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In tennis, Andy Murray defeats Roger Federer to win the men's singles final, securing Britain's 16th gold medal in the process. | Last updated on 5 August 20125 August 2012.From the section Olympicscomments577
Andy Murray captured the biggest title of his career with an emphatic victory over Roger Federer in the Olympic men's singles final at Wimbledon.
Murray beat the Swiss world number one in straight sets, 6-2 6-1 6-4, on a raucous Centre Court.
The 25-year-old is the first British man to win the Olympic singles gold medal since Josiah Ritchie in 1908.
He had never beaten Federer in a best-of-five-sets match and lost to him in this year's Wimbledon final.
Murray's triumph came four weeks to the day since that 6-4 5-7 3-6 4-6 loss to Federer at the All England Club.
"It's number one for me - the biggest win of my life," said Murray.
"I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final."
Murray later faced a second Olympic final in a day, but he and mixed doubles partner Laura Robson could not overcome Belarusian top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi. They lost 2-6 6-3 10-8 in a champions' tie-break decider and had to settle for silver.
Team GB remain third in the London 2012 medal table, with Murray's singles triumph in just an hour and 56 minutes the 16th gold medal of a glorious Games for the host nation.
Afterwards he climbed into the stands to celebrate with his girlfriend, family and support team as Federer again missed out on the one accolade missing from his CV.
Murray then mounted the podium with Federer and bronze medallist Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 in an hour and 48 minutes earlier in the day.
There were no obvious tears, but it was clear how much this meant to Murray as he sang along to parts of the national anthem and then draped himself in a union jack.
Having suffered a shock first-round defeat by 77th-ranked Yen-Hsun Lu in Beijing four years ago, he will be delighted to have contributed this time round.
"What a response from 28 days ago. To win 6-2 6-1 6-4 on Centre Court... he's not only beaten Federer, he's taken him apart. To go from 2-2 in the first set to 6-2 5-0 - that doesn't happen to Roger Federer. There were tears of disappointment after the Wimbledon final but he should enjoy every minute of this."
Murray becomes the first Briton to claim an Olympic men's singles medal since Charles Dixon took silver at the 1920 event in Antwerp.
Victorious over Djokovic in the semi-finals, Murray troubled an error-strewn Federer from the outset. After saving two break points in the opening game of the match, he broke serve in game six before holding for 5-2 with two booming aces.
Murray buried a backhand passing shot to wrap up the 37-minute first set but, given he also took the opener in the Wimbledon final, there remained a sense of caution around the stadium.
That caution turned into belief when a forehand pass clipped a net cord to elude Federer in game two of the second set and he then saved six break points to hold for 3-0.
Federer looked agitated and his fans dejected and a rare double fault let Murray strike again before the Scot swiftly served out to extend his advantage.
The Scot's performance continued to improve as his opponent's faded and Federer's delivery was breached decisively in game five of the third set as Murray powered towards the finishing line, dropping just one point on serve as he closed out with an ace.
"I didn't expect that at the start of the week," added Murray after collecting his gold medal. "I thought I'd go deep into the tournament but I felt so fresh today. It's amazing." | Sports Competition | August 2012 | ['(BBC Sport)'] |
Storms in Guangdong, southern China, kill at least 18 people and leave 150 injured. | Violent storms in southern China have killed at least 18 people and injured more than 150, state media report.
Gale-force winds, heavy rains and hailstones battered Guangdong province at the weekend, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.
The authorities say those who died where struck by falling objects or collapsing walls. The extreme weather has caused millions of dollars of damage to buildings as well as farmland, officials said. The storms, packing winds of up to 164 km/h swept through the provincial capital, Guangzhou, and the nearby cities of Foshan, Dongguan and Zhaoqing.
The storms have affected more than 3,200 people, and at least 45 houses have been destroyed, a spokesman from the province's flood control headquarters was cited by Xinhua as saying. The civil affairs ministry put the cost of the damage at 96m yuan ($14.7m). About 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of crops were damaged, state media reported.
The local government has begun a relief mission to provide aid to those affected, and move the injured to hospital. Guangdong province is the manufacturing heartland of China. Thousands of factories produce goods for export round the globe - but there have been no reports of any serious damage to assembly lines. Chinese rain storms kill dozens
Xinhua
| Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | April 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(Xinhua)'] |
Prominent Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo dies. | Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who was China's most prominent human rights and democracy advocate, has died aged 61. The activist had been serving an 11-year prison term for "subversion" and was recently moved to a hospital for treatment for terminal liver cancer.
A university professor turned tireless rights campaigner, Mr Liu was branded a criminal by authorities.
The Nobel Committee said the Chinese government bore a "heavy responsibility for his premature death".
The campaigner was repeatedly jailed throughout his life. When not in prison, he was subject to severe restrictions while his wife, Liu Xia, was placed under house arrest.
Mr Liu died "peacefully", surrounded by his wife and other relatives, a doctor who treated him said. His final words to Liu Xia were: "Live on well," the South China Morning Post reported.
Liu Xiaobo played a significant role in the Tiananmen Square student protests of June 1989, which ended in bloodshed when they were quashed by government troops. He and other activists negotiated the safe exit of several hundred demonstrators, and have been credited with saving their lives.
He was subsequently placed in a detention centre and released in 1991.
Mr Liu's campaign to free those detained during the Tiananmen Square protests landed him in a labour camp in north-eastern China for three years, but he was permitted to marry poet Liu Xia there in 1996. He was later freed, and continued to campaign for democracy.
The 11-year jail term was handed down in 2009 after he compiled, with other intellectuals, the Charter 08 manifesto. It called for an end to one-party rule and the introduction of multi-party democracy.
Mr Liu was found guilty of trying to overthrow the state. He was a pro-democracy figurehead for activists outside mainland China, although many of his compatriots were unaware of his struggles because the authorities rigorously censored news about him.
Who was Liu Xiaobo?
The activist in his own words
The dissident won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for his "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China", but he was not permitted to travel to Norway to accept it. He was the second person to receive the award while in prison - the other was the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who won in 1935 while incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp.
China media silent on Liu Xiaobo death
Love that survived a labour camp
By Carrie Gracie, China editor
Chinese authorities refused Liu Xiaobo's dying request to be allowed to travel abroad for treatment. Instead he died as he had lived, under the close watch of the one-party state. The life and death of this Nobel laureate underline the cost of political defiance in China. Liu Xiaobo had enjoyed a comfortable early career as a university professor, but the massacre which followed the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests was the fork in his path.
Where many gave up demanding democracy, he stood firm and was jailed repeatedly. When he won the Nobel, he was serving a prison sentence for subversion. A furious Beijing subsequently placed his wife under house arrest.
Only in a hospital ward in the last days of his life have this suffering couple been reunited, to be parted again by his death.
More from Carrie Gracie
In the weeks leading up to his death, Mr Liu's case became mired in international controversy. Several Western countries urged China to allow Mr Liu to leave the country to seek palliative care elsewhere. A German and an American doctor who recently visited and examined him in a hospital in the north-eastern city of Shenyang said he would be able to travel abroad. But Chinese medical experts insisted that he was too ill to travel.
Mr Liu's condition deteriorated shortly after he was admitted to hospital, according to Shenyang's First Hospital of China Medical University.
In a brief statement, Shenyang local officials said that Mr Liu had suffered multiple organ failure, and that efforts to save the activist had failed.
At a press conference, Teng Yue'e, the doctor who led the team treating Mr Liu, said: "He was not in any pain at that moment, he was very much at peace, because all of his relatives said their goodbyes beforehand."
Liu Xiaobo memorialised in social art
Coverage on mainland China has been muted - with only a few short reports in English. Xinhua and CCTV news have issued short statements on their English sites stating that Liu Xiaobo, "convicted of subversion of state power", has died.
Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times said Mr Liu was "a victim led astray" by the West. "The Chinese side has been focusing on Liu's treatment, but some Western forces are always attempting to steer the issue in a political direction, hyping the treatment as a 'human rights' issue," the Global Times added.
Official Chinese-language news sites on the mainland appear to have steered clear of reporting the story altogether. Social media users have also noticed attempts from government censors to mute reaction online.
Many comments appear to have been deleted, including messages with "RIP" or candle emojis, popular when commemorating someone who has died. China media silent on death | Famous Person - Death | July 2017 | ['(BBC)'] |
Mark Carney, current Governor of the Bank of Canada, is named as the next Governor of the Bank of England. He will take up the position when current Governor Mervyn King steps down in June 2013. | Mark Carney has been named as the new governor of the Bank of England by Chancellor George Osborne. Mr Carney, the governor of the Canadian central bank, will serve for five years and will hold new regulatory powers over banks.
He was a surprise choice for the head of the UK's central bank and had previously ruled himself out.
The post is seen as one of the most important positions in the stewardship of the UK economy.
Current governor Sir Mervyn King steps down from the post next June.
Sir Mervyn said Mr Carney represented "a new generation of leadership for the Bank of England, and is an outstanding choice to succeed me".
Mr Osborne told Parliament that Mr Carney, 47, would bring the "strong leadership and external experience the Bank needs" and added that the Canadian would apply for British citizenship. He said Mr Carney was acknowledged as "the outstanding central banker of his generation".
During Mr Carney's five years as governor in Canada, Mr Osborne said he was "acknowledged to have weathered the economic storm better than any other major Western economy".
Mr Carney said he was "honoured to accept this important and demanding role" at a "critical time for the British, European and global economies". He will serve in his current post until May next year. Mr Carney said he was "not without ties" to the UK - his wife is a dual national of the UK and Canada.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls welcomed the incoming governor as a "good choice, good judgement".
Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, told the BBC that Mr Carney "ticks all the boxes" but added that his committee would question him on matters such as how he will approach macro-prudential stability and what his views on quantitative easing are.
The British Chambers of Commerce said it hoped that the new governor would "focus relentlessly on supporting business growth across the UK - not just in the Square Mile". The CBI said Mr Carney's "strong track record as the Canadian central bank governor and extensive experience in international financial regulation mean that he is well positioned to guide Britain through challenging economic times".
The term for a Bank governor is eight years. But the chancellor told Parliament that Mr Carney indicated he intended to serve for five years and to stand down at the end of June 2018.
"Mr Osborne was keen to get his preferred central governor, because Mr Carney was widely perceived to have all the bits: he is admired by monetary economists, regulators and - allegedly - his staff (or to put it another way, he is an unusual economist and central banker, in that he is seen as a half-decent manager)," the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said.
The governor of the Bank chairs the monetary policy committee, which has responsibility for setting interest rates in the UK.
Following the government's decision to scrap the Financial Services Authority and hand some of its responsibilities to the Bank, the governor will also oversee important regulatory powers as well.
Other candidates for the post included Bank deputy governor Paul Tucker, FSA chairman Lord Turner, Sir John Vickers, who led the government's recent review into breaking up the banks, and Santander bank's UK chairman Lord Burns.
Mr Tucker, who has spent most of his career with the Bank, was seen by many as the favourite for the job.
The BBC understands that Mr Carney will be offered a total pay package of about £624,000 a year.
Sir Mervyn's salary is £305,000 a year, but he receives much more generous pension contributions making his total pay and pension package worth about £519,000.
Mr Osborne also announced the re-appointment of Charlie Bean as Bank of England deputy governor for monetary stability for a further year until the end of June 2014. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | November 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Former South Korean President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kim Dae–jung is in an intensive care unit in a Seoul hospital being treated for pneumonia. | Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung is in an intensive care unit in a Seoul hospital being treated for pneumonia, medical officials have said.
Mr Kim, 85, was put on a respirator after complications arose, but is not in a critical condition, hospital official Park Chang-il said. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for brokering the first summit of leaders from divided Korea. He served as South Korean president from 1998-2003. "He became short of breath on Wednesday night and was put on a respirator around 0300 this morning," an official at Yonsei Severance Hospital was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency. "His condition has improved since. He is conscious, and his pulse, breathing and body temperature are normal." Mr Kim was taken to the hospital on Monday with a fever and cold symptoms. He dedicated his career to promoting democracy and human rights during the decades of authoritarian rule in South Korea. His Sunshine Policy improved ties with the North during his presidency, but successors have taken a tougher line with Pyongyang and North-South relations have since soured. | Famous Person - Sick | July 2009 | ['(Yonhap)', '(BBC)'] |
In Kabul, gunmen wearing police uniforms open fire, killing at least 24 people, including two newborns, in the maternity ward of a hospital. Security forces kill the attackers. In Kuz Kunar, a suicide bomber kills at least 32 people at a funeral. | The number of people who were killed in a militant attack on a maternity ward in the Afghan capital has risen to 24. Mothers, newborn babies and nurses were among the victims. At least 16 people were injured, the health ministry said.
Tuesday's attack in Kabul prompted widespread condemnation. No group has said it carried it out. In a second incident that day, a suicide bomber killed at least 32 people at a funeral in Nangarhar, in the east of the country.
President Ashraf Ghani has ordered the resumption of offensive operations against the Taliban and other groups.
He accused the militants of ignoring repeated calls for a reduction in violence.
Warning: Some readers may find details in this story upsetting
The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack on the police commander's funeral in Nangarhar.
It is still not clear who carried out the attack at the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, and the Taliban have denied any involvement.
Nineteen babies have been taken to safety in a children's hospital in the city but many of their mothers are feared to be dead. In all, about 100 people were killed in violence around Afghanistan on Tuesday, the New York Times said. The attacks underline the fragility of peace efforts, and have dimmed hopes for an end to decades of war.
Locals describe hearing two blasts then gunfire at the start of the attack at about 10:00 (05:30 GMT) on Tuesday. About 140 people were in the hospital at the time, one doctor who escaped told the BBC. The maternity ward in the hospital is run by the international medical charity Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and some of those working there were foreigners. "Total panic" took hold as the assault unfolded, another doctor told AFP news agency. Ramazan Ali, a vendor who saw the attack begin, told Reuters news agency: "The attackers were shooting at anyone in this hospital without any reason."
One mother gave birth during the attack, MSF was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
Another woman called Zainab had given birth just before the attack, Reuters reports. She named her baby boy Omid, which means "hope" in Dari, because it had taken her years to conceive.
Alerted by the commotion as she was visiting the washroom, the new mother rushed back to find her child of four hours, her hope of seven years, dead.
"I brought my daughter-in-law to Kabul so that she would not lose her baby," said Zahra Muhammadi, Zainab's mother-in-law, in her grief. "Today we'll take his dead body to Bamiyan."
Afghan special forces rescued 100 women and children, including three foreigners, an official told the BBC. The three attackers, who reportedly had gained access dressed as police officers, were all killed by security personnel. Images from the scene showed soldiers carrying newborn babies swaddled in blood-stained blankets to safety.
In the past, similar attacks in this mostly Shia Muslim area of the capital have been attributed to IS which, like the Taliban, is Sunni Muslim.
The IS leader in South Asia and the Far East was arrested in Kabul on Monday along with two other high-profile members, Afghan intelligence said.
In 2017, IS gunmen disguised as medical staff attacked Kabul's main military hospital, prompting widespread shock and anger and raising questions about security. The authorities later confirmed about 50 people had been killed.
But the Taliban also attack hospitals. Last September, 20 people died after a truck packed with explosives was detonated by militants from the group outside a hospital in southern Zabul province.
On TV, Mr Ghani said: "In order to provide security for public places and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups, I'm ordering Afghan security forces to switch from an active defence mode to an offensive one and to resume their operations against the enemies."
Even in a country which has seen the worst of the worst, this savage attack on newborn babies and their mothers has shocked, and shaken fragile hope this would be the year Afghanistan would finally start to turn towards peace.
Images of special forces in bulky body armour, carrying infants to safety, will remain long in the memory of those who have repeatedly called for a ceasefire - especially when Afghans are battling another deadly enemy in Covid-19.
Despite Taliban denials that this ghastly attack was their work, President Ghani's denunciation reflects the anger and frustration of many. Some worry that groups like Islamic State, trying to drive an even greater wedge between Taliban and the government, have also killed for now what were slow uncertain steps toward peace talks.
And for those who have never trusted the Taliban's commitment, this latest attack solidifies their resolve to keep fighting. Tuesday's attacks were widely condemned by countries around the world and human rights groups, with Amnesty International saying: "The unconscionable war crimes in Afghanistan today... must awaken the world to the horrors civilians continue to face."
"Who attacks newborn babies and new mothers? Who does this?" tweeted Debra Lyons, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "Any attack on innocents is unforgiveable, but to attack infants and women in labour... is an act of sheer evil.
"Terrorists who attack mourners lining up for prayer at a funeral are only seeking to tear apart the bonds that hold families and communities together, but they will never succeed."
According to survivors, thousands of people had gathered for the funeral in Nangarhar, and the bomb detonated about half-way through. Casualty figures have been rising since first reports of the bombing. Officials now say 133 people were injured. Meanwhile, in northern Balkh province, at least 10 people were killed and many others injured in an air strike by US forces, reports said. Residents and the Taliban claimed the victims were all civilians, but the Afghan Defence Ministry said all those killed were militants.
Since a February troop withdrawal agreement signed between the US and the Taliban, talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have broken down over a prisoner swap and violence has continued unabated. The agreement was aimed at ending more than 18 years of war since US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power following the 9/11 attacks on the US, whose mastermind Osama Bin Laden had been given sanctuary by the hardline Islamist group.
Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict. Many more have been injured or displaced from their homes.
| Riot | May 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Mass rival demonstrations are held across Egypt three weeks after Mohamed Morsi was deposed as president in a military coup d'état. At least eight people die and hundreds are injured in violence during the rallies. | Huge rallies by supporters and opponents of Egypt's ousted president have continued through the night with five people killed in Alexandria.
In what is seen as a trial of strength, supporters of Mohammed Morsi filled the streets around a mosque in Cairo to condemn his removal by the army.
Army supporters converged on Tahrir Square, just a few miles away.
The detained ex-leader has been formally accused of conspiring with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Early on Saturday, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said the sit-in protest by Morsi supporters at the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo would be "brought to an end soon and in a legal manner".
He gave no details but said local residents had complained about the encampment.
Later reports said clashes had broken out in the area and a field hospital was flooded with casualties, but this could not be confirmed.
Earlier this week, army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged people to take to the streets to give the military a mandate for its intervention in removing Mr Morsi and establishing an interim government. Since Mr Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president, was ousted on 3 July, dozens of people have died in clashes between his supporters and opponents. Militants have also staged deadly attacks in the Sinai peninsula. Unconfirmed reports spoke of an attack on security forces in the town of Sheikh Zuwayid on Friday.
"Sisi out! Morsi is president! Down with the army!" they chanted.
At least five people died and at least 72 were injured when clashes broke out between rival demonstrators in the country's second city Alexandria, state media report.
Some of the injured reportedly suffered gunshot wounds in the fighting, which began when Morsi and Sisi supporters confronted each other after Friday prayers.
As darkness fell, street battles appeared to be continuing as police struggled to contain the violence with tear gas. In Cairo, 11 people were injured in clashes between rival groups in the Shubra district, security sources say. The violence appears to have involved stone-throwing.
Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of army supporters had gathered on Tahrir Square, the BBC's Jim Muir reported from the scene.
The square was full of people in boisterous, jubilant mood, saluting low-flying army helicopters with green laser pens and letting off fireworks, he said.
Late on Friday, a huge crowd of Morsi supporters filled streets around Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, where they have been holding a sit-in protest. "Sisi out! Morsi is president! Down with the army!" they chanted.
Correspondents said the mood among the Morsi supporters around the mosque had been calm and stewards were searching demonstrators to ensure no weapons were brought to the rally. Mr Morsi is being held over allegations of links with Palestinian militants Hamas and plotting attacks on jails in the 2011 uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, it was announced earlier on Friday.
He is to be questioned for an initial 15-day period, a judicial order said.
The order issued on Friday is the first official statement on Mr Morsi's legal status since he was overthrown and placed in custody at an undisclosed location.
The judicial order says the former president is suspected of conspiring with Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip and has strong links with Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, during the uprising against Mr Mubarak. He is accused of colluding with the Palestinian group to storm police stations and jails, "setting fire to one prison and enabling inmates to flee, including himself, as well as premeditated killing of officers, soldiers and prisoners".
Mr Morsi and several Muslim Brotherhood leaders were freed during a breakout at a Cairo prison in January 2011.
Our correspondent says the order provides legal cover for the continued detention at a time when the UN and Western powers are calling for Mr Morsi to be released or properly charged. Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad el-Haddad described the accusations as "ridiculous". He told Reuters news agency that the order marked the return of the "old regime".
Hamas itself said there was not a shred of evidence of its involvement in the prison break.
Mr Morsi narrowly won the presidential election in June 2012 but his opponents accused him of trying to impose an Islamist agenda on the country.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | July 2013 | ['(Reuters)', '(BBC)', '(Times of Israel)', '(Al-Jazeera)'] |
In Mauritania, four army officers who plotted coups against President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya each receive a life sentence instead of the expected death penalty after a four–month trial. The sentenced include former army major Saleh Ould Hanenna. | 84 putschists have jail terms ranging from 15 years to 18 months for bankrolling plots to overthrow president.
WAD NAGA, Mauritania - Mauritania wrapped up its largest-ever trial Thursday, issuing guilty verdicts to 84 putschists and acquitting more than 100 others including a former president accused of bankrolling three plots to overthrow President Maaouiya Ould Taya.
Four ringleaders of the plots starting with a bloody uprising in June 2003 and followed by back-to-back attempts in August and September of last year were sentenced to life in prison by the military and civilian jury presided by chief justice Mohamed El Hadi Mohamed.
Jail terms ranging from 15 years to 18 months were imposed against 80 other defendants, many of whom have been in prison since the June 7-9 coup attempt in 2003, that was foiled in a 36-hour gunbattle with loyalist soldiers at a military barracks near the capital, Nouakchott.
Death sentences had been recommended for 17 defendants including coup mastermind Saleh Ould Henenna, a former army major, and his associate, former captain Abderrahmane Ould Mini, alone among the 176 defendants who appeared in court to plead guilty to charges filed against them.
They refused, however, to answer charges that they had taken arms against Mauritania, a vast mostly-Muslim nation that straddles Arab and African culture and is among the world's poorest despite abundant mineral and oil wealth.
Slavery was only abolished in 1980, underscoring the deep racial and ethnic divisions that Ould Hennena said were the impetus behind his bid to oust Ould Taya, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1984. In his closing argument on Sunday, he called for "a political act of salvation for the Mauritanian people" similar to the overthrow of authoritarian regimes in Portugal, Sudan and Mali.
Life sentences were imposed in absentia on Mohamed Ould Salek and Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, the founder of the exiled band of renegade military officers known since June 2003 as Knights of Change.
Former president Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, ousted in 1984 by Ould Taya, was acquitted on charges he bankrolled the putsch attempts and spared a five-year jail term that had been recommended by prosecutors.
Also acquitted for their alleged financing of the plots were opposition leaders Cheikh Ould Horma and Ahmed Ould Daddah.
Lawyer Fatimata Mbaye, one of the 70 lawyers assigned as defense counsel for the military and civilian defendants, said appeals would be filed to the supreme court within the 15-day deadline set by the court.
Reactions in the packed courtroom ranged from jubilation to tears from family members, many of whom made the 50-kilometer (30-mile) trek almost daily to support their loved ones at the trial that opened November 21 at a makeshift courtroom attached to the Wad Naga prison, east of the capital.
Taya's government, a strong ally of both the United States and France and one of just three Arab countries with diplomatic links with Israel, had accused Libya and Burkina Faso of backing the coup plots, saying the putschists had ties to Islamists who are gaining ground among the country's 2.7 million people.
Others suggested that the plots to overthrow Taya were linked to Mauritania's support for the US invasion of Iraq, as Ould Hennena reportedly commanded a tank unit that had been equipped in the late 1980s and early 1990s by deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. PrintPrinter Friendly Version | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | February 2005 | ['(Reuters AlertNet)', '(Middle East Online)'] |
In college basketball, the University of Louisville and University of Michigan advance to the championship game of the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. | ATLANTA -- Russ Smith looked at the scoreboard, then at the clock, then over at the bench.
Louisville needed a run, but he had no idea where it was going to come from. The starters were struggling, the fouls were piling up and the only lift injured Kevin Ware could give the top-seeded Cardinals was an emotional one.
"It was like, 'Man,'" Smith said. "I was actually waiting for our run. And it happened. Luke exploded. That was actually what I was waiting for. Then Chane exploded. Then Peyton made a big layup. Then Tim Henderson. It just kept going and going."
And Louisville rode it all the way to the title game.
Luke Hancock scored 20 points off the bench, Henderson sparked a second-half rally with a pair of monster 3s, and Louisville reminded everyone it can grind it out, too, advancing to the NCAA title game after escaping with a 72-68 victory over Wichita State on Saturday night.
Louisville will play Michigan for the national title Monday night. It will be the Cardinals' first trip to the national championship game since 1986, when they won it all.
The Cardinals (34-5) have had this game in their sights since losing to Kentucky in last year's Final Four, and they got added motivation after Ware's tibia snapped during last weekend's Midwest Regional final, the bone poking through the skin.
Ware was on his feet when the final buzzer sounded, grinning and throwing his arms into the air.
"We've got to bring our best game," Ware said. "It's the last game of the season. If we lose, everything we've worked for just goes down the drain. That's the last thing we want right now."
Especially after such a close call against the ninth-seeded Shockers (30-9), who nearly pulled off their biggest upset of all.
Wichita State had knocked off No. 1 seed Gonzaga and No. 2 Ohio State on its way to its first Final Four since 1965, and the Shockers had a 12-point lead on Louisville with 13:35 to play. It was the largest deficit all tournament for the Cardinals, who seemed lost after the emotional week following Ware's gruesome injury.
But Louisville had come back to win five games after trailing by nine points or more already this year, including rallying from a 16-point deficit in the title game at the Big East tournament. Even coach Rick Pitino's horse, Goldencents, had to rally to win the Santa Anita Derby, and a spot in the Kentucky Derby, on Saturday.
This rally trumped them all.
"We just played super hard," said Smith, who led the Cardinals with 21 points. "Nobody wanted to go home."
Henderson, the walk-on who was forced into increased playing time because of Ware's injury, made those back-to-back 3s to spark a 21-8 run. While Hancock and Behanan were knocking down shots, Smith and Peyton Siva were turning up the heat on the Shockers, forcing them into seven turnovers in the final seven minutes after they'd gone more than 26 minutes without one.
The first came when Siva darted in to strip the ball away from Carl Hall. Siva fed Hancock, who drilled a 3 that gave Louisville a 56-55 lead, its first since the end of the first half.
"Down the stretch, we were just loose with the ball, we just didn't take care of it, pretty much," said Wichita State's Malcolm Armstead, who had just two points on 1-of-10 shooting. "I can't give you an explanation -- it just happened."
Cleanthony Early would give the Shockers one more lead, converting a three-point play. But Siva scored and then Smith stole the ball and took it in for an easy layup that gave Louisville a 60-58 lead with 4:47 left. Louisville fans erupted, and even Ware was on his feet, throwing up his arms and clapping. The Cardinals extended the lead to 65-60 on a tip-in of a Smith miss and another 3 by Hancock.
Wichita State had one last chance, pulling within 68-66 on Early's tip in with 22 seconds left. But the Shockers were forced to foul, and Smith and Hancock made their free throws to seal the victory.
As the final buzzer sounded, Chane Behanan tossed the ball high into the air and Henderson and Hancock did a flying shoulder bump at midcourt.
"It's just a mix of emotions, of feelings. It hurts to have to lose and be the end of the season," said Early, who led the Shockers with 24 points. "But these guys fought to the end, and we had a great season and keep our heads high and know the grind doesn't stop."
The Cardinals were the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, and they steamrolled their way through their first four games, winning by an average of almost 22 points. They limited opponents to 59 points and 42 percent shooting while harassing them into almost 18 turnovers a game, setting an NCAA tourney record with 20 steals against North Carolina A&T.
The presence of Ware was supposed to provide even more motivation for Louisville. He urged his teammates to "just go win the game" before being wheeled off the court on a stretcher last weekend. Three days later, he joined the Cardinals as they made the trip to the Final Four in Atlanta, Ware's hometown.
The Cardinals have modified their warm-up T-shirts in Ware's honor -- they now read "Ri5e to the Occasion," with Ware's No. 5 on the back. He had a seat at the end of the bench, his right leg propped up on towels, and every one of the starters went to shake his hand after being introduced.
But whether it was the roller-coaster of the last week, the expectations or just Wichita State, the Cardinals seemed out of sorts much of the night. Wayne Blackshear and Gorgui Dieng went scoreless, and Siva was just 1-of-9.
"There's a reason our starters played poorly, because Wichita State is that good," Pitino said
Wichita State may not have the names or pedigree of a Louisville, Syracuse or Michigan. But what the Shockers lacked in star power they more than made up for in hustle and heart. This, after all, was a team with one player (Carl Hall) who salvaged his career after working in a light bulb factory and two more (Armstead and Ron Baker) who paid their own ways in their first years.
The Shockers barely seemed to notice that vaunted Louisville press until the final minutes of the game. They didn't rush shots, working it around until they got a look they liked -- Louisville was called for more than one foul late in the shot clock, including one on Smith with only a second left -- and they were relentless on the backboards.
And that "play angry" defense? Now the Cardinals have an idea of how their opponents have felt. Wichita State bottled Louisville up inside, never letting Gorgui Dieng be a factor, and the Cardinals were continually forced to put up awkward and bad shots from outside.
"We were kind of waiting to make our run," Hancock said. "Obviously you're a little concerned when you're down by 12 in the second half. We just had to turn up our intensity, maybe gamble a little more."
Louisville was struggling so badly that Ware actually got out of his seat at one point, hobbling over to the Louisville huddle.
"He just wanted to tell us that we needed to pick it up," Siva said. "We know how much it would mean for him to be out there. He just tried to give us whatever we needed, the extra motivation, the extra boost to get over the hump. That's what he did."
The Shockers have had trouble hanging onto leads, and this game was no different. After Henderson's 3s, the Cardinals were off and running, all the way to the last game of the season.
"Coach Pitino kept telling us to go out there and have fun and keep playing and we were going to win. Stop hanging our heads," Siva said. | Sports Competition | April 2013 | ['(ESPN)', '(AP via ESPN)'] |
North Korea returns what it says are the remains of 55 U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement. The repatriation was agreed at the June summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a bid to improve relations. | About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War - and 5,300 of the remains are believed to be in North Korea.
North Korea has returned the remains of what are believed to be US servicemen killed during the Korean War.
A US military plane has made a rare trip from a South Korean airbase to a coastal city in North Korea in order to retrieve the remains of the fallen servicemen.
During their summit last month, Kim Jong Un had promised Donald Trump that the handover would happen - making this the first tangible result from the talks.
A formal repatriation ceremony is going to be held at Osan air base in South Korea on 1 August, and on Thursday, serving US soldiers and a military honour guard lined the tarmac to receive the remains.
They were carried in boxes covered in blue United Nations flags.
Approximately, 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War, which took place between 1950 and 1953 - and 5,300 of the remains are still believed to be in North Korea.
Millions died during the war, including 36,000 US soldiers.
:: How US can identify remains of soldiers who died 65 years ago
In a statement, the White House said: "Today, (Kim) is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members.
"We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change."
On Twitter, Mr Trump added: "The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States! After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un."
The transfer of the remains has coincided with the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that ended fighting, although North and South Korea are technically still at war because a peace treaty was never signed. | Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | July 2018 | ['(Sky News)', '(Vox)'] |
A truck bomb explodes in Kabul leaving at least fifteen people dead and 400 more injured. | At least 35 people have died and hundreds more have been wounded in separate bomb attacks over the last 24 hours in the Afghan capital Kabul. A suicide bomber blew himself up near the city's police academy on Friday evening, killing about 20 recruits.
A short while later a large explosion was heard north of the airport.
In the early hours of Friday, a truck carrying explosives was detonated near an army base in the Shah Shahid area, claiming 15 lives.
The Taliban has claimed only one attack - the suicide bombing of the police academy.
President Ashraf Ghani has suggested that the group is seeking to divert attention away from its leadership struggles.
Officials said Friday evening's suicide bomber was dressed in police uniform when he detonated an explosives-laden vest outside the gates of Kabul's police academy.
He had stood among a queue of police cadets who were waiting to enter the building having returned from their two-day weekend, officials said.
At least 25 cadets were wounded.
"It was huge, all the victims are military students," said one local resident. "They were all students of the academy." Observers say the attack on the police academy marks a serious breach of security in an already heavily-fortified city.
Just two hours after this attack, a loud explosion was heard across much of the city followed by sustained gunfire, the BBC's Philip Palmer reports from the Afghan capital.
Police said the attack was to the north of the airport, close to an area housing several Nato and Afghan military bases and training facilities.
The truck bomb, which went off in the early hours of Friday in the largely residential Shah Shahid area, caused one of the largest explosions the city has ever experienced.
It flattened buildings, damaged cars and left a 10m (30ft) crater in the road.
At least 240 people - mostly civilians - were wounded. The injured, including women and children, were rushed to hospital for treatment, and some bodies were feared buried in the wreckage of shops and businesses.
