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At least 17 people are killed in a fire at a hotel in Delhi, India.

At least 17 people have died in a Delhi hotel fire that broke out early on Tuesday morning, police said. Eyewitnesses said the dead included a woman and a child who attempted to jump from a window to safety. Officials said 35 people were rescued. Some were injured and have been taken to hospital. Hotel Arpit Palace is located in Karol Bagh, an area popular with tourists for its budget hotels and shopping. At least two of those killed were Buddhist pilgrims from Myanmar (Burma), the country's embassy in Delhi confirmed. A number of Indian guests also died. Videos recorded by eyewitnesses show people jumping from the building - in one of them, a man can be seen hanging on to the side of the building before he jumps off. "There was wooden panelling in the corridor, because of which people couldn't use the corridors to leave the hotel," firefighter Vipin Kenta told the Hindustan Times newspaper. He said they were still investigating what caused the fire. Local media reported that most of the deaths were caused by suffocation. Vineet Khare, BBC Hindi I met Somshekhar sitting on a bench outside the mortuary of Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where the dead and injured from the hotel fire have been taken. He was gazing vacantly at TV journalists gathering information and policemen completing paperwork. Mr Somshekhar said he had come to Delhi to attend his niece's wedding and was staying with his family on the second floor of the hotel. The fire killed his 84-year-old mother, his brother and sister. "There was a power cut at around 5am [23:30 GMT]. My sister who was in a nearby room shouted for help and asked everyone to get out. We opened the windows, but the smoke quickly filled the rooms. It all happened very quickly. There was no fire or emergency equipment," he said. Mr Somshekhar's cousin and the bride's mother, Uma Nair, said she had not told her daughter, who is on her honeymoon, about the tragedy. "They are in the Maldives. My daughter has read news stories about the fire and keeps calling me. I tell her everything is fine. But it's a matter of time before she finds out." India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted his condolences. Fire accidents are not uncommon in Indian cities, where builders often flout safety regulations. Many structures, both old and new, lack proper fire exits. In recent months, officials have shut down a number of shops and restaurants in some of Delhi's most exclusive neighbourhoods for not following fire safety measures. Owners of commercial buildings have also been known to construct additional floors without the necessary permissions. Delhi minister Satyendra Jain told the NDTV news website that the Arpit Palace had built a fifth floor with a kitchen and a terrace, even though the owners only had permission to build four storeys. PTI quoted officials as saying that they had found used fire extinguishers inside the hotel, suggesting that some of those who were trapped had tried to put out the fire. Fire destroys museum in Indian capital

Fire

February 2019

['(BBC)']

The U.S. Pacific Command and South Korean defense officials report that a North Korean missile was fired in the early morning, but quickly failed and did not travel beyond North Korea, echoing a similar failed attempt by North Korea thirteen days ago.

TOKYO — North Korea fired another ballistic missile early Saturday morning, but it exploded within seconds of being launched, American and South Korean defense officials said. Coinciding with renewed diplomatic and military pressure on North Korea from the Trump administration, this latest launch underscores both Kim Jong Un’s determination to make technical progress on his weapons programs and his defiance amid international pressure. President Trump, who was briefed on the launch soon afterward, took to Twitter to reiterate his expectation that Chinese President Xi Jinping use his leverage to make Kim stop. “North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!” he tweeted. Trump has repeatedly called on China, North Korea’s neighbor and largest trading partner, to punish the regime in Pyongyang, and he has warned Xi that if he doesn’t act, the United States will. But Ralph A. Cossa, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Pacific Forum, said that the Trump administration appeared to be struggling to figure out how to deal with North Korea. “When it comes to foreign policy, and Korea policy in particular, the Trump administration has had a pretty steep learning curve, and it has been a lot more curves than learning,” Cossa said. [ U.S. wants more U.N. sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear arms, warns time is short ] Saturday’s launch marked the 75th missile test since Kim Jong Un became leader of North Korea at the end of 2011, according to a Nuclear Threat Initiative database. American and South Korean defense officials said that the unidentified missile appears to have exploded soon after being launched at about 5 a.m. North Korea time.  “The missile did not leave North Korean territory,” U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham said in a statement. North Korea’s previous missile launch was on April 16, the day after a huge military parade in Pyongyang to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of founder Kim Il Sung, and it also blew up almost immediately. But analysts said not to be consoled. “This test may have failed, but Kim Jong Un’s overall missile test record is 58 successful flight tests and 17 failures,” said Shea Cotton of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation, who compiled the Nuclear Threat Initiative database. North Korea is clearly making progress and has the political will, if not the technology just yet, to improve its missile technology. At this month’s military parade, North Korea presented two of its newest model missiles, including the submarine-launched ballistic type it successfully fired last year and the land-based version it launched last month. Kim has repeatedly said that he wants an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the mainland United States, and although there are still plenty technical hurdles to be overcome, many analysts believe North Korea will eventually get there. [Worried about North Korea? Spare a thought for Otto Warmbier’s family.] The latest launch comes amid heightened tensions in the region.  A U.S. Navy strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, will be in the waters around the Korean Peninsula this weekend, and one of the Navy’s largest submarines has been in port in South Korea this week. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday called for new economic sanctions on North Korea and other “painful” measures over its nuclear weapons program. “Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences,” Tillerson said during a special session of the U.N. Security Council. “The more we bide our time, the sooner we will run out of it.” In its latest challenge to the United States, a North Korean propaganda outlet released a video clip this week showing simulated attacks on the United States and declaring that “the enemy to be destroyed is in our sights.” Missy Ryan in Washington contributed to this report. Read more North Korea puts out video showing the White House in crosshairs and carriers exploding U.S. wants more U.N. sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear arms, warns time is short To counter North Korea, admiral says the U.S. should consider adding ballistic missile interceptors in Hawaii

Military Exercise

April 2017

['(The Washington Post)']

Iraqi Air Force F-16 jets attack an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria near the city of Hajin in coordination with the Syrian Armed Forces.

BAGHDAD, April 19 (Reuters) - Iraqi warplanes attacked an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria on Thursday, Baghdad’s military said, in a rare air assault across the border. Iraqi F-16 jets targeted the militants near the city of Hajin in coordination with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Iraqi military spokesman said. Both governments have been fighting the hardline group, which declared a caliphate on both their territories in 2014 before it was forced back by an international offensive. “Carrying out air strikes on Daesh gangs in Syrian territories is because of the dangers posed by said gangs to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved capabilities of our armed forces,” the Iraqi military said in a statement. Daesh in an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The U.S.-led coalition also fighting Islamic State said it gave the Iraqi mission intelligence support. Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his country would “take all necessary measures if they threaten the security of Iraq,” referring to the jihadist militants who just three years ago overran a third of Iraq. The prime minister declared final victory over the ultra hardline group in December but it still poses a threat from pockets along the border with Syria and has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across Iraq. Iraq currently has good relations with Iran and Russia, Assad’s main backers in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the U.S.-led coalition. Last year, Iraqi warplanes carried out at least one strike on Islamic State targets inside Syria, also in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and with the approval of the Syrian government. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein Editing by Mark Heinrich and Andrew Heavens)

Armed Conflict

April 2018

['(Reuters)']

Bomb blasts and gunfire are reported in the centre of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. At least seven deaths have been reported. , , ,

Updated 23 Jun 2016, 8:33amThu 23 Jun 2016, 8:33am Islamic State (IS) militants have claimed a gun and bomb assault on Indonesia's capital, police say, marking the first assault on the Muslim-majority country by the radical group. Five of the seven people killed were the attackers themselves. It took security forces about three hours to end the siege near a Starbucks cafe and Sarinah's, Jakarta's oldest department store, after a team of about seven militants traded gunfire with police and blew themselves up. "A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta through planting several explosive devices that went off as four of the soldiers attacked with light weapons and explosive belts," the group said in a statement. The IS statement said there were 15 people killed, but the official tally according to the Indonesian Government remains at seven. An Indonesian police officer and a Canadian man were two other people killed in the attack. Twenty people, including a Dutch man, were wounded. Authorities said the policeman was killed in a suicide attack on a police booth on the median strip of one of Jakarta's busiest roads, before shots were fired at bystanders. Deputy National Police Chief Budi Gunawan said two attackers were killed in a shootout with police, while two others were suicide bombers. Two of the militants were taken alive, police said. Jakarta's Police Chief Tito Karnavian confirmed the deadly blasts were linked to IS. The Police Chief named an Indonesian militant called Bahrun Naim as the man responsible for plotting them. He has been known to police since 2010 and is believed to be vying to become the leader of Islamic State in South-East Asia. Police believe Naim is in the Syrian city of Raqqa. At least six explosions rocked the area, including one at a Starbucks cafe in the city centre, near a cluster of embassies and the United Nations offices. There was also a gunfight between attackers and police in a movie theatre that was in the same building as a Starbucks cafe, a police spokesman said. Jakarta police said the situation was now under control but in a sign of public unease, a bang caused by a tyre bursting triggered a bomb scare that sent police cars rushing back to the scene hours after the attack. A member of the police bomb squad unit approaches the scene of an explosion following an attack on a police box in central Jakarta. (Reuters: M Agung Rajasa/Antara Foto) An Indonesian Muslim woman holds a placard during a candlelit protest in Surabaya, Eastern Java island to condemn the blasts and gunfire that rocked Jakarta. (AFP: Juni Kriswanto) A police guard hut was torn apart by a grenade explosion after Islamic State terrorists threw the devices while driving past on motorcycles. The sign above says "Happy New Year". (ABC News: Adam Harvey) A police armoured personnel carrier parked near the scene of an attack in central Jakarta. (Reuters: Darren Whiteside) Indonesian police take position and aim their weapons as they pursue suspects outside Starbucks after a series of blasts hit Jakarta. (AFP: Bay Ismoyo) A police structure is torn apart by an explosions after attackers reportedly rode past on motorbikes and threw grenades. (Reuters: Darren Whiteside) Indonesian police commandos on motorbikes secure the area outside a damaged Starbucks coffee shop after a series of explosions hit central Jakarta. (AFP: Romeo Gacad) Gear from police victims is piled up outside a police guard hut that was destroyed when terrorists threw grenade bombs. (ABC News: Adam Harvey) Initial reports say bomb blasts were heard coming from a Jakarta shopping mall. (ABC News: Adam Harvey) Cameras capture the moment of an apparent sixth explosion in Jakarta, Indonesia. (TV1) Indonesian police hold rifles while walking behind a car for protection after an explosion blasted a police building. (Reuters: Beawiharta) Police officers crouch behind vehicles, reacting to a series of explosions in the centre of Jakarta, Indonesia. (Reuters: Darren Whiteside) Plain clothes police officers draw handguns outside a Starbucks Coffee towards suspects inside, after a series of explosions. (AFP: Bay Ismoyo) Indonesian workers run as they are evacuated from their office at Thamrin business district in Jakarta after the explosions. (Reuters: Beawiharta) Police hold back crowds as armoured personnel carriers arrive at the blast scene in the centre of Jakarta, Indonesia At least six people were killed after a series of explosions near the United Nations offices. (ABC News: Samantha Hawley) Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the blasts were "acts of terror". "Our nation and our people should not be afraid, we will not be defeated by these acts of terror, I hope the public stay calm," he told MetroTV. "We all are grieving for the fallen victims of this incident, but we also condemn the act that has disturbed the security and peace and spread terror among our people." Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said no Australians had been caught up in the attacks. She condemned them and said she had spoken to her Indonesian counterpart and offered any support the country may need. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeted his condolences: "Australians' thoughts, prayers and resolute solidarity are with the people of Indonesia as they respond to the terrorist attacks." US Secretary of State John Kerry added: "There is nothing in any act of terror that offers anything but death and destruction. And so we stand together, all of us, united in our efforts to eliminate those who choose terror." Harits Abu Ulya, a expert on militancy who knows Naim, said he expected more attacks. "This is an indication that he has been learning from the Paris attacks and he has studied the strategy," he said. "I still have doubts about the capability of the local militants to carry out attacks on a bigger scale. But it is a possibility." Indonesia has seen attacks by Islamist militants before, but a coordinated assault by a team of suicide bombers and gunmen is unprecedented and has echoes of the sieges seen in Mumbai seven years ago and in Paris last November. The last major militant attacks in Jakarta were in July 2009, with bombs at the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels. The country had been on edge for weeks over the threat posed by Islamist militants. Counter-terrorism police had rounded up about 20 people with suspected links to IS, whose battle lines in Syria and Iraq have included nationals from several Asian countries. ABC/wires Topics: disasters-and-accidents, unrest-conflict-and-war, indonesia

Riot

January 2016

['(ABC News Australia)', '(AP)', '(The Australian)', '(Reuters)']

A 40-year-old haulier from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, pleads guilty in the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people, as well as conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

A 40-year-old Irish haulier has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese men, women and boys found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck near London last year. Ronan Hughes appeared at the Old Bailey court following the discovery of the bodies in October, in a case that shocked Britain and Vietnam and shone a light on the illicit human smuggling trade. Thirty-one of the victims were men or boys and eight were women. The oldest was 44 and three were aged under 18, including two 15-year-old boys. Most were from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces in north-central Vietnam, where poor job prospects, environmental disasters and the promise of financial reward fuel migration. Hughes also admitted conspiring to assist unlawful immigration. The driver of the truck when it was found on an industrial estate in Essex to the east of London - Maurice Robinson from Northern Ireland - had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges. A third man, Eamonn Harrison, 23, also from Northern Ireland, pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse

August 2020

['(AAP via Wellington Times)']

In cricket, the Boxing Day Test commences at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Australia playing against India.

Ryan Harris is a confirmed starter for Australia in the Boxing Day Test, along with debutant Joe Burns at number six, with captain Steve Smith declaring his team is pleased opponents India is spending so much of their time "whingeing and complaining". Asked whether Australia would pursue a meticulous sledging strategy during the match, which starts on Friday at the MCG, Smith said they had no need to do so because of the visitors' public griping, which has included the quality of practice pitches and also the quality of food provided to them. On Wednesday the team had media evicted from the MCG nets, breaking a custom of all international teams visiting Australia. Ryan Harris looks on during an Australian nets session.Credit:Getty Images "At the moment the Indians are doing that themselves. Among their group, they're doing a lot of whingeing and complaining among themselves. They're doing it all for us. Hopefully that can hinder them this week," Smith said on Wednesday morning, after his team's final training session. "For us it's just about going out there and doing the same thing all the time. If they want to get on with that in the dressing room - that's up to them. We'll just keep doing the same thing we've been doing and hopefully we'll get some of the same results." Australian rookie Joe Burns will bat at No 6 in the Boxing Day test against India at the MCG. Credit:Getty Images India captain M.S. Dhoni countered that there had "not been any form of complaints from our side so far", but declined to criticise his opposing captain for commenting about his team. David Warner (thumb) and Shane Watson (concussion) seemingly dispelled doubts about their fitness by batting in the nets, albeit to throwdowns. The captain said he was "sure" Watson would be fine, and also his belief the all-rounder is best suited to a top-three batting position. "I've just got to manage him right. If we've got to go in to bat, I've got to make sure he hasn't bowled too many overs at the end there so he's fresh when he gets out there to bat. That's the most important thing to me," he said. Smith's faith in Watson remaining at first drop, despite modest results, will allow Burns to be a direct replacement for the injured Mitch Marsh (hamstring) and bat at number six, an introduction not afforded to recent Australian batting debutants such as Usman Khawaja, Rob Quiney and Alex Doolan, who each began at three. "Joe Burns gets his opportunity on Boxing Day and it's going to be a very special week for him," Smith said. "If you're batting in the top order in state cricket you can bat anywhere in the Australian line-up. "I just think that [starting at six] is the best way to go about it. Shane Watson is best suited in the top three and Joe Burns going to slot in at six, and hopefully do a job for us there." India did not follow Australia in disclosing their team, amid suspicion Suresh Raina may be poised to end his 26-month exile from the Test team, in place of Rohit Sharma, partly because he is able to bowl off-spin and Dhoni is keen for his batsmen to bowl more to ease the burden on the specialist bowlers. Raina is addled by a reputation that he is susceptible to fast-bowling, but Dhoni argued his position as a limited-overs mainstay ensured he has been exposed to top-class pacemen since he last played Test in September 2012. "We've all seen what he can do batting at five or six in the ODIs, even on wickets that have got a bit of pace. Test cricket is slightly different . . . the red ball does move slightly more than the white ball," he said. "He has been working hard on his cricket and it will only reflect once he gets a game." Swing-bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled for an extended spell on Thursday. The 24-year-old swing-bowler, a first-choice bowler for India when fit, was said by Dhoni to have recovered from the ankle injury that sidelined him from the first two Tests, but that he lacked the match fitness to be a realistic contender to play in Melbourne. Mohammad Shami could retain his position, maybe at the expense of Varun Aaron, with Dhoni saying he favoured rotating bowlers during Test series to reduce the potential for them to break down. With Harris recovered from that quadriceps injury that ruled him out of the second Test in Brisbane the bowler who replaced him at the Gabba, Mitch Starc, has lost his place. The omission of the left-armer is the 11th time he has been dropped, albeit mostly due to the return of a first-choice paceman, since his debut three years ago. Smith that Starc, 24, remained high in selectors' thoughts but had to improve his consistency. "He's still there [in contention]. He bowled a couple of good spells last week. He'll go back and play a bit of Big Bash and keep his loads up. You never know [when his next opportunity may come]. Three back-to-back Test matches is pretty heavy on our fast-bowlers so we might see him back in the team next week," he said. "I think they [selectors] have told him consistency, trying to build pressure and bowl the same ball five out of six balls and getting it through to the keeper. That's pretty crucial for us. Shane Watson did a terrific job for us last week. He built a lot of pressure, and when he built that pressure we got results as well. I think that's one thing he needs to work on a little bit." While Smith won his first Test in charge of the team, during Michael Clarke's absence, he has been left on the brink of suspension for the next 12 months due to his team's poor over-rate. Smith conceded the team had to get through their overs more quickly but predicted the expected cooler conditions in Melbourne, and the likelihood off-spinner Nathan Lyon will bowl more, would make that easier to achieve in the third Test. "It's something we need to look at. I think we need to hustle through the overs a little bit more," he said. "It was a obviously a tough week last week. It was extremely hot [in Brisbane] and when the bowlers were going down on that first day I think that's when I lost most of my time."

Sports Competition

December 2014

['(The Sydney Morning Herald)']

Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala erupts, leaving at least 62 people dead, 300 others injured, and forces the closure of La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.

Fuego spewed a five-mile stream of lava, burying dozens of communities and raining smoke and ash on other regions First published on Mon 4 Jun 2018 00.05 BST At least 62 people, including three children, have been killed and nearly 300 injured in the most violent eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano in more than four decades, officials said. Fuego, whose name means “fire”, spewed an 8km (five-mile) stream of lava and belched a thick plume of black smoke and ash that rained on to the capital and other regions. Dozens of communities on the southern slopes of Fuego were buried in a searing mix of mud, ash and rocks as the explosions continued for over 16 hours. Fresh lava flows hampered search and rescue efforts on Monday, forcing emergency services to withdraw from the area. Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. Speaking on Monday, the head of Guatemala’s National Forensic Sciences Institute said 62 people had died, , but only 13 had been identified so far because the bodies were so badly disfigured by flows that reached temperatures as high as 1,300F (700C). “We’re having a lot of trouble identifying them because some of the dead lost their features or their fingerprints. We’re going to have to use other anthropological methods and if possible take DNA samples to identify them.” Mario Cruz, spokesman for the volunteer firefighter corps, said 3,100 people had evacuated the area on Sunday. Around 1,400 people spent the night in makeshift shelters set up in schools and government buildings. President Jimmy Morales convened his ministers late on Sunday evening and declared a state of emergency in the departments of Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepéquez. The speed and force of the pyroclastic flows – fast-moving mixtures of gas and volcanic matter – triggered deadly mudslides in the surrounding areas. The majority of confirmed victims so far were from San Miguel Los Lotes, El Rodeo, or Escuintla who died after homes were collapsed by a powerful torrent of lava and mud. At least two of the deceased were killed after they stopped to watch the unfolding disaster, according to the national coordinator for disaster reduction. Rescuers in helicopters managed to pull at least 10 people alive from ash drifts and mud flows that were up to the rooflines of some homes, forcing first responders to use sledgehammers to break through the roofs to see if anyone was trapped inside. Initial rescue efforts had been led by volunteer fire fighters on Sunday afternoon as lava began flowing down the mountain’s flank and across homes and roads. Dramatic images showed a fast-moving current of pyroclastic material and slurry, slamming into homes and bridges in and around the towns of Sacatepéquez and Escuintla, which were left charred. It is the second time the volcano has erupted this year, setting off loud explosions and spewing ash into the sky. Ash blanketed cars and houses in the nearby villages of San Pedro Yepocapa and Sangre de Cristo. Lesser amounts of ash fell on Guatemala City, which is 44km (27 miles) from the volcano. The capital’s La Aurora international airport shut down its only runway. Workers and guests were evacuated from the La Reunion golf club. A video circulating on social media showed a black cloud of ash rising from just beyond the golf club. The huge plumes of smoke that could be seen from various parts of the country and the ash that rained down in four of Guatemala’s departments caused some alarm among residents. “It is important to remain calm because the Fuego volcano erupts throughout the year,” said David de Leon, spokesman for the National Disaster Prevention Authority. De Leon said a change in wind was to blame for the volcanic ash falling on parts of the city. Eddy Sanchez, the director of Guatemala’s seismological, volcanic and meteorological institute, warned of the danger of mud flows, saying: “Temperatures in the pyroclastic flow can exceed 700 degrees [Celsius] and volcanic ash can rain down on a 15km (nine-mile) radius. That could cause more mud flows and nearby rivers to burst their banks.” Domingo López, who escaped with burns on his feet, told local newspaper Prensa Libre that his community was covered in molten ash. “I cannot believe this, it’s never been so bad,” he said from a shelter. An estimated 1.7 million people – just over 10% of the population – are at risk from ash, toxic gases and waste emanating from the eruption. The government has declared three days of mourning.

Volcano Eruption

June 2018

['(The Guardian)', '(CBS News)']

The Bank of Japan announces a 6 trillion yen stimulus package to help invigorate the Japanese economy.

TOKYO — The Bank of Japan announced an extra dose of monetary stimulus Friday, joining fresh efforts by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to reboot the economy. The central bank said it would buy ¥6 trillion worth of exchange-traded funds annually, up from ¥3.3 trillion previously, in an attempt to stoke inflation and growth by pumping money into the economy. It said it would leave its asset-purchase target at ¥80 trillion a year. The monetary policy board voted approved the expansion of ETF purchases by a vote of 7-2. The BOJ’s choices risk disappointing investors who expected more-aggressive action to counter faltering inflation and a stronger currency. Pressure on the BOJ to expand its stimulus had been rising for months, and speculation in recent weeks about what it might do went as far as “helicopter money,” a radical policy involving direct underwriting of government spending. The central bank left unchanged its purchases of Japanese government bonds, which comprise the bulk of its asset buying, underscoring concerns about whether the program would be sustainable if JGB buying were expanded. It already owns more than a third of all outstanding JGBs, with its balance sheet ballooning to 85% of gross domestic product as of May. The BOJ also left a key interest rate on bank reserves unchanged at minus 0.1%. It dropped the rate into negative territory in February to drive yields lower and spur lending and investment, but the move delivered limited results while provoking a backlash from banks and the Japanese public. Many economists, though, had already concluded that the BOJ had reached its policy limits, and had little or no ammunition left to fire. This view is likely to gain currency after the BOJ decided not to expand its JGB purchases or drive the reserve rate lower. BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has vowed again and again to do “whatever it takes” to reach 2% inflation. But inflation is nowhere near that level — and in recent months has been moving in the opposite direction. An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com. More inflation and taper talk could make for a lively summer for investors. Plus, investment-newsletter commentary on retail sales, municipal bonds, impact investing, and three attractive sectors.

Financial Crisis

July 2016

['(Marketwatch)']

The French parliament adopts a bill criminalizing Armenian genocide denial, despite significant lobbying efforts by the Government of Turkey.

The bill, proposed by the Socialists and opposed by the government, needs approval from the Senate and president. Turkey called the decision a "serious blow" to relations with France. It has already threatened economic sanctions. Armenia says Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people systematically in 1915 - a claim strongly denied by Turkey. The European Commission has said that the bill, if passed into law, will "prohibit dialogue which is necessary for reconciliation" between Turkey and Armenia on the issue. The opposition against Turkey in the EU has begun to present an ugly face Turkey has been warning France for weeks not to pass the bill. "Turkish-French relations, which have been meticulously developed over the centuries, took a severe blow today through the irresponsible initiatives of some short-sighted French politicians, based on unfounded allegations," the Turkish foreign ministry said. Nobel prize The bill sponsored by the opposition Socialist party provides for a year in jail and a 45,000-euro (£30,000) fine - the same punishment that is imposed for denying the Nazi Holocaust.The ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) did not back the law, but gave its deputies a free vote. It passed by 106 votes to 19, after most deputies left the chamber in protest against what critics say is an attempt to attract votes of the some 500,000 people of Armenian descent in presidential elections next year. Ethnic Armenians in Paris celebrated the result. "The memory of the victims is finally totally respected," said Alexis Govciyan. But French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin distanced himself from the bill. It is "not a good thing to legislate on issues of history and of memory," he said. The vote came as controversial Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. He has faced prosecution in Turkey for talking about the murder of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I and thousands of Kurds in subsequent years. The charges have since been dropped. EU membership bid Debate on the Armenian issue has been stifled in Turkey. Arguments have raged for decades about the Armenian deaths The official Turkish position states that many Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks died in fighting during World War I - but that there was no genocide. The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Istanbul says many Turks are angry at what they see as double standards in the EU, where opinions are sharply divided about whether Turkey should be allowed to join. Turkey's chief negotiator in EU membership talks, Ali Babacan, said: "This is violating one of the core principles of the European Union, which is freedom of expression." "Leave history to historians," he added. France's President Chirac and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy have both said Turkey will have to recognise the Armenian deaths as genocide before it joins the EU - though this is not the official EU position. There are accusations in Turkey that the Armenian diaspora and opponents of Turkey's EU membership bid are using this issue to prevent Turkey joining the 25-member bloc.

Government Policy Changes

October 2006

['(BBC)']

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu to start the withdrawal of Russian Armed Forces from Syria, saying during a meeting with Shoygu, "I consider the objectives that have been set for the Defense Ministry to be generally accomplished. That is why I order to start withdrawal of the main part of our military group from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic starting from tomorrow.”

In a surprise move, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to start withdrawing the "main part" of its forces in Syria from Tuesday. He said the Russian intervention had largely achieved its objectives. The comments come amid fresh peace talks in Geneva aimed at resolving the five-year Syrian conflict. Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose office said in a statement he had agreed to the move. The pullout was "in accordance with the situation on the ground", the statement said. Russia began its campaign of air strikes in Syria last September, tipping the balance in favour of the Syrian government and allowing it to recapture territory from rebels. "I consider the mission set for the defence ministry and the armed forces on the whole has been accomplished," Mr Putin said in a meeting at the Kremlin. "I am therefore ordering the defence ministry to begin the withdrawal of the main part of our military force from the Syrian Arab Republic from tomorrow." When Russian air strikes began in Syria, President Assad's regime was on the brink of collapse. Less than six months later, Russia says its action allowed Syrian government troops to retake 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of territory. By intervening, Vladimir Putin made clear that Russia was prepared to assert its interests. The results ensure Moscow a bigger say in what happens at the peace talks. The decision to scale down Russian operations may partly be fuelled by cost, given falling oil prices; it could also be driven by a desire to end Russia's isolation and Western sanctions. But whilst Vladimir Putin has ordered his foreign minister to focus efforts on the political front in Syria, he appears to be hedging his bets. Critically, sophisticated air defence systems seem set to stay. And as we have never been told officially how many troops were ever sent to Syria, we are unlikely to know how many will remain. Mr Putin said that Russia's Hmeimim air base in Latakia province and its Mediterranean naval base at Tartus would continue to operate as normal. He said both must be protected "from land, air and sea". Syria's opposition cautiously welcomed the Russian announcement. "If there is seriousness in implementing the withdrawal, it will give the [peace] talks a positive push," said Salim al-Muslat, spokesman for the opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee. The US also gave a guarded response. "We will have to see exactly what Russia's intentions are," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. President Obama has discussed the development with Mr Putin in a phone call, the White House and the Kremlin said, giving few details. Source: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, quoted by Russian media Separately, US officials said Washington had received no advance warning of Mr Putin's statement. BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says Russia has achieved its main goals in the intervention - consolidating President Assad's position, enabling his forces to re-take key pieces of strategic territory and ensuring that Mr Assad remains a factor in any future Syrian settlement. Russia has long insisted its bombing campaign only targets terrorist groups but Western powers have complained the raids hit political opponents of President Assad. The UN's envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura has meanwhile described the latest peace talks as a "moment of truth". He said there was no "plan B" should the talks fail, with the only alternative a return to war. A cessation of hostilities agreed by most participants in the conflict began late last month - but there have been reports of some violations on all sides. In the latest fighting, Syrian government forces are reported to have advanced on so-called Islamic State's (IS) positions near the world heritage site of Palmyra.

Government Policy Changes

March 2016

['(RT)', '(BBC)']

The body of a teenager from Reston, Virginia is found in a pond in Sterling, Virginia. A suspect is arrested and charged with murder.

FAIRFAX, Va. - Police believe remains found in a Va. pond belong to a teen who was assaulted and killed after leaving a Virginia mosque early Sunday morning. Nabra Hassanen, 17, was with a group of friends near the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center Mosque following Ramadan prayers early Sunday when they got into a dispute with a man driving a red car, according to police. Hassanen's friends said the man assaulted the 17-year-old and they ran back to the ADAMS Center and left the teen behind, police said. Fairfax Police began searching at 4 a.m. Sunday. The body was found Sunday around 3 p.m. floating in a pond in Sterling, Virginia.  Police noticed a car driving suspiciously in the area and stopped it, arresting the driver, who was taken into custody and identified as 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres, of Sterling. He has been charged with murder. Fairfax County police tweeted  Monday that they are not investigating the attack as a hate crime.  The chief medical examiner will confirm the identity of the victim and determine the exact cause and manner of her death.  Nabra was a sophomore at South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., and would have been starting her junior year this fall, friends said. The slaying occurred during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from eating from dawn to sunset. Many mosques hold late night prayers, and people eat a pre-dawn meal called suhoor before they begin fasting.  Across the country, Muslim leaders have been sharing a  GoFundMe page to help raise money for Hassanen's family.  Muslim leaders across the country have been sharing this GoFundMe page that has raised more than $20,000 to help support the family.  The ADAMs Center Mosque said in a statement that the community is "devastated" by the slaying.  "It is a time for us to come together to pray and care for our youth. ADAMS has licensed counselors on site to assist anyone in need of counseling during these difficult times," the statement said.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest

June 2017

['(USA Today)']

Simon Busuttil of Forza Nazzjonali concedes defeat to the incumbent Joseph Muscat and his Labour Party, who are projected to win 54.9% of the popular vote.

