting history — both the course record and record for biggest comeback ever are in play.
Oh, hey, we’ve also got our first ace of the week. Chuck Hoffman on 16!
4:20 p.m.: Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm remain tied for third at 10-under. Patrick Reed moves back to 14-under after a birdie on hole seven. Rory McIlroy is still at 11-under. 4:02 p.m.: Rory McIlroy moves to two back behind Patrick Reed, who is at 13-under. Meanwhile Jordan Spieth is coming alive with birdies on 8 and 9 to move to 10-under — joining him with a birdie on 7 is Rickie Fowler. This last round should be fun, folks!
3:45 p.m.: Patrick Reed is at 14-under with Rory McIlroy two strokes back at 12-under. Jon Rahm moves to third at 9-under, with Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth tied for fourth at 8-under. Pal Casey continues to dominate the back nine, and he’s tied for sixth at 7-under. 3:25p.m.: Patrick Reed sinks a birdie putt on three to move to 14-under. Rory McIlroy goes back to 11-under after a bogey on three. back to where we started, folks! Paul Casey is having a heck of a round, and he moves to 8-under after three birdies and an eagle on holes 11-14.
3:07 p.m.: Rory McIlroy makes birdie on two to move to 12-under, just one back. Patrick Reed has to settle for par after missing a birdie putt. Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowler are both tied for third at 9-under through two.
Live updates are here.
Online:
TV:
Time: 2-7 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Live stream: Masters.com , fuboTV
CBS Sports Network will also televise the Masters driving range show, Masters on the Range, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET.
2:55 p.m.: Rory McIlroy with a huge save after a bad tee shot on one. He sinks the putt to make par. Patrick Reed bogeys on the same hole. Henrik Stenson is making a run so far at 8-under, birdieing one one and making par on two. He’s in a good spot for three, too. 2:41 p.m.: Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy are teeing off — Reed’s goes a little left but Rory’s went way right — looked about 80 yards off. Yeesh. Also, Bubba Watson putted...into a bunker on hole two, whoops. 2:30 p.m.: Jordan Spieth with a birdie on hole one, and he just misses a putt for eagle on two. He settles for birdie to go to at 7-under. His partner Justin Thomas is at 5-under. Rickie Fowler and John Ram have both teed off. Tiger Woods is at 1-under on the day through 14, with a nice birdie on 13. He then eagles 15 beautifully!
2:00 p.m.: Some of the bigger leaders are now teeing off, folks! Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have just hit their first shot. Bubba Watson and Marc Leishman are up next at 2:20, followed by Henrik Stenson and Tommy Fleetwood at 2:20, Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm at 2:30, and Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy at 2:40.
1:15 p.m.: Tiger Woods finishes his first nine at even. Not as strong as he started with the early holes, but a much better start than his last few days. Rafael Cabrera Bello is 2-under today, and Paul Casey has started out strong, now at even through five holes. The biggest names, including Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy, RIckie Fowler, Jon Rahm, and Henrik Stenson all tee off at 2:30 and 2:40. Check out this birdie from Adam Scott from the bunker on four!
He’s 1-over on the tournament.
12:40 p.m.: All’s still relatively quiet before the leaders tee off this afternoon. Haotong Li is even on the day early in his round, and Tiger Woods is still 1-under with a chance for birdie on hole seven coming. 12:00 p.m.: Phew! Tiger Woods nearly got a hole-in-one on the Par 3 fourth hole, but it just missed the hole. He makes birdie on the putt to move to 1-under on the day.
11:40 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, who is +6 overall on the tournament has started his Sunday off well — he birdied holes two, three, and four, so he’s 3-under today so far.
11:22 a.m.: The first group of golfers have teed off. Among the biggest names include Tiger Woods, who’s wearing his signature red and black outfit for Sunday. Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and Ian Poulter have started their rounds as well. All times, again, are Eastern:
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Sports Competition
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April 2018
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['(SBNation)']
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Patrick Crusius, accused of perpetrating the 2019 El Paso shooting, is charged with 90 counts of federal hate crimes. Under the new charges, he could face the death penalty.
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A man accused of killing 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, last year, where he was targeting victims of Hispanic origin, has been charged with 90 counts of federal hate crimes. Patrick Crusius, 21, already faces capital murder charges in state court.
He could face the death penalty under the new charges if found guilty of the attack in August 2019.
A prosecutor said the shooting was an act of domestic terrorism and an attack against an entire ethnic group.
The shooting, believed to be the eighth deadliest in modern US history, took place in a border city of 680,000 residents that is 80% Hispanic.
Crusius is accused of driving 11 hours to El Paso from his hometown of Allen, near Dallas, on 3 August and opening fire with an AK-47 style rifle inside the Walmart store. He then surrendered and confessed that he was targeting Mexicans.
In a manifesto posted on the now-defunct message board 8-chan, he wrote that the killings were "a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas".
Crusius faces the death penalty on a state capital murder charge, to which he pleaded not guilty last year.
The new federal charges include 22 counts under the US classification of hate crimes - violence with an added element of bias - resulting in death. This could also result in the death penalty. "We're firing on all cylinders to stop this. We're going to stop hate crimes," John Bash, the attorney for the western district of Texas, told reporters.
The indictment references Crusius's manifesto, where he stated he was defending the US "from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by the invasion".
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse
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February 2020
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['(BBC)']
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