These attacks - along with Thursday's suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan that killed six people - are the first major incidents since the Taliban confirmed last week that its leader, Mullah Omar, was dead.
On Monday the Afghan Taliban released a video which they said showed members of the group pledging allegiance to the new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
But there is speculation of a power struggle and violent infighting within the military group, between supporters and opponents of Mansour.
Such infighting has led to fears for fragile peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, aimed at ending the long-running violence.
| Armed Conflict | August 2015 | ['(BBC)'] |
Voters in Nauru go to the polls to elect new members of parliament. President Baron Waqa loses his parliamentary seat so he is not able to be re-elected in the office he has been holding since 2013. | Results from the Nauru Electoral Commission show the incumbent President of Nauru has lost his bid to return to power.
Baron Waqa has not been re-elected for a seat in his constituency of Boe during the national election that took place on Saturday.
The 59-year-old had held the presidential title since 2013.
Nauru Electoral Commission More than 7,000 voters were registered to take part in the poll to determine who will govern for the next three years.
Voters elect members from their constituencies which make up Nauru's Parliament of 19 members.
Those members will ultimately decide who should hold the presidency.
In the run-up to the election, there was speculation that the country's Finance Minister, David Adeang, was bidding to oust Mr Waqa by backing a rival candidate in his constituency.
Roland Kun, a former Nauruan minister who fled to New Zealand and now lives in Australia, told the ABC that new candidates had been installed in the Boe constituency before the election.
"In Baron's constituency there's another candidate who has been put up by David Adeang, the Minister for Finance, and he's putting his support behind that candidate instead of his colleague in the Government," he said.
"We know what that's about because from our standpoint, David is pursuing the presidency."
"I think [the election result] is a very clear message that people do want change," he said on Sunday afternoon.
Pacific expert Tess Newton Cain, who has worked for the United Nations and World Bank in the region, also highlighted the fact that two of the 19 members of parliament are women.
"This is a significant achievement for Nauru in a region where women are not really well represented in national parliament."
Mr Waqa was contesting his constituency against four other candidates, with two of them, Asterio Appi and Martin Hunt, elected to Parliament.
Another candidate in his constituency Mathew Batsiua, a former foreign minister and member of the Nauru 19, was not elected and came fourth.
Nauru became the site of Australia's first offshore processing centre in 2001 under the so-called "Pacific Solution".
The country now draws a sizeable amount of its revenue from the visa fees it charges Australia per asylum seeker, payments and taxes associated with the regional processing centre, as well as aid.
The law applies only to those currently in Nauru or on Manus Island. The Government has recently been using an estimate of 1,000 people across both locations.
Mr Waqa's government favoured keeping the controversial centre open in Nauru, and the change in government now has the potential to significantly impact Australian asylum policy.
"While the [offshore processing centre] makes significant contributions to the economy of Nauru, that is obviously declining as the centre gets smaller… I think whoever takes over government will be looking at what's next for Nauru in terms of replacing those revenue streams as they dwindle," Ms Newton Caine told the ABC.
Mr Kun believed there would be no immediate changes to the offshore processing centre because the government still had no "fallback plan".
Mr Waqa's Government was accused of artificially boosting its support by granting citizenship to around 118 foreigners.
One Nauru-born campaign worker told the ABC that these new citizens are mainly Chinese people employed by the Government.
"It's been posted on Facebook, new names of these Chinese people," said a former Treasury worker who was dismissed for criticising Mr Waqa's Government and who asked to remain anonymous.
"They've been approached with some sort of application with a police clearance and medical check-ups, and it's just like that, overnight you're a citizen."
Ms Newton Cain said it was "hard to see how [the number boosting] couldn't have had an impact on the election."
"There are only 7,000 voters in Nauru and as we can see from the results, a number of these seats are won by a very small number — in the hundreds in a number of cases.
"Any additions to the roll are likely to have an impact," she said.
Mr Kun said voters had been "very upset" by the new names on the electoral roll and had raised their concerns "all around the country" in the lead-up to the election.
Joseph Cain, Nauru's electoral commissioner, told the ABC the new citizens had to be included in the electoral roll.
"The gazette for these new citizens was published at 16.58 on 3 August, two minutes before the roll closed," he said.
"Because the gazette was published before the close of the roll, I am required to obey the law and place these new citizens on the electoral roll."
| Government Job change - Election | August 2019 | ['(ABC News)', '(ABC News)'] |
Russia announces a tit–for–tat visa bar on Americans guilty of human rights violations, over the US Magnitsky bill. | Russia says it will bar Americans guilty of human rights violations, in response to a US bill that targets Russians guilty of such offences.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had informed his US counterpart Hillary Clinton of Moscow's decision.
"We will bar entry to Americans who are in fact guilty of human rights violations," he said.
The US bill, adopted by Congress on Thursday, normalises trade with Russia, but blacklists Russian rights abusers.
The legislation passed by large majorities in the House and Senate, and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law.
Under the bill, the US would withhold visas and freeze financial assets of Russian officials thought to have been involved with human rights violations.
The Russian foreign ministry called the bill "a performance in the theatre of the absurd".
It warned that the measure would have a "very negative impact on the prospects for bilateral co-operation".
"It's strange and wild to hear such claims about human rights addressed to us by politicians of the very state where in the 21st Century torture and the kidnapping of people all over the world were officially legalised," the ministry said. Mr Lavrov announced Moscow's retaliation following talks on the Syria conflict with Mrs Clinton and special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in Dublin on Thursday.
The US trade measure eliminates a long-obsolete 1974 provision, called the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, that tied trade relations with the former Soviet Union to the emigration of Jews and other Soviet minorities. Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in August, and must open its market and reduce tariffs under the terms of its membership. With the old trade restrictions in place, the US was the only WTO member that could not take advantage of Russia's market reform.
However, lingering congressional anger about human rights abuses and anti-American policies helped attach the Magnitsky Act to the larger trade bill.
The measure is named after Russian lawyer and whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Russian prison three years ago after allegedly being tortured.
Under the Magnitsky sanctions, the US must release a list of Russian officials thought to have been involved with human rights violations, and deny them visas and freeze their assets.
Leading Russian opposition blogger Alexei Navalny, who has long campaigned for transparency, welcomed the proposed US blacklist as a piece of "pro-Russian" legislation.
"Our foreign ministry has called this 'a performance in the theatre of the absurd'," he wrote on his blog.
"To use another metaphor, I'd call this kind of behaviour by our ministry and officials, who are in horror of these sanctions, 'a fire in a brothel'. "The Magnitsky Act is totally pro-Russian. It aims to punish the scum who stole 5.4bn roubles [£108m; $175m] from Russian taxpayers, transferred the money abroad and then tortured and killed a Russian citizen..."
"It's a shame and an outrage that the USA imposes sanctions on these bandits and butchers, while Russia hides and protects them," the Russian blogger added.
| Government Policy Changes | December 2012 | ['(BBC)'] |
Martin Callinan resigns as Commissioner of Ireland's Garda Síochána over his "disgusting" comment about whistleblowers made to a parliamentary committee. Callinan had also been involved in controversy over the recent surveillance/bugging of GSOC. | The head of the Irish police force has resigned following a controversy over whistleblowers. Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan informed Justice Minister Alan Shatter of his decision to resign on Tuesday. Two officers had raised concerns about flaws in the penalty points system. Mr Callinan told a parliamentary committee the claims were "disgusting", but he was urged to withdraw his remarks after an independent report recommended major reform of the system. The whistleblowers - Sgt Maurice McCabe and now-retired John Wilson - had claimed that senior police officers had inappropriately wiped the penalty points from the driving licences of often well-connected offenders.
The pair made their allegations to the Public Accounts Committee of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.
When Mr Callinan appeared before the committee, he described the actions of the two whistleblowers as "disgusting".
Since then, a report by the independent Garda Inspectorate found that there were consistent and widespread breaches of policy by those charged with administering the penalty points system.
The inspectorate also found Sgt McCabe's information was "credible".
Last week, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said that if he could choose one word to describe the two officers' actions it would be "distinguished", and added that the garda commissioner "was not above criticism".
In the Dáil (parliament) on Tuesday, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams both pressed Taoiseach Prime Minister Enda Kenny to ask the justice minister, Mr Shatter, to resign as well.
Mr Kenny said he would not be doing so.
He accused Mr Adams of only being interested in "getting another head on the plate" and said Mr Shatter would continue to reform the justice system.
"He will bring our system into the modern era, so everyone in the country can have confidence in it," Mr Kenny said.
In his resignation statement, Mr Callinan said he had taken the decision to retire from his post in "the best interests of An Garda Síochána (Irish police) and my family".
"Having joined An Garda Síochána in May of 1973, it has been a great honour and privilege to have spent nearly 41 years as a member of this tremendous organisation, serving the people of Ireland," he added.
Mr Callinan, who was appointed Garda Commissioner in 2010, said the last four years had seen "major changes" within the police force, some of which had "not always been easy". However, he said the changes had "resulted in a reduction in crime throughout the country". He sent his "best wishes and wholehearted support" to his successor and all other members of the police force.
Cabinet ministers are discussing the issue on Tuesday. Padraig Mac Lochlainn, Sinn Féin justice spokesman and chairman of the Public Service Oversight Committee, said Mr Callinan had made the right decision.
"From the moment that the allegations from the two Garda whistleblowers, Maurice McCabe and John Wilson, emerged about widespread malpractice of the penalty points issue the Garda Commissioner sought to downplay and even dismiss the allegations," he said.
"Worse, he repeatedly sought to discredit the credibility of the two whistleblowers which culminated in the outrageous 'disgusting' comment at the Public Accounts Committee."
Mr Mac Lochlainn said recent separate reports in the penalty points controversy by both the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Garda Inspectorate vindicated the core allegations of the whistleblowers.
One of the two officers, Mr Wilson, told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ that while Mr Callinan had served his country during his long career, "his position had become untenable and his decision to resign was the correct one".
Mr Callinan was due to retire in August 2013 but Justice Minister Alan Shatter tweaked a ban on officers serving past the age of 60 to allow the police chief serve for two more years.
The order came at a time when hard-hitting cutbacks and reforms had to be inflicted on the service under the Republic of Ireland's economic rescue package. However, the financial woes, including the closure of 100 police stations, appeared to be the least of his worries, as he was forced to battle several high-profile fall-outs about alleged police wrongdoing.
Last year, the long-running High Court judge-led Smithwick inquiry said the Garda remained a force where "loyalty is prized over honesty" as it concluded officers colluded in the murders of two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in 1989.
Last May the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) accused the service of withholding vital evidence from its inquiry into allegations that elite officers colluded with a convicted drug trafficker.
The independent watchdog set up to investigate police wrong-doing claims a specialist unit within the service turned a blind eye to drug dealer Kieran Boylan's activities in exchange for information on other dealers.
The row laid bare mounting tensions between police and the watchdog.
Claims by GSOC earlier this year that its headquarters in central Dublin had been bugged by government-level technology has led to another inquiry, headed by a retired High Court judge. A dossier of alleged police wrongdoing gathered by the whistleblowers is being investigated in a government-appointed inquiry by a senior lawyer.
In a statement, the Association of Garda Chief Superintendents paid tribute to the outgoing commissioner.
"In the course of a long and distinguished career in An Garda Síochána, Commissioner Callinan served the people of Ireland with commitment and dedication at all times." it said.
The Deputy Garda Commissioner, Noirín O'Sullivan, has been tipped as a possible successor for Mr Callinan.
If successful, the Dubliner would become the 20th commissioner and the first woman to hold the top job in Irish policing since the foundation of the state. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | March 2014 | ['(national police)', '(BBC)', '(The Journal)'] |
Iraqi protesters storm and set fire to the Iranian Consulate General in Najaf. | Iranian diplomatic staff unharmed as anti-government demonstrators storm and set fire to consulate in the southern city.
Anti-government protesters stormed and set the Iranian consulate ablaze in the southern city of Najaf on Wednesday, drawing condemnation from Iraq’s government, as the political turmoil continues to escalate.
The attack was the strongest expression yet of the anti-Iranian sentiment by Iraqi demonstrators, who have taken to the streets for weeks in the capital Baghdad and Shia-Muslim-majority south – and have been shot in their hundreds by Iraqi security forces.
Staff at the Iranian consulate evacuated safely before the attack in the holy city, which was later placed under a curfew, state media reported.
On Thursday, Iraq’s state news agency quoted the foreign ministry as condemning the attack on the diplomatic facility.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from the capital Baghdad said: “What we’re being told by eyewitnesses is that protesters surrounded the Iranian consulate in Najaf and they then set fire either to the building itself or the fence that surrounds the building.”
“But we’re still awaiting more details about it, specifically.”
One protester was killed and at least 35 people were wounded when police fired live ammunition to prevent them from entering the building, a police official told The Associated Press.
Demonstrators removed the Iranian flag from the building and replaced it with an Iraqi one. Iranian consulate staff escaped the building from the back door, unharmed.
The incident marked an escalation in the demonstrations that have raged in Baghdad and across mostly Shia southern Iraq since October 1.
The protesters accuse the government of being hopelessly corrupt and complain of poor public services and high unemployment.
They also decry growing Iranian influence in Iraqi affairs. Iran-backed political parties and paramilitary groups dominate state institutions and Parliament.
Iran on Thursday demanded Iraq take decisive action against “aggressors”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, quoted by state news agency IRNA, condemned the attack and “demanded decisive, effective and responsible action… against destructive agents and aggressors”.
Security forces have fired live rounds, tear gas, and smoke bombs on a near-daily basis since the unrest began.
At least 350 people have been killed and thousands wounded in what has become the largest grassroots protest movement in Iraq’s modern history.
Jamjoom said the latest incident is “clearly a significant escalation in Najaf, the seat of the Shia religious authority in the country“.
“This really adds fuel to the crisis at a time when the protesters are continuing to come out.”
The burning of the Iranian consulate followed tense days in southern Iraq, where protesters have burned tyres and cut access to main roads in several provinces.
In Karbala, four protesters were killed by live fire from security forces in the previous 24 hours.
Three of the anti-government protesters were killed when security forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds in the holy city of Karbala late Tuesday, security and medical officials said.
One protester died of wounds suffered when a tear gas canister struck him in clashes earlier in the day.
Authorities have warned against exploitation of the unrest by armed groups. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group claimed three bomb blasts in Baghdad overnight that killed at least six people, although it provided no evidence for the claim.
Beleaguered Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi expressed concern over both the violence and the financial toll of the unrest late on Tuesday.
“There have been martyrs among protesters and security forces, many wounded and arrested … We’re trying to identify mistakes” made by security forces in trying to put down the protests, he told a televised cabinet meeting.
At least 330 people have been killed since the start of mass unrest in Baghdad and southern Iraq in early October.
Reports by The New York Times and The Intercept on leaked intelligence cables appear to show Tehran’s clout in Baghdad.
US vice president’s visit comes as anti-government protests in Baghdad and across Iraq’s mainly Shia south escalate.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | November 2019 | ['(Reuters)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves the Nuclear Pact between Iran and a group of six world powers in return for sanctions relief. | The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved the Iran nuclear deal Monday, clearing a path to lift crippling economic sanctions against Tehran while restraining it its nuclear development program.
Monday's vote was largely a formality, because all of the Council's five permanent members — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China — along with Germany, negotiated the deal with Iran. The Council ordered its nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to "undertake the necessary verification and monitoring of Iran's nuclear commitments,' and it called on Iran to "cooperate fully" with the IAEA officials.
Assuming Iran adheres to the nuclear agreement, the approved U.N. resolution calls for an eventual end to seven sets of sanctions passed since 2006 to force Iran to halt what the United Nations and the West contended was an effort to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has always said its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes.
The sanctions will be dropped when the U.N. inspectors confirm that Iran's nuclear program is being conducted peacefully.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Powers, praised the Council for "testing diplomacy," while adding that the deal does not diminish continuing American concerns about Iran. She said those concerns include human rights violations, Iran's support for terrorism and its ballistic missiles program.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor called the resolution a “tragedy.”
“Iran will now have $150 billion to fund terrorist groups. How much money will go to Hezbollah and Hamas? How much money will go to [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad]?" he said. "How much money will go to fund worldwide terror activities?”
| Sign Agreement | July 2015 | ['(Voice of America)', '(Reuters)'] |
In horseracing, filly Treve keeps her undefeated record, winning the 2013 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe . | Last updated on 6 October 20136 October 2013.From the section Horse Racing
Treve put in an outstanding performance to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris.
Jockey Thierry Jarnet, who replaced the injured Frankie Dettori, pushed Criquette Head-Maarek's unbeaten filly to a dominant five-length victory.
It was Jarnet's first win in the race since 1994 as Treve emulated Zarkava in 2008 by winning the French Oaks, Prix Vermeille and Arc in the same season.
Favourite Orfevre was second ahead of Intello in Europe's richest horse race.
French racing's number one family, the Heads, have enjoyed many fine days, but surely none greater than this.
As well as Criquette Head-Maarek training Treve, who'll be back in 2014 with an Arc repeat as the plan (what a treat for the sport), the family also bred the horse, with father Alec masterminding it all.
And then Criquette's brother Freddy took the Prix de la Foret with another brilliant filly Moonlight Cloud. What a day.
The Arc result meant, of course, heartbreak for Treve's injured intended rider Frankie Dettori, and more frustration for Japan, finishing second and fourth.
Joshua Tree was the early front runner in the mile-and-a-half race and set a steady pace as Jarnet struggled to get early cover on the three-year-old French filly.
But unbeaten Treve made stealthy progress down the outside and appeared to be in control as she loomed up on the turn for home.
When the pace picked up, the Sheikh Joann Al Thani-owned filly took the lead as Joshua Tree dropped away.
Another burst of speed then sent the winner clear and Jarnet was able to ease up before the line with Orfevre, who also finished second last year, well behind.
Fellow Japanese runner Kizuna was fourth while Penglai Pavilion claimed fifth for Godolphin and Andre Fabre.
Aidan O'Brien fielded two Classic winners in Derby winner Ruler Of The World and St Leger hero Leading Light but neither challenged Treve for the £2.2m winner's prize.
"My English is not good but this is fantastic, magic," said winning rider Jarnet.
Trainer Head-Maarek, who won with Three Troikas in 1979, had sympathy for Dettori after the Italian broke his ankle at Nottingham on Wednesday and was ruled out for the season.
"I send my love to Frankie, he looked after her in the Vermeille because he knew the Arc was the target and I send him a big kiss," she said.
"At one point her head went up in the air and looked bored but she has so much class and is simply a wonder filly that she focussed and was never going to be beaten." | Sports Competition | October 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Ali Shamkhani is appointed as Secretary of Supreme National Security Council of Iran by President Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani also appoints Masoumeh Ebtekar as Vice President of Iran | Shamkhani first served as the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy. Later he commanded the Iranian Army's naval force in addition to the IRGC Navy.
He then became Iran's defense minister from August 1997 to August 2005 in the government of President Mohammad Khatami. When Ahmadinejad ascended to power in 2005 Shamkhani was replaced with Mostafa Mohammad Najjar in the post. In the 2001 presidential election, Shamkhani ran for office.
He is the director of the Iranian Armed Forces' Center for Strategic Studies and a military advisor to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Shamkhani will replace Saeed Jalili who served as SNSC Secretary during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tenure and represented Iran in nuclear talks with the world powers. The SNSC is, of course, not anymore in charge of the talks after President Rouhani in a decree last week shifted the leading role in the talks with the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) to the Foreign Ministry.
Yet, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham told FNA on Thursday that coordination for the Iran-powers talks will still be done by the SNSC, although the negotiations will be carried out by the foreign ministry. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | September 2013 | ['(Farsnews)'] |
Kevin Rudd is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Australia with Anthony Albanese as the Deputy Prime Minister. | Kevin Rudd has been sworn in again as Prime Minister almost three years to the day since he was ousted from the job by Julia Gillard.
Governor-General Quentin Bryce has also formally commissioned Anthony Albanese as the new Deputy Prime Minister and Chris Bowen as Treasurer, following Wayne Swan's resignation last night.
Mr Rudd seized back the top job last night winning a Caucus ballot 57 votes to 45 and will today face his first and likely last day of Parliament as Prime Minister before the next federal election.
The poll had been set by Ms Gillard for September 14 but Mr Rudd has given no indication he will stick with that date.
In the face of fresh uncertainty about the election timing, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has challenged the new Prime Minister to name the election date and make it soon.
"The real question for Mr Rudd today is - when is the election going to be?," he said on AM.
View the full list of winners and losers from Labor's leadership change.
"About the only thing Julia Gillard was successful at this year was naming an election date and now even that is uncertain."
Mr Abbott says he wants the election held "as soon as possible".
Mr Rudd's return was prompted by hopes that he can lift Labor's disastrous polling.
But his rise has come at a heavy price.
More than one-third of the Gillard ministry have resigned, including Trade Minister Craig Emerson and School Education Minister Peter Garrett - who will also leave Parliament.
Following her loss in the Caucus vote, Ms Gillard confirmed she would also quit politics at the next election.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet have all announced they will move to the backbench.
However, this morning key ministers have announced they will stay on Mr Rudd's frontbench.
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten, who announced he had switched his crucial vote to Mr Rudd just before the ballot, says he will stay on the frontbench and assumes he will stay in the same job.
The right faction powerbroker had been under pressure from within sections of Caucus to back Kevin Rudd for weeks, despite being pivotal to ousting him in 2010.
He says Mr Rudd is a "changed" man and has learned the lessons from his previous stint as Prime Minister.
"I believe that he will operate in a more consultative, open style," he said.
He has revealed he spoke to Mr Rudd about the leadership "this week" - before the ballot - but says Mr Rudd "probably" would have won even without his numbers.
He said he only made up his mind to vote for Mr Rudd after the ballot was announced and that Julia Gillard was "classy" when he informed her of his decision.
Finance Minister and Labor's new leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, has described her decision to back Mr Rudd as the most difficult decision of her political life.
"Yesterday I made the personal decision I could no longer support Prime Minister Gillard," she said.
"I met with her to advise her of that fact and it was the most difficult decision of my political life."
The Finance Minister said she would serve Mr Rudd in "whatever capacity", but anticipated she would keep her current portfolio.
Resources Minister Gary Gray has also confirmed the new Prime Minister has asked him to stay in the ministry, despite last week saying Mr Rudd lacked the courage to govern.
Mr Gray says he is being "practical and pragmatic" by staying on but, in a sign Labor's wounds are still raw, he has continued to accuse his new leader of actively working to bring down Julia Gillard.
"I think the internal behaviours of some in our Caucus in recent years have been simply beneath contempt and I've made my views about that very clear," Mr Gray added.
Environment Minister Tony Burke also offered Mr Rudd his resignation but the offer was refused.
"I'll wait for Kevin to work out how he wants to do the full reshuffle and what roles he wants people to have, but having offered and having had it rejected in a fairly emphatic way, my view is that we need to have a whole lot of us who are part of the healing and I'm prepared to be part of that," he told AM.
Mental Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler has also revealed he switched allegiance to Mr Rudd in the ballot and will stay on in the new ministry.
A full reshuffle of the ministry is expected to be announced in the next few days.
Mr Rudd is also expected to mark out significant changes in key policy areas, including the carbon price and the vexing issue of asylum seekers.
After last night's ballot, Mr Rudd said Labor could "start cooking with gas" and vowed to take the fight to Mr Abbott in the election.
"In 2007, the Australian people elected me to be their prime minister. That is a task that I resume today with humility, with honour, and with an important sense of energy and purpose," he said.
"In recent years, politics has failed the Australian people. There has just been too much negativity all round. There has been an erosion of trust - negative, destructive personal politics has done much to bring dishonour to our Parliament but done nothing to address the urgent challenges facing our nation, our community, our families.
"Why am I taking on this challenge? For me it's pretty basic, it's pretty clear. I simply do not have it in my nature to stand idly by and to allow an Abbott government to come to power in this country by default."
The defection of Mr Shorten - who was key to dumping Mr Rudd in 2010 - is likely to have secured Mr Rudd the winning votes.
Mr Abbott said once again the "powerbrokers of the Labor Party" had decided who would be the nation's prime minister.
Last night Mr Rudd issued a special appeal to young Australians to re-engage with politics, acknowledging the recent political discourse had been a "turnoff".
"I understand why you've switched off - it's hardly a surprise. But I want to ask you to please come back and listen afresh," he said.
"We need you, we need your energy, we need your ideas, we need your enthusiasm and we need you to support us in the great challenges which lie ahead for the country.
"And with your energy we can start cooking with gas."
In recent months, published polling had consistently shown Mr Rudd was the most popular Labor leader. The party will be hoping those numbers can be sustained, if not boosted.
Mr Rudd thanked Ms Gillard for her work as prime minister, praising her as a "woman of extraordinary intelligence, great strength, and great energy".
"She has been a remarkable reformer," he said.
An emotional Ms Gillard earlier called on the party to "put its divisions behind us".
"I understand that at the caucus meeting today, the pressure finally got too great for many of my colleagues," she said.
"I respect that. And I respect the decision that they have made.
"But I do say to my caucus colleagues: 'don't lack the guts, don't lack the fortitude, don't lack the resilience to go out there with our Labor agenda and to win this election'.
"I know that it can be done. And I also say to my caucus colleagues that that will best be done by us putting the divisions of the past behind us, and uniting as a political party, making sure we put our best face forward at the forthcoming election campaign, and in the years beyond."
Mr Swan said it had been a privilege to serve with Ms Gillard.
"She is one of the toughest warriors that have ever led the Australian Labor Party," he said.
"I think she's done more as a politician for our country in three years than many other politicians could ever hope to achieve."
Ms Gillard says she will stand by her pledge to resign from politics following the ballot loss.
"I will have time in the coming weeks to be back home in my electorate to say hello and goodbye to the community that I've had the absolute privilege of representing in this Parliament since 1998," she said.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
| Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | June 2013 | ['(ABC News Australia)'] |
Floods leave 1 dead, 3 missing, 33,000 evacuated in the Chinese province of Hainan. | HAIKOU - At least one fisherman died and three others went missing as the worst flooding in decades wreaked havoc in southern China's island province of Hainan, local authorities said Thursday.
By late Thursday, more than 210,000 people had been evacuated after about 1,160 villages were submerged by floodwaters, caused by the heaviest torrential rains in Hainan since 1961.
Economic losses caused by the floods were estimated at about 1.13 billion yuan (about US$169 million), Yang said.
The armed police headquarters of Hainan said more than 1,500 soldiers and 45 rescue boats had been dispatched for rescue work. The Naihai rescue bureau also sent helicopters and rescue boats to search for the missing fishermen.
On Thursday, local authorities used explosives to blast a reservoir twice in the provincial capital Haikou to reduce rapidly rising water levels that threatened to collapse the dam.
However, as of 7 pm, traffic was again moving on all the major highways that had been closed because of the floods, a spokesman for the provincial public security department said.
The provincial meteorology bureau has forecast more rainfall through Friday night.
In southern Guangdong province, about 2,000 people were evacuated due to floods caused by heavy rains that began pounding the area Tuesday. | Floods | October 2010 | ['(Global Times)', '(China Dialy)'] |
A shooting occurs at a United States Navy recruiting office and a Navy operational support center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, killing four U.S. Marines and the gunman and wounding a police officer, a Marine Corps recruiter and a sailor who is listed in serious condition. , , | CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., July 16 (Reuters) - Investigators on Thursday sought to determine what led a 24-year-old gunman to open fire at two military offices in Chattanooga, Tennessee, killing four Marines in an attack officials said could be an act of domestic terrorism.
Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, identified as the shooter by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was shot to death in the rampage that also injured three people.
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The attack comes at a time when U.S. military and law enforcement authorities are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by "lone wolves" to domestic targets.
NBC News reported that Abdulazeez was a naturalized American who was born in Kuwait. U.S. law enforcement officials said they were investigating whether he was inspired by Islamic State or a similar group.
Islamic State had threatened to step up violence in the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ends on Friday evening.
The extremist group, also known as ISIS and ISIL, claimed responsibility when a gunman in Tunisia opened fire at a popular tourist hotel and killed 37 people in June. On the same day, there was an attack in France and a suicide bombing in Kuwait.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist groups, said that Abdulazeez blogged on Monday that "life is short and bitter" and Muslims should not miss an opportunity to "submit to Allah." Reuters could not independently verify the blog postings.
The father was later removed from that list and the investigation did not reveal any information about his son, the Times said.
The Tennessean newspaper reported that two women were taken away in handcuffs from Abdulazeez's home on Thursday evening. Reuters could not immediately confirm that report.
According to a resume believed to have been posted online by Abdulazeez, he attended high school in a Chattanooga suburb and graduated from the University of Tennessee with an engineering degree.
"I remember him being very creative. He was a very light minded kind of individual. All his videos were always very unique and entertaining," said Greg Raymond, 28, who worked with Abdulazeez on a high school television program.
"He was a really calm, smart and cool person who joked around. Like me he wasn't very popular so we always kind of got along. He seemed like a really normal guy," Raymond said.
Mary Winter, president of the Colonial Shores Neighborhood Association, said she had known Abdulazeez and his family for more than 10 years and was stunned at the crime.
"We're all shocked and saddened," Winter said. "He never caused any trouble. We can't believe that this happened. We were just planning to have a swim team banquet tonight."
President Barack Obama offered his condolences to the victims' families and said officials will be prompt and thorough in getting answers on the shootings.
"It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have served our country with great valor to be killed in this fashion," he said in a statement from the Oval Office.
The Department of Homeland Security was stepping up security at certain federal facilities and supporting the FBI investigation, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
Chattanooga is a city of about 173,000 people along the Tennessee River in the southeast of the state.
The suspect, seen driving an open-top Ford Mustang, first went to a joint military recruiting center in a strip mall and sprayed it with gunfire, riddling the glass facade with bullet holes.
"Everybody was at a standstill and as soon as he pulled away everyone scrambled trying to make sure everyone was OK," said Erica Wright, who works two doors down from the center.
Armed forces recruiting centers are often located in shopping centers and other prominent places.
The gunman then drove off to a Naval Reserve Center about 6 miles (10 km) away, fatally shooting the four Marines before being shot and killed in a firefight with police.
Three others were wounded in the attacks, including a police officer reported in stable condition and a Marine.
The shootings began at about 10:45 a.m. local time (1445 GMT) and ended about 30 minutes later.
At least three people were wounded in the attacks, including a Marine and a Navy sailor who is in critical condition, according to the hospital. One of those hurt was a police officer who was in stable condition.
Police blocked access to the street where the suspected gunman lived in an upscale suburb.
Local media said memorial services for the victims would be held in various Chattanooga churches tonight.
"We condemn this horrific attack in the strongest terms possible," said Nihad Awad, national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
There have been other attacks on U.S. military personnel in the United States.
In 2009, former U.S. Army major Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas. He said he targeted unarmed soldiers preparing for deployment in retaliation for U.S. wars in the Muslim world.
And in May, two gunmen opened fire with assault rifles at a heavily guarded Texas exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. Both men were shot to death by responding authorities. (Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Eric Johnson in Seattle, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, David Bailey in Minneapolis, Frank McGurty and Katie Reiley in New York, Emily Stephenson, Julia Edwards, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Doina Chiacu and David Alexander in Washington and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Jon Herskovitz and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, James Dalgleish and Lisa Shumaker)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) With tourists flocking to distilleries, concerns about a pandemic hangover for Kentucky’s world-famous bourbon industry are quickly evaporating. A $19 million tourist center that Heaven Hill Distillery opened just days ago in the heart of the state’s bourbon country is already overflowing with reservations filling up quickly to learn about whiskey-making and sample its spirits, including its flagship Evan Williams...
The White House increased efforts this month to spur demand in hopes of meeting the July 4 goal set by the president.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK government is talking with European football governing body UEFA about "sensible accommodations" over the staging of the Euro 2020 semifinals and final at London's Wembley Stadium.
Lights, camera, real live audiences -- Milan fashion welcomes back actual people to its shows Friday, a sign the industry is ready to start turning the page on virtual formats adopted during the pandemic. "The lights that go out and come back on, the music that sounds as soon as the first models come out... it's an emotion that digital cannot give us," she said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was heckled with calls of "traitor" at a conservative conference Friday as he continues to draw criticism from members of the Republican base for his role in Congress's certification of President Biden's Electoral College victory."It is great to be back with so many patriots dedicated to faith and freedom and the road to the majority," Pence said to applause at the Faith & Freedom Coalition summit before the...
Clyburn says new legislation to mark Juneteenth as a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States gives him hope.
A Long Island village judge resigned while under investigation on misconduct allegations that included shoving one prosecutor and calling another “anti-Semitic” for not giving her husband’s associate a lenient plea deal. The post Judge Resigns After Being Accused of Shoving One Prosecutor, Calling Another ‘Anti-Semitic’ for Refusing to Cut Husband’s Associate a Plea Deal first appeared on Law & Crime.
Officials prepped $100 million worth of arms as Russia massed troops on the border, then pulled the plug as the Biden-Putin summit approached.
Videos shared on social media showed skirmishes between police and pro-Palestinian protesters at the Port of Seattle.