Updated Monday 10.20am with latest stats The Labour Party has won the general election by a landslide majority, handing Joseph Muscat a strong mandate to head a government for a second term.  According to official figures released on Monday, the Labour Party won 55.04 per cent of the vote, while the PN obtained 43.6 per cent of the vote, which means a majority of 35,280 votes.  If confirmed, it would mean the PN would have made almost no inroads in Labour's majority over the past four years.  "It is clear that the people have chosen to stay the course," Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said as soon as the outcome was known, adding that the people had chosen positivity over negativity. He said that after a divisive political campaign, his priority is to bring about unity and to invite all to work together to achieve even better results for the country. Labour Party agents accompanied by ministers Chris Cardona and Konrad Mizzi celebrated wildly at the Naxxar vote-counting centre as the result became clear. Labour supporters have taken to the streets in celebration, gathering near party clubs waving flags. Some are going around the streets in their cars, horns blaring. A crowd has gathered near Labour headquarters and workers are erecting a stage at the granaries in Floriana. Dr Muscat called the general election a year early, saying that allegations about corruption were instilling uncertainty in the economy. After a bitter election campaign, his gamble appears to have paid off. He won a staggering 36,000 vote majority in 2013, yielding a majority of nine seats in Parliament. The Nationalist Party has already warned that even if he wins the election, Dr Muscat will still remain under pressure as magistrates investigate claims of corruption made Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri. But all that will be put aside for the time being as Labour savours the first re-election victory – with a popular majority – in 40 years. Dr Muscat is unlikely to be sworn in today – continuity means there is no urgency and he will probably call on President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca tomorrow. All eyes will then turn to his choice of Cabinet. Who will be the new deputy prime minister and the new foreign minister? The incumbents, Louis Grech and George Vella have both not sought re-election. Dr Muscat has already declared that Mr Grech will still have a seat on the Cabinet table as a government consultant. Dr Vella might be in pole position to succeed President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca in just under two years. Eyes will also be on the Nationalist Party and it is not yet known whether SImon Busuttil would resign as party leader.

Government Job change - Election

June 2017

['(Times of Malta)']

In composite rules shinty–hurling, Ireland defeat Scotland to claim the International Series.

A quartet of goals in a 10-minute spell in the opening half paved the way for Ireland to take a comfortable 28-point win in the second Test of the Senior Hurling-Shinty Internationals at Cusack Park, Mullingar this afternoon. Scotland started brightly with a point from their scorer-in-chief Kevin Bartlett after just 12 seconds, but once Westmeath's Brendan Murtagh slotted over a sixth-minute point, after a Seamus Callanan score it propelled Ireland into a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Ireland were simply on fire in attack at this stage, with four goals following in quick succession. Between the seventh and 17th minute the Scotland defence had no answer as goals flew past their keeper Stewart MacKintosh. Tipperary's Patrick Maher kick-starting this goal-scoring spree, with a brace of Shane Dooley goals sandwiched by a cracking Brendan Murtagh three-pointer in the 12th minute. Goal number five arrived exactly midway through the half, with Offaly man Dooley completely his hat-trick. Scotland upped their game, but Bartlett failed to despatch a 26th minute penalty after an excellent block by Tommy Walsh. However, the Caberfeith clubman managed to get a point after regaining the ball from the rebound. Scotland's goal arrived 12 minutes later, after a highly defensive period by both sides which saw some excellent saves in particular by Ireland goalkeeper Bernard Rochford. Finlay MacRae netting Scotland's lone goal of the opening half three minutes before the break. However, Ireland finished strongly with a trio of points from play from Seamus Callanan to ensure a 24-point gap, on a 5-6 to 1-2 interval score-line. Ireland began the second half strongly with a cracking goal from Antrim's Barry McFall. However, seven minutes later Scotland responded with Bartlett's second goal. The second half offered a more balanced game, with Murtagh and Bartlett trading goals. Ireland always held the upper hand with a Callanan goal giving the a 31-point lead with 13 and a half minutes remaining. A brace of Shane Dooley points late on further extended that lead, but Scotland gained some consolation at the death with a Keith MacRae goal in injury-time ensuring an 8-11 to 4-3 full-time scoreline. In the presence of Uachtaran na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins and Camogie President Aileen Lawlor, Ireland captain Eoin Price received the Cup from GAA President Liam O'Neill after the game. Scorers: Ireland: S Dooley 3-3; B Murtagh 2-3; S Callanan 1-4; B McFall 1-1; P Maher 1-0. Scotland: K Bartlett 2-2; Keith MacRae 1-1; Finlay MacRae 1-0. IRELAND: B Rochford, J Clarke, C Clifford, S Clynch, S Dooley, S Kavanagh, S Fennell, S Callanan, P Maher, N McManus, B McFall, T Murnane, B Murtagh, D O'Connell, E Price, P Reidy, D Shaw, T Walsh, E Reilly. SCOTLAND: S MacKintosh, N Campbell, J Barr, D Irvine, D Cameron, N MacDonald, F MacRae, N MacPhee, S Nicholson, J Stewart, K MacRae, K Barlett, L Munro, C Cruden, M MacDonald, D Smart, D Howie, Steven MacDonald, Stewart MacDonald. REFEREE: Eamon Hassan (Derry)/ more courts articles More in this section Get the latest news from the world of sport along with the best opinion from our outstanding team of sport writers, direct to your inbox every Friday Puzzles hub Visit our brain gym where you will find simple and cryptic crosswords, sudoku puzzles and much more. Updated at midnight every day. 40 minutes ago 5 hours ago Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers Puzzles hub Visit our brain gym where you will find simple and cryptic crosswords, sudoku puzzles and much more. Updated at midnight every day. At the heart of the GAA Friday, June 18, 2021 - 10:00 PM Friday, June 18, 2021 - 9:00 PM Friday, June 18, 2021 - 6:00 AM © Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly. 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Sports Competition

October 2012

['(BBC Sport)', '(Irish Examiner)']

A huge fire engulfs the under–construction Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Some 120 people were evacuated from the scene, but no deaths or injuries have been reported, the Emergency Situations Ministry’s official representative Ruslan Imankulov told RIA Novosti. The fire was localized some four hours after emergency crew were dispatched. Diesel heat generators actually caused the spectacular blaze, according to Imankulov. An earlier theory blaming a gas cylinder explosion was not confirmed. Dozens of firefighters in nearly 20 vehicles have rushed to the scene. Several firefighting units are battling the blaze, struggling to get the fire under control, and at least 60 first responders have been deployed, RIA Novosti reported. Witnesses have started posting footage of the blaze online. Periscope user Erzhan Bazarov has been streaming a video from the scene, passing his device from hand to hand and even driving around the scene to get a better view – and avoid being hit by falling debris. Bazarov and others can be heard saying in Russian that the building is about to “fall apart.” There has been no information on killed or injured victims from the blaze as of yet. Video: Fire at Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana, Kazakhstan - nvs_ner: Video: Fire… https://t.co/yRDSle1p8A - BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/mzPcCZloHg Abu Dhabi Plaza has been under construction since 2010 and was planned to be completed in 2016. With its tower of over 380 meters, Abu Dhabi Plaza was supposed to become the highest building in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

Fire

February 2016

['(RT)']

Mark Thompson, Chief Executive of Channel 4, is appointed as the new Director–General of the BBC.

Mr Thompson has resigned from his position as chief executive Channel 4 and replaces Greg Dyke, who left in the wake of the Hutton Report. He spoke of his "joy and delight" at returning to the corporation. But he could not confirm when he would take up his new post as he has to give six months' notice to Channel 4. He is a very talented executive and will do a very good job for the BBC Former director general Greg Dyke Asked how he would boost staff morale at the BBC in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry, he said they could be "very confident about its future", although there were "lessons to be learned from recent months". "I worked for the BBC for 23 years and saw any number of crises and changes, journalistic and otherwise," he said. "What I see when I look at the BBC is its scale and strength and high standards." Mr Thompson had originally ruled himself out of becoming the new director general. However, on Friday he said the job was "a one-of-a-kind opportunity and I couldn't let it pass". I joined this organisation as a trainee in 1979, and if anyone had told me then that I'd be sitting here as the director general I'd have laughed in their faces Mark Thompson Thompson's return "What's made the difference is what Sonia Gandhi called 'my inner voice'," he added, referring to Ms Gandhi's recent decision to turn down the role of Indian prime minister. "My decision has been a difficult personal one, but it's the right thing for me." However when pressed he would not discuss his strategic aims for the corporation or reveal his salary, although he did address the issue of the BBC's impending charter renewal and licence fee negotiations. "People demand a great deal from the BBC, and we need a properly funded BBC to fulfil those demands," he said. He also defended a comment he once made about the BBC's "jacuzzis of cash", saying it had been a tongue-in-cheek riposte to Greg Dyke's remark that Channel 4 was "awash" with money. The governors wish to place on record their immense gratitude to Mark Byford for his outstanding stewardship of the BBC over the last few difficult months BBC Chairman Michael Grade The director general was chosen by the board of governors, headed by chairman Michael Grade. "We were impressed by Mark Thompson's analysis of the challenges facing the BBC, and by his track record," he said. Mr Thompson's appointment was welcomed by the government and fellow broadcasters, including Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, who praised his "experience, skills and enthusiasm". The move was also hailed by his predecessor Greg Dyke. "I welcome the appointment of Mark Thompson as Director General of the BBC," Mr Dyke told the ITV News Channel. "He is a very talented executive and will do a very good job for the BBC." HAVE YOUR SAY He's just landed the best job in broadcasting - so good luck to him Mark, Cardiff Send us your comments Mr Thompson, 46, worked his way up the BBC, eventually becoming director of television, before leaving to take up the chief executive role at Channel 4 in 2001. Since Mr Dyke resigned from the corporation in January, Mark Byford has been leading the BBC as acting director general. Mr Thompson will be responsible for leading the BBC through the review of its current Royal Charter, which expires in 2006. He will also have to guide the corporation through one of its rockiest periods in history following the criticism it received from Lord Hutton in his report into the death of scientist Dr David Kelly. THOMPSON'S CHALLENGES BBC Charter Renewal Boost staff morale Licence fee renewal Modernise BBC regulation Heal rift with government Restore BBC's global reputation The inquiry concluded that an allegation in a report by ex-BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan, which accused the government of deliberately exaggerating the case for war, was "unfounded". Following the report Gavyn Davies stepped down as chairman, swiftly followed by Mr Dyke.

Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration

May 2004

['(BBC)']

As many as one million Haitians become homeless due to hurricanes.

Haiti's Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis has said that a series of storms may have left as many as one million Haitians without a home. Ms Pierre-Louis, who has called on the international community to more assistance, said part of the city of Gonaives might have to be moved. She said the whole country has been devastated by four storms which struck in just over three weeks. The problem was too great for Haiti to deal with on its own, she added. "We've suffered too much in this country." Strong winds and torrential rains over the past month have battered Haiti's already fragile infrastructure and left more than 550 people dead. Ms Pierre-Louis told the BBC that part of the city of Gonaives, which was almost completely destroyed by the hurricanes, may now have to be built elsewhere. She also admitted that unless victims of the storms receive more help, rising discontent could force her from office.

Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard

September 2008

['(BBC)']

At least 10 people drown off the coast of Libya when their dinghy sinks. The Italian Navy managed to rescue over 100 more people.

At least 10 people drowned and more than 100 others were rescued when an inflatable boat carrying migrants capsized 32km (20 miles) off Libya. Those who died were all women, Italian reports said. The latest migrant tragedy came as the Italian navy raised to the surface a boat that sank with the loss of more than 700 lives. The April 2015 sinking was the worst loss of human life since the influx of migrants began in 2013. More than 64,000 migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean to Italy since the start of this year, according to UN figures, including more than 16,000 in June alone. Most of the arrivals have come from African countries. The Italian coast guard arrived at the scene of Thursday's sinking after a distress signal was received at its Rome headquarters. The dinghy was partly submerged and many of its passengers were already in the water, reports said. Sea conditions were described as poor, with high winds and waves of up to 2m (6.6ft). Anatomy of a shipwreck - story of a migrant tragedy The Italian navy was due to give more details about the operation that brought the boat 370m (1,214 ft) to the surface from the seabed off Sicily. Many of those who died had been locked below the top deck and hundreds of bodies are thought to be still on board. A special yellow-framed apparatus was submerged and affixed to the boat before a pulley system was used to bring the boat up. Anatomy of a shipwreck

Shipwreck

June 2016

['(BBC)']

Rakhat Aliyev, soninlaw of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and First Vice Foreign Minister, is demoted to ambassador to Austria for the second time amid accusations he stole money from Nurbank bank and alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murdering of two Nurbank officials.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev on February 9 abruptly removed his son-in-law, Rakhat Aliyev, as deputy foreign minister and dispatched him to Vienna to serve as Kazakhstani ambassador to Austria. The move occurred days after Aliyev became embroiled in a controversy over the disappearance of two former bank executives. The presidential press service provided no reason for Aliyev’s sudden departure for Vienna. Aliyev, 44, put a positive spin on the move, saying he would act as a diplomatic troubleshooter to advance Kazakhstan’s effort to chair the OSCE. "The president is sending me as ambassador to Austria and the OSCE to solve this task," Aliyev told the Kazakhstan Today news agency. It will be Aliyev’s second diplomatic tour in Austria. He first served as a diplomat in Vienna from 2002-2005. That appointment followed a political scandal in which several officials accused Aliyev of plotting to unseat Nazarbayev as president. . Aliyev’s departure comes amid an ongoing investigation into suspected financial impropriety at one of Kazakhstan’s leading banks, Nurbank. The affair has plunged the country’s financial sector into controversy. Aliyev is perhaps the bank’s highest-profile shareholder, and in connection with the financial probe, he adamantly denied allegations of unsavory business practices. The accusations surfaced in early February, when the wives of two former senior Nurbank managers claimed their husbands had disappeared. The former chairman of the board, Abilmazhen Gilimov, and his deputy, Zholdas Timraliyev -- who both resigned from the bank in January -- had gone missing within the previous five days, their wives announced on February 5, according to reports published by a variety of foreign and domestic news outlets, including The Associated Press. Gilimov had not returned after reporting for questioning to the financial police earlier that day, while Timraliyev had been missing since leaving for a Nurbank meeting on January 31. It has since emerged that Gilimov is being questioned by law-enforcement agencies over financial wrongdoings at the bank, while Timraliyev is wanted by police. Timraliyev’s wife, Armangul Kapasheva, alleges that prior to his disappearance, Timraliyev was kidnapped and subjected to violence and intimidation in an attempt to force him to ensure that management of a lucrative business center in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s financial capital, passed to the president’s son-in-law. Aliyev denies the charges. In an open letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kapasheva claims that Gilimov and her husband left their homes on January 18 thinking they were to accompany Aliyev on a business trip. Instead, she said, they were taken to a sauna complex and held against their will for 24 hours. Kapasheva alleged that her husband had been beaten up and threatened with death unless he ceded to the demands. Aliyev categorically denied the allegations. "The only thing in all these versions, theories and rumors which is true is that I am indeed a Nurbank shareholder. That is no secret to anyone," he said in remarks quoted by the Kazakhstan Today news agency. "Everything else, including information about a supposedly missing former bank employee, is open slander resembling a carefully-planned act of provocation." Aliyev could not be reached for further comment. Gilimov and Timraliyev resigned from the bank on January 19. Nurbank issued a press release announcing Gilimov’s departure, giving no indication that the split was acrimonious. Gilimov was moving jobs and being replaced by his deputy, Gulmira Dzhumadillayeva, Nurbank said, thanking him for his contribution: "Under his management Nurbank entered and firmly consolidated itself in the top 10 banks in Kazakhstan." On January 31, Kapasheva reported her husband missing after he failed to return from a meeting with Dzhumadillayeva and Aliyev. The facts about what happened next -- which subsequently led to the arrests of several senior police officers -- are disputed. Kapasheva says she encountered difficulties in reporting her husband missing, but in the evening a police rapid-reaction squad arrived at the bank, where her husband was thought to have gone earlier in the day. Bank security denied the officers access. In a press release on February 5, Nurbank described the incident as an "attack on the bank’s head office in Almaty". Allegations have been leveled that the officers were seeking to remove valuables and documents from the former managers’ offices. When the rapid-reaction squad arrived at the bank, the financial police were already conducting a search following allegations of financial impropriety. They say the rapid-reaction squad tried to hinder the process. "There has been an attempt by interested parties to cover up illegal actions by rapid-reaction squad officers, [who were at the bank] apparently in response to a statement received from Kapasheva," Almaty financial police chief Vladimir Kurbatov told a news conference on February 5. Following the raid on Nurbank -- which declined to comment to EurasiaNet on the case -- the head of Almaty’s rapid-reaction squad and the city’s deputy police chief were arrested, and several dozen officers submitted resignations. Financial police are investigating a case involving abuse of office, though no charges have yet been brought. "We do have many questions for the former management of Nurbank," Kurbatov told the press conference. "More than 10 people are currently declining to appear before the investigation." He believes Timraliyev is on the run, and says the police have evidence that he called his wife to say so. Kapasheva does not deny that Timraliyev has been in touch, but believes it was at someone’s instigation. "He has called," she told EurasiaNet. "I know it was his voice, but he was calling under pressure." The police case centers on a suspicious payment of 809 million tenge -- some $6.5 million -- said to have been made on January 26 by Gilimov and Timraliyev. Kapasheva dismisses allegations of wrongdoing by her husband, questioning how he could have moved funds from the bank a week after he had resigned. "He wasn’t working there then… His signature was not valid," she told EurasiaNet. Kurbatov insists that the financial police are keeping an open mind. "We have tried to show maximum objectivity and listen to all sides… [but] preliminary investigations are not going in favor of the former management," he said. As the investigation continues, the case is becoming increasingly politicized. MP Dariga Nazarbayeva, Aliyev’s wife and the president’s eldest daughter, says it is an economic matter. "These are more fabrications; this is an attempt now to take a normal criminal case onto a political level," Nazarbayeva told Kazakhstan Today. Other members of Aliyev and Nazarbayeva’s family are involved with Nurbank. Their 22-year-old son, Nurali Aliyev, was voted onto Nurbank’s board on 15 January, and Aliyev’s father, Mukhtar Aliyev, holds a 6.73-percent share in the bank. The Nurbank case has cast an unwelcome spotlight on the country’s banking sector. Any damage to the sector’s image is unwelcome at a time when Kazkommertsbank and Halyk Bank recently floated on the London Stock Exchange and are under investor scrutiny. Other Kazakhstani banks are preparing to float shares on the LSE. Just a week before the controversy erupted, Kazakhstan’s banks held a publicity drive in London aimed at boosting their reputations and promoting themselves as responsible operators. The controversy casts a shadow on Kazakhstan’s investment climate as a whole, raising questions about the manner in which business disputes are settled. Observers will be closely watching the outcome of this case to see if a fair and transparent solution can be found. Editor’s Note: Joanna Lillis is a freelance writer who specializes in Central Asian affairs. Posted February 9, 2007 Eurasianet

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse

February 2007

['(EurasiaNet)']

South Korea announces that Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul Monday to work toward a final settlement concerning sex slavery during World War II. The Nikkei reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe plans to create a new government-backed fund, containing over 100 million yen (US$831,200/£556,600) to help former South Korean "comfort women," and is also considering making an apology for the wartime sexual enslavement.

TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Japan’s foreign minister will visit Seoul on Monday to meet his South Korean counterpart for talks aimed at an early resolution to a row over comfort women, as those forced to work in Japan’s wartime military brothels are euphemistically known. South Korea’s foreign ministry announced the visit on Friday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to make the trip to Seoul. The ministry said Kishida and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se would discuss topics of mutual interest, including comfort women. Senior officials will meet on Sunday. The dispute has long plagued ties between the East Asian neighbors, although relations have warmed since Abe met President Park Geun-hye last month. That meeting took place partly under pressure from the United States, which is keen to see its two allies get along. “I’m ready to rack my brains, do my utmost and sweat,” Kishida told reporters. “We have been trying to realize the agreement ... to accelerate talks and seek an early settlement. This is part of this effort.” Suga reiterated there was no change to Japan’s stance that the matter of compensation was settled by a 1965 bilateral treaty. However, the Nikkei business daily reported that Japan would propose creating a government-backed fund to help the former comfort women as part of a possible agreement. Related Coverage The Nikkei, citing a government source, said one proposal was for a fund of more than 100 million yen ($831,877) that would pay out 10 years’ worth of aid at once. Abe, like many conservative Japanese politicians, had in the past criticized a 1993 apology acknowledging the role of Japanese authorities in coercing the women. As prime minister, Abe has said he stands by the statement. In 1995, Japan set up a fund that offered letters of apology signed by prime ministers and financial aid combining compensation from public donations and medical support from the government for individual women. It was wound up in 2007. South Korea, which for a time appeared willing to put the issue to rest, has said those steps were not enough. Tokyo wants assurances any resolution to the feud that might be reached will be final, Japanese government sources have said. Helping to set the stage for Kishida’s visit, a South Korean court last week cleared a Japanese journalist of defaming Park. On Wednesday, its Constitutional Court also refused to review a complaint over the 1965 treaty.

Diplomatic Visit

December 2015

['(Reuters)', '(Bloomberg)', '(The Nikkei)', '(The Korea Times)']

On the first anniversary of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, millions join protests in cities across the world to demonstrate against the war and the continued occupation. In London two Greenpeace protesters evade newly tightened security and scale the Houses of Parliament's Clock Tower to unfurl a banner calling for the truth to be told by the UK government.

Two protesters breached security at the Houses of Parliament and scaled Big Ben sparking concerns about policing around the government. Madrid and New York are among cities around the world where demonstrations are also being held against the war. Police said some 25,000 people joined London's march to Trafalgar Square. However, organisers estimated three times that amount of protesters were involved. The event has been backed by the Stop the War Coalition, CND and Muslim Association of Britain. Views from protesters at the anti-war demonstration in London One protester, 79-year-old Joe Rossi, from Ashford in Kent, said he did not believe the war had done anything to combat terrorism. "If anything, it's bringing terrorism closer to our shores," he said. "I'm fed up with the government deceiving us and acting against the will of the people." MP George Galloway told the rally in Trafalgar Square the war had not been legitimate. "Just because they call themselves the international community, that doesn't mean their actions are right." He urged voters to turn the 10 June European elections into a referendum on Tony Blair's future. Thousands of balloons were released in memory of those killed in the Iraq conflict, as well as the Madrid bomb attack victims. Everything we said about the war has turned out to be true and everything the government said has turned out to be a lie Demonstrations have taken place in about a dozen towns around Spain with a large protest due to take place in the capital on Saturday evening. Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters have marched in Rome with similar events being held throughout the world including Sydney and Tokyo. Riot police were deployed at rallies in India, Egypt, Turkey and the Philippines. Big Ben Police said the two Greenpeace protesters scaled Big Ben at 0615 GMT, unfurling a banner saying "Time for Truth". Police arrested the two men - named by the group as brothers Harry and Simon Westaway from Lewes in Sussex - and responded to the breach of security by saying they were confident they "would not have been able to access inside the Palace of Westminster itself". Greenpeace said they did not encounter any security in getting over two fences and climbing the tower. The group sent another volunteer to the front gate of the site to inform police it was a "peaceful protest and not a terrorist attack". Last year more than a million people took part in a march in London against the impending war.

Protest_Online Condemnation

March 2004

['(Democracy Now!)', '(Reuters)', '(AFP)', '(BBC)', '(CNN)']

Journalist Magomed Yevloyev, owner of the non–government news agency Ingushetiya.ru, is shot dead in police custody in Ingushetia.

THE founder of a website that has criticised the Kremlin's policies in the Caucasus was found dead today in the Russian republic of Ingushetia, according to prosecutors quoted by Interfax. Prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into the death of Magomed Yevloyev, who ran the website ingushetia.ru, said the news agency. The website reported that Yevloyev was killed while in police custody. "Magomed Yevloyev was arrested today in Ingushetia and was killed,'' said a report posted on his website www.ingushetia.ru. Interfax quoted spokesman Vladimir Markin of the prosecutor's office as saying that "an incident'' took place after he was taken into a police car "resulting in a shooting injury to the head and he later died in hospital''. The website is among the most visited for news on Ingushetia, a republic bordering Chechnya, and was openly opposed to Ingush president Murat Zyazikov, who had more than once threatened to shut it down. Ekho Moskvy radio separately quoted local opposition activist Magomad Khazbiyev as saying that the website founder was arrested at gunpoint after his arrival in Narzan. Yevloyev arrived on a flight that was also carrying the Ingush president. "Yevloyev was arrested as he stepped off the plane,'' Khazbiyev said. From here you can use the Social Web links to save Kremlin critic found dead to a social bookmarking site. * Required fields Information provided on this page will not be used for any other purpose than to notify the recipient of the article you have chosen. Do you believe that Australia's anti-terror laws are working effectively? Vote | Your details More Feeds | What is this? Scott Murdoch THE collapse of AIG would cause the world's financial woes to worsen. Fran Foo update OVER 6000 Hewlett-Packard and EDS employees in Australia today awoke to the news that 24,600 jobs would go in three years. Jane Schulze, Media editor WEST Australian Newspapers has finally agreed to allow Seven Network directors Kerry Stokes and Peter Gammell to join the board. Luke Slattery THE University of Western Australia is set to undergo a radical curriculum restructure by cutting the number of undergraduate courses. ZIMBABWE has demanded Britain compensate the 4,000 white farmers whose land the Mugabe regime has seized for its own supporters. OUTGOING West Australian Treasurer Eric Ripper has been unanimously elected Opposition Leader by the Labor caucus. Paul Kelly, Editor-at-large WITH Malcolm Turnbull squaring off against Kevin Rudd, Australian politics has been transformed. MUM is convinced she does the lion's share of caring for the kids. Dad thinks that she's being a bit of a martyr.

Famous Person - Death

August 2008

['(BBC)', '(The Australian)', '(AP)']

The death toll from flash floods in the Philippines caused by Tropical Storm Washi reaches 1,500 per some sources, but the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council currently puts the number lower.

The death toll from flash floods that swept away entire villages in the southern Philippines has climbed to nearly 1500, as authorities widen their search for bodies. The Office of Civil Defence's latest tally on Tuesday listed 891 dead in Cagayan de Oro and an additional 451 in nearby Iligan city. The rest came from several other provinces. Most of the dead are unidentified. Damaged vehicles washed away by flash floodsfrom Typhoon Washi lie in a ditch in Cagayan de Oro, southern Philippines.Credit:Reuters "The search will continue as long as we are recovering bodies," said Civil Defence head Benito Ramos. He said that decomposing remains were retrieved floating in the sea as far as 100 kilometres from the two cities where a Dec 16 tropical storm unleashed more than a month's worth of rainfall in 12 hours, sending walls of water gushing into homes. One of the dead was a headless girl who appeared to have been hit by logs that were carried by flash floods, Ramos said. She was among 13 bodies retrieved by a team of navy sailors. Navy and coast guard divers were initially sent to find more bodies believed to be pinned down by logs scattered in the sea and along riverbanks, but Ramos said the operation had to be called off because waters were too murky. "It's useless to dive when you can see nothing," he said. It was not clear how many more are missing. More than 60,000 homeless from hundreds of flood-ravaged villages spent a miserable Christmas in jam-packed schools and gymnasiums, while the United Nations launched an urgent appeal for $A28 million to help the displaced - more than half the population of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, which are in the southern Philippines' Mindanao region. More rains Tuesday prompted evacuations of nearly 2000 people on the opposite side of Mindanao Island, where a child was reported missing in floods in Surigao city, the civil defence reported. President Benigno Aquino III, who banned logging in February following previous flooding deaths that experts say were caused partly by deforestation and soil erosion, has ordered an investigation. Communist guerrillas in the south, meanwhile, threatened to punish multinational companies they blame for environmental destruction. Rebel spokesman Jorge Madlos told The Associated Press by telephone that they sought funds for victims from huge pineapple and banana plantations and other companies. "Some were lukewarm to our call," Madlos said. "That'll be a factor when we decide which ones to punish first for this destruction." Another factor in the staggering death toll was illegal settlements along Cagayan rivers. Thousands of people lived in shanties on the banks and islands directly along the water's path.

Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard

December 2011

['(AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)', '(NDRRMC)']

The BBC television series Sherlock wins two prizes at the 2011 British Academy Television Awards ceremony in London, including best drama series.

Sherlock has taken two prizes at the Bafta TV Awards ceremony in London, including best drama series. Martin Freeman, who plays Watson in the latest screen version of the stories, was named best supporting actor. But star Benedict Cumberbatch and Doctor Who's Matt Smith were beaten to best actor by Daniel Rigby for his portrayal of a young Eric Morecambe. The audience award, chosen by the public, was won by ITV2 reality show The Only Way Is Essex. The programme saw off five other nominees including Downton Abbey, Sherlock and Channel 4 hit My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Gameshow win One of the other shortlisted shows, Danish import The Killing, was named best international programme. Host Graham Norton also became an award winner, taking best entertainment performance for his chat show. But he failed to pick up best entertainment programme, which was won by gameshow The Cube ahead of The X Factor and Have I Got News For You. E4 show Misfits, which led the field with four nominations ahead of the ceremony, claimed an early win with best supporting actress for Lauren Socha. Vicky McClure was named best actress for her role in Shane Meadows drama This Is England '86, ahead of two-time former winner Anna Maxwell-Martin. Socha beat EastEnders star Jessie Wallace, nominated for her performance in The Road To Coronation Street, and Lynda Barron, who also appeared in the drama. The BBC Four show detailing the early days of the Weatherfield soap won best single drama. EastEnders was named best continuing drama ahead of Coronation Street, which had marked its 50th anniversary with a hard-hitting tram crash storyline. Jo Brand won best female comic performance for her role in hospital sitcom Getting On, beating favourite Miranda Hart. Steve Coogan won the male equivalent for his role in The Trip, while Rev and Harry and Paul were among the other small screen comedy winners. Veteran newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald was presented with the Academy Fellowship at the TV Baftas for his "outstanding and exceptional contribution" to the medium. .

Awards ceremony

May 2011

['(BBC)']

Reuters reports that Alberta Province, which projects a C$10 billion deficit this fiscal year as the prolonged slump in oil prices has reduced tax revenue, last month cut funding for wildfire prevention, including millions for programs created in response to the province's Slave Lake wildfire in 2011, which destroyed more than 300 homes.

Alberta's cash-strapped government cut funding for wildfire prevention, including millions for programs created in response to the province's last major fire disaster, just weeks before a raging fire swept across the city of Fort McMurray, forcing a mass evacuation as hundreds of homes burned to the ground. The cuts, some of which have not previously been reported, came as Alberta struggled to cope with a prolonged slump in oil prices that has reduced tax revenue, and as climate change makes fires more frequent and damaging in Canada's vast boreal forest. Alberta, which projects a C$10 billion deficit this fiscal year, does not have a fixed budget for fire fighting, with spending rising and falling based on need. But the government, which took power a year ago, does set budgets for fixed costs, including contracts with companies that operate air tankers, and programs meant to prevent damaging fires, areas where the latest cuts in April were made. In a statement, the ministry responsible for wildfire management said it had deferred some projects meant to prevent fires, saved money on discretionary travel, uniforms and facility maintenance, as well as cutting air tanker contracts. "Regardless of the fiscal situation, when wildfires occur in our province, we take the necessary steps to protect Albertans, communities, and forests," it said in a statement. One cut was to funds set aside to implement recommendations from the 2011 Slave Lake fire, which destroyed more than 300 homes. The ministry said it cut that budget by C$5.3 million, nearly 17 percent. Firefighters have been unable to stop the Fort McMurray wildfire, which has charred 210,000 acres (85,000 hectares) since it erupted on Sunday and exploded in ferocity amid hot, dry, windy weather conditions. Separately, data requested by Reuters showed that funding for FireSmart, which pays for prevention projects such as tree thinning in vulnerable communities, dropped 45 percent in the last fiscal year, to C$7.5 million. The government said it has not yet set that program's budget for the current fiscal year, but it did say it plans to defer some projects. Alberta also cut spending on contracts with private companies that operate water bombers in the province. While the cut did not affect the number of planes available to fight in Fort McMurray, the companies said it could hurt capacity in the future, especially as climate change extends fire seasons. "Personally, I wouldn't have cut them back," said Tom Burton, one of the experts brought in to make recommendations after the Slave Lake fire, on the water bomber contracts, citing concerns contractors might relocate to other regions. "If that resource isn't there when they need it, that impact could be more than the savings they made in the budget." The air tanker companies, Air Spray and Conair, bid on the assumption that their contracts would be for 123 days, but the province opted to sign a firm contract for only 93 days, saving C$5.1 million. Both companies said they were focused on fighting fires, not their dispute with the province. But they also said lost revenue may force them to lay off workers, reducing the number of air tankers at the province's immediate disposal. "We are potentially looking at cutting staff," said Paul Lane, vice president at Air Spray. On Wednesday, he was traveling to Red Deer, Alberta to look for ways to prevent layoffs. "If these cuts stand, we may have to lay people off." Jeff Berry, director of business development at rival Conair, said his company may need to lay people off at the end of the fire season. Burton, who serves on a committee that allocates some FireSmart funding, said Alberta is ahead of other provinces in spending on those projects. The government said it has 775 firefighters lined up for this season, up from 555 in 2011. When asked on Wednesday about the fact the fire came in the midst of Alberta's financial crunch, Premier Rachel Notley said the government would be "strategic and intentional." Asked whether "strategic" meant the government lacked the money to properly deal with the issue, Notley said: "That's absolutely not what I'm saying." The Insurance Bureau of Canada warned in a 2015 study that climate change had made forest fires more frequent, a trend that would likely continue and contribute to rising costs associated with extreme weather events.