The wild saga of the South African woman who claims she gave birth to a record-setting 10 babieswho have yet to be seen publiclyhas taken several more dramatic turns. Health authorities took Gosiame Sithole into custody this week, reportedly for a psychiatric examination, prompting her attorney to threaten legal action to get her released. Meanwhile, a South African media outlet is reporting an exam showed no signs that Sithole had been...
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law a bill that will end federal pandemic unemployment in exchange for a long-term increase in state unemployment benefits.
O'Rourke tells PEOPLE he’s considering a run against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, but first his “full focus” is on increasing voter turnout
A shooting on Interstate 75 in Detroit late Thursday night killed a 2-year-old boy and injured a 9-year-old boy who is in serious condition.
Senate Republicans are preparing to unanimously block Democrats’ marquee election reform legislation, in a move that sets the stage for a bitter showdown over the future of voting rights across America and the survival of the filibuster rule. The Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and a dozen top lieutenants said on Thursday that they would vote down the bill known as S1, predicting that not a single Republican would cross the aisle to join...
C'mon, Joe Manchin! There is no such thing as a voting rights bill that Republicans will support
A search is underway for the driver.
It's a lot more than just driving directions. Managed by the US Space Force, GPS factors into a huge amount of the high-tech world we live in.
A decline in the vaccination rate threatens President Joe Biden’s goal to get 70% of U.S. adults at least one coronavirus vaccine dose by July 4.
The EU loses a bid to make the company deliver 120m doses of Covid-19 vaccine by the end of June.
Senate Democrats are preparing to draft a fiscal 2022 budget resolution with up to $6 trillion in reconciliation spending during the next decade. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down what this means for bipartisan talks on an infrastructure package and the path through reconciliation. Show Notes: Spending season begins with uncertainty […] The post Democrats go big with new spending proposal appeared first on Roll Call.
Giant rhinos were roughly the size of six elephants and they moved back and forth across Asia as their climate changed.
These queer-identified organizations are making the great outdoors more welcoming to all.
The film adaptation of the musical revealed the pain of experiencing racism within one’s own ethnic communities.
SpaceBok uses its four legs to get around, which could prove vital when it lands on Mars. Unlike Perseverance that has wheels, SpaceBok is able to travel over the rough Martian terrain. | Armed Conflict | July 2015 | ['(Reuters via MSN)', '(The Tennessean)', '(NBC News)', '(WRCB)', '(CNN)'] |
The World Health Organization declares a "global emergency", a rare designation that helps the international agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the pandemic. |
All times below are in Eastern time.
The Hubei Province Health Commission on Thursday reported an additional 42 deaths along with an additional 1,220 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the region as of Jan. 30. That brings the total to 204 deaths and 5,806 cases in the province.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. government was working closely with China to contain the outbreak, predicting a very good ending for the United States. We are working very closely with China and other countries, and we think its going to have a very good ending for us, that I can assure you, Trump said Thursday while visiting a manufacturing plant for auto supplier Dana in Warren, Mich., a suburb of Detroit. Trump said U.S. officials believe we have it all under control, adding that its a very small problem in this country.
Mondelez Chief Executive Dirk Van de Put said he expects first-quarter revenue to be affected by the spread of the coronavirus. The company has already closed two factories near the epicenter of the outbreak for 10 days to combat the risk of infection from the virus. Up to the moment that the media started to talk a lot about the coronavirus, we were selling out quite well, Van de Put told CNBC.
The union that represents American Airlines pilots said Thursday its suing American Airlines to halt service to China amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 170 people in China and infected more than 8,000 around the world. The Allied Pilots Association represents 15,000 professional pilots who fly for American Airlines, according to its site. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order that, the APA said, would halt all American Airlines service between the U.S. and China.
The U.S. State Department has placed all non-emergency staff and their families on authorized departure from China. While this is not an order for personnel to leave the country, it means they are permitted to leave the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. It will affect the U.S. embassy in Beijing and the Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang, a State Department spokesperson said, all of which will continue to provide consular services, as resources allow.
The World Health Organization said the fast-spreading coronavirus thats infected more than 8,200 across the world is a global health emergency a rare designation that helps the international agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the outbreak.
WHO is holding its fourth news briefing to announce whether the coronavirus outbreak is a global health emergency. WHO was expected last week to make its decision, but officials said they postponed their announcement to gather more data. WHO doesnt enact the emergencies lightly, health experts say. The last time WHO declared a global health emergency was in 2019 for the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that killed more than 2,000 people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois public health officials confirmed Thursday the nations first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus. The new patient is the spouse of the Chicago woman who brought the infection back from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, Illinois health officials said during a CDC press briefing. The transmission makes the U.S. at least the fifth country where the infection is now spreading through human-to-human contact.
Coming off the slowest year of growth in three years, the U.S. economy in the first quarter of 2020 is expected to slow down even more due to the impact of Boeing and now the potential wild card of the coronavirus. The virus has already hit the Chinese economy, as cities close and people isolate themselves in their homes. Its going to have a hit on Chinese spending, Barclays U.S. economist Jonathan Millar said. We may see more of it in the U.S. but we just dont know at this point. Its very uncertain.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC on Thursday the administration will not take any public health options off the table to protect Americans from the coronavirus, which has infected five U.S. citizens. He added that the risk of infection remains low for the American public and that U.S. health officials are taking all necessary precautions.
More than 8,200 coronavirus cases have now been confirmed across the world, outpacing the total number of infections over the nine-month SARS outbreak in less than a month. As of Thursday morning, there were 8,123 confirmed cases in mainland China alone, according to Chinese state media, and more than 100 cases elsewhere around the world. The new virus first emerged in Wuhan, China on Dec. 31. The deadly SARS virus, by comparison infected a total of 8,098 people globally from Nov. 1, 2002, through July 31, 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus could have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. I dont want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease, Ross told Fox Business Network. But the fact is, it does give businesses another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain.
I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, he said. Some to the U.S., some to Mexico as well.
Costa Cruises is holding 6,000 passengers aboard the Costa Smeralda near Italy after a Chinese woman came down with a fever, raising concern that she may have the virus, Italian news agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata reported. The cruise line Costa Cruises said in a statement that it is holding the 54-year-old woman from Macao in isolation along with her travel companion. The Health Authority has been immediately notified and is now on board to conduct all the pertinent measures, the company said. It is our utmost priority to ensure the health and safety of passengers and crew.
Russia plans to close its border with China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the countrys state media. A corresponding instruction was signed today. Work on it is already in progress. We will inform all those concerned properly about the measures to close the border in the Far Eastern region and other steps the government has taken (to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Russia), Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told the TASS news agency.
The total number of cases reached more than 7,900 worldwide with 170 deaths in China, Chinese and international health authorities said. The majority of cases are in mainland China, with at least 7,801 cases, exceeding the total number of SARS cases in that country during the 2003 epidemic. At least 101 other cases have been reported across more than a dozen countries across the globe, including the U.S.
More evacuation flights from the city of Wuhan for U.S. citizens will take place Monday, the State Department said. Reuters reported that those on the flights would be subject to screenings and monitoring requirements.
India has officially confirmed that at least one case of the coronavirus has reached the country. Indian health officials said the patient is a student at Wuhan University in China and has been isolated in a hospital in the southwestern state of Kerala. The statement said the person is stable and being closely monitored.
| Disease Outbreaks | January 2020 | ['(CNBC)'] |
Chadians head to the polls to elect their president. Incumbent Idriss Déby is expected to extend his three-decade mandate. | N'DJAMENA, April 11 (Reuters) - Polling stations opened in Chad on Sunday for a presidential election in which incumbent Idriss Deby is widely expected to extend his three-decade rule despite growing signs of popular discontent and criticism over his handling of oil wealth.
| Government Job change - Election | April 2021 | ['(Reuters)'] |
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announce an agreement to curb illegal migrant crossings in the English Channel. As part of the measures, costing the UK an additional 31.4 million euro, French border patrol officers will double their patrols on French beaches beginning next week, while enhancing surveillance, including increasing the use of drones to detect migrant boats. | The number of officers patrolling French beaches will double from next week to help stop migrants crossing the Channel, the UK's home secretary has announced.
It is part of further measures Priti Patel agreed in a meeting with her French counterpart on Saturday.
Officers will be aided by "enhanced" surveillance, such as drones and radar, to find smugglers and migrants.
Thousands of migrants have reached the UK in small boats this year.
The Home Office said 59 people on four boats crossed the Channel on Friday.
Ms Patel said that due to increased French patrols and intelligence sharing "we are already seeing fewer migrants leaving French beaches".
"The action we have agreed jointly today goes further, doubling the number of police officers on the ground in France, increasing surveillance and introducing new cutting edge technology, representing a further step forward in our shared mission to make Channel crossings completely unviable," she said.
In announcing the French patrols, the Home Office did not say how many more officers would be deployed.
Ms Patel also said there would be "a new asylum system" that is "firm and fair" and promised there would be new legislation for that next year.
But Saturday's announcement was criticised by Bella Sankey, director of humanitarian charity Detention Action.
"It is an extraordinary mark of failure that the home secretary is announcing with such fanfare that she is rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic," she said.
"No amount of massaging the numbers masks her refusal to take the sensible step of creating a safe and legal route to the UK from northern France, thereby preventing crossings and child deaths.
"Instead she throws taxpayers' money away on more of the same measures that stand no chance of having a significant impact on this dangerous state of affairs." According to figures collated by the BBC about 8,000 migrants in small boats have been taken into the care of Border Force officials, having reached UK shores or been intercepted in the Channel.
That is despite Ms Patel's vow in 2019 to make such journeys an "infrequent phenomenon".
Analysis: Simon Jones, BBC News There have been a number of deals between Britain and France over the past couple of years to try to bring a halt to these crossings. On each occasion, the two countries pledged to work more closely than ever to tackle the issue. But the number of migrants reaching the UK has continued to rise. The home secretary has been facing calls, not least from her fellow Conservative MPs, to get a grip of the issue. Now she's had to put her hands in her pockets to provide more resources for the French. There will now be real pressure on them to deliver results.
In October a Kurdish-Iranian family of five died attempting to cross the Channel. The small boat they were heading to the UK in capsized in rough conditions just a few kilometres into its journey.
There have been nearly 300 border-related deaths in and around the Channel since 1999, according to a recent report by Mael Galisson, from Gisti, a legal service for asylum seekers in France.
At Saturday's meeting, Ms Patel and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also agreed on steps to better support migrants arriving in France to find appropriate accommodation "in order to take them out of the hands of criminal gangs".
They agreed on measures to increase border security at ports in northern and western France to target smugglers and avoid migrant crossings threatening freight traffic.
Co-operation between French and UK law enforcement had already stopped about 1,100 migrants from making the dangerous crossing and led to 140 arrests since July, the Home Office said.
| Sign Agreement | November 2020 | ['(BBC)', '(La Voix du Nord)'] |
Ciudad Juárez–based newspaper Norte closes its print edition, citing a lack of security in Mexico. | Norte editor tells readers the paper is closing because the safety of reporters cannot be guaranteed
Last modified on Thu 5 Oct 2017 16.52 BST
A newspaper in the Mexican border city of Juárez has announced that it is shutting down because the unpunished killings of journalists in the country have made it too dangerous to go on.
Oscar Cantu Murguia, the editor of Norte, informed readers of his decision in a farewell letter titled “Adios!” that was published on the paper’s front page and online.
He cited the recent murder of journalist Miroslava Breach in the city of Chihuahua, which like Juárez is in Chihuahua state. Breach was a reporter for the national newspaper La Jornada and had also collaborated with Norte.
Breach was shot eight times in her car. One of her children was in the vehicle at the time but was not hurt. The gunmen left a note saying: “For being a loud-mouth.”
Announcing the decision to close the paper, Cantu wrote: “On this day, esteemed reader, I address you to report that I have made the decision to close this newspaper due to the fact that, among other things, there are neither the guarantees nor the security to exercise critical, counterbalanced journalism.
“In these 27 years ... we fought against the tide, receiving attacks and punishments from individuals and governments for having exposed their bad practices and corrupt acts that only played to the detriment of our city and the people who live in it.
“Everything in life has a beginning and an end, a price to pay,” he went on. “And if this is life, I am not prepared for any more of my collaborators to pay it, nor with my own person.”
Cantu also mentioned ambiguous financial concerns that he blamed on authorities – “the arrogant refusal to pay debts contracted for the provision of services”.
He vowed to continue “fighting from other trenches, always contributing and being loyal to my ideals and my city”. A spokesman for Norte told the Guardian that the organisation’s news website would continue to operate. Juárez, which has a population of 1.3 million people, currently has five local newspapers: El Diario, El Norte, El Mexicano, El PM and Hoy. Norte’s print run was 30,000 copies from Monday to Thursday and 35,000 from Friday to Sunday.
In Mexico, government advertising is a major source of revenue for many news outlets, and media critics say reliance on that often leads to tame coverage and self-censorship.
At least 38 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992 for motives confirmed as related to their work, according the Committee to Protect Journalists. The New York-based media advocacy group says 50 more were slain during the same period for reasons that remain unclear.
“Mexico is clearly going through a deep, full-blown freedom of expression crisis,” said Carlos Lauria, senior program coordinator for the Americas at CPJ. “It’s affecting Mexicans, not only journalists, because the fact that a newspaper closes is depriving people of information that they need in order to take informed decisions.”
The country saw a spate of attacks on journalists in March.
In addition to Breach, who was gunned down as she left home 23 March, two other journalists were killed in Guerrero and Veracruz, both states that are hotspots of drug cartel violence.
Another journalist was shot in Poza Rica, Veracruz on 29 March, leaving him in a critical condition. And an armed attack on a journalist in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, left his bodyguard dead. | Organization Closed | April 2017 | ['(AP via ABC)', '(Guardian)'] |
The opposition coalition chooses lawmaker Martin Fayulu, leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, as its joint presidential candidate. | Geneva (AFP) - Seven opposition leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday picked little known lawmaker Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate for key and long delayed presidential elections at the end of December when Joseph Kabila stands down after ruling the country for 18 years.
Fayulu, the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, will stand against Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardline former interior minister backed by Kabila in the December 23 vote, a statement said after three days of gruelling talks in Geneva.
The opposition leaders meeting in the Swiss city included two heavyweights in former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba and ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi. Both have been barred from standing in the election.
Three others besides the 61-year-old Fayulu had been authorised to contest the poll: Felix Tshisekedi, head of the long-standing UDPS opposition party; Vital Kamerhe, a former National Assembly speaker; and former finance minister Freddy Matungulu.
"I'm sure we will succeed in making our country democratic, free and independent," Fayulu told a news conference after the vote.
"I am only a spokesman for the fight for freedom and democracy," he said.
The choice was a surprise development with Tshisekedi widely regarded as the front runner before the announcement.
The elections are critical for the future of the DRC, a sprawling, mineral-rich country that has never experienced a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.
Kabila, 47, has been in power since 2001 at the helm of a regime with a reputation for corruption, incompetence and human rights abuses.
His second and final elected term in office ended nearly two years ago, but he stayed in office thanks to a caretaker clause in the constitution.
Months of speculation over his intentions, marked by protests that were repressed at a cost of dozens of lives, ended in August when he threw his weight behind Ramazani Shadary.
On October 25, opposition parties agreed in Johannesburg to name a joint candidate by November 15.
One of the issues dividing the opposition is the introduction of South Korean electronic voting machines which some say will be used to rig the vote.
Fayulu had said he would not contest if these machines were used, in contrast to Tshisekedi who had said he was willing to take part in the vote even if they were.
After Sunday's announcement Fayulu -- when questioned about this -- said the opposition would "work relentlessly to seek the scrapping" of the machines.
"The battle continues, we want an election without voting machines," he said.
The opposition said a rally would be organised soon in Kinshasa to present their candidate.
The couple went to the cliff to watch the sunrise.
Rumours abounded on Friday night that China's top spycatcher had defected to the US, amid a growing focus in Washington on the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Dong Jingwei, vice minister of state security, was reported to have flown from Hong Kong to the US in February with his daughter. There was no confirmation of the rumoured development from either the US or China. Dr Han Lianchao, a former Chinese foreign ministry official who is now a pro-democracy activist in the US,
30 live wolves chased a group of Chinese actors during a performance of "Tuoling Legend" last week, but the theatre claims the wolves are trained.
The urine test could help detect brain cancer earlier than traditional scans, improving patient survival.
Information like Social Security and passport numbers, addresses, and health data may have been accessed, the Associated Press reported.
Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence was booed at what should've been a friendly crowd at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Orlando.
Ever seen a scared cottonmouth?
Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday he hopes Matthew McConaughey doesn't run for Texas governor as he might pose a "formidable" challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott.
Daredevil Alex Harvill, 28, crashed his motorcycle while practicing to perform a 351-foot jump at an airshow in Washington state on June 17.
The last 15 months haven’t been kind to our bodies. A more sedentary lifestyle and the pursuit of something to salve the fear of the deadly pandemic raging around the globe has pushed us to the biscuit tin and takeaway delivery apps. In the first three months of the pandemic, Brits reportedly saw body weight increase by between 1.6 and 6.5lbs. Recognising the potential damage that could cause, and preparing for society reopening, we’ve started to take action. Six in 10 of us have made at least o
Former White House doctor Rep. Ronny Jackson and 13 other Republicans want President Joe Biden to take a mental cognition test and share the results.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed the primary opponent of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday, months after the Alaska moderate voted to convict him on a charge of incitement of insurrection.
Much to the surprise of a puzzled pundit corps, history may well conclude that, while President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin produced no big-deal breaking news headline, their summit may prove to be one of the 21st century’s pivotal events.
Stepp and his wife spent 19 days in the hospital with Alli.
Brussels has signalled it could back down and avert a trade war with the UK as on Friday it welcomed the Government's request for a three-month extension for British sausages to be sold in Northern Ireland. Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president, told an audience in Bruges that he was "convinced there is still a window for productive political dialogue" before the ban on chilled meats comes into effect in July. His comments came 24 hours after it was confirmed that Lord Frost, th
Biden gets called out for 'disappointing' Trump-like habit of hiring senior aides' children
Even though my father passed away, he remains a source of comfort, love and safety.
Three days before Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was officially sworn in, he drew a line in the sand to the city’s command staff: “You lie, You die,” warned the incoming chief, suggesting changes were coming within the department.
Teen buys contents of repossessed storage units, then returns everything to the original owners
Elon Musk's mansion is up for sale on Zillow, Google Health is reorganizing, and a website ranks the sexiest VCs: 10 things in tech you need to know. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | November 2018 | ['(Reuters)', '(AFP via Yahoo News)'] |
The National Wrestling Alliance announces that Vice President Dave Lagana has resigned from the company after he is accused of sexual assault. | NWA has announced Vice President David Lagana is resigning from his position due to a claim of sexual assault by a female wrestler.
Originally published on ProWrestlingSheet.
NWA has announced Vice President David Lagana is resigning from his position due to a claim of sexual assault by a female wrestler.
The National Wrestling Alliance tweeted:
Pursuant to allegations made by pro wrestler Liz Savage on her Twitter account, 6/18/2020, NWA VP David Lagana has resigned his position, effective immediately. As well all production of NWA content is temporarily halted, pending a restructuring of executive management positions.
Savage shared her story on Twitter claiming the incident took place in 2010 while the two were living together as friends and sharing a bed, in a non-sexual way. One night, however, the wrestler claims she woke up with his hand down her pants while he was touching himself.
Liz claims she pulled away and he stopped, then kicked her out of their apartment the same week.
Savage made her story known as part of an online movement of people in wrestling speaking out against those who have been sexually, emotionally or verbally abusive in the industry. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | June 2020 | ['(Pro Wrestling Sheet)'] |
Nine people are killed at Culiacán International Airport in the Mexican state of Sinaloa as a cargo aircraft fails to take off and careens across a roadway, hitting several vehicles and business premises. | The plane overshot the runway and slid onto a road where it hit a military vehicle and other cars.
Officials said two soldiers and four civilians were among those killed on the ground at Culiacan airport.
Mexico's president had been planning a visit to the state of Sinaloa but cancelled the trip after the accident.
The two soldiers who were killed were guarding the airport for his arrival.
Another five people were injured and sent to hospital. As the plane sped down the runway to take off a tyre exploded and the pilot lost control of the aircraft. It ran onto a road, hitting a military vehicle, two other cars and a mechanic's workshop. "The plane was not able to take off, and because the airport is in the middle of an urban area, it crashed on a busy road," Oscar Rivera, a spokesman for the pacific coast state of Sinaloa told Agence France Presse. | Road Crash | July 2007 | ['(BBC News)'] |
Two people are arrested and five people suffer minor injuries at the University of Florida during protests of Richard B. Spencer's speech at an event there. | — -- Five arrests were made Thursday in connection with an event that self-described white supremacist Richard Spencer held at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.
Three men were arrested for their alleged role in a shooting incident following Spencer's speech, according to the Gainesville Police Department. The three suspects "engaged in an argument with another group of people that turned violent with gunfire," police said in a press release today.
The three individuals -- Tyler Tenbrink, 28, William Fears, 30, and Colton Fears, 28 -- are all from Texas, according to police.
The police report for Tenbrink states that while in a car, the suspects pulled up to the victims and one of the three men shouted "Hail Hitler and other chants" before "an argument ensued." According to police, Tenbrink got out of the vehicle with a handgun and threatened to kill the victims, while the two other men encouraged him to shoot them. Polie said Tenbrink fired a single shot that "thankfully missed the group" and hit a nearby building.
One of the victims was able to get the car's license plate number before it drove away, police said.
The suspects fled in a car and were later arrested by an off-duty officer who noticed the car while driving home from working at the Spencer event, police said. At least two of the three suspects are connected to extremist groups, according to police. All three remain in the Alachua County Jail and are under at least $1 million bond.
The Alachua County Sheriff said two other people were arrested. Sean Brijmohan, 28, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property. The office said in a tweet that he had brought a gun onto the campus after being hired by a media organization as security. David Notte, 34, was charged with resisting an officer without violence.
Security measures were in place throughout Gainesville. The added precautions stem partly from Gov. Rick Scott’s decision on Wednesday to declare a state of emergency before the event.
Leading up to the start of the event, audience members at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts began to boo before Spencer even took the stage. Once he did, attendees began chanting phrases like "Go home, Spencer!" and "Say it loud, say it clear, Nazis are not welcome here!"
Spencer berated the audience for believing in free speech but not letting him speak.
"What are you trying to achieve then?" Spencer asked the crowd. "You all have an amazing opportunity to be a part of the most important free speech event perhaps in our lifetime. This is when the rubber hits the road with the question of the First Amendment."
While demonstrations remained peaceful, police continued to circulate among protesters and reporters in the street near the auditorium after the event began.
One flare-up in the crowd occurred when a man wearing a shirt with Nazi swastikas entered the anti-Spencer protest area. The man was in the area for work and wanted to hear Spencer speak, he said.
As the man walked through the crowd, he was quickly surrounded by protesters and chanting. He also appeared to have been punched in the mouth and was seen with blood on his teeth and running down his mouth.
The protesters surrounded the man as he walked off campus. At first, police were not able to keep the crowd away from him and had to fall back several times. Police in riot gear and others with batons eventually formed a line to stop the crowd and escorted the man away.
Five people had minor injuries and were immediately treated by fire rescue teams, authorities said.
Arrested Man ID as Sean Brijmohan 28 YOA from Orlando FL. Arrested under FS790.115(2)(c)1 Carrying Firearm on School Property. pic.twitter.com/uY5B2EXtCU— Alachua Co. Sheriff (@AlachuaSheriff) October 19, 2017
Arrested Man ID as Sean Brijmohan 28 YOA from Orlando FL. Arrested under FS790.115(2)(c)1 Carrying Firearm on School Property. pic.twitter.com/uY5B2EXtCU
"Despite our worst fears of violence, the University of Florida and the Gainesville community showed the world that love wins," said University of Florida President Kent Fuchs. "We’re exceptionally grateful to our law enforcement partners and Governor Scott for providing the resources necessary to ensure the safety of our campus and community."
Spencer is the president of a group called the National Policy Institute, which asked to organize an event at the university, a public school. The university originally denied his request in September because of safety concerns. The heightened concern about the event is due to violence surrounding a rally featuring him in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August. One person was killed after a driver plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, and at least 19 others were injured.
But as a state-run entity prohibited from blocking free expression, the school ultimately honored the request, according to its website.
The Gainesville Police Department posted a message on its Facebook page Wednesday, writing, "For months, GPD has been preparing a comprehensive safety and security plan for this week."
"We have been very tight-lipped about our security measures for good reason ... and it's to keep you safe," the statement reads.
"We won't get into exact numbers ... but you can rest assured that there are plenty of extra law enforcement officers in town to help in any situation."
Security costs for the University of Florida Police Department, Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Sheriff's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol and other agencies total more than $500,000, according to the school website. | Protest_Online Condemnation | October 2017 | ['(ABC News)'] |
Martin McGuinness resigns from the House of Commons. | Martin McGuinness is to resign his Westminster seat as Sinn Féin seeks to end "double jobbing".
McGuinness will step down as MP for Mid Ulster in order to continue as Northern Ireland's deputy first minister. He will continue as the assembly member for the mainly rural constituency.
The former chief negotiator for the republican movement during the peace process has also cast doubt on whether he will meet the Queen during her visit to Northern Ireland later this month.
McGuinness admitted that it would be a "huge ask" for him to shake hands with the Queen when she visited the Stormont parliament on 27 June as part of her diamond jubilee celebrations.
In recent weeks he had indicated he was open to the idea of meeting the Queen, but appears to have had a change of heart now. "As we speak, we do not have a doable proposition in relaton to this," he said.
There was anger over the weekend within Sinn Féin over a planned jubilee party for the Queen on the Stormont estate. The party's culture minister in the Northern Ireland power-sharing government, Carál Ní Chuilín, said she had not been consulted about the event and she would not be attending the function.
Sinn Féin confirmed McGuinness would be standing down as MP for Mid Ulster as the party's president, Gerry Adams, said its other MPs in Northern Ireland would resign their seats in the Stormont assembly.
"Over the past number of years Sinn Féin have been addressing the issue of elected representatives who hold multiple mandates. Our party policy has been to phase out this practice entirely," Adams said.
"We have recently completed this with MLAs [members of the legislative assembly] who also held positions at local council level, and are now moving on to address the issue of MPs who also sit in the assembly in a decisive way.
"Martin will resign as MP for Mid Ulster to concentrate on his work in the assembly and as deputy first minister. This will obviously necessitate a byelection for Westminster," Adams said.
The byelection will put pressue on the two main unionist parties to find a common unity candidate to win back the seat from the republicans. Sinn Féin, however, would remain favourite to retain the seat McGuinness won during the peace process.
The cross-community Alliance party said Sinn Fein MPs' policy of boycotting Westminster had left their constituents voiceless.
The Alliance's Craigavon councillor, Conrad Dixon, said: "While I welcome any other party ending double jobbing between the assembly and Westminster, the fact is they [Sinn Féin MPs] do not take their seats so there is not much for them to concentrate on."
"It is good to see that they are belatedly following my Alliance colleague Naomi Long's lead in ending double jobbing, even though she was two years ahead of them.
"While MPs such as Naomi Long have represented Northern Ireland in the House of Commons on issues such as air passenger duty, welfare reform, taxation and international issues that the assembly has no responsibility for, Sinn Féin have been voiceless by refusing to take their seats." | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | June 2012 | ['(The Guardian)'] |
The Russian embassy in Damascus is shelled. |
Two mortar rounds landed on the premises of the Russian Embassy
in the afternoon, “one of them fell near the main entrance,
the other hit an administrative building," Asiya Turuchiyeva
embassy's spokeswoman, told RIA Novosti.
There were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the mortar
attack as it happened during the lunch break, the spokeswoman
added.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the shells were fired
from the Jobar district of Damascus, which is controlled by
“illegal armed groups.”
“We treat the incident as terrorist act, aimed against the
Russian Embassy. We strongly condemn its perpetrators, organizers
and instigators. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Syrian
authorities in their efforts to combat the terrorist threat in
the territory of Syria,” Aleksandr Lukashevich, Russian
Foreign Ministry spokesman, said.
READ
MORE: UN Security Council condemns attack on Russian embassy in
Damascus as ‘terrorist act’
Moscow urged the international community “to give due
assessment to the terrorist attack against the Russian diplomatic
mission” and demanded “an immediate cessation of such
acts” from all parties with influence on the extremists in
Syria, he added.
Syrian authorities were quick to respond, promising to boost
security and ensure the Russian Embassy’s safety.
The UN Security Council has strongly condemned “the terrorist
attack” against the Russian embassy in Damascus, calling for
those responsible to be brought to justice.
“The members of the Security Council recall the fundamental
principle of inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises
and obligations of host governments to take all appropriate steps
to protect diplomatic and consular premises against any intrusion
or damage,” ambassador and Permanent Representative of
Lithuania Raimonda Murmokaite told journalists.
“The members of the Security Council underline the need to
bring perpetrators of such acts to justice.”
It’s the second time the Russian embassy in Damascus has been
shelled this year. The previous incident occurred in January when
a shell hit the roof of the consulate’s building.
Syria has been engulfed in a bloody civil war since March 2011,
with government forces of President Bashar Assad fighting various
opposition and terrorist groups, including the Al-Qaeda-linked
Nusra Front and Islamic State.
Over 220,000 people have been killed and around 5 million made
refuges during the four-year conflict, according to UN
estimations.
RT News App | Armed Conflict | May 2015 | ['(RT)'] |
A court in Yangon convicts five members of satirical thangyat troupe Peacock Generation over an April performance in which they lampoon the nation's military. They each are jailed for one year. | Five members of a satirical poetry troupe in Myanmar have been jailed for making fun of the country's military.
The group, Peacock Generation, was arrested in April over their "thangyat" - a traditional art form that combines spoken word poetry, comedy and dance.
The performers were found guilty of undermining the military and were each sentenced to one year in prison. Three members of the group face additional charges for livestreaming the performance on Facebook.
The five poets - Kay Khine Tun, Zay Yar Lwin, Paing Pyo Min, Paing Ye Thu and Zaw Lin Htut - were charged under law 505.A, which controls public statements. They were convicted in a court in Yangon (Rangoon), the largest city in Myanmar (also called Burma) and its former capital.
In the performance, they criticised the army's share of power in parliament, and showed the audience pictures of a dog wearing a military jacket.
Delivering his verdict, Judge Tun Kyaw said: "It is obvious that this is not unintentional, as they performed in front of the public with those phrases. The troupe is found guilty."
All five denied wrongdoing.
Speaking after the verdict, Zay Yar Lwin told reporters: "I do not recognise the authority of the judiciary. Whether it is one day or a year makes no difference."
Myanmar's government is increasingly using its powers to imprison people who criticise the authorities, including journalists, artists and dissidents.
The country's civilian government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has made very few changes to the draconian laws it inherited from the five decades of military dictatorship that preceded it.
Amnesty International said the verdict against the Peacock Generation poets was "appalling".
"Punishing people for performing a piece of satire speaks volumes about the dire state of freedom of expression in Myanmar," Joanne Mariner, the human rights group's South East Asia research director, said.
"These activists are prisoners of conscience. They have already spent six months behind bars, just because the Myanmar authorities are too thin-skinned to tolerate the mildest criticism."
According to Athan, a freedom of speech advocacy group in Myanmar, 26 people were charged under the same law in the first half of 2019.
Jailed for a comedy show in Myanmar
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | October 2019 | ['(BBC News)'] |
15 people died and 13 were injured when a truck carrying potatoes crashed into five vehicles in Mbeya, Tanzania. | Fifteen people died and 13 were injured when a truck carrying potatoes crashed into five vehicles in the southern Tanzanian town of Mbeya.
The truck was driving down a steep hill when the accident happened on Friday night.
"Yet again we have lost fellow citizens in a road accident, while others are injured. I am deeply saddened," President John Magufuli was quoted as saying in the statement.
“We received 13 deceased who died on the spot and two others lost their lives while receiving treatment. Two more victims are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” said Dr Petro Seme at the Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital.
He said four victims have been discharged while several others continue to receive treatment.
According to the police, the accident involved two petroleum tankers, two trucks and a minibus.
Road accidents in Tanzania are common, often due to speeding, overloading of vehicles, poor road and vehicle conditions, but also lax road safety enforcement by police.
In March, 24 people were killed when a bus collided with a truck, while the following month a similar accident left 12 dead and 46 injured.
Last Sunday five people, including two tourists from Spain and two from Italy were killed in accident in the north of the country. | Road Crash | September 2018 | ['(The East Africa)'] |
Voters in the Maldives go to the polls for the second round of a presidential election. | Voters in the Maldives have been going to the polls to elect a president after two previous attempts failed.
Candidates came to a last-minute agreement earlier this week to agree and sign the voter lists required for the election to take place.
But turnout was lower than expected, amid disappointment about political rows throughout the election process.
In 2012, ex-President Mohamed Nasheed was forced from office, sparking a political crisis. He is seeking to regain power at these elections.
Tensions are high after one vote was annulled and a re-run halted by police.
Polls closed at 10:30 GMT.