Financial Crisis

May 2016

['(Reuters via Voice of America)']

Serbia extradites suspected war criminal Goran Hadžić to The Hague to face trial.

War crimes suspect Goran Hadzic has been flown from Serbia to face the UN court at The Hague. A police motorcade, sirens blaring, was earlier seen leaving the Belgrade jail where Mr Hadzic was being held. Before being taken to the airport, Mr Hadzic, 52, was allowed to see his sick mother in northern Serbia. Mr Hadzic led Serb separatist forces during Croatia's 1991-1995 war and was arrested on Wednesday after seven years on the run. The plane carrying Mr Hadzic has now landed in Rotterdam. Mr Hadzic was a central figure in the self-proclaimed Serb republic of Krajina in 1992-1993, leading the campaign to block Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia. He faces 14 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecution, extermination and torture. He is held responsible for the massacre of almost 300 men in Vukovar in 1991 by Croatian Serb troops and for the deportation of 20,000 people from the town after it was captured. After the war, Mr Hadzic lived openly in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad until 2004, when the Hague War Crimes Tribunal indicted him and he disappeared. Mr Hadzic is the last fugitive of 161 indicted for war crimes during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said she had signed the order for Mr Hadzic's extradition on Friday, Associated Press reported. BBC correspondent Mark Lowen in Belgrade says Mr Hadzic's extradition is a defining moment for Serbia. He says the country hopes it will allow it to draw a line under the war crimes story and move closer to European Union membership. For years prosecutors in The Hague complained that Belgrade was not doing enough to track down top war crimes suspects, including Mr Hadzic. That criticism delayed progress in Serbia's EU bid. His arrest comes less than two months after Serbia caught former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic. Serbian President Boris Tadic told reporters on Wednesday that Mr Hadzic had been detained in the mountainous Fruska Gora region, north of Belgrade, near his family home. Serbian prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said the breakthrough in the hunt for Mr Hadzic came when he tried to sell a stolen painting by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Hadzic arrest: A turning point for Serbia? Serbia holds war fugitive Hadzic At a glance: Hague tribunal Viewpoint: Hague justice 'works' Overcoming Vukovar's war legacy Croatia country profile International war crimes tribunal Serbian president EU Commission - EU-Serbia relations UN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar In a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo. The ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters. VideoThe ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters Tokyo Olympics: No fans is 'least risky' option Asia's Covid stars struggle with exit strategies Why residents of these paradise islands are furious The Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care. VideoThe Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care Troubled US teens left traumatised by tough love camps Why doesn't North Korea have enough food? Le Pen set for regional power with eye on presidency How the Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate

July 2011

['(BBC)']

In Morocco, Ali Salem Tamek, human rights activist and supporter of independence of Western Sahara, is arrested when he returns from Europe. Government accuses him of fomenting riots

A leading Western Sahara human rights activist has been arrested by police on suspicion of encouraging rioters in the disputed territory controlled by Morocco. Ali Salem Tamek was arrested on Monday upon his arrival from Europe at Laayoune airport in Western Sahara, a Moroccan government source said. "His name has been mentioned several times during interrogations of rioters arrested after the events of Laayoune in June. He has been encouraging and instigating trouble via telephone from Europe during the events," the source said. Court hearing Tamek was freed last year under an amnesty by King Mohammed VI after spending nearly 15 months in jail over his alleged support for the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence in the northwest African desert territory. He has over the past year given interviews to local and foreign newspapers indicating his support for the independence of Western Sahara through the long-delayed referendum plan proposed by the United Nations. Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975Tamek will be brought before the courts once the inquiry has been completed, Morocco's official MAP news agency said. Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975 "It's a normal procedure. He will be interrogated by criminal police upon order of the king's prosecutor," said the government source, who declined to be named. Friends who waited for him at the airport said he was quickly whisked away by the authorities from the plane, which arrived from Las Palmas. Ongoing conflict Six Western Sahara residents were sentenced last month to jail terms of oneto five years for taking part in anti-Morocco riots. The mineral-rich territory has seen an escalation in clashes with the authorities in recent months. Morocco in 1975 annexed the former Spanish colony in a move that was not recognised internationally, sparking a guerrilla war with the Polisario Front. A UN ceasefire was brokered in 1991 with the promise of holding a referendum to decide the fate of the area, believed to have offshore oil deposits. Disagreements about who is eligible to vote have prevented it from taking place. In recent years, Morocco steered clear of the independence option and stated its readiness to grant the area only semi-autonomy while remaining under its sovereignty. The Polisario Front pledged in May to resume its armed struggle against Morocco if there was no breakthrough in UN-led peace talks within six months.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse

July 2005

['(AlJAzeera)']

The Israel Defense Forces says that it has deployed two infantry units and an armoured unit to the border on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, and that a ground operation inside Gaza will be submitted to military chiefs later today, ahead of a potential approval by the Israeli government.

Israel on Thursday night appeared to declarea start to an anticipated offensive on the occupied Gaza Stripas Hamas continued to bombard the Jewish state with rocket fire. “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a brief message, signalling the most serious escalation since the 2014 war. Footage appeared to show dozens of rockets raining down on the Palestinian enclave, however, the Israeli army later clarified that its troops had not entered the Gaza Strip as it had earlier stated, blaming an "internal communication" problem for the confusion. Just after midnight, the army had sent a message to the media saying troops were in the Gaza Strip, and this was confirmedby an armyspokesperson. But two hours later, the army published a clarification saying there were "no soldiers" in Gaza. The attacks on Thursday night were nonetheless asignificant escalation. In an apparent reference to the offensive, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, tweeted: “The last word was not said and this operation will continue as long as necessary.” Israeli residents living within three miles of the border with Gaza had been told by the military to head to their shelters. Israeli's president on Thursday condemned mass riots by Jews and Arabs in Israeli cities, which he compared to a civil war. Joe Biden, the US president, on Thursday night defended Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, saying there had "not been a significant overreaction". Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said it was time for a "definite relaunch" of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Islamist group Hamas fired a long-range rocket towards Eilat, Israel's main tourist resort, on Thursday, which Israeli media reports said was the furthest distance a Hamas rocket had ever travelled. The long-range missile landed in the Hevel Eilot region, next to Eilat, raising questions over whether the Jewish state needed to expand its air defence capacity there. In addition to the strike on Eilat, 130 miles from the Gaza Strip, Hamas launched a barrage of rockets towards Tel Aviv, prompting Ben Gurion Airport to cancel all arrivals. Before the present conflict, Israel had been trying to encourage British tourists to holiday on the beaches of Eilat and Tel Aviv. EasyJet, Virgin and British Airways cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv due to the escalating conflict. On Thursday night, British Airways said: "Like other airlines, we have cancelled our flights to and from Tel Aviv. The safety and security of our colleagues and customers is always our top priority, and we continue to monitor the situation." Airline staff said they would try to rearrange flights or offer refunds. It isthe most serious escalation since the 2014 Gaza war -which left 2,251 Palestinians dead and 73 Israeli - and with the conflict showing no signs of easingIsraelsaid it was massing troops along the Gaza frontier and calling up 9,000 reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion. Egyptian mediators rushed toIsraelfor ceasefire efforts but showed no signs of progress. Israeli officials said Islamist group Hamas must be dealt a strong deterring blow before any ceasefire and footage showed waves of mortar landing on the densely populated enclave just after midnight on Friday. An armed branch of Hamas, meanwhile, warned on Thursday night that "any ground incursion in any part of the Gaza Strip will lead to an increase in the number of dead and prisoners from the enemy side,” as the group continued to launch rockets towards central Israel. As Israel continued to bombard Hamas targets in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll rose to 87, including 17 children, while in Israel seven people have died including a five-year-old boy. "The IDF has already attacked hundreds of targets and we will soon pass 1,000. We are continuing to strike Hamas while defending our citizens," said Mr Netanyahu, as he inspected an Iron Dome missile defence system on Thursday. "It will take time but with great decisiveness, both defensively and offensively, we will achieve our goal to restore quiet to the State of Israel." Separately, Reuven Rivlin, the Israeli president, strongly condemned rioting by both Arab and Jewish extremists nationwide which has led to at least 400 arrests, comparing the situation to a "civil war". One attack in Bat Yam that was broadcast live by Israeli TV crews showed a Jewish mob dragging a man, whom they believed to be Palestinian, out of his car before severely beating him. “We’re watching a lynching in real time,” a TV reporter says off-camera in the footage. In the northern city of Tamra, a Jewish man was attacked by an Arab mob who nearly torched his car while he was still inside. Israeli paramedics said he was also stabbed but has survived the ordeal. Further attacks are spreading throughout the country, including Haifa and Acre in the north, as well as Lod, Jaffa, and Tiberias. "Death to Arabs" was being chanted at several rallies overnight while in Jerusalem an Arab man was stabbed outside the famous Mahane Yehuda market on the western side of the city. Mr Netanyahu was reportedly considered the deployment of troops in cities hit by the unrest, and vowed on Thursday to grant police new powers to detain suspected rioters without charge for an extended period. "We have no bigger threat now than these pogroms, and we have no choice but to restore law and order via determined use of force," he said. "Nothing can justify an Arab mob assaulting Jews, and nothing can justify a Jewish mob assaulting Arabs." The rioting in Israel has become so serious that there are concerns it could end up eclipsing the conflict in Gaza. An Israeli police chief on Wednesday compared the unrest in Lod in central Israel to Arab riots that preceded the Second Intifada, a mass Palestinian uprising. On Thursday it also emerged that the United States has increased security at its embassy in Jerusalem, where a major police presence was on the streets including armed and mounted officers. Throughout the day, air raid sirens sounded across Israel, including in Tel Aviv where Ben Gurion airport was closed and flights diverted.

Armed Conflict

May 2021

['(The Daily Telegraph)']

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who originally expected to be in Berlin today, makes an emergency trip to Iraq amid escalating tensions with Iran. Earlier this week, the U.S. deployed a bomber task force and the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the region. In today's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih, Pompeo reaffirmed the longstanding U.S. policy to ensure nobody interferes in their country.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unscheduled, fleeting visit to Iraq, amid growing tensions with Iran. Mr Pompeo cancelled a trip to Berlin to meet Iraqi leaders during a four-hour stop in the capital Baghdad. He told the leaders that the US did not "want anybody interfering in their country", and asked them to protect US troops in Iraq. The visit came days after the US deployed an aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, to the region. Officials said the deployment was in response to threats to US forces and its allies from Iran. On Tuesday it was revealed the US was sending B-52 bombers. The US has given little information about the exact nature of the reported threat, which Iran has dismissed as nonsense. John Bolton, the US national security adviser, said only that the US was acting "in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" on announcing the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Sunday. Mr Pompeo is also due to visit London on Wednesday, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Theresa May and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. While in Baghdad, the US secretary of state met the Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih, and explained the US's security concerns to them. He also asked them to protect US troops and citizens in the country. Mr Pompeo later said that the leaders "provided assurances that they understood that was their responsibility". "We wanted them to know about the increased threat stream that we had seen, to give them a little bit more background so that they would have enough information that they could ensure that they were doing all that they could to provide protection for our team," he said. "They understood, too, it's important for their country. We don't want anybody interfering in their country, certainly not by attacking another nation inside of Iraq, and there was complete agreement." Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he also directly linked the visit to the recent escalation with Iran, which neighbours Iraq. Mr Pompeo said that he wanted to "speak with the leadership there [in Iraq], to assure them that we stood ready to continue to ensure that Iraq is a sovereign, independent nation". He also said that he wanted to help them become less dependent on energy deals with Iran. Acting Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers said in a statement that the US did "not seek war with the Iranian regime, but we will defend US personnel, our allies and our interests in the region". "The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force are considered a prudent step in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests," he added. Officials first announced that the aircraft carrier was being sent to the Gulf on Sunday. Mr Bolton said at the time that it was to send "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interest or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force". In response, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted that "the #B_Team is at it again". "From announcements of naval movements (that actually occurred last month) to dire warnings about so-called 'Iranian threats'," he added. "If US and clients don't feel safe, it's because they're despised by the people of the region - blaming Iran won't reverse that." Iran's state-run broadcaster Press TV also dismissed the deployment as "a 'regularly scheduled' one by the US Navy, and Bolton has just tried to talk it up". Tensions between the US and Iran can be traced back to Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979, which overthrew the pro-Western Shah and established a radical anti-US regime in its place. But relations have been particularly fraught between the two nations since President Trump took office in 2017. This most recent escalation comes on the eve of the anniversary of Mr Trump unilaterally withdrawing from a landmark nuclear deal the US and other nations had agreed with Iran in 2015. Under the accord, Iran had agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for relief from sanctions - sanctions that have since been reinstated. And last month, the White House said it would end exemptions from sanctions for five countries - China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey - that were still buying Iranian oil. At the same time the US also blacklisted Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, designating it as a foreign terrorist group. The Trump administration hopes to compel Iran to negotiate a "new deal" that would cover not only its nuclear activities, but also its ballistic missile programme and what officials call its "malign behaviour" across the Middle East. The sanctions have led to a sharp downturn in Iran's economy, pushing the value of its currency to record lows, driving away foreign investors, and triggering protests. Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate to the US measures by blocking the Strait of Hormuz - though which about a fifth of all oil consumed globally pass.

Government Policy Changes

May 2019

['(BBC)', '(CNN)']

The United States Senate reaches a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the 16-day US government shutdown. The House passes the legislation by 285–144. The bill now goes to the president, who is expected to sign it. ,

Updated 12:31 a.m. President Barack Obama signed a last-minute Congressional deal early Thursday morning to avert a damaging debt default and to reopen the government after a more than two-week shutdown. The Office of Management and Budget said previously furloughed federal workers should report to work Thursday morning and Congressional leaders began to appoint budget negotiators to find a longer term budget solution. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the stopgap bill shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. It got through relatively easily: 285 members voted for the legislation and 144 against it. After much opposition, House Speaker John Boehner was one of 87 Republicans to vote for the plan; Representative Paul Ryan was among those who voted against it. The Senate passed the same bill 81 to 18 shortly after 8 p.m. "I want to thank the leaders of both parties for getting us to this point," Obama said shortly after the Senate vote. "We'll begin reopening our government immediately, and we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and from the American people." Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was also pleased. "We welcome the bipartisan action Congress is taking to resolve this crisis," Lew said in a statement late Wednesday. "At the same time, we remain committed to reaching agreement on a balanced fiscal package that will create jobs, grow our economy, and put us on a path toward long-term fiscal sustainability. Without question, it will require difficult choices." While the deal in Congress is a temporary solution that sets up another showdown early next year, Wall Street reacted positively. Major U.S. stock indexes rose more than 1 percent Wednesday on optimism that lawmakers were finally reaching a deal to end the 16 day fiscal impasse. U.S. stock futures also rose in after-hours trading.

Sign Agreement

October 2013

['(AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)', '(CNBC)']

Three people die in a shootout between Mexican security forces and gunmen in the resort of Acapulco.

Three people have been killed in a shoot-out between the security forces and gunmen in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco. Officials say police and soldiers surprised a gang as they were setting fire to a shopping centre. In the two-hour gun battle which followed, a soldier and two of the alleged gunmen were killed. Acapulco, a popular holiday destination, has seen a marked increase in violence this year. A cinema, a supermarket and a number of shops burned to the ground. Police said four people were injured in the attack and seven alleged gang members arrested. Acapulco is in an area of Mexico where the drug trade is controlled by La Familia Michoacana, one of the country's most violent cartels. Last month, 10 people were killed in the city when gunmen stormed into a nightclub and opened fire on those inside. In the same week, two young boys were shot dead as attackers chased a man through their house.

Armed Conflict

April 2011

['(BBC)']

At least 20 people are killed in Democratic Republic of the Congo after a Filair plane crashes near Bandundu. ,

Alex Harvill, a 28-year-old motorcycle stuntman, died Thursday during a warm-up run for a 351-foot jump at the Moses Lake Airshow in Washington state. Had jumped 297 feet in 2013

Armed Conflict

August 2010

['(BBC)', '(Yahoo)']

With more than 92% of the vote counted, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is ahead of Keiko Fujimori by just over 103,000 votes, 50.3 percent to 49.6 percent, in the electorate of 23 million citizens. Ballots of Peruvians living abroad will begin to arrive tonight. Mariano Cucho, the head of the electoral office, says the count may not be finalized until Thursday or Friday.

LIMA (Reuters) - Former investment banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had a wafer-thin lead on Tuesday over rival Keiko Fujimori in the latest tally from Peru’s presidential race, with tens of thousands of votes from abroad and in remote jungle villages still to be counted. Peru's presidential candidates battle it out to the end 01:20 The results in Peru’s tightest election in at least 50 years gave Kuczynski a 0.34 percentage point edge over Fujimori, the daughter of a jailed former president. Ballots from Peruvians living in the United States and Europe were still trickling in would likely decide the election. A partial count suggested they would favor Kuczynski, a 77-year-old former prime minister who worked for years on Wall Street. The margin between the two business-friendly candidates widened to 57,000 votes in the latest update by Peru’s electoral office, ONPE, two days after polls closed. Preliminary results on Sunday and quick counts of sample ballots by reputable polling firms had put Fujimori, the daughter of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori, behind Kuczynski by about one percentage point. “We’re optimistic,” Kuczynski told reporters as he headed to a country club in Lima’s financial district to work out. With the race so close, Fujimori, who has largely been out of the public eye since Sunday, does not plan to accept possible defeat until 100 percent of the votes are counted, a person close to the candidate said on condition of anonymity. TV images showed Fujimori smiling and waving from a car on Tuesday. With 97 percent of the ballots counted two days after the election, Kuczynski won 50.17 percent of valid votes compared with Fujimori’s 49.83 percent, according to ONPE. More ballots than that - 98.7 percent - had been processed, but about 1.7 percent of them were being questioned due to lack of clarity and would be settled by local electoral panels. “We have to be very cautious,” said Mariano Cucho, the head of ONPE, in broadcast comments. He said a full ballot count will probably not be finished until the weekend. Ballots, mostly from Peruvians living in the United States and Europe, were still arriving, according to ONPE. A count of about 80 percent of U.S. votes showed Kuczynski with an eight-point lead over Fujimori, and a partial count of votes from Europe showed Kuczynski had a bigger advantage. Market reaction has been muted, as both candidates would continue the country’s free-market economic model in the mineral-rich Andean nation. A week ago, Fujimori had been the favorite to win. But Kuczynski caught up with her in final opinion polls as Peruvians weighed the legacy of her father, who was convicted of corruption and human rights abuse, and scandals involving her own close advisers. Some Peruvians credit the elder Fujimori with defeating violent Shining Path guerillas and building rural schools during his decade-long rule. Kuczynski has promised to invest in infrastructure projects and lower sales taxes to revive economic growth that has slowed with tumbling mineral prices.

Government Job change - Election

June 2016

['(CNN via WFXP)', '(Reuters)', '(Fox News Latino)']

Barack Obama becomes the first sitting US President to visit Burma, meeting both Burmese President Thein Sein and National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burma is on a "remarkable journey" of reform that has much further to go, Barack Obama said as he made the first visit to the South East Asian nation by a serving US president. A desire for change had been met by an agenda of reform, he said, and he was there to extend a "hand of friendship". But, in a speech at Rangoon University, he urged Burmese people to accept Muslim Rohingyas after recent violence. Crowds of people, some waving US flags, lined the streets as he arrived. The visit was intended to show support for the reforms put in place by Thein Sein's government since the end of military rule in November 2010. Activists have warned that the visit may be too hasty - political prisoners remain behind bars and ethnic conflicts in border areas are unresolved. On Monday another prisoner amnesty was announced, with about 50 of the 66 inmates freed reportedly political detainees. About 200 political prisoners remain behind bars, activists say. 'Flickers of progress' Mr Obama spent about six hours in Burma and did not visit the capital, Nay Pyi Taw. The highlight of his visit was a speech at Rangoon University, which was at the heart of pro-democracy protests in 1988 that were violently suppressed by the military regime. Addressing students, he said America would help to rebuild Burma's economy and could be a partner on its journey forward. Referring to his 20 January 2009 inauguration speech in which he pledged the US would extend a hand to any country that was willing to unclench its fist, he said: "Today I've come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship. "But this remarkable journey has just begun, and has much further to go. "Reforms launched from the top of society must meet the aspirations of citizens who form its foundation. The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished." He called for an end to communal violence between Muslims and Buddhists in the western state of Rakhine that has left more than 100,000 people displaced. They are mostly Muslim Rohingyas who are stateless and face severe discrimination in Burma. "National reconciliation will take time, but for the sake of our common humanity, and for the sake of this country's future, it is necessary to stop the incitement and to stop violence," he said. Earlier Mr Obama met Thein Sein, saying the reform process "here in Myanmar... is one that can lead to incredible development opportunities". He used the country name preferred by the government - US officials described the move as a "diplomatic courtesy" but not a policy shift. Obama then met pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the lakeside home where she spent years under house arrest. She thanked the US for its support but warned that difficult times could lie ahead. "The most difficult time in any transition is when we think that success is in sight," she said, saying people should not be "lured by a mirage of success". The US president and his team also made a brief stop at Shwedagon Pagoda, the Rangoon landmark that has been at the heart of many key moments in the country's history. Mr Obama was accompanied by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - who was returning to Burma almost a year after her first visit. Thein Sein's government came to power after widely criticised polls in November 2010 that saw military rule replaced with a military-backed civilian government. Since then - to the surprise of many - his administration has embarked on a reform process. Many - but not all - political prisoners have been freed, censorship has been relaxed and some economic reforms enacted. Ms Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest shortly after the polls. Her NLD party, which boycotted the elections, has since rejoined the political process. It now has a small presence in parliament after a landslide win in by-elections deemed generally free and fair in April. In response to the reforms, many Western nations have relaxed sanctions against Burma and begun a process of engagement. But rights groups have cautioned against a rush to embrace the South East Asian nation, warning that political prisoners remain behind bars and ethnic conflicts are unresolved. After visiting Burma, Mr Obama headed to Cambodia to join a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations, in a trip that underlines the shift in US foreign policy focus to the Asia-Pacific region. Kim ready for 'dialogue and confrontation' with US

Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting

November 2012

['(BBC)']

The US military announces that two US Marines are charged with urinating on Taliban corpses in Afghanistan and failing to stop other misconduct by subordinates.

Two US Marines have been referred for trial by courts martial for a video of troops urinating on Taliban corpses in Afghanistan, the US military says. Staff sergeants Joseph Chamblin and Edward Deptola are also charged with failure to report or stop misconduct by junior Marines, including random firing of weapons. Three other Marines were disciplined in August for their role in the clip. It surfaced online in January this year. In addition, the two non-commissioned officers, who are assigned to the Third Battalion, Second Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, are alleged to have posed for photographs with human casualties. The incidents are believed to have taken place during a counter-insurgency operation in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on or around 27 July 2011, the Marine Corps said. The two Marines are also facing charges for other alleged misconduct on the same operation. They are accused of being derelict in their duties by not supervising junior Marines, failing to ensure they were wearing personal protective gear and failing to report the negligent discharge of a grenade launcher. The three other servicemen who were disciplined in August pleaded guilty: one to "urinating on the body of a deceased Taliban soldier", another to posing for a photo with human casualties, and a third for lying to investigators. In the video, someone can be heard saying: "Have a good day, buddy." Their identities have not been revealed and the Marine Corps said it would provide details of disciplinary actions against them at a later date. The footage surfaced at a sensitive time for US-Afghan relations, as American officials attempted to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. One month later, violent protests broke out in Afghanistan after it emerged US troops had incinerated a number of Korans. The holy books had been confiscated from prisoners, amid claims they were being used to pass secret messages. The ensuing unrest claimed 30 lives and saw two US troops shot dead.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse

September 2012

['(BBC)']

Protests break out across Sudan over rising prices of bread and fuel, resulting in at least eight deaths.

Officials say eight killed as anti-government protests continue in multiple cities over rising bread and fuel prices. At least eight people have been killed in protests that have swept across Sudan for a second consecutive day amid rising public anger over soaring prices and other economic woes. Authorities on Thursday declared a state of emergency in the eastern city of Gadarif, where six protesters died during clashes with riot police, legislator Al-Tayeb al-Amine Tah told local broadcaster Sudania 24 on Thursday, without providing further details. “The situation in Gadarif has become dangerous and the protests have developed to include fires and theft and it’s now out of control,” Mubarak al-Nur, its independent member of parliament, told Reuters news agency. Two protesters were also killed in the northeastern city of Atbara, where police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Authorities also imposed a curfew on the city after protesters torched the headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir‘s National Congress Party (NCP). “The protests began peacefully and then turned to violence and vandalism … We declared a state of emergency and a curfew and the closure of schools in the city,” Hatem al-Wassilah, the governor of the Nile River state. Residents told Al Jazeera that the protests were triggered on Wednesday by a government decision to raise bread prices from one Sudanese pound ($0.02) to three Sudanese pounds ($0.063). Police on Thursday fired tear gas to break up a crowd of around 500 people in the capital, Khartoum, then chased them through back streets and made arrests, a witness said. Some of the demonstrators called for the “fall of the regime”, a slogan that was common during the Arab Spring uprisings that swept through the region in 2011. Police said “limited” protests in Khartoum had been contained. On Friday, a spokesperson for the Sudanese government said the protests of the two previous days were “dealt with in a civilised way without repression or opposition”. “Peaceful demonstrations were derailed and transformed by infiltrators into subversive activity targeting public institutions and property, burning, destroying and burning some police headquarters,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying to the official Sudan News Agency. “The crisis is known to the government and is being dealt with.” Anger has been rising in the country over the rising costs of bread and fuel and other economic hardships, including skyrocketing inflation and limits on bank withdrawals. Sudan’s economy has struggled to recover from the loss of three-quarters of its oil output – its main source of foreign currency – since South Sudan seceded in 2011, keeping most of the oilfields. The country’s economic woes have been exacerbated in the past few years, even as the United States lifted 20-year-old trade sanctions on Sudan in October 2017. Washington has kept Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, which prevents Khartoum from accessing much-needed financial aid from institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Bread prices have more than tripled since the start of this year after a government decision to stop state-funded imports of wheat. Officials had hoped the move would create competition between private companies importing wheat, and therefore act as a check on price rises – but a number of bakeries have since stopped production, citing a lack of flour. This forced the government to increase flour subsidies by 40 percent in November. Meanwhile, the value of the Sudanese pound has slumped by 85 percent against the US dollar this year, while inflation soared to nearly 70 percent in September. In October, Sudan sharply devalued its currency from 29 pounds to the dollar to 47.5 after a body of banks and money changers set the country’s exchange rate. The move led to further price increases and a liquidity crunch, while the gap between the official and black market rates has continued to widen. The economic crisis is one of the biggest tests faced by al-Bashir, who took power in a coup in 1989.  In recent months, he has dissolved the government, named a new central bank governor and brought in a package of reforms, but the moves have done little to improve the situation. In a separate development on Wednesday, leading opposition figure Sadiq al-Mahdi returned to the country after nearly a year in self-imposed exile. Mahdi was overthrown in 1989 by a group of military commanders close to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party. “The regime has failed and there is economic deterioration and erosion of the national currency’s value,” Mahdi, who heads the Umma party, told thousands of his supporters. His party has argued that al-Bashir must go in order to improve the country’s image abroad and attract crucial investment and aid.

Riot

December 2018

['(Al–Jazeera)']

Biden signs his first executive orders reversing several Trump administration decisions, including rejoining the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, repealing 2017 travel bans, ending funding for the United States–Mexico border wall, and revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Follow NBC News President Joe Biden will soon reverse the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Wednesday. While the reversal was not one of the 15 actions the new administration announced it would take Wednesday, Day One of the Biden presidency, Psaki said it would be among the “additional executive actions” that will be taken “in the coming days and weeks.” Biden had previously vowed to reverse the Trump administration’s transgender military policy “on Day One” of his administration. However, his nominee for secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, is still going through the confirmation process, though it is not known whether this is the reason the reversal is not part of the president’s Day One agenda. During his Senate hearing Tuesday, Austin, who would be the first Black defense secretary if confirmed, said that he supports reversing the ban on trans people from serving openly. “If you’re fit and you’re qualified to serve and you can maintain the standards, you should be allowed to serve and you can expect that I will support that throughout,” he said. Before Austin can be officially confirmed, Congress has to waive a rule that requires former military service members to have been retired for seven years before they can serve as defense secretary. The House will vote on the waiver Thursday, and the Senate vote will follow, though it is unclear when. In a series of unexpected tweets in July 2017, then-President Donald Trump announced transgender people would be barred from serving in the military “in any capacity,” reversing a policy decision announced by the Obama administration in June 2016. While the Trump administration maintained its policy was not a “ban,” it did prevent transgender people who plan to pursue gender-affirming hormones or surgery from enlisting. Transgender individuals who were already serving openly were grandfathered in, meaning they could continue to serve. But those service members who came out as trans after the policy could not pursue transition and were required to serve as their assigned sex at birth. Thousands of transgender people already serve in the military. A 2016 Department of Defense survey estimated that 1 percent, or 8,980, active duty troops were transgender. Using the same data, the Palm Center, which studies LGBTQ people in the military, estimated that an additional 5,727 transgender people were in the Selected Reserve, bringing the total estimated number of transgender troops serving in 2016 to 14,707. Blake Dremann, a transgender advocate and an active-duty lieutenant commander in the Navy, is among those looking forward to the ban’s reversal. “We are excited for the ban to be lifted and we never have to tell another service member that being their authentic selves is a barrier to serving their nation,” Dremann, who serves as treasurer of the LGBTQ military group Sparta, told NBC News in a statement. “The resilience and success of trans service members has shown we are committed to the success of the Nation.” A fact sheet on Biden’s website laying out his Day One plan includes issuing an executive order to build on the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, which granted federal employment nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people. According to the plan, the forthcoming order "builds on" the Bostock decision and "will also direct agencies to take all lawful steps to make sure that federal anti-discrimination statutes that cover sex discrimination prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ persons."

Government Policy Changes

January 2021

['(BBC)', '(NBC News)', '(The Guardian)']

In Yemen, 8–13 people die during demonstrations against oil price increases

At least eight people have been killed in Yemen in clashes with police as demonstrators threw stones at government buildings to protest against subsidy cuts raising petrol prices. Riot police on Wednesday fired live ammunition to disperse protests, and several demonstrators were either wounded or killed, reported Aljazeera's correspondent Ahmad al-Shalafi. Protesters blocked roads, broke windows of shops, banks and government buildings and torched vehicles, al-Shalafi said. Police confirmed that eight people, including a security guard, were killed in the capital, Sanaa, and the southwestern provinces of Dhamar and Ad Dali, 155km and 200km south of Yemen, respectively, The Associated Press reported. Residents of a commercial street in Sanaa said two people were killed, including a 12-year-old, in an exchange of fire with security forces. Yemeni soldiers deploy in Dhamar, 100km south of SanaaProtesters shouted slogans against Prime Minister Abdul-Qadir Bagammal and the ruling party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Yemeni soldiers deploy in Dhamar, 100km south of Sanaa The military reinforced police presence across Sanaa to control protesters and in one neighbourhood tried to prevent protesters from charging towards the ruling party's headquarters. The government said the decision to cut fuel subsidies - which it had postponed announcing at least thrice to avoid sparking protests - would help alleviate the budget deficit. Critics said curbing public expenditure, including military spending, would have been more effective. The cut in subsidies meant fuel costs rose between 90% and 300%, al-Shalafi said. Low-income areas Protesters shouted slogans against President Abdullah Saleh Protesters shouted slogans against President Abdullah Saleh The hundreds of protesters came from mostly low income neighbourhoods in the north, east and south of Sanaa, meeting in the city centre and tearing down billboard posters, burning tyres and pelting police standing in front of the ruling party office with stones. Military vehicles were seen protecting the ruling party's offices in the northern neighbourhood of al-Hassada, together with riot and military police. Truckloads of soldiers were seen leaving camps and heading to the city's main streets, which were mostly blocked by security to stop the flow of protesters into the area. About 300 protesters wrenched metal tree protectors from their bases to use as road blocks, halting traffic to the airport. Hundreds shouted: "No Bagammal after today". Eight people were killed in the riots across YemenRiot police fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd, which later re-gathered and pelted police with stones. Police retaliated with water cannons. Eight people were killed in the riots across Yemen There were no official reports of damage, and security officials declined to comment on the unrest. Civil Service and Insurance Minister Hammoud al-Safi, speaking to Aljazeera, called the rioting "barbaric" and said there was no reason for protesters to act outside the law. "What has occurred is an aggression against private property and against security forces while performing their duties. The government cannot stand idly without reacting against those who violate the law and the constitution." Al-Safi said the government's decision was an economic one that was made regardless of whether it would be popular.Rising costs The army, along with police officers, clashed with protesters Petrol, diesel, kerosene and gas compressed in containers for public use are to be sold at higher prices as a result of the subsidy removal. Tickets for some public transport increased by about 30%, starting midnight on Tuesday.A litre of diesel rose to 45 rials (24 US cents) from 17 rials; a litre of petrol was priced at 65 rials, up from 35 rials, and a litre of kerosene rose to 45 rials from 16 rials. Gas cylinders rose to 400 rials from 250 rials.  The government said it would offset the increase in prices by cutting tariffs and taxes on sales, while promising to carry out a gradual increase in salaries and wages. The army, along with police officers, clashed with protesters It also said it would include 200,000 new cases in the government's social care programme. Unacceptable Yemeni military units were seensupporting policeNabil al-Sughi, a leading member of the powerful Islamic-oriented Islah party, criticised the decision announced on Tuesday, saying cutting subsidies was only acceptable if it were part of a general reform programme that included curbing widespread corruption and military spending. Yemeni military units were seensupporting police "The state general budget must change, all public spending must be reviewed and a new programme to cut on military spending and the president's portions which eats up the general budget must be diminished," al-Sughi said in a statement. According to World Bank figures, more than 42% of Yemen's 19 million people live below the poverty line, illiteracy is estimated at 50%, and unemployment is over 20%. Home |

Protest_Online Condemnation

July 2005

['(Al–Jazeera)', '(MENAFN)', '(Reuters AlertNet)']

Opposition activists protest for a second day over President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third term in office. At least two people were killed yesterday in protests.

Police in Burundi have clashed with thousands of protesters angered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third term in office. The government has banned protests, deployed the army and shut down the main independent radio station, saying it was disrupting the peace. Police have fired tear gas and water cannon, while protesters have set up barricades in the capital, Bujumbura. At least three people were killed on Sunday as police dispersed crowds. Mr Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, has warned that anyone who wants to create problems for the governing party would find himself "in trouble". Former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya, who was involved in the peace process that ended more than a decade of ethnic conflict, has warned that Burundi could return to war. Under the constitution, presidents can only be elected to two terms in office but Mr Nkurunziza's allies say his first term does not count as he was appointed by parliament. In the Cibitoke neighbourhood, where some of the most violent clashes have been taking place, thousands came out to protest. The road was black from burnt tires. Riot police and soldiers were everywhere. Protestors told us the police had been firing live rounds, and handed us a bullet case for proof. The presidency denies security forces ever used live fire. In the same neighbourhood a young man told us his father was killed on Sunday by people he believes are pro-government militia men. If this is true, it is the type of development that many have been dreading: The involvement of armed civilians in the electoral row. African Public Radio, known as "voice of the voiceless", is one of three radio stations whose live broadcasts have been stopped. Police also arrested the prominent human rights activist Pierre Claver Mbonimpa. He had previously asked the ruling party not to put the president up for a third term in June's election, arguing that it would be a violation of the constitution. The United States has condemned the president's bid for a third term saying in a press statement that the country is "losing an historic opportunity to strengthen its democracy". Mr Nkurunziza has been in power since 2005, when a 12-year civil war officially ended. More than 300,000 people died in the conflict between the minority Tutsi-dominated army and mainly Hutu rebel groups, such as Mr Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD.

Protest_Online Condemnation

April 2015

['(BBC)']

British police issue an apology after one of them shot a 14yearold female bystander with a Taser, sending an electric shock through her body.

Officers were called to Alexander Street, Stapleford, at about 2235 BST on Wednesday following reports of anti-social behaviour in the area. Police attempted to discharge the Taser after trying to arrest a man who had become aggressive towards officers. The Taser shot missed him but hit Jodie Gallagher, who was standing nearby, sending an electric shock through her. Nottinghamshire Police has referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Miss Gallagher said: "The police pulled out his Taser gun and said if you don't stand still I'll shoot. "It got me instead of the boy it was supposed to get. "It was like a really big cramp, like an electric shock really and I just couldn't move. In a statement, Nottinghamshire Police said: "As soon as the officer realised he had missed the intended target, he cancelled the discharge. "The Taser was then successfully redeployed, and the man was arrested for police assault and a Section 4 public order offence. "Officers have been liaising with the girl and her family and have apologised for what happened." Nottinghamshire Police IPCC Drug-offender was caught by police with heroin in her bra 14 of the best retro pictures from nights out in Worksop Mansfield set to play its part in new laws to combat domestic abuse and violence Audi driver rams police at Newark McDonald's before crashing through fence to get away Audi driver rams police at Newark McDonald's before crashing through fence to get away Travellers occupy Newark estate's common and play park Banned Mansfield Woodhouse driver caught behind the wheel while over the limit Information about BBC links to other news sites 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. Bishops face clash with Biden over abortion Tokyo Olympics: No fans is 'least risky' option Asia's Covid stars struggle with exit strategies Why residents of these paradise islands are furious The Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care. VideoThe Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care Troubled US teens left traumatised by tough love camps Why doesn't North Korea have enough food? Le Pen set for regional power with eye on presidency How the Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK

Armed Conflict

August 2010

['(BBC)']

English singer–songwriter Kevin Ayers dies at the age of 68.

Kevin Ayers, one of the most influential figures in the history of British psychedelia, has died. The singer-songwriter and founding member of the band Soft Machine was 68. Soft Machine are considered a key psychedelic band: part of the "Canterbury scene", alongside acts including Caravan, Egg, Gong and Hatfield and the North, the group then became a fixture at the UFO Club in London in the late 1960s. The band took their name from a William Burroughs novel, after receiving permission from the Beat author. The group toured with Jimi Hendrix and their 1968 debut, The Soft Machine, is considered a classic of the genre. Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video After quitting Soft Machine in 1968, Ayers worked with artists including Mike Oldfield and Brian Eno and released 17 solo albums, including his whimsical debut Joy of a Toy, The Confessions of Dr Dream and Other Stories and Falling Up. His most recent album was 2007's The Unfairground, which included contributions from a younger generation of artists, including members of Teenage Fanclub, Neutral Milk Hotel and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Born in Herne Bay, Kent, Ayers was partly brought up in east Asia by his stepfather, a district officer in British Malaysia. At the Simon Langton Grammar School in Canterbury he subsequently met future Soft Machine members Robert Wyatt and Mike Ratledge. It was at one of Ayers's parties in 1973 that the drunken Wyatt fell out of an upstairs window, leaving him permanently paralysed from the waist down. Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video Ayers lived in Ibiza for several years, where he struggled with an addiction to heroin. In recent years he was resident in the south of France. "I would have made a very unlikely star with a voice like mine," he told the Guardian in 2003. "I mean, a public school rocker with a plummy BBC accent ... hardly." He added in that same interview: "I think you have to have a bit missing upstairs, or just be hungry for fame and money, to play the industry game. I'm not very good at it." Ayers died at his home in the village of Montolieu. He is survived by three daughters – Rachel Ayers, Galen Ayers and Annaliese Ellidge – and his sister Kate.

Famous Person - Death

February 2013

['(The Guardian)']

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health voices concerns that the novel coronavirus, similar to SARS and reported to have originated from the country, might affect the Hajj, the religious pilgrimage set to occur next month. The ministry suggests that travelers take the necessary precautions.

Sept. 27, 2012 -- Saudi Arabian health officials are bracing for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca expected to draw more than 2 million Muslims from around the world. This year's pilgrimage, set to begin Oct. 24, will come one month after the discovery of a SARS-like virus linked to the death of a Saudi man earlier this year. Another man, who is from Qatar but had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia, is in critical condition with the same infection. The Saudi Ministry of Health is "keeping a close eye on all developments" and urging all those who wish to participate in the pilgrimage -- the fifth pillar of Islam -- to keep their hands clean and wear masks in crowded places, according to its website. "We pray for Allah to protect our beloved country from all such harms and diseases," the website says. The new virus belongs to a family called coronaviruses, which are typically spread by coughs and sneezes. Coronaviruses include the common cold as well as SARS, which swiftly spread from Asia to America and Europe a decade ago, killing nearly 800 of the more than 8,000 people it infected. "The Hajj brings people from all over world to one small place," said Dr. William Schaffner, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "People can carry infections with them, and we have to be aware of that." In 2009, fears about swine flu stoked rumors that the Hajj had been canceled. But then Health Minster Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah said the thought never crossed his mind. "I think the government is confident in its health facilities, is confident in its capabilities and, from day one, we told them that we would put guidelines and recommendations but we will not prevent people from coming to Hajj," he told ABC News at the time. People participating in the pilgrimage are required to be vaccinated against yellow fever, meningitis and polio, if they come from polio-endemic countries. The Ministry of Health also recommends the seasonal influenza vaccine. "Vaccinations are important; identifying people who are ill and isolating them is equally important," said Schaffner. "You need an environment where someone who's ill gets prompt medical attention, and the illness is called into health authorities to make sure it's an individual event and not the beginning of an outbreak." Schaffner said public health officials play a key role in keeping crowds safe. "Every time there's large gathering, whether it's the Hajj, the Olympics, a Papal visit or even a football game, public health officials are very much included in the planning and execution," he said. And viruses aren't the only health hazard at mass gatherings. Bacteria lurking in food and restrooms can cause diarrheal illness, and hot weather can cause heat stroke. Current highs in Mecca are upwards of 110 degrees. "You have to make sure people don't get dehydrated," Schaffner said. Because there are only two confirmed cases of the SARS-like virus, people planning to travel to the Middle East should continue with their plans, according to the Health Protection Agency, an independent advisory panel in the U.K. The World Health Organization also "working closely with Saudi Arabia, as in previous years, to support the country's health measures for all visitors participating in the [Hajj] pilgrimage to Mecca next month," according to a WHO statement.

Disease Outbreaks

September 2012

['(ABC News)']

The death toll from the tsunami rises to at least 343.

North Pagai, Indonesia. The death toll from a tsunami which pummeled remote Indonesian islands soared to 343 on Thursday as questions mounted over whether an elaborate warning system had failed. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was heading to the disaster zone, where  fears were growing for hundreds still missing after a huge wave triggered by a powerful earthquake Monday hit the Mentawais off the west coast of Sumatra. Hundreds of kilometers away, a mass funeral is being held for those killed when the nation’s most active volcano erupted, the second natural disaster to strike Indonesia in as many days. Disaster response officials said bodies were being found on beaches and coastal areas in the Mentawai island chain, which took the full force of the tsunami as it washed away entire villages. “379 are still missing,” West Sumatra disaster management official Agus Prayitno said. A ship bearing aid including food, water, medical supplies as well as body bags arrived Thursday at Sikakap, on North Pagai island, one of the two worst-hit islands in the Mentawai group. An AFP photographer on board said hundreds of villagers were being treated at a medical clinic, many requiring stitches to open cuts suffered as they were tossed around in the surging sea. Survivors said they had almost no warning that the three-meter wall of water was bearing down on them, despite the laying of a sophisticated network of alarm buoys off the Sumatran coast.As the magnitude of the disaster became clear, many were asking whether the expensive warning system — established after the 2004 Asian tsunami which killed at least 168,000 people in Indonesia alone — had failed. An official tsunami warning was issued after the 7.7-magnitude quake but it either came too late or did not reach the communities in most danger.  One survivor, 32-year-old farmer Borinte, said the wave slammed into his community on North Pagai island only 10 minutes after residents had felt the quake. “About 10 minutes after the quake we heard a loud, thunderous sound. We went outside and saw the wave coming. We tried to run away to higher ground but the wave was much quicker than us,” he said on Wednesday. He said he managed to stay alive by clasping to a piece of wood. His wife and three children were killed. Medical personnel were arriving on helicopters but boats bearing aid have been hampered by bad weather around the islands, which are about half a day’s ferry ride away from the port of Padang on Sumatra. Troops and naval personnel had been dispatched to the area. Indonesian western fleet commander Marsetio said at least five warships were on their way. The United States and several of Indonesia’s neighbors have pledged help for a nation which often finds itself battling calamity, although Jakarta said it did not see a need for foreign assistance. On the central island of Java, rescuers have pulled the bodies of at least 32 people from a tomb of fine grey ash after Mount Merapi erupted on Tuesday, including the elderly spiritual gatekeeper of the “Mountain of Fire.”Officials said more than 50,000 people had fled to cramped temporary shelters around the nearby city of Yogyakarta, but there were fears for the fate of thousands more who had refused to budge. The slopes of the mountain were an eerie wasteland on Thursday, with houses burnt and flattened, trees scorched and stripped of leaves and the stench of rotting bodies filling the air, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. Soaring above the rice paddies of central Java, the 2,914-metre Mount Merapi is the most active of the 69 volcanoes with histories of eruptions in Indonesia. It last erupted in June 2006, killing two people. Indonesia straddles a region where the meeting of continental plates causes high seismic activity. It has the world’s largest number of active volcanoes and is shaken by thousands of earthquakes every year. A 7.6-magnitude earthquake last year in Padang killed about 1,100 people, while the 2004 Asian tsunami -- triggered by a 9.3-magnitude quake along the same faultline -- killed at least 168,000 people in Indonesia alone. Agence France-Presse Eruption of Indonesia's Merapi on Saturday Biggest Yet; More Predicted Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Volcano Erupts Again: Witnesses Besides Merapi, Plenty of Other Indonesia Volcanoes to Worry About Istiqlal Mosque Visit on Barack Obama’s Itinerary During Indonesia Trip Indonesia Battles Disasters on Two Fronts Raising Indonesia Military Abuses May Hurt Ties, Australian PM Told Indonesia Volcano Spews Searing Ash After Lull Malaysians Tops in Online Popularity Weather Clears for Indonesia Tsunami Aid as Toll Hits 449

Tsunamis

October 2010

['(CBC)', '(Jakarta Globe)']

China bans foreigners from entering Tibet, ahead of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the People's Republic.

Last Updated: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:23:00 +1000 Tibet's tourism bureau has stopped issuing entry permits to foreigners in the lead up to China's 60th anniversary under communist rule. The bureau stopped granting permits on September 20th and says no permits will be issued until after October 8th. China will celebrate its 60th National Day on October 1st with festivities including a military parade, performances and a three day public holiday. Dr Susette Cooke from the China Research Centre Australia's University of Technology Sydney has told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program it's not the first time China has closed the doors of Tibet to foreign visitors."Things like this have happened before, whether its been suspension of travel permits altogether," she said."Whether its been restrictions on the part of Tibet that tourists may visit, or whether its been as have happened in the past."Foreign tourists have in fact been told they must leave Tibet because of some kind of situation that is happening there."The last major event that precipitated actually, basically throwing all foreign tourists out of Tibet was back in 1989 when a state of martial law was imposed in Lhasa," she said.The Tibet Tourism Bureau has confirmed it is no longer issuing entry permits granting foreign access into Tibet much to the displeasure of Chinese tourism agencies.

Government Policy Changes

September 2009

['(Straits Times)', '(Australia Network News)']

The Maryland and the District of Columbia attorneys general plan to sue President Trump on Monday claiming he violated the emolument clauses in the Constitution by accepting foreign payouts for his hotelier empire.

Attorneys general for the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland sued President Trump on Monday, alleging that he has violated anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution by accepting millions in payments and benefits from foreign governments since moving into the White House. The lawsuit, the first of its kind brought by government entities, centers on the fact that Trump chose to retain ownership of his company when he became president. Trump said in January that he was shifting his business assets into a trust managed by his sons to eliminate potential conflicts of interests. [See the lawsuit filed Monday] But D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) and Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) say Trump has broken many promises to keep separate his public duties and private business interests. For one, his son Eric Trump has said the president would continue to receive regular updates about his company’s financial health. The lawsuit, a signed copy of which Racine and Frosh provided to The Washington Post on Sunday night, alleges “unprecedented constitutional violations” by Trump. The suit says Trump’s continued ownership of a global business empire has rendered the president “deeply enmeshed with a legion of foreign and domestic government actors” and has undermined the integrity of the U.S. political system. “Fundamental to a President’s fidelity to [faithfully execute his oath of office] is the Constitution’s demand that the President ... disentangle his private finances from those of domestic and foreign powers. Never before has a President acted with such disregard for this constitutional prescription.” The suit could open a new front for Trump as he navigates investigations by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and congressional committees of possible collusion between his associates and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. [Democrats plan resolution to demandTrump divestfrom his business, but chances of passage are slim] If a federal judge allows the case to proceed, Racine and Frosh say, one of the first steps will be to demand through the discovery process copies of Trump’s personal tax returns to gauge the extent of his foreign business dealings. That fight would most likely end up before the Supreme Court, the two said, with Trump’s attorneys having to defend why the returns should remain private. “This case is, at its core, about the right of Marylanders, residents of the District of Columbia and all Americans to have honest government,” Frosh said. To fully know the extent of Trump’s constitutional violations “we’ll need to see his financial records, his taxes that he has refused to release.” Racine said he felt obligated to sue Trump in part because the Republican-controlled Congress has not taken the president’s apparent conflicts seriously. “We’re getting in here to be the check and balance that it appears Congress is unwilling to be,” he said. The constitutional question D.C. and Maryland will put before a federal judge is whether Trump’s business holdings amount to violations of parts of the Constitution known as the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses. To guard against foreign countries gaining sway over the new republic’s ambassadors in the late 1700s, drafters of the Constitution prohibited any “Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust” from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” In another part of the Constitution, framers sought to prevent a president from favoring one state over another, forbidding him from receiving any gift or emolument from a state and, instead, only the compensation approved by Congress. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, is the latest and most significant legal challenge to Trump over the issue of emoluments. The first was filed in January by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a D.C.-based watchdog group. In March, a D.C. restaurant sued Trump, alleging the new Trump International Hotel in D.C. benefits from unfair advantages because of its close association with the president. And last week, a group of Democratic members of Congress said they plan to file suit soon. Each, however, has faced legal hurdles over standing to sue the president. [The official who letTrumpkeep his government hotel deal explains herself[ In the Trump administration’s most detailed response yet, the Department of Justice filed a 70-page legal brief on Friday arguing the CREW lawsuit should be dismissed. The administration said Trump’s businesses are legally permitted to accept payments from foreign governments while he is in office. The filing held up the lack of past complaints going all the way back to farm produce sold abroad by George Washington to assert that market-rate payments for Trump’s real estate, hotel and golf companies do not constitute emoluments as defined by the Constitution. Racine and Frosh, however, argue Trump’s violations are on scale never seen before and that both D.C. and Maryland are being adversely affected by the Trump hotel near the White House. After hiring staff and holding events to cater to foreign diplomats, the Embassy of Kuwait held an event at the hotel, switching its initial booking from the Four Seasons. Saudi Arabia, the destination of Trump’s first trip abroad, also booked rooms at the hotel through an intermediary on more than one occasion since Trump’s inauguration. Turkey held a state-sponsored event there last month. And in April, the ambassador of Georgia stayed at the hotel and tweeted his compliments. Trump himself has appeared at the hotel and greeted guests repeatedly since becoming president. As a result, the hotel may be drawing business away from the taxpayer-owned D.C. convention center and one in nearby Maryland subsidized by taxpayers, Frosh and Racine argue. Norman Eisen, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer for President Barack Obama and is CREW’s board chairman, said jurisdictions such as the District and Maryland are among the “most perfect plaintiffs” to sue over emoluments because they have a say in making sure the Constitution is being enforced. “In the emoluments clauses, we have these ancient air bags that were placed in the Constitution by the framers that are now being deployed,” said Eisen, whose nonprofit has been advising the District and Maryland on their suit. “Trump is the framers’ worst-case scenario; a president who would seize office and attempt to exploit his position for personal financial gain with every governmental entity imaginable, across the United States or around the world.” On the domestic side, the suit alleges Trump has received unconstitutional financial favors from the U.S. government. It says the U.S. General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, wrongly allowed Trump’s company to continue to lease the Old Post Office building, where Trump built his D.C. hotel, even though a clause in the contract said no elected official could remain on the lease. Despite promise,Trump’s business offers little information about foreign profit] [ The GSA initially said Trump would have to fully divest from the hotel after the election. But after Trump proposed increasing GSA’s budget, the suit says, the agency issued a letter saying Trump was in full compliance. The suit also alleges that Trump is violating domestic emoluments by creating a situation in which states feel compelled to compete for Trump’s favor, perhaps by offering zoning exemptions, waivers or other benefits to help his businesses. After initially saying the Trump organization would not pursue new deals while he was in office, Trump’s sons announced last week that the company would begin building a network of new hotels in mostly red states that he won in last year’s election. The suit by D.C. and Maryland says the two jurisdictions are faced with an “intolerable dilemma”: to either go along with the Trump Organization getting special treatment, including possible lost local revenue, or “deny such requests and be placed at a disadvantage vis-à-vis states and other government entities that have granted or will agree to such concessions.” The District and Maryland file the suit at great peril, Racine and Frosh allege, because the two have a disproportionately large percentage of federal workers and could be acutely affected by federal budget cuts that Trump could seek as retribution. But Maryland argues that it has special standing to sue. As one of the original states that approved the Constitution, Maryland gave up a clause in its own state declaration that had required its governors not to take any gifts from foreign governments or other states. “This case represents another storm, not just a dusting of snow, but a blizzard of trouble for Trump,” Eisen said. “Who better than governmental actors to say our deal was, our fundamental democratic bargain was, we would get a president who would follow the Constitution.” [While in White House,Trumpsremained selling points for ‘very special’ Philippines project] Racine and Frosh say that unless Trump is reined in under the emoluments clause, Americans can never be certain that, “underlying his travel ban, withdrawal from the Paris Accord climate deal or proposed tax cuts,” he is acting in the country’s best interest and not his own. Strict adherence to the emoluments clauses, D.C. and Maryland argue, ensures “that Americans do not have to guess whether a President who orders their sons and daughters to die in foreign lands acts out of concern for his private business interests; they do not have to wonder if they lost their job due to trade negotiations in which the President has a personal stake; and they never have to question whether the President can sit across the bargaining table from foreign leaders and faithfully represent the world’s most powerful democracy, unencumbered by fear of harming his own companies.” The suit seeks an injunction to force Trump to stop violating the Constitution, but leaves it up to the court to decide how that should be accomplished.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse

June 2017

['(The Washington Post)', '(New York Daily News)']

In a separate incident, another publisher and two writers are stabbed and shot in Dhaka.

Faisal Abedin Deepan killed on same day as attacks on publisher Ahmed Rahim Tutul and two writers First published on Sat 31 Oct 2015 14.45 GMT A publisher of secular books has been hacked to death in the Bangladeshi capital, police have said. In a separate attack in Dhaka, police said two other writers and a publisher were stabbed and shot at a publishing house. Fears of Islamist violence have been growing in Bangladesh after at least four atheist bloggers were murdered in the country this year. The attacks have been linked by police to domestic Islamist extremists, while Islamic State has claimed responsibility for three other attacks. The body of Faisal Abedin Deepan, of the Jagriti Prokashoni publishing house, was found inside his office, said senior police officer Shibly Noman. The publisher had filed a complaint with police afterdeath threats on Facebook, friends said. Earlier in the day, publisher Ahmed Rahim Tutul was attacked in the office of the Shudhdhoswar publishing house and seriously wounded. Two writers were also wounded in that attack. All three of the victims were hospitalised, and Tutul was in critical condition, police said. Both Deepan and Tutal had published books by Bangladeshi-American writer and blogger Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death in February. He was one of the four secular bloggers killed in Bangladesh this year. A local Islamist group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, had claimed responsibility for the killings and recently threatened to kill more bloggers. At least 15 members of Ansar Bangla, including a British citizen, have been arrested since August, when blogger Niloy Chatterjee was killed by a group of attackers armed with machetes. No one has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attacks. Robert Gibson, the British high commissioner to Bangladesh, condemned Saturday’s attacks. “Violence is never the answer or acceptable in any circumstances,” he tweeted. Bangladesh has been rocked by a series of attacks this year claimed by Islamic extremists, including the blogger murders and, more recently, the killing of two foreigners: an Italian aid volunteer and a Japanese agricultural worker. A bomb attack on 24 October in Dhaka aimed at Shia Muslims killed a teenager and injured more than 100 other people. Isis claimed responsibility for the attacks on the two foreigners and the bombing, but Bangladesh’s government has denied the extremist Sunni militant group has any presence in the country. The government has instead blamed domestic Islamist militants and political parties for orchestrating the violence in a bid to destabilise the nation.

Riot

October 2015

['(The Guardian)']

A transport and a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collide north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, en route to a play-off game against the Nipawin Hawks, killing 15 people.

A crash involving a bus carrying a junior ice hockey team has killed at least 14 people and critically injured three others in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Humboldt Broncos team, which has members aged between 16 and 21, were en route to a play-off game when their bus collided with a lorry on a rural road. The identities of the dead have not yet been released by officials. Tributes have been paid across Canada, including by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who tweeted his condolences. "I cannot imagine what these parents are going through," he wrote. The lorry and bus collided on Friday at around 17:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Highway 35, north of Tisdale in the province of Saskatchewan. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 28 people including the driver were on the bus at the time, and that fourteen people were killed. Fourteen people who were aboard the bus have been taken to hospital. Three are in critical condition. The Humboldt Broncos, who play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, were travelling to a game against the Nipawin Hawks. Darren Opp, the president of the Hawks, told the Globe and Mail: "It's a horrible accident, my God, it's very, very bad. "There's uncles and moms and dads waiting to hear whether their sons and nephews are OK." Myles Shumlanski, father of one of the Broncos players, described the scene as a "disaster" to the Saskatoon Star Phoenix paper. "We had a crane lifting the bus," he said. Air ambulances were dispatched to the scene to transport the injured to hospital. It is not yet known who has died. There were coaches on the bus in addition to team members. The city of Humboldt, where the team are based, has a population of about 6,000 people. Photographs on social media showed several of the players comforting each other in hospital. In the early hours of Saturday, Royal Canadian Mounted Police inspector Ted Munro said rescue efforts were ongoing and said they had set up an information and support centre for families at the Nipawin Apostolic Church. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families tonight," he said. News of the crash has shocked Canada, where ice hockey is a national sport and loved by many. Humboldt Broncos President Kevin Garinger released a statement extending "thoughts and prayers" to the families of staff and athletes. "Our Broncos family is in shock as we try to come to grips with our incredible loss," he said. Scott Moe, the premier of Saskatchewan province, said news of the crash was "difficult to comprehend",

Road Crash

April 2018

['(CTV News)', '(CBC)', '(BBC)']

A cargo plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan. 41 people have reportedly died. The five Armenian crew members were killed.

By Simon Tomlinson for MailOnline Published: 08:25 BST, 4 November 2015 | Updated: 17:42 BST, 4 November 2015 301 View comments This is the astonishing moment a baby was pulled alive from the wreckage of a cargo plane which crashed in South Sudan, killing up to 41 people. The boy was plucked from the mangled fuselage after the aircraft came down near a river, scattering debris and bodies across remote farmland. He was one of only two survivors pulled from the crash, but the other one later died. The Russian-made Antonov-12 aircraft crashed along the banks of the White Nile River this morning barely a mile from the airport in the capital Juba.  Scroll down for video  Miracle: Rescuers carry a baby who was pulled from the wreckage of a cargo plane that crashed in South Sudan, killing dozens of people South Sudanese officials cross the river in a boat to take an injured man and baby to hospital from the crashed Russian cargo plane in Juba Horror: Locals gather at the site where a cargo plane crashed in South Sudan shortly after taking off from Juba airport, killing at least 25 people Witnesses say bodies, including those of children, were strewn among the wreckage which was scattered in a wooded area along the Nile River Amid conflicting reports, the death toll ranged from 25 to 41 as humanitarian workers and investigators began combing the crash site.  The plane, which had been bound for the Paloich oil fields in Upper Nile state, was registered in Tajikistan and belonged to Allied Services Limited, said Ateny Wek Ateny, a spokesman for South Sudanese President Salva Kiir. A spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Tigran Mkrtchian, confirmed five Armenian crew members died. Besides the five Armenians, a Russian crew member also died, Ateny said.  He said 10 people on the ground were killed. But witnesses and first responders said no one had been present in the swampy farm plot when the plane came down.  Disaster: Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the plane had been bound for the Paloch oil fields in Upper Nile state when it crashed Destroyed: The scene of a cargo airplane that crashed after take-off near Juba Airport in South Sudan killing at least 25 people Shocking: Packages of sandals, cigarettes, beer and crackers were strewn amid the bodies and wreckage of the Russian-built cargo plane Officials investigate the scene of a cargo plane that crashed after take-off near Juba Airport in South Sudan on Wednesday Obliterated: The crash site was just 800 metres from the runway it took off from in the South Sudanese capital of Juba 'There were 12 passengers and six crew members, including five Armenians and one Russian, on board the AN-12 plane that crashed in South Sudan,' Mr Atney said, adding that all passengers were Sudanese. A Ukrainian diplomat in Kenya said five Russians were on the aircraft. 'It is known that the plane belonged to a private company and was Russian-made. The cargo plane was carrying out a transportation request of some oil company. 'According to preliminary data, 12 people were on board. Five of them were Russian citizens, the nationality of the rest is being determined,' said third secretary Alexander Kalinchuk.  Mr Ateny said the plane had been bound for the Paloich oil fields in Upper Nile state, where rebels and government forces have been battling for control. Bashir Yashin, who saw the plane come down, said it seemed as though the plane might crash into a market area before the pilot apparently diverted.  A Russian-made Antonov-12 cargo plane like the one which crashed in South Sudan Downed: The cargo plane was heading to Paloch in Upper Nile State when it crashed just 800 metres from Juba International Airport runway Russian TV channel LifeNews quoted an unnamed source at the Russian aviation agency as saying the plane appeared to have been overloaded and that it was made in the Soviet Union in 1971.   Officials said the plane belonged to freight and logistics firm Allied Services Ltd, but staff at the firm could not immediately be reached for comment. 'We have rushed to the site of crash which is located near the airport, southeast of Juba International Airport (across) the river,' said the chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority at Juba airport, Stephen Warikozi. 'We have secured the site of crash and also we are in the stage of recovering bodies and the black box,' he said. 'We are still now recovering the dead bodies and we cannot give you the exact number.'  It is common for the security services to put family members on the cargo planes to Paloich even if they are not on the manifest, according to Kenyi Galla, assistant operations manager for Combined Air Services, a company that operates chartered flights across South Sudan.   The doomed flight was not chartered by his company, Mr Galla said. Juba international airport (above) hosts regular commercial flights, as well as a constant string of military aircraft and cargo planes delivering aid to remote regions cut off by road 'Normally (this flight) used to carry 12 people, but the problem is they added more people,' he said. 'This plane is just for cargo, not for passengers. It was just chartered for goods.'  The UN Mission in South Sudan was providing assistance to an emergency operation at the crash site of an An-12 cargo plane. After the crash, planes were still taking off and landing at the airport.  Many parts of South Sudan, which became an independent nation in 2011, have been hit by violence since December 2013, with government forces under President Salva Kiir battling rebels led by his former deputy, Riek Machar.  Fighting persists despite a peace agreement signed in August. The disaster comes just days after a Russian Metrojet passenger plane crashed in Egypt killing all 224 people on board.