Supporters of Mr Nasheed's opposition Maldivian Democratic Party allege the government and judiciary are attempting to influence the electoral process, fearing he will return to power. Mr Nasheed won the Indian Ocean archipelago's first-ever democratic vote in 2008, ousting Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ran the country autocratically for three decades. His main rival at the ballot box is Mr Gayoom's half-brother, Abdullah Yameen. The other major contender is Gasim Ibrahim, a wealthy resort owner and a former minister under Mr Gayoom.
If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote then a second vote is scheduled to take place on Sunday.
But the elections commissioner said Mr Nasheed's two rivals had so far not approved the voter register for any run-off, which would be necessary for the vote to go ahead.
In a vote on 7 September, Mr Nasheed led with 45% of the vote, while Mr Yameen and Mr Gasim trailed with 25% and 24% respectively.
President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik got 5% and later bowed out.
That vote was annulled by the Supreme Court after Mr Gasim alleged irregularities, despite observer groups deeming the vote free and fair. The court also introduced new guidelines for elections.
Police halted the planned re-run on 19 October saying the guidelines had not been met, after both Mr Gasim and Mr Yameen failed to approve the registry of voters.
According to the Maldives constitution, a new president has to be in place by 11 November when the current presidential term ends.
Mr Nasheed was forced from office in February 2012 in what he has described as a coup. Mr Waheed, who succeeded him, claims Mr Nasheed resigned of his own accord in the face of opposition demonstrations. | Government Job change - Election | November 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
At least 14 people are killed and at least 25 others are injured in a bus crash near Concepción Tutuapa in Guatemala's San Marcos department. | A bus crash in Guatemala's western highlands has killed at least 14 people and injured at least 25 others. The victims were all ex-paramilitaries who had been working for a government reforestation project. They were travelling to collect their pay in the town of Concepcion Tutuapa, 280km west of Guatemala City, when the bus left the road and plunged into a 50m (164ft) deep ravine. Traffic accidents are frequent on Guatemala's mountain roads. "The driver was going very fast and when we got to the curve his brakes failed and we went into the ravine," one survivor of the accident told local media. There were about 60 passengers on the bus, all of them former members of the paramilitary civil patrols set up by the military to combat left-wing rebels during Guatemala's 1960-1996 internal conflict. Hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans from rural communities were forced to join the civil patrols, and veterans have since campaigned to receive payment for their service. The reforestation project the victims of the accident were working on was part of a government programme to create employment for ex-paramilitaries.
Guatemala bus crash kills dozens
Country profile: Guatemala
Timeline: Guatemala | Road Crash | January 2011 | ['(BBC)', '(Latin American Herald Tribune)'] |
21 bodies are discovered so far after a convoy of around 50 people including politicians, journalists and supporters is hijacked by dozens of armed gunmen in Maguindanao, southern Philippines. | RELATED STORIES Senate probe on Maguindanao massacre soughtArroyo vows justice in massacreLiberal Party wants Ampatuan suspended
Palace adviser calls for state of emergency
TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines (UPDATE 3) At around 10 a.m. on Monday, vice mayor Ishmael Mangudadatu of Buluan town in Maguindanao received a call from his wife that at least 100 armed men were holding her and 50 others, including 34 journalists.
Mangudadatu’s wife Genalyn even complained that one of the armed men, whom she identified as “Ampatuan’s men," slapped her.
That was the last time the vice mayor heard his wife’s voice. Late Monday afternoon, Genalyn’s body was among those found in the village of Masalay in Datu Abdullah Sangki town in Maguindanao.
“This is very painful but we trust God’s sense of justice. We leave everything to him,” he said.
Buluan town Mayor Ebrahim Mangudadatu, brother of Ishmael, said they got witnesses who claimed that his sister, Mayor Eden Mangudadatu of Mangudadatu town, was brave enough to stab Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., the man who wanted to succeed his father, Andal Sr., as Maguindanao governor and the man against whom Ishmael would run.
“Maybe sensing that all of them will be killed, she drew out a knife and stabbed Andal Jr. She’s brave,” the mayor said.
Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza condemned the massacre.
“This is a gruesome massacre of civilians unequalled in recent history. Even women and working mediamen were not spared. I grieve for my friends in the media and all those killed while doing their job,” Dureza said in a statement.
“There must be a total stop to these senseless violence and carnage in the highest form. I strongly recommend that a state of emergency be imposed in the area and everyone be disarmed. Anything less would not work,” Dureza added.
Buluan town Mayor Ebrahim Mangudadatu said he saw at least 20 bodies in the village of Masalay earlier in the day.
“I saw around 20 bodies scattered on the ground. The cadavers were riddled with bullets. Some women were obviously raped. The vehicles used were ransacked and all valuables were taken away,” the mayor, who went to Masalay on a helicopter, said.
Masalay, which is near the national highway, is a village of corn and coconut farms.
Mayor Ebrahim Mangudadatu said some of the victims were buried. He said a backhoe, which was apparently used to dig the graves, was still in the area.
The backhoe is owned by the Provincial Government of Maguindanao and had Governor Andal Ampatuan’s name printed on it, the mayor said.
At least 34 journalists were with the group taken hostage by the armed men Monday morning.
The journalists were there to cover the filing of certificate of candidacy for gubernatorial position of Buluan Vice Mayor Ishmael "Toto" Mangudadatu.
The 34 journalists, aboard three vehicles, were part of the convoy led by vice mayor Eden Mangudadatu of Mangudadatu town in Maguindanao, who was tasked by his brother to file his COC with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao.
Also taken hostage were the vice mayor’s youngest sister Bai Farina Mangudadatu, his two legal counsels Cynthia Joquindo and Connie Brizuela and about 30 other women supporters.
Mangudadatu sent his wife and two sisters and several other women supporters to formally file his COC with the Comelec to avoid creating tension.
“I was expecting they will not harm them because they were all women. No security escorts were sent to accompany them as I trust the police and military could protect them,” the vice mayor said.
Mangudadatu is running for a post long held by the Ampatuans. Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., is reportedly the one eyeing to replace his father, Andal Sr.
A total of 37 journalists were listed in the attendance sheet passed around by radio reporter Henry Araneta, among those taken hostage.
The convoy left Buluan town past 9 a.m. but three other newspaper reporters were left behind as they dropped by a hotel in Tacurong City where the journalists stayed overnight.
A hotel staff informed the trio that two motorcycle-riding men asked for the whereabouts of the media. They even tried to get the names of all journalists covering the scheduled filing of the COC of Mangudadatu. The hotel staff, however, did not give the names of journalists claiming they didn’t have the list.
Sensing danger ahead, the three journalists decided not to proceed to Shariff Aguak.
Early Monday morning, the Inquirer tried to contact the journalists who travelled with the convoy but they could no longer be reached.
A text message sent back by Bart Maravilla’s mobile phone number even said: “cnung bart? Ala akong kila2ng ganun ee.”
No one from the Ampatuans could be contacted for reactions.
Even the mobile phone of provincial election supervisor Estelita Orbase at the provincial capitol could not be contacted.
The massacre happened while Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan were reportedly in Manila for an emergency meeting with presidential adviser on political affairs Gabriel Claudio.
Health workers in Maguindanao said some of them had to go home early to this city in trying to evade the very volatile situation.
On Monday afternoon, Cotabato City-based reporters dispatched to cover the hostage-taking had to return to base when told of the hazard waiting at the scene.
Told to back-off by government security troops were ABS-CBN and GMA television crew and other print and broadcast journalists.
Loreto Rosario of the Catholic-ran DXMS radio said "the situation is too hot and we were told to wait for it to cool off."
A correspondent of GMA-Cotabato said he was prevented from taking footage and “soldiers and civilians told us not to proceed. Delikado raw (It’s dangerous)."
Lerio Bompat of ABS-CBN said journalists were limited to the Capitol premises and were advised not to go to the scene of the crime, about 5 kilometers away from the Comelec office.
Vice Mayor Mangudadatu said he had asked the military and police for security escorts but the request was ignored.
He also appealed to Malacaang to “act and stop the excesses of the Ampatuans.”
“I’m determined to run no matter what happens. Change must take place in Maguindanao. I want to save the Bangsamoro people from this kind of leadership,” the vice mayor said.
| Armed Conflict | November 2009 | ['(AP)', '(Philippine Inquirer)', '(GMA News)'] |
A snow storm hits the Mountain West and Great Plains areas of the United States. | -- Snow began falling over Colorado and Kansas on Tuesday as yet another round of winter weather began marching across the United States barely a week after a record-setting winter storm roared across the Midwest.
A powerful weather system poised over the Rockies is forecast to dump several feet of snow in the Mountain West and up to 10 inches in some parts of Oklahoma, forecasters said.
Much of Oklahoma is under a winter storm warning, but snow and sleet are predicted as far south as central Texas, with 2 to 4 inches expected to coat the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the National Weather Service said. Later in the week, the system is expected to bring rain and snow to many areas of the Deep South before delivering a wintry mix along portions of the East Coast by Thursday.
Snow is expected to spread into Oklahoma and north Texas on Wednesday and into Wednesday night, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. By Wednesday, it also will begin spreading into the Southeast. Cities like Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas, could see 4 to 8 inches of snow, while lesser amounts are expected in Nashville; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta.
Bitterly cold temperatures will lock the center of the country in the deep freeze as the system moves east.
"Maximum temperature departures are expected to run 30 to 40 degrees below average for the central U.S. (Tuesday) with the same departures sinking south into Oklahoma and north Texas on Wednesday," the Weather Service said.
Rain is likely across most of the Southeast on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
Scattered snow is expected in the Great Lakes region Wednesday.
A historic storm left its mark on at least 30 states last week, dumping about 2 feet of snow on the Chicago area and prompting Oklahoma's governor to declare a state of emergency.
Another winter system at the end of the week left central and southern Texas a mess.
Ice caused 800 crashes across the Houston metropolitan area and many freeways were closed because they were too dangerous to navigate, CNN affiliate KPRC reported.
Hundreds of flights were canceled as the winter weather threatened the plans of Super Bowl enthusiasts headed for the game last Sunday in Arlington, Texas. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | February 2011 | ['(CNN)'] |
Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are expected to step down from the company. | Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The founders of Instagram on Monday announced they will step down from the popular social media company.
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and co-founder Mike Krieger sold the company to Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion. Despite the sale, they remained at the helm of the photo-sharing site. Monday, Systrom announced they are "ready for our next chapter."
"We're planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again," Systrom said in a statement. "Building new things requires that we step back, understand what inspires us and match that with what the world needs; that's what we plan to do.
"We remain excited for the future of Instagram and Facebook in the coming years as we transition from leaders to two users in a billion. We look forward to watching what these innovative and extraordinary companies do next."
Instagram has been one of Facebook's most successful acquisitions. The site had about 30 million users when it was purchased in 2012. By June of this year, that number reached 1 billion.
As the number of users increased, so has the value of the company.
In the same month Instagram reached 1 billion users, Bloomberg Intelligence valued the company at more than $100 billion. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | September 2018 | ['(UPI)'] |
Five people, including an 18–month–old baby, are missing from an Indonesian ferryboat traveling from Bali to East Java that sank in the Bali Strait; 76 people have been rescued. | Banyuwangi, East Java. Five people, including an 18-month-old baby are still missing while 76 others have been rescued after a ferryboat sank in the Bali strait on Friday at around noon, an official said on Saturday.
Vessels, inflatable boats and three teams of divers from the Banyuwangi Water Police, the Navy and the National Search and Rescue Agency have been deployed since Saturday morning.
"The search is also conducted with helicopters because sinking victims are usually found floating," said Didi Hamzar of the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office.
Data from the office shows five passengers are still missing, including the ship helmsman, boat crew members, a woman and her 18-month-old baby and another passenger identified Agus Mangtia.
"The number of passengers who survived is 76," Didi added. They are currently being treated at a number of nearby hospitals.
The KMP Rafelia II, which was sailing to Ketapang Port in East Java's Banyuwangi district from Gilimanuk Port in Bali's Jembrana district, capsized at around 1 p.m. local time after its bilge compartment reportedly sprung a leak.
The ferryboat sank about 500 meters from Ketapang Port. At least 29 vehicles, mostly trucks and minibuses, went down with the vessel. | Shipwreck | March 2016 | ['(Jakarta Globe)'] |
Japan orders its military to shoot down any North Korean missiles that threaten to strike Japan at anytime, and is placing its forces on a state of alert for at least three months, according to a Ministry of Defense official. | TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan ordered its military on Monday to be ready at any time to shoot down any North Korean missiles that threaten to strike Japan, putting its forces on a state of alert for at least three months, a defense ministry official and media said.
Up to now, Japan has issued temporary orders when it had indications of an imminent North Korean missile launch that it has canceled after a projectile had been launched.
However, because some test firings are hard to detect, it has decided to put its military on standby for a longer period. The order will be reviewed after three months, state broadcaster NHK said.
| Armed Conflict | August 2016 | ['(Reuters)'] |
A Catalan official says the 13 exchange students killed in Sunday's accident were 19-to-25-year-old women, seven from Italy, two Germans, an Austrian, a woman from France, a Romanian and an Uzbek. Twenty-four people are being treated in hospital with one student in critical condition, and six people, including the driver, in serious condition. Reports from officials indicate the driver lost control of the coach and crashed to the other side before running into an oncoming car. The bus driver, who passed alcohol and drug tests, is being investigated for possible negligent homicide as police seek to determine the cause of the crash. | Tortosa (Spain) (AFP) - Spanish investigators were on Monday attempting to establish the cause of a weekend coach crash that killed 13 foreign students, all young women and most of them from Italy.
The vehicle was carrying 57 passengers from about 20 countries, many of them students on the European Erasmus exchange programme in Barcelona, the seaside capital of Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, authorities there said.
The driver lost control of the coach which crossed the central reservation and crashed into an oncoming car near the small Catalonian town of Freginals, about 150 kilometres (95 miles) south of Barcelona, just before 6:00 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday.
Seven Italians and two Germans were among the dead along with another four passengers -- from Romania, Austria, France and Uzbekistan -- all of them women aged between 19 and 25.
"Some of them were not wearing seat belts," Jordi Jane, who heads up interior matters for Catalonia, told reporters in the town of Tortosa, headquarters of the rescue operation.
Thirty-four other passengers were injured in the crash, 24 of whom remained in hospital on Monday, six in serious or critical condition, Catalan officials said.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, wearing a black suit and tie, met with bereaved family members in Tortosa as well as with injured passengers at hospitals in the nearby city of Tarragona.
He declined to speak to the media but on his Facebook page said he had come to bring the "support, affection and emotion that all Italians have felt" for the victims' families.
"Why does this accident in Catalonia affect us so much? Maybe because when you think of these seven young women with their bright smiles, so full of life, it is hard to think of a coffin."
- 'Driving in rain not safe' -
Alessandro Saracino, the grief-stricken father of one the Italian victims, said it appeared that the driver "fell asleep".
"Driving in the rain at four in the morning is not safe. I was relaxed when I sent my daughter to this friendly country and she is being returned to me dead," he told reporters on arrival in Catalonia.
The coach was one of five buses travelling in convoy from the traditional "Las Fallas" festival in the eastern city of Valencia, which is known for the burning of giant statues.
Investigators were looking into both human error and technical problems as possible causes, Jane said.
According to the coach's tachograph -- the device which records the vehicle's speed and distance as well as the driver's activities -- the driver had taken the necessary rest period.
"But the question is whether during this rest period, the driver had rested sufficiently," Jane said.
The 62-year-old driver is in intensive care being treated for chest injuries, he added.
The driver had been due to appear before a judge on Monday, but the hearing has been postponed, a legal source told AFP.
On Sunday the driver had refused to speak to police on the advice of his lawyer, Jane said. He could face charges of 13 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The mayor of Fraginals, Jose Roncero Pallares, said the stretch of motorway where the crash occurred is known as an accident blackspot for reasons he didn't explain.
"It rained a lot that night and maybe that played a role," he told AFP.
- 'Barcelona is crying' -
Dozens of people observed five minutes of silence outside one of the buildings on the sprawling campus of Barcelona University.
"The entire city of Barcelona is crying," said mayor Ada Colau.
A steady stream of mourners signed a condolence book at the university and left candles and flowers.
Luisa Fortes, 68, who studied at the university said she was "deeply moved" by the death of the 13 students.
Some 1,500 students from across Spain, including around 275 from Barcelona University, had travelled to Valencia for the Las Fallas festival.
Many of those on board the four other coaches reached their destination without even knowing about the accident -- one of the deadliest in Spain in recent years.
In November 2014, a bus carrying pilgrims fell into a ravine in the southeast of the country, killing 14 and injuring another 41.. | Road Crash | March 2016 | ['(AP via the Washington Post)', '(AFP via Yahoo! News)'] |
The Myanmar Navy rescues two boats carrying 208 migrants as it faces growing international pressure to tackle the Rohingya migration crisis. | Sittwe (Myanmar) (AFP) - A senior US diplomat on Friday urged Myanmar to extend "citizenship" to the oppressed Rohingya minority to address an ongoing migrant crisis that has hit Southeast Asia, leaving thousands stranded at sea.
More than 3,500 migrants have swum to shore or been rescued off the coasts of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh since a Thai crackdown in early May on human-trafficking threw the illicit trade into chaos.
Myanmar, where many of the migrants start their journey, has faced increasing international pressure to stem the exodus from its shores and deliver urgent humanitarian relief to thousands still trapped at sea.
On Friday Myanmar said its navy had carried out its first rescue of a boat stacked with around 200 migrants in the Bay of Bengal, in a sign of compromise after widespread criticism for not taking any responsibility for the crisis.
The widespread persecution of the impoverished Muslim community in Myanmar's western Rakhine state is one of the primary causes for the current crisis, alongside growing numbers trying to escape poverty in neighbouring Bangladesh.
"They should have a path to citizenship," Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Yangon, referring to the Rohingya -- 1.3 million of whom live in Myanmar yet are dismissed as Bangladeshi illegal immigrants by the authorities.
In comments a day after talks with Myanmar leaders, Blinken added "the uncertainty that comes from not having any status is one of the things that may drive people to leave".
Blinken said the fact that Rohingya were willing "to put their lives in jeopardy" on deadly sea crossings was a "reflection of conditions in Rakhine state that are leading people to make this choice".
"Even if we address the immediate crisis, we also must confront its root causes in order to achieve a sustainable solution," Blinken said.
Myanmar's government however has reiterated its refusal to recognise the stateless Rohingya as an ethnic group, preferring to call them "Bengalis" -- shorthand for illegal migrants.
"We do not accept that term (Rohingya) here," said Zaw Htay, director of the presidential office said on Thursday.
- Monsoon looms -
The rescue by Myanmar's navy was welcomed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which said it was helping local authorities provide assistance to the migrants.
But fears remain for many more still left on boats in the Bay of Bengal with monsoon rains looming.
"We hope that this recent positive development will be followed by other disembarkations in Myanmar and across the region, well in advance of the coming monsoon rains," UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan told AFP.
The imminent monsoon season, when heavy rains and cyclones lash the region, usually lead to a significant drop off in regional boat migrant numbers.
But a recent crackdown on the people smuggling trade in Thailand led to scores of migrants being abandoned by gangmasters on stricken boats just as the weather is set to change.
In the Bay of Bengal, the UNHCR believes up to 2,000 migrants are still stuck on vessels controlled by people smugglers who have been unwilling to begin the journey south because of the crackdown.
Giving updated figures the International Organization for Migration said that over 3,600 people had disembarked in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh since the beginning of the crisis.
A trickle of would-be migrants have also recently returned to Myanmar after relatives raised funds to buy them back from smugglers.
On Thursday the foreign ministers of Malaysia and Indonesia -- whose countries are destination points for Rohingya fleeing persecution -- met Myanmar officials as pressures mount to stem the migrant exodus from its shores.
Earlier this week, Malaysia and Indonesia relented on a hardline policy of pushing back the boats, and said their nations would accept the migrants for one year, or until they can be resettled or repatriated with the help of international agencies.
Myanmar has seen surging Buddhist nationalism in recent years and spates of violence targeting Muslim minorities have raised doubts over its much vaunted reforms after decades of harsh military rule.
A raft of laws are being considered spanning interfaith marriage, religious conversion and birth rates, which are seen by activists as particularly discriminatory against women and minorities -- with the already marginalised Rohingya likely to be affected.
Both the US and UN have raised particular concerns about the laws proposed by President Thein Sein, seen as a response to campaigns by hardline Buddhist monks in a key election year.
Noble Peace Prize winning opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is yet to comment on the current crisis, a silence that observers attribute to fears over alienating a swathe of the electorate just months ahead of the polls.
As TikTok users discuss the separation of legitimate sex work from teenage grooming, 'lite' depicts a perilous mix of sex, cameras and money.
Daredevil Alex Harvill, 28, crashed his motorcycle while practicing to perform a 351-foot jump at an airshow in Washington state on June 17.
Chris Craven’s widow says he was complying with police orders when they shot him at least 15 times. The officers say they feared for their lives.
A federal judge threw out U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety rules for cruise companies operating in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic Friday, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The stars met on the set of "Fargo" and recently announced their second pregnancy. Take a look at the couple's relationship since 2015.
The new law allows Texans who are 21 and older and not otherwise prohibited from having a gun to carry a handgun without a license.
Italy’s government is under huge pressure to staunch the arrivals of migrants from the coast of North Africa as the country recorded a nine-fold increase in the number of asylum seekers reaching its shores since 2019. Latest figures show the migration landscape shifting, with many more attempts to reach Spain and Italy than Greece, which has adopted hardline policies. On Friday, Greece’s migration minister said the government had adopted the measures so “we don’t send the wrong message of incent
When Bruce Springsteen returns to the stage in New York next week, fans won’t have to have been born in the USA to get in - but it will help if they’ve been vaccinated there. The first Broadway show to reopen since last March will require attendees to show proof of their inoculations. However, only vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration will be accepted. So far, that list is limited to Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson, meaning any prospective concert-goers who hav
If Gov. Ron DeSantis really cared about the meth-addiction problem in Florida, he would not be looking for solutions among immigrants at the Texas or Arizona borders, where he has no jurisdiction to enforce immigration law or run drug stings.
The stars of 'Black Widow' assembled Friday to discuss the thrice-postponed film and wound up pitching another Marvel movie concept entirely.
Information like Social Security and passport numbers, addresses, and health data may have been accessed, the Associated Press reported.
REUTERS/Michaela RehleThe wild saga of the South African woman who claims she gave birth to a record-setting 10 babieswho have yet to be seen publiclyhas taken several more dramatic turns.Health authorities took Gosiame Sithole into custody this week, reportedly for a psychiatric examination, prompting her attorney to threaten legal action to get her released.Meanwhile, a South African media outlet is reporting an exam showed no signs that Sithole had been pregnantas a top government minister
Win McNamee/GettySome liberals are furious with Attorney General Merrick Garland as the Department of Justice defends laws that they oppose and individuals they abhor, including Donald Trump.Some of the criticisms arise from a misunderstanding of the foundational obligations of the DOJ to defend the laws of the United Statesincluding those at odds with the policies of the current administration.That does not mean, however, that the DOJ under Garland should defend every position taken by the Tru
The U.S. spent $8 billion building an Afghan air force in its own image. But how long can it last after American forces withdraw?
Rep. Ronny Jackson on Thursday said he's circulating a letter among House GOP colleagues calling on President Joe Biden to take a cognitive test.
The donor class should go for some Roy Blunt quid pro quo on the Jan. 6 commission and the Senate filibuster, says Joe Manchin.
Questions about the vaccine's efficacy linger, as somecountries using the shot are seeing less protection that they had hoped.
A man accused in a fatal crash that claimed the life of a Lawrence woman in April has been arrested, police said Thursday.
The bosses of two travel firms say the Balearic islands should be on the green list for safe travel.
For those fortunate enough to own a home in a Bahria Town development, the elite suburb promises to offer a respite from the clamour of life in much of Pakistan. Prospective residents from Karachi are lured with assurances that they can swap the blackouts, floods and rubbish heaps of the port metropolis for a luxury lifestyle in a manicured architectural fantasia. Brochures offer world class amenities, a floodlit golf course and even a replica Parthenon. Yet two weeks ago the haven of Bahria Tow | Armed Conflict | May 2015 | ['(AFP via Yahoo! News)'] |
Thousands of protesters demonstrate violently outside parliament in Niger against rising prices and high tax increases. Some of them call for resignation of the president Mamadou Tandja | Niamey — Thousands of people took to the streets of Niger's capital on Tuesday in
protest at price hikes for staple goods like flour and milk following the
introduction of a new government tax.
In its January budget, the government slapped a 19 percent Value Added
Tax (VAT) on everyday items including flour, sugar and milk as well as water
and electricity tariffs.
"We will fight unreservedly against these measures which are weakening
the purchasing power of the people of Niger," said Kassoum Issa, a spokesman
for the organisers.
Organisers said about 20,000 people took part in the march that wound
its way peacefully through the capital Niamey, which lies on the banks of
the Niger river. There was no estimate for the number of demonstrators from
authorities.
Niger, a landlocked semi-desert nation, is ranked the second poorest
country in the world, according to the UN's Human Development Index for
2004. More than 60 percent of its 11 million inhabitants live on less than a
dollar a day.
Last year's locust invasion coupled with poor rainfall has already led
to food shortages.
Officials for the Agriculture Ministry have said that Niger would have
to import hundreds of thousands of cereals in 2005 to make up for shortfalls
in the 2004 harvest and the government estimates more than three million
people are at risk.
"The government says it is fighting poverty with its battle horse but
then it increases the price of products consumed by the poor," Boubacar, a
civil servant who took part in Tuesday's rally, told IRIN. "It's a flagrant
contradiction."
Another Niamey resident, Mamadou, moaned that his utility bills had gone
up by 10,000 CFA ($20) a month since the beginning of 2005, but his salary
hadn't changed for the last seven years. "The government has no pity," he
said.
Civil servants wages were cut by between 10 and 30 percent in 1998 and
have been frozen ever since.
The organisers of Tuesday's march said they wanted VAT lifted on staple
goods and salaries to be increased across the board to take into account
more expensive living conditions. There was no immediate reaction from the
government to their demands.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | March 2005 | ['(AllAfrica)', '(Reuters SA)', '(BBC)'] |
A shipwreck in Sierra Leone leaves "scores" dead. | Dozens of bodies have washed ashore or have been dragged from a ferry which sank off Sierra Leone in a storm but more than 200 people, including many children, remain missing feared dead, officials say.
Police say only 37 people are known to have survived after the ferry overturned and sank in just a few minutes after the storm suddenly blew up.
But estimates of the numbers on board ranged from 268 given by police spokesman Ibrahim Samura to more than 300, a figure given by Deputy Transport Minister Osmond Hanciles.
The ship sank Tuesday night southeast of the capital Freetown.
Divers who located the sunken vessel on Thursday said many bodies may be trapped inside the wreckage. Witnesses and officials said 34 bodies had been brought out or washed ashore.
The ferry was overwhelmed by torrential rains and heavy seas and sank in a matter of minutes, survivors said.
Alfred Yanka, a senior local official in the village of Shenge near where the boat sank, said the vessel had been located by divers at Monkey Island, about 50 kilometres south of Freetown.
"We are busy trying to recover more bodies," Yanka told AFP by phone. Officials said heavy rains were hampering the search.
The vessel was on its way from Shenge in the south of the country to Tombo, a fishing port south of Freetown.
Relatives of some survivors bitterly criticised what they said were long delays in mounting a rescue.
Musu Conteh, a parent of one of the missing children, told journalists it took 10 hours for authorities to mount a search after a survivor reached shore on a 20-litre plastic container and raised the alarm.
Survivors said the boat was carrying many parents and their children who were travelling to schools and colleges in Freetown at the start of the academic year.
"The official list showed 241 passengers on board and these were only those who had cargos on board and totally excluded the number of school children that were aboard," Hanciles told AFP.
"It is possible that there were over 300 people on board," the deputy minister added.
A trader who survived the disaster, Sarian Kamara, told AFP by telephone from hospital in Tombo, where the ferry had stopped, that the accident happened "within minutes when the storm struck. I'm thankful to be alive."
"The boat was tossed around like a piece of paper," said another survivor, Alimamy Bangura.
Information Minister Ibrahim Ben Kargbo said the circumstances leading to the accident "will be thoroughly investigated".
"President Ernest Koroma feels very sad about the incident and he wants it to be known that the military and the navy did all that they could to make sure they took part in the effort to rescue the passengers. We are sending the condolences of the country to all," he added.
Samuel Bangura, harbour master of Tombo, said "overloading may have been responsible for the disaster as the boat had huge drums of palm oil, bags of rice, kolanuts and other goods on board".
The boat had made several stops on the way to pick up passengers from at least 10 coastal villages when it capsized off Shenge, near the Plantain islands.
| Shipwreck | September 2009 | ['(The New York Times)', '(BBC)', '(The Daily Telegraph)', '(The Sydney Morning Herald)'] |
Thousands of demonstrators take to the streets in various parts of India to protest the Citizenship Act, 2019. Some are arrested, and internet service is shut down in many parts of the country. | Hundreds, including college students, political and social activists, senior citizens and others, started assembling at the historic August Kranti Maidan in south Mumbai for the biggest protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register for Citizens, on Thursday afternoon.
The Mumbai Police have deployed a huge posse of armed personnel, riot police in full gear and monitoring the entire congested neighbourhood with CCTVs and drone cameras to ward of any untoward incidents.
A student leader from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Fahad Ahmad, one of the organisers for the day's demonstrations, has appealed to all participants to maintain complete peace and keep an eye out for miscreants who may mingle in the crowds and spark violence.
The police have imposed severe traffic restrictions and blocked roads to and around the grounds to regulate the huge crowds expected to turn up for the protests.
Traffic on Nana Chowk to Kemps Corner signals has been banned, traffic has been diverted from Kennedy Bridge, Sisil Junction, Kemps Corner and Tardeo, while parking will not be permitted in any of the roads surrounding the ground, said a police spokesperson.
These protests come after four days of agitations by students and political activists in different parts of the city, and various major state and central universities and cities around Maharashtra.
Peaceful protests have been held in IIT-Bombay, TISS, University of Mumbai, Pune University, FTII Pune, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha, Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Aurangabad, Beed, and other districts.
Candle-light and 'mashaal' (torches) processions have also been held by university students in Mumbai and Pune and silent marches have been taken out also in support of the police action on students in Delhi's Jamia Milia Islamia and Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh Muslim University.
Major political parties like Nationalist Congress Party, Congress, their youth and women's wings have also carried out similar agitations over the past few days since the December 15 incidents.
| Protest_Online Condemnation | December 2019 | ['(Amendment)', '(ndtv)'] |
Anti-government protesters block streets in the Armenian capital Yerevan, continuing calls for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan. Riot police detain more than 40 protesters. | YEREVAN -- Opposition activists have blocked several streets in Yerevan as pressure continues to build on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian amid opposition calls for him to step down over last month’s cease-fire deal with Azerbaijan.
Protesters chanted, "Armenia without Nikol" and "Nikol must go!" as they flooded streets in the center of the Armenian capital on December 11, even after Pashinian and his party indicated a day earlier that they were “ready to discuss” the possibility of holding fresh parliamentary elections.
“The authorities are ready to start such discussions on the condition, as the prime minister noted, that no party threatens others,” Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonian told reporters on December 10.
Opposition supporters have rallied in Yerevan and other Armenian cities since Pashinian agreed to the Moscow-brokered deal that took effect on November 10, ending six weeks of fierce fighting in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
They are angry that the accord handed back to Azerbaijan swaths of territory ethnic Armenians had controlled since the 1990s.
Opposition politicians have called for the establishment of a new, interim government until early elections can be held in the coming months.
Pashinian, who swept to power amid nationwide protests in 2018, has said he has no plans to quit, insisting that he signed the deal because he is responsible for ensuring national security and stabilizing the former Soviet republic.
Arman Babajanian, a nominally independent parliamentarian critical of opposition forces demanding that Pashinian step aside, said his party had already held consultations with the ruling bloc on the matter.
“These discussions are continuing and we hope that they will be fruitful and result in a decision to schedule [snap] elections,” he said.
A coalition of more than a dozen opposition parties rallied several hundred supporters outside the main government building in Yerevan on December 10 as Pashinian held a weekly session of his cabinet.
Riot police used force to unblock a nearby street and detained more than 40 protesters.
Under the November truce deal, Azerbaijan took back control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and all surrounding territories.
The agreement was a blow to Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian forces who had controlled nearly all of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as seven surrounding areas, since a 1994 cease-fire ended all-out war.
The region is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule.
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. | Protest_Online Condemnation | December 2020 | ['(RFERL)'] |
In horse racing, the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby occurs at the Churchill Downs racecourse in the American city of Louisville, Kentucky with American Pharoah ridden by Victor Espinoza and trained by Bob Baffert winning in front of a record crowd. , , | Imperially named and celestially gifted, American Pharoah produced a performance imbued with only the most mortal of grit, guts and gumption to win the 141st running of the $2m Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs under jockey Victor Espinoza, who won his second consecutive Derby after California Chrome last year.
Firing line, under 52-year-old Gary Stevens, was a gallant runner-up for British trainer Simon Callaghan, while Baffert sent out the third place finisher, Dortmund, under Martin Garcia. Frosted was fourth.
A record crowd of 170,513 turned out to watch one of richest fields recently assembled for America’s most famous horse race, and they witnessed American Pharoah complete the mile and a quarter in 2:03.02. He paid $7.80 on a $2 bet to win.
“I feel like the luckiest Mexican on Earth,” said Espinoza in the immediate aftermath of the race. This was Espinoza’s third Derby in total, having also won it on War Emblem in 2002 and the aforementioned California Chrome last year. “He’s just an amazing horse. I finally let him run today.”
Out of the gates, Garcia and Dortmund took the wheel of a pedestrian pace at the head of the field, with Firing Line breathing down their necks, while Espinoza was caught a little wide on the eventual winner going around the first turn.
Along the back stretch, Espinoza pushed his mount closer onto the heels of the leaders as Garcia pressed down on the gas pedal. And sweeping into the home straight, Dortmund, Firing Line and American Pharoah were lined up ready for the strike.
Dortmund on the inside was the first to wilt beneath Garcia, leaving Firing Line and Stevens poised with it all to play for. Only, as soon as Firing Line picked up the slack left by the long-time leader then along swooped American Pharaoh on the outside beneath Espinoza, made to earn his oats on the winner having worked hard for a good portion of the race.
American Pharoah passed the post a length in front of Firing line, with three lengths back to Dortmund and another three-and-a-half lengths further back to Frosted.
“I’m so lucky to be in this position. American Pharaoh, he makes a trainer look good,” said Baffert, who won his fourth Derby, the other three victories being Silver Charm in ‘97, Real Quiet ’98 and War Emblem ’02.
“This is one special horse. I was very reluctant to hype him before the race,” said owner Ahmed Zayat, who won his first Derby having watched his silks finish runner-up in three prior runnings of the race. One of those bridesmaids is Pioneerof the Nile, American Pharoah’s sire.
In the usual Derby postscript, talk quickly turned to the likelihood of a Triple Crown winner, the next leg of which is the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in two weeks time. Pundits suggested that American Pharoah ran as much as five lengths further than the horses in his wake. If that is true, and if the Pharoah delivers the goods again at Pimlico, then Espinoza might be wondering whether he’s walked onto the set of Groundhog Day every day of the next five weeks, having carried hopes of a Triple Crown last year all the way to the Belmont Stakes. | Sports Competition | May 2015 | ['(The Guardian)', '(Los Angeles Times)', '(AP)'] |
United Kingdom police arrest a 21yearold man in Berkshire in the hacking of Hong Kongbased electronic toy maker VTech. Details of more than six million people from servers used to support VTech's learning products app store were compromised. | A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Berkshire by police investigating the hacking of electronic toy maker VTech.
The man has been held on suspicion of "unauthorised access" to a computer, said the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (Serocu) in a statement.
VTech was hit in mid-November when servers holding its customer information were breached.
In total, details of more than six million people are believed to have gone astray.
"We are still at the early stages of the investigation and there is still much work to be done," said Craig Jones, head of the cyber crime unit at Serocu.
"Cybercrime is an issue which has no boundaries and affects people on a local, regional and global level."
In the attack, servers used to support VTech's Learning Lodge app were compromised. The software lets registered customers download extra content such as games and e-books to their handheld devices.
VTech firm sells a wide range of electronic products ranging from toy cars and interactive garages to cameras, games, e-books and tablets.
The Learning Lodge database logged names, email addresses, encrypted passwords, IP (internet protocol) numbers and other personal data. Some of the information was about children including names, dates of birth and gender.
No credit card data was stored in the compromised database.
Details on customers from all over world, including the US, UK, France and China, were taken.
Some of the data is believed to have been posted briefly online before being removed.
When details about the extent of the data loss became known security expert Troy Hunt said he had "run out of superlatives to even describe how bad" it was.
VTech is just one of a growing roster of firms that have suffered data breaches in recent months. Pub chain Wetherspoons and telecommunications firm TalkTalk both recently lost data in attacks. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | December 2015 | ['(BBC)', '(Digital Trends)'] |
Euro zone finance ministers reach an agreement on a second Greek bailout. | Euro zone finance ministers have sealed a second bailout for debt-laden Greece that will resolve its immediate financing needs but seems unlikely to revive the nation's shattered economy.
After a marathon 13 hours of talks, euro zone officials said ministers had nailed measures to cut Greece's debt to about 121 per cent of gross domestic product by 2020, close to their original target of 120 per cent, after negotiators for private bondholders offered to accept a bigger loss to help plug the funding gap.
The IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde, talks with Greece's Prime Minister, Lucas Papademos, at the European Union council headquarters in Brussels.
Agreement on a €130-billion rescue package with strict conditions attached will help draw a line under months of uncertainty that has shaken the currency bloc, and avert an imminent Greek bankruptcy.
"The financial volume [of the Greek package] is €130 billion and debt-to-GDP [will be] 121 per cent. Now it's down to work on the statement," one official involved in the negotiations told Reuters. Another confirmed the figures.
The euro jumped almost half a cent, reversing earlier losses, after Reuters reported the deal had been struck.
A report prepared for ministers by EU, European Central Bank and IMF experts, obtained exclusively by Reuters, said Greece would need extra relief to cut its debts near to the official debt target 2020, given the ever-worsening state of its economy.
If Athens did not follow through on economic reforms and savings, its debt could hit 160 per cent by that date.
"Given the risks, the Greek program may thus remain accident prone, with questions about sustainability hanging over it," the nine-page confidential report said, highlighting the fact that Greece's problems were far from over.
The accord will enable Athens to launch a bond swap with private investors to help reduce and restructure its vast debts, put it on a more stable financial footing and keep it inside the 17-country euro zone.
About €100 billion of debt will be written off as banks and insurers swap bonds they hold for longer-dated securities that pay a lower coupon.
Private sector holders of Greek debt are expected to take losses of 53.5 per cent or more on the nominal value of their bonds. Previously they had agreed to a 50 per cent nominal writedown, which equated to about a 70 per cent loss on the net present value of the bonds.
The debt sustainability report delivered to ministers last week showed that without further measures Greek debt would fall to only 129 per cent by 2020.
The IMF had said if the ratio was not cut to nearly 120 per cent, it may not have been able to help finance the bailout, putting the whole scheme in jeopardy.
To help fill the financing gap, one senior euro zone source said the ECB would pass up profits it has made from buying Greek bonds over the past two years under its emergency bond-buying programme.
The ECB has spent about €38 billion on Greek government debt that is now worth about €50 billion. By forgoing that profit and redistributing it to national euro zone central banks, the ECB can indirectly provide debt relief to Athens.
Economists say that, whatever its constituent parts, the deal may only delay a deeper default by a few months. A turnaround could take as much as a decade, a prospect that brought thousands of Greeks on to the streets on Sunday to protest against austerity measures.
DOUBTS OVER COMMITMENT
Sceptics question whether a new Greek government will stick to the deeply unpopular programme after elections due in April, and believe Athens could again fall behind in implementation, prompting exasperated lenders to pull the plug once the euro zone has stronger financial firewalls in place.
While there are doubts in Germany and other countries that Greece will be able to meet its commitments, including implementing €3.3 billion of spending cuts and tax increases, the threat of contagion from a chaotic Greek default always made a deal more likely than not, no matter how tortuous the negotiations.
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde and ECB president Mario Draghi all attended the Brussels talks in a sign they were likely to be decisive.
The private creditor bond exchange is expected to launch on March 8 and complete three days later, Athens said on Saturday. That means a €14.5-billion bond repayment due on March 20 would be restructured, allowing Greece to avoid default. | Sign Agreement | February 2012 | ['(Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)'] |
Hurricane Irma, now a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour , is expected to resume strengthening this weekend increasing the danger when it nears the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean next Thursday. | September 2, 2017 (CNN)While much attention remains on Texas and the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and its historic rainfall, powerful Hurricane Irma is rapidly intensifying in the open Atlantic and poses a major threat to the Caribbean and potentially to the United States next week.
Good bet at a casino is an intense Hurricane Irma at Cat 4 or 5. But it's still red or black on U.S. impacts. Hope it's a "fish storm" | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | September 2017 | ['(175 kilometers per hour)', '(Weather Channel)', '(CNN)', '(National Hurricane Center)'] |
Five people are killed and 18 others injured in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, when a man drives an SUV into a pedestrian zone. The driver, a 51-year-old male German national, was arrested and was reportedly drunk at the time of the crash. | A car has ploughed through a pedestrian area in the western German city of Trier, killing five people including a nine-week-old baby girl, police say. The driver, a 51-year-old local man, has been arrested. The prosecutor said the suspect had drunk a significant amount of alcohol.
Authorities said they were not working on the assumption that the incident was politically or religiously motivated.
The city's mayor described the scene as "horrible".
Witnesses said people screamed in panic and some were thrown in the air by an SUV travelling at high speed in Trier's Brotstrasse and Simeonstrasse streets towards the city's famous Roman gate, the Porta Nigra.
The incident happened at around 13:45 local time (12:45 GMT), and the suspect drove for 1km (0.62 miles) "hitting people at random on his way" before being stopped by a police car, Trier police spokesman Karl-Peter Jochem said earlier. The victims were three women, aged 25, 52 and 73. Police said the 45-year-old father of the baby was also killed. His wife and one-year-old son were injured and admitted to hospital. | Road Crash | December 2020 | ['(BBC)'] |
Clashes break out between refugees from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at an Australian immigration centre on Christmas Island. | Clashes have broken out between refugees from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at an Australian immigration detention centre on Christmas Island.
Officials took more than half an hour to break up the fights between about 150 inmates - 40 of whom were injured. The centre has been struggling to cope with a recent influx of refugees, many arriving by boat from Sri Lanka. Australia plans to increase the capacity of the centre to more than 2,000 beds to cope with the demand. Fighting erupted in the men's section of the centre, with Afghan and Sri Lankan refugees using tree branches, pool cues and broom handles to attack each other. Three people were taken by plane to Perth - 2,600km (1,600 miles) away - for treatment for broken bones. Another 37 people were given medical treatment on the island. Immigration authorities on Christmas Island are investigating what caused the outbreak of violence, and Afghan and Sri Lankan inmates have been temporarily segregated as a precaution. Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans said there had been increased tensions in the camp, particularly among the Sri Lankan refugees after some were ruled not to be genuine asylum seekers and were returned home. The remote processing facility on Christmas Island houses about 1,000 inmates, who are held in custody while their claims for refugee status are assessed. There has been a tenfold increase in the number of people arriving at the centre in recent months, many of them picked up as they try to reach Australia by sea. The BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney says Australian opposition politicians have accused the government of losing control of the country's borders. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised to take a hard line approach to people smugglers, but has insisted that anyone seeking asylum would be treated humanely. Last month, the government said it was adding 800 more beds to the 1,200 already at the centre, to deal with the rise in people coming from Sri Lanka. | Riot | November 2009 | ['(BBC)', '(Xinhua)', '(ABC News)'] |
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake is recorded off the coast of the Aleutian Islands. | A major earthquake was reported off the coast of Alaska on Friday, August 30th at 4:25 p.m. UTC. The quake took place about 57 miles from Adak, a city located in the Aleutians West Census Area.
The USGS placed the earthquake in the highest intensity category, reporting a preliminary magnitude of 7.0.
According to NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a “destructive Pacific-wide tsunami” is not expected.
The Associated Press reports:
The Alaska Earthquake Information Center says in a statement that the quake was felt strongly in Adak and Atka, and shaking lasted up to one minute.
There have been no immediate reports of damage.
The earthquake didn’t trigger a tsunami warning, but Michael Burgy with the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, says the center is monitoring for potential tsunamis caused by landslides, either on land or under water. | Earthquakes | August 2013 | ['(Huffington Post)'] |
UK citizen Khalid Ali is found guilty at the Old Bailey in London of plotting a terror attack after he was found with knives in the city, and of building and detonating bombs for the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was detained within metres of Parliament, and wished to murder MPs and police officers. , | A British plumber has been convicted of planning a terror attack in Westminster and making bombs for the Taliban.
Khalid Ali, 28, was arrested on 27 April 2017 in Parliament Street, where he was caught carrying three knives. Prosecutors said Ali, from Edmonton in north London, had planned a "murderous attack" on politicians and police.
In a police interview, Ali said he wanted to deliver a "message" to British authorities, but claimed the knives were for protection.
An Old Bailey jury convicted him of preparing an act of terrorism in the UK and two counts of possessing an explosive substance with intent. He did not react as the verdicts were read out. Ali will be sentenced on 20 July. On 22 April last year - one month after the Westminster terror attack - Ali was caught on CCTV walking past the MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross, as well as Westminster Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall.
Five days later, his mother called police and said she had found four knives in his bedroom.
Police swooped in to arrest him just metres from Downing Street later that day.
Ali had spent several years in Afghanistan, and when asked by British police whether he had returned to the UK for jihad, he replied: "Jihad is what we do. We are Mujahideen."
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon described Ali as an "incredibly dangerous individual".
Prosecutor Brian Altman QC had told the jury that Ali planned a "deadly terror attack at the very heart of this country's democracy by killing a police officer, a member of the military or even a parliamentarian".
Ali travelled to Afghanistan in 2011 and spent five years making bombs to maim and kill coalition troops.
In late October 2016, he appeared at the British consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, claiming to have lost his passport and asking for a temporary travel document in order to get home.
He returned to the UK in early November 2016, when he was stopped at Heathrow airport, interviewed by police and had his fingerprints and DNA samples taken. The DNA samples and fingerprints were then shared with the FBI, which controls a database containing fingerprints found on bomb parts in global conflict zones. FBI agents found 42 prints linking Ali to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan.
Defending the decision not to arrest Ali until April 2017 - when he was armed and within metres of Parliament - Mr Haydon said police and security services were "managing any potential risk he posed and he was arrested at the most appropriate time".
During questioning after his arrest, Ali admitted fighting British soldiers in Afghanistan, but refused to say whether he had killed any.
In a police interview shown during the trial, Ali also said he had detonated more than 300 bombs.
The court heard how his fingerprints were found on component parts of explosive devices that were handed in to US forces in Afghanistan in 2012.
Police said Ali had been in a "Taliban training camp affiliated to al-Qaeda where, for several years, he helped terrorists make hundreds of bombs capable of mass murder".
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | June 2018 | ['(BBC)', '(The Guardian)'] |
A second nationwide strike takes place in Bangladesh over changes to the electoral system. | DHAKA - BANGLADESH was brought to a halt for the second time in a week on Sunday as a 36-hour nationwide opposition strike over changes in the electoral system began, amid tight security.
Police said 9,000 policemen and 3,000 paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were deployed in the capital Dhaka after five vehicles, including three buses, were torched on Saturday, creating widespread panic.
Shops, businesses and schools were shut on Sunday - a weekday in the Muslim-majority nation - and major roads and highways were deserted. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its key Islamist ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, are enforcing the strike in protest against changes in the electoral system, which they say unfairly favour the incumbent government. Dhaka police spokesman Masud Ahmed said magistrates were deployed on the roads to tackle violence head-on.
'On Saturday night the magistrates sentenced 55 people to up to three months in jail for vandalism and torching vehicles,' Ahmed said. Intelligence chief Colonel Ziaul Ahsan told AFP that paramilitary forces were patrolling Dhaka streets in vans but the situation was peaceful.
The strike was called after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the ruling Awami League party announced plans last month to scrap a decades-old system under which a caretaker government takes over during election time. The system is designed to cover three months over each polls in Bangladesh, which has a long tradition of political violence since independence in 1971. -- AFP | Strike | June 2011 | ['(Straits Times)'] |
Manchester United F.C. beat Crystal Palace F.C. 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in London to win the 2015–16 FA Cup. | Last updated on 21 May 201621 May 2016.From the section FA Cup
Manchester United came from behind and survived Chris Smalling's sending-off to beat Crystal Palace and win the FA Cup at Wembley through Jesse Lingard's extra-time strike.
As Wembley was awash with growing speculation this this would be Louis van Gaal's final match as United manager - with BBC Sport understanding he will be replaced by Jose Mourinho next week - he was able to add English football's most glamorous cup to his honours list.
United looked on course to end the season empty-handed as well as missing out on Champions League football when substitute Jason Puncheon's powerful far-post finish put Palace ahead with 12 minutes left.
It was harsh on United, who had hit the woodwork through Marouane Fellaini and Antony Martial, but they responded within four minutes with a brilliant run from Wayne Rooney that ended with Juan Mata scoring from close range.
United lost Smalling to a second yellow card for hauling back Yannick Bolasie in extra time - but Lingard took the trophy to Old Trafford when he lashed home a first-time strike from Damien Delaney's half-clearance after 110 minutes.
All the messages in and around Wembley before and during this FA Cup final pointed to this Wembley showpiece marking the end of Van Gaal's largely undistinguished two-year spell in charge.
When his expected replacement with Mourinho is confirmed, the 64-year-old Dutchman can at least take pleasure and credit for returning United to trophy-winning ways for the first time since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
And this was another performance in a manner that has become their FA Cup template this season, driving on through periods of adversity to eventually come out of the other side victorious, something for which Van Gaal deserves praise.
They won at West Ham in a quarter-final replay then survived a comeback from a resurgent Everton to win the semi-final with Antony Martial's late winner.
And here they shrugged off Smalling's red card to show real resilience and character.
It was a victory that clearly meant so much to Van Gaal as the normally impassive manager raced from his seat in the technical area to celebrate Lingard's winner.
In what appears to be his last act as manager, it was one that illustrates he will leave on a high.
This was another day of FA Cup heartbreak for Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew, whose day will be remembered as much for his rather eccentric dance moves when Puncheon put his side ahead as well as a third final defeat.
Pardew was a member of the Palace side that lost in a replay to United at Wembley in 1990 and was in charge of West Ham when they were hit by Steven Gerrard's famous late equaliser in Cardiff that set the stage for Liverpool to beat the Hammers on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
For four minutes here he must have thought the tide had turned but it was not to be - and the music stopped for the dancing Pardew when Lingard's crisp finish flew past helpless Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey.
Rooney led Manchester United up the Wembley steps to collect the FA Cup and add a missing medal to his collection - a richly deserved accolade.
The England international may not have been at his best but it was his intervention when United had their backs to the wall and trailed that dragged them back into a cup final they were in danger of losing.
He drifted past four Palace players and took on two more before crossing to the far post, where Fellaini touched on for Mata to score. It was a momentum-shifting moment.
Rooney may have his critics but he proved once again he retains the ability to influence the big games.
Referee Mark Clattenburg was the villain of the piece for Crystal Palaces fans for his poor application of the advantage rule in the first half that stopped a promising position involving Connor Wickham when he was clear after being fouled by Smalling.
Clattenburg pulled play back and infuriated Pardew a second time when Joel Ward carried on in a promising position despite being fouled by Marcos Rojo, only to be stopped in full flow by the official.
There was no doubt about Smalling's dismissal. He had to go for a crude drag back on Bolasie when he was beaten for possession and resorted to rugby methods.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, speaking before BBC Sport broke the news of Mourinho's expected appointment: "It is fantastic to win this title for the club, for the fans, and also for me because I now have won the cup in four countries, and not many managers have done that. "We had 10 players, and we have played Tuesday evening also, but we have deserved it I think."
Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew: "My players gave everything. Everything. And they deserved to win but the game is like that. "We had a couple of decisions that went against us, big time. Connor was through, Wilfried had a penalty but I'm not going to bleat. It was a great performance from both teams, great final."
Formation 4-2-3-1
Formation 4-1-4-1
Match ends, Crystal Palace 1, Manchester United 2.
Second Half Extra Time ends, Crystal Palace 1, Manchester United 2.
Offside, Crystal Palace. Wayne Hennessey tries a through ball, but Damien Delaney is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Joel Ward.
Offside, Crystal Palace. Adrian Mariappa tries a through ball, but Damien Delaney is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match David de Gea (Manchester United) because of an injury.
David de Gea (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace).
Attempt saved. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joel Ward.
Hand ball by Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace).
Michael Carrick (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace).
Attempt missed. Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Wilfried Zaha.
Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.
Goal! Crystal Palace 1, Manchester United 2. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner.
Attempt missed. Michael Carrick (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Jesse Lingard with a cross. | Sports Competition | May 2016 | ['(BBC)'] |
In Spain, prosecutors of the case of Adolfo Scilingo, Argentine naval officers accused of multiple counts of genocide, murder and terrorism, request a prison sentence of 9138 years | Adolfo Scilingo, whose trial started in mid-January, faces 30 counts of genocide, 30 of murder, 93 of physical injury and 255 of terrorism.
The crimes were allegedly committed in the "Dirty War" of the 1970s/80s when Argentina was under military rule.
This is Spain's first trial involving human rights crimes committed abroad.
"The government seeks a guilty verdict as it believes that charges have been duly backed up at the trial," said prosecutor Dolores Delgado in the closing arguments at the National Court in Madrid.
Mr Scilingo, 58, now denies the charges.
But in 1997 he went to Spain voluntarily and testified before Judge Baltasar Garzon, who was investigating crimes committed during Argentina's and Chile's military dictatorships.
'Subversive mentality'
In a taped confession, Mr Scilingo spoke of the so-called "death flights", in which dissidents were stripped naked and thrown alive into the ocean from military planes.
He admitted taking part in two flights and spoke of other tortures committed at the Buenos Aires Navy School of Mechanics, which was used as a torture centre at that time.
Mr Scilingo later retracted his confession, saying his testimony was fabricated in order to prompt an investigation into the atrocities committed under the regime.
But Ms Delgado said the descriptions of tortures and torture centres, with their "infernal sounds" and "nauseating smell" made by victims, coincided fully with those made by the former officer.
"Scilingo had a need to talk and be judged, and that has been proved in the trial," she said.
Mr Scilingo also described how the children of pregnant detainees were taken away for adoption to prevent them from "falling into the subversive mentality of their parents".
According to human rights groups, up to 30,000 political opponents were kidnapped, detained and later executed between 1976 and 1983.
Under Spanish law, prison terms cannot exceed 40 years, but for convicted members of Basque separatist group Eta it is not uncommon to be handed down sentences of hundreds or even thousands of years. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | March 2005 | ['(Prensa Latina)', '(BBC)'] |
Vivendi Universal, the world's biggest music group, has signed a deal to make its music catalogue available on a free legal downloads service. | New York-based Spiralfrog will launch its service in December and make its money by carrying adverts on the site.
Spiralfrog aims to take on market leader Apple's iTunes service, which charges 99 cents per song in the US.
"Offering young consumers an easy-to-use alternative to pirated music sites will be compelling," Spiralfrog Chief Executive Robin Kent said.
Mr Kent, the former head of the Universal McCann advertising agency, added that his research suggested that in return for free music, young people would be willing to endure adverts - as long as the brands and products were relevant to them.
'Shrewd move'
US-based music industry legal specialist Josh Lawler said news of the new service was "inevitable".
Spiralfrog will have to find a way to pay artists from the advertising dollars they are generating
Josh Lawler, music industry specialist
"It's a very shrewd move by Universal," he told BBC News.
"The music industry is going to a point where all delivery will probably be some form of downloading or streaming."
Figures from the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) estimate that for each legal download, 40 are done illegally.
Mr Lawler added that the success of Myspace had underlined the power of the internet to make or break artists - as well as proving that advertising-based formats can work.
Funding question
But while Spiralfrog is discussing possible deals with other big record firms, questions still remain over how the artists featured on Spiralfrog will be paid.
"The internet is very much a viable media, but the trick is going to be getting it off the ground in the first place," Mr Lawler added.
"Spiralfrog will have to find a way to pay artists from the advertising dollars they are generating.
"But they're not necessarily going to know how many advertising dollars there are and so some artists are going to be hesitant about it," he said.
Rapid growth
The music downloads industry is a burgeoning market. According to the IFPI, 60 million MP3 players were sold in 2005, while 420 million single tracks were downloaded during the year - up 20 times on two years earlier.
DOWNLOADS INDUSTRY*
60m MP3 players sold worldwide
420m single tracks downloaded
Revenues from music downloads for MP3s and mobile phones totalled $1.1bn
350 legitimate download sites in 2005, up from 50 in 2003
*Source: IFPI Digital music report 2006
Many of the models sold are also expected to be incompatible with Apple's online record store - such as Sony's Walkman.
At the same time, numerous companies are jumping on the downloads bandwagon.
Entertainment retailers HMV and Virgin already offer music downloads, while music television channel MTV has opened its own online shop, Urge.
Microsoft is preparing to launch a music store to go with its Zune player, made by Toshiba, which is popularly viewed in the industry as an "iPod killer". | Sign Agreement | August 2006 | ['(BBC)'] |
U Tin Oo, the Vice–Chairman of the National League for Democracy was released today in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, after the expiration of his term of house arrest. | Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the release today of a prominent opposition politician in Myanmar after six years of house arrest, saying he hopes the move will lead to a more credible and inclusive political process.
U Tin Oo, the Vice-Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) was released today in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, after the expiration of his term of house arrest.
The release comes two days before the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is due to arrive in the Asian nation for a five-day official visit.
"The Secretary-General hopes that this development will contribute to the advancement of substantive dialogue between the NLD and the Government of Myanmar as a necessary step towards a more credible and inclusive political process," according to a statement issued by a spokesperson for Mr. Ban.
"To that end, the Secretary-General reiterates his call on the Government of Myanmar to lift without further delay the restrictions on NLD General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to release all remaining political prisoners."
Mr. Quintana said last week that he hopes to be able to meet Ms. Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, during his visit.
The first elections in Myanmar in more than two decades are slated to take place later this year as part of a Government-designed timetable towards greater democratization.
A United Nations independent human rights expert today voiced hope that he will be able to hold talks with pro-democracy leader and Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi when he visits Myanmar next week. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release | February 2010 | ['(UN)'] |
A car bomb in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills at least eight people. | At least eight people, mostly police and soldiers, have been killed by a car bomb in north-west Pakistan.
Police said they died after being lured to a booby-trapped car on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of North-West Frontier Province.
Violence in Pakistan has surged in recent months amid a wave of attacks blamed on Islamist militants.
At least five people died in two other attacks on Saturday, days after Sri Lanka's cricketers were targeted.
On 3 March, gunmen fired on a bus carrying Sri Lanka's cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore.
Seven Pakistanis, including six police officers, died in that attack, and several cricketers were injured.
There have also been regular battles with rebels elsewhere in the north-west in recent months, particularly in the Swat valley and in the tribal region of Bajaur.
Tip-off
But as police examined the car it exploded. Five of the dead were police officers, two were paramilitary soldiers, and a passer-by was also killed. Five others were injured.
"Police went there. They found the white car. They also saw a body inside, but when they were pulling it out, the car bomb went off," an area police chief, Rahim Shah, told the Associated Press news agency.
He called it a "new technique".
Initial reports had suggested the car exploded after being motioned to stop at a roadblock. They also suggested it was a suicide bombing, though later reports said the bomb was detonated remotely.
There has been no claim of responsibility, but officials blamed Taleban militants.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says the region, set in mountainous terrain close to the border with Afghanistan, is in the midst of an insurgency by Taleban militants.
He says Pakistan's security forces are battling the militants throughout the region to stop the militants from attacking Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Security forces also aim to prevent the militants providing safe havens for al-Qaeda in the border regions, he adds.
The Khyber Pass route through the region towards the Afghan frontier is a key supply route for international forces in Afghanistan, but has itself become a target for rebels and was closed by Pakistan late in 2008.
In other attacks in the region on Saturday, at least two people were killed when a vehicle carrying members of the security services hit a landmine in Darra Adam Khel, near Peshawar.
And at least three people were killed and 10 injured in an explosion at a mosque used by the militant group Ansar ul Islam in a remote part of the Khyber tribal region. | Armed Conflict | March 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Over 800,000 people in the Zhejiang province of China are evacuating as the province is hit by Typhoon Khanun which has a packing center winds of 144 kilometers per hour. | Typhoon Khanun slams into East China province (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-09-11 16:58
Khanun, the No. 15 typhoon of this year has slammed into Taizhou city of East China's Zhejiang Province at 14:50 p.m. Sunday, the provincial source announced. Chinese women struggle with their umbrellas in heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Khanun in Wenling, East China's Zhenjiang Province, Sunday, September 11, 2005. The typhoon, with force exceeding 12, will sweep the cities of Taizhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou and then enter the Taihu Lake. A Chinese pushes his tricycle in the rain against gusts of wind as Typhoon Khanun made landfall in the east coast of China, Sunday, September 11, 2005.The province has so far evacuated 814,267 people to safer places, said sources with the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters, adding that about 35,409 ships and vessels have returned to ports. The headquarters still issued an urgent notice urging local people to prepare for the possible mountain torrents and other geological disasters which might inflicted by typhoon and torrential rains. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | September 2005 | ['(Chinadaily)'] |
Nepenthes attenboroughii, a new species of giant carnivorous plant, is discovered in the highlands of the central Philippines. | A new species of giant carnivorous plant has been discovered in the highlands of the central Philippines.
The pitcher plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is so big that it can catch rats as well as insects in its leafy trap. During the same expedition, botanists also came across strange pink ferns and blue mushrooms they could not identify. The botanists have named the pitcher plant after British natural history broadcaster David Attenborough. They published details of the discovery in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society earlier this year.
Word that this new species of pitcher plant existed initially came from two Christian missionaries who in 2000 attempted to scale Mount Victoria, a rarely visited peak in central Palawan in the Philippines. With little preparation, the missionaries attempted to climb the mountain but became lost for 13 days before being rescued from the slopes. On their return, they described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher plant. That pricked the interest of natural history explorer Stewart McPherson of Red Fern Natural History Productions based in Poole, Dorset, UK and independent botanist Alastair Robinson, formerly of the University of Cambridge, UK and Volker Heinrich, of Bukidnon Province, the Philippines.
All three are pitcher plant experts, having travelled to remote locations in the search for new species. So in 2007, they set off on a two-month expedition to the Philippines, which included an attempt at scaling Mount Victoria to find this exotic new plant. Accompanied by three guides, the team hiked through lowland forest, finding large stands of a pitcher plant known to science called Nepenthes philippinensis, as well as strange pink ferns and blue mushrooms which they could not identify. As they closed in on the summit, the forest thinned until eventually they were walking among scrub and large boulders "At around 1,600 metres above sea level, we suddenly saw one great pitcher plant, then a second, then many more," McPherson recounts. "It was immediately apparent that the plant we had found was not a known species."
Pitcher plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants come in many forms, and are known to have independently evolved at least six separate times. While some have sticky surfaces that act like flypaper, others like the Venus fly trap are snap traps, closing their leaves around their prey. Pitchers create tube-like leaf structures into which insects and other small animals tumble and become trapped. The team has placed type specimens of the new species in the herbarium of the Palawan State University, and have named the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii after broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough. "The plant is among the largest of all carnivorous plant species and produces spectacular traps as large as other species which catch not only insects, but also rodents as large as rats," says McPherson.
The pitcher plant does not appear to grow in large numbers, but McPherson hopes the remote, inaccessible mountain-top location, which has only been climbed a handful of times, will help prevent poachers from reaching it. During the expedition, the team also encountered another pitcher, Nepenthes deaniana, which had not been seen in the wild for 100 years. The only known existing specimens of the species were lost in a herbarium fire in 1945. On the way down the mountain, the team also came across a striking new species of sundew, a type of sticky trap plant, which they are in the process of formally describing. Thought to be a member of the genus Drosera, the sundew produces striking large, semi-erect leaves which form a globe of blood red foliage. What are these? | New wonders in nature | August 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in tonight's speech to the World Zionist Congress on "the 10 big lies" told by Palestinians and their backers, said Haj Amin al–Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1922–1937, convinced Adolf Hitler and the Nazis to change their original plan of expelling Jews to the so–called Final Solution, i.e., the extermination of Jews. The Washington Post states this reinforces Netanyahu's position that Palestinian violence is caused by their old and intractable hatred of Jews, not Israel's 1948 creation. | JERUSALEM — There is no Israeli orator tougher and more pugnacious than Benjamin Netanyahu, but even his allies expressed bewilderment — and shock — Wednesday after the prime minister asserted that a Palestinian religious leader gave Adolf Hitler the idea to annihilate the Jews.
In a speech here Tuesday evening, Netanyahu sought to explain the surge in violence in Israel and the West Bank by reaching for historical antecedents. He said that Jews living in what was then British Palestine faced many attacks in 1920, 1921 and 1929 — all instigated by the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, who allied himself with the Nazis during World War II.
Then Netanyahu dropped his bombshell. He said: “Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time; he wanted to expel the Jews. And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, ‘If you expel them, they’ll all come here.’ ‘So what should I do with them?’ he asked. He said, ‘Burn them.’ ”
Netanyahu, the son of a historian, said the mufti played “a central role in fomenting the Final Solution,” as the Nazis termed their plan to exterminate the Jews.
The remarks were made in a speech to the World Zionist Congress about “the 10 big lies” told by Palestinians and their backers.
As supporters of the Israeli leader wondered what he was doing, his critics said that his claims were outrageous enough to give cover to Holocaust deniers.