Air crash

November 2015

['(Reuters Africa)', '(RT)', '(Al Jazeera English)', '(AFP via Rappler)', '(Daily Mail)']

Fresh landslides and heavy rain in northwestern China leave at least 29 people dead and a further 10,500 trapped.

BEIJING - Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains have left 19 people dead, 20 missing and thousands trapped in parts of west China, apart from the Zhouqu mudslides that killed more than 1,000, local authorities said Friday. Downpours pounded some areas of Gansu, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces from Wednesday night to Thursday night, destroying homes, inundating croplands, and disrupting traffic and telecommunications. Local authorities are evacuating residents and have dispatched tents, instant noodles, bottled water, quilts and pans to the disaster-hit areas, the government said. In Tianshui, Gansu, four people have died and eight are missing, the local government said. In Mianzhu, Sichuan, mudslides have left five people dead and 500 others trapped in the rural mountainous areas, a spokesman with the municipal government said. Government staff, troops and factory workers have been mobilized to help evacuate the disaster-stricken residents, the spokesman said. In Weinan, Shaanxi, floods have affected some 100,000 people and forced an evacuation of 4,600 residents. More than 4,800 homes were destroyed or damaged, a spokesman with the Weinan Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau said. In another development, meteorological authorities have warned of more heavy rains in the coming days for Gansu's Zhouqu County, where the devastating mudslides have left 1,144 people dead and 600 missing.

Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard

August 2010

['(Reuters)', '(China Daily)', '(BBC)']

Former President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is transferred from house arrest to a maximum security prison, reports say. His whereabouts had been unknown since the coup against him earlier this month. Al-Bashir has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2009 for war crimes in Darfur.

Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison, days after he was deposed in a military coup. Reports say the ex-leader has until now been detained at the presidential residence under heavy guard. He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and is surrounded by tight security. Months of protests in Sudan led to the ousting and arrest of the long-time ruler on Thursday. Uganda's Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Reuters news agency the country would consider offering the deposed leader asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). As an ICC member, Uganda would have to hand over Mr Bashir if he arrived in the country. The ICC has not yet commented. Until now, Mr Bashir's whereabouts since his removal were unknown. The coup leader at the time, Awad Ibn Auf, said Mr Bashir was being detained in a "safe place". He himself stood down soon afterwards. Lt Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was then named as head of the transitional military council, to become Sudan's third leader in as many days. Demonstrators have vowed to stay on the streets until there is an immediate move to civilian rule.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest

April 2019

['(BBC)']

Turkish warplanes launch airstrikes aimed at Kurdish militants, accidentally killing 35 smugglers that were suspected as guerillas.

Protesters take to the streets of Istanbul in response to the military airstrike that killed 35 people. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports. Updated at 9:45 a.m. ET DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - Turkish warplanes launched airstrikes against suspected Kurdish militants in northern Iraq near the Turkish border overnight, the military said on Thursday, but local officials said the attack killed 35 smugglers who were mistaken for guerrillas. The Turkish military confirmed it had launched the strikes after unmanned drones spotted suspected rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), but said there were no civilians in the area and it was investigating the incident. The attack, which Turkey's largest pro-Kurdish party called a "crime against humanity," sparked clashes between hundreds of stone-throwing protesters and police in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's restive mainly Kurdish southeast. Police responded by firing water cannon and tear gas at the demonstrators. Seven people were detained. One police officer was hurt after being hit by a stone, witnesses said. Story: 'Pushed aside': Turkey's Kurds lose hope "We have 30 corpses, all of them are burned. The state knew that these people were smuggling in the region. This kind of incident is unacceptable. They were hit from the air," said Fehmi Yaman, mayor of Uludere in Sirnak province. The Sirnak governor's office said 35 people had been killed and one wounded during an operation near the border with Uludere district. ENN via AFP - Getty Images Locals gather in front of a truck carrying the bodies of people who were killed in a warplane attack in the Ortasu village of Uludere, in Turkey's Sirnak province on Thursday. Local villagers said the smugglers were carrying drums of diesel on mules and tractors, according to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News. The diesel drums exploded in the airstrike and burned them to death, they said. 'This is a massacre'The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) said party leaders were heading for the area and that it would hold demonstrations in Istanbul and elsewhere to protest the deaths. "This is a massacre," BDP Deputy Chairwoman Gultan Kisanak told a news conference in Diyarbakir. "This country's warplanes bombed a group of 50 of its citizens to destroy them. This is a war crime and a crime against humanity," she said. The Turkish military said it had learned the PKK had sent many militants to the Sinat-Haftanin area, where the strikes occurred in northern Iraq, to retaliate after recent militant losses in clashes. "It was established from unmanned aerial vehicle images that a group was within Iraq heading towards our border," it said. "Given that the area in which the group was spotted is often used by terrorists and that it was moving towards our border at night, it was deemed necessary for our air force planes to attack and they struck the target at 21:37-22:24 (2:37-8:24 p.m. ET)," it said. "The place where the incident occurred is the Sinat-Haftanin area in northern Iraq where there is no civilian settlement and where the main camps of the separatist terrorist group are located," it said. The military added that an investigation was in progress, without referring to any deaths in the strikes. The Turkish government, which has been battling the PKK since the group took up arms in 1984 to fight for an ethnic Kurdish homeland, was not immediately available for comment. The incident threatens to spoil efforts to forge Turkish-Kurdish consensus for a planned new constitution that is expected to address the issue of Kurdish rights. Smugglers or militants?Smuggling is an important source of income for locals in provinces along the Iraqi border, with many villagers involved in bringing fuel, cigarettes and other goods from Iraqi villages on the other side of the border. PKK militants also cross the border in these areas. "There were rumors that the PKK would cross through this region. Images were recorded of a crowd crossing last night, hence an operation was carried out," a Turkish security official said. "We could not have known whether these people were (PKK) group members or smugglers," he said. Television images showed a line of corpses covered by blankets on a barren hillside, with a crowd of people gathered around, some with their head in their hands and crying. Donkeys carried corpses down the hillside to be loaded into vehicles and taken to hospital. Security sources said those killed were carrying canisters of diesel on mules and their bodies were found on the Iraqi side of the border. They said the dead were from Uludere on the Turkish side of the border on what was a regular smuggling route. The Firat news agency, which has close ties to the PKK, said that 17 people were still believed to be missing. It said those killed were aged around 17-20. In northern Iraq, PKK spokesman Ahmet Deniz condemned the strike and said F-16 jets had bombed a group of around 50 people taking goods across the border and that 19 people were missing. The PKK, regarded as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, launches attacks on Turkish forces in southeastern Turkey from hideouts inside the remote Iraqi mountains. Turkish leaders vowed revenge in October with air and ground strikes after the PKK killed 24 Turkish soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks since the PKK took up arms in 1984 in a conflict in which more than 40,000 people have been killed.

Armed Conflict

December 2011

['(MSNBC)']

The Chamber of Councillors of Tunisia passes legislation allowing the President to rule by decree.

Tunisia's senate has passed legislation that gives interim President Fouad Mebazaa the power to rule by decree. The move comes three weeks after protesters ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power into exile in Saudi Arabia. Mr Mebazaa will now be able to sidestep parliament which is dominated by associates of Mr Ben Ali. The interim government has been struggling to restore order following the departure of Mr Ben Ali. The lower house passed the bill on Monday. Interim Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said the legislation was needed to speed up reforms as people were anxious for change. "Time is precious," he said on Monday. He told the senate that political parties banned under Mr Ben Ali would be made legal within days, AFP news agency reports. Over the weekend it was announced that the former ruling party would be suspended and its offices closed. Mr Ghannouchi, a longtime ally of Mr Ben Ali who served as his prime minister for 11 years, has promised to hold elections within six months. The toppling of Mr Ben Ali after 23 years in power helped inspire the current anti-government protests in Egypt.

Government Policy Changes

February 2011

['(BBC)']

Heavy rains threaten rescue efforts after a deadly mudslide in Gansu, China, as the death toll reaches 1,117.

Heavy rain has hit the county in north-western China that was devastated by landslides, as the death toll from Saturday's disaster continues to rise. Officials said the number of people known to have died in Zhouqu, when mud and rocks engulfed buildings, now stood at 1,117, with 627 others missing. Forecasters have warned three more days of rain lie ahead for the remote area, prompting fears of further landslides. Meanwhile, experts have arrived there to help prevent an outbreak of disease. At least three villages in Zhouqu county, in Gansu province, were levelled by mud and landslides triggered by rain on Saturday night. Now rescue teams fear the fresh rain may not only hinder work to help survivors but also cause further landslips in the mountainous area. Heavy rain was already said to be falling in Zhouqu, and up to 90mm (3.5in) of rain was forecast for Friday, the National Meteorological Centre reported. It said that the chance of more landslides was "relatively large". Soldiers have been using explosives to blast through debris that partly dammed the Bailong river and created an unstable lake, which eventually overflowed and sent a wave of water engulfing the town of Zhouqu early on Sunday. A 1km (0.6-mil) long drainage channel was bringing the water level down, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the vice-minister of water resources as saying. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged rescuers to hurry before the weather worsened but he acknowledged the task would be difficult. "We must fully realise the difficulties for the search and rescue work," he said. "You must race against the clock and spare no efforts in saving lives." Six specialists in epidemic prevention have been sent to the area amid growing fears that contaminated water could spark an outbreak of disease, Xinhua reported. Yang Long, a doctor running a makeshift clinic at a Zhouqu school, told the China Daily he had already treated several adults and children for diarrhoea. "Unhealthy drinking water and food mainly caused the disease and we need more medicine," he said. The BBC's Chris Hogg in Zhouqu says the authorities face a growing problem of where to house survivors. More than 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and another 3,000 flooded. More than 4,000 tents have been sent to Zhouqu county, but the mountainous terrain means there is little open space to set up camps. So far just 100 tents have been erected, our correspondent says. Hopes of finding many more survivors in the buried buildings are fading, he adds. On Wednesday, a 50-year-old man was rescued from a flooded hotel located inside the barrier lake formed by landslide debris. A 52-year-old man was pulled alive from the rubble on Tuesday, more than 50 hours after the disaster, and other rescue teams say they have heard "very faint" signs of life elsewhere, state media reported. Chinese town reeling after landslide Aerial view: Before and after In pictures: Relief race Rapid response from Beijing China troops blast landslide dam UN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar In a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo.

Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard

August 2010

['(Xinhua)', '(BBC)', '(Aljazeera)']

Alexandre Bilodeau scores first place in the men's freestyle skiing moguls, winning Canada's first ever Olympic gold medal on home soil.

Canada's long wait for a first Olympic gold medal on home soil is over after Alexandre Bilodeau won the men's moguls event in Vancouver. Bilodeau, 22, finished ahead of Australia's reigning champion Dale Begg-Smith and American Bryon Wilson. It ended a 34-year wait and sparked wild celebrations at Cypress Mountain. Canada had never won an Olympic gold medal in their homeland, failing to capture any at the 1976 Montreal Summer Games or the 1988 Calgary Winter Games. "I don't think I really realise it," said Bilodeau. "It's too good to be true." A day after his moguls team-mate Jennifer Heil failed to live up to expectations and win Canada's first gold medal, Bilodeau stepped up and flew down the course in a speedy, near flawless run. After qualifying with the second best time, Bilodeau was the penultimate skier. He then blazed through the slushy moguls, tore down the course in 23.17 seconds and posted a score that was 0.17 points better than Canadian-born Begg-Smith, who won gold for Australia in Turin four years ago. When the final skier, Guilbaut Colas of France, had his sixth-place score flashed on the board, the Canadian crowd went wild. "It's been a dream since I was a little kid and it's come true," said Bilodeau. "I can't think. There are more golds to come for Canada. It's just the beginning of a good party in Canada." It is a moment that will be played and replayed for the next two weeks and beyond - one that will be celebrated again come Monday, when Bilodeau receives the Olympic gold in a ceremony downtown in Vancouver. He and Wilson were the only two men in the finals who dared try a backflip with two twists on the top jump. And bronze medallist Wilson said: "A year ago, I would've been just happy to make the Olympics, that was my first goal. "When I got down to the bottom, I saw the score, I hoped it would hold out and it did. And it was pretty amazing." Winter Olympics guide - Moguls

Sports Competition

February 2010

['(BBC)']

A fire at the Garib & Garib Sweater Factory clothes factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh kills at least 18 people and injures more than 50 others.

At least 21 people have been killed and some 50 injured in a fire at a clothes factory in Bangladesh, reports say. Rescuers had recovered dozens of injured people from the blaze at the Garib & Garib Sweater Factory, fire officials told local TV stations. The factory is located in Gazipur, some 50km (30 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka. Lax safety standards and poor wiring cause several fatal factory fires every year in Bangladesh. The fire broke out on the factory's second floor late on Thursday, trapping dozens of workers who were knitting jumpers, fire officials told AFP news agency. It blazed for two hours before it was brought under control, reports say. The textile industry in Bangladesh employs more than two million people, and produces clothes for some of the world's biggest brands. Bangladesh has more than 4,000 factories, and ready-made garments account for most of the country's export earnings. The minimum wage in Bangladesh is less than $25 (£15) per month.

Fire

February 2010

['(BBC)']

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, convicted of adultery and sentenced to death in Iran, reportedly faces the whip after The Times publishes an unveiled image of political activist Susan Hejrat in the mistaken belief it is her.

Iran has reportedly sentenced Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani – the 43-year-old Iranian woman who faces execution after being convicted of adultery – to 99 lashes in prison for "spreading corruption and indecency" after allowing an unveiled picture of herself to be published in a British newspaper. The claim, which could not be confirmed, comes from her family and a lawyer representing Mohammadi Ashtiani, based on reports from those who have recently left the prison in Tabriz where she has been held for the last four years. The latest charges against Mohammadi Ashtiani – if confirmed – would appear to suggest that the Iranian authorities have been stung by the international outcry her case has attracted through the campaign of her family and supporters in the media, and could be read as a warning that it is Sakineh who could suffer from the protests. What has made the latest charges against her even more extraordinary is the fact that the unveiled photograph in question, published by the Times newspaper on 28 August, was not actually of Sakineh but of another woman, for which the paper has since apologised. In reality, the woman pictured was Susan Hejrat, an Iranian political activist living in Sweden whose photograph had been published on a website along with an article she had written about Sakineh's case, perhaps causing the confusion. In its apology, published on Friday, the Times said that the photograph had been obtained from Mohammad Mostafaei, one of Sakineh's lawyers, who had claimed that he received the picture from her son, Sajad – which he has denied. Instead, in an open letter today, Sajad Ghaderzadeh accused the Iranian authorities of using the mistaken picture as "an excuse to increase their harassment of our mother". He added: "My mother has been called in to see the judge in charge of prison misdemeanours, and he has sentenced our helpless mother to 99 lashes on false charges of spreading corruption and indecency by disseminating this picture of a woman presumed to be her [Sakineh] without hijab." Speaking to the Observer today, Sajad said: "This news reached us through some prisoners who were released from Tabriz prison recently and have informed my mother's lawyer, Houtan Kian, that she has been given a sentence of 99 lashes for the alleged unveiled photo of her published in western media. "As far as we know, the sentence of 99 lashes has not been administered yet. Once I got the Times apology for the misidentified photo, I instantly informed the lawyer and we are going to ask for an appeal. My mother has been denied visits for the past two weeks, no one has been allowed to visit her, including her family and even her lawyer. She has also been denied access to a phone and we have been completely cut off from her." News of the latest punishment came amid reports from the family that they had learned her case has been referred for a judicial review to Branch 9 of Iran's supreme court which has requested police documents relating to her case, some of which appear to have gone missing. The reports have also emerged amid an increasingly bitter war of words between Iran and Sakineh's most high-profile supporter, Carla Bruni, the wife of France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was described as a "prostitute" in one Iranian newspaper unhappy with her intervention. Mohammadi Ashtiani was first convicted in 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men after the death of her husband and was sentenced by a court to 99 lashes. Later that year she was also convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned to death, even though she retracted a confession that she claims was made under duress. Iran lifted that sentence last month, but now says that she has been convicted of involvement in her husband's killing. According to the Iranian courts, her husband, Ebrahim Qaderzadeh, 44, was found dead on his bathroom floor in Meshkinshahr, in north-west Iran. Mohammadi Ashtiani is said by Iranian officials to have confessed to having had an extramarital affair with the killer, Eisa Taheri, and to have said that she had seduced him. The judiciary has also claimed that she confessed to having planned the murder in collaboration with Taheri, claims that are vigorously denied by her family. Last month she was presented on Iranian state television where she "confessed" to involvement in the murder of her husband in a television interview recorded in Tabriz prison, where she is being held. It was suggested at that time that the 43-year-old had been tortured for two days before the recording of the confession. Sajad also appealed to Mohammad Mostafaei not to make any more comments either on his mother's case or on his father's death. Since her case has captured world attention, Iranian officials have claimed she was an accomplice to the murder of her husband, although her government-appointed lawyer, Houtan Kian, has accused the government of inventing charges against her. Sajad has said the only reason his mother is still alive is because of the international campaign for her release. 2006 Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani lashed 99 times for "adultery" in Iran, charges she denies November 2008 she is sentenced to death by stoning for the same offense due to process called "judicial wisdom" July 2010 Protests begin about her fate July 12th Iran says the stoning sentence is not for adultery but for the murder of her husband August in a confession on state TV - which many believe to be forced - she confesses to complicity in her husband's murder September 3rd News emerges she has been sentenced to 99 additional lashes for allowing the dissemination of a picture purportedly of her (although of another woman) not wearing the hijab

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

September 2010

['(The Guardian)']

The king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicates in favor of his son, two years before he had initially planned to do so.

The king made his announcement in a royal edict read out late on Thursday at a council of ministers meeting. He had been in power for three decades and announced a year ago that he planned to step down in 2008. He did not say why he was going earlier. Bhutan becomes a parliamentary democracy under a new constitution in 2008. It is not clear when Crown Prince Jigme Kesar Namgyal will be crowned. 'Thank you' The king's kasho, or royal edict, relinquishing office said: "I am stepping down as king of Bhutan." The prince needs enough experience and exposure in the art of governance, so the king has decided to step down earlier than planned Member of the royal staff The edict thanked the people, the clergy and the business community for their support for the king during his reign in the tiny and remote Himalayan kingdom. King Wangchuk gave up absolute power in 1998 and has ruled since in conjunction with the government, an assembly and a royal advisory council. He announced a year ago that he would step down and be succeeded by his son when the country holds its first national democratic elections in 2008. Crown Prince Jigme Kesar Namgyal studied at Oxford before returning to Bhutan to assist his father at the peak of the Bhutanese military offensive against anti-Indian rebels from the state of Assam in December 2003. King Wangchuck has four wives, all of whom are sisters Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is 25 and unmarried Country profile: Bhutan He will be the fifth king of Bhutan. A date for his coronation has yet to be announced. "The prince needs enough experience and exposure in the art of governance, so the king has decided to step down earlier than planned," a member of the royal staff who did not wish to be named told the BBC over the phone. When he made his announcement a year ago, the king said he would begin handing over responsibility to his son immediately. In September 2006, officials said the 2008 polls would pave the way for a two-party system in Bhutan. The authorities say there will be no restrictions on who is allowed to vote. A draft constitution currently provides for two houses of parliament - a 75-member national assembly and a 25-member national council - with the king as head of state. Correspondents say the king likes to project the image of a simple lifestyle, preferring to work in a small log cabin above the capital while his fortress-like palace is used by his four wives, all of whom are sisters.

Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration

December 2006

['(BBC)']

United States President-elect Donald Trump indicates that he will nominate former Indiana senator Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence.

Mr Trump said Mr Coats would "provide unwavering leadership... and spearhead my administration's ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm". The appointment comes a day after an intelligence report accused Russia's president of ordering a campaign aimed at helping Mr Trump to victory. Mr Trump said in a statement that Mr Coats had "clearly demonstrated the deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment required to lead our intelligence community". A statement from Mr Coats said: "There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilise every tool at my disposal to make that happen." Mr Coats has been a vocal critic of Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea. He will need the Senate to confirm his appointment, replacing James Clapper. The position of director of national intelligence was created after the 11 September terrorist attacks to improve the US intelligence gathering agencies. The director is the president's principal adviser on matters on national intelligence, overseeing the National Intelligence Programme, which covers all projects related to the intelligence community. The post also oversees the US Intelligence Community, the grouping that combines the independent work of 16 agencies, including the CIA. Dan Coats entered Congress in 1981, representing Indiana in the House. He took Dan Quayle's place in the Senate in 1989 when Mr Quayle became President George HW Bush's vice-president. Mr Coats had earlier served in the US Army in the 1960s and left the Senate in 1998, becoming US ambassador to Germany in the early 2000s. After that he became a lobbyist for pharmaceutical, defence and energy companies, returning to the Senate in 2010. He did not seek re-election in 2016. During his time in the Senate he sat on the intelligence committee. Has not always been easy. In early 2016 he said: "I am increasingly concerned by Donald Trump's statements and behaviour, and I have serious concerns about his ability to win the general election and provide presidential leadership." He was also damning about Mr Trump's lewd comments on women from 2005 that were leaked to the press during the election campaign. On 8 October, he wrote on Twitter that "Donald Trump's vulgar comments are totally inappropriate and disgusting, and these words have no place in our society". And back in December 2015, when Mr Trump announced his plans to prevent Muslims immigrating to the US, Mr Coats wrote: "Once again, Donald Trump has chosen bombastic rhetoric over sound judgement." Generally, however, he supported his party's nominee once chosen, publicly criticising former candidate Ted Cruz for refusing to endorse Mr Trump. Mr Coats pressed President Barack Obama to punish Russia harshly for its annexation of Crimea. As a result, Mr Coats was among several lawmakers banned from travelling to Russia. The matter is key given the new intelligence report that says the Kremlin developed a "clear preference" for Mr Trump during the election. It said Russia's goals were to "undermine public faith" in the US democratic process and "denigrate" his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton. After being briefed on the findings, Mr Trump stopped short of accusing Russia of interfering, saying only that the election outcome was not affected. The answer may lie not with Mr Trump, but his running mate, vice-president-elect Mike Pence. Mr Pence was the governor of Indiana - Mr Coats's state. The two men know each other well - so well that Mr Coats was the senator who seconded Mr Pence's nomination for the Republican vice-presidential candidacy. 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.

Government Job change - Appoint_Inauguration

January 2017

['(BBC)']

After a summit in Brussels, European Union leaders agree to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020.

EU leaders have agreed to finish talks by the end of the year on an ambitious plan to fight climate change. After a two-day summit in Brussels, leaders for the 27 nations said they hoped new legislation would be enacted in early 2009. The bloc aims to implement a 20% cut in greenhouse gases by 2020, compared with 1990 levels. But EU leaders said they needed to look at the consequences for heavy industry and that could complicate negotiations. The summit also discussed financial instability, as well as liberalisation of the bloc's energy markets. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU had "passed a reality test". The Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters the EU leaders had taken "a huge step forward". "We are convinced that the costs of these measures will be much lower than if we don't act," he said. Green tax plan The EU leaders also agreed to consider cutting value-added tax (VAT) on environmentally-friendly domestic products. "People have been persuaded by the arguments that we should look at this very carefully," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. "If - whether it be fridges or household goods generally, or whether it be the insulation materials that make for more energy efficient homes - we can cut the rates of VAT, then I believe that will be a good thing for Europe. "The debate has started, we have got this review happening, I believe that that is very substantial progress in only two days." 'Club Med' The summit also gave a formal blessing for a watered-down French proposal for a Mediterranean Union. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's aim is to forge closer ties between European countries bordering the Mediterranean and those beyond Europe, including Israel, Algeria and Tunisia. The main objection to what some had dubbed "Club Med" was the cost, but there were also complaints that a Euro-Mediterranean partnership already existed.

Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting

March 2008

['(BBC News)']

United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, effective June 7. She will remain Prime Minister until a successor is elected.

Theresa May has bowed to intense pressure from her own party and named 7 June as the day she will step aside as Conservative leader, drawing her turbulent three-year premiership to a close. Speaking in Downing Street, May said it had been “the honour of my life” to serve as Britain’s second female prime minister. Her voice breaking, she said she would leave “with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”. The prime minister listed a series of what she said were her government’s achievements, including tackling the deficit, reducing unemployment and boosting funding for mental health. But she admitted: “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.” May’s announcement came after a meeting with Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench Tory 1922 Committee, which was prepared to trigger a second vote of no confidence in her leadership if she refused to resign. Her fate was sealed after a 10-point “new Brexit deal”, announced in a speech on Tuesday, infuriated Tory backbenchers and many of her own cabinet – while falling flat with the Labour MPs it was meant to persuade. The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, resigned on Wednesday, rather than present the Brexit bill to parliament. A string of other cabinet ministers had also expressed concerns, including Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Chris Grayling and David Mundell. In particular, they rejected May’s promise to give MPs a vote on a second referendum as the Brexit bill passed through parliament, and implement the result – which they felt came too close to endorsing the idea. The prime minister will remain in Downing Street, to shoulder the blame for what are expected to be dire results for her party from Thursday’s European elections – and to host Donald Trump when he visits. The 1922 Committee will set out the terms of a leadership contest, to kick off on 10 June, which is expected to last perhaps six weeks. A Conservative leadership contest takes two stages. First, MPs vote for their choice from the nominated candidates. In progressive rounds of voting, candidates are eliminated until there are only two challengers remaining. The second stage is a postal ballot of Conservative party members to chose one of the two candidates. Theresa May's formal resignation as leader on 7 June triggered the contest and the Conservative party set out the following timetable: Nominations closed on 10 June. The first round of voting was held on Thursday 13 June. Subsequent rounds have been pencilled in for the 18th, 19th and 20th. Conservative party HQ says the postal vote element, when the 140,000 or so party members will pick the country's new prime minister, will be completed in the week beginning Monday 22 July. The former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is the frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, but more than a dozen senior Tory figures are considering throwing their hats into the ring. In the cabinet, Rory Stewart has already said he will stand, while Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt and Sajid Javid are all likely contenders. May’s departure came after three years of wrangling with Brexiters on her own backbenches about what future relationship with the European Union they would be prepared to accept. That became considerably more difficult when she lost her majority at the 2017 general election, after spearheading what was widely regarded as a disastrous campaign, promising “strong and stable leadership in the national interest”. Brexit is likely to dominate the race to succeed May, with time increasingly tight for a new team to set out any new direction before the deadline of 31 October for Britain’s departure from the EU. May’s longtime friend Damian Green, the former first secretary of state, defended her record on Friday. He said: “All prime ministers, in the end, take responsibility for what happens on their watch, but I think that it’s undeniable that suddenly and unexpectedly becoming prime minister after the seismic shock of the Brexit referendum meant that she was dealt an extremely difficult hand to play. And the truth is that having an election a year later, which cut the Conservative party’s majority, then [made it] impossible.” Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fact that parliament has not been able to get a Brexit deal through has led to the impatience, bordering into contempt, for the political class and the amount of hostility and borderline violence is something we have not known for a very very long time.”

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

May 2019

['(The Guardian)']

Iranian State television reports that court spokesman Gholam–Hossein Mohseni–Eje'i clarified the Iranian–American reporter's verdict –– Washington Post's Jason Rezaian was convicted in a closed–door espionage trial that ended two months ago. Details remain unknown. Rezaian faced four charges; it's not clear whether he was convicted of all charges nor what sentence was imposed. Leila Ahsan, Rezaian’s lawyer, also had not received the verdict as of Sunday. Post executive editor Martin Baron says they will appeal.

Iranian state television reported late Sunday thatWashington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been convicted on charges that included espionage. The report quoted a judiciary spokesman, but did not include any details of the verdict except that it Rezaian and his lawyer are eligible to appeal the conviction within 20 days. Free Jason | #JasonRezaian Rezaian's attorney has not confirmed the conviction or commented on the report. Immediate appeal Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron called the verdict "an outrageous injustice" and said the newspaper is working with Rezaian's family and legal team to seek an immediate appeal. "Iran has behaved unconscionably throughout this case, but never more so than with this indefensible decision by a Revolutionary Court to convict an innocent journalist of serious crimes after a proceeding that unfolded in secret, with no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing," Baron said in a statement Monday. He called the verdict a "contemptible" end to the case and said Iranian leaders have an obligation to "right this grievous wrong." No formal charges Rezaian had been working for The Washington Post in Iran since 2012 before he was arrested in July 2014 and held for months without formal charges. Iranian authorities also arrested his wife, Yeganeh "Yegi" Salehi, and two other people. Salehi, also a journalist, has since been released, but Rezaian has remained in jail. The executive editor of The Washington Post, Martin Baron, said Sunday the newspaper was aware of Iran's initial announcement of a verdict, which he called "vague and puzzling." "It is not clear whether this ruling includes a verdict or a sentence - or even whether its contents have been communicated to Jason or his lawyer," Baron said. "Jason is a victim -- arrested without cause, held for months in isolation, without access to a lawyer, subjected to physical mistreatment and psychological abuse." Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

October 2015

['(The Washington Post)', '(Payvand.com)']

Bulgarians head to the polls in a presidential runoff between BSP backed Rumen Radev, of the socialist opposition, and Tsetska Tsacheva, Chairwoman of the National Assembly, from incumbent prime-minister Boyko Borisov's conservative GERB. Exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International show Radev with about 58 percent of the vote with Tsacheva getting around 35 percent.