The controversy erupted on the eve of Netanyahu’s state visit to Germany, where Holocaust denial is a crime. The Germans pushed back, telling the Israeli leader — politely — that the Holocaust was their responsibility alone.
[The latest developments on violence in Israel] The speech was pure Netanyahu, delivered in his trademark blunt and conversational style. But what motivated his remarks on the mufti was not clear, though Palestinians deemed it classic incitement and historians of the Holocaust said he was wrong.
The mufti of Jerusalem “was a virulent anti-Semite. But we must always be careful in talking about the Holocaust,” Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League in the United States, warned on Twitter.
He added, “Even if unintended, the prime minister, by his words, plays into those who would trivialize or understate Adolf Hitler’s role in orchestrating the Final Solution,” which killed about 6 million Jews.
Netanyahu’s words drew sharp criticism across the political spectrum.
Zionist Union lawmaker Itzik Shmuli demanded that Netanyahu apologize to Holocaust victims, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“This isn’t the first time Netanyahu distorts historical facts, but a lie of this magnitude is the first,” Shmuli said, adding that the prime minister’s remarks would embolden Holocaust deniers.
Even Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, a Netanyahu ally, said Hitler “initiated the Holocaust; the mufti joined him.”
Netanyahu, elected to a historic fourth term this year, has often claimed the mantle of leader of the Jewish people.
His remarks were intended to underline his contention that the root cause of Palestinian violence is not Israel’s 48-year-old military occupation of the West Bank, the building of Jewish settlements on lands that the Palestinians hope to make part of their future state, or the partial trade and travel blockade of the Gaza Strip, but old and intractable hatred of Jews.
In speeches in 2013 and this year, Netanyahu pointed to the mufti of Jerusalem as exemplifying deep Arab anti-Semitism. This time, the Israeli leader went further, claiming that the Palestinian religious leader gave Hitler the idea for the Final Solution.
Reaction in Israel — and across the Jewish world — came hard and fast. First, politicians were stunned. Then historians piled on. Then Netanyahu became fodder for social media memes and parodies.
Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog called Netanyahu’s charges “a dangerous historical distortion” that “minimizes the Holocaust, Nazism and Hitler’s part in our people’s terrible disaster.”
Herzog noted that the Holocaust had begun by the time the grand mufti met Hitler in November 1941.
“This wasn’t a speech by Jorg Haider,” Zehava Galon of the left-wing Meretz party wrote on her Facebook page, referring to the late leader of the far-right Freedom Party in Austria. “This wasn’t a snippet of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ doctoral thesis,” which questions whether 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. “This was an actual quote by the prime minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, before the World Zionist Congress. It has to be seen to be believed.”
“Perhaps we should exhume the corpses of the 33,771 Jews murdered in Babi Yar in September 1941, two months before the Mufti and Hitler met, and bring them up to speed on the fact that the Nazis had no intention of destroying them,” Galon wrote.
Babi Yar was a site outside Ukraine’s capital where German troops carried out a mass killing of Jews and local collaborators.
Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian leader and former peace negotiator, said, “Netanyahu hates Palestinians so much that he is willing to absolve Hitler of the murder of 6 million Jews.”
Husseini was a religious and political leader of the Arab population in Palestine during the British Mandatory period between the two world wars. He fomented deadly riots over the Zionists coming to Palestine, opposed mass migration of Jews, and allied with Hitler and the Nazis during World War II, in part because of his opposition to British rule. The mufti spent the war in Berlin, broadcasting Arabic-language propaganda and incitement against Jews and the Allies. Dina Porat, chief historian at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust center in Jerusalem, told Israeli Army Radio that Netanyahu’s statements were factually incorrect.
“You cannot say that it was the mufti who gave Hitler the idea to kill or burn Jews,” she said. “It’s not true. Their meeting occurred after a series of events that point to this.”
Meir Litvak, who teaches at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Middle Eastern and African History, told Israel’s Ynet news Web site: “Husseini supported the extermination of the Jews, he tried to prevent rescuing of Jews, he recruited Arabs for the SS. He was an abominable person, but this must not minimize the scale of Hitler’s guilt.”
As he boarded his plane to Germany on Wednesday, Netanyahu attempted damage control, saying he had been misunderstood.
“It is absurd. I had no intention to absolve Hitler of responsibility for his diabolical destruction of European Jewry,” he said. “Hitler was responsible for the Final Solution extermination of 6 million Jews. He made the decision.”
However, Netanyahu held firm to his characterization of Husseini: “The mufti was instrumental in the decision to exterminate the Jews. We must not ignore the importance of his role. The mufti repeatedly suggested that the Jews should be exterminated. He considered it an appropriate solution to the Palestinian question.”
Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said, “All Germans know the history of the murderous race mania of the Nazis that led to the break with civilization that was the Holocaust,” the Reuters news agency reported.
“This is taught in German schools for good reason; it must never be forgotten,” Seibert said. “And I see no reason to change our view of history in any way. We know that responsibility for this crime against humanity is German and very much our own.”
The mufti died of cancer in Beirut in 1974.
| Famous Person - Give a speech | October 2015 | ['(Washington Post)'] |
Vietnamese author Pham Thanh Nghien, who criticised the ruling Communist Party, is sentenced to four years in prison for spreading propaganda against the state. | Dissident writer Pham Thanh Nghien has been jailed for four years in Vietnam after being found guilty of spreading propaganda against the state.
Nghien was also sentenced to three years under house arrest at the trial in the northern city of Haiphong, her lawyer told the BBC. She was the latest of several Vietnamese dissidents to receive harsh sentences in recent weeks. Last week four activists were jailed on charges of subversion. Nghien was arrested in September 2008 after criticising Vietnam's policies towards China over disputed maritime claims. She had displayed two banners at her home and posted pictures of the protest on the internet. But those charges were dropped before the trial and she was tried for her writing and interviews with foreign media groups in which she criticised the government. The BBC's Nga Pham in the region says the guilty verdict was largely expected and has been seen as part of a large crackdown on activism. Clampdown criticism
Nghien - who was given an award by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2008 for her pro-democracy activism - was charged under Section 88 of the penal code, which critics say criminalises peaceful dissent. The one-day trial was closed to western media and diplomats and her lawyers said her mother was also prevented from attending. Her conviction comes a week after four people, including prominent human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh, were found guilty of trying to overthrow the Communist government. The four men received sentences of up to 16 years on charges of subversion. Our correspondent says the trials show a concerted effort by the government to send the message that no form of political dissent will be tolerated, especially with an important Communist Party Congress due next January. | Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence | January 2010 | ['(Al Jazeera)', '(BBC)'] |
France and Algeria sign an agreement that could lead to French nuclear power technology being employed in Algerian reactors. | France and Algeria have signed an agreement on civil nuclear co-operation during a visit to Algiers by the French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon. Mr Fillon described the agreement as a sign of a "transformation" in the countries' ties.
Relations were very bad for years after the Algerian war of independence forced France to abandon its treasured colony.
Mr Fillon said French firms would not "give in to threats", after a Frenchman was killed in a bombing this month.
The militant group al-Qaeda in North Africa claimed the bombing east of Algiers on 8 June, and promised to continue attacking Western targets.
Military pact
On Saturday French and Algerian ministers signed a deal on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which will see the two countries co-operate in the field of training and conduct joint research projects. Eventually nuclear power plants could be built on Algerian soil. "There is no clearer signal of France's intention to establish an exceptional partnership with Algeria," said Mr Fillon, making the first visit by a French prime minister in more than two decades. | Sign Agreement | June 2008 | ['(BBC News)'] |
The last Australian combat troops leave Afghanistan. | Australia has closed its main military base in Afghanistan and its last combat troops have withdrawn from Uruzgan province, officials have announced. The Australian military has maintained a permanent presence at Tarin Kot base in the province since 2005. But officials announced on Monday that the final batch of troops to leave the base were now on their way home. Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid tribute to the Australian troops who had served in Afghanistan since 2001. "We know that they've paid a high price, 40 dead, 261 seriously wounded," he said.
"But that sacrifice has not been in vain. Uruzgan today is a very significantly different and better place than it was a decade ago."
Afghans have been in charge of security in Uruzgan for over a year. From 2014, the Australian military presence will be down to around 400 people who will train and advise Afghan security forces, Australia's Minister for Defence Senator David Johnston said in a statement. The previous Labor government announced in March that the Tarin Kot base would be closed by the end of 2013. Most international troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
| Armed Conflict | December 2013 | ['(BBC)'] |
Nine civilians are killed in twin attacks carried out by Islamist militants in eastern Burkina Faso. | Ouagadougou: - Nine people including an imam have been killed by extremists in two separate attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso, authorities say.
The governorate of the country's eastern region says six people including an imam were killed in one attack on a mosque in the community of Diabiga on Friday.
Soldiers examine burnt-out cars outside the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in 2016.Credit:AP
In a separate attack on Friday, three members of a family were shot dead in Kompienga province.
Until now, extremists in that part of the west African country have largely targeted security forces.
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore recently announced the country would put an end to "destabilisation activity" in the east, where extremist attacks have been increasing.
Since then more troops have been sent to the region, where extremists use the forests as hideouts. | Armed Conflict | September 2018 | ['(The Sydney Morning Herald)'] |
Germany striker Mario Gómez tears a lacklustre Netherlands team apart at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv. | Last updated on 13 June 201213 June 2012.From the section Euro 2012
Mario Gomez gave the Netherlands a lesson in finishing as Germany left their bitter rivals on the brink of an early exit from Euro 2012.
The Bayern Munich striker turned sharply and slotted home Bastian Schweinsteiger's pass before lashing in a brilliant second from the right.
Robin van Persie, who had wasted a golden chance to put the Dutch ahead, gave them hope with a fine strike.
But Germany held on to all but cement their place in the quarter-finals.
While the Germans just need a point from their last game to reach the last eight, the Dutch face an uphill task. They must beat Portugal on Sunday, hope Germany beat Denmark, and ensure they finish with a better goal difference than Portugal and the Danes.
"The Germans had possession and quality and looked justifiable second favourites for the tournament, although when Van Persie scored there was a spring in the Dutch step.
"But it was a step too far for them. The Germans are reknowned for getting the job done. Defensively in the two games the Dutch haven't been good enough."
Meanwhile, coach Bert van Marwijk must somehow rouse his players after a devastating defeat by their fiercest foes. The long-standing enmity between the teams has produced era-defining clashes at the 1974 World Cup, the 1988 European Championship and the 1990 World Cup.
The Dutch, who wasted 28 shots at goal in made the brighter start when a long ball from Mark van Bommel caught the German defence napping.
Van Persie, as guilty as anyone of profligacy against the Danes, had time to take a touch, but instead chose a first-time volley, which was easily saved by Manuel Neuer.
Germany hit back with a volleyed effort of their own as Mesut Ozil's strike from the edge of the area cannoned off the near post and into the arms of the grateful Maarten Stekelenburg.
Most of the Netherlands' attacking play was channelled through Arjen Robben on the right and the Bayern Munich winger was the provider for Van Persie's next chance, slotting a pass through to the Arsenal striker, who dragged his right-footed effort wide.
Ibrahim Affelay's delivery was less reliable and, after breaking clear down the left, his low cross failed to pick out Van Persie in space in the middle. Once again, the Dutch were made to pay for their inaccuracy, falling behind midway through the half to a moment of German precision.
Thomas Mueller cut in from the right and fed Schweinsteiger, whose inch-perfect through-ball was brilliantly controlled on the spin by Gomez, who then wrong-footed the goalkeeper with his finish.
The goal seemed to devastate the Dutch - their early confidence on the ball deserting them, their body language that of a defeated team. Germany should have doubled their lead when an inexplicably unmarked Holger Badstuber headed an Ozil free-kick straight at Stekelenburg from four yards.
But any disappointment was short-lived as Schweinsteiger again fed Gomez, who lashed a delicious shot across the goalkeeper and inches inside the far post.
Van Marwijk made an attacking double-substitution at half-time, sending on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart. But the withdrawal of captain Van Bommel left a giant hole in front of the Dutch back four, allowing centre-back Mats Hummels to stroll through and almost put the game beyond doubt. Van Persie gave the Dutch hope when he forced Neuer into a smart one-handed save with a half-volley from the edge of the area, and Wesley Sneijder's goal-bound shot was superbly blocked by Jerome Boateng.
Their reward for a period of concerted pressure arrived when Van Persie finally found his range in style, darting in from the left flank and arrowing a low shot past Neuer with his weaker right foot from 25 yards.
Roared on by a sea of orange in the stands, the Dutch pressed hard for an equaliser, with Van Persie's claims for a penalty after going down under a challenge from Hummels waved away by the referee.
But their efforts thereafter too often fizzled out the edge of the area, their growing frustration and disjointedness encapsulated in the sight of the substituted Robben vaulting the advertising hoardings on the far side of the pitch rather than running across to be replaced by Dirk Kuyt.
Indeed, it was Germany who came closest to a late goal when Stekelenburg allowed a backpass to run across his body, recovering just in time to prevent substitute Miroslav Klose from scoring the simplest of goals. | Sports Competition | June 2012 | ['(BBC)', '(Al Jazeera)'] |
A British Army soldier from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment dies of injuries he received in the war in Afghanistan. | A British soldier has died in hospital from injuries he suffered in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The soldier, from 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was shot in the south of Afghanistan.
He died from his wounds in a British hospital on Friday, the Ministry of Defence revealed.
The family of the soldier, who was part of the Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj, has been told of his death.
The serviceman was shot on 23 August in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand.
He died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Lt Col James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is with great sadness I must inform you that a soldier died of his wounds yesterday.
"He was serving as part of the Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group."
Lt Col Carr-Smith continued: "The soldier was conducting interdiction and disrupt operations in southern Nahr-e Saraj when he was struck by small arms fire.
"His bravery and commitment in the face of danger will never be forgotten."
The death brings the total number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan since the conflict began to 335.
UK military deaths in Afghanistan
Q&A: British troops in Afghanistan
Setback for EU in legal fight with AstraZeneca
But the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer. | Famous Person - Death | September 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
Around 2,000 women in Malawi stage a protest against attacks on women wearing trousers, who were stripped in the streets by unemployed youths and street vendors. | About 2,000 Malawian women Friday staged a protest against attacks on trouser-wearing women, who were stripped in the streets this week by a gang of unemployed youths and sidewalk vendors.
"We have to say no to abuse against women. We have to fight for women's rights," Vice President Joyce Banda told the women, clad in white T-shirts in the commercial capital Blantyre.
Banda, the country's first female vice president, said she wanted to "show solidarity" with fellow women at the event organised by leading rights activists.
Dressed in overflowing white robes, Banda joined the audience in dancing to Bob Marley's tune, "No woman no cry", blaring from speakers.
The event was also attended by several ministers and opposition figures.
Some women wore "Peace" T-shirts and others bore messages in local Chichewa language "Venda, Ndikugule, Undibvulenso ???", which can be loosely translated as "Vendor, I buy from you and you strip me naked???."
On Wednesday police announced that 15 men had been arrested in connection with the incident, prompting President Bingu wa Mutharika to defend women's right to wear whatever they liked.
Until 1994, women in this deeply conservative poor nation were banned from wearing pants, during the long dictatorship of Kamuzu Banda.
"Malawian women want to take back their dignity," said Seodi White, one of the organisers of the protest. | Protest_Online Condemnation | January 2012 | ['(The Telegraph)'] |
Reporter Andy Gray is dropped by Sky Sports over sexist comments made against female official Sian Massey in footage recorded Saturday. | Sky Sports reporter Andy Burton has been 'stood down' from tomorrow night's Carling Cup sem-final final following his off-air conversation with Andy Gray about lineswoman Sian Massey.
Burton was scheduled to work as Sky Sports' pitchside reporter for Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final second leg between Birmingham City and West Ham United. However, the broadcaster has now confirmed that Burton will be taken out of the firing line.
In off-air footage recorded on Saturday before Wolves played Liverpool, Burton is seen discussing the appointment of Massey with Gray. Burton said: "Apparently, a female lino today, bit of a looker", with Gray responding: "A female linesman?"
"He [a Sky Sports crew member] says she [Massey] is all right," Burton continued. "Now I don't know if I should trust his judgement on that?"
Gray then said: "No, I wouldn't. I definitely wouldn't ... I can see her from here," before swearing and adding: "What do women know about the offside rule?"
Gray and Richard Keys who were dropped from the Monday night coverage of Chelsea's 4-0 win at Bolton, with Dave Jones presenting the show in their absence.
Sky's next high-profile live match is tomorrow night's Carling Cup clash, but Keys and Gray tend not to front coverage of that particular competition.
With this weekend being the fourth round of the FA Cup, for which Sky do not hold the live rights, the next presenting opportunity for the pair would appear to be the Premier League match between West Brom and Wigan next Tuesday.
Massey, meanwhile, will be back in the spotlight tonight when she runs the line in Crewe's npower League Two game with Bradford. | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | January 2011 | ['(The Daily Telegraph)', '(The Guardian)'] |
As part of government efforts to remove the country from a list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, Sudan agrees to compensate the families of sailors killed in an al-Qaeda attack against the USS Cole. | Sudan has agreed to compensate the families of sailors killed in an al Qaeda attack on the USS Cole warship 20 years ago, state news agency SUNA said on Thursday, part of government efforts to remove the country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The report said the settlement had been signed on Feb. 7. It did not mention the amount paid in compensation, but a source with knowledge of the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Sudan had agreed to settle the case for $30 million.
The 17 sailors were killed, and dozens of others injured, in the attack on Oct. 12, 2000, when two men in a small boat detonated explosives alongside the Navy guided missile destroyer as it was refueling in the southern Yemeni port of Aden.
Khartoum agreed to settle “only for the purpose of fulfilling the condition set by the U.S. administration to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism”, SUNA said, citing the justice ministry.
Being designated as a state sponsor of terrorism makes Sudan ineligible for desperately needed debt relief and financing from lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Removal from the list potentially opens the door for foreign investment.
“The government of Sudan would like to point out that the settlement agreement explicitly affirmed that the government was not responsible for this incident or any terrorist act,” the justice ministry said in its statement, cited by SUNA said.
The announcement comes two days after Khartoum and rebel groups agreed that all those wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and genocide in the Darfur region should appear before the tribunal. The list includes Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir.
The U.S. sailors’ relatives had sued Sudan under the 1976 Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which generally bars suits against foreign countries except those designated by the United States as a sponsor of terrorism, as Sudan has been since 1993.
Sudan did not defend against the claims in court. In 2014, a trial judge found that Sudan’s aid to al Qaeda “led to the murders” of the 17 Americans and awarded the families about $35 million, including $14 million in punitive damages.
Sudan then tried to void the judgment, arguing the lawsuit was not properly served on its foreign minister, violating notification requirements under U.S. and international law.
The U.S. Supreme Court turned down the bid by the families last year.
| Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting | February 2020 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Gunmen attack an Egyptian Navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea with eight sailors missing and four injured after the attack. Thirty-two of the gunmen have been captured with four reported as dead. | Eight Egyptian sailors are missing after gunmen aboard a fishing boat fired on a navy ship Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea.
Egyptian news agencies said five sailors were wounded in what officials were calling a terrorist attack.
Thirty-two of the gunmen have been captured, with one report saying four had been killed.
The Egyptian ship was on patrol off the coast of Damietta in the northeastern part of the country.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came just days after Egypt's main militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, declared allegiance to the Islamic State militants. | Armed Conflict | November 2014 | ['(Voice of America)'] |
United Kingdom referendum on the European Constitution: P.M. Tony Blair confirms that a referendum will be held on the UK's ratification of the future EU constitution. . | For months the prime minister has denied the need for a vote, but on Tuesday he conceded it was time to "let the people have a final say".
He said MPs would debate the issue ahead of any poll - which is unlikely to be before the next general election.
But Michael Howard asked the PM: "Who will ever trust you again?"
Wide implications
A referendum on a constitution would be the first major gauge of public opinion on the EU since the 1975 referendum on whether Britain should stay in the Common Market.
How can the prime minister say trust the people but not just yet?
Outlining his radical U-turn, Mr Blair told MPs it was time to resolve "once and for all" whether Britain wanted to be at the centre of Europe or not.
In a Commons statement, he said Parliament should debate the constitution question "in detail and decide upon it" and "then let the people have the final say".
"The question will be on the treaty, but the implications go far wider," he said.
Provided the treaty embodies the essential British positions, we shall agree to it
Blair statement in full
He said a referendum campaign would expose the "true agenda" of the Eurosceptics.
"Let those of us who believe in Britain in Europe not because we believe in Europe
alone, but because we believe in Britain, make ours.
"Let the issue be put. Let the battle be joined," he added
Tory taunts
The prime minister spent much of his statement attacking the "myths" surrounding the EU constitution, such as the Queen being removed as head of state or Britons being forced to drive on the right.
He said it was time to "confront" this "unrelenting", though "partially ... successful campaign to persuade Britain that Europe is a conspiracy aimed at us, rather than a partnership designed for us and others to pursue our national interests properly".
COUNTRIES HOLDING OR LIKELY TO HOLD A REFERENDUM:
Denmark
Ireland
Luxembourg
Britain
The Netherlands
Poland
Latvia
He said the new treaty, needed because of the EU's enlargement from
15 to 25, would be agreed to by the government if it embodied the British position.
Michael Howard, in reply, taunted Mr Blair over his change of heart on the constitution demanding to know if it was a "product of principle or a product of opportunism".
And he attacked the prime minister's assertion that a referendum should only take place once Parliament had voted.
The Tory leader said: "How can the prime minister say trust the people but not just yet?"
And he mocked Labour MPs as being the "loyal foot soldiers of the grand old duke of spin".
Pro-euro campaign
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy welcomed Mr Blair's announcement and told MPs he hoped the referendum question would be an "unloaded, unbiased question, subject to the Electoral Commission".
STEPS TO A REFERENDUM
Constitution expected to be agreed in June
Parliamentary approval may be sought before a vote
It could also take place alongside referendums for English regional assemblies this autumn A vote could also be held at the time of the general election predicted next spring
It is also possible a vote will take place after the next general election
But he said he hoped the referendum campaign would be more "slick and polished" than the process which led to Tuesday's announcement.
In the past, those hostile to Europe had been "allowed to have too much of the running," said Mr Kennedy.
And he called on Mr Blair to "move quickly to re-establish a pro-European British campaign".
BBC political editor Andrew Marr said Mr Blair would be "very, very badly damaged" if he lost a referendum "and probably would have to stand down".
'No running scared'
Later, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw revealed that the decision had been confirmed only at the weekend but discussed for some time.
But it had not been formally discussed by the Cabinet, he told BBC Newsnight. Mr Straw said the government would inevitably face criticism for changing its mind.
"It is not a question of running scared at all," he said. "If you are in democratic politics, you have to take account of what people are thinking and you have to keep listening to people and parties which don't do that fail badly."
Some pro-European campaigners complain the decision is a tactical one to prevent votes being lost in the June European elections rather than a long-term strategy for Britain's relationship with Europe.
The draft constitution was drawn up last year but so far European Union leaders have failed to agree on the final details. They want to reach a deal by the end of June. | Government Job change - Election | April 2004 | ['(BBC)'] |
C.D. Guadalajara wins the Champions League title, their first since 1962, by winning in a penalty shootout over Toronto FC. | MLS’s long-sought quest to end Mexico’s dominance in the Concacaf Champions League will continue for another year after Toronto FC’s gallant effort Wednesday in Guadalajara fell agonizingly short with defeat to Chivas in a penalty kick tiebreaker.
The Canadian side won the second leg of the finals, 2-1, on goals by Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, leveling the aggregate (3-3) and the away-goal tiebreaker (2-2). Tournament guidelines did not allow for extra time, so the match was settled on penalty kicks, won by Chivas, 4-2. Michael Bradley skied his attempt in the fourth round, clinching Chivas’s first regional championship since 1962.
The added reward is a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup in December in the United Arab Emirates.
A Mexican team has won 13 consecutive Concacaf titles. An MLS club hasn’t raised the trophy since the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000 and has never gone to the Club World Cup. (The 1998-99 winner, Mexico’s Necaxa, represented the region in the 2000 Club World Cup.)
Toronto was just the third MLS side to advance to the finals since the group format was implemented in 2008-09. Real Salt Lake (2011) and the Montreal Impact (2015) also lost at the end to Mexican foes.
Toronto seemed poised to break the league’s long drought after eliminating Mexican teams Tigres and Club America in the previous two rounds. A week after losing the first leg of the finals 2-1 at home, TFC fell behind in the 19th minute on Orbelin Pineda’s goal. But Altidore answered in the 25th minute and Giovinco found the near corner in the 44th.
In the second half, Toronto’s Marky Delgado could have won it in the dying moments but drove a clear, nine-yard one-timer over the crossbar.
In the tiebreaker, while Chivas was perfect on all four attempts, Toronto’s Jonathan Osorio hit the crossbar in the second round and Bradley missed high in the fourth.
The goals:
The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. | Sports Competition | April 2018 | ['(Washington Post)'] |
In Paris, delegates from 195 countries approve an agreement that seeks to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. | Negotiators from 196 countries approved a landmark climate accord on Saturday that seeks to dramatically reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for a dangerous warming of the planet.
The agreement, adopted after 13 days of intense bargaining in a Paris suburb, puts the world’s nations on a course that could fundamentally change the way energy is produced and consumed, gradually reducing reliance on fossil fuels in favor of cleaner forms of energy.
Read the text of the draft climate agreement here.
“History will remember this day,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after the pact was gaveled through to thunderous applause. “The Paris agreement on climate change is a monumental success for the planet and its people.”
The deal was struck in a rare show of near-universal accord, as poor and wealthy nations from across the political and geographic spectrum expressed support for measures that require all to take steps to battle climate change. The agreement binds together pledges by individual nations to cut or limit emissions from fossil-fuel burning, within a framework of rules that provide for monitoring and verification as well as financial and technical assistance for developing countries.
The overarching goal is to bring down pollution levels so that the rise in global temperatures is limited to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages. Delegates added language that expressed an ambition to restrict the temperature increase even further, to 1.5 degrees C, if possible.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who presided over the talks, hailed the pact as a “historical turning point” that could spare the planet’s 7.3 billion people from the most disruptive effects of global warming in decades to come. Before the vote, he urged delegates not to shirk from taking steps that could avert an environmental disaster.
“The citizens of the world – our own citizens – and our children would not understand it. Nor, I believe, would they forgive us,” Fabius said.
Cheers echoed up and down the tent city where thousands of journalists, activists and business leaders awaited news of the deal, which was sealed during the final 48 hours of nearly non-stop talks.
196 countries just agreed to a historic climate deal. Here’s what happens next.
“This is a tremendous victory for all of our citizens–not for any one country or bloc, but a victory for all of the planet, and for future generations,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said after the accord was announced. “The world has come together behind an agreement that will empower us to chart a new path for our planet: a smart and responsible path, a sustainable path.”
The accord is the first to call on all nations—rich and poor—to take action to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, with additional reviews required every five years to encourage even deeper pollution cuts. A major goal, officials said, is to spur governments and private industry to rapidly develop new technologies to help solve the climate challenge.
“Markets now have the clear signal to unleash the full force of human ingenuity,” said Ban Ki-moon, who praised the pact as “ambitious, credible, flexible and durable.”
“The work starts tomorrow,” he said.
Ice worlds face extinction in warming planet
The agreement is a major diplomatic achievement for the Obama administration, which has made climate change a signature issue in the face of determined opposition from congressional Republicans, many of whom dispute the scientific consensus that links man-made pollution to the Earth’s recent warming.
President Obama, in an appearance at the White House, hailed the agreement as a “turning point for the world,” adding, “We came together around the strong agreement the world needed. Together we’ve shown what’s possible when the world stands as one.”
Obama helped set the stage for the agreement by forging a deal with China last year to work jointly to scale back emissions from their two countries, the world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. U.S. officials also helped engineer the accord’s unusual “bottom-up” structure, which, by relying on voluntary pledges to cut emissions, spares the White House from having to seek formal approval from a hostile Congress.
Environmental groups generally praised the accord, though some complained the delegates did not go far enough in helping the world’s poorest countries cope with effects of climate change that already are being felt.
“This is a pivotal moment where nations stepped across political fault lines to collectively face down climate change,” said Lou Leonard, vice president of climate change for the World Wildlife Fund. “For decades, we have heard that large developing nations don’t care about climate change and aren’t acting fast enough. The climate talks in Paris showed us that this false narrative now belongs in the dustbin of history.”
Tiny islands become driving force at Paris climate talks
But others blasted the Obama administration for not seeking a more ambitious treaty.
“The United States has hindered ambition,” said Erich Pica, president of the U.S. chapter of Friends of the Earth, an environmental group. “The result is an agreement that could see low-lying islands and coastlines swallowed up by the sea, and many African lands ravaged by drought.”
There also were signs of future trouble for the agreement from political opponents in Washington. Earlier in the week, Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, pronounced the Paris talks “full of hot air” and vowed to block the White House from using taxpayer funds to help carry out the accord.
On Saturday, Inhofe said, “The news remains the same. This agreement is no more binding than any other ‘agreement’ from any Conference of the Parties over the last 21 years. Senate leadership has already been outspoken in its positions that the United States is not legally bound to any agreement setting emissions targets or any financial commitment to it without approval by Congress.”
But Kerry told journalists that the agreement would survive Republican opposition and he called on Americans to elect as their next president a candidate who would support strong action on climate change.
“I regret to say, Sen. Inhofe is just wrong: This has to happen,” Kerry told reporters. He added: “I just personally do not believe that any person who doesn’t understand this science and isn’t prepared to do for the next generations what we did here today, and follow through on it, cannot and will not be elected president of the United States. It’s that simple.”
Obama made a strong defense against critics who said that the use of renewable energy would be expensive and destroy jobs. “The skeptics said these actions would kill jobs,” he said. “Instead, we’ve seen the longest streak of job creation in our history,” with renewable projects creating “a steady stream of middle-class jobs.”
Among those witnessing the final approval was former Vice President Al Gore, who had pressed for two decades for a climate deal.
“Years from now, our grandchildren will reflect on humanity’s moral courage to solve the climate crisis and they will look to December 12, 2015, as the day when the community of nations finally made the decision to act,” Gore said. “This universal and ambitious agreement sends a clear signal to governments, businesses, and investors everywhere: the transformation of our global economy from one fueled by dirty energy to one fueled by sustainable economic growth is now firmly and inevitably underway.”
Officials acknowledged that the compromise accord is insufficient, by itself, to prevent global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial averages, an increase that many scientists believe is the maximum amount of warming the planet can sustain without massive disruptions in natural ecosystems. But the treaty is structured to allow nations to adopt more ambitious cuts in emissions as new technology becomes available. | Sign Agreement | December 2015 | ['(BBC)', '(Washington Post)'] |
The number of deaths from MERS in South Korea rises to six with 23 new cases reported. |
SEOUL (AFP/REUTERS) - South Korea recorded its sixth death and biggest single-day jump in Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) infections on Monday, with 23 new cases in the largest outbreak of the potentially deadly virus outside Saudi Arabia.
From just four cases two weeks ago, the total number of infections now stands at 87, including six people who have died.
The latest fatality was a man in his 80s who had been diagnosed in Daejeon, 140km south of Seoul, and died in hospital on Monday morning, local officials said.
Among the 23 new cases, 17 were infected at the Samsung Medical Centre in southern Seoul,?where the countrys first patient was diagnosed,the Health Ministry said. All the infections so far have been restricted to hospitals, with transmissions between patients, staff and their families.
There were no additional cases from another hospital that produced the first wave of infections with 37 patients.
One of the new cases was a 16-year-old student hospitalised on May 27 for another disease, the Education Ministry said, in the first case involving a teenager.Given the period of time he had been in hospital, the ministry stressed it was not possible that he had infected any classmates at school.
A team of experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) was due to begin work on Tuesday to evaluate the response to the outbreak, including why it had spread so fast and advise on further measures.The South Korean culture of families looking after their loved ones at hospitals may have been part of the reason for it to spread within health-care facilities, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told Yonhap news agency.All known South Korean infections have taken place within healthcare facilities, where it is common for family and friends to make lengthy visits, sometimes around the clock.The WHO has not advised any travel restrictions.
Criticised for its initial response to the outbreak, the government on Sunday vowed "all-out" efforts to curb the further spread of the virus, including tracking the mobile phones of those under house quarantine to ensure they stay home.
Hundreds of public events, school trips and sporting events have been cancelled.
Health authorities said they were expecting to see more new cases of those who had been infected from the Samsung hospital in recent weeks.
The outbreak has triggered widespread public concern in South Korea, with 2,300 people placed under quarantine orders and nearly 1,900 schools - mostly in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province - closed down.
The Samsung Medical Centre - one of the South's largest hospitals - has placed nearly 900 patients and medical staff under observation.
More than 20 countries have been affected by Mers, with most cases in Saudi Arabia.
The virus is considered a deadlier but less infectious cousin of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed hundreds of people when it appeared in Asia in 2003.
Reflecting public concern among parents, 1,869 schools across the country were due to be closed on Monday, the Education Ministry said.All school trips from Singapore to South Korea had been postponed or cancelled, Singaporean media reported over the weekend, citing the Ministry of Education.The quarantine office at Japans Narita Airport, which serves Tokyo, said announcements were being made on planes from South Korea that anybody who might have been in contact with a Mers patient or been in a hospital with Mers patients needed to report to quarantine officials.The countrys first patient returned from Saudi Arabia in early May, officials have said.First identified in humans in 2012, Mers is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered severe acute respiratory syndrome.South Koreas new cases bring the total globally to 1,236, based on WHO data, with at least 445 related deaths.With the economy already flagging, the Mers outbreak is adding pressure for another interest rate cut in South Korea, possibly as soon as the central banks next policy meeting this week. The finance minister has said there is no need for a supplementary budget. | Disease Outbreaks | June 2015 | ['(AFP via Straits Times)'] |
The Trump administration revokes Obama-era orders on protection of gender identity under Title IX. | Donald Trump's government has revoked guidance to US public schools that allowed transgender students to use toilets matching their gender identity.
The guidance, issued by his predecessor Barack Obama, had been hailed by as a victory for transgender rights.
But critics said it threatened other students' privacy and safety, and should be decided at state level.
Mr Obama's directive had sparked a backlash across the country, with legal challenges from 13 states.
The latest change will have no immediate impact, because Mr Obama's directive has already been temporarily blocked by a judge in Texas since August.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration sent a letter to US schools outlining the change, saying the previous measure had caused confusion. It had also sparked lawsuits and debate over how it should work in practice, the letter from the Justice and Education departments said.
Last May, Mr Obama's justice and education departments instructed public schools to allow transgender students to use whichever bathroom corresponded to their gender identity. Though not legally binding, Mr Obama's order warned schools they could lose funding if they did not follow the new guidance. The Obama administration's guidance was based on its interpretation of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Mr Obama argued that protection extended to gender identity. During his presidential campaign, Mr Trump said transgender students should be allowed to use whichever bathroom "they feel is appropriate".
But he reversed his stance after facing Republican criticism. On Wednesday, conservative activists praised Mr Trump's order, saying it protected student rights to privacy. "Our daughters should never be forced to share private, intimate spaces with male classmates, even if those young men are struggling with these issues," said Vicki Wilson, a member of Students and Parents for Privacy.
"It violates their right to privacy and harms their dignity." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, also praised the move. "Our fight over the bathroom directive has always been about former President Obama's attempt to bypass Congress and rewrite the laws to fit his political agenda for radical social change," he said.
However, transgender activists have argued that gender identity is a civil rights issue that should be enforced at a federal level, not left to individual states. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called the move a major setback for trans rights.
"By rescinding these protections, the Trump administration is compromising the safety and security of some of our most vulnerable children," she said.
"Reversing this guidance tells trans kids that it's OK with the Trump administration and the Department of Education for them to be abused and harassed at school for being trans."
Some celebrities also criticised the decision on social media, with TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres tweeting: "This isn't about politics. It's about human rights."
| Government Policy Changes | February 2017 | ['(BBC)', '(CNN)'] |
West Virginia police report powerful flash floods last night killed at least 26 people and swept away a toddler from Ravenswood. Up to 10 inches of rain fell in White Sulphur Springs in the southern part of the state. A state of emergency had been declared in 44 counties. Almost 500,000 customers are without power including thousands in Virginia. , | The bodies of three more victims of West Virginia's historic flooding were found overnight Saturday, according to county authorities, raising the death toll to 26 from torrential rains and high water that has destroyed more than 100 homes, washed out scores of roads and bridges and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.
On Saturday, President Obama declared a major disaster for West Virginia and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the counties of Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas.
The Kanawha County sheriff's office said Saturday that one man was found in a home in the Clendenin area and two females were found in a home along the Elk River. The officials said it is presumed that all three had drowned.
At least 23 others, including an 8-year-old boy who was wading in a foot of water, were killed in the torrential flooding after as much as 8-10 inches of rain fell in six to eight hours in parts of the state on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. This amount of rain in such a short time is likely a "one-in-a-thousand-year event," the weather service said.
It was the third-deadliest flood on record in West Virginia, according to the West Virginia state climatologist Kevin Law. Only the Buffalo Creek flood in 1972 (when 125 died after a dam break) and a November 1985 flood (when 38 died from a combination of Hurricane Juan's remnants and another storm) killed more in the state, Law said.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin told reporters Friday that damage is widespread and devastating. Saying search and rescue missions are still a top priority, Tomblin issued a state of emergency for 44 counties and deployed 150 members of the National Guard to help emergency responders.
He called the flooding "among the worst in a century" for some parts of West Virginia.
Tomblin's chief of staff, Chris Stadelman, said 14 deaths had been confirmed by the state medical examiner. But local sheriffs and rescue workers across the state confirmed others not yet included in the state's official tally, the Associated Press reported.
Sheriff Jan Cahill of Greenbrier County, one of the hardest-hit areas, said at least 13 were killed there. Three were killed in Kanawha County and one each in Ohio and Jackson counties.
The heavy rains and rising water swamped towns, inundated a two-century old resort and trapped 500 people in a shopping center when a bridge was washed out. The storm also knocked out power to 66,000 West Virginians, and forced the shut off of gas in the town of White Sulphur Springs, Tomblin said.
The governor said 60 roads were closed, many of them destroyed, bridges were knocked out, and homes were burned down and washed off foundations. He said water rescue teams searched devastated areas looking for possible victims.
"It's been a long 24 hours, and the next 24 hours may not be any easier," the governor said.
Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Cahill described "complete chaos" in his county from the flooding, according to the Associated Press.
Chris Stadelman, the governor's communication director, said some areas were “probably looking at flooding that’s going to be the worst in 100 years." Tens of thousands of people were without power, and several roads were impassable, the Associated Press reported.
The body of Emanual Williams, 8, was recovered in Big Wheeling Creek in the Elm Grove area of Wheeling, The Wheeling Intelligencer reported.
The newspaper said the boy was walking with his sister and mother in a foot of water in the creek when he slipped and was carried away by strong currents.
One of the 500 people stranded overnight at a shopping mall said rescuers used a rope to help him and others down a steep slope behind the Crossings Mall in Elkview, about 12 miles from Charleston.
Floods put golf course at Greenbrier completely under water
Eric Blackshire, who is 48, said that he decided to get a hotel room at the mall on Thursday because a rock slide had blocked his way home to Walton. Then the bridge to the mall washed out during heavy rainfall, stranding people there overnight.
In Nicholas County, much of the town of Richwood was inundated by high water from the Cherry River, forcing the relocation of a nursing home. In nearby Greenbrier County, the grounds of the 238-year-old Greenbrier Resort, a National Historic Landmark, were partially flooded by water from Howard's Creek.
“We’ve got houses washed away, people trapped in automobiles and people trying to swim to get out of harm’s way,” Jim Justice, owner of the resort, said on MetroNews Sportsline. “It’s really, really, really bad.”
One dramatic video posted on the WVMetro news website showed a burning house floating down Howard's Creek in White Sulphur Springs.
One river, the Elk River at Queen Shoals, West Va., rose to an all-time record height of 33.37 feet, breaking the previous record of 32 feet, set in 1888, the weather service reported. | Floods | June 2016 | ['(25 cm)', '(NBC News)', '(Good Morning America via Yahoo News)', '(USA Today)'] |
Alain "Spiderman" Robert climbs another building barehanded, this time in Sydney; he is later arrested. | A French climber, known as 'Spiderman', is facing charges after scaling a 57-storey building in Australia. Alain Robert was arrested by police when he reached the top of the building in Sydney without ropes or any other safety equipment. He has climbed a number of the world's tallest buildings over the years and has been arrested almost as many times.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | August 2010 | ['(The Sydney Morning Herald)', '(BBC)', '(Xinhua)', '(Sky News)', '(France24)'] |
Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Féin, announces that he will resign his positions in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Parliament of the United Kingdom to stand for the Dáil. | Gerry Adams confirmed today that he intends to stand in the Irish Republic's general election, which is expected to be held in 2011.
The Sinn Féin president said he wouldseek the nomination for the constituency of Louth. Adams will retain his West Belfast Westminster seat even though he does not attend the House of Commons. He will, however, step down from his seat in the Northern Ireland assembly.
In a statement released at a republican commemoration near the border with Northern Ireland, Adams said: "As leader of the only all-Ireland party with an all-island mandate, I have a choice to make whether to stay in West Belfast, a place that I love, or to seek a mandate in another constituency in the south.
"West Belfast is my home. It is where Colette and our family are and where I live. But after thoughtful consideration, and with the support of colleagues, I have decided to put my name forward for Louth. If elected for this constituency I will work and stay here and travel home when possible."
Adams will face tough questions from a mainly hostile southern Irish media if he seeks to stand for the Dáil. In particular, he will be questioned about his alleged role in the disappearance of Jean McConville in 1972. The widow's body was found three decades later in the Louth constituency on a beach on the east coast of Ireland.
The late IRA veteran Brendan "Darkie" Hughes alleged in a taped interview before his death that Adams gave the order that McConville be abducted, murdered and buried in secret because the Provisional IRA believed she was an informer. Hughes claimed that Adams established a secret unit of the IRA in Belfast to hunt down suspected informers in the nationalist community.
Adams has always denied any role in the woman's death and disappearance or even being in the IRA. Hughes's taped memoir, which was broadcast last month on Irish television, compared Adams's denial of IRA membership to "Hitler denying that there was ever a Holocaust".
The party has a seat in the Louth constituency but last week its current TD, Arthur Morgan, announced he would be stepping down at the next election to concentrate on his business.
However, there is no guarantee that Adams would retain the seat or find himself in a multi-party coalition government. In the most recent Irish general election Adams performed disastrously in a live leaders' debate on RTE television in which he was unable to answer questions on economic policies in the republic.
The 62-year-old has taken a political back seat to his main colleague, the deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, within Northern Ireland.
McGuinness said: "I was involved in the discussion of this proposition and have every confidence that Sinn Féin can retain the Dail seat in Louth, ensuring continuity of excellent representation for the people of that constituency." | Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal | November 2010 | ['(The Times via The Australian)', '(The Guardian)'] |
13 people die and 30 people are injured in a shooting at the Fort Hood U.S. Army base in Texas. | Lieutenant General Bob Cone: "The shooter is in custody, and in a stable condition"
A US Army major has opened fire on fellow soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, killing 13 people and injuring 30, officials say.
Base commander Lt Gen Bob Cone said that the gunman had not been killed, as earlier stated, but was in custody. It is not clear what motivated the attacker, named as 39-year-old military psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan. But some reports said the US-born Muslim was unhappy about being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. Lt Gen Cone said one of the dead was a policeman and others were soldiers.
President Barack Obama described it as "a horrific outburst of violence". Speaking at a press conference in Washington, he said: "It is difficult enough when we lose these brave men and women abroad, but it is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on US soil." He extended his condolences to the families of the victims, adding: "We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident." Eleven victims were initially reported dead, but two of the injured later died, bringing the death toll to 13. 'Racial harassment'
The gunman is now said to be wounded after being shot four times, but is in a stable condition in custody. "His death is not imminent," said Lt Gen Cone.
An official said authorities initially thought one of the victims was the shooter, causing a delay in identifying Maj Hasan as the suspect, AP reported. Maj Hasan is a military psychiatrist and was reportedly due to be sent on a mission to Iraq or Afghanistan. His cousin said Maj Hasan had been resisting such a deployment. "He hired a military attorney to try to have the issue resolved, pay back the government, to get out of the military. He was at the end of trying everything," Nader Hasan told Fox News. He also said that Nidal Malik Hasan had been battling racial harassment because of his "Middle Eastern ethnicity". Prior to Fort Hood, Maj Hasan served as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, which treats wounded troops from combat zones.
Witness' account
The shooting had begun at about 1330 (1930 GMT) on Thursday at a personnel and medical centre at Fort Hood, where soldiers who are preparing to deploy go for last-minute medical check-ups, Lt Gen Cone said. He said the gunman had two weapons, one semi-automatic, which "might explain the rate of fire". Asked whether the shootings were a terrorist act, Lt Gen Cone said: "I couldn't rule that out but I'm telling you that right now, the evidence does not suggest that." Two more suspects were apprehended in an adjacent facility, he said, but eyewitness accounts suggesting there might have been more than one gunman were later discounted. A serviceman stationed at Fort Hood, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "I heard the emergency announcement over the speakers outside and saw people rushing to get indoors." Local congressman John Carter, speaking to NBC News, said gunfire had erupted half an hour before a graduation ceremony was due to begin. 'Like a city'
Fort Hood, near the town of Killeen, is the largest US base in the world. Home to about 40,000 US troops, the base lies between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles (100 km) from each city. Soldiers at Fort Hood are among those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some will have returned from there. The base has a centre that deals with combat stress. Hilary Shine, of the Killeen Fire Department told the BBC's News Channel Fort Hood was like a small city. "It has schools, a hospital, a convenience store even. And it has a large daytime population - including civilians working on the base - with as many as 80,000 in this area during the daytime." | Armed Conflict | November 2009 | ['(BBC)'] |
Seven people have been injured following a series of explosions at a propane plant in the US town of Tavares in central Florida. , , | At least eight people were injured by a series of explosions at a gas plant in the US state of Florida, officials say.
They were working at the Blue Rhino propane plant in Tavares when the blasts began about 23:00 local time (03:00 GMT), blowing the roof off.
The explosions continued for about an hour and caused a large fire. The cause of the initial blast is not yet known. Fifteen workers were found safe after initially being feared missing, while two others managed to escape unhurt. Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Harrell said the missing workers had merely "scattered" when the explosions began and had since been contacted by their managers and emergency crews.
People living within 0.5 miles (0.8km) of the plant have been evacuated, although Mr Harrell said emergency crews believed the fire had been contained and that there was no immediate danger to them.
Firefighters had to wait about four hours before they could approach the fire because conditions were so dangerous.
Four people are in critical condition across two area hospitals, but others injured drove themselves to hospital, Mr Harrell said.
Officials are investigating the blasts.
On Tuesday morning, Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith told reporters investigators did not think it was an act of sabotage. "It was probably a human or equipment error," he was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying.
The plant north-west of Orlando refilled propane tanks typically used for outdoor cooking. There were about 53,000 20-gallon (75-litre) tanks at the plant before the explosion.
About 4,000 to 5,000 tanks were refilled each night and were stacked on plastic pallets four or five high behind the filling station, former plant supervisor Don Ingram told a local broadcaster.
| Riot | July 2013 | ['(Fox News)', '(BBC)', '(AP via Vancouver Post)'] |
A wildfire destroys at least 118,500 acres and destroys over 700 homes in Central Texas since Saturday with two deaths. | Bastrop, Texas (CNN) -- A raging wildfire near Austin, Texas, killed two people, officials said Tuesday, as firefighters fought to gain the upper hand against flames, wind and fatigue.
The deaths raise the overall toll from the outbreak of fires to four lives lost. A wildfire killed a woman and her 18-month-old child Sunday when flames engulfed their home near Gladewater, officials said.
"Texas is in a difficult situation right now, and our priorities are pretty simple. No. 1 is to protect life at all costs," said Nim Kidd, chief of the state Division of Emergency Management.
The Texas Forest Service said it has responded to 181 fires that have burned more than 118,400 acres over the last week.
The fires have destroyed more than 700 homes since Sunday, according to the forest service. More than 1,000 homes have burned in the state since fire season began in November, Gov. Rick Perry's office said.
Winds that had peaked at nearly 30 mph had calmed to little more than half that Tuesday, giving firefighters a bit of a break.
"It's been a little calmer today," Mary Kay Hicks, a forest service official, told CNN's "AC 360."
"The wind has really died down and helped us get more of a handle of what's going on out there," she said.
The largest fire, near Austin, has spread across 30,000 acres, destroying more than 600 homes and forcing the evacuations of at least 5,000 people, officials said Tuesday. Known as the Bastrop County Complex, the fire has burned largely uncontrolled since it began Sunday afternoon.
The two people killed by the blaze near Austin were not public safety personnel, according to incident command officials. The officials declined to offer details.
"I don't think it's registered in our brains that our house is gone and that, really, half of Bastrop is gone," said evacuee Claire Johnson.
The danger from a fire near Houston -- called the Magnolia fire -- appeared to be lessening for the most populated areas. Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said the fire was no longer a threat there. Also, many residents were being allowed back into their homes Tuesday in neighboring Montgomery County.
About 4,000 homes in Montgomery had been evacuated, according to Lt. Dan Norris of the county's emergency management office. Firefighters continued to battle hot spots in Montgomery, but the bulk of the problems from the Magnolia fire appeared to be centered in Waller and Grimes counties, Norris said.
Another blaze in Grimes County, the Riley Road fire, has destroyed 20 homes and has hundreds more in its path, the forest service said. It had burned 3,000 acres as of Tuesday, according to the forest service.
Two major fires in Travis County destroyed 44 structures and damaged 74 others, Roger Wade, a spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday.
Authorities allowed residents of the Steiner Ranch area, burned by one of those Travis fires, to return to their homes Tuesday afternoon. Nichelle Bielinski was one such resident.
Standing amid the ruin of her two-story house, where smoke was still rising, she took stock.
"I'm OK," she said. "I am the luckiest person in the world. My family is safe."
Four firefighters working the Magnolia fire were taken to a hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion, according to the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management. One also had an ankle injury. All injuries were minor, the agency said.
The Bastrop County fire started Sunday and spread quickly Monday on winds fueled by what was once Tropical Storm Lee.
As the fire spread, firefighters would leave one structure thinking it was safe to work on another, only to return and find the first building had burned, said Tim Simpson, a firefighter deployed to Texas from Johnsondale, California.
"We were doing everything we could," he said.
Firefighters accustomed to attacking a fire head-on could do little more than pick around the edges, trying to protect whatever they could, said Tom Boggus, director of the Texas Forest Service.
"We've been very defensive. It's all we could do until now," he said.
The historic drought in Texas has created ideal conditions for the rapid spread of wildfire.
So far in 2011, 7.2 million acres of grass, scrub and forest have burned in wildfires nationwide. Of those, some 3.5 million acres -- nearly half -- have been in Texas, according to Inciweb, a fire-tracking website maintained by state and federal agencies.
Tuesday marked the 294th consecutive day of wildfires in Texas, according to Inciweb.
More than 2,000 firefighters are working fires across the state, Boggus said.
Fatigue is a major issue, he added, especially for volunteer firefighters from local departments who form the backbone of the response. Boggus said Texas officials are seeking additional resources from around the country to help battle the fires. CNN's Jim Spellman, Chris Welch, Melanie Whitley and Rich Phillips, and journalist Jocelyn Lane, contributed to this report. | Fire | September 2011 | ['(CNN)', '(Houston Chronicle)'] |
In major upsets, Bangladesh beats India by 5 wickets in a 2007 Cricket World Cup tie–up, while Ireland knock Pakistan out of the competition with a 3 wicket win – Ireland's first ever victory in the Cricket World Cup. | Three of their teenagers passed fifty, 17-year-old Tamim Iqbal with calypso strokes in a stunning 51 off 53 balls. There were late scares but Mushfiqur Rahim, aged 18, took them to the 192 target with nine deliveries remaining.
Rahul Dravid chose to bat but when he fell in the 25th over India were 72-4, and though Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh shared 85 it was insufficient.
Iqbal's spirit was exemplified in the seventh over, bowled by left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan.
India were convinced they had dismissed him at slip when the ball flew close to his gloves and ricocheted off his grille.
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Having engaged in some forthright discussion with the bowler, Iqbal smashed the final two balls of the over for four and embarked on a flurry of remarkable strokes.
The pick of them was also against Zaheer.
Having hit successive fours earlier in the over, he took a step down the pitch and piroueted into a drive, despatching the ball against the wall of the upper tier of the stand beyond wide long-on. Aftab Ahmed's shot selection was not so good, however, and his attempted pull to a full delivery that trapped him bang in front and made it 79-3 was particularly ill-advised.
When it appeared the Tigers may be feeling the pressure, 19-year-old Saqibul Hasan took the runs required below 100 with a confident cut for four off Agarkar.
Tendulkar is gleefully pouched by keeper Mushfiqur Rahim
Next, Rahim brought up the team's 100 in style with a glorious, towering straight six having advanced down the pitch to Harbhajan.
Dravid turned to Sachin Tendulkar but by this stage the batsmen had put the enormity of the situation to the back of their minds and were comfortably nudging their way patiently towards victory.
Not that they at any point went on the defensive. Saqibul slapped the first ball of Munaf Patel's new spell straight back past him.
He reached his third ODI fifty in fabulous fashion, striding down the wicket and lofting Harbhajan over cover for six.
India looked a beaten side but Virender Sehwag atoned for his lack of runs by enticing the left-hander down the pitch unnecessarily for a stumping.
If Saqib's dismissal for 53 was excusable, Habibul Bashar's in almost identical fashion for one, was not. Harbhajan spilled a low chance in the deep when seven runs were needed and the ebullient Tigers were not to be denied, Rahim appropriately striking the winning runs to finish unbeaten on 56.
Having won only once in 14 meetings with India, the Tigers cannot have been in overly-confident mood, particularly after failing to win a match in South Africa four years ago.
But they came into the match with 17 victories from their last 20 matches, albeit against lower grade opponents.
Iqbal's scintillating strokeplay gave Bangladesh a fantastic start
Their new-ball pairing of Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel immediately applied the pressure and were rewarded in the third over.
Out-of-form Sehwag, with only one fifty in his last 13 innings, tried to cut a ball that seamed back from Mortaza and edged into his stumps.
The first boundary came in the sixth over but in the next Robin Uthappa drove Mortaza to point.
After 14 overs the first bowling change brought success, as left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak snared the prize wicket of Tendulkar.
The maestro hit one sumptuous four off his toes but got an inside edge into his pad and the ball looped gently to wicketkeeper Rahim.
When nagging left-arm seamer Rasel was bowled through, 25 consecutive overs of slow left-arm followed, 30 in total for the innings.
Again a change resulted in immediate success, Mohammad Rafique's first ball trapping Dravid, the captain infuriated with the decision as the ball appeared to drift down the leg-side.
Yuvraj flicked the only six of the innings to record the 150 in the 42nd over, but in the next he was back in the hutch after top-edging to short fine-leg.
Attempting to charge Rafique, Ganguly succeeded only in flat-batting to mid-wicket.
Any threat of Mahendra Dhoni blasting his team out of trouble ended three balls later when he cut to point for a duck as a total of five wickets fell for two runs in 10 balls, which left India 159-9.
Last pair Zaheer and Patel hit two fours each to add 32 from 28 balls which but might have significant, but Iqbal and his young colleagues had other ideas. | Sports Competition | March 2007 | ['(BBC Sports)', '(The Age)', '(Reuters)', '[permanent dead link]', '(Reuters)'] |
Francis Ona, the leader of the former Bougainville Revolutionary Army, has died in village on Bougainville following a short illness. Ona led the bloody 10–year secessionist war against Papua New Guinea that ended in 1997. | Francis Ona (C in blue shirt) has died. The reclusive Bougainville rebel leader appeared in public for the first time in 16 years in March to demand independence from Papua New Guinea for the province at this rally. (AFP/The National) By Pacific correspondent Sean Dorney
The man who began the 10-year secessionist war on Bougainville, Francis Ona, is dead.
Mr Ona died in his village near the abandoned Bougainville Copper mine after a short illness.
A former surveyor with Bougainville Mining Limited, Mr Ona sparked the Bougainville secessionist war in November 1988.
He began sabotage attacks on the mine at Panguna in support of demands for the equivalent, at the time, of $14 billion in compensation for environmental damage.
Mr Ona became supreme commander of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and steadfastly refused to negotiate with the Papua New Guinea authorities, even boycotting the talks in New Zealand in 1997 that eventually brought peace.
He rejected the autonomy deal that has seen the emergence of an elected, autonomous Bougainville Government.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Bruce Billson, says the Government is unlikely to send a representative to Mr Ona's funeral.
"Given the history there and that Mr Ona's status is as a self-declared leader of Me'ekamui, that's not a recognised jurisdiction, and the Government's work is supporting Joseph Kabui and the newly-elected autonomous Bougainville Government," he said.
But Mr Billson says the state funeral being held for Mr Ona provides an opportunity for the people of Bougainville to consolidate the peace process.
"This is an opportunity for reconciliation, to reach out for supporters of Mr Ona and to look forward to a more positive cooperative future in the management of Bougainville's affairs," he said.
The rebel leader who has been vocal in calling for Australian Federal Police to stay out of Papua New Guinea, Francis Ona, has died of malaria. | Famous Person - Death | July 2005 | ['(ABC News)', '(ABC News)'] |
A judge and court clerk are shot dead at the Law Courts of Brussels, the main courts in the Belgian capital. | 11:04 Greeks protest in biggest rally so far11:03 Pope praises convicted pro-Ustasha cardinal10:38 Source of German E.coli outbreak was "local"
BRUSSELS -- A judge and a court clerk have been shot dead in the main court in Brussels, reports say.
Several gunshots were heard in or near the Palais de Justice in the centre of the Belgian capital.
Justice Minister Stefan Declerk said a female judge and clerk were gunned down during a court session, according to the Associated Press news agency. Police said the gunman remains at large after fleeing on foot following the shooting. Justice Minister Declerk says the "horrible" incident underlines the need for better court security in Belgium, AP reports. Emergency services have arrived at the scene. Police sealed off surrounding streets. issuing warnings to shoppers and tourists at pavement cafes to go indoors. A news conference on the shooting incident is to be held later on Thursday.
ANKARA -- Lawmakers in the Turkish parliament are urging the government to review political, economic and military ties with Israel.
Gaza -- Hamas will not allow goods from an aid flotilla raided by Israel to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Islamist organization said on Thursday.
MOSCOW -- Many countries may face growing global terrorism threats, the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.
LONDON -- Police want to know who provided the lethal weapon to a gunman who ran amok in the northwest England and killed 12 people.
Choose date:
Should Kosovo be partitioned?
BELGRADE -- "I don’t know what to think. If a man looks like Mladic, if he carries an ID with the name Mladic, if he is hiding in a house of Mladic family, where his own son, also Mladic, is visiting him, then why was the effort to locate
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, who is coming to Serbia next week, told B92 that he would tell the Serbian authorities that "the time was running out", and that they should speed up the process of fulfilling conditions necessary to
The Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System in the Republic of Serbia until 2016 is based on the standards, experience and regulatory framework of the democratic world.
Even though it started fairly modest, Mongol Rally today represents a fearless adventure with more than 1,000 brave participants who take part every year. | Famous Person - Death | June 2010 | ['(BBC)', '(B92)', '(AFP)', '(Xinhua)'] |
Shimon Peres is elected as the President of Israel after opponents bow out in the first round of the Israeli presidential elections. | In six decades in public life, Shimon Peres had led Israel’s government three times and held nearly every senior post but never won a national election, failing so often that he was branded an “accomplished loser.” On Wednesday, the country’s most senior statesman finally got his due.
By a vote of 86 to 23, parliament elected him over two rivals to the largely ceremonial job of president.
“No matter how much I thought of this, I was caught unprepared,” the 83-year-old Peres told parliament in an emotional acceptance speech.
He promised to play a “spiritual role” as a unifier and speak “in a strong voice to expel despair from our midst.”
“The president’s residence will be an open house for all citizens, attentive to the weak, open to the Jewish nation abroad and a warm house for Israeli Arabs,” he said.
The outcome was a relief for many Israelis who are eager to see a measure of gravitas restored to an office tainted by scandal involving the two previous presidents.
It was especially good news for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who had campaigned hard for his deputy prime minister and staked the dwindling prestige of his government on the outcome.
Olmert is struggling to stay in office after a damaging report by an official panel that cited his leadership failures during last summer’s inconclusive cross-border war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Peres’ elevation to the presidency will help Olmert by opening a key position in his coalition government that he can barter for political support.
At a caucus of the centrist Kadima party before the vote, Olmert said, “If we had to make a list that summarizes the qualities, achievements and profile of the ideal candidate for this position, one would take the life story of Shimon Peres to serve as a model.”
Peres, who appeared nervous at the party meeting, joked that there was just one thing he could do in light of all his defeats: pray until the vote.
As a Labor Party stalwart, Peres had been considered a shoo-in to win the presidency in 2000, when Ezer Weizman resigned under pressure because of allegations that he had failed to report large sums of money given to him by a billionaire friend. But Peres lost in a stunning upset to Moshe Katsav, a back-bencher of the right-wing Likud Party.
Katsav stepped aside in January, with six months left in his term, to face allegations that he had raped or sexually assaulted four female employees. Israel’s attorney general has said he is seeking an indictment in the case.
Israel’s parliament speaker, Dalia Itzik, has been serving as acting president.
Peres received 58 votes in the first round of voting Wednesday, three short of a majority. Reuven Rivlin, a former parliament speaker with the right-wing Likud Party, got 37 votes, and lawmaker Colette Avital of the left-leaning Labor Party got 21.
Avital, seeking to become Israel’s first elected female president, dropped out and threw her support to Peres. Shortly afterward, Rivlin withdrew his candidacy and asked the parliament to unanimously back Peres. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, a harsh critic of the dovish Peres, said his party would back him.
That left Peres alone in the second round, with lawmakers voting yes or no.
He takes office July 15 for a seven-year term as Israel’s ninth president since its independence in 1948.
Born in 1923 in Poland, Peres is one of Israel’s oldest founding fathers. He was the chief architect of its military-industrial complex, including its nuclear weapons program, and a driving force behind the 1993 Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians, a role that earned him a share of the Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, both now deceased.
Peres was a top aide to Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. He has been a member of parliament since 1959 and has served as minister of defense, finance and foreign affairs.
He served three times as prime minister -- first in the 1970s in a caretaker role and then in the 1980s under a rotation agreement with Yitzhak Shamir after a general election failed to produce a clear winner. He ran the government again in the mid-1990s after Rabin was assassinated, all as a member of Labor.
He quit Labor after losing the party leadership in 2005. He joined the Kadima party, which was founded that year by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Peres lost repeatedly in his bids for outright election to the office. The wit and elegance that made him a favorite among foreign dignitaries made little impression on Israeli voters, who prefer earthier politicians and military heroes. Peres never served in the armed forces.
Political analysts said the octogenarian finally broke his losing streak because he was a sentimental choice among his fellow lawmakers and his age and experience outweighed partisan considerations.
| Government Job change - Election | June 2007 | ['(Haaretz)', '(Los Angeles Times)'] |
Tungurahua, an active stratovolcano in Ecuador, erupts, spewing out pyroclastic flows, shooting volcanic ash six kilometres into the air and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. At least one person is killed and another 60 people missing. , , , | (adds toll of one dead and official's quote) QUITO, Ecuador, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spewed molten rock on Thursday and a local mayor reported one person dead and 60 missing as authorities evacuated hundreds of families from the threatened area. Local television showed images of molten rock blasting from the volcano's crater and massive clouds of ash. "We have recovered the body of one man," Juan Salazar, the mayor of nearby Penipe, told local television. "We have 13 people hurt and they are hospitalized." He also said 60 people were missing but Tungurahua's governor Eduardo Toaza told Reuters that was "speculation". "So far we have no reports of people dead, injured or missing," Toaza said. Tungurahua, about 80 miles (130 km) south of capital city Quito, had shown a sharp increase in activity in July, causing hundreds of nearby villagers to flee their homes. "This is a lot worse than the last time," Mauro Rodriguez, the Civil Defense chief for the Tungurahua province, told Reuters. "We have so far evacuated around 300 families living near the volcano." Flows of molten rock, ash and gas blocked several roads as thousands of people crowded nearby churches and schools for refuge, said Javier Bermeo, who runs the shelters in the Tungurahua province. He said the exact number of evacuees, mostly from towns on the east side of the crater, is not yet known. During the early hours of Thursday residents of the tourist town of Banos, with a population of around 17,000, left their homes, but the city mayor told Reuters most have already returned to the town on the south side of the volcano's crater. "In recent hours the volcano has quieted down, but a new cycle could start at any moment," Pablo Samaniego, a scientist with Ecuador's national geophysics institute, told local television station. | Volcano Eruption | August 2006 | ['(UN)', '(BBC)', '(Reuters)', '(CNN)'] |
Serena Williams wins the women's singles at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships after defeating her sister, Venus Williams. | Game-by-game commentray as Serena Williams beats sister Venus 7-6, 6-2 to win the 2009 women's Wimbledon title.
Serena Williams wins the match 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to claim the Wimbledon title.
15.45
In the end it was over rather quickly. Nothing could separate the pair throughout the first set. Both players were serving wonderfully and the prospect of a break of serve was as remote as a hamlet in the Australian outback. But then Serena raised her game for the inevitable tie-break and never looked back. Venus fought hard for the first few games of the second set but as her serve deserted her at the crucial moment there was little for her to fall back on. Serena kept her nerve and used her strength and will to dominate her older sister and in the end ran out a worthy, if unspectacular, winner. 15.41 6-2 Serena second set: Venus brings up advantage but is then bullied back to deuce by Serena's raw power before an unforced error from Venus brings up a third championship point. Serena does incredibly to reach a wide approach from her sister but the looping return drifts beyond the baseline. More energy and power from Serena forces a fourth championship point and Venus can't keep fighting fires, drilling in to the net to give her sister the ultimate prize. Serena Williams wins the match 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to claim the Wimbledon title.