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Former Bulgarian air force commander Rumen Radev won the decisive round of Sunday’s presidential elections in Bulgaria, exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International showed. Radev, 53, backed by the opposition Socialists, won 58.1-58.5 percent of the vote, compared with 35.3-35.7 percent for Tsetska Tsacheva, the 58-year-old candidate of the ruling center-right GERB party, the polls said.

Government Job change - Election

November 2016

['(novinite.com)', '(Reuters)']

Mortar fire hits Damascus University cafeteria section killing 15 students and injuring 7 others.

The Syrian capital is in the grip of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces, who have recently intensified the use of mortars in the city, correspondents say. State-run al-Ikhbariya TV said the mortars had hit a cafeteria. The station showed footage of doctors trying to save victims amid a scene of upturned tables and chairs, shattered glass and blood on the floor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group, said several rounds had hit, inflicting a "large number of injuries". At least five people have been killed by mortar fire in the centre of Damascus since Monday, AFP news agency said. Mortars landed near the university's law faculty earlier this week. The UN says at least 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting in Syria since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began two years ago. Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about the transfer of a group of Syrian refugees from Turkey back to Syria. It follows clashes on Wednesday between police and a number of refugees protesting against poor living conditions, at a camp near the Akcakale in Turkey, near the Syrian border. The police fired tear gas and a number of people were injured, says the BBC's James Reynolds in Istanbul. Turkish news agency Dogan says Turkey has deported several hundred refugees from the camp for playing a role in the unrest. But the Turkish Foreign Ministry disputes this account. One official told the BBC that 50 to 60 refugees asked to leave the camp and return to Syria - and they were allowed to do so, our correspondent says.

Armed Conflict

March 2013

['(BBC)']

The death toll of the heavy floods in Nepal rise to 113.

Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said Sunday. Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks. At least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said. At least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal. The rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total of 77 districts of the country. The government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works. With the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.Live TV Click here for IndiaToday.in’s complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Floods

July 2019

['(India Today)']

Three children in one family are among those killed by the outbreak.

In six weeks, a measles outbreak has infected 3,000 people out of a population of 200,000, killing 42, mostly children Last modified on Wed 18 Dec 2019 20.50 GMT Faaoso Tuivale sleeps on her childrens grave during the day, when she misses them most. She and her husband, Tuivale Luamanuvae Puelua, are sitting on the newly-dried concrete that mark the graves of their three-year-old Itila and 13-month-old twins, Tamara and Sale, talking about the week that has passed since they buried them. My childrens deaths came like a thief in the night, so sudden and unexpected, Puelua said. Your mind becomes empty and you are speechless because there are no words on this earth to describe how my wife and I feel having to say goodbye to our children. The Tuivales are the worst affected family by a disease that has been ravaging the tiny south Pacific of Samoa for over a month. Samoa, which is 4,300km east of Sydney and graduated to developing country status in 2014, is known to most people outside it as a peaceful, tropical holiday destination. But over the last six weeks, the country has been gripped by a devastating measles outbreak. There have been more than 3,000 confirmed cases in a country of just 200,000 people and 42 people have died, 38 of them children under four. The Tuivale family live in the village of Laulii, 9km from the capital of Apia. Their home, tucked among their plantation of pineapple, banana, taro and papaya trees is at the very back of a long dirt road that follows the Namo river. Sale was the quiet one, he was usually well-behaved, Tuivale recalls of the children he has lost. Tamara and Itila are known to be the ones that argue and fight all the time. My fathers garden is usually used as a playground for the three-year-old; he would mess up the plants and give his grandfather headaches. A perfect storm of events has meant that the global measles outbreak that has ripped through so many countries over the last year has had such a devastating impact as it reached Samoas shores. The worlds most infectious disease has spread throughout much of the developed world this year, and while some countries have suffered devastating losses as a result, developed countries have seen comparatively little loss of human life. New Zealand recently suffered its worst epidemic in 20 years C 2,000 people were infected, none died. Samoa has a huge diaspora community in New Zealand making it inevitable that measles would eventually reach Samoan shores. When it arrived, it reached a population with devastatingly low vaccination rates and a health service ill-equipped to meet the challenge of such an epidemic. Samoas total population immunity has been estimated by the WHO to be as low as 30-40%, compared with its Pacific neighbours, such as Tonga and American Samoa, which boast immunisation rates of over 90%, close to or matching recommended rates for achieving immunity. The immunisation rates of babies have plummeted in recent years. Four years ago, roughly 85% of one-year-olds were vaccinated, in 2017 that dropped to 60%. But since then the rate plummeted sharply, after a scandal that rocked Samoa in 2018, when two Samoan nurses administered MMR vaccines to babies who subsequently died. The nurses pleaded guilty to negligence causing manslaughter and were sentenced to five years in prison after it emerged that one of the nurses mixed the MMR vaccine powder with expired muscle relaxant anaesthetic instead of water for injection. People lost trust in the government and in immunisation programs, meaning that by 2018, only 31% of children under five had been vaccinated. Peter von Heiderbrandt was the first child killed in the outbreak; he died on White Sunday, the national childrens holiday on 13 October. No one ever thinks about burying their children, you always think my children will bury me, his father, Jordan von Heiderbrandt said. Complications such as pneumonia have taken even more lives, an Australian doctor Dan Holmes told the Samoa Observer, especially when treatment is too much for the small bodies to handle. There is undoubtedly a chance that there is a burden on those children who have had those very severe infections, that they will go on to have some more problems in the future. Not only had health authorities been lax in immunisation coverage, once measles arrived they were slow to declare that the country faced an epidemic, waiting until several weeks after the outbreak, after 200 suspected cases were confirmed and one child had died. A month later, on 15 November, when the death toll had climbed to 16, the government declared a national state of emergency. Since the declaration, the country has changed dramatically. Vaccinations became mandatory and a mass campaign began the following Monday, leading to more than 30 stations set up inside church halls and primary schools, and even one outside a supermarket. Dozens of mobile clinics C vans packed with nurses armed with megaphones C are driven around the country trying to reach every person and police are deployed to keep the peace at vaccination clinics. Under the state of emergency rules, people under the age of 19 are banned from public gatherings. Schools have been closed, with exams incomplete and prize-giving and graduation ceremonies cancelled. Apias coffee shops are sitting empty and market vendors stocks are unsold. Scared for their young ones, families have cancelled flights home to Samoa for the Christmas season, usually the busiest time of the year for tourism, while pharmacies have reported selling out of hand sanitiser and surgical masks, which have become commonplace accessories in the markets, banks and workplaces across town. After the Samoan government reached for help, in just two weeks nearly 100 extra medical personnel have arrived from Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and the United States. A team of doctors, nurses and epidemiologists from the UK flew out to the country on Friday and hundreds of thousands of vaccines have been shipped from New Zealand and the United Nations Childrens Fund. The governments best efforts to fight the epidemic are being challenged by online influencers peddling alternative cures. Vitamins and kangen water C alkalised water made using a Japanese machine C are both touted as cures. Anti-vaxxers have spread their message online, including one C who is also a social media influencer and the wife of a Samoan rugby league player C who likened Samoa to Nazi Germany for its mandatory vaccination program. Some families are opting for Samoan traditional healers who use remedies like tea leaves, which are effective in reducing fever, but can do little for the actual virus. The WHO has debunked all such cures and warned that there is no evidence to suggest any of those treatments work. To delay or to obscure with treatment that does not work, I think, is conning people unfairly into not getting treatment, said Nikki Turner, WHO Chair of the International Committee on measles and rubella. Samoas director general of health, Take Naseri is urging families and the traditional healers to come to the hospital first, before the complications are irreversible. When people are desperate, they look for other ways to get assistance and we cannot stop that right of people to choose where they want to go. We give them all the information so they have an informed decision, and that is the very difficult part. With infections rising to as much as 200 people a day, the epidemic is yet to reach the critical inflection point at which the disease stops spreading. This is unprecedented Everybody is thinking on their feet, said Limbo Fiu, president of the Samoa General Practitioners Association.

Disease Outbreaks

December 2019

['(The Guardian)']

Microsoft purchases Nokia's mobile device division for $7.2 billion.

LOS ANGELES –  Microsoft Corp. said late Monday it has agreed to buy Nokia Corp.'s services and devices business. Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in a letter to employees that the planned acquisition is the "next big phase" of its restructuring effort announced in July. Microsoft will pay $7.17 billion for the Nokia unit, according to a report late Monday from AllThingsD. The purchase will include Nokia's smartphone and mobile phone businesses, manufacturing and assembly facilities, and design and operations teams, among others, said Microsoft. Microsoft's partnership with Nokia has already resulted in the Lumia 1020 smartphone. "Now is the time to build on this momentum and accelerate our share and profits in phones," wrote Ballmer. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, said Microsoft. Copyright © 2013 MarketWatch, Inc.

Organization Merge

September 2013

['(MarketWatchPulse)']

United Kingdom police arrest a 21–year–old man in Berkshire in the hacking of Hong Kong–based 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 - Arrest

December 2015

['(BBC)', '(Digital Trends)']

Ford Motor's Volvo subsidiary tripled the number of jobs it planned to cut to 6,000 positions, or 25 percent of its work force, citing a "rapidly deteriorating" auto market.

(CNN) -- Swedish carmaker Volvo said Wednesday it was cutting 3,300 jobs, about 12 percent of its workforce. Volvo, which is owned by struggling U.S. auto giant Ford, is cutting 2,700 white-collar and blue-collar jobs in Sweden and 600 outside the country, the company said. The company's workforce at the end of 2007 was almost 25,000. The carmaker announced about 2,000 job cuts in June. Volvo was rumored to be seeking buyers for Volvo last year as Ford offloaded lossmaking European brands Jaguar and Land Rover. But it said last November that the company was not for sale and last month appointed former Ford Europe CEO Stephen Odell as president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. Briton Odell is the first non-Swede to run Volvo. "These are difficult times for the car industry in general, including Volvo," said Odell. "These actions are necessary to create a new and sustainable Volvo Car Corporation -- a company with more focused operations and structure."

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

October 2008

['(CNN)']

One Briton killed and 12 people wounded by a car bomb in Doha, Qatar.

Acar bomb blast in Doha has killed two, including a Briton, the Qatari Interior Ministry said. A car exploded about 9:15pm on Saturday nightnext to a theatre near a Britishschool in the Qatari capital, Aljazeera said, quoting the ministry.The car was registered in the name of an Egyptian national who has not been heard of since he left his home on Saturday morning, the channelsaid. The explosion came on the eve of the second anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.Reuters, quoting a member of the Qatari investigation team, said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. A second Qatari source confirmed this, the news agency said, saying: "There are two dead, including the suicide bomber." It quoted the investigating team member as saying that a medium-sized vehicle had slammed into the one-storey building housing the theatre, home to The Doha Players. The British Foreign Office in London said one of the dead was British, but added that the nationality of the wounded was not known. Brigadier General Ahmad al-Hayki of the Interior Ministry told Aljazeera that the blast had struck the theatre cafeteria and that most of the wounded were Qataris, other Arabs and Asians. Asked if the blast had any links to attacks in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Hayki said: "We do not want to precede events. We have started gathering evidence." Anti-US sentiment has been high in the region over the Iraq war and US support for Israel. On Thursday, the purported head of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia released an audiotape on a website urging attacks on American targets in Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the countries neighbouring Iraq. Shakespeare play An Aljazeera correspondent on the scene said about 100 people had been inside the Doha Players theatre, where William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night had been showing. A fire broke out in the building and theblast set ablazeand damagedcars in the area. The blastset a portion of thetheatre and some cars ablazeAn AFP correspondent about 500m from the scene saw plumes of smoke rising from the site and a large number of ambulances. The blast was heard several kilometres away across the city. The blastset a portion of thetheatre and some cars ablaze Police have sealed off the Farij Kalib district, a residential area 5km north of the city centre, where thetheatre is located, witnesses said. US Army Captain Eric Clark said he spoke to a woman who was performing in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night whenthe blast shook the hall at about 9:15pm (1815 GMT)."She heard a massive explosion and there was mass chaos and people just exited the building," Clark said by telephone. A security guard at the nearby Doha English Speaking School said the blast shattered several windows in the school, which was closed at the time, and that a ceiling collapsed in an auditorium. He said around 40 teachers who lived in the school compound were evacuated but that none of them was hurt. Qatar security While neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have seen many attacks in recent months,Qatar, a key US ally, has had no suchviolence. Qatar hosts the US military's Central Command. In February 2004, former Chechen president Salim Khan Yandarbiyev was assassinatedin a car bomb blast in Doha, where he had been living in exile for three years.

Armed Conflict

March 2005

['(AlJazeera)', '(BBC)']

A study, part of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey, examined huge blocks of space as distant as several billion light years away and concluded that the universe is "slowly dying" as more stars gradually go out faster than they are being replaced by light–emitting active ones. In cosmological terms, the demise of the universe is billions, perhaps trillions of years away. , ,

Without applause or encore, the lights are going out across the universe, as old stars die faster than new ones are born to replace them. Astronomers described the slow death of the cosmos in fresh detail on Monday after training some of the world’s most powerful telescopes on a vast region of space. They analysed starlight from more than 220,000 distant galaxies and found that the universe has lost about half of its twinkle over the past two billion years. It will lose far more in the next two billion. “The universe is curling up on the sofa and becoming a couch potato,” said Joe Liske, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany, who took part in the study. Universal dimming is driven by a slump in the rate of new star formation, which peaked about eight billion years ago. Stars shine by fusing hydrogen into helium, but as they consume their cosmic fuel supply, the birth rate of new stars falls dramatically. The fading will play out over billions of years, until the universe glows only faintly with a smattering of stars. “It’s not that we can define a point in the future when the universe goes out. A very small amount of activity will continue for billions of years,” Liske said. The international team used land and space-based telescopes to observe an area of the sky the size of 1000 full moons. They measured light coming from galaxies as near as 500 million light years and as distant as several billion light years away. The researchers then analysed the light at different wavelengths, ranging from the ultraviolet through to visible and the infra-red. By analysing starlight across so many wavelengths, they could calculate the rate of dimming more accurately than before. The latest measurements, for example, take account of dust particles in space that absorb visible light from stars and re-radiate it in the infra-red. “We’ve been able to measure quite precisely how fast this dimming is proceeding,” Liske said. “It’s a piece of the puzzle in the history of the universe that reaches all the way back to the Big Bang.” Related: Far out, man: 13.1bn-year-old galaxy is most distant yet seen by humans The astronomers worked out the brightness of enormous cubes of space measuring one million light years on each side. The youngest cubes of space, about half a billion years old, glowed with the luminosity of 11 million suns, but the oldest, about 2.5 billion years old, were as bright as 19 million suns, said Will Sutherland, an astronomer at Queen Mary, University of London. The dimming is exacerbated by the accelerating expansion of the universe, which is throwing material apart at an ever-increasing speed. The results, part of the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) project, drew on observations from a host of instruments, including Nasa’s Galex and Wise space telescopes, the European Southern Observatory’s Vista telescope in Chile, and the Anglo-Australian telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales. The findings were presented at an International Astronomical Union meeting in Honolulu on Monday. “The universe is not going to go black any time soon,” said Sutherland. “But it’ll fade. And then what you’re left with is little old red stars that shine away for a long time more.”

New achievements in aerospace

August 2015

['(GAMA)', '(the current age calculated at approximately 13.8 billion years)', '(The Guardian via MSN)', '(CNN)', '(The South African Times Live)']

A study finds that the 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak was a mix of two dangerous E. coli strains.

A mix of two dangerous E. coli strains caused the recent deadly food poisoning outbreak in Germany, according to a new study of the bacteria's DNA. Julian Stratenschulte, EPA A patient who got the EHEC bacteria is in intensive care at the Hanover Medical School in Hanover, Germany. Julian Stratenschulte, EPA A patient who got the EHEC bacteria is in intensive care at the Hanover Medical School in Hanover, Germany. Scientists said the E. coli outbreak strain combined one that makes a toxin and another that sticks to the gut in a way that potentially speeds up the body's absorption of the toxin. They described it as "unprecedented" in its lethality. "The two strains are in themselves quite nasty," said Hugh Pennington, an emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Aberdeen, who wrote an accompanying commentary on the research. "It may be that more of the bugs are sticking to the intestines, and that may result in more toxin being produced," he said. Experts had earlier suggested, based on an early DNA sequence of the bacteria, that the new strain was particularly aggressive because it reproduced quickly and released more toxin than similar bacteria. Unlike previous E. coli outbreaks, the German strain caused three times as many cases of a severe complication that can lead to kidney failureIt was the deadliest E. coli outbreak in history, infecting 3,601 people and killing 39 across Europe, with most cases in Germany. More than 800 people developed kidney problems from the outbreak that peaked in late May. German officials identified sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany as the outbreak's cause, though they don't know how the sprouts got infected. There are hundreds of E. coli strains in the environment, and many strains dangerous to humans come from animals like cows and sheep. People naturally carry E. coli in their gut but few strains cause illness. But the bacteria is constantly evolving and swapping genes with other strains, giving it countless opportunities to mutate into a killer version. Pennington said it is crucial to find out whether this new E. coli strain is widely circulating in animals. "If it turns out to be very common in cattle, that would ring alarm bells that this kind of (outbreak) might happen again in the future," he said. In the new study, researchers at the University of Muenster and the Robert Koch Institute analyzed samples from 80 patients sent to a national laboratory between May 23 and June 2. The analysis was paid for by the German government and Network Zoonoses. It was published Thursday in the journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases. In separate research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, German doctors released an early description of the outbreak, including the cases of 59 people hospitalized with the illness at the Hamburg University Medical Center. They found about 20 percent of patients developed the kidney failure complication linked to E. coli. Unlike in previous E. coli crises, few children were affected. "The pathogen seems to have a special affinity for adults," said Dr. Gerard Krause, a director at the Robert Koch Institute, and one of the paper's authors. He said it could be that even if children picked up the bacteria, they didn't fall sick. Krause said scientists are conducting studies to find where the bacteria naturally lives in the environment, but that it could take years to get an answer. He said control measures might help prevent future outbreaks, and that Germany's outbreak response system could be streamlined. Under their current reporting system, hospitals' notifications of serious illness still often wind their way to the national disease control center by mail. Critics slammed Germany's bungled response to the outbreak and officials mistakenly blamed imported Spanish cucumbers for the crisis before pinpointing local sprouts as the cause. An editorial published earlier this month in the Lancet concluded that "coordination of the German public health response seems to have been utterly absent."

Disease Outbreaks

June 2011

['(AP via USA Today)']

Japanese supercentenarian Masazo Nonaka is confirmed as the world's oldest living man.

Born in July 1905, months before Albert Einstein published his theory of relativity, Masazo Nonaka is aged 112 years 259 days. Tuesday 10 April 2018 14:10, UK The world's oldest man has been named as 112-year-old Masazo Nonaka, whose secret to longevity is said to be eating sweets and taking hot baths. Born on 25 July 1905, months before Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity, Mr Nonaka lives with his family who run a hot springs inn on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. The supercentenarian, whose exact age is 112 years 259 days, married his wife Hatsuno in 1931 and the couple had five children. Mr Nonaka has taken the Guinness World Records title as the oldest man on Earth after Spaniard Francisco Nunez Olivera died in February aged 113. Receiving his certificate, Mr Nonaka, wearing a knit cap and a kimono-style jacket, flashed a smile and posed for a group photo with his family, making a victory sign with his right hand. He dug into a cake bought for the celebration and said it was "delicious". His granddaughter Yuko Nonaka said: "He needs a wheelchair to move but he is in good condition. "He loves eating any kinds of sweets - Japanese or western style. He reads newspapers every day and often soaks in the hot springs." Guinness World Records is currently investigating possible contenders for the title of oldest living person as no one has been recognised since Violet Brown from Jamaica died in July 2017, aged 117. Japan is well-known for the longevity of its people and has been home to several oldest title holders, including Jiroemon Kimura, who died in June 2013 at the age of 116. The country boasts around 68,000 people aged 100 or older, the Japanese government said in 2017.

Break historical records

April 2018

['(Sky News)']

John Walker Lindh, the first person to be convicted of a crime in the War on Terror, is released on probation from a U.S. federal prison after serving 17 years of a 20–year sentence. Lindh has refused to renounce Islamist extremism and will be on probation for three years. U.S. President Donald Trump condemns the early release.

John Walker Lindh, the Californian who took up arms for the Taliban and was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001, got out of prison Thursday after more than 17 years, released under tight restrictions that reflected government fears he still harbors radical views. President Donald Trump reacted by saying, “I don’t like it at all.” “Here’s a man who has not given up his proclamation of terror,” he said. Lindh, 38, left a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, after getting time off for good behavior from the 20-year sentence he received when he pleaded guilty to providing support to the Taliban. It was not immediately clear where the man known as the “American Taliban” will live or what he will do. He turned down an interview request last week, and his attorney declined to comment Thursday. In a Fox News interview, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried Lindh’s early release as “unexplainable and unconscionable” and called for a review of prison system policies. The president said he asked lawyers whether there was anything that could be done to block Lindh from getting out but was told no. Trump said the U.S. will closely monitor him. Under restrictions imposed by a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, Lindh’s internet devices must have monitoring software; his online communications must be conducted in English; he must undergo mental health counseling; he is forbidden to possess or view extremist material; and he cannot hold a passport or leave the U.S. FBI counterterrorism officials work with federal prison authorities to determine what risk a soon-to-be-released inmate might pose. Probation officers never explained why they sought the restrictions against Lindh. But in 2017, Foreign Policy magazine cited a National Counterterrorism Center report that said Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.” On Wednesday, NBC reported that Lindh, in a letter to a producer from Los Angeles-based affiliate KNBC, wrote in 2015 that the Islamic State group was “doing a spectacular job.” Lindh converted to Islam as a teenager after seeing the movie “Malcolm X” and eventually made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan and joined the Taliban. He met Osama bin Laden and was with the Taliban on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Lindh was captured on the battlefield after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan following 9/11 and was initially charged with conspiring to kill Mike Spann, a CIA operative who died during an uprising of Taliban prisoners shortly after interrogating Lindh. Lindh denied any role in Spann’s death. But he admitted carrying an assault rifle and two grenades during his time with the Taliban. Spann’s daughter Alison Spann, now a journalist in Mississippi, posted a letter on Twitter that she said she had sent to Trump. In it, she called Lindh’s early release “a slap in the face” to everyone killed on 9/11 and in the war on terror since then, along with “the millions of Muslims worldwide who don’t support radical extremists.” Republican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby and Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan also expressed concern about Lindh’s release in a letter last week to the federal Bureau of Prisons. “We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence,” they wrote. The bureau defended itself Thursday in a statement that said Lindh’s release followed federal laws and guidelines. It said it works closely with outside agencies “to reduce the risk terrorist offenders pose inside and outside of prisons,” and added that no radicalized inmate has returned to federal prison on terrorism-related charges. Moazzam Begg, a former detainee at Guantanamo, now serves as director of outreach for London-based CAGE, which supports the rights of those accused of terror-related crimes. He said the criticism over Lindh’s early release is misguided. If anything, Begg said, Lindh was imprisoned too long. He noted that many of the other Taliban fighters who were sent to Guantanamo as enemy combatants were released much earlier. As for Lindh’s letter in support of the Islamic State, Begg noted that it was written four years ago and that Lindh might not have had full knowledge of the group’s atrocities from behind bars. “Nobody really knows what his views are right now in 2019,” he said. In a statement, Begg said: “It is now time for him to be allowed to restart his life in peace and freedom.”

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release

May 2019

['(CNN)', '(Associated Press)']

In Israel, the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court sentences Omri Sharon to a nine–month prison term, a nine–month suspended sentence, and a NIS 300,000 (USD 65,000) fine after he is convicted of violating political fundraising law and providing false testimony.

The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court sentenced Omri Sharon to a nine-month prison term, a nine-month suspended sentence, and a NIS 300,000 (USD 65,000) fine after he was convicted of violating political fundraising laws and providing false testimony.   Sharon’s attorneys have already announced they would appeal the sentence.   Video: Yaron Brenner   Judge Edna Beckenstein decided to take Ariel Sharon’s condition into consideration and delay the implementation of the sentence by six months. Gavriel Manor, Omri Sharon’s associate in the affair, was sentenced to a nine-month suspended sentence. “(Omri) Sharon deceived the campaign headquarters he was working for, as well as the party and the public,” Judge Beckenstein said, adding that he had established two separate account systems – one hidden and the other exposed – thus endangering the election results.   'Kadima is corrupt'   Politicians from the Left and Right lauded the court's decision to send Omri Sharon to prison, while members of the Kadima party were stunned by the severe sentence.   Kadima chose not to issue an official statement in response to the sentence, but the party's strategic advisor Lior Horev issued a "personal response," and said the court's ruling failed to take the case's special circumstances into consideration.   Meanwhile, Chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Michael Eitan (Likud) said Sharon's sentence was justified and that it would serve to deter other corrupt public servants.   "I hope the public will internalize this important message from the court," he added.   Members of the Labor party were also quick to praise the court's decision, while at the same time leveling criticism at Kadima.   "Omri Sharon is one of Kadima's founders and its executive officer," Labor member Shelly Yechimovitz said. "This party is a corrupt combination of politics and financial interests. The court made an important statement Tuesday that everyone is equal before the law."   Knesset Member Zvi Hendel (National Union-National Religious Party) also said he was pleased with Sharon junior's sentence, but added Omri "will only go to jail for a few months, but the State of Israel may be jailed for a number of years behind the bars of Kadima, which was established and built by Omri and his corrupt group."   'Severe sentence'   Attorneys for the prosecution expressed their satisfaction with the sentence.   “We asked the court to sentence Omri Sharon to a prison term, which we believe suits the acts he committed, and the court thought so too. This is a message to public figures," attorney Erez Nurieli said.   Omri Sharon (left) and Gavriel Manor in court (Photo: Eli Elgarat)   Defense Attorney Navit Negev said “this is a severe sentence that deviates drastically from the legal precedents and we plan to appeal to the District Court.”   “Omri admitted to his offenses in the indictment and clearly took responsibility for his actions by resigning from Knesset despite the fact that the (fundraising) law is problematic and has never been enforced” she said.   “It must be remembered that 1999 was a very difficult year for Omri, during which his mother got cancer and he found himself in politics without any experience.”   Omri Sharon was convicted of offences stemming from illegal fundraising during the prime minister's 1999 Likud primaries campaign. The affair was uncovered two years later in an investigative report by Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's leading newspaper.   At the end of his trial, Omri Sharon turned to the judges and told them "1999 was one of the most difficult years in my life. It was the year my mother discovered she had cancer…I made severe mistakes and I'm sorry about that. I took responsibility for my acts and I hope the court will take my comments into account when it sentences me."  

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

February 2006

['(Ynetnews)']

In the Republic of Ireland government figures indicate less than half of the country's households have paid the household charge by today's deadline as thousands of people march on the governing Fine Gael party's annual conference at the Convention Centre Dublin.

About 5,000 people have staged a protest in Dublin against the Irish government's controversial 100 euros Household Charge ahead of Saturday's midnight deadline for payment. The measure announced last July is expected to raise 160m euros (£137m) in revenue. The rally has been taking place near where Taoiseach Enda Kenny's Fine Gael party is holding its annual conference. A near riot broke out when a Fine Gael delegate who resembled local government minister Phil Hogan tried to pass through the crowd,reported RTE. He had to be rescued by gardai after he was surrounded and assaulted a number of times by angry protesters. The flat-rate charge is the first tax on domestic property since rates in the Republic were abolished in 1997. Anyone who pays online after the deadline passes will face a 10% surcharge along with 1% interest.

Protest_Online Condemnation

March 2012

['(CBS News)', '(The Journal)', '(The Irish Times)', '(BBC)']

Venezuelan politician Juan Requesens is arrested for alleged crimes related to the supposed Maduro assassination attempt, despite having political immunity.

A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker has been arrested and a warrant issued for another living in exile, amid a crackdown after an alleged drone attack against President Nicolás Maduro. The government has blamed Juan Requesens and Julio Borges for what it calls a bid to kill the president. The moves came as a powerful government official revealed plans to strip the pair of their immunity. But some government critics denounced the alleged attack as a "farce". Both Mr Requesens and Mr Borges are members of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, and of the Primero Justicia (Justice First) party. Mr Borges, 48, founded the party and led the National Assembly before going into exile. Mr Requesens, 29, is one of President Maduro's most outspoken critics, and has taken part in many anti-government demonstrations. According to Mr Requesens' party, he and his sister Rafaela - an opposition student activist - were taken from their apartment in the capital Caracas by members of the secret police, Sebin. Primero Justicia tweeted a video which appears to show CCTV footage of the two siblings getting out of the lift before being apparently pushed back by armed masked men in uniform, one of whom turns the camera to the wall. Rafaela Requesens was later released but Juan Requesens has not been heard of since he was taken away. It is not clear if official charges have so far been brought against Mr Requesens, however, the government is preparing to put him on trial. The government later issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr Borges. President Maduro accused the pair on television of plotting Saturday's alleged drone attack on him. He said those already detained in connection with the incident had implicated the two men, saying Mr Borges had the "cowardice" to carry out the attack. He called Mr Requesens "one of the craziest and psychopathic ones". In a post in Spanish on Twitter, Mr Borges dismissed the accusations as a "farce". Some in the opposition, like Mr Borges, think the attack was staged by the government to justify a further crackdown on the opposition. They say the fact that the president of the powerful National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, has called for a session later on Wednesday to strip the two lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity proves their point. Venezuela's attorney general said Mr Requesens would go on trial once his immunity had been stripped. The opposition says the government launched two drones, one of which exploded near the podium where President Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, to back its theory that the opposition are coup-plotters conspiring to bring the leader down with the help of Colombia and the US. TV footage of the event shows President Maduro's wife looking up startled. Then an explosion is heard and the president's bodyguard is seen rushing to shield him. A second, more muffled explosion can be heard and Mr Maduro leaves the stage. The footage does not show any drones or explosions, only the startled expressions of those on the stage. This led many to speculate that there were no drones. However, two videos have since emerged apparently showing two drones. One, published by Caracas News 24, shows a drone exploding: An analysis carried out by website Bellingcat, which uses open-source information to investigate the incident, suggests that the video was taken on Bolívar Avenue, where President Maduro was speaking. The second video reportedly taken by a cameraman for Telemundo and tweeted by journalist Adriana Núñez Rabascall appears to show a drone crashing against the wall of a building. The building seems to be the same one where firefighters reported a fire shortly after President Maduro had left the stage. However, three firefighters told the Associated Press news agency on Saturday that it had been caused by an exploding gas tank, casting doubt on the government's version of events. Bellingcat concludes that there were two drones which "likely carried some form of explosive device" and which "attempted to attack a parade at which President Maduro was speaking". Those who believe it was staged say it allows the government to further tighten the screws on the opposition. However, Venezuela analyst David Smilde of the Washington Office on Latin America told the BBC he was sure it was not an event staged by the government because it looked "terrible". "Maduro being interrupted in mid-set and one of his military officials fainting behind him and then the National Guard breaking rank and scattering, running for cover, I think the optics were absolutely terrible for him. "This made him look highly vulnerable and it could spark the imagination of more people," Mr Smilde said. 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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest

August 2018

['(BBC News)']

At least five people are killed and 275 injured in a train crash near Yaounde, Cameroon.

People looking for survivors in the overturned carriages At least five people have been killed and more than 275 others injured in a train crash near Cameroon's capital, Yaounde. Officials said that a passenger train carrying about 1,000 people derailed north of the city. Rescuers are searching for survivors and say the death toll could rise. On Friday a fuel train derailed south of Yaounde, killing at least one person and starting a blaze that took four hours to put out. "These two days have been very unfortunate for our national railway carrier," said Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary. He said the passenger train had come from the northern town of Ngaoundere. In Friday's incident, 11 wagons carrying diesel fuel and petrol were destroyed in the blaze. The government has set up inquiries into both incidents, national media reported.