15.37
Again Venus stutters with her toss before missing a first serve before turning that in to a tepid double fault. Her serve was excellent at the start of this game but it has just fallen apart now. As has the rest of her game. A backhand down the line doesn't clear the net for 0-30 and she is limping to the end of this match. Serena helps her out by going wide with a forehand cross court effort and the crowd, too, try and rouse her. Maybe that helped as she rushes the net to smash a lob from Serena emphatically away for 30-30. A wide forehand from Venus sets up championship point for Serena. Venus misses the first serve before Serena gets fooled by the spin on the second - certainly not the pace which was glacial - for deuce. A terrific effort from both women in a long overdue rally of quality that Serena prevails in for another championship point for the younger sibling. That one goes begging as well after another energy sapping rally in which Serena shunned a presentable chance to fire off a winner before hitting the centre of the net. 15.29
5-2 Serena second set: Serena is having no such trouble with her serve, opening with an ace. A loose, timid forehand from the baseline is woefully long from Venus as her game crumbles under pressure from her sister. Another ace takes Serena to 40-0 and closer to winning this match which she surely will now. A spooned effort off the frame from Venus compounds the sense of her losing this one and she will have to serve to stay in the match now. 15.26
4-2 Serena second set: Venus's previously unerring service game deserts her for a moment as she misses her first three first serves which Serena is able to exploit for a 15-30 lead. And still Venus struggles with the sun on her toss. She's struggling even more seriously now as an ambitious angled shot from deep court didn't clear the net for break point. Again Venus misses her first serve. And her second - a double fault gives us a first break of the game and Serena is in command of this one now. 15.21 3-2 Serena second set: Another no-nonsense service hold from Serena is topped off with an ace at 40-15 as we continue to be starved of breaks or even the suggestion of breaks in this match. 15.18
2-2 second set: Serena is enjoying this more than her sister. A beautiful, clean backhand down the line beats Venus all ends up before she is deceived by a curious hop off the line to undo her good work. A wild slash at a serve would still be travelling now but for the Centre Court stands for 30-15. An unforced error from Serena puts Venus in charge of the game and she confirms that when Serena finds the middle of the net for Venus to hold. 15.14
2-1 Serena second set: A simple, early forehand from Serena swats Venus's return away for the point most pleasing to the eye in an otherwise pretty prosaic hold for Serena. 15.11
1-1 second set: Venus is having real trouble with her toss, catching the ball time and again. On both the first two points she delays that way but it doesn't break her rhythm as two great serves take her to 30-0. Serena finds the net with an approach on the following point before Venus reciprocates for 15-40. No matter. An ace from Venus closes out the game. 15.08
1-0 Serena second set: Buoyed by winning the first set Serena makes short work of the opening game of the second, winning her service game to love in double quick time. 15.05
7-6 Serena first set: Serena serves for the set for the first time and on a second sees her sister come to the net after a clip off the net chord before Serena lobbed her with glorious precision. 7-3 Serena in the tie-break for the first set. Serena wins first set 7-6.
15.04
venus is left on her knees at the end of a glorious exchange where the older Williams was always on the back foot but refused to give it until it was lost. Four set points then to Serena. The first is saved by Serena going wide when the court was hers for 6-3 Serena. 15.02
A terrific, brutal winner down the line from Serena puts her in charge at 4-2 before a loose backhand well wide from Venus leaves it 5-2 Serena. 15.00
Serena gets the mini-break for 3-1 before Serena spooned a backhand after the ball kicked off the line for 3-2 Serena. 14.58
Venus holds on her opening serve in the tie-break before Serena levels with a deep, powerful serve that gives Venus no chance. Venus guesses right when Serena hit a forehand straight down the line from the net but found net with the return for 2-1 Serena. 14.57
6-6 first set: Serena serving then to stay in the first set of a match that has failed to really get going yet. A poor lob from Serena is treated with the contempt it deserved by Venus at the net before Serena again puts too much on her serve for Venus to get it back and then sends down an ace for 30-15. Another brings up 40-15 then a passing shot that goes wide takes us to a tie-break. 14.54
6-5 Venus first set: More excellent net play from Venus as she keeps her racket high to meet Serena's return full on. Then a wonderful exchange with both players constantly on the run to create angles or meet a challenge before Serena played the killer shot, sweeping a backhand cross court winner in some style. More of that please. The points are getting stretched here now as Serena attacks a second serve from Venus to control the destiny of the point for 30-30. Venus brings out a big serve for 40-30 but then massively over hits a forehand for deuce. Serena can't control her next return before Venus again goes long when searching for power. Two strong serves gets the older Williams out of trouble and we still await our first break. 14.47
5-5 first set: Serena's turn to follow her serve to the net to close out a quick first point before Venus drives a forehand in to the net under no pressure at all. Venus is helped out by a fortunate net chord before normal service is resumed with a blistering backhand down the line that Venus got to but had no chance of sending back in to play. Brutal stuff from Serena. 14.43
5-4 Venus first set: Venus shows that Serena isn't the only Williams with a serve to be reckoned with to pummel her way to 15-0 before sending Serena this way and that with a game of angles before finishing down the middle just beyond the reach of a flying Serena. A loose forehand from centre court gives Serena a lifeline in the game for 15-40 but it is soon cut as Serena hits a return long. 14.40
4-4 first set: Serena isn't quick enough to get round Venus's return and then suffers from an unexpected hop to go 0-30 and look in trouble on her serve for the first time. A big first serve helps her out before another unforced error brings up two break points, the first of the match. The first is saved by Serena with a second serve that kicks like a mule before she gets very, very lucky on the second. Serena rushed the net but didn't finish the job and Venus had plenty of court to aim at but over cooked it. Another booming serve - straight down the 'T' and another ace gives Serena a very hard fought and very valuable hold. 14.35
4-3 Venus first set: A slip from Venus helps Serena find a forehand winner in to an empty court before Venus follows a serve in to centre court to bury a simple forehand after sending Serena out wide. A 13 stroke rally goes Venus's way before a first ace of the match from the older sister takes us to 40-15 and the game is closed out with an unreturnable serve. 14.31
3-3 first set: A mistake from Venus, looping a return high up in to the air, allows Serena to get over the ball and fire it deep and wide on route to a 30-0 lead before an ace down the middle - her fourth in the match so far - and a loose forehand in to the tram lines from Venus levels us up again with not even a sniff of a break yet. 14.27
3-2 Venus: The shot of the match so far from Venus. Serena whipped a beautiful backhand cross court from wide left but Venus's footwork allowed her time to pick a spot on the edge of open court and send a smooth, classy backhand down the line helps her on her way to another hold and we are still with serve. 14.23
2-2 first set: Venus is showing a willingness to come to the net but to no good effect on this occasion as Serena, at the third attempt, passed her with an effort that just clipped the line. An ace and an unforced error from Venus preserves Serena's record of not having dropped a point on serve yet in this match before it is lost on the next point when she finds the middle of the net with a forehand from the baseline. It doesn't stop her winning the game, though, as another ace wraps things up. 14.20
2-1 Venus: A probing approach shot from Venus is too wide for Serena to reach before three straight first serves that Serena can't get back over the net finish a straightforward hold for Venus. 14.17
1-1 first set: Serena's first service game starts in polar fashion to her sisters with an ace before an arrow straight forehand winner down the line doubles her advantage. Venus is unable to return either of the following two serves and Serena starts with a hold to love. 14.15
1-0 Venus: A double fault from Venus to start with doesn't bode well but a forehand winner off Serena's return on the next point makes amends for that. The first rally of the game ends with Venus hitting long from the baseline for 15-30 before a Venus serve is too strong for Serena to level things again. Serena flashes wildly at a second serve to no good effect before a strange, mis-timed ground stroke loops a foot over the line to hand Venus the opening game. 14.11
The conditions for the match are perfect - blue skies but none of the opressive heat from earlier this week - and there is no danger of the roof being employed. The players are out and Venus to serve first. 14.06
Both women look calm and confident as they knock-up on Centre Court. Looking for clues as to how this match will unfold is a thankless task, though Venus has had a smoother route to the final and a case could be made for her being fresher today, though Serena's physicality all but evens that out. Venus is the queen of grass and her extra reach and stride makes her well suited to the now well worn court and her desire to match Steffi graf's record of having won three titles here on the spin gives her added motivation. But in truth, this is anybody's match today. 14.02
The body language is one of concentration and business-like focus from both players. No words are exchanged and they both seem intent on even avoiding eye contact. Facing your sister in a grand slam final presents its own difficulties on top of the normal nerves and sense of occasion, you imagine, though they have had plenty of practice over the years. Venus's left leg bears heavy strapping while Serena looks over dressed for a warm summer’s day with her mini-trench coat number. 13.55
The players are out of the locker room and the latest edition of Wimbledon's own sister act is moments away now. 13.45
Some incredible figures for stats fans. Venus Williams has won 34 sets in a row at the Wimbledon championships since the third round back in 2007. That is an incredible run and something to strike fear in to Serena in the locker room right now. Venus really has owned Wimbledon in recent years and is looking for her sixth title today, despite her last grand slam win outside south west London being the US Open back in 2001. 13.35
Opinion is split on whether another all-Williams final is a good or a bad thing. On the one hand watching the same people compete for the top honours time and again can take a little of the sparkle and excitement off the event but on the other we always want to see the best players in the final and there can be no disputing that this year, again, they are. Venus and Serena have amassed a staggering 17 grand slam totals between them before today and after 20 meetings at the majors have a record of ten wins each which means the right to be considered the unofficial best player in the family is at stake as well as the Wimbledon title. 13.15
What little difference a year makes. A fourth meeting of the Williams sisters in the final of the women's singles at Wimbledon is a repeat of last year's event, which Venus won in straight sets, and was widely predicted once the two most dominant forces in the women's game on grass were placed on opposite sides of the draw. The quality and sheer force of presence both women represent means that this enduring familiarity is in no danger of breeding contempt, though does risk a slight sense of indifference from a tennis public who recognise the Williams’ greatness but yearn for a challenger, or challengers, to step up and make life a little harder for them at the All England Club. Seven times in the last nine years the name Williams has been engraved on the winner's trophy, soon to become eight in ten of course, and today's final represents a fourth meeting of the pair at this stage of the championships. Reigning champion Venus goes in to the match as favourite, having failed to drop a set on route to the final, but Serena's powerful, testing serve will trouble her sister even if she stands head and shoulders above the rest as the best returner in this year's tournament. Should the match go with the form book, then Venus will become the first player since Steffi Graf to win three Wimbledons in a row, and will add to the five wins she has already enjoyed. Serna has won twice, though, so is in no danger of being overwhelmed by the occasion. With both players knowing each other inside and out, both as characters and as players, there is always the danger of the match failing to explode in to life and few of their grand slam meetings, though always competitive and intriguing, have truly stirred the senses - about time for a change then. | Sports Competition | July 2009 | ['(The Daily Telegraph)'] |
Pope Benedict XVI makes a controversial visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome. | Pope Benedict is due to make an historic visit to Rome's synagogue - only the second time a Pope has made such a trip.
Pope Benedict's visit is aimed at cementing sometimes fractious relations between Catholicism and Judaism. But it comes amid controversy over Pope Benedict XVI's plans to turn his wartime predecessor into a saint. Some Jewish groups plan to boycott the event because they say Pope Pius XII didn't do enough to stop the Holocaust. Rome's synagogue is the spiritual home of the oldest Jewish community in the world outside Israel. The event is another gesture of reconciliation between the two faiths - but it comes amid a atmosphere of mistrust. The reason for that is Pope Benedict's plan to press ahead with moves to canonise Pius XII, who was Pope during World War II. That has offended many Jewish people who say Pius didn't speak out forcefully enough against the Holocaust. The Vatican says the records show he did help many Jews, but some Jewish leaders are boycotting the papal visit as they believe the Catholic Church is misguided and insensitive. What are these? | Diplomatic Visit | January 2010 | ['(BBC)'] |
Search and rescue operations begin for a baby who is missing after a migrant boat carrying fourteen people sinks near Turkey. | The Turkish Coast Guard has launched a search for an 8-month-old infant after a migrant boat carrying 15 people sank off Turkey's Aegean coast on Friday.
Media reports say the migrants, all Syrian nationals, and a human smuggler guiding them, were traveling from Bodrum in the southwestern Turkey to a nearby Greek island when their overcrowded rubber boat sank. Four Coast Guard boats dispatched to the area rescued all 14 adults but a baby was missing according to the accounts of the rescued migrants.
Turkey has prevented some 269,059 illegal migrants, the highest ever, from crossing into Europe in the first eight and a half months of this year.
The country is located in between the European and African continents and is often used as a junction point to enter the European countries.
Each year thousands of illegal migrants, many of them fleeing war, hunger and poverty back in their home countries, take a dangerous route to cross into Europe for a better life.
Some of the migrants reach Turkey on foot before eventually taking a dangerous journey across the Aegean to reach the Greek islands. People have lost their lives trying to make this journey of "hope" while many of them were rescued by Turkish security forces. | Shipwreck | September 2019 | ['(The Daily Sabah)'] |
A Britishled military offensive, Operation Panther's Claw, succeeds in clearing the Taliban from parts of southern Helmand Province in Afghanistan. | LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British-led military operation meant to clear the Taliban from parts of Afghanistan has succeeded, UK officials said Monday.
A file image shows a British Royal Marine sniper team on an operation in Afghanistan.
NATO and its Afghan allies launched Operation Panther's Claw to flush the Taliban from parts of southern Helmand Province before Afghan presidential elections next month.
Major fighting is mostly over, and the military will now focus on "holding" the areas that have been cleared of Taliban so they do not return, Lt. Gen. Simon Mayall said in a briefing. The operation's success will enable up to 80,000 people in Helmand to vote.
"Panther's Claw has been extremely successful," said Brigadier Tim Radford, the top British military commander for the operation. "There will be many Taliban who will not be fighting any more."
He said the Taliban suffered "significant casualties," but refused to say how many. Nine British troops were killed in action in the operation, he said, and there were three Afghan civilian casualties.
Radford estimated that there were 450 to 500 Taliban fighters in the area at the time of the operation, which he called "one of the biggest that has taken place."
The British gave several weeks' warning that they were planning to attack, he said, both to exert psychological pressure on the Taliban and to give civilians a chance to flee.
As a result, "quite a few Taliban managed to get away," Radford said. "They will always get away and they will always come back in."
Mayall, the deputy chief of the British Defence Staff for Operations, said the challenge now was to convince local people that the Afghan government and its allies could protect them from the Taliban.
The Taliban "are going to assume that we are going to lose interest and move on," he said.
But they are wrong, he said.
NATO forces were going to "stay in Afghanistan for a very long time," he said, adding that active NATO-led fighting should "tail off" as Afghan security forces develop the ability to fight the Taliban themselves.
The counter-insurgency strategy of clearing and holding an area to allow for development of infrastructure and the rule of law echoes the coalition forces' plan in Iraq.
Panther's Claw focused on the area around the town of Babaji in Helmand Province.
The operation mirrored a similar operation by U.S. Marines in the area.
At least 20 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month, sparking intense debate in Britain about the country's military role there.
The British-led operation involved about 3,000 troops -- mostly from the British military but also with Afghan, Danish and Estonian forces, the British Ministry of Defence said in a written statement. The operation started in mid-June with an air assault along a canal about 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of the city of Lashkar Gah, the ministry said.
British-led forces attacked from three different directions over the next three weeks, essentially creating a "gated community" where Taliban insurgents could not get in or out, Radford said. | Armed Conflict | July 2009 | ['(CNN)'] |
A woman goes on trial in England accused of murdering a man who was voluntarily euthanised in Belgium after she allegedly attacked him with acid. Prosecutors say medical evidence indicates "he could not bear to live in that condition." | A woman threw acid over her former partner in an attack that left him with such "grotesque" injuries Belgian doctors agreed to end his life.
Berlinah Wallace, 49, is accused of murder and applying a corrosive fluid to Dutch engineer Mark van Dongen in Bristol in 2015.
Mr van Dongen ran screaming into the street in his boxer shorts with "horrific" injuries before being taken to hospital, Bristol Crown Court heard.
Ms Wallace denies both charges.
The attack on 23 September left Mr van Dongen, 29, paralysed from the neck down, unrecognisable and all but blinded, Bristol Crown Court heard.
Ms Wallace allegedly laughed and told him "if I can't have you, no-one else can" before throwing a glass of sulphuric acid into his face.
Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingam QC said the defendant "deliberately threw acid at Mr van Dongen, intending to cause him serious harm".
"She admits throwing it but denies any intent to cause him harm. She says that she believed that what she was throwing over him was a glass of water."
Mr Vaitilingam said Mr van Dongen's "physical and mental suffering" drove him to euthanasia.
"Put simply, he could not bear to live in that condition. If that is right, we say, then she is guilty of murder," he added.
The court was told Mr van Dongen suffered 15 months of pain before being granted euthanasia in Belgium, where it is legal and where his family lives, in January 2017.
"He was examined by three consultants, who confirmed that this was, in their terms, a case of unbearable physical and psychological suffering despite maximum medical support," Mr Vaitilingam added.
"They agreed that the test for euthanasia was met, and on 2 January 2017 they inserted a catheter into his heart, which brought about his immediate death."
The court heard Mr van Dongen and Ms Wallace had been in a five-year relationship but split a few weeks before the alleged attack, with the victim moving in with his new girlfriend Violet Farquharson.
Richard Smith QC, defending Ms Wallace, told jurors it was Mr van Dongen who had poured the sulphuric acid in a glass for her to drink.
"Mark van Dongen might be the author of his own misfortune," he added.
"He planned to make her suffer, not him. If that is right then his plan has gone horrendously wrong."
Mr Smith told the jury that Mr van Dongen and Ms Wallace were physically abusive to each other and had both made claims about abuse from the other.
He added: "In the dark times of this difficult relationship there had been suggestions made to her by Mark van Dongen that she might alleviate her depression by taking sulphuric acid - a rather bizarre and cruel observation."
The case continues.
| Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse | April 2018 | ['(BBC)'] |
Israeli security forces kill four Palestinians and critically wound another who attempted to stab either police officers or a member of the public today. This is the latest in a month of similar attacks where 17 Palestinian attackers and eight Israelis have been killed. , | JERUSALEM // Four Palestinians were shot dead on Saturday in attacks in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Israeli border police killed a 16-year-old Palestinian in a neighbourhood around East Jerusalem as they stopped him for questioning.
Police claimed the teenager had been walking in “a suspicious manner” and drew a knife, trying to stab the officers when he was stopped.
Israel also killed two Palestinians in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, where about 500 Jewish settlers live in a heavily guarded enclave in the city centre surrounded by about 200,000 Palestinians.
In the first incident, Jewish settlers attacked an unarmed man, according to a Palestinian high school student who witnessed the incident.
The Israeli military claimed that the victim tried to stab an Israeli settler, who was carrying a gun which he used to shoot and kill the victim.
Palestinian security sources identified the dead man as 18-year-old Fadel Al Kawatsmi.
A video circulated by Palestinian activists showed a young man wearing a kippa brandishing a pistol as shots rang out before Israeli soldiers moved in to pull him away from a body on the ground.
The other death in Hebron was of a Palestinian woman who was shot by an Israeli border policewoman. Israeli police again claimed that the woman had tried to stab the officer before she was shot.
Palestinian media said the victim was 16 years old.
Meanwhile, an Israeli border guard killed a Palestinian who, he said, attempted to stab him at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The guard shot and wounded the man, then killed him after the man tried again to stab him, the Israeli military claimed.
At least 41 Palestinians and seven Israelis have died in the violence, which was in part triggered by Palestinians’ anger over increased Jewish encroachment on Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque compound.
The mounting death toll has prompted fears of a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising, like those of 1987 to 1993, and 2000 to 2005, when thousands were killed in near-daily violence.
Israeli forces have been deployed in huge numbers in Jerusalem and on Wednesday began setting up checkpoints in parts of East Jerusalem.
The United States urged leaders on both sides to help rein in the unrest.
“We are very concerned about the outbreak of violence,” president Barack Obama said in Washington.
He said it was important for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and other people in positions of power to try to “tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger or misunderstanding”.
US secretary of state John Kerry, who could travel to the region soon and is scheduled to meet the Israeli prime minister in Germany this week, has spoken separately to Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu to ask them to restore calm.
Mr Abbas has been under pressure over recent comments that some have described as incitement, and has called for peaceful protests.
But on Friday, he condemned an arson attack the night before on Joseph’s Tomb, a West Bank site which is holy to Jews.
The same day, four Palestinians were killed, one named Ayad Awawdeh, after posing as a news photographer to stab and wound a soldier outside a Jewish settlement.
As hundreds of Palestinians joined the funeral of Awawdeh in the West Bank village of Dura on Saturday, his mother said her son had “watched the news on television the whole time and exploded with anger at seeing so many horrors”.
Israel has warned that it may not hand over the bodies of those responsible for attacks to their families for burial.
The violence came after clashes in September between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces and at East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam.
On Friday, Israel rejected Palestinian calls for an international protection force to be deployed to quell violence around Al Aqsa.
* Agencies
Published: October 18, 2015 04:00 AM
| Armed Conflict | October 2015 | ['(UPI)', '(Abu Dhabi National)'] |
United Technologies Corp will buy airplane parts maker Rockwell Collins for USD$30 Billion, including seven billion in debt previously incurred by Rockwell Collins. | (Reuters) - Aerospace supplier United Technologies Corp UTX.N has struck a $30 billion agreement to buy avionics and interiors maker Rockwell Collins Inc COL.N, the companies said on Monday, in a deal that bulks up UTC's power with plane makers by creating one of the world's largest makers of civilian and defense aircraft components.
Farmington, Connecticut-based United Technologies will pay $140 per share for Rockwell Collins, split between $93.33 per in cash and $46.67 in stock, according to the companies. The price represents a 17.6 percent premium to Rockwell’s $119 share price before news of the talks emerged on Aug. 4.
Shares of Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Rockwell Collins closed at $130.61 on Friday. U.S. markets were closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday.
The acquisition price implies a total transaction value of $30 billion, including Rockwell Collins’ debt, and a total equity value of $23 billion. United Tech said it plans to fund the cash portion through debt issuances and cash on hand.
Under the deal, the companies said that Rockwell Collins and UTC’s aerospace systems segment will be combined to create a new business unit named Collins Aerospace Systems.
“This acquisition adds tremendous capabilities to our aerospace businesses and strengthens our complementary offerings of technologically advanced aerospace systems,” UTC’s chairman and chief executive officer, Greg Hayes, said in the statement.
“Together, Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems will enhance customer value in a rapidly evolving aerospace industry by making aircraft more intelligent and more connected,” he said.
The creation of a new giant in the top echelon of aircraft parts makers comes as planemakers Boeing Co BA.N and Airbus SE AIR.PA are trying to capture more of the profits earned by their suppliers. Both are pushing suppliers to lower prices and are moving into the high-margin aftermarket arena for parts and services that suppliers now enjoy.
In a move seen as a threat to Rockwell, Boeing said in July that it would build up its own avionics business.
Last week, Airbus urged supplier UTC to stay focused on fixing industrial problems that have delayed new aircraft deliveries.
If plane makers “are going to take more of the aftermarket or demand more of the aftermarket, we’re going to have to think about how we price our products,” Hayes told analysts in July.
By making more of the components needed on each aircraft, analysts say, United Technologies likely will gain some leverage to resist such pressures.
The deal also follows a wave of consolidation among smaller aerospace manufacturers in recent years that was caused in part by the need to invest in new technologies such as metal 3-D printing and connected factories to stay competitive. A combined United Technologies and Rockwell Collins could similarly invest, and their broad portfolios have little overlap.
United Technologies makes Pratt & Whitney jet engines used by Airbus, Bombardier Inc BBDb.TO, Embraer SA EMBR3.SA and other plane makers. It supplies engines for Lockheed Martin Corp's LMT.N F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It also supplies such key components as landing gear, air conditioning systems and engine covers to a wide range of jetliners.
Rockwell Collins is a major avionics supplier to Boeing and Airbus and other plane makers. In April it added passenger seating, cabin interiors, lavatories and galleys through its $6.4 billion acquisition of B/E Aerospace.
The two companies have spent a month trying to reach an agreement, and their combined sales would be more than $62 billion, compared with about $95 billion for Boeing.
United Technologies expects to close the purchase in the third quarter of 2018. The company, with a $94.2 billion market value, also owns Otis Elevator and air conditioner maker Carrier.
Rockwell Collins has a market value of $21.2 billion.
The deal, which includes $7 billion in Rockwell’s debt, is expected to save more than $500 million by the fourth year after its completion, the companies said.
Morgan Stanley & Co LLC was the financial adviser to United Tech, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was its legal adviser.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc were Rockwell’s financial advisers, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was its legal adviser.
Reporting by Alwyn Scott and Mike Stone; Additional reporting by Michael Flaherty and Chuck Mikolajczak in New York and Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler
| Organization Merge | September 2017 | ['(Reuters)'] |
Hurricane Ernesto becomes the first hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. Jeb Bush later declares a state of emergency due to its possible impact on Florida later in the week. , | Two people watch the strong waves produced by Tropical Storm Ernesto in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (AP) TAVERNIER, Fla. - Visitors were ordered to leave the Florida Keys on Sunday and Gov. Jeb Bush issued a state of emergency because of the possibility that Hurricane Ernesto could threaten the state. Bush's order came after the Monroe County Emergency Management office told tourists to postpone any immediate plans to travel to the Keys and ordered those already in the island chain to leave.
All travel trailers and recreational vehicles were ordered off the islands immediately.
Ernesto, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, was lashing Haiti on Sunday with heavy rain and sustained wind of 75 mph.
The storm was expected to move over Cuba, then bring rain and wind to southern Florida by early Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said. | Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard | August 2006 | ['(ABC News)', '(Associated Press)'] |
Amidst scandals regarding the sale of land in Jerusalem, Patriarch Irenaios I of Jerusalem has been replaced by Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra, who serves as locum tenens of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.BBC | Archbishop Cornelios takes over from Patriarch Irineos, who is entangled in a row over the sale of church land in East Jerusalem to Jewish investors.
Palestinians, who want to hold on to the land in case of a final peace deal with Israel, fear the land could be used to build a Jewish settlement.
Patriarch Irineos has denied any wrongdoing and has refused to resign.
He is the religious head of 100,000 Christians in the Holy Land, most of them Palestinian.
The Patriarchate's chief secretary said Archbishop Cornelios would assume the Patriarch's duties until a permanent replacement was found.
However, Patriarch Irineos continues to call himself patriarch even though his clergy has voted him out of office and the Orthodox Church's highest authority, the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, voted to stop recognising him last week.
At the centre of the dispute is the sale of land owned by the Greek Orthodox Church situated just inside Jerusalem's Old City.
Christian Palestinians living there hope that if a peace deal with Israel is agreed, it will form part of a future Palestinian capital.
The concern is that the new owners may attempt to create a Jewish presence in a traditionally Arab area, and impede the creation of a Palestinian-controlled zone.
Patriarch Irineos, who is said to be trying to revoke the sale, has said he never agreed to the transaction but there is speculation that one of his deputies may have signed the deal on his behalf.
Greek Orthodox Church leaders have stripped the patriarch of his duties and consider him "persona non grata in the Church".
The BBC's Barbara Plett in Jerusalem says that legally, church leaders cannot dismiss the Patriarch - that can only be done by the governments of areas where his congregation lives.
In the meantime, she says, it seems Jerusalem will have two Greek Orthodox Patriarchs - practically if not officially. | Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration | May 2005 | [] |
Japan launches the world's first greenhouse–gas–monitoring satellite, Ibuki, from the Tanegashima Space Center. | TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- The Japanese space agency launched a satellite Friday that will measure greenhouse gases from the earth's orbit.
The IBUKI satellite is designed "to observe the concentration distribution of greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and to help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions covered by the 'Kyoto Protocol,'" the agency's Web site said.
In 1997, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change passed the Kyoto Protocol with the goal of limiting greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The United States was the only one among 175 parties to reject it.
The rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan early Friday afternoon, following a one-day weather delay.
"The satellite is expected to play an important role in monitoring global environmental changes and look out for any small warning signs that could affect our future," according to the agency. Watch why disintegrating Antarctic ice is worrying scientists » | New achievements in aerospace | January 2009 | ['(Reuters)', '(CNN)'] |
The bankruptcy auction for the company gets underway when Gawker accepts tech publisher Ziff Davis's bid for all seven of its brands and other assets, reportedly for $90 million to $100 million. | On Friday, the embattled media company said it had agreed to sell all seven of its brands and other assets to the tech publisher Ziff Davis. The Ziff Davis bid -- worth $90 million to $100 million, according to sources -- sets the floor for the bankruptcy auction process. "The bidding begins now -- so we will find out how much others will bid," a source with direct knowledge of the process said. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in Manhattan was motivated by the company's agonizing and all-consuming legal fight with Hulk Hogan -- a court battle that was secretly funded by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. A spokesman for Thiel declined to comment on Friday. Gawker Media founder and CEO Nick Denton said in a tweet, "Even with his billions, Thiel will not silence our writers. Our sites will thrive --under new ownership -- and we'll win in court." Even with his billions, Thiel will not silence our writers. Our sites will thrive — under new ownership — and we'll win in court.
Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, also took to Twitter to respond to the news. It was the former professional wrestler's protracted legal battle against Gawker that motivated Friday's decision. "What a beautiful day, and the good doesn't prevent the better! In the present I AM always grateful, only good happens to me," he tweeted to his more than 1.5 million followers. What a beautiful day,and the good doesn't prevent the better! In the present I AM always grateful,only good happens to me. HH
The asset purchase agreement to Ziff Davis, the owner of PC Magazine, marks the start of the bankruptcy auction process. Bidding is expected to continue next week. Denton said he was "encouraged" by the agreement with Ziff Davis, which he called "one of the most rigorously managed and profitable companies in digital media." Ziff Davis signaled that it is interested in Gawker Media titles like Jezebel and Gizmodo, but the company's statement noticeably lacked any mention of the flagship Gawker.com, where the offending Hogan story was published in 2012. The sale agreement to Ziff Davis will need to be approved by the bankruptcy court, which will conduct an auction to see if there is a higher offer available. Ziff Davis will be what is known as a "stalking horse bidder," whose offer for the company can be topped by other bidders. Proceeds of the sale will go to pay off creditors, including Hogan. But that doesn't mean he will be able to collect all the money the jury awarded him. Under bankruptcy, people owed money generally receive only a fraction of what they were owed by the bankrupt company. In March, a Florida jury awarded Hogan a staggering $140.1 million judgment in his invasion of privacy trial against the company over its 2012 publication of excerpts from his sex tape. David Houston, Hogan's longtime personal attorney, said in a statement that his client has "every intention" to pursue that judgment, "whether it be in the bankruptcy court or any other court." Gawker is still pushing ahead with its appeal of the judgment and has maintained confidence that it will ultimately be vindicated, but the company has been openly entertaining a sale. Still, the news brought a sense of shock inside Gawker's Manhattan headquarters on Friday. Staffers learned of the bankruptcy filing at an all-hands meeting around noon, shortly before the news went public. "People were surprised and saddened I would say," one Gawker Media staffer told CNNMoney. "Our independence is very central to what we do and also a big reason why a lot of us work here." John Cook, executive editor of Gawker Media, told CNNMoney the staff was holding steady. "The decade-long legal assault from a vindictive billionaire has had the effect of making our staff pretty resilient at hearing difficult news," he said. "We're keeping our heads down and blogging." Denton and Gawker Media President Heather Dietrick tried to reassure employees, telling them that nothing would change in the day-to-day operations until the sale is complete and that the sites would continue to function normally. They said they were committed to finding a buyer that cares about what Gawker does. Reaction outside the Gawker newsroom was mixed. Adversaries of the company, long known for its ruthless and snarky brand of journalism, cheered the news. "Peter Thiel is a great American hero," tweeted conservative pundit Erick Erickson. But Gawker had plenty of defenders, both within the journalism community and the world of politics. "Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our nation," tweeted New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. "Like them or not, sad to see NYC media giant @Gawker forced to the brink." Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our nation. Like them or not, sad to see NYC media giant @Gawker forced to the brink.
In truth, the ripples of Hogan's lawsuit were felt at the company before the trial even began. Earlier this year, Gawker sold a minority stake to the investment company Columbus Nova Technology Partners to gird itself against the lawsuit. That was a first for the once-fiercely-independent media company, and a signal that the legal battle had forced Denton's hand. Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, confirmed last month that he has funded Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker along with others as a measure of "deterrence." For years, Gawker's sites have pilloried Thiel, ridiculing his business failures and stridently conservative views. In 2007 one of its sites published a story titled "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people." "Gawker, the defendant, built its business on humiliating people for sport," Thiel said in a statement last month. "They routinely relied on an assumption that victims would be too intimidated or disgusted to even attempt redress for clear wrongs. Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to publish sex tapes without consent. I don't think anybody but Gawker would argue otherwise." | Organization Closed | June 2016 | ['(CNN)'] |