Train collisions

August 2009

['(BBC)', '(Press TV)']

A group of 30 armed men raid Papua New Guinea's Lae Nadzab Airport holding passengers hostage and ransacking offices.

A group of 30 men with guns and machetes have held up Papua New Guinea's second biggest airport, keeping passengers captive for about two hours while they ransacked offices. The attack happened at Nadzab airport, 40 kilometres outside Lae, PNG's second biggest city and the industrial hub of the nation. Police said a group of around 30 men arrived at the airport at 1:30am, armed with pistols, rifles, homemade guns and machetes. "The nine security guards manning the airport said they were out-numbered and ordered at gunpoint to huddle up with the passengers in front of the terminal," police spokesman David Terry said. About 30 passengers were waiting for the early morning flight to Port Moresby. Mr Terry said one passenger was beaten with the butt of a gun, and there were bloodstains near the ticket counter. The armed men looted food and office equipment, smashing windows and doors. Police said the thieves tried to break into the Air Niugini safe but were not successful "The airport authorities are trying to see if anything major was stolen," Mr Terry said. Mr Terry arrived at the airport at 5:30am to catch a flight. He posted photos of the incident online, showing clothes and personal effects strewn across the airport floor, and a blackened safe that appeared to be damaged by fire. The siege lasted two hours, before the thieves escaped across the runway. Police are investigating. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Riot

December 2014

['(ABC News Australia)']

Thousands of people protest in Spain against a raid by Moroccan authorities in a camp in the disputed Western Sahara.

(CNN) -- Thousands gathered in Spain's capital Saturday to protest violence in Western Sahara, a long-disputed region of northwestern Africa, CNN's Spanish affiliate reported. Deadly clashes erupted earlier this week between Moroccan forces and local rebels in the contested region. The violence coincided with a round of talks -- informally backed by the United Nations -- between Morocco and representatives of Polisario Front, the region's independence movement. Polisario said Moroccan authorities raided a camp on Monday in Western Sahara, leaving 19 people dead, 723 wounded and 159 missing. Morocco's official news agency said eight Moroccan police officers died in the raid. Protesters on the streets of Madrid chanted and carried banners, demanding Morocco quit the territory that it annexed in the mid-1970s after Spain gave up control. Actor Javier Bardem was among the protesters, the affiliate reported. "Morocco guilty, Spain responsible," demonstrators shouted, CNN Plus reported. The third round of the U.N.-backed talks ended this week, with both sides agreeing to continue discussions in December and early next year. The meetings took place in the New York City area at the invitation of Christopher Ross, the U.N. secretary-general's personal envoy for Western Sahara. A communique issued at the end of talks Tuesday night said there were "broad and frank" discussions of each side's proposals, but "each party continues to reject the proposal of the other as a basis for future negotiations," the United Nations said Wednesday. The communique cited confidence-building measures, such as flights aimed at connecting Sahrawi refugees living in camps in Algeria's Tindouf region with their relatives in Western Sahara. The neighboring countries of Algeria and Mauritania are also involved in the discussions about the territory.

Protest_Online Condemnation

November 2010

['(Angola Press)', '(CNN)']

The National Diet of Japan passes legislation allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate. The abdication is to take place within three years.

Japan's parliament has passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to become the first monarch to abdicate in 200 years. The 83-year-old emperor expressed his apparent wish to abdicate last August, citing old age and health. Under the law enacted on Friday, an abdication must take place within three years, but parliament put off a debate over how to tackle the shrinking royal population, including male successors. The law clears the way for the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in almost two centuries and the accession of his 57-year-old son, Crown Prince Naruhito, probably late next year. Emperor Akihito's abdication has rekindled concerns about a shortage of heirs. The current succession rules allow only men from the paternal bloodline and prohibit women from ascending the 2,000-year-old Chrysanthemum Throne. Only women are forced to renounce their royal status when they marry a commoner, heating up debate for members of the royal family such as Princess Mako. But the Prince's only child is a girl, and his younger brother Prince Akishino has two adult daughters and a 10-year-old son, Hisahito. This means only one of the emperor's four grandchildren is an eligible heir. After Naruhito's daughter was born, a government panel discussed the possibility of allowing female emperors, but the talk faded as soon as Hisahito was born. The emperor, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare public remarks last year he feared age might make it hard for him to continue to fulfil his duties. The soft-spoken emperor, the first Japanese emperor who was never considered divine, has worked for decades at home and abroad to soothe the wounds of World War II, fought in his father Hirohito's name. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ultra-conservative government supported the current male-only succession. In a vote televised live on local television, the upper house of parliament passed the bill with a handful of lawmakers sitting out the vote. It cleared the more powerful lower house last week. The government will have to hammer out the details of the abdication, including timing, but local media reports have said it is likely to take place at the end of 2018, which would mark three decades on the throne for the emperor. Mr Abe's government avoided taking up divisive issues involving the status of female royals, which would require a time-consuming and broader overhaul of the outdated 1947 Imperial House Law. His ruling party reluctantly agreed to adopt a non-binding attachment to the law calling for the government to study ways to improve the status of princesses, including allowing them to keep their titles so they can make up for the declining royal membership and perform some public duties. The last emperor to abdicate was Kokaku in 1817.

Government Policy Changes

June 2017

['(AP/Reuters via Aus. Broadcasting Corp.)']

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio resigns as leader of the ruling Five Star Movement, as polls show the party losing support ahead of a regional election in Emilia–Romagna next Sunday.

Luigi Di Maio took the anti-establishment Five Star Movement into government when it became Italy's biggest party in 2018 elections. But now that its popularity has dwindled after two successive coalitions he has resigned as leader, saying "an era is coming to an end". Although he will stay on as foreign minister, the decision of Mr Di Maio, 33, to step down weakens an already shaky administration. In his farewell speech at Hadrian's Temple in Rome, he described Five Star as a "visionary project never achieved before and with no equal anywhere in the world". Results would come, he insisted, adding: "We need to have time to sort out the mess made by those in power for the past 30 years." Starting out as a vehicle for an anti-establishment ex-comedian called Beppe Grillo, the Eurosceptic party soared in the opinion polls as Italians tired of the political class and corruption and backed a movement promising widespread reform. Five Star, or M5S as it is known in Italy, is unusual in that it champions digital democracy among its members and puts decisions to an online vote. It started winning elections, including the mayoral race in Rome. Then Luigi Di Maio took over as leader aged 31 and won the 2018 election with 33% of the vote. After weeks of talks, Five Star went into coalition with the nationalist League leader Matteo Salvini in June 2018. But as Five Star's popularity halved, Mr Salvini's star rose. In an unsuccessful gamble on triggering new elections, Mr Salvini pulled out of the coalition last August only to see Mr Di Maio's party go into coalition with the centre-left Democratic Party. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, an independent law professor, stayed in his job. Opinion polls paint a worrying picture for Five Star ahead of Sunday's elections in Emilia-Romagna. The party trails in third place in opinion polls in the wealthy northern region, with Mr Salvini's League neck-and-neck with the ruling Democratic Party. Dislodging the centre-left after 75 years as a regional force would be a major achievement for the League. Five Star has also seen a number of MPs and senators defect, partly because of Mr Di Maio's leadership. Mr Di Maio told supporters in Rome that it was a difficult moment for Five Star and it was time for the party to "reinvent itself". He attacked the party's internal critics and insisted that after 20 months in government, it was too early to be judged. That was why it should remain in government. he said. Five Star will be run by a caretaker leader until it decides on a new figure in a party congress.

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

January 2020

['(BBC)']

Controversial French footballer Thierry Henry retires from international football.

French soccer star Thierry Henry gets a rooftop view of New York after an interview on Thursday. (AP) By ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: Jul 15, 2010 21:27 Updated: Jul 15, 2010 22:14 NEW YORK: Thierry Henry said Thursday he is retiring from the French national team. The 32-year-old forward announced his decision during an interview at the offices of The Associated Press before a news conference to discuss his signing with Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls. He said he will not try to emulate England's David Beckham and commute between the US and Europe. "I always want to be here 100 percent and fully committed to this cause and the organization," Henry said. Henry had 51 goals in 123 international appearances. He made his debut Oct. 11, 1997, in a 2-1 win over South Africa. His finale was June 22 against Bafana Bafana, when he was introduced as a 55th minute substitute in a 2-1 defeat that condemned France to a first-round exit from the World Cup. "That was my last game, against South Africa," he said. "Ironically, it was also my first game in the national team against South Africa." Henry said he had made up his mind to retire before the World Cup. "I couldn't announce it before because that's the not type of thing you announce before a World Cup," he said.

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

July 2010

['(Arab News)', '(CNN)', '(Hindustan Times)', '(Vancouver Sun)']

A military plane carrying cadets from Kharkiv Air Force University during a training flight crashes in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, killing 26 people and wounding another person.

Twenty-six people, most of them air cadets, have been killed in a military plane crash in Ukraine, officials say. The aircraft, an Antonov-26, came down near the eastern city of Kharkiv. The plane was carrying 20 cadets and seven officers from Kharkiv Air Force University and was on a training flight. Only one person survived. The crash is being investigated. Officials say preliminary findings suggest the captain, not cadets, was flying the plane when it crashed. The plane came down about 2km (1.2 miles) from a military airport in the town of Chuhuiv, the emergency ministry said. Fire broke out at the site and was later extinguished. An eyewitness told Reuters news agency he had seen a man in flames running from the wreckage. "Another car stopped behind us. We took a fire extinguisher and ran with another driver to help him," he said. Two people were earlier reported to have survived the crash, but one later died in hospital. Declaring a day of mourning, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted an "objective and unbiased" investigation carried out immediately into the crash. "We have lost young cadets and experienced military servicemen who had their whole life ahead of them," he said. adding: "It is hard to choose the words to describe the pain of this loss." His office said he had ordered a halt to all flights in similar planes until the cause of the crash had been established. Crash investigators are reportedly considering four possible causes - a technical malfunction of the aircraft, improper performance by either the flight crew or ground control, and poor maintenance. Defence Minister Andriy Taran was quoted as saying "the plane likely caught the ground with its wing" and caught fire after that. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement that the crash happened five minutes after the flight commander requested to land because the left engine had failed. "According to preliminary findings, the cadets did not directly control the plane - the crew captain carried out all flights," the statement added. There is no suggestion that the crash is linked to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Chuhuiv is about 100km (60 miles) from the front line where government forces are fighting pro-Russian separatists. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story contained a map that was incorrect. We apologise for the mistake. Air disasters timeline

Air crash

September 2020

['(BBC)']

The City of Westminster Magistrates' Court rules Egyptianborn Muslim cleric Abu Hamza alMasri can be extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States, where he is accused of terrorism.

The Egyptian-born preacher is currently serving a seven-year jail term in the UK for inciting murder and race hate. The 49-year-old from west London is wanted by the American authorities on 11 charges. City of Westminster Magistrates Court approved the extradition, but the decision has to be ratified by the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith. Senior District Judge Timothy Workman ruled that Abu Hamza, who preached at Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, had lost his legal arguments. The judge said he would send the matter to the Secretary of State for a decision on whether the former civil engineering student should be extradited. Hostages The US government wants to put Abu Hamza on trial on 11 charges, alleging he funded terrorism, organised a "terrorist training camp" in Oregon between 1998 and 2000, and conspired to take 12 Westerners hostage in Yemen in 1998. An earlier extradition hearing was told the hostages, which included two Americans, were abducted partly to gain the release of Abu Hamza's stepson, Mohsen Ghailan, and five others. It is alleged Abu Hamza - who is missing an eye and hand - gave advice to the hostage-takers and provided them with a satellite phone. Four of the captives - Britons Margaret Whitehouse, 52, a teacher from Hampshire; Ruth Williamson, 34, an NHS employee from Edinburgh; university lecturer Peter Rowe, 60, from Durham; and an Australian national, Andrew Thirsk - were killed after Yemeni authorities tried to rescue them. Abu Hamza preaching outside London's Finsbury Park Mosque The American charges carry a potential jail sentence of 100 years. Abu Hamza's lawyers claim US evidence had been gained through torture. But prosecutors say phone records and the cleric's own admissions would be used at any trial. Defending Abu Hamza, Alun Jones QC announced he would be urging the home office and the Attorney General to prosecute the case in the UK. House of Lords Abu Hamza was convicted in February 2006 of 11 of the 15 charges he faced in the UK. In addition to being jailed for soliciting murder, he was also found guilty of inciting racial hatred, possessing "threatening, abusive or insulting recordings" and for having a document useful to terrorists. He was arrested on an extradition warrant issued by the US government in May 2004 but the process was put on hold while he stood trial in Britain and attempted to appeal against his UK convictions. A decision by the House of Lords in January this year to refuse him leave to make a further appeal against his convictions left the path clear for the present proceedings. Once tried in the US, Abu Hamza would have to return to the UK to complete his jail term before being extradited if any sentence was handed down to him by an American court.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Accuse

November 2007

['(BBC)']

Harvey is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph . It made landfall on Texas's eastern coast, the eye striking the town of Rockport, as a Category 4 hurricane. It's the strongest storm to hit the state since 1961. Harvey is expected to maintain tropical storm strength, with heavy rains and flooding, for at least four days.

• Hurricane Harvey, powered by the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters, made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, earlier than expected. It came ashore just northeast of Corpus Christi, Tex., packing 130 m.p.h. winds. • By midnight, the authorities had reported two deaths that appeared to be related to the storm, one in Houston and one in Rockport, Tex. But search and rescue operations were just getting underway.

Hurricanes_Tornado_Storm_Blizzard

August 2017

['(110 kmh)', '(National Hurricane Center)', '(The New York Times)', '(BBC)', '(Houston Chronicle)']

Steven Chu steps down as United States Secretary of Energy.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday he will leave the administration when a successor is confirmed. "I would like to return to an academic life of teaching and research, but will still work to advance the missions that we have been working on together for the last four years," Chu said in a letter to Energy Department employees. Chu added: "The journey that I began with you four years ago will continue for many years." President Obama praised Chu for helping "move America toward real energy independence" during their time in office. "Over the past four years, we have doubled the use of renewable energy, dramatically reduced our dependence on foreign oil, and put our country on a path to win the global race for clean energy jobs," Obama said. "Thanks to Steve, we also expanded support for our brightest engineers and entrepreneurs as they pursue groundbreaking innovations that could transform our energy future." CHART:Obama Cabinet changes In his letter to employees, Chu cited his department's efforts to develop new and improved energy technologies, clean energy jobs, home weatherization projects, and hybrid and battery-powered cars. "The Department of Energy serves the country as a Department of Science, a Department of Innovation, and a Department of Nuclear Security," Chu wrote. The outgoing Energy Secretary also noted, "although our oil imports are projected to fall to a 25 year low next year, we still pay a heavy economic, national security and human cost for our oil addiction." The biggest criticism of the department during Chu's tenure: The $528 million federal loan to the solar energy company Solyndra, which later went bankrupt. A former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Chu is a Nobel Prize winner in physics. Chu joins a long list of first term Obama appointees who have left, or are leaving. They include Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The Senate has confirmed colleague John Kerry, D-Mass., as Clinton's replacement at State; it is considering Chuck Hagel's nomination to be the new Defense Secretary.

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

February 2013

['(AP via The Washington Post)', '(Los Angeles Times)', '(USA Today)']

The European Court of Human Rights rules that Khalid El–Masri, a German citizen, was an innocent victim of extraordinary rendition by the Central Intelligence Agency and orders Macedonia to pay him €60,000 after it arrested him and sent him to the CIA. CIA agents then transferred him to a detention facility in Afghanistan.

CIA agents tortured a German citizen, sodomising, shackling, and beating him, as Macedonian state police looked on, the European court of human rights said in a historic judgment released on Thursday. In a unanimous ruling, it also found Macedonia guilty of torturing, abusing, and secretly imprisoning Khaled el-Masri, a German of Lebanese origin allegedly linked to terrorist organisations. Masri was seized in Macedonia in December 2003 and handed over to a CIA "rendition team" at Skopje airport and secretly flown to Afghanistan. It is the first time the court has described CIA treatment meted out to terror suspects as torture. "The grand chamber of the European court of human rights unanimously found that Mr el-Masri was subjected to forced disappearance, unlawful detention, extraordinary rendition outside any judicial process, and inhuman and degrading treatment," said James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative. He described the judgment as "an authoritative condemnation of some of the most objectionable tactics employed in the post-9/11 war on terror". It should be a wake-up call for the Obama administration and US courts, he told the Guardian. For them to continue to avoid serious scrutiny of CIA activities was "simply unacceptable", he said. Jamil Dakwar, of the American Civil Liberties Union, described the ruling as "a huge victory for justice and the rule of law". The use of CIA interrogation methods widely denounced as torture during the Bush administration's "war on terror" also came under scrutiny in Congress on Thursday. The US Senate's select committee on intelligence was expected to vote on whether to approve a mammoth review it has undertaken into the controversial practices that included waterboarding, stress positions, forced nudity, beatings and sleep and sensory deprivation. The report, that runs to almost 6,000 pages based on a three-year review of more than 6m pieces of information, is believed to conclude that the "enhanced interrogation techniques" adopted by the CIA during the Bush years did not produce any major breakthroughs in intelligence, contrary to previous claims. The committee, which is dominated by the Democrats, is likely to vote to approve the report, though opposition from the Republican members may prevent the report ever seeing the light of day. The Strasbourg court said it found Masri's account of what happened to him "to be established beyond reasonable doubt" and that Macedonia had been "responsible for his torture and ill-treatment both in the country itself and after his transfer to the US authorities in the context of an extra-judicial 'rendition'". In January 2004, Macedonian police took him to a hotel in Skopje, where he was kept locked in a room for 23 days and questioned in English, despite his limited proficiency in that language, about his alleged ties with terrorist organisations, the court said in its judgment. His requests to contact the German embassy were refused. At one point, when he said he intended to leave, he was threatened with being shot. "Masri's treatment at Skopje airport at the hands of the CIA rendition team – being severely beaten, sodomised, shackled and hooded, and subjected to total sensory deprivation – had been carried out in the presence of state officials of [Macedonia] and within its jurisdiction," the court ruled. It added: "Its government was consequently responsible for those acts performed by foreign officials. It had failed to submit any arguments explaining or justifying the degree of force used or the necessity of the invasive and potentially debasing measures. Those measures had been used with premeditation, the aim being to cause Mr Masri severe pain or suffering in order to obtain information. In the court's view, such treatment had amounted to torture, in violation of Article 3 [of the European human rights convention]." In Afghanistan, Masri was incarcerated for more than four months in a small, dirty, dark concrete cell in a brick factory near the capital, Kabul, where he was repeatedly interrogated and was beaten, kicked and threatened. His repeated requests to meet with a representative of the German government were ignored, said the court. Masri was released in April 2004. He was taken, blindfolded and handcuffed, by plane to Albania and subsequently to Germany, after the CIA admited he was wrongly detained. The Macedonian government, which the court ordered must pay Masri €60,000 (£49,000) in compensation, has denied involvement in kidnapping. UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson, described the ruling as "a key milestone in the long struggle to secure accountability of public officials implicated in human rights violations committed by the Bush administration CIA in its policy of secret detention, rendition and torture". He said the US government must issue an apology for its "central role in a web of systematic crimes and human rights violations by the Bush-era CIA, and to pay voluntary compensation to Mr el-Masri". Germany should ensure that the US officials involved in this case were now brought to trial.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Arrest

December 2012

['(Al Jazeera)', '(The Guardian)', '(ECHR)']

A Nigerian warplane involved in operations within Mali crashes in Niger, killing two pilots.

A Nigerian warplane involved in operations against militant Islamists in Mali has crashed in Niger, killing two pilots, the army has said. These are the first casualties Nigeria has suffered after deploying troops in January to fight the militants. Mechanical failure was likely to have caused the fighter jet to crash near Mali's border while it was on a non-combat mission, reports say. International forces uses Niger as an airbase for operations in Mali. France has started to withdraw some of its 4,500 troops from Mali, hoping that African forces will take over the campaign to fight the militants. The UN Security Council passed a resolution in April to incorporate the 6,000-strong African force in Mali into a UN force numbering 11,200. Chad and Nigeria form the bulk of the African troops in Mali. Nigerian Air Force spokesman Commodore Yusuf Anas told Reuters news agency that an investigation was underway to establish the cause of the crash. "They were on a normal routine flight about 60km (37 miles) west of Niamey when something happened," he told Reuters. Army sources in Niger ruled out the possibility that the jet had been shot at, saying it was not in "enemy territory". French and African troops have driven the militants out of northern cities and towns in Mali - including Timbuktu and Gao - since combat operations started in January. But some fighters have retreated to desert hideouts in the vast region, from where they launch isolated attacks against French and Malian forces. The al-Qaeda-linked militants took advantage of a coup in Mali in March 2012 to extend their control across the north of Mali. France intervened, saying Mali could become a "terrorist state" that threatened global security.

Air crash

May 2013

['(BBC)']

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R–Mich., announces his resignation from the United States House of Representatives.

Michigan Republican Rep. Thaddeus McCotter resigned from Congress on Friday, a surprise decision that caps among the most madcap two-month periods in modern politics. The Michigan Republican and 2012 presidential candidate announced his decision in a lengthy and characteristically verbose statement citing his desire to shift his focus to his family now that his congressional career is over. (He also quoted Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”.) McCotter failed to qualify for the primary ballot after most of his petition signatures were recently found to be fraudulent. State officials are investigating the matter. McCotter initially opted to run a write-in campaign, but then announced he would not seek reelection. His statement continued: “The recent event’s totality of calumnies, indignities and deceits have weighed most heavily upon my family. Thus, acutely aware one cannot rebuild their hearth of home amongst the ruins of their U.S. House office, for the sake of my loved ones I must ‘strike another match, go start anew’ by embracing the promotion back from public servant to sovereign citizen.” McCotter’s bizarre period continued this week when the Detroit News reported that he had written a TV pilot with a rather odd premise — McCotter himself hosting a crude variety show that joked about flatulence and female anatomy, among other things. The script was leaked to the newspaper by a former staffer who thought it unbecoming a member of Congress. McCotter said in his statement that he will no longer give interviews as the state attorney general investigates his campaign’s fraudulent signatures. McCotter’s seat leans Republican and should be retained by the GOP. Gov. Rick Snyder (R) does not have to call a special election before the November general election, and it seems unlikely he would do so, given the cost of holding one and the short time between now and then. McCotter’s is one of three seats that is now vacant. The others are the seats held by former congressman Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), who is running for governor, and the late congressman Donald Payne (D-N.J.), who died recently. Here’s the full statement: “Today I have resigned from the office of United States Representative for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. After nearly 26 years in elected office, this past nightmarish month and a half have, for the first time, severed the necessary harmony between the needs of my constituency and of my family. As this harmony is required to serve, its absence requires I leave. The recent event’s totality of calumnies, indignities and deceits have weighed most heavily upon my family. Thus, acutely aware one cannot rebuild their hearth of home amongst the ruins of their U.S. House office, for the sake of my loved ones I must “strike another match, go start anew” by embracing the promotion back from public servant to sovereign citizen. I do not leave for an existing job and face diminishing prospects (and am both unwilling and ill-suited to lobby), my priorities are twofold: find gainful employment to help provide for my family; and continue to assist, in any way they see fit, the Michigan Attorney General’s earnest and thorough investigation, which I requested, into the 2012 petition filing. While our family takes this step into the rest of our lives, we do so with the ultimate confidence in our country’s future. True, as at other times in the life of our nation, we live in an Age of Extremes that prizes intensity over sanity; rhetoric over reality; and destruction over creation. But this too shall pass, thanks to the infinite, inspired wisdom of the sovereign people who, with God’s continued blessings, will again affirm for the generations American Exceptionalism. Truly, it is a challenging and fortunate time to live in our blessed sanctuary of liberty. In closing, to The People of Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, I can but say this: Thank you for the privilege of having worked for you.” ~ Thaddeus G. McCotter Please note the Washington D.C., Milford and Livonia will offices will continue to operate under the direction of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Staff will still be available to serve the needs of the citizens of the 11th Congressional District for any constituent needs. Finally, Mr. McCotter reaffirms his previous commitment to not conduct any interviews until the findings of the Michigan Attorney General’s thorough and earnest investigation have been made public. As a private citizen, Mr. McCotter will reserve comments until this time.

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

July 2012

['(Washington Post)']

A passenger train derails in central Cameroon, killing at least 53 people and injuring 575 others. ,

75 are reported dead and about 600 people injured in Friday’s train derailment accident in Cameroon. This is a rise in the toll confirmed yesterday which was previously 53 dead, 575 injured and 14 trapped in the carriages. Original story A train derailed in Cameroon on Friday reportedly killing about 10 people and injuring over 60 people who were on board. According to local media, the accident occured in Eseka on the line between the country’s main cities, Douala and the capital, Yaounde. The train was said to be packed. Pictures circulating on social media showed that the derailed train had overturned near the tracks. Dead bodies and injured persons were also at the scene of the accident. The state owned CRTV showed people giving injured persons first aid. “There are many injured. We are still in the phase of evaluating the situation. We cannot give even a provisional toll,” said an official for national rail company Camrail, who asked not to be named. A local hospital official also confirmed that 10 corpses were brought in from the accident scene. Local journalists confirmed that the train was very packed at the time of the accident. The French ambassador to Cameroon, Gilles Thibault, tweeted a condolence message to the families and victime of the crash. ‘‘I present condolences saddened families and loved ones of the victims of the crash of the Yaoundé – Douala.’Cameroon Rail is one of the key modes of transport in the country. It serves in transporting both people and goods. Due to the speed of rail, people usually cram unto coaches to get to their destinations. The rail company had earlier denied via its facebook page that there was an accident. They later confirmed the incident and said they were working to provide official details of the incident.

Train collisions

October 2016

['(Africa News)', '(Reuters)']

Russia's Federal Security Service says it has thwarted two armed Ukrainian incursions into Crimea with at least two killed, including one FSB officer, following a "massive fire fight" with "sabotage-terrorist" groups. Ukraine denies the Russian claims.

Russian president says Moscow will not ignore incidents in which two soldiers were killed, but which Kiev denies took place First published on Wed 10 Aug 2016 14.14 BST Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of plotting terrorist attacks in Crimea and claimed two Russian servicemen were killed in clashes this week, as tensions over the peninsula rise to their highest level since Russia annexed it in 2014. Ukraine denied the alleged incidents had taken place and dismissed the claims as Russian provocation. In characteristically bellicose language, Putin accused Ukraine of playing a dangerous game.”We obviously will not let such things slide by,” the Russian president said on Wednesday. Ukraine had “resorted to the practice of terror”, he said. Putin’s warning that Russia would not ignore the incidents will worry observers. The increased tension in Crimea comes at a time when the simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine appears to be heating up. There are almost daily casualties on the frontline between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebel military formations, and little sign of a resolution to the conflict, in which more than 9,000 people have been killed over the past two years. Russia’s security service, the FSB, said in a statement that one of its officers had been killed during a shootout with a “group of diversionaries” on Saturday night, when they were supposedly discovered just inside Crimea’s border with mainland Ukraine. It said the group had 20 homemade devices with a total of 40kg of explosives in their possession. The FSB said there had been a further incident on Monday involving “massive firing” from the Ukrainian side of the border and attempts to enter the region by force, during which another Russian soldier died. “On the night of 8 August 2016, special operations forces from the Ukrainian defence ministry carried out two more attempts to make a breakthrough by sabotage-terrorist groups,” it said. The FSB said it had arrested a man named Evgeny Panov, allegedly a Ukrainian military intelligence operative born in 1977, and said he had made a confession. It gave no further information. “This is a very dangerous game,” said Putin. “We will of course do everything to assure the security of infrastructure, citizens and will take additional measures to provide security, including serious additional measures.” The FSB said Kiev’s aim was the “destabilisation of the socio-political situation in the region during preparation for elections”. Russia will hold nationwide parliamentary elections on 18 September, with Crimea taking part for the first time since its annexation. Locals in Crimea have noted a large amount of Russian military hardware on the move in recent days, and the de facto borders between Crimea and Ukraine were closed over the weekend and subject to increased security checks when they reopened. Ukraine’s defence ministry said: “This kind of FSB statement is nothing more than an attempt to justify the relocation and aggressive actions of Russian military units on the temporarily occupied peninsula. “Russian security services are trying to distract the population of Crimea and the international community from its criminal actions, turning the peninsula into an isolated military base.” Oleskandr Turchynov, the head of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, also dismissed the claims. “The hysterical and false statement by Russia’s FSB has no purpose other than an attempt by occupiers to inflame the situation on temporarily occupied Ukrainian lands,” he said. Russia annexed Crimea in a swift military operation following the February 2014 revolution in Kiev that deposed the Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. Armed men in unmarked uniforms fanned out across the peninsula and seized Ukrainian army bases and other key infrastructure. At the time Putin vehemently denied the men were Russian soldiers,but he later admitted they were. Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in a referendum that the international community dismissed as flawed and illegitimate and which led to western sanctions against Russia that are still in place. Ukraine has said it will never give up its claim to the peninsula, but it has acknowledged in the past that it does not have the military capability to regain control. Ukrainian authorities have tacitly supported a blockade of Crimea by a group of Crimean Tatars, an indigenous ethnic group largely opposed the annexation. Crimean Tatars blocked trucks from entering Crimea from mainland Ukraine for several months last year and even blew up electricity pipelines, leading to blackouts on the peninsula. Putin has promised infrastructure will be built in the next few years to make Crimea self-sufficient in energy. Moscow is also building a bridge to link the peninsula with the Russian mainland across the Kerch Strait. It is due to open in 2018. Crimea’s governor, Sergey Aksyonov, who was appointed by Moscow, said attempts to destabilise the peninsula during the summer tourist season would be prevented “in the harshest possible way”, promising that the region was safe for residents and tourists. Igor Plotnitsky, the head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, was admitted to hospital after an assassination attempt this month. He blamed Ukrainian authorities and the CIA, but other analysts suggested infighting or falling out with his Russian handlers was a more likely cause. Responding to the alleged incidents in Crimea, Putin also said it made no sense to have a “Normandy four” meeting in the current circumstances. The quartet of leaders from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have met periodically to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine. A meeting had been mooted for the G20 summit in China next month.

Armed Conflict

August 2016

['(FSB)', '(Reuters)', '(The Guardian)']

Australian cricket player Shane Watson breaks the world record for number of sixes in a One Day International in the second match in the series against Bangladesh.

Choose how you want to watch The explosive opener gave a superb display of power-hitting as he also cracked 15 fours in his 96-ball knock to help Australia achieve a 230-run target with 24 overs to spare for an unbeatable 2-0 lead. Match Highlights Full Scoring West Indies' Xavier Marshall was the previous record-holder with 12 sixes against Canada in 2008. Watson's knock was also the highest by an Australian in one-day internationals, the previous best being 181 not out by Matthew Hayden. He completed his sixth one-day hundred off just 69 balls, the third-fastest by an Australia after Hayden (66 balls) and Gilchrist (67 balls). The final one-dayer will be played in Dhaka on Wednesday. BOWLERS HELPLESS Watson looked in excellent touch from the beginning, hammering three fours in the opening over bowled by Shafiul Islam. He raced to his half-century off just 26 balls with the help of four sixes and five boundaries. He then reduced Bangladesh's bowlers and fielders to a state of helplessness with his onslaught, once hitting four sixes in an over from left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo. Watson dominated an unfinished 170-run stand for the second wicket with former captain Ricky Ponting, who contributed an unbeaten 37. Bangladesh were earlier struggling at 88-5 before crossing the 200 mark, thanks to wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim's unbeaten 81 off 80 balls which contained one six and nine fours. Rahim's best came in the closing stages of the innings when he smashed two fours and a six off successive deliveries from paceman Brett Lee before hitting two boundaries in seamer Mitchell Johnson's last over. He played a major role in steadying the innings after Johnson (3-54) and leg-spinner Steven Smith (2-34) had put the hosts in trouble, adding 79 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Mahmudullah (38). Shahriar Nafees was the only top-order batsman to offer resistance, scoring 56 off 73 balls with six fours. He fell after completing his 12th half-century in one-dayers, offering a simple return catch to Smith. Johnson did the early damage when he removed openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes before paceman John Hastings accounted for Raqibul Hasan to reduce the hosts to 28-3 in the opening 12 overs. Smith bowled skipper Shakib Al Hasan for nine runs and then dismissed well-set Nafees to send the hosts reeling at 88-5. Teams: Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hasan, Shahriar Nafees, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain Australia: SR Watson, BJ Haddin (wk), RT Ponting, MJ Clarke (capt), CJ Ferguson, MEK Hussey, SPD Smith, MG Johnson, JW Hastings, B Lee, XJ Doherty

Break historical records

April 2011

['(Super Sport)']

A French court sentences former Rwandan army captain Pascal Simbikangwa to 25 years for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

A French court has jailed former Rwandan spy chief Pascal Simbikangwa for 25 years over the 1994 genocide. In a landmark trial, Simbikangwa was found guilty of complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity. It was not immediately clear whether his lawyers would appeal. Simbikangwa, 54, who is paraplegic after a car crash, was arrested in 2008 while living under an alias on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte. He is the first man to be convicted in France in connection with the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago. Some 800,000 people - mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus - were killed over a period of about 100 days. He had denied the charges against him. Prosecutors had asked for life imprisonment for Simbikangwa, branding him an ethnic "cleanser" who was radically committed to his work and a "man capable of the worst". His lawyers said the trial was politically motivated and described witnesses as unreliable and guided by spite. Simbikangwa, who rose to be third in command in Rwanda's intelligence services, was specifically accused of inciting, organising and aiding massacres, particularly by supplying arms and instructions to Hutu militia who were manning road blocks and killing Tutsi men, women and children. Simbikangwa served under President Juvenal Habyarimana, an ethnic Hutu whose death in a plane crash in April 1994 triggered the violence. Simbikangwa was tried under French legislation that allows universal jurisdiction for genocide and other heinous crimes committed by foreigners abroad. Rwanda's current Tutsi-led government has long accused France - an ally of Mr Habyarimana's then regime - of aiding the genocide. But in recent years there has been a thaw between the two countries. A new genocide unit within the Paris prosecutor's office also helped to pave the way for the trial. Of the two dozen or so cases linked to the Rwandan genocide being investigated in France, one involves the widow of President Habyarimana.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

March 2014

['(BBC)']

Conflict in Afghanistan: Afghan troops kill 31 suspects following clashes in Paktika, in eastern Afghanistan.

Defence Ministry spokesman Gen Mohammed Zaher Azimi said fighting erupted after insurgents attacked an Afghan army post near Angore Adda in Paktika province. At least four government troops were injured in the battle near the Pakistan border, which lasted over four hours. It was the heaviest reported fighting since elections two weeks ago. Afghanistan Gen Azimi said 28 militants had been killed in fighting on Sunday night. Three others were killed in a separate clash in the province earlier in the day. "As a result of our counter-attack, 28 enemy bodies have been recovered," he told Reuters news agency. The US military, which has a base in the area, said US troops had not been involved in the fighting. Bloodshed More than 1,000 people have been killed in violence linked to militancy in Afghanistan this year. Most of those killed have been suspected militants, but more than 80 US troops have also died, about 50 of them in hostile fire. A number of civilians and election candidates and workers have also been killed. The bloodshed has predominantly been in southern and eastern areas near Pakistan - prompting accusations from Kabul that Islamabad is failing to curb cross-border militant incursions. Islamabad denies the claims and points to the thousands of troops it has sent to unruly tribal areas on its side of the mountainous border area. Afghanistan's parliamentary and provincial elections on 18 September were hailed as a landmark in the process to bring democracy after years of war.

Armed Conflict

October 2005

['(BBC)']

Envoys from the United States, European Union and Russia visit Serbia and Kosovo seeking a solution to the Kosovo issue.

The US envoy, Frank Wisner, said "every possible option" for a compromise solution would be explored. They will travel next to Kosovo for talks with ethnic Albanian leaders. The UN Security Council failed last month to find consensus on the Serbian province's future. Its majority ethnic Albanian population wants independence. Mr Wisner said he and his troika colleagues will "leave no stone unturned" in their search for "a successful outcome, peace in the region and a better future for Serbia and Kosovo". The envoys met Serbia's President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who have rejected independence for Kosovo. Security concerns The mostly-ethnic Albanian Kosovo has been under UN administration since a war in 1998-99 between ethnic Albanian separatists and Serb forces. Ethnic Albanians want Kosovo to become independent. Serbs want the province to remain a part of Serbia. A UN proposal to provide a form of supervised independence was blocked at the UN Security Council last month by Russia, which is a close ally of Serbia. The current round of talks are due to end in December, but Serbia and Russia have said there should be no time limit. "We are going to support the Kosovo status process in order to help reach a compromise solution which can be endorsed by the UN Security Council," said the Russian envoy Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko. The EU representative of the troika, the German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said the talks had been a "first business meeting" for the troika. He said on Thursday that the troika would not be making any new proposals but would be seeing whether the Serbian and Kosovo-Albanian sides had any chance of finding agreement over the long-term status of Kosovo. International officials in Kosovo have expressed concern that if the issue is not resolved in the near future, the security situation in the province could deteriorate. Many believe the talks chaired by the troika could be the last opportunity to find an agreement between the two sides, says the BBC's Nick Hawton in Sarajevo.

Diplomatic Visit

August 2007

['(BBC)']

Two raging fires in Los Angeles destroy a massive residential complex under construction, heavily damage a building undergoing renovations, and snarl rush hour traffic.

Two raging fires in Los Angeles destroyed a massive residential complex under construction, heavily damaged a building undergoing renovations, and snarled rush hour traffic while raining ash over a large area early Monday. More than 250 firefighters fought a downtown blaze that was sparked at a block-long construction site around 1:20 a.m., Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said. Flames visible for miles consumed the 7-story wood-framed structure and damaged two adjacent high-rises before being brought under control within 90 minutes. “The radiant heat was strong enough to burst windows in one building next door,” Battalion Chief Joseph Castro said. Three floors of that adjacent building were damaged by fire and several other floors sustained water damage. The building, which houses city offices, was closed for the day. Embers spewed from the fire landed across a freeway, igniting brush and charring a traffic sign. But fortunately winds were light and did not blow the fire even farther. The southbound lanes of 101 and 110 were reopened by 4:40 a.m., the California Highway Patrol tweeted. But the northbound side of 110 was still closed after sunrise, as commuter traffic backed up for miles. The southbound 101 Temple, Broadway and Los Angeles off-ramps were also closed as of 6:30 a.m., according to a tweet from the California Highway Patrol. Around 10 a.m., the California Highway Patrol tweeted that three lanes on the northbound side of the 110 are open, while three remained closed. The northbound 110-101 is also open, CHP advised in a subsequent tweet. Another tweet noted that some traffic signs on the northbound side of the 110 were burned down. No injuries were reported. The burned structure was planned to be a residential building. The site was still smoldering by midmorning and downtown was littered with ash. Shortly after 4 a.m. another large fire was reported at a mixed-use building about 2 miles to the west. More than 100 firefighters from multiple agencies responded and had the flames under control in less than two hours, according to Chief Deputy Mario D. Rueda. One person in a nearby apartment building was treated for minor smoke inhalation, he said. Around 10 businesses were housed in the two-story building in the Westlake district, and portions of it were being renovated for residential use. There were no indications the two incidents were connected, Terrazas said. Videos like the ones embedded below showed the immense nature of the fires, with plumes of smoke visible for miles, NBC Los Angeles reported. “This is a historic fire, what we as firefighters would call ‘a career fire,’ ” LAFD spokesman David Ortiz told NBC News. “It’s huge. I really can’t remember a building fire this big, and I have been with the department for 13 years.” Ortiz told NBC L.A. he didn’t think anyone was living or working where the first fire broke out. The second fire was knocked down shortly after 6:30 a.m., NBC L.A. tweeted. UPDATE: Westlake apartment fire has been knocked down http://t.co/02yz6s1CRZ pic.twitter.com/n00cYQTzHj — NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) December 8, 2014 Huge fire in downtown right now A video posted by Eric R Larsen (@ericjustr) on Dec 12, 2014 at 1:35am PST -what are you doing? -watching buildings burn to the ground #dtlafire #dtla #breakingnews #lafire #downtownla #downtownlosangeles #losangeles

Fire

December 2014

['(The Hollywood Reporter)']

In Brazil, minister José Dirceu resigns due to allegations that he knew about bribery but insists that he is innocent

A senior minister in Brazil's left-wing government has resigned following a series of corruption allegations. In a TV statement on Thursday evening, Jose Dirceu said he was stepping down as chief-of-staff to President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula. But, he insisted, he had done nothing to be ashamed of. Last week, a Brazilian lawmaker accused Mr Dirceu of turning a blind eye to bribes allegedly paid by the governing party for support in parliament. Mr Dirceu was one of the most powerful figures in Brazil's government. Some even dubbed him "the real president". In his resignation statement, he said he was leaving office with clean hands and that he would respond in parliament to what he called unfounded allegations. Close friend and ally Mr Dirceu was accused of knowing about and failing to stop bribery, allegedly in the form of payments by the governing Workers' Party to parliamentary allies. Those claims were made last week by Roberto Jefferson, the leader of Brazil's Labour party. But as yet no hard proof has appeared and Mr Jefferson faces his own corruption allegations. So why has such a high-profile member of the government resigned? Very simply, to put clear distance between these allegations and Lula, a friend and close ally of Mr Dirceu.

Government Job change - Resignation_Dismissal

June 2005

['(BBC)', '(Forbes)']

Australian Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge announces that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security will probe the alleged interference by foreign governments at the country's universities.

Australia's parliament is set to probe alleged foreign interference at public universities, a government minister said Monday, as concerns grow about Chinese influence. A proposed inquiry by the security and intelligence committee follows a series of controversies over China's clout on Australian campuses, ranging from hacks of university data to questionable financial donations and intimidation of Beijing's critics. Concerns have also been raised about the nature of research links between academics and scientists in the two countries. Alan Tudge, the minister for population and cities, told Sky News the mooted inquiry was the latest government attempt to tackle spiraling foreign interference now at "levels not seen since World War II". The move comes after Canberra announced last week that it was seeking new powers to scrap deals between local authorities and foreign countries that threaten the national interest -- sweeping powers that would extend to universities. It also comes less than a year after Australia announced new guidelines for universities for research collaboration, cybersecurity, and international partnerships. Tudge said the inquiry would "go further" than previous probes into alleged foreign interference. "We need to be assured and the public need to be assured that there isn't that foreign interference in our universities sector," he said. He did not say if the probe was aimed at China. The Australian newspaper reported that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton outlined the terms of reference for the inquiry in a letter Sunday to committee head Andrew Hastie, a government parliamentarian and outspoken China critic. Advisors to Dutton did not respond to a request for comment. The university guidelines announced in November push public institutions to enhance cybersecurity systems, undertake due diligence before signing partnerships with overseas organizations, and train staff to recognize foreign influence attempts. Academics have been urged to be wary of sharing knowledge on sensitive topics and discern how joint research with international scholars could potentially be misused. Schools and government officials also committed to more intensive consultation to protect Australia's national interests. Beijing has repeatedly denied interfering in Australian campus life. China-Australia relations have reached a new ebb in recent months, with the two governments at loggerheads over trade and competing for influence in the Pacific. Tensions spiked in April when Australia infuriated China by calling for an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate

August 2020

['(AFP via The Jakarta Post)']

An eruption on Bogoslof Island of the Aleutian Islands disrupts air transportation routes, distributing tephra over populated areas, including Kodiak Island, 660 miles (1,060 km) away from the volcano.

A satellite image shows an ash cloud from Bogoslof volcano in the Aleutians shortly after its 1:20 p.m. eruption Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (Alaska Volcano Observatory) Another eruption of Bogoslof volcano in the Aleutian Islands sent an ash cloud east over the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island on Wednesday, disrupting aviation in the region but producing no signs of ashfall on land. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Bogoslof, on a tiny island about 60 miles west of Unalaska, erupted twice at about 1:20 p.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday. The first, stronger eruption produced a high-level ash cloud. "Pilots reported the cloud reached a height greater than 31,000 ft (above sea level), and prevailing winds carried it northeast over the Bering Sea," AVO staff said. "This eruption also produced lightning strikes, and infrasound signals detected by sensors in Sand Point and Dillingham." Unalaska police and Kodiak fire dispatchers said they had no local reports of ashfall overnight Wednesday, and neither the observatory nor the National Weather Service had any reports of ash falling on land by Thursday afternoon. A satellite image taken after the first eruption showed an ash cloud just northeast of Bogoslof that AVO said was "darker in color, and presumably more ash-rich, than others we have seen in the eruptive sequence" that began in mid-December. "This image also suggests the presence of very hot material (lava) at the surface immediately surrounding the vent — the first such observation during this eruption sequence," AVO staff wrote. Chris Waythomas, a geologist at the observatory, said previous Bogoslof eruptions over the past month occurred underwater and sent up clouds of steam. A lot of the ash from those blasts was frozen into ice crystals and quickly became undetectable, but much more ash was visible in Wednesday's main eruption. "Soon afterward we could see elevated temperatures at Bogoslof in satellite data — for that to happen you have to have lava right at the surface," Waythomas said. "That was only in one image, and in subsequent images we didn't see the thermal signal." After the eruptions, the volcano's aviation color code had been raised to red and its alert level to warning — AVO's highest indicators of potential activity — but they were lowered to orange and watch on Thursday afternoon. Waythomas said seismic data from the volcano has been "pretty quiet" since the Wednesday eruptions. Waythomas said violent interactions between magma and seawater may have removed any materials, such as lava plugs formed during eruptions in 1883 and 1992, that broke the sea's surface during the blasts. "It's possible that a plug of lava is close or at the surface, but may have been destroyed by the effects of the eruption or collapsed into the vent," Waythomas said. "We're kind of expecting to see that, eventually: a vent of lava extruded." [Latest eruptions of Bogoslof volcano dramatically reshaped Aleutian island] Robert Easton, an aviation forecaster with the National Weather Service's Alaska Aviation Weather Unit in Anchorage, said the unit issued an advisory to aviators tracking the cloud's location overnight Wednesday but canceled it Thursday morning because the ash was no longer appearing on radar. "It has been affecting flights all (Wednesday) night," Easton said. "At least three or four were affected at the minimum." Dave Barber, also at the weather unit, said forecasters were able to track pilots diverting around the ash cloud while the advisory was in effect. "We could see on plots of aircraft flight locations that they were avoiding the area, fortunately," Barber said. Tom Winn, with the operations staff at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, said air traffic controllers didn't have any word of canceled flights due to the ash cloud. Pilots may have chosen to divert their flight paths, however. "There's been no impact at the airport as far as I'm aware of," Winn said. A temporary flight restriction from the Federal Aviation Administration remains in place over Bogoslof, Waythomas said. Science Volcanoes Chris Klint, a lifelong Alaskan and UAA graduate, covers breaking news in the mornings. He spent more than five years at Anchorage TV station KTUU before joining Alaska Dispatch News.

Volcano Eruption

January 2017

['(Alaska Dispatch News)']

Indonesia evacuates thousands more people from their villages as Mount Merapi in central Java explodes again.

! Mount Merapi. In its biggest eruption since Tuesday evening, Mount Merapi ejected volcanic ash and other material over a 2 kilometers radius early on Thursday morning.Surono, head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), said the ash was being blown in a westerly direction toward Magelang in Central Java.“We warned the aviation authorities to divert flights to Adi Sutjipto Airport, Yogyakarta,” he said.Heavy rain overnight Wednesday triggered lahars that cascaded down the Kuning, Gendol, Woro, Boyong, Krasak and Opak rivers on the slopes of the volcano.There is a strong smell of sulphur around the mountain, adding to the general unease in cities near the volcano.More Indonesian residents, meanwhile, sought shelter after authorities extended the minimum safety distance to 15 kilometers from 10 kilometers following the latest blast. About 75,770 people stayed at evacuation centers at four regencies in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces, compared with 74,933 yesterday, Furqon Chavid Setianto, an official at the National Disaster Management Agency. “Merapi is still very active; it spouted hot ash cloud to 2 kilometers radius and we can see hot lava splashing at 500 meters height with 500 meters radius,” said Dwi Lastomo, an official at the Yogyakarta branch of the Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center. Mount Merapi, which means mountain of fire, may release clouds of hot ash for about two months, Subandriyo, an official at the volcanology center, said on Wednesday. The death toll from the eruptions since Oct. 26 reached 44, Setianto said. Indonesia is battling to recover from two disasters that struck the Southeast Asian nation within a day of each other. On the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra, relief workers are focusing on nursing and providing shelter for the survivors of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami that struck the island chain Oct. 25, Ade Edward, operational head at the West Sumatra Regional Disaster Management Agency, said yesterday. The death toll from the disaster remained at 427, Setianto said today. JG/Bloomberg Why ... P The Aryaduta Suites Tower A, 2nd Floor | Jl. Garnisun Dalam No. 8 | Karet Semanggi | Jakarta 12930 | Indonesia Phone: +62 21 2553 5053 | Fax: +62 21 2553 5063 | Globe Media Group

Volcano Eruption

November 2010

['(Jakarta Globe)', '(ABC)']

Pro-Gaddafi forces claim that they have taken control of Ra's Lanuf with dozens of people killed. , ,

9.17am: Good morning. Welcome to live coverage of events in Libya and the response of the international community to the crisis. Here's a summary of the latest developments: A fresh bombardment has been launched on the eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf, rebel fighters and witnesses said. Bombs or missiles were landing a few km from Ras Lanuf oil refinery and close to a building of the Libyan Emirates Oil Refinery Company building, a Reuters witness said. "One bomb landed on a civilian house in Ras Lanuf," rebel fighter Izeddine Sheikhy told Reuters. He said the bombardment seemed to have come from the direction of the sea. This could not be confirmed. Britain is pressing for an EU emergency summit declaration calling for Muammar Gaddafi to step down. EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the crisis in Libya. In a joint letter with Germany, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the EU should agree a declaration that "the EU and its member states will not work or co-operate with Gaddafi and that he has to step aside to allow for a true democratic transformation of the country". Nato defence ministers are also meeting in Brussels to discuss their response to events in Libya, including the possibility of a no-fly zone. But Nato's secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance had no intervention of intervening and would only do so if the security council called for it. However, he did indicate its stance could change "if the regime continue to attack their own people". A Nato source said not only would there be no decision on a no-fly zone by the notoriously slow-moving organisation, but it was unlikely there would be a joint communique either. Gaddafi, in spite of outrageous acts against his own people, had not done enough to trigger intervention under international law, the source admitted. The UK defence secretary, Liam Fox, who will be attending the Nato meeting, has rejected a claim by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that enforcing a no-fly zone would have to begin with a military attack to destroy Libya's air defences. Asked if his American counterpart was wrong, he told BBC Radio 4's Today: "That is one military option but there are other military options. "In Iraq that was not the way that we carried out the no-fly zone - there are alternatives. Rather than taking out air defences, you can say that 'if your air defence radar locks on to any of our aircraft, we regard that as a hostile act and we would take subsequent action'. "We would want to look at all of these." Russia is to ban all weapons sales to Libya, the Kremlin said in a statement today, effectively suspending billions of dollars worth of arms contracts with the Gaddafi regime. The Kremlin decree brings Moscow in line with an arms embargo and other punitive measures imposed in a 26 February United Nations security council resolution against Libya. Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport said yesterday it had lost $2bn (1.2bn) worth of arms contracts with Gaddafi's government due to the UN sanctions against Tripoli. The daily Kommersant reported last week Russia had also been near to closing deals to sell military aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles worth another $1.8 billion. Journalists working for the BBC in Libya have been arrested, tortured and subjected to a mock execution by security forces of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime. 9.29am: Gaddafi would agree to talks on the transition of power, Portuguese daily Publico reported today (via Reuters). The report comes after the Portuguese foreign minister, Luis Amado, met the Libyan leader's envoy in Lisbon. Publico said the emissary of the Libyan leader told Amado that Tripoli would accept "to begin a negotiations process for a transition". But it emphasised that the message had to be taken with caution as it was given in response to Amado's proposals for a cessation of hostilities against the rebels and a peaceful change of power in the north African country. The Portuguese foreign ministry said the envoy met Amado to explain Tripoli's view of the conflict. Portugal was chosen this week to chair the United Nations security council's committee on sanctions. The ministry did not name the Libyan envoy and gave no further details of the meeting. 9.50am: The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is to meet with two envoys from Libya's opposition leadership today (thanks to @littleriver in the comments section for highlighting that). The Elysee presidential palace said the meeting with the two Libyans would provide a "chance to discuss the general situation in Libya, and in particular the humanitarian situation and the actions of the Libyan National Council". Meanwhile, Gaddafi continues his diplomatic blitz ahead of the EU and Nato meetings. One of his envoys is holding a meeting with Greek representatives after talks were held with Portugal's foreign minister Luis Amado last night. Mohamed Tahir Siala is meeting the Greek deputy foreign minister, Dimitris Dollis, and with the ministry's secretary, Ioannis Zeppos, in Athens. Greece has traditionally had good relations with Libya. Prime Minister George Papandreou received a phone call from Gaddafi on Tuesday night and urged the Libyan leader to do all he could to stop further bloodshed and a descent into full-blown civil war. 10.04am: A new weapon has been unleashed by Gaddafi's forces in their battle against the opposition - gunboats. Both al-Jazeera and Reuters are reporting that gunboats have been attacking rebel positions in eastern Libya. 10.12am: France has just become the first major European power to recognise the Libyan national council in Benghazi as the legitimate representative of Libyan people. France is to open an embassy in Benghazi and will allow the Libyan embassy in Paris to reopen. This will be welcomed by the Libyan council, which has been pushing for such recognition. 10.27am: Libya is in a civil war, according to the International committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which says it has seen increasing numbers of wounded civilians arriving in hospitals in Ajdabiya and Misrata ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said in Misrata 40 patients were treated for serious injuries and 22 dead were taken there. He said the Red Cross surgical team in Ajdabiya operated on 55 wounded this past week and "civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence". He also called on Libyan authorities to grant the humanitarian agency access to western areas including the capital Tripoli and reminded both sides that civilians and medical facilities must not be targeted. Kellenberger told a news conference: We have now a non-international armed conflict, or what you would call civil war. We see increasing numbers of wounded arriving at hospitals in the east and we are extremely worried. 10.39am: At least three bombs have been dropped in Ras Lanuf this morning, al-Jazeera's Tony Birtley, who is in the oil port, is reporting. 10.48am: The Guardian's Chris McGreal, in Benghazi says there has been a shake-up in the opposition forces amid the bombardment by Gaddafi's forces of other rebel-held territory in recent days. The rebels seem to be becoming better organised militarily. They've now got a new experienced leader, Omar Hariri. He used to be one of Gaddafi's officers, in fact was part of the coup that brought him to power 40 years ago. They're digging in their defences around Ras Lanuf, strengthening them. It's not clear whether that means they're intending, for now, to simply sit there and try and resist Gaddafi's forces if they now turn their intentions east once they are dealt with Zawiyah, if they have indeed dealt with Zawiyah, that situation remains unclear or whether the rebels intend to continue to advance towards Tripoli... One of the things that has happened is that the military leadership is clearing out all of the hundreds upon hundreds of young men who simply grabbed weapons in Benghazi and around from military bases and headed towards the front to fight. They have been very poorly disciplined, they have no experience, they have shot at the slightest provocation and they have become a danger to themselves, and to the rebel cause in some way. They are now being replaced by more experienced soldiers, people who have served with Gaddafi's army, in an effort to give some coordination and discipline. - 10.57am: Further proof of how the Gaddafi regime treats journalists comes from the Guardian's Peter Beaumont who says security forces are confiscating equipment from reporters on their departure from the airport. - 10.59am: Opposition forces on the main front line between the Mediterranean oil port of Ras Lanouf and the city of Bin Jawad, appear to have established better supply lines, bringing heavy weapons like multiple-rocket launcher trucks and small tanks to the battle, Reuters reports. Youssef Fittori, a major in the opposition force, said a mix of defectors from Gadhafi's special forces and civilain rebels were fighting government forces about 12 miles west of Ras Lanouf on the main coastal road to Bin Jawwad. "Today, God willing, we will take Bin Jawwad. We are moving forward," he said. 11.07am: Germany has frozen "billions" of assets of the Libyan Central Bank and other state-run agencies, AP reports. Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said in a statement that the "measures are a clear reaction to the developments in Libya the brutal suppression of the Libyan freedom movement can now no longer be financed from funds that are in German banks". The ministry had already provisionally blocked Libyan accounts on 1 March. 11.10am: My colleague Angelique Chrisafis in Paris has some more detail on France's decision to recognise the rebel Libyan National Council as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people. France will now send a French ambassador to Benghazi and receive a Libyan envoy in Paris. The announcement by the Elysee came after Nicolas Sarkozy held talks with two Libyan National Council representatives, Mahmoud Jibril and Ali Essaoui, to discuss the uprising and the humanitarian situation in Libya. France is keen to act fast and redeem its standing in the Arab world after the government's clumsy handling of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. The government's foot-dragging and reticence in supporting the anti-government protest movements in Tunisia and Egypt and the Elysee's hamfisted response damaged France's diplomatic standing. The president, embarrassed by French ministers' ties to dictators and his own warm welcome of Gaddafi to France in 2007, is keen to position himself at the forefront of international efforts to resolve the conflict in Libya. He has repeatedly called for Gaddafi toleave Libya. An Elysee official said France had received no requests to meet with Gaddafi's envoys and that in any case "there is not a lot of enthusiasm" to meet with them. Sarkozy's office has said the France is keen to help the Libyan National Council "politically." 11.13am: Hassan Bulifa, a member of the board of east Libya's Arabian Gulf Oil Co (Agoco), a unit of state oil firm National Oil Corp, has told Reuters Agoco is arranging to market oil direct to foreign buyers instead of through its state-owned parent. My colleague Martin Wainwright has blogged about another UK university being linked with the Gaddafi regime, after the controversy over LSE, which saw director Howard Davies quit his post. The institution under the spotlight now is Huddersfield University: The university has a dozen members of Colonel Gaddafi's police force studying forensic science, uncontroversially until the rebellions spread along North Africa's Mediterranean coast. If Gaddafi clings on, their presence may fade back into obscurity, but meanwhile all sorts of critics are making a stir. The Huddersfield Examiner is following the story painstakingly, including protests from the Police Federation whose members have not forgotten the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. The 12 officers are among 103 Libyans doing masters in forensic science at the university, normally seen with other foreign students as a welcome source of income and spreading British maybe even northern values in an imperfect world. They're here following approval in 2007 by the then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith she of the video-hiring expenses husband of a contract by the National Policing Improvement Agency to give the Libyan force a hand. 11.21am: Portugal has followed France in recognising the Libyan national council in Benghazi as the legitimate government of the Libyan people, al-Jazeera is reporting. 11.25am: There is fierce fighting around Bin Jawad, Reuters is reporting. Salem Abdel Wahad, a 30-year-old rebel soldier, told the news agency that Gaddafi's forces have tanks and warplanes, making it difficult for rebels to advance with their relatively light arms. : Right now, there is a bloody fight ... between us and Gaddafi's mercenary force for Bin Jawad. They are exchanging rocket fire at the front. 11.38am: Two tanks manned by Gaddafi's forces are moving towards rebel positions near the eastern Libyan oil town of Ras Lanuf, a witness has told Reuters. The tanks moved towards the oil terminal town and fired on rebel positions as they approached a few kilometres away, the witness said. 11.44am: There is some worrying news from Libya about the Guardian correspondent, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad. He is missing, having not been in touch with the paper since Sunday, when he was on the outskirts of Zawiyah. The Guardian has been in contact with Libyan government officials in Tripoli and London and asked them to urgently give all assistance in the search for Abdul-Ahad and to establish if he is in the custody of the authorities. 11.50am: The eastern oil town of Brega has also been bombed by Gaddafi's forces today, Reuters reports. The town saw fierce fighting on Wednesday last week at the beginning of the counteroffensive by troops loyal to the regime. Brega is about 90 km east of Ras Lanuf, which has also been bombed today. Rebel fighter Mohamed Othman told Reuters over the phone: There's just been an airstrike on Brega - two jets, two bombs. 11.54am: There is a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels today. Our correspondent Ewen MacAskill is there and says it's unlikely that the alliance will intervene in Libya "unless there is a major atrocity that provokes a sense of outrage among the American public". He writes: Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have already racked up a long list of abuses against their own people, but these, no matter how abhorrent, have not made a serious impact on the American public. It would take a major massacre of civilians to awaken the sense of outrage needed to put pressure on the White House to act. Unless that happens, Washington will continue to resist calls by Britain, France and others to intervene with a no-fly zone that would require shooting down any Libyan planes and destroying Libyan airdefences and airfields. At today's meeting the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, will oppose such calls again.The White House has been mulling a no-fly zone, which would be consistent with the doctrine of liberal interventionism that Obama espoused during his 2008 election campaign and immediately after becoming president. But the Pentagon is adamantly against it. Ewen says there are a number of reasons why the Pentagon does not want to get caught up in a no-fly zone. He goes on: It would be costly at a time when the Pentagon, like every other government department in the US is having to cut expenditure. But it the Pentagon is opposed for strategic reasons too. It argues that you cannot intervene everywhere, and in the case of Libya it could prove counter-productive, confirming Arab suspicion that the US is primarilyinterested in oil. Another Pentagon argument against is that the public tend to exaggerate the extent to which air power can influence events on the ground. So Nato today will do nothing, and that position will not change, unless evidence emerges of Gaddafi's forces going way beyond anything they have done so far. 11.57am: The EU has extended its financial sanctions against Libya, adding five financial institutions whose assets and resources will be frozen to a list of more than two dozen individuals close to the Libyan leader, AP reports. 12.04pm: The hospital in Ras Lanuf has been hit by an airstrike and evacuated, al-Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports. There is no word on casualties. Birtley says: "We know people have been wounded, we don't know how many." 12.07pm: Chris McGreal tweets that the provisional national council in Benghazi has welcomed its recognition by France and wants the UK to do likewise. - 12.13pm: CNN Spanish's Middle East correspondent tweets (link in Spanish) that Gaddafi forces are advancing on Ras Lanuf with artillery tanks and ships. It also reports mortar fire in the hospital car park. 12.34pm: Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that foreign intervention in Libya would be "unacceptable" - a clear indication that Russia is prepared to exercise its veto on the UN security council if the proposal gets that far. Lavrov did say that Russia would, however, "closely study" any such initiatives to provide support to opposition forces. He said: In the United Nations charter and other international accords, it is clearly stated that each nation has the right to decide its own future. Intervention in internal affairs, especially military interference, is unacceptable.

Armed Conflict

March 2011

['(Al-Jazeera)', '(BBC)', '(The Guardian